September 19, 2013 W W W . V S U S p E c T A T O R . c O M VOLUME 85 ISSUE 5

Inside This Issue- OpINIONS: “Students, quit blaming the system”

- FEATURES: “Vegas to get piece of Britney”

- SpORTS: “No. 1 VSU football to host Shorter Sat.”

On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com

Free T-shirT Design -

caB hosts a free t-shirt design

from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Student

Union Ballroom a. Students

that show up with their 1card

can get their t-shirt designed

however they want.

sTuDenT reciTAl - curtis

thornton plays the tuba from

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Whitehead

auditorium.

grADuATe school

Workshop - career Services

hosts a workshop on attending

graduate school from 4 to 5

p.m. in Powell Hall-West,

second floor.

Today at VSU

Weather

89 H 65 L

Today

91 H 66 L

Friday

69 L89 H

Mostly

Sunny

Saturday

Check out Olivia Gear’sstory on D&T Personal

Training!Blazer football to play Shorter, page 6.Blazer football to play Shorter, page 6.

Mostly

Sunny

Mostly

Sunny

Find Us

Online

Follow

The Spectatoronline for more!

TwiTTer:@vsuspectator

FacebooK: The Spectator

checK ouT our

webSiTe:vsuspectator.com

This Day in

History

Nevada

experiences first ever

underground

nuclear

explosion.September 19, 1957

a 1.7 kiloton nuclear

weapon detonated in

an underground

tunnel at the Nevada

Test Site--a 1,375

square mile research

center located 65 miles

north of Las Vegas.

Source: History.com

VSU lost a member of its

student body early tuesday

morning.

Marcus Holmes, 19, sopho-

more, was killed when he

was struck by a UPS semi-

truck on i-75.

Police say the accident oc-

curred around 1 a.m. when

Holmes stepped into traffic

just north of the mile 19

marker on the normally

bustling interstate.

"the driver of the UPS

truck, whenever he noticed

the pedestrian in the roadway,

he was unable to avoid im-

pact with the pedestrian,”

Sgt. carl taylor, Georgia

State Patrol, said in an inter-

view with WaLB News.

at the moment officers

with GSP say that drugs or

alcohol don’t appear to be in-

volved with the crash, but a

blood test will provide defini-

tive results. the tests are ex-

pected to be completed in a

month.

President Dr. William

McKinney sent an email to

faculty and students announc-

ing the death.

“On behalf of the entire

VSU family, we extend our

deepest sympathy to the

Holmes family,” Dr. McKin-

ney said.

On tuesday, shortly after

the crash, condolences from

Holmes’s friends and family

flooded his facebook page,

and word of his death contin-

ued to spread following

McKinney’s announcement.

‘Marcus was a bright, out-

going, and hopeful young

man who shared those quali-

ties with those around him,

and without him, those clos-

est to him find the world a

slightly darker place,” ed-

ward Braun, english instruc-

tor, said.

“Marcus was full with joy

and kindness,” Hannah

Davis, former Shorter Uni-

versity schoolmate to

Holmes, said. “He had a huge

heart and gave great advice.”

McKinney said consolers

would be available to speak

with students affected by

Holmes’s passing. Students

seeking assistance should call

229-333-5940.

VSU student struck by semi, dies on I-75Will Lewis

M a N a G i N G e D i t O r

walewis@valdosta.edu

VSU celebrated 50 years of

integration with the Heritage

community cookout and “a

Look 50 Years Back and 50

Years forward Kickoff re-

ception” on Wednesday.

robert Pierce and Drewnell

thomas, the first african-

american male and female to

attend VSU, were honored

during the cookout, spon-

sored by the Langdale col-

lege of Business administra-

tion, in Palms Quad.

Students gathered in Palms

Quad as free hamburgers, hot

dogs and other refreshments

were served from noon until

2 p.m.

SGa president Will Jimer-

son, VSU first Lady Dr. Da-

cia

charlesworth

and Valdosta

Mayor Pro

tem alvin

Payton ad-

dressed the

student body

during the

cookout.

“i think

the turn-out

was great,”

Jimerson

said. “We

had a diverse

group of

people that

came out to

celebrate. that is what the

mission of this event was—to

bring people of different her-

itages, cultures, and back-

grounds together as we cele-

brate 50 years of integration.”

“this moment is so histori-

cal because it allows us to re-

flect on everything that peo-

ple have done to make the

university more inclusive and

it’s important to remember

that 50 years later,”

charlesworth said. “Students

that i spoke

to in line

knew what

they were

celebrating

and they

were excit-

ed—it was

great.”

in addition

to free food,

students

could also

participate

in a raffle to

take home

commemo-

rative “50

Years” t-shirts.

“i feel very thankful,”

ayannie thomas, junior

speech communication major,

said. “for the two that paved

the way for african ameri-

cans to attend a university

Campus celebrates 50 years of integration

rebecka Mcaleer / The SPecTaTor

Students enjoy a cookout Wednesday, kicking off the celebration of integration at VSU.

Shane ThomasS ta f f W r i t e r

shanethomas@valdosta.edu

&

Von KennedyS ta f f W r i t e r

vtkennedy@valdosta.edu

the SGa traded off help

for a $450 fee on Monday

night.

this $450 fee was directed

to the film and Video society

for the screening of “Land of

Higher Peace”, a Q&a with

filmmaker Mark ezra Stokes,

and the rights for VSU stu-

dents to screen the film

whenever they want.

for the $450 aid, the orga-

nization promised the SGa

help for any promotional

videos in the future.

“if you are willing, i

would like to offer my orga-

nization’s help to produce

any sort of video,” rizal

Buckingham, film and Video

Society member, said.

“We’re always more than

happy to bring our own

equipment.”

Senators were originally

not enthusiastic about giving

the $450 to the organization,

with Senator edgar James

expressing doubt that the

money would go to an event

that would benefit VSU as a

whole.

“it doesn’t seem to benefit

the (student) body as a

whole, as far as catering to

the needs of our students,”

James said.

James also mentioned the

small capacity (30 seats) of

the room that this event will

take part in, and noted that

maybe the event would cater

to just 30 students.

Senator tamelonie thomas

also noted that the Q&a

would primarily concern the

making of the film, rather

than the subject matter of the

film itself, which is about,

according to imdb.com, “the

daily challenges ethiopians

face through the eyes of a

group of well-meaning

americans in the small

northern town of Gondar.”

“i know we have a very

good student body here, who

are mass media students, but

i honestly don’t feel like that

this film will be educational

or really vital for the SGa to

have our money budgeted to

it.”

thomas also noted that she

was excited to see the film,

after having done mission

Joe AdgieS O c i a L M e D i a

e D i t O r

jmadgie@valdosta.edu

SGA

makes

a deal

See SGA , Page 2

Von Kennedy / The SPecTaTor

Dr. Shirley Hardin, director of African American Studies,

discusses the history of VSU. The photograph is of the

first African American VSU homecoming queen, Skip

McDonald.

First African American students honored Wednesday

See 50 YEARS , Page 2

For the two that

paved the way for

African Americans

to attend a universi-

ty like this I just feel

very honored. I

wanted to volunteer

and do what I can to

help.

- AyAnnie ThomAs

“

”

another void is filled for

VSU as it hires a new admin-

istrator.

Nicole turley was named

the new associate Dean of

Students less than two weeks

ago and will serve alongside

russell Mast, Vice President

of Student affairs and Dean

of Students.

the position involves

working with the vice presi-

dent for student affairs and

the dean of students to imple-

ment plans for the Division

of Student affairs.

the search began in June

and ended on august 1.

the search committee con-

sisted of thomas Hardy,

Sherolyn Hopkins, robin

Vickery, Stanley Jones, Lisa

Long, Kevin taylor and Has-

sanat Oshodi.

thomas Hardy led the

committee but couldn’t be

reached for answers at press

time.

there were 55 applicants,

the final four were invited to

campus.

turley, former SGa presi-

dent and graduate of VSU,

now serves as an advisor for

SGa in her returning role at

her alma mater.

She made a visit to the

SGa meeting on Monday and

New Associate Dean of Students namedIsaiah Smart

S ta f f W r i t e r

itsmart@valdosta.edu

See ADS , Page 2

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The Classifieds

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Want ed, Room mates and

Help Wanted.

Sep. 11

A student reported a female

leaving a room in Centennial

Hall following an altercation

in the room. Dispatch spoke

with one roommate who ac-

knowledged that and alterca-

tion had taken place regard-

ing a boyfriend staying the

night. VSU student, Heather

Shew, was arrested.

Sep. 13

VSU student, Trenton

Williams was arrested for dri-

ving under the influence, and

transported to Lowndes

County Jail.

A student reported a Co-

lumbia jacket and a TI83 cal-

culator stolen from her back-

pack in Georgia Hall.

Sep. 14

A student witnessed a vehi-

cle being broken into the

night before in the Georgia

Hall gravel lot.

Sep. 16

A red Genesis bike was

stolen from the Student

Union.

A student reported his bag

stolen from the Front Lawn.

Some items were later found

in the bushes beside Patter-

son Hall and turned into the

VSUPD.

Sep. 17

VSUPD responded to a re-

port of an odor of marijuana

coming from a room in Cen-

tennial Hall. Police arrested

VSU student, Justin Culler

and transported him to Lown-

des County Jail.

Sep. 18

A student flagged down a

VSUPD officer at the corner

of the Sustella lot and report-

ed a gray and orange check-

ered backpack stolen. The of-

ficer responded by placing a

BOLO for the item, but po-

lice were unable to make

contact with the thief.

Police Briefs

Sep. 20

The VSU Dance Club will hold a bake sale from 10 a.m. to

noon at the Pedestrian Mall Gazebo near the Student Union.

The Society of International Students will host a Cultural

Hour featuring the country of Belize. The event will take place

at 2 p.m. at the ELI House at 111 Moore Str. Just behind the

Student Union.

Sep. 23

The Peace Corps. will have an informational table set up in

the Student Union from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. An information ses-

sion will be held from 6-8 p.m. in Powell Hall West, second

floor.

College Republicans are proud to host Congressman Austin

Scott for a meet and greet. The event is open to all Students.

Monday, September 23rd at 6 p.m. in the Union Ballroom A

Sep. 24

A blood drive will be held from 12:30-5:30 p.m. in the Stu-

dent Union.

"The Constitution, the Continued Democratic Voting Chal-

lenge, and the Rise of a New Jim Crow Order." Student pre-

sentations on various cases and background history on the

struggle for democratic voting and the roles played by the U.S.

Supreme Court, Congress, and the various state legislature.

Presentations will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. in the Student

Union Theatre.

From 7-8 p.m. in the Powell Hall Auditorium, Dr. Fred

Knowles, Director of the Native American Studies Program,

will present an overview of the Supreme Court decision re-

garding their ruling concerning Bab Veronica. Dr. Knowles

will also discuss the significance of these rulings and how they

relate to the current Legislature and the Indian Child Welfare

Act of 1978.

The Student Health Center has received the flu vaccine

(H1N1 covered in this vaccine) and the vaccine is available to

students for $10 (flex, cash or check). If you would like to get

a flu vaccine, but not make an appointment, please come to

the Student Health Center on Sep. 24 , Oct. 1 or Oct. 8 from

8:30-10:30a.m. or 1-3 p.m.

Upcoming Events

work in Kenya.

Senator Heather Washing-

ton, meanwhile, did find one

thing that would have bene-

fitted the VSU community.

“The only thing that actual-

ly looks like it would actually

benefit VSU

would be

the copy of

the film,”

Washington

said. “If I’m

not a mass

media ma-

jor, I’m not

sure if I

would even

show up (to the film screen-

ing and Q&A).”

Washington advocated

“maybe getting the word

out,” but was opposed to

funding anything outside of

the rights to the film.

Senator Breanna Lawrence

noted the SGA could take a

look at how organizations

have tried to raise money be-

fore going to them.

“We definitely have to take

that into consideration with

other organizations,”

Lawrence said. “What have

you done to help yourself

first before you get help from

other people?”

Lawrence advocated giving

$150—which would be the

rights fees for VSU students

to screen the movie whenever

they wanted.

Senator Matt Lovelace,

however, favored the full

amount for the benefit that

the Mass Media department

would bring to the SGA, in

regards to promotional videos

that would be shot in the fu-

ture.

“Mass Media has access to

a lot of filmmaking and pro-

motional styled things,”

Lovelace said. “It may be

worth our money to invest in

them so we have some added

resources in advertising and

marketing for SGA.”

Senator Valencia Warren

agreed.

“This

would be a

huge help to

the PR com-

mittee as far as

the video edit-

ing is con-

cerned,” War-

ren said. “It

would be great

for our YouTube channel and

getting out to students.”

Amendments were pro-

posed to bring the dollar

amount down to $300, and

then to $250, but Lovelace

advocated again for the full

$450 due to the promised

benefit to the SGA from the

mass media department.

“The quality of work that

the mass media department

does is worth a lot of mon-

ey,” Lovelace said. “We are

now limiting the funds we

are giving and asking for

help. I think it is a bit unfair

to limit the amount of money

that we are giving and asking

them to help us. So instead of

limiting us to one event or a

couple of events or one

YouTube channel, why not

give the entire $450 and then

asking for continuous help in

marketing for the SGA.”

The SGA soon afterwards

voted for the full $450 to be

given.

SGA BUDGET: $19,148.23

SGA

continued from page 1

This would be a

huge help to the PR

committee as far as

the video editing is

concerned.

-Valencia Warren

“

”

like this I just feel very hon-

ored. I wanted to volunteer

and do what I can to help.”

Payton reflects on his own

experience in 1963 as a third-

grader when Pierce and

Thomas arrived on campus

and what it means to the city

of Valdosta.

“Being born and raised in

Valdosta and being here in

1963; knowing some of the

changes the city was going

through at that time, as a

third-grader, you don’t see

those things,” Payton said.

“Obviously, Ms. Thomas and

Mr. Pierce, to be the only two

African-American students

on this campus in 1963, those

were some heavy, heavy bur-

dens to bear.”

“From a city perspective, I

think this (event) shows how

far the city and the county

have progressed in their for-

ward thinking,” Payton said.

Various VSU organizations

also hosted “A Look Back

and 50 Years Forward Kick-

off Reception” in the Bailey

Science Center.

The event celebrated Pierce

and Thomas, as well as Dr.

Shirley Hardin, professor of

English and Director of the

African American Studies

program and other notable

people and moments.

Hardin has been at VSU

for 37 years witnessed much

social change on campus.

“Sometimes people take

their education here for

granted,” Hardin said.

“(Here) you get to interact

with different fraternities,

sororities, races and once you

learn their history and cul-

ture, you are empowered. All

of us can soar, and that is my

greatest joy; when students

can come together.”

50 Years

continued from page 1

spoke to the senate and

guests briefly to introduce

herself.

“I hope that the new Asso-

ciate Dean of

Students is

able to fully

foster all the

expectations

for an advi-

sor,” Hassanat

Oshodi, SGA

Vice Presi-

dent, said.

“SGA is in the

reconstruction

stage so at this

point it is important that we

have an advisor who is effi-

ciently responsive and able to

adhere to the needs of SGA

and the other departments the

ADS is over.”

With the increase in social

media use Turley has the task

of had coordinating social

media for the division.

“The general plan is to

deepen the awareness of and

connection to the services,

development and support

provided by the Division of

Student Affairs through vari-

ous social media venues,”

Turley

said.

Turley will

act as an

advisor for

depart-

ments such

as: Access

Office,

Testing and

Orienta-

tion/Lead-

ership Programs.

She will also have a hand

in coordinating student

recognition initiatives, Parent

Programs and Campus Min-

istries.

Turley’s office is located in

the Student Affairs Office on

the third floor of the Student

Union.

ADS

continued from page 1

”

“

-Hasanat Oshodi

I hope that the new

Associate Dean of

Students is able to

fully foster all the

expectations for an

advisor.

Lawnart goesnatural

Ritsuki Miyazaki / The SpecTaToR

Art took on a natural form withthis sculpture of the sun andmoon outside of WhiteheadAuditorium.

septemBer 19, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3

This editorial was written by Jennifer Gleason (jlgleason@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.

Our point of view...

Students, quit blaming the systemWhen I was in the second

grade, the quadratic formula,

variables and polynomials

were the last things on my

mind.

that’s what elementary

school students are now

learning: algebra—a subject

that already befuddles many

middle and high school stu-

dents. I can’t imagine being

seven years old and having

to learn algebra (that might

also be because math is not a

strong suit of mine).

Like any business model,

education changes constantly

due to competition and an

influx of a variety of knowl-

edge. this is the same

knowledge academia tries to

expose students to over a rel-

atively short amount of time.

to keep up, educators are

expected to update their cur-

ricula regularly and usher

upcoming students into this

new world of knowledge and

technologies that even they

have a hard time understand-

ing sometimes.

teaching can be just as

much of a learning process

for educators as it is for stu-

dents.

We may have not learned

algebra in elementary school,

but we were still exposed to

it later in our educational ca-

reers. So, the system hasn’t

failed us, it is just changing

to meet the requirements of a

new generation of thinkers.

It is true that students

learning higher levels of sub-

jects so early on will proba-

bly be exposed to even high-

er levels by the time they

reach our ages, but those stu-

dents will be carrying us

when we get older, just as

we’re sure to carry our par-

ents’ generation—and in

some ways we already are.

Whether or not we can

say we understand a subject

thoroughly, our teachers did

what they could for the

amount of time they had

with us.

Plenty of VSU freshmen

complain about not under-

standing certain subjects

well and the fact that the

core curriculum requires us

to take classes such as col-

lege algebra, foreign lan-

guages, biology, geology,

etc., regardless of our ma-

jors.

“I’m an english major,

why do I have to have sci-

ence credits? I’m not going

to use this later!”

the truth is it does not

matter what students experi-

enced in their prior educa-

tion, and it does not matter

what students think is use-

less or not.

each subject has the po-

tential to expand our minds,

and when we’re exposed to

those subjects, there’s a

chance that one of them may

turn into our major or minor.

Not everyone comes out of

college with the same goals

with which they started.

education is a malleable

model that changes case by

case.

We, as students, cannot ex-

pect teachers to do all of our

work or magically implant

knowledge into our brains

effortlessly. We have to be

willing to learn more and

have a drive to learn more—

especially in the fields we’re

trying to pursue as careers.

at the same time, teachers

cannot expect students to al-

ways know everything they

need to know before regis-

tering for a class.

Quite often the foundation

that primary education was

supposed to lay for students

isn’t there—either due to

learning disabilities or cur-

riculum deficiencies.

It’s our responsibility to

take the extra step to learn

about things not presented to

us and prove to teachers and

advisers that they are not

wasting their time.

(taking those extra steps

and building those relation-

ships helps us later when we

need recommendation letters,

too—just putting that out

there!)

We are here now, we are

adults and it is our chance to

take responsibility for our

own education.

OpiniOns

We have to be will-

ing to learn more

and have a drive to

learn more—espe-

cially in the fields

we’re trying to

pursue as careers.

Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those

of the Spectator and its staff. all rights reserved. reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily

those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.

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Online at www.vsuspectator.com

Spectator StaffEditor-in-Chief: Jennifer GleasonManaging Editor:Will LewisBusiness Manager: Kristen VarneyAdvertising Manager:aimee NapierCirculation Manager: abbie Baggerly Opinions Editor: Stephen CavallaroFeatures Editor: Sarah turner

Sports Editor: eric JacksonPhoto Editor: ritsuki MiyazakiMultimedia Editor: rebecka McaleerWeb Designer: John PreerCopy Editor: Olivia McLeanSocial Media Editor: Joe adgie Faculty Advisers: Dr. PatMiller, Dr. ted Geltner, Keith Warburg

Reporters/Photographers:abbie Baggerly, JordanBarela, Khiry Clements, essah Cole, Jessica Cooke,Cole edwards, allison ericson, Neil frawley, OliviaGear, Brian Hickey, VictoriaJohnson, David Lacy, IsaiahSmart, taylor Stone, Shanethomas, alex tostado, alexis Waters, Von Kennedy,Hilary Straball

Just when you thought cig-

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but could also replace their

nicotine patches. Here is the

catch: e-cigs are relatively

new to the market, and there

is still a lot of research that

needs to be done before any-

one can say that they are a

viable in helping to control or

even quit smoking.

according to

theLancet.com, e-cigs are

used by many smokers to as-

sist in quitting the habit be-

cause they can deliver nico-

tine and mitigate tobacco

withdrawal symptoms.

a trial done by a group at

the Lancet produced under-

whelming evidence. e-cig

users did quit smoking, but

the results were not nearly as

high as one might expect.

the article states, “e-ciga-

rettes, with or without nico-

tine, were modestly effective

at helping smokers to

quit…Uncertainty exists

about the place of e-ciga-

rettes in tobacco control, and

more research is urgently

needed to clearly establish

their overall benefits and

harms at both individual and

population levels.”

So are e-cigs a better al-

ternative to cigarettes? I

think they are. there is not a

lot of evidence supporting

the theory that they can help

people quit, but I have been

around people who smoke

them. e-cigs seem to be a

great alternative for those

who enjoy smoking inside or

around non-smoking friends

since secondhand smoke

risks associated with e-cigs

are lower than those associat-

ed with regular cigarettes.

the idea in theory is great.

an odorless cigarette that can

be smoked without harm to

others sounds fantastic. We

may not be at this point just

yet, but we are getting there.

Personally I hope research

proves that e-cigs can help

people quit or at least control

the urges that many people

have to smoke. I have seen

many friends try to quit but

not be able to because the

patch did not work. If this is

truly an effective way for

smokers and non-smokers to

live in harmony, I’m all for it

and hope that more research

proves that this will benefit

people.

Do you feel strongly about

electronic cigarette? Is this

technology a benefit or a haz-

zard to humanity? express

your opinions by sending the

Spectator staff a tweet at

@vsuspectator.

E-cigs, innovative or recreating the past? David Lacy

S ta f f W r I t e r

dclacy@valdosta.edu

Body piercings and tattoos

have had a long-standing re-

lationship with humans

throughout history. In some

cultures, body art represents

history, lineage or religion,

but in other cultures a tattoo

may simply represent a

drunken night.

In March, arkansas Senate

Bill 387 was passed. the bill

redefined “body art” and in-

cluded scarification—the

etching, scratching or cutting

of skin to produce a design.

the bill isn’t exactly clear on

what is limited or banned,

but it is clearly stated that

subdermal operations are

prohibited but can be per-

formed by licensed physi-

cians. this shouldn’t be

much of a problem as Joe

Phillips, a member of the

arkansas Body Modification

association, stated that he

doesn’t know of anyone do-

ing such procedures.

Misty forsberg, a piercing

and scarification artist in

arkansas, worked with state

legislators to update the bill.

She was reported as satisfied

with the results despite a

“bumpy ride” at first.

What if this moves along

to Georgia? a council in

Washington, D.C., wants to

establish a 24-hour waiting

period to prevent impulse

acts of getting a tattoo or

piercing. “We’re making sure

when that decision is made

that you’re in the right frame

of mind.” Yvette M. alexan-

der, a council member, said.

as stated, the bill is am-

biguous to what is limited or

banned, but what isn’t? this

ambiguity could give the

government some type of

grey area to reign in. Could

the prohibition of subdermal

body art be the beginning of

widespread regulation on

self-expression? Is this an in-

fringement on your first

amendment rights or just a

way to keep things safe for

minors and people acting off

impulse?

Regulating body artIsaiah Smart

S ta f f W r I t e r

itsmart@valdosta.edu

People PollIn response to the incident at UA:

Is VSU greek life segregated?

Want more opinions?Check out the Video People Poll online at:

youtube.comValdostaSpectator

are “tobacco free” ciga-

rettes better for your health?

What if that tobacco was re-

placed with liquid nicotine?

Say hello to electronic ciga-

rettes, or “e-cigs.”

electronic cigarettes are

quickly becoming a preferred

option among smokers to tra-

ditional cigarettes. With such

a rapid increase in popularity,

questions arise about the

safety of these sleek, smoke-

less, battery-operated alterna-

tives.

You have probably seen

people smoking these innova-

tive, ultramodern, “safe” cig-

arettes in unconventional

places such as restaurants and

elevators, but what makes

these popular substitutes

“safer?”

a common myth about

electronic cigarettes is that

they are a healthier option

because they don’t contain

tobacco, but the nicotine is

still there, only in a different

form. electronic cigarettes

contain a mechanism that

heats liquid nicotine turning

it into a vapor, allowing

smokers to inhale and exhale

as they would a normal ciga-

rette.

Why do so many people

believe that inhaling liquid

nicotine will not affect their

health? this myth may stem

from the fact that e-cigs are

readily available to everyone,

regardless of age – especially

online. It doesn’t help that

many electronic cigarettes

come in kid-friendly flavors

such as gummy bear and

cookies cream, leaving little

room for debate when it

comes to its targeted audi-

ence. Since they are tobacco

free, electronic cigarettes are

not subject to U.S. tobacco

laws, which give them a

guise of safety.

the fDa is in the process

of trying to have e-cigarettes

regulated as a “drug-delivery

device” but the manufactur-

ers insist that e-cigs are sim-

ply recreational and should

not be subject to regulation.

the truth is, there simply

isn’t enough known about

electronic cigarettes to so fer-

vently claim that they are

safer than traditional ciga-

rettes simply because the

nicotine is being delivered to

your lungs in a different way.

a cigarette is a cigarette,

regardless of whether you use

a lighter or batteries or

whether you’re producing

smoke or vapor. We shouldn’t

question what the “healthier”

option is if they are both de-

livering nicotine, the very

component that makes ciga-

rettes addictive, directly to

your lungs.

So I guess the real question

is, do you want to be addict-

ed to a “traditional” cigarette

or an electronic cigarette?

Taylor StoneS ta f f W r I t e r

tnstone@valdosta.edu

Candyce Peters

junior

pre-nursing major

“I do feel like we’re segre-

gated by tradition because I

was so surprised when I saw

a white girl in a black

sorority”

River Page

freshman

exercise physiology major

“I would definitely like to

see a lot more diversity in

fraternities and sororities

because right now they’re

mostly traditional, black

and white”

PagE 4 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coM FeaturesSEPTEMBER 19, 2013

anyone looking for an

adrenaline rush should be

glad to know that COre will

be taking students white-wa-

ter rafting in the cool ap-

palachian Mountains on

sept. 28-29.

COre plans to tackle the

rapids in Hiawassee, Ga. and

Ocoee, tenn. during the trip

which will include rafting,

hiking and plenty of water.

"water,” sean wilkinson,

COre outdoors graduate as-

sistant, said. “there will be

water everywhere! Plus, they

will be in the foothills of the

appalachian Mountains,

which provide a beautiful,

deciduous forest along the

cliff sides. Did somebody

say fall leaves?"

Not only will there be

white-water rafting, but the

group will also take a short

hike through the mountains

on the John Muir trail.

there is no experience nec-

essary to go on the trip.

“we are hiring a trained

guide through an outfitter

near the river that will tell

you everything you need to

know before we get on the

river,” rebecca tucker,

COre team leader, said.

“they are also providing all

the gear that will keep you

and your friends safe during

this action-packed adven-

ture.”

food will be provided on

saturday night, but students,

faculty and guests are re-

sponsible for all other meals.

students will need to bring

a fast-drying swimsuit, dry

clothes to change into, river

shoes or an old pair of tennis

shoes, a light jacket and sun-

screen.

COre will provide tents,

sleeping bags, stoves, spray

jackets, sleeping pads, head-

lamps and dry bags at no

charge.

“On past trips, there has

been nothing but positive

feedback about our white-

water rafting from both be-

ginners and experienced

folks alike,” wilkinson said.

“the Ocoee is full of every-

thing, Class i to Class iV

rapids, and is sure to get that

adrenaline pumping. Person-

ally, this is one of my fa-

vorite trips that COre Out-

doors does.”

Costs for the trip are $55

for students and $65 for fac-

ulty and guests.

students, faculty and

guests need sign up and pay

before sept. 26 at the COre

office in the sustella parking

deck.

the pre-trip meeting will

be on sept. 26 at 6 p.m. De-

parture times will be deter-

mined at the meeting.

Hello, world—anthony

here bringing you all

the pop culture events

from the last week that had us

talking.

it’s Britney, Bitch! the

pop princess made her re-

turn to hearts this past week.

But let’s be honest. she nev-

er left.

Ms. spears’ new single

“work Bitch” leaked sun-

day morning. the leak

prompted spears’ team to

move up the itunes release a

full day before scheduled.

the following morning Brit

Brit made a huge announce-

ment in the only way Britney

can: by flying in a helicopter

to the middle of the Nevada

desert.

surrounded by a few hun-

dred screaming fans, spears

announced she would be tak-

ing residency at Planet Holly-

wood in Vegas for the next

two years.

titled “a Piece of Me,”

spears will perform 48 shows

per year over the next two

years. Britney might want to

buy a bigger purse too be-

cause her wallet is about to

get a whole lot bigger.

it is being reported that she

will take home $30 million

for the tenure of her residen-

cy. it works out to $310,000

per performance.

that’s going to buy our

Louisiana princess a lot of

Cheetos and UGG boots.

that wasn’t the only news

spears had. she also an-

nounced her next album will

be released on Dec. 3, the day

after she turns 32 years old.

while Britney’s profession-

al life seems to be moving

right along, another star’s per

sonal life seems to have crum-

bled apart.

Both Miley Cryus’ and

Liam Hemsworth’s publicists

confirmed that the young stars

have ended their engagement.

the announcement came

after both of them quit follow-

ing each other on twitter

which, apparently, in 2013 is

a big deal.

allegedly, Liam wasn’t too

happy about all that twerking

and tonguing Miley has been

doing and ended the relation-

ship.

whatever the reason, he ob-

viously was not too heartbro-

ken because he was spotted

with a new girl late tuesday

night at an L.a. nightclub.

Miley probably isn’t too hurt

either. Her latest single,

“wrecking Ball,” off her

forthcoming album,

“Bangerz,” dethroned Katy

Perry’s “roar” to take the No.

1spot on Billboard’s Hot 100.

this is Miley’s first song

ever to go No. 1on the Hot

100 chart. i guess all the

“hood rat” antics Miley has

been displaying is working.

that’s it for Pop addict this

week. Be sure to check back

next week to read what some

of your favorite celebrities are

up to.

Po p

Ad d i c tAnthony Pope

Vegas to get piece of Britney

Cool down with COREAbbie Baggerly

s ta f f w r i t e r

rabaggerly@valdosta.edu

Cyrus and Hemsworth shed few tears and move on from breakup

iPad revamps orchestra

Photo by: Summer Yates

Valdosta State Orchestra opened its season with U.S. premiere of Ned

McGowan’s innovative Concerto for iPad and orchestra last Saturday.

Scan the QR

code to read

Cole Edwards’

preview of

“What to Do

with a Degree

in English?”

OddEven

PagE 5 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coMSportSSEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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SudokuANSWERS

VSU soccer team

falls out of top 25

Valdosta state women’s

soccer (3-0-1) hits the road for

the first time this season as

they make stops at Gulf south

Conference opponents Delta

state (1-3) on Friday after-

noon and Christian Brothers

(3-0-1) on sunday afternoon.

VsU is 1-0-1 this season in

the GsC after a double over-

time tie with Union and a 3-0

win over Alabama Huntsville

this past weekend.

the Blazers admittedly did

not play their best in the tie

against Union and have been

working physically and men-

tally to ensure they do not

take an opponent lightly.

“we are still hugely moti-

vated since the Union game,”

Head Coach Mel Heinz said.

“we are still going to gnaw on

that (Union) game that should

have ended in a win… and we

are also going to remember

that each game is important

and 90 minutes need to be

played.”

so far this season, CBU is

outscoring its opponents 12-1.

“it’s shocking that (CBU)

fall(s) in the polls every year,”

Coach Heinz said. “they are a

very strong team and clearly

they have done good so far.”

Heinz and the Blazers want

to make sure they stick to

their game plan this weekend.

“i would say that going into

each match strong, making

sure we stay focused, we are

prepared and when we step on

the field we play all 90 min-

utes (will bring us a victory),”

junior goalkeeper olivia Mills

said. “(we need) to stay confi-

dent in our abilities and put

the results on the board early

and keep it that way. we know

we can win. we know we

have the capabilities.”

sophomore midfielder Mar-

garet stauffer knows how im-

portant each game is and

doesn’t find any excuses.

“we are a team that

wins,” stauffer said. “we

are not intimidated by any

other team or their success

because we are focused on

what we are doing and we

know that we are going to

succeed.”

stauffer and the rest of

the team realize that more

goals need to be scored and

they have been working on

that this week.

“we are working on be-

ing more connected up

front and to our (midfield-

ers),” stauffer said. “we

are working on triangles

and easy passes so we can

break pressure with the

long pass. (we also work)

on team chemistry.”

the Blazers dropped out of

the NCAA top 25 rankings in

the nation after last weekend’s

performance and the attitude

of the team is disappointed yet

motivated.

“i think we have to get back

in check with us,” Heinz said.

“we’ve got to play well and

we’ve got to win games for

us. if we do that, then we will

get rewarded, not just on the

field and in our conference

and for our university, but i

think nationally we will start

getting attention.”

Mills is upset about the

news but knows that there are

still a lot of games to be

played this season.

“(the team is) frustrated be-

cause we know we deserve to

be in the top 25,” Mills said.

“it was pretty bitter learning

that (we dropped out) but at

the same time, it just lights

our fire even more.”

Follow Alex on twitter:

@Alex_tostado12

Alex Tostado s p o r t s w r i t e r

ajtostado@valdosta.edu

Junior forward Blakley McClellan

advances the ball during VSU’s

win over Florida Tech (above).

NCAA Division II Top 251. Grand Valley State

2. Saint Rose

3. Armstrong Atlantic

4. Western Washington

5. Tampa

6. East Stroudsburg

7. Fort Lewis

8. Minnesota-Mankato

8. American International

10. West Florida

11. Cal State Stanislaus

12. William Jewell

13. Colorado Mines

14. Millersville

15. North Georgia

15. Sonoma State

17. Central Missouri

18. Wisconsin-Parkside

19. St. Edwards

20. Dowling

21. Gannon

22. Rollins

23. UC San Diego

24. Columbus State

24. Southwestern Oklahoma

David Lacy/The Spectator

WANT TO BE A SPORTS WRITER?EMAIL: epjackson@valdosta.edu

Follow @BlazerSports on Twitter

page 6 | vsuspectator.com S p o r t S september 19, 2013

No.1 VSU football to host Shorter Sat.

No. 1 Valdosta state (1-0)

plays their home opener

against Gulf south Confer-

ence rival shorter (0-2) this

saturday at Bazemore-Hyder

stadium.

“it's weird; it does seem

like a long time since we've

had a home game. But we're

excited to have an opportuni-

ty to play at home and get the

atmosphere of a home game,”

said Coach David Dean.

saturday's contest is the

GsC opener for both teams.

A win could set the table

for a successful season for

the Blazers, while the Hawks

try to stop the bleeding with a

rough start.

“we have to get off to

a 1-0 start in conference

if we want to have an

opportunity to win the

conference,” said Dean.

the Hawks run a veer

option attack on offense

lead by quarterback eric

Dodson and fullback

Bradley Moon.

Dodson leads sU with

264 rushing yards on the

season, and Moon led

the GsC last season in

rushing.

“what you have to do

is limit their big plays,

and force them into

those long yardage situa-

tions,” said Dean.

Defensively, VsU's biggest

key will be playing discipline

football to prevent explosive

plays.

“Any time you play an op-

tion team it's all assignment

football,” Dean said.

“You make sure someone is

on the dive, the quarterback

and the pitch man, but still

aware of them pulling back

and throwing down the field,

there's just so many options

they have to go by.”

this week VsU had some

difficulties preparing for the

upcoming unique offense in

practice.

“their offense is something

we can't practice for because

we don't have any players in

here that run that type of of-

fense, so to simulate it in

practice is difficult,” Dean

said. “we're going to go into

it blind as far as the speed is

concerned.”

the Blazer's best defense

against shorter could be their

offense. if VsU can get

ahead early, it will force

shorter to rely on Dodson's

arm, rather than legs to make

plays. Dodson has completed

less than 35 percent of his

passes along with three inter-

ceptions.

“that's what you got to do

when you play those option

teams, force them to do the

things they're not comfortable

doing, then they play into

your hands a little bit,” Dean

said. “if we can get a big

enough lead, hopefully we

can force them to do that. it's

going to be a heck of a chal-

lenge for us.”

there's more at stake be-

sides conference standings.

VsU wants to continue their

winning ways against new ri-

vals and continue their estab-

lishment as top D-ii program

in Georgia.

“As far as recruiting goes,

we want to be undefeated

against all the teams we play

in state, and this is the second

one. From that aspect, to go

2-0 in the state is very good,”

said Dean.

Kick-off is scheduled for

7pm at Bazemore-Hyder sta-

dium saturday.

Dowling Payne/Blazer Pride

VSU football team runs out of the tunnel before its 36-21 victory over

Fort Valley State on Sept 7.

Chris Kessler s p o r t s w r i t e r

ckessler@valdosta.edu

Maylisa Johnson fights off

injuries for final season

the words ‘torn ACL’ are per-

haps the most feared words in

sports. For Valdosta state Lady

Blazers guard-forward Maylisa

Johnson, those words have been

a little too familiar.

Johnson missed all of the

2012-13 season after undergoing

a second ACL surgery on her left

knee and finds herself working

to get back into game shape for

her senior season.

“physically, i’ve been going

hard,” Johnson said. “i went

hard in the summer and when i

was out with my ACL. each and

every day is a battle, but as the

days go on i’m getting better and

stronger.”

Johnson, a self-proclaimed

professional shopper away from

the floor, admits that rehabbing

the injury has been tough on her

mentally.

“the rehab process was very

tough,”

Johnson

said. “this

was my

second

ACL

surgery so

i knew

what to

expect but

mentally, i

got down a

lot. physically, it wasn’t that

hard but it was mostly a mental

thing.”

in 2011-12, Johnson started all

30 games for the Lady Blazers,

averaging 5.8 points, 4.3 re-

bounds and 4.0 assists per game,

which led the team and tied for

the Gulf south Conference lead.

“My goal is to make my team-

mates better every day in prac-

tice,” Johnson said. “i just want

to be tough every single game.”

“i’m more of a distributor—i

like to get the team going and

excited. i have a lot of energy so

that’s what i bring to the table.”

the okmulgee, okla. native

was a key piece to a team that

finished 22-8 and advanced to

the sweet sixteen in 2011-12.

Head coach Kiley Hill ex-

pects Johnson to be a force in

the upcoming campaign.

“May just brings an intensity

and competitive spirit,” Hill said.

“she can play multiple positions

for us. As long as she stays

healthy, she does some very

good things for us, on and off

the floor.”

Despite a few new faces this

season, Hill believes that John-

son will fit in seamlessly with

this collection of players.

“we had a lot of injuries last

year,” Hill said. “we’re returning

10 players and we’ve signed four

new kids.”

“May knows how to mold

within that group and can morph

into what the team needs. that’s

a major positive for her coming

back.”

read the rest of shane thomas’s

story at www.vsuspectator.com.

Shane Thomass p o r t s w r i t e r

shanethomas@valdosta.edu

Blazer volleyball team opens

conference play this weekend

Valdosta state volleyball

team enters Gulf south Con-

ference play with a pair of

matches against Alabama

Huntsville and North Alaba-

ma on Friday and saturday.

Despite going up against

two teams with losing

records, this weekend pre-

sents a great opportunity for

VsU to improve upon its

weaknesses as they play to-

wards their goal of winning

the GsC volleyball tourna-

ment that begins in late No-

vember.

Although VsU is going up

against what should be much

weaker opponents, head

coach Mike swan is not con-

cerned about the plights of

his opponents when going

forward through his game

plan.

“i worry about my team

and our side of the net and

where we need to be playing,

what level we need to be

playing, and executing. so

it's about us being disciplined

and focused and ready to

play," swan said.

VsU enters conference

play 7-2 after suffering two

losses in the Aiken invitation-

al, a two day tournament held

in Aiken, south Carolina.

VsU opened the tourna-

ment against Lander Univer-

sity, in which Lander won 3-

1 in four sets, a game that

head coach Mike swan

would love to have back.

“Friday's loss to Lander

was very disappointing. they

had a winning record and

they left the tournament 4-0,

so they weren't a bad team,

(but) i just felt like funda-

mentally we should have won

that game and we didn't,"

swan said.

the second loss came to

No.25 palm Beach Atlantic.

VsU held a two point lead in

the first set of the match, but

ultimately fell, and went on

to lose the remaining sets.

VsU bounced back on day

two, handling Limestone Col-

lege in a 3-0 sweep, but the

match of the weekend came

against the host school UsC

Aiken, where VsU pulled out

a 3-2 victory in which they

fell 14-12 and rallied back

with three straight points to

win the match 15-14.

VsU lost the first game,

25-22, and then traded wins

the next three games, which

forced a fifth, first to fifteen

game to decide the match.

read the rest of Neil’s story

at www.vsuspectator.com

Neil Frawleys p o r t s w r i t e r

ndfrawley@valdosta.edu