The Spectator Online Edition, August 22, 2013.

reconstruction on the West

Hall roof and dome began in

July, but the work is for cos-

metic reasons.

the iconic dome that rests

atop West Hall has been a

symbol of VSU since its in-

ception.

as part of the yearly main-

tenance that facilities Plan-

ning oversees, sections of the

roof are being replaced.

ladders and temporary

construction fencing can be

seen from the front lawn as

work has been underway for

over a month.

the West Hall roof re-

placement is “a general main-

tenance repair project,”

robert tindall, associate di-

rector of facilities Planning,

said.

the entire roof is not being

replaced. only repairs to the

flat roof areas, dome roof

deck, and cupola are being

made.

funding for the project

came from the Board of re-

gents of the University Sys-

tem of Georgia.

VSU is awarded yearly

general obligation bond funds

by the state of Georgia to

cover campus maintenance.

the contract for the job

was awarded to lowndes

roofing of Valdosta who

publicly bid for the contract.

the bid was for the rela-

tively low amount of

$184,339, and completion for

the project is anticipated for

october of this year.

the expected date might be

pushed back due to inclement

weather conditions.

Since there has been no

major damage that would af-

fect the structural integrity of

the building some students

see the construction as a poor

allocation of funds.

“the construction on the

dome and roof is a waste of

money,” Kaylee Martin, se-

nior general studies major,

said. “that money could be

used for scholarships.”

austin Bixler, freshman fi-

nance major, said, “i believe

they should use the funds to

improve student housing con-

ditions in Patterson, Brown

and lowndes Halls. they re-

ally need it.”

August 22, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O r . C O M VOLUME 85 iSSUE 1

Inside This Issue- OPiniOnS: “New Wi-fi finally arrives”

- FEATUrES: “oprah gets lohan to talk”

- SPOrTS: “New season awaits for women’s soccer”

On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com

the hAPPeNiNG - Come to

the front lawn from 1 p.m. to

4 p.m. to see what community

businesses and organizations

and clubs on campus have to

offer.

movie NiGht - Natural High

is hosting a movie night at 8

p.m. in the odum library au-

ditorium. the movie is “G.i.

Joe: retaliation.” Snacks will

be provided. for more informa-

tion about the event and Natur-

al High, call 229-259-5111.

NAACP iNformAtioNAl -

the VSU Collegiate Chapter of

NaaCP is hosting an informa-

tional at 7 p.m. in Meeting

room 2 in the Student Union.

Today at VSU

Weather

91 H 71 L

Mostly

Sunny

Today

91 H 72 L

Friday

70 L88 H

Partly

Cloudy

Saturday

Althea Gibson becomes first

African-American onU.S. tennis tour

August 22, 1950

officials of the United States

lawn tennis association

accepted althea Gibson into

their annual championship at

forest Hills, New York.

Source: History.com

Today in History

Partly

Cloudy

Check out RebeckaMcAleer’s column “AdditiveNoise” in which she features

“Levitate” by Hadouken!.Belize BraceletsBelize Bracelets

Students return from Belize with a cause, page 6.

New SGa president Will

Jimerson came to the first

meeting of the semester with

a road map to success and

left with renewed interest

from the senators.

that road map is a three-

page strategic plan that

Jimerson unveiled on Mon-

day night, which discussed

changes, improvements and

ways to increase the SGa’s

visibility among the VSU

community.

“(this is) everything that

goes along with our platform,

and things that we can take

action on this semester,”

Jimerson said. “this is the

fun part of the SGa.”

the plan

included

what were

termed

“areas of

con-

cern”—

points that

were red-

flagged by

the SGa

as prob-

lems with-

in the or-

ganization.

Jimerson

pointed out various ways to

deal with these areas of con-

cern, through six objectives,

and various strategies for ac-

complishing these objectives.

“this presents a lot of op-

portunities for us

this year, and i

am excited to get

this year started,”

Jimerson said.

one of the

strategies in-

volved getting a

“ground team” to

the students to in-

form them about

the SGa.

“one thing

that i noticed

about this cam-

pus when i was

campaigning was that a lot of

people did not know about

the SGa when i was out on

the ground,” Jimerson said.

“We want to start that with

the SGa, where we get peo-

ple out on the ground on

Monday when we’re wearing

our polos (SGa shirts). Just

walk around the Student

Union at certain hours to

where the students have any

concerns they know that they

can come to you.”

the SGa has also rolled

out a Student Concern form

on their website and a 24-

hour hotline through which

students can express their

concerns.

“it’s tailored to where we

can see how (the students)

would like the issue re-

solved,” Jimerson said in an

Greeks party on

Palms Quad

Sarah Turner / The SPecTaTor

Greek Explosion, hosted by Greek Life and Campus

Activity Board, covered Palms Quad Wednesday,

Aug. 14.

Check out page 3 for Greek explosion!

One thing that I

noticed about this

campus when I was

campaigning was

that a lot of people

did not know about

the SGA when I was

out on the ground.- Will JimerSoN,

SGA PreSideNt

“

”

Jimerson plans changes for SGA SGA NoteS:

the SGa budget was not

made available at press

time.

the meeting was fully

catered, with chicken mi-

lanese as the main course

for dinner. this cost the

SGa $13.63 per person.

the SGa conducted five

votes during the meeting, all

passing unanimously.

- a vote approving new

rules regarding SGa fund-

ing of events, rules that in-

cluded a $500 budget cap, a

requirement that the event

benefit the whole student

body, the event be on cam-

pus and it follow regulations

from the student handbook.

- four votes were made re-

garding elections require-

ments.

Joe AdgieS o C i a l M e D i a

e D i t o r

[email protected]

See SGA , Page 2

Jamal Tull / The SPecTaTor

Students can see construction on the iconic West Hall dome from the street. The project is

projected to be done by October but could take longer depending on weather.

West Hall

construction

continues

John PreerS ta f f W r i t e r

[email protected]

Facilities Planning

began construction

last month on the

dome.imagine logging into the

Wi-fi once and not needing

to again.

at the beginning of fall se-

mester, VSU presented its

new Wi-fi network powered

by SmartPass Connect which

gives the option to login only

once to the Wi-fi with each

registered device.

this is a big change from

past Wi-fi usage as students

were required to log in to the

old Wi-fi carrier, Hallnet,

every time they wanted to

use it.

the old network was also

limited to one device and

was a hassle for students

who wanted to log in on their

cellular devices as well as

their laptops.

Students seem impressed

with the upgrade.

“i’m really glad that it got

the Wi-fi together,” taylor

Scott ratliff, junior market-

ing major, said. “everything

Brian HickeyS ta f f W r i t e r

[email protected]

VSU Wi-Fi

gets an

upgrade

See Wi-Fi , Page 2

Construction on the new

Health Sciences and Business

administration building on

North Campus continues on

schedule with a completion

date set for Jan. 2014.

according to robert tin-

dall, associate director of fa-

cilities Planning, they are 75

percent done with the project

and are on the final stages of

construction.

the HSBa building will be

home to several of the Uni-

versity’s health and science

related majors and programs

including Nursing, Commu-

nication Sciences and Disor-

ders, athletic training, exer-

cise Physiology, Social Work

and Health Care administra-

tion.

With programs spread

throughout main campus, the

new HSBa will consolidate

all six programs into one

building.

according to a VSU press

release from the beginning of

construction, the HSBa

building will also provide a

number of advancements and

advantages to the programs

moving into the building.

advantages include a state

of state-of-the-art simulation

center, clinical space, includ-

ing space for community out-

reach for each of the health

science programs, develop-

ment of doctoral degrees in

nursing, speech and language

pathology and social work

and several other key advan-

tages that will ensure the con-

tinued success of students in

those fields.

President McKinney shared

his vision of what he hopes

the HSBa building will be in

the same press release.

“the Health Sciences and

Business administration

building will serve as an ad-

vanced academic facility to

educate Georgia’s future

health care professionals,”

McKinney said. “it will also

provide continuing education

for existing practitioners—it

really becomes the corner-

stone of Valdosta State’s fo-

cus on comprehensive health

professions programs.”

Anthony PopeS ta f f W r i t e r

[email protected]

See HSBA , Page 2

HSBA building on schedule

to open in spring semester

Download The Spectator appto your phone andstay updated wher-

ever you go!

Available for download on Google

Play and iTunes.

Follow The Spectator on

Twitter and like uson Facebook:

Twitter: @vsuspectator

Facebook: The Spectator

Stay in Touch

HAPPY

‘TATOR DAY!

Come find

us at The

Happening.

PAGe 2 | vSUSPecTATor.com N e w s

The Spectator prints freeclassifieds for stu dents ofVal dos ta state Uni ver si tyonly. these must be no morethan 40 words, or a $8.00charge will apply. Clas si fiedsfor fac ul ty, staff, stu dent or -ga ni za tions,stu dent-ownedbusi ness es and the gen er alpub lic cost $8.00 for up to40 words. ads should be sentto The Spectator or de liv eredto our of fice in 1238 HopperHall. the dead line is Mon dayat 5 p.m. if payment ap plies,it should be sub mit ted in a

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AVAILABLE NOW!$100.00DEPOSIT @ TREELOFT.3BR/2BA $725-775,1BR/1BA $450-475, 3 blocks from VSU, cathe-dral ceiling, pool & laundryfacilities, water & garbageincluded. 229-561-0776

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The SpectatorWelcomes

Our Newest Editors

Alec Michael Adgie August 9, 2013

&Emilia Louise Warburg

August 22, 2013

Aug. 21

a student reported her“Coca-Cola” bike stolen.

another bike was stolenfrom outside the recreationCenter.

Aug. 20Student reported two ipods

stolen from her car. She wit-nessed a black male shuttingher car door in the Langdale.

a bike was stolen fromodum Library.

a bike was stolen from thefine arts building.

a Parking and transporta-tion bus was vandalized byan unknown individual with afire extinguisher.

Aug. 19Jasmine davis, university

employee, was arrested forMisdemeaner possesion ofmarijuana and transported toLowndes County Jail.

a bike was stolen fromoutside the Physical educa-tion building.

a bike was stolen from theeast side of Bailey ScienceCenter.

Aug. 18 a bike was reported stolen

from the bike rack at SustellaParking deck over the week-end.

a bike was stolen from thebike rack outside BrownHall.

Katie rowland, odum Li-brary employee, was ap-

proached by a patron who re-ported a blue Kia being bro-ken into in the library staffparking lot. Police issued aBoLo for suspects.

Connor Lee,18, was arrest-ed for obstruction of an offi-cer, underage possesion of al-cohol public drunkeness andpossession of a false id.

Aug. 17$20 was stolen from a

purse in Lowndes Hall beforebeing returned to the frontdesk.

a driver was arrested in theCentennial Hall parking lotfor driving under the influ-ence. She was transported toLowndes County Jail.

Aug. 16

a possible theft was report-ed from the equipment ware-house in the west building ofCentennial Hall.

a bike was stolen from outGeorgia Hall.

Aug. 15a bike was stolen from

outside Georgia Hall.

Aug. 14a car was reported broken

into in the parking lot of ash-ley Cinemas. a verbal warn-ing was given to the driverfor registration.

a student reported herpurse stolen in the Studentunion.

Police Briefs

Aug. 23, 6 p.m.

VSu’s men’s lacrosse club willhold an informational meeting inroom 1480 of odum Library. formore information contact Henrywhelan [email protected] or MikeMcGuire at [email protected].

Aug. 24, 7 a.m.

it’s the VSu 5K fun run/walk!the race will start in front of theStudent union and circle themain campus for a total of 3.1miles. VSu students will receivea special registration rate of $12.t-shirts will be provided at thebeginning of the race. don’t for-get to register early for size pref-erence.

Aug. 28-29, 5 p.m.

VSu will host informationalmeetings for the Miss ValdostaState university ScholarshipPageant in the Student unionmeeting room 2. winners will getthe oportunity to compete in theMiss Georgia ScholarshipPageant.

Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m.

the distinguished women of ex-cellence will hold an interestmeeting in Ballroom a of theStudent union. Learn about vol-unteer oportunities to build sis-terhood and the dwe annual re-treat. for more information fol-low the group on twitter@dwe_VSu2012.

Upcoming Events

SGA

Continued from Page 1

interview on tuesday.SGa plans to review each

concern and examine how thestudents would like to seechange happen.

in addition, a day called“Put it on Blast” was also an-nounced by the SGa. “Put iton Blast” would be an openforum where students couldexpress theirproblems withJimerson—aswell as VSuPresident dr.william McK-inney and deanof Studentsrussell Mast,who proposedthe idea.

No date hasbeen set for“Put it onBlast.”

“if they have anything theywant to talk about, they cancome in and speak to us,”Jimerson said. “it’s not tak-ing the place of a town hallmeeting, but it’s more inter-active with the representa-tives.”

Jimerson also expresseddesire to increase the SGa’sinvolvement in the Planningand Budget Council.

the SGa officially has twovoting representatives in thePBC and one non-voting rep-resentative – the SGa presi-dent – but these representa-tives were mostly absentfrom these meetings, andJimerson noted that the SGahad abandoned the PBC.

“we need a strong student

representation on our univer-sity committees,” Jimersonsaid. “this is where our stu-dent activity fees come in,and we haven’t had a repre-sentative go to those meet-ings in a year, maybe morethan that.”

a look at past minutesfrom Planning and Budgetmeetings show that an SGarepresentative attended theseminutes three times betweenaugust of 2012 and this

May—twicefrom then-presi-dent ryan Baer-walde, a non-voting member,and once fromHassanat osho-di, a votingmember.

the SGaalso announcedchanges to therequirements

for new senatorsto join the organization.

Previously, a senator hop-ing to get a vacant seat didn’tneed any signatures.

Now, students wishing tobecome senators need 100signatures on his or her elec-tion packet. Previously, fresh-men hoping to become sena-tors needed only 50 signa-tures.

“we could all get that inthe line at Chick-fil-a,”Jimerson said.

the election packets re-quired for upperclassmen andfreshmen senators were madeavailable on wednesday, andfreshman packets are due onaug. 29. Voting will takeplace on Sept. 5 and 6.

Greek explosion attractedhundreds of students into thePalms Quad wednesdayevening from 7- 9 p.m.

the event was hosted byGreek Life. Students wereable to enjoy free food, playgames, dance and learn aboutan array of Greek organiza-tions.

“i am overly ecstatic aboutthe turn out,”Berkley Hen-shaw, Greek Life summer in-tern, said. “i wasn’t even ex-pecting half the amount ofstudents here; it’s really ex-citing to see.”

as the event progressedmore and more students wereattracted to the area to takepart in the party. the crowdwas entertained by dJ Bigtwin who played current tophits and helped end the nightby playing music to supportdances performed by severalGreek organizations and stu-dents.

“Students can view theGreeks in a more personaland relaxed setting,” Hen-shaw said. “You can seeGreeks on their own level asstudents and not necessarilyGreek students.”

event attendees broughtout their inner child on theinflatables. there was also aslip and slide available; how-ever, it received little atten-tion due to no one bringingtheir swimwear.

the inflatables, as well asfree prizes, were supplied bythe Campus activity Board.

Many of the organizationshad displays explaining someof their national values andlocal traditions.

“it’s beneficial to Greeksbecause it is an opportunityto market themselves to thecampus as a whole,” Hen-shaw said. “they can allcome together and put on thisgreat event, interact witheach other and also be able totalk about what each organi-zation and what each councilhas to offer.”

Greek Life aims to im-prove communications be-tween students and them-selves.

“often times Greeks areseen as exclusive and secre-tive, but really they are valuebased organizations that wantto share their purposes withothers,” erin Sylvester, assis-tant director for organiza-tional development, said.

although rain cloudslurked over the crowd, therain held off until the eventwas over.

Greek Life also plans tohost a similar event in thespring called Greek Stock. inthe future, Greek Life plansto have a live band for theseevents.

for more information onupcoming events, contact thestudent life office at 229-333-5674.

Greek life invite students

to party at Palms Quad

a Peace Corps meetingwas held in the west audito-rium of Powell Hall onwednesday evening.

Students were welcomed tolisten in on a presentation be-ing conducted by currentmembers of the Peace Corps

the presentation started offwith a video about trainingprograms. onscreen, currentmembers discussed how theirlives have benefited fromserving in the Peace Corps

after the video, two guestspeakers both spoke aboutwhat it has been like for themto participate in Peace Corps.

emily whitfield, a PeaceCorps recruiter shared her ex-

perience in Honduras."if someone has it in their

heart to volunteer, PeaceCorps is the best option be-cause you can use your tech-nical skills while also form-ing lifelong relationships, andliving in a new culture andlearning a new language,"said whitfield.

after the speakers weredone, they opened the floorfor a Q&a session.

"i thought the meeting wasextremely helpful. i'm readyto graduate and hopefullyserve overseas," LorenaGasque, senior mass mediamajor, said.

anyone interested in join-ing the Peace Corps shouldsubmit an application beforeaugust 30.

Peace Corps spreads

word about program

Sarah Turnerf e at u r e S e d i t o r

[email protected]

Neil FrawleyS ta f f w r i t e r

[email protected]

This is where our

student activity fees

come in, and we

haven’t had a repre-

sentative go to

those meetings in a

year, maybe more

than that.- Will Jimerson

“

”

august 22, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3N e w s

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday

August 221–4PM

Front Lawn

Participation in the thrilling, yet informative, event is free for both exhibitors

and students. No selling or fundraising is allowed at the event, but businesses

and community organizations often provide free food samples, prizes and

promotional giveaways. VSU departments and student clubs will also pass out

information and engage students in balloon tosses, quiz games, miniature golf

and many other activities.

This year’s Happening promises to be the event of the semester with more

tents, games and freebies than last year’s affair, which was the largest in its 21-

year history. Call the Of�ce of Student Life at 333-5674 for more information

or visit www.valdosta.edu/student/student-life/our-services/special-events/the-

happening.php.

Come enjoy free food,

great music and plenty of give-always!

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013Thursday

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013

The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013The Happening 2013

August 22

Thursday

ont LawnFr

41–August 22

Thursday

PMont Lawn

great music free food,

Come enjoy

great music free food,

Come enjoy

give-always!and plenty of


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Wi-Fi

continued from page 1

is faster—sign in one time

and let that be it. it’s very in-

novative.”

Commuters have also

found it very convenient as

they no longer have to worry

about constantly having to

sign in, even after traveling

between home and campus.

“i think it is a very good

change,” Cassandra Hines,

senior interior design major,

said. “With the large amount

of people on campus, service

has been very slow in the

past and i think with these

changes, those of us who

have to come to campus will

greatly benefit from this.”

“it will no longer be a has-

sle for commuters to have to

worry about signing on be-

cause it will do itself,” Hines

said.

Before connecting to the

“VSU-Personal” network stu-

dents have to start with the

“VSU-StartHere” network

where a profile will be creat-

ed on the device.

“Each login lasts 180

days,” said russell reese,

lead technician at the it

helpdesk. “(S)o every semes-

ter you re-login so if you are

not going to school it (wipes

off).”

“i’m pretty sure VSU is

following bigger universities

plans,” said ratliff. “Whatev-

er works, works, go for it. if

it works for them why not

use it here?”

HSBA

continued from page 1

Students are also sharing

President McKinney’s excite-

ment about the new building.

Jessica Steinfield, junior

nursing major, is most excit-

ed about the move to a newer

building.

“the building we are now

is kind of old,” Steinfield

said. “it will be nice to have

a new and fresh learning en-

vironment, which is some-

thing that can come in handy

especially in a fast paced en-

vironment like nursing.”

VSU has made the commu-

nity an active part of the con-

struction of the HSBa build-

ing. Via a webcam set up at

the construction site, anyone

who accesses the VSU web-

site can watch the construc-

tion of the building live.

the HSBa building is

scheduled for completion by

the time students return from

Christmas break in January.

according to thressea

Boyd, VSU communications

director, there is no date

scheduled for an official rib-

bon cutting ceremony.

on aug. 15, Major ann

Farmer, assistant director Val-

dosta State University Police

department, sent an email

that alerted students and fac-

ulty to recent series of care

break-ins around campus.

the Valdosta Police depart-

ment assumed jurisdiction

over the burglaries, and so far

only three have been report-

ed.

the break-ins have been,

what Maj. Farmer calls,

“smash and grabs.” they oc-

curred in daylight hours, and

have involved thieves either

smashing car windows or

simply open unlocked doors.

Lt. aaron Kirk, Valdosta

Police department, said that

these types of burglaries oc-

cur across the city, and can’t

be considered the work of a

single individual or group of

criminals.

Lt. Kirk said that there has

been no increase in the

amount of break-ins either.

the cause of the recent pil-

fering seems to be that “a lot

of people leave valuable in

plain view,” Lt. Kirk said.

Maj. Farmer advised that

students stop leaving valu-

ables in visible locations

within their cars.

taking valuables indoors or

simply locking them in the

glove compartment are the

easiest ways to prevent a rob-

bery, Lt. Kirk said.

Will LewisM a n a g i n g E d i t o r

[email protected]

Break-ins not on the rise

Ezra Pinckney, freshman music performance major,Danielle Shaw, freshman exercise

physiology major, and Al Grant, freshman criminal justice major, sing a song by Trinidad

James on Aug. 11.

Will Lewis / The SpecTaTor

Check out the web

for a slideshow

and video of

Natural High’s

event!

Natural High hosts Karaoke in Odum

PAGe 4 | vSUSPecTATor.com OpiniOnsAUGUST 22, 2013

How do you get the “full

experience” of college? There

are so many things to do – so

many opportunities. But as a

student, how do you access

these opportunities? The an-

swer is a simple one: Get in-

volved. There are over 200

organizations on this campus

and that means there are

plenty of chances to do some-

thing besides go to class.

Why get involved? Well,

why not? i have been in a

number of organizations

since i began my tenure at

VSU in 2010 and i have

loved every minute of it.

Sure, it gets difficult to bal-

ance or sacrifice but there are

always bigger goals to work

toward, and that’s the great

part. Being an active student

opens a number of doors and

that serves as a benefit at the

end of the day. You meet a

diverse group of people, you

learn more about yourself and

you get a chance to touch the

lives of others. Who doesn’t

want chances like that? Sta-

tistics even show that active

students are more likely to

graduate and stay at a partic-

ular university. Being active

gives you a sense of pride for

your school because you’re a

part of something. You invest

yourself in something that

you believe in.

As mentioned before, there

are over 200 organizations,

and i dare to say there is

something for everyone.

There is a database known as

Campus Connect that con-

tains names and information

on those groups that can be

reached from the VSU web-

site. You can research organi-

zations by name or cate-

gories.

i intended to relax this year

with my activity in organiza-

tions but it’s a certain allure

you get from being active.

Knowing that you had a hand

in something that transcends

you or your single capabili-

ties feels great. if you’re

looking to get involved, there

are many outlets. One way is

The Happening. Every year,

vendors from the Valdosta

Community and student orga-

nizations of all types get to-

gether on the front Lawn to

promote themselves. Campus

Connect is another way to

gain information as previous-

ly stated. Ask your profes-

sors! There are committees

and groups that students are

sought out for that could use

a voice: YOUR voice. Some

people even have peers that

are active and just need a lit-

tle push. Ask a friend abou

their organization and see if

that works for you.

We need diversity in orga-

nizations. feel free to join

whatever interests you de-

spite the “look” of the organi-

zation. Don’t miss out on the

hidden doors VSU offers,

step out of your comfort

zone. Be blessed. Be great.

Be safe.

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.

Contacting Us

Newsroom (229) 333-5688

Advertising (229) 333-5686

Business (229) 333-5686

Fax (229) 249-2618

E-mail [email protected]

VSU Spectator

1500 N. Patterson St., Valdosta, GA 31698Letters must include name, year in school, major, job title or other appro-

priate identification and phone number for verification.Letters should be no longer than 300 words in length. Letters are subject toediting for style, length, grammar, and libelous material. Not all letters arepublished. Letters should be typed and turned in with a disk, or e-mailed as

an attachment by Tuesdays before 5 p.m.

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: Von Kennedy Copy Editor: Olivia McLeanSocial Media Editor: Joe Adgie Faculty Advisers: Dr. PatMiller, Dr. Ted Geltner, Keith Warburg

Reporters/Photographers:Niamani Carlyle-Hollis, ColeEdwards, Allison Ericson,William Garrett, Brian Hickey,Eric Holley, ivey ingalls-Rubin,Ashley Johnson, LaShawnOglesby, Steven Quinn,Lawrence Smith, John Stephen,Shane Thomas, Alex Tostado,Elan Waite

flash back to the founding

fathers as they authored the

fourth Amendment, carefully

constructing the foundation

of the United States of Amer-

ica, and you will find the

most important document

ever crafted in American his-

tory –the U.S. Constitution.

The Constitution was

meant to

guaran-

tee

rights, to

create a

limited

system

of government and, most im-

portantly, to protect us, the

American people, from that

very system.

The fourth Amendment

clearly states that no warrant

shall be issued without prob-

able cause; a warrant goes to-

wards a single person with a

specific cause –not millions

of American citizens.

So what makes the Nation-

al Security Agency’s relent-

less wiretapping of the Amer-

ican people without just

cause constitutional? The an-

swer is simple –nothing.

According to its website,

the mission of the NSA is to

protect U.S. national security

systems and produce foreign

signals intelligence informa-

tion by "adhering to the high-

est standards of behavior." i

believe it is safe to say that

the NSA has deviated from

those values.

One of the main principles

intended by the founding fa-

thers was the importance of

separating police power from

the power of the judiciary.

Police power, or any other

type of power except for the

judiciary, was never meant to

create warrants.

The NSA simply does not

have the authority to create

warrants and to unlawfully

monitor the American people

to this degree, and they must

be held accountable.

The judicial branch of the

government has proven to be

excessively lax with the NSA

and needs to uphold its con-

stitutional responsibility and

question the constitutionality

of NSA surveillance.

The reality that the NSA

regularly

forces tele-

com

providers to

release their

customers’

phone

records does

not coincide with the vision

of the founding fathers as

they composed the constitu-

tional amendment protecting

U.S. citizens against unlawful

searches. The NSA has be-

come a vacuum for disturb-

ing amounts of metadata

leaving the American people

helpless in their pursuit for

privacy.

This editorial was written by Ritsuki Miyazaki ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.

Our point of view...

New Wi-Fi network finally arrives

Student organizations ‘want you’

Could we be one step clos-

er to information overload?

On Aug. 8, VSU released

a new wireless network sys-

tem that allows electronic

devices to stay connected to

the internet for long amounts

of time.

if you are not new to

VSU, you might remember

how frustrating it was when

the system required you to

enter your username and

password every few hours to

connect to Hallnet. Now de-

vices can get smooth Wi-fi

access for browsing the in-

ternet,

checking e-

mails or up-

dating their

social net-

works.

Technolo-

gy has dra-

matically

changed our

lives. Think

back to a

few years

ago: How

many of

your class-

mates took lecture notes on a

laptop or tablet? How many

professors even allowed stu-

dents to use those devices

during class?

These devices are now

taking up a large part of

our lives and the ways we

communicate. As long as

we are connected, we can

talk with one another, no

matter the distance. That’s

a good thing, right?

To an extent, it is. Think

about the time you got

frustrated when the net-

work servers were down.

Were you pleased with

modern technology?

According to a July 2013

online survey conducted by

Harris inter-

active on Ju-

mio.com, 72

percent of

U.S. smart-

phone-owning

adults keep

their devices

within five

feet of them-

selves the ma-

jority of time,

55 percent of

them use their

smartphone

while driving,

and, surprisingly, 9 percent

use their smartphone during

sex. Trying to limit the usage

of their smart device to no

more than 30 minutes a day

must be a tough challenge

for a lot of people.

How important is it to

know what your friend ate

for lunch yesterday? Think

about the last time you went

to dinner with a group of

people and how many people

had their phones in their

hands and their eyes affixed

to their devices. imagine

how nerve-racking it is when

you’re on a date with some-

one who is constantly typing

on his or her phone. Your

date could be telling the

whole world that you’re a

horrible date when they’re

the inattentive one.

it’s good to stay connect-

ed, but in the long run we

don’t reap many benefits. We

have to draw the line to dis-

connect ourselves from the

smart devices that stay glued

to our hands.

Isaiah SmartS TA f f W R i T E R

[email protected]

NSA treads on citizens

Last week, over the course

of several days, millions of

cellphones across the Western

United States buzzed like fire

alarms - loudly and, to some,

annoyingly - as authorities

sent out an Amber Alert that

appeared as a text requesting

everyone to be on the lookout

for a blue Nissan Versa from

southeastern San Diego

County.

No matter what they were

doing or the hour they were

doing it, everyone in Califor-

nia, Nevada, Washington

state, Oregon and idaho who

owns a cellphone with the ca-

pacity to receive emergency

messages got one about the

car driven by the suspected

kidnapper of 16-year-old

Hannah Anderson. Californi-

ans are accustomed to seeing

Amber Alerts posted on free-

ways. But no statewide Am-

ber Alert, which is issued

only for abducted children in

critical danger, had been sent

over cellphones before in

California. The grating alert

was not only startling and ir-

ritating to many cellphone

users, but it seemed pointless

if you weren't on a road or

freeway.

And yet it worked. The

breadth of the alert and the

novel use of cellphone mes-

saging to get it out kept the

missing girl and her alleged

kidnapper, James Lee

DiMaggio, constantly in the

news. Several people riding

horses through the remote

idaho wilderness happened

upon the pair, then later saw

a television report on the

Amber Alert and notified lo-

cal authorities. That put in

motion the search that led to

Anderson's rescue.

"This Amber Alert, while

it's a minor inconvenience to

people, literally saved the life

of this child," said Robert

Hoever, director of special

programs at the National

Center for Missing & Ex-

ploited Children. So authori-

ties made the right call when

they decided to use what's

known as cell broadcasting to

transmit the Amber Alert

message. There are some

kinks to be worked out.

Some people got the buzzing

message multiple times. That

shouldn't happen.

But overall, the loud phone

messages did what they were

supposed to do, they got

everyone's attention, includ-

ing the media's. To make sure

they work in the future, they

should be used sparingly and

judiciously. The last thing au-

thorities need is for people to

become so irritated by fre-

quent alerts that they disable

the Amber Alert message

function altogether (yes, it's

doable) or so used to the

sound that they treat it like a

random car alarm going off

in the night and ignore it.

National Amber AlertsTaylor Stone

S TA f f W R i T E R

[email protected]

People PollWhat would you like

to happen this semester?

MCT Campus

Now devices can

get smooth Wi-Fi

access for

browsing the

Internet, checking

e-mails or updating

their social

networks.

They got every-

one's attention,

including the

media's.

Students can access the new Wi-Fi by enabling VSU-Personal on their mobile devices. Ritsuki Miyazaki and Stephen Cavallaro / THE SPECTATOR

OddEven

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ANSWER

Sudoku

Oprah gets Lohan to talkH

ello, world—anthony

here once again wrap-

ping up everything

that happened in Pop Culture

last week just in case your

brain was still in summer

mode.

Kicking things off this

week, the interview that

everyone, or at least i, was

waiting for finally arrived on

sunday.

troubled actress and per-

petual magnet for chaos,

Lindsay Lohan, sat with

Oprah winfrey to discuss her

90-day court-ordered rehab

and where she’s at in her re-

covery. surprisingly, girl-

friend didn’t hold back.

among other things, Lohan

admitted to being addicted to

alcohol, cocaine and the in-

creasingly popular adderall.

she also said she was “in a

better place” and that “things

are different,” which caused

me to give her a side-eye be-

ing that the interview was

taped only four days after she

completed rehab.

while Oprah may not

have grilled Lohan as some

would’ve preferred, at least

she got the actress to open

up and take accountability

for her actions, something

that she has never done.

Here’s hoping our favorite

ginger can lay off the bottle

and get it together.

while we are on the topic

of Oprah, it’s apparent that

the old saying is true: every-

thing Lady O touches really

turns to gold. the former talk-

show queen’s new movie,

“the Butler,” came in at num-

ber one at the box office last

weekend.

the star-studded film took

in an estimated $25 million

dollars friday through sun-

day. some are beginning to

speculate the film could

sweep next year’s Oscar cere-

mony with winfrey earning a

nomination for her role.

while Oprah’s star is on the

rise, sadly, another has

dimmed. actor Lee thompson

Young was found dead from

an apparent suicide on Mon-

day morning.

Producers for tNt’s “riz-

zoli and isles” became wor-

ried after Young didn’t show

up to film an episode of the

show that morning.

according to sources, the

former “famous Jett Jackson”

star died of a self-inflicted

gunshot wound to the head.

No suicide note was found at

the scene.

several celebrities reached

out via social media to send

their condolences to Young’s

family. He was 29 years old.

while one side of twitter

was in mourning, the other

side was tuned into the drama

that was boiling over between

Lady Gaga and Perez Hilton.

while no reason was given to

why the former “besties” are

no longer friends, it is evident

by their tweets that the parties

want nothing to do with each

other.

Hilton tweeted that Katy

Perry’s new single, “roar,”

was better than Gaga’s newest

effort “applause.” Gaga re-

sponded by accusing Hilton of

stalking her followed by a

tweet that stated Hilton sent

her a picture of herself in a

wheelchair with Madonna

pointing a gun at her head.

so much shade was thrown

you’d think the whole thing

was taking place in the jungle.

that’s going to do it for

Pop addict this week. Be sure

to check back next week for

full coverage of the MtV

Video Music awards as well

as what some of your favorite

celebs are up to.

Po p

Ad d i c tAnthony Pope

Microsoft pacifies customers

welcome to the new

academic year with

a fresh edition of

spectech. if you are new this

year, welcome to VsU!

spectech is all about keeping

you up to speed with the

rapid changing technology

around us. i give the latest in-

formation on cell phones,

tablets, computers and just

about everything in between.

i also occasionally review

video games and mobile de-

vices. so let’s get to it!

i need to clean up Mi-

crosoft’s confusion and ex-

plain their next-generation

system, the Xbox One.

first off, as of now, it will

ship with the new Kinect,

no ifs, ands or buts about

it. Kinect will not be re-

quired to play your system

though. secondly, it will

play used games, bor-

rowed games or stolen

games, just like the Xbox

360 does now. You will not

have to check in every 24

hours to access the Cloud.

Xbox One will, however,

only play Xbox One games,

so digital games from Xbox

360 will not transfer over.

Other features of the Xbox

One include watching tV

through your cable box or

DVr, using only your voice

to control the system (Kinect

required), signing in to any-

one’s Xbox One while having

access to all your games and

ability to stream games live

to twitch. the Xbox One

will be released this Novem-

ber with a 500GB hard drive

for $499.

since we are on the subject

of games, let’s see what sony

is packing. the Playstation 4

will be released on Nov. 15

with a $399 price tag for a

500GB hard drive. this does

not include the Playstation

eye that is required for some

features. the new change to

the Playstation brand that a

lot of people glossed over is

that it is now required to

have a Playstation Plus ac-

count to play online. sony

seems to have a lot of devo-

tion to indie games, so we

will see how games sell be-

tween the Ps4 and XB1.

Google and Motorola finally

released a phone together—

the Moto X. if ordered on-

line, you can customize the

backing and the ring around

the camera lens, get it en-

graved and more. it has a 4.7

inch 720p screen with a

rounded back to the phone.

Google Now is baked right

into the device, so you can

talk to it without even hold-

ing your phone. it has a fea-

ture that will automatically

show the time and date when

you pull the phone out of

your pocket. You can even

open the camera app with

just two twists of your wrist.

the Moto X is available now

online and in at&t, t-Mo-

bile, sprint, U.s. Cellular and

Verizon stores for $199 or

$249.

it’s a phone! No, it’s a

camera! No, it’s the Nokia

Lumia 1020! if you are con-

fused, just look up a picture

of this phone; it looks like a

point-and-shoot camera.

well, i guess it would have

to since it has a whopping

41-megapixel camera. this

thing takes beautiful pho-

tographs and even has

manual controls. the inter-

nals are pretty average

though, with a 720p screen,

32GB storage and 2GB

raM. the Nokia Lumia

1020 looks great, but it is

only available at at&t for

$299.

that is it for this week,

everyone. i’d like to leave

with a weekly question: will

you buy an Xbox One or a

Playstation 4? email your

answers to smsetser@valdos-

ta.edu and your answer could

be in next week’s issue. Be

sure to check out the

spectech blog, which was

updated over the summer at

vsuspectech.blogspot.com.

Spec Techwith Steven Setser

Fans to be “blown away”

from small-town girl to

“american idol” win-

ner to country-music

superstar, Carrie Under-

wood’s stardom continues to

rise.

the “Before He Cheats”

singer just released her first

concert DVD, “the Blown

away tour: Live,” which was

named after Underwood’s

highly successful tour and al-

bum.

the DVD performance was

shot in March on a tour stop

in Ontario, Canada, in front

of a crowd of more than

11,000 people and features

over 100 minutes of high-en-

ergy performances; it offers

20 tracks in total, including

Underwood’s record-breaking

#1 singles.

the DVD was directed by

raj Kapoor, who has also

worked with shania twain

and Celine Dion. the concert

offers a twisted interpretation

of the classic “wizard of Oz”

story by dividing the show

into four acts: storm warn-

ing, Lightning, Calm and

twister.

the show balances senti-

mental ballads with more

rock-oriented crowd pleasers

and ends with a finale of Un-

derwood being caught up in a

makeshift tornado of wind

and confetti.

Highlights include Under-

wood and her band lifted 150

feet above the crowd on a

glass “floating stage” that al-

lows them to travel from one

end of the arena to the other.

the traditional hymn “How

Great thou art” is inter-

mixed with Underwood’s

first number one hit “Jesus,

take the wheel,” a skillful

combination that appeals to

her more conservative fan

base. Perhaps the greatest

artistic moment comes in the

mesmerizing harmonies of “i

Know You won’t,” an ob-

scure gem from her 2007

“Carnival ride” album.

a fan-favorite staple of the

tour, Carrie’s cover of aero-

smith’s “sweet emotion” is

not included because of li-

censing issues. also not in-

cluded is the number-one hit

“remind Me” on which Un-

derwood was featured with

Brad Paisley.

the show’s encore of the

title track, “Blown away,” ar-

guably the most arresting

song in Underwood’s cata-

logue, is both stunning in its

showmanship of visual ele-

ments and pure vocal talent.

the DVD extras offer be-

hind-the-scenes footage of

the tour, an image gallery and

four award-winning music

videos of the “Blown away”

album’s singles.

“the Blown away tour:

Live” bucks the current trend

of “live” DVDs as it was

recorded live during one

show, instead of piecing to-

gether the best performances

from several shows.

Other than Underwood’s

pristine voice, the DVD fea-

tures moving video screens,

confetti showers, extravagant

costume changes and other

various bells and whistles.

from the opening number,

“Good Girl,” to the last, an

ode to paternal abuse and the

damaging effects of alco-

holism, Carrie Underwood

leaves no question as to why

she is among the few main-

stream country artists who

have successfully transcend-

ed the genre to become an

arena sellout.

“the Blown away tour:

Live” is must-have DVD for

die-hard fans and music

lovers in general.

Cole Edwardss ta f f w r i t e r

[email protected]

Oprah Winfrey - MCT

as americans, we take

public education—kinder-

garten through twelfth

grade—for granted, but in

Belize what we take for

granted is considered a luxu-

ry.

five VsU students traveled

to northeastern Central amer-

ica for a summer study

abroad program in Belize. dr.

Matthew richard, an anthro-

pology professor, and tom

Besom, an archaeologist, led

the trip.

“i chose to go because i

wanted to push myself out-

side of my comfort zone,”

ashley dailey, senior english

major, said. “i’ve traveled

abroad before, but always to

tourist destinations that i was

really comfortable with. Be-

lize was a completely differ-

ent experience.”

while in Belize, the group

discovered that even high

school education costs mon-

ey; many villagers, particular-

ly women, cannot afford the

schooling. as such, the vil-

lagers take up crafts and

skills to make an income.

the students met three

women living in santa elena,

Belize: Miriam, Christina and

dyna Choc. their ages

ranged from 25 to 36, and

their source of income is bas-

ket and bracelet weaving.

“One thing that the Maya

are known for in Belize is be-

ing extremely hard working

and extremely tough,” Logan

Hulsey, senior anthropology

major, said. “while this was

true for the men, it was

equally, if not, more true of

the women. they would take

care of so many people and

had an equal share in taking

care of their family. and the

fact that they would even at-

tempt to take over the man's

role of obtaining the money

just shows the persistence

and strength of these

women.”

Miriam and Christina Choc

are sisters whose father died

when they were young. nei-

ther of the women had the

chance to attend high school

due to a lack of stable income

in the household.

“i met (the women) during

my time in the village per-

forming everyday tasks like

washing clothes or going to

church,” dailey said. “My

first meal in the village was

with Christina’s family, and i

ate with dyna’s family quite

a bit.”

dailey met Miriam Choc at

a graduation party for a

young boy in the village.

“Miriam and i made

coleslaw for about 60 people,

and we got to know each oth-

er very well in the time it

took us to shred four heads of

lettuce and three carrots,”

dailey said.

dailey later learned that

Christina Choc married at 17,

and the man she married

eventually became an alco-

holic. she was left as the sole

financial support for their

children after her husband

spent most of the family’s

small income on alcohol.

Miriam Choc did not marry

until the age of 22 and enjoys

her life with her husband but

still regrets never being able

to attend high school.

“i was touched by how

desperately Miriam wants an

education,” dailey said. “we

take for granted our public

school system here in the Us.

an education is not guaran-

teed to everyone everywhere.

“High school is not paid

for by the Belizean govern-

ment, and the poor families

can barely afford to send the

boys. in this male-dominated

society, it’s unlikely that the

families will choose to sup-

port the girls.”

for the women these five

VsU students met, they still

find ways to make money in

a weak economy.

“what touched me the

most about these women

were what hard work and

time they put in to these

bracelets,” Hulsey said.“each

individual bracelet took an

enormous amount of time, yet

they would make several

each day because it was their

only lively hood.”

the bracelets are yarn wo-

ven with wooden beads and

other materials tied into the

designs.

“some of the bracelets that

we have—i think these are

really special—are made

from the clay at the bank of

the river that flows through

the village,” dailey said.

“the clay is shaped into

things like leaves or flowers

and then fired in their

stoves.”

the group learned how to

make the bracelets while on

the trip and learned that it is

not easy.

“for me, a very simple de-

sign took about five of six

hours to weave,” dailey said.

“for a pair of expert hands, it

might take three. it’s incredi-

ble to watch them.”

in Belize, the handmade

bracelets sell for 10 Belize

dollars, which equate to about

five U.s. dollars.

the group collected

bracelets and baskets the

women wove to help support

the women struggling to keep

a steady income for their

households.

“i was talking to dr.

richard about how cheaply

the women sell their crafts

for in Belize and how people

would be willing to pay so

much more in the U.s.,” dai-

ley said. “somehow, it sprang

from there, and when we

asked the women about sell-

ing them to VsU students

they were so excited.”

the students hope to sell

the bracelets for $10 each

with all money going back to

Christina, Miriam and dyna.

“Belize was a life changing

experience that i will remem-

ber for the rest of my life,”

Hulsey said.

PAGe 6 | vSUSPecTATor.com f e a t u r e s AUGUST 22, 2013

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Kegs Available** New Craft Beers **

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Trip teaches value of education

PHOTOS BY: TOM BESOM

Christina, a Belize local, teaches Ashley Dailey, senior English major and Danielle Jordan, senior anthropology major

how to make a bracelet. Similar bracelets will be sold to send money back to Belize.

Jennifer Gleasone d i t O r - i n - C H i e f

[email protected]

VSU Community 5K returns

Get ready to lace up your

shoes.

the VsU Community 5K

run/walk is just around the

corner. the race will take

place at 7 a.m. on saturday

outside of the student Union.

“the 5K started as a ‘wel-

come to the campus’ type of

event and is now in its eighth

year,” Katy Latevola, gradu-

ate assistant of special events

and student development,

said.

the course is a standard

5K, or 5,000 meters, which is

3.1 miles long. the race will

begin and end behind the stu-

dent Union and will outline

the main campus. Course

markers will be displayed to

direct runners during the

race.

refreshments such as ba-

nanas, apples and water will

be offered during the event.

Prizes will be given out at

the end of the 5K. a male

and female first place award

will be given to five age

groups: ages 12 and under,

ages 13-17, ages 18-29, ages

30-50 and ages 51 and up.

random prize drawings in-

cluding wild adventures

tickets, book store certificates

and gift cards for various

restaurants in town will also

be awarded to selected win-

ners.

the annual 5K is important

to not only the students but

the community as well.

“it is important to offer this

event to students because it

gets them involved with the

campus and the community,

promotes a healthy lifestyle

and also shows school pride,”

Latevola said.

Pre-registration for the 5K

will be held online and at the

Campus recreation building

until the day before the race.

registration forms can also

be turned in at the informa-

tion table in the student

Union rotunda from 11 a.m.

to 2 p.m. the Happening at-

tendees will also have an op-

portunity to sign up for the

race at the Campus recre-

ation table today, from 1 to 4

p.m.

for VsU students and peo-

ple between the ages of 10

and 17, there is a $12 pre-

registration fee. Children un-

der 10 are free. for everyone

else, there is a $15 pre-regis-

tration fee. the cost for race-

day registration, available at

6 a.m., is $20 for everyone. a

t-shirt will be given to those

who pre-register.

to register online for the

5k, apply at runsignup.com/

race/Ga/Valdosta/VsUCom-

munity5K.

IFC kicks off Rush Week

it’s that time of the year

again: the interfraternity

Council’s rush week is

rapidly approaching. rush

orientation will be held in

the student Union theater

on sunday at 8 p.m., where

members from each chapter

will put on a short presenta-

tion about their organization

and give the full agenda of

rush week.

the week will give poten-

tial recruits the opportunity

to learn about and become a

part of one of the nine ifC

fraternities on campus.

students rushing will

spend Monday and tuesday

getting a more in-depth view

of what each fraternity is

about.

“everyone signed up will

be driven around to each

house to get a chance to

meet each fraternity,” robert

wehling, a member of Kap-

pa sigma, said.

“Be prepared to shake a

lot of hands and bring an ap-

petite because food will be

provided at each house,”

Blaine Hendon, a member of

Kappa alpha Order, said.

On wednesday, potential

recruits will decide which

fraternity they are most in-

terested in. they will then

be escorted back to that

house to hang out with

members of that fraternity.

thursday and friday are

considered “smokers”—a

name given to the potential

recruits who make it to the

final round of rush. those

potential recruits are invited

back to the house for a din-

ner.

the ifC rush week will

conclude on aug. 31 with

the bid distribution.

ifC plans to have an en-

joyable, safe week and

strictly prohibits hazing and

other damaging occurrences.

“while myths about fra-

ternity hazing still circulate,

each chapter has written risk

management plans which

prevent this from occurring,”

Hendon said.

ifC encourages all male

students looking for some-

thing new to be a part of to

join in on the week.

“it gives a great opportu-

nity to meet people from all

over and connect with some

of the finest men that VsU

has to offer,” Hendon said.

“Joining a fraternity will

provide a lifelong connec-

tion and some of the best

friends anyone could ask

for.”

Olivia Gears ta f f w r i t e r

[email protected]

Jordan Barelas ta f f w r i t e r

[email protected]

A Belize student graduating

from elementary school.

Jessica Caraponale

Codato arrives at Valdos-

ta State from Division i

Winthrop University in

search of a home away

from home.

VSU represents a fresh

start for the transfer, who

already feels comfortable

in her new surroundings.

“everybody is so nice,”

Codato said smiling. “i

feel really welcomed

here. i talk to Coach

Swan a lot and i felt a re-

ally good vibe and ener-

gy from him and my

teammates.”

“that family environ-

ment was something that

i really didn’t have at

Winthrop and i needed

that being away from

home.”

A native of São paulo,

Brazil, the 5-foot-10 ju-

nior strengthens the

Blazers’ attack at the set-

ter position.

“As a setter, every ball

comes into my hands,”

Codato said. “i have to

bring leadership and use

my experience in favor

of the group—it’s all

about the team.”

New Blazers head vol-

leyball coach Mike Swan

expects Codato to chal-

lenge junior setter Ashley

Lala, who was recently

named to the preseason

All-Gulf South Confer-

ence team.

“Having those two

players at that posi-

tion is great,” Swan

said. “it gives us the

liberty of running a

5-1 [set] which has

one setter or a 6-2

with both. Ashley

knows that she has to

step her game up now

and i think it’s a win-

win situation for

everybody when that

happens.”

Codato is eager to

compete with Lala and

welcomes the idea of

playing together occa-

sionally.

“[Lala] is awesome,”

Codato said. “if you have

a lot of people that are

good, it doesn’t matter

what position you play.

We’re competing, but at

the same time, we’re

competing together for

the same goal.”

Swan values Codato’s

leadership and experi-

ence as the season ap-

proaches.

“[Codato] has played

Division i volleyball at

the highest level,” Swan

said. “She has the quali-

ties we’re looking for—

somebody who is going

to work hard on the

court, be a good student,

and make this program

better.”

Codato brings a deco-

rated résumé in interna-

tional play to the Blazers,

having won five consec-

utive State champi-

onships from 2007 to

2011 while playing for

club team Finasa osas-

co/Bradesco esportes e

educao in her native

Brazil.

in 2008 and 2009,

Codato led her All-State

team to national champi-

onships and was named

Best Setter in the Under-

19 State tournament.

“[Championship expe-

rience] is huge, especial-

ly for a setter,” Swan

said. “Any time we can

get an international stu-

dent-athlete who has

played at that level, it’s

just going to challenge

everybody on the court.”

“She’s going to blend

really well with the team

we have right now.”

Codato, a business ma-

jor who enjoys watching

movies and playing gui-

tar in her spare time,

hopes to lead the Blazers

to success this season.

“i am trying to bring

my best, every practice

and every game,” Codato

said. “i just want to make

a difference and have the

team with me and make

a really strong group to

win conference and

hopefully the nationals.”

Follow Shane on twitter

@itsathomasthing

OddEven

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Shane ThomasS p o r t S W r i t e r

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Transfer volleyball player challenges

All-conference Lala for starting spot

Winthrop Athletics

Setter Jessica Codato transferred to VSU after one season at

Winthrop University.

Ashley knows

that she has to

step her game up

now.

-CoaCh Mike Swan

“

”

Blazer volleyball heating

up for 2013 campaign

Big things are brewing for

the Lady Blazer volleyball

program.

After 17 years away from

coaching a Division ii pro-

gram, Blazers' new head

coach Mike Swan returns af-

ter coaching the evansville

Aces, a Division i program in

the Missouri Valley Confer-

ence.

"i am very excited to join

the Valdosta State family and

look forward to meeting the

expectations that come with

working at this university,"

Swan said in a press release.

Volleyball guru Swan has

amassed a total of 520 wins

in his career, which places

him 35th all time in number

of wins as a volleyball coach.

"We were very pleased to

have Coach Swan join our

athletic program," Herb rein-

hardt, Valdosta State athletic

director said.

"He comes from a very

strong background. He's had

success at every level. So, for

us to be able to attract him to

VSU is something i am very

proud of, and i think he will

do a tremendous job. "

the 27 years of coaching

experience that Swan brings

to the table is what VSU

hopes will turn what has been

a mediocre volleyball pro-

gram into a Gulf-South Con-

ference championship con-

tender.

"our volleyball program

has certainly not been bad...

But i think Coach Swan is

the type of individual that has

a chance of moving our pro-

gram to the next level... mak-

ing us a player on the nation-

al level." reinhardt said.

Swan is clear about the goals

that have been set for his new

club.

“We want to win a confer-

ence championship, want to

have a winning record, (and)

we want to win at home in

order to build up a fan base,"

Swan said.

Swan is not the only one

expecting a big change this

season; rather it's the entire

program that has its sights on

a new standard.

"it's like a whole culture

change. So, in order to be

very successful you have to

do things a little differently,"

Jordana price, assistant vol-

leyball coach said.

"i am overly excited about

this season."

A total of seven newcom-

ers, including four freshman,

a sophomore and two juniors

make up this off-season's re-

cruiting class.

the other six members are

all returners from last season,

none of which are seniors.

As far as players go, VSU

has plenty of depth in every

position.

According to Coach Swan,

despite junior setter Ashley

Lala being selected last week

to the preseason all-GSC

team, it is still not certain that

she will be the starter over

Winthrop transfer Jessica

Cordato.

"i think we have players

who can make all conference,

but i also think we have a lot

of competition at each posi-

tion. i think it's going to be

very competitive at each

playing spot," Swan said.

No.19 West Florida has

been tabbed to win confer-

ence for the sixth straight

season while the new look

Blazers are picked to finish

fifth.

the season begins with

VSU traveling to West

Georgia on Sept. 6 for a

weekend tournament then re-

turning home for its home-

opener on Sept.10 against Al-

bany State.

"We obviously still have a

lot of areas we need to work

on...But i see the potential

there. So, that part of it i am

encouraged by. i think the

new players are bringing a lot

more athleticism and experi-

ence to our squad,” price

said.

Neil FrawleyS p o r t S W r i t e r

[email protected]

Preseason All-GSC Team

Position Name School

OH Alexis Gillis Christian Brothers

OH Hannah Kurtz Christian Brothers

S Ashley Lala Valdosta State

MH Jenny Bellairs West Florida

OH Autumn Duyn West Florida

MH Lindsey Homme West Flordia

OH Lesley Bemis West Georgia

OH Emily Reul West Georgia

august 22, 2013Page 8 | vsusPectator.com SPORTS

Come by The Spectator Tent @

The Happening & Get A Copy!

Five burning questions for

VSU Football this season 1. How will the offensive

line shake up?

presumably the strongest of-

fensive line in Blazer history

is now gone and the vacancy

draws doubt in this season's

success. VSU goes into the

season with five unproven

starters upfront. preseason

camp is solidifying who these

five will be. returning line-

men Colin Glasco, Jesse Yan-

cy, Jack Bradley and Alexan-

der Brock are involved in the

current position battle. Coach

david dean expects last

year's reserve center Mike

Miller to step up not only on

the field but as a leader too.

dean agreed that preparing

this raw offensive line will be

the most difficult task of all.

Quarterback Cayden Cochran

has already begun getting ac-

climated with his new protec-

tors. Cochran and the new

unit are working against time

to mesh quickly or the begin-

ning of the season could be a

drag.

2. Can the Black Swarm

make up from the loss of

Matt Pierce?

You can ask any team and

they'll tell you that replacing

an All-American is far from

easy. With pierce and other

former cornerback Alex Web-

ster gone, corners like Manny

evans and isaiah Gresham

must step up more than ever.

Not having much depth here,

VSU cannot afford any in-

juries at this position espe-

cially facing plenty high-cal-

iber receivers this season. it

will benefit the Blazers im-

mensely if a newly added

cornerback could bring some

much needed intensity.

3. Will Cayden go out with

a bang?

in 2013, Cochran is still the

most efficient quarterback in

the conference and will have

to lead once again by exam-

ple. He is coming off a stellar

season but unfortunately he

most likely has to produce

similar numbers again for the

Blazers to fathom defending

their title. Good thing for the

senior quarterback is he

comes back to all his re-

ceivers from last season and

more. this can be irrelevant

however if he doesn't have

enough time to throw to

them. depending on how the

offensive line stands has

great influence on how much

of a bang his final season will

be. When Cochran first ar-

rived to VSU in 2011 and

played with unfamiliar line-

men,that season resulted in

the Blazers falling short of

even a playoff berth. it's vital

that as much camaraderie as

possible is gained upfront be-

fore September.

4. How will the running

back tandem pan out?

preseason All-Conference

pick Cedric o'Neal and

Austin Scott shocked the na-

tion last season both rushing

for over 1,000 yards. the two

sophomores won't be nearly

as much of a surprise for op-

posing defenses this season

so how they adapt plays a

major factor into the season’s

outcome. Freshman running

back Nick davis, who had

three touchdowns in last

week’s scrimmage, is trying

to cement himself as a third

threat in the backfield as

well. obviously it takes some

weight of Cochran's shoul-

ders when the running game

is fluid which ultimately sets

up an effective passing game.

if the duo can avoid specific

game plans the upcoming

teams will implement to con-

tain them then i have little

doubt that the Blazers won't

win the conference and

maybe more than that.

5. Who will be kicking for

VSU?

daniel Anderson's replace-

ment is assumed to be deter-

mined very soon. Coaches

will either decide to use

sophomores Jake Walker or

dominic demasi to kick field

goals this season. demasi

mainly handled punting in

2012 and Walker was on

kickoffs. if not those two,

coaches may experiment and

plug in GSC top newcomer

Anthony pistelli. this linger-

ing question gets less atten-

tion and if taken too lightly

could backfire later. the up-

coming schedule includes

some matchups that very well

could end up being decided

by three points.

Commentary

Eric Jackson

S p o r t S e d i t o r

[email protected]

New season awaits

for women’s soccer

Blazer soccer is ready to

pick up where they left off

last season.

the Blazers are coming off

of a 13-5-2 season which end-

ed in a first round loss at the

NCAA tournament.

third year Head Coach Mel

Heinz is eager to get her girls

back on the field to compete

for a Gulf South Conference

title.

“every game is going to

matter and if we show up

every game and play it to win

and play it to win bigger than

(a tie), and we are going in

with confidence… i feel like

any time you have that going

into bigger games, you can

pull out a win,” Coach Heinz

said. “in the GSC preseason

polls, we are ranked second…

people recognize that we

work hard and have some tal-

ent.”

Heinz is proud of the up-

perclassmen on the team for

their leadership.

there are 15 juniors and

only one senior on the team.

“they have been great,”

Heinz said. “the freshmen re-

member when they were (up-

perclassmen in high school)

and we need them to step up,

and they have.”

VSU lost its scoring leader

in rebecca Miller in the off-

season. Miller, who has trans-

ferred to UGA, also led the

team in shots, points and was

tied for the team lead in as-

sists.

“Nobody is going to fill

Miller’s shoes, and our kids

know that,” Heinz said. “A lot

of people turned to Miller to

say, ‘we need you’ but a lot of

the kids are coming and step-

ping up and they feel like

now it’s their chance.”

VSU plays its first four

games at home,as well as six

of its first eight games.

“Being at home feels good

and we want to make our

community proud and being

at home brings a little extra

pride,” Heinz said.

“We need to score more,”

Heinz said. “i think we put

ourselves in some situations

that we didn’t take over the

game immediately and when

you keep the score close its

room for error and room for

losing a game that you should

not lose. We can’t be content

with just winning by one.”

VSU wants to get back on

the field and give back to the

fans that support them every

game.

“We have some thank yous

to do and we know that thank

yous come with wins, at least

in this town,” Heinz said.

Follow Alex on twitter:

@Alex_tostado12

Alex Tostado

S p o r t S W r i t e r

[email protected]

After being bounced in the first round of the NCAA’s last season, the

Blazers are back with a little vengeance this time around.

The Spectator Online Edition, August 22, 2013.

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