The Spectator Online Edition, October 24, 2013

October 24, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O R . C O M VOLUME 85 iSSUE 10

Inside This Issue- OPiniOnS: “addressing ‘Stranger danger’”

- FEATURES: “Kanye puts a ring on media mama”

- SPORTS: “VSU’s men’s basketball is back”

On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com

Fall career exPo - office

of career opportunities is

hosting the Fall career expo at

the Uc’s Magnolia and

cypress rooms from 10 a.m. to

2 p.m. Students and alumni can

network with employers and

explore options in various

fields.

Breast cancer

awareness - Members of the

distinguished Women of

excellence are selling breast

cancer awareness pins for $1 in

the Student Union at 10 a.m. to

3 p.m. today and Friday. Half

of the profits will go to the

laMP Foundation.

enactus cluB and redi -

the enactus club has

partnered with the non-profit

redi organization, after a trip

to africa, to help a group of

women in Kenya trying to

change their families’ lives

through economic enterprise.

Behind odum library at 6:15

p.m.the event’s goal is to raise

awareness of water-based

troubles across the globe. the

event includes prizes and

donations of any size will be

accepted.

naacP #ProJectKJ -

News of the Kendrick Johnson

case, a lowndes High School

student who died, has swept the

town and VSU’s NaacP will

be leading a forum to raise

awareness of the case in

Jennett lecture Hall, room

2111, at 7 p.m. Follow VSU’s

NaacP twitter

@VSU_NaacP.

V-day auditions - Male and

female students students

interested in acting next

semester can audition for

V-day 2014’s “a Memory, a

Monologue, a rant and a

Prayer” sponsored by the

Women’s and Gender Studies

Program. auditions will be

held in odum library, room

1460.auditions are today from

5 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 3

to 5 p.m. For more information,

email Beth thompson at

[email protected].

Today at VSU

Weather

74 H 49 L

Today

70 H 39 L

Friday

43 L71 H

Sunny

Saturday

Check out Julia Armistead’scross country conferece

tournament preview!

BlazersBlazers

play rivalsplay rivals

North North

AlabamaAlabama

Saturday,Saturday,

pg. 5.pg. 5.

Sunny

Sunny

Find UsOnline

WEBSiTE:vsuspectator.com

TWiTTER:@vsuspectator

FACEBOOK:The Spectator

VSU is moving in a green-

er direction.

a solar canopy was recent-

ly built behind odum library.

the canopy is a 10 kilowatt

solar array. the canopy pro-

duces energy that goes direct-

ly to odum library, and does

not go to the Georgia Power

grid.

construction of the solar

canopy began in September,

and was finished earlier this

month.

“it is exciting,” danielle

Jordan, president of Students

against Violating the envi-

ronment, said. “We cannot

address climate change with-

out decreasing our dependen-

cy on fossil fuels and solar is

one way we could change

that.”

the solar panels were man-

ufactured by a company

called enphase.

enphase is the leading mi-

cro-inverter system provider

for both residential and com-

mercial solar panels.

a solar micro-inverter is

integrated into each solar

panel module and converts

the output into an alternating

current so that multiple units

may be connected in parallel

connections.

the company provides a

high-tech approach to the so-

lar panels and the micro-in-

verter systems they produce.

enphase’s vision is “to

make solar simple and energy

smart so everyone is empow-

ered to create a zero energy

footprint for themselves, their

home, and their business,”

according to their website.

the canopy itself was built

by Hannah Solar, a solar

company located in atlanta.

the cost of the solar

canopy project was $69,800.

With the recent addition of

the solar canopy, a question

arises: Will VSU have more

solar panels or canopies on

campus?

“i think there is a broad in-

terest in exploring the possi-

bilities of renewable energy,”

Michael Noll, associate pro-

fessor of Geography and

president of Wiregrass ac-

tivists for clean energy, said.

the biggest contributing

factor to more solar panels on

campus would be how to

budget the costs of the pan-

els.

“(We) have everything in

place to have more solar at

VSU, i think we just have to

be more courageous and em-

brace it,” Noll said. “that is

easier said than done, you

have to pay the bills still.”

“it would be beneficial,

and it is the smart and re-

sponsible thing to do,” Jordan

said.

Jordan Barelaa S S t. M U lt i M e d i a

e d i t o r

[email protected]

Solar panels bring green energy to Odum

Von Kennedy / The SPecTaTor

The solar canopy sits behind Odum Library and produces energy for the building. Theproject cost VSU $69,800.

We cannot address

climate change

without decreasing

our dependency on

fossil fuels and

solar is one way we

could change that.- danielle Jordan

“

”

ritsuki Miyazaki / The SPecTaTor

Jeremy Johns, freshman mass media major, dressed as a ninja as he climbed his wayto the top of the rock climbing wall setup in the rotunda of the Student Union. COREOutdoors hosted a Halloween climbing event. Participants were encouraged to dressup in Halloween costumes as they climbed the wall.

the atM at the University

center is moving to the Stu-

dent Union.

that was revealed by VSU

President dr. William McK-

inney at last thursday’s Fac-

ulty Senate meeting during

his question and answer ses-

sion.

dr. McKinney explained

the reasoning behind the

move.

“an atM should be in the

Student Union,” dr. McKin-

ney said. “it’s more well-lit,

there’s more student traffic,

that atM is not in an ideal

and safe location. that atM

is going to be moved.”

the decision was in re-

sponse to the robbery inci-

dent at the Uc atM on oct.

3, when a student was forced

at gunpoint to withdraw

$1,000 from his account.

Michael Humphrey, Valdosta

local, was arrested in connec-

tion to the robbery.

Student reaction has been

very positive.

“i think it would be benefi-

cial if they moved the atM

closer to main campus, based

on the recent situation where

there was a kidnapping,”

claire contevita, senior mass

media major, said. “it is dan-

gerous there, especially in the

middle of the night, and i

know a lot of students live on

campus. if they want to get

money and they want to go

out, they have to go all the

way out in the dark, and

that’s not safe.”

contevita felt that if the

atM was moved to a more

populated area, it would be

safer for students.

“the atM movement to

the Student Union would be

an excellent idea,” christo-

pher Powell, freshman unde-

cided major, said. “it’s closer,

it’s more safe, well-populat-

ed, it’s not in some random

parking lot that you go to in

the middle of the night. it just

seems a lot safer in the Stu-

dent Union.”

there was no timetable an-

nounced on the atM reloca-

tion.

Robbery prompts ATM relocationJoe Adgie

S o c i a l M e d i a

e d i t o r

[email protected]

Will Lewis / The SPecTaTor

The campus ATM is currently in front of the UC. Dr. McKin-ney proposed moving the ATM to the Student Union.

on Monday night, SaVe

(Students against Violating

the environment) went to the

SGa for support of their di-

vestment program and didn’t

get it.

the divestment program

concerns requesting the VSU

Foundation to “freeze any

new investments in the fossil

fuel industry and commit to a

plan to divest all of its hold-

ings in fossil fuels within five

years,” according to a letter

that SaVe sent to the organi-

zation on oct. 11.

the SGa, however, ex-

pressed concerns with the

consequences of this divest-

ment program.

“i do know a few compa-

nies that are what (SaVe)

would consider that we need

to divest from,” Sen. tamel-

onie thomas said. “they do

play an integral part in our

scholarship. they play an in-

tegral part in our special pro-

jects on campus, and i don’t

want it to seem as though the

SGa is stepping out and say-

ing ‘the student body is

against this’ when we don’t

exactly know who these com-

panies are.”

thomas was referring to a

line in SaVe’s presentation

that read “We have included

a list of the 200 largest fossil

fuel extraction companies

from which we are asking to

divest.”

SaVe did not list these

companies, nor did they men-

tion any of these companies,

See SGA , Page 2

Joe AdgieS o c i a l M e d i a

e d i t o r

[email protected]

SGA dismisses

SAVE proposalHalloween climb!

It’s more well-lit,

there’s more student

traffic, that ATM is

not in an ideal and

safe location. That

ATM is going to be

moved.- President McKinney

“

”

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The Classifieds

by

name at Monday night’s meeting, and the

SGA was unable to determine what these

companies were. However, this list is avail-

able on the Fossil Free campaign’s website at

gofossilfree.org.

Other SGA members explained the benefit

this divestment program would provide to

VSU.

“The thing is when you invest into a com-

pany, you’re empowering

them,” said Senator Candicee

Childs, SGA representative of

the Faculty Senate’s Environ-

mental Issues Committee. “If

you take away your invest-

ment, you’re sending a mes-

sage (that says) we as a peo-

ple, as human beings, under-

stand the issues that (are) go-

ing on with our climates, and

we want a better environ-

ment.”

Childs explained that

SAVE wanted the VSU Foun-

dation to “invest in companies that actually

care about us as humans with the environ-

ment.”

“It’s not a common issue that you hear

about, but basically they want to send a mes-

sage that we care about our environment and

our health,” Childs said.

Others in the SGA expressed confusion as to

what this divestment program entailed.

“I went to dictionary.com to make sure I

knew what divestment was,” Senator Tamera

Dunn said.

Senator Edgar James called for a hand vote

to see how many senators actually understood

the program.

“Investments and gas stuff are difficult to

understand,” Senator Matt

Lovelace said. “I was a fi-

nance major when I was in

my undergrad, and I still

have difficulty understand-

ing what they’re talking

about. Don’t be ashamed

saying you don’t under-

stand either.”

It was this lack of

understanding that helped

defeat the measure of sup-

port, as 18 senators ab-

stained from voting on the

measure. Three senators

voted in support of SAVE while 13 voted

against.

The SGA vowed, however, to work with

SAVE on future projects.

SGA

Continued from Page 1

It’s not a common is-

sue that you hear

about, but basically

they want to send a

message that we care

about our environ-

ment and our health.

-Candicee Childs

“

”

Oct. 25

The “Blue House” at 111

W Moore Street will host a

Russian style Halloween at

2:30pm.

Oct. 26

The 2014 Miss Valdosta

State University Scholarship

Pageant will be held in

Whitehead Auditorium in the

Fine Arts Building at 7pm

with doors opening at 6pm.

Tickets are $5 for students

and children under the age of

12 and $10 for adults.

The Black Student League

will present ScreamFest from

7- 11 p.m. on the Front

Lawn.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 17

A professor reported some

books had been stolen from

Ashley Hall.

A Ti83 calculator and an

Adidas backpack were

stolen from Patterson Resi-

dence Hall.

Graffiti was discovered on

the exterior of the Fine Arts

Building facing Brookwood

Dr.

A girl came to the lobby

of Centennial Hall to report

that her car had been broken

into.

Oct. 18

Brendan Stubblefield, 23,

was arrested for driving un-

der the influence after he ran

a stop sign. His car was

turned over to Tipsy Transit.

A burglary was reported at

the construction site on

North Campus.

An iPhone was reported

stolen from Nevins Hall

2111.

Chase Jackson,18, was ar-

rested for breaking into the

band office. He was charged

with Burglary, Interference

with Government Property

and Theft by Taking.

Police Briefs

october 24, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3OpiniOns

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this school year has had

its share of controversy and

concerns. Last week, the con-

versation didn’t end. the

Young Conservatives of

America posted an affirma-

tive action bake sale outside

of West Hall last week that

got a few students up in

arms.

the bake sale, said to be a

national initiative by the or-

ganization, provided prices

that varied based on different

groups in the nation, but let’s

talk about affirmative action

and what it means.

Affirmative action has

been a means for years to

make our nation more inclu-

sive of minorities. the initia-

tive has been in place for

years and has put a number

of Latinos, African-Ameri-

cans, Asians and women in

the workplace. for some, this

is a form of institutionalized

racism. When considering a

minority for a position, the

employer now has a more

stern judgment on hiring

someone that they possibly

didn’t want there in the first

place.

this initiative follows up

into what seems to be regu-

lated racism/segregation. Af-

firmative action and institu-

tionalized racism can be

combated, and the most ef-

fective way is through men-

tality. the only real way to

change these things in our so-

ciety is to change the na-

tion’s, and even the world’s,

way of thinking.

i will say that at its incep-

tion, affirmative action was

needed. We needed to force

the hand of corporations and

businesses in order to get mi-

norities into jobs. now, i feel

as though we’ve progressed

enough as a nation to not

have to force-feed diversity

to institutions. it should be a

desire of all to have the most

efficient, diverse workplace.

After the climatic end of

the civil rights movement,

our nation reached a critical

transition in economy and so-

cietal change. in that period,

i feel that we slowed down

on the push for change, and

now we’re forced to get the

wheel turning again. this is

only the tip of an iceberg full

of controversy, miscommuni-

cation and poor education.

it’s like the civil rights era

was a car that ran constantly

and then sat in the yard for

years. this car is now rusted

and harder to move, yet

we’re trying to do all we can

to get it back on the road of

human rights.

Here’s the catch: this

change has to be wanted and

acted upon. saying that we

want equal representation and

a level playing field cannot

only be the end. We have to

act upon these words to see

change. i have come to the

unfortunate conclusion that

we can’t change everyone’s

way of thinking, but if we

continue to speak and work

towards it there will be a

wildfire of change.

the complete removal of

affirmative action would be

ideal in a world that accepted

applicants of all backgrounds

based on the meeting or ex-

ceeding of qualifications. the

truth behind that is we don’t

have an effective way of reg-

ulating the abolishment and

we need a lot more people

who are willing to act for the

change. in due time, my

friends.

the saying goes “You

don’t talk religion or poli-

tics.” that is how it is still

seen for many people who

know that both topics can

lead to an often unwarranted

and heated debate.

the different views on

both vary and are often un-

clear until a

conversation

is started.

it’s very

tricky, espe-

cially with

religion. those who talk poli-

tics are viewed as educated

and enlightened, but too of-

ten those who even dare to

speak on religion are labeled

zealots or extremists.

it begs the question, where

can religion be discussed

openly and freely? A college

campus, a place of higher

learning, should always serve

as a forum for educated dis-

cussion and debate.

religion on college cam-

puses is growing. More cam-

puses are starting religious-

based organizations. VsU

even has a few such as Hillel,

a Jewish organization; MsA,

the Muslim students Associa-

tion; and a few Christian pro-

grams such as Campus Out-

reach. Many of the organiza-

tions open their doors to any-

one who would like to come

in regardless of their reli

gious affiliation.

there is also the depart-

ment of philosophy & reli-

gious studies which offers

classes to educate students on

religions from all over the

world.

With all these opportunities

for religious education on

campus, both extracurricular

and academic, there is no

doubt that we would be creat-

ing a more understanding and

tolerant group of students.

religion on campus is need-

ed for this exact reason. the

stereotypes surrounding each

religion can only be combat-

ed with knowledge. We have

an opportunity that students

were not as lucky to have 50

years ago. We have diversity.

even on this campus there

are people all around who are

different in one way or an-

other.

“share accurate informa-

tion about what we believe,”

Abdul salah, senior interdis-

ciplinary studies major, said

when asked what he wanted

the Muslim students Associa-

tion to do. He talked about

hopefully having an interfaith

panel where established

members of various religions

could talk about their faith

and possibly answer ques-

tions. this would allow con-

versation to start and educate

students on other religions.

the only problem is getting

students to come out.

Many students find it valu-

able to have the organizations

on campus for other students’

personal gain.

“for some

students it’s

very impor-

tant that you

have some

type of reli-

gious organization going on,”

Myinda scarbrough, junior

psychology major, said. “i

wouldn’t want to be part of a

campus that doesn’t have

any.”

Getting younger people in-

volved in religious organiza-

tions is crucial to their

growth. it is important that

they continue to get people

interested in the groups so

they can continue.

religious organizations on

campus coexist, function and

flourish, and this is needed

especially today. the student

body should see this, and

even if they don’t join or go

to any meetings they should

know that the organizations

are here and open.

Campus safety is

usually one of

those subjects that

fall to the background until it

is compromised. With the

recent influx of crime on

campus, the issue of safety

has found its way to the

forefront of discussions.

VsU administrators have

since then taken steps to im-

prove the safety of students

and faculty while on campus,

but many still question

whether or not their efforts

are enough.

While we don’t believe the

safety measures VsU cur-

rently has in place are suffi-

cient, it would be irresponsi-

ble to assert that more can be

done by the university. no

matter how much effort and

funding goes into safety, the

university can’t guarantee

the safety of every single

student and faculty member

on campus.

if the students want to

lessen their chances of a run-

in with potential criminals,

they must adopt a certain

level of self-accountability.

Walking alone at night is an

easy way to become a target

of theft. Avoiding dimly lit

areas after certain times is a

simple measure to lessen the

chances of being assaulted.

during a recent faculty

senate meeting, president

William McKinney stated

that in response to the rob-

beries around the University

Center, VsU would relocate

the AtM to the student

Union. Although the AtM

was located at the University

Center for stadium patrons, it

would seem as if the safety

of students trumped the con-

venience of fans.

Measures such as this are

necessary, but is moving an

AtM to a better-lit location

enough? Apparently not for

VsU, because in response to

a rash of bicycle thefts, a

portion of VsU’s budget has

been spent on improving

video surveillance around

campus. Many bike thefts

have gone unresolved due to

the ineffectiveness of securi-

ty cameras. More cameras

could help with identifying

persons suspected of theft.

some are still not satisfied

with the steps taken by the

university to improve cam-

pus safety, but what more is

possible?

We believe that the student

body would only reject more

extreme measures such as

mandatory curfews or a bud-

dy system. it’s hard to find a

balance between protection

and freedom. VsUpd can’t

ensure one without en-

croaching upon the latter.

We assert that judgment on

the efficiency of these new

measures should be held

pending a review of their af-

fectivity. if newer cameras,

an updated campus alert sys-

tem and AtM relocation

aren’t enough to ensure safe-

ty, then the only plausible

course of action is to put

some of the responsibility on

students.

How do you feel about the

administration’s response to

campus safety?

express your opinions by

sending the staff a tweet at

@vsuspectator.

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

Our point of view...

Addressing ‘Stranger Danger’

the Affordable Care Act

website sucks, the law does

not.

the perception that the Af-

fordable Care Act (aka Oba-

maCare) website somehow

takes away from the law al-

lowing underprivileged

Americans who cannot afford

health care is truly mislead-

ing. Conservative news out-

lets (not republicans – there

is a difference) have made

the ObamaCare website into

an example of both the in-

competence of the Obama ad-

ministration and flaws of the

law.

in actuality, technical dif-

ficulties do not fall on the

shoulders of the president

but of the i.t. department

of the company that de-

signed the site.

the first thing people

look for when they need a

service performed is what

it will cost to get it done.

the ObamaCare website

was no different.

With a less-than-perfect

credit rating for the coun-

try, constant revision to the

debt ceiling every six months

and budget cuts galore, com-

mon sense can show that

America was fiscally respon-

sible in its decision making

when looking for a webmas-

ter.

Glitches and errors occur

in all systems even when top

dollar is paid, so expect er-

rors when people pay pocket

change for quality.

Yes, the designers knew

there would be problems with

signing up for health care in

our country before the web-

site was launched, but that

doesn’t mean they cannot be

fixed in due time.

in the last two years Blaze-

View, VsU Hallnet and the

VsU website have had major

overhauls. Also, the VsU

email system has changed

more than a model at a fash-

ion show, and there are still

data transfers, glitches, errors

and other maintenance need-

ed every other friday from

10 p.m. until 7 a.m.

the Affordable Care Act

will substantially enhance the

lives of many Americans who

cannot pay for a visit to the

doctor. My academic advisor,

dr. pat Miller, broke it down

to me this way: “Why do we

have public schools? Because

the country is better off when

our citizens are educated.”

she then added that it is the

same reason we need the Af-

fordable Care Act – because

our country will be better off

when everyone is healthy.

A website and its glitches

will not change that fact.

ObamaCare: No glitch

Isaiah Smarts tA f f W r i t e r

[email protected]

Godly conversation at VSUReligious organizations on the rise throughout campus

People PollDo you think your degree will get

you a good job or a load of debt?

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

youtube.com/ValdostaSpectator

Leiyan Smiley

junior

chemistry major

“i believe my job will not end me a

load of debt but a promising career.”

Shane McGuire

freshman

criminal justice major

“As of right now i’ve got a lot of

student loans i’m trying to pay off.”

Von Kennedys tA f f W r i t e r

[email protected]

Racial quotas still needed

Elan WaiteA s s i s tA n t

O p i n i O n s e d i t O r

[email protected]

MCT

PagE 4 | vsusPECTaTOR.COm FeaTureSOCTOBER 24, 2013

first up this week, Vh1

premiered the highly

anticipated biopic of

‘90s girl group tLC.

starring Keke Palmer,

Drew sidora and Lil Mama,

the film chronicled the

group’s rise to stardom as

well as their financial strug-

gles. at one point, the girls

were only getting paid $25 a

week. sMH.

all three actresses deliv-

ered stellar performances;

some even said Lil Mama’s

portrayal of Lisa “Left eye”

Lopes was uncanny.

it was all worth it. the film

premiered to an estimated 4.5

million viewers on its first

broadcast, shattering records

for Vh1.

One person who probably

wasn’t watching was none

other than Ms. Kim Kar-

dashian, but she won’t be go-

ing by that name much

longer.

Kim’s baby daddy, Kanye

west, proposed to the reality

star on her 33rd birthday in

the only way Kanye west

could.

the rapper rented out the

san francisco Giants’ base-

ball stadium as a venue for

his grand gesture of love.

Complete with an orchestra,

some of the couple’s closest

friends and family and a re-

ported $8 million ring, west

asked the media maven to be

his forever, or at least until

they get sick of each other.

Not only are they in Octo-

ber movie marathons, but

zombies have been spotted

on the VsU campus – all

thanks to Campus recre-

ation.

this year Campus recre-

ation will be putting on its

annual haunted trail. the

trail will be located behind

the sustella parking deck by

the COre ropes course. ad-

mission to the haunted trail

will be $3 for VsU students

and $5 for VsU faculty, staff

and Valdosta community

members.

the trail will be available

Oct. 28-30, 8-10:30 p.m.

this year’s trail has a differ-

ent twist. “Zombie takeover”

is the theme, a new idea

Campus recreation hopes to

be very popular among stu-

dents.

“there have been lots of

stuff in the news about zom-

bies in the past two years,

and the walking Dead is su-

per popular,” said Katy Lat-

evola, graduate assistant for

special events and student

development. “we knew the

zombie theme would be an

automatic thrill to people.”

that is not the only thing

Campus recreation has up

its sleeves. it has also

worked with a scare coach

who owns haunted houses in

the atlanta area.

“Participation numbers are

also way up,” said Katherine

Geter, senior and team leader

for special events and stu-

dent development. “this will

help as far as that scary fac-

tor and having something

around every corner (goes).”

students also have the op-

portunity to participate in the

trail as volunteers. as al-

ways, donations are accept-

ed.

“we ask (volunteers) to

provide their clothes,” Lat-

evola said. “we have masks

and someone doing their

makeup for them.”

all proceeds raised from

the event will go into a

scholarship funded by Cam-

pus recreation to help stu-

dents attend a nationwide

conference where students

interested in recreation or fit-

ness and wellness can net-

work or get graduate assist-

antships.

students interested in vol-

unteering for the haunted

trail are encouraged to email

Katy Latevola at knlat-

[email protected].

Apple to have new gear

Yet again, this week

proved to be a week

filled with rumors

and new gadgets.

Microsoft released a re-

mote Desktop app for an-

droid and iOs that allows you

to use your PC from an an-

droid or iOs phone or tablet.

Microsoft is working on a

version for windows Phone

8.

if you did not update your

windows rt device to 8.1,

you can now. after a glitch

for the upgrade was found, it

was removed from the app

store and has now been re-

placed. the windows 8.1 PC

upgrade is also available.

apple had another keynote

and announced some new

hardware as well as gave us

some updates. the Mac Pro

has finally been given some

specs. it has a 3.7GHz quad-

core Xeon CPU, up to 12GB

raM, 1tB ssD and uses

three 4K displays. it also has

four UsB 3.0 ports and six

thunderbolt 2 ports. it will

be available at a later date at

a starting price of $2,999.

say goodbye to the iPad,

unless you have an iPad 2.

the iPad is dead, but the iPad

air replaces it. the iPad air

looks like a giant iPad Mini

from last year. it has the new

look, the new a7 and M7

chips found in the iPhone 5s

and has better 4G. it will be

available on Nov. 1 for $499.

the iPad Mini with retina

Display was also revealed to

have a better screen, better

wi-fi and the same new

chips from the iPhone 5s. it

will be available Nov. 1 for

$399.

the iPad 2 will stay and

have a price of $399, the

same as the just-announced

iPad Mini. Did apple miss

the price point of its small

tablet?

Nintendo of Japan has

stopped the production of wii

consoles. Nintendo represen-

tatives have said that produc-

tion remains unchanged in

the U.s., but for how long? it

looks like Nintendo is shift-

ing focus away from the wii

and onto the wii U.

Microsoft announced that it

has extended its “Games with

Gold” game program indefi-

nitely on the Xbox 360. Mi-

crosoft said it will give more

details later if the same ser-

vice is coming to its next

generation system, Xbox

One.

Po p

Ad d i c tAnthony Pope

Spec Techwith Steven Setser

ZOMBIES ATTACK VSU!Brian Hickeys ta f f w r i t e r

[email protected]

Continue SpecTech on

the Web Spectator!

Kanye puts a ring on media mama

MCTcampusNewly engaged, Kim Kardashian at a Mercedes-Benz event.

OddEven

octoBer 24, 2013

Still elated from last week’s

comeback rally however the

Blazers know they must execute

early if they expect to tame the

streaking Lions.

No. 11 VSU looks to build

upon its 35-30 victory over West

Georgia when they welcome

conference foe, North Alabama,

this Saturday.

This is the 37th all-time meet-

ing between two of Division II’s

more prestigious programs,

combining for six national

championships, 13 regional ti-

tles, and 15 Gulf South Confer-

ence titles.

Though this year’s Lions are

not as talented as previous

teams, the upcoming contest

shouldn’t be anything less than

the usual barn burner.

VSU squeezed out a 24-21

win over the Lions last season in

Florence, Ala.

Incumbent quarterback Cay-

den Cochran will be the starter

Saturday despite a tender right

ankle which was aggravated dur-

ing last game before backup

Kaleb Nobles replaced him in a

poised fashion.

Cochran and company are up

against the top scoring defense

in the conference, holding their

opponents to 17 points a game

on average.

The Lions defense returns

nine starters from last season and

is led by GSC tackle leader and

Defensive Player of the Week,

Tavarius Wilson.

Blazer wide receiver Willie

Downs was confirmed as ‘proba-

ble’ for Saturday after missing

last week; he likely won’t be ful-

ly-healthy nonetheless his pres-

ence itself will spread out the

field more in a favorable way for

VSU.

UNA quarterback Luke Wingo

has been efficient in six games

after winning the starting job this

past spring.

The sophomore has rushed for

seven touchdowns and thrown

seven along with only two inter-

ceptions for 878 passing yards.

Regardless of losing, during the

last meeting Wingo had a sound

game as a freshman finishing

with 221 yards (17-31).

Dissecting the Black Swarm

however will be his greatest

challenge this season.

“We got to get our minds right

here at practice and get excited,”

linebacker Chris Pope, who is

three tackles shy of Jessie Tug-

gle for second on career all-time

tackles list, said. “I feel like

that’s us this year. Last year we

weren’t a big excited team, we

play off emotion this year. When

emotions run high that’s when

we play well. It starts at practice

then carries over to the game.”

UNA is led by Hall of Fame

coach Bobby Wallace, who re-

turned as head coach in 2012

(1988-1997), making his first

visit back to Bazemore-Hyder

Stadium in nearly two decades

this weekend.

Wallace is responsible for es-

tablishing UNA as one of the na-

tion’s best as well as restoring

West Alabama’s program during

his tenure there (2006-2010)

with a Division I stint at Temple

in between.

“He’s a guy I respect tremen-

dously,” Dean said. “We’re very

good friends. We talk in the off-

season quite a bit. He’s had a

tremendous amount of success

everywhere he’s gone. It’s been

a long time since he’s been down

here in Valdosta. It will be good

to see him.”

Dean leads 5-1 in six meetings

between the two accomplished

head coaches.

Kick-off is set for 2 p.m.

Note: UNA leads VSU 20-15-1

in all-time meetings. VSU’s

Chris Pope is 21 tackles shy of

tying Minnesota Vikings line-

backer Larry Dean for No.1 on

all-time career tackles.

Quarterbacks Cayden Cochran (11) and Kaleb Nobles (5) reviewing

plays after practice on Tuesday. Nobles went 19 for 21 last Satur-

day along with four touchdowns.

Dowling Payne/Blazer Pride

VSU career tackles list

1. Larry Dean (368)

2.. Jessie Tuggle (340)

3. Chris Pope (337)

4. Jessie Sutton (299)

5. Ryan Branch (298)

6. Ced Dickerson (297)

7. Erasmus Harvey (289)

Page 5 | vsusPectator.comSportS

VSU Blazers to host rival

North Alabama Saturday

PagE 6 | vsusPECTaTOR.COmS p o r t S

OCTOBER 24, 2013

the Valdosta State

men’s basketball team

will have 11 new players

this season around return-

ers david Murray, Colin

Cook and dylan Nsiah.

the Blazers were

picked to finish fifth in

the Gulf South Confer-

ence in the preseason

Coaches’ poll.

picked to finish sixth

in the conference in

2012-13, the Blazers

went on to have a 19-10

record and advanced to

the GSC championship

game.

“i like what our return-

ers bring to the table,”

Mike Helfer, Blazers

head coach, said. “You

try to recruit guys that fit

your system. We were

able to do it last year and

i think we’ll be able to

do it this year.”

the Blazers led the

GSC in scoring at 78.4

points per game. With the

departure of Josh Sparks

and James Anacreon, the

team’s top two scorers

and rebounders from last

season, Helfer will have

to adjust his approach on

the floor this season with

forward Colin Cook fill-

ing in.

“it’s an adjustment,”

Cook said. “Me having a

bigger role means getting

the job done—more re-

bounds, efficient basket-

ball, good shots, keeping

the team together, win-

ning games. it’s that sim-

ple. We love Sparks and

we love James but

they’re gone. i’ll take

everything i’ve learned

from those guys and look

forward to a great sea-

son.”

Something to watch

closely for the Blazers is

their ability to force

turnovers.

Last season, patrick

diop led the team in

steals. With diop gone,

the need for the Blazers

to disrupt on the perime-

ter will be critical.

“defensively, from a

quickness standpoint,

this team is as quick as

last year’s team,” Helfer

said. “if we can put our-

selves in position to cre-

ate turnovers, i think

it’ll happen just like it

did last year.”

Another area of con-

cern is the team’s strug-

gle with the three-point

shot.

the 2012-13 Blazers

were the worst three-

point shooting team by

percentage of any team

Helfer has coached in the

last four seasons.

“i thought [three-point

shooting] was one of our

weaknesses last year and

i think it got us beat,”

Helfer said. “over the

course of the season,

you’ve got to have more

than one or two guys that

can make perimeter

shots. We’ve got guys

who have done it before

and are very confident in

shooting threes.”

With a retooled roster,

the Blazers aim to reach

their annual goal.

“our expectation every

year is to win the GSC,”

Helfer said. “Hopefully,

we have guys that are tal-

ented enough, work hard

enough, and play togeth-

er enough to give us

chance to compete for a

championship.”

Follow Shane on twit-

ter: @itsathomasthing

VSU men’s basketball is back

Lions look to spoil Blazers’ Senior Day

Catching up with

Jon Murtaugh The Spectator’s Steven Quinn recently caught up with the Director of

Operation for Valdosta State University’s Rugby Club, Jon Murtaugh

SQ:When was the

rugby club born?

JM:We started back

in 2010, there were

about six to eight of

us who went out to

the front lawn to

play, and after about

two months we start-

ed to take thing seri-

ously, and decided to

get organized.

SQ:Why is the club

not a varsity sport?

JM: As far as the

varsity level goes

across the nation

rugby is not recog-

nized as a varsity

sport, but there are

still competitions at

pretty much every

level such as d-1, d-

2.

SQ:What do you

think of the populari-

ty regardless of var-

sity status?

JM: We consistently

have 75 to 100 fans

at every game, and

show support

through making t-

shirts, signs, and

even cooking the

team’s meals.

SQ:What do you

think of the Univer-

sities support?

JM: they help us

out enough, but not

like others schools

we get more support

by going out, and

finding sponsors, but

they gave us a field

to practice on, and

help advertise.

SQ: How far has the

club come since

2010?

JM:We are definite-

ly one of the top

teams in the state,

we just re-

cently beat-

ing UGA 39-

3, we have

come a really

long way.

Valdosta State will

play its final regular sea-

son home game on Sun-

day against a worn

North Alabama (4-7-2,

2-4-2) team.

the Blazers come into

the weekend with a spot

in the Gulf South Con-

ference tournament.

VSU is trying to solidify

the No. 2 seed in the

tourney.

UNA needs vital wins

in the final few games of

the season to try to get

themselves into the tour-

nament.

“North Alabama will

never be weak,” VSU

head coach Mel Heinz

said. “they are a strong

team. they haven’t been

blown out by any

teams.”

VSU and UNA have a

young, rich history. the

Blazers beat the Lions in

VSU’s inaugural season

and then lost in the con-

ference tournament the

same year; there has

been bad blood ever

since.

“(the Lions) have a

new coach so that new

coach is trying to figure

it out,” Coach Heinz

said. the old players are

there, the ones that don’t

like VSU. it’s reciprocal;

we don’t like UNA.”

Coach Heinz knows that

it will not be an auto-

matic win and is looking

forward to the match.

“We battle and we’ve

got some payback,”

Coach Heinz said. “(i

want my girls) to work

extremely hard. Not to

just go out there and try,

but to work extremely

hard.”

the Blazers are ex-

pecting UNA to play

their best and won’t let

records decide the game.

“i think it’s just like

football,” Coach Heinz

said. “(UNA) just comes

and plays. they are here

to rock the Blazers’

world.”

the Blazers will honor

two players before the

game for Senior day.

Senior emily Cooper

will be honored along-

side junior teammate

Lauren Hale.

Hale will be leaving

VSU to attend engineer-

ing school at Georgia

tech.

Cooper is treating this

weekend as any other

weekend and not letting

the hype of the rivalry

get to her head.

“Honestly, it doesn’t

mean too much more

than a normal game to

me,” Cooper said. “i

mean, it’s going to be

the last time i get to play

at home and of course it

has been amazing play-

ing or this program, but

at the end of the day, it’s

just a normal game.”

“We have a lot of un-

finished business with

(UNA),” Cooper said.

“it’s a game i would like

to put away early and

easily.”

Alex TostadoA S S t. S p o r t S e d i t o r

[email protected]

VSU Rugby

Commentary

Head coach Mike Helfer prepares for his ninth season

at the helm of the men’s basketball team.

Shane Thomas

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

[email protected]

twitter.com

The revamped Blazers look to build upon last season’s success

Jon Murtaugh dodges a defender during a rugby match.

The Spectator Online Edition, October 24, 2013

Documents