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April 10, 2014 W W W . V S U S P e c T A T o R . c o M VoLUMe 86 iSSUe 11
Inside This Issue- oPinionS: Grads want a fresh voice
- FeATUReS: ‘Blazing’ the radio waves
- SPoRTS: Blazers host rams, visit Wolves
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
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This Day in
History
fraTerniTy for The arTS -
Join phi Beta at 8 p.m. in the
Student Union conference
room 2. phi Beta is a co-ed
fraternity focusing on the arts
such as dancing, singing, pho-
tography, drawing, mass media,
poetry, and other art forms.
amphibiouS Science - dr.
Susan Walls, a research
Wildlife Biologist and coordi-
nator of the Southeast Amphib-
ian research and Monitoring
initiative with the US Geologi-
cal Survey, will present at 4
p.m. in powell Hall Auditorium
on the declining amphibious
population.
Today at VSU
Beatles Belly Upon this day in 1970
Beatle Paul Mccartney
announces what is
considered the official
statement that the
Beatles are no more.
In an ambiguous
interview over his
upcoming debut album,
McCartney, Mccartney
was asked, “Do you
foresee a time when
Lennon-Mccartney
becomes an active
songwriting partnership
again.” his response, a
flat and definitive no.
The interview followed
years of arguing over
the cause of the
breakup and why.
Mccartney’s never an-
swered the question
directly. But it was
reported in the press
under headlines like
"Mccartney Breaks off
With Beatles" and "The
Beatles sing their swan
song."Source: History.com
HOPPER HAVOC
Will Lewis / The SPecTaTor
Students were forced to vacate their rooms on the second floor of Hopper Hall following reports of sagging floors. The
hall has faced problems throughout the semester following a boiler breakdown that left residents without hot water.
Sagging floors force out 31 students
Hopper Hall continues to
face problems as the semester
wears on, and 31 students
have been slated to move
from the troubled residence
hall.
in a letter dated April 3, dr.
William McKinney, VSU’s
president, said that the stu-
dents are being relocated to
make “necessary improve-
ments to the flooring above
the dining facility.” the letter
later read that today would be
the final day for students to
move, only a week after stu-
dents were alerted.
“there is a sagging floor
issue above the Hopper din-
ing facility, and we are in the
process of determining the
cause,” russell Mast, vice
president for student affairs
and dean of students, said in
an email on April 4.
dean Mast could not be
reached for further details at
the time of publication.
the university is providing
partial refunds to students af-
fected by the move. the total
amount of refunds will reach
$16,700.
21 students are being
moved out of Hopper into
langdale, patterson and
lowndes Hall, where they
will move into a private
room, $700 richer. the re-
maining 10 students will be
moved to another room in
Hopper Hall and will receive
$200.
repairs are scheduled to be
completed by the end of the
spring semester.
As of Wednesday, Hopper
dining Hall was still open.
the floor damage follows a
series of issues earlier in the
semester that left Hopper res-
idents without hot water for
weeks.
Students with questions
about the repairs should con-
tact Mast at the office of Stu-
dent Affairs.
Will Lewise d i t o r - i N - c H i e F
if the SGA has their way,
the emails you receive from
the Students distribution list
will shrink dramatically.
the organization passed a
resolution during Monday
night’s meeting that asks for
changes to how the emails
are handled.
“We all know that there’s
an issue with the Student
distribution list, and we get
a lot of things we shouldn’t
be getting through it,” Sena-
tor tamara dunn, the resolu-
tion’s author, said. “We get a
lot of things that should be
going through the Activities
distribution list, and the stu-
dents post a lot of reply all
(emails) that we shouldn’t
get at all.”
dunn is referencing the oc-
casional emails that come
from students or former stu-
dents asking to be removed
from the distribution list.
these students reply to the
distribution list, which winds
up sending the email to every
student at VSU.
the resolution asks for
five moderators of the list-
serv who would approve or
deny messages and would
automatically deny those “re-
ply all” messages.
“the first point is to have
somebody appointed email
out to explain what the pur-
poses of these lists are to the
student body,” dunn said.
“this way people are send-
ing emails to the proper
place.”
dunn stated that the stu-
dent listserv should not be
getting emails for upcoming
events put on by student or-
ganizations.
Furthermore, since one of
the proposed moderators
would be from Student life,
he/she would be able to keep
tabs on what organizations
violate the new guidelines.
For these organizations,
the resolution requests “pro-
gressive disciplinary action
through the office of Student
life,” but did not list
specifics. dunn suggested
that their status as a student
organization be revoked if
they repeatedly violate the
listserv usage guidelines.
Since Monday’s SGA
meeting, only two emails
have come through the stu-
dent listserv: an email adver-
tising this week’s Undergrad-
uate research Symposium,
and one from V-State dining
looking for interns for their
team Marketing group.
33 senators voted in favor
of the resolution, three voted
against and six−including
dunn −abstained.
Joe AdgieS o c i A l M e d i A e d i t o r
SGA talks
privacy for
emails
We all know that
there’s an issue with
the Student Distrib-
ution List, and we
get a lot of things
we shouldn’t be
getting through it.-Tamara dunn
“
”
dr. Hudson rogers will be
VSU’s next provost and vice
president for academic af-
fairs.
rogers will come from
Florida Gulf coast University
in Fort Myers, Fla., where he
was dean of the lutgert col-
lege of Business.
“After a thorough and com-
petitive national search, dr.
rogers quickly rose to the
top and was the clear and un-
ambiguous first choice of our
search committee, and our
campus community,” VSU
president dr. William McK-
inney said in an email Mon-
day.
“Hudson will bring a rare
academic perspective that
combines a commitment to
both liberal and professional
education, a pioneering and
entrepreneurial spirit, and a
keen business sense to the
office of Academic Affairs,”
dr. McKinney said.
rogers’ first day on the job
will be July 1.
Joe AdgieS o c i A l M e d i A e d i t o r
New provost: “unambiguous choice”
Dr. Hudson Rogers
VSU’s academic schedule
has been at the center of in-
tense debate recently, captur-
ing the attention of faculty
and students alike. Now, the
dust has settled, and a final
decision has been made.
on Monday, the Academic
Scheduling and procedures
committee approved a new
schedule that includes a two-
day fall break, a three-day
thanksgiving break, the re-
moval of dead day and a
four-day finals week, accord-
ing to Said Fares, VSU pro-
fessor and chairman of the
ASpc.
Now, the proposed sched-
ule will be voted on by the
faculty senate; if approved
there, president William
McKinney must also give his
consent for the proposal to be
implemented at VSU.
“i think (the approved
schedule) is the best of all the
proposals that we have re-
ceived and discussed,” Fares
said. “it is a good compro-
mise.”
the new schedule meets all
federal and state requirements
and addresses
most of the
SGA’s con-
cerns, accord-
ing to Fares.
discussion
about the
schedule has
been occur-
ring for a
while, with
many saying
the current schedule is not the
best option available; Fares
said the new schedule is more
conducive to students.
“(the approved schedule)
provides an extra day for fi-
nal exams to minimize the
chance of a student taking
three finals on the same day,”
Fares said. “it provides a fall
break in the middle of the se-
mester to give students time
to rest after midterms.”
even with fall break and
the extra finals day, the new
schedule will not
lengthen the
school year.
“it does not
extend the semes-
ter by a single
day,” Fares said.
“Students on
campus won't
have to pay any
extra money for
housing and din-
ing.
“Also, it gives working stu-
dents extra time to work be-
tween semesters to pay for
their tuition and living ex-
penses. Not to mention that it
gives enough time for stu-
dents to co-op, intern, visit
families, travel and rest,”
Fares said.
the SGA passed a resolu-
tion Monday night voicing
members’ disapproval of the
proposed schedule, saying
that its placement of Spring
Break is disadvantageous to
students. the new schedule
pushes Spring Break to the
end of March and beginning
of April.
According to the SGA res-
olution, having a later Spring
Break is unwise because stu-
dents would be subject to 11
consecutive weeks of class
and because VSU’s Spring
Break would be misaligned
with the Spring Breaks of
most other USG institutions.
the new schedule, if ap-
proved by the faculty senate
and president McKinney, will
Scheduling debate at a closeJohn Stephen
c o p y e d i t o r
See Schedule , Page 2
It does not extend
the semester by a
single day. Students
on campus won't
have to pay any ex-
tra money for hous-
ing and dining. - Said fareS
“
”
Spectator prints free classi-fieds for stu dents of Val -dos ta State Uni ver si ty only.These must be no more than40 words, or a $8.00 chargewill apply. Clas si fieds forfac 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 besent to Spectator or de liv -ered to our of fice in 1238
Hopper Hall. The dead line isMon day at 5 p.m. If paymentap plies, it should be sub mit -ted in a sealed en ve lope atthe time the ad is placed. Adsmust be ac com pa nied by thename and phone num ber ofthe per son sub mit ting the ad.Ads must be re sub mit tedeach week, as nec es sary.Spec ta tor ad dress is: 1500 N. Patterson St.,Valdosta, GA 31698. Our
email address is s p e c @ v a l d o s t a . e d u .Spec ta tor re serves the rightto reject any clas si fied ad.All ads are sub ject to stan-dard ed it ing pro ce dures.Spec ta tor is not re spon siblefor mis takes due to a sub mit -ted er ror. The cat e go ries forclassifieds in clude: For Sale,For Rent, Sublease, Want ed,Room mate, Services, Per-sonnels and Help Wanted.
Roommate Wanted
Roommate Needed Immediately: $375 Rent- Includes all utilities. 1 bedroom in a 3 bed-
room house.
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LOOK: House forLease Upgraded, likenew! 4 bedrooms / 2full baths, patio & spa-cious parking. Bicycle orwalk to campus. Wash-er, dryer, dishwasher,central AC. $1,480/mnthor $370/student for 4students. www.suite-
livingrentals.com or 770-887-8488.
Services
The Classifieds
PAge 2 | vsusPectAtoR.com N e w sAPRIL 10, 2014
April 12
Mass Choir will host itsannual spring concert featur-ing recording artists KevinLemons and Higher Callingin Jennett Hall at 6:30 p.m.
April 14
Meet and mingle withmembers and officers ofVSU's student organizationsin the student organizationsoffice suite on the secondfloor of the Student Union.It's open to all students, andyou're invited!
To RSVP or for more in-formation, contact Kirk John-son, graduate assistant forstudent organizations in theOffice of Student Life, [email protected],or Erin Sylvester, assistantdirector of organizational de-velopment, [email protected].
Let your adrenaline climbto new heights on the COREOutdoors tech course and zipline from 4-7 p.m. at theChallenge Course behindSustella Parking Deck. Comeout to the ropes course for agreat challenge and a lot offun. Admission is free.
Learn how to make anemail newsletter and bringout your creative spirit inOdum Library Room 3270from 5:30-6:30 p.m. You willlearn how to use color, de-sign and graphics from agraphic artist.
April 17
Campus Wellness and theDepartment of Philosophy &Religious Studies will pre-sent “Chronic Illness, Spiri-tuality, and Healing: DiverseDisciplinary, Religious andCultural Perspectives.”
The panel will discuss therelationship between chronicillness, spirituality and heal-ing from interdisciplinary,multicultural and interreli-gious perspectives from 7:30to 8:30 p.m. in Bailey Sci-ence Center Room 3009.
April 19
Deep Release Poetry Soci-ety will present “#WorkPo-et,” a poetry workshop to en-courage creative insight,from 1-5 p.m. in StudentUnion Meeting Room 1Aand B.
Upcoming Events
April 8
Two charges, an improperturn and failure to yield to apedestrian, were given to adriver on Patterson Street.
April 6
Richard Mesa, 20, of Mia-mi, Fla, was arrested andcharged with driving on asuspended license.
April 4
Someone reported theirwallet stolen.
April 2
Someone reported an exter-nal hard drive and GPS miss-ing from their car.
A student named Darien re-ported his cell phone stolenfrom the front lawn.
Police Briefs
“Pamplona” by Sarah Hamman, senior art major, wonfirst place at the 16th Annual VSU Art Student Com-petition, a program part of the Symposium on Under-graduate Research on Wednesday. The sculpture ismade of bronze and has a cedar base. The competi-tion featured 65 works from 44 students and reflectsthe wide variety of media offerings at VSU.
be implemented during the2015-16 school year becausethe USG’s Board of Regentsrequires VSU to vote on theschedule more than a year inadvance, and the schedule forthe 2014-15 year was ap-proved last year.
After the 2015-16 year,each succeeding year will re-quire a new scheduling vote,but Fares wants to alter theway VSU decides the sched-ule.
“It is obvious that this ap-proach is not efficient andshould be changed,” Faressaid. “We should have a mul-ti-year academic schedulingplan. The ASPC has recog-nized this problem and isworking on a five-year acad-emic scheduling plan thatwould be based on the 2015-16 schedule.”
SCHEDULE
Continued from Page 1
Carlin Morrison/THE SPECTATOR
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Spectator Staff
For many students,
graduation is the end
of the long, arduous
journey that is education. For
others, it’s a major step to-
ward the wonderful world of
post-graduate education and
maybe more.
At many schools, gradua-
tion is highlighted by a moti-
vational speech from some-
one brought in for the occa-
sion. These speakers are nor-
mally big names. Steve Jobs’
commencement speech at
Stanford is a famous exam-
ple. Governor Deal will
speak to graduates at Geor-
gia Southern next month.
At VSU, however, the
speech will come from Dr.
William McKinney, who is
neither a co-founder of Ap-
ple nor the governor of the
state. He is, instead, the pres-
ident of this fine learning in-
stitution.
This action goes along
with the long-held VSU tra-
dition of not inviting outside
individuals to commence-
ment but rather sticking with
those within the VSU sphere
of influence.
“It’s better to bring the
guest speakers in during the
school year and save com-
mencement for what we be-
lieve commencement is for,”
Thressea Boyd said in a
2011 interview with
NextGen Journal.
That’s great. A key part of
commencement, however, is
the speech intended to moti-
vate graduates and to vali-
date the notion that they all
can become successful fig-
ures in life, no matter where
they are at this point.
We like Dr. McKinney,
and we enjoy his speeches.
However, we also feel that
the graduating students of
VSU would be better served
with someone different to
help these graduates start
adult life on the right foot.
All we’re asking for is
something different−specif-
ically, a speech different
from the traditional speech
given by Dr. McKinney.
We’re not asking for
President Obama to come
down to VSU, nor are we
asking for the Dalai Lama.
We understand VSU’s lim-
its, and to ask for someone
of that stature is most like-
ly an unrealistic idea.
It should be a realistic
idea, however, to ask for
something other than the
traditional McKinney speech
and to request a new speaker,
someone who can give a
fresh perspective on
becoming successful after
college.
This editorial was written by a member of the editorial staff, and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
Grads want a fresh voice
Social media has been an
ever-increasing tool for the
exchange of information.
In the last decade, internet
goers have misused social
media, exploiting it by turn-
ing popular sites such as
Twitter and Facebook into
blasé showcases, displaying
their deplorable lives and
desperate need for affirma-
tion.
Early this year, Ramin Bas-
tani released Hula, an app
that not only allows people to
productively channel their
lack of self-respect but also
can assist in saving lives.
Hula allows people to sub-
mit their STD test results that
will then be viewable to oth-
ers, a means that will entice
people to practice both good
communication and safer sex.
While the transmission of
STDs in the nation continues
on a rampage, social media
users should be embracing
Hula and thanking Bastani,
who says he wants “to bring
transparency to the STD test-
ing world.”
In 2012, the CDC reported
that 34 percent of the
334,826 reported gonorrhea
cases were among 20-24 year
olds, and of the 1,422,976 re-
ported chlamydia cases, 39
percent were among the same
age group.
In 2011, the CDC ranked
Georgia fourth in the nation
for syphilis, seventh for gon-
orrhea and eighth for chlamy-
dia.
In addition, this free app
could save the consumer hun-
dreds of dollars by eliminat-
ing the need to have an irri-
tating, often painful STD test
conducted, in addition to
eliminating the emotional
distress of being concerned
for one’s health.
While some feel this app is
breaching the line between
socially decent and deviant,
we cannot continue to sugar-
coat a world that condones
premarital and polyamorous
sexual lifestyles.
Statistics show that STDs
are prevalent in our society,
and people have a right to
know what they are getting
themselves into before poten-
tially condemning themselves
to disease. Hula creates a
healthy environment to do
just this, not an arena to
ridicule and debase others.
New app shares STD resultsStephen Cavallaro
S TA F F W R I T E R
Apparently you can down-
load stupidity from the app
store.
Hula, formerly known as
Qpid.me, is a free iPhone app
that allows its users to have
easy access to their personal
health records−specifically,
their STD testing results.
The experience of this app
is much less clinical than one
would expect; Hula has
adopted a social media plat-
form and applied it to health-
care.
Users “unzip” the app to
reveal their profile containing
their most current testing in-
formation; this includes an
itemized list of every STD
they have been tested for,
when they were last tested
and what the results were.
If we have learned one
thing from social media, it’s
that people do not always
represent themselves truthful-
ly in their online profiles. The
use of a social media plat-
form to communicate impor-
tant information like a per-
son’s STD status calls into
question the validity of the
information presented.
According to the Hula
website, “the Personal Infor-
mation data we collect is
based solely on information
provided by our users or their
health care providers. We
cannot guarantee the authen-
ticity of any data that users
may provide about them-
selves.”
If Hula recognizes the pos-
sibility of someone falsifying
his or her information, how
can users fully trust the infor-
mation they are given
through the app? Further-
more, how can the app stop a
person from stealing someone
else’s login information and
presenting it to others as his
or her own?
They can’t.
In addition to false repre-
sentation, privacy and securi-
ty are other major concerns.
According to Raman Bas-
tani, CEO of Hula, Hula
meets or exceeds the security
standards, privacy practices
and access-control standards
proscribed by the Health In-
surance Portability and Ac-
countability Act. This in-
cludes encrypting all infor-
mation both in motion and at
rest.
Hula, however, does not
guarantee that all transmis-
sions are completely secure.
Hackers are growing more
sophisticated as encryption
techniques improve. Our dig-
ital information is never com-
pletely secure and identity
theft is a reality.
Currently, the conse-
quences of identity theft are
primarily monetary in nature.
However, with personal
health information being
transmitted through apps like
Hula, users are inviting the
possibility of a different kind
of identity theft.
Bastani’s intention for Hula
is to make records more ac-
cessible to patients and also
to help people make more re-
sponsible decisions about
their health.
While no one can deny his
intentions are good, the re-
sponsibility ultimately lies in
the hands of the user. The app
does nothing to safeguard an
individual against having sex
with an infected partner un-
less one or both partners care
enough to share his or her
status.
And let’s be honest, in the
heat of the moment, “unzip-
ping” anything other than
pants is highly unlikely.
Hillary StrabaF E AT U R E S E D I T O R
Rebecka McAleer/ THE SPECTATOR
Letter to the Editor
Choose to compromise
A little too late for late night
President Obama and First
Lady Michelle have been sur-
prising people lately: they’ve
appeared on “The Tonight
Show starring Jimmy Fallon”
and “Between Two Ferns”
with Zach Galifianakis, two
shows that are far from the
serious, lackluster world of
politics.
This year the famous cou-
ple has appeared in various
comedy skits.
President Obama partook in
Galifianakis’ witty banter and
comically plugged the health-
care.gov website while taking
backhanded comments from
Galifianakis.
Mrs. Obama appeared in a
skit with Jimmy Fallon enti-
tled “Ew,” where she made
comments about teenagers
needing exercise to decrease
obesity.
The Obamas are reaching
out to younger audiences and
becoming more personable.
They are deliberately show-
ing that they can be taken as a
joke and have fun.
The couple appearing on
different talk shows is genius!
They have become fun, light-
hearted interviewees.
It’s a great contrast to the
stiff videos that they are nor-
mally in. Rather than standing
at a podium pushing citizens
to exercise or to sign up for
health care through the Af-
fordable Care Act, the Presi-
dential couple has become
more appealing to their audi-
ence by making comedians
out of themselves.
It’s nice to see the couple
out of their typically stiff de-
meanor. But because the Oba-
mas are so influential, many
people believe they need to
uphold their professionalism
and keep their antics to a
minimum.
However, their popularity
is rising. Statistics show that
Michelle Obama’s appearance
on “The Tonight Show” had
7.7 million viewers. President
Obama’s appearance on “Be-
tween Two Ferns” drew in
more Affordable Care Act ap-
plicants.
Three months before Presi-
dent Obama’s appearance on
“Between Two Ferns,” 41
percent of people ages 18-29
approved of the health care
act.
After the show, that number
bumped up to 50 percent.
Showing their personalities
makes the Obamas more re-
latable and likable−a great
strategy, but too bad they
waited so long to use it.
Jordan HillA S S I S TA N T O P I N I O N S
E D I T O R
I generally find visits to
SGA meetings refreshing, in-
spiring and informative, and I
admire the spirit of shared
governance typically dis-
played at these events. There
is no doubt that the students
at VSU have a Student Gov-
ernment Association they can
be proud of.
I am not stating this to
score cheap political points,
but this is my sincere convic-
tion, just as I shared my belief
openly in regard to earlier
versions of academic calen-
dars which ignored the gener-
al desire for the return of a
fall break.
This past Monday the Aca-
demic Scheduling and Plan-
ning Committee (ASPC)
again met to discuss the 2015-
16 academic calendar and to
perhaps find a compromise
that works best for the larger
VSU family.
Based on comments made
by the SGA President at the
last faculty senate meeting,
the priorities of students were:
a) to have more time for fi-
nals, b) to keep financial costs
as low as possible, c) to allow
for a fall break (since Thanks-
giving comes very late in the
semester) and d) to see if we
can maintain a full week of
Thanksgiving break due to
academic concerns (low atten-
dance on Monday and Tues-
day) and the travel needs of
quite a few students.
It is also important to note
that at the March faculty sen-
ate meeting, no Spring Break
concerns surfaced, despite the
fact that both calendars on the
agenda listed the dates March
28-April 1. Now if you look
at the student priorities listed
above and compare them with
the outcomes of the ASPC
meeting this past Monday, the
first three of the four items
have been addressed.
I personally would have
liked to also see a full week
of Thanksgiving break, but
that did not happen, and I will
have to live with that. Like-
wise the College of Fine Arts
as well as the Math Depart-
ment have to live with the
fact that there are no more
Dead Days, and I know that
this was not an easy decision.
So why does the SGA now
present a resolution that ad-
monishes the fact that the
2016 Spring Break as pro-
posed by the ASPC is too
late? Isn’t that too part of our
attempt to find a compro-
mise?
In my research I have
found no publication which
indicates that the timing of
Spring Breaks has any impact
on academic performance. In
other words, it makes no dif-
ference if you have a Spring
Break in the second or last
week of March.
What is important, though,
is an extended time for finals
as academic performance im-
proves significantly if you
don’t have to take late exams
or three exams on the same
day as a result of having more
time for scheduling finals.
Our choice as an institution
is simple if we truly care
about our students, faculty
and staff. We either accept the
compromise offered by the
ASPC as it allows EVERY-
ONE to have a Spring Break,
as it does not lead to in-
creased costs due to childcare
issue for those with school-
aged children, and as it does
not negatively impact stu-
dents in the College of Nurs-
ing, the Department of Com-
munication Disorders, and the
College of Education in gen-
eral.
Or we essentially tell hun-
dreds of students, faculty and
staff that they will not have a
Spring Break, that they have
to figure out for themselves
how to arrange and pay for
childcare, and that academics
aspects and working as a team
at VSU are not as important
as possibly hanging out with
students from other USG in-
stitutions at a beach.
Dr. Michael G. Noll
Question: What do old
wedding dresses, vintage
records and a painting of
Captain Jack Sparrow all
have in common? answer:
they all can be found at Sal-
vage thrift shop, among an
enormous treasure trove of
other items.
Located at 612 Baytree
rd., Salvage may seem nor-
mal enough on the outside
with its pleasant brick façade
and red door and cracked
concrete driveway.
But look around back and
you’ll begin to see the
place’s true character, evi-
denced by a lawn adorned
with picturesque fountains
and statues, intriguing trin-
kets and toys, and even a
sign of a horse telling you
where to park.
Step inside and take in the
many rooms bursting with
merchandise−merchandise
that you won’t find anywhere
else.
Vintage clothes, hats, shoes
and sunglasses, rusted signs
and quirky pictures, fun cos-
tumes, jewelry of all kinds,
8-track tapes, the Hardy
Boys mystery books, comics
and classic disney
cartoons−just to name a few
things.
one could spend weeks
looking through all that Sal-
vage has to offer.
in the midst of the many
display tables, racks and
shelves, you’ll find dawn
rocheleau, the woman who
opened Salvage in 2012.
rocheleau, an avid collec-
tor, said she created Salvage
in order to share her unique
and unusual findings with
other people at affordable
prices.
“We try to have something
different for everyone−all
different age groups and
styles,” rocheleau said.
Salvage is generous toward
VSU students, offering a 10
percent discount and even a
referral program that allows
students to accumulate store
credit.
Kenysha thompson, a 26-
year-old graduate student
studying social work, has vis-
ited Salvage several times
and plans to continue doing
so because of its diverse and
affordable vintage selection.
“(Salvage) is a hidden
gem,” thompson said. “they
have so many different items;
it’s like a little treasure box.”
rocheleau also said she
wants to implement diy
workshops at Salvage as well
as yard sales that will allow
students to sell their own be-
longings.
Salvage is currently open
tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6
p.m. Call 229-460-7276 to
contact the thrift shop, the
place where, as their motto
says, they are “making old
things new again.”
PAge 4 | vsusPectAtoR.com APRIL 10, 2014Features
did you know VSU has
its own radio station?
Claire Contevita is the sta-
tion manager of WVVS
Blaze fM 90.9.
Contevita is a mass media
major and has been working
with Blaze fM for about two
years.
originally, Contevita was a
journalism major aspiring to
write for fashion magazines.
after completing three se-
mesters at VSU, her friend
who was a Blaze fM dJ
brought her into the station
as a guest.
“after one hour i was
hooked and changed my ma-
jor to mass media the follow-
ing week,” Contevita said.
as a mass media major,
Contevita has to learn other
broadcasting mediums; how-
ever, nothing speaks to her
like radio.
Blaze fM has been around
since the 1970s and its goal is
to help student dJs learn the
skills needed to help them
succeed in their careers after
graduation.
the station offers a variety
of shows, including the Local
eclectic show that Contevita
hosts on Wednesdays at 6
p.m. a full list of Blaze fM
programming is available on
the station’s page located at
VSU’s website.
the station’s format has
been alternative rock and ur-
ban music, but Contevita has
made a country format that
she hopes to organize soon.
the station does not play
mainstream music and tends
to focus on local music to
support the area’s artists.
one way the station sup-
ports local artists is through a
music festival called Blaze-
fest.
“(Blazefest) is our way of
helping these artists get their
brand out there on the music
scene,” Contevita said. “plus,
music festivals are always
fun.”
Contevita likes all genres
of music and she loves to in-
terview musicians.
“i get a thrill from talking
to musicians and listening to
what they have to say about
their craft and the music that
is popular today,” Contevita
said.
Contevita has been intern-
ing with Black Crow Media
in Valdosta. She has also
been participating in radio
talent competitions and at-
tending conferences to learn
from other radio personali-
ties.
“Not many people realize
that to be a radio personality,
it takes talent and practice,”
Contevita said. “Nobody
wants to listen to a personali-
ty that sounds like they’re
reading.”
Contevita said working at
Blaze fM has helped her un-
derstand more about the mu-
sic industry and the history of
broadcast radio.Will Lewis/THE SPECTATOR
Claire Contevita speaks on-air to her local listeners on Blaze FM.
The student-run radio station is located in Hopper Hall at VSU.
‘Salvage’ your style
‘Blazing’ the radio waves
Blazefest 2014Where: VSU Front Lawn
When: April 26, 2-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
John StephenC o p y e d i t o r
We try to have
something differ-
ent for everyone
all different age
groups and styles.- Dawn Rocheleau,
owneR
“
”
Jessica IngramS ta f f W r i t e r
Brought to you by Blaze Fm, The Main
Squeeze and The Gates at Valdosta
Valdosta State’s weekend
struggles followed the Blaz-
ers as they fell to Albany
State 10-6.
“Unfortunately this has
been a reoccurring theme for
us; we haven’t played well in
what seems a couple weeks,”
assistant coach todd Guil-
liams said. “We’re shooting
ourselves in the foot; it’s the
same formula−bad defense
and walks.”
in the first inning, VSU put
up four runs on just one hit,
an rBi single from Bryant
Hayman. two runs came
from back-to-back walks
with the bases loaded.
Despite the four runs, the
Blazers missed out on an op-
portunity to break things
open early.
“We didn’t hit the ball well
tonight, certainly not with
guys in scoring position,”
Guilliams said.
the Blazers quickly re-
turned the favor to ASU with
several defensive and pitch-
ing mistakes leading to three
runs.
With just two hits going
into the fifth inning and
falling behind 5-4, VSU’s
bats began to wake up.
With two outs, the Blazers’
hottest hitter Matthews Fears
came to the plate and lined a
single just past the glove of
the shortstop to drive in
Bryant Hayman, who had
just singled before, and tie
the game at five runs a piece.
As the end of the season
nears, No. 24 Valdosta State
softball team is eyeing anoth-
er championship run.
the 31-12 Blazers are only
focused on the “practice-by-
practice” tasks, according to
shortstop Shelby Altman.
VSU hosts Albany State (15-
17) tonight for a doublehead-
er.
the Blazers will go to Car-
rollton, Ga., to face the Uni-
versity of West Georgia (17-
21) in a three-game series.
the Gulf South Conference
rivals may have a losing
record on paper, but the Lady
Wolves beat No. 7 Alabama-
Huntsville in an earlier series
2-1. it was the same UAH
team that took the GSC lead
from the Lady Blazers with a
series sweep this past week-
end.
that statistic, however,
holds no meaning to the
Blazers.
“it doesn’t matter if
they’ve beat (Alabama-)
Huntsville,” Altman said,
continuing to preach that the
team’s job is to “dominate,
go hard and play our best.”
As Altman wraps up her
senior season, she currently
ranks in the top five in nine
offensive categories in the
GSC. this includes ranking
seventh in the nation for
home runs, 36th in the nation
for runs batted in, and 36th
for best slugging percentage
in the country.
this weekend’s series
against the Wolves may also
be the weekend junior sensa-
tion Courtney Albritton
makes GSC history. Albritton
is currently nearing the
record for career home runs
in the conference, and she
might not even realize it.
“(Albritton) doesn’t focus
on records,” head coach tom
Macera said. “She probably
doesn’t know how many
home runs she has right now,
but i do. (it) is an incredible
feat when you see the other
top players in that statistic
accomplish their numbers in
four years, and she’s about to
do it in three. Courtney is a
player who is humble and is
going to bring her game
every time.”
Shelby Altman said her
teammates are aware of
Albritton’s potential historic
season, and they are all very
excited for her. Altman later
highlighted the fact that
Albritton is one of the most
humble teammates she has
ever played with.
in addition to being the na-
tional player of the week two
weeks ago, Albritton is cur-
rently second in the nation
with 19 home runs.
Albritton’s secret to focus-
ing on the actual game in-
stead of the outside hype is
quite simple.
She said that she focuses
not on how well she is play-
ing, but more on whether her
team is going to win.
Follow rashad on twitter:
@jeff3006
OddEven
PAge 5 | vsUsPectAtOR.cOmSportS
APRIL 10, 2014
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SudokuANSWERS
Blazers host Rams, visit WolvesRashad MilliganS p o r t S W r i t e r
VSU falls to ASU
It doesn’t matter if
they beat UAH. (Our
job is to) dominate,
go hard and play
our best.-Shelby AltmAn
“
”
Chris KesslerS p o r t S W r i t e r
Baseball to go on
road, look for win
Valdosta State (21-14, 12-
10) heads north on i-75 to
take on bitter rival West
Georgia (13-23, 7-13) in a
crucial weekend series.
“West Georgia has got two
real good arms that can beat
anybody,” assistant coach
todd Guilliams said.
“they’re playing at home,
and it’s going to be tough for
us.”
the Blazers are in the
midst of a four-game slump.
“it always starts on the
mound, and you have to play
good infield defense,” Guil-
liams said. “i think the guys
are aware of it. it’s just one
of those things you have to
execute.
“it gets in your head.
We’re a little tentative and
not confident, and we’re
pressing on offense. We’re
not in a good place, and we
need to get out of it,” Guil-
liams said.
After being decisively
swept by Gulf South Confer-
ence opponent Alabama-
Huntsville last weekend,
VSU is in serious need of
some conference wins of
their own.
Chris KesslerS p o r t S W r i t e r
Brittany Penland/SPECTATOR CONTRIBUTOR
Mike Reed follows through on a swing during a game
last night against Albany State. The Blazers fell 10-6
for their fourth straight loss.
Read the rest o f Chr is ’
ar t ic le on the web!Read the rest o f Chr is ’
ar t ic le on the web!
page 6 | vsuspectator.com april 10, 2014
