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October 17, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O R . C O M VOLUME 85 iSSUE 9
Inside This Issue- OPiniOnS: “Campus markets aren’t cheap”
- FEATURES: “Bryan welcomes 15,000 to farm”
- SPORTS: “Murray holds the torch”
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
PoPcorn - Sigma iota
Chapter of alpha Phi Omega is
selling popcorn for $1 at the
Student Union display table a,
from noon to 3 p.m.
Search for the
manateeS - Come to the
mandatory pre-trip meeting, at
6 p.m. at the Student rec
Center pool, to learn about the
kayaking trip in Wakulla river,
fla. those who go on the trip
will join the search for
manatees. Lunch will be
provided. the trip is set for
Oct. 19 at $30.
Women’S Self-defenSe
claSS - in reocgnition of
Domestic Violence awareness
Month, Health Promotions is
offereing raD, the self-
defense class for women, for
free to students, faculty and
staff. the class meets in the
Student Union Ballroom a at 5
p.m. the class will be offered
until Oct. 22.
Today at VSU
Weather
88 H 65 L
Today
85 H 63 L
Friday
62 L82 H
Partly
Cloudy
Saturday
Check out John Preer’s story on the controversial
SPLOST tax.
LukeLuke
Bryan’sBryan’s
Farm TourFarm Tour
comes tocomes to
Valdosta,Valdosta,
pg. 4pg. 4
PM
Showers
Sunny
Find Us
Online
vsuspectator.com
TWiTTER:@vsuspectator
FACEBOOk:The Spectator
Today in
History
Capone goes to
prisonOctober 17, 1931
Gangster al “Scarface”
Capone was sentenced to 11
years in prison for tax
evasion and fined $80,000.
Capone’s arrest ended the
reign of one of the most
notorious criminals of the
1920s and 1930s.
He was transferred to
alcatraz island after being
accused of receiving special
treatment and manipulating
the system in prison. Capone
was released early in 1939
for good behavior.
Capone gained momentum as
a gangster by helping run
Johnny torrio’s alcohol,
gambling and prostitution
businesses. after torrio’s
retirment in 1925, Capone
took charge.
Source: History.com
Sept. 24-25:
Ted cruz,
r-Texas,
threatens to use
shutdown bill
to weaken
healthcare
law.
Sept. 30:
Senate rejects
house provisions
curbing healthcare
law. house reworks
shutdown bill,
delaying
healthcare law
for a year.
Oct. 1:
Partial federal
shutdown begins,
around 800,000
workers
furloughed.
Oct. 2:
Democratic
Senate ignores
measures to
open select parts
of the national
gov’t, citing that
the entire gov’t
must reopen.
Oct. 4:
republicans
connect
shutdown fight
to need for
congress to
renew federal
borrowing
authority by
oct. 17.
Oct. 11:
Bipartisan Senate
group works to
reopen gov’t
and prevent
the U.S.
from
defaulting.
Oct. 12:
John Boehner,
r-ohio, tells
republicans
negotiations
have stalled.
Oct. 15:
house GoP
efforts fail after
Boehner
does not gain
republican
support for
alternative plans.
Oct. 16:
harry reid,
D-Nevada,
and Mitch
Mcconnell,
r-Kentucky,
announced deal
on reopening the
gov’t through
Jan. 15, extending
debt limit to Feb. 7.
GOVERNMENT REOPENSAfter 16 days House announces deal to end shutdown.
Infographic by: Jennifer Gleason & Will Lewis
Source: aP
Stabbing victim in recoveryPolice continue to investigate last Thursday night’s assault between Nevins and West Hall.
the VSU student that was
stabbed last thursday night is
recovering and was released
from Shands Hospital on
Monday.
antoine Bray, sophomore
vocal performance major,
was questioned by officials
from the Georgia Bureau of
investigation and VSUPD on
tuesday about the assault.
“i know that (the GBi)
have interviewed him,” Major
anne farmer, VSUPD, said.
“i know that Will Leschber
went with (agent Callahan)
yesterday to his home, where
he’s from, to interview him.”
Bray said that his recovery
is going well since the inci-
dent.
“i’m doing pretty good,”
Bray said. “the recovery is
going well. (it’s) just a gruel-
ing process. i’m not gonna
know when i’m coming back
(to school) until the doctor
tells me.”
Bray also said that he was
not allowed to comment on
the investigation.
at 9:28 p.m. last thursday
night Sgt. Heidi Bertsch,
VSUPD, was dispatched to
the area between reade Hall
and Georgia Hall to respond
to a stabbing.
Witnesses reported seeing
Bray running towards the two
residence halls after the inci-
dent.
Officer Caleb reid was the
first to respond to the scene
and immediately began to ad-
minister first aide. Sgt.
Leschber credited reid’s ac-
tions with helping to save
Bray’s life.
VSU utilized its campus
alert system to notify students
of the assault.
“there has been a stabbing
in VSU pedestrian mall area,”
the alert read. “VSU Police
on the scene. anyone with in-
formation should call 229-
259-5555 with information.”
Special agt. Steve turner,
GBi, said Bray was stabbed
near nevins Hall, before be-
ing found by Georgia Hall.
Bray was transported from
campus to South Georgia
Medical Center and later
transferred to Shands Hospi-
Will LewisM a n a G i n G e D i t O r
is VSU safe?
the SGa asked that ques-
tion during Monday night’s
meeting while discussing
ways that campus safety
could be improved. this was
in response to the stabbing
incident that took place late
thursday night.
the stabbing was not the
first violent incident to occur
at VSU this month.
exactly one week before,
on Oct. 3, an armed robbery
was reported on campus
where an individual was
forced to withdraw money
from his bank account at
gunpoint.
these incidents and more
have the SGa – and students
as a whole – wondering
about the safety of their cam-
pus.
“Students have been saying
that they don’t feel safe on
campus,” Senator edgar
James said. He got this infor-
mation from students at the
Happening back in august. “i
talked to two or three parents
who picked their children up,
and even though (the students
are) adults, they still feel that
they are their babies, and
they’re considering taking
their child from VSU.”
James remarked that the
statistics paint a different pic-
ture from what has happened
over the last two weeks.
“i’ve looked at the statis-
tics, and crime at VSU is a
lot lower than any other uni-
versity in the state of Geor-
gia,” James said.
Despite these remarks from
James, a look at the Daily
Beast’s College Safety rank-
ings tell otherwise.
the most recent rankings,
published in 2010, placed
VSU as the 324th most dan-
gerous college campus in the
nation – and the ninth most
dangerous in Georgia.
“One of the concerns that
parents had is that they need
more ... patrolling,” James
said, which set off some de-
bate about the cost of pa-
trolling and the effectiveness
of existing patrolling.
“Students were mostly con-
cerned with once we try to
get more officers, will it cost
more money for students,
will it be a financial concern,
because you’re hiring more
people with the university,”
Senator Candicee Childs
said. “there were also con-
cerns because this is happen-
ing at, what, nine or 10 o’-
clock. that’s pretty early in
the evening, so a lot of peo-
ple were wondering where
were the officers, or where
they were on campus at time.
Where was the security at?”
One senator discussed how
more officers could help with
escorts. tori Baldwin was in
the Odum Library during the
lockdown. She discussed her
options to get back to her res-
idence at Langdale Hall,
which involved going
through the pedestrian mall,
or “the other way, which is a
little shadier, less lighting.”
“i asked if there was any
I’ve looked at the
statistics, and crime
at VSU is a lot lower
than any other uni-
versity in the state
of Georgia.- Senator edgar JameS
“
”
Joe AdgieS O C i a L M e D i a
e D i t O r
SGA explores
safety concerns
See SGA , Page 2
Von Kennedy / The SPecTaTor
Thursday night VSUPD received the call of a stabbing on campus. Officers taped off
main campus from West Hall to Palms Quad, investigating the report and patrolling as
students walked across campus throughout the night.
See BRAY , Page 2
a Valdosta man was arrest-
ed Wednesday in connection
with an Oct. 3 incident in
which a VSU student was
kidnapped and robbed at gun-
point on campus.
Police remain in pursuit of
other suspects involved in the
incident.
Michael Humphrey of Val-
dosta was arrested and
charged in kidnapping and
armed robbery and is being
held at Lowndes County Jail.
all of the charges are
felonies. Humphrey is not af-
filiated to VSU in any way
police said.
according to VSUPD a
student whose name is being
withheld by police was ab-
ducted at gunpoint at the ath-
letic field house on West
Mary St. around 11p.m.
according to the Valdosta
Daily times, the victim re-
ported being held at gunpoint
by two black males.
an attempted kidnapping
by suspects meeting the same
description was reported that
same evening.
the victim was then taken
to his apartment and robbed.
after the victim’s apart-
ment was robbed one of the
suspects forced the victim to
accompany him to the Bank
of america atM at the Uni-
versity Center.
after the victim was forced
to withdraw $1,000 from his
Allison EricsonS ta f f W r i t e r
Suspect arrested, others
sought in ATM robbery
See ROBBERY , Page 2
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PagE 2 | vsusPECTaTOR.COm N e w s OCTOBER 17, 2013
The Classifieds
OCT. 9:
A light purple and white
Schwinn Ranger bicycle was
stolen in front of Patterson
Hall.
OCT. 10:
A student was stabbed on
the pedestrian mall.
OCT. 11:
A black “Adventure Time”
backpack, carrying a Mac-
book Pro laptop was stolen
from the Student Union. A
BOLO was called for a black
male and was closed about a
half hour later.
OCT. 13:
A Volkswagen Jetta was
vandalized in the
Georgia/Langdale parking
lot.
OCT. 13:
A car was pulled over on
the ramp between the 1st and
2nd floors of the Sustella
deck.
OCT. 14:
A sign in front of a local’s
house was vandalized.
OCT. 15
Four black males, who
were not believed to be stu-
dents, were sitting outside of
a room in Centennial Hall.
Robert Sadler, 21, of Valdos-
ta, was arrested and charged
with giving a false name to
an officer and misdemeanor
obstruction of an officer. Two
criminal trespass warnings
were issued.
A window was shot out
with a BB gun at a local’s
house, possibly happened
from the sign vandalizing in-
cident. Window was replaced
by local’s father.
Police Briefs
police escort because I was
by myself, and they said that
all police were tied up with
figuring out the scene that
they couldn’t escort anyone
anywhere,” Baldwin said,
“even to the parking lots.”
These ideas and more will
be discussed by SGA execu-
tives and President William
McKinney’s cabinet in a
meeting on Thursday.
In other SGA news:
The budget, before the
meeting, stood at $19,468.78.
Three monetary things were
voted on during the meeting,
and all three were confirmed
by the SGA Senate:
-$75 to the finance commit-
tee for a bake sale. This bake
sale is intended to raise mon-
ey for Relay for Life.
-$250 to the Miss VSU
Pageant. This will purchase
co-sponsorship of the event
program. Alicia Stabler, who
represented the pageant dur-
ing the meeting, asked for
$220 but got $250 as the
SGA saw the event as benefi-
cial to the community and to
the individuals taking part in
it.
-$228 to a memorial week-
end for Marcus Holmes. This
will purchase wristbands
with Holmes’ name on it.
SGA
Continued from Page 1
tal in Gainesville, Fla.
VSUPD partnered with VPD and the GBI
to establish a perimeter around the scene and
gather clues. The Valdosta Crime Lab worked
with police through the night.
Buildings around campus were closed down
as police combed the area for a suspect. Resi-
dence halls remained on shutdown until 11:58
p.m.
The on-scene investigation was concluded
and the scene was cleaned at approximately
2:30 a.m.
Agent Michael Callahan, GBI, was selected
to head up the investigation with the assis-
tance of VSUPD.
Bray maintained a steady stream of updates
on his Facebook page before being released
from the hospital Monday.
Turner declined to comment on any
progress made in the investigation and on if a
suspect had been named.
The violent assault has caused students to
question how safe they are on campus.
“It was a scary thing to know that we are an
open campus and to know that people do
come on campus and attack people was a
scary thing,” Kirstie Douglas, senior account-
ing major, said.
“I do feel like our security needs to be bet-
ter, like, the motion sensor lights need to actu-
ally work properly,” Christopher Duncun,
sophomore accounting major, said. “They turn
off when people walk by them.”
According to Thressea Boyd, director of
VSU Communications, there have been no
major changes regarding security on campus.
“Valdosta State’s highest priority is the con-
tinued safety of the campus community and
safety processes and procedures are under
continual evaluation,” Boyd said. “Students,
faculty and staff are encouraged to be aware
of their surroundings and report suspicious
activity to the VSU Police.”
Farmer emphasized the importance of vigi-
lance on the part of the student. The buddy
system, she said, is essential to remaining safe
on campus.
She also addressed the availability of uni-
versity police for escorts in and around cam-
pus.
In order for students to get an escort they
should call from one of the many campus call
boxes, or phone the non-emergency police
number.
VSUPD also offer student safety tips to
anyone who comes to the office with concerns
about their well-being at school.
Any students with information regarding
the stabbing should contact VSUPD at 229-
259-5555.
BRAY
Continued from Page 1
Oct. 18
As part of Hispanic Her-
itage Month, the Dept. of
Modern Language and Clas-
sical Languages will host
lessons on how to make
Mexican Salsa. The lessons
will take place in the Turner
Arts Center for 5 to 7 p.m.
There will be a team meet-
ing for the 48-Hour Film Fes-
tival at 6 p.m. in room 1001
of the Mass Media Building.
Oct. 22
Phi Beta Fraternity will
host its first ever Halloween
Party in the Student Union
Ballroom B from 8-10 p.m.
A political symposium will
be held in the University
Center, Magnolia Room at 7
p.m. The symposium will
honor the 50 Years of Inte-
gration.
Oct. 23
VOD Indie presents “No
Soliciting!” at 6 p.m. in the
University Center Theater.
.
Upcoming Events
account he was then released.
The suspect then fled the
scene.
According to Major Anne
Farmer of VSUPD the inves-
tigation is on going.
Farmer would not com-
ment further on the case.
The VSUPD requests any-
one with additional informa-
tion to the crime to please
contact the police department
at 229-333-7816.
ROBBERY
Continued from Page 1
HAPPY‘TATOR
DAY!
it's fall, and it's Saturday.
You wake up, turn on Sports-
Center, open up the fridge
and crack open what will be
the first of countless beers.
You sit down on the couch,
and you lean over to the per-
son next to you and you say
to them, "Happy game day!"
and you clink your beer of
choice.
Beer, tailgating and foot-
ball is one of the most amer-
ican combinations there is in
our nation. Before the game,
beer pours like a golden,
sudsy waterfall. However,
once the games begin, there's
not a drop to be found.
Well, not for most universi-
ties at least. Some universi-
ties do allow sales of alcohol
at their stadiums, but the
nCaa doesn't allow sales at
on-campus stadiums. this
prohibits places such as the
VSU pe Complex and Billy
Grant Stadium from selling
alcohol.
the rule technically doesn't
apply to Bazemore-Hyder
Stadium because it's not an
on-campus stadium, however,
it is owned by the Valdosta
Board of education which
prevents alcohol sales. On
one hand i think it is good
because it is a high school
stadium too, and i completely
agree that it would be in
great distaste to place beer
advertisements in the stadi-
um.
But, at the same time, it is-
n't just a high school venue,
and on Saturdays when VSU
is hosting games i think VSU
fans with proof of age would
enjoy watching the game
while also enjoying a beer.
You might think that if
beer was sold at games it
might cost more than what
students would be willing to
pay, but i don't think it would
completely discourage stu-
dents as well as parents and
alumni from spending the
higher prices.
it would work the way
sales at movie theaters work,
where drink and snack prices
are higher than just about
anywhere else, not because
that's how much the theater
needs to sell it for but be-
cause it's the only place pa-
trons at the venue can get
what they want.
if VSU could pull about
6,000 fans per game, i think
there would be a potential to
make some money. as much
as West Virginia's $520,000
they made in their first sea-
son? probably not, but i think
there is money to be made,
and i think it could help pay
for things at VSU.
Ultimately, it would be
tough for the school board to
allow alcohol to be sold in a
stadium that is shared by a
high school, and unless VSU
was absolutely sure it could
turn a profit high enough to
justify the added security and
potential violence that might
ensue, it is highly unlikely
that Bazemore-Hyder stadi-
um would ever allow it. But i
think it's interesting to con-
sider what the benefits might
be, especially seeing other
universities make the switch
and find success doing so.
fracking, the process of
harvesting the environmental-
ly unfriendly natural gas
called shale that is being
pushed by the government,
plows its way through Geor-
gia.
in March, i discussed a
deal backed by the govern-
ment between British-owned
Centrica and american-
owned Cheniere. the agree-
ment was that Cheniere
would spread toxic chemicals
across america in order to
fuel millions of British
homes.
While the fracking industry
builds momentum throughout
the nation, so does the oppo-
sition. even British activists
are tak-
ing ac-
tion to
deter the
growth
of frack-
ing in
their nation. early this
month, fracking was banned
in france.
Global fear toward frack-
ing is justifiable. Over the
year fracking has been
deemed a cause of earth-
quakes in arkansas and
texas. early this month,
duke University equated an
increase of fracking to the
rise of pollution in a pennsyl-
vanian water supply, and ac-
cording to Southeastern nat-
uralist, it has been killing en-
dangered fish in Kentucky
since 2007.
fracking has contributed to
a plethora of other environ-
mental damage as well. a
study conducted by environ-
ment america offers a con-
cise outline of the horrors.
Several wells have
emerged throughout the state.
Opposition to the wells has
also been prominent. during
the summer environment
Georgia submitted a petition
of 1,300 signatures to the
Chattahoochee national for-
est in order to protect the
haven from the vile fracking.
according to the food and
Water Watch, 396 measures
have been passed across 21
states to regulate and attempt
to stop the reign of terror in-
voked by fracking. Georgia is
not one of those states, but
with action fracking can be
abolished and our beautiful
state preserved.
Many fracking operations
are conducted by foreign
companies or for foreign
markets. We must not contin-
ue to allow our own people
and land to be exploited to
keep foreigners energized. a
simple plan of action is to
spread the word of the dan-
gers linked with fracking.
an
alterna-
tive to
fracking
that is
break-
ing
ground
is known as waterless frack-
ing. Waterless fracking em-
ploys propan instead of water
to perform fracking process-
es. the new method, while
not completely eco-friendly,
does open new doors to safe
alternatives to fracking.
ocToBer 16, 2013 vSuSpecTaTor.com | page 3OpiniOns
Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those
of the Spectator and its staff. all rights reserved. reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily
those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.
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Spectator StaffEditor-in-Chief: Jennifer GleasonManaging Editor:Will LewisBusiness Manager: Kristen VarneyAdvertising Manager:aimee napierCirculation Manager: abbie Baggerly Opinions Editor: Stephen CavallaroFeatures Editor: Sarah turner
Sports Editor: eric JacksonPhoto Editor: ritsuki MiyazakiMultimedia Editor: rebecka McaleerWeb Designer: John preerCopy Editor: Olivia McLeanSocial Media Editor: Joe adgie Faculty Advisers: dr. patMiller, dr. ted Geltner, Keith Warburg
Reporters/Photographers:abbie Baggerly, JordanBarela, Khiry Clements, essah Cole, Jessica Cooke,Cole edwards, allison ericson, neil frawley, OliviaGear, Brian Hickey, VictoriaJohnson, david Lacy, isaiahSmart, taylor Stone, Shanethomas, alex tostado, alexis Waters, Von Kennedy,Hilary Straba
it is obvious that items
such as produce,
canned goods and oth-
er dinners and snacks in
Sustella and Langdale mar-
kets are overpriced. no mat-
ter how much we complain
about this, prices show no
promise of dropping in the
future. However, there is a
way to save your money.
One might assume that the
markets raise their prices to
increase their own profit.
However, there is a lot more
that factors into the price of
an item than just item cost
and store profit.
“it’s not like i’m paying
$2 for an item and marking
it up 1,000 percent,” pete
Harkness, resident district
manager of V-State dining,
said. “it doesn’t work that
way. One of the problems is
we have other costs involved
in running the business. We
have an added cost that we
have to pay the university
that has to be figured into
the equation.”
Harkness explained that
aside from giving the univer-
sity their commission, the
markets also have to pay
their employees and supply
them with benefits.
another reason prices are
higher than grocery store
prices is because the markets
cannot buy in the same mag-
nitude as other stores.
there are some items in
the on-campus markets that
cost about the same price in
grocery stores. frito Lay and
Coke products have a pre-
sale price that the markets
abide by.
“We’re locked into corpo-
rate pricing,” Harkness said.
“Meaning frito Lay has a
cooperate pricing that they
do with everyone, so we’re
able to pass that same pric-
ing to the consumer; same
with coke.”
Other items, however, are
marked up around 65 per-
cent, which is not affordable
to most college students,
even with Blazer Bucks and
flex accounts.
if you live on campus, you
are required to have some
sort of meal plan. for exam-
ple, Centennial Hall adds
$475 of Blazer Bucks to the
original costs of living there.
One might expect that much
money to last throughout the
semester; however, if you are
doing your weekly shopping
at the markets, then you will
see that your bucks are gone
in a month or so.
Our advice is to only use
your VSU accounts for items
such as frito Lay and Coke
products. for everything
else, hop on the special VSU
bus that goes to Walmart and
the mall to get your bread,
produce, milk, etc. By using
your cash and accounts si-
multaneously for specific
items, you will save money
in the long run.
not only will you save
money by doing the above,
but it may also send a mes-
sage to VSU. as if going to
school here isn’t expensive
enough, we shouldn’t have
to over pay for on-campus
grocery items. therefore,
VSU should consider not
asking for a share from the
markets’ profits.
We can’t blame the mar-
kets for their heavy prices.
However, we can shop
smarter.
express your opinions by
sending the staff a tweet at
@vsuspectator.
This editorial was written by Sarah Turner ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
Campus markets aren’t cheap
Over the years, president
Barack Obama has racked up
quite an impressive list of
constitutional violations that
should have even his
staunchest of followers ques-
tioning the true motives be-
hind his actions.
the first amendment
guarantees the american peo-
ple incredibly important free-
doms, including the freedom
of religion: “Congress shall
make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise
thereof.” So how, then, was
president Obama able to sim-
ply ignore this vital part of
our freedom by issuing an or-
der to faith-based institutions
forcing them to provide in-
surance that covered abortifa-
cients and contraceptives to
their employees?
article ii, section 3 of the
Constitution states that the
president “shall take care that
the Laws be faithfully execut-
ed.” that particular article
must have been missing from
the president’s distorted ver-
sion of the Constitution as he
advised attorney General
eric Holder to work against
the defense of Marriage act
in federal courts. rather than
“faithfully executing” the
laws, our president simply re-
fuses to enforce the laws he
doesn’t agree with.
arguably one of the most
disturbing violations to add to
president Obama’s lengthy
list is forcing americans to
buy health insurance, which
is in direct violation to article
1, section 8 of the Constitu-
tion. Congress has the power
to regulate commerce and
levy taxes, not to force amer-
icans to partake in commerce.
even though the Supreme
Court ruled legislation under
the healthcare mandate as a
tax, it does not meet the re-
quirements of any of the
three types of taxes represent-
ed in the Constitution — in-
come, excise or direct.
the state of our freedoms
is truly troubling, and our
country is in disarray on
nearly all fronts — fiscally,
militarily, socially and politi-
cally. things have to drasti-
cally change, and the ameri-
can people have to stand up
for the freedoms that are ex-
plicitly guaranteed to them. if
not, the freedoms that we
have always known will be-
come extinct.
“i was a constitutional law
professor, which means un-
like the current president i
actually respect the Constitu-
tion.” –Barack Obama,
March 2007
Oh contraire, Mr. presi-
dent.
Ignoring the U.S. laws
Neil FrawleyS p O r t S W r i t e r
Fracking hits GeorgiaStephen CavallaroO p i n i O n S e d i t O r
People PollAre on campus venues, such as the
Sustella market, too expensive?
Want more opinions? Check out the Video People
Poll online at: youtube.com/ValdostaSpectator
Tameira Turner
freshman
nursing major
“i don’t think that the Langdale and
Sustella markets are too expensive.”
Shane Martin
senior
psychology major
“it seems like the markup in all campus
stores are a little extravagant.”
Taylor StoneS ta f f W r i t e r
Offer drinks at games
The rule technically
doesn't apply to
Bazemore-Hyder
Stadium because
it's not an on-
campus stadium.
We must not
continue to allow
our own people
and land to be
exploited to
keep foreigners
energized.
The state of our
freedoms is truly
troubling
Luke Bryan sings to 15,000 fans at the Valdosta Wake Compound on Saturday. The concert marked
the end of Bryan’s sixth-annual Farm Tour.
PagE 4 | vsusPECTaTOR.COmFeatures
OCTOBER 17, 2013
there are 28 tall, yellow
boxes topped with a flashing
blue light around campus.
the boxes have “eMer-
GeNCY” written down the
side; however, the boxes are
not only there for intense sit-
uations.
“we get calls on everything
from ‘my car is broken
down,’ to thefts, to a student
simply wanting an escort to
walk them back to the resi-
dence halls from the oak
street lot,” Chief scott don-
er, director of university Po-
lice, said.
all together there are 131
call boxes around campus.
Besides the 28 free-standing
boxes, there are also phones
located in the elevators, resi-
dence halls and parking
decks.
any of the boxes can
quickly connect you to the
university Police dispatch
when activated.
all call boxes are in work-
ing order and checked every
month by environmental and
occupational safety.
doner said that his force is
able to tell which callbox you
are calling from, and the po-
lice staff is well-trained for a
quick response.
“it of course depends on
where you are located on
campus, but even if you press
the button on north campus,
our response time is generally
just a few minutes,” doner
said. “it’s another way of
providing safety and security
for the campus.”
Call boxes are being added
to the campus all the time,
especially in the construction
of new parking decks and
buildings.
“we try to make sure that
every elevator, every level of
the parking decks and every
residence hall has a call box,
so no matter where you are
located on campus, connec-
tion to the university Police
is not far away,” Meredith
Lancaster, associate director
of environmental and occu-
pational safety, said.
students don’t always have
a cell phone handy or may
get bad reception in some ar-
eas like the parking deck, so
the call boxes offer a peace
of mind around campus.
she encourages students to
visit the environmental and
occupational safety page,
under “student resources,”
on the Vsu website for a
complete list of the different
types of emergency phones
and their locations.
the academy of Country
Music awards entertainer of
the Year, Luke Bryan, per-
formed in Valdosta saturday
night to a sold-out show of
15,000 people. the show
took place on the fields of the
Valdosta wake Compound.
“this is a titletown kind of
thing,” Bryan sang to an an-
ticipating audience as he
came on stage after a three-
hour preshow.
Bryan performed all of his
popular songs as well as
songs from his new album,
“Crash My Party.” the show
began with a song from his
third album, “Kiss tomorrow
Goodbye.”
the Georgia native brought
out thousands of fans to what
was an entertaining yet po-
tentially dangerous show.
the closer to the stage, the
more reckless fans became.
there were numerous fights
as fans tried to push them-
selves closer to the stage. se-
curity was on their toes to
keep the concert orderly.
farther back from the stage
was a large area for people to
set up chairs and avoid the
dangers of the stage excite-
ment.
tailgating for the concert
began at 2 p.m., and the gates
opened at 5 p.m. while the
show began at 6 p.m., Bryan
didn’t come on stage until 9
p.m.
opening the show was
Chancie Neal, who sang
some acoustic, feminine
numbers and can be com-
pared to Miranda Lambert.
Neal knew how to get the
crowd going as it was her
fourth time performing on the
farm tour.
second on stage was Cole
swindell, known for his 2013
hit, “Chillin’ it.”
finally, before Luke hit the
stage, the Peach Pickers en-
tertained the audience for
around an hour.
Luke Bryan is from Lees-
burg, Ga., which is just north
of albany, about two hours
from Valdosta.
“i really like that he’s
real,” Katie odum, senior
psychology major, said. “i
like that he’s from Georgia,
and i like that he stays here.”
as it was Bryan’s sixth-an-
nual farm tour, he has proven
to remain loyal to his Georgia
fans.
“the farm tour has be-
come a tradition for Luke, so
while it's likely he will con-
tinue, there are no confirmed
plans in place at this time,”
Mary Catherine Kinney,
Bryan’s publicity coordinator,
said.
Sarah Turnerf e at u r e s e d i t o r
Bryan welcomes 15,000 to farm
Cole Edwardss ta f f w r i t e r
A call box outside of the Fine Arts Building.
Ritsuki Miyazaki/THE SPECTATOR
Call boxes offer more protection than we think
Sarah Turner/THE SPECTATOR
Scan the QR code
to read Abbie Bag-
gerly’s story on the
new art exhibit
“We Two Founts!”
OddEven
PagE 5 | vsusPECTaTOR.COmSportSOCTOBER 17, 2013
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SudokuANSWERS
Murray holds the torch
the Valdosta State men’s
basketball team took the floor
for its first official practice
on Monday, led by senior for-
ward David Murray who was
named preseason All-Gulf
South Conference over the
weekend.
Murray enters this season
as the lone returning starter
from last season, a season in
which the Blazers finished
19-10 and advanced to the
GSC championship game.
in that game, Murray
scored four points on 2-of-3
shooting before a strained
MCL sidelined him six min-
utes into the action.
the Blazers could have
used their sharp-shooting for-
ward late in the champi-
onship game as the Blazers
lost 65-62 to Christian Broth-
ers. Despite the injury, Mur-
ray was named to the GSC
All-tournament team.
“it hurt me to go down in
the championship game,”
Murray said. “i felt my team
needed me out there as one of
the leaders on the team. it
was sad sitting on the side-
lines.”
Head coach Mike Helfer
understands Murray’s impor-
tance to his team and can’t
deny the injury affected his
team.
“Any game that David
plays the whole game, our
chances are going to be bet-
ter,” Helfer said. “Any time
you lose a good player,
you’re going to have to try to
win a different way than
you’re accustomed to. we
lost by three, but i thought
the team showed great heart
and determination even after
losing David.”
the Birmingham, Ala. na-
tive is taking his preseason
All-GSC selection in stride
and admits the honor moti-
vates him as he will be
looked upon to provide lead-
ership for a team that has 11
new players.
“when Coach called me
and told me i was selected, i
was shocked,” Murray said.
“[the selection] just means i
need to work that much hard-
er. when i found out Friday,
i was actually in the gym.
i’ve been working out four
times a day, so it’s about be-
ing hungry and humble with
it.”
Murray played in all 29
games last season, including
22 starts, and averaged 10.5
points, 4.7 rebounds while
making 60 three-pointers,
second-most on the team.
Helfer praised Murray’s
long-range shooting after
Monday’s practice and ex-
pressed optimism about the
core of shooters assembled
for the upcoming season.
“when you can make
threes, it opens the court and
allows guys that can go off
the dribble more room to
work and get to the rim,”
Helfer said. “At times, we
struggled with that last year.
we didn’t make shots so
teams would pack it in a little
bit on us. Hopefully, we’ve
corrected that with [David]
and some of our new guys
we’ve brought in that will be
able to make some shots.”
Helfer says he doesn’t need
to remind Murray of his role
going into the season.
“with seniors, you don’t
need to tell them what to do,
they already know what to
do,” Helfer said. “[Murray]
has taken that as his mantra
this year. He knows what it’s
going to take and what the
team needs to do. we’ll give
him some freedom but we’re
not going to focus on one or
two guys, we’re going to try
to do it with everybody hav-
ing a significant role and
contributing.”
Now fully recovered from
injury, Murray has reasonable
expectations for his team,
which was picked to finish
fifth in the GSC in the pre-
season Coaches’ poll.
“we need to take it one
step at a time and not try to
win a championship in one
game,” Murray said. “we just
need to keep coming togeth-
er. i feel like we’re on the
verge of being really good
and i love it at the pace we’re
going.”
Follow Shane on twitter:
@itsathomasthing
Shane ThomasS p o r t S w r i t e r
TheJock1150
david Murray, a transfer from Marion Military, leads the Blazers in
his second season at VSU.
Valdosta State women’s
soccer improved to 9-1-3 on
the season with a 1-0 win
over Shorter in rome, Ga. on
wednesday night.
Junior forward Zahimara
Fantauzzi scored the lone
goal in the 45th minute and
had six shots in the game.
Junior goalkeeper olivia
Mills had two saves in the
game.
VSU combined to have 22
shots from 11 different play-
ers and 13 shots on goal from
eight different players. Short-
er had a total of four shots in
the match.
the Lady Blazers travel to
Columbus State on Friday to
take on the No. 7 team in the
nation.
CSU is 8-3 on the season
and have outscored oppo-
nents 52-15.
VSU is looking to break
back into the top 25 with
what could be a signature
win over the Cougars.
the Blazers have won two
straight games and four of
their previous six.
VSU soccer facesCougars Friday
ALex TOSTAdO
A S S t. S p o r t S e D i t o r
P.E. Complex renovation expected
to be finished by end of November
Since its opening in 1983,
the Valdosta State p.e. Com-
plex has received many reno-
vations, making it one of the
Division ii’s top arenas.
recently, the Complex
which houses the men and
women basketball teams,
volleyball team, and the men
and women’s tennis team,
has been receiving an exten-
sive amount of additional
renovations to provide stu-
dents, faculty, staff, players,
and fans a more pleasing and
comfortable environment.
these renovations are be-
ing funded by the university’s
capital improvement plan,
with hopes of providing a
more enjoyable Blazer com-
munity.
the remodeling started in
the spring semester of 2012,
beginning with all of the air
conditioning systems being
replaced and the installment
of a tower in the southeast
corner of the building, pro-
viding restrooms for the sec-
ond level.
Currently, the lobby, the
bottom level restrooms, and
the south hallway locker
room are all being renovated
to further accomplish this
more pleasing environment.
According to Herb rein-
hard, the VSU director of ath-
letics, all of these areas have
not received any type of up-
dates or renovations since the
building was first constructed
in 1983.
“i think the VSU students
will be pleased and proud of
the complex, “said reinhard,
“they seem excited!”
the athletic staff has been
receiving many comments
from students attending vol-
leyball matches and the
homecoming pep rally indi-
cating that the renovations
are turning out well and that
they are anticipating the final
product.
“we’re hoping to be
putting the finishing touches
on things toward the end of
November,” said reinhard, in
the midst of the VSU basket-
ball season.
the Blazer community has
much to look forward to in
the upcoming months, after
nearly two years of renova-
tions on the 5,350 seat Com-
plex.
Lia ArmisteadS p o r t S w r i t e r
Athletic director Herb Reinhard expects the project to be complete
by the end of November.
VSU
Victoria Johnson/THE SPECTATOR
Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders Naiz B. (left) and Lindsay M. (right)
were at Publix Supermarket on Oct.16 to support the tailgating
team in giving away free gifts to certain customers who bought
select items at the grocery store.
Atlanta Falcons
cheerleaders stop
in Valdosta
Follow @BlazerSports onTwitter
PagE 6 | vsusPECTaTOR.COmS p o r t S
OCTOBER 17, 2013
Blazer forward battles injury obstacles
Torn but not down.
Most people may cringe at
the thought of tearing an
ACL; for junior forward soc-
cer player, Sydney Smith, this
thought
became a
reality.
Twice.
Smith
first tore
her ACL
in her left
knee be-
fore her
senior year
of high school. She then re-
tore it after the 2012 season.
The Conyers native knew it
had tore a second time even
though the training staff had
told her it had not torn.
“I went down saying I
tore my ACL but everybody
said I didn’t,” Smith said.
“All of the trainers looked at
me and said my ACL was
fine and intact; even the doc-
tor said that when he looked
at me.”
After receiving an MrI,
doctors learned that her ACL
was not only torn, but had
dissolved.
When Smith tore her ACL
in high school, the doctors
used tendons from a cadaver
to replace in her knee. Her
body attacked the foreign tis-
sue causing her knee to give
out once more.
The doctors then took the
patella tendon in Smith’s left
knee to repair the torn ACL.
As a result, Smith came out
of surgery having to heal her
ACL and patella tendon.
Smith received surgery the
very next day in Columbus,
Ga.
“I did rehab every day,”
Smith said. “Coming back I
had a lot of tendinitis prob-
lems but I just worked my
best to push through it and be
able to get stronger and run
on it and get faster.”
After all of the physical
and emotional exhaustion,
Smith still did not look for
excuses and it did not go un-
noticed by her coaches and
teammates.
“Sydney is a hard working
kid and a positive kid,” VSU
head soccer coach Mel Heinz
said. “She has to be fair to
herself. I think she is expect-
ing instant ‘back to Sydney
soccer.’ For her, she has keep
it honest; she has to realize
she just got (cleared to play)
and her hard work will get
her caught up.”
Smith’s roommate, junior
midfielder Hannah Mulkey,
has been front row to see her
teammate make a comeback
to the field.
“It encouraged me to see
that she wasn’t discouraged
and sad,” Mulkey said. “I
knew that she could come
back and be a great player.”
Mulkey is rehabbing from
the same injury and has
looked to Smith as inspira-
tion.
“(Smith) was very sup-
portive,” Mulkey said. “She
knew how I felt but she was-
n’t overbearing and writing it
off as, ‘Oh, I’ve already had
two and it’s no big thing.’
She was very sympathetic.”
Smith told her parents the
news of a second tear and
they were supportive the
whole way.
“My mom was with me
when we went to the doctor
and got the MrI results,”
Smith said. “She was just as
upset as I was. We were both
balling.”
The Lady Blazer soccer
team is like a family and
when one person gets hurt,
they rally around each other
to lift that person back up.
“It wasn’t hard for me to
encourage her because I
could see how hard she was
working,” Mulkey said.
Smith also had surgery in the
summer of 2012 on her shin
for Compartment Syndrome,
which is genetic, which made
Smith’s compartment fascia
too tight for her muscle.
Because of this, Smith had
days where she wouldn’t be
able to run more than 10 min-
utes at a time and would have
to “crawl off the field be-
cause it hurt so bad.”
Smith has a passion for the
game that not many people
possess.
The Biology major has
been playing soccer since she
was 7 years old and cannot
imagine being a “normal col-
lege student.” Smith wants to
be an orthodontist after she
graduates but she still has a
love for the game.
So far this season, Smith
has played 66 minutes and
recorded one assist.
“I think she is progressing
the way she needs to
progress,” Coach Heinz said.
“It’s exciting and that’s why
we are dressing her at times
and that’s why she is getting
a little bit of time in.”
Alex TostadoS P O r T S W r I T E r
Sydney Smith assists kids during ‘Meet the Blazers’ event on Sept.
2.
Dowling Payne/Blazer Pride
VSU Athletics
NCAA Division II
Top 25 College
football rankings 1. Minnesota State-Mankato 2. Northwest Missouri State 3. Colorado State-Pueblo 4. Missouri Western State 5. Henderson State6. Bloomsburg7. Pittsburg State8. West Alabama 9. Minnesota-Duluth 10.UNC-Pembroke 11. Shepherd12. Valdosta State13. Washburn14. Tarleton State15. West Chester
16.Winston-Salem State17.West Texas A&M 18. Ohio Dominican 19. Carson-Newman20. Emporia State21. Indianapolis22.Indiana (Pa.) 23. Newberry24.Midwestern State 25. St. Cloud State
al.com
West Alabama fans stormed the field after the Tigers took down No.1 Valdosta State in a
49-30 win in Livingston,Ala. Saturday. The victory dropped the Blazers to 12th in the na-
tion.
