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September�12,�2013 WWW. V S U S P e C TATO R . C OM VOLUMe�85�iSSUe�4
Inside This Issue-�OPiNiONS: “GPA stunts student involvement”
-�FeATUReS:�“iPhone gets personal next week”
-�SPORTS: “Blazer volleyball remains perfect; ready for
weekend”
On the Webwww.vsuspectator.com
Student VeteranS of
america - the Student
Veterans of America will hold
an informal meeting at 6 p.m.
in the heritage room of the
Student Union. the event will
feature Valdosta fire Chief,
J.d. rice.
Science Seminar - At 4
p.m. in Powell hall auditorium,
Science Seminar will host dr.
Chuck taylor from the
department of Psychology to
share his work entitled
“rational decision making in
irrational circumstances: the
case of texting while driving”.
caB comedy Show -
CAB will host a comedy show
in the Student Union ballroom
at 5:30 p.m. the show will
feature Comedian Justin
Burkman.
recruitment driVe -
Sigma Alpha iota will hold a
recruitment drive in Student
Union Conference room 2 at 6
p.m.
Game niGht - natural high
will host a free game night in
the Student Union’s game room
starting at 8 p.m.
Today�at�VSU
Weather
92�H 68�L
Today
94�H 68�L
Friday
67�L89�H
Scattered
T-Storms
Saturday
Check out JordanBarela’s story on Career
Services!
Blazer Blazer
soccer starts soccer starts
conferenceconference
playplay
See�page�5�for
more
Mostly
Sunny
Mostly
Sunny
Find�Us
Online
Follow�
The�Spectatoronline�for�more!
TwiTTeR:@vsuspectator
FaceBook: The Spectator
check ouT ouR
weBSiTe:vsuspectator.com
over the past few months,
there have been numerous
changes made to the VSU
campus—new retainer gar-
dens, flowering shrubs, art
installations— but perhaps
the most misunderstood addi-
tion to the campus has been
the outdoor classroom behind
West hall.
Completed in August, the
outdoor classroom is one of
the larger improvements
scheduled to take place on
campus, costing around
$45,000 to construct.
Brett Ganas, assistant di-
rector of landscape and
grounds at VSU and designer
of the outdoor classroom,
said that it was a response to
a faculty request for an out-
door area in which to hold
class sessions.
dr. Ari Santas, professor of
philosophy and religious
studies, is the faculty mem-
ber who suggested the addi-
tion during a campus beauti-
fication sub-committee meet-
ing, but he said he was not
the first faculty member to
mention it.
“i’ve always liked to take
my classes outside, yet even
though VSU has a beautiful
campus, there are not many
places where one can take
one’s classes where everyone
can sit and discuss,” Santos
said. “When Mr. Ganas was
meeting with our committee
upon taking over the position
as head groundskeeper, i
mentioned to him how nice it
would be to incorporate out-
door classrooms into the
landscape planning.”
Previously, the area behind
West hall was, as Ganas puts
it, a “no-man’s land”—an
area where students cut
through, forming a visible
trail in the grass from the
constant foot traffic.
this unattractive trail in-
spired Ganas to convert the
area into something that was
both beautiful and useful, and
the suggestion made by San-
tas was one way to accom-
plish that.
“the outdoor classroom
will provide faculty and stu-
dents with an alternative to
traditional indoor study,”
Ganas said. “it will be sur-
Hillary�StrabaS tA f f W r i t E r
Outdoor classroom confuses students
Ritsuki Miyazaki / The SPecTaToR
The�outdoor�classroom�was�constructed�between�West�Hall�and�Nevins�Hall,�and�has
been�used�mainly�as�a�sitting�area�by�students.
Photos contributed by Dowling Payne/Blazer Pride
Quarterback�Cayden�Cochran�(11)�hands�the�ball�to�running�back�Austin�Scott�(23)�dur-
ing�the�36-21�win�over�Fort�Valley�State�last�Saturday�in�Macon.�
Blazers�beat�FVSU,�36-21
See page 6 for more on Blazer football’s second week.
the SGA continued to fill
its ranks on a night that also
saw a refresher course on
parliamentary procedure and
the SGA fumbling on a deci-
sion to support the upcoming
Mr. VSU pageant.
in total, 20 new members
of the SGA and one returning
member, between the legisla-
tive and judicial branches,
were sworn in on Monday
night's weekly meeting in-
cluding two graduate stu-
dents, a student from Kaza-
khstan and two transfer stu-
dents.
these include 11 hopefuls
who received the most votes
in last week's freshman elec-
tions. 10 seats were available
for freshmen, but there was a
tie for 10th between
Ladaisha Wilson and Breion-
na henry.
Matt Lovelace, one of the
two new graduate senators,
explained why he wanted to
join the SGA.
“Graduate students don't
really have a voice on this
campus,” Lovelace said. “We
do run your campus, for the
most part. Graduate students
are a huge portion of the pop-
ulation here. We have over
2,000 graduate students and
very little representation.”
one returning member of
SGA is Micah howell, who
ran unsuccessfully for the
comptroller's seat during the
last election. howell ex-
pressed intent to improve the
rules of SGA elections, rules
that came into question after
the controversial elections
last year.
“A lot went on last year
during our elections,” howell
said. “i really would hate for
anybody to go through that
again.”
the SGA also had some
confusion late in the meeting
when trying to figure out
whether or not to support the
upcoming Mr. VSU pageant.
the decision about whether
to actually support the event
or not was proposed to be
tabled by senator Valencia
Warren. the proposal would
then be heard at a meeting of
the Pr committee on Sept.
18, a proposal that was met
with disapproval from new
senator tamera dunn.
“right now, it sounds like
we're not willing to say what
we're to give to our presenter,
and that's making him wait
another nine days,” dunn
said.
responding to dunn,
heather Washington, senior
senator, explained the pro-
posal.
“We're going to move to
assist him, but the specifics
are going to be outlined in
the second meeting,” Wash-
ington said.
due to the broadness of the
initial proposal, Warren was
unsure if the tabling was for
the upcoming Pr meeting, or
for the next SGA meeting.
the presenter of the Mr. VSU
proposal, Jeremiah Wiggins,
demanded a yes-or-no answer
right then and there, which he
got, with the SGA voting
unanimously in favor of sup-
porting the pageant.
Lovelace cleared up confu-
sion about the tabling propos-
al by moving that the respon-
sibilities regarding the Mr.
VSU pageant would be dele-
gated to the Pr committee.
this too received a unani-
mous “yes” vote.
Joe�AdgieS o C i A L M E d i A
E d i t o r
SGA:
New members
elected to Senate
Last week, campus buzzed
with rumors that student or-
ganization members would be
required to have a 2.5 GPA to
be involved.
“that is, as many things in
life are, just a rumor,” said
Erin Sylvester, Greek Life as-
sistant director for organiza-
tional development.
the truth: Student Life is
finally enforcing a policy in
which members are required
to have at least a 2.0 GPA,
and student executive mem-
bers are required to have at
least a 2.5 GPA.
the rumors followed a dis-
cussion at the mandatory stu-
dent organization meetings
tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednes-
day, Sept. 4.
“the only change is that
we have never before provid-
ed a means to enforce this
policy and beginning in Janu-
ary 2014 we will be provid-
ing that accountability,”
Sylvester said. “(W)e will as-
sist in grade collection and
enforcement, but without re-
leasing exact grades of stu-
dents.”
Sunday night, SGA Presi-
dent Will Jimerson started a
debate on twitter asking stu-
dents how they felt about a
2.5 GPA requirement. Mon-
day, Jimerson sent a second
tweet clarifying the GPA re-
quirements.
“i got clarification from the
director of Student Life,
robin Vickery, on Monday—
after the twitter debate start-
ed—after it was announced
wrong in the student organi-
zation meeting,” Jimerson
said.
regardless, many students
weighed in on the debate
overnight.
“@wcjimerson think it’s a
great idea. Grades come first,
everything else is secondary.
if your grades aren’t in order,
how can your org be?”
@ms_rashae tweeted.
not all replies were as pos-
itive.
“(My) being involved in
orgs is (what) helped me be-
come who i am today, i
wouldn’t want to take that
from anyone just because
they made a mistake,”
@its_Granddaddy tweeted.
for Student Life, the
dilemma was risking student
members for the sake of aca-
demic standards.
“one of the things that we
consider is what area must
we give greater priority to?”
Kirk Johnson, Student Life
graduate assistant, said.
“And, our first obligation is
to ensure that we provide the
kind of support system put in
place where students have all
Jennifer�GleasonE d i t o r - i n - C h i E f
Student Life plans toenforce GPA policy
See OUTDOOR , Page 2
See GPA , Page 2
9/11�Never
Forget
We�at�the�
Spectator�remember�the�attacks�on�theTwin�Towers�onSeptember�11,
2001.Our thoughts go outto those who were
affected, and are stillaffected, from that
day.
PAGE 2 | vSuSPEcTAToR.coM N e w s SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
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For Sale
Sept. 13
The VSU Planetarium will present its first show of the
2013-2014 season, IBEX: Pushing the Boundaries, on Friday,
Sept. 13 at 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. The planetarium will
showcase the journey of the IBEX spacecraft, and Dr. Martha
Leake will provide a presentation of the current Valdosta sky.
From 9 p.m. till midnight CORE will host its annual “Cos-
mic Climb.” Combining music, movies, neon, blacklights and
climbing; CORE is inviting students to wear the brightest
clothes and go climb the rockwall in the VSU student gym.
Alpha Phi Omega will be selling wings from 12 p.m. to 3
p.m. at the Palms Quad. Flavors will include BBQ, Hot and
Lemon Pepper; and prices will range from $3.50 to $6.
The Blazer soccer team will play Union at 5 p.m. at the
VSU Soccer Complex.
Sept. 15
Last year’s parking permits from the 2012-2013 academic
school year will expire on Monday, Sept.15. To avoid cita-
tions for expired parking permit, please renew your permit for
the new academic year before the expiration date of Sept. 15.
VSU Blazer’s will face off against Alabama Huntsville at 1
p.m. at the VSU Soccer Complex.
Sept. 16
Valdosta State University Police and the Department of En-
vironmental and Occupational Safety will host a forum from
7-9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 16, in the Student Union Theatre. The
forum will focus on basic crime prevention, personal safety,
fire and life safety and emergency response.
VSU Study Abroad will be holding an information meeting
in the University Center Rm.1144 from noon until 1 p.m. to
advertise their upcoming program in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Sept. 17
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 VSU’s
Office of the President, Student Government Association, Aca-
demic Affairs, Odum Library, and Department of Social Work
will host “Cookies and the Constitution. The event will be
held in Palms Quad, near Langdale Hall, and will feature fac-
ulty, staff, and student volunteers conducting a public reading
of the Constitution of the United States of America, free pock-
et Constitutions and cookies, and a bit of trivia fun with Con-
stitutional Jeopardy.
Sept. 18
Phi Beta will be holding an information meeting in the Stu-
dent Union Conference Room 2 at 8 p.m.
Upcoming Events
-rounded by trees with lots of
color and landscape.”
To many students, the
lightly-colored cement semi-
circle looks like nothing
more than another seating
area for students to take a
break between classes.
“It looks like all the other
architecture around VSU to
me,” Dillon Swilley, junior
middle grade education ma-
jor, said.
Another student said that
the new space looks like a
smoking area (this is perhaps
due to the large cement ash-
trays located near the space).
Some students appeared
surprised to learn what the
space was intended to be.
“I think it’s a great idea;
however, I cannot figure out
how on earth it’s a class-
room,” Sarah Caldwell, ju-
nior psychology major, said.
The space does not imme-
diately invoke the idea of a
classroom because it lacks
proper seating and other
classroom elements, so it
easy to see how it could be
misinterpreted.
According to Santas, stu-
dents are meant to sit on the
wall-like seating that creates
the back edge of the semi-cir-
cle, and the instructor is
meant to stand in the middle
of the semi-circle.
The outdoor classroom is
one of many that Santas
would like to see on campus
in the future. He would like
to see more strategically
placed classrooms around
campus, with the contractors
and faculty members working
together to ensure the space
meets their specific academic
needs depending on the sub-
ject of study.
For example, for a biology
class studying botany, the
outdoor classroom would ide-
ally be located in a more se-
cluded, natural setting.
Santas said that the exist-
ing outdoor classroom works
well to meet his needs, but
that its use should not be lim-
ited to holding classes.
“It can be more of a multi-
use space,” Santas said.
To this point, no professor
has yet reserved the space,
which is open to anyone who
wishes to use it. Like any
other classroom on campus,
groups must contact Event
Services in order to reserve
it.
Santas said he feels the
classroom in its present form
is “a nice start.” He also said
he would like to see more
landscaping but that the
space is great way to break
out of the “dark cave of a
classroom.”
Outdoor
Continued from Page 1September 6
A female student reported
some of her items were
stolen by a VSU student off
campus.
September 8
A student's books were
stolen from his room in Pat-
terson Hall sometime be-
tween Friday and Sunday.
A student in Lowndes Hall
had his Xbox stolen, and re-
ported that the thief has
stolen items from other
rooms, too. Two hours later, a
different resident in Lowndes
hall has had his Playstation
stolen.
A male reported to the Uni-
versity Police that items have
been stolen from his room.
September 9
Female has not seen her bi-
cycle since Friday. Her bike
was parked at Sustella Park-
ing Deck
September 10
A caller reported that her
friend had been assaulted by
a black male. Offender left in
a navy blue four door Mit-
subishi. Offender was accom-
panied by another black
male, no information on
where they were going.
Theft report filed regarding
VSU textbooks that were
stolen from the Psychology
Building.
September 11
Male reports his bike was
stolen from the Odum Li-
brary bike rack some time on
Tuesday night.
Female reports her red and
black Giant mountain bike
was stolen from the Reade
Hall bike rack on Tuesday.
Police Briefs
the tools so they can give the
attention that they need to the
academic part of the
process.”
Grades get diplomas.
“They should at least give
you a chance to bring (the
GPA) up, especially if you’re
doing a good job with the or-
ganization and maybe, you
know, you got really involved
in the organization and that
was what was causing your
GPA to slip,” Terri Harris,
Deep Release Poetry Society
president, said.
Current students will not
have their grades checked un-
til the close of the spring
2014 semester, according to
Sylvester.
GPA
Continued from Page 1
HAPPY
‘TATOR DAY!
They should at
least give you a
chance to bring (the
GPA) up, especially
if you’re doing a
good job with the
organization and
maybe, you know,
you got really in-
volved in the organi-
zation and that was
what was causing
your GPA to slip.
-Terri Harris
“
”
septemBer 12, 2013 vsuspectator.com | page 3
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:Niamani Carlyle-Hollis, Cole Ed-wards, Allison Ericson, William Gar-rett, Brian Hickey, Eric Holley, IveyIngalls-Rubin, Ashley Johnson,LaShawn Oglesby, Steven Quinn,Lawrence Smith, John Stephen,Shane Thomas, Alex Tostado, ElanWaite, Victoria Johnson, TaylorStone, Rosalynd Baggerly, OliviaGear, Neil frawley, Khiry Clements,Jordan Barela, Jessica Cooke, IsaiahSmart, Essah Cole, david Lacy, Alexis Waters
The extension of a pipeline
already in place has had
many environmentalists up in
arms. The proposal would al-
low pipelines to carry oil
from Alberta Canada to the
Gulf of Mexico. Though
those who are for the pipeline
say it will generate thousands
of jobs and significant eco-
nomic gains, the opposition
claims that the weight of this
extension on the environment
is nowhere near acceptable.
Many fear that the oil be-
ing transferred can spill out,
leaking into the Ogallala
Aquifer in Nebraska, which is
a major water source for an
estimated twenty million citi-
zens. Another concern is the
harsh processing required for
tar sand oil,
which is
different
from the
convention-
al crude oil
processing
method.
With powerful allies on the
opposing side like billionaire
investor Tom Seyer, it seems
as if the issue is far from hav-
ing a simple yes or no resolu-
tion.
The Canadian government
is pushing to get this ap-
proved; however, they don’t
necessarily need it. They
have means of transporting
the oil regardless of this ex-
tension. The need for jobs as
well as the promise of a
stronger economy has many
ready to jump onboard.
In a nutshell it has boiled
down to one essential ques-
tion: Economy or Environ-
ment? It’s a little dishearten-
ing to see people who ignore
the possible side effects, es-
pecially with global warming
and greenhouse gases as open
to public forum and debate as
it is now. In an ideal world
there could be a compromise
and we could find a way to
combine the need for jobs
with the need to preserve and
protect our planet.
However, that’s not what
we are dealing with. An oil
leak would be catastrophic.
The one that occurred in
Kalamazoo in 2010 is still
being cleaned up and if one
should occur with this line, it
would be on a larger scale.
Water and wildlife would be
affected. flashes of baby
birds covered in thick oil be-
ing scrubbed down with
dawn come to mind. If we
could keep the oil away from
the aquifer it would probably
soften the blow and get a lit-
tle more support.
In an attempt to get some
backing on the Keystone XL
proposal, Canada has an-
nounced it will try and do
more as far as the environ-
ment is concerned. We have
to remember: oil and water
just doesn’t mix.
Marijuana is lighting up
the media once again, as sup-
ports for the legalization of
the plant get fired up for fu-
ture elections.
Last year, I discussed how
Washington and Colorado
were the birthplace of a revo-
lutionary breakthrough con-
ceived in the name of free-
dom, when the sovereignty of
these states chooses to allow
the use and cultivation of
marijuana within their bor-
ders.
during that time 50% of
Americans believed the use
of marijuana should be made
legal. Now, the results of a
recent Huffington post poll
have shown that 51% of
Americans are in favor of le-
galization of the substance.
The following ten states
are preparing to take their
predecessors’ initiative by
placing the legalization of
marijuana on the ballot by
2017: Alaska, Arizona, Cali-
fornia, Nevada, Oregon,
Maine, Massachusetts, Mon-
tana, Rhode Island, and Ver-
mont.
Major contenders of mari-
juana-policy hope that Mari-
juana will soon be treated as
alcohol in these states. de-
spite backlash from the
biggest adversary to marijua-
na legalization, the justice
department, marijuana is con-
tinuing to make break-
throughs across the nation.
Over 300 Marijuana stores
are preparing to open in
Washington while In New
Jersey, new legislation allows
sick children to enjoy the
health benefits of consuming
the substance.
Marijuana is prevailing
against big government.
Why? Because people are be-
ginning to trust their own ex-
periences on the matter and
not propaganda purported by
the government in order to
carry out their agenda. Mari-
juana has been used for a
plethora of reasons for thou-
sands of years.
Before states began exert-
ing their power to push back
the strain the federal govern-
ment has exerted upon them
last year, Marijuana, while
still illegal, was essentially
left alone and is still used as
widely today as it was in the
1980’s; now the substance
has been condemned by the
fdA, who denies that Mari-
juana is less toxic than alco-
hol and claims the ‘drug’ is a
gateway to its own dangers.
despite the fdA’s ruling, the
active ingredient in Marijua-
na, dronabinol (THC), is on
the fdA approved drug list.
In addition, Marijuana con-
sumption is an activity that
17% of students at VSU have
savored in the past year.
Many of these students will
face severe charges if caught
by campus officials. Marijua-
na is not likely to cause
someone to act aggressively
because it usually reacts with
the consumer as a sedative,
so why should these students
be convicted for merely en-
joying a plant that, according
to gallup, 38% of Americans
have tried?
What are your thoughts on
this issue? Send us a tweet at
@vsuspectator.
This editorial was written by Eric Jackson ([email protected]) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Our point of view...
GPA stunts student involvement
Keysone XL, oil and water don’t mix
Sigh…
If motivating students to
join student organizations
wasn’t hard enough, it has
suddenly just become harder.
Student Life is making a
counterproductive move by
choosing to enforce the 2.5
minimum GpA required for
executive members starting
next semester.
To this point, the regula-
tion has been on the books
but not enforced.
We can only assume what
the administration motives
are surrounding this howev-
er, they do not outweigh the
potential setback organiza-
tions will face trying to re-
place those members.
Obviously, these particular
students may not be ahead in
the classroom, but they are
vital contributors to their
groups.
Regular members (who are
to maintain 2.0) with low
GpA’s are undoubtedly more
vulnerable to be less enthusi-
astic about committing to an
organization, knowing the
trivial obstacle facing them
if they want to be promoted
to a leadership position.
The Spectator, for exam-
ple, is burned in return as
our executive members (edi-
tors) are forced to resign due
to GpAs that waver on the
line.
did these members, who
are committed to spending
hours in the office putting to-
gether a paper and reporting
around campus, see it com-
ing? No way.
The short notice for this
change is baffling, especially
with the fact that significant-
ly increasing GpA in one se-
mester is highly unlikely.
Those editors just like oth-
er departing executive mem-
bers in other organizations
leave now not because of
lack of qualification or dedi-
cation.
for better or for worse,
students who do not meet the
requirement are being denied
the opportunity to enhance
their resumes with respected
leadership roles.
Is a student who has less
than a 2.5 GpA any less
qualified to make a differ-
ence on campus through an
organization than a student
who has a 2.5 or above?
What about those with a
2.4? If they can graduate
with that average, why not
let them participate?
Students shouldn’t be de-
prived of what they pay for
in student activity fees be-
cause administration feels
that raising the minimum is
beneficial.
Since when can’t average
students be superior in some-
thing they are passionate
about?
Many student organization
leaders will attest that being
a leader and a student is a
balancing act. We spend
hours dedicating our time to
our members, fellow leaders
and the service we provide
to the university.
for many of leaders, like
the editors at The Spectator,
students who take on the ex-
ecutive roles are wholeheart-
edly committed. We are the
members who found our
place of belonging, our
niche, with the organization
of our choice.
And for many organiza-
tions such as The Spectator,
BlazefM, SGA and others
not mentioned, this is our
chance to have hands-on ex-
perience in a field we want
to be members of later in our
careers.
Without the chance to
have this hands-on experi-
ence, holding a diploma
alone will not guarantee us
jobs.
It is work outside of the
classroom that will help us
when we compete for jobs
after graduation.
We understand the value
of our educations, and the
importance of our profes-
sors’ time spent teaching us
in the classroom.
But as executive members
of a student organization, we
also value our time as lead-
ers and the work to which
we have devoted countless
sleepless nights.
Lighting up freedom
Elan WaiteS TA f f W R I T E R
Watch the NEW Video People Poll
Online at : youtube.com/ValdostaSpectator
OpiniOns
Stephen CavallaroO p I N I O N S E d I T O R
People Poll
What do you think about the new Apple iPhones?
Ryan Thomas
Exercise Physiology Major
"I really don't know much about
it, I'm more interested in the
Samsung Galaxy 5."
Lisa Dowden
Nursing Major
"I know it is different colors and
thats cute!
Emily Fejedelen
Exercise Physiology Major
"I think the finger print option
is cool!"
It is work outside
of the classroom
that will help us
when we compete
for jobs after
graduation.
Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those
of the Spectator and its staff. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily
those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.
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Online at www.vsuspectator.com
PagE 4 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coM FeaTureSSEPTEMBER 12, 2013
Tell Mom and Dad they can
quit calling and come visit in-
stead. VSU will be hosting its
annual Parent’s Weekend
event Sept. 20-21.
Parent’s Weekend is a great
opportunity for parents to
spend time with their students
on campus. The event allows
parents to meet other parents
as they join students, faculty
and staff for a full weekend of
barbecues, movies, football
and more.
“Parent’s Weekend offers a
great variety of activities that
grow and change each year to
keep parents wanting to come
back,” Robin Vickery, direc-
tor of Student Life, said.
The event kicks off Sept.
20 with a 6-7:30 p.m. check-
in that will allow guests to
pick up their registration ma-
terials, event passes and a
campus map.
After check-in, a game
night will be held in the
Union Station. At 8 p.m., at-
tendees have the opportunity
to attend a fine-cuisine dinner
and theatre performance at
Bas Blue Brasserie. Tickets
cost $40 for students and $50
for non-students and must be
purchased through the Col-
lege of the Arts Outreach Of-
fice at 229-333-2150.
Friday night’s activities will
conclude with a 9 p.m. show-
ing of “Man of Steel” in the
Student Union Theater.
On Sept. 21, the day will
start off with an Academic
Expo at 9:30 a.m. in the Stu-
dent Union. Faculty members
and administrators from VSU
and the Office of Academic
Affairs will be on hand to
provide information on re-
sources and opportunities
available to students.
There will be a special
southern-style buffet of barbe-
cued and fried chicken for
lunch. The bookstore will also
be open from 11 a.m. to 7
p.m. for visitors to purchase
collegiate souvenirs.
Odum Library will also
host library art tours featuring
traditional and modern works
by students and nationally
known artists, and Nevins
Hall will be running five
planetarium shows exploring
discoveries made by as-
tronomers over the last four
centuries.
This all leads to the fifth
annual Blazer Walk at 5:30
p.m., where participants will
greet members of the Blazer
football team as they make
their way to the stadium for
the 7 p.m. game against the
Shorter Hawks. Parents may
purchase general admission
tickets at
http://vstateblazers.com and
enter the code “parent” for a
$5 discount.
There will also be an en-
core showing of “Man of
Steel” at 9 p.m.
The registration fee for Par-
ent’s Weekend is $25 for each
participant. The fee covers all
events in addition to lunch
and a family photo button, but
the dinner and theatre perfor-
mance and football game cost
extra.
The last chance to register
is by 3 p.m. tomorrow. For
more information, contact
Student Life at 229-333-5674.
Cole Edwards
S TA F F W R I T E R
Hello, SpecTech fol-
lowers, and welcome to
another wonderful Thurs-
day. In this issue we have
a lot to talk about from
Samsung to Apple.
Also, the Xbox One
got a release date!
You’ve been waiting
for it. The Xbox One
will release in the U.S.
on Nov. 22 while the
PS4 will release on
Nov. 15.
Samsung introduced us
to the Samsung Galaxy
Gear. What is the gear
you ask? It is a “smart-
watch” that can commu-
nicate with your Sam-
sung Galaxy smartphone.
It can relay text mes-
sages, answer calls, cre-
ate reminders and, yes,
even tell the time. It has
a 1.9-megapixel camera
for images and 10-sec-
ond videos. There is no
release date yet, but it
will cost $299.
Now let’s talk Apple.
Apple spoke more about
iOS 7. As I said before,
the operating system
looks flat and very color-
ful. It has a better set-
tings menu accessed by
swiping up from the bot-
tom of your phone.
It also has smarter
multitasking, a better no-
tifications bar and Siri is
smarter. Even smart
enough to look things up
on Twitter or Wikipedia.
Apple users can down-
load iOS 7 on September
18 but must have at least
an iPhone 4, iPad 2, iPad
Mini, or iPod Touch 5.
As for new hardware,
Apple announced two
new iPhones. First off
the iPhone 5 is dead. Its
replacement is the new
iPhone 5C which is made
of plastic and comes in
green, blue, yellow, pink
and white. It has mostly
the same hardware as the
iPhone 5, but it has a bet-
ter camera.
The iPhone 5C can be
pre-ordered on Septem-
ber 13 and will release
September 20 for all ma-
jor carriers. The phone
will cost $99 or $199 on
contract or $549 without
a contract.
The other iPhone is the
iPhone 5S. It looks like
the iPhone 5 but also
comes in gold. It has a
new 64-bit A7-processor
with a M7 motion chip.
The M7 chip will help
create a better fitness
home for the iPhone, and
NIKE has already creat-
ed a health app for it.
There is a new home
button on the 5S. It is the
same size, but lacks the
“square” on the device
because it now has a fin-
gerprint scanner. This
will allow for better se-
curity with unlocking the
phone or purchasing con-
tent from iTunes. It can
remember multiple fin-
gerprints too.
The camera is also bet-
ter with an f/2.2 aperture
and a new dual “flesh
tone” flash on the device.
The iPhone 5S will
also launch on Septem-
ber 20 with no pre-order
available. The phone will
cost $199, $29, or $399
at all four major U.S.
carriers.
Sony recently an-
nounced two rather inter-
esting products, the Sony
Cyber-shot QX100 and
QX10.
Now these sound like
DSLR cameras, but they
are just lenses that attach
to your phone. They can
pair up with either NFC
or Wi-Fi and the phone it
is attached to runs an app
to control the lens.
The lens itself has a
battery and microSD
card slot so your phone’s
battery and storage are
not taken up.
A release date was not
announced, but pricing is
between $250 and $400.
That’s it for this week,
Spectator readers. Here’s
my question for you:
Will you buy either of
the iPhones or look for
something else? Email
your answers to sm-
Spec Techwith Steven Setser
Microsoft, Samsung, Apple and Sony release new products
iPhone gets personal next week
Parents to see what VSU is all about
For Setser’sfull story, goto the WebSpectator!
Scan the QR
code to read
Allison
Ericson’s
‘Miss VSU
pageant re-
turns’ story!
OddEven
PagE 5 | vSuSPEcTaToR.coMSportSSEPTEMBER 12, 2013
Valdosta state cross-coun-
try has a confident new
leader this season as new
head coach Clinton Bell takes
over for departed todd
smoot.
Bell brings his decorated
track record from Big east
powerhouse pittsburgh,
where he served as an assis-
tant track and cross-country
coach.
“i’ve had the opportunity
to be with some good pro-
grams,” Bell said. “whether
it’s Division i or Division ii,
i’ve taken a lot away from
my experiences being in-
volved with and trained by
some of the top coaches in
the nation.”
876 miles from his last job,
Bell does not see his change
of address as an adjustment
thus far.
“it’s only warm, that’s it,”
Bell says laughingly. “other
than that, i enjoy it. it’s not
really a big transition for me.
Coaching is coaching—no
matter where you are. Valdos-
ta has a great tradition of
winning.”
“it’s just warmer so we
practice a little earlier in the
morning verses practicing in
the afternoon,” Bell added. “i
can tell that it’s different for
our athletes, but i think it
works out better that way for
us.”
Bell holds his practices six
days a week at 6 a.m. but ad-
mits that his team is respond-
ing well to the change.
“it takes a while for every-
one to get going,” Bell said.
“it’s an adjustment but
they’re getting used to it.”
Bell’s success extends past
the realm of coaching. Bell
was an All-American at seton
Hall and competed in the
1996 U.s. olympic trials in
the 1500 meters.
“i think winning is just as
much of a learning process as
it is with ability,” Bell said.
“i’ve been a part of winning
programs my whole career.
success breeds success.”
Bell understands that his
confidence may rub some the
wrong way but the key, Bell
says, is getting athletes that
buy in.
“with my athletes now,
they want to win,” Bell said.
“they have an attitude where
they want to be good. i talk
about it a lot and when ath-
letes hear you talk about win-
ning, they just jump on board
with that.”
“My expectation is not an
expectation that they don’t
have for themselves,” Bell
explained. “i just make sure
that we talk about it a lot.”
Bell believes his team will
surprise this season and ex-
pects the team’s record to re-
flect accordingly.
“Coming into this season,
there are a lot of bright
spots,” Bell said. “the guys’
team is a team that is going
to be a surprise, not just in
the Gulf south Conference
but in the region.”
`“we’re not regionally
ranked yet—and i say yet be-
cause i think within the next
couple of weeks, we’re
gonna start seeing some
rankings out of our guys’
team.”
Bell’s goal with Valdosta
state is to restore pride and
tradition to the Blazer cross-
country team.
“we’re going to win,” Bell
said with a grin. “we’re go-
ing to bring back the pride
and tradition that was here
years before i arrived.”
Follow shane on twitter:
itsathomasthing
New Cross Country coach bringselite experience in first season
Shane Thomass p o r t s w r i t e r
VSU women’s soccer kicks off conference play
No. 25 Valdosta state
women’s soccer team (2-0)
begins its conference sched-
ule this weekend at home
against Union University (1-
0-1) on Friday evening and
Alabama-Huntsville (0-0-2)
on sunday afternoon.
the Blazers are nationally
ranked for the first time in its
young history.
Head coach Mel Heinz has
been working on increasing
the confidence of her team as
well as keeping them focused
as they approach the week-
end.
“there are a lot of kids that
are having conversations with
me,” Coach Heinz said.
“they are not where they
want to be… i think the wins
helped everybody charge up
and want more from what
they have been giving.”
Both UAH and UU are
coming off rough seasons last
year yet Coach Heinz wants
her girls to still play their
best.
“As much as we are hoping
for a cupcake game, it never
seems to be the case,” Coach
Heinz said. “we definitely
have to make sure that if we
are the more talented out
there that we show it from
the beginning to the end.”
VsU beat both teams last
season by the same score of
1-0.
Coach Heinz wants to set
the tempo early and continue
the winning streak by scoring
more goals.
“(Union) is a hard working
team and i’m sure they are
getting better, like every-
body,” Coach Heinz said.
“we have to make sure we
set the tone and rhythm of the
game and stay within our
play.”
the Blazers want to show
everybody that they can com-
pete in this conference.
“Conference games you
need to win bigger because
anything can happen,” Coach
Heinz said.
one thing that Coach
Heinz points out is that the
Blazers have depth on the
bench, unlike last season.
“i think that’s the differ-
ence for us from last year,”
Coach Heinz said. we proba-
bly did not have that depth on
the bench and we had to
force people to stay out there
longer than they needed to.
why not put in fresh strength
and let our starters get a good
10 minutes of rest and then
halftime and then go again?”
the coaching staff realizes
that weekend games are
tough to recover from but
they accept the challenge of
getting the players ready.
“everybody (in the confer-
ence) is playing a Friday
game and everybody is play-
ing a sunday game and that
sunday game is really what
brings out the character of
your team,” Coach Heinz
said. “that’s why we encour-
age our fitness to be where it
needs to be. i think whichev-
er team comes out strong, and
can hopefully keep the mo-
mentum, will get the win.”
the Blazers enjoy playing
in front of its home crowd
and have only lost three
games at home in the past
two seasons.
“our girls don’t like to
lose, first off, and at home
they know it’s not allowed,”
Coach Heinz said.
Follow Alex on twitter:
@Alex_tostado12
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ANSWERS
Sudoku
Alex Tostados p o r t s w r i t e r
Blazer volleyball
remains perfect;
ready for weekend
it's always exciting when
results equal expectations.
it's even better when results
exceed those expectations.
though the volleyball sea-
son is only in its first week,
it's hard to not be impressed
by a 5-0 start.
the VsU Lady Blazers are
fresh off their home opener
victory against the Albany
state Golden rams in what
was a 3-0 match sweep.
A big congratulation goes
out to first year head coach
Mike swan for earning his
first win in the pe Complex.
“You always want to play
well at home, or at least get a
win, so people feel good
about it when they leave,”
swan said. “we had a nice
crowd, so it's good to finish
this off in 3 (games)."
VsU came into this match
charged up after having a
successful weekend in Car-
rolton, Ga. where they com-
peted in the west Georgia
tournament.
After weeks of preparing
in preseason practices, the
Blazers unleashed their po-
tential by winning four
games in a span of two days.
in the four matches, VsU
only lost 2 games, and fin-
ished every team off in four
games.
Following the success in
the tournament, VsU was
charged and ready to go to
face a struggling Albany
state squad, who arrived with
a record of 0-4.
VsU quickly took advan-
tage of the Golden ram's
struggles by jumping out to a
12-2 lead within minutes of
the start of the first game. Al-
bany state fought to stay in
the first game, making it a
21-18 contest, but would in-
evitably fall by a final score
of 25-19.
Game 3 had the most dra-
ma where VsU found them-
selves at a 13-7 deficit, their
largest deficit of the entire
contest. remaining com-
posed, VsU roared back on a
seven to one run to tie the
score at 14-14, which would
be extended to an eighteen to
five run, which would leave
VsU the victor with a score
of 25-19.
overall, VsU dominated in
every offensive category. As
a team they hit an impressive
.407 percentage, with 39 as-
sists compared to Albany
state's 22. Jenna Kirkwood
lead in hitting with a .571
hitting percentage, while Jes-
sica Codato lead in assists
with 39 who was tied with
Ashley Lala for most digs at
7 apiece.
the team will have an ex-
cellent chance to work on
those kinks when they travel
to Aiken, s.C. for the Aiken
invitational thursday.
Neil Frawleys p o r t s w r i t e r
page 6 | vsuspectator.com S p o r t S september 12, 2013
Blazers’ golf teamprepared to tee offupcoming season
the Valdosta state Uni-
versity golf team is set to tee
off their 2013-2014 season
Monday, sept. 23 at the Jay
Jennison Memorial.
the event is set to take
place at the palencia Club
in st. Augustine, Fla., the
par 72 layout features 7073
yards of golf.
this will be the Blazers
first appearance at the tour-
nament since the 2011 sea-
son where they finished tied
for fourth shooting a tourna-
ment total 891, just 27
strokes over par.
VsU is returning only
three players from last year’s
team, juniors John Fordham,
wheaton Hall, and lone se-
nior Austin Graham.
the Blazers will be trying
to replace Cleveland
Golf/srixon All-American
scholar Nate Anderson who
lead the team with 74.8
strokes per round average.
to do so head coach Jared
purvis is bringing in six new
players this year, “to give
[the team] more depth, and
make things a little more
competitive.”
“with the guys we’ve
added plus our returning
guys” feels “there is defi-
nitely someone that can step
in and fill his shoes.”
Highlighting the new class
of players is Division i
transfer Alex Jones from
eastern Michigan.
the team has also added
two international players,
freshman Derek roach from
Canada and freshman Flo
schmiedel from Germany.
VsU will be looking to
improve on last years total
of seven top 10 finishes, and
will start the season ranked
31st. (according to the Golf
world/Nike Golf preseason
Division ii College Coaches’
poll)
the Blazers are scheduled
to play in 10 tournaments
this year including the First
Federal southeastern Colle-
giate, which is played every
March at Valdosta’s Kinder-
lou Forrest Golf Club.”
“it’s a team with a very good
chance this year,” purvis
said.
“this is probably the hard-
est working group i’ve seen
here. outside of what i have
them do these guys are
spending a lot of time on
their own because they know
that’s what it takes to com-
pete for a National Champi-
onship. their qualifying
right now is very, very com-
petitive and there are a lot of
solid scores being shot…we
have a chance to be very
good, but only time will
tell.”
Chris Webbs p o r t s w r i t e r
southgeorgiaclassic.com
Dowling Payne/ Blazer Pride
Quarterback Cayden Cochran scrambles during Saturday’s game against Fort Valley. Cochran finished with four total touchdowns in
the 36-21 victory.
Bye week halts victory momentum
Valdosta state's season
opening 36-21 victory put the
team on the right track, but
the Blazers won't get to take
the field for another week
due to their bye.
the Blazers handled Fort
Valley state convincingly.
Despite the score, head coach
David Dean was disappointed
in the Blazers’ second half
performance.
“i thought we kinda lost a
little bit of focus down the
stretch, offensively and de-
fensively. i was pleased be-
cause i thought we beat a
pretty athletic football team
and pretty much had the
game in hand, but i think af-
ter the half we got a little bit
complacent and if we want to
get to where we want to be;
we can't have complacency,
we have to finish off games.”
on offense the Blazer's
posted a total of 456 yards,
led by senior quarterback
Cayden Cochran, who threw
for three touchdowns and had
285 yards through the air.
However, Coach Dean was
most impressed with his new
offensive line's performance.
“Having a new offensive
line, guys that have never
started, our quarterback was-
n't sacked in that game, and
you're talking about (Fort
Valley state) that pressures
every single snap,” Dean
said. “we were able to keep
Cayden off the ground, which
is surely a positive.”
Usually most football
teams’ greatest improvement
comes between week one and
week two; for VsU it may
come at a later time because
of their bye week.
“to me, it comes at a bad
time. i would rather correct
those mistakes that we made
last saturday and carry over
to saturday. Now you have to
sit and wait for another week,
so i feel like we're going to
be starting over against
shorter and maybe the most
improvement we're going to
have is between shorter and
Angelo state. i would much
rather have this off week later
on.”
with their lone bye week
being so early into the sea-
son, it could be a problem for
VsU as the season goes on.
. “we'll manage it as we go,
depending on how beat up we
are and the team we're play-
ing that week.At this level a
couple injuries can hurt your
football team. Hopefully
we're not going to face that.”
After their week off, the
Blazers will play nine consti-
tutive games, not including a
possible playoff run.
“we're going to have to be
smart as we keep going down
the stretch. we're going to
have to rely on what we do
on saturdays to as far as hit-
ting and physical play, that's
going to have to carry over to
the next saturday because
we're not going to be able to
do a lot of it during the
week,” Dean said.
the Blazers (1-0) will be
back in action on sept. 21
against Gulf south Confer-
ence rival shorter.
Follow Chris on twitter:
@ChrisLKessler
Chris Kessler s p o r t s w r i t e r
With the schedule we
got down the stretch, it's
going to be tough be-
cause there's a lot of
physical football teams
we’ve got to play
- head coach
david dean
“
”
Kinderlou Forest golf club is home of the VSU golf team.
Follow @BlazerSports on Twitter
