October 3, 2013
W W W. V S U S P e c TAT O r . c O m
Inside This Issue
Don’t forget to check out the Homecoming Tab inside this issue!
- OPINIONS: “Cut-backs put students at risk” - FeATUreS: “Students honor heritage” - SPOrTS: “Blazers off to best start in over a decade”
Today at VSU on the edge - the repertory dancers are set to perform “on the Edge” at 7:30 p.m. in Sawyer theatre. the event will run through the rest of the week, at the same time, with a final showing at 3 p.m. on Sunday, oct. 6. Free admission is available for students who present a valid VSU id. For more information on the performance and reserving seats contact duke guthrie at dguthrie@valdosta.edu.
50 yeArs oF IntegrAtIon t-shIrts - Shirts are available for $10. Profits will go towards the thomas-Pierce Scholarship Fund--established in honor of VSU’s first two african american students. For more information on the t-shirts, visit the inclusion page on the VSU website. Shirts will be on sale until oct. 18.
Weather Today
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Partly cloudy 88 H 66 L
SGA: Joe Adgie SoCiaL MEdia Editor jmadgie@valdosta.edu
How about having both a fall break and a full week for thanksgiving break? Faculty Senate vice president and president-elect, aubrey Fowler, proposed such a schedule change during Monday’s Sga meeting. the proposal suggested starting fall semester three days earlier, allowing for a return of Fall Break, a full week off at thanksgiving. these changes also came with adding an extra day to final exam schedules, keeping dead day in the schedule, and allowing for a winter break
VOLUme 85 ISSUe 7
On the Web w w w. v s u s p e c ta t o r. c o m
Check out Anthony Pope’s column ‘Pop Addict.’ This week he discusses Britney, Breaking Bad and the Kardashians.
Faculty Senate rexamines fall semester break, exam schedule
during spring semester. Fowler expressed his and the Faculty Senate’s desire to expand the final exam schedule in an attempt to prevent students from having multiple exams on the same day. “Last fall, it was brought to our attention that students had problems with the current makeup of finals week being three days, which made it much more likely that you had multiple exams on the same day,” Fowler said. “By USg statutes, we are required to have 45 hours within a semester of in-class time, not including finals week.” to allow for this to change, the Faculty Senate proposed that the semester start the
Wednesday prior, which would allow for the Monday before finals to become the new dead day. “if we start on that Wednesday, and have a full week of finals, we can actually re-institute a fall break, and have a full week at thanksgiving,” Fowler said. “that also gives us a winter break during the spring semester as well as a full week’s worth of Spring Break.” all of which was discussed at the academic scheduling committee, which also met on Monday. the elimination of Fall Break this year has received a “mixed” response, according to both students and profes-
sors. “My gut is telling me that about week ten you (students) are going to go, ‘Why did they do that?’” Fowler said. “We’re going to know more about that around the middle of october.” Fowler suggested that students might wind up taking that Fall Break, whether it’s on the schedule or not. “i talked to several faculty members over at the College of Business who emailed us as we went into the votes (to eliminate the Fall break) saying that they thought the students needed that fall break,” Fowler said. “i’m really hoping that (new break structure) goes into place,” Senator nick Bu-
“ If we start on that
Wednesday, and have a full week of finals, we can actually re-institute a fall break, and have a full week at Thanksgiving. ” - Aubrey Fowler
ford said. “i’m 100 percent in support of that.” Buford believed that students would be willing to come in three days early “for that much break time.” no target school year has been set for this proposal.
Shutdown hits VSU Night gets Wild home at VSU Will Lewis
Partly cloudy 89 H 67 L
Managing Editor walewis@valdosta.edu
Saturday
Partly cloudy 87 H 68 L
Today in History Von Kennedy / The SPecTaTor
O.J. Simpson acquitted
Wild Adventures opened their doors again for VSU’s Homecoming week Wednesday night.
October 3, 1995
Students received free admission for a night of rides and entertainment at the local theme park.
Former football star, o.J. Simpson, is acquitted of the murder of his wife, nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, ronald goodman. the trial lasted 252 days, and despite the prosecution’s “mountain of evidence,” Simpson’s lawyers were able to convince the jury he could not be proven guilty.
Wild Adventures continues to be a staple during Homecoming week for the VSU campus community.
VSU is beginning to feel the effects of the recent government Shutdown. “We are dealing with a wave here, so other crests with other problems are still coming,” dr. Marc Pufong, professor of Political Science, said. the most immediate impact came with a change to the program in today’s Science Seminar. dr. Bill Cooke, head of the naSa's Meteoroid Environment office, was scheduled to speak on the Chelyabinsk meteor that was spotted earlier this year. due to a mass furlough of government employees, dr. Cooke’s planned trip to VSU was prohibited by naSa. the lecture will now be presented by dr. Martha Leake, professor of astronomy. other professors are being affected by the shutdown as well. “i had made plans to attend a grant review panel in Washington d.C. through the na-
tional Science Foundation, but those plans are now in limbo with the shutdown,” Joshua reece, assistant biology professor, wrote in an email Wednesday. “this is disruptive to my teaching and research, and potentially limiting to my ability to contribute to and learn from serving on this panel.” dr. Bradley Bergstrom, professor of Biology, is unable to continue his collaborations with government biologists, some from the Smithsonian institution, department of agricultural and the United States geological Survey. “i needed to contact some of these federal biologists this week, and i am unable to,” dr. Bergstrom wrote in an email. “in fact, they have been instructed it's a violation of federal law to conduct government business--including e-mail--while their funding has been suspended.” the shutdown began early tuesday morning after Congress was unable to pass a budget to further fund FederS e e SHUTDOWN, P a g e 2
Source: History.com
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VSUPD major joins Atlanta threat team Isaiah Smart S ta F F W r i t E r itsmart@valdosta.edu
VSUPd Major ann Farmer was named the vice president of the atlanta Southeast chapter of the association of threat assessment Professionals on Sept. 1. Farmer has been a member of ataP for three years and is in the first phase of a twoyear term as vice president. the ataP was founded in 1992, and was created by the LaPd threat Management Unit as a nonprofit organization committed to learning
more about the best ways to protect victims of harassment, stalking and threat situations. ataP is made up of corporate security experts, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and others with the mission to give members a professional and educational environment for the exchange of experience and assessment and intervention techniques. Farmer also serves as assistant director for the VSUPd under Scott doner and chairwoman of VSU’s Behavior intervention team.
a graduate of georgia State University, Farmer has served VSU since 1997. She views it as a great honor to represent VSU at this level. “i was very surprised,” Farmer said. the majority of ataP is based in metro-atlanta; Farmer will represent South georgia as VP. along with the VP role Farmer hopes to “be able to increase… membership in the Southeast portion especially in [southern] georgia and northern Florida.” Farmer also teaches campus safety courses for faculty.
“We offer a lot of crime prevention programs including active shooter classes and work-place violence classes,” Farmer said. “those classes are mainly for information and awareness. i would really to see more faculty involvement with that.” Farmer’s favorite part of law enforcement is being able to assist people in and out of law issues. She welcomes students to get familiar with the university police department located in oak Parking deck.
Photo credit: VSU
News
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VSU battle against flu season begins Students can receive their flu vaccine at the Student Health Center this month for a small fee of $10 by Flex, cash or check. “Students also have the option to pay for the flu vaccine with your credit card or debit card through our online immunization store,” said Lynette A. Lewis, Administrator/Asst. Director for Administration Auxiliary Services at the Student Health Center. The flu vaccine will protect you from not only the common flu but from H1N1, H3N2, and influenza B viruses as well. To ensure that all students, faculty and staff have an opportunity to receive a flu vaccination the Student Health Center is allowing the campus to receive a shot without the inconvenience of making an appointment until Oct. 8
between the times of 8 -10 a.m. or later at 1 -3 p.m. in the Patient Education Room. VSU ID is required to receive a shot. Vaccinations will also be available at the 8th Annual Benefits and Wellness Fair on Thursday, Oct. 31 in the Student Union. In addition, “we also will be coming around campus with the ‘roving cart’ as we have in past years,” Lewis said. Schedule an appointment with the Student Health Center. Call the appointment line at 229-219-3200, or visit the office Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m..
SHUTDOWN Continued from Page 1 al Government programs. For the first time in 17 years, “non-essential” government personnel were furloughed, placing over 800,000 government workers on unpaid leave. A skeleton crew of 1.3 million civilian employees will remain to run “essential” government programs. Programs pertaining to national security and public safety will be kept in service, but the civilian employees will have their pay suspended until the government restarts. In a last minute decision, President Obama signed a law that guaranteed that members of the Armed Services will continue to be paid despite the status of the shutdown in an effort to preserve a continued level of national security. Congress is another group that will be continued to be paid. Their salary is written in to permanent law. The reason for the government’s failure to pass a bud-
Police Briefs Oct. 2 A camera was reported broken in the University Centre Parking lot. Bill Moore was notified. Oct. 1 A student reported her phone stolen in Hopper Hall. Sep. 30 The smell of marijuana was reported coming from a room in Centennial Hall West. Police responded, and Jaquaan Conaway, 19, and Victoria Moss, 19, were arrested for Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana.
Students scared off a burglar in the Psychology Building. A wireless keyboard was reported stolen to the University Police. Sep. 29 Two students had a verbal dispute in Patterson Hall. Terral Greens, 18, was arrested for disorderly conduct. Sep. 28 A camera was damaged on the west side of the University Center. Sep. 27 A student reported the
OCTOBER 3, 2013
“ If people resolve into fixed positions, the compromise is not to be had, ” -Marc Pufong
get is the partisan divide between House Democrats and Republicans. Republican congressmen have attached an addendum to each stopgap measure that would attempt to delay the Affordable Care Act for an additional year, scheduling it to begin Oct. 1, 2014. Republicans are attempting to play their own game by forcing their hand, Dr. Pufong said. “If people resolve into fixed positions, the compromise is not to be had,” he said. If compromise is not reached then the U.S. is in serious danger of defaulting on its loans. The Bipartisan Policy Center projects that the country is on course to break the debt ceiling as early as Oct. 18.
Upcoming Events Oct. 4 The deadline for the 2014 Miss Valdosta State University Scholarship Pageant has been extended until 3 p.m. Please turn in applications at the Student Life Office in the Student Union. VSU’s Got Talent will be hosted in the Student Union Ballrooms. Doors open at 6 p.m.
windshield wipers of her Honda Accord were damaged. A student reported that she was hit in the stomach by a full water bottle thrown from the window of a passing car. She said that she later received threatening text messages and phone calls from the subjects in the car threatening to throw a brick threw her window. Sep. 26 A student reported her headphones were stolen from the Rec. Center.
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Oct. 5 Alpha Phi Alpha will hold their annual step show at the PE complex at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 The U.S. Department of State will hold a Foreign Service information session in Powell Hall-West from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
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OpiniOns
october 3, 2013
vsuspectator.com | page 3
Our point of view...
Cut-backs put students at risk A
s a typical “broke college student” we often moan and groan when it's that time of the year to pay my tuition and fees. Institutional fees, athletic fees, student activity fees—the list goes on. Yes, students know that these fees are necessary to maintain the university's upkeep, but do we really know exactly what our money is going toward? Over the past few years, it has been clear that VSU has
been trying to cut back on some expenses (let's take a moment to reminisce about late-night Hopper dining). One of the more interesting things they've cut back on affects over 50 percent of students. Apparently, the Student Health Center no longer administers pregnancy tests to women before giving them antibiotics or other medicines. This comes as a shocker since the Student Health Center is notorious
for giving women pregnancy tests for the most miniscule concerns. Unfortunately, one of the reasons for this cut-back has been blamed on the all-toofamiliar, “budgeting purposes.” Yes, reducing the amount of pregnancy tests that are given may save the university money, but it could potentially put a fellow student at risk. There's a reason why the pregnancy tests were given
in the first place, so why change such an important
Do we really know exactly what our money is going toward? protocol that has been in place for years? We would expect that VSU would try to cut back
where our money is going, and although their costs may seem insignificant, $91,000 could be redistributed in a more budget-conscious way. Perhaps watching an episode of “Extreme Couponing” could help budget administrators to understand where we are coming from, but until then, we'll have to see for ourselves who will be affected the most during the next round of budget planning.
expenses in other areas too, but it seems that is not going to happen. What might the school be buying with our fee money? Well, school spirit seems to be an important aspect. Remember the billboards you saw in your hometown telling you to come to VSU? And that “Welcome to VSU” t-shirt you got during freshman year? And the drink koozie emblazoned with the prominent VSU logo? Those are only a few examples of
This editorial was written by Olivia McLean (ovmclean@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
Earbuds or real buds Elan Waite A S S I S TA n T OPInIOnS EdITOR ewaite@valdosta.edu
On a typical day at VSU you will see various students listening to music: people who are walking alone, friends who are seated next to each other and strangers on line. Everyone is enjoying their noise in silence. Almost everyone can agree that music can alter your mood. It can change how you feel about almost anything and can evoke feelings you never knew you had (ask anyone who listens to Adele). The question is, are earphones making us an anti-social generation? I will admit I have the ten-
dency to want to play my favorite songs in the morning just to start up my day or play something while I’m waiting for the bus. It’s when we allow ourselves to become so consumed with our playlist that we use it as a means to shut other things out that it becomes a problem. Besides not allowing people to hear anything besides their music, earphones allow listeners to be in their own individual world. As students attending a university we have the opportunity to network and build relationships. The earphone “craze,” if you will, makes students seem more anti-social than ever. We can all make a conscious effort to spark up more con-
versations. It’s amazing how far a seemingly basic dialogue can put you. Socializing, especially on a college campus, is essential for every student. It’s not just to make friends now but to also make relationships for later. Though classes and clubs are important and excellent ways to network, an untapped resource is the tenminute bus ride conversation. I urge you the next time you are on the bus or walking to class to try to make the trip without your own personal soundtrack. Maybe you’ll make an unexpected friend or just hear something new. Express your opinions by sending the staff a tweet at @vsuspectator.
Obama: Five Years Later Von Kennedy S TA f f W R I T E R vtkennedy@valdosta.edu
Barack Obama has now been president of the United States for five years. As all presidents are once they are out of office, he will be ranked on the hierarchy of his successful plans and also his failures. Yet living through his presidency, does America think he has been up to par or substandard? One thing that cannot be argued is that President Obama is the coolest man ever to step foot inside the oval office. His smooth demeanor, warm smile, comforting voice and candid sense of humor has entertained and soothed Americans in times of terror. He is not the first president to use the latest technologies of his era to become closer to his constituents, but he is the first to galvanize the nation through them. Back when Calvin Coolidge addressed many via radio and Harry Truman spoke to Americans in their living rooms, no one could have fathomed that technology would be used for electoral purposes. Barack Obama changed that. He went from a relative unknown by most Americans to
the center of attention because of his use of Twitter, facebook and other social outlets to get himself and his policies, messages and commercials into the public eye. not many of us remember that he was the Keynote Speaker at the 2004 democratic national Convention announcing the presidential nomination of John Kerry, but we do remember his voice and slogans plastered on our friends’ and family’s “walls” on facebook during
the 2008 primary and presidential elections. This increased his popularity exponentially and thrust him to become the “people’s president” once he was elected. In order to keep that image, he still regularly tweets and appears on television talk shows showing himself as personable and relatable to the people. Some of his successes, in my eyes, are controversial yet in some ways have helped the nation grow quickly from the brink of depression. The 2009 Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the “Stimulus Package,” allowed Americans a sense of relief from the world economic downturn. Obama used this plan to promote spending and growth in
our country, even though most Americans just paid off bills with their government funds. It also expanded unemployment benefits to people that were out of work and actively seeking employment and also expanded social welfare programs. The plan, though controversial, was one of the few plans in the world implemented to help people cope with their everyday struggle for the return of normalcy. Also, let us not forget the storming of Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. We all know the outcome of that. President Obama has also been the subject of scrutiny on other issues. Most of us have never heard of Operation: “fast and furious”, drones, Edward Snowden, or wondered why Libyan and Syrian intervention during their civil wars were crucial to our national security, but our children will in 20 years when Obama’s presidency has been critiqued and ranked by a consensus of historians. Obama is proven to be a media darling who thinks and acts now for the people, yet by others he is seen as the leader of a circus internationally and domestically. How will you remember his presidency?
People Poll Who is to blame for the federal government shutdown? Why?
Ariana McDaniels freshman early childhood education major
Abby Hoover senior nursing major
“The whole thing with Syria might have something to do with it...Something internal is going on that we’re not quite sure about.”
“The tea party wing of the Republican caucus that is holding the Republican party hostage.”
Want more opinions? Check out the Video People Poll online at: youtube.com/ValdostaSpectator
Let their voices be heard Taylor Stone S TA f f W R I T E R tnstone@valdosta.edu
Throughout the entire history of mankind, protests have undoubtedly played a profound role in societal change that has yielded both good and bad results. Unfortunately, it seems that in recent decades the constitutionally defined concept of "free speech" has arguably morphed into nothing more than a political "battering ram" used by conflicting ideological groups to effectively silence speech that they do not agree with. So why is it that so many universities now have designated "free speech zones”? Is speech relevant only when heard while standing on a specific patch of grass? Has the concept of free speech become such a sensitive issue that institutions of higher learning feel the need to "shield" students from the potential exposure to information that previously may have not been available outside of the classroom? does free thought and expression have to first undergo academic sanitization before being deemed safe for campus consumption? The first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly prohibits government from establishing laws that allow
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protesters does not impede their sworn duty to uphold and defend the Constitution that gives protestors the right to freely voice their opposition to military operations. Likewise, protesters for the "pro-choice movement" have no legal duty or responsibility to be respectful or considerate about the feelings of protesters for the "pro-life movement.” Additionally, a single atheist has the Constitutional right to protest the display of a 150 year-old religious symbol in their town that they deem offensive, even if 99.99 percent of the surrounding population does not. While the notion of "the separation of church and state" does not exist anywhere in the Constitution, that individual's right to freely protest does. free speech that you disagree with or protesters that you find offensive with may anger you and make you uncomfortable, but that is precisely why America is so unique in this sense: no individual citizen has the right to "not be offended,” but every citizen the right to be offensive. So if one truly believes in the concept of "freedom of speech,” that individual should neither champion nor criticize the process of free expression or attempt to prevent it based on whether or not they find it agreeable.
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for the abridgment of free speech. So then why are some protests considered good or bad? More importantly, why are some protests "allowed" and others not? If speech is truly free and if individuals are to be encouraged to think for themselves, why would some be allowed to share their ideas and others not? Why would the establishment of "free speech zones" even be necessary? I would argue that one of the greatest examples of how the concept of free speech should be viewed is through the prism of the U.S. Military being protested during the Vietnam era. There has always been a certain segment of society that fundamentally loathes the fact that the United States dominates the rest of the world both militarily and economically. There are endless examples of American citizens passionately, and often disrespectfully, gathering to protest the actions of U.S. soldiers throughout almost every military operation following WWII. While many in the military would likely find this viewpoint misguided, they are still willing to literally sacrifice their lives to protect the rights of these same people to protest. The fact that these soldiers are detested and disrespected by
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FeaTureS
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OCTOBER 3, 2013
Students honor heritage
Scan the QR code to read Alexis Water’s story on the American Assosiation of University Women!
Photos by: Alexis Waters/THE SPECTATOR
Last Friday, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, students were invited to join the Latin American Student Association to practice some traditional Latin dances. Above: Brian Chen, freshman accounting major, and Camry Winford, senior biology major, learn to Salsa. Right: Saxon Seigler, senior, and Jeremy Miller, senior speech communications major, pose behind a festive cut-out board.
Step show to shake up competition Isaiah Smart s ta f f w r i t e r
itsmart@valdosta.edu
the P.e. Complex might shake a little this saturday, as Greeks compete for a spot in the “Hall of Phame.” the Mu Omicron chapter of alpha Phi alpha fraternity, inc. will bring one of VsU’s biggest homecoming events back to the P.e. Complex for the 23rd annual homecoming step show. the event takes place every year and features fraternities
and sororities from VsU as well as other schools to compete for the trophy. “the ‘Hall of Phame’ title was meant to represent the glory of winning a major competition,” Dealdrick Long, vice president of alpha Phi alpha, said. “Our step shows have been legendary in the past, and we needed a name that got that point across.” every participating team gets one performance that will be judged by a panel of nine step experts in the fol-
lowing categories: overall theme, sharpness and crowd reaction. there will be one winner for the fraternities and one for the sororities. General admission is $10 presale and $15 at the door. all Greeks are $10, presale and at the door, with proof of membership. Members of alpha Phi alpha fraternity, inc. and alpha Kappa alpha sorority, inc. are charged $5. along with the general competition, the men of alpha Phi alpha will have a presentation in honor of
Valve to release Steam Box welcome back, fellow readers. Have you replaced Pandora with itunes radio yet? Me neither. anyways, let’s see what Valve has been working on and find out when you can play the Xbox One before its release. Valve had some major announcements after its initial steamOs reveal. it will also be making the rumored steam Box, a video game system that runs on steamOs and plays steam games. they also revealed the very oddlooking controller; imagine if the Ps4 controller, Xbox One controller and Ps Vita had a baby. it has a touch panel, four triggers, four face buttons and two touch pads to replace thumb sticks. the steam Box will release sometime in 2014, but you could
Spec Tech with Steven Setser
be one of the lucky 300 people to become a beta tester. Just go onto steam’s website to find out how. Microsoft announced that starting on Oct. 9 your apps will no longer be limited to just five devices. the cap will be increased to 81 devices! Microsoft also announced the Xbox One fitness app. this will come exclusively to Xbox One and will have you train with well-known fitness trainers like Jillian Michaels and tony Horton. it will track your progress while you work
out to videos like insanity or P90X. You will need an Xbox Gold account, and the app will be free until December 2014. after that, it will be subscription-based. Xbox fitness will release on the same day as Xbox One: Nov. 22. while we are talking about the Xbox One, how would you like to play it before it releases? Microsoft announced the Xbox One Demo tour. the Xbox One will come to 25 states, two of which are Georgia and florida. the Xbox One will be in atlanta Oct. 24-27 and will return Nov. 14-15. also, it will be in Jacksonville, fla. on Nov. 17. BlackBerry is not looking good. they announced a loss of $1 billion due to poor sales of the BlackBerry Z10.
Homecoming in high gear Cole Edwards s ta f f w r i t e r
csedwards@valdosta.edu
with a successful first half of the 2013 Homecoming week in the rearview mirror, things are really gearing up as we head into the weekend. friday has been designated as red & Black Day on the VsU Campus. all students and faculty are encouraged to wear their best and brightest red and black clothing to show off their Blazer Pride. Later in the evening, Downtown Valdosta will be hosting the first friday/Blazin’ Downtown CommUNitY throwdown event at 6:30 p.m., in which the merchants will decorate their storefronts with the CommUNitY theme to help cheer the Blazers on to a Homecoming Victory at saturday’s game. Many restaurants and businesses will also offer discounts to VsU stu-
dents, faculty and staff for the first friday event. the community is also invited to see the red Hots, Blaze and the 2013 National Cheer association’s small College Co-eD National Champion VsU Cheerleaders perform on the Courthouse Lawn at 6:30 p.m. the big day, saturday, kicks off with the Homecoming Parade around main campus at 11 a.m. the event promises to showcase the creative and unique ways VsU students and community organizations have interpreted this year’s CommUNitY theme into their floats. the event is open to the public, who are encouraged to set up along the route for a front row view. the route begins on Oak street, turning right onto Georgia avenue, then Patterson street, another right onto Brookwood Drive and ends at the Oak street Parking Deck. tailgating for the big game
will begin at noon at Bazemore-Hyder stadium, a time to celebrate with other fans and meet new friends. the infamous Blazer walk will begin at 1:30 p.m. as fans cheer the team on to victory as they make their way to enter the locker rooms in the stadium. the 2013 Homecoming football game against the florida tech Panthers begins at 3 p.m., as the Blazers fight to defend the national title. students receive free admission to the game, but tickets can be purchased at the stadium the day of the game. Homecoming 2013 will conclude with a Homecoming step show presented by the Mu Omicron chapter of alpha Phi alpha fraternity, inc. at 6 p.m. the event is labeled the biggest step show in all of south Georgia and North florida, with an average of 4,000 attendees almost every year.
VsU’s 50 Years of integration celebration. there will also be a $1,500 presentation to the VsU foundation. Long noted the fraternity felt the foundation was a great cause as its best interest is to give back to the campus and student body. the “Hall of Phame” step show will be hosted by radio DJ, Big Nick. the show will begin at 7:06 p.m. for tickets or more information contact Dealdrick Long at dmlong@valdosta.edu
A N S W E R S
Sudoku
SportS
OCTOBER 3, 2013
PagE 5 | vsusPECTaTOR.COm
Intramural Flag Football in swing Steven Quinn s tA F F w r i t e r stquinn@valdosta.edu
&
Lia Armistead s p o rt s w r i t e r jparmistead@valdosta.edu
imleagues is back in full swing this year. if you are interested in team sports in a well-organized, and managed athletic league then joining imleagues of Valdosta state University is your route. registration has closed for these sports, but people can still join teams through the free agency. “Go to imleague.com sign up and make your profile, and you can sign up and register yourself as a free agent so that teams can see that you are available,” william McCranie, Valdosta state University imleagues team Leader, said. Free agency also gives players the ability to show what they have to offer. “in the description column say you ran a four-forty or you have some impressive stats you can
write it in your profile,” McCranie said. Joining a team as a free agent will close oct. 13 which is the end of the regular season. “we want more participation, we want as many people to come, and experience it,” McCranie said. “we have gotten scoreboards, our fields are looking real nice, we have gotten new equipment, and just for those who didn’t know we now provide balls for games.” with the state Flag Football tournament toward the end of the semester, each intramural flag football team and their players will do their best throughout the season, eager to come out on top. on saturday, oct. 12, each squad of determined players gets a chance to demonstrate what they are made of at the show Me the Money tournament, taking place here in Valdosta. this tournament consists of the first eight teams that sign up to compete, with the winners having a chance to enter in the state Flag Football tournament,
taking place later in the season. After playing in the state tournament, teams will hopefully move on to the all campus tournament, in which the best teams of all leagues play against each other to determine the final champions of the entire season. with the upcoming show Me the Money tournament, teams are practicing and working together, in high hopes of winning the event. intramural sports have been a common way for students to meet new people, stay fit, and participate in enjoyable and popular athletics. Flag Football is one of the biggest intramural sports, with a large number of participates. Altogether, there are seven leagues, divided into teams and divisions; Corec, Fraternity, Men’s Competitive, Men’s recreational, residence Hall, sorority, and women’s. each of these leagues contains numerous amounts of competitors, ranging from six to eighteen teams in each, with up to sixteen players on the team.
these leagues compete in many tournaments throughout the weeks of the semester, with high hopes of winning and knocking out all competitors. it costs twenty dollars for a team to register. we have men’s, women’s, and co-rec leagues available.
VSU purchases new helmets Shane Thomas s p o rt s w r i t e r
shanethomas@valdosta.edu
the Valdosta state athletic department has gone a step further in its awareness of player safety by spending nearly $10,200 on at least 20 additional riddell and schutt football helmets to enhance player safety. According to a 2012 study by the CDC, athletes in the U.s. suffer 3.8 million sports-related concussions each year. “Concussions, unfortunately, have been part of football since the start of the game,” VsU athletic director Herb reinhard said. “what we do at Valdosta state and what you see across college football is that schools are looking at their equipment— making sure they’ve got the most up-to-date equipment.” “the big change has been in the concussion protocol—we use what is considered to be the gold standard as far as concussion protocol.” in August 2010, the NCAA adopted legislation requiring each member institution to develop its own concussion management guidelines to reduce risks and safely treat head injuries. VsU instituted its own concussion management guidelines that require student-athletes to sign a statement accepting responsibility for reporting injuries and illnesses as well as undergoing baseline testing if a head injury is sustained. Additionally, student-athletes with concussion histories will have baseline testing, which consists of a standard balance assessment, neurological testing and a symptom analysis. “the protocol has been beneficial because it sets a guideline for how we’re going to manage concussions before we get them,” VsU director of sports Medicine russ Hoff said. reinhard expresses optimism with the effects the protocol has yielded since its inception. “our number of concussions
from 2011 to 2012 was down,” reinhard said. “that’s even more impressive when you consider that we played five additional games. to play about 50 percent more ball games and have less number of concussions, that leads me to believe that the steps we’re taking are working.” According to reinhard, the infusion of safer helmets is a move to improve player safety throughout the football program. “we’ve added about 80 helmets over the last two years,” reinhard said. “we’ve been able to put more helmets into our inventory to cycle out older or simply adequate helmets.” VsU, among other universities, uses a rating system developed by Virginia tech determining the safety of football helmets on a five-star rating scale. “we looked at helmets that were rated highly on Virginia tech’s star-rating system,” Hoff said. “we got more than one vendor because helmets fit people differently. we’ve diversified our inventory by manufacturer but we still utilize the star-rating system to choose what are considered higher-quality helmets.” the price of player safety is steep, but necessary as the university has implemented two different types of schutt-brand helmets, which are valued at roughly $177 per helmet. Additionally, 18 riddell speed helmets were purchased at a value of $245 apiece. High-impact collisions are frequent throughout the course of a football game and as Hoff says, the amount of space for players is a major factor in how
concussions are inflicted. “special teams players are probably at the highest risk,” Hoff said. “the kickoffs and punt returns—areas where there is a bit more running space for them to get hit. Usually, it is the defenseless player that doesn’t see the hit coming and gets helmet-to-helmet contact.” increasing awareness about concussions and taking measures to enhance player safety has come to the forefront of sports debate and according to Hoff, player safety is improving. “there is more independence as far as giving control of medical decisions to medical personnel,” Hoff said. “we still have a long way to go—90 percent of what we’ve learned about concussion has happened in the last five years. And, five years from now, we’ll have learned a lot more.” Follow shane on twitter: @its_Athomasthing
Rough outing for VSU golf team this week Chris Webb s p o rt s w r i t e r
ctwebb@valdosta.edu
Valdosta state’s golf team had a shaky outing Monday and tuesday at the Aflac/Cougar invitational their second tournament of the young season. the week started rough for VsU on Monday with junior Alex Jones having to drop out of the first day of the event due to an apparent battle with food poisoning. He would rejoin the team tuesday for the third round shooting a 10-over par 81. the Blazers shot a first round 310 (+26) and second round 297 (+13) and were caught looking up the scoreboards. After a second round 297, the Blazers finished the first day in 16th. tuesdays third round saw VsU shoot a 21-over par 305 to finish the tournament 60-over par 912, finishing them in 17th place. Last weeks top performer ju-
nior Austin McNeill had a rough outing shooting a 21-over par 234 finishing him tied for 73rd. Junior wheaton Hall struggled with his ball striking as well, finishing tied for 80th with a 25-over par 238. the Blazers had a few bright spots though, Freshman Florian schmiedel finished up his week with 72s in the 2nd and 3rd rounds finishing tied in 40th shooting a 223. Junior John Fordham continued his solid season so far with a fifteenth placed finish. Fordham shot a first round even par 71 followed by two rounds of 72 (+1) for a 217 tournament total. through the first two tournaments he has averaged a very solid 73.5 strokes per round, lowest on the team before schmiedel’s 74 and Jones’ 75.5. VsU has next week off as they prepare for their trip to santa rosa, CA for the sonoma state intercollegiate tournament at the santa rosa Golf and Country Club october 14-15.
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imleagues can also work with your team in order to reschedule one of your games. “if for any reason your teams has a confliction, and you’re not going to have enough players, go to imleagues.com, then go to sports description, and fill out the reschedule form which the
staff will work with you on rescheduling your game for necessary purposes,” McCranie said. if you have any questions on imleague information contact imsports@valdosta.edu, and information updated daily on Facebook, VsU imsports, and twitter handle @vsuimsports.
PagE 6 | vsusPECTaTOR.COm
SportS
OCTOBER 3, 2013
Lady Blazers off to best start in over decade Neil Frawley S p o rt S W r i t e r ndfrawley@valdosta.edu
Just two losses separate the current VSU volleyball team from the best start of any Valdosta State volleyball squad dating back to 1995. the 1999 Lady Blazer squad
which jumped out to an unimpeded 16-0 start, went on to finish the season with a final record of 28-6. the current Lady Blazer team, at 12-2, compares better with the 2000 team, which began its season with a 10-2 start just like this year's team before then dropping their thirteenth game of the sea-
Impressive first half for Women’s Soccer Alex Tostado A S S t. S p o rt S e D i t o r ajtostado@valdosta.edu
With midterm tests upon the student body, women’s soccer has a test of their own on the road this weekend. the Blazers enter their road trip undefeated with a record of 5-0-3 (3-0-3) and ranked No. 21 in the nation and have eight games remaining in the regular season. VSU plays Newberry College (4-3) today and then they go to Lee University, 4-2 (1-0), where they play on Saturday. With a thursday game, the Blazers were forced to travel Wednesday, only having one day of practice before hitting the road for the second time this season. the Blazers came out of the last road trip 1-0-1 and they expect better results this time around. “We will be ready for a 3 o’clock game,” Head Coach Mel Heinz said. “We have to take (on Newberry) and they are a competitive team and hopefully take care of that.” Heinz and the Blazers come into the weekend outscoring opponents only 13-7, which is an average of 1.6 goals per game. “We are just going to play 100 percent and play like we have been playing,” freshman forward Nicole polk said. “We will be ready (for the weekend).” Coach Heinz knows that the conference game against Lee is not an automatic win. “Lee University is a tough
team,” Heinz said. “they are at the top of our conference even though they just got in our conference. they have a quality program so it will be good to get that win.” With half of the season complete, Heinz is satisfied with her team, but knows they can accomplish more. “i want to see how we played against West Florida in the remainder of our eight games,” Heinz said. “We have (No. 24) Columbus State in the final eight games, we have more conference games… so everything counts. it doesn’t matter who we play, it matters how we play.” polk, who is second on the team with four goals, is eager to see her team compete in the second half of the season, and perhaps in the postseason. “(A national championship) is always the ultimate goal,” polk said. “(We will) take it just one game at a time and keep playing hard. that’s what we are doing and that’s all we can do.” Heinz wants to see her girls finish strong in the second half of the season and get into the postseason with some momentum. “Goals are getting scored and i’m glad for that,” Heinz said. “i don’t care who gets them; i like it when it gets spread out because that way the other team can’t mark us.” Follow Alex on twitter: @Alex_tostado12
son to North Alabama, a team that was responsible for eleven of VSU's losses from 1997 to 2000. Alabama Huntsville also accounted for an additional seven losses during the same span, making VSU's total record in a four year period against Alabama-Huntsville and North Alabama an abysmal 1-18.
Despite having winning records in each of those four seasons, which included records of 21-15, 33-9, 28-6, and 22-8, VSU was never able to get through their conference tournament and make an appearance in the NCAA division ii volleyball tournament at the end of the year because of the dominance of the
two Alabama schools. Following the run of success during the late 90s, Valdosta State saw only intermittent winning seasons, hovering most years around .500, but never really finding what VSU athletic director Herb reinhardt calls "sustained success." “if you look back at the histo-
ry of Valdosta State University volleyball there have been periods of significant success, we've not done as good of a job sustaining that success, as we would have liked to, but there's a lot of factors that go into that," Herb reinhardt said. read the rest of Neil’s story at vsuspectator.com