The Spectator - 9/17/2018

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The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

September 17, 2018

2018 Yardshow Recap Eat Healthy to Reduce Stress Lemony Whisker’s: A Series of Un-FUR-tunate Events

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The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

September 17, 2018

Lemony Whisker’s: A series of un-FUR-tunate felines

They’re strays. Feral, some would say. They have no companion, friend or owner. No one to tend to them, feed them or give them a name.

Copy Editor Until about nine o’clock each night, when Jessica Yeagle leaves her radavison@valdosta.edu dorm, headed for her usual spot where the cats are always waiting.

They wait at a place in the middle of campus, where an outdoor light bathes a stucco wall in warm yellow. Every day, thousands of students walk past it. Some will occasionally see a cat, but most won’t. But every night, the cats are there.

Jessica, a self-admitted “cat person,” has taken some pity on VSU’s feline residents. She feeds them, visits with them and keeps account of their well-being. She knows the cats well, aware of their personalities and temperaments. Her routine, completely self-funded, has rewarded her with a familiarity with them that no other student knows. These cats are shy and seldom seen. When they are seen, they’re usually running away.

One night, though, Jessica is sitting amongst a half a dozen of them. There’s a half-grown kitten laying across her lap, batting at her fingers with its paws, and another pair of kittens eating just off her hand. A few grown cats linger in the bushes nearby, grooming themselves or watching students walk past where they lay, undetected. The cats are content; the closest thing they have to an owner is here.

We’d met 20 minutes before feeding time to talk about the cats and for me to learn the ropes of feeding and interacting with them. We sat on a bench 50 yards from the feeding spot and spotted several cats making their VSU became a safe haven for strays.

Robert Davison/THE SPECTATOR nightly pilgrimage to the yellow light. The feeding began, as usual, at 9 p.m.

“First things first: Introductions,” Jessica said. Jessica names the cats, though she usually only names them by color, like “Orange Cat” or “Gray Guy.” There’s even a trio of black kittens named “Cat A, Cat B and Cat C.” The cats are remarkably comfortable with Jessica, even if they’re a bit leery of my presence.

Jessica has been a student at VSU for two years. Originally from Snellville, Georgia, in Gwinnett County, she now lives here on campus. She started feeding the first of what would become many cats in September 2017. The first cat she fed was the gray and white male she’s dubbed “Gray Guy”.

“I’ve been feeding them since late September last semester. It started with Gray Guy, then the group went from one to seven,” she said.

The bond with Gray Guy opened the door for the rest of the cats she now feeds.

“I like cats. So it’s like, ‘Let me see if I can get him’,” she said. “After that it was like a friendship. I give him food; he gives me entertainment. It’s pretty cheap entertainment, if you ask me. Fifty cents a day,” she said. She pauses, watching Gray Guy, the cat that started it all, as he bats at a loose needle on a sago palm, and then speaks.

“And I missed my cats back home,” she said.

Jessica isn’t the only member of the VSU community to notice its cats.

Dr. James Loughry is a biology professor here at VSU, teaching upper-level courses on animal behavior. Most of his academic work centers on armadillos, not cats, but he’s certainly noticed the cats at VSU. He started teaching at VSU in 1990, and he says the cats have been here as long as he has. While most of us feel anything from amused to annoyed by them, Dr. Loughry has put some thought into where they might come from. After all, cats are ubiquitous almost anywhere humans are, but they aren’t exactly native in the same sense as the squirrels and songbirds of South Georgia are. The cats have to come from somewhere, and Dr. Loughry speculates that the area’s most numerous inhabitants are responsible.

“I would be willing to bet that a proportion are released by students after the semester ends,” he said. “It seems like they’re more common around the end of spring semester.”

This begs the question: Are students living near campus packing their diplomas and “Class of” t-shirts and leaving Mittens behind for Maymester? It’s hard to say, but Dr. Loughry surely isn’t ruling out the possibility.

Pets, including cats, rely on humans for food, shelter, and medical care, but cats, when left to fend for themselves, tend to fare pretty well.

Cats are capable hunters with a knack for finding shelter in unfamiliar places. The issue often isn’t whether the cats can survive or not, because they usually can. The concern is how they impact the local ecosystem.

Dr. Loughry contends that this is the primary concern with cats like these.

“They seem to be doing fine. The big concern would be impact on other animals.” he says. However, when asked how he thought the university should address their presence on campus, he offered the cats some clemency.

“I don’t think they’re so abundant [that they need] to be wiped out.

If you can catch them and neuter them, then you should do that,” he said.

Unfortunately, not all cats in the area will meet such a benign fate. Stray cats accounted for 697 or the 2,068 cats impounded at the VSU became a home for these furry friends.

Robert Davison/THE SPECTATOR Lowndes County Animal Shelter in 2017. These stray cats’ chances of avoiding being euthanized aren’t very good. Of all the cats (whether stray, owner-surrender, or seized) brought in or impounded at the shelter last year, only 26.7 percent were met with a live outcome. That means almost 75 percent of the cats were euthanized.

These cats are playing a numbers game every day.

The cats’ natural desire to reproduce is the root cause of a lot of the statistics. The TNR or Trap, Neuter, Return method is designed to address that. TNR programs capture cats, have them spayed or neutered, and then return them to where they were originally captured.

The idea behind this method of addressing stray or feral cats is simple: Cats that are captured and sterilized can’t make more cats. Thus, overpopulation issues are avoided, leading to less cats impounded or in shelters. Plus, behavior like fighting, spraying, howling at night – what many consider the worst things about stray cats - is eliminated.

Supporters of the method argue that it’s a far more effective method than widespread attempts at extermination or impoundment. Cats that have been sterilized and released don’t face impoundment, so they won’t be euthanized. Finally, less cats being impounded puts less financial strain on local animal shelters and frees up resources for other endeavors.

The TNR program’s inception was in the late 1960s, first adopted in Ocean County, New Jersey in 1970. In 1989, Stanford University implemented a TNR program on their campus, likely becoming the first college campus to do so. From 2006 to 2007, Alachua County, Florida, saw a reduction in cat impoundment by 66 percent and a reduction in number of cats euthanized by 95 percent. Today, TNR-style programs can be found in cities across the country, from Baltimore to San Francisco. The idea of such a program reached Jessica through volunteer work she’d done during her freshman year.

“I’d heard about it [TNR programs], and I caught two of them last year - helping a woman with the humane society,” she said.

But in April of 2018, Jessica started catching cats on her own.

The first cat was one she caught with her hands, a near-kitten made tame by so many nights around Jessica and so many bowls of cat food.

She took her to a vet and had her spayed.

“This year I saw the kittens. One mom cat had five kittens and some of those were females. I just didn’t want the population to get too big. They live longer lives when they’re neutered, and they’re more friendly,” she said.

After that, Jessica borrowed a small metal cage from a friend and has since caught two more cats. Both she’s taken to local veterinarians to be fixed, then released back near where she caught them.

Back in the same spot she sits every night, Jessica waits on the cats as the day’s shadows grow longer. The cats will be here soon. Gray Guy is already here. Cat A is too, the hair on the back of his legs just now returning from his recent visit to the vet.

Jessica has already opened the cat food container. With summer break around the corner, the cats will have to fend for themselves as Jessica returns home to Snellville. She’s speaks to me, but she’s looking at Gray Guy. “For the people who think they’re cool and try to take pictures of them and get excited [when they see them]: Keep doing that. If you don’t like VSU student, Jessica Yeagle, tries to win the heart of a stray.

Robert Davison/THE SPECTATOR them, they’re not going to come and attack you. You don’t have to be mean to them, or yell at them,” she said.

As the sun fades and the lights along the walls of classrooms and dorms turn on, the cats start their night the same way they do every night. Moving towards the middle of campus, towards the same spot, towards the closest thing they have to an owner.

Robert Davison

September 17, 2018

The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

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Four VSU students affected in multi-car accident

Bryce Ethridge /THE SPECTATOR

Bee Garrell stands next to her totaled silver Toyota Prius to assess the damage done and collect her things.

Bryce Ethridge

News Editor bjethridge@valdosta.edu

We accept

Flex Cards 1525 Baytree Rd Valdosta, GA 31602

71146-1

229-247-5599

Bee Garrell was returning to her car from class in hopes of preparing for a trip back home to South Carolina, but now she can’t because her car is totaled and there’s no family around to help her.

On Sept.6, she and three other Valdosta State University students came back to Oak parking lot only to find their cars either totaled or damaged.

Garrell, a junior, and Sophomore Kyrie Kato’s cars took the worst of the damage and aren’t feeling too great about it.

“I feel really sad because now I don’t have a car,” Garrell said.

According to Kato, University Police told him the perpetrator was allegedly trying to swat away a bee that entered his vehicle and uncontrollably swerved into Garrell’s silver Toyota Prius because of it.

The swerve and the force

from it created a domino effect where each vehicle hit its neighbor until it lost momentum.

UPD confirmed this information in their crash report, estimating the crash to have occurred around 1:35 p.m. and revealing the perpetrator to be Torrey Hargrove Palacios.

Witness Madison Rock told UPD that Palacios had already sped around the side of one of VSU’s shuttles before being allegedly distracted by the bee.

However, the entirety of VSU wouldn’t have known about the accident had it not been for Junior Kalah Hawley, who observed it as she was walking with friends through Oak. “I was walking back to Centen (Centennial Residence Hall) from main campus and then we saw the bumpers and saw the rest of the poor cars,” she said.

Hawley found the cars at 2:07 p.m. and said she put herself in the position of the cars’ owners and thought posting on

Twitter may help inform them quickly.

“If it was my car I would want to know as soon as possible and the fastest way of finding things nowadays is social media,” she said.

Kato saw the post only after finding his wrecked vehicle but he was surprised how much buzz it got.

“It’s crazy how fast this moved on Twitter,” he said “It’s already gone viral.”

Both Kato and Garrell have contacted their respective insurance companies, however, Garrell’s car is still stuck in Oak parking lot.

She said Palacios has yet to report the accident so the car is unable to be moved.

“My car is totaled and his insurance may not have enough to cover all the damages so they (her insurance) won’t give me a rental car which means I have no transportation right now,” she said.

Need Tutoring?

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September 17, 2018

Hurricane Prep 2018: ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ Robert Davison

Copy Editor radavison@valdosta.edu An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prepared is the most important thing you can be during a hurricane, and it will make life in the wake of one much easier should things go wrong.

After witnessing Hurricane Florence’s landfall on the Carolina coast, it’s never a bad time to check your hurricane preparedness plan and make sure you’re stocked up on emergency materials. These lists apply whether you’re evacuating or riding out the storm at home.

Things You Will Need: Food and water: It can’t be said enough. Enough fresh water and food to last three days per person concerned is essential. For food, choose non-perishable items like packaged or canned goods so spoilage isn’t a risk. Select food for substance and shelf-life—not because it’s your favorite snack.

Remember to obtain enough food

and water for your pets to weather the storm with, too.

Flashlight and batteries: Outages are almost inevitable in hurricanes. These are a no-brainer.

Don’t use candles as they can be a fire hazard during a storm.

Battery-powered radio: Though it’s a good idea to charge and keep your cell phone close during a major weather event, they may be rendered useless by storm damage. A small radio can help you stay updated during the storm and after.

First-aid kit and tool kit: A basic first-aid kid in an easy-to-access location can save your life or simply spare you from discomfort. A tool kit is useful in many scenarios, but remember to use caution when working on things and NEVER approach downed power lines or other electrical hazards.

Medications or other hygienic products: Pack medication and hygiene products per your personal needs.

Comfort items: This applies

“Though storms are serious business, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make the best of the time spent in refuge of bad weather.”

specifically to those evacuating.

Whether it’s a child’s stuffed animal, a photo of a loved one or a memento from a grandparent, some things aren’t worth risking.

Just remember not to over pack, taking only that which you really couldn’t stand losing.

What You Should Do: Charge your cell phone before the storm hits. Keep a spare battery nearby, too.

Heed all safety advice from local authorities. If your area is under an evacuation order, pack up the above listed items and get out of town.

Stay inside during the storm and seek shelter in a windowless interior room. If you live in a mobile home or similar structure, find out where the nearest storm shelter is and go there instead.

Many towns utilize structures like high school gymnasiums for community shelters.

Don’t be anxious to rush outside; clearer moments within a storm don’t indicate that a storm is over. When the all-clear is given by local authorities, remember to be careful if you venture outside for any reason. Don’t travel to sight see or check storm damages; leave the roadways to emergency personnel.

Never approach downed power lines as they can charge standing

water, metal fences or other structures nearby and create a serious hazard. Also, don’t attempt to walk or drive through moving water as it takes very little to sweep a person or even a vehicle off the road.

Finally, though storms are serious business, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make the best of the time spent in refuge from the bad weather. After properly ensuring a safe place to ride out the storm, it’s a good idea to play a game, read a book or talk with those you’ve found shelter with. Doing so can make the time less stressful and pass by more quickly.

Remember to use resources from articles like this one, sites like ready.gov and groups like the National Weather Service to help you remain aware of the situation around you and prepared to make the best decisions possible to ensure your own safety. After all, with hurricanes, safety is the name of the game.

Financial tips to keep students on track Payton Fletcher

Staff Writer pdfletcher@valdosta.edu Like a strange growth on their otherwise simple lives, finances are something all students are aware of but few truly understand.

Navigating the complexities of budget-making and credit building can help younger students take that first step in accepting this new aspect of their lives and be all the better for it.

Literacy is an all-time important factor for living, and financial literacy is no less of a valuable skill to make use of.

Credit Card Insider, an educational company that provides financial advice, recently brought to our attention that a study by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) found that only 15 percent of the students they surveyed felt they had the education, information and resources to pay off future loans, with only 40 percent of those students reporting the creation of or use of a budget.

“I’ve never had a credit card, but I have experience with budgets,” VSU Student Michael Crews said when asked about his experience with financial literacy. “I’ve had to work them out before, getting a certain amount of money and being expected to keep track of where I spent it.”

With Credit Card Insider connecting with various colleges about these concerning findings, here are a few simple tips and ideas to help students find a place to start in their financial literacy and connect them to the resources VSU provides.

Basic Financial Tips 1. Keep Track of Purchases While one may think building a budget is daunting, it’s easy to get started. The foundation for a good budget is getting good at keeping track of purchases.

Keeping track of every purchase allows you to be more aware of the money you have and don’t have, allowing you to truly consider where you could spend

less.

Holding on to receipts is the best way to keep track of these purchases.

Receipts can be the most important asset in tracking your day to day spending.

2. Find the Right Credit Card for You Not every credit card is the right fit for a person, but it is important to find one that suits your financial needs and requirements.

Credit card companies often provide student credit cards specifically adjusted for a student’s lifestyle. With no annual fee, these credit cards are essentially free.

Some credit cards even come with additional reward systems

“If you’ve made bad credit decisions in the past , there’s opportunities to pay them off and get back on the right track.” that give their users the chance to earn money with each purchase.

Finding the right credit card for you also requires you to responsibly use your credit card.

Often new credit card holders become overwhelmed by the financial freedom they provided, making hasty purchases that come back to bite them later.

3. Build Credit After acquiring a credit card, diligently sticking to a budget and paying your acquired bills are both very important when settling into a more independent lifestyle.

Building credit could be considered as building financial

Photo courtesy of Pixabay Credit Card Insider is already connected to multiple colleges throughout the U.S. and chose VSU as the next college campus to help students shy away from debt and bad credit.

confidence.

If you have a higher credit score (i.e. more financial confidence), banks and other businesses will have less issues with giving you loans and agreeing to transactions.

It is important to begin building this credit as early as possible and earning the trust of these individuals.

Financial decisions will be harder down the road if you lack the credit to back up any claim of responsibility.

4. Educate Yourself Learning about financial literacy is a crucial part of growing up and building confidence in dealing with business transactions and bank accounts.

It’s very important in making the right decisions and following through with them.

Knowledge brings understanding and understanding brings confidence.

VSU provides finance-oriented

online seminars and educational lectures for these topics, which could be the difference between being able to deal with future loans or suffocating under the weight of them.

Finding others more experienced in financial literacy, such as your parents or other mentors in your life like professors, is also a good way of finding a good first step to take when exploring and becoming experienced with the different steps involved with becoming financially literate.

“I only just made a bank account at the end of last summer,” VSU Student Samantha Hall said when asked about her experience with banks. “I haven’t done much with it, but I guess it’s all trustworthy.”

Some of you may have already made financial mistakes.

Maybe you’ve already found that the last purchase you made wasn’t one you could afford, and

now you are dealing with debt.

Jacob Lunduski at Credit Card Insider has some advice for you: “It’s never too late,” Lunduski said. “If you made bad credit decisions in the past, there’s opportunities to pay them off and get back on the right track. It might take some time, some education and some willpower, but it is possible.

No one deserves to be in a pool of debt for a part of their lifetime.”

Resources for those interested: https://www.creditcardinsider. com/learn/ https://www.valdosta.edu/administration/finance-admin/campus-wellness/educational-series/ financial-wellness.php https://www.creditcardinsider. com/learn/reducing-debt/

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The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

September 17, 2018

Strengths

 Libra: Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 Symbol: The Scales Element: Air Best Match: Gemini Spirit Color: Blue Ruling Planet: Venus

• Charming • Harmonious • Diplomatic • Easy-going nature • Polished

Weaknesses

• Indecisive • Superficial • Hypocritical • Gullible • Passive agressive

October Horoscope:

Happy birthday, Libra! No one is taking off your crown this season, I guarantee it. With the sun traveling through your sign, you are simply dazzling. The full moon in Aries on Sept. 24, illuminates your seventh house of partnerships, bringing you some much-needed closure, and I know you’re not a big fan of confrontation, but hashing things out is always a good thing, right?

Your ruling planet Venus is traveling back and forth (retrograde on Oct. 5 - Nov. 16) through sultry Scorpio, and your second house of income, values and self-worth. Ha! As if you needed more reason to feel yourself this season.

Although, there may be something the cosmos are trying to tell you, in terms of your self esteem and who you are at your core. Don’t deny who you are, Libra. You’re beautiful inside and out.

Information courtesy of Elite Daily & Labrinthos.co

Pop culture through the years September 1851 - The first edition of The New York Daily Times (now The New York Times) was published.

1928 - Mickey Mouse’s first screen appearance - Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theater NYC. 1969 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered on TV. 1981 - Beyoncé Knowles-Carter was born 1985 - The Golden Girls premiered on NBC 1987 - Full House premiered on ABC 1986 - Oprah Winfrey’s show became nationally syndicated.

1996 - Nintendo 64 video game system debuted in America. It came out in Japan a few months earlier.

1997 - The funeral for Princess Diana was broadcast across several networks and around the world. An estimated 2 billion people watched all or part of the funeral on television.

2002 - Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on FOX. 2009 - Modern Family premiered on ABC.

October 1935 - Julie Andrews birthday 1949 - Sigourney Weaver birthday 1960 - The Andy Griffith Show premiered on CBS 1961 - The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered on CBS 1976 - Ryan Reynolds born 1985 - Bruno Mars birthday 1987 - Zac Efron born 1991 - Are You Afraid of The Dark premiered on Nickelodeon 1993 - The Rocky Horror Picture Show made its television debut on FOX, featured a intercut live cast performance.

1993 - The very first “Got Milk?” commercial was broadcast. It was directed by Michael Bay. 1996 - Pop-Up Video premieres on VH1.

2001 - Grand Theft Auto III was released, creating a genre of openworld, action-adventure video games as well as spurring controversy around violence in new video games.

2007 - Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered on E!

Golden Girls ran for seven seasons.

Photo courtesy of IMDB

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons Beyoncé during the Formation tour

2018 NPHC Yardshow Recap

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The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

September 17, 2018

Photo by Juston Lewis/THE SPECTATOR

The National Pan-Hellenic Council presented their annual Yardshow on Sept. 14. The VSU council consists of six sororities and fraternities currently: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

Photo by Taylor Sutherland/THE SPECTATOR

Photo by Juston Lewis/THE SPECTATOR

Photo by Taylor Sutherland/THE SPECTATOR

The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

September 17, 2018

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Eat healthy to reduce stress Jacorey Moon

Special Projects Manager jxmoon@valdosta.edu With “preparing for my summer body” season being right around the corner yet again, it’s natural for the gym to be filled with people stressing for their dream body.

Although the exercise portion of body maintenance is important, diet maintenance is important as well. Stress affects everybody differently and should be managed in a healthy way. Sometimes that way is through what the body is consuming. Here are some tips: According to Everyday Healthy, sometimes having a cup of something soothing can help reduce stress. Whether it’s tea or coffee, having something hot to drink can melt the stress away.

Dark chocolate is beneficial in many ways, but it’s most effective ways are managing stress and concentration benefits. It has antioxidants which can help lower levels of stress hormones in the body.

Carbohydrates, although bad for weight loss, can help because of the serotonin that can help reduce stress and help increase mood.

After the serotonin levels are released, people begin to experience an improved sense of cognitive function.

Avocados. That’s right, the trendy super food can also help you maintain your daily stress.

They’re full of omega-3 fatty acids which can are known to reduce stress and anxiety as well as help boost concentration and mood.

Fish like tuna, halibut, salmon,

herring, mackerel, sardines and lake trout are filled with omega-3 fatty acids which can help reduce cardiovascular health issues, ease depression and lower stress levels.

Warm milk, yes the childhood remedy your parent used to put you to sleep, has a soothing and relaxing effect on the body. Stress reduction, bone health and muscle relaxation are the benefits of consuming dairy products.

Nuts, such as pistachios, almonds and walnuts, are full of vitamin B and healthy fatty acids.

These two key components help to reduce stress.

Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and strawberries are necessary for vitamin C intake. Vitamin C helps to reduce stress and helps to empower the immune system.

2018 Summer Movie Recap:

Photo courtesy of Delish This sequel came 14 years after the original.

Photo courtesy of The Numbers

Easy Broiled Salmon Yields: 4

“Solo” made $392 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Patrick Barry

Staff Writer pjbarry@valdosta.edu Ari Aster’s feature-length directorial debut “Hereditary” absolutely blew me away. The cinematography is disturbing, its visuals bleak yet distinctive and the implication of its story is horrifying. It’s as if the object of this film was to make the viewer physically sick in a way no other film, or anything for that matter, has since. The suspense builds in an unstoppable crescendo, and that’s no accident because the film’s original soundtrack by Colin Stetson is amazing. It’s tense, transcendent, beautiful and chilling all at once. It is also one of the very few movies I have seen to build such horror with the use of little to no jump scares. As a result, the horror is palpable and all too real. It feels as if you’re dreading going to your job at McDonald’s for two hours. Of course, this isn’t all to say the film is perfect.

Where characters are meant to be reflections of personal torment or literal demons, some viewers may

instead find them dull or uninteresting. The story itself is complex, and in fact it took me two separate viewings to finally grasp the story and it scared me more the second go round. This could be a turn off for more casual horror moviegoers, but if you are willing to put in the effort, Hereditary is a worthwhile movie.

And of course, no recap of this summer would be complete without the possible movie event of the year, “Incredibles 2.” It took everything we loved about the original “Incredibles” and improved upon it without adding anything too extreme. It was the definition of, in my opinion, a perfect sequel. It needs to be considering the Pixar staff had a 14-year interim to work on it, but the work shows. In true Pixar fashion it is an extremely high-quality movie.

The art direction is fantastic, the story enticing and the introduction of new characters interacting with old ones makes this one of the best movies of the summer.

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” aims to capitalize on the Star Wars reboots which have

Photo courtesy of Daily Express

been appearing with increasing rapidity (like a bad rash) in the cinematic world. If something should be said off that bat, it’s that “Solo” is a fun movie, but nothing more. Do not expect anything earth-shattering or anything mildly impactful to the story’s universe at all. All the movie explains are details about Han’s past that Lucas likely had come to him in a dream, not anticipating an entire film to be based off those details. The result is an uninspired adventure to obtain cliché looking “fuel cores” from an evil smuggler – or something along those lines. The point is that the writing team looked to take as little chances as possible for whatever reason on this story. It seems like a campy cash grab on a franchise which has been historically more milked than any other. This isn’t to say that I hated the film; there were a few scenes which I found genuinely appealing and there were satisfying moments interspersed throughout. I am saying however that if you are looking for a new “Return of the Jedi,” go watch “Return of the Jedi.”

Total cook time: 20 min.

Ingredients: 4 (4-oz.) salmon fillets 1 tbsp. Grainy mustard 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tbsp. finely minced shallots 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Lemon slices, for serving

Steps: 1.Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, garlic, shallot, thyme, rosemary, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spread mixture all over salmon fillets and broil, 7 to 8 minutes.

2. Garnish with more thyme and lemon slices and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Delish

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September 17, 2018

What are VSU students reading?

All photos and interviews taken by Patrick Barry

What do Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey have in common? Well, besides being billionaires, they all read. Not only that, but they credit most of their success to reading and the accumulation of knowledge through it. When Warren Buffett was asked what was credited to making him so successful, he replied by pointing to a stack of books stating, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.” Well, if there’s one thing Blazers are good at, it’s rising to meet a challenge. With that in mind, we set out to find VSU’s scholars and ask, “What are you reading?”

  “I’m not reading anything right now, but when I get the time I’d love to read ‘The Shining.’ I’m a big Stephen King fan.”

-Callie Elrod, freshman.

“Nothing, but I am working on writing a fantasy novel.”



- Colin Ives. freshman, mass media major.

 “I am reading ‘Guitar Notes.’ It’s an instructional guitar book which tell a story.”

- Tyrese Mitchell, freshman, computer science major



“I would like to read The Kissing Booth. It’s a Netflix movie that I really liked.”

- Emily Martinze, junior, accounting major

September 17, 2018

The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com

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What are VSU students wearing?

All photos and interviews taken by Lenah Allen

Fashion is an ever-changing entity. Polka dots could be in today, and stripes could be in tomorrow. Regardless of what’s in or not, people can still have their own personal style they like to rock on a regular basis. I know for me personally, I like to switch up my style depending on what mood I’m in. If I’m in a sporty mood, I like to wear some fashionable leggings with a nice matching top, but let’s not forget to finish off the sporty look with a cute baseball hat. Here are four students with unique style:

“I like to dress professional with a casual twist. I also like shopping at Plato’s Closet as well as some designer store.”

-Kahlil Payton, senior, marketing major

“I love simple bohemian looks. It felt like a good day to look good.”

-Shelby Witherspoon, junior, communications disorders major

“I wanted to dress comfy today, while also feeling like I’m on vacation.”

“I don’t have a specific person that I look up to for fashion. I just dress up every day; it’s just my look.”

-Lance Botdorf, freshman

-Mirakal Jackson, senior, art major

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September 17, 2018

Classical, electronic music increases productivity Jacorey Moon

Special Projects Manager jxmoon@valdosta.edu The saying, “time equals money,” is one that is engrained into a child’s memory since before children can really understand the saying. With employee productivity levels being one of the things that companies check on, are there certain factors that affect our productivity? A certain factor, music, has a great effect on our mind and body during our efforts to be productive and get our daily tasks done. But, what kind of music or sounds helps us become the most productive?

According to Business Insider, listening to music that features nature sounds can help boost your mood as well as your focus. Nature sounds can enhance cognitive function and help bring a calming sound to a rather quiet area.

Songs with lyrics can end up being one of the most distracting and unproductive sources of music. When we listen to a song that has lyrics, the words can get stuck in our head, thus causing us to lose the information that we’re trying to learn. This means that lyric-less music is a necessity when it comes to being productive

Listening to classical music helps stimulate the mind.

as well as how listening to songs that you actually enjoy can help boost your productivity. Participants in a study commenced by Teresa Lesiuk, an assistant professor at University of Miami in the music therapy program, showed that they completed their tasks

quickly and became more creative and inventive when they listened to music that they actually enjoyed. This is not to get mixed with the previous point, but sometimes lyrics can also be efficient.

It’s a double-edged sword.

According to a study done by

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Canadian researchers, participants that listened to up-tempo music performed better on daily tasks and IQ tests. And of course, studies showed that participants that listened to slower music were quickly distracted.

Even the volume of music,

can actually affect how productive a person can be. Several studied from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville have seen that a moderate music level can help nurture creative thinking.

Although both high and moderate music levels can increase creative thinking, high music levels can decrease brain functionality.

Some of the genres of music that help productivity would be classical, electronic and video game music. Classical music helps because of its non-lyrical aspect that can help with concentration. Electronic music helps with the need for present but not obtrusive background noise. The repetitive nature of electronic music is what also helps with productivity. Video game music composers know how to create music for situations that enhances the experience without it becoming a major distraction. This leads to a player having a heightened sense of concentration.

There are several ways that music can help with a person’s productivity. Music is an art that’s everywhere around us, and an art that has a useful purpose.

Music Trivia Who was the lead singer of the band “Queen?”

Photo courtesy of Yahoo

Album Review: ‘Queen’ slays Malia Thomas staff writer

malithomas@valdosta.edu Nicki Minaj is certainly watching the throne and is leaving her princess-like Pink album days behind her with the appropriately titled, “Queen.”

This album marks Minaj’s comeback after a four-year hiatus from her previous effort “The Pinkprint,” and she does not disappoint.

In a departure from her preceding releases, Minaj has added a great deal of depth to her lyrical content, especially tracks like the opener “Ganja Burns,” a powerful overview of the theme of the album: not letting anyone invalidate her (or any woman’s) hard work.

“Barbie Dreams” is another stand out track that not only follows that theme, but works to establish an equal playing field with her male peers and serves as biting commentary on the music industry’s sexism, verbally taking all of it down with playful punchlines about contemporary male rappers sexual prowess.

This is all cleverly done to a sample of The Notorious B.I.G’s “Just Playing (Dreams)” where

he unironically discusses female singers he would and wouldn’t be with.

In stark contrast to her usual bravado on tracks like “Rich Sex” and “Hard White,” she displays suprising vulnerability in “Come And See About Me,” where she wistfully reminisces about a previous lover.

While all her albums have the token track where she makes herself emotionally available, this one in particular feels refreshingly honest, unlike “The Pinkprint’s” melancholy closer “Grand Piano.”

As if the added depth was not enough, the production has greatly improved. This is best seen in the second to last track “Coco Chanel,” where she teams up with veteran Foxy Brown and delivers a fiery performance over a dancehall beat true to her Caribbean roots.

In spite of the bump in quality, Queen suffers from a major blow: abysmal collaborations and an absurd amount of tracks, leading to inevitable, mediocre padding.

“Majesty,” the second track of the album, sounds like an uneven splicing of Minaj’s and guests Eminem and Labyrinth’s vocals from their previous work. It’s made all the more grating since it

comes off the heels of the strong “Ganja Burns.”

This worst offender is “Chun Swae” where Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee takes the hook and a guest verse. His vocals, while somewhat in sync with the calming beat, sounds like it’s masking a cold. Minaj’s verses, while good in their own right, are completely jarring against the beat. This being the longest song on the album does not help the vocal dissonance at all.

“Thought I Knew You,” an unlikely collaboration with The Weeknd, does a much better job of syncing their vocals to match the production, and it’s a decent show of their range, but it’s entirely forgettable.

The only noteworthy pairings are “Bed” with Ariana Grande and “Rich Sex” with mentor Lil Wayne; strong tracks usually result from those particular collaborations.

Overall, Queen is a great showcase of Minaj’s growth and improvement as an artist that suffers from mismatched collaborations combined with filler tracks.

This is easily her best album to date. 8.5/10.

Answer: C. Freddie Mercury

“Queen” is currently number 10 on the Itunes rap chart.

a. Bob Dylan b. Mick Jaggar c. Freddie Mercury d. Axl Rose

Check out our next issue: The Spooktator Coming Oct. 15

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September 17, 2018

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New metabolic research challenge heats up VSU Maria Sellers

Staff Writer mlsellers@valdosta.edu

Christi Swain is the challenge coordinator.

Photo courtesy of Christi Swain

A few weeks ago, an email blast was sent out to VSU students looking for female participants to take part in a research study dealing with the effect of hot peppers on metabolic rates.

According to challenge coordinator, Christi Swain, “The purpose of the study is to determine if the pungent (hot) part of a red pepper (capsaicin) has an effect on resting energy expenditure, or the number of calories you burn at rest.”

Swain, who is a certified American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Clinical Exercise Physiologist, said she was inspired to do this challenge for many reasons. One being that that “[she] was 80 pounds heavier just a few years ago, and [she] knows the risks associated with obesity and lack of exercise.”

She goes on to explain that she is interested in seeing the effect exercise and nutrition have on obesity and hopes she can help others maintain a healthy weight before health problems and disease risks lead them to tougher, more invasive, weight loss methods.

Ultimately, the goal of this experiment is to help women who want to lose weight out by seeing if they can burn more calories

without using as much energy by increasing their metabolism.

Swain says she hopes “completing the study with positive outcomes, [will] help individuals who need to lose weight become healthier.”

If the study proves that the method of taking the supplement works with few side effects, then the supplement could be a step in the right direction for people who need a little help getting started on their weight loss journey. Completing the study however, is no easy feat.

The study entails the subject taking the supplement in the form of a pill then laying still for ninety- minutes. During that ninety minutes, “the subjects’ breaths are recorded to determine their metabolic rate.” Swain will also be examining if the subject is using carbohydrates or fat most while resting.

Following the resting part of the visit, subjects will then be asked to work out for a little while. The exercise portion involves peddling a stationary bike at 70 rotations per minute for 10 minutes, which Swain says is a “low [or] moderate work rate.”

Because completing the study is not easy, participants who complete all five trials will be compensated for their time and earn $300. Swain explains, if a subject cannot complete the challenge, they will still be compensated for

the amount of time they devoted to the study before they stopped.

According to Swain, so far, “[they] have had five individuals complete the study and receive their compensation.” However, there have been way more than five who have shown an interest in participating in the study.

Initially, over 1,000 people showed an interest in participating in the study, but the numbers of have since dwindled to a little over 100 people wanting to participate. Of those 100 people, not everyone will be able to participate. Swain explains the reason for this is “[they’re] going down the list on a first-come-firstserved basis and using those who fit the requirements, can complete the exercise portion and have no scheduling conflicts.”

When this research is completed, they will be presenting the results at the ACSM conference next spring, but it is unclear where the final manuscript will be sent.

Swain also stresses if the supplement being tested has positive results, it would need to be taken along with a healthy diet and strong exercise routine.

“While increasing a resting metabolic rate can help with weight loss, nothing can have the same effects as eating right and exercising,” she said. “Supplements are meant to boost the effects of proper diet and exercise, not replace them.”

‘Drop-N-Shop’ provides for Blazers in need Tyler Tucker

Staff Writer tetucker@valdosta.edu Food insecurity and funding for professional interview clothing are factors affecting more than 40 percent of all college students nationwide. At VSU, over 20 percent of the student body can relate to one or both of these factors.

These statistics, along with others, motivated the VSU Department of Student Leadership & Volunteer Services to involve student volunteers to assist in helping other students on campus who may need assistance. The Blazer Pantry, one of the department’s signature programs, aims to solve these issues on VSU’s very own campus.

The Blazer Pantry, which was formerly housed in the department of student life, was created in 2010 and is now housed in the Department of Student Leadership and Volunteer Services and known as the “Drop-N-Shop.” The DropN-Shop has helped VSU students overcome food insecurity by serving as a confidential, supplemental food source for students.

Starting this year and in partnership with career opportunities, professional attire has been added as a support for students who find themselves in need of professional clothing to nail their next job interview. In addition, laundry detergent, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes are requested to assist students hygienically in their everyday lives.

“The Drop-N-Shop”W has two purposes - first, to minimize hunger among our students by providing free, accessible, and nourishing food; and second, to provide professional attire to students in need,” said Niki Turley, director for the department of student leadership and volunteer services. “The support provided to students, through the Drop-NShop, is another great example of how the Blazer Creed is carried out on-campus.”

Located on the first floor of the Student Union, the fall hours of operation for the Drop-N-Shop will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A grand opening will be held Thursday, Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m.

Students interested in becoming a part of the Drop-N-Shop, needing assistance or wanting to volunteer to earn service hours, should contact the department at slvs@valdosta.edu or visit the department suite located on the third floor of the Student Union to speak with Sylandi Brown, student campus service coordinator for the department of student leadership and volunteer services.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to work with such a rewarding program that not only provides food and professional attire, but also volunteer opportunities for our students,” Brown said.

“We encourage students, faculty, and staff to join us in this mission of serving our campus.”

The new Xbox service is a more cost effective plan.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Microsoft introduces more affordable gaming with a catch Tristen Petty

Staff Writer tjpetty@valdosta.edu If you don’t already own a game console or if you’re still a generation behind, here’s a wellknown fact: game systems cost a ton. Do you want any newly released games after already emptying your wallet? You’ll need to wring out another $60. Luckily for the United States, Microsoft’s decided to make peace through their new service Xbox All Access.

The perk of Xbox All Access is in its title. It’s not like Sony’s PlayStation Now service where users pay the fee and can stream 650+ games on an already bought PlayStation 4. When you sign up

for Xbox All Access, the console is included in the plan. You can choose either an Xbox One S 1TB console for $21.99/month or an Xbox One X 1TB console for $34.99/month. Each two-year plan is bundled with access to online multiplayer games through Xbox Live Gold and access to 100+ games through Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s Netflix-like gaming service.

This plan is cost-effective if you don’t already own an Xbox One and would prefer not to pay an outright price.

Here’s the catch: once you partake in their offer, you’re locked in for the next two years. You can’t return or cancel. Once you sign up, the console and the extra perks are yours, but the monthly

fee is to pay off your purchase because this isn’t a renting service. Here’s another catch: you must physically visit a Microsoft Store to get the offer. Here’s one last catch: if your console breaks down after the one-year warranty, you’re responsible for repairs and the monthly payment.

So, is it worth it? If you want an Xbox One, it depends on if you’re prepared to either void your wallet all at once or wring it out once a month. It also depends on if you’re willing to venture out to a Microsoft store to snag this limited time offer that ends on Dec. 31. Despite the drawbacks, Microsoft introducing this subscription service is an interesting alternative to what we’re used to.

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September 17, 2018

Campus Recreation hosts ‘Glo-ga’ event “Come join the flow, relax and glow” were the words used to draw students in to Campus Recreation’s “Gloga” event on Sept. 12.

Photo by Bryce Ethridge/THE SPECTATOR

Photo by Bryce Ethridge/THE SPECTATOR

Serenading the students with relaxing music, Deven Fuller and Rachel Lott lead the class in yoga with a dark twist.

Photo by Bryce Ethridge/THE SPECTATOR

Photo by Bryce Ethridge/THE SPECTATOR

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September 17, 2018

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Why are old brands making a resurgence?

Tylaise Christopher

Staff Writer techristopher@valdosta.edu Growing up, wearing things like Fila and Champion made other kids laugh at you because those brands were not popular at all.

They were more like the brands that people looked down on.

As brands such as Fila, Champion and Doc Martens start to resurface today, I ask myself why now?

I feel as if these old brands are resurfacing for the simple fact that fashion doesn’t never really die.

Fashion goes away for a period and is somehow brought back into a different generation.

Many of these brands that are resurfacing are doing so well because they are connecting with young fashion icons like Kylie and Kendall Jenner. If celebrities are seen wearing the brands, “people will flock.”

Champion went from being a brand that was really overlooked and mostly found in grocery stores to a popular brand that can now be found in stores like Pac sun, Urban Outfitters and Adidas.

Fila went from being a brand that nobody, and I mean nobody really wanted, to a brand that everyone and their mother are wearing. In my opinion, those bulky shoes are not cute to me at all. Sorry not sorry.

These old brands are also doing so good in the market because our generation follows what looks cool.

By that I mean if somebody sees a picture of someone wearing the Fila shoes with a nice outfit, that person is going to turn around and buy those shoes. It's just going to continue and continue.

Vans are also making a comeback and have been for years.

Vans never actually died. I just feel like they were really appreciated in the fashion world because they were looked at as “skater shoes.”

Honestly, all these brands never actually died, they just weren't appreciated. I think these companies made smart marketing moves especially while dealing with this generation that is based on social media.

These brands are resurfacing, and I honestly can't wait to see how far they go.

Courtesy of Refinery29 Supermodel, Kendall Jenner, and Actor, Chris Evans, are seen sporting old brands.

Photo Courtesy of Fila

Column: Team of the year predictions

VSU Softball and Basketball come out on top.

Prince Robinson Jr. Joshua Miller

Sports editor Social media editor parobinson@valdosta.edu joshmiller@valdosta.edu Unnecessary Roughness was created by the sports desk of The Spectator, where we give our takes on Valdosta State Athletics.

Josh: For my pick for VSU’s Team of the Year, I’m predicting which team will reap in the most success this coming year. I’ve got the reigning Gulf South Conference Softball Champions as my VSU Team of the Year.

The Lady Blazers will be following up on a 42-13 season and are the defending the Gulf South Conference champions.

Courtesy of VSU Athletics

Over the years, this program has established a standard of winning games under Head Coach Thomas Macera.

The group of star seniors that led the Lady Blazers have moved on, but the depth of the roster should still frighten their competition. Seniors Jessica Mohl and Taylor Hartenbach headlined the team’s success in 2018, but now the lights may shine toward the pitching duo of Kasie Johnson and Kathryn Carter.

Both pitchers were named Second Team All-GSC selections last season. It was Carter’s second consecutive selection in just her second season. The roster is also filled with underclassmen that garnered notable accolades and recognition for their performances in high school.

I think the Lady Blazers are set to win at least 40 games again and successfully defend their Gulf South Conference championship in the upcoming season. That pitching group and young talent under Coach Macera may also be a threat to make a deep run in the South Regional and National tournaments.

Prince: Success with a tablespoon of excitement is a perfect recipe for being named the Team of the Year. With that, I pick the VSU Men’s Basketball team, the reigning GSC Conference Champions for hoops.

Last season they were ranked No. 1 in the GSC standings, holding a 26-5 record. In every facet of the game, they thrived.

On offense, they were cere-

Courtesy of VSU Athletics

bral. They picked apart defense night after night with their high shooting arsenal. As a team, they ranked No. 1 in field goal percentage with 49 percent.

Inside the arc, the efficiency was amazing, but beyond it is what made them arguably the best team in the GSC. They shot 40 percent from the behind the arc, while making about 12 threepointers per game.

On defense, they swallowed opponents. Opponents thought twice before entering the paint as the Blazers blocked a total of 121 shots last season, which ranked No. 3 in the conference.

Also, they rebounded better.

They became one rebound shy of grabbing 900 total defensive rebounds. They still ranked No. 1 in the category.

Head Coach Mike Helfer will be entering year No. 12 and with that, he smells a championship.

Getting so close last year left a bitter taste in the mouths of the coaching staff, fans and even players.

Senior Beau Justice and Winston Morgan will be in their last year suiting up as Blazers, so this is the year to give it all they got.

Their supporting cast is still intact with returning pieces that contributed at a high level such as Junior Clay Guillozet, Senior Greg Zuppas and back up Penetrating Point Guard Junior Carlos Jones.

They lost a heap of talent due to graduation, but I strongly believe that this squad will play to their ability. Ultimately, they will have a huge year.

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September 17, 2018

McClendon and ‘The Black Swarm’ closing roads

The Black Swarm is the nickname for VSU Football’s defensive unit. They are currently the top Gulf South Conference team in rushing defense.

Prince Robinson Jr. Sports Editor parobinson@valdosta.edu

The Blazers high octane offense has shown that they can score at will, but the defensive line has made it clear that suffocating opposing run attacks is the mantra.

“Just having those guys play hard,” Defensive Line Coach Kenny McClendon said. “That’s something I wanted to do when I got here. Passing the ball is all fun and dandy, getting sacks is great, but we want to stop the run.

We are making that an emphasis every day.”

So far, the “Black Swarm” defense has lived up to their name and their game. In their first two games against Albany State and Fort Valley State, they have allowed a combined 68 yards,

ranked No. 1 in rushing defense in the Gulf South Conference.

“We are really big on running to the ball. No matter where the ball is, we will get to it,” Junior defensive lineman Joseph Mozone said. “That is really the definition of the Black Swarm.”

The Blazers defense has surrendered two touchdowns and a total of 382 yards of offense, which both rank No. 1 in the GSC. Furthermore, they have only given up a total of 20 points. Mozone credits that to putting time in at practice.

“We work on hand placement, key steps, explosion, get offs and much more,” Mozone said. “We work on all that stuff, so it can all come together, so we can be the most dominant group on the field.”

With all signs pointing forward for the “Black Swarm,” McClendon does not want his guys to get complacent, even with the success they are having early in the new season.

“I think right now things are going well, but we have to get better each week,” McClendon said. “We played well the first week against Albany State. The next week against Fort Valley we played a little bit better. The more and more we continue to make plays, the more and more teams will give us their best shot. We can’t play the same every single week.”

And every week, they haven’t played the same—statistically.

The Blazers amped up the pressure last game against FVSU to amass six total sacks, with Red-

shirt Freshman Thomas Incoom leading the way with 2.5 in the matchup. The previous week, they only had five sacks.

Week three should be a treat for the Black Swarm as they travel to face No. 8 West Alabama in their third straight rival matchup. The No. 1 ranked rushing offense and the No. 1 ranked rushing defense will face off and McClendon will try and neutralize the Tigers.

“How we played last year is not how we want to play this year,” McClendon said. “We want to stop the run. They have good backs, a good quarterback and a good offensive line, so it is going to be a good test for us. We cannot allow them to get balanced, so we have to finish the job and stop the run.”

According to Mozone, the best

Photo courtesy of VSU Athletics

way they can defeat the Tigers this Saturday is by “doing their jobs effectively and being technically sound.”

With McClendon now at the helm of the defensive line group, he has certainly changed the culture for the better.

“We definitely pay more attention to technique,” Mozone said.

“We were always big on it, but we were never really seeing how we could improve on it until he got here. For me, I used to always take double teams in the past and I used to just hold them off, so others could make plays. When he came, he really got me splitting double teams, getting me to make plays for myself.”

The “Black Swarm” defense is back, and it is scary to think about.

Unnecessary Roughness: Most Valuable Blazer Predictions

Photo courtesy of VSU

Prince Robinson Jr. Joshua Miller

Sports editor Social media editor parobinson@valdosta.edu joshmiller@valdosta.edu Josh: After plenty of pondering, I’ve decided that my pick for Most Valuable Blazer this year will be VSU Shooting Guard Beau Justice. Throughout his career at VSU, Justice has improved year after year and is coming off a sensational junior season.

The thing about my pick is that I don’t have to do much reasoning—just look at his body of

Photo courtesy of VSU Beau Justice and Winston Morgan look to lead VSU Basketball during the 2018-2019 season.

work.

Justice put up 20 points per game last year and even led the team in assists with 3.5 dimes per game. He’s proven that he’s not just a shooter but a sniper. Justice shot 47 percent from the field while shooting over 40 percent from downtown. He’s also an ATM at the free throw line, making 90 percent of his 145 attempts.

Justice made Blazer history last year as just the second player ever to score 1,000 points in two seasons or less and took home multiple accolades at the end of the Blazers’ 26-5 season.

He was honored as the GSC

Player of the Year, NABC D2 All-American and D2CCA South Region Player of the Year. The Blazers’ team captain also attained academic awards in the GSC for his second straight year.

Justice finished third in scoring throughout the league last year and led the Blazers to the No. 1 seed in the conference, but his senior season may be his most electrifying season yet.

There’s no doubt that expectations are high for both Justice and the team. It’ll be interesting to watch them this season.

Prince: No knock against Beau Justice. He is an excellent and

vital piece to the Blazer basketball offense, but I choose his backcourt-mate Senior Winston Morgan.

The Manchester, Connecticut native is the record holder for the most three-pointers made in a single season with 106, a record he set last season.

Furthermore, he is the only player in Blazer basketball history to pass the century mark for threepointers made.

He led the Gulf South Conference in three-point percentage with nearly 44 percent.

When the ball is not in his hands, his teammates make find-

Photo courtesy of VSU

ing him an imperative, especially in transition. Transition threes are risky plays but Morgan shoots at such an efficient rate that Head Coach Mike Helfer can do nothing but cheer his point guard on.

Morgan is also a willing passer.

Although the 3.2 average does not show much for it, he has been able to manipulate defenses by finding the open man, usually Justice, on a consistent basis.

Finally, Morgan plays with the utmost confidence. That’s what it takes to be the primary ball handler on one of the best offenses in Division II basketball today.

September 17, 2018

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Editorial Staff

Editor-in-Chief: Juston Lewis Content Editor: Julie Jernigan Campus Life Editor: Savannah Oliver News Editor: Bryce Ethridge Sports Editor: Prince Robinson Photo Editor: Taylor Sutherland Web Editor: Preyah James Graphic Designer: Bethany Davis Social Media Editor: Joshua Miller Copy Editor: Robert Davison

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September 17, 2018

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