October 2, 2019
@vsu_spectator
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Special Edition
Column: Blazers conclude regular season with perfection Ashley Street Station to host comedy show Friday SGA narrows on financial aid issue in Monday meeting Everlasting love: Blazer’s call remains attached to soccer
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com
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October 2, 2019
Recoil jumps into Valdosta
Amelia Sellars
Staff Writer ajsellers@valdosta.edu On September 20, Recoil Trampoline Park held its grand opening, bringing new business to Valdosta while also providing a safe and fun environment for everyone. The trampoline park offers a plethora of trampolines, a space for dodgeball, basketball and an obstacle course. Besides taking an hour or two to jump, Recoil also offers party rooms and will soon start hosting private events. Recoil is located in the old Big Lots building on 3103 North Ashley St., which has been completely renovated to accommodate for the trampolines. “The idea came
about three years ago. I went to Skyzone in Tallahassee, came back
and said Valdosta needs one of these!”, Recoil’s owner Trent Coggins
said. So, Coggins and his wife decided to make
their own version, and bring it right here to Valdosta.
Coggins wants to make this a place for everyone in the family
to come and enjoy. So, they allow non-jumpers get in for free. There is plenty of room to sit and relax while taking a break from jumping, and multiple TV’s. The atmosphere of this business is fun, with affordable pricing and plenty of things to keep one person or a whole family busy. Recoil’s Pricing is one hour for 15 dollars, one and a half hours for twenty dollars, two hours – 24 dollars, Toddlers (ages two to four) for seven dollars and fifty cents, two and under for free. As of right now, they are closed on Mondays, but open every other day of the week and extra hours on the weekends.
Photo courtesy of Amelia Sellers
Valdosta’s newest trampoline park Recoil replaces the old Big Lots.
People Poll: What easy elective classes would you recommend to other students? Nadia Genus
Staff Writer negenus@valdosta.edu
Sierra Dickenson, sophomore pre-nursing major “Greek etymology is just like medical terminology,” Dickenson said. “It was like a hybrid class, so we only had the actual class once a week and the rest was online. She only lectured for like 15 minutes and I did the rest at my own pace.”
José Phalonoso, freshmen management major “Music in film was a pretty easy one,” Carter said. “It wasn’t hard. We only had two papers throughout the semester on the online class. It’s very straight forward. We had to watch some films and compare and contrast them.”
Logan Carter, senior sociology and anthropology major “Public speaking, due to the fact that it’s easy,” Phalonoso said. “You just speak on anything that you want. The only thing they ask you to speak on is anything you are intrigued by. You just talk about anything and everything.”
Nicholas Reed, junior communication major “I would recommend the film class, they’re relatively easy,” Reed said. “You learn a little bit about the films you watch. It’s easy to identify the movies as well as the common themes among them because its apart of our everyday lives.”
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com
October 2, 2019
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SGA narrows on financial aid issue in Monday meeting Kayla Pool
Staff Writer kepool@valdosta.edu SGA stands up to GBPI about the burden of financial aid. On Sept. 30, the Student Government association sat down with Jennifer Lee, policy analyst from Georgia Budget and Policy Institute for a listening session. SGA had a chance to answer questions about how attending VSU affects their daily lives. “We started doing these listening sessions a few years ago. Basically, it’s pretty informal, I have a few guided questions to guide our conservations,” Jennifer Lee said. The meeting consisted of ques-
tions asking why the students attend college and what obstacles they face as students attending VSU. SGA member Senator Lauren Canady said that the structure of school makes it seem like you must take one specific pathway to reach the career you desire. Other SGA members shared her sentiments. “I’ve had a lot of trouble with advisors on campus,” Senator Bob Greenbaum said. “A lot of people are having a hard time with their advisors and they’re telling them they need to take a certain class when they don’t.” The new requirement of more specific pathways could cause students to take more classes than they signed up for and spark more complications leading to students
Jasmin Small/THE SPECTATOR Author Lila Quintero Weaver discusses her memoir, “Darkroom.”
Lila Quintero Weaver visits VSU, discusses memoir “Darkroom” Jasmin Small and Breannia Stillwell
Staff Writers jismall@valdosta.edu bastillwell@valdosta.edu Hispanic Heritage month is here, and the Spanish department is hosting different events all month long to celebrate Hispanic culture and its people. Grazyna Walczak is director of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and discussed the importance of the celebration. “It (Hispanic Heritage Month) has a good impact on the Hispanic community because it shows their contribution to the culture of this country. VSU is a very diverse population, we have a lot of Hispanic students and some with
Hispanic heritage and they also feel more valued when they see that their culture is valued.” On Sept. 24, author and illustrator Lila Quintero Weaver came to visit VSU to talk about her graphic memoir “Darkroom”. The “Darkroom” is about Weaver’s experience immigrating from Argentina in 1961 to Alabama during what she described as the “most intensive and dramatic parts of the civil rights movement.” She arrived in Alabama at the age of five and her family experienced a huge culture shock. Her parents were very in tune with their Argentinian roots and they wanted to preserve their Argentine culture. The community which she entered, however, had different ideas. “I went from being a kid
having to take extra classes. SGA all shared one common obstacle many other VSU students face: financial stability. Senator Alexis Smith says that school has definitely became a financial burden. “I am putting myself through school and it is really, really hard,” Smith said. “I am a working, full-time college student and there just isn’t enough hours in the day for me to accomplish everything.” The VSU retention rate since August 31, 2017 is 69%, while the transfer-out rate is 32% according to College Tuition Compare. The financial stability of students at VSU could be one of the causes of these rates. “My first year of college I went to UGA and UGA is outrageously who spoke no English at all to beginning to abandon Spanish,” she said. Weaver described her neighborhood as predominantly black, but the most segregated area in Alabama. About 65 percent of the community was black and the rest were white. There also happened to be a small number of Hispanics in the area at the time. As Weaver grew up, she was confused as to why there was a separation between black and white. Why would black people have to enter through the back of the doctor’s office when the whites could enter from the front? She recalled the time she heard about a black man being killed by a police officer not too far away from her home but explained that she had never caught his name. About 30 years later at a civil rights museum it was then that she had then learned it. His name was Jimmie Lee Jackson. It was an emotional moment for her to now have that name of the man that had been killed. Jimmie Lee Jackson was black man who was shot by a state trooper about a block away from where she lived in 1965, and served as the catalyst for her memoir. His death also helped spark the march across Selma. March 7, 1965 was the first attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery. That event exposed southern police brutality as never seen before. The creation of the memoir took about 3 and a half years to process and edit. She explained that she wanted the readers of her graphic novel to understand the issues that she saw at such a young age. As the talk concluded, Weaver explained she believed it was best to create her memoir in the perspective of her being a small child because it allowed for the graphic novel to be for everyone, no matter the age. “My story kind of helps to show how Latinos is a broad community with many different groups, and everyone has their own unique story. So, that helps to sort of push back from all of the stereotypes that people have about Latinos.”
expensive,” Senator Aubree Cooper said. “I couldn’t afford to go to UGA. I could afford to go to VSU, but that’s because I don’t live on campus, I don’t have a meal plan.” Around campus, students could not agree more. “VSU wasn’t my first choice but I got accepted here, and I feel like I’ve been broke ever since,” Jada Hill, a sophomore business major, said. “I’m covered in student loans.” It seems like the only students that are financially stable in college are those who have scholarships and extra financial help. “I am attending VSU because it has my major and concentration but for a lower tuition,” Esther Darko, a sophomore biology
major. “I use a mixture of loans and scholarships to pay for each semester.” Lee concluded the meeting by listing that VSU students have strong motivations in school. They want to learn, but there are financial problems that stand in the way. “A lot of you talked about college tuition and it’s expensive not only in money and debt, but expensive on your time, expensive on your energy, on your health,” Lee said. “I know a lot of you feel like you’re doing it on your own and you need more support.” Lee then said that the top priority of legislation is to get more financial aid for students. Only time will tell.
Ashley Street Station to host comedy show Friday Breannia Stillwell
Staff Writer bastillwell@valdosta.edu If you are looking for somewhere new and fun to escape from college, Ashley Street Station might be the place for you. Ashley Street Station is a self-proclaimed dive bar and live music venue located in Remerton. On Oct. 4 at 9 p.m., they will be hosting their first big comedy set, The Cutthroat Freak Show and Mama Stone. They will also be hosting a mini concert by Roman and The Prey, at 10 p.m. on Oct. 5. According to the manager at Ashley Street Station, John, the comedy set consist of “Four
comedians and each comedian has about 16 minutes a piece. Roman and The Prey is an indie rock and roll band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band’s members are Roman Williams, who is the lead singer, Grayson Downs, and Art Quanstrom. Some of their songs include Cruel Dreams, Alphabet City, and Water Me Down. Even though they will be having a rock band from Tennessee performing this weekend, they often times have local bands play, some of which attend VSU. The reviews for this dive bar are very good. Many goers describe the atmosphere as friendly, fun and a great place to mingle. If you would like to check out this bar, they are open every day until 5 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Street Station Roman and The Prey is set to perform Friday.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Street Station Ashley street Station is located at 607 Baytree Road Unit A.