November 8, 2012
W W W. V S U S P E C TAT O R . C O M
Inside This Issue - OPINIONS: “Civility takes a back seat” - FEATURES: “Civil rights activist visits VSU” - SPORTS: “The Black Swarm ready to be champs”
Today at VSU THANKSGIVING DINNER Palms Dining, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Dinner will be served for $5 today.
VOLUME 84 ISSUE 12
On the Web
VSU student strives for comedic greatness
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Couldn’t make the Miss VSU pageant? Check out the WebSpectator to find out who won!
See page 4 to find out how and why
Moving Four-ward
REAL TALK AT THE BAILEY Bailey Science Center 1011, 8:15 p.m. A unique Bible Study and discussion that tackles the real issues of young adult living sponsored by XChange Ministries.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Odum Library room 1480, 6:30 p.m. Come out to hear what upcoming community service events H4H has in store.
SCIENCE SEMINAR Powell Hall, 4-5 p.m. Dr. June M. Kwak, from the University of Maryland’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, will present “From genomics to cellular dynamics: ROS and Ca2+ signaling in drought response in Arabidopsis.”
TRUE LIFE STD FORUM Bailey Science Center 3009, 7 p.m. Special Presentation: “True Life: I never thought I would get it” STDs Forum with CMVSU, CWVSU, NAACP, & BSL Sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity as part of National Service Week.
VISITING POET University Center Magnolia Room, 7:30 p.m. Poet Dave Smith, Elliot Coleman Professor of Poetry at Johns Hopkins University, will read tonight.
Weather Today Sunny 70 H 39 L
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Question of the week Are you happy with the turnout of the election? A. Yes B. No C. I didn’t vote Vote online at www.vsuspectator.com!
Last Week Poll Results Who do you think will win the election? Romney
74%
Obama 23%
Johnson
2%
Other
1%
MCT President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden on stage Tuesday, November 6, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois, after the president was re-elected.
Von Kennedy A S S T . F E AT U R E S EDITOR vtkennedy@valdosta.edu
&
Chad Stone DEVELOPMENT EDITOR cstone@valdosta.edu
Barack Obama has reclaimed his seat as president of the United States of America after an election night full of drama. The race was close for a while at the start, but as the night went on Obama claimed swing state after swing state before CNN projected him to win at 11:18 p.m. Reactions have varied as citizens across the country slowly recover from the election madness. Twitter was blowing up with tweets containing the hashtags #election2012, #obama and #romney. “No matter my #president, I’m
still proud to be #American,” user @samdogmilli tweeted. “Y’all take for granted how blessed we are to have a say!” While some were happy with the results, others took a more extreme approach in how they voiced their opinion. “You people causing states to turn blue are a bunch of damn fools! #Election2012,” user @Daniel15Price tweeted. The highlight of the night on Twitter though happened right after Obama was projected as the winner. The president’s campaign tweeted a picture of the president embracing his wife Michelle. This photo was retweeted more than 675,000 to make it the world’s most tweeted image since the inception of Twitter. Campus was abuzz as the polls started to close and votes started coming in. The VSU NAACP, College Democrats and Republicans
hosted an election watch party, the evening were mostly overbut two words of that title may shadowed by games, raffles and have fallen by the wayside. unnecessary fashion shows to “I was excited to see that peokeep the attention of the masses. ple my age “I actually didn’t even I think that no matter cared about know what the elecgoing on what we have to support was tion,” Paige half the time our president, and hope- as they anDumas, a sophomore the fully he will actually ac- nounced biology maevents jor, said. complish something and through the “Unfortuevening,” stop spending money we Michael Jennately, the extra events nings, a don’t have. took away - SARAH RICE sophomore from what engineering was going on.” major, said. “I liked the turnout The ballrooms were packed at the event, but there were a lot with hundreds of students eager of people there just to hang out to see who would become the and not for the election. next president of the United “The issues were not imporStates. tant as long as Obama won, to Incumbent Barack Obama was most. No one listened to the guy re-elected, but in the ballroom who was on the microphone and state projections and conversapeople only cheered when they tion about the political climate of saw states that went Obama’s
“
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way and didn’t pay attention to anything else on television.” Others were just excited to be a part of history being made, and enjoyed following each electoral vote. “I love the atmosphere that surrounded the election,” Donald Justice, a freshman math major, said. “The night was something to remember.” Others had deeper thoughts surrounding the election. “I found last night to be the real voice of America,” Dumas said. “Obama has such a diverse group of voters and that speaks volumes. It was a tight race at first and in the momentum that led up to the voting, it looked like Obama would lose. Fortunately, I was witness to a different outcome. It was a great election and the best man won.” Ryan Baerwalde, SGA President and VSU College Republican Chairman, was honored to See ELECTION, Page 2
NEWS
PAGE 2 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM
SGA is not a money machine Joe Adgie M U LT I M E D I A E D I T O R jmadgie@valdosta.edu
The SGA declared an end to large funding of projects. It came through a budget amendment that was proposed by Yannick Gill, SGA senator, and was passed by the senate. This amendment puts a theoretical cap on all SGA donations to organizations at $500. “As our President mentioned last week, ‘SGA isn’t simply a funding mechanism,’� Gill said. “Our goal shouldn’t be to give out money to different organizations.� Gill also went on to say during Monday’s night meeting in the UC Cypress Room, that money being saved by the SGA looked better for the organization than money used. This comes one week after the SGA appropriated $900 to the Collegiate Men of VSU to pay for food for their upcoming Women’s Appreciation Dinner. “As I go through this, I want
you guys to focus not on last week, but what’s going to happen in the future,� Gill said. “There was a lot of discussion, not really about where the money was going, but the main debate came from the amount of money that was given.� Gill explained that there was confusion about if a cap had presently existed, or if these caps had not existed. “From the email most of us received, those caps aren’t there, and that’s what I’m proposing to change tonight,� Gill said. This cap, however, can be overridden with approval from the Senate Finance Committee and with a three-fourths approval from the Senate. “It doesn’t really put a cap, but it does give the idea of a cap of $500,� Gill said. “It also leaves the possibility of giving more if the Senate truly does see that fit. It alleviates problems when it comes to excessive use of things that the Senate doesn’t always agree on.�
Valdosta honors U.S. veterans Maya Kellam S TA F F W R I T E R mskellam@valdosta.edu
Every name comes with a story. Every story ends the same way. VSU’s chapter of Student Veterans of America is sponsoring a veteran’s event at 8 a.m. on Monday in front of the Student Union in honor of Veterans Day. VSU’s students, faculty and staff will participate in the reading of the 6,600-plus men and women who lost their lives while serving America in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operating Iraqi Freedom in the past decade. Valdosta-Lowndes
County residents are invited to participate in the readings. VSU President McKinney will give opening remarks at the event. Each volunteer will read 125 names. The event was projected to last over seven hours. VSU is one of 93 schools in 37 states hosting a name-reading event. “Last year was successful so we had to do it again,� Master Sgt. Mark A. Smith said. “We have a total of 56 readers that include faculty, staff, members of the ROTC, veterans and locals.� Those interested in volunteering can contact the Adult and Military Program office at 2532873 or Smith at 834-0313.
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
Police Briefs
NOTES: At 1 hour and 58 minutes, this was the longest SGA meeting of the semester so far. The head of the Judiciary committee was on hand at the meeting, keeping tabs on the roll for the meeting, to see who was absent. Roll was also taken by SGA secretary Kelly Hessler, who normally performs that task. It was announced during the meeting that the minutes from every meeting this semester, as well as full attendance records, would be put on the SGA’s website. Two senators--Edgar James and Jacque Robinson--were elected. There is no SGA meeting next week, but rather, the SGA will hold their Senate Retreat on Monday night at Centennial Hall.
Election Continued from Page 1 see everyone showing support for their candidate of choice. “It was really great to see so many students and student organizations coming together to watch a very important political event,� Baerwalde said. “I would say the pros include the great set up, good food, the way the event was trying to be as unbiased as possible.� Baerwalde also expressed his concerns about the lack of political diversity. “The only con would be the lack of political diversity in those that attended,� Baerwalde said. “Even though I have obviously got a bit of a bias being Chairman of the College Republicans, it was quite obvious to all that we were vastly outnumbered.�
Nov. 7 A bookbag was stolen with a laptop in it. Nov. 6 A person in Brown Residence Hall punched the glass on a fire extinguisher, with minor injuries to the offender’s hand.
Check the Web Spectator for more stories!
Nov. 5 A bookbag was stolen from t UC 2020 during a fire drill. A bike was stolen from Media Services. Nov. 4 A bike was stolen from the UC. A bike was stolen from a bike rack on Patterson Street. Nov. 1 Vehicles were egged at Oak Parking Lot.
Happy ‘Tator Day!
As the projection became more accurate, yells of “Obama!� could be heard across the VSU campus as people ran up and down the pedestrian mall. Many students are optimistic about the future as Obama moves into his second term. “[I am] happy that Obama is being elected,� Antonio Boykins, senior sociology and psychology major, said. “It has nothing to do with race. It has more to do with morals and ethics.� While some students were critical of Obama’s first term, they still had respect for the winner. “[I am] disappointed, but hopeful� Sarah Rice, senior international business major, said. “I think that no matter what we have to support our president, and hopefully he will actually accomplish something and stop spending money we don’t have.�
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OPINIONS
NOVEMBER 8, 2O12
Our point of view...
VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 3
When civility takes a back seat
C
ongratulations, Mr. President, on maintaining your seat. Now that the election is over, we can get back to normal. What is normal? I ask this because normalcy as it pertains to the highest office in the land has taken a definite turn in the last decade. Sure, when Nixon staged a burglary, the office took a bruise. When Clinton “didn’t have sexual relations with that woman,” the office suffered the equivalent to a broken bone. When baby Bush took us into a war based on misinformation, the office of the President appeared to suffer a nervous breakdown. Sure, there were people who weren’t happy with Nixon and Clinton, but they still respected the office of the President. It wasn’t until George W. Bush made questionable decisions that the president started losing the respect of the country. Looking at how Bush and Obama have been demonized by their critics, the disrespect of the office took a blatant turn for the nasty. Bush had shoes thrown at
him by reporters in other countries and commentator Ann Coulter call Obama “retarded.” The game of disrespecting the office of the president has become a national pastime, like baseball. But in these instances, the disrespect has greater negative impact on the office because of the ease and prevalence of social media, the saturation of news into the general population, and the speed with which these comments are spread through the Internet. Just take a look at the amount of money that was poured into the presidential campaign. Almost $1 billion in ad money was spent on the presidential race. With that money, almost every Super PAC used it to attack the other opponent – not to tout what their own candidate actually accomplished. The negativity in those ads only generates further and greater negativity in the general populace. The amount of venom and distain towards Obama has spurred people to actually hang Obama in effigy, on their front lawns. Their negativity is out in
the open, out in public where the world sees that we aren’t respecting our own leaders. Now, we aren’t advocating taking away your rights to free speech, but we do suggest that you think about how you utilize the First Amendment. It’s time to draw a line in the sand. We talk about being patriotic, but act in exact opposition to that ideal. We are no longer expressing our love for our country when we disrespect the face of the nation. We understand if you don’t care for the candidate who won – in any election. However, there’s no need to continue these dishonorable acts. Is it any wonder that there is a huge split between political parties in this country today – which seems as great as it was during the Civil War? Let’s reclaim the word ‘civil’ and bring civility back to our country. If change really is coming to America, it will be by our own hands, holding one another’s.
Contributions and Ad Spending in 2012 Campaign
$752.3 mil Republican Money Spent
$852.9 mil Democratic Money Spent
Highest contributors focused on attacking other candidate Restore Our Future Super PAC Rep. Highest Contributor
Priorities USA Action Super PAC Dem. Highest Contributor
$142,645,946
$66,482,084
90% spent on attack ads
100% spent on attack ads
Highest contributors focused on supporting own candidate American Future Fund
Florida Freedom PAC Super PAC
$19,038,220
$2,830,887
41% spent on attack ads
0% spent on attack ads
12 of 50 Number of States that receive majority of ad spending
$5.94 less than
$0.01
spent per voting age citizen in Nevada spent per voting age citizen in California
Data gathered from NY Times and NPR Chad Stone /THE SPECTATOR
This editorial was written by J. Daniel Young (jeryoung@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.
‘Tis the season to be greedy Daniel Young OPINIONS EDITOR jeryoung@valdosta.edu
M
idnight. That’s the time Valdosta Mall dictated that stores open on ‘black Friday.’ My friends own a little Mom and Pop business kiosk in the mall. They are retirement age and decided to open this business to give them extra income and flexibility in their golden years. But all is not golden when it comes to holiday shopping and the hours for small businesses in the current economy. When stores like Walmart, Target and other large retailers open at midnight, how are Mom and Pop businesses to compete? My retired friends run the business themselves. They don’t hire extra workers, because frankly, there’s not enough money to pay an extra hand. They open the shop during the fall season, in an effort to cash in on holiday shopping. Running a business with only two people on a shoestring budget is hard enough without the mall demanding that stores open at midnight on Thanksgiving night. Some of corporate America mandates that their employees work on Thanksgiving and come back at midnight to open the store for a bevy of shoppers
looking for a bargain. These very bargains that CNN Money reporter Clark Howard says aren’t much of a bargain. Sure, there are door busters and an occasional bargain, but when major retailers are saying that they will price match advertised prices online, it all becomes a numbers game. That and corporate greed. Retail workers are being made to work shifts on Thanksgiving Day and then come back for a shift on Thanksgiving night and there seems to be no payoff. The employee is unable to spend time with their family because what little time they have at home will be spent eating and napping in preparation for an eight hour shift the next morning or later that night even. So much for quality of life. It all boils down to the almighty dollar. This is the very corporate greed that got us into this financial mess we are trying to pull out of. Let’s face it; you can only make so much in profit before you’ve reached the maximum dollar amount possible. Then corporate America does what it does best: lay off workers so that it can look better on paper. So, when my friends open their small shop on Thanksgiving Thursday night at midnight, they
People Poll: How do you feel about the outcome of the local election? Steven Kalinowski junior physics/mathematics major “Both my district and state, even if everyone participated in voting, would still have swung Republican, thereby making my vote worth nothing..”
LaRon James Jones junior computer science major MCT
will do so with only two employees: Mom and Pop. It’s certainly not as if they want to, but to remain competitive in the world dictated by corporate greed they have no choice. If the Valdosta Mall has a valid reason for this policy and isn’t mired in corporate greed, I am happy to hear it. But, who’s
to say that next year they won’t have to open at noon on Thanksgiving? This looks more realistic from year to year. Personally, I would prefer that we go back to the days of allowing employees to spend time with their families and not opening retail doors until 8 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
“I felt relieved that President Obama would be receiving a second term. As a college student that received a Pell Grant I know how impotant having funds for school really is.”
Russell Rees junior computer science major
Voter fraud ends voter integrity Stephen Cavallaro A S S I S TA N T- O P I N I O N S EDITOR
sjcavallaro@valdosta.edu
V
oter fraud: a series of scandalously petty techniques used to illegally forge votes. The major contenders of voter fraud are independent political groups who claim affiliation with one of the major parties. While voter fraud is not as common as some would believe, it is still a relevant means of weighing the polls in our nation. Therefore, this oppressive and manipulative approach must be abolished, and those who partake in it severely punished. We cannot forget the intangible crimes committed by ACORN during the 2008 election. The organization, bent on pursuing youthful voters to register to vote and give their allegiance to the Obama campaign, submitted 1,500 fraudulent regis-
trations. A receiver of taxpayer money, ACORN has been found guilty of other crimes as well-including tax evasion. Also that year, 1,099 felons had illegally cast ballots. These votes led to Democrat Al Franken’s election to the senate by 312 votes. Franken’s win was a ploy by the Democrats to meet the quota needed to satisfy the filibuster-proof majority that aided the approval of Obamacare into legislation. The Republican Party has been promoting a fairly simple solution to the issue: voter IDs. In order to place a vote, the citizens must first present a form of identification in order to prove who they are. As illegal-immigration rapidly increases and societies everywhere become increasingly globalized, the ability to identify whether someone is a citizen or not is difficult. This method also prevents double-voting. While many view this as an infringement on voters’ rights, it actually
de-corrupts the political process, ensuring that voting is done properly and legal; thereby, allowing no one person’s vote to carry a higher importance over another’s vote. According to the Brennan Center of New York University, 11 percent of voters, the least likely to vote, lack necessary identification for voting. These people include minorities and low-income groups who tend to vote Democratic. The Democratic Party heavily opposes voter IDs, using the excuse that it causes a financial burden. Yet, very few operations today do not require a person to present a form of personal identification, so without one they choose to be heavily restricted to more than just voting. Democrat affiliated organizations are also big supporters of voter registration drives-- a situation that has also plagued our own campus. According to the California State Legislature, a voter registration drive in Cali-
fornia, the largest blue state in the union, generates more complaints and more arrests than any other type of election-related activity. While voter fraud is usually minute, it only increases when not initially combated. Recently, the Columbus Dispatch, a local newspaper of Columbus, Ohio, made note that every one out of five registered Ohio voters were ineligible to vote in upcoming elections. Reported incidents of voter fraud have since intensified in the state. This swing-state was looted by Obama, giving him a great lead in the election. In 2004, the voter fraud rate of Ohio was reported to be 0.00004 percent, but even such a small rate can change the tide of the election. And why should we allow voter fraud to happen anyways? After all, the right to vote is the only right that separates American citizens from permanent residents. We cannot allow this treason to continue.
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Travis Gibson senior physics major “I did not vote because the local issues do not affect me.”
Kwanesia Ellis sophomore public relations major “I wish there were more Libertarian candidates running.”
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“I’m not surprised about the election outcome in Fitzgerald.”
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PAGE 4 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM
FEATURES
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
Can’t Help But Laugh The Story of Jim Williams Jr.: VSU student aims for comic genius Shane Thomas S TA F F W R I T E R shanethomas@valdosta.edu
What do you want to be when you grow up? Growing up, the typical responses were a doctor, lawyer, astronaut, athlete etc. Well, in this case, it’s not that Jim Williams Jr. wouldn’t be able to walk on the moon, perform open-heart surgery, or write you a symphony--he would just rather make you laugh. Williams emerges from the dining area in the Student Union with his friend of three years, Jeremy Hardin, in tow. Settling into a vacant spot on a cushioned seat near the entrance, Jim partakes in an order of fries from Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. He greets the interviewer before explaining why he grabbed the fries beforehand. “I had to man,” Williams said, laughing between bites. “If I hadn’t, you probably wouldn’t get too much out of me today.” At first glance, Williams appears fairly unassuming. His demeanor is easy-going, calm, and effortless. He seems like a normal guy. According to Williams, he’s just a full-time VSU student that cuts grass parttime. Williams, 21, hadn’t decided that he wanted to make people laugh for a living until after he graduated high school at the age
of 17. Now in his second year at VSU, he is majoring in theater arts performance; an obvious choice for aspiring actors and entertainers. “I decided to do that because I felt like I’m gonna be on stage anyway, so I might as well get comfortable and adjusted to being on stage,” Williams said. Williams has experienced both sides of performing at comedy gigs in the area over the past year. “I tried to do Florida’s Funniest Comedian last year, but I ended up forgetting my material on stage,” he said. “Then, last semester, I did the talent show here and won that, so that was pretty good.” That first taste of success had Williams coming back for more. He has been working on developing his style and stage presence over the last year. “When I first graduated, I used to write stuff but it really only made sense to me,” Williams said. “I had to change up my style and make it more universal. Part of perfecting that style was simply deciding on a good stage name. When I did [the talent show] out here, I did ‘Jim Bone-but I’m still trying to decide whether I’m gonna use that or just go with Jim Williams. I’m still kind of thinking on that.” He has his own YouTube
channel, MrJLW4life, where he has posted videos of his latest projects. Williams has impersonations of comedians such as Chris Tucker, Katt Williams and Bill Cosby on the channel. Upon request, Williams took his iPhone out of his pocket and
“ I believe if I take [comedy] seriously, then I can go as far as I wanna go with it—sky’s the limit.” -JIM WILLIAMS JR
played the video of his hilarious and stunningly accurate Chris Tucker impersonation. Everyone in the vicinity burst into laughter as Williams reeled off every trademark line. In his downtime, Williams spends a lot of time watching old stand-up. He idolizes comedic savants like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and the late Bernie Mac and Richard Pryor. When asked what makes Williams so funny, his friend Jeremy Hardin spoke fondly. “Jim says the stuff that no one would say,” Hardin said smiling. “He has a natural [humor]. He’ll pick out random stuff and make it funnier than it already is.” Longtime friend Asante Jenk-
ins was more candid in his assessment. “One thing, I think, that makes him funny is the fact that he puts himself in his jokes,” Jenkins said. “I think that’s a very strong attribute to being a comedian—being able to take your situations and find the humor in them.” Both Hardin and Jenkins agree that Williams has his own unique style. “One thing that he doesn’t do is use profanity in his comedy, which shows you the depth of his comedic talent,” Jenkins said. Funny manifests itself in many shapes and sizes. Williams, who is admittedly overweight, tenses a bit as he recollects about how he was mocked and teased about his weight when he was younger. “When I was younger, I used to let it be a problem,” Williams said. “[Now] instead of feeling bad about myself, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m bigger than most people I come across. It’s not really an issue to me
anymore. I just use it as a weapon rather than an obstacle.” As with any dream or goal, there are occasional struggles to find motivation, muster the dedication and avoid getting discouraged. While Williams believes that
comedy will be his profession, his main challenge now is simply learning to take the funny business seriously. “Sometimes I feel like I wanna do it, then other times I may get discouraged.” Williams said. “I believe if I take [comedy] seriously, then I can go as far as I wanna go with it—sky’s the limit.” At the end of the day, Jim Williams Jr. embraces being an entertainer and relishes the opportunity to empower others. “I just enjoy laughter,” Williams said. “I enjoy making people laugh. If I see someone down, I always try to go talk to them and help them out because I know how it is to be lonely and depressed.”
Shane Thomas / THE SPECTATOR
Civil rights activist visits VSU Ariel Felton F E AT U R E S E D I T O R arfelton@valdosta.edu
At 18, Joan Browning was kicked out of her college and her home—simply for attending a black church. Today Browning visits VSU students to share her story. It was 1961 and Browning, the first in her immediate family to attend college, had chosen to attend Georgia State College for Women. According to Browning, while at college she missed the Methodist influences of her childhood. She felt like a stranger at the Milledgeville Main Street Methodist Church and accepted an invitation by a young black to attend the Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church instead. After word about her new church spread, Dr. Robert B. Lee, the college president, claimed to receive phoned in threats of violence towards both the church and Browning. “I never received a direct threat from anybody, but the president said that he got several,” Browning said. “He never said exactly, but I was left with the impression that someone had threatened to burn down the church—something was commonly done.” In an effort to understand the backlash she was receiving for attending a black church, Browning attended the Paine College Student Conference, an illegal
gathering of both black and white Christian students, during which Rev. James Lawson spoke about the Christian response to racial segregation.
“ I was told that if I went quietly without any more trouble, they wouldn’t put anything in my official transcripts that kept me from transferring my credit over to another college.” - JOAN BROWNING
Browning credits Lawson’s speech with reassuring her choice of place to worship. “Everything he said sounded perfectly logical to me,” Browning said. “It seemed to fit everything I had learned from the Methodist church.” While Browning received no official statement from the president of her college, she did receive a “stern warning and recommendation.” “I was told they were cutting off my scholarships and work
study program—leaving me no money for school,” Browning said. “Then I was told that if I went quietly without any more trouble, they wouldn’t put anything in my official transcripts that kept me from transferring my credits over to another college.” Although Browning now doubts whether there ever was an official record of her dismissal from the school, at the time she packed her bags. “My mother quickly gave me money and a one way bus ticket to Atlanta,” Browning said. “I was not allowed to come home – my parents had divorced and my mother’s new husband said that ‘n lover’ could not come into his house.” According to Browning, ever since that day she has been interested in social justice movements. “It seems that many of us came to the freedom movement because somebody made us angry,” Browning said. “Someone interfered with us in a way that was unacceptable. For me, it was telling me something was seriously wrong with my choice of a Methodist church to worship in.” Browning moved to Atlanta in June 1961 and soon found her place in the social justice movement. In one year, Browning became a part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, heard Martin Luther King Jr. speak,
Contributed by Joan C. Browning Three Albany Freedom Riders, Dr. Lenora Taitt-Magubane, Norma Collins, Joan C. Browning, in Chicago for taping of Oprah Show. The Freedom Riders protested segregation on public transportation Dec. 10, 1961 on a train ride from Atlanta to Albany.
and became one of nine Albany Freedom Riders. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was created to organize activities, support civil rights leaders and publicize their activities during the Civil Rights movement. “When I became a volunteer, there were only three paid people – Norma Collins, Office Manager; James Forman, Executive Director; and Julian Bond, public relations,” Browning said. “At almost the same time I became a volunteer, SNCC added five ‘field secretaries,’ including Charles Sherrod of Albany and
Robert ‘Bob’ Zellner, the first white field secretary.” In October of the same year, Browning was given the opportunity to hear a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “He was lecturing like a college professor, not preaching,” Browning said. “He put the black protest movement into the kind of philosophical and religious and biblical context that made perfect sense to me. I got his autograph that night.” On Dec. 10, 1961, Browning was one of nine Albany Freedom Riders, perhaps the most memorable event of her civil rights ac-
tivism. Freedom rides, integrated bus and train rides throughout the South, were held in protest of the continued segregation of public transportation. Browning and fellow SNCC members organized a Freedom Ride traveling from Atlanta to Albany by train. The arrest of the rider ignited a firestorm of protest in the city's black community. “My job in the Albany Freedom riders was to sit in jail,” Browning said. “I was a witness
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NOVEMBER 8, 2012 Activist Continued from Page 4 to the fact that there were some white people who thought those signs needed to come down— and thought it strongly enough that they were willing to go to jail.” According to Browning, she was warmly accepted by other protestors despite being one of the few white volunteers. “Remember, this was the very early 1960s,” Browning said. “We were almost all Southern and almost all coming from our spiritual and religious beliefs. Later in the ‘60s and ‘70s, I sometimes experienced rejection by a few blacks, but even then, not all.” Because 2011 was the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders, Browning visited Washington D.C. for several events, appeared on the Oprah show and met President Barack Obama. Browning claims her faith is responsible for her continued involvement in social justice
movements despite the sometimes negative consequences. “All I had to do was follow Jesus’ instructions,” Browning said. “The outcome was not mine to control. There were times when I thought that the price was too steep, but always managed to overcome that and keep on keepin’ on.” Browning now works as a freelance writer in West Virginia but still makes time to travel to colleges, educating students on the social justice movement and encouraging them to fight for things they believe in. Browning will speak today at the “That’s Not My Movement…Is It?” lecture in Jennett Lecture Hall, room 1111, starting at 7 p.m. During the lecture, Browning will discuss the common threads she has found in all social justice movements. “I was actually late coming to this understanding, but all movements have several things in common,” Browning said. “I
came to social justice activism through the door marked ‘race,’ but I find commonality with all movements that place people and creation over “progress” and profits.” Catherine Oglesby, VSU professor of History and friend of Browning, asked her to speak after learning that Browning would be in Georgia Southern speaking on the same issue. “I knew she had been touring and conducting a lot of speaking engagements,” Oglesby said. “The last time we spoke, she told me about the latest topic she was writing and speaking about. She said she’d be delighted to come to Valdosta.” Oglesby hopes the lecture will teach college students about unity and inspire them to play a role in their future. “I think it’s vital that we speak a similar language—whether your issue is rights of gay and lesbian or rights of people who have particular needs or con-
ing the premier. Former Miss USA, Kenya Moore, joined the ladies and during the season premiere let it be known that she is not one to be messed with. Moore got into a heated argument with one of Bailey’s assistants during a casting call for JET Magazine. The other new housewife,
wants her to name the book ‘Bare feet and Cheetos’. Just wishful thinking. In other pop star news, Lady Gaga caused a bit of controversy (shocker) when she took aim at critics for her recent weight gain. “Well I don’t really care if they think I’m fat, because, quite honestly, I did gain about 30 pounds. Adele is bigger than me, how come nobody says anything about it?” The shade! Shake my head. Obviously Adele has other things to attend to, like taking care of her newborn baby to worry about Gaga throwing a little shade her way. As always tune into Pop Addict next week to catch up on the latest and breaking celebrity news.
cerns,” Oglesby said. “I hope college students are motivated to hear what it takes to be involved in a movement.” According to Browning all it takes is passion along with careful consideration of the consequences. “The most joyful life you will ever live is one when you’re doing something you’re passionate about and making a difference in the lives of people who have less opportunity than you,” Browning said. “Think carefully, because you may not be able to return to whatever path you were on before.” According to Browning, once the decision has been made to get involved in a movement, the only thing left is to hold on tight. “Prepare to live the most interesting, unpredictable, exciting and meaningful life you could ever imagine,” Browning said. “And bravo.”
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Pop Addict Anthony Pope
Porsha Stewart, wife of NFL player Kordell Stewart, will also join the mix. Viewers will get a glimpse into the new socialite’s life when RHOA returns for a second episode on Sunday. From hot messes to former hot messes, it was announced that pop princess and new addition to the’ X Factor’ judging table, Britney Spears, would be releasing a novel. According to reports, the novel will most likely be a fictionalized version of her that will draw upon her real life experiences! There’s some part of me that
Let the features editor know and they could appear in the next issue of The Spectator!
Slang Dictionary Hotlanta: (n.) a nickname for the lively city of Atlanta, Ga. Throw shade: (v.) to act in a jealous nature
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Spears to release novel ello World—Anthony here to wrap up all the things in pop culture that had us all talking this week. This week marked the return of the Peach State’s version of the Real Housewives franchise, or as I like to call them’ The Really Broke Housewives of Atlanta’. Not much has changed since we last saw the ladies of Hotlanta. Nene is still ‘very rich’, having her boss Ryan Murphy make an appearance on the show. Phaedra is still doing the most-- expanding her funeral business into the realm of pet funerals. Kim is pregnant and getting evicted from her home. Speaking of Miss ‘No Scrubs’, Kandi used the premiere to introduce the world to her new beau, RHOA producer Todd Tucker. In other news, not much has changed for former supermodel Cynthia Bailey. She is still running the Bailey Modeling Agency (no comment), and raising her daughter with husband of a year and a half Peter Thomas. The new season of RHOA marks the addition of two new cast members—one of which viewers were introduced to dur-
PAGE 6 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM
SPORTS
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
VSU women’s soccer team back to the dance Ace Espenshied S P O RT S
WRITER
acespenshied@valdosta.edu
David Lacey/ THESPECTATOR
Blazer volleyball team standouts middle blocker Tania Tauiliili and outside hitter Nicki McDanie attempt to block Amber Gatlings kill before VSU went on to win 3-0 October 30th.
Blazer volleyball team prepares for postseason Eric Jackson S P O RT S
EDITOR
epjackson@valdosta.edu
The Valdosta State volleyball team will pack their bags in a couple weeks to head to the beach but the trip will be far from a vacation. Pensacola, Fla,. again is the destination for this year’s Gulf South Conference tournament where the Blazers will try to make history by winning a conference title for the first time ever. The hosting team No. 18 West Florida improved to a conference best 22-7 (15-1) last night beating VSU 3-2 (15-25, 25-20, 2518, 23-25, 15-7) in the final regular season match. Despite the loss, it proves that the Blazers can indeed compete against any team in the GSC. If VSU can win the confer-
ence they will get an automatic bid into the national tournament. The Blazers most likely will have meet up against the Argos again to win the title. Head coach Sia Poyer describes the transition into the post-season like “hitting the reset button�. He agrees that statistics don’t mean much during this time of the season because on any given day a team can make a run. The Blazers last year managed to advance to the semi-finals before losing to 2011 champs UWF. Led by its seniors, VSU has improved from their season a year ago. “My seniors are playing well which is always a huge plus. The confidence of them playing well brings leadership providing that spark,� Poyer said. Senior Chelsea Luttfring, who received player of the week hon-
ors last week, atop of the conference in digs while go-to hitter senior Katie Onushko currently has a team leading 317 kills. Senior middle blocker Tania Tauiliili and sophomore Destini Berry combined for 180 blocks this season. The GSC is widely known for its tough competition and this win or go-home contest will be the season finale for four of the five competing teams. “Even though West Florida is hosting, it’s very realistic for any time one to five,� Poyer said. “Other teams too are getting more comfortable just play at West Florida.� UWF and Chrsitian Brothers are the only two GS who earned NCAA South Region regional rankings. The quarterfinals begin November 18th.
In just the second year in their existence the Lady Blazers soccer team was one of 48 teams in the nation chosen to compete for the NCAA Division II Championship. After a great regular season at 13-3-2, the team found themselves shocked after a 1-0 loss against rival West Georgia in the first round of the Conference tournament. After that game the Blazers no longer controlled their own destiny. They had to wait until Monday to find out if they would participate in the tournament. The work they did in the regular season was enough for the Blazers to earn the 5th seed in the South Region of the tournament. Coach Melissa Heinz was very proud of her young team making the tournament this sea-
son. “[I had] lots of excitement,� Heinz said. It’s important for any program to advance on to the NCAA tournament and when you do it’s exciting.� In the first round the Lady Blazers will face off against familiar foe North Alabama. VSU enters Friday’s game on a two game losing streak while UNA comes in winners of four of its last five. In one match between the two this season the Lions came out on top 4-3. Awaiting the winner of UNA and VSU will be Gulf South Conference champion West Florida. The Argonauts earned the top seed in the South Region giving them a bye to the second round. West Florida finished ranked second in the nation’s final regular season poll. As the Blazers enter uncharted territory they know they have to play better. Coach Heinz knows that the mindset has to change come Friday. “I guess it’s going to have to
be [a different mindset]. It’s a bigger game, a bigger platform, and its got a lot of meaning to it,� Heinz said. “They have to focus even more, be more determined, and just elevate every aspect of their game.� The Blazers need someone to step up, who can lead the team to play like they know they can. They have been shut out in two straight games and the offense obviously needs to show up on Friday. The offense has been streaky this season and VSU has scored an average of about 1.6 goals per game. One goal will probably not be enough against North Alabama. They have averaged 2.7 goals a game and have only been shutout once this season. In the second year of existence the Lady Blazers have shocked many people again. Lets hope the team has a few more surprises in store.
Follow @epjackson on Twitter for Blazer updates and scores.
The Black Swarm is ready to be champs Von Kennedy A S S T . F E AT U R E S EDITOR vtkennedy@valdosta.edu
It must feel really good to be number one. The Valdosta State football team (8-2, 4-1 GSC) has passed every test this season. With fellow South Region member Miles College losing last week, it helped VSU earn the number one ranking in their region. Not only are they currently number one in the region but if West Alabama loses to North Alabama this week, the Tigers will share the Gulf South Conference title with the Blazers. VSU may not be ranked number one in the region when the NCAA Division II play-offs offcially start. It depends on the outcomes of upcoming games between Mars Hill/ Carson-Newman nd Miles/ Fort Valley State. Some notable seniors that will be leaving the Blazers after this year are defensive end and Gulf South Player of the Week Tyler Josey and kicker Daniel Anderson. Along with preseason AllAmerican lineman Edmund Kugbila and Ryan Schraeder, center Jake Thomas and former Florida State defensive back Greg Reid. Coach David Dean’s prediction of the underclassmen playing hard for the seniors was true. For example, after allowing
the opening touchdown in the regular season finale against Texas A&M Kingsville, less than four minutes into the game, VSU tied the game up and preceded to score back and forth with the Javelinas until freshman running back Cedric O’Neal score an eight yard touchdown with just seconds left in the game. “It was great to pull that victory out,� Dean said. “You thought at some points of the game that we would pull away in the game, but they just kept coming back. From a fan’s perspective, it was a heck of a football game.� Quarterback Cayden Cochran continued his strong play by passing for 331 yards and four touchdowns and also gained Gulf South Player of the Week honors. Regginald Lewis lead the team in receiving with 107 yards and receiver Gerald Ford scored two touchdowns. The Blazer defense gave up 495 yards of total offense and will have to slow someone down to advance deep into the playoffs. Dean thinks that the team can only get better on defense and the defensive backs will excel with more experience. “We’re playing with two young safeties,� said Dean. “If we can eliminate the big plays from the games we play, our margin of victory will be a lot higher.� The Blazers are the top seed
in Super Region two that includes familiar foes Albany State, Fort Valley State, North Alabama and West Alabama as well. The Blazers also receive a first round bye with their ranking. “I was surprised that we jumped from number three to one in the region,� said Dean. “If we can hold on to that number one ranking through this week, we’ll have home-field advantage throughout the region.� Despite averaging 43 points per game during the team’s six game winning streak, Dean feels that their strength of schedule contributed to their number one ranking the most. Super Region II is the only region in the playoffs that does not have an undefeated or one-loss team in the bracket. Dean is not a fan of having to play a lot of the same teams for a second time in the playoffs this year. “It takes away from the accomplishments of the regular season,� Dean said. “There’s a lot of teams out there that are undefeated that didn’t play the tough teams we had to play this season.� VSU will kick off the playoffs in the second round after their bye week on Nov. 24. “I would love to trade our schedule with some other the teams that are undefeated. The southeast is a tough area to be in,� Dean said.
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