February 28, 2013
W W W. V S U S P E C TAT O R . C O M
VOLUME 84 ISSUE 20
Inside This Issue
On the Web w w w. v s u s p e c ta t o r. c o m
- OPINIONS: “faculty questions dead day” - FEATURES: “Sigmas to paint campus blue with Kdr”
Check out pg. 6 to see what we thought of the Bleu Pub in downtown Valdosta.
- SPORTS: “remember the Wildcats”
Today at VSU MidterM today is the official midterm for the semester and the last day to withdraw from classes. Withdrawals must be completed online by 11:59 p.m. according to the registrar, no withdrawals will be processed after this time except for “documented medical hardships.” Guest speaker: “Genes, patents & social Justice: the ownership of Your Genes” - Bailey science center auditorium 3009, 7 p.m. dr. albert Scherr, law professor at the university of New Hampshire who was part of the ethical, legal Social implications of the Human Genome Project that educated faculty worldwide on responsible use of the Human Genome. Hosted by VSu Honors college
Burgers and baseball!
Check out Will Lewis’ coverage of the Arts & Sciences Faculty Research Colloquium on Wednesday.
Faculty Senate:
Elimination of Friday classes discussed Amanda Usher f e at u r e S e d i t o r amusher@valdosta.edu
No more classes on friday? this became one of the main topics of discussion at last thursday’s faculty Senate meeting at 3:30 p.m. in the uc Magnolia room when dr. aubrey fowler, assistant professor of marketing, proposed that VSu adopt a two-day class schedule. this would mean that classes on fridays would cease to exist, and would only be offered Monday to thursday.
Water,
a mixture of thoughts overflowed as some felt that the proposed schedule should not be made mandatory, while others felt as if more research should be done before they make their decision to support or oppose this schedule. in email interviews, a few of the faculty senators expressed their concerns on this topic and other points of business. “i think we need to let good teaching and department and college needs drive the scheduling decisions rather than convenience, and not require two-daya-week classes if three-day-a-
week classes work better for [certain university] units,” dr. Maren clegg-Hyer, assistant professor of english, said. according to dr. clegg-Hyer, core classes and classes in which reading and writing are extremely intense deserve to have more face-to-face time than what a two-day schedule could offer. While dr. Jason allard, associate professor of geography, is one of those senators waiting for more information. He feels as if changing the schedule should have minimal impact on students. “i believe the students should
still have access to the same number of course offerings as [they do] now, and be able to take these courses so that they can graduate in a timely manner,” dr. allard said. “if there would be an adverse impact on the students, i would not support a two-day schedule.” there are various things to consider when changing the way that classes are scheduled. for dr. allard, facility availability is one of them. for dr. Peggy Moch, professor of mathematics education, factors that impact students, faculty, curriculum, teaching, de-
Water everyWhere:
Isaiah Smart S ta f f W r i t e r itsmart@valdosta.edu
stop the silence - uc theatre, 7:06 p.m. oratorical competition with spoken word presentations. a $100 grand prize will be awarded. Presented by alpha Phi alpha in collaboration with Black Student league.
Weather Today Sunny 66 H 37 L Partly Cloudy 60 H 35 L
Saturday Partly Cloudy 55 H 33 L
What are your thoughts on advising? A. Advising is pointless. B. Got my schedule planned and ready to go. C. My adviser is too hard to see. He/she has a full schedule from too many advisees. D. Other (Tweet your answer @vsuspectator) Vote online at www.vsuspectator.com!
Last Week’s Poll Results
Amber Smith editor-iN-cHief amid a flash flood warning and threats of a nearby river overflowing, VSu canceled all classes that started at or after 5 p.m. on Monday. during the time that students were required to attend classes, they trudged around campus with umbrellas, rain boots and jackets hoping to fend off the pouring rain outside. a flash flood warning was in effect from 1 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. tuesday. Valdosta received
I don’t make spring break plans.
33%
Nothing can put a damper on my vacay.
27%
I’m planning a stay-cation.
20%
Gas is too expensive to travel.
13% 7%
2.87 inches of rainfall, according to weather.com. this was over a quarter of the week’s precipitation and approximately one-third of the month’s precipitation in one day. this heavy rain followed a weekend of rain during which the city received 2.44 inches of rain on friday and 1.98 inches on Saturday. the rain cleared by tuesday and the university reopened for a normal schedule. Valdosta city and lowndes county Schools remained closed on tuesday, as did Wiregrass Georgia technical college.
Amber Smith/ THE SPECTATOR The creek near Oak Parking Deck rose above its normal level due to the heavy rain on Monday.
Valdosta’s local government will be explained to a select group of citizens later this spring. residents of Valdosta will get a chance to see what it’s like behind the scenes by attending the fourth annual Government 101 citizens orientation Program. the mayor and his council created Government 101 in 2010 in attempts to educate residents about the inner workings of their local government. the program will last for six weeks and participants will meet on Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Valdosta residents will learn about departments such as public safety, engineering, financial administration and facility tour. departments responsible for construction inspection, city projects, water distribution, police bureaus, utilities and many more will be covered during the program. “i feel like things are sugarcoated in the news and i would like to know what’s going on,” deiera evans, sophomore business management major, said. those who plan to participate in this six-week program will have to go through a background investigation and must complete a criminal history form. “i encourage citizens 18 years and up to apply and participate in the program,” Sementha Mathews, public information officer, said. to apply, Valdosta citizens can download the form at See CITIZENS, Page 2
Steam near Palms just condensation Joe Adgie
Are gas prices going to affect your spring break plans?
Hitching a ride with friends.
Von Kennedy/ THE SPECTATOR Students head to and from Odum Library as rain pours down on campus Monday. Class was canceled after 5 p.m., but until that time those on campus had to make their way between the buildings through the rain.
amsmith@valdosta.edu
Question of the week
S e e S E N AT E , P a g e 3
City seeks citizens for government education
karaoke - odum library auditorium, 8 p.m. this event is free and open to the campus community. refreshments provided. Hosted by Natural High.
Friday
partmental scheduling and much more should be investigated. Whether they support or feel indifferent, the senators can agree on one idea: that all sides of an argument should be heard before a final decision is made. “all parties involved must be able to provide input into the decision, including the Student Government association, the council on Staff affairs, faculty, administration, organizations or other interested groups,” dr. allard said. “departments or groups that engage schools or
Social Media editor jmadgie@valdosta.edu
the steam coming from the ground in front of Palms dining is not steam at all, but rather “water runoff,” according to an employee with Plant operations who declined to give her name. the employee explained that this “water runoff” was the result of the rains that have hit Valdosta lately. “it was so wet that, we’ve had it reported, but […] it was condensation,” the employee said in a phone interview.
the employee was not able to explain an odor that emanated from the holes where the steam was coming from. “it was reported that it was just a steam leak in two places outside of Palms, and when i checked with the technician responsible, the explanation i was given was the excess water that we had received,” the employee said. “Nobody said anything about a foul smell.” the unnamed employee then hung up and declined further comment. though no foul smell was reported to Plant operations, students have been seen covering their noses as they walked by.
Von Kennedy/ THE SPECTATOR Steam has been seen emanating from the ground near Palms Dining and some seem to be smelling a foul odor. The steam has been reported to Plant Operations and has been labeled as merely water va-