VANGUARD
THE
“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.”
SEPT. 10, 2012
VOL. 51, NO. 7
USA Marching Band rings in HUMB undergoes Shelby Hall Dedication
PATRICK HERRING | SPORTS
INSIDE
major facelift By KALYN MCCLELLAN kbm1001@jagmail.southalabama.edu
Next game: NC State ► Opinion: Politics, something everyone has an opinion on. So how was the RNC perceived by the student eye? See Opinion, page 8. Life Spotlight: You’ve seen the ads, but what is the career expo ► all about and how can it help you? See Life, page 6.
► Sports: The Jags won their sec-
ond game of the season against Nicholls, but it was considered an ugly win. See Sports, page 9.
The full photo album for the event can be found on facebook.com/thevanguardusa.
Student phone numbers compromised A serious campus alert reached the ears of many students; but wasn’t meant for USA, or even Alabama
By JAYSON CURRY jayson-curry@hotmail.com
Starbucks Opens in Shelby Hall!
Courtesy of South Alabama Dining
Cassie Fambro | Editor-in-Chief
On August 27, an unknown number of students at the University of South Alabama received multiple mysterious phone calls from an out-oftown area code. Students received a message from a man introducing himself as Ray Cortez. The unsettling aspect of this message is that Cortez identifies himself “campus police” and warns of a dangerous situation. “He described a suspect wearing all black, around 5’6” and Hispanic, who had escaped custody while still in handcuffs,” USA student and Vanguard Left of Center Editor J.T. Crabtree said. “It went on to say that if I had any information I was to call him at campus police, but he never said USAPD or gave me his number.” Crabtree was just one of several students on campus to receive the call
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according to Lt. Keith West of USAPD. “We got several reports on this. Our investigators looked into it last week and determined that it was from another college in Texas,” West said. The Vanguard discovered that somehow, Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas had called USA students with this alert. Cortez is their community college’s chief of police. “Somehow their notification system experienced a glitch and some of the phone calls were routed to local numbers,” West added. “We don’t know anything more about the glitch but hopefully this was just an isolated anomaly and won’t happen again.” USAPD advises students that if there is a legitimate USA alert that it will come from USAPD directly. Students are also encouraged to call USAPD at 460-6312 to verify any suspicious alert. The idea that student phone num-
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bers are floating around in other states did not sit well with some. USA professor and CASCLE director Karen Peterson received the call. “Scary,” was how she described it. “How did someone tap into our alert system?” Peterson echoed the sentiments of several, including USA psychology student Tyler Bell. Bell pointed to communication being crucial in alerts like these. “If the USAPD Facebook was as active as The Vanguard’s Facebook, I’m sure that would allow for the USAPD to be quickly notified by nonofficial sources. I would definitely not be okay with having a non-University source telling me first,” said Bell. In fact, USAPD did not respond to a comment on their Facebook page asking about the call for 11 days. The Vanguard attempted to get in contact with Mr. Cortez but did not receive a reply by deadline. Editor’s Note: Cassie Fambro contributed to this report.
During the summer, the humanities building underwent much-needed renovations, improving the aesthetics of the classrooms and hallways. But were these renovations necessary, and where did this money come from? According to Wayne Davis, vice president of Financial Affairs, the total cost of these renovations was more than $1.2 million. However, this amount also includes renovations to five bathrooms in ILB. “The funding came from several sources,” Davis said. “$500,000 came from the office of the senior vice president of academic affairs, $150,000 from the office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, and the remaining $599,000 came from Central University Accounting,” Davis stated. The renovations include replacement of ceiling tiles, new flooring and freshly painted hallways and classrooms. All that remains to be done is the replacement of classroom doors. “The doors alone cost $214,000,” said Davis. Some students find the renovations a welcome investment in the appearance of the University of South Alabama, while some students think the money could have been better spent. Erika Mims, senior creative writing student, is happy about the improvements. "Everything seemed bigger and brighter," Mims said. "I definitely like the new look and I think it's done wonders to the whole atmosphere of the building, making it less dreary, more lively," Mims continued. Recent USA graduate Heather Worley, bachelor of psychology, agreed with Mims. "Making improvements are a must See HUMB Page 2
In this Issue: Life, Page 6 Opinion, Page 12 Sports, Page 9