VANGUARD
THE
VOL. 52, NO. 10
“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.”
APR. 1, 2013
Wilters to be honored
USA loses a family member: Honoring Jordan Greer
By JAYSON CURRY jayson-curry@hotmail.com
The University of South Alabama will honor Judge Harry J. Wilters Jr. on Wednesday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the USA Baldwin County Campus in Fairhope. Wilters was a jurist and lawyer in Baldwin county, his home town, where he practiced law for 60 years and was judge of the 28 Judicial Court for almost 14 years. Wilters graduated from Robertsdale high school and later served in the Army Air Corps/ Air Force in the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Wilters came back to Alabama and finished his undergraduate work before getting his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law. The South Alabama department of political science and criminal justice is starting an endowed lectureship with the inaugural lecture on April 3. According to a press release about the event, The Judge Harry J. Wilters Jr. Lectureship in Constitutional Law and Professional Ethics, established by the USA Foundation Board, was made possible through a gift donated by Judge Wilters’ family: Mrs. Verla Ledlow Wilters, a USA Foundation Board member; Dr. John Wilters; and Judge Robert Wilters. The endowed lecture will provide funding for an annual lecture in constitutional law and professional ethics, the core values of Judge Wilters’ creed in upholding the law. The first endowed lecture will be presented by Dr. Charles W. Gamble, Dean Emeritus and Henry Upson Sims Professor Emeritus of Law at The University of Alabama School of Law. The lecture, “Without Fear or Favor: Let Us Now Praise Famous Judges,” Contact Kelli Dickson at Kellidickson@live.com for further information.
Senator goes extra mile By STUART SOX sgsox@att.net
duties and responsibilities she will inevitably face. Davis is no stranger to the rigor of student government duties. She was the SGA president as a senior at Davidson High School, the freshman-atlarge in her first year at USA, an engineering senator as a sophomore and is now SGA’s chief justice. Davis recalls a mere three Monday nights of her college career that she wasn’t meeting with fellow members of SGA, discuss-
SGA School of Computing Senator Jacob Taylor, a junior and information systems major, saw a need on South Alabama’s campus and prompted a change that many students will appreciate. As part of last fall’s school of computing SGA senate project, Taylor proposed a three-part initiative to improve the infrastructure in certain areas of campus. Over Christmas break, reflective beads were added to each speed bump on campus, 76 in all, to improve their night time visibility as the first initiative of the senate project. The second initiative, currently in progress, is the widening of the turns into the Shelby Hall parking lot on Jaguar Drive. These turns have been an issue for drivers on campus for some time. “I am terrified that I might hit another car when turning,” said Uriel G. Lopez on The Vanguard’s Facebook page. The turns are expected to be completed by May. As the third initiative of the project, a sidewalk connecting Meisler Hall and the life sciences building will be built to provide a walking path over a large expanse of grass. Construction of the sidewalk is set to begin in April. The entire project was paid for by SGA and cost $7612. The reflective beads cost $912, the new sidewalk cost $4500 and the widening of the two turns cost $2200. Taylor encourages other students to be proactive in initiating necessary changes on campus by attending the weekly SGA meetings. “A lot of people don’t really know what SGA’s about or what we’re doing, so
See SGA Page 7
See Senator Page 7
CASSIE FAMBRO/ EDITOR
Hundreds mourned Greer on Wednesday at the Moulton Tower including friends, family and USA staff.
Read how USA family and friends remember Jordan (top right) on pages 5-6.
Davis wins SGA presidency by landslide By STUART SOX sgsox@att.net
Rising senior and criminal justice major Riley Davis won this year’s Student Government Riley Davis Association presidential election by a landslide 71 percent vote. Davis currently serves as the
SGA’s chief justice and is a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. But who exactly is South Alabama’s future SGA President? “I’m nervous,” were Davis’ first words in an interview with The Vanguard. “This is my first interview as President,” she added with a sense of anticipation. While some may think that nervousness indicates fear of failure, in Davis’ case, however, it speaks to her understanding of the magnitude of the
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