Sept. 28, 2015

Aug. 10, 2015 SEPT 28, 2015

VOL. 57 #3 VOL. 57 #9

If we build it,

will they come?

Fashion Week 2015 NEWS NEWS

Admin addresses parking Wheels for Elijah

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SPORTS LIFE

Freshman Do’s andSouth Don’ts NC State runs over

107

Opinion Opinion

Consider Source Kim Davisthe Revisited

16 13

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SEPT. 28, 2015

No new spaces, but a lot of solutions

Administration addresses parking with The Vanguard, looks at alternative solutions

By ALYSSA NEWTON Editor-In-Chief

S

outh Alabama does not plan on adding more parking anytime soon, but the administration is working on several solutions.

The Vanguard editorial staff sat down with President Tony Waldrop, Director of Facilities Management Randy Moon, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Haskins, Police Captain Keith West, Facilities Utilization Planner Ken Gates and USA Police Chief Zeke Aull for an open discussion about South Alabama’s parking issues.

Gates provided the latest parking survey for 2014-2015, with the biggest problem areas identified in the South zone lots that featured 0-10 percent availability during the surveyed times.

“I think that if you look at those you can certainly come to the conclusion that there are issue spots on campus without a doubt. However, I think there are other ways to deal with some of that. Some we are ready to do, some that we are still looking into,” said Waldrop.

One of the potential solutions, of which could also be the most immediate, are converting some employee

spots back into student spots.

“We’re evaluating student, faculty and staff and employee ratio. We’ll evaluate this over the entire semester. …We have about 100 spaces that we have identified that we will be converting from employee spaces, in several lots, to student spaces,” said West.

“After we observe that, we will see how things look, we may convert more, and there may be some shifting of some other areas to where we will have to add employee spaces. That’s ongoing.”

The amount of spots that will be converted is not yet set in stone, but this is just one of several possible changes that the administration is looking into to help with not only the parking issues, but traffic as well.

Another idea involves transporting students to and from remote areas on campus, where they could instead park their vehicles rather than attempting to park in some of the busier areas of campus.

“Randy (Moon) and I have identified a couple spaces that there is no one parking at right now,” said Aull. “Let’s say the gravel lot, which has been overflow for housing, it’s pretty much empty the majority of the time as well as the areas around the intramural fields. Those

Survey conducted: Monday or Wednesday - 9:05-9:55 or 10:10-11:00 Tuesday or Thursday - 9:30-10:45 or 11:00-12:15

20 376

University of South Alabama Student Parking 2014-2015 Total % Available by Lot

Labels Parking Zones Central

USA 1324

East

USA 1169

North

USA 746

South

USA 1142

Other

®

32B 113

11-20

32C 120

19 365

41 77

Availablility (%)

0-10

32D 209

32A 144

USA 4425

2015 SPRING Parking 2015_STU

32F 28

32E 64

48 88

21 18 33 587

39 163

50E 32

16 319

40 33

50C 40 50D 70

18 484

23 24

22 72

29 73

37 4

31 340

38 38

21-30 Students, community members held a vigil, protests after Collars death in 2012. (Vanguard Archives) 31-40 50F 310

41-50

50B 38

61-70

35 54

71-80 81-90 Other Lot

49 310

11 190

24 130 15 52

36 720

45 251

47 665

12 218

34 123

50A 222

91-100

13 18

14 24

17 28

54 18

51-60

30 56

9 29

7 13

8 24

4 6

55 31

42 107

26 406

3 39

5 40

6 24

2 414

27 36

56 35

10 50

1 206 44 50

43 71

25 16

2014-2015 Survey of parking availability for students. (Facilities Utilization section of the University of South Alabama Engineering department) 51 595

are spots we would consider remote, where we would get folks to park there and create some alternate routes to be more efficient and get you to class much more quickly.”

That would include the University’s JagTran system.

“I know one of the issues with the trans is that lots of students tell me that they are not reliable in terms of time,” Waldrop said on the JagTrans.

“We are looking at where the traffic spots are on campus.”

Traffic on campus, especially

between classes, can be an issue within itself.

“We’ve got some bottlenecks that we’re looking at that really slows up the trans,” Moon said. “… If we get some of these See Parking pg. 4

South under water: Flash flooding causes unsafe conditions

By ALYSSA NEWTON Editor-In-Chief

S

outh Alabama sent out a flash flood warning on Sunday night as rain poured throughout the day causing some areas of the campus to be flooded.

The Vanguard received multiple images of flooded parking lots and even sinkholes throughout South’s campus.

Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday, so students should prepare for more flash flooding.

USA officials told students to stay inside as some parts of campus were ‘completely under water.’

Students should stay indoors if it is flooding. Just 6 inches of moving water can knock you down, and 2 feet of water can sweep your vehicle away. Be safe, ‘turn around, don’t drown.’

New Hall parking lot flooded on Sunday night. (Left) Epsilon 2 first floor had minor water in hallways during flash flooding. (Right) (Photos | Courtesty of Rachel Lesh)

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SEPT. 28, 2015

3 Editorial Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor Life Editor Staff Reporters

Alyssa Kaitlyn Newton

Mitchell Kahalley Micaela Walley Alexander Moylan Mary Alice Wilson Natalie Franklin Bria Johnson Tori Brackett Caitlin Smith Briana DiGiorgio

Staff Photographer Emily Rodrick

Distribution

Distribution Bobby Faulk Alan Smith

Advertising

Advertising Cristina Werner Graphic Designer Katelyn Huff

Management

Advising J. Sellers J. Aucoin Accounting Kathy Brannan

Mission The Vanguard, the student-run newspaper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by reporting the news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

Send letters and guest columns to: The Vanguard University of South Alabama Alpha Hall South Room 336 Mobile, Ala., 36688.

Or thevanguardeditor@gmail.com Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication. Submissions should be typed and must include the writer’s name, year, school and telephone number. All submissions become the property of The Vanguard. The Vanguard reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity.

Letters will be limited to 300 words. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writer. The Staff Editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board. All members of the Editorial Board have the same weight. The Vanguard has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, e-mail thevanguardeditor@gmail.com. The Vanguard is published Mondays during the academic year, except for exam periods and vacations, and is published twice each summer. The Vanguard is supported in part by an allocation from student activity fees and operates in the Student Media Department of the Division of Student Affairs. Issues are available at most University buildings and select off-campus locations. The first copy is free. Additional copies are $1 each. Freelance writers will receive payment at the discretion of the section editor and will be notified.

To request additional issues at a stand near you, email: vanguarddistribution@gmail.com

Nick Grondin | Staff Meteorologist

USAPD crime blotter

If you SEE something 251-460-6312 SAY something!

08/22/2015 9:44 Simple Assault-Family The Grove Apartments A female victim reported a domestic incident that occurred in her residence at The Grove.

08/25/2015 3:58 Theft of Article from Auto Beta 5 A tailgate was stolen off of a female student’s pickup truck.

08/24/2015 11:58 Burglary Second Degree The Grove Apartments In building 8 assorted school books were taken from resident’s room without permission.

08/25/2015 4:10 Theft of Property Second Degree (Greater that $500 to $2000) Recreation Center Unknown person(s) removed items from victim’s possession without consent.

08/25/2015 9:58 Theft-From public building Bookstore Unknown male left without paying for a black 16 GB Apple iPad mini, valued at 399.00.

08/25/2015 1:39 Theft of Property Third Degree ($500 or less) Grassy Area in Traffic Circle An on campus fraternity house’s sign was stolen.

08/26/2015 5:02 Burglary Second Degree The Grove Apartments In building 9 an unknown male entered victim’s room.

Victim and victim’s boyfriend was awakened by squeaky door. The unknown male fled on foot. The subject entered apartment through an unlocked door.

USA POLICE MEDIA BOOK NOT UPDATED SINCE AUGUST.

SEPT. 28, 2015

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Student-run clinic helps those in need South Alabama students come together, give health screens to homeless free of charge

By TORI BRACKETT Staff Reporter

S

outh Alabama students are making a difference in the lives of Mobile’s homeless through a completely student-run free clinic.

The clinic is open every Saturday to see the homeless population of Mobile free of charge. The Student-Run Free Clinic (SRFC) first opened its doors at 15 Place downtown in March 2014.

The idea for the clinic began in 2013 and was started by two students in the college of medicine, Sarah Boyd and Serita Wagle, who are both currently fourth year medical students.

As one of the only interprofessional student-led clinics that offer services free of charge in the nation, it will make strides for those in need of wellness services.

The clinic is entirely student-led, including students from, but not limited to, the college of medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, speech pathology and audiology, social work and nursing programs at South Alabama.

“Not only are we seeing homeless people,

Parking Continued from Page 2

vehicles parked in one area, we can get these trans much easier across campus which keeps it on time. These remotes we would look at going to some of the key hot spots such as Allied Health, Chemistry, Humanities without getting into that bottleneck on South Drive.

We are trying to figure out if we add routes or if we change routes, how do we communicate that.”

One of the worst ‘bottlenecks’ on campus is the crosswalk right in front of the archeology museum on South Drive. Vehicles will typically back up into the traffic circle causing major traffic problems as classes end.

“The problem with the archeology site is that it is only a 15 minute period.

The rest of the time is moving, but the problem is that’s when people are using the tran to try and get to classes.” Moon said.

That is one of many of the issues that causes the JagTrans to be ‘unreliable’ for students who need to use them to get to and from classes in a timely fashion.

One improvement that will be launched in the near future is an app that will tell students where JagTrans are on campus and give them an estimated time

but we’re really becoming team based where everyone works together and solve problems,” Alex Wiles, a second year med student and the clinic’s development chairman said. “They really get to see a window into what everyone else is learning.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony to acknowledge the clinic will be Saturday, Oct. 10 but will only be open to invited guests.

The event is being held in hopes to raise awareness of the beneficial things that the health students at the University are promoting in our community. Student volunteers from various colleges at South Alabama gather at 15 Place Homeless Shelter in downtown Mobile each Saturday to collaborate and provide essential wellness services to those in need.

The clinic provides free wellness services to the homeless of the city, including health check-ups and counseling, as well as health and nutrition education. The students aim to provide preventative care and referrals for persons in need of direct mental or medical care.

“We really focus on prevention,” Wiles said. “The whole focus of this is preventing disease before they happen … if they need treatment we try and find a resource for them

of arrival.

“We have two buses that is operating with the app right now and we’re looking for feedback to see if it’s working, does it provide real-time information,” Moon said. “It was developed by the computer center here on campus and they have put a lot of effort into it. Before we roll it out to every vehicle we want to make sure it is a useful tool and that it provides real-time information.”

There’s also been a push for more bike racks, especially near the health sciences buildings.

“If we can get bike ridership up, the University is willing to invest in bike racks,” Moon said.

With the presented possible projects, Waldrop said that these are some ways to improve parking and traffic without adding more parking itself.

“We are not looking at additional parking if there are other solutions,” Waldrop said. “As I have said before, this is the sustainable way to do it. We have a beautiful campus. Imagine if we had found alternate ways earlier on and there wasn’t so much asphalt laying around. It would be even lovelier than it is now. I recognize the problems, but it hasn’t changed my feeling that there is not a need to build more parking. There are other things that we can do that are probably best for the University.”

Student-Run Free Clinic aids Mobile’s homeless population. (South Alabama) that’s feasible for their unique situations.

For the students volunteering with the clinic, the real-world opportunities and experiences are vital to their studies. Increasing communication between patients and careproviders and working with a team to provide these services is extremely important.

The motivation behind the clinic is to enrich patients’ lives, while simultaneously allowing the students at the university to receive hands-on experience and help to change the way that the university and Mobile

County handle health care for the homeless population of Mobile.

Donations are taken at the clinic for those in need, including clothing, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene supplies, healthcare products and office supplies. As well as providing health care services to the population, a sense of advocacy and comfort are also part of the students’ goal.

“It a great experience for the students and helps out our community,” Wiles said.

SEPT. 28, 2015

Courageous Conversation:

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#BLACKLIVESMATTER

By BRIA JOHNSON Staff Reporter

T

he African American Student Association and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs began AASA Week with a very controversial topic. The first Courageous Conversation, entitled #AllButBlackLivesMatter, was held in the Student Center Terrace Sept. 21.

The conversation was based around the systematic structure of racism in America.

Throughout the discussion, students spoke on various topics including police brutality toward African Americans, racism in today’s society and social media, culture, racial unity and integrity, racial problems, black-on-black crime, the use of the “N” word and personal racial confrontations.

The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag began very shortly after the Trayvon Martin case in 2013. It blew up all over social media sites and began a movement in the African American community.

Dr. Carl Cunningham, director of multicultural student affairs, who acted as the facilitator of the event said last year police brutality was the first Courageous Conversation that they hosted. He began the conversation with a question, “What is #BlackLivesMatter to you?”

“What I respect about the movement, which it is a movement, but what I respect most about it is it’s a call to action.” DeWitt Ford, President of AASA and a member of the panel for the conversation answered.

Ford said that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is something that began with young people and it shows people the same age as us that they can do it too.

“It started small, a simple hashtag, has blown up so much,” he said. “It’s not just a trending fad, that’s what I respect about the #BlackLivesMatter movement, it is a still ongoing movement.”

Another question posed during the conversation: “When you look at most of the police brutality that occurs, do we inflict it on ourselves?”

The Sandra Bland case was brought up and used as an example of knowing one’s rights and how to be safe during routine traffic stops.

“As black men, women, they are looking for a reason...” Ford said.

“We see it almost everyday. People being killed, because why? Because you’re black,” said Alex Hughes, another member of the panel and a graduate student at the university. “It has an effect on our psyche as black people, when we have to worry, is my boyfriend coming home today? Is my brother coming home today? At this point, am I gonna come home today?”

During the conversation, students also shared their opinion of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and what issues they see in our society.

One young woman said, “Our generation is a microwave society, we want everything right now! Nobody wants to work for the change that Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks worked for.”

As the conversation continued,

The #BlackLivesMatter movement’s hashtag was found on a South Alabama mortorboard last spring. (The Vanguard Archieves) Cunningham pointed out the power of social media, something past leaders of the Civil Rights Movement did not have.

Another student questioned the validity of the movement. “The issue of #BLM, to me, it’s no point, like it makes no sense because my life doesn’t matter more than his or hers just because I’m black. Black people aren’t the only ones discriminated against in this country...I don’t even understand the whole movement.”

“You cannot say there is no point to the #BLM movement because we do crime on each other,” Dillon Sutton, the vice president of the national panhellenic council said. “When

you have someone who has sworn to protect and serve you, as a U.S. citizen, committing murder against you and your people, and that’s the truth,” “I see that you don’t think you’re important, you don’t think you’re good enough, you don’t think you can be successful,” Shanta Jenkins of counseling and testing services said. “We should come together and we should believe in ourselves.”

There will be more Courageous Conversations throughout the year affording students an outlet to talk about controversial topics in the future.

USA teams take first, second in Airbus innovation Showdown

By BRIA JOHNSON Staff Reporter

L

ast summer a team of University students won the first Airbus Innovation Showdown, a national competition among college students to help Airbus create the “Aircraft of the Future.”

South Alabama was asked to put together two teams and solve two separate problems that were picked from a list that Airbus presented within a six week period.

Two interdisciplinary teams, including students from engineering, computing and business, worked together to solve these problems. Out of the four schools

that competed in the competition, South’s teams placed first and second. The teams started with several ideas and brainstormed until they had one final idea to present to Airbus.

The competition was developed jointly between Airbus Research & Technology and cabin engineering across nearly all Airbus locations with support from Airbus Corporate Innovation. The Innovation Showdown gave students the chance to learn about the field, expand their interest in commercial aircraft manufacturing and generate out-of-the-box, innovative ideas for aircraft of the future, according to a University release.

“It was a really challenging, really

interesting experience for all of us,” said junior Dan Smithson. “It was a great experience, we’re super grateful for the opportunity to represent South.”

The IXL Center will award $1,250 to each member of the winning USA team.

“I think one of the best part of the competition was actually having the one on one interaction with Airbus. For every presentation we were actually pitching our ideas to a real panel of judges of higher ups and real engineers,” said Brandi DePineuil, an accounting major. “It was really valuable to get that interaction with them.”

Andrew Tindell, a senior mechanical

engineering major said that the team would be pitching the presentation that won first place to the headquarters in Hamburg, Germany.

“We all had a huge swing of confidence on the last day. We had this idea that we thought was good, but who knows what they have, so we talked to our advisor about it and he said, ‘that’s awesome’,” Smithson said.

The first place South Alabama team will be doing a video presentation Oct. 1, 2015, to some leaders in the innovation program at Airbus in Hamburg, Germany.

In addition, Airbus is giving the team in Mobile another project by the name of ‘Spice’.

LIFE

Natalie franklin life Editor nsf1222@jagmail.southalabama.edu

SEPT. 28, 2015

Couture for a cause: Mobile Fashion Week 2015 By natalie franklin Life Editor

“L

ights. Camera. Action. Face.” These are the thoughts running through Kyron Timmons’ mind right before he hit the runway. Timmons, a student in the College of Nursing at South Alabama, modeled for the first time in the Finale show of Mobile Fashion Week.

MFW kicked off on Thursday, Sept. 24, and concluded to a packed house on Saturday, Sept. 26. A warehouse at Mobile Aeroplex provided the unique location for this year’s show.

Food trucks were on site to feed the MFW attendees. Grits and Grub and Will Hughes

Farm Foods cooked up tasty food for reasonable prices.

The warehouse was filled with pop up shops of various local boutiques such as Ruby Blue Boutique and D’Voluptuous Plus Size Boutique. Polish Boutique and Bottega Collection even had their own fashion truck.

(Think food truck but with clothes instead of food.) Several people took advantage of the shopping opportunity while in attendance.

“It’s really cool to come see different styles,” Elizabeth Foley, a sophomore at South, said.

The runway was located on the opposite side of the warehouse. Spectators sat on either side of the runway in chairs, for VIP, and bleachers, for general admission. During the

Rhema Creeper, South Alabama student, modeled for this year’s Mobile Fashion Week. (Emily Rodrick | Staff Photographer)

Finale show on Saturday, there was standing room only, as hopeful faces strained to get a glimpse of Mobile’s top fashion.

Each night, various designers and retailers showcased their clothes. Friday’s Fashion’s Night Out show exhibited the designs of Arianna Swan, junior designer. Swan described her style as “vintage/modern.” Polish, Lotus Boutique and Covered Boutique were among the several retailers to model their clothing.

The Finale showcased a talented young designer, Tieler James. James, 15, competed on and won Lifetime’s Project Runway: Threads last year. Since then, his designs have been featured in New Orleans Fashion Week and Atlantic City Fashion Week. James’ designs for MFW this year were inspired by a Renaissance theme.

Junior designer, Helen Legg also showcased her collection in the Finale. Kyron Timmons modeled her designs. Timmons and fellow South student Patton Short strutted down the runway for this year’s MFW. “Other than hoping I wouldn’t fall the entire time, all I could really notice was that there were just a bunch of lights, and I was just trying to tune everything out except for the lights in front of me,” Short said.

“People are loving this fashion and obviously it’s giving students and everything in the community a chance to be involved in fashion because we don’t have the opportunity down here,” Timmons said.

Of course, MFW isn’t only about the fashion. Each year, a portion of ticket sales and donations are given to Camp Rap-A-Hope.

After the show, Richard McGill, founder of MFW, invited Melissa, a representative from Camp Rap-A-Hope, to speak to the large crowd. “Thank you for helping children with

Patton Short, a student in the College of Nursing at South Alabama, walked the runway at Mobile Fashion Week.

(Emily Rodrick | Staff Photographer) cancer. You did that tonight simply by being here.”

Camp Rap-A-Hope is an organization that supports children with cancer. The organization provides a week long summer camp to these children, free of charge, each year. “September is childhood cancer awareness month, so it’s awesome that we do this [MFW] this month,” Melissa said.

MFW may be over for this year, but fashion lovers along the Gulf Coast can look forward to next year’s show as this event continues to grow and flourish.

Student Organization Spotlight: House of Jags

Elijah Sprague (bottom left) has gained national attention after Aaron Cater shared his story on Twitter.

(Photo: Rene Sprague Facebook)

By CAITLIN SMITH Staff Reporter

N

Instagram

ot everyone’s day consists of waking

up minutes before you class, throwing on whatever is clean and running out the door. As crazy as it may sound to some people, many of students put time and effort into their daily outfits.

In fact, there is an entire organization on campus dedicated to fashion, House of Jags.

House of Jags president, Jade Withers believes that every week should be fashion week. “I never know what I am going to wear. Today I am edgy and retro, and tomorrow I could be preppy and flirty.

There are so many options when it comes to how you dress. It is like wearable art.”

House of Jags has only been an organi zation since Fall of 2014, and Withers is constantly working on expanding and

growing the group to be about more than just fashion. “There are people who are into photography or like to be behind the scenes, and I want to make it more into the art, than just fashion centered.” She even wants to reach out to those students who may not know exactly how to style themselves.

She doesn’t want them to feel intimidat ed to ask for fashion advice. “Helping people find their style and learn how to express

themselves through fashion is one thing that I want to push this year with House of Jags,” Withers said.

The third week of October will be House of Jags Week, and it will cater to fashion, art and even raising money for charities.

“I reached out to the cancer institute on campus so we can raise money during these events,” Withers said. She wants House of Jags to be seen as more than just a group who dresses well. “We are fashion with a cause.”

One of the events planned during HOJ

week is the Condom Fashion Show. On Oct. 29, students can gather in the ballroom and watch as outfits made entirely out of rubbers are strutted down the runway. “It is to help spread awareness for AIDS, STDs and promote safe sex,” Withers said. “You have to put one on to do the do. May as well get comfortable touching them.”

Charitable work and phallic fashion aside,

Withers loves to see students pushing the boundaries on campus. “I am really big on style. That is what makes fashion inspiring because you are being yourself and amplifying that with clothes.” What are her favorite trends on campus? “It is not one specific thing. I just like seeing you do you,” Withers said. However, she did have some specifics about trends she is tired of seeing. “Joggers! It is played out to me.”

House of Jags is also promoting #tren-

dythursdays on Instagram. Follow them at @houseofjags and tag them in your trendy Thursday posts. Withers’ main goal is to find more students to be committed members of the organization. “Just trying to get students more excited about fashion and continuing to grow and expand membership is what we are focused on this year,” she said. For more information about House of Jags or for style tips add them on Facebook or email them at houseofjags@gmail.com.

SEPT. 28, 2015

7 “I picked this outfit because I love the jags and it was red, white and blue!”

-- Mariah Bennett, Sophomore, Exercise Science (in red, white and blue two piece) with Lauren Steil, sophmore Exercise Science (blue and white), Kacie Carlock, Nursing, freshman

“Today my outfit shows school spirit and it is fashionable and cute. I picked the converse because I needed comfortable shoes because I knew I was going to be walking around a lot.”

- Piper Sims, sophomore, Business Major, Chi O

Tailgate Fashion

By CAITLIN SMITH Staff Reporter

Photos By ALYSSA NEWTON Editor-In-Chief

“I picked this outfit because it is comfortable and it is south colors.

These shorts are actually Chubbies, they had a girls sale over the summer and I had to get them.”

- Jessie Vajgrt, Chi O, junior “I got these online from Loud Mouth they are golf pants. I discovered them about a year ago and have worn them to every game since. They are the best thing I can find to represent South.” --Davis Simms, junior

“My style for game day is all about GO JAGS! I got these pants custom made for my fraternity and the suspenders made this whole outfit pop. Me and Nicholas are the only people that have these pants.”

-Garret Crowley (In khakis) Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering and Nicholas Richards

“It’s all about that red, white and blue baby! Go Jags!

- Harrison Johnson, Business Management

“I just really wanted to stand out and look nice and have school spirit.

I would never come to a game without wearing some type of red.”

-- Rickayla Gosa, senior, Exercise Science

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SEPT. 28, 2015

Local fashion blogger raises serious questions about MFW

By NATALIE FRANKLIN Life Editor

L

ocal fashion blogger, The Frugal Fashionista, has created quite a buzz online and within the community with her opinionated piece on Mobile Fashion Week. The blogger posted “Why I Don’t Support My Local Fashion Week” to her blog on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and since then the post has been shared several times on social media. Who is The Frugal Fashionista? She is none other than South Alabama’s very own Heather Leigh Stanley, instructor and advisor in the Department of Communication.

Stanley has been blogging for about 15 months, and she also has a YouTube channel, both of which pertain to fashion. “Some people fish, some people paint. Fashion is my art form. It’s my hobby.” Being that this is a fashion blog, Stanley’s posts include style tips and product reviews. However, she does speak on heavier topics such as feminism, body image, and women empowerment.

Earlier this month, Stanley took to her blog to illuminate some serious issues with Mobile Fashion Week. In the blog post, Stanley doesn’t specifically name MFW. She refers to it as “her local fashion week.” “That was never my goal, to out them in any way,” Stanley said. Nonetheless, locals who have read her blog automatically recognized that she was referring to MFW. MFW is still a relatively young event seeing that this will be the organization’s fifth year. Stanley discusses in her blog that she tried to become a volunteer for MFW in the past, and after months of waiting to hear back from the organization, things just

didn’t work out. “I think they have the growing pains of expanding and trying to be viable,” Stanley said.

She mentioned how other events in Mobile, such as BayFest, have not done well financially in this market. “I think that was part of what was influencing the organization and it was just very disorganized.”

The main idea behind MFW is “fashion with a cause.” Each year, a portion of donations and ticket sales are given to various local charities, one of which is Camp Rap-A-Hope. Camp Rap-A-Hope is an organization that supports children with cancer. While this act seems generous and charitable to most, Stanley saw a different aspect during her brief involvement with MFW. “It’s becoming less and less about the cause part and more and more about the organization itself. I felt that they were more interested in promoting themselves, to the detriment of the causes that they were supposedly supposed to be promoting,” Stanley said.

Her observations are based on the organization’s social media presence. MFW is only five years old, though. Are they possibly focusing on establishing themselves first so later finances won’t be an issue and they’ll be able to donate more to charity? “I did take that under consideration, but when you start an event reflecting on the cause, and then three months after you’ve really been promoting that cause, it just kind of goes to the wayside,” Stanley said.

Further into her blog post, Stanley delves into deeper issues such as classism. She wrote, “The ticket prices, while understandable considering the size of the event, are unattainable for 90 percent of the population. Essentially, a group of good looking Caucasian socialites joined forces and created an event for their friends.”

Heather Leigh Stanley, instructor and advisor in the Department of Communication, is the Frugal Fashionista ( frugalfashionistamag.com) Stanley also alludes to racial inequality within MFW. She wrote, “Our local fashion week puts only the best faces forward. Those faces are white, blonde, and blue-eyed.” This is in reference to model selection for the event. “I think that the organization as a whole can do a better job of being more inclusive and that fashion week should look more like how the city of Mobile looks percentage wise.” Stanley raises questions not only about the representation of different races, but also about gender diversity and body image. The MFW website gives specific requirements for both male and female models. Male

models must be 5’10’’ or taller and have a 34 waist.

Female models must be 5’7’’ or taller and be size zero to 10. Stanley would like to see a change in MFW. “Seeing more people that are plus size, short people, tall people, all ethnicities, people who aren’t classically beautiful.”

Stanley remains hopeful for the future of MFW. Her intentions for writing the “Why I Don’t Support My Local Fashion Week” blog post were free from ill will and malice. “They may not realize what they are doing. They may not see it. Let’s try to find a way of moving forward and addressing those issues.”

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SEPT. 28, 2015

“Boy Gets Girl” production brings stalking, violence awareness to the stage

The cast features theatre majors Cassidy Dangler as Theresa and Blake Waters as Howard, Theresa’s boss. (Alyssa Newton| Editor-in-Chief)

By ALYSSA NEWTON Editor-In-Chief

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n awkward first date is something that most people go through in some point of their lives. A friend of a friend may set you up and it ends up being just as bad as one thought it would be.

But what happens when an awkward first date becomes a nightmare?

You’ll find out in South Alabama’s theater department’s production “Boy Gets Girl,” under the direction of Joe Fuselli.

Theresa Bedell, successful New York reporter, goes on blind date with the seemingly nice, but awkward guy named Tony. When she doesn’t return the same feelings that he has for her, he starts to violently stalk her making her life a living hell.

Fuselli has been an adjunct instructor for the university since 2011 and has directed

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and acted in many plays, but this is the first play he has directed at the University.

“I am just so impressed with this cast,” Fuselli said. “They have such a high level of professionalism that really made working on this enjoyable.”

The cast features theatre majors Cassidy Dangler as Theresa and Thomas J. Dean as Tony, along with Aaron Esters, Blake Waters, Brianna Bond, Nicole Lusk and Colgan Meanor.

“Stalking and violence against women, or anyone is something that happens every day,” Fuselli said. “This play, although she is a character, puts a face to the issue … it’s a real, scary thing.”

Dangler, who is only a 19-year-old sophomore, said that she really had to work on developing Theresa’s character to understand her role.

“It’s so intense,” Dangler said. “I have to let myself go to a really dark place and just let go. You’re not just a character, you’re responding naturally to your other castmates.

Through Theresa I have really grown.”

The play does include some very intense moments and includes crude language and themes, but there are a few laughs in between keep the play flowing.

“Comedy relief is essential in plays like this,” said junior Blake Waters who portrays Howard, Theresa’s boss. “The play can go from lighthearted and funny to serious really fast.”

Waters says that “Boy Gets Girl” is a production that college students could relate to

in today’s society.

“A lot of people think that theater is an art form for older people,” Waters said.

“This play is relatable to our generation.

Someone in the audience could have been through something like this.”

The production opened last weekend, but will run Thursday, Oct. 1, through Saturday, Oct. 3. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will have a 7:30 showing and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

Following the Friday, Oct. 2, performance, Theatre USA will join with members of the USA Violence Prevention Alliance for a special “talk back” session looking at issues raised by the play.

“It’s such an important piece of theater,” Dangler said. “Subjects like stalking, violence against women is important to today’s theater.”

Fuselli said that he hopes that this play really speaks to students and makes them aware of the world around them.

“This is real. That’s why they call this realism,” he said. “I hope that it gets people talking, this isn’t a play you just forget about.

This starts a conversation. I hope it raises awareness and that people really take something away when they leave the theater.”

The play is $12 for students and $16 for non students. Tickets can be bought up to one hour before the performance at the Theatre USA Box Office located in the lobby of the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.

Contact the Box Office at 251-460-6306 or by email at theatreusaboxoffice@gmail.com.

SPORTS

MARY ALICE WILSON SPORTS Editor usavgsports@gmail.com

SEPT. 28, 2015

Alyssa Newton | Editor-In-Chief

NC State runs over South Alabama 63-13

South Alabama looks like ‘deer-in-the-headlights,’ falls in final non-conference matchup

BY BRIANA DIGIORGIO Staff Reporter

S

outh Alabama football looked like they were ready to contend North Carolina State when senior quarterback Cody Clements shot an 11-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett giving the Jags a seven point lead less than two minutes into the first quarter.

But NCSU answered in a big way, running up 28 points before the end of the first quarter., eventually leading to a 63-13 win over the Jags.

Matthew Dayes came around with a 77-yard sideline run to cross the goal line, tying the score 7-7. The next NSCU possession, Shadrach Thorton, gave the Wolfpack another score gain with a 39yard run to give NCSU a 14-7 lead with 7:27 left in the first quarter.

Only needing 3 plays to gain 75 yards, NCSU found themselves on South Alabama’s own 2-yard line to give Dayes an easy touchdown.

Following that, Cody Clements’

pass was intercepted by Jerod Fernandez at USA 35 and returned it 27 yards, stopping at the USA 8.

Another gain of 6 was made by Matthew Dayes with an 8 yard run with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, leaving the score at 28-7.

In the opening of the second quarter, Aleem Sunanon drew in a 33 yard field goal to give Jaguars (2-2) an extra 3 point gain.

Two minutes following the Jags field goal, Wolfpack quarterback, J. Brissett threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to give them a 35 point lead against the Jaguars.

With less than 5 minutes remaining in the first half, NCSU adds another 6 gain with a 2 yard pass to give them an advantage of 42-10.

Coming back into the third quarter, the Jaguar defense was unable to stop NCSU from ringing in another touchdown from Thorton with a 4 yard carry. Aleem Sunanon added what was also recorded as a career long 49-yard field goal to put up The Jags final

scoring points changing the score 49-13.

“As a kicker, this game shouldn’t be any different than any other game because I have one job and I’m to do my job at the best of my ability, whether it’s an extra point or a game-winning 55-yard field goal,” Sunanon said. “To me, it’s going to be the same kick. It’s always good to be perfect kicking.”

NCSU put a stop to South Alabama after adding 14 unanswered points to their lead, eventually finishing the game with a final score of 69-13.

“We were playing with a deerin-the-headlights look. I don’t know what happened, but it’s on us. It wasn’t even competitive. We had guys out there lose their cool.

That wasn’t the same defense that played last week in San Diego,” safety Roman Buchanan stated on the defense. “Somehow, some way, I gotta do something as a defensive captain to motivate my teammates. We’re a good defense regardless of what that show was.

As you saw in San Diego, that’s

2-2 out of conference. Our goal is not us.”

Clements finished 14-of-33 for to win a conference championship 201 yards, one touchdown and and we have to go back to work two interceptions in three quarters tomorrow and start to fix some of play before Dallas Davis came things, coach better and start to on in the fourth. South was held to play better.”

South Alabama will get back on just 46 yards on the rushing.

“It definitely hurts. There’s no the field Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. way around that,” senior offensive to face Troy. lineman Chris May stated. “It’s really disappointing to go out and play like this, especially after the way we started on the first drive and then taper off quickly. We just have to put this behind us. Conference play starts next week, so we just have to lick our wounds and move on to the next.”

NC State head coach, Dave Doeren explained to USA Jaguars, “We put up 63 points, we got some takeaways, made some plays in key moments on defense early, picked up chunk yards, and played a lot of guys in the game. We were dominant in a lot of ways.”

“We didn’t play very well, it was Courtesy ofofUSAJaguars obvious in any phase the Everett scored the only game,” Joey Jones said. “We have touchdown for the Jaguars. conference next week and we’re

FOLLOW US! Twitter - @USAVGSports ||| Facebook | USAVGSports

(Alyssa Newton | EIC)

SEPT. 28, 2015

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Previewing the RIVAL: Troy Trojans Brandon Silvers. Silvers is a 6’3, 214 pound sophomore from Orange Beach, Al. He is 54 for 78 (69.2 comp. pct.) with 572 yards t’s rivalry week for the University of passing and 3 touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this year.

South Alabama.

The key starter on defense is No.1 Troy University is a fellow member of the Sun Belt Conference, and an in-state Montres Kitchens. Kitchens is a 6’, 180 pound safety from Waynesboro,Georgia. rival for the Jags.

There has been talk between schools He has 19 tackles so far this year, which about a possible trophy and even nam- is second most on the team. Kitchens was ing the young rivalry. The two SGAs have also the only Trojan named to the 2015 been attempting to come together for All-­Sun Belt preseason first team. Troy is ideas on each topic, but nothing has been 1­2 so far this year. They lost to NC State 49­-21 in week one. They defeated Charlesset and stone as of yet.

The Trojans are coached by new head ton Southern 44­16 in week two. They also coach Neal Brown. Coach Brown is the lost to Wisconsin 28­3 in week three.

The Trojans will be coming off of a second youngest head coach in FBS at bye week. Troy has averaged 311 yards per only 35 years old. Coach Brown has been the offensive coordi- game on offense this year. That ranks last nator for the Kentucky Wildcats the last in the Sun Belt conference. The defense two years. He was also the offensive co- allows an average of 408 yards per game. ordinator for Troy during the 2006­-2009 That ranks fifth in the Sun Belt conferseasons. Brown replaced Larry Blakeney ence. The Trojans announced that this week’s game against South Alabama will who was at Troy for the last 24 years.

Troy went 3­-9 last year including a 27-­ be a blackout game.

They are encouraging Troy fans to wear 13 loss to South Alabama in Mobile.

The Trojans have 13 returning starters. black and are giving out 10,000 black Seven on offense, six on defense. The key shirts. The team will also debut their new starter on offense is quarterback No.12 black uniforms.

By ALYSSA NEWTON Editor-in-Chief

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What is your first impression of the Jags?

BY BRIANA DIGIORGIO Staff Reporter

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ith a total attendance of 21,314 fans at Ladd Peebles stadium, some fans experienced what is was like to support Jag Football.

Recent transfer student, Junior Courtney Fussell, attended the South Alabama vs. NC State game to get a feel for what it was like to be a USA Jaguar.

“I expected school spirit. Everyone was making it a big deal. Everyone was hyped on Friday before the game and even at the pep rally so I was expecting it to be big. I was like yeah, I’m gonna go, I’m gonna enjoy this so it was high expectations for sure and they were definitely made.”

Here at South Alabama, our fans are very passionate about everything the school does, especially in sports. Being a first attendee at Ladd Peebles Stadium, Courtney saw just how important this school and football program is to students.

“I could feel the pride and dignity of our school and our football program and it was really awesome getting to be a part of that because I love football.” Fussell explained.

“Just by watching our team play in home atmosphere, it was really interesting. I

think when it comes down to it, really all that matters is heart, the hard work and diligence that is put into this game whether they win or lose. I think they executed that really well.”

Being a part of the crowd in Ladd Peebles Stadium, most of what caught her attention about this game was the atmosphere of the stadium and the fans that was there.

“I would rate the atmosphere of the stadium a solid 8 based on the character and the people that filled it. That’s one thing that stood out about USA. Everyone here is pretty friendly, which you’re from the South, so that’s kind of expected. So it was nice coming here and feeling somewhat at home. The coaches and players work together as if they are one big family.”

This won’t be the only South Alabama football game that Courtney will be attending. She is expected to be traveling to Troy to cheer on The Jags as they play in the biggest rivalry game of the season.

“Rivalry games are pretty intense and I’m really excited to pull for my school and pull for our football team. I think it will be a great turnout.”

At South, we definitely take pride in our students, fans, athletes and of course our football program. We are JagNation.

Troy is 2-1 in the young rivalry series. The Jags have never won at Troy. (Alyssa Newton | Editor-in-Chief) There will be shuttles taking students from USA campus to Troy’s stadium beginning at 11:00 a.m on game day.

From Monday, September 28th to October 2nd at noon, if you bring in 5 books to the SGA Office, the first 100 students

will receive a pass to board the bus, a ticket to the game, free access to Jim N Nicks BBQ tailgate tent, and an exclusive #BeatTroy t-shirt. The next 100 students will only receive an exclusive #BeatTroy t-shirt.

SEPT. 28, 2015

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#JagTweets USA soccer tops Sun Belt rival, Troy

BY MITCHELL KAHALLEY Managing Editor

A

Follow Us! USA Vanguard Sports @USAVGSports

Alyese Givens @ThatHooperLyese

Basketball

This guy next to me on the JagTran is bobbing his head so hard to his music. He is actually making me nervous

MacKenzie Peyton @MacKenziePeyton It literally takes everything in my power not to retweet every cat picture I see

Golf

Alli Cochran @A11iCochran So proud of my team landing the number 33 spot in the nation after tonight’s win. #GoJags #TeamFirst

Soccer

Ashley Fletcher @ashley_lauren10

Softball

I really just want to dress up, fix my hair, & do my makeup. But that’s impossible when you are an athlete in college.

Morgan Felt @Mo_Feldt My ice bag making skills are A1.

Thank you knees.

Track

Abby Tincher @tinch__

Softball Football

Life is all about those “I parked in the wrong zone and didn’t get a ticket” moments.

Troy Thingstad @TroyThingstad Come to South where we have water front property

Amanda Minahan @Minivan__

Softball

How to get a boyfriend: Step onebuy a light up Razor Skooter

Savannah McCleary @savannahhpaigee

Cheer

Lol at the fact that the first thing everyone does when they have to leave the building for a “fire” is run back to their dorms for phones

Brooks Rabren @BRabernGolf

Golf

There’s a chef in the caf that sounds exactly like Juicy J

Kayla Carlile @kaylacarlile

Track

Netflixing in class is the reason I am a broadcasting major

busload of students made the trip Friday night to see the South Alabama soccer team beat their instate rival Troy Trojans 2-1 in their Sun Belt season opener.

1,365 people were in attendance to see a rematch of last years Sun Belt Conference championship game, a record crowd at Troy.

South Alabama head coach Graham Winkworth said that the atmosphere was particularly special “Troy certainly made it a very, very difficult environment to play in. Also, I want to give huge credit to all the fans that got on the bus and all the parents that came as well.

It made a huge difference to us to have all that noise at an away game for the first time ever and I want to thank the athletic department for putting that on for us, because it definitely was our 12th player today.”

The Jaguars dominated the run of play in the first half with 10 shots in the first half.

Chelsea Followwell scored a shot from inside of the box that split the defense four minutes into the game and gave the Jaguars an early lead.

Defender Steffi Hardy doubled the Jaguar’s lead after scoring a goal off of Jemma Purfield’s corner kick.

“She’s a great threat on set pieces, but she’s also one of the best defenders in the country. She’s like having a 35-year-old experienced woman back there who’s been there and done that. She’s very knowledgeable in

Sophomore defender Steffi Hardy scored the winning goal for Jags.

(Photo courtesy of USA Jaguars)

the way she plays and is very composed and did that again in a very difficult environment for us today,” Winkworth said.

The Trojans came out strong to start the second half and quickly found their way on the board after Kirsten Rendall’s 42-yard free kick took a bounce in the box and into Sarah Hay’s net, cutting the Jags’ lead to one.

“We committed a foul in our half of the pitch. We talked about not committing silly fouls because they are a threat on set pieces, we did that a few times tonight. To be honest, I don’t know if somebody got a touch on it or not, but it ended up in the back of the net and put us under pressure for the remaining half an hour of the game.” Winkworth said.

Hay only had to make two saves, both coming in the first half. However, the Trojans blew an opportunity to equalize late after Hay was whistled for picking up a back pass. The Trojans quickly resumed play and

found space in the box, but the shot was blasted wide.

Chelsea Followwell was shown a controversial yellow card in the 84th minute after running into a Trojan player after a whistle was blown.

The Jags finished the night outshooting the Trojans 15-5 and 7-3 in shots on target.

Coach Winkworth said that win was a huge way to start the conference season and that Troy will be one of the teams challenging for the conference title this year.

“Today it was a very difficult environment and we’ve battled our socks off. I don’t know if anybody else will come here this season and win a game. You know I think that’s how big this result is.”

The Jaguars currently post a record of 7-2-1.They head to Louisiana to play Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday and Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday. Their next home game is Oct. 9 against Appalachian State at the Cage.

Volleyball claims two in a row, first SBC win

BY BRIANA DIGIORGIO Staff Reporter

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he South Alabama women’s volleyball team came out to prove that they have what it takes to win.

The Jags played two exciting games this week, both resulting in 3-1 victories.

On Tuesday Sept 22, the Lady Jags hosted Alabama State in the Jag Gym and took home a 3-1 victory. The Lady Jags might have fallen to Alabama St. by 20-25 but they came back three sets in a row to claim their victory with final scores of 2522, 25-18 and 25-17.

When interviewed by USA Jaguars, head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said that “Alabama State came out and executed really well in the first set and was partially due to our effort on defense. We talked about that going into the second set and definitely got more effort and focus out of our team on the defensive side of the net, which helped us. In the third set, I thought Arissa Chappell came in and made some clutch plays for us and was able to spread the game out with her

serve. We really attacked them with our serve during that set and that helped improve our energy.”

Consistency is what will lead to success and the ladies seemed to have learn that playing against Alabama State. Hendrichovsky told USA Jaguars that, “We’re learning as a team what it takes for us to consistently do to be successful. We learn what the result is when we aren’t doing that and we learn when the result is when we are able to do those things right. It’s just getting everyone to be focused on what they need to do out on the court.”

Taking away a victory against Alabama State seemed to put all confidence into the Lady Jags on their travel to take on Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept 26.

The ladies pulled the same 3-1 win against Georgia Southern’s home court for their first Sun Belt Conference victory.

South Alabama came in the match and took the first set win with a final score

of 25-22. Georgia Southern came into the second set against South Alabama and beat them by a score of 17-25.

The Lady Jags weren’t going to go out with a loss, so they found the momentum it took to get the win in the third and fourth set when they took over the match with scores of 25-15 and 25-23, leaving Georgia Southern to take the loss.

“Tonight we did a great job of attacking them in sets one and three.” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky explains to USA Jaguars. “In the fourth set, it was nice to see the girls fight together for every point once we fell behind and win the match in four. Mechell came to play tonight and was aggressive presence for us tonight offensively.”

The South Alabama Volleyball team holds a record of 7-6, 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. The ladies will take on Southern Mississippi in their final nonconference match of the season.

NEXT HOME GAME: Oct. 10 vs. Georgia State

Opinion

ALEXANDER MOYLAN opinion Editor alm1323@jagmail.southalabama.edu

sept. 28, 2015

Kim Davis, a second look at an important analysis She’s not as hypocritical as she seems and the facts may actually surprise you

By MICAH MESSER Contributing Writer

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his week I’m featuring a piece that was originally published on Sept. 21 by a contributing writer, Micah Messer. I was excited when Micah first reached out to me to write on Kim Davis. After all, what I knew of Kim Davis was limited to what my Facebook feed allowed me to see, and I never would rely solely on that outlet for any serious news coverage. Admittedly, I feel the same way about every student who wishes to have their thoughts, words and ideas published in the section I cover.

Yet, earlier last week Micah contacted me and informed me that part of his article had been omitted from the publication for some reason.

When I read the message my eyes widened, and after I hurriedly opened an electronic copy I learned that part of the article was accidently cut, thereby leaving readers without some of Micah’s (in my opinion) best points.

I chose to run the article again this week because this paper should matter to you and you deserve the best possible content. Additionally, I want you to know that your words, your voice and your opinions all matter greatly to me. Being challenged on my views is something I embrace and I want everyone to feel that they have an equal voice to share their thoughts on a campus of over 16,000 students. I sincerely apologize for

the mistake and any confusion that followed. I hope you enjoy the full piece from Micah below.

By Alexander Moylan | Opinion Editor

Where does this story begin? Well, it begins twenty-seven years ago. Kim Davis began working in the Rowan County Clerk office at the age of twenty-two. Her mother, Jeanne Bailey, was the County Clerk. Davis began working as a deputy clerk and later, when her mother retired, ran for County Clerk. She won the primary by twenty-three votes and later beat out her competitor in the election with fifty-three percent of the vote. Here is the surprising thing: she ran as a Democrat. That’s right, the Republican-uplifted Kim Davis is a Democrat.

When the homosexual couples asked for her to issue a marriage certificate to them, Kim Davis said no. Uh-oh! The war began, Kim Davis steadfastly refused to issue the marriage certificates while homosexual couples sought to be married. It went back and forth for a while before U.S. District Judge David Bunning issued a court order for her to issue the marriage certificates.

The main issue came when she still refused to issue the marriage certificate following the court order. But, why did she refuse in the first place?

The answer is religious convictions. This is

Hot Take Internships

By ALEXANDER MOYLAN Opinion Editor

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his is an important message for every college student, especially those who are graduating within the next twelve months. If employment after college is your goal, your degree is only half the battle.

A truly worthwhile education should prepare the student for today’s super competitive workforce. Sure, you can find a job after graduation but if it’s not anywhere near relevant to the degree you earned, wasn’t your college experience a little wasteful? To begin your dream career, you may have to seek these experiences outside of the classroom yourself.

If you ask me, there’s not nearly enough emphasis on internships or experiences outside of the classroom for college students.

Employers likely would prefer a candidate who is more than just book smart, but has some real field experience too. Sure, for

some majors this is easier to obtain than others. But for those majors where you think real world experience is difficult to come by, just think outside of the box; for example, if medicine is your chosen career path, consider obtaining your certified nursing assistant (CNA) license and collect patient care hours earlier as an undergraduate and not later. Is Criminal Justice your chosen field? Consider asking USAPD what opportunities may exist for you with them once you’re settled into your major.

Also, don’t think whatever internship requirement put forth by your major department is enough. Seek as much experience as humanly possible while you’re a student and distinguish yourself from the uber competitive pool of applicants you’ll face for the best of the best jobs post-graduation.

Not to mention, an internship may allow you to develop a further understanding of the field before graduation and help you make the right choice for your career.

interesting because of her past. If she believed so heavily in the sanctity of marriage, why did she get divorced three times? She also had two children out of wedlock. She claims to be a Christian, but does those things and then expects others to respect her? The fact is, yes she does.

Kim Davis converted to Christianity at the age of forty-five when her mother-in-law, a devout Christian, died with her deathbed wish being Davis would attend a church service.

She did and felt called to surrender herself to God. This means that all of the divorces and children out of wedlock occurred before she converted to Christianity, basically nullifying those who claim she is a hypocrite.

But, she did refuse a court order. Refusing a court order is punishable by fines and jail.

The Judge ordered her and her son to jail.

They both were in jail for six days before being released. She has been commanded to not interfere in any way with deputy clerks issuing licenses to homosexual couples and has complied with this court order.

Kim Davis was jailed for a legitimate reason, but she isn’t as much as a hypocrite as some people would like. Her refusal to personally not issue the marriage licenses to homosexual couples begs another question. If she knew what the duties of the County Clerk were and had convictions to not issue mar-

riage licenses to homosexual couples, why did she run in the first place?

Simply put, the law changed from the period when she ran and won the election to when she refused to issue the marriage licenses.

The right to exercise religion in a public office is protected by the U.S. Constitution, just like the right to exercise religion while at any business is protected. No employer may fire any individual based on religious reasons. Nevertheless, isn’t a public position different? Well, in this case, no it isn’t different. She was elected under a different law at the time. Considering there are other clerks able to issue marriage licenses, the issue of Kim Davis refusing to put her name, because that is all she refuses, on the certificates is absurd.

The United States was founded with freedom and liberty for all so that all people, no matter their sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, and color may live together in peace. The freedom to exercise religion may not be refused and no one is above the law. Kim Davis was in violation of a court order, but she also had the right to refuse to sign the certificates as long as her office issued the marriage certificates to homosexual couples. Perhaps the issue isn’t with Kim Davis, but with the actions of the U.S. Circuit Judge in requiring a single individual to violate her religious beliefs, but then again, maybe not.

Got something to say?

alm1323@jagmail.southalabama.edu

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SEPT. 28, 2015

Your Confederate flag isn’t protected by my free speech A reflection on the flag’s ousting in South Carolina and the flag’s future in modern day America

By ALEXANDER MOYLAN Opinion Editor

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arlier this summer you may remember the controversy that emerged regarding the presence of a Confederate Flag over state grounds in South Carolina. Following the church massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, several South Carolina citizens urged that the state government reconsider the flag’s use. Many citizens connected the tragic shooting and the flag flying over state grounds after images of Dylan Roof, the shooter from the massacre, circulated featuring him holding a Confederate flag.

Previously the Heritage Act of 2000 preserved the flag on state grounds, albeit moving it from flying prominently over the building to elsewhere next to a monument.

But my issue doesn’t rest with the state. I supported the flag’s removal despite polls

by CNN that reported nearly 60 percent of participants believed the flag was a symbol of southern pride, not slavery or division necessarily.

I have two issues with that. One, I hardly rely on polls; after all, do you really expect me to believe that someone who views the Confederate flag as a symbol of oppression and flies it for that reason will openly admit it? I wouldn’t think so. Two, regardless of what 10, 20, 30 or even 90 percent of those polled think, the Confederate flag is simply not a symbol of southern pride.

If you ask me, flying the Confederate flag isn’t a demonstration of one’s freedom of

speech, rather it’s a violation of one of this nation’s most enviable attributes.

The flag reminds us of a time when this nation was split between those who wished to see it stay together as one large nation, and those who wished to see it divided. Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi were three states that made their intention to maintain slavery clear according to their own declarations following secession.

“To put it more simply, South Carolina and the rest of the South only seceded to preserve the violent domination and enslavement of black people, and the Confederate flag only exists because of that secession,” said CNN political commentator Sally Kohn.

We can all have our opinions over what the flag means to us individually, but I cannot ignore the flag’s past and refuse to believe it’s presence over state grounds is appropriate. SImilarly, the state’s use a Confederate flag is very different compared to that of an individual. The state is representative of its people, whereas whatever an individual believes is more representative of him or herself. However, here enters personal use or ownership of the flag and this is a very different story.

Part of me wants to remove every Confederate flag I see out on my travels, yet this is also when I begin thinking about what I’d be doing. While flying this flag over state grounds is inappropriate, as the state should be mindful of the image that is cast onto itself by supporting that flag, should we consider whether taking these flags out of the hands of individuals is wrong?

Protesters call for the removal of the Confederate flag in June. (Newsweek) Again, I don’t support this flag nor would I consider myself a friend to those who proudly present it on their cars or on their own property. Still, freedom of speech is the right to communicate one’s opinions without fear of censorship or retaliation from the government. So is the Confederate flag covered under this cornerstone of our society?

I don’t know. Sadly that’s all I can offer from a neutral standpoint. My opinion is that the Confederate flag, in all forms, is a symbol of secession as well as the proliferation of oppressed individuals and it should not be protected under our freedom of speech.

Additionally, interpretations of this constitutional right over the years have led to many different types of exclusionary acts, or examples not protected by freedom of speech. This includes acts that intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly inflict severe emo-

tional distress, according to Eugene Volokh, an American law professor who has written on interpretations of our most guarded freedom.

So the question remains. Is the Confederate flag an example of free speech, or instead an exclusion due to the flag’s history and what it symbolizes. If you let common sense dictate your thoughts, I think many people would agree that the Confederate flag should not be considered something that is protected under our freedom of speech right.

I still grumble each time I see a Confederate flag in one form or another in public. At this point, considering all that’s happened recently and the connotation many Americans have with this flag, those who proudly fly it now are just ignorant and not worthy of a healthy, fruitful discussion on whether this flag is protected or not.

Rebuttal to “Pay Up, White People, it’s Long Overdue”

By MICAH MESSER Contributing Writer

O

ne of the things I pride myself on as a contributing writer is being unbiased when confronting an issue. However, I was a little agitated when I read the article, “Pay up, White People, it’s Long Overdue”.

I wasn’t agitated because of any racial tendencies of mine, but the fact that a fellow contributing writer would blatantly ignore historical facts is what agitated me. Let’s examine the claims of the author and see if they hold true under a little bit of investigating.

What about the 69% statistic claimed here, “According to a recent study of middle class Americans, a vast majority of African-Americans – 69% -- will move down economically and become poorer than their parents,” I attempted to find the study conducted that came up with this information and eventually found what I believe to be the source. According to decisionsonevidence. com, “Of Black children born to parents in the middle income group, only 14 percent will move up into higher income brackets as

adults, while 37 percent will remain in the middle class and an almost unbelievable 69 percent will move downward and be poorer than their parents.”

I may not be a math major but 69 percent plus 37 percent plus 14 percent is a total of 120 percent. That just doesn’t make much sense to me. But, let’s look past this statistic and press on, shall we?

The author also claims the next statistic as well, “Another study reveals that white women in their prime working ages have a median net worth of $42,600, while a black women in the same age bracket’s financial net “worth” amounts to a whipping [whopping] $5.” The study was widely published in 2010 by multiple news sources and as the author claims, the numbers are correct, at least according to these news sources. However, according to these news sources, in the report the term “women of color” was used, meaning any woman of non-Caucasian origin.

I attempted to find the original article, but when I finally found the link in one of the articles it brought me to an error page where it said, “Oops, that page cannot be found.”

Unfortunately, I cannot verify this informa-

tion as I would like. This means the following information cannot be examined: statistical pool, statistical ages, and statistical occupation.

Moving on, let’s examine the author’s following claim, “African-Americans are the only population in the United States brought here in chains, denied their basic human rights from the moment they stepped foot here.” This is of particular interest to me.

The author claims that only AfricanAmericans were slaves. This is not true. In the history of the United States both Asian and we (yes, we whites) were also slaves. It is true, however, that the majority of slaves were originally from Africa and whether by direct travel or by travel through the Caribbean, did come to North America in ‘chains’.

Many of the first whites (yes, whites) were actually indentured servants and were treated as slaves until their ‘contract’ ended, whether it was ten years or twenty years later. As you might imagine, not all of the contracts were honored.

Additionally, giving African-Americans 5/3 of the vote would be counter productive. Why would it be? If you gave any group

of people more power in the voting box than others then that group of people would be more hated than ever. Why would we want to give someone who wants to be part of society, to be equal in all ways, something that would make them unequal; perhaps to “pay up”? I don’t believe this is the solution we need.

In the end, this article did nothing to solve the problem of wage inequality or change the mind of the few racists left in the country. This only caused anger among peers and even more divides. The movement right now in the United States is only dividing the races, which I believe is a complete misuse of the term ‘race’ as we are all human, but that’s another article.

We need to stop fighting, stop killing, and start picking ourselves up and working together. The media, not The Vanguard, is only making this whole issue worse. They run stories to get better ratings and we need to stop attacking each other because of it. As a contributing writer for several years, it has always been more important to present the facts than to be right. For everyone’s benefit, let’s be a real United States of America.

ALEXANDER MOYLAN opinion Editor alm1323@jagmail.southalabama.edu

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SEPT 28, 2015

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SEPT. 28, 2015