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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
Vanguard THE
TUESDAY SEPT 5, 2017 VOL 1718 ISS 4
w w w.t he vanguardus a.com
9/11 Memorial SGA and SVA hold memorial in remembrance of 9/11 Page 4
USA holds Constitution Day
USA vs. OSU
Students will learn about U.S. Supreme Court cases.
USA Jaguars lose out to OSU Cowboys.
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Page 9
Honors College opens
Editor’s notes: corrections By Shannon Lundgren | Editor-in-Chief
Dean of Honors College Kathy Cooke at Seaman’s Bethel celebrates the opening of the new USA Honors College. Photo by Shelby Guidry
Dean of Honors College Kathy Cooke excited for new opportunities By Rachel Sullivan | Reporter
The University of South Alabama celebrated the opening of the Honors College with a ceremony at the Seaman’s Bethel, a historic building used as the Honors College home base
on Thursday, Sept. 7. The opening ceremony featured speeches from senior faculty, staff and notable students. SGA President Carl Thomas spoke of his appreciation for the honors scholars and their contributions to the college and community. “It is important that we have this Honors College, because the world needs you. They need your talents,” Thomas said. USA’s Honors College previously operated as an Honors Program, however USA expanded the program
starting in 2017 to accommodate growth in size and outreach. This expansion included the renovation of the Seaman’s Bethel to provide a better learning environment and academic resource for students. USA President Tony Waldrop spoke about his hopes for the growth that will come from the development of the College. “I think it will provide an opportunity for more students,” Waldrop said. “It will also help us attract better students.” Continued on page 6
The Vanguard would like to take the opportunity to clarify our articles “Vietnam vet starts boxing program,” which ran on Aug. 28 and “USA to Begin Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts,” which ran on Sept. 4. First, the University of South Alabama does not have an official boxing program. Coach Charles Patton said that while he does run a boxing class at the University of South Alabama student recreation center, it is not officially sanctioned by the University of South Alabama. Patton said that his class consists of drills and hitting punching bags only; the students do not strike each other. Patton also said if his students are interested in learning to compete, they must study boxing off campus. Patton is affiliated with USA Boxing, which is not associated with the University of South Alabama. Patton does not offer an official, forcredit class in boxing. The student recreation center was not available for comment at the time of publication. Second, Mack Bozman is the president of the University of South Alabama chapter of the American Chemical Society, not the national organization. The Vanguard apologizes to University of South Alabama students, staff, faculty and the surrounding community for our mistake. Thank you for your continued support.
NEWS
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Vanguard HireAJag career fair Sept. 14 THE
University of South Alabama Alpha Hall South Room 336 Mobile, Ala., 36688 Tel: 460-6898 I Fax: 414-8293 Advertising: (678) 644-7838 thevanguardeditor@gmail.com STAFF Editor-in-Chief Shannon Lundgren Managing Editor Marissa Mason Copy Editors Amber-Lynn Boothe Richard Narramore Opinion Editor Rachel Goodman Web Editor Krisha Amin Reporters Hannah Blackburn Hannah Clayton Natasha Spradlin Rachel Sullivan Tricia West Photographers Briana Cunningham Shelby Guidry Muqit Asif Khan
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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.
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Many local businesses will be at the HireAJag career fair. Photo by Jake Cannon By RACHEL Goodman | Opinion Editor
The University of South Alabama plans to host the HireAJag Fall Career Fair in the Mitchell Center Globe Grand Lobby from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14. More than 60 employers from various companies are looking to hire USA students for fulltime, part-time, co-op and internships positions. The Career Services’ website urges students to show up with a positive attitude and an updated copy of their resume. According to the Career Services’ website, dress is business professional; jeans and shorts will not be allowed at this event. Students can find a career preparation tab that has tips for “selling yourself ” to potential employers, how to dress appropriately, and how to prepare a resume for this event in the career services section of the USA website. The Career Services’ website urges students to wear wrinkle free, well maintained outfitsthat consist of solid colors and simple patterns. Accessories should be kept to a minimum. Handshake is USA’s employer outreach website which replaced Jaguar Job Link. On Handshake, students can search for potential jobs based on their personal qualifications. Students can also access the list of more than 68 potential employers that are scheduled to attend the Career Fair. According to the USA Career Services’ website students should study up on potential employers attending
the career fair like they would for an interview. Career Services’s website also encourages students to bring 10-15 copies of their resume. Students should come prepared with a 30-second sales
pitch to give to potential employers that highlights their attributes. If students have any questions or concerns regarding this event they can email careerservices@southalabama. edu.
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Girl power in the Student Center Ballroom
Women had the opportunity to discuss issues in small groups. Photo by Briana Cunningham By Tricia West | Reporter
USA is currently holding its fifth annual Girls’ Night Out meetings in the Student Center Ballroom from Sept. 6 to Sept. 27. Girls’ Night Out is a four night conversational program for female students that centers around relationships, personal safety, communication and self-esteem. The program includes free food,
T-shirts, prizes and advice that will last a lifetime. “Girls’ Night Out is important for South’s campus because it gives female students an opportunity to talk about things that normally aren’t brought up,” Kelsey Bryant, Counseling and Testing Services employee and Girls’ Night Out volunteer said. “We have necessary conversations; we talk about things like body shaming, female
empowerment and taboo topics that students never get the chance to mention. We’re here to get the ball rolling.” Some resident assistants invited eligible hall residents to attend the event. Junior Lauren Basler, a Resident Assistant, attended Girls’ Night Out with 21 freshman girls from Azalea Hall. Basler said she has attended the event every year since she was a freshman. “I think events like this are important for South’s campus so girls, especially freshman girls, can see stuff like this [sexual assault, rape and campus violence] does happen and so they can learn to protect themselves,” Basler said. “They also get the opportunity to talk about this kind of stuff and ask questions when they need to.” Basler also said that other resident assistants planned to bring women from their halls in the upcoming Girls’ Night Out meetings. “I thought it would be fun to come, so I could meet new people and build relationships with other girls on
campus,” Freshman Aby Churchwell said. After students left the ballroom, they split into separate groups for discussion and the night’s topic was unveiled. The next 45 minutes were filled with conversation about what defines an unhealthy or abusive relationship and friendship. Students chimed in with experiences of their own and could add their own input or ask questions. This will become routine for the upcoming Girls’ Night Out events, with different topics each meeting according to Bryant. Remaining Girls Night’s Out is scheduled to be hosted in the Student Center Ballroom on Sept. 13, Sept. 20 and Sept. 27. Each student who attends three out of four nights will earn a T-shirt. The topic for the Sept. 13 meeting is scheduled to be about balancing time and relationships. Email James Contratto, at VPA@southalabama.edu with any further questions about Girls’ Night Out.
Rising tensions prevent USA scholars from studying in Russia By Hannah Clayton | Reporter
Two former University of South Alabama students are having difficulties getting Russian visas following the recent hurricane and increase in Russian-American tensions, according to USA Assistant Professor of Russian Dr. Nicholas Gossett. Gossett said he fears for the opportunities of his future students. The introduction of the Magnitsky laws in the early 2000’s began what Gossett describes as a “tit for tat” relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Possible interference in the recent election, the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the Ukraine led the U.S. to impose more sanctions on Russia. Pres. Trump approved new sanctions on Russia on Aug. 2. These sanctions can possibly include the banning of U.S. exports to Russia, the freezing of U.S.-Russian assets and revoking or denial of Russian visas. The Russian government relieved 755 people from the U.S. embassy in Russia in response to these sanctions. The U.S. claims that the Russian government specifically targeted diplo-
matic staff, but the Russian government denies this claim. Pres. Trump ordered the shutdown of the oldest Russian consulate in the U.S. located in San Francisco and offices in New York and Washington. Americans and Russians located west of Texas were required to go to the Russian consulate in San Francisco if going to Russia to study, to do business, get visas and passports for their children and collect Russian retirement. Charles Barrow and Edie Zollinger, two of Gossett’s previous students, are also feeling the effects of current events. Charles Barrow, was offered a fullride scholarship for a master’s degree at Moscow University in Moscow, Russia. Barrow won this opportunity during USA’s first hosting of Olympiad, a Russian language proficiency competition, earlier this year. Barrow was scheduled to depart for Russia over a week ago. Barrow would have received his documents from the Houston consulate, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey shut the consul-
ate down. The Russian consulate is requiring Barrow to fill out additional paperwork due to increased scrutiny of travel to and from Russia, Dr. Gossett said. Edie Zollinger, a recent USA alumna with a B.S. in Business Administration, was accepted into a preparatory program to improve her Russian skills. Zollinger says she had difficulties getting the Houston consulate to return her calls prior to Hurricane Harvey and that once the hurricane hit, the consulate temporarily closed. While Zollinger does not feel her experiences have been influenced by Russian-U.S.. tensions, she does worry for future students interested in Russian study and feels “it will only get worse”. Zollinger is waiting to hear back from the Houston consulate concerning her documents. Gossett feels the rise in U.S.-Russian tensions could lead to a decrease in opportunities for future students who are interested in Russian studies to travel to Russia, and will make it difficult for him to continue to conduct business with Moscow University. Russian and the U.S. students have
done a lot of work together in the past, according to Gossett. Gossett fears his wife’s passport renewal will not come back in time for them to visit family in Russia this winter due to the shutdown of the San Francisco consulate and the closing of the Houston consulate. “Russians are just like Americans,” Gossett said. “We all just want to have a nice life.”
Dr. Nicholas Gossett fears frosty U.S. and Russian relations will impact student studies. Photo by Muqit Asif Khan
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USA Board of Trustees Meets Trustee Scholarship given to successful high school student
The USA Board of Trustees met to discuss several summer infrastructure projects. Photo by Briana Cunningham
Ada Chaeli van der Zijp-Tan was selected as the recipient of the Board of Trustees Scholarship. Photo courtesy of Office of Marketing and Communication By Tricia west | reporter
The University of South Alabama Board of Trustees met to announce the recipient of the Board of Trustees Scholarship and provide updates on summer infrastructure projects in the
9/11 memorial to be held by SGA and SVA By Hannah Clayton | Repoter
The University of South Alabama plans to hold the annual 9/11 memorial ceremony Monday, Sept. 11, at 9:00 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The event is a collaborative effort between USA staff, SGA and the Student Veteran’s Association to honor
Whiddon administration Building boardroom at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 8. The board chose USA freshman Ada Chaeli van der Zijp-Tan as this year’s Board of Trustees Scholarship winner for her academic success throughout her high school career. She graduated from Bob Jones High School with a 5.16 weighted gradepoint average and a 34 composite ACT score. She plans to pursue a biomedical degree and become a physician once graduating from USA, according to Director of Communications Bob Lowry. The Board of Trustees Scholarship Program was created in 2014 to
recognize the most academically talented student in each incoming freshman class. Each recipient is awarded a financial scholarship as a supplement to other scholarships. Van der Zijp-Tan received the Board of Trustees scholarship on top of her presidential scholarship, freshman leadership scholarship and the Crampton Harris Trust Scholarship. “When I received the news that I was chosen to receive this scholarship, I was overjoyed.” van der Zijp-Tan said. “ I feel very honored to be recognized for my hard work as this year’s recipient of the USA Board of Trustees scholarship,”
The board and SGA President Carl Thomas also discussed student shuttles to football games, First-Year Council and providing leadership opportunities to the freshman class. “It’s not just about the leaders we have now, but the ones we will have tomorrow,” SGA President Carl Thomas said. The board also discussed construction plans such as the construction of Camelia Hall, new turf for the football practice field, fraternity house renovations and Residence Hall shower replacement. The Board of Trustees plans to meet again on Thursday, Nov. 30.
the lives lost during the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. SGA President Carl Thomas is scheduled to give the welcome remarks. SGA helped put together the ceremony and coordinated several speakers for the event. Thomas said SGA is proud of the strong veteran presence at USA and feels that 9/11 was a “tragic event that affected us all.” Despite the tragedy, SGA remembered how 9/11 brought the U.S. together as a country to rebuild its city. “We want to take the time to remember all of the lives lost and a day we will remember forever,” Thomas said. Other members of the USA
community are scheduled to speak. USA student Shawn Hendrick, a member of the U.S. Army, is scheduled to make remarks on behalf of the SVA. “I love the Army. I love the military. I love my country,” Hendrick said. Many of the coming years’ students were born after 9/11, according to SVA Vice President and prior U.S. Navy member Daniel Freeman. Freeman said he feels that the 9/11 memorial is a way for the student veterans and ROTC of USA to help keep the memory of the 9/11 attacks alive. Heather Sprinkle, SGA coordinator, remembered having friends that were a part of the military at the time and being concerned for the wellbeing of their families and themselves.
Sprinkle said the 9/11 memorial ceremony is an important way of remembering and honoring the lives lost on 9/11. The ceremony will be held Sept. 11, at 9:00 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Students who attend will receive an American flag lapel pin.
9/11 is a national day of rememberance. Photo by Muqit Asif Khan
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Honors College cont’d Continued from page 1
Dr. Kathy J. Cooke, the college’s first dean, has jumped on board in expanding the College’s growth, curriculum and support. “Growth and development are part of the goals,” Cooke said. “What goes with that is its responsibility to the larger community. The Honors College is interdisciplinary, it has all different majors. We want to take advantage of that intellectual energy...to create interdisciplinary ways of thinking that will benefit the whole community.” Cooke also expressed hope that students will be a part of the opportunities that are going on right now at USA during their college
career. “I think a lot of students are thinking of the future,” Cooke said. “I want students to think ‘Well, there is
“I want to be sure that students are celebrating learning,” Cooke said. “It’s really about celebrating that energy.” right now.’ Right now at USA creates so many opportunites. We’re going to make that a priority in the Honors
NEWS
College.” As far as immersion in the campus, Cooke wants honors students to share what they know and are doing. “I want to be sure that students are celebrating learning,” Cooke said. “It’s really about celebrating that energy.” Davina Ho, freshman, said the Honors College has already become a family to her. Ho said that the Honors retreat exposed her to many new friends who share the same intellectual drive as her, as well as the pursuit of fun in college. “Already knowing approximately 85 of my fellow classmates around campus has made my transition to college go much more smoothly,” Ho said. To reflect the College’s focus on international outreach, the ceremony concluded with a banquet of international cuisine from each continent. The students, board members, proctors, alumni and other visitors of the ceremony visited the college’s newly renovated building and discussed the upcoming events and improvements for the college with Cooke and other Honors leaders. According to Dean Cooke, the membership has already spiked
USA President Tony Waldrop spoke at Honors College opening celebration. Photo by Shelby Guidry
from 45 sophomores to 86 freshman. Dean Cooke and the Honors staff are working to improve the curriculum to match the growing intellectual diversity within the students. “You are getting a very special program…” Waldrop said. “We will expect very special things out of you.”
USA to hold Constitution Day at Marx Library
Constitution Day will highlight important cases for the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2017-2018 term. Photo by Muqit Asif Khan
By Natasha Spradlin | Reporter
The University of South Alabama plans to hold a Constitution Day presentation at the Marx Library auditorium from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 14. The presentation is scheduled to
be hosted by associate professor and pre-law advisor Dr. Ron Nelson, along with a number of his students from USA. The event plans to highlight case reviews for the Supreme Court’s 2017-2018 term beginning on Oct. 2, 2017. “We will highlight the headline cases such as the immigration ban
and business accommodations to gay marriage, but we will also take a look at cases which may seem mundane, so you can see the court deals with all aspects of American life,” Nelson said. “The court hears a wide variety of oral arguments but only 70 to 80 cases are decided upon during
the year out of seven to eight thousand requests.” Nelson said. “They can’t hear them all because there are too many.” In 2004, Congress passed a law declaring Sept. 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. This law requires institutions that receive federal funding in a fiscal year to host an educational program commemorating the day the Constitution was signed and those who have become U.S. citizens. The Supreme Court does not allow for cameras during their sessions but the general public can listen to audio from the cases. The Supreme Court’s argument calendar is located on supremecourt.org and audio for the arguments are available at www.oyez.org. In addition, you can find filings and briefs on the Supreme Court’s blog, scotusblog.com.
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SPORTS
8 Sports Spotlight: Justice Stanford
Sophomore Justice Stanford dons the blue goalkeeper uniform during games. Photo courtesy of Brad Puckett of USAJaguars By Hannah Blackburn | Reporter
USA’s women’s soccer is in great hands with sophomore Justice Stanford inside the net. Last year, the Texas native set new school records for fewest goals allowed with 14. She had over 600 consecutive shutout minutes and tied for second in single-season shutouts, ranking no. 17 in the nation. She is also a former member of the All-Sun Belt Tournament team. “It has to go through ten players before it comes to me,” Stanford said. “It really is the team who gets the shutout, not just me. I loved the sense of community we have and how well we are able to play together; it’s a team effort.” Originally offered a spot at Arkansas University, Stanford decided that coming to Mobile was a better fit. “I chose South because I like the culture here,” said Stanford. “I get to play for great coaches and a great team. Everyone here plays so well together and I liked how the team was bonded.” Her mother introduced her to the sport when she was seven, and goalkeeper wasn’t her first choice of position. Originally a forward, she was drawn to the idea keeping the net safe. Stanford suited up for two travel teams, the Sting and the Dallas Texans, both of which are highly competitive girls’ teams. She also had the opportunity of playing against Mallory Pugh, a member of the U.S. women’s
MAKE
national team. “I really enjoyed the experience playing for select teams gave me,” Stanford said. “I got to travel to different states and we had nationals. It was definitely a lot more competitive than high school. I wasn’t in the goal for high school, and for me high school was just for fun.” Balancing school with a high level of competition was a task she quickly learned. “It’s definitely different playing in college versus when I was playing on travel league,” Stanford said. “You have to balance school and practice, and in college you are practicing almost every day. It’s kind of the same in select as far as competitiveness goes, but in college there is more asked of you.” Though the season may be in its infancy, this goalkeeper who had ten shutouts last season knows the importance of always playing with confidence and determination. “It’s always a bit hard in the beginning of the season because setting that record is hard to keep up because I am a goalkeeper and you are going to get scored on,” said Stanford. “With the team, they help me just as I help them; I plan on staying focused and just playing to the best of my ability.” To find out more about the USA women’s soccer team and its players, visit USAJaguars.com.
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USA Falls to Oklahoma State
USA enters the field in dramatic fashion. Photo by Briana Cunningham By Hannah Blackburn | Reporter
Jag Nation stood strong behind their tenacious football team Sept. 8 despite the 44-7 loss against No. 10 Oklahoma State University at Ladd-Peebles. Backup quarterback Dallas Davis, who threw 13-23 with one
interception, came in on offense after Cole Garvin (1-1) suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter. A 17yard touchdown pass from Davis to Maaseiah Francis with four minutes in the fourth quarter prevented USA from receiving their first shutout in their program history. Jamarius Way led all receivers with 66 yards and Xavier Johnson led in rushing picking up 36 yards. “Dallas didn’t have any reps this week, but he came in and drove us down the field,” head coach Joey Jones said. “He was a bit rusty at times, but he had to jump in there against a ranked team and executed; I think he did fairly well.” “You never know what can happen in a football game, so at any time you’ve got to be ready,” Davis said. “I just had to get the team together, do the best we could, but we just didn’t execute the best we could.” Total offensive yards for the Jags
Oklahoma State is the first Big 12 team USA has faced. Photo by Briana Cunningham
were 175, which included 41 yards rushing and 134 yards passing. The Jags pushed it into the red zone twice. On the defensive end, they put up a tough fight, despite giving up 505 yards which included a forced fumble for a loss of yards. The Jags struggled the most when it came to third-down defense. “We were definitely out-executed,” Jones said. “They completed a lot of third downs throws and moved the ball really well. On offense, they outexecuted us there as well. We didn’t get the ball to the right guys, but when you play a team that’s as good as they are, they’re going to make a lot of bad things happen to you.” There was a brief moment of hope when the Jags were able to return a kickoff to the Cowboys’ 30-yard line, but a penalty brought them back. “We have to work on not getting penalties,” Jones said. “We got a holding call, and were unable to get
any momentum going after that.” When addressing the red zone offensive issues, Davis mentioned the importance of thinking retrospectively. “You’ve got to take it from last game,” Davis said. “Last week we were inside the 5-yard line twice then as well and weren’t able to get any points. We have to learn how to execute with the ball better, and when we’re in the red zone we are going to have to score.” “It really is a test to see what kind of person you are,” linebacker Darrell Songy said. “We are an underrated team and we don’t have the same things they have, so we have to push ourselves that much harder and unfortunately that didn’t happen tonight.” The Jags are now 0-2 for the season. On Saturday Sept. 16, USA plans to host Parents’ Night at Ladd-Peebles stadium when they take on Alabama A&M. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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OPINION
Political disagreements should not end friendships
Two of Muqit’s friends argue over who is right. Muqit’s friends shouldn’t talk about politics any more. Photo by Muqit Asif Khan
nor your friends and family, (I’m assuming) sit in on congressional meetings, so everything that you have Dear Debbie: Do you have any advice on how to deal with people who opinions about comes from the media. How a story is portrayed depends have problematic political opinions? upon the political affiliation of said Recent events brought up opinions media source. Consider that before from friends and family that I never thought they had and are frankly opin- you demonize the other side of the political spectrum. ions so vile that I might break friendThe fact that someone thinks differships for or cut contact over. I haven’t ently than you is not a sufficient reason done anything yet, I just silently sit to abandon your friendship or kinship there and nod playing dumb most of with them. the time. Any help is appreciated! If you cut off everyone that you dis- Political Proponent agree with politically, you will spend Political Proponent: For the far too much time being angry over purposes of my advice, I am going to things you can not change. assume that the people with whom Unless you are a member of Conyou disagree with are not in any way advocating discrimination or violence. gress or are some other official, political agendas should not be on the I think this problem is something forefront of your interactions with that a lot of people experience, esothers. pecially after election time. When This difference in opinion is what America is so polarized it is easy to makes America a wonderful country. label anyone who thinks differently than us as “problematic” and see them We are allowed to disagree with each other and trash talk those in power as the complete antithesis of our own (to an extent) without fear of retribubeliefs. tion. If we are allowed to disagree we I believe that when we allow ourare allowed to grow; we are allowed to selves to understand, or at least atchange. tempt to understand the perspective Politics and religion are something I of others, we can accept their beliefs personally feel should not be discussed without feeling disdain for them. unless it’s absolutely necessary. Unless your friends and family that I suggest not bringing up politics you clash with politically hate America around friends and family when you and want to see it come to an end, know it is going to start an argument. chances are what you want is not so If they are the ones that bring it up different. around you, politely ask them if you Democrats and Republicans both can talk about something else. want what is best for America. You,
By RACHEL Goodman | Opinion Editor
If you still feel that you want to cut contact with them after you remove your distaste for their political views, then that is ultimately your decision.
But personally, I see no reason for you to base your friendships on politics. Questions for Debbie? Email her at deardebbievanguard@gmail.com.
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