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The Spectator Valdosta State University's Independent Student Newspaper.
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March 19, 2015 Volume 88 Issue 9
Inside This Issue - OPINIONS: Align Vsu’s Spring Break with other universities
- FEATURES: ‘Chappie’ challenges beliefs
- SPORTS: From ‘Rec legend’ to recognition
Oscars On-Air
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Awards had their � rst live television
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Kristin WhitmanSPORTS EDITOR
Lia ArmisteadSTAFF WRITER
VSU President William McKinney and his wife Dr. Dacia Charlesworth under-stand the struggles fi rst-gen-eration college students face, and they are working to help these students succeed.
The President’s Scholarship Gala, taking place March 20 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Ballrooms, will feature an
evening of dining and danc-ing to raise money for a new scholarship for VSU’s fi rst-generation college students.
According to VSU’s Coun-seling Center, fi rst-generation university students are those students whose parent(s) have not attained a college degree. These students, who have little or no family collegiate history, may enter a college or university with limited knowl-edge about the jargon, tradi-tions and patterns of expected
behavior.This scholarship is built
in hopes to help students get to college and fi nish with a degree.
“All scholarships are im-portant, but both Dr. Charles-worth and I were fi rst-gener-ation college students, and so we understand some of the unique challenges that these students face,” Dr. McKin-ney said. “We do not want any academically qualifi ed students to have to leave VSU
for fi nancial reasons.” Almost 85 percent of all
undergraduates require some type of fi nancial aid in order to attend VSU. This academ-ic year, the VSU Foundation is providing close to $650,000 in scholarship support for over 300 VSU students, ac-cording to information VSU released concerning the gala.
According to President McKinney, the money for this scholarship comes from dona-tions, individuals and busi-
nesses sponsoring the gala, as well as all net proceeds from the event.
“I am not attending the gala, but I think the new scholarship is an awesome idea,” Mary Catherine Plym-el, senior psychology major, said. “I wish they would have thought about this when I was a freshman. It would have re-ally helped me out.”
The gala will include the sounds of the Total Package Band.
President’s Scholarship Gala supports fi rst-generation students
See page 4
A student who was shot through the leg at a party early Sunday morning is recovering out of the hospital. Chris Dunn was attending a party when he was struck by a bullet.
The Valdosta Police Depart-ment responded to an alert on March 15 at 1:15 a.m. off Baytree Drive near The Gates apartments after gunshots were fi red in a large crowd of people.
According to Adam Floyd of the Valdosta Daily Times, police are now looking for the person who supposedly started shooting in the crowd of people.
The police had originally arrived to check on the large group of people gathering outside one of the resident’s apartments, when suddenly gunshots were fi red.
“People started running away from the area as the gunshots went off,” VPD Capt. Bobbi McGraw said
in a VDT article published on March 17. “Witnesses re-ported some type of disagree-ment went on prior to police arrival.”
The article also reported that a 25-year-old man shot in the leg during the incident was treated at South Georgia Medical Center and was even-tually released.
Dunn was attending the party that hosted about 150-200 people when an alterca-tion broke out. According to Dunn, he had nothing to do with this altercation; however, he ended up getting shot in the leg by someone in the crowd.
“The bullet went in one side of my leg and out the other,” said Dunn.
Out of the large crowd that attended the party, Dunn was the only one who received a bullet wound that night.
Dunn was taken into the hospital shortly after the shooting, and was released before noon on Sunday morn-ing.
According to WCTV, Mc-Graw also reported that there are no suspects in custody and
no evidence for motive. VPD is looking into whether it was an intentional shooting or if the shots were fi red into the air and ricocheted off some-thing.
“I’m not currently working with the police, but I’m not not cooperating with them,” Dunn said.
After the shooting occurred on Sunday morning, the VSU Police Department did not issue a campus alert to VSU students, faculty and staff, even though the incident hap-pened near the university’s main campus that houses many students living off-campus.
VSU Police Chief Oswell Armour said in the WCTV article that because the shoot-ing happened “5/10 of a mile away from the university,” he “just didn’t feel like the alert was necessary.”
Armour further adds that when the reports of the shoot-ing came to VSUPD, the situ-ation was basically over.
Valdosta Police are still cur-rently looking for a suspect for the shooting.
Student shot at party
President William McKin-ney addressed SGA about the capital campaign which is part of the VSU’s Strategic Plan that started in 2013 and will continue until 2019.
A study was conducted last year which led to this campaign that launched July 1. This is VSU’s “fi rst ever” public comprehensive capital campaign.
According to Dr. McKin-ney, more than 80 percent of the student body takes advantage of some sort of scholarship or fi nancial aid,
but Dr. McKinney says we can do better.
The top priority for this campaign is student schol-arships .The goal for this campaign was to raise $43,250,000 in fi ve years. However, the goal was in-creased because by December 2014 the campaign was going so well, and the VSU Founda-tion Board of Trustees was so pleased with what VSU was doing that they raised the goal to $53,250,000.
“Today we made a public announcement of the cam-paign and I am proud to say that from July 1 until today, March 16, of a $53,250,000 goal, we have raised over $30
million toward that goal,” Dr. McKinney said. “The biggest obstacle to students staying at Valdosta State is a fi nan-cial one; it’s not an academic one.”
3,800 plus people have donated to the campaign thus far who have never done so before, Dr. McKinney said.
The largest gift donation was $17 million from Dr. Brently Jenkins and Brenda Jenkins a retired physics pro-fessor and his wife.
The plan is to have $21 mil-lion out of the total goal go to scholarships for students.
“I want to make sure that a student who is good enough to come to Valdosta State has
the grades to stay at Valdosta State and graduates from Val-dosta State,” Dr. McKinney said. “One way we do that is making sure that students who need scholarships get scholar-ships.”
Student enrichment, faculty
enhancement, program oppor-tunities, athletics excellence and facility upgrades are the fi ve areas this campaign is trying to work on.
“This is a campaign for our future,” Dr. McKinney said.
$53 Million campaign said to bring major changes to VSU The capital campaign launched in July has already passed the halfway mark.
LaShawn Oglesby STAFF WRITER
Elan Waite/THESPECTATOR
Stella Henderson/THESPECTATOR
Kristin Whitman/THESPECTATOR
Baseball brings back bats
No. 10 right-handed pitcher Hayden Jones took on the job of relief pitcher in Sunday’s game against University of West Alabama.
See page 5 for full story .
Dr.McKinney talks to SGA during the meeting on March 16.
VSU’s highest officials will attend today’s faculty senate meeting to discuss a report detailing the senate members’ numerous problems with VSU’s administration and current condition.
“The last couple of weeks have brought to light a num-ber of issues at VSU we can-not ignore, distracting us from our success stories, and hold-ing us back at a time when we can ill afford it,” Dr. Michael Noll, faculty senate president, said in an introductory letter that prefaced the report that was released March 10.
The report summarized what faculty said at an emer-gency senate meeting on Feb. 26. The meeting was called after an anonymous document – allegedly sent by several VSU professors – called for a no-confidence vote on VSU President William McKinney, Provost Hudson Rogers and Chief of Staff Kimberly Luse as a result of poor leadership.
Today’s meeting, taking place at 3:30 p.m. in the UC Magnolia Room, will mainly focus on the report, Dr. Noll said.
The complaints listed in the report are wide-ranging and include not being heard by the vice president of academic affairs (Dr. Rogers), the ad-ministration’s lack of vision, budget cuts to Odum Library, and the surplus of interim positions.
In all, the report lodges 22 complaints against VSU’s current condition.
Dr. McKinney said he is looking forward to attending today’s senate meeting.
“I was delighted with our faculty senate’s decision to hold an open faculty forum on Feb. 26, and to provide me with the subsequent opportu-nity to address their concerns at this month’s senate meet-ing,” Dr. McKinney said. “An academic community is built on a foundation of honor and
accountability. It does not give credence to anonymous claims.
“Rather, it deals with its issues in a civil and open fo-rum. That is the spirit of trans-parency and collaboration that has been the hallmark of my administrative career, for it is the essence of who we are as academics. I stand ready, as I always have, to work with my partners in the faculty senate, and across our campus com-munity, to address our current challenges so that we may continue to serve in the best interests of our students and our region.
“I applaud Dr. Noll and his colleagues for a thorough report, and I look forward to using it as a starting point for a genuine collaboration be-tween the faculty senate and the senior administration.”
Some professors said in an email exchange that the report doesn’t accurately portray the faculty senate’s full anger against the administration.
“(The report) lacks the passion and honest ire that was conveyed in (the Feb. 26) session, in my opinion,” said Dr. Lynn Adams, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders. “It
does not resonate.”Dr. Thomas Aiello, associ-
ate professor of history and African-American studies, also mentioned Thressea Boyd’s firing in the email exchange.
“Are we really not going to ask about Thressea Boyd’s firing…(and) similar firings under the president’s tenure (all of which would, if true, be completely against system re-quirements, as well as against basic human decency)?” Dr. Aiello said.
The anonymous document that sparked this backlash against the administration alleges that Boyd, former communications director, was fired in a way that violates Board of Regents policy.
Dr. Noll’s reconciliatory tone expresses his desire to see all those involved in this controversy emerge as one united front.
“All of us (faculty, students, staff, and administration) need to see tangible and measur-able steps in the coming weeks and months to elevate VSU to a new level, and all of us need to step in to make this happen,” Dr. Noll said.
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The sudoku grid consists of eighty-one squares in a nine by nine grid. To solve the sudoku, each square in the grid must contain a number between one and nine, with the following conditions: · Each row of nine cells must contain each of the numbers from 1 to 9 once and only once. · Each column of nine cells must contain each of the numbers from 1 to 9 once and only once. · Each of the nine 3 by 3 boxes of nine cells must contain each of the numbers from 1 to 9 ANSWER ON PAGE 5
Police Briefs
March 15
A student reported his bicycle wheel was stolen from the Sustella parking deck.
March 14
A student called police and said her boyfriend was threat-ening to come on campus and kill her next date.
March 13
A student reported someone tried to steal his backpack while in Odum Library. Police arrested the suspect, a 26-year-old male, and charged him with theft by taking, pos-session of a weapon on school campus, and the possession of a weapon during the commis-sion of certain crimes.
March 12
A student reported her car was keyed, but she wasn’t sure where it happened. VSUPD reviewed camera footage and determined the car was keyed off campus.
A student reported her bike was stolen near the Fine Arts Building. The lock was pried off and found nearby in the grass.
A student reported her car’s GPS was stolen while her car was parked in the Oak Street Lot.
Police arrested an 18-year-old male student at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Patterson Street and charged him with obstruction of a law enforce-ment officer.
Upcoming EventsScience Seminar Series
March 194-5 p.m.Powell Hall Auditorium
Dr. Iwan Elstak from VSU’s mathematics and computer science department will give a lecture titled “The Kerala School of Mathematics and the emergence of Calculus around 1400 AD.” This lecture is free and open to the public.
Photo Scavenger HuntPOSTPONED
NEW DATE: March 31All DayVSU Campus
How well do you know VSU? Test your detective skills, creativity and speed in CAB’s Photo Scavenger Hunt. For more details contact [email protected].
Spring Cleaning ForSustella Parking Deck
The Sustella parking deck will be closed for cleaning March 23-24. Please make sure that all vehicles have been re-moved from the deck prior to the cleaning dates. Please park your vehicles in the Oak Street Lot, Oak Street parking deck or the Sustella Avenue surface lot when the Sustella parking deck is closed.
McKinney to address faculty over complaints
Happy ‘Tator Day!
“I was delighted with our faculty senate’s
decision to hold an open faculty forum on Feb. 26, and to provide me with the subsequent opportunity to address their concerns at this month’s senate meet-ing.”
Dr. William McKinneyVSU President
valdosta.edu valdosta.edu
John StephenNews editor
“The last couple of weeks have brought
to light a number of issues at VSU we can-not ignore, distracting us from our success stories, and holding us back at a time when we can ill afford it.”
Dr. Michael NollSenate President
MARCH 19, 2015 VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 3
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Opinions expressed in The Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not neccessarily those of The Spectator and its staff. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not neccessarily those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.
Our point of view...
This editorial was written by a member of the editorial staff and expresses the general opinion of The Spectator.
Align VSU’s Spring Break with other universities
Alison Stephen
Who gets the death penalty? When is a crime considered punishable by death? What are the exceptions? These are just a few questions that come to mind when exploring the dark and mysterious details surrounding the death penalty.
There is much debate among Americans as to when and if the death penalty should still be used. After all, killing someone for commit-ting a crime — no matter how heinous the act — is still kill-ing. In many states the death penalty is rarely ever used, and in other states like Michi-gan, New Jersey and Hawaii, it is practically non-existent.
The U.S. Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 says that the death penalty can be applied under the follow-ing three categories: homi-cidal offenses, espionage and treason, and non-homicidal narcotic offenses. Of course, any offense that is considered punishable by death falls under those three categories. The most punishable offense is murder, but the stipulations for what is considered murder are so loosely defined that it varies from state to state.
In some cases, such as the case of Kelly Gissendaner from Georgia, a person can be put to death without actually killing someone. Being affili-ated with a murder or even accidentally killing someone
can lead to the death penalty in some states.
Georgia is one of about 32 states that does have the death penalty. Gissendaner, a Georgia woman who was sentenced to death in the late ‘90s after assisting in the murder of her husband, will be the second woman in the history of Georgia to receive the death penalty.
Gissendaner, who didn’t physically commit any acts of murder, was sentenced to death while her lover, Gregory Owen, who actu-ally killed Kelly’s husband, received life in prison without parole for 25 years. While it’s not ok to be an advocate for ruthless criminals, fair trial and reasonable sentencing is something that many people can support.
Since her conviction, Gis-sendaner has worked to turn her life around and has even gotten a degree in theology while in prison. Thousands of people have petitioned to get her off of death row, but not much has changed except for the postponing of her death because of a problem with the lethal concoction that’s being used in her execution.
Gissendaner may have deserved life in prison, but it seemed highly unlikely that she would receive the death penalty for facilitating murder while her lover only received life in prison for actually committing the crime. The case certainly highlights some flaws with the use of the death
penalty and defining the situ-ations in which it should be used.
Even if a state doesn’t allow the death penalty, the U.S. government can still seek the death penalty for crimes that may threaten national security, such as the Boston bombing case in 2013.
While the death penalty’s loose guidelines and regula-tions may lead to a better, more flexible interpretation of the law in some situations — as all cases are not the same — it makes it easier for other cases to be tried unequally and unfairly. If nothing else is taken away from the buzz that the Kelly Gissendaner case is attracting, it’s the importance of judging fairly and apply-ing just punishments for all parties involved in a crime, especially when the death penalty may be involved.
Zenobia HarrisStaff Writer
Death penalty unjustGeorgia man doesn’t receive same punishment as his co-conspirator
When people are asked who they think are the most famous comedians, a list of males used to come to mind first. Recently, however, fe-male comedians have become more and more well-known. Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman and Amy Schumer have all become big names in the comedy genre thanks to Com-edy Central and “Saturday Night Live.”
Not everyone believes that the rapid rise in the number of female comedians is a good thing. Some people heavily examine and critique the acts performed by these women. Questions pertaining to raun-
chiness have quickly arisen from the media.
Female comedians are real-ly not that different from their male counterparts, such as Kevin Hart and Daniel Tosh. They both joke about the same things, including sex, drugs, and alcohol; women just get criticized more often than men because the world is used to looking at women in a certain way. Times have changed, though, and women are striving to be treated in an equal manner.
A person’s disapproval should not be based solely on the fact that a woman is tell-ing a nasty joke, but should be based on the joke itself. Some of the jokes told by these women can be considered distasteful or crude, but the
majority of the jokes are just honest.
Female comedians have become empowered enough to speak the truth, just in an amusing fashion. Obviously they are doing something right, since Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted the Golden Globes earlier this year for the second time. Poehler also recently released her newest book, “Yes Please.” Amy Schumer’s new movie, “Trainwreck,” is set to come out this summer.
Are female comedians too raunchy? No, they are not. Women are beginning to shed the traditionally demure de-meanor they once had and are letting the world hear what they really think.
Kailee KivettStaff Writer
Female comedians deserve respect, not discrimination
In one of the most recent cases of police brutality, a man known as “Africa” was shot five times and killed after being hit with a taser in California.
The cops claim that he was reaching for one of their guns because the taser did not work, but Africa was an unarmed, homeless and dis-abled man who should have posed no threat to six cops at the scene. Not only did the officers attack him, but they dragged him out of his tent, corralled him and tased him while three of the officers appeared to be on top of him, not handcuffing him during this entire procedure.
The fact that they did not handcuff Africa, when in the video you can clearly see a homeless woman who picks up one of the police offi-cer’s batons immediately get handcuffed, effectively shows that this was not normal. They
seemed to attack Africa with extreme prejudice.
Another unsettling fact about this whole incident is that the police were wearing body cams during the whole ordeal, yet both these cameras and the surveillance footage have not been released to the public, possibly meaning that this footage could hold the truth about what really hap-pened that day.
The death of Africa shows just how unprofessional and unorthodox the police can be, since an unarmed, disabled
and homeless man should not have posed such a threat that he needed to be shot while still on the ground. This re-ally raises a few questions about police conduct, and if an unarmed and disabled man can be shot for “he-said, she-said” speculation. When the other side of the argument is already dead, what does that really say about what the police can do? Do we want a legal system where things like this can get so far out of hand, or can we do better?
Alex CorbittStaff Writer
Police brutality becomes nationwide epidemic
MCT Campus
U.S. Executions
MCT CampusProblems of police brutality have been a hot topic in the media since the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Any break from the daily grind of classes and homework is always something to be appreciated, and students often mark Spring Break week on their calendars long before the new semester even begins.
As we slowly limp into the weekend, classes are taking less precedence in stu-dents’ mind, replaced with the desires for warm beaches, refreshing mountains or the simple pleasure of home.
However, it is frustrating for many students that VSU has once again chosen to line up our Spring Break deep into the se-mester, long after our college brethren have put away their bathing suits.
Both UGA and FSU had their breaks last week. Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech are on their breaks this week. By the time VSU reaches its break – a staggering 10 weeks into the semester out of 15 total weeks – most students have already littered the beaches with Solo cups and are well over their sunburns.
For many of us, the late break means we cannot line up schedules with our friends who attend other universities, so we are stuck seeing the guy from our 9 a.m. Eng-lish class sitting next to us on the beach.
From the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which falls only one week into the new semester, students are expected to run full steam with no major break until nearly the end of March. This means many
students are losing a week’s worth of tuition as the week before Spring Break often sees many students leaving before classes are even over for the week, or, if nothing else, already mentally checked out early on vaca-tion.
The SGA conducted a survey in 2013 regarding the movement of Spring Break, and it was overwhelmingly decided that students wanted a break earlier in March. Ultimately, the faculty senate decided to ig-nore the voice of the students, despite SGA proposing two alternative weeks earlier in the month.
At the time, President William J. McKin-ney sided with students.
“In terms of the placement of Spring Break, I concur with the Student Govern-ment Association,” McKinney wrote in a letter addressed to Dr. Walker, the president of the faculty senate.
No placement of Spring Break will satisfy everyone, but VSU has to be more aware of the wishes of students when determining when to schedule its breaks.
VSU students need a break that is situated earlier in the semester before apathy and exhaustion have taken their toll.
Most other universities in Georgia have seen fit to put their Spring Break in the middle of the semester; what makes us so different that we have to wait so late?
See what students think of our current Spring Break date at www.vsuspectator.com
PAGE 4 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM MARCH 19, 2015
Starring Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel and Sharlto Copley, Chappie hit the theaters world-wide on March 6. The story takes place in Johan-nesburg, South Africa, where in the near future, crime has started to be monitored by a robotic police crew. Patel, who you may know from the award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” plays the creator of these police robots. One robot gets shot in the chest by an RPG, leaving it irrevers-ibly damaged. Patel’s character, Deon Wil-son, takes this damaged body and installs new software he’s been working on that gives the robot real human thoughts and the ability to think independently. Copley, who worked with the same writers in the fi lm “District 9,” plays the voice of this new robot-human named Chappie. As he adapts to the world
around him, Chappie realizes that life isn’t all that it was cut out to be. Hugh Jackman plays the main antagonist in this story, which has come up with a bigger, stronger robot that could replace both humans and the robotic police force. As the plot thickens, Chap-pie and his new friends are left defending their home-turf from both the people trying to catch Chappie, and the people trying to destroy him. This story comes from the same minds that brought us District 9. Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell wrote both movies and the similarities are quite obvious. These writers are known best for creating fi lms that make their viewers take a step back and look at society from a different point of view. Catch the new break-through fi lm that challenges everything we believe in at GTC’s Valdosta Stadium Cinemas located on Baytree Road.
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx dating?Speculation has been swirling about Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise’s ex-wife, Katie Holmes, for over a year and a half. It now appears as if this may be more than just a silly rumor. According to People Magazine, multiple sources have confi rmed that the two-some may actually be involved. A photo was released of them *gasp* holding hands*gasp*.Although they are said to not be serious, it still makes for an interesting pair; es-pecially considering the fact that Cruise and Foxx have been close buds for years. This should make things…awkward.
Zayn caught slipping…again?It’s been less than two years since 22-year-old pretty boy, Zayn Malik got engaged and he’s been caught cheating on his fi ancée…again. It was just last year when an Australian waitress posted a picture of the One Direction star in bed. Pictures have surfaced of him wrapped up with another blonde. He later posted a haiku on Twitter citing his age and how people are trying to tear them apart. Trust me Zayn, don’t give yourself that much credit.
Robert Durst ArrestedHours after the airing of the fi nal install-ment of HBO’s “The Jinx,” a six part documentary highlighting Robert Durst, police came knocking on the 71-year-old’s New Orleans hotel room door to place him under arrest for the December 2000 shooting death of his friend, Susan Berman. CNN reports that among the items found in his room were more than $40,000 in
cash, a fake ID and a latex mask that covered his face and neck to alter his appearance.Durst has been suspected in his wife’s disappearance 30 years ago. He also was acquitted in the murder and dismember-ment of his neighbor in 2001.During the chilling fi nal moments of the documentary, Durst can be overheard mumbling, “What the hell did I do? ... Killed them all, of course,” into his hot mic. His trial date has yet to be set.
Kathy Griffi n quits Fashion Police Everything has gone from bad to worse for E!’s “Fashion Police.” It feels as if #WeedGate happened forever ago. Weeks after Kelly Osbourne left, Joan River’s replacement, Kathy Griffi n, has also stepped down from the show. According to Billboard, the show has been placed on temporary hiatus until September.
‘Jinx’ arrested for murder; fashion police takes break
‘Chappie’ challenges beliefs
While you were out: Post Spring Break April Event Timeline
24-hour demonstration honoring American POW
Stuart PriceSTAFF WRITER
CAB ConcertApril 16
Singer SOMO will be headlining a con-cert in the P.E. Complex
Grass Roots Open MicApril 21
8-9:30pmDeep Release Poetry Society will hold
their fi rst off-campus open mic
CPC Step ShowApril 22
7pmAdmission is $5 and all proceeds will
go to charity
Emerging Artist ShowcaseApril 23-25
The showcase will be held in Sawyer Theatre and feature up and coming
artists from VSU
Art by the Water FestivalApril 2510-noon
Live music performances and art ven-dors will be selling goods
BlazeFest ConcertApril 18
BlazeFM will host concert on front lawn featuring local talent
Pass the Torch FairApril 8
4:15-6:15The Hand in Hand organization will
hold a kid’s fair in Remes Field. Volun-teers will get community service hours
Corde May and Saadiq Goins pose as prison-ers while Shawn Yates and Matthew Pirrello stand guard in a demonstra-tion honoring POW.
THE SPECTATOR/ John Preer
Courtesy of MCTCampus
Sudoku Answer
VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 5MARCH 19, 2015
With winter looking to be well behind us, Valdosta State football is wrapping up its 2015 spring practices with Thursday’s Spring Game at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
Scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff, the annual inner-squad scrimmage between the offense and defense provides fans and students their first opportunity of the year to come out and get an idea of what next season’s team has in store.
More importantly, however, it gives player and coaches an idea on the areas that may require more work and attention during their summer practices.
“We want to see guys who have improved throughout the spring,” head coach David Dean said. “From the individual things we have taught them to their overall fundamentals and technique.”
The major points of emphasis this spring for the Blazers were third-down-and-red-zone conversions both offensively and defensively.
“Offensively we just need to get more consistent,” coach Dean said. “Defensively, we need to work on the penalties and that just comes down to technique.”
VSU finished fifth in the Gulf South Conference last season, converting on only 43 percent of their 183 third-down chances.
If the Blazers look to build upon last years’ playoff run, that number needs to improve.
The spring game also provides players looking for more playing time the stage and opportunity to catch the coaches’ eyes one last time before summer practices.
Sophomore running back Jordan Germany has done just that early in camp and has found himself now competing for the backup job behind senior All-GSC running backs Austin Scott and Cedric O’Neal.
Germany, who spent all of last year buried on the depth chart under four other running backs, has made the most of his early chances and has sparked a position battle.
“Jordan has had an outstanding spring and probably has been one of our biggest surprises so far,” Dean said.
While Germany might only be competing for the backup job, there are many starting jobs that remain open all over the field and on offense especially.
VSU is losing four senior starters from last year’s offensive line, which has created quite a huge bout for the four open spots.
The Blazers will also have to replace All-GSC quarterback Jake Medlock, who led VSU to an NCAA quarterfinal appearance in his only year at Valdosta.
The early popular candidates for the job are junior Kaleb Nobles, who has seen time briefly as a starter over his first two years, and Florida international transfer E.J. Hilliard.
The 6-foot-3-inch Hilliard, who played at FIU with Medlock before his transfer to VSU last year, has the size and strength of a prototypical quarterback that Nobles lacks.
Where the 5-foot-10-inch Nobles lacks with his size and
strength, he makes up for with his knowledge. Spending a majority of the past two seasons as the backup
quarterback with the clipboard and headset, no one but the coaches themselves have a better understanding of the offense.
With the first game of the season still over five months away, these position battles are just the beginning of what many hope to be a successful 2015 football season.
Country star Kip Moore “comes home” to The Complex
Kip Moore’s “Coming Home” concert on April 11 has been the talk of the town.
As a former golfer at VSU from 2000 to 2002, Kip will return to his old stomping grounds to blaze up The Complex. Students, faculty and locals alike are looking forward to hearing the country vocals of the platinum recording superstar.
“It’s kind of great to have a former VSU student that has been where we are today come back and perform for
us,” Tia Hatchell, senior, said. “Country music is sort of a big thing down here, and he has put out some pretty big hits, so it kind of makes it special for him to come back here.”
And right she is. Being in the “Deep South,” country music is a staple of our southern culture, and with number one hits such as “Hey Pretty Girl” and “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck,” it makes it so much sweeter to be able to attend one of his concerts.
Tickets for the concert have been on sale since Feb. 23 and can still be purchased online at www.vstateblazers.com,
or in person at the Valdosta State Ticket Office in The Complex, or over the phone at 229-333-7328. Tickets will be $35 for reserved seats, $25 for general admission, and $30 for floor (standing) general admission (plus taxes and transaction fees). Credit cards or cash can be used to purchase tickets.
Doors for the concert will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Special guest, Michael Ray will open the night’s fesitivities, followed by Moore.
Chris Webb SportS Writer
Niamani Carlye-HollisStaff Writer
Football springs into new seasonBlazers start the season off with their first scrimmage game tonight
vstateblazers.com
Baseball brings back bats against jaguars
Georgia Regents University traveled to Billy Grant Field yesterday in an effort to increase the Blazers’ baseball losing streak to five.
With timely hitting, solid defense and strong pitching, the Blazers were able to take out the Jaguars 6-2 and get back on track.
The Blazers started out a little rough by committing an error and allowing one run in the first inning.
The Blazers were able to respond in the second inning after a leadoff double from Hayden Jones and a Zac Goodno single to tally the Blazers’ first run.
After a scoreless top-half
of the third inning, it looked like the Blazers were going to follow suit until Michael Gouge was able to reach on an infield error.
Next up for VSU was Bryant Hayman, who was able to drive in Gouge and give the Blazers a 2-1 advantage.
In the top of the fourth, the Jaguars were able to get two men on base before head coach Todd Guilliams decided to bring in lefty Jared Stanley to close out the inning.
After allowing one more man to reach and load the bases, Stanley struck out the next batter to keep the Blazers ahead. The Blazers continued to dominate and went into the sixth inning with a 4-1 lead over the Jaguars.
After an infield single and a double, Georgia Regents was
able to tack on another run and cut the lead to 4-2.
VSU shortstop Mike Reed and first baseman Gouge were able to give the Blazers some insurance with a solo homerun and a score on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh.
The Jaguars were unable to score any more runs and the Blazers cruised to an easy 6-2 victory.
With yesterday’s win, the Blazers improve to a 14-10 record for the season. The Blazers will resume action on March 21 when they head to Memphis, Tennessee, and play a three-game series against Christian Brothers University for more conference play.
VSU will return to Billy Grant Field on March 28 to take on Union University.
Stuart PriceSportS Writer
Infielder Jayk Graham tags a runner out at second base during the series this weekend. The team was on a four-game lossing streak until the game last night against Georgia Regents. The Blazers took the win over the Jaguars 6-2. VSU will be back in action for conference play on March 21 against Christian Brothers University.
Kristin Whitman/THESPECTATOR
Former VSU golfer Kip Moore will come to The Complex as a country music star. The concert will be held April 11.
vstateblazers.com
MARCH 19, 2015 PAGE 6 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM
From‘Rec Legend’ to RecognitionAfter two rejections, Lester Moore’s hard work pays off
Good things come to those who wait.
Better things come to those who work.
Lester Moore, finally a member of the Valdosta State men’s basketball team, can tell you how.
How was a guy cut twice — once as a freshman and once as a sophomore — able to realize his dream of play-ing college basketball? It’s simple. He kept working.
Affectionately known as “Tre Moe,”the 6-foot-2 guard found himself at the VSU Stu-dent Recreation Center where a friendship formed through competition changed his life.
Former Blazers forward Josh Sparks, who was a sophomore during Moore’s freshman year, watched from the stands as Moore and other hopefuls auditioned for a roster spot.
“Josh Sparks was probably one of the biggest influences behind me making the team,” Moore said. “Our friendship started at the rec. There was a lot of trash talk and a lot of competitive juices flowing. We both liked winning and hated to lose. That’s how that bond formed.”
Disappointed but far from discouraged, Moore leaned on his family for inspiration to keep his dream alive.
“It was hard being cut twice,” Moore said. “It’s always been a dream to play college basketball. At that time, I got great support from my family. They told me not
to quit, stay resilient.”So, Moore got to work.He went back to his home-
town of Pelham, Georgia, in the summers to train.
A regimen of shooting and weightlifting sessions along with running the bleachers in stifling heat at the Pelham High School football stadium transformed the lanky and slender Moore into a college-caliber athlete.
In high school, Moore was recruited by several schools, including Georgia Col-lege and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. Due to a change of plans, GCSU withdrew its offer and tried to sell Moore on joining their team as a recruited walk-on. For Moore, the opportunity to play at Valdosta State — just 66 miles away from home —intrigued him.
“Being two hours and 45 minutes from the family, I came to Valdosta State,” Moore said of his decision. “If I was going to walk on, I wanted to walk on closer to home. I wanted to give students and other players back home something to look up to.”
Eager to keep his hand in the game, Moore was a practice player for the Lady Blazers under head coach Kiley Hill for the first month of the 2012-13 season.
The men’s team lost a player midseason and needed an extra body. Helfer heeded Sparks’ advice and brought Moore on to practice with the Blazers.
“Older players like Sparks and JJ (Jarrod Johnson) talked to the coaching staff and Coach picked me up and gave
me a chance to play,” Moore said. “After that, it was all about performing and getting up to practice. It was just a new experience.”
Sparks, who often invites Moore to play poker with him whenever he is in town, pointed to one moment that proved Moore had the mental toughness to play at the col-lege level.
“All his other dorm buddies were scared to guard me so they made Tre Moe do it,” the 6-foot-9 Sparks recalled. “I pushed Helfer to pick up Tre Moe mainly because I liked his game and his work ethic. I knew that he would under-stand his role.”
Moore’s role was minimal with the Blazers early on. As a late addition, Moore was ineligible for games but showcased his athleticism, shooting prowess and leader-ship in practices.
The following season, Moore’s persistence paid off when he was officially named to the Blazers’ 15-man roster.
During his first season, Moore appeared in just 17 games, scoring 32 total points in 7.3 minutes per contest.
This past season, Moore was once again relegated to spot duty over the first 23 games, playing no more than 11 minutes in a game and even earned three DNP-CDs (Did Not Play-Coach’s Deci-sion).
Despite collecting dust on the Blazers’ bench, Moore kept working, both as a player and a leader in the locker room.
“I never let not getting the chance at first get to me, Moore said. “I still pushed
hard and kept pushing my teammates. They looked up to me as a senior and I didn’t want to give off a bad vibe just because I wasn’t getting any burn. I still had to be a leader, be vocal and make sure everything was going good at practice.”
That is, until starting shoot-ing guard Blake Justice went down with a sprained ankle against Union. Moore played 20 minutes and responded with a career-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-6 from the three-point line.
With Justice hobbled, Helf-er inserted Moore, whom he often calls the ‘Rec Legend,’ into the starting lineup for the remainder of the season.
A player twice passed over was now a starter because he never stopped working.
“The main thing I take from this is to never give up on your dreams…your goals.” Moore said. “I always preach to other people, you always have to seize your opportuni-ties because you never know when you get them again.”
According to Moore, his relationship with the coaching staff, namely assistant coach and former Blazer Herman Burge, kept him engaged when he wasn’t getting play-ing time.
“During the roughest times, Coach Burge was always giv-ing me advice and motivating me to keep pushing hard in practice,” Moore said. “He believed in my ability before anyone else did and acknowl-edged my worth to the team.”
Hosting West Florida on Senior Night in front of 2,214 fans inside The Complex,
Moore scored nine points and dished three assists. His three three-pointers helped the Blazers set a school record with 21 three-pointers in the 114-95 victory.
“He’s a great kid,” Helfer said of Moore. “He never says a word and will do anything you ask of him. He’s fun to coach and obviously the crowd loves him. When he makes shots, you can hear
how they respond to him. He’s just a really good kid.”
Moore, an ac-counting major, sets his sights on becoming a certified public accountant and believes he could develop an itch to coach in the future.
“I’ve always liked dealing with numbers and I was a good math student growing up, so I chose accounting,” Moore said. “I will probably leave my options open because I love being around sports,
so I might try to coach as well.”
With his playing career in the rearview, Moore sees his journey as an inspiration for others and hopes to blaze a trail for future players.
“It’s emotional for me, being here so long and then getting a chance to show the fans what I can do,” Moore
said of his time with the Blaz-ers. “I’m just lucky and happy to have the chance to even
do it. There’s a lot of guys that want to play college ball and never get the
opportunity. I want to cre-ate a path for guys that get over-looked and hope-fully, they get more chances in the future.”
Shane Thomas sports Writer
Stella Henderson/THESPECTATOR
VSU player Lester Moore got a starting spot on Blaz-ers basketball, after two years of rejection. Moore plays as a guard for the Blazers.
