November 6, 2019
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Special Edition
WHY ARE
YOU
A REGISTERED
VOTER?
“Relish” is Valdosta’s new burger joint Student athletes win freedom from NCAA Mayoral candidates address transportation, racial tension
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com
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November 6, 2019
News
From left: Kevin J. Bussey, Scott J.D. Rice and David Sumner take answer questions regarding public transportation.
Photo courtesy of Kayla Pool/THE SPECTATOR
TENSION BUILDS
Mayoral candidates address transportation, racial tension Kayla Pool
Staff Writer kepool@valdosta.edu Valdosta’s mayoral candidates were able to answer the questions of VSU students first-hand and address any of their concerns at their last debate. The last debate was held on Oct. 28 in VSU’s Magnolia Room, courtesy of the Sociology and Anthropology Club and the NAACP Valdosta State Chapter. All five of the candidates were invited but only three of them, Kevin J. Bussey, Scott, J.D. Rice and David Sumner, attended. The president of the Sociology and Anthropology Club, D. J. Davis, announced that the two other mayoral candidates, Scott James Matheson and Brooks D. Bivins, were absent. “Regrettably, students, it seems
like we have two candidates that didn’t think that you all were worth showing up to see,” Davis said. While VSU students were concerned about crime and the lack of entertainment, most questions involved how they plan to change the lack of public transportation around Valdosta. Davis asked all three candidates about what their plans were for public transportation and VSU students’ transportation, mainly concerning extending the traditional schedule of their Thursdaysonly access to go to Walmart or the mall using the campus shuttle. Bussey suggested that Uber or Lyft be subsidized to transport students, but ultimately the issue is a university, not a city, problem. Rice disagreed, stating that the possibility of having a public transportation system is not nearly as far-fetched as it seems, and is a real possibility financially.
Things began to shake up when Sumner rebutted against both Bussey and Rice after Rice answered the question. “Beware your politicians are telling you it’s not going to cost you anything, and I’ll tell you to go on a city’s website and look at how much money they’re pouring into their transit systems,” Sumner said. “For me to sit here and tell you you’re going to get public transportation the first year I’m in office-- or any of these guys are in office is just not true. To do a comprehensive transit program it’s going to take a pretty long time. The funding has got to come from a lot of different sources. It can’t be carried on the backs of taxpayers of Valdosta.” The debate concluded with VSU students being allowed to ask any additional questions. A question that came from the entire student section was how these candidates plan on dealing with racial tension
VSU student leads through organizations Logan Gullage
Staff Writer ltgullage@valdosta.edu “She is going to be one of those people who evokes change in the world,” said a peer when talking about Danielle Spivey, a junior Spanish major with dreams to do just that. Spivey is no stranger to taking control and leading others in the right direction. The first organization she was involved with on campus was Spanish Club. By her sophomore year of college, Spivey was already president. “I fell in love with the culture I experienced, and I wasn’t worried about making quick decisions regarding the club,” Spivey said. She is also the current president of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. “I would say one of my main accomplishments here is being president of that club,” she said. “It’s for the top 10% of juniors and seniors.” Spivey says that being a member and a leader of two very active clubs has been very rewarding for her. “Helping other people to achieve one common goal is something I’ve always strived for and loved,” Spivey said. Her positive attitude and ability
to get students engaged in events are what Nora Brown, a senior philosophy major, said are a few of Spivey’s positive characteristics. “I’d say her best qualities are her communication skills and enthusiasm for projects she’s involved in,” Brown said. Spivey also devotes her energy to community service. She used her position in the Spanish Club to help organize and celebrate “Dia de Los Muertos.” Spivey and the Spanish Club invited middle school students to experience Mexican culture and educate them on the holiday. “It was amazing seeing all of the students interacting with our professors and our students here at VSU,” Spivey said. Spivey said that her time with the Spanish Club developed her as a leader. “I learned so many skills from talking to people to organizing events, big or small,” Spivey said. “I used to not be as communicative with people, but now I can do it.” Spivey says that being involved in something gives the college experience meaning. talks about a Spanish Club event called “Dinner and Dancing” which in itself has made her feel a lot more at home. This event allows students
to bring a dish from their culture. “It gives students the opportunity to share something from their home when they’re away from home,” Spivey said. Without being involved with this organization, Spivey would have never had the chance to experience so many different sides of other student’s lives. From the highs and lows of everyday college life, Spivey has found her own little place to unwind and connect with other people.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Spivey Spivey is the president of Alpha Chi Honor Society and a member of Spanish Club.
in Valdosta, especially VSU. Sumner’s answer was not very pleasing according to the students who left right after his response. Davis pointed this out and said students got up and left after his response because they were upset. “I have no plan on how to handle it, I’ll be honest with you I’ve never heard of such because I have not been incorporated in the daily activity of students,” Sumner said. “When I’m elected mayor, my door is always going to be open and any college student that wants to come to my office and sit down and have a conversation, I would love to have that.” Students were able to rebut Sumner’s response. “You stated that you didn’t recall any racial tension here in Valdosta but that you do have an opendoor policy for students to come and talk to you and other community members. What are your thoughts about black students
being escorted in February 2016 at the Trump rally?” said Mirakal Jackson, a senior art major. Sumner had an unsure response but proceeded to answer the question. “I really don’t remember, I don’t know,” said Sumner. “I don’t know what the details were. I am aware of it now and my door will be open. I’ve lived my whole life not being in any way racially prejudice, I don’t see color. I do not see things from a prejudiced way—and I may not be saying it the right way for students to understand. If it offended you, I’m very sorry and that’s certainly not what my intentions were. I’m going to be here to help and if there is a wrong, we’ll make it right.” The students of VSU put all three candidates in the hot seat, leaving their final decisions to be made at the polls.
Which courses should you enroll in?
regarding the subject. Briana Rush, sophomore and nursing major, said that it is important for African American students to learn their history, therefore, she recommends an African American Studies course. Some students recommended taking your core classes first so that you can get them out of the way; also, this way the information you learned pertaining your major will be fresh in your mind going into your career filed. Other students recommended taking classes that pertain to your major first so that you can get decide if that major is something you actually want to pursue. If you are a psychology major or you need an elective, I recommend Sociology 1160, Intro to Social Problems with Professor Andrea Ramirez. In this class you will have intense and interesting discussions about problems we face in society today. A great course to take for mass media majors would be Computer Mediated Comm with Professor Talley Mulligan. In this class you will learn the basic tools needed for photoshop and video editing. This class allows you to tap into your creativity and analyze media that we see on a regular day basis. VSU has a diverse catalog of courses that students can take. When picking classes, its all up to what works for you and what you are interested in.
Breannia Stillwell
Staff Writer bastillwell@valdosta.edu Registration for spring semester is now open. It can be hard to decide what classes you should take; some students would like for the classes to be both interesting and beneficial and that is possible. Classes that you are required to take can end up being enjoyable for you. Janai Green, sophomore and nursing major, was required to take sociology due to her major. She previously did not have an interest in sociology but once she took the course, she found interest in it. “The sociology class with Professor Thomas Hoschild is a great course to take due to the fact that the professor made the course interesting as well as informational,” she said. “In the class we learned about people’s interactions with others along with how they interact with other things.” Elective and perspective courses are also required, but with these classes you have more diversity
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com
November 6, 2019
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Campus Life
“Relish” in Valdosta’s newest burger place Jasmin Small
Staff Writer jismall@valdosta.edu “Big Tasty Burgers!” advertises Relish. I’ll be the judge of that. Since 2009, Relish has established a decent reputation in the North Florida area. For its third location, the company set its sights on Valdosta. The location already boasts a 4.8/5 rating on Facebook. With ratings like those, who could pass it up? The interior of the restaurant was sleek and clean, full of a diverse crowd of students, parents and children. It took about 10 minutes to receive my order, which is an acceptable amount of time to wait. I ordered a single patty burger with a medium fried egg and cheddar cheese, sweet potato fries and a vanilla milkshake.
Relish opens third location in Valdosta after nine successful years in North Florida.
The burgers are made to order and you pick what kind of sauce and toppings you like. I decided that I wanted a garlic aioli spread and fried onions. The total price of the food came to $15 which is to be expected from a restaurant of made to order
quality. But, if you think Relish is only for meat-eaters, you’re mistaken! Relish also offers the popular “Impossible Burger,” a plantbased patty which (apparently) tastes just like the real thing. They also offer turkey burgers, salmon
Photo Courtesy of Relish.
burgers, chicken, crispy chicken and black bean veggie burgers. They also have a large section of sides: regular french fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, poutine fries, cheddar fries, and cheddar bacon fries. The burger was well cooked,
juicy and worth the hype. The aioli was rich in flavor and really brought the burger together. Everything within the burger was great and I would definitely go to get it again. The sweet potato fries were good, not mind-blowing good, but good. They were a bit wimpy and warm as though they weren’t just freshly made. The thing that saved the fries was the curry ketchup. I think the one thing that was a waste of money was the vanilla milkshake. It was plain and there was nothing special about it. I felt as though you could get that milkshake anywhere. Overall, Relish is a pretty good burger joint and worth the time going. If I had to rate the place and food combined I would give it a seven out of 10.
People Poll
Why are you a registered voter?
Andrew Miller freshman computer science major
“I am a registered voter and the reason that I’m a registered voter is because I actually do care about what goes on in the community. Eventually, everyone gets older, but at the same time if we don’t actually get out there and get registered then who else is actually going to make the decisions,” he said. “It does make a difference and it actually does change things. We just have to remember that. If we want to change, we are the ones to make that happen.”
Gabriela Cortes freshman communications science disorders
“It’s my right. My aunts and my mom pushed me to register to vote since everybody fought for women’s right to vote.”
Zharriah Weems sophomore biology major
“I am a registered voter because I’m a firm believer in having a voice for myself,” she said. “There’s no reason for me to walk around complaining about things that are going on if I’m not implementing my free rights to change it, so I really feel like my opinion matters just like everyone else’s so I should exercise that right. “
Nathaniel James junior music education major
“I believe voting is important even though I’m not registered to vote in Lowndes county, I’m registered to vote in Atlanta.”
The Spectator | www.vsuspectator.com
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November 6, 2019
Column: Student-athletes win freedom from NCAA Kyle Grondin
Staff Writer kpgrondin@valdosta.edu The NCAA is trying to use its get-out-of-jail-free card. Over the years, the topic of pay to play has been one of the most controversial and often discussed stories that surrounds college sports. Now, after bills were proposed in many states to put the practice in place legally, the NCAA has ruled that it will allow college athletes to profit off of their own name and likeness “in a manner consistent of the collegiate model.” While it remains to be seen what the “collegiate model” entails (knowing the NCAA, we’ll all be unhappy with the response), it’s a step in the right direction. They are now following the actions pushed upon them by many states. California was the first state to pass such a law, The Fair Pay to Play Act, allowing athletes to profit off of their own name. This includes the opportunity to profit off of merchandise, selling their name or likeness for video games and other memorbilia and selling their game used products. Since California’s bill, Florida and New York have followed suit with bills of their own, and as many as 11 states have prepared bills. Change is coming in a whirlwind, and the NCAA is now trying to jump back out in front of it. The NCAA has constantly been pushing back on the idea, citing reasons of competitive imbalance in the league and an unfair advantage to certain schools. The organization also cites the fear of players being taken advantage of by agents and boosters in unfair deals. But these issues don’t have a lot of merrit. In terms of competitive imbalance, the same two teams have played in the national championship for multiple years now, so there’s already a competitive imbalance. For the NCAA’s argument of protecting the players, most of this is already happening under the table. Boosters are supplying cash for top recruits, and it seems less likely that players would be taken advantage of by boosters if the money is above table, with an NCAA Players Association backing the individuals. Protecting the
players is a weak argument to be had. But the argument to pay players still isn’t over. The statement offered from the NCAA on passing the ruling still has a lot of uncertainty. This seems like more of a publicity stunt than anything of actual merrit. Jay Bilas, an ESPN analyst on college basketball, isn’t buying the rule change. “What they’re really trying to do is stall both state and federal legislation from going forward so that they can put something in place that really doesn’t do anything. It appears to do something, but doesn’t really do anything; so they can get Congress off their backs,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said on the “Golic and Wingo” ESPN Radio show. “The NCAA called Congress and asked the two representatives—one being Mark Walker from North Carolina—to pull their legislation, and their response was no.” Bilas, a former basketball player at Duke University, has long been a proponent of paying student athletes. The NCAA is sending everyone through the runaround, missing their perfect opportunity to adapt to avoid battling Congress. Here are the major reasons that the NCAA should allow college athletes to make money off of their names. 1. Players who deserve to be paid, will get paid. The biggest debate to the fair pay arguments was the question of how the NCAA would balance the money. Would there be a salary cap, so teams such as Alabama can’t buy all of the best players? Who is deciding who makes the money? Is income based on value to the school or value to the team? These factors made fair pay a slippery slope the NCAA carefully avoided for a long time. Now, the new ruling takes a lot of responsibility out of the committee’s hands. Players will now be their own entrepreneurs, making their own deals and being able to generate their own income fairly. The only stipulation the NCAA listed was that any profit must stay “consistent with the collegiate model.” The way this decision works out is if players become savvy business people, learning how to profit off of their own talents. The top players who drive substantial income to the universities (the
Photo Courtesy of Flickr NCAA has ruled that it will allow college athletes to profit off of their own name and likeness “in a manner consistent of the collegiate model.”
best players and biggest names in their respective sports) will now be able to earn what they feel they deserve, and many of them will profit. Duke basketball star and NBA No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson would’ve been a sevenfigure athlete while in college, for example, if he were able to profit off of his own image. The biggest task of the NCAA will be to keep the competitive balance, which is something the organization highlighted in its press release. New rules are constantly taken advantage of, and if players have a way to profit more off of going to the top five schools, they’re going to take advantage of that opportunity. The NCAA will have to ensure that other schools aren’t falling behind due to the ruling. The NCAA can look to other professional leagues to how this will look. Obviously the concern is that Alabama and Clemson in football, and Duke and Kentucky in basketball, will have sponsors pay all of their players and win every championship. I disagree. Most of these teams are already paying student athletes. Nike and Adidas has a major scandal
where they’re funneling money to schools to pay for college basketball recruits. The idea that this will be new money to spend doesn’t make a lot of sense. The money is already there and will just be aboveboard now. 2. NCAA no longer has to punish schools for minor monetary exchanges In 2010, University of Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green was suspended for four games for selling his game-worn jersey for $1,000. Later that year, star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four teammates at Ohio State were suspended for five games for trading game memorabilia and championship rings for tattoos. While, depending on how the NCAA institutes the pay to play rules “in a collegiate manner” as they described, the fact is we don’t have to worry about the top athletes missing games, or missing seasons, for minor cash exchanges and memorbilia sales. Allow the players to entrepeneur themselves like any other student on campus has the right to do. It is the fair way. 3. All parties win Once again, this is a situation
where all parties feel like they can walk away with a victory. For the players, it is a great step toward what they feel is fair compensation for their worth on the field. Many players will rejoice at the opportunity to profit off of themselves, and it is a model that still promotes what college is all about: growing one’s self. Teaching these kids to grow their brand at 18 years-old can go a long way to helping that down the line, especially when some of the student athletes reach a professional level, they’ll have the ability to understand their self worth, and avoid being taken advantage of without the NCAA having their back. It was a monumental decision for the NCAA to allow college athletes to profit off of their own likeness. As more information unfolds into the rule changes and how it will be installed into the game, we’ll see a plan in place that will protect the players, while still allowing them to feel as though it’s them, and not their universities, that reap the benefits of their hard work on the field.
Blazers romp Eagles in Exhibition showdown Kaitlyn Baich
Engagement Editor kebaich@valdosta.edu
Photo Courtesy of Flickr The VSU Blazers beat the Polk State Eagles 6-3, scoring their sixth point in the tenth inning.
On Friday, Nov. 1, VSU baseball set the tone for its 2020 season during a scrimmage against Polk State College. The Blazers beat the Eagles 6-3, scoring their sixth point in the tenth inning. The team used this scrimmage as a stepping stone to see what they have to work on as the season approaches. “What I got out of today was that I thought our players were very mature, they handled their business, we did a great job of playing pitch and catch, played really good defense. We didn’t swings bats as well as we’d like, but sometimes that happens,” said Head Coach Greg Guilliams. “But I thought our players showed a lot
of maturity.” Blazer baseball’s defense and pitching is further ahead than their offense. Coach Guilliams established what players can and cannot do during the Friday scrimmage. Although offense needs to increase their power, Guilliams pointed out Nick Lewis’ skills in batting during the scrimmage. The transfer senior from University of South Alabama recognized what he and his teammates need to continue to do to ensure the team has a winning season. It starts with chemistry.
The Blazers seemed to be hard on themselves though. Polk State College’s head coach, Al Corbeli, and the team learned from their scrimmage against VSU. Besides the loss, Corbeli believes the baseball program at VSU gave them a good game. “It’s an unbelievable experience to play a really good program like VSU,” said Corbeli. VSU baseball will continue to show Guilliams the enthusiasm and hustle he saw during the scrimmage. They will continue with their practices as they now know where to focus to get better as a team
“As a team, right now, we need to have a tighter bond and come together more and I think we’ll be really good.”
as the 2020 season is just a few months away. “We take ground balls every day,” said Lewis. “All of my teammates, we come out here and have fun together and try and help each other get better as a team; continue to work hard, my brothers every day, and hopefully get better.” The Blazers ended the 2019 season with a 32-23 record and 14-12 record in their conference games. The Blazers started their 2019 season against Embry- Riddle Eagles. Beating them in all three of the games against them, the Blazer’s are ready to take on the 2020 season. VSU baseball will begin their season on Jan. 31 against EmbryRiddle again at 5 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.