The Spectator, 02-26-2015

Volume 88 Issue 6

February 26, 2015

What to do at VSU

First-generation students gather to share support

Order in the court ....

Screen on the GreenLooking for a break this week? How about a movie with Engage?

Come out and watch “Big Hero 6” on the front lawn tonight from 8-10 p.m. There will be candy, popcorn and drinks.

Bailando - Do you have two left feet?

Come by Meeting Room 1 in the Student Union today at 6 p.m.

The Spanish club is offering free Hispanic dance lessons.

Weather Today

Tatyana Phelps

COPY EDITOR tnphelps@valdosta.edu

John Preer/ THESPECTATOR

Glenda Hatchett is greeted by President William Mckinney before Thomas-PierceScholarship Dinner on Feb. 24.

Glenda Hatchett gives inspiring words at the ThomasPierce Scholarship Dinner John Preer

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FEATURES EDITOR jhpreer@valdosta.edu Valdosta State’s campus was visited Tuesday by celebrity judge and community activist Glenda Hatchett.

Hatchett was the keynote speaker for the Thomas-Pierce Scholarship Dinner held in the Student Union Ballrooms.

Hatchett is an Atlanta native and still resides in the city. Between filming for her new show and being a spokesperson for CASA, Hatchett has only been adding to her extensive body of work since her Daytime Emmy award-winning show, “Judge Hatchett.”

The Thomas-Pierce Scholarship is awarded to first-generation college students. Hatchett’s speech praised these students and others like them who have succeeded in the face of adversity.

“To have first generation students have an opportunity and get the extra support, I think it’s important,” Hatchett said.

Hatchett attributed these adversities to ineffective schooling and poor

parental guidance.

“I think that so many of our children are suffering from under education, from the effects of poverty and a sense of hopelessness,” Hatchett said.

In order to combat these adversities ,Hatchett urged for the participation of parents to help motivate students.

“Our family put a premium on education, so my grandparents worked hard to make sure that my mother and her siblings went to college; my mother worked her way through college, and I don’t take any of it for granted,” Hatchett said.

Hatchett referenced the need for students to be competitive in today’s job market. She spoke about her personal struggle to ensure that her two sons are not only nationally competitive, but globally.

“My sons are competing in a different arena … they are competing with men and women across the globe,” Hatchett said.

The speech Hatchett delivered at the scholarship dinner focused on two themes: purpose and passion.

She spoke on the lineage of greatness that today’s youth have to follow and how they must step up to the plate and become part of that great lineage.

Faculty senate calls for emergency special session Jordan Barela

DIGITAL EDITOR jlbarela@valdosta.edu Spring cleaning is coming early for faculty senate.

After no decision was reached about how to react to allegations made against top VSU administrators at the Feb. 19 faculty senate meeting, a special session of the faculty senate will be held today at 3:30 p.m.

A proposal of a no confidence vote was brought on by an anonymous document proportedly sent by 15 professors to senators.

The document lists numerous alleged discrepancies, accusing President William McKinney and his top deputies of poor leadership.

Faculty senate President Michael Noll sent out an

Elan Waite/THE SPECTATOR

Faculty senate President Michael Noll, talks to professors on Feb. 19.

email titled “Spring Cleaning” to the senate, discussing the reasoning for the special session.

“I would like to ask all of you to help me with this by sharing your feedback in regards to ‘things’ that need to

change at VSU by providing me with concrete examples,” Noll said in the email.

According to Noll, the purpose of this session is to receive as much feedback as possible from the VSU community regarding this issue.

Noll also sent a list of guidelines for the session.

These guidelines include sharing information that is accurate, and open discussion on any issue with precise descriptions for solutions, among others.

The session is open, excluding senior level administrators. The meeting will be held in Ballroom A of the Student Union.

The outcome of the session, once all the information is collected on the issue, will be presented in the March 19 faculty senate meeting.

Inside This Issue

Check out our Basketball preview

- OPINIONS: Black History Month deserves continuous support from community

See Page 6 for more

- SPORTS: Albritton aims to build success

- FEATURES: Program increases VSU’s stock of ebooks

First-generation students at VSU no longer have to go through the struggles they face alone.

The counseling center is forming a support group specifically for VSU students who are the first in their family to attend college. The tentative start date was Feb. 16, but the actual start date and time will be based on the participants’ schedules.

First-generation college students particularly struggle a little more than other college students and face more hardships.

“There are some alarming statistics surrounding firstgeneration college students,” Heidi Duthoy, VSU counselor, said. “A good majority are taking up to six years to finish their undergrad, as opposed to the traditional students (who take) four years. We just know that there are a lot of factors going into that.

“We’re trying to target this group to help keep them on track and develop a good four-year plan.”

Duthoy explained that a major goal of the support group is to make them aware of the available resources on campus, such as advisors, and get them in contact with these resources.

There are many difficulties that first-generation college students face, such as financial resources and lack of knowledge about the available resources on campus.

“A good majority of first-generation students are coming from middle to lower

class backgrounds, and they may be struggling (with) pulling financial resources from their family (and a) lack of support, just in a sense that their parents don’t really have a good understanding of what they’re going through on campus,” Duthoy said.

Kwame’ Hodge, senior speech communication major, knows firsthand what it is like to be a first-generation college student and deal with financial struggles.

“I will never regret making the conscious decision to attend college as a first-generation college student,” Hodge said. “However, there were and currently still are so many difficulties that I face daily because of it. Applying for financial aid for the first time was a complete nightmare.

“Because of my lack of knowledge in regards to financial aid, I missed out on attending college the first semester after high school.”

Although he has complete support from his family, as Duthoy said, his family can’t relate to what he is going through.

“I never doubt the love my family has for me…but this experience is one that they cannot relate to or offer advice,” Hodge said.

Hodge was not aware that there was actually a support group forming for first-generation college students.

“I think this is a phenomenal idea,” Hodge said. “If I would have known and had access to a support group geared toward the struggles that I was facing, it would have made all the difference.

I would have joined without a second thought.”

World renowned author, activist and scholar to come to VSU

Who: Ngugi wa Thiong’o

Where : Jennettt Lecture Hall

What : Book reading and signing When : 7-8 p.m.

On the Web w w w. v s u s p e c t a t o r. c o m

Check out Tyra Mills’ “VSU in 5” on the web!

PAGE 2 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Upcoming Events

Check out our new and improved website: www.vsuspectator.com

Rare Manuscripts Exhibit: Grand Opening & Reception Feb. 26 6-8 p.m.

Odum Library South Lobby VSU will share 43 items from The Remnant Trust, a collection of manuscripts and earlyedition works from Plato to Chaucer to the Declaration of Independence. Attendees will be able to hold and examine the items. Refreshments will be served. For a complete list of the manuscripts, visit blog. valdosta.edu/remnanttrust.

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

· · ·

Planetarium Show Feb. 27 7, 8, 9 p.m.

VSU Planetarium (Nevins Hall, Third Floor) The VSU Planetarium will celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 25th year in space.

Admission is free, and the campus observatory will be open 7-10 p.m. if the weather permits.

Book Drive Alpha Chi is holding a campus-wide book drive in order to give books to organizations and communities where the books are needed.

All genres and all conditions are accepted, but Alpha Chi is especially requesting textbooks published within the last five years. There are four collection boxes on campus: Nevins Hall, Fine Arts Building, College of Education Building, and Health Sciences Building.

Summer and Fall 2015 Classes The schedule for summer and fall 2015 classes is now online, but is subject to change. Early registration for these classes begins April 6.

Police Briefs Feb. 24 A male snatched a student’s phone near Lowndes Hall and ran toward Odum Library.

Police checked nearby areas but couldn’t find the suspect.

Feb. 21 Police stopped a vehicle in the University Center Lot and charged the driver, a 23-yearold from Stockton, Georgia, with DUI, disregard of a traffic control device, and no license on person.

Courtesy of CNN.com

Diagnosing disorders on campus Kailee Kivett

Staff Writer klkivett@valdosta.edu A recent campus event brought to light a widespread but rarely talked about problem among college students: eating disorders.

An eating disorders seminar was held Feb. 20, and the keynote speaker, Marissa McNa­ mara, spoke about everything from myths to statistics to treatments.

It is not always obvious that someone has an eating disorder. Symptoms include isolation, excessive exercising, chronic mood swings, gaining or losing noticeable amounts of weight at one time, and obsession with weight and food.

The National Eating Disorder Association can offer more information on recognizing, preventing, and treating disorders.

To read this full story, visit our website!

No More Week:

SGA tackles sexual assault Friday- R.A.D Self Defense

LaShawn Oglesby

Staff Writer lsoglesby@valdosta.edu SGA Senator Quineshia Claiborne took the floor at Monday night’s SGA meeting to discuss the upcoming No More Week, which is a move­ ment that has spread across the nation to promote aware­ ness for sexual assault and domestic violence.

The event is scheduled for March 8-14.

“Last year we did do a No More Week,” Claiborne said.

“It kind of was a week of our own; however, now in the spring, it’s the National No More Week, so it has picked up a bit of momentum.”

The event breakdown, while not set in stone, is as follows:

Sunday- Community Service with The Haven Monday- Candlelight Vigil on the Freedom of Speech Area @ 6 p.m.

Tuesday- Movie Night in the Union Theater @ 7 p.m.

“Last semester was a good turnout, but I know we can do better,” Claiborne said.

No More T-Shirts costing $10 will also be sold. Orders will be accepted until March 3 at 11:59 p.m. There is also an Instagram page students can follow @vsu_nomore.

Although promotion for these events has not started, Claiborne said in an email that she hopes to begin pro­ moting soon.

Wednesday- A Purple Affair in the Union Ballrooms @ 8 p.m.

Thursday- R.A.D Self De­ fense & A Gentlemen’s Gath­ ering Forum (times TBA)

Feb. 20 Police arrested an 18-year-old female and a 19-year-old male in the Oak Street Lot and charged them with disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, and underage possession of alcohol.

Feb. 19 A Patterson Hall RA reported smelling marijuana on Patterson’s third floor. Police arrested a 20-year-old male and charged him with possession of marijuana.

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VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 3

Let’s (not) get it on

Our point of view...

Jordan Hill

Opinions Editor jorhill@valdosta.edu

Alison Stephen

Black History Month deserves continuous support from community

T

his month there have been many different events catering to the black community here on campus, such as the “What is Black?” photo exhibit, various cookouts, movie nights showcasing black media, peace rallies, forums on knowing your rights and many others.

As February comes to a close, we can’t help but wonder if all of these wonderful events will continue.

We can’t help but question where all these events were the other eight months of the academic school year? First semester there were a few events, such as “We Too Sing Amerika” about police brutality and Ferguson put together by the Kappas. We also can’t forget the vigil for Mike Brown and the MLK march that happened shortly before Black History Month.

These were all great event ideas, and quite a few people showed up to them. It just seems that the black leaders on this campus wait until a holiday or for something terrible to happen to begin action.

It seems as though these same leaders pick and choose what events to put emphasis on. People worked hard and diligently to put on the homecoming step show, and even got a celebrity, Angela Simmons, to host it. The show was a great success, and the whole PE Complex was packed out. Everywhere you looked there was promotion for this event, and there were lots of organizations involved.

On the contrary, when the non-indicting

of Officer Darren Wilson occurred during Christmas break, it seemed like all of the black organizations were going to come together and put together a tremendous event to honor Mike Brown.

Disappointingly, we returned back to school to a 15-minute candlelight vigil where there was one speaker and a singer. It was hard to hear the speakers because of the audio difficulties and shockingly roughly 50 people showed up. There was little to no promotion, and it just didn’t seem to be an event that was important enough to put a lot of effort into.

This has happened more than once.

Even with the few forums thrown by black organizations, it usually is a smaller crowd and not well prepared.

This month has shown all of the potential the black leaders on this campus have.

These marvelous events were clearly well thought out and planned. We are very pleased to see all of the great events that have taken place, and are proud to know that our peers were behind it.

It would be even more pleasing to see these same type of events continue consistently throughout the school year, not just in February.

Black history happens everyday, not just 28 days out of the year. It is important for people to know, respect and appreciate what the black leaders of the past did for not only minorities, but for all Americans.

This editorial was written by a member of the editorial staff and expresses the general opinion of The Spectator.

E! anchor makes stereotypical mistake Elan Waite

Editor-In-Chief ewaite@valdosta.edu The Oscars is a known event where not only the talent but the wardrobe is on display for the world to see.

Zendaya, a young actress, was spotted on the red carpet decked out in a long draping gown and faux locks. The controversy started when an E! Network’s “Fashion Police” host commented on her look, saying Zendaya looked like she smelled of “patchouli oil and weed.”

Dreadlocks have a rich history that many who even dare don the style don’t even know about. It’s so much more than just a fad. It was

MCT Campus

Zendaya styled her hair in faux locks for The Oscars, receiving nasty comments from E! anchor Guiliana Rancic.

worn by Indian holy men and Jamaican Rastafarians. Many who lock their hair do so for a spiritual reason, often to

distance themselves from the vanities of man.

In the ‘70s, Bob Marley made the look more mainstream. He was known for his enticing performances, enlightened beliefs and the occasional blunt. It seems that last detail is the only one that stays with the hairstyle.

For Rancic to make the comment was pure ignorance.

To look at this young up-andcoming star on the red carpet and say that comment was not only ridiculous but naive and simple. If you’re going to comment on the looks of today, you should take a look at the history behind them.

You can’t just focus on the dior and not the dreads.

Spectator Staff Copy Editors: Opinions Editor:

Editor-in-Chief: Elan Waite Print Editor: John Stephen Digital Editor: Jordan Barela Advertising Manager: Aimee Napier Business Manager: Kristen Varney Circulation Manager: Kailyn Middleton

Jordan Hill Features Editor: John Preer Sports Editor: Kristin Whitman Photo Editor: Tyra Mills Stella Henderson Multimedia Editor: Cole Edwards Web Editor: Kayla Stroud

Tatyana Phelps Adrienne Fry Graphic Designers: Mike LaGon, Savannah Hensley Faculty Advisers: Dr. Pat Miller, Dr. Ted Geltner, Cindy Montgomery Reporters/Photographers: Lia Armistead, Niamini Carlyle-Hollis, Alex Corbitt, Tierra Francois, Zenobia Harris, Ivey Ingalls-Rubin, Kenzie Kesselring, Kailee Kivett, Erin Martin, Stuart Price, Chris Webb, Austin Wells

Sleeping with your professor is a big no-no, or so you would think.

A problem that is seen as a hush-hush scandal has come into the light. Harvard University recently banned sexual relationships between students and professors. Sounds like a Lifetime movie, right?

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Billie Dziech, a professor at the University of Cincinnati who has studied and written about relationships between professors and students, says the policy sends a message to schools.

“You don’t sleep with other people’s children — whether they agree to do it or not — because you’re abusing your power,” Dziech said.

Come on, Billie. Everyone is sleeping with someone’s

child! College students are of age and (should be) of maturity to decide whom they have relationships with. It is compromising for students and professors to be in relationships. Grades and other students can be affected from a simple scandalous smooch.

Students are at a university to gain education from their professors, not a relationship.

Any type of intimacy between students and professors automatically causes problems in the classroom. The chance of favorability toward that student heightens. In a worse case, the professor may grade the student’s work unfairly if the relationship does not work out.

If other students were aware of a relationship, they could gossip (obviously) but also worry about how fairly the student is treated compared to them.

Professors say no scandal has happened at Harvard, but they are signing the policy to

Photo illustration by Tyra Mills/ THE SPECTATOR

Harvard University passed a policy banning student-faculty relationships.

enforce the rule that undergraduates and professors cannot have sexual relationships.

Why don’t they mention graduate students in that policy? The difference in a graduate or undergraduate can come down to a year or even less.

Universities are trying to protect students and professors, which is a task to be applauded, but administrators shouldn’t be able to dictate students’ relationships.

Williams pays a high price Kenzie Kesselring

Asst. Opinions Editor klkesselring@valdosta.edu Throughout the past month, NBC’s “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams has been in the spotlight, but not for the usual reason.

Brian Williams has been a journalist for NBC since 1993, and he has served as NBC’s “Nightly News” anchor and managing editor for 10 years. He is a journalist who was adored by many “Nightly News” viewers until the recent scandal broke out.

The story that got Williams into hot water happened in 2003 when he was covering conflicts in the Middle East.

He told David Letterman in 2013 — 10 years after the initial event—that he was traveling in an aircraft that was struck by enemy fire.

Soldiers who were with Williams revealed that was not the case. It was the soldiers’ aircraft that was struck by enemy fire, and Williams

MCT Campus

Brian Williams, former NBC “Nightly News” anchor, was suspended for providing false information.

was in a different plane that was not struck, just following an hour behind.

This seemingly small mixup in detail turned out to be detrimental to Williams’ career.

With such a long-standing career as a journalist, it should be embedded in Williams’ head that embellishing the truth is not OK for any professional to do, let alone a journalist. The cardinal rule of journalism is to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The offense Williams committed isn’t the worst thing anyone can do, but it

has damaged his career. The leave of absence he has been required to take is one of the best things NBC could have done. However, after the six months, Williams should be allowed to come back, but not as the main anchor for the “Nightly News.”

Williams’ career shouldn’t be doomed forever because of this one mistake, but it shouldn’t be given the prestige it had before. While Williams is still a great journalist, the American people will never trust him like they did before.

People already have a difficult time placing their full trust in the media, and the Brian Williams scandal is only making this trust crumble faster.

It is truly disheartening as a journalist that not all reporters realize the importance of the truth, but one mishap shouldn’t destroy the American people’s trust in the media and journalism.

People Poll: What would you do if you were president of VSU for a day?

Tyler Bentley Freshman Biology

Sonosuke Yonekura Junior Business

Justin McConnell Freshman Undecided

“I would change some of the restaurants, put more of a variety on campus.”

“I would increase relationships with foreign countries’ schools.”

“Probably the Wi-Fi.”

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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.

PAGE 4 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Program increases VSU’s stock of e-books

Kristin Whitman

Sports Editor krwhitman@valdosta.edu

It’s no news that technology has become a huge part of everyday life, including on VSU’s campus, but are the students really using these technologies and the e-books provided?

Ingram’s Coutts Information Services Inc. is offering new additions of a wide range of bestselling content from leading publishers, including bestselling frontlist and backlist titles from Penguin Random House.

These services are currently in use by libraries in 57 countries around the world spanning six continents.

Odum Library has adopted 36,000 e-books and 70,000 online periodicals, but do students really like and use this new MyiLibrary?

Mixed reviews were given as to whether students in Odum Library have actually used the ebooks or are planning to.

“I like to have an actual

MCT Campus

Tyra Mills/ THE SPECTATOR

Darrell Boner works at the circulation desk in Odum Library, giving assistance to those who visit.

book in my hand,” Tyler Hembree, history major, said. “I can’t stand having to read on a computer screen or tablet.”

The opposing side thought the new ebooks were a great addition.

“I hate reading dusty old books,” Timothy Bryan, biology major, said. “I would much rather get it from the computer so I can read it anywhere, anytime.”

MyiLibrary was designed as an easy-to-use, comprehensive, online e-content solution for libraries that provide a single source for content hosting, archiving, discovery, access and purchasing.

“At Ingram, we continue to invest in and grow our library services to help libraries succeed in meeting patron demand for books,” said Dan Sheehan, vice president and general manager of

Ingram Content Group library services. “We are pleased to collaborate with leaders in the publishing industry to expand our e-book collection by adding tens of thousands of new titles to Ingram’s MyiLibrary platform.”

Through the platform, library patrons can read content online or download it to a smartphone, tablet or computer.

VSU ‘Peacefest’ feel-good event of the month Zenobia Harris

Staff Writer znharris@valdosta.edu

On Feb. 20, the Collegiate Women of VSU along with Black Student League, Women of Diversity, and Gay-Straight Alliance hosted a peace rally on

Palms Quad from 3-7 p.m.

The event featured a variety of activities, including making tie-dye shirts, flower headbands, henna tattoos, and painting.

The festival was just one of many events that have taken place this month in celebration of Black History.

Justine Proctor, president of Collegiate Women of VSU, felt that the festival would be a great way to bring students together on the VSU campus.

“We decided to coordinate a peace rally because we wanted to create an event that was an all-around ‘feel good’ event,” Proctor said. “With so much discrimination, hate and rejection of the unfamiliar, we wanted to remind the campus of the love that could be shared between people of different races, ethnic-

ity, religions and sexual orientation.

“It was important to have the ‘peacefest’ during Black History Month to raise awareness of the injustices that people of different backgrounds face, but still project love. If one is antihate, one must spread love.”

The festival was directly followed by a showing of the James Brown biopic “Get on Up” and a community service event on Saturday morning at Second Harvest Food Bank.

This week features the last of the Black History Month events starting with the Robert Pierce-Drewnell Thomas Scholarship Gala on Tuesday night. The week will come to an end with a showing of “Harlem Nights” on Feb. 27 in Bailey Science Center Room 3009 at 5 p.m.

This will be the last black history movie night and event, bringing an end to the month-long celebration entitled “Refreshing the Black Essence: Celebrating Our Past, Critiquing Our Present, and Moving Forward.”

VSU gets ready for heart health month Erin Martin

Staff Writer erimartin@valdosta.edu Valdosta State’s Wellness Program is promoting health during American Heart Month by hosting an event, Take Heart, on Feb. 27 in the Student Union Ballrooms.

The purpose of Take Heart is to raise awareness of heart disease and heart wellness.

The Event will begin at 10 a.m. and include health screenings and information to all VSU students, faculty and staff. Tickets for the event are $5 per person.

After the screenings, there will be a luncheon and a panel discussion from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the panel for discussion, Sarah Fretti Thomas and Dr. Serina McEntire, exercise physiology professors, will focus on risk factors and ways to prevent cardiovascular disease.

In a survey conducted by former Arizona State University student Kristina Collins, college students were generally unaware of increasing risk factors of the disease;

only about one-quarter of students correctly identified heart disease as the most common cause of death among men and women.

While heart disease is not common among college students, VSU’s Health Services notes the reasons why so many young adults may be at risk.

In our arteries, plaque buildup has already started, but there are factors that will significantly increase our chances of getting heart disease. Some of the main factors detrimental to our cholesterol are a lack of exercise, smoking, and a high-fat food diet.

Simple lifestyle changes like replacing high-fat foods with lean meats and fish can help develop a heart-healthy lifestyle early.

Also during the panel, Thomas and McEntire will demonstrate some effective exercises.

The recreation center at VSU constantly promotes these habits through programs in Health and Wellness.

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 5

Albritton aims to build success Lia Armistead

Sports Writer jparmistead@valdosta.edu Through the cold months of December and January, the Valdosta State women’s softball team practices almost every day in preparation for the upcoming season that begins every February.

This season started on Jan. 31, and the team now holds a 14-2 overall record and 5-1 conference record.

The coaches watch each player one-by-one as they grow season after season, both as individuals and as teammates.

One senior has really stood out to those in the VSU softball community. Courtney Albritton is a senior utility player for the Lady Blazers, meaning she is capable of playing many different positions on the field, and she thrives in all

of them.

At three years old, Albritton found her love for sports as she began playing T-ball and slowly grew into the fast pace of softball as she got older in Sycamore, Georgia.

“It was fun and exciting,” Albritton said. “It was always a group of girls to hang out with that all liked the same thing.”

Growing up in a small town, Albritton found something to take up her time as she played throughout high school at a small private school in Tift County with a graduating class of 38 people.

While in high school, Albriton was able to play softball with her younger sister, Caitlin, who was a freshman when she was a senior.

That being said, Albritton was able to accomplish so many goals throughout her softball career with the help of her parents and her younger sister.

“They’ve done everything possible for me,” Albritton said. “They instilled in me the competitiveness [of softball] and taught me to always do my best.”

This semester, the senior middle grades education major is mostly studying when she is not playing in games or practicing for the Blazers as she prepares for her graduation in December.

The senior loves playing for the Blazers, appreciating the community around her that shows massive amounts of love and support for each team member.

“We obviously have a great group of girls, and they’re always really fun to be around,” Albritton said. “To go out in the community and have people recognize you and call you by name and tell you how much they are cheering for you really means a lot.”

As a Lady Blazer, Albritton has played many different po-

‘We train, We win’ pays off Rugby works toward winning another national title Allison Thorpe

Staff Writer afthorpe@valdosta.edu The Valdosta State Men’s Rugby Club continues to be the buzz this side of the state.

The club that made it all the way to Nationals 7’s last year is hoping for a repeat come May. But taking each match one day at a time is their focus, just as it was a few Saturdays ago against Morehouse College.

On a warm February afternoon, the men met their opponents on the north campus field. Not knowing what to expect, VSU anticipated nothing less than a challenge against the (then undefeated) Tigers. Just the week before Morehouse had come off of an 80-0 win over Emory.

Rugby President Scott Laffler expressed a mixture of excitement and nervousness before the match. It was the first match of the year for the club; all other games were canceled due to weather and a forfeit win. Though they hadn’t yet faced an opponent, they were ready for a fight.

“I had confidence in the preparation we had been doing. Laffler said. They weren’t just going to come down and beat us on our own field as easily as they had Emory.”

Morehouse proved to be stiff competition in the early stages of the match, but the Blazers’ overall endurance and experience proved to be the prevailing factors that led to their dominance. The Tigers managed to sneak one try on VSU, but the Blazers came out on top, 82-5.

The club donned freshman Hunter Whitley as “Man of the Match” for his refusal to be just another player on the field. Whitley contributed his ability to unleash his “inner beast” to music.

“The night before while I was lying in bed, I was thinking about everything I needed to work on the next day,’ Whitley said. “I listened to a song to get me relaxed, then the next day I listened to a song that got me pumped up.”

To no surprise the Blazers smashed the Tigers, but they are still looking to improve specifics in their game.

For upcoming matches, the team has been focusing on areas of improvement, such as quickly getting back 10 meters on penalties and avoiding offside violations.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Laffler said.

“The theme for our season is finishing. Not letting up from start to finish.”

Their next big opponent is North Georgia.

“They have a good team,” Laffler said. “It’s not always about the biggest or fastest team, but about creating opportunities on the field. It’s all about strategy, You can easily get lost amongst all the chaos, but both teams are good at staying focused.”

Only being a club for just short of 5ive years, they have impressed just about everyone. Last year they scored a sum total of 314 points during the season, not once letting an opponent score against them.

Proud fan and friend of the team, Tiera Nixon,

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sitions, including catcher, center field, shortstop and second base.

Starting out as a freshman, Albritton played and started all 63 games that the Blazers’ played, helping the team make it to their first ever Division II National Championship in 2012.

In 2013, the Lady Blazer became a utility player, playing shortstop, center field, and eventually second base, while also playing 58 out of 59 total games.

As a junior, Albritton made

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“More people

should get involved. I think they are impressive, and they deserve the attention.. ”

-Tiera Nixon Rugby fan expressed her opinion on the club.

“More people should get involved,” Nixon said. “I think they are impressive, and they deserve the attention, We give our support to other teams, but we should definitely be supporting one that performs so well.”

Success on the field is a major factor in the club’s popularity, but even more evident is their camaraderie off the field.

“Yes, we love to win,” Laffler said. There’s no denying that. But in reality, if we didn’t care for one another on a personal level, then how could any of us stand shoulder to shoulder on the field with a 250-pound human being barreling toward us, and wholeheartedly believe that together we can bring this behemoth down? I love this club and all its members, always will.”

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Blazer softball history by having the most successful season. She played 63 out of 63 games, while also earning the GSC Player of the Year award for the third year in a row.

Her records for 2014 include 83 runs scored, 93 hits, 18 doubles, four triples, a .437 batting average, a .939 slugging percentage, a .514 on base percentage, and 27 home runs, according to the VSU softball website.

In this particular season, she was also named South Region Player of the Year, the GSC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Player of the Week, Player of the Week twice and the NCAA Elite 89 Winner for the Division II National Softball Championship in Salem, Virginia.

With her previous large amount of awards and accomplishments, Albritton has prove to be one of the teams most valuable players, hav-

ing prove that she has what it takes to help the Blazers succeed season after season and in this season, her final one as a Lady Blazer.

Upcoming Schedule Feb. 28 vs Delta State (DH) Feb. 29 vs Delta State March 3 vs Florida Southern (DH) March 7 vs North Alabama (DH) March 8 vs North Alabama

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PAGE 6 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

Men’s basketball bids adieu to seniors Shane Thomas

Sports Writer shanethomas@valdosta.edu The Valdosta State men’s basketball team (9-18, 4-17 Gulf South Conference) bids farewell to its seniors when they host West Florida (7-20, 3-18 Gulf South Conference) in their final regular season game on Saturday.

With nothing but pride to play for, the Blazers hope to avoid their worst finish since the 1999-00 season (9-17). A loss Saturday would end the Blazers’ season on a 10-game losing streak.

According to Blazers head coach Mike Helfer, the last game of the season should energize his team to give their best effort.

“Any time you play a final game, kids kind of see the finish line,” Helfer said. “They naturally have a tendency to play harder and compete harder. For our seniors, knowing this is their last game, I think they’ll play hard, and our other guys will play hard for those kids since it’s their last game.”

Seniors Colin Cook, Lester Moore and James Spencer will be honored prior to the game.

Cook, an Atlanta native, has been the anchor in the middle for the Blazers and has solidified his place among the greatest rim protectors in Blazer history. Cook has grown considerably as a player after transferring from Young Harris two seasons ago.

Cook’s 153 blocks in three years trail former Blazers Josh Sparks (246) and Jon Rogers (195) on the all-time list.

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Jeff Nibo, junior forward, pushes toward the basket while competing against University of West Georgia Feb. 21 at The Complex. The team took a hard loss 85-83, making this game their ninth consecutive loss before going into the last game of the season Feb. 28 against UWF.

With his final game as a Blazer looming, the 6-foot-9 forward downplayed his emotions going into the game.

“I’m just focused on winning,” Cook said about his final game as a Blazer.

“There’s no point in being emotional about it because this day was coming. I’ve just tried to make sure up to this point that I played as hard as I could and I never left no regrets in college basketball.

It’s bittersweet but I’m not too mad.”

Moore, a native of Pelham, Georgia, has transformed

from an end-of-the-bench player to a starter late in the season. A fan favorite in The Complex for his energy and shooting prowess, Moore had his best game as a Blazer against West Georgia last Saturday.

The 6-foot-2 guard poured in a career-high 11 points, made three from beyond the arc, and dished a career-best five assists in the 85-83 loss.

“It’s kind of emotional for me being here for so long and then getting the opportunity to show the fans my ability,” Moore said of Senior Night.

“I’m just lucky and happy to have a chance to even do it.

There’s a lot of guys that want to play college ball and never get the opportunity. I just want to create a path for guys that get overlooked and hopefully they get more chances in the future.”

Spencer, a native of Chicago, Illinois, elected to spend his senior season with the Blazers after transferring from Central Community College (Nebraska), where he led the Raiders to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament and was a first-team

All-American.

Spencer’s been a constant force for the Blazers, averaging a team-best 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds while playing in all 27 games this season.

“It’s always hard for a player to come in on his last year,” Helfer said of Spencer.

“The thing about James is that he’s just a good person. He’s got a good heart, he plays hard, and he’s very talented.

It’s been fun to coach him.

He’s been a good kid.”

Helfer, who has amassed 369 wins in 18 seasons as a

head coach (10 with VSU), admitted this season has been taxing not only for him, but everyone connected to the program.

“It’s taken a toll on everybody,” Helfer said of this season. “Not just me, but our other coaches, our players, our fans. You just learn how fragile the game of basketball is when it comes to winning.

We’ve had so many close games that could’ve gone our way, and then it started to steamroll on us.”

The struggling Argos enter Saturday on a five-game losing streak following a 96-58 home loss to West Alabama.

Head coach Bob Stinnett’s team will look to avenge their 67-66 loss to the Blazers on Jan. 17 in Pensacola, Florida.

A go-ahead free throw from sophomore point guard Josh Lemons gave the Blazers the lead with seven seconds remaining.

Following Lemons’ missed free throw, the Argos had a chance to win the game but Justin Williams’ three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.

Helfer spoke about the Argos’ strengths and both teams’ motivation following Wednesday’s practice. “(The Argos) are big, physical players,” Helfer said.

“They’re in the same boat as us playing their last game.

Everybody in this game’s got 40 minutes left, and nobody’s going to leave anything on the table. I’m sure they’ll come out fired up and ready to go, and so will we.”

Tip time for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Follow Shane on Twitter @ItsaThomasThing