The Spectator Print Edition, 11-29-12

November 29, 2012

W W W. V S U S P E C TAT O R . C O M

Inside This Issue

VOLUME 84 ISSUE 13

Saying goodbye

On the Web

Graduating Spectator editors bid their goodbyes on page 6.

Check out Ashley Emanuel’s preview of “the TakeOver,” VSU HEROs’ World AIDS Day event!

w w w. v s u s p e c ta t o r. c o m

- OPINIONS: “Death does not become her” - FEATURES: “Lohan plays unlikely Liz” - SPORTS: “Lady Blazers hit road against GSC”

Today at VSU HIV/AIDS AWARENESS “Know Your Status, Get Tested” As part of HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, VSU’s Hearts Everywhere Reaching Out for Children hosts UC Cypress Room, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Amanda Usher PHOTO EDITOR amusher@valdosta.edu

& S P O RT S E D I T O R

Miss Black & Gold Scholarship Pageant interest meeting, sponsored by the Mu Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., will be held in the UC Theater (near the UC Entrance #1) from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.muomicron1906.com

FINAL RELAXATION - From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Student Union Theater Lobby. CAB will host a deep tissue massage with Mindful Massage and Beauty Spa. The event is free to VSU students and will have giveaways!

AED WANTS YOU! - Alpha Epsilon Delta’s (AED) last meeting of the semester. Meeting will be held in Bailey Science Center rm 1023 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is for any students in a pre-professional program. For more information, contact the AED vice president Molly Seal at mmseal@valdosta.edu.

BINGO NIGHT - Feeling lucky?

Like to play the numbers? Join Natural High for a night of Bingo tonight at 8 p.m. in the Library Auditorium. Prizes are up for grabs and snacks will be provided. It's all free. Call 259-5111 for more information.

epjackson@valdosta.edu

The investigation continues into the death of Jasmine Benjamin as authorities attempt to determine whether her death is a homicide.

The 17-year-old nursing major was found dead in Georgia Hall Nov. 18 in the fifth floor study room.

“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the VPD are still following up and interviewing people individually and collecting evidence to be sent off to be analyzed at the crime laboratory,” said Cmdr. Brian Childress, Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services.

According to him, there are no suspects at the moment.

Benjamin’s family has taken matters into their own hands after finding out about the death of their daughter via Facebook and not from VSU officials.

According to Thressea Boyd, director of communications, VSU contacted the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, in accordance with University protocol.

Gwinnett authorities then went to Benjamin’s house to notify her family; however, they weren’t home so the authorities left a note telling her parents to contact them.

Authorities then made a second visit making contact with parents.

Childress stated that the investigation was set back due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Judith Brogdon, Benjamin’s mother, and James Jackson, Benjamin’s step-father, haven’t been shy about voicing their frustration with VSU during this process.

“For someone to be so insensitive not to reach out to the family, or not even to keep up with what’s going on because it’s a holiday, and you’re going away on vacation or whatever you’re doing- it’s very, very hurtful to say the least,” Jackson told CBS. The family has now called upon private investigator firm Martinelli Investigation, Inc. in Lawrenceville, Ga., to assist with the case.

Attorney Tom Stubbs is representing the Benjamin family.

“It’s not unusual to ever hire a private investigator and attorney going through this situation,” Robin Martinelli, private investi-

Photo contributed by Jazmin Young (L) Jazmin Young, (Rear) Robyn Carter and Jasmine Benjamin were members of a close group of friends who did nearly everything together.Here, the trio is out on one of their typical adventures.

Vigil planned in Benjamin’s memory

See BENJAMIN, Page 2

Ashley Emanuel

Homicide vs. Murder

alemanuel@valdosta.edu

&

Neil Frawley

Homicide and murder are two terms that people often use interchangeably, but they are actually two very different concepts. Be careful how you use these terms.

ndfrawley@valdosta.edu

S TA F F W R I T E R S It is with great sadness that VSU says good-bye to fellow Blazer Jasmine Benjamin.

A candlelight vigil ceremony for Jasmine will be at 6 p.m. on Saturday on the steps of Georgia Hall. Attendees are encouraged to wear purple--Benjamin’s favorite color.

Any questions, concerns, or suggestions in regards to the planning of the vigil can be directed to William Jimerson, Alpha Phi Alpha secretary, at wcjimerson@valdosta.edu or Amber Worthy, SGA vice president, at asworthy@valdosta.edu.

Born Dec. 1, 1994, Benjamin

• Homicide is not necessarily a crime, but rather an ingredient of other crimes.

• Murder is always a crime and is separated into different degrees.

Weather

Friday

Police continue to search for answers in death of 17-year-old VSU student.

Eric Jackson

MISS BLACK & GOLD INTERST MEETING - 2013

Today

Benjamin investigation continues

Mostly Sunny 71 H 46 L

Homicide: “The killing of one human being by the act, procurement or omission of another. A person is guilty of criminal homicide if he purposefully, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently causes the death of another human being. Criminal homicide is murder, manslaughter, or negligent homicide.”

Partly Cloudy 74 H 49 L

Murder: “The unlawful killing of a human being by another with malice aforethought, either expressed or implied…The crime is defined by statute in most states.”

Saturday Partly Cloudy 75 H 51 L

Question of the week

dent, Benjamin liked to have fun.

“She definitely liked to play games- board games a lot,” Young said. “We just liked to go places honestly. A lot of weekends, we would just walk around.”

Kimberlen Kelley, a freshman computer science major, agrees with Young about Jasmine’s fun personality.

“I know she is looking down on us still laughing at our jokes and funny moments….she was such an amazing person to be friends with and I’m still in shock that she is gone,” Kelley said.

Family, friends and VSU students alike have been affected by her passing. To offer support and comfort in this time of need, the resident assistants of GeorSee VIGIL, Page 2

Source: Black’s Law Dictionary

Congrats, Grads!

NCAA playoffs:

Blazers head to quarterfinals

Don’t forget to arrive on graduation day no later than one hour prior to your graduation time.

GRADUATE SCHOOL CEREMONY Friday, Dec. 7 6 p.m.

PE Complex

How far do you think the Blazers with go in the NCAA football playoffs?

UNDERGRADUATE CEREMONY Saturday, Dec. 8 PE Complex 10 a.m.

Dewar College of Education Air Force ROTC Langdale College of Business

A. Final Four B. National Champs C. Lose Saturday to Carson-Newman Vote online at www.vsuspectator.com!

1 p.m.

College of the Arts College of Nursing

Last Week Poll Results

College of Arts and Sciences

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?

I like it all.

57%

Turkey

24%

Sweet potato cassarole

14%

I don’t like holiday food.

attended Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. She was the daughter of Judith Brogdon and step-father James Jackson. She has two sisters.

She entered VSU in August 2012 as a freshman to study nursing. At Central Gwinnett High, Benjamin was a DECA student, and planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps in becoming a nurse.

Friends close to Benjamin described her as fun and full of life.

Jazmin Young, a freshman art education major and friend of Benjamin, remembers the fun times she had with her.

“She was real excitable, so she liked a lot of things- or at least trying a lot of things,” Young said.

Just like any other college stu-

Austen Hutto/ THE SPECTATOR

5%

The VSU football team returned to its normal practice schedule this week. The players went back to the drawing board in preparation to host Carson-Newman Saturday at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in the NCAA Divison II playoffs. Despite the absence of All-GSC kicker Daniel Anderson out again this week, the Blazers are counting on freshmen Jake Thomas and punter Domonic Demarsi (above) to carry the load on special teams. Demarsi landed several punts inside the twenty-yard line in the Blazers 49-21 rout over West Alabama Nov. 24.

Check out this week’s Fall Grad Tab!

NEWS

PAGE 2 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

SGA discusses parking for commuters, residents Joe Adgie M U LT I M E D I A E D I T O R jmadgie@valdosta.edu

Commuters will get around 200 more parking slots in the Oak Street Lot. That proposal was brought out

by Ryan Baerwalde, SGA President, during Monday night’s SGA meeting, the last of the semester.

The new slots will come at the expense of residents, who will have their parking area in that lot slashed in half. “I think we’ve all seen how the sixth floor of the Sustella Deck is usually totally empty, and the fifth floor is usually halfway full at the most, so obviously all the residential slots aren’t being used up,� Baerwalde said. “So essentially, the idea was to push back the overnight line in the Oak Street Lot.�

The idea was to give more spots to commuter students, while using the rarely-used parking slots on the top floors of the Sustella Deck – spots that Baerwalde explained “VSU paid so much money for, and we’re still paying for.� “As far as residential spots, there are 396 spots in the Oak

Street Lot,� Baerwalde said.

Dalton King, a psychology “Sustella Deck has 1,157 spots sophomore, who commutes to open, Sustella Lot has 72, and VSU, said, “I personally think Centennial has 136.� that 200 is a bit too much. I Baerwalde don’t honestly also explained think it’s a big that 1,390 resienough deal to I feel like it would dential parking warrant cutting be unfair for residecals given that much from out to students the people that dents. Sometimes this semester, live here, but I and there was a there’s not enough do think that difference of the residents do space, and some452 between need to have a the number of times we need more bit of a cutback commuter in their parking space, and comparking slots spaces because and decals givmuters are gone af- they live here en out. on campus and “I personally ter a certain point, typically have hate walking to so why can’t we less use for Sustella, as their car.� have a little more most people Sam Herrin, do,� said Shela political scispace?

by Varchmin, ence sopho- SHELBY VARCHMIN an early educamore, who lives EARLY CHILDHOOD tion sophoon campus, EDUCATION SOPHOMORE more, who said, “I think lives on camthe commuters pus. “I feel like have enough it would be unfair for residents. because I’ve never seen Oak lot Sometimes there’s not enough completely full. And I think the space, and sometimes we need residents need to have a closer more space, and commuters are spot [to park]. I can’t think of gone after a certain point, so another solution for it, but I why can’t we have a little more don’t think cutting spots is the space?� answer.�

“

�

Housing updates security Georgia Hall is the latest to receive added security through a project with Housing and Residence Life Joe Adgie M U LT I M E D I A E D I T O R jmadgie@valdosta.edu

Life is beginning to move on in Georgia Hall.

Students who live in the residence hall, the one where Jasmine Benjamin lived, have reported sadness and a different atmosphere around the hall, but the only differences have been added security. “At first it was a little eerie, you know, people are thinking about it,� Alyssa Stringer, a freshman early childhood/special education major, said. “But the lobby has gotten a little more normal now, like more people are hanging out there now.�

Stringer also added that the feeling from the front desk was “a little different.� “It’s really sad that something like that would happen,� Jose Gustos, a freshman civil engineering major, said. “It’s very sad and very tragic.�

Students have noticed added

security in the form of added cameras, but these added cameras are a part of a security project from the university that involved multiple halls. “We already had cameras installed in Langdale Hall and were moving toward adding security cameras in elevators in Georgia, Centennial and Hopper,� Thressea Boyd, director of communications for VSU, said. “The wiring for the cameras was installed several weeks ago and we were waiting for the cameras to arrive, which were on backorder.�

Boyd added that the cameras are being installed in the elevators of those halls.

Boyd also added that students are staying put in the hall. “There has been no official request from students to move out of Georgia Hall submitted to his office,� Boyd said, after confirmation from Tom Hardy, director of Housing and Residence Life.

VSU has implemented safety and security features across campus that include: - Security cameras installed in residence halls, parking areas and other locations on campus.

- Electronic swipe and colorcoded cards required for entry into residence halls.

- Visitors required to sign-in and out of residence halls.

- Emergency phones are positioned around campus--phones access VSUPD directly, and the VSUPD phone lines are open 24/7.

- VSUPD and student security patrollers provide escorts during evening and early-morning hours.

- Safety training is available to students, including personal protection and crime prevention classes.

Source: Thressea Boyd, director of communications for VSU

Notes from the Meeting - This was the last SGA meeting of the semester.

Spring 2013 Early Registration Registration has temporarily opened back up to students.

Registration is available to all eligible students until Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m.

- Two amendments were passed, and they both concerned excused absences. One senator will propose a review of what the consequences are if a senator has four excused absences against them at SGA meetings and required events. This amendment was scheduled to be voted on last week, but quorum was not reached during last week’s meeting.

- Three senators were elected: James Lee, Marquis Robinson and Oyandamola Bamgbola.

Calling all writers and photographers!

Vigil

The Spectator wants you!

Continued from Page 1 -gia Hall will come together to hold a candlelight vigil on Saturday—her eighteenth birthday. “The resident assistants of Georgia Hall, where Jasmine had lived since August, felt that it was our obligation to honor and remember Jasmine in our residence hall,� William Jimerson, vigil coordinator, said.

They have also partnered with the Department of Housing and Residence Life, SGA, the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the President. “Our Valdosta State community will come together regardless if we personally knew Jasmine or not [...] we will not only celebrate the life and birthday of Jasmine, but show her family and friends our support� Jimerson said.

Robin Martinelli, the private investigator for the Benjamin family, said, “There are some nurses wanting to get together a foundation. Benjamin’s mother was an intensive care nurse for 19 years and she is now taking leave.�

Donations will be accepted to aid the family in funeral arrangements.

Contact Editor-in-Chief Amber Smith, amsmith@valdosta.edu, or Managing Editor Jennifer Gleason, jlgleason@valdosta.edu for information!

Hiring Immediately for

Spring Semester: ~Assistant Advertising Mgr ~Advertising Salespersons ~Graphic Designers Email resume to Aimee Napier, Advertising Manager The Spectator acnapier@valdosta.edu

The Classifieds The Spectator prints free classifieds for students of Valdosta State University only. These must be no more than 40 words, or a $8.00 charge will apply.

Classifieds for faculty, staff, student organizations,studentowned businesses and the general public cost $8.00 for up to 40 words. Ads should be sent to The Spectator or delivered to our office in 1238 Hopper Hall. The deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. If payment applies, it should be

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not responsible for ads submitted under false pretenses or for mistakes due to a submitted error. The categories for classifieds include: For Sale, Wanted, Roommates and Help Wanted.

For Sale STUDENTS: Have clothes or shoes taking up space, upgraded your phone, have left over textbooks, hate your lamp?Sell them here to other students. Run your ad of up to 40 words for FREE.

For Sale Friday & Sat 8-3, 5451 McLeod Dr, off Hwy 376, Lake Park, Women’s clothing, misc hand/power tools, Avon, books, small electronics/appliances, & misc.

For Rent 4bd/2bth HOUSE, 319 E. Park Ave. Good Neighborhood, Close to Main Campus, For more info call 229-292-4400.

For Rent

Services Pregnancy Wasn’t Part of the Plan

NEWS Students believe Odum has a computer shortage

NOVEMBER 29, 2O12

Odum seeks to educate students on the library’s many resources and labs.

Summer Yates S P E C T AT O R CORRESPONDENT ssyates@valdosta.edu

Although the Odum Library at VSU provides more than 200 computers to students, staff and faculty, some students think VSU needs more to satisfy the growing population.

The Galileo lab, located on the second floor near the printers and reference desk, is the most frequently used. Despite its 120 computers, several students complain of the inadequate amount of workstations.

“A lot of people don’t have computers and depend on Odum, like when HallNet is down in the dorms, which happens a lot… Or some people use it to print,”Riahna Lee, a freshman sociology major, said. “VSU just needs more.”

According to the 2010-2011 “Seniors Perceptions of their VSU Experiences” survey, only 42 percent of questioned students labeled Odum’s collection and resources as “good”.

Many students said they often

Benjamin Continued from Page 1 -gator and attorney going through this situation,” Robin Martinelli, private investigator, said. “The police are doing a phenomenally great job, all of them. They’re working around the clock to solve this situation, and I know that for a fact.”

Her friends’ experiences were more personal.

“Actually, I was texting her all Saturday [Nov. 17], and she wasn’t responding,” Jazmin Young, freshman art education major, said. “I just thought maybe she was with the guy she was ‘talk-

find people “wasting” time on the computers, preventing others from completing school work.

“I kill time watching soccer between classes [...] I think it’s a first-come first-served basis,” Paulo Yung, a junior math major, said.

The LabStats on Galileo logins recorded from earlier this semester portray a decline in students’ computer research--the logins continue to decrease as the year goes on.

“It is really difficult when you’re looking at an application to determine whether it’s being used for recreational or for curricular purposes,” Sherrida Crawford, automated systems coordinator, said.

Alan Bernstein, VSU’s librarian director, has a different outlook on the issue.

“The University has both a Facebook and Twitter presence,” he said. “It would be somewhat illogical to restrict student access to such sites when the administration of their university uses [them...] to disseminate information.”

A possible solution to this computer dilemma could be the 20 study rooms and three labs available in Odum.

Crawford said the issue of unavailable workstations may be resolved if more students were aware of the other labs in the Odum library. The 3250 lab lo-

cated on the third floor provides 48 available workstations, the internet café on the bottom floor has 38 PCs and the second floor 2633 lab has 37 computers.

“I didn’t know there were that many labs,” Anslee Hutson, a junior physical therapy major, said. “They’re probably more spacious and quiet [...] the people in the Galileo lab are annoying.”

According to Bernstein, Odum’s analysis of lab usage proves it is an “extremely rare event” for all labs to be completely filled at one time.

“At present, there are no plans to either expand the library or add more computers for student use,” Bernstein said.

Library staff believes Odum provides an adequate amount of workstations and that the alternatives to using the labs--such as bringing your own laptop, checking one out from the Media Center or using Wi-Fi on a mobile device--should suffice the students’ needs.

Crawford hopes to increase awareness of the many services in the Odum when the new website for the library launches.

For more information on the Odum Library and its services, contact Alan Bernstein at abernste@valdosta.edu or Sherrida Crawford at crawford@valdosta.edu.

ing to,’ ‘cause last time she didn’t respond to texts, she was with him.”

Young said that after she sent a good morning text to Benjamin the next morning, someone knocked on her door and told her that a “guy” had died on the fifth floor.

They then saw the police knocking on Benjamin’s door.

“We were like ‘oh snap--we haven’t talked to Jasmine in like 24 hours,” Young said. “I tried to put two-and-two together but because my neighbor had told me it was a guy, I thought it was the guy Jasmine was ‘talking to.’”

Young said that a male friend

came to her room and broke the news to her that Benjamin had “passed away.”

“It was hard to believe because we had just been with her [...]” Young said. “Once we could actually think, our first question was what she was doing on the fifth floor.”

According to Kimberlen Kelley, freshman computer science major, Benjamin was part of a group of friends who rarely went anywhere alone.

“We all have a system where we text or call everyone to tell them [that] we are safe in our rooms,” Kelley said. “If someone does not respond, we may

Nov. 30, 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Star of Bethlehem Planetarium Show Nevins Hall, third floor room 3004 Free and open to the public show. Space is limited to 47 seats. Reservations can be made at 6 p.m. at the evening table in front of the planetarium; reservations cannot be made by telephone.

Contact the VSU Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences at 333-5752 for more information.

Dec. 1, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Literacy Volunteer Program will be at the City of Valdosta's Winterfest 2012.

Downtown Valdosta, Courthouse Square.

Volunteers are needed to pass out brochures and flyers and help setup and break down the post area and display.

Any student or campus organization interested can contact the Literacy Volunteer Program's office at 333-7515 or email lvpinvaldosta@gmail.edu.

Dec. 1, 7 p.m.

Starry Nights with CMVSU Front Lawn This event is part of VSU’s Hearts Everywhere Reaching

HAPPY ‘TATOR DAY! go to their rooms or ask around if they have seen them.”

According to Bill Watson, Lowndes County coroner, Benjamin had been dead for 12-15 hours before she was recognized as deceased.

“I don’t think it was that long,” Dr. Tom Hardy, director of Housing, said. “That’s an incredibly long time. It really is.

Yeah, I think that would [be] suspicious myself.”

VSU counselors are available to students.

If anyone has any information on this case, they are encouraged to call VSUPD at 333-7816.

VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 3 Upcoming Events Out for Children’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Week.

Dec. 2, 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Holiday Candlelight Concert West Hall Rotunda VSU Choirs will perform holiday programs by candlelight that feature renaissance motets, new compositions, and familiar favorites such as “Deck the Halls,” “We Three Kings,” and “Silent Night.” Price is $20 for adults and $10 for students will support the Chamber Singers 2014 international tour to perform in England.

For more information, call the box office at 333-5812.

Dec. 3, 9 to 11 p.m.

Club Odum Pajama Party First floor, north side of Odum Library S’mores, board games, slack rope walking and corn hole.

Sponsored by Odum Library and CORE. Other Events: BCM Clothing/Food Drive Donation boxes can be found: Student Union Lobby, near the rotunda BCM House, Oak Street across from Palms Dining Other BCM marked donation boxes can be found across cam-

pus.

Baptist Collegiate Ministries is hosting a campus-wide food and clothing drive to benefit migrant workers and their families. Items that are needed include “gently used” clothing, shoes, and hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, and deodorant. Canned items and non-perishable items are also wanted.

Contact Julie at jmhanna@valdosta.edu for more information.

Student Life Office will host the Holiday Helper Project this holiday season.

Student Life Office, third floor of the Student Union The Holiday Helper Project is an annual community service event, which provides presents and clothing to children in the community.

Agencies provide “wish lists” for underprivileged children, and the wish lists are written on paper ornaments and displayed on a Christmas tree in the Student Life office so the children can be “adopted.” VSU students, faculty and staff can pick out an ornament and “adopt” a child.

The last day to turn in unwrapped gifts is Dec. 7.

For more information about the program, contact the Student Life Office at 333-5674.

Police Briefs Nov. 27 A student was arrested for possession of marijuana in Reade Hall. Prior to the arrest, a “strong smell of weed” coming from the men’s side on the first floor was reported.

Nov. 26 A theft was reported at the Student Union Chick-Fil-A. A theft of a cell phone was reported in Georgia Hall. The victim was in a sixth-floor hall meeting, though the resident lives on the fifth floor.

Nov. 20 Report states an unknown person wrote in the wet cement on the corner of Baytree Road and Oak Street.

Nov. 19 Two black males were spotted attempting to steal a bike. The subjects fled the scene. The first subject was detained in the Episcopal Church parking lot on Patterson Street. Second subject was detained in Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

A bike was stolen near Langdale Hall.

Nov. 16 The gate arm at Hopper circle was reported broken.

Graffiti was discovered on the men’s restroom wall of the fourth floor in Odum Library.

A vehicle’s tag was tampered with while the vehicle parked on campus.

A wallet was stolen in West Hall.

A cell phone was stolen in the PE Complex tennis courts.

new U

new U

Even

Odd

OPINIONS

PAGE 4 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

Our point of view...

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

You did it. Congratulations!

C

ongratulations to the graduating class of fall 2012! Whether you were on the four-year, five-year or even six-year plus plan-- it doesn’t matter. You can finally say with pride that you have completed the college experience at VSU. So what now? Many of you may be prepping for a graduate program or have some sort of entry-level job lined up. Maybe you are even fortunate enough to have found a way into the position you have dreamed about since the day you decided on your major. If you haven’t though-- don’t sweat it.

We all know that with the current state of the economy and the job market, finding that dream job has become harder than it ever was. You may have to settle for something less than optimal for now, but just know that with some dedication, hard

work and a positive attitude you will find that opportunity that opens the door for the rest of your life.

For now though, take what you can and make it work for you. It may not be what you initially envisioned, but there is something to learn from every job experience that can be applied toward achieving your life goals.

This doesn’t only apply to graduates either. The college experience is full of opportunities from the moment you first arrive on campus. Take advantage of them while you still can. One of the hardest lessons to learn while attending college is to not be passive. Taking an active role in your education is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

By being proactive and not letting things pile up, you are doing yourself a favor in the

long run. Take it from someone who has learned the hard way what procrastination can lead to.

No amount of planning ahead is too much planning ahead, and if you are worried about a certain assignment don’t let your worry turn into putting it off. This does not end well-- trust me.

It’s easy to forget that the classroom is full of people dealing with the exact same homework and projects that you have to do. Consult with your peers to find out what they are doing to manage the course load. College is as much about learning the content as it is about learning effective time management and problem solving skills that will help you in the work force.

The college experience is an investment in your future. You can only get out of it what you put into it, so be curious and investigate any opportunities that may catch your eye. Who

knows-- you may find a new interest that blossoms into a different career path that you may not have considered.

Once you leave college, the opportunity to try that one class you were really interested in becomes almost impossible without investing more money and time. It’s highly unlikely that your local community learning center is going to offer a course on procedural law or advanced economics.

The college experience can be easy to take advantage of, and it goes by much too quickly. Before you know it your name is being called on a loudspeaker as you walk across the stage in your cap and gown. So take a step back and ask yourself, “Am I getting what I want out of this college experience?” The answer may surprise you.

Ten Tips for students: 1. Step out of your comfort zone ­ explore your opportunities.

2. Get a meal plan ­ even if you live off campus.

3. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

4. Get to know your professor ­ he/she is a person too.

5. Be proactive ­ don’t wait ‘til the last minute.

6. Plan, plan, plan.

7. Buy a planner, while you are planning.

8. Network with others in your major ­ and outside of it.

9. Study abroad.

10. Take advantage of what you are paying for.

This editorial was written by Chad Stone (cstone@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.

Death does not become her J. Daniel Young OPINIONS EDITOR jeryoung@valdosta.edu

W

e are about to cremate the future. She was only 17. Her history is

short.

Jasmine Benjamin was part of the VSU family. She was the future of VSU, just as all are who read this. You are part of the VSU family as well, regardless if you are a student, a member of faculty, staff or a community member.

I didn’t know her, but she will never know the impact that her short life and subsequent death

has had on our family. All week, I have seen and read reports on this event. No report or news article can encompass the sadness that we feel collectively, as we wonder what happened in those final hours. The sadness cannot be measured.

I don’t know the whole story.

I have heard bits and pieces of the last day of her life, but I am not privy to the final accounts and would never disrespect her or her family by trying to guess.

We are taught to be individuals, but we must fit in. We are taught to test our limits, while not stepping over the bounds.

We are taught that the college experience is when we will learn

who we are, but this is not so for Jasmine. She will never be defined as a sorority sister, or a nerd, or a cool chick. She will be defined as something else.

Her death has become a lesson, almost a fable, in that she was surrounded by people and died alone.

As students join together this weekend to memorialize Jasmine’s short life, we should take the time to reflect on our own lives and realize how easily life

People Poll: What are you doing for winter break?

MCT

can pass through our hands. If anything, let this experience define you in a new way that you hadn’t imagined before you heard of this freshman for the first time on the news.

Danielle Jordan junior anthropology major “I’m going to London.”

Economic aid breaks the bank Stephen Cavallaro A S S T. O P I N I O N S EDITOR sjcavallaro@valdosta.edu

The United States has a rich history of holding an immense amount of international influence. Today such influence continues as the current administration works to dictate and manipulate the changing political tides of the Middle East.

Founding father and first president George Washington said “the great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible."

This idea was completely abandoned after World War II, when the U.S. rose at a dominant global power willing to extend power at the mercy of its own ideals and interests. Since then, Western colonialism has trampled across continents.

Yet, the U.S. is a country of freedom, opportunity and, most importantly, of peace and respect. So should we not abide by

such ideals when dealing outside our borders? The foundation for a reasonable and sound foreign policy begins by building positive relationships, with an emphasis on free trade, while avoiding negative relationships, with an emphasis on military non-intervention.

Some groups fear that such an approach would lead organized terrorism to victory. Having a large military and global influence entices terrorist attacks rather than deterring them. But in fact, one could argue that Osama Bin Laden’s Sep. 11 attacks were a means of causing the United States to react in a way that would put the nation in great peril economically. Such an illusion is rapidly becoming a reality as the cracks of the crumbling U.S. economy widen.

A demand by the American people is growing for our government to focus on domestic defense and the needs of the American people rather than those pertaining to the rest of the world.

In order to rectify this situation and prevent further conflict, we

Letter to the editor: Different opinion of Bible

I

am writing in response to David Lacy’s article entitled “Disrespecting Leaders Sacrilegious” (Nov. 15). In his article, he makes two points. First he states that “calling someone uneducated based on who they voted for is ignorant.” Doing a search of YouTube videos recently, I

“ Such an illusion is rapidly becoming a reality as the cracks of the crumbling U.S. economy widen.”

presence in Libya, 82 percent of Egyptians refuse U.S. economic aid. In addition, $800 million per year is given to Israel, thereby, increasingly causing tension between the U.S. and various Arab nations.

Our government must stop provoking enemies and instead foster friendships. The riots sweeping the East are aimed at deterring totalitarian rule. The U.S. cannot act as surrogate rulers nor be compelled to colonize the area.

These tactics failed miserably during the Iraq war, creating only more upheaval and unrest in the region. The bloodshed of the innocent at the hands of the American government must end and peace must prevail, for Americans demand it.

need to move out of the Middle East entirely.

Cutting military spending will combat the economic crisis, while bringing the military back to domestic soil will entrust younger generations with a safe future full of opportunity and prosperity.

In addition, all government-togovernment aid must stop, and we must refrain from attempting to alter the political structures of individual coun2012 USAID Budget tries’. This plan will rectify the conflicting views towards American presence Afghanistan - $2.3 billion being expressed by the peoPakistan - $1.9 billion ple of the Middle East.

Iraq - $1.0 billion While 54 percent of Libyans approve of U.S.

Information from State.gov

“I’ll be here in Valdosta working at Walmart.”

Patricio Vargas sophomore computer science major “Going to Mexico to visit my family, then going to LA and to Vegas.”

Jeremy Hardin junior mass media major “Sleeping.”

came across numerous videos where voters were interviewed about who they voted for president and why. One such video entitled “Howard Stern Interviews Obama Supporters in Harlem” is about an interviewer who does a “man on the street” type interview with Obama supporters. Those interviewed are asked to pick a reason as to why they are voting for Obama. The catch, however, is the reasons given are conservative stances (e.g. pro-life, smaller government, creating jobs). The Obama supporters, however, say they are

voting for Obama because he is pro-life or for smaller government. They seem to have no clue as to what Obama supports.

There are numerous other videos out there that document this shocking finding as well. All one has to do is search for them.

Second, Mr. Lacy states that Christians should always submit to those in charge, and if you do not, then you probably do not believe in “the God of the Bible.”

Really? Did God ask the Israelites to submit to the Egyptians during their time of captivity? Did God ask the Israelites to

submit to the evil kings of Israel that participated in Baal worship? Did God tell Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach or Abednego to obey the king’s orders and worship the gods and statues that had been set up? As Christians we are to submit to God first and foremost. Therefore, if a leader comes along who sets up laws that undermine our faith, then for good reason, we are not going to support or honor them. Again, doing a little research goes a long way.

Photo Editor: Amanda Usher Multimedia Editor: Joe Adgie Web Designer: Rebecka McAleer Copy Editor: Shambree Wartel Cartoonist: Garrison Muelhausen Development Editor: Chad Stone Faculty Advisers: Dr. Pat Miller, Dr. Ted Geltner, Keith Warburg Reporters/Photographers:

Elizabeth Tuttle junior biology major “I’m going skining in West Virginia.”

Caleb Thomas VSU Alumni

Contacting Us

Spectator Staff Editor-in-Chief: Amber Smith Managing Editor: Jennifer Gleason Business Manager: Brandon Mainer Advertising Manager: Aimee Napier Circulation Manager: Morgan McFarland Opinions Editor: J. Daniel Young Features Editor: Ariel Felton Sports Editor: Eric Jackson

Devin Wesby junior physical education major

LaBrit Bulluck, Stephen Cavallaro, Veronica Dominicis, Ashley Emanuel, Allison Ericson, Andrew Espenshied, Tristan Flagg, William Garrett, Ariel Hairston, Ryan Hendrix, Jessica Ingram, Von Kennedy, David Lacy, Anthony Pope, Kellen Rhone, Taylor Stone, Autumn Sullivan, Ritsuki Miyazaki, Julie Yates, Steven Setser, Valencia Williams, Ben Skender

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Online at www.vsuspectator.com Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those of the Spectator and its staff. All rights reserved. Reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.

YELLOW BLACK

new U Odd

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

FEATURES

VSUSPECTATOR.COM | PAGE 5

Gift ideas for the tech lover in your life W

ell, tis the season to want new tech. With all these new and fun devices, I thought I would recommend some products that you might want to ask for Christmas or buy for a family member or a really good friend.

First off, for a 10-inch tablet I would recommend either the Google Nexus 10 or the iPad with Retina Display. Both of these products have brought their A-game with fast processors and slim designs. The Nexus 10 is $100 cheaper, gives you a microHDMI port, and Android 4.2: Jelly Bean. You may even want an iPad 2 instead since it now costs $399 and you won’t have to buy the new Lightning Connector docks for accessories.

For a 7-inch tablet, take a look at the Google Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, or the Nook HD. The Kindle Fire is

the cheapest at about $159. The others are $199 and up with HD screens. The Nexus has full Android 4.2, while the Nook HD and Kindle Fire HD have great screens for reading and watching movies. The Kindle Fire HD has some of the best speakers in any tablet, period.

If you are looking for video game consoles, the new toy is the Wii U. It comes at an affordable $299 or $349 model with a tablet controller. Some games I recommend for this are New Super Mario Bros. U, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, and Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition.

If someone is still looking for a cheap Wii console, the Wii Mini will be released on Dec. 7.

So far it is only confirmed in Canada, but should come here.

It will cost $99 and will only play Wii games. It will not play

GameCube games or access the many high quality specs like an internet. Pick up The Legend of Intel Core i5 processor and touch Zelda: Skyward Sword, Super screen. It is very thin and keeps Smash Bros. Brawl, Resident its CD-ROM drive!

Evil 4 and Now let’s get Sonic Colors. to the “convertThere are ible” laptops. lots of great These are comvideo games puters that look out right now. like a tablet.

Halo 4 is a You can place great stocking it in a keyboard with Steven Setser stuffer and is dock and exonly on Xbox tend the battery 360. Call of life as well as Duty: Black have a full Ops II and Assassins Creed III QWERTY keyboard. First we are on all major consoles. Any have the Samsung ATIV Smart of the collections on PlayStation PC 500T. It costs about $649 3 will be great for someone who and uses an ATOM based chip has never played God of War, instead of Intel’s Core i3 chips.

Metal Gear Solid, Ratchet and Second we have the Dell LatiClank, or other series. tude 10 Tablet. It does not have a For laptops, check out the keyboard dock and comes at Acer Aspire V5 Touch 15-inch. $649. You can easily set-up a It costs about $799, but you get Bluetooth keyboard to this de-

Spec Tech

vice. It also has the ATOM chip and only 2GB RAM. There is a stand available with four additional USB ports, HDMI, and SD card slot.

Lastly, we have the ASUS Vivo Tab. It costs $799 with the keyboard dock. It also has an ATOM chip, 2GB RAM and two cameras for video chat.

Phones are a difficult area to discuss so I will pick my top phone for every operating system. Of course from Apple, the iPhone 5 is the obvious choice.

But, if the $199 price is too much, the iPhone 4S is only $99 while the iPhone 4 is free!

These are all available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint (except the iPhone 4). Any of these phones will make someone happy.

For Android, I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S3.

This thing can do a lot. It has NFC, a huge screen, 4G and An-

droid 4.1. It has a price of $199 and comes on all major carriers.

For a Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 920 is amazing.

Some people may be turned off by the operating system or the weight of the phone, but it is really good. It is super-fast with 4G LTE, durable, eye-catching, and comes in colors. The only drawback is the lack of Apps in the Windows Store, but that will change very soon. It is only available at AT&T for $99.

Well, that is it for this semester. I hope everyone has a great holiday break and hope you come back and read The Spectator in 2013. Don’t forget to view my #1 favorite video game of all time at http://vsuspectech.blogspot.com/ on Friday.

Film fest comes to Union America fights back Von Kennedy A S S T . F E AT U R E S EDITOR vtkennedy@valdosta.edu

All eyes will be on the participants in this year’s Film and Video Festival at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Student Union Theater.

The festival will be hosted by the Film and Video Society of VSU. Short films, music videos and animations will be shown to showcase the talents of VSU students in the Mass Media department and other majors.

“This event will definitely be worth watching,” Phallynn Stimage, vice president of the Film and Video Society, said. “Based on the last film festival, I was very impressed by the past productions.”

Last year was the first time Stimage attended the festival.

Marie Elliott, the new Faculty Sponsor for the Film and Video Society, feels the event will be a success for VSU and the commu-

nity.

“You are going to see some things that you will not be able to see in the local Valdosta cinema,” Elliott said.

Submissions will be judged by various seasoned professionals in film and audio production.

Elliott hopes that the judges will pick apart the students work in order to help them grow as filmmakers.

Elliott also feels that constructive feedback from industry professionals is needed.

“I tell my kids to go out and make mistakes,” Elliott said about freshman and sophomores who plan to enter the festival for the first time. “It gives them a freedom to try things out and explore new territory, so while in school go big and take chances!”

Notable professionals will be from the Sundance Film Festival Winner, Fox, and CBS. Basic requirements for submission are to submit a four to 30 minute film or animation.

The person who places in the “Best Film” category and two other subcategories will receive

medals and a $50 gift card.

“Some of the stuff students will submit will be works from class, but others, like me, will be independent works,” Tiffany Taveras, president of the Film and Video Society, said. “Everyone has worked really hard so that every film can be the best it can possibly be.”

Tavares will be in a 20 minute short film called “Red Door,” a romance narrative about how opposites attracts.

Taveras said that the entire semester was needed to create her 20 minute film.

“We started working on this project on the third week of school,” Taveras said. “We finalized the script in September and also found actors too. They were given a month to learn their lines thoroughly and then we started to shoot in mid-November.”

Taveras wants to make this annual event into a big event for the future.

“We want the community to come out and support us and make this event bigger,” Taveras said.

David Lacy S TA F F W R I T E R dclacy@valdosta.edu

Red Dawn is a remake of the 1984 classic movie about a group of high school kids who take up arms against an invading communist threat.

In the remake, the cast is mostly made up of young actors and actresses-- some of which you may know. Chris Hemsworth was known for his role as Thor from the Avengers, Josh Peck, who despite being a nickelodeon star in his younger days, has become quite the actor. Josh Hutcherson is known for his role as Peeta in the Hunger Games, and Adrianne Palicki is known for her role on “Friday Night Lights.”

Interestingly, the characters really seem to care about one another.

The script really does not do this movie justice. It works and is satisfying for the most part, but there are a number of unanswered questions, For example,

the Russians are involved in one way or another with the invasion but it’s never explained. It ends a bit abruptly before Josh Peck’s character actually gets the chance to step up and lead.

All in all, it’s a pro America movie. There are a few moments where I wanted to shout out “America!”-- especially in one scene as the characters charge a football field at one point, their cars mounted with machine guns mowing down there enemies.

This is good for an action movie, but some of the action shots of the characters fighting hand to hand are really shaky—which makes it hard to see what’s going on. This is usually to hide the fact that the actors have not been given choreography for the fights. Regardless, the cast steps up and proves that they can handle this type of movie.

Red Dawn probably would

have done better coming out around Veterans Day or on the Fourth of July due to its content -but it’s still a fun movie.

Red Dawn is not the best movie that has come out this year, but it’s also far from the worst. If you’re looking for a good action film, it’s worth a watch.

PAGE 6 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

FEATURES

Graduate Goodbyes Hey there VSU, I just want to start off this letter by saying thank you.

When I first transferred to this campus from Gainesville State College, I was hesitant to journey outside of my limited comfort zone.

I had my friends that I had known for years from high school, but that was about it.

That all changed when I enrolled in the journalism program.

I know that the journalism program is small here at VSU, but I have met so many good friends and professors that have motivated me to be all I can be.

Before I came here I didn’t have much aim for my future, but thanks to this program, the Spectator and this amazing university, I have a better idea of what I want to achieve in my life.

I can’t wait to go out into the field and continue to master the multitude of skills I have learned.

Amanda Usher / THE SPECTATOR So once again I just tor into a product that I am want to say thank you to all peoproud to be a part of. ple involved in the journalism -Chad Stone program here at VSU and everyone that helped make the Specta-

Dear VSU, I never thought I’d actually see the day that I’d be writing my goodbye letter. I especially never thought the day would come and ironically, I’d be at a loss for words.

Let me start by saying, I did learn a lot.

No, I don’t remember the dates I crammed in my head for history, but I do remember the first friend I made—shout out to Karmen Boone. I can’t recall the equations I learned for algebra, but I do remember my first trip to Remerton. And I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing my first

story in The Spectator.

I may not be the most involved person on campus, but I did make a family here. They live in Hopper 1238 and they spent the entirety of last night working on the paper in your hands, while occasionally yelling at me how much they would miss me. I love them.

I’d like to thank not only my Spectator family but this entire campus.

Amanda Usher / THE SPECTATOR You’ve taught me so much I am smarter, stronger and just about who I am. The version of generally more awesome bemyself that arrived in Valdosta in cause of VSU. fall 2008 wouldn’t recognize I’ll miss you all very much. herself now.

-Ariel Felton

Poetic Magic Visits VSU

Photo by Arianna Scott The Takeover talent showcase was held on Tuesday in Powell Hall Auditorium, hosted by HEROs, a group dedicated to helping enrich the lives of children affected by HIV/AIDs. Performers of Poetic Magic, a local spoken word group, left to right: RaSearch, G-Wiz, Brainstorm, Phoenix Chameleon and Word Smith. Be sure to see the full story online!

Minaj delivers bigger, better ‘Pink Friday’ Veronica Dominicis S TA F F W R I T E R vmdominicis@valdosta.edu

Nicki Minaj revamped her sophomore album, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded", with additional songs and bonus material, including DVD, for her fans with "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded--The Re-Up." The album has already shown interest in the media with her single "Freedom" and "Va Va Voom," which was released earlier in October.

The entire album was released on Nov.19, portraying a Nicki Minaj that her fans missed. The eight additional tracks feature a variety of other rap artists from Tyga to Ciara.

The first track, "Up in Flames", starts the album off with a hard attitude that Minaj usually portrays. Although the song is not a total favorite for me, the track sets the mood for the rest of the songs.

"Freedom", the second track, shows religious themes not only in Minaj's lyrics but in the track's music video as well.

Her lyrics are tougher in the song, but the song is softened by the chorus as well as other choral elements towards the end of the track.

The third track, "Hell Yeah", featuring Parker, isn't a favorite of mine-- but let me explain.

The song has too much going on, including the annoying chorus that Parker sings. Minaj did great on the track, so I don’t think Parker’s part was completely necessary.

The track featuring Ciara, "I'm Legit", has an erratic flow com-

pared to the other tracks on the addition. Although I am not a fan of Ciara's chorus, Minaj's dropped beat brings a crazy good element to the song, one of my favorites by far.

"I Endorse These Strippers", featuring Tyga and Thomas Brinx, is an interesting song.

The beat is sick, but I don't favor Minaj in this track. Tyga's and Brinx's verses are what make the song.

The seventh track, "The Boys", featuring Cassie, is my favorite song on the additional tracks. The bridge sung by Cassie adds a great musical element to the song. Both verses from Minaj and Cassie flow well with the entire track-overall a great collaboration!

"High School", featuring Lil Wayne, has a great beat line as well as a balance of rapping from both Minaj and Wayne.

Wayne's feature occurs during the middle of the track and flows nicely. As a fan of both artists, the song is a favorite.

"Va Va Voom" finishes the new tracks on "The Re-Up" addition to "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded." The track is a bit more pop dance party than Minaj’s other tracks.

The music video for "Va Va Voom" was released Oct. 27 and has been viewed over 13 million times on YouTube.

Overall I enjoyed the new additions to Minaj's previous album "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded."

"The Re-Up" shows the multiple musical sides Minaj is capable of while bringing back her tougher material through verses.

I give the album 4 out of 5.

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Lohan plays unlikely Liz H ello World—Anthony here bringing you the final Pop Addict.

That is if the Mayans are right and the world ends in three weeks.

Otherwise, I’ll be back reporting on the ratchetness of the celebrity world in 2013.

If the Mayans are correct, at least we won’t have to deal with Chris Brown’s anger problems anymore--which he obviously still hasn’t gotten in check.

Rihanna’s on again off again boyfriend got into a Twitter fight with a fan who called him a “piece of sh*t.”

After the comment, Breezy defensively began to verbally assault her telling her to perform fellatio on him while he passes gas in her face after calling her a ho.

After the rant, Brown quickly deleted his Twitter and hasn’t been heard from on the social network since.

Breezy has always been vocal on Twitter, but sometimes you have to know when to tune things out. RiRi please come get your man.

Moving on to another celeb that can’t seem to get right, Lindsay Lohan made her return to acting in the highly anticipated ‘Liz & Dick” Lifetime movie.

Critics were harsh to point out that Lohan’s only accurate portrayal of the icon was the fact that she looked like her, and even that was the work of the makeup and wardrobe department.

While Lohan nailed the look aspect, her acting left a lot to be desired.

Pop Addict

Beyoncé.

The film will reportedly follow Bey and husband Jay-Z during the first few months of motherhood as well as prepping for her new album.

The film is set to premiere on Feb. 16-- just days after she performs for the masses during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.

This wraps up Pop Addict for 2012. It was a year full wacky and crazy celebrities.

Tune in next year-- there’s no telling which celebs will be acting up in 2013.

Anthony Pope

No one expects Lifetime movies to be Emmy and Golden Globe winning masterpieces -you couldn’t help but think that there was something missing in her portrayal.

Lohan isn’t going to let a cable TV movie keep her down.

With roles in The Canyons and Scary Movie 5 coming up, America’s favorite party girl isn’t stopping her comeback anytime soon.

Speaking of comebacks, which we aren’t going to call a comeback since she hasn’t gone anywhere, it has been announced that HBO has picked up a selfdirected documentary starring

Slang Dictionary Ratchetness: (n.) any behavior that is deemed unacceptable by the majority.

Breezy: (n.) a nickname fans have given for Chris Brown.

RiRi: (n.) a nickname fans have given for Rihanna.

Bey: (n.) a nickname fans have given to Beyoncé

PAGE 7 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Flag football update Kellan Rhone S P O RT S W R I T E R

kdrhone@valdosta.edu

VSU's Intramural Flag Football League has ended Nov.22 as multiple teams go home as champions.

The championships were determined through winning playoff brackets.

The playoffs were single elimination, and the team who went undefeated would eventually win the title as best flag football team in the league.

The females in the league showed their strength as the

Austen Hutto/THESPECTATOR Senior forward Brittney Nelson looks to pass to one of her teammates during practice. Nelson currently leads the team in points, assists and minutes played.

Lady Blazers hit the road against GSC this weekend Ace Espenshied S P O RT S

WRITER

acespenshied@valdosta.edu

In rare early season conference games, the undefeated Lady Blazers hit the road against Union and North Alabama to kick off GSC play for the 20122013 season.

Since Shorter and Union were added to the Women’s Basketball Gulf South Conference the schedule is much different this year.

Normally the Blazers would start GSC games in early January, but with a realigned conference they start today.

After playing just four games this season the team will have to be in mid-season form in the beginning of the season.

Usually teams play non-conference games for about two months before playing more important Conference games.

Coach Kiley Hill says that it doesn’t matter when conference play starts, it’s all the same.

“I don’t think you are ever prepared to start conference play,” Hill said. “Right now we are just trying to figure out our identity as a basketball team.

The previous [four] games are good and positive but it’s just a whole different type of intensity level once you hit conference play.”

The Lady Blazers will play at Union, new to the GSC this year, tonight at 7.

The Bulldogs are 2-4 on the season and host VSU for their first appearance in the Gulf South Conference in their school’s history.

The biggest challenge for VSU in this game will be matching Union’s motivation and intensity.

They want to prove they belong in the conference but the Lady Blazers will look to show them that they are still years away.

The injury plagued team that doesn’t have much depth, although it hasn’t slowed them down yet, will have to come

ready tonight.

In a bigger, more intriguing matchup on Saturday VSU will take on North Alabama.

These two teams got together three times last season.

Combined in all three of those games there was a total of ten points separating the teams with the Lions winning two out of the three. Coach Hill talks about what the keys to those games will be.

“Health, foul trouble, and simply fatigue will be the biggest factors because we just don’t have the rotations,” Hill said.

“We have seven, eight, nine healthy bodies max, and the latter two kids are still hurt.”

With the Blazers trying to get healthy, this isn’t the season they would have hoped to have a schedule change like the one they have now.

Who knows what kind of impact these two conference games will have down the road. But one thing is for sure, every conference game counts.

sorority, Kappa Delta, defeated Chi Omega 13-6.

Moose Attack, a team that was in both the Women's and Co-Rec leagues, won two championships.

First they defeated Back That Pass Up, 6-0 in the Women's league. Then they defeated Tebow's Tears, 19-6 in the CoRec league.

Kappa were crowned the Men's Fraternity champions as they defeated Kappa Sigma 2014.

The Men's A and B leagues were amped this year as Air Raid defeated Snoop Troop, 20-14 in the Men's B league.

NIKES won the Men's A league championships in overtime against Famous, 12-6.

NIKES, who won the Men's B league last year were also the runner-ups at the 29th Annual Georgia Collegiate Flag Football Championships at the University of Georgia back in mid October.

"There's no way we should've lost the championships," said Jamaar Snead, a player on NIKES team.

"We played too much and too hard this year." Every championship winner was awarded a Tshirt which represented their victory.

Men’s basketball team geared for first away games Jamal Toll S TA F F W R I T E R

jotoll@valdosta.edu

The Valdosta State men’s basketball team have made an early point that they can play at home yet this weekend VSU will be tested away from home.

The undefeated Blazers will be heading to Jackson, Tenn. to face off against the Bulldogs of Union University.

2012 NCAA playoffs national quarterfinals round ticket prices.

Reserved seats are $18, $10 for general admission and $5 for students with ID and seniors (65 and older).

VSU students will be able to attend the game free courtesy of the VSU VicePresident of Students Affairs and Dean of Students offices and the VSU Foundation.

Follow @epjackson for VSU athletics updates!

The Bulldogs are 1-3, and they are coming off a loss from last weekend.

The two teams have never met each other on the court, but this should be a game to watch.

On Saturday, The Blazers will travel to Florence, Ala. to play the North Alabama Roar Lions.

The Blazers are looking for a little redemption on the court after last year’s loss to UNA. Division I Witcha State transfer James

Anacreon currenly leads the team in scoring averaging 19 points a game.

The Hollis,Ny. native hasn’t scored less than 15 points sincehis first game in a Blazer uniform.

With the help between Anacreon and lone returner Josh Sparks, VSU already has 31 blocks this season.

The Blazers face Union tonight and face the UNA lions Saturday.

Sudoku A N S W E R S

PAGE 8 | VSUSPECTATOR.COM

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Austen Hutto/THESPECTATOR The VSU football team enjoyed going back to normal practice schedule this week. The Blazers practiced hard Wednesday night as they prepare to take on Carson-Newman December 1st at Bazemore-Hyder Field. Carson-Newman advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Lenior Rhyne 38-35 last weekend.

VSU football team plans to keep season alive Saturday Eric Jackson S P O RT S

EDITOR

epjackson@valdosta.edu

The No.17 Valdosta State football team (9-2) is two games shy from returning to the Division II national championship game.

The Blazers didn't win the Gulf South Conference yet no one is fazed because they have a bigger fish to fry.

That fish being a national championship title has become clearer in their sights after the 49-21 win over the 2012 GSC champions West Alabama on Nov. 24 in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

The Black Swarm forced the Tigers to 187 total yards while VSU freshman running back Austin Scott ran for three touch-

downs and 133 yards.

Arguably their best played game of the season was displayed in front of a home crowd with less than 2000 attendees.

Although the crowd should significantly increase at this week’s matchup, VSU plans to take care of business regardless of how many people arrive as they did last week.

“It feels good but at the same time when we get on the field we got a job to do,” Edmund Kugbila, senior offensive guard, said. “We appreciate everybody showing up but we still got a job to do. Regardless if people show up, we got to win for V-State.”

The post-season journey doesn’t get any easier for the Blazers who host No. 24 Carson-Newman (9-2) Saturday at Bazemore-Hyder Field.

This weekend’s contest fea-

VSU school record 16 players chosen to AllGSC Cayden Cochran (quarterback)*first team Matt Pierce (cornerback) *first team Daniel Anderson (kicker) *second team

Offensive Line: Ryan Schraeder *first team Mesh Wokomaty *first team Edmund Kugbila *first team Cam Short *first team

Running backs: Cedric O’Neal *GSC OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Austin Scott

Wide Receivers: Gerald Ford *GSC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Seantavious Jones *first team Regginald Lewis *first team

Linebackers: Jeremey Grable *first team Chris Pope *first team

Defensive Linemen: Tyler Josey *first team Lawerence Virgil *second team Tevin Davis *second team

tures two of the eight finalists for the 2012 Gene Upshaw D-II Lineman of the Year award.

South Region II finalist AllSAC center Kevin Day is the anchor of the Eagles solid offensive line whom have had major influence to why Carson-Newman leads D-II in rushing yards per game.

Senior quarterback Brandon Haywood and junior running back Brandon Baker can be expected to share the majority of rushes against the Blazers.

The other South Region II finalist is 6’7 senior offensive tackle Ryan Schroeder.

The 2013 NFL Draft prospect has only allowed one sack this season with 56 knockdown blocks.

Ken Sparks, the winningst coach in Division II history, leads the Eagles back to Valdosta

for the first since 2008 when the Blazers won 24-20.

VSU head coach David Dean has the upmost respect for his friend and colleague.

“We’ve become good friends over the past couple years. On some Division II committees together, I’ve really gotten to know him very well. He’s a great man, great football coach, he’s a guy I respect greatly. In this profession anytime you can stay at one school for thirty years that shows a lot about your commitment.”

The five-time NAIA champs come into this matchup looking to continue their effective combination in running schemes which has propelled this Eagle team back into contention to compete for a DII national title for the first time since 2009.

VSU cornerback Manny Evans who suffered a concussion

in last week’s victory is ruled out indefinitely for Saturday.

For the second straight game, the Blazers will be without senior place kicker Daniel Anderson.

Pierce County graduate Jake Walker will fill his position as he did last week while freshman Dominic DeMasi handles punting duties.

“I think they’re excited to play again. I’m really looking forward to seeing if we can play with the same type of energy and enthusiasm from the second, third quarter from this last game,” said Dean.

The winner of the contest will advance to the semifinals of the playoffs. Kickoff is set for noon Dec. 1.