Written by: Tatyana Phelps, Copy Editor

After Eric “EJ” Sheppard and others walked on an American flag on Friday as part of a protest, many across the country are now blasting VSU for allowing the protest to happen.

In response to this criticism, VSU President William McKinney is postponing his annual State of the University address and calling for a day to celebrate VSU.

Dr. McKinney’s State of the University address, originally scheduled for Friday, has been moved to May 2 at 1:30 p.m. in Whitehead Auditorium. Dr. McKinney’s reason for postponing the speech was to, instead, create a Day of Reaffirmation.

“I canceled the speech because this is a time for dialogue and a time for reflection,” Dr. McKinney said. “In every classroom, in the hallways, in Starbucks. This is a time for us to join together as a community to reflect upon and to celebrate all that is good and right about VSU.”

Dr. McKinney’s goal is for students to take the time to reflect on what it means to be a Blazer and to attend VSU, despite all of the things that have been written and said about the school.

“My hope is that through this kind of focused dialogue, we reaffirm those values that make VSU such a special place,” Dr. McKinney said. “I want the focus to be on every member of our campus community, not simply the president standing on stage.”