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Bryce Ethridge

The curious case of VSU and the governor’s office

Everyone talked but who listened. Students, community members, faculty and alumni talked. Dr. Carvajal, Dr. Miller and other administrators talked. But who was listening? On Monday, the office of Diversity and Inclusion and Student Government Association teamed to put together a forum for people to voice their opinions about the undergraduate commencement speaker, Gov. Brian Kemp. The forum felt more ...

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‘I made this decision’: Students voice concerns, Carvajal stands firm

President Richard Carvajal addressed over 400 students, faculty and staff in the Student Union ballrooms, and, standing doggedly, he said Gov. Brian Kemp is here to stay as this semester’s commencement speaker. With almost two dozen students speaking, their points were made; but then again so was the president’s. “At the end of the day, I made this decision, because ...

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Column: The VSU town hall didn’t accomplish its goal

On Monday, April 30,  in the Student Union ballroom, President Richard Carvajal hosted a Town Hall-style meeting on the subject that’s created an undercurrent of tension across VSU’s sunbaked campus – the impending commencement speech to be delivered by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. An estimated 200-plus students filled the ballroom. A prayer was held among a few dozen students as ...

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VSU to improve retention by controlling the college narrative

The usual narrative of college places students in a “choose-your-own adventure” pathway, making them the writers of their stories, but last fall that changed. Now, VSU is taking the reins of students’ stories. In Dr. Ted Geltner’s Reporting class (JOUR 4550) Dr. Richard Carvajal, VSU president, gave a short form “state of the university address” to the class’ student journalists. ...

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Valdosta looks to attract students downtown

On any given weekend, you can find VSU students enjoying nightlife in various locations in and around campus. One of those locations isn’t normally Downtown Valdosta. The City of Valdosta is looking for ways to change that and drive more traffic to the downtown area, including VSU students. Currently, Valdosta has an ordinance in place which requires businesses that sell ...

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Pop Addict: Beyonce, music industry update, Endgame

Hello to all my pop addicts of VSU. It has been a week since I’ve talked to you last. Hope that your house is in order, while you worrying about other folks business! Just kidding! I’ve got a nice cup of jade citrus mint tea brewing, so let’s get into it. Following the mass hysteria that it sent Beyoncé’s fans ...

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Impending VSU graduates react to incoming commencement speaker

Valdosta State University announced Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as its spring 2019 commencement speaker on April 12 via Twitter. Suffice it to say, many of its soon-to-be graduates weren’t happy. Taking to Twitter in response, graduates let their opinions—positive and negative—roll. Some of the replies to the Twitter announcement included: “Valdosta needs to do better.” “Great choice. VSU students are ...

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LendEdu ranks VSU in top 500 colleges receiving revenue from application fees

As college students, application fees are a necessary evil in order to segue the route to higher education. This would also be true for the respective universities to which they are applying. After all, they hire professionals to review all their applications that come their way to see if the students would be a good fit for their institution. Those ...

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Inside look: VSU Japanese Club seeks to bridge gaps

Japan has long been steeped in vibrant culture and customs, but what Americans see of the Land of the Rising Sun is often not representative of its people and values. The Spectator sat down with senior Jacquelynn Trapani, president of the newly-founded Japanese Club, which celebrates Japanese culture on campus and abroad. What is the Japanese Club’s mission? Trapani: “Our ...

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VSU reveals its recycling efforts, the struggles that came

VSU makes it clear that it supports helping the environment through recycling. But is VSU’s carbon footprint as heavy as it seems? VSU provides students and staff an easy way to recycle by putting several recycling bins around campus. There are even designated bins for different recycling materials like paper, cans and plastic. But what happens to the recyclable goods ...

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