The issue of gun violence on campuses was pushed back to the forefront after a professor at University of Alabama-Huntsville allegedly opened fire on fellow faculty members on Friday, Feb. 12. The tragedy sent shockwaves to campuses across the U.S., including VSU. Three professors were killed, two were critically injured, and a sixth was treated and released from the hospital ...

According to a recent study, 28.5% of college students are smokers. Of these, 28% have been doing so since the age of 19. But what about the students who do not smoke? An American Lung Association report released in 2008 states that over 130 colleges and universities have completely smoke-free campuses; 500 schools, including VSU, have smoke-free student housing. According ...

On Feb. 6, VSU chartered the Greek fraternity of Phi Sigma Kappa Inc. Phi Sigma Kappa Inc., or Phi Sig for short, has a national fraternity of 93 chapters. There has been a Phi Sig colony at VSU since December 2006. The new chapter currently has 25 members. Three remain of the original 18 members who started the colony in ...

For the Valdosta State Blazers, winning championships is in the blood. On Monday Feb. 15, that mentality takes on an entirely different meaning as the Blazers football team will host its annual blood drive in the P.E. Complex. The blood drive is one of Georgia’s largest single-day drives, producing close to the state record of 427 units. In 2008, the ...

SGA elected eight new senators and discussed important topics brought up in the semi-annual SAC meeting, including the budget proposal for the 2011-2012 school year, talk of changing requirements for HOPE and a proposed Georgia House bill that would allow guns on campus. The first report of the night came from President Kelli Cody, who recently attended a SAC (Student ...

Attorney James Alexander spoke to students and alumni about his books “Halfway Home From Kinderlou” and “If I Should die before I Wake…What Will Happen to My Stuff?” In these books Alexander discusses his happy childhood and growing up in Valdosta. In his lecture, Alexander discusses living in Valdosta in the 1930’s and learning from the people around him. “People ...

Alexander is having a bad day, a terrible day even. His day is so bad; it’s horrible, no good. It’s just a very bad day all together. Starting Fri. Feb. 5, the Valdosta and VSU communities are invited to share in Alexander’s bad day by attending a performance of the play, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad ...

The voting process was messy at SGA’s meeting on Monday. However, SGA approved $825 for an upcoming Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. laser tag event. Also on the agenda were smoking on campus, SGA elections and Student Union food prices. Jasmine Peterson and Candace Atchison, representatives from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, presented the organization’s request for funds for a laser ...

Phi Beta Sigma, Inc., raised $500 and gathered 10 boxes of clothing and food for Haiti relief during a fundraiser Wednesday afternoon on the Pedestrian Mall. According to Phi Beta Sigma president Jaymien Kelly, around 300 people came out to the event and an estimated 150 people donated clothing, food and money for the cause. Kelly expressed why hosting the ...

People in the community visited the past in order to change the future as the Valdosta Task Force held a forum Tuesday night raising awareness about violence in the Lowndes County. City officials, pastors, off duty police officers and retired law officials were in attendance. Though numerous topics were discussed, the main topic was public safety. During the public safety ...