Home / Spring 2014 (page 4)

Spring 2014

Not your average suit and tie: new provost adds flair to academic affairs

Written by: John Stephen VSU has finally found a permanent provost—a well-traveled Trinidad and Tobago native who jams to vinyl records, has a passion for helping students succeed and yes, even takes long walks on the beach with his wife. Dr. Hudson Rogers, father of two and grandfather of one, currently lives in Fort Meyers, Fla., where he has resided ...

Read More »

Internet lives on after heartbleed

Written by: Joseph Albahari Are your passwords safe? That depends on when you last changed them. On April 7, it was made public that the security of the Internet was compromised by the Heartbleed bug. Heartbleed, or CVE-2014-0160 as it is technically named, is an OpenSSL security bug that has affected about 17 percent of the internet’s websites. The bug ...

Read More »

Blazefest returns: VSU hosts local music festival

Written by: Abbie Baggerly  WVVS-BLAZEfm is bringing back the popular Blazefest.  Blazefest is a spring music festival featuring eight local bands and musicians.  The festival begins on the front lawn at 2 p.m. and will last until around 8:45 p.m. It is free and open to all VSU students and members of the community.  Spectators will be able to meet ...

Read More »

Rain failed to dampen Earth Day festivities

Written by: John Preer     Fear of bad weather moved the Earth Day event inside.  Although the change of venue didn’t compliment the celebration of nature, attendants were still in high spirits as they observed the holiday.  SAVE spread the message of conservation with informational booths and “green” activities.   Attendants enjoyed free food and a live band, while gaining a new reverence for Mother Earth.  Children attending the ...

Read More »

Valdosta baseball minors revisited

Baseball reigned King. Baseball and tobacco, that is. In 1939, minor league baseball came to the small, southern town of Valdosta, Ga. Until 1958, (with the exception of 1943-45 due to World War II) the residents of this rural community would experience minor league baseball for themselves. Four different major league teams had Class D affiliates in Valdosta during this ...

Read More »

Students need to be heard by senate

Every so often an issue pops up that stirs the student population and causes them to voice their opinions, and if they’re lucky they are listened to. We appear to be short on luck. As of April 17, the scheduling issue that has been the topic of many discussions among both students and faculty was voted on, and the moving ...

Read More »

Students debate vaccinations

Pro By: LaShawn Oglesby & LaMarcus Wilkerson It is every parent’s right to decide whether or not to have their child vaccinated, but that choice can put other children who do get vaccinated in harm’s way. Schools require that their students be vaccinated before attending. However, guardians can opt out of getting their child vaccinated by filing for a vaccine exemption. ...

Read More »

Diversity needs to be understood

It’s outstanding to witness students speaking up for themselves and their peers. For that, I applaud the SGA. In response to their resolution and recent articles in The Spectator, the Office of Social Equity (OSE) would like to provide pertinent information regarding meeting the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. The disparity between representation of both faculty and students from ...

Read More »

New Earth-like planet

This diagram shows the position of Kepler-186f with its host star in relation to Earth. (Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech)   Not too big, not too small. Not too hot, not too cold, maybe just right. Since humans took their first peek into the vast universe that lies right outside our planet, we’ve asked the question, “is there anyone else out ...

Read More »

Electives make well-rounded students

Written by: John Stephen  As the frenzy and stress that accompanies the end of the semester descends like a weight upon campus, many students may question why they are required to take so many classes, especially electives that are not relevant to their major. Electives, however, are not a waste of time; they are essential in building a student’s foundation ...

Read More »