College is supposed to teach you how to function in the real world and be a good, contributing member of society. Some things aren’t that simple. Racism is one of those things. You might think that requiring students to take classes about race would help to resolve the growing tension and racial division in America, but it wouldn’t. We are ...

Wearing a mask shouldn’t be an option during the age of COVID-19. Since the virus has made its way to the United States, the country has struggled to keep it under control. And one of the main reasons for this is the leniency regarding wearing a mask. Although it’s required to wear a mask on-campus since school started on Aug. ...

The killing of George Floyd was truly a turning point in American history. If the social and political consequences from the aftermath are allowed to go unchecked, the rule of law as we know it could wither away. What started in Minneapolis on May 28, was soon mimicked in several cities across the country: mass protests, but also riots, violence, ...

I was driving back from Jacksonville a couple weeks ago, as I spent some time at the beach for my 21st birthday. Typically when I take road trips, I like to reflect. No music, no radio. Just thoughts. The drive was about a shade under two hours, considering the traffic that caught up with me at the Florida-Georgia line. I ...

Sallie Mae Bank, As students of Valdosta State University, we feel like we were taken advantage of. While student debt crisis creeps up to $1.6 trillion, Sallie Mae executives were deciding whether they should lie along the beach or celebrate a record high of $5 billion in loans to 374,000 borrowers. So, the private loan company decided to do both, ...

It’s time to stop overlooking an issue plaguing most of our colleges, high schools and even middle schools. That problem is the fact that the arts are underfunded and underappreciated. Think about it: when was the last time you saw an athlete sewing or making their own jersey, maintaining the court or field they play on, or hosting a game ...

Odessa and Midland. Dayton. El Paso. Gilroy. Virginia Beach. Aurora. Each city hundreds of miles apart—some thousands—from the next, with one thing in common: mass shootings within the last nine months. One hundred sixty-one casualties. Sixty-three fatalities. These incidents prove that Americans can’t travel, have a night out, grocery shop, attend a festival, pay bills or work at their jobs ...

The 2018 national champion Valdosta State Blazers took the practice field this morning for their first team scrimmage and after a hot hour and a half of playing, three things stood out to me from the defending champs. The Air Raid The air raid offense is a scheme Head Coach Gary Goff is very fond of and is implementing it ...

Bent down, usually at the end of the Blazers’ bench, is an observant. Observing the screens, cuts and movements of his team, head coach Mike Helfer is a student of the game. For 14 years, Helfer has coached the Blazers, averaging 20 wins a season. Since 2017, the Blazers have made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the Gulf ...

I was wrong. Coming into 2019 season, I had the Blazers ranked in the top-three of teams in the Gulf South Conference. My No. 1 was not the Blazers. Jimmy Kodet, Justin McBride and KJ James were lost to graduation. Also, the Blazers had just suffered one of the most disappointing loses I had ever witnessed at the hands of ...