In the spring of 1963, Drewnell Thomas and Robert Pierce Jr. walked across a stage to receive their high school diplomas from Valdosta’s all-Black Pinevale High School. Then they walked right into the history books. Thomas and Pierce both graduated with honors from Pinevale, but another academic achievement managed to outshine that one: Thomas and Pierce were the first Black ...

As the nation looks on, the United States Senate is in the midst of an unprecedented second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. The trial in the Senate began on Wednesday, Feb. 10, and has continued through the week. Democrat Senators, led by Democrat Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas, spent the opening day of the trial presenting evidence that ...

We’ve reached the afternoon on day two of the 2020 US Presidential Election, and the result remains undecided. Former Vice President Joe Biden is holding a 238 to 214 vote lead over President Donald Trump in the Electoral College, with five or six states still not officially called. These states represent paths to victory for either candidate, but much of ...

As many predicted, the presidential election remains too close to call on the night of the election. At this time, former Vice President Joe Biden holds a slight Electoral College lead over President Donald Trump, with much of the vote still not counted in key battleground states. Biden has performed well in Democrat strongholds like New England, California and Colorado, ...

The third and final Presidential Debate was held October 22, 2020 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The debate was the second to feature both presidents simultaneously, after the planned second debate was cancelled in favor of dueling town halls held at separate locations. The debate featured a variety of topics, specifically COVID-19, climate change, race and an   a section ...

On Tuesday Sept. 29, the two primary candidates for President of the United States met for their first of three scheduled debates. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met for the debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace moderated. Throughout 2020, polls have depicted the race as relatively static, with Biden ...

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 ...

Doppelganger: a German word that means “an apparition or double of a living person.” It translates directly to “double goer,” implying something like a shadow. In Jordan Peele’s Us, the concept of a doppelganger implies much more than that. Us is the sophomore effort by one half of the former Comedy Central sketch comedy due Key & Peele, following up ...

Recently, I overheard a conversation between two students in the dining area of the Student Union. They were talking about the racial demographics of VSU and wondering aloud what percent of VSU students are black or African American. Thinking about their conversation made me want to do some research, so I reviewed enrollment by race or ethnicity data from the ...

The Spectator staff made their presence felt at the Georgia College Press Association Press Institute on Feb. 15, 2019. It’s evident in the awards they brought home and the board positions they filled. The Spectator’s staff netted three staff awards and two individual awards. Most notably, The Spectator was named as first place winners for the category “Best Website.” Editor-in-Chief ...