VSU is hoping to complete a study abroad program, led by English language director David Starling, in summer 2022. Starling, who has been at VSU for twenty years, has lead study abroad programs since 2001. VSU has been unable to do in-person study abroad programs for two years due to COVID-19. Starling said the safety of going to Japan was ...
Read More »Cheerleading isn’t a sport, it’s an Olympic sport
Well, a lot of people aren’t going to like this, but those people aren’t paying close enough attention to what this new ruling is saying. In July 2021, the International Olympic Committee voted to recognize competitive cheerleading as an official sport in the Olympics. They also voted to recognize rock climbing, skateboarding and break dancing as official Olympic sports. Before ...
Read More »Amari Jones is one of a few redeeming qualities of Titletown High
*Spoiler Alert* Thanks to “Titletown High,” Netflix reality TV has made its way to Valdosta to document the Valdosta High School football program, a couple of key players and a couple of not-so-key players. It was filled with all story, drama, faux “off-camera” moments and cringe that we have come to expect from reality TV. There were a couple of ...
Read More »Disability Pride Month holds deep significance
July is considered Disability Pride Month to positively acknowledge the diversity among disabilities and to remember how far we’ve come in making the world an accessible place. On July 26, 1990, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed to prohibit discrimination against disabled people, and according to the ADA anniversary website, the first Disability Pride celebration was in Boston ...
Read More »It’s a bit overdue, but college athletes can be paid now
As of July 1, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has ruled that athletes are now able to make money off of their name, image and likeness. It’s about time. Every American has the right to make money when their NIL is used. With this in mind, it seems clear that college athletes would be entitled to some of the ...
Read More »College football should expand the playoffs to 12 teams
The College Football Playoff management committee presented a proposal on June 10 to expand the current four-team playoff format to one that would include 12 teams, and many people think it will pass. I think this is absolutely the right move, and most other college football fans would agree with me. A four-team playoff was a good start simply because ...
Read More »Fleeting sensationalism is plaguing the boxing world
Logan Paul challenged Floyd Mayweather to a boxing match in 2019, Mayweather accepted and signed the contract in 2020, and the [joke of a] fight took place last Sunday. To anyone who paid $50 to see the fight, I apologize for the decision you made. I, like many others, was hoping for a fight that would end in a humbling ...
Read More »Ex-Valdosta High head coach Rush Propst sets fire to third chance at coaching
Head coach Rush Propst just can’t stay out of trouble. It seems as if he doesn’t even want to go by the book and do the things the right—or legal—way. While coaching at Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala., it was discovered that Propst had started a secret second family with a woman named Stefnie. He was let go. He ...
Read More »VSU appears to prioritize student-athletes over students
The problem of dealing with unwanted sexual contact exists on college campuses all throughout the U.S. Victims deal with the physical and mental toll that non-consensual sexual contact forces on them while campus officials deal with determining the appropriate punishment for perpetrators who are proven guilty. VSU is not exempt from this issue. To protect the identity of those involved, ...
Read More »Column: “Call Me by Your Name” causes chaos
Once again, the news and media have been flooded by a new artistic censorship controversy. Rapper Lil Nas X has released his nine-month awaited song “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).” The song quickly reached the number one spot on iTunes and has been streamed nearly nine million times on Spotify. The controversy of the song comes from the music ...
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The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University