By Rut Labrada  Staff Writer On an early Friday morning in March, 19 bleary-eyed staff writers and editors of the VSU Spectator were dressed in their business-casual finest—cardigans, skirts, khakis, and button-ups—as they walked down the bright streets of Athens, Georgia.  The group was preparing to attend the Georgia College Press Association’s Better Newspaper contest, a yearly event where student newspapers from across ...

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Classes got you beaten down? Homework got you stressing out? Keep your heads up blazers! Only 3 more days until spring break officially kicks off. Rev up those plans, call up those friends and get ready to party (responsibly of course)! Also be sure to stay tuned in to The Spectator. A big announcement is on its way.

We at The Spectator wish you a peaceful midterm season. Remember to study up and keep your stress levels down! Don’t forget to ask your teachers for help if you need it.

By Rut Labrada, Staff writer  A proposed Artificial Intelligence data center near the Foxborough subdivision in Valdosta, located 4.6 miles northwest of VSU, has sparked concern among Lowndes County residents amidst a growing trend of data-center construction in rural communities.  AI data centers are specialized facilities designed to train and run a large-scale AI model, which is part of a rapidly growing ...

 By Megan Callahan, News Editor, and Armone Gates, Copy Editor Several colleges have started new AI majors, and starting in the Fall 2026 semester, VSU will jump on the bandwagon.  VSU will begin a new AI track for computer science majors, and anyone interested in taking these three AI courses.   The main reason the AI committee created this track is that AI is becoming a greater ...

By: Marese Hudson, Assistant Sports Editor  VSU softball returns home this weekend for its first games at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park with fireworks already lit, riding a three-game win streak. The Blazers are hosting #24 University of Alabama Huntsville Chargers in a key early-season Gulf South Conference showdown, with both teams entering 3-0 in conference play.  Chole Eichelberger claimed the GSC Player ...

Written by Dionte Daniel, Staff writer    Valdosta State women’s basketball enters its final two games of the regular season on the road looking to finish strong before the Gulf South Conference Tournament.    The Lady Blazers 14–12, 11–9 GSC fell on Senior Day against Union in a 78–73 decision, however, they are already locked into the postseason. What’s next is rebounding from this loss ...

By: Ailyn Quiroz, staff writer  Students who are interested in publishing research should make sure to attend the annual VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 7-9 in the Student Union.   Although the due date for abstracts was Feb. 13, it does not hurt to get a head start on coming up with a research topic for the next VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.   “A couple of things we’re really trying to focus on this year is making research ...

By: Megan Callahan News Editor On Feb. 4, 2026, Louis Levy, who held a variety of positions here at VSU including President, sadly passed away.   He joined VSU in 1989 as a professor and head of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice. Throughout his career, he was known to always have his door open so that students could come in, and he would help ...