By: Lloydrica Hudson, Sports Editor   Valdosta State football will open its 2026 season Thursday night against Emory & Henry at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, beginning a new campaign with several key players returning on both sides of the ball. The Blazers enter the season after finishing 2025 with a 6-5 overall record. VSU closed the year with three consecutive Gulf South ...

By: Armone’ Gates, Editor & Chief The Queen of Country Music, Dolly Parton, died at the age of 80 years old on Aug. 25, 2026, from cancer. She was a philanthropist, singer-songwriter, and film star whose career spanned more than a decade. Known for her hits “9 to 5”, “I Will Always Love You,” and “Jolene,” Parton helped change the ...

By: Dionte Daniel, Spectator Staff Writer  Valdosta State University has had one of the top athletic programs in Division II for years. The Blazers have won championships, created professionals and cultivated a football legacy that rivals any school not playing in the FBS.   College athletics are evolving though, and the Gulf South Conference is evolving with it. At some point ...

By: Rut Labrada, Arts & Entertainment Editor  Welcome to another installment of Ruts & Veggies! The first couple weeks of school have passed by in a blur, and I hope we all feel the crisp fall air right around the corner.  As we are all settling into a new semester, I’ve been thinking about our newest students who are not ...

By: Megan Callahan, News & Campus Life Editor  A summer in Paris includes time in a new country, a new town, and several new experiences every day. I was lucky enough to spend a month in the heart of Paris on a study abroad program at Cité Universitaire.   During my time there, it was shocking how different things were ...

Aiyana Hunter Staff Writer A VSU student who is listed as secretary of the Georgia College Republicans and has connections to other collegiate Republican organizations in the state says that racially charged messages that appeared under his name on a local Facebook group were not written by him.   In late March, The Facebook group Lowndes County Word of Mouth investigated some anonymous posts from ...

By: Aiyana Hunter, staff writer   Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream released its demo maybe a few weeks before it released the actual game, and fortunately for me, I didn’t have to shell out on a Switch 2 to play it.  Welcome back to another entry in Games for the Broke College Student, where I’m looking at something different.   If you’ve ...

By: Rut Labrada, Staff writer On April 14 and 15, the VSU Debate Team competed in the Regents Cup Tournament in Columbus, Georgia, winning first place in individual debate.  VSU received three awards in the competition. The school tied for second place in the overall competition; Cassandra Ayers, a sophomore communications major, won first place as Individual Debate Champion; and Ava Peeples won second place for Individual Novice Debater.   Competitors from all over Georgia participated in the Regents Cup, which included 16 schools, such as Columbus State University, University of Georgia, ...

By Madeline Higdon, Staff writer VALDOSTA, Ga. – Wild Adventures theme park brought back its “VSU Day” on April 25, 2026 after a two-year hiatus. On these days, students can use their One Cards to get free admission and 30% off of all park dining. The park saw about 900 students. As a Florida resident, I’m spoiled by the endless ...

By: Nathalie Monero, Staff writer On April 17, the J. Donald Lee Center for Entrepreneurship hosted their annual Business Plan Competition Final Pitch at Pound Hall Auditorium, where student finalists presented their final pitch to the judges.   Students were to be registered for this competition back in February, when they submitted their executive summaries and registered to participate. Semi finalists ...