On Jan. 13 “A Man Called Otto,” based on the book “A Man Called Ove,” was released into theaters.   The movie stars Tom Hanks, who plays a grouchy, old man who enjoys consistency and hates chaos. Otto is a man of routine who makes rounds in his neighborhood to make sure everything is in order. He believes that he is ...

Happy February Blazers! The VSU Spectator is hosting a giveaway for Student Press Freedom Day. Student Press Freedom Day is a national day of action when we celebrate the contributions of student journalists and the need to support their independence without censorship. The voices of VSU students are heard because of our student journalist being able to speak their truths. ...

On Jan. 31, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his plan to ban state universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as part of his higher education agenda. This announcement came after an earlier promise by presidents of Florida’s two-year community colleges to not teach critical race theory and other related concepts. Many Republicans across the country have ...

The VSU softball team is ready to return to Steel’s Diamond for hopefully yet another successful season. But even though it’s a new season for the Blazers, Head Softball Coach Thomas Macera said the mission remains the same. “We have the same goal every year,” said Coach Macera. “We’re here to compete nationally, get to the end and compete for ...

Recently, Stanford University has been the subject of controversy involving a conversation around freedom of speech. A student posted a Snapchat of another student reading Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” autobiography while making an exaggerated thoughtful expression. A complaint was filed by an unknown student organization. The university did not take disciplinary action and instead went for a variety of options to ...

The Valdosta Police Department has made two arrests following an investigation into an armed robbery that took place near campus on Jan. 12. Police issued arrest warrants for Marquavious Simpson, 23, for armed robbery and possession of a firearm in response to the incident. Simpson was found at his residence and taken into custody on Jan. 19.    Warrants were also ...

Dr. Leslie Jones is teaching Evolution and the Diversity of Life again this spring after she was given an ultimatum in the fall by a dean that the content of her course needed to be altered. She is teaching section A of the course, which has 130 students. This class is an introductory biology course for non-majors. Although there were ...

On Saturday, Jan. 21, VSU’s Speech and Debate team competed in the first debate tournament of the year, advancing to the quarterfinals of a nationwide competition. During this tournament, the debaters went up against opponents from different states to debate some of the most diverse topics of today. These schools included Spelman College, Florida State University, Park University, University of ...

It just seemed nothing could go wrong for the Blazers against Delta State. With the latest Hall of Fame class and stars such as Kenny Moore in attendance, the Blazers (14-8, 10-6 Gulf South Conference) put on a show. VSU led wire-to-wire as they blasted the Statesmen (6-13, 5-11 GSC) 93-44 to snap a two-game losing skid. However, perhaps the ...

The Lady Blazers and their conference-leading scoring defense continue to cause opponents trouble. After cruising past Mississippi College (4-15, 3-13 Gulf South Conference) 82-31 on Jan. 19, the Lady Blazers (15-3, 14-2 GSC) stifled Delta State (7-13, 6-10 GSC) in the second half en route to a 59-40 win on Hall of Fame weekend. The Lady Blazers have now won ...