Blocked walkways, caution tape, boarded hallways, fences and loud engines are the results of the constant construction around VSU which, since the beginning of the fall semester, every student has seen and experienced. West Hall, Sustella and Oak Parking Decks, and Odum Library are all visibly under construction; however, this doesn’t scratch the surface of the future development planned at ...
Read More »Editorial: Library renovations may be worth the wait
To many students, the library is a beacon of diligent work and active academic achievements. However, the dilemma we’re facing as VSU students is the renovation taking place on the second floor of Odum Library. Not only has the construction made finding a quiet work space difficult but it is not convenient for a single entrance to be used for ...
Read More »Editorial: A call to action in wake of Jacksonville shooting
For the umpteenth time this year, news of a mass shooting passed across our TV, smart phone and computer screens saying two or more were killed with twice as many injured. It’s a problem America has yet to solve but not one simply confined to the availability of guns. David Kratz, 24, killed two people—gamers—and injured 11 others with a ...
Read More »Letter from the editor: A new era for The Spectator
Transparency, accuracy and consistency. Or at least the pursuit of it. Those are the three commitments I can make to the readers of our newspaper. The last two years have been transition years for us at The Spectator. We’ve moved from weekly print production to monthly print production all while redesigning and restructuring our website to handle the mass digital ...
Read More »Editorial: SGA takes baby steps toward campus improvement
This year will end my third year at VSU, but it will be the first year observing the well-oiled machine that the Student Government Association can be. According to their page on VSU’s website, SGA’s earliest record starts in 1978, meaning that the organization is at least 39, going on 40, years old. From the average 40-year-old, it’s expected for ...
Read More »Editorial: Student body should start the movement of campus improvements
Seventeen years ago, VSU’s Recreation Center, one of the most valued facilities on campus, was unveiled to the student body. The genesis of this project was nearly a decade before that. In 1995, SGA voted in favor of enacting a special activities fee of $30 to be directed towards financing the entire project, according to an article by Recreation Management ...
Read More »Editorial: ‘Walk Up Not Walk Out’ promotes victim blaming
It has been over a month since the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people and wounded 14. Students across the country, including Valdosta High School, participated in National School Walkout Day on March 14 to raise awareness of the victims of school shootings and demand new gun law changes. Some ...
Read More »Editorial: Student input on commencement a must
Though graduation still seems a long way off for those of us who will be walking across the stage, our last day at VSU is right around the corner and approaching fast. VSU has already made an announcement about commencement that has flown under the radar: the commencement speaker. If you go to the commencement webpage you’ll see, down at ...
Read More »Editorial: Respecting women is the least you can do
Underrepresentation. Unpaid maternity leave. Gender pay gap. Breastfeeding shaming. Catcalling. Domestic violence. Slut shaming. Restrictive reproductive rights. Sexual abuse. Rape. Need we say more? These among countless others are challenges women face every day across the world, and it is why celebrating Women’s History Month is so important, especially for addressing underrepresentation. Because women’s history was unknown in classrooms and ...
Read More »Editorial: Private profiles don’t protect prejudice
People love to speak their minds, especially on their “private” social media profiles. But what if the content that is posted is troubling, or, like in some recent news, racist? Even though we are not a full month into 2018, incidents of prejudice and hate speech have flooded the media. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 19-year-old Harley Barber, a ...
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