By James Brown, Winter Dube and Ansley DeCenzo, Spectator Staff Writers  The entire VSU community is being heavily impacted by federal and state directives related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at universities nationwide.  VSU President Richard Carvajal spoke at a recent Faculty Senate meeting regarding how the federal decisions have impacted the university, including many changes to the ...

Written by Madeline Higdon, Staff Reporter. A pair of glasses caused quite a splash outside of Oak Parking Deck on Wednesday.  A student was helped by a fellow classmate, who went into the creek to save them in an act of kindness.  Dr. Clell Wright’s concert choir rehearsal had just gotten out and many students exited the Fine Arts Building ...

Story By: Bailey Wilson, Ansley DeCenzo, Arizona Renfroe, Lloy Hudson, Winter Dube, Armoné Gates, James Brown, Jasmine Hightower, SeanTae-A Price  In a small blue house next to the Student Health Center, a student walks through the yellow front door of the ELI Annex. She stops just long enough to sign her name on the sheet on the table in front ...

Written by Bailey Wilson, Managing Editor. After two months, there is a definitive timeline on what happened after VSU’s networks were hacked into. In late June of 2024, a zip file containing malware was downloaded onto a computer on campus, which went undetected and inactivated until December. It entered the system through a “business-needed template” and remained invisible until VSU’s ...

Written by Bailey Wilson, Managing Editor. Tanique Thomas, a VSU student and member of SGA, passed away on Feb. 17. The President’s Office released a statement at 5:00 on Feb. 17, providing details on the loss. “Tanique was a freshman from Coral Springs, Florida,” the statement said. “She was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in chemistry, ...

Written by Bailey Wilson, Managing Editor. On Monday around 10:00 a.m., several VSUPD cars, an ambulance and two fire trucks arrived at Hopper Hall for an alleged cardiac arrest.  GBI has arrived on campus to help, though no details are available at this time. According to Fire Lieutenant Shelley Miller, the incident was a cardiac arrest, but no other information ...

This editorial reflects the general opinion of The Spectator staff.  Faulty air conditioning. No hot water. No access to information on bus routes. Limited parking spots. Sound familiar? VSU has struggled for years with facilities on campus not working, or if they work, at a lower quality than advertised. Ask any senior who has spent their college career here– most ...

Written By Christopher Mercer, Sports Editor. Now that Valentine’s Day is here, there are many different places to go to celebrate the day of love. Although many national chains will be well-frequented, this list will include local Valdosta restaurants that can greatly impress your Valentine this year. With that in mind, here are the five of the best local restaurants ...

Written By Christopher Mercer, Sports Editor. Photo Courtesy of Flickr  The VSU Lady Blazers return home to kick off a quick two-game home stand that significantly affects their playoff chances.  The Lady Blazers are returning from a three-game road trip, during which they went 2-1, and are preparing for a crucial matchup. They enter this weekend’s matchup 13-9 and 8-8 ...

This editorial reflects the general opinion of The Spectator staff.  VSU Football has one of the richest histories in Division II. The Blazers have enjoyed 11 Gulf South Conference Championships and seven national championship appearances in school history, with their most recent trip coming just this last season in 2024. However, despite their success, the Blazers haven’t been able to ...