protesters and family mem-

bers gathered at the lowndes

county courthouse on tues-

day and Wednesday to bring

awareness to the case involv-

ing the death of 17-year- old

Kendrick Johnson.

Johnson was found dead in

a gymnasium at lowndes

High School in January.

three months after investi-

gators ruled that Johnson’s

death was not an act of foul

play, many believe that the

cause of death should be ex-

plored further.

chris prine, lowndes

county Sherriff, stands by his

investigators’ ruling, citing

that there has not been any

new information on the case.

“We have not gotten any-

thing back officially at this

time,” prine said. “But, [in-

vestigators] have found no

signs of foul play whatsoev-

er.”

during the downtown rally,

protesters were seen holding

before and after photos of

Johnson, chanting “Justice

for Johnson.”

“We want answers,” John-

son’s aunt, lydia tooley-

Whitlock, said. “We want to

know who did this and we

want them to be punished.”

prine said that the case has

been well-handled to this

point, due in large part to the

adherence to proper protocol

during the process.

“any time there is a death

like this, we always work it

like it is a homicide until the

evidence proves otherwise,”

prine said.

Johnson’s family and other

members of the community

have been calling for an addi-

tional autopsy to be per-

formed.

“[investigators] say he fell

in a mat,” Johnson’s father,

Kendrick Johnson Sr., said.

“the pictures show clearly

that he didn’t fall on a mat,

he was murdered.”

according to prine, no

bruises or abrasions were

found on Johnson’s body dur-

ing the autopsy.

the photo in question

shows a scar on Johnson’s

forehead. prine maintains that

the scar was from an incision

made during the autopsy and

not at the scene.

the family, however, con-

tinues to speculate foul play

was involved. prine sympa-

thizes with family members,

but maintains that the autopsy

process has not been tainted.

“My heart and prayers go

April 11, 2013 W W W . V S U S P E C T A T O R . C O M VOLUME 84 iSSUE 25

Inside This Issue- OPiNiONS: “exercise your vote in SGa election”

- FEATURES: “local stars to shine in Union”

- SPORTS: “Blazers try to tame lions this weekend”

On the Web

www.vsuspectator.com

Poetry reading -

UC Magnolia room,

7:30 p.m.

award-winning poet

Jacqueline osherow,

distinguished professor of

english at the University of

Utah, will be on campus to

read her poetry, which

follows such forms as terza

rima and double sestina.

this event is part of the

Contemporary Writers

Series hosted by the

department of english.

this reading is

co-sponsored by the Snake

nation Press as part of the

georgia Poetry Circuit.

SoUth georgia region

honor BandS -

approximately 300 middle

and high school band

students from 66 schools will

be on campus today and

tomorrow preparing for a

public performance at 1 p.m.

on Saturday in Whitehead

auditorium.

international dinner

tiCketS on Sale -

north Campus,

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

the center for international

programs will host the 37th

annual international dinner

on april 20. tickets are also

on sale at the center for

international programs.

General admission is $20

and Student admission is

$10 with a valid VSU id.

Today at VSU

In this week’s installment of

“Additive Noise,” Becka McAleer

recommends Jonathan Coulter’s

“‘mind-sharpening’ tunes!”

RingslingerRingslinger

competitioncompetition

returnsreturns

See pg. 7 for the details.

Weather

87 H 69 L

PM

T-storms

Today

81 H 53 L

Friday

55 L84 H

Saturday

AM

Rain

Partly

Cloudy

Today in History

April 11, 1970:

Apollo 13

launched into

space

apollo 13 was the third

lunar landing mission.

the craft was launched

from cape canaveral,

Fla. carrying three

astrounauts headed to

explore the moon’s Fra

Mauro highlands. two

days into the mission, an

oxygen tank burst,

changing the mission

objective from

exploration to getting the

crew home alive.

Source: history.com

SGA elections open todayDebatecrowdraciallyhostile

Joe Adgie / The SPeCTATOr

(From left) William Mast, comptroller candidate; Ryan Baerwalde, incumbent president;

William Jimerson, presidential candidate; Kara Fountain, comptroller candidate; and

Micah Howell, comptroller candidate pose for photos after Wednesday night’s debate.

Johnson supporters seek answers

Senators seek to better SGA

Hostilities flared on

Wednesday night during the

SGa executive debates, but

for the most part, not between

the candidates.

the hostilities were caused

by members of the crowd,

who oftentimes asked combat-

ive and accusatory questions

toward the candidates, specifi-

cally presidential candidates

William Jimerson and ryan

Baerwalde.

“What gives you the right

to take away my second-

amendment right to bear

arms?” one student asked to-

wards Jimerson.

“i believe the responsibility

of protecting students [rests]

on campus police and campus

security, and i believe this is a

threat to campus security,

where last year, in [Georgia

Hall], we don’t know what

happened to [Jasmine Ben-

jamin],” Jimerson said. “i’ve

dealt first-hand with students

who are dealing with this

tragedy today. i spoke with

the mother, who’s dealing

with this tragedy, today.”

the student, having re-

turned to his seat, stood up,

and tried to respond, but was

stopped by deMario Jones,

former SGa president and de-

bate moderator.

another student took a shot

at Baerwalde, wondering why

he could be trusted.

“How can the student body

trust you if you only reach out

ahead of the SGa elec-

tions, senators, executives,

and visitors alike expressed

their concerns in a town hall

social on Monday night.

among the things dis-

cussed was the visibility of

the SGa senate, the activity

of senators, and the website,

which has not been updated

in some time.

the SGa website has re-

ceived very little updates

since october of 2011, which

was the last time the minutes

were distributed.

“anyone on the executive

board can go to richard lee

to have it updated,” amber

Worthy, SGa Vice president,

said. “Someone could just

take the minutes to richard

lee, or to email him the min-

utes.”

Worthy also indicated that

it could become part of the

secretary’s job description to

update the SGa website.

one senator went on a rant

discussing the SGa’s image

compared to other organiza-

tions.

“one thing i’ve noticed is

that the student body doesn’t

trust the SGa, because they

don’t hear from SGa,” edgar

James, senator, said. “i’ve

had the pleasure of going to

the parking and transporta-

tion appeals committee, and

every week i take something

new, and i take it from that

meeting.

“these meetings last an

hour and a half to two de-

pending on how many ap-

peals there are, and i take it

back to the student body, and

that’s what they hear,” James

continued. “they want to

know why they got tickets for

parking in a handicapped spot

or a fire zone.”

James also lectured the

SGa on what to do with what

they learn from the students.

“this is a learning

process,” James said. “if we

take this information and we

hold onto it for ourselves, it

does nothing. a wise man

takes out and teaches other

people. if you’re elected to

serve on this student body,

you should be that wise man

or woman that takes the infor-

mation you learn and you go

back out to the student body.

that’s how we gain trust.”

another senator took a shot

at his fellow senators for “not

using their voice”.

“the issue is not with the

senate, it’s with the individ-

ual,” Yannick Gill, senator,

said. “there are about […] 13

people that if they were

screaming right behind me, i

would not recognize their

voice, and i have been in al-

most every single meeting.

“they are simply not

speaking. these are people

that we, as a student body,

have elected to represent us,

and they refuse to use their

voice.”

Joe AdgieS o c i a l M e d i a

e d i t o r

jmadgie@valdosta.edu

Contributed by Kersha Odom

The family of Kendrick Johnson and its supporters held a rally at the Lowndes County Courthouse

seeking information in the death of Kendrick Johnson. Lowndes County officials ruled that there was

no foul play involved in the case but the family feels otherwise.

Shane ThomasS p o r t S W r i t e r

shanethomas@valdosta.edu

Family, friends of student found dead at Lowndes High School dissatisfied with county ruling

Joe AdgieS o c i a l M e d i a

e d i t o r

jmadgie@valdosta.edu

See DEBATE , Page 2

See JOHNSON , Page 2

Check out pg. 3 to meet thecandidates!

PAge 2 | vsusPectAtoR.com N e w s

The Spectator prints freeclassifieds for stu dents ofVal dos ta State Uni ver si tyonly. These must be no morethan 40 words, or a $8.00charge will apply. Clas si fiedsfor fac ul ty, staff, stu dent or -ga ni za tions,stu dent-ownedbusi ness es and the gen er alpub lic cost $8.00 for up to40 words. Ads should be sentto The Spectator or de liv eredto our of fice in 1238 HopperHall. The dead line is Mon dayat 5 p.m. If payment ap plies,it should be sub mit ted in asealed en ve lope at the timethe ad is placed. Ads must be

ac com pa nied by the nameand phone num ber of the per -son sub mit ting the ad. Adsmust be re sub mit ted eachweek, as nec es sary. TheSpec ta tor ad dress is: 1500 N.Patterson St.,Valdosta, GA31698 spec@valdosta.edu.The Spec ta tor re serves the

right to reject any clas si fiedad. All ads are sub ject tostan dard ed it ing pro ce -dures.The Spec ta tor is not re -spon si ble for mis takes due toa sub mit ted er ror. The cat e go -ries for classifieds in clude:For Sale, Want ed, Room -mates and Help Wanted.

For Sale For Rent

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For Rent

AVAILABLE NOW!$100.00DEPOSIT @ TREELOFT.3BR/2BA $725-775,1BR/1BA $450-475, 3 blocks from VSU, cathe-dral ceiling, pool & laundryfacilities, water & garbageincluded. 229-561-0776

For Rent

STUDENTS: Sell Textbooks HERE ~ FREE

to main campus – Only 2blocks behind UniversityCenter, electric stove, re-frigerator & dishwasher.Save 5% off with a Stu-dent ID! Call 229-292-4400 TODAY

USED BOOK SALE:Thousands of qualityused hardcover and pa-perback books. Satur-day, April 13, from 8a.m. to 2 p.m. in the St.John Parish Center, 800Gornto Road. Proceedsbenefit Birthright of Val-dosta.

APRIL 11, 2013

Applications are now

available for the

Spectator!

Apply now for a paid position on our editorial

staff or unpaid position as an assistant editor.

For more

information contact

Editor-in-Chief

Amber Smith

(amsmith@valdosta.edu)

or

Managing Editor

Jennifer Gleason

(jlgleason@valdosta.edu).

Applications are due April 22.

Scan the QR code for

the application online.

Or visit:

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The Classifieds

April 8

A bicycle was stolen from

a rack near Centennial Hall.

April 6

A bicycle was stolen from

Centennial Hall.

An underage student was

found in possession of

alcohol in Centennial Hall.

The student gave VSUPD a

false name and birthdate

when questioned and was

charged with

obstruction of justice.

April 5

Shoes were stolen from

Georgia Hall.

Police Briefs

April 12, noon

Cultural and Greek Kente

Cloth Stoles, final deadline.

$21 for Cultural Heritage

stoles

$25 for Greek stoles

(Money order only.)

For more information,

contact the African American

Studies Program at 249-4843.

April 12, 6 p.m.

Mass Choir hosts their

annual Spring Gospel

Concert

Mathis City Auditorium

Free admission.

Scheduled guest choirs

include Armstrong Atlantic

State University and Georgia

Southern University.

April 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dodge Ball Tournament

sponsored by Engage.

Campus Rec Center

A free tournament! Sign up

early to guarantee a spot.

Teams of six with at least

two women on each team.

Those who don’t have a team

can come early and be put on

one.

Referees are also needed--

come early on the day of the

tournament to volunteer.

To reserve a spot or for more

information, email

lfhibbard@valdosta.edu.

April 14-29

Senior X: Unchained

Spring 2013 senior art

exhibition.

Fine Arts Gallery

Opening Reception is

April 14 from 1 p.m. to

3 p.m. For more information

contact gallery director

Julie Bowland

(jabowlan@valdosta.edu)

at 333-5835.

April 14, 7:30 p.m.

Department of Music hosts a

night of Chamber Jazz

Whitehead Auditorium

The event is free and open to

the public.

The program features music

by John Coltrane, Joe

Henderson, McCoy Tyner,

and Herbie Hancock, as well

as a piece by VSU Jazz

Sextet member Fernando

Chavez.

For more information,

contact David Springfield

(daspring@valdosta.edu) at

333-5805.

April 15, 5:30 p.m.

Attention student

organizations!

Applications for office space

in the Student Union are due

by the date posted to the

Student Life office on the

third floor of the Student

Union.

They are available on the

Student Life website and

Campus Connect.

April 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Safe Space: Promoting

Blazer Pride through

Advocacy Training

Student Union, Meeting

Room 2

An international program at

VSU that promotes a safe,

secure environment for

LGBTQ community

members.

For more information,

contact the Office of Social

Equity by phone 333-5463

and email

saholmes@valdosta.edu.

April 20, 8:15 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

Exercise Physiology Club’s

“Exercise is Medicine”

Symposium

Jennett Hall, room 1111

Register at Kinesiology/PE

Department, room 165 in the

PE Complex.

Advance registration: $10

(includes T-shirt)

Deadline: April 12

On-site registration: $15

For more information,

contact Dr. LaGary Carter

(bncarter@valdosta.edu) at

229-333-5895.

Upcoming Events

Debate

Continued from Page 1

for support from the IFC and

the CPC instead of all the

Greek councils and the entire

student body?” the student

asked.

“Quite frankly, I’m almost

offended that I’m being ac-

cused of only reaching out to

IFC and CPC,” Baerwalde

said. “If anyone paid atten-

tion to the past two years of

my campaigns and elections,

I do run on tickets with IFC,

CPC, and NPHC members. I

have friends all across cam-

pus on all sorts of Greek

councils. To be accused of

only looking to IFC and CPC

for support and advice is ab-

solutely deplorable.”

Another student attempted

to tie a racist tweet to the

Jimerson campaign.

“You say that you’re for

unity, as SGA president, what

would you do to stop support

of yourself, who is blatantly

racially insensitive and offen-

sive, stating ‘Black exec

board, black senators’,” asked

a student towards Jimerson.

The tweet was not made by

Jimerson or by anyone relat-

ed to his campaign, but rather

by recent VSU graduate

Storm Richardson, who also

tweeted that “I liked it better

when the white folks just

stayed outta SGA...call me

what u want but I kno I ain't

the only one who's thinking

it”

Baerwalde and Jimerson

both condemned that state-

ment as well as the accusa-

tion that Jimerson was behind

it.

“Me and Ryan have been

in conversation via social me-

dia,” Jimerson said. “Ryan

approached me regarding this

tweet that you are referring

to, and I have personally stat-

ed on Facebook that I do not

endorse these statements, and

I am asking my supporters to

remain tactful in our cam-

paign efforts.”

In the end, Jones addressed

the crowd, asking them to

come together.

“You need to bring this to-

gether,” Jones said. “The

longer it continues to go, that

it’s your fault, or it’s my

fault, nobody’s gonna come

to the center of the table and

say ‘You know what? It is

my fault, and let’s get this

corrected.’”

Johnson

Continued from Page 1

out to the family,” Prine said.

“We’ve attempted to talk

with [the family], but no

matter what, [Johnson’s fa-

ther] is bound and deter-

mined to prove that his son

was murdered. The evidence

is not there—there was no

foul play there.”

“If it were me in that mat,

[investigators] would have

worked the scene the same

way they worked with this

young man,” Prine said.

Kersha Odom contributed to

this report.

Happy

‘Tator Day! SGA elections are open until 12:15 a.m. on Saturday.

Vote through CampusConnect.

AprIL 11, 2013 vsuspeCtAtor.Com | pAge 3N e w s

Presidential CandidatesCompiled by: Joe Adgie

Comptroller candidate Er-

icka Adams has a passion for

getting everybody involved.

Adams has worked with

SGA for the past year, and

she feels there could be a

more concerted effort to-

wards reaching out to all

campus organizations.

“There are too many dif-

ferent organizations at VSU

to have the same people be

coming back for money,”

Adams said. “It's not just

about the five groups that

come.”

Adams believes that SGA

holds back giving organiza-

tions money. She hopes to be

able to sit down with organi-

zation leaders to negotiate

money conflicts.

She feels that instead of

SGA turning away an organi-

zation that is requesting up-

wards of 1,000 that she

should be able to talk the

number down in order to

help an organization perform

their community service du-

ties.

With regards to the SGA

budget, Adams believes that

all VSU members should be

aware of what is happening.

“Not even as a Senate, but

as a school we all should

know how much money

SGA has,” Adams said. “It's

for the students. Everything

we're doing is for the stu-

dents, so the students should

know.”

Three things headline Mic-

ah Howell's platform: diver-

sity, consistency and change.

Diversity, according to

candidate Howell, regards di-

versity among the spending

of money.

“I see what student organi-

zations don't get funded and I

see what student organiza-

tions do get funded,” Howell

said. “But to wrap that all

around, we need to have a

seating with all organization

leaders... To sit down and

talk about what events can

we put on.”

Howell would like to

change the inconsistency of

organizations on campus and

their inability to be beneficial

for the students.

“We don't need to be di-

vided,” Howell said. “I don’t

want it to just start and end

with me,” Howell said. “I

want this to continue going.

We have to keep pushing

this. It can't be the first meet-

ing in the fall."

Howell firmly believes that

it's time for a SGA to take

more action.

Howell wants to see the

entire student body repre-

sented during homecoming

week.

He will be serving as ori-

entation leader during the

summer and will be taking

over as president of Black

Student League beginning in

the fall.

William Mast has a dedi-

cated approach towards re-

sponsibly maintaining and

overseeing the proper use of

the SGA budget.

Mast believes that all stu-

dents should know what

money comes in and out of

the SGA budget.

He would also like to see

more diverse student events

with the emphasis on reach-

ing the majority of the stu-

dents and not just a small

percentage of them.

“I would like to see some

cosponsored events with dif-

ferent departments to bring

lecturers for the women and

genders study and Alcohol

Awareness, and stuff like

that,” Mast said.

Mast feels mostly confi-

dent in his ability to work

well with others.

“I can work with anyone,”

he said. “I'm pretty across

the board and I can work

with just about anyone on

anything.”

In spite of his short time as

SGA senator, compared to

Adams or Howell, Mast feels

that his experience in other

organizations will help him.

“As a chairman of Phi Sig-

ma Kappa, I am responsible

for a $1,500 allocation fee of

my own to use at any time as

I see fit,” Mast said. “[...]I

have experience handling

money, basically.”

William Jimerson is run-

ning his campaign on stu-

dent involvement.

“Honestly, I think that I

have a heart for students,”

Jimerson, junior interna-

tional business major, said.

Jimerson desires to aid

student retention and hopes

to do that in various ways.

“I want to implement

more SGA-sponsored

events that students can

partake in[...]” Jimerson

said.

Jimerson also wants to

help students’ ability to pay

for college.

“I also want to do a

scholarship,” Jimerson said.

“I’ve worked with my

chapter of Alpha Phi Al-

pha—we’re the only stu-

dent organization to have a

scholarship in our name,

and I wanted to do some-

thing along those lines in

the name of SGA as well to

benefit students who are

not HOPE recipients to

keep them here at VSU, re-

tention-wise.”

Jimerson also intends to

change the prominence of

SGA.

“I’m proposing that [...]

freshmen senators work

more with the freshmen

students,” Jimerson said.

“These senators would go

one-on-one and would be

the direct source from the

students to the SGA, then

to higher administration.”

Jimerson expressed his

readiness to work with the

Student Advisory Council

and cited his experience

with similar organizations.

“I’m a big communicator,

that’s my strong point, so I

would be taking the con-

cerns of our students and

bringing the information

back for them,” Jimerson

said. “Also, I think I would

be an advocate for different

universities, such as ours,

as far as diversity here at

VSU.”

At the end of his term,

Jimerson wants to be re-

membered as someone stu-

dents could rely on and

trust.

“I hope the students re-

member my term for some-

one [who] was there for

them, who they felt was ap-

proachable and went out of

[his] way, and that they

were comfortable with—

also someone who took the

initiative to build a sense of

pride and tradition on this

campus.”

Comptroller CandidatesCompiled by: Joe Adgie and Neil Frawley

Ericka Adams Micah Howell William Mast

William Jimerson

Ryan Baerwalde is hop-

ing to acquire a second

term as SGA president and

is running his campaign on

that experience.

“I’d like to believe that

the students who are voting

look at the fact that I’ve

been here before,” Baer-

walde, junior political sci-

ence major, said.

Baerwalde cited his work

with the Student Advisory

Council, which is working

with the Board of Regents.

“We worked to help

HOPE get raised 3 per-

cent,” Baerwalde said. “We

are in the middle of the

process of getting a student

representative on the Board

of Regents.”

Baerwalde hopes to bet-

ter the VSU experience for

students and keep them

here.

“One of the biggest is-

sues VSU is facing right

now is retention,” Baer-

walde said. “We have lots

of students who will come

in their freshman year, and

they aren’t able to stay for

another semester.”

Baerwalde also desires to

change the SGA’s image.

“I really think that, in the

past, SGA’s been seen as

that organization you go to

to get funding for your or-

ganization,” Baerwalde

said. “That’s ending. I’ll

work my hardest to make

sure we’re more than that,

that we’re using the funds

that we get to improve

campus.”

In response to a tweet

sent by his opponent,

William Jimerson, which

asked: “When is the last

time you heard from your

SGA president?” Baerwalde

stated that his door was al-

ways open.

“This has been one of the

more transparent adminis-

trations[…]” Baerwalde

said. “It’s not even a figure

of speech, [the door is] al-

ways open.”

Ryan Baerwalde

amazon.com is a favorite

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ing to save a buck or two on

textbooks.

it's also a favorite for stu-

dents looking to sell used

textbooks at the end of the

semester; however, selling

textbooks and other items on

amazon may become a bit

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as of feb.18, many of the

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the United States have risen.

in an example chart on the

help page of the company's

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broken down into “order han-

dling,” “pick and pack” and

“weight handling” sections.

the most notable fee hike in

each type of product example

is “weight handling,” which

for a CD might only be a dif-

ference of five cents, but for

a white board, for example,

the difference could be a

whopping $94.47.

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ing fBa fees is so that as the

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forced

to pay

these fees to list an item with

fBa? One of the great ap-

peals of amazon is the fairly

inexpensive method of listing

an item to sell.

even if a seller were to list

their items on amazon with-

out using the fBa service,

they'd have to pay a fee of up

to 25 percent as well as a fee

of 99 cents per item.

Once again, it seems like

us little people are being tak-

en advantage of by money-

hungry corporations looking

to capitalize on our hard

work. i wouldn't be surprised

if amazon raised its fees

once again in the next six

months. amazon executives

know that there are com-

mitted sellers who fear

leaving the site that they

have built their business

on.

amazon is also

causing a stir in europe,

where, as of april 4, third-

party sellers are seeing fee

changes as high as 70 per-

cent.

all this could possibly do

is drive away small third-par-

ty sellers, forcing them to use

other sites such as eBay.com.

if these sellers continue to

use amazon, i'm sure many

of them will raise the prices

of their items to compensate

for their personal losses,

which would only cause buy-

ers to look elsewhere.

People use amazon to find

deals on things they wouldn't

find in physical stores, but

with fees and prices increas-

ing, perhaps online shopping

won't be so trendy anymore.

Amazon takes advantage of online shoppers

PAge 4 | vsusPectAtoR.com OpiniOnsAPRIL 11, 2013

a senior center for the

Baylor University Bears and

one of the most talked-about

student athletes of today,

Brittney Griner has proven to

be a force to be reckoned

with. aside from winning a

national championship in

2012, she is a four-time De-

fensive Player of the Year in

the Big 12 Conference.

Mark Cuban, owner of the

NBa’s Dallas Mavericks, has

recently told the media that

he would be interested in giv-

ing Griner a chance in the

NBa. Naturally, this is a hot

topic of debate, as she would

be the first woman to ever

play in an NBa game.

Many argue that Griner has

the ability to hang with the

men of the NBa. in regards

to stature, she stands at 6’8”,

her wingspan (86 inches) is

only three inches shy of NBa

superstar Kevin Durant’s, and

she wears a men’s size 17

shoe. a defensive power-

house, her 736 blocked shots

is record in the NCaa—for

men and women.

While talent plays a major

part, i believe that she should

take advantage for the sake of

proving a different point.

Seeing Griner in the NBa

would be a huge step in the

battle of respect and equality

of women.

the average NBa salary is

around $6 million per year.

the average WNBa salary?

Only $47,000. in other

words, as legendary as her

collegiate career was, Griner

would play for pennies in the

pros.

Some will argue that fe-

male athletes don’t deserve as

much as their male counter-

parts because their respective

sports don’t generate nearly

as much revenue. female

athletes can’t help the amount

of exposure they receive in

the media. this falls into the

lap of our society as a whole.

female athletes could gener-

ate a comparable amount of

revenue if sponsors and fans

would give them an equal

chance.

Professional sports are only

a small piece of the problem.

a 2012 study by the ameri-

can association of University

Women shows that an ameri-

can woman with a college de-

gree will make about $1.2

million less in her lifetime

compared to a man with the

same degree.

Society places a biased ex-

pectation of shortcoming on

women that needs to be

changed. although women

may not stack up to males in

everything they do, it must be

acknowledged that women

are not the inferior gender.

furthermore, society ex-

pects women to look like pin-

up models during every activ-

ity in which they partake. it’s

a no-win situation in modern

society. today’s stereotypes

give women the option to ei-

ther use aesthetic prowess to

their benefit or be lost in the

shuffle.

Ladies and gentlemen,

women are more than runway

models, and they are taken

for granted in the profession-

al world. Brittney Griner

suiting up against the big

names of the NBa wouldn’t

change that overnight, but in

a best-case scenario it could

open some eyes.

i say go for it, Brittney.

Opinions expressed in the Spectator other than editorials are the opinions of the writers of signed columns and not necessarily those

of the Spectator and its staff. all rights reserved. reprints by permission of the editors. Views in this newspaper are not necessarily

those of the Valdosta State University administration, faculty and staff.

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Spectator StaffEditor-in-Chief: amber Smith Managing Editor:Jennifer GleasonBusiness Manager: Brandon MainerAdvertising Manager:aimee NapierCirculation Manager: Sarah turnerOpinions Editor: Stephen CavallaroFeatures Editor: amanda Usher

Sports Editor: eric JacksonPhoto Editor: Cody HicksMultimedia Editor: Von Kennedy Web Designer: rebecka McaleerCopy Editor: Shambree WartelCartoonist: Garrison MuelhausenSocial Media Editor: Joe adgie Faculty Advisers: Dr. PatMiller, Dr. ted Geltner, KeithWarburg

Reporters/Photographers:Derrick Davis, Veronica Dominicis, allison ericson, aceespenshied, Neil frawley, BrianHickey Jr., ivey ingalls-rubin,Jessica ingram, Chris Kessler,Will Lewis, Olivia McLean,ritsuki Miyazaki, ray Pack Jr.anthony Pope, John Preer,Quasha ross, isaiah Smart,taylor Stone, Shane thomasalex tostado, Jamal tullSarah turner, James Washington, Steven Setser

Wal-Mart isn’t kidding

when it says it wants to save

your money.

the popular supermarket

plans on expanding its em-

pire that started in 1962 by

not only allowing customers

to buy its products online,

also to have other customers

deliver those goods to the on-

line buyers.

Overall, the plan seems a

little over the top, and i only

foresee problems with this

system. Would it be safe for

customers to deliver goods to

people they have never met?

Would it be reliable? Proba-

bly not. Who knows who

could be showing up at your

door?

another way Wal-Mart

cheats the system is by not

directly paying the deliverers.

as of now, Wal-Mart execu-

tives are considering giving

drivers a discount at the store

as a method of payment.

they feel this is sufficient for

gas costs. the discount better

be a big one. Gas isn't cheap

and the cost of groceries is

rising.

to the supermarket’s cus-

tomers, this can be seen as a

more expensive alternative.

instead of shipping, would

the customer have to tip the

driver? Would Wal-Mart

make the customer pay for

insurance to cover the money

lost if a package gets lost or

damaged?

in order to compete with

amazon, a completely online

store, Wal-Mart wants to pull

merchandise from its own

stores, hoping to have an ad-

vantage over amazon. the

mindset of Wal-Mart's execu-

tives taking over the business

world is unreal. they will

never conquer amazon's cus-

tomer base. amazon has

products customers can’t get

at Wal-Mart, and without a

face-to-face transfer of

goods, amazon leaves out

the potentially creepy ex-

change.

the cons outweigh the pros

of Wal-Mart's new plan. the

system would cost the con-

sumer and the worker more

money, making what the mar-

ketplace seems to be a cheap-

er alternative into a more ex-

pensive one.

People Poll

This editorial was written by Amber Smith (amsmith@valdosta.edu) and it expresses the general opinion of the editorial staff.

Our point of view...

Olivia McLeanS ta f f W r i t e r

ovmclean@valdosta.edu

When the word “business”

is mentioned in this country,

it should best be described in

three words: free market cap-

italism. Businesses are meant

to grow, compete and expand

into new markets. it is natural

and, when left alone, ex-

tremely effective.

this is a free market, and

businesses are allowed to

venture out to explore new

paths at their own discretion.

as it should naturally occur,

competing businesses will

balance themselves out or-

ganically.

Capitalism is a well-oiled

machine that has worked

since this country was found-

ed, expressing in simplest

terms that it is an individual’s

right to sell goods for profit.

Nobody intends to start a suc-

cessful business for the sake

of saving the world; people

want to make money.

a popular and controver-

sial issue lately involves the

recent discussion of Wal-

Mart using crowd sourcing

techniques to compete with

websites in similar markets.

essentially, Wal-Mart would

use individuals not employed

with the company to deliver

orders from Wal-Mart stores

to customers to compete with

fast deliveries promised by

websites such as amazon.

there is absolutely nothing

wrong with expanding a busi-

ness into a new market to

compete with others offering

the same service or product;

it is all part of the game.

Capitalism reduces prices

for goods and, contrary to

popular belief, dramatically

improves the economy.

On the other side of the

spectrum, and as absurd as it

is, individuals are being pun-

ished for their success. estab-

lishments like Wal-Mart are

being called “radical” for re-

fusing to become unionized

and are thus attacked by

myths of paying pauper

wages, discriminating against

women and burdening tax-

payers. Of course, the myths

are just that, myths, as ma-

nipulative rhetoric takes the

place of logic.

another semantic against

business expansion is that

large corporations like Wal-

Mart will run mom-and-pop

shops out of business. in real-

ity, the consumers determine

what a community wants and

there is a good reason why

people flock to Wal-Mart:

there is a wider variety of

goods at lower prices. an ex-

change of goods at lower

prices profits everyone!

Governments should pro-

mote free enterprise rather

than attempt to destroy any

successful business that re-

fuses their control. We live in

a time where the individuals

that have worked the hardest

are labeled as bigots simply

for their success and where

nothing is “fair” unless it is

equal for all regardless of ef-

fort or initiative. it is a sad

day in this country when

earned wealth is discriminat-

ed against and hard work is

only applauded after yielding

miniscule results.

Walmart enters new markets

Exercise your vote in SGA election

Veronica DominicisS ta f f W r i t e r

vmdominicis@valdosta.edu

Women deserve a shot in NBA

it’s that time of year again.

Candidates are campaigning

to become members of next

year’s SGa executive board.

this is a pivotal moment for

the SGa, of course, but of-

ten students fail to realize

how momentous of an op-

portunity SGa elections are

for us.

each year, students have

the opportunity to vote for

the executive officers of the

most influential student orga-

nization on VSU’s campus.

this is not an event that

should be ignored; it is an

opportunity that should be

seized.

Students complain daily

that their concerns are not

heard. What’s one of the best

ways to get your thoughts

heard on a college campus?

Voice your opinions to the

SGa. this is a body of stu-

dents—our peers—that can

get things done on campus.

SGa doesn’t just approve

and deny funding for student

organizations events; they

have the authority to create

policy. this body is a liaison

between students and the ad-

ministration.

this semester, SGa sur-

veyed students about VSU’s

current smoking policy. By

answering this survey, stu-

dents got to tell SGa exactly

what they thought about the

current policy. SGa can take

these concerns and approach

the administration with them.

each year, members of

SGa go on a walkthrough of

campus with VSU police of-

ficers and VSU officials to

determine the safety of the

level of lighting on campus.

in the 2011 walkthrough,

lighting was deemed insuffi-

cient and more lights were

installed. the following

year’s walkthrough found

lighting to be sufficient. the

bottom line here is that SGa

plays a direct role in stu-

dents’ lives.

it’s not just the students

that need to be reminded of

this. SGa executive officers

need to keep their power in

mind, as well. When things

need changed on campus,

SGa needs to look at getting

them done. SGa is the Stu-

dent Government associa-

tion. a government of stu-

dents, by students, for stu-

dents. Students elect the ex-

ecutive officers, and thus the

officers are there to serve the

students. We hope that in the

coming year, the incoming

SGa officers will be recep-

tive to students concerns and

keep an eye out for ways to

improve the University. We

also hope that students will

realize the potential impact

that they can have on their

college experience through

SGa. Get out and vote, and

vote wisely, because choos-

ing your candidate may be

the most important decision

you make all year.

What topic is more important:environmental preservation or

energy production?

Taylor StoneS ta f f W r i t e r

tnstone@valdosta.edu

James WashingtonS ta f f W r i t e r

jawashington@valdosta.edu

OddEven

vSuSPectAtoR.com | PAge 5APRIL 11, 2013 f e a tures

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A

N

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W

E

R

S

Sudoku

student raquel Cox will be playing the cello friday at 7:30 p.m. at

the Christ episcopal Church.

On sunday, faculty member shannon Lowe will showcase her talent

on the bassoon.

for the full recital schedule, visit valodsta.edu/music/calendar.

the VsU theatre and dance

departments will have the

student Union shining with

stars as they host their

biggest fundraising event of

the year on saturday, “Danc-

ing with the Valdosta stars.”

the event will be held in

the student Union grand ball-

room from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

seats at the event cost $75

and include dinner. event

profits go towards scholar-

ships for dance and theatre

majors.

along with watching the

show, attendees will be able

to enjoy food and drinks as

well as try their own feet out

on the dance floor.

the cocktail hour will be-

gin at 6 p.m., food will be

served at 7 p.m. and the show

will begin at 8:15 p.m. the

audience will have opportuni-

ties to dance to the band until

11 p.m. once the show is

over.

the event is black tie op-

tional and the audience can

expect to see extravagant out-

fits on the dancers.

there will be a shuttle

bus to transport attendees

from Oak street parking

deck to the student Union.

Local stars will be paired

with dancing experts and

the teams will perform vari-

ous ballroom dances. the

teams will be competing to

earn the most valued award,

the audience Choice award.

also, there will be humor-

ous awards given to the

teams who were not awarded

the audience Choice award.

there are no official

judges, so performances will

only be rated by the event at-

tendees.

according to eric Nielsen,

dance program director, event

coordinators had to work in

more seats to the already sold

out show.

“we have a lot of impor-

tant people from the commu-

nity coming in, as well as

from the state so hopefully

they will donate money as

well,” Nielsen said.

Coordinators not only ex-

pect a large quantity of dona-

tions from event attendees,

but also several quality dona-

tions.

“it is interesting to see

everybody’s creative ability

in the couple’s dances,”

Nielsen said. “some people

are a little more competitive

than others, but the ultimate

idea is for everyone to have

fun.”

Nielsen concluded that

“Dancing with the Valdosta

stars” is definitely the

biggest money maker for a

one night event. it raised

around $12,000 last year and

is expected to bring in more

money this year.

Sarah Turners ta f f w r i t e r

seturner@valdosta.edu

Local stars to shine in Union TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

Some people are a

little more competi-

tive than others...- eric nielsen

dance program director

”

“

VSU officially welcomes

McKinney at 2013 Ball

Eric Jackson/THE SPECTATOR

Dr. William McKinney, VSU’s president, celebrates with his mother and sister Kristen at Friday’s

Inaugural Ball. The event began with a cocktail at 6 p.m. and ended with a dinner. The ball was a

part of the Inauguration events celebrating Dr. McKinney’s first year as president at VSU.

Students, faculty to participate in recitals

The VSU cheerleaders

traveled to Daytona,

Fla. on Wednesday for

the biggest competition of

the year.

AC Freeman, cheerlead-

ing captain and a senior psy-

chology major, can’t wait to

step out onto the mats.

This is Freeman’s fourth

season, both on the team

and competing at the NCA

College Nationals.

Freeman was born in

Puerto Rico but moved to

Georgia at a very young

age. Growing up, cheering

became her passion and

stuck with her throughout

college.

According to Freeman, the

atmosphere and relationships

that she formed with fellow

cheerleaders made her feel as

if she had a support system.

The team spends time to-

gether every day and relies

on each other for more than

just catching flyers in a stunt

routine.

“I love the friendships that

we built,” Freeman said.

“We spend so much time to-

gether that we gain friend-

ships that will last a life-

time.”

Freeman feels that one of

the most special moments of

the season was when her

team witnessed the football

team win the national cham-

pionship.

“I was so excited for every

football player knowing all

the hard work they had put

in,” she said. “I was just so

excited to be there.”

For the cheerleaders, it’s

more than just winning an-

other cheer competition.

They work year round to

prepare their routine and

share a common goal as

teammates.

According to Freeman,

cheering is why she loves

VSU.

Her spare time is spent

with her teammates, and after

graduation she plans to con-

tinue to work with and en-

courage her team.

One of Freeman’s biggest

fans and boyfriend Brandon

Klunder has seen her

progress as a cheerleader

over the past two years.

“I admire her dedications

because she constantly works

hard in school and cheerlead-

ing,” Klunder said. “She

handles herself very well.”

Graduate Assistant Sakinah

Clarke has worked with

Freeman for the past five

years-- first as teammates

and now as a coach.

“Her passion for the sport

and her contagious attitude

are by far her best qualities,”

Clarke said. “When I think

of a well rounded person, I

think of AC.”

According to Freeman, the

experience has taught her

much more than she expect-

ed.

“This program has taught

me drive, determination, mo-

tivation, teamwork, desire,

she said. “ You have to fight

for what you want to accom-

plish.”

The Blazers won the Na-

tionals back-to-back in 2010

and 2011, and are hoping to

say the same about this year’s

competition.

The team will have prelim-

inaries today in which they

will have two minutes and 30

seconds to show the judges

their best work and perform

their routine. After the com-

petition, the team will return

on Sunday.

PAge  6  |   vsusPectAtoR.com f e a t u r e s APRIL 11,   2013

Student exhibits

passion for cheer

Photo Contributed By John

Freeman

Sophomore psychology major

AC Freeman is proud to be

one of the members of VSU’s

award-winning cheerleading

squad.

Dowling Payne

More features available online on the Web Spectator

Wanted to read this week’s “Pop Addict?” Don’t worry-- it’s online at vsuspectator.com. Other

columns available exclusively online this week is Becka McAleer’s “Additive Noise” and

Steven Setser’s “Spec Tech.” While you’re there, you can also read Brina Hickey’s article on

the Women and Gender’s Studies event, the Bandana Project.

OddEven

vsusPectAtoR.com | PAge 7

Annual Ringslinger Classicreturns this weekend

it's that time of the year

again.

A few hundred people will

gather this weekend for the

14th annual ringslinger Clas-

sic.

the 64-team horseshoe

tournament garners anticipa-

tion every spring attracting

alumni, out-of-towners, even

faculty.

Dave Barry, senior mass

media major, has attended the

tournament annually since his

freshman year and has the

pleasure of hosting the event

this year.

“We're really proud and

honored to take it on,” Barry

said. “Me and my roommates

have been fairly active on

campus and in the communi-

ty. We're lucky enough to be

social butterflies and know

quite a lot of people.”

it officially starts as early

as Friday night and the festiv-

ities continue Saturday from

8 a.m. to the evening.

Food will be served on Sat-

urday during the contest and

competing teams can be dis-

tinguished with custom-made

t-shirts.

the event has a reputation

for not favoring one certain

social group but meshing

many together as teams face

off in the hunt to win the

Golden Horseshoe.

this plaque is awarded to

the team of two that finishes

the tourney victoriously.

the official bracket and

times are expected to be

finalized today.

originally called the Blaz-

ing ringslinger, the event has

blossomed into a Valdosta

tradition that welcomes

everyone from children to

parents.

over a decade ago, VSU

alum Lester Smith (2002’)

created the fun, competitive

event.

Smith and his friends

haven't missed one since

stepping down and passing

the venue on.

the Williams Street Wailers

will run the show before they

themselves graduate and

move away.

“ringslinger captures the

ideals of friendly competi-

tion,” Barry said. “to be hon-

est this thing sells itself. i

know when i move i'll come

back for it. it's an event that

every year has just been an

absolute blast. You only have

to go to once to get hooked.”

Follow Eric on Twitter:

epjackson

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Eric JacksonS p o r t S e D i t o r

epjackson@valdosta.edu

No. 4 Valdosta State soft-

ball hosts two doubleheaders

this weekend against Gulf

South Conference teams,

West Alabama and Alabama-

Huntsville.

UWA is 23-14 (10-12

GSC) travels to Steel’s Dia-

mond at Blazer’s park on Sat-

urday before VSU hosts Al-

abama-Huntsville, 26-11 (17-

4 GSC), in its annual pack

the park doubleheader.

Before before splitting dou-

bleheaders with each team in

back-to-back days last month,

VSU had won eight straight

games against the tigers and

seven straight against UAH

Chargers

thomas Macera, VSU head

coach, insists his team’s de-

fense is the key.

“We just got to keep trying

to play solid ball,” Macera

said. “in the games we’ve

been losing this year we’ve

just been making a few mis-

takes, and they’ve hurt us this

year. We just got to try to

play a lot cleaner on defense

this weekend and hope for

the best.”

Against UWA last season,

Morgan Johnson and Court-

ney Albritton played well to-

ward victories. Johnson bat-

ted .333 with five walks, six

runs scored, and three runs

batted in, while Albritton bat-

ted .500 with three walks,

seven runs scored, and seven

runs batted, including a

homerun.

recently named GSC

pitcher of the Week—after a

dominating, complete-game

performance against West

Florida, Brianna Hancock,

also experienced great suc-

cess against the tigers in

2012.

Hancock pitched 12.2 in-

nings in three appearances

against UWA and allowed

just seven hits and three

walks for three earned runs

while striking out 14 batters.

While the trio’s perfor-

mance slipped a bit against

the challenging Chargers, the

three Blazers were still cru-

cial against UAH.

Johnson batted .333 with

three walks, three runs

scored, and three rBi, and

Albritton, once again,

wreaked havoc recording

eight runs scored, three rBi,

and another homer.

Hancock provided a gritty

7.1 innings of baseball while

allowing three earned runs on

eight hits, three walks, and

four strikeouts.

Johnson, Albritton, and

Hancock make-up the core of

the VSU softball team and

will be extremely important

to the team’s success in the

stretch-run.

“those are three of the top

players on this team,” Mac-

era said. “Your team usually

goes as your better players

do. they’ve gotta have good

games and they’ve gotta be

on their games because the

team follows. Usually if

Albritton’s hitting, every-

body’s hitting; Bri’s gotta

stay tough in the circle, be-

cause she is the oldest pitcher

we’ve got. We just have to

have good games from

them.”

After this weekend, the

Blazers only have two more

doubleheaders at Steel’s Dia-

mond at Blazer’s park before

the beginning of the GSC

tournament on May 3; VSU

has attained the goal they set

for themselves before the

season, but Hancock has big-

ger aspirations.

“our goal before the sea-

son was to work together as a

team; we are all really new,”

Hancock said. “So one of our

goals was to work together

and work hard, i think we

still do that. We’ve gotten to

know each other a lot and

you can tell on the field that

it’s easier to work together.

We know how each other

play now so it’s just putting

that together. i think our team

can definitely go to nationals,

and win. We have all the tal-

ent in the world; we just have

to do it together.”

Follow D.J. on twitter:

@dmac21bucs

Blazers catching fire just at the right time

D.J. DavisS p o r t S W r i t e r

ddavis@valdosta.edu

APRIL 11, 2013 SportS

Eric Jackson/THESPECTATOR

Brianna Hancock was awarded GSC pitcher of the week after her 12 strikeout performance Saturday.

aPrIL 11, 2013Page 8 | vsusPectator.com

The heartland to the dirty south

Nick Fogarty has faced

many challenges in his jour-

ney from thornhill, ontario

in Canada, to texarkana,

tex., to Valdosta, Ga.

the Valdosta State senior

pitcher didn’t have many ex-

periences in America growing

up.

“For the longest time, until

around eighth grade, ninth

grade, i didn’t even come to

America,” Fogarty said. “i

would go just across the bor-

der to go to like Six Flags,

but i never really knew what

it was like.”

Fogarty’s parents separated

when he was just three-years-

old therefore he split time be-

tween staying with his grand-

parents, mother and father

growing up.

“My dad lived in a town 30

minutes away and worked in

that town,” Fogarty said. “it

was kind of a weird situation;

i would go to school, and i

would go back to my grand-

parents’ house and my dad

would come pick me up. if i

had to go to my mom’s, she

would come pick me up.”

Baseball has been a part of

Fogarty’s life since he was

five and soon had to deal

with the restrictions the game

can bring.

“in seventh and eighth

grade it started getting pretty

real,” Fogarty said. “that’s

when it got everyday prac-

tice, traveling, missing

Spring Breaks and not being

able to hang out with your

buddies on the weekends and

the whole nine yards. that’s

when it became a grind for

me because i wanted to be a

regular kid, too. When you’re

15, 16 years old, you can’t

look any further than the

front of your nose.”

Fogarty is a former draft

pick of the Milwaukee Brew-

ers. He was drafted in the

40th round of the 2008 MLB

draft out of thornlea SS, but

unfortunately had tommy

John surgery shortly there-

after.

“that was a crazy, crazy

experience,” Fogarty said. “i

never thought i would have

an injury like that. When i

went into the doctor, she ba-

sically said i either get the

surgery, or don’t play.”

Fogarty sat down with his

parents and they convinced

him to go through with the

procedure.

Fogarty hurt his elbow the

day after he got drafted in a

throwing session and had the

surgery in September of

2008.

He came back in the next

spring and admittedly got

knocked around.

“that was a rough patch

because i could not figure out

what was going on and then

once i figured it out, i real-

ized that the whole draft

thing was pretty much down

the drain,” Fogarty said.

Fogarty did not play in the

minor leagues, but in 2006-

07, at 16-years-old had the

special opportunity to repre-

sent his country.

“the feeling that we got

when we were able to put on

a jersey that said our country

and we got to go down and

sign autographs for these kids

in Mexico, and go to the Do-

minican and see all of these

kids that had nothing and you

are the dude that has all of

these cool shoes because your

country gives it to you and

you get to play in front of all

these people, it was pretty

humbling to say the least,”

Fogarty said.

the lefty has steadily been

in America since the fall of

2009 when he began playing

at texarkana College.

in the summer of 2011,

Fogarty was contacted by

Valdosta State baseball asso-

ciate coach todd Guilliams

who previously saw Fogarty

throw in 2007 and invited

him to campus to visit and

potentially attend VSU.

“this is a pristine school to

say the least,” Fogarty said.

“they gave me a good schol-

arship offer and i signed.”

Fogarty continues to be hum-

ble despite his impressive

achievements such as his per-

fect game two months ago.

“i have never been a brag-

ging or boasting type,” Foga-

rty said. “that’s why it was

so weird when i threw that

perfect game. everybody was

like, ‘oh my God, you threw

a perfect game, that’s crazy.’

For me, it wasn’t that i threw

it; it was that nobody has

done it in so long. You don’t

really realize you have

thrown it until you have

thrown it.”

Fogarty grew up in a town

where it was close to “seven-

ty percent Jewish” so he was

not used to the Bible Belt

norms of people going to

church often.

When he came down to

Valdosta, his first room-

mate, former Blazer baseball

player Chaz Bagwell, was

“faithful” and “strong to

God” inspiring Fogarty to be-

come part of the church.

“He is a great guy so he in-

fluenced me a lot spiritually,”

Fogarty said. “i still have my

beliefs but i found a way to

use it to my personality.”

Fogarty is a firm believer of

living life without any re-

grets.

“the last thing you want to

do is look back when you are

30 years old and think, ‘if i

would have just done that one

class, or if i had just gone to

that one tryout, who knows

where i would be right now.”

Fogarty said. “You might as

well do what you think is

right and at the end of the

day you can say, ‘At least i

did it.’.

Follow Alex on twitter:

@Alex_tostado12

Alex TostadoS p o r t S W r i t e r

ajtostado@valdosta.edu

Former Thornhill pitcher Nick Fogarty throws a no-hitter

against the Ottawa Nepean Canadians on May 17 2008.

VSU baseball team will

take its efforts to Florence,

Ala., this weekend for a

three-game series against

conference rival North Alaba-

ma.

After winning 11 of the

past 13 games, fresh off a

sweep against Christian

Brothers, the Blazers are rid-

ing quite a hot streak.

"i don't think it's been any

one thing," head coach Greg

Guilliams said. "i just think

we have been a lot more con-

sistent as team, where prior to

the last 13-14 games we've

been inconsistent."

Some unfortunate news

however is that second base-

man Matthew Fears suffered

season-ending eye injury in

the last outing against Christ-

ian Brothers.

"With Matthew Fears being

out, the guys who are play-

ing; our expectation is for

those guys to be able to give

it a little more, to be able to

grind it out some better at-

bats so we can overcome the

loss of Matthew,” Guilliams

said.

Fears was batting .407 so

VSU will look toward oth-

ers to step up in order to

make up for the loss of pro-

duction.

the surging Blazers still

find themselves in the bottom

half of the Gulf-South Con-

ference standings with an 8-7

conference record.

With UNA currently sitting

at fifth in the standings, the

upcoming series offers VSU

an opportunity to gain some

ground.

"Whether we win all three

this weekend, or lose all

three... in reality, we're trying

to position ourselves to be

playing our best baseball at

the end of the season in the

conference tournament,"

Guilliams said.

the conference tournament

takes the top eight teams

within the conference, and

the team who wins the tour-

nament will receive an auto-

matic bid to compete in the

Division ii College World Se-

ries.

this post-season each of

the eligible members of the

GSC will make an appear-

ance in the conference tour-

nament.

"if you win the tournament,

it's a sure thing. So, the only

thing that we can do is work

towards that automatic bid,

and if you fall short of that

you have no one to blame but

yourself," Gulliams said.

VSU baseball tries to tame Lions this weekend

SportS

Neil FrawleyS p o r t S W r i t e r

ndfrawley@valdosta.edu

Nick Fogarty