Is it already over already?

Wow!

Has it been thirteen issues already this semester? Time certainly flies by when there are a million things going on.

As this week is our final “paper” issue of the semester, I would like to thank everyone for reading and keeping up with our over the last few months. I would also like to thank those who have worked so hard every week putting this paper together.

I really hope everyone enjoys this issue. There are some articles that definitely should not be missed. Such as: Marching for Megan , Heading home for the holidays , The 20 best albums of 2007 , The 10 best games of 2007 , and many more great stories.

Finals are just around the corner (literally, they start next Tuesday evening.) and we at the Chanticleer, hope to be bringing you one if not two more “online” issues before we resume in the spring.

Due to semester scheduling, our first paper issue of 2008 will not hit the newsstands until Jan. 17th, as we are not starting school until Jan. 10th next semester. Sorry for such a long absence!

Thank you for the continued support and good luck to everyone on finals!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As the campus quiets down for Thanksgiving, I am reminded of all the great things this mini-vacation means.

The Macy's Day parade first thing in the morning. All the people, the bands and the floats making their way down 34th Street. Then there are the huge inflatables. Even on the television they are magnificent to see.

Homemade mashed potatoes, delicious green bean casserole, juicy turkey, tasty cranberry sauce and that's only the beginning. You still have dessert. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, brownies and cakes.

Aww, one of the great holidays that you are actually expected to sit around and just eat all day long. Well, not everyone. Usually the moms and grandmothers and sometimes the daughters of the family gather in the kitchen and prepare the feast for the rest of the family.

This Thanksgiving, make sure you take the time to thank those who slave away and make all the goodies so that you can relax.

Try to remember that this is a day of thanks and that not everyone gets to even see their family for the holidays. Enjoy the time you have with them, I know I will.

Second chance at Pack the Pete

Just when everyone thought volleyball was out of the running for the Ohio Valley Conference title, things turned around (actually, Morehead State just lost their two game lead) and the team has tied for first place with both Morehead and Southeast Missouri State.

Jacksonville State is the #1 seed in the OVC tournament and won the right to host it. The tournament, which be held at Pete Mathews Coliseum, starts Thursday, Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m.

JSU will play Friday night at 7 p.m. against the winner of the Tennessee Tech vs Murray State game on Thursday.

For more information on the tournament, go to the athletic site

Congratulations to Abbey Breit for winning OVC Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. She is the first one in league history to ever win the honor three times. Way to go!

Breit was also named to the First Team All-OVC, along with senior teammate Rebekah Nichols. Also honored was freshman Gamecock, Brooke Schumacher, who was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.

Good luck to the volleyball team this weekend! I can't speak for anyone else but I know I will be there supporting you!

Can't find anything to do? There are activities going on all over campus and all they are missing is YOU! Check out the JSU Calender of Events

GO GAMECOCKS!

It's a great day to be a Gamecock fan!

First off ,I would like to apologize for not posting a blog last week. I was a tad under the weather but am feeling great now!

Next, I would like to encourage everyone to come out this Saturday (Nov. 10) and support JSU athletics!

Volleyball plays Morehead State Friday night at 7 p.m. and EKU on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Saturday is also "Senior Day" and both days are free admission to all fans!

We play our last football home game of the 2007 season against Eastern Illinois at noon on Saturday and it would really be exciting to have a large turnout. As always, there will be tailgating before the game and no one should miss it!

I would like to personally thank everyone who has made it a point to support our Gamecocks in action this year. College can be tough enough without the added pressure of playing a collegiate sport. What our student-athletes accomplish is amazing, and I know that they appreciate all the support we give them!

I hope to see everyone out this weekend!

GO GAMECOCKS!

Please, just put down the keys and step away from the vehicle!

After a hard day in class, you and some buddies head up to Cooter Brown's (hey, I work there, gotta grab a plug!) for a few drinks. After a few drinks you guys decide to have a few more and then head home.

But wait!

Did any of you really think about how you would be getting home?

Everyone has been drinking and there is no one to come pick you up. What now?

As you hop behind the wheel, the thought never crosses your mind that you might not make it home.

Many people do not take the time to consider the consequences of getting behind the wheel of a car after they have been drinking. They feel invincible and never think 'it' will happen to them. Guess what? It does happen to someone and it could very easily be you.

Did you know that in 2005 there were 16,885 fatalities from crashes where alcohol was involved? That breaks down to one death every 31 minutes.

In 2005 Alabama alone had 423 deaths from alcohol related accidents, which was 37% of total accidents in the state.

Another result of drunk driving can have you arrested and headed to jail for the night and sometimes longer than that.

The legal limit for Alabama is .08 and depending on your size, for some that can mean only one drink will put you over the limit. Having a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) does not look cool and can really hurt you, emotionally, physically and financially.

Something to remember when you are heading out for a night on the town: have a non-drinking friend drive you or even take a taxi. Paying $20-30 for a cab is a lot easier on your wallet than paying for a DUI.

So, we at The Chanticleer ask you to please be careful and make the choice to not drink and drive. You could just save someones life, including your own.

For more information on drunk driving or how to prevent it, go here

JSU Homecoming! Party like a Gamecock!

It's that time of year again. Campus organizations are busy working on their floats by filling chicken wire with tissue paper, designing and painting a banner and campus offices are decorating their doorways in anticipation of this Saturday.

It's Homecoming! The time when alums crowd the town and relive the happy memories of their alma mater. It is a crazy and hectic time in Jacksonville and I love it! There are few other times during the year when school spirit is as high as it is on Homecoming.

I have to be honest, when I first heard the theme for this year ("Party like a Gamecock") I had to laugh. Though JSU used to be ranked among the top party schools in the nation, recent years have seen a decline in the party scene of Jacksonville. Blame it on house parties, police cracking down or even JSU being a 'suitcase' college. Whatever the reason, the Gamecocks of late have not been the biggest party animals in the barn. Then I realized something. It is not just current Gamecocks in town this weekend to attend the game. It is past, present and future Gamecocks here to celebrate a time honored tradition. So maybe we can all set the example this year and show Tennessee Tech exactly what it means to "Party like a Gamecock."

Don't Forget!!

There are five beautiful ladies up for the coveted title of Homecoming Queen. You can read more about them here. Though the bonfire was cancelled due to the recent drought situation, the Queen will still be announced Thursday, Oct. 18th at 8 p.m. in Paul Snow Stadium.

For a complete list of the Homecoming week activites, click here

Also, I would like to welcome and thank all the alumni who are returning to support the Gamecocks this weekend. Be safe and have a great time!

GO GAMECOCKS!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet Jane Robinson, a JSU alum, who recently overcame breast cancer. She was small, spunky and literally full of energy!

She made me think of all the women who have had and who currently do have breast cancer. I can't imagine receiving the news that could change your life completely, but Robinson took it all in stride.

Did you know that 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and that 43,300 of them will not survive? Did you also know that men can get breast cancer? Though its more rare, 1,600 men are diagnosed each year and all but 400 survive it.

Doctors are still unsure what exactly causes breast cancer but a few risk factors they have found are: simply being a woman, age, family history, race, not having children (or having them later in life), birth control pills and even being overweight.

Interestingly enough, around 70 percent of cases are found through self exams. Click here to learn how to perform one at home.

For more information on breast cancer, click here or try here .

There are some really great breast cancer networks like the Susan G. Komen foundation or The Breast Cancer Research foundation or The National Breast Cancer foundation .

Next week, The Chanticleer will have more information on Robinson and her fight with with breast cancer, so stayed tuned!

Intramurals

With multiple sports going on across campus, intramurals can easily be overlooked. But this is the thing that many can come out and watch, no matter what their schedule is. Whether at the intramural field or at Paul Snow stadium, there is always room for spectators.

Bringing out students and some faculty, intramurals can be exciting for everyone. It gives everyone a way to become involved without the hectic schedule of collegiate sports.

Depending on the season, there are a variety of sports offered. Such as: basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, dodgeball, flag football, golf, inner-tube water polo, racquetball, softball, tennis, ultimate frisbee and whiffleball, among others.

Though many of the fall sports have already begun play, two that have no started are inner-tube water polo (the forms are due Oct. 19th) and indoor volleyball (the forms are due Oct. 26th). More information and entry forms are available in Stephenson Hall Rm 215 or see their website at http://www.jsu.edu/depart/recsports/intramurals.html .

So, what are you waiting for? Let your competitive spirit out and get involved!

GO GAMECOCKS!

Great job on Preview Day!

Preview Day was last Saturday and we had a great turnout!

I would like to take this chance to congratulate all the clubs, organizations, students and faculty on a successful Preview Day. Though the football team lost in the conference opener, the volleyball team won and even had pretty good crowd support.

Preview Day is generally for any high school seniors and juniors/transfer students looking at coming to school at JSU. But, it is also a chance for their parents to come and see exactly what it is that their children would be getting into.

I can remember quite a while ago coming and looking at JSU and how exciting I thought it all was. Yes, a small town but a big school and that brought everyone together which is what I liked so much about it.

I just hope that these incoming freshmen and transfer students will come to school here and love it as much as I do.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put this Preview Day together! Keep up the great work and I look forward to the next one!

Go Gamecocks!

Last night, as I walked through the doors of Pete Mathews Coliseum on "Pack the Pete" night, I looked around and could not believe how few students had turned out to watch the Gamecocks play our in-state rival, Samford, in volleyball. Walking in, I thought we might have gotten there early but as I saw the game in motion I realized we were actually late.

Do people just not care about the smaller sports? In terms of athletic teams statistics, the volleyball team is one of our best, but there is not really any support from the students.

Let's compare. Last year, the volleyball team was 24-5 overall and 16-0 in conference games.
The football team (and nothing against the football team, by the way. I love them too!) was 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference and everyone gets full of that gamecock spirit? I guess I just don't understand.

At most universities students have to pay to attend sporting events and yes, as full as I am of school spirit, I do still realize that many of the schools are bigger and play bigger teams, but at JSU we have opportunities that few appreciate and it bothers me.

The vigorous daily routine that athletes go through just to play sports in college is amazing and tiring at the same time. All they ask in return (besides a scholarship lol) is that people come out and support them.

So, I would like to personally invite everyone to come out and cheer on all the athletic teams, not just the more popular ones. Trust me, if it were you out on the court/field you would appreciate it!

Go Gamecocks!