“THE VOICE OF GSW”
THE SOU’WESTER
VOL. 96, NO. 1 September 2026
NEW PRESIDENT FOCUSES ON STUDENTS, AFFORDABILITY AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
IN THIS ISSUE
Desmond Martin Page Designer & Reporter
After nearly two months on campus, President Kerry Palmer is enjoying his new role and has his sights set on building relationships with students while continuing the university’s emphasis on affordable, career-focused education.
GSW UNVEILS DIGITAL ARCHIVES PAGE 3 NEW AI POLICY INTRODUCED PAGE 4 NEW COACHES, NEW ERA PAGE 5 FOOD, FUN, AND FOUR TO ZERO: UNDER THE LIGHTS PAGE 6 SPORTS RESULTS PAGE 7
Palmer came to GSW after ANNOUNCEMENTS PAGE 8 spending much of his career in education. Originally from MEET THE SOU’WESTER STAFF Montgomery, Alabama, he attended PAGE 9 Dr. Kerry Palmer Troy State University (now just Troy University), where he earned a degree in Music Education. His interest in education began after joining his school band in seventh grade. “I like this so much. I’d love to do it every day,” Palmer recalled thinking at the time. Palmer went on to spend nearly 25 years working in K-12 education before earning his Ph.D. from Auburn University. He later returned to Troy, where he served as dean of the College of Education before becoming provost and senior vice chancellor. A search firm eventually contacted Palmer about a university presidency opening, leading him to GSW.
Prioritizing student success One of Palmer’s biggest priorities is maintaining GSW’s focus on its students. “I love the students. I love the type of students we serve,” Palmer said. According to Palmer, about half of GSW students are the first in their families to attend college. As a first-generation college student himself, Palmer understands the impact higher education can have on students and their families. “I know how it can change a family,” he said. Palmer also noted that GSW’s location and mission allow the university to provide students, particularly those from rural communities, access to an affordable college education. Continued on Page 2.
“My goal is to try to keep tuition as low as I can,” he said. Palmer plans to work with state lawmakers to advocate for funding for GSW as state funding plays an important role in keeping tuition affordable. “Every dollar that comes in represents sacrifice on the part of a student or their family,” he said. Palmer’s goal for the university is not only to keep costs down but also to ensure students receive a degree that provides value after graduation. This also means preparing students for careers in the region. “Our academic programs are designed to respond to workforce needs throughout the state, including programs in nursing, education, business and criminal justice,” Palmer said, noting that about 80% of GSW graduates remain in Georgia after graduation.
Connecting with students In addition to focusing on the success of GSW students, Palmer said that developing relationships with students is also important to him. According to Palmer, GSW’s smaller undergraduate population gives him an opportunity to interact with students in a way that may be more difficult at larger universities. He has already spoken with the Student Government Association and said he plans to meet with fraternity and sorority presidents as well as students involved in the President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program to discuss what is working and what could be improved. “I want to be accessible to the students,” Palmer said. That accessibility extends beyond scheduled meetings. Palmer said students should feel comfortable reaching out to his office when they need assistance. “We’re here to serve you guys,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.”
Looking ahead Palmer also wants to use GSW’s size to bring more prominent leaders and speakers to campus. He said smaller class sizes and a smaller student population can allow students to have more personal interactions with visiting speakers instead of simply watching them from a large audience. “I’ve been realizing over the last several weeks that GSW’s size is a superpower,” Palmer said. Palmer mentioned the university’s partnership with the First Ladies Day Commission as one opportunity to expand those experiences. After an August luncheon, he said he would like to bring a well-known presidential historian to campus for a lecture that would give students an opportunity to interact directly with the speaker. As Palmer begins his presidency, he said he plans to keep student interests at the center of his decisions. “The key for us is, how does it benefit our students?” Palmer said. Vol. 96 No. 1
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GSW UNVEILS NEW DIGITAL ARCHIVES Aden Bruce Page Designer & Reporter
Last month, The James Earl Carter Library officially launched the GSW Digital Archive not only to preserve GSW’s history, but also its present. This living collection showcases the creative work, research, and achievements from the GSW community to be shared with the world and future generations. The archives allow us to contribute to and connect directly with our history. The archives have already received visitors from France and Lebanon which helps place GSW on the global stage more openly. “I am a lifelong member of this community. I’ve been here all my life, my mother went to GSW, I went to GSW, my son is currently going to GSW,” John Wilson, Director of Library Services, said. “And I just know how great it would be for the community if they were able to go to the digital repository and look for old pictures of their family, and things that they once did that were captured in a Sou’Wester.”
Jimmy Moore and John Wilson posing in the library. Photo by Aden Bruce.
Wilson, along with fellow GSW alum and Digital Repository/Archives Assistant, Jimmy Moore, oversee the archives. “My biggest hope for the repository is that it will be a resource that students and the university will find useful long after I am gone,” Moore said. “I think there is something poetic about creating something new at an institution with as much history as GSW. Being at the forefront of something that I hope students will use and continue to find useful is pretty neat.” One benefit is that the archives can give students an advantage over other applicants when looking for jobs. Students can use the archives to show their work more officially and prominently to employers. According to Wilson, the archives will also offer students opportunities to gain experience, “if you’re interested in working in a museum, working in a library, or just learning how to digitize items, or how to put things on a website.” “Almost every employer now is looking for people with experience putting things on websites,” Wilson said. “So, anybody who wants to come out here, we’re open to working with the campus to try and create an internship opportunity for the library. That they can use to help them get a job and succeed.” The digital archive is looking for artifacts that tell GSW’s story. Students, faculty, student organizations, community members, and alumni can submit their work. Acceptable and appreciated submissions include art, scholarly articles, work from symposiums, creative writing, and even photos around GSW.
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The digital archives and submission form can be found on the library page of the GSW website. Currently, the archives contain yearbooks reaching back to the 1920s and Sou’Wester issues dating back to the 1930s alongside more recent publications like the 2026 “Blue Fire.” Help our history grow and inspire people for years to come.
NEW AI POLICY INTRODUCED Alyanna Ewton Reporter
GSW rolled out a new AI policy this fall, allowing professors to decide how much AI usage students can use on assignments. According to GSW’s Academic Integrity Policy, “students should be aware that the spectrum of acceptable AI use will vary from class to class and could run from absolutely no use allowed to complete freedom of use.” For some, this new policy is a good way to ensure that technology is still available to students even when there are boundaries. “Instead of banning it outright, this policy keeps a lot of students from being in academic trouble because they are going to use it either way,” said Grace Mallow, a sophomore education major. Others remain skeptical. Allowing AI even with restrictions can tempt students to let AI do their thinking for them. Dr. Michael Moir, English Department Chair, feel that using AI in English classes defeats the purpose of the class which fosters critical and creative thinking.
ChatGPT mobile home screen.
“People aren’t really using it as a learning tool, so much as they are a cognitive shortcut,” Moir said. Ozzy Osborne, a sophomore fine arts major, agrees adding that using AI could be considered cheating, especially for writing assignments. “It’s taking away common skills that we need for writing literacy, because students are becoming too reliant on it to do all the critical thinking,” Osborne said. Even students and professors who use AI themselves see that while AI has its benefits, AI is only useful if used effectively. Xavier Blodgett, an accounting graduate student in the MBA Masters Business Administration Program who uses AI often, adds that critical thinking is still important. “It is important to know how AI works, but there is no guarantee that the output will be any good,” Blodgett said. Vol. 96 No. 1
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SPORTS NEW COACHES, NEW ERA Dylan Scott
Athletics Correspondent
The GSW coaching staff added three new names on the roster ahead of the fall season: Coach Bailey Guffin for Men’s Soccer, Coach James Frey for Women’s Basketball, and Coach Logan Gibson as GSW’s first ever strength and conditioning coach. These coaches plan to establish a new identity from the previous regime focused on physical and mental toughness.
Bailey Guffin
Guffin, for example, wants the Men’s Soccer team to play for more than just pride this season. “I told them I want to be playing for something at the end of the year. I think this group is very capable of that,” Guffin said. “We’ve got some very good players, we’ve had some good performances in the preseason, so I feel pretty good sticking by that.”
James Frey
Frey continues this trend with the Women’s Basketball team. “Well, we want to be dogs, mentality wise. We want to be the team that when we get off the bus people are like ‘oh we go to play them today.’ That’s the mentality and that’s the approach,” said Frey. Frey hopes his high expectations are contagious and will instill a new culture of winning. Gibson echoes this mentality as he works with all the athletes as GSW’s very first dedicated Strength and Conditioning Coach. “Really I just want to ingrain an idea of hard work and showing up for the person next to you and showing up for yourself daily,” said Gibson. Come support your fellow Canes this season and see this new culture in action!
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Logan Gibson
SPORTS FOOD, FUN, AND FOUR TO ZERO: UNDER THE LIGHTS Dylan Scott Athletics Correspondent
The ninth annual Under the Lights event was a success as the Men’s soccer team saw a 4-0 victory over Andrew College. A crowd of 1,205, the largest crowd in GSW history, gathered along GSW State University Drive ahead of the match for booths of free food, drinks, and small knickknacks for sale in support of various causes.
Senior Forward Theo Hoang in
action. Photo by Chris Fenn. The mechanical bull, everyone’s favorite attraction, sat at the end of the street, free for students to ride. Several students tried but it appears that none were able to last without falling off.
The festivities quieted down as game time arrived. GSW put on a defensive showcase, allowing just one shot on goal to GSW’s 19 en route to the win. Fireworks lit up the sky after the game, illuminating the crowd with the glow of victory. This win marks the third consecutive season opening victory for the Canes. The annual Under the Lights event for GSW’s soccer home opener was a success again. Student’s enjoyed food and entertainment before the match, watched GSW win 4-0, and were met with a fireworks display after in celebration. To kick off the festivities for students, other athletic teams apart from the Men’s Soccer team had various booths set up, along with other organizations scattered about along the length of GSW State University Drive. These booths provided free food, drinks, and small knickknacks for sale that all contributed to various causes. At the end of the street was everyone’s favorite entertainment, a mechanical bull that was free for students to ride. Several students tried but it appears that none were able to last without falling off. These festivities quieted down as game time arrived. Once the match started, students made their way towards the pitch where play was set to begin against Andrew College. GSW put on a defensive showcase, allowing just one shot on goal to GSW’s 19 en route to a 4-0 blowout for the largest crowd in GSW history as announced over the speakers concluding the match. After the match concluded, fans were directed towards the intramural fields to be met with a final light show. Fireworks were set up and ready to go. Several times, the crowd thought the show was over only for it to continue. The fireworks raged on for upwards of 10 minutes as fans and students were illuminated in the glow of victory.
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RESULTS FOR SOCCER Men’s
Aug. 27 vs Andrew College- W 4-0 Aug. 29 at Embry Riddle- L 2-3 Sept. 3 vs Alabama Huntsville- L 0-2 Sept. 5 vs West Alabama- W 2-0
Women’s
Aug. 29 vs Florida Southern- T 1-1 Sept. 2 at North Greenville- W 2-0 Sept. 5 vs Auburn Montgomery- L 1-2 Sept. 9 at Valdosta State- T 2-2
CROSS COUNTRY Men’s
Women’s
UPCOMING EVENTS SOCCER Men’s
CROSS COUNTRY Men’s
Sept. 4 VSU Border Clash- 6th out of 7 teams
Sept. 23 at North Georgia 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at USC Aiken 7 p.m. Sept. 30 vs Clayton State 7 p.m.
Women’s
Sept. 19 vs Middle Georgia State 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at USC Aiken 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 VSU Border Clash- 5th out of 6 teams
Sept. 25 Peach Belt Conference Preview time TBA
Women’s
Sept. 25 Peach Belt Conference Preview time TBA
Senior Forward Josh Furley in action. Photo by
Senior Midfielder Kimoni Mills looking to score. Photo
Chris Fenn.
by Chris Fenn.
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September 2026
ANNOUNCEMENTS Events Sept. 19, Heart & Sole 5k, 8 a.m.-10 a.m., Central Baptist Church. More information can be found at: https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Americus/TheHeartSole5K Sept. 19, Rosalyn Carter Memorial Food Distribution, 8 a.m.-10 a.m., Plains Historic Inn and Antique Mall. More information can be found at: https://www.jimmycarterfriends.org/ Sept. 19, Aux Cord Wars, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Admin 127. Sept. 22, Cookies and Careers, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Canes Central. Sept. 24, Taste of Sumter, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Downtown Americus. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/868598196019969 Sept. 24, Writers Forum, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., English Building Room 212. Email blue.argo@gsw. edu for more information. Sept. 26, Plains, Trains & Bike Chains, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Plains Peanut Festival. More information can be found at: https://www.sumtercycling.org/plains-trains-bike-chains Sept. 26, GSW Fashion Show, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Storm Dome. More information can be found at: https://my.gsw.edu/events/10012500 Oct. 1, EML Dystopian Movie Night: The Hunger Games, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., English Building Room 212. More information can be found at: https://my.gsw.edu/events/10012190 Oct. 2, Think Pink Ladies Night, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Downtown Americus. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1198534355679157/ Oct. 6, Cookies and Careers, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., BHP lobby on the main floor. Oct. 6, Chamber Concert: Duo Fuerza, 7:30 p.m. Jackson Performance Hall. Oct. 8-10, SoTL to the Core, online conference. More information can be found at: https:// my.gsw.edu/external/events/10011654 Oct. 8, 12th Annual Sparky Reeves Golf Classic, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Griffin Bell Golf Course. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2512754755863050 Oct. 8, Writers Forum, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., English Building Room 212. Email blue.argo@gsw. edu for more information. Oct. 10, Fall at the Market, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Lenny’s Market. More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/25553230674335526/ Oct. 12-17, Homecoming and Family Weekend, GSW Campus. More information can be found at: https://www.gsw.edu/events/homecoming Oct. 15, EML Dystopian Movie Night: The Road, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., English Building Room 212. More information can be found at: https://my.gsw.edu/events/10012191 Recurring Events: Every Monday, Silent Reading Scurry, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., English Building Room 212. More information can be found at: https://my.gsw.edu/events/10011386
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MEET THE SOU’WESTER STAFF Aden Bruce|Page Designer & Reporter Hi, I’m a Sophomore secondary education major specializing in English from Dawson Georgia. One day I hope to get a doctorate in English, and I was part of the “Blue Fire” design team for volume two and had two art pieces published in it. My favorite insects are termites and cicadas.
Isabella Escobar|Photography & Social Media Hi everyone! I am from Leesburg, Georgia, and I am a Sophomore Communications & Emerging Media major here at Georgia Southwestern, where I am currently enrolled as a Sophmore. I am a contributor to the digital newspaper and social media team. Some hobbies of mine are rooted in fine arts such as singing, listening to music, attending concerts, and theatrical performances. I’ll be covering cultural events, music, performances, and overall campus events.
Alyanna Ewton|Reporter I am a freshman early education major from Colorado Springs, Colorado who moved to Georgia in 2020 and hopes to become a teacher who helps her students to learn and grow their creativity.
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Amaya Martin|Contributor I’m a Senior Communications & Emerging Media major. I live in Cordele. Growing up, I was a member of the band, choir, and 4-H club. I’m curious about how people communicate and build relationships. As a member of the newspaper, I hope to put myself in a position to grow as a professional. I look forward to creating it for you!
Desmond Martin|Page Designer & Reporter Hey everyone. I’m a Communications & Emerging Media Major here at Georgia Southwestern. I’m from Conyers, GA and grew up heavily involved in urban culture. My hobbies consist of gaming, working out, reading, and researching information for my craft. I’m a Musician with big goals for myself and my peers. I market and promote myself and I’m constantly working to expand my audience and reach the right people.
Madyson Mims|Reporter I prefer to be called M&M! I’m a Sophmore Communications major here at GSW. I love meeting new people and seeing how opposite personalities interact with one another. I love to engage in storytelling, so my mission today is to prove to you all that sometimes even a few words can reveal an entire purpose. God Bless!
Jenna Morgan|Copy Editor I am a freshman English major from Moultrie Georgia. I was the email manager for “Blue Fire” and the author of “Myskia’s Hex,” featured in the second volume. From a young age, she has always been a storyteller and dreams of becoming an author to share her stories with the world. Until then, she plans to explore all forms of writing, though her favorites will always be ones with dark twists. Vol. 96 No. 1
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Dylan Scott|Sports Reporter My name is Dylan Scott. I am a Senior majoring in Communication and Emerging Media with a Minor in Sports Journalism. I primarily focus on sports coverage for the Sou’Wester.
Madison Vickers|Social Media Specialist & Reporter Hi! I am a Senior Strategic Communications Major and Marketing Minor; my anticipated graduation date is December 2026. I actively am on the lookout for new places to eat and lifestyle events happening in Americus for our student body to also enjoy! Besides being a student, I work four jobs, write poetry soon to publish, buy and sell stocks and crochet daily, and have had the privilege to rescue my soon to be threeyear-old Vinnie-Cash; a super mutt and the best boy!
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