In the midst of a record-breaking heat wave, students around campus are struggling to stay cool. This heat can be dangerous, especially to those who don’t know how to avoid heat-related injury and illness. Trey Ingram, Troy University Police Department’s (TUPD) emergency manager, said Troy’s biggest threat is the humidity. “This area is very notorious for its hot temperatures and humidity, and this summer is particularly very hot,” Ingram said. “Our bodies cool themselves

Olley Nelson illistration Troy University is deepening its ties to the Miss America tradition through a new scholarship designed to support and encourage young women pursuing a higher education. The collaboration with the Miss America Scholarship Foundation will provide significant financial assistance to both local and state competition winners, expanding opportunities for crown-holders across Alabama. “Troy’s partnership with the Miss America Organization reflects our

Hair, makeup and an evening gown are no strangers to Sarah Jane Houston, 2024 Miss Troy University. After claiming two additional titles since Miss Troy, Houston is now making room in her trophy case for a new crown. This week marks one month into a new reign for Houston. This time, she represents her home state as Miss Georgia Volunteer. Houston says the path to a new crown was not clear at first, but through prayer and mentorship, she was led to leave the Miss America s

A Troy alumna is looking to help more people than ever before with the help of her new Miss Alabama Volunteer crown A Troy alumna was recently crowned Miss Alabama Volunteer 2027 and hopes to utilize her new title to spread the reach of her nonprofit, changing and helping more lives than ever before. Zoie McGuyer was crowned on July 25 but is no stranger to the pageant world. McGuyer has been competing in pageants for about six years, all while founding and running her ow

Swartz teaches in Hawkins Hall room 111, where he was pulled from class. Nate Henderson photo A Troy professor landed in hot water after using a university-branded document to send a letter to the Alabama Representatives and Numeracy Act leaders, criticizing the Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA) Course Review Committee. In the letter, Micah Swartz, an assistant teacher education professor in his second year at Troy, outlined three issues with the ANA Course Review Committee’s prop

A Flock camera watches over International Blvd, Nate Henderson photo Troy University has had a system of Flock cameras on campus for three years, but recent online distress warranted an explanation from university police. The system is made up of 12 cameras spanning Troy’s entire campus, most of them located at the entrances or in the busiest areas for vehicles. According to the Troy University Police Department (TUPD), their job is to monitor who drives in and out of campu

Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. announces his retirement for 2027 Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. announced his new plan to conclude his time as chancellor in 2027. This announcement comes just months after his previous announcement, renouncement and previous plan for his retirement, which was originally delayed by the Board of Trustees. The announcement of Hawkins’ plan came Monday afternoon through an email sent to all Troy students, faculty and staff. Hawkins has b

Resident Evil (1996) was the start of not only one of the most successful gaming and multimedia franchises, but a gaming revolution and a new genre. In almost every game out there, you can see its touch. Thirty years is a long time. Can a game that old hold its own in the modern age? Minor spoiler warning: While the game is 30 years old, I’ll try to refrain from spoiling it too much for those who haven’t interacted with the series before. Graphics: 4/5 stars The graphics a

Mental health in school is something many people find important throughout their college careers. Mental health, while we are told it is important, is not treated as such. Can you actually follow what they tell you about mental health? How many of you have stress balls you squeeze to help you relax? Do you take mental health days to give yourself a chance to breathe? In high school, we are told a lot of what we did when we were younger won’t fly in college, that we have r

Creativity suffers at the mechanical hand of AI; it’s a waste of precious water in our warm state The world, or humanity, is constantly changing, like the ebb and flow of the tides. The changes that happen always have repercussions, but whether society deems these repercussions as important is the problem. The newest change humanity has seen is the sudden influx of AI. Data centers, chatbots and surveillance,are AI powered and pushed into the faces of citizens. They are ma

Young Cutter graphic Students looking to get into the Halloween spirit can help create a spooky experience of their own as Troy University’s Department of Art and Design seeks volunteers for its upcoming haunted house. Malory Magrath, a departmental secretary for the Art and Design Department, said students do not have to limit themselves to one role when volunteering for the event. “We need actors, people to do makeup and move props and just anyone who wants to help out i

Descendants Wicked Wonderland: Wickedly good, top-3 Descendants movie? The Descendants franchise is something many current college students grew up watching. The first film came out over 11 years ago and spawned several sequels and a few television series. Originally, the film series started as a trilogy, with Descendants 3 coming out in 2019. For many of the fans, and even a few of the actors, they believed this was where the story would come to an end. The original fanb

What are you excited for this school year? “I’m excited for graduating and finally being done; other than that, it is studying and passing the CPA exam,” said Clark Smith, a grad student majoring in accounting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “I’m excited for the football games. This is my first year not in marching band, so I get to experience what it is like as a regular student,” said Kiavani Palmer, a freshman majoring in nursing from Eufaula, Alabama. “Basketball games. They wo

Students interact with puppies from TARP, Alex Ford photos Students took a break from the first week of classes last week when puppies from the Troy Animal Rescue Project (TARP) visited campus as part of Welcome Week. TARP Director Tiffany Howington said the organization brings puppies to the university each semester to give students an opportunity to step away from studying and de-stress. “Puppies are great for that because they love to be loved on and cuddled, and it’s j

Students gather at the amphitheater for the silent disco, Alex Ford photo To start off the new school year, the University Activities Council (UAC) partnered with Welcome Week to hold a Silent Disco. Students gathered for the semesterly event at the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park Amphitheater. At the event, students wore headphones connected to stations controlled by DJs. Students were provided with headphones by the hosts. With three DJs to rotate between, students wer

Students look forward to the first day of school for many reasons. Reconnecting with friends, gaining new experiences and, most importantly, the first day of school fit check. This year, Welcome Week included the first day of class fashion show and photos, so students could put their style to the test. "On the first day of school, you show up, and you put on your best outfit usually, so we want to represent that and show off the outfits that people came and brought," said We

Beach House is one of my favorite bands. Their music has been in my life since my sophomore year of high school, and they were a part of me trying to listen to as much music as I possibly could. Their music consistently has this orchestral and cinematic feel to it while having a beautiful and dreamy sheen to it. Truthfully, I think Beach House is perfect at any point during the year, but for this beginning-of-fall-semester season, I would say their debut self-titled album “

Students gather for food and games at NPHC field day, Alex Ford photos Welcome Week came to a close last Sunday as Troy’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) joined the Welcome Week committee for an afternoon of games on the intramural fields. The NPHC Field Day featured games like kickball and spike ball, music and grilled food to encourage new students to interact with as many student organizations as possible. “I think it's important for a collaboration like this becau

Senior thesis displays in the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, Sydnee Pennington photo The International Arts Center will be removing the Spring 2026 Senior Thesis Projects Exhibition from the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery on Aug. 23, giving visitors less than a week to view the project displays of 13 graphic design and studio arts graduates. Originally opened in May, the exhibition showcases the artistic efforts of Spring graduates from the graphic design and studio arts programs. Each designer

Marketing department opens new opportunity for hands-on experience The Troy Athletics Department is currently looking for marketing interns for the upcoming season. The department is in search of undergraduate or graduate students of all majors to join the team this year. Interns will help with game day operations, promotions and the overall fan experience at Troy games as well as events and will earn hands-on experience that can help with future jobs. “The expectations s

Brown uses the t-shirt cannon to blast of t-shirts to fans during the Troy. vs. Nevada game in 2024, Troy Athletics photo In Veterans Memorial Stadium, t-shirts rain down from the sky during the end of the third quarter and before the start of the fourth. The firing of the t-shirts sounds like a cannon blast because, well, they are coming out of a cannon. Who’s the infamous man behind the cannon? His name is Jack Brown, the now Assistant Director of Marketing & Promotion

A group gathered in the IAC to view Smothers' work and celebrate with her, Emma Wasden photos Kitty Smothers, a Troy alumna and featured artist, is showcasing her collection, “Wild and Holy Things,” at the International Arts Center (IAC). The exhibition features paintings inspired by the natural beauty of south Alabama and Smothers’ connection to the rural area where she grew up. Smothers and her exhibit were honored with an artist reception at the IAC on Aug. 18. Smothers

On the first day of class, I walked into Saga for Fried Chicken Wednesday. I got my plate and headed over to the drink machines to get my Dr. Pepper, only to be met by a devastating sight. Mr. Pibb had taken Dr. Pepper’s place. I was shocked; however, after thinking it over, the decision was not surprising. Troy is a Coca-Cola school. At every athletic event, in every vending machine and even in the Trojan Center, you will find Mr. Pibb instead of Dr. Pepper. Some will see

The offense takes reps during Troy’s recent scrimmage, Troy Athletics photo The Troy Trojans held their first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday as they prepare for the upcoming football season. For the Trojans, fall camp offers a chance to run game simulations for not only the players but also the coaches. One big change for the Men of Troy is that both the offensive and defensive coordinators will not be on the sideline this year. “It's [Adam Austin’s] choice,” said hea