UM Ranking
5
Mobility Grant
6
Golf
8
DAILY HELMSMAN Friday 08.31.12
The
Vol. 80 No. 007
Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Liberty bowl: a whole new beast Improvements look to renew interest in Tiger football
Will Isaac affect Saturday’s game? See page 4
photos By aloe MUlrooney | staff
The Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium’s new Jumbotron can be seen from as far away as Central Ave. and is the third largest in the country, according to Councilman Reid Hedgepeth.
By Michelle Corbet
news@dailyhelmsman.com Construction crews are working around the clock to put the finishing touches on the renovations at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in preparation for Saturday
night’s season opener against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks. Councilman Reid Hedgepeth sponsored a proposal last spring to renovate the Liberty Bowl following the University of Memphis’ acceptance into The Big East
Conference with improved lighting, a new playing surface, fresh paint, a high-definition sound system, new elevators and two new video boards. Athletic Director Tom Bowen calls the combination of this year’s Tiger football team, new coach
Bus to shuttle students to game By Kelsie Carter
news@dailyhelmsman.com Students can catch a free ride to Saturday’s football game, courtesy of the Blue Line. Administrators announced the shuttle service Wednesday at a town hall meeting in the University Center. The buses will charter students and their guests to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and back, picking riders up from the Central Ave. parking lot. Angela Floyd, director of parking and transportation services, said deciding to run the Blue Line to the football game was a “joint effort” between Student Affairs, Athletics and Business and Finance.
For now, the shuttle service is only for Saturday’s game. “We want a huge turnout [Saturday]
The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Students have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies of each issue available to a reader for free. Additional copies are $1. Partial printing and distribution costs are provided by an allocation from the Student Activity Fee.
see SHUTTLE on page 6
Justin Fuente, and the newly renovated stadium a “perfect storm.” “If you haven’t come in the past, come now,” he said. The video board revealed at Tuesday night’s open house stands in the south end zone at 48 feet tall and 98 feet wide, making it
the largest in The Big East and the third largest in the nation, according to Hedgepeth. Kevin Demsky, director of sponsorship marketing for FedEx, said the video board is a testament
see LIBERTY on page 4
All aboard the Blue Line Number of first-week riders more than any summer month By Erica Horton
news@dailyhelmsman.com Air conditioned, cushioned and clean, the University of Memphis Blue Line buses began running in the summer and are in full motion for the fall 2012 semester. There are six Blue Line buses at the U of M, five of which help
students get to different parts of the main and Park Avenue campuses. One bus is a reserve vehicle for emergencies. The buses, which run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, are open for anyone to ride. However, after 5 p.m. passengers must show their University ID or accompany someone with a University ID to ride. Bus No. 503 stopped in front of Student Health Services carrying about four or five students riding to the Central parking lot Thursday. A small television, turned off, hung from the front of the bus and the radio played
see BLUE LINE on page 7
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index
Tiger Babble Tigers’ Tales Opinion
2 National 3 Campus Life 3 Sports
5 6 7
2 • Friday, August 31, 2012
The
www.dailyhelmsman.com
D AILY
TIGER BABBLE
H ELMSMAN Volume 80 Number 5
thoughts that give you paws
Editor-in-Chief Chelsea Boozer
“Im confused. We have a renovated football stadium but I’m sitting in a class with broken, unusable desks. Priorities?” @klmccddy
Managing Editor Christopher Whitten Design Editor Amanda Mitchell
“C’mon Daily Helmsman, get with the times. Those tiger tongues were gone a month after they were on campus. #OldNews” @bjcross42
Sports Editor Bryan Heater General Manager Candy Justice
“Can we put a giant temperature controlled bubble over the university? God knows I pay enough tuition for it.” @GinaBean88
Advertising Manager Bob Willis Administrative Sales Sharon Whitaker
“Punches thrown, words exchanged in #southernlot over a parking space.” @laracatej
Advertising Production Hailey Uhler
“Dear Construction Workers, You had ALL SUMMER to dig up a whole in the middle of Central. #timemanagement #getittogether” @JeanneMarizzle
Advertising Sales Robyn Nickell Michael Parker Brittany Block Contact Information news@dailyhelmsman.com
“Apparently if you’re too lazy or impatient to find a parking spot on campus, it’s acceptable to just make your own.. #really?” @ashtheginger
Advertising: (901) 6 78-2191 Newsroom: (901) 678-2193 The University of Memphis The Daily Helmsman 210 Meeman Journalism Building Memphis, TN 38152
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Across 1 Be positive 5 Erases from the bases 9 Ebb 14 John Ratzenberger voiced one in “Monsters, Inc.” 15 Puerto Rico, por ejemplo 16 Edible mushroom 17 Beaver’s motto? 19 Model 20 Uncertain 21 Auburn, e.g.: Abbr. 23 Rochester’s love 24 One queued up for petrol 26 “So will I ... make the net / That shall enmesh them all” speaker 28 Sri Lankan king 31 Device for measuring a king’s performance? 36 Takes over 38 “You must be looking for someone else” 39 Westernmost Rocky Mountain st. 40 USMC enforcers 41 Doctor’s threads? 43 One in Saint-Émilion 44 U.N. Day month 45 Ghostly glow 46 Antagonist in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” 48 Jig performed by Wilson of “The Office”? 51 Future D.A.’s hurdle 52 Supermodel Taylor 53 City with Ibsen quotes set into its sidewalks 55 “Jaws” boat 57 Woodpile protector 60 Prefix with arthritis 64 Show emotion, say 66 Postponement ... or what was not performed in 17-, 31- and 48-Across? 68 Sink 69 Seller of SOMMARVIND beach accessories 70 Logical lead-in 71 Pooped
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“If people would park like they’re supposed to, I could fit my Mini in tons more places ” @tayroars “Purchasing a book for $100 less on amazon while looking at it in the U of M Bookstore.” @RyanParris
Tell us what gives you paws.
Send us your thoughts on Twitter @dailyhelmsman or #tigerbabble. Or post on our Facebook wall at facebook.com/dailyhelmsman.
72 Ozzy Osbourne duo? 73 Eucharist wafer, e.g. Down 1 Actress Sedgwick 2 Old depilatory 3 Publisher Chandler 4 Place to enjoy the last blush of summer? 5 Andalusian aunt 6 Sharp 7 Small valley 8 Bollywood wrap 9 “What __ to do?” 10 Barrio market 11 “Don’t be a fool!” 12 Rip 13 Vogue rackmate 18 Major fight 22 4-Down concerns 25 Taxing event, in more ways than one 27 Mylanta target 28 Mill story?
29 Toy-saving org. 30 As a precaution 32 Early Peruvian 33 Gunk 34 City SSW of Milan 35 Happening 37 Pirate ship part 42 Two-piece piece 47 Stinko 49 Vitamin B3 50 Ripped from a CD 54 __ cit.: footnote abbr. 55 Balls 56 Gather 58 Where PHX airport is 59 Fall tool 61 Actress Hatcher 62 ER readouts 63 “All right, already!” 65 “The Closer” channel 67 __ in November
S u d o k u Complete the grid so that each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.
Solutions on page 8
The University of Memphis
Tigers’ Ta es
“Make good use of your time and enjoy college.”
Grace Cartwright, Nursing junior
“Stay on track with your career choice and have good friends.”
“Don’t F-it up for yourself.”
Sai Chava, Computer science senior
Rachelle Cooper, Engineering junior
Friday, August 31, 2012 • 3
What advice do you have for incoming freshman? By Nathanael Packard
“Be best friends with your professors.”
Jennifer Johnson, Psychology sophomore
“Take your time choosing your major.”
William Garavelli, Engineering junior
Opinion
Editor: students should embrace change
By Christopher Whitten
cwhitten@dailyhelmsman.com Wa l k i n g onto campus earlier this week I was greeted by two women armed with campus maps and wel-
coming smiles who asked if I needed help and if I knew where I was going. I smiled and politely answered, “No,” then “yes,” respectively. That’s when it hit me. As cliché as it sounds, the University of Memphis has become a home to me. Looking back to my freshman year, I remember the feelings I had. I had my schedule printed out and in the front page of my notebook. I tried so hard
We hold worship at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, followed by a free hot meal for all of the Campus Community.
not to stand out. I just wanted to blend in with everyone else. But I didn’t. Being a nontraditional student at 27 years old has its advantages but my salt-and-peppered hair gave away the extra years (advantage?) I may have had on some of my peers. I was so excited to return to college – I had taken a sabbatical after fall 2003 to work full-time and again in the spring of 2006 when I realized I still wasn’t ready. But in 2011, I laced up my shoes and prepared for the long road ahead.
I called home after every class that first week – ranting about my professor who assigned homework on the first day or sharing a story of how I went to the wrong class and sat through 20 minutes before realizing it. But the U of M has changed over my tenure here. There are directional signs pointing students toward their buildings and opening week has aides to guide students around campus or to hand out extra copies of the map they may have left at home. A girl asked me yesterday if I knew
Need a jump-start to your semester? We’ll look at “blessings” in worship September 4. We’ll offer a blessing of students to those who desire it. There is a place for you here.
where something was. “Yeah,” I told her. “I know where everything is.” Looking back to my nearly completed academic career, I feel confident I can succeed and am ready to take on the world, as I hope all future alumni may. But there’s one thing I wish I had known when I was a freshman, or more so just been aware of: everything was going to change – my group of friends, my attitude towards college and even my major (a few times), and most of all the University. The school I feared for so long would become my home. So take it from someone who’s done this a time or two: brace for change. n
Send us your thoughts @dailyhelmsman.
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Tigers to battle potential rains of fading Isaac By Christopher Whitten
cwhitten@dailyhelmsman.com Amid a storm of publicity promoting Saturday’s football game, the University of Memphis has a new opponent, and its name is Isaac. Hurricane Isaac made landfall Tuesday night over southeastern Louisiana and brought with it winds in excess of 80 mph. Isaac dumped about 20 inches of rain on some cities as it made its trek north and to the west of its original target. Joey Sulipeck, chief meteorologist for FOX-13 Memphis, had been tracking the storm as it made its way into Memphis on Thursday. “The question was always, ‘Once it makes landfall, where does it go?’ And where it goes is really the steering wheel on this thing,” Sulipeck said. “It’s continued to trend further west as we’ve been watching it.” Despite a saturated effort to woo students to the game via the Tigers’ “Mind your business, Dennis” campaign, several students cited poor timing for their reasons to miss the season opener. But Isaac’s poor timing isn’t deterring everyone. Hundreds of freshmen have committed to marching across the field in the culmination of this year’s Frosh camps with the traditional Frosh Frenzy. “I think if it rains a lot it might affect (attendance),” said Tevin McInnis, a junior communications major. “If I wasn’t involved with Frosh Frenzy, I probably wouldn’t go because of the rain.” Bob Winn, associate athletic director at the U of M, said his
uuLiberty Continued from page 1 to how FedEx has invested in the city, the University and sports. “It puts a focus and visible symbol of the investment from the business community to turn the Liberty Bowl into a world class event,” Demsky said. The new playing surface known as “AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60X,” is not only more buoyant and durable, Hedgepeth said, but also ecofriendly. It incorporates more than 15,000 recycled tires within the grass. The entire stadium has been repainted back to its original colors from when it was built in 1965. The stadium also received new elevators and field lighting. Field lighting regulations were revised allowing lights to be 150 feet from the ground instead of the original 250 feet, improving illumination by 30 percent, said Bob Winn, U of M’s associate athletic director. Councilman Bill Boyd and
office has been in contact with the leadership of the National Weather Service as Isaac moved into the Bluff City. He said he is confident predictions from four days ago will hold true. “It’s never a good thing to have storm warnings in your area or even near your area,” he said. “The bulk of the storm is drifting to the west and the center line of the storm is west of Little Rock, (Ark.) according to the national weather service.” Winn said he hopes Saturday will yield a barrage of fans rather than storms, but there may be about a 20 percent chance of rain. “We certainly wish no harm to our neighboring communities,” Winn said. “But we feel the bulk of the rain will be west of Memphis.” Winn said there are procedures in place if the weather turns sour. Officials will order the teams off the field and fans will have opportunities to move into dry areas and wait out the rain. “We hope everyone comes out and gets to experience all the exciting new things we have to offer fans,” he said. But the Tigers will have plenty of opportunities to win over the fans this year as the University continues to roll out five more installments of its “Mind your business, Dennis” campaign. “As long as the football team does well, that will do more than any promotion will do,” said Gage Markey, freshman recording technology student. Sulipeck said the National Weather Service predicts Isaac will be a depression Saturday night when the Tigers kick off the season
Councilman Edmund Ford Jr. announced to the crowd of Tiger fans in attendance at Tuesday night’s open house that the project was completed “on time and under budget.” The $2.5 million costs of the video boards were donated from FedEx, University President Shirley Raines said, and the other improvements were paid for by the city. Hedgepeth said the Liberty Bowl and surrounding areas are awaiting state approval for Tourism Development Zone status. If approved, tax revenue generated from the TDZ will be used to pay off the bonds used to fund the project. Hedgepeth said he anticipates another six months before approval is granted, but is confident it will be. The U of M agreed to pay $500,000 a year in interest on the $6.5 million the city spent on renovations, until the costs of the bonds are taken over by TDZ tax revenue.
photo By Chris Wieland | staff
Shiva Kadire, management information services freshman, battles the wind and sideways rain from fading Tropical Storm Isaac as he walks across campus. against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks. “Isaac will be in central Missouri moving into central Illinois, hooking to the right and above us,” Sulipeck said. “That means we will be in the bottom right quadrant of the storm.” The good news, he said, is the storm is not sitting over Memphis
If the Liberty Bowl does not get approved for TDZ status, the University has committed to paying $500,000 a year for 15 years to cover the cost of the renovations. Former Athletic Director RC Johnson told The Daily Helmsman in April that the University would use its Bowl Championship Series money to cover the costs. “We’re working as a backup in case the Liberty Bowl doesn’t get TDZ status, but no city or state money, no student money, no donor money will be used — it’s all coming from BCS,” he said. Raines said the new video boards, interior improvements and field are all developments that will help the U of M standout in The Big East. “I’m mostly excited about the exciting atmosphere, and that 29 of our football players are from Memphis schools,” Raines said. “Not only do we have a beautiful stadium and video board, but we stand behind our city and all students who wear our name.” n
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and dumping torrential downpours. But the bad news is, there still could be pummeling winds if Memphis is caught in the outer bands of the storm. “Those outer bands of the storm can still provide winds and showers late Saturday into Sunday with Memphis being right in the middle of everything,” Sulipeck said.
“Depending on a game of inches, just like football, we might just be outside the outer bands.” Sulipeck said he expected the storm to cause some hiccups in game flow due to wind gusts possibly affecting kickoff and an occasional pass. Other than that, he said, it will be “a game-time decision.” n
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Friday, August 31, 2012 • 5
National
Isaac’s waters force thousands to flee in Louisiana, Mississippi
MCT
Leroy Smith, right, helps evacuate Michele Bowers with Hank Schlindwein, back, in La Place, La., on Thursday amid flooding from Hurricane Isaac.
By Tina Susman, Molly Hennessy-Fiske & John Glionna MCT
NEW ORLEANS – Isaac continued its slow march across Louisiana on Thursday as rising floodwaters forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate and officials launched a “controlled” release of water from a storm-stressed dam along the border with Mississippi. At least one death was reported. As evening approached on another soggy Gulf Coast day, hundreds of homes remained underwater and thousands of residents scrambled to emergency shelters. At least 500 people who had gambled on riding
out the storm were rescued by helicopter or boat. About a third of the state remained without electrical power, even as the once-mammoth Isaac was downgraded late Thursday to a tropical depression. Although levees protecting New Orleans held fast, sparing the city significant flooding, officials warned that the danger had not passed. Mayor Mitchell Landrieu lifted a dusk-to-dawn curfew but implored residents not to leave their homes on irresponsible sightseeing trips. “We’ve got people going block by block to assess water levels, but this storm has merely entered a different phase. It’s still dangerous. The game is not over until it’s over,” he said. The rains and winds eased
Thursday, but rural and suburban areas remained firmly in Isaac’s watery grip. Rivers across Louisiana continued to rise and many were predicted to reach historic flood levels of 20 feet or more before receding. In some places, entire communities were evacuated, including Kentwood, La., with a population of 2,200. In a region familiar with nature’s mayhem, survivors of past storm systems with names like Gustav, Ike and Katrina kept one eye on the sky and the other on rising waters, as meandering and unpredictable Isaac dumped as much as 16 inches of rain in some places. Downed trees and power lines continued to block roadways, and cars and trucks plunged headlong
into standing water. Each of southern Louisiana’s numerous parishes, or counties, faced its own misery. For some, tornado watches loomed throughout the day. And in storm-thrashed Plaquemines Parish, officials began work on a levy breach to prevent the structure’s failure. Meanwhile, people tried not to panic: A long line of cars snaked down nearby Belle Chasse highway for the one open gas station. Police cars patrolled grocery store parking lots, apparently to deter looters. But the day’s most tense drama occurred 60 miles northwest of New Orleans, where the Lake Tangipahoa dam — located just across the Mississippi border — showed signs of weakening. Officials ordered 60,000 residents within half a mile of the swelling Tangipahoa River to evacuate as crews with backhoes, bulldozers, pumps and other equipment rushed to the 2,300-foot-long earthen dam at Percy Quinn State Park. As workers conducted the “controlled breach,” a Louisiana National Guard helicopter hovered overhead, providing a minute-by-minute update of the dam’s condition. “You can see the water spilling over,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said at an afternoon briefing after a flyover of the dam, adding that officials did not think the dam had been compromised. “Even if they declare the operation a success, I would still stay evacuated because if there is a breach, we do not want people evacuating in the middle of the night,” Jindal said. “Go ahead and get out now before the water comes. That’s a lot better than having to be rescued.” Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant sounded a similarly ominous tone.
“It does just take a little breach to be a big problem for all of us because that water would get down south quick,” he told reporters before leaving to inspect the dam. Meanwhile, officials threw everything they could muster at Isaac. Jindal’s tally included 314 National Guard troops, 300 search and rescue workers and hundreds of boats, aircraft and other vehicles. Still, on many residential streets, storm waters defied sand bags, flooding into homes and engulfing rural roadside mail boxes. Residents without boats or Jet Skis were simply out of luck. At one flooded and abandoned home, two cows stood forlornly on a front porch surrounded by water, like two castaways marooned at sea. The skies above many communities were dotted with National Guard Black Hawk helicopters searching for residents in need of rescue. Along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans, dozens of buses and high-water vehicles helped evacuate about 3,000 people from rising waters. Even residents who were not threatened were asked to remain inside their homes, many of which remained under a boil-water advisory for drinking water. At day’s end, more than 610,000 people remained without power in Louisiana and 43,000 in Mississippi. A 62-year-old tow truck driver, Greg Parker, was killed overnight when a tree fell on the cab of his truck in Picayune, Miss., said Tony Bounds, a spokesman for Pearl River County’s emergency operations center in Poplarville, Miss. “With one of those wind gusts, the tree came over and crushed him,” he said. n
U of M ranks highly in Washington Monthly magazine college ratings By Kelsie Carter
news@dailyhelmsman.com The University of Memphis is doing something right, and it landed them in the top 20 percent of ranked colleges in the nation. The U of M is ranked No. 51 among 281 colleges by Washington Monthly magazine. The U of M secured its ranking thanks to recruiting and graduating low income students as well as
producing research from cuttingedge scholarships and awarding doctorates. The University also earned praise for encouraging students to give back to their country. Other Conference USA schools landed in the rankings as well. The University of Southern Mississippi ranked No. 69 and the University of Central Florida came in at No. 106. Neighboring Middle Tennessee State University also made the list
with a secure No. 127. The University is also ranked fifth for service staff, courses and financial aid support. “We know how important financial aid is in students lives and in trying to get their education,” said Richard Ritzman, director of student financial aid. “I had a problem [with the financial aid office] several semesters in a row,” senior Kyle Lacroix
said. “[My problems] stopped last semester.” Ritzman said that this year the financial aid office has tried to be “as proactive as possible,” by sending out information as soon as they receive it. “Every time we can do something earlier we have more time to work with students who are having problems,” Ritzman said. “There are usually long lines,
but they’ve gotten better about that too,” Lacroix said. Washington Monthly upholds that its rankings are based on more than how many people attend the university, but what the school is doing for the country. They also maintain that their ranking rubric is more important in determining the worth of an institution than other publications. n
6 • Friday, August 31, 2012
www.dailyhelmsman.com
Campus Life
U of M receives mobility grant By Melissa Wray
news@dailyhelmsman.com In five years, people with mobility issues, especially those who cannot afford the necessary equipment, will find their journeys becoming easier thanks to four professors at the University of Memphis. Biomedical engineering professors Joel Bumgardner, Amy de Jongh Curry, John Williams and Warren Haggard have been awarded a grant for more than $100,000 by the National Science Foundation in order to design devices for people who have a difficult time getting around. Bumgardner, interim department chair of the biomedical engineering department and principal investigator of the project, said the program provides a learning opportunity for the biomedical engineering students. “This is a chance for the students to learn about the biomedical design process that directly impacts clients and individuals, as well as increases awareness about issues and challenges for developing devices for individuals with mobility disabilities,” he said. The devices are not limited to a particular group of disabled people, according to Bumgardner. Individuals who rely on wheelchairs and are athletic, those that require motorized wheelchairs, those who rely on canes and walkers and individuals who are largely confined to hospital beds are eligible to receive these devices.
The grant provides direct funding to assist the students with purchasing supplies and materials needed to design new devices as well as broaden activities among departments and organizations that work solely with disabled individuals. Amy de Jongh Curry, associate professor and academic codirector of the biomedical engineering department, said this project also allows the group to expand their activity. “Instead of taking on one project here and there we’re able to take on several in a year’s time,” she said. Students who were involved in the previous project learned to design and build devices such as a hip brace, an elbow orthosis or a mobility scooter within the environmental constraints of cost, useability, affordability and creativity, Bumgardner added. There are important factors to consider with disabled individuals because they exhibit a wide range of functional ability, and it is “a challenge to manufacture devices to meet individual needs,” he said. “The students are also inspired and take great pride in their designs because of their interaction with their client,” he
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said. “They have the opportunity to see how their devices are used and improve their client’s lives.” The group will receive their funding Saturday with the intention of completing two projects within their first year, as well as completing two to three more in the coming years. Curry said she hopes this project will provide solutions for some of the students on campus, as well as the people in the community. “It will also provide a different kind of educational experience for the students, as well as get to know their clients’ needs a lot a better,” she said. Amber Dyson, sophomore business major, said the group’s efforts are helpful because they are aiding disabled people with something they need, but cannot afford. “It’s hard for me to walk around this campus, and I’m not even disabled,” she said. “I can only imagine what it’s like for someone who actually is.” n
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uuShuttle Continued from page 1 so we will know if [the students] want [the shuttle] all season,” Floyd said. The turnout will also determine if the Blue Line will run to away games and basketball games. Freshman Brooke Scott said he is glad the University is providing the shuttle service. “People that live in the dorms that don’t have cars shouldn’t be excluded,” he said. Saturday’s game starts at 6 p.m. The Blue Line will begin picking up students at 4 p.m. from the Central parking lot and dropping them off at gate six at the stadium. Three buses will carry 26 students and have two wheelchair accessible spaces. Floyd said the shuttle will return students and their guests to the Central parking lot after the game. Riders have a one-hour time
slot to get back to the bus after the game, but Floyd said drivers “will make sure that all the people in line at the gate will get picked up. No one in line will get left.” Students typically can only bring one guest on the Blue Line, but Floyd said the administrators wanted to make sure students were able to bring their friends and family members who wanted to see the first game so they can have an unlimited number of guests on the shuttle Saturday. Students wanting to pick up guest tickets to the game may buy up to two for $7 each at the Bursar’s Office while supplies last. Senior Dewayne Dickey, journalism major, said he will be riding the shuttle to the game. He said having the shuttle is a good idea because he believes “the main reason people don’t go to the games is because of transportation.” “Ride it,” Floyd said. “Get on board.” n
The University of Memphis
Friday, August 31, 2012 • 7
Photo By Christina Holloway | staff
A student boards the Blue Line for a trip back to his car at Central parking lot.
uuBlue Line
Continued from page 1
in the background. The driver, Keith Salee from Martin, Tenn., said he’s enjoyed his route so far and has gotten to meet a lot of students. At about 3 p.m. Salee said roughly 20 students had ridden the bus since his shift began at 11 a.m. “Once everyone learns the routes it’ll be good for everyone — students
and staff,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been here, students are real courteous, professional and appreciative.” Salee, who has a Class A and B commercial driver’s license, said he drove a tractor before beginning work for the U of M. He also drove a bus for his church. Tommy Miller, newly hired manager of transportation at the U of M, said he did not know how much the Blue Line costs, how the service came to campus, how much the gas for the
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buses costs, how the buses are funded or how the bus drivers are found. “I’ve been to at least 25 to 30 university websites since I’ve been here and almost all of these major universities have a shuttle line of some kind either in partnership with a city program or have their own like ours,” he said. “It seems to be the fashion of most universities to move students more efficiently and have fewer cars on campus.” A Daily Helmsman reporter was
told that Angela Floyd, director of parking and transportation services, would respond to questions about the Blue Line finances on Wednesday, however Floyd could not be reached for comment. The Blue Line stops are located in several spots on campus and students can also go to Memphis.transloc.com or download the free Transloc App to their phone to locate the buses. The buses are equipped with Transloc GPS systems, which track the buses as they move in real time. “I know the Transloc system is the best system and a lot of other major universities use it,” Miller said. During the summer, approximately 500 to 600 students rode the Blue Line buses per month, Miller said. About 300 students per day rode the buses on Monday and Tuesday this week, and Wednesday saw the number of riders rise to around 450. “Park and ride. Leave your car where you find a spot and hop on the Blue Line and it’ll get you where you want to go,” Miller said. “It’s more cost efficient. It gets vehicles off the streets for congestion and (helps with) pollution also.” Cali Neal, sophomore physical therapy major and two-time Blue Line rider said the bus is hard to catch. “I think the app isn’t working, or I’m using it wrong,” she said. “I expected it to be easier to catch and
for there to be a bus schedule.” Neal said she would not advise riding the bus if you’re in a hurry and is worried about the safety of riding it at night. At a town hall meeting Wednesday, Floyd said that it was difficult to come up with an exact schedule the buses could stick to because of the train that runs across the Blue Line’s route. She said as an alternative the University spent a lot of money on the best GPS system so that students could track the bus on the website or phone app. “Even though you have to show your student ID, other people can still just get on it, there’s no security and it runs until 11 p.m. at night,” she said. Allen Mamaril, sophomore biomedical engineering major, said he has not ridden one of the Blue Line buses yet, but thinks it could be convenient to some students. “I heard they were going to the Liberty Bowl and the Fed Ex Forum,” he said. “So I’ll probably use it for the games.” Mamaril said he probably wouldn’t use the system to get around campus because he likes walking around the University. “I don’t think it’s necessary. I guess it could be good for some people, especially with disabilities,” he said. “I guess some places are just too far for people.” n
Sports
Players get focus time By Bryan Heater
bheater@dailyhelmsman.com Most groups have a policy in effect to deal with media inquiries and several of those restrict media contact to employees or members of the group. A variety of purposes are given for the policies, but with University of Memphis football the reason is pure and simple: focus. Throughout most of the college football landscape, the media is cut off from player contact after Tuesday’s practice while coach-
es generally stop conversing after Wednesday. This can create tension between athletic media relations and news outlets, but as Ron Mears, director of athletic media relations at the U of M said, it is not to burn bridges, but to let the coaches and players put their full focus into the upcoming game. “The players have to focus on the game, and the coaches have to focus on the game,” Mears said. “Our coaches generally won’t talk to the media after Wednesday’s practice,
except for some occasions.” If these guidelines were not in place, players and coaches would be juggling their personal lives and the demands of practice and games, while also fielding daily questions from a variety of media. “We’d all be asking and interviewing them everyday if we could,” Mears said. “It’s a matter of giving the team some time to themselves so that they can go out there and do what they need to do to represent the University and the city in the right way.” n
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8 • Friday, August 31, 2012
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Golf looks to carry on last year’s success
photo By Joe MUrphy | speCial to the daily helMsMan
Junior Will Pearson is one of three returning Tigers who made the NCAA Championships last season.
By Bryan Heater
bheater@dailyhelmsman.com The University of Memphis Tigers men’s golf team is set to open their season Sunday in Verona, N.Y. The Tigers will compete in the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Missouri. The Tigers aim to build on last year’s historic season, when they won their first Conference USA
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title and returned to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 24 years. Returning for the Tigers are eight letter-winners from last year’s squad, including senior Steve Lee and juniors Will Pearson and Grant Milner, three of the five players from last season to make the NCAA Championships. Lee returns from a strong 20112012 campaign in which he finished
with a 74.3 stroke average. Pearson entered the scene midway through the season and took no time making his presence felt, compiling three top-15 finishes. Also returning for Memphis are seniors Carlson Cox and Lexus Keoninh. In last year’s Wolfpack Intercollegiate, a tournament that the Tigers won, Keoninh shot his way to a top-10 finish. Cox made
only one tournament appearance for the Tigers. Rounding out the returning players are sophomores Cory Gaylord and Alex Hoffman, as well as junior Erwan Vieilledent. Gaylord had an impressive freshman season, competing in four tournaments and posting a third-place finish at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate. The freshmen include John
Luke Tyner, who redshirted last year, and Drew Greenwood, who won the 2009 Arkansas 5A State Championship at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, Ark. The opening tournament will have 12 teams and will be at the Turning Stone Resort. The first two rounds are set for Sunday, with the final round scheduled for Monday. n
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