HOW ABOUT ABOUT A BOY? | PAGE 7
LYDIA ISN'T A FAN OF CAMPFIELD | PAGE 6
BASEBALL TAKES TWO WITH MSU | PAGE 8
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Tennessee Tech University | Cookeville, TN | 38505 | Est. 1924
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Volume 98 | Issue 15 | Free in single copy | March 21, 2014
Senators say “goodnight” to nap room bill SGA senators vote against bill to build a napping room. The vote on the bill failed with seven for, 23 against and one senator abstaining.
By ADAM WEBB & JORDAN BLAIR Beat Reporters
SGA presented a bill to designate a specific napping area on campus at their meeting on Mar. 18. The name of the bill presented was ”Creation of Napping Space Act of 2014.” The bill proposed that an unused room on campus would be transformed into a napping area for students. The room would be filled with beanbags, pillows, and couches for the comfort of students. SGA Senator Billy Hutton opposed the idea and said, “I mostly thought the idea sounded u n s a n i t a r y, and unnecessary. I feel that if a nap is a top priority and an urHutton gent thing for a student during the week, a 10-minute (most of the time less) drive home would not be a huge problem. “I do like the thought behind the bill that encourages students to live healthy lifestyles by getting the proper amount of sleep,” Hutton said. “However, the cons just simply outweigh the pros in this situation.” A student “monitor” would stay in the designated napping area to keep control of the room. Students would be required to swipe their Eagle Card to access the room. Students would be able to access the napping area for 30 minutes at a time to make sure all students have time to nap if needed. Lydia Brown and Drake Fenlon, the SGA senators that
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proposed the bill, dressed in their pajamas to pitch it. Brown said her inspiration for the bill came from an illness. “About a month ago, I got sick, and I was so tired that I ended up taking a nap every day on the Green Room couch between obligations for between half an hour and an hour,” Brown said. “After taking a little nap, I felt good Brown enough to go on with the rest of the day.” Previous studies have proven that naps increase focus and efficiency and do not prevent a good sleep at night. Large corporations such as Nike and Google provide their employees with designated napping areas and encourage naps to increase productivity. Tennessee Tech is not the first university to propose a napping area for students. Several universities, including Harvard, have provided napping areas of which students can take advantage. “I find it hard to believe that other universities have found a real need for a napping area on campus,” said Tennessee Tech student Holly Trice. “I don’t feel that an area like this would be used very much.” When asked if Tech would benefit from a nap room, computer science major, John Campbell said, “Yes. I see people napping in the library frequently.” Campbell said that he would only use the room if he had privacy. “Since the bill failed, I
I feel that if a nap is a top priority and an urgent thing for a student during the week, a 10-minute (most of the time less) drive home would not be a huge problem.
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— Billy Hutton, SGA Senator
Drake Fenlon | The Oracle CATCHING Z’S- Sophomore secondary education major Houston Fehrman catches a quick nap on a couch Thursday in the green room of the Backdoor Playhouse. Houston fit this nap in between a day of classes and rehearsal for the Playhouse production of “She Kills Monsters.” have heard from several students that they would indeed vote for and use a room for napping,” Brown said. “And considering how many students do not live on campus, Drake and I agreed that this would be the way to provide space for those students to pursue a healthy nap as convenient for them.” “I don’t think a napping room would benefit our university. As stated, there are many more cons than pros that come with this idea,” Hutton said. “If a student needs a peaceful and quiet place to relax or study during their time on campus, that is already established- our third floor of Volpe Library.” The vote on the bill failed with seven for, 23 against and one senator abstaining.
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Drake Fenlon | The Oracle NAP SACK- The giant bean bag sophomore music education major Torey Hart is napping on is similar to the ones that would have been made available by the rejected bill, which was voted down Tuesday night at the SGA meeting.
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I find it hard to believe that Since the bill failed, I have heard from several students that other universities have found a they would indeed vote for and use real need for a napping area on a room for napping. campus,”
—Lydia Brown,
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Nap Bill Sponsor
— Holly Trice,
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TTU Student
Chorale travels to Jacksonville, Fla. to attempt “choral suicide” By JORDAN PACE Guest Contributor
Just before Spring Break, the Tennessee Tech University Chorale embarked on a 5-day trip to Jacksonville, Fla. to perform at the annual Southern Division American Choral Directors Association convention. While away, the University’s premiere choir sang as members of the Collegiate Combined Chorus, collaborating with choirs from the University
of North Florida and Georgia State University, with accompaniment from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for the convention’s final performance. The performance included works composed and arranged by musicians from the mother country, Great Britain, such as the royal coronation anthems “Zadok the Priest” and “I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me,” and the 40-minute cantata “Belshazzar’s Feast.”
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The Collegiate Combined Chorus took direction from maestro Simon Halsey, conductor of the London Symphony Chorus and 3-time Grammy winner, for the convention’s final performance. His choice to perform the final piece, “Belshazzar’s Feast,” was described by Dr. Craig Zamer, director of Tennessee Tech Choral Activities and Program Chair for the convention, as “the most challenging piece I’ve
ever handed the ensemble to prepare and perform.” Additionally, y Halseyadmittedto the combined chorus during one of the convention’s rehearsals that the task Zamer of performing the piece was “choral suicide.” After completing over 15 hours of rehearsal during the convention combined with additional previous
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preparation, the Chorale performed a combined set of five works in roughly an hour and a half for fellow singers, choral directors, and the general public at the Jacoby Concert Hall. The Chorale’s participation in the convention drew regional visibility to the University’s choral program while potentially opening doors to opportunities and experiences in which the program aspires to achieve.
Omnicon to return to campus By SHANE FOLEY & MELISSA EDWARDS Beat Reporters
The Alpha Psi Phi club will host its annual Omnicon event in the STEM Center from Mar. 28 - 30. The event is a large free convention that pays tribute to fans of science fiction/fantasy related interests. The free event has guests from several different forms of media and entertainment scheduled to appear, including cosplay and art contests, anime, as well as several other celebrations of nerd culture. This will be the first time that the convention is free to the public. “The goal of the event is to be a social gathering full of awesome and nerdy things that everyone who finds interest in it can participate in,” event chair Cyril Focht said. James Campbell has been the Omnicon Chairman for the last two years. “Up until this point, we always charged an entry fee. However, thanks to the generous support of the SGA S.O.L.O. fund, we are able to host the event free of charge, while still upping the standards of the event,” Campbell said. In order to promote a larger crowd, several changes have been made in comparison to previous years when it was hosted in the RUC. The STEM Center was chosen for a more condensed setting. Campbell said that the University Center had enough room for the event, but it’s size made it difficult to navigate for guests who were unacquainted with the building. The STEM Center’s proximity to Sherlock Park enables Omnicon to have outdoor events, as well. “We’ve also got an outdoor Quidditch demonstration being put on by the TTU Golden Hippogriffs. More events are being added as we close in on the event,” Campbell said. “This will be my third year attending Omnicon,” senior Andrea Brys said. “Last year’s attendance wasn’t as high as it’s been in the past due to the event being scheduled on the tail end of Spring Break. But, there have been some changes to the con this year that’ll make it bigger and better than ever.” Omnicon will be bringing in a variety of guests to TTU, including comic book artists, musicians, and voice actors. “I’m always excited for all our guests because they all bring something different. We’re especially excited for Dameon Clarke,” Campbell said. “He’s a voice over artist that recently provided the voice and face of the character Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2. Still, all the guests bring something different to the table, whether they’re locals or big stars.”
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