The Oracle - Nov. 2, 2012 by TN Tech Oracle

HURRICANE SANDY AND ISRAEL | PAGE 6

PURPLEPALOOZA EXCITMENT | PAGE 8

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘CLOUD ATLAS’ | PAGE 11

More stories and exclusive content at tntechoracle.com

THE

Tennessee Tech University | Cookeville, TN | 38505

RACLE

Volume 96 | Issue 6 | Free in single copy | November 2, 2012

Editor declares Golden Eagles ‘surprising’ season explainable

By ROSS HARVEY Sports Editor

Tech’s football team is 0-5 in the OVC and 2-6 overall so far in 2012, one year removed from an Ohio Valley Conference Championship and the school’s first visit to the FCS Playoffs. All I’ve heard the past few weeks is the public’s reasoning for the team’s “poor play,” as I’ve heard it called. However, let me go in a different direction. Although you may not have expected a 2-6 record at this point in the season, when you look at the facts, it’s not surprising. You may describe the team’s play as “underachieving.” I describe it as unfortunate. Take last week’s game vs. Tennessee State University, for instance. Tech’s defense held the top team in the OVC to 15 points for 59 minutes and 59 seconds. At that point in the game, Tech had the lead. That’s pretty decent. Tech was outgained in every phase except perhaps discipline and still had a chance to put the game away with less than three minutes left. A long field goal didn’t go, and TSU ended up scoring with no time remaining on a play where officials missed the fact TSU was lined up illegally. I’m not one to blame the officials for a loss, especially when no one knows what might have happened, but facts are facts. Considering starting quarterback Tre Lamb missed the game because of an injury, and starting running back Adam Urbano has been limited because of an injury as well, I would say the team overachieved during the game. Defensive stalwart Caleb Mitchell also didn’t make the trip. Sophomore Darian Stone played excellently in relief of Lamb, sparking the Golden Eagles with his legs

Photos courtesy of Jamal Ferguson, James Dillon and Ross Harvey

Despite the presence of transfer wideout Da’Rick Rogers, top left, Tech’s football team, bottom left, has gone winless in this year’s OVC campaign. Multiple injures that have forced backups to play in key positions, such as quarterback Darian Stone, right. at many points throughout the game. He led the team to the brink of victory. The loss was unfortunate. Let’s look at Da’Rick Rogers. Most people thought he would propel Tech to back-to-back championships when he joined the team in late August. A terrific talent, Rogers has 45 receptions for more that 700 yards and eight touchdowns.

But without having the benefit of a full spring practice, Rogers can’t be expected to have the same grasp of Watson Brown’s system four-year player Tim Benford had last year. Don’t forget Benford was pretty good as well. He’s currently in the NFL. Rogers has had his glimpses, but between an ankle injury and the lack of time in the system, he can’t be on the field every play like Benford was.

Unfortunate. And fans, one last point… The team last year spoiled you. They took care of business last year and won the OVC, and we, as fans, would love for it to happen every year. But there are eight other teams that put the bull’s-eye on Tech’s back this year, getting amped up to play the defending champs. Repeating as champs isn’t the easiest

thing to do. I am not making excuses for the team because I’m sure they and coach Brown would give you none. But the fact remains that multiple issues other than the team across the sideline have stood in the Golden Eagles’ way. And we just looked at one game. Sometimes there isn’t much you can do about it. It’s just unfortunate.

SGA moves to revive Tech traditions $250k grant to support

change from coal to gas

By KYLE MARTIN Staff Writer

SGA established the Historical Traditions Committee Tuesday night. When student senator Caleb Hodges proposed the idea for this committee, it passed with unanimous support from SGA members. “Our goal is to bring back old tradition and implement new tradition here at Tennessee Tech,” Hodges said. “Other large universities are steeped in tradition, and we don’t have that one tradition that we consistently do that students, faculty and alumni can rally around.” Hodges said many campus traditions have faded over the years, such as “Shinny-Ninny” and the “Blizzard.”

By JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer

Photo Services

Tech’s “Blizzard” is among the traditions SGA hopes to revive with the Historical Traditions Committee.

These events were based around sport rivalries with other state universities, and over time with growing enrollment and schools changing divi-

sions traditions have become memories. “We want to bring traditions like that back to Tech,” Hodges said. “We want students and

TNTECHORACLE.COM FRIDAY 53/35 °F

SATURDAY 57/35 °F

upcoming students to have something to looked forward to and get excited about. See “Traditions,” page 2

@TNTECHORACLE SUNDAY 55/34 °F

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation awarded Tech the Clean Tennessee Energy Grant Award Oct. 24 in the amount of $250,000 to go toward transitioning from coal to natural gas in energy production. “It’s our anticipation this will be our last winter on coal,” Jack Butler, associate vice president for facilities and business services, said. The campus ran on natural gas during the summer months but will still depend on coal this winter. “We don’t have the ability to carry a winter load on gas and have a backup in case that boiler went down,” Butler said. “So we could be burning gas now, even though it’s colder, but if that boiler went down we wouldn’t have a backup, so the university would be without heat until we came up on coal.” According to Tech’s grant proposal, the TTU Coal Fired Steam

Plant currently runs on four boilers. In the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the plant consumed 6,837 tons of coal, costing the university $1,111,248. The university plans to eliminate coal usage by switching the large boiler, number five, that burns Stoker Coal to natural gas. Butler said the full transition is set to take place in the spring or summer of 2013. The $650,000 transition is projected to save Tech $368,330 annually and have a payback period of 1.76 years. Though Tech has acted in compliance with the Title V permit— which is required of companies having operations involving major air contaminants—through maintenance, air filtering and limiting air emissions, the plant reported a total of 220 tons of air pollutant emissions during the 2011-2012 fiscal year. With the use of natural gas, the university anticipates a 95.3 percent annual reduction to 10.3 tons.

See “Grant,” page 2

FACEBOOK.COM/TNTECHORACLE MONDAY 55/34 °F

TUESDAY 54/34 °F

WEDNESDAY 52/34 °F

CONTACT: news - 931.372.3285 - oracle@tntech.edu | advertising - 931.372.3031 - ttuoracleads@gmail.com

NEWS Page 2 | November 2, 2012

tntechoracle.com

Coming home for events the television shows @ tech

CRIME BRIEFS: - Not Available - Not Available Classification: Intimidation Location: Other (Ninth & Dixie) Disposition: Open Case Notes: Insufficient time frame & vehicle info at this time - Sept. 27 - Not Available Classification: Destruction/Damage/ Vandalism Location: New Hall South Disposition: Open Case Notes: Vandalism to Motorcycle - Oct.1 - 12:00 Classification: Intimidation Location: Derryberry Hall (Office) Disposition: Open Case Notes: None - Oct. 9 - Not Available Classification: Destruction/Damage/ Vandalism Location: West Stadium (Storage Closet) Disposition: Open Case Notes: Lock cut from a storage door - Oct. 11 - 6:22 Classification: Other (Loud music, suspi cious person, harassment, minor distur bance) Location: McCord Hall Disposition: Closed. Referred to Dean of Students. Notes: Loud music coming from dorm r room, disturbing surrounding commu nity - Oct. 12 - 2:24 Classification: Other (Open Theft) Location: Warf Hall (Bike Rack) Disposition: Open Case. Notes: None - Oct. 18- Not Available Classification: Theft of Vehicle Parts Location: Facility, Business Services Building (Parking Lot). Disposition: Open Case Notes: None.

- Oct. 19 - 4:00 Classification: Theft from Building Location: Evins Hall (Laundry Room) Disposition: Open Case Notes: None.

By ASHLEY AYUB Beat Reporter

As Tech’s Homecoming week comes to an end, students anticipate tomorrow’s festivities. The Tech Activities Board is in charge of Homecoming, and the chosen theme is “Tech on TV.” Every organization participating has a choice to compete in various events throughout the week to gain points for overall Homecoming champions. “We have 19 organizations participating this year, which is up from last year because we only had 17,” Shelby Reagan, TAB adviser, said. “All the resident halls are participating also, which is new.” This year instead of having spirit day participation points, TAB decided to have Welcome President Oldham Day today. “We wanted to encourage students to go to President Oldham’s Investiture Ceremony,” Reagan said. “It is an important time for the university, having a new president and all, so we wanted to tie that in with Homecoming.”

- Oct. 23 - 9:41 Classification: Drug/ Narcotic Violation Location: Maddux Hall Disposition: Closed. Referred to Dean of Students Notes: None. - Oct. 23 - 11:14 Classification: Simple Assault Location: New Hall South Disposition: Closed. Referred to Dean of Students. Notes: None. - Oct. 23- 12:46 Classification: Breaking &Entering Location: Foundation Hall Disposition: Open Case Notes: Also pried open light box (Vandalism) for use on basketball court. - Oct. 23 - Not Available Classification: Destruction/Damage/ Vandalism Location: Johnson Hall Disposition: Open Case Notes: None. - Oct. 25 - 2:59 Classification: 7:00 Location: New Hall South Disposition: Closed. Referred to Dean of Students Notes: Also had drug paraphernalia - Oct. 26 - 1:20 Classification: Theft from Building Location: Bryan Fine Arts Building Disposition: Open Case Notes: Student left purse in room. Missing property.

Grant

For up-to-date crime information, visit tntechoracle.com

The Queens of Tech “

By JODI LAWRENCE, Beat Reporter

Being elected Homecoming Queen for 76-77 year was the most humbling honor and greatest shock of my life at that point. I will always remember it. It was especially sweet to be invited later on to Homecoming with all other previous Homecoming Queens to ride in the parade and participate in halftime activities. I found out that another lady at my local church was also a previous TTU Homecoming Queen!

“

Anita Phillips Moore, 1976

“

The experience of running for queen came at a difficult time in my life where I was so thankful for the love and support of my family, my Phi Mu sisters, and my teammates, and I felt like I needed a win. Honestly, just making Homecoming court was enough for me. I was honored to have even made it that far. Out on the field, after they had announced everyone else’s names and I realized our names were the only ones left, it hit me. We had won. So for me, being crowned Homecoming Queen was more than just a couple of parades and a sparkly crown. It was an opportunity to be the one everyone else was cheering for, and it felt surreal! It is a feeling I will never forget.

“

Katie Pierce, 2010

Being Homecoming Queen was such an honor! I will never forget Homecoming day and the moment the queen was announced. It was so great to see all of my sisters in the crowd cheering me on. It is truly something I will forever cherish.

“

Caroline Harlan, 2011

Traditions CONTINUED from page 1

I love both TTU and Homecoming, so to be a part of it was a big deal to me. Although I wore the crown, I give all the credit to my Phi Mu sisters, friends and family. Without them I wouldn’t have received a single vote, and I want to thank them for all the support they gave me. Being able to represent a university of such high quality is truly a memory I’ll always cherish.

Hailey Fanning, 2009

CONTINUED from page 1 Currently, Tech’s plant produces approximately 480 tons of coal ash per year. The ash is transported by truck to an approved landfill in Indiana. The total emissions from the ash transportation were not included in the proposal document. The Clean Tennessee Energy Grant Program provides financial assistance to state and local government agencies and private businesses and organizations to purchase, install and construct energy products that reduce emissions and pollutants.

“My initial idea was to have a Traditions week which would be a different event every day to remember old traditions, but we don’t want to only focus on old traditions. I would like to start some new traditions, so current students can be a part of it.” Many traditions have become such a part of campus that students don’t take the time to appreciate the history behind it. For example, The Memorial Gym to many students is the place students take physical education classes, but the building was actually named in honor of our students and alumni who died in WWII. South Patio has been the main hangout for students since the RUC opened in 1971, although the term “south patio” did not really come into use until the plaza was built in the mid-’80s. The Main Quad was the original campus, known as Dixie College, and is home to the “Big Oak,” the largest tree on the quad predating Dixie College itself. The land was deeded to the state upon the establishment of Tech in 1915.

TAB President Lindsay Adcock agreed. “We have more participation points for the Welcome President Oldham Day because we really want students to go and support our President during the Investiture, so this is an incentive for students to attend,” Adcock said. Some of the themes organizations are doing include “Veggie Tales,” “The Golden Girls,” “Kenan and Kel,” “The Flintstones,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “Pokémon,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Smurfs” and “Hey Arnold!” Monday’s event was a banner competition. Tuesday was “Jeopardy!” Night. Wednesday was a canned food drive and “The Amazing Race” field games. The week ends with today as Welcome President Oldham Day and tomorrow’s parade and football game. The winners for each individual event will be announced throughout the football game, and the overall Homecoming champions will be announced during the fourth quarter of the game.

Andy Loftis, power plant manager, said Tech was one of four government agencies chosen from 333 applications to receive funding from TDEC. The award process was based on three criteria: cleaner alternative energy, including biomass, geothermal, solar and wind energy; energy conservation, including lighting, HVAC improvements, improved fuel efficiency, insulation and idling minimization; and air quality improvement, including sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, hazardous air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Tech met all criteria.

Since its beginning as Dixie College in 1909, and then to Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in 1916, Tech has grown dramatically. The institute, with 13 faculty members, opened its doors to 19 college students at the start of the 1916-1917 academic year. At the time, Tech’s campus consisted of 18 acres of undeveloped land, an administrative building and two dormitories. Since Tech was established, the university has blossomed from three buildings located on the fringes of a daisy field to an 87-building complex situated on 235 acres. The faculty has grown from the 13 men and women to about 370 today. From the first class of 19 students, Tennessee Tech’s enrollment has grown to more than 11,500. “Though Tech has grown and changed, traditions cannot be forgotten,” Hodges said. “There is plenty of history and tradition here. We just want to make sure students know about it. I want our students to have a passion about something other than just academics that we can generally rally around and make our own.” For more information on the Historical Traditions Committee, contact Hodges at calebhodges42@gmail. com.

November

2 9:30 a.m. Dr. Oldham’s presidental Investiture Hooper Eblen Center 5:00 p.m. Homecoming Pep Rally Memorial Gym 7:30 p.m. Fall Trumpet Festival Concert Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts

10:30 a.m. Homecoming Parade Dixie Avenue 1:30 p.m. Homecoming game vs. Eastern Illinois (OVC)

4 2:00-7:00 p.m. Senior Student Recitals Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

5 All Week Advisement for Spring 2013 Semester All Week Scholastic Book Fair Bartoo Hall 7:30 p.m. TTU Faculty Jazz Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building 7:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball hosts Lee (Exhibition) Hooper Eblen Center

6 7:30 p.m. The Cumberland Quintet Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building

8 7:30 p.m Isle of Klezbos Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building 7:30 p.m TTU Percussion Ensemble Wattenbarger Auditorium, Bryan Fine Arts Building 8:00 p.m. “Caberet” opens at the Backdoor Playhouse 8:30 p.m TTU Swing Dance

Memorial Gym Basement

10 1:30 p.m. Football hosts final home game against UT- Martin

tntech.edu/calendar

NEWS tntechoracle.com

Page 3 | November 2, 2012

Alumni Relations reaches out to Tech graduates By MICA BILBREY Beat Reporter Tech Alumni Relations spreads the word to alumni about its services and what it is doing to further connect with graduates. Tracey Duncan, director of alumni relations, said Alumni Relations reaches out to Tech alumni through phone calls, email and internet sources. “In this day of technology, we can do that electronically for free,” Duncan said. “The first thing that we do is send everything out through email regarding events like Homecoming and big events on campus. We also send out an electronic e-newsletter about once a quarter, and that includes news, announcements and event schedules.” Duncan said they also reach out to Tech alumni using sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to get the word out about what is happening on Tech’s campus. James Jones, Tech alumnus, said the Tech Alumni Relations department does keep in contact with him frequently. “They send me stuff all the time in the mail,” Jones said. “They send me things like what events that are going on, what is new on campus and even the sports

Photo Services

Hundreds of Tech alumni attend the Homecoming game each year from all over the country. Saturday’s game against Eastern Illinois University kicks off at 1:30 p.m.

program will try to get me to sign up for season tickets every year for football, baseball and basketball.” Importance of Alumni Lucas Flatt, Tech alumnus, said it is important to be an alumnus of Tech. “I think that Tech has a history of success with graduates and alumni,” Flatt said. “With the training I have got from teaching composition in the master’s degree program, I think their training is excellent, so I do feel like I have gotten a lot out of being an alumni.”

Duncan said the importance of alumni is to help out the university by giving back not just financially but by spreading the word about the campus. “A lot of people assume that just means giving back financially, but it also means that we need our alumni who are employers to hire our students,” Duncan said. “We also want neighbors to tell their neighbors’ kids or grandkids about Tennessee Tech and to encourage them to visit the campus.” James Jones, Tech alumnus, said he also believes

there’s a big importance to being a Tech alum. “It’s a top quality school,” Jones said. “I met a lot of people, and I have learned a lot. Tech was a big influence in my life, and Tech still is a big influence in my life.” Homecoming Duncan said Homecoming is important because it is a long tradition of the school and for the alumni to come together to see what all has changed. “Homecoming is more of a tradition that goes back a long time,” Duncan said.

“It’s for alumni to come back to campus and enjoy and see what has happened since they graduated.” Jones said Homecoming is important to him because he can spend time with his greek brothers and see other alumni he wouldn’t get to see otherwise. “Homecoming for me is a good thing, and I enjoy it,” Jones said. “Homecoming is where I get to meet other alumni from other greek organizations that I got to know. It’s the one time of year that I get to see

other greeks that I knew.” Services Duncan said Tech offers alumni other services, such as insurance through Liberty Mutual. “We have insurance programs, for example, where you can get auto and home insurance for a discount because they are part of the Alumni Association,” Duncan said. “We offer long term care insurance, short term health insurance and travel programs.” Improvement Duncan said Alumni Relations is trying to improve on collecting updated emails so they can better contact Tech alumni and update its directory. “The number one thing is obtaining more email addresses,” Duncan said. “We keep about 50 percent of email addresses from alums, so we don’t have email addresses from the other half. We are asking at events, and at our annual phone-athon callers get emails.” Flatt said he hasn’t received a phone call or email in a while. “They might try to contact me through my Tech accounts, but I don’t have access to them anymore,” Flatt said. “I also haven’t updated my information either, so that is my fault for not setting the email up to be forwarded.”

-TECH NIGHTTursday Only %

30 OFF 791 South Jefferson Avenue Cookeville, TN 38501

Largest Variety of Hibachi - Sushi - Buffet The BIGGEST Tech discount in Cookeville 30% off, Thursday only! Plus: 10% off EVERYDAY! Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/mandarin.palace

(931) 525-2628 www.mandarinpalacetn.com *must present Tech ID for discounts...

for students and staff!

NEWS Page 4 | November 2, 2012

tntechoracle.com

Meet the Homecoming candidates By SHELBY MCDONALD, Beat Reporter / Photos courtesy of SGA/Greek Tia Repscher & Bobby Adams Repscher is a senior psychology major from Kingston, Tenn. Repscher is representing Phi Mu. Adams is a senior chemical engineering major from Kingsport, Tenn. Adams is representing Phi Gamma Delta. Repscher

Adams Meredith Painter & Joshua Aikens Painter is a senior speech communications major from Red Boiling Springs, Tenn. Painter is representing Delta Gamma.

Photo Services

Aikens is a senior accounting and finance major from Franklin, Tenn. Aikens is representing Chi Alpha.

Last year’s floats featured world destinations. This year’s parade starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Organizations gear up for Homecoming By BRITTANY FRANKLIN Beat Reporter With Homecoming and purple pride in the air, students have been buying supplies, working on floats and getting involved in this week’s events. This year some fraternities and sororities have teamed up to work on Homecoming activities. “We are paired with a fraternity, and both organizations have a set budget on what we can spend on Homecoming needs,” Meredith Painter, Delta Gamma sister and vice president of social standards, said. “Budgets come from our dues that we all pay as members.” The theme this year for homecoming is “Tech on TV,” according to Tech’s website. “Some of the themes that will be featured this year are

‘Dukes of Hazzard,’ ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ ‘The Flintstones’ and ‘The Smurfs,’” Kayla Chaffin, president of Phi Mu, said. Chaffin said most of Greek Life is participating in Homecoming this year, as well as some other student organizations, such as Tech’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Organizations entering the float competition have been working to complete them in time for tomorrow’s parade. The organizations get float supplies from various places in the area. “All of the wood we use for homecoming is bought at hardware stores, but this year it was donated by alumni,” Painter said. Some organizations use a tissue-like paper called pomp to decorate the floats. Painter said they buy all their pomp from a store in Knoxville.

Painter said Sigma Chi fraternity and Delta Gamma sorority had a meeting at the beginning of the semester to come up with ideas for their float. “We go to our float site for nights on end and work for extended periods of time,” Painter said. Organizations also participate in other Homecoming events. Chaffin said some activities for Homecoming this year were a banner competition, a canned food drive, “Jeopardy!” night, “Amazing Race” games, President Oldham’s investiture and tonight’s pep rally. The pep rally begins Friday at 5 p.m. in Memorial Gym. The parade will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on Jefferson Avenue and will proceed on Dixie Avenue to campus.

Painter

Aikens Samantha Sherrell & Alex Hutto Sherrell is a senior accounting major from Cookeville, Tenn. Sherrell is representing Kappa Delta Sorority. Hutto is a senior physical therapy major from Lebanon. Hutto is representing Sigma Chi.

Sherrell

Hutto Katie Henderson & Raymond Chan Henderson is a senior nursing major from Cookeville. Henderson is representing Alpha Delta Pi. Chan is a junior biology-health science major from Cookeville. Chan is representing Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Henderson

Chan Sarah Arnold & Noa Stroop Arnold is a junior math major from Hendersonville, Tenn. Arnold is representing Chi Alpha. Stroop is a junior mechanical engineering major form Mt. Juliet, Tenn. Stroop is representing Kappa Sigma.

Arnold

Stroop

College of Business, Men’s Wearhouse invite students to ‘suit up’ workshop

R E V O 400

By JORDAN KERLEY Beat Reporter

JACKETS TO CHOOSE FROM

Styles like *Redpoint *Knumbu *Denali *OSO *Osito *Apex Bionic *Triclimate *Blaze *Venture *AND MORE!

Men’s Wearhouse is offering a dress for success workshop and an opportunity to be measured for a suit Nov. 15. The College of Business has teamed up with Men’s Wearhouse for a campus-wide event called Suit Up. “This event is open to anyone who wants to attend,” Amy Jo Carpenter, student to career program manager, said. “An email was originally sent out to men only since it was Men’s Wearhouse that was coming, but everyone is welcome to come.” From 11 a.m. to noon Men’s Wearhouse will do a

dress for success workshop with the staff where they will talk to students about how to dress for the job they want. After the workshop students will be offered the option to be measured for suits across the hall from the auditorium in the Virginia Plummer Room. “Once students have been measured, they will be given a card with their exact measurements which will allow the student to purchase a suit specifically fitted for them,” Carpenter said. Students who attend career fairs and go to job interviews know how important it is to look the part. “This sounds like a great idea,” senior Gabe Collins

said. “Some people really don’t know how to even start when it comes to the interview process, and it’s nice that they are taking time out of their jobs to help others and give pointers.” Carpenter said she wants to organize a similar event for women in the future and is trying to find a vender to partner with her to make it happen. A sign-up sheet has been posted to ttustudent2career. com/suit-up/ to help give Men’s Wearhouse a good estimate of how many students plan on attending this event, so they can bring enough personnel to help. This event will be held Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. in the Johnson Hall Auditorium.

Campus transforms into safe haven for LGBT students By LINDSEY GORE Beat Reporter

Styles like *Monkey Man/Woman *Pyxis *Epic *Android, *Nitrous *Principia *Compressor *Mountain Tech *AND MORE!

On the Courthouse Square, Cookeville, TN Hours: Monday-Friday 10-6 & Sat. 10-3 Check us out on Facebook or at CMOSports.com

15% OFF

any one regular priced item (excludes Boy Scout products) Cumberland Mountain

*Cannot be combined with any other offers Outdoor Sports Expires: Dec. 31, 2012 Courthouse Square, Cookeville (931) 526-6239

Project Safe Haven is turning departments and offices around campus into safe places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students. Lambda, Tech’s gaystraight alliance, started the project to give LGBTQ students safe places to talk and get resources after bullying and suicide numbers among the LGBTQ community have been on the rise. “TTU Lambda GSA started it mostly because of the bullying and suicide epidemic that has affected a lot of LGBT individuals,” Abel Howard, junior and GSA president, said. “A lot of students come

out to their teachers first before their peers. High schools and universities all over the United States have a Safe Haven project for this reason. We also wanted to expand the places the students would be able to get information for questions they have. It also means a lot to someone our age to see older generations and people we respect support us.” The Safe Havens make information such as hotline numbers available, and members of the Safe Haven will be available for students to talk to about difficult LGBTQ issues. “Students will be given tons of information on different topics surrounding the LGBT community, from sui-

We offer a wide range of photography services at affordable rates. Sports, social events, portraits & wedding packages are available that’s right for your special moment! Visit our new website at: www.charlesbrownphotography.com Cookeville, TN (931) 528-7825

cide prevention to coming out to your family and friends,” Howard said. “They will also have an ally they can speak to, which is a wonderful feeling.” The Women’s Center signed up to be the first Safe Haven on campus. “Women’s centers have historically been safe havens without really calling themselves that,” Diana Lalani, secretary for the women’s center, said. “Women understand what it is to be the underdog. Women’s organizations embrace diversity.” Students can get involved with by joining GSA and visiting the TTU Safe Haven Facebook page.

FEW CAN BE MARINES. EVEN FEWER CAN LEAD THEM.

Our officer candidates are rigorously screened, tested and evaluated for the moral, intellectual and physical qualities required to lead Marines in defense of our nation. If you prove

you have what it takes to become a Marine OfямБcer, the path of most resistance will lead to a life of distinction, purpose and honor. Few can be Marines. Even fewer can lead them.

MARINEOFFICER.COM | 1.800.MARINES

IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, TALK TO A MARINE CORPS OFFICER SELECTION OFFICER ABOUT OFFICER CANDIDATES SCHOOL. 2246 KEENELAND COMMERCIAL BLVD, SUITE B, MURFREESBORO, TN 37129 OR CALL (615) 895-9655.

OPINION

Election

2012

Page 6 | November 2, 2012

tntechoracle.com

Students weigh in on the Election SOME DON’T LIKE THEIR CHOICES, some didn’t watch the debates, and many haven’t even registered – whatever the reason, more than one-third of Tech students polled this week said they weren’t going to bother voting Tuesday. With national polls showing candidates Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama in a dead-heat in their 2012 bids, the campaigns have focused on battleground states like Ohio, Virginia and Florida. Tennessee’s 11 electoral votes are expected to fall to the Romney/Ryan ticket. Of those that are voting, most polled students at Tech will be voting “red” too.

Tech Students: Are you voting?

Tech Students: Who are you voting for?

64%

50%

Yes

Romney/Ryan

36%

Undecided

47%

Obama/Biden

Other Poll conducted by JUSTIN DUKE

the STUDENT on the

STREET

Does your vote matter? I’m not voting because I haven’t watched anything about them. Whenever I listened to them they were just bad-mouthing the other, so I turned it. I’m just waiting to see who God puts in there, and whoever is there will be the right decision.

ETHAN DUKE, Freshman

People tell me it matters. But in Tennessee, I don’t know if it really matters, because they’re going to go Republican. I think it’s KLÄUP[LS` PTWVY[HU[ [V vote for representatives, but as far as President, the Electoral College is the one who decides that.

EVIE KINSLOW, Freshman

I do feel that my vote matters; maybe not as much as the swing states, but it still matters. It’s important for students to ]V[L >OV [HRLZ VMÄJL UV^ ^PSS PUÅ\LUJL V\Y lives and our children’s lives, so we need to be a part of that decision.

BROOKE PACK, Senior

Illustration by ALDEN BRUCE

Hurricane Sandy: The alarm has sounded HALEY MULLINS Assistant Opinion Editor The United States government has placed pressure on Israel to give up land for peace for many years. However, the land of Israel was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants. This pressure has resulted in judgment on the U.S. from the same God that promised Israel to the Jews. Now, more than ever, I am convinced our treatment of Israel is directly related to recent natural disasters America has suffered through. The siren has been sounded, warning America to stand by Israel or suffer the wrath that will surely come. The Northeast United States was hammered with a super storm known as Sandy Oct. 30. This “Perfect Storm” is being reported as one of the most disastrous storms to ever hit the U.S. Some Americans may be experiencing deja vu. Exactly 21 years ago, the Northeast U.S. was preparing for the first “Perfect Storm.” But what has the U.S. done against Israel this time to

THE

make God release his wrath and send down a warning? Oct. 30, 1991: President George H.W. Bush opened up the historic Mid East Peace Conference in Madrid to encourage Arabs and Israelis to “lay down the past.” On that same day, “The Perfect Storm” hit the U.S. The waves from the first “Perfect Storm” were the largest ocean waves ever recorded and almost wiped out Present George H. W. Bush’s home in Kenebunkport, Maine. Oct. 30, 2012: Hurricane Sandy, the second “Perfect Storm” hit New York City and the Northeast U.S. Sandy caused widespread damage estimated to be in the billions of dollars. The Palestinians made an official move to make steps to declare itself a state to the United Nations, and the application was to be presented Oct. 30. The U.N., however, was unable to open its doors to vote on the request because of Hurricane Sandy. This is not the only creepy coincidence of the U.S. being

ORACLE

Weekly. Student Operated. Award-winning. Tennessee Tech University TTU Box 5072 Cookeville, TN 38505 WILL HOUSLEY Editor-in-Chief DRAKE FENLON Managing Editor BRIDGETTE BUCHANAN Business Manager KRISTINA DYESS Sales Assistant EMILY HAILE Copy Editor JONATHAN KAULAY Opinion Editor HALEY MULLINS Asst. Opinion Editor ROSS HARVEY Sports Editor

JAMAL FERGUSON Asst. Sports Editor JACOB THREET Entertainment Editor LINDSEY GORE Entertainment Critic HANNAH BENJAMIN Entertainment Critic MELISSA EDWARDS Web Editor WILL SHECKLER Circulation Manager HOLLY COWART Faculty Adviser

MySanantonio.Com

A natural gas technician walks the flooded streets of New Jersey looking for gas leaks in homes. struck by a devastating storm at the very moment we started pulling away our support for Israel. Aug. 23, 1992: The Madrid Conference moved to Washington D.C., and peace talks resumed. So did God’s warnings! Hurricane Andrew came ashore and left more than 180,000 Floridians homeless. Hurricane Andrew is second only to Hurricane Katrina in financial damage. Jan. 16, 1994: President

Bill Clinton met with Syria’s President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva about a peace agreement with Israel that included Israel giving up the Golan Heights. Within 24 hours, a powerful 6.9 earthquake rocked Southern California. The earthquake was the third most destructive natural disaster to hit the United States, behind Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Andrew. Sept. 28, 1998: President Clinton met with Yasser

Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House to finalize the land deal that had Israel give up 13 percent of Yesha (Judah and Samaria). On this same day, Hurricane George slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast and stalled with 110 mph winds and gusts up to 175 mph. Later, Arafat addressed the U.N. about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999. At the exact time Arafat departed the U.S., the

VOICE YOUR OPINION

Advertising 931.372.3031

Opinion 931.372.3285 jpkaulay42@students. tntech.edu

Newsroom 931.372.3285 oracle@tntech.edu

The Oracle encourages readers to write letters and commentaries on topics of interest. A few guidelines:

REPORT AN ERROR

1. Letters should not exceed 300 words. Commentaries should

ttuoracleads@gmail.com

Editor 931.372.3285 wahousley21@students. tntech.edu

be around 500 words and include a picture. 2. Originality is required. Plagiarized works will not be considered. 3. For verification, letters and commentaries MUST include your name, e-mail address, home town and classification or title.

storm began to dissipate. Oct. 15-22, 1998: Arafat and Netanyahu met again in the U.S. to continue talks that focused on Israel giving up 13 percent of Yesha. Torrential rains and massive tornadoes hit southern Texas Oct. 17. The floods ravaged 25 percent of Texas, and 31 people died. President Clinton declared it a major disaster area. May 3, 1999: Arafat was scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital. However, the declaration was postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton because the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the U.S. swept across Oklahoma and Kansas that day. President Clinton’s letter to Arafat sent words of encouragement in “aspirations for his own land.” Aug. 15, 2005: The Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip were forced out of their homes on this day in response to pressure by the U.S. on Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, to force the Israeli military to remove Jews from Gush Katif, Gaza for a future Palestinian State. The State Department said they were to be removed by Aug. 15, 2005, without excuse. This story continues online...

4. Letters may not run in every edition due to space. 5. The Oracle reserves the right to edit for style, grammar, length and clarity. 6. Submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

BEAT REPORTERS: Jared Anderson, Ashley Ayub, Mica Bilbrey, Brandi Campbell, Andrew Chaney, Kayla Clouse, Candace Cutlip, Danielle Davis, Justin Duke, Brittany Franklin, Chayce Gaw, Ryan Gibbons, Lindsey Gore, Hayley Greenhouse,

Callen Harrell, Drew Haston, Matthew Hill, Emily Homan, Dillon James, Travis Johnson, Jonathan Kaulay, Jordan Kerley,

tntechoracle.com

John Lamb, Jodi Lawrence, Gerilyn Lemons, Lauren Luckhart, Kyle Martin, Shelby McDonald, Chandler Pecora, Ariel

Perry, Matthew Phillips, Will Sheckler, Jessica Smith, Karen Smith, Brittany Stovall, Kelsey Tack, Katie Vaughn, Suzi Vaughn

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this newspaper DO NOT necessarily reflect those of Tennessee Tech University’s employees or of its administration.

OPINION

Send letters to the editor to oracle@tntech.edu. Include your name, email address and limit letters to 300 words. Anonymous letters are not accepted. Deadline for letters is 4 p.m. Tuesday. We reserve the right to edit grammar, length and clarity.

tntechoracle.com

Page 7 | November 2, 2012

We are better off than we were four years ago JONATHAN KAULAY Opinion Editor

A question Mitt Romney loves to tell us to ask ourselves is “are we better off than we were four years ago?” Romney asks this question under the prevailing notion the answer will be no, but when you use facts and logic you will see the answer is yes, we are better off than we were four years ago. Admittedly the economy is in rough shape, but it would be even worse if it were not for the policies of Barack Obama. When George W. Bush took office, unemployment was at around 4 percent. When he left office and handed the reigns over to Obama, it was at 7.8 percent and quickly rising. It got up to 10 percent in 2009. Then the policies created by Obama began to push the unemployment rate back down. It is now below 8 percent. Do you think if Republicans had inherited the White House and there

was no bailout for the auto industry, which saved more than a million jobs, things would be better? Do you think if we did not pass the stimulus plan, which helped place nearly 4 million people in jobs according to the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office, things would be better? It is no coincidence the stimulus package was passed in early 2009 and the unemployment rate rise halted and began to drop in June. Another thing Republicans like to say is during Obama’s time in office the deficit has doubled, which is not true. The annual deficit in 2009 was $1.19 trillion. It is estimated at the end of 2012 the annual deficit will be at $1.09 trillion. Our annual deficit has actually gone down under Obama. Obama lowered the deficit in spite of including the two wars in the budget. Bush had the wars listed as “emergency

Salon

President Barack Obama during the first Presidential Debate. spending measures” and were not included in his budget. Obama decided it would be smart to actually try to pay for the wars at some point, and yet Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility. Obama’s foreign policy can also be touted as a success. Obama has ended two wars, made the call to kill the man responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and strategically and wisely ensured

the United States did not get dragged into another conflict, despite incredible turmoil in Arab and Middle Eastern countries. Obama has recently gotten some criticism for the attacks on Benghazi, but amidst all the fog of talking heads and Glenn Beck conspiracy theories are the facts that get ignored. There are 294 United States Embassies and Consulates around the world,

many of which are located in very volatile countries, all in the name to protect U.S. interests, which are mostly oil and defense. The consulate in Benghazi was not unique in terms of feeling they were in danger. Our worst fears came into fruition, and we were unprepared for it. What this should do is open up dialogue about how well our consulates are protected and if we even need to be present in many of these countries. Conspiracy theories and talking heads are clouding the real issue unfortunately, and the chance to have any real discussion about this is beginning to dissipate. Unlike my Republican counterparts, if my guy does not win I do not think it will be the end of the United States as we know it. Some Republicans truly believe Obama is the living ghost of Che Guevara and if reelected will reveal himself and we will soon be socialists. I do not think that Romney will ruin this country. What I fear about a Romney presidency is a return to the ignorance and anti-intellectualism that was so prominent during the Bush years. I am afraid to have a

White House filled with people who think evolution and climate change are just theories, you know, like gravity is just a theory. Perhaps we can all float. I fear an administration that bans stem cell research, even though it is likely to lead to major breakthroughs in the world of medicine. I fear a Romney cabinet that believes the federal government should not interfere with the lives of their citizens unless, of course, you are a woman or gay. I fear an administration that did not support an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and will defend DOMA. This brings us to the fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats. My Republican friends always ask why I care so much about gay rights. They point out that I am not gay and therefore should have no stake in this issue. This monocentric view of the world republicans have is what separates them from Democrats. Republicans are only concerned with the “me and now” while Democrats tend to focus on the “us and the future.”

What’s on your mind?

Who would you like to see become president of the United States and why?

ROMNEY

OBAMA

ROMNEY

“The past four years Obama hasn’t really kept the promises he had made.”

“Unless you are like really rich, it is kind of silly to vote for a Republican.”

“I don’t really agree with Obama’s health care plan. Some parts I agree with, but some of it sounds like communism.”

-Katy Cox Education major Sophomore

-David Phifer English major Senior

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Vote using your own mind

With the presidential election coming up this month, there are a couple of things I have heard people say that really bother me, especially within the past couple of weeks. This includes when someone says, “I’m voting for Romney because I’m a Republican,” or “My dad told me to vote for Obama,

and I come from a long line of Democrats, so I will.” Who cares? It’s your vote, so make your own decision on who you want as president. Take the time and research each candidate, and make a decision based on their qualities, not their party. Vote for the candidate whose values and ideas correlate with what you think will best suit our country. Frankly, it is dumb to vote

for someone based on what organization they belong to. If you do the research and still want to vote for that candidate, that’s fine. Thank you for considering the future of our country and voting on who you believe is the right choice. Be an informed voter, not an ignorant one.

Nick Rollins Alumnus Nwrollins42@students.tntech.edu

-David Farmer Business major Freshman

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Enough with the awesome

I think it’s time--past time--for Tech to purge itself of the cliché word “awesome,” both as in “Awesome Eagle” and in that inscrutable slogan, “Unleash your awesomeness.” My students tell me this whole “awesome” thing is a joke around campus and students from other schools make fun of it. They say they find it embarrassing they will

CORRECTION - SEPT. 21

The story “Cookeville meningitis death sparks concern” in the Oct. 26 issue of The Oracle incorrectly stated Cookeville Regional Medical Center received spinal epidurals infected with fungal meningitis. CRMC never received or used injectable medications from New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. CRMC has been treating patients with fungal meningitis who received injections from other health care providers. The Oracle regrets the error.

be graduates of a university that identifies itself with a cliché. I recently looked up the websites of about 25 different state universities. All were attractive, all were obviously trying to appeal to prospective students, but not one featured a cartoon on its webpage. So to whom is Tech trying to appeal, high school graduates or fifth-graders? Now that we have a new president, how about starting anew linguistically by

{

forever striking the word “awesome” from Tech’s vocabulary? As for the mascot, since it’s the golden eagle, how about Goldy for its name? Make it female. Stake out some new territory in the realm of university mascots. Please. A trite word should not be the signature of one of the highest-rated universities in the Southeast.

Michael O’Rourke

Professor of English MORourke@tntech.edu

}

ADVERTISE WITH US

931-372-3031 ttuoracleads@gmail.com

SPORTS Page 8 | November 2, 2012

tntechoracle.com

PurplePalooza:

Men’s basketball looks to begin another successful campaign following last

Basketball kickoff brings frenzy, excitement to Eblen in anticipation of season

By CALLEN HARRELL Beat Reporter

The Golden Eagles men’s basketball team will be returning to the court Nov. 10 to build off of last year’s successful season. Last year’s season was something not happening often at Tech: back-to-back 19 plus win seasons, conference tournament appearances and producing another NBA draft pick in Kevin Murphy, who currently plays for the Utah Jazz. The Golden Eagles lost six good seniors after last season, but coach Steve Payne knows what it will take to build off of last season’s successes and get these younger guys to step up and take over. “The sum needs to be greater than all of its parts,” Payne said. After having a big senior class last season and having just two seniors this year in Jud Dillard, a preseason All-OVC team selection, and Terrell Barnes, Payne and the players still have a lot of confidence in the young team. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the young guys will do and how they will adapt to the college game,” Barnes said. Payne said, “I think we’ll be more balanced on offense. Kevin and Jud are such great scorers and had that scorer’s mentality and would just take over the game.” Using a more balanced offense with some good returning players including the two seniors, the Golden Eagles have some more big games this season everyone should be looking forward to seeing. The Golden Eagles will travel to Auburn University Dec. 18 and Oklahoma State University Dec. 22. The Bruins of Belmont University are new to the OVC this season, and they come to Cookeville Jan. 5. One of the season highlights will be when conference rival and defending OVC Champions Murray State University comes to town for a nationally televised game Jan. 24. The game will be broadcast on ESPN-U. “I feel like we have the greatest school in our conference and a lot of fan support,” Payne said. “We have guys that you like and will represent you well.” The Golden Eagles will tip off Nov. 10 at the Hoop at 8 p.m. against Crowley’s Ridge College.

By ARIEL PERRY Beat Reporter

Photos by Jamal Ferguson and Katie Vaughn

(Top) Tech’s Jud Dilliard, a preseason All-OVC selection, makes a layup during the men’s intersquad scrimmage at PurplePalooza. (Bottom) Jeremiah Samarrippas and Josiah Moore sign autographs of the community.

Cheerleaders, dance team, students come together for pep rally tonight By KATIE VAUGHN Beat Reporter Tech will have its annual campuswide school pep rally tonight at 5:00 p.m. in Memorial Gym. The pep rally is open to all Tech students and faculty as well as parents. The Tech spirit squad, which includes the dance team, cheerleaders and mascots, will be performing for the Golden Eagles football team. They will perform pieces from their national competition routines as well as other routines they have performed throughout the football season. “I still get nervous performing in front of people I know on campus,” sophomore dance team member Carly Owens said. “It feels different to perform in front of your friends than when you’re performing at a game.” The spirit squads will be participating in many activities to lift school spirit and raise team morale for the Tech football team.

“I feel like we get the crowd excited and ready for the game,” freshman cheerleader Rachel Coleman said. “We help pump up our fans and get our football team ready to play. Our goal is to just keep the crowd cheering.” Owens said, “I think it makes people in attendance more excited about the weekend and inspires them to get more involved with athletics that go on around campus.” According to the Tech website, Maxwell Alderson was the first official Golden Eagle mascot in 1961. Alderson will be coming back to show his school spirit during the 50th Golden Grad Reunion over the Homecoming weekend. He will return once again to the eagle suit to perform for the Tech audience during tomorrow’s football game against Eastern Illinois University. “To me, once I had dressed in the costume, I was the Golden Eagle mascot,” Alderson said. “It was not Max Alderson dressed for Halloween or for a costume

Tech soccer falls short in quest for OVC tournament By CALLEN HARRELL Beat Reporter

The Tech soccer team’s hopes for a playoff appearance were crushed last weekend when they were swept in a 5-1 loss against Southeastern Missouri State University and a 6-0 loss at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Golden Eagles were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after Friday’s loss to the Redhawks of Southeastern Missouri. “It was hard to watch as the time finally ticked down,” said freshman goal keeper Jordan Brown. Friday’s game was the last home game of the season, but it did not go as the Golden Eagles had planned. The first half was fairly quiet with Southeast Missouri having just a 1-0 lead at the break on Torey Byrd’s goal at 32:33. However, the Redhawks came out hot in the second half scoring two more goals within the first four minutes of the new half. Their second goal was scored at 47:54 and the third came just 26 seconds later at 48:20 to give the Redhawks a 3-0 lead. “Once SEMO started scoring, they were on fire,” said Tech midfielder Emily Homan. “As much as we tried to get control of the game, it just wasn’t clicking for us.”

party. I became a majestic creature that represented a tradition that began in 1925 with the selection for the Golden Eagle as a mascot.” The pep rally will also include a judged competition section. The sororities, fraternities and some of the resident halls will participate in the activities. They will be judged on two separate sections: participation of other organizations and the competition itself. These organizations have been practicing for weeks to perform choreography, tumbling and stunts in front of the Tech football team and the three selected judges. “School spirit to me is not just going to class, but enthusiastically supporting your school’s athletics, teachers and other students,” junior Kappa Sigma member Zach Stephens said. “I think the pep rally is a very competitive contest and is a great way to represent how much work the greek and other organizations have done to perform their routines.”

Tech scored their lone goal of the game when senior midfielder Jacquie Watkins scored at 64:49 on a pass from senior midfielder Kris Cambron. The Redhawks would go on to add another goal at 66:52 and one more at 88:46 to polish off the 5-1 conference victory. With Friday’s loss to Southeast Missouri fresh on their minds, the Golden Eagles had one other tough match ahead of them Sunday afternoon at the home of the Ohio Valley Conference’s No. 1 team, UT-Martin. “We had to go into Sunday’s game with the same mentality that we would any other game,” said Brown. “The fact that we were already eliminated didn’t mean that we wanted to win any less.” However, the defending OVC Champion Skyhawks did not leave that up to the Golden Eagles. The game was highlighted by Skyhawk forward, Abi Sanvee scoring her first career hat trick in Sunday’s match. Sanvee scored the first two goals of the game for Martin at 8:06 and 15:12 followed by two other goals from her teammates at 33:32 and 42:41 to give the Skyhawks a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime. The Skyhawks picked up in the second half right where they left off, scoring again at 51:36 to put the Golden Eagles down 5-0. Savnee racked up her third goal of the game to complete the hat trick at 66:20 and end the scoring spree for the Skyhawks. The score remained the same for the last 24 minutes ending the Golden Eagles’ 2012 season with the bitter taste of a 6-0 loss on their tongues. “The difference between us and Martin was that they

Last week’s PurplePalooza successfully set the school spirit for the upcoming Tech basketball season. The inaugural PurplePalooza was held Oct. 25 at the Hooper Eblen Center as a tip off celebration for all things basketball at Tech. The night featured performances from the dance team and cheerleading squad as well as two 10-minute scrimmages, a slamdunk contest and 3-point contests. The PurplePalooza was created as an alternative to midnight madness, so the fans could feel more in touch with the teams. “There is no reason the Eblen Center shouldn’t be the most intimidating atmosphere,” Mark Wilson, director of athletics, said to the crowd during PurplePalooza. “Students will be seated in sections I and J, right behind the visiting team’s bench.” Both basketball teams were picked to finish at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings during OVC Media Day. The young men’s team was picked to finish in third place during the regular season, while the women were picked to finish in first. “At the OVC Media Day we were picked to be the overall champions,” Jim Davis, women’s basketball head coach, said to the crowd. “It is our goal to lead in five categories: rebounding margin, turnover margin, field goals for defense, free throw percentage and intensity.” The women’s basketball team was up for the first of the two 10-minute scrimmages. The women’s team was split into the white, or home, team and the purple, or away, team. One of the highlights of the scrimmage was watching senior twins Kellie and Kylie Cook go against each other. The scrimmage was full of intense energy as both teams went back and forth until the final buzzer with the white team eventually winning 14-12. “I look forward to the women’s team every year,” senior Brent Smith said. The men took the court next in an exhibition of youth and experience that will be necessary to take on OVC foes Murray State University and Belmont University. “In all of my years here, this is the youngest team I have had,” Steve Payne, men’s head coach, said as he addressed the crowd. The men’s team was split into two squads, the gold, or home, team and the purple, or away, team. The purple team, led in points by Jud Dillard, dominated the scrimmage 38-25. The scrimmage was a thrilling exhibition of three pointers and dunks, helping to boost the crowd’s energy. “Anything like this that gets people excited is sure to bring people in,” sophomore Samantha White said. Fans were treated to a 3-point contest. Contestants had one minute to shoot as many 3-pointers as they could. During the contest the men’s team competed on one side of the court while the women competed on the other. The women’s winner was Kellie Cook, and the men’s and overall winner was Lanerryl Johnson. “I really enjoyed the action in the 3-point contest,” sophomore Lydia Holmes said. “It was my favorite part.” The final segment of the night was a slam-dunk contest. Contestants got two chances to successfully make the most creative slam-dunk they could think of. The eventual winner, Javon McKay, dunked over 7-foot-tall Eric Weisenbach. For more information on Tech’s basketball programs and all of Tech athletics, visit TTUSports.com.

could find the back of the net,” said Homan. “We created many chances but were just unlucky.” Sunday’s loss not only ended the season but also the college playing careers of seniors Kris Cambron, Sarah Gawthrop, Andrea Meloff, Kerri Reid, Alex Stevenson, Julie Thompson and Jacquie Watkins. Homan said that the underclassmen of the team are ready to put this season behind them and build off of it for next year. “We really appreciate all of the support we got this season,” said Homan. “The fans really picked up on our Twitter and Facebook events, and we can’t wait to bring back some more action next year.”

Racquet Master Fitness Center

TTU Students: Workout 24/7 No Contract $25 Per Month sed o l C r e Nev No Lines Waiting on Equipment 4 Weight Rooms TTU or th of N e l i 1M 2019 North Willow Ave 931-526-1646

SPORTS tntechoracle.com

Page 9 | November 2, 2012

Jamal Fergu-

True freshman wide receiver Eric Belew, above, scores his first career touchdown vs. TSU. The Golden Eagles and the Tigers battled on the sideline as well, as Awesome Eagle and Tigre, right, banter in jest.

Illegal formation missed by refs results in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;heartbreakingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; loss By DREW HASTON Beat Reporter

The Ohio Valley Conference has released a statement regarding the no-call on the last play of the game against Tennessee State University Oct. 27. In the last remaining seconds of the game, Tennessee State, after being held out of the endzone the entire game, scored a touchdown by the way of a six-yard A.C. Leonard pass to Michael German. What caused the controversy was that the officials didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t flag the Tigers for lining up in an illegal formation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were in an illegal formation on the play, and the officials missed it,â&#x20AC;? Watson Brown, head coach, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And that would have been a five yard penalty, and they get another shot, and that would have put them on the 12-yard line with another

Weekly Roundup

throw in the end zone.â&#x20AC;? The reason pushing TSU back would have been so significant is because it would have given Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense more room to breathe. TSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kicker Jamin Godfrey missed a kick that would have won the game for the Tigers against Jacksonville State Oct. 20. If the Golden Eagles could have made a third down stop after the penalty, Godfrey would have been attempting a 29-yard field goal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to line up with seven men on the line of scrimmage every play, or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an illegal formation,â&#x20AC;? Justin Matheney, student assistant coach, said. TSU only lined up with six men on the line. According to NCAA Approved ruling 7-1-4, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formation at the snap includes only 10 players: five players on the line of scrimmage numbered 50-79, one

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sports stories at a glance

Volleyballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gray earns OVC DPOW

rently averaging 1.74 blocks per set. Gray is currently ranked first in the OVC with 1.54 blocks per set, placing her 10th in Division I, ahead of perennial powerhouses such as Stanford University, the University of Texas and Pennsylvania State University.

Senior Kelsey Gray caught the attention of the conference and revealed why she is the best blocker in the Ohio Valley Conference when she turned in a 2.54 block per set performance over the weekend. Vanlier named to FCS Freshman Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spectacular play at the net snagged the senior Defensive Player of the Watch List Week honors. Tennessee Tech true freshman Ladarius This marks the first time Gray, a 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122;2â&#x20AC;? Vanlier has been named to the prestigious middle blocker, has earned Adidas OVC De- Football Championship Subdivision Nationfensive Player of the Week this season, but al Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List this is the second time she has been honored by the College Football Performance Awards. in her four-year career. Gray previously won The watch list highlights freshmen the award her sophomore season after post- whose performances merit recognition, and ing 10 blocks against Jacksonville State Un- Vanlier was one of 30 athletes named. In his first year wearing purple and gold, versity Oct. 15, 2010. For the weekend, the Golden Eagles Vanlier has done just that. Throughout his registered 25 team blocks with Gray having freshman season, Vanlier has received nods a hand in 18 of them. Against undefeated for his exceptional play from the Ohio Valley Morehead State University, Gray was a part Conference and the CFPA. Vanlier took the field by storm, breakof every Tech block. She had a career-high ing OVC records and coming up just shy of 10 block assists and a season-high 11 total NCAA records within his first month of play blocks versus Eastern Kentucky University. and also averages 21.4 yards per kick return. Gray averaged 2.54 blocks per set, and to put in perspective the greatness of her perfor- This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weekly Roundup features stories from mance, the best blocker in Division I is cur- TTU Sports Information.

player on the line wearing number 82, and four players in the backfield.â&#x20AC;? In laymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terms, if there are more than four people in the backfield as well, then the formation is illegal. Tennessee State lined up with five. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the last play of regulation, Tennessee State threw a touchdown pass to tie the game and then kicked the extra point to win it,â&#x20AC;? Jim Jackson, OVC Coordinator of Football Officiating, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The offense was lined up in an illegal formation as there were five players in the offensive backfield. There should have been a foul called, a penalty of 5 yards assessed and the down should have been replayed.â&#x20AC;? Jackson is looking into the matter, but any form of punishment on the officiating crew has not been announced.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jim Jackson is a good man,â&#x20AC;? Brown said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think he will take care of it. I believe in him. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if people will get suspended or what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do from it, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wait and see what happens with that.â&#x20AC;? Brown also talked about how he felt for his players after the game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough on our kids,â&#x20AC;? Brown said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all make mistakes. I understand that. I make them myself, but you just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel good for your players when you just lose the game on the last play of the game on a poor officiating call.â&#x20AC;? Tech will look to bounce back tomorrow for Homecoming against Eastern Illinois University at 1:30 p.m. For more OVC news, visit OVCSports. com.

HOT CORNER

James Dillon. As a Tech staff member, Dillon has responsibilities on campus but continues to go above and beyond those duties in order to serve Tech. Dillon has also helped supply pictures for The Oracle and has made countless donations to The Oracleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography department.

P L AT E A U E C O -S P O R T S 63(&,$/ 778 ',6&28176 7HDP(FR6SRUW FRP &OLFN 7 7 8 6WXGHQWV 8VHUQDPH 778 3DVVZRUG VWXGHQW

124 East Broad Street Cookeville, TN 38501 (931) 526-HIKE

Like us!

ENTERTAINMENT Page 10 | November 2, 2012

tntechoracle.com

‘The Walking Dead’ is back, bigger than ever By JAKE THREET Entertainment Editor

The hit show “The Walking Dead” has returned for a new season of zombies, killing and surviving on AMC. When the show ended its second season, Shane had been killed by a gunshot from Rick and then killed again by another gunshot from Carl after Shane came back to life as a walker. The gunshots attracted a large horde of nearby walkers and Rick and Carl were forced into the barn for safety. They ignited the barn after drawing walkers inside, both to draw attention and to save themselves. In the final battle to save the farm, Jimmy and Patricia were killed, Andrea was left behind and the RV was lost. Andrea attempted to survive on her own and was later rescued by a mysterious woman leading chained, armless walkers. The remaining survivors were Rick, Lori, Carl, Glenn, Daryl, Carol, T-Dog, Maggie, Beth and Hershel. They recovered on the highway but were forced to make camp there because of a shortage of gas. Rick became irritated with the group and revealed both the truth behind Shane’s death and what Dr. Jenner whispered to him at the CDC. Dr. Jenner informed Rick whatever the plague is, they all carried it and would return as walkers. The end result would be the same, and it would not matter if they were bitten or scratched by a walker. As the season came to a close, a large prison loomed in the distance. Season three, episode one The third season opens with the group locating the prison, fighting off walkers to get inside and trying to turn the prison into a safe fortress. We learn the woman who rescued Andrea is named Michonne. She carries a razor-sharp katana and travels with a pair of double-amputee walkers to mask the scent of her living flesh. On a funny note, they also carry her baggage. She tends to a sick Andrea, who has a fever, as they seek safer refuge. Once Rick’s group gets inside the prison, all hell breaks loose. The group gets separated, and Hershel, while searching for Glenn and Maggie, gets bitten on the lower leg by a walker. After the group reorganizes

Amazon

There’s a war brewing on the third season of AMC’s hit drama “The Walking Dead” as new characters are introduced.

and gets together in the prison cafeteria, Rick amputates the leg at the knee. It’s not pretty. It’s one of the goriest scenes in the show’s history. The group hears some commotion, and when they check out what is wrong, they find surviving prisoners trapped in the cafeteria and surviving on pantry food. Season three, episode two The second episode of season three opens with Hershel being brought back to the group’s cellblock. Rick updates the prison survivors on the zombie apocalypse. The survivors eventually come to an agreement: Rick’s group will prepare a cellblock for the prisoners to inhabit in exchange for half of the prison’s food rations. While the surviving prisoners are fighting off walkers under the supervision of Rick’s group, a walker scratches a prisoner named “Big Tiny.” He says he is fine, and Rick seems inclined to let him live, but the prisoners’ leader, Tomas, sadistically kills him on the spot. After fighting another group of walkers and avoiding a murder attempt by Tomas, Rick kills Tomas. Another prisoner named Andrew strikes back by attacking Rick but gives up and flees. Andrew accidentally charges into a walker-infested prison yard and Rick, who is right behind him, closes the doors on him and leaves Andrew to be torn apart by walkers. Rick, Daryl and T-Dog leave the remaining prisoners, Axel and Oscar, in the promised cellblock. When they return to their group, Hershel awakens after Lori saves him. He awakes not

Beautiful Balloons Giggle Shoppe Geek Chic & Romance Boutique

Pop Culture T-shirts & Swag

Adult Novelties & Toys

Offering unique & awesome gifts since 1979!

239 S. Lowe Avenue Phone: (931) 526-2980 www.bbgiggleshoppe.com Find us on Facebook

10% Discount for TTU Student & Staff Bring this in for an additional

5% OFF

Beautiful Balloons Giggle Shoppe

as a walker and remembers what has happened. The amputation was successful. Season three, episode three In the third episode, Andrea and Michonne are introduced to a new community of survivors after seeing a helicopter crash. Hospitality is provided to both women and Merle Dixon, a member from season one, is revealed to be alive and part of the group of survivors after he escaped from the rooftop. A survivor of the accident, Welles, informs the leader of the group, “the Governor,” about how he left 10 men behind so he can investigate. The Governor promises if they are still alive, he will bring them back. The Governor introduces Andrea and Michonne to Woodbury, a small town with 73 residents. They attend breakfast with the Governor the next morning, where Michonne remains wary of the Governor, but Andrea wants to stay in Woodbury longer. Later, the Governor tracks down Welles’ squad and kills all of them, and the men return to town with military trucks. Later that night, in his apartment, the Governor sips a glass of whiskey and enters a private room, which contains three rows of aquariums filled with live heads of walkers. Among them are Michonne’s pets and also the head of Welles. As the season moves on, Rick’s group and the Governor’s townspeople are on a collision course to meet. This season will be longer that the previous two and will consist of sixteen episodes. This season premiered with mind-blowing ratings for cable television. The season premiere garnered 10.87 million viewers in its initial telecast and totaled more than 15.2 million for the entire night. Both were records for cable television and made the show the most watched drama series telecast in basic cable history. The previous record holder was TNT’s “The Closer.” For the season so far, the show is averaging 10 million viewers per episode. Viewers better sit back and hold on because this season is just getting started, and things have yet to explode. The season is going to bring unprecedented events of carnage, death and survival.

Must read books for the fall, winter By HANNAH BENJAMIN Entertainment Critic It’s that time of year again! The weather is getting colder, and everyone is busting out the sweaters and boots. This is the perfect time to pick up a book and lose yourself in a new story. Why not read some of the popular hits to fill you in on what your friends are talking about? “The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling “The Casual Vacancy” is the first book from J.K. Rowling since the “Harry Potter” series and is specifically marketed to adults. In the small town of Pagford, not everything is what it seems. While seemingly the perfect little English town, everyone is actualy at war with each other. The rich are at war with the poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, etc. When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his 40s, his town council seat becomes a catalyst for the biggest war the town has seen yet. The book is described as blackly comic and thought provoking, which is perfect for the now grown audience of “Harry Potter.” People magazine describes the novel as, “A vivid read with great, memorable characters and a truly emotional payoff.” “Divergent” by Veronica Roth Hot on the heels of “The Hunger Games” craze comes the “Divergent” series. In a dystopian world, society is divided into five

Collider

The official cover art for J.K. Rowling’s latest novel, “The Casual Vacancy.”

factions dedicated to a certain value: Candor (the honest), Abegnation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent). Once a year, all 16-yearolds must choose which faction to join for the rest of their lives. The story focuses on Beatrice Prior, who surprises herself and her Abegnation family by joining the Dauntless. Her choice exposes her to the harsh initiation of the group and threatens to expose a personal secret that could put her in serious danger. Multiple reviews compliment the narrative voice and consider the series even better than “The Hunger Games.” If you enjoy sci-fi dystopian thrillers, this is a new trilogy for you! “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden” by Mark Owen

and Kevin Maurer “No Easy Day” is the first and only novel that describes the planning and execution of the bin Laden raid from Seal Team 6, the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Aside from describing the events leading up to the raid, Owen takes readers onto the field of the soldiers fighting the War on Terror and details the selection and training process for one of the most elite units in the military. The Los Angeles Times remarks, “Make no mistake: ‘No Easy Day’ is an important historic document. Think if we had a first-person account of the last minutes of Hitler in his bunker. ‘No Easy Day’ is brisk and compelling in its telling of the training, execution and immediate aftermath of the bin Laden mission by the elite Seal Team 6.”

‘Cabaret’ opens at BDPH PRESS RELEASE The Backdoor Playhouse is presenting the musical “Cabaret” beginning Thursday night. Tech’s Center Stage Series, in cooperation with the English and communications department and the Tech Players, are performing “Cabaret,” with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. It is based on a book by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1929 at the beginning of Hitler’s rise to power in a seedy Cabaret in Germany, the Emcee, played by Anthony Herd, takes you on a journey through the romances and arguments, joy and pain and hope and failure that is life. “Cabaret” presents the story of everyday people

and their existence in the face of the rising darkness of the Nazi party. “Cabaret” explores how the Nazi party altered the history of the world and how those alterations affected the humanity in us all. Adam Combs, director, said he wants it to “feel like you are walking into the Kit Kat Klub the instant you walk through the door of the theatre, from the lights and costumes to the sets and actors. I really want the audience to feel the like they have been transported to 1929 Germany. I want them to relate to these characters and feel the darkness that is all around this time period, as well as the hope that we have as humanity even in the darkest times.” Featuring classic musical theatre numbers under the direction of

Melinda Richards, the choreography stylings of Jennifer Dotson Creter and a cast of approximately 30 of Cookeville and Tech’s most talented actors, singers and dancers, this production is one not to be missed! “Cabaret” runs Nov. 8-10, 12, 13, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. A late showing will be Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. and a matinee will be Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Admission is free for Tech students with their ID. Tickets for general admission cost $12, senior citizen tickets cost $10 and non-Tech student tickets are $5. For more information contact the Backdoor Playhouse box office at 372-6595 or online at www. tntech.edu/bdph.

Humans vs Zombies enters second campaign By LINDSEY GORE Entertainment Critic The game of humans versus zombies is scheduled to continue on Nov. 12. “Humans vs. Zombies is a game of tag that started at Goucher [College] in 2005,” Morgan Elmore, sophomore and one of the moderators of the game, said. “They wanted to take the concept from games like ‘Left for Dead’ and movies like ‘28 Days Later’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead,’ and they wanted to put it in as much of a real-world setting as they possibly could.” The game is played by

players acting as humans or zombies battling each other with Nerf guns or balled up socks. There is one original zombie, and the numbers of the infected rise as that zombie tags other humans and turns them into zombies. “The zombies have to effectively eat all the humans and turn them into zombies, or the humans have to survive and fend off the zombies until the zombies die out,” Elmore said. The second campaign has been updated with new methods and rules to make the game easier for moderators, or members who make sure players

adhere to the game’s rules. “We made it easier on the game moderators by implementing new methods so that we don’t have to keep up with everything, just have the players keep doing what they’re doing,” Nina Chanthavongsa, junior and moderator, said. “With these new methods, we’ll be able to watch over the players and not have to worry so much about taking care of them.” The game costs $5 to play. More information is available at the Tech Humans vs. Zombies Facebook page and humansvszombies.org.

ENTERTAINMENT tntechoracle.com

Page 11 | November 2, 2012

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cloud Atlasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; almost too Under the radar: TV shows ambitious, confusing you should be watching By JAKE THREET Entertainment Editor

By LINDSEY GORE Entertainment Critic

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cloud Atlasâ&#x20AC;? is a visually appealing fantasy film that is almost too thought provoking. Based on the novel by David Mitchell, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cloud Atlasâ&#x20AC;? follows six characters across different times and weaves the characters together through six stories to show how people connect and influence one anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. The film explores love, mystery, revolution and the basic human condition through a variety of worlds, both fantasy and reality. The film has a cast of big Hollywood names such as Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant, and some smaller actors such as Jim Sturgess and Bae Doona. Each actor plays a number of characters throughout the film, and each appear in separate stories ranging from a mid-19th century tale of friendship to a 22nd century where a romance builds between two unlikely people. Each actor has shining moments during the film, and each has a fair share of lackluster scenes. Hanks prevails in his role as a doctor on a slave boat, but he fails to match this performance when he plays the role of a tribesman in post-apocalyptic Korea. The same goes for Berry as she shines in her role as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s journalist and disappoints as a member of a technologically advanced

Esquire

Tom Hanks stars in the German sci-fi hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cloud Atlas.â&#x20AC;?

group in the postapocalyptic story. Visually, the film does not disappoint. Each storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s set is carefully constructed, and every focal point is obviously and seriously thought out. The postapocalyptic story and the story taking place in the far future with a restaurant server clone (Doona) as the main character prove to have the strongest visuals, but the other four stories do not fail to impress. The only effect that does fall behind is the makeup and prosthetics used. Too much is not necessarily a good thing when too much latex is obviously used to show age on Hanks and Berry. The prosthetics used to help change a characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race and sex are also poorly done, but it is an effect that

is easily ignored. The filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major downfall is that it is on the verge of having too much content squeezed into the already lengthy runtime of more than two and a half hours. There is a lot going on in terms of plot in each story, so there is a lot of information presented rather quickly. The subject matter itself offers an idea almost too big for film, and trying to understand this can take away from what else the film has to offer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cloud Atlasâ&#x20AC;? is full of visually beautiful scenes with an award-winning cast, which makes it worth going to see on the big screen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cloud Atlasâ&#x20AC;? is rated R for violence, sexuality/ nudity and some drug use.

Swift has the world seeing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Redâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; By HANNAH BENJAMIN Entertainment Critic Taylor Swiftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly anticipated new album dropped last Monday and is already No. 1 on the iTunes top album list. Of course, we all saw this coming. With her previously released catchy single â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,â&#x20AC;? the album was sure to be a hit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redâ&#x20AC;? is definitely a pop album, so all of those expecting a country sensation should probably look elsewhere. Most of the songs are upbeat with electric guitars and drum tracks, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;22,â&#x20AC;? which is sure to become an anthem for ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nights all over. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Knew You Were Troubleâ&#x20AC;? even drops the bass with some pseudodubstep. Swift does remain true to her roots with a few slower, countryfeeling songs such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;All Too Wellâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Almost

RollingStone

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redâ&#x20AC;? has sold more than 1.4 million copies in its first week.

Do.â&#x20AC;? Also featured on her album are collaborations with Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol and British singer/songwriter, and personal favorite of mine, Ed Sheeran. Some of the songs fall flat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starlightâ&#x20AC;? tells a story about falling in love during the summer of 1945. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upbeat and follows Swiftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love Storyâ&#x20AC;? formula, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheesy and not her best work. Overall, it seems that

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re invited...

Swiftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s songwriting on her more emotional songs has drastically improved from years past, and the new album offers much variety in style. While Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been much of a T-Swizzle fan in the past, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve thoroughly enjoyed and will continue to shamelessly listen to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red.â&#x20AC;? The general consensus of her fans is this is her best album yet and certainly worth a listen this fall.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Endingsâ&#x20AC;? Entering its third season on ABC, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Endingsâ&#x20AC;? is funnier than ever and is literally laugh out loud fun. The writing is fresh and sharp. With a cast with insanely great chemistry, there is never a dull moment to be watched Tuesday nights. With a full season order of 23 episodes, this season is bound for comedy greatness! This show is almost a newer version of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friends,â&#x20AC;? except no show could or ever will compare to the greatness of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friends.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Endingsâ&#x20AC;? airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CST on ABC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23â&#x20AC;? Starting its second season, also on ABC Tuesday nights, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23â&#x20AC;? is putting â&#x20AC;&#x153;mean girl funnyâ&#x20AC;? on the map. With its hilarious cast, this show proves to be a cult classic. It borders the line between racy and all out filth, but that is what makes it the comedic gem it is. The ratings have not been favorable, but they have not been terrible either. One good thing is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a criticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s darling, and the people who do love it are loyal and continue to tune in each week. Maybe that is just me, but who the hell really cares. I love it, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sticking with it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Trust the B--- in Apartment 23â&#x20AC;? airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. CST on ABC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sons of Anarchyâ&#x20AC;? Currently in the middle of its fifth season on FX, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sons of Anarchyâ&#x20AC;? is still proving to be one of the most shocking and brilliantly written shows on all of television. The current season is ratings gold, beating out the previous four seasons. It is the top cable show Tuesday nights. Beginning this season, Jaxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rule has a shaky start after the One-Niners attack one of SAMCROâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gun shipments, Gemma makes a new ally during a night of drinking, an irritated Tara has trouble ascending to her role as queen and mother and Clay attempts to get into the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good graces by revealing part of the truth about Pineyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. With the heart-wrenching death of Opie and the rise of gang member Damon Pope, the ride for revenge is sure to be thrilling! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sons of Anarchyâ&#x20AC;? airs

LoadTV

The hilarious cast of the comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy Endings,â&#x20AC;? airing Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at 8 p.m. CST on ABC.

Tuesdays at 9 p.m. CST on FX. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Covert Affairsâ&#x20AC;? Finishing up the last half of its fourth season, USA Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Covert Affairsâ&#x20AC;? is kicking ass and taking names every week. Airing Tuesday nights, this spy-based show is one of the best action/ drama shows on the air. It stars Piper Perabo, the famed actress from the film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coyote Ugly,â&#x20AC;? as a sexy spy working for the CIA as a field operative with a varied skill usage. Each week is packed with ass kicking and intense action scenes all wrapped up in a great storyline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Covert Affairsâ&#x20AC;? airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. CST on USA Network. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Neighborsâ&#x20AC;? Debuting in its freshman year, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Neighbors,â&#x20AC;? airing Wednesday nights, takes a page from the past to create a hysterical new show. When I say it â&#x20AC;&#x153;takes a page from the past,â&#x20AC;? I believe this show draws from the old comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;3rd

Rock from the Sun.â&#x20AC;? It incorporates aliens coming to Earth in the form of humans and learning how to interact with a family who moves into their neighborhood. The show puts a new spin on the humansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reaction to aliens. Unlike shows before, this family accepts the aliens, and they decide to take them under their wing and help them become better adapted to the new world. Each episode hilariously depicts different situations or life events the aliens have to experience and adjust to. The acting is quite excellent, and the facial expressions are outrageously funny at times. The ratings have been quite good despite unfavorable preseason reviews, and it has been officially picked up for a full season. This show may seem extremely odd at first, but in time you will find it is a true comedic hit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Neighborsâ&#x20AC;? airs Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

www.tntechoracle.com @TNTECHORACLE

FACEBOOK.COM/ TNTECHORACLE

Welcome to Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place Alumni, Students & Friends BBQ, Pork Ribs, Boston Butts Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re A Tech Tradition

to the

Monday, November 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Midnight

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where Everybody is Somebodyâ&#x20AC;?

UHOHDVH RI

New: Liquor and Spirits by the Drink DW ERWK Gamestop ORFDWLRQV 6RXWK -HÍżHUVRQ $YH

:HVW -DFNVRQ 6W

11 Gibson Avenue

Cookeville

Mary Alice McClellan, Owner/Operator

SWITCH AND SAVE ON HIGH-SPEED INTERNET.

Splurge With A $450 Apple Gift Card. ®

INTERNET, TV & PHONE

77.99 ONLY

PER MONTH FOR 12 MONTHS

$450 Apple® Gift Card Apple® Gift Card is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.

With qualifying phone, new 6 Mbps High-Speed Internet, new DISH Satellite TV service and two-year agreements. Price includes Online Bonus Credit and requires online redemption. DISH price may increase.

SWITCH NOW & SAVE! LIMITED TIME OFFER. CALL 931-528-0709 OR VISIT FRONTIER.COM/APPLE Offer available until 11/30/12 to new or returning Frontier customers who subscribe to a qualifying package of Frontier residential local service with features, long distance, new High-Speed Internet with speeds up to 6Mbps and new DISH® America’s Top 120 service. Actual speeds may vary. A two-year signed agreement with a maximum of $400 early termination fee (ETF) required for phone and Internet service. Frontier installation charges include a $34.99 Frontier video setup fee and a $49.99 High-Speed Internet set-up fee. A $9.99 Broadband processing fee upon disconnection of service applies. DISH Digital Home Advantage plan requires 24-month agreement and credit qualification. DISH cancellation fee of $17.50/month remaining applies if service is terminated before end of agreement. With qualifying packages, Online Bonus Credit requires online redemption at www.mydish.com/getonlinebonus no later than 45 days from service activation. After applicable promotional period, then-current price will apply. Upfront fee, monthly fees, and limits on number and type of receivers will apply. Limitations apply to recording hours. All prices, packages, programming, features, functionality and offers subject to change without notice. Taxes, government surcharges and other restrictions apply. New Frontier customers are subject to credit approval. Some Frontier services are subject to availability. Frontier reserves the right to withdraw this promotional offer at any time. TN Customers: This offer contains telecommunications services that are also available separately. Should you desire to purchase only the telecommunications services included in this offer, without additional products or services, you may purchase those telecommunications services individually at prices posted on www.Frontier. com or filed with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority. © 2012 Frontier Communications Corporation. DISH Network is a registered trademark of DISH Network L.L.C. © 2012. Apple® Gift Card is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion. All rights reserved.