THE
Volume 104 | Issue 8
O
Feb. 23, 2021
RACLE
Tech’s primary news source since 1924
Free in single copy
CODE seeks unity through diversity this Black History Month
The Center of Diversity Education, CODE, is made up of student-athletes from across all campus sports and promotes unity through diversity on campus and in the community. Photo provided by Jamaal Thompson
JONAH STOUT
Reporter The Center of Diversity Education, or CODE, is an organization at Tech that was founded by student athletes in the fall of 2020. The prime goal of the
organization is to promote unity through diversity and to bring student athletes from different backgrounds together. Jamaal Thompson, junior football and basketball player and member of CODE, joined
the organization because it gives student athletes a voice and an opportunity to fellowship with other student athletes at Tech. “CODE is a family. Prior to it, student athletes did not really get to be around one
another very often because of busy schedules… however, with CODE, it has allowed more unity amongst athletes,” Thompson said. Thompson also said that the organization is very important to him because of the influence they are having on the university and the community. This organization means eve rything to me. To see the change that we have prompted in such a short amount of time, as well as the personal individual growth within my CODE family, means the world to me,” Thompson said. Chanel Bishop, a sophomore on the track team, said establishing CODE at Tech was important because of recent social events and the university’s lack of talking about issues related to social and racial injustice. “With all of the social injustices that have taken place over the years, I feel like it was very necessary to establish CODE here at Tech because the school is predominately white and a lot of these issues weren’t being talked about,” Bishop said. Bishop also said that Black History Month is important to see CODE pg. 4
Students Outraged Over Possible Campus Opening MORGAN LEE
Managing Editor
Student outrage over President Oldham’s decision to have students come back to campus on Friday Feb. 19 after a week of snow days changes administration’s mind. Cookeville and surrounding areas were put under a winter storm watch Monday, Feb. 15. Cookeville received several inches of ice and snow over the course of the week. The ice and falling limbs caused power out-
ages to occur across the state. Around 4,000 outages were reported in Cookeville alone. Many students were left with no electricity and internet for days, making it nearly impossible for them to attend even virtual classes. President Oldham and the rest of Tech’s administration closed campus because of “hazardous weather conditions and potential power outages,” on Feb. 15 through Feb. 18.
The first place campus cancellations are announced is through President Oldham’s twitter, @TTUPrezPhil. Despite the snow and ice continuing to cover Cookeville and surrounding areas, Oldham tweeted that classes would resume on Friday, Feb. 19. “Thanks to the best facilities and grounds staff in TN, @tennesseetech will be back on regular class schedule tomorrow, Fri., Feb. 19. All offices open. #WingsUp,” Oldham tweeted on Thursday afternoon. The decision to resume classes sparked outrage in the student body on Twitter. His tweet received 76 comments and 26 quote tweets. Students made memes and fake accounts posing as Oldham to express see Students pg. 3
What’s Inside Snow and ice covered Tech’s campus from Feb. 15 to Feb.20. Photo by Sam Vesely
Nursing program remains steady amid COVID-19 IRENE W. SULLIVAN
Copy Editor
There is a national shortage of nurses that has been amplified by the effects of COVID-19. Nursing programs were failing to enroll enough students to meet this need, even before COVID-19, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Tech’s Whitson-Hester School of Nursing is trying to alleviate some of that shortage. “Total enrollment in the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing is essentially flat from Fall 2019 (775 students) to Fall 2020 (774 students), with a slight decrease in undergraduate students matched by an increase in graduate students,” Dewayne Wright, executive director of Strategic Planning, Office of Communications & Marketing, said. Fall 2019 saw 631 undergraduate students and 144 graduate students while Fall 2020 saw 611 undergraduate students and 163 graduate students, according to Tech’s Office Institutional Assessment, Research and Effectiveness.
Grace Durham, a sophomore from Lebanon, is one of the students at Tech who wants to pursue a Nursing career. “I chose nursing for many reasons, but mainly because I strongly feel led to help others through their trials and their triumphs,” Durham said. Nursing schools in the United States turned away 80,407 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019. They listed insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and clinical preceptors, as well as budget constraints as the reasons why, according to AACN’s report on 2019-2020 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing. The number of inquiries and applications from prospective students has increased significantly at some nursing schools across the country since the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a recent article in US News. However, if there is not enough faculty, clinical sites or classroom space to fulfill that need, the see Nursing pg. 4
Tech student weighs in on Gamestops stock market rise
Tech defeats Austin Peay in first game of the season
Whitson-Hester School of Nursing trying to meet the demand for nurses