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Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Issue 1 T H E

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Vol. 119

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

PAGE 7

http://utdailybeacon.com N E W S P A P E R

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

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T E N N E S S E E

Knoxvillians run to show support for diversity YWCA Knoxville to host growing Race against Racism Deborah Ince Staff Writer Eliminating racism and empowering women has always been the prominent goal of YWCA Knoxville since its establishment in 1899. In keeping with this mission, the YWCA hosts its annual Race against Racism on Jan. 14 at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center.

“We’re about celebrating diversity throughout the community,” Danielle Benson, YWCA’s Director of Operations, said.

Each year, the event offers participants the opportunity to listen to guest speakers and to enjoy many different entertainment venues.

This year, Steven Waller, UT associate professor of recreation and kinesiology, will be speaking about diversity and increasing its awareness throughout the community.

Beginning at 11:30 a.m., participants complete a 5K run around many historic landmarks that emphasize the progression of diversity. A one-mile walk, stroller walk and stroller run are also offered this year. Awards will be presented at 1:45 p.m. to all participants.

“We want to promote a better understanding of the diverse population in the community and of ways to create diversity every day of the year,” Benson said.

Held annually, the race has been one of the major events for YWCA for over 15 years, and Benson is pleased with its expansion over the years.

“The race is growing every year,” Benson said. “We’ve already got over 300 people signed up for this year.”

Corporate sponsors and non-profit organizations often partner with the YWCA in helping host the event.

Benson also said that student volunteers are needed to

Fraternity brings grad students together Victoria Wright Student Life Editor

slew of social events geared to help law students interact with other grad programs. Social chair of Sword and Scales Nigel Vordrith, 24, has organized multiple tailgates with the UT pharmacy program and a mixer at Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria with law students from Lincoln Memorial University.

“We wanted to get people familiar with who they’re going to work with in the future,” Vordrith, also a second-year law student, said. “One of the main aspects (of the organization) is building social opportunity.”

Both Vordrith and Waters agree that networking plays a major role in law school as employers are more likely to hire candidates that they know.

“A lot of friends have gotten jobs from going to networking events,” Waters said. “It’s pretty huge in this job market.”

Creating a certain atmosphere is also important when Sword and Scales hosts its events.

Waters said that among the 400 to 500 law students at UT, some are married with families or are in the 30-and-up age range, making it difficult to mingle at undergrad events.

“We can have a more adult event where we don’t have to worry about (someone) being under-aged,” Waters said.

“Though, you’re never too old to have a tailgate.”

The graduate school workload is challenging, but the social life doesn’t have to be.

Sword and Scales is a social outreach and networking fraternity for UT College of Law students that attempts to connect with other graduate programs on campus. President Alexander Waters started the company last August. The 23-year-old began the organization due to difficulty meeting other graduate students in different programs.

“I wanted to meet new people I normally wouldn’t meet by just going to school,” Waters, a second-year law student, said.

His peers shared his frustration to meet other people.

Though the law schools sits across from the UC and in clear sight of students heading to class on Cumberland, Waters said the school can be isolating.

Undergraduate students normally flock to the library or the UC, allowing for easier social interactions, Waters said.

Waters created the name from the sword and the scales the judicial symbol Lady Justice holds.

He said the name embodies the legal background of the organization while still representing a coed fraternity.

The organization alleviates the issue of meeting other graduate students by organizing a See LAW SOCIETY on Page 3

help with the race and encourages UT students to become involved. Anyone who is interested in helping on race day is encouraged to contact her directly at the YWCA for more information.

“We are actually very involved with UT this year,” Benson said.

Several UT organizations have already signed up to participate, including UT Volunteers Against Racism, UT LGBT and UT Social Work Society. Students can also fill out a registration online on YWCA Knoxville’s website if they would like to run.

Registration is $25, with every participant receiving a long-sleeved T-shirt on race day.

All race proceeds benefit the many free programs YWCA Knoxville offers, including a seniors program, domestic abuse assistance and an after-school program benefiting middle school students.

“I think everyone has had a close connection to YWCA Knoxville somehow even if they didn’t know it,” Benson said. “It may be a server at the restaurant you eat at or a neighbor. This organization has touched everyone in Knoxville somehow.

“After the race, many participants have said that it was so inspirational. It gives time to talk about racism and celebrate diversity. We try to provide tips and tricks on how to confront such issues in the community and the workplace and offer practical things you can do to encourage diversity.”

Jordan Dronebarger, sophomore in graphic design, thinks that the event is very important for the community.

“I think it’s really good,” Dronebarger said. “Racism is still pretty relevant in today’s society. I mean, we’ve come a long way, but there are still issues that need to be addressed.”

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Mark Newman, undecided sophomore, crosses the finish line during the Running with Hope 5k in Circle Park on Saturday, Nov. 12. The YWCA Knoxville will be holding its annual Race against Racism on Jan. 14, starting at the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center.

UT campus livens again with new semester expectations Lauren Kittrell News Editor Midway through the academic year, students are given a chance to recoup and prepare for another semester of school, work, parties and time management.

While the change to the Spring Semester may not seem like anything major, for many freshmen and upperclassmen alike, it can mean a transition to something more enjoyable and familiar or the end of something that has been a large part of life.

The beginning of a new semester generally holds a mixture of excitement and fear as the reality of school approaches and round two begins, but for Lilly Watson, a freshman in art education, going back to school is something to look forward to. Watson said that her experiences over the last six months have been amazing and a new semester holds new and exciting experiences and friendships for her.

“My first semester of college went great,” Watson said. “I feel like I adjusted pretty well. I loved having my friends so close by all the time.”

The only downfall for Watson was being away from her parents and siblings,

but the pros seem to outweigh the cons.

Watson even enjoys living in a dorm.

“I did miss my family from time to time,” Watson said, “but I liked being on my own and having the freedoms that come with it. I actually love my dorm room. I’m looking forward to my classes this semester and growing in all my new friendships.”

For upperclassmen, the beginning of a new semester rarely holds the same expectations or concerns as many freshmen might have. While there are still new classes to attend, the wonder and awe, or fear of the unknown, begins to fade and a routine emerges.

The change from freshman to senior is a matter of time and experience and can vary from the extreme to hardly noticeable. For Jenny Yuhasz, senior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management, the change is for the better, and she looks at her last semester as the home stretch: comfortable, casual and simple.

Looking back, Yuhasz remembers her first semester and what it looked like for her. The school, the classes and the schedule were something new, different and rather difficult.

“Coming in freshman year, I was nervous,” Yuhasz said. “I had a math class at 8

a.m. on the Hill and was basically taking courses to fulfill Gen. Ed. requirements. I had a color-coded, I kid you not, map of the university so I knew where each class was.”

This year, Yuhasz is merely wrapping up the hard labor of many years. She’s just thankful that the color-coded map is no longer a necessary companion.

“This semester, I don’t think I have it too hard,” Yuhasz said. “Since I carefully planned my college courses to complete my hotel, restaurant and tourism major, I am left with just making it to 120 or 121 hours. So, this semester I’m taking walking and bowling, along with other classes, to make my hours and to keep me a full-time student to keep the HOPE scholarship. It should be a lot more fun!”

Marissa Landis, a junior in the College Scholars Program, agreed with Yuhasz.

“As a junior, I know what to expect to some extent,” Landis said. “I’m much more relaxed and can look forward to my classes rather than stressing out about them.”

The beginning of the Spring Semester doesn’t only mean the end of the break and the start of school; it can signify the end of a first year or the beginning of an end.

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Local media get a glimpse from the sixth floor balcony of the student lounge in the Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The new facility will house the EECS department and opens its doors to students for the first time for the start of the Spring Semester.

2 • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Film crews, students and one lucky family gather at the front of Neyland Stadium for the filming of an episode for Extreme Makeover Home Edition on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

The family found out on Tuesday that they will be receiving the show’s patented makeover.

1928 — Stalin banishes Trotsky Leon Trotsky, a leader of the Bolshevik revolution and early architect of the Soviet state, is deported by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to Alma-Ata in remote Soviet Central Asia. He lived there in internal exile for a year before being banished from the USSR forever by Stalin.

Born in the Ukraine of Russian-Jewish parents in 1879, Trotsky embraced Marxism as a teenager and later dropped out of the University of Odessa to help organize the underground South Russian Workers’ Union. In 1898, he was arrested for his revolutionary activities and sent to prison. In 1900, he was exiled to Siberia.

In 1902, he escaped to England using a forged passport under the name of Leon Trotsky (his original name was Lev Davidovich Bronshtein). In London, he collaborated with Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin but later sided with the Menshevik factions that advocated a democratic approach to socialism. With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution of 1905, Trotsky returned to Russia and was again exiled to Siberia when the revolution collapsed. In 1907, he again escaped.

During the next decade, he was expelled from a series of countries because of his radicalism, living in Switzerland, Paris, Spain, and New York City before returning to Russia at the outbreak of the revolution in 1917. Trotsky played a leading role in the Bolsheviks’ seizure of power, conquering most of Petrograd before Lenin’s triumphant return in November.

Appointed Lenin’s secretary of foreign affairs, he negotiated with the Germans for an end to Russian

involvement in World War I. In 1918, he became war commissioner and set about building up the Red Army, which succeeded in defeating anti-Communist opposition in the Russian Civil War. In the early 1920s, Trotsky seemed the heir apparent of Lenin, but he lost out in the struggle of succession after Lenin fell ill in 1922.

In 1924, Lenin died, and Joseph Stalin emerged as leader of the USSR. Against Stalin’s stated policies, Trotsky called for a continuing world revolution that would inevitably result in the dismantling of the Soviet state. He also criticized the new regime for suppressing democracy in the Communist Party and for failing to develop adequate economic planning. In response, Stalin and his supporters launched a propaganda counterattack against Trotsky. In 1925, he was removed from his post in the war commissariat. One year later, he was expelled from the Politburo and in 1927 from the Communist Party. In January 1928, Trotsky began his internal exile in Alma-Ata and the next January was expelled from the Soviet Union outright.

He was received by the government of Turkey and settled on the island of Prinkipo, where he worked on finishing his autobiography and history of the Russian Revolution. After four years in Turkey, Trotsky lived in France and then Norway and in 1936 was granted asylum in Mexico. Settling with his family in a suburb of Mexico City, he was found guilty of treason in absentia during Stalin’s purges of his political foes. He survived a machine-gun attack on his home but on August 20, 1940, fell prey to a Spanish Communist, Ramon Mercader, who fatally wounded him with an ice-ax. He died from his wounds the next day.

— This Day in History is courtesy of History.com.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Law Society continued from Page 1 Sword and Scales has proved itself to be more than a social organization. Last semester, the group hosted the visit of U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe as a guest and organized a 3-Spoons fundraiser to benefit a local charity. The organization is planning to host a visit from Gov. Bill Haslam’s father James A. “Jim” Haslam II on Jan. 19.

The event will be held in the Haslam Business Building.

The fraternity is also planning a shrimp and crawfish broil in February. Both Vordrith and Waters hope the organization can collaborate more events with other graduate programs in the future, from geology to anthropology.

“It would be great to get more involvement with other diverse graduate programs out there,” Vordrith said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of awesome people.”

BEIRUT — By turns defiant and threatening, President Bashar Assad vowed Tuesday to use an “iron hand” to crush what he called the terrorists and saboteurs behind Syria’s 10-monthold uprising in which thousands of people have been killed.

In his first speech since June, Assad showed a steely confidence in the face of the uprising, one of the bloodiest of the Arab Spring. But opponents called it a rambling address by a leader who is dangerously out of touch.

Assad repeated his past claims that a foreign conspiracy and terrorists are driving the revolt, not peaceful protesters seeking to reform the country.

“We will not be lenient with those who work with outsiders against the country,” Assad said in a nearly two-hour speech at Damascus University in a conference hall packed with cheering supporters.

“Those who stand in the middle are traitors,” Assad said, flanked by Syrian flags. “There is no alternative.”

The conflict in Syria is entering a new and heightened phase, with army defectors and some members of the opposition increasingly turning their weapons on government targets. The regime, in turn, has intensified an already deadly military assault, and a U.N. official said Tuesday that about 400 people have been killed in the last three weeks alone, on top of an earlier U.N. estimate of more than 5,000 dead since March.

Since Dec. 23, three mysteri-

The Daily Beacon • 3

Iran’s shows widening military The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In the high desert along Iran’s Afghan border this week, soldiers from the powerful Revolutionary Guard practiced ambush tactics in subzero temperatures. Next month, the Guard’s warships are expected to resume battle drills near Gulf shipping lanes that carry much of the world’s oil.

Iran looks like a country preparing for war. But Tehran’s leaders are already using whatever leverage they can muster — including military displays and threats to choke off Gulf oil tanker traffic — to counter international pressure against the Iranian nuclear program.

A month after Iran embarrassed Washington with the capous blasts have struck the capital, killing scores of people in the ture of a CIA spy drone, the messages from the Islamic kind of violence more commonly Republic couldn’t be clearer or more taunting: Tehran could seen in neighboring Iraq. It’s turn the hook-shaped Strait of Hormuz into a dead end for unclear who is behind the bombtankers and hold the world economy hostage as payback for ings, which the regime said were tighter U.S.-led sanctions. suicide attacks.

Despite Iran’s escalating tough talk, there are contradictions The regime has blamed “terrorists” for the explosions, say- and complications that cast doubt on the likelihood of drastic ing they proved that Syria was military action by Tehran that could trigger a Gulf conflict. It fighting armed gangs. But the also shows how much Iran’s foreign policies are now shaped by opposition accuses forces loyal its military commanders as the country views itself in a virtuto the regime of carrying out the al state of war with Western powers and their allies. attacks as a way to tarnish the It appears to be part of the kind of seesaw brinksmanship uprising. that has become an Iranian hallmark: Pushing to the edge with Assad also denounced the Arab League, which sent a team the West and then retreating after weighing the reactions. of observers into Syria in late “Iran sees pressures coming from all sides and sanctions December to assess whether the seem to be taking a major bite,” said Salman Shaikh, director regime is abiding by an Arab- of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. “Iran’s military is brokered peace plan that the stepping up as the outside threats increase. This could well be regime agreed to on Dec. 19. On Monday, a group of Arab League the year that defines the direction of the Iran showdown.”

Iran has rolled out its troops and arsenals in an unpreceobservers was reportedly attacked in northern Syria, suf- dented display of military readiness. It wrapped up naval fering minor injuries. maneuvers earlier this month that included the first threats to

Syrian president accuses terrorists The Associated Press

NEWS

block Gulf oil tankers. Ground forces also were sent on winter war games — against what a Tehran military spokesman called a “hypothetical enemy” — with U.S. forces just over the border in Afghanistan.

And the Revolutionary Guard — by far the strongest military force in Iran — said it will send its ships for more exercises in February near the Strait of Hormuz, which funnels down to a waterway no wider than 30 miles (50 kilometers) at the mouth of the Gulf. The U.S. and allies have told Iran that any attempts to blockade the strait would invite retaliation.

In response, Iran’s defense minister, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, tried to shift the blame to the presence of Western forces in the region.

“The point is if anybody wants to jeopardize security of the Persian Gulf, then it will be jeopardized for all,” the website of state TV quoted Vahidi as saying Sunday.

For many Iranians, sanctions that could target Iran’s oil exports are disturbingly reminiscent of the U.N.-imposed limits on Iraq’s oil industry in the 1990s.

Iran also knows that blocking oil flow in the Gulf would bring serious self-inflicted wounds. Iran counts on oil for about 80 percent of its foreign currency earnings. Any disruptions would immediately start draining Iran’s treasury and leave its main oil customers, including China, India and South Korea, scrambling for new suppliers. As Iranian affairs analyst Afshin Molavi quipped: Closing the strait for Iran would be “akin to a man purposely blocking a coronary artery.”

4 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

OPINIONS

Editor’s Note Protect independent thought in 2012 Blair Kuykendall Editor-in-Chief Resolved to take some daring action in 2012?

Learn to think for yourself.

The lack of originality in today’s society is alarming.

With increased accessibility, mass media influence has permeated every facet of our thinking.

Take the Mona Lisa. In all fairness, Leonardo DaVinci is undoubtedly an artistic genius. His collective works are awe-inspiring, and he has rightfully earned his prominence in art history. The Mona Lisa’s status as the world’s most popular painting, however, is more dubious.

As I stood in the Louvre’s Denon wing over Christmas break, I found the scene almost comical.

Throngs of tourists crowded around the relatively small and unassuming portrait. Mona Lisa herself was shrouded with thick glass, under the watchful eyes of several guards. Spectacular framed canvases covered the walls of the gallery, largely unnoticed.

Colorful landscapes, scenes and portraits by several of the world’s most famous painters hung in serenity.

I watched with amusement as visitors continued to stream through the magnificent galleries entrance, oblivious to all except for the queue to see Mona Lisa.

I first assumed my own ignorance. Likely, my failure to appreciate what separated Leonardo’s work from the rest was my own deficiency. I soon learned, however, that most Parisians are similarly puzzled.

My mother was candid enough to ask our guide Vincent what was especially spectacular about this one painting. He responded, “You tell me.” Millions of visitors flock to the Louvre each year, their main goal to view the famous painting. But what made it so popular?

The painting does posses an interesting history.

The woman is reportedly Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant who commissioned its creation in the early 1500s. With seemingly mundane roots, the painting has been the subject of both theft and vandalism. It was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, who believed the work truly belonged to Italians. Mona Lisa toured Italy for two years before being returned, and Peruggia served only six months in prison for his

patriotism.

Several miscreants have waged ill-contrived schemes to destroy the painting. In 1956 acid was thrown at the painting, and later that same year Ugo Villegas chucked a rock at it. Recently, onslaughts of red paint and a fast-moving teacup tested the effectiveness of the painting’s glass barrier, which held fast.

Why such controversy over one artwork? My theory is hype.

Before the 20th century, the Mona Lisa was not viewed with any special significance. In 1852 the painting’s market value was assessed at around 90,000 francs, dwarfed by some of Rafael’s paintings estimated to be worth 600,000 francs.

Murmurings of the painting’s importance began in 1878, only after a Baedeker guide highlighted its beauty. Baedeker guides originated in 1827, and were widely used by travelers to pinpoint sites and scenes worthy of attention. In the early 1960’s the painting was displayed in Washington, D.C. and New York, before appearing in Tokyo and Moscow. This tour inspired broad international appeal.

The Mona Lisa is undeniably enchanting, but not discernibly superior to the works of Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Paolo Veronese or Titian. It has simply enjoyed better PR. That brings us back around to the focus of this missive: learning to think for yourself. Whether it’s fine art or the presidential race, I encourage you to employ some common sense. Meditate on issues and information that matter to you, and refuse to be preoccupied with issues or trends that someone else deems important.

Here at the Beacon this semester, we will be doing our best to continue delivering unbiased coverage of events and opinions on campus. If we’re missing out on something that matters to you, call our hand on it. Any student’s contribution is always welcome, and I personally read all feedback we receive. Our staff is looking forward to another great semester.

By the way, if you still have doubts about the power of the Baedeker guide, consider this. In 1942, Germany focused bombing raids on cities in England of cultural importance in an attempt to stifle moral.

This was known as the “Baedeker Blitz,” because affected areas had achieved the coveted three-star Baedeker rating.

— Blair Kuykendall is a junior in the College Scholars Program. She can be reached at bkuykend@utk.edu.

SCRAMBLED EGGS • Alex Cline

THE GREAT MASHUP • Liz Newnam

Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.

Apple gadgets brighten holidays Ac orns and Other Seeds by

Anna-Lise Burnette It’s a new semester and a new year, and a few of you may even be new here. But most of you aren’t (and neither am I), so I won’t bother to go into any details about my (previously detailed) distrust of the digital age. Still, it’s the end of the holiday season, and I’m feeling optimistic. Coincidentally, this December marked my unprecedented exposure to the wonder of handheld Apple devices. (And just in case you were wondering, no, I have not been compensated for this endorsement. If only.)

This may come as a bit of a surprise; I feel that by this point many college students are old hat at playing with their shiny bits of iFlash. Perhaps for most of you the unveiling of the 4S or the iPad 2 seemed an inevitable, all-too-expected event — but for me, it was barely on the radar. Until a few weeks ago I had never spent more than 35 seconds on someone else’s tablet, nor had I ever so much as held someone else’s iPhone while they paused to blow their nose. But this Christmas I learned what useful tools this family of devices can truly be when people are desperate to be together.

My first real taste came during a bout of horrible illness. A virus swept through my family during our big holiday gathering, the complications of which left young and old weak-kneed and weak-stomached for more than a week. It was during my recovery period (I liked to call it “quarantine”), when I was holed up in bed away from everyone else in the house, that I used FaceTime for the first time. Propping a volunteered iPhone up near my pillow, I was able to chat with anyone who happened to walk by the wirelessly connected computer monitor on the first floor — it was in this way that I was able to spend several otherwise miserable hours happier than could be expected.

But the conversations I had then pale in importance compared to the conversations my eldest sister has been having over the holidays. Though the first mention was brief, I remember hearing about how my brother-

in-law, stationed overseas, has been using FaceTime to video chat with my nephews. The boys are young enough that they have only a vague concept of geography, but they instinctively know the limitations of time and space; I hear that they love getting to see their dad while he’s a continent away. I have a hard time imagining what it must be like to only see your husband or father for brief moments of hazily backlit chatting, but I’m guessing that it nevertheless feels very, very special. After multiple deployments you surely don’t take those things for granted.

These are but small personal examples from my own recent experience, and I’m sure there are more and better ones for other people to tell, but the point is this: While the distance created by too much time wasted on e-this and iThat is undoubtedly great, newer and nicer technology also enables us to stretch ourselves further in a positive way. Sure a perfectly calibrated motion system and a glossy touch screen are ideal for playing Doodle Jump, but the products in which we as a market invest so much money are worth our attention if only for the basic needs that they address.

For what is an iPhone without the scrolling list of never-ending contacts, those tiny digital files that encapsulate entire cities if we’re well enough connected.

And what is an iPad if it doesn’t act as a digital brag book, replete with higher definition images than any grandmother could hope for. Playing with devices like these really helps one to understand the meaning of the term “luxury item,” though not because they are prohibitively expensive. It is because the extended services they make available to us really are still luxuries.

Until someone figures out how to create a real-life Star Trek transporter that can beam us from place to place without being splinched, phone calls, text messages, e-mails and video chats are the best we’ve got.

And no, it certainly isn’t that we need these products to get on. There are hundreds of similar devices being produced by companies other than Apple that also seek to capitalize on our very human social nature — and for every one of those there are thousands more that don’t even try. But maybe what I’m really saying is this: I wouldn’t pass up a free one. After all, I’ve got plenty of long-distance conversations just waiting to be had.

— Anna-Lise Burnette is a senior in interdisciplinary studies. She can be reached at kburnet7@utk.edu.

Redefining university education S mel l This by

Sam Ellis

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The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester.The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive,11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon.com.

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Recently, I was fortunate enough to enjoy an audience with Randy Nichols, Knox County’s own District Attorney General. A friend invited me to a lecture/discussion given by Nichols in Market Square in which the D.A. addressed the nature of crime in Knoxville, with a strong focus on drugs and violent crime. I became particularly engaged in the drug debate and ended up having something of a one-on-one with Nichols, who kindly entertained each and every inquiry and naïve claim. We mused different solutions to curb drug use, various ways oversight might choke addicts’ access to prescription pharmaceuticals, etc.

It might sound boring to some, I know. But I enjoyed the experience. Enough, even, that I skipped my political science class that day, something I don’t often do. Especially for such an odd trade-off … I mean, why opt for an elective discussion instead of a required class for which I both paid and registered? Where’s the utility?

I don’t know. But I know exactly what I would have missed. I’d have missed a repeat of any other Tuesday or Thursday at 12:40 — my professor takes role and teaches that day’s lesson. I sit idly, preoccupied with my computer. Then, come exam time, I skim the textbook, reference my incomplete notes and typically end up doing … well enough. It’s unexciting. It’s monotonous. But for my professor and me, it gets the job done.

I know it’s a problem. I’m just having trouble assessing the blame. In her 1999 article “A Higher Degree of Indifference,” Washington Post columnist Pamela Gerhardt analyzes the dilemma of Generation Y’s apathy in the classroom. She cites shifted expectations, preoccupation with “the bottom line,” lack of patience and an overall strong sense of entitlement as reasons why kids my age just don’t give a crap. It’s a pretty caustic piece but interestingly enough, I agree wholeheartedly with most of it. Primarily because, well, I don’t participate in the classroom as much as I should. And for all

those reasons! I feel entitled, I rarely feel efficacious, I never see policy change or any others tangibles and I have to constantly remind myself I’m there to learn and not just get an A. By contrast, my discussion with Nichols brought to light the problems we were discussing in real time and space. The numbers and people were “in reach” and thus, I saw the potential for actual change. It ignited my passion for public policy and rhetoric and excited me for the next step. I cared, and the difference was obvious: Unlike school, it wasn’t theoretical.

I’m not just saying school is boring. And I’m certainly not saying lecture classes are no longer viable. But I think it’s safe to say teachers’ jobs are getting harder. Students today see themselves more and more as consumers, and as a result, we have an expectation to be taught better rather than an obligation to try in the classroom. We demand less theory and more application, but most of all, we demand to be engaged. In a strictly logical sense, the burden of the problem (though by no means the blame) rests with the teachers.

The movement has already started. I see instructors employing these strategies more and more, but for those who have yet to align with the curve — do it. It might annoy us at first, but I assure you I speak for the enlightened among my demographic when I say don’t hold back. Address individuals directly, implement Socratic methodology, require daily readings or even tagteam each day’s lesson with a different student.

Education is too invaluable to squander with one’s mouth shut.

If we choose to continue in silence and disinterest, then we ought to be comfortable with the fractional benefit that sort of behavior yields. But again, that’s our prerogative. We seek real-world application and to discuss things we care about, and integrating this into a teaching strategy should be the next step. Will it be more difficult for students to eke by and for instructors to fulfill their job requirements in a strictly minimalist sense? Certainly. But personally, I’d like to be getting a little more bang for my buck.

I’ll speak up if you’ll call me out. What do you say?

— Sam Ellis is a senior in political science. He can be reached at sellis11@ukt.edu.

NEWS

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Daily Beacon • 5

Iran’s uranium facility causes concern Israel works on territorial proposal The Associated Press MOSCOW — Russia expressed regret and concern Tuesday about Iran’s launch of an underground uranium enrichment facility, but urged all parties involved in the nuclear standoff with Tehran to avoid hasty moves.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement mixed cautious criticism of Iran, an important trading partner, with a call for more talks — a fine line Moscow has walked in the past.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the launch of the facility near Iran’s holy city of Qom demonstrated that Tehran was continuing to ignore international concerns about its nuclear program. It added, however, that Iran had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency in due time of the launch of the bunker facility.

“We hope that Tehran will listen to our opinion about the need for a further close cooperation with the agency and a quick start of serious six-way talks on the Iranian nuclear program without any preconditions,” it said.

The ministry said Russia was urging all parties involved in the Iranian nuclear standoff to avoid “ill-considered and abrupt moves,” which could undermine prospects for talks with Iran, an important trading partner.

“We confirm that all problems linked with the Iranian nuclear program must be solved exclusively through talks and dialogue based on mutual respect, gradual movement and reciprocity,” it said, adding that Russia is ready to help the negotiations.

Russia had treaded a similar path over recent

years, alternating criticism of Iran’s intransigence with praise for some of its moves and readiness to continue the dialogue. Iran has insisted that its uranium enrichment program is aimed at civilian power generation and research, but Western nations suspect it of serving as a cover for a nuclear weapons bid.

Moscow backed some of the previous U.N. sanctions against Iran, but in recent months has firmly rejected imposing any new sanctions and called for dialogue.

Russia built Iran’s first nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr, which began producing electricity in September. Russia’s nuclear chief said last November that Iran would like more Russian-built reactors.

Britain’s Middle East minister Alistair Burt on Tuesday called on nations opposed to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons to increase pressure against Tehran.

“A few weeks ago the British government imposed tough new financial restrictions against Iran. These new sanctions make it illegal for any financial institution in the U.K. to have any dealings with any institution in Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran,” Burt said, in a speech to the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.

“They are the toughest of their kind. And we will build on them, getting others to follow suit.

We are working with the EU on sanctions against Iranian oil,” he said.

Italy’s foreign minister on Tuesday said his country would support a gradually imposed embargo on Iranian oil.

the international “Quartet” of Mideast peace mediators. The Quartet hopes to broker a peace deal by the end of this year.

In October, the Quartet of Mideast negotiators — the U.S., U.N., E.U. and Russia — asked the two sides to produce proposals on territory and security within three months. The Palestinians believe the deadline is Jan. 26. The official said Israel considers that three-month period to have begun last week, when the talks resumed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are supposed to be secret. The Palestinians declined to respond.

Earlier Tuesday, the Palestinian President Mahmoud said the preliminary talks provide an “important opportunity” for restarting the peace process.

Speaking in Amman, Abbas said hopes for success are “weak.” Even so, “we must take this chance,” Abbas told reporters after meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Abdullah, who is hosting the talks, is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Jan. 14. Abdullah said that meeting would focus on restarting serious Mideast negotiations.

The issue of settlement construction persists as the heart of the current impasse in peace efforts, which broke down in September 2010 with the expiration of an Israeli settlement freeze.

The Palestinians say they will not resume negotiations as long as Israel continues to build in its settlements in the West Bank as well as in east Jerusalem. Some 500,000 Israelis now live in these areas, and the Palestinians say continued construction is a sign of bad faith.

The Associated Press JERUSALEM — Disagreements have already emerged in nascent negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, an Israeli official said Tuesday, but he said his government remains committed to a year-end target to reaching a final peace deal.

The Israeli pronouncement was the first time either side has spoken about the dialogue launched last week in Jordan. The low-level contacts, between the chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, are aimed at reviving formal peace talks.

The Israeli official said the dialogue, which included a second meeting on Monday, has taken place in a positive atmosphere, but disagreements have popped up in two key areas: the timeline and the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of their future state. They have repeatedly said that final borders be based on Israel’s pre1967 war lines. Israel, however, rejects a withdrawal to these positions.

The Israeli official said the new Palestinian documents were a “recycling” of long-standing positions that Israel opposes. He said that Israel is working on a counterproposal. In the meantime, Israel submitted its own document addressing all items “necessary to achieve a historic agreement.”

He gave no details, saying only that Israel is ready for “serious and substantive discussions” and expressing hope that the Palestinians would give the process a chance as well.

The talks are taking place under the auspices of

Mining company settles lawsuit never be fully compensated,” he said. “At this point, we await the action of the U.S. attorney.

I think some people behind bars might bring complete closure to the matter.”

Because the settlements are confidential, some relatives told The Associated Press they cannot comment.

Alpha inherited the mine and the lawsuits when it bought Massey Energy last summer. It has since settled several unrelated lawsuits against other Massey operations. A company spokesman said last month Alpha was eager to shed the legacy problems and move forward.

In December, Alpha reached a $210 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that spares the corporation criminal prosecution. Individuals, however, can still be prosecuted — as many families have publicly demanded.

The settlement included $46.5 million in restitution to the victims’ families, guaranteeing them and two survivors of the blast $1.5 million apiece. That $1.5 million will be deducted from the wrongful death settlements.

The Associated Press MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— A mining company has settled wrongful death lawsuits with families of all 29 victims of West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch disaster, an attorney for the estates of two miners said Tuesday.

Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources did not immediately confirm the agreement or otherwise comment, but attorney Mark Moreland said the final deals were cut Tuesday afternoon after a marathon mediation session. He said Alpha also settled lawsuits by at least seven miners who were injured in the April 2010 blast, the worst U.S. mine disaster in four decades.

Although some lawsuits had long since been settled, mediation of the final 13 began last week and continued through Tuesday.

Moreland, who represented the estates of miners Ronald Lee Maynor and William Griffith, would not disclose the terms of the agreements, which will still require court approval.

“It’s some compensation for a loss that can

Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon

Kelsey Robinson yells in jubilation after securing the SEC title with a win over Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Lady Vols defeated Duke to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, only to fall in a close match to Ohio State.

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6• The Daily Beacon

ARTS&CULTURE

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Family of Eisenhower calls for new memoriThe Associated Press

• Photo courtesy of NARA

President Eisenhower signs an act to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 on Aug. 30, 1954.

Eisenhower’s family hopes a new memorial in the nation’s capital will focus on the president’s acts at war and in politics rather than simply his young

WASHINGTON — President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s family wants a memorial in the nation’s capital redesigned, saying the current plans overemphasize his humble Kansas roots and neglect his accomplishments in World War II and the White House.

Architect Frank Gehry has proposed a memorial park framed by large metal tapestries with images of Eisenhower’s boyhood home in Abilene, Kan. In the park, a statue of “Ike” as a boy

would seem to marvel at what would become of his life, leading the Allied forces, integrating schools and the military, and creating NASA and interstate highways. Smaller sculptures would depict Eisenhower as general and president.

Gehry’s idea echoed Eisenhower’s speech when he returned to Kansas and spoke of a “barefoot boy” who achieved fame in Europe. He came home “to say the proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.”

Anne Eisenhower, one of

the president’s granddaughters, sent a formal objection to National Capital Planning Commission on Tuesday on behalf of the family.

“What one has to say is he’s missed the message here,” she told The Associated Press. “The mandate is to honor Eisenhower, and that is not being done in this current design. Or, shall we say, it is being done in such a small scale in relation to the memorial that it is dwarfed.”

A spokesman for the National Capital Planning Commission didn’t immedi-

ately respond.

The Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which hired Gehry and planned to seek final approval of the design in March, didn’t immediately comment on the family’s objections.

Gehry has said he wants to make sure the Eisenhower family approves the design, but he has dismissed the idea of using a traditional statue, saying all the great sculptors are long gone.

Gehry’s design follows the trend of other memorials honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt, World War II veterans and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Those memorials are more than statues and engage visitors.

Susan Eisenhower, another granddaughter, said “Ike” is simply the wrong figure to memorialize with an avant-garde approach. He was a traditionalist and bewildered by modern art, she said.

In a 1962 speech at the dedication of his presidential library, Eisenhower spoke of modern art as “a piece of canvas that looks like a broken down tin lizzie (Model T Ford), loaded with paint, has been driven over it.”

“Just about everybody on the mall had humble origins,” she said. “But you don’t get to the mall because you had humble origins. You get to the mall because you did something for which the nation is grateful.”

Beyond Gehry’s images, the family is worried about the symbolism of tapestries towering eight stories high.

Something smaller would make more sense, Susan Eisenhower said.

The memorial also would have its back to the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education Building, which sends the wrong message because Eisenhower and Johnson accomplished much together, the family wrote.

They also question the sustainability of the metal material and who would keep the woven metal clean of leaves and trash caught by the tapestry.

“Great monuments to our leaders are simple in design and made of durable stone for a reason,” the family wrote.

The debate comes as families take a stronger role in national memorials.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s children and late wife helped shape the new King Memorial.

In the 1990s, Roosevelt’s family was divided over how a disabled president should be portrayed. A statue of Roosevelt in a wheelchair was eventually added.

The influence from families emerged with the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and more recently with the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, said Kirk Savage, author of “Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape.”

Representing Eisenhower as a teenage boy, as Gehry proposed, would be interesting, Savage said, because it makes people relate to him in a different way, perhaps more closely.

“It’s about humanizing the leader, bringing him down into our space and our world, so that we can engage with him,” Savage said. “If they had just decided to do a statue of him in a military uniform or as president, in a way it wouldn’t have provoked any commentary at all.

“No one would have really paid attention.”

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Jake Lane Arts and Culture Editor With the advent of the New Year and a fresh spring semester, all pop culture junkies cry in adulation, “The awards season is upon us!”

Well, not exactly. It’s mostly a disgusted trepidation, knowing the films we have loved over the past year which have been deemed worthy by the powers that be “award-worthy” must now duke it out for the year’s superlative lists. What follows, not unlike the holiday season, is a parade of hurt feelings, jealousy over the gifts everyone else got, and a a revenue spike for tissue companies.

While the Oscar’s tend to hog the prestige, the Golden Globes stand as a greater barometer for international taste in films, thus to some should be held in an even higher regard.

Divided though these camps may be, one thing is obvious in recent years: The Golden Globes are a much more Bacchanalian affair, made for drunken speeches and in the case of last year’s show, heckling from host Ricky Gervais which puts any comment from the Friar’s Club stage to shame (maybe barring that comment about Patrice O’Neal at the Charlie Sheen roast, but who knew he’d die?).

As opposed to the honors given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, one backwoods Tennessee commentator will now tell you who will win the Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture 2011 was, if nothing else, a banner year for diverse contenders. What makes the Golden Globes so contentious is, unlike the Oscar’s, the categories for performance and production are split between drama and comedy/musical.

In effect this creates more slots for nominees and gives more productions some clout. It also muddies the field and creates more competition for deserving films.

In the drama category, the obvious frontrunner is Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” whose star George Clooney leads the field in the dramatic actor category, as well. Clooney’s own production, “The Ides

The Daily Beacon • 7

ARTS&CULTURE

of March,” also vies for the top film prize, but the only marked competition stands in “The Help.” Featuring a packed bill of charged performances, the tale of African-American women working in homes during the Civil Rights Era garnered universal critical acclaim on release.

Will win: “The Descendants” Should win: “The Help” In the comedy/musical category, late entry “The Artist” presents a major contender which, for the first time in many years, is actually a silent film. While so many directors have made their name on dialogue (Scorsese?

Tarantino, anyone?), in this day and age to relegate such a vital component of film style to title cards is daring. While more contemporary, youth-friendly nominees such as “Bridesmaids” and “50/50” earn their spots on the list, Woody Allen’s long-awaited return to form “Midnight in Paris” could stage an upset.

Will win: “The Artist” Should win: “The Artist” Wild card: “My Week with Marilyn” Best Actor If film nominations are any indicator, George Clooney should take the dramatic actor nomination without a doubt. However, more daring portrayals from Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Fassbender in “J. Edgar” and “Shame,” respectively, could split voters. Nothing against Brad Pitt or Ryan Gosling, but this is not a year for once and future pretty boys in vanilla roles.

Will win: George Clooney Should win: Michael Fassbender On the other hand, Gosling’s performance in “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” as a penitent womanizer would actually make him somewhat a parallel to Fassbender, and perhaps a solid contender for the comedic actor award. Jean Dujardin, however, trumps the smooth-talking bar rat in a silent performance both tragic and electrifying. In a field of champions, Dujardin is the man to beat.

Will win: Jean Dujardin

Should win: Jean Dujardin

Should win: Michelle Williams

Best Actress

Best Director

Two words: Lisbeth Salander. Rooney Mara’s transformative take on Stieg Larsson’s damaged cyberdetective would be the edgy choice. The safer, surer choice for dramatic actress is Viola Davis in “The Help.” Their peers, perennial favorites Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Tilda Swinton all performed admirably, yet their roles lack the edge, both aesthetic and dramatic, with which Mara and Davis imbue their performances.

This year has marked comebacks (Woody Allen), daring steps out on a limb (Scorsese) and a pair of Clooney-centric productions, but the award is Michel Hazanavicius’ to lose. While the comedic aspect of “The Artist” may put it at a disadvantage with the American Academy, the French production stands alone not for pushing the envelope of production values, but by stepping back to film’s early days. Hazanavicius’ handling of Jean Dujardin and wife Berenice Bejo consistently impresses, but never has the team of actors and director so astounded viewers.

Will win: Viola Davis Should win: toss-up, Davis or Mara As with their dramatic counterparts, this year’s comedic actress nominees each stand their own and with the exception of Kristen Wiig, are past nominees or winners for Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet counter and mirror each other to side-splitting effect in “Carnage,” and Wiig’s maid of honor Annie leads a pack of some of the most hilarious ladies in pink ever put to celluloid. Williams, however, always the nominee and rarely the winner, will and should take the statuette for her embodiment of Marilyn Monroe.

Will win: Michelle Williams

Will win: toss-up, Payne or Hazanavicius Should win: Hazanavicius These are only a few categories, and I leave you to determine your own outcomes. More entertaining, though, might be who Ricky Gervais might pick on this year. Judging from his early recognition of Charlie Sheen’s implosion last year, Gervais’ rants might dictate the memes and trends of the year. Again, not so much adulation as trepidation opens this season. You were warned.

— Jake Lane is a graduate in creative writing. He can be reached at jlane23@utk.edu.

8 • The Daily Beacon

NEWS

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Marine testifes in trial against squad mate The Associated Press CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — A former squad mate of a Marine implicated in the deaths of 19 Iraqis testified Tuesday that after a roadside bombing, the group raced to

nearby homes, firing rounds and tossing grenades for 45 minutes, even though he said the Marines did not take gunfire, come across a single insurgent or find a weapon.

Still, former Cpl. Steven Tatum told a military jury at the Camp Pendleton that he felt the squad did nothing wrong

that day in the town of Haditha in 2005, when Marines killed 24 Iraqis, including unarmed women and children.

Tatum gave his account during the trial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who led the squad and faces nine counts of manslaughter.

Military prosecutors have implicated the Camp Pendleton Marine from Meriden, Conn., in 19 of the 24 Iraqi deaths. He is the last defendant in one of the biggest criminal cases against U.S. troops from the war.

The squad was returning from a supply run at a combat outpost in the early morning when one of the four humvees in their convoy hit a roadside bomb, killing Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas and wounding two others.

Tatum said he rushed to help one of the injured Marines who was trapped under a humvee when he heard small arms fire hit the vehicle in front of him. Tatum said he then saw Wuterich and another Marine ran toward the nearest home.

When Tatum caught up to Wuterich, the sergeant told him “’treat the house as hostile,’” Tatum testified. Tatum understood that to mean there were armed individuals inside and he did not need to identify his target to attack.

The Marines tossed grenades in rooms and fired off rounds. One man was killed near the kitchen. Others were killed in a back room, where Tatum fired alongside Wuterich but said he was unable to see what he was shooting at because of the darkness and flying debris after a grenade exploded.

The Marines left when someone yelled that they had seen a person running out of the home, Tatum said. They ran to a neighboring house, tossing in grenades and shooting off rounds. Tatum saw the body of an Iraqi man near the kitchen when he went in after his fellow Marines.

While checking an empty room, Tatum said he heard people in a back bedroom moving then Wuterich firing his M-16. He rushed to help him, shooting at what he said were silhouettes in the dark, some big, some small.

“The only thing that gave me any indication there was a hostile act in there would be Staff Sgt. Wuterich firing sir,” Tatum told military prosecutor Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan.

Tatum returned later when the house had been determined to be safe and learned they had killed an unarmed woman and children in the room.

The defense says Wuterich believed insurgents were in the homes and that’s why he ordered his Marines to shoot first and ask questions later.

Tatum told the all-Marine jury he also felt endangered at the time and believes Wuterich and the squad were justified in their actions, even though troops did not take any gunfire or come across any insurgents for 45 minutes while they raided the homes.

The debate is whether Wuterich reacted appropriately as a Marine squad leader in protecting his troops in the midst of a chaotic war or went on a vengeful rampage, disregarding combat rules and leading his men to shoot and blast indiscriminately at Iraqi civilians.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Saban wins third BCS championship The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — As required, Alabama’s players whooped it up amid the confetti and fireworks, yet there was something muted about this championship celebration.

Turns out, these guys knew the ending to the sequel before they even got to the Big Easy.

For two months, the Crimson Tide stewed over its first meeting with top-ranked LSU. By the time the team touched down in New Orleans, there was little doubt in anyone’s mind about the outcome. Not just win, but dominate.

Boy, did they ever.

With a smothering display of old-school football, No. 2 Alabama blew out the Tigers 210 in the BCS championship game Monday night, celebrated a bit and headed back to Tuscaloosa with its second national title in three years.

Straight-laced coach Nick Saban accepted the trophies Tuesday morning and confessed that he might have savored it more than the title two years ago in Pasadena, Calif.

“To be honest with you, I think I maybe did,” said Saban, sporting a black sweater with patches of crimson on the shoulders and flanked by the hardware. “This team was a special team, not that the 2009 team was any different. It’s certainly an honor and privilege to be with a group that made the kind of commitment that you look for from a competitive character standpoint.”

The Crimson Tide also claimed the top spot in the final Associated Press poll for the eighth time, tying Notre Dame for the most of any team in college football. Alabama was an overwhelming choice with 55 of 60 first-place votes.

“We knew what we were capable of,” offensive lineman Barrett Jones said. “I guess that’s kind of arrogant, but it’s the way we felt.

We felt like we were capable of dominating, and we did that.”

Credit one of the greatest

defenses in college football history, a bunch of NFL-ready players such as Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower who made sure LSU (13-1) never had a chance.

When Jordan Jefferson dropped back to pass, he was swept under by a tide of crimson. When the LSU quarterback took off running, he must’ve felt like Alabama had a few extra players on the field. It sure seemed that way.

“It feels like a nightmare,” Jefferson said. “We just didn’t get it done on offense. Some defenses have your number, and Alabama had our number.”

LSU beat the Crimson Tide (12-1) in overtime on Nov. 5, a so-called Game of the Century that was roundly criticized as a dud because neither team scored a touchdown.

The Rematch of the Century was next, after Alabama worked its way back up to second in the rankings to claim a spot in the BCS title game. Turns out, it was even less of a classic than the first meeting, much closer to “Speed 2” than the “Godfather II.” But the Alabama defense was a thing of beauty, putting its own spin on this postseason of highscoring shootouts.

“They are unbelievable,” said Jones, relieved that he only has to go against them in practice.

“That defense is as good as any defense I’ve ever seen. They rush the passer, they have awesome linebackers and they’re great in coverage. They really don’t have any weaknesses. They have to be as good as any defense ever.”

LSU didn’t cross midfield until there were less than 8 minutes remaining in the game. The Tigers finished with just 92 yards and five first downs, on the wrong end of the first shutout in the BCS’ 14-year history.

“This defense is built on stopping them, and that’s what we did,” said Upshaw, the game’s defensive MVP. “We wanted to come out and show the world we beat ourselves the first game. We wanted to come out and dominate from start to finish, and that's what we did.”

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • 9

Johnson gets Player of Week again Staff Reports After being named the Southeastern Conference’s Player of the Week Jan. 2, Lady Vol senior forward Glory Johnson followed up with outstanding showings against Chattanooga, Georgia and Arkansas. For her efforts she was tabbed with her second-consecutive SEC Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor Monday.

Johnson averaged 15.7 ppg and 13.3 rpg and added three assists and eight steals, while playing 27.3 mpg in the team’s three victories.

Against Chattanooga on Tuesday, the 6-3 junior from Knoxville put up her third-consecutive double-double with 10

points and 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes in the 90-47 win.

Following her standout game against the Lady Mocs, Johnson recorded her fourth-consecutive double-double in the 51-80 victory over Georgia on Thursday. She finished with a season-high 22 points and 13 boards in the Lady Vols’ second SEC win.

Johnson had a monumental game against Arkansas, using 13 rebounds in her fifth consecutive double-double to reach the 1,000 rebound plateau. In reaching the benchmark Johnson became only the fourth in Lady Vol history to collect 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her Tennessee career. She joins elite company including Chamique Holdsclaw, Sheila Frost and Tamika Catchings in the 1,000/1,000 club.

On the season, Johnson is nearly averaging a double-double with 14.3 ppg and 9.9 rpg for the No. 6/7-ranked Lady Vols.

SPORTS

10 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Matt Dixon Sports Editor

Clay Seal Assistant Sports Editor Football On Dec. 6, Tennessee announced the hiring of former Vol Jay Graham as the team’s running backs coach.

Graham replaced Charlie Baggitt, who retired after spending two seasons as wide receivers coach and associate head coach. Graham was a running back for the Vols from 1993-96 and ranks seventh on UT’s career rushing list with 2,609 yards.

On Dec. 22, junior college defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore signed a national letter of intent to play for the Vols. He enrolled in classes for the Spring Semester and will have two years of eligibility remaining after spending last year at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and his freshman campaign at the University of Alabama.

On Jan. 2, defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon left for the same positions at the University of Washington. Wilcox and Sirmon, who are both from the West Coast and were roommates while playing at the University of Oregon, had been at UT for two seasons.

Eric Russell, who served as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator for the past two seasons, also left to reunite with new Washington State coach Mike Leach.

Coaches weren’t the only ones departing from Tennessee. Freshman wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett is transferring to Michigan State after coach Derek Dooley released him from his scholarship. Dooley initially wanted to limit Arnett’s transfer to just a Mid-American Conference school, but since Arnett’s transfer plans centered on being closer to his ailing father in Saginaw, Mich., Dooley allowed him to go to Michigan or Michigan State.

Men’s Basketball Who said Tennessee basketball wouldn’t be exciting since Bruce Pearl left? The Vols lost to Austin Peay at home a few days after break started, which was part of a stretch when they lost six of seven games. Now the team has won five of six games, only dropping a Jan. 4 rematch at Memphis, 69-51. The Vols had a 6756 stunner over then No. 13 Florida Saturday, both squads’ SEC opener.

Tennessee (8-7, 1-0 SEC) also got a boost with the addition of five-star freshman Jarnell Stokes Dec. 23.

The 6-foot-8 power forward from Memphis graduated high school in December and is enrolled at UT this semester, making him eligible to play. However, coach Cuonzo Martin is still working out how to get him in the rotation.

The Vols play next at No. 20 Mississippi State at 9 p.m., then host No. 2 Kentucky Saturday at noon.

Women’s Basketball After losing two in a row to Virginia and No. 1 Baylor in November, Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols (12-3, 3-0 SEC) have won 10 of their last 11. While we were on break, Tennessee beat the likes of UCLA and Rutgers, but fell on a road trip to Stanford Dec. 20, 97-80. With wins over Auburn, Georgia and Arkansas, the Lady Vols are 3-0 in SEC play.

Their next game is at Kentucky, Thursday at 7 p.m.

Men’s Swimming In a tumultuous time on the men’s side of the Tennessee athletic department, the swimming program managed to stay away from the drama.

But no more.

Tennessee fired coach John Trembley Jan. 3. The termination letter from athletic director Dave Hart cited “acts of gross misconduct as defined by University policy” as the reason for the firing. The Knoxville Police Department is conducting an investigation.

Trembley, a six-time SEC Coach of the Year, was the most tenured coach at UT other than Pat Summitt, Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon leading the Vols since 1988. He was an All-American swimmer for Tennessee in the 1970s.

Assistant coach Lars Jorgensen will serve as the interim replacement for the remainder of the season. Jeronne Maymon gets fired up after introductions before a game against Pittsburgh If all of that weren’t enough, junior Ryan Harrison was dismissed from the team for “violation of team on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Vols bounced back from a loss on the road to the Memphis policy.” Harrison, an Ireland native, was one of UT’s top freestylers.

Tigers with a home-court victory over the 13th-ranked Florida Gators.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Daily Beacon • 11

12 • The Daily Beacon

THESPORTSPAGE

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Foster rushes for 153, Texans win The Associated Press HOUSTON — Andre Johnson hugged his coach at the end of Houston’s first playoff victory — a moment a decade in the making.

“This is something not just for me, but for the whole organization,” the Texans star receiver said. “It’s a very special feeling. That’s probably the most I’ve smiled in a long time.”

As well he should.

Johnson, the face of this 10-year old franchise, scored on a 40-yard pass that powered the Texans to a 31-10 victory over the bungling Cincinnati Bengals on Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon Saturday in an AFC wild-card Glory Johnson shoots over a Georgia defender during a game on Thursday, Jan. 5. game.

Johnson had plenty of Johnson received her second-consecutive SEC Player of the Week award after help, too, from rookies J.J. helping lead the Lady Vols to victories over Georgia and Arkansas.

Watt and T.J. Yates to running back Arian Foster’s two touchdowns and 153 yards.

Watt came through with a leaping interception return for a touchdown late in the first half, Yates threw a pinpoint pass to Johnson in the third quarter and Foster followed with his second touchdown — a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter — to finish off the Bengals (9-8).

Houston will play at Baltimore (12-4) next Sunday, a rematch of a regular-season game won by the Ravens.

“I’m just very proud of all the guys, and the job they did,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “Hopefully, there are some more to come.”

The Bengals were in the playoffs for the third time in seven seasons, but haven’t advanced since beating the Houston Oilers following the 1990 season. They were done in this time by mistakes and a lack of pass protection.

“We have to get beyond this,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “We play in a very difficult division. We have to win games in the division, that is important and it sets up opportunities like this, all the time.”

Watt returned the first of rookie Andy Dalton’s three interceptions 29 yards for a score that broke a 10-all tie with 52 seconds left in the half. It sent the full house of 71,725 fans at Reliant Stadium into a frenzy, and the Texans into the locker room with all the momentum.

“You can see that they were all so proud of their team,” Houston owner Bob McNair said of the team’s

long-suffering fans. “We want to have a team everybody can be proud of and want to feel an attachment to. I think they have that.”

Dalton was 24 of 42 for 257 yards, while Yates was 11 of 20 for 159 yards in the first playoff game in the Super Bowl era matching two rookie quarterbacks. Foster’s first TD was an 8-yard run in the first quarter.

The Texans’ secondranked defense had its best performance in several weeks, sacking Dalton a season-high four times. Houston also forced four turnovers.

“We got back to our type of football,” Kubiak said, “and that was the key.”

Houston used six draft picks on defensive players.

The Texans took Watt with the 11th overall pick, a cornerstone for the reconstruction of the defense. He started all 16 games and led the team with 13 tackles for loss.

But he’d never picked off a pass.

Watt saw this one coming, measuring his jump when Dalton dropped back and snatching the ball with both hands. He sprinted to the end zone as the capacity crowd erupted, and he raised both hands after reaching the end zone.

“I was really just trying to put my hands up and get in the way of the passing lane,” the 6-foot-5 Watt said. “It happened to kind of stick. I realized I had the ball so I just ran to the end zone just trying not to fall down.”

Watt became the sixth defensive linemen to return an interception for a touchdown in postseason history — excluding the Super Bowl — and the first rookie to do it.

“It changed the momentum of the game,” Houston linebacker Brian Cushing said.