The Daily Beacon

Mostly Sunny with a 10% chance of snow HIGH LOW 47 36

The Daily Beacon previews the 2010 UT baseball team

Friday, February 19, 2010

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Issue 27

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Cool Beans reaches milestone Flora Theden Managing Editor Cool Beans Bar and Grill, located behind the Strip on Lake Avenue, will celebrate its 10 year anniversary Saturday, offering $2 shots along with other drink specials.

Brian Howington, or “Howie” as friends and Cool Beans patrons know him, owns the bar along with several partners. Howington has been with the bar since the beginning and said he feels that Cool Beans is a staple in the Knoxville bar scene. His laid-back attitude and casual attire of jeans and a camouflage hat embody the atmosphere of Cool Beans.

“We have an 18 year lease, and when that runs out we’ll probably sign another 18 year lease,” Howington said. “Yeah, I think we’re going to be around for a while.”

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Hannah Sakalla Staff Writer Interested citizens, representatives from the coal industry, activists and students came together Wednesday to listen to representatives who have made strides in the growing East Tennessee mountaintop removal movement.

Mountaintop removal mining is a type of surface coal mining intended to save time and money by harvesting bituminous coal from coal seams in Appalachia.

However, the adverse environmental effects of mountaintop removal are a topic of controversy, as highlighted in Wednesday’s discussion, “Voices of the Mountains: A Mountaintop Removal Discussion.”

Mountaintop removal primarily takes place in four states, one of

which is Tennessee. Others include Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

Mike McKinney, professor in earth and planetary sciences, exposed “the good, the bad and the ugly” about coal, dispelling myths about “clean coal” and mountaintop removal being a distant practice.

McKinney said the “good” is that America is home to one-fourth of the world’s coal supply, or rather America is the “Saudi Arabia of coal.”

He conceptualized mountaintop removal from a geological standpoint, rendering the harm it has on mountains that are nearly 300 million years old.

“We are looking at 300 million years to burn a few minutes of electricity,” McKinney said, defining “the ugly.”

McKinney also cited that for

every 300-million-year-old mountain that is leveled in West Virginia, only 3.37 hours of electricity is produced.

Maria Gunnoe, winner of the Goldman Prize for Environmentalism, urged attendants not to underestimate the distance between themselves and the problem. She explained that entire towns are disappearing because of lack of water supply and pollution in areas where mountaintop removal has occurred.

Gunnoe said mountains and their ecosystems can’t be “reclaimed” or remade after they have been leveled for the pursuit of coal.

“We are not even allowed in our mountains anymore. … We do not have the right to destroy what belongs to our children,” Gunnoe said, referring to her native Boone County, W.V., an area impacted by

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the coal industry.

Chris Irwin, staff attorney for United Mountain Defense whose primary focus is the protection of Appalachian watersheds, said the three main drinking water sources, underground water pockets, rivers and highland watersheds, are in danger of mountaintop removal.

“From the cradle to the grave, coal is damaging,” Irwin said.

Attorney Dawn Coppock ended the discussion encouraging students to help. Coppock said, for those interested in protesting mountain removal, a simple phone call to a senator or an e-mail to a House member would make a world of difference to the organization she cofounded, Lindquist-Environmental Appalachian Fellowship, which is currently trying to pass legislation to end mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

Off-campus housing provides better options, nicer amenities Jillian Edmonds Staff Writer

The bar had an event Tuesday night to celebrate their anniversary.

“A lot of people from Texas came in town. That’s where I’m from, and there was trivia,” Howington said. “There were a lot of people, and it was definitely a success.”

Howington said he and his partners decided to open a bar in Knoxville ten years ago because the bar scene was lacking.

“When we first opened Cool Beans there really wasn’t a bar scene on the Strip,” Howington said. “Hannah’s was here and New Amsterdam, or RT’s or whatever it’s called, was the Pink Flamingo, and that was like a dance club.”

Long Knoxville tenure Howington said Cool Beans has lasted this long for many reasons.

“The relaxed atmosphere, cool staff and good, cheap food and drinks is what keeps people coming back,” Howington said.

“The pool tables, games and specials also help,” he added.

Howington said being strict on IDs also helped the bar last as long as it has.

While Cool Beans may be a popular establishment for many students, some feel that older patrons are more suited for the bar.

“Cool Beans definitely has its own crowd,” Cody Parker, senior in logistics, said. “There are always the same people there. If you go you’ll see the same people, usually 24 to 28 year olds.”

Other UT students feel that Cool Beans is the perfect weekend spot.

Adam Selvidge, senior in political science, said his favorite drink at Cool Beans is a double Jim Beam and Coke.

“The crowd is mixed, mostly frats and sororities,” Selvidge said. “The service is great.

They make the drinks good and don’t screw you on the pours.”

Selvidge said he likes to go to Cool Beans because of the drink specials and good crowd, especially in the summer.

Cool Beans will conclude their anniversary celebration this Saturday.

U N I V E R S I T Y

Discussion highlights dangers of mining

10-year celebration

Not for everyone

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Vol. 113

I N D E P E N D E N T

Get your degree in the business casual on

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Knoxville offers various housing locations for students to choose from, both on and off campus. Volunteer Hall offers 2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments and town homes.

Various discounts furnish cost-effective student living Kristian Smith Student Life Editor These days, it seems students spend a lot of money during their time at college.

With tuition, room and board and student loans, the money can really add up. But there are perks to being a student, especially one at UT. There are many discounts students can get right at UT, and many local businesses offer discounts. Students can make the most of their time in Knoxville by taking advantage of student discounts.

Entertainment There are many ways stu-

dents can have fun and experience new things without spending a fortune. The Central Ticket Office offers discounted tickets to the Clarence Brown Theatre, cultural attractions, the Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Symphony. Some tickets are discounted more than 50 percent. For students looking to get outside of Knoxville, the Central Ticket Office also offers discounted tickets to Six Flags over Georgia and Six Flags White Water Parks. Students can get a day pass to Six Flags for $27 and a day pass to the White Water Park for $26.50.

See DISCOUNTS on Page 3

Choosing a place to live while attending college is a major decision. Different living accommodations can create diverse experiences.

Living in a dorm creates a lifestyle that makes it easy for first-year college students to transition from living at home.

Mica D’Alesandro, senior in sociology, said having a roommate can substantially add to the first-year college experience.

“Living in a dorm created an easy lifestyle,” she said.

“There was always someone to interact with. I always had someone to join me for the next meal, gym session and party. Living in the dorm kept me active. I slept less, and best of all I had so little stuff.”

For many freshmen, moving into a dorm is their first taste of independence.

“I didn’t have parents to address, a curfew to make, bills to pay, or a real care in the world,” D’Alesandro said.

Living in a dorm makes college life simpler in other ways.

“Living on campus allows students to pay upfront all costs associated with living on campus,” Jerry R. Adams, associate director of University Housing, said.

“The students do not have to

worry about monthly payments. Students do not have to worry about finding a parking space on a daily basis, and students enjoy the convenience of living on campus.”

Dorm life also makes it easier to meet people.

“The community built by RAs on their floor allows students to meet different students from around the state, across the US and many foreign countries,” Adams said.

Unlike other living areas around campus, there is tight security at dorms to help make students feel safe.

“The front desk in each residence hall is staffed 24 hours a day, and each hall is monitored by a camera system with card access to gain entry,” Adams said.

However, a dorm can become tiresome after freshman or sophomore year.

Living in an off-campus apartment can create an even greater sense of independence.

There are several apartment complexes on and off campus that advertise a luxury lifestyle for college students who desire more freedom than a dorm can offer. Crowne at Campus Point is one such apartment complex. It is not affiliated with UT but it is still a short distance from campus.

See STUDENT LIVING on Page 3

SGA senator strives to impact UT Kyle Turner Staff Writer Avery Howard begins each day, usually preceded by a long night, with a fresh outlook on the things to come and an always present smile.

Like most students, Howard seeks to balance schoolwork, extracurricular activities and friends.

Howard is an SGA Senator, director of the Traditions Committee, secretary of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) and on the Student Disciplinary Board. He works to make time to be with friends and relax.

“I am huge on socializing and love UT for that,” Howard said. “Different activities I participate in give me a great chance to meet and get to know people.”

Walking anywhere on campus, Howard is spotted or sees someone he knows every few minutes, stopping for quick conversations.

Even while hustling to class, Howard makes a

point to say hello to each person he knows.

Howard believes in his attempt to make each person feel important.

“I do whatever I can to help and acknowledge people in no matter what I do,” Howard said. “The impact of little things may not always be realized immediately, but it’s that random e-mail months later saying ‘thanks’ that really keeps me going. People keep me going.”

While scoping out a spot in the library to get some studying done, Howard chooses the busiest spot he can find.

“I enjoy studying around other people,” he said. “For some reason I just can’t study in an empty room. It might just be the extrovert in me.”

While in class, Howard tries not to get distracted. He said it is rare that he will open his computer during class or text because staying focused on the task at hand is what is important.

See HOWARD on Page 3

CAMPUS CALENDAR

2A • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

Friday, February 19, 2010

?

What’s HAPPENING AROUND CAMPUS

Feb. 19 - Feb. 22, 2010 Friday, Feb. 19 —

• 12 p.m. — Chris Spencer of the Knoxville Utilities Board will speak on “Wetlands:What They Are and Why We Need Them” during this week’s UT Science Forum in dining rooms C-D of the Thompson-Boling Arena.The seminar is free and open to the public.

• 7:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. — Amir El Saffar will play in an Iraqistyle percussion concert with Tim Moore. Instruments will include the dumbek, riqq, naqqarat and bendir.

The concert will be held in the UT School of Music’s Music Hall and is free and open to the public. El Saffar is also scheduled to give a lecture and demonstration earlier in the day, from 12:20 p.m. until 1:10 p.m. in Room 214 of the Music Building.

Saturday, Feb. 21 — • 5 p.m. — The Brazilian film series continues with a screening of “My Name Ain’t Johnny” in Portuguese with English subtitles in Hodges Library auditorium.The film tells the true story of Joao Guilherme Estrella, a young middle-class man who became a big-time cocaine dealer in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1990s.The film screening is hosted

by Euridice Silva of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures and is free and open to the public.

Sunday, Feb. 22 — • 3:30 p.m. — The Faculty Senate will hold its research council meeting in the UC executive dining room.The meeting is free and open to the public.

Jonathan Kahler • The Daily Beacon

Students are interviewed and participate in the events that are offered at the VolWalk of Life on Tuesday. Food was catered and there were many activities for students of all walks of campus life to participate in.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY • 1807 — Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, is arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic. In November 1800, in an election conducted before presidential and vice-presidential candidates shared a single ticket, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr defeated Federalist incumbent John Adams with 73 electoral votes each. The tie vote then went to the House to be decided, and Federalist Alexander Hamilton was instrumental in breaking the deadlock in Jefferson’s favor. Burr, because he finished second, became vice president.

• 1847 — The first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in

the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound fever sweeping the United States, 89 people — including 31 members of the Donner and Reed families — set out in a wagon train from Springfield, Ill. After arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyo., the emigrants decided to avoid the usual route and try a new trail recently blazed by California promoter Lansford Hastings, the socalled “Hastings Cutoff.”

• 1981 — The U.S. government releases a report detailing how the “insurgency in El Salvador has been progressively transformed into a textbook case of indirect armed aggression by communist powers.” The report was another step indicating that the new administration of Ronald Reagan was prepared to take strong measures against what it perceived to be the

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communist threat to Central America. When the Reagan administration took office in 1981, it faced two particularly serious problems in Central America. In Nicaragua, the Reagan administration was worried about the Sandinista regime, a leftist government that took power in 1979 after the fall of long-time dictator Anastacio Somoza. In El Salvador, the administration was concerned about a growing civil war between government forces and leftist rebels. Brutal violence on the part of the Salvadoran military — offenses that included the 1980 rape and murder of four U.S. missionaries — had caused the Jimmy Carter administration to cut off aid to the country.

— Courtesy of History.com

Friday, February 19, 2010

DISCOUNTS continued from Page 1

• Photo courtesy of Avery Howard

Avery Howard and good friend Andrew Smith discuss leadership during their day and reflect on how their roles can change the college campus.

HOWARD continued from Page 1 “Keeping my classroom life separate from everything else is really important to me,” he said. “I understand what needs to get done and sometimes come off as a more reserved student to some of my teachers.”

One teacher to whom Howard is not reserved is Sally Parish who instructs the Emerging Leaders class.

“Avery is truly one of those outstanding leaders with great work ethic and a flawless attitude,” Parish said. “He really models the Torchbearer’s Creed and serves campus for the students and not himself.”

During breaks from class, when most students head to lunch, Howard grabs a Sprite and tries to catch up on e-mails.

The past few weeks, however, have spared little free time between classes for Howard, who is pursuing to further his involvement with SGA. He has kept busy getting student signatures for his petition to run for an office in student government, while still setting up meetings to answer questions and guide newer SGA members.

Jeff Wilcox, former SGA president, recalled meeting Howard for the first time and was struck by his confidence and willingness to contribute.

The Daily Beacon • 3A

STATE&LOCAL

“He has always done a great job giving back to others on campus and exemplifies what I think a leader should be,” Wilcox said. “He was always that go to person who I knew I could always count on with extreme confidence.”

Howard said he knows that leading by example is the most effective way he can make a daily impact on campus.

Since being at UT, Howard admits his growth in many areas of his life.

“I have learned that there is no reason to do something if you don’t love it,” he said. “I really try and structure my life in a way that I love what I am doing and that involves getting to serve others.”

There are little things Howard has had to curtail such as Facebook usage, but he confessed that he makes it a point to tell everyone he knows “happy birthday.”

“Some people don’t tell others happy birthday on Facebook, but I feel people really do appreciate the small things,” Howard said.

When the school day is done and Howard returns home to his roommate, he cooks as a way to wind down and relax.

After dinner, it is off to a meeting, studying, answering e-mails and then bed.

However, Howard emphasizes he is not always about work. Sometimes when stressed, like all students, Howard relaxes, watches TV or takes a walk.

He’ll even turn off his Blackberry.

To get the student discount, students must be full-time students and have a valid student ID. To get discounted tickets, students must purchase the tickets in the office in the UC, not online or over the phone.

Student moviegoers can also benefit from discounts.

The Regal Riviera movie theater on Gay Street offers student discounts. With a valid student ID, all tickets are $7.

For a unique night out, Side Splitters Comedy Club, located at 9246 Park West Boulevard, offers 2 for 1 admissions with a student ID on Thursday through Sunday, as long as it is not a special event. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online by using the promo code STUDENT at http://sidesplitterscomedy.c om.

Cosmetic treatments For students who want some color before Spring Break without expensive prices, Sun Tan City on Kingston Pike offers a discount for students.

Jamie Mason, owner of Sun Tan City, said the cost to tan for a month at this location is half of what other tanning salons cost.

“We are the only tanning bed around here with discounts for UT students,” Mason said.

STUDENT LIVING continued from Page 1 Tom Sledge, manager of Crowne, explained some of the advantages of living in off-campus apartments.

“We try to create a nice environment that students look forward to coming home to, as well as a place to have fun,” Sledge said. “Some advantages of choosing to live at Crowne

Mason said students could come in and tan unlimited for the rest of February for about $6.

They also offer a free week of tanning for new customers.

Mason said Sun Tan City also offers Versa Spa spray tans. For four spray tans, it costs $49.

X-treme Hair Designers, located on Western Avenue, offers 15 percent off all chemical treatments and extensions for students, with a valid student ID.

Honors Discounts • 10 percent off purchase at Buffalo Wild Wings • 20 percent off purchase of $10 at Domino’s Pizza (carryout or delivery) • $100 off at Kaplan Test Prep • Free regular drink with any adult meal (excluding tacos) at Moe’s Southwest Grill • 20 percent off at Papa John’s (cannot be used with meal plan and/or dining dollars)

Honors

Travel

Good grades pay off at UT. Honors students receive even more discounts.

Honors students can present their ID at Buffalo Wild Wings, Domino’s Pizza, Kaplan Test Prep, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Papa John’s to receive up to 20 percent off.

Kevin Tolliver, Honors Council treasurer, said the discounts were created by the Honors Council to help honors students become more of a community.

“We thought it would be a good way to foster community among honors program students as well as offer them ways to get out in Knoxville, especially when they’re freshmen,” Tolliver said.

He said the Kaplan discount seems to be the most popular, and the Honors Council is looking to add more discounts and expand the program.

Student traveling, whether on Spring Break or home for the holidays, can be difficult, not to mention expensive.

Web sites like http://www.statravel.com and http://www.studentuniverse.com allow students to receive discounts on flights and hotels. These Web sites verify that students are really students by requiring reservations to be made with a “.edu” e-mail address.

For students without a car on campus, travelling around Knoxville can also be difficult. The Central Ticket Office in the UC offers discounted KAT bus passes for students. With a valid student ID, students can purchase a bus pass for $50 per semester. This pass includes all routes except express routes and must be shown, along with a student ID, to ride the bus.

would be that there is no one looking over (the students) shoulder; they have the freedom of living on their own while still being close to campus. Location is our biggest selling point.”

For some students, the best choice for them is a house farther away from campus. Living in a house offers independence as well as two things that are hard to get in an apartment or dorm: privacy and space.

Adrienne Dale, junior in

political science, who lives at the Orchard, a housing complex on Cherokee Trail, said she prefers living in a house to living in an apartment complex.

“One advantage of living in a house is that your neighbors are not as close to you and houses are more secluded,” Dale said.

“There’s not as much noise. An apartment complex is more of a party environment, and there is not as much distraction or temptations in a house.”

4A • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

OPINIONS

LetterEditor to the

‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ based on efficiency, not prejudice This letter is written in response to Sam Smith’s Feb. 8 column titled “Lack of homosexuals in military illogical.” I am writing in defense of the current policy regarding homosexuals serving in the military, more popularly known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

According to Smith’s column, my aversion to homosexuals serving openly in the military probably stems from my “traditional” background or my inability to accept people with “alternative lifestyles.” The problem with Smith’s argument is that it incorporates the all too familiar syntax of political correctness. His opponents, or those with a “sad problem,” are traditionalists prejudiced against diversity, i.e., homosexuals in the military or in general. He assumes that no serious rationale other than lingering social prejudice exists for the current military policy. In other words, opposing “don’t ask, don’t tell” requires no military argument, while supporting it makes the backer appear inhuman or indecent.

From a social standpoint, the military requires some special understanding in regard to its societal underpinnings. In one vein, the military has championed social growth faster than society as a whole. (In 1947, the military was fully integrated almost a full 20 years before the public was.) On the other hand, the military remains inverted in some areas. (It is not democracy, for one.) Furthermore, the military has proven itself to be as pragmatic and flexible as needed through history in order to accomplish its objective: to defeat the enemies of the United States.

No doubt many people who read this newspaper have seen such Discovery or National Geographic specials on TV that depict the basic and specialty training that military units go through in order to prepare for combat. In one aspect of this, the military strives at all costs to drain recruits of their individuality and personal desires in order to make them work like pieces in a machine and to create unit cohesion. An essential part of the military psyche is that, for the large part, members of a military unit do not think for themselves but mainly react to orders given. The mission objective, not personal consideration, guides their actions.

Now imagine for a second that the son of an officer served in his unit. (This could never happen because the military bars family members from serving in the same unit.) What would happen if the mission’s objectives came at the price of the son’s death? Would the officer be able to place the mission first? The same can be said of women serving in direct combat roles with men. In fact, some countries do not allow women to directly serve in combat roles because of the way men handle themselves when seeing women wounded. It was found that most men would instinctively and naturally help a wounded woman even if that meant sacrificing the mission.

One can see how this last argument can be applied to homosexuals serving in the military as well. At no fault of the fighting capability or personal worth of homosexuals, the natural sexual attraction between heterosexual males and females and homosexuals of the same sex can cause the unit cohesion and the esprit de corps to break down, which can therefore jeopardize the mission.

The bottom line is that the military is constitutionally obligated to protect the people of this great country. The bureaucrats and politicians of this country should not use the military as an experiment of political correctness but allow it to do its duty in the most efficient way possible.

Jonathan Becraft Junior in computer science and math THE DAILY BACON • Blake Treadway

DOONESBURY • Garry Trudeau

Elementary students better appreciated I thou ght y o u h a d c la s s by

Gabe Johnson

It is my favorite day of the year: Student Appreciation Day! For those who have never experienced this phenomenon, Student Appreciation Day is perhaps the greatest holiday in the history of time. It is a holiday that is pure good and no bad. It’s like Mardi Gras without Lent, birthdays without the embarrassing singing, Christmas without “Christmas Vacation,” St. Patrick’s Day without the Irish and Easter without Jesus. It’s just that amazing.

But what exactly is Student Appreciation Day? Well, for starters, it is a unique holiday celebrated solely by the UT area and no one else. In this respect, it is theoretically similar to the day God miraculously grants the Volunteers a victory over Florida on the gridiron. The only real difference is Student Appreciation Day actually happens. Also, Student Appreciation Day is in the ranks with holidays like Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Washington’s Birthday (incorrectly called “Presidents’ Day” by those ignorant about national holidays) because students still get to go to class. How exciting!

Another perk of Student Appreciation Day is in your hand. You might have noticed The Daily Beacon appears to be supersized almost to the point of being unwieldy. This is because of all the awesome discounts the Beacon contains for one short day. For example look on page six; there’s a cool one right there.

I personally love Student Appreciation Day because it is a day everyone should tell me how much they appreciate me and do not deserve to have me gracing their presences on campus. In fact, the first 300 students to e-mail me how awesome I am will automatically be placed in a drawing to win a free 20-ounce Coke and a small pack of chips from the vending machines in Volunteer Hall. It’s worth it. Ask last year’s

winner, Robby O’Daniel, how delicious those Doritos were, and he will tell you.

As great as it is, UT’s Student Appreciation Day might bring back memories of a better, archaic holiday which is no longer celebrated: Elementary School Student Appreciation Day. This was perhaps the greatest holiday ever. If UT’s Student Appreciation Day was the Indianapolis Colts, then the Student Appreciation Day you celebrated in elementary school would be the New Orleans Saints: simply superior in every way imaginable.

In elementary school this was the day you looked forward to. On this day, instead of the typical chicken-patty sandwiches or the traditional rectangular pizzas (almost always drenched in watered-down ranch dressing for flavor), the cafeteria served delicious and large foot-long hot dogs. There were not instant mashed potatoes or cold corn as side dishes.

Instead, a bag of chips and a scrumptious apple accompanied the monstrous hot dog. Also, there was actually dessert! One would get either a fresh baked cookie or one of those frozen juice bar thingies. Yummy!

If the weather was good, your food would be placed in a paper bag (instead of a plastic tray), and your teacher would escort the class outside to enjoy lunch under the nearest “shade tree.”

Rain, however, could not stop the festivities. In case of bad weather, your lunch would be served on the normal plastic tray, and you would take your normal seat inside; however, there was a zany twist. On the bottom of some of the trays were stickers, and if you were lucky enough to get one of these stickers, you would win a prize. Often the lucky winners got a free meal from the cafeteria later in the week. This was valued at around $1.75.

Do not get me wrong: UT’s Student Appreciation Day is awesome, but until I get a foot-long hot dog, a bag of chips, an apple and a cookie, it will pale in comparison to the old days. A Guthrie’s coupon is neat and all, but it cannot compete with a free meal.

— Gabe Johnson is a senior in political science and history. He can be reached at gjohns13@utk.edu.

Swimsuit issue spurs negative body images Bec aus e I Said So by

Amber Harding

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Blake Treadway 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, 5 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: http://dailybeacon.utk.edu.

LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utk.edu or sent to Nash Armstrong, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style.

Last week, the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue came out. I hate the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

No, I don’t hate it because I’m jealous. No, I don’t hate it because I wish I were a millionaire model who gets paid just to let people take pictures of me. And no, I don’t hate it because my boyfriend has a subscription to Sports Illustrated. I hate it because the swimsuit issue makes me feel like our society is taking a giant step backward.

Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony didn’t fight for years and years so their female predecessors could put themselves on display as objects of some dirty old man’s fantasies.

I recently read an article on Yahoo! Sports headlined “Teter, Vonn comfortable with their bodies; you should be, too.” This headline alone angered me, but I’ll get to that later. Anyway, the article was about U.S. Olympians Hannah Teter and Lindsey Vonn. They posed in this year’s swimsuit issue, and both women are very proud of their decision.

“I was really amped up to do that because I don’t believe in the criminalization of bodies and women having to be ashamed of their bodies,” Teter said.

This quote really made me want to cheer for Canada in the snowboarding event. Miss Teter is telling me that if I don’t parade around in a bikini, I’m living in shame and subordination.

And the headline for this article is telling me that if I dress modestly, I am uncomfortable with myself.

I beg to differ. In fact, I believe quite the opposite. You cannot measure a woman’s pride in herself by her willingness to pose gratuitously for 13-year-old boys who are just discovering their sexuality. (Or, for that matter, grown men who have yet to mature out of that stage.)

A woman who is truly comfortable with herself and with her body doesn’t need to objectify herself. She doesn’t need men she doesn’t even know to affirm her by telling her how “smoking hot” she is.

The article ends with the author making this statement: “Kudos to Teter and Vonn. At a time where everyone from the first lady to the Centers for Disease Control are working to prevent childhood obesity, both of these Olympians are showing a healthy body image.”

Ah, yes. Because showing models with breast implants and athletes whose photos have been digitally airbrushed to perfection is a tremendous way to improve a girl’s body image.

Even though studies have shown that such things have driven young girls to eating disorders and feelings of inadequacy. Because it gives them unrealistic expectations of what they are supposed to look like.

Not to mention the fact that magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue serve as a testament to young girls that their primary purpose is to put their bodies on display for men. After all, that’s how you show that you’re “beautiful” and “womanly,” right? I think not.

Gloria Steinem once said, “A woman reading Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual.” I’ll admit this comparison is a bit harsh. But it makes a good point. Because no picture in the Swimsuit Issue or Playboy screams, “Please respect me for my intelligence and my contributions to society.”

I’m not delusional. I know there aren’t going to be a whole lot of men e-mailing me to tell me how much they agree with me. And I can’t stop some women from objectifying themselves. But let’s cut the crap: Don’t try to argue that the purpose of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (and all other degrading pieces of smut out there) is to empower women, to combat childhood obesity or to make people proud of their bodies.

We all know what the purpose is. And you won’t convince me otherwise until I hear a man say, “Damn, look at the brain on that cover model!”

— Amber Harding is a junior in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at ahardin8@utk.edu.

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Daily Beacon • 5A

FEATURES

Workers on campus add to university life Robby O’Daniel Chief Copy Editor Amidst the bustle of activity at the University of Tennessee are thousands of people going through their daily routine.

Individuals go to work or school and bring their own distinct approach to what they perceive as university life.

A dream comes true Tucked away behind South College on the Hill, the restaurant Ray’s Place offers a greeting in turquoise, capital block lettering on its door: “Ray’s Place. Come on in.”

Ray Mowery, 73, first ran Ray’s Place on the Hill in July 1989. The football team was “UT good” at the time. “Not sensational, not absolutely phenomenal,” he said. The only other thing that’s changed for him is that he loves his job more now than he did then.

“This is just my ultimate dream to be here,” Mowery said.

“I trained here. I took six months of training way back in 1953. … I said then, ‘Oh, one of these days I’d like to be at UT.’” He didn’t immediately achieve his dream, however. After his training in Ayres Hall during the spring quarter of 1953, he started as a relief operator at a vending facility at the Knox County Courthouse, working there until September 1977.

“I grew up at the courthouse,” Mowery said. “I was only 16 years old when I went there.”

At 17, he found himself taking a cart full of edibles and cigarettes to the jail in the courthouse, which he did for six years.

“One reason I don’t use foul language is I’m a human,” he said. “I’m a human being, and for me, to be foul-mouthed is subhuman. And most of all, I’m a Christian, but I’ll guarantee you, if you want to hear some cuss words, if you want to hear some filth, I can give it to you, because for six years, I heard it every day.”

After his work at the courthouse ended, he worked at a restaurant at TVA tower until he came to the Hill.

“I’ve only had three facilities, and I’m in my 57th year,” he said.

A challenge Mowery had to grapple with was living with blindness, which radically altered the course of his life at a young age.

“I went through the first and second grade before I lost my eyesight,” Mowery said. “I stuck a nail in my right eye when I was seven and was running through the house 13, 14 months later, and I tripped over a throw rug and fell on a chair, the arm of it, and a glancing blow, it knocked my left eye out.”

He had to have both eyes removed and replaced with plastic ones.

His formal education ended, but he was taught by private schoolteachers until his late teens, and he learned Braille.

By the time he was 15, Mowery wanted to get out into the world and learn a vocation. He tried his hand at various different occupations, including re-weaving antique rocking chairs, through what was then the state welfare department.

“But I didn’t like that because I was being in a room by

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myself, and I didn’t want to be by myself,” he said.

He was told that there weren’t many openings, and he couldn’t have his own place until age 21, but he could work in vending facilities.

“And I loved it,” Mowery said. “I loved it. I was with people every day. And it was my thing. … That’s why almost 57 years later, I’m still doing the same thing.”

Life at work is a bit different for Mowery without his eyesight. He needs customers to open a dialogue with him, telling him what they are purchasing, as well as put their money in a dish in front of him.

“So many people come in and at first, they don’t realize I can’t see,” he said. “And I have to tell them, ‘Well, you need to talk to me. I have no vision at all. I’m blind as a bat. So if you tell me what you got, I’ll tell you how much it is.’”

But ultimately, Mowery said it’s not too different from what everyone does at work.

Ray’s Place’s most popular dishes are its hot lunches, sandwiches and breakfast biscuits. On Feb. 12, the restaurant baked 104 biscuits and sold out of them that same morning.

He said the restaurant sells several hundred hot lunches every day, selling out.

“Most of my hot lunches are under $5, and you can’t go buy Krystal and a handful of French fries and a fountain drink for much less than $5,” he said.

On the road again Seth Glassman, Knoxville Area Transit bus operator, has a day-to-day schedule that takes some getting used to.

FOR RENT 1BR at The Woodlands. Awesome unit, incredible facility, free shuttle to campus. $475/mo. includes cable and internet.

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FOR RENT CONDOS FOR RENT Condos within walking distance of UT campus.

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For most of his work week, he is manning the third shift on the T:Link, the point-to-point bus service where students call for a pick-up and drop-off at specific locations. He drives the T:Link from 10:10 p.m. to 6:10 a.m.

Then he must hop on another kind of school bus — a more traditional one for the transport of elementary to high school students — at 6:45 a.m. and ferry students to school until 8:30 a.m.

He sleeps from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. — at long last — but must be back on the bus, picking up school students, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Then it’s time to make dinner and, before too long, get ready for work again on the KAT at 10 p.m.

The deviation in his schedule is Sunday, when he works from 6 p.m. to 2:15 a.m. driving the late-night T bus.

As he drives the roughly 20-minute cycle around campus on Feb. 14, which he will do repeatedly all night, he said Sunday is the most difficult because he’s alone for the majority of the circular trip.

Plus, while the T:Link always has unique calls that break up the status quo, the late-night T drives are always the same.

“Before the shift started, I’m saying, ‘What kind of things can I do to make this go faster?’” he said. “And quite honestly, I’m at a loss because there’s really nothing that I can do. It’s the same route over and over again, and there’s nothing that I can do to really make it go different, to cut the monotony out basically.”

After the bus winds its way through the cross-section near the UT Law Building, it comes to a stop next to the University Center.

“Money Wall,” he said into his intercom to another latenight T driver. It’s to make sure the two running buses are far enough apart to better cover the area. He doesn’t leave his parked position until he hears a female voice over the intercom. “Torch,” she said, meaning the other bus is idling next to the Torchbearer in Circle Park.

Despite the difficulties of his schedule, Glassman said he enjoys his job.

“I really like interfacing with students,” he said.

Since he serves students ranging sharply in age from kindergarten through college students, he said he remains mindful of whom he’s driving.

“Sometimes I forget,” he said. “When I’m driving the vans, I almost invariably tell them to sit down, which is what I really stress when I’m dealing with the younger kids. I take safety very, very seriously, so I won’t move the bus until everyone’s seated, but here (with T buses) … they’re not required to sit down, but sometimes I’ll forget while I’m driving, and I’ll almost tell them to sit down.”

As he continues on his Feb. 14 drive, he said he’s looking forward to tomorrow.

“I get to sleep in because there’s no school tomorrow (in elementary through high schools because of Presidents Day),” he said. “So I’m getting excited about that. It’s the little things.”

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz Across 1 Ticketed

30 Land of a Million Elephants

1

16 18

6 Chilled

31 Bill

15

15 Chilling

32 Printing press parts

17

16 Constellation once called the Dragon’s Wing

35 A cappella group part

17 Tenor Mario

39 Perfume, in a way

18 The Who’s “Quadrophenia,” e.g.

40 Suffix with techno-

19 Microscopic protists

42 ___ milk

21 Part of a picket fence

43 Be fourth in an order

22 Docs who’ve paid their dues

45 Union and others: Abbr.

36 Joe-___ weed (herbal remedy)

41 1930s Royales

23 Lettuce variety

46 “Well done!”

24 Japanese code word meaning “tiger”

47 Reveled 49 In Key West it’s known as the Overseas Hwy. 50 “You’re probably going to get me, but go ahead” 51 They result from catching bugs 52 Set sail 53 Break off a relationship

25 Tandoori-baked breads 26 Singer of the Leoncavallo aria “Vesti la giubba” 27 Organ repair sites, for short 28 Like some coats 29 Fine point

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE T S A R

H I D E

A D D A

T E R M S

B R U T

M A C E

B Y C A R

E M O R Y

I D I O N L L E S T A M M B O A N

S H O T W I T H E S S E M P A C E E M U O B R A N I B T O A R E I N S H S O I E E R C I R S S S T

D E B

I T S A G O

O T O O L E

V O E D Y S K T S A D O A L B T A R E X A

D E T S A L I A K I L L Z E E L A D S O F A D S A T I T T O R Y M E X W A N T I R E A K D A T E S T E A

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Down 1 School in the Patriot League 2 Well-suited?

3 Bad traits for conductors 4 Aloe target, perhaps 5 Silas who was the United States’ first foreign diplomat (1776) 6 Bicep builders’ accessories 7 Process of mountain building 8 Walt Disney has more of these than anyone else 9 Great ___

10 Post-punk genre 11 Returns, as from a high level 12 Makeup of some jokes 13 Briefly 14 Stereotypical college drinker 20 OB’s perform them 26 Bye for an Italian soccer team?

28 Suffix after kitchen 29 Irk 30 Factor in a more healthful diet, perhaps 31 Food item once used as currency in Mongolia 32 Event with pairs and eights

33 Fresh angle 34 Add gradually, as to dough 35 Virtuoso 36 Certain table tennis grip 37 1941 Glenn Miller hit that spent five weeks at #1 38 Zener cards are used in it 40 City on the Strait of Dover 41 Outs, in a way 43 “The Hobbit” character 44 Draw forth 48 It can come on white, briefly

6A • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

Student artist produces barebones album

Jake Lane • The Daily Beacon

Will Abrams Staff Writer Humility is not an attribute that can be ascribed to many of the musicians found in today’s culture. That is one of many things that separates Tyler Meier, senior in marketing, from most musicians.

Originally from Ohio, the Alcoa graduate moved to Knoxville with his family

around the age of nine.

It wasn’t until recently that Meier decided to pick up music as a hobby.

“It was really a mixture of a lot of my friends were … starting out bands,” Meier said.

“The creative outputs I had previously were just kind of lame, so I decided to try to pick up a guitar.”

Not owning any musical equipment, Meier decided to

buy a used guitar and amp from one of his friends. After some time had passed, he started to play around with different pieces of music.

“I had a couple of friends show me the ropes … but for the most part, I mean I just tried to teach myself how to play different chords,” Meier said.

The learning process took a while for the musician, who

didn’t have the luxury of living alone as he tried to find his sound.

“It was just me having to learn guitar, which at first was pretty damn awful,” Meier said.

“I had to do it when (my mother) wasn’t around, and when she was around, she just told me to shut up,” Meier joked. “As I got better and I guess more evolved, it was a lit-

tle more casual in the house.”

As Meier started to practice more, his interest in music became a driving force to succeed.

“As time went on, it was more of an idea of ‘I really want to do this’ rather than ‘Hey, let’s pick up a guitar and try and learn how to play,’” Meier said. “The creative output is very necessary in growing.”

The musician’s main outlet

for his work is his solo project The Business Casual. “(My inspiration) is kind of a mixture of indie artists … but also local bands,” Meier said.

“By myself, I really kind of pick things up and drop them down, but with guitar, it’s just kind of been a constant thing with people behind me trying to get me to play or hang out and do jam sessions.”

See BUSINESS CASUAL on Page 7

Friday, February 19, 2010

BUSINESS CASUAL continued from Page 7 When musicians first start out, there are many small choices that have to be made. For Meier, it was a choice between electric or acoustic guitar.

“It was really just a decision on which route I wanted to go, the more natural sound or with the electric pop sound,” Meier said.

“Acoustic just felt better.”

The Daily Beacon • 7A

ENTERTAINMENT Through the progression of his songwriting, Meier has found that running new songs by his friends isn’t always the most productive choice.

“That’s really one of the tough things about being a musician and having friends because they offer the friend insight,” Meier said.

“I try to tell all the people I ask to listen to be brutally honest, like tear it apart, just so I can rebuild it that much better.”

On top of his recent endeavors as a musician, Meier has to find time for school. As one could guess, the time commitments can be conflicting. “(I do) whatever I’m feeling at the time,” Meier said.

“I have looked at the clock dead-faced at about 2 a.m. and thought ‘Yeah, I can get another hour of playing in,’ even though I have class at eight.”

Although Meier has only been making music for a

couple of years, the artist already has five albums available for download through his MySpace page.

When he first began recording, Meier did not have the means for a big studio album, so he decided to record it all on his laptop instead.

“The first (album) was completely live done in my apartment … and it was one full track of nothing but me playing and singing,” Meier said.

Jake Lane • The Daily Beacon

Tyler Meier sits down with his guitar before he writes a monster jam. Meier has only been making music for a couple of years but already has five albums for download through his MySpace page.

Most recently, the musician released his first fulllength album entitled “Survey the Sea.” “With all of the other (albums) except for the live album, it was just kind of a mixture of songs that I had been meaning to put into an album or songs that I just had lying around … and just kind of slapped them together,” Meier said.

“With ‘Survey the Sea,’ it was more linear.”

Meier may have had enough time to find his own sound, but that isn’t to say that the singer-songwriter has worked out all the kinks.

“I have this bad habit of absolutely forgetting songs or words in the middle of songs,” Meier said. “It’s not necessarily me being nervous. It’s just that I have a terrible, terrible memory.”

Despite the hard work that the musician has put into his music, it is still

hard to find venues that will take him aboard.

“Nobody really wants to book a lot of singer-songwriters that are local in Knoxville because there are so many of us,” Meier said.

Setbacks like these don’t bring the artist down, though. Meier sees his music for what it is and doesn’t expect anything else.

“I hope that (my music) leads to me being able to drive around to a city and having enough money to go to the next city because I don’t want to charge anybody for it,” Meier said. “If they wanted to donate (money), that would be OK.” Of course, not all bands are quite as generous as Meier. His message for bands that want to make money is simple.

“Have an ego about your music and stand out,” he said.

8A • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

SPORTS

The Wright Stuff Zac Ellis Assistant Sports Editor

• Photo courtesy of USA Diving

UT diver Michael Wright competes in the USA Diving Winter Nationals last week. Wright, the first African-American diver to sign with UT, also became USA Diving’s first AfricanAmerican national champion with his one-meter title in the Winter Nationals on February 8.

Vols prepare to take the mound for third season under Raleigh Jason Hall Staff Writer It’s baseball time in Tennessee!

The University of Tennessee baseball team will open up its season Friday against Xavier at 4 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Volunteers are looking to improve on a 26-29 (11-19 in SEC) record last season. Head coach Todd Raleigh is entering his third season with the team and brings a career record of 310-267. Raleigh believes his team is ready for Friday based on what he’s seen so far in practice, despite bad weather conditions.

“We’re three days away, and practice has been going great,” Raleigh said. “Obviously the

weather hasn’t been super, but we were able to go outside last Friday, Saturday, Sunday and scrimmage. I don’t feel like we’re behind, but I certainly don’t want any more of this weather.

“I feel like we’re in really good shape for Friday. We’re healthy and ready to go.”

The Vols are returning 21 players, including 18 lettermen and six previously drafted players. Two major pieces to the Vols success will be juniors Cody Hawn and Blake Forsythe.

All-American first baseman Cody Hawn led the team in numerous categories including batting average (.364), hits, HRs (22), RBIs (81) and slugging percentage (.773) last year.

See BASEBALL on Page 9

When Michael Wright stepped on the diving board at the USA Diving Winter Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, the event seemed like any other meet in Wright’s career.

“I was just going there to have some fun and tear it up,” Wright said of the competition.

But when Wright stepped out of the water, he had done more than that.

He’d made history.

With his one-meter springboard victory on Feb. 8, Wright became the first African-American ever to claim a USA Diving national championship.

“It’s awesome,” Wright said. “I really didn’t think about that going into the meet. I didn’t even expect it, so that’s more of a surprise.”

A junior on UT’s swimming and diving team, Wright had his name etched into the Tennessee record books when he first stepped on UT’s campus. When the Forest Park, Ill., native signed with UT out of Indian River Community College in 2008, he was the program’s first AfricanAmerican team member.

Upon signing with UT, Wright quickly joined the likes of former Tennessee athletes Condredge Holloway and Lester McClain. McClain became the school’s first African-American football player in 1968, leading Doug Dickey’s Vols to the 1969 SEC Championship the following year.

In 1972, Holloway laced up as the SEC’s first AfricanAmerican quarterback and the school’s first AfricanAmerican baseball player.

See WRIGHT on Page 9

Morgado returns to Vols’ rotation Anthony Elias Staff Writer Major league ballparks will have to wait another year to see Bryan Morgado on the mound.

The UT junior returns to the Vols this season after spending the summer of 2009 with the Bourne Braves of the prolific Cape Cod League where the lefty had a 2-1 record with a 3.06 ERA in eight trips to the mound, while striking out 47 batters with only 17 hits in 32 1/3 innings.

Morgado said he “developed a changeup” after getting help from Bourne pitching coach Josh MacDonald during the summer.

The Chicago White Sox selected the Miami, Fla., native in the third round (102nd overall) in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but in the “best decision I’ve made,” Morgado decided to return to Knoxville for another season.

Morgado is the only pitcher in UT head coach Todd Raleigh’s coaching career to be

a top-round draft pick and turn down the offer to return back to college baseball, adding to the confidence that’s consistently been building since the offseason for the Big Orange.

“The biggest thing this year is that our pitching depth is much better,” junior Cody Hawn said. “We’ve got so many arms, whether we need an inning, two innings or just an out. I really have good hopes for us.”

Raleigh said Morgado’s decision to return “means a lot to this program,” and Raleigh felt one of the two reasons Morgado may have decided to come back was because the left hander “still had something to prove at Tennessee.”

Last season Morgado led the team in strikeouts (75), wins (4) and pitched the most innings of any player in the Big Orange pitching staff (52.1), but both Raleigh and assistant coach Jason Beverlin said he may have been a little too aggressive. The UT pitcher said the main reason may have been trying to do too much for the

program, which “put a lot of pressure on me.”

Beverlin is making his Volunteer debut after a two-year coaching tenure with Georgia Southern, where the Western Carolina alum played a key role in helping the Eagles win the 2009 Southern Conference Championship.

During his time with GSU, Beverlin helped bring the team’s ERA down from 7.04 to 5.11, and the pitching staff struck out 469 batters while lowering the opponent batting average from .319 to .295.

After working with Morgado, Beverlin said the junior has a great arm, and his mechanics were “pretty sound.” Beverlin also said, if Morgado had any flaws last season, they may have been “mental,” but that the UT pitcher only needs to “relax” and “stay within himself.”

Morgado will take the mound as the starting pitcher in the season opener against Xavier on Friday at 4 p.m. at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Friday, February 19, 2010

“When you’re an All-American, you’ve got to play like an AllAmerican,” Raleigh said. “It doesn’t do any good to be a preseason All-American. And certainly Cody is poised to do that.

Cody is as good of a hitter as anybody in the country. With him and Blake Forsythe in the middle, it certainly brings an element to a team, and they have to stop that.”

Hawn was very optimistic about the upcoming season when he spoke to media on Tuesday.

“There’s no doubt in the world that we have the talent, and I think this is one of the best groups we’ve had here at UT,” Hawn said. “It’s all about putting it together. We have a bunch of good arms, and we can run. This is one of the faster teams we’ve had. We’re also going to hit the long ball a little bit too, which everybody likes.

It’s all about blending and making it happen. Once we get going, I think we’re going to be fine.”

Catcher Blake Forsythe was a First Team All-SEC selection last season and hit .347 with 46 Michael Gratton • The Daily Beacon RBIs. Forsythe shared Hawn’s optimism on the 2010 camTennessee baseball opens up its 2010 season on paign at media day.

Friday at the newly renovated Lindsey Nelson “We’ve had talent before; we Stadium. The Diamond Vols will kick off a three- just didn’t know how to bring it game series against Xavier at 4 PM. all together,” Forsythe said. “I

think this is the year that we’re going to be put back on the map. We have guys that are going to be the best at their position in the league.

“I really think this is going to be the year for us to step back out there and prove to everybody that we belong among the top 20 teams in the nation, and I think we’re going to do that.”

Junior left-handed pitcher Bryan Morgado will get the Opening Day start for the Vols against Xavier. Morgado led the Vols in wins (4) and strikeouts (75) in 2009. Raleigh showed full support of Morgado as the leader of the pitching staff during media day.

“Bryan is going to be our Friday night starter,” Raleigh said. “He has one of the best arms in the country. He hasn’t probably pitched up to what he’s capable of the last couple of years, but he’s turned a corner.”

Raleigh admitted Morgado’s technique has improved since arriving on campus.

“He’s much more of a pitcher now and not such a thrower,” Raleigh said. “Before, he wanted to throw a ball 90 miles per hour, but you have to hit your spots. He’s really matured. I wasn’t here when Bryan got here, but I think he was 17, and that’s young for a college freshman. I think he’s matured a lot, and he’s certainly as good as anybody in the country. It’s good to have him on Friday night.”

“The coach of the diving team was a friend of the family,” Wright said. “So he said, ‘Why not try to get on the boards?’ It was a smooth transaction.”

It didn’t take Wright long to tap into his natural talent.

“Freshman year, I went to state, and I got some looks,” he said. “But after my sophomore year, I started getting serious and doing club level.”

Wright’s interest and skill in the sport of diving flourished early on, but he couldn’t help but notice one aspect of the diving scene: Very few African-American athletes took part in the sport.

“It was noticeable,” Wright

African American to take to the waters for Tennessee and first on the swimming side of the squad.

Asked about his role in breaking the racial barrier within the UT program, Wright simply said he likes where the sport is headed.

“I hope it does move towards a more multi-cultural sport,” he said. “With me being the first (African American) on the diving team and Giles being the first on the swimming end, we kind of bring a different outlook on a lot of things.

“Now you can see how people view the sport in a different way.”

Hawn, Forsythe looking to act as ‘Bash Brothers’ in SEC Matt Dixon Staff Writer They combined for 37 home runs, 127 RBIs and a .356 batting average last season for a Tennessee baseball team that finished with a 2629 record and failed to make the SEC or NCAA Tournaments.

This season, Cody Hawn and Blake Forsythe will be the cornerstones of a Volunteer team with aspirations of advancing to postseason play for the first time since 2005.

Both Tennessee natives (Hawn from Knoxville and Forsythe from Memphis) have garnered numerous All-American honors this offseason, but head coach Todd Raleigh is hoping the two will appear on AllAmerican teams after the season as well.

“When you’re an All-American, you’ve got to play like an AllAmerican,” Raleigh said. “It doesn’t do any good to be a preseason AllAmerican (and not perform like one).”

Hawn won the team’s triple crown in 2009 leading the Vols in batting average (.364), home runs (22) and RBIs (81), becoming just the 10th Vol to accomplish the feat.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself last year, and that’s a reason why I struggled early,” Hawn said. “It was my dream to be (at Tennessee). I was trying to do too many things. I have a year of experience under my belt right now, and it’s really going to help a lot. I know what to expect.”

Raleigh is high on confidence in his first baseman and even higher in his praise for the left-handed slugger who played in the Cape Cod League over the summer.

“Cody is as good of a hitter as anybody in the country,” Raleigh said.

“I know it’s hard to build on what he did last year, but I don’t see why he can’t because this kid can really hit, and he’s a special player.”

In addition to batting cleanup behind Hawn, Forsythe anchors the hardest position on the field to Raleigh: behind the plate as catcher. The junior spent the past summer playing with USA Collegiate Baseball National Team after earning First Team All-SEC honors in 2009.

The Diamond Vols are optimistic that their version of the “Bash Brothers,” minus the steroids, can lead them to the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., and onto a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

“I really think this is going to be the year for us to step back out there and prove to everybody that we belong among the top 20 teams in the nation,” Forsythe said.

WRIGHT continued from Page 8 After hearing those names, Wright still finds it difficult to envision his likeness in such prestigious company.

“It’s a great honor to be a part of that history that’s going to always be there,” Wright said. “ … Records come and go, but that history is always going to try to set that path.”

Wright, who is redshirting the 2009-2010 season, was able to compete in the Winter Nationals because the event was sanctioned by USA Diving, not the NCAA.

The Daily Beacon • 9A

SPORTS

Wright’s performance came as no surprise to his coach at UT. “He’s a natural leader,” Tennessee diving coach Dave Parrington said. “He always sets a great example for his teammates.

“As far as what he’s accomplished with the national championships, it’s really exciting, and it’s been awesome helping Mike achieve that.”

Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, Wright’s experience with diving started with a chance. Wright was a freshman in high school when a family friend took note of the teenager’s experienced background in gymnastics.

BASEBALL continued from Page 8

said. “I went to a Catholic allboys school, and there were maybe three other black kids in my high school. My whole team was white besides me.

“It wasn’t anything that was bad. I didn’t think about it at all.”

Luckily for Wright, neither did Parrington. Tennessee’s diving coach had held the reins of the school’s diving team for nearly two decades, and for a storied swimming and diving program with numerous SEC championships and one national championship, the racial barrier had yet to be broken, even on Parrington’s watch.

But that all changed when

Parrington found Wright, who was a junior college national champion in the one- and three-meter events at Indian River.

“I don’t pay much attention to (race),” Parrington said.

“When it comes to recruiting, it’s not the way I think. We want the best person for the team. “(Mike) is an outstanding athlete. Very physical, and he really works hard. That makes him a pleasure to coach.”

After a year-and-a-half at Tennessee, Wright isn’t alone on UT’s squad. Last summer, Vols’ head swimming coach John Trembley signed sprinter Giles Smith, the second

SPORTS CALENDAR

10A • The Daily Beacon

?

What’s HAPPENING IN SPORTS

Feb. 19 - Feb. 20, 2010 Friday, Feb. 19 — Baseball Xavier Knoxville 4 p.m.

Men’s Swimming SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day Women’s Swimming SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day Men’s Track Virginia Tech Challenge Blacksburg, Va. All Day

Saturday, Feb. 20 — Men’s Basketball South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 1:30 p.m.

Baseball Xavier Knoxville 2 p.m.

Men’s Swimming SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day Women’s Swimming SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day

THESPORTSPAGE

Friday, February 19, 2010

Hustle and humor a good mix for Weezy Erin Exum Staff Writer Senior Wayne Chism embodies leadership.

Not only is he a vocal leader both on and off the court, he also leads the team in scoring and blocks and plays a vital role as mentor to the freshmen on Tennessee’s team.

“He is the most vocal leader on the team,” freshman Kenny Hall said. “He helps me a lot with plays and keeps me motivated during games. Whenever we have a problem during practice, he’s the one that brings it together and gets us all pumped up again.”

Averaging more than 13 points per game, Chism has been able to rally in close games, including Wednesday’s win against Georgia, where he had 16, and the Feb. 6 win against South Carolina in which Chism scored a careerhigh 30 points.

Chism said he brings positivity to the team along with his talent.

“I’m more of a funny leader,” Chism said. “Some guys are more serious, but being more funny affects the guys and the way they play in a better way, I think. Everyone learns differently, and I think the way I lead the team is more positive. Especially the way Coach Pearl can get during practice, I try to lighten the mood while still being a leader.”

The positivity seems to be working, Hall said. He added he has never seen Chism get angry, which helps the team stay calm and focused during games.

“He never gets mad,” Hall said. “He displays his emotions, and when something is not going the way it’s supposed to, you can tell his heart starts pumping and his emotions come out, but he still never gets mad, so it keeps us from getting mad.”

Even though injuries have seemed to plague Chism as of late (a hyper-extended knee against Georgia and a strained back against Kentucky), he said they won’t keep him down.

“I have played through all kinds of injuries,” Chism said. “It’s nothing new to me. You just have to stay in there and work it out. I’m not going to sit out just because something hurts.”

Tennessee will be without Chism next year as the senior moves on, perhaps to the NBA. No doubt the team will miss the leadership and talent that Chism has offered throughout his years on Rocky Top. Chism said he hopes the fans in Knoxville remember his upbeat attitude.

“I want people to remember my personality, the way I carry myself on the court,” Chism said. “I try to be positive and be vocal so that the guys can learn from me in a positive way, and I hope people remember that.”

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Wayne Chism celebrates with teammate J.P. Prince after the Vols’ win over Ole Miss earlier this season. Chism’s leadership on and off the court has kept the Vols afloat amid a tough stretch of SEC play, including a comeback victory over Georgia on Wednesday.

RECYCLE YOUR BEACON

LEGEND PRICE: Each $ represents $5 SERVICE & OVERALL QUALITY: All ratings out of five

Jake Lane Staff Writer Ever stuffed your hand in the crevice between your seat and seatback in your 20year-old subcompact, trying to fish out enough change for a value burger or a latenight burrito? Do you regularly sell blood to have enough money for pizza and recreational activities? Are you, like so many, one of those whose parents did not buy a food plan?

If any of these apply, hopefully the following pages will prove helpful in your next thrifty quest for a proper meal. In tribute to Beacon alumnus Katharine Heriges, whose

column in last year’s dining guide gave the name for this year’s installment, the Beacon staff has put together a list of restaurants where a meal can be had for ten dollars or less, which indeed seems like dirt merchant prices in today’s market.

This is not to say that all of these places are necessarily the cheapest or the best deals.

Sure, some fast food chains, or perhaps wellhidden dives, may provide a better bang for your buck. Herein lies the second half of this feature.

While this issue is indeed the Student Appreciation Day special and exists to praise academic and extracurricular achievements

for the student body, this year’s dining guide was designed to pay tribute to both the student wallet and Knoxville’s share of hometown eateries.

You’ll find some perspective from entrepreneurs who have built their businesses from the ground up. Also, there are comments from university students and regular patrons alike.

Most importantly, you’ll find stories about some of restaurants in Knoxville that bring not only value in terms of saved cash, but also a sense of community between their patrons and staff and serve to take this big (and still growing) city back to its small-town roots.

Keep in mind also that not all of these

restaurants are on campus. From Soccer Taco on Market Square to Chandler’s Deli, with perhaps a short jaunt up Broadway to Litton’s in between, there are a number of great places to eat within a 15-minute drive from campus.

If you don’t commute, fear not: a good walking trip can take you to most of these places in less than an hour.

Finally, as a caution to some readers, there are a few places included that cater mostly to the over 21 crowd. The Daily Beacon does not condone hard-partying or heavy drinking (we leave that to the Hangover), so please be safe when enjoying a drink with friends.

Without further adieu, dig in!

2B • The Daily Beacon

DININGGUIDE

Friday, February 19, 2010

Intimate brewery presents cure for hunger Chassidy Doane Staff Writer It’s 5 p.m., and your stomach is starting to grumble, warning you of oncoming hunger. The only problem?

You haven’t had time to make it to Food City for the past two weeks. So where do you head for grub and drink specials? The Downtown Grill and Brewery, located on South Gay Street, just past the Rivera and before Mast General Store, should be on your mind right about now.

Downtown Grill is one of the only places in Knoxville that employs a “brewmaster,” Al Krusen, to brew their own beer on the premises. When one first visits Downtown Grill, the spacious interior filled with dark, hardwood floors is usually what catches the eye. The atmosphere is one that could be casual (with couches and huge TVs upstairs) or more intimate, with tables for two throughout and a closed-off section for private parties and more quiet events. No doubt, this place is always buzzing with people coming to enjoy the great food and relaxed atmosphere. Taylor Cochran, senior in psychology, really enjoys the lounge areas of the restaurant.

“The brewery offers everything a person wants from the restaurant experience,” Cochran said. “Of course there is the great food, but after that, people can go upstairs and enjoy a fun game of pool or just relax with friends.”

The brewery is most famous for their steaks that are cooked to perfection. The food, however, is only one of the many things that have customers coming back for more. The personable staff that likes to interact with customers also keeps patrons returning to this local gem.

“We try to make everybody feel like this is their place,” Mark Harrison, man-

aging partner of Downtown Grill and Brewery, said. “Not only by encouraging staff to remember what people eat and drink but also to remember their names.”

Nights at the brewery are packed with activity and generally offer something for everyone. Monday night poker tournaments are what keep customer Matt Nicols coming back.

“Nothing is better than freeroll poker,” Nichols said.

“No one takes it too seriously because you have nothing to lose. Everyone is just there to have a good time. After a couple of Mondays, you get to know everyone that plays, and it will start to feel like your weekly game with friends.”

Monday nights are not the only time when people can have fun at the restaurant.

One Tuesday night a month, the brewery has a singersongwriter night, and there is live music every Friday and Saturday night and a Jazz Brunch Combo on Sundays.

Students at UT tend to enjoy Downtown Grill and Brewery and frequent it often.

“A restaurant is only as good as its atmosphere, and the brewery’s atmosphere is nothing short of plain awesome,” LJ Merrow, senior in mathematics, said.

The prices are a little higher than what some are willing to pay. However, if visiting at Happy Hour, which is Monday through Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and all day Sunday, then one can enjoy a cheap, high-quality meal.

The brewery also has great deals on their draft beers during Happy Hour, including $2 in house pints, $2 margaritas and Long Island Ice Teas and reduced prices on well drinks and wines.

Price - $-$$$ Service - $$ Overall Value - $$$$

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

The Downtown Grill & Brewery, located on Gay Street, provides downtown Knoxville with a blend of domestic beers, but also their own home-brewed recipes. Along with the standard daily cuisine, The Brewery provides a late-night menu chocked full of twilight grindage.

Friday, February 19, 2010

DININGGUIDE

The Daily Beacon • 3B

Pete’s offers succulent breakfast, rigid hours

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Pete’s Coffee Shop, located on Union Avenue near Market Square, provides the downtown area with a smorgasbord of breakfast delights at a low cost.

Flora Theden Managing Editor Pete’s Coffee Shop and Restaurant has a quaint diner atmosphere perfect for early mornings and lazy afternoons. Family owned and operated for 24 years, Pete’s offers a friendly setting to enjoy a cheap, delicious breakfast or lunch.

Located on Union Avenue, about a block from Market Square, this eatery offers breakfast items such as biscuits and gravy ($2.95), a sausage and egg sandwich complete with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato ($3.25) and two egg omelets ($4.75 to $5.25). The biscuits are cooked to perfection, with the soft, doughy inside almost melting in your mouth, and the egg sandwiches, offered plain or with sausage, bacon or ham, are as greasy and delectable

as it gets.

Joey Natour, junior in management, is the son of owner Pete Natour. Joey Natour said that what makes the restaurant unique is the fact that his father is there every day.

“We know basically all of the customers that come in,” Natour said. “There are people that have worked for my dad for almost 25 years.”

The prices at Pete’s are perfect for the struggling college student. A three-cheese omelet, two biscuits smothered in white gravy and endless cups of coffee can be purchased for just over $6.

Not to mention Pete’s food is sure to cure a hangover.

“Every Saturday, there are always a bunch of hungover students in for breakfast,” Natour said. “It gets packed.”

However, the hours are not exactly con-

ducive to college students’ schedules. The eatery is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Pete’s is closed on Sundays, so students either need to wake up early or take a break during their busy schedules to head downtown for lunch.

The lunch menu makes it even harder to choose only one item. The hamburgers are thick and juicy and served on a toasted bun. An eight-ounce cheeseburger will only cost $4.25, but fries are an extra $1.95. Pete’s daily specials come with one meat, two vegetables and a roll or corn muffin. These home-cooked delights are $5.95 and will hit the spot for those students missing their mama’s cooking.

However, Pete’s does fall short in certain arenas. As a self-proclaimed chicken salad sandwich connoisseur, I would rec-

ommend another eatery for this dish. If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, your best bet is the pimento cheese sandwich or the BLT (voted best BLT by Metro Pulse).

And if the generous portions at Pete’s aren’t enough, patrons should try the 24ounce, hand-dipped chocolate or vanilla milkshakes for $3.25 to wrap up their meal.

Pete’s Coffee Shop and Restaurant would be a great place for an early morning rendezvous or a leisurely lunch with friends. The coffee is great, the waiters are friendly and the food is cheap.

What more could you possibly ask for?

Later hours, perhaps?

Price: $$ Service: $$$$$ Overall Value: $$$$

4B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

OFFICE G IN S A E L R VISIT OU N CAMPUS! O D E T A C O L D AVE. N A L R E B M 1639 CU ILLINS!) (NEAR MCM , TN 37916 KNOXVILLE

2

865.329.846

Friday, February 19, 2010

DININGGUIDE

The Daily Beacon • 5B

Cuban restaurant serves variety of options Katie Freeman News Editor Ollantay’s Havana Nights on South Gay Street is a quick fix for the culinary adventurous. Serving Cuban cuisine — sweet, fried plantains and pork-packed sandwiches and entrees — Ollantay’s offers something unique to Knoxville and the Southern palette.

A well-kept secret, the restaurant is rarely busy during the week, sometimes hosting live music on weekends but usually playing sports tournaments, or in the case of Wednesday evening, “Michael Jackson’s This is It” on the bar television.

The bar, coffee drinks and variable menu with light and large food options makes it a good place for social gatherings.

The menu offers 13 entrees, ranging in price from $10 to the $17 trio de carnes, which is made with three meats (beef, pork and chicken), and 11 seafood specialties featuring tilapia, salmon, shrimp and calamari. The urban friendly restaurant offers two vegan options: garbanzos fritos (garbanzo beans sauteed in peppers) and arroz con frijoles negros (black beans and white rice). There is also one vegetarian option among the nine sandwiches, most made with warm Cuban bread and yet more pork, for $8 each.

To cut the cost of the bill, feed on appetizers and side items. The Havana Nights sampler is only $10 and could satisfy two people. Several of the appetizers, including empanadas (delicious, sweet pastries stuffed with beef or chicken, guava and cheese), papa rellena (breaded mashed potatoes) and queso frito (fried Caribbean cheese) are only $3 a piece.

The mariquitas, a fried plantain side that comes with several entrees, are a little flavorless but healthier than chips or french fries. The tamal (steam-cooked corn dough stuffed with pork) was likewise bland, but the ham croquetas dipped in marinara sauce were just salty enough and filling for an appetizer.

Spending time perusing the menu is a Spanish refresher course, and it may help to remember that the Spanish “ll” is pronounced like an English “y” to avoid an

embarrassing cultural faux pas while ordering. It may also be helpful to know that criollo and mojo sauces are garlic and onion based, since they complement several of the entrees and seafood items.

Urbanspoon.com, a restaurant review site available for customers to post reviews, has mixed reviews of Havana Nights. A few complain of slow service, even in down hours, and the lack of menu items available. Although the staff seemed lackluster, the service was prompt, and the menu is now set.

It hurts the wallet a little to survey the draft selection with only four options — Yuengling, Bud Light, Fat Tire and Killians. However, Bud Light is only $1, and Fat Tire is the priciest at $4. All bottles (a selection of 22) are $4. The draft specials are good all day, every day, making Ollantay’s a reliable neighborhood bar.

At one time, a few months ago, Havana Nights offered a chocolate mousse, which was scrumptious and, quite honestly, cathartic. Lately they haven’t had the phantom chocolate mousse because they rotate desserts, but the tres leches (cake moistened with three milks) is nothing to turn a nose at and a permanent item on the menu.

Balance a rich dessert with one of their Cuban coffees, or skip dessert and drink an authentic mojito made with fresh mint priced at $6.

For further value, visit http://ollantays.com and download their specials coupon. The guest can select one of the following discounts: free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees and drinks, $10 off a $50 bill, and $25 off a $100 bill.

There is also free valet parking after 5 p.m., as parking may be an issue, especially during South Gay Street construction.

Considering Ollantay’s drinks and dishes are reasonably priced to begin with, the coupon is added incentive to spend date night or a group outing trying Cuban cuisine.

Price: $-$$$ Service: $$$ Overall Value: $$$

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Havana Nights, located on South Gay Street, offers a mix between traditional and contemporary Cuban cuisine. It offers many different types of entree’s and appitizers and several drink specials including $1 drafts and $6 mojitos.

RECYCLE YOUR BEACON

6B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

DININGGUIDE

Cheap taco eatery revels in culture Chassidy Doane Staff Writer

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Soccer Taco, located in Market Square, provides customers with a blend of mexican-style cuisine and atmosphere in a quasi-American setting.

When entering Soccer Taco, one can’t help but notice the very small size.

However, this does not mean that one must wait for 30 minutes to finally get a table. Somehow, despite the size, there is almost always a seat waiting for the customer to come in from Market Square. The staff is very friendly. This being said, most of them do speak English as a second language, so the barrier between Spanish and English can be a struggle for some.

This language barrier does not affect the overall atmosphere of the restaurant, though, as viewers are entertained by many different televisions, all displaying either a soccer game or a football game.

Soccer Taco is decorated throughout with different soccer teams’

memorabilia and is basically a soccer lover’s dream restaurant. Even if the customer is clueless as to what goes on in soccer, they will still end up having a great meal and maybe even learning a little about the sport.

Soccer Taco has two locations in Knoxville, the lesser known one being the new Market Square location that opened up last August. Even though it’s new, it is creating a buzz downtown, and UT students seem to really enjoy the new addition to their Market Square home.

“We have a lot of UT students coming in to watch soccer all the time,” Soccer Taco manager Lupe Calberon said.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, offering some pretty great deals. The individual sides are the way to go here where one can get a quesadilla and two tacos for a mere $4, which is very inexpensive compared to El Charro or Cancun. Soccer

Taco also has specials on their alcoholic beverages throughout the week.

Mondays, the specials are on domestic beer, and on Tuesdays, $2 margaritas are offered.

Soccer Taco draws in a wide customer base. The restaurant is usually pretty busy, and the staff works hard to keep up with the number of clientele coming in every day. This restaurant is definitely one that will save students money and time as the food is cooked very quickly and the staff is very friendly. It is a great place to go when in a hurry or just looking to relax and hang out with some friends.

“I like Soccer Taco a lot,” said Kara Ayers, sophomore in pre-pharmacy. “The food was great, and there was a good atmosphere. We had a good time.”

Price: $ Service: $$$ Overall Value: $$$$

Arcade, architecture set apart yacht club Drew Lambert Staff Writer Wild flashing lights and sound effects emitting from a string of arcade machines set a lively ambiance from within the Fort Sanders Yacht Club, a bar tucked away near the corner of 17th Street and Cumberland Avenue.

At first, the unique design of the yacht club resembles that of a modified hallway with a recessed bar. Yet, there are plenty of booths and barstools to be found and plenty of space to move around the hardwood floors comfortably.

Instead, the closer quarters seem to develop a pleasant, less-formal atmosphere when compared to other, larger bars located on the Strip, offering patrons an alternative to the heavy traffic and the impolite attitude of the staff you might sometimes experience at other establishments.

Considering the impressive aesthetic created by the hodgepodge knick-knacks decorating the walls, with exhibitions from UT art students put on display every First Friday, it’s difficult to imagine that nearly two years ago, two former Knoxville architecture students built it from the ground up from the remnants of an old laundromat.

“It’s got a campy feel, with the video games and the kind of ‘80s theme we have,” Kelly Volpe, yacht club manager, said. “But it’s definitely a friendly bar. It’s a lot of people’s ‘Cheers’ in the Fort I think.”

The Barcade offers a variety of classic arcade games, including “Q*Bert,” “Tron” and “Galaga,” and each are a quarter per play. Those skilled enough to beat the intimi-

dating high score found on any of the machines can win a free tallboy as their reward.

With an affordable price range between $2 and $6 beers, the yacht club is a place to try something new and on the cheap, from an accommodating selection of imported beverages to a tried-and-true domestic favorite.

The list of drink specials could also sweeten the deal for a student on a tight budget. Happy hour takes place every day from noon to 9 p.m. with everything a dollar off. On Sundays, there’s a dollar off all beer, while on Tuesdays, every beer is $2, including drafts, bottles and tallboys. For “International Thursdays,” all imports are a dollar off the normal price.

Fridays are the busiest, but two-dollar Tuesdays can also draw a considerable crowd, Josh Brown, senior in history and religious studies and regular at the Barcade, said.

“For a lot of people, this is a place to start and end your night,” Brown said. “It’s a place that when you go to, it’s not all strange people that you’re drinking with.”

Be aware that this is a cash-only bar; however, there is an ATM located on the premises. While you cannot smoke inside, an outdoor patio in the back lets you stay abreast of the social happenings with a seating area that can provide for a large group of friends, weather permitting.

Price: $ Service: $$$ Overall Value: $$$

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

The Fort Sanders Yacht Club, also known as the “barcade”, is located on 17th Street. Along with a variety of alcoholic beverages, F.S.Y.C. takes UT students back to their childhood with a gaggle of arcade games.

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Daily Beacon • 7B

8B • The Daily Beacon

DININGGUIDE

Friday, February 19, 2010

Litton’s epitomizes mom-and-pop restaurant

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Litton’s. located on Essary Road in Fountain City offers a wide variety of home-made foods and hand-crafted desserts. Best known for their hamburgers, Litton’s has been a staple dining establishment in Knoxville since 1981.

Jake Lane Entertainment Editor A family business is one of the great archetypes in the great American story.

Nowadays, such a creature is difficult to imagine, except as some relic of the bygone “slower” days. But all one needs to do is take the 15-minute drive to Fountain City to find one such place still running strong on the same formula that has seen them through for over 60 years.

Litton’s Market and Restaurant is the epitome of 20th-century Knoxville little-guy business history, beginning as a grocery store, then specializing as a butcher shop and finally evolving into a burger restaurant, which has since boomed under the touch of a world-class chef.

“We’re rooted in a grocery store,” said Kelly

Litton, who runs the restaurant with her older brother Barry. “We’ve just moved from procuring to cooking for people.”

The history of Litton’s and their now famous “10” Burger goes back to 1981, when one of Barry Litton’s customers in the butcher shop asked him to cook him a burger. The next day, the man came back with friends, and the rest is history. With Barry’s son Erik assisting in the daily management of the store, Litton’s remains a family affair.

The Litton’s fare has expanded well beyond the half-pound burger, which an ad on their tables promotes as “thick as a hockey puck and as big around as a small dinner plate.” Many derivations have been added since, such as the “Thunder Road,” which features pimento cheese, a whole Jalapeno pepper on top and sautéed onions, and even a fish-filet burger.

Aside from burgers, the restaurant offers

daily Blue Plate specials, ranging from meat loaf to fried schrod and salmon patties. One of the remnants of their meat market past is a commitment to the freshest product possible, often flying in catch-of-the-day fish from the Atlantic coast to ensure that what ends up on the plate has the best taste in town.

What really makes Litton’s work is not only their great food and prices, which range from $5 to $25, but also their attention to customers and camaraderie that develops over years of repeat visits. Servers and patrons come to know each other on a first-name basis, and from the top to the bottom of the chain, the customer experience is their priority. In fact, there is an entire wall of photos taken over the years of customers enjoying their meals and companionship under Litton’s roof.

“We’re always listening to the customers,” Kelly Litton said. “Even when they don’t think

we are.”

Though Litton trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London and with renowned chef Nathalie Dupree in the States, she said that staying true to her roots has helped develop a menu and atmosphere where people feel right at home.

“We’re homegrown, home-cooked and homespun,” Kelly Litton said.

From their gourmet desserts to prime meat cuts, everything on Litton’s menu is top notch.

The regular restaurant seats 95, and banquet accommodations are available. Kelly Litton usually spends her lunch hour toward the back of the restaurant with friends and customers.

Stop in and say hello.

Price: $ — $$$$ Service: $$$$$ Overall Value: $$$$

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Daily Beacon • 9B

DININGGUIDE

Chandler’s Deli caters to homestyle cooking Sharon Bible Staff Writer There are many exciting things that come with moving out of your parents’ home and making it on your own in college. However, there is one huge drawback: the food.

Gone is mom’s home-cooked dinners and savory breakfasts. You won’t arrive home from class to find cobbler baking in the oven or realize that she made homemade fried chicken from scratch for dinner.

The good news is that there is a place in Knoxville that makes food more delicious than your mom’s and even your grandmother’s. That place is Chandler’s Deli, and for 10 years, it has supplied UT students with scrumptious home-cooked meals for less than what you pay at Smokey’s.

Charles and Gwen Chandler opened Chandler’s Deli almost 10 years ago when Gwen Chandler’s job site was relocated out of Knoxville. Charles Chandler said he always enjoyed curing meats, and his love of food and Gwen Chandler’s skill in the kitchen led them to open up a deli.

Upon further thought, the Chandlers realized there was a real need for home-cooked meals and thus decided to change their store into a dine-in restaurant — they just never changed the name.

Charles Chandler describes his menu as “home cooking with a soul food flair.” There is a smorgasbord of mouthwatering meats, and students can choose from juicy, succulent fried chicken, fall-off-the-bone ribs, seasoned pork chops, meat loaf, turkey and a wide range of seafood. Those wishing for soul food will find everything ranging from chitterlings, fried pig ’s feet and chicken liver.

The Chandlers also offer generous portions of their mouthwatering sides.

“We don’t hold back,” Charles Chandler said.

Students craving the side dishes mom only makes for holidays will salivate over the mashed sweet potatoes smothered with marshmallows, green beans, collard greens, fluffy mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, creamy macaroni and cheese and more. Even better, Chandler’s will make-to-order homemade fried green tomatoes that melt in your mouth.

The desserts offered include cheesecake, cobbler, banana pudding and a wide range of cakes from chocolate cake to pineapple upside-down cake. Sweet tea aficionados will also be thoroughly pleased with Chandler’s southern nectar.

While students might pay upwards of $10 a plate at chain restaurants such as Cracker Barrel or shell out $15 for a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chandler’s offers their entire menu at incredible prices. The side dishes are

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Chandler’s Deli, located on Magnolia Avenue, offers a variety of home-cooked cafeteria cuisine. Best known for their friend chicken, they also offer various desserts.

all under $2, and most meats range from $1 to $4.

Chandler’s is already a hit with students, who consistently tell Charles Chandler the food is like home.

“It’s nice to a see a first timer come in and later bring someone back with them,” he said.

There are daily specials, and you are practically guaranteed to have so much food that you’ll leave with some leftovers, meaning students can get two meals for the low price of one.

Charles Chandler jokes that Chandler’s Deli is “UT East” because of the number of student customers.

“We love UT,” he said. “Without UT, we wouldn’t be here.”

Those looking to bring the taste of Chandler’s to their kitchen will be excited to hear the Chandlers have thought of that.

“We have some expansion going on behind the scenes,” Charles Chandler said. While the building may not be growing, take-home barbeque sauces and spices may soon be marketed to customers.

Chandler’s Deli is located on East Magnolia Avenue and is open seven days a week. The deli’s menu and hours are available online at http://www.chandlersstore.com Price: $ — $$ Service: $$$$$ Overall Value: $$$$

10B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, February 19, 2010

DININGGUIDE

British-style pub brings beer challenge Nash Armstrong Editor-in-Chief With so many bar and grills located within walking distance of the UT campus, some locales in the Knoxville area are overlooked.

This may be the case with a small business located in West Knoxville.

Union Jack’s is a small, British-style pub located on Northshore Drive. While driving by, it may easily be overlooked, but if the British flag catches the eye, a good time may be in store for all.

That is, if all are over the age of 21.

The staple of Union Jack’s may be its selection of brews. While they do not produce their own beverages, like establishments such as the Downtown Grill and Brewery, Jack’s has a plethora of beers that will satisfy the taste buds of almost everyone. With 27 types of beer on a tap and over 220 to 250 bottled brews depending on the season, anyone with a preference should be able to find a tasty beverage to consume.

Challenge of the ages

Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon

Union Jacks, located on Northshore Drive brings the old pub style bar from Great Britain to West Knoxville. While this bar may be small, it houses over 250 different types of brew.

Because of so many liquidy grains for of-age drainage, Union Jack’s has made a staple of their “Beer Challenge.” The challenge is to drink at least one entire beer of every kind they serve, the catch being the entire beer must be consumed, whether it’s enjoyable or downright rank.

For those who have brought their drinking maturation to the level of so many different tastes, a small plaque with the person’s name will grace the pub’s wall.

One other small catch lingers, however. In order to discourage excessive beer-challenging in one night, participants can only count four different brews a night toward their total.

In one instance, pilot Thomas Morrow completed the challenge in a bit of an usual way. The only time he was able to purvey Jack’s is when he came through Knoxville on a layover, about one to two weekends a month, bartender manager Valerie Schmidt said. He was indeed triumphant.

Total time: 990 days.

Total brews: 315.

A taste from across the pond The atmosphere of Union Jack’s is undoubtedly what one thinks a British or Irish bar might be. It is a small, dimly lit establishment with bland, somber colors and more of a dark motif. The side booths are large enough for a six-person party and painted to look like solid oak.

Even the bar itself is made to look like an oldstyle, un-Americanized seating arrangement, with high set, stationary seats straight across from the many different taps that ooze golden-brown glory.

While the arrangement may be a strange one to Yankees, it is a welcomed quirk to those seeking a change in their usual routine.

Jack’s, however, is not

just a beer connoisseur’s dream. They have a small menu for grindage to choose from, including various sandwiches and a delicious nacho dish made with gyro meat rather than the regular ground beef from the grocery store.

A bit of Yankee tradition With all of these welcomed differences in Jack’s comes a few American staples. Jack’s has two televisions, two pool tables, three dart boards and a video game machine for those who wish to provide more amusement to their night. The dart boards are indeed the favorite, as they have went away from the usually electric scorekeeper and have returned to the days of chalk and cork boards. This undoubtedly adds to the mystique and atmosphere of the small establishment.

With so many checks in the positive column comes the negative. The negative here, though, is only a singular tiff. The quarters are small, so on a weekend night, space may be limited. For those who do not care to stand shoulder to shoulder with their drinking buddy, however, Union Jack’s can be the perfect way to escape the ordinary and have a night that’s extraordinary.

Price: $$$$ Service: $$$$ Overall Value: $$$$$