Partly Cloudy 10% chance of rain HIGH LOW 64 41
Follow us: @DailyBeacon
Diamond Vols sweep Seton Hall, remain undefeated
Check out Identical: Part 5
Monday, February 27, 2012
PAGE 7 T H E
E D I T O R I A L L Y
Issue 33 I N D E P E N D E N T
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://utdailybeacon.com
Vol. 119 S T U D E N T
N E W S P A P E R
O F
T H E
U N I V E R S I T Y
PAGE 5 O F
T E N N E S S E E
Lady Vols take final home game David Cobb Staff Writer A chapter ended in the Lady Vols history book on Sunday as No. 9 Tennessee defeated Florida 75-59 to close out the regular season. The victory marked the last time five Lady Vol seniors would take the court at Thompson-Boling Arena. It was also the last chance the team had to solidify its position in the conference standings. With the win, UT (21-8, 12-4 SEC) secured the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament that begins Thursday. “I just knew that we had to win,” senior forward Glory Johnson said. “There was no other option. We couldn’t take another loss.” Johnson posted a double-double with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds in front of a home crowd of 18,563. The Webb School graduate scored the Lady Vols’ first basket and sparked a 150 run early in the first half as a seniorsonly UT starting lineup jumped on the Gators 15-3. Florida (18-11, 8-8 SEC) had closed the gap to 33-25, when UT freshman point guard Ariel Massengale drove coast-to-coast and dished to Johnson who scored as time expired in the first half. “They got us off to a great start,” associate head coach Holly Warlick said of the starters. “They had a lot of pride in wearing the Tennessee orange, so I’m excited for them.” Massengale amassed five assists, giv-
ing her 137 on the season, a UT freshman record. Her drive-and-pass set up senior forward Alicia Manning ’s jump shot that extended the UT lead to 72-57 with 1:13 to go in the game. The basket gave the Lady Vols their largest lead of the game. Eight seconds later Johnson and Manning were given a standing ovation as they checked out of a home game for the final time. “I was just excited,” Manning said. “Our fans have been with us through everything. I personally felt like I owed it to them.” Manning posted 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a block. The Woodstock, Ga. native has averaged 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season. “It was good to get this one under my belt heading into the SEC tournament,” Manning said. Senior Shekinna Stricklen, reigning SEC Player of the Week, pitched in 15 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Meighan Simmons was the fourth Lady Vol in double figures with 12 points. “All of our underclassmen are very close with our seniors,” Simmons said. “They set a very good example for us. “We act goofy off the court. People don’t know it, but we are always together. For me, it’s an emotional moment because I know that these girls are going on to bigger and better things, and I wish the best for all of them.” UT will begin SEC Tournament play on Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Justin Huseman • The Daily Beacon
Cierra Burdick hauls in a rebound during a game against Florida on Sunday. With all five seniors in the starting lineup, the Lady Vols routed the Gators on Senior Day, 75-59.
Center provides Debate team thrives at state LGBT support, acceptance Deborah Ince Staff Writer In recent years, the Tennessee Speech and Debate Society has striven to extend its reputation as a competitive organization, both on campus at UT and in the national debating arena. This semester, the organization’s team of about 20 undergraduate students has garnered a reputation for being one of the most successful teams in the state of Tennessee and is the only school in the country to host a completely student-led tournament without a coach. Competing in the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) State tournament Feb. 18-19, the team was named state champions in debate sweep-
stakes. Without even competing in the second day of the competition, the team also managed a third-place finish in overall sweepstakes, which combines the scores from individual event sweepstakes and debate sweepstakes. Nathan Johnston, president of Tennessee Speech and Debate Society, expressed his elation over his team’s performance. “We had our strongest showing at state ever and the strongest showing of any team in the history of TIFA,” Johnston said. “This is especially impressive because one, we didn’t even compete in individual events and still placed, and two, usually Tennessee State, Belmont and Carson-Newman are the top 3 in overall. This is the first time that someone other than those three is in the top three in overall sweepstakes in at least the last three years, maybe longer. I could not be
more proud of our team.” Out of the eight pairs of teams that competed, five advanced to out rounds to compete for the state title, an impressive feat for any team that competes without a coach. In the novice division, the team of Brandon Carpenter and Jacob Gibson were octafinalists, while Drew Street and Matt Smith advanced to the semifinal round and Jacob Clabo and his partner Nichole Indelicato garnered a second-place finish. “We did great!” Smith, senior in marketing, said about his and Street’s performance. “If we had gone to the next round we would have split for first with Nichole and Jacob.” Indelicato, freshman in engineering, was elated at having advanced so far in her first state tournament. See DEBATE TEAM on Page 3
James Hayden • The Daily Beacon
Students wait outside Hess Hall after a fire alarm was raised on Tuesday.
Justin Joo Staff Writer On Wednesday, Feb. 22, the OUTreach LGBT & Ally Resource Center threw an open-house party to celebrate its two-year anniversary. Donna Braquet, coordinator at the resource center and associate professor, was thrilled with the occasion. “It’s really exciting that we’ve been open for two years,” Braquet said. “When we first opened in 2010 it felt kind of historic.” Last year, the celebration lasted for only two hours, which led to crowding troubles due to all of the LGBTQ supporters coming to the center to give support. This year, the party was an open house that ran from noon to 5 p.m. That way, friends and supporters of the center could come and go throughout the day. Braquet said that faculty, students and the “regulars” attended the celebration throughout the day. “People came in, they chatted with everyone here,” Braquet said. “We had an anniversary cake. It was really just a nice time.” Now past its first two years, Braquet said the center is looking into the year ahead. One of its major goals is to find more funding, particularly so that the center can be open more hours. “But we know that in this economy that can be tough,” Braquet said. “It’s hard on all
the university departments right now.” Today, the only money the center receives from the university comes from the Chancellor’s Commission for LGBT People. Additional funding comes from private donations made by supporters of the center. The existence of a place like the resource center is a pleasant surprise for Braquet and her colleagues. She recalled her own college experience when she came out. Things weren’t nearly as supportive or positive as they are now. “I’ve been here at UT for 8 years, and many of my colleagues have been here even longer … and we just think that being here is a major accomplishment,” she said. That two-year existence of support is the core of the center, Braquet said. “Just knowing that there is a place for (LGBTQ students), where they can be themselves and know that they’re in a safe and supportive environment, goes a long way,” Braquet said. “And having it here on campus shows to them that UT and the administration support them.” Students like Cole Garner, who identifies as bisexual, think parties like this are a sign of progress and acceptance. “It puts the university in a very modern place, and just that the university is very in touch with a lot of social issues and social freedoms.” Garner, senior in psychology, said. See LGBTQ on Page 3