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Emily DeLanzo brings you the Hike of the Week

Friday, March 30, 2012 Issue 51

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Vol. 119

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

PAGE 3

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

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

T E N N E S S E E

FUEL carries 2012 SGA election Victoria Wright Student Life Editor Despite widespread student support for REVOLT’s policy initiative, voters this year soundly elected FUEL’s representatives.

Adam Roddy, junior in political science, won the presidential election with just over 8 percent of student body support.

The FUEL campaign carried the day, but REVOLT’s referendum received widespread student support with 4,287 votes.

“We are so estatic that the referendum has passed with overwhelming majority,” Eric Dixon, vice presidential candidate for REVOLT, said. “SGA next year will carry that and see it through and the administration will really view this as something that’s a madate from the students and something that they will be amendable to.”

Roddy was relieved that the tedious campaign process was over.

“It was a big weight off of our shoulders,” Roddy said.

“This week was very hectic and it was very stressful in a lot of ways, but it’s really rewarding to see all of these people here who just won senate seats and are really passionate.”

Terry Nowell, junior in BCMB, won as FUEL’s vice

presidential candidate with 2,515 votes and Taelor Olive, junior in BCMB, won as FUEL’s student services director with 2,416.

Nowell said despite not having all of FUEL’s senatorial candidates in office, he beleives senatorial relations should run smoothly.

“I think (senatorial work) is something that’s really easy and once you get in senate, it’s a great equalizer,” Nowell said.

Nowell served as a senator for the REACH campaign last year and this year found himself working with SPARK senators, the opposing campaign.

“In all reality, it ended up being one of the greatest working relationships because it brought us in touch with different ideas and a passion for changing the university,” Nowell said.

Daniel Aycock, REVOLT’s presidential candidate, was proud that some Revolt senators will serve in office, but was also pleased to make a strong connection with students during campaign week.

“I think we started a structural and cultural conversation on campus,” Aycock said.

“One of our main goals was to start a movement, and to let students know they can be Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon engaged stake holders in their experiences.”

Adam Roddy, new SGA president, Terry Nowell, SGA vice president, and Taelor Olive, Student Services Director, celebrate their election win on March 29. Despite FUEL winning the majority of the positions, the student referSee SGA on Page 2 endum, started by Eric Dixon and a major part of Revolt's policy, passed as well.

Class Skypes with Titans player Matt Dixon Sports Editor Most University of Georgia football players aren’t well received

by Volunteers fans.

But most football players aren’t like Tennessee Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon.

Witherspoon, who played for the Bulldogs from 1998-2001, spent over 30 minutes on Tuesday doing a Skype interview with Dr. Amber Roessner’s advanced sports reporting class (JEM 475).

“When I first contacted Will, I was in a bit of a crunch because my initial guest speaker for that class had fallen through,” Roessner said. “He agreed to do it, literally, with one day notice of off a Facebook message.

“I was really surprised with how long he was willing to talk with our class. I knew Will when I was a young student journalist working at the University of Georgia’s student newspaper, the Red and Black. I was a sports reporter there and he was on the football team.”

The interview was originally scheduled to take place on March 13, the Tuesday before Spring Break, but a timing issue came up

where Dr. Roessner and her class were expecting Witherspoon to Skype at 2:30 EST, but Witherspoon believed it was at 2:30 CST. When the interview finally took place, the 10-year NFL veteran discussed his journey through professional football, as well as his unique life away from the gridiron.

“It was a great learning experience for our class,” Jason Hall, senior in journalism and electronic media, said. “Will Witherspoon seems to represent both the Titans and the NFL positively and was nothing short of kind and courteous to our class. Dr. Roessner also deserves credit for scheduling such an interesting guest. It was a nice change of pace from UT-oriented assignments and definitely an interesting assignment.”

Witherspoon was raised in a military family and lived in Germany, England and Arizona growing up. He said he didn’t live in the U.S. full-time until he was 11 or 12. The different experiences help him now, in a business where players often change teams, because he’s been able to adapt to the different environments and cultures of NFL teams and cities. Witherspoon’s played for four teams: Carolina (2002-’05), St. Louis (’06-’09), Philadelphia (’09) and Tennessee (2010-current).

See WITHERSPOON on Page 6

Matt Dixon • The Daily Beacon

Students in Dr. Amber Roessner’s JEM 475 class prepare to interview Tennessee Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon on Tuesday via Skype. The NFL player answered the classes’ questions on various topics for over 30 minutes.

Vol Night Long promises to take everyone back to their childhood Wesley Mills Staff Writer For many, the 1990s were categorized by Dunkaroos, “Boy Meets World,” and *NSYNC, and on Friday night at the TRECS, UT students can relive all of that and more.

From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. students are invited to Vol Night Long, an event sponsored by the Campus Entertainment Board (CEB).

The event is a ’90s-themed night filled with interactive games and the potential to make new friends while hanging out with old ones.

Kelsea Hickman, committee vice-chair of CEB and senior in communication studies, said that the ’90s theme should really push people over the edge for wanting to come.

“Who doesn’t love reliving their childhood at our age?”

Hickman said. “We are pushing really hard to make it even bigger than last semester.”

Over 600 students attended in the fall, the largest crowd ever for Vol Night Long. But Hickman said that they are really pushing for 1,000 plus on Friday night.

“It’s open to anyone and everyone,” Hickman said. “If someone wants to bring someone who is not a student, they can most certainly do that. It is a completely free event.”

Hickman said that events like these and others the CEB puts on over the course of the year provide alternative options for those less interested in the party scene.

“We want students who don’t like to partake in the party scene to have a fun event that they can go to,” Hickman said. “Just be able to have fun without having to be crazy like most students might be once they get to

college. We also like to use it as a time for other students to interact with each other who might not necessarily have before.”

Games like Bop-it and Skip-it, “Super Mario Kart” and Nintendo 64 will be readily available at the convenience of the students, as well as plenty of TVs to watch ’90s favorites. Human orbs and racecars are also on the agenda.

Amelia Bivens, who helped coordinate and organize the event, said there are plenty of reasons students would want to come.

“You never know what can happen at an event like this,” Bivens, senior in political science, said. “Win a free iPod from our event sponsor?

Defeat your evil roommate in the inflatable jousting? You don’t want to miss out on these incredible opportunities for free food, free entertainment and free prizes.”

Bivens said that while there will be video games and toys from the ’90s, some kids would prefer the more athletic memories.

“We will also provide equipment to play large outdoor games from our days spent on the playground, such as dodge ball, red rover and kickball,” she said.

Throughout the night students will be able to freely roam the intramural fields and TRECS plaza where the games will be played and prizes given away.

Vol Night Long also has a dance party to cap off the night.

“We have an entire ’90s playlist,” Hickman said. “We feel like that’s going to be a big selling point.”

When asked about the Dunkaroos, Hickman said, “We are pushing for Dunkaroos. That’s confirmed. It’s going to be favorable that they are there.”

2 • The Daily Beacon

SGA continued from Page 1 Nowell said FUEL plans to carry out their promise of increasing transparency with students by spending about 40 hours in the office each week.

Roddy said he plans to engage with other organizations. He hopes the increased communication will help him develop a more personable image.

“I hope to make them see, from day one, that I’m

NEWS

Friday, March 30, 2012

not just some figure in the distance,” Roddy said.

“I’m not just in office — I’m a person. I really want to work through changes in person.”

Roddy plans to address tuition as his first order of business.

“That’s something we have to jump on — something we have to immediately tackle,” Roddy said.

“SGA has to be able and ready to do everything they can to tackle that problem.”

Court records cause dispute The Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A special judge and the head of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation discussed releasing most of the file that detailed how Richard Baumgartner was abusing and illegally obtaining drugs while a Knoxville judge, according to letters reviewed by a newspaper.

The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/HkTtou ) used a public records request to TBI to obtain letters between Director Mark Gwyn and Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood.

Blackwood wrote in a letter

dated March 5 that the public “erroneously believes” he could release the TBI report on Baumgartner. “I believe that I cannot do so without TBI consent,” Blackwood wrote.

Gwyn replied that TBI couldn't release its files, which are exempt from the Tennessee open records law, but pointed to a state statute that allows TBI files to made public “by order of a court of record.”

Blackwood said in a March 7 letter that he intended to make all the file public except for sections that dealt with allegations that Baumgartner was making sexual advances to women and the names and addresses of those interviewed.

Josef Beal • The Daily Beacon

Luscia De Vors, Red Cross volunteer, distributes flyers on Wednesday for a free CPR class with the Red Cross Club.

Pilot unravels midair, rants about religion The Associated Press RICHMOND HILL, Ga. — No one recalls JetBlue Airways captain Clayton Osbon coming unhinged before. Not the airline that let him fly for 12 years, the neighbors in his secluded waterfront community or the friends he tried selling weightloss shakes to on the side.

Now federal prosecutors have charged Osbon following his bizarre unraveling aboard Flight 191 to Las Vegas, describing in court records a midair breakdown they say began with cockpit ramblings about religion and ended with passengers wrestling him to the cabin floor.

Witness accounts of Osbon telling his co-pilot “things just don’t matter” and sprinting down the center aisle — yelling jumbled remarks about Sept. 11 and Iran — baffled longtime friends and fellow pilots who said they couldn't remember previous health or mental problems.

Osbon, 49, was instead described as an affable aviator who took his private plane for joyrides in

his spare time, shied from talking politics and hosted Super Bowl parties. His father was also a pilot who died in a 1995 plane crash while on a sunken treasure hunt, according to a Wisconsin newspaper in the town where his family lived.

“I can’t say whether it’s shock or disbelief,” said Justin Ates, a corporate jet pilot and friend who also lives in Richmond Hill. “It’s hard to describe what you feel when you see something that’s completely 100 percent out of character.”

Osbon is charged with interfering with a flight crew following his bizarre outburst Tuesday on the flight that began in New York and was diverted to Amarillo, Texas. He was still being held at a hospital there Wednesday and being medically evaluated.

Under federal law, a conviction for interference with a flight crew or attendants can bring up to 20 years in prison. The offense is defined as assaulting or intimidating the crew, interfering with its duties or diminishing its ability to operate the plane.

The plane’s co-pilot, who made the emergency landing after Osbon became unruly, was being interviewed by federal authorities in New York, his mother-in-law said. Ruth Ann Kostal told The Associated Press on Thursday that she wasn’t surprised her son-in-law Jason Dowd had acted cool under pressure but he doesn’t want to be considered a hero.

“I’m glad for those people he was the co-pilot that day,” Kostal said.

A pilot with JetBlue since 2000, Osbon acted oddly and became increasingly erratic on the flight, worrying his fellow crew members so much that they locked him out of cockpit after he abruptly left for the cabin, according to a federal affidavit.

He then started yelling about Jesus, al-Qaida and a possible bomb on board, forcing passengers to tackle him and tie him up with seat belt extenders for about 20 minutes until the planed landed.

“The (first officer) became really worried when Osbon said ‘we need to take a leap of faith,’” according to the sworn affidavit given by an FBI agent John Whitworth. “Osbon started trying to correlate completely unrelated numbers like differ-

ent radio frequencies, and he talked about sins in Las Vegas.”

Investigators said they were told that Osbon scolded air traffic controllers to quiet down, then turned off the radios altogether, and dimmed the monitors in the cockpit. He allegedly said aloud that “things just don’t matter” and encouraged his co-pilot that they take a leap of faith.

“We’re not going to Vegas,” Osbon told his copilot in midflight, according to the affidavit.

Osbon, described by neighbors as tall and muscular, “aggressively” grabbed the hands of a flight attendant who confronted him and later dashed down the cabin while being chased. Passengers wrestled Osbon to the ground, and one female flight attendant's ribs were bruised during the struggle. No one on board was seriously hurt.

JetBlue spokeswoman Allison Steinberg said Osbon had been suspended pending a review of the flight. JetBlue CEO and President Dave Barger told NBC’s “Today” show that Osbon is a “consummate professional” whom he has “personally known” for years. He said nothing in the captain’s record indicates he would be a risk on a flight.

ARTS&CULTURE

Friday, March 30, 2012

Emily DeLanzo Design Editor Andrews Bald.

Ain’t no mountain high enough — except for Clingman’s Dome.

Our mild, lackluster winter never truly produced any outstanding snows. Because of that, several seasonal roads in the Smokies opened early to embrace spring and entertain visitors.

Two weeks ago, park rangers busily prepared the seven mile road to Clingman’s Dome to open two weeks earlier than planned. I have honestly been looking forward to this day for months. My favorite short trail starts from the parking lot of Clingman’s Dome and meanders down the side of a ridge to a grassy bald.

Andrews Bald gives visitors the Sound of Music feel with a short, enjoyable hike. This 3.6 mile round-trip gives a breathtaking 360 degree view.

Normally, people have to hike further and higher in order to get any view of this caliber, but Andrews Bald is the best bang-for-your-buck hike.

The trailhead starts from the Clingman’s Dome parking lot which rests at 6310 feet. Over the course of your 1.8 mile trek to this grassy bald, you’ll lose almost 900 feet. The walk to the bald loses elevation regularly meaning the hike back to your car is an uphill battle.

The only main downside to hiking to Andrews Bald is that the weather is unpredictable. Andrews Bald, Clingman’s Dome and neighboring high peaks tower above most of the Appalachian Mountains located in this area.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was named after the low-lying clouds and fogs that set in, giving the picturesque postcard feel. As beautiful as that is immortalized on a screensaver, these clouds can hinder visitors’ abilities to see for long distances.

If you’re standing in the middle of a cloud, you’re lucky to see your footing, not the panoramic view.

Your descent down to the bald walks along the Forney Ridge Trail. The first section of this trail parades through remnants of a spruce-fir forest.

The Daily Beacon • 3

Spruce-fir forests typically occur in the higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians. This unusual conglomerate of species proves to be the remnants of evidence from the Pleistocene Epoch and the last ice age.

Although the glaciers never dropped down below what’s now Kentucky, the cold climate pushed northern species into higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians.

The skeletons of fraser fir trees tower all along this trail. This species was basically obliterated during the 1990s due to the introduction of the balsam woolly adelgid which attacks adult spruce fir trees.

After only a tenth of a mile, the trail splits. The right bypasses to the Appalachian Trail. In order to continue to the bald, veer to the left.

After a mile of hiking, the Forney Creek Trail branches off to the right which eventually finally ends 11.4 miles away by a backcountry campsite near Fontana Lake. Continue straight at this junction to reach Andrew’s Bald.

This grassy meadow, on a clear day, will provide fantastic views and the perfect location for a picnic.

Andrews Bald is the highest elevation grassy bald within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Please keep in mind that since the road opened early because of this unseasonably warm weather, that also means our megafauna friends are also stirring sooner than usual. Be prepared to know exactly what to do when you see a black bear, if you do.

Black bears are more afraid of you than you are of them, and you want to always keep a safe distance. If approached by a black bear, be sure to make yourself look large and shout at the bear. The two worst actions a visitor can take when they see a black bear is run or play dead.

In terms of other concerns, be sure to wear layers. Clingman’s Dome is 20 degrees cooler on average than any lower elevation area. Most importantly, embrace ankle support for shoes. Andrews Bald through the Forney Ridge Trail is extremely rocky in some areas.

Enjoy the spring season and pack a picnic.

Always remember that if you pack it in, pack it out.

No one wants to get to Andrews Bald and have to clean up after your picnic. Leave all your worries in Rebecca Vaughan • The Daily Beacon Knoxville and enjoy some mountain air.

Happy trails!

Krystal Oliva, senior in advertising, performs a Middle Eastern belly dance at the International Dance Competition on Wednesday. Oliva won first place in the con— Emily DeLanzo is a junior in environmental temporary category. studies. She can be reached at edelanzo@utk.edu.

Banjo revolutionary dies at 88, leaves legacy The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It may be impossible to overstate the importance of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs to American music. A pioneering banjo player who helped create modern country music, his sound is instantly recognizable and as intrinsically wrapped in the tapestry of the genre as Johnny Cash’s baritone or Hank Williams' heartbreak.

Scruggs died Wednesday morning at age 88 of natural causes. The legacy he helped build with bandleader Bill Monroe, guitarist Lester Flatt and the rest of the Blue Grass Boys was evident all around Nashville, where he died in an area hospital. His string-bending, mind-blowing way of picking helped transform a regional sound into a national passion.

“It’s not just bluegrass, it’s American music,” bluegrass fan turned country star Dierks Bentley said. “There’s 17- or 18-year-old kids turning on today’s country music and hearing that banjo and they have no idea where that came from. That sound has probably always been there for them and they don’t realize someone invented that three-finger roll style of playing. You hear it everywhere.”

Country music has transcended its regional roots, become a billion-dollar music and tourist enterprise, and evolved far beyond the classic sound Monroe and The Blue Grass Boys blasted out over the radio on The Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 8, 1945. Though he would eventually influence American culture in wideranging ways, Scruggs had no way of knowing this as he nervously prepared for his first show with Monroe. The 21-year-old wasn’t sure how his new picking style would go over.

“I’d heard The Grand Ole Opry and there was tremendous excitement for me just to be on The Grand Ole Opry,” Scruggs recalled during a 2010 interview at Ryman Auditorium, where that “big bang” moment occurred. “I just didn’t know if or how well I’d be accepted because there’d never been anybody to play banjo like me here. There was Stringbean and Grandpa Jones. Most of them were comedians.”

There was nothing jokey about the way Scruggs attacked his “fancy fivestring banjo,” as Opry announcer George D. Hayes called it. In a performance broadcast to much of the country but unfortunately lost to history, he scorched the earth and instantly changed country music. With Monroe on mandolin and Flatt on guitar, the pace was a real jolt to attendees and radio listeners far away, and in some ways the speed and volume he laid down predicted the power of

electric music.

Tut Taylor, a friend of the Scruggs family who heard that first performance on the radio in his Georgia home, called it an unbelievably raucous moment “a lot like some of the rock ‘n’ roll things they had, you know. But this was a new sound. It was a pretty sound and a welcome sound.”

Scruggs’ use of three fingers — in place of the limited clawhammer style once prevalent — elevated the banjo from a part of the rhythm section — or even a comedian's prop — to a lead instrument that was as versatile as the guitar and far more flashy.

Country great Porter Wagoner probably summed up Scruggs’ importance best of all: “I always felt like Earl was to the five-string banjo what Babe Ruth was to baseball. He is the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be.”

His string-bending and lead runs became known worldwide as “the Scruggs picking style” and the versatility it allowed has helped popularize the banjo beyond the traditional bluegrass and country forms. Today the banjo can be found in almost any genre, largely due to the way he freed its players to experiment and find new space.

That was exactly what Ralph Stanley had in mind when he first heard Scruggs lay it down. A legendary banjo player in his own right, Stanley said in an interview last year that he was inspired by Scruggs when he first heard him over the radio after returning home from military service in Germany.

“I wasn’t doing any playing,” Stanley said.

“When I got discharged I began listening to Bill and Earl was with him. I already had a banjo at that time, but of course I wanted to do the three-finger roll. I knew Earl was the best, but I didn’t want to sound like him. I wanted to do that style, but I wanted to sound the way I felt and that’s what I tried to do.”

Dave Rawlings, a Nashville singer-songwriter and producer, says Scruggs remains every bit as influential and fresh seven decades later. He said it’s impossible to imagine nearly every guitar player mimicking Jimi Hendrix, but with Scruggs and the banjo, that’s the reality.

4 • The Daily Beacon

Friday, March 30, 2012

OPINIONS

Better

Than

Reality TV

Characters evolve in ‘Mad Men’ Robby O’Daniel Recruitment Editor In creative writing class, a mark of a good short story is whether anyone changes over the course of the tale. If nobody changes, then what of consequence really happened?

More and more, this feels like the gap between the television shows that excel and those that are struggling. “Breaking Bad” has no problem blowing up its status quo, giving it a thrilling air that anything can happen at any time. The end of season two of “Boardwalk Empire” paid off on story elements that had built for two years and showed how one character had transformed since the pilot.

Meanwhile, “Dexter” plods along with seasonlong gimmicks and a been-there-done-that approach to a seemingly unending cavalcade of serial killers in Miami. “Californication” and “Weeds” have spun in circles for years to the point where sympathy for the main characters has run dry.

“Mad Men” is one of television’s best shows not because the characters drink a lot. It’s not because period pieces are fun, and the show’s fashion is cool. And it is certainly not just because Don Draper has plenty of affairs.

“Mad Men” is one of television’s best because its landscape is ever-changing and therefore, never dull. Viewers can literally watch any rerun of “Mad Men” and instantly have an idea of which season it took place in. How true is that for other shows?

Change in “Mad Men” is often overarching. In the first two seasons, the firm was just Sterling Cooper, with Don as creative director. In season three, British firm Putnam, Powell and Lowe owned the firm. In season four, the agency broke away and became Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Each time the agency’s power dynamics have shifted and created new possibilities for character interaction.

But characters also change dramatically in “Mad Men.” It is intriguing to watch the trajectories of each character because they are all in such different places. Don is the older family man. He turned 40 in the season five premiere. His nuclear family is broken by divorce, but his second marriage shows

promise.

Viewers could literally see at the end of season four just why Don chose Megan as a second wife.

At the dinner table, rather than snapping at the children for spilling something like Don does and like his first wife Betty would have, Megan tells everyone to calm down and begins cleaning it up.

The moment is quiet but telling.

The two-hour season five premiere that aired Sunday on AMC was fascinating because Megan, newly added to the main cast, was immediately put on center stage with a risqué rendition of the 1960s French song “Zou Bisou Bisou.” She sang much to Don’s chagrin at a surprise birthday party he already hated by its very nature. Yet the two reconcile privately, even after Don’s embarrassment.

It will prove interesting to see if Don’s second marriage lasts, unlike so many others in “Mad Men” that emotionally disintegrate.

Peggy is perhaps the best example of sweeping change in a television character over time. It is still hard to believe that in the pilot episode, she was just Don’s secretary. She quickly became a nervous new copywriter. Now she is so confident in the quality of her work that she pitches a fit when Don doesn’t stand up for it. In the season five premiere, Peggy pitches a “ballet of beans” ad for Heinz, which is shot down by its top brass. The Heinz head is looking for something more in touch with college students, suggesting a laughable ad that would have students protesting for beans.

Perhaps the most interesting new plot thread of season five is Peggy dealing with Megan’s quick nepotistic promotion from secretary to copywriter.

It is the same transition Peggy made, but Peggy was not married to Don at the time. Megan’s interest in copywriting seems genuine, but the little reminders she gives about past dabbling in acting and painting suggest it might not be her dream career.

Pete is the young family man, not plagued by divorce or middle age. Roger is the elder statesmen, still haunted by memories of the war. Altogether, “Mad Men” gives viewers of any age an idea of what it would have been like, living through the 1960s at a certain age or in a certain situation.

— Robby O’Daniel is a graduate student in communications. He can be reached at rodaniel@utk.edu.

SCRAMBLED EGGS • Alex Cline

THE Great Mash Up• Liz Newnam

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

US/Chinese relations need change Bur den o f I n fa l l i b i l i t y by

Wiley Robinson China. We’re still kind of afraid of it. The common picture that can be pieced together about China from the multitudinous sources of casual information is disapproving and mysterious because it is based on the assumption that China conflicts with American interests.

A general attitude of ambivalence regarding China’s growth is at large among the American public. At one moment it colors neutral statistics of Chinese economic growth with a hue of xenophobia and distrust because of an inflated idea of the consequences behind China’s trade surplus; at another, it tentatively celebrates the country’s further integration into the international community with a successful Olympics. But then more news of human rights violations, censorship, oppression and extreme environmental degradation skews opinion further towards the negative, and it becomes easier to feel threatened by the frequent reminders of China’s steadily rising economic advantage over America, like it’s ownership of so much of the national debt. The idea of America being second to a non-democratic, morally inferior and/or developing country perpetuates even more uninformed normative myths, like the idea that China has a larger (and therefore comparable or even more powerful) military than the U.S. or is purposely balancing against it to exert more regional control.

While the general American opinion of China can be summarized by a synthesis of ethnocentric social and economic news reports, how can we achieve a more objective and accurate analysis regarding the source and magnitude of tension between these two powers? We can start by being halfway self-aware regarding our own blatantly expansionist and aggressive foreign policy, and judge China relative to that. China’s military is upgrading and expanding modestly, and spending, while second only to America, still does not match ours when combined with the next 16 mostly developed countries on the spending list. Compared with the relatively huge number of actual enlisted people, China’s force acts more like a way of employing millions of its citizens, as opposed to our state-of-the-art nightmare force that’s actually been formed by decades of constant military operation.

Has hegemony in the region ever tried to widen its sphere of influence since the Cold War? No. China’s reunification goals for Taiwan demonstrate the only point of contention in this area — and the rest of the border

conflicts with neighbors like Russia have been resolved peacefully.

Especially in light of growing economic interdependence with the U.S., China is unwilling to risk alienating the U.S. by trying to coercively remake countries in their own image. More interestingly, China has simply never tried to do that, ever, in its entire history.

Multilateral institutions were and are the key to AsiaAmerican and especially Sino-American peace and prosperity. In the year 2000, America was perfectly poised to maintain and increase its influence as well as continue fostering goodwill in the tough neighborhood of North East Asia; all America had to do was keep with the strategy it had used to win the Cold War: foster multilateral interaction. Especially in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis, American influence was more welcome than ever. But the Bush administration abandoned the equalizing and pacifying effects of nation and region building in favor of over-the-top military expansion, renewed unilateralism and ideological motivations now closer to that of Soviet expansionism in the Middle East.

Using obsolete Cold War institutions, models and caricatures when the reality has obviously changed so thoroughly shames our unifying past. Most obviously, China is no longer what it was in the ’90s or even the first years of the 21st century, and it’s America’s own folly for not only antagonizing China and Asia with an increasingly obtuse U.S.-Japanese alliance that makes a mockery of the U.S.’s legacy of regional-institution building, but letting China fill the leadership of those institutions while pioneering new ones.

By listing several hypothetical Asian scenarios that are more or less consequences for American Bush-era policy, you can imply that it is in fact the U.S. upsetting the status quo and ultimately upsetting stability, not China, which now responsibly fosters its own regional stability. America’s ethnocentric and militaristic relapse is more than inopportune amid slowly rising Asian nationalism and maturing economies; it makes a mockery of the hard-won American nation building, good will fostering, and the incredibly miraculous progress that North East Asia has made. Concerning American attitudes towards China, only optimism will ensure prosperity and security while pessimism and neoimperialism will guarantee a more divided world with self-fulfilling conflicts and hostilities; though still turbulent and plagued with the consequences of incredibly rapid development, xenophobia and ambivalence towards China and the myths they perpetuate will only help America’s fears of being surpassed come true.

— Wiley Robinson is a junior in ecology and environmental studies. He can be reached at rrobin23@utk.edu.

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There was a famous book that came out many moons ago called “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” Now, not to demean skills like “sharing” and “tying your shoes,” but I have found that everything I really need to know I have learned in college. They aren’t kidding when they call these four (five? six?) years of life the most formative years we experience, aside from those baby to toddler years when all we do is eat, sleep and cry anyway. We all do an enormous amount of changing and growing in college, both academically and socially. Even those who spend a lot of time, money and Saturday nights trying to avoid growing up inevitably do, because the process of going to college and living on one’s own requires a great deal of change.

However, in my experience, many college students fail to learn some of the more basic, albeit less important, skills expected of young adults.

These lessons may not seem immediately useful or relevant, and I will admit that some of them may not even be applicable outside of college; regardless, I believe that there is a list of skills and tools that every college student needs to learn during their time as undergraduates. * The ability to use a library catalogue and online databases. This may seem ridiculously specific, but knowing how to perform advanced searches, narrow search terms, and track down pertinent information is hardly a skill that goes away after college. Whether preparing a report for your boss or actually performing research for a job, knowing how and where to efficiently search for useful information is invaluable. * Learning what to keep off of Facebook. I’m sorry, but after freshman year, everyone should have gotten the need to post drunken pictures out of their systems. Your friends may not care, but your future employers do. In addition, no one wants to hear about every article of clothing you buy, every nice thing your boyfriend does for you, or every inane quote your friend says after several hours of studying in the library. Facebook is for

social networking, not personal display. * Time management. Ever wonder why you’re always up until three in the morning writing papers? Ever considered that you just spent five hours watching Jersey Shore and eating ice cream instead of starting your homework? The two are, in fact, correlated. * How to brag about yourself. I encounter this difficulty every time I apply for a scholarship, an internship or a job. It is tough to craft a statement that both asserts your capabilities but does not come across as boastful or disingenuous.

Attending a talk about writing resumes, looking at online examples, and having a professor or a boss read through personal statements are all routes that college students should take to improve their ability to demonstrate their skills, knowledge that will prove useful when applying to graduate schools and jobs down the road. * What not to wear (and I don’t mean to watch the television show). Another element of proper presentation for interviews or even for work is knowing how to dress appropriately for the given occasion. While you don’t have to wear a ball gown to a job interview in order to impress, neither should you wear jeans and a T-shirt or show too much skin. Furthermore, there are ways to dress appropriately without compromising your personal sense of style. Pay attention to how your teachers and mentors dress and do likewise. * Learn how to boil water. Truth be told, this was a skill I barely had mastered when I entered college. Now, cooking is one of my favorite past times, but in order to expand my culinary horizons, I had to conquer my fear of a bubbling pot of water.

While you don’t have to be the next Julia Child, the ability to feed yourself food that isn’t highly processed and full of MSG is not only a useful skill but a healthier one, too. * And, most importantly, learn to relax. I cannot emphasize this enough, and in fact I perhaps emphasize it too much; however, if you don’t learn to relax in college, you will never learn, because things do not get easier and life does not slow down once you graduate. Learning to breathe, to take time to yourself, and to not become overwhelmed is, in my opinion, the most important lesson to learn in college.

— Sarah Russell is a senior in history. She can be reached at srusse22@utk.edu.

SPORTS

Friday, March 30, 2012

The Daily Beacon • 5

Vols top Delta Devils, 8-4 Robby O’Daniel Recruitment Editor UT outfielder-pitcher Drew Steckenrider changed the game from both the plate and the mound, helping the Vols (15-10) to an 8-4 win over Mississippi Valley State (6-20) on Wednesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Down 3-1 in the third, Steckenrider drilled an offering from Mississippi Valley State starter Kameron Stady for a two-RBI double to right field.

“I was just trying to see a pitch up, get something I could drive into a gap,” Steckenrider said. “And he left a pitch up over the plate that was inner-half, and I just turned and shot one down the line.”

The team, which had struggled with the bats coming into the contest, came alive with four doubles on the night.

“I know a couple of guys were due,” Steckenrider said. “I was definitely one of those guys, and it definitely felt good to get two hits, a multi-hit game, and bring my confidence back. I know it’s got some guys feeling good going into this weekend.”

Steckenrider’s other hit was an RBI single to center field in the eighth. He also got on base with a hit batsmen in the fifth and a walk in the sixth.

But perhaps the most pivotal moment for Steckenrider came in the sixth inning when he moved from right field to the mound. He entered with inherited runners on second and third, one out and a 7-4 lead.

Steckenrider coaxed two force outs from two straight batters to get out of the inning, unscathed.

While there is less room for error when coming in with inherited runners, Steckenrider said his pitching strategy is the same.

“You don’t want to change your approach too much,” he said. “Just pound strikes, and get out of the jam.”

UT head coach Dave Serrano called Steckenrider’s pitching in the sixth a turning

point in the game.

“Steck coming in and getting those outs was huge,” Serrano said. “I thought it changed the momentum back to us when they started to get the momentum back.”

The Vols fell behind 3-0 after a disastrous, 45-pitch first inning from UT left-handed starter Brandon Zajac.

Despite the early 3-0 deficit, Serrano enjoyed seeing the team battle back into the game.

“I would rather take that kind of game than if we would have come out and really beat them up early on and have a blowout game,” Serrano said. “Our team needed that. They needed to respond to some negativity, and we did.”

The coach stressed the importance of breaking up the game into frames.

“They put three on the board in the first, and then from the second inning on, we won five straight innings,” Serrano said. “And that’s important — to chip away. We talk a lot about winning innings, not winning the game, winning innings. The way I like to describe it — the game of baseball is nine, one-inning frames, winning one-inning frames at a time.

And I thought we did a good job with that.”

The game did not begin until 7:32 p.m. because the Mississippi Valley State bus broke down. Still, Mississippi Valley State took the early lead.

“That’s what’s so beautiful about this game,” he said. “Here’s a team that got here late, wasn’t able to take infield-outfield, wasn’t able to take BP (batting practice), and they put a three on the board in the first inning. So it’s all about a mindset and how bad you want it. And I’m glad we responded to that.”

Steckenrider echoed Serrano’s inning-at-atime mentality.

“We had a lot of ballgame left,” Steckenrider said. “We still had nine at-bats.

We knew we had nine innings to try to put Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon some runs on the board, and we just wanted to try to go up and put one up each inning, one A student plays on the piano display outside Clarence Brown Theatre on March 7. every inning that we could.”

The display “Play Me, I’m Yours” was meant for students to decorate it and play as they wish.

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Read the Beacon Classifieds!

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz

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6 • The Daily Beacon

Friday, March 30, 2012

THESPORTSPAGE

Hunter ‘right on track’ at spring practice Matt Dixon Sports Editor A little over five months after tearing the ACL in his left knee, Justin Hunter returned to the football field.

Although the atmosphere at Tennessee’s practice field on Monday was much different than the one at Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 17, 2011, the wide receiver’s return brought excitement to the Volunteers, a team that finished the 2011 season with a disappointing 5-7 record.

“It felt good,” Hunter said. “I didn’t feel a lot of pain when I was out there. Overall, I had a good day today. I felt like I did real good on my routes and everything else.”

Hunter will be in a red, noncontact jersey for all of UT’s 15 spring practices, but he’ll still go

through individual drills and limited team drills.

“It’s not where he can go full speed, and then we back him down,” UT coach Derek Dooley said. “He’s kind of at the same pace throughout practice. It’s hard for him when he’s getting pressed and those guys are full speed.”

Dooley admitted the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Hunter is a little bit ahead in his rehab, but given the important role he’ll play in the Vols’ offense this fall, coaches and the training staff don’t want to risk re-aggravating the injury.

“He is right on track and hopefully he will get some good work in this spring without having a setback,” Dooley said.

For Hunter, sitting out UT’s final nine games last season took its toll, especially after the promise the Vols showed when Hunter was healthy.

“I hate sitting on the side-

WITHERSPOON continued from Page 1 “I spend a lot of time moving around and getting to learn how to meet new people,” Witherspoon said. “In that process, one of the better things was it taught me how to deal with a lot of different situations and deal with a lot of different types of people.”

Coming out of Georgia, Witherspoon was a three-year starter but had started a different position each of those seasons. He said the uncertainty of knowing what position he was going to play at the next level caused his draft stock to be anywhere from the second round to the sixth round.

“I just took it in stride. I wasn’t one of those guys who just banked on football being the only thing I did. I was an agricultural engineering major at Georgia,” he said. “Worst case scenario was I was going back to school for another year to finish up and go out in the world and do what I wanted to do.”

Witherspoon was drafted in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Panthers. He played four seasons in Carolina, highlighted by an appearance in Super Bowl 38, where the Panthers lost on a last-second field goal to the New England Patriots. Despite collecting a career-high 16 tackles in the game, Witherspoon wants to return so he can win a world championship.

“You’ve always got that itch to go back. That’s what it is,” he said. “Once you get it, especially

lines,” he said. “It’s so boring.

You want to help your team, but you can’t help your team. Being on the field, you can do that.”

Through the Vols’ first two games last season, Hunter led the SEC in catches (16) and receiving yards (302). He had also hauled in two touchdown passes. Against the Gators, Hunter suffered the season-ending injury on UT’s opening possession after hauling in a 12-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Bray.

Now that he’s back on the field, Hunter tries not to relive the injury.

“I think the biggest thing is I can’t think about it,” he said. “If I think about it, I’m going to reinjure it somehow. I just try to go out there, not think about it and make the best of it.”

After surgery, Hunter’s off-season consisted of a daily rehab program, but finally getting back

to have been there and lost it, you always have that itch to get back and win the big ring. The ring I got for winning the (2004) NFC Championship is one thing, a beautiful thing, I keep it in my safe. It’s one of those things you look at and you go, ‘I’m this close. I want to turn that edge and get over the top.’”

After five seasons in Carolina, Witherspoon signed with the Rams as a free agent in 2006. He spent three full seasons in St. Louis before being traded to the Eagles midway through the 2009 season. Because of the teams’ bye week schedules, he became one of just five players to play in 17 NFL regular season games in a year.

He still uses his degree from Georgia, running a 450-acre grass-fed beef farm, Shiregate Farms, in Owensville, Mo. In addition, he also operates two dog day-care centers along with former Panthers teammate Dan Morgan.

Despite the lengthy NFL career — he’s entering his third season with the Titans and 11th overall — Witherspoon still plays the game he loves.

“I don’t get in the hot tub or cold tub like most of these guys do,” he said. “I just go to work every day.”

For Roessner, the innovative interview worked out well enough that she’s planning another one in the future.

“I thought it worked out really well to Skype in with him, and actually we’re going to Skype in later in the semester with a panel of sports reporters,” she said. “My only concern with it were there were some snafus with it, especifically with the video timing out, and so I felt like it was a bad television commercial for a minute.”

on the field has been a blessing.

“It’s gotten easier,” Hunter said. “When I first hurt it, it was really painful and everything like that. We’re going through it real nice and smooth now.”

Bray, who missed five games last season with a broken throwing hand himself, was also pleased with Hunter’s return.

“Finally getting his character out there kind of helped the team,” Bray said Monday.

But even with all the accolades and potential Hunter has on the field, he’s one of the team’s most likable players.

“Justin is one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever been around,” senior wide receiver Zach Rogers said. “He’s selfless.

He’s very humble. He comes out here and works, and obviously, he’s one of the best receivers in college football. It’s an honor to play alongside him.”

Clay Seal • The Daily Beacon

UT junior wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers catches a pass during the Vols practice on Monday. Rogers didn’t practice on Thursday, and must handle “internal issues” to rejoin to team, according to coach Derek Dooley.

Summitt, Lady Vols give fans dramatic season to remember Ben Daniel Staff Writer Expectations have always been high for the Tennessee women’s basketball team. They will remain high even if the winningest NCAA basketball coach in history does not return next season.

Regardless, this year was one that Volunteer nation will remember for years to come.

The beginning of the 2011-2012 Lady Vols’ basketball season was like standing in line for a roller coaster ride. Many questioned if the devastating news of head coach Pat Summitt’s early onset dementia would be a hurdle in the team’s goals.

They fought through adversity to finally find success and won their third-straight SEC Championship, but it truly was a roller coaster season.

“This team has battled all year,” associate head coach Holly Warlick said. “I’m proud of them. I thought our team and coaching staff obviously was in a difficult situation, but I think this team was responsive.”

UT is no stranger to strong competition.

Summitt has never shied away from creating a tough non-conference schedule, and this season was no different. In addition to the already tough SEC schedule, the Lady Vols were set to play topranked teams such as Baylor, Stanford and Notre Dame, all of which are currently in the Final Four.

Although they were unable to defeat these three monsters, Tennessee made up for it by going 12-4 in the SEC. The Lady Vols entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and blew through the bracket, beating Vanderbilt and South Carolina with ease, and then showing their true colors with a double-digit championship win over LSU, 70-58. Glory Johnson put up a double-double and was named

tournament MVP. “Glory is as hard of a playing player that I’ve been around in 30 years,” assistant coach Dean Lockwood said of the senior forward. “Male or female, Glory Johnson plays as hard and as fiercely competitive as any player that I’ve had the honor of coaching.”

Following the SEC Championship, the Lady Vols went into the NCAA Tournament taking down UT-Martin, DePaul and Kansas before running into top-seeded and undefeated Baylor in the Elite Eight.

“The shots just weren’t falling,” senior forward Shekinna Stricklen said. “I give credit to Baylor; they were really pressuring me, face guarding me.

We were rushing a little bit, but, you know, the shots just weren’t falling.”

This season Ariel Massengale led the team in assists (162), Shekinna Stricklen led in points (529) and Glory Johnson led in blocks (41), steals (49) and rebounds (355). Meighan Simmons, Vicki Baugh, Taber Spani, Cierra Burdick and Alicia Manning were also large contributors to the Lady Vols’ season record of 27-9.

With the bad losses, broken hearts and the shorter than desired run in the NCAA Tournament, the Lady Vols battled through a dramatic year and delivered the University of Tennessee a 16th SEC Championship and a season that die-hard Vols fans and long-time Summitt followers will not soon forget.

In the final postgame press conference following the Elite Eight loss to Baylor, a choked up and teary-eyed Warlick spoke.

“This team is about Pat Summitt,” Warlick said.

“I wouldn’t trade anything that we did this year.

Obviously, I want Pat’s health to be better. I think, like Pat, this team never gave up and never used it as a crutch for how they played or what they did this year.”