Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Volume 141, Issue 9 Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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A QUIET ELECTION YEAR

Photo by Edward Cruz / Contributor

With only one campaign on the ticket, SGA considers its future ABBY ANN RAMSEY Staff Writer

When Abbey Lawrence, a junior geography major, began her freshman year at UT, she and some of her friends decided to go to a student organization fair on Ped Walkway. It was there she decided to apply for the Student Government Association’s (SGA) first-year leadership council (FYLC), which she says gave her one of her favorite college experiences as well as some of her closest friends.

“I feel like it really set the foundation for basically my whole time at UT, not even just involvement in SGA, but all kinds of things,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence would not hesitate to tell you how much she has loved her time in SGA. Even after her freshman year was cut short due to the pandemic, she continued to pursue the organization.

After serving as a member of the FYLC, Lawrence moved on to become a senator, a senator secretary, the director of the environment and sustainability affairs committee and is now running for student services committee with the SGA campaign “Evolve.”

The past two campaigns Lawrence has wit-

nessed were completely digital campaigns, so this year will look entirely different to her.

What is also glaringly different though, is that Evolve is running completely unopposed.

The campaigns in 2021 and 2020 saw the beginning of a dwindling in voter turnout for SGA elections, according to Ben Pham, a junior aerospace engineering student and this year’s election commissioner. Even though the student body was not turning out as much, though, SGA was coming in full swing with three large campaigns each year, competing online for the votes.

Although this year’s ballot makes every Evolve candidate a shoe-in to win, the team is not necessarily viewing it as a positive for SGA as whole. Lawrence sees the race less as something she has to work hard to win and more as a mission to advocate for the organization she loves and ultimately bridge the gap between it and students so her team can successfully pursue their goals of helping the university.

“It’s almost as if we’re not campaigning for ourselves as individual candidates but campaigning for student government as an organization,” Lawrence said. “But also just trying to restore that space for students to exist and matter and belong and have a place to express themselves and meet other students — all the things that SGA kinda felt like it was for me

when I first became involved.”

As seen with campaigns in previous years, Lawrence said this turn of events was not what they initially expected and thinks it has pointed out some bigger issues.

“The fact that we are the only SGA campaign that is running is definitely something that is concerning to all of us because that just shows how difficult it is for people to get involved and run their own campaign. I think that really points to the barriers in the election process as well as just getting involved at UT in general,” Lawrence said.

Although she and the rest of the Evolve team see these barriers, Lawrence is confident in the current election commission teams’ efforts so far to recognize and fix the issues.

That is exactly what Pham is setting out to do in his new role as election commissioner.

After serving as a legal adviser for last year’s Forward campaign, he saw firsthand how people ran into confusion with election packets and do’s and don’ts.

Accounting for the changes that may drive more campaign participation next year, Pham also sees the current situation as a sign of unification and collaboration within what the student body really wants for the future of UT. For that reason, he’s working with Evolve to, like Lawrence said, campaign for SGA.

“I feel like everyone’s just starting to come to the same conclusion on most issues,” Pham said. “Almost everyone’s having trouble with dining, with parking, they have trouble with inclusivity and instead of trying to compete against each other on that, I think from what I’ve seen … they’re all coming together instead and saying ‘let’s work together under this one party and push that effort forward.’”

Pham also cites the pandemic as a reason for less and less participation in student government, which Lawrence and Evan Sudduth, a senior marketing major and current SGA chief of staff, echoed.

“We’ve seen a lack of involvement in SGA and within any student organization, not only with our school but within all the SEC schools,” Sudduth said. “For me, I think that people, as they’re coming back to campus ... we kind of come back to what we call normal; people are choosing very specifically and intentionally what they want to get involved in.”

Not only does the lack of motivation to get involved play into this, but Lawrence points to the aftermath of COVID-19 that may be imprinted on SGA longer than they had expected.

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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CAMPUS NEWS

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “I think this transition back to in-person has been just as challenging as it was to go online,” Lawrence said. “There’s just a disconnect between student government, admin, a large majority of student programs and then the student body, like there’s just a gap there. It’s going to take time and effort to fill. I don’t think it’s because students are disengaged or it’s a feeling of apathy, I think it’s purely that the knowledge to get involved is just not out there.”

UT’s back and forth in schooling modality has, according to Lawrence, perpetuated the difficulty of getting students involved. She said the confusion surrounding what point of the pandemic we’re in might be why this year is so much less involved than last year, when campaigning and school was almost entirely online.

“We’re not fully back in-person, we’re not fully online, we’re in this kind of gray zone that Inside of the SGA o�ce inside the Student Union, open for walk-in’s or hang-outs for students and faculty has been pretty challenging to navigate,” Law- on Monday, March 28, 2022. Edward Cruz / Contributor rence said. “People were so plugged in online For Sudduth, this connection with the ad- start transitioning into a UT campus and SGA last year, everything we did was online, like we ministration could also assist in the connection election without COVID-19 restrictions. were living online, and I think people were also with the student body and, in turn, spark more “I think this could be a really good opportulooking for those connections online which SGA involvement. nity for students to become more engaged with made people want to join those campaigns … it “I think having that personal relationship SGA, despite there being only one campaign, was almost easier in a sense because everyone with administration and SGA could lead to the and that will set kind of a foundation for us to was so plugged in.” student body saying ‘OK, SGA’s working with go forward with new ideas, new programming, This “gray area” is not only responsible for a administration, they’re making actionable new initiatives whenever school starts again in disconnect with the student body but also, Law- changes,’” Sudduth said. the fall,” Lawrence said. rence thinks, with the UT administration.

Despite all the reasons why this is happenWhile Lawrence flung herself into student “I’m not saying there’s not necessarily col- ing and all the concerns for what it means about government once she stepped on campus, Sudlaboration because of anything negative. I just SGA, Lawrence sees a light at the end of the tun- duth said that he participated in SGA his freshthink the conditions we’ve been working in have nel. man year, but then took some time off, saying just kind of broken that line of connection,” In attempts to get signatures so they could it wasn’t for him. When he returned as camLawrence said. run for office, Lawrence and the others running paign manager for Forward his junior year, SGA Evolve hopes that this disconnect will dis- for executive positions on Evolve’s team spoke looked different. solve once the fall semester begins and once UT with students studying in the library, many of Not only had SGA been impacted by the panstaff sees the issues that are coming up with stu- whom were freshmen. demic, but administration had also changed. dent involvement in a club whose goal is to bet“I would approach somebody and talk to Despite the disconnect SGA has with administer the university. them about SGA, kind of getting their signa- tration and the student body, Sudduth was en“I urge anyone, like any administrators, fac- ture,” Lawrence said. “People would not know couraged by how positively different the innerulty members, anyone who’s not a student at UT what SGA was, like at all, which is concerning.” workings of the club felt to him. to pay attention to what’s going on right now …

“Then I had a lot of really awesome conser“I feel like there’s been more distance beto the fact that there is only one SGA campaign vations, we all did, with people about SGA, and tween SGA and administration as I’ve seen, as because that’s not a positive thing and that’s not so I definitely don’t think students don’t care or time has gone on, and that could be for a multisomething that we want to keep happening go- they’re not interested,” Lawrence said. “I think tude of things,” Sudduth said. “Then I think I’ve ing forward,” Lawrence said. it’s just a gap of getting the word out there.” also seen on the SGA level just less of a hierarchy Evolve applies this method of optimism to and more acceptance.” this year’s campaign because at this point, there Even though he is graduating, Sudduth does is not much else they can do to change the state not see the fact that a campaign is running unof this year’s ballot. Instead, they can change opposed as the beginning of a downward spiral. how things are done.

“I definitely have hope and I see SGA growing “Of course in the future, I would love for SGA back and becoming more powerful and better election season to be restored to this sense of than ever and helping students again, but I think friendly competition that it once was, but look- right now we’re just kind of in a transitional peing at the present, obviously that’s not what’s riod,” Sudduth said. happening now,” Lawrence said. “There’s al“I think we all fall into the whole ... Volunteer ways positives within a negative, and I think if spirit,” Lawrence said. “People really do want we focus on those, we focus on this opportunity to connect and form a community on campus. to do things differently, do things in a way that We’re just kind of lacking the resources we need may better serve students than we have through to restore that sense of community on campus.” elections in the past.”

The SGA election will be taking place April 11More than anything else, Lawrence and 13. You can cast your vote at votesga.utk.edu.

Evolve see this race as an opportunity for a fresh start – a fresh start with administration, with Pins featured inside the SGA o�ce on Monday, the student body, with other clubs and as a fresh March 28, 2022. Edward Cruz / Contributor

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History made with Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations, UT’s first named school MAZIE DEE Contributor

The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations is the first named school at the University of Tennessee, the first named school of advertising and public relations at a land grant university and the first of its kind in the SEC. Director Beth Foster announced the renaming of the school to the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations after receiving a generous donation from the Tombras agency.

The dedication of the school was held in Circle Park on Friday, March 25 and marked the beginning of a unique partnership between the university and Tombras.

Tombras is a top-level, full-service independent advertising agency located in the heart of downtown on Gay Street. Tombras is among the top-25 largest independent advertising agencies and is home to 300 employees.

President of Tombras, Dooley Tombras, spoke at the dedication.

“Honestly, we wouldn’t exist without the University of Tennessee,” Tombras said.

The Tombras Agency was founded by Charles Tombras in 1946. Charles Tombras was a UT graduate and went on to work for KUB

before starting the Tombras agency, which was the first of its kind in the state of Tennessee.

Dooley Tombras said his grandfather would be amazed to see the partnership between his company and the university.

“He never could have envisioned that the company he founded almost 80 years ago would be embarking on a partnership like this with the University of Tennessee to start the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations,” Tombras said. “And that we’d be doing it with the mission of literally changing the status quo in the industry.”

Foster elaborated on just exactly how the school intends to use this gift to transform the student experience and the industry as a whole.

“Together we will change representation in higher education and in the industry,” Foster said.

The Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations aims to establish itself as the premier school for advertising and public relations. The school will measure its success in three goals – to increase opportunity for underrepresented students, to grow in enrollment of advertising and public relations majors and to enrich student experiences.

The school announced the establishment of the Tombras Scholars Program and Tombras Graduate Fellowships to help support students during their education. In addition, the Charles

Dooley Tombras, president of the Tombras advertising agency, speaks at the dedication of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations on March 25, 2022. Edward Cruz / Contributor

Tombras Senior Professorship will support a professor as they champion the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In addition to expanding the program, the school announced tentative renovations.

While this gift will undoubtedly grow the School of Advertising and Public Relations, it will further impact the university. Chancellor Donde Plowman elaborated on what the partnership means to the entire University of Tennessee system.

“That’s the beauty of these partnerships,” Plowman said. “That we all grow together and to be committed together to the mission of the

university.”

Students of the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations are anxious to see how the partnership will play out. Solomon Trapp, a senior public relations major and project manager intern for Tombras, shared some of his hopes for the new school.

“I’m looking forward to our program enhancing its diversity and inclusions, as well as a lot of programs that will benefit us educationally and bring in new resources, such as new teachers, new faculty and grow us as a community,” Trapp said.

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Everything you need to know about the Starship food delivery robots AUTUMN HALL Staff Writer

It’s official. Robots are taking over the world, one food delivery at a time.

If you have been anywhere on campus within the last few weeks, it is likely that you have encountered a small, food-carrying robot scooting alongside you. The delivery company behind the robots, Starship, was originally founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who saw a need for more convenient food and package delivery services.

On March 8, The University of Tennessee officially started offering robot deliveries to multiple locations on campus, including popular spots such as Fred D. Brown Hall, Ayres Hall, Neyland Stadium and many more.

In a video with senior Drew Hyler, host of UT’s “Drew on the Street” web series, Chancellor Donde Plowman spoke of her pride in being able to provide this advanced resource to students on campus.

UT is one of only 20 universities that are currently offering Starship delivery services, and Plowman believes this innovation, while allowing for quick-paced food delivery, also ensures an overall better dining experience for students.

Students will have the opportunity to pay for food through Starship with dining dollars, VolCard or credit card, just as they would at dining locations on campus.

Since their arrival on campus, the robots have amassed great popularity because of their indescribable cuteness, as well as people’s fascination with the technology behind them.

Sophomore Allison Williams described her first encounter with one of the robots, and their prevalence on various social media platforms.

Starship Technologies launched its food delivery robot innovation on UT campus, allowing the robots to deliver food and packages to students across campus. The pictured robot is on route in front of the Haslam Business Building on Thursday, March 3, 2022.

Erick Gomez / The Daily Beacon “I was sitting by the Student Union and all of a sudden I saw this little white robot rushing toward me. At first, I was very confused because I hadn’t seen anything about the robots before, but after a couple weeks I started to see stuff about them all over my Instagram,” Williams said.

The Starship robots line up outside the Student Union square on Thursday, March 3, 2022.

Erick Gomez / The Daily Beacon

Not only have the robots been very useful to students in terms of a wider range of delivery options, but they have also become a media craze among students at UT. With videos and posts on the official UT Instagram pages, as well as memes created by the student body, members of the Knoxville community have had a fun time upon the arrival of the robots.

The Starship robots come along with a wide range of positive opportunities for students, but they also pose many new, foreign challenges.

Lily Monet, a barista at the Starbucks in Hodges Library, provided her perspective of the robots as a food service worker.

“There definitely was a learning curve at first and it took a second to understand how to work the system. However, once we got it, the system worked really well. It definitely adds another task that complicates the job, but it’s worth it to see something innovative and futuristic come to our school,” Monet said. “The loading process is simple: the order comes in, the label maker prints a label for each item, we get and make the items, scan the items, bring them outside to the robots waiting, scan the robot, open it up, put the food or drinks in and the robot does the rest.”

“It’s so funny watching the little things. It’s almost strangely human-like, we all think. But it’s so cool to see a little piece of what the future

of robotics looks like.”

Many have questioned the reliability of the robots in terms of avoiding traffic and stolen goods. The robots are made extremely safe through Starship’s advanced technological security measures.

The robots navigate from place to place using satellite imagery, which determines the best path for the robot to take for efficiency and safety. Each robot has its own specific situational awareness bubble, which involves twelve cameras, sensors and radar to ensure that it can avoid obstacles such as cars, animals and pedestrians.

For those who are worried about their food potentially being stolen, do not fret. Many have been deterred from attempting to steal from the robots because of a high-pitched screeching noise that is emitted when unauthorized individuals try to pick them up.

During their running time of nearly eight years, not a single food item has been taken from a robot wrongfully, although there have been numerous attempts.

I decided that I would set out to try Starship for myself. After seeing a ridiculous amount of robot memes on my Instagram timeline, I could no longer resist their oddly human-like cuteness, or their ability to play Beyoncé as they delivered my morning Starbucks order.

I downloaded the highly-rated Starship app on my phone, and I was immediately surprised at the simplicity of placing an order. Overall, the in-app experience was comparable to that of Doordash or GrubHub. With picture-filled menus and openly displayed prices, it was easy to decide what I wanted, and it felt as though I was in the store ordering normally.

After placing the order for my favorite Starbucks drink — a grande cold brew with oat milk — I was promptly alerted that my order was being prepared.

Throughout the process I received multiple notifications about the status of my order, and once the robot headed towards my location, I had the ability to watch its movements on a campus map, which I appreciated because of my eagerness to receive my order and my curiosity about the routes of the robots.

After a wait of only 22 minutes, I received my order, which was as cold as it would’ve been if it had just been handed to me. The pickup verification process was a bit tricky at first — which might have been a side effect of my inability to operate technology — but I quickly got the hang of it, and I was able to retrieve my order.

My delivery experience was seamless, thanks to Starship’s comprehensive technologies and their immense attention to detail in every aspect of the order processing system.

As my delivery robot scooted away saying “Go Vols!” I knew that Starship technology would now be a crucial part of the UT dining experience.

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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, March 30, 2022

‘She Kills Monsters’ review: Carousel Theatre’s final show brings loss, longing, epic monster-fighting MACY ROBERTS Staff Writer

“She Kills Monsters” is UT’s last production at the Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre, which is set to be torn down later this year. It’s certainly one worth checking out before it’s too late.

“She Kills Monsters” was written by Qui Nyugen and is set in the year 1995, which is made obvious through character designs and ‘90s pop culture references. While the play seems to be primarily comedic, there are serious moments to balance it out — the driving factor to the story is rather heavy, after all, the main character’s journey results from the death of her sister.

Throughout the production, the audience is transported back and forth from a fictitious “Dungeons and Dragons” quest and the real life responses from the characters involved.

The transitions between scenes remained entertaining through different stage lighting designs and an engaging soundtrack.

Many cast members in UT’s production of “She Kills Monsters” played multiple roles in a very distinguishable way. Each character had their own attractive personality that was easy to connect with in one way or another.

Even audience members with a lack of

knowledge about “Dungeons and Dragons” can connect with the main character Agnes, played by third year acting graduate student Rachel Darden, as she only decides to dive into the fantasy world created by her sister Tilly when she realizes it’s all she has left of her after Tilly’s death.

Whereas Agnes is 24, Chuck, played by freshman Jackson Ahern, is a teenager like Tilly and is one of the funniest characters of them all. He’s the “Dungeons and Dragons” knowit-all and the one who helps Agnes navigate her sister’s game as Dungeon Master. Because he’s not in the quest itself, Ahern has less stage time than other actors, but the moments he does have are hilarious and hard to forget.

While dead in real life, Agnes’ sister Tilly is alive as a Paladin in the “Dungeons and Dragons” game. In Rachael Allion’s portrayal, Tilly is characterized by her bravery and sarcasm, and through the quest, the audience is able to get to know who she really is, just like Agnes.

The dialogue and content in the play turned out to be more mature than anticipated.

There’s a lot of cursing and sexual innuendos, although it’s not distasteful.

There were some weird continuous jokes about adult-minor relationships, but what was more disturbing was a comment from Tilly about Agnes’ boyfriend, whom she expresses a clear disgust for.

Rachel Allion, Xitlalli Dawson, Gwyneth Doppelt, and Rachel Darden Jackson Ahern in “She Kills Monsters,” which runs at the Carousel Theatre through April 10. Courtesy of Ella Marston

At one point in the quest, Tilly is complaining to Agnes about Agnes’ boyfriend Miles, and makes the serious claim that he touched her. The line was initially shocking to hear, but Tilly then goes on to clarify that her statement wasn’t true. Rather, she says she would not be surprised if he wanted to touch her because she thought him to be that gross.

A more impactful and serious issue throughout the play relates to Tilly’s sexuality.

It is through Tilly’s game that Agnes finds out about her sister’s identity as a lesbian, which has real effects both inside and outside of the fantasy world.

There are instances of homophobia, bullying and use of slurs in the play, so those who might find themselves upset by such things might want to steer clear of “She Kills Monsters.” The play itself promotes a positive message around expression of sexuality, but characters do experience hardships because of it.

Towards the end of the play, there is a subtle twist that is followed by one of these action scenes, and a heartfelt conclusion soon follows.

“She Kills Monsters” is full of talented actors, moments of humor and fun sets, but how it really makes an impact is through its relatable message about family and relationships.

‘Something special:’ Student leaders plan return to in-person Earth Week celebration AUTUMN HALL Staff Writer

Photo of Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville on Sept. 28, 2016. File / The Daily Beacon

From April 16-22 each year, people across the world come together in celebration of Earth Week. During this week, a large awareness is brought to the environmental movement, and many individuals take action to educate others on keeping our planet clean.

This year, several organizations including the Environment and Sustainability Committee for the Student Government Association

(SGA), Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK) and the UT Office of Sustainability are working together to make Earth Week an event-filled opportunity for students to make their own contributions towards making campus more sustainable and environmentally conscious.

Abbey Lawrence, junior and director of SGA’s Environment and Sustainability Committee, explained the contrast between this year’s celebration and those held in previous years.

“We’ve always had Earth Week events, but ever since COVID happened we really haven’t had a good celebration since I’ve been in college,” Lawrence said. “Last year we put on one small event featuring UT Compost, where we were giving away compost and seeds and things like that, but we weren’t able to do a big event with COVID restrictions.”

“My thought process was that I really wanted to do something special and something really fun this year now that we can do student programming again and we basically haven’t gotten the chance to do that during my time here.”

In previous years, UT has held several celebratory events for Earth Week, and even held virtual get-togethers during quarantine. Now, as many campus events are returning to fully in-person, student organizers are working to make a return with an unforgettable Earth

Week celebration.

Earth Week events will begin on Monday, April 18 with a green-themed twist on SGA’s ‘Slap The Rock’ tradition, which will be followed by a week full of informative, ecofriendly panels and services.

One of these panels, featuring many members of the UT staff, will discuss efforts in sustainability in the past, present and future, and will allow students to ask any questions that they might have on the topic.

On Thursday, the Environment and Sustainability Committee held a planning meeting, in which several members discussed the incorporation of several local businesses in the open-air Earth Day market, which will serve as a finale to the Earth Week celebrations.

At this event, which will be hosted by SGA in collaboration with the Campus Events Board, the UT Free Store will open by hosting a sustainable fashion show with many thrifted items as well as items made from recycled materials.

Then, the market will segue into a farmer’s market style festival with a variety of student organizations, non-profits, food trucks, free plants and local sellers.

“The Office of Sustainability is always doing awesome things if students want to get involved with sustainability on campus. That includes volunteering events, so things such as creek cleanups and different waterways around campus,” Lawrence said. “We have

also hosted campus cleanups during football season. Every time we host a football game, we do something called Waste Warriors which is basically a program where you opt to go pick up trash during the football game. That program is really responsible for keeping our campus clean during football season.”

For students who are more interested in becoming involved in creating environmental legislation, SGA’s undergraduate senate is a great option. The senate is open to students of all majors, and has been successful in passing many bills that have made changes to campus sustainability.

Not only are these organizations hosting their own events over the course of the week, but they also invite organizations and people of all kinds to join the Earth Week hashtag, and take part in the global movement.

Emily Stiles, outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, described the widespread range of Earth Week events, and the ability for even more external events to be added to the schedule by other organizations.

“Right now we have at least one event a day, but we are also talking about opening it up to where people can just write what event their organization is having, and then include it as a hashtag as part of the week,” Stiles said.

OPINIONS

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East Tennessee Maverick: Tennessee comptroller’s attempt to takeover Black-majority town backfires

WALKER KINSLER Columnist Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower’s mismanaged takeover of the town of Mason’s finances has led to national condemnation and show’s a potential for racist economic exploitation.

Mason is a small town in West Tennessee of around 1,300 residents and has a majority Black and democratic population, a rarity in Tennessee. Mason is not far from a planned $5.6 billion Ford factory in neighboring Haywood County, called Blue Oval City. With a highway and railroad passing through the town to the new factory, as well as projected businesses being brought into the area, Mason is sure to get quite

the economic boom.

But in March 2022, the Tennessee comptroller, Jason Mumpower, announced that the state of Tennessee would take over Mason’s finances under his office. State law allows Mumpower to take over a town’s finances, including the review and approval of all spending involving taxpayer or ratepayer money. He stated 20 years of financial mismanagement was to blame for the state’s takeover, as Mason has not submitted its annual audit on time since 2001 and their deficit has increased from $126,659 in 2016 to $481,620 in 2020.

Mumpower issued a powerful ultimatum to the town’s Black-majority leadership: Rescind your town’s charter, which would give complete control of the town to the majority white and republican Tipton County or the comptroller will take over your town’s finances. He even went as far as mailing a letter to each of Mason’s 1,337 property owners asking its citizens to turn on their leaders.

The mayor and aldermen, wanting to preserve their town’s sovereignty, refused to surrender the charter. So Mumpower made what Vice-Mayor Virginia Rivers called, “a hostile takeover.”

At a quick glance this might make sense, there are a lot of key phrases here like “20 years of mismanagement” and “rising deficit.”

However, multiple factors reveal that

Mumpower’s attempted financial grab was at best exploitative and at worst, racist.

During the majority of years that financial mismanagement has been present, the town was led by a majority of white leaders. The comptroller’s office investigated the town and found misconduct in 2016, ending with the resignations of nearly all city hall officials, all of whom were white. But now Mason has a Black mayor and Black-majority aldermen. So why didn’t the state of Tennessee take over the town’s finances in 2016, or earlier in these 20 years of known mismanagement?

As Vice-Mayor Rivers said, “Once Ford showed up, that’s when Mason seemed to be so important.”

It appears Mumpower saw the opportunity for advantage with Ford’s new plant, under construction and poised to be open in 2025, and decided that sacrificing the independence of a Black-majority town was okay to seize that opportunity. He ordered his ultimatum without even meeting with the town leaders and his own office spokesman, John Dunn, said it is “unprecedented for us to publicly call for a town charter to be relinquished.”

But after his plan was revealed in midMarch, the national spotlight turned on the Tennessee comptroller, leading to backlash at the ordeal. People quickly pointed out the suspicious timing of the takeover and the exploita-

tion of a Black-majority town in a white-dominated county. It was laid clear that the potential to take away economic gain was the motive.

As a result, Mumpower quickly rolled back his initial arrangement around a week later. He met with Mason’s leaders and hatched a plan to avoid the takeover if some qualifications are met by this summer, which he should have done from the start. It is still to be seen if Mason can meet these criteria, but the damage to Mumpower’s reputation has been dealt.

Mumpower’s sloppy and forceful attempted takeover of Mason’s finances has left a blemish on the comptroller’s office. Without national reporting of the incident, the Black residents of Mason would’ve been taken advantage of, leading to a loss of economic opportunity for a part of the population that has been historically disadvantaged in Tennessee.

With the state showing its reluctance to protect minority citizens unless held to national accountability, the people and students of Tennessee must step up to protest injustice wherever it is found in the state.

Walker Kinsler is a freshman at UT this year studying political science. He can be reached at wkinsler@vols.utk.edu.

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

Film According to Grant: The Social Network

GRANT T. MITCHELL Columnist

At the time of this writing, the Oscars are due to start in a few hours. To celebrate, I’ll be reviewing Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar winning turn as the screenwriter for 2010’s “The Social Network.” It served as a catalyst in propelling Aaron Sorkin to stardom as a screenwriter, a feat which is incredibly hard to do.

Sorkin has provided his pen to numerous iconic works over the years, most notably “Moneyball,” “A Few Good Men,” “Steve Jobs” and nearly every episode of “The West Wing” in its acclaimed first four seasons. The work that really set itself as the gold standard

for Sorkin, though, was his stellar screenwriting work for 2010’s “The Social Network.” The film documents the creation and early goings of Facebook while its CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg navigates a complicated personal and professional life.

The film begins with Zuckerberg at a college bar being broken up with by his girlfriend, at the time. Zuckerberg, along with much of the other characters in this film, are students at Harvard. Upset following his break up, Zuckerberg creates a website that compares Harvard female students and then rates them based on attractiveness, ratings which include his now ex-girlfriend.

Following this, Zuckerberg embarks on a journey that sees him at first join a group developing a social site very similar to that of what would be Facebook’s conceptual idea, to stealing this idea for his own use.

This would result in a lawsuit of Zuckerberg by the originators of the formative idea that would become Facebook. The interesting thing about “The Social Network,” is that interwoven with this formulaic biopic of the founding of the company and tale of deceit and proprietary thievery is also a depiction of the legal proceedings as they’re happening. Which gives the characters, who were in effect screwed over, an opportunity to pursue legal recourse in a private deposition.

It’s all very therapeutic in how its depicted,

almost like group therapy. Where instead of healing, though, those taken advantage of by Zuckerberg are more eager for their pound of flesh than an amicable and friendly resolution.

All this to say, there is an element to Sorkin’s writing that is unlike any of his contemporaries. Sorkin has extensive experience as a playwright and made his literary bones on the writing of his 1989 play “A Few Good Men.” In theatrical productions, there’s a quicker tenor to dialogue and presentation of themes, motifs and story arcs, which is clearly represented in Sorkin’s writing for the screen.

Theatrical writing can, however, also be very difficult to translate over to television/ films and for that reason there are few instances of hugely successful films or shows which have that style of writing behind them.

When done well, though, characters bounce off one another unlike anything else and the finished products have a musicality and rhythm to their characters and dialogue that cannot be matched.

Grant T. Mitchell is a graduate student in the College of Communication and Information. He can be reached at gmitch16@vols.utk.edu Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

Courtesy of IMDb

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CITY NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Top 7 travel tips 2022: Preparing for summer vacations KELCIE RUMMAGE Contributor

With the number of COVID-19 cases decreasing and about 80% of the U.S. population at least partially vaccinated, it seems like everyone is ready to get back to normal life — like it used to be pre-pandemic. And that also means getting back to traveling. So if you’re getting ready to take off this summer, here are some helpful travel tips to make things a little easier.

1. Get travel insurance Travel insurance is a must whenever you travel, especially if you plan to go abroad this summer. Travel insurance is great for compensating you for canceled or delayed flights, lost baggage or even lost and stolen items. It also covers hotels if you have to cancel your stay or switch hotels last minute. There are agents always available for a call if you find yourself in an emergency, and it’s a great thing to have just in case things go awry.

2. Book flights at the right time When booking a flight, the earlier, the bet-

ter. Last minute flights cost a fortune. Want to fly to Hawaii a week or two from now? You’re looking at a $700 one-way flight at minimum.

Book a few months in advance, ideally 3 to 4 months before, and you’re looking at a $400 round trip. Also, prices are higher on Mondays due to the start of the business week and people flying out for work. Thursdays and Fridays are expensive because of weekend getaways, since most families travel on the weekends. The best days to buy tickets are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and early morning and late evening flights are cheaper.

3. Vacuum pack luggage When trying to cram your suitcase because you don’t want to pay to check another bag, you could find yourself literally sitting on your suitcase trying to get it to shut, and even then, the zippers might bust. Invest in vacuum seal bags. Put your clothes inside, seal and use a regular vacuum cleaner to compress, and you’ll find you can fit way more into your suitcase.

4. Invest in anti-theft bags If you’re going to a big city like Las Vegas or Chicago, you might want to invest in an antitheft bag. For purses, cross body bags are a lot harder to snatch than an over the shoulder bag.

And for backpacks, an anti-theft bag has no zippers on the front side but rather, has access on the back side and makes keeping your valuables safe a lot easier.

Also, if you’re traveling abroad, invest in a passport cover. You will need to keep your passport on you for identification purposes, but something that obviously looks like a passport could easily be a target. So consider a passport cover to disguise the look of a passport, and you can also keep your vaccination card with you in that cover.

5. Go to grocery stores To avoid constantly eating out and racking up a big bill, consider finding a local grocery story and filling up your hotel fridge with bottled drinks. Carry a backpack with you if you’re going to be doing a lot of walking and keep bottled drinks with you because you will get thirsty. It will be hot outside and big cities like New York, New Orleans and Nashville are concrete jungles that will absorb the summer sun and make it difficult to stay hydrated.

Additionally, trying to find places to grab a quick drink for less than $5, even for a bottle of water, is going to be hard in tourist cities.

The same goes for food. Stop by Walmart and get some supplies to make sub sandwiches or something easy to eat.

6. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes Dressing nice isn’t the most important thing on vacation. Yes, you look great for that one picture. But you’re going to be miserable walking in strappy heels or brand new sandals.

Tennis shoes are ideal. For example, Skechers makes a lot of comfortable shoes with memory foam in the sole for when you’re on your feet all day.

They are especially good if you plan to go to an amusement park this summer. Sure, bring a few nice outfits for going out to a nice dinner or a concert and such. But if you’re on walking tours, in museums and amusement parks or doing general sightseeing, a shirt and shorts are plenty fine. But watch those tan lines in the summer sun.

7. Take breaks at amusement parks If you’re going to an amusement park or a water park, check to see if they allow re-entry.

Most times, travelers lose energy as they go on through the day, and a large portion of the day is spent waiting under the sun in long lines for a 30 second thrill ride. In the middle of the day, head out to your car and pack a lunch to eat.

This keeps you from paying $8 for a coke.

Then just take about an hour nap in the car.

Rala: A place of locally made gifts, women empowerment and Dolly Art Contest RACHEL RIPPEN Contributor

From everything Dolly to a unique gift for a friend, Rala, located in historic Old City Knoxville, carries vibrant, dynamic art and merchandise for an abundance of occasions.

The female-owned business initially made its debut in 2010 on Union Avenue before making the small but sweet move around the corner to W. Jackson Avenue in 2017.

Rala began retailing exclusively local and regional artists until eventually branching out to carry small vendors from all over the country.

On the first Friday of every other month, the shop features a local artist or maker and their work.

For the past two months, Kara Lockmiller was highlighted alongside her one-of-a-kind paintings of famous musicians that reflect on the spirit and emotion rooted in their music.

Along with displaying the artist’s work in the store, Rala also takes part in downtown Knoxville’s monthly art shows, which are open to the public. On the first Friday of each month, the city and local stores spotlight new art and goods created, allowing people to walk around the area and appreciate local or small artists.

Zoe Evans, the store manager, spoke about the kind of merchandise Rala carries.

The exterior of Rala on March 23, 2022. Edward Cruz / Contributor

“Most of our original art is paintings but we also carry original ceramic pieces and letterpress work,” Evans said.

In addition to original, animated paintings, Rala sells a variety of abstract prints, handmade pottery pieces, aesthetic greeting cards, stickers and printed tote bags. The gift shop also carries an assorted collection of handmade jewelry from local and small vendors, including Dolly Parton earrings and crystal necklaces.

“There are a lot of different techniques used that can be seen in the different cards and prints carried here,” Evans said.

From dish towels to flower vases, Rala holds true to its desire to provide the public with bold, artistic items made for everyone.

Team member Emma Poindexter, also pointed out that Rala showcases art by UT stu-

dents.

“A portion of the art here has been created by previous UT students,” Poindexter said.

Coming up in April, Knoxville local Cynthia Markert will be in the spotlight with some of her latest pieces. Her original work remains in store all year, including her detailed prints and portrait necklaces, however, she has been regularly featured at Rala for the past several years.

“She has been making art here since the ‘80s when she graduated from UT. She’s a Rala staple artist,” Evans said.

For those wishing to see their own items in Rala, they accept online applications from artists hoping to share a piece of their creativity and talent with Knoxville.

“Selling work here or working here is a great

way to get involved in the arts community,” Evans said. “We’re always looking for new artists and consignors.”

Additionally, the shop is calling all local artists for their upcoming Dolly Art Contest. This will be the store’s fourth annual Dolly art contest, coordinating with Knoxville’s Dollyfest celebration that takes place in the summer.

They hope to see a diverse collection of submissions, including everything from drawings to sculptures encapsulating Dolly and her presence in Tennessee.

The deadline for submissions is April 17, 2022, and tickets to Dollywood are at stake for the winners. Rala, along with Dollyfest, is also donating a portion of the proceeds from the contest to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program providing young children from all over the world with books.

The shop’s current in-store Dolly collection is composed of a mixture of art forms created by a variety of artists. Everything a Dolly Parton enthusiast could need, including air fresheners, mugs and even a pillow with a tapestry portrait of Dolly, are available at Rala.

They also cater their items to coordinate with upcoming holidays and seasons. Last month, they released an extensive collection of Valentine’s day cards and stationery, encouraging shoppers to find a personable and festive gift for the occasion.

CITY NEWS

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

Knoxville politics: Important officials, elections MACKENZI DAVIS Staff Writer

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General and Town of Farragut Municipal Elections. Voting for these elections will take place on Aug. 4.

Candidates

Though politics is one of the most widely discussed topics today, these conversations generally center around nationwide and worldwide politics, rather than local. The widespread focus on national and global politics can cause many to lack information about local political figures and political events.

Local politics is an essential part of the United States political system, and many have worked to get their community more involved within their local governments. With most public attention being on broader politics, it is more difficult for local communities to get the proper information about their governments.

Knoxville has a large political system that some citizens do not know how to navigate. The following are a few key things to keep in mind when becoming more informed about Knoxville politics.

Knoxville government officials When following politics, it is important to know the officials already in place. Two of the most important figures to know are Indya Kincannon, the mayor of the city of Knoxville, and Glenn Jacobs, who is the mayor of Knox County.

Indya Kincannon greets party-goers after her victory in the Knoxville Mayoral race on Tuesday night, Nov. 5, 2019. File / The Daily Beacon Mayor Jacobs took office in 2018, while Mayor Kincannon took office in 2019, making her only the second woman to become Knoxville’s mayor.

Another important official is District Attorney General Charme P. Allen, who took office in 2014. These three are just a few of the important political figures in Knoxville to follow for updates on local issues.

Swing county One of the most important pieces of information to know for those looking to get involved in Knoxville politics is that it is a swing county. Half of the population of Knoxville is primarily republican, and the other half is primarily demo-

crat. When voting, this is important to know for those who are passionate about the party running their local government. Due to this close margin between these two parties in the polls, each vote counts and can make a difference in the Knoxville government.

Upcoming elections There are two elections coming up in Knoxville. The first is the Knox County Republican and Democratic Primaries. Early voting for these takes place April 13-28, with the rest of the voting taking place on May 3. Following this election, there are the Federal/State Primary, County

The Knox County website election section provide a list of all the candidates running for the upcoming primaries. A few of the candidates running are Glenn Jacobs (republican) and Bob Fischer (democrat) for mayor and Gina Oster (republican) and Stuart Hohl (Democrat) for county commission. These are just a small portion of the many candidates listed for the primaries.

Where to Vote Polling stations are held in a variety of different locations, such as the City-County Building, Knoxville Expo Center and Farragut Town Hall to name a few for the upcoming early voting for the primaries. To find the voting locations closest to you, the Knox County website provides information on voting locations, as well as more general information about the specific elections.

STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Read more at utdailybeacon.com

7 must-try breweries in Knoxville: Shared passion for local ingredients, innovation, ingenuity MACKENZI DAVIS Staff Writer

Knoxville is home to many local businesses, including local brewers and brewing companies. The shared love of craft beer in the community has led to high demand for these local breweries, and there are many options available for those searching for new and innovative beers.

These local businesses are constantly creating new brews for Knoxvillians to enjoy. Some use locally sourced ingredients, while others are focused on creating an exclusive experience, even using their own hand-blown glass to serve their beers in. These seven businesses and companies are must-tries for anyone searching for their new favorite craft beer.

Crafty Bastard This small business has two locations, one in downtown Knoxville and one in West Knoxville. Founded by Aaron McClain, this brewery prides itself on using local ingredients to create traditional beers and experiment with adventurous ones as well. Some of their unique brews include the Brass Pearl Oyster Stout and the Mayan Chocolate Chili Porter.

Next Level Brewing Company Founded by Nathaniel Sears, Andrew Armstrong and Rick Cox, this brewing business opened its doors in Dec. 2019. They have a large variety of one-of-a-kind lagers, sours, India pale ales (IPAs) and stouts. They even have their own hard seltzer brews such as ShruteAde and I’m Your Huckleberry Lemonade.

Pretentious Beer Co. This company serves its eccentric brews in its own hand-blown glassware. Owner/brewer Matthew Cummings and brewer Will Brady seek to create a unique space where customers can enjoy themselves, hosting concerts and other events throughout the year. Among their brews are the Itty Bitty Diamonds IPA and the Smooth Jazz stout.

Geezers Brewery

This company, founded in 2010, is currently co-owned by Tom Fitzmaurice and Jason DaBoss. The company has its own brewery near the Old City of Knoxville, however, they source many establishments with their original brews throughout Knox County. Their brews include Puddin’ milk stout and Raindancer cider.

Fanatic Brewing Company Owned by an award-winning Knoxville brewer, Marty Velas, this company is known for its beers, such as Fanatic Tennessee Blonde Beer and Fanatic Black. This brewer not only has delicious beers but also an intriguing back-

story. Velas actually left his job as an aerospace engineer to pursue his passion for microbrewing.

Balter Beerworks This location provides its own original beers and appetizing food made from scratch with fresh ingredients. The building was renovated from an old service station into this brewery.

Their beers range from their own seasonal delights to their Firebelly IPA. They have a large selection of food that pairs nicely with their brews, including a brunch menu that is popular with UT students and Knoxville locals alike.

Last Days of Autumn After meeting in 1994 and bonding over their love of craft beer, Mike and Tracy Frede eventually began their own brewing business.

Some of their new brews feature their Chalupa Batman Lager and Midgard IPA. They host events at their location, including their weekly Taco Tuesdays and LDA Shrimp Boil Fridays.

Crafty Bastard Brewery’s sign welcomes guests in to try both “traditional and mischievous” beers, made from locally sourced ingredients. Monday March 28, 2022.

Edward Cruz / Contributor

10

NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Historic Knoxville buildings that have been maintained, revitalized ABBY ANN RAMSEY Staff Writer

It seems everywhere you go in Knoxville nowadays buildings are being torn down and new ones built up left and right.

Last year, a strip mall on Cumberland Avenue that included Jason’s Deli and Subway was bought out and torn down to make room for even more student apartments. If you go across the river to South Knoxville, the green space by Suttree Landing Park is under construction to become more apartment buildings. In preparation for the construction of the new Smokies stadium, the former Lay Meat Packing Plant in the Old City was torn down.

While brand new buildings are everywhere you look, Knoxville has also been investing in maintaining the integrity of several buildings that have a deep history. Here are just a few examples of historic spaces in Knoxville that are still serving a purpose today.

Andrew Johnson Building Decades after one of three Tennessean Presidents of the United States became the first president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson remained a controversial figure in Knoxville during his political career and at the time of his death.

According to the Knoxville History Project though, decades later, he became a bit of a point of pride for citizens. Thus, a new hotel

was named in his honor in 1929. The Andrew Johnson Hotel was a popular destination and hosted famous guests including Amelia Earhart, Duke Ellington and Tennessee Williams, but it closed in the 1980s.

Currently, the building is home to Knox County Schools offices. After years of trying to return it to its roots, plans are underway to renovate and turn it into a hotel and music venue.

Bijou Theatre Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre has perhaps one of the most complex histories of any building in Knoxville. It opened as a hotel in 1801, then became the Lamar House in 1857 and eventually operated as a hospital for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In the early 20th century, it began operating as a theater and was the only one to admit Black people — even then, they were only allowed in the gallery.

When the Tennessee Theatre began initial construction, they bought out the Bijou and then sold it quickly, stipulating that it could not house any theatrical productions for at least five years. By 1928, it been used as a used car lot, a fruit stand and home to one of the South’s first Chinese-American restaurants. Once it began playing movies, it was also a site for civil rights protests and discriminated against the Black population.

Since then, the theater has closed and reopened multiple times. With significant community efforts and fundraising, it was able to be fully financed and reopened in 2005 and has been going strong ever since. With such a dark

and eventful past, it may not surprise you that it is rumored to be haunted.

Cal Johnson Building

Cal Johnson was an incredibly wealthy Black businessman in Knoxville, but he was born into slavery. After his emancipation following his father’s death, he got into real estate and horse racing. He became known as one of Knoxville’s most successful entrepreneurs.

According to the Knoxville History Project, the building probably “had a reputation as an incubator for businesses that grew too large to fit in it.” Recently, the downtown building was renovated into modern apartments. Unlike the apartments popping up everywhere else in Knoxville though, these residential units are loaded with history and the signs of a selfmade Black millionaire.

Phoenix Building The historic Phoenix Building located on Gay Street “lives up to its name,” in the words of the Knox Heritage, as it has survived two disastrous fires. The building has been home to Cullen & Newman Queensware Wholesalers, Fowlers Furniture and many other businesses.

In 2016, the building became Phoenix Pharmacy and Fountain, operating as both a drug store and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.

Their website says “the timeless marriage of prescriptions, sundries, ice cream and soda puts downtown Knoxville one step closer to a walkable, self-sustaining community.” The

Photo of the Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville on Jan. 29, 2019. File / The Daily Beacon building is also home to other businesses like Prestige Cleaners and Covenant Health, just to name a few.

This is a non-exhaustive list of historic buildings in Knoxville that are still serving the community today. You can visit Knox Heritage for more information on Knoxville’s historical landmarks.

Junior guard Vescovi to enter NBA draft, will maintain college eligibility STAFF REPORT

A pair of Tennessee guards made decisions on their futures with Tennessee basketball just a week after the Vols’ season-ending loss to Michigan in the Round of 32.

Santiago Vescovi announced Saturday that he will be entering the NBA draft process while still maintaining college eligibility. Vescovi, would he choose to return after going through the evaluation process, still holds two years of NCAA eligibility.

“Coach Barnes has encouraged me to go through the NBA Draft evaluation process, and I intend to take advantage of that opportunity while maintaining my collegiate eligibility,” Vescovi said via Instagram Saturday. “I know I have the full support of Vol Nation and I look forward to the valuable experience and feedback I’ll receive in the weeks to come.”

This is a somewhat expected move for the junior guard hailing from Montevideo, Uruguay. Vescovi was the best three-point shooter in the SEC this season, draining 44.5% of his shots in conference play. His 40.3% hit mark across all 35 games played in 2021-22 ranks

165th in the nation.

Vescovi improved defensively from last year to the Vols’ most recent season. Vescovi was one of three elite defensive backcourt threats when it comes to creating turnovers, rating No. 168 in steal percentage alongside Zakai Zeigler – who ranked 11th – and Kennedy Chandler, who ranked 30th.

Vescovi scored 36 points and dished out 9 assists across Tennessee’s weekend in Tampa, aiding a hand in leading the Vols to their first SEC Tournament Championship since 1979.

There, Vescovi earned All-Tournament team award alongside Josiah-Jordan James and tournament MVP Kennedy Chandler.

Vescovi was also named to the All-SEC first team, becoming just the third Vols to garner first team honors under head coach Rick Barnes, alongside Grant Williams – who earned the recognition in 2018 and 2019 – and Admiral Schofield who earned the honor in 2019.

Vescovi is one of three Vols this past season to make an announcement on their immediate future with Tennessee basketball. Following Brock Jancek’s decision earlier in the season, graduate transfer Victor Bailey Jr. officially en-

tered his name into the transfer portal.

Bailey saw a decrease in minutes for the Vols this season behind the arrival and breakout of freshman guards Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler. Bailey and Auburn transfer Justin Powell volleyed for minutes and ended up both riding the bench for the majority of the season behind the aforementioned production.

Bailey, a career 34% three-point shooter, struggled in his area of work this season. The former Oregon transfer hit just 12 triples on the season at a 21% clip.

On Monday, less than a day removed from his announcement, Bailey chose to follow former associate head coach Kim English and Vols small forward Davonte Gaines to George Mason.

“Always be home sweet home #VFL,” Bailey said in an Instagram post supposedly announcing his decision Saturday evening.

With the futures of Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James and even projected late first, early second round pick Kennedy Chandler in question, Bailey’s departure is not a surprise. Vols head coach Rick Barnes spoke on Bailey following Tennessee’s win over Arkansas on senior night when the graduate didn’t go through the senior

night ceremony.

“He will have options,” Barnes said. “If he wants to and certainly we hope he will always be a part of our program. But you know with the rules today, he can choose to go somewhere else and play.”

Santiago Vescovi, No. 25, drives the ball down the court against Longwood during the first round of the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis on Thursday March 17, 2022. Alexandra Ashmore / The Daily Beacon

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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Vols flex pitching depth, sweep Ole Miss in weekend series JOSH LANE Sports Editor

Tennessee aced its most important test of the season this past weekend.

The Vols — who were ranked No. 5 at the time — went down to Oxford and completed the sweep over then-No. 1 Ole Miss.

Not only was it a three-game sweep, the Vols dominated the Rebels in every fashion behind three gems from their starting pitching and an offensive blitz from their potent lineup.

Here are three takeaways from the Vols’ first ever sweep in Oxford.

Pitching depth beyond reason Tennessee has a problem head coaches across college baseball can only dream of having. The Vols have four legitimate weekend arms and only three weekend starts to use them. Tennessee’s young starting pitching staff made head coach Tony Vitello’s upcoming decision incredibly difficult with a nearflawless weekend.

Freshmen Chase Burns and Drew Beam and sophomore-transfer Chase Dollander combined for 20.2 innings, eight hits, one walk, two runs and 27 strikeouts against an Ole Miss

lineup that averaged 9.8 runs per game entering the series.

Tennessee’s unproven rotation is unproven no more — though they believe there’s more for them to prove.

“I think it showed that we have a lot going for us, but there still is a lot to prove,” Beam said. “We’ve got a good team next weekend we’ve got to face, so there’s a lot to do here.”

Tennessee currently leads the NCAA in ERA (1.89), and the good news for the Vols is that more help is on the way.

Sophomore right-hander Blade Tidwell — the team’s ace and a projected first-round MLB Draft pick — has yet to throw a single pitch this season after suffering a shoulder injury in January. After pitching to a 3.74 ERA in 18 starts a year ago, Tidwell undoubtedly deserves a spot in the weekend rotation.

But so do Burns, Dollander and Beam. Those three pitchers have not only kept Tennessee afloat with Tidwell absent, but they have guided Tennessee to a consensus No. 1 ranking in the country. All three of those underclassmen done more than enough to deserve a weekend start.

Vitello will have a little while longer to mull over the decision. Tidwell was active for the Ole Miss series, but he did not appear in any of the games. According to Vitello, it will still be several weeks before Tidwell is stretched out

enough for an SEC start.

Tidwell’s return might push one of the younger starters out of a weekend slot, but it’s a move they are willing to make to help the team.

“Whether he comes back and takes the Sunday spot or he takes any kind of starting spot, it doesn’t matter to me,” Beam said. “We’re just going to keep competing and doing our thing, and I will take whatever role is handed to me.”

Lineup makes statement in Oxford The Vols entered the weekend with the top offense in the SEC and one of the best in the nation, but there was some speculation that their lineup might have been overhyped.

Lindsey Nelson Stadium — the Vols’ home ballpark — is one of the smaller stadiums in the conference, and the small park carries a reputation of inflating Tennessee’s offensive numbers.

The Vols backed their offensive numbers in the larger dimensions of Swayze Field in Oxford, outscoring Ole Miss 26-7 across the three-game sweep, their fifth series-sweep of the season.

In Friday night’s win, the Vols clubbed 5 home runs to increase their NCAA-leading home run total to 64, 20 more than second place Virginia Tech. They, however, did not

hit a single long ball in the final two games of the series. Tennessee scored 14 runs on 27 hits across the final two games.

“I think that shows we can win in a lot of ways, and that’s very important,” catcher Evan Russell said. “There was a lot of talk of us not being able to play the small game last year and be able to (get) two strike hits … if we stay within ourselves, we’re going to have a lot of success throughout the year.”

The Vols now lead the SEC in batting average (.338), slugging (.683), on base percentage (.455), runs scored (266), hits (281) and walks (161).

Vols ace first test Ole Miss was the Vols’ first true road series of the season — one of five road trips against SEC contenders they will make this season — and they passed this first test with flying colors.

Tennessee not only swept Ole Miss, but did so with a complete, thorough beatdown in front of three sold-out crowds on the road. The first two games of the series were non-competitive, as Tennessee won by seven or more runs in both games.

STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Read more at utdailybeacon.com

Lady Vols feel sense of pride for exceeding expectations, reaching Sweet 16 ANDREW PETERS Staff Writer

Midway through January, Tennessee was 18-1 with its only loss coming to a top-ranked Stanford team. The Lady Vols were a top five team in the country, handling opponents with ease and making their case as a National Championship contender.

Then, after a big 63-55 win over Georgia, which was ranked No. 13 at the time, it was announced that Keyen Green, Tennessee’s graduate forward, would undergo season ending ACL surgery.

The loss was critical to the Lady Vols.

Green wasn’t a leading scorer, but her presence as a leader was second to none. She offered wisdom and expertise on the court that she had picked up in her years at Liberty and honed in on at Tennessee.

Tennessee started to collapse after losing Green. In their final 10 games of the season, the Lady Vols lost six games. But the biggest loss over that stretch of games ended up being guard Jordan Horston. It seemed like the Lady Vols couldn’t catch a break.

Horston was averaging 16.4 points per game 9.4 rebounds and 4 assists on the season, stepping up in the absence of an injured Rae Burrell and solidifying herself as one of the top players

in the SEC when she injured her wrist against Alabama, ultimately ending her season.

The Lady Vols lost two out of three games without Horston to end the season and began figuring out how to navigate their team without their star guard.

“With Jordan going out, you have to find some rallying, motivation, and inspiration,” head coach Kellie Harper said in February. “I think they’ve found that in each other. When you know the person sitting to your right and to your left is giving everything they’ve got, it gives you confidence to go out and do the same.”

Tennessee put the regular season behind them. The Lady Vols had an imperfect ending to the season, but their focus shifted to the postseason.

Tennessee won its SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup against Alabama but lost to the eventual tournament champion Kentucky in the semifinal. Now, it was tournament time.

The Lady Vols drew a No. 4 seed in their 40th tournament bid and would take on Buffalo, a scrappy, fast-paced team out of the MidAmerican Conference and probably one of the toughest 13-seeds in the tournament.

Tennessee was on upset watch from the tip.

The Bulls hung with the Lady Vols and were in position to pull ahead late in the third quarter.

But the Lady Vols didn’t let Buffalo upset them. They weren’t ready to be done yet. Ten-

nessee pulled ahead by six points to end the third and then built its lead up to 15 points midway through the fourth, putting the Bulls out of the game and advancing to the Round of 32.

Burrell, Alexus Dye and Tamari Key combined for 53 points, putting Tennessee on their backs and willing the team to victory.

Now it was time for Belmont, the 12 seed that upset Oregon in the first round.

Tennessee had no trouble with the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champion through the first half, leading by 12 at the break.

But the Bruins came storming back in the third quarter and now Tennessee was once again on upset watch, leading by just two points heading into the fourth.

The two teams traded baskets through the entire period and Belmont led by two points with less than 30 seconds to play. If the Lady Vols had called it a season there, it would have been a success. They were battered and bruised.

They had lost their best player and another team leader. Advancing to the second round of the tournament would have been considered a win in itself.

But Tennessee wanted more.

Harper drew up a play for the Lady Vol offense that ended with freshman Sara Puckett sinking a go-ahead three pointer with 20 seconds left and Tennessee ultimately advancing to the Sweet 16.

Alexus Dye, No. 2, shooting a goal during the first round of the 2022 Women’s NCAA Tournament vs the Bu�alo Bulls at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday March 19, 2022. Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon

12

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Tennessee track and field begins outdoor season at Raleigh Relays ZACH BALL Staff Writer

Two weeks after finishing third in the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Tennessee track and field team began its transition to the outdoor environment. The team traveled to NC State this past weekend to compete in the Raleigh Relays where they set 10 personal bests over the three days.

On track On Friday, three Vol distance runners posted personal best times in the 1,500 meters. Riley Buchholz topped the group with a time of 3:48.18. Bucholz was followed up by sophomores Will Mazur (3:49.15) and Canaan Anderson (3:51.06).

Sydney Seymour and Karl Thiessen led the

group on Saturday as both runners entered the top-10 all-time for the Vols and Lady Vols.

In the women’s 5,000 meter, Seymour posted the second fastest time ever in Lady Vol history after finishing in 15 minutes and 48 seconds.

Rachel Sutliff and Callie Tucker also ran beside Seymour in the 5,000 meter. Both Lady Vols posted personal bests with respectable times of 16:42.91 and 16:57.78.

Karl Theissen made his Tennessee debut in the men’s 10,000-meter run after not performing in the indoor season. The junior proved to be worth the wait, as he posted a time of 28:59.71, sixth all-time in Tennessee history.

A trend of personal bests continued as more runners performed in their heat.

Maia Stewart and Allison Rand both ran personal bests in the women’s 400 meter. Olivia Janke ran continued her strides this year with a time 4:28.19 in the women’s 1,500 meter.

Fuji Anday and Uchechi Nwogwugwu capped the nightly runs for Tennessee with personal bests. Anday closed Friday night with a time of 30:02.73 in the final heat of the men’s 10,000 meter. Nwogwugwu closed Saturday with a quick time of 24.65 in the women’s 200-meter dash.

“We had a great experience and a great opening weekend to the outdoor season at the Raleigh Relays,” director of track and field/ cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. “Our distance crew looked great and we secured some NCAA first round qualifying marks with Karl, Sydney and Katie Thronson. We’ll be back to full swing next weekend at Florida, which will be an excellent test and provide some high level competition for us as we really get going outdoors.”

In the field

Aside from the runners, groups of athletes performed respectably in the women’s pole

vault and men’s shot-put.

Sara Borton and Hannah Jeffcoat both cleared 4.00 meters (13-1.5) as they opened up their outdoor seasons in the pole vault. Freshmen Natalie Lark and Sarah Schmitt joined them with heights of 3.60 meters (11-9.75) and 3.45 meters (11-3.75).

Skylar Coffey led the way for the group in the men’s shot put with a distance of 50.44 meters.

Israel Adesina and Chance Crawford followed behind with closely related tosses of 46.18 meters and 46.06m, respectively. This marked Adesina’s debut for the 2022 season.

Up next Tennessee’s track team will travel to Gainesville, Florida, next weekend to compete at the Pepsi Florida relays. Afterwards, the team will travel back home to host the Tennessee Relays on April 7-9.

Barnes’ contract extended through 2026-27 season JOSH LANE Sports Editor

Following a 27-win season and the Vols’ first SEC Tournament championship in over 40 years, Tennessee director of athletics Danny White has extended head basketball coach Rick Barnes’ contract through the 2026-27 season.

In his seventh season at the helm of Tennessee, Barnes led the Vols to their first SEC Tournament title since 1979 — their fifth overall — and their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

“Rick has built an incredible culture within our men’s basketball program that has spread throughout Vol Nation,” White said. “I’ve had a blast watching the best fanbase in the country embrace this team and create the most electric environment in college basketball.”

The 2021-22 season marked Barnes’ third campaign at Tennessee with 26 or more wins. Barnes is responsible for half of Tennessee’s six seasons with at least 26 wins.

The Vols cruised to a perfect 16-0 record at Thompson-Boling Arena this season, the fourth time the Vols have gone undefeated at Thompson-Boling Arena since its opening in 1987.

Tennessee spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 25 and climbed as high as No. 5 in the final postseason poll. The Vols did not lose consecutive games this season — the second time a Barnes-led Tennessee team has done so — and beat four top-10 opponents.

Tennessee’s head coach Rick Barnes at the game against USC Upstate in Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 14, 2021. Jamar Coach/ The Daily Beacon “I can’t overstate how fortunate we are to have Rick Barnes leading our program,” White said. “I am unbelievably excited about our bright future as we chase future championships on the hardwood.”

Barnes ranks seventh nationally among active head coaches in career Division I wins with 754, including 150 at Tennessee. The Vols have spent 73 weeks in the AP Top 25 during the Barnes era and have racked up wins against top programs such as Kentucky (10 times), Kansas, Gonzaga, Purdue, North Carolina and Arizona.

“After meeting with our players this week, I’m energized and eager to get back in the gym preparing for next season,” Barnes said. “Our family is blessed to be a part of the University of Tennessee family, and we appreciate the alignment of our administration.”

Barnes’ extension comes a day after

White extended the contracts of head soccer coach Brian Pensky and head volleyball coach Eve Rackham Watt. Both coaches led their respective squads to an NCAA Tournament win this past fall, and both extensions run through January 2027.

Pensky led the Lady Vols to a secondstraight SEC Eastern Division Championship and an SEC Tournament title over topseeded Arkansas — their first since 2008.

Rackham Watt is coming off her second appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the helm of the Lady Vols volleyball team. The Lady Vols have won 73 games during Rackham Watt’s four seasons at Rocky Top, the third-most in the SEC over that span.

“There are so many wonderful things happening on campus and throughout the community that we’re excited to support and participate in,” Barnes said. “It’s a great time to be a Tennessee Volunteer.”

Head coach Rick Barnes talks to Brandon Huntley-Hatfield No. 2 during the Tennessee vs LSU game on Saturday Jan. 22, 2022 in Thompson Boling Arena.

Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon