Mostly Cloudy 40% chance of rain HIGH LOW 70 54
Follow us: @DailyBeacon
‘Eyes on LaFollette’ photo feature
Men’s tennis loses on Senior Day
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
PAGE 10 T H E
E D I T O R I A L L Y
Issue 62 I N D E P E N D E N T
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906
S T U D E N T
PAGE 7
http://utdailybeacon.com
Vol. 119
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
Knotts, Tiller run as scholars Matt Dixon Sports Editor
• Photo courtesy of Patrick Murphy-Racey/UTADPHTO
When Chelsea Knotts called Elizabeth Tiller during the summer of 2008 to ask her about being roommates at Tennessee that fall, it made sense. The two incoming freshmen met during the interview weekend earlier that year for the inaugural class of the Haslam Scholars Program, which selects only 15 high school seniors annually. Knotts and Tiller had already been chosen to be a part of the first class of the program and both were going to be on the Lady Volunteers’ track and field team. Knotts came to UT from Ripley, W.V., Tiller from Tuscaloosa, Ala. Now, four years later, they are best friends, and Knotts, who enjoys hiking and photography, even admitted that people often confuse one for the other. “It’s been more than just a teammate and a Haslam Scholar,” Tiller said. “Chelsea’s also been my roommate for four years and we do absolutely every extracurricular activi-
ty together. It was really nice for her and I to form this instant bond and go to practices together and also have these Haslam classes.” The scholars program includes a 28credit hour curriculum, various seminars and community service projects and an all-expense paid study abroad program. “Elizabeth Tiller and Chelsea Knotts epitomize the scholar-athlete,” Steven Dandaneau, director of the Haslam Scholars Program, said. “They compete athletically at the highest level, but scholarship always comes first. Track requires dedication and true grit, and they have these qualities in abundance. But, as Haslam Scholars, they’re also highly involved in leadership and service, study abroad and intensive research, each and all requiring its own sort of focus and hard work. Few students I have ever known in over 20 years of university teaching match, and none exceed, Elizabeth’s and Chelsea’s inspiring record of academic and athletic achievement.” See SCHOLARS on Page 9
• Photo courtesy of Patrick Murphy-Racey/UTADPHTO
Photo courtesy of Maddie Brown • The Daily Beacon
A man features his home grown vegetables at a table at the flea market in LaFollette on Friday, April 13. Students in Professor Rob Heller’s JEM 490 Advanced Photojournalism class took their annual trip to LaFollette to photograph the area and its inhabitants over the weekend. See page 7 for a photo spread from the trip.
Artist raps with new style Wesley Mills Staff Writer Today’s best hits don’t include the lyrical flow of Jay-Z combined with the medieval tales of Geoffrey Chaucer or Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest, but that’s what Canadian rapper and playwright Baba Brinkman does every day. On April 24, Brinkman will perform for UT students in the UC Auditorium from 7:30-9 p.m. Ever since studying English literature in college, Brinkman’s goal has been to connect the dots between hip-hop and Shakespeare, rap and evolution. “I think a lot of people have expectations about
what rap is about,” Brinkman said. “A lot of that comes from Top 40 hip-hop or mainstream hiphop. I’ve always looked at rap as a medium. A medium is capable of containing any message.” For the next four weeks, Brinkman will be sitting under the tutelage of professors at UT who study science. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, UT offers a singer-songwriter grant that allows people like Brinkman to interact with professors and researchers to explore opportunities. These networking opportunities provide new information for Brinkman to use as ingredients to mix into his career and make his work accessible to the public. See BRINKMAN on Page 3
Students march against injustice Jasmine Fletcher-Green Staff Writer With the controversy that has spurred from the Trayvon Martin incident, students from the university community have joined the cause by walking in Martin’s honor. On Thursday, students met at the Black Cultural Center (BCC) to walk for the injustice of Martin’s untimely death. Several students had signs and many were also wearing hoodies. Some signs included sayings, such as “I am Trayvon Martin,” “Do I look suspicious” and “Justice for Trayvon.” The group consisted of about 75 people. Participants left the BCC heading toward the
Pedestrian Mall. They then veered left onto Volunteer Avenue, eventually migrating to Cumberland Avenue. At the corner of Cumberland and 17th Street, the students observed one of two moments of silence in Martin’s memory. The second was done after the students walked past the library, returning to the walkway. “It was great to see people come together for a common cause other than a party,” Stephanie Jones, junior in nursing, said. “People didn’t seem disturbed as we protested; instead they were taking pictures and watching in support. Cars were even slowing down.” See TRAYVON on Page 3