Sunny with a 0% chance of rain HIGH LOW 86 66
J.J. Clark steering track teams to top of SEC
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Friday, April 30, 2010 Issue 72
E D I T O R I A L L Y
I N D E P E N D E N T
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://dailybeacon.utk.edu
Vol. 113 S T U D E N T
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Goo Goo Dolls to play Tennessee Theatre May 4 PAGE 7
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T E N N E S S E E
UT to implement new student loan system Alyce Howell Staff Writer
Cleveland police say boy, 8, tied to coffee table CLEVELAND — Police say an 8-year-old boy has been found hog-tied with duct tape and tied to a coffee table in a Cleveland home as his mother slept. They've removed nine children from the home. Officers received a call before dawn Thursday from a 15-year-old boy, who said his mother makes his sister tie his brother up every night or she gets beaten. They say they found the younger boy on the floor with his hands and feet bound behind his back with tape and a shoelace around his neck. They say his feet were tied to the table. Police say the boy's discolored hands indicate he may have been tied up for some time. The mother and a man were asleep. They were taken into custody. No charges have been filed. The children have been placed in county custody.
The student loan process will undergo some changes this year following modifications to the way the federal government distributes those loans. Instead of students going to a bank to receive a loan, they will get their loans straight from the federal government. There are a few adjustments current students who have been receiving loans will have to make as the new system goes into effect this summer. “The process is the same, except that the students can’t pick the lender,” Jeff Gerkin, assistant dean and director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, said. Students currently receiving federally backed student loans must complete a new master promissory note, known as an MPN, by mid-tolate summer for summer term and by June or July for fall term. Current students with existing federally backed loans managed by banks will have the option to consolidate their loans into the direct loan program. New loan recipients, including freshmen and transfer students, will now complete forms directly from the Department of Education to
receive their loans. Students requesting additional money for college expenses will have to be determined eligible by the federal office. “The changes are mostly from behind the scenes that really won’t affect the student except when it comes time to pay the loans
back,” Gerkin said. Designated loan servers will handle the payback procedures. The current students who have an existing loan with another lender, such as a bank, will still issue payback to that private lender. If they wish to take out another loan, it will be from the government, and then they will later have to repay two separate loans to two
separate lenders. However, there is a choice for students who are uncomfortable with having two lenders. They may consolidate their previous loan with their current one through the government, eliminating the private lender. “Students want to be careful if they do decide to consolidate their loans because if they do, they could end up giving up any benefits that their previous lender provided,” Gerkin said. Students interested in consolidating their loans should contact their previous lender to see what benefits they are getting and then compare it to what is offered by the federal government, Gerkin suggested. Gerkin said financial aid office staff are available to walk students through the process. However, students must decide if they want to consolidate their loans within the next year, or those loans will automatically remain with the private lender. “I think the process might be fairer and more need-based,” Brittany Mitchell, junior in animal science, said. Mitchell said the new information on student loan consolidation had not yet effectively been delivered to students.
Graduating seniors look forward to commencement, future plans
Bubble-blowers take aim at Guinness Book record MARGATE, N.J. — People all over the world Thursday tried to break into the Guinness World Records book for the most people simultaneously blowing bubbles at multiple locations. It will be several weeks before organizers know if they surpassed the 34,529 who set the record across England in 2007. But the publicity will help raise money for autism. The idea started in Ventnor, N.J. Isabelle Mosca said blowing bubbles was a way for her 11-year-old autistic son Kyle to share an activity with his classmates. In New Jersey, people blew bubbles at schools, Atlantic City casinos, shopping malls and gyms. Participation was expected to be strong in Louisiana after a local country singer publicized the event online. And participants signed up as far away as Australia once the event went viral on Facebook. La. gov declares state of emergency, oil could reach shore Thursday NEW ORLEANS — The edge of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to reach the Mississippi River delta by Thursday night and a new technique to break up the oil a mile underwater could be tried, officials said. As of this morning, part of the slick was about 3 miles from the Louisiana shore, said National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration spokesman Charles Henry said. It's too late to stop some of the spill from reaching the coast, but BP PLC said it might attempt to break up some of the oil spewing from a blown-out a mile under water. — The Associated Press
Rob Davis Staff Writer
Census staff to collect missing data Kyle Turner Staff Writer With the deadline come and gone for U.S. census data to be collected by mail, census takers will begin canvassing neighborhoods to fill in informational gaps. Starting May 1, census takers will visit residences that have not turned in their census data distributed by mail over the past months. The Fort Sanders neighborhood will be the first area on the list, said Marty Coffman, local census office manager for Knoxville and surrounding counties. “Our biggest concern is that UT is getting ready to end their semester, and while most students who live on campus have been counted for, our biggest concern still remains the apartments and non-campus residences,” Coffman said. The local census office has strategically chosen Fort Sanders due to the high probability that many students will be leaving for the summer and would make it hard to account residents accurately. In an effort to collect data before it is too late, the census office has hired 1,350 employees for the purposes of canvassing neighborhoods to collect data on unreturned census forms. Coffman said for every unreturned census form and the cost of a first-class postage stamp, the federal government is having to spend approximately $57-$60 for each house visit. “We had only asked for one resident to complete the form for the entire household, which would have taken no more than 10 minutes,” Coffman said. “However, accurate data is important for so many reasons, and that is why we are dispatching census takers on foot.”
Under federal law, a national census is mandated every 10 years for the purposes of congressional reapportionment, as well as federal funds distribution. “The most important things that come from the census involve redistributing the 435 congressional seats as well as over $400 billion dollars in federal funds that prove so important to local communities and states as a whole,” Coffman said. The community of students that attend UT make up a large portion of the public and must be accounted for when distributing money for roads, health care and education, among other public services. Some students who failed to complete the census form did not realize its impact or felt it didn’t apply to them. “I was under the impression that my parents were the one that counted me on the census and didn’t think that the one up here applied until I was told too late,” Michael Duke, undecided sophomore, said. Coffman said the census should be filled out by individuals who spend most of their year in one place, which includes temporary, college residences. “I didn’t realize the huge impact it had on Knoxville. I will definitely be at home when the census takers come and cooperate fully,” Duke, who is interested in pursuing a political science degree, said. The local census office has commended UT for the work that has been completed by those living on campus. Resident assistants distributed and collected the census data from residents, ensuring that students living on campus were accounted for before the end of term.
Jessica Sanders is a senior who has made the most of her time at the university, and on May 14, she will graduate with a degree in sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences. Next year, Sanders will attend Louisiana State University to seek a master’s degree in higher education administration/student affairs, “My ultimate goal is to work with orientation or leadership programs in a large Southeastern Conference school,” Sanders said. “I love the environment and how there is so much to do. Working as an orientation leader made me realize I wanted to stay on campus and go to graduate school to continue this sort of work.” She said her involvement at UT has helped her succeed. “I think part of the preparation for my success is me taking advantage of getting involved,” she said. “I still visit some of my past professors because I made such a connection with them. I think UT prepared me really well. I feel like I went to the best school in Tennessee.” Volapalooza, which features Asher Roth, Flogging Molly and Passion Pit, kicks off commencement week for students like Sanders on Friday. Before the concert, a “Senior Hour” will take place for all graduating seniors. The event includes free food and drinks for seniors and will take place from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The commencement ceremonies begin on May 8 with the College of Veterinary Medicine. Ceremonies continue May 12-14. The final day of ceremonies begins at 8:30 a.m. with the College of Arts and Sciences and concludes with the College of Architecture and Design at 6:30 p.m. “Usually the ceremonies last one hour, and all students are recognized, walk across the stage and shake hands with their dean,” Monique Anderson, associate dean of students and university registrar, said. The keynote speaker will be Al Gore, former vice president of the United States and senator from Tennessee. Gore will be presented with an honorary degree and give a speech during the ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences. The former vice president will become only one of three people to receive an honorary degree from the university. The other two recipients have been Dolly Parton and Howard H. Baker Jr. When the students walk across the stage and are acknowledged, they do not actually receive their diploma on stage. “All diplomas are mailed to students once grades are posted to transcripts and students are cleared to graduate,” Anderson said. “The diplomas are a large size that are attractive for framing. The university seal and signature of the president are on the diploma.” In coordination with commencement, the Black Cultural Center sponsored a multi-cultural graduation celebration on April 24. For Sanders, commencement is bittersweet. “I’m excited to be entering the next phase of my life in graduate school,” she said. “However, I am sad to leave the university behind.”