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The Office of Title IX and Center for Health Education and Wellness hosted a Vols Walk for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, bringing the UT community together to raise awareness and prioritize prevention. Courtesy of Breven Walker / University of Tennessee.

Teal floods campus at Vols Walk for SAAM

JENNA BROWN Contributor

On April 10, the University of Tennessee community gathered in teal to echo an important message across campus, which ended the gloomy morning on a much brighter note.

UT’s annual “Vols Walk for Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” hosted by the Center for Health Education and Wellness in partnership with the Office of Title IX, brought together hundreds of students and staff to shed light on the prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses across the nation.

Title IX coordinator Ashley Blamey and Chancellor Donde Plowman delivered opening remarks, in which their words set the tone for the remainder of the day as they emphasized the importance of solidarity and action. Blamey spoke with great gratitude about the overwhelming support for the event and what it means for survivors. Plowman echoed her sentiment and discussed the pivotal role of being an active bystander in preventing sexual assaults, encompassing the Volunteer spirit.

“I think it’s the calling of being a Volunteer,” Plowman said. “We step forward. We say, ‘You know what, this isn’t going to happen here. Not with my friends, not on this campus, not as part of this commu-

nity.’”

Participants, wearing their free teal Tshirts bearing the message, “I am part of the solution,” began their march through campus. The sea of teal quickly spread and caught the attention of on-goers, sporting consent signs and symbolizing a collective stride towards ending sexual violence.

The Student Union’s 21st Mortgage Plaza, decorated in teal, orange and white, served as the central hub for dialogue and education on issues regarding sexual assault. Informational booths and community organizations lined the plaza, engaging participants in activities and meaningful conversations surrounding consent and outreach programs.

Organizations from across campus and East Tennessee came out to support the cause including Magnolia Harbor Care Farm, Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee, Rocky Top Recovery, Contact Care Line, A Step Ahead, University of Tennessee Police Department, Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, Office of Student Conduct, Multicultural Student Life Center and many more. Each table offered something unique to participants from blowing bubbles to drawing.

At UTPD’s table, participants played a game of trivia which revealed a troubling statistic: Over 26% of female and 6% of male undergraduate students experience sexual assault during their time at college. Over 90% of students who experience sexual assault do not report it. Although these figures prove disheartening, Sergeant Chris-

tian Colby believes the only way change can happen on campus is by education and understanding. His words emphasized the importance of fostering relationships between law enforcement and students, bridging the gap and building trust within the community.

“This is just a great event for us to be a part of, where we can have general conversations about anything so that people can see that we’re human just like they are,” Colby said. “And a lot of times, through those interactions, what we find is students make that connection with an officer that may have experienced the same thing they’re experiencing right now.”

Over shared meals catered by CJ’s Tacos, strangers exchanged stories and ideas to make campus a safe place for all UT students. As the event drew to a close, Sarah Thomas, previously the deputy Title IX coordinator for student support, reflected on its purpose.

“To me, this event is about supporting survivors and coming together as a community to show our values and encourage people to speak up and stand in solidarity,” Thomas said. “This is what our community’s about.”

As the month of April continues, the momentum from the “Vols Walk” is to be carried forward as more sexual assault awareness and prevention events take place, all with the hopes to one day eliminate sexual violence on campus.

Baker School cuts ribbon and announces new degrees

On Friday, listeners squeezed into an undersized auditorium for The Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs Ribbon Cutting Ceremony after the rain interrupted the event’s start. The event was held to celebrate the conversion of the Baker Center into the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, which was approved last year, and the new majors and degrees.

Once inside, Dean Marianne Wanamaker of the Baker School gave a brief introduction honoring the legacy of the late Tennessee senator, Howard Henry Baker Jr.

“The Baker School, as I said, is built on the legacy of a great Tennessean and a great American,” Wanamaker said. “The values that he has shown — confidence in America’s institutions, the acknowledgment that the other fellow might be right and his unrivaled ability to find common ground — are the values under which the Baker School thinks.”

Following Wanamaker’s speech, Bak-

er School student Jackson Scott stepped up to the podium. Scott, a graduate teaching assistant and graduate student in the Master of Public Policy and Administration Program, detailed how the school’s faculty had already helped him overcome some of the struggles associated with graduate school.

“You’re in coursework, of course. You’re applying to jobs and internships, or you’re working. … One application in particular, it had a timed portion to it and it opened up a portal. It was very strange,” Scott said. “I rushed upstairs to go see my advisor Dr. (Krista Weigand) and I couldn’t find her anywhere. I did see Dr. Bill Lyons, though. Of course, he’s always here.”

Scott went on to highlight how despite a lack of plan and presence of his advisor, Lyons and other faculty members were able to provide guidance and assist in getting him through to the next step in the application process.

Next in the lineup to speak was John Scheb, a UT professor and interim associate dean of academic affairs for the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs.

“Creating a school of public policy

has been a dream of mine,” Scheb said. “Truthfully, I had given up hope that a school of public policy would be created in my lifetime. This fall we will launch three new academic programs: an undergraduate degree in public policy, a master’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in public policy.”

Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam also spoke briefly at the event. During his speech, Haslam highlighted the uniqueness of the Baker School, as it is the only one of its kind in the state to focus on public policy and public affairs.

Chancellor Donde Plowman gave the final word on the impact of the school’s institution prior to the cutting of the ribbon.

“It’s starting to have an impact already. I feel it all over campus — there’s an energy behind trying to do this whole thing differently, and I’m really excited about it,” Plowman said.

When it came time to cut the ribbon, the crew consisted of all the aforementioned speakers, along with Baker School Board member Cynthia “Cissy” Baker, daughter of Sen. Baker, UT board of trustee and Baker board member

James A. Haslam II, and UT System President Randy Boyd.

Degrees for the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs are expected to begin in the 2024 fall semester.

“It’s starting to have an impact already. I feel it all over campus — there’s an energy behind trying to do this whole thing differently, and I’m really excited about it.”

Donde Plowman

Chancellor,

JACK DEES Staff Writer

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. Courtesy of Amy Smotherman Burgess

The University of Tennessee

Pride of the Southland holds reauditions as they tackle record numbers

For the first time since the early 2000s, the Pride of the Southland Marching Band held reauditions for all of its band members, and not everyone made it back.

The Pride is a microcosm of UT, as nearly every major is represented among its band members. As the university has grown over the last few years, so has the band.

Two years ago, the Pride had about 340 members, but now, if the Pride were to accept all returning members and new auditioners, the band would be over 550 people, according to Michael Stewart, the band’s director since 2022.

“And with that comes a situation where logistically, financially, we can’t do that big of a band,” Stewart said. “And, you know, there’s only so many seats at Neyland. There’s only so many buses we can afford on trips, hotel rooms and meal money when we travel. … There has to be a line somewhere. So, we drew a line last year with the help of the university and athletics of having a band of 415 — which is the biggest band we’ve ever had.”

Eric Baumgardner is the current band director at Halls High School, a Knoxville band with a successful history, and he is an active participant in the Pride of the Southland Alumni Band. He graduated from UT in the summer of 1994 and marched his last season with the percussion section in the fall of ’93. Baumgardner was part of the Pride when W. J. Julian, who received a doctorite in music and was referred to as “Doc,” was the band director at UT. Under Julian, the Pride gained national attention. In 1972, he introduced “Rocky Top” to Neyland, and under his directorship, he created some much-loved traditions on the field like the opening of the “T” and the halftime circle drill.

Since Julian’s retirement in 1993, the Pride band directors have faced lofty expectations, but Baumgardner thinks UT could be back on track to “the glory days.”

“I think (the band) sounds better than it has sounded in a long time. It just has a clear, pure sound, and I think they’re doing a lot of good things and getting back to some fundamentals,” Baumgardner said.

Baumgardner told the Beacon that the number of students who want to audition is a clear indication of growth and rekindling reputation. There’s a reason UT’s band is known as “The Pride of the Southland Marching Band.” The Pride is not just any marching band — it’s a Division I band, and that is something to take pride in because it is not an easy feat, especially as UT’s sports teams make national headlines.

It is also not uncommon for Division I bands to have an annual audition process for

all members to ensure continuous growth and improvement, according to Stewart.

The Pride is competing against other Division I bands like LSU, Texas A&M and Ohio State, meaning that members need to be tougher and better than average because the band as a whole is under a national microscope.

Students are expected to learn new music and drills to perform in front of national television and a live audience of 100,000, as well as memorize a new fight song by every Saturday of the UT football season. This is an amount of practice and pressure that many incoming freshmen are not accustomed to, and because of this, some freshmen are not always able to make it to the field to perform at halftime.

While Baumgardner is not part of the Pride audition process, he knows from experience as a high school band director that it’s not always about just being good enough to meet initial expectations — students have to continue to improve, especially when there is such high demand.

There are no marching auditions for incoming freshmen. At Ohio State, there are marching auditions during band camp, but Stewart said he does not feel that he wants to do this because then he would be bringing in students before the season starts just to tell some that they are no longer part of the band.

The Pride’s audition process consists of musical skills tests to see how well the person can play. But, Stewart said that he also considers each auditioner’s background, especially if they were a previous member of the band. Stewart explained that he does not take the

decision to cut members from the band lightly. He has multiple people watch all audition videos to ensure that their judgment calls are fair.

“This is the part of my job that I dislike the most,” Stewart said when asked about how it feels to let members go. “We hate to see the students go, but in the back of my mind, I do know that the band is continuing to get better because we’re bringing strong musicians because we’re having these evaluations.”

As the director, Stewart’s job is to make the Pride the best it can be. If the band’s numbers keep growing, Stewart predicts that this reaudition process will become an annual event.

All other sectors of the Pride, including the majorettes, pep bands and color guard, have to reaudition every year, but the color guard just started this process last year.

“This is one way we will continue to see better players that are marchers come through the doors — they’re competing for very precious spots and competing to hold on to them,” Stewart said. “That’s kind of what keeps that fire going every day of getting in the practice room and getting on your instrument. … That pressure of being a part of something that is a high-quality organization will keep you getting better on your instrument.”

Christian Carroll, the Pride’s newest drum major and sophomore music education major, said that Stewart’s community-building efforts are also contributing to the band’s growth, and he supports all his decisions to improve the band’s overall quality.

“I’ve had many directors in my time,” Carroll said. “But Dr. Stewart is truly the closest thing that I can say I’ve had to like a direc-

tor that I want to be like because … just the kindness that he has in his heart — his good intentions — I feel like that’s the first step to accomplishing anything great. And since his intentions are so pure … every single thing that he is doing, I can get behind so quickly, just because there’s so much goodwill behind every single thing that he does.”

Carroll is excited to see what the fall 2024 season will look like for the Pride.

“We’re continuing to make outstanding people, volunteers, musicians, scholars — we’re just really creating amazing people within the program,” Carroll said. “Taking a more active role in that is such an honor because I feel like that’s me fulfilling my greater purpose of giving back to the world — and there’s no other group that I’d rather be doing that for.”

While not all students are happy with the tough decisions Stewart has had to make, many understand why he is making them and think the reauditions are a step in the right direction.

“It is important that these students that are no longer in the band (know) they’re still part of the band family,” Stewart said, “They can still march with the alumni band.”

Members who did not make it into the Pride’s 2024 marching season will have the ability to reaudition for the 2025 marching season next spring.

Stewart said he wants to keep pushing the envelope on the quality of the band and the expectations of the group. In his own experience from watching other bands, he ensures that while he knows some students are upset, this process is for the better.

SHELBY WRIGHT Staff Writer

Pride of the Southland band plays at Market Square Madness in downtown Knoxville. Oct. 12, 2023. Cambree Gliessner / Contributor

SEAT’s Sex Week prevails with events, education, empowerment

This week, the UT student organization Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee is holding events every day to showcase sexual health, education and liberation.

Allie Farley, a senior studying women and gender studies, is co-president of SEAT this year and helped to organize the week along with co-president Ayva Dorris, a senior studying sustainability.

At the end of last year, SEAT reached out to Planned Parenthood Generation Action Council to collaborate on this year’s Sex Week, as many of SEAT’s executive board were graduating. Dorris and Farley both joined SEAT through this partnership, although they were intentional about maintaining the individuality of both clubs.

“(We) decided to maintain the integrity of the two groups and have it as two separate campus orgs because, while they’re aligned in their mission, they do serve separate missions,” Farley said.

The Planned Parenthood club at UT is part of a larger national organization that provides safe sexual care and education, while SEAT is unique to UT and serves the larger purpose of empowerment.

“That is what SEAT is about, is making space for the fun part of sex,” Farley said. It allows space for public health and education while also centering pleasure. Discourse and rhetoric around sex should not only center on safety, Farley noted, but also empowerment and liberation.

This week will allow people to participate in conversations about sexual health, learn sexual education, win sex toys and experience the joys of inclusion.

“Sex week helps people to understand sex education that isn’t around abstinence and to feel empowered to explore things,” said Morgan Beirne, a freshman involved with SEAT. “I think that those things are especially important with people around campus starting to become independent and who may be starting to find out who they are through their community at UT.”

Farley noted that she tailored this year’s week to focus on sex education and public health. She formed the topics and events from her specialties, interests and studies in the Women and Gender Studies Department.

Monday started Sex Week off with a teach-in in collaboration with Rise: Healthy for Life. Rise, an organization out of Johnson City, Tennessee, champions sexual education for all, focusing on fact-based and affirming education. The event presented a workshop in part of their “Identity Outlaw” series about gender, queer sex safety and

navigating transness.

Tuesday saw a fundraiser for Knox Pride Center on Ped Walkway from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. SEAT partnered with the UT Print Club and other creators who sold their art to raise funds.

On Wednesday, SEAT will host sexual education trivia, and winners can win sex toys donated to SEAT from Adam & Eve and Wet for Her. Keep up with times and places on SEAT’s Instagram.

Thursday, SEAT will host a contraceptive carnival from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Ped Walkway, where students can access free birth control, emergency contraceptives and period products.

Finally, Sex Week will culminate in SEAT’s iconic annual drag show. This year, the show will take place back on UT’s cam-

pus at the Alumni Memorial Building 32 from 6-8 p.m.

Last year, SEAT produced its drag show at South Press, a local queer-affirming coffee shop, but Farley was eager to prioritize UT students and their accessibility for this year’s show.

“Having it on campus and walkable for those students was a really big priority for us. … SEAT is tailored and focused on the University of Tennessee’s campus, and specifically, Sex Week is an event for campus,” Farley said.

Following the controversial ruling that took funding away from SEAT and other student organizations, SEAT has continued on with its own funds. This year, Sex Week was produced without SEAT spending any money. The events rely on donations, out-

side support and campus spaces.

Farley noted how empowering it has been for her to see the impact SEAT has made. She has learned a lot about her own sexuality through them and is keen to continue that legacy. Her studies, which focus on reproductive health, helped her to think about what people need from Sex Week.

Sexual education that does not center on abstinence is important to the organization, and Beirne noted how abstinence-only education does not help people in their sexual education journey.

“It’s creating a lot of noise on campus that there are safe spaces, that there are places where all sexualities are important and equally important,” Farley said. “I hope people come out of it desiring more sex education.”

While tabling for Sex Week, Allie Farley (left) and Morgan Beirne (right) fundraise for Knox Pride Center on Ped Walkway. Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Audrey Nash / Contributor

Earthbound stars: How one man turned planetarium shows into art

LOGAN KORN Contributor

You’d always wanted to go to a planetarium. Maybe you’d seen one in a movie or heard about it from a friend, or maybe you just absorbed the meaning of “planetarium” through cultural osmosis. When the show starts, you aren’t sure what you expect, but it certainly isn’t this.

You don’t expect to get blasted through asteroid belts, past stars and planets, and all the way to the Andromeda galaxy. You don’t expect such a genuine sensation of movement that you have to close your eyes to remind yourself that you are still. And you certainly don’t expect the presentation to be pre-recorded by Tom Hanks, who tells fascinating tales about each celestial phenomenon, detailing how it was discovered or ancient beliefs about it.

When it ends, you sit there in the dark — you expected to see some nerd give a lecture with a laser pointer. That’s just what Mark Littmann found when he became a planetarium director in 1965: some nerd with a laser pointer boring people to death and making them think that space was boring. Someone needed to change that.

Littmann never wanted to be a writer, much less a science writer. Sure, he wanted to do some writing, but the poems, plays and short stories he wrote in his spare time were pretty mediocre. However, he was smart, and he loved science — in a way.

“I realized that I wasn’t going to do aeronautical or aerospace engineering. ... I wasn’t terribly interested in engineering. Physics didn’t turn out to be very interesting or understandable either. I liked chemistry. I did that as an undergraduate major, but I couldn’t picture myself in a laboratory the rest of my life,” Littmann said.

When most people graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they shout it from the rooftops for the rest of their lives. Littmann, however, doesn’t even bring up the name of the school.

With a degree in chemistry from one of the best schools in the country, and no desire to be a chemist, Littmann’s mind turned back toward those mediocre plays and short stories, and he signed up for a master’s program in creative writing at Hollins College.

A year later, master’s degree in hand, Littmann realized he didn’t know what he was going to do with it. He still wasn’t happy with his ability to write fiction, and he wasn’t aware of any jobs that required a creative writer who was also a chemist.

Better at school than at planning ahead, Littmann decided to kick the can down the road even further, signing up for a Ph.D. program in English literature at Northwestern University, which was only about 300 miles from his

hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

“While I was working on my doctoral degree, St. Louis built a large planetarium, and I thought ‘gosh, that would be an interesting place to work for the summer,’” Littmann said.

When the McDonnell Planetarium director suggested that Littmann should apply as an astronomer, he was dumbfounded. He’d only had a single undergraduate course in astronomy, which was now several years ago. However, the director explained that the job was less about being a professional astronomer and more about being able to explain astronomy to patrons of the planetarium. Littmann thought he could do that — probably.

But, just to be sure he was ready for his parttime summer job, Littmann studied for weeks in the astronomical library at Northwestern University (complete with a fully functional observatory). He was determined to be ready to answer any question a sixth grader on a field trip could possibly ask.

Littmann liked the job at the McDonnell Planetarium enough to sign up for it again the next summer. And the staff must have thought Littmann was spectacular because, somehow, his fame as a part-time summer astronomer extended all the way to Utah.

“I got a letter from Salt Lake City asking if I’d be interested in directing the new planetarium that they were building,” Littmann said, laughing. “I thought that this was unbelievably wild, but I couldn’t resist at least trying.”

So, Littmann hit the books again, even harder this time. But he also did some introspection, some retrospection and some contemplation.

His entire life, Littmann’s family had taken him to museums, planetariums, aquariums and science centers. Thinking back to all the presentations he had seen in these places, Littmann had an epiphany. The planetarium was the perfect place for theater, and it was being horribly underutilized.

“It seemed to me that this was the most exciting dramatic atmosphere I’d ever seen,” Littmann said, the image glistening in his eyes. “I mean it gets dark. The stars come out as if by magic. The stars can move. You can do all kinds of visual effects on the screen, the big dome overhead. So, I began to foster some ideas.”

Littmann took these ideas to the Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, which immediately snatched him up in 1965. Over the next 18 years, Littmann and his team revolutionized the art of the planetarium show by writing plays and musicals about Native American sky lore, the moon landing, the first female astronomer and all the wonders of space, along with the first-ever planetarium light show. Littmann even got the notion to write a science fiction play, which was met with resounding success.

So much success that Littmann was approached by someone from another planetarium who was looking to buy the show from

From revolutionizing the art of the planetarium show to teaching science writing at UT, Mark Littmann has become an inspiration for budding journalists and scientists alike. Courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune

him. Once again, this was completely unheard of. Even Littmann couldn’t believe it. But the event opened up the floodgates for grants and offers.

National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, Rockwell International, The American Chemical Society: They all wanted a taste of Littmann’s work. Littmann and his team wrote, directed and recorded plays that were packaged and sent to these organizations to be performed in planetariums across the world.

“I could not contribute a thing to it, except that we were the test bed for trying it out,” Littmann said. “It’s gotten much better since then.”

Littmann left the planetarium in 1983 to pursue freelance science writing. During that time, he continued to write books about space and astronomy but found it difficult to get grants. In order to pay the bills, Littmann simultaneously began writing texts for exhibits at museums owned by NASA.

Despite the extra income, freelance writing wasn’t easy, especially when Littmann wasn’t writing best-selling mystery novels or those love stories you find in a bin at the grocery store. So, in 1991, Littmann began teaching journalism at the University of Tennessee. There, he wrote several books, continued to acquire grants for projects and was awarded the Hill Chair of Excellence in Science Writing.

“He’s one of those people that you could just see and feel the passion that he’s got,” said Thomas Cruise, one of Littmann’s former students. “With good science writing, you don’t need to take notes — you just remember it because it’s so compelling. And if you can instruct that same way like Dr. Littmann does, you don’t need to worry about just memorizing

a multiple-choice test: You’re really learning. You’re really retaining it.”

Inspired by Littmann’s teaching, Cruise went on to work as an intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he wrote about the Nonreactor Nuclear Facilities Division. Fearful of potential budget cuts in 2016, Cruise did not pursue a permanent position at ORNL. Instead, he became the director of the Veterans Success Center at the University of Tennessee. However, Cruise’s office shelf is still filled with books from Littmann’s class.

“He would assign all these books, and it looks super daunting as a student, but I still have a lot of them,” Cruise said, gazing at his collection. “‘The Right Stuff,’ ‘Not Quite a Miracle,’ ‘Spillover’ ... I have more at home.”

Cruise especially loves “Not Quite a Miracle.” “I’ve read that one so many times. Dr. Littmann would get emotional talking about that one.”

In 2023, Cruise suggested that I take Littmann’s class, Science Writing as Literature. At 84 years old, Littmann scooted into the classroom, his walker piled high with loose papers. He passed out the syllabus and read part of it aloud.

“Works by authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, David Quammen and Richard Selzer are analyzed for literary qualities in a quest to understand why some science writing succeeds,” Littmann said. “And if you’ll notice, it also says that I would love it if everyone made an A in this class.”

A man who didn’t know how to sit still, Littmann finished his sixth book that semester, at the end of which he retired.

This article was produced in conjunction with Brian Canever’s JREM 414: Magazine and Feature Writing class.

Beyond a bakery: Kern’s Food Hall celebrates grand opening

KYLIA BERRY Staff Writer

After over 90 years, The Kern’s Bakery, a beloved historic South Knoxville landmark, has opened its doors again to the Knoxville community. Now, it serves much more than loaves of bread. The Kern’s Food Hall held its grand opening of the newly renovated Kern’s Bakery, opening its doors to the people of Knoxville once again. For more than a century, the mission behind the historic building has remained the same: community.

The Knoxville community has been eagerly counting down the days until the grand opening after almost five years of construction. Alex Dominguez, one of the food hall’s managing partners who led the development of this new Knoxville hotspot, shared that there have been obstacles in opening the new food hall. Despite these challenges, seeing everyone enjoy themselves makes the hardships worthwhile.

“I’m running on adrenaline because this is unbelievable.” Dominguez said. “There has been lots of grinding, lots of tools, lots of heavy equipment. And this is the first time I’ve seen little kids, dogs and families. It’s beautiful to see.”

Along with the community, Katie Marcus, a UT alum, has eagerly waited for the opening of the food hall, despite the setbacks. Marcus says Saturday’s grand opening made the wait worthwhile and created a special day for the community.

“It’s really special that it’s finally opened because I’ve waited five years for this,” Marcus said. “There was a period where I thought it wasn’t going to open at all, and then COVID-19 hit and that stalled the progress, and actually see(ing) it come to fruition is very special.”

The developer’s mission behind the Kern’s Food Hall was clear: to create a fun atmosphere for the entire community to come together and enjoy, whether that includes indulging in some tasty food such as pizza, grabbing a drink with friends, bringing your dog or the variety of other

activities that are included.

“We wanted to create these intersections for people to come together and make memories and spend time here. This is not a ‘go shopping and go home,’” Dominguez said. “Come spend a day. Come work. Come have a meeting with someone. Come enjoy ice cream. Go get a workout. Run. Come back and watch a movie. It’s just a great place to come (to).”

The developers of the food hall, including Timothy Martin — owner of Tim Estates and visionary planner and merchandiser for the tenants at Kern’s — sees the importance of highlighting the historical significance of the Kern’s Bakery and creating that human connection with the famously known loaf of bread.

“There’s a gentleman walking around, (who) is Roy Hogen Brown, whose grandfather built this building. … Having a bakery inside Kern’s that we’re going to have with Dustin Cochran and Myrtle’s Bakehouse and actually recreating the emotional connection,” Martin said. “But actually to be able to reproduce the little loaves of bread and that emotional connection throughout the years and the history there. You can’t create that. This is so organic. It’s incredible.”

The developers were passionate about preserving the industrialization of the historical Knoxville landmark while building the food hall. Each brick carries a story and has supported the building since the 1900s. The building is recognized for its unique industrialization style, and developers incorporated the history of each material used to build Kern’s while respecting the bakery’s legacy.

The Kern’s Food Hall project intends to help the South Knoxville community expand and create a space for aspiring regional and local business owners to accomplish their dreams. The hall now has over 19 tenants who are fulfilling their entrepreneurial goals.

“We have folks that this is their dream to be able to have a retail shop. Kristen Heat at Mae Lee’s — that was her dream. And she has endured it with me. And it’s like watching a family member succeed.” Dominguez said, “And, you know, she lights up and that lights me up.”

Guest walking into the newly renovated Kern’s food hall the day of the grand opening. Kylia Berry / The Daily Beacon

Historic Dogwood Arts Festival returns to World’s Fair Park April 26-28

ADAM DELAHOUSSAYE Staff Writer

Knoxville’s annual Dogwood Arts Festival returns to World’s Fair Park this year April 26-28. A nonprofit and mostly volunteer group of workers puts on the event year after year — one that’s been a staple of Knoxville living for over 60 years.

The three-day festival will feature a variety of local and national vendors and artists of all sorts, including live music and food trucks stationed throughout the lawns of the park as well as the Tennessee Amphitheater. For everyone involved, the festival always marks the end of a year’s diligent work and tireless efforts to keep one of the city’s biggest traditions alive and growing.

“If you were born and raised here, or you’ve lived here for the last few years, you become accustomed to April being ‘Dogwood month,’” Shanna Browning, co-chair of the Dogwood Arts Festival, said. “I think as the staff evolves, and as a younger group evolves, it’s an introduction to people who have no idea about the festival. When they get immersed into it and they see it, people find something they love. It’s something for everybody.”

Since 1961, the Dogwood Arts Festival has been a highlight in the calendar year and a grand ushering-in of the spring season for every Knoxvillian. While previously held in the historic Market Square, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a move to a more expansive venue at World’s Fair Park. Since 2021, they’ve been camped out on those lawns just under the Sunsphere and haven’t looked back since. Those at the helm say the move hasn’t hindered their growth at all — but rather inspired it.

“We’re really enjoying that space,” Shannon Herron, the marketing and creative director at Dogwood Arts, said. “It allowed us to include even more vendors than we were able to include downtown, so this year we have just over 100 fine art vendors. We usually have seven to eight food trucks throughout the weekend, two different stages with live music, a kid’s area, the maker market and emerging maker’s tent. So, the new space has really allowed us to expand, and there’s still more room to expand. We’re only on one of the lawns and the amphitheater right now, so we’re excited to continue to grow this event bigger and bigger every year.”

While local art is a big highlight of the festival, Herron said that they’ve been

blessed enough to expand their horizons past county lines and into the national circuit. With around 30% of the vendors being local artists, the other fraction of those come from a long list of applicants from across the country and across the spectrum of the arts world as a whole.

One of the newer areas being highlighted this year is the performing arts, with over 42 live performances slated for this year’s festival. From live Americana music all the way to dance, opera, ballet and even spoken-word poetry, many areas are highlighted in this year’s lineup.

But again, live performance is just a fraction of what the festival has to offer.

Across from the booming main stages, you’ll find vendors selling fine art as well as more reasonably priced pieces, food trucks from local favorites and even family-friendly activities for children.

Some of those include a creation station, which allows kids to dabble in creating their own art, as well as a playground and children’s area. Whatever there’s a need for, it can likely be filled on these lawns during a sunny April afternoon.

Another thing Dogwood Arts prides itself on is the immense use of volunteer service. The festival itself, while a yearround effort, only has about six employees in total on its full-time payroll.

Even the committee for applications and

planning mostly operates on a volunteer basis. When the gates open, there’s sure to be a need for some helping hands.

Aptly enough, a majority of the volunteers come in the form of undergraduate students right here at UT. Information on volunteering for the festival can be found on their website.

The festival will be rolling all weekend, with hours on Friday and Saturday being 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aside from purchasing food and vendor items, admission is completely free and open to the public through those hours. Additional information can be found online as well as upon entry to the festival.

The annual Knoxville Dogwood Arts Festival takes place in World’s Fair Park. Courtesy of Shannon Herron

East Tennessee Maverick: Teachers should not have to carry guns for schools to be safe

WALKER KINSLER Columnist

Last week, the Republican supermajority of the Tennessee State Senate approved a bill allowing teachers and staff to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds. The House, also controlled by the GOP, voiced its support for the legislation.

The bill, SB1325, empowers any school faculty or staff member to carry a gun so long as they obtain an enhanced handgun carry permit and complete annual training. The staff member would then have to receive permission from the school principal and a law enforcement chief.

Arming teachers should be an absolute final resort — a last-ditch effort when every other strategy has failed. But the Tennessee General Assembly has tried next to nothing to address the school shooting crisis that is massacring our nation’s students. Our state should not require its teachers to double as law enforcement officers because of our legislature’s inaction.

Teachers dedicate their lives to educating our students to help them learn and grow into the next generation of leaders. They should not have to worry about being forced into a wild west standoff with a shooter in the hallway. Active shooter combat training can be difficult and anxiety-inducing even for experienced law enforcement officers. Teachers should not be placed in this position.

Even worse, the bill does not require the teacher or staff member to disclose knowledge of their firearm to students or parents. How can a student concentrate on learning or a parent confidently drop off their child without knowing whether or not there is a loaded gun in the classroom? An atmosphere of fear could develop based on rumors about which teacher is armed or the unknowingness of it all.

In addition, confrontations are common in schools. Fights break out, and unruly students disrupt their teacher’s lessons. Having a loaded gun thrown into the mix can lead to deadly escalations. Just the presence of a firearm in a classroom automatically raises the risks of an accidental shooting. Neither students nor teachers should have to stress about these possibilities.

Arming teachers also admits that we

have failed, as a state and country, and completely given up on trying to prevent the root causes of mass-casualty shootings. Why do we still allow weapons of war, assault weapons and semiautomatic rifles, to go into the hands of civilians? These weapons are designed to kill as many human beings as possible in the shortest amount of time. Even if teachers did have handguns, they might not be able to stop a fully armed and armored active shooter. During the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting, an armed security guard shot back with a pistol and struck the attacker. However, the mass shooter’s body armor stopped the bullet, and the security guard was slain with the superior AR-15-style rifle. Assault weapons such as AR-15s have longer ranges, more force and larger magazine capacities than handguns. These assault weapons do not belong in the hands of civilians and should be banned.

The Republican supermajority of the General Assembly also refuses to even test out gun reform laws such as extreme risk protection orders (similar to red-flag laws) and safe storage re-

quirements. Why immediately jump to arming teachers when you haven’t even begun to address our state’s lack of gun safety?

In 2023, the state legislature approved requirements for every school to have an SRO officer and provided extra funding for school security. However, this only contributes to turning our schools into reactionary forts. There has been no proactive action that tackles the firearms killing our children.

While the Senate was hearing debate on the bill, protesters showed their substantial opposition to the legislation. Covenant School moms and family members whose children were present at the deadly mass shooting in Nashville last year stand firmly against arming teachers. Why refuse to listen to those closest and most affected by 2023’s deadliest K-12 school shooting?

The GOP-controlled General Assembly must pass laws that prevent guns from entering our school grounds, not allow more in. They must try out sensible gun reform laws to see what works and what does not. They can’t just simply ignore the issue and hope that the

next school shooting hits another state. One child is worth more than all of the assault weapons in America.

The primary and general elections in August and November will be the first regular state legislature elections since the Covenant School shooting. The citizens of Tennessee must send a message that the General Assembly, our representatives, is not doing enough to prevent these slaughters.

Tennesseans, use your vote to support those who want to protect our students — candidates who support actual gun reform.

Columnist Walker Kinsler writes, “Having a loaded gun thrown into the mix can lead to deadly escalations.” Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon

Walker Kinsler is a junior at UT this year studying political science and history. He can be reached atwkinsler@ vols.utk.edu.

How Zander Sechrist is evolving, Tennessee baseball finding ways to win

Tennessee earned its first SEC sweep of the season on Sunday, but the series was not easy.

Behind two home runs from Christian Moore and another quality start from Zander Sechrist, the Vols beat LSU 8-4, winning all three games of the series.

“It’s very difficult to win a series in general,” head coach Tony Vitello said. “So it made me nervous as all hell that our fans were yelling ‘sweep’ when the last hitter is still up.”

Zander Sechrist becoming legit SEC starter

Sechrist started the season as one of three weekend starters. His first game was rough against Baylor, getting knocked out early and not being able to go three innings.

That led to him being moved off the weekend role, eventually pushed back to his midweek starts that have been custom over his career.

By the start of SEC play, the senior lefty did not appear in the Alabama series.

The next weekend he moved to the starter role against Ole Miss but still did not get penciled in as a guaranteed starter.

After a career outing against Georgia, Sechrist was given more trust. He started against Auburn before being penciled in as the guaranteed starter on Sunday against LSU — and he delivered.

“I think it allows him to understand we believe in him,” Vitello said. “Our gut tells us every time he’s out there we’re good with whatever happens. You can tell the vibe in the dugout. The guys love him when he’s out there, and the position players certainly love playing behind him too.”

In just his third career SEC start, the lefthanded pitcher went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and just one walk while striking out five. He ran into trouble in the sixth inning when the Tigers located a solo homer to tie the game, but Andrew Behnke came in and limited the damage to just one run.

“He’s been huge for us this year,” Blake Burke said. “I’m happy for him because he’s been grinding those midweeks his whole career here. For him to get those Sunday starts, it’s huge and it’s pretty cool to see.”

Through 32.1 innings pitched, Sechrist sits at a 3.34 ERA — down from a 10.38 ERA he held earlier in the season.

“I walked into the locker room and I saw his name, and I was like, ‘Man, I would never think Zander would be the guy to be our Sunday guy,’” Moore said. “My two years here, he was a Tuesday guy. I’m so

proud of him and he’s doing stuff that I never thought he could do. So composed, so confident doing it. It’s just beautiful man. He worked so hard these last four years to get the job, and he’s running with it.”

Continuing to find ways to win

It was asked of Vitello on Saturday how nice it is to see the team pull out wins in a variety of ways.

“We’re adding different ways to a rolodex of ways to win games, which is nice,” Vitello said after Saturday. “You’ll take them any way you can get them.”

Sunday proved another instance. Similar to Saturday’s struggle with the bats, Tennessee put just two hits on the board through five innings of play.

“Just keep pushing forward,” Vitello said after Sunday. “Whatever cliche you want to tie to that but guys just kept moving in the right direction. Today it was about guys being ready to go physically and mentally.”

In the sixth, a challenge was faced that they did not have the day prior a tie game late in the affair.

With the score tied a half-inning prior,

Moore unloaded on a pitch as the leadoff man. His ball landed in the second deck of the porches, handing the Vols a 3-2 lead.

“I think it’s huge,” Moore said about being able to pull it out in close games. “I think you find out what type of team you are a lot throughout the season. This is one thing we can take with us and put in our backpack.”

The lead held, but more scores were added before the game hit a final. One of the key plays came when Ethan Payne pinchhit, placing a bunt and advancing both runners in the seventh inning.

Payne’s bunt paved the way for Moore’s second homer that put the Vols ahead by four runs.

“It adds to what we need to be able to do in different environments,” Vitello said. “The more ways you can find a way to score, the more complete your team is.”

Extra, extra Moore stepped up in a huge way on Sunday.

The Vols lacked any offense going into the latter half of the game. He changed the

course of the game all by himself, however.

With two home runs on the day, Moore now sits tied with Burke atop the career homer leaderboard in Tennessee history — both with 42.

“It’s always fun to be in this kind of situation,” Moore said. “But whoever wins, wins — or if we tie, I would like to tie just so no one has bragging rights.”

Zander Sechrist (48) pitches during a game against LSU at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday, April 14, 2024. Parker Phegley / The Daily Beacon

Why Los Angeles Sparks management chose Rickea Jackson with No. 4 pick

JACK CHURCH Assistant Sports Editor

Los Angeles head coach Curt Miller expects Rickea Jackson to make an immediate offensive impact.

Jackson was taken with the No. 4 selection in the WNBA Draft on Monday, two selections after the Sparks took Stanford’s Cameron Brink. The pair will look to help the Sparks improve from their ninth-place finish a season ago.

“I’ll argue with anyone that Rickea might be the best three-level scorer in this draft that was available early on,” Miller said. “So, while we talk a lot about rim protection and rebounding, the scoring and how they can play together was certainly part of the game plan.”

Brink and Jackson are the Sparks’ first topfour selections since they took Nneka Ogwumike with the No. 1 pick in 2012. For that reason, it was important for Los Angeles to make sure it got its draft picks right.

Sparks scouts went to several Tennessee games throughout the season. Their scouting efforts went beyond just attending games, as they also saw Jackson’s work ethic when fans weren’t in attendance.

“We did spend quite a bit of time in Knoxville, and not just watching games, but a part of our eye test was also to do our work on how they

prepared for the games,” Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley said. “We watched them in practices. We watched and found out as much information we could on how they value skill development.”

Jackson is the fourth and final Tennessee pick to have played for Kellie Harper, as she was fired April 1. Her development as a player came from both the Lady Vols and Mississippi State, where she spent her first three seasons.

Jackson also has national team experience.

She played for the United States in the 2023 AmeriCup, scoring a team-leading 14.6 points as Team USA won the silver medal.

Because of how she played with both the Lady Vols and Team USA, Pebley trusts Jackson to take on whatever role she is assigned.

“A pro is a player that can adapt their game to the system that they’re put into,” Pebley said. “That’s part of the evidence also of how versa-

tile that she is and the IQ that she is that she’s been able to adapt while still producing under what’s been asked of her.”

The 6-foot-2 forward created shots both in the mid-range and within the paint. She excelled in Tennessee’s scrimmage against the USA Women’s National Team, scoring a teamleading 15 points.

Jackson prides herself on her versatility. She mentioned it after her selection and plans to use her ability to play different positions from the moment she gets to the WNBA.

Once training camp begins, Miller will find out how Jackson best fits into his system.

“Until you really work with them to understand their versatility and where they best can be put in positions to be successful, you don’t quite know,” Miller said. “So, I can’t wait to tinker. I can’t wait to play with that.”

The Sparks are an organization that wants to win. Throughout the pre-draft process, Los Angeles was looking for players who emphasized a desire to be part of a successful franchise.

Jackson did just that.

“We listened specifically for the words winning and championships and competitiveness,” Pebley said. “This is an incredible market for women’s basketball. It’s an incredible market for professional athletes, but there’s an expectation and a desire that we have to have this be a culture of winning, and we wanted people that mirrored that innately.”

Rickea Jackson brings versatile skill set from Lady Vols basketball to Los Angeles

JACK CHURCH Assistant Sports Editor

When Rickea Jackson ended her career with Lady Vols basketball, she didn’t know what the draft process would look like.

“I thought you just show up to draft day and you kind of get drafted,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know if they even speak to you prior to the draft. Really crazy of me.”

Now, with the process complete, Jackson looks forward to a career beginning in Los Angeles, as the Sparks selected her with the fourth pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She will play alongside Rae Burrell, who signed a new contract during the offseason. Jackson is ready for the jump from the college game to professional basketball. She made a big transition five years ago and is ready to do so again.

“Probably the pace of the game,” Jackson said. “I feel like high school to college, it was a different pace, so I feel like it’s probably going to be that same thing in the league, going up against the world’s best players. I feel like that’s going to be pretty tough. But I’m excited for the challenge.”

Tennessee is no stranger to players mak-

ing the leap to the WNBA. Jackson is the 10th Lady Vol to be taken in the top five of the WNBA Draft and the fourth first-round pick in the last four seasons.

Lady Vol greats frequently come back to Knoxville, such as Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings. Both players excelled in college before taking a big step in the WNBA.

“I’m just grateful to have Candace come to our games sometimes, have Tamika Catchings, have Jordan Horston in my ear, and they continue to support me,” Jackson said. “Jordan texted me how much she was proud of me, texted me a little bit about the process. Tamika and I speak every now and then.”

Two picks before Jackson, the Sparks selected Stanford’s Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall selection. The two plan on forming a strong backcourt in Los Angeles after the departure of Nneka Ogwumike in free agency.

Jackson has the opportunity to make an immediate impact on the Sparks because of how many minutes are available on the young team.

“I’m so excited to play with Cam,” Jackson said. “We’re both competitive. We’re young. We’re feisty but we’re still going to bring that game offensively and defensively. I know if I get beat off the dribble, Cam is swatting it into the second row.”

Jackson has played several different positions for the Lady Vols, doing whatever she can to help Tennessee win. She improved her rebounding last season, going from 6.1 rebounds to 8.2 in her 2023-24 campaign.

The 6-foot-2 forward’s game translates to the pro level in her ability to create good shots and knock them down. Because of her quickness, the 6-foot-2 forward can make space for herself.

“I’m excited to bring my versatility, play at any position, taking advantage of where there’s a small guard on me or a bigger, slower player,” Jackson said. “I’m excited about that, and then I just want to work on getting in tip-top shape after the injury. My conditioning was in the game trying to get back.”

The Sparks are one of the most traditionrich franchises in the league. Los Angeles has won three WNBA championships, including the Parker-led title run in 2016. Coming into 2024, the Sparks have missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, the longest streak in franchise history.

Los Angeles is hungry to bring back the success they had with Ogwumike and Parker in the frontcourt. As they reload with Brink and Jackson, the Sparks are looking toward a strong future.

“I know they weren’t where they wanted

to be,” Jackson said. “Championships, everyone wants a championship. I feel like I’m just excited to be a part of this journey. I feel like we’re going to be really good, just looking at the roster itself. I’m just excited.”

Rickea Jackson (2) attempts a shot during a game against the University of Missouri at Food City Center. Sunday, Feb. 4, 2023. Cambree Gliessner / Contributor

Rickea Jackson (2) shoots against Team USA. Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Parker Phegley / The Daily Beacon

After Lady Vols career, Tye’sha Fluker excels in public schools in Massachusetts

JACK CHURCH Assistant Sports Editor

When Tye’sha Fluker started playing basketball in Pasadena, California, her coach showed her and her teammates a film about former Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt.

As she watched, she learned how Summitt ran her program, which had won six national championships at the time. Summitt ran a tight ship and always appeared to be tough on her players, even if that’s not how she was behind the scenes.

For that reason, Fluker never thought she would end up in Knoxville.

“Oh, there’s no way,” Fluker said. “I would never go there. That lady is too much. There is no way.”

During her time playing high school basketball, Fluker joined the West Coast AllStars team, which took her to a tournament in North Carolina. She started to get national recruiting attention, which led her to a choice between Tennessee and Connecticut. She ended up choosing the warmer of the two locations.

The 6-foot-5 center went to the Final Four three times and won either the SEC regular season or tournament championship in each of her four seasons.

Fluker learned in high school that playing for Summitt isn’t easy, but her coach’s approach paid off on the court.

“I didn’t appreciate the toughness while I was there, but definitely as an adult and as a mother myself, I can see it now and I can see it from a different perspective,” Fluker said. “Maybe she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and so that was her way of pulling it out of me.”

However, Summitt wasn’t only a tough leader. She deeply cared about her players beyond basketball and tried to be a welcoming figure in their lives.

Because Fluker was playing far from home, she appreciated having that presence with her in Knoxville.

“I thought I was a hard time, but I also had the motherly side of it, too, if that makes sense,” Fluker said. “People looked at Pat. They saw her look on the screen — they saw the toughness that she portrayed when they were watching it or in the gym with us, but the part that they didn’t see as often was the motherly side.”

Summitt emphasized academics. She always made her players sit in the first few rows in class, and to this day, every player who finished their eligibility has graduated and signed the graduation pole in the locker room.

Fluker was no exception. She earned SEC All-Academic honors three times and was

named to the SEC Community Service team in 2005. Now a mother, she tries to pass down the lessons she learned from Summitt to her own children.

“You don’t realize until you’re an actual adult. Even with my own kids, I can see now that I’m able to get to where I am today because of those rules Pat put in place because of those things that were important to her,” Fluker said.

Fluker was chosen with the 10th selection in the 2006 WNBA draft, going to the Charlotte Sting. She played for four different teams in her three-season WNBA career, playing 78 games and scoring 186 career points. Then, it was time to move on in her career.

Summitt has name value outside the women’s basketball world. Employers recognize the value of going through a four-year program with her, and that makes a difference when looking for jobs.

“I’ve had really cool things that have come from it,” Fluker said. “I’ve had people, I put it on my applications. Even when I got out of college, a rental manager was like, ‘Oh, you played for Pat Summitt?’ You’re in.’”

After college, Fluker’s employer paid for her graduate degree, allowing her to move further in her career. She then started her journey into public education, beginning in California before moving to Massachusetts.

That wouldn’t have been possible without the emphasis Summitt put on education, which has allowed her to succeed in her career.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have free education, to be able to pursue the career that I want,” Fluker said, “from the simple fact that I went somewhere where somebody actually cared about me as a woman, not just me as the basketball player.”

Fluker moved to Massachusetts to start a family in 2017. Now, Fluker finds herself working in Scituate Public Schools, a district of six schools and 2,745 students ranging from preschool to high school. She started as the director of human resources in October, trying to move closer to her home in Fall River, about 40 miles away.

When she applied, Superintendent Bill Burkhead recognized Fluker’s unique talents in human resources.

“Ty was head and shoulders above the other applicants just in knowledge, her skill set, her experience, but also as important to us is her character and her ability to problem solve and think on her feet,” Burkhead said. “Just intelligent and articulate and with a good vision for the program for us.”

Fluker’s experience comes from a long career in public schools, including jobs in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. She brought that experience with her to her new position.

Even after just six months in the role, Fluker is already improving her new school district’s processes. She has conducted hires and made those searches easier for other employees. Her presence has improved the jobs of others in her short time in Scituate.

“Improving processes and streamlining things to make things easier for everyone that is time wastes for everyone has made people’s lives easier, and also her personality as well,” Burkhead said. “She’s approachable, she’s a hard worker and all those things have been very productive in the short time she’s been here.”

Similarly, Fluker appreciates Scituate’s public school department. Although her original motive was to come closer to home, Fluker has found a place where she can excel.

“I think I made the best decision I could have made. It’s everyone. I found them to be very respectful, very appreciative of my skill set, which means a lot,” Fluker said.

Fluker certainly has a unique set of experiences for her role. She played college and professional basketball, learning from one of the best leaders in the sport’s history. As she developed her career, she moved from California to Massachusetts, two completely different locations and cultures.

Fluker never thought she would play for Summitt as a high schooler. Now, 18 years after graduating, she uses the lessons Summitt taught her daily.

“It’s having that team-oriented, team skill set mentality has helped me get to where I am,” Fluker said. “I think I have a set of soft skills that you can’t teach because of playing ball and playing for Pat, things that she taught us that just come naturally to me that going through that program that you don’t just see everywhere.”

Pat Summitt coaches Tye’sha Fluker during a game. Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics