Wednesday, April 26, 2023

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ABOUT THE COVER: Griffin Merritt (10) celebrates after hitting a homerun against Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday April 23, 2023. Ericksen VilledaGomez / The Daily Beacon

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Gov. Lee signs executive order on firearm purchases

CAITLIN MULQUEEN Staff Writer

On March 27, the deadliest school shooting in Tennessee state history took nine lives at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, just a few hours’ drive from campus and where many Vols call home. In the days following the massacre, Gov. Bill Lee outlined a budget proposal of $140 million to fund armed guards in schools, monitoring threats and providing behavioral contacts in schools.

Gov. Lee would not discuss any plan for or against gun reform.

However, Tuesday, April 11, Gov. Lee signed an executive order “enhancing protective procedures for the purchase of firearms.” The order will act as an effort to stop firearms from getting into that possession of “those intending to cause harm to themselves or others.”

The move to strengthen firearm laws comes amid increasing concerns about gun violence in the state following The Covenant School mass shooting, as well as rising political tension following the expulsion of Tennessee State Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones and attempted expulsion of Rep. Gloria Johnson after the Democratic representatives participated in a protest on the House floor, advocating for gun reform.

Gov. Lee’s order cites The Covenant School mass shooting in Nashville as a catalyst for his action.

“Recent tragedies in Nashville and throughout our nation have demonstrated the devastating impact of firearms possession by those intending to cause harm to themselves or others and underscore the need for more effective instant background checks,” Gov. Lee wrote in the executive order.

Following the order, a system will be enacted in the state of Tennessee called the Tennessee Instant Check System. This system will be overseen by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The order directs the TBI to enhance the state’s background check system for gun purchases. The order will also aid in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System by introducing more data sources and improving information sharing with other states being used for conducting background checks in the process of firearm sales. Other states have dubbed these “red flag laws.”

In addition to this, Gov. Lee outlined the necessity of examining the current method of purchasing firearms. TBI will be required to conduct compressive reviews of its current system to locate areas that need improvement, finding barriers that would prevent accurate and timely reporting of the required information in the background checks. Gov. Lee stated the existing process for purchasing a firearm may only work “when there is accurate and

timely information that’s available.”

“When there is a clear need for action, I think that we have an obligation to remind people that we should set aside politics and pride and accomplish something that the people of Tennessee want to get accomplished,” Gov. Lee said in a news conference at the Metro Nashville Department’s Midtown Hills Precinct, following a meeting with law enforcement.

The order will require a 72-hour period for updating criminal activity and court mental health information TICS. Licensed firearms dealers will be required to conduct background checks on all buyers in both public and private sales. There will be an additional duty for the TBI to create public awareness campaigns to educate the public of Tennessee on the potential risk of gun violence.

“This is our moment to lead and give the people of Tennessee what they deserve,” Gov. Lee said at a police precinct in Nashville.

The order of the Republican governor made waves on social media.

“I am glad he is finally doing something (it’s not enough), but it’s because it finally personally affected him. His wife’s best friend was murdered at Covenant,” a Twitter user with the handle @koogieman tweeted under The Tennessean’s breaking news post.

Similar commentary sparked after Gov. Lee revealed Cindy Peak, one of the victims teaching at The Covenant School, was a friend of his wife.

Another user under the handle @SocialObserverx said “I moved to (Tennessee) for more freedom, not red flag laws!”

In the White House’s Sunday press statement, President Joe Biden expressed praise for Gov. Lee’s move.

“I commend Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for signing an Executive Order to expand background checks and calling on the Tennessee statehouse to pass a red flag law,” President Biden said. “I hope more Republican officials will follow suit and take action.”

Gov. Lee also called for lawmakers to pass an order of protection law to make additional regulations to keep guns out of the hands of people who present a danger to society.

“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law,” Gov. Lee said, speaking to Nashville media. “A new, strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population.”

“I do believe we should get it done during this session,” Gov. Lee said.

Bill Lee speaks about education and the improvement of rural Tennessee at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.

File / The Daily Beacon

Daniya Hill (’25) remembered for her compassion, strength

ABBIE SMITH Staff Writer

On April 11, a member of the University of Tennessee family, Daniya Hill, passed away following a months long battle with cancer. Hill was 19 years old and a sophomore at UT when she passed. She grew up in the Knoxville area, attending West High School, where she was a cheerleader. She is survived by many of her family, friends and peers. A funeral service was held on April 15 at Cokesbury North United Methodist Church in Hill’s memory.

Hill was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2022 and despite treatment, the cancer progressed. Hill is remembered fondly by her friends.

“Daniya was loved by just about everyone. Not only that, but Daniya loved her friends and community with all of her heart. She was a die hard Vol and West High Rebel,” Emily Whitfield, a freshman at the University of Georgia studying advertising and close friend of Hill’s, said. She, like Hill, grew up in the Knoxville area.

Whitfield and other friends remember Hill as a thoughtful, sweet, loving and caring person. She was positive, kind and always made others feel appreciated and loved. She had the ability to make anyone laugh and any time spent with her was a good time.

“She was hands down my favorite person

to be around. She brought light into every room and every situation. She made the hard days easier and the good days better,” Whitfield added.

Hill was the kind of person who people loved to be around no matter the situation. She was especially close to some of her friends that she made through cheer in high school, such as Sophie Shymlock, a current freshman at UT studying sports management.

“The compassion she had for her friends is unlike anything I’ve ever known,” Shymlock said. “She loved her friends so much. She was loyal, honest and loving to everyone that encountered her. She is strong and encouraging. Her laugh is contagious and her smile is so beautiful. She truly lit up every room she walked in and she will be missed by everyone so deeply.”

Hill’s strength and resilience is admired by all of those who encountered her. This is evident because of the numerous Instagram posts, comments and stories about Hill from those who knew her following her death. The outpouring of love for Hill on social media truly demonstrates the love and respect she received from her peers.

The same outpouring of support can be seen on the GoFundMe page that Hill’s family started in December to help raise funds for

Hill’s medical bills. Over $25,000 was raised in this fundraiser and those who donated clearly felt as though Hill deserved the best medical care possible.

Her passing is something that has affected her friends and family greatly, though they knew that Hill would have wanted them to continue living their lives to the fullest.

“She will be missed by all her friends, family, and community,” Whitfield said. “However, she wanted us all to continue on for her and celebrate her life.”

Daniya Hill (‘25) died on April 11 after a battle with cancer. She is remembered by friends as someone who “brought light into every room.” Courtesy of Emily Whitfield

“Daniya was loved by just about everyone. Not only that, but Daniya loved her friends and community with all of her heart. She was a die hard Vol and West High Rebel.”

EMILY WHITFIELD Friend

SGA ushers in new executive team, reflects on successes

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Managing Editor

On April 18, the 2022-23 SGA executive administration passed down the torch as the newly elected top four executive members took oaths of office in a ceremony honoring the successes of the organization over the past year.

SGA’s Commit campaign recently swept elections as students chose Mark Hancock, Lindsey Campbell, Mary Hajdik and Josie Drumwright to serve as student body president, student body vice president, executive treasurer and student services director, respectively.

The transition ceremony marked the end of 2022-23 Student Body President Jordan Brown’s tenure and ushered in a new term led by Hancock and his team. Hancock previously served as Brown’s vice president.

Throughout the ceremony, SGA members and UT faculty emphasized the way this year’s SGA has worked to create change on campus and come up with new ideas for improving campus life. With the Vice Chancellor of Student Life Frank Cuevas and Dean of Students Byron Hughes present at the event, attendees also stressed the way this year’s SGA has worked closely with administration.

“The undergrad student experience de-

pends on us being in tandem with each other and being tuned into the wants and needs that lead to the increased success and wellbeing for each student,” Hughes said. “Our outgoing SGA leadership team has done just that over the past year.”

In her final address as student body president, Jordan Brown reflected on her team’s work over the past year, stating how she feels they’ve fulfilled the pillars of embrace, engage and energize that the Evolve campaign ran on last spring.

“When I walked on this campus as a freshman I would have never expected a campus this big becoming a place where I did not feel like a small fish in a big pond,” Brown said. “But our administration built a foundation within SGA so no student would feel that way.”

In his inaugural address, Hancock echoed Brown’s priorities of connecting more with campus, bringing up Commit’s pillars of inspire, unify and reputation. He looks forward to continuing the prior administration’s legacy on campus with a new executive cabinet.

“In this new chapter, SGA will be committed to all students,” Hancock said. “In this new chapter, SGA will be committed to UT.”

While looking forward to the future of SGA, Hancock also looked back on his tenure as vice president and the impact the club made through legislation and engagement.

“We had numerous accomplishments and were able to expand SGA beyond what it has been in recent years,” Hancock said.

Those accomplishments throughout the year were discussed and recognized through awards at the ceremony.

This year’s undergraduate student senate passed ten bills, three resolutions and three proclamations under the leadership of Hancock, who as vice president served as president of senate, and Leah Gutzwiller, a senior engineering major and senate chairwoman.

Gutzwiller highlighted some key legislation from the year including moves to replant the Alex Haley tree, make game day more accessible for students with disabilities, improve academic advising, create an all-female workout space in TRECS and aid in parking difficulties through improving the Volunteer Life app.

SGA awarded the Outstanding Member of the Year award to Nik Dalton, a junior political science major who ran against Hancock for student body president this year with The Volunteer’s Union campaign.

The ceremony also honored the work of SGA’s judicial branch, as Brown announced the creation of a new award named after 2020-23 Associate Justice Devin Majors, a graduating UT law student.

Other members awarded at the event include Elliot Tillman as student services member of

the year, Eva Karnowski as Jimmy Cheek Visionary Award recipient, Jada Laws as executive cabinet member of the year and Juliet Gear as outstanding executive board member of the year. Members of First-Year Leadership Council Connor Fox and Miller Clark received the Philip A. Scheurer Leadership Award and outstanding first-year leadership council member of the year.

Title IX Town Hall addresses annual report, Vol Voices survey results

topics on the docket included the office’s annual report and findings from the Vol Voices survey conducted last year.

Local organizations and campus partners were also present at the event, including representatives from the Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee, the Knoxville Family Justice Center and the Center for Health Education and Wellness.

The town hall opened with a look into anticipated changes to Title IX policy. In the summer of 2022, the Biden administration proposed a number of changes to Title IX, including altering the response process following a violation report. These changes are now anticipated to be finalized in May and will go into effect during the fall 2023 semester.

The office also presented their annual report, which can also be accessed online through the office’s website.The report covers data from January 2022 to December 2022 and focuses on the preventative and supportive measures the office undertakes throughout the year, in addition to numbers relating to violation reports.

“About half of the report really focuses on the prevention and education that’s done in collaboration with campus and community partners,” Laura Bryant, deputy Title IX coordinator for prevention, training and evaluation, said.

She especially drew attention to cooperation with the Office of Sorority and Fraternity

Life and the Center for Health Education and Wellness.

One trend of note in the report included a rise in the number of concerns reported, although these reports also covered individuals who approached Title IX for issues not connected to the university. Incidents between strangers remain rare, with the overwhelming majority of incidents involving people who are somehow acquainted.

“Oftentimes, people make the assumption that sexual assault or sexual violence is done by an unknown person,” Ashley Blamey, UT’s Title IX coordinator, said. “But the reality for most of our campus and our community is that all these interpersonal violence events happen between parties that know each other.”

“The idea of ‘harm by a stranger’ is incredibly rare in this population,” Blamey said.

The second part of the town hall was devoted to the Vol Voices surveys, which were administered during the 2021-22 academic year. This was the first time since 2017 that the university had conducted a study on sexual violence experiences amongst its student body and employees. Vol Voices constituted a larger and more in-depth study, and Blamey expressed hopes of organizing an even bigger survey later down the line.

There was one version for students and another that was sent out to faculty and staff. Participation was quite limited: less than 10%

of students and around 15% of faculty and staff ended up submitting responses.

“We knew that there might be challenges in getting participation rates,” Blamey said. “People are likely over-surveyed, and they often do wonder what happens to the data.”

Blamey acknowledged that the topics surveyed were heavy and personal, which may have further alienated people from participating. Nonetheless, she said the office was satisfied with the rates, especially since no special incentives were offered for participating. Responses from the survey will be used to further inform and influence Title IX policy and education on campus.

“When we started this process, we wanted the opportunity to inform policy, to shape our prevention and the systems for targeted interventions,” Blamey said.

Other topics discussed include amnesty policies and how to file a Title IX report without getting police involved. These were covered by representatives of campus partners and community organizations.

For more information about the Office of Title IX, visit their website. The office is hosting many other events throughout the month of April in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which can all be found on the UT events calendar.

The Office of Title IX hosted their spring town hall on Wednesday afternoon. Major

AURORA SILAVONG Staff Writer

2022-23 Student Body President Jordan Brown and newly elected 2023-24 Student Body President Mark Hancock embrace after Hancock takes the oath of office on April 19. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon

Ashley Blamey, coordinator of the Office of Title IX, sits by a collection of resources for students at an office hours event. Ericksen Gomez-Villeda / The Daily Beacon

MEDIC to host final blood drive of year on April 28 at Hodges

MEDIC, located on Ailor Avenue just minutes from campus, was founded in 1958 by Dr. Carl Nelson as an independent, non-profit supplier based on volunteer donations.

MEDIC Regional Blood Center, which provides blood to 22 regional community hospitals including the UT Medical Center and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, will host its final on-campus blood drive at Hodges Library on Friday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The center, an accredited member of the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers, is currently experiencing a period of high demand from the hospitals it services. Chris Phipps, donor engagement coordinator for MEDIC, said hosting blood drives on campus is “extremely vital” to securing the future of donation, especially since the average age of a blood donor is 55 years old.

Phipps said the center has had a successful year on campus.

“So far this school year, we’ve collected more than 1,200 units of blood from students at UT, which has been our highest turnout in the past five years,” Phipps said. “We hope this last drive will continue the success and the campus continue to show the volunteer spirit going forward.”

Students who donate will receive a free T-shirt and coupons to local restaurants. In order to make an appointment, students can visit www.tndonor.org or can walk-in on the bus, though walk-ins may experience a small wait time.

Students can start preparing to donate

blood a few days prior to visiting the bus. Increasing hydration in the days leading up to donation opens up veins, making the process smoother. Donors should also take care to eat a good meal before donating, which helps decrease the chance of reactions like dizziness, nausea or lightheadedness.

Phipps said the group is looking for certain blood types in particular to help patients at regional hospitals.

“We have remained in an almost critically low stock of type A and O blood since early March,” Phipps said. “As soon as its collected and processed, the blood is almost immediately taken from our shelf and to a patient in need.”

Students who would like to donate must go through a brief screening process including questions on medical and travel history, in order to confirm eligibility for donation. Donors must weigh at least 115 pounds, a minimum that reduces the risk of complications.

MEDIC provides incentives to students throughout the year, including over the summer for those staying in the Knoxville area. According to Phipps, in addition to its regular incentives for the summer, MEDIC plans to have a special incentive for college students who donate and show a valid student I.D. during the summer. An announcement with more specifics about summer incentives will be made soon.

MEDIC Regional Blood Center will host its final blood drive of the year on Friday, April 28 at Hodges Library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Courtsey of MEDIC Regional Blood Center

Coachella 2023: Review from a UT student

This past weekend, I crossed something off my bucket list that I’ve wanted to do for years. I flew across the country from Tennessee to Palm Springs, California and attended my first Coachella Music Festival.

I saw dozens of artists and felt that the lineup this year was very diverse. Latin artists, K-pop bands, alternative musicians and even artists who have taken a performing hiatus, all gathered to the desert hub for a backto-back weekend performance.

As someone who mostly listens to rap and hip-hop, there weren’t a ton of my favorite artists going, but I also figured it would be a good time to explore some new genres and attend performances of people I wouldn’t normally listen to.

On Friday, the first day of the festival, artist Bad Bunny was headlining. Before heading to his set, I saw artists Blink-182, Metro Boomin, YungBlood and Two Friends. To start the day off, I headed to the alternative artist YungBlood. He has several songs with popular artist Machine Gun Kelly, and is known for breaking gender role norms. I’m familiar with a lot of his music, but sadly he didn’t do

many of his well-known songs. The 45-minute set consisted of songs across his latest albums but lacked his best-selling tracks. I was a bit underwhelmed to say the least.

Next up, I saw Blink-182 who added a surprise performance at the last minute. They performed for over an hour and sang classics like “All The Small Things” and “I Miss You.” They gathered quite the crowd and gave a performance even those unfamiliar with the band could enjoy. “Two Friends,” a DJ duo,

gave a crowd-jumping performance and even brought out pop singer Bebe Rexha. This was one of the most fun shows of the weekend and attracted tens of thousands of festival goers.

Up next and my favorite set of the night, I headed to Metro Boomin. The rap producer had a movie-like introduction, props galore and plenty of backup dancers. What really set him apart from the rest however, was that he brought out five surprise artists during his set. Future, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, 21 Savage and Diddy all came out during Boomin’s performance which made headlines nationwide. I got to see six of my favorite artists rather than just the one I was expecting, and I will remember the performance forever.

Finally, to end the night, I went to headliner Bad Bunny. I don’t speak Spanish and don’t know many of his songs, but he gave one hell of a performance. His set was expected to be 45 minutes, but he played for over two hours and brought out other Latin artists and even Post Malone. The singer spoke about Latin music culture and the effect it’s had on him as well – featuring salsa dancers, Latin clothing and props. It was a phenomenal performance and experience.

Saturday and Sunday, I jumped around different performances both at the festival and other events around Palm Springs. I saw one of my favorite pop singers Renee Rapp at a local hotel, Diplo at a private party and of course some more amazing artists at the festival. Out of all the performances I saw Saturday, including The Kid Laroi and headliners BLACKPINK, Labrinth was my favorite. The soul/R&B artist gave a moving performance and even brought out pop legend Billie Eilish for a duet of their new song. His performance had different levels, dynamics and lights which brought the performance to life even more.

Sunday was the most anticipated day due to Frank Ocean’s first performance in years. People were camped out for his 10:05 p.m. set

starting at 9 a.m., with news coverage all day. I, too, lined up extremely early and missed several other artists I wanted to see to ensure I had a good spot for Ocean. Soon after his set started, I realized all my prep wasn’t worth it. Sadly, the most hyped-up performance of the weekend didn’t live up to its expectations at all.

Ocean came on over an hour late and sat on the gigantic stage in a spot that was very difficult for the crowd to see. He barely moved and sang very few popular songs. Rather than performing some of his most famous tunes, he DJ’d them in a mashup and showed footage of a security guard dancing, rather than singing them himself and having the camera focus on his performance.

After barely giving any type of performance, an hour into his set he stated it was past curfew and that was the end of the show. The stage immediately went dark but a majority of fans including myself figured he must be kidding or that some sort of encore would follow. To my shock and dismay, he did not return to the stage and staff forced us to leave the venue. I was so frustrated that one of my favorite artists, and someone I waited all day to see, didn’t even care about giving a performance. It was beyond disappointing and definitely not a great way to end the weekend.

Although Frank Ocean’s performance was quite the disappointment, I don’t regret attending Coachella one bit. It was amazing being around so many other music lovers, seeing all the fashion, eating amazing food and experiencing new genres. It was one of the best weekends of my life, and I’m so grateful for having the opportunity to go.

LEAH HIBBERT Staff Writer

Frank Ocean’s highly anticipated perfromance was cut short due to time delays. Leah Hibbert / The Daily Beacon

Bad Bunny’s set at Coachella 2023. Leah Hibbert / The Daily Beacon

K-pop Dance Association brings students together

Staff Writer

Korean pop music – also known as “K-pop” –is a worldwide phenomenon with its own unique culture, language and etiquette separate from traditional Korean culture.

A core component of K-pop is the elaborate choreography that often accompanies the music, and many of the dances have crossed into mainstream western pop culture through social media like TikTok. One student organization at UT is dedicated to expanding K-pop dance in the community.

The Korean Pop Dance Association was formed in the fall of 2022 by members of UT’s Korean Pop Appreciation Association who had a particular interest in dance.

Team members cited difficulties meeting new people during and after the COVID-19 pandemic as a foundational reason for forming the group. They decided to form the group as a way to find likeminded friends while also partaking in a beloved hobby.

“I personally decided to join because I love dancing and always wanted to do K-pop dance covers,” Alexandra Crowder, junior forensic anthropology major and KPDA president, said.

Founding member and junior social work major Hermie Forgue echoed Crowder’s sentiment.

“I joined KPDA because I have been a fan of Kpop since 2016,” Forgue said. “I have also enjoyed dancing since I was a little kid. After meeting people who had similar interests as me, I decided to be

one of the founding members of KPDA.”

“Because of COVID, I was online, and I did not have a lot of people that I knew at UTK,” Jennie Kim, sophomore psychology major and KPDA vice president, said. “This is the first ever group that I joined after coming to UTK, and I decided to join to make friends and dance.”

Kim, who is Korean, says this was also an opportunity to honor her heritage.

“I joined this group because I am Korean, and I want to have pride in my culture,” Kim said.

The group practices twice a week at TRECS and at the Humanities and Social Sciences building. All UT students are welcome to join the team, regardless of experience level.

“We did a lot of social media recruiting through our Instagram page and got a lot of newcomers,” Crowder said. “A lot of people were hesitant at first, but we explained to them that anyone can join no matter what experience they have.”

Member Chelsea Chan, a senior majoring in public relations, says inexperience does not matter as long as one is dedicated.

“Anyone can join us, as long as they have a heart for dancing and willing to spend their time to practice,” Chan said.

So far, the team has done a few public performances, including placing second at the International House’s International Dance Competition on March 31. They are currently preparing for their spring showcase, which will be held at the James R. Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building on April 20 from 7-9 p.m.

For more information about KPDA and KPAA, be sure to visit their Instagram pages @kpda.utk and @kpaa.utk.

Week of 4/24/23 - 4/30/23

The Weekly Crossword

by Margie E. Burke

Members of Korean Pop Dance Association after placing second place at the International Dance Competition. Courtesy of Korean Pop Dance Association

Lizzo brings message of inclusivity, and a few drag queens, to Volapalooza

ALLIE CAMPBELL Contributor

On Friday, Rocky Top welcomed four-time Grammy award winning pop sensation Lizzo to Thompson Boling Arena. Lizzo is the biggest name to headline Volapalooza, hosted by the Campus Events Board, in its over 20 year history. She brought the party to UT as a stop on her “The Special 2our” alongside pop singer Latto.

Lizzo opened with a dramatic entrance to her hit “The Sign” with fitting first lyrics: “Did you miss me?” Her glittery green bodysuit set the tone for the rest of the eccentric night.

Lizzo’s “The Special 2our” is centered around positivity and self love. She told the audience to say to themselves, “I love you, you’re beautiful and you can do anything.” This led into the title song from her album, “Special.”

As an artist accustomed to taking political stances, Lizzo confided with the crowd that some people online told her she should not perform in Tennessee following the expulsion of two lawmakers – Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson –from the state legislature and a new law targeting public drag performances.

However, she said she felt that the state needed a performance now more than ever.

“I want all of Tennessee to feel this love,” Lizzo said.

She serenaded a girl in the crowd for her birthday, as well as called out people in the very back of the stadium. She also made a point to stand up for women’s rights by saying “My body, my choice” followed by a dramatic display of flowers and butterflies projected on her nude bodysuit to show the power and beauty of a woman’s body.

Hits like “Soulmate” and “Phone” had the whole arena on their feet. Several UT faculty members even made an appearance, including Will Jennings, distinguished lecturer of political science.

“Lizzo brought tons of energy to Volapalooza. She carefully crafted the concert to be a support group for those feeling beaten down by misogyny, a political rally for reproductive rights and a coaching clinic by Lizzo on her tireless mission to have everyone love themselves,” Jennings said.

UT freshman Sophie Roark said that the concert was “empowering and supportive for all the girls in the room.”

Lizzo brought a diverse set of special guests

throughout her performance. The first was a video appearance from Cardi B where she virtually sang her solo in Lizzo’s song “Rumors.”

Following that, she welcomed a group of drag queens all dressed in the colors of the rainbow to parade down the stage as a part of her message of inclusivity. Third, and what may be the most surprising of them all, she brought Elmo to the stage. As to not upset Elmo, the rest of her song, “Good as Hell,” was censored to be PG.

The singer-songwriter also showcased her shapewear line proving that she really does it all. A video of models of all different sizes sporting her line emphasized the size inclusivity of her brand. She stated that she “decided to take on the challenge of allowing women to feel unapologetically good about themselves again.”

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Lizzo concert without her iconic flute solos. Her flute, named “Sasha Flute,” graced the arena with its presence several times. Its entrance was almost as dramatic as Lizzo’s when it rose from the stage on a sparkly silver stand. Sasha Flute even has an Instagram account with over 14 times the number of followers as people in the arena on Friday.

She addressed the Nashville shooting and said

Madelyn Stone / The Daily Beacon

that she wanted to create a space for people to feel comfortable enough to have a release. She encouraged the audience to continue to stand up for themselves, their rights and to hold others accountable.

During her final song “It’s About Damn Time,” a giant disco ball descended from the ceiling and lit the already vibrant room up even more. The arena echoed with the sound of every person in the arena shouting every word back at her.

“And in case nobody told you today, you’re special,” Lizzo said.

Office of Sustainability hosts Earth Day Festival to celebrate the environment

Becca Cooper said.

Frisbees flying, music bumping, free plants and T-shirts - what more could a college student want on a beautiful day in April? On Wednesday, the Office of Sustainability partnered with the Campus Events Board for their annual Earth Day Festival at the Student Union Plaza. The festival is one of the many events that is part of the Earth Week celebration, happening from April 17-22.

The Student Union Plaza housed a sea of booths spanning from on-campus organizations to local Knoxville businesses and nature preserves. CJ’s Taco Truck was on site as a food option, and the university’s college radio station, WUTK 90.3 The Rock, provided music for the event.

They were also offering out stickers to whoever wanted one. Students were free to wander from table to table, taking free handouts and participating in various games and activities for prizes.

VOLS 2 VOLS, a peer education program within the Center of Health Education and Wellness, was present at the festival in the most ornate of booth set-ups. Rather than a simple table or E-Z Up canopy like the rest of the event’s participants, the VOLS 2 VOLS

program set up shop in a pavilion made up of PVC pipes and draped signage and was urging passersby to stop for a free water bottle. Sunglasses and frisbees were also up for grabs, but only if students were willing to spin their wheel and answer a question re-

lated to sustainability and the environment.

“Usually ... the prizes get a lot of people to come and even though the questions aren’t that hard, it kind of gets them to think about it (the environment) and bring awareness to it for sure,” VOLS 2 VOLS Health Educator

UT RecSports also hosted a booth alongside Outdoor Pursuits, UTOP, where students could not only find out information regarding equipment rentals on campus, but also had the opportunity to have their bikes worked on, courtesy of the on-site bike shop.

Senior nutrition major Ella Grace Lowrance was wowed by the portable bike tools.

“Of course, they have this shop out on the day that I don’t ride my bike to class, but I think it’s really cool that they can fix anyone’s right here and right now,” Lowrance said. “It also encourages people to ride their bikes to school as a form of exercise and it’s better for the environment. This whole event has given me so many ideas for places to go on nice weekends. I’m glad so many people showed up this afternoon.”

Other organizations and businesses present at the Earth Day Festival included UT Gardens, Mast General Store, Big Orange Pantry and Ijams Nature Center, with several of them giving away other rewards like cutting boards and succulents. The next event on the Earth Week roster will be a sustainable fashion show on Thursday, April 20 from 6-8 p.m. with the Office of Sustainability having an array of thrifted and handmade clothing items on display at the HSS plaza.

Lizzo performs in Thompson Boling Arena for Volapalooza 2023 on a stop of “The Special 2our.”

REAGAN DESOTO Staff Writer

The Student Union Plaza housed a sea of booths spanning from on-campus organizations to local Knoxville businesses and nature preserves for Earth Day Festival on April 19. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

East Tennessee Maverick: Disastrous legislative session ends

judge Thomas Parker for being “unconstitutionally vague.” Parker’s words show how poorly written many of the GOP laws have been, and the legal consequences thereof.

The 2023 session of the Tennessee General Assembly will go down as one of the worst in state history.

Time and time again, our state legislature made national and international news for its constant harmful actions. Surely, this body will be known as the destructive session. From January to April, inaction, abuse of power and lack of morals showed this Republican supermajority for what it was: corrupt governance.

This General Assembly session can be roughly divided into two halves. The first half was an unhealthy conservative focus on culture war issues. The second was the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting and the expulsions of the Tennessee Three.

Instead of focusing on our state’s continuing areas of poverty, the foster crisis at the Tennessee DCS or simply underpaid teachers, the first half of the session was dedicated to the Republican supermajority’s obsession with social issues.

The very first bill filed was the state GOP’s broad blanket ban on gender-affirming care for minors, putting an already vulnerable population even more at risk. Another early bill was the Republican ban on so-called “obscene” drag shows in public or where a child might see them. Both laws have rightfully drawn national condemnation, including from the White House, for being conservative crackdowns on what they dislike and for not focusing on Tennessee’s real issues.

Also early in the year was the wrongful, brutal death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of policemen in Memphis. Despite our state once again drawing the national spotlight, Republicans did not even consider police reform. Nichols’ death has now largely shared the fate of so many African Americans killed in this past decade – time passed, and leaders swept it under the rug.

The Republican-led legislature did add a few abortion exceptions to the state’s extreme trigger law. The new exceptions allow for abortions in case of ectopic and molar pregnancies, as well as when a doctor uses “reasonable medical judgment” to save the life of the woman or prevent permanent damage. Gov. Lee has yet to sign it and, if not, it will become law without his signature on April 29. However, there are two important asterisks to these narrow legal exceptions. First, Republicans knowingly passed the law in 2019 without exceptions and believed it would not have to go into effect. Second, there are still no exceptions for rape or incest. Why? Because state GOP members voted against them this session, forcing traumatized rape victims to carry to term. Both acts by Republicans are sickening and unconscionable.

State Republicans waged a relentless attack on Nashville in retaliation for the city not wanting the 2024 RNC, and the simple fact that its citizens elect local liberal representation. The GOP attempted to throw this year’s local elections into chaos by voting to cut the Nashville Metro Council in half. Once again the laughably awful bill writing was met with retribution in court, allowing Nashville to keep its number of representatives for this cycle.

The GOP also attempted to seize control of the Music City Convention Center’s funding and the local aviation and sports authority boards. All of these have been long-standing locally controlled institutions. Republicans destroyed their “party of small government” façade, showing they will overreach and abuse their power to attack liberal cities and their citizens.

brief protest on the House floor to call for the stop of children being massacred in our schools, Speaker Cameron Sexton and House Republicans chose to punish them with the nuclear option. Then the flood gates opened. Even larger protests demanded justice for the “Tennessee Three.” The GOP voted to expel two young Black lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, while narrowly allowing Gloria Johnson to stay. This is despite the fact that there is no precedent in the entire state’s history of expulsion for simple rules infractions.

not pass a single bill regulating gun access –even for those who threaten to do harm. In fact, the GOP passed a law to shield gun manufacturers and dealers from liability. The act of putting a purist Second Amendment mindset over the bodies of schoolchildren is only one thing: evil. Gov. Lee has called for a special session to discuss red flag laws and other measures, but they are not likely to pass.

The ACLU is currently challenging the antitrans health bill in court, while the drag bill is still blocked by Trump-appointed federal

The clear split in legislative events happened on March 27, when a shooter with two AR-15s and a pistol slaughtered three students and three school staff at The Covenant School School in Nashville. Hundreds and hundreds of protestors, mainly students, descended on the State Capitol for several days in a righteous uproar to demand schools be safe from assault-style weapons. Instead of listening to the desperate pleas of students, teachers and even moms from Covenant, state Republicans launched themselves into a political sideshow in a disastrous attempt at distraction.

After three Democratic lawmakers led a

Both have been reinstated by their local governments, and both national and international condemnation slammed state Republicans. This poor political maneuvering has forever stained Tennessee’s reputation and revealed the true nature of the GOP. They showed their willingness to use authoritarian abuse of power to attempt and silence young, Black voices that disagree with them. But they failed.

The regular session ended on April 21 without addressing the main cause that allowed for the Covenant shooting, civilian access to military-grade guns. State Republicans did

Thus ends one of the most wicked regular sessions in Tennessee history. I was not even able to touch on the multiple Republican lawmaker scandals, such as Speaker Sexton’s apparent corruption, and the shameful resignation of Republican caucus vice chair, Scotty Campbell, due to sexual harassment violations.

All of this plainly shows a trend in our state. Republicans do not have the best interests of their constituents in mind, and clearly do not want to govern correctly. They ignore real issues and crises to focus on culture wars and don’t care to crack down on citizens who disagree. Next time there is a state election, think twice about which party has their priorities set – and who really cares for you.

WALKER KINSLER Columnist

Protestors gather for gun reform from the gallery of the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville. Courtesy of Walker Kinsler

Columnist Walker Kinsler stands with Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis in the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville. Courtesy of Walker Kinsler

Baseball win over Vanderbilt brought confidence, unity to struggling team

ANDREW PETERS Sports Editor

Griffin Merritt was still out of breath more than 10 minutes after Tennessee’s win over Vanderbilt Friday night.

The graduate transfer had just hit the biggest home run of his career at Tennessee — a walk-off homer that won the Vols game one of the series in extra innings — and he was still running off the adrenaline of celebrating the moment with his teammates.

Merritt knew the win wasn’t just an exciting victory over an in-state rival. He knew what the win meant for a team that has been limping through its season so far.

“We needed something like this,” Merritt said. “I’m happy I could play a role in that. In any shape or form, this team needed a comeback win versus a good team — a kick start really.”

The win did much more than give Tennessee a boost in RPI rankings. It was a “firestarter,” as Friday-night pitcher Andrew Lindsey described it.

“It’s what you need at this point in the year,” Lindsey said. “We look to continue to build on it. I always have confidence in our

guys, but maybe for them that was a personal confidence boost.”

Tennessee did build on it, getting a monster 17-1 win over the Commodores Saturday before capping things off with a 10-5 win Sunday to complete the sweep.

The Vols were a different team in their series against Vanderbilt. They played loose and with confidence. They powered home runs the way the historic 2022 team did and brought back the same swagger that team possessed. It was a refreshing scene after the week Tennessee had just been through.

After being swept by Arkansas, Tennessee’s journey back to Knoxville was silent, but deafening at the same time. Something needed to change or the Vols NCAA Tournament hopes would quickly be gone.

“It was a quiet ride. A lot of self thought,” starting pitcher Drew Beam said. “People thinking about things that went good, things that went bad - you take from both. I think the time getting back was a lot of thought, getting in your own head and thinking about what you can change and what you can help and not trying to over do it.”

Whatever change took place wasn’t immediate. Tennessee dropped its midweek game in embarrassing fashion to Tennessee Tech 12-5. The Vols flipped a switch in the days following the four-straight losses.

“It was way more important for our guys to find who they are,” head coach Tony Vitello said. “I don’t know if it was the series or the loss to Tennessee Tech or that we’re deep enough into the year or maybe one of the guys said something, but that was a fun group to be around the last few days, and a totally different group.”

Tennessee sent a reminder to the rest of the SEC that it can still be a dangerous team when playing on all cylinders, but the Vols had to remind themselves that first.

“If things go well, it’s a little bit more positive about coming to the park and realizing what you are capable of doing as a group,” Vitello said. “It helps. At the end of the day, these guys should know fully well what they are capable of and what their best attitude and what their best approach is.”

Tennessee is through the gauntlet of its season, but the task doesn’t get much easier from here. The Vols still have to face another topfive team in South Carolina and a top-15 team in Kentucky with a few challenging road series mixed in between.

But the win over Vanderbilt is the kickstart that Tennessee needed. It inspired confidence and brought the Vols closer as a team, and that unity will be crucial going forward.

“Obviously, there’s still a lot of things we need to work on,” starting pitcher Chase Dol-

lander said. “We just need to keep getting better and keep getting closer as a team. I feel like once we do that and once we start clicking, this team is going to be on all cylinders.”

Griffin Merritt (10) stomps on homeplate after hitting a homerun against Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday April 23, 2023. Bella Hughes / The Daily Beacon

Tennessee unlocked new weapon with Chase Burns coming out of bullpen

ANDREW PETERS Sports Editor

Tony Vitello tapped Chase Burns on the shoulder in the late innings of Tennessee’s series opener against Vanderbilt Friday night.

Tennessee’s head coach had a simple question for the sophomore pitcher, who was a weekend-and-change into coming out of the bullpen rather than starting on the mound. Vitello asked him if he wanted it, and Burns told him yes.

The thing Burns wanted was a chance to put Vanderbilt away and lead the Vols to a signature win that they were desperate for. He trotted to the bullpen in the ninth inning and started to warm up.

Burns came out of the bullpen for Camden Sewell in the 10th inning, inheriting a runner on base with no outs. What followed was a pitching masterclass.

He delivered three straight strikeouts and let out an emphatic scream as he walked off the mound.

After giving up his only hit in the top of the 11th inning, Burns dealt two more strikeouts to get Tennessee out of the inning unscathed. He put Vanderbilt down in order in the top of the 12th inning, picking up a pair of strikeouts and setting Tennessee up to win the game on Griffin Merritt’s walk-off home run.

On Sunday, Vanderbilt made a late push to cut Tennessee’s lead to five, but Burns once again came in late, putting the Commodores down in order in the ninth to end the game and secure the sweep for the Vols.

Burns had a rocky start to the season. He has an 8.10 earned run average in SEC play and had gone 0-3 in his three SEC starts prior to Vanderbilt. Burns needed a fresh start.

“Me and (Vitello) had a good talk about

resetting after a couple of bad starts,” Burns said after Friday’s win. “Coming out there and doing my job was the greatest thing ever tonight.”

Burns wasn’t the only one struggling while he was on the mound, however. It bled into the defense behind him. If Burns wasn’t having a good outing, it usually meant the defense was struggling in the field and vice versa.

“He needed a reset. If you look at his body of work prior to this, a lot of stuff kind of hit a downward spiral because it’s so frustrating. It kind of mirrors our team,” Vitello said. “He’s throwing the ball well, throwing the ball well, then we don’t make a play behind him, a bad break, a guy does square a ball up and then it would kind of snowball a little bit.”

The new role allows him to play more loose and relaxed so those small mistakes don’t lead to an all out collapse. That was evident on Friday as Burns came on to the mound confident and poised as he kept control of each pitch.

That isn’t to say Burns can’t still get psyched about getting on the mound. The mindset shifts as he prepares for battle.

“I think you are more relaxed because you’re in the dugout with the team,” Burns said. “And all of sudden he tells you to go down and that’s when it kind of kicks in. It is what it is. Whatever role I’m in, I’m going to go out there and do my job.”

Now Tennessee looks to attack the remainder of the season with Burns in a new role that is seemingly working out for everybody. His efforts on Friday and Sunday were a start, but the Vols are confident in Burns moving forward.

“He gave us courage, and it kind of disseminated throughout the dugout, and I think it bled onto the field,” Vitello said. “He set the tone with just the way he competed.”

Chase Burns (23) pitches against Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday April 23, 2023. Ericksen Gomez-Villeda / The Daily Beacon

Daddy hat, fur coat return: Vol baseball gets its swagger back

CALEB JARREAU Staff Writer

Tennessee Baseball became synonymous with massive home runs and bat flips in recent years, followed by a unique celebration.

Since 2021, players have donned a pink hat with “Daddy” embroidered on the front. Thus, the Daddy hat became a hot commodity for Tennessee fans to buy. The 2021 Vols headed to Omaha with the Daddy hat in tow after a successful season.

A new wrinkle was added in 2022, the fur coat. The fur coat and Daddy hat quickly became infamous as the 2022 Vols quickly became the villains of college baseball.

Bat flips and obscene hand gestures to opposing outfielders accompanied the fur coat and Daddy hat to produce the No. 1 seeded Tennessee baseball team. The fur coat would not get a trip to Omaha like the Daddy hat a year before.

“Last year being in the dugout, I was just trying to give as much energy as I could,” redshirt freshman Kavares Tears said. “Now, being on the field, the dugout energy definitely transfers onto the field and helps people in the lineup, the pitcher and the people playing defense. It gives them a lot of energy too.”

After the Vols fell to Notre Dame in the Super Regionals, the magical season was over. 158 home runs later, Tennessee graduated all eight of its defensive starters.

Tony Vitello was tasked with replacing a lot of production in 2023, but also a lot of personalities for the Vols.

“I just think I’ve picked up on some things on how we need to be, and maybe I’m at fault for not knowing some things early in the year, but there’s a lot of new faces,” Vitello said. “I think we made a lineup the other day, and I put down a number for how many years the guys either started or started in Division I baseball was another category, and then started here at Tennessee, and you know what the numbers are.” 2023 brought on a new celebration — a Star Wars Darth Vader helmet and red lightsaber. The Daddy hat and fur coat were left in 2022, as well as Tennessee’s explosive offense.

The Vols struggled to find success to start SEC play. They started the conference slate 5-10 with only a series win over Texas A&M. Their play didn’t resemble the years before, as pitching faltered and errors plagued the team.

Then, the Daddy hat and fur coat made a triumphant comeback in the series against Vanderbilt. With the return of the home run celebration came more home runs.

“It was a team jury who kind of got togeth-

er,” redshirt sophomore center fielder Hunter Ensley said. “About five or six people. The Darth Vader Star Wars wasn’t working, so we had to figure something out.”

Tennessee, along with the Daddy hat and fur coat, swept Vanderbilt in a dominant statement over the weekend. The return of the celebrations brought back an offense that resembled 2022.

The Vols scored 31 runs against Vanderbilt, the most in any SEC series so far. The weekend featured nine home runs from Tennessee as well.

“I walked in the dugout and saw (the Daddy hat and fur coat) today,” Kansas transfer Maui Ahuna said after Tennessee run-ruled Vanderbilt. “I was like ‘alright, we are back to this.’ It’s working.”

The Daddy hat and fur coat are back and here to stay for the rest of 2023 it seems. While the antics are back, the Vols have a long road ahead of them before they can say they’re “back.”

But the weekend sweep over Vanderbilt is the start Tennessee needs. It is also indicative of something the 2023 Vols were missing –Tennessee Baseball has its swagger back.

“(The series sweep of Vanderbilt) will define us as a team,” Ahuna said. “It will show everybody that we still got this and we’re Tennessee baseball.”

Maui Ahuna (2) celebrates after hitting a double against Vanderbilt at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Sunday April 23, 2023. Ericksen Gomez-Villeda / The Daily Beacon

Notebook: Tennessee softball sweeps Florida, eyes SEC championship

she pitched six innings of relief, only allowing one run while the offense took the lead.

Comebacks on Sunday and Monday evenings saw Tennessee sweep Florida at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The series began on Saturday with a 9-1 run-rule win, while the series victory was earned on Sunday in an 11-10 thriller. The Lady Vols completed the sweep on Monday evening by earning a 10-6 win over the Gators.

Here are three takeaways from the weekend that was.

Two comebacks in two nights

The Lady Vols pulled off two multi-run comebacks on Sunday and Monday, overcoming six and four run deficits, respectively.

“(Sunday) night was huge for them to prove to themselves that we can come back and we can win the game,” head coach Karen Weekly said following Monday’s win. “The energy never wavered and the belief never wavered. When you keep playing the game the right way, regardless of the results, you are going to be rewarded for that.”

Trailing 9-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Kiki Milloy hit a home run to cut the Gator lead to five. In the bottom of the sixth,

the Tennessee offense rallied to score seven, jumping into the lead.

“Kiki is our emotional leader,” Weekly said after Sunday’s game. “She led us from the very beginning, and everybody followed her. They all buy in. I’m just so proud of the team and how they came together tonight.”

The offense had significantly more time to make Monday’s comeback happen, as the Lady Vols trailed 5-1 after an inning and a half. Tennessee immediately took off, scoring

three runs in the bottom of the second before two more three-run innings in the fourth and fifth.

Gottshall impresses in all three games

Payton Gottshall played a pivotal role in each of the three games this weekend. In Saturday’s series opener, she relieved Ashley Rogers to complete the run-rule win. On Sunday, she pitched the seventh inning to earn a save. In Monday’s concluding game

“She just competes,” Weekly said of Gottshall’s play across the weekend. “You just see it in the way she plays. She loves being out there. She loves being with her teammates and her teammates love playing behind her. She just has a lot of fun, and I think that makes everyone relax and play with a lot of energy.”

Gottshall currently has an 11-0 record with an earned run average of 1.31.

“That’s the stuff I live for,” Gottshall said. “I’ve always loved going into situations like that, just knowing what my team needs from me.”

SEC Championship within reach

The Lady Vols still sit two games clear of Georgia in the SEC standings following the weekend, which saw Georgia sweep South Carolina. The Bulldogs are idle this weekend, meaning Tennessee could put a sizeable gap between themselves and Georgia in the standings heading into the final weekend.

A sweep of Arkansas by Tennessee this weekend would clinch the SEC regular season championship for the first time since 2007, which also comes with the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament. Even if the Razorbacks sweep, Tennessee still controls its own destiny for the SEC championship.

JACK CHURCH Staff Writer

Lady Vols celebrate their win against Florida on April 24, 2023 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon