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Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Issue 10
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New faculty appointments ensure longer stay Robby O’Daniel News and Student Life Editor The UT Board of Trustees approved a measure to add new, non-tenure-track faculty appointments June 23. Before the change, the only multi-year appointment for non-tenure-track faculty was the position of distinguished lecturer, which is up to five years. “What this allows us to do is engage critical members of our faculty,” Provost Susan Martin said at the Academic Affairs and Student Success Committee meeting June 23. “... (It) allows us to offer some guarantee of employment (and) make sure we have the best people in place.” The new appointments available include the addition of a senior lecturer position, which is up to three years. The following positions have been amended to have an appointment of up to five years: research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor, clinical assistant professor, clinical associate professor and clinical professor. The only way these appointments could be involuntarily terminated would be through cause or if funding lapses or a funding agency orders it is stopped. UT President Joe DiPietro emphasized the importance of lecturers. “Often times you have lecturers or associate professors that are really the lifeblood of the training programs and the educational process,” he said. Before this change, DiPietro said some faculty members would get a letter of appointment, and in that same letter, it would say they may not be at the university next year because of the one-year nature of the appointment. “It now puts us in a position to say to these people, ‘You’re not only doing a great job, but we’re willing to give you a little bit of security as to where you might be next year.’” he said.
He also said it allows UT to hang on to faculty members that other universities might steal away, otherwise. He called the lecturers vital to the programs, teaching and research mission. Provost outlines VOL Vision At the meeting, Martin also outlined the strategic priorities of the VOL Vision campaign. Katie High, interim vice president for academic affairs and student success, said the quest for UT to become a top 25 public research university is being melded with the Knoxville campus’ strategic plan. “Last fall, there was a presentation to this committee about UT-Knoxville’s quest to become a top 25 research institution,” High said. “Prior to that, UT-Knoxville was already revising its strategic plan.” Martin said the plan began in January 2010. “In semester-long meetings with key campus constituencies, we conducted a very full dialogue with faculty, staff and students about the key elements of our mission statement and key strategic goals and priorities,” Martin said. She said the mission is three-pronged: teaching, research and creative achievement and outreach and public service. The first strategic priority is to recruit, develop and graduate a diverse body of undergraduate students, which Martin said dovetails with the top 25 metrics of undergraduate profile and graduation and retention rates. “It also embraces more broadly our aspirations for our students to develop as productive students and as leaders in society,” she said. The other four strategic priorities include educating and graduating an increasing number of diverse graduate and professional students; strengthening UT’s capacity and proGeorge Richardson • The Daily Beacon ductivity in research, scholarship and creative activity; attracting and retaining stellar, diverse UT President Dr. Joe DiPietro speaks during the UT Board of Trustees meeting on faculty and staff; and continually improving the June 23. A pay raise was approved for eligible employees which included an 8-perresource base to achieve campus priorities. cent increase for Chancellor Jimmy Cheek.
Class project leads to business Rob Davis Staff Writer
Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon
Students from a summer screenprint class walkthrough an installation of prints in the library on June 29. First session summer classes end on Wednesday.
Calif. state budget cuts higher ed The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — California college students are bracing for higher tuition bills and fewer courses and campus services under a new state budget that once again slashes spending on higher education. The budget signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown inflicts the latest blow to California’s renowned higher education system, which has helped make the state an economic powerhouse and served as a model for other states and countries. Over the past three years, California’s public colleges and universities have seen deep cuts in state funding that have dramatically raised the cost of attendance, forced campuses to turn away qualified students and eroded the quality of classroom instruction. Under the newly approved state budget, the 10-campus
University of California and 23-campus California State University will each lose at least $650 million in state funding, a cut of more than 20 percent. The two systems could each face another $100 million cut if the state takes in less revenue than expected. The 112-campus community college system will lose $400 million in state funding, and fees will increase from $26 to $36 per unit. The system could lose another $72 million and raise fees to $46 per unit if revenue projections fall short. UC officials said Friday they will recommend that the Board of Regents consider raising undergraduate tuition by an additional 9.6 percent to offset the deeper-than-expected funding cut. Tuition is already set to rise 8 percent this fall to about $12,000, about three times what students paid a decade ago. See CALIFORNIA on Page 3
What started out as a B on a project grade has now won $15,000 in competition winnings and grant money. DineTouch, LLC has designed an application for any device with a web browser. The applicaiton allows restaurantgoers to order directly from their table, specify their desired food delivery and pay at the table. “The Idea behind it is, you’ll be able to sit down at a restaurant, order and pay for your meal right at the table,” Joey Natour, CEO and cofounder of DineTouch, said. “For the restaurant, it makes you more lean and more efficient. It streamlines the whole process. You still have server interaction but only when the customer wants it.” The idea came about when Natour was taking an entrepreneurship class taught by professor Thomas Graves. Natour made a business plan for DineTouch and submitted it as his final project. “I got a decent grade, not a great grade,” Natour said. “I think it was an 85. I called the teacher, and I told him that this was one of the hardest ideas and one of the best innovations and I got one of the lower grades in the class. Professor Graves said there was a lot of stuff wrong with it, but he wanted me to enter the competition. I said, that’s great I got a bad grade, and you want me to enter a competition.” Natour asked co-founder and current CTO of DineTouch, Seth Elliott, his roommate from freshman year, to help him with the project. The two co-founders entered UT’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2011 business startup competition. “We got to the top 10 by
being really motivated, pulling all-nighters and working hard.” Natour said. “By winning the competition, we won $5,000 and 20 free hours of certified paid accountant assistance.” The latest achievement for DineTouch has been receiving the inaugural Boyd Venture Fund grant. “They told us to win the grant, the board would strictly judge your company’s potential to grow and if you are actually going to do what you say you’re going to do,” Elliott said. “We went before the committee and hadn’t done much preparation at all. We had just spent our time since the last competition doing what we said we were going to do, so we just went in and told them that. We presented all the facts we had, interviews of people that had used our software and got a lot of great feedback.” The committee liked the fact that the duo was able to take an idea and within a month, have a product developed. “With the grant, we received $10,000 and a mentor,” Elliott said. The money received by the duo has to go toward business expenses for DineTouch. The application began use at Café 4 in Market Square a month ago. In addition to Elliott and Natour, John Morris, Chris Miller and Lynn Young also played a part in helping DineTouch get to where it is now. Although it is only being used at one restaurant now, Natour and Elliott are hopeful that this application will create a buzz and spread quickly. “Knoxville has turned out to be quite a blessing,” Elliott said. “This is one of the restaurant capitals of the world. So many restaurant chains are based out of Knoxville. Our ultimate goal is to talk to these chains and ask them to invest in us.”
2 • The Daily Beacon
InSHORT
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon
Construction continues on the new Natalie L. Haslam Music Center on June 27. The building is set to be completed in late 2013.
1946 - Bikini introduced On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Reard dubbed "bikini," inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week. European women first began wearing two-piece bathing suits that consisted of a halter top and shorts in the 1930s, but only a sliver of the midriff was revealed and the navel was vigilantly covered. In the United States, the modest two-piece made its appearance during World War II, when wartime rationing of fabric saw the removal of the skirt panel and other superfluous material. Meanwhile, in Europe, fortified coastlines and Allied invasions curtailed beach life during the war, and swimsuit development, like everything else non-military, came to a standstill. In 1946, Western Europeans joyously greeted the first war-free summer in years, and French designers came up with fashions to match the liberated mood of the people. Two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, developed competing prototypes of the bikini. Heim called his the "atom" and advertised it as "the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard's swimsuit, which was basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string, was in fact significantly smaller. Made out of a scant 30 inches of fabric, Reard promoted his creation as "smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard called his creation the bikini, named after the Bikini Atoll. In planning the debut of his new swimsuit, Reard had trouble finding a professional model who would deign to wear the scandalously skimpy two-piece. So he turned to Micheline Bernardini, an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, who had no qualms about appearing nearly nude in public. As an allusion to the headlines that he knew his swimsuit would generate, he printed newspaper type across the suit that Bernardini modeled on July 5 at the Piscine Molitor. The bikini was a hit,
especially among men, and Bernardini received some 50,000 fan letters. Before long, bold young women in bikinis were causing a sensation along the Mediterranean coast. Spain and Italy passed measures prohibiting bikinis on public beaches but later capitulated to the changing times when the swimsuit grew into a mainstay of European beaches in the 1950s. Reard's business soared, and in advertisements he kept the bikini mystique alive by declaring that a two-piece suit wasn't a genuine bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring." In prudish America, the bikini was successfully resisted until the early 1960s, when a new emphasis on youthful liberation brought the swimsuit en masse to U.S. beaches. It was immortalized by the pop singer Brian Hyland, who sang "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" in 1960, by the teenage "beach blanket" movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and by the California surfing culture celebrated by rock groups like the Beach Boys. Since then, the popularity of the bikini has only continued to grow. 1954 - Elvis Presley records "That's All Right (Mama)" History credits Sam Phillips, the owner and operator of Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, with the discovery of Elvis Presley, which is perfectly fair, though it fails to account for the roles of four others in making that discovery possible: The business partner who first spotted something special in Elvis, the two session men who vouched for his musical talent and the blues figure who wrote the song he was playing when Sam Phillips realized what he had on his hands. The song in question was "That's All Right" by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and Elvis' unrehearsed performance of it—recorded by Sam Phillips on this day in 1954—is a moment some regard as the true beginning of the rock-and-roll revolution. The sequence of events that led to this moment began when a young truck driver walked into the offices of Sun Records and the Memphis Recording Service on a Saturday night in the summer of 1953 and paid $3.98 plus tax to make an acetate record as a birthday present to his mother.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
NEWS
CALIFORNIA continued from Page 1 In an interview with The Associated Press, UC President Mark Yudof said higher tuition will cause hardship for many students, but he sees little choice when the university faces a $1 billion budget shortfall driven by rising costs and shrinking public support. His biggest worry is losing the academic talent that has made UC one of the world’s top research universities, Yudof said. UC San Diego recently lost three star scientists to Rice University, a deep-pocketed private institution in Houston. “You can’t starve this university for many years without there being consequences,” Yudof said. “There’s going to be a lot of pain. I don’t deny that. But on my watch we’re not going to see a dilution of the quality of the University of California.” The prospect of rising tuition is weighing heavily on students like Dior Sweeney, a UC Berkeley senior who works two jobs while going to school but still expects to graduate with more than $20,000 in student loans to repay. “I’m really worried about how I’m going to pay for rent, transportation and food,” said Sweeney, a liberal arts major. “It’s definitely stressful, especially with the economy the way it is. So many people I know can’t even get jobs with a B.A. What kind of job am I going to get to pay
off all these loans?” California State University students are also bracing for another tuition hike — on top of a previously approved 10 percent increase that will bring in-state tuition to $4,884, more than three times what CSU charged 10 years ago. When it meets July 12, the CSU Board of Trustees will vote on raising tuition by an additional 10 to 15 percent this fall, said university spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp. Campuses may also have to reduce their teaching staffs and turn away more students to save money. Sadaf Malik, a biology student at San Francisco State University, said she and her father are working as many hours as they can to pay for her school bills. She has been taking summer classes at a local community college because she wasn’t able to get the courses she needs to graduate at SF State. “I’m paying more for a poorer quality of education and fewer classes,” said Malik, 20, who hopes to go to medical school. “It seems every year I’m getting less and less for my money.” The state budget cuts means California’s community colleges, which serve 2.75 million students, will be reducing course offerings despite record demand from high school graduates, returning war veterans and unemployed workers trying to learn new skills, said Dan Troy, the system’s vice chancellor for fiscal policy. “The state has to get real about its priorities,” Troy said. “If we’re serious about ensuring a bright economic
New Tenn. law opens virtual schools The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Michael Williams, 18, missed more than 40 days during his senior year at Creek Wood High School when he started a professional career as a Motocross racer. When his lifestyle no longer fit with his Dickson County school’s schedule, his administrators struck an agreement with Metropolitan Nashville Schools for him to finish English, chemistry and economics and get his diploma through their virtual school program. That opportunity will be open to many more Tennesseans this year because of a new law that allows any school district to start its own virtual school. Tennessee joins other states like Florida, Connecticut and Georgia that allow students to take high school courses online. Previously students in Tennessee could only take online classes for credit recovery, specialty courses if a school had no instructor, or supplemental online courses after school or in the summer. Williams’s mother, Libby Gilmore, told The Tennessean that the virtual classroom was a good fit for her son. “Some say, ‘Oh, it’s just a kid wanting to do school stuff on the computer,’ “ said Libby Gilmore, Williams’ mom. “He got up every morning, did his work, rode ... and graduated
in May. It really worked for us.” Some educators encourage students to try out online courses because many colleges offer them and districts could use them to save money. “We’re behind by about 15 to 20 years and behind in technology in general,” said Kecia Ray, Metro’s executive director of learning technologies, who previously worked for Georgia’s virtual school. Metro wants to start Nashville Virtual School, which will enroll 100 students to take full-time online courses next school year. To enroll, students will need a counselor’s recommendation, a 2.5 grade point average and a signed contract of ethics. Rutherford County Schools spokesman James Evans says the district is considering the costs of starting its own virtual schools or working with Nashville to use its programs. “Funding may become an issue,” Evans said. “If we send a student to Metro’s virtual school, they also want the funding associated with that student.” Federal stimulus money was paying for about 1,700 students statewide to take online courses last year through e4TN, a company that the Tennessee Department of Education used to manage its virtual courses. That stimulus money has ended.
The Daily Beacon • 3 future, funding higher education is a huge part of that.” Democrats blamed Republicans for the deep cuts to higher education and other public services because they refused to support the governor’s proposal to extend temporary increases to the sales, vehicle and income taxes the Legislature approved two years ago. “Yes, you may have a little bit more money in your pocket, but at the same time, look at the impact on access for young people throughout California to be able to get a higher education,” said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Republicans fault Democrats for their unwillingness to go against union-controlled education spending, roll back public employee pensions and make colleges more efficient. “The Democrats have never offered any reform on any level of the education spectrum,” said Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, a member of the Assembly higher education committee. William Tierney, director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California, said the budget cuts to colleges and universities could have a lasting impact on California’s economy and future. Without a major expansion of higher education, Tierney said, “We’re going to have an uneducated work force. The jobs will go elsewhere. Clearly an uneducated work force doesn’t generate as much tax revenue.”
4 • The Daily Beacon
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
OPINIONS
The
HermitSpeaketh Shooters build tactical thinking skills Jake Lane Managing Editor If college has failed to teach me anything, its the process by which one should deal with problems. As you might have noticed, this has been a sort of trend in recent editorials. Following the peace and understanding route of relativity, I figured why not celebrate the Fourth of July with the exact opposite method - battle. When I finally got an Xbox 360 a year ago, there were many titles which caught my eye and vied equally for my already stretched time. None of them were first person shooters. A full multiplayer copy of “Halo 3” came with my system, and I played with friends just for fun, but I never thought I would get into the online experience of competitive shooting. Halfway through the summer I noticed my K/DR (kill/death ratio) was abysmally low, and asked a friend who happened to be skilled player what I might do to improve my odd and internet stature. His reply was simply - “Slow down, stop rushing into battle, and play on the fact that you are probably smarter than your enemy.” The latter part may seem snide or elitist, but categorically speaking its true. As a 22 year old man, I am in the prime position to excel in shooters. I have grown up with video games and have been on just the right learning curve to keep up with their evolution. Older generations, with techies exempt, traditionally have a hard time adjusting the the new frontiers of gaming. Conversely younger gamers take for granted the “Next-gen” consoles and games, for its all they have ever known. Being in the middle of the two, I can either use dexterity gained through years of playing to outgun the oldsters, or old school stealth and logic to outwit the prepubescent young guns who populate the pregame chats and contribute to premature deafness by delivering 110 dB of pure treble right to the cochlea. By no means should this appear as a boast of personal skill. Quite the opposite, I still am negative 3000 kills on “Modern Warfare 2,” but as I play longer I realize I’ve internalized these lessons and can defeat others with much greater precision. Which leads to why I would waste half a column waxing militaristic - there are life lessons to be learning in this pixellated carnage. For years the United States military has used shooters as both recruiting and training tools, as no doubt other nations have. Since recruiters from the NCAA to the USMC are traditionally not allowed to pursue anyone under 17, by hosting tournaments and talking with younger gamers in a non-professional manner recruiters may
side-step these technicalities and plant a seed for future careers in soldiering. To dispel any doubt, check out the Frontline film “Digital Nation,” specifically the segment “Waging War,” for further insight. My point is not a polemic against military indoctrination. Actually, I contend that such games should be used in lieu of real-world skirmishes to decide political disputes. Quixotic, yes, but also pragmatic if one values human life over glory. Instead I would emphasize the utility of these lessons which the armed forces use to recruit and train soldiers in everyday life. Let’s face it, to be curious about guns and their proper usage is a practically a red-flag nowadays, and to actually pursue such an interest in public often causes derision and suspicion to arise. Therefore the role of games such as “Call of Duty,” which emphasize the marriage of real-life weapons tech and battle-earned “perks” which range from extra-sensory perception and indetectability, becomes that of a happy medium, where gamers and gun-nuts can go and duke it out all day with no judgments, save for those of a 12 year old who will gloat at how he just “pwned” or “raped” you. At the same time, just learning about what different weapons do is not much help for real-world problems, as a video game is little more than a highly-detailed simulation for actual battles and arms mechanics. Lessons learned from shooters are adaptability and precognition of another player’s actions, which come from hours and days of grinding out matches. One lesson to learn is that eliminating a person through gunplay is not a real life solution. There are no respawns and there are consequences for murder. This much is obvious and agreed upon when entering the game world. The most important thing to be taken away from FPSs, though, is the realization of how quickly a life can be lost in visceral battles. Sure, it may be humorous to spawn and die five seconds later, but in real life those are individuals dying for a cause. I read earlier about Audie Murphy, the most decorated man in U.S. military history, who killed almost 250 men in WWII. My thoughts are simultaneously “Killionaire!” and “what a genocidal lunatic.” Two wrongs and all that. While battlefield bloodshed is an age old disputeresolvers, one must appreciate the bigger implications of violent resolution. While I will probably go home and burn a few hours storming favelas and irradiated zones, I can’t help but think today, our Independence Day, how little has changed in 235 years. Our toys are made of plastic and aluminum instead of tin and wood, but the games are all the same. Give it a few more centuries and children will be fighting Buggers on computers from lightyears away. Bet on it. - Jake Lane is a senior in creative writing. He can be reached at jlane23@utk.edu.
THE GREAT MASH-UP • Liz Newnam
Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.
‘Healthy’ peer pressure a misnomer T he Social N etwo r k by
Elliott DeVore There are many things in this world that really grind my gears, ignorant conservative politics being the main culprit. At this point I’m just confused, I don’t know whether to be furious with these politicians and public figures or feel sad for their ignorance. I guess It isn’t realistic to assume that a levelheaded, educated person wouldn’t dream up utterly repulsive ideas like the “don’t say gay bill”, or the racist anti-immigrations bills across the US. But alas, I’m wrong. What goes through these peoples heads – or doesn’t? Did someone hurt them at some point, or are they just trying to prove a point? Most recently I stumbled upon a Tea Party Leader Rich Sweir (ironically close to Weir, as in Johnny Weir the fabulously gay ice skater) and his opinion of gay bullying. Now for the most part I have been able to slough off the hilarity that is the Tea Party , dismissing it, as no intelligent person would buy into it… until the other day when I saw this article on www.lgbtqnation.com. Sweir seems to think that antigay bullying is… and I quote “healthy peer-pressure.” The tea party can talk about small government, taxes, whatever, but when they have leaders espousing hatred and bigotry as easily as quoting Dr. Suesss – that is the moment I become enraged. Sweir was responding to a report from a Florida group that cited “77% of students report being picked on because of their actual or perceived: sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression.” Sweir added, “This is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. Homosexuality, like drugs, harms young people if they experiment [sic] with it. That is the greatest tragedy.” Come on Sweir, are you being serious right now?! If I was a member of the tea party I would be
embarrassed to have him as a public figure. Give me a break! How can he say that being gay is harmful and shouldn’t be condoned, but condone bullying? I would imagine that starting fights in school and hitting people is a much better indicator of anti-social behaviors and juvenile delinquency than being gay. Though he condones anti-gay bullying Sweir stated, “I agree with Gulf Coast Gives- ‘LGBT youth are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts.’ Gulf Coast Gives is a NonProfit organization. So if I am correctly connecting Sweir’s rhetoric than the depression and loneliness caused by anti-gay bullying which can eventually lead to suicide is healthy? Am I the only one putting that together from what he is saying? No one who says or believes things like this should be able to be a leader in any political party or make decisions that affect others than themselves. Maybe he feels this way because he was tormented as a child, maybe they called him, “Sweir the Queer”… sounds pretty close to what I was called as a kid. Maybe he would argue that bullying – I’m sorry- healthy peer pressure, caused him to the be strong straight, white, Christian man he is today. To my understanding tea partiers value a small government that doesn’t interfere with our personal lives. But it seems that associating being gay with underage drinking and smoking, flagging it as behavior that shouldn’t be condoned, sets a precedent that he as a civil servant should work to prevent it. Correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t that impede on my right to live my life as a gay man? It seems that this tea partier is confused. He doesn’t want government regulation unless it regulates those who aren’t white, straight, Christian, middle class. Would condoning bullying of LGBT people not prevent our right to the pursuit of happiness? A true civil servant Mr. Sweir is one that uplifts his constituents, making their lives better. A civil servant with integrity would not wield their prejudice to ostracize others. The title is servant- not oppressor, not bigot, but servant. I am simply dumbfounded that Sweir has the gall to say that LGBT people who commit suicide are the victims of their own doing. —Elliott DeVore is a graduate in psychology. He can be reached at edevore@utk.edu.
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I truly love to read. This began when I was in elementary school. It is also when my fellow students started to lose all liking of reading. My school had a program that was designed to encourage us to read. It was counter productive, at least in the long run. The teacher assigned points to some books in the library. The more of those books you read, the more points you earned, and the one with the most points earned a prize. Well, I never got a prize because the books with points never appealed to me. So, I disregarded the points and just read. Surprise! I now love reading and, at least upon high school graduation, those of my fellow students, who had a lot of points, didn’t. I know that kids these days don’t have the same need for entertainment that we did. They don’t have to creatively come up with something to do outside or find some adventure in the pages of a book. They’ve so many other, easier, things to do. That, unfortunately, means most kids do need to be made to read to have a chance at learning to love it. It doesn’t, however, mean that those kids have to be forced to read a certain book. Honestly, do you expect a rambunctious boy to like reading “Little House on the Prairie”?! Of course not! Don’t get me wrong, its good, but for crying out loud, its not a thrilling action or mystery to which most boys are drawn! He should not be forced to read something he is bound to hate, and, if he is forced to read it, of course he is not going to like reading! I have over a hundred books crammed in bookshelves in my room. I was only forced to read seven of them and of those, there are only two that I didn’t like. I homeschooled middle school, so when I needed to write a book report, my mom let me pick the book. She would look at it and decide if it was a good choice. If it wasn’t, she’d have me pick another...the point is: I picked it. People may think that if someone is given the
choice of book, he is going to stick with the same genre and difficulty level. Frankly, that is absurd. If you love to read, you love to explore. So, a person who loves to read, will want to look at different genres. True, he or she may have a favorite genre, but it will not be the only genre he or she has read or likes. Those books on my bookshelves range from: Shakespeare's “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream” to Kevin J. Anderson’s spin off series from “Star Wars.” There’s also Jane Austin's “Pride and Prejudice,” J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter Series,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender is the Night” and Ted Decker's “Blink.” Obviously, that’s quite an array, and I chose and loved every single one of them. I am willing to bet that every book collection belonging to someone who loves to read has the same diverse vibe. I find it truly depressing when I hear someone say something along the lines of, “I hate reading.” My question is always, “What books have you read and why did you read those particular books?” The answer to the second question is almost always, “It was a school book, I was forced to.” Teachers really should learn from that answer. Surely, they don’t want their students to hate reading. I realize that some assignments require certain books or certain authors, but even giving two choices would make the process far less painful for those who don’t want to read. Also, if “Les Miserables” (which I really liked) is the required reading, let the teachers tell the students why it is before they must read it. Because if its just some random book with tiny words that doesn’t appear to be like modern life, its going to seem like a boring task that is not to be enjoyed, but endured. I am so glad I love reading. That love is something that I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, would not be nearly as strong as it is if I had been forced to read one particular book after the next. So, if you think you hate reading, go pick out a book for yourself, don’t judge it by its cover, sit down, and enjoy. —Chelsea Tolliver is a junior in the College Scholars Program. She can be reached at ctollive1@utk.edu.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Daily Beacon • 5
ENTERTAINMENT
New “Nukem” hijacks franchise, insults fans Wiley Robinson Staff Writer If “Castle Wolfenstein” is the grandfather of all modern first person shooters (FPS), and “Doom” is the father, then “Duke Nukem” is the cheating stepfather who leaves adult reading material on the coffee table. Better yet, if id Software (”Castle Wolfenstein,” “Doom,” “Quake”) is the eminent father of the FPS, to the point that everything after its contribution is mere progeny, then “Duke Nukem”'s developer, 3D Realms, is the alcoholic half-uncle who shows up drunk to family reunions. If he comes at all. Point being, Duke sits infallibly at that Mt. Olympus table of game influence and prestige that is achieved only by being innovative at the birth of something big. Time is quite relative in the game industry. “Duke Nukem 3-D” graced us in early 1996, towards the end of what is equivalent to gaming’s slow Paleozoic era, when vertebrates existed but life was just accelerating towards what we know now. He was the last of the divine shooter prophets that flew down on angel’s wings but carried a shotgun, and gifted gaming with definitive innovations like online deathmatch and realistically detailed, interactive environments - effectively forgiving FPSs of their low realism, low intractability environments, and low personality protagonists up to that point. An FPS Jesus, if you will. When hardware power started snowballing and consoles became more common, the prophet remained mostly silent for nigh unto 15 years, communicating to the gamer faithful by way of vague press releases alluding to a sequel. For most of that time, developer 3D Realms was busy bankrupting itself trying to achieve a level of earthly Duke perfection in an environment of exponentially increasing hardware sophistication and the limiting demands of publishers looking to grow fat on a growing game bubble. 3D Realms would waste millions Duke made them in spiritual seclusion, desperately trying to answer how one reintroduces infallible gaming divinity in a much more competitive environment. As Duke fans waited for the second coming, id Software would more actively explore the question of how to take full advantage of market recognition- among an army of graphically enhanced derivatives. With id Software, the Oden of shooter developers, receiving no special market treatment, 3D Realms only isolated itself more intently- to be finally roused from creative paralysis and managerial ineptitude by its publisher 2K Games in 2010 by with a nice lawsuit. 2K Games knew the Duke had marinated long enough- 3D
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Realm’s nearly 12 years of supreme indecisiveness, entitled bad business sense and subsequent downsizing enabled the conditions for arguably the most interesting experiment the game industry has ever seen: what can be gotten away with investment and quality wise behind 15 years of hype? The business side did more than demand the creative side emerge from its timeless brainstorming Valhalla and make some more money- they made an iconic developer grovel pathetically before the cold realities of the market. By suing them and having someone else develop the game. 15 years is an eon in the game industry, and 2K, with flunky developers unburdened by a sense of Duke reverence, took every liberty they could to exploit the memory of the King of the FPS
modes as well as the ability to make your own levels. Duke revolutionized FPS gameplay with partially destructible levels that included satisfyingly detailed and ambient urban, natural, and alien environs. In a game that was all of 63 megabytes, Duke Nukem took interactive entertainment in the first person perspective and gave the human brain a full 3-D environment that combined enough layers of detail to really suspend disbelieve for the first time. Tearing through those levels as a verbose, charismatic protagonist that pushed the boundaries of 90s violence and sex was a delicious icing indeed. “Duke Nukem Forever”’s robust ad campaign didn’t have to try hard to tap into the raw nostalgia of that immortal era. 2K did TV, internet, promotional items, and top priority hustling at GameStop, but they didn’t have to try too hard. As for the content, the cute intractability with the environment is the only really charming feature the game has. Its the only time where you can just sit back and bask in the character. Otherwise, DNF can be summarized as boasting gameplay features both contemporary and antiquated with all the indecisiveness of the game’s confusing past; it’s a contrived hybrid that denies the new shooter standard of manually aiming down sites, but introduces annoyingly agile enemies. General linearity is opened just enough to be unnecessarily confusing. The most basic shooting mechanics feel loose and uncalibrated, the textures and rending are washed out, and framerate optimization is unforgivable. 2K should have just done what everyone else is doing and do some kind of graphically updated reboot and made money in a way that showcased some FPS history making, because Duke’s 15 year long momentum just hit a brick wall. It is almost not worth discussing the incredible failure that is “Duke Nukem Forever” with• Photo courtesy of dukenukemforever.com out first realizing that it is the perverted product of a one-sided marketing experiment. The busiwhile spending as little money and time as humanly possible mak- ness arm of an entertainment publisher took the reins and the ing it fun or innovative. development side was thoroughly lobotomized and forced to pas“Duke Nukem 3-D’”s innovations in the primeval “Doom” era sionlessly hammer away at a pessimistically conceived goal. 3D were simple, but informed the derivatives significantly. Believable Realms deserves a portion of the blame for altogether over-thinkand well designed urban areas were something “Doom 2” largely ing the question that games like “Doom 3” tried to answer, as well failed at but that Duke nearly perfected with only a slightly refined as getting Duke castrated by a draconian business model. Yet they engine. Duke pioneered realistic exteriors and interiors complete must retain partial innocence, if only because “Duke Nukem with underwater elements and full floor plans that included things Forever,” as interpreted by a group of people who don’t care, haplike working bathrooms and stocked maintenance closets. These pened to be a fate worse than death- even if death of the franchise boasted interactive and dynamic lighting systems that could be was the ultimate answer from the people who apparently cared too activated and destroyed, plunging an area into flickering darkness. much. Duke coined easy to use player deathmatch and co-operative
EMPLOYMENT
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Seeking Veterinary Receptionist. FT or PT for a small animal practice in West Knoxville. Must be friendly, courteous, able to think independently,good work ethic, and multi-tasker. Good computer skills a plus. Must have one year experience in a veterinary setting and salary commensurate with experience Email info@lovellvet.com or fax (865)671-2337,
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We are searching for a nuturing responsible person to care for our baby boy in our home 4 miles west of downtown. Position would begin in mid August for 20-40 hours per week. Needs someone with availability during business hours. If interested contact Stephanie @ stephanie_kodish@yahoo.com.
UNFURN APTS Rent now for June! 1 and 2BR Apts. UT area. (865)522-5815. Ask about our special. 16th PLACE APARTMENTS 3 blocks from UT Law School (1543- 1539 Highland Ave.) 1BR and 2BR apts. only. Brick exterior, carpet, laundry facility on first floor. Guaranteed and secured parking. 24 hour maintenance. No dogs or cats. 31st year in Fort Sanders. www.sixteenthplace.com. brit.howard@sixteenthplace. com. (865)522-5700.
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FOR RENT 1BR $575 2BR $700. 4408 Kingston Pike, across from Fresh Market on bus line. Call 219-9000. CAMBRIDGE ARMS Just 4 miles west of campus. Small pets allowed. Pool and laundry rooms. 2BR at great price! Call (865)588-1087. Five room basement apartment, South Knoxville. Fenced yard, CH/A, cable, frig, stove, W/D hookup. Pets okay with approval. $575/mo. plus deposit. (865)384-5183.
Read the Beacon Classifieds!
FOR RENT FREE JULY RENT Franklin Station 3BR/2BA at 22nd & Highland. Balcony, 2 assigned parking spaces, W/D, DW, MW, Cable & Hi-Speed Internet incl. $1425=$475/BR/mo, $450 Security Deposit, No pets. Avail July 9. Call 865-209-8684. HUNTINGTON PLACE UT students! Only 3 miles west of campus. We have eff. to 3BR. Hardwood floors. Central H/A. Pets allowed. Call (865)588-1087. Ask about our special. LUXURY 1 BR CONDOS Pool/ elevator/ security. 3 min. walk to Law School. $480R. $300SD. No app. fee. 865 (4408-0006, 250-8136). Monday Plaza 1BR and studios available on The Strip. Starting at $365/mo. Call (865)219-9000 for information. REMODELED 1BR CONDO. Pool, elevator, near Law School, ceramic tile, new carpet. Call (423)968-2981, 366-0385. RIVER TOWNE CONDOS Lavish Living on the TN River across from UT campus. Spacious 2 & 3 bedrooms starting at $475 per bedroom. Gated community includes all stainless steel appliances, internet, digital cable, water/sewer, security systems, W/D, garage parking, private balconies overlooking river and a salt water pool. University Real Estate & Property Mgmt, LLC (865)673-6600 www.urehousing.com.
FOR RENT
HOUSE FOR RENT
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Conductor Sir Georg “Win some, lose some” Western U.S. oil giant Brown-bagger’s sandwich, for short Often rolled-over investment, for short After-dark time in Germany Rug rats Like most sumo wrestlers Miss a cue, say Off-the-wall The blahs Coffee shop order
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X, on a greeting card “Baloney!” Brazilian soccer hero Keats or Wordsworth “We are not ___”: Queen Victoria Main line U.S.M.C. enlistee Hang on a clothesline Freudian concept Causing ruin Like a $6 return on a $2 bet Potter pal Weasley Leave dumbstruck
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Boob tube It might end with “Beverages” “It’s c-c-cold!” Article often bordered in black Mother-of-pearl Blunted blades Evidence of a caning Passed illegally, as a check Shrink in fear Wish granters Late marathoner Waitz Big Board initials Bard’s “before” NOW political cause, once “Just kidding!”
6 • The Daily Beacon
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
THESPORTSPAGE
Sports to watch till college football Matt Dixon Sports Editor Shortly after America celebrates her birthday every July 4th, the casual college football fan begins counting down the days until the season kicks off. While some--myself included--begin this countdown much earlier, say the 100-day mark, knowing SEC football is less than two months away is exciting. (For those who aren’t counting, it’s 59 days until Tennessee hosts Montana on Sept. 3). As has been the case since last season ended, UT fans are wondering if quarterback Tyler Bray will endure a sophomore slump? Or will newcomers like defensive tackle Maurice Couch, defensive back Byron Moore and linebacker A.J. Johnson make the impact coaches are expecting? Yet, the biggest question is will Janzen Jackson, arguably the Vols best player last year, be on the team this fall. Jackson, a free safety, withdrew from school during the spring semester to deal with personal issues. Many around the team are expecting him to return, possibly as early as the second session of summer school, but it’s not a sure-thing. But while these questions and many others about UT and other college football teams will go unanswered until the first week of September, the nearly two months between now and then do have enough storylines in sports to keep fans occupied. 1. MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby (July 11 and 12) I almost just had the home run derby here. The All-Star game has become so watered down recently with many of the game’s top players electing to sit out the event. Yet, the winning league does get home-field advantage for the World Series. The Home Run Derby, though elite sluggers decline invites to it as well, is still an exciting event. Despite being out of the steroids era when players might as well have “juiced up” between innings, towering home runs are one of the aspects of America’s Pastime fans look for at ballparks. In the 2008 Home Run Derby, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers put on an incredible performance, hitting 28 home runs in the second round in the old Yankees Stadium. Even more impressive, was Hamilton’s journey back to baseball. Look it up when you get
the chance. 2. EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2012 (July 12) I’ll admit it. I buy this video game every year on its release date. It’s one of only two I do, the other being MLB: The Show. The release of the college football video game only intensifies fans’ build-up for the upcoming season. While the game always seems to leave much to be desired, it’s still a must-buy for me each year. And yes, I even wait for somebody online to make each team’s rosters correct. Being that the players are amateurs, EA Sports is not allowed to use the real players like it does in its NFL game, Madden. Still, they use positions and numbers to identify players (ex. Tenn. QB # 8). 3. British Open (July 14-17) The only one of golf’s four majors played outside the U.S. Yet, it has the longest history. This year’s tournament will be the 140th Open Championship, and it will be played at Royal St. George’s golf course in England for the 14th time. With the tournament being played across the pond, some golfers will tee off in the middle of the night, and some of the tv coverage will be delayed, but there’s just something about watching golf played for four days with virtually no sun shining. 4. SEC Media Days (July 20-22) The final hurdle between the off-season and fall camp. Held in Hoover, Ala., hearing the head coaches and select players from each of the 12 SEC schools, doesn’t seem like much, but in the south it is. The fact that it’s held in Alabama means a multitude of Crimson Tide and Auburn fans will wait in the lobby of the Wynfrey Hotel as the event happens. Usually, at least one drama pops up during the three-day spectacle. In 2008, former UT coach Phillip Fulmer was issued a subpoena when he arrived. 5. NFL/NBA lockouts The NFL lockout has passed 100 days, while the NBA just recently locked its players out. Both are interesting to watch. The NFL owners want more of the league’s revenue, while the players refuse to reduce its share. Without having a true off-season, the effects of the lockout are already felt, but if a deal isn’t done in the next month or so, it could really begin to jeopardize the NFL season. Crazy. But as far apart as the two sides are in the NFL, the NBA owners and players are much farther apart. Its lockout could realistically force the league to cancel the 2011-12 season.
UT announces track coaching changes
• Photo courtesy of UT Sports
George Watts (left) and Norbert Elliott (right) have left UT as track coaches. Watts coached the men's distance corps and cross country and Elliot coached sprinters and hurdlers
Staff Reports The University of Tennessee announced Friday that Associate Head Coach George Watts and Assistant Coach Norbert Elliott will not return to the track & field staff for the 2011-12 season. "I did not reach this decision easily, but I felt it was necessary to make some changes to our coaching staff," UT Director of Track & Field J.J. Clark said. "Our focus and expectation will continue to be about restoring the Tennessee men's track & field program to a championship level." Watts, who coached the men's distance corps and cross country team, was the longesttenured member of a staff that became a combined men's and women's program in 2010. His charges captured 33 AllAmerica honors and 21 SEC
titles on the oval. As an athlete, Watts was an All-American at Tennessee in both cross country and indoor track, and stands as the SEC record-holder in the three-mile run on the oval. Elliott just completed his seventh season in Knoxville, overseeing the Vol sprinters and hurdlers. During his stint, his athletes produced 29 AllAmerica certificates, two NCAA championships and eight SEC individual titles. Members of his group also toppled five UT records along the way. "I'd like to thank George Watts and Norbert Elliott for their service to the University of Tennessee," UT Senior Associate Athletics Director Chris Fuller said. "Decisions that impact coaching personnel are never easy, and this one was especially difficult."
Wallis joins Serrano’s baseball staff can’t wait to work with them to bring Tennessee back to promise and return the program to the top of the national The Tennessee baseball coaching staff moved one more baseball landscape. “I visited Knoxville when Coach Serrano got the job a step towards completion on Tuesday as head coach Dave Serrano announced the addition of former player and assis- couple of weeks ago and just fell in love with the campus and tant Gregg Wallis as the program’s volunteer assistant coach. facilities. It is an unbelievable college atmosphere and I Wallis will be in charge of working with the Volunteer out- immediately knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. fielders, assist associate head coach Greg Bergeron with the I am really excited to dig right in and start working with our players. I look forward to beginning to develop relationships squad’s offense and man the with each of them and hope first base coaching box. that I can be a leader for “Gregg Wallis is one of the them by sharing my experitop up-and-coming young ences as both a player and a coaches in collegiate baseball coach.” and I feel very fortunate to be Wallis played for both able to bring him on board to Serrano and Bergeron at UC our staff at Tennessee,” Irvine in 2005, served as the Serrano said. “He was a valuAnteaters’ undergraduate able asset to me at both UC assistant in 2006 and was Irvine and Cal State the director of baseball Fullerton and I am excited to operations for the College continue working with him World Series qualifying club here in Knoxville. The UT in 2007. He then worked program will definitely benewith the Scott Boras fit from the knowledge and Corporation for a brief periinsight Coach Wallis will od, helping to coordinate bring to our staff.” recruiting efforts and gather Wallis, 29, arrives at information on possible Rocky Top after three seaprospects, before joining sons and three different job Serrano’s staff at Fullerton. titles at Cal State Fullerton. Wallis graduated from Most recently, he served as Chatsworth High School in • Photo courtesy of Matt Brown/Cal State Fullerton Sports the assistant coach and 2001 before going on to a recruiting coordinator last year, working mainly with the team’s outfielders, including four-year college career as an infielder with the Anteaters from 2002 to 2005. He was the first player to sign with thenBig West Freshman of the Year Michael Lorenzen. In 2010, Wallis was the Titans’ volunteer assistant coach head coach John Savage as Irvine resurrected its baseball after spending his first season at CSF as the program’s program for the 2002 season. A three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and fouradministrative assistant where he was instrumental in maintaining the facilities, tracking academics and running the time UCI and Big West Conference Scholar-Athlete, Wallis graduated from UC Irvine in 2005 with a degree in political youth camps. “I am extremely proud and excited to have the opportuni- science and minor in psychology. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee basety to work with Coach Serrano, Coach Bergeron and Coach ball, visit UTSports.com or follow @Vol_Baseball on Mosiello at Tennessee,” Wallis said. “All three of them are mentors and people that I really respect and look up to. I Twitter.
Staff Reports