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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

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Issue 01

E D I T O R I A L L Y

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://dailybeacon.utk.edu

Vol. 115

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O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

T E N N E S S E E

Academics, diversity highlight freshman class David Barnett Staff Writer This year’s incoming freshman class of 4,200 students is one of the most scholastically talented classes the university has seen.

Richard Bayer, assistant provost and director of enrollment services, explained that the university classifies students as “high achieving” if they have a high school GPA of 3.75 and an ACT score of 29.

The incoming freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.81, representing a 0.11 point rise from last year. Additionally, 41 percent of the class left high school with a GPA of 4.0 or higher.

Many students are entering UT with credit hours earned from advanced placement tests.

“The class as a whole brought in 10,220 credit hours worth of credit,” Bayer said.

“As we did the research to begin our quest to become a Top 25 university, we learned that UT Knoxville has, for several years, attracted students who are as good, if not better than, those students who attend the best universities in the country,” said Chancellor Jimmy Cheek in a recent UT press release.

As UT fulfills its goal of ascending the levels of US News and World Report’s (USNWR) college rankings, the number of high-achieving students becomes increasingly more important. However, there are other salient factors.

Amy Blakely, assistant director of media relations, said, “No doubt, having high-achieving students helps, but USNWR’s rankings take into account many ‘widely accepted indicators of excellence.’”

In regards to the class’s composition, 17 percent are minority students, including 8.3 percent that are African-American, and 90 percent of all freshman are Tennessee residents.

Many students qualified for both need and merit-based scholarships this year.

As such, there was a greater demand for UT’s need-based aid programs, namely the Tennessee Pledge and Tennessee Promise Scholarships and Achieve the Dream grants.

Ninety-nine percent of this year’s freshmen qualified for the HOPE Scholarship, a lotteryfunded scholarship that grants $4,000 per year toward mandatory fees.

In the 2005-2006 school year, 99 percent of UT’s scholarships were merit-based. Now only 69 percent of the institutional scholarships that UT awards are based on merit.

Nearly 14 percent of incoming freshmen have qualified for the Tennessee Pledge Scholarship. If bundled with other federal, state and institutional aid, the Pledge covers all UT’s mandatory costs.

The Pledge scholarship is accessible to students whose families earn less than or equal to $40,000 per year with the average income for Pledge families this year being $19,400.

175 incoming freshmen received aid from the Tennessee Promise Scholarship, while an additional 353 received Achieve the Dream grants.

This year’s freshman class, the largest the university has seen in recent years, with nearly 500 more freshman than last year’s class, has shown commitment to high academic standards as well as diversity on many levels.-

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Students and Resident Assistants wait outside Morrill Hall on move-in day this past weekend. Signs around campus helped point students toward check-in areas and places to unload their vehicles.

Study examines summer reading Robby O’Daniel Recruitment Editor

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Students fill UT’s parking lots to the brim as freshman descend on campus for the first time this semester.

The Class of 2014 is one of the most academically impressive groups of students to attend UT in recent years.

A new study shows that, though summer reading is important, children do not necessarily have to digest literary classics during the three-month vacation to maintain and expand their reading skills.

Results of three years of research, done by UT professors Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen, show that children can choose their own books to read and the effect on reading skills is equal to attending summer school.

The study began with 1,330 randomly selected Florida schoolchildren in first and second grade. A test group of 852 students were each offered 12 free books from a choice of 600 different titles.

A control group of 478 children were given activity and puzzle books instead.

Books that children could select were split into four classifications: culturally relevant, curriculum relevant, popular series and pop culture.

Culturally relevant books were written by minority authors, focusing on minority characters and reflecting minority life experiences.

Curriculum-relevant books were tied to the children’s science or social studies subjects for the next year: students entering fourth grade might have selected a book on Florida geography or history.

Popular series books include those focusing on characters such as Captain Underpants and Harry Potter.

Pop culture, which ended up being home to some of the most popular books in the study, centered on books about popular figures, from musicians Miley Cyrus and Shakira to tennis-playing sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

"In general, those last two categories of books — popular series and pop culture — were ones that kids were likely to select, about 80 percent of the total," Allington said.

The study lasted for three summers — until the children were in fourth and fifth grade. The effect of reading these books was significant.

"The kids who got free books made as much growth during the summer as kids in another study made in going to summer school during the summers," Allington said.

Allington said the effect was twice as high among the poorest children in the study.

The study was conducted in schools that, on average, had 85 percent of the children eligible for free lunch programs, whereas the national average is 40 percent eligible, he said.

Children making up the test group were 95 percent minorities.

Some of them came from very urban backgrounds, McGill-Franzen said, while others came from extreme rural settings and farmland.

Yet during the first year of the study, the popular book choice was universal.

"The most popular book was the unauthorized biography of Britney Spears," McGill-Franzen said.

Other popular choices were a biography of another entertainer, Lil’ Romeo, and popular series centering on peer characters like Captain Underpants and Junie B. Jones.

These results — and the philosophy that children should choose any book over school — or parent-selected ones — have caused a great stir. An Aug. 2 New York Times article about the study has more than 200 comments as of press time, with readers debating the central issue: whether children should choose their own books.

"The most popular ones, the character is feisty, immature and sneaky," McGill-Franzen said. "... That's totally the antithesis of what librarians or teachers would think of as heroes."

Allington argued that the reading curriculum in schools is recycled with few modern choices mixed in.

"You're talking about books that were on the curriculum, not just before the Internet, but before we had copy machines," he said.

McGill-Franzen said kids identify not only with the characters in the series books and the popular books, but also with other readers of those books.

"They're reading them because their friends are reading them, and they want to be a part of that reading culture," she said. "It's part of their social identity."

Even when kids do make connections with school-chosen books, she said teachers and librarians invariably choose depressing titles.

"Who wants a steady diet of really, really sad books?" she said.

Allington said the approach schools take to summer reading is wrong.

"Lots of English teachers and lots of parents do absolutely the opposite of what they need to do if they want to take advantage of the power of independent, voluntary reading," he said.

Books chosen for summer reading lists or classroom curriculum during the summer often do not reflect children's taste, he said. It's this philosophy that hinders independent reading.

He expects the blame for the "summer slide," what educators call the lapse in reading and dip in reading skills during the summer months, to go to electronic media, bad parenting or bad teaching.

The highest-poverty, lowest-achieving schools in Tennessee spend $300 per child on workbooks, test preparation and Xerox copy, he said, whereas buying children 12 books for the summer, like was done in the study, would cost about $45.

He said workbooks simply make teaching easier and allow the principal to exert more authority on the school. Meanwhile, test preparation — after so many hours — reaches a point where its positive effect on test performance levels off and even becomes negative.

"It's not that schools don't have the money," he said. "They just don't have the brains."

Allington proposes additional ways to encourage reading in the summer months, such as making school libraries open and altering the schedules of librarians and reading specialists to 11-month, fourday-a-week plans to cover most of the summer.

McGill-Franzen said it was imperative to honor children's choices in order to foster those that are engaged in reading and want to read independently.

"I think it might be a middle-class phenomenon to tell your kids, 'Oh no, you can't go out. Turn off the TV, no video games. You have to read,'" she said. "... And they set the egg timer. Parents wouldn't have to do that if kids were engaged in their reading."

2 • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

Wednedsay, August 18, 2010

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Work crews put the finishing touches on Neyland Stadium’s new façade in preparation for the beginning of the football season. The work marks the end of the second portion of Phase III in renovations to Neyland Stadium, spanning the past two years.

This day

in History On this day in 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest during a coup by high-ranking members of his own government, military and police forces.

Since becoming secretary of the Communist Party in 1985 and president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1988, Gorbachev had pursued comprehensive reforms of the Soviet system. Combining perestroika ("restructuring") of the economy — including a greater emphasis on free-market policies — and glasnost ("openness") in diplomacy, he greatly improved Soviet relations with Western democracies, particularly the United States. Meanwhile, though, within the USSR, Gorbachev faced powerful critics, including conservative hardline politicians and military officials who thought he was driving the Soviet Union toward its downfall and making it a second-rate power. On the other side were even more radical

reformers — particularly Boris Yeltsin, president of the most powerful socialist republic, Russia — who complained that Gorbachev was just not working fast enough.

The August 1991 coup was carried out by the hard-line elements within Gorbachev's own administration, as well as the heads of the Soviet army and the KGB, or secret police.

Detained at his vacation villa in the Crimea, he was placed under house arrest and pressured to give his resignation, which he refused to do. Claiming Gorbachev was ill, the coup leaders, headed by former vice president Gennady Yanayev, declared a state of emergency and attempted to take control of the government.

Yeltsin and his backers from the Russian parliament then stepped in, calling on the Russian people to strike and protest the coup. When soldiers tried to arrest Yeltsin, they found the way to the parliamentary building blocked by armed and unarmed civilians. Yeltsin himself climbed aboard a tank and spoke through a megaphone, urging the troops not to turn against the people and condemning the coup as a "new reign of terror." The soldiers backed off, some of them choosing to join the resistance. After thousands took the streets to demonstrate, the coup collapsed after only three days.

Gorbachev was released and flown to Moscow, but his regime had been dealt a deadly blow. Over the next few months, he dissolved the Communist Party, granted independence to the Baltic states and proposed a looser, more economics-based federation among the remaining republics. In December 1991, Gorbachev resigned. Yeltsin capitalized on his defeat of the coup, emerging from the rubble of the former Soviet Union as the most powerful figure in Moscow and the leader of the newly formed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

-This Day in History is courtesy of history.com.

In the Welcome Back edition of The Daily Beacon, the Central Programming Council is incorrectly identified in a photo caption as bringing Spike Lee to campus as part of the signature Legends Lecturer Series. The Black Cultural Programming Committee in fact brought Lee to UT. The Daily Beacon regrets this error.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

NATION&WORLD

Aging inmates strain prisons The Associated Press CONNELL, Wash.

— Curtis Ballard rides a motorized wheelchair around his prison ward, which happens to be the new assisted living unit — a place of many windows and no visible steel bars — at Wa s h i n g t o n ' s Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.

A stroke left Ballard unable to walk. He's also had a heart attack and he underwent a procedure to remove skin cancer from his neck. At 77, he's been in prison since 1993 for murder. He has 14 years left on his sentence.

Ballard is among the national surge in elderly inmates whose medical expenses are straining cashstrapped states and have officials looking for solutions, including early release, some possibly to nursing homes.

Ballard says he's fine where he is.

"I'd be a burden on my kids," said the native Texan.

"I'd rather be a burden to these people."

That burden is becoming greater as the American Civil Liberties Union estimates that elderly prisoners — the fastestgrowing segment of the prison population, largely because of tough sentencing laws — are three times more expensive to incarcerate than younger inmates.

The ACLU estimates that it costs about $72,000 to house an elderly

inmate for a year, compared to $24,000 for a younger prisoner.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that the number of men and women in state and federal prisons age 55 and older grew 76 percent between 1999 and 2008, the latest year available, from 43,300 to 76,400.

The growth of the entire prison population grew only 18 percent in that period.

"We're reaping the fruits of bad public policy like Three Strikes laws and other mandatory minimum sentencing laws," said David C. Fathi, director of the ACLU National Prison Project in Washington, D.C. "One in 11 prisoners is serving a life sentence."

Washington has 2,495 inmates who are age 50 or older, the state's definition of elderly, according to information released after a public records request from The Associated Press.

There are 270 inmates over the age of 65.

The infirm started arriving at the new assisted living facility at Coyote Ridge when it opened on Feb. 1.

The unit has a capacity of 74 inmates. To qualify, an inmate must be disabled and be considered a minimum security risk, prison superintendent Jeffrey Uttecht said.

The oldest inmate there is Ernest Tabor, 84, who was incarcerated for murder in 1997 and has 13 more years to serve. The average age in the assisted living unit is 59, a figure skewed slightly by three inmates in their 30s with disabilities.

Nearly all the inmates in the assisted living unit are in for murder or sex crimes, although a few are serving time for assault, drug or property crimes.

Some were due to be released this year. Ballard is set for release in 2024.

The documents show the average age of a prison inmate in Washington has risen from 34.8 years in 2000 to 37.3 in 2010. The average is rising because of longer sentences, not because older people are being sent to prison, the state said.

The assisted living center is a unit in a much larger prison, which has two doctors for more than 2,000 total inmates. But the elderly prisoners tend to consume a big share of medical resources, including having two nurses assigned 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said health care manager Mary Jo Currey.

The assisted living prisoners need walkers, wheelchairs and lots of medications. Some experts suggest infirm prisoners could be more cheaply cared for in conventional nursing homes, as people over 50 rarely commit violent See INMATES on Page 5

The Daily Beacon • 3

4 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

OPINIONS

Editor’s Note Zac Ellis Editor-in-Chief

UT must work on keeping talented freshmen There’s a new breeze floating across campus this week. As residence halls fill up and book stores run dry, the sights and sounds of UT’s Class of 2014 are everywhere.

But with nearly 4,200 freshmen eager to fill the stately walls of ole UT, these students represent more than just new faces in new places.

The Class of 2014 represents glorious potential for Tennessee. At least, on paper.

This year’s freshman class boasts an average GPA of 3.81, up from last year’s average of 3.79. Even more impressively, 41 percent of UT’s newbies arrive with high school GPAs of 4.0 or higher. The class’s average ACT score of 26.5 is also slightly higher than that of 2009’s freshmen.

What’s more, the university is not relying on out-of-state gems to boost its academic numbers. Ninety percent of the 2010 newcomers are in-state products, so UT is attracting the best of the best within Tennessee’s borders.

These statistics show continued improvement by Tennessee’s freshman classes over the years, a welcome sight for a university hell-bent on achieving recognition as one of the nation’s best higher education institutions.

When Chancellor Jimmy Cheek announced UT’s goal to become a Top 25 university in June, that meant creating improvement in several key areas. When compared to the target group of the nation’s top universities, UT fell short on retention rate, six-year graduation rate, several aspects of graduate education, research expenditures and faculty salary range and awards.

The message from the Chancellor was clear: We have to get better.

Freshman classes such as this year’s group are a step in the right direction. But roping in the best talent is one thing. Keeping that talent in Knoxville is another.

Students need to feel secure in the value of a UT education to remain a loyal Vol for all four (or more) years.

They want a road to a degree with as few road blocks as possible.

But several factors keep students from donning the cap and gown in a speedy manner. University budget cuts have turned class registration into a game of chance. Sections disappear, and many students need necessary subjects to walk across the stage in time. A four-year college career suddenly becomes nothing more than a mirage for many students caught in academic gridlock.

So what happens to young people unhappy with their UT experience? Some bolt for greener pastures.

Others weather the storm by accepting later graduation dates. The result for UT? Lower retention and four-year graduation rates.

At the same time, Tennessee’s flagship university continues to lure the state’s best and brightest to The Hill, and the Class of 2014 illustrates that academically gifted high school students are realizing the bargain that is UT. The HOPE Scholarship helps convince Tennessee’s honors students from venturing to more historically prominent universities, instead opting to stay home with UT and, at the same time, improving the school’s academic pedigree.

Since the HOPE Scholarship’s implementation in 2004, UT’s six-year graduation rates have failed to improve despite each brainy freshman class. From 2004 to 2008, UT jumped one point in graduation rate, while Minnesota, a school narrowly behind Tennessee in 2004, leapfrogged the Vols with a 10-point boost by 2008.

Ohio State, though ahead of UT in 2004, jumped 11 points in the same time period. Schools are finding ways to hand out more degrees while Tennessee is remaining stagnant.

What happens in between that forces such stellar freshman classes to graduate only six of 10 students? That’s the million-dollar question UT’s bigwigs are trying to answer. Somewhere in between, these students are turned off. Somewhere, these students are denied options. As our nation slowly creeps out of its economic ditch, perhaps UT will find a way to keep these students on campus for the duration of their college careers.

These impressive freshmen are here for a reason. Let’s give them some reasons to stay.

THE DAILY BACON • Blake Tredway

DOONESBURY • Garry Trudeau

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.

History favors Obama, Democrats in 2012 Off the Deep End by

Derek Mullins As we kick off our new school year, I extend the usual customary welcome to all new and returning students as well as faculty, staff and others who have an integral part in the inner workings of this university. I have little doubt things will once again get very interesting for all of us on the Hill in the coming year, and I wish everyone a year of success, be it academically, professionally or athletically.

Diverting attention from the first day of classes and looking outwards to our nation at large, the U.S. looks to be in the middle of a major, almost seismic shift politically. As hard as it is for a self-professed liberal Democrat to admit, the future looks ominously dark for those who share any sort of left-wing mindset and certainly for any who usually align themselves with the Democratic Party.

Continued mismanagement and a growing sense of disillusionment have garnered nothing but dreary reviews for the nation’s first Democratically controlled Congress in nearly two decades and increasingly bad approval ratings for the Obama administration. From the debate over an Islamic cultural center and mosque planned to be constructed near the site of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, to the disastrous pace of movement to stem the flow of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, the solid-”blue” federal government has seemingly done little right in the eyes of the American people during the last couple of years they have been in power.

Along the same lines, things at the state and local levels are not going too well for many Democrats either.

Be it because of anger and disillusionment towards and with the party at the federal level or the rise of the “Tea Party” movement in almost every state across the country, incumbent Democrats and moderate Republicans are being ousted from their seats by candidates who are further to the right than their predecessors. The same phenomenon seems to be happening in Congressional primary seats, as tenured Republicans are being jettisoned in favor of new, more politically radical candidates.

All of this looks to be culminating towards a major

victory for the Republicans in November and a catastrophic fall from grace for many Democrats at every level of government, in every state across the nation. You have to believe that if Scott Brown can seize hold of a Senate seat representing Massachusetts and if Linda McMahon can garner serious traction for the same position in usually deep-blue Connecticut, things are going to look vastly different in this nation after Nov. 2.

Despite all the doom and gloom on the horizon, I cannot help but find solace in recent history.

Coincidentally, this same phenomenon essentially occurred sixteen years ago in the “Republican Revolution” of 1994. In that election, right-wing Republicans swept both houses of Congress and left then-President Bill Clinton, long-thought to be as liberal a president as this nation could find, with what looked like the insurmountable task of trying to negotiate legislation through a Congress that seemed to hold high levels of contempt and distrust towards his administration.

Sound familiar? His policies were thought to be very suspect and drew the ire of his Congressional counterparts. Despite all of his missteps, shortcomings, scandals and political showdowns, Clinton was able to survive it all. Many had written off the idea of a Democrat retaining the White House in 1996, but Clinton prevailed and would go on to retire from political office with the highest approval ratings of any exiting president since the end of World War II. As cliché as it may sound, history really does repeat itself, especially when it comes to politics, and I believe these events will eventually lead to a similar climax.

Regardless of the pessimism that seems to be rising about President Obama’s ability to garner more political traction with the American public and to have any chance of reelection in November 2012, I seriously believe that Obama will retain his office in the aftermath of that particular presidential election. Be it because of his ability to bolster support for his agenda with optimistic speeches on the American experience or because of a lack of any prominent, capable challenger from the Republicans (highly speculated candidates include Sarah Palin, Ron Paul and Rick Perry), Obama is currently on track to follow in the footsteps of President Clinton in the 1990s.

Things may look bleak now, but the Democrats will survive the biggest test in two years.

Derek Mullins is a senior in political science. He can be reached at dmullin5@utk.edu.

Call made for Right to take action Immut abl y Right by

Treston Wheat

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The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester. The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: http://dailybeacon.utk.edu.

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Few on the political right like the direction America is headed. They feel the country is taking steps toward forced collectivism and laying aside the founding values of the country. This has caused many to lose hope about America's political culture because it seems like the next generation promotes liberalism at an alarming rate, rejecting many ideas that make the country great. However, I say there is always hope, and we must only look at two great Republicans in history to know this.

The first is the progressive Republican Jane Addams, who is famous for establishing Hull House to help immigrants acclimate to American life. She was a private citizen who saw a problem in American society and decided to do something about it.

America, during the 19th century, was controlled by large businesses while the poor were thrown to the wayside. Many feared that the poor would rise up and establish socialism in the country. So, to protect America from the leftists, Addams stood up and helped the poor. She, along with other progressives, did not embrace a teleological view of history that said America was going in a direction that could not be stopped.

The second great Republican is Phyllis Schlafly. For those who do not know about this extraordinary woman, she is credited with stopping the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Though I actually support the ERA, I respect Schlafly because, like Addams, she became an activist to prevent her country from going in a direction in which she disagreed. When Schlafly began her fight against the ERA, 30 of the 38 necessary states needed to pass a constitutional amendment had already done so. Yet, through an effective grass roots campaign, Schlafly stopped the ERA in its tracks and promoted her cause as a private citizen. She prevented the direction America was headed, even though it seemed inevitable.

I discuss these two examples because America is currently facing many problems, just as it did during the lifetimes of these two women. Unemployment, immigration, education, cultural relativity, two wars,

energy, a bloated budget and excessive debt are taking a toll on our nation. Addams and Schlafly should inspire my fellow rightists to stand up right now and promote our causes as private citizens.

Let's examine the current problem of immigration.

Those on the political right tend to support closed borders and deportation while opposing amnesty.

They complain about having to “press one for English.” I would suggest to them to take it upon themselves to act as Addams did. Instead of asking the federal government to act and knowing it will not, offer to teach immigrants English and other American customs to help them assimilate. The problem is solved without government action.

Furthermore, there are positives for both sides. If an immigrant knows English, he or she would be able to find better employment and support his or her family while conservatives would not have to worry about English being lost as our de facto language.

A second important example is the liberalization of American culture that accepts relativism and rejects Judeo-Christian values. This can be seen in the recent overturning of Proposition 8 in California, where a judge ruled that the votes of the people in California do not matter on gay marriage.

Social conservatives support “traditional marriage” between one man and one woman. Though I understand the importance of this conservative cause, I would submit to cultural conservatives like myself that if we support the institution of marriage then we should also promote fidelity and stability within it.

Half of all U.S. marriages end in divorce. There are countless numbers of partners that cheat on the other, as well as spousal abuse, child abuse and poverty.

There are a myriad number of problems already inside of marriage. If social conservatives really care about marriage, they should try to deal with these problems first as citizens, rather than trying to make the government enforce our Judeo-Christian values.

This will give them a foundation to promote other causes like “traditional marriage.”

These are only two examples. Those of us on the right need to stop standing around complaining about the Democrats, liberals and Obama. Instead, we should say enough is enough, and we are not going to wait for the government to do something, which is what we supposedly believe. How can we say it is not the government's job to do something when we will not do it ourselves? That is hypocritical. It is time to help America by doing it ourselves.

Treston Wheat is a senior in political science and history. He can be reached at twheat@utk.edu.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The Daily Beacon • 5

NATION&WORLD

I N M AT E S continued from Page 3 crime, Fathi said. A visit to a prison ward for the elderly is an eye-opening experience, he said.

"Some were entirely bedridden," he said. "It looked like a nursing home with razor wire."

Many states are studying ways to reduce the number of elderly prisoners. New or expanded early release programs were adopted last year by 12 states and the District of Columbia.

But a study released in April by the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City found the laws have rarely been used, in part because of political considerations and complicated reviews.

Early release for infirm inmates would be fine with Uttecht. But those prisoners need to be able to pay for the nursing care they need, so it doesn't happen often in Washington, he said.

"Usually it's for a terminal-type illness," he said.

Jane Parnell, who ran a special prison for the elderly in Yakima, Wash., that was closed last year because of high costs, said the public doesn't want these inmates released.

"A lot of them are sex offenders and fairly violent offenders," she said.

Parnell also questioned the necessity of the assisted living center, saying it is "more unusual than I think it should be." Many states just put elderly prisoners in the hospital ward, she said.

The assisted living unit at Coyote Ridge is inside the fence of the regular prison, but segregated from other units.

The building is one story and has wooden walls and wide doors to accommodate wheelchairs. There is a microwave oven, a shuffleboard table and a weight room in the common area.

Most inmates live in hospital ward style, with beds, desks and lockers. Sicker inmates have rooms with hospital beds.

Ballard lived much of his adult life in the Portland, Ore., area, where he worked on bridges, water towers and other tall structures.

His four kids bought his motorized wheelchair, an option not provided by the state.

That allows him to work in the prison laundry, where he earns $52 a month. He doesn't like the prison food and purchases many of his meals from the prison store.

Ballard declined to discuss why he was in prison, but records show he was convicted in 1993 of killing his estranged second wife and her adult daughter.

He also watches news, travel and cooking programs on a small television. He sometimes plays bluegrass music on his guitar. His room has a sink and toilet and younger George Richardson • The Daily Beacon inmates are assigned to help him.

Students arrive on campus to a number of ongoing construction projects. The "Most will really help you," Ballard said. "It's not like in the movies, where there are Goodfriend Tennis Center is currently undergoing a massive project to add two new a bunch of bullies out there." indoor tennis courts and is scheduled to be completed by January.

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Bartending. 40 hour program. Must be 18 years old.

Day, evening and Saturday classes. knoxvillebartendingschool.com 1-800-BARTEND.

Highly energetic motivated person to help with marketing. 4-5 hrs/week. Evenings (will fit your scheudle.) Position averages 15-20/hr.

Please fax resume to (865)566-0328.

Student coordinator needed PT, 20 hours a week. Undergrad only. Must be out going and self motivated. Writing skills a plus. Send resume to jjp@tennessee.edu.

1803 White Ave. Apartments. 2BR apt. 2 blocks from campus. Ready for immediate occupancy. Hardwood/ tile floors; private entrance. 12 month lease.

Margaret@tvp1.com or call (865)607-5395.

1020 Atlantic Ave. 2BR, 1BA fenced yard. $650/mo. And a 1BR apt. $450/mo.

(865)809-7183.

2BR, 1BA 1507 Highland Ave. Pool, laundry room, security deposit, water and sewer included. $400/BR (865) 388-1725.

Female roommate wanted.

Grad student preferred.

New house in good subdivision. 3 min. from UT. $250/mo. Includes all utilities, cable TV, cable internet WiFi. Call after 5PM 566-3623.

BED BUGS? Waking up itchy? Red Bumps? Bed Bugs are rapidly becoming the biggest pest in college towns. Get Harris Bed Bugs Killer.

Odorless and non-staining. Guaranteed.

Available at Knox Farmers Co-op.

THE BIGGEST POSTER SALE. Biggest and Best Selection.

Choose from over 2,000 different images. FINE ART, MUSIC, MODELS, HUMOR, ANIMALS, PERSONALITIES, LANDSCAPES, MOTIVATIONALS, PHOTOGRAPHY. Most images only $7, $8, and $9. See us at the University Center Back Plaza on Wednesday, August 18 through Friday, August 27, 2010. Hours: 9a.m.-6p.m. This sale is sponsored by the University Center.

TUTORING Graduate school in your future?

Testing Solutions offers 1-on-1 LSAT, GMAT and GRE tutoring. Why pay the big tutoring companies more money for the same information? For information or registration, call: 307-0635 or visitwww.helpmytestscore.com.

EMPLOYMENT 90 year old retired professor needs help with yard work.

Great exercise, fresh air, and you get paid. Chain saw capability desirable. 588-9375.

Attention: ECE/ CD and CFS Students Bearden Early Enrichment Program is hiring for our infant to Pre-K classes. M-F & T/Th afternoon shifts avalible. beep@beardenumc.org First Baptist Concord/ WestLake FT, PT positions available. Teacher/ Teacher assistant. Professional Christian working environment.

Call (865)288-1629.

G. Carlton Salon is looking for an energetic, people loving salon coordinator on Wednesdays and Fridays answering phones, booking and greeting clients, and other duties to help the smooth flow of the salon.

Call Mary Alice at 865- 584-3432 or apply in person at 6718 Albunda Dr.

Make a difference this academic year as a part-time Upward Bound Educational Specialist. Duties include: providing a wide range of services for high school students who will be the first in their families to attend college, such as tutoring, ACT prep, career exploration, college admissions/ financial aid information; documenting/ record keeping; planning/ implementing program activities. Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Education or related field (Master’s preferred); experience in case load management, working with disadvantaged youth, math/ science teaching experience preferred Hours10-30 hrs/wk; Pay- $10-$13/hr. Apply to: Educational Specialist Position UT Pre-College Enrichment Programs 25 HPER Bldg. (865)974-4466.

Marina in Knoxville needs dock hands. Good people skills and willingness to labor is a must. Able to work during UT games.

(865)633-5004 joec@themarinas.net Now hiring PT counter help.

Crown Dry Cleaners. Contact Brian at (865)584-7464.

Personal assistant needed for 7 yr. old girl. She has special needs and immune compromised. 15 hours/week.

2-8pm Tues. & Thurs. and rotating weekends. $13.25/hour.

Call Melissa (865)384-5323.

PT auto tech/ auto detailer needed. Flexible schedule.

Near campus. Call Doug (865)755-7663.

Sitter/ friend for teen girl with cognitive delays. Must be mature, responsible, have own car/ insurance, good references. 4-6 p.m. M-F in Holston Hills and full days when school not in session.

Will consider one or more sitters to fit class schedules.

Call Donna 368-7985 or Bill 368-6656.

THE TOMATO HEAD KNOXVILLE Now hiring dish and food running positions. Full and part-time available, no experience necessary. Apply in person at 12 Market Square or apply online at thetomatohead.com.

Veterinary Assistant- Animal Caretaker. PT and weekends.

Experience helpful but not necessary. $9.00/hr. Apply at Norwood Veterinary Hospital, 2828 Merchants Rd. between 3-5:30PM only.

Want to complete missions in Knoxville? Make a difference as an AmeriCorps member by raising up urban youth to be leaders. Serve part-time in support of an afterschool program. Engage in relational activities as well. Receive a living allowance and money for school!

Contact rbenway@emeraldyouthfoundation.org as soon as possible if interested.

West Knoxville childcare needs 2 afternoon teachers.

One 12-6pm. Exp. with preschoolers preferred. One 2-6 and are willing to train. Must be available M-F. Call 693-5750 Louise.

UNFURN APTS 1 and 2BR Apts. UT area.

(865)522-5815. Ask about our special.

1BR apt. in English Tudor Bldg. next to Ft. Sanders Hospital. $400/mo. plus utilities.

522-4964, 9AM-5PM. KEYSTONE CREEK 2BR apartment. Approx 4 miles west of UT on Middlebrook Pike. $500. Call (865)522-5815. Ask about our special.

FOR RENT APT. FOR RENT. 10 minutes from UT. Studio- $405; 1BR $505. (865)523-0441 3BR 2BA Laurel Villas, across from The Hill. W/D, 2 gated parking spots, ground floor. $1200/mo. Andy 851-4261.

1BR, LR, kitchen, private parking and entrance. All utilities paid. Walking distance to campus. $400/mo.

Call 522-3325.

4th AND GILL Houses and apartments now available. Please call Tim at (865)599-2235.

CAMBRIDGE ARMS Just 4 miles west of campus.

Small pets allowed. Pool and laundry rooms. 2BR at great price! Call (865)588-1087.

Franklin Station Condo for rent. 2 roommates seeking third for 3BR condo. $450/mo. includes utilities and wireless internet. Lease required. (865)414-9619.

1BR house South Knox Countryside. Quiet, private, nice view. Your dog and cat welcomed. 1 year lease. $350/mo. $300 deposit.

(865)235-5854.

2 story spacious house. 3BR, 1BA, 7 miles from campus.

Front and back yard. Beautiful interior with H/W flooring. $750/mo. (865)522-6853 3BR 2BA house Chapman Hwy. 1 mile to UT. Nice yard.

CH/A. Tile, hardwood. $900/mo. 1 month deposit.

982-5227 6BR 2BA + study, huge remodeled home in Fort, 3 blocks to campus, W/D, Central H/A, porch, parking, wifi. $1995/mo moves in today.

Hurry call/text 865-964-4669.

Available now. 3BR, 3BA 1800 sq. ft. West Knoxville Condo. Quiet neighborhood.

All appliances including W/D. Plenty of parking. Perfect for graduate students. $1200/mo. Water included.

Small pets OK. (865)242-0632.

For Sale or Rent West Knox Bearden Hill area. 2BR, 1.5BA remodeled townhouse. Access to pool, clubhouse and workout room.

Asking $110,900 or $900/mo. Connell Properties Owner/agent (865)256-8024.

This space could be yours. Call 974-4931

HOMES FOR SALE 1100 Chickamauga Ave. Renovated 2,400 sq. ft. 8 rooms plus. 4BR, 2.5BA, Must see. $169,900. (865)604-3538.

FURNITURE

AUTOS FOR SALE 100+ vehicles $5,995 or less. Specializing in imports. www.DOUGJUSTUS.com

Good use furniture. Clawfoot bathtub. 3607 Middlebrook Pike. Across from FedEx. MATTRESS SALE Student discounts, lay-away available. Twin size starting at $79.99, Full $109.99, Queen $139.99. Also carry Futons.

Call (865)560-0242.

Classified ads can work for YOU! Give us a call at 974-4931

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 1BR 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 $340/mo. Call (865)219-9000 for information.

River Towne Condo. Luxury lake front living. Boat slip available. Contact Rick @ (865)805-9730. firstknoxrealty.com Special 1 month FREE. Convenient to downtown, UT area. 2BR apartments available now. $475/mo (865)573-1000.

The Woodlands. 3BR, 3BA townhouse. Ideal for 3 students. $495/mo. each. Near campus behind UT Hospital.

All amenities included. Howard Grower Realty Executive Associates. 588-3232 or 705-0969.

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz Across 1 “Roger that” sayer 5 Cakes with a kick

38 Grows darker 39 Ride for Hawkeye or Radar

10 “A ___ on you!”

41 Chipped in

13 ___-kiri

45 “Making something out of nothing and selling it,” per Frank Zappa

14 Laughing gas, for one 15 Mixologist’s instruction 16 Fine-tune, as a script 17 Finland-based communications giant 18 Wee bit

46 Like dogs in packs 47 Carrier crew 49 Classic Sinatra topper 50 Ironic exam schedule?

19 “Yada yada yada”

54 Nellie who circled the world

20 Ironic weather forecast?

55 “How could ___ this happen?”

22 KFC servings

56 Agent Swifty

24 Alluringly slender

57 Dust jacket bits

25 What to do at a drive-thru window

58 Ruing the workout, maybe

26 Do some cardio 29 Thin as ___

59 Where élèves study

30 It’s under a foot

60 Prom night worry

31 Bullet-point item

61 Helpful connections

33 Ironic marriage plan?

63 Army NCO

62 Overhauled

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

1 2 3 4 5 6

12 Got an inside look at?

15 Yearning sort Down 20 Stock unit: Abbr.

Orange munchies 21 Cameo shapes Ball field error 23 Turned right, like Monty Python Dobbin member 26 Midrange Unpopular mobster Volkswagen Boss’s good news 27 None of the above Neural transmitter 28 All skin and bones

7 Steven ___, subject of “Cry Freedom” 8 Point before “game,” maybe 9 Clothes lines 10 Sometimes-dyed dog 11 Bested at Nathan’s on July 4, e.g.

31 Paternity test factor 32 Quarterly payment recipient, for short 34 Of yore 35 Spun 45s, say 36 Gym class set to music 37 Like many magazine subscriptions

40 Jungle gym, swings, etc.

41 Home of St. Francis 42 “S.N.L.” alum Kevin 43 Home runs, in slang 44 Be melodramatic 46 Palin parodist 48 Buc or Niner 49 Got along 51 Where “They’re off!” may be heard 52 Preppy shirt brand 53 “The Persistence of Memory” artist 57 Many undergrad degs.

6 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

NATION&WORLD

The Daily Beacon • 7

Lebanon attempts to retain Arabic The Associated Press BEIRUT — Maya Sabti's children were born and raised in Lebanon but they speak only broken Arabic and cringe when presented with an Arabic book to read.

"I try to get them interested, but I don't blame them that they're not," said Sabti, whose children are 8 and 10. "Mobile phones, Facebook, movies — all that's important to them is in English."

In Lebanon, where everyday conversations have long been sprinkled with French and English, many fear the new generation is losing its connection to the country's official language: Arabic. The issue has raised enough concern for some civil groups to take action.

"Young people are increasingly moving away from Arabic, and this is a major source of concern for us," says Suzanne Talhouk, 33, a Lebanese poet who heads "Feil Amer," an organization launched last year to promote Arabic.

"The absence of a common language between individuals of the same country means losing the common identity and cause," Talhouk said. In a nod both to its members' sense of urgency and their language fixation, the group's name is the Arabic grammatical term for an imperative verb.

Arabic is believed to be spoken as a first language by more than 280 million people, mostly in the Middle East and North Africa. The classical, written form of the language is shared by all Arabic-speaking countries but spoken dialects differ among countries — and fluency in speaking doesn't necessarily mean fluency in reading and writing.

While Arabic is the official language of Lebanon, a

tiny Arab country of 4 million on the Mediterranean, many Lebanese pride themselves on being fluent in French — a legacy of French colonial rule — and English. Conversations often include a mix of all three, so much so that "Hi kifak, ca va?" — with the English "hi" and the Arabic and French phrases for "how are you?" — has become a typical greeting, even appearing on T-shirts and mugs sold in souvenir shops.

Most schools in Lebanon teach three languages from an early age, and many parents send their children to French- or American-curriculum schools where Arabic comes second or third. It has become very common for young people, particularly when using Facebook and text messages, to write Arabic using Latin characters.

Even politicians are not immune. Last year, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, 40, stumbled through a speech in parliament, having obvious difficulty with the classical Arabic — raising laughter from lawmakers and from the many who watched video of the address posted on YouTube.

The concerns are not unique to Lebanon.

Neighboring Syria requires that at least 60 percent of the space on signs for shops, restaurants and cafes should be in Arabic.

But Lebanon is a special case because of its more open society, said Mounira al-Nahed, assistant secretary general of the Beirut-based Arab Thought Foundation.

Lebanon's sectarian and ethnic diversity have always made it open to foreign influences. Moreover, it has a huge diaspora with an estimated 8 million people of Lebanese descent living in countries as distant as Brazil and Australia — many of whom come regularly to Lebanon for visits and often don't speak much Arabic.

Al-Nahed blames parents in part for speaking to

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

Demolition marks the beginning of a $45-million renovation to the Music Building. The new Natalie L. Haslam Music Center will offer a larger recital hall, improved rehearsal spaces and an expanded Music Library.

their children in French or English at home, thinking they will pick up Arabic anyway. But this has had the adverse effect, making Arabic come at a distant third.

"It has reached a stage where you see young people in Lebanon feel it's a shame to speak Arabic,” she said.

“This is not the case in the Gulf or other Arab countries.”

Al-Nahed also blames teaching techniques that often do not encourage children to speak Arabic and make the language seem dull and complex to learn.

Talhouk and her group have been lobbying to change that.

Her group visited Lebanese universities in an effort to gauge attitudes toward Arabic. Dozens of students were asked to recite the Arabic alphabet. Most of them were unable to go beyond the first five letters.

"Not only do they not know their Arabic ABCs, but they also wondered why they should bother learning it and how it would help them," Talhouk said.

In an attempt to draw attention to the problem, her group recently organized an all-day Arabic language festival entitled "We Are Our Language" in Beirut. The festival included a book exhibition, music and literature readings, as well as posters urging, "Do not kill your language" and "Teach your son to speak Arabic."

Sabti, a housewife who brought her children to the festival, hoped it would help change their perspective.

“We need more activities like this,” she said. “I hope this helps young people know we have a beautiful language that we should protect."

But for Youssef Dakhil, a student in his 20s, the problem is all about the lack of a Lebanese national identity.

"Unfortunately, we like everything that's imported, including foreign languages," he said.

10 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

The Daily Beacon • 9

Mourners draw pop culture parables Jake Lane Arts & Entertainment Editor As you might have read in an AP wire story in this issue, the 33rd anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death on Monday has drawn a crowd of the faithful and true believers in the King of Rock and Roll to mourn and reminisce. The notion that any dead celebrity merits that sort of attention should not shock anyone, especially considering the stellar contributions Elvis made to the world of music and, in an affable, campy sense of the word, film.

As we approach the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death, the Beatle himself who was such a devotee to Elvis, it strikes me funny how desperate we are as fans of people, the tributes offered at the veiled remains of our fallen heroes, and the boulders we throw on their shoulders while they’re alive.

For Elvis, there is no proper place to start. From the day he died in 1977, not a week has passed where an older lady or child has failed to spot the King getting his oil changed at Jiffy Lube, munching quarterpounders, buying beer at Ralph’s or rolling the dice in some roadside casino. At a local printshop, Yee-Haw, there are even posters and postcards that advertise similar sightings, a cultural phenomenon that is as inherently American, indeed Southern, as paparazzi and

“Jersey Shore,” or more so.

Also following Presley in death was a prevalent theory about a doppelganger or evil twin, someone who served as a face in public in the King ’s stead, one not hurt by the documented fact that Elvis was born a twin and survived while his first-born brother perished. In Nick Cave’s immortal song “Tupelo,” the wild-maned and strung-out Cave documents the event in metaphysical terms of the King rising from the Mississippi River, born from Gladys Presley’s loins, delivering a devil-besought land from darkness, drought and pestilence.

In film, the response has always embraced one of the finest forms of Southern superstition, that hoodoo and hoodwinking have kept the still-living King in the shadows all these years, living some measure of a private existence. In “Bubba Ho-Tep,” Bruce Campbell and his chin foiled a mummy with a wheelchair-bound, raciallyaugemented JFK to save their nursing home. In Jim Jarmusch’s conversational vignette collection “Coffee and Cigarettes,” Steve Buscemi defends Elvis’s racist comments towards African-Americans as the work of his not-so-dead twin, who served as the mouth-piece of the pair.

But I digress. Fanatical worship of the dead is only typical; after all, humanity is too often plagued by that classical flaw of not appreciating what we have until it has slipped through our fingers and there is no way to ever grasp it again, short of faith in the mystic and the afterlife. I have fallen into such a rut, most recently with Big Stars Alex Chilton and Andy Hummel.

The most important bit of perspective I have ever received, though, was that what we have in our hearts,

the things that made us love an artist in the first place, are almost always their work and not really that person at all. We may mourn in their passing an entity that we feel a connection to, regardless of ever actually making contact. In the end, as I tried to argue recently, their personality doesn’t necessarily matter as long the body of work they leave behind means something to someone.

Christians give the parable of Christ as a sinless man, and therefore his deeds and teachings are thought to be all the more poignant. But I propose that if there were some record of Christ the Man to be accepted in which people could see he sinned, it wouldn’t change a thing. The concept of a “Living God” may change, but that to me was always the troublesome part of the faith I was born into and later abandoned for music.

My point is that one of the most notable martyrs in history is seen to be without the taint of indiscretions.

With celebrities, we know their every wart and hang out every article of their dirty laundry, but an objective observer might notice that the worship bestowed on these people is not unlike that of a messiah, except with a fickle sense of loyalty. But once a person dies, we deify them and let their shortcomings fall aside.

This is true of most people, not just those flickering images on the TV screen.

So in Memphis people stand outside Graceland, mourning and remembering, but what we hold onto is always only part of the truth — what we want to see this person as being, this idol made of human emotion.

I don’t know what to do with it, but I thought it made a conversation starter. Have you tried the brie? It’s fantastic.

Recycling your Beacon is pretty doggone good!

8 • The Daily Beacon

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

The Daily Beacon • 11

Graceland vigil marks Elvis’s death The Associated Press MEMPHIS — Candles flickered in the balmy night as thousands of Elvis Presley fans filed silently by his grave during a vigil at Graceland, marking 33 years since the American icon died.

Elvis admirers from around the world descended on Elvis’ former home Sunday night to attend an annual candlelight vigil and procession that ran into Monday morning.

Presley died at age 42 at his Graceland mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. Memorials started the following year.

Elvis ballads like “If I Can Dream” and “Fools Rush In” played as participants solemnly filed in through the gates. Flowers and photos lined the entrance to the grave site, which also is the resting place of Presley’s father Vernon, his mother Gladys and grandmother Minnie Mae. Some wiped away tears as they walked past the graves.

Participants defied high heat and humidity that continued into the night.

Standing outside Graceland, Thomas Hollis, 52, said he thought of his wife, who passed away in May from cancer. It’s his sixth Elvis vigil, but the first without his wife.

Sunday was the couple’s 13th wedding anniversary.

Hollis’ granddaughter carried a candle for his wife.

“This vigil is kind of like for Elvis, and kind of like for her, too,” said Hollis, of Louisville, Ky. “It’s rough this year ... I’ve been through down times myself for a while, but I listen to his music and it keeps me going.”

The nighttime procession is the highlight of a weeklong series of fan-club meetings, film showings and Elvis tribute artist contests. Elvis purchased the 13-acre Graceland property in 1957 for a song — just a bit more than $100,000.

As night fell, fans took residence on Elvis Presley Boulevard, setting up folding chairs in the street after police closed the thoroughfare to traffic. Children wrote messages in purple, yellow and green chalk reading “We Miss Elvis” and “Elvis Lives 2010.”

Wim Postmus arrived last week from the town of Maarssen in the Netherlands. He came three years ago for the 30th anniversary vigil but gave up after spending many hours in line without even making it inside the walls.

The 47-year-old Postmus, who said Elvis’ music helps him get happy when he’s depressed, made the trip despite losing his job in financial administration earlier this year.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I saved for it.”

Before the procession, fans from as far as Japan and England browsed Graceland’s sprawling souvenir shopping center and gathered under a large tent across the street from the mansion to listen to performers belt out Elvis tunes.

Dozens of multicolored but empty chairs lined the walls of Graceland on Sunday afternoon, their early-arriving owners seeking refuge from 100-degree temperatures at water stations.

Shelley Somerville flew from Australia with her husband for their honeymoon. Hours before the procession, she held an umbrella to shield herself from the sun. It’s the third candlelight vigil for Somerville, who said she likes Elvis’ gospel music the most.

“Elvis has touched a lot of hearts, and there’s something spiritual about him,” said Somerville, a 31-year-old administrative assistant. “There’s a calming feeling around him.”

The week’s festivities included conversations with writers, photographers and close friends of Elvis, including Joe Esposito, part of the Elvis entourage nicknamed the “Memphis mafia.”

Paul Fivelson came from Chicago to meet a buddy he met at the vigil three years ago.

Wearing shorts and a black Elvis Week T-shirt, Fivelson said he likes to be near the front of the line to meet interesting people as they walk by the famous stone wall, which has personal messages from fans written on it.

Fivelson, 58, said he takes pride in being “a die-hard Elvis loyalist” who listens to the American icon’s music every day. His granddaughter’s name is Presley.

“I miss him, I loved him,” said Fivelson, a substitute teacher. “To be part of the Elvis experience and the aura of the whole thing just means everything in the world to me.”

• Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com

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Register: http://oit.utk.edu/training or (865) 974-9900

12• The Daily Beacon

The Associated Press Airport art to honor women in Nashville music NASHVILLE — An exhibition honoring women who helped establish the foundation of Nashville's music industry is slated to be unveiled at the city's airport.

Arts at the Airport and the Metro Nashville Airport Authority along with SOURCE — a nonprofit group that supports women executives and professionals who work in Nashville's music industry — will celebrate the opening of SOURCE Behind the Music on Wednesday.

The SOURCE Behind the Music exhibit highlights women honorees and their achievements. While many were not celebrated during their lifetime, they played a major role in creating today's music industry.

Arts at the Airport's Caroline Carlisle was the curator and producer of the exhibit, and Karen Edgin was the designer.

ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

White inspires Chattanooga seniors CHATTANOOGA — Comedian Betty White impressed a group of seniors with her well-known wit and vitality at a Chattanooga event over the weekend.

She was the special guest on Sunday for Life: An Expo for Boomers & Seniors, which featured vendors offering goods and services catering to baby boomers and seniors. It was sponsored by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Memorial Hospital and WRCB-TV. White was met with cheers and whistles as she took to a podium where she answered questions from audience members. Attendee Anne Cotheran said she was awed by White's energy and brass at her age.

White said she "can't thank everybody enough for an 88-and-a-half-year-old broad to still be doing this."

White earned an Emmy nomination this spring for her guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live." She has won Emmy awards for her work on sitcoms such as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Golden Girls."

Recycling Is the new

Orange

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • 13

Lawson joins Vols for return to diamond Lauren Kittrell Staff Writer At the start of a new season for the Tennessee baseball team, former San Diego Padres scout and Tennessee Wesleyan head coach Ash Lawson is joining the coaching staff as an assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Diamond Vols.

Lawson is excited about his role on the team and is looking forward to the upcoming year. He is enthusiastic about working with the players one-on-one and said that he will be starting with individual work shortly after the team’s first meeting on Wednesday.

“There will be some hands-on stuff, and I’m very excited for that,” Lawson said.

Lawson will be following in the footsteps of Bradley LeCroy, who resigned last week.

“While I am disappointed to see Bradley leave, I am extremely excited about adding Ash Lawson to our staff," Todd Raleigh, Vols head coach, said. "Coach LeCroy did an absolutely fantastic job while he was here George Richardson • The Daily Beacon and I truly believe that Ash will step right in and continue to move our program forward.”

The UT baseball team celebrates during a game last season. This year the Vols come back ready to improve Having been involved in professional baseball for with direction from new assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ash Lawson. many years, Lawson believes he will be able to help the players know what it takes to play in the upper level of college baseball. He said a lot will depend on how much the athletes progress between now and June, and what they produce in the spring will effect the opportunities they have to play professionally.

“Kids want to know a couple things: Are we going to win, what kind of gear are we going to wear, and can I get drafted?” Lawson said.

He believes that he will be in a position to answer these questions and to point the team in the right direction.

Lawson is eager to begin. Having lived in and around Tennessee for many years, he has developed a sense of affection and devotion to the university.

“I won’t say it’s a dream come true, because it isn’t something that you dream about,” he said, describing his new job. “But for me, the whole aura of Tennessee is UT.” Lawson said he is honored to even be considered for the job, but that he believed he was ready for the challenge.

“My years in professional baseball have shown me what it takes to play in the SEC and what it takes to play in the big leagues,” he said. “Now it’s my job to find those kids and convince them to come play at Tennessee.”

Lawson said he has faith in the team as a whole and in the players individually and is looking forward to seeing the season progress.

“For me, it’s just getting back into coaching,” Lawson said. “That’s what I’m most excited about. I have a passion for coaching and teaching and I’m really excited about getting into that realm again.”

Put a smile on!

Recycle your Beacon!

THESPORTSPAGE

New league on horizon for UT rugby club Clint Lewis Staff Writer

Kevin Huebschman Chief Copy Editor The UT men’s rugby team is coming off a successful season that culminated in a trip to the 2010 USA Rugby Collegiate N a t i o n a l Championship Tournament in April. The event was broadcast on national television for the first time, indicating that the sport of college rugby seems to be getting more recognition.

“The guys were excited for the opportunity to be a part of something like this and to be treated like a varsity sport,” Andy Allen, assistant coach, said.

The tournament didn’t begin as well as hoped for UT, though. An aggressive Army team, seeded fourth in the tournament, capitalized on several Vol injuries, winning 46-10 in the opening round.

UT got a second chance with a consolation match against Texas A&M. The Vols got off to an early two-try lead, but Texas A&M tied the match with two tries to begin the second half and, through tough defense, managed to hold on and claim the win, eliminating UT from the tournament.

Even though the Vols left without a victory, the trip wasn’t a complete loss, Allen said.

“You go up there and get that type of competition, and that type of environment was great for these kids,” Allen said. “Ten to 15 years ago when I was playing, we never dreamed of anything like this. Playing with the elite of collegiate rugby was outstanding, and the players responded to it and will be invited back next year.”

Senior Benji Goff was selected for his second AllAmerican award, though he did it while playing an entirely different position. Allen added that Goff

would be playing in the “highly competitive” New York Athletic Club, along with teammate Sammy Anderson.

As of now, the Tennessee rugby team is not recognized as a varsity sport by the university, but only a few universities officially recognize their rugby squads. That could change soon, though.

“More teams are beginning to have paid staffs

with better facilities that the universities are providing,” Allen said. “If the university would take us in as a varsity sport, it would be a big change.“ Allen added that the coaches already treat the squad as a varsity team.

“We run 50 to 60 kids on the active roster, academic monitoring, scholarships, and we run our team as if it were a varsity sport,” he said, before pointing out both the teams athletic and academic successes as well. “Historically, we’ve been very good making it to the Sweet 16 or better for the last seven years in rugby 15s. The UT team holds a GPA of 3.0.”

Head coach, Butch Robertson, also has a win count approaching 800, and senior Benji Goff thinks the team is poised to add to that total this year.

“Two years ago, half of our starters were all freshman,” Goff said. “...Next year, half of them are going to be all juniors, which, that’s huge when you’re playing against seniors.

“With how well we did two years ago, when all those guys were freshman and how we improved this year, when they’re all sophomores and playing fourth- and fifth-year seniors, I consider last year a really big success...and I’ve got pretty high expectations for this coming season.”

The format for the sport, however, is changing this season, where sevens, which Goff said used to be more of a recreational format during the summer, now has its own league in the fall, while teams will devote the spring to focusing on 15s. A new “ s u p e r league,” as Goff, who plays outside center in the 15s format for the UT club, terms the collegiate level’s new Premier League, has been created this season.

The league George Richardson• The Daily Beacon has shifted the traditional settings for collegiate rugby and will introduce mandatory conferences for the teams.

Because of the lack of familiarity associated with the new format, Goff isn’t sure where he believes the team should set its expectations.

“This is kind of uncharted territory for us, even the whole system of how it’s put together,” Goff, who plays outside center in 15s, said. “In the past, we always wanted to get into the Final Four, but with a whole bunch of new teams coming into it, teams that we’ve never seen before, and different divisions, I don’t know how good we are compared to them at all. “...I think the same plan is to try to get into that tournament first of all, and the Final Four would be pretty impressive for our club, so I think that’s the goal.”

For more information on upcoming matches and tournaments with the Tennessee Men’s Rugby team go to tennesseerugby.com.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

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What’s HAPPENING

SPORTS CALENDAR

14 • The Daily Beacon

IN SPORTS

Aug. 18-Aug. 20

Friday, August 20 — Women’s Soccer Western Kentucky Knoxville 7 p.m.

Daily Quote

“It’s hard and it takes time, but we’ve got to go.

We can’t baby them.”

– UT football head

coach Derek Dooley on

his young offensive line, which had to replace all five of its starters.

Pat Summit says, “I always recycle my Beacon!”