Issue 4, Volume 121
Monday, August 27, 2012
Rush week ends with sorority bids RJ Vogt News Editor n Sunday, over 700 young women e n t e r e d ThompsonBoling Arena with high hopes for receiving a bid to a sorority. “I was freaking out because I was so nervous and excited,” said Alyssa Perrone, freshman in marketing. “I just wanted to find out as soon as possible, but it felt like every minute was ten years. Once we ripped open the envelopes, it was the best feeling.” The atmosphere is exciting as bids are torn open and the new sisters literally rush to their sisterhood. “All these girls were running around, and the girls who you knew were running up and giving you hugs,” said Perone, a new member of Alpha Omicron Pi. “I felt like a part of a sisterhood. I've never experienced something like that… they were all cheering for you and wanting you to be in their sorority.” ven though the day is all about the new members of the sorority, the upperclassmen enjoy reaching the
culmination of bid day as well. The process starts before school begins, with each sorority engaging in a retreat. The sisterhood prepares for recruitment, learning skits, songs and chants, as well as practicing testimonies. All the girls interested in rush register online, and the sororities begin evaluating their applications during the week of recruitment. The process can be grueling, with meetings often lasting until late at night. Some sisters disaffiliate themselves with their sororities during rush in order to serve as Gamma Chis. Mary Beth Overton, junior in accounting, said, “I wanted to be a Gamma Chi because I wanted to experience the recruitment process from another side.” Each Gamma Chi leads their group of rushees, normally around 13 girls, through all the rounds of interviews, hoping to match each potential new member to the sorority that fits their individual traits. “It was so amazing to have the opportunity to guide a group of ladies to their new chapters,” Overton said. The sisters look forward to bid day, an end to the long week of rush and the beginning of a new chapter.
Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon
Phi Mu's cheer before the bids walk out on Aug. 26. Most sororities had signs with each bid's name to welcome them. “It was awesome meeting all the new women I’ll be spending the next four years of my life with,” Rachel Baker, sophomore in clinical laboratory science and a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha, said. id day is my favorite day of the year, and reuniting with my sisters made it even more perfect,” said Overton.
Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon
Becca Bays, sophmore pre-major in communications, walks onto the floor of Thompson-Boling Arena after opening an envelope with her sorority bid on Aug. 26.
LGBT center questions ranking Board to discuss Justin Joo Staff Writer The 2012 Princeton Review has ranked the University of Tennessee 16th in the most “LGBT-Unfriendly” campuses. This ranking comes as both a surprise and a stark contrast to what the casual observer might have noticed Thursday afternoon, when the OUTreach LGBT and Ally Resource Center was having an open house meet and greet, and the LGBTQ-friendly Lambda Student Union was handing out brochures on Pedestrian
Walkway for the Student InVOLvement Fair. Jesse Ford, resource center director at OUTreach, said the ranking was worth some, but not a lot, of concern. “We haven’t addressed it institutionally or anything like that,” Ford said. “I think there may be a bit of … unfriendliness compared to an inner city like San Francisco, but we do have a culture of acceptance, especially here on campus.” The Princeton Review, which is not affiliated with Princeton University, is a publication known for providing ACT/SAT tips, as well as helping incoming freshmen pick out a university based
on their ranking system. The Review ranks universities in such categories as “Best College Library,” “Best College Dorms” and “BirkenstockWearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians.” To get their rankings, the Review conducted a student survey among those enrolled at the 377 “best” colleges that are discussed in the Review. More than 120,000 students were asked 80 questions about their college experiences regarding 62 categories, including LGBT friendliness. See LGBT on Page 3
Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon
During the Hipster Hoedown sponsored by Lambda Student Union on Aug. 24, students voted on the best dressed hipster or redneck. UT was recently voted 16th in the most “LGBT-Unfriendly” campus by the 2012 Princeton Review.
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needs on campus Deborah Ince Staff Writer The UT Board of Trustees will hold a workshop in Nashville Aug. 27-28 to discuss technology use in higher education. Held at the Ellington Agricultural Center, the workshop has three main goals: to identify future innovations for UT, to identify strategies for innovation engagement and to create a plan to pursue innovation opportunities. “Basically, the workshop is going to discuss trends in technology,” UT spokeswoman Elizabeth Davis said. “Board members are going to discuss what UT is doing and what else is out there in terms of technology, how it is changing and how to implement (new ideas). It’s an overview of classroom technology.” The 26-member Board of Trustees oversees all systems of UT and is comprised of five ex oficio members (including the governor and the University’s president and vice president), two students and two facul-
ty members, as well as 17 congressional county and district representatives from across the state. The board holds regular meetings three times a year to discuss an overview of topics, but workshops give board members more time to discuss specific topics of interest. Over this month’s twoday workshop period, faculty members from each campus will give presentations centered around technological innovations. The UT Knoxville nursing faculty will be giving a presentation at the workshop but wished not to disclose any information on its content beforehand. “I think it’s important for students to know that we’re interested in improvement,” Davis said, adding that members want students to have access to innovations that will improve their overall educational experience. UT students also have some ideas of what they would like to see discussed at the workshop.
See TRUSTEES on Page 3
Robinson carries Lady Vols through weekend page 10
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