2018 UT Daily Beacon Welcome Back

Photo by Taylor Gash

Volume 136 Issue 1

Friday, August 17, 2018

utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

2018-2019 DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief: Kylie Hubbard Managing Editor: Tyler Wombles Copy Chief: Paige Greene Campus News Editor: Cat Trieu City News Editor: Allie Clouse Sports Editor: Blake Von Hagen Asst. Sports Editor: Will Backus Engagement Editor: Alec Apostoeai Digital Producer: Leann Daniel Asst. Digital Producer: Tara Halley Opinons Editor: Margot McClellan Photo Editors: Emily Gowder, Megan Albers Design Editor: Kyla Johnson Page Artist: Sky Jordan

ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION

Advertising Production Manager: Zenobia Armstrong Media Sales Representatives: Mandy Adams, Hailie Hensley

CONTACTS To report a news item, please e-mail editor.news@utdailybeacon.com or call 865-974-2348 To submit a press release, please e-mail pressreleases@utdailybeacon.com To place an ad, please e-mail beaconads@utk.edu or call 865-974-5206 To place a classified ad, please e-mail orderad@utdailybeacon.com or call 865-974-4931 Advertising: (865) 974-5206 beaconads@utk.edu Editor-in-Chief: (865) 974-3226 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com Main Newsroom: (865) 974-3226 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com

LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media. Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published.

The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief.

CORRECTIONS POLICY: It is the Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information. Errors brought to our attention by readers or staff members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to managingeditor@utdailybeacon.com, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206.

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/ year or $100/semester. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon.com

Hey y’all,

BEACONNEWS

Welcome Back! Whether you’re new here or returning here or just walking through here, we’re glad you’re here.

This summer, a small team of us helped keep you up to date on campus news, city events and Sonic slushes. Yes, Sonic slushes. The pickle one was gross.

Over the summer, we covered Knoxville’s most colorful extravaganza at Pridefest, celebrated a zero-percent tuition increase and shared a meeting regarding SPAC with you. That just scratches the surface and the best of our summer can be found in this issue.

Also in this issue you can find a Welcome Back from Interim Chancellor Wayne Davis who is excited to see you on campus and from your 2018-2019 SGA Executive who hope to make UT all that you can Imagine. (You’ll get that pun if you were here last year).

Following the dismissal of Beverly Davenport, the visit of the TWP and the changes in SPAC, campus climate has been on a rollercoaster, but us here at the Beacon are ready to share with you whatever happens on campus and around Knoxville.

Jeremy Pruitt will take the field for the first time on September 1, the new Board of Trustees will debate who will become the new chancellor and UT system president and campus will be changed as construction revamps old and new parts of campus.

We are passionate about keeping you informed and sharing the stories that no one else is covering. Reach out to any one of us with your concerns, your hopes and your insights to campus life.

We’ve been waiting for you!

Let’s do this,

The Daily Beacon is printed using soy based ink on newsprint containing recycled content, utilizing renewable sources and produced in a sustainable, environmentally responsible manner.

Kylie Hubbard

BEACONNEWS

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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Kyla Johnson · The Daily Beacon

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CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

A word from Interim Chancellor Wayne Davis Dear students, This is my favorite season on Rocky Top: the early weeks of the fall semester, when you all return to campus and bring with you a buzz of optimism and possibility. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and it reminds those of us who have been here all summer why we love this place.

As you settle back in, become acquainted with your professors, and reconnect with your friends—and make new ones—you may begin to notice that the campus feels a little different.

To start, there are more of you. This year’s freshman class is the largest at UT in more than three decades, and our student body is larger than it’s been in years. To accommodate that growth, we’re building more classrooms, laboratories, and meeting spaces.

The new Ken and Blaire Mossman Building, a $96 million science building, opens this semester. Not far behind it will be the second phase of the Student Union.

We are continuing to replace our residence halls as the west end of campus completely transforms.

Whether this is your first semester at the

University of Tennessee or you are graduating soon, a new academic year offers the perfect time to engage with your classmates and community. We have more than 600 student organizations that cater to interests as far-ranging as astronomy, creative writing, faith and spirituality, advocacy, and sports.

Our Center for Career Development can help you position yourself for internships, on-campus jobs, and your next steps after graduation. The Programs Abroad office can connect you with enriching educational experiences all over the world, and the Center for Leadership and Service can help you discover opportunities here in our own community.

Finally, as you make the most of your education outside the classroom, consider undergraduate research. Last year, more than 2,200 UT students worked in laboratories and in the field, building expertise and skills that will help them pursue their careers.

This is my 47th fall semester here at UT, and I can tell you that the excitement and anticipation you feel now don’t go away. The semester is full of new opportunities for all of us. I’ve spent time this summer meeting with faculty and student leaders across campus,

and I’m eager to meet more of you.

Whether this is your first year or your last, I want to remind you about what connects us as Volunteers and the values we share.

We stick up for each other, we listen to each other, and we look out for each other. If you see someone who is looking lost, say hello.

Ask them if they need help finding a classroom or the library or maybe a great place to get a cup of coffee.

If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, we are here to help. Call 865974- HELP at any time, day or night, and the Office of the Dean of Students can connect you with resources and assistance.

Most of all, I want you all to enjoy your time here on Rocky Top. I want you to fully experience what this special place has to offer so that when the time comes for you to graduate, you will leave here with strong friendships, a love of learning, and the skills and education to succeed wherever you go next.

Go Vols!

Wayne T. Davis Interim Chancellor

Wayne Davis took office as Interim Chancellor on May 3 following the dismissal of Beverly Davenport.

CAMPUSNEWS

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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Kyla Johnson · The Daily Beacon

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CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Vice chancellor holds closed meeting on SPAC Kylie Hubbard Editor-in-Chief Vice Chancellor of Student Life Vincent Carilli held a meeting with a group of handpicked student leaders regarding the Student Programming Allocation Committee (SPAC) on Tuesday, July 17.

Student leaders present at the meeting were guaranteed anonymity and were sworn to secrecy, meaning the topics of discussion in the room were to stay in the room. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students Shea Kidd Houze was also present at the meeting.

Carilli confirmed the meeting discussed “a host of items related to SPAC” in an email Friday, July 20.

The meeting didn’t sit well with senior studying nursing Austin Smith, who broke the details of the meeting in a Tweet on Wednesday, July 18.

“My classmates come before anything else,” the Tweet said. “Always.”

After breaking the news, Smith said “swift steps were taken to reprimand (him) within the hour” and caused him to resign as the 2018-

2019 Student Government Association (SGA) Chief of Staff. Smith announced this on his Twitter as well.

“I will never regret this tweet or the conversations that led up to it,” Smith said in the Tweet.

“I only regret that we couldn’t bring more seats to the table.”

“Transparency is a chronic issue for SGA but being asked to keep a meeting about SPSF (Student Programming and Services Fee) and SPAC a secret from our other branches, student body, and friends was too much for me,” Smith said. “For the sake of transparency, I decided to form my Twitter statement about the meeting.”

SPAC struggles during the spring semester SPAC was created to determine how funds from the Student Programming and Services Fee (SPSF) are used and distributed. In order to do this, student organizations apply to receive funding for specific events during each semester, fall and spring.

On March 6, the SGA Senate took a unanimous straw poll in favor of a reallocation of $190,000 from student programming funds to a student organization travel budget. Student programming funds come from the $19.46 charge from each opted-in student.

In order to protect students from funding events they do not support, a 2014 Tennessee Legislature request allows students to have two options for deciding how the university spends the money. Students who choose to opt in (option 1) allow the university to use the fee for student programming on campus, and, in turn, those students receive free access or discounted admission to all student programming such as Vol Night Long and guest speakers. Students who choose to opt out (option 2) tell the university to use the fee for initiatives and events that are not student-led.

Student programmers and numerous SGA Senators were concerned when the straw poll finalized the reallocation following Spring Break.

Typically straw polls are considered a gauge as to the general climate of an idea. Many did not know the details or dollar amount when voting in the straw poll.

A Senate open town hall was organized for March 27 with around 50 students from various organizations, including CEB, Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee (SEAT) and the Women’s Coordinating Council (WCC) present.

“We truly did not get enough information when we were asked to make that straw poll

decision,” Senator Mateos Hayes, junior studying history, said at the March 27 meeting.

“That’s very concerning to me that it was automatically taken that that straw poll was an unequivocal expression of the student government Senate’s support for this measure because it was not that by any perspective.”

One of the topics of the conversation centered around an email exchange between Carilli and student Emma Heins, junior studying environmental sciences, regarding the reallocation.

After contacting Carilli via email to address the reallocation, a response from Carilli soon circulated among student programming members.

The email described the initial message from Heins as “bombastic” and suggested the behavior was “unbecoming of an involved student leader on (UT’s) campus.”

Since the travel’s fund’s conception, Carilli has struggled to gain footing with students regarding SPAC, but said he thought the July 17 meeting was a step in the right direction.

“It was a productive meeting with involved students,” Carilli said in his email on July 20.

“We hope to continue the conversation moving forward.” continued on next page

CAMPUSNEWS continued from page 6 What we know about Tuesday’s meeting Smith, who was only included in the call to help a close friend attend over conference call, was “disappointed” when he wasn’t originally included in the meeting. As Chief of Staff, Smith helped the SGA president form Administrative Committees, including the student portion of SPAC. “Earlier this summer, I had spent several hours forming the 20 plus committees, including SPAC,” Smith said. “I was told by the SGA President to hold off on finalizing SPAC because the administration planned to scrap the current committee and restructure it.”

Once the meeting began, Smith said Carilli asked students to not record the conversations and to keep the conversation between those in the room.

“One of my issues with this is that nearly every person in the meeting was a student elected by their respective constituents to engage in conversations about student issues,” Smith said.

“As a student representative, I have nothing to hide when it comes to discussing the interests of my peers; though I cannot speak for my fellow student representatives in the room, I do not believe that they do either.”

Conversation during the meeting centered on 12 concerns from the University commu-

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon nity, according to Smith. Those concerns were outlined via a document provided to meeting attendees by Carilli.

The concerns were “associated with the allocation of SPSF funds via the SPAC process in recent years,” the document said. Listed concerns were as follows: the equitable distribution of the fees among registered student organizations; the excessive costs of select programs; the calculated cost of attendance, per participant; the use of SPSF funds for controversial speakers/events; the “earmark” of SPSF funds for select student programming boards; CEB’s use of approximately 1/3 of its entire budget on Volapalooza; the annual duplication of “similar” programming; the interpretation of the criteria used to allocate SPSF funds; the composition of the SPAC; the complicated nature of the SPAC process for applying for funds for student-organized programming; the cycle of the allocation process (fall & spring semesters); and whether SPSF funds should be used at all to fund studentorganized programming.

Long and short-term solutions for SPAC were also discussed at the meeting. One of the shortterm solutions included getting fall semester funding distributed as soon as possible, but Smith said the funds weren’t distributed one week later.

In a follow-up email on Monday, Aug. 6, Carilli said funds would be distributed before classes began.

“In communicating with (SGA President) Ovi (Kabir), it is our hope to have a SPAC meeting in the next week or so to make allocations for the fall semester.”

Smith said throughout conversation “the administration’s lack of citing student concern” made it clear that the grievances were “of lawmakers and parents.” Citing the legal side and the practical side of SPSF, Smith said Carilli cited parents’ obsession with the practical side as events like Sex Week go against their beliefs, morals and religions.

“Several times I found myself redirecting the conversation back to focusing on students because Dr. Carilli would be going on some tangent about hard it is to explain to parents and lawmakers why we allow Sex Week and other programming on campus,” Smith said.

Sex Week under fire Sex Week has been a highly debated event following its start in 2012. Organized by SEAT, Sex Week was almost canceled its first year, as the event was defunded just a week prior to its start.

When SPAC funding was moved to create the travel fund, junior studying sociology and women’s gender and sexuality studies Cole Tipton spoke at the SGA Town Hall against the reallocation.

“So, this is what it looks like again,” Tipton said at the town hall. “It’s another chance for

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higher powers to injure student voices that they don’t like on this campus.”

The university came under fire just a week after the meeting when Franklin Graham, missionary and son of famous evangelist Billy Graham, shared an article on April 6 by Todd Starnes with Fox News which reprimanded the university for hosting Sex Week. Graham also showed his own displeasure for Sex Week and urged his followers to send emails to former Chancellor Beverly Davenport.

“I think pastors across this great state should speak out against it, and I hope Governor Bill Haslam will step in and make sure the group responsible is no longer allowed to do their damage at UT,” Graham said in the post.

Graham’s followers delivered with over 100 emails sent to Davenport from donors, parents and alumni. The Daily Beacon obtained copies of these emails with a FOIA request.

A donor emailed Davenport on April 13 and said she wasn’t sure if the university would see another one of her kids if Sex Week continued.

“I’ve entrusted the education of my oldest child to the University of Tennessee,” the email said. “I’m not sure I’ll send any of my others if this continues.”

Although it is unclear how the reallocation will affect student programming, The Daily Beacon will continue to report changes in the distribution of SPSF funding and changes in SPAC.

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CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Vice President Haley Paige, President Ovi Kabir and Student Services Director Maddie Stephens serve as the SGA Executive for the 2018-2019 school year.

A letter from the SGA Executive for new Vols 2018-2019 SGA Executive

Dear First-Year Vols, Welcome to Rocky Top! Congratulations on making the best decision thus far in your wonderful lives! We are so excited you chose UTK to be your home for your undergraduate career.

College is an amazing, transformative time, filled with new friendships, new experiences, and new opportunities around every corner.

We are writing this letter to take a moment and introduce ourselves - your Student Government Association Executive Team.

Ovi Kabir serves as Student Body President, Haley Paige serves as Vice President, and Maddie Stephens serves as Student Services Director. Here’s a little bit about ourselves so you can get to know us better!

Hey Y’all! My name is Ovi Kabir and I’m an East Tennessee boy, born and raised. I grew up in Campbell County but later moved to Oak Ridge, TN during high school. I’m a big fan of pugs, crocs, Netflix, and have a closet full of way too many orange shirts. Serving my community and other students has always been a passion of mine so that’s why I got involved in SGA in the first place. Finding a place on this campus enhanced my Volunteer experience so I urge you all to find your place as well, whether that’s student organizations, sports clubs, programming boards, or anything else. I promise you, regardless of what you choose, there’s a place for you on Rocky Top! Hey all! My name is Haley Paige and I’m from Memphis, Tennessee. I came to UT with huge aspirations and majored in chemis-

try with a minor in psychology. My passion is my family. I love them so much. My parents are my best friends and I can always count on them to make my day when I’m down.

I am a religious person and very genuine.

Whenever I meet someone I want the best for everyone and I will strive to make sure my peers receive that and that their voices are heard. I stand for what is morally right and just and will call out anything deemed unjust unapologetically.

Hi friends! My name is Maddie Stephens and I’m from Knoxville, Tennessee. I’m an English major, with a love for stories and a die-hard sports fan. During the summers, I coach a swim team and during the school year it’s safe to say you’ll probably catch me out and about dancing my way around campus! I’ve been involved with SGA since my freshman year and I also spend a lot of time at the Center for Leadership and Service, working as an Ignite Team Leader and a Leadership Knoxville Scholar. As an English major, I also love to read and that passion pushes me to learn and invest in everyone’s own, personal story.

It’s our job to represent your student voice and ensure each student at UTK feels valued and heard. We hope to create positive change on campus and foster a welcoming, inclusive environment, so please don’t hesitate to come see us and let us know what we can do to better serve you!

Again, we welcome you to Tennessee! We hope you enjoy your first-year and we encourage you to be bold, make new connections, and have fun!

We’ll see you this fall! And of course, Go Vols!

Warm regards, Ovi, Haley, Maddie

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

No tuition increase, DiPietro paid after BOT meeting Tyler Wombles Managing Editor

The UT Board of Trustees passed a zeropercent tuition increase for undergraduate students regarding the 2018-2019 fiscal year during its annual meeting on Friday, June 22.

It was one of the major decisions made by the board, which was hosting its final meeting before it changed members in August. Two of the UT system’s universities, UT-Knoxville and UT-Chattanooga, will benefit from the zero-percent mark, while UT-Martin will see an increase of three-percent.

“It’s incredible because you have to go back to ’84 to find another time that’s ever happened,” UT President Joe DiPietro said.

“That’s a part of it.”

The zero-percent increase for UT-Knoxville, which marks the fourth straight year that increases have been kept at or below threepercent, comes as part of a $2.42 billion budget for the upcoming year that was passed by the board.

The proposal had already been passed by several other groups before making its way to the Board of Trustees, by which it became

official. It had most recently been pushed forth by the Finance and Administration Committee, which met prior to the Board of Trustees’ meeting.

“Having been a dean and run a college, everybody always needs a little more money, but I felt like we could really send an incredible message, help the families out of the students,” DiPietro said. “And I thought it was doable.”

An increase in the Student Program and Services Fee was passed with the budget, making it $36 per student.

DiPietro awarded bonuses, but didn’t totally meet goals: Another item on the agenda for the Board of Trustee’s annual meeting was a decision on two potential bonuses for DiPietro. One bonus was for the 2016-2017 year, while the other was for 2017-2018.

The decision by the board on DiPietro’s bonuses was made through review of his recent performance goals, including three stretch goals, which UT Board Vice Chair Raja Jubran felt were only partially met.

“I know that he’s been working extreme-

ly hard on (the goals), but they were not achieved completely,” Jubran said.

Jubran averaged DiPietro’s completion of his goals at about 50-percent. DiPietro was awarded a $67,376 bonus for 2017-2018, which could have been $139,000 had he met his goals totally.

DiPietro was also given a $100,821 bonus for the 2016-2017 year. His contract as UT’s president is set to expire in June of 2019, but he is expected to retire sometime in the near future.

Interim Chancellor Davis praised

by DiPietro: During the meeting and a media availability afterwards, DiPietro issued praise of Interim Chancellor Wayne Davis, who took the job following Beverly Davenport’s dismissal in May. “Wayne’s a person who is what I would call a senior statesman on campus,” DiPietro said. “He’s been here his whole career. People understand and know him well. They respect him.”

Davis was close to retiring from UT, which he had most recently served as the dean of

the College of Engineering, before taking the interim job.

“Among the deans on the campus, (Davis is) very well respected,” DiPietro said. “And he’s a talented fellow.”

Colleges given new names: The Board of Trustees voted to rename the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources to the Herbert College of Agriculture on Friday.

The name change stems from a large gift

by UT-alumni Jim and Judi Herbert to the Institute of Agriculture. It marks just the third named college in the 224-year history of UT. Along with the College of Agriculture’s name change, the board approved a renaming of UT-Chattanooga’s business school to the Gary W. Collins College of Business and of UT-Knoxville’s integrated business and engineering program to the Ralph D. Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program. “(Renaming of colleges) is so rare, it comes every once in a while in the life of a university,” Jubran said. “But we’re so fortunate that we’re going to have two of them today.”

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Smoke-free campus policy takes effect this school year Staff Report

Students, faculty and visitors to UT are not allowed to smoke in and on all university property, according to new policy.

“UT is taking this measure to promote healthy behaviors that can continue for a lifetime and protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors,” Senior

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Chris Cimino said in a reminder email sent to UT affiliates on Wednesday.

UT now joins more than 2,100 colleges and universities across the country that implement a smoke- or tobacco-free policy. Every SEC university except one is now smoke- or tobacco-free.

Smoke-free conditions will be in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including athletic and cultural events. Exceptions to the policy include controlled research and educational, theatrical or religious ceremonial purposes. Written

approval must be obtained from the dean, director or department head responsible for the facility where the smoking will occur before it is accepted.

Smoking, as outlined in the email, includes inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted cigarette, pipe or other lighted tobacco product. The prohibition will extend to electronic cigarettes, vapes and similar devices.

“We are here to provide support to those who would like to quit smoking,” Cimino added in the email.

The Be Well website will feature a list of campus and online resources for those wishing to quit smoking. A copy of the policy and frequently asked questions can also be found on the website.

Voluntary compliance will be the primary enforcer of the policy. Employees are encouraged to report concerns to their supervisor and students are encouraged to report violations to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Violations are subject to the same disciplinary action as other university policies.

CAMPUSNEWS

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

CCD unveils new job platform Staff Report The Center for Career Development (CCD) rolled out its new program “Handshake” on Monday, June 19.

Founded by Michigan Tech students Garrett Lord, Ben Christensen and Scott Ringwelski after their own job searches, Handshake began in 2014 with the intentions of ensuring higher education students had equal access to jobs.

The new platform replaced “Hire-A-VOL” on Friday, June 22. According to CCD Director Stephanie Kit, Handshake connects students, employers and university career centers in a singular platform.

“Students can learn about jobs, internships and career events through Handshake,” Kit said. “They can also schedule appointments with Center for Career Development staff and register for our events through Handshake.”

In addition to scheduling appointments and registering for events, the new platform also engages students with more opportunities for internships and full-time jobs.

“Because Handshake has over 250,000 employers on the platform, our students

should see an increase in jobs across more industries and a wider geographic range,” Kit said. “We also learned from other universities that students really enjoy the Handshake platform.”

Students received an email from the CCD Monday afternoon with a link to the new platform. Student profiles were preloaded for convenience and after logging in, minor changes and updates such as a profile picture and work experience can be added.

The site is designed similarly to other social media sites such as LinkedIn and gives access to content like job postings and events specifics to majors and industries of interest.

“Jobs are recommended to students in a way similar to Netflix recommending movies or shows,” Kit said. “However, it’s important for students to complete their profiles to get useful recommendations.”

Handshake will visit campus for a full day of staff training in July, but the CCD can answer questions before and after their visit.

“I encourage students who never tried Hire-A-Vol or who didn’t find it useful to give Handshake a chance,” Kit said. “We truly believe it’s going to offer students more opportunities and even provide first-year students with ways to explore industries by learning about entry-level jobs.”

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

CITYNEWS

Kyla Johnson · The Daily Beacon

CITYNEWS

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

10 things you must do before you graduate Allie Clouse City News Editor

Whether you’re graduating this year or just made it to campus, here are 10 things that you need to do before leaving UT.

1. Pull an all-nighter Just about every UT student has an allnighter horror story. Although sleeping in Hodges Library and downing energy drinks can be prevented, it’s nearly inevitable that sometime during your time at UT you’ll have to endure a long night of studying.

However, there are a few things you can do to make an all-nighter more productive.

During a long study session be sure to take small breaks to stretch or grab a healthy snack. Chewing gum and drinking plenty of water are also great ways to stay awake on sleepless nights.

2. Get inVOLved UT has over 600 registered student organizations listed on VoLink, the university’s online catalogue for student involvement.

No matter your interests, UT has something for everyone. Can’t find what you’re looking for? No worries. Students who would like to start their own organization can do so by registering on VoLink and taking the necessary steps as outlined by the Center for Student Engagement.

3. Cheer on the Vols There’s no time like football time in Tennessee and on campus. Shouting the words to Rocky Top in Neyland Stadium with thousands of other fans is something every vol should experience. However, UT offers a variety of other sporting events that some students may prefer. Men and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and track are just a few of the teams you can watch. Attending intramural games is also a great way to experience sporting events at UT.

4. Paint The Rock ‘The Rock’ is a 97.5 ton chunk of Knox dolomite stone that has graced UT’s campus and served as a message board and iconic symbol for nearly five decades. From gameday inspired messages to marriage proposals, The Rock is definitely a way to get the word out to UT’s student body.

Leave your mark on campus by participating in this long standing Tennessee tradition.

5. Get off campus Knoxville isn’t just a college town.

Surrounded by Market Square, The Old City, West Knoxville and more, UT’s campus is central to plenty of things and places unique to the area. Get off campus to explore what Knoxville has to offer by paddle boarding at Ijam’s on the weekend or trying one of the nation’s best restaurants downtown.

6. Pet smokey UT’s beloved mascot, Smokey, has been a staple at football games and other special events around campus since 1953. If you’re lucky enough to see Tennessee’s favorite bluetick coonhound be sure to snap a picture and pet the vols’ most loyal fan.

7. Sightsee around campus Neyland Stadium may be the campus’s largest and most well-known landmark, however some of UT’s most beautiful attractions are those that students take for granted everyday. In recent years, UT has gotten a major facelift (if you can look past the cone zones). The Ped Walkway Bridge, UT Gardens and McClung Museum are just a few of the sights on campus worth checking out. Finding your own favorite spot on your way to class can also make UT feel a little more like home.

8. Utilize campus resources College isn’t just a place to learn. Taking advantage of some of the university’s most helpful resources such as the Center for Career Development and the Study Abroad Office among others can enrich your experience at UT. Programs including Lunch Hours and Rocky Top Roundtable can also help you create a unique experience at UT.

9. Embrace UT traditions Thousands of new students step onto campus each year not knowing what lies ahead. UT traditions help unite each and every student no matter major or background. From the Torchbearer’s Creed to Big Orange Friday, years of alumni have shaped what it means to be a Vol. Embrace UT traditions and create new ones to carry the torch for previous and new students alike.

10. Step on the seal Although you might not be able to complete this one before graduation, stepping on the seal is probably the most satisfying on this list. According to legend, stepping on the seal prior to graduating means you will not graduate on time. It’s a rite of passage for seniors to step on the seal once they have completed their time at the university. But, be wary of the seal on your way to class.

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CITYNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Senator Alexander talks UT during campus visit Tyler Wombles Managing Editor

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, is already sold on UT Interim Chancellor Wayne Davis. “(Davis) is someone who’s very well-respected on this campus,” Alexander said during an exclusive interview with The Daily Beacon on Friday. “He knows it inside out. He helped build the engineering school to the excellent level that it is.

“So I think he provides good leadership for the Knoxville campus.”

Davis and the current direction of UT were two topics that Alexander addressed during the interview on Friday, July 27. He was on campus filming a segment for Fox News’ show Wall Street Week about his concern about President Donald Trump’s proposed federal tax considered a tariff on auto manufacturing.

Alexander said he met with UT President Joe DiPietro before his interview with Fox News and is pleased with the school’s current path.

“I really like the direction of the University of Tennessee,” Alexander said. “The students are smarter. The faculty is good. I think (Davis) is someone who’s very well-respected on this campus … So I’m hearing very good things about his leadership and the direction of the university and the quality of the students here.”

Davis was appointed UT’s interim chancellor after former Chancellor Beverly Davenport was fired from her position by DiPietro in May. Davenport was originally slated to be moved to a teaching position, but eventually parted ways with UT by way of a $1.33 million settlement.

Alexander served as the president of UT from 1988 to 1991 and enjoys vising campus.

He has used the studio from which he filmed his segment with Fox News on Friday multiple times before.

“I like to come back (to UT),” Alexander said.

Trump, Jones, Alexander involved in tariff dispute: Alexander discussed his displeasure with Trump’s proposed tariff plan with Fox News and The Daily Beacon, voicing his worry about Tennessee’s auto manufacturing workforce.

“I’m concerned about the effect of the president’s tariffs on Tennessee autoworkers,” Alexander said. “About a third of our manufacturing force in Tennessee, manufacturing workers, work in auto plants. We have three big auto plants and 900 auto parts suppliers and they’re in 88 of our 95 counties.

“Tariffs raise the price of steel and aluminum that you use to make cars. That means you make fewer cars; that means fewer jobs.”

Alexander has introduced bipartisan legislation with Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, to delay Trump’s tariffs on imported automobiles. He hopes to hold off the tariffs until their impact on the auto industry is determined.

However, Alexander was happy to hear of Trump’s recent plan to enact a zero-tariff policy.

“It’s already beginning to hurt the car companies and I was glad to see that the president said this week that we were going to go toward a zero-tariff policy, which would mean we should get rid of the steel and aluminum tariffs as quickly as possible.”

Trump announced the plan in July, saying that he and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker have agreed to try to elimi-

nate barriers and tariffs on trade.

Alexander gives take on UT football, basketball:

Although he is no longer the president of UT, Alexander still stays involved with the school, particularly on the athletics side.

“I still have my basketball and football tickets, and I’m especially looking forward to basketball season,” Alexander said. “I’m hopeful about football season and excited about basketball season. Let’s put it that way.”

The Vols notched a 26-9 record last season in head coach Rick Barnes’ third season at the helm. Excitement from fans was palpable last year as the team improved on its record from the previous year by 10 wins.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee football team is beginning a rebuilding stage under new head coach Jeremy Pruitt following a 4-8 record last year and a disastrous coaching search following the firing of former head coach Butch Jones.

The Vols kick off the regular season on Sept.

1.

Alexander has one major wish in regard to the upcoming football season.

“I hope we win.”

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Rainbows, glitter decorate Knoxville for Pridefest, protesters respond Staff Report After a few days of rain, the skies in Knoxville made way for a rainbow of color as more than 10,000 gathered for the 13th annual Pridefest on Saturday, June 23.

“For me, Pride is all about celebrating our community and being around people that support us and that love us,” attendee Avery G. Howard said. “That’s

what I’m most excited about- being around friends because most friends become your family.”

Festival kicks off with a parade: Around a dozen floats decorated with balloons, pride flags and splotches of color staged for the 11 a.m. parade in the Old City Lot downtown before starting down Jackson Avenue. The parade

then headed down South Gay Street toward Church Street before finishing on Howard Baker Jr. Boulevard.

“The parade, it’s really awesome,” UT Pride Center Coordinator Bonnie Johnson said. “I feel like many believe that Knoxville is much more liberal than surrounding areas but still walking down gay street it’s a little ironic that queer people still face violence everyday.”

“I thinks it’s nice to see that transformation and hear those affirmations because I know that adults can be stronger but I think especially for students it’s important to know that you have support out there and not everyone is as hateful as I think the media and the really loud naysayers like to express,” Johnson added.

Some parade participants included mayoral candidate Linda Haney, UT’s Pride Center, the Knoxville Bear Club, Voices for Trans Youth and Harri Scari, alter ego of Andrew Henry, dressed as Marie Antoinette.

“My brand is taking household items and making them in to your own beautiful fashion,” Scari said. “I thought this year since the Supreme Court decided that businesses can just deny people rights, we’re going to let them all eat cake.”

From parade to partythousands gather at Civic Coliseum: Amidst glitter, drag queens, and participants of all ages, spectators and parade participants filed into the Mary Costa Plaza at the Civic Coliseum following the parade.

Organizations and community businesses such as US Bank, Tennessee Equality Project, Knox County Democratic Party, the Trans

Empowerment Project, Planned Parenthood and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays tabled at the event.

Kellen Bergman, district manager for US Bank, said the company has always supported pride, but this was its first year at the event.

“US Bank is really, really big on diversity and inclusion and we are one of the only banks that have a pride debit card and specific events to support our LGBTQ community,” Bergman said.

“This is just one of the many ways that we like to get out in the community and make sure that our customers and noncustomers know we support them.”

Along with information, booths offered Pride gear like an inflatable flamingo in exchange for a song and dance.

Along with businesses and vendors, entertainment was set until 8 p.m. A Kids Zone and DragonFly Circus entertained kids. Other performers included Yara Sofia, Girl Crush, Pulp Friction, Jeanine Fuller & The Boyz, Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus, Knoxville Opera, J. Luke, TURNAROUND NORMAN, Brent Hyder and headliner Hudson K.

Small protests occur while KPD, City of Knoxville enforce security: As was anticipated before the event began, Pridefest did feature protests from those who were opposed to the event’s message.

Around seven protestors, some wearing camouflage while others wore black clothes and masks, initially gathered at the end of South Gay Street near the Knoxville Visitors Center before following the parade’s route. They held signs that bore messages such as “Jesus continued on next page

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continued Wishes You Weren’t Gay,” “Knoxville Isn’t Your Sodom and Gomorrah” and “I’m Praying For You.” Groups represented included the National Socialist Movement, League of the South and the ShieldWall Network.

Several attendees of the parade stopped to shout at the protestors, who yelled back at them, while police monitored the encounters nearby.

Kynan Dutton, the Tennessee State Leader of the National Socialist Movement, said that the protestors are entitled to their freedom of speech, but that the parade attendees were trying to drown out their message.

“If we say anything akin to white power or white pride, that makes us racist,” Dutton said. “What’s being promoted here today is degeneracy. These are future abusers, future child molesters, future people that are going to be a degradation to our society.”

Dutton said that Pridefest should not be allowed in Knoxville, which he claimed is a historically “pro-white, protraditional family” town.

“That is another reason we’re here is to support the traditional family that is one man, one woman and children,” Dutton said. “None of these other permutations, some of this other corruption or evil that is being permutated by this parade. It should not, and hopefully in the future will not, be allowed by these cities.”

At a certain point during the parade, the protestors were joined by several men dressed in traditional Middle Eastern attire who said they represented the nation of Israel. One member, Yahonatan Yisra’el, said the group was trying to spread God’s word at the event.

“We stand on the word of God,” Yisra’el said. “The Bible tells us in Leviticus that man shall not lie with man as with womankind. It is abomination.

So we stand for the word of God and holiness and righteousness ... We came out here to proclaim the word of God and call sinners to repentance.”

Several security measures were put into place for the event. KPD said that more officers were stationed than at other events, while trucks owned by the City of Knoxville were parked in the path of parking lots and roadways to block drivers, including potential attackers, from entering the parade route.

“We went through the police department and they gave us the diagrams where the trucks needed to block the traffic off to keep any traffic from coming through the parade,” Greg Hudson, who helps supervise construction for the City of Knoxville, said.

History of Pridefest: With the intention of providing a safe and public event for the LGBTQ+ community in Knoxville, Pridefest began in 2006. By the fall of 2009, the Knoxville Human Rights Group had hosted four Pridefests in Market Square.

The festivals became more and more popular and by 2010, the East Tennessee Equality Council, Inc. formed as a nonprofit. In 2012, the festival moved from Market Square to the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park.

Pridefest organizers decided to move the festival once more to the Mary Costa Plaza as participation continued to grow.

Now in its 13th year, Pridefest has connected members of the community near and far.

New Knoxville resident Brian Prout brought his kids with him to this year’s festival to experience their first Pridefest together.

“I just want them to see that these are people celebrating being together,” Prout said. “Especially in these times, it’s important to show unity and show our support of everybody around.”

Pride festivals are planned across the country this weekend, with cities Nashville celebrating today and Seattle, Washington celebrating tomorrow.

Chair of the Knox, Anderson and Blount County Tennessee Equality Project Sterling Field has participated in pride festivals across the U.S. including two in Knoxville, Ohio and Detroit.

“It’s seeing our community together, actually seeing everyone together and also being encouraging Knoxville’s exploding growth in sections of our community here,” Field said. “Five years ago, it was just a small group in Market Square, then went to Worlds Fair Park and now it’s here, filling up a huge, huge street as well as the Colosseum.”

Photo 1 · Lika Perez / Contributor Participants hold flags while riding in a truck during the Pridefest parade in Knoxville on Saturday, June 23, 2018.

Photo 2 · Tyler Wombles / The Daily Beacon Protesters stand to the side of the 2018 Pridefest parade.

Photo 3 · Lika Perez / Contributor Participants carry a large rainbow flag during the Pridefest parade on Saturday, June 23, 2018.

Kylie Hubbard (Editor-in-Chief), Tyler Wombles (Managing Editor), Allie Clouse (City News Editor) and Eric Bailes (2017-2018 Staff Writer) contributed to this story.

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Drake Bell performs acoustic concert, makes childhood dreams come true Eric Bailes 2017-2018 Staff Writer When I heard that Drake Bell was coming to Knoxville, I was intrigued immediately. I remember watching “Drake and Josh” as a child and remembered how cool and talented he seemed then. Given the show is still a guilty pleasure for me, I decided to grab a friend and go because I figured it would be a fun time.

When I got to the Troubadour Roadhouse, I was not surprised to see that almost everyone there, I am willing to say around 75 percent, was under the age of 30. People who grew up watching “Drake and Josh” decided they wanted to come watch Drake perform and bring their childhood to life.

On the other hand, I was also not surprised by the choice of venue. Having never heard of the Roadhouse before, I expected it to be fairly small.

I was right, with the atmosphere throughout the night reminiscent of a coffeehouse.

The opening act, Stephen Chopek, came out, dressed in all black. Performing an acoustic act, he was not bad, but at the same time, he did not sound very unique. I think it was this vanilla

sound he had that contributed to the coffeehouse vibe.

He was a really strong hype man, getting loud cheers from the crowd by just saying “Drake.” He sang about seven songs, a mixture of originals and covers. One such original, “The Ballad of Cash and Dean,” was about a dream Chopek had with the legends.

Sneaking up behind me, Drake Bell soon made his way to the stage, getting huge cheers from the crowd. Wearing sunglasses and basking in the cheers, he was as cool as his character was on the show.

After doing a quick sound check, Bell started off by covering Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” a cover that was much better than expected. He actually did a number of covers throughout the night, such as “Blackbird” by the Beatles, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, and “Route 66” by the King Cole Trio. Every cover was done quite well acoustically, with Bell putting his own fun spin on it.

When he did a cover of “Drink That Bottle Down” by Stray Cats, the bluesy way Bell sang it getting massive cheers from the crowd.

Throughout the night, Bell was very interactive with the crowd, as he played songs that audience members asked him to play. As I had looked

up his setlist before the concert, I used that knowledge and interactivity to my advantage, which I’ll tell you about in a bit.

He also had moments of humor, as he told the children in the room to “close your eyes” before he played a song that had some foul language in it.

Besides his covers, he also did a number of original songs that he has recorded since “Drake and Josh.” One song, “Do What You Want,” particularly resonated with me, as he sang about being free and just being yourself, an attitude I promote to everyone I meet.

Another such song was “Bitchcraft,” which sounds as if Drake is trying to further himself from the clean image at Nickelodeon. All the same, it was not a bad song.

Near the end of the concert, Bell was in the middle of performing one of his new songs, “Honest,” when one of his strings broke. While he was trying to fix it, I joked to the people around me that Megan broke it. I was honestly disappointed that he did not take the time to do the joke himself.

After he finished the song, there was a short pause so, as I knew some of the songs he had previously covered, I yelled for him to do a cover of

“Gucci Gang” by Lil Pump. Drake acknowledged me, which was cool enough, and actually did the cover, which was not half bad. Having a famous person acknowledge me was probably one of the highlights of the night.

After that, Bell began to sing his songs from the show, “Makes Me Happy” and “Found a Way.” During both of these songs, all the ‘90’s babies in the room were going wild as their childhood was coming to life. Both of these songs were done extremely well in an acoustic format, with “Found a Way” giving everyone a nostalgic high. All in all, a good time.

Being such an amiable guy, he invited people backstage for an after-show meet and greet. Even though it has been ten years since the show ended, he was still happy to go back to his Drake Parker persona and say quotes from the show.

I decided to meet him and say thanks for playing “Gucci Gang” and got a picture with him. I also found out that I am taller than Drake Bell, so that was pretty cool.

It is always cool to see people from your childhood and hearing Drake Bell perform was no different. If 10-year-old Eric knew that he was going to one day see Drake in concert, he would have freaked out.

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Kyla Johnson · The Daily Beacon

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

CITYNEWS

Big Kahuna Wing Festival brings fowl, fun to Knoxville popular chains. Well-known staples Calhoun’s and Quaker Steak and Lube set up stands and sold wings, while Knoxville-based Love That BBQ also set up shop at the event.

Many vendors featured multiple styles and Wing lovers and beer enthusiasts converged in Knoxville’s Worlds Fair Park on Saturday, flavors of wings, including Love That BBQ’s June 16 for the sixth annual Big Kahuna Wing smoky, traditional-tasting hot barbecue flavor, and Saucy Swine BBQ’s buffalo-style wings, Festival.

The festival features numerous vendors who which are comprised of a tangy sauce with a set up stands and sell their wings to patrons. spicy kick.

The festival also includes a wing-eating Tickets for the event, which include stubs that act as tokens to purchase wings, are sold competition and live music, which is played on before the date of the festival and also at the a large stage at the head of the event’s area. To Beeler, that is one of the festival’s most appealgate.

Alcoholic beverages, mainly beer, were ing aspects.

“Once I get to the day of, it’s hard to really served in a separate tent, while some vendors enjoy any of it, but the music I can hear no use their stands to sell their own drinks.

Matt Beeler, president and CEO of Big matter where I’m at, so I try to make sure I Kahuna Wings, began the festival six years get some good music coming in and be able ago in order to raise money for charity while to enjoy that,” Beeler said. “But watching also bringing the wing-based style of events of everybody else have a good time and the more people I see in here, I know that’s the more other areas to Knoxville.

“I’m always about giving back to the com- that we’re going to be able to raise money for munity,” Beeler said. “I actually attended a the charities.

Some vendors sell items besides wings, wing festival in Memphis and I wondered why we didn’t have something like that here. We’ve including ice cream, snow cones and funnel got obviously a lot of great restaurants that cakes. A cooking competition takes place as serve really, really good wings. And then obvi- well, with each team’s wings judged by Kansas City Barbecue Society representatives. ously people love wings in this area.

Monetary prizes are awarded to the com“So, thankfully, great people ... came together with me and were able to get it started. Had petition’s top performers. The event’s highest prize is $4,000 and is given to the team that no idea we’d get to this point.”

Vendors range from local restaurants to takes first place in the competition.

Tyler Wombles

Managing Editor

Some festival patrons make a point to attend the Big Kahuna Wings Festival every year. Two attendees, Luke and Sarah Turner, have made the trip to the festival three times in a row.

“We’ve always had great times,” Luke said.

“At first, of course, it was just the wings (that brought us here), but at this point, it’s just like a tradition almost.”

Sarah enjoyed the various flavors of wings that the numerous vendors at the Big Kahuna Wing Festival offer. “(My favorite part is) just trying all the different wings and all the different sauces,” Sarah said. “Sometimes, there’s something really unique, so that’s kind of cool.”

According to the event’s website, the Big Kahuna Wing festival has raised $240,000 for charity and “has become one of the best culinary events in the region. Last year the festival drew over 8,000 attendees whom enjoyed over 100 different sauces from 40 different teams representing restaurants, cooking teams, businesses, and The University of Tennessee Culinary Institute.”

Beeler is hopeful that the Big Kahuna Wing Festival will be able to continue for years to come, allowing people in the Knoxville area more chances to engage in wing-tasting while also helping charitable organizations.

“I hope (that it can continue),” Beeler said.

“There’s always people in need and I want to make sure I do my part. If it can keep going, I’ll keep doing my part as well.”

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Urbanized dining: the Central Filling Station Miya McClain On Rocky Top Writer

Did you know the idea of selling food out of a moving vehicle started more than 100 years ago? The Food Truck business has been increasing as the years go on as more people are motivated to owning their own small business on the go.

They have always been an inexpensive way of trying a variety of gourmet food and drinks and are becoming a force in the restaurant industry. Knoxville has over 40 mobile restaurants and continues to grow. Knoxville’s first fullservice food truck park takes place at the Central Filing Station in the Old City and opened in February and is accompanied by the Blue Slip Winery.

The owners wanted to create a urban dog-friendly neighborhood eatery and hangout for civilians.

The park keeps the customers interested and coming back due to its locality and variety in food types. The station schedules a different set of trucks during lunch and dinner, and these change every day. While some trucks are regulars and are scheduled on set days throughout the week, others are scheduled where their time and work fits.

One of these frequent trucks is Duncan Trout’s Captain Muchacho’s, a wild spin on Mexican style tacos that will intrigue your palette. This red truck has a large window, so customers can see what goes on inside their kitchen and two cool guys eager to give customers a great experience. They change their menu up frequently and keep customers coming back for their new ideas of unusual but great-tasting tacos every day.

While some may recommend a more upfront flavor like a Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken Taco, I chose the lighter, sub-

tler route for the Chicken taco with Pineapple Salsa. The subtle flavor of this taco definitely makes you feel like you’re eating tacos during the spring at a picnic. The pineapple taste is prominent and keeps your palette satisfied.

Captain Muchacho’s use their energy and customer interactions to stand out from other trucks.

Trout started his business with his excess scholarship money from college

and his experience in the restaurant industry. It has been running for two years straight and says some days are better than others.

“It’s hard to find lunch spots and most of the time when we do business around town, businesses invite us out to,” Trout said. “There aren’t many open lots but it’s always good when the weather is nice because there’s a lot of people and that’s always profitable.”

See URBANIZED DINING on Page 24

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

URBANIZED DINING continued from Page 23 The owners of the park try not to schedule more than one truck of the same food type to make it a less competitive environment.

“In the restaurant industry everyone is pretty cutthroat,” Trout said. “But with food trucks everybody is really chill and relaxed and want to help you out,” Trout said.

Another rather frequent Food truck is Burrito. owned by Winter Hose, a California native who started his truck at the beginning of the year and wanted to put a more organic twist on the Mexican style burrito. The Californian influence stands out in a city where southern tastes dominates all. Burrito. uses locally sourced produce and made from scratch ingredients that make for big flavor wrapped in a large tortilla.

Hose and his staff enjoy the pleasant food truck community and continue to be inspired by their mission: to deliver the streets of San Francisco to the streets of Knoxville. They also take pride in always providing vegan

“I

n the restaurant industry everyone is pretty cutthroat. But with food trucks everybody is really chill and relaxed and want to help you out.”

Duncan Trout, owner of Captain Muchacho’s

options for customers.

Weekdays during lunch time and on the weekends at night are when the park gets the most traffic.

The park sometimes puts together a showdown with barbecue trucks and there is a word around town that there will be a taco showdown night with all the taco trucks in Knoxville, but a date is to be announced.

All photos provided were contributed

by Miya McClain, On Rocky Top Photographer.

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

Predators spotted in Market Square ahead of Shark Week Christy White Contributor An evening celebration downtown had some unusual guests of honor.

Sharks.

Hundreds of shark lovers descended on Market Square at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 for the Shark Week Family Fun Fest, a community event designed to kick off the 30th year of Shark Week, which airs on The Discovery Channel.

The annual television event features eight days of shark-centric specials, according the channel’s website.

The excitement began with activity stations including coloring pages, sidewalk chalk, face painting, and temporary tattoos.

Families were then directed to the small grassy section in the back where the line of people waiting to partake stretched almost the length of Market Square.

The first stop was a photo opportunity with Chompie, the Shark Week mascot.

The line twined and curled around the lawn.

Participants played carnival-like games where everyone was a winner. Volunteers handed out stuffed shark toys, foam fin hats, mechanical

wind up sharks, and insulated can coolers branded with the Shark Week 30th anniversary logo.

The Family Fun Fest was free to the public and a family-oriented affair.

Nine-year-old Luke Harper and his mom, Karol Harper, arrived downtown early in order to get a prime spot on the square. Luke, who favors the great white shark, has even spent time at the beach looking for shark teeth. He didn’t find any, but that didn’t dampen his love of the beasts. He still thinks sharks “just look too cool” as he played with the prize he had just won at the ring toss game.

The Fest also attracted local youth shark expert, Tyler Chaperon. Chaperon, 11, has loved sharks since he was 2 years old. He watches Shark Week all week long every year. He especially likes the shows where they tag Great Whites, and his favorite shark is the extinct Megalodon shark.

“I really know a lot about sharks,” Tyler said.

“Every shark week I usually grab a pen and paper and write down new stuff I like ... I really like how they tag the Great Whites near the Australian coast and Massachusetts.”

Missing the festival was not an option for Tyler, said his mother Brandy Chaperon.

“We were actually at a water park earlier, and we had to leave at 3:30 to get home, to take

showers to come here. So he cut water off, in the summer, for Shark Week,” Chaperon said, remarking on her son’s persistence and his love of apex predators.

After games and activities, the audience was invited to set up blankets and lawn chairs to catch a preview of “Bloodline: The Spawn of Jaws,” a Discovery Channel feature that follows scientists as they tag Great Whites off the coast of Montauk, New York.

While landlocked Knoxville might seem like a strange place to host a festival featuring sharks, it actually makes perfect sense.

The festival was hosted by Discovery, Inc., the parent company of the Discovery Channel, that just recently established operational headquarters in Knoxville.

Discovery, Inc. recently purchased Scripps Networks. The media company also owns several other television brands including TLC, HGTV, Animal Planet, Food Network, and many others according to the corporation website.

“Global headquarters is in New York, and operational headquarters is here in Knoxville,” Maria Down, the festival’s organizer, said. “We are just really wanting to show Knoxville that we’re still here, and Discovery is not going anywhere.”

In an effort to show the city and its residents

Kids pose with Shark Week mascot Chompie at the Shark Week Family Fun Fest on Wednesday, July 18.

Christy White / The Daily Beacon the company’s dedication, Discovery, Inc. capitalized on the 30th anniversary of Shark Week.

“What better way to do so than with sharks!”

Down said.

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

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FOOTBALL

Which games will be the toughest for the Vols in 2018?

Tyler Wombles Managing Editor As the Tennessee football team draws closer to the start of the 2018 season, the Vols work to rebound after notching a 4-8 record last year, which was the worst ever mark by the program.

First-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt is hoping to see his team get a jump on its rebuild, but which opponents could deal the most damage to the Vols in their upcoming campaign?

5. West Virginia: The lone non-SEC team on this list, West Virginia is looking to improve on a 7-6 record in 2017. But it certainly has the firepower to do so, as the Mountaineers return starting quarterback, and former Vols nemesis, Will Grier for 2018. Grier, a redshirt senior who originally transferred to West Virginia from Florida, was named the 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns against 12 interceptions last season.

He also ran for 122 yards and two scores.

The Vols will be hard-pressed to stop Grier during the team’s season opener, especially if Tennessee is unable to find more depth at cornerback, which has been a noted weakness on the roster thus far.

4. South Carolina: The Gamecocks seem to be on an upswing heading into Will Muschamp’s fourth season at the helm. They finished 2017 with a 9-4 record, a three-game improvement from the season before, and are led by returning starter Jake Bentley at quarterback. South Carolina has won its last two meetings with the Vols and seems to be in a much more stable situation than Tennessee, which is yet again in the early stages of a rebuild. The Gamecocks, though, do have to replace star linebacker Skai Moore, who notched nine tackles, including a sack, against Tennessee in 2017. Should the Vols perform well and give the Gamecocks a challenge, the game could stay in Tennessee’s favor.

3. Auburn: A team that Tennessee doesn’t face every year due to its location in the SEC West, Auburn will host the Vols at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2018. And stealing a win from the Tigers in front of their home crowd will be no easy task, as Auburn is fresh

off a 10-4 season that included a berth in the SEC Championship. The Tigers lost just one conference game in 2017 and return redshirt junior quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who made an immediate impact last year after transferring to Auburn.

They also return standout wide receiver Ryan Davis, a senior that broke the team’s single-season record for receptions last year with 84. The last time the Vols played Auburn, they were defeated 55-23 in former coach Butch Jones’ first year on the job. Tennessee will have to dig deep if it doesn’t want to see that outcome again.

2. Georgia: The Bulldogs’ 41-0 drubbing of Tennessee last year was followed by an SEC title and a spot in the national championship game.

Kirby Smart will enter his third year with Georgia with his program on an incredible wave of momentum, as his path to success with the Bulldogs seemed to barely take any time at all. Like Pruitt, Smart is a former disciple of Nick Saban, and Vols fans hope to see the same type of improvement Smart issued for Georgia occur with Pruitt at Tennessee. But the Bulldogs’ roster is largely superior to Tennessee’s at the moment, with Georgia’s steady stream of standout running backs still flowing strong and second-year quarterback Jake Fromm continuing to develop. It may be a few years before the Vols can compete with Georgia for an SEC East title.

1. Alabama: Although Georgia took home the SEC title in 2017, it was Alabama that won the national championship and thus reasserted itself atop the college football totem pole.

The Crimson Tide’s matchup with the Vols in 2017 was about as one-sided as possible, with Alabama cruising to a 45-7 victory. One key moment for Vols fans in that game, though, came when Daniel Bituli ran back a Tua Tagovailoa interception 97 yards for a touchdown. Both players return for 2018, with Tagovailoa competing with Jalen Hurts for the starting quarterback job. Another storyline from that game was that Pruitt coached against the Vols that day, serving as Alabama’s defensive coordinator, and will take the field this year in orange and on opposite sidelines of Nick Saban. Tennessee fans would love to see Pruitt one-up his former boss, but with the Crimson Tide’s ability to recycle championships and the coaching staff behind it, it’s likely not in the cards for the Vols this year.

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GOLF

Webb ‘excited’ to take over as men’s golf head coach Noah Taylor Contributor On June 12, former Tennessee men’s golf head coach Jim Kelson announced his retirement after a tenure that spanned a decade. Nearly a month to the day, Brennan Webb took the podium at the Ray & Lucy Hand Digital Studio as the team’s new head coach, making him just the sixth head coach in the program’s history.

“It’s part of the reason I am so excited and the thrill that I got when Coach (Phillip) Fulmer called me,” Webb said during his introductory press conference on Friday. “It just goes to show what a special place this is. To have only six coaches in the history of the program, people don’t ever want to leave here.”

Webb comes to Knoxville by way of Murfreesboro, Tenn., where he spent the last three seasons as the head coach at Middle Tennessee State. He was named the 2018 Conference USA Men’s Golf Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Raiders to a conference title and an NCAA regional.

Other accolades from his stint at Middle Tennessee were 14 different topfive finishes, as well as five first-place finishes in various tournaments.

Prior to his coaching career, Webb, a native of Ontario, Canada, played collegiate golf at East Tennessee State University from 1997 to 2001. He then played professionally for over nine years before serving as an assistant with South Florida and Georgia Tech.

His plethora of experience both as a player and a coach were what drew Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer to pick Webb out of a pool of candidates.

“In the process of meeting Brennan (Webb) and spending time with him, there were so many positives coming out of the visits,” Fulmer said. “So many people around the state and nationally have tremendous respect for him.

“It became pretty obvious that he was going to be the best choice pretty early.”

Another aspect that has garnered

an outstanding reputation for Webb has been his ability to recruit, not just within the Southeast, but in the state of Tennessee. Recruiting was just another reason for Fulmer to hire the young head coach.

“During our conversations and meetings, Brennan (Webb) consistently talked about recruiting,” Fulmer said. “On a national level, bringing young men who are playing the highest level of golf in the country. It became obvious that he’s a great evaluator of talent.”

A key to recruiting in collegiate athletics is facilities, and Tennessee has already broken ground on a new practice complex for the golf program. The facility was something Webb took notice of and he believes it will go a long way with his already-impressive recruiting resume.

“I loved my time at Middle Tennessee,” Webb said. “I knew if I was going to leave there it was going to be for a place that had everything. With the completion of that practice facility, there is no excuses. There is nothing else that we need.

“There is nothing else any other man needs that wants to come here and be a professional golfer. I’m going to make sure my guys know there is no excuses.

We’re going to get going and that building will be the final step.”

For Webb, there were several reasons to take the Tennessee job despite only having three years under his belt as a head coach at the college level.

Facilities, of course, were a big draw, as was competing in the SEC and having the ability to recruit at a higher level.

But one of the biggest reasons for Webb and his family to make the move to Knoxville was East Tennessee, a place he is all too familiar with due to his collegiate years.

“The people,” Webb said of what drew him to stay in Tennessee. “First and foremost, the people. It’s obviously beautiful geographically, but it was very soon after I found out when I got here how special the people were from this area. I look forward to being a part of this community again.”

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SOCCER

Pensky, Vols looking to return to NCAA Tournament for second straight year Cory Sanning Staff Writer

Heading into last fall, head coach Brian Pensky and the Tennessee soccer team had not received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament since 2012.

This year, the Vols are looking to build on the enormous wave of momentum that they rode throughout a successful 2017 campaign that saw them collect 15 total wins while reaching the second round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship.

“Our soccer program is coming off one of the best seasons in school history, and the trajectory of the program under Coach Pensky’s leadership is extremely positive,” Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said in a release.

“We’re all eager to see Coach Pensky build on the momentum established by the team last fall, as he shares our expectations that all of our sports compete at a championship level while developing well-rounded, successful and achievement-oriented student-athletes.”

The Lady Vols ended last season ranked 25th in the United Coaches poll and 16th in NCAA RPI while claiming six victories

within the SEC. Fifteen members from last year’s roster will be returning, including All-American midfielder Katie Cousins and All-SEC selections Khadija Shaw, Maya Neal, Anna Bialczak and Erin Gilroy. United Coaches All-Region selection Rylie O’Keefe will also be returning for her senior season.

Shaw, who burst on the scene last season with a team-leading 14 goals (second-most in school history), was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week three times while collecting a conference-high eight goals during SEC play.

As a member of the Jamaican National Team, she scored eight goals in the CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s Qualifier in May, propelling Jamaica to the second round of World Cup qualifying.

Gilroy, coming off of her freshman season, has been training with the U20 U.S. National Team the last few months. She scored a goal in the United States’ 2-1 victory over Brazil in early July, earning a spot on the FIFA Under20 Women’s World Cup roster.

In addition to Neal’s accomplishments on the soccer field last season, she also took home second-team All-American honors in track and field while placing 13th in the

NCAA heptathlon.

The Vols averaged just under 2.5 goals per game while holding their opponents to 0.9 per outing, allowing just 93 shots on the goal line all year. They also held their opponents to just a .089 shot percentage.

Recording 10 total shutouts, Tennessee’s stellar defensive effort throughout the year propelled it to a 9-0 start to the regular season, outscoring its opponents 22-2 during that span.

“This is an exciting time for Tennessee soccer—coming off a terrific season and having laid the foundation for years to come,” Pensky said in the release. “Our players’ commitment to excellence is driving this train right now, and as coaches, we are fortunate to have student-athletes like that. In addition to being a top-25 team on the field, our players have continued to excel in the classroom, amassing a 3.43 cumulative GPA. For that we are equally proud.

“I am, of course, fortunate to be surrounded by great people. Our program’s success is dependent upon the outstanding efforts of our assistant coaches and entire support staff.”

Tennessee notched a 7-1-1 record at Regal Soccer Stadium and is slated to play 10 of its

18 regular season games in Knoxville this fall.

Orange Beach, Ala., will play host to the SEC Tournament this year, with games scheduled to take place over an eight-day period from Oct. 28. to Nov. 4.

The Lady Vols’ marquee SEC matchups include South Carolina on Sept. 16, Florida on Oct. 4 and Texas A&M on Oct. 21, all opponents ranked within the top 12 in NCAA RPI last season.

With a roster that features eight true freshmen and one redshirt, the veteran players such as O’Keefe, Bialczak, Shaw, Danielle Marcano, Mary Alice Vignola and goalkeeper Shae Yanez will come in handy when Tennessee’s 10-game conference schedule begins in in September.

Tennessee will host Alabama for their annual preseason exhibition on August 10 before beginning the regular season with consecutive home matchups against St. John’s and George Mason before taking on Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. With Pensky now in his seventh year at the helm of Tennessee, the Vols are looking to make their biggest splash under him yet.

Only time and experience will be the determining factors on whether this unit will mesh like last year’s.

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UT CSPC partner honored with ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award Will Backus Asst. Sports Editor

A partner of the University of Tennessee’s Center for Sport, Peace, and Society (CSPC), the Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP), implemented in the CSPS since 2012, was awarded the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE award for their work in the sports industry.

Three alumni of the GSMP program will make their way back to the United States to accept the ENSPIRE award, which was presented on July 17 in Los Angeles: Geraldine Bernardo, a founder of the Sport Management Council of the Philippines, Cynthia Coredo, program manager for Boxgirls Kenya and Dima Alardah, youth project coordinator of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Iraq.

All three women believe that the GSMP prepared them well for their now prominent roles in their respective

nations.

“The CSPS provided the impetus and wherewithal that enabled me to launch my own sport-for-development programs in my country,” Bernardo said.

The GSMP is an initiative created by the US Department of State and ESPN, and started in 2012. The program consists of two main components: Empower Women through Sports and Sports for Community.

Both pillars are mentorships programs focusing on, according to the GSMP’s website, “empowering emerging leaders to serve their local communities by increasing access to and opportunities for participation in sports.” The program has a specific focus on genderequality.

“Together and alongside brave and courageous women from all over the world, we are fulfilling our dream of leveraging the unique power of sportbased innovation to create a more equitable world for women and girls.” Sarah Hillyer, director of the CSPS, said.

Ninety-nine international leaders from 53 different countries can accredit the GSMP’s gender-equality based programs for training them. The GSMP has been responsible for guiding participants in UT’s CSPS Better World program.

Those that have gone through this program have been paired with female leaders in top organizations like ESPN, the NHL, the Big East Conference and Google.

The CSPS works with more than 110 mentors that have developed plans for sport-based change in their communities, impacting over 225,000 youth and women since its partnership with the GSMP. “When we conceived of what the GSMP could become, we believed wholeheartedly it had the potential to be more than a simple, government-funded program,” Hillyer said. “We envisioned a global movement of changemakers, mentors, and emerging leaders.”

“ Together and

alongside brave and courageous women from all over the world, we are fulfilling our dream of leveraging the unique power of sport-based innovation to create a more equitable world for women and girls. ” Sarah Hillyer, director of the CSPS

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SPORTS

Kyla Johnson · The Daily Beacon

Friday, August 17, 2018 • The Daily Beacon

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The Daily Beacon • Friday, August 17, 2018

FOOTBALL

Five newcomers to watch for the Vols this year Will Backus Asst. Sports Editor First-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt has made it clear that he wants to win immediately at Tennessee; as well as signing a near-full recruiting class of 21 for 2018, five of which are transfers from junior colleges, Pruitt’s squad added three transfers in the offseason.

With so many newcomers to the football program, it would not be out of the question to expect quite a few of them to make an immediate impact when they take the field this fall.

Keller Chryst , graduate transfer quarterback Arguably the biggest storyline this fall camp is the quarterback battle, which Pruitt insists will involve all four scholarship quarterbacks on

Tennessee’s roster. Realistically, it will likely come down to redshirt sophomore Jarrett Guarantano and Stanford graduate transfer Keller Chryst.

Most expect both quarterbacks to see playing time early in the season, and a solid starter may not be named until a couple of weeks in.

While Guarantano may have the edge in athleticism and experience with Tennessee, one could argue Chryst is a better quarterback for the system that new offensive coordinator Tyson Helton is expected to run, which will look like a pro-style offense.

As a starter at Stanford, Chryst was 11-2. His career completion percentage is a little low, completing just 55.4 percent of his passes. However, he has thrown for 1,926 yards and 19 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

His inconsistent accuracy, as well as a nagging knee injury, led to his benching last November. His experience as

a fifth-year senior and his aptitude as a pro-style quarterback could give him the edge over Guarantano at quarterback this fall.

Brandon Kennedy , transfer offensive lineman Kennedy will join Tennessee this season after two years at Alabama, where he was a reserve guard/center.

With two years of eligibility left to play, Kennedy is an immediate plug-and-play option on a much-bereaved Tennessee offensive line.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 301 pounds, Kennedy figures to step in and start at center for the Vols immediately. With sophomore All-American lineman Trey Smith’s health status still in question, and with Chance Hall still battling injuries, having a presence like Kennedy on the offensive line is very important.

Kennedy’s experience in the SEC and his versatility should prove invaluable for a position group that remains a question mark headed into the upcoming season.

Madre London, graduate transfer running back London joins the Vols after spending time at Michigan State, where he got a buried behind young and talented depth for the Spartans.

He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, and had issues holding onto the ball.

Still, for his career, he gained 924 yards and eight touchdowns on 230 carries.

Standing at 6-1, 218 pounds, London may be exactly what Tennessee is looking for size-wise in a running back.

Pruitt has already indicated that Tennessee will have quite a committee of running backs, with four or five expected to play. The most experienced running back Tennessee has returning is sophomore Ty Chandler, who played behind now-NFL running back John Kelly last season.

With a trio of sophomores and one true freshman occupying the running back room for Tennessee, London brings leadership and experience that

could elevate Tennessee’s backs, and he’ll likely see a good bit of the field this fall.

Alontae Taylor, freshman corner Tennessee’s second-highest rated commit in the class of 2018, true freshman Alontae Taylor played all over the place in his formative years at Coffee County High School, from quarterback to corner and almost everything in between.

Such versatility and athleticism may be hard to keep off the field this season for Tennessee, especially since Taylor is projected to play corner, the position at which he was stationed in the Orange and White game.

Though he ran with the second team, he had a nice showing, and it isn’t out of the question that he will see the field early and often for a beleaguered Tennessee secondary.

Dominick Wood-Anderson, JUCO tight end A pro-style offense typically utilizes two tight ends on any given down. Prostyle tight ends aren’t just expected to catch; they must block as well. To do this, you need size.

With just two tight ends before the addition of Anderson above 250 pounds, size at that position is something Tennessee lacked. Coming in at 6-foot-4, 257 pounds, Anderson should step in and play immediately alongside projected starters Eli Wolf and Austin Pope.

Not only does he bring size to the table, he brings collegiate experience.

He spent last year playing at junior college powerhouse Arizona Western Community College, where he caught 31 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. These numbers were good enough for Anderson to be named a second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.

It won’t take long for Anderson to see the field, and he may even earn starter status at some point in the season.

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BEACONNEWS

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Legendary broadcaster John Ward passes away Staff Report A staple of Tennessee’s athletic legacy passed away June 20, 2018.

Legendary broadcaster John Ward, one of the most well-known radio voices in Tennessee history and dubbed as “the Voice of the Vols,” died on Wednesday evening. The Vol Network announced his passing in a statement.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that a great voice has gone silent,” the statement reads. “Mr. John Ward, legendary advertising executive, and one of the most beloved broadcasters and ambassadors for the University

of Tennessee, passed away this evening in Knoxville.”

Ward, a 1954 graduate of UT, served as Tennessee’s radio play-by-play broadcaster for the latter part of the 20th century, primarily operating from 1965 to 1999. He began his career with Tennessee announcing basketball before taking over as the voice of the radio broadcasts for football several years later.

His tenure as a broadcaster featured numerous trademark phrases, including “It’s football time in Tennessee,” and “Give ... him ... six. Touchdown Tennessee.” His final year as Tennessee’s play-by-play broadcaster featured the

All photos were contributed by Lika Perez.

1998 football season, during which the Vols won their most recent national championship.

Ward was named Tennessee sportscaster of the year 28 times and Best College Announcer nationally in 1976, and was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. He is a member of the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as well.

“Mr. Ward brought Tennessee football and basketball to life for millions of Tennesseans and listeners worldwide for over three decades,” the statement continues. “He propelled Tennessee to the forefront of marketing and broadcasting, and remains the standard by which all others are measured. While it is a sad day for all Vol fans, we take great pride in the fact that John belonged to us.

“Only the Tennessee Volunteers could

“ Mr. Ward brought Tennessee football and basketball to life for millions of Tennesseans and listeners worldwide for over three decades.

”

The Vol Network call John their own, and he was proud to be the “Voice of the Vols.” He loved his alma mater, the fans, and the state of Tennessee. He remains the very heartbeat of the Vol Network.”

Ward’s wife, Barbara Ward, passed away in 2017.

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