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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abby Ann Ramsey

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Letter from the Editor: Find joy in the everyday

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief

My first few days, weeks and months on this campus as a freshman in 2020 were less than exciting, which is something I’ve shared in several letters at this point. The COVID-19 talk is incredibly exhausting as everyone knows, but at times, I think it’s important to look back and see how far this campus has come in the past few years.

It will always be strange to think that I did not know a pre-pandemic UT, but I like to think that I have come to know a post-pandemic UT. Obviously, I can’t say exactly what this campus was like before March 2020, but I can say that this version feels resilient, hopeful and filled with gratitude.

It’s hard to walk around campus without seeing students smiling and laughing despite the stress of school. Classes have not even begun as I write this, and the joy already feels palpable as I watch freshmen arrive to campus and see returning students move into Fort Sanders houses.

Not only is the joy palpable, but it’s different — this is joy coming from people who have experienced intense grief, distress and isolation at several points over the past three years. The communal joy in response to communal despair feels different to me than pre-pandemic joy.

Whether we’re consciously aware of it or not, I think we are all keen to the fact that the things around us could be taken away at any moment. While it may sound depressing on the surface, that

sort of feeling creates a sense of gratitude that I think makes all of us at least a hair more joyful when we hug our friends in person, go to football games and even attend in-person class.

I’ll pause for a moment to note that while I say “post-pandemic,” I do not mean that COVID-19 has gone on its way and is no longer a risk. Cases are currently very high in Knoxville, and maintaining your physical health, staying home if you’re sick and getting vaccinated are extremely vital. What I mean is that having the ability to safely see people and experience campus when so many of us know what it’s like to not have those experiences makes us all the more grateful.

I feel immensely thankful for my time at UT as I head into my senior year. After my freshman year, when getting involved meant occasional in-person meetings rather than Zoom calls, I did everything I could to make the most of my remaining time on campus. While sometimes that felt or continues to feel overwhelming, if I had to go back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

My involvement in The Daily Beacon, along with other extracurricular activities on campus, continues to enhance my college experience, and I find myself continually noting how different UT feels in 2023 compared to 2020. Whether you’re a new student or a returning one, I think it’s important to get involved in something that gives you life and reasons to feel grateful even in times when finding joy feels impossible.

For some people, that may mean joining one of the hundreds of clubs on campus or going to a campus event. For others, it may mean setting aside a Saturday every now and then to volunteer at a local nonprofit. And for many people, it may

just mean carving out more time to go to parties or play trivia with your friends. Finding whatever brings you joy and gives you a sense of community can alter your college experience entirely. One of the reasons the Beacon is here is to help you find those moments of joy. We’re always looking for ways to tell you about resources on campus, give you information about clubs and update you on what’s happening in Knoxville. Even stories that may be seemingly unrelated to community or joy all tie back to something that we as students are experiencing together whether it’s a crowded campus, a football loss or extreme rent increases. Those hard moments can make us all the more grateful for the joyful ones.

Letter from Managing Editor: Welcome, stay awhile

BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor

I used to say that I didn’t want to go to college because I was intimidated by the thought of committing to academics. School never came easy for me. I spent several hours in tutoring sessions to try and subside test anxiety, but ultimately I would panic the minute the scantron hit my desk.

I made it my mission to become a wellrounded student and found that there is much more to school than a test grade – although acing a test is nice. I discovered that being involved on campus fueled my academic success. My active participation in organizations influenced me to perform better in the classroom. An orange haze lingers at the begging of the school year. Everyone is optimistic about the year ahead and is more open to the idea of getting involved. There are a multitude of people

on campus, but there truly is something for everyone. I was lucky enough to find Student Media early on in my college career and it has been the most fulfilling experience.

There are an array of welcome week events at the beginning of the school year. It can be daunting to walk down Ped walkway and see just how much there is to do, but if you seek out the right group, you might just land on a transformative outcome.

My dad has a saying: “Use all your resources.” This motive was drilled into my head as a kid, but in recent years it has become the most crucial piece of advice.

In my freshman year, using all my resources meant attending office hours, spending way too much money on Chick-Fil-A and getting every freebie possible. Although I do advise freshmen to spend all their dining dollars, I found new meaning in using my resources.

The longer you spend at UT, the more you fall in love with the orange haze. There is a charm to this campus that is hard to describe –it’s chaotic, but in the small moments you can

find comfort.

In my junior year, I find that “using my resources” has a new meaning. My resources lay in the people I surround myself with and the memories we share together. I am so thankful that I subsided my intimidation, and committed to academics because, without that leap of faith, I wouldn’t have the support system or the work ethic that I have today.

As an out-of-state student, I was unfamiliar with the Volunteer spirit. Little did I know, I didn’t have to be a Tennessee native to embody the Volunteer spirit. Volunteers are charged with the desire to take initiative and innovate.

In this issue, we highlight organizations that are eager to recruit students. It is never too late to get involved because the longer you are on campus, the more you love the orange haze.

Happy first day of classes. Here’s to a great year of embracing the orange haze.

Students at the HSS amphitheater enjoy the warm weather. File / The Daily Beacon

1 Freshman Sahil Majethia poses with his family after moving into his new dorm room.

2 The new pool at TRECS was recently unveiled.

3 Freshman Michael Reardon (left) moves into Hess Hall with the help of his family.

4 The Brenda Lawson Athletic Center is currently undergoing construction.

5 (From left to right) Freshmen Alyssa Brockman, Taylor Purkiss, Kyra Harvey and Lucie Schaeffer hang out in Presidential Court.

Bella Hughes / The Daily Beacon

Bella Hughes / The Daily Beacon

Bella Hughes / The Daily Beacon

Bella Hughes / The Daily Beacon

Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon

UT Creamery returns to campus just in time for fall semester

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief

When it originally opened in 1915, the UT Creamery served up ice cream not only to students, faculty and staff but also to the greater Knoxville community. The location offered delicious sweet treats for 70 years before closing its doors in 1985. Now, the old-fashioned ice cream parlor is back and ready to welcome customers on Neyland Drive.

UT Creamery, which is located across from Sorority Village, opened on Aug. 14 thanks to support from Peg Smith and Sue Conley who co-founded Cowgirl Creamery after graduating from UT in 1975.

While providing delicious ice cream to people on campus and in Knoxville is a core goal of the creamery, another key purpose is to provide experiential learning opportunities for students.

UT Creamery is different from your other favorite ice cream shops in that it’s run entirely by students. Faculty in the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Herbert College of Agriculture supervise the students who handle the busi-

ness and culinary aspects of the new parlor. Students from the Rocky Top Institute of Retail have the opportunity to grow their retail, marketing and branding skills while students from the Department of Food Science prepare the artisan, small-batch ice cream. Students from all majors scoop the ice cream and work in the shop.

Retail students conducted market research to carefully decide on which ice cream flavors the creamery would serve and came up with five Vol-themed flavors: VOLnilla, Torchbearer’s Chocolate, Smokey’s Strawberry Kisses, Mint Champion Chip and Go

Big Orange.

“The UT Creamery provides an opportunity for students from all over campus to learn to make ice cream and manage an ice cream business,” said UT Herbert Food Science department head Rob Williams in a press release.

Myra Loveday, director of retail strategies for the creamery, said that the business broadens students’ understanding of “the customer-product relationship” along with fast-paced retail work and business analytics.

The creamery aims to provide custom-

ers with an excellent, welcoming experience, and in preparation for the opening, retail students decked out the space with signage and shelves while food science students carefully curated and perfected the ice cream recipes.

“We wanted to make sure everything was just right to exceed the customer experience,” Loveday said.

Students were trained in food safety and, as with any new food business, the creamery had to undergo a health inspection, which it passed with flying colors, according to Junehee Kwon, head of UT’s Retail, Hospitality and Tourism department.

After almost 40 years of a UT campus without its own creamery, faculty and students in RTIR and the Food Science departments are excited to see the parlor come to life.

“I am very excited that UT Creamery, which has taken a long time coming, is finally ready to open to the public,” Kwon said.

The UT Creamery is located at 2712 Neyland Drive and is open Monday-Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. You can visit the website and follow them on Instagram @utcreamerytn for updates on new flavors and any changes to operating hours.

A student in the Rocky Top Institute of Retail serves up a scoop of tradition at the new UT Creamery on Aug. 14. Courtesy of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences

More than a marathon: VOLthon creates ‘cause-connected campus’

BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor

VOLthon may appear to be a single event to raise money for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, but the program goes beyond what meets the eye. Under new leadership, VOLthon pledges to create a cause-connected campus.

VOLthon works year-round to spread awareness of ETCH through fundraising and special events. The organization has been at UT for 29 years and has partnered with ETCH for 10. In its reign at UT, Volthon has become the largest student-led philanthropy event on campus. VOLthon has made continuous efforts to raise awareness of ETCH and fundraise for the Children’s Miracle fund.

East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is a part of the Children’s Miracle Network. A unique part of this network is that all funds stay local. One hundred percent of proceeds go directly to ETCH for medical equipment and treatment.

Last year, VOLthon raised more than $160,000 for the hospital. In recent fundraising success, the organization is hoping to keep numbers high but wants to shift its focus to the importance of fundraising.

“Data supports that we should focus on specific things at a time,” VOLthon President Grace Woodside said. “We plan to focus on educating people about what we do as an organization. We want to take the pressure off of fundraising and make sure people are having a good time while they are staying educated on the cause.”

In the first months of the semester, VOLthon will host outreach programs for students to get involved in local philanthropy. Creating a cause-connected campus is not far off as ETCH is located on Clinch Avenue — a brief 15-minute walk from the central campus.

The prime location allows students to physically connect with the children they support. Many programs at UT feed into ETCH, including the College of Nursing. Students are able to get familiar experience in their field by participating in a cause that not only enriches them but also the community.

“We see a lot of people from our nursing program go to work there, and a lot of the orientations are already connected to the hospital,” Woodside said. “To have that immediate connection makes our work much more special.”

Isabelle Ponder, a returning VOLthon staff member and Vice President of Marketing, promotes the passion of her work and how it’s rooted in the Volunteer spirit.

“Being a ‘cause-connected campus’

stems from what it means to be a Volunteer,” Ponder said. “I think we have strayed away from this idea in the past few years, and VOLthon hopes to be a reason people start caring about it again. Childhood health is something everyone should care about because these kids are the future, and they deserve to grow up and become whatever they want to be just like we are all doing right now.”

Miracle families are family ambassadors for Children’s Hospital. These groups are invited to every event, encouraging participants to engage with the children to see the direct impact their contributions are making. Fundraising events are interactive experiences for volunteers and children.

“We have about one or two families at every event, and at our big event in February we have 8-10 families who you get direct one-on-one interaction with,” Woodside said.

A year’s work all leads to a 12-hour dance marathon in February. Dance Marathon day features a headliner performance, silent disco, auction dates with special guests and the opportunity for miracle families to share their stories.

Last year, donors auctioned for a chance to win an ice cream date with Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy. During Dance Marathon day, Ponder witnessed a special moment between McCoy and a miracle child named Noah.

“We walked into the ball pit room and saw Noah playing with another miracle kid, Holston. The two of them immediately recognized Bru and were so happy to meet and hang out with him,” Ponder said. “I like to think that just for a minute, they could forget about their sickness and just be kids meeting one of their heroes. I hope that his time at Dance Marathon is an experience he will never forget and something he can hold onto in the tough times ahead of him.”

In the chaos of fundraising, Volunteers can find solace in the purpose behind their philanthropic work: the children of East Tennessee.

VOLthon’s first event of the semester –Back to School Bash – will be held on Aug. 28 from 7:30-9 p.m. in Circle Park. This welcome event will have free food, social media opportunities, games and a chance to meet a miracle family.

VOLthon is currently seeking staff members. Applications will open on Aug. 22 and close Aug. 25. If you are interested in getting involved in a low-commitment way, you can donate at volthon.org or follow VOLthon on Instagram for updates on fundraising and events.

VOLthon staff reveals the grand total of donations from the 2022-23 season. The proceeds from the fundraiser go toward treatment and equipment for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Courtesy of VOLthon

Students enjoy the glow sticks and DJ during the rave portion of the dance marathon on Feb. 18, 2023. Courtesy of VOLthon

Color teams line dance during dance marathon day on February 18, 2023. Courtesy of VOLthon

Free Store makes attending UT ‘feel more possible’ for students

EMMA JOHNSTON Copy Chief

The UT Free Store is seeing the impact it’s making on students’ lives after just one year of conducting business from its permanent building. The Free Store hosted pop-up shops for four years before the Office of Sustainability established its first permanent location at 915 22nd Street in Feb. 2022.

Since then, the store has accumulated a basement stocked full of inventory and a shelf stacked with cards detailing what students love about the store.

Sierra Hellmans, a senior studying journalism, expressed that she sees the Free Store as a community-oriented place.

“It’s a way for students and the community to give back to each other, and it benefits everyone,” Hellmans said.

The Free Store’s goal is two-sided. It aims to provide students with a sustainable place to find free clothes, school supplies and other secondhand items. At the same time, it gives students the opportunity to donate items that might otherwise be put into a landfill.

Free Store employee Mariah Laux, a junior majoring in business analytics and econom-

ics, explained that it can be difficult to quantify the store’s value to the UT community since it makes no money. To evaluate its success, every item that comes in or out of the store is weighed.

Since the opening of its permanent location, the store has had more than 13,000 pounds of new and gently-used items donated. Close to half of those pounds were donated during the first seven months of 2023, and since January, more than 4,000 pounds have been redistributed to students.

The Free Store uses these numbers to demonstrate the value it’s bringing to the UT community.

“There are people who have really hard circumstances, and you know they’re not able to buy all these things new,” Laux said.

Evelynn Sawyer, a mother and senior forensic anthropology major, explained that she has found textbooks and school supplies from the Free Store which has helped enable her to attend UT while providing for her family.

“When I go to the free store and I find a textbook the school was charging me 50-something dollars for, I can now use that money to get a box of diapers instead,” Sawyer said.

Sawyer stated that the Free Store “makes being at UT feel more possible.”

On the other side of the operation, students have expressed that they love donating to the

Free Store knowing that their items will be put to good use. Hellmans said she interacts with the Free Store both ways.

“Personally, I love thrifting, so being able to do this in a way where it’s convenient, cheap and sustainable is amazing,” Hellmans said. “I also love donating stuff to them because I know it’s not going to be marked up in price for someone else like it would at a Goodwill.”

One way the store encourages student donations is through their winter move out donation drive. During the time before students move home for winter break, the Free Store sets up donation bins in residence halls for students to place clothes, hygiene products and non-perishable foods.

Daria Baker has been involved in the Office of Sustainability for four years and has worked at the Free Store for two. She stated that this winter donation initiative promotes sustainability on campus.

“I personally know the stress of playing Tetris with my dorm items during move out,” Baker, a senior sustainability major, said. “I love that we do the move out donation drives because a lot of things that are in good condition end up in the dumpster, and these drives help the students in the coming semester get things they may have forgotten or couldn’t bring with them.”

Baker and Laux concurred that the recent

success of the store has brought about the idea of an expansion to accommodate more items and further the store’s purpose. While plans for an expansion are not yet official, Laux claimed that the employees are glad to be able to help the UT community from their current location.

“We’re still making an impact even though it’s small, so we would stay here in this house as long as they wanted us to,” Laux said.

Mariah Laux, a junior majoring in business analytics and economics, works at the Free Store, which opened its first permanent location in Feb. 2022.

Emma Johnston / The Daily Beacon

Graduate Student Senate advocates for students, provides resources

ALLISON MURPHY Contributor

Students are beginning the fall back-toschool ritual of moving in, buying books and going to their first classes, and about every one in five of these is a graduate student. There are more than 6,000 at UT, and a few of them are currently rolling out plans to enhance the school year for the rest.

Katherine Trubee and Hannah Thompson, the new president and vice president of the Graduate Student Senate, have spent the last two months planning events, tracking down fellow senators and getting documents ready behind the scenes.

The group represents the interests of graduate students across campus which includes giving feedback on policies that affect them and sending recommendations to administrators. Trubee had previously called the organization “a first stop for graduate student life and university access.”

It also supports them outside of the classroom, which this year means nearly twice as many social events as last year.

“We’re really working to keep graduate students engaged and involved on campus and to learn about different resources on campus but also learn about different spaces and Knoxville so they really feel connected to the community,” Thompson said.

One focus of the summer was planning fall events. The GSS plans the orientations for graduate students and for graduate teaching assistants. Thompson said they had already seen success with last week’s mixer at the Change Center, a recreation and event space where there were games, roller skating and pizza.

This year there will be monthly “Grad Night Out” gatherings at local restaurants, around the date of the senate meetings. The benefit nights, which are open to all, raise funds for Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week in the spring. Events at Union Place Bar & Grill and Cruze Farm are already in the works.

These are in addition to on-campus events like a town hall in September and a movie night held in conjunction with the Student Government Association in October. The pair said they are planning to build relationships with community partners and that this will eventually be a GSS committee.

George Fields, last year’s president, said the number of events throughout the year continues to go up and that he was glad to see the benefit nights take place rather than a once-ayear fundraiser.

“One thing that we were not able to do last year that we wanted to do was a walking tour of each college to engage with students face to face,” Fields said.

Trubee said another summer duty for herself and Thompson was collecting senators’ names

from departments with Nick Jakel, a graduate school employee who coordinates GSS. Each academic unit has at least one representative and programs with more than 50 students have two. There are new seats this year for the new College of Music and the Baker Center programs, which were created July 1.

Last year, seats for the College of Social Work increased from two to six: two for Knoxville, two for the Nashville campus and two for distance learners. Fields and Jakel also added the Space Institute and the College of Veterinary Medicine, which have two slots each.

“We went back and made sure that if there were graduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, they were represented by someone,” Fields said. “Everyone on campus, I can tell you who your representative is. And that’s something we’ve never been able to do before.”

Each senator is required to serve on either an internal or external committee, and external groups like the UT Police Department Advisory Council and the Dean of Libraries Student Advisory Committee ask the GSS for nominees.

In terms of other changes, an international student group on the Equity and Diversity Committee branched off on its own. Aman Misra, last year’s chair, said they aim to help graduate teaching assistants particularly. He listed a phone number, social security number, driver’s license and bank account as the four most important things an international student has to think about when they arrive. He added that some banks have only recently let people open accounts without a social security number and that a rental deposit is much higher when a person does not have a credit score.

“It can get overwhelming to have to deal with all of these things one by one along with also having to go to school,” Misra said. “So, we thought if you have the information ready, if we have a PDF which we can give the students and tell them.”

Misra emphasized that not everybody has the privilege of friends or relatives in the United States. He and Fields reached out to International House leaders, who Misra said were happy to come on board since they give similar assistance daily. His example was that if students want to apply for a visa to go to a European conference, they will have additional steps to take.

“Let’s at least help you try and jump through all these hoops one by one,” Misra said.

With the split, Adaora Ede, returning chair of the Equity and Diversity Committee, said she was working on redefining its parameters over the summer.

“Cultural identity and racial identity is a really big part of it, but I’m talking about things like neurodiversity and sexual and gender diversity, things like that,” Ede said.

She noted that a lot of the focus at the graduate level is on international students. Last semester, there were 894 international graduate students enrolled compared to 214 undergradu-

ates. She also said it’s easier to collaborate on and promote equity and diversity at the undergraduate level.

“At the grad student level, it’s not that people don’t care or people are resistant to equity and diversity. It’s just less of a concern, but it’s still something that we should look at,” she said.

Fields said the crowning achievement of last year was the resolution on teaching and research assistant stipends.

“It painted what we all knew to be the bad picture of graduate compensation,” he said.

In February, he and Leighton Chappell, last year’s vice president, began meeting and collecting student payment data with Allen Bolton, interim senior vice chancellor for finance and administration. Fields said according to that data, graduate students are not meeting the basic costs of living. They found that the average stipend was below the cost of living in 79% of the units they looked at and 97% when adjusted for inflation and the housing market. Trubee and Thompson said administrators had collected more data over the summer and that the senate is looking forward to an update at the November meeting.

After the GSS has researched and passed a resolution, the document is uploaded to the website. It’s also emailed to all chancellors and deans involved, as well as to the SGA and the faculty senate. Then, the senate president follows up to see what can be put in action. Fields

said resolutions should state not only what the issue is but also what the response should be. After a May 2022 housing resolution passed, administrators commissioned a task force where the GSS and other offices discussed graduate housing, since there currently is none on campus, and published the report last December. This year’s GSS has had a different kind of guest already. Trubee said traffic has picked up since they moved from the third floor of the Student Union to the first floor in room 174A this spring. She said she and Thompson steered any undergraduates to SGA but had the chance to explain what GSS is.

In a new initiative, the pair will hold weekly office hours on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. along with the executive committee and various other senators. Trubee added that the original location in Circle Park was not very accessible and that they will alternate and feature places besides the Student Union. They will be at the Office of the Dean of Students and the Outdoor Center of the TRECS in September. Thompson said the locations will be posted on the 174A office door.

“If students have questions, they want to be involved, our door’s always open,” Thompson said.

He added that after a wonderful summer, the two are excited for the academic year to start. GSS events can be found on their events page online.

Katherine Trubee greets students at the Graduate School Community Resource & Engagement Fair on Friday, Aug. 18. Allison Murphy / Contributor

How to glamorize dining hall food and make the most out of meal swipes

BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor

Each freshman is granted an unlimited number of dining hall meal swipes. There are some exceptions to this, according to meal equivalency rules for on-campus eateries. Rocky Top and Stokely dining halls are conveniently placed on the west side of campus near the prominent dorm halls.

The menus in the cafeteria halls will often be repetitive, making it easy for students to get sick of eating the same foods all the time. Here is a list of menu hacks to turn drab dining hall food into appetizing delights.

Check the menu before going to the dining hall

There is an updated daily menu for both dining halls under the “current student” tab in the Tennessee app. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options are listed for students to skim through while deciding what to have to eat. The app categorizes items based on the section of the dining hall they can be found in. Hamburgers and chicken fingers will always be at the grill station on the second floor while changing entrée items can be found at the third floor hot bars.

The app also has the hours of operation

for on-campus eateries like Blenz and Panda Express, along with a rotating list of food trucks and where they can be found on campus.

Take a lap with an empty plate

When you arrive at the dining hall, grab an empty plate and walk around both floors of the dining hall. Oftentimes, I would settle for chicken fingers on level two and when I got upstairs, I found the better option of fried rice or baked chicken with vegetables. By taking an empty plate around the place, you are able to mix and match stations to build your palette without risking the chance of missing out on your preferred choice.

Grocery shop in the dining hall

Every student has a dining plan to some extent, so use that to your advantage. The dining hall has a plethora of shelf-stable items, produce and grocery staples. Breakfast is the best time to “shop” for produce. Fruit is displayed above the salad bar as well as upstairs in the allergen-free section. Grab a couple of apples or bananas, put them in your backpack and take them back to your dorm to eat throughout the week. Cereals, bagels and tea bags can last a while when stored properly — grab a serving or two to go and enjoy them from the comfort of your room.

Lunch and dinner are the times to shop for more ingredient-based items. Milk,

cheese and vegetables from the salad bar are great items to grab to source up dorm food. Add milk to microwave mac and cheese for a creamier consistency along with some extra cheese for more flavor.

If you are tired of mac and cheese, grab a couple of extra tortillas from taco night to use toward a quesadilla – I suggest adding black beans from the salad bar for a source of protein.

Eco-to-go boxes are your friend

The Office of Sustainability implemented a program to decrease the use of styrofoam takeaway boxes by making reusable to-go boxes. Upon entry to the dining hall, ask the attendant for a to-go box. Students are able to fill the box with anything they please — I have filled a box with over eight slices of pizza and several cookies with no questions asked. This is convenient for when you don’t feel like eating in the dining hall and it’s a great tool to use to carry your dining hall groceries.

Eco-to-go boxes can be returned to the machines located outside the entrance of each dining hall. The machine will ask for you to turn in your box in exchange for a coin. Coins can be exchanged for a clean box. Vol dining can get repetitive but never boring. With the right sense of creativity, you can stock your pantry and have a delicious meal.

The Rocky Top Dining Hall, located in Presidential Court, opened in 2021. Madelyn Stone / The Daily Beacon

Welcome Week events to add to your calendar this week

ABBIE SMITH Staff Writer

The 2023-24 school year is a new beginning for all Vols, not just the freshmen who have moved into their dorms and eagerly await their classes, football games and the college experiences that they’ve heard so much about. Welcome Week helps all Vols get involved and feel like they belong on this campus by hosting events throughout the first week of classes. Here is a list of some of the events you should check out during the first week of classes.

UT Gardens’ Fall Semester Kickoff

UT Gardens hosts a number of events throughout the school year, as well as always being a place for people to walk, bike, run, exercise or just hang out. This year, they will be hosting a Kickoff Celebration for the new semester on Aug. 21 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This event is for all students, whether you’re an incoming freshman or a returning student. It will be a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends or make new ones.

Build Your Own Care Kit

The Title IX office is hosting this event as

a part of Big Orange Welcome with the Center for Health Education and Wellness. This event will serve as an opportunity to learn about what these respective organizations do on campus while making a fun care kit with snacks, drinks and self-care products. This is a great event for incoming freshmen who are living on their own for the first time. It will be held on the first day of classes, Aug. 23 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on the Fred Brown lawn outside of the dorm.

Jones Center Fall Open House

The Jones Center for Leadership and Service is one of the many organizations on campus that provides Volunteers with the opportunity to enrich their lives and give back to the community. At this open house, you will learn about the many things that you can get involved in, meet the student leaders at the Jones Center and participate in some free giveaways. This will happen on Thursday, Aug. 24 from 1-4 p.m. in Student Union, suite 193.

Student Engagement Fair

While other events on this list feature student organizations, the Student Engagement Fair is the place to be if you want to learn more about the 250+ organizations on UT’s campus. This is the Center for Student

Engagement’s largest event of the year, and surely you will find a club or organization where you feel like you belong. The fair will take place on Pedestrian Walkway on Aug. 24 from 4-6 p.m. Get some dinner on campus and browse your options for involvement.

CEB’s Welcome Back Bash

Immediately after the Student Engagement Fair, CEB is hosting their Welcome Back Bash in the HSS Plaza. This event features a silent disco, free food and personalized airbrushed t-shirts. The event is 6-9 p.m. and is a great opportunity to meet new people and have fun.

Pride Center Fall Open House

One of the great places on campus to get involved is the Pride Center. They provide many resources to students, including information about and support for the LGBTQ community at UT. At this event, you will have the opportunity to meet the staff at the Pride Center, get acquainted with the building, learn about the resources the center offers and partake in some free refreshments. This event will take place on Aug. 25 from 3-5 p.m. in Student Union suite 373.

Students get excited for the new school year at the Vol is a Verb event on Aug. 21, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

Knox Asian Fest to host 10th annual celebration in World’s Fair Park

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief

The Knox Asian Festival takes place this weekend in World’s Fair Park, marking the 10th anniversary of the largest Asian cultural exhibition in the city.

When Knox Asian Festival got its start in 2013, it garnered 3,000 participants. Last year, the festival welcomed more than 60,000 people to the park, and now, for the fest’s 10th anniversary, organizers expect just as many, if not more, people to attend.

This year’s festival will feature over 40 food vendors, performers from across the world, a parade and a wide variety of activities for children and adults alike.

ration for the festival came from being a tour guide traveling across the world and introducing people to other cultures. Since that sort of experience may not be available to everyone, the festival seeks to bring a similar feeling of cultural engagement.

“I thought if we bring Asia to Knoxville, to little kids, to everyone who’s never traveled around the world, they could taste, smell it and then talk to the authentic people,” Alderman said. “It’s like a travel experience in World’s Fair.”

Along with the festival’s main goal of education comes its connection to UT. Knox Asian Fest sponsors include the Boyd Foundation, UT Diversity and Engagement and the UT College of Social Work. Several students and faculty members also participate in the festival.

Shigetoshi Eda, a professor in the school of natural resources and lead instructor of the Kendo club, has been involved in the festival since its inception in 2013. Eda and students use the festival as a time to demonstrate Kendo, promote the club, fundraise and even sell stir fry noodles.

Eda and Mahagi LaCure, a senior lecturer of Japanese who is also involved this year, say the festival is an opportunity to strengthen communities and encourage cultural diversity.

The parade, which starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, will kick off the event and travel through World’s Fair Park. Throughout the festival, participants have the opportunity to see Sumo wrestling demonstrations, martial arts performances, dance performances and musical performances.

Performers for this year are traveling from all over the country. The festival also has people traveling even greater distances, like from Indonesia and Thailand to participate in a festival that has garnered international recognition.

Knox Asian Fest got its start in Krutch Park, a small area adjacent to Market Square. It has now graduated to World’s Fair Park and takes up not just one segment of the park but both fields along with the amphitheater.

While the festival has experienced lots of growth in the past decade, its original mission remains the same as it strives to educate the public about Asian culture and aims to introduce residents to cultural diversity.

“We are trying to create a welcoming community by sharing our Asian arts and culture,” said Kumi Alderman, founder and executive director of the Asian Culture Center and Knox Asian Fest.

Alderman shared that part of her inspi-

“It’s important to make the Asian community stronger and also have the general public understand the beauty of the different cultures,” Eda said.

Dan Wang, a distinguished lecturer in Chinese Studies, says it allows her students taking Chinese classes to immerse themselves in the culture and promote student organizations. Wang says connecting students to a cultural event like this enhances their experience when learning a new language.

“The most important component of teaching a language is the culture component as well,” Wang said. “The Asian festival is a great opportunity for us, for our students to experience, to see the different aspects of the culture, so they know the festival connects the people together to celebrate the heritage.”

In past years, the festival has battled the heat of the southeast summertime, making it difficult for visitors to fully relish in all the fun the fest has to offer. For this year, Alderman is introducing several measures to decrease the effects of the heat, such as filtered water stations, tents and cooling stations.

The education aspect of the festival extends not only to the college-aged students in the area but also to elementary, middle and high school students. Alderman noted that one of the perks of the festival each year is seeing how excited children are to be there and to learn more

about Asian culture.

Younger participants tend to be excited about the annual passport program where participants can get a stamp from each country’s booth they visit, take a photo with their favorite booth and post it to social media for a chance to win a free tshirt.

To further enrich the education goal of the festival, Alderman’s assistant and Japan Outreach Initiative Coordinator Mana Muramatsu plans to visit local schools and extend learning opportunities past just the festival each year. She plans to talk about origami, traditional Japanese clothes and various other aspects of Japanese culture.

With festivals like the Knox Asian Fest,

unintended benefits tend to arise. In this case, Alderman has observed positive economic impacts for the city of Knoxville as attendees stay in hotel rooms, eat at local restaurants and immerse themselves in the city to pour money into Knoxville. She said that last year the festival had an economic impact of more than $3 million for the city.

The festival had to pause during the COVID-19 pandemic but came back last year bigger and better than ever with a record number of participants. This year, organizers hope to see a similar turnout and is excited to see how many people come to experience the different cultures.

“It’s like a travel experience in World’s Fair.”

KUMI ALDERMAN

Founder and executive director of the Asian Culture Center

A crowd gathers to watch performers at the 2022 Knox Asian Festival in World’s Fair Park. Courtesy of Knox Asian Festival

A group performs at the 2022 Knox Asian Festival. Courtesy of Knox Asian Festival

Ease into regular exercise with TREC group fitness classes

ABBIE SMITH Staff Writer

The Tennessee Recreation Center for Students, colloquially called the TRECS, is the hub for all things fitness for students. There are areas in the TRECS for weightlifting, running, basketball, pickleball, outdoor sports and swimming. Unfortunately, for some students, the TRECS is can be an intimidating space. If this is the case for you, or you’re just looking for a new way to work out, then you should try some of the group fitness classes that the TRECS offers.

The group fitness classes are a great way to work out in a smaller group at a certain time during the week. The classes can teach you the correct form when working out, new exercises to do on your own and they can help you make new friends with similar interests as you. These classes are free to students and you must register for them ahead of time, which can be done on the RecSports website or the Tennessee app. The current schedule of classes can be found on the RecSports website as well, and the schedule will change after Sept. 10. Classes are also separated by type of workout. There are cycling classes, dance classes,

mind and body workouts and strength and cardio classes. Here’s a brief overview to help you get an idea of where to start.

Mind/Body

If you are a beginner, you may want to ease into your fitness journey by partaking in mind/ body workouts. Of all the types of workouts offered at the TRECS, this grouping of classes has the most calming and peaceful workouts. The yoga classes focus on movement, mindfulness, balance, flexibility and how these attributes work to enhance strength. Other offerings include core strength classes and even an entire class dedicated to mindfulness.

Cycling

The cycling classes focus on creating variety in movements and positions by stimulating both flats and hills. The class, Cycle45, combines multiple intensity levels in order to create a self-controlled workout, meaning you can go as fast or as slow as you would like, as long as it feels good for you.

Dance

Dance classes range from Cardio Dance, a more easygoing dance workout, to Hip Hop Dance which is more intense and choreographed, to Zumba. These classes happen in

the afternoons each day, so they’re great ones to attend right after your academic classes end for the day. You can wind down and dance your heart out to end your day.

Strength/Cardio

The classes that happen the most during this semester are weight training and cardio classes. These focus on certain muscle groups and intensities, with only one class, Group Strength, classified as a “beginner” class. This class offers a full body workout for all and will take place at least once a day Monday through Saturday.

Intermediate intensity weight training classes include ABC, Barre and Killer Core. ABC focuses on arms, back and core, meaning that it is an upper body strength class. Barre utilizes ballet-inspired moves in order to sculpt the muscles and tone the body. Killer Core is a very popular class that only lasts 30 minutes and works your ab and lower back muscles.

Finally, the more difficult weight training classes include HIIT class, Boot Camp and Barbell Strength. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. There is no equipment needed for this class — just you. Boot Camp is a class intended to improve mobility, strength and stamina. Another great way to learn how to lift is Barbell Strength. This is a class that

teaches full body movements to improve strength.

Whether you’re a beginner or someone who has worked out daily for years, TRECS classes are a great way to get involved in fitness at UT. Find some time between your academic classes and other college bucket-list items to try out a fitness class.

Students make a trip to the TRECS on Aug. 16, 2023. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon

McClung Museum presents ‘In Conversation: Will Wilson’

ELI BOLDT News Editor

McClung Museum opened a new exhibition on Friday, Aug. 18 titled “In Conversation: Will Wilson.” The exhibition is an exploration of Native American identity through portraits by Will Wilson, a Diné (Navajo) artist and photographer. It creates a dialogue between the history of the Native American experience and their current existence.

McClung received this exhibit through a foundation called Art Bridges, a foundation associated with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Crystal Bridges, located in Bentonville, Arkansas, was founded by Alice Walton in 2011. Art Bridges was founded in 2017 to expand access to American art across the country.

The semester-long exhibition was curated by Mindy Besaw and Ashley Holland and organized by Crystal Bridges. Besaw is curator of American art and director of fellowships and research at Crystal Bridges, and Holland is Art Bridge’s associate curator.

Catherine Shteynberg, McClung’s assistant director and curator of exhibitions, noted that Art Bridges often brings exhibitions to muse-

ums that have strategic reasons for showing them.

McClung’s 2023-26 strategic plan notes three primary communities they seek to develop relationships with — one of them being Native Nation Communities.

“One of our missions at the McClung is to more broadly reflect the diversity of our community,” Shteynberg said. “This is our first exhibition that’s a solo show of a Native American artist, so we’re really proud about that.”

Within the Native Nation Communities, McClung has focused on artists and tribal historic preservation officers within those communities.

“In Conversation: Will Wilson” showcases a Native American artist while confronting the stereotypes of Native communities. Wilson’s photos are shown alongside photographs from Edward Curtis. Curtis is a photographer from the late 19th and early 20th century who photographed the American West and Native American populations. His famous photographs were taken to document Native communities before they died out.

“Once images are made that might be stereotypical, and then are reproduced over and over and over again, they really solidify in our minds sort of being definitional of a community,” Shteynberg said.

McClung used Curtis’ photos in a 201718 exhibition called “Northwest Coast Art: A Community of Tradition.” Shteynberg said that their use of the photographs allowed McClung to perpetuate the idea that Native communities are a thing of the past instead of the vibrant communities they are today. Now, they’re working to rewrite that narrative.

Sean Burke, a senior at UT studying museum accessibility and the president of the McClung Student Advisory Board, stressed the responsibility of UT’s non-indigenous population to respect and share the stories of Native people.

“This Will Wilson exhibition is a way for the McClung museum, and also for us students, to constantly engage in that negotiation of the past and the fact that we removed so many people from this land but now are attempting to tell these stories and tell the history and no longer erase the fact that this happened here,” Burke said.

In January, UT was ranked among the top 10 institutions that continue to hold Native American ancestral remains, but the university is currently working to repatriate items through the process of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Many museums have a fraught relationship with Native communities, Shteynberg noted, because they do not consult them or include

them in the conversation. She pointed out a motto in McClung’s office: Perfect is the enemy of good. Building the relationship with native communities is an ongoing process and trust needs to be cultivated over time.

Part of the way McClung is working to bring UT students and Native communities together is through programming in conjunction with the exhibit. The programs will help to engage students and the larger Knoxville community in Wilson’s art and Native communities.

“We don’t want to situate these cultures in the past. We want to show them how they are presently,” Shteynberg said.

McClung Museum, located in Circle Park. File / The Daily Beacon

5 tips for healing homesickness

MACY ROBERTS Arts & Culture Editor

in your new space and long for the familiarity of home.

Regardless of whether you’re moving from the other side of the country or just from the county over, experiencing homesickness is almost guaranteed when you begin college. No matter how excited you are to start or return to life as a college student, there are likely going to be moments when you miss your life before — and that’s perfectly okay.

Homesickness can come and go in waves, or it can hit you all at once. Follow these tips when starting the semester so homesickness is less likely to overpower your college experience.

Make your new space feel like home

Sometimes it can be difficult to make a brand new space feel like a home. This is especially true when living in a dorm. One way to combat homesickness is to make your new dorm or apartment feel like a place you can consider your own home away from home. Decorate and arrange your space in a way that feels unique to you. Consider bringing items from home to your new space as warm mementos.

It’ll be easier to succumb to feelings of homesickness if you wake up to bare concrete walls everyday, so do yourself a favor and make your new space feel as homey as possible — whatever that means to you.

Stay connected

A huge perk of living in the age of the internet is being able to easily communicate with friends and family. Most people are either a call or a text away.

Make sure to stay in touch with those from home while you’re away at college, and remember to make time and space for those you care about in your new life. Time flies quickly, and people are constantly changing, so stay up-to-date with people from home to avoid feeling disconnected upon seeing them again.

While a call, text or video chat is nothing like seeing someone in person, it can make distance feel smaller and keep feelings of homesickness at bay.

Establish a routine

One of the most exciting parts of starting a new semester is coming into a new daily routine. Following a consistent routine may seem like a monotonous task, but it’s important to feel like your college days are being spent intentionally and with purpose. Otherwise, you may begin to feel lost

Also, just because you have a standard routine doesn’t mean you have to follow it strictly 24/7. You should always schedule time for spontaneity and allow yourself mental breaks when needed.

Keep busy

Staying busy in college is not only great for your social and professional development, but it can also help ease feelings of homesickness.

Homesickness often strikes in moments when you feel alone or isolated. Find ways to keep yourself busy such as by focusing on schoolwork, hanging out with friends and being involved on campus.

By keeping your brain active and stimulated, you’ll be less susceptible to feeling homesick.

Visit when possible

For some, this may be easier said than done. For those who live relatively close to campus, visiting home on the weekends is always an option, but for those whose homes are far from campus, options are more limited.

Breaks are obviously a great time to visit home, but there’s a chance there’s room for more opportunity throughout the semester. Take a look at the 2023-24 academic calendar and your own class schedule to familiarize yourself with dates you may be able to visit home. This could be during three-day weekends, no class days and the like.

Setting dates to travel home can give you something to look forward to when feelings of homesickness start to arise.

Fred D. Brown Jr. Residence Hall is one of many on-campus dorms that houses students. File / The Daily Beacon

Letter from UT dietician: Starting the year on the right meal

home.” Part of that experience, to a large extent involves eating, as necessity and to socialize.

As the dietitian for Vol Dining, my job is to ensure you have access to high-quality food to fuel your success. One of my goals is to help you start your semester off to a good start by teaching what foods best power your body. This might be the first time you have total responsibility for feeding yourself, or you may not know where to start with nutrition and healthy eating. Allow me to support you in understanding how to make the most of your meal plan while making healthy choices.

With a wide variety of food options on campus to meet your individualized needs, it can seem overwhelming on where to start. I recommend starting with the residential dining halls, Stokely and Rocky Top, to incorporate variety into your routine.

free dairy products (ex. yogurt, cottage cheese and milk) while you are building your meals and snacks each day. No day or meals need to be the same, so I encourage you to mix and match different foods to get a variety of nutrients.

How can you put this information into practice? While recalling the dietary guidelines, you can apply these recommendations to the MyPlate Guide. I suggest utilizing the MyPlate tool because it helps you visualize your plate. Now, picture your plate as a “pie.” Put a serving of lean protein on one quarter of your plate. Put whole grains on another quarter. On the remaining half, incorporate colorful fruits and vegetables. If you think about how you build your plate using this process, I am confident planning and eating a well-balanced meal will be easy.

to schedule a counseling session with me to learn more about how you can implement these recommendations into your life, email me at volnutrition@utk.edu.

Whether you are just starting your collegiate journey at UT or returning as an upperclassman, I want to be the first to welcome you to Rocky Top! I am so excited that UT will be your “home away from

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicate that young adults should think about how to make at least half your grains whole grains (ex. brown rice, whole grain bread and corn), prioritize lean meat (ex. fish, chicken and turkey) and plantbased proteins (beans, legumes, nuts and seeds), choose a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and go for low-fat or fat-

Practice makes perfect! College is an exciting time in your life and will be a time that will shape your future in many ways. It’s never too late to start thinking about your health and what foods you eat. Try a food you haven’t tried before, challenge a friend to make these changes with you or experiment with how foods are cooked. The possibilities and health benefits are endless.

If this interests you, or you would like

TAYLOR KOENIGS Guest Columnist

Taylor Koenigs, the Vol Dining dietician, helps ensure students have access to highquality foods to fuel their nutrition. Courtesy of Taylor Koenigs

A stduentt dinner at the Fresh Food Company located on the first level of Stokely Hall. File / The Daily Beacon

East Tennessee Maverick: The dysfunctional governing of Tennessee

WALKER KINSLER

Columnist

2023 is a watershed year for Tennessee’s state government.

Our Republican-dominated General Assembly is shamelessly ignoring sensible gun reform in the wake of the deadly Covenant School massacre. Our governor is displaying that he cannot stand for his beliefs. Republican politicians openly dismiss thousands of public comments and dozens of citizen polls supporting action against mass shootings and instead submit themselves to gun lobbyists and the vocal minority of Second Amendment absolutists.

In late March, three nine-year old students and three staff members were brutally killed at a Nashville school by a shooter armed with two rifles and a pistol. Instead of working to prevent tragic attacks like this from happening in the future, the unjust GOP-supermajority in the General Assembly attempted to kick out three Democratic representatives who spoke out of turn for the lives of our fellow students.

Students, young adults and parents from Covenant rallied en masse to the State Capitol to stand for gun reform and with the newly-christened Tennessee Three. In the end, two of the representatives were expelled — though both have been sent back by their voters — and the General Assembly closed without a single law on gun reform.

Governor Bill Lee had proposed an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) bill, similar to a red flag law, to the state legislature before its adjournment. It was derided by uncompromising gun lobbyists and state Republicans. Soon after, Lee announced his intent to call a special session sometime in the summer for public safety.

Over the summer, citizens used the state’s public comment website to inform their representatives of their demands for the special session. As of Aug. 16, more than 20,000 comments had been sent. Through this, Tennesseans have overwhelmingly expressed their support for gun reform. Polls conducted in the state have mirrored the demands with 72% supporting a type of red-flag law in May. Despite this clear mandate from the people of Tennessee to prevent mass shootings, the General Assembly has defiantly refused to even consider gun reform. Some particularly cowardly GOP members even called for Lee to cancel the special session, refusing to do their jobs.

Earlier this month, however, Lee called the special session to begin on Aug. 21. This

seemingly brave act from Lee must not be mistaken for him taking a stand against his state legislature. Lee cowers against them at all turns, never having issued a veto even when he disagrees, and now excluding his initial ERPO bill from the call. As evident by his paltry campaigning for gun reform over the summer, Lee is simply unfit to lead in this time of contentious tragedy.

Lee’s call itself is so narrow — and state law requires the General Assembly to only act on the call’s contents — that gun reform is almost impossible. Even safe storage laws, which can prevent accidental child deaths and suicides, are not allowed to be passed with penalties. If a law is completely voluntary, then is it really a law? This complete bending of the knee shows that the only power in this state lies not with the governor but with the legislature’s Republican supermajority.

The special session this week is liable to be abused by the GOP legislators using the mental health outlines to create an easier school-to-prison pipeline. While certain mental health improvements are welcomed, they are mostly used by conservatives to turn attention away from the guns used to slaughter school children. At the end of this session, the threat of mass shootings, particularly with assault rifles, will still hang over the head of every single student and teacher in Tennessee.

This begs the question: Why is the Republican state legislature allowed to do this? Why can they ignore the will of the people that demand sensible gun reform?

The Republican majority, dominant since the early 2010s, has never had to face com-

promise like this before. They are used to getting their way and forcing opposition out of the room. Now, when the majority stands against them, they are refusing to listen.

This is where the model citizen comes in. If you stand with sensible gun reform — safe storage laws, expanded background checks, ERPO laws — then let your state representative and senator know about it. You can write, call and meet with them. Setting up a meeting, whether at their Nashville office or in your district, is very easy!

Next, the two most powerful tools of American democracy are always at your disposal: the right to protest and the ability to vote. If you disagree with our state government’s inaction, show up to the special session and the upcoming 2024 regular session with your voice and your signs. The next general election for the General Assembly is in Nov. 2024. Vote!

Mass shootings are not slowing down and school shootings are not stopping. If you want to see change, you must put action into your life, for our state will not act.

UT College Republicans hosted Gov. Bill Lee at the Haslam College of Business. File / The Daily Beacon

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

Walker Kinsler is a junior studying political science. He can be reached at wkinsler@vols.utk.edu

Opinion: Constructing the future

CALIE WRONA Opinions Editor

involved overcoming challenges and embracing change, the physical transformation through construction does too.

When deciding where to spend the next four years of my life after high school, my guidance counselor told me to take note of construction during college campus tours. As someone who values aesthetics, I thought this was an absurd thought.

Why would I want to attend a university constantly under construction with chaos and confusion in the air?

As a rising senior in college, I look back on that initial skepticism with a mix of amusement and appreciation. The advice that once seemed bewildering has now taken on a much deeper meaning, shaped by the experiences and growth I’ve undergone on Rocky Top.

Back then, I conjured images of picturesque campuses adorned with historic architecture and serene landscapes, not the cacophony of construction sites. I couldn’t fathom the idea of immersing myself in a place marred by construction zones and the accompanying disarray.

Yet, as I embarked on campus tours, I started to understand the wisdom behind my guidance counselor’s words. Those cranes, scaffolds and blocked-off areas were more than just symbols of disruption; they were markers of transformation and progress.

The notion of construction introduced a refreshing authenticity to my perspective. It shattered the illusion of a perfect, unchanging facade, replacing it with a narrative of progress, evolution and hard work. Instead of seeking the polished veneer, I learned to appreciate the beauty in the journey — the journey that the university itself was undertaking and the journey that I, too, was about to embark upon.

Over the next three years, I witnessed firsthand the changes construction brought to the University of Tennessee. The new buildings, renovated facilities and modernized spaces reflect the university’s commitment to keep evolving and providing its students with the best resources. Though, I was a bit jealous when the incoming freshman class after me got to experience gourmet food at Rocky Top Dining Hall when all I had was PCB (Presidential Court Building).

Through the rhythm of hammering and the clang of machinery, I’ve come to appreciate the grit and determination required to create something new. These sounds are echoes of countless hours of planning, design and hard work that go into building structures that will stand for years to come. Just as my education has

As I progressed through my own journey of self-discovery year after year, I realized that personal growth also entails periods of uncertainty and upheaval. The process of constructing new facilities served as a reminder that growth is often messy, requiring us to step out of our comfort zones and navigate through uncharted territories.

Looking back, I now realize that attending a university amidst construction is a metaphor for life itself. It represents the intersection of dreams and hard work, potential and effort and transformation and adaptation. The University of Tennessee’s ongoing efforts to improve its physical spaces mirror my pursuit of knowledge and growth.

As I prepare to enter my final year of college, I’m filled with gratitude for the unexpected lessons that construction sites have taught me. The cacophony of progress that once seemed like chaos has become a symphony of growth. The confusion in the air has transformed into clarity about the journey of becoming.

My understanding of aesthetics has evolved beyond surface appearances, and I’ve come to value the beauty in both the finished masterpiece and the work in progress. Just as life on Rocky Top continues to evolve, so have I — from a hesitant freshman to a senior who embraces the constructive chaos of life’s ongoing transformation.

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

Calie Wrona is a senior studying journalism. She can be reached at cwrona@vols.utk.edu

UT began construction on a new nursing building last September.

Cole Moore / Contributor

Opinion: Reflections of a 2024 senior

CALIE WRONA Opinions Editor

As another summer sets below the horizon and the Volunteer spirit infiltrates the air on Rocky Top, I find myself on the brink of a chapter that feels both exhilarating and surreal.

I am eager to open the book and read this last chapter, but I know that once I open the book, the final chapter will inevitably end. So in the meantime, I might as well go back and reread some old chapters.

It is hard to fathom how quickly time has flown by while looking back on the past two years — two years, not three because I was a freshman stuck in limbo. I was caught between two stages of life and was uncertain of what came next.

When the world shut down due to the global pandemic, I didn’t know that my life would also come to an abrupt stop. One day I was thinking about potential prom dresses, and the next, I was leaving for college without saying goodbye.

No college checklist from previous years included a thousand bottles of hand sanitizer and homemade face masks for any occasion. Nevertheless, I had a suitcase dedicated to the two and was off to Rocky Top.

I knew I was walking into an unprecedented freshman year, but I had some hope that normalcy would return. Little did I know that the normal I once knew would go extinct, and a new normal would be born.

When I stepped onto campus as a freshman in 2020, the world was supposed to be an open book, brimming with possibilities and unexplored paths. I was supposed to navigate through a sea of unfamiliar faces while running late to an oversized lecture hall.

Zoom screens replaced classrooms, and conversations with classmates turned into incredibly awkward breakout rooms. The energetic and buzzing campus I once toured soon turned into an eerily quiet ghost town.

Every Tuesday and Thursday during my first year, I walked down Pedestrian Walkway en route to my 8 a.m. engineering lab. I am by no means a morning person, but the silence on my walk was almost too serene.

A walkway that I heard had once been littered with students now only I occupied. The once-filled HSS steps now only occupied signs and brown grass. What I was told was an energetic and satiated campus was now starving for signs of human life.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I know this story is not untold. Everyone knew the tragic tale of the 2020 freshman. But the experiences of sophomores, juniors and seniors go unnoticed. They got to experience the stereotypical college experience before the world turned

upside down.

These students had it just as hard, if not harder, in my opinion. Instead of living in the moment and creating new memories, they could only reflect on what they once had. My sorority big sister would sit me down and tell me tales of her first year, but I made them into mythical fables.

While shared with pure intentions, these stories made my mind capitalize on the “what if’s” that loomed over me. What if I only had in-person classes? What if making friends was not so challenging? What if COVID-19 never existed? It was easier to turn freshman year stories into fictitious fables.

It would be ignorant of me not to acknowledge the terrifying reality of the pandemic outside of my own experience. While I mourned my senior prom and graduation, others were mourning family members and loved ones. I felt guilty for throwing a pity party while others were hosting funerals.

However, as someone who lets movies and films shape their expectations, I wanted to have my “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” moment. I wanted to dance under disco ball reflections at prom. I wanted to take those final steps toward my diploma and a handshake. I wanted to say goodbye to a life I would never live again.

To this day, I can not watch “High School Musical 3: Senior Year without shedding multiple tears. The majority of the college class of 2024 experienced something similar to what I did. We finished one chapter and started another in what felt like a night.

Yet, amidst the unprecedented challenges,

a new sense of community emerged — one filled with empathy for one another that swallowed the tough pill together. The pandemic may have altered our path, but it did not dampen our spirit.

The air in Neyland smells a bit sweeter. The walk to class looks a bit nicer. The group project sounds a bit friendlier. Every moment is more precious than the last since the next is not promised.

As I stand on the precipice of senior year, I am determined to embrace every moment with spirits of gratitude and eagerness. I want to savor the conversations with professors who have inspired me, engage in discussions that challenge my perspectives and relish the simple joys of college life.

So, as I open this last chapter, I do so with an open heart, a curious mind and the unwavering belief that this year will be one of evolution, knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime.

Opinions Editor Calie Wrona, a senior, began her college career in 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon

Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.

Calie Wrona is a senior studying journalism. She can be reached at cwrona@vols.utk.edu

How UT Athletics Director Danny White turned Tennessee into an ‘everything school’

CALEB JARREAU Sports Editor

Danny White was hired at a time when the role of athletics director at Tennessee was not appealing. The university was on the heels of recruiting violations by Jeremy Pruitt and Phillip Fulmer retiring as athletics director.

Tennessee had been through four head coaches since Fulmer retired from coaching in 2008. The Vols had a losing record over the stretch, signifying one of the lowest points in program history.

White, then the athletics director at the University of Central Florida, didn’t look at an NCAA investigation or turmoil within the athletic department as a negative. He instead saw the disarray within the athletic department as a chance to build.

The opportunity to rebuild Tennessee to the national brand it once was excited White, who was hired as athletics director on Jan. 21, 2021.

“The fact that this iconic brand was a little tarnished made it more attractive to me,” White said in an interview with The Daily Beacon. “I’ve always been more attracted to building things. You could say you want to build something. If there’s no potential there, then you’re going to be beating your head against the wall. I thought there was a lot of potential and I’m learning that there’s even more than I realized.”

The numbers show why White’s expectations have been exceeded. Tennessee announced in May that all 70,500 football season tickets made available for the 2023 season were sold out, selling 9,000 new season tickets.

White’s goal for 2023 was 61,000 season tickets. It’s just the second time in 22 years that Tennessee has sold out of season tickets — the first time happening in 2016.

The massive fan support makes it easy for White to invest in the rebuilding of Tennessee’s once state-of-the-art facilities.

“We put a foundation in place from a revenue standpoint (with) both the stadium and the arena to really maximize the value we can get out of those two venues and put an aggressive sales force in place,” White said. “Obviously, winning football and basketball really helps when you’re trying to sell those two venues. But not every fan base can respond the way that ours did.”

Renovations that impact the student-athlete and the fan

White described the two sides of renovations as he sees them. On the student-athlete side, Tennessee wants to be as competitive as possible in renovations and having the most up to date facilities. These works, like the current construction going on around the athletic facility,

don’t typically generate revenue but often offer benefits in the world of recruiting.

On the other hand, you have renovations that are tailored toward the fan. Those projects generate revenue, like the Lindsey Nelson Stadium plans. Adding club seats, and additional seating in general, will increase revenue.

“If we didn’t have the fan support that we have, then I probably wouldn’t have the financial means or the inclination to invest as much in the fan experience,” White said. “But if there’s any school with a big (return on investment) on investing in the fan experience, it’s ours. And the same is true, with our sports.

“We’re doing a big baseball stadium and investing in our baseball program because we’ve got a heck of a baseball coach and what Tony’s (Vitello) doing and the program is one of the top in the country. Sometimes with a high level of success, you need to invest more and we’re just having a whole lot of success in a lot of different sports.”

With the rise of Tennessee baseball in recent years, renovations to Lindsey Nelson weren’t something White was expecting. The renovations to both the football operations and Neyland were talked about for a decade, but White hit “go” on the plans.

“There was some fundraising already accomplished for both,” White said. “We had renderings and things, but we hadn’t really pressed go. Both projects were kind of direly needed. I knew about those before coming here and we’ve tried to push those as quick as we can.”

White admits that Tennessee is close to the end goal of what a more modern Neyland Stadium will look like. But the improvement never ends. Lindsey Nelson is expected to be completed in time for the 2025 season. The Anderson Training Center construction is also well underway.

So, what about Thompson-Boling Arena? White hasn’t overlooked the almost 36-year-old home to Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams with plans in the works.

Making Tennessee an “Everything School”

In the 2022-23 seasons, Tennessee became the first school since 1998 to win a New Year’s Six Bowl (or BCS), advance to the men’s and women’s NCAA Sweet 16 and advance to the men’s and women’s College World Series.

This has prompted the phrase “everything school” to be thrown around, and rightfully so.

Tennessee won the SEC’s All-Sports Championship from USA Today for the second straight time in May.

“It should be mentioned that in terms of my calculus in coming years, that was part of what made this athletics department really attractive and rebuilding this athletics department to what

it once was – which is one of the premier athletics departments in the country,” White said. “We were really good in football, but we were really good in a whole lot of sports.”

“The big one,” as White put it still eludes Tennessee. The school hasn’t won an NCAA team championship in any sport in more than 14 years.

Despite this, Tennessee was in the top five of men’s and women’s basketball attendance. Neyland Stadium averaged more than 100,000 fans in 2022. Lindsey Nelson ranked in the top 10 for attendance, despite being one of the smaller stadiums.

The numbers don’t lie. Fan support for every sport at Tennessee is on another level. White wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Our fan base cares about all sports,” White said. “I don’t want to be at a place that’s just only trying to win one or two. And probably more importantly that I don’t want to be at a place that doesn’t care if they’re not good or not competitive in anything.

“If they’re going to put our jersey on and represent this university in this state, I want to be competitive and compete for championships in any sport we have.

“We don’t want to sustain it. We want to grow it.”

There is no complacency inside White’s athletic department. That means on the field and off the field.

“We’re off to a great start, but we’re not happy with where we are,” White said. “We want to be the best athletic department in the country. That means winning more SEC championships and getting back to winning national championships on a regular basis. We have 20 sports with some really talented, competitive coaches, and if we get all 20 of them humming at the right level, then we’re going to win our fair share of conference and national championships around here.”

Part of the growth in the athletic department is the family-like atmosphere that White hopes

to foster. It was essential to his success and growth of UCF. It will be essential to his success and growth of UT.

It wasn’t long ago in the athletic department when different sports didn’t mix, and there were even cliques within sports. White changed that quickly.

That culture can be seen at almost any sporting event. Student-athletes from other sports are often attending events to support their peers. White mentioned how it “warms his heart” to hear athletes describe the family environment he wants to create.

It came full circle when White saw soccer players at the Sweet 16 in Orlando.

“I talk about championship culture, and a lot of times I’ll kind of jump to what we just talked about when I see student-athletes care enough to get up out of their bed, get up off their sofa and go to the tennis match and go support somebody else that’s competing for Tennessee,” White said. “When you have a day off, and because you care that much about this university being great, you get off your sofa and do your own training and go to class and invest yourself in all the things you need to be doing. I’m always looking to know that we have kids that care about Tennessee and that care about the championship culture we’re trying to build.”

White is in the midst of his third year leading the athletic department. He called this time “execution mode.” The strategic plan is in place and is working as planned.

There is even more planned that isn’t public yet. Win or lose, the progress will not stop under White’s leadership.

“I think we keep doing the things we’re doing each year,” White said. “It’s going to get better. And that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll win the same amount of games. We could win more, we could win less, but the foundation we’re building is going to get healthier and stronger and stronger.”

Athletics Director Danny White saying a few words before the statue unveiling at Neyland Stadium. Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. File / The Daily Beacon

A look back at Tennessee baseball’s first win in Omaha since 2001

on the outside looking in when it came time for the postseason. The Vols started SEC play 5-10, looking lifeless at times.

OMAHA, Neb. – Tennessee baseball achieved something last season that neither the 2022 or 2021 teams were able to achieve –a win in Omaha.

The Vols made it to Omaha in 2021 but couldn’t come away with a win. The 2022 team, despite hitting a record number of home runs, didn’t even make it to the College World Series. That changed with the 2023 Vols.

Tennessee defeated Stanford in the loser’s bracket of the CWS, earning its first win since 2001. The lone win was all the Vols would get, but it was a memorable win.

“Being a part of a team that hadn’t got an Omaha win in 20 years, that’s something that – yeah we fell short in the end, but that’s something we can say we did,” reliever Camden Sewell said. “It’s tough. We had our backs against the wall a lot, and everyone counted us out. We just kept going, and we just kept playing for each other. I’m so thankful I came back to be a part of a special group.”

For a while during the 2023 season, it seemed as if Tennessee baseball would be left

That would quickly change. A 12-5 loss to Tennessee Tech during a midweek contest was the last straw.

“I think just those trials and tribulations that were thrown at us that we had to fight through as the season went on, that’s the things you remember because you just push through it with your brothers, the guys besides you, the coaches besides you,” pitcher Drew Beam said. “That’s just the memorable part. The winning is great, but making the bond and making it a family with the guys beside you is what you come out on top with.”

From the Tennessee Tech loss on, the Vols finished 11-4 with series wins over Vanderbilt, Kentucky and South Carolina. The bounce-back wasn’t enough to make Knoxville a regional host but enough to get the Vols into the postseason.

Tennessee earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, heading to Clemson, South Carolina.

“I think it was a competitive group,” head coach Tony Vitello said following the season.

“They can hang their hat on the fact that — we talk about perspective. There’s a variety of traditions within each program. It takes a lot

in our league to be able to brag about tradition. But for us, in particular, we wanted to get to a Regional, and we wanted to have a roster that was really athletic that you guys would be excited to write about.”

The Vols swept through the Clemson Regional, and fellow No. 2 seed Southern Miss. swept through the Auburn Regional. That left the decision up to the NCAA as to who would host, and Tennessee took a trip to Hattiesburg. Three games later, Vitello and the Vols were headed to Omaha for the sixth time in program history and the second time in three years.

Tennessee ran into the buzzsaw that was No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick Paul Skenes, dropping game one. Tennessee bounced back to stay alive against Stanford and earned the first win in the CWS since 2001.

LSU eliminated the Vols the next night, ending the postseason run — a run, that seemed very unlikely early in the season.

Eight Vols got drafted to the MLB following their 44-22 (16-14 SEC) 2023 season.

“It’s hard to sum up in words, but what I think made this team special is how it bounced back,” Griffin Merritt said. “This team got kicked down a lot. This team had massive expectations and was deserving of having those expectations and when this

team struggled for a bit, it was kicked down. But it got back up every time.

We came (to Omaha) and lost our first game and we could’ve said, ‘Only 12 teams who have won this thing have lost their first game. What a season.’ But we fought back against Stanford and won that game down four-nothing. It just sums up the whole thing. I’m proud of this team. What makes us special is how we fought back every time.”

In the top of the fifth, Christian Moore hits a single to bat in two runs, tying the College World Series game against Stanford 4-4 at Charles Schwab Field. Monday, June 19, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

What to expect from Tennessee athletics in the next year

football’s premier venues.

Highlighted by the storming of the field following a win over Alabama, Neyland was electric and will continue to be in 2023 as the program continues to ascend.

tention post-Pat Summitt. Historically, the Lady Vols are among the top programs. In fact, they have never missed an NCAA tournament.

Tennessee athletics is in the midst of its golden years under athletics director Danny White, who is in just his third year.

Most recently, Tennessee baseball and softball both participated in the College World Series, men’s and women’s basketball each made the Sweet 16 and football won the Orange Bowl along with strong finishes for many other programs on campus.

However, there is still another level to be reached. While nearly every program has been enjoying a wide variety of success, Tennessee has not won a national title since Pat Summitt was at the helm of Lady Vols basketball in 2008.

Despite the success, national championships are always the goal in sports, especially for a historically top-tier SEC program like Tennessee.

So, as a student, you should expect to see success at virtually any sporting event you attend — a team that is at or near the top and striving for something greater.

And at Tennessee, the pinnacle of sports is football, where coach Heupel reawakened the sleeping giant and won 11 games for the first time since 2002. The Vols’ breakout season also reawakened Neyland Stadium, one of college

When attending a game in Neyland, students will see one of the best arms in college football, quarterback Joe Milton, at the helm of what is expected to be one of the top offenses in the country. The Vols run an offense that is moving constantly, meaning that there is never a dull moment when in attendance. Blink, and you may miss a 60-yard bomb from Milton to wide receiver Squirrel White.

As football season ends, students can make their way into Thompson-Boling Arena to watch the Vols and Lady Vols on the basketball court.

Led by Rick Barnes, Tennessee basketball has been in the midst of its most consistent years. The program has been to the last five NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 twice along with an SEC Championship.

While at Thompson-Boling, students will enter a vibrant environment that has propelled the Vols to a total of 30 wins over the last two years and just two losses.

Expect another successful year as star guards Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James and Zakai Zeigler return with a talented group behind them.

As for Kellie Harper and Lady Vols basketball, the team is still looking to get back in title con-

That trend is likely to continue, and Harper’s group has been on the cusp of a breakthrough for the past two years with back-to-back Sweet 16 berths.

The Lady Vols struggled at point guard last season but brought in Jewel Spear and Destinee Wells to pair with talented returners like Tamari Key and Rickea Jackson. Kellie Harper’s squad possesses the depth and talent to make a deep run in March.

As for the last of the major sports, Tony Vitello has brought Tennessee baseball near the top of the sport with two trips to Omaha in the last three seasons. The program under Vitello has gone from being at the bottom of the SEC for years to a must-watch team at Lindsey Nelson stadium.

Softball, soccer and volleyball round out the rich collection of women’s sports on campus.

Softball has been a perennial contender under long-time coach Karen Weekly at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. They haven’t missed an NCAA Tournament since 2004. Of all the teams on campus, Weekly’s group seems to be among the closest to ending the championship drought for Tennessee athletics.

Across the street is Regal Soccer Stadium, where the Lady Vols have won the SEC East for three consecutive years under Brian Pensky and

now Joe Kirt. The soccer team consistently fills up stands and is a great gameday experience. Volleyball also looks to be on the rise in 2023 with a star-studded front row led by Morgan Fingall with a deep roster behind her.

The remaining sports have enjoyed the same success as the rest. Men’s tennis has enjoyed Round of 16 berths in the last four NCAA Tournaments with two semi finals appearances. Women’s tennis has made the last five NCAA Tournaments. Track and field is in the midst of a resurgence. Swimming and diving has olympians or future olympians on both the men’s and women’s side. Lastly, both men’s and women’s golf teams reached an NCAA Regional.

No matter what sporting event a student chooses to go to, they’ll see a successful program at work and a program that is striving for the highest goal in sports: a championship.

CALEB JARREAU

Sports Editor

ERIC WOODS

Assistant Sports Editor

Vol fans “feed the floor” at the Vols vs Longhorns game on Jan. 28, 2023. File / The