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Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

Volume 139, Issue 3

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

UT athletes lead March on UT Knoxville against systemic racism BEN WINIGER Staff Writer

Today was like any other day, and we could all go about our business. Unfortunately, even doing that could be a death sentence for black Americans. “Buying skittles in a hoodie was a death sentence for Trayvon Martin. Jogging through his own neighborhood was a death sentence for Ahmaud Arbery. Selling CDs was a death sentence for Alton Sterling. Walking home was a death sentence for Mike Brown. Sleeping in her own home, with her own family like we do every night, was a death sentence for Breonna Taylor,” Vanessa Watson, sophomore at the University of Tennessee, said. Watson spoke these words to a crowd of masked students, staff and concerned citizens today as they kicked off the March on UT Knoxville. The event, named for the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, saw hundreds stand in solidarity against systemic racism and police brutality. It has been five months since Brett Hankison, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove killed Breonna Taylor. It has been three months since former Officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd via asphyxiation, launching a new wave of protest against police brutality. Vanessa Watson and Mariah Smith, UT’s first black golfer, first thought of the march after Floyd’s murder. They, alongside senior sports management major and UT footballer Trey Smith, organized and led the event, marching

from UT’s Torchbearer statue to Ayres Hall on UT’s Hill. “After the murder of George Floyd, I had the idea of starting a march. Vanessa reached out to me and let me know she also had the idea,” Smith said. “At that point, we combined efforts and started organizing together.” The march comes six days after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This event led many professional American athletes to cease playing in protest. Saturday’s march was another such protest, as multiple UT athletes led the group. Some, like UT senior and footballer Solon Page III, wanted justice for the black Americans killed and assaulted by police officers, greater education funding for black neighborhoods and the reality of American systemic racism to be confronted. “We want justice. We want to be able to walk, sit and be where we want without having to look over our shoulders, or to drive down the street and wonder if we’re going to get pulled over or shot today,” Page III said. “It has to do with education. It has to do with accepting that this is actually going on. I’ve talked to a lot of people, and a lot aren’t aware that what’s happening is happening. They’ve told me ‘I’m sorry this is happening to you’ or ‘I didn’t know this was going on.’ It’s sickening. As a young black man, I’ve experienced racism my entire life. A lot of people don’t have to deal with that. We just want to be those kinds of people who don’t have to deal with racism.” Some, like UT senior political science major and footballer Matthew Butler, want similar police reform, as well as more open-mindedness

from the general public. “I personally believe that the police department, on a federal scale, should be reformed [with] more racial and discriminatory training. In addition, I want those with internalized racism to open their perspectives,” Butler said. “If I raise my fist, I don’t feel like that connotates ignorance or divisiveness. I’m looking for unity; I’m looking for peace.” The organizers themselves had two demands: that UT hire and retain more black faculty and staff, and that a zero tolerance policy toward hate speech and hate crime be added to the Student Code of Conduct. “Point one: The university defines itself on being a safe place that aims to produce the best scholars, but we still have so much work to do to retain and recruit staff, faculty and students of color,” UT Student Body President, Karmen Jones, said at the start of the march. “Point number two: Our Student Code of Conduct has been quick to reprimand students and student organizations for not adhering to COVID-19 university guidelines, yet we are yet to approve and confirm a zero tolerance policy for hate speech as a form of harassment. Are we not torchbearers that light the way for others to be better?” Multiple UT administrators were among the marchers, including UT President Randy Boyd and Chancellor Donde Plowman. Plowman expressed a desire to listen to and support students against racial issues. “I’m here to listen and support our students and student athletes as they express themselves,” Plowman said. “Black lives matter like all lives matter. All lives matter, and black lives

matter just like everybody else’s.” Boyd similarly valued listening to student concerns, though he communicated a desire to balance racial reform with first amendment protections for free speech. “Today, we march, but another day we’ll need to sit down together and talk about real and concrete ideas. The university wants to be a beacon of light,” Boyd said. “We’ve said many times that we have to maintain the First Amendment and live within those parameters. But, in every way we can, we will be dissuading hate speech.” When asked whether or not hate speech is covered by the first amendment, Boyd responded “yes.” As the march drew to an end, Trey Smith spoke to the crowd of hundreds. He condemned the powers that be for ignoring systemic racism. He described himself as “tired” of discrimination, calling for everyone to recognize American racism. “Time after time in this country, black people have been marginalized, brutalized, murdered, discriminated against. My question is, how many more lives will it take?” Trey Smith said. “I’m tired of being scared in my car of the police officer, worried about seeing a cop in public and having to look over my shoulder. I’m tired of worrying for my cousins, my brothers, my sisters, my aunts, my uncles. I’m tired of seeing black mothers crying over their dead children. Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till, had to show her baby in front of the world to expose the ugly head of racism within this country, but it seems it was not enough.”

A crowd of supporters march down Volunteer Boulevard during the BLM March on August 29, 2020. Nathan Lick / The Daily Beacon

OPINIONS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

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We bite, the lot of us. We have the whole time. President Donald Trump says something and an unending assortment of articles come spewing out. From The New York Times to The Atlantic to me here at The Daily Beacon. But I’m left wondering: without his indignant audience, would Trump continue to espouse such absurdities? After all, the man is an entertainer. That’s what he’s most known for. Sure, he was a businessman ﬁrst — at least, some semblance of a businessman. But he’s not really known for his multiple bankruptcies or fake college or bogus steaks. He’s known as a television host. That’s what he’s doing, isn’t he? He’s hosting the biggest show in history: The United States of America. Much like an entertainer, he’s desperate for headlines. He certainly gets them, and he’s good at getting them. Look at any news website and he’s likely to be involved in the headlines in one way or another. But if the only people listening are his increasingly shrinking followers, that probably wouldn’t be enough to satiate his appetite. Does he somehow double down even further? Or does he call it a day and let the sand of his presidential tenure slip through the hourglass? Let’s hypothesize about Trump’s need to be liked, his barrage of social media output and his failure to the Republican party. I suppose there is a more nefarious outcome which could be catalyzed by the media’s refusal to acknowledge him: his actions go unchecked. The media’s job is to stand up to corrupt practices and to inform the people of what’s going on. So, if they stop reporting on Trump, will he then have free reign? Is that what he actually wants, or does he just want likes, retweets and airtime? If it’s the latter, maybe we should all unplug

from the Trump train. Many of us don’t like its destination. In fact, I might argue that his remaining fan-base has become more enamored by him simply because they view the media’s portrayal as a direct and unsubstantiated attack on the president. Regardless of the news outlet, the initial coverage of a Trump story goes something like this: “Here’s what the president said today.” Then, depending on its preferred bias, either offers commendations for the president, or showers him with insults about how detestable he is. Like a reality television show, Trump is making decisions largely based on ratings. Unlike a reality show, real lives are at stake; real peoples’ finances are at stake; real global implications are in play. I should note that this isn’t a partisan derision of Trump. Personally, I have no political allegiance. My seeming contempt in this article is due to Trump’s relentless and incessant need for attention and his continued malpractice regarding our country – independent of alleged political affiliation. Though Trump’s name will have an “R” beside it on the November ballot, he’s no Republican. For starters, he’s significantly increased the federal deficit. Republicans often use the deficit as the boogeyman for why certain legislative actions can’t be taken. They tell us to look at the deficit and then they ask the rhetorical question of “who’s going to pay for that?” Fair enough. But in a Forbes article published on Feb. 1, 2020, the author notes that Trump has significantly increased the deficit, saying, “… his first year in office the deficit grew to $666 billion, was $984 billion last year and is projected to be over $1 trillion in 2020 at $1.02 trillion. This would be a 74% increase in just four years.” All this, remember, is before the pandemic truly hit the US. This isn’t a piece dedicated to pitting President Trump against President Obama, either, but if it were, I would note that Obama came into office during the Great Recession. In 2009, the deficit had risen $1.4 trillion. But under Obama, “as the economy recovered, the deficits shrank to a low of $442 billion in 2015 and was $585 billion his last year in office.” I don’t slight the Republican party for financial prudence – I slight the party when Republican members of Congress allow the president to forego the principles of the party. That’s not all: The crux of the Republican party is limited governmental overreach. But Trump has failed to fulfill that duty to the party. Not only does it appear that the federal government wants its hands in everyone’s business, but if you’ll recall, Trump has said that he has “total” power and “the ultimate authority.”

These unconstitutional declarations should make Republicans shift in their seats and grow uncomfortable. Yet, the president persists – detractors abound, certainly, but obsequious lackeys always find an escape hatch to rationalize the president’s words. When Trump wants to appear to have taken a hardline stance, the words he uses are power, authority and dominate. That is, until he doesn’t want to take responsibility and then relies on the invocation of “federalism,” like in the case of the ongoing pandemic where it’s the responsibility of states to take care of themselves. While states are left to figure it out, much of the rest of the world has greatly curbed the spread of the virus. A partisan response has left Americans in harm’s way. Finally, Trump serves only to divide the nation further. General Jim Mattis – one of Trump’s best hires to whom he’s now vehemently opposed – said, “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.” Trump had much of the blind support from Republicans throughout his presidency, but those days seem to be fleeting. A new faction of Republicans have emerged who allege to be in direct opposition to Trump and “Trumpism,” The Lincoln Project – and they aren’t alone. An increasingly disillusioned Republican party seems to be emerging with each passing day. I should also say that President Trump has made some inroads on Republican issues: The nominations of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh; tax cuts that ostensibly benefited the wealthy and middle classes; and a spewing of buzzwords meant to rally his base. Some that are included: huge, believe me, stupid, loser, moron, great, incredible, fake news, winning and you’ll find out. Maybe a lessening of the coverage and focus could change all of that. Or maybe we’re doing exactly as we should and noting everything that happens for posterity. Then, in the end, historians can pinpoint what went wrong, and perhaps figure out what led to the country’s unraveling, and, if we aren’t careful, the world’s unraveling. Brett Barnett is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at bbarne18@vols.utk.edu.

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.

SPORTS

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

Ansley, Chaney talk fall camp RYAN CREWS Sports Editor

Thursday, Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Derrick Ansley and Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney spoke to the media on a wide range of topics. Below are some of the highlights. Ansley A brief assessment of the defense after a couple days in pads: “We’re six days in and it’s to be expected, there’s ups and downs, highs and lows. You know, we’ve been inside and outside. Weather, it’s brought us inside a couple days and the heat really caught up to us yesterday. I see a lot of guys trying to ﬁght, trying to work, trying to do the things we ask them to do. We’ve just got to do it a higher clip.” On how the lack of spring practice affected them: “As far as not having spring, it hurt everybody. Everybody got the same situation and you’ve got to make the best of it. I thought we had a really good plan via Zoom when we couldn’t have our players, to do installs, meet with those guys everyday as a unit … I think the mental aspect of it was very productive … we’re

just trying to catch up everyone as quickly as we can.” On where he sees the secondary: “Nowadays, the secondary is a lot like basketball, you want to create a matchup and put different people in different spots to show off their strengths and put them in situations to make plays. So with that being said, we have a lot of options, a lot of guys that can do different things. We had a couple guys with some nicks and bruises early on, but for the most part, we got a lot of guys back from last year other than Nigel [Warrior] so we should be deeper in the back end …” Other topics: Ansley called Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson’s experience at corner “a luxury” which will allow them ﬂexibility up front. He said that Henry To’o To’o has “shredded some body fat and built some muscle” as he looks to lead the defense this year. Next to To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch and Jeremy Banks are in an open competition for the other insider backer position, with Crouch currently penciled in as the starter. Chaney On whether Jarrett Guarantano’s second year in the Chaney system will mean better under-

Jim Chaney meets with the media on March 29, 2019. File / Daily Beacon standing and consistency: “Without any question. That’s exactly the goal of any quarterback, is to get them to execute the offense the way that we want to, obviously. There’s so much subjectivity when it come to evaluations of quarterbacks. You know ‘He did this’ or ‘He did that,’ ‘He shouldn’t have done that.’ We try to eliminate that and get rid of the subjective and we quantify as much we possibly can.” On dealing with the ever changing circumstances: “It is what it is. As a coach you learn real quick what you can control and what you can’t control. You know, we preach it all the time. Unfortunately, we were forced to live what we talk about here for about six months, so we can’t

control some of the stuff that we have to. We’ve learned to live with this and coach put schedules together for us to follow, and we have to follow protocols like everybody else does. But I feel comfortable in a way of doing things … and so far so good …” On some of the freshman additions: “I think they all have a passion for the game. Which you never know when you walk out on the football ﬁeld, the competitive character of the freshman, until you get them out there. You have an idea, but you really don’t know. But these kids all love the game of football, that’s one quality they all share; they all want to be good.” The Vols are next on the practice ﬁeld tomorrow afternoon with the season opener set for Sept. 26.

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SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Tennessee hoping for early production from freshman receivers RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor

Advanced statistics say that the most important unit to return production at on the offensive side of the ball is wide receiver. That isn’t particularly a good thing for a Tennessee receiving core that returns 23% of its receptions, 28% of its receiving yards and 6% of its receiving touchdowns. How to replace Jauan Jennings and Marquez Calloway is a major question and Tennessee is hoping it has a rabbit up its hat in its freshman receiving core. That’s even more important now that Georgia transfer Deangelo Gibbs, who coaches hoped would factor this fall, is sitting out the season. “Deangelo has elected not to play this fall,” Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “He’s going to focus on his academics and he’s still with our team and continues to do a really good job academically, but he’s going to sit this fall out.” The receiving core was one of the strengths of Tennessee’s 10th ranked signing class thanks to the addition of four receivers, including three blue chippers. “Talented,” offensive coordina-

tor Jim Chaney said of the freshman receivers,“They go fast. They may go the wrong way fast and that creates some problems, but they’re going fast on the football field. I’m very pleased with the kids we brought in here, these young receivers. I think they’re going to be just fine. I think you’ll see them on the football field helping us quite a bit. It’s our job to get them ready to roll.” Jimmy Holiday was the group’s lowest touted signee. The Mississippi native planned on starting his career at quarterback but saw the path to the field at receiver and decided to make a move. Holiday’s athleticism has flashed. Jimmy Calloway committed to the Vols early in the cycle, but Tennessee had to hold off Kentucky who pursued the fourstar until signing day. Jalin Hyatt was an early find of Tennessee’s coaches who were blown away by the Dutch Fork standout’s speed. The Vols went into South Carolina’s back yard and took the four-star without the Gamecocks offering. Hyatt has impressed coaches with more than his speed since arriving on campus: his complete receiver package. Malachi Wideman was one of Pruitt’s best recruiting wins of his second full re-

cruiting cycle winning the top 150 rated receiver’s talents over in-state Florida State and Ole Miss. Wideman is a freak athlete who earned a reputation in high school for being a human highlight reel. Pruitt has stressed the need for production from the freshmen this fall while also tempering expectations and talking about the adjustments from the high school to college game. “All those guys are going to have to play,” Pruitt said. “They all have plenty of ability and can run really well. They have instincts. They all have soft hands.” “They’re not playing high school ball anymore where they could just run freely and get free releases. The guys they are going against every day or every Saturday are just as good as athletes of all of them and are going to challenge them at the line of scrimmage. They’re going to challenge them at the top of their breaks and they’re going to challenge them for the catches, so they have to be able to make contested catches. … It’s a whole new system for these guys, but the guys are very willing. They’re eager and they come and work hard every single day.” Two weeks into Tennessee’s camp, and a week into full pads work it seems as if Hyatt is thick in the competition for a

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starting receiver spot. Hyatt’s usage and performance week one in his hometown against South Carolina could be interesting to watch. Wideman seems like he is in a place to be a steady part of the Vols’ rotation and has impressed with his ball skills early on. Holiday and Calloway are competing to crack the receiver’s rotation. For Chaney, one of the most encouraging things from the first few weeks is the receivers love of the game. “I think they all have a passion for the game,” Chaney said. “Which you really never know the competitive nature of these football players until you get them out there, you have an idea, but you never really know. These guys love the game of football. That’s the one quality that they all share. They all want to be good and they can all run. And they can catch, that’s an even added quality of a good receiver. They can all catch, run and they love football. There aren’t a lot of bearers besides knowledge that keep them from getting on the field.” Chaney has a history of getting freshman receivers involved on Rocky Top, and Tennessee needs more this year to improve its offensive production.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

UT ranked second most LGBTQ-unfriendly college in nation DANIEL DASSOW Staff Writer

On paper, the College of the Ozarks and the University of Tennessee have very little in common. The former is a Christian liberal arts school with a student population of only 1,508 located in rural Point Lookout, Missouri, while the latter is a sprawling land-grant public school with 30,000 students located in urban Knoxville. But when the Princeton Review released its annual guidebook to the best colleges last Tuesday, the two were side-by-side yet again on the one list where they have both appeared for years. In the ranking of the most LGBTQ-unfriendly colleges in America, the College of the Ozarks was in first place, and UT was right below it in second place. After making it into the top five for years, the 2021 placement at #2 is the highest ranking that UT has ever had on the list, marking it as the most unfriendly public university for LGBTQ people in one of the most trusted sources for college rankings in the nation. As a nonreligious public school, UT’s placement in the top five most LGBTQ-unfriendly campuses is unique. Besides UT, the other four colleges in the top five are all private and highly religious — Wheaton College, Brigham Young University and Grove City College took the third, fourth and fifth places, respectively. According to the Princeton Review website, the lists of the most LGBTQ-friendly and LGBTQ-unfriendly colleges are “based on how strongly students agree or disagree with the statement, ‘Students treat all persons equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.’” Based on student survey responses, the lists have much to do with students’ perceptions about how they and others are treated on campus in regards to status as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In response to a request for a statement on the ranking, the university reiterated its support for LGBTQ+ students. “UT is committed to supporting the LGTBQ+ community, and the survey does not reflect the progress we have made and want to make,” the statement reads. “We definitely have more work to do, and UT’s leadership is committed to creating a campus culture where LGTBQ+ students feel welcome, valued and supported.” Leticia Flores, director of the UT Psychologi-

Members of UT’s Pride Center carry a large LGBTQ+ ﬂag down Gay Street. Margot McClellan / The Daily Beacon cal Clinic and former chair of the Commission for LGBT People, believes that though the Princeton Review ranking is “methodologically weak,” it still holds great influence over UT’s reputation as an institution. “Some ambitious, gay high school senior out there in Cookeville may be talking with his parents this fall about where to go to college,” Flores said. “He and his parents won’t critique the survey methodology — but they will pay close attention to the results of the Princeton Review survey, because they want their child to be safe, happy and successful.” Flores also believes that, perhaps ironically, the ranking may be a sign of progress. “UT’s ‘elevation’ to #2 status can also be interpreted as possibly a good sign — a sign that LGBTQ+ students are making their voices heard, and that people are paying more attention,” Flores said. “Talking to LGBTQ+ alumni from UT, it is clear that things have improved in the area of LGBTQ+ representation on campus, and perhaps a result of that greater and louder representation is that complaints may be heeded more, versus swept under the rug or ignored.” The fraught relationship between UT administrators, the Tennessee state legislature and the LGBTQ+ community on campus is well-documented. In 2013, after students organized the first ever Sex Week, a sex education program designed to teach students about all sexualities in their own language, several state politicians expressed disdain for the event and moved to cut $11,000 in state funding for the event. Todd Starnes of Fox News condemned Sex Week in an article originally titled “University of Tennessee Uses Student Fees to Pay for Lesbian Bondage Expert,” calling the event, “six days of XXX-rated debauchery that make Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street look like a Sunday school picnic.” This view was echoed by several members of the state legislature, who argued that the event did not reflect the values of the state of Tennessee. The controversy over Sex Week reached its peak in the spring of 2019, when a 269-page report from the state comptroller led to the complete defunding of Sex Week and the disbanding of the Student Programming Allocation Committee (SPAC), which funded Sex Week through student fees. UT President Randy Boyd testified publicly that UT did not condone the event. Students who still want to celebrate sexual diversity and sex positivity now must find creative

ways to pay for the event without the help of the school or the legislature. Another significant conflict between UT and the Republican state legislature came in 2016, when hundreds of thousands of dollars in diversity funding was cut and several programs for LGBTQ+ students were disbanded. Some, like the Pride Center, have since reopened. Others have not, including the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In 2018, Chancellor Beverly Davenport was suddenly fired after only a 16-month stint, during which she secured private funding for the Pride Center, and openly defended Sex Week in the face of backlash from the state legislature among other actions. According to Patrick Grzanka, an associate professor of psychology and the chair of the Women, Gender and Sexuality program, all of these attempts on the part of UT administration and the staunchly conservative state legislature to fashion the university in its own image have created an environment that is often hostile towards LGBTQ+ students. Grzanka encourages students to remember that voting for state legislators who will support the LGBTQ+ community on campus is an important step in making change. “Votes do have a direct effect on the campus because we have a really powerful state legislature that has declared war on UT, specifically, UT’s efforts to become a more inclusive and diverse place,” Grzanka said. “It’s not sexy, it’s not fun, but it’s really, really important.” According to Grzanka, once we have campus policies that are more supportive of queer students and faculty, more LGBTQ+ students will come to UT. Outside of funding issues, which have kept the Women, Gender and Sexuality program from attaining department status, a central part of the problem is that there simply are not enough LGBTQ+ individuals on UT’s campus to facilitate the kind of intergroup relationships that are vital to creating a friendlier atmosphere, Grzanka explained. “You need more queer people around and out, and in order for that to happen, they have to want to come here,” Grzanka said. “And so the policies in some ways do have to come first, because you have to get queer people to want to be here. And when there’s more of them, they’ll have more interaction with more people.” Student reactions to the new ranking have been blasé for the most part, especially consid-

ering UT’s consistent placement in the top five most LGBTQ-unfriendly campuses over the past few years. Karmen Jones, UT student body president and former director of the Student Government Association’s Diversity Affairs Committee, did not need the Princeton Review to alert her to the problem. “Anyone who works in our sectors of diversity or is an actual member of the LGBTQ+ community here at UT should not be surprised at how high we rank in this specific category,” Jones said. “We all know the truth of the matter and have so much more work to do in order to make our LGBTQ+ Volunteers feel supported and safe at our university.” Jones mentioned the annual promises made by administration that they will work hard to make LGBTQ+ students feel supported. The Princeton Review ranking shows that students do not feel that these promises have been kept. “I don’t know how many prestigious reviews it will take for our university to take this work seriously, but SGA will continue showing our support for this community by having direct representation by and collaboration with our LGBTQ+ Volunteers,” Jones said. Work on the part of SGA and other student organizations may in fact be the key in improving UT’s reputation as an LGBTQ-unfriendly campus. Professor Grzanka, citing student activism of the 1960s and 70s that led to the creation of Africana Studies departments and increased racial equality on campuses across the nation, believes that students can influence campus culture much more readily than staff and faculty. “I think that students generally, not always, but generally underestimate their power … student activists are the ones who change everything,” Grzanka said. “There’s absolutely no reason why you as young people can’t make things different, there’s no reason.” Flores and Grzanka are just two examples of the many faculty members who are working to make UT a more welcoming and supportive place for LGBTQ+ individuals, including the many members of the Commission for LGBT People. They hope that students will join them in this work. “I don’t think that’s a radical proposition to say all of our students should have as equal a shot as possible to succeed and thrive here,” Grzanka said. “That’s not a platitude, that’s a serious ethical proposition.”

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Tennessee reschedules practice over positive COVID tests RYAN SCHUMPERT Sports Editor Tennessee’s scheduled Friday afternoon football practice was canceled and moved to a later date, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt shared with the media Friday. “We had a few more positive tests, so I elected to shut practice down,” Pruitt said. “We retested everybody again this morning to see where we’re at. Our number one priority here is to be able to protect everybody associated with our program and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.” Pruitt didn’t release how many players test-

ed positive after students’ first full week back on campus but did state that it was the first week in a while that Tennessee didn’t have “zero or one” positive tests. “We wanted to make sure that we figured out ‘why?’” Pruitt said of the increased positive tests. “Now we have the student body back on campus and something our student athletes are going to have to learn with. We have to make good decisions and make sure ... you have a mask on at all times.” Pruitt also stated that it was a priority to make sure the virus didn’t spread in the football complex since up to this point, they’ve had no spread there. Pruitt didn’t specify whether the Vols would practice as scheduled Saturday night, saying

they would take things day by day. “We just wanted to take a day or two to go back and make sure we’re very thorough with each one of our players and ﬁgure out where the initial COVID came from,” Pruitt said. “If that means we can’t practice tomorrow we won’t practice tomorrow. This was my decision through our athletic training department and Dr. Klenck.” “We have 25 practices, right?” Pruitt said. “We have a bunch of days to get them in. It’s not like we’re running out of time or anything like that. We just want to make sure we are protecting our players and reassuring their safety.” Tennessee’s Saturday practice was originally scheduled for the afternoon but was moved

SPORTS

to nighttime, so players could attend the March on UT Knoxville 2020. Several football players, including preseason All-American Trey Smith, have helped organize the march to, “call attention to institutionalized racism, as well as demanding that our school commits to take action to combat it on their own campus.” When asked about the protest and the recent COVID increases, Pruitt offered support for the players and the protest. “This rally has been planned with our players and with other student athletes across our campus for several weeks,” Pruitt said. “We always planned to practice around this to allow them to participate in anything they want to participate in.”

How T Buses are different this year: Sorority Village Express, route changes CONNOR HOLT Staff Writer

Outside of riding a bike or renting a scooter, the UT bus system is the best way to cross campus, particularly when your destination is far away. Whether the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky or it’s raining cats and dogs, students have free access to these buses. However, it is true to say that these are potential places of high public contact, and just like the rest of campus, the bus system is affected by the policies put in place to combat and limit the spread of COVID-19. Such changes include things as simple as a reduction in carrying capacity and alterations to some bus routes. No route changes have been made to existing accessible bus transportation, though. The Late Nite bus is also running without route changes, Fort Sanders included. Although these are not signiﬁcant, there are a few major differences that students will face during the fall 2020 semester. The Neyland Express has been split into two separate routes: a combined route from the Hill to the Ag. Campus, and another brand new route called the Sorority Village Express. “I am thrilled about the new Sorority Village Express,” Aubrey Robinson, SGA off-campus senator and student representative on the Transit and Parking Authority Committee, said. “I lived in Sorority Village last year, so I know ﬁrsthand that the residents of Sorority Village have been advocating for changes to the bus route for several years.” This route is the long-campaigned-for

T’s updated bus routes as of Fall 2020, adjusted for the COVID-19 outbreak. Courtesy of Parking and Transit Services bus line dedicated to providing transit between UT’s campus and Sorority Village — coined the Sorority Village Express. Residents traveling from the Sorority Village have been working alongside the Student Government Association for years to make such a bus line possible, but it’s taken a global pandemic to make the Sorority Village Express a reality. The Sorority Village Express runs directly from Sorority Village to Arena Dining and Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium, normally running on a six-minute frequency. Due to the high use and limited capacity measures,

though, students utilizing this route should expect delays and boarding queues. “Due to COVID-19 we need more bus drivers, and the frequency is temporarily impacted for the early morning hours,” Moira Bindner, communications and customer service manager for Parking and Transit, said. “Reduce your stress and give yourself time to get to campus.” As a result of having too few bus drivers for the early morning, the brand new Sorority Village Express can expect as long as a 15-minute frequency between 7 and 7:45

a.m., rather than the estimated six minutes. Not only has COVID-19 forced the university to create new bus routes, but it has also resulted in the temporary halting of others. There will no longer be bus service for transit between UT, Pellissippi State Community College and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. While the route previously ran three times a day, the university has removed it because there are currently no research interns for ORNL and Pellissippi has moved its classes to an online basis. There will also not be a route going to the Joint Institute of Advanced Materials or to Fort Sanders. Alongside these imposed route alterations, new safety measures are being implemented to help combat, reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Just like the rest of UT’s campus, face coverings are mandatory on both the T: Link and T Buses, and sanitization of these resources will be done more frequently and thoroughly. Furthermore, the buses will be mandating a half-capacity policy, meaning only half of the space on the bus may be in use to promote social distancing. Riders should also expect to board from the rear of the bus. Despite these changes, there are still bus stops all over campus ferrying students to classes and dorms, and students should try and make use of them, whether they have concerns about weather conditions or simply don’t want to walk a mile to the Ag. Campus. Signs with written instructions are posted within buses as well to help riders understand what to do when boarding and in transit.

CAMPUS NEWS

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

Leading Women of Tomorrow: New UT organization on the rise during COVID-19 NATASHA MCKAMEY Contributor

Leading Women of Tomorrow is a chapter of the LWT national organization at the University of Tennessee which seeks to encourage more young women to work in public service, aiming to “bridge the gender gap among public representatives,” according to the organization’s website. According to Savannah Hall, president of LWT UTK and public administration major, this chapter was created in September of 2019, by founder Kaylee Sheppard. Hall served as the vice president during the ﬁrst year of LWT’s presence at UTK. Along with current vice president and economics major Ella Russell, Hall found interest in this organization because the

idea of empowering all women resonated with both of them. “We want to provide a space for women where they can come together and network with other women who either share similar career goals or are entering male-dominated ﬁelds,” the pair said. In general, the organization holds regular club meetings and normally would hold a variety of events on campus. Club meetings may include discussing the topic of leadership, what kind of leaders the members would like to become and any goals they have as women. Other events have included co-hosting a watch party for “Knock Down the House,” a 2019 Netﬂix documentary and co-hosting prominent women in the political community such as Symone Sanders, current senior advisor to Joe Biden, and Renee Hoyos, democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 2nd district. The aforementioned events were able

to take place in person last year; however, with COVID-19’s current stay, LWT UTK has transitioned to a virtual format. According to Hall, the transition was fairly easy, and all events will indeﬁnitely take place virtually. Going virtual has not stopped this group and has seemed to provide greater ﬂexibility for some of the events it hosts. This year, Leading Women of Tomorrow UTK has announced their new Yellow Rose Series, a virtual program which honors 100 years of women’s suffrage. According to Hall and Sheppard, the series will focus on “the broad topic of women in leadership and the political sphere.” It will be spearheaded by their hosting of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, sometime in September. Additionally, Hall and Russell have stated LWT UTK plans to work with other student organizations at the University to encourage voter participation, with this disclaimer: “LWT in no way endorses candidates.

We are a bipartisan organization that values every member, regardless of political party association/views.” Because social distancing has been encouraged by local governments, LWT UTK has been working in a virtual space and now relies heavily on social media and word-ofmouth for recruiting members and increasing overall awareness of the organization. The organization currently has 29 members, which includes the executive team members. They are hoping to add a minimum of 60 members this year “We all, as a part of the Volunteer family, have the responsibility to support women and empower them to follow their dreams regardless of what societal pressures are being placed on them,” Hall and Russell said. More information for the meeting and about the organization may be found on Facebook and Instagram, using the handle @lwtutk.

CAMPUS NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Worship Directory

Students say Vol Dining problems mostly under control DANIEL DASSOW Staff Writer

SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY & WORSHIP TUESDAY DISCIPLESHIP Scan for more information about virtual and in-person gatherings! Our ministry is a community of faith for college students dedicated to living life alongside one another and oﬀering love and support through all situations.

On Aug. 17, a few days before classes started, a student posted a troubling photo to the “r/UTK” page on Reddit. The photo shows a long line of students crowding the stairwell in front of the entrance to Presidential Court Cafe, waiting to be let into the dining facility. “This is the hallway I waited in to get my lunch at PCB today,” the caption read. “No way to socially distance with hundreds eating at the same time.” This concern was echoed by many other students who spent their first days on campus shuffling through crowded dining facilities and waiting in serpentine lines to get their food, fearing that if they were to be exposed to COVID-19 anywhere on campus, it would be in a dining hall. Some, like myself, canceled their dining plans in exasperation. But just nine days later, there was no line outside PCB at the height of the lunch rush hour and the problems that seemed to plague the dining facilities days earlier were seemingly gone. The news of the stabilizing of the Vol Dining system comes as The New York Times recently reported UT’s number of positive coronavirus cases to be far below many other campuses around the nation. As I spoke to several first-year students coming out of the dining hall, they gave various explanations for why the long lines they had waited in last week were now gone. Cody Hunter thinks that photos such as the one posted to Reddit did not include the full context of the dining situation in the days before classes started, when PCB was the only place many students could go. “I think it’s because PCB was really the only open option because a lot of the other places that were open were only taking dining dollars, and meal equivalency hadn’t started yet, and Southern Kitchen and Fresh Food Company weren’t open yet,” Hunter said. Toni Brewer believes that freshmen, the only class that overwhelmingly uses inclusive dining plans, were still getting used to using the dining

If you would like to have your church or Religious organization in the worship directory, contact us at admanager@utk.edu File / The Daily Beacon

halls, and therefore caused the lines outside dining facilities to move more slowly. “I think the main difference was a lot of people were still getting used to their Vol Card and trying to get into their email while at the door,” Brewer said. Many students also credited the take-out system, which allows students to get a styrofoam box for their food so they can eat outside the dining hall, for cutting numbers down drastically within the facilities. Some students estimated that up to half of students have been consistently taking their food out of the dining hall. As for whether students feel safe from COVID-19 while in the dining facilities, students reported that masks were being worn inside the buildings and that it was possible to socially distance from others. Aliah Mahalati says that both staff and students seem to be taking enough precautions. “I see people cleaning and I’m able to stay far enough away, and I always have my Germ-X,” Mahalati said. The only difficulty students still seem to be facing with Vol Dining is the somewhat convoluted reservation system through the GET app, which students must use in order to get into PCB, the Fresh Food Company and Southern Kitchen. At the entrance to PCB is posted a 17-step process for making a reservation on the app. Brewer said that her only frustration is the timing of the reservation system, which previously didn’t allow for much flexibility if students forget to make a reservation, or if their personal watch was a few minutes off. “They should allow you to make a reservation for 8 p.m., like at least five minutes after 8 p.m.,” Brewer said. “I go to make a reservation and I’ll forget about it, and I’ll be like, dang, it’s 7:03 p.m., I can’t make a reservation for 7 p.m. I have to wait a whole hour.” The reservation system has now been updated to allow students to reserve a spot at a time up to 14 minutes past the hour of the spot’s starting time. Though the reservation system may still require further tweaking for students to fully embrace it, the problem seems much more preferable to the fears over crowded, unmanageable spaces that worried students a little over a week ago.

PUZZLES & GAMES

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

the daily beacon

crossword & sudoku

your morning coffee’s best friend.

Daily Egyptian 9/14 Crossword 3

STR8TS No. 504

Medium

7 7

3 5 4 4 6 5 3 6 1 2 2 1 3 2 6 7 8 5 8 7 9 7

3 2 9

5 6

9 3 7 4 6 9 2 1 7 2

Previous solution - Tough

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

2 3 7 6 4 5 1 9 8

7 8 8 9 7 9 8 7 4 6 5 4 3 3 5 2 2 4 1 3 6

Across

9 2 1 1 2 3 8 7 7 6 4 6 3 5 4

1 5 9 13 14

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

SUDOKU Medium

8 8 1

4 1 4 6 6 5 1

1 3 8 5 7 4

Previous solution - Easy

2 4 5 8 9 4 5 9

2 8

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

7 3 1 6 4 9 5 8 2

No. 504

9 8 2 1 5 7 6 4 3

5 4 6 3 8 2 7 9 1

6 5 9 2 3 4 1 7 8

2 7 8 5 1 6 9 3 4

3 1 4 9 7 8 2 5 6

1 2 5 4 9 3 8 6 7

8 6 3 7 2 5 4 1 9

4 9 7 8 6 1 3 2 5

16 17 18 19 20 22 24 25 27 29 32 34 35 36 37 40 41 43 44 46 47 48 49 50

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

51 53 55

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org

56 58 61

If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

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18 20

23 27

50 53

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60 66

69 72

63 Henhouse sounds 65 Space is their place 67 Penalty 68 Whelk 69 Pandora’s boxful 70 Carry 71 Fencing sword 72 Restaurant hire Down 1 Police alert, for short 2 Rum drink 3 Make well 4 Germane 5 Lake Turkana locale 6 Reverence

7 8 9 10 11 12 15 21 23 26 28 29 30 31 33 36 37

Slangy assents Bloviated Havana residue 1996 Travolta fantasy Kind of energy Small whirlpool Skidded Canyon feature Unbending Go belly up Business card abbr. Em, to Dorothy Like Superman’s vision Component Bungling Deli sandwich “Valmont” actress Tilly

puzzles Wednesday. NewNew puzzles every every Monday and Thursday. NOW HIRING DRIVERS & COOKS

16 19

9 15

21 25

38 Icy coating 39 Scurried 41 Sharpshooter Oakley 42 Chaps 45 Escort’s offering 47 It went down in 1912 49 Tranquil 50 Bonkers 51 Part of a TV feed 52 Criticizes 54 Hosiery material 55 Use a sieve 57 Type of tide 59 Angel’s headwear 60 Christiania, now 62 Catch sight of 64 Bakery item 66 Query

THE DAILY BEACON

CITY NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

‘The New Mutants’ review: Not worth your money CONNOR HOLT Staff Writer

After many years of anticipation and excitement, the final film of Fox’s “X-Men” series came to the silver screen with thunderous applause. Except nobody clapped for this movie, and nobody ever will. Written and directed by Josh Boone (with writing help from Knate Lee), “The New Mutants” is bad at everything it wants to do. Not only does it fail as a superhero origin story, it fails even worse as a horror film. The problem is that we, the audience, know what’s going on. The writers divulge vital information to figure out the film’s mystery in the first act. This creates a rhetoric device known as dramatic irony, where the audience has information that the characters do not. Typically this lends itself well to comedy, or drama. What dramatic irony doesn’t lend itself well to is horror.

H. P. Lovecraft, the infamous progenitor of the cosmic horror genre once wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” For the sake of this argument, let’s assume Lovecraft is correct in his assertion that the unknown is the strongest of fears. Then please, Josh Boone, Knate Lee, explain to me why on any earth in the Marvel multiverse did you choose to give everything away in the first act? How is the audience supposed to relate to the fear the characters feel? Once the mystery of the film vanishes, there’s nothing left to keep us interested. Even if something fails at one genre, maybe it can be good as another. If you watch Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy as a comedy, they actually hold up pretty well, after all. Unfortunately, “The New Mutants” can’t hold up even as a standard superhero flick. To push the horror aspects, anything that could’ve propped it up as a regular origin story had to be thrown out the window. To be fair, there are a couple cool scenes at the climax, but

even that was a poor excuse for a finale. But I digress, surely the movie had some redeeming qualities. Well, imagine you’re pretty thirsty and you want something refreshing, so you poor yourself a tall, cold glass of milk. Then you finally take your first gulp and it’s all chunks. That’s what watching this film is like. The acting was poor and unnatural (especially Blu Hunt, who played the lead), the dialogue felt as if the writers have never interacted with real people before and there is even an inconsistency between conversations that the same pair of characters have. I’m thinking it’s a result of the re-shoots the film went through, leading to errors. As far as pacing and progression is concerned, there were far too many characters whose backgrounds and origins needed to be explored for the story to work the way it wanted to in such a short amount of time. We don’t have time for romantic sub-plots when we have to explore the motivations and histories of five characters. Perhaps that was meant to be in the sequel but was shoehorned in when

they realized they probably wouldn’t finish their planned trilogy. The sad part is I actually would’ve liked to have seen more of their powers in action. Illyana’s magical abilities seemed to work really well on screen, particularly when paired with the film’s modern visual effects. But even she who received the most spotlight didn’t get enough time to shine. Again, that’s a symptom of sub plots that would have worked better in a sequel. All of that isn’t even to mention that they convinced Maisie Williams, the actress who played Arya Stark on “Game of Thrones,” to portray a Scottish mutant who can transform into a wolf. And then they wrote her an entire scene where she could casually reference the show, too. While Arya Stark doesn’t recommend people jump from high places in “The New Mutants,” I don’t recommend you spend money to see this one. Standard graphics and audio aren’t going to make this an experience worth having. 1.5/5 Torches

Windbound review: An unexpected adventure SETH CHAPMAN Contributor

You would be forgiven for mistaking Windbound as a Zelda clone on your first glance. Its cell-shaded art-style and brightly colored world certainly evokes the same aesthetic of Breath of the Wild and Wind Waker. However, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice by dismissing Windbound as a poor imitation. Windbound captures the same sense of adventure from the games it was inspired by while also carving out its own unique identity. Windbound is a survival adventure game set in a sea of procedurally generated islands. You play as Kara, a young nomad who has been separated from her sea-faring clan after a violent storm. Stranded and alone, Kara will need to use the limited resources available to her in order to survive and find her way back home. The game is divided up into chapters, and, in order for Kara to move on to the next chapter, she has to find and activate three shell shaped shrines that are spread across the islands. In terms of gameplay, Windbound has more in common with survival games like Don’t Starve than it does with the Zelda series. You see many trademarks of the survival genre present in the game, such as needing to manage your hunger and stamina. Most of your time will be spent collecting and crafting as you sail from one island to the next. Death also carries a heavy penalty. Once you die, you will restart at the beginning of the game with nothing but the items you happened to have on hand at the time. You can also lower

the difficulty so that upon death, you restart at the chapter you were on rather than the whole game. Windbound lacks polish in certain areas of its gameplay, namely its controls and menu systems. Kara feels clunky to control, from the way she moves to how she aims with weapons. Her movement can feel a bit off, such as how it is inconsistent on what ledges she will grab. I often had to try multiple times jumping at the same ledge before she’d finally hoist herself up. Menus also feel cumbersome to navigate. One example of this happens when you try to open your inventory. For you to access your inventory, you have to always open your crafting menu first. Considering how much inventory management you will end up doing, menu fiddling gets tiring real quick. However, despite some of its flaws, Windbound shines through in its moment to moment gameplay. At the heart of any good adventure is a story, and Windbound is a verifiable playground of emergent moments. Death carries a heavy price, and while such a prospect may be intimidating for some players, I actually found it quite riveting. I found myself playing cautiously, always making conscious decisions of whether to take a risk or not. One moment I distinctly remember was the first time I fought a creature called the Gloomharrow. I had entered that fight woefully under-prepared, and I came very close to paying the price. With my spear nearly broken and down to my last bit of health, I booked it further into the island. Once I felt I was safe, I crafted a campfire to cook some health restoring food while I fixed up a new spear. I had this nagging thought the whole time

that somewhere on this island, the Gloomharrow still lurked. As I prepared to go hunting after the monster, I noticed a small set of ruins jutting just off the shore of the island. After swimming toward the ruins, I was able to uncover some oil bombs that were stored there as well as a recipe to craft more. The next time I faced the Gloomharrow, I came prepared with newly crafted bombs. I knew it was the same creature I had fought before because it had the same amount of health from the last time we faced each other. The bombs turned out to be a resounding success, and I felt a sense of victory once the Gloomharrow fell. Not only was this a personally memorable moment, but it also served a great example of how Windbound rewards their player not for their twitch reflexes, but for their cunning and smart decision making. Everything you need for success is provided by the game, it just depends on how you use it. The one thing that truly sets Windbound apart is its boat building and sailing mechanics. The player is given a surprising amount of choice in how you build and customize your boat. Not only can you choose from different hulls and sails, but you also get to design your own layout for the ship. Its important to keep this in mind since all of the sailing is physicsbased. At the start of the game, I had made a simple raft with a sail to carry me from one island to the next. Once I had enough resources, I decided to craft a bigger and faster sail for my boat. However, the sail would catch too much wind and make my boat prone to capsizing since it didn’t have enough weight to keep it on the water. It proved to be an invaluable learning experience.

Your boat is both your lifeline and your home at sea. You can outfit it however you wish and even set up crafting fires and storage containers to make yourself truly at home. It’s important to take care of and improve your boat as you will need it for the game’s final challenges: the crossings. Before Kara can move on to the next chapter, she first has to survive the crossings that are between them. Crossings put your sailing skills to the test as waves and winds become more violent, and obstacles that threaten to tear up your ship dot your path. Navigating these crossings is a tense experience, and much like the islands, they only get more varied and dangerous the further you progress into the game. I came away from Windbound surprised. It’s a game that thoroughly satisfied my inner adventurer as it balanced calm moments of sailing the lonely seas with moments of excitement and curiosity that come with the discovery of something new. While my runtime with the game was somewhat on the short side, clocking in at a little over 12 hours, it’s a game that has left me with some wonderful stories to share. Windbound has proven itself to be one the biggest surprises of 2020 in terms of games for me. While some of its clunkiness and survival mechanics are sure to be deal breakers for some, I urge players to give this game a shot. You’re bound to walk away with stories of your own on the open seas. Review code provided by Deep Silver. Game reviewed on Xbox One X. 4/5 Torches

CITY NEWS

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 • The Daily Beacon

Studying and coffee during a pandemic: Local Knoxville shops open for dine-in NATASHA MCKAMEY Contributor

Tired of being at home but still need to study? We have the answers. Here are a few places that will quench your coffee thirst, provide a space to do some studying outside of home and have some tasty treats. Knoxville and the UTK area have several shops open for dine-in, carry-out and possible patio seating for anyone looking for a space to study or just to enjoy a cup of joe. Pete’s Restaurant Pete’s is located at 540 Union Ave., across from Union Avenue Books. They serve breakfast until 11 a.m. during the week and are open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. This downtown gem offers dine-in and carry-out – the perfect spot to catch some breakfast or lunch.

French Market Crêperie This Knoxville French Market features sweet or savory crêpes, baguette or croissant sandwiches, coffee, tea and espresso drinks among many other items. They are currently offering dine-in or carry out, with a mask required for walk-in and ordering. They also feature limited patio seating and two locations – Downtown at 412 W. Clinch Ave., and the West Knoxville location at 161 Brooklawn St. near the Kroger in Farragut. This market is open Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Coffee and Chocolate This shop has a full coffee bar along with a variety of chocolates and pastries available, from red velvet truffles (or cake) to peanut butter covered Oreos dipped in chocolate to cold brew and latte art. If you’re not insane in the membrane for chocolate, don’t worry. They offer a pistachio strawberry cake, classic lemon cookies or key

lime pie, and many more options. Check them out at 327 Union Ave. near Café 4. They are open for dine-in and carry-out from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and feature some outdoor/patio seating.

Vienna Regas The Vienna Coffee Company has a coffee shop located within the Regas Building. Vienna Regas was once a bar area known as “the gathering place.” Vienna Regas has since taken over the physical space and the metaphorical name and is great for studying and working, whether individually or with others. The shop offers a variety of baked goods from bagels and muffins to burritos and paninis. They also feature hot or cold coffee and espresso beverages. Customers may dine-in, carry-out or enjoy some time on the patio. Vienna Regas may be found at 318 N Gay St. near W Magnolia Avenue. They are open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Capybara Coffee Capybara Coffee is a shop located near UTK’s campus at the University Commons. They offer a variety of coffee beverages and some baked goods such as muffins and coffee cake. Their current summer beverage is the Wildberry Iced Latte. They feature a dine-in and carry-out space from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Check them out at 2457 University Commons Way, near Publix and the Vol Shop. With school back in session, it may be difficult not to get caught up in the monotony of staying in. However, there are many places open that allow customers to come out and get some great food and drinks as well as offer a variety of spaces to lounge outside of the library or one’s home – all while doing it safely. If you get a chance, be sure to check out the aforementioned shops and restaurants whether it be to get out of the house, to caffeine up or to support local (and delicious) businesses.

Virtual events to help you stay connected with the Knoxville community NATASHA MCKAMEY Contributor

With the rise of the pandemic since March of this year, most social activities have since been postponed or even moved to a virtual setting. There is much ambiguity surrounding many aspects of life that would have been “normal” for us a year ago. With the introduction of COVID-19, life seems much different. The Knoxville community is working to promote social distancing, a concept created to safely socialize during these times of uncertainty. Though many concerts or musical events have been cancelled or postponed, there are still a variety of events available to anyone in the community, some free and some at a cost. These events range from virtual museums to 5Ks to musical series.

File / The Daily Beacon

Run with HOPE This will be an entirely virtual event. The race may be completed any time during the week of Aug. 23 to Aug. 29. Because it is virtual, the event coordinators have left the course route up to runners or their groups. There is a cost of $25 for individuals whether running a 5K or a 10k. Run with HOPE will benefit the Hope Resource Center with a mission to empower healthy choices for life. More information may be found on the Run with HOPE website. Mudder’s Day Madness 5K Virtual Challenge Another running event for anyone who is interested. This event will take place between Sept. 6 to 12. The 5k would normally occur at Camp Montvale with a variety of obstacles but had to be moved online due to the pandemic. With it being virtual, the organizers still aim to create a variety of obstacles that can be done anywhere while offering a flexible schedule. Mudder’s Day Madness will charge a registration fee between $35 and $45 and proceeds will benefit the Harmony Family Center. More infor-

mation may be found on the race’s homepage.

Virtual Cotton Candy Classic 5K This year’s run will also be held entirely virtually and may take place in the comfort of anywhere runners choose. It will be held one day only: Sept. 19 from 4 to 11 a.m. with a cost of $30. The registration fee will benefit the Tennessee Valley Fair, which aims to preserve East Tennessee heritage in a variety of ways. The fee will provide runners with a free TN Valley Fair water bottle (for the first 50 people who register), a 2020 Cotton Candy Classic 5K t-shirt, two free admission tickets to the TN Valley Fair in 2021 and swag from the fair’s sponsors. More information for the race may be found on the TN Valley Fair website. The Ghostlight Series This event is a streaming series meant to bring Knoxville’s music scene and performers to the community in a virtual space. It begins on Sept. 1 and ends on Sept. 22 with no cost, but donations will be accepted to help support these local artists.

Many local artists will be featured weekly such as a Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd, East Tennessee Jazz musicians, Frog and Toad’s Dixie Quartet with Brent Thompson, and Guy Marshall and Adam McNulty. The series may be viewed each Tuesday at 8 p.m. on the Tennessee Theatre’s Facebook page. More information may be found on the Ghostlight Series webpage. Educational Resources at Ijams, the Muse and East Tennessee Historical Society Ijams Nature Center, the Muse and the East Tennessee Historical Society are all offering ways to participate or view educational resources while social distancing is being recommended. More information regarding sign-ups and finalized costs, if any, may be found under Visit Knoxville’s Virtual Events Calendar. These events are subject to change as well as their dates and times. Please see registration for each event you want to attend so coordinators may ensure availability and access to the event for everyone.

CAMPUS NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Safe places to study on campus that aren’t your dorm room MADELYN MUSCHEK Staff Writer

For many students, online classes can make studying even harder, and may even create a lack of structure. It’s important to stay focused on school despite all the uncertainty around us. If you’re having trouble staying focused while cooped up in a dorm room, here are some places to safely study on campus. Outside areas As long as you can maintain a six feet or larger radius of distance from other people, any outside area is great for studying. The HSS amphitheater lawn is an example of a large outdoor space where it’s relatively easy to stay separated

from other students. The Hill is another outdoor area that’s accessible and easy to spread apart at. The large number of benches are great for sitting down away from others, and the grassy areas on both sides of the Hill make fun studying and picnic spots. Plus, there’s even shade on the backside of the Hill to keep you cool. Remember, if you’re in any place, indoor or outdoor, where you could come in close contact with someone, it’s important to wear a mask. Hodges Library (safely) The staff and librarians at Hodges Library have put a lot of thought into making sure the library continues to be a trusted study spot for students. Its resources and space still make it a great place to stay concentrated, and modiﬁ-

cations have been made to ensure everyone’s safety. They have made several modiﬁcations in light of safety during the pandemic. Some of these include increased spacing between the computers and tables allowing for more than six feet between students, and plexiglass at service stations keep employees safe. Students are encouraged to order from the Hodges Starbucks online using the GET Food app and then picking up their orders, while also sticking to the designated eating and drinking spaces. Of course, face coverings are mandatory everywhere inside the library. Empty classrooms Simply put, the best place to be during this time is away from other people. As a result of many classes being completely online, open

classrooms are a good place to study independently of others. This way, you can be completely separated from other students in a quiet place conducive to studying. HSS is a great place to start looking for open classrooms. It’s important to be mindful of any in-person classes that might be going on during the day and adjust your studying time and space accordingly. Overall, wherever you choose to study on campus, make sure to follow the protocol in place, including wearing masks, staying more than six feet apart from others, helping to stay sanitized and following the signage in place. Online classes can pose new difficulties that many of us didn’t see coming. But with the right mindset, ﬂexibility and willingness to comply with CDC recommendations, we can all keep focused and continue working hard this semester.

How to succeed in online classes this semester ASHLEY JACKSON Staff Writer

In the wake of COVID-19, the way of life for most around the world has been turned upside down. Having to now live a life that requires you to wear a mask everywhere you go and stay inside constantly has unfortunately become the new norm. Right now, most people are worried they may leave the house without a mask or hand sanitizer, but for many college students around the world adjusting to all their classes being online, their minds are also concerned with forgetting to turn in an online assignment — or worse, missing an exam. Here are ﬁve ways to succeed in your online classes this semester. Buy a planner Having a planner or calendar is great for helping you plan out your week.

Hanging a calendar on your wall in your dorm or bedroom ﬁlled with reminders of assignments and tasks you need to complete before deadlines is key to success for maintaining a stress-free semester. Target and TJ Maxx offer endless options. And after all, who doesn’t need an excuse to go to Target? Manage your time Time management is key to doing well in your online classes. Just because you don’t physically have to get up and go into a classroom, doesn’t mean you should put off your assignments until the last minute. At the beginning of online coursework, we may feel like we have all the time in the world. However, this is not the case. Create a structure that works for you. Block off certain times of the day dedicated strictly to studying and getting ahead on assignments. The less work you have to complete closer to a deadline, the better.

Find your quiet space When having one too many distractions, we can quickly find ourselves unmotivated to complete the task at hand. For most students like myself, we all found ourselves back at home with our families finishing our spring 2020 semester online. Thanks, COVID-19, we owe you one! Being at home means constantly being distracted by siblings, pets and more. To combat this, try to find a nook in your home that is free of distractions so that you can execute your assignments in peace. Studying requires a quiet environment so that you can focus on the task at hand, which means finding an area like this is crucial for your success in online classes. Put down your phone and avoid social media It is incredibly easy to become distracted by your phone and social media. To avoid these distractions, turn your phone on silent or leave it in another room. Growing up in the world of social media, it is so easy to get lost in admiring your favorite celebrity or

influencer on your Instagram feed when in fact, you should be preparing for your chemistry exam in two hours. Also, being that most of us are in front of computer screens for online classes, it can be difficult to not venture off and do some online shopping or check our notifications while on a Zoom call. However, just by making an effort to log off of your social media accounts will make a world of difference. Give it a try; it can really help. Most importantly, just breathe Online classes are not the end of the world. They are just the beginning of new challenges that will push us out of our comfort zones. Granted, the current times for most are not ideal when trying to earn a college degree, so here is some advice. Use your campus resources. Contact your advisor as many times as you see fit. Schedule that appointment with an academic counselor to make sure you’re moving forward in the right direction. Face adversity head-on, persevere and know that through all obstacles, and trial and error, you, too, can come out on top.