Wednesday, September 6, 2023

As students spend hours hunting down parking spots on campus, UT’s Parking and Transportation Department looks to both short-term and long-term solutions.

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Professors grapple with use of AI in classrooms

MAGGIE DIEDRICH Contributor

“An essential feature of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a commitment to maintaining an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and academic honesty. As a student of the university, I pledge that I will neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thus affirming my own personal commitment to honor and integrity.”

The previous paragraph comes from the Honor Statement published in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the Academic Catalog and calls on a student’s probity and commitment to honest work. It is the unsaid promise that each student agrees to once they enter UT. However, with the unveiling of ChatGPT just under a year ago, there is a question as to just how much of an effect it has had.

The Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) was unveiled by OpenAI in November of 2022 as a conversational chatbot capable of writing more cohesive, human-like prose than any of its predecessors. It has been a constant cause for concern and question on campus, leading to several discussions, as well as the creation

of a task force focused on the responsible use of AI in the classroom and what that may look like.

Kirsten Benson, director of the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center, was integral in the development of student and instructor resources on appropriate use. When setting up an appointment now, there is an extra question about AI usage and whether or not it is allowed by the instructor.

“It is a situation where we are really exploring. This is new to so many teachers. It caught a lot of people by surprise,” Benson said. “My general thoughts about it are that it is a tool for writing, for instructors to use to do what they do. That said, I know it is a thing a lot of people are unsure and worried about. There is a range of responses.”

The Office of the Provost published a list of guidelines detailing the acceptable uses of AI in the classroom. It outlines the three categories of use: open, moderate and strict. Each category details the boundaries in which AI is allowed, ranging from free use with disclosure to disavowing any use.

Anne Langendorfer, a senior lecturer in the English department and a writing center tutor, detailed her stance on AI in the classroom.

“I am in the moderate position right now because I can see some ways in which it

might be helpful to students, and I don’t like to forbid students from using something when they haven’t had the experience of trying it out and deciding if it’s for or not for them,” Langendorfer said. “I am not going to allow them to short-circuit their learning with it, but I think it’s a bad idea to pretend like technology doesn’t exist.”

Robert Stillman, an English professor, adheres to the strict guideline that the Office of the Provost published.

“Everyone is really concerned about it,” Stillman said. “There are all kinds of meetings coming up this year about AI telling us what to do with it and what not to do with it. It’s a very big source of interest. For most of the faculty, it is a source of concern, too.”

The English department’s first Carroll Teaching Discussion of the year will be held on Sept. 20 and will focus on Professor Sid Dobrin’s “Talking about Generative AI: A Guide for Educators.” In addition, the Office of the Provost is holding a symposium titled “AI in Higher Ed: Transforming the Teaching and Learning Experience” on Sept. 22.

“This is gonna get much more powerful as a tool,” said Stillman. “I don’t know if we understand yet what kind of difference it’s going to make across the board.”

A student works on an assignment in Mitchell-Jarrett Commons South. Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

Remembering Ray: Longtime owner of Ray’s Place passes at 86

and eat and they’d work the details out later. He stopped by today to say hello and grab a bite and wondered why you were closed,” Cheri Whitehead Clavier said in a Facebook comment.

On Monday, Aug. 28, Ray’s Place announced the passing of the longtime restaurant owner Raymond “Ray” Mowery. Ray’s Place is a hidden gem tucked away on The Hill. Those who frequent Ray’s Place know that the food is great, but it’s the heart of the staff that keeps them coming back.

Ray’s Place originally started as a snack shop in 1942 but became an eatery under Mowery’s ownership in 1987. Mowery was the heart and soul behind the business. He would welcome customers with open arms and provide them with a sense of comfort and a delicious meal.

The passing of Mowery comes as a shock to many alumni and current students — many of those touched by Mowery shared their condolences and sweet stories over Facebook.

“My husband and I were regulars in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Our son is a freshman at UT this year and we introduced him to Ray this summer. Ray told him to never go hungry — even if he didn’t have any money, to come in

Mowery prioritized people. He was adamant about creating connections with students and providing laughter where he could.

“I spent most of my junior and senior year at Ray’s. Mr. Ray and his humor will always be a special memory to me during my time on Rocky Top,” Peyton Whitehead said in a Facebook comment.

Mowery devoted his life to his work and vowed to show up for the UT community as long as he could.

“So as long as I’m physically able to do it, I plan on being right here and dedicating myself ... to give you students the best food that I can,” Mowery told The Daily Beacon in an interview in 2019.

Ray’s Place is temporarily closed to honor the family as they organize arrangements. Mowery’s children will carry on the legacy of their father as the restaurant is now under their ownership.

Ray’s Place will always embody the bright spirit and witty personality of Mowery.

Ray, the owner of Ray’s Place, served students in the basement of South College from 1987 onward. File / The Daily Beacon

Known as a campus hidden gem, Ray’s Place is tucked away on top of the Hill, next to Ayres Hall. File / The Daily Beacon

Stuck in a tight spot

UT’s Parking and Transportation Department works to meet demand as students struggle to find spots.

ELI BOLDT News Editor

On the morning of Aug. 23 at 10:20 a.m., as students swarmed campus for the first day of classes, all on-campus parking spots were filled. In the week following, spaces continued to fill early in the morning as students searched the campus looking for spaces, sometimes missing work or school because of the lack of space.

The University of Tennessee’s Parking and Transportation Department kept its Twitter feed updated with garages available for parking, hoping to help students get parked as efficiently as possible.

Moira Bindner, the Communications and Customer Service Manager at Parking and Transportation, said parking issues settle down within the first couple of weeks.

“It’s a combination of people trying to figure out where to park, some people getting tickets because they’re parked in the wrong areas … so that kind of shakes out,” Bindner said.

On Tuesday, Aug. 28, Mary Klimas, a senior studying psychology with a minor in English, arrived on campus a little before 8:30 a.m. for her 9:45 a.m. English class. Hoping to park at lot G10 — Neyland Parking Garage — she circled the lot behind a line of other cars only to find no spaces. She attempted to find the commuter lots but found them difficult to hunt down and debated paying for an Uber to take her into campus. She was unable to find parking and had to return home. She missed her class.

“I’m paying for class. I missed lectures. I’m not coming here for appearances, I’m coming to learn,” Klimas said. “When I can’t come to a class because I can’t find parking … I’m going to miss something valuable. It angers me.”

The ratio of commuter parking spots to commuter passes sold is currently 1:1.83, — a ratio under the standard rate of 1:1.85. Commuter spots are expected to turn over multiple times a day.

There is also an increase in students

parking illegally during the first week of school. For the last two years, Parking and Transportation did not enforce illegal parking in the first week but returned to enforcing it this year. Fewer citations were given this year than in 2019, the last comparable year, where Bindner pointed out many students were simply parking without having a permit at all.

Bindner emphasized immediate solutions for students to seek out as well as short-term solutions the university is currently working on. She pointed to UT’s transit system that helps students traverse campus more easily. The buses have routes to the leased commuter lots farther from campus, off-campus University housing, the agriculture campus and more. Schedules and routes can be found online, and the buses are tracked by GPS software.

The four parking lots near or around campus that are leased by the university — EC2 at University Commons, C18 on Clinch Avenue, and C26 and EC1 by Church Street United Methodist Church — are often not full and have bus routes that accommodate students. Because these lots are leased, they often have different time constraints than on-campus lots but are open during the day for commuters. Bindner advised students arriving after 10 a.m. to park at these lots and take the bus to campus.

For students seeking information on what parking spaces are available, the Tennessee App has information updated on what lots have available spots, and Parking and Transportation has continued to update its Twitter account.

More than 200 parking spaces in the lot behind the Communication and Information Building opened up after Labor Day, increasing the amount of spots on campus. They were previously closed for construction after the lot had to be resealed. The University also transitioned parking garage N12 on Volunteer Boulevard from residential parking to dual use so commuters are able to park there as well.

“We don’t like to change a lot of things mid-stream, but if there is a place where we can adapt to meet what the demands of

campus are, we will try to do that,” Bindner said.

Koby Castle, a sophomore majoring in accounting, is commuting to campus for the second year in a row.

“The other day, I spent two hours trying to find a parking spot and missed my entire first lecture,” Castle said.

Castle’s professor gave him attendance points, but he now feels left behind in the class.

The solutions the university is working on will help the process settle down as the semester gets started, but ultimately the issue of parking is an issue of space — an issue UT has been struggling with over the last year as it welcomed the largest freshman class last fall and saw retention at a record high this year.

As the student population grows and the campus changes, Parking and Transportation is also focusing on long-term solutions to help aid the parking situation on campus.

A parking garage beside TRECS is in the planning stage and will hold around 1,200 spaces. The process for this garage to be built will cost about $50,000 per parking space to build, in comparison to the Stokely Parking Garage which cost around $25,000 per parking space to build.

Parking and Transportation is not funded by the university but instead functions as an auxiliary unit that funds itself — primarily through parking passes, special event revenue and the bus transportation fee. Six percent of their revenue comes from citations. Even with that revenue, the department is in debt. Building the new parking garage will add to the amount of debt they are in, but it is necessary for the campus’ growth. Bindner guessed the garage would be ready within three to four years.

“We’re trying to focus on what we do have available and keep focusing on what solutions that we do have right now,” Bindner said.

A UT security officer sets up traffic cones in preparation for the Kerbela Shriner Circus at Thompson–Boling Arena at Food City Center. Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

UT graduate printmaking program stays atop rankings

ALLISON MURPHY Contributor

UT’s master of fine arts degree in printmaking is holding steady with a third best in the nation ranking, according to U.S. News & World Report.

UT has been one of the top three schools for printmaking more than once. In 2020, the university came in one spot behind the Rhode Island School of Design and two spots ahead of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The overall MFA program is ranked at 42, but programs are ranked by survey questions, while specialties are nominated.

Rankings made a difference to third-year graduate student Chloe Wack who researched the faculty and the other students in the program. An undergraduate professor also suggested UT to her.

“Even saying ‘this is where I go to school,’ it feels like people respect that,” Wack said. “Because it has a good reputation ... I’ve gone to a couple of academic conferences, and I feel like they also, if they see you’re from UT, they’re like, ‘Oh, okay. That’s a good program.’”

Gino Castellanos, a third-year graduate student, applied because he thought it was a prestigious program and said the faculty’s talent and experience were the reasons he chose UT.

“The faculty here are very well-known artists, very popular in the printmaking world,” Castellanos said. “And you just know them by name. I knew them by name before I came here... So, yeah, the faculty is a big deal.”

Althea Murphy-Price and Koichi Yamamoto have been professors at UT since the early 2000s. Beauvais Lyons came on board in 1987 following the death of Byron McKeeby, who designed the printmaking studio in the Art and Architecture Building and made many other contributions to the program.

The professors were also a major draw for Elysia Mann, the printmaking studio’s technician. She graduated from the MFA program in 2017 and was hired in 2020. Mann said she wanted to be challenged.

“I wanted to come somewhere where I was going to grow,” Mann said. “They lived up to that expectation, as did the program overall.”

Castellanos said the faculty encourage students to work in other departments like painting, sculpture and video.

“What that does is it’s going to feed more into your work,” Castellanos said. “You’re going to be a more versatile artist ... You’re going to have a higher skill level, number one, but also your work is going to look way different. Your contemporary prints are just not going to be on paper, for example. I’ve seen people

print on wood, people print on ceramics, textile. Your work starts to change because you have all these different skills and voices.”

Wack said she was glad for the opportunity to do different things, including teaching introductory video art.

“Right now I am teaching a 200-level printmaking class,” Wack said. “And that is a super great opportunity that I don’t know if I would have that in a lot of other programs ... Normally, it is foundations.”

She added that teaching in another area makes her well-rounded.

“I think it makes you a more enticing hire,” Wack said. “If you can teach more than one thing, if I’m looking at people I’m going to hire to teach or work as a technician, being able to do multiple things I think is an asset.”

Wack said the graduate seminar had prepared her well and that it was nice to be trusted to teach a whole class by herself. She also said working across departments meant the 10 MFA students from last year were close regardless of their track, which might not happen with every class. They helped each other with shows and homework and hung out — an environment she thought was programwide.

“My three best friends are a painter, a painter and a performance artist,” Wack said. “It’s like they picked nine people to be my best friends. And I’m continually grateful for that.”

Castellanos also mentioned the importance of classmates. The other programs he applied to in Texas and Florida had a high number of Hispanic students, but Castellanos, born in Cuba, wanted to be a trailblazer. He also said Florida’s smaller program would have been a different experience.

“You need more diversity,” Castellanos said. “More voices, especially if all five are Hispanic, or all five are white, or all five are Asian. They’re all the same voices. You want a big number, but you also want diversity.”

Mann said “cross pollination” was a feature inside the printmaking concentration as well.

“It’s pretty rare to have one giant room like this where all the classes are held,” she said. “A lot of places you go, there will be the intaglio room. And then down the hall, in a completely different space, is where screen printing happens ... Things kind of get layered and combined in ways that are experimental and really creative and kind of pushing the expectations, and that was the kind of work I wanted to be doing.”

UT has one of the largest printmaking studios in the country at 4,500 square feet. Professors teach relief printing, engraving, intaglio, lithography, screen printing and digital printing.

“Students can come here and learn off of the most traditional, time-honored techniques,” Mann said. “And combine it with

digital, fresh, just-appearing, emergent media and processes. So there’s that real swimming across the centuries.”

Lithography is a big part of UT printmaking, according to Mann, and the university’s shelves of stones for the original process are unique.

“Some programs aren’t even able to offer stone lithography because they don’t have stones,” she said. “And we have so many.”

Mann also said UT has some of the largest presses.

“The press that’s in the grad room is a very large edging press which, at a lot of universities, students wouldn’t have access to that in a lot of places,” she said.

Works from that room currently fill the second floor hallway of the Art and Architecture building outside the printmaking studio. The annual Summer Showcase displays what faculty and graduate students have been working on during the year – they choose one to three of their pieces to stay up all summer long.

“They try to accommodate, play with size and scale,” Castellanos, who submitted one of the largest prints, said.

Wack said the faculty push students to ap-

ply to be in shows. She has had three shows at 1010 Gallery and said the stakes were higher compared to her time as an undergraduate.

“I think the faculty, especially Beauvais, really tries to get us out into the world ... So he’s good at that,” she said. “And telling us about opportunities that maybe we wouldn’t have found on our own.”

Wack added that Lyons is chairing her thesis committee in addition to being the divisional dean for arts and humanities.

“Which I think speaks to especially how much he cares,” Wack said, “And how much work he’s done for longer than I’ve been alive to make this program what it is.”

She is leaning toward becoming a shop technician or manager, while Castellanos wants to go on teaching. More than just the freedom to make art, he said the program has taught him how to survive as a professional artist.

“Personally, I’m extremely happy that I got to come here,” Wack said. “I mean, I could have gone anywhere else, but there’s something about this program that has pushed me in a way that I don’t think I would have been pushed anywhere else.”

Gino Castellanos works in the graduate student room of the printmaking studio in the Art and Architecture Building, Aug. 28, 2023. Allison Murphy / The Daily Beacon

Review: Guest artist recital highlights classical music talent in historically excluded communities

ADAM DELAHOUSSAYE Staff Writer

While most people may automatically picture powdered wigs and corset dresses when they hear the words “classical music,” the genre is still actively expanding and growing well into the 21st century. Musicians such as YoYo Ma continue to sell out music halls and composers like Max Richter have amassed millions of album sales worldwide. You don’t need to be born a century ago to appreciate classical music, and in fact, you don’t even have to travel very far to hear. All you have to do is waltz over to the Natalie Haslam Music Center, where a sweet symphony is sure to find you.

On Tuesday, Aug. 29, a trio of guest musicians hosted a recital within the Sandra G. Powell recital hall. Pianist Young Kim, violinist Lin He and Arisia Gilmore played selected works for students, faculty and the general public alike.

Kim is an assistant professor of music at Lincoln Memorial University and has performed in several states across the U.S. and in Germany. Her peers, He and Gilmore, are very familiar with the SEC. He is an associate professor of violin at Louisiana State University, while Gilmore plays freelance all throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.

After introductions were made, Kim told the audience that the first half of the evening would feature pieces specifically from female composers. As classical music is a mostly male-dominated landscape, the audience was given presented a refreshing perspective of what the genre can be in a more contemporary sense. We first heard Florence Price’s ‘Fantasy,’ featuring Kim and He. The piece offered a flighty balance between the two instruments violin and piano.

We were then introduced to Gilmore, the resident French horn player for the evening. Gilmore’s selected pieces were written with the express intent of highlighting the lower half of the instrument’s scale. Her personal favorite, “It’s Not a Tuba,” does exactly that. An energetic piece, it seemed to trod along at the pace of a hefty businessman off to somewhere more important than here.

As the evening with these guest performers reached a halfway point, Kim took time to acknowledge the unique

nature of a concert such as this. A UT alumna, Kim said that her days in the halls of Natalie Haslam were filled with the sounds of Mozart, Bach and the other greats. While historic, their repertoire is hardly a representation of how diverse the genre has become. The purpose of the evening was to highlight composers interesting not only to Kim and the audience, but also to highlight the talent that comes in classical music from groups historically excluded by the community.

The back half of the performance saw the entirety of the trio take the stage for a grandiose second movement. Kim led the charge on piano, while He and Gilmore followed suit. The two crescendoed in concordance with the climb in scales Kim presented just to come crashing down in dramatic fashion moments later.

The third movement used Kim as a decorator of the backdrop, setting the scene that He and Gilmore played in. It was a delicate balance that saw the two

following each other’s lead, almost as if the instruments were communicating with one another.

The movement ended in bombastic fashion, and the trio was given a standing ovation for the last hour’s whirlwind of a performance. Overall, the show provided an exciting insight into a genre that many may be averse to due to its lack of diversity. What the audience was given was the message that classical music doesn’t simply have to rest in the hands of the one percent.

Arisia Gilmore plays the French horn in a guest recital at the Natalie Haslam Music Center. Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

Week of 9/4/23 - 9/10/23

The Weekly Crossword

Margie E. Burke

HoLa Hora Latina Festival to transport city to heart of Latin America

KLARYSSA

ing, which is why I will attend for the third year in a row,” Horge said.

Knoxville is gearing up for its 23rd annual HoLa Hora Latina Festival. The festival features various cultural foods from different countries, Latin dancing and shopping at Latino-owned businesses.

This annual event is known for its vibrant atmosphere, guaranteeing attendees their taste of other countries’ cultures without ever leaving Knoxville. From Sept. 16-17, World’s Fair Park will be transformed into a world of diverse Latin culture, welcoming all to come celebrate and appreciate traditions, art, food and music.

Food connoisseurs are in for a treat as the HoLa Festival has various food tents representing different countries, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other Spanish-speaking countries. From savory birria tacos at the Mexico-representing tent to the unforgettable arepas at the Colombia tent, food enthusiasts can look forward to a vast array of authentic foods from around the world.

Music will also be an essential factor in this two-day festival as visitors enjoy live performances from talented artists and can even join in on the fun with salsa dancing, merengue, bachata, cumbia and so much more. Whether attendees are skilled dancers or new to it, the vibrant rhythms of Latin music at the festival will have many dancing all night.

Grave Horge, a nurse at UT Medical Center, plans to attend the HoLa Festival for the excitement of learning new dances.

“While I have no idea how to move my feet and hips, the live music to learn the bachata at the festival is always so thrill-

Not only is there entertainment at the HoLa Festival, but there are also opportunities for those attending to learn about the cultures featuring educational exhibits shedding light on the country’s history, contributions to the world and traditions. Visitors will also get the opportunity to purchase items from Latino-operated businesses such as handmade bracelets, necklaces, hair pieces, bags and earrings.

Adja Samb, a junior sport management major, is most excited about the opportunity to experience Latin culture through shopping.

“Every year, my best friend and I go to the HoLa Festival and eat all the food we can, but most importantly, get new matching bracelets together from the shopping tents,” Samb said. “To experience this with friends is always the best so the HoLa Festival is something I recommend going to.”

Art enthusiasts and crafters also get the opportunity to immerse themselves in traditional folk art, textiles, contemporary paintings, handmade crafts and clothing that will be on display, providing insight into the region’s vast artistic diversity and creativity.

Beyond the many festivities, The HoLa Hora Latina Festival celebrates unity in diversity. The festival is an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to celebrate culture through appreciation by immersing themselves in it.

Coming out to try the various foods and dance styles as well as viewing the art and supporting Latino-owned businesses can be viewed as a token of appreciation for those who came out to share their culture. This encourages many to come out and experience it.

DELACRUZ Contributor

Dancers perform at the HoLa Hora Latina Festival. Courtesy of HoLa Hora Latina

Opinion: From Rocky Top to Music City

The Daily Beacon Opinions Editor reflects on a bittersweet journey away from Neyland Stadium.

There is no better feeling than waking up on a game day in Knoxville, Tennessee. The roar of Rocky Top, the sea of orange, the sight of Neyland Stadium. For the past three years, I had only sat and watched the University of Tennessee’s football team claim victory or defeat in Neyland Stadium. I never needed to travel to away games because I knew nowhere else could come close to Rocky Top.

So when the first game of the season was scheduled in Nashville, Tennessee, I had little to no choice but to pack my bags and travel to Music City. It was my last first game, after all.

Nashville, a mere three-hour drive from Knoxville, beckoned like an oasis of the unknown. As my roommates and I crossed the city limits of Nashville, the towering skyscrapers and neon signs welcomed us into new beginnings and final chapters.

Once the sun rose above the Nashville skyline casting a warm orange glow over the city, I found myself standing on the hallowed ground of Nissan Stadium, eagerly awaiting to watch the University of Tennessee Volunteers beat the University of Virginia Cavaliers.

Nissan Stadium was a sea of orange, with little to no blue, as fans from both sides gathered to support their teams. The energy was palpable as I was surrounded by a symphony of Volunteer spirit. However, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

Game day on Rocky Top is like a wellchoreographed dance, with every step

carefully planned and executed to perfection. From the Vol Walk, where the team struts through a sea of Volunteers, to the Pride of the Southland Band’s stirring pre-game show, the anticipation builds with each passing moment. And when the players run through the power T, with fireworks lighting up the sky, you can’t help but feel like a part of something bigger than yourself.

I knew I wasn’t in Neyland Stadium, but its infectious energy was all I had known. As I found my seat in Nissan Stadium, the energy surrounding me felt different. Now, don’t get me wrong, the volunteer spirit was still in the air and orange was the only color my eye could see. I just couldn’t help but wish I was back in Neyland Stadium.

Neyland Stadium has a power to it. It’s a place where strangers become friends, where rivalries are fueled and where you can feel the heartbeat of Rocky Top. It’s where I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime, where I’ve celebrated victories and endured defeats and where I’ve felt a sense of belonging like no other. While cheering on the Vols in Nissan Stadium, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of displacement. The sights and sounds were different from the spectacle of Neyland. But as the game unfolded, I felt the familiar highs and lows of college football. The thrill of a Vols touchdown was as exhilarating as ever, and the collective sighs of disappointment during a Cavaliers’ surge were equally shared among fans wearing the correct shade of orange.

As the game came to an end and the Volunteers walked away with a win, I felt a mix of emotions. I was ecstatic we crushed the Cavaliers but I also felt a longing for home. The iconic checkerboard end zones, the iconic “Rocky Top” chants and the sea of orange had become an integral part of my college experience.

Being away from the magic of Neyland Stadium for an away game in Nashville made me appreciate the unique spirit of our home turf even more. It reminded me that while away games are exciting and adventurous, there’s no place like home, no place like Neyland.

CALIE WRONA Opinions Editor

Columns

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

Tennessee plays their season opener against Virginia in Nissan Stadium. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon

Opinons Editor Calie Wrona attends the season opener in Nissan Stadium with her friends. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon

East Tennessee Maverick: Special legislative session violates free democracy

The Republican supermajority of the Tennessee General Assembly continued to showcase their preference for authoritative power over elemental democracy during the disastrous special session.

The special session, called by Gov. Bill Lee to focus on public safety in the wake of The Covenant School shooting, began on Aug. 21 and ended a little over a week later on Aug. 29. In that short period, the GOP-led state legislature banned long-accepted protest signs, silenced a minority member and refused to take up the meaningful gun reform begged for by Covenant parents.

Back in April, during the protests against the expulsion of the Tennessee Three, the Capitol was filled with hundreds of young demonstrators in a peaceful and orderly manner.

When the special session began on Aug. 21, Republican leadership radically altered the session framework. In efforts to suppress the loud voice of the people, the capacity for protesters outside the House and Senate chambers significantly decreased. Now, instead of hundreds allowed, only a couple of dozen protesters were tightly packed far away behind roped-off sections. The galleries on both sides of the House floor were also typically reserved for the public. To further restrict the public view of the House proceedings, an entire gallery on the right side was given to media personnel, leaving dozens of empty seats.

The reduced access to the work of government by Republicans was intentional and profoundly undemocratic. To avoid signs in the galleries and repeated chants in the halls, they used these tactics, enforced by the State Highway Patrol, to deter as many demonstrators as possible. This strategy attacks the right to protest for citizens of Tennessee and diminishes their ability to hold legislators accountable.

At the end of the first day, the House Republicans adopted rules that echo authoritarian methods. House leadership now has the power to block a lawmaker from speaking if they caused a disruption, spoke off-topic or impugned the reputation of another House member. Yet, Speaker Cameron Sexton alone would decide what is off-topic or disruptive, giving him sole power to call for a vote to silence a member without debate.

On Aug. 28, Democrat Rep. Justin Jones, a previously expelled member of the Tennessee Three, was silenced by the House after Speaker Sexton ruled him out of order twice. Sexton refused to clarify what had been out of order and the general definition of the phrase. There may be no definition since Sexton had recently accused Republican Rep. Gino Bulso twice out of order but did not subject his ally to a silencing vote.

This abuse of power has created unequal representation in Tennessee. Our majority conservative party is broadcasting that if you vote for the minority party, then your voice is meaningless and can easily be silenced. Democracies are defined by majority rule with strong protections for minority rights. Tennessee cannot currently be defined as a democracy in this way.

In addition, the new rules forbade protest signs to be held by members of the public from the galleries or at committee meetings. These signs, only the

size of a piece of paper or less, have been allowed at the State Capitol for years and have presented no security threat. But since Republican leadership disagrees with what parents and students write on them, signs have now been taken away. That is an unabashedly clear attack on free speech.

A member of the public is allowed to bring firearms into the Cordell Hull Building, the legislative offices connected to the Capitol, but not these signs. What has become of our government?

The American Civil Liberties Union quickly sued following the ban on signs and the Republican removal of an entire crowd from a committee meeting. Davidson County Chancellor Anne C. Martin blocked the House rule, reallowing protest signs and marking a defeat for the GOP leadership. The block was upheld a week later and was celebrated by courthouse spectators.

Every Tennessean should be disgusted by the Republican attacks on our right to

free speech, protest and representation. These terrifying actions threaten the future of Tennessee’s democracy. Similar rules restricting democratic norms will pass in the state legislative 2024 session and beyond.

Only the resistance of protesters, organizations and voters can stand in the way of the increasingly undemocratic behavior rising in our General Assembly. Choosing to stay silent and not vote is choosing to support their dangerous actions.

WALKER KINSLER Columnist

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 at UT this year studying political science and history. He can be reached at wkinsler@ vols.utk.edu

A view of the Tennessee General Assembly’s special legislative session on Aug. 21, which columnist Walker Kinsler says was inaccessible and undemocratic. Courtesy of Walker Kinsler

Jamaican player Kameron Simmonds returns to Lady Vols after World Cup

JACK CHURCH Staff Writer

Kameron Simmonds played her first minutes in the World Cup when she came off the bench against Panama in the 80th minute.

With Jamaica up a goal, manager Lorne Donaldson trusted Simmonds to help protect the 1-0 lead to earn three points that would be vital to help the nation advance to the knockout stages. The Reggae Girlz would hold onto the win, and after a draw against Brazil, Jamaica advanced to the knockout stages for the first time in history. It was just the second time Jamaica qualified for the World Cup.

But just nine days after the team’s Round of 16 loss to Colombia, Simmonds was back in the orange and white, converting a penalty for the Lady Vols in a win over Cal.

“The transition hasn’t been easy because the time change was pretty significant,” Simmonds said. “It took a toll on my body for sure.”

After appearing in 16 matches for the Lady Vols and scoring four times, Simmonds is poised for a breakout sophomore year. She was named to the SEC preseason watch list ahead of this season and is eager to prove that she was chosen to the Jamaica squad for a reason.

Playing at the NCAA level is never the end goal for any player. It certainly was not for former Tennessee forward and current Jamaica captain Khadija Shaw. Shaw scored 29 goals for the Lady Vols in two seasons, earning the honor of SEC Offensive Player of the Year in the process. After a two-year stint in France playing for Bordeaux, Shaw has become a star player for Manchester City.

Simmonds has always looked up to Shaw as both a former Lady Vol and a star center forward. When they met in the Jamaican camp, Shaw showed Simmonds what life was like at the professional level.

“Since we play the same position at the nine, (Shaw) would take me through drills that she does at Manchester City,” Simmonds said. “Those were helpful because it opened me up to what the professionals do.”

For some players, mental preparation can be just as important as physical preparation. Simmonds went from playing at the college level to playing against professionals. Playing against that level of experience can be quite daunting, especially on the world stage.

But the same player who helped Simmonds with her on-field performance helped make sure she knew she belonged.

“It’s hard coming from the college level to the international level and playing defenders that have years of experience on me,” Simmonds said. “(Shaw) helped calm me down and make me remember why I’m here and

why I was chosen.”

Another source of inspiration for Simmonds is her father. Gregory Simmonds played at the club and international level for a decade. He suited up for the Reggae Boyz in 1999.

Her father’s summer was also spent in Australia as he wanted to support his daughter during her World Cup appearances. It was not at all out of the ordinary for him, as he had been in his daughter’s corner since she started playing.

“From day one, he has helped me,” Simmonds said. “He invested so much time into myself and my brothers. He was at practices and games. He was my own coach that was there all the time.”

In just three games back with the Lady Vols, Simmonds has made an immediate

impact. After scoring against both Cal and Lipscomb, Simmonds was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Her brace against ETSU showed that she has no signs of letting up her attacking ability throughout the season.

The rest of the team has already noticed a change in Simmonds and is excited about what it will do for the team.

“She has a presence about her and a bit more decisiveness,” Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt said. “Her maturity and confidence is massive for us going forward.”

For Simmonds, the 2023 World Cup is by no means the end of the road. Simmonds wants to play at a high level in the club game and get back to the pinnacle of the sport in future years.

No matter where her future career goes,

Simmonds is still focused on her current season with the Lady Vols.

“There are a lot more eyes on me,” Simmonds said. “I do feel the pressure, but ultimately I’m just excited to continue to play for (Tennessee).”

Kameron Simmonds (9) controls the ball during a game against East Tennessee State University at Regal Soccer Stadium. Aug. 24, 2023. Cole Moore / Contributor

“Her maturity and confidence is massive for us going forward.”

Joe Kirt Tennessee Head Soccer Coach

Tennessee’s running backs live up to expectations in season opener

of those coming on the ground. He is the first running back to score four times since John Kelly in the 2017 season opener.

ing. The strength of that room can never be one guy.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jaylen Wright thought about the 2021 Music City Bowl going into No. 12 Tennessee’s season opener. Wright was stopped at the goal line by Purdue in that game on a controversial fourth-down call.

There wasn’t much stopping Wright on Saturday inside Nissan Stadium. He ran for 115 yards on 12 carries, averaging 9.6 yards a carry. Unlike 2021, Wright’s physical running helped lead the Vols (1-0) to a 49-13 win over Virginia (0-1).

“I expect to do things like that,” Wright said following the win. “You put in the work in the offseason, and when you work hard, hard work pays off. So just go out there and be detailed with everything, and everything will go right.”

Wright’s big day was part of a successful rushing attack for the Vols on Saturday. Tennessee ran for 294 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. As a group, they averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

Running back Dylan Sampson found paydirt four times on Saturday, with three

“The work we’ve been putting in since January, just coming in and getting the first-game jitters out of the way,” Sampson said. “Just go dominate with your brothers, man. That’s it, just fun. It felt like we were just playing free out there, and it was just fun.”

The third back in the trio, Jabari Small, ended the day with 67 rushing yards on 13 carries. The running back room that had a lot of preseason hype lived up to expectations on Saturday.

They also shared carries very evenly among the room, answering a big question coming into the year.

“That’s a good way to start if you’re a running back,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “All three of those guys played extremely well. Jaylen Wright, I thought ran as physical as he has. The things that we saw in training camp, I thought you saw today. Doing a good job with hitting holes, running through arm tackles, doing a good job on the third level.

“Jabari Small did a fantastic job. D. Samp gets the four touchdowns, super productive for him. I love what he’s do-

Small was one of the first players off of the sideline to greet Sampson and celebrate his touchdowns with him.

The trio of running backs is competing for snaps. Every back wants to be “the guy” or the starter. Wright was the technical starter, but every back spent a similar amount of time on the field. Sampson was the first running back off the bench.

It felt that the staff was feeling out which running backs were able to succeed in different spots. Just as the offensive line rotations were scripted, the carries likely were as well.

The three share a unique bond. Despite the ongoing competition for who gets to play the most, they share a bond like brothers.

“We help each other out. We celebrate with our brothers,” Sampson said. “Like I said previously, you never know what you have to lean on your brother. Today, sometimes they get tired, and I have to go in for them, this and that. It’s just leaning on brothers and trusting each other. But having that competition with Jabari and J. Wright, it just only makes all of us compete at our best.”

Defense shows promise in Tennessee’s season opening win over Virginia

Out of the last two recruiting classes, it was sophomore defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. that got things running early for the Vols in the LEO position.

For a team known largely for its offense, Tennessee football went out and put on a defensive clinic in Nashville to defeat Virginia 49-13. The defense allowed just 201 yards while picking up four sacks to go with 11 tackles-for-loss.

It should be noted that the Cavs were a team that returned just three starters to an already subpar offense, but the point still stands. While the offense was working out the kinks of a new season, Tennessee leaned on its defense early to let the offensive machine warm up.

The Vols’ defense was finding a way to get off the field early in possession even when the drives began close to or in their own territory.

“We just play ball no matter where they are on the field,” senior linebacker Aaron Beasley said. “Our biggest thing is to get off the field, so that was the main thing we focused on.”

Last season, it seemed that the only way that the Vols were getting off the field was by forcing a turnover. However, the defense on Saturday shut Virginia down without forcing a single turnover. Though any de-

fense would like to have a takeaway, it’s a promising sign that they found other ways to get off the field.

The issues on that end of the ball during Heupel’s first two years can be denoted to simply a lack of bodies, specifically in the secondary. Heupel and his staff made it a point to attack the issue head on by adding depth.

“We were extremely thin. We tried to patch it with some transfers,” Heupel said.

“The guys that we brought in the last two (recruiting) cycles, I think have done a really good job of helping patch our roster. We have more depth. We got really good coaches that do a great job at developing those guys, fundamentally. And our guys have bought into how to compete on every single snap and so you put scheme, coaching, physical development in the weight room and depth and allows us to be more aggressive on that side of football.”

On the Cavs’ second drive, Pearce stuffed a run on third down for no gain. In the following two drives, he had a quarterback hurry, as well as back-to-back third-down sacks. Pearce was involved in nearly every impact play that the defense made.

“I am honestly not surprised at all about what he did,” redshirt senior defensive back Wesley Walker said. “In the offseason, he made huge jumps both with his character and physically. His body has changed. He’s like a man-child out there. He’s got so many abilities, so I wasn’t surprised at all. I am just going to keep encouraging him to keep going and not be satisfied. Keep going because we got stuff we got to do.”

As for other impact players on Tennessee’s defense, Tyler Baron had a pair of sacks while Beasley and corner Kamal Hadden each had a pair of pass breakups.

The Vols will surely face tougher, more experienced offenses as the year goes on, but the improvement that they showed on Saturday was nothing to dismiss. As a bottom-five pass defense last year in terms of yards allowed per game, 2023 is looking much better for Tennessee.

ERIC WOODS Assistant Sports Editor

CALEB JARREAU Sports Editor

Davy Crockett waves the flag during pregame festivities ahead of Tennessee’s matchup with Virginia. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

Dylan Sampson (6) runs against Virginia in Nissan Stadium. Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon

Vols to wear new Smokey Grey uniforms

ALEX SARKIS Contributor

Tennessee football will be wearing the newest installment of the Nike Smokey Grey uniforms when they take on Austin Peay on Saturday. The “Artful Dodger” variation of the Smokey Grey series will pay homage to Condredge Holloway.

Holloway, who was known as the “Artful Dodger,” serves as part of the inspiration for the new look. Holloway was quarterback for the Vols during the 1971-74 seasons. He made history as the first African American to start at the position in SEC history. When the Vols take the field on Saturday, it will be 51 years to the day that Holloway made his first start.

Holloway made this first start in 1972 against Georgia Tech. From there, he went on to lead Tennessee to three bowl appearances during his tenure, throwing for 3,102 yards and running for 966 yards overall. His rushing threat gained him the “Artful Dodger” nickname.

“Pretty special opportunity to honor a great legacy, somebody that meant so much through who he is, his character, how he handled himself here and post-playing career, as well,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “And the legacy that he’s left behind, like all of the guys that have statues and are honored outside of our stadium. It’s an awesome way to honor their legacy.”

Holloway was not only a standout on the gridiron, but also on the baseball diamond. He holds the Vols’ hitting streak record at a whopping 27 games. He led the SEC in batting average in 1975, earning him a firstteam All-American honor.

Holloway was eventually chosen as a defensive back with the 306th pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He decided to take his talents elsewhere to the Canadian Football League (CFL), where he is enshrined in the League’s Hall of Fame.

“When we arrived on Rocky Top, one of our primary goals was to honor our storied tradition with a modern twist,” athletics director Danny White said in a release. “This year’s Smokey Grey uniform does just that; it pays homage to a Tennessee legend and the first African American quarterback in the SEC, Condredge Holloway, but is a modern look for our current student-athletes.”

These uniforms do just that as they feature a signature look of the Holloway-era teams. The orange shoulders, outlined numbers, grey face mask and thin double striping on the pants all bring about a retro look.

One of the more modern elements includes an all-grey helmet that faintly features the silhouette of the Great Smoky

Football PICK ‘EM

Austin Peay 7 vs. Tennessee 66

Ole Miss vs. Tulane

Texas vs. Alabama

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Austin Peay 10 vs. Tennessee 56

Ole Miss vs. Tulane

Texas vs. Alabama

Texas A&M vs. Miami

Mountains — a feature that was also present in last year’s variation.

Photos released by the team show Joe Milton modeling the uniform on-field in Neyland Stadium. Milton’s No. 7 echoes the same jersey number Holloway wore with the Vols. Milton and Holloway can also be seen sitting beside one another in the locker room.

“I think it means a lot, especially as a black student-athlete,” McCoy said. “You get to look back to the first black quarterback to play at Tennessee. It’s nice to be here in 2023, and we’re commending something that happened such a long time ago. It means a lot. It’s a special thing especially for the first home game in Neyland to get to represent that. I’m excited.”

Saturday will be the first time the Vols have worn a variation of the Smokey Grey uniforms since their victory on the road last season at LSU. Their all-time record in the uniform is 4-1.

Iowa State vs. Iowa

Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt

Auburn vs. Cal

Austin Peay 3 vs. Tennessee 63

Ole Miss vs. Tulane

Texas vs. Alabama

Texas A&M vs. Miami

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Austin Peay 14 vs. Tennessee 56

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Texas vs. Alabama

Texas A&M vs. Miami

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Texas vs. Alabama

Texas A&M vs. Miami

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Tanner Johnson Staff Writer (4-3)

Jack Church Staff Writer (4-3)

Eric Woods AssT. Sports Editor (2-5)

Bella Hughes Managing Editor (3-4)

Madeline McNeely Contributor (4-3)

Tennessee football’s new uniforms honor the career of Condredge Holloway, the first African American to start as quarterback in the SEC. Courtesy of University of Tennessee Athletics