Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Volume 140, Issue 4 Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

Photo by Sarah Rainey / The Daily Beacon

Vol Dining scrambles to hire as staff shortages lead to odd hours, food insecurity LEXIE MARTIN Contributor On any given day, students might grab a quick bite from one of the POD markets or from one of the Chick-Fil-A locations on campus in between classes.

Recently, however, it has been much harder.

Lines are long and some locations only have two or three people working. Another issue that some students have had is time related.

On the dining website, it will show a location closing at one time, but students arrive and the location would have closed a couple of hours earlier. And by the time someone is able to order, there might not be certain food items.

So, what’s going on with dining this semester?

Vol Dining does seem to have a plan in place, as there are hiring fairs going on every single day in PCB from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. In the fairs, students can submit their applications in the building and have their interview before they leave.

According to Mary Peterson, the senior district marketing manager of Aramark, they are hiring as quickly as possible and they are hiring at least 10 people a day. With the hiring of more people, this will allow dining locations to extend their hours and this will make grabbing food easier for faculty and students.

They are also looking into hiring people

from the Knoxville community and have been advertising via Handshake and other jobbased platforms, such as Indeed.

Patterson also suggested that students “refresh their browser” when it comes to location hours as they do try to keep the hours of operation as updated as possible in real time.

Dining has also changed the starting pay from $11 an hour to $13 an hour, and they are advertising and marketing heavily all over campus so that they can get the attention of students.

They are also working on increasing POD and Grab-and-Go deliveries a few different times a week to keep up with demands and to make sure they are fully stocked as much as possible.

Last Friday, they provided food trucks on campus. Big-O-BBQ was near Brown and Hess Hall and Bayou Bites was at Burchfield. These food trucks will also be available periodically on campus.

“Food trucks are now on campus and accept Dining Dollars, Flex Plan and Vol Card Dollars,” Patterson said. “We have added a Meal Swipe option for lunch and dinner at the national brands and introduced Good Uncle in the POD Markets.”

Chris Cimino, the senior vice chancellor

for finance and administration, said that dining will be adding a “full meal deal” as well as some extra dining dollars in hopes that it can help some students grab a meal at all retail locations.

“We are offering a full meal deal by allowing students to use a meal swipe at all retail locations so students get more for their plans,” Cimino said in an email to the UT community.

“This will enhance the traditional meal equivalency program. In addition, we will be giving each meal plan holder an additional $300 in bonus Dining Dollars, and each flex plan holder and additional $50 in bonus Dining Dollars.”

For people with food allergies, one of the changes on campus is the new True Balance location in dining halls, which doesn’t have eight of the major food allergens on its menu. Taylor Koenigs is the Vol Dining dietitian, and she is able to meet with students one-on-one and give them a tour of the True Balance location.

While everyone uses the different dining facilities on campus, the group that is hurting the most from the lack of dining availability is freshmen. Fewer upperclassmen have meal plans or live on campus, so freshmen are more directly affected by the dining issues.

Aarushi Khanna, a sophomore majoring in

microbiology, reiterated this by saying that she and most of her friends aren’t affected by this but she has some friends that it affects.

“They’re okay,” Khanna said, “I mean it does affect them since they can’t go to Stokely, and PCB is kinda far.”

Most students seem to go to the dining locations that are closer to them, as Khanna suggested, so another downfall with dining right now is that many students may have to go out of their way to grab food for lunch or dinner or may have to resort to going on the Strip later that day and delaying meals.

Patterson also suggested that students follow Vol Dining on social media to get updates.

“I would recommend that students and the campus community follow us on our social media sites @voldining. We will be making announcements on these sites as well as updating our website, ut.campusdish.com,” Patterson said.

Students are hopeful that dining will be back to normal sooner rather than later and that these changes will be seen once more people are hired on.

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CAMPUS NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

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UT’s Pride Center opens new location in Student Union CULLEN MCCURRY Contributor

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Members of UT’s Pride Center carry a large LGBTQ+ flag down Gay Street in 2019.

File / The Daily Beacon On Friday, Aug. 20, the University of Tennessee Pride Center opened the doors to their new location in the Student Union. The Pride Center is an LGBTQ+ resource center that has provided a safe space for queer students throughout the past decade.

Initially launched as the OUTreach: LGBT & Ally Resource Center, Donna Braquet served as the coordinator of the Pride Center until 2016, when funding was halted and the organization was no longer considered a part of the university.

Because of the activism of UT students and alumni, including fundraisers, walkouts and marches, the center returned shortly thereafter with Bonnie Johnson as the new coordinator. In 2019, the center again received funding from the university and has since continued to flourish.

Bonnie Johnson describes the center as “a physical community space where people can hang out, but we also host a variety of programming that’s community-building, educational and everything in between.”

Seeking to connect, educate, and empower LGBTQ+ students and allies, the Pride Center offers discussion groups, reading groups and peer mentoring programs, along with plenty of online resources to help queer students with the hardships that come along with being a member of a marginalized community.

One aspect of the center that Johnson highlights is the availability of complementary “swag” that allows students to express their pride.

“Being able to proudly show your identity whether it be through a pin, a bracelet, a sticker, I think would be so important to students,” Johnson said.

The new location in the Student Union makes the Pride Center more central to students, pro

viding them with the opportunity to stop by whenever they feel compelled. Previously located in Melrose Hall, the Pride Center can now be found at Suite 373 in the new Student Union.

A welcoming space complete with a lounging area, kitchenette and several offices, the center gives students a place to socialize with like-minded people, grab a coffee or seek out

For any students who are feeling isolated or like they don’t fit in, I encourage them to stop by the Pride Center.”

BONNIE JOHNSON PRIDE CENTER COORDINATOR

resources. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and students are welcome to stop by any time during those hours.

In the center, students can find informational fliers from various organizations about some of Knoxville’s best queer resources, including the UT gender clinic, LGBTQ+ affirming religious spaces and counseling services. The center also offers a lending library, where students can rent books or games, in addition to complimentary pins and badges that allow students to visibly express their pride.

The welcoming environment in the center is almost tangible in the room. At the open house, it was clear that students were glad to have a space where they could freely express themselves without the judgment of others.

“For any students who are feeling isolated or like they don’t fit in, I encourage them to stop by the Pride Center,” Johnson said. “Even over the past few weeks we’ve had students come in and make their new best friends.”

New and returning students were enthusiastic about the inclusion and support at the center’s new location. Lillie Duffy, a freshman at the university, explained the difficulty of finding community in a new place.

“The main reason I’m here is looking for queer community,” Duffy said. “It can be really hard to meet straight people who can relate to you in the same ways that other queer people can.”

Duffy additionally expressed an interest in their peer mentoring program, highlighting their intentions to “let you see older people who are a good example and are doing the best in their field, while being queer at the same time.”

UT sophomore Vladimira Conrad reflected on the progress that the university has made over the past decade.

“Professors having their pronouns in their descriptions is really assuring, and reminds you that it is a safe space,” Conrad said.

Conrad and others believe that small actions like these can show allyship in subtle ways and make queer students feel more comfortable on campus.

The Pride Center can be supported through signing up for their newsletter, attending events or simply by stopping by and interacting with the local LGBTQ+ community on campus.

CAMPUS NEWS

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • The Daily Beacon

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Faculty prepared to move classes online, but hope to keep students in-person ALLISON PADOVANI Contributor

After enduring a year of Zoom breakout sessions and trigger-happy mute buttons, students returned to campus this semester with the promise of in-person classes — and as of now, it appears that the university intends to keep this promise.

With last week’s expansion of the campus mask mandate to include all indoor spaces, students wondered if this indicated a worsening of COVID-19 case numbers and a possibility of returning to virtual schooling.

According to data monitoring on UT’s COVID-19 website, the number of active COVID-19 cases on campus has been leveling off after an initial rise, and the number of new cases is declining.

On paper, it appears that the university is cresting the initial surge of infections that resulted from students returning to campus. However, the accuracy of UT’s COVID-19 data is subject to question.

In surrounding Knox County, COVID-19 case rates have been on a steady increase since the start of August with no indication of leveling off. It’s also possible that

COVID-19 infections on campus are being significantly underreported, as students are expected to self-report.

Theresa Lee, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, believes that lower case rates on campus could be attributable to higher vaccination rates on campus as compared to Knox County. However, because the university is not tracking rates of vaccination on campus, the university is neither able to confirm nor deny this speculation with data.

Lee emphasized that if students want classes to stay in-person, they should protect themselves from the virus.

“Best thing students can do is get vaccinated and wear a mask when you are indoors or in dense crowds,” Lee said. “That is the best thing students can do — stay healthy.”

Regardless of current infection numbers, the university shows no indication of returning classes to a virtual format. Terry Higgins, lecturer in the Haslam College of Business, expressed a desire to keep classes in-person for as long as possible.

“We have an experience here at UT, and the goal is to keep that intact,” Higgins said.

Rather than ping-ponging between online and in-person classes, the university hopes to maintain consistency throughout the semester — for the benefit of both stu-

dents and instructors.

Inevitably, situations arise in which instructors must quarantine or miss class for other reasons related to COVID-19. In those cases, Higgins explains that department heads work with those instructors to assess all options on the table, with the goal being to maintain the in-person format of the class.

The university also acknowledges that student attendance is being impacted by the pandemic — which is why instructors have been asked to remain flexible with their attendance policies.

As noted by Emily Landry, a professor in both the Haslam College of Business as well as the Department of Sociology, faculty are attempting to make this semester less stressful for students while still offering inperson instruction.

“My approach to teaching right now is to keep a human face on everything we’re doing and not penalize students for the stress and the very real circumstances they could be facing,” Landry said.

Although instructors have not received indication that classes might be moved back online, most are prepared to make the transition at a moment’s notice.

“I’ve prepared my classes to go online at any point,” Landry said. “I can do that if I

have to.”

It’s also not within the power of individual instructors to decide whether or not to hold their classes in-person. A small number of instructors have attempted to move their classes online without departmental approval, and as a result, are receiving complaints from parents and blowback from departmental heads.

“It’s being dictated that we’re not moving classes online,” Landry said. “We’re being encouraged to be creative in minimizing contact.”

Landry appreciates the freedom that the university has given to instructors to be creative with their classroom policies. However, it also burdens instructors with the task of continually reevaluating the costs and benefits of their classroom approaches.

This story will continue to evolve, but as of now, the university remains committed to maintaining the in-person format of its classes. Their goals are clear: maintain consistency throughout the semester for its students and staff, and provide a classroom experience that is more enriching than what Zoom can provide.

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CAMPUS NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

‘Horror movie-like’: Students relocated to Aspen Heights discover undesirable living conditions ABBY ANN RAMSEY Contributor

With a total of more than 31,000 students enrolled at UT this year, the university welcomed a record number of students to campus.

Over 5,900 undergraduate first-year students started their college career on Rocky Top this year, a 23% increase in freshman enrollment since 2016, according to UT’s website.

This increase in student population has brought challenges to the university, as staff is forced to find a way to accommodate all students. The most obvious challenge is on-campus housing for students of all grades because the current campus living spaces cannot physically house everyone who requested housing.

In order to compensate for the lack of housing for students, University Housing converted common space areas into dorm rooms. Richard Swearingen, Associate Director of University Housing, expressed that this space is used more frequently to house students than people expect.

“The conversion of common room space is often utilized to accommodate high demand at the start of an academic year,” Swearingen said.

Upon realizing space would still be limited, however, senior University Housing and Student Life staff collaborated with Enrollment Management Leadership and ultimately decided to use off-campus housing for students.

The university contracted with Aspen Heights apartments mid-summer to house students. They selected this property because of its number of available apartments and its proximity to campus. Some upperclassmen were notified that they had the opportunity to move their housing assignment to Aspen Heights.

When sophomore computer science student Nadia Tippett was notified about this decision, she experienced some confusion and hesitation when trying to choose what to do about her housing arrangement.

“They didn’t really give us a lot of information,” Tippett said. “They just sent out a pretty vague email saying, ‘hey if you want to move, you can move, and if you decide you don’t want to move, we can take administrative authority and make you move if we need the space.’ It was a little scary at first cause I didn’t wanna say no just for the university to move me anyways.”

Upon looking at the apartment complex’s website, Tippett decided to go ahead and alter her housing plans to avoid being moved later in the semester. Aspen Heights, however, has not been exactly how she imagined it to be.

Aspen Heights advertises brand new apartments, top of the line appliances and more amenities than a student could possibly imag-

ine.

According to Tippett, the apartment itself is adequate and nice. It’s the management and communication, however, that might be the root of some of the issues occurring at the complex.

In fact, when trying to call the maintenance department hotline, only students with AT&T as their service provider can get through to an employee without losing service.

Students who were relocated to the Aspen Heights apartments due to lack of space in campus housing report trash collecting in the hallways, dog waste in stairwells, damaged elevators and other signs of neglect.

Courtesy of Gia Albert “Aspen management is definitely not the best,” Tippett said. “Half the time, they don’t give any answers.”

Sophomore psychology student Gia Albert has also faced issues with Aspen’s lack of communication.

“We have a UT representative who works here, but there’s only one and he told us that whenever we first moved in that the Aspen people hadn’t even put him on the emailing list for all the important stuff,” Albert said.

Information about the details of the complex and the apartments themselves was nearly impossible to find for UT students who had to prepare quickly. Tippett says she tried to contact Aspen Management through Facebook in lieu of UT providing information.

“I literally had to reach out to them on Messenger and ask them what the size of the beds were because I had no idea cause they didn’t give us any information,” Tippett said. “UT didn’t give us any information.”

Outside of the issues with Aspen’s communication, students seem to have issues with the cleanliness and damage in the building.

The building uses a “trash valet” system where each apartment is allotted two trash

bags before the trash pickup time, and if they produce more trash than that, they are supposed to pay a fine. It seems, however, that a lot of the trash is not being picked up in the first place.

“It was definitely a shock when we first moved in because I was promised all these amazing things on their website only to find out it smells, there’s garbage that has just never been taken out, there has been garbage that has been kicked open by people that has been strewn across the floor, puppy pads that have been left in the hallways — all kinds of safety and health code issues that are just not being addressed,” Tippett said.

“On the hallway that I live in, we literally have food all over the floors... Some people let their dogs poop in the stairwells,” Albert said.

Besides the trash, there is also destruction throughout the building that makes it less than appealing for residents. The hallway walls have black footprints and scuffs of them, and one of the elevator’s panels is dented in and is missing the ‘up’ button. This was then replaced with a drawing of an arrow in sharpie.

“It seems very horror movie-like almost whenever you’re walking to your apartment,” Tippett said.

When Tippett moved into her apartment, she noticed popcorn spread everywhere throughout the unit, dented metal barstools and unclean garbage receptacles.

“Our trash cans were never cleaned out before we first moved in,” Tippett said. “There were liquids that looked like something had decomposed inside of them.”

The trash was picked up last Wednesday amidst numerous complaints. Most students were unsure of how they could even complain.

“It’s just really suspicious because the people who are supposed to be the property managers don’t have an email listed anywhere, so every time we complain about the trash ev-

erywhere and all this other stuff, nobody says anything,” Albert said. “I guess something worked, I don’t know, but it was a mess.”

It seems very horror movie-like almost whenever you’re walking into your apartment.

NADIA TIPPETT UTK STUDENT

Aspen Heights declined to comment on the claims made by residents.

The situation has caused some concern with both the apartment complex and the university’s handling of the situation.

“I was telling my parents and they were like ... ‘if the school is the one making you live here, then this shouldn’t be happening,’” Albert said.

One perk of the whole situation is the price of the apartments, which are newer and higher quality than the ones in Laurel Hall.

“Students in Aspen Heights and converted residence hall rooms pay a comparable rate consistent with the University Housing rate structure,” Swearingen said.

Despite the issues with the management at Aspen and the cleanliness of the building itself, students do admit that the apartments themselves are quite nice, and they are grateful to get a discounted rate on behalf of the university.

“I feel like it’s one of those things that just depends on what matters more to you,” Albert said. “But I feel like it could be better.”

Students who were relocated from Laurel Hall to Aspen Heights were under the impression that they had little choice in the matter and were quickly disappointed with the state of their new homes and had many questions that they could not find answers to. It is clear that so far, the fall semester has been drastically different from what these students expected before being relocated.

“A lot of people at Aspen had their hopes up, and a lot of them are pretty disappointed in what they found,” Tippett said.

STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Courtesy of Gia Albert

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6

NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

UT ranked 13th best drama school in the world, ahead of Columbia and Northwestern KEENAN THOMAS Staff Writer

The Hollywood Reporter ranked the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as one of the top 25 drama schools in the world, placing it before artistic powerhouses including Columbia University, Northwestern University and the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Australia.

The ranking includes both the undergraduate program in theatre and the graduate program in acting, which operates within the department of theatre. This specific program works to provide graduate students with a master in fine arts in theatre acting. The Hollywood Reporter ranked the program_13th overall_ (https://www.hollywoodreporter. com/lists/25-best-drama-schools-ranked/ university-of-tennessee-knoxville-tn/) in their list, calling it a “Southern jewel of a program” — marking the fourth year the program has been featured on the list.

Associate professor of theatre Jed Diamond has acted as head of the master in fine arts in acting since his hiring in 2005. Diamond spoke about the ranking in The Hollywood Reporter.

“It is rewarding for all the work of our department, faculty and graduates to be recognized nationally and internationally,” Dia-

mond said. “It helps us to be more recognized and valued here at UT, and it is very important for recruiting strong talent to a small regional program. It helps us to compete for talent with schools in major markets like NY, Chicago and LA.” Diamond mostly talked about the masters in fine arts (MFA) in acting program since The Hollywood Reporter list is the only one that covers masters in fine arts in acting along with bachelor’s programs. But, he did mention that UT has “an excellent bachelor’s program in theatre, in which students can major for a general theatre degree, or a concentration in performance, design/tech in lighting, scenic, costumes or sound and media.”

Diamond discussed why UT’s program is among some of the best in the country, along with why the field is so competitive.

“We have world class MFA programs in acting and design,” Diamond said. “In acting, we typically audition and interview 8001000 candidates in NY, Chicago, San Francisco and Knoxville, to pick a final eight every other year.”

“It is highly competitive and the training is rigorous. The presence of the Clarence Brown Theatre makes it one of fewer than a dozen U.S. programs with a LORT (League of Resident Theatres) regional professional theatre fully integrated with the training curriculum.

We also have one of the strongest financial assistance packages for our graduates, who are generally able to graduate debt-free,” Diamond said.

Along with that, Diamond mentioned notable alumni, most of which have gone on to work on Broadway, television shows and other

top programs. A few that Diamond mentioned include Conrad Ricamora, Sally Wood and Matt Bassett.

The interior of the Clarence Brown Theatre, which has been instrumental in helping UT achieve a high ranking for its theatre programs. Courtesy of Clarence Brown Theatre

CJ’s Tacos celebrates innovation, inspiration in brick-and-mortar location ELLIE MILLIKAN Contributor

Chris Jones, otherwise known as CJ, was just a kid with a passion for cooking and playing basketball. So, how does a kid from Saginaw, Michigan, end up in Knoxville, TN? The answer is tacos.

According to CJ, he grew up in a rough area in Michigan. His dad was a chef and food was a joy in his life, so he was inspired to cook from a young age. He was in the kitchen at just six years old, and by the time he was 16 he was making full Thanksgiving meals. Through his biggest passions, food and sports, he was able to go to college and make a living.

CJ spoke about his experiences growing up in Michigan and his path to opening CJ’s Tacos.

“I actually come from a place called Saginaw, Michigan, and I know it sounds like an odd area for a taco lover, but that specific area is where I learned to pan fry all our tortillas that we make now,” Jones said.

The pan-fried tortillas are, in CJ’s mind, what makes CJ’s Tacos so successful. According to CJ, no one has tacos like this in Knoxville.

CJ spoke about his experience coming to Knoxville from Michigan, which began with

basketball.

“Man, that is a crazy, crazy long story. I played basketball in college in Michigan. One of my old coaches moved to Knoxville, so when I got done playing my freshman year, he asked me to move to Knoxville for the summer and train with him,” Jones said.

CJ found himself enjoying living in Knoxville and saw an opportunity to bring tacos to the city, so he started CJ’s Tacos when he was 25 years old and ready to be his own boss.

“It kind of dawned on me I did not want to continue to work for somebody, I was super depressed, and I just wanted to find a way out.

I always knew tacos, especially how I made them, would be really appealing to other people,” Jones said.

CJ’s Tacos got its start in Aug. 2017 in a tent at the TN Valley fair. He was not prepared for a 10-day event, but he had awesome feedback.

Then he met his business partner, who owns the Embassy Suites and was able to help CJ get a food truck in Feb. 2018. Now, he has two food trucks and a restaurant on Market Square in the Embassy Suites downtown.

CJ shared his advice for anyone with a dream who’s wanting to start something.

“If you have an idea and you have a goal, if you actually pursue it, you believe in yourself, you can do it. Take a risk if it is on yourself. If

you invest your time and own money, you will work harder and go harder than you’ve ever gone in your life,” Jones said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, CJ opened this location with his now fiancée, Casey Ford.

A Knoxville native, Ford is also the manager for the restaurant. The two met in 2015, and together they spoke about their relationship through the years.

CJ and Ford were in a long distance relationship for a couple of years when Ford was in Atlanta, but when CJ’s Tacos was growing, CJ needed her to lean on, and he needed a man-

ager for the restaurant, according to the couple.

“If we were going to do this thing together, then I had to come back,” Ford said.

CJ and Ford hope to open even more businesses in the future, but for now, their main goals are to continue growing CJ’s Tacos and get married.

Head down to Gay St. and be sure to try CJ’s favorite tacos: the Korean BBQ pork, chicken and the Steak Supreme.

CJ’s Tacos truck on Gay Street, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, outside the brick and mortar CJ’s Tacos restaurant located in Market Square. Alexandra Long / Contributor

CITY NEWS

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • The Daily Beacon

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New Fruit Jar Alley store opens in Market Square KEENAN THOMAS AND JACKSON BARBER Staff Writer, Contributor Fruit Jar Alley opened a new location in Knoxville near the end of June.

Fruit Jar Alley is a family-owned clothes and items store with two other locations in Newport and Pigeon Forge. They opened their new location in Market Square on June 26 and held a grand opening for the store on Aug. 20.

Owner Allison Manes opened the first Fruit Jar Alley in her hometown of Newport, Tennessee. She started the business to help revitalize Newport before expanding into other areas in Tennessee. She also started the business with her husband Eric Manes, otherwise known as “Digger” from “Moonshiners,” who helps bring in business to the original store.

Manes discussed how they came up with the name for the store. She named the store after a notorious alley from her youth that had several bars that are no longer vacated.

“The concept of Fruit Jar Alley was to turn something that wasn’t very good into something that was great,” Manes said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Manes mentioned that the stores were surprisingly successful, which allowed them to open this new loca-

tion in Knoxville.

“We grew during the pandemic,” Manes said.

“We had about a 30% increase. Well I opened Pigeon Forge (store) during the pandemic. We did open during 2020. And this one, of course, I just opened in 2021. So we’re growing through the pandemic.”

The store offers a wide variety of products both online and in its retail locations in Knoxville, Pigeon Forge and Newport. The store is marketed as a boutique but features a diverse set of goods that go far beyond a traditional boutique.

“We sell everything in this store, from soap to dish towels to clothing,” Manes said.

The shop takes pride in its variety, not only offering a large selection of clothing, jewelry and home goods, but keeping its stock updated with unique changes every other week. Fruit Jar Alley also offers seasonal items around holidays, and occasionally, features products from local artists and artisans.

Full time employee Aubrey Stamey commented on the items they sell in-store.

“You can really come in and find anything for really anyone,” Stamey said. “It’s not just geared towards college aged girls, like most of the places here on Market Square downtown. You can find clothes for your mom, your grandma, your sister, anyone. And then, we have some guy stuff too.”

Affordability is another important cornerstone of Manes’ business, as her stores provide quality accessories and clothing for a reasonable price. The store sells various decorative items such as pillows, towels and charcuterie boards, in addition to a variety of Tennessee-oriented paraphernalia and merchandise.

“It’s easy to be a buyer and just walk in and buy the best, but everybody can’t afford the best,” Manes said. “But you want as close to the best you can for a very reasonable price. That takes a little effort. I do work very hard as a buyer to make sure that I can provide that. And I think that’s truly what sets us apart.”

Fruit Jar Alley also has their names on lines of coffee, water and candles, establishing themMarket Square welcomed new retailer, Fruit Jar selves as a merchant of many different types of Alley, to the community - Wednesday Aug. 25, products. There is also a website where custom2021. Alexander Long / The Daily Beacon ers can purchase many of the products offered at the retail locations, but it’s not their main focus.

“We’ve been very well received in Knoxville,” Manes decided to open a new Fruit Jar Alley Manes said. “Knoxville has been very good to us in Knoxville because of the time she spent in the as far as the community outreach and welcoming city when she attended the University of Tennesus in and nice publicity.” see. She reflected on her previous time, working at different boutiques before she moved back to Newport.

Manes said that they have felt welcomed in STORY CONTINUED ONLINE Knoxville since they opened over two months Read more at utdailybeacon.com ago.

CITY NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Parents debate mask mandate in Knox County schools ABBY ANN RAMSEY Contributor

As COVID-19 cases skyrocket to higher than they’ve ever been in Knox County Schools, the debate over whether or not students and teachers should be required to wear masks has become more charged.

After an emergency Board of Education meeting on Wednesday where citizens voiced their opinion on the matter and dozens protested outside the Andrew Johnson building, the board voted 5-4 against a mask mandate in schools.

Although COVID-19 has been an issue at these schools for over a year, pro-mask parents have recently become more concerned with how the school system is handling the matter.

A Facebook group entitled “Knox Parents Against Covid” has garnered 4,000 members who post regularly about their children’s experiences at school and how they want Knox County to proceed going forward. Many other Facebook groups specific to individual schools and grades exist to do their best to organize contact tracing, since the school system was not informing students of exposure.

Christine Parker, an engineer with a firstgrader in Knox County Schools, claims that she has relied almost solely on Facebook groups to try to figure out if their family has been exposed.

Her daughter contracted COVID-19 during her second week of school.

“She barely had symptoms, and I almost let her go to school,” Parker said. “I just happened to find out there was a mother that had posted, ‘hey, my daughter is in this class, and she tested positive.’”

Outside of the issue of notification of exposure, parents are generally concerned about sending their children to school when there are few precautions being taken by other students or teachers.

Alexandria Brown, an administrative assistant at UT and a graduate student working on her Master’s in sociology, also has a child in school with Knox County and has experienced

the damage of COVID-19 firsthand. Losing her stepdad’s sister to COVID-19 and not being able to see her father-in-law before he lost his life to cancer has caused her to be extra sensitive to how the situation is being handled.

“COVID(-19)’s taken a lot from people in a variety of ways, so it seems very callous to me that we wouldn’t be doing everything that we could to make sure that we can move past this pandemic,” Brown said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, both pro-mask and anti-mask parents and Knoxville residents stood on Gay Street holding up signs telling of their stance on the issue. One person’s sign read “we breathe oxygen — not carbon dioxide,” while another nearby read, “board members can be replaced, children’s lives cannot.”

Deborah, a housekeeper, does not have children in Knox County Schools but showed up for the meeting so that she could stand up for people who she felt were being robbed of their constitutional rights.

“I love God, I love our constitution, I love people and we need to not lose our constitutional freedoms,” Deborah said. “We’ve been a beacon to so many countries. ‘Give me liberty or give me death’ just like Patrick Henry said.”

Agreeing with Deborah’s stance on liberty, John David Whitehead, who works in firearms in Knoxville, stated that he felt the issue had gotten out of hand and that there is no reason for people to sacrifice their freedom for the situation.

“For the teachers — the ones who are afraid to come down here and say, ‘I can’t do this, I really struggle with this, this is a problem for me, this is a religious issue for me,’” Whitehead said. “Their religious liberty and their civic liberty is the purpose and the meaning behind their choice and the threat of them not doing it ... there is no evidence that there is any threat, so we’re giving up liberty for what? Not a damn thing.”

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2021

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Josh Lane Sports Editor Tennessee (14) vs. Pittsburg (17) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

Ethan Stone Assistant Sports Tennessee (21) vs. Pittsburg (24) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

Sarah Rainey Editor-in-Chief Tennessee (32) vs. Pittsburg (21) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

Jake Yoder Managing Editor Tennessee (28) vs. Pittsburg (14) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

Caleigh Rozmenoski Copy Chief Tennessee (32) vs. Pittsburg (14) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

Alexandra Ashmore Photo Editor

Protestors in downtown Knoxville near Market Square voicing dissent toward Knoxville’s lack of a mask mandate. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon

Tennessee (35) vs. Pittsburg (28) Oregon vs. Ohio State Iowa vs. Iowa State Texas vs. Arkansas Washington vs. Michigan Vanderbilt vs. Colorado State Utah vs. BYU

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Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • The Daily Beacon

9

Beacon Beats: Kanye West’s ‘Donda,’ a dedication to West’s mother KEENAN THOMAS Staff Writer After over a year since it was announced, three listening parties and hardly any information, Kanye West’s “Donda” was finally released on Aug. 29.

“Donda” is Kanye’s 10th studio album following the similarly tumultuous release of “Jesus is King” in 2019. It’s dedicated to Kanye’s mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007. It’s 23 songs long, with four additional tracks that are second parts to other songs on the album, but with different features on them. In total, the album is one hour and 49 minutes in length.

“Donda” is Kanye’s largest release to date, bringing forward Kanye at his best, worst and most extravagant. Overall, the good parts echo past the bad, culminating in some of the best music that Kanye has released in a long time.

To address the main elephant in the room, this record is huge. It’s among Kanye’s most grandiose and biggest projects that he’s ever released, filled with features, producers and long songs.

On that note, it’s almost too much at times, at worst feeling bloated and a marathon to

finish. There could have been a few songs cut from the record to trim some of the fat.

However, there’s an inherent joy to having an artist release such a large project, especially when most of the problems exist as moments within songs instead of the full songs themselves. There are a few strange production choices, vocal arrangements and song lengths throughout the album, leaving it feeling sporadic at times, not unlike “The Life of Pablo.” For example, the choir cuts too quickly in “Hurricane,” which is an otherwise perfect song.

But there wasn’t a song that was clearly bad, except for maybe “Jail, Pt. 2” for reasons that won’t be stated here — let’s just say some terrible people are on that song. If anything, you could skip the last four and be fine — except for maybe “Ok Ok, Pt. 2,” which is great — as well as any songs you don’t like out of personal preference. Basically, this album is perfect for chopping into an 11 song playlist.

That being said, the rest of the album is filled with some stellar production at times and some of Kanye’s best songs, pulling influences from all over his discography. This album is heavily Gospel infused, with incredible organs, beautiful choirs and even some droning chants. It blends into the drums, bass and synths used throughout the album.

Despite the large nature of the album, it feels stripped back, creating a sparser quality to the instruments. Ultimately, this helps the album, as it makes everything feel heavy, gripping and purposeful. There is something to latch onto within each song, leaving a lasting impact while feeling weighty.

It allows for some truly stellar moments on the album. The synth riff in “Off the Grid,” the “Graduation” synth beat on “New Again” and the organ on “Pure Souls” are a few standout moments in that regard. Typical for a Kanye album, there are several samples that are interspersed throughout the album, some of them leaving a confused and sour taste.

But for every Globglogabgalab feature at the end of “Remote Control,” there’s a sample that hits just right. This manifests in the perfect usage of a Lauryn Hill sample on “Believe What I Say.” It is used with a dance beat while Kanye sings about love and worry.

It feels straight off of “808s and Heartbreak” and is the best song on the album.

Speaking of vocals, this album features some of Kanye’s best rapping in a long time, at least since “The Life of Pablo.” It’s not as corny as his recent efforts, with the few joking moments feeling playful and earnest — there’s a line about him and Kim Kardashian being “the best collab since Taco Bell and

Kanye’s Lastest album cover consisted of only a black square. Courtesy of Spotify KFC.” Generally, his rapping is on beat and poignant, with him mostly bearing his heart out as he raps about his mom, his friends, his family, his faith and his career. There’s actual substance to what Kanye is saying in this album.

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Scruffy City Simplified: Central Cinema

FULTON MYRICK Contributor

For this week’s “Scruffy City Simplified,” your go-to guide to Knoxville’s essential eats and entertainment, I’d like to bring your attention to Central Cinema. Located at 1205 N Central St, Central Cinema opened its doors in 2018. Created by the founders of the Knoxville Horror Film Festival, this single-screen theater focuses on indie film premieres, cult classics and foreign cinema. They also frequently host events like this month’s Martial Arts Theatre showcase and Skate Video Night.

Originally opening in 1916 as one of East Tennessee’s first silent movie theaters, Central Cinema’s opening/return has provided a welcome addition to Knoxville’s arts and entertainment community.

Any movie nerd will feel right at home the moment they enter this poster-covered, popcorn-smelling shrine to cinema. It might not have as many theaters or play all of the biggest blockbusters, but there’s no better way to expand your movie taste than sitting through the carefully curated selection Central Cinema’s staff prepares every month.

This month’s lineup is an excellent example of the wide range of films offered every month. From sci-fi, rom-com perfection — “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” — to dystopian drama — “Children of Men” — to heartbreaking Japanese animation — “Grave of the Fireflies” — to silly, cheesy, comedy excellence — “Hot Rod” — to the

Central Cinema is an essential part of the Knoxville experience.

FULTON MYRICK CONTRIBUTOR

2021 Palme d’Or recipient — “Titane.”

There’s something for everyone.

In the coming months, Central Cinema is also showing a series of classic films at Ijams Nature Center. Coming soon to the “Movies Under the Stars” series is the original “Predator” (9/3), “The Wizard of Oz” (9/17) and one of my personal all-time favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”(10/1).

Last month I had the pleasure of seeing “Cryptozoo”and “No Man of God’” at Central Cinema. Even though the movies weren’t perfect, I had a better time at the theater than I have in a long time. Friendly staff, comfortable chairs and the intimacy of a singlescreen local theater create an incredible experience far from anything a national chain could provide.

The pricing is also a major advantage when compared to surrounding theaters. A student

ticket for a normal showing is $9, and the cost of concessions is substantially less than other Knoxville theaters. Central Cinema also has an incredible gift shop with branded apparel, stickers and koozies.

For hardcore cinema fans, Central Cinema even offers an annual membership for $89 that comes with a custom membership card, discounts on tickets, popcorn and merchandise and $5 “Member Mondays.” To further support the theater, visitors can spend $30 to “adopt-a-tile.” This lets you choose a favorite movie still to add to the wall of tiles with a name or dedication.

Central Cinema is an essential part of the Knoxville experience. Every student with at least a passing interest in movies owes it to themselves to pay this quaint, one of a kind movie theater a visit.

Fulton Myrick is a sophomore at UTK this year majoring in journalism and cinema studies. He can be reached at rmyrick@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.

10

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Vols cruise past Falcons in opener, leave room for improvement JOSH LANE Sports Editor It wasn’t the prettiest 60 minutes of football ever played. The Vols were not perfect by any means, but in the end, the better team won.

The Tennessee football team opened its season with a 38-6 win over Bowling Green Thursday night at Neyland Stadium. First-year head football coach Josh Heupel won in his Tennessee debut, easily dispatching Bowling Green despite some cracks peeking through.

The game marked the official introduction of Heupel and his fast-paced offense, which certainly lived up to its expectation of being fast. Its highs were high – the offense operated at breakneck speed and carved up a tired Falcon defense – but the lows were low – several quick drives of three-and-out.

“There are definitely some things that we can clean up and operate,” Heupel said on the issues within the up-tempo offense. “I think that’s part of the passing game at times. There is some decision making in our RPO game that can be a whole lot better. With the adjustment to what we prepare for to what we ultimately see, we have to be cleaner with that during the course of a ballgame.”

To that end, recently appointed starting

quarterback Joe Milton opened the game with two impressive possessions. In just five minutes of total play, the Vols drove down the field and scored twice, a four-yard rush from Milton and a one-yard score from sophomore running back Jabari Small.

But on the other side, Tennessee’s offense stalled out after the two quick scoring drives, and the Vols totaled just eight yards of total offense in the second quarter. Their starting center Cooper Mays suffered an apparent leg injury early in the second, causing the offensive line to shift around to fill the hole. There was a noticeable difference in the amount of pressure Bowling Green’s defense got on Milton after this change, and he was unable to get anything going.

With Tennessee’s offense nonexistent, Bowling Green clawed back into it, thanks to a pair of field goals off the foot of Nate Needham. Tennessee went into halftime up by only a score and needing to make some significant adjustments.

Those adjustments did not come in its passing game, but from its running backs Small and Tiyon Evans. The pair of backs each totaled 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, the first time since 2016 that the Vols had multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game. Mays returned to the game after halftime as well, and Tennessee controlled the game on the ground, picking up the slack from Milton and the receivers.

“It’s really easy. Things open up more,” Milton said on the success of his running backs and its impact on the offense. “Those guys had a great game. They pounded for sure.”

Tennessee’s first four touchdowns of the night each came on the ground, before Milton found Cedric Tillman for a 40-yard score late in fourth quarter. Milton had previously looked to Tillman in the end zone twice, but twice overthrew him. The connection was Milton’s second and final completion outside of the first quarter, breaking a streak of 10-straight incompletions.

“I just stopped trying to overreact to things and play calm,” Milton said. “I just tried to react Vols win 38-6 against the Bowling Green Falcons to everything that comes, but I trust my guys up in Neyland Stadium on Thursday Sep 2, 2021 Alexandra Ashmore / The Daily Beacon front.”

Now the Vols have some thinking to do. we didn’t.”

When the offense worked, it excelled, but when A win is a win, however, and the Vols will take it didn’t work, the Vols were one-dimensional. one no matter what. Tennessee will celebrate the Against a team like Bowling Green they got away win tonight, but it plays a similar team to itself in with a win, but against the Vols next opponent, Pitt next Saturday, and it could be a proving one.

Pitt, that might not cut it. They desperately need The Vols have some cleaning up to do beforeMilton to take some large strides in the right dihand, that much is certain. rection, particularly with his consistency.

“We came out and played a good game and we “I thought the pass game was really hit and won the game, so (Heupel) was giving us props miss from us tonight,” Heupel said. “Some of there,” senior defensive back Theo Jackson said. that was quarterback decision making and be“But he told us we have things to work on and we ing accurate with the football. Some of it was have to get better for next week’s game.” wide receivers being on the same page. (There were) a couple of opportunities to catch it that

Notebook: Vols steamroll Bowling Green ETHAN STONE Assistant Sports Editor Tennessee opened the Josh Heupel era with a 38-6 victory over visiting Bowling Green State Thursday night. With this win, the Vols (1-0) pick up their 850th all-time victory, becoming the 10th program to accomplish the feat.

Here are three takeaways from Tennessee’s up-and-down week one performance.

Running game was impressive throughout Tiyon Evans and Jabari Small were the stars of the evening for the Vols. The two newcomers each notched 116 yards on the ground for a touchdown in the Vols’ opening week contest, marking the first time since November of 2016 that two Vols each rushed for 100 yards in a single game.Tiyon Evans was especially dominant in the third quarter, rushing for 76 yards and topping it off with a 19-yard touchdown run up the gut.

Starting quarterback Joe Milton found most of his success on the ground as well. The Michigan transfer ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns in his Tennessee debut.

“I thought they pressed the line of scrimmage for most of the night,” Heupel said postgame.

“They did a good job playing vertical. I thought they took care of the football well, overall we are

really pleased with their performance.”

Of the Vols’ 88 plays Thursday night, 64 came on the ground, accounting for 326 yards all together. The physical play at the line of scrimmage decided the contest early in the third quarter. The Vols completed only two passes in the second half, leaving plenty of room for the run game to shine through in the interim.

cons scoreless for the rest of the contest. Despite the semi-consistent play of the defense, no turnovers were forced all game.

“I would say we did well, especially in the run game,” Jackson said. “We held them to just 32 yards. In the pass game we just have to tighten things up, especially at the second and third level.”

Theo Jackson made plays on defense

Pass offense fell short

If Tiyon Evans and Jabari Small were the stars of the offense, Theo Jackson holds that title for the defense. The senior defensive back, starting in the nickel position, notched 11 tackles and led the team with 2.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups.

The bulk of Jackson’s contributions came when Tennessee needed it the most. He was a force in a position where the Vols have seen struggles in the past and helped Tennessee tread water in the second quarter when Bowling Green started gaining momentum.

It was as if Jackson was everywhere in the second quarter. He totaled seven tackles to help hold the Falcons to two field goals, simultaneously creating some much needed momentum where play seemed to stall in an otherwise brutal stretch for the Vols.

Jackson and the rest of the secondary came out strong in the second half as well, holding the Fal-

Perhaps the most underwhelming aspect of Tennessee’s season opener was the passing offense.

The attack through the air was nonexistent at times, even allowing Bowling Green some life in the second quarter.

It wasn’t all concerning all evening, however.

Tennessee’s opening drive saw Milton go 4-5 for 26 yards and a touchdown.

As the game wore on, Tennessee receivers started to struggle. Jalin Hyatt had a rough game despite leading the Vols in receiving yards, dropping a few balls that would have moved the chains.

Milton also lost some touch following the first couple drives. A couple wide open passes to Cedric Tillman sailed about 10 yards over the junior receiver’s outstretched arms in the early stages of the game.

When the pass game started to show some cracks in the second quarter, Heupel slowly ad-

justed to an almost exclusive rushing attack to start the second half. The Vols completed only two passes after this adjustment — a check down early in the third and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman to give the Vols their 38-6 final score.

Even the touchdown pass could warrant some criticism. Milton’s best throw of the night was an unnecessary one, as Jabari Small was all alone in the flat for the much safer touchdown connection from 40 yards out.

Milton finished the night 11-23 for 140 yards and a touchdown through the air, good enough for a passer rating of 113. This line is enough for a week one victory against Bowling Green State, but might fare differently against quicker Southeastern Conference (SEC) defenses.

“There were a couple times where I didn’t like (Milton’s) decision-making,” Heupel said.

“There’s some things he’ll have to clean up, but there were also some positives in there.”

Up Next The Vols look to stay undefeated next week against Pitt, the toughest non-conference game on their schedule. The recently dubbed “Johnny Majors Classic” kicks off Saturday at 12 p.m. EST.

CITY NEWS

Wednesday, September 8, 2021 • The Daily Beacon

KEENAN THOMAS Staff Writer

Essentially, it has a beginning, a middle and an end, with only a few aspects that might be confusing to viewers who haven’t seen a Marvel movie prior.

The film is also not afraid to get weird, showcasing a variety of fantastical elements that work within the nature of the film and its storytelling. It doesn’t explain everything, but it doesn’t need to because it dives so heavily into the film’s world. It’s refreshing, seeing a big blockbuster movie unafraid to showcase mythical worlds.

Because of the mythical nature of the film, there’s an abundance of special effects.

Fortunately, they also successfully blend with the human actors and elements of the film.

Even when the film became a large CGI battle, it stayed comprehensible and entertaining.

After this movie, Simu Liu could lead the rest of the Marvel films and there wouldn’t be a complaint.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is the newest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing Shang-Chi to the roster of heroes. The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed “Just Mercy” and “Short Term 12.” It was written by Cretton along with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham.

The film follows Shang-Chi, a seemingly average valet driver living in San Francisco. But after his immortal father and leader of the Ten Rings, Wenwu, takes the pendant his mother gave him, Shang-Chi and his best friend Katy must travel to Macau, China, to find his sister and stop his father’s nefarious plans.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is an entertaining, yet surprisingly meditative, Marvel film filled with martial arts, fantasy and good comedic moments. It’s one of Marvel’s slower films but in a great way.

The film stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi — or Shaun for part of the film. Liu plays the lead extremely well, especially as he hasn’t had much big screen experience until now.

He taps into the charisma of his character, possessing an underlying confidence that carries him through the film. He is also surpisingly melancholic, which becomes a highlight in one of the more somber scenes. He will make an excellent addition to the franchise as he continues to grow in the role.

Awkwafina does a great job playing opposite of Liu as his friend Katy, providing most of the comedic jabs in the film. She and Liu have great chemistry, naturally playing off of each other, and it’s fun to see Awkwafina in another role.

Finally, Meng’er Zhang plays Shang-Chi’s sister Xu Xialing and Tony Leung plays his father Xu Wenwu, both delivering great perfor- Shang-Chi made its theatatrical debut Thursday, September 3rd. Courtesy of IMDb mances.

Zhang acts cold, showcasing the character’s repressed side before taking command at differSpeaking of battles, the fight scenes in this ent parts throughout the film. Leung is powerfilm are excellent. Pretty much every fight conful as the lead villain, switching from sinister to tains a level of martial arts, which fits within somber naturally as he explains his human mothe larger Marvel universe. The choreography tives. is great, making the one-on-one combat feel Along with them, the rest of the cast does kinetic and grounded. well but worked as either minor or spoiler-filled Along with that, the cinematography serves roles. However, it was a breath of fresh air to see the action scenes by keeping the fights in frame a cast that was 95% Asian or Asian American. It’s and in focus. For example, there’s an impressive an excellent piece of representation, especially in one-shot sequence during the scaffolding fight. the realm of superhero films. If anything, it begs Interestingly, there aren’t many fights in the the question: Why hasn’t Marvel done anything film. They are sparsely placed, with three standlike this before? ing out in particular. The first fight scene on the In terms of story, this film acts by itself, rebus has a great sense of space, the scaffolding maining self-contained throughout. It informs fight has interesting stakes and the final climax the audience about the characters and their has an excellent sense of scale, building from backstories without plugging it into a larger strong emotional combat towards a grand and narrative. satisfying finale.

In lieu of the fights, there are a lot of smaller moments interspersed with a few thrilling scenes. These longer and more dragged-out exposition, plot progression and character scenes make up the majority of the film, especially towards the middle.

However, they were incredibly well handled, as the movie showed that it could be interesting without throwing a billion fight scenes at the audience to hold their attention. It wasn’t afraid to sit with these characters as they come to an understanding about themselves and their roles.

Respect is given to the filmmakers for taking their time to build up these characters and the story.

With those scenes, a common theme is presented, which revolves around using your skills to grow up. The theme is set up early, if a little obviously, and pays off by the end with the characters experiencing growth.

Unfortunately, it gets a little muddled in the middle of the film, showing up occasionally but getting thrown to the side at different points. But it’s nice to have a central thematic element in a Marvel film.

The only other disappointing aspect of the film is the music. The soundtrack is fun and filled with songs that fit the tone of the film.

Score wise, there is a moment in the bus fight scene that is electric, fueling the undercurrents of the action. But the rest of the score is so fundamentally forgettable that it was a shock to hear something playing underneath different scenes. It honestly felt like they made the “Raya and the Last Dragon” score but worse.

Everything else in the film was great. Outside of the action, the cinematography was sweeping and well composed. The editing did its job perfectly by bringing the movie to a cohesive whole with zero distractions, while having some excellent comedic cuts. Finally, the sound design is great at crafting unique sounds for different elements within the film, especially towards the end.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” works because it’s unabashedly itself. It delivers a fairly self-contained story with interesting characters, kinetic action and great lead performances.

In a way, this film feels like they let the director do whatever they wanted, which resulted in a more grounded film with action that reflects that. Even when it becomes larger than life, it flows into that almost naturally.

It will be exciting to see how future films weave Shang-Chi into the larger narrative. I’m just glad that Simu Liu and Awkwafina are getting bigger and better roles.

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‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ review

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12

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Tennessee stays perfect with upset win over Baylor NATE TOSADO Contributor The Tennessee volleyball team (4-0) faced off against No. 9 Baylor (1-2) Friday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. In their first matchup against a ranked opponent this season, the Lady Vols looked to get revenge on the Bears, having been swept in three sets back in 2019.

The Lady Vols would go on to win in five sets (17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 15-13), its closest match of the season. Tennessee stayed perfect with its fourth win of the season, and it marked the first time since beating No. 10 Iowa in 2012 that Tennessee defeated a ranked opponent.

In the opening minutes of set one, both Tennessee and Baylor battled to get points on the board. Going into the first timeout the Bears held a slight 12-10 advantage over the Lady Vols.

The Bears also showcased their killer defense by blocking most of Tennessee’s power strikes.

Tennessee would fall behind 18-14 and call a timeout to regroup. Bears senior outside hitters Avery Skinner and Yossiana Pressley were feeling it with four kills each in the first set, and Baylor held the lead for its entirety, winning 25-17.

The second set was yet another close battle

between the two teams. Tennessee jumped out to an early lead, scoring three unanswered points. The Bears, however, quickly responded with kills of their own to keep the game close.

Tennessee held a slight advantage in the first timeout of the set 15-14.

Coming out of the time out the Lady Vols were led by graduate student Nicole Shanahan who had two key blocks and set the pace for the team. Tennessee would hold on and nearly hold off Baylor to win set two 25-23.

Building off the momentum of the previous set, Tennessee came out the gate strong. Junior libero Madison Bryant led off the set with an ace followed by powerful kills by Fingall and Runnels. Baylor and Tennessee would trade blows continually, tying up the game on three occasions.

Tennessee gradually pulled away and with the home crowd on its feet, middle blocker Shanahan delivered the set-winning kill for Tennessee, 25-23.

The fourth set was all Baylor as it continued to exploit Tennessee’s defense, putting up nine points to Tennessee’s four going into the first timeout. The Bears held the lead the entire set and kept Tennessee’s offensive threats to a minimum. Baylor would go on to easily win set four 25-15.

“Baylor’s block is big, and they’re a high level team. We got blocked more than we have

and that’s where a number of our errors come from,” head coach Eve Rackham-Watt said.

“When you go up against a big block your hitters start to force situations, or try to hit arounthe block and there’s only so much court space. I think we were a bit shaky a little early on our offensive flow.”

It all came down to the fifth and final set.

The Bears seemed unstoppable in the fourth and hoped to continue their run into the fifth set with little resistance. The match was close until outside hitter Runnels scored three times in a row for the Lady Vols to put them up 8-7 in the first timeout. Baylor tried to respond but could never overcome the Lady Vols’ established lead. The Lady Vols would narrowly edge out the Bears to win the final set 15-13.

The win comes off of stellar performances by senior Lily Felts and graduated student Runnels. Both Lady Vols notched double-doubles with Runnels having 20 kills and 15 digs, and Felts right behind her with 17 kills and 15 digs. Junior right side hitter Fingall broke her all-time digs record of 23. Senior setter Natalie Hayward also played a huge role in the win, with her shattering her assist record with 56 in total.

“I definitely feel really comfortable with this group of girls,” Runnels said after the match.

“I think we’re meshing at the right times as you can see from tonight. We have our mo-

Natalie Hayward (2) sets Ava Bell (20) in the middle in Thompson-Boling Arena on Sept. 5, 2021. Alana Adams / The Daily Beacon ments but overall we feel really good.”

The Lady Vols look to keep their perfect record alive Sunday when they face off against yet another top-10 ranked opponent in No. 7 Pitt at Thompson-Boling Arena at 1 p.m. EST. Live coverage of the game will be on SEC Network+.

Lady Vols record sixth straight shutout in win over High Point BRANDON SHOWN Contributor

Tennessee soccer continued its win streak with a 2-0 win over the High Point Panthers Sunday night at Regal Soccer stadium. With the win, the Lady Vols improved to 6-0 for the season, and in the process, set a program record by holding their opponents scoreless for 540 consecutive minutes.

Although the Lady Vols were still able to find success on Sunday night, they had a long first half. Junior Claudia Dipasupil was the difference maker in the first half for the Lady Vols. Tennessee had 18 shots in the first half, but their only goal came from a penalty kick shot by Dipasupil in the 28th minute.

“Someone had to step up and take it, and you just have confidence in yourself,” Dipasupil said.

Tennessee wanted to stay aggressive in the first half in taking shots. As good as a one-goal lead is, it does not always last, even with a defense going on six-straight shutouts.

“A 1-0 lead can go any way in the game, so you want to keep going for one, and you want to keep your mentality as offense and try to score the next goal,” Dipasupil said. “Yes, we

Louisiana forward Hailey Hoffmann (#9) and Tennessee midfielder Maddie Eskin (#6) fight over possession near the sidelines during the Louisiana at Tennessee women’s soccer match at the Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville, TN on Aug. 29, 2021. Jamar Coach / The Daily Beacon didn’t score any other goals off the 18 shots, but our mentality was to get another one” Tennessee continued its aggressive approach in the second half by taking 19 shots, and finished the game with a total of 37, 13 of which were on goal. That was exactly what the Lady Vols had hoped to do.

“We’ve set a goal of at least 16 to 18 shots per game,” head coach Brian Pensky said. “We’re surpassing that now but it’s only going to get more challenging. We’ve got to make sure we are doing a great job with those chances. This game is about creating opportunities and creating chances, and I think we’ve done that.

Tonight, is probably the best of all season.”

High Point would also change its game plan in the second half. With only one shot in the first 45 minutes, High Point respond by shooting three more shots in the second, with a game total of four.

Leading up to the game, High Point had over seven days of rest, while UT’s last game was two nights prior in Tampa, Florida. Pensky believes the challenge was beneficial to his team.

“We were on the road, long travel, a tough, 90-minute away game,” Pensky said. “It was good for us to have to fight through this in the end because that’s what SEC double weekends are going to be about.”

The final, insurance goal came in the 88th minute as a Tennessee kick ricocheted off a High Point defender to make the score 2-0.

The Lady Vols’ next game will be at Chattanooga on Sept. 12, giving them a couple of days rest. Chattanooga will be Tennessee’s final non-conference game before it heads into SEC play.