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Agatha Christie classic “The Mousetrap” comes to town

Vols ready to host No. 1 LSU

Friday, October 14, 2011

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Issue 40

Vol. 118

I N D E P E N D E N T

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PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://utdailybeacon.com N E W S P A P E R

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Pep rally to boost student morale Event features appearances by coach Dooley, team captains

U N I V E R S I T Y

country.

“It’s been nine years since Neyland Stadium has hosted the No. 1 team in the country and we hope that our students and fans will embrace the opportunity to show the country what Big Orange Country is all about,” Doug Kose, associate director of athletics marketing, said.

Those in attendance will include head coach Derek Dooley and the captains of UT’s team. The UT Spirit Squad and the Pride of the Southland Marching Band are also scheduled to attend the event.

The Pep Rally will be held Friday night at 5:15 p.m. at the Gate 21 amphitheater. The event is free and open to the public with parking provided in lot nine at no cost.

“Rally on Rocky Top will be a great way to support coach Dooley and the team. Now more than ever, we need the students to support the program,” Kose said. “We will also have some great giveaways and the Stadium Store at Gate 20 will remain open until 6:30 p.m. and offer a 20-percent discount to all fans and students after the rally.”

The first 400 fans will receive free Texas Roadhouse appetizers and giveaways. Those in attendance will have the chance to win a Dooley autographed football, two tickets to the LSU Game, two sideline passes to the LSU Game, officially licensed University of Tennessee memorabilia, among other things, according to organizers.

“Rally on Rocky Top” will be the last chance for fans to show their support before UT takes on LSU Saturday.

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T E N N E S S E E

Students fast for hunger awareness Steele Gamble Staff Writer

The UT Muslim Student Association encourages students to “go hungry for a day Staff Writer so someone else doesn’t have to” on Sunday for its 11th Students are urged to attend Friday night’s event to support the annual Fast-a-thon.

VOLS as they go head to head with the No. 1 team in the country Local businesses will on Saturday. donate $2 to the Love SGA and the UT Athletics Department are joining together to Kitchen of Knoxville for host “Rally on Rocky Top,” a pep rally aimed at boosting morale by every student who pledges to showing the UT team its fans are there. abstain from the consump“We are putting together this pep rally to evoke support and tion of all food and beverages motivate the football team for the big game against LSU this weekduring daylight hours this end,” Drew Shapiro, student services director and senior in history, said. “This is a pivotal point in the season and now, more than Sunday. ever, we need to show the team how much student support there Ashraf El-Messidi, junior is on campus.” in mechanical engineering With a fear that enthusiasm for UT’s athletics could wane, stuand MSA vice president, said dent leaders sought a way to re-engage fans. the MSA is trying to raise “We (SGA) felt that it was important that an event was held to awareness about hunger in get students excited for Volunteer football once again,” Avery G. Knoxville.

Howard, senior in agricultural leadership, education and commu“You see hunger on TV, nication, said. and you see people starving After positive feedback from various students and staff, Howard overseas, but you don’t really said all were able to come together to host “Rally on Rocky Top.” know what they’re going Howard feels it is more important than ever that the team feels the through until you experience support of the Orange Nation in the face of LSU. it yourself,” El-Messidi said.

Some see the pep rally as a unifying event that will bring the “And even after this event, student body together for support against the top team in the you’re guaranteed to have food at the end of the day, while others, they don’t know when their next meal is. It’s good to (be) in solidarity with them and to raise money and support the cause.”

The guaranteed food ElMessidi refers to is the break in the fast that will be held at 7 p.m. in the UC Ballroom.

According to the pledge form, participants are invited to share a home-cooked meal as the check is presented to the Love Kitchen.

El-Messidi said that students can pledge by signing the form at the Fast-a-thon table in the UC plaza or by signing the online form found under the events link on the UTK-MSA Facebook page.

According to the Facebook page, two guest speakers will talk about the history of the Fast-a-thon and the significance of fasting during the break.

Rida Aijaz, senior in business and MSA member, describes the Fast-a-thon as a Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon philanthropic cause.

“You have so much food Matt Wooten, sophomore in political science and communications, signs up for the free mug that SPEAK was with you, but there are so handing out to students on Wednesday. For Friday, they are having a vegaterian cookout on the Pedestrian Mall many people around you who from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Kyle Turner

PAGE 5

don’t have the privileges to eat or drink,” Aijaz said. “If you just fast for a day, that cause from what you pledge, the money that’s all collected, it goes towards feeding those people who don’t have the resources or the food to eat.”

Aijaz also described fasting as a human deed.

“It’s not just food and drink, it’s also restraining from the negative thoughts you get on a daily basis,” Aijaz said.

El-Messidi sees fasting as an act of reflection.

“It gives you a chance to kind of reflect on your blessings and the things that you’ve been given,” ElMessidi said. “Things that we tend to take for granted every day, and when you fast, you’re able to understand just how grateful you are.”

El-Messidi said the event has been successful over the past decade.

“The event started in 2001,” El-Messidi said. “(It) spread across the world on hundreds of campuses, and it started right here at UT. Last year we had about 970 people pledge, 170 students.

This year we’re hoping to meet our goal of 1,000.”

Aijaz described how the Fast-a-thon is related to Islam.

“The holy month of Ramadan, we fast from sunup to sundown remembering Allah, God and also we restrain from negative thoughts and bad deeds during that time,” Aijaz said.

“It’s just an awareness of how just refraining ourselves from food and drink is also linked to refraining ourselves from the negative thoughts and the bad deeds.”

El-Messidi said that the Fast-a-thon is an opportunity for students to learn about Islam.

“Obviously the main objective is to raise awareness of the hunger issue, but also it gives people a chance to see what Muslims go through every day for a month, to kind of live in Muslims’ shoes for a day,” ElMessidi said.

Exhibit showcases heroes of different color Victoria Wright Staff Writer For all comic book enthusiasts accustomed to the images of Superman and Wonder Woman, there is a new group of heroes and heroines to be recognized, and they are right here at UTK. “Invisible Ink: The Art of Black Independent Comix” showcases 28 vivid pieces of independent African-American comic artwork in the Art & Architecture Building. The exhibit, which has been displayed since Oct. 3, is a part of the UT Ready for the World Program.

Last Thursday, exhibit curator John Jennings, associate professor of visual studies at SUNY Buffalo, spoke to students about the exhibition.

Jennings said comic books are becoming a popularized literary medium. Most are familiar with the traditional, white-faced hero or heroin, but slowly, underground African-American artist are starting to ascend into their own spotlight.

“Usually, it’s (African-American comics) underground or mostly online,” said Kehinde “Kin” Olowoyo, senior in graphic design and drawing. “Although they exist out in the independent underground, there are very few black superheroes in the mainstream.”

Simon Sok, a senior in graphic design, is not an avid comics reader but enjoyed how the lecture introduced a progressive moment in the industry.

“I thought he had some really interesting things to say, as in seeing the progressive movement transcend from very traditional to a more accepted medium,” Sok said.

Among the bold colors, graphic images of robust heroes and heroines wielding deadly knives and swords, Sok’s favorite piece was a

comic of a girl sporting pink goggles and pig tails.

The comic hails from Samax Amen’s comic “Champion of Children,” which details the adventures of Little Mad Skills, who is featured in the piece.

Over the past 20 years, newspapers have been trying to diversify the comics and strips and other content in papers. Perhaps the most mainstream is “The Boondocks.” Though now a popular cartoon, the television show received its start as a comic strip circulating college newspapers and magazines.

Sok believes that there is still a hole within he comic world, including adaptations of classical comic strips in the movies.

“I feel like superhero movies that come from comic books — I feel there is a certain imbalance,” Sok said.

Some of the pieces displayed in the exhibit spark a familiar resemblance to classical comic book storylines. One features a group of superheroes, all with individual powers, protruding muscles and dressed in color leotards.

Much of the art works are a mixture of Japanese anime, or animation, and AfricanAmerican artwork. Most of the artists are not shy about displaying violence in the comics, as some pieces show blood and one depicts the aftermath of a bullet splitting through a man’s teeth.

In addition to the lecture, Jennings will also hold a workshop on Friday called AFRO-FUTURISM, for School of Art students. The workshop allows students to see Jennings’ characters come to life.

Despite the underground status of many of the Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon artists displayed at the exhibit, Olowoyo believes Tamra Hunt, fine arts graduate student, looks over the INVISIBLEINK collection in there is a possibility that more African-American the Art & Architecture Reading Room on Oct. 6.

The collection is a part of the UT comics will be recognized as more exhibits are Ready for the World Program. opened.

2 • The Daily Beacon

OPINIONS

Friday, October 14, 2011

Lettersto the Editor Wall Street needs accountability Protest on Wall Street justified On Oct. 13, Greg Bearringer wrote a column expressing his opinions on the Occupy Wall Street movement. While I find some of his insights into social movements in general interesting, I find his characterization of the OWS campaign completely uninformed.

Many people, as Bearringer has, criticize the OWS campaign as being an amorphous blob of people with varying demands. While this statement has truth to it, if you look harder, you can see that many of the people have legitimate questions that need to be answered. Yes, you will find beatniks tweeting about corporate greed from their iPhones while drinking a latte from Starbucks, but you will also find factory workers who have worked their whole lives and live within their means only to have their jobs shipped overseas.

You’ll find people who are being laid off while their companies post record profits to shareholders and executives take home yearly bonuses of 163 percent of base salary. You’ll find people who have questions about the Federal Reserve and why a private institution has so much power over our money supply yet fights tooth and nail against any sort of auditing. You’ll find people who are angry about the recession that has cost countless Americans their jobs, and the fact that the American government bailed out the groups that were responsible with taxpayer money.

To sum it up, people are not mad because “people with too much money have too much money” as Bearringer has so eloquently incorrectly paraphrased thousands of his fellow Americans. People are mad because, in a nut shell, Wall Street has wrecked the economy and no one has been convicted or held accountable for it. The government seems perfectly content with that. You might have a few executives get fired, but not without a $7 million severance package. Rewarding those who should be punished, now what kind of example does that set for kids?

I do agree that this movement is not perfect. Protesting alone will not get things done. If anything, it says, “Hey politicians, it’s election season. Convince us that you have the answer and we will vote for you.” I would say that it is on the right track.

Protesting an actual fixed geographic location is more feasible than a week-long summit that shifts locations.

Despite violent police reactions that you’ll find all over YouTube, protesters have remained nonviolent. Overall, I think that this movement is something legitimate and has momentum. You may remember the news media branding the Tea Party as a group of lunatics based off of some bad apples that showed up to the protests, but they are now a powerful force in Washington whether we like it or not.

While I appreciate Bearringer bringing up OWS as a topic for dialogue, I suggest taking a closer look at this movement from various perspectives across print, television and web-based media. In these times of information overload, a greater responsibility is placed on the public for critical thinking in current issues rather than just a regurgitation of what news edutainment pundits might say.

Thank you for your opinion.

— Tom Abernathy is a senior in English. He can be reached at taberna1@utk.edu.

I have just gotten done reading Mr. Bearringer’s article and there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed. First, Mr. Bearringer characterizes the protest as, “People with too much money have too much money.”

First of all, I am confused as to why the remark was written in quotations. Who precisely is he quoting? Second, it simply is not true. The protests are about campaign finance reform and ending corporate personhood. Removing Wall Street’s money from our political process is something that most Americans, left, right or what not, can stand behind. I am confused as to why Mr. Bearringer seems to oppose this.

For someone who states that “what is interesting is the assumptions made not only by the protesters themselves but by the politicians who support them,” Mr. Bearringer’s article is riddled with bad assumptions.

If Mr. Bearringer would like to have some insight into why these protests are happening, he need only to search YouTube for: Bernie Sanders + Wall Street + Ben Bernanke. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BwA9GnFbhY. As one can clearly hear, even the chairman of the Federal Reserve is saying that these protesters are justified in their anger towards Wall Street. We have skirted around this issue for quite some time now, but what is clear is that excess money in our political process has introduced a corrupting influence on contemporary American politics. It is one person, one vote, and not me and my money voting.

— Nick Zamudio is a junior in electrical engineering. He can be reached at nzamudio@utk.edu.

More on history of marriage I regret I was not able to attend the “Gay ‘Marriage’ Debate” reported in the Oct. 12 Daily Beacon story by Jamie Greig (“Speakers debate same sex marriage in UC”). It seems Dr. Lynn Sacco, associate professor of history, also did not attend (“Letter” Oct. 13). I offer the following historical texts, which although they only date within the last generation, have roots which pre-date by more than a millennia the colonial founding of our nation. Hopefully they will not be foreign to a history seminar which includes the history of marriage. While I am sure that there are other clergymen who could address this issue with greater clarity I will leave it to the accompanying texts. Dr. Sacco surely knows that the “marriage laws” of the Church most surely do address the procreation and education of children, even if the current Code effects primarily those who are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome.

Code of Canon Law (1983) Canon. 1055 § 1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized. § 2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament. http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P3V.HTM (Cited on Oct. 13, 2011) Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) 1660 — The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament (cf. CIC, can. 1055 # 1; cf. GS 48 # 1). http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P57.HTM (Cited on Oct. 13, 2011) — J. A. Orr is a graduate from UT’s philosophy department, class of 2006.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Daily Beacon • 3

NEWS

Iranian force remains mystery College applicants to list orientation The Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Among the many mysteries inside Iran’s ruling hierarchy, the Quds Force has a special place in the shadows.

It’s been linked by Western officials and others to dozens of clandestine operations around the world such as a deadly bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires in 1994, aiding Shiite militias in Iraq and helping arm Afghanistan’s Taliban — and now as the alleged masterminds of a plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington.

Imagine the spymaster cloak of the CIA, the under-the-radar capabilities of military Special Forces and the deep-pocket resources of the Pentagon and big business rolled together. This comes close to explaining the powerful underpinnings of the Quds Force, the Arabic word for Jerusalem and a reference to the city’s Islamic holy sites.

The Quds Force — with between 5,000 and 15,000 agents and field tacticians by various estimates — sits atop the vast military and industrial network of the Revolutionary Guard, the defenders of Iran’s ruling clerics and their hold on power.

The Guard effectively has a blank check. It controls most major programs — including nuclear, missile development and Iran’s budding space efforts — as well as a millions-strong paramilitary corps known as the Basiji that's been used as street muscle to put down protests.

The Quds Force is seen as the Guard’s A-team around the world. The favored route, experts say, is the low-risk channels of arming and training proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Shiite militiamen in Iraq — whose armor-piercing roadside bombs have been linked by the U.S. military to Iran.

In July, the U.S. military’s top spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, attributed a sharp rise in attacks to a suspected Quds-aided faction known as the Hezbollah Brigades. Earlier this year, Western intelligence officials in Afghanistan claimed a Taliban leader met in Iran with Quds Force personnel to ask for stronger weapons to fight NATO forces.

A 2007 report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies claimed that Quds agents have special “sections” in Iranian embassies that are off limits to regular diplomatic staff. It’s unclear, the report said, whether even the ambassadors have full knowledge of Quds Force operations.

“Its ranks are said to be comprised of Iran’s most highly skilled special operations and intelligence officers,” said Michael S. Smith II, a counterterrorism expert and co-founder of the security consultant group Kronos Advisory, which presented a report on the Quds Force to a congressional caucus in April.

The report described the Quds Force as part of a “known unknown” for Western security officials trying to track its network.

In August, the European Union announced imposed harsher sanctions against the Quds Force, saying it had given support to Syrian President Bashar Assad — a key Iranian ally — in attacks against anti-government protesters. The U.S. Treasury in 2007 declared the Quds Force a “specially designated global terrorist organization.”

Iran, however, barely acknowledges the Quds Force exists. The group is not mentioned in the national budget and doesn’t openly participate in military parades alongside its Revolutionary Guard partners. A former CIA officer, Robert Baer, has said it’s believed that the Quds Force requires the use of couriers for all sensitive communications — a technique that was also used by Osama bin Laden.

One of the few public faces with known Quds links is Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who was the force’s commander during the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Vahidi and four others are wanted by Argentina in connection with the attack.

Quds commanders, however, come under no public scrutiny in Iran and have an open door to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word in all major affairs.

If this week’s U.S. allegations prove true, a Quds plot would potentially have links to the highest levels of Iran’s theocracy.

While the U.S. has no direct proof, and did not charge in court, that the top Iranian leaders approved an attack on Saudi envoy Adel Al-Jubeir, a U.S. official said any such operation would be vetted at the highest levels.

But this is also where Washington is under pressure to produce clear evidence.

“There’s always a big gap between what is claimed about Iran and what is known as fact,” said Paul Rogers, an international military affairs expert at Bradford University in Britain. “This is especially true with groups like the Quds Force.”

The sloppy and traceable aspects of the alleged conspiracy — such as two normal bank transfers of more than $100,000 and bringing an IranianAmerican used car salesman into the plot — appear contrary to the Quds’ hallmarks of working through third parties and carefully avoiding leaving fingerprints.

Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, who authorities said was a Quds Force member and is still at large in Iran.

U.S. officials described the assassination plot as “amateur hour.” Iran, in turn, has called the U.S. allegations baseless.

Rolf Tophoven, director of the Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy in Essen, Germany, said the U.S. accusations raised “a lot of questions.”

“I’m very skeptical,” he said. “If the government of Iran wanted to do something against a foreign Arab diplomat, it would not be necessary to do it in the United States. They could do it in any country of the Middle East.”

Tophoven said a possible scenario is that “radical elements” of Quds could have acted on their own.

“Maybe some hard-core elements in Quds did it on their own, not on the order of the government,” he said. “These guys (the Iranian government) are not so stupid to give an order to kill a foreign diplomat because the damage to the regime in Tehran would be catastrophic in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

Like most of Iran’s present military system, the Quds Force took shape during the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq — which at that time was backed by Washington.

Some analysts see Quds Force’s hands emerging as early as the 1983 truck bombings of U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 Americans. Others claim the Quds Force helped direct the 1996 bombings of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 American military personnel.

Any possible clues of a Quds Force role are long buried under layers of front organizations and the meticulous secrecy that has become the group’s hallmark.

On the battlefield, however, it is harder to hide involvement. Iran has supplied Hezbollah with Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rockets used in the 2006 summer war with Israel. In Iraq, suspected Iranian-linked roadside bombs, known as IEDs, were once the chief killer of U.S. troops.

The Associated Press ELMHURST, Ill. — Gary Rold didn’t necessarily consider himself a pioneer when he decided that Elmhurst College would begin asking applicants about their sexual orientation.

“I thought from the recruitment standpoint we might be more proactive” in attracting gay and lesbian students, said Rold, admissions dean at the small, private liberal arts school tucked in a middle-class Chicago suburb. He also wanted to make sure the students got any help they needed. “I realized that many of them come to college feeling really isolated and alienated.”

Rold’s decision touched off a flurry of publicity after advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students lauded Elmhurst as the first in the nation to ask applicants about sexual orientation — an idea that has gotten little traction elsewhere. Now the question is, will other colleges follow suit?

Advocates say that besides being a recruiting tool to help diversify campuses, openly assessing a school’s LGBT population would make colleges more aware of needs such as finding tolerant roommates and providing appropriate health care. And it would send a positive message to prospective students who may have faced discrimination in high school.

But officials at other colleges, especially those that are large and well-known, say they don’t need to ask because they already have reputations for being diverse and inclusive, and a student’s sexual orientation would have no bearing on admission.

Others wonder if some schools worry about the controversy such a question might generate.

Nevertheless, the idea of asking about sexual orientation is not likely to go away.

“Colleges have a responsibility to take care of students they admit so all can succeed academically; a lot of (LGBT) youth get to campuses ... and are largely invisible,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of the national advocacy group

Campus Pride, who said asking applicants about sexual orientation should be as common as questions about race and ethnicity.

His group pushed for adding the question to The Common Application — a uniform document used by more than 450 colleges and universities, including some of the nation’s most exclusive — but that group’s board of directors rejected the idea earlier this year.

Schools already had other ways to signal support for LGBT students and for students to indicate their sexual orientation, said Rob Killion, executive director of The Common Application.

What’s more, some admissions officers and high school counselors worried the question could cause anxiety for some students, even though it would be optional.

“I think places like Elmhurst will be the vanguard,” said Killion. “It will be good to get feedback from their applicants on whether the question is appealing or not. We’re constantly changing as a society, so we’ll see what happens.”

Rold said Elmhurst, affiliated with the United Church of Christ — which officially supports same-sex marriage — will use the optional question to help increase diversity at its 2,900student campus about 15 miles west of Chicago, to ensure it has the services LGBT students need and to consider them for scholarships.

The bottom line, he said, is to enrich the college experience for all students. A diverse environment is “the real world,” he said.

The college received some complaints, including from within the conservative-leaning community and some supporters, but most feedback was positive, officials said.

Elmhurst students Ally Vertigan and Emily Ponchinskas, who is president of a campus group called Straights and Gays for Equality, say they’re proud of their school.

“It’s important if for the sole reason that Elmhurst is letting people know that diversity is more than just what color your

skin is or what language you speak,” said Vertigan, a senior majoring in religion and Spanish.

Shannon Sullivan, executive director of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, a nonprofit that works with high school gaystraight alliances, said some colleges may be uncomfortable with the topic or afraid of offending people. “People sometimes think it's easier not to deal with it,” she said.

Doris Dirks, coordinator of the Northwestern University LGBT Resource Center, said a campus advisory group has asked the private school to consider adding a sexual orientation question to its supplemental application.

“It’s one of those potentially touchy issues,” Dirks acknowledges, “but to my mind it’s a diversity issue.”

Penn State discussed whether to add the question “with some in favor and some suggesting it’s not the best decision to make at this time,” said Terrell Jones, vice provost for educational equity. So far, the university doesn’t see the need, he said. Instead, the school touts its gay-friendly atmosphere in recruitment brochures, has a strong LGBT student resource center, “pride” ambassadors who give tours to prospective students, a scholarship for LGBT students and a presidential advisory commission on LGBT equity.

4 • The Daily Beacon

Friday, October 14, 2011

OPINIONS

Going

Somewhere... Hopefully Man too complex for one viewpoint

Preston Peeden Managing Editor I like to think that I’m an optimistic person. I like to feel that if I’m in a situation where my back is against the wall, instead of relenting myself to the obstacle, I would try to do my best to be positive at all costs. Unfortunately, there is a big difference between being an optimist and thinking you are one.

For those of you who don’t know me, I feel it is important to say that I am an avid Albert Camus fan. While I have a hard time agreeing with his absurdist philosophies, I still find him to be one of the most thought provoking authors I have ever encountered. But it was through Camus that I began to question my optimism.

While reading “The Fall,” a novel about a man’s narration of his own epic fall from grace, I was encountered with a haunting line. In the story, the former judge-penitent turned drunkard JeanBaptiste Clamence, while outlining his views on man, said, “A single sentence will suffice for modern man: he fornicated and read the papers.”

At first, this was one of the most reductive sentences I had ever read. How could an entire global population be summed up in two activities?

There has to be more to life than those two things.

But then I started to think more about it, and with every passing second, I found myself agreeing more and more with Camus.

Man is selfish. We live our lives based on the simple processes of self-preservation and selfgratification. In today’s world, life has become so taken care of and formulaic that for most of us, the need for self-preservation barely exists anymore.

Our existence and survival is nearly all but guaranteed by the modern conveniences surrounding us. We don’t need to hunt and gather our food, or search for safe drinking water, or even shelter from an oncoming frost. We have grocery stores, water fountains and homes for those necessities. Without the need for self-preservation, man’s only biological drive left is self-gratification.

Thus today’s man — free from biological necessities — relies solely on pleasure as the marker of his life, which is what we get out of Camus’ two reductive activities.

It makes sense in a way. For the entire history of man, it has been an unquestioned assumption that we have enjoyed Camus’ first activity, and as for the second, modern trends in the world seem to back that assertion up as well. Today’s culture seems to be fixated on the cult of celebrity, so much so that countless hours are wasted in the consumption of the latest piece of Hollywood drama or scoop that life around us is missed. How many people wasted four hours inside watching the Kim Kardashian/Kris Humphries wedding’s 17th replay, when they could have been outside enjoying or at least interacting with the world around them? If even one person can say yes to that question, then that’s a problem. If we aren’t fixated upon our own physical pleasures, then we’re stuck on the news and gossip about someone else’s.

I was stuck in this existentialist funk for a while.

No matter where I turned, I saw the self-obsession that Camus’ Clamence had seen. But before this view could overtake me, I came to a realization.

My view was not shattered by logic, but by perception. I saw the world pessimistically because I was a pessimist. Despite my claims of wanting to espouse optimism, I had failed at my first road block. Instead of clinging to the notion of something deeper in the world’s meaning, I attached myself to Camus’ belief without much resistance or second thought. Man isn’t like Thomas Hobbes’ caricature of it. We don’t exist in a “poor, nasty, brutish and short” way, but rather the opposite. While man may get caught up in himself every once and a while, ultimately we are drawn back to the world by those around us, be it our family, loved ones or friends. No man is an island, and therefore no person can be summed up by fornication and avid news readership.

It is impossible to sum up modern man. Not in a single sentence, not in a thousand. There is no possible way to encompass all of the ins and outs of everyone’s lives. And while a reductionist view of life would be simpler, it wouldn’t be truthful.

People are more than merely what they want.

Well, at least I like to think that…

— Preston Peeden is a junior in history. He can be reached at ppeeden@utk.edu.

SCRAMBLED EGGS • Alex Cline

THE GREAT MASH UP • Liz Newnam

Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.

Response to critique on DADT T he Bur den o f I n fa l l i b i l i t y by

Wiley Robinson

Last week on Oct. 3 2011, UT senior and Marine Johnathan Dunham (I apologize for not being able to list his rank) responded to my column regarding the luxurious nature of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in contrast to bigger issues.

I claim full responsibility for any inadequacies in establishing the appropriate tone in the body of my article. Yet considering how interesting I find Mr. Dunham’s perspective, I consider our miscommunication a happy accident.

However, Mr. Dunham’s response first claims I “asserted that “the military” put DADT in place to persecute homosexuals ...” While I deeply appreciate Mr. Dunham’s feedback and perspective, the act of honoring (however dismissively) my article with a response should merit actually reading the article. I clearly stated that “DADT being considered a significant civil rights benchmark is ridiculous.” I used the word “ridiculous,” not “absolutely justified” or “completely self-apparent.”

That alone should have established to most readers that my article was emphatically not a diatribe against the military “persecuting” homosexuals, as Mr. Dunham assumed, again perhaps due to poor writing. But attempting to misrepresent the argument by putting quotation marks around an out-of-context phrase as common as “the military” is unappreciated.

Simply because I asserted that you leave your rights at the door when you join the military dosen’t mean it isn’t a prudent practice. In fact I only maintained that DADT had a justifiable utilitarian basis by writing “military wisdom predicted that sexual identity was both a strong and involuntary enough social binder that asserting an identity in distinct contrast from the statistically prevailing one (straight male) was only going to cause more harm than good.” This statement supports everything Mr. Dunham claimed in his description and defense of DADT. Though irrelevant due to the fact that Mr. Dunham was incorrectly responding to what he assumed to be a predictable diatribe, I still alluded to poll data citing decisive military opinion against

DADT, which could hardly be interpreted as “disregarding” anti-DADT sentiment among high ranking members of the military.

But I maintain that the military is “backwards,” relative to the rest of society — there are considerable restrictions on many fundamental rights that I should hope would be considered the ethically opposed to the standards of civilian American life. This isn’t an accusation; these practices are real, and, as I acknowledged in detail (though not as much as Mr. Dunham), they are justifiable, in context with the harsh realities of the military. My line of reasoning only supports Mr. Dunham in his sympathy with the posthumous DADT, and I find it odd when someone seems highly provoked by a claim yet proceed to rebuke it with exact same idea.

However, DADT was only ever the build up to a denouncement of American’s entire occupation in the Middle East; Mr. Dunham’s reading comprehension did not fail him here. I was totally ripping into the very core of the military. Mr. Dunham starts out by citing an exaggerated statistic of mine: that 99.9 percent of non-American casualties were of innocent people. Whoa, sorry guys, what could I possibly have been thinking? The statistic is more like 63 percent. I’m sure that’s much more comforting.

I will, for the sake of this argument, put aside the relevance of America’s political motivations for these wars and focus only on the consequences of our “kinetic operations.” In the high price of “success” against what we can safely consider to be actual enemy insurgents and terrorists that have access to funding and resources for the purpose of planned violence and subversion, it’s being overwhelmingly observed that our success is actually helping the enemy. Simply put, predator drone strikes only put a dehumanized, oppressive face on America, of scifi proportions. Al-Qaeda is being pushed to the periphery of the world and only becoming more clandestine and gaining more influence and support that our own attacks continue to validate.

Information technology reasonably gives me, a non-soldier, the tools to effectively counter Mr. Dunham’s claims. The military is not keeping me safe over-seas. My tax money pays people like Mr. Dunham, and I reserve the right as an American to reveal truths about the actions of my government institutions as I see fit.

— Wiley Robinson is a junior in ecology and evolutionary biology. He can be reached at rrobin23@utk.edu.

Present research more effectively Chao s Theory by

Sarah Russell

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Blair Kuykendall MANAGING EDITOR Preston Peeden CHIEF COPY EDITOR Robbie Hargett COPY EDITOR Will Abrams DESIGN EDITORS Emily DeLanzo Abbie Gordon PHOTO EDITORS Tia Patron George Richardson NEWS EDITOR Kyle Turner STUDENT LIFE EDITOR Lauren Kittrell ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Jake Lane SPORTS EDITOR Matt Dixon ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Clay Seal RECRUITMENT EDITOR Robby O’Daniel

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I spend the vast majority of my articles lauding the humanities, mostly because they are my passion and will hopefully be my life’s work. I also often wax poetic about undergraduate research. College is the best time to get your feet wet in research for several reasons — it prepares you for graduate school and careers, it supplements what you learn in class through hands-on examples, and it teaches you to think outside the box and learn to analyze and synthesize a variety of concepts. But I have neglected in my articles to fully address one of the most important ways you can articulate what you have learned from your research — academic papers.

The ability to write a paper, thesis or report on your research is the mark of a true academic. It is one thing to perform the research, to spend those hours in the library or the laboratory analyzing primary sources or performing experiments; it is entirely another thing to express your findings in an accessible but academic manner. Writing a research paper requires a working understanding of the overall concepts and theories in your field, a good deal of knowledge of the area in which you are focusing your research, and familiarity with the standards of formatting and citations used in your field. It demonstrates to others that you are not only capable of understanding what research in your area of study entails, but also that you are able to identify the importance of your findings.

Learning and practicing this skill in college is, in my opinion, absolutely critical, and more and more programs on UT’s campus are requiring a capstone project or thesis project in order to obtain degrees in disciplines across the boards, from the sciences to the humanities. Those of us in the humanities and social sciences sometimes take this final research paper for granted — our majors expect us to produce papers regularly throughout our college careers, so a big paper at the end of our degree programs is, if not expected, at least unsurprising. We are consequently eager to have our research and writing skills recognized, so we

tend to be more open about allowing public access to our works, be it through a newspaper column (Yes, I am a guilty party myself.), through departmental sites or through more formal venues.

As editor-in-chief of Pursuit, UT’s undergraduate research journal, I and my co-editors and review board tend to see more submissions from the humanities and social sciences than from any other discipline. It is excellent that so many students in these areas are excited about undergraduate research and want to publish the findings of that research; but the downside to this trend is that the STEM disciplines remain sorely underrepresented in our submission pools.

We have identified a number of reasons for this discrepancy. First, many scientists and engineers who write papers on their experiments and projects are often looking to publish the results of their hard work in professional journals. As opposed to the attitude of many humanities majors, it seems that most scientists see writing as a means to the end of expressing important research, rather than the primary outlet for expressing our thoughts and ideas. Second, it is much easier for humanities majors to make conclusions about their research in a designated amount of time. Assuming the library has our books and the Internet is up and running, we have automatic access to our resources.

Scientists, on the other hand, must perform several experiments under specific conditions before even preliminary conclusions can be drawn.

It is far more difficult for scientists to wrap up their experiments, let alone produce a paper on the subject, in a designated amount of time than it is for humanities majors to write conclusive research.

This is not a discussion of what discipline produces better writers — it is simply an observation of the differences between the sciences and the humanities in terms of our attitudes towards writing. But I am taking this opportunity to make a call to you scientists and engineers — write and publish the results of your research. UT’s STEM departments are extraordinary and produce a great deal of excellent research, and your college peers deserve the chance to read about what you do all day in your laboratories. And if you need a venue through which to do so, please think about Pursuit — we are accepting submissions at trace.tennessee.edu/pursuit until Oct. 21, and we would love to consider your research.

— Sarah Russell is a junior in history. She can be reached at srusse22@utk.edu.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Daily Beacon • 5

ARTS&CULTURE

Chinese artist captures more fame

Knoxville presents classic theater Brittney Dougherty Staff Writer Theatre Knoxville Downtown starts Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” this Friday as part of its 35th season.

Though they have moved, changed names and some of the actors have come and gone, president of the board and actor Bonny Pendleton said the same basic group of people has been working together for a long time.

“This core of people have been together with some changes for 35 years and this is our seventh year in this location,” Pendleton said.

Pendleton is an actor, works backstage and is president of the board, and director Windie Wilson is treasurer on the board and also acts. They sid they chose this particular production for multiple reasons, mainly because “The Mousetrap” is quite a popular play.

“It’s classic, people really love Agatha Christie,” Pendleton said.

“The plot twists and turns and things like that are very much her style of writing.”

In fact, “The Mousetrap” is the longest running play in history. Since it opened in 1952, it has been continuously going in various theaters in London. It has been running at the St. Martin theatre since 1974.

Despite the enthusiasm to present this play, there have been obstacles, as is the case with any production.

They lost an actor early on because of family problems and had to find someone new. The main obstacle,

Wilson said, is the small space they have to work with.

“It’s a cast of eight people, which is not a small cast with a stage the size of ours,” Wilson said. “Just finding ways to create in an intimate environment, a space that feels expansive enough and allows for movement of eight people at one time presents some directing challenges.”

Like Wilson, many of the people involved in Theatre Knoxville

to play such an awful character but also difficult.

“It’s a little disconcerting at times because you’re so mean you feel the cast members of course respond to you on stage that way,” Pendleton said. “It’s really exhausting to play her and it’s really not my nature.”

To get involved with Theatre Knoxville Downtown, sign up online at their website, theatreknoxville.com. There is also a sign-up sheet at the door at every performance. You do not have to be a professional to act with Theatre K n o x v i l l e Downtown.

Wilson did not get started with her theatrical education until after college.

“When I was in college I didn’t take classes at that point but was involved with a student organization where I did a lot of sketch pieces,” Wilson said. “I worked at a community college for a couple years and took some theater classes there and subsequently took some classes at the university.”

“The Mousetrap” premieres on Friday, • Photo courtesy of broadway.com Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. It will continue to Downtown participate in various run through Oct. 30. Show times are ways. Wilson is directing this play at 8 p.m. for Thursday, Friday and but also acts, works backstage and is Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. treasurer on the board.

Tickets are available at Pendleton does it all as well but knoxtix.com for $15 for a Friday or said she does not like to direct.

Saturday show and $10 for a “We have a lot of people that Thursday or Sunday show. One can direct at TKD but that has never been also reserve seats at theatresomething I want to do,” Pendleton knoxville.com but must pay with said. either cash or check at the door.

Pendleton’s role in the play is Mrs. Theatre Knoxville is located on Gay Boyle, a mean woman who is always Street across from what was Regas negative. She said it is sometimes fun restaurant.

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installation artist, Ai has also tried his hand at architectural design, most famously as part of the creative team that produced Beijing’s iconic national stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest.

Ai, 54, has largely ignored the gag order placed on him and resumed posting to Twitter, although his comments are fewer and less incendiary than before. His design firm has also challenged a government demand for $1.85 million in back taxes and fines.

In a telephone interview, Ai said he was pleased by the recognition and called it an endorsement of his campaign for freedom of expression.

“It’s proof internationally that the art community is really concerned with my art, with my effort,” he said.

“You can sense the power when people really care, identify with the cause. But as a person, I don’t feel powerful.”

Although other government critics remain in detention, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Ai’s release was seen as a rare concession both to international pressure and appeals from inside the ruling Communist Party, where Ai’s late father, a poet, is widely revered.

Ai said the official hostility toward him was born of an outdated inability to engage in debate with dissenters.

“They still have the old way of thinking and see me as an enemy. They need to have a space for discussion and communication,” Ai said.

Ai has also been selected

by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of 2011. He has exhibited at the Tate Modern’s famed Turbine Room and his Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads exhibit of sculptures is touring worldwide.

The Associated Press BEIJING — Influential British magazine Art Review has named China’s politically outspoken Ai Weiwei as its most powerful artist of 2011.

The honor is the latest sign of how Ai’s fame has soared following his arrest at Beijing airport in April and subsequent 81 days in detention amid a crackdown on dissidents, lawyers, and government critics. Although freed, he remains under investigation for economic crimes and has been warned not to make public statements.

In an article accompanying the list published in its November edition, Art Review said Ai’s detention and the accompanying international outcry only increased the public’s appetite to see his work.

“Ai’s power and influence derive from the fact that his work and his words have become catalysts for international political debates that affect every nation on the planet: freedom of expression, nationalism, economic power, the Internet, the rights of the human being,” the magazine said.

His activities “have reminded his colleagues and the world at large of the fact that freedom of expression is a basic right of any human being,” it said.

Asked for comment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said it would be inappropriate to consider politics in making the selection.

“I think there are many artists in China who are competent to be candidates for the magazine. If this was done with political prejudice, it would be a violation of the purpose and principles of the magazine,” Liu said.

A sculptor, photographer, inveterate blogger, and

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz ACROSS 1

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Ice cream shop request Plains homes: Var. “Away! you are ___”: Shak.

Head of design Cancel Saint-___ (Delibes contemporary) Dissolve out Tough question It’s not a long shot Local theaters Anatomical aqueducts “___ Alice” (1971 antidrug book)

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Last article of the U.S. Constitution

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Roads with train tracks: Abbr.

6 • The Daily Beacon

ARTS&CULTURE

Friday, October 14, 2011

Comic book helps shed light on Islamic faith The Associated Press DETROIT — Comic book fans might call it a great origin story: In the aftermath of 9/11, a Muslim man creates a comic book series, “The 99,” inspired by the principles of his faith. It builds a global audience and investors contribute millions for it to continue and expand.

In two vastly different cultures, Naif Al-Mutawa’s tale hits a few roadblocks — “villains” if you will: Censorship from Saudi Arabia, home to the main Muslim holy sites; in the United States, a struggle to build an audience where free expression has been hampered by a post-9/11 rise in suspicion and scrutiny of all things Islamic.

For Al-Mutawa, it’s evidence that tales like his are needed to counter hardline, intolerant ideologies of all stripes.

“That’s one of the things that was most disappointing to me in the beginning,” Al-Mutawa said on a recent visit to Detroit. “You have two birthplaces: You have the birthplace of Islam, which initially rejected it (and) the birthplace of democracy and tolerance, this country, that I’m now facing resistance in — the two natural places for this product.”

Al-Mutawa’s reputation in the Middle East and elsewhere has grown since the 2006 debut of “The 99,” as well as its rollout into animation. The series is named for the 99 qualities the Quran attributes to God: strength, courage, wisdom and mercy among them.

The comic book spawned a TV series and 26 half-hour episodes of the 3-D animated version of the “The 99” have been sold to broadcasters. They are expected to be released early next year in more than 50 countries, and a second season is in production.

Al-Mutawa, a U.S.-educated psychologist from Kuwait, has been

promoting “Wham! Bam! Islam!” a PBS documentary that tells the story of “The 99” from an idea hatched during a cab ride to its raising of $40 million in three calls for investors. The promotional push is supporting the animated series, the vehicle by which his company hopes to turn a profit.

“The 99” grew out of his childhood love of Batman, Superman and their superhero brethren, along with a desire to provide role models for his five young sons.

“Basically, ‘The 99’ is based on Quranic archetypes, the same way that Batman and Superman are based on Judeo-Christian and Biblical archetypes. And just like Batman and Superman are secular story lines, so too are ‘The 99,’” he said.

“It seemed to me that the only people using mass media when it came to things to do with religion — at least my religion — were people who were doing very destructive things. So the question was how do I challenge that in a way that’s secular yet cannot be dismissed as Western?”

Critics on both sides of the religious and cultural divide see subversion in Al-Mutawa’s superheroes. Some hardline Muslims say the series subverts their faith by embodying the attributes in human characters, while a few non-Muslim American critics have labeled it sneaky Islamic indoctrination.

Al-Mutawa said it took investment by an Islamic investment bank to make his series “halal,” or acceptable to Saudi officials. The nation’s government-run broadcaster has since bought the rights to the animated series. So has The Hub cable network in the U.S. — though the latter has indefinitely postponed airing it after some critical columns and blog posts.

“One of the comments on the blogs that ended up delaying us

was someone who warned that we can’t let the Muslims brainwash our children like the Mexicans did with ‘Dora the Explorer,’” AlMutawa said.

Still, he’s measuring broader acceptance in other ways. AlMutawa worked with DC Comics last year on a six-issue crossover that teamed “The 99” with The Justice League of America.

“They start out with distrust between the two teams of superheroes — Superman punches one of my guys early on,” Al-Mutawa said. “And then they figure out during the arc that it’s the bad guys causing the distrust.”

Robin Wright, author of “Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World,” said Al-Mutawa has “been way ahead of the curve in figuring out how you challenge extremism and how you create alternative role models to Osama bin Laden or Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah’s leader) for kids and adults.”

Muslim characters are rare in U.S. comic books but there have been some inroads.

Marvel Comics has Dust, a young Afghan woman whose mutant ability to manipulate sand and dust has been part of the popular XMen books.

“I don’t view a Muslim superhero as avant garde,” Marvel editorin-chief Axel Alonso said. “Muslims comprise approximately 23 percent of the world’s population, and we like our comics to reflect the world in its diversity.”

Dust wears a robe and veil to observe Muslim hijab, or modest dress. Another character, M, is a woman of Algerian descent who only recently revealed her faith in the pages of “X-Factor.” Like millions of other Muslim women in the real world, she “does not observe hijab, and often dresses quite provocatively,” Alonso said.

Festival celebrates written word The Associated Press NASHVILLE — The state’s yearlong Homecoming celebration in 1986 spawned this weekend’s Southern Festival of Books in Nashville.

More than 250 authors are expected for the festival Friday through Sunday at the Legislative Plaza. Organizers say they have coordinated with the state and expect no protests at the site by Occupy Nashville supporters, who gathered at the location last weekend.

Tennessee localities celebrated their heritage in 1986, and one of the events was the first Tennessee Authors Celebration.

An initiative of then-Gov. Lamar Alexander, the authors festival was intended to showcase the diversified and respected work of local writers and bring more attention to the talent in Tennessee.

With authors — including several former and future Pulitzer Prize winners — uniting from every corner of the state, the book festival was a success. It planted the seeds for what would become a year-

ly celebration of the written word.

Today, the Southern Festival of Books, a three-day festival that takes place every year on the second weekend in October, is one of the significant legacies of Homecoming ‘86, according to The Tennessean.

“For those of us who were involved in Homecoming, it’s wonderful that it has continued,” says Lewis Lavine, who helped coordinate the 1986 Homecoming as Alexander’s chief of staff and is currently president of Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management.

“It’s now a tradition, and it’s exciting to have a tradition.”

The 1986 authors celebration had many similarities to the festival today, as renowned authors participated in reading and panel discussions at various downtown venues.

Among them was Tennessee novelist Peter Taylor, who that year published “A Summons to Memphis,” which won a Pulitzer Prize. He was joined by writers such as Tom. T. Hall, Nikki Giovanni, Madison Bell, John Egerton and others.

Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon

Kianna Ruff, sophomore in marketing, and Lizzi Cornell, freshman in logistics, shop through the PINK Nation Tour that came to campus on Oct. 12. The Victoria Secret’s PINK collection has a wide range of collegiate wear that was on sale as well as other clothing items.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Daily Beacon • 7

Chaplain helps Vols deal with adversity Matt Dixon Sports Editor Tennessee football gamedays are filled with many traditions. Each Saturday the Volunteers play in Neyland Stadium, fans can see the Vol Navy on the banks of the Tennessee River or line the streets to high-five players on the Vol Walk.

But not all pre-game festivities are seen by thousands of fans clad in orange and white.

Four and a half hours before kickoff, the football team participates in a chapel service and after the Vol Walk holds a prayer at midfield.

Both are led by Roger Woods, the team’s chaplain.

“My job, my philosophy, my mission is to encourage and empower, and I do that through scripture, study and sports,” Woods, better known as ‘Chap,’ said. “I serve as a spiritual advisor, mentor and for a lot of these guys, as like a father-figure in each one of their lives. That’s what I do every day.”

Now in his third season at UT, Woods is also the team chaplain for the UT men’s basketball team and serves as the campus director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

“Chap’s been great,” football coach Derek Dooley said. “He has a wonderful ability to connect with all these young people even if they don’t come in with a strong religious spirit and so he has a way about him that attracts anyone and then uses Christian principles to reinforce his message.

He’s as good as I’ve been around and we’re glad he’s in the program.”

The football program has gone through its fair share of adversity in recent years, both on and off the field, and Woods preaches the same message to the team, especially this year after injuries start-

ed to mount on key players.

“My word to them is stay in the fight,” Woods said. “In life you’re going to go through adversity and last year we went through a lot of adversity, particularly through the game with LSU and then with North Carolina. We actually got a theme out of that and what came out of that is, ‘When adversity hits, UT will never quit.’ And that also goes in the game of life.”

Woods helps many student-athletes deal with being in the spotlight at UT while still having the same problems other students have.

“We look at it from the philosophy: From outside, these young men and women are looked at as superstars, superheroes if you will. I deal with them from a prospective of ‘man, these are, at the end of the day, ordinary people.’ They have the same issues as the common person,” he said. “My role and my job is to look beyond the superstar athlete and beyond the superstar coach and deal with them as an individual person and really just trying to minister to the heart of the person and not to the heart of the name of the person.”

It’s the heart of UT coaches and players that has Woods believing good things are in store for UT athletics in the future.

“This is why I love working with coach Dooley, (men’s basketball) coach (Cuonzo) Martin, (women’s basketball) coach (Pat) Summitt and all the other coaches and teams, because I really believe that we have to recruit talent but we also have to recruit character with talent. All three of these coaches, amongst all the other coaches on this campus, now believe in operating in character and integrity. My personal belief is that you can’t have character unless you have Christ ’cause Christ is character. That’s what I believe first and foremost.”

Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon

Roger Woods, the Vols’ football chaplain, helps lead a midfield prayer after the football game against Buffalo on Oct. 1. Woods helped lead Gametime in Tennessee, a concert that was held in Neyland Stadium in May.

Vols basketball holds first practice Dallas Abel Staff Writer The men’s basketball team hosted its annual media day on Wednesday in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Coach Cuonzo Martin spoke on the upcoming season expectations and practices ahead. He emphasized the hard work the team has put in, leading up to practice that starts on Friday.

The offseason workouts mainly focused on the defensive side of the ball. With Martin in his first season, he has emphasized defense. Players have said that they may go practices without seeing a basketball.

“I think the focus for us and our workouts have been 80 percent on the defensive side of the ball,” Martin said. “We spend a little time with skill workouts.”

With the official team practices starting, the team will begin to work on shooting more in practices. Another major change for the Vols is the different offense. They will be running the motion offense this winter, involving more screens for players. Martin believes the offense will be successful this next year if the players continue to work with it.

A few players that Martin stated were some of the main leaders through the offseason are sophomore Jordan McRae and junior Kenny Hall. The two have stepped up and are leading the team with only two seniors.

McRae has accepted the leadership role for the

team in the offseason. He continues to show the team how to act on and off the court.

“We have a lot of young guys and they started looking up to people,” McRae said. “I was one of the people they looked up to and coach Martin told me if I am going to have people follow me, I have to lead the right way.”

Players are excited for practices to begin because they know it will be the next step towards the first game of the season. Martin said they will open up practice with team defensive drills because that will determine the team’s success this year.

“I think the energy is definitely there. We’ll see how that goes once we start hitting it three hours a day,” Martin said. “We’ll see if the energy stays up, but it’s been there thus far, and that’s been a fun thing, a pleasant thing to see for our staff.”

The roster is another question that will be answered when the Vols take the court Friday.

Martin believes that they will have an eight- to nineman rotation throughout the season. Along with the rotation, Martin said he will play whoever earns the spot, not who was starting for the team last year. Everyone will have to compete for starting positions.

For Martin to come and take over a program and to get players to buy into what he was teaching was a challenge he conquered.

“At first, just getting used to differences was hard,” Hall said. “All of a sudden getting used to someone new, that’s not the easiest transition.

Trying to get the flow of everything, to find out who the coaches are and what they expect of you.”

8 • The Daily Beacon

SPORTS

Friday, October 14, 2011

LSU presents physical, mental challenges for UT Lauren Kittrell Student Life Editor Only 378 days after their disappointing 16-14 loss in Baton Rouge, the Volunteers, injured and disheveled, have a chance to redeem a missed opportunity and show the Tigers what a team full of heart is capable of achieving.

As the team prepares to face LSU this Saturday, in the back of everyone’s mind is the lack of many key players, including (but not limited to), sophomore wide receiver Justin Hunter and sophomore starting quarterback Tyler Bray. Head coach Derek Dooley knows the situation. He’s seen it before, but more importantly, he knows how to overcome it.

“This team we are playing this week — the fact that they are No. 1 in the country kind of says it all,” Dooley said. “They are good everywhere. They are tenacious on defense. It’s probably the best offense they have had there in several years: a physical, downhill running team and play action shots down the field. They are going to humiliate you if you don’t come ready to fight and that’s what we’ve got to do.

We have a tough situation and we all know it but you have to go out there to play and compete. You have to show up and that’s what we are going to do so we move on.”

The mental challenge for the Vols will be just as difficult, if not more difficult, than the physical one.

Dooley said the important goal for the team is to stay focused and not lose sight of the moment-to-moment tasks that ultimately achieve the win.

“I don’t have any doubts that Tennessee is going to be what Tennessee expects to be,” Dooley said. “But we also have to confront some tough, brutal facts that we are facing right now. Is it going to be tough? You’re dang right. But you’re presented with a set of circumstances every day and you can’t change what has happened in the past. You can’t worry about what might happen. You can’t say, ‘Well, this might happen if that.’

You can’t do any of that. You have to deal with the circumstances you are presented with and go after it the best you can. That is all you can do and never lose faith in the end of the story.”

The loss to LSU last year sparked from a series of blunders that should never have occurred. In a press conference after the loss, Dooley said it was time for the team to look in the mirror, take responsibility for

the mistakes made and make sure they don’t happen again.

“I think the important thing to know is it’s not O.K. — and I told our team this — it’s not O.K. to lose,” Dooley said. “When you lose, you have to look in the mirror and say what can we do better to prevent it?

There was certainly a lot of that. We can’t whine. We can’t complain. We can’t make excuses because you can never do that until you look at yourself in the mirror first. And that’s just part of being a man. That’s a part of life. When life doesn’t go your way, look in the mirror. Maybe I could have done something to change the outcome. That’s what we’re going to do.”

On the upside, senior quarterback Matt Simms has been looking forward to a rematch against the Tigers since the loss in 2010. The starting quarterback at the time, Simms was able to see first-hand the mistakes that cost his team the game, and Dooley said he is proud of Simms and feels he is ready to lead the team once more this Saturday.

“He brings a lot of leadership ability,” Dooley said.

“He has been in the fire before. He has a real good command of the offense and he has prepared every week like he is a starter. This is his time and we will see how he does.”

Simms made it clear last year that if he could play any game against any team, he would choose LSU. The opportunity for him is huge, not only as he returns as starting quarterback, but as he faces old foes and heals old wounds.

“I think everyone kind of realizes that this isn’t my first rodeo,” Simms said. “I played in a lot of big games last year and obviously I’m not afraid to get hit.

I’m just looking forward to it, looking forward to the experience. It’s a tough position for all of us but we just have to focus and win our first SEC game.”

Looking forward to the game, the competition can seem overwhelming, but looking back, Simms sees the potential of his team. He knows what has to be done and he knows that the team is at a place where it will take more heart than strength to face the déjá vu of the upcoming game.

“It definitely helps to know that we did perform well down there,” Simms said. “Then again, there were a lot of things we could have done a lot better.

This year, we just have to refocus our energy and just make sure that we concentrate on the little details to beat a team like this.”

Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon

Senior Matt Simms talks to coach Derek Dooley during the fourth quarter of the Georgia game on Saturday, before he replaced Tyler Bray just after Bray suffered a thumb injury. Simms had 121 passing yards and one touchdown last year against LSU. For the last few minutes of the UGA game, Simms threw for 39 yards and will be starting quarterback while Bray heals.

Friday, October 14, 2011

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • 9

Lee, Jefferson head LSU’s balanced attack Clay Seal Assistant Sports Editor LSU’s controversial 16-14 last-second victory over Tennessee last year was marred in the eyes of many, especially Volunteer fans, but not in LSU coach Les Miles’ eyes.

“Victory is victory. No matter what way you cut it,” Miles said. “The enjoyment that I had after that game was significant with the feel of victory. I don’t necessarily think there was bad taste in anybody’s mouth in any way. I can tell you that we did the things we needed to do in unusual circumstances to get victory. I enjoyed it and I am going to stay that way.”

Miles and the No. 1 Tigers visit Knoxville Saturday, where they are just 2-11-1, with a 3:39 p.m. kickoff on CBS. “I think Tennessee is a quality football team,” Miles said. “They are physical. They are 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC. Derek Dooley is doing a tremendous job in his second year there.

They have their guys playing well on every down.”

LSU (5-0, 2-0 SEC) has arguably faced the toughest schedule so far this season and still come away unscathed. They have played four ranked opponents (No. 3 Oregon, at No. 25 Mississippi State, at No. 16 West Virginia and No. 17 Florida) and won by double digits in all contests.

The Tigers’ offense is all about balance, having rushed for 1,101 yards and passed for 1,100 yards. They have both the second-best offense and defense in the SEC, averaging 38.5 points a game and holding opponents to 12.5 points.

LSU has a plus-11 turnover margin with eight interceptions and six fumble recoveries on defense. Tennessee has just one interception and four fumble recoveries.

Since Jordan Jefferson returned from his fourgame suspension, the Tigers may have a quarterback controversy. Jefferson made his season debut in a 35-7 win against Kentucky on Oct. 1, but did not attempt a pass until last week’s 41-11

win against Florida, in which he went 3-of-4 for 61 yards and a touchdown, along with four rushes.

Fifth-year senior Jarrett Lee has managed the games for LSU in Jefferson’s absence after serving as the second option in a two-headed QB tandem last season, throwing eight touchdowns against one interception this year. LSU has not demanded much of him, though. He has thrown as little as 10 passes (twice) in a game this season and no more than 27.

“We’re going to be able to run it or throw it with either quarterback in the game,” Miles said.

“It does not make a difference. Our offense is handled well by both quarterbacks. It just means that you cannot gang up on certain skills that Jordan Jefferson has because of his feet. We’re going to throw the ball with balance like we always have.”

The Tigers have three capable running backs, led by sophomore Spencer Ware, that have combined for 15 touchdowns this year. Ware is averaging over four yards a carry for 432 yards.

Michael Ford has 324 yards and six touchdowns, and Alfred Blue has 218 yards with four scores.

Reuben Randle (23 receptions, 446 yards) and Odell Beckham (20 receptions, 268 yards) have headed the receiving corps for the Tigers.

“We have a lot of personnel on offense, and a lot of players are stepping up at key times and making plays,” receiver Russell Shepard said.

Matt Simms, who started against LSU last season, is the Vols’ starting quarterback with Tyler Bray out with a fractured thumb.

“I know that their quarterback Tyler Bray is not expected to be there for our game, but I can tell you that Matt Simms played well against us the year before in our stadium,” Miles said.

Chavis back on Rocky Top Former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis makes his first return to Neyland Stadium since taking the same position with LSU in 2009. Chavis coached for the Vols from 1989-’98, taking over as defensive coordinator in 1995. Chavis was a middle guard for the Vols from ’76-’78 and was a graduate assistant in ’79.

• Photo courtesy of Emily Slack/The Daily Reveille

LSU sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (7) runs a fumble in for a touchdown during the Tigers’ 35-7 victory against Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 1, in Tiger Stadium.

10 • The Daily Beacon

THESPORTSPAGE

1

FIRST PLACE: 23-7 (.77)

2

SECOND PLACE: 22-8 (.73)

2

Preston Peeden Managing Ed. Tennessee 21 - LSU 42 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 14 - Auburn 24

Matt Dixon Sports Editor Tennessee 10 - LSU 27 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 13 - Auburn 24

SECOND PLACE: 22-8 (.73) Clay Seal Asst. Sports Editor Tennessee 14 - LSU 45 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 10 - Auburn 17

2

SECOND PLACE: 22-8 (.73) Will Abrams Copy Editor Tennessee 14 - LSU 38 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 21 - Auburn 24

5 6

FIFTH PLACE: 21-8 (.70) Brent Harkins Ad Sales Tennessee 13 - LSU 24 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 17 - Auburn 24

DEAD STINKIN’ LAST: 20-10 (.67) Robbie Hargett Chief Copy Editor Tennessee 13 - LSU 35 Oklahoma State - Texas South Carolina - Miss. State Oregon - Arizona State Florida 17 - Auburn 28

Friday, October 14, 2011

Clausen recalls comeback over LSU The Tigers rode that emotion from the opening kickoff, dominating the first half to take a three-score lead into the locker room.

Sports Editor To start the second half, then-UT coach Phillip Fulmer made the decision to go with Clausen under center. The move paid off and Soon after being named coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Clausen led the Vols on an improbable comeback to win 30-27 in Derek Dooley created the multi-faceted “Vol for Life” program, led overtime. by former UT defensive back Andre Lott, that focuses on four areas While UT fans mostly remember Clausen for that night in the of personal growth for players: character education, life skills, career Bayou or for being the younger brother of Casey Clausen, for UT’s development and spiritual growth. quarterback from 2000-’03, who’s only behind Peyton Manning for “When we put in that tag-phrase ‘Vol for Life,’ it’s something that’s nearly every passing record in school history, Rick’s time in the not a creation, it’s real,” Dooley told The Daily Beacon. “These guys, orange and white was as much about the off-the-field experience as when they leave here, they consider themselves Vols. It’s the whole it was about the times in Neyland Stadium.

‘Once a Vol, always a Vol.’” “Tennessee, it’s a family and it’s a close-knit group of guys,” he So what does the term “Vol for Life” truly mean? said. “If you’re part of the Tennessee football teams, you basically “I think it’s one: recognizing and appreciating the three-to-four become part of the family. Whether you live on one side of the counyear experience (players) had at try or not, you still have that bond Tennessee, and all that Tennessee with those guys. It’s a great expegave to them,” Dooley said. rience to venture out of your “Then, when they leave, there’s a comfort zone and go to school continual bond that the player has some place a little bit different, with the program and that the experience some things you probprogram has with the player. It’s ably wouldn’t normally experiso important not to ever feel a disence.” connect between program and forThough he didn’t initally come mer players because they are the to Knoxville out of high school, ones that made this program the the decision to leave California special program that it is and I’ll and venture to the SEC was an always remember that.” easy one.

“We always, as a family, would Down 21-0 at halftime, sit around and watch SEC footTennessee turned to Rick Clausen ball,” he said. “Just the pageantry on the road at LSU in 2005. and the excitement that went But Clausen was more than just along with football in the South the Volunteers’ backup quarterwas something that kind of drew back, and that game was much myself and Casey to the South.” more than just a college football After two years at LSU, Rick game, even for SEC standards. decided to follow in his brother’s Hurricane Katrina forced the footsteps and did a rarity: transfer File Photo• The Daily Beacon game to be postponed from its from one SEC school to another. original date on Saturday, Sept. Rick Clausen throws a pass in this undated photo “Casey had quite a bit of suc24, until the following Monday, from 2005. Clausen aided UT in their win at Tiger cess at Tennessee. I had been up Sept. 26, and Clausen was a for- Stadium in 2005 after the LSU game was post- there quite a few times visiting mer Tiger, having spent two sea- poned to a Monday game after Katrina. Clausen Casey while I was at LSU so I sons in Baton Rouge, La., before started the second half, and the Vols came back was pretty familiar with the town transferring to Tennessee in 2003. and pretty familiar with the playfrom 21-0 to win 30-27 in overtime.

Clausen rotated with sophoers and coaches,” Rick said. “It more Erik Ainge at quarterback was just a good fit to go to college with Casey for a year and then I for the first two games of UT’s season, but Ainge was named the had my sister coming as well. She was a freshman when I was a junstarter heading into the Monday-night showdown in an electric ior or senior. It just was a good fit, not only for myself, but for the rest Tiger Stadium. of my family, not only from a football standpoint, but also socially.”

“Obviously, I wasn’t too excited with that decision that he made, Rick spent the 2006 season as a graduate assistant coach at UT. but I understood it,” Clausen said. “I was going in thinking I wasn’t Now, he works in his family’s insurance business, but he is still going to play, just trying to take in the excitement and the atmos- coaching, serving as the quarterbacks coach at his high school, Oaks phere that was going on in Tiger Stadium that night. It was the first Christian in California. Casey is the team’s offensive coordinator. game after Hurricane Katrina and there was a lot of emotion in the “I’m still enjoying football and that aspect of my life and trying to stands.” help kids as much as possible,” he said.

Matt Dixon