The Daily Beacon

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Colin Skinner discusses job security of college football coaches

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Teams to perform with local artists tonight

Friday, October 15, 2010 Issue 40 I N D E P E N D E N T

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Bob Edwards discusses venerable career Blair Kuykendall Copy Editor Bob Edwards, former host on National Public Radio, shared experiences from his career with faculty and students in the UC auditorium Wednesday.

Ashley Shoemaker, senior in political science, who provided questions to direct Edwards’ remarks, introduced him.

“We are very grateful to have Bob Edwards speak with us,” Shoemaker said.

The address was given in a Q-and-A format, with Edwards seated and relaxed next to a coffee table on stage. His demeanor was cool and collected but serious, as befits a man who has weathered all the major storms of the past several decades with his listeners at home.

Edwards first touched on his mentorpupil relationship with Red Barber, the experienced sports broadcaster from Cincinnati who would appear on Edwards’ show in its early years.

He greatly appreciated the many lessons Barber was able to impart, learning through their interaction.

“I was used to scripted radio, but this was live,” Edwards said. “He taught me to be extemporaneous and broadcast on the fly. This was very valuable for the events that would come later. It was an important lesson, and I learned that from Red.” Proceeding to expound on his experiences as a radio reporter, Edwards shared his experiences on Sept. 11.

“The big thing for me that morning was to avoid any kind of speculation, to say only what we knew,” Edwards said.

“That’s really the only operating thought I had for 9/11.”

With his experience, Edwards was able to comment on his time spent with many different types of people, from many different walks of life.

“Politicians are defensive and have their ‘message of the day,’” he said.

“Musicians are different. When I talk to someone who is open and creative, it’s very refreshing. I like to ask them what they do and why they do it.”

Edwards identified his favorite musician as Theresa Andersson. Her style aims to create a one-woman show, as she roams the country with a record player, drums, dulcimer, guitar and violin. She uses all of these instruments together, through the employ of loop pedals.

“She plays multiple instruments and will record instruments over themselves and harmonize with herself as well,” Edwards said. “She can then become a symphony all herself, barefoot, as she creates her music with pedals on stage. It’s not your everyday creation.”

With the changing of the journalistic environment, so too have come changes for Edwards and his reporting style.

“I did breaking news at NPR and had to do seven hours a day of ‘Morning Edition,’” he said. “The program I do now is an interview program, and I can talk to a person as long as I like. It’s simply conversation, and there should be a place for that.”

Edwards will be making the most of his visit to Knoxville, finding time to gather some material for his program.

“While I’m here I intend to do a story on workers at Oak Ridge in the 1980s,” Edwards said. “I may even sit down with Pat Summitt.”

Edwards has done at least 30,000 interviews over the course of his career.

He described his most heated interview with James Watt, a Reagan staff member, who stormed out of his studio in anger.

He shared many other anecdotes as well.

“My favorite interview was with Father Greg Boyle, who works in downtown Los Angeles, specifically with members of the Latino population involved in lives of gang violence,” he said. “He has a great gift of narrative.

The stories of the people he has helped, and the people who aren’t able to escape the violence, are simply riveting.”

Edwards said he has a capable team

Fair encourages international awareness and student action Kyle Turner News Editor The first-ever PartnershipsInAction Fair will be held this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in World’s Fair Park in an effort to end global poverty.

The Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. is launching the PartnershipsInAction Fair in Knoxville to raise support and awareness to the problems that persist throughout the world.

The theme for this year’s Fair is “Our Environment: One People, One Planet,” raising awareness to the interconnectivity of world communities.

“UT students are highly encouraged to come out and support the event, if for nothing else than gaining a better understanding of the needs of the developing world,” Aneel Bhimani, graduate student in international development, said. “We are all brothers and sisters in the world community and need to be aware of others in this increasingly shrinking world.”

Unlike other charitable events, the PartneshipsInAction Fair will donate 100 percent of all funds raised directly to projects supported through the organization.

“Our commitment and mission is so clear and strong that, unlike other organizations that might spend funds on administrative costs, every cent raised Sunday will go straight to the ones who need it the most,” Bhimani said.

In the light of recent tragedies stemming from the flood in Pakistan, half of the money raised will go directly to Aga Khan Development Network’s assistance to Pakistanis.

The event’s success this Sunday is extremely important to longevity of PartnershipsInAction.

“The turnout and support that we receive this weekend can really chart a

path for continued success and leave Knoxville poised as a national leader in relieving global poverty,” Rahim Manji, UT alumnus and organizer with the event, said.

Other monies raised will be used to build wells, schools and hospitals in poorer and developing countries.

“It is not always feasible for students go out to the developing countries and physically help, but there is so much they can do right from home,” Bhimani said. “We really want to encourage students to act locally to help globally.”

The event will be hosting various government officials, including the mayor of Oak Ridge, and is expected to have a turnout of around 2,000 people from Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Maryville, Lenoir City and various other urban and suburban centers.

The PartnershipsInAction Fair will be co-sponsored by national and regional companies, including CocaCola and Dunkin’ Doughnuts.

The event promises to offer food, games, raffles and entertainment for those in attendance as well as a breadth of information on how one can make a difference in their local community.

“This is an excellent way for UT students to learn about advancing countries and understand the role they can play in a globalizing world,” Bhimani said.

The Aga Khan Foundation has raised more than $36 million since 1995 to alleviate poverty in Asia, Africa and much of the developing world.

The success of the Partnership Walk, launched in 1995 in Los Angeles, inspired the creation of PartnershipsInAction, which has expanded into a nationwide initiative, includes programs and events for diverse audiences, Manji said.

who helps him locate interesting persons such as Boyle.

“I have a fantastic staff of young producers who know what I will do and what they want to do,” he said. “They tell me what’s going on in music, and I educate them on the Iran-Contra Affair.”

Another of his favorite interviews was with Johnny Cash, who had a special impact on Edwards.

“I spent so many years trying to get Johnny Cash,” Edwards said. “I knew I was going to call him the ‘Voice of America.’ I finally got him, just six months before he died, and we had a great time.”

He shared his stories from times of war and peace. Particularly interesting were his thoughts on the McCarthy years, with his belief that the public was responsible for preventing atrocities like this from occurring.

Edwards reflected on the future of journalism and its altered role in American culture.

“You have people in Washington who remain in makeup all day, pundits,” he said. “There is less attention to fact. If something shows up on Twitter, broadcasters go on the air with it. It’s not checked for accuracy.”

He brought up examples from his experience to justify this point.

“When Clinton was accused of his affairs, that’s when it began,” Edwards said. “Journalists reported rumors for the first time. There is now less care taken with information.”

Edwards also shared his view of his significant role in modern journalistic practice.

“There is no civility,” he said. “These programs are less about the mind than speaking from the gut. My program is a little place of escape from that. It will all be different in 10 years, because it’s all different now than it was 10 years ago.

We seem to be going back to our historical roots, when political parties ran newspapers. Objectivity has ceased.”

He sees an extreme polarity in the

• Photo courtesy of Bob Edwards

Bob Edwards visited UT on Oct. 13 for a Q-and-A session. He answered questions about his experiences in public radio for the audience. media, which is a substantial diversion from journalism of the past.

“Once that (bias) begins, it flourishes,” Edwards said. “These outlets are going to multiply and increase. I don’t know that I would want to stop that.

There should be freedom of opinion.”

Edwards still asserts the importance of the New York Times and the Washington Post in our society.

“We need successful big-time newspapers that can finance investigative reporting,” he said. “This is our only way to keep tabs on the activities of our politi-

cians.”

Both “The Bob Edwards Show” and “Bob Edwards Weekend,” broadcasted through Public Radio International, currently feature Edwards. These programs are purely conversational, as Edwards interacts with prominent journalists, entertainers and a variety of interesting persons.

Edwards is currently affiliated with Sirius XM. Previously, he hosted National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” where his following included 13 million listeners on a weekly basis.

Campus initiative supports Haiti Kristian Smith Student Life Editor Since the devastating January earthquake near Port-au-Prince, the need in Haiti has been of principle concern for many of the aid groups on campus.

However, some UT students have been working to bring aid to Haiti even before the earthquake struck.

Give Haiti Hope, a new organization at UT, is primarily composed of UT students that work with the Knoxville-based Haiti Outreach program, founded in 2008, to bring much-needed aid to villages in Haiti.

Katie Riley, president of Give Haiti Hope, said she has been working to help Haiti for many years.

“I was in a Haiti club in high school. I felt like we really made a difference there, and I wanted to bring that goal to UT,” she said. “There were lots of clubs helping Africa (at UT) but none helping Haiti.”

Though Riley and other members of the group have been actively working to aid Haiti for years, she said the earthquake brought awareness to the need.

“The earthquake made the UT community much more receptive to a club like this,” she said.

The group holds many fundraisers throughout the year, including a Fierce and Fancy Formal prom dress sale in February and a medical benefit, but their new fundraiser is 21 for Haiti.

This fundraiser is being held in coordination with Katie Erpenbach’s, vice president of Give Haiti Hope, 21st birthday.

“I wanted to do something I would remember for my 21st, because most people don’t remember their 21st birthdays,” Erpenbach said.

The fundraiser incorporates a “virtual bar” on the fundraiser’s website, www.21forhaiti.org, where people can buy Erpenbach a virtual drink.

The group has also set up percentages nights at bars and restaurants around

Knoxville throughout the month of October.

Places like Three Spoons, Rita’s Italian Ice, Losers, Buffalo Wild Wings and Texas Roadhouse will host percentage nights for the group this month. Visit the website for the full calendar of percentage nights.

Erpenbach said all the money raised by the fundraiser will go to help build an orphanage in Boucan Carre, Haiti. She said they hope to raise $21,000.

As for the other fundraisers, Erpenbach said the money will go to the Haiti Outreach program to help support a village in Haiti.

“The outreach program is only about 12 years old, and it started when Sacred Heart Cathedral was paired with a parish in Haiti,” she said. “Sacred Heart sent doctors and engineers for missions there, and they built up a hospital and an entire community. The model they created is being turned into a model for the rest of the country.”

She said the group has built an elementary school and is working to build a secondary school and a dispensary. Also, the program is working to bring a water filtration system and an agriculture program to another village.

“That village is poorer than our village has ever been,” Erpenbach said.

Riley said that while the club has only been officially approved since the beginning of this semester, the group of students has been working together for more than a year.

“Three or four of us started reaching out and bringing others in,” she said.

“Five of us consider ourselves founders.”

Riley said that is important for college students to help Haiti.

“It’s our duty as privileged people to help those who don’t have as much,” she said. “College students don’t have a lot of money, but we have 10 times more than anyone there could ever dream of having.”

Erpenbach also believes Haiti is very deserving of help.

“We don’t realize how fortunate we are

to live where we do,” she said. “There are people in the U.S. who are poor and need help, but there is so much assistance here.

You go to Haiti and their government does not give them anything. Aid groups are the only way Haiti will improve.”

Besides fundraisers, the group also has plans to take trips to Haiti over winter break and spring break.

Riley and Erpenbach have both taken trips to Haiti.

“Taking a trip to Haiti is amazing,” Erpenbach said. “They sometimes say its more helpful for the people who go on the trip than the Haitians. It really makes you more appreciative.”

Riley said even students who do not want to go to Haiti should still join the club.

“Some of our most active volunteers have never been (to Haiti) and have no intention of going,” she said. “Some people are more equipped and talented to do work here.”

For those interested in helping Haiti or joining Give Haiti Hope, the group will host Healing Haiti: a Discussion on Human Rights Before and After Disaster Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the UC Crest Room.

The speakers for the event are Tatiana Therosme and Jordan Pyda. Therosme was actually in Haiti during the January 2010 earthquake and is working for Partners in Health as a psychologist.

Pyda, a medical student, lived in rural Haiti for two years. Therosme will be sharing stories of the day the disaster struck and how human rights relate to healthcare for the poor, and Pyda will be sharing stories of his time in Haiti and how groups such as the Haiti Outreach Program have truly made an impact on the lives of people there.

Erpenbach said the event will be more of a discussion than a lecture.

For more information about how to get involved with Give Haiti Hope send an email to ghh@utk.edu or go their website, www.givehaitihope.org.

2 • The Daily Beacon

Friday, October 15, 2010

InSHORT

UT professor emeritus dies at 72

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

David Holland, senior in media arts, participates in “Toe-pography,” an art instillation near the Humanities building on Oct. 14. Students were asked to paint with their feet.

THURSDAY OCT 21 Ghost Bird will be followed by talk/book signing by Lyn Bales, author of Ghost Birds: Jim Tanner and the Quest for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, 1935–1941. Lyn will be joined by special guest, Nancy Tanner.

TUESDAY OCT 19 Tennessee Clean Water and Wild & Scenic Rivers present a series of outstanding environmental films.

Info: 974-3321 Tickets online at http://www.tcwn.org/filmfestival10

Susan Becker, UT professor emerita, died Oct. 10 following an illness and cardiac surgery.

Becker graduated from Berea High School in 1956, from Ohio University in 1960 and from the University of Pittsburgh in 1961.

She did graduate work at John Carol University and at Case Western Reserve, where she received her Ph.D. in 1975.

She was awarded Woodrow Wilson and Mellon fellowships and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

From 1974 to 2000, she taught women’s history, 19thand 20th-century American history and honors courses in the UT history department. She was the founder and director of the UT Honors Program and was the chairperson of the women’s studies program from 19791981.

She also received the UT National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 1974. In 1999, she was awarded the Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Service, as well as

dazzle crowds with his “Magic of Chemistry Show” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 19, in 555 Dabney-Buehler Hall.

The one-hour show is free and open to the public.

Part of National Chemistry Week (NCW), the show is both entertaining and educational.

While Hazari conducts exciting and often explosive demonstrations, he unravels the mystery of how everyday items, such as diapers or cleaning supplies, work.

Throughout his career, Hazari has been committed to educating the public about the wonders and power of chemistry. Yearround, he can be found performing chemistry outreach proUT professor shows the grams in schools, museums, assisted-living centers and even magic of chemistry at the grocery store.

Hazari is the 2000 winner of He’s a tie-dyed lab coat-wearing scientist who can create a liq- the Helen M. Free Award for uid, bubbling rainbow inside a Public Outreach from the glass cylinder. He can demon- American Chemistry Society strate how Alka-Seltzer calms an (ACS) and author of the book upset stomach. He can trans- “Misconceptions in Chemistry,” form bubbles into floating balls which helps tackle many of the myths surrounding chemistry in of fire.

For the 20th year in a row, Al our everyday lives.

Hazari, director of labs and lecturer in chemistry at UT, will See Beacon Bits on Page 5 the UT Distinguished Service Award for 25 years of service.

In 2003, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Berea High School.

She is the author of “The Origins of the Equal Rights Amendment: American Feminism Between the Wars” and co-author of “Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence.”

A celebration of Becker’s life will take place Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. in the UT Gardens at the Shade Pavilion, followed by a reception. Memorial donations may be made to InterFaith Health Clinic.

Friday, October 15, 2010

ENTERTAINMENT

The Daily Beacon • 3

Teams to play at Old City’s Pilot Light Local artists to perform together Brian Conlon Staff Writer Variety and versatility are not what electronic music has exhibited in its relatively short career as a recognized genre. Instead, it is commonly regarded as a homogenous collection of music that resides almost exclusively in nightclubs.

However, with the birth of the digital age came an explosion of DJs, remixes and music created without the aid of traditional instrumentation. With the abundance of resources and programs online for making and sharing music, the power to create and popularize music has shifted from giant music corporations to the common individual. Indeed, just one person can create a sound as big as any orchestra by clicking and dragging.

DJs like Girl Talk, Pretty Lights and Bassnectar inspire adoration among the college-age masses.

Asheville’s Halloween weekend Moogfest festival pays tribute to synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog by almost exclusively hosting artists who create electronic music or enhance their music with synthesizers and other digital equipment, which has received a large amount of attention. In fact, the allotted number of weekend passes sold out in a little over a month, forcing the festival’s curators to change many of the single-day passes into threeday passes, raising the prices by about 20 percent.

Diversity is inevitable with this proliferation of electronic media, and it has led to the betterment of electronic music as an established, innovative and respectable genre. This diversity is not only a macro event, but it is also evident within individual artists. This can be seen in current Knoxville resident Sean Bowie aka Teams. Bowie’s original influences were The Blow/YACHT’s Jona Bechtolt and Dntel/The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello.

Teams’ music is also reminiscent of older artists in the genre, most notably legendary French duo Daft Punk, but he adds his own unique touch and bends the formulas from his predecessors’ influences. He does this by chopping, distorting and fad-

ing more traditional electronic music into his own formula.

Similarly, Teams often employs old rhythm and blues samples in his music, creating a stark yet apt juxtaposition between the ’70s soul and the naughts’ digital orchestration.

Teams’ music at times can sound like the bass and womp of the dubstep subgenre but can then evolve into the instrumentation similar to Radiohead circa “Kid A.” This dynamic music is intended to immerse the listener in enough sound that they forget their worldly troubles. To do this, Teams employs various instruments in his recordings, but most stage shows involve Bowie playing keyboard and singing to prerecorded samples.

This variety is one of the most exciting things about electronic, Teams’ in particular, in that one does not know what to expect when listening to a new track or attending a live performance. This becomes especially true when more than one artist is involved. Such an event is occurring this Friday at the Old City’s Pilot Light venue. Teams will join Fine Peduncle and Star Mountain for a show that promises to be exciting and innovative.

Teams seems to be an advocate of such cooperation, as he will soon release a 12-inch with Starslinger, dubbed “Teams vs. Star Slinger.” This collaboration was actually a direct result of Bowie’s passion for R & B samples and of the digital age.

“I’ve always been a fan of cut-up soul and R & B samples,” Bowie said. “There is just this nostalgic vibe it gives off that that I just can’t get enough of. I never really was that interested in making songs out of old soul/disco songs until I had this one track that I didn’t know what to do with. I discovered this cat from the UK who makes sample-based tracks under the name ‘Star Slinger’ and sent him what I had. He finished it the next day, and we put it on the interweb. The next week we got a deal to release a 12inch record. Couldn’t have gone any better.”

Teams, Fine Peduncle and Star Mountain will perform at the Pilot Light Friday at 10 p.m. The cost is $5. You must be 18 and older to attend.

Chris Bratta Staff Writer A concentrated collection of seasoned Knoxville musicians and singer-songwriters don’t often share the same stage, but at 9 p.m. today, Roger Smith, Tim Lee 3 and RB Morris plan to plant the sounds of Knoxville into the Longbranch Saloon.

The musical differences presented by each artist will allow the mixture of young and old, familiar and foreign audience members to interact with each other in the name of music.

Smith is set to open this show performing as a solo singer-songwriter. He describes his music as “Blue Ridge-Appalachian-enlightened science-jazz-intellectual-blues-soul.” Smith’s explanation of his sound shows his ability to mix his musical influences into one. Morris said that Smith is an “extremely knowledgeable cat,” as well as “an extraordinary artist and an incredible song writer.”

“If you want to come check out his lyrical gyrations and music, it will be something that is accomplished and is good or better than the stuff on the radio,” Smith said.

Smith’s presence in Knoxville’s music scene has been missed by locals like Morris, but Smith himself admits his need to perform.

“I have been around a long time, but I’m still brand new,” Smith said. “I enjoyed playing but had gotten away from it for a while — it is time to get back into it. I will be doing a set, about an hour long, of original songs. It is representative of a year of song writing, a current thing.”

Tim Lee, Susan Bauer Lee and Matt Honkonen are set to take the stage following Smith. Although each individual member of the

group has been performing for much longer, Tim Lee 3 has been providing rock ‘n’ roll music for only about four years. Lee describes rock ‘n’ roll as “anything that can be distilled into three chords and a cloud of dust.”

“We are not post-anything,” Lee said. “We are not anti-anything or alt-anything, we are rock ‘n’ roll.”

At this concert, Tim Lee 3 will offer the audience its older tunes, as well as new music from their unreleased album “Raucous Americanus.”

“I have been singing since birth and writing since I could write,” Morris said.

Morris’ accomplishments as an artist have stretched far beyond the borders of Tennessee, as well as the borders of the U.Ss Morris said that his music is “in the American tradition, but it jumps around.” His newest CD release, “Lies, Spies, and Burning Eyes,” exhibits such a sound, but he also said that “there are spoken word pieces on it, and it is thematically wrapped up into poetry.”

At Friday’s event, Morris will attempt to paint a clear picture of his experiences through his music, prose and poetry.

“I produced what some call ‘the most ineffectual artwork in the culture,’ a book of poetry,” Morris said. “(Poetry) is not worth any money, so it isn’t easily exploited. In this work, I try to avoid poetic devices and trappings. I want to be point blank, simple and straightforward. There is not a play on sounds and words, and yet, the poems didn’t have to be so heavy — they can move from one to the other.”

This Friday’s event is a true collaboration of Knoxville’s musicians and artists. Additionally, this concert will showcase a multitude of new and old work by all of the performers.

4 • The Daily Beacon

Friday, October 15, 2010

OPINIONS

The Hot Spot Virginity remains complex social matter Brandi Panter Managing Editor I often cite my Catholic upbringing in my columns, and this week will be no exception, unfortunately.

This week’s topic is virginity, and more specifically, the societal, religious and psychological aspects of virginity.

Everyone has different ideas and attitudes about the subject. For some, virginity is a treasured and sacred part of you that isn’t limited to the physical: The first time, for some, must be special, romantic, intimate and saved for one special person. For others, losing your virginity means going home with the waiter who served you chicken alfredo at Olive Garden.

Sex, in our culture, is often used as a marketing device or a commodity. Sex can be used as a way to sell you toothpaste or as a way of determining whether or not you ever run for political office. As a culture, we both over-idealize sexuality (candles burning, soft music playing, rose petals scattered everywhere, sun setting over the ocean outside) and undermine its value (Craigslist Adult Services Section, R.I.P.). We as a people are naturally diverse and have a variety of interests, values and beliefs. There isn’t a uniform answer to what sex means to us, which is fine, but as a result of this we often walk away confused as to what the nature of the act truly means.

Which is what brings us back to the matter of virginity. In our culture, there often seems to be a double standard behind the first time.

Based on stereotypes that come up in movies, television, magazines, music and the like, it is somehow shameful for a man to save himself, as he must be a dominant, conquering male out to spread his seed and woo every woman with his prowess.

For women, the expectation is quite the opposite. There is somehow something with a woman if she has multiple partners, and she is “easy” or a “slut.” Even having multiple partners is acceptable, to an extent, but she had best not ever talk about it or mention it. If she “gets around” it had better be kept to the privacy of her bedroom.

So how did we arrive at this place, mentally speaking?

In my memories of high school health class (an all-girls’ class, as the group was segregated based on sex), we were shown video after video of after-school specials on girls who wished they had “waited” and were given the PowerPoint presentation about STDs and how contracting some meant that “you wouldn’t be able to have children” or could leave you “sterile and unable to conceive,” and “this STD, if untreated, could damange the baby.” So, in essence, my entire high school health class’ sexual education program was based on preparing for a family and a life with one man, forever.

And you know what, that’s fine if you want to be with one man forever. I reveal nothing of my personal life in this column for a reason. What actually ruffles my feathers, six years after I took the class, is that it was expected that a girl must maintain her sexual dignity and not give in to the boy in the backseat of the car.

Meanwhile, in a dualing vision, it is still expected for young men to lose their virginity and engage in bed hopping. “We act like there is something wrong with boys who aren’t constantly trying to sleep with girls, like they are supposed to be animals, which is silly” explained my mother, about a young man we know who is intent on saving himself for marriage, in the car as we drove to Lexington over fall break.

So, I guess where I am going with all of this is, we need to lift our expectations of how young people should really behave sexually. If a boy wants to be a virgin or a girl wants to sleep with 100 men, it is completely their choice, and we shouldn’t judge or make assumptions. We should instead liberate, educate and guide young people to be the most healthy, vital versions of themselves.

With that being said, this column means nothing about you and your virginity. If you want your first time to be on your wedding night, wrapped in the arms of the significant other you have saved yourself your entire life for or prefer to ditch the v-card in a storage closet during a football game in the back of an SUV in the parking lot of Sassy Ann’s, in a canoe on the lake, with a gymnast, in the empty shower at the gym, while you’re waiting for the delivery person to bring dinner, on a couch in the empty office, in the bed of a pickup truck, in a field in a sleeping bag, or, laying on the pavement in a driveway, the choice is entirely yours.

Just be respectful of yourself, your partner, remember the four Cs of consent, communication, comfort and clarity and… in this case… public decency laws and the consideration of those around, as the previous examples given were all real examples of stories I have heard. Meanwhile, your humble columnist must bid you adieu, as yesterday was her 21st birthday. To your sexual health and my liver!

—Brandi Panter is a junior in history and philosophy. She can be reached at bpanter1@utk.edu.

THE DAILY BACON • Blake Tredway

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.

Evolving languages at risk of losing nuances Ac orns and Other Seeds by

Anna-Lise Burnette The adjective genki(na) in Japanese has connotations of health and energetic spirit and roughly translates into English as “well.” When used as part of a greeting, it is comparable to the English phrase “How are you?” but with perhaps a little more emphasis on physical well-being. That this adjective should be picked to title a whole series of language instruction textbooks strikes me as a little strange (first- and second-year Japanese language students use this series, published by The Japan Times, for all four semesters of required study).

Could it be that the publishers have a wish that all students who use these textbooks are and will continue to be in good health? Or could it be a contracted form of the common question “Are you well?” that they wish to subtly convey to frazzled learners? Maybe the choice of title was simply based on the frequency of usage, but I would like to think that a deeper meaning is being hinted at.

This is, of course, is only one small example of the difficulties in understanding the implied meanings of words and phrases. Most people (excluding those who deal with language and writing or advertising and marketing and things of that nature on a daily basis) take for granted the fact that they can use language, picked from a set lexicon of meanings, that will be readily understood by anyone with a comparable background in the language used.

Another example is the title of this publication.

The Daily Beacon has not only some very straightforward implications as a phrase (like, for instance, that it is published daily) but also meanings that can be inferred through our experience with the English language (a “beacon” that not only heralds but also implies truth and light). Needless to say, we have to make some concessions; the Daily Beacon is not in actuality published daily, nor is the Beacon necessarily the lamp of knowledge it sets out to be.

These understandings become even more complicated when we throw translation into the mix.

My brief definition of genki doesn’t really get at the

entire heart of its meaning, but what is a poor writer to do? Without going into a (at the very least, brief) study of Japanese culture and language, there’s no reason for me to expect that those of you illacquainted with the systems that surround the question “ogenki desuka” would get the feeling in your heart that people who are, do. It isn’t because only the privileged are capable of standing; it is simply in the interest of time and interest.

We take shortcuts in our use of language, not only because we expect our listeners/readers to understand what we mean, but also because it would be simply imprudent to act as a dictionary. It makes for stilted and jarring reading when, as languagecrafters, we have to explore the minutiae of etymology and vulgar usage. It would be like sitting down to a novel only to find that someone had replaced the inner contents with an engineering manual.

The implied meanings in every language are part of what makes the systems so beautiful. Despite the fact that our vernacular is arguably slowly degenerating (thank you, 1337 and roflcopter ... ) there’s something satisfying about being able to read through passages and glean every nuance your brain can muster. We glorify our faculties by putting them through the paces — isn’t that the sort of exultation we can take pride in?

This isn’t too pedantic, to revel in our language, because it isn’t about the amount of academic learning required to understand. In fact, I think that more often it has to do with our experiential learning of words and meanings that makes these exercises possible, and that it is the academic learning that turns so many against the beauty of our native tongues. Poll sixth graders who have to take weekly vocabulary quizzes, and you’ll see what I mean. It starts young.

Perhaps, though, it is a necessary failing of our educational system to reduce words to line-by-line definitions, dry as a desert and as useful as an equation (and by the way, that’s not a compliment to equations). One would hope that as the English language and others continue to grow and evolve, we practitioners never lose the taste for experimental communication that involves words and phrases rich with notions of depth.

—Anna-Lise Burnette is a junior in global and Asian studies. She can be reached at kburnet7@utk.edu.

Southerners can stay local to find good beer On the R o ad...

A n d t h e Ta b l e by

Jonathan Grayson

Zac Ellis

Ally Callahan

To report a news item, please e-mail the newsroom@utk.edu or call the managing editor at 974-2348.

MANAGING EDITOR

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

To place an ad, please call retail advertising at 974-5206.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Brandi Panter CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Kevin Huebschman COPY EDITORS

Blair Kuykendall Jordan Lawson Kim Lynch DESIGN EDITORS

Abbie Gordon Hillary McDaniels

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Ebony Jones Austin Martin Shannon Thomas Stephanie Wierwille Danielle Zimmer ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS

Krystal Oliva Lindsey Shackleford

To place a classified, please call the classified manager at 974-4931.

If you think something has been reported incorrectly, please contact the managing editor at 974-2348.

Advertising: (865) 974-5206 Classifieds: (865) 974-4931 Editor: (865) 974-2348

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION ARTISTS

Main office: (865) 974-3231 Newsroom: (865) 974-3226

NEWS EDITOR

Brittany Coggins Liz Newnam Katherine Niehaus

Kyle Turner

CLASSIFIED ADVISER

STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

XiaoXiao Ma

PHOTO EDITORS

Tia Patron George Richardson

Kristian Smith ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Jake Lane SPORTS EDITOR

Matt Dixon ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Colin Skinner RECRUITMENT EDITOR

Robby O’Daniel ONLINE EDITORS

Krista Lewis Sarah Smith

Managing Editor: (865) 974-2348 Newsroom fax: (865) 974-5569 Photo: (865) 974-5212 E-mail: newsroom@utk.edu letters@utk.edu

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester. The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: http://utdailybeacon.com.

LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utk.edu or sent to Zac Ellis, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style.

For decades, the face of American beer has been that of Clydesdale horses, silver bullet trains and beer so light in calories and flavor that it could be mistaken for Dasani. But in the past five years, the trend has shifted. More Americans are exploring through beer. Microbreweries are opening in towns that otherwise would carry no significance in the beer world.

Last December, I sat with my two best friends in a dark, wood-paneled room at Dieu du ciel! in Montreal. The temperature outside floated around a brisk 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Inside, we kept warm.

Dieu du ciel!, located in the Plateau region of Montreal, is widely regarded as the best brewpub in the world (it holds the coveted No. 1 spot on ratebeer.com).

At Dieu du ciel!, the 15-beer menu changes daily.

The people do not.

Surrounded by regulars speaking Quebec French, we ordered beer after beer. Aphrodisiaque and Peche Mortel (both stouts) are just a few of the house-brewed concoctions that one can find at this locally owned and operated brewery.

As we sat enjoying our beer, we talked about all things philosophical. But the one thing that we kept coming back to was our agreement that beer is — in the most basic form — a product of location and people.

As we talked about what beer means to cultures and countries, we realized that we were living out exactly the theory we were discussing. We were three Americans with slightly above-average beer knowledge, sitting in a local brewery, drinking local beer, surrounded by French-speaking locals. The beer we drank was undoubtedly a product of our surroundings, and it tasted better because of it.

More so than any other food or beverage, beer has the ability to connect its consumers with its producers. Every small detail of the brewing process is apparent in the finished product.

People have always associated the best beer in the world with countries like Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands — but in reality, some of the

best beer in the world is here in our backyard.

Rarely are the words “southeast” and “microbrewery” mentioned in the same sentence.

While the craft beer scene in the United States has exploded in the last five years, most of the notso-micro “microbreweries” are located in the northeastern and northwestern U.S. So often, names like Dogfish Head, New Belgium Brewing and Sierra Nevada get thrown around as the choice craft breweries of aspiring beer advocates. While the beers that these breweries produce are, indeed, much better than the beers that giants like Coors and Miller produce, they are not the beers we should be drinking in Tennessee.

Here in the Southeast, we have some of the best microbrews in the country. Yet, for some reason, we can’t get passed our fixation on Blue Moon and Stella Artois.

Breweries like Yazoo Brewing out of Nashville, Good People Brewing out of Birmingham and Terrapin Brewing out of Athens, Ga., are just three of the dozens of microbreweries in the Southeast that are continually proving that Southerners know a thing or two about beer.

If you don’t believe me when I say Southerners actually know beer, then visit The Back Room in Flat Rock, N.C., and order the Thomas Creek Dockside Pilsner. If that doesn’t satisfy your tastes, then visit The J. Clyde in Birmingham, Ga., and order the Good People Hitchhiker IPA. And if those still don’t convince you that beer in the Southeast is under appreciated, then drive over to The Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Ga., and order a pint of Wild Heaven Invocation. It is sure to please the palates of the most skeptical beer connoisseurs.

Having experienced how good beer can be while in Montreal last year, I am quick to point out that local beer enjoyed at a local bar or brewery is as good as anything. While my pint of Peche Mortel at Dieu du ciel! will most likely stand atop my pinnacle of beerdom for the remainder of my life, I can safely say that a pint of Good People Hitchhiker IPA at The J. Clyde lies very closely behind it in second place.

Great beer is all around us. It is our job to explore our surroundings through the hoppy goodness of beer.

Get out, drink up and always support your local brewery.

—Jonathan Grayson is a senior in advertising.

He can be reached at jgrayso3@utk.edu.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Beacon Bits continued from Page 2 NCW is a community-based annual event that unites local ACS sections, businesses, schools and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry for the quality of life.

During the week of Oct.17-23,

StudentLife ACS members will present the positive aspects of chemistry, promote science education and heighten the public awareness of the contributions chemistry has made to society and to everyday life.

The NCW theme for this year is “Behind the Scenes with Chemistry,” and it celebrates chemistry in movies, set design, makeup artistry and

common special effects.

Knoxville Gem and Mineral Society to host sale The Knoxville Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit organization.

A large portion of the proceeds from its annual show is used for educational purposes in the Earth Sciences, including scholarships to students in the

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Bartending. 40 hour program. Must be 18 years old.

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Testing Solutions offers 1-on-1 LSAT, GMAT and GRE tutoring. Why pay big tutoring companies more money for the same information?

For information or registration, call: 307-0635 or visit www.helpmytestscore.com.

TESTPREP EXPERTS GRE/ GMAT/ LSAT For over 30 years, Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., and his teachers have helped UT students prepare for the GRE/ GMAT/ LSAT. Our programs offer individual tutoring, practice tests, and computer- adaptive strategies at a reasonable price. Programs can be designed around your schedule, weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.

Conveniently located at 308 South Peters Rd. Call (865)694-4108 for more information.

PT job opportunity 10 plus hours a week for Fortune 500 Company. Position is for Brand Ambassador. Working on behalf of company to promote brand on campus Interested students please send resume and cover letter to Gregory@campussolutionsinc.com Mature person wanted for full time warehouse position. Detail oriented for inventory. Able to repetitively lift 40 pounds. Mail or fill out application at 6520 Baum Drive. Knoxville, TN 37919.

University of Tennessee.

Conduct telephone surveys to collect environmental and recreational data. Pay is $8.50 per hour. Evening and weekend shifts available.

Call 974-6864.

EMPLOYMENT Are you a creative and fun loving person who loves kids?

The the Boys and Girls Clubs are looking for you!!

Part-time Youth Development Worker positions available in Knoxville and Maryville. Positions involve conducting fun, educational activities in our after- school program. 3 of the available positions are for the Arts & Crafts room. Must be available M-F 2-7pm. HS diploma, background checks, and drug screening required. Pay starts at $7.25 hour. Experience with school aged children preferred. Complete Application at Moses Center, 220 Carrick Street or on our website www.bgctnv.org. EOE

Personal assistant needed.

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Now hiring PT counter help.

Crown Dry Cleaners. Contact Don at (865)584-7464.

Classified ads can work for YOU! Give us a call at 974-4931

Responsibilities: -Represent the “face” of the newspaper by immediately and professionally greeting all walk-in traffic at the front lobby. Receive deliveries and notify recipients -Act as cashier/receptionist.

Apply payments to appropriate system. Use excellent phone skills to ensure customer's get to the appropriate person within the facility without delay. Assist customers with completion of employment applications.

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Input orders into appropriate systems. Meet revenue and error rate targets.

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-High School diploma or equivalent required; some

EMPLOYMENT college preferred If you are interested in applying for this position, please visit our website http://scripps.com/careers/ jobsearch.html and search for hiring requisition # 2745.

UNFURN APTS 1 and 2BR Apts. UT area.

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KEYSTONE CREEK 2BR apartment. Approx 4 miles west of UT on Middlebrook Pike. $500. Call (865)522-5815. Ask about our special.

FOR RENT 4th AND GILL Houses and apartments now available. Please call Tim at (865)599-2235.

The Daily Beacon • 5

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UT. The sale will take place today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event will be at the Kerbala Temple in Knoxville and admission is $4 per day or $7 dollars for the whole show. Children 12 and under are free.

UT Homecoming-Ticket Packages now on sale Homecoming Concert/Step Show Ticket Packages are on sale now for a limited time only.

Homecoming Weekend is Friday, Nov. 12 to Saturday, Nov. 13 and UT students can get a weekend full of great entertainment for $20.

UT will be hosting recording

artist Big Boi, from OutKast, featuring Vonnegutt on Friday at the Knoxville Coliseum.

On Saturday, the 2010 Stomp Fest will be held at the Knoxville Auditorium. $20 student ticket packages are available at the UC Central Ticket Office and the package deal ends on October 22nd.

For more information, go to http://activities.utk.edu/

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2BR, 2BA condo with one car garage. 4714 Royal Prince Way. $750/mo. $250 security deposit. (865)951-0705 or (248)404-8647.

CONDOS FOR RENT

Townhouse Condo 3BR, 2BA garage. Close to UT. Keller Williams Realty Call (865)719-1290. www.chuckfethe.com.

2 Houses for Rent Less than 3 miles to campus 4BR, 2BA, 2 kitchens, living room and den. App. 2,000 sq.ft. 4 car garage. Sharing is fine. $1,100 reduced to $995 with one day early payment.

Lease, damage deposit, & credit report required. 3BR, 1BA, 1 car garage $795, discounted to $750 with early payment. All appliances furnished.

Owner/Agent (865)207-2452

Read the Beacon Classifieds!

This space could be yours. Call 974-4931 3BR/ 3BA house for rent.

Convenient to UT. W/D hook-up. $950/mo. Deposit and references required.

Available November. 1 yr lease required.

Call 898-4808 or 599-8446.

6BR 2BA + study, huge remodeled home in Fort, 3 blocks to campus, W/D, Central H/A, porch, parking, wifi. Call for price. Available now.

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Cherokee at West Cliff. $600 - $850. Cable, internet trash pick up and parking.

Other condos available Sullins Ridge, Laurel Station, River Town. (865)673-6600.

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CONDOS FOR SALE

MERCH. FOR SALE Domain name for sale. www.footballtimeintn.com.

Call Jime 865-250-2639.

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AUTOS FOR SALE 100+ vehicles $5,995 or less. Specializing in imports. www.DOUGJUSTUS.com

CAMBRIDGE ARMS Just 4 miles west of campus.

Small pets allowed. Pool and laundry rooms. 2BR at great price! Call (865)588-1087.

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz Across 1 Hot dogs 9 It’s all ivory and no ebony 15 NyQuil ingredient?

16 Change the boundaries of

34 Luther opponent Johann 35 Derek who played Claudius in “I, Claudius” 38 Walks in the park 40 Havana greeting

18 Opposite of abridge

41 1995 platinum rap hit that starts “To all the ladies in the place with style and grace”

19 Racked (up)

45 Polish capital

20 Some westerns

47 Formal girl

22 Class with graphs, for short

48 Salma of the screen

23 Danger for a king

52 Big name in retail jewelry

17 “Speak of the devil!”

26 Its max. score is 240 27 Leonardo’s “The Aviator” co-star 28 Sported 29 Crotchety cries 30 ___ acid (microscopic staining compound)

53 Structures near cell walls 54 Trash-talks 55 Golden Globe winner Sommer 56 “Leaving Brooklyn: ___!” (Williamsburg Bridge sign) 58 One with notions

31 Hayseed’s greeting 59 What’s going on

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

61 Fiji rival 64 Briefs, e.g.

65 Literally, “sweet song” 66 Bygone currency 67 Visual aids?

Down

9 Roadrunner feature 37 Nerd-rejecting high-school group 39 Ancient fertility god

10 Code for Latin America’s busiest airport

42 Victorian’s greeting

11 San Diego State team

43 Be everywhere in

12 Much-maligned mascot

46 Very small, as a bikini in a 1960 hit

13 Warned

49 Washington city or county

44 Burial rite

1 Really let have it

14 Hillbillies’ cousins

2 Response to sarcasm

21 What a sleuth tries to close

50 2009 Grammy winner for “Relapse”

24 Alaskan salmon

51 Orange dwarfs

25 Tuberous

53 Nova lead-in

30 Punches

57 Time to visit a lot of trees

3 Theorized 4 Swift gift 5 Decisive periods, briefly

32 33 7 Was a turkey 35 8 Like a wet Nerf ball 36 6 Tammy ___ of 1970s-’80s TV

Boom Blox console Fist bump With added spice Without any help

60 Confound 62 Buddy 63 Pickle

6 • The Daily Beacon

SPORTS

UT practices get physical in bye week Matt Dixon Sports Editor Following an embarrassing 41-14 loss at Georgia on Oct. 9, the Tennessee football team returned to the practice field this week during the team’s only bye of the season.

Coach Derek Dooley wanted the week of practice to be very physical and very competitive, while working on fundamentals and refusing to game plan for the team’s next opponent, one of the luxuries the bye week allows the Vols. “(We had) two good days of work, got a lot accomplished and got a little better as a team,” the first-year coach said after Wednesday’s practice. “I don’t know how much, but we got a little better, and that’s what our objective was. I think every player got a little better in some fashion, and tomorrow Matt Dixon • The Daily Beacon (Thursday) we’ll turn our attention to our next The Vols walk off the field after being defeated 41-14 against Georgia opponent and start working on them a little bit.” on Oct. 9. This week coach Derek Dooley wanted to focus on One area the Vols were hoping to utilize during fundamentals before game planning for the Alabama game on Oct. the two-week break was integrating more freshmen 23. into the playing rotation. During one drive in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, UT had as many as seven body else is. We aren’t here to win the (SEC) championship, true freshmen on the field on offense. Dooley refuted criticism we are here to win the next game. We aren’t here to try and lay that getting younger players more playing time was preparing the foundation. We are here to win the next game.

“Now, we are laying a foundation by the values we are for the future and not necessary about winning games this instilling. That’s what we are doing, but our objective is to win year.

“We are going to try and go out and win the next game,” the next game. That’s what we are going to keep doing weekDooley said. “I’m not into this big-picture thinking that every- to-week and at the end of the year, we look back and see how were we. That’s all you can do.”

Laying that foundation still includes the team’s seniors, many of whom have been through three head coaches during their careers at UT. Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said he has the utmost respect for college athletes that can make it through a multi-year span and still come to practice every day taking to coaching and wanting to get better.

“I don’t know what the class number, but if you look at the seniors who are here from that original class, the number’s very small I would assume,” Wilcox said of the team’s 2007 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 3 in the nation by Rivals.com. “It takes a special guy, even if there is no coaching turnover, to make it through and have success through that four- or five-year span. To go through what they’ve gone through, it’s kind of one of those deals, I’m definitely impressed by the way those guys have handled themselves, but when you meet them and see what type of kids they are, it doesn’t surprise you. I have empathy but not sympathy for them, and that’s how we treat them.”

Senior outside linebacker LaMarcus Thompson is one senior on the team who has faced a that adversity. Thompson is glad the Vols get a bye week before playing Alabama, especially after the former No. 1 team in the country suffered its first loss in 19 games last Saturday at South Carolina.

“They are going to be very hungry coming off a loss, because a loss hurts,” Thompson said. “Especially when you’re a team that’s winning and winning, and all of a sudden, wow, you get hit with a loss. It kind of brings you back down to earth. They are going to come with it and come hard, because they are a good Alabama football team and of course they want to get back to that winning streak.”

Had the Vols played this weekend, they would have likely been down three starters. Defensive tackles Montori Hughes (ankle), left tackle Dallas Thomas (ankle) and kicker Daniel Lincoln (quad) were all held out of practice this week and will be reevaluated on Monday.

The Vols will play Alabama on Oct. 23 in Neyland Stadium at 7 p.m. and will be televised on the ESPN network.

Friday, October 15, 2010

College coaches must win to keep jobs Beware: Thin ice! Trudge Ahead Cautiously.

If there only were a sign such as this outside of every college football sports facility, the younger ones would be warned.

In college football today, no position is as highly decorated, criticized and publically critiqued more than the head-coaching job. What has turned Assistant Sports Editor into a seven-digit business has quickly become more inflated than ever.

Coaches handle more issues within the program today than their predecessors, and the seemingly high risks of NCAA infractions because of agents and infringements within the program keep them on their toes around the clock.

But beyond the daily grind, past all of the day-to-day business and amidst the press conferences and TV commercials, what sits in the back of the mind of every coach today is the pressure to win.

This seems simple and a given, until you grasp the fact that college coaches these days are put on the hot seat faster than any other coaching position in sports.

Take Mark Richt for example, a man with his britches on fire.

Boasting the longest tenure of any coach in the SEC (currently in his 10th season), the University of Georgia head coach has compiled six 10-win seasons, a nine-win season and two eight-win seasons.

Simply put, the man has done nothing but win and win often.

Any coach with a nine-year tenure like this would surely be destined for a library on campus named after him and long-term benefits in sight, right?

Very wrong. Since Matthew Stafford’s departure after the 2008 season, Georgia’s offense has sputtered and often come up short in big games, putting pressure on Richt. Knowshon Moreno left for the NFL in the same season, and the emerging face of the Bulldogs on the field seemed to be that of young A.J. Green.

Recently, Green’s off-the-field troubles, which include selling a game-worn jersey for $1,000 to an individual deemed as a sports agent, has dug the hole deeper for the coach in red and black. After starting the season 1-0 with a redshirt freshman at quarterback, the Bulldogs lost their next four games before dismantling a young Tennessee squad.

Sure, this type of record is not acceptable for any school with the tradition and success known in Athens, Ga., but what other wrong has this man done to the school? His team is coming off an eight-win season and a Dec. 28, 2009, Independence Bowl victory over Texas A&M in 2009. What further helps his case is the quality of recruiting he is bringing in, coming in at No. 7 in national recruiting rankings for the incoming 2011 class according to Scout.com.

What’s most important about a coach in college football is his integrity, track record and fatherly support of his team to do well in the classroom, and according to college football analysts and fellow peers, he is a class act and one of the best in the business.

So what’s driving this man out of his job so quickly?

It’s the competitiveness of college football programs today in general, and the money involved driving schools to mold and shape their teams into perennial powerhouses, into dynasties.

Bobby Bowden was pushed out of Florida State for not continuing his winning dominance over a couple seasons, and the school made a change. Phillip Fulmer was already aging and not recruiting the marquee players Tennessee had once brought in to compete for the SEC East crown, so Big Orange made a change.

Lane Kiffin, the next man in line and notorious traitor to Knoxville, took money and a high-profile job out at USC the next year. Through sanctions and infractions, his team can no longer be ranked in the Coaches Poll and lost scholarships.

This competitiveness in college football today is driving coaches everywhere to up their own game and have the best possible chance for success to save their own rear end. Whether it be within the guidelines set by the NCAA or not, the fact remains that coaches must win in this business in order keep their jobs.

From extra practice time to under-the-table recruiting phone calls, it is no secret too that they have to keep some sort of edge in order to keep their program among the best.

What should hold true is the fact that the most important impact a coach has in a program is the one on their players’ lives, the same promise they made to a recruit’s parents while sitting on a living room couch, going over the kid’s future. This fatherly influence includes the classroom, maturing off the field and growing into upstanding student-athletes with a future that is very likely in something other than sports.

Colin Skinner