Opinion: “Systematic issues cannot be fixed overnight.” >>See page 6
Woodhull embraces Knoxville art >>See page 8
Jones eliminating home game distractions >>See page 11
UT’s tobacco use policies also apply to vaping on campus. Esther Choo • The Daily Beacon
Rise of electronic cigarettes warrant no change in tobacco policy Connor Barnhill Staff Writer
Cigarettes are going electronic, but it doesn’t mean the rules have to change. Vape pens and e-cigarettes have increased in popularity over the past few years. In previous years at UT, to see them on campus — if anyone saw them at all — would be a rare occurrence. Today, they have become almost common place. What is less popular knowledge is how these devices are treated on campus and if university administrators were concerned enough to cre-
Volume 130 Issue 55
ate a policy addressing those who vape. According to the current policy, UT prevents any smoking in a university building or within 25 feet of its entrance. But despite these differences, the policy does not distinguish between smoking and vaping. E-cigarettes or vaporizers mainly differ from cigarettes in the reduced chemical and nicotine levels in vapors. Instead of smoke, the user inhales heated propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin heated to the point to produce vapors. While some e-cigarettes may not contain nicotine at all, they are not completely harmless. The Teen Therapy Center’s official website stresses repeatedly that, as of yet, there are no
scientific studies proving that vape pens and e-cigarettes are not harmful. Sarah Carroll, sophomore in graphic design and an avid vaper, claims that the benefits outweigh the unforeseen risks. “For me, it’s a much healthier alternative to smoking a cigarette, which has over 200 chemicals,” Carroll said. “Although vape pens generate much larger clouds than cigarettes do, which can annoy some students, they don’t smell bad like the clouds cigarettes produce.” Carroll said the policy is not a hindrance in her daily activities, and she said she doesn’t mind that the policy does not distinguish between smoking and vaping.
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“Even if the policy said that vape pens or e-cigarettes could be used anywhere on campus, I would only vape in the smoking areas anyway out of courtesy to other students,” Carroll said. While some vapers do not share Carroll’s view on the premise of no harmful effects on bystanders --- like second-hand smoke from traditional cigarettes --- the UT administration recognizes that as an issue. Brian Browning, director of Administrative Services, likewise cited courtesy for other students as the main reason the policy does not differentiate between smoking and vaping. See VAPING on Page 3
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
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The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Humans of Knoxville
INSHORT
University of Missouri president leaves over race complaints
Associated Press
What is something that not many people know about you? “I am actually really into like UFO sightings and alien stuff.” What really interests you in that? “Just like the different accounts that people have of them, and all over the world there are similar accounts. So it’s like, what if?” - Beth Borromeo, sophomore in political science Alyssa White • The Daily Beacon
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The president of the University of Missouri system resigned Monday with the football team and others on campus in open revolt over what they saw as his indifference to racial tensions at the school. President Tim Wolfe, a former business executive with no previous experience in academic leadership, took “full responsibility for the frustration” students expressed and said their complaints were “clear” and “real.” For months, black student groups had complained that Wolfe was unresponsive to racial slurs and other slights on the overwhelmingly white flagship campus of the state’s four-college system. The complaints came to a head two days ago, when at least 30 black football players announced that they would not play until the president was gone. One student went on a weeklong hunger strike. Wolfe’s announcement came at the start of what had been expected to be a lengthy closeddoor meeting of the school’s governing board. “This is not the way change comes about,” he said, alluding to recent protests, in a halting statement that was simultaneously apologetic, clumsy and defiant. “We stopped listening to each other.” He urged students, faculty and staff to use the resignation “to heal and start talking again to make the changes necessary.” In response to the race complaints, Wolfe had taken little action and made few public statements. As students leveled more grievances this fall, he was increasingly seen as aloof, out of touch and insensitive to their concerns. He soon became the protesters’ main target. In a statement issued Sunday, Wolfe acknowledged that “change is needed” and said the university was working to draw up a plan by April to promote diversity and tolerance. But by the end of that day, a campus sit-in had grown in size, graduate student groups planned walkouts and politicians began to weigh in. After the resignation announcement, students and teachers in Columbia hugged and chanted. Sophomore Katelyn Brown said she wasn’t necessarily aware of chronic racism at the school, but she applauded the efforts of black students groups. “I personally don’t see it a lot, but I’m a middle-class white girl,” she said. “I stand with the people experiencing this.” She credited social media with propelling the protests, saying it “gives people a platform to unite.” Head football coach Gary Pinkel expressed solidarity with players on Twitter, posting a picture of the team and coaches locking arms. The tweet said: “The Mizzou Family stands as one. We are united. We are behind our players.” Pinkel and athletic director Mack Rhoades
linked the return of the football players to the end of a hunger strike by a black graduate student named Jonathan Butler, who stopped eating Nov. 2 and vowed not to eat until Wolfe was gone. After Wolfe’s announcement, Butler said in a tweet that his strike was over. He appeared weak and unsteady as two people helped him into a sea of celebrants on campus. Many broke into dance at seeing him. Football practice was to resume Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s game against Brigham Young University at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The protests began after the student government president, who is black, said in September that people in a passing pickup truck shouted racial slurs at him. In early October, members of a black student organization said slurs were hurled at them by an apparently drunken white student. Frustrations flared again during a homecoming parade, when black protesters blocked Wolfe’s car, and he did not get out and talk to them. They were removed by police. Also, a swastika drawn in feces was found recently in a dormitory bathroom. The university did take some steps to ease tensions. At the request of Columbia campus Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin, the university announced plans to offer diversity training to all new students, faculty and staff starting in January. On Friday, the chancellor issued an open letter decrying racism after the swastika was found. Many of the protests have been led by an organization called Concerned Student 1950, which gets its name from the year the university accepted its first black student. Group members besieged Wolfe’s car at the parade, and they have been conducting a sit-in on a campus plaza since last Monday. Also joining in the protest effort were two graduate student groups that called for walkouts Monday and Tuesday and the student government at the Columbia campus, the Missouri Students Association. On Sunday, the association said in a letter to theThe association said Wolfe headed a university leadership that “undeniably failed us and the students that we represent.” “He has not only enabled a culture of racism since the start of his tenure in 2012, but blatantly ignored and disrespected the concerns of students,” the group wrote. The Concerned Student group demanded, among other things, that Wolfe “acknowledge his white male privilege” and that the school adopt a mandatory racial-awareness program and hire more black faculty and staff. The school’s undergraduate population is 79 percent white and 8 percent black. The state is about 83 percent white and nearly 12 percent black.
CAMPUSNEWS
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 • The Daily Beacon
Flood relief inspires former marine, UT student to raise voice for veterans Heidi Hill
Assistant News Editor
With over 600 U.S. veterans enrolled at UT, Gregg Crawford, former Marine and senior in business management, said he wants to empower his comrades make their mark on campus. Crawford’s history of working in the military began years before he came to Knoxville as an undergraduate in 2013. He served four years as Marine in the continental United States. “When I was in middle school, all of the coolest dads were in the military,” Crawford said. “I think when I was in fourth grade I grew up seeing the commercials about,’the few, the proud, the Marines.’” After watching the World Trade Center fall on television as a fifth grader, Crawford said the following years confirmed his calling to serve in the military. “I went straight out of high school at 17 years old, but I didn’t have just one job,” he said. “My speciality was mechanics for AmTrack --- the tanks that float on water --- and I also worked as a warehouse manager and a riflemanship coach.” While the Michigan native was never deployed overseas, it did not stop him and his troops from embracing foreign scenarios and honing survival skills while residing in the Californian desert in a make-shift home for six weeks. “It just happened to be that lucky weekend where everyone was putting their furniture out on the curb,” Crawford said. “So we
picked up a bunch of used couches, and we essentially lived on couches and a giant, used storage container and got paid for it.” Still, Crawford said even the oddest of circumstances in Marine life are a far cry from the daily stresses brought on by college. Though he left military life by 22, the transition into civilian life always contains some degree of difficulty, especially when 85 percent of veteran students are over 24-years-old and unadjusted to an environment designed for 18 and 19-year-old students. “To be a non-traditional student at UT has its challenges, and then you add anxiousness on top of that --- people who are anxious around crowds who may have PTSD or TBIs, they can’t focus or they’re always alert,” he said. This constant alertness paired with paranoia, does not just disappear, Crawford said, noting that anything can serve as a trigger— the look of street, a building’s location or the crowdedness of a classroom. “I’ve given a presentation of what Kabul in Afghanistan looks like, and there’s the (Natalie Haslam Music Building) that looks exactly like that,” Crawford explained. “That could be a trigger for someone to have a flashback.” When he encountered Team Rubicon in Nashville, an organization designed to connect veterans nationwide, Crawford said he knew it could be his chance to rejoin the camaraderie missed in his Marine service but also parlay his acquired skills in management to aid flood-soaked South Carolina. See CRAWFORD on Page 4
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VAPING continued from Page 1 “We realize that e-cigarettes are focused on emitting a vapor and not smoke, but the problem is that it would create a distraction for many students if we allowed it in learning environments,” he said. Like Carroll, Browning emphasized that students might find such clouds in confined spaces like a lecture hall or a classroom distracting or annoying, a problem that administrators foresaw when passing the policy. “If you were to sit right next to a student who vaped in a classroom, you’d probably know right away that it wasn’t a cigarette,” Browning said. “But for students farther away, they might not be able to tell as easily and that could distract or confuse them, taking their mind off learning.” The same policy prohibits the sale of smoking or smokeless paraphernalia on campus, meaning students must travel to the Commons or the Strip to buy cigarettes or vape pens. UT also released a reminder earlier this year about carrying vape pens around in laboratories, considering they might expose students to hazardous biological chemicals through ingestion. Browning said this precedent helps solidify the reasons for passing the smoking policy under the university’s Safety Board instead of UT Human Resources. Still, Browning said he believes the policy is crucial in keeping the campus a place of learning and environment for fostering awareness in all students. “The main thing about the policy,” Browning said. “Is being cognizant and courteous to others and respecting their right to learn, regardless of whether it’s smoking or vaping.”
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The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
CRAWFORD continued from Page 3 The storm made landfall in early October, but Crawford said Team Rubicon responded quickly to his request to join them two weeks later, prompting him to spend his Fall Break at Gill’s Creek, a suburb of Columbia devastated by standing flood water and debris. “There’s a certain part of disaster management that the Armed Forces teaches you. I wasn’t distracted by the emotional aspects of the home and could go in and get the job done,” he said. For the first two days, Crawford and his veteran crew organized volunteer headquarters, logged hours and delegated tasks to the scattered relief groups present in the South Carolina suburbs. By eliminating repeated “door knocks” to damaged homes, Crawford said, his team was able to eliminate the threat of black mold efficiently before the damage rendered the structures unfit for human life. “The main difference was that, as a Marine, I would be going in with a rifle attached to your side,” Crawford said. “With Rubicon, it’s being able to do what you love and not worry about your own life.” But Crawford’s military-born leadership
did not stop once the Rubicon veteran volunteers returned to their home states. As a work-study veteran, Crawford also channels his efforts at the Office of Registrar by assisting veterans with class registration and applying for benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which requires 12 hours for full-time students. Jayetta Rogers, Veteran Affairs Coordinator, said her employee exemplified the “special skills” and second-nature discipline often inherent in individuals who come from military service. “Gregg is very personable with our student veterans, and being a veteran himself, he understands firsthand some of the frustrations student veterans experience when coming to campus,” Rogers said. “I have watched him navigate his own frustrations on campus and use those skills to turn around and guide another veteran.” For Crawford, these kinds of frustrations are best summarized by the lack of veteran space on campus. In fact, UT joins Vanderbilt University and Auburn as one of three SEC schools that do not have a separate building reserved for veteran affairs and services. Still, Crawford remained complimentary of UT’s administrators and faculty and said his vision for the Student Veterans Association’s space would be similar to the offices at the Pride Center.
CAMPUSNEWS
Humans of Knoxville
What has been your biggest surprise transferring over to UT? “I came from a really small school so we were kind of babied there and it was really easy to get good grades and just you kind of skated through. Now it is a lot bigger setting and you actually have to try hard for your grades.” - Ravyn Rowlett, Sophomore in Nursing Alyssa White • The Daily Beacon
CAMPUSNEWS
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 • The Daily Beacon
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Aramark contract extended, set to last until 2027 Tanner Hancock News Editor
Twelve more years and counting. On July 1, UT opted to extend their preexisting contract with food services provider Aramark for an additional five years, with the current version set to expire on May 30, 2027. Very little publicity was paid to this extension, a fact which Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration, said he largely sees as a non-issue. “I couldn’t tell you,” said Maples on the lack of publicity paid to the contract extension with Aramark. “Every time we sign a contract, the university doesn’t send out a press release.” With the Aramark partnership lasting well into the next decade, Maples cited the university’s need to finance the growing dining facilities as one of the main factors behind the decision. Phase II of the Student Union building, which will feature several new dining facilities, is projected to cost around $170 million, while the two story building set to replace the aging Presidential Court
Building, which houses the PCB cafeteria, is projected to cost close to $35 million. Another new $18 million dining facility is also scheduled to open January 2017 alongside a new residence hall on the corner of Volunteer and Lake Loudon Boulevards. These new facilities are designed with a “fresh food concept” that Maples said will offer healthier alternatives for the student body. Maples also explained that university ownership of all dining equipment on campus ultimately gives the university the upper hand to ensure quality service is maintained. “If they don’t perform, we can tell them to leave, and we can bring in another contractor in here,” he said. But it is no secret that UT students do not share the administration’s confidence in the corporate giant’s ability to provide quality food and services to campus. Erica Davis, a senior member of UT’s Real Food Challenge, has consistently worked to increase the presence of “real food” on campus, encompassing foods that are either local, fair, ecologically sound or produced in a humane fashion. Davis helped spearhead the Real Food Challenge’s 2020 initiative on campus,
which aims to raise the portion of UT’s food service budget dedicated to real foods to 20 percent by 2020. Despite penning an open letter Monday to Aramark laying out specific steps to more sustainable food practices, Davis said she has often been frustrated by what she sees as a lack of transparency from the food service provider. “What we’ve seen is that transparency, or lack of transparency rather, is one of the major problems we have with Aramark as our dining provider,” Davis said. “We feel, as students, that information should be available to us ... If we’re required to buy food with our mandatory meal plans, we should know what we’re buying.” The Daily Beacon reached out to Aramark for comment but no immediate reply was given. As director of the Environment & Sustainability committee, Davis said she feels her efforts to cooperate with Aramark are not only reasonable but in line with the image laid out by the company’s website --- to endorse “environmentally friendly policies that support sustainability” and “an industry-leading health and wellness platform to promote healthy living.” “We’re just really asking that they take the steps necessary to fulfill that image that
they do hope to create,” Davis said. For former SGA presidential candidate, Grayson Hawkins, a junior in engineering, the path to UT’s salvation lies in separating from the food service provider. In the past SGA election, Hawkins ran as an independent candidate whose platform largely focused on the broken relationship between the university and Aramark, a stance he has never shied away from. Hawkins pointed to the frequent national headlines that often depict the corporate giant in a negative light , ranging from hunger strikes in a New Jersey prison to protests from Michigan prisoners over food shortages and lack of quality For Hawkins, UT’s saving grace could come in the form of an in-house dining operation similar to schools like Princeton, but he maintained that an overall lack of student involvement in campus issues, coupled with the nearly $40 million UT received from Aramark in the past 10 years, make such a future highly unlikely. “They can be as transparent or not as transparent as possible, but the students are never in the decision making process,” Hawkins said of the corporation. “There is no possible way to get rid of Aramark unless the student body actually cares.”
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The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
For the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion If you have yet to hear about the systemic oppression that has been ongoing at the University of Missouri’s main campus, I urge you to simply search #ConcernedStudent1950 on Twitter, Facebook, or any news medium. In order to gain an entire understanding of what has led to the climatic events of the past days, you will need to read more than one article – more than one perspective. In summary, these events have taken place over months. Administration ignoring blatant acts of bias towards others did nothing to prevent the academic and mental suffering of a large student population at UM. Given my position in Student Government, I was afforded the opportunity to attend a conference this past summer with student leaders across the SEC. From then on, I have been at a position of privilege relative to others on UT’s campus in my awareness of issues ongoing at Mizzou. Since UM’s football team joining protests and President Wolfe resigning, I have come across several perspectives from my peers. These concerns center around not understanding (a) why someone far displaced from individual students’ actions should be held accountable and (b) how two widely publicized instances (i.e. swastika left at a campus dorm and a student’s hunger strike) are enough to elicit protests. I feel compelled to provide some perspectives on this situation. Both concerns are best answered by reading a state-
ment by Missouri Students Association’s Executive Cabinet. Racist events have been ongoing at UM for months. Being afraid to walk around campus to avoid racial slurs called against you is no environment a student or person should be subject. Students have continuously voiced concerns to administration despite being victims of oppression. Administration has had months to address that there are systemic issues at UM, but they failed their students by not listening, not responding, and not fostering an inclusive environment within which to learn at an institution of higher education. Turning a blind eye to the sufferings of a large student population, President Wolfe did not call for any institutional changes that may alleviate some of the suffering felt. Systemic issues can not be fixed overnight, but they never will be if those in power to insight change refuse to see truth and speak up. At the University of Tennessee, I would like to think that most students are comfortable voicing concerns when acts of bias occur. I would like to think that our administration whole-heartedly supports and defends all initiatives in making the University of Tennessee inclusive for all. Over fall break, the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee had a hearing wherein they discussed diversity initiatives of UT. As one of the SGA representatives who went to attend this hearing, I was reassured that our administration fully supports diversity initiatives to provide for support of students
Great Men move history
Jarrod Nelson Socialized
Historians like to play scientist. This isn’t a bad thing. Honestly, it’s a good thing. Attempting to categorize history and identify causes of events is a good thing for any self-respecting academic field, and it’s why homeopathy will never be considered an academic field. Seriously, don’t use that stuff. Something that can help kill Steve Jobs is dangerous. But historians like to have theories about why history unfolds the way it does, just like scientists have theories about why that cat falls when you drop that cat off of a cliff. Or why that blacklight makes any college bedroom look like a cross between a murder scene and a 7/11 bathroom. Or why large, incalculable masses collapse in on themselves and rip holes in the fabric of space-time. Or why space-time is a fabric. History isn’t quite as complicated, but it does involve humans, so it’s a lot messier. Just like their bedrooms in college. One of these overarching theories in history is the Great Man theory. It posits that unique, talented individuals who mold the world to their wills write the unfolding story. People like Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Ambrose of Milan and Justin Timberlake. The theory isn’t perfect and tends to ignore the little guy’s role in history. It ignores the societies and large numbers of people that contributed to these Great Men. No great man could do it alone. They all had people who, without, they would’ve been more Rick Astley than JT. The thing is, the Great Man theory was popular for a really long time, and as such most of ancient and even
modern history — and the sources we have from these times — tend to be focused around it. There are lots of fun little demigods of influence. This makes LGBT history particularly hard. An already suppressed people group is going to have even greater difficulties standing out under the towering Great Men. Thankfully, some of these great men and women happened to be queer. Unsurprisingly, the United States is, from a tradition of British common law, heavily influenced by Christianity, and thus didn’t exactly feature a light punishment for homosexuality. The crimes of “sodomy” were capital offenses, and cross-dressing wasn’t a form of transgender expression or a popular pastime for RuPaul but instead a felony that could be punished with lashes. After we broke the teapot, the states gradually lessened these punishments, perhaps recognizing that all men were created equal, but some people were a little more equal than others. By the time the Civil War rolled around, we tended not to outright kill people for being gay. In the courts, at least. And right before the Civil War, we have our first Great Man. Indeed, a president. Well, technically he was a pretty bad president, but James Buchanan was probably gay. He lived with a man for most of his life and remained a “Bachelor President” his whole life. That tended to just not happen back then. Even if you were single, you were probably married. But not James Buchanan, and somehow he got away with it. It’s interesting, researching all of this. There seems
VIEWPOINTS
and to prevent oppression. This does not mean that the university is the epitome of diverse and inclusive. This does not mean that all students feel comfortable voicing concerns when they witness or are victim of bias. We are far from attaining inclusion on campus. I urge my peers to listen to personal statements of those who have fallen victim to discrimination. Simply search #ConcernedStudent1950, and a plethora should be found. I urge administration to continuously listen to student concerns voiced and to ensure an environment where one is comfortable voicing concerns. Suffering from bias leads to one suffering in academics. It is unacceptable at an institution of higher learning for students to oppress their peers. The university must continuously provide and reevaluate education of students on different issues of diversity and inclusion. Lastly, I urge state legislators who have concerns with diversity initiatives at UT to pay attention to the systemic oppression at UM and the deep repercussions felt by all bodies involved. If the University of Tennessee does not continually provide for and enhance various diverse and inclusive avenues on campus, a disservice will be done to all. Mariah Beane is a senior in economics and business analytics and the SGA Student Services Director. She can be reached sga3@utk.edu.
to be a general “don’t ask, don’t tell” before those words were ever put into legislation, especially among the Great Men and even more among our history. Did you know James Buchanan was gay? How about Walt Whitman? Friedrich von Steuben? Hell, Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general was openly gay. These people were useful, and they were accepted once a thin veneer of willful ignorance covered them. As long as no one asked, and no one told. The Great Men really did move history around them. It wasn’t so easy for the common person. Those countless people who were hurt, locked up, socially shamed and physically maimed. I’ve had to leave out so many of the few stories that made it out of these times. People like Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, who lived together for years in Vermont in the early 19th century. Transgender writers like Alan Hart. I can’t tell you all about them in 600 or so words. But make no mistake; they are all Great Men too. Next week, we’ll move into a more visible period of history. It was in the early 1900s that LGBT people truly began to crawl out of the shadows cast by the Great Men. Out of the cracks in the editing in history. If there’s anything I left out, email me. This is for me to learn as much as it is for me to inform. Thanks for coming to class. Jarrod Nelson is a sophomore in public relations. He can be reached at jnelso47@vols.utk.edu.
Columns of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
VIEWPOINTS
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 • The Daily Beacon
Don’t lose integrity in fear Emily Moore Day to Day
What is the last movie you saw that was extremely thought-provoking? One that you discussed with anyone who would take the time, and, to this day, you perk up when someone mentions it? Better yet, what book, song or TV show lit your inner curiosity and gave your mind a good exercise? It took me 15 minutes to go back through the years of movies I watched to recall which movie had this effect on me (it’s the movie 12 Angry Men, in case you were wondering). Now maybe I, in particular, have bad taste, and that’s why it’s been years since I saw a movie that was exceptionally great. But it seems nowadays every movie has the same theme. Superheroes always triumph evil after coming a little too close to being beat. A couple meets, they fall in love, something bad happens and they stop speaking for a while before one of them makes a grand romantic gesture, and they live happily ever after. Secret agents embark on an impossible mission, some people die, unnecessary explosions ensue, insert random sex scene here and the impossible mission is conquered. So on and so forth. The point is the vast majority of movies
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have become predictable and empty of content. Everything is so plainly laid out with no underlying meaning, no subplots and no deep material. Same goes for social media. This is because we are currently living in a society where we must produce shallow, bland material in fear of offending someone or else there could be a lawsuit and a public outcry of anger. People these days are overly sensitive, and if by saying that I upset you, then you are one of those people. Now, people should not run around spewing obscenities and nonsensical crap to upset people. All I am saying is people need to be less sensitive. Saying you’re offended by something does not entitle you to anything even though society has conditioned people to think this way. The media distributing empty content has affected the way people function. Society as a whole is converting to a simpler state of mind. Let’s talk about the weather, and did you see what Kim Kardashian tweeted, but God forbid someone have an opinion that does not agree with the majority. It has become an insane concept to not only have an opinion that is different but even more insane
to stand by it. For example, when George Clooney was asked about his stance on the war in Iraq, he lost a chunk of his fan base because his opinion was not a popular one. Distressed, he called his father to ask for advice. His father’s response? “Shut up. Grow up—you’re a grown man, you know. Freedom of speech means that when you speak up, you have to be ready for people to say bad things about you. That’s how it works.” I think Nick Clooney said it about as eloquently as it gets. There was once a time when people died and went to jail for what they believed in, and now if someone’s Facebook post doesn’t get enough likes, it’s not uncommon for them to delete it. As Todd Starnes said “This is indeed an issue that must be addressed – lest we offend this perpetually offended generation and their fragile psyches.”
not stand for such a blatant assault on our land, our people and our atmosphere. When the midterm elections came around in 2014 and control of Congress was turned over to the Republicans, who widely supported and prioritized the passage of KXL, President Obama began to embrace environmentalism and express negative views on the issue. Finally on Nov. 6, 2015, the Obama administration officially rejected the application for the pipeline extension. The pipeline itself was going to be an environmental risk—some would say with potentially earth-shattering consequences. It would consume 1,200 miles of land through the heart of the United States and go over a major aquifer. And no matter how many engineering tools were applied, all pipelines have problems and eventually leak. Even more than this, the pipeline itself symbolized a continued investment in fossil fuels. This huge project would have been a confirmation that the U.S. was willing to invest $8 billion in prolonging the life of the fossil fuel industry. $8 billion on a pipeline, when that money can be used for projects that actually create jobs and wouldn’t reverse decades of progress toward a clean energy future. A single, commercial sized wind turbine costs around $3 million and produces 2 megawatts. If the money from the pipeline were invested into wind turbines, those turbines would produce around 5,333 megawatts of free electricity. That’s one-fourth of the electricity New York City requires for an entire year. The production and running of
those turbines would create internal manufacturing, installment and maintenance jobs. Needless to say, they would be a great economic boost. Doesn’t that sound smarter than buying a super long $8 billion dollar pipe? While the Obama administration has taken steps to change how we consume fossil fuels, we admire this declaration of interference with Big Oil and its harmful trajectory. Now we continue to hope for a strong presence at the COP 21 climate talks in Paris at the end of this year. On Friday, President Obama said in reference to KXL, “Shipping dirtier, crude oil into our country would not increase America’s energy security,” and we look forward to seeing what other terrible, misinformed ideas he dispels in his remaining time as our nation’s leader. The many UT students who were involved in opposition to KXL throughout the process should take a moment to be proud of the work they’ve done and to appreciate this victory as an encouraging move forward. Even when the fight is tough and you’re up against a giant mass of metal and fossil fuels, strategic planning, coordinated actions, community mobilization, perseverance and a burning passion for justice can accomplish more than you could ever dream.
Emily Moore is a sophomore in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at emoore52@vols.utk.edu.
One step forward
Erica Davis
Franco D’Aprile Two Treehuggers with an Ax
Franco: What would’ve happened if the Keystone XL pipeline was built? Erica: That would be an XL mess. As many of you saw on the news Friday, President Obama rejected plans for the Keystone XL pipeline. A project that was controversial from the beginning, the pipeline’s future came to a swift end just a couple of days ago. This historic win was not accomplished by sitting back and saying “please” and “thank you.” There have been petitions, demonstrations and all sorts of pressure from politicians and the American people to end the project. For a brief history: the fight against KXL began in 2008 when TransCanada proposed a pipeline extension to transport hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil and bitumen from Alberta to Texas. Throughout the following year, opposition grew greater and greater. In the summer of 2010, U.S. politicians began a letter writing campaign to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge stricter environmental protocols, and the Environmental Protection Agency started to doubt the need for such a massive, dangerous project. The next year tensions culminated in a civil disobedience demonstration, which led to the arrests of over 1,000 people, including one UT graduate. The demonstrations didn’t stop there; in February 2013, Erica and her 50,000 closest climate activist friends rallied in the freezing cold at our nation’s capital, marching past the White House and telling the president and the entire country they would
Franco D’Aprile is a senior in political science and sustainability, and Erica Davis is a senior in environmental sociology. They can be reached at fradapr@vols.utk.edu and spz839@vols.utk.edu, respectively.
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ARTS&CULTURE
The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Moving forward, one painting at a time Katey Robinson Staff Writer
Paris Woodhull, junior in UT’s Studio Art program, has always been captivated by the world of art and creating— and now her life revolves around it. Woodhull said she credits the early discovery of her passion to her parents. “My mom was constantly working on an art project. She’s an amazing carpenter, seamstress, illustrator, calligrapher — you name it, and she can do it or she will teach herself how to do it,� Woodhull said. “My father is a politician, writer, jazz enthusiast, problem solver and creative thinker ... As far back as I can remember, the sky has been the limit.� Woodhull works mainly in paint— acrylic, oil and watercolor. She said painting fascinates her with its ability to “transform a flat surface into something taut with meaning or a lack thereof.� She said she finds much of her inspiration in fashion and pop culture. “I love Scandinavian style, bold color, busy patterns, Gloria Vanderbilt, Miles Davis’s fiery spirit and Esperanza Spalding ’s flawless sense of style,� Woodhull gushed. Those imperfections that are intrinsic to the creative process contribute so much to a final product that Woodhull said she has not yet pinned down a specific methodology for creating her work.
“I think of my creative process as akin to me being blindfolded and then reaching until I grab something that makes my heart skip around,� she said. Recently, Woodhull and fellow student Elijah Fredrick exhibited work at Gallery 1010 in their show “Young Religion.� Woodhull is no stranger to showing her paintings. Since its opening in 2010, Woodhull has worked at Rala. Short for “Regional and Local Artisans,� Rala comprises of half shop and half gallery— Woodhull has shown her work there twice. Last summer, she had a show up at Old City Java. Having work on display there, Woodhull said, made her feel a little like a celebrity. “Old City Java was so wonderful to work with, and I still testify that they have the best latte in town,� she said. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Woodhull. She opened up about the frustrations that can go along with hitting a creative block. “Towards the end of last semester, I started to hit an all-time low,� Woodhull recalled. “I wasn’t particularly loving anything that I was making, and as a result of that, I was losing my joy in making. I emailed my drawing professor, Claire Stigliani, and asked ‘How do I get joy back?’� The passage that Stigliani replied with, an excerpt from “Letters to a Young Poet�, she said will resonate with her forever: “You ask whether your verses are any
“
I am constantly reminding myself that I am extremely lucky to be in such a beautiful city surrounded by a caring and supporitive group of people.�
good. You ask me. You have asked others before this. You send them to magazines. You compare them with other poems, and you are upset when certain editors reject your work. Now‌ I beg you to stop doing that sort of thing. You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you – no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself.â€? Reminders like that one paired with the vibrant art community at UT and in greater Knoxville have played a large role in Woodhull’s continuing growth as an artist. “I am constantly reminding myself that I am extremely lucky to be in such a beautiful city surrounded by a caring and supportive group of people,â€? Woodhull said. “Artist Sharon Louden said that ‘It takes a community to be an artist.’ I believe that Knoxville is that community
TUTORING
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EMPLOYMENT
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for me.â&#x20AC;? When the question of future plans came up, Woodhull made her frustration clear how on frequently others broach this sticky topic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Artists are bombarded with this question. And believe me, we are already thinking and worrying about it,â&#x20AC;? Woodhull admitted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our profession includes daily risk-taking. Am I worried? Yes, definitely.â&#x20AC;? The beauty of uncertainty, she said, is entirely interlaced with the journey and development of an artist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just remind myself that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an extremely hard worker, that I know myself and that things have a way of working out. Artists have to be flexible and fearless,â&#x20AC;? Woodhull said. Woodhull plans to continue forging her path through the world of art, one painting at a time.
PUZZLES&GAMES
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 • The Daily Beacon
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Get Fuzzy • Darby Conley
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz
dadoodlydude• Adam Hatch
Cartoons of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
ACROSS 1 “For more ___ …” 5 Print collectors, for short 9 Lady and the Tramp, e.g. 13 Catherine who married Henry VIII 14 All too familiar 15 Punjabi princess 16 ___ page 17 Overreached 19 Comedian with the double-platinum album “Retaliation” 21 “All right, you beat me” 22 Weep 23 Soccer superstar Messi 25 “Go team!” 27 Incessantly 29 L.A. locale 33 Outfielder’s shout 35 WhiteHouse.___ 37 Bouquet holder 38 Massachusetts vacation destination
40 Flack who sang “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” 42 Deadlocked 43 Mogul with a Bunny 45 Put in rollers 46 Ships out 48 “The World on Time” courier 50 Scrubs areas, briefly 51 Celebration with a bunny 53 Approves of 55 Walk to impress 57 “Hmm …” 61 Smack unexpectedly? 63 Croat or Serb 64 Twinge 65 Kind of knife once touted in infomercials 66 Bring on board 67 Pot grower? 68 Envelope-pushing 69 Stack at a rock concert DOWN
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41 Like women in Rubens paintings 44 See 6-Down 47 First king of Israel 49 Like clothes at formal occasions 52 Old West transport 54 One-named singer whose name used to be spelled with a dollar sign 55 Ending of several central Asian country names 56 Carnival cover 58 Houston sch. 59 Wyatt of the Old West 60 Nervous nights, maybe 61 Luxury resort amenity 62 Baby goat
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ARTS&CULTURE
The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Knoxville-based band mentors new-comers, rocks on Ana Tantaris
Contributor In today’s hypercompetitive society, it seems impossible that artists in any field can have a lasting impact on their community without a little competition. Despite the incredible amount of local talent, however, the Knoxville music scene exists with minimal contest. Knoxville is special because of its supportive, family-like nature where most artists have the ability to recognize and respect the talent and the guts it takes to pursue a career in this industry. In 2005, Joshua Manis (Guitar/Vocals), Brandon Manis (Drums), Robby Kerr (Guitar) and Matthew Presley (Bass) formed the band Gamenight and made their mark on the Knoxville community, securing their place in Knoxville’s musical genealogy. Since its conception, the band has been keenly aware of the family atmosphere of the Knoxville music scene. The members recall
older, established bands taking the newly formed Gamenight under their wings and helping them get out-of-town gigs. “That was when I was fresh out of high school and didn’t know what the hell was going on — I still don’t,” Joshua Manis said. “Since then, there have been bands like that, younger than us or newer than us, that have kind of looked at us for help and direction. So, it’s kind of cool that we started on the young end of it, and now we’re kind of like a band-dad to a few bands.” Despite their strong influence and veteran status, Gamenight members remain humble about their position. “A lot of bands have told us that we’re big influences, and that is crazy to me,” Brandon Manis added. “That’s awesome that anything we can write and play in our practice space influences people in our backyard.” After the conclusion of their first band, brothers Joshua and Brandon Manis said they weren’t ready to quit on their music and decided to form Gamenight with high school friends Kerr and Presley. The upbeat and high-spirited rock band
keeps fans on their toes with a unique sound that Presley describes as “rock with soul-pop fusion.” “We are getting soulful in our old age, channeling our inner R. Kelly,” Joshua Manis said, laughing. “We’ve kind of always done some sort of rock ‘n’ roll-indie rock, but everything that we’ve released has sounded different. It’s an everevolving rock opus.” The creative, youthful minds of Gamenight give its sound true character. “We take the music seriously, but there’s a goofiness to our sound,” Presley said. Instead of being detrimental, Joshua Manis said this natural goofiness has worked in the band’s favor. “We’re clownin’ all the time,” he added. “I think one of our greatest assets is the songs aren’t boring; I don’t think our music’s ever been confined to one style.” Gamenight has toured around the country, playing in more than half of the 50 states. The band member’s extensive tours brought them closer together and allowed them to develop relationships and collaborate with other musi-
cians that they said they wouldn’t have met any other way. “We have been lucky enough to do a lot of things that a lot of bands just don’t exist long enough to get to do,” Brandon Manis said. They have dialed back on their cross-country tours since their earlier days, but the band has been continuously writing music and playing locally and regionally to maintain their craft. “It’s something we’ve never stopped. We’ve always had relatively consistent practices, and it’s always been something that we work on,” Brandon Manis said. “It’s built-in at this point.” In 2013, Gamenight released their second full-length album “Pets Pets.” “We haven’t released many records for as along as we’ve been a band, but it’s been a solid tenure all the way through,” Brandon Manis said. In celebration of a decade of music, Gamenight currently has another album in the works. According to the band, they hope to be in the studio by next year to make their next release as high quality as their last.
Vietnamese restaurant brings homemade to a new level Megan Patterson
Arts & Culture Editor Banh Mi, three fifty Crisp filling crunch, tangy bite Come again, I will. Yes, Bida Saigon inspired me to poetry. This Vietnamese restaurant in West Knoxville may not be the most convenient location for students, but its prices and menu items are right up a college student’s alley (refer to my haiku above). Expect an unusual experience if you dine in. The atmosphere and décor is disorganized and half-hearted, but this gives it a sort of quirky charm. The front door opens to a tiled room containing two pool tables and a take-out window, but to the left, a short dividing wall partitions off the dining room. A team of mainly distant — but friendly when engaged — servers tagteam wait staff responsibilities in the small dining area. The décor consists of multiple fish tanks (one missing the fish) and hand written signs requesting that no children run around because of the hot soups being served. My dining companion had warned me about the low prices, but it never fully hit me until I realized that $10 paid for my entire dinner plus tip. I ordered egg rolls and a shredded pork banh mi, a
kind of Vietnamese sandwich, and my dinner partner ordered pork spring rolls and a Vietnamese ham and sausage banh mi. Each of our meals cost $6.50 total. After only a few minutes our appetizers were served, followed closely by the entrees. Although the staff was not overly friendly, they were very attentive and checked in often. Despite what you might have assumed, the food was pretty good for the price. And, as far as ethnic food in Knoxville goes, this was some of the best. The banh mi was a sizable portion of fresh toasted bread filled with pickled veggies, cilantro and cooked meats. While the sandwich could have been loaded with a little more substance, the filling that was included was crisp and flavorful. Experimenting with the many sauces available at the end of the table is a must. I did not know what half of them were before they were in my mouth, but I know for next time what to put and what to definitely not put on my sandwich. My spice tolerance is fairly high, but the homemade red pepper sauce put my meal on hold for a few minutes. Overall, Bida Saigon is definitely on my list of places to return. I might not make the trip out there purely for the restaurant, but when I find myself in West Knoxville looking for something cheap, filling and homemade, I know where I will be headed.
Pork Banh Mi and pork spring rolls from Bida Saigon All Photos by Megan Patterson • The Daily Beacon
SPORTS
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 • The Daily Beacon
Jones limiting home game distractions
FOOTBALL
Jonathan Toye
Sports Editor
Junior defensive back Cam Sutton waits for a decision during the Vols win over South Carolina. Esther Choo • The Daily Beacon
TRACK & FIELD
UT’s cross country team preps for nationals Shane Switzer
Staff Writer Fifteen men and women from the Tennessee Cross Country team will make the trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships which will take place on Friday Nov. 13. Tennessee will be represented by eight men and seven women, with 11 of those 15 runners being freshmen. Senior Chelsea Blaase finished runner-up last year in the Region and went to her first NCAA National Championships. She is looking to make it back to the national championships again this year. “(My goals) are the same as always,” Blaase said. “Just go out and have fun, compete and see where that lands me.” The 6k course that the women will run is familiar to Blaase, and she has had success there in the past. Her first career race win came at Alabama in 2013 and she won there again in 2014. “Knowing that there really isn’t anything that hinders me, and I know my game plan for the race,” Blaase said. “I don’t have to waste any extra energy wondering where I should make a move.” After making nationals last year, Blaase’s goals are much higher and having not wasted
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emotions at regionals will help her conserve energy. Blaase said she will not have the emotions of making it for the first time and that will help to take the pressure off. Blaase is on a roll as she finished in the top three in 10 of her last 13 races, and that is a trend coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said she believes will continue. “She is certainly in that position for this weekend to finish at the top,” Alford-Sullivan said. “That’s her mind set for NCAA’s. She was 10th last year, and she’s had the goal to improve upon that and try and take herself into the top finish. There is nothing in her way.” Another senior looking to improve upon last year’s performance is Kyle Walter. He finished No. 27 a year ago and was just outside the top 25 cut off for All-Region honors. The top 25 runners are also eligible to advance to nationals. Alford-Sullivan said she would not put it past him to run a great race and get into the top 25 and advance to nationals. All season, the men run an 8k race but for regionals and nationals, they move up to a 10k. The change is made for tradition more than any other reason. Alford-Sullivan said anything can happen with the switch. All season has been about developing the program and having the young runners gain experience. It is a process, and that process will continue this weekend.
Tennessee coach Butch Jones wasn’t impressed with his team’s focus entering the game against South Carolina. He assured Tennessee won’t repeat the mistake twice. The Vols will spend this week improving their fundamentals in an attempt to regain their focus before the game against North Texas (TV: SEC Network, 12:00 p.m.), Jones said in his weekly Monday presser at Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio. “I didn’t think we had 60 minutes of collective focus,” Jones said. “We need to get back to our discipline. We had some penalties that aren’t us. We had too many lying eyes, too many eye violations ... We stared at the quarterback way too much, so we must do a much better job with that – with our overall habits, our style of play, our execution. “This week is about improvement, going back to the fundamentals and fine details. We need to get back to our ‘Neyland Focus.’” Anyone who watched Tennessee’s sloppy 27-24 win against South Carolina isn’t questioning Jones’s assessment. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead, Tennessee allowed South Carolina to come back and threaten to steal a victory in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee’s lack of focus seemed to be the underlying cause for the near comeback. The Vols turned it over in critical situations. They committed uncharacteristic penalties. Their receivers dropped open passes, and Brian Randolph was ejected after committing a targeting penalty. All the symptoms of a distracted team. The miscues were surprising, especially after Tennessee’s previous two games. Tennessee lost to Alabama 19-14 on Oct. 24, but limited mistakes came close to pulling an upset. In the next game, the Vols took control and exerted their dominance in a 52-21 drubbing of Kentucky. But those performances came on the road, where there are fewer distractions. Jones mentioned that playing at home brings a wide array
of diversions. He said he wants to limit those diversions this Saturday. “We are going to close it down a little bit,” Jones said. “We are going to take more of an approach of the locker room and create more tight-knit in terms of restrictions in our locker room and different things that way. When you are a young football team, you really struggle at times with focus, and when you are on the road you don’t have a lot of distractions. “It’s an honor and a privilege to play in Neyland Stadium, but I just didn’t think we had the overall focus for 60 minutes that we have had for the last several weeks.” Jones said the Vols deal with more visitors before home games, and also suggested that injured players might be causing distractions. Besides that, however, Jones did not offer specific examples of distractions. His players didn’t provide any clarity on the subject either. Junior cornerback Cam Sutton said he did not even think the distractions had much of an impact last Saturday. “I really don’t think it’s a problem,” Sutton said. “I mean, because it’s just a matter of an individual, if he is locked in and focused and ready to go.” Regardless of whether distractions were a problem on Saturday, staying focused might be more of a challenge this week. North Texas is one of the worst football teams in the football bowl subdivision – and that’s not a hyperbole. The Mean Green has lost to Iowa, Portland State and Louisiana Tech by scores of 46, 59 and 43, respectively. The game – if anything – will be an opportunity for some of younger players to receive significant playing time. That might be all the motivation the younger players need to stay focused in practice this week. “They are going to get to play a lot,” senior offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson said. “That’s how you look at it. All the younger guys – all the twos -- are thinking, ‘Hey, if I can show support to the first-team, and they can do a good job, I can get into the game.’ That’s how I thought about it when I was younger. “Those guys will be especially locked in this week in practice.”
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The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, November 10, 2015
MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Barnes searching for solutions to fatigue problems Taylor White
Assistant Sports Editor It’s no secret that Rick Barnes wants his team to run. But in Friday’s exhibition against Alabama-Huntsville, that was a problem. Barnes said he thought his team was quick to tire, something he had not seen in practice or in the team’s scrimmage earlier in the year. “It didn’t happen like that against Davidson,” the men’s Head Basketball coach said at a Monday morning press conference. “There’s a lot of things we’re looking at, and we haven’t had problems with cramping all year. We’re going back and trying to look at a lot of things.” Armani Moore was one of the Tennessee players who suffered from cramps on Friday night, limiting him to just 28 minutes after playing 38 in the scrimmage. The senior still managed a double-double with 29 points and 10 boards. Being on the floor for the majority of the game is nothing new for Moore, as he averaged more than 30 minutes per game last season under then-coach Donnie Tyndall.
Barnes said that is one of the reasons he is puzzled by the sudden fatigue. “Armani played 38 minutes against Davidson, and Friday night he had around 26,” Barnes said. “We’re looking at a lot of things from pre-game shoot around to pregame meal, everything. We haven’t had that problem.” One specific aspect that Barnes pointed to was the Tennessee locker room, as it was the first time this season that the team had spent a significant amount of time in there. “I hadn’t even broken a sweat until I walked into the locker room,” Barnes said. “The locker room back there is really hot, and it’s the first time we’ve been back there all year. It was really hot. I was sweating, and I hadn’t done anything to start sweating. It was a problem.” Starting rotation: Tennessee’s starting lineup in the exhibition consisted of Kevin Punter, Armani Moore, Detrick Mostella, Devon Baulkman and Derek Reese, but Barnes said that has shifted some based on Friday’s performances. “I think it’s going be competitive in terms of it could be different every day,” Barnes said of the lineup. “Yesterday the group we had out
The locker room back there is really hot, and it’s the first time we’ve been back there all year. It was really hot. I was sweating, and I hadn’t dont anything to start sweating. It was a problem.” Rick Barnes, head coach
there — and it was really based on the scrimmage — was Punter, Armani, Baulkman,
(Robert) Hubbs and (Kyle) Alexander.” Hubbs, who has been dealing with an injury in practice, came off the bench on Friday and scored 15 points on 50 percent shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Alexander played just 10 minutes against Huntsville and scored four points, but where the freshman forward made his presence felt was on the boards. The 6-foot-9 Alexander pulled down five rebounds in those 10 minutes, and four of them came on the offensive end. The team as a whole had just 12 offensive rebounds throughout the game. Barnes mentioned that these lineups could change daily but emphasized that starting the game is not nearly as important as finishing it. “I think it will be competitive all year, but I’ve said it before, starting lineups could change all year,” Barnes said. “I’m still not concerned about that. I’m more concerned with how we finish the game. “What are we going to do when we get our backs up against the wall and things aren’t going well for us? I’m more concerned with those types of things.”