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Thursday, November 21, 2013
Staff Writer Gender neutral housing on campus may still be a distant prospect for UT. Written in 2012 by SGA senator Jacob Clark, the Student Government Association Bill 0113 aims to allow male and female students to live together in the same apartment or suite. Gender-neutral housing would benefit siblings, couples, transgender individuals and others who wish to live with members of the opposite sex. Passed by the student senate in 2012 by a margin of 27-18, Bill 0113 called for the establishment of gender-neutral housing options by fall 2014. Frank Cuevas, executive director of University Housing, has been working closely with Provost Susan Martin and Vice Chancellor Rickey Hall to determine how best to move forward with the bill. What they have concluded may postpone the fall 2014 deadline. “Recently, we had the chance to sit down and review the bill,” Cuevas said. “In that discussion, we arrived at the conclusion that unfortunately the facilities we currently have don’t really lend themselves to implement gender neutral housing.” Cuevas said these housing options would fit best in newly-built dorms carefully designed to fit requirements like increased privacy. “As we look at designing and building new facilities and becoming more intentional with the design process, we will have a much more conducive space to work with,” Cuevas said. Clark, a senior in College Scholars, remains hopeful that progress will be made. “If a bill sticks around that long, and they’re still talking about it and it’s being dealt with that high up, usually you get a result,” Clark said. “It’s very rare that nothing happens.” See HOUSING on Page 2
Hemsworth visits Knoxville for ‘Catching Fire’ premiere Claire Dodson
Cortney Roark • The Daily Beacon
Hayley Brundige
Issue 64, Volume 124
Arts & Culture Editor
Cortney Roark Assistant Arts & Culture Editor The Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 added three new tiles to their star plaza Tuesday night: Liam Hemsworth, Francis Lawrence and a commemorative plaque for the premiere of “Catching Fire,” the second film in “The Hunger Games” franchise. Both Lawrence, who directed the film, and Hemsworth, who plays Katniss’s childhood friend Gale, attended the event, which served as a fundraiser for Variety – The Children’s Charity. The charity, which helps U.S. children in need, raised more than $500 million through the premiere, 100 percent of which goes to the charity, according to Carol Fusco, executive director of Variety. Lawrence and Hemsworth arrived on the red carpet to hundreds of screaming fans, many of whom got autographs and pictures with Hemsworth, who also stopped to talk to media. When talking to The Daily Beacon, he emphasized how proud he is of the film and cast.
Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale in “The Hunger Games” series, attended the premiere of “Catching Fire” at the Regal Pinnacle Stadium 18 on Tuesday night. The showing served as a fundraiser for Variety – The Children’s Charity. “I’m very happy to be a part of this whole project,” Hemsworth said. “I’m working with the director Frances Lawrence and we have so many great actors on this. It’s a meaningful story. I think we’ve become very emotionally involved in these characters because they’re real people,
they’re honest. “They’ve caught on to the situations and they’ve managed to stay themselves somehow throughout those terrible situations.” Lawrence, who directed “I Am Legend” and is set to direct the next two films in “The Hunger
UT seniors opt for touch of gray in season finale
Games” series, talked about his vision for “Catching Fire” and how the source material provided crucial inspiration for his take on the film. “My vision all kind of came from the source material,” Lawrence said. “(‘Catching Fire’) is the book where every-
Garrett Ahmad Contributor As voted on by the seniors who will be participating in their last home game of their careers, the Vols will run out of the “T” for Saturday’s game against the Vanderbilt Commodores wearing UT’s alternate “Smokey” gray uniforms. Tennessee’s only previous time wearing the new uniforms came in an overtime loss to Georgia on Oct. 5. Head coach Butch Jones said Tuesday he wishes to more firmly establish gray as part of the future of the football program. “We talked about the gray becoming more standard a little bit in our football program,” Jones said. “So it’s just something with our seniors that they wanted to do.” Most of the Vols’ seniors committed to play for Lane Kiffin before his notoriously abrupt departure to USC. However, they stuck to their commitment and played their first three seasons under Derek Dooley, only one of which ended in a bowl game. Now with a new head coach, the seniors are looking to end their careers on a high by earning a bowl bid. To do that, they’ll need to beat Vanderbilt and close the season with a win at Kentucky next week. Senior defensive lineman Jacques Smith has already been preparing for his last home game at
Tennessee senior defensive end Jacques Smith celebrates in the end zone after returning an interception 18 yards for a touchdown against Auburn at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 9. Tennessee. “It’s going to be an emotional moment,” Smith said. “Especially being able to play one at night for my last one, it’s going to be a very special night.” Jones, however, wants to keep emotions out until the the season is over. See FOOTBALL on Page 6
thing starts to open up. The real themes of the stories really start to kick in, the consequence of war and of violence. We can really see what kind of damage has been done to the characters that have been in the games. See PREMIERE on Page 3
Students, professors prepare for evaluations Jenna Butz Staff Writer
AJ Hall • The Daily Beacon
Gender neutral housing may be postponed
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It’s that time of year. As the semester ends, reminders for instructor evaluations are landing in every student’s inbox. Using a model adopted from the University of Washington in the late 1990s, and as decided by SGA and the faculty senate at the time, the Student Assessment of Instruction System attempts to provide an accurate depiction of course instruction quality. But response rates for evaluations are low, with only 30-40 percent of the student population participating. This low rating has spurred requests from faculty. “The response rate has been an issue for faculty and instructors, and it’s something that we are continuing to work on,” Elizabeth Pemberton, the SAIS Coordinator, said. “You know, you don’t want to spend your time doing this just to think it disappears into a black hole. If your professor
tells you how they use it and you feel like it’s meaningful to them, I think that is important to students.” However, Pemberton said SAIS understands the timing may pose difficulties for some students. “This is a busy time of the semester for students, and this is another on the list of things you have to do,” Pemberton said. Aaron Hamby, a prepharmacy freshman, said he intends to make time for the evaluations, but primarily for courses in which he had a negative experience. “It gives me more of an incentive to fill it out if I do have a complaint,” Hamby said, “because I want it to be fixed for the next semester that takes them.” If an instructor receives repeatedly low evaluation scores, he or she could be referred to the Teaching and Learning Center for help with instruction. See EVALUATIONS on Page 2
‘Beat Vandy Bonfire’ set to consume Fiji Island school spirit before the season’s final home football game. Also open to the public, the bonfire is expected to span 10 square feet and attract an audience of around 600 Fiji Island will be set on fire. Friday at 5:30 p.m., the Student guests, including UT football coach Government Association Traditions Butch Jones. Jones will make an appearcommittee will host a “Beat Vandy ance, pose for pictures and sign autoBonfire” in Fraternity Park to rally graphs. The Knoxville Fire Department has approved the event and will also be
Sage Speaks
Contributor
present to ensure safety. Brittany Bender, a junior in political science, is a co-director of the committee and said she’s looking forward to the event. “We want to increase everyone’s big orange spirit, not just students,” Bender said. “But I really can’t imagine anyone would want to miss out on the fun.”
In Bender’s opinion, events like the bonfire are necessary to maintain enthusiasm and passion on campus. “I want everyone to feel connected, Vol to Vol, through traditions,” Bender said. “Our athletics teams and really every part of our school is fueled by Vol energy. The football team needs our spirit to win.” Free Chick-fil-A sandwiches will be
served and High Cotton will be giving away UT merchandise. “It’s pretty much just kind of like one last big ‘hoorah’ for the students,” said Clay Hillyard, senior in biomedical engineering and another co-director of the SGA Tradition’s Committee. “Especially the seniors.” See BEAT VANDY on Page 2