REVISING DIVERSITY The UT system is set to change the name of the Division of Diversity and Engagement to Access and Engagement, a change leaders see as reflective of new goals and that faculty members see as protection from legislative backlash.
The Daily Beacon
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Volume 144, Issue 12
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
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@utkdailybeacon
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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023
LETTER FROM EDITORIAL TEAM
DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION
EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abby Ann Ramsey MANAGING EDITOR: Bella Hughes COPY CHIEF: Emma Johnston NEWS EDITOR: Eli Boldt ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Macy Roberts SPORTS EDITOR: Caleb Jarreau ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: Eric Woods DIGITAL PRODUCER: Karsten Hoglund OPINIONS EDITOR: Calie Wrona PHOTO EDITOR: Edward Cruz DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Fingeret ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: Makenzie Clark PAGE DESIGNERS: Jibril Foronas, Katie Goss,
Julia Paulman COVER PHOTO: Abby Ann Ramsey
ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cullen Askew ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Shelby
Coppock, Jacob Stromatt ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Donatella
Thomas, Ailin Lopez
CONTACTS TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM OR SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE, please email editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com TO PLACE AN AD, please email admanager@utk.edu. LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media. Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published. The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief. CORRECTIONS POLICY:It is The Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information. Errors brought to our attention by readers or staff members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to editorinchief@ utdailybeacon.com. The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The offices are located at 1345 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year or $100/semester. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon. com
The Daily Beacon, a news source committed to telling all sides of every story, hosts an all-staff meeting to discuss upcoming content. Lauren Ward / Contributor
Editorial Board: Showcasing diverse viewpoints 2023-2024 EDITORIAL BOARD The Daily Beacon
In the age of the internet and social media, humans have become more and more inclined to see only their point of view and believe only the information they’re being fed through algorithms and echo chambers. While this is not necessarily a new issue, it seems fair to say that this human tendency has been perpetuated by screens and by an era of politicians with extreme, unbudging beliefs on all sides of the political spectrum. News media companies are also not innocent in the increasing polarization cropping up. Many of the largest outlets have swung too far to one side or the other when it comes to politics, which only decreases citizens’ trust in journalists — the people who are responsible for building trust and holding the untrustworthy accountable. The polarization and misinformation discussion could go on and on, but talking about it without offering solutions often doesn’t help readers. Similarly, journalism that showcases only one or two competing sides of a narrative does not help with the issues of polarization. Not only does it present a problem with no mention of solutions or hope, but it also does not showcase the other viewpoints along the spec-
trum — the ones that do not fit into the two most extreme sides. This journalistic habit leads readers to believe that they only have two options when deciding on their opinion about an issue and that if they believe one thing they can’t believe the other. Rather than giving people a nuanced, developed way to think about an issue, one-sided and even two-sided journalistic coverage increases polarization and leaves out a wide array of voices. This sort of coverage is something the Beacon strives to avoid. When discussing complex issues, we try to include as many voices as possible and present issues as more than just “bad” or “good.” This is because almost all issues are complicated, and multiple things can be true at once. Although we try our best to present issues as complex, that intent does not always come through. At a student newspaper, we don’t always include all the perspectives that we should, but that’s something we’re always looking to improve about our work. One struggle with trying to cover news, arts and culture, sports, and opinions is that we don’t always know exactly what everyone is thinking about each topic. We can gather a few perspectives and think we’ve nailed it without realizing that the perspectives from the margins don’t make it into our content. At the end of the day,
though, we try to avoid content that tells a story from only one perspective or from only a few extreme perspectives. Nuanced viewpoints from the margins and viewpoints from the historically voiceless are the ones we want to give voice to. In order for us to know all the perspectives of an issue, we have to hear from our audience. Our main goal is to serve students, faculty and staff at the University of Tennessee, and if you have a viewpoint that you think has not been given a voice, we want to hear it. Whether it’s in the form of a news tip or in the form of a letter to the editor, we want to publish a wide array of perspectives that can paint a fuller picture of how people feel about issues, whether those issues are local to campus, local to Knoxville or are national and international but have an impact on people at UT. Painting a wide picture requires the help of an audience and not just audience members with extreme perspectives. Those perspectives are often the ones that find their way to our email inboxes or our Instagram comments. The lesser-heard ones are the ones that often don’t find their way to us — but we want to find our way to them. Sincerely, The 2023-24 Editorial Board
NEWS
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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Randy Boyd honored by College Promise for steps toward accessible higher education BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor
On Nov. 8, UT’s System President Randy Boyd was recognized with the inaugural National College Impact Award for his devotion to providing affordable secondary education to students across Tennessee. The award was presented by Robert Ballard, a representative of the National College Promise Advisory Board. Randy Boyd was welcomed to the crowd by UT Chancellor Donde Plowman. “Randy has been an advocate for making college affordable for years,” Plowman said. “As a first-generation student himself, he knows what it’s like to show up on a campus and think, ‘I’m not sure I really belong here.’” With a background in business, Boyd uses a network of people to execute a vision. An unexpected conversation with former Knoxville mayor Mike Ragsdale sparked the inspiration for what is now Tennessee Promise. “His vision was to have every young person in Knox County the opportunity to go to a technical college or a community college free of tuition fees,” Boyd said. Their vision came to life through the Tennessee Promise — a last-dollar scholarship and mentorship program available for Tennessee high school students to attend two years of post-secondary education. In conjunction with the Tennessee Promise, Boyd serves on the board of tnAchieves — a mentoring and scholarship program dedicated to supporting high school students in the transition to higher education. The program serves 83 out of 95 counties in Tennessee reaching roughly 90% of high school seniors annually. Early action applications for UT Knoxville closed on Nov. 1 with over 40,000 applications submitted. When applications for UT Knoxville skyrocketed last year, the UT acceptance rate declined rapidly. TnAchieves targets underserved students including Black and colored men, veterans and first-generation students. While developing this program, Boyd recognized that many of these students have the academic or athletic ability to go to college but experience financial insecurity or lack the internal confidence to motivate them to apply for school. “The biggest factor in their life was that they didn’t have a mentor — somebody in their life that had been to college and could provide that encouragement,” Boyd said. “The most important thing you can do is provide that word of encouragement.”
As a first-gen student, Boyd recognized that students need to see success in themselves before taking a greater step toward their future. Programs like tnAchieves and the Tennessee Promise help to ensure that students are supported in multiple realms of academic access. Scholarships are funded by private donors outside of the federal money received through Pell or Hope scholarships. The generosity of donors allows high school students to attend college for free, although not completely free. Key factors of these programs, including community service, education and confidence, work to foster the holistic student. Boyd set the precedent of community enrichment by having students give back to the communities that invested so much in the youth. “If the community is going to do this for the students, they should give back to the community,” Boyd said. “We found that this community service is a big part of their learning. So many students are getting engaged in the community that they would have never otherwise discovered.” The initiatives placed in Tennessee caught national attention by Martha Kanter, CEO of College Promise and former under-secretary of education. “When I think about service, I think of three things: education — learning, jobs — working — and service. I see that in the Tennessee Promise,” Kanter said. Kanter — who worked under the Obama Administration — met with Boyd to discuss his initiatives within the TN Promise. Kanter was captivated by the concept, and together they created College Promise — a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the gap between high school and higher education. College Promise follows a similar format to TN Promise, vowing to build public support through scholarships to fund the first two years of equitable higher education. Kanter joined Ballard in recognizing Boyd for his achievements. “College Promise has taken lessons learned from the TN Promise which became our gold standard to grow and support college programs across the country — which we all know now as the Promise movement,” Kanter said. The Promise movement isn’t over as they look to bring more access, funding and encouragement to the current high school senior class of Tennessee. “We have a lot of work left to do together, and I am looking forward to building a future together with all of you,” Boyd said.
President Randy Boyd received the College Promise National Impact Award from Robert Ballard, with the National College Promise Advisory Board, and Martha Kanter, CEO of College Promise. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Courtesy of Steven Bridges / University of Tennessee
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NEWS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023
UT system to rename Division of Diversity and Engagement as Access and Engagement PIERCE GENTRY Contributor
The UT System’s Division of Diversity and Engagement, which is tasked with promoting diversity, equity and inclusion across all campuses, will soon be renamed as the “Division of Access and Engagement” in an effort to better reflect the division’s mission, as well as move away from some potentially divisive terminology. Those who work within the division are responsible for ensuring that campus environments remain inclusive and accessible for all students, faculty and staff of the university. This work is meant to promote “diversity, equity and inclusion” and is more often referred to simply as DEI. In the past, DEI has been instrumental in the uplifting of minority groups, who may otherwise lack a voice. In a statement from the university regarding the name change, it was revealed that the UT system hopes to move towards prioritizing blanket access to higher education across the state. “UT System President Randy Boyd has charged all campuses in the system with prioritizing access to a UT degree for Tennesseans, and to better reflect the socioeconomic demographics of our state,” the university said in a statement to the Beacon. “As part of this effort … the division will change its name to the Division of Access and Engagement. The university’s commitment to the Board of Trustees’ Diversity Statement has not changed.” The name change will advance gradually throughout the university system and will rename the Knoxville campus’s Office of Diversity and Engagement, while encouraging the DEI offices, committees and divisions within colleges and schools to also change their titles. According to Guy Harrison, the newlyappointed director of DEI for the School of Journalism and Media, the move is an effort to detract attention from state politicians who have begun to take issue with discussions of diversity in recent years. “We are in a very ultra-conservative state, and there are political actors who would completely do away with DEI, whether it’s the title or the work that we do,” Harrison said. “And this kind of protects us from them a little bit. But I wish it wasn’t necessary … we shouldn’t need to whitewash the word diversity out of things, just not to alarm certain people.” Harrison also expressed his concerns that changing the name of DEI, while perhaps necessary, could hinder the recruitment of prospective students from historically marginalized groups. “There are going to be students of color, queer students, first-generation immi-
grants and students from a vast variety of social identities or marginalized communities,” Harrison said. “They are going to want to know how the University of Tennessee is handling DEI, and if they go to our website and don’t see anything about diversity, that might raise an alarm.” This comes more than a year after alarms began to be raised statewide surrounding discussions of race and gender on higher education campuses, due to the passing of Tennessee bill SB 2290, often referred to as the “Divisive Concepts” bill. With vague and overly complex language, the law has effectively disseminated fear and confusion across state campuses, worrying faculty about what is and isn’t acceptable to teach in classrooms as the political landscape of the nation continues to shift. Angela Batey, a professor, choral director and current associate dean of DEI for the College of Music, believes that the name change is representative of that fear and confusion. “Diversity seems to have been made into a negative word,” Batey said. “And we’re trying to get away from something that may have been made divisive.” The word “diversity” has long held negative connotations for Tennessee legislators. In 2016, a state bill was passed which temporarily outlawed the allocation of state funds for the university’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion for one year and indefinitely suspended funding for Sex Week, an event the legislature has long taken issue with. This broke up the Office of Diversity and Inclusion into several subdivisions, routing funding through different offices and effectively eliminating several jobs. Legislators at the time cited their explicit desire to discourage the promotion of gender-neutral pronouns on campus as cause for the defunding. UT’s Faculty Senate leadership team, which is composed of President Amber Roessner, president-elect Derek Alderman and past president Beth Schussler, said it has taken an “active interest” in the change and remains committed to continuing its history of championing access for all, even with the division under a new name. “Supporting the Division, both morally and through continued, if not enhanced investment, at this critical time, is seen by Senate leadership as crucial to maintaining the health, mission, vision, and values of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and its commitment to access and inclusion,” the team said in a statement to the Beacon. Faculty Senate also sees itself as a resource available to the university throughout this reenvisioning shift because of its history of lifting underrepresented voices and because of the number of faculty members in the senate who have expertise when it comes to access, equity and social disparities. “Given that the expanded access focus
The Division of Diversity and Engagement, which on UTK’s campus is housed in the Office of Equity and Diversity, is set to see a name change. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon
On April 19, 2016, students, faculty and community members participated in a mass class exit to protest the state legislature redirecting funding from the Office of Diversity. File / The Daily Beacon promises to enhance the university’s responsibility to broaden participation and representation of a variety of social groups in higher education, we hope that the university administration will see and use the Faculty Senate as a close partner in this important reenvisioning process,” the statement reads. While each college and school will still be able to make its own decision regarding the change, it is one that is being discussed with
more seriousness as time goes on. “I think (Access and Engagement) more accurately reflects what we’re doing at a university level,” Batey said. “It’s all about creating as much access as we can for anybody who wants to get an education beyond high school to get that education. It’s about equity for everybody, access for everybody and just respect for all people, no matter what they look like, sound like or believe.”
NEWS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, MONTH DAY, 2023
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The Cooperation Game teaches students to work with others across political divides AALIYAH HAMMONTREE Staff Writer
The Howard Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs hosted an event on Nov. 9 where students got to play and discuss The Cooperation Game as part of their “Listen. Learn. Lead.” week. The Cooperation Game is based on the research of Joshua Greene, a psychology professor at Harvard University. His research talks about cooperation and how people are more likely to cooperate with their own social groups but can be made to cooperate with people outside of their social group during a competition or a game. Political polarization in America has been steadily increasing, and the team behind The Cooperation Game wants to help bridge that gap. Scott Warren, the interim CEO of The Cooperation Game, was at UT to talk about the game and facilitate the discussion. “The Cooperation Game is all about ensuring that folks from different ideological perspectives cooperate through an interactive quiz game as a means to combat political polarization,” Warren said. The Cooperation Game is still in its prototype phase, and part of the reason it is being brought around to different colleges is to gather more data about the game and how people feel playing it. “We’re still very much in prototype and figuring out phase, and so we got to test it out with some students here and some classes throughout the day,” Warren said. “It’s just great to get feedback from students on is the game fun, does it work, how does it feel to cooperate with someone and actually engage on some of these questions.” The Cooperation Game is a quiz game where people are paired up. To score points, both people have to choose the correct answer. The game first asks you a set of questions about political leanings and a couple personality-type questions and then assigns you a partner based on those answers. The partners, ideally, are people who chose very different answers to those questions. After partners are assigned, the quiz begins. Partners are able to use the builtin chat function to communicate and try to figure out the correct answer, but the questions are timed. If both partners choose the correct answer, points are awarded. Questions can range from extremely political to simply cultural knowledge questions. The students attending this event played The Cooperation Game before discussing the reason behind its creation
Students participating in The Cooperation Game at the Baker Center’s Toyota Auditorium are paired with another random student and answer a series of political-based questions. Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
so their knowledge of the game’s intent would not impact the way they played. After everyone finished, a discussion was held on the intent of the game and any feedback students had. Most of the feedback revolved around the content of the questions and how the strategy often became answering with your partner if you were even slightly unsure because it would give you a better chance at getting points. The team behind The Cooperation Game is interested in researching political cooperation on university campuses because their political environments tend to be different from the outside world. “We’re interested in universities, especially given that a lot of students feel that universities can be a difficult place to express their political bend right now,” Warren said. “Could this be one way in which students could get more comfortable and that they can tackle some of the political divides that exist?” Warren’s question currently remains unanswered, but as The Cooperation Game is developed and taken to more
universities, this research could provide helpful insights into political divides between college students. For the Baker School, this was a way to teach students how to interact with people with other viewpoints and how to work with others to be better leaders. Jordan Smith-Porter, the student engagement coordinator for the Baker School, helped plan this event as part of “Listen. Learn.
Lead.” week. “Ultimately, it was just for students to have the ability to interact with someone from another viewpoint to make sure that they were able to have those conversations,” Smith-Porter said. “Also, as part of ‘Listen. Learn. Lead.’ week, the purpose around it is listening to others, learning from the experiences of others and then being a leader.”
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ARTS & CULTURE
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Where to find Native American heritage resources on campus SHELBY WRIGHT Staff Writer
November is National Native American Heritage Month. The purpose of this month is to highlight the rich cultures, histories and traditions of the Native people of America. East Tennessee has been home to Native peoples since the Archaic period, and many local residents are descendants of the Cherokee tribe. Even the land that UT is built on once belonged to the Tsalagi people. Despite this, the history and resources offered at UT for Native and Indigenous people are hard to notice at first glance. Here are six places to find Native American heritage on UT’s campus. Native American Student Association The Native American Student Association is part of UT’s Multicultural Life and strives to support students and faculty who are interested in or part of Native American culture. NASA sponsors campus and community events to provide others with a better understanding of Native American culture. If you are interested in following NASA, you can connect with them via Instagram. American Indian Science and Engineering Society The American Indian Science and Engineering Society is a national group and campus organization that connects engineering students and staff with Native heritage to promote diversity in STEM fields. AISES is part of the Multicultural Engineering programs and also partners with NASA. If you are interested, you can find more information on Tickle’s College of Engineering website, or connect with AISES on their national website. UT Library Special Collection Guide: Southeastern Native American Tribes The UT Library has cultivated a research guide dedicated to the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw Native tribes. This guide provides students with data related to these Native people from 1782 to 2011. It gives tips on special keywords to search when looking for materials related to Southeastern Native American tribes. This guide also provides general resources that can help you get started on your research. The library also provides more specific resources related to each
A student in the Native American Student Association paints The Rock for Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 10, 2022. Courtesy of McClung Museum
Southeastern tribe by providing links to academic documentaries, manuscripts, letters, websites and rare books. College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Curated Native American Resource Guide In partnership with the UT library, the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences has curated a resource guide of relevant and recent (2022-2023) books, stories, podcasts, etc. from Indigenous and Native voices. If you are interested, you can access this resource guide on CEHHS’s website. ‘In Conversation: Will Wilson’ Exhibition McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is currently holding a special exhibition showcasing Navajo photographer Will Wilson’s ongoing Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange project, which is dedicated to creating
a contemporary vision of Native North Americans. Wilson’s work responds directly to the work of 20th-century photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis who is known for his 20-volume portfolio “The North American Indian” (1907-1930), which was created to depict the supposedly vanishing race of Native Americans. To contrast this, Wilson has created portraits that center on Indigenous and Native people’s perspectives to show how the Native people in North America are not vanishing but thriving in the modern world. This exhibit will be open at McClung Museum until Dec. 2. More information on this subject can be found at the McClung Museum’s exhibition website. Exhibition: ‘Repatriation of Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee’ The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is also showcasing a
new long-term exhibition, “Repatriation of Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee,” that will be open until Dec. 22. This exhibition features and examines the legal and ethical issues of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which was passed in 1990 and mandates that all institutions receiving federal funding recognize and provide tribes with a list of Native American ancestral remains that are significant for cultural, burial or other sacred purposes for possible repatriation. The gallery features quotes and interpretive panels from Native representatives and scholars that explain the importance of NAGPRA and its relation to the importance of Native American human rights and sovereignty in the United States. More information on this subject can be found at the McClung Museum’s exhibition website.
ARTS & CULTURE
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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University of Tennessee alumna Audra McElyea is releasing a new thriller novel, “If You Can See Me,” on Dec. 5, 2023. Courtesy of Audra McElyea
UT alumna, Knoxville native Audra McElyea releasing new thriller novel ADAM DELAHOUSSAYE Staff Writer
Like most college graduates, Audra McElyea walked across the stage in December of 2006 with an idea of where her career would have her end up, only to have those notions totally flipped on their heads just a few years later. Majoring in retail and consumer science with a business minor, she spent the early parts of post-grad living as a corporate buyer for Goodies and Jewelry Television before moving to Alabama to follow her husband to his new job. “The place they sent us to in Alabama was very remote,” McElyea said. “I mean, like, you had to drive 20 to 25 minutes just to drive to a Walmart.” In the midst of this temporary isolation is where McElyea first dove into writing as a medium in the first place. While her husband’s employment in rural Alabama was never a permanent one, she still felt it necessary to find something to keep her busy. “A friend suggested that I start a beauty and health blog,” McElyea said. “So I did, and that kind of kept me sane in the mountains by myself. We lived on this big cliff next to a wildlife reserve, so it was literally just me and mountain lions. That was it.” After a few months of publishing on her own independent platform, she eventually got an offer to write for several fashion magazines focusing on health, fashion and beauty. While it’s far off from what she initially got her degree in, a business background is something she definitely feels gave her some good insight into the world of writing and publishing. Other than that, a lot of her skills are entirely self-taught. “It took a lot of years. I eventually wrote the first half of my first book in 2012 and shelved it
until 2016 when I was pregnant with my second child. They put me on bedrest, and so I was like, ‘Okay, I guess I’ll finish that book I started,’ and after that is when things really got rolling.” While her first full body of work still sits on the shelves with no real plans for publication, it’s where McElyea got her name on the literary map and subsequently in the view of publicists and agents. Humbly, she credits the aid of those around her to much of her success. Though her calling may have been different in circumstance than most of her peers, McElyea has found her niche and success all the same. Her first published work “One Little Word” was released in 2022 to rave reviews and spurred McElyea into writing her next book almost immediately after. The novel follows a downon-her-luck reporter attempting to crack what could be the case of a lifetime, with a fun catand-mouse relationship between the protagonist Madeline Barton and the source supplying her with this career-altering information. As gratifying as that eventual publication was for McElyea, she’s only getting started. Her next book “If You See Me” is set to hit shelves and Kindle stores on Dec. 5, 2023. The story follows a husband and ex-best friend investigating the disappearance of young woman Leighton Marx. The book, set in Knoxville, is one which McElyea shows pride through setting and prose alike. McElyea says the book includes a nod to her days as a majorette at UT, featuring the “Salute to the Hill” and a Volunteer game day within its pages. Fans of mystery and football alike should have some enjoyment to be found with “If You See Me” at one point or another. McElyea plans on having a launch event and signing at Addison’s Bookstore on Jan. 5, with giveaways from a plethora of Knoxville businesses for those who buy tickets and a book signing as well.
by Margie E. Burke
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OPINIONS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023
On the Brain: How to battle seasonal depression this winter ALAYNA HEIFNER Columnist Whether you have clinical depression or not, you likely have felt depressed at some time in your life. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. The number of adults that had major depressive episodes was highest among 18 to 25 year olds. Our age puts us at particular risk for suffering from a depressive episode, but there are ways to manage symptoms of depression should you be experiencing them. Get plenty of sleep. College students and others around ages 18 to 25 should get between eight to 10 hours of sleep every single night. Sleep is crucial to improving your overall health. I know that sleep can be challenging to get as a college student, but it is one of the single most important things that you can do to improve symptoms of depression. Following a sleep schedule will help you to get better quality sleep and to wake up refreshed. Getting into a habit of following a sleep schedule starts with not procrastinating on your assignments and obligations. I have struggled with procrastination before, but completing my assignments before they are due rather than right before they are due has helped me improve my sleep schedule. Eight hours of sleep a night has allowed me to make it through my day without being so tired I cannot function. I have seriously noticed an improvement in my well-being as I get more sleep. In fact, science supports the notion that more sleep improves depression. “When you don’t get quality shut-eye, it throws your brain chemistry out of whack,” says William Moore with WebMD. “It’s harder to think clearly and manage your feelings. That can sap your will to get things done and cause mood swings.” Getting more sleep can help regulate your emotions. You have to admit that being well-rested feels pretty good! So try to get more sleep, even if it is only 30 minutes more a night. Any amount of extra sleep you can fit in can be beneficial to your physical and mental health. Be social. Depressive episodes can cause you to isolate yourself socially. I know what it feels like. When you feel depressed, it can feel like no one cares. You often do not want to bother anyone, so you isolate yourself.
Columnist Alayna Heifner emphasizes the importance of taking vitamins since “vitamin deficiencies can cause symptoms that mirror depression.” Courtesy of Vecteezy.com The thing is, your family and friends care about you and want to offer support to you. Asking my friends and family for support when I hit rough patches was the best decision I could have made. Not only did they appreciate my vulnerability, but I also felt better knowing I had a support system. Being social is our natural disposition as humans. We are some of the most social creatures to exist. Look at how many inventions we have created solely to be social: phones, social media, pen and paper, internet, etc. Even though social interaction can seem like a chore when you are depressed, this chore is bound to improve your mood. Psychologist Susan Pinker with MedicalNewsToday found that direct person-to-person contact triggers parts of our nervous system. These triggers release a “cocktail” of neurotransmitters tasked to regulate our response to stress and anxiety. Additionally, Pinker states that social interaction generates dopamine that can act like a naturally produced morphine. Practice mindfulness and gratitude. I use mindfulness in my everyday life to accept my current circumstances, the good and the bad, and to realize that the future is up to me to decide. I am mindful of the way my emotions affect my actions, which helps me take preventative measures to counteract
depressive episodes. Focusing on the present moment instead of regretting the past or worrying about the future leads to gratitude. There are so many ways that you can practice mindfulness. I practice mindfulness by being rooted in my sensations. I pay close attention to how I feel throughout every action of my day. Focusing on the present has helped me to reduce worrying and rumination that can sometimes come along with depression. A study was conducted in 2019 to analyze the brain structure of people meditating for the first time. “After 40 days of mindfulness meditation training, the participants’ brain structure changed significantly in a way that is associated with lower depression scores,” states Sian Ferguson with PsychCentral. You can even practice mindfulness in therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy is a specific style that uses mindfulness to tune into your thoughts and feelings instead of falling prey to them. If you can not access or afford therapy, there are plenty of acceptance and commitment therapy workbooks and activities that you can access online. Take your vitamins. I know it sounds cliche, but take your vitamins. Sometimes, vitamin deficiencies can cause symptoms that mirror depression.
I hate going outside sometimes. Especially here in Tennessee, the weather is either unbearably hot or frigidly cold. Lots of people have a Vitamin D deficiency for this very reason. Vitamin D is vital for mood regulation because it helps to repair tissue growth in your brain and maintains your cognitive abilities. With winter being right around the corner, lots of people might begin feeling depressed. This phenomenon is called Seasonal Affective Disorder and has to do with the darker atmosphere of the winter months. Vitamin D is more important to take now than ever. Vitamin D has been a lifesaver for me. I can seriously notice a difference in my mood on the days I take my vitamin D versus the days I do not. Deficiencies in vitamin B have been linked with depression since the vitamin regulates stress hormones. Magnesium deficiency can also lead to stress, depression and anxiety. Taking magnesium can help fill gaps in your diet if you consume lots of processed food or sugar. If you do not want to take vitamins, you can also increase your intake of vitamin-rich foods. Eating fish, mushrooms and other meats can increase vitamin D and Omega-3 levels. Eating leafy greens, fresh fruits, avocados and bananas helps increase vitamin B and magnesium levels. Other foods that may help with depressive symptoms include animal proteins, bee pollen, lamb, red meat, garlic and spinach since they are all rich in vitamins. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Last but certainly not least, do not fear asking for help. Asking for help is not a shameful act but a brave one. There are multiple resources online to help aid you in your mental health journey if you need some guidance. Therapy, psychiatry and medication are just a few resources you can access to help improve symptoms of depression or other mental illnesses. Don’t give up! When it feels like you are out of resources to help you with your depressive symptoms or depression, I can assure you there are many more that you have not yet tried. When one door closes, another opens because things will get better.
Alayna Heifner is a freshman at UT this year studying philosophy. She can be reached at aheifne1@vols.utk.edu.
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
SPORTS
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
9
‘We want to win the national championship’
Tennessee men’s golf is focused on its end goal following the fall season. ALEX CARPENTER Contributor
Tennessee is five tournaments into its 2023-2024 campaign and has already shown it is a top program in the country. Ranking as high as sixth nationally on Golfweek, Tennessee has been victorious as a team twice this season — at its hosted Visit Knoxville Collegiate and the Fighting Irish Classic. “I don’t feel like we’ve played our best, yet we are seventh in the country,” head coach Brennan Webb said. “I think that speaks a lot for the talent that we have. We certainly have room to grow.” Webb is in his sixth season as the head coach for the Vols and has already taken his program to levels of success never experienced in Knoxville. Tennessee has won 10 tournament titles, and, most impressively, he has taken Tennessee to its first NCAA Championship Tournament in eight years in 2021. He is only two wins shy of tying former coach Mike Malarkey for third in career wins at Tennessee. Spearheading this success, like in any college athletic program, is recruiting. Webb, who arrived in 2018, inherited a team coming off the retirement of longtime head coach Jim Kelson. Kelson led the Vols for 20 years and also to their most team titles with 25, leaving Webb with large shoes to fill. Already recruiting players for the 2021 class, he began to build his base and guarantee success in the future. His 2022 recruiting class, which includes the now sophomores Josh Hill, Evan Woosley-Reed and Bruce Murphy, was the No. 1 class in the country. Already making an impact and winning tournaments, Tennessee has continued to stay on the recruiting trail. Nov. 8, the Vols announced some notable talent from Australia and in state joining the team with Webb set to have another impressive 2024 signing class. Tennessee signed Christian Pardue out of Arlington, Tennessee who is the No. 1 player in Tennessee by Junior Golf Scoreboard and already has amateur tournament experience.
The Vols also added Jackson Herrington from Dickson, Tennessee, who is rated by Junior Golf Scoreboard as the third-best golfer in the state and 66th nationally, and Kai Komulainen from the land down under. “In Kai, I believe we are getting one of the very best players in the world in this class,” Webb said. “He has been a consistent winner at all levels in Australia and competed with a tremendous amount of success during his trips to the USA. He has an intense desire to be the best version of himself every daym, and he will bring a competitive maturity to our program.” With Webb using recruiting to spearhead his success at Tennessee, this season has shown signs of fruition in many ways with big victories and sustained success in the early season. Among the top recruits of 2022 was star sophomore Caleb Surratt. Leading the way for the Vols and picking off where he left last season, the 2023 PING First Team All-American has finished every round this season at par or better. “It’s just family,” Surratt said. “We have a sign in our (locker) room that says we are going to be built on family and gratitude. We have an amazing dynamic here where pretty much everybody is close. We all have the same end goal in mind, and we are all under great leadership.” Tennessee has proven already in the fall season it has the ability to get great rounds from every golfer in the starting five. The consistent play can make the team a contender in every tournament it competes in. With the fall season wrapping up, expectations are high heading into the spring. “Our best golf is definitely right up there with first or second in the country,” Surratt said. “It’s a matter of rather than raising the ceiling, trying to raise the floor to where our bad golf is continuing to get better that way even on, in our off weeks we can compete and win.” The defining factor that makes the Vols stand out is their ability to work as a team. Each tournament has seen a different player step up and finish in the top 10 and break personal records. For example, Jake Hall scored his best 18 holes of golf with a 63 at
Bryce Lewis (left) and Jake Hall (right) practice their drives at the UT Day Practice Facility. Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon the SEC Match Play Championship. Hall, a redshirt senior from Halls High School in Knoxville, has been a consistent piece for Webb’s squad. “It’s a dream come true to get to come play here,” Hall said after concluding a practice session at the Mack & Jonnie Day Golf Practice Facility. “In my six years here, this is the closest the team has been as a whole all together.” The men’s and women’s golf programs have had the ability to grow thanks to the 2019 addition of the state-of-the-art Blackburn-Furrow Golf Clubhouse which provides a 1,000-square-foot hitting bay equipped with Trackman, swing analysis technology, video capabilities and a PuttView virtualputting green. “To have all of the facilities and resources that we have here, it separates ourselves,” Webb said. “When you get the right guys those special guys, they are attracted to stuff like that.” Adjacent is the $4.5 million Mack & Jonnie Day Golf Practice Facility where the Vols have slowly been progressing their game. Elite facilities and opportunities at Tennessee all
help lead the Vols to their ultimate goal. “We want to win the national championship,” Surratt said. “For me, I want to win on the PGA tour, get to the PGA tour, and I want to be one of the best players in the world.” The recruiting of various stars, and the young roster, provides hope for the future of Webb’s program. The battle-tested roster is ready to begin their journey to the national championship in the spring. For the Vols, the regular season isn’t where the satisfaction of the season is found. Losing last season in the NCAA Regionals, a deep postseason run is what every player on the team is ready to achieve. “All that is leading up and learning from it,” Hall said. “And it’s all experience and stuff that we are going to take to the national championship and how we are going to win the national championship.” Tennessee will prepare throughout the holiday season for the beginning of the spring season starting in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico, for the Puerto Rico Classic starting Feb. 11. The postseason begins on April 24 with the SEC Championship.
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SPORTS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023
How Tennessee baseball alum Jose Vazquez became an MLB World Series Champion CALEB JARREAU Sports Editor
Jose Vazquez sat back in the dugout during the World Series on Nov. 1. As the Texas Rangers’ strength coach, he didn’t have to be in the dugout, but he chose to. He had finally won the World Series. It was every kid’s dream, and he had done it. He shared a hug with his manager, Bruce Bochy before joining the rest of the team in celebrations. A younger Vazquez would have probably guessed he won the World Series as a player, not a coach. Maybe as the player that head coach Rod Delmonico recruited from a Florida junior college to play for the Vols in 1990. But the story didn’t turn out that way. Vazquez didn’t set out to be a Major League strength coach when he graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1992. It was a career path he stumbled into. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 42nd round of the 1992 MLB Draft and spent a couple of years in the minor leagues. When the minor leagues didn’t work out, Vazquez tried independent ball. By 1995, the outfielder was out of baseball completely. After weighing his options between a master’s degree in exercise science or physical therapy school, he chose the latter. The opportunity to hopefully fuel his passion for weightlifting and training was fulfilled after he graduated from Nova Southeastern Physical Therapy School in Florida. Vazquez had married a woman from Knoxville and soon returned to Tennessee after graduating. His father-in-law told him of a baseball school looking for a coach for a 12-year-old team. Using his physical therapy background, he began training the kids at the now-defunct Thunder Baseball. “I started training kids there for three years,” Vazquez said. “But as I was training the kids, I realized that I liked that better than the physical therapy, and I needed to learn more. So I began to travel and network with anyone that I could think of.” Vazquez traveled just down the road to Webb School of Knoxville, where he met Tom House at a camp. It was at that camp at Webb that Vazquez got his Major League opportunity. Making it to the bigs It was no accident that Vazquez ran into House at that pitching clinic. Vazquez had done his research. House was a former Major League pitching coach who enjoyed a successful career that included coaching Nolan Ryan with the Rangers. He remains a prominent name in the world of pitching, just as he was when Vazquez met him at Webb School in 2001.
“I was pursuing him,” Vazquez said. “I had read some of his books. I was looking into this work with pitchers. I was learning from afar from him, and I wanted to speak to him. I wanted to introduce myself, and I wanted to see if I could get involved in his work and whatever. So, this happened.” For House, Knoxville was one of the “pockets” for baseball at the time where it was still as popular as it was in the 1950s. It is still a place where House hosts camps today. That meeting turned into a lot more than Vazquez thought it would. After receiving his certification in functional strength training at the camp, the two parted ways. House didn’t forget about the impression that was left on him. When then-Mets manager Bobby Valentine called House looking for a qualified strength coach, House knew exactly who to recommend. With Puerto Rican roots, Vazquez’s bilingual skills were vital for professional baseball. His bilingual skill, and a deep understanding of what type of training baseball requires, impressed House enough to recommend Vazquez for the position. “What we found out is you’re only as strong as your weakest leg, and you can only accelerate what you can decelerate,” House said. “And we started developing protocols around that, and that’s what Jose got really good at. He could do the traditional strength training, but he could also do the functional strength training. “So it was a nice combination, and, then again, the fact that he was bilingual and had people skills was just a double bonus.” Vazquez interviewed with the Mets and was hired on the spot as the assistant strength coach in 2001. Thus, his career path, and life, were changed from just one meeting. Through more networking and connections, Vazquez landed an interview with the Rangers for the head strength coach position. He got the job in 2005, and he has been in Texas ever since. “I’ve always given that advice,” Vazquez said. “I still use that advice. I’m still doing that in whatever area I’m interested in. And, the best career advice I’m giving is you got to network.” ‘Humble and hungry’ Baseball was not cool at Tennessee in the early 1990s. The Vols had only made the NCAA Tournament once in their history before Delmonico arrived. The new head coach began to change that culture during his time. Delmonico took over the program in 1990, and Vazquez arrived in Knoxville in 1991. “Very, very competitive,” House said. “Humble and hungry was what I would call that program. And, you know, the ‘90s were kind of the tipping point between old school
and new school.” The “Delmonico generation,” as House called it, represented the beginning of the utilization of analytics and science in baseball. Delmonico signaled a change in the baseball culture around Tennessee. He remained at the helm for 18 years, posted a 699-396 record, played in a new Lindsey Nelson Stadium and coached greats like Chris Burke. Despite all the baseball accolades, Vazquez took away a skill that transcends past baseball. He learned that people skills are just as important as physical talent. Delmonico taught him how a coach should relate to their players. “Their people skills are not well developed because a lot of these guys, they were just good and people let them skate through with whatever personality,” Vazquez said. “So I realized that in life you have professional abilities like your education and stuff like that, but then your people skills are what take you to the next level. “Your ability to get along with people, your ability to handle conflict, your ability to explain yourself in whatever situation when you’re receiving information. How do you let that coach know that you’re understanding or not understanding?” Winning the big one Vazquez got to enjoy this World Series more than the previous two he was in. He was used to the fanfare, the extra media attention — he had experienced that already. He hadn’t experienced the feeling of winning the Commissioner’s Trophy. A million emotions overcame him. He thought about the grind, the time away from family. “Thinking about all the people that God puts in your life to help you,” Vazquez said. “Because to do this job my family needs a lot of help from family members, from neighbors, from the community, so just a lot of that stuff running through my head.” He also remembered the baseball kid in him. Every kid dreams of holding that trophy and winning the World Series, and he got to do it. All 22 years of his career came flooding back to him in that moment as the Rangers celebrated their first World Series in franchise history. It was no surprise to Vazquez that they won it, though. He could feel something different about the 2023 team. Everyone wanted to win. It was different than any team he had been around. He credits a lot of the success to Rangers’ manager Bochy. “I really believed that not only did he handle the people around him well, but he handled the game well,” Vazquez said. “I mean, he did things in-game that blew me away at times. The way he moved pitchers around and stuff like that. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Wow,
Texas Rangers strength coach and Tennessee alum Jose Vazquez poses with the Commissioner’s Trophy after winning the 2023 World Series. Courtesy of Jose Vazquez I never seen that before.’” Hundreds of texts flowed in the night after the World Series. Vazquez doesn’t remember the exact number, but they came from every person he met along the way back to coaches from his time at Tennessee. As for his old friend House, the guy who helped him get started in coaching, the two still keep in touch and cross paths often. They’ve been keeping the same routine for 25 years working in baseball. And even if either of them decides to retire soon, don’t expect them to stop working together. “When we’re together or talking, we always consider ourselves very lucky, No. 1, to have been involved in the game,” House said. “And No. 2, to have had our paths cross because I think the combination of both — we both came out the other side better for the experience.”
SPORTS
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
CALEB JARREAU Sports Editor
Jaylen McCollough intercepted Missouri quarterback Brady Cook to start Saturday’s top-15 SEC East tilt. Tennessee couldn’t do anything with the ball, going 1 yard in three plays and punting. Then, Cook and the Tigers went 72 yards in 20 plays. The drive took almost 11 minutes off the clock and set the tone for the rest of the night. No. 13 Tennessee had no answer for the No. 14 Tigers’ offense, falling 36-7 and dropping any hopes of an SEC East title. “Man, really disappointed in the performance of our football team,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “Didn’t like the way we finished the ball game. We didn’t play smart enough, good enough early in the football game to win this one. And, line of scrimmage, there was a stark difference. “Said it early in the week that it would be a pivotal part of the football game. They were able to run the football. We weren’t.” So what went wrong for Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC)? For one, the defense couldn’t get off the field. Frankly, they could beat at what has found them success this year. Neither side of the line of scrimmage favored Tennessee. The Vols gave up 255 rushing yards. Cody Schrader became just the 10th player in FBS history with over 200 rushing yards and over 100 receiving yards in a game. The mark is also the first in SEC history. “I think they just moved around a little bit, got us out of our gaps, and we weren’t fundamentally sound,” defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally said. “And when you’re not fundamentally sound, you know, the result’s gonna show that.” Tennessee’s offense ran just three plays in the first quarter. Missouri won the time of possession battle handily, holding onto the ball for just under 40 minutes. Losing the time of possession battle is com-
mon for Heupel’s teams, but Saturday was different. There were no quick touchdown drives, just quick three-and-outs. “You didn’t get the ball that much, and as an offense and as our offense, since we’re a fastpaced offense, we want to be able to get the ball and keep going,” quarterback Joe Milton III said. “But at the same time, based off their offense, they held the ball, ran the ball a lot more and actually got yards off it. So we had to just sit right there and wait our turn.” On the other offensive side of the ball, the run game was non-existent. Tennessee picked up 83 yards on 23 carries — the lowest total of the year. It was a far cry from the Vols’ 228-yards-pergame average. Jaylen Wright entered Saturday averaging an SEC-best 7.5 yards per carry. He had only 22 yards on seven carries. Milton led the way on the ground with 36 yards on 10 carries. The run game was not working, and the Missouri defense keyed in on the passing attack. “We didn’t play well,” Heupel said. “Thought they continued to fight in the second half. End of the game. I didn’t like it because I didn’t feel like we competed the way that we needed to finish it out but did not — thought they practiced well.” The issues compiled with a pick-six from Milton late in the game, a fumble from Milton on a miscommunication with Dylan Sampson and a Jaylen Wright fumble. The offensive performance reminded Milton of the Florida game earlier this season. It is not a good reminder. Like in the Florida game, Tennessee was outrushed on the ground at Missouri. Like in the Florida game, Tennessee failed to finish offensive drives. Like in the Florida game — and most importantly — the Vols returned to Knoxville with a loss. “Shooting ourselves in the foot,” Milton said. “Pretty much the same thing that happened the Florida game. Just all the self-inflicted wounds. False starts, holdings, things like that, that can kill a drive. That’s what happened.”
Football
2023
Heupel ‘really disappointed’ after Tennessee loss
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Jaylen McCollough (2) tackles an opponent during a game against the University of Missouri at Memorial Stadium. Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon
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Georgia 38 vs. Tennessee 28 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison Georgia 38 vs. Tennessee 21 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison Georgia 36 vs. Tennessee 17 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison Georgia 34 vs. Tennessee 37 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison Georgia 42 vs. Tennessee 12 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison Georgia 45 vs. Tennessee 17 Utah vs. Arizona Louisville Vs. Miami North Carolina vs. Clemson Kansas State vs. Kansas Washington vs. Oregon State App State vs. James Madison
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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, November 15, 2023