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Snapchat – is it time to give up the ghost?

Science, public policy collide at Baker Center

How Queen Bey changed the game with her visual album – and why you need to see it

NEWS >>pg. 5

NEWS >>pg. 3

Lady Vols legend Candace Parker returns to Rocky Top for jersey retirement ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 7

SPORTS >>pg. 10

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Issue 1, Volume 125

Student trustee opening to be filled by UT student Hanna Lustig News Editor Of the 26 members of the UT Board of Trustees, one trustee is not like the others. A senior and former SGA president at UT-Chattanooga, Shalin Shah currently acts as the sole voting student trustee, a two-year elected position allowing one student an equal vote on all board decisions. At the close of Shah’s term in 2014, a student from UT-Knoxville will rise as his

replacement, an opportunity which rotates through the UT system. The board, which seeks to provide academic and operational direction across UT’s institutions, is the “governing body of the University of Tennessee,” according to their website. “The board can decide anything from tuition rates to admission requirements, so clearly students are directly affected by board decisions,” said Lindsay Lee, a senior in

mathematics and a member of this year’s SGA election commission, a group working to ensure fairness and efficiency in the upcoming spring elections. “Being a student member is a very unique and valuable opportunity to represent the entire student body in this impactful board.” Although Shah’s pursuit of a career in student affairs drew him to the position, he began to recognize the necessity of a student perspective on the board.

“Most of the other trustees are 30 to 40 years removed from their college years and represent a very different world,” Shah said. “We can’t expect them to understand the day-to-day concerns and needs of students. They try their hardest but they are from a very different socioeconomic group. It is my job to bridge the gap between them and the students.” To become a student trustee, the candidate must win both a student election and

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s approval. “The results of the campaign are meant as a student endorsement for a particular candidate,” Lee said. “But ultimately Governor Haslam has the final say of who gets the position. This means it is possible for someone to win the SGA election but not be chosen by Governor Haslam as the student board representative from UTK.” Although Shah admits that much of the position involves

discretionary work on the student’s home campus alongside SGA, he was required to prepare for and attend an average of seven to eight board meetings and committee meetings each semester. As the student trustee, Shah automatically received membership on the Academic Affairs and Student Success Committee and the Research, Outreach and Economic Development Committee. See STUDENT TRUSTEE on Page 3 • Photo Courtesy of the Medal of Honor Project

New music company supports Knoxville musicians Hayley Brundige

Assistant Photo Editor

See CLOSEUP on Page 8

Nick Geidner, assistant professor of journalism and electronic media, talks with attendees at the 2013 Medal of Honor Convention in Gettysburg, Pa. Students Jackie Delpilar, back left, and Taylor Hathorn, back right, work the camera to capture the moment.

UT journalism students continue to record untold stories through unique Medal of Honor Project R.J. Vogt Editor-in-Chief Known as America’s highest military distinction, the Medal of Honor is awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. Only 52 recipients are alive today, and many will visit Knoxville in September for the 2014 Medal of Honor Convention. It’s a big story for Tennessee journalists, and thanks to assistant professor of journalism

and electronic media Nick Geidner, UT will provide inside coverage through the Medal of Honor Project. The online-based initiative Geidner created and students maintain aims to “create numerous pieces of media related to the Medal of Honor and its recipients,” according to medalofhonorproject.org. “It’s really an organic project that’s just growing out of what the students want to do,” Geidner said.

Using print, video, photo and online journalism techniques, students plan to produce a documentary on the convention, as well as a documentary on the history of the Medal of Honor in Tennessee. Taylor Hathorn, a senior in journalism and the managing editor of the project, said the importance of preserving military history through journalism cannot be emphasized enough. “I want to make sure that

people in my generation know the importance of the medal and what these men – and one woman – did for our country and its legacy,” Hathorn said. In September, Hathorn traveled to the 2013 Medal of Honor Convention in Gettysburg, Pa., with fellow journalism and electronic media students Jake Thompson, Kyle Knell and Jackie Delpilar. Along with Geidner and the School of Journalism and Electronic Media’s video specialist Mike

Wiseman, the students gathered footage and interviews with recipients, detailing their journey through blogs on the project website and generating social media buzz on the project’s twitter. “I have gained a stronger understanding of what the medal is and what I can do to help preserve the integrity and honor that it holds,” Hathorn said. “Even if I’m just a tiny part in that – it means a ton.” See MEDAL OF HONOR on Page 5

Lady Vols hope to shrug off slow SEC start Troy Provost-Heron Sports Editor Even in the dawn of SEC play, it may be a little surprising to see the two preseason favorites to win the conference – Tennessee and Kentucky – having already suffered a loss. The Lady Vols suffered that loss in their conference opener against the LSU Tigers back on Jan. 2 while the Wildcats lost to the Florida Gators – who currently find themselves tied atop the SEC at 2-0 – on Jan. 5. Junior center Isabelle Harrison said the Lady Vols learned a lesson from the LSU game, stating the team lost their focus with all the outside distractions surrounding the game. “That whole day with

Candace’s jersey retirement and all those former Lady Vols coming back, I think we were all a little flustered and we weren’t as focused as we should’ve been,” Harrison said. The jumbled SEC standings have even taken the Lady Vols by surprise, but junior guard Ariel Massengale said the competition should make this season an exciting one. “It’s very surprising, but I always say the SEC is probably one of the best conferences when it comes to women’s basketball,” Massengale said. “It’s exciting to see that. It means that it’s going to be a good year, a fun year, and that every time you step on the court you are going to have to be ready to play because you never know what might happen.” While the Lady Vols bounced

back and beat Georgia 85-70 on Jan. 5, they still had to fend off their SEC foe, as the Bulldogs roared back to the tune of a 21-0 run late in the second half to cut the deficit to six before Tennessee eventually pulled away. The two close games have the Vols more prepared for what could be a tight SEC race, Massengale said. “I think this first week has kind of taught us that,” Massengale said about the stout SEC competition. “Starting with our season, we were just focusing on one game at a time, and now that we are in this part of the SEC season, now we see what it’s going to be like from here on out so we just have to get ready and prepare for it.” See LADY VOLS on Page 10

Donald Page • Tennessee Athletics

Forty people gathered in a living room Dec. 16 for a sold-out “Closeup” house show featuring musical acts Cereus Bright, Andrea Marie of United Pursuit, and Katie Roach. Guests sat on the floor or milled around the dining room, where refreshments were provided. Closeup, started by local residents Austin Church and Nathan Fray in December 2013, is a company aimed at providing fans with an intimate musical experience and musicians with the funds to continue creating. The first Closeup house show was advertised on social media sites and required fans to purchase tickets before the address of the venue was disclosed on the day of the show. Titled “Tell Your Mom She Was Wrong,” the first post on Closeup’s website outlines the project’s mission to make “musician” a feasible career path. “Somewhere along the way we all hear that you can’t make a living as a musician or a writer or an artist,” Church said. “If you’re a highly creative person and want to pursue that, the idea is that you’re going to have to prepare yourself to be poor, to just scrape by.” In reality, Church said, there is plenty of money in the live music industry. The problem, Fray said, is the “middle men” who restrict the flow of money to the musicians. Fray experienced this firsthand when his band, United Pursuit, sold 400 tickets at the Bijou at $25 per ticket and walked away without pay. “The way we’re thinking about the economics of house shows, if you can get 50 people to pay 20 dollars in advance, then the ticket pledges alone would account for $1,000,” Church said. “If you throw in profit from merchandise, it’s not a stretch to think that if the band could play 10 shows a month, they could make $36,000 a year each. “And that’s a livable income.” Fray said the role of the World Wide Web is pivotal in the success of this venture.

Tennessee junior guard Ariel Massengale pushes the ball up court in the Lady Vols’ 80-77 loss to the LSU Tigers at ThompsonBoling Arena on Jan. 2. Massengale finished the night with 10 points and 12 assists.

INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON

“In order to combat rape culture, we have to stop the sexual repression, because less sexual repression leads to less sexual violence. ... If we can’t provide a safe a sex positive place for everybody, then how bright are our ‘Big Ideas?’” @UTDailyBeacon www.utdailybeacon.com

OPINIONS >>pg. 4

In Short News Opinions Arts & Culture Sports

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