Cloudy with a 20% chance of rain HIGH LOW 45 35
Diamond Vols sweep weekend series with Xavier
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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Issue 29
E D I T O R I A L L Y
I N D E P E N D E N T
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://dailybeacon.utk.edu
Vol. 113 S T U D E N T
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Tuesday Takes reviews ‘Valentines Day’ on PAGE 5
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T E N N E S S E E
Forum focuses on wetland restoration Nathan Berger Staff Writer
Authorities: Tour bus rollover in Fla. kills two LAKE PLACID, Fla. — A tour bus carrying senior citizens on an education trip rolled over Monday on a rural stretch of road in central Florida, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others, authorities said. The bus was carrying a group of seniors from around the U.S. who were touring Florida as part of an educational program affiliated with South Florida Community College in Avon Park. College President Norm Stephens said 32 passengers, ages 66 to 87, were in the bus when it rolled over in Lake Placid, about 30 miles northwest of Lake Okeechobee.
Only 640,000 acres of wetland remain in Tennessee today, less than half of the state’s original wetland area. Last Friday, Chris Spencer of the Knoxville Utilities Board gave a presentation on the importance of wetlands, and what actions are being taken to preserve them. Spencer has spent five years evaluating and designing wetland restoration projects. “Over the years, wetlands have been depicted as sinister,” Spencer said. “The benefits they provide have been misunderstood.” These benefits are quite substantial. While historically wetlands have been seen as non-arable, they can enhance water quality by removing pollutants and providing flood and storm mitigation. Wetlands also support many avian habitats and fishery nurseries. “Fifty percent of the endangered and threatened species in the U.S. are dependent on wetlands for survival,” Spencer said. For recreational activities, wetlands host hunting and even tourism opportunities, such as those found in the Florida Everglades. The exact definition of a wetland slightly differs from state to state. In Tennessee, the general definition is an area saturated with ground or surface water
that supports vegetation suited for life in saturated soil conditions. This includes areas such as swamps, marshes and bogs. Much work goes into declaring a region a wetland, such as examining local vegetation, soil moisture and hydrology. Another determining factor is that a wetland must be flooded for five percent of the growing season, which is 11 days in East Tennessee. Until 2000, wetland destruction was present in
Tennessee, mostly due to urban conversion. Since then, mitigation efforts have been set up to ensure no net loss of wetland habitat. Mitigation banks have been created to establish wetlands to compensate for unavoidable human impact. There are currently seven wetland mitigation banks in Tennessee, both profit and non-profit.
“We’re making progress,” Spencer said. “Though it might not be the progress that people familiar with these systems want.” Some of the restoration and mitigation efforts have failed or only partially succeeded. Incorrect hydrology readings and poor survival of planted stock are some of the factors that can lead to unsuccessful wetland establishment. Throughout the presentation, Spencer remained energetic and lucid. He was able to answer any question the audience threw at him, even on topics not directly related to wetlands. “I was very interested in the different processes to fix the issues of wetland destruction,” said Brittany Haley, senior in communication studies, who attended the presentation. Spencer’s presentation was part of the UT Office of Research’s weekly science forums. “The purpose of these presentations is to bring to the attention of the UT campus and community the research that is going on at UT and Oak Ridge and to do so in a way that the general public can understand,” Mark Littmann, the program chairman, said. Each forum is held in the Thompson-Boling Arena dining room from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday and is open to all UT students. This Friday’s presentation will be on advances in cardiovascular care with Dr. John Mack.
Cain leads Lady Vols over LSU, 70-61 Ryan Howard
Del. pediatrician indicted on 400 criminal counts DOVER, Del. — Delaware’s attorney general says a pediatrician accused of molesting his patients victimized 103 children, and the alleged crimes were recorded on videotape. Attorney General Beau Biden said at a news conference Monday that Dr. Earl Bradley of Lewes has been indicted on 471 charges, including rape and assault. Bradley was arrested in December and initially charged with 29 felony counts for allegedly abusing nine children. Biden says the charges are based on 13 hours of video. The attorney general said the charges are “unique” in state history, and the alleged crimes were committed against “those without voices.” Daughter says pilot in Texas IRS crash misguided OSLO — The daughter of a man who crashed his plane into an IRS building in Texas says her father chose the wrong method to express legitimate grievances and is not a hero. Joe Stack’s adult daughter, Samantha Dawn Bell, told The Associated Press on Monday from her home in Norway that she understands her father’s animosity toward a “faulty” and “unbalanced” American tax system. But she says he should have found “a completely different way” to address it. Authorities say the 53year-old Stack targeted the building in Austin last week, killing an employee and himself, after posting online an anti-government manifesto.
Staff Writer
Michael Gratton • The Daily Beacon
The fourth-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team (25-2, 13-1 SEC) dominated the paint on both sides of the court in a 70-61 win over No. 20 LSU (18-8, 77) Monday night. UT outscored its opponent 44-26 in the paint. Sophomore center Kelley Cain set a new school record with 12 blocked shots, only one shy of the SEC record. She ended up only three rebounds short of a tripledouble. She only played for a total of 23 minutes after picking up three quick fouls in the first half and fouling out in the final minutes of the game. “It is a force,” Alyssia Brewer said of her teammate. “Their guards ran into a force field, and Kelley was there to reject it. She is a beast out there.” The Lady Vols had good ball movement racking up 20 assists while only giving up seven turnovers. The Lady Tigers averaged just shy of 20 takeaways per a game coming into the contest. Junior Angie Bjorklund paced the team with six assists, and UT’s ball movement pleased head coach Pat Summitt.
Pat Summitt cheers on the Lady Vols basketball team while wearing pink for the ‘Live Pink, Bleed Orange’ game against LSU to support breast cancer awareness and raise money. See LADY VOLS on Page 8
Prayer marathon, worship service make up national day’s UT return Donesha Aldridge Staff Writer UT students kicked off the lost years of the national Collegiate Day of Prayer by having 100 hours of prayer before the official day on Friday. “National Collegiate Day of Prayer was something that went on for about 100 years that stopped in the 1900s,” Nick Blackmon, sophomore in studio art and intern at the Campus House of Prayer, said. To make up for the lost time, Knoxville and UT’s campus started 100 hours of prayer on Sunday at 8 p.m., marking each year absent with an hour of prayer. The 100-hour goal will be completed at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Blackmon said more than 200 universities and campuses are participating in the national prayer day. Taryn Ellsworth, campus director of Campus Renewal Ministries, said there will be services and prayer all day at the Campus House of Prayer. “I would definitely like to see a renewal take place at the university,” Ellsworth said. Ellsworth said the purpose of this day is to restore students to and give enlightenment on Jesus Christ. Many local churches, ministers and community members are involved in this movement. See PRAYER on Page 3
SEE aims to reduce risky drinking Ellen Larson Staff Writer The Safety, Environment and Education Center has helped reduce the health risks UT students face, such as alcohol and violence against women, through non-traditional methods. “We are focused on positive tactics and not scare tactics because we respect our students,” Dan Reilly, SEE Center director, said. “We hope to treat community members with respect, so they can help each other.” Elizabeth Edwards, undecided sophomore, works in the SEE Center office and said the center tries to put serious issues in a positive light rather than condemning students.
Reilly said the center has found that, in certain situations, specifically situations dealing with violence against women, most people do not feel empowered to act because they feel they are the only ones who are scared or threatened. Because of this, the center has launched a bystander campaign. Reilly said the goal is to let people know that violent actions are inappropriate. He said media campaigns such as this are some of the non-traditional ways the SEE Center combats the bystander effect and other health issues. “We give them the information and let them decide for themselves,” Divya Bhaskaran, SEE Center graduate assistant, said. Bhaskaran designs and cre-
ates the advertisements for the SEE Center which appear in The Daily Beacon, on WUTK and in residence halls. She said they try to create less “preachy” ads. For example, media campaigns launched about the common cold show a picture of a penguin and say “But, baby, it’s cold outside.” Reilly said the SEE Center focuses on environmental management, which contrasts with traditional models. “College students are masters at developing their environment,” he said. After UT was rated the No. 1 party school by the Princeton Review in 2001, a SEE committee was created. The SEE Center was established in 2004. See SEE on Page 3