02 23 16

Tuesday, last day for early voting >>See page 4

Opinion: “I am sorry Kanye. We had something there.” >>See page 6

Punter sidelined with stress fracture >>See page 10 The Bijou Theatre in Knoxville has the potential to be one of the most haunted places in America.

• File Photo

Knoxville’s hidden, haunted gem Elizabeth Geist Contributor

Haunted Tennessee just got a whole lot closer to home.

Located on the corner of Cumberland and

Volume 131 Issue 27

Gay Street, The Bijou Theatre is one of the oldest buildings in Knoxville. Built in 1817 as a hotel originally called the Lamar House, the building has continuously switched through the hands of different owners over the past 200 years — all of which supposed several different purposes for the landmark.

What most people don’t know is the number

of deaths surrounding the theatre, producing one of the most haunted structures in Tennessee.

At the start of the Civil War, the hotel was converted into a hospital for both Union and Confederate soldiers, which was the excuse for many shootings and fighting among the opposing groups. General William P. Sanders

utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon

is the most well-known casualty of the war in the Bijou and is buried right at the entrance of Krutch Park next to Market Square, according to J- Adam Smith, director of Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours.

See THE BIJOU on Page 7

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

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INSHORT

The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

DISPATCHES

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Death of Scalia likely to delay Tennessee appointments The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia could mean delayed confirmations for two Tennessee judges nominated by President Barack Obama. The president nominated Nashville attorney Waverly Crenshaw Jr. for a federal judgeship last year, as well as U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton III for federal judge position in the state’s western district. Top Republican leaders have preemptively denounced the president’s replacement appointment for Scalia, whose death could lead to a liberal leaning court for the first time in decades. Both judges have already earned the approval of the Senate Judiciary Committee, yet are still awaiting approval from a full senate vote.

LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utdailybeacon.com or sent to Editor, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314.

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, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206.

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Wednesday during the summer semester. The offices are located at 1340 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, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon.com The Daily Beacon is printed using soy based ink on newsprint containing recycled content, utilizing renewable sources and produced in a sustainable, environmentally responsible manner.

The Tennessee State Senate approved a resolution Monday directing the state attorney general to sue the federal government over aspects of its refugee resettlement program. The resolution claims the federal government is in violation of the Refugee Act of 1980, which forbids the appropriation of state funds without the approval of its legislature. Tennessee is required to extend services like Medicaid to all eligible refugees, or else losing federal funding for such services. The resolution, which passed 27-5, was met with several dozen protesters outside, including Co-executive Director of TIRRC Stephanie Teatro, who described the vote as “a shameful moment for Tennessee.”

The Tennessee state legislature unanimously confirmed Robert Page as the newest member of the Tennessee Supreme Court Monday evening. Page’s appointment is the first under the state’s new appellate court selection process, which mirrors the federal government in its requiring a nomination from the executive head followed by approval from the legislature. The appointment also marks the first time in modern state history that a Republican majority has existed in the court. Page has served on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals since being appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011. The move now fills the vacancy left by Justice Gary Wade’s retirement last summer.

Dem: GOP trying to delegitimize Obama by blocking court pick Associated Press

Editor-in-Chief: (865) 974-2348 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com Main Newsroom: (865) 974-3226 editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com

State Senate votes to sue federal State new Supreme Court judge government over refugees under new system

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s top Democrat accused Republicans Monday of trying to delegitimize Barack Obama’s presidency by preventing him from filling the Supreme Court vacancy as a divided Senate convened for the first time since Antonin Scalia’s death and immediately dove into election-year combat over the opening.

Firing back, Republicans highlighted June 1992 remarks by Vice President Joe Biden, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time. Biden argued then that should a Supreme Court seat become vacant — there was no opening at the time — then-President George H.W. Bush should not nominate a replacement until after that fall’s presidential election.

As the Senate went into session following a moment of silence for Scalia, Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Republicans were making “an unprecedented attempt to hold hostage

an entire branch of government.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reiterated the stance he took hours after Scalia’s death that the next president should select a court nominee. He said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, whose statements have wavered, agreed with him.

McConnell said that with a presidential election underway, the voters should choose, “rather than a lame-duck president whose priorities and policies they just rejected in the most-recent national election.” That was a reference to GOP congressional gains in the 2014 midterm elections.

But separately, McConnell’s press office and Grassley in a floor speech went further and cited the 1992 Biden remarks.

“Once the political season is underway and it is, action on a Supreme Court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over,” Biden said at the time on the Senate floor, according to a C-SPAN recording of his remarks.

Grassley called the comments “The

Biden Rules” and said the vice president “knows what the Senate should do.”

Biden defended himself in a written statement, saying that in his 1992 speech he said the Senate and White House should cooperate “to ensure the court functions as the founding fathers intended.” He said under his longtime leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the chamber considered nine Supreme Court nominees “and the current Senate has a constitutional duty to do the same.”

Both sides have spent days unearthing comments members of the other party made about court nominations years ago under presidents of different parties when the political circumstances were reversed.

McConnell’s assertion that the president elected this November should nominate the replacement has drawn support from nearly all Republicans and irate, solid opposition from Democrats. Yet as the two parties girded for what promises to be a months-long battle, some cracks have appeared on the GOP side.

CAMPUSNEWS

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 • The Daily Beacon

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Rotten tomatoes, wild birds plague Chipotle while local chain remains clean Bradi Musil

Managing Editor

In 2015, 510 people reported that they contracted foodborne illnesses after dining at Chipotle restaurants.

Mostly concentrated on the west coast, indicted restaurants were located in 15 states, and the outbreaks included such illnesses as the norovirus, salmonella poisoning and E. coli.

Chipotle spokespeople have stated that outbreaks were caused by a batch of bad tomatoes or single employees who came into work sick.

Health inspection reports, however, point to other concerning factors.

ABC Action News reported on an inspection report of a Chipotle in Florida that had a live, wild bird flying around the restaurant. The inspection report cited that there was food out on the line, open to contamination, and that the manager was fully aware of the bird — in fact, this bird was called a “frequent nuisance.”

The same Chipotle was also cited for not having an accessible sink for employees to wash their hands.

While 510 sick customers is an alarming number for one food chain, Knox County Food Program Manager Kevin Clark said 3,000 people on average die from foodborne illness.

Clark is tasked with making sure Knoxville restaurants serve safe, uninfected food, and he oversees the 11 Knox County

Health Inspectors who examine the roughly 2,500 restaurants in the Knoxville area.

Although Clark does not personally inspect restaurants, he said he can be called in for serious cases or when there is a local outbreak, which he said “thankfully” doesn’t happen too often.

After national outbreaks like those from Chipotle, Clark said inspectors wait for direction from the state. Since local Chipotle’s weren’t already listed as a threat and no illnesses have yet to be linked to the Knoxville area, Clark said there hasn’t been any need for additional inspections.

“We haven’t had a local performance issue with them (Chipotle) or safety issue, or a track record of lack of managerial control,” Clark said. “So, we didn’t have anything that needed to change in our approach to that restaurant regardless of the outbreak on the west coast.”

The Knox County inspection approach, without added measures due to outbreaks, consists of two unannounced annual inspections, rated on a scale from 90 -100, 90 being the lowest score a restaurant can receive.

Inspectors also perform check-ups if they receive public complaints.

Clark said the most frequent complaints he receives are about restaurant employees who use their phones and continue to work with food products without first washing their hands.

“I get that call maybe five times a day,” Clark said, laughing.

Knox County is also responsible for evaluating UT Dining locations, which are held

to the same standards and examined using the same system. One inspector, who Clark called “very thorough,” assesses all campus locations, South Knoxville restaurants and Bearden restaurants.

“She’s without a doubt right at the top of the most thorough investigators we have,” Clark said. “She will not let you budge-out of one little tiny detail.”

Aramark Marketing Director Mary Patterson said UT facilitates a “learning environment” for food service staff, requiring ongoing manager and associate food safety training, job-specific training and a food safety orientation before an employee begins work.

“We maintain rigid standard operating procedures for the entire flow of food production,” Patterson said. “This includes providing an environment that protects the safety and integrity of food from its delivery, throughout its storage, preparation, transport, and ultimately, to the point of service to the customer.”

As well as Knox County Health inspections, Patterson said Volunteer Dining conducts in-house inspections and works with a third-party evaluator to guarantee an added level of safety to the food served on campus.

Past health inspection scores for TN restaurants can be found at the TN Department of Health website, but Clark said many Knoxville scores are currently misleading.

Knox County is in the process of transitioning their evaluation system, switching the emphasis from the restaurant facility to the restaurant’s procedure for handling food.

“It’s really not as much about whether it’s a brand new facility or just a hole-in-the-wall building that’s kind of falling apart,” Clark said. “Some of those can be the best restaurants and some of the biggest, shiniest places can be ones that need more work.”

Now, inspectors are looking for priority violations of the “5 Main Risk Factors” which include such things like employee illness, general store hygiene practices, food cooking temperatures, sanitation of equipment and food contact surfaces.

After a restaurant has repeated three priority violations, the Health Department starts the process of revoking their permit, a process that Clark called “long, hard and painful.”

“We try to do everything we can do to avoid that situation, because it is so difficult,” Clark said.

Ultimately, Clark said locals should feel comfortable dining at Knoxville establishments and that health inspectors and restaurant managers do a good job of ensuring a safe food environment.

Regardless of Knoxville’s high rating health inspection scores, however, Clark said it is always smart to be vigilant of what you’re eating and where you’re eating.

“You can go into a store that has a score of 100, 98 or 99, and if they’re not operating safely that day, it doesn’t really matter,” Clark said. “You need to be a smart consumer.

“If you see something that doesn’t look right, don’t take a chance on it.”

In Norway, Iraqi migrants reunited with their runaway cat Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark— Iraqi migrants in Norway have been reunited

with their fluffy white tomcat, which disappeared in late October on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Rehab Al Alaf told the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang on Saturday the nearly three-year-old cat named Kunkush is back with the family in Steinkjer,

Norway — over 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) from where it ran away. She said volunteers found the cat on Lesbos, posted photos on social media and raised $1,640 to fund veterinarian and flight costs for it to be reunited with the family.

Rehab’s mother, Suva Al Alaf, told

Norway’s Tronder-Avisa daily the family fled Mosul after threats by Islamic State militants. She and her five children trekked through Turkey with the cat in a basket, but it slipped away on Lesbos.

4

CAMPUSNEWS

The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Final day of early voting hits campus community Liz Wood

Contributor Primary season on UT’s campus is characterized by abundant information on candidates and the voting process, coupled with a contrarily low turn-out among voters aged 18 to 24 in Knox County.

UTK College Democrats and UT College Republicans play large roles in encouraging voter registration on campus. Throughout the year, both organizations work to promote their respective political parties. Weston Bell, President of UT College Republicans and a senior in chemistry and finance, said that political activity during primary season is most intense.

“Before primary season we work mostly on voter education and outreach, but after the SEC Primary on March 1, the political world will calm down considerably until the general election process begins in late summer.” Bell said, “During the fall election season we work to connect students with local candidates for volunteering opportunities on local campaigns as well as larger Republican causes.”

In addition to UT College Republicans, UTK College Democrats is active on campus during primary season. President of UTK College Democrats and senior in public macroeconomics

Mitchell Thompson said he considers the annual activity of his organization to be fairly even.

During primary season, UT College Democrats holds voter registration drives that register over 500 students each year and brings local candidates to campus. The club also works with its sister groups, Students for Bernie and Students for Hillary, though it does not directly support a candidate.

Following the primaries, members of UTK College Democrats travel to swing states like North Carolina and Florida to campaign and work to elect local Democrats.

“We will be changing focus after the primaries,” Thompson said. “Whichever democratic candidate is selected after the convention, we will be focusing our efforts on getting them elected nationally.”

Thompson said UTK College Democrats has registered a record number of students this election year and believes more students will turn out to vote than in prior election years.

“The candidates this cycle are bringing in new energy and focus on the issues,” Thompson said. “With the stakes as high as they are in this election cycle, given the current Republican frontrunner, we can only hope that educated young Americans can lead the change our country needs.”

While both Bell and Thompson acknowledge

youth participation as a challenge for elections, Bell cites local elections as exceptional opportunities for voters to have their voices heard.

“Large scale apathy is a poison for democracy and leads to a loss of government accountability, so increased voter turn-out is essential,” Bell said. “People tend to gain interest as they age, and student apathy is definitely not a new issue.

Local elections are a great way to start, because they have local immediate personal impact and are often decided by hundreds instead of hundreds of thousands of votes.”

Bell estimates that only 10 to 15 percent of students will vote this election year, a number that he said is much lower than the percentage of students who have loud political voice over social media.

“Unfortunately, most students will not vote,” Bell said. “One aspect is that many students are registered at home and require absentee voting, a simple process, but often too much effort for a low-interest voter.

Thus far, votes broken down by age in Knox County reveal very low numbers of voters aged 18 to 24. Votes by age fall into an inverse pyramidal formation, with voters over the age of 60 casting 23 times as many votes as voters between the ages of 18 and 24.

Cliff Rogers, Administrator of Elections for Knox County, recommended early voting and

emphasized the convenience of the polling location at the City Council Building downtown.

“Early voting is strongly encouraged,” Rogers said. “Lines will probably be shorter. The length of the Republican ballot takes a lot of time for Republican voters. Even though the Democratic ballot is shorter, Democrats still have to wait in the same lines.”

Thursday and Friday were the busiest days of early voting last week at the City Council Building with about 1,750 and 1,800 voters, respectively. Rogers estimated that a little over 100 college students voted there Friday, many of which, he noted, were adorned with Bernie stickers.

Though not open for early voting, the Baker Center will be a polling location on Election Day, March 1, and it will be a polling location for early voting in the fall.

“We’re trying to get kids to sign up and register to vote,” Dahlin-Brown, associate director of the Baker Center, said.

“We will aim to inform students not only of the candidates, but also of the election process as a whole, and everything you’ll need to know on Election Day,” Thompson said. “We are looking forward to a great election cycle and are excited by the candidates we have to vote for on March 1.”

Early voting concludes on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

ARTS&CULTURE

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 • The Daily Beacon

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WUTK Spotlight: The Hubert Smith Radio Show McKenzie Mitchell Contributor

Every Sunday morning, a man gets up and goes to the studio.

In the studio, he sits and prepares to speak across the airwaves in a small, dank room.

His name is Hubert Smith, and from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. every Sunday, Smith and his small team of two get together to produce “The Hubert Smith Radio Show.”

Divided by only a glass screen, Smith hosts in one room while his producers connect cables and adjust volumes under succinct time constraints in the other.

Like clockwork, this is the rhythm for the next two hours.

From the very first day of his Mass Communications 100 class at the University of Tennessee, Hubert Smith knew he wanted to be in radio.

He wanted to talk to people about what mattered most to him: local affairs and classic R&B. “These people we elect determine how we live our life on a day-to-day basis,” Smith said on local politics. “So … I try to encourage people to get involved locally.”

One of the ways he involves the community is by bringing in guests from organizations around Knoxville. One Sunday, a guest from the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee came in to promote the organization and ask for volunteers.

Smith expresses his delight about when people call to talk in the show.

“They call in. They participate,” Smith said. “That’s my motivation.”

However, outside of local politics, Smith’s second goal for his program is to entertain audiences with classic R&B.

“It’s music that moves me. Classic R&B is real instruments, sung by talented people that are on full display,” Smith said. “It’s soulful. It’s the soul that touches your heart.”

For Smith, true classic R&B is anything that dates from the mid-1980s and earlier. So, on the show, you’ll find artists like Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind & Fire, Patti LaBelle and The Temptations.

Regarding the odd coupling of politics and R&B, Smith describes his program as a variety show. “(Variety shows) entertain you and make you laugh,” he said. “I try to mix all of those things in the pot, so hopefully by the end of the program you’ll say, ‘I listened to some great music, I may have learned something, I may have won something, and I think I’ll tune back in next Sunday.’”

On the other side of the glass, his producers show equal dedication to being a part of the show.

One of the producers, Jim McCarter, was asked to do the show over the summer.

“One of my favorite parts of the show is getting to sneak in music that I used to listen to in my car when I was a teenager,” McCarter said.

Sometimes listeners will get a little taste of McCarter’s favorites like Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Jethro Tull and ZZ Top. Producer Jaimie Hartman is one of the work study students in the studio. By working 20 hours, she hopes that her time with Smith will further her career in journalism.

“It’s a great experience, especially for students who want to get into broadcasting,” Hartman said.

She describes her experience working for the show as difficult but worthwhile.

“We just have a good time. It’s hectic and crazy, but it teaches you to go with the flow

Hubert Smith during his live broadcast show.

Tiara Holt • The Daily Beacon and improvise,” Hartman said.

McCarter emphasized that the show is definitely not all fun and games.

“It’s fun, but you have to stay on your toes a lot more than people think,” McCarter said. “People seem to think it’s a big party when it’s not. If you’re having a party, it sounds awful on the air.”

However, the team still maintains close

personal connections despite the stress of running a weekly broadcast.

“If I could ever host a show, I hope that I could match his exuberance,” Hartman said of Smith.

“The Hubert Smith Radio Show” comes on every Sunday morning from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on WUTK 90.3 The Rock.

Senate bill would block mandatory labeling of GMOs Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee is moving forward on legislation that would prevent states from requiring labels on genetically modified foods.

Vermont is set to require such labels this summer. Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas released draft legislation late Friday that would block that law and create new voluntary labels for companies that want to use them on food packages that contain genetically modified ingredients. The Senate panel is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday.

The bill is similar to legislation the House passed last year. The food industry has argued that GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are safe and a patchwork of state laws isn’t practical.

Labeling advocates have been fighting state-by-state to enact the labeling, with the eventual goal of a national standard.

Senators have said they want to find a compromise on the labeling issue before Vermont’s law kicks in. But negotiations broke down between the food industry and labeling advocates.

Roberts said in a statement after releasing the draft that “negotiations will continue in an effort to reach committee agreement.”

But he said the committee needs to act quickly. The Vermont law kicks in July 1.

“We are out of time,” Roberts said.

“The time to act is now.”

The committee’s top Democrat, Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, said she would continue to work with Roberts on the bill.

Food industry groups swiftly praised the draft. “Congress must pass a national food labeling solution that offers farmers, families and food producers the certainty and access to the affordable and sustainable food supply they deserve,” said Pamela Bailey, head of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Scott Faber, head of the national Just

Label It Campaign, called it “outrageous” and said Roberts is proposing to deny American consumers the right to know what is in their food.

Genetically modified seeds are engineered in laboratories to have certain traits, like resistance to herbicides. The majority of the country’s corn and soybean crop is now genetically modified, with much of that going to animal feed.

Corn and soybeans are also made into popular processed food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soybean oil.

The food industry says about 75 percent to 80 percent of foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

6

The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

“

I don’t need Yeezus in my life Adam Weatherell Dreaming of Dolly

The only time I really watch reality TV is to find gifs to use for my social media presence.

I mean, sure, I can enjoy the occasional KUWTK as much as any other big booty aficionado, but this doesn’t mean I can’t do it without a certain sense of moral corruption. Is this the culmination of Western media and values? And more importantly, if this is so inanely popular, why can I only stomach it in short, ironic spurts? Are my interests so far separated from the masses that I can’t even enjoy a seemingly simplistic television show about an exceptionally wealthy family and their power mom?

Why can’t I just bite the bullet like 54 million of my peers? Why am I so un-like minded from the millions of people who do buy into the narrative?

I am not here to shame, and I am not here to judge, but rather to reflect. A couple of weeks ago, Kanye West tweeted to support Bill Cosby with a “BILL COSBY INNOCENT!!!!” rant on Twitter.

Now, over the years I’ve grown accustomed to Kanye’s rants and raves, and I’ve never given much heed to them, because “College Dropout” is one of the greatest albums of all time.

I’ve always sought to separate the person from the personality and even empathize with someone trying so desperately hard to stay relevant. Kanye West, and the family that he married into, is paradoxically thoughtless dribble packaged around a conveniently

I mean, sure, I can enjoy the occasional KUWTK as much as any other big booty aficionado, but this doesn’t mean I can’t do it without a certain sense of moral corruption.”

attractive face — and booty.

The fulcrum of the Kardashian world is Kim’s sex video and stunning facial structure. Now, I’ve never really thought to think on the Kardashian’s world because for the most part, they remain in their self constructed boxes of beauty, and since I dropped cable, they make almost zero measureable impact on

The importance of environmentalism

Erica Davis

Franco D’Aprile Two Treehuggers with an Ax

Franco: I’m supposed to have an Earth-themed party tomorrow, but I haven’t even thought about it.

Erica: Well, then you should probably hurry up and planet.

On a sunny morning, Erica and Franco wake up to the smell of fresh dew, wild daisies and responsibly grown cannabis fertilized by the excrement of mistreated kittens in their reclaimed abbey. The nuns insist they still live there, but Erica and Franco know better. They eat a breakfast of lemongrass and hemp seed and finish it off with a vinyasa sequence and a prayer to the gods of life, love and happiness.

After breakfast, Erica and Franco put on their Chacos and walk to the store. Once in the store, they are dismayed by the lack of transparent marketing and the lack of dirt on produce that was clearly not organic. The duo stuffed several items in Erica’s handwoven purse as a means of sticking it to the man. They walked back home while holding hands and chanting songs about sunshine. A bird gently landed on Erica’s shoulder as she whistled a tune to it and told it, “Spread your wings and fly. Don’t be caged. Sing your song at the top of your highly efficient avian lungs.”

For lunch, the pair wade through the swamp that neighbors their field of sustainably raised flamingoes and fished for wild carp with their bare hands (a skill taught to them by the blind Native American

chieftain who carves their furniture). On their way home, they cut the electricity to the rest of the village, a peaceful protest method taught to them by the former FARC members that hide in the basement of the abbey.

Their day ends with the writing of 1,000 gently worded complaint letters to the top fossil fuel companies of the world. This is followed by deep cries of despair for the future of the planet in the form of Tibetan monk chanting. They rehydrate from the crying by drinking the tears of endangered animals, and doze off to the warming fire of 100 copies of Ronald Reagan’s most notable anti-environmental legislation with a base of Donald Trump’s wigs going up in flames.

If this is a typical day in your life, great. We applaud you and genuinely appreciate you for who you are, and the world is a better place with you in it. (“Is it though?” asks Franco.) There is a stereotype of environmentalists that they are dirty, reckless, wild and whiny, but that’s simply not a requirement.

We encourage you to find passion in environmental protection, conservation and advocacy, and to exhibit that in your life however you feel comfortable doing so.

There are so many ways to live your life sustainably. Things you can do that can actually improve your quality of life. Think about all the money you’ll

VIEWPOINTS my life. I want to reiterate that because it is important: the Kardashian’s make zero impact on my life.

But Kanye West has been one of my favorite artists since the “College Dropout” album.

Mea Culpa, I did grow up in the suburbs, but Kanye’s music was the embodiment of an artist. He spoke on race but also the love for his mom. He distilled the human experience with a zealous beat and a soulful overture. Kanye West is a musical genius.

But then Kanye steps out of his self-constructed box and he loses me and then I am reminded of who he is married to and the cultural underpinnings upon which his fame rests, and I am forced to change the channel.

From this point on, I can no longer support Kanye West. I used to vouch for him in spite of all my suburban peers, but he has lost my support. The Kardashians will continue to spin their own webs of influence, and though Kanye West has found himself in the midst of it, I no longer have to support him.

I am sorry Kanye. We had something there. Thanks at least for the “College Dropout.”

Go VOLs. Adam Weatherell is a junior in political science and Africana studies. He can be reached at aweath10@vols.utk.edu.

save by being more fuel efficient. Or the cancer you won’t get from not eating artificial foods. Don’t be weighed down by stereotypes or thinking about what you can’t do, but rather think about all that you can accomplish by helping your planet and fellow man. And if you don’t really care about your fellow man, just do it for yourself.

While environmentalism will undoubtedly encourage you to make changes in your life, your consumption habits and how you see the world, don’t be discouraged because you think being an environmentalist requires abrupt change of who you are. You are not a failure of an environmentalist if you eat an occasional hamburger, and you’re not a failure of an environmentalist if you buy toilet paper at Wal-Mart. Everyone needs toilet paper, and you should get it however you can (but don’t try to take it from Hodges, it gets locked in those containers in the stalls). As long as you are making an effort, remaining vigilant, staying informed and applying your knowledge diligently along the way, that is all we can ask for.

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.

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.

ARTS&CULTURE

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 • The Daily Beacon

7

Humans of Knoxville

It’s gon’ rain. Here are some songs to help you survive the downpour.

Tucker and Danielle, best friends for years, spending time before Tucker leaves for his five month journey to Krakow, Poland.

“Half Barrel is the best bar on the strip. Cheap drinks.

Games. Good People.

Oh and the dank burger is DANK.” - Tucker Towe, senior in architecture, and Danielle Pirozzi MAC Program Masters MaryKate Leitch • The Daily Beacon

“Save It For A Rainy Day” Kenny Chesney

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”

Creedence Clearwater Revival

“It’s Raining Men” The Weather Girls

“Let it Rain” David Nail

“Songs about Rain” Gary Allan

“She’s my Kind of Rain” Tim McGraw

“Smokey Mountain Rain” Ronnie Milsap

“No Rain” Blind Melon

“After the Storm” Mumford & Sons

“Singin’ in the Rain” Gene Kelly

THE BIJOU continued from Page 1 “Knoxville has the potential to be one of the most haunted places in America due to its history,” Smith said.

However, the theater didn’t always hold the same level of respectability it does now. The building has been a brothel, an adult film house and even a fruit stand during its rich history.

The Bijou has hosted many different kinds of aspirations, events and especially an eclectic mix of people.

Smith goes on to explain “haunted locations are based off trauma,” and the Bijou is not lacking in that department. In an unsettled time period such as the early 1800s, fights were common, and the customers brought into the then-brothel were hardly hesitant about using weapons.

According to Martha Boggs, owner of The Bistro at the Bijou,“most of the phenomenon with hauntings are associated with the Lamar House.” The then-hotel hosted a lot of stress in the period leading up to the Civil War and experts in the field say those types of experiences tend to leave a mark on buildings.

In 2006, the East Tennessee Paranormal Research Society conducted an investigation on the spirits residing in the historic theater.

The team spent months consulting various video footage and EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) as well as even spending the night in hopes of encountering a ghost.

The result was several voice recordings of residual spirits including a conclusive video of a small figure darting past the camera in the fourth floor bathroom.

According to the Manchester Paranormal Investigations, a residual haunting is unique when it comes to ghost hauntings. A residual haunting is not caused by a restless spirit but rather it is a recording of the past that inexplicably replays itself.

The belief is that structures can sometimes act as natural recorders and store energy and memories of the past inside materials such a stone, wood or bedrock. Examples of residuals can include audio of a bellboy asking ‘May I take your bags, sir?’ or a couple asking about a show about to go on.

Finding spirits at the Bijou is not just for the professionals. There are several videos on YouTube displaying different audio recordings taken by various people of unexplained noises and voices. Perusing through the comment section of the video, regardless of whether or not the experiences are true or false, shows that many people seem to have had some sort of spiritual experience while at the Bijou.

One unnamed commentator wrote about his experience in the hotel.

“Those ghosts like unplugging vacuums as well as making you feel watched every second you’re in there,” he said.

Boggs has experienced the phenomenon herself. As the owner of the Bistro, Boggs said she spends a lot of time closing and opening the theatre by herself, and quite often, she hears her name being called by the same female voice.

When asked how she deals with the paranormal on a daily basis, Boggs responded casually.

“You just have to sit down and go about your business,” she said.

Not a stranger to the invisible life inside the theater, Boggs shared an encounter when she was checking the lobby doors one night.

“Somebody grabbed the back of my shirt, and it was icy cold. When I turned around there was no one there,” she said. “I don’t think that encounter can be explained.”

However in spite of her experiences, Boggs has yet to face a ghost head on.

“I would like to meet a ghost. I’ve got questions for them,” Boggs laughed.

A full history as well as the upcoming list of events at the historic Bijou is posted on their website, www.knoxbijou.com (And for more information and perhaps a sighting of the ghosts of Knoxville, check out Haunted Knoxville Ghost tours, named by the television show “Ghost Hunters” as the “hidden gem of haunted America.”

8

SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

TRACK & FIELD

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Tennessee Track and Field team ready to compete for a SEC championship Shane Switzer

Staff Writer Earlier this month, Tennessee track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan deemed February “Championship month.�

It wasn’t just a motivational ploy. Tennessee’s track and field program will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, this weekend to compete for an SEC Championship.

The Vols spent the majority of February preparing for the upcoming weekend. Part of the preparation included traveling to Fayetteville for the Tyson Invitational two weeks ago to get comfortable with the surroundings. “Our goal in going (to Fayetteville for the Tyson Invitational) was to get comfortable,�

Alford-Sullivan said. “To get comfortable in the environment, in the runways, in the rings ‌ We did that very well. We had a lot of individual champions, we had a lot of really, really outstanding marks and breakthroughs for a lot of athletes.

We feel very confident and comfortable going into this environment.�

Among those great performers for Tennessee two weeks ago was sophomore Christian Coleman. Coleman won both the 60 and 200 meters at Arkansas two weeks ago with times

of 6.55 and 20.59. Coleman defeated defending national champion Ronnie Baker of TCU in the 60. His 20.59 in the 200 is a new personal best. Coleman’s showing two weeks ago earned him the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association’s National Athlete of the Week award. He is the first Tennessee athlete to win the award.

Coleman, who is No.1 in the 60 and No. 5 in the 200, last year became Tennessee’s first sprinter to medal in the 60 meters at the Indoor SEC Championships since 2008. He finished third last season. “He had a break through indoor season as a freshman last year,â€? Alford-Sullivan said. “This year indoors he has just blossomed ‌ He’s really set the stage and gone to work and improved tremendously to be in this situation.â€?

Tennessee heads to the SEC Championship ranked No. 4 on the men’s side and No. 8 on the women’s side. The men slipped down from their No. 2 ranking last week and the women moved down one spot from No.7. The Vols didn’t compete last weekend, instead they had a train through week designed to give the team some much needed rest and recuperation time.

Tennessee has 12 marks ranked in the top 10 nationally, seven on the women’s side and five for the men. Senior Felicia Brown and junior

This year indoors he has just blossomed...

He’s really set the stage and gone to work and improved tremendously to be in the situation.�

Beth Alford-Sullivan, track & field coach

Kali Davis-White are both in the top 10 in both the 60 and 200 meters. Senior All-American Chelsea Blaase is No. 3 in the 5000 meter run while senior Cassie Wertman is No.9 in the shot put.

“Felicia Brown, again another one in her senior year that has blossomed into a whole other level,� Alford-Sullivan said.

Alford-Sullivan said Blaase is in her fifth season running for Alford-Sullivan (counting two cross country seasons and last year’s indoor and outdoor season) and will be trying to become an All-American for the fifth time under AlfordSullivan.

Blaase has competed sparingly this indoor season after a long and busy cross country season during the fall. She hasn’t earned an SEC win yet but will try to capture an SEC Title this weekend. Blaase is the only woman from the SEC in the top 10 in the 5000 meter run, an event she didn’t run in last year at the SEC Championships.

Despite all the anticipation and despite the top 10 rankings for both track teams, AlfordSullivan knows the competition this weekend will be fierce but is hopeful the results will fall their way. “We will have a very competitive conference, if you look at the national rankings it’s full of the conference,� Alford Sullivan said. “Both the men and women are favorites for this weekend. It’s gonna a great one and we’re healthy and ready to roll.�

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PUZZLES&GAMES

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 • The Daily Beacon

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Get Fuzzy • Darby Conley

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz ACROSS 1 5 9 15

I’m Not A Hipster• John McAmis

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Halite formations that might be oil reservoirs How-to book

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The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

MEN’S BASKETBALL

SPORTS

Punter “day-to-day” with stress fracture in right foot Taylor White

Asst. Sports Editor After Tennessee’s loss at Kentucky on Thursday, Kevin Punter told reporters that his ankle had been bothering him, but that he would push through it. He then watched Saturday’s win over LSU from the bench with a boot on his right foot.

On Monday, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said the Vols’ leading scorer has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot and is “day-to-day” going forward. Barnes did admit that he would be surprised to see Punter play Wednesday at South Carolina but didn’t completely rule it out.

“He’s day-to-day, and we have no idea other than that,” Barnes said. “He’s working. I saw him a little bit this morning.

He’s doing his training with the training staff. He’s doing everything he has to do with that, but the fact is, he was over at the gym this morning. He had a boot on and said it was feeling a little bit better, but it’s still just day-to-day.”

The senior had started every game before missing Saturday’s matchup, averaging 22.2 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. Barnes said the foot has been bothering Punter over the last few weeks, but he didn’t disclose that to the training staff.

Despite the injury, Punter averaged 19 points over that stretch, but Barnes said that in the Kentucky game on Thursday, he could finally tell that Punter wasn’t himself.

“Looking back, I did not think he had been himself for the last three or four games,” Barnes said. “At the start of the Kentucky game, I think it’s the first time all year I took him out with less than two minutes gone in the game.

“I asked him, I said, ‘What’s going on?

You just don’t look yourself.’ He just said, ‘I’m alright, I’m alright.’ He actually told me that over the last couple weeks his foot was hurting.”

The injury has paved the way for Shembari Phillips to take the reins at the point guard position. The freshman played a career-high 38 minutes against LSU, the most by a true freshman at Tennessee since Chris Lofton in 2006.

Phillips scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists in the win. He only turned the ball over twice. Despite those numbers, Barnes said that Phillips

didn’t get the team into the offense the way he needed to at times. But he was still impressed with the progress Phillips has made over the course of the season.

“He certainly found a way to turn it over earlier in the year,” Barnes said.

“He was playing way too fast, some of it with his foot work. From the time that he got here this summer, he had to play the point. He had never played it before.

“Shembari has really good vision. He’s not afraid to throw some passes down the floor. He’s not a point guard yet, but he’s a guy that you look at and say, ‘he could possibly really develop those traits.’ ” SEC honors for Moore: Armani Moore was three assists away from the second triple-double in Tennessee history on Saturday, and those numbers earned him SEC Player of the Week honors on Monday.

The senior averaged 19 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists against Kentucky and LSU last week, including a 17 point, 10 rebound and seven assist performance against the Tigers.

“He has done so much for us,” Barnes said. “Whatever the challenge is, he just keeps accepting that challenge. He would be the first to deflect that to his teammates. We all appreciate what he’s done all year long.”

Moore has been one of Tennessee’s unquestioned leaders throughout the season, even with his numbers being up-anddown at times this year.

Barnes said that Moore has a knack for seeing when his teammates are ready to play, and when he senses they aren’t, he has a habit of taking his aggressiveness to the next level, something that will be even more important if Punter has to spend an extended amount of time on the bench.

“He doesn’t play perfect,” Barnes said.

“We all know by a player’s body language if they’re playing with the confidence they need to be playing with. Armani enjoys seeing his teammates playing with that kind of confidence and he’s often barking at them for not.

“I don’t think he tries to force a lot of things when he thinks his team is engaged with him. It’s when he thinks they’re not that he’s going to try to force a lot.”

Senior Guard Kevin Punter attempts to shoot during last year’s game against Arkansas.

• File Photo

SPORTS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

“

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 • The Daily Beacon

11

Lady Vols 30-year excellence fades away in newest AP poll Trenton Duffer Copy Editor

If you can remember the song “Wham!” by Careless Whisper being the No. 1 song in the United States on Feb. 17, 1985, you may remember the last time the Lady Vols went from unranked to ranked in The Associated Press’ Top 25 poll.

However, when Monday’s poll was released, the Lady Vols had dropped out of the top 25, plunging 31 years and 565 consecutive weeks of ranked success down the drain.

After losing against No. 3 South Carolina last Monday, the team rebounded to defeat Ole Miss on Thursday. Sunday’s loss to 9-18 LSU, though, proved to be the final nail in the Lady Vols’ coffin.

Tennessee becomes only the 10th team in women’s basketball history to fall out of the top 25 after starting the

I came to Tennessee to win basketball games and to graduate. I have sacrificed my body for the sake of winning for this program, and I have lived my dream, which was to be a Lady Volunteer basketball player.”

Jasmine Jones, redshirt junior

SWIMMING & DIVING

season in the top five. That hasn’t happened since the 2009-10 North Carolina Tar Heels dropped out of the top 25 after starting fifth.

The Connecticut Huskies now hold the longest active ranked streak in women’s basketball of 428 weeks.

However, it will still take over seven years before the Huskies have a chance of breaking the Lady Vols streak.

Tennessee (16-11, 7-7 SEC) has a road match against Alabama on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The team will conclude the regular season Sunday against Georgia at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Lady Vols currently sit at ninth place in the conference standings.

There are five 8-6 teams clinging to a tie for fourth place. The absolute lowest Tennessee can finish in the conference standings is 10th.

A career ending: Jasmine Jones’ basketball career has officially come to an end. Jones collided head-on with another player in the Texas game earlier this season and remained motionless

“

on the court for a few minutes before finally being helped off.

The University of Tennessee’s Athletics Medical Staff issued a statement on Monday that Jones is no longer cleared to participate in women’s basketball “due to the contact nature of basketball and the risks of further injury.”

Jones will finish the season as an inactive member of the Lady Vols team and will spend the rest of the spring semester on the track and field team.

“I have fulfilled my obligation to Coach (Pat) Summitt, Holly (Warlick) and Dean (Lockwood),” Jones said. “I came to Tennessee to win basketball games and to graduate. I have sacrificed my body for the sake of winning for this program, and I have lived my dream, which was to be a Lady Volunteer basketball player.

“I have given my all to Tennessee over the past four years, and my athletic career will end on my terms.”

Women’s swimming team takes second place in SEC Championship Taylor Crombie Contributor

Tennessee’s swimming and diving program gave a golden performance last weekend.

The Tennessee women finished second and the men placed six in the SEC Swimming and Diving Championship in Columbia, Missouri. Rachel Rubadue earned a gold medal in platform diving, and Kira Toussaint, Madeline Banic, Harper Bruens and Faith Johnson also secured gold medals in the 400 freestyle relay on Saturday.

“I love the way our team responded to the pressure,” Swimming coach Matt Kredich said. “As the pressure increased, we got better. We had some of the best competitive moments that I can remember in my time here.”

The relay team of Toussaint, Banic, Bruens and Johnson set new record time for Tennessee in the 400 freestyle relay with 3:12.04. Kredich said the relay events were the key to Tennessee’s success at the meet.

“Our goal going into any meet is to be prepared for anything,” Kredich said. “It was apparent by the second day that we were going to be a major player in the team race.”

Johnson, who competed in her final SEC championship as a senior, now has seven career SEC gold medals in her Tennessee career, which ties her with Jenny Connolly’s program record.

“I think the coolest part was our team had a whole lot of fun,” Johnson said.

“We just raced, competed and looked at each other for energy and just enjoyed every moment of it.”

Freshman diver Rubadue kept a level head during her final event. Her poise under pressure culminated in her first SEC gold medal in platform diving by nearly 40 points over Texas A&M’s Alais Kalonji.

“What was really remarkable was her calmness,” diving coach Dave Parrington said. “It’s just such a different environment diving in the South East Conference Championships, so you’ve got to step up in those situations.”

“I tried to not worry about the scoreboard or anything and just really focus-

We just raced,

competed and looked at each other for energy and just enjoyed every moment of it.”

Faith Johnson, Senior Swimmer

ing on myself and what I need to do,” Rubadue added. “I treated it like any other meet that I’ve been to, just staying calm and trying to be really confident. I think that helped a lot.”

Rubadue wasn’t the only diver who won gold at the SEC championship.

Senior diver Mauricio Robles won gold medals in both 1-meter and platform events, bronze in the 3-meter springboard and was named the SEC Diver of the Meet.

“He has been superlative,” Parrington said of Robles’ performance over the years. “He handles himself with class, gets the job done in the classroom, and is just one of the finest young men you will ever meet. It’s been a true honor to be able to spend time working with him and getting to know how as well as I have.”

NCAA Championships begin on March 8 with the Diving Zone Championship, followed by the NCAA Women’s Championship from March 17-19 and the NCAA Men’s Championship from March 24-26.

Tennessee will have momentum heading into the NCAAs. “Competitively, I’m very comfortable with where we are right now,” Parrington said headed into the NCAA Championships. “We just need to keep diving one dive at a time and do what we need to do.”

12

The Daily Beacon • Tuesday, February 23, 2016

MEN’S BASKETBALL

“

SPORTS

Beyond the Hill: Picking a mad March Madness Lucas Hunter Beyond the Hill

Despite the entire field consisting of no less than 64 teams once play-in games have been decided, it’s relatively easy to predict March Madness. In the past 25 years, the champion has been a top-4 seed all but once (Connecticut in 2014), and in that same span, the champion has been a top-2 seed 21 times.

So reasonably, only 8-16 teams have a real chance of winning the championship on any given year, an unfortunate reality for a vast majority of the contestants in sport’s greatest tournament.

Enter 2016, the year of unparalleled parity in college basketball. Within reason, there are no less than 16-20 teams with a real chance of winning the NCAA championship, plus a plethora of underdogs who could undermine the hopes of people with legitimate claims of going to the Final Four.

Many people like to claim that the key to winning March Madness is just getting hot and playing to your ceiling. I propose a different theory.

It’s about playing above your floor. What’s the worst you can play and how can you avoid playing at that level?

That’s why North Carolina is my favorite to win March Madness, despite having four games left before conference tournaments start across the nation. Their high? Dropping 89 early this season against a Maryland team that may have the best combination of experience and talent in their starting five in the country.

Simultaneously, when playing right above their floor,

Many people like to claim that the key to winning March Madness is just getting hot and playing to your ceiling. I propose a different theory.”

they’ve managed to win while only scoring 67 points against N.C. State.

Obviously they could get upset by a lower tier team at the top of their game, such as when they lost to Notre Dame on Feb. 6.

That’s what’s the most exciting about this year’s tournament. There are numerous teams who can suddenly hit their highest gear and play their best ball come tournament time, such as Duke, who played exceptional ball down the stretch in their latest match with a UNC

“Pull Quote”

squad who collapsed to their floor.

Fewer are the stars who are exceptionally talented and can carry a team single-handedly. Oklahoma senior Buddy Hield is the premier example in college basketball right now, currently putting the finishing touches on a season sure to win him the Wooden Award en route to the NBA draft.

Other examples include Providence junior Kris Dunn and the Kentucky backcourt of Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis, all capable of carrying their respective teams into the depths of the tournament.

To mention all these teams without mentioning Kansas, Villanova, Virginia, Michigan State, Iowa, Arizona or Maryland is a moot point. All of these teams have a legitimate claim that they could win the championship based on their personnel, coaching or star power. Even a team such as Texas falls a little short of championship expectations but has proven they can beat a higher ranked team.

The absence of a single super team such as last year’s Kentucky squad or the Louisville team of 2013 has turned the NCAA championship into a more open race than any year in recent memory and that void might create the most exciting March Madness in years.

Lucas Hunter is a sophomore in journalism and electronic media. He can be reached at lhunter9@vols. utk.edu.