Alumni pen letter to TN legislators in support of diversity programs
Kristopher Takács, member of the American Institute of Architects, discussed the potential transformation of urban districts through leveraging transportation during his lecture on Monday, March 28. Akshata Dusa • The Daily Beacon
D.C. architect discusses future of transportation Jared Sebby Copy Editor Since the development of city planning, transportation has always been a key concern. From the Roman roads that stretched across Europe, to the rail networks and interstate highways that opened up North America for expansion and development, how we get around has often set the tone for how we think
Volume 131 Issue 45
of cities overall. Kristopher Takács (pronounced Tak-as), head of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s (SOM) Washington, D.C., division, spends a lot of time thinking about travel and trying to figure out how to more tightly integrate transportation infrastructure into the spaces where we live and work. This was the topic he shared with UT Campus in the Church lecture series on Monday, March 28. “When you look at the accessibility of transit — this was surprising to me — something
like 60 percent of people living in the United States do have transit available to them, even in the suburbs,” Takács said. “But, when you look at who uses it, 10-15 percent occasionally use it, and about five percent actually commute using it.” Takács believes it is a matter of convenience. “It really has to do with how we live and how our urban development is planned,” he said. See ARCHITECHTURE on Page 8
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As University of Tennessee alumni and Torchbearers, we write with concern and unease as the Tennessee legislature attempts to restrict personal, intellectual, and social growth through the defunding of campus diversity initiatives (HB 2066/SB 1902, HB 2248/SB 1912, HB 2629/SB 2653). We applaud UT students and our former teachers who have come together to protect a campus, state, and future in which people of all identities can thrive with equitable resources, security, and representation. This letter expresses our strongest opposition to any legislation that limits UT’s ability to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment to all students, faculty, and staff. In our time on campus, we experienced and witnessed acts of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, religious intolerance, and other forms of oppression. We were also exposed to scholarship and dialogue on race, class, disability, sexuality, gender, religion, and other identities. We lived and studied on a campus where we could hone our critical thinking, learn to recognize our privileges, and openly oppose prejudices. This has prepared us for lives and careers that require us to consider the safety and quality of life of all people.
SeeALUMNI LETTER on Page 3
Wednesday, March 30, 2016