Sunny with a 0% chance of rain HIGH LOW 81 53
Diamond Vols beat Golden Eagles 9-3
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Thursday, April 1, 2010 Issue 51
E D I T O R I A L L Y
Big Ears weekend captures spirit of Knoxville
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Vol. 113
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Preachers cause debate at amphitheatre Iran’s top nuclear negotiator heads to China TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state media says the country’s top nuclear negotiator is heading to China to discuss possible U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. Iranian state television reported Wednesday that Saeed Jalili will travel to China Thursday for talks with senior Chinese officials “concerning the nuclear program.” The U.S. and other Western powers are pushing for a new round of U.N. sanctions on Iran over its defiance to halt its uranium enrichment program. China wields veto power on the Security council and has been a vocal opponent of sanctions on Iran. U.S. officials have said they believe Beijing may be changing its stance. Philly charter school says nightclub will close PHILADELPHIA — A charter school cafeteria will no longer double as a nightclub on nights and weekends, city education officials announced Wednesday after inspecting the facility. Owners of the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School have removed all banquet supplies and equipment, including alcohol, from their building, which on weekdays educates about 450 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Philadelphia district officials had demanded an end to the school’s arrangement with Club Damani, which had been operating on the premises during off-hours despite an expired liquor license. Officials toured the school Wednesday to ensure there were no “traces of anything that was unacceptable in a learning environment,” district spokeswoman Evelyn Sample-Oates said.
Hayley DeBusk • The Daily Beacon
Students gather to listen and debate two men street-preaching at the Humanities Amphitheatre Wednesday afternoon.
Robby O’Daniel Chief Copy Editor Students, non-students, Christians and non-Christians all had an impromptu gathering at the Humanities Amphitheatre on Wednesday afternoon in what amounted to several theological arguments. Two street preachers attracted a crowd of roughly 150 to the amphitheatre in a discourse which lasted from the late morning into the late afternoon, as of press time. Tracy Bays wore a suit with a pin that said “porn” with an X over it. An associate carried a large, yellow sign, sending out a warning about judgment to “God haters, fornicators, thieves, liars, drunks,
mockers, adulterers, (and) sodomites.” Bays, who identified himself as a “Bible-believing, Bible-obeying Christian,” said the verse Mark 16:15 was the reason he was outside that day. “Mark 16:15 says go out to all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” Bays said. He said he encouraged students to “surrender” and stop sinning, as he said he has. “Any true Christian is a saint,” Bays said. “A saint means holy one of God. Holy means set apart from sin. So if you’re set apart from sin and you’re a holy one of God and you’re a saint, that means you have stopped sinning. I would say, unless you do stop sinning, you’re not really a Christian.” He said he didn’t understand why
some students took exception to him saying he has stopped sinning. “Me saying that I stopped sinning is no big deal,” Bays said. “Any real Christian has stopped sinning.” But students did take exception. Monica Provence, freshman in graphic design, was among them. “He was just talking about how he doesn’t sin anymore,” Provence said. “That’s a blatant lie. So it’s contradicting a statement in general. And he’s talking about needing grace. I think he needs to look up the word ‘grace’ in the dictionary for a minute. Absorb that, and decide whether he actually needs grace or whether he actually is perfect.” She said Bays is making Christians look “horrible” with his street preaching, and she was out there with her friends to
See PREACHER on Page 3
High school students bike for clean water Ellen Larson Staff Writer
Donors pledge $9.9 billion for Haiti UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Kimoon says donors went “far beyond expectations” and pledged $9.9 billion over more than three years to rebuild earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Haiti had appealed for $3.8 billion for the next two years. The U.N. chief said the $9.9 billion includes pledges of $5.3 billion from governments and international partners for the first 24 months of reconstruction, far exceeding Haiti’s request. Ban told a news conference at the end of a daylong donor conference on Wednesday that the international community had come together “dramatically and in solidarity with the Haitian people” to help them recover from the Jan. 12 earthquake.
persuade him to stop. “Obviously we’ve had street preachers, and they’re not causing as big of a ruckus as this guy because this guy is blatantly lying, and he doesn’t seem to get that,” Provence said. “And we’re all trying to say, ‘Hey, dude, don’t be preaching if it’s not true.’” Billy Crawford, sophomore in history, also took up the cause of free speech against what the preachers were saying. “I’m not with him (Bays),” Crawford said. “I’m telling everybody that Jesus loves sinners because that’s all I know.” Crawford, who held a sign saying, “Ask me about Jesus,” disagreed with what Bays said about conversing with nonbelievers.
• Photo courtesy of Lauren Christ
Myra Kruger founder of Esler Kruger signs the book she co-authored “The Pursuit of Something Better.” She and US Cellular President John E. “Jack” Rooney spoke at the full-time MBA program Spring Symposium on Tuesday.
U.S. Cellular CEO presents at Spring Symposium Staff Reports John E. “Jack” Rooney, president and CEO of U.S. Cellular, and Myra Kruger, founder of Esler Kruger and co-author of the book “The Pursuit of Something Better,” served as guest lecturers at the University of Tennessee fulltime MBA program Spring Symposium on Tuesday. University of Tennessee MBA students and faculty, local U.S. Cellular leaders and other guests gathered in the beautiful West Wing boardroom of the Haslam Business Building for Jack and Myra’s presentation regarding ethics, leadership and business transformation as well as the book “The Pursuit of Something Better.” “It’s a wonderful and enriching opportunity
for our MBA students and for the university to have Mr. Rooney and Ms. Kruger visit as speakers for the MBA Spring Symposium,” Amy Cathey, director of the UT full-time MBA program, said. “For our students to interact with and learn from individuals who have implemented successful business principles and achieved outstanding business results is invaluable to their education and advancement in the field. U.S. Cellular is a fantastic case study that fits well in our curriculum regarding ethics and business transformation.” After the lecture, Myra offered a book signing for the students’ copies of “The Pursuit of Something Better,” which chronicles the success of U.S. Cellular under Rooney’s 10-year term as CEO. See CELLULAR on Page 3
Two high school seniors from Memphis have not forgotten about the earthquake in Haiti. An incoming UT student and his friend are cycling across the U.S. to give clean water to people in Haiti in a project named “The Water Cycle.” Cort Gatliff, who will attend UT in the fall, and Christian Kauffman, are seniors at Memphis University School. They started cycling in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 4 and will finish in Savannah, Ga., on April 4. Gatliff said they think it was unfair that these people have to drink contaminated water that is ultimately killing them. “Water is the source of life for all human beings, but for these people who are forced to drink contaminated water, it is becoming a source of death,” Gatliff said. Gatliff said that water is something everyone needs to live, and it’s something people take for granted in America where access to water is never something people have to worry about. There is hope, however, because people are willing to help, Gatliff said. “Most people don’t know about the water crisis, so when they hear about it, they are usually really generous when it comes to donating,” Gatliff said.
Before this cycling adventure, Gatliff and Kauffman raised awareness of the water crisis issue in their hometown of Memphis. They spoke at schools and other venues around Memphis, telling them about the clean water shortage. Gatliff has had a passion for cycling since a young age. He said his dad introduced him to the sport when he was younger. “It’s just something that has always been a part of my life and that I have loved doing,” he said. The high school students hope other people will also use their passions to help the people of Haiti. “We are using our passion of cycling to bring clean water to Haitians with the hope that others will follow our example and serve in creative ways,” Kauffman said. Gatliff said he will continue to use his passion of cycling at UT. “I’m all about adventures and doing exciting things,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to going to UT next year.” So far, Gatliff and Kauffman have raised more than $35,000 to build water wells in Haiti. The proceeds go through Living Water International, a non-profit organization which provides clean water to people around the world. Gatliff and Kauffman record their journey on their blog at http://www.thewatercycle.org. They also post to Twitter and Facebook.