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Friday, April 11, 2014

Issue 61, Volume 125

UT tuition sees 4-6 percent increase for 2015 McCord Pagan Copy Editor Tuition for UT-Knoxville will increase between 4 and 6 percent for fiscal year 2015, according to Chris Cimino, vice-chancellor for finance and administration. For students who entered UT under the new 15-in-4 tuition model, the increase will remain locked at 3 percent. The tuition rise stems from

the state government’s approximately $200 million drop in revenue. In response to underperformance by both the corporate franchise and excise tax, which collected less than expected, Gov. Bill Haslam amended his 2015 budget. The subsequent April 1 revision cut all additional funding to public post-secondary schools via the 2010 Complete College Tennessee Act. As a result, $30 million will

disappear. UT-Knoxville was slated to absorb at least one third of that money. The CCTA tied state funding to university performance, creating a cash reward for schools succeeding in categories like retention and six-year graduation. Prior to CCTA, funds were allocated solely according to the size of a school’s student population. “Because of that then, retention, progression and gradu-

ation became key things that all of our campuses have really focused on,” said Butch Peccolo, chief financial officer for the UT System. Because UT-Knoxville outperformed many community colleges and state universities, the campus was slated to receive a new $6 million for next year, in addition to a nearly-$4 million renewal from the current fiscal year. In fact, Knoxville’s performance merited an increase more

than double that of any other school. Instead, UT-Knoxville and improving schools will not receive any new money. The 2014 funding will continue only for those schools that saw marked improvement. Lower performing schools will see all funding from the CCTA disappear. Current losses only compound the lasting effects of The Great Recession, which forced the state to cut $60

Wade Rackley • Tennessee Athletics

SEE INSIDE

Undergrads gear up for fifth annual Research Symposium

ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 5

Smart city program selects Cleveland as first partner Emilee Lamb

Senior defensive lineman Jordan Williams fights through blockers during UT’s spring football practice at Haslam Field on Thursday.

Vols looking for ‘growth’ in O&W game Troy Provost-Heron Sports Editor

The ‘Crux’ of the issue: Student film premieres Saturday at Downtown West

See FUNDING on Page 2

Assistant News Editor

NEWS >>pg. 3

Book, line and sinker: Throw out the textbooks and pick up some E.E. Cummings

million from UT’s budget in the late 2000s – money that Cimino said will likely never return. Even if state revenue comes back next year, Peccolo said he does not expect the state will return funds lost in the meantime. The state budget office declined to comment on the appropriations bill until it is finalized by the State Assembly.

It was nearly a month ago that the Tennessee Volunteers broke out their pads for the first time this spring. With today’s 14th spring practice being solely a helmet-only practice that will be “more mental than physical,” according to UT head coach Butch Jones, the Vols practiced in full pads for the final time this spring on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s Orange and White game. “We went out there and compet-

ed as a team,” senior linebacker A.J. Johnson said. “Today was individual day, and so it was self-motivation, pushing yourself to do what you need to do on the field. “It was my last spring practice as a Vol, so I had to go out there and have fun and make the best of it.” Now with spring practice being over, the Vols turn their attention to the Orange and White game. In Saturday’s contest, the defense will don the coveted orange jerseys, while the offense will be wearing white. The first two periods will each be 12 minutes long, while the second half will feature two 10-minute quar-

ters with a running clock. Individual drills will take place in between series in both halves. For Jones, he expects the spring game to provide an opportunity for the Vols to showcase their improvement as a team. “(I want them to show) the habits that we’ve been trying to form our identity throughout the course of spring – great effort, being a physical football team, making plays and being a team that plays disciplined football,” Jones said. “A lot of times you just want to get through the spring games. See FOOTBALL on Page 8

Cleveland, Tenn., has now been selected as the first partner city to participate in the pilot term of UT’s new Smart Communities Initiative interdisciplinary program, which begins next fall. Through SCI, UT upperclassmen, graduate students and faculty will partner with Cleveland for one year to work collaboratively toward community development and positive change. Modeled on the University of Oregon’s “Sustainable City Year Program,” each host city identifies several projects specific to their unique communal needs. These proposed projects are then matched to classrooms of students studying a relevant field. Once paired with a compatible project, the class then collaboratively channels their academic work toward the project. Cleveland’s application to become an SCI partner city was evaluated based on several metrics, including the compatibility of the city’s proposed projects with the vision of the initiative. “There are sort of three pillars to that vision: environmental sustainability, economic viability and social integrity,” said Kelly Ellenburg, campus coordinator for service learning and manager of the Smart Communities Initiative. See COMMUNITIES on Page 3

ARTS & CULTURE>>pg. 6

In matchup of ranked foes, Lady Vols look to learn from last week’s mistakes at A&M SPORTS >>pg. 8

@UTKDailyBeacon www.utdailybeacon.com

Liv McConnell Copy Editor When Chris Poland, manager of the West Coast band California Celts, received the Cultural Attractions Committee’s request for his band to play at UT, he was simultaneously pleased and confused. “At first, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s great they want us,’” Poland said. “Then I was thinking, ‘Wait, how is it that they want us?’” For those unfamiliar with the musical style and story of California Celts, Poland’s puzzlement might seem justified. Most simply described as “Celtic-Ska,” the band is influenced by a wide and seemingly disparate range of styles, including Reggae, Bluegrass, Mexicano and Appalachian hymns. Calling southern California home, most of the band members have never been to Tennessee before. So, why UT? “I made the connection in my

head, ‘They probably want to hear how Californians interpret Appalachian music as a Celtic band,’” Poland said. Victoria Knight, vice chair of CAC, validated his logic. “It is significant for California Celts to play here in East Tennessee, especially, because our roots are so closely tied in the Appalachian areas with the Scotch-Irish,” Knight said. “About one in five native Tennesseans can trace their ancestry to the Scotch-Irish. … It is evident through the rich bluegrass and country music scene that much of that history and connection is still present today in Tennessee.” It is this theme of heritage that makes the group’s trip to UT, as well as their eclectic combination of musical influences, all the more sensible. “Basically, (our sound) is the whole Scotch-Irish trek from the Old World, from the British Isles, to the New World,” Poland said. “A lot of

our songs – our fundamental sound – has a Caribbean under-beat with bass guitar and the drums, and then on the top beats are the scales and the melodies from the British Isles.” The band’s songwriting reflects this original voyage of the Celtic people to the Americas and their continued journeys from then on, Poland said. “The Scotch-Irish didn’t stop in Appalachia, they kept going west to Washington state, Idaho and California, mainly,” he said, “and then a lot of them also went to Oklahoma and were there for the Dust Bowl.” Intent on forging a full representation of the reality of Celtic people’s experiences in America through their music, the band drew its Reggae and nautical influences from what Poland recalls as the oftforgotten historical alliance between Bringing a subtle hint of reggae, bluegrass and Celts and Mexicans. rock, the California Celts will be performing See CELT on Page 6 on Friday in the UC.

“Reverse racism is a construct of the white patriarchy, a backlash reactionary spitfire in the wake of slowly improving racial equality.” OPINIONS >>pg. 4

• Photo Courtesy of California Celts

California Celts to put new spin on Appalachian tunes

INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON News Opinions Arts & Culture Sports

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