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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Issue 68, Volume 125

E A R T H

D A Y

E D I T I O N

...and be sure to celebrate at:

Earth Day 2014

“Inksuit” performance

Earth Fest

When: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. today Where: HSS plaza Why: Free food, music, artisans and networking opportunities with UT Recycling, SPEAK and Project V.E.G.G.I.E.

When: 6 p.m. today Where: Mead’s Quarry at the Ijams Nature Center Why: For $10 a person, how can you pass up a chance to find out what environmental music is?

When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26 Where: World’s Fair Park Why: It’s a zero-waste event; there’s music, games and food; you can walk there.

To divest or not? UT campaign prepares to rally against Cheek The divestment campaign is asking Chancellor Jimmy Cheek to “do the right thing.” Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., the UT Coalition for Responsible Investment will host a rally in HSS to protest Cheek’s refusal to support divestment from the fossil fuel industry. On Wednesday, April 16, Erica Davis, David Hayes and Jake Rainey met with Cheek for 30 minutes to present “the moral and ethical reasons why divestment is necessary on our campus,” as Rainey, senior in journalism and electronic media, said. The group explained the economics behind divesting, also citing Cheek’s promise to make UT carbon-neutral by 2060. They also presented research from UT environmental ethics professor John Nolt, which estimated that UT’s carbon footprint will kill two people each year at its current rate. In response, Rainey recounted, Cheek told the students they “would not leave the room with his support of fossil fuel divestment.” Davis, a sophomore in sociology, said Cheek “referred to divestment as a ‘non-starter.’” The implication, Davis believes, was not that divestment will never happen, but that it will not happen “‘in the current environment.’” Instead, Cheek advocated for focusing on other means of sustainability, like nuclear

@UTKDailyBeacon www.utdailybeacon.com

Hayley Brundige • The Daily Beacon

Jenna Butz

Staff Writer

“They need to understand

that our campus will no longer remain silent on these issues. Whether it be divestment or living wages, our campus will no longer sit back and watch while this administration neglects our moral obligations ... Where we invest our money is a vote, an endorsement.” -Jake Rainey energy research and recycling programs, Davis recalled. “It was disappointing considering the students are the ones who will inherit this planet and the consequences of our university, and thus our voices deserve not only to be heard but to be heeded,” Davis said. “Nothing we equipped ourselves with could’ve been enough, though. “We needed millions of dollars of pocket change and a miracle to change Chancellor Cheek’s mind and finally persuade him to do the right thing.” Planned prior to the appointment with Cheek, today’s rally was intended to either celebrate the chancellor’s support or protest his dismissal, depending on the meeting’s outcome. In light of the chancellor’s refusal to provide support, Rainey said the group used the rally to demonstrate the power of the

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Students hold a sign in support of the divestment campaign during a letter drop to Chief Financial Officer Charles Peccolo’s office in Andy Holt Tower on Feb. 6. student will. “They need to understand that our campus will no longer remain silent on these issues,” Rainey said. “Whether it be divestment or living wages, our campus will no longer sit back and watch while this administration neglects our moral obligations. Our endowment is not some high-stakes investment bank, it means more than that.

Find out why you have a new Dean of Students (Hint: It’s a big idea)

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Where we invest our money is a vote, an endorsement. “The students at the University of Tennessee do not endorse profits made off of global climate change.” For Davis, a junior in sociology, the rally distilled the UT community’s demand for “an administration that behaves responsibly.” “Inaction is a luxury we can

From indie to mainsstream: Fitz and the Tantrums ready to headline Volapalooza

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no longer afford,” Davis said. “We must gain momentum to achieve the goals of the divestment campaign. We deserve the opportunity to have a say in our future. We are holding our administration accountable for the crimes it is committing, and we aren’t backing down any time soon. “Telling us ‘no’ is not going to stop us – it fans the flame of

our passion and determination.” When asked how divestment might affect UT’s relationship with the Haslam family, Davis admitted she wasn’t sure. The Haslams own the immenselysuccesful gas station Pilot Flying J, America’s 7th-largest privately owned company; the family is also among UT’s most valuable alumni donators.

INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON

Vols look to ‘take control of the state’ in rematch against ETSU

In Short News Opinions Arts & Culture Sports

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