UT launches new Student Success Building, pioneers sustainable design
University of Tennessee leaders gathered on April 24 to break ground on the new state-of-the-art Student Success Building. Taking the place of Melrose Hall, the building is set to open in fall 2027.
The 119,000-square-foot building will be home to multiple student programs, including the Academic Student Success Center, Vol Study Center, University Honors, Student Disability Services and more.
“Our scholars will find expert guidance, seamless support and insightful collaboration — all conveniently located under one roof,” Amber Williams, vice provost for Student Success, said. “It will be a place where inquiry, strengths coaching and curiosity will collide, creating a powerful synergy between academic and career support, faculty and our scholars that will elevate every student’s experience.”
The building will also house classrooms, lounges and common spaces to enhance the student experience further.
Beyond academic and student support, the building will represent a big step forward for sustainability within the UT community. The project will be the first campus building to feature mass timber in its construction.
“We have been looking for the right opportunity to introduce mass timber onto our campus, and this studentfocused building seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Andy Powers, director of Design Services and University Architect, said. “It is a fast-growing material which requires less energy to produce, creating less waste and reducing construction schedules.”
Powers also highlighted that the wood’s warmth and texture can create a calming atmosphere — natural light, native landscaping and nature-themed graphics — that will support student health and wellness.
“Many other environmentally conscious features are present, including materials selected for their local proximity to the building site and made from recycled products,” Powers said. “The building will include high-performance lighting and HVAC systems as well as plumbing fixtures designed to minimize water usage.”
The new building will also feature a green roof, providing storm management and reuse to eliminate pollution and runoff.
“Additionally, the green roof will serve as a gathering space,” Powers said. “The roof vegetation acts as insulation for the building and protects the roof, extending its useful life. These specific measures bring to life
broad sustainable concepts outlined in the campus master plan.”
Construction will be a phased process over the next two years. Mike Materna, director of Capital Construction, said the next step will begin next school year.
“The first major milestone will be the completion of the demolition of the current Melrose Hall,” Materna said. “Abatement work is underway now, and demolition work is expected to begin in August and be completed in September.”
UT will take preemptive measures to ensure that the central location of the construction site — between Hess Hall and Hodges Library — will not disrupt student and faculty life.
“The Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway and alleyway between the John C. Hodges Library and Melrose Hall will remain open except for a few announced disruptions this summer,” Matt Motsko, assistant vice chancellor of construction, said. “The university will communicate throughout the project with neighboring students, faculty and staff to keep them up to date.”
Motsko emphasized the importance of construction to UT’s growth and modernization as he ensured that they would do all they could to minimize the impact of construction on students, employees and
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The project is predicted to cost $108 million and will symbolize UT’s commitment to student success, academic excellence and sustainability.
Melrose Hall will be the new building for the Student Success Center which broke ground April 24, 2025. It is expected to be done by fall 2027 File / The Daily Beacon
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Expanding meaning of ‘everything school’
UT
Advisory Board talks new records, improvements, fee increases to keep up with expansion
The University of Tennessee Advisory Board meeting occurred on May 2, 2025, marking the last meeting of the 2024-2025 school year.
At the meeting, the Board discussed the $2.37 billion budget proposal — more than $200 million compared to last year — which will now go before the UT System Board of Trustees for final approval next month. However, UT Chancellor Donde Plowman confirmed that there will be no tuition increase for students this next year but there will be an increase in facilities fees.
Graduate and out-of-state tuition increases are being kept below regional benchmarks.
The increases align with overall campus growth and the rapidly growing rate of prospective students who have submitted more than 63,000 applications for the fall 2025 semester, breaking yet another record.
The facilities fee is set to increase by $30 for in-state students and $46 for out-ofstate students to cover rising costs related to new construction and maintenance, totaling to $630 and $946.
Additionally, the transportation fee will increase by $24 for expanded parking services, totaling $258, and the library fee will see a $10 increase, totaling $90.
Dining service rates are set to increase by a flat rate of 3.6%, except for the Flex Plan, which would increase by $21-$90, depending on which plan students pick. The increase would offset inflation costs for food, maintenance and salaries. The university has proposed discontinuing the $24 per day unlimited meal access fee.
Yet, students can now pay a $299 flat fee that covers all course materials for all classes. Even more, mini and summer term subscriptions cost less, and students can opt out of the “Total Access” program to purchase individual textbooks.
Housing rates are set to increase by 5% for every option to pay for rising costs, debt and maintenance projects. The increase would be between $152 and $295, depending on which type of room students choose.
However, affordability was a central theme of the meeting, with multiple leaders highlighting UT’s efforts to reduce the financial burden on students and families.
Educational and general revenues — tuition, fees and state funding — comprise most of the $2.37 billion budget. These incomes cover professor salaries,
scholarships and research, as well as UT’s auxiliary functions like sports and bookstores, which in turn provide revenue.
According to agenda documents, UT’s revenues will exceed the university’s expenses.
Nearly 90% of in-state first-year students now benefit from the university’s flagship affordability programs — UT Promise and the Tri-Star Scholarships. UT Promise guarantees free tuition and covers mandatory fees for Pell-eligible Tennesseans with family incomes under $75,000. The Tri-Star Scholarships support HOPE-eligible students from low and middle-income households.
For the 2025–26 academic year, the university will invest $18 million in institutional aid — more than double what it allocated five years ago. Thanks to targeted outreach, FAFSA filing rates increased 13% over last year, giving more students access to federal and institutional aid despite the federal mix-ups.
Over 50% of UT students graduate with no student loan debt, and institutional debt per graduate is 37% below the national average.
UT’s next-level goals
Plowman outlined several objectives for UT, including incorporating an unparalleled student experience. The student experience breaks down into student success and student life.
According to Plowman, student success represents students’ academic achievements, including creating an environment for alumni to stay in Tennessee. More than 90% of the 2024 graduating class reported being either employed or continuing their education, 95% of first-year scholars were in positive academic standing at the end of fall 2024, and 97.6% of spring students are coming back next year.
Student success is impossible without an adequate student life, including every aspect outside the classroom. Over the past year, UT has seen a 30% increase in Greek Life participation, 78% increase in group sports and intramurals and 71.5% increase in group therapy.
Plowman reiterated that UT is committed to being the “university of choice for Tennesseans,” noting that more than 70% of undergraduates are in-state students and over 50% are first-generation or Pelleligible.
UT’s reach extends to all 95 counties through Extension offices, K–12
partnerships, workforce training, and agricultural research stations. The campus has also doubled its external partnerships since 2020, connecting students with experiential learning across the state.
High-impact research in service of Tennessee is another aim of the chancellor’s office. To obtain this goal, the university raised $386.9 million in research expenditures for FY24. According to Plowman, four UT researchers were named AAAS Fellows, and seven faculty members were named among the most highly cited researchers in the world.
However, recent federal budget cuts to university research programs have impacted some UT students and faculty, and Plowman addressed these concerns.
“We’re just monitoring that every day very carefully and trying to support our campus, our scholars, our scientists and support the students that they have on those grants,” Plowman said. “That’s the biggest area that concerns us — I don’t want any student who was hired to be on a grant to lose that opportunity.”
UT partnerships in Knoxville UT prides itself on exploring connections and outreach with resources outside of the university. For Knoxville, Plowman and the Board want to collaborate with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, an economic prosperity organization.
Knoxville’s Chamber of Commerce goals
include raising annual pay by 30% in Knoxville, lowering the poverty rate and increasing population ages 25 through 54.
“We are on it and heavily involved,” Plowman said.
‘Winning is contagious’
According to UT’s Athletic Director Danny White, the university is well on its way to remaining the best athletics department in the country.
All 20 UT athletic teams made it to the postseason last year for the first time in history, and 11 of the 20 teams finished in the top 10 in the country, according to White.
“So across the board — success, ‘everything school,’ our student-athletes are really digging that,” White said. “And I say winning is contagious. Building a championship culture is really important, and I think it feeds off itself.”
Not only did football tickets sell out for the third year in a row, generating $234 million for the department, but studentathletes had a combined GPA of 3.38 — the second-best semester in school history.
“This is what it means to be a landgrant university,” Plowman said. “We serve Tennessee, and we make sure every student — regardless of background — has the opportunity to thrive.”
As we head into the summer, UT continues to uphold its journey toward becoming the nation’s “everything school.”
McClung Museum’s ‘Homelands’ exhibit pays homage to contemporary Native American artists, honoring land UT sits on
provided translations on their panels.
The University of Tennessee sits on the ancestral lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, the Euchee (Yuchi) Tribe of Indians, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Kialegee Tribal Town, the Shawnee Tribe and the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
In January 2025, the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture unveiled its new exhibit, “Homelands: Connecting to Mounds Through Native Art,” a contemporary art exhibit featuring Native American artists from four federally recognized tribes.
The idea for this exhibition came from Lisa King, an associate professor in the English Department who specializes in the rhetorics of cross-cultural sites such as Indigenous museums and cultural centers. Currently, she works to explore the rhetorical practices that surround and produce public representations of Indigenous people within the United States in museum and performance spaces.
“So much of education for a number of Tennessee students basically ends with the Trail of Tears,” King said on a tour of the exhibit. “People know Tennessee as a removal state. They don’t know Tennessee as Native homelands. The idea here is to re-establish that indigenous peoples and Indigenous artists are alive and they still feel the deep connection to their homelands here.”
UT is situated on the ancestral homelands of Indigenous peoples. Out of 11 federally recognized tribes invited to participate in the exhibit, four responded: the Cherokee Nation, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
There were two questions that King pondered as they worked on the exhibit.
“How can you decolonize the space?” King said. “How can you mold space for Indigenous peoples?”
The entrance to the exhibit is designed to be immersive, laid out so that it feels like you are walking through the woods into a mountain valley.
Throughout the exhibit, there are four statements from each tribe’s co-curators, each sporting a different color. Each color was pulled from the tribal seals of each nation, according to King. The statements also feature translations from Indigenous languages. It had been requested early on that Indigenous language be a part of the exhibition. Three of the four nations
“One of the most interesting things we found out is that people don’t understand the connection between Indigenous language and land or why language is so important,” King said.
The creation of this exhibit involved extensive cooperation with Native partners to ensure that each culture was displayed accurately and respectfully.
“We had to ask ourselves, how can we make this exhibit about reciprocity, not just extraction?” King said.
King hopes the exhibit can serve as a resource for students and educators alike.
“One of the reasons that teachers don’t teach more about Native Americans in their classes is because they don’t feel like they have the expertise or resources,” King said.
Accompanied by King on a tour of the exhibit was Sadie Counts, the curator of Indigenous Collections and assistant curator of exhibitions at McClung Museum, and a co-curator of “Homelands.” She discussed the exhibit’s focus on mounds, a significant aspect of Native American culture. She also highlighted that part of the inspiration for the exhibit stems from the existence of a mound located on UT’s campus. Although it is seldom discussed, it is one of the oldest landmarks on campus.
While it was requested that no photos of the mound be included in the exhibition, there are many artistic renderings.
“I think a lot of folks only know about
burial mounds and while burial mounds are extremely important sacred sites, there are other forms of mounds,” Counts said. “Mounds are extremely important to Native peoples today because they are literal tangible pieces of their ancestors and the work that their ancestors did in these homelands.”
This exhibition also hopes to raise awareness to the existence of mounds and increase their protection.
“Part of protecting mounds is making sure that contemporary Native Nations are the ones that have access to these mounds and are the ones interpreting them and telling us how to interact with them,” Counts said. “These are descendants of the folks who made these mounds. They should be treated as sacred spaces, just like we might treat any other sacred space from any other culture. Not being disrespectful, not walking on mounds, never digging into mounds, never leaving trash.”
Counts also emphasized that not all mounds may be for the public eye, and that should be respected.
“Allow tribal partners to speak on behalf of themselves,” Counts said. “Respect their sovereignty and allow them to tell you what is and is not appropriate to share.”
The exhibition features art from all contemporary Native American artists, as they aim to emphasize that Native American people and their cultures are not just a historical lesson.
“The main takeaway I want people to get is to understand that Native folks are still here and they’re still connected to their homelands, despite where they may be living now,” Counts said.
“Homelands” will be featured in the McClung Museum until December 2027. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. The museum is open to students, faculty and non-UT affiliated parties alike.
The museum is also currently working on a digital catalog of “Homelands,” which will be accessible through their website in the future.
For more information, visit the McClung Museum’s website, which features a list of upcoming events hosted by the museum.
“The exhibition features art from all contemporary Native American artists, as they aim to emphasize that Native American people and their cultures are not just a historical lesson.”
Sarah-Nicole Jackson Contributor
SARAH-NICOLE JACKSON Contributor
A mural by artist Starr Hardridge of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. An artistic rendering of pre-Columbian mound sites in Knoxville, depicting the mounds with a river running underneath them. Courtesy of Grayson Martin Media
Sarah J. Maas’s ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ turns fairy tale into fantasy
KACIE BURNS Staff Writer
“A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas has become one of the most praised fantasy books since its release in 2015. Maas’s world-building, fierce heroines and intricate plots in the first book laid the foundation for the series to follow.
Maas is a master of fantasy with other popular series like “Throne of Glass” and “Crescent City.”
“A Court of Thorns and Roses” is the first book in the series. There are currently five books published, with at least one more release coming in the next year.
Maas takes inspiration for the first book from “Beauty and the Beast,” but it is much more than a fairy tale. This fantasy is riskier, full of adventure and more adult than Disney’s classic film.
The book follows Feyre Archeron, a young human girl doing everything she can to support her impoverished family. While trying to keep her family alive, she makes one mistake that changes everything.
The story truly begins when Feyre is taken into the fae world — that is separated from the human world by an invisible wall — by Tamlin, a high fae lord. Everything Feyre ever knew was taken from her and replaced with magic, danger and deadly fae courts.
Beyond the wall, Feyre has to accept her new life in the Spring Court, but soon she is dragged into a deadly curse that has been waging in the fae world for 50 years.
Feyre is the beating heart of “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and is a truly unique heroine. She was never a warrior, but she slowly became one through sheer determination and willpower.
Feyre’s arc is a compelling one, from a weak mortal girl to a fierce woman willing to fight for love and survival. She is fiercely loyal, stubbornly independent and extremely intelligent.
Tamlin, on the other hand, is the classic brooding love interest. Despite his stereotypical character traits, Maas does well to give Tamlin much-needed layers. Tamlin is a protector, but he is also vulnerable and gentle.
The setting is unique and helps set the novel apart from such a saturated genre. Prythian is made up of seven courts, each with its own climate, politics and dangers. Maas uses attention to detail
and intense imagery to make it easy to fall into the world.
Prythian is beautifully deadly, especially for Feyre. Most humans who find a way to enter the fae world never make it back alive.
The emotional stakes are high, Feyre’s journey is not just about surviving but living. She must learn to love and make sacrifices like she has never done before.
The book’s climax comes during her trials under the “Mountain” — a brutal and dark place readers encounter late in the novel. These sequences are gripping and leave readers wanting more.
Pacing can feel slow or uneven for some readers at times, but this first novel is an introduction to a complex world, and that takes time. Additionally, other readers have praised Maas’s willingness to take her time building the world, so they can truly immerse themselves in it.
The book heavily relies on romance rather than plot for most of the book. There isn’t much conflict until the last quarter of the book, but this seems to be a style choice made by Maas that can be seen in many of her books.
Despite these complaints, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” delivers a fantasy like no other that sticks with readers well after the final page. This first installment sets readers up for deeper world exploration and character development in later books.
Maas’s series is technically high fantasy, but it is the perfect read for fantasy veterans and new readers alike.
Rating 4/5
Staff Writer Kacie
ACROSS
1 Kind of blocker 5 Like the Sahara 9 Rolex rival 14 Hollywood's Ken or Lena 15 Playing with a full deck 16 Plant root 17 Draws a bead on 18 Wavering 20 Cheap ship accommodations
22 Youth's inn
23 Inventor Nikola 24 Gas guzzler 26 Enduring 28 Large vases
32 Longtime CBS News host Charles
34 Of the stars
36 Holiday guests, often
37 Petal-plucker's 63 Culture medium 8 Wallace of "E.T."
38 IM sign-off word 64 Herbal
that takes time,” Burns writes. Emma Caskill / The Daily Beacon
Burns reviews Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” the first book of Maas’s series. “Pacing can feel slow or uneven for some readers at times, but this first novel is an introduction to a complex world, and
Crossword by Margie E. Burke
“Every single time we win, it’s very special, especially that I know it helps the whole team,” Parrington said. “But really, just to encompass the whole thing, working with the student-athletes, and it’s not all hunky dory along the way. It’s hard work, and for the coaches and for the studentathletes alike, for everybody involved.”
Part of being a college coach includes shaping the teenagers into adults — turning boys and girls into young men and women.
After over 40 years in the industry, Parrington’s most significant takeaway is not coaching up Olympic champions but instead being a pillar in the lives of many. It’s one of the things that he loves most about the job.
“As they move forward into their lives and continue to actually receive calls from them well into their careers, saying, ‘Hey, thanks for this, thanks for that.’ Or, ‘Can you give me a bit of advice here? What do you think?’ Parrington said. “Being a part of all of their lives, at a very influential part of their lives.”
When Parrington announced his retirement in early April, one of his former divers took to LinkedIn to pay tribute to what he meant to her. Faber dove under Parrington while he was at Houston.
As the executive officer for one of the
world’s largest tech corporations, Faber’s journey began with Parrington. The two spent three seasons together, where his lessons guided Faber to the corporate world.
Risk-taking, a glass-half-full approach, storytelling, empathy and caring about the whole person are all lessons that Faber can take away from Parrington’s coaching approach.
While diving was important, Parrington understood it was not the end-all, be-all for his divers. That’s just who Parrington is as a person.
“He fully cared about diving,” Faber said. “Diving is his life. That’s his life, his mantra. But he realized that we were not going to be diving forever and that very few people become diving professionals. Some go in like Cirque du Soleil or something, but we were going to be professionals in something else. So he always asked about our classes, about our family, about our friends.”
Now, as Faber leads a billionaire global corporation, she can still lean back on lessons she learned in her teenage years, coming from overseas to the States.
“When a team believes they can win when a dive team believes they can dive well, but when a business team believes they can gain market share and grow their business, that is such a critical foundation,” Faber said. “And Dave just always gave us that confidence by telling us what we did well and only then
working on what we didn’t do well.
It was Parrington’s guidance that put Faber on the path to success. As a 17-yearold out of Amsterdam in the pre-internet era, the recruiting pitch to get her to Houston had to leave a lasting impact on Faber’s parents.
Since none of them had ever been to Houston, the Fabers were skeptical of sending their daughter to an unfamiliar region they had just located on an Atlas. For Parrington to get through, he sent a letter to the Fabers’ household inviting them to take a visit.
Rather than coordinating a family visit, her father, Mient Jan Faber, elected to fly himself to Houston to meet with Parrington.
“My dad came home and said there was only one thing in the fridge, which was beer,” Faber said. “My dad and him got along great.”
Hanneke had never been to Houston before enrolling as a student. Her first visit to the city came only when she arrived to begin her studies. The entire journey was made possible by the impact Parrington had on Mient Jan during their visit.
Thirty-seven years later, the impression was not only left on her parents, but it has impacted Faber’s life as a whole.
“He gave me a chance to come here, and it really changed the trajectory of my life,” Faber said. “So I’m extremely thankful.”
Moving forward
Parrington will remain around the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on campus until the end of June before his retirement becomes official. Still, that’s not the end of the road for Parrington’s knowledge.
While he gets out of a collegiate coaching gig, Parrington will not be moving on from the sport entirely. He still plans to offer consulting services. Additionally, he intends to get out and travel, reconnecting with family and friends around the world.
As Parrington walks away from the Allan Jones Aquatic Center, his legacy will endure, not in the banners that hang above the pool, but in the countless lives he’s shaped. His influence goes far beyond the pool deck, cementing his pillar in Tennessee athletics.
When he leaves it behind, it’ll signify the next chapter.
“It’ll be a little sad as I walk out the door, but I’ll be around town, and I’ll be dropping in and that type of thing,” Parrington said. “But it’ll be cool to watch the divers moving forward, trying to get themselves a banner up there as well, and to be a part of such a pretty elite company.”
After 35 years of diving, discipline and devotion to the Tennessee dive program, Parrington isn’t chasing one final accolade. He is living.
1. Samara Spencer (7) fights to get to the basket during the game against Georgia at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Sunday, Mar. 2, 2025. Jayden Randolph / The Daily Beacon
2. novice 8, v48, chatum, grace wolf vs Stanford. March 30, 2025. Bailey Beller / Contributor
