The Daily Beacon

Page 1

Follow us: @DailyBeacon

Intramural paintball, wakeboarding score first at championships T H E

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Paintings in show reveal life of a Civil War confederate

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

PAGE 6

Issue 14 I N D E P E N D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

PAGE 5

http://utdailybeacon.com

Vol. 117 S T U D E N T

PM Thunderstorms 40% chance of rain HIGH LOW 91 76

N E W S P A P E R

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

T E N N E S S E E

McClung to showcase three new exhibits Exhibit parallels world’s focus on Sudan, along with Russian, aesthetically inspired displays Jamie Cunningham Staff Writer McClung Museum is nestled in the heart of Knoxville, but its three new exhibits are taking its visitors on a cultural journey around the world. The museum, named after Frank H. McClung, has its mission to “advance understanding and appreciation of the earth and its peoples through the collection, preservation, study, interpretation and exhibitions,” according to the museum’s website. Jefferson Chapman, McClung Museum director, said the exhibits live up to the museum’s purpose of cultural education. “All of our exhibits are driven by our mission to develop an awareness and appreciation for the earth and its people,” he said. “These exhibits play a part in helping visitors understand and appreciate the world.” The museum is achieving this mission by using funding from UT’s Ready for the World Initiative to showcase three exhibits with artifacts and photographs from every continent. Deborah Woodiel, museum educator and assistant director, said it is important for the museum to open new, interesting exhibits. “We chose the ‘Sudan’ and ‘Russian Icons’ exhibits because we thought students and the local community would be interested in those exhibits,” she said. “They are subjects we have never covered before at the museum, so we are always encouraging people to come back to see the new things we have.” The first new exhibit to open at the museum this summer is “Exhibition of Sudan: The Land and the People,” which features 70 photographs by Michael Freeman, an award-winning photographer who spent more than two years capturing the African country’s culture in photos. The exhibit, which runs until Aug. 28, derives

from former U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Timothy about Sudan will compel the public to take an interCarney and his wife Victoria Butler’s book “Sudan: est in the exhibit. “We hope the news in Sudan will draw interest The Land and the People.” The exhibit, which is organized and traveled by here in Knoxville,” she said. “At the time we signed up for that the Meridian exhibit, we didInternational n’t know that Center in Sudan was Wa s h i n g t o n , going to break D.C., hopes to apart. Since the bring awareness eyes of the to the cultural world will be diversity and focused on beauty of a Sudan and the nation torn by exhibit is here in armed conflict, Knoxville, we drought, famine hope it encourand genocide. ages people to The exhibit is come to the open in museum and Knoxville amid news that Sudan Wade Rackley• The Daily Beacon learn about the is splitting into A small figurine is exhibited as part of the Painted people and the of two separate Metaphors: Pottery and Politics of the Ancient Maya country Sudan.” countries. Last exhibit in McClung Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 22, McClung also week, South Sudan declared 2010. McClung Museum will be hosting three new has an exhibit independence exhibits, two of which feature subjects never before that highlights a of from Sudan and seen in the museum, which has been in operation number Russian icons. became the since the ’60s. “Windows to world’s newest Heaven: Treasures from the Museum of Russian country. Chapman hopes the news headlines will pique the Icons” showcases Russian historical icons that go as public interest and entice more visitors to tour the far back as 1590, including St. Nicholas and Mother of God. exhibit and learn about Sudan and its people. The exhibit, running from Sept. 10 to Jan. 2, 2012, “We make it every effort to keep the exhibit current,” he said. “We keep posted new articles from the was designed to give visitors a brief history of the ‘New York Times’ on Sudan alongside the photo- Russian icons, as well as a brief education about the graphs, so people can learn about the current situa- processes of creating and destroying those icons. While the Sudan and Russian exhibits will not be tion in Sudan.” Woodiel echoes the optimism that news headlines at the museum forever, the museum does have a per-

manent exhibit coming in September. “The Decorative Experience” is a collection of aesthetic objects that represent the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. The exhibit includes objects from different societal structures, including tribal societies of the Americas, the Pacific and Africa. These objects can vary from ceramics to furniture, but more importantly, they encapsulate the culture that used the objects. Woodiel said decorative artifacts are found in all cultures, and the permanent exhibit showcases a variety of different items. “Decorative art can be objects of everyday use, such as carpets and furniture, so most of the objects in the exhibit do have a practical use,” she said. “However, we chose them particularly for their artistic embellishment.” Chapman said the exhibit showcases the importance of aesthetic objects because many societies use decorative art as part of their culture. “We divided it into broad geographic areas, such as the Americas or Africa,” he said. “The underlying design of the exhibit is to show that humans have been embellishing objects for the last 40,000 years. We want to show visitors that these objects are found all around the world.” The exhibit teaches visitors the cultural significance that everyday objects and ceremonial items play in a society. Woodiel said the artifacts were chosen because the museum found them interesting and aesthetically indicative of the culture they come from. “All the pieces were selected because there is something about them that is asthetically important,” she said. The museum plans to provide new cultural exhibits to UT after these exhibits close. “We are getting a diverse amount of exhibit choices coming to McClung in the future,” Chapman said. “We have exhibits booked up to 2013.”

Students encounter neighborliness abroad Anthony Elias Staff Writer What do a Hindu wedding in Bangalore, India, and admiring street graffiti in Berlin, Germany, have in common? For Chelsea Ennis, senior in psychology, who traveled to Bangalore, Karnataka, all it took was a curious eye during a stroll back to her home with friends to change the day’s outcome. “My roommates and I were walking home from classes in Bangalore when we stopped to read a giant sign being created out of flowers,” Ennis said.

“When we stopped to ask about the occasion, we learned that it was for a wedding later that night. We were then invited to attend by the groom’s father.” Ennis and her friends would take the father up on his hospitable offer, and they wouldn’t be disappointed, becoming a part of a marital moment Ennis believed was unlike any American wedding she had ever experienced. “The room where it was held was so full of color,” Ennis said. “The bride wore a bright red sari, and the groom wore a Western-looking tux.” However, the UT psychology student said the fun came after the wedding at the reception. “The most exciting part was definitely the wedding reception, which we were also invited to,” she

said. “We were led down to a giant mess hall sort of room, with rows and rows of seating. We were seated and in front of each seat was a giant banana leaf, which we were to eat off of. The servers walked around serving different food from big buckets straight onto our banana leaf. There was no silverware or napkins, and luckily we had been trained on the etiquette of eating with our hands.” Being the only “Westerners” brought attention to Ennis and her friends. “People would just watch us eat,” she said. “After dinner, we were able to talk with many of the guests. Everyone was just so nice. The hospitality we experienced at a complete stranger’s wedding was unbelievable and really can’t compare to anything I have experienced in the States.” Like the hospitality one UT student experienced in Karnataka, a fellow American student found enlightenment in Berlin, Germany, a city that has embraced its history and has developed a unique culture distinguishing it from its European contemporaries. Eric Gedenk, senior in journalism and electronic media, who traveled to Berlin in May, found the richly historic town hard to compare to any U.S. city. “I haven’t felt a pulse like that,” he said. Whether it was relaxing in the park, observing

families spending time together, admiring Germany’s “unmatched” musical diversity and creative street art graffiti, getting around the city by the “flawless” transportation or the massive amount of outdoor activities Gedenk witnessed, something he has a lot of respect for is seeing children being active. “I think that’s a big problem in the U.S.,” he said. Gedenk said there’s plenty to fill a 24-hour schedule, literally, all without a vehicle. “It’s the little things in Berlin,” Gedenk said, referring to not having to get in a car for almost a month. “You can learn all day long and then spend all night out at concerts and performances,” he said. “There’s so much to do.” Emma McMillan, student assistant in media relations, said Ennis’ return from Bangalore should be around mid-July, but Gedenk is already considering a return back to Berlin any possible way. “I’d love to go back,” Gedenk said. “It wouldn’t take much to get me back there.” While the two countries, India and Germany, are separated by approximately 6,352 miles, according to first-hand study abroad experiences from Ennis and Gedenk, these two experiences about hospitality, artistic ideas and welcoming lifestyles, can be placed into the same neighborhood.

Blackboard bought, future uncertain Robby O’Daniel News and Student Life Editor An investor group, led by Providence Equity Partners, bought the software company Blackboard on July 1. Blackboard, which powers the Online@UT website at http://online.utk.edu, was acquired in a $1.64-billion all-cash transaction. The deal gave Blackboard stockholders $45 per share, which is above the April 18 closing price of $37.16. The purchase was the final note of a process that began in March 2011 when the Blackboard Board of Directors formed a Transaction Committee of independent directors. Scott Studham, UT chief information officer, relayed Blackboard’s message, in the wake of the purchase, about the future of its offerings. “Blackboard has assured its customers that the purchase by Provident Equity Partners will not lead to any significant changes in the offing,” Studham said. “Ray Henderson, the president of Blackboard Learn, says the company does not expect the change in ownership to affect pricing ‘in the foreseeable future.’” Moreover, Studham is optimistic about the future of Blackboard. “We are very pleased with Blackboard on our campus, and the new ownership may lead to some new and interesting innovations, given that the new owners also own Sungard Higher Education,” he said. “It will be interesting to see where that partnership goes.” Bill Hogue, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at the University of South Carolina, echoes Studham’s positive sentiments. “I don’t claim to have a crystal ball, but most George Richardson • The Daily Beacon people I’ve spoken to about the Blackboard acquiIan Cato, freshman in studio art, jams out on a Wurlitzer organ in the Art and sition consider it to be either neutral or good Architecture Building on Friday, Jan. 21. The organ was one of several pieces of art news,” Hogue said. “We do not anticipate signifthroughout the building as part of the Charrette.

icant service changes or price fluctuations beyond what normally would be expected.” The transaction turns Blackboard from a publicly traded company to a privately held one, which raised concerns for another technology officer at another university. According to the July 5 Inside Higher Ed article titled “Blackboard gets bought,” Sam Segran, chief technology officer at Texas Tech University, is uneasy about the transition from public to private. “Any time somebody goes into private equity,” he said in the Inside Higher Ed article, “one of the concerns we have is profit motivation, and less motivation in terms of meeting educational needs.” Lane closures Lanes on Lake Loudoun Boulevard, between Neyland Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way, closed July 12 and will be closed through Aug. 1. Utility workers are upgrading street lights, so one lane northbound and one lane southbound on the boulevard are closed. While the work is being done, the street lights will be inoperable, so the university advises motorists to proceed with caution. The closed roads and traffic lanes due to utility work on the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center were scheduled to be reopened on Monday. Those roads and lanes were closed since July 4. One entrance to Volunteer Hall parking garage closed The White Avenue entrance to the Volunteer Hall parking garage is closed temporarily because of 16th Street and White Avenue construction. Vehicles may enter and exit through the Clinch Avenue entrance during the construction. The construction will last through Friday at the latest.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.