The Daily Beacon

Page 1

Partly Cloudy with a 60% chance of rain HIGH LOW 85 74

Warpaint to play at Pilot Light

Fourth-round pick Andrew Toles chooses UT baseball

Thursday, August 19, 2010

PAGE 11 T H E

Issue 02

E D I T O R I A L L Y

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

PAGE 9

http://dailybeacon.utk.edu

Vol. 115

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

Revamped Torch Night welcomes freshmen Alyce Howell Staff Writer Torch Night, part of UT’s annual Welcome Week celebration, has evolved this year to allow more students to participate. “SGA’s main event (during Welcome Week) is to help host Torch Night, which was completely reorganized and extremely successful this year,” said SGA President Tommy Jervis. The first Torch Night was held on Oct. 9, 1925, because students were interested in creating more traditions to become a part of the lifestyle on campus. The old tradition held that the freshman class would present themselves to the seniors at Ayres Hall and take an oath of loyalty and pledge allegiance to the university. Afterwards, a chosen senior representative passed the Torch of Preparation to a chosen freshman representative, signifying the inclusion of the freshman class into the student body. Torch Night is still a strong tradition on campus, but this year it came a little earlier than usual. Instead of having Torch Night during

year, including Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt, who led a verse of “Rocky Top.” Chancellor Jimmy Cheek gave the keynote speech to the student body, and Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor, announced the recipients of different scholarships. Close to 3,200 students attended Torch Night and the Freshman Picnic that was held afterward. Traci Leonard, vice chancellor of student affairs, said that though the date was different this year, Torch Night tradition has stayed the same. “I believe that freshmen and others attending the ceremony realize the tradition and significance of the event as past attendees have,” she said. “The unchanging theme of welTara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon coming new students to Chancellor Jimmy Cheek addresses students at Torch Night in Thompson-Boling Arena earlier this week. Held campus and passing the as a part of Welcome Week, Torch Night serves to welcome students to a new year at UT. Torch of Preparation is as relevant in 2010 as it was in change came last year from main groups would be in help instill a greater sense of benefit of all students. This 1925, when Torch Night allowed them to come and began, and it gives incoming SGA members Mark Moore, attendance: IFC, Panhellenic pride into UT students. “I’m happy to say that the participate in a special tradi- students a broad introducjunior in biological sciences, and Ignite Teams. This was tion to tradition, ceremony, and Avery Howard, SGA stu- definitely not encompassing attendance was at least three tion to start of the year.” Many special guests community and celebration.” a great number of incoming times as large as years past,” dent services director. Howard said. “We were able attended Torch Night this “We felt that, at the time students.” the first week of September, it was held Aug. 15 at Thompson-Boling Arena. The proposal for the date

it was being held, it limited the number of students that came to the event,” Howard said. “In years past, three

Howard said that he believed the change would not only allow for greater attendance, but it would also

Fair to showcase student groups Representatives from the Student Government Association and the Student Orientation Leadership and Development will also be attending this year’s fair. Avery Howard, student services director, said he appreciStudents will be able to meet with some of UT’s organizaates the InVOLvement Fair every year. tions at the InVOLvement Fair, held at the Pedestrian Mall “I enjoy this on Friday. aspect of student The fair begins at engagement on cam10 a.m. and lasts pus,” Howard said. until 2 p.m. “Students can look The event is hostforward to receiving ed by the Office of information from difStudent Activities, ferent student which is involved in groups and offices coordinating several around campus.” events for Welcome The event is one Week at UT. of the most informaColin Spaulding, tive showings during graduate assistant to Welcome Week for the Office of Student different aspects of Activities, said that campus life, he said. the fair is one of the “Students should first chances for stuattend to learn more dents to see what about campus they want to become resources and ways affiliated with at UT. to get involved,” He added that it is Howard said. “This also a great place to is the perfect oppormeet new people on tunity to get started campus. at the beginning of “Participating in the year with differstudent organizaTia Patron • The Daily Beacon tions is one of the Students walk up Pedestrian Mall during class change for the first day of ent organizations. best ways to get fall semester on Wednesday. On Friday, the Mall will host the You can come and involved on campus InVOLvement Fair, a chance for students to meet campus organizations. see what interests you and how to get and to have a great involved.” year,” Spaulding said. Student organizations that consider themselves a min“All students, both new and returning, should stop by the istry, such as Love United Gospel Choir, use the fair as a way InVOLvement Fair to see what UT has to offer.” Spaulding said more than100 groups and organizations to encourage students spiritually. Amber Ingram, vice president of Love United Gospel have registered to participate. Choir, said this fair gives their choir an opportunity to meet “All types of organizations on campus will be represented, including campus ministries, sport clubs, SGA, the com- students as well as other organizational leaders. “Our members enjoy reaching out to students to help othmittees that make up the Central Programming Council, acaers gain spiritual development,” Ingram said. “It’s very demic organizations and many, many other types,” he said. About 75 student organizations participated in the fair important to maintain a balanced life as a college student as last year, Spaulding said, and it was even beneficial to well as spiritually. We help students to strive in a positive returning students at UT, not just the incoming freshman. direction.” In the event of rain, the location will be moved from the The fair gives returning students a chance to join different Pedestrian Mall to the UC Ballroom. organizations and see something they might have missed from previous years.

Donesha Aldridge Staff Writer

to make this event more inclusive to all students. We are here as student leaders and administrators, for the

Hotline offers assistance to distressed staff Robby O’Daniel Recruitment Editor A new hotline for UT employees to call if they worry about themselves or others launched on Aug. 9. Taking a cue from the university’s distressed student hotline, 974-HELP, the new employee hotline, 946-CARE, was created so staff members could get help for themselves or others in the community. “(It’s) just the idea that we thought we needed to do a better job to make sure our staff had adequate resources,” Mary Lucal, human resources employee relations counselor, said. Lucal said the hotline spun out of a need that staff saw on campus. “We had a number of what I would call critical incidents over the last couple of years that really highlighted in our minds the need for us to make sure we take time out to care for each other,” Lucal said. “... There were people really struggling with personal and work issues and could have a personal crisis that we might be able to offer them resources to assist with.” She said the hotline is partially for those who don’t know where to go with their problems. “A number of employees aren’t aware of what tools are available to assist them and don’t know where to turn,” Lucal said. “Part of the goal of this program is to say, ‘If you don’t know where to turn, call and we’ll do the best we can to assist you.’” A number of events, like the shootings at Virginia Tech, as well as the current economic climate, have provided what Lucal calls flashpoints that create a context where the hotline is needed. And those that have co-workers who have a change in demeanor, depression, a fixation on weapons, anger, paranoia or social isolation may call the hotline as well. Two human resource employees, Lucal and Michael Herbstritt, are the primary receivers. They are backed up by a trained group of additional human resource employees. Lucal stressed the importance of having trained workers staffing the hotline. Lucal has received positive feedback to the hotline, and now the process of marketing it, including presenting it to the Faculty Senate, begins. Linda Francisco, part of the backup staff answering the hotline from human resources, said she has not worked on a hotline before, but she’s confident in her abilities. “We’ve been well trained,” she said. “We have lots of good resources that we can use. So even though I’ve not worked on one before, I feel that I’ve been given the tools to help people.” Francisco said she loves the program. “Every time I see one of the cards or something up talking about the UT CARES program, I’m just filled with pride that UT cares about its employees the way we do,” she said.


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.