The Daily Beacon

Page 1

Issue 1, Volume 121

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Smooth sailing for Cheek, Roddy speak to incoming freshmen fall move-in day RJ Vogt

News Editor

Blair Kuykendall Editor-in-Chief

The Class of 2016 has officially arrived. Quiet desperation papered the faces of parents and students during move-in last Saturday, but UTPD and the housing staff were calm and cool in the face of the surge. Anxious freshmen spend weeks preparing for move-in day, but when the day finally arrives, all concerns fade save the singular purpose of transferring anything and everything into an allotted 12 ft. by 15 ft. space. The collective rush has potential to escalate into full-blown chaos. The sheer volume of traffic on campus alone can cause gridlock. “It’s been busy,” Brewer Dell, a Campus

Protection Specialist for UTPD, said. “Very busy.” But this was not UTPD’s first time at bat. Though move-in generally takes the form of organized chaos, staff members were satisfied with this year’s performance. “Today has gone lovely,” Jimmy Webb, another member of UTPD, said. “I’ve actually been enjoying it. Not everyone else is, but so far there have been no angry parents.” Webb said that movein traffic picked up at 7:30 a.m., and cars still lined the street into the afternoon. Access to Andy Holt Ave. from Volunteer Blvd. was blocked off, and cars were queued along Volunteer to reach the residence halls and parking garages. See MOVE IN on Page 3

Sorority Village: work in progress

SGA President Adam Roddy had these words to share with the class of 2016: “University traditions provide continuity and a sense of community for scholarship, teaching and learning … The passing of the torch of preparation to our new students is one of our university’s most valued traditions.” With ceremony and electric candles, UT’s new freshman class celebrated Torch Night on August 20th in Thompson-Boling Arena. The tradition dates back to 1925, when Glen Davis established it as a procession to Ayres Hall. Although the method has changed, the freshmen still recognize the event as an important experience. “When I saw the stage, I was excited to be part of the tradition,” said Amy Armendariz, freshman in psychology. A string trio played in the corner as students filed into the arena, and Provost Susan Martin began the evening by presenting a number of awards to upperclassmen. After she had handed out the awards, Vice Chancellor for Student Life Tim Rogers came forward and introduced Chancellor Jimmy Cheek to share a few words with the students. During move-in day, Cheek helped a few freshmen move into their dorms, and he expressed his amazement at the things they brought. “One of the students I helped had a whole bag of sunglasses,” he said to the laughter of 4,200 freshmen. “You truly are an incredible class, the best freshman class this university has ever had,” Cheek said, “and I’ve said that the past three years.” The class of 2016 continues a trend of ever-rising average ACT scores and high school GPAs, bring-

ing with them an average ACT score of 27 and an average high school GPA of 3.89. Chancellor Cheek challenged the freshman on three points: becoming fully engaged at the University of Tennessee, practicing civility to all, and graduating in four years. “Now you may ask the question, ‘Why are you so interested in us graduating in four years?’” Cheek said. “One of our economics professors just did a study … the students who graduate in four years make more money than their counterparts who graduate in five, six, seven, eight, or George Richardson • The Daily Beacon nine,” he explained. Jimmy Cheek speaks to the incoming freshmen class After Cheek’s at Torch Night as part of Welcome Week in speech, he encour- Thompson-Boling Arena on August 15, 2011. aged the students to open envelopes underneath their seats. gave a short history of Torch Night Inside the envelopes, the class of 2016 before beginning the Passing of the found tassels. Cheek said, “I hope you Torch. A student representative from will keep this tassel and not lose it, and in each college lit a candle as the students 2016 or before, I want you to walk across from that college stood and turned on the stage and shake my hand and say, ‘I their electronic candle. “I felt like a part of the student body,” made it.’ And I want all 4,200 of you to Armendariz said. The ceremony concluddo that.” Cheek then introduced Roddy, who ed with the singing of the alma mater.

Preston Peeden Associate Editor This past week, Sorority Village welcomed its first group of residents as three houses opened up for occupancy. Nestled on the edge of campus, the village’s first residents are members of the Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Zeta and Kappa Delta sororities, with Kappa Delta’s opening only coming with the Fire Marshal’s recent approval. These three houses, however, only represent a small portion of Sorority Village’s planned occupants, as there are to be thirteen residential homes and one administrative house that will have a multiple-chapter meeting space. And for those remaining sororities, their members are scattered throughout campus dorms and, in Sigma Kappa’s case (whose expected completion date was delayed by six weeks), a vacated fraternity house. “For five chapters, they’re going to be living in residence halls across campus,” said Jeff Cathey, associate dean of students. “A couple chapters, who knew they weren’t going to be moving in this fall, maintained a floor in Laurel Hall. Others are, honestly, in a variety of locations as Housing has done their best to absorb them… And one chapter is moving into the vacant Phi Gamma Delta house.” See SORORITY WEEK on Page 3

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Freshmen participate in icebreaker games with their Welcome Week team leader in Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, August 18. Many Welcome Week events are going on throughout campus to familiarize new students with UT.

ROTC offers students new experience David Cobb Assistant News Editor

Many of UT’s 4,200 new students leapt into the traditional college experience on Saturday as they moved into their dorm rooms for the 2012-13 academic year. However, for a few of these new Vols, the experience began in a vastly different way. The Rocky Top Battalion, UT’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps,

INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON

welcomed many of its 32 incoming participants with a catered barbeque lunch, a slew of motivational speeches, and a glimpse of the finish line. Lieutenant William Hatch, a recent UT graduate, was commissioned from the program and into the Army as a part of Saturday’s welcoming luncheon for new ROTC students, held at the Stokely Athletic Center. Lieutenant Hatch’s family and friends were on hand to witness the occasion, but it was incoming ROTC

Transfer bolsters receiving corps page 11

Page 2 . . . . . . . . In Short Page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . News Page 4 . . . . . . . . . Opinion Page 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . News Page 6 . . . . Arts & Culture Page 8 . . . . . . . . . . . .Sports Page 10 . . . . . . . . . . .Sports Page 11 . . .The Sports Page

students like Luke Rogers, freshman in sociology, who were most motivated. “That was actually really cool,” Rogers said of Hatch’s commissioning. “I was really glad I got to see that. Everyone knows the goal, we all have that goal, but seeing it come to completion is really inspiring.” Rogers will live in Hess Hall this year and take classes like any other freshman, but according to ROTC cadet Thomas Wasson, senior in political science, the experiences that Rogers and his 31 incoming com-

Greek community benefits charities page 6

rades are about to undergo will be different than that of the typical student. “They’re probably a little overwhelmed,” Wasson said. “You’ve got the whole being a student thing, and then learning to be a soldier part-time. But I’m sure they’re excited, too.” Wasson said that he and the program’s other upperclassmen plan to welcome the new soldiers with open arms as they make the transition into college life. See ROTC on Page 5

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