‘International Village’ crosses borders
‘The Beaconder’
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Thursday, August 22, 2013
Issue 02, Volume 123
‘The T’ unveils orange-clad fleet Emilee Lamb Assistant News Editor It is hard to miss the bright orange buses now rolling around campus. After a summer of breaking in the fresh fleet of wheels, the Department of Parking and Transit Services is ready to introduce the new “T” Transit System. “There were a couple of factors that led to us wanting to make the change with the transit system,” said Mark Hairr, director of Parking and Transit Services. “One was more flexibility in the services offered to the students and the campus.” By separating from the Knoxville city transit system and using an independent contractor, the university administration can exercise more control over campus bus affairs. “That’s helpful to be able to make changes, like on a route that may be affected by construction,” Hairr said. Independently operated and with a fresh, fluorescent new look, the university’s most
Janie Prathammavong • The Daily Beacon
Janie Prathammavong • The Daily Beacon
Students rush to board the new “T” buses on Wednesday afternoon. The new line began running full-time on June 3.
The original Kat Bus continues to provide transportation for students around Knoxville.
recent investment is a distinct departure from the campus transit system of years past. “They’re all brand new buses, basically just a few weeks old,” Hairr said. “They are all branded with the same look, so you know what is a ‘T’ service bus.” It would be hard to mistake the new buses with their Knoxville Area Transit counterparts, relieving any confusion
that prevailed under the previous system. “I betray my school by saying this, but I don’t think anybody’s really a fan of orange,” said Emily Gregg, a sophomore triple majoring in French, biology and political science. “I have mixed feelings because I don’t like loud designs. I think it’s kind of cluttered, but that’s just the outside. The inside is quite
nice.” Color aside, “T” bus riders can expect other differences between the old system and the new. One of the most useful reforms is the addition of a bus tracker app. Within the UT mobile application, students can now glance at their smartphone and see exactly where the buses are on campus at any given time.
“I think the greatest advantage, certainly, is knowing when the bus will come,” Hairr said. “This will be particularly important in the evening. That way you can actually wait inside until you see the bus coming around the corner, literally.” Summer school students and faculty had the chance to trial the new technology first-hand. “I have appreciated that now
we can track the buses instead of just anticipating their supposedly imminent arrival,” Gregg said. On the buses themselves, users will find a host of upgrades intended to increase convenience, including a bike rack, USB charging stations and mobile handicap accessibility. Please see BUSES on Page 5
Haslam music building debuts Gabrielle O’Neal Staff Writer After three years, the wait is officially over for music students at UT. In July, UT’s School of Music completed its move to the newly constructed Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, located at the intersection of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Head Summitt Street. And that unveiling has been music to ears of students and faculty. “I cannot properly put into words my feelings about this new building,” Andrew Skoog, associate professor of voice in the School of Music said. “It is beyond anything I had expected it to be. This building will be a boon for the School of Music and will allow us to recruit the best students. It will also serve us well as we continue to add programs to our curriculum in the future.” According to Skoog, a new music building was in talks for years before development began. “When I first heard that the building project was moving forward, I suppose I was somewhat skeptical,” said Skoog, who begins his 11th year
at UT this fall. “From the time of my appointment at UT in 2003, there were rumors floating around that the School of Music was high on a priority list for a new building, but every year it seemed to get pushed back. “I knew that our director of the School of Music at the time, Roger Stephens, had a real vision and a passion to make a new building project a reality.” The center includes the 400-seat Sandra Powell Recital Hall, George F. DeVine Music Library, band room and office suite, eight technology-enhanced academic classrooms, three computer labs, a recording/mixing lab and many other amenities. In addition, the music center was able to complete the Steinway Initiative by having over 90 percent of its pianos made by the worldrenowned company. More than 100 new pianos have been added this summer. “This is the most remarkable thing I have ever been in,” said Elizabeth Ream, junior in music education. “We used to be cramped up in Dunford (Hall).”
Tennessee may have added “Smokey Gray” to the color scheme in its jersey repertoire, but there’s one dark portion of uniform attire that newcomers in the football program cannot wait to get rid of. All freshmen and transfers on the team are required to wear a black stripe down the center of their helmets at practice until their “big brother,” an upperclassmen at their position, on the team deems them worthy of removing it. It is a reminder of what they have yet to accomplish, and the only way to have it
removed is through a considerable display of work and improvement on the practice field as well as mental development. “It’s what we started years ago, and we’ll keep it until as long as we’re together. It’s special,” said UT offensive line coach Don Mahoney, who has coached with Vols head coach Butch Jones previously at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. On Aug. 8, redshirt sophomore safety Brian Randolph removed freshman cornerback Cameron Sutton’s stripe, making Sutton the first Vol to achieve the feat under Jones. Although fall camp has
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wrapped up, just eight players have had their stripes removed and undergone the initiation of sorts that follows. With stripe removal comes special recognition in a team meeting and a chance to address the team. “It’s really exciting when the players get up there and it’s really emotional, because guys come into this program and they get the helmet, get the uniform, and then you say ‘whoa, you’ve got to earn their stripe,’” Mahoney said. “So when that stripe comes off the helmet, you can see the pride those kids have when that happens in the team meeting.” Please see STRIPES on Page 8
I-House programs break down cultural barriers Staff Writer
UT newcomers earn their initiation privileges David Cobb
Students from various ages and backgrounds excitedly perform the line dance to “Cupid Shuffle” outside the I-House at Beyond the Borders.
Hayley Brundige
Please see MUSIC BUILDING on Page 7
Burning their stripes Sports Editor
Janie Prathammavong • The Daily Beacon
Tuesday night, the International House hosted a Welcome Week event called “Beyond the Borders.” Gathering in the parking lot outside the I-House, about 150 students of various ages and backgrounds milled around, dancing to songs like “Gangnam Style” and sampling a variety of food from countries around the world. “This is a great event because it isn’t targeted directly at international students,” said Kelsey Lavigne, a graduate student in college student personnel and intern at the International House. “It brings international and American students together so that they can really meet, make friends and expand their way of thinking. I think that’s something that is special and not always easy to do.” The event attempted to mix cultural education with entertainment. “Beyond the Borders allows international students as well
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as students from UT to come and try flavors from all over the world,” said Thuy Pham, a Master’s student studying public policy and administration and currently working at the I-House. “We have quesadillas from Mexico, samosas from India, egg rolls from China, Thai donuts, seaweed pancakes from Korea and bubble tea from Taiwan.” Pham, a VietnameseAmerican student, is one of three graduate assistants that work at the I-House. The small staff also includes an associate director and 12 undergraduate students. Despite the limited staff, Pham says the I-House is one of the most active organizations on campus. “It’s a very small department that we run, but we do a lot of programming,” Pham said. “We have a lot of events and are very involved on campus.” In addition to special events, the I-House has three ongoing programs that occur weekly throughout the school year. One simple, yet popular initia-
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tive is called “The Friendship Program.” “In ‘The Friendship Program,’ we pair up an international student with an American student. It’s very low commitment,” Pham said. “Basically the pairs meet once a week and just become buddies. But the bonds that can form from this program can be really strong and longlasting.” Another event, labeled “Language Tables,” features a laid-back approach to learning a second language. Instead of practicing in what might be a tense classroom environment, students come to the I-House and converse with native speakers in a more natural setting. “This program is amazing, it’s peer teaching,” Pham said. “A student will come in and teach Italian or Chinese or Spanish to anyone who wants to learn about it. It’s really relaxed and a lot of the professors from the foreign language department have been noticing their students going to the I-House to learn.” Please see I-HOUSE on Page 3