Issue 15, Volume 121
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Student advocacy group lobbies legislature RJ Vogt News Editor If Capitol Hill hears from Knoxville this fall, it may not only be strains of Rocky Top on Saturday afternoons. UT Advocacy, a growing grassroots network made up of students, alumni, faculty and staff, is working to increase and strengthen UT’s voice in the state government. “In the past, UT officials have said ‘Don’t worry students, we’ll take care of the lawmakers,’” Terry Nowell, SGA vice president said. “UT Advocacy establishes a network of students that are able to lobby to those lawmakers.” The program launched in February of this year at the Alumni Legislative Council, but the idea stems from alumni and system-wide UT organizations. “The need for advocacy is widely recognized by both the alumni and the system,” Carey Smith, assistant director for advocacy in the UT Office of Government Relations and Advocacy, said. One of the first projects they have undertaken is a survey,
administered to all legislative candidates running in the November general elections. The questions on the survey focus on issues of higher education, such as guns on campus and funding. According to advocacy.tennessee.edu, the homepage of UT Advocacy, the survey asks questions like “Would you oppose or favor efforts to cap, freeze, or place other constraints upon tuition?” “The survey is something that we wanted to do for the general election,” Smith said. “Quite often on the campaign trail, these questions don’t get asked.” Survey results will be posted on Oct. 1, in time for constituents to review before early voting opens on Oct. 17. Smith hopes the candidates’ answers resonate with voters. “It’s up to the individual how this information informs their voting in November,” Smith said. Although the survey is a big project for UT Advocacy, the group looks forward to January when the new legislative session begins. The office tracks 800-900 • Photo courtesy of UT Advocacy bills, lobbying for UT and postsecondary education in general. State Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson shakes hands with President Joe DiPietro during the UT Day on the Hill event in Nashville on March 13. UT Advocacy is a group of staff, alumni and students seeking to promote the University’s values in the legislature. See ADVOCACY on Page 3
Foreign Policy Week continues UT split over Blair Kuykendall Editor-in-Chief Dr. James P. Todhunter kicked off Foreign Policy Week with his lecture, “A Historical Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy and Contemporary Debates,” in the I-House on Monday evening. Todhunter shared his thoughts on the outlook of American foreign relations after a concise review of the nation’s historical policies. “The U.S. hasn’t come to an answer in the role it will play in the post Sept. 11 world yet,” Todhunter said. “How is it going to engage, and how much should it engage? I think those are some of the debates we will see discussed over the course of this week.” U.S. Foreign Policy Week is a project shared between the Baker Center, the Department of Political Science and the Center for International Education. Todhunter was slated to bring every-
one up to speed on some of the issues American policymakers have faced and will face moving forward. “I hope to ask some questions that the speakers the rest of the week can answer,” Todhunter said. Students turned out to get a firmer handle on the context surrounding America’s foreign relations. “Dr. Todhunter did a fantastic job surveying the evolution of American foreign policy since the creation of the republic, as well as situating modern foreign policy issues within the context of the upcoming elections," Amanda Sanford, graduate student in political science, said. Todhunter recounted American foreign policy back to the nation’s advent. “The Founding Fathers started asking how the U.S. should identify with the rest of the world almost immediately after the Constitution was signed,” Todhunter said.
He traced the development of foreign policy through its many stages, specifically detailing the U.S.’s transition out of unilateralism. Todhunter focused on the motivations underlying policy choices. “The United States did engage with other countries, but it did so very selectively and opportunistically,” Todhunter said. At the end of the lecture, Todhunter provided brief commentary on President Obama’s policy doctrine. “After the 2010 midterms ... you see a more cautious and pragmatic President Obama. The public wants the president to focus domestically, on the economy.” Foreign Policy Week continued with a lecture by Dr. Brandon Prins on global security last night. Dr. Tony Spiva and Dr. Jon Shefner will speak on globalization in the Baker Center at 6 p.m. tonight.
2012 election Deborah Ince Staff Writer With the United States 2012 presidential race in full swing, this year’s elections are getting mixed reviews at UT, as some students believe the outcome is critical for America’s future while others call the elections lackluster and irritating. The American financial crisis is the predominant issue affecting students’ voting decisions. Add to that the varying political and ideological viewpoints each student maintains, and the responses to this year’s elections are extremely diverse. Many students are confident in their party selections and have already made a decision as to which presidential candidate they will support. Others are unsure of which direction they will cast their ballot, while some are refusing to vote entirely. Justin Hickerson, president of UT’s College Republicans, will vote for Mitt Romney in this year’s elections. After comparing the candidates’ political records, Hickerson says that his endorsement of Romney stems from his confi-
dence that the Republican candidate will create jobs and reverse America’s financial deficit. “We need to elect Mitt Romney because he is serious about the economy and our nation’s debt,” Hickerson said. “Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s slogan is ‘America’s Comeback Team.’ I feel confident that they will create jobs in America, reign in the debt and put America on the right track again.” Kasey Piarrot, judge for the Tennessee Speech and Debate Society, says that she is unsure if she will vote in the upcoming election. “I’m not sure,” Piarrot said. “I’ve gone back and forth, because on a financial level I agree with the Republicans, but on basically all other topics I lean left. I just need to look into some more things, I think.” Nathan Johnston, senior in journalism and electronic media, says that he will not be voting in this election due to his disagreement with the structural set-up of the American voting process. See VOTING on Page 2
Car slams into Sunspot Blair Kuykendall Editor-in-Chief Police were called to the Strip at around 5:06 p.m. Tuesday evening when a Mercury Sable careened into Sunspot Restaurant. “Somebody ... got clipped into oncoming traffic. He tried to avoid it, hopped up the curb and right into our Sunspot window ... and door frame,” David Watson, Sunspot server, said. “If he had been maybe four inches to the left, he would have Emily DeLanzo • The Daily Beacon taken out the entire gas main. No one was injured, except A car rammed into the exterior of Sunspot on the Strip Tuesday evening. The Police Department reported that for one bicycle,” Watson said. no one was injured, but the main entrance of Sunspot and multiple bikes were damaged.
According to the police report, the car was driven by an unidentified white male. The driver was reportedly turning left out of the Tin Roof parking lot. His car collided with a Nissan Maxima traveling east. “He had had a margarita within a three-hour span before he left,” Jessie Walker, Tin Roof server, said of the driver. “He was not overserved. He is one of our regulars though.” The Sunspot is expected to reopen tommorow for lunch. “No $2 pints tonight, unfortunately,” Watson said.