The Daily Beacon

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Reality TV poses danger to culture

Ducks run by Vols in second half

Monday, September 13, 2010

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Issue 18

E D I T O R I A L L Y

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://dailybeacon.utk.edu

Vol. 115

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

N E W S P A P E R

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

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T E N N E S S E E

Pearl, staff mislead NCAA investigation

George Richardson • The Daily Beacon

UT basketball coach Bruce Pearl, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and athletic director Mike Hamilton address the media on Friday, Sept. 10. Hamilton announced penalties inflicted on Pearl and his staff for providing misleading information to NCAA investigators.

Zac Ellis Editor-in-Chief UT athletics director Mike Hamilton announced Friday that basketball coach Bruce Pearl and other members of his staff admitted to providing misleading and inaccurate information to the NCAA during ongoing investigations regarding the Tennessee athletics programs. In investigations ongoing since April 2009 surrounding improper telephone calls and contact with recruits, Pearl and his staff admitted to lying to NCAA investigators during the process’s questioning. Hamilton said Pearl came forward to admit such actions and provide

the correct information, though details of the misleading information could not be discussed. “People make mistakes, and we all make them,” Hamilton said. “I’ve made them. I make plenty. Bruce made one mistake in this incident, and he came forward to correct it. “I’m glad he’s our basketball coach. This is a tough time, but we’re going to get through it together as an institution, as a basketball staff and as an athletics staff.” Though the NCAA did not lay down any official consequences as of Sunday, Hamilton announced a list of self-imposed penalties the university inflicted on Pearl and his staff. Pearl’s current salary will be reduced by 25 percent, from $2 million to $1.5 million, with an extra $1 million cut from the next four

years of his contract for a total compensation reduction of $1.5 million. Associate head coach Tony Jones and assistant coaches Steve Forbes and Jason Shay will each also experience salary reductions o-f 25 percent effective Oct. 1, 2010. In addition, Hamilton barred all four UT coaches from off-campus recruiting until specified dates ranging from Dec. 23, 2010, to Sept. 23, 2011. These self-imposed penalties join a list of consequences already handed down by Hamilton earlier in the investigation, including reductions in official recruiting visits, telephone calls and off-campus recruiting opportunities. See BRUCE on Page 5

Expert to offer grad school entry tips Rally meant to encourage reflection Blair Kuykendall Staff Writer

UT students are hard at work this fall, striving toward the ultimate goal of graduation. But what comes next? While some students will launch directly into the job market, others will be competing with their peers once again to receive a nod from one of many prestigious graduate programs across the country. So the question at hand is once again, what sets each one apart? What achievements, recommendations and activities will colleges be looking for on a resume? Donald Asher will present his approach to graduate school application, specifically how to gain entrance to competitive programs around the country, on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Asher is a highly respected authority on graduate admission and prolific author, with many of his 12 publications focusing on graduate school choice and admission. “We chose Mr. Asher because of his expertise on the topic of graduate admissions and the fact that he has spoken on this topic for 16 years at UT and always receives rave reviews from our students,” Stephanie Kit, associate director of Career Services, said. His work has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal and in articles published on MSN.com. Professional journals like the National Association of Colleges and Employers have displayed his work as well. Strategies for graduate school entrance are obviously prevalent and varied, but some tips ring true across sources and veterans of the system. “In this program, Donald Asher will be covering topics such as the timeline to apply for graduate programs, how many schools you should apply to, tips for writing per-

sonal statements, admissions interviews, information about what graduate programs are looking for in terms of the candidates they admit and funding opportunities,” Elizabeth Pallardy, coordinator for the Career Exploration Center, said. The first and most serious recommendation is to start early. Everyone wants to get into an excellent graduate program as well, so what makes individuals different? This is one of the key points that Asher stresses, specifically requesting freshmen attendance. “It is not necessary for students to prepare in advance,” Pallardy said. “In fact, Asher encourages freshmen to attend, because he will suggest ways students can become competitive applicants for graduate school, starting in their first year of college.” It takes a great deal of time and effort to compile a competitive graduate school resume, and students should take this into consideration as they progress in their studies. “I think some students underestimate the amount of time it takes to put together a good application and a well written personal statement,” Kit said. Starting early provides a jump on the competition. By focusing early on maintaining a high GPA, cementing relationships with professors and having a concrete goal in mind, the likelihood of graduate school admissions greatly increases. As far as the general performance of UT students moving on to outstanding graduate school programs, results are mixed. “Anecdotally, I’ve heard of UT students getting into very top-notch programs in their fields,” Kit said. “It really depends upon the background of each student who applies.”

Personal aspiration will go a long way toward furthering success in the submission process. Primarily, it’s necessary for students to figure out how best to begin their own application journey. “(Students should come) to learn not only the basics of the graduate admission process, but also ways to set yourself apart and be more competitive,” Kit said. “It’s a chance to hear about this topic from an expert in the field. Don Asher is a very entertaining and engaging speaker, and I think many students will feel motivated if they attend his seminar.” The seminar could perhaps help attendees avoid some common graduate snares as well, since many students end up making costly mistakes in the process of applying. Some common mistakes include “going to graduate school for the ‘wrong’ reasons, not doing enough research on the degrees and institutions of interest and failing to prepare for graduate school from freshman year forward,” Kit said. The seminar could be a wake-up call for some students, who may need to be made aware of the basic requirements for graduate school. “Typically you need a strong GPA, good test scores and relevant experience to get admitted into graduate school, so you have to prepare for that as early as possible,” Kit said. And, as always, personal motivation is the most important factor. “Graduate school is a competitive process,” Pallardy said. “And it is important that students prepare early if they are thinking of going. Admission is really dependent on that student’s individual application (including experience, grades, test scores, letters of recommendation, etc.).”

Robby O’Daniel Recruitment Editor When Jessica Magers-Rankin, one of the student organizers behind the Peace Party on the Pedestrian Mall on Friday, noticed that one of their signs said, “Love is the protest,” she gave instructions to take down the sign. “It’s not a protest,” she said to another organizer. “... Can we get rid of ‘love is the protest’? Put something in front of it, because this isn’t a protest.” The common word of the Peace Party — an event to promote peace and acceptance across groups of people — was “love.” Signs simply saying, “love,” donated from another organization’s rally, adorned the event’s section of the Pedestrian Mall, and other signs said “love our nation,” “love our troops” and “love our campus.” Magers-Rankin, senior in religious studies, and Whitney Buchanan, senior in religious studies and anthropology, came up with the idea for the Peace Party outside of a bathroom near the anthropology department, mere days before the event. “I ran into Whitney outside of a bathroom on campus and had just had this idea an hour before and was like, ‘We have to do something,’” Magers-Rankin said. “We have to plan some sort of peaceful event to encourage people to think about love and peace and equality and supporting each other, regardless of our political views, religious views, all of that.” She had read newspaper articles about the mosque at Ground Zero and the controversy surrounding a Florida pastor and burning the Quran. “I really believe in religious freedom,” she said. “I think it’s one of the important principles that our great nation was founded on, and it really saddened me that a lot of this was surrounding 9/11.” She said it was an event to pay tribute. “It is a Peace Party,” she said. “We’re here to celebrate and commemorate all Americans and especially those who have given their lives or lost their lives or been affected by intolerance of any kind.” So, the event came together thanks to student organizers and groups on campus, like the Religious Studies Association, Amnesty International at UTK, Gamma Sigma Sigma, the Anthropology Association and the Jazz for Justice Project. Religious Studies Department Head Rosalind Hackett was one of those who got involved. “Clearly there was a groundswell of belief and opinion that students wanted to do something to take a stand on this rising tide of religious intolerance,” Hackett said. People at the event carried balloons with messages like “religious freedom,” “give peace a chance” and “peace is for all.” “I feel like you can’t get much more peaceful than balloons,” Buchanan said. She said the idea for balloons came from Hackett, and balloons were donated from Party City. The balloons came in yellow to symbolize peace. Magers-Rankin said she hoped the event helped bring people together. “I’m hoping to encourage people to think about love and peace and to not be so divisive,” MagersRankin said. “I would really like to see less of an ‘us-versus-them’ mentality amongst all different groups. We align ourselves with different groups, but that doesn’t mean that your group is less important or less valid than mine.”

Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon

Students take balloons as part of the Peace Party that was held on the Pedestrian Mall on Friday, Sept.10. The Party had a number of organizations partnering to commemorate Sept. 11 in a peaceful setting, after reports of a Florida pastor’s plans to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the attacks aired.


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