Friday, September 19, 2014
Issue 19, Volume 127
ANSWERING THE CALL Student attendance soars to new heights in Vols first two contests
Troy Provost-Heron Sports Editor (@TPro_UTDB)
Prior to the Volunteers’ season opener, Butch Jones challenged the student body. Following Tennessee’s victory over Utah State – a contest which housed a sold-out student section – the secondyear head coach issued yet another challenge to the newly named “Rocky Top Rowdies.” Suffice it to say, Jones believes in the importance of student presence. And so far this year, the students have not let him down. Through UT’s first two home games, less than 200 students have been a “no-
show” – people who claimed a football ticket but did not show up to the game – when the Vols played host inside Neyland Stadium. “It’s phenomenal,” Jones said. “We are very indebted to our student body. We love them. We are very appreciative, and we are going to need them as the season continues to progress. “That’s a source of pride, and that’s something that I talk to our team all about. We’re all ‘One Tennessee,’ and we’re all one family that competes on gameday and makes Neyland Stadium a great home field advantage. I really believe college football is part of the collegiate experience and getting the student body actively involved. So, I’m really appre-
Average Number of Students per year in the Student Section
2014 - 10, 741*
ciative, and I’m looking forward to the continuance of not having any no-shows.” The lowly amount of no-shows, however, would not be as a big a deal if the student section were as empty as it has been in past years. In total, the UT Ticket Office sold out its allotment of student tickets for the home opener against Utah State with 10,886 students attending the game – the largest non-conference attendance since the Sept. 3, 2011 game against Montana. The student section followed that up with an attendance number of 10,595 for the Vols following contest versus Arkansas State.
2009 - 7, 402 2013 - 7, 190 2010 - 6, 977 2011 - 6, 792 2012 - 4, 922
*average based on student attendance from first two home games Source:Office of Media and Internal Relations
See ATTENDANCE on Page 6
Cultural fair to bring everyday perspective on Middle East
National Geographic explorers hope to spark interest in adventure Hayley Brundige News Editor (@hayleybrundige)
An adventure awaits you. This Saturday, the National Geographic Society will sponsor two events to promote the Young Explorers Grant program at the University of Tennessee. Awarded to budding researchers, journalists and conservationists between the ages of 18 and 25, the Young Explorers Grant helps cover field project and international travel costs. Registered students will participate in a grant writing workshop with National Geographic Society staff from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the University Center Shiloh Room. Two National Geographic explorers, Kenny Broad and Mark Synnott, will share their experiences and prepare students to write the two page proposal that can put their project ideas in motion.
Broad, whose documentary film expeditions have taken him into some of the world’s deepest caves, and Synnott, who has climbed to some of the world’s highest peaks, will describe their experiences as explorers at 7 p.m. in the UC Auditorium. Hearing about their exploration will move students to have adventures of their own, said Carol Harden, a professor in the Department of Geography. “Even for students who don’t have a plan in mind, I think they’ll be really inspired to look at the world in terms of, ‘What could I do? What could I learn?’” Harden said. So far, only two UT students have received money from the Young Explorers Grant. Yanan “Nancy” Li, a graduate student studying geography, applied for funding to research glaciers in her hometown in northwestern China in 2012. See NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC on Page 2
Heidi Hill Contributor
Nancy Li, a National Geographic Young Explorers grantee, researched glaciers in Northwestern China in the summer of 2012. • Photo courtesy of Dr. Yingkui Li
Sophomore donates blood marrow to cancer patient Chris Salvemini Contributor This year, Tyler Kennel saved a life. Donating bone marrow can be a daunting task, but when Kennel, a sophomore in electrical engineering and brother in the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity, was presented with a request to donate, he didn’t hesitate. After attending a bone marrow drive last year that familiarized him with the blood cancer leukemia, Kennel discov-
@UTKDailyBeacon utdailybeacon.com
ered that, as of 2011, there were approximately 302,000 people living with • Tyler Kennel the disease in the United States. Of these people, only about half are expected to survive beyond five years with the disease. Inspired, Kennel quickly registered in the Be the Match registry, a national database of
willing donors for bone marrow and blood. After having his cheeks swabbed for sample cells, he promptly forgot about the registration. However, a call from the Be the Match organization a few months later was a sharp reminder of the commitment when Keller was told a young boy with a severe blood disease needed his help. When he got the call, Kennel said there was no question of what to do. “I just tried to put myself in his shoes,” Kennel said. “If
Amendment 2 gets put to a vote NEWS >>pg. 2
there was someone out there that could save my life, I would want that.” Leukemia affects a person’s bone marrow, causing it to create more white blood cells than red. These new white blood cells can’t fight infection or stop growing. They eventually crowd out normal blood cells and build up in essential lymph nodes, the liver and the spleen, creating a dangerous imbalance of a person’s blood cells and causing possibly fatal symptoms. As part of the Be the Match’s
confidentiality policy, protecting a donor and recipient’s privacy right, Kennel was only allowed to know the patient’s need: a donation of his bone marrow. “It wasn’t a hard decision because I could save his life,” Kennel said. When he shared his decision with friends and loved ones, everyone around him was supportive, even his professors excused his absences for surgery and recovery. See BYX on Page 2
For and against: America’s involvement in ISIS conflict VIEWPOINTS >>pg. 4
The sands and smells of the Middle East are drifting to Rocky Top. Starting at 3 p.m. Friday, Professors Robert and Erin Darby, directors of UT’s Dig Jordan study abroad program, will head “Engaging Arabia,” a weekend-long series of lectures, presentations and cultural events based off the Arabian culture. The Arab Cultural Fair will take place as a complement to the lectures, exposing both UT students and Knoxvillians to Arabic music, food, crafts and dance demonstrations by Dendarah Middle Eastern Dance Company. “If you want to understand the region, you have start with understanding that these are human beings. ... They eat, they sleep, they rejoice, they mourn. They react to their government in different ways, they react to each other in different ways,” Erin Darby said. “Anybody who isn’t presenting a picture of the Middle East as a complicated picture isn’t presenting the truth.” In partnership with UT’s Ready for the World initiative, the academic symposium will span a slew of topics, including a keynote lecture from North Carolina State professor Thomas Parker, who will discuss the under-researched relationship between the Roman military and the Arabic community during the Late Empire. See FESTIVAL on Page 3
Daily Beacon staff weighs in on this weekend’s games SPORTS >>pg. 6