09 25 14

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What the frack? NEWS >>pg. 2

@UTKDailyBeacon

Editorially independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee since 1906

utdailybeacon.com

Photographer captures world of pure imagination

Thursday, September 25, 2014

ARTS & CULTURE >> pg. 3

Issue 26, Volume 127

Redefining right: sexual assault policy under revision Hayley Brundige News Editor (@hayleybrundige)

Week two: laying the foundation. After meeting last week for introductions, members of the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Task Force convened Tuesday to examine UT’s current sexual assault and misconduct policies and begin crafting a new, more comprehensive policy.

Made up of more than 20 UT students, faculty, staff and UTPD officials, the task force will meet a total of seven times this semester. The meetings are open to the public and feedback from the university community is welcome as the task force reviews the interim policy currently in place. Nickie Hackenbrack, a senior in biological sciences and co-chair of Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee, is one of the four undergraduate students on the task force.

Mother Nature speaks through Smoky Mountains

Hackenbrack stressed the importance of students contributing to the conversation. “This is directly involved in students’ college experience,” Hackenbrack said. “Any student can be a victim of sexual assault and any student may have to be an active bystander ... So, this is important for everyone to understand what we expect of our students.” During its second meeting, the task force discussed the policies and provisions that are required by law to be

included in the final product. Matthew Scoggins, an attorney and general counsel for UT, outlined the basic sexual assault regulations set by Title IX, Title VII, the Clery Act, FERPA, the Tennessee Public Records Act and regulations from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. Scoggins has been working to implement policy changes since 2011 in response to increased national emphasis on campus sexual assault,

Self-exploration on display

Emilee Lamb

and said the university is changing its policies proactively, not in reaction to a lawsuit or investigation. “It’s important for people to understand that we’re not acting so that we don’t get audited but that this is an important issue that needs to be addressed,” Scoggins said. “The federal government certainly has put it in the spotlight and so we’ve been using their guidance as well as we go through this process.” See UPDATE on Page 2

‘Looser’ Vereen looking to continue improvement with Georgia matchup

Chief Copy Editor

Dargan Southard It’s a story more than a billion years in the making. Home to more natural diversity than the entirety of Northern Europe and home-away-from-home to more than 9 million visitors every year, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s hazy peaks stand at the summit of the United States national park system. Since the early 20th century, the nation’s most widely visited recreation area has rested in Knoxville’s backyard, begging residents to come out and play. “Being able to experience this great, eastern forest is just such a unique experience,” Dana Soehn, park spokesperson, said. “You almost just feel like you’re enveloped in this cathedral of trees that you may not experience at some of the other parks out west. It’s just a different sort of a place.” Established in 1934, the current 800 square mile park encompasses a section of one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. The Appalachians stand sentinel along the eastern coast of North America, stretching 1,500 miles from Newfoundland to Alabama and climbing to 6,684 feet at their highest peak on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. The mountains tell stories of geological metamorphosis, earthshaking crust movement and battering forces of erosion. The 30,000 to 80,000 plant and animal species scientists estimate reside in the Great Smoky National Park tell the story of life seemingly uninterrupted by modernity. For Collin Bell, staff member at the UT Outdoor Program, this biological story is what brings the beauty of the mountains to life. “Take a look at this ceiling here. It’s all painted just one color,” Bell mused. “If you go outside you can see each individual blade of grass and that blade of grass has taken literally millions of years to evolve. You see the history of the world in everything you look at.”

Assistant Sports Editor (@dsouth16)

Sterling Goller-Brown is a senior in 2D studio art. Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon

Student exhibit to express vulnerability, ambiguity Kelsey Cotton Contributor On the fourth floor of the Art and Architecture Building, some of UT’s most creative minds are hard at work. The floor and walls of Studio 419 are littered with empty tubes of paint, while the walls are lined with brightly colored canvas. This is where Sterling GollerBrown, a senior in 2D studio art, develops his artistic vision. Like most college freshman, Goller-Brown entered UT without a clear idea of what he wanted to study. In fact, before coming to UT, the last art class he took was in elementary school. Instead, it was his adolescent love for street art which

eventually led him to UT’s art program. “I was into street art and graffiti and stuff, like just on my own,” Goller-Brown said. “That kind of was the avenue that led me to start noticing fine art and what would be considered real painting.” Goller-Brown will display his work at Gallery 1010 Friday along with art by his studiomate, Ian Cato. The show is entitled “Boomslang,” an invented term describing the pair’s focus on exposure. “I don’t really know the origin, but the meaning that we’ve assigned it -- it’s like a metaphor for being vulnerable and like exposing yourself to people maybe in a way that you’re uncomfortable with, but

that’s okay,” Goller-Brown said. “It’s not a bad thing. Generally, people are afraid to be uncomfortable and put themselves in strange situations, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Just put ourselves out there.” In relation to their art, Boomslang also represents the mix of underlying themes present throughout Goller-Brown and Cato’s work. “Boomslang is also this metaphor for sex,” GollerBrown said. “It has all of these sexual connotations. There’s this species of snake called the Boomslang Snake that’s like one of the most venomous in Africa. So it’s like this dichotomy of sex and death.” See GOLLER-BROWN on Page 3

See SMOKIES on Page 3

When Corey Vereen checked the film following his four-tackle performance at Oklahoma, the sophomore defensive end liked what he saw: a vast improvement from his opening performances against Utah State and Arkansas State. “In the first two games, I was a little bit too robotic,” said Vereen, who’s racked up six tackles and two quarterback hurries in 2014. “I was trying to think too much. But then I just played football at that point (against Oklahoma). I knew what was going on, and I just watched my keys pretty much. “I feel a lot better now. I feel looser, just more locked in knowing what I can do. Knowing what’s not working so well. Just knowing what I need to do on a down-to-down basis to be successful.” That correction couldn’t have come at a better time as Vereen and company are now tasked with slowing down Georgia potent running attack, spearheaded by junior superstar Todd Gurley. “Pretty much just getting off blocks,” Vereen offered up a solution to halt the Bulldogs’ ground attack. “Holding points and tackling well. Gurley likes to break tackles, and pretty much every one of their backs and receiver like to break tackles. They get a lot of yards after contact. So basically just tackling, being physical at the point of attack and winning the juncture point.” So far, though, the Georgia matchup has been a promising one for the 6-foot-2, 253 pounder. Last year, as a freshman, Vereen racked up a key sack of ex-Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray —the takedown nearly propelling the Vols to an upset of then No.6 Georgia. “That was a stepping stone for my career and really the defense as a whole,” Vereen said. “Getting off (the field) on third down, fist up, all the fundamentals, swarming to the ball — everything like that was at the center of our defense.” See VEREEN on Page 6

Kelsey Bawcombe growing into lead role for the Lady Vols SPORTS>>pg. 5

“ ... I want to see more drag again, more daring to be unique, more caution thrown to the wind ... ” VIEWPOINTS >>pg. 4

Vols hoping that consistency on the offensive line produces better results SPORTS >>pg. 6


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09 25 14 by UT Media Center - Issuu