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Editorial: Our schools have witnessed gun violence for long enough
It is time for America to act.
Gun violence has rattled our nation’s schools for too long. We here at the Daily Beacon now raise our editorial voice and call upon the United States: Stand up and protect our places of education from the threat that firearms can bring.
It’s a frightening time to attend school in the United States. Since the beginning of this fall semester, attacks on elementary schools, high schools and college campuses alike have plagued our nation’s young people. Public, private, land-grant — none have been spared from acts of violence.
The political temperature in America is rising, and with the increase in heat, we are seeing an increase in the speed at which people turn to weapons to make themselves heard, or to silence others.
In Tennessee, a new law requiring children to learn about gun safety went into effect this year. It’s a chilling thought — little kids, some as young as 4 or 5 years old, are now being taught about firearms and what to do if one shows up at the place they’re being educated in.
Little children sitting in school should not be faced with the possibility of their lives being taken in an instant by another human being. Universities should not have to lock down buildings because someone calls in a hoax threat. Students should not have to witness someone being killed by gunfire on a public lawn. Parents should not be afraid to send their children to learn in the morning.
At UT, we are fortunate to have seen a quick and efficient response by our university police department to the Hodges Library swatting incident. The Daily Beacon spoke with campus safety expert S. Daniel Carter recently, and he said UTPD’s resources are some of the best he’s ever seen. As reassuring as that information is, it is critical for our university to be transparent in how they approach emergencies and safety concerns on campus. We are grateful for how Public Information Officer Ryan Moore has assisted us over the past few weeks as we have provided our community with answers.
Changing the culture around gun violence in schools is an uphill climb, and beginning this conversation is only the first step. We do not have all the answers — no one does — but by continuing to speak on these issues, maybe we can finally be released from our new “normal.” Return us to the days when children were free to be children. Education can only suffer under the epidemic of gun violence — imagine the freedom we would find if the threat were removed.
Our nation’s youth are losing hope as the system fails us again and again. America cannot continue down this dark and twisted road. Violence is not the answer.
Today, we ask you: What will you do to fight gun violence in schools?
Caden Dyer Signature
This editorial represents the viewpoints of Caden Dyer, Editor-in-Chief, Ansley Graves, Managing Editor, Patrick Busch, News Editor, Emma Caskill, Arts & Culture Editor, Jackson Clavier, Photo Editor, Lindsay Favre, Design Editor, Sarah Portanka, Engagement Editor and Sophie Mehta, Audience Development Editor on The Daily Beacon’s editorial team.
Professors address rising political tensions on college campuses
PATRICK BUSCH News Editor
OLIVIA LEE Staff Writer
JOSHUA MALLOY Contributor
“Make friends with people that you disagree with,” UT professor Josh Dunn said.
In the wake of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University, UT’s community questions rising political temperatures and attacks on free speech, especially on college campuses.
Many at UT found Kirk’s death particularly impactful because of his visit to campus in March, as a part of his American Comeback Tour. Dozens of students spoke to Kirk at the event, and the HSS amphitheater overflowed with attendees.
Have high-profile acts of political violence become more common? Trump’s July near-miss with an assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania, the killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark the same month, the October 2022 assault of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting in Virginia are all examples of recent acts within the last decade.
Dunn, who serves as executive director of the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs’ Institute of American Civics at UT, provided historical context on political discourse.
“It’s hard to think of something within the last 30 years where … emotions have run this high,” Dunn said.
He made note that there have been times of high political turmoil in the past.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty tense time right now,” Dunn said. “But we’ve had periods where it’s been, I mean, maybe even more tense than now. Back in the 60s and 70s … there was a lot of conflict then. There were literally thousands of bombings by domestic terrorists in the 1970s.”
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, violence broke out across America, and college campuses served as the epicenter. Bombings in the 70s were committed by several groups aiming to disrupt the government’s prosecution of the Vietnam War.
About a third of students now agree that “using violence to stop a campus speech is at least ‘rarely’ acceptable,” according to a September report by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. This
number is up from the reported one in five found by FIRE in 2022.
violence,” Dunn said.
According to the same report by FIRE, UT ranked 36 out of 257 for free speech overall, based on student surveys, campus policies and speech-related controversies.
For Cooper, civility within political debate in his classes is critical.
“I think what we’re doing in our
Kody Cooper, an associate professor at the Institute of American Civics with specialties in American political theory and philosophy, described the foundation’s report as concerning. Cooper expanded on the state of political speech in the country and on college campuses.
“Legally speaking, we’re at a place where there’s clear and strong protections for free speech, and some of the strongest we’ve had,” Cooper said. “… You can’t just paint with a broad brush, but let’s say that there are some campuses where free speech is more valued and embraced by the culture and the administration, and there are some where it’s not so much, and then there’s a lot in the middle.”
Free speech is potentially at risk after Kirk’s assassination, according to Dunn, who predicted that some universities will respond to the violence by declining to give controversial speakers a platform on their campus.
“But I think some other universities will say, ‘We can’t surrender to this and capitulate to it, and we’ll do what’s necessary to make certain that controversial speakers can still come to campus, and that they can do so without this kind of
Larson said. “It’s this place where people can disagree with each other. It’s supposed to be a place where people can disagree with each other and explain why they feel the way they do.”
UT’s success in maintaining an environment that protects free speech could spring from the variety of events it hosts to foster healthy, civil debates and open conversations about political issues.
There are many political events for UT students to engage in on campus. The IAC is hosting a lecture by American political analyst Yuval Levin on Sept. 18 in honor of Constitution Day. The IAC has previously hosted debates, with the intention of bridging the political divide, about topics including the electoral college, the American Dream, free speech and polarization.
With such a wealth of information and education on being productive political participants, UT students have an opportunity to take these experiences and apply them to their political practices.
Avoiding negative partisanship, Dunn said, is step one. Negative partisanship involves voting for a candidate not out of support for their ideas, but out of hatred for the opposing candidate. Negative partisans may even sacrifice constitutional principles for the sake of political gain against their opponent.
“If the other side is so uniquely wicked, then why would you let constitutional niceties stand in the way of keeping those people out of power?” Dunn said, “That’s a very dangerous place to be.”
Negative partisanship can be countered with rational voting, according to Dunn.
classrooms and events is fostering civil discussion, deliberation, discussion of ideas, of our founding principles, of our founding documents, in a way that is open to perspectives across the ideological spectrum,” Cooper said.
Continuing, he spoke to the effect Kirk’s assassination might have on the temperature of campus.
“I think that makes this all the more tragic because students ought to feel free across the political spectrum to invite people on campus, to seek truth and to speak to them without fear — without fear of what happened, without fear of political violence,” Cooper said.
Jeff Larsen is a psychology and neuroscience professor at UT. He specializes in social psychology and has done research for nearly two decades. Larsen leads the Affect and Emotion Lab at UT and also runs studies on the nature of disagreement.
“It’s the way the university works,”
“Go and research candidates and parties,” Dunn said. “And decide that you want to vote for them because you think that their agenda and platform is better than the other one.”
According to Dunn, if voters see their candidates and government officials slipping into negative partisanship, they have the power and responsibility to call it out.
“I think candidates will listen to that,” Dunn said.
The rest of Dunn’s advice for avoiding increasing political polarization, extremism and violence was simple.
“Engage in good faith conversation with people that you disagree with. Don’t assume the worst in people that you disagree with. Try to find some common ground,” Dunn said. “I think those things will go a long way.”
American flag blowing in the wind outside of the College of Communication and Information, Sept.16, 2025. Jackson Clavier / The Daily Beacon
Candlelight vigil in honor of Charlie
“Political violence needs to end now.”
CADEN DYER Editor-in-Chief
PATRICK
BUSCH News Editor
ELIANA MEYERSON
Contributor
CELIA ANGEL Contributor
Dusk fell as a group of students gathered around the Seal on Ped Walkway at about 8 p.m Sept. 11. A candlelight vigil in honor of Charlie Kirk, after his sudden assassination the day before, drew a crowd that nearly spilled over into the road beside them. The warm Southern evening filled with the chirps of cicadas became punctuated by somber voices. Candles sat in baskets around the circle and organizers passed candles to attendees. Organizers opened with a few remarks about Kirk’s life, family and impact in politics and on the nation. They requested a moment of silence as attendees lit each other’s candles. After the moment of silence, the group moved into prayer, followed by a request that attendees leave the seal in silence. By 8:30 p.m., attendees walked away quietly.
Students, alumni and general attendees remarked on why the death of conservative activist Kirk drew them to the Seal that night. For some, the grief hit close.
“I don’t think I’ve ever cried over someone dying that I didn’t know personally,” UT alumna Anna Beranek said. “He was an amazing guy who did not deserve this. Nobody on either side of politics deserves this. This wasn’t
about politics. This was far beyond.”
Some participants emphasized how Kirk’s faith and political beliefs and how they motivated his supporters, highlighting the reasons why they attended the vigil.
“I’m pretty upset about it just because personally I’m a Christian, and all the morals that he stood for and the people that he influenced, it was just amazing. … And I just loved a lot of his policies and how everything that he stood for, he backed up with the Bible and truly was a man of God,”
freshman Lakyn Canada said. My thoughts and prayers just go out to his family and all affected. I couldn’t even imagine. My heart breaks for
Others echoed those
Senior Hayden Ward said he is feeling “hurt for our nation. You know, not everyone agreed with him, but he still had a family, and he still put God first.”
“I think it’s a needless tragedy that’s gotta stop happening in this country,”
Reagan Bittel, senior political science major, said. “It’s become a repeated issue and I think if we don’t nip it in the bud now, it’s going to … become something much worse.”
Several attendees held American flags, including freshman political science major Matthew Devito.
“I think it really just shows how divided we’ve become as a country,” Devito said.
Some in attendance were not there to support Charlie’s beliefs.
“I had just walked out of the democrat club,” freshman Thomas Hursey said. “Honestly, I just kind of (stopped) here to take it all in. I don’t really like him that much … but he died pretty young and it makes me feel, there’s a bit of sadness.”
Hursey called the shooting “bad, regardless whether you feel sympathetic for him or not. I think political violence is pretty bad … Honestly, it’s indicative of the current political environment, and I believe that you should condemn political violence.”
Students expressed a need for change in the nation’s political atmosphere.
“I think all of America needs to come together and recognize what happened yesterday (is) wrong,” sophomore marketing major David Lively said. “And I’m here because I supported Charlie and I think whatever happened yesterday is one of the worst things that’s ever happened in American history, and I think political violence needs to end now.”
Others expressed their concern about where they believe the country is headed.
“For me, (it’s) very worrying that as things get more politically charged, violent, knowing that people will want you dead for your views and are willing to kill you for them is something that I feel,” junior Thaddeus Foundas said. “It’s a dark path we’re going down.”
Kirk brings students, alumni to Seal
Top right and bottom: Vigil attendees show their respect for Charlie Kirk by lighting candles and remarking on his impact. Top left: Matthew Devito holds an American flag at the vigil. Sept. 11, 2025. Jed Baso / Contributor
Students attend Charlie Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour” on HSS Lawn. Thursday, March 13, 2025. Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon
‘It’s a tragedy’: Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk dead after speaking at Utah Valley University
Students who witnessed Kirk’s presence at UT in March express horror, concern
Turning Point USA’s mission is to identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government.
Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk is dead at 31.
While speaking at Utah Valley University at about 12:20 p.m. Sept. 10, a single bullet ripped through his neck.
Kirk visited UT’s Knoxville campus in March on his American Comeback Tour, drawing a large crowd to the HSS amphitheater and sparking political debate from students.
William Maher, a sophomore electrical engineering major who spoke with Kirk in March, said his reaction to the news “was horror. I couldn’t believe this man I had just talked to was a victim of something like that. … I don’t believe anyone should be subjected to a death like that. It’s a tragedy.”
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, a nonprofit organization aimed toward America’s youth. According to their website,
Student Voices
The Daily Beacon asked students on campus, “What are your thoughts on the state of political discourse in this country?”
“I think we’re probably divided more than we ever have been before, and I definitely think that’s scary, and something that we should try to fix.”
“It’s obviously really heated. I think everyone’s feeling that. … I think it should be a discussion of ‘OK, how can we go forward and be better as a county?’”
UT Knoxville has its own Turning Point USA chapter which hosts speakers on campus, including bringing Kirk in March.
According to a member of the chapter, its event scheduled for Sept.10 has been canceled due to security concerns. In a GroupMe message to members, chapter president Emma Arns requested prayers for Kirk and his family.
Students expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s murder.
“No matter who it is that’s speaking, whatever they’re believing, we should have the freedom to speak, you know, on what we think is important,” Logan Graff, a thirdyear civil engineering student, said. “This could have happened here, when he was here.”
Influencer Kirk was known for his openair political debates on a range of political
issues. He is survived by his wife Erika Kirk and two children.
Suspect 22 year-old Tyler Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday, Sept. 11. In a press conference held Friday, Sept 12, FBI Director Kash Patel credited the partnership between federal and local authorities and thousands of public tips for the conclusion to the 33-hour manhunt.
According to investigators, Robinson made statements to family members that indicated he was responsible for Kirk’s killing. Ultimately, Robinson’s father contacted their pastor. The pastor, who was also a court security officer, contacted U.S. Marshals, placing Utah native Robinson in custody by 10:00 p.m.
“There’s a lot of tension in the country right now politically, socially, culturally — and I don’t think this will make anything better,” Maher said. “Thoughts and prayers to his family, because he has two very young children. I’ve seen the video, it was horrific. I hope they can find some peace.”
“I just feel like everything right now is very heated and very polarized. … I feel like I’ve lost friends over political beliefs.”
“I think it’s a very bad thing. I think that death in any sort of case is bad. I advocate for peace and life.”
CADEN DYER, Editor-in-Chief
PATRICK BUSCH, News Editor
OLIVIA LEE, Staff Writer
Adam Grace, sophomore supply chain management major
Riley Wells, senior agricultural communications major
Linnea Bacilek, senior nutrition major
Evan Laws, senior accounting major
Northern Arizona University The Lumberjack
ELLIOTT STRINGER, SARA WILLIAMS
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — On the first day of classes, Aug. 25, Northern Arizona University (NAU) students on their way to morning classes started receiving text and email alerts of a report of an armed person, after the NAU Police Department (NAUPD) received a 911 call.
AZ Family recovered the contents of the call, now proven to be a hoax. On the call, a person identified himself as Jacob and claimed a man was in Cline Library with a rifle. There were fake gunshots in the background.
“We, we’re at the Cline Library,” the false report said. “There’s a man running around with a rifle. We’re at the main entrance under a desk.”
NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera (JLCR) said a week after the hoax incident
the agencies involved met to discuss more ways to ensure the safety of students.
“I am very disappointed with the hoax and the fact that we were part of a nationwide effort to cause distress on the first day of class,” JLCR said. “I feel very proud of how our university managed it, not only our NAUPD but the six other agencies that came on campus immediately to help out, but also our our library personnel, the students that were in the middle of it, the way they reacted and manage the situation is, you know, it was very inspiring.”
NAU received its first alert at 9:26 a.m. about a reported person with a gun at NAUs Cline Library on campus. The incident took place on the first day of school, multiple updates following throughout the next two hours.
At 9:41 a.m., an update told students the NAUPD, Flagstaff Police Department and
West Virginia University The Daily Athenaeum
party app that the University uses to communicate with students.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the threat and they should follow their directions to calmly evacuate the building and move towards the other end of the road away from the building,behind caution tape lines. Law enforcement continued to escort students away from the building, with NAU faculty helping to guide students to the other side of the road
Law enforcement finished clearing the main area of Cline Library at 10:29 a.m. according to the update. No evidence or weapons were found. The police continued to search the building to give it the all clear.
By 10:45 a.m., law enforcement announced there was no active threat inside the building. Their presence continued until at 11:36 a.m when the building was given the all clear.. Flagstaff Mountain Campus operations continued as normal and Cline Library was reopened.
An email was sent out shortly after the incident, designating the event as a hoax shooter incident, and that at the time there were no active threats. NAU quickly activated emergency notifications on the NAUSAFE app.
Other agencies that responded were the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. These groups met shortly after the incident to discuss what they could have done better, how they can improve and what went poorly.
An investigation is in progress as the FBI and law enforcement investigate the false report.
The University of Tennessee The Daily Beacon
ought to be used instead.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University Police Department issued a LiveSafe notification as they responded to reports of gunshots on Aug. 26 at 7:43 a.m.
At 8:03 a.m., an “all clear” was issued, stating that the reported gunshots were determined to be a hoax. The incident was referred to as a case of “swatting” by UPD Police Chief Sherry St. Clair.
St. Clair said the initial caller claimed there was a man with a firearm near the Downtown Library and that they were barricaded with three other people.
“We received a call with a person claiming that … they were in the library, up in a storage room, and they were barricaded, and they saw a man outside carrying a rifle walking around,” St. Clair said in an interview with The Daily Athenaeum. “The male seemed very nervous on the phone, everything along those lines. Then he claimed that there was some shots fired. In the background of the phone call … it appears that there’s guns firing in the background.
Students enrolled in the LiveSafe app did receive the initial communication, but students who did not have the app downloaded did not. LiveSafe is a third-
Shauna Johnson, WVU executive director of news communications, referred to this as an “oversight” in an email to the Daily Athenaeum, WVU’s independent student newspaper.
“In this case, the initial notification of the incident went out through LiveSafe with more than 25,000 users, and not also the separate Omnilert system — known more commonly as the WVU Alert System — which includes text and email messages. That oversight has been addressed,” she said.
Like WVU, several college campuses across the country experienced incidents of swatting. St. Clair said she believes the incidents are connected.
“I think they’re connected. We had a little bit of a heads up because Iowa State had contacted us the day before. So had Colorado. We’re very good with our partners in the Big 12 law enforcement. We meet regularly. So they were reaching out already to us and saying, ‘Hey, this has happened to us.’ When the phone call came into us, it was very similar to the one that went to Iowa State, with the description of the mail,” she said. “What was going on. It kind of almost fit their call exactly. So I think they’re kind of all related.”
KNOXVILLE — Just two weeks into UTK’s fall semester, Aug. 25, Knoxville Police Department received a phone call detailing an active gunman in Hodges Library. University of Tennessee Police Department as well as KPD responded to the scene within minutes. No threat was found, and no injuries were reported, making UTK just one more university to be attacked in a wave of active threat hoaxes across the United States.
UTK students did not receive any alerts. The university has faced criticism from students and faculty alike for the lack of communication. UTPD maintains they understood the threat to be a hoax the entire time.
“As part of our process, we also follow the Clery Act,” Ryan Moore, Public Information Officer of UTPD, said.
Clery Center guidelines outline alert specifics, including when and how an alert should be sent to students. When Clery crimes “pose a serious or ongoing threat to the campus community,” a timely warning should be issued, and when there is “confirmation of an immediate threat to the health and safety of the campus community,” an emergency notification
“(UTPD) followed the Federal Clery Act, which provides the standards for emergency notifications, the first step of which is a confirmation,” president of SAFE Campuses, LLC S. Daniel Carter said. “So they were able to confirm the absence of what had been reported. On that point, my professional opinion is, they did the right thing in not issuing an emergency notification because they had not only not confirmed an emergency, they had confirmed the absence of the reported emergency.”
UTPD posted an all-clear announcement on Facebook and Instagram shortly after the incident ended. Carter agreed that the social media post was part of good practice, but recommended they should’ve done more.
“I believe that the University of Tennessee properly confirmed there was not an emergency during the hoax active shooter call, but I believe that the community rightfully expected more information, and that alternative channels should’ve been used, including a mass email,” Carter said.
CADEN DYER, ANSLEY GRAVES, PATRICK BUSCH
ANNA GOLDIZEN, SAMANTHA SMITH, PAYTON MANDELL
Elliott Stringer Senior Reporter
Patrick Busch News Editor
Caden Dyer Editor-in-Chief
Anna Goldizen Editor-in-Chief
Across universities, one threat: How schools alerted students during swatting incidents this fall
Ansley Graves Managing Editor
Samantha Smith Managing Editor
Katie Guenthner Editor-in-Chief
Kenzie James News Editor
After multiple universities across the nation experienced swatting calls this fall, The Daily Beacon reached out to multiple colleges that were affected and met with fellow newsroom leaders. This piece is a collaborative effort between school newspapers from The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Northern Arizona University, West Virginia University, The University of Georgia and Harding University.
Harding University The Bison
Editor’s note: Harding University has not received a swatting call.
SEARCY, Ariz. — Universities across the nation received false reports of active shooters over the past two weeks.
Over 20 college campuses have been targeted by these calls, known as “swatting.” The Department of Homeland Security defines swatting, a felony, as “a malicious act that can involve placing false emergency calls to emergency responders, often reporting a (false) severe, ongoing crisis at a specific location.”
The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was one of several schools swatted on Monday, Aug. 25. UofA associate professor of broadcast and multimedia news, storytelling and promotion — and former Harding professor — Dr. Ginger Blackstone described her experience during the swatting.
“It was kind of like a drill times 10 with the best possible outcome; nobody was really hurt,” Blackstone said.
Blackstone, who was teaching class when the campus locked down, said her initial reaction was that the incident was fake.
“It’s a little early in the semester, if this is a student pulling a prank,” Blackstone said. “When I heard about the other schools, I was like, ‘OK, what is happening today?’”
Many of the calls share similarities: most target the university’s library, some include gunshot sounds and some have similar descriptions of the reported shooter or firearm.
News organizations reported that the FBI is working with local law enforcement to investigate the swattings, but officials have not confirmed whether the incidents are connected.
Director of Public Safety Craig Russell said Harding’s campus police are communicating with campus, local and federal law enforcement officials in Arkansas about how to respond to swatting.
“We want to be prepared to respond whether it is a hoax or it’s the real thing,” Russell said. “Sometimes you can’t tell. Sometimes it’s just you’re going to have to respond like it’s the real thing, you know, search the buildings, do whatever you need to do and do our best to keep our campus safe.”
Public Safety runs three annual drills to test their notification system and prepare for various incidents. Russell said the university’s active shooter simulation in April 2025 was almost identical to how campus and local law enforcement would respond if Harding was swatted.
The University of Georgia
The Red & Black
KATIE GUENTHNER
ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia joined more than a dozen universities across the nation when UGA officials received false reports of an armed shooter at the Main Library on Friday, Aug. 29, a little less than three weeks into the fall semester.
Students first learned of the threat through UGA’s emergency alert system, which sends safety alerts via email, text message and through an automated phone call, shortly before 9 p.m. on Friday. The university continued to provide updates throughout the night to warn community members to avoid the area around the main library, and then at around 10:43 p.m. announced that the area was safe and there was no longer an emergency.
In an Archnews email, a UGA form of communication for non-emergency alerts, the university notified UGA community members that the report of an
armed shooter was a hoax. The message encouraged anyone with information to contact the UGA Police Department, and pointed to the other shooting hoaxes occurring at campuses around the U.S.
“The initial hoax report shared similar characteristics with other swatting incidents occurring nationwide,” the Archnews email said. “By utilizing campus security cameras, combined with the quick response from officers scouring the area, UGA Police were able to verify that there was no active threat.”
The university ended the email with a list of mental health and counseling resources available to students and faculty through UGA. Throughout the incident and after, university spokespeople communicated with the independent student-run news organization The Red & Black, providing updates shortly ahead of university-wide alerts.
KENZIE JAMES
by Margie E. Burke
Growing roots: Filipino American Association rebuilds organization
SARAH-NICOLE JACKSON Staff Writer
The revival of the Filipino American Association started with a game of pingpong. Two Filipino students looking for a community on campus hit it off and decided that instead of waiting to find one, they were going to build one themselves.
The Filipino American Association is a student organization dedicated to connecting Filipino students at UT and educating others on Filipino culture.
The organization is currently led by President William Nicholas Benedict, a sophomore studying mechanical engineering, and Jed Baso, a sophomore studying finance with a minor in economics.
After asking around various other Asian student organizations, Benedict discovered that the Filipino student organization had been inactive with the graduation of its previous leaders. Benedict got in contact with the former leaders of the organization via email and ended up taking the reins.
Eventually, he crossed paths with Baso.
“One of my friends challenged William to a ping pong challenge because he was known as the Dogwood demon last year,” Baso said.
“So I decide, you know what? I’m going to go watch this happen, why not? So I pull up on Saturday, and after the match, ask him if he’s Filipino. It’s kind of a Filipino thing, but you can just get a sense of if someone’s Filipino or not.”
Both students have the goal of forming a deeper connection with Filipino culture.
“I feel like a lot of Filipinos here, even though they grew up in a Filipino family with Filipino parents, feel like they’re missing a lot of the culture as well because they were raised here in America,” Baso said. “A lot of people in FAA are also not even fully Filipino. Some are half-Filipino, some are a quarter Filipino. So there are a lot of people who have a connection to being Filipino in some way, but they’re really disconnected from that part of themselves.”
The organization hosts club meetings and community events that serve both an educational and entertaining purpose. Baso plans to host a Filipino 101 session where students can learn the basics of Filipino culture, including the language.
“I’m really passionate about history, so
I would also love to teach a Filipino history lesson,” Baso said. “The Philippines was once an American colony, so it has a unique history intertwined with the U.S.”
The organization is also gearing up to collaborate with other student organizations.
The event Baso is most looking forward to is a Christmas karaoke night potluck in collaboration with multiple organizations.
“Filipinos love Christmas,” Baso said. “It’s a massive thing, and so is karaoke. We’re hoping to bring a lot of Filipino food and collaborate with a bunch of other Asian organizations on campus. It may just be our biggest event of the semester.”
Through Benedict’s efforts to connect with the wider Knoxville and UT community, the Filipino American Association has participated in events such as the Asian American Association’s Big 865 Night Market.
They are also planning to table at the upcoming campus International Festival in October.
In the future, Benedict hopes to collaborate with Filipino organizations across different campuses as well as the greater Tennessee community.
Performative male contest garners range of reactions
GRACE WHITE Contributor
Students at UT gathered on the HSS lawn on Thursday, Sept. 11, to determine who would win the title of most performative male on campus.
The contest was organized anonymously
on the app Yik Yak and spread through word of mouth. These competitions have been common on college campuses and in cities recently, but it was a first for UT. Attendees estimate a turnout of at least 70 people.
Over the past year, there has been a rise in performative men online and on
“We went to the Knox Asian Festival this past month and were able to connect with the people running the booth for the Philippines,” Benedict said. “It was a great connection to make, and they invited us to community events in the future.”
Both Benedict and Baso hope that students who participate in the organization can leave feeling better connected to their own identity.
“I think the whole point of an organization is to connect you with people who are like you,” Baso said. “I want FAA to help people get in touch with their identity and I hope they can take that with them when they graduate.”
“Even if you’re not Filipino, we just want people to know that we exist,” Benedict said. “We’re here to have a good time and we want people to have a good experience with us, something that’ll give them stories to pass down to future generations.”
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campus. Common characteristics of a performative male include listening to Clairo, drinking matcha, liking Labubus, carrying tote bags and wearing jorts — long jean shorts. Other actions of someone trying to be a performative male may include saying they hate period cramps or they love feminist literature.
Participant Marissa Watson, a freshman studying psychology, described where she typically sees performative men on campus.
“I think the place where I would see a performative man is at the library Starbucks,” Watson said.
Azi Isidahomen, a freshman architecture major, participated in the competition. She’s a fan of artists that are typically considered performative, such as Jeff Buckley and Faye Webster.
“I absolutely loved this event,” Isidahomen said. “Before I knew about this one, I was seriously considering hosting one myself. … I loved everyone’s energy and let myself go with the flow of the performance.”
Noah Woodberry, a freshman studying food science, placed second in the competition. He’s a fan of artists such as beabadoobee and loved the event.
“It was truly entertaining to try and be the most performative,” Woodberry said. “Second place overall but first in my heart.”
A negative stigma has risen surrounding performative men and their intentions. Many believe that performative men dress and act a certain way to attract women.
Participant Riley Coulter, a freshman studying pre-law, commented on their intentions.
“I would say that people who are performative tend to have a negative connotation, not because of the things they like or listen to, but because they are inauthentic and don’t actually enjoy them,” Coulter said. “There’s nothing wrong with liking those things, but you shouldn’t pretend to like them just because you heard women enjoy them.”
Woodberry noted he mainly sees performative men online, but he also knows some.
“I feel I have barely or rarely seen them, but I do know ones that exist in person and they’re lowkey the worst people ever,” Woodberry said.
Isidahomen recognized that some aspects of being “performative” have cultural ties.
“Also, many identifiers of these males, including matcha, figurines like Labubus and Sonnys, and the style of dressing are heavily inspired by East Asian culture,” Isidahomen said. “So this could be seen as a slap in the face to a culture that is now getting reduced to a ‘performative male starter pack.’”
Opinion: It’s up to you: The youth’s power amidst political turmoil
CLAIRE THATCHER
Contributor
It is an incredibly cloudy time in which we live.
As a young person, the world is laid out in front of you. Its future is in your hands — what will you make of it? You are so full of life, so full of kinetic energy and so ready to make the world your oyster.
Then you open your phone.
It’s frustrating to constantly be confronted with such a disconnect and to be bombarded with content showing you how much hatred there is in the world, the vitriol and noise coming from every side of an issue. Faced with problems that feel so far away yet affect you so deeply, it’s easy to feel powerless.
In a digital age, there is no way to tune it out. It’s impossible to scroll through Instagram or TikTok without being faced with the heated political state of our country. The introduction of social media into the world of politics has made political conversation accessible and undeniable to every young American. We have a real voice. We have a real opportunity to set the tone.
But hate is contagious. Add to that the prospect of making money into the social media equation and you get a nasty internet culture that idolizes clicks and views, while the real information gets diluted by the sheer amount of content online.
There are tangible effects — the social climate of America is more polarized than ever as its political temperatures continue to rise indefinitely. Pew Research Center reports that party contempt has doubled since 1994. The animosity is reaching a boiling point and manifesting itself in our daily lives.
All real feelings of upset are amplified tenfold and projected to the world via the phone in your hand. And each person gets a tailored version, one piece of the pie.
Contributor Claire Thatcher writes, “How can we possibly come together if our phones are making money off of keeping us apart?” Caden Dyer / The Daily Beacon
For example: the infamous Tik-Tok “for you page” works by analyzing your platform interactions and recommending content that is similar, hopefully eliciting the same interaction. This can sometimes make your feed feel like one big echo chamber. In the context of social media, BBC describes an echo chamber as experiencing opinions primarily identical to yours, reinforcing your beliefs and confirming your bias.
The app’s software is literally designed to keep you from encountering opposing views. How can we possibly come together if our phones are making money off of keeping us apart? They feed
us different versions of the news and then profit off of the engagement. It’s impossible to escape. What’s the point? Is anything being accomplished in the social media machine? While yes, it creates discourse around political topics and provides a new avenue for idea dissemination and self-expression, do the negatives outweigh the positives?
Pew Research Center reports that 64% of Americans think that social media has a negative impact on democracy. Seventy-nine percent said they think social media has made people more politically divided. The fact of the matter is, obsessively using content that is meant to entertain rather than educate in order to inform your political opinions can only lead to more strife and conflict. Social media is a double edged sword.
Remember how I said hate is contagious? It is. It’s more contagious than any other feeling. I mean think about it: It’s so easy to be in a bad mood and just walk through life looking for the negative.
It makes me think, how many more tragedies will happen until one day, we put down our phones, set aside our differences and say, enough is enough?
The places people go to learn, read and debate, are now all suffering and tainted. Places of sanctuary, places where positive change starts — all ravaged by violence and hatred.
A new generation is forthcoming. What will become the norm? Will it become normal for people to have lost friends and family to gun violence? Will it become normal to go to the
library and evacuate because there might be a bomb in the building?
We can’t let these things become common occurrences. We can’t raise a generation of kids that thinks this is normal. We all believe the other side is a threat to ours. We all believe the other side is a threat to the nation. But is that way of thinking the biggest threat of all?
I would like to remind anyone reading that passion — whether it be hateful or positive — makes headlines. Divisive behavior makes headlines. Those of us sitting at home, watching the divide widen, don’t make it on TV. But that doesn’t mean we are helpless; it just means we’re quiet.
The time to raise your voice is now. You don’t have to yell, just turn to the person next to you and have a conversation. Hopefully, these tragedies can pull us closer together, pull us off opposing ledges and allow us to meet in the middle.
We are all human. We have that in common.
We are all in it together.
It’s up to you.
is a freshman this year studying journalism and media. She can be reached at qtq974@vols.utk.edu.
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
Claire Thatcher
Ryan Osborn / Cartoonist
Plenty to question in Tennessee football’s loss to Georgia, competitive nature is not one
TREVOR MCGEE
Sports Editor
“I love the fight, the strain, the willingness to just keep battling and playing the next play,” head coach Josh Heupel said.
Tennessee football jumped out to an intriguing first-quarter lead, but it was not that easy against the nation’s No. 6 team. Georgia rallied back, taking the lead early in the third quarter, and the No. 15 Vols battled the remainder of the way before an overtime period was needed.
When it was all said and done, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to nine games over the Vols. A 44-41 overtime thriller was the recent chapter of a historic rivalry between the SEC foes.
Through the tribulations faced, Tennessee often prevailed. It was a walk-off winner by Georgia’s Josh McCray that left the Vols without an answer.
“I told them after the game, I love the competition part of it – competitive composure, continuing to compete,” Heupel said. “We’ve just got to be a little bit better together, coaches and players.”
Joey Aguilar marched the field in eight plays to open the game, punching a 2:30-minute scoring drive in on a fouryard keeper to put Tennessee ahead in the first minutes.
The first bout of adversity rose when Georgia matched Tennessee’s efforts with a six-play, 2:32-minute drive to knot the game at 7-all.
Tennessee’s response came two plays later. Chris Brazzell II absorbed contact on a deep ball from Aguilar, reeling in a catch in plus territory and taking it 73 yards for the score.
After the defense forced a three-andout, Tennessee added another scoring drive to make it a two-score ballgame in the first minutes — while Aguilar was living out perfection with a 14-for14 line with a trio of touchdowns in the frame.
But the good simmered, and the sputtering arrived. The Vols’ second quarter featured three drives, none of which passed midfield. Tennessee answered a 224-yard first quarter with a 35-yard second quarter, in which Georgia tallied a pair of scores to pull within four points by the break.
“That’s what makes a game like this,” Heupel said. “You’re playing good competition, good coaches, the game
within the game throughout the game, adjustments. We were a little bit off there in the second quarter.”
Georgia came out of the break and delivered its first blow of the evening.
A grueling 14-play drive that took 7:41 off the clock resulted in a one-yard score from McCray. It gave Georgia its first lead, taking the upper hand at 24-21.
And the struggles continued from there for the team clad in orange.
Tennessee’s ensuing two drives resulted in 12 total yards, ending in a punt and an interception.
The crowd was dejected. The offense totaled three first downs from the start of the second quarter until they got the ball back with 1:45 left in the third quarter.
Then, Aguilar stepped back up. Tennessee stumbled for a first down with 51 seconds left in the third quarter when Aguilar found Braylon Staley for a nine-yard gain on third-and-four. With the ball at the Tennessee 44-yard line after a Peyton Lewis four-yard rush, Aguilar dropped back and fired.
He gave his receiver a chance. Brazzell leaped in the air with corner Daniel
Harris in front of him, and pulled the ball away — keeping balance for a 56yard score, putting Tennessee back ahead, 28-27.
“We really didn’t have a swing of emotions,” Brazzell said. “We just stayed in the game the whole time. So, that’s just the thing about being a competitor. If things ain’t going to go right, you got to keep your head in it.”
The fourth quarter began in a onepoint game, and the squads continued with back-and-forth action. Georgia took the lead back with a 24-yard field goal. Tennessee answered with a 32yard touchdown pass to take a fivepoint lead.
Tennessee provided what could have been the heavyweight blow to Georgia when Joshua Josephs strip-sacked Gunner Stockton in plus territory. But the punch could not fully land when the Vols settled for three.
“The competitive makeup of it, though, I love what I saw,” Heupel said. “We’ve just got to get a little bit better.”
Georgia trotted down the field with an eight-point deficit and matched the score with a 28-yard touchdown pass
followed by a two-point conversion, giving Tennessee one more chance to land the knockout.
After tracking the ball inside fieldgoal territory, it was up to Max Gilbert to put an end to the game — attempting a 43-yard field goal. No good, and the mood could have sunk.
But it did not.
Gilbert remained in high spirits in the overtime period and shook off the disappointment to drill a 42-yarder.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t make the one before, but he had his head high,” Heupel said. “That’s the life of being a kicker, you know what I mean? I love the way he responded. He’ll continue to grow. We’ve got great trust in him. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish that one.”
While Georgia got the final laugh, Tennessee proved its competitive spirit. Now, it will need to use that when the going gets tough later in the season.
Chris Brazzell II (17) and Joey Aguilar (6) celebrate a touchdown during a game against Georgia at Neyland Stadium, Sept. 13, 2025. Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon
SEC baseball schedule: Who will Tennessee baseball face?
CONNOR WHITNEY Contributor
The SEC baseball schedule is out.
The Vols are coming off an uneven SEC season in which they went 16-14, and they lost nine players to the MLB draft. Despite this, the Vols enter 2026 with a reloaded roster looking to reassert their place as the class of the conference.
Among the teams the Vols will not face this season will be rival Arkansas, which they have not beaten in a series since 2005, who also knocked them out in the NCAA Super Regionals last summer. South Carolina, Auburn and Texas A&M are also gone, who they went a combined 6-6 against.
Here’s a look at the 2026 SEC slate.
March 13-15 at Georgia
Tennessee last faced Georgia in the regular season in 2024, where the Vols took two out of three from the Bulldogs in Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols have won five of the six series played against Georgia in the Tony Vitello era, and lead the all-time series on the baseball diamond 129-122.
March 19-21 vs. Missouri
Tennessee’s SEC home opener comes against coach Vitello’s alma mater. The Vols and Tigers last faced off in 2024 in Knoxville, when the Vols swept the Tigers. Tennessee is 16-17 all-time against Missouri. Each of the last four series, and six of 11 overall, has resulted in sweeps, with each team claiming three.
March 27-29 at Vanderbilt
Cross-state rival Vanderbilt will host Tennessee at the end of March. The Commodores beat the Vols in three of four matchups last season, including a 10-0 win in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
April 3-5 vs. LSU
The last two teams to win the College World Series, LSU and Tennessee, will clash in Lindsey Nel-
son Stadium in April. The Tigers took two of three from the Vols last spring, which included a highlight reel walk-off home run from Jared Jones. The stakes of this series could be high: the winner of the season series each of the last three years has gone on to win the national championship.
April 10-12 at Mississippi
State
The Vols play at Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville for the first time in four years. Tennessee carries an eight-game winning streak against Mississippi State that dates back to 2021, the last of which was a 6-5 victory in the 2024 SEC Tournament. Overall, the Vols are 9-2 against the Bulldogs during Vitello’s tenure.
April 17-19 vs. Ole
Miss
The Vols took two of three from the Rebels in Oxford last season, and they have won the last four season series against Ole Miss. Despite the recent run of success against the Rebels, the Vols are 47-52 in the alltime series.
April 24-26
vs. Alabama
The Crimson Tide will come to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a series against the Vols for the first time in four years. Under coach Vitello, Tennessee is 12-6 against Alabama, including a series win in Tuscaloosa last season and a 15-10 victory against the Tide in the SEC Tournament.
May 1-3 at Kentucky
Tennessee will make the trip up Interstate 75 to Lexington to take on Kentucky in early May. Except for the cancelled 2020 series due to COVID-19, these two teams have met every year since 1947, and the series itself dates all the way back to 1909. The Vols lead the all-time series 185-158, and the only team the Vols have played more on the baseball diamond is Vanderbilt.
Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello (22) walking the field at Baum-Walker Stadium before NCAA Super Regional matchup with Arkansas. Saturday, June 7, 2025. David Smith / Contributor
May
8-10
vs. Texas
In its last home series of the season, Tennessee will host Texas in Knoxville for a regular-season series for the first time in school history. Each of the five games the schools have played all-time has come at neutral sites. The only time the schools have matched up in SEC play came in last year’s SEC Tournament, with the Vols knocking off the Longhorns 7-5 in extra innings.
May 15-17 at Oklahoma
In the final series of the season, the Vols will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, for their first-ever series against the Sooners. The schools have only played four games all time, with Tennessee’s lone victory coming at an in-season tournament in Houston.
GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK
SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2025
None
Volleyball vs. Rider, 6:30 p.m. ET
Soccer at Missouri, 7 p.m. ET
Volleyball vs. Kennesaw State, 6:30 p.m. ET
2025 Football PICK ‘EM
Football vs. UAB, 12:45 p.m. ET
Women’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Cary, North Carolina — all day
Men’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma — all day
Women’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Cary, North Carolina — all day
Men’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma — all day
Women’s golf at Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Ontario, Canada — all day
Women’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Cary, North Carolina — all day
Men’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma — all day
Women’s golf at Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Ontario, Canada — all day
Women’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Cary, North Carolina — all day
Men’s tennis at ITA All-American Championships, Tulsa, Oklahoma — all day
