Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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Students camp hours on strip for lease

The Daily Beacon

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Volume 142, Issue 5

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Vols vs. Gator competition goes beyond the field

Photo by Edward Cruz

A new era for Student Media

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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LETTERS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 21, 2022

DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION

Letter from the Editor: Survival is insufficient

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Daniel Dassow MANAGING EDITOR: Abby Ann Ramsey COPY CHIEF: Olivia Hayes NEWS EDITOR: Autumn Hall ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR: Emma Co�ey SPORTS EDITOR: Josh Lane ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: Andrew Peters

OPINIONS EDITOR: Lily Marcum DIGITAL PRODUCER: Kailee Harris PHOTO EDITOR: Alexandra Ashmore DESIGN EDITOR: Bella Hughes PAGE DESIGNERS: Rhylee Gross, Julia Paulman SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Jackie Dremel COVER DESIGN: Bella Hughes

ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION

STUDENT ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE:

Cullen Askew ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Victoria

Wheelock

CONTACTS TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM OR SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE, please email

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editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media.

Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published. The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief.

CORRECTIONS POLICY:It is the Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information.

Errors brought to our attention by readers or sta� members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to managingeditor@ utdailybeacon.com, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206.

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Monday and Thursday during the fall and spring semesters.

The o�ces are located at 1345 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 379960314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year or $100/semester. It is also available online at: www. utdailybeacon.com Cover: Smokey prepares to body slam an inflatable gator at the Akron football game on Sept. 17, 2022.

DANIEL DASSOW Editor-in-Chief The Office of Student Media’s move to the College of Communication and Information (CCI) and the creation of an endowment fund for The Daily Beacon is the kind of news that necessarily means little to the outside world.

My grandmother, who reads all my articles and sends me her thoughts over text, told me as much.

“Guess I don’t understand just what it means,” she texted me. “But I am happy you think everything is going well.”

Let me explain why things are going well. The Daily Beacon now has a means of survival and growth which it did not previously have.

In order to survive as quality sources of news,

student media outlets must be connected to an external non-profit organization which publishes and oversees the paper, or else they must be connected to a college and a bevy of alumni willing to support the paper with external funding.

Many leading college newspapers function on the first model. The Yale Daily News, known as the nation’s oldest college daily newspaper, is a division of the Yale Daily News Publishing Co., which is overseen by the paper’s editor-in-chief and president.

Closer to home, UGA’s student newspaper The Red and Black is run by the independent non-profit Red & Black Publishing Company, Inc. These companies often have a board of directors made up of faculty, alumni and community members who steer the publication.

For The Daily Beacon, this model went out the window in 1971 when UT dissolved the University of Tennessee Publishing Association, Inc. – the group that had published the student paper since 1916 – and took on its assets and liabilities.

The reasoning behind this decision is unclear, but I imagine it was meant to allow the Beacon, only six years old at the time, to function as its own company, funded through advertising and loosely overseen by the university through the Division of Student Life (then called the Division of Student Affairs).

That model worked well for a long time. Those

were the bustling days when Beacon alumnus Tim Sellers, an account executive at the paper in the mid-80s, wore a suit and tie to class because he needed to be ready to meet with ad clients at a moment’s notice.

But then came the internet and social media.

Very rapidly, the Beacon scaled down its print as it lost advertising revenue and readership. Then came a pandemic that cleared out the newsroom and undid our systems for everything from finding sources to laying out each week’s paper.

If we had been more integrated into a department on campus familiar with these systems or an independent publishing company, we likely would have weathered these storms better.

That is why I am thankful to CCI Dean Joe Mazer for his work on this transition and to Mr. Sellers, a founding partner with Memphisbased integrated communications firm inferno, who donated to set up an endowment fund for the Beacon which anyone can give to by visiting giving.utk.edu/beacon.

With a new partnership with CCI and a sustainable source of funding in the future, the Beacon is now on course not only to survive, but to join ranks with other leading student media outlets across the country.

Letter from the Managing Editor: Majoring in student media

ABBY ANN RAMSEY Managing Editor The Beacon has officially moved from the Division of Student Life to the College of Communication and Information (CCI). I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to express my excitement about the transition.

I’m majoring in journalism and electronic media, but some days it feels like I’m also majoring in the Beacon. I go to class and learn about journalism ethics, AP style and storytelling tools.

Then, I go to the Beacon office and do payroll, message editors and bad-mouth the Oxford comma.

I’ve always loved learning. But growing up, school wasn’t necessarily my safe space. I was usually overwhelmed in class, and stress would bring on migraines and bad moods. I loved learning, but I rarely loved the learning environment.

That is until I found student media. I got to be on staff of my high school newspaper for three years. My advisor, Tim Vacek, was also my AP Language and AP Seminar teacher, so I experienced his classroom in both a learning environment and a somewhat relaxed “newsroom” environment.

His academic classes provided me with a skill set for college that I’m eternally grateful for.

What was also helpful to me was the way I could take what I was learning in his classes and apply it to my work with the paper.

Vacek’s academic classes would still not have put me in as stressful of an environment as some other classes, but having a student media community where I could also just be with my friends and have fun was vital.

That paper changed everything for me. It led me to my favorite people — one of whom is now Asst. Sports Editor at the Beacon. It taught me to ask questions. It made me realize that I can have fun writing. It assured me that I was heading into the right college at UT – the College of Communication and Information.

The crossover between journalism education and student media is crucial. Having Vacek, a graduate of UT’s journalism program and a Beacon alumnus, in the same room as me as I made our high school magazine was so helpful.

Whether I was walking away from Adobe InDesign close to tears or had a question about journalism ethics, I never had to be worried about

the work we were putting out.

I promise I’m not weirdly stuck in high school like those former quarterbacks who go back to football games and sit in the student section. The experience just reminds me of the vitality of education being incorporated into student media, which is what we are gaining with this transition into CCI. I already apply what I learn in class to my work at the Beacon. The connection between my actual major and my Beacon major is so clear, but now it’s even more real as we enter the CCI fold.

I’m grateful the Beacon will have the incredible resources of CCI. Journalism professors have always been a few steps away from our physical office, but now those steps seem smaller.

The Beacon remains editorially independent, fully student-run and completely open to students of all majors — not just those in CCI. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But being in CCI just feels like there’s more people here for us.

Students who feel overwhelmed by their learning environments have always had a place to go to with the Beacon, but now they’ll know that place has the full support of CCI. We’ve been in the same building this whole time, but it really does feel like coming home.

NEWS

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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Students camp overnight on Strip to get lease at popular TENN apartments ABBY ANN RAMSEY Managing Editor

Freshman supply chain management major Sydney Beck has been planning on signing a lease to live at TENN with a few roommates for the 2023-2024 school year.

She knew that slots filled up quickly for the student apartment complex, so she and her friends planned to get to the building the night before leasing was set to open at 10 a.m. They thought getting there at 10 p.m. would secure a safe spot in line, but they ended up rushing to the apartment complex at 6:30 p.m. — almost 15 hours before they would even be able to sign a lease — because they had heard they might not make the cut if they waited a few more hours.

“Everyone was like, ‘no, leave now,’” Beck said.

As UT has resorted to renting out apartments and hotels to house its largest student body yet, finding housing through the university is not the only problem. Even securing a lease at an off-campus apartment might require sleeping in a parking lot on the Strip.

According to a recent Knox News article, Knoxville is one of the hardest cities in the country to find an apartment in. A quick search on Apartments.com for a unit within walking

distance of UT yields just three results. Even if you do find an available apartment, 90% of them are luxury.

“If you don’t get out here the night before, you’re not going to get an apartment here.

Sydney Beck Freshman supply chain management major

TENN itself is on the more affordable side of the spectrum of luxury apartments, with rent ranging from $1,000-$1,800 a month — per bed. Other apartments in Knoxville like One Riverwalk and Marble Alley Lofts are closer to the $2,500 a month mark for a one-bedroom apartment.

It’ll be another 10 months before anyone new actually moves into TENN, but talk around campus cued some students in on the fact that the line to sign a lease is not just a game.

“If you don’t get out here the night before, you’re not going to get an apartment here,” Ellie Degus, a freshman therapeutic recreation major, said. “My sister already lives here and

everyone talks about it.”

Dozens of people were in line by 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night. They came fully prepared with lawn chairs, blankets, pillows, beanbags and their homework, creating a scene reminiscent of music venues the night before a Harry Styles concert.

Isabella Harkleroad, a freshman marketing major, knew that this is what her night would entail and was prepared for the bizarre procedure.

“I wish this wasn’t the process though,” Harkleroad said. “I wish it was an easier process, but I don’t know, I guess it’s kinda fun.”

For the people in line, an uncomfortable night of sleep seemed worth it to get a spot at an apartment that’s close to the food options on the Strip but still within walking distance of campus.

“The complex is really nice and we wanna live here,” Beck said.

Not only do students have to find somewhere to live several months ahead of movein season, but they have to find someone to live with. Most student apartments require you to sign a lease with roommates or they end up assigning you to someone random.

Freshmen have only had weeks to make friends and find people to commit to living with a year from now.

Izzy Ackel, a freshman retail and merchandising major, chuckled with her roommatesto-be about the short amount of time they knew each other before deciding to sleep on the pavement to get an apartment together.

“We all just kind of clicked,” Ackel said.

“Cause you have to figure it out fast.”

L-R: Freshmen Hank Dillard, Ashton Lacey, Jude Turbeville, Ty Hays, Sophia Perugini, Lilli Mucica, Anna Day and Ashton Rippelmeyer waited in line over 12 hours on Sept. 19, 2022.

Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon

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Students work on homework as they camp out to get an apartment in the TENN on Cumberland Avenue on Sept. 19, 2022. Kailee Harris / The Daily Beacon

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NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Tennessee Representative advises universities to remove LGBTQIA+ protections under Title IX ELI BOLDT Contributor

On Aug. 22, Tennessee State Representative John Ragan sent a letter to multiple Tennessee universities in which he advised them to remove any policies stating that LGBTQIA+ students are a protected class under Title IX. The most notable recipient of the letter was East Tennessee State University President Brian Noland. In a public statement on Sept. 2, the university claimed that its Title IX protections would remain in effect.

This decision came in response to a document the U.S. Department of Education released which outlined new regulations to protect LGBTQIA+ students, specifically against discrimination stemming from a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The directive follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. The court case, decided in 2020, expanded on Title IX protections and stated that “an individual’s homosexuality or transgender status is not relevant to employment decisions.”

Following this court case, the Biden administration moved forward to issue the document

which reinterpreted Title IX by saying sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the directive. According to this lawsuit, which was filed in a coalition of 20 states, the order usurped “authority that properly belongs to Congress, the States and the people.”

The defendants, including the U.S. Department of Education, filed to dismiss the lawsuit.

The dismissal was denied and Eastern District of Tennessee Judge Charles Atchley ruled in favor of Slatery.

According to the court document, “Plaintiffs have identified a conflict between Defendants’ guidance and what their state laws require.”

The state laws referenced refer specifically to two laws regarding transgender students and their rights to self identify.

One Tennessee bill restricts “students of the male sex” from being involved in college sports designated for women. Another one puts schools at risk of being sued if they allow transgender people in bathrooms or locker rooms.

The University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd provided a response to Ragan stating no policies had been changed in response to the letter from the Department of Education,

and he does not believe the university’s Title IX policies break either state or federal law.

Donna Braquet, a librarian at UT, is currently teaching a First Year Studies seminar on queer history. She thought this move set a bad precedent for other rights to be restricted or removed.

“I think the fact that we have a member of our state legislature calling for the undoing of a federal protection - how can that not make the university unsafe?” Braquet said.

Along with this directive, UT has also had to face being ranked as “the most unfriendly university to LGBTQIA+ students in the country.”

This title comes from The Princeton Review and is based around surveys given to students.

Braquet has been an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights on the UT campus for over a decade and was a founding member of the Pride Center.

The Pride Center provides resources for students who identify as LGBTQIA+, and has a rocky history on campus. It has been vandalized and was defunded in 2016.

Greer Henry, a junior at the UT and a Resident Assistant on campus, identifies as trans and non-binary. They have dedicated time to fighting for LGBTQIA+ protections and queer housing. However, their experience as a queer student on campus has left them vulnerable.

“Aside from being literally deadnamed in class and on Canvas… I’ve experienced a couple of instances of being like on the Strip or in a POD market and somebody calling me the ‘F’ slur. That’s happened to me like three times now,” Henry said.

Henry did not take any of the matters further or report the incidents.

“I don’t really feel like the university would care very much,” Henry said.

On Aug. 22, Representative John Ragan sent a letter to multiple Tennessee universities advising the removal of protective LGBTQIA+ policies. File / The Daily Beacon

Following UT housing complaints, students, faculty weigh in LAUREN WARD Contributor

Last year, the University of Tennessee’s “lottery system” was put into effect to aid in choosing which students would receive on-campus housing and who would have to find alternatives. With the 2022 fall semester bringing in the most freshman ever anticipated, there have been greater challenges than previous years.

Now students are dealing with issues such as extremely long lines for food, full commuter parking spots and for those that were in the lottery system, no place to live. Even average Knoxville apartment rents have either been raised or completely occupied.

So what happened to those that did not get chosen, and how are they feeling almost a year later?

When chosen for the lottery system, some students were sent to on-campus dorms, while 250 others were placed in what students are calling the “Voliday Inn,” a Holiday Inn renovated into a UT-themed dorm on Papermill Dr. roughly 15 minutes away from campus.

“The one negative was how late we were told this was gonna happen,” Marc Salvatelli, a junior journalism major and transfer student from Massachusetts chosen in the lottery, said.

“I almost pulled out of UT because I didn’t get housing, and being a junior student without

a car, I really needed … to get from Point A to Point B and I needed a place to live … They told me at like the last week of July, so almost two weeks notice, so I was very close to not going here which would’ve been disappointing.”

Though many students are going through a similar situation, Kari Alldredge, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management, said that there is not a cap on the acceptance of new students, regardless of the challenges presented by high occupancy levels.

“Each academic cycle varies based on the number of applications and the quality of the applicant pool,” Alldredge said.

“There are many factors that influence shaping a new first-year and transfer class …

The university is growing, and not just in new enrollment.”

Alldredge said UT goes through a very “competitive but holistic” admissions process through evaluating rigor of high school curriculum, difficulty of senior-level coursework, awards, special talents or skills and optional letters of recommendation.

Frank Cuevas, Vice Chancellor for Student Life, explained that the lottery was a result of the expected increase in size of the incoming first-year class and decisions were based on students’ financial and medical needs as well as housing insecurity.

“University Housing contacted every student on the waitlist as space became available and offered an on-campus housing option.

A majority of the students on the waitlist had

found alternative housing options,” Cuevas said.

Salvatelli argues that he as well as other students have complained about the lack of communication from the school, how late they were notified and the length of time it took for them all to find out if they would even have housing.

“I remember my mom being on the phone for hours on end just trying to get any bits and pieces of information, and we were told multiple different things from guaranteed housing to not sure if there was going to be any at all.

So there was a lot of gray area there for transfer students,” Salvatelli said.

While students have complained about having a hard time finding somewhere to live, Cuevas believes there are still plenty of alternatives out there.

“Students that did not identify a need to live on campus were advised to explore offcampushousing.utk.edu, an off-campus housing website,” Cuevas said.

“Additionally, an off-campus housing fair and programs to educate students about living off-campus, signing a lease, managing finances and staying involved on campus were offered.”

Regardless, Salvatelli continued to struggle to find housing in the weeks leading up to the fall semester.

Lots of websites like Craigslist and Apartments.com have been said to have hardly anything available or very expensive rent.

Sierra Neugent, an out-of-state senior, is currently having living stresses of her own. She did not sign up for the lottery system because she signed a lease to an apartment off campus last December. She experienced an additional issue as her rent was raised by a large margin.

Within the first week of September, she received her re-lease offer stating the rent would increase $400 for the year or $500 for six months to “match market pricing.”

“There’s no family or friends for me here in Tennessee that I can just live temporarily with until I am finished with my degree,” Neugent said.

“Two months is not a long time when you consider how many other students and people living in Knoxville are experiencing this same situation and need places to go which means that landlords and rental companies are just going to take advantage of all of us and raise rent prices even more.”

Neugent has also considered dropping out as a last-resort option with the rush to find somewhere to live in just her last two months of schooling.

Neugent advises other students to search for homes months in advance. She also suggests staying home with family if the opportunity is available, and at the very least to be prepared for a backup situation.

“Never think that this won’t happen to you because I didn’t think it would to me,” Neugent said.

NEWS

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

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Plans for Melrose Hall reconstruction announced in campus master Solution plan LILY HARPER Contributor

On Saturday, Sept. 10, the University of Tennessee announced official plans to begin the rebuilding of Melrose Hall. The decision is part of the Campus Master Plan, which aims to match UT’s infrastructure to its strategic vision. The new building is planned to house state-of-theart academic spaces.

Melrose Hall, which shares a courtyard with Hess Hall, started as the home to up to 358 men each year. It was opened in 1948, but was later closed as a dormitory in 2009 due to antiquated utility systems.

Currently, the first floor is home to the Center for Global Engagement, International Student and Scholar Services and Programs Abroad office. The rest of the building lies vacant and is not currently suited for any housing or academic purposes.

The rebuilding of Melrose has been a part of the UT’s Campus Master Plan since the beginning. It is part of the first phase, referred to as ‘Near-term Priorities,’ along with the restoration of Strong Hall, which was completed in 2017. Future Near-Term goals include the restoration of the Jessie Harris Building and Hoskins Library.

While the vision for the new building has been largely unknown to the UT community, it is known that spaces for a new University Honors program, Student Success Center and Student Disability Services will be included. The rest of the 130,000 square foot building will be dedicated to academic spaces such as classrooms and study space.

Pat Akos, associate vice provost and executive director of University Honors, began his role as executive director in July 2022 to expand and reimagine the program.

“We envision open, technologically advanced, collaborative spaces encouraging student scholars to interact with one another and faculty and staff,” Akos said.

Amber Williams, vice provost for student success and overseer of the project, hopes to design a space that combines unstructured study areas and academic services. She also believes a deeply engaged environment will encourage students to reach out to staff, peers and advisors on their own accord.

“This new state-of-the-art building, built on the footprint of Melrose Hall, is one investment in creating this unique, student-centered approach,” Williams said.

One of the building’s major programs, University Honors, will serve as the updated version of the school’s existing Honors and Scholars program.

“University Honors was designated as the new name to clarify the programs’ central, interdisciplinary and synergistic nature,” Akos said.

The new title, effective in Jan. 2023, more Daily Egyptian 9/14 Crossword 13 easily distinguishes the Honors program from over 40 different programs across campus.

Akos plans to take the student-centered approach to the next level by engaging students in Across 1 2 the design process.

14 As the building has not yet entered the design 1 Scored on serve phase, there is no clear plan for what student en5 Razor sharpener 17 gagement will look like, or what level of involve10 Stadium 20 souvenirs ment students will have in the process. How14 Loud laugh ever, as the space is designed for students, their 15 “Common Sense” input will be vital to creating a student centered writer environment that encourages these deeper con27 16 Seed covering nections. The plan’s leaders are hopeful that this 33 17 Pound of poetry approach to design will extend to future builds.

18 Title holder On many of the plans for the space, the build37 19 Quash ing is referred to as an ‘Academic Building.’ This 20 Lip-___ 42 leads viewers to believe that while the location 21 Pen filler of the building will remain at the original Mel47 22 Smallest rose site, the name of the new building will shift 23 Hideous along with the purpose of the former dormitory.

25 So-so “At this time, a decision about the name of the 27 Bashes 52 53 new building has not been made,” Williams said.

29 Retaliates The timeline for the project has not yet been 60 33 Lock site established, and the dates for deconstruction 34 Medical 64 and reconstruction are unknown at this time. breakthrough Currently, occupancy is set for 2026.

On Sept. 10, 2022 UT announced o�cial plans to begin the rebuilding of Melrose Hall. The new 130,000 square foot building will house a new University Honors program, Student Success Center and Student Disability Services. File / The Daily Beacon

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‘FEELS LIKE COMING HOME’ 8

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, May 4, 2022

STUDENT MED

Student Media joins CCI, Daily Beacon receives endowment fund through alumnus gift

By Daniel Dassow, Editor- in-Chief

For the first time in its history, the UT Office of Student Media has journalism, photojourbeen integrated into the College of Communication and Information nalism, advertising, (CCI), setting its four student-run media outlets on a path towards social media, public reinstitutional support and sustainable growth at an uncertain time lations and web design for college media outlets. students who are planThe office – home to The Daily Beacon, Phoenix Literary Arts ning to pursue careers Magazine, Lumos Media Services and a feminist magazine in the in media. I think there process of rebranding – was part of the Division of Student Life for will be more opportunidecades. ties to collaborate with After months of careful planning on the part of CCI and Student CCI faculty and staff on meaningful projects that can now involve a Life leadership, the transition became official on Sept. 1, now an im- larger number of students.”

The newspaper will remain fully editorially independent and portant date in the 150-year history of student media at UT, which began when the semi-monthly newspaper The University Times- open to students of all majors. It will also remain entirely written, produced and managed by stuProspectus began printing in 1871.

The transition has received dents. support from faculty, staff and Vice Chancellor for Student Life administrators who expect it to Frank Cuevas said maintaining solidify a mutually beneficial rethe independence of the Beacon was a top priority throughout the lationship between CCI’s four planning of the transition, which schools and student media outhe hopes will create new opporlets.

The Division of Student Life, tunities for collaboration which previously known as the Division were not possible in the Division of Student Affairs, began provid- TIM SELLERS / CLASS OF ‘88 of Student Life.

“Having a closer affiliation ing administrative oversight and Creator of the Sellers UTK Daily Beacon Endowment with the College of Communicasupport to student media after the former publisher of The Daily tion and Information allows the Beacon, the University of Tennessee Publishing Association, was college to align its curriculum with some real-world experiences dissolved by the university in 1971. and give it a true laboratory feeling,” Cuevas said.

“Being under the Division of Student Life was a very positive Conversations around the transition began shortly after Joseph experience,” Director of Student Media Jerry Bush said. “But they Mazer became dean of CCI in July 2021. In his previous role as chair knew that Student Media would have more opportunities to thrive of the department of communication at Clemson University, Mazer and flourish under CCI.” oversaw the transition of the university’s six student media units The Daily Beacon – the largest of the office’s publications – and from the Division of Student Life to the department of communicaits fellow outlets now join WUTK and The Volunteer Channel as tion.

CCI’s premiere platforms for hands-on student experience.

He said the move was a success, allowing the university to move The Office of Student Media has been located in the Communica- the units “while preserving autonomy, independence and also protions and University Extension Building alongside CCI since 1969, viding extraordinary mentoring, advising and support for the stuthe year that both the building and the college opened. dents in those organizations.”

“Moving under the flagship of CCI feels like coming home to Mazer’s passion for student media dates back to his time in high me,” Bush said. “I hope to see more recruiting opportunities for school in the small town of Mount Carmel, PA, where George McFee,

“It truly was the most valuable practical experience I could have had, and I didn’t really appreciate it until I started my career.”

a teacher and local legend, created the first high school television station in the country.

When McFee died halfway through Mazer’s junior year of high school, he and a friend took over the leadership of the station, a job he said shaped him for the rest of his life.

Now, in his newest role, he is working towards weaving the Office of Student Media into the fabric of the college and providing its publications with the support necessary to grow and adapt in a constantly shifting media landscape.

The college will assist the Office of Student Media in engaging its approximately 2,100 alumni into a network of support, a key component in the survival of college media outlets.

One alumnus of The Daily Beacon has already taken the opportunity of supporting the paper.

Tim Sellers (‘88), a founding partner with Memphis-based integrated communications firm inferno and a member of the CCI Board of Visitors, created an endowment for The Daily Beacon to further support the work of the newspaper as it transitions to CCI. The endowment, built on Sellers’ gift and called the Sellers UTK Daily Beacon Endowment, is open for donation and will provide a source of long-term financial security for the paper.

Sellers worked as an account executive for the Beacon from the spring of 1984 to 1986, a position not unlike the jobs he held at advertising firms before starting his own.

“It truly was the most valuable practical experience I could have had, and I didn’t really appreciate it until I started my career* and it’s like, ‘well, I’ve done that,’” Sellers said. “I think it continues to be a valuable point of differentiation for graduates to have that platform, that type of experience.”

The endowment is not Sellers’ first major gift to CCI. He created an endowed advertising scholarship through a gift to the college in 2015.

The Daily Beacon has scaled back its print editions several times.

DIA JOINS CCI

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

PRINTING THE STUDENT PAPER: One of UT’s oldest traditions

1871

Students begin publishing a twice-monthly newspaper called The University Times-Prospectus

1904

The weekly student newspaper The Orange and White goes to print. It would later print twice a week.

1965

The first edition of the UT Daily Beacon, UT’s first student-run daily newspaper, is published.

orange and white 1906

1969 In fall of 2017, the paper ended 50 years of printing five days a week and moved instead to printing only on Mondays and Thursdays, while focusing more attention on digital content. Two years later, the paper began printing once a week on Wednesdays, a schedule that continues today.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper briefly printed only once a month.

The transition to CCI and the establishment of the Sellers endowment come as The Daily Beacon and its fellow student media outlets continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, which flushed the systems and the energy of the newsroom away.

As Editor-in-Chief of the Beacon in March 2020 when students were sent home to quarantine and the newsroom shut down, Gabriela Szymanowska saw how quickly the newsroom could change.

“The fact that the Beacon is now fully a part of CCI means that students will have more support in their endeavors of preparing for real field work in an industry that is constantly evolving and presenting new challenges,” Szymanowska said.

Though its name and form have changed multiple times over more than 150 years, publication of a student newspaper is one of the oldest continuing traditions at UT. The successor to The University TimesProspectus, called The Orange and White, was published weekly and later semi-weekly for 61

years, from 1904 until the first edition of The Daily Beacon was published on April 20, 1965.

Since its first edition, the Beacon has provided students from all disciplines the opportunity to gain skills that prepare them for a career after graduation, whether in media or not.

The Office of Student Media has produced award-winning journalism and alumni, a group that includes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy, sports journalism legend Paul Finebaum (‘78) and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Marshall Ramsey (‘91), a cartoonist and editor-at-large of Mississippi Today.

“I tell people I got my education from UT and my career from the Beacon,” Ramsey said.

“The Beacon is a laboratory where students can learn by doing — It’s why I have had a successful career as a cartoonist. It allowed me to do the work and learn my craft.”

2022 marks the beginning of another era in the life of the Office of Student Media, one that is expected to counteract trends in the field by expanding the support, influence and prestige of student-led publications at UT. “The whole media business is changing rapidly. The Beacon must change, too — and teach resilience while doing it. CCI’s taking the reins will have many benefits, from mentorship to economic sustainability. But at the end of the day, the Beacon will survive and continue to tell UT’s stories. And that’s what matters the most.”

Student Media moves to the Communications Building in Circle Park, where it remains alongside CCI today.

2017

The Beacon ends 50 years of printing five days a week and move instead to printing twice a week, while focusing more attention on digital content.

2019

The Beacon begins printing weekly on Wednesdays, a schedule that continues today, interrupted only by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first daily beacon published April 20, 1965

2022

Student Media moves from Student Life to CCI. Beacon alumnus Tim Sellers (‘88) establishes an endowment for the paper through a donation.

The Daily beacon 2022

(Above) Marshall Ramsey (‘91) spent his undergraduate career at the Daily Beacon, and submitted this cartoon as a dedication to the CCI transition.

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ARTS & CULTURE

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 21, 2022

PERIOD. @ UT seeks to bring menstrual equity to campus AURORA SILAVONG Staff Writer A new organization on campus seeks to bring awareness and combat a little-known issue affecting the community: period poverty.

PERIOD. @ UTK is the local chapter of PERIOD., a global non-profit dedicated to eliminating inequalities and stigmas surrounding menstruation through service, education and advocacy.

With chapters across 42 states and 27 countries, the organization empowers people who menstruate to bring this often uncomfortable conversation to their communities. The UT chapter is on a mission to spark that conversation on campus and confront period inequity affecting the UT and Knoxville community.

Senior nursing major Rachel Schutte started the club after seeing a friend start her own chapter at another school.

“One of my friends goes to a different university, and she was starting this at her school,” Schutte said. “I thought that was super cool, and I sat there and realized we have nothing menstrual-related on campus push-

Rachel Schutte (left) and Chloe Siscoe (right) are communications & event coordinator and chapter president for the PERIOD movement chapter at UTK. Courtesy of Jaylah Espy ing to support those students that can’t access menstrual supplies every month.”

Schutte saw glaring issues going unaddressed on campus, including a surprising lack of hygienic disposal containers.

“Even in the College of Nursing, one of our buildings didn’t have sanitary trash cans, and

we’re a heavily female program,” Schutte said.

Although the club is still very new, they have a handful of events planned and have established goals, both short-term and long-term.

They hope to hold menstrual supply collection and distribution drives throughout the year.

One of their end goals is to establish “period

safe havens” in key locations across campus, such as Hodges and the Student Health Center, where people who menstruate, regardless of gender identity, can access free supplies without fear of judgment.

The organization hopes to accomplish these goals through collaboration with other organizations on campus and in the wider community.

“Rachel and I are currently working with Choice Health Network,” senior nursing student and co-vice president Chloe Siscoe said.

“Recently, they have started doing menstrual product (drives), and we were hoping we could get in on that with them this semester once we started doing our own drives.”

The organization has attracted much curiosity, especially from cisgender young men.

The group maintains that period inequity affects everyone, including those who do not menstruate.

“50% of the population has a uterus and the ability to menstruate. That could be their mom, their sisters, their girlfriends, so it does directly affect them.” Siscoe said.

For more information about PERIOD. @ UTK, visit their Instagram page.

The Spirit of Día de los Muertos exhibit: McClung’s Day of the Dead celebration KELCIE RUMMAGE AND EMMA COFFEY Contributor and Arts and Culture Editor

The University of Tennessee thrives on the people-centered culture created by the diversity of its students that attend and contribute to their unique views, languages, traditions and so much more to the college.

This fall, the McClung Museum is hosting a special exhibit called “The Spirit of Día de Los Muertos,” which honors the ancient tradition of the Day of the Dead, respects the artistic aspects and explores the rich history of the celebration.

Most people are familiar with the Mexican holiday, Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. You’ll probably recognize it most for its beautiful artwork of the colorfully decorated skulls, traditional outfits and costumes and the celebrations in graveyards.

Katy Malone, the curator of academic programs at McClung Museum, spoke about the new exhibit.

“For the first time in its exhibition history, the McClung Museum is celebrating the deeply-rooted traditions and colorful spirit of the Day of the Dead in fall 2022. The Spirit of Día de Los Muertos highlights the rich history of the Mexican celebration that honors and remembers loved ones passed with artistic sentimentality,” Malone said.

The exhibition presents traditional and contemporary ofrendas, or altars, displaying the

KNOXVILLE, TN - McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture hosts a Dia De Los Muertos exhibit in August. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. Erick Gomez - / The Daily Beacon cross-cultural celebration’s dedication, evolution and artistic aspects.

“One-of-a-kind installations created by Knoxville community participants and artworks by local artists will be on view. The related festive events, programming and interactive installation will enhance the visitor experience. This exhibition is largely driven by the community advisory group composed of members on and off the UT campus,” the Mc-

Clung Museum website states.

The holiday is celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, but is not to be confused with the celebration of Halloween, which is celebrated at a similar time but is very different.

People who celebrate the holiday believe the gates of heaven are opened for a short time, and families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief celebration that includes food, dancing, singing and drinking.

The living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations and leave their favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas, which are lavishly decorated altars to honor deceased loved ones.

These ofrendas can be decorated “with candles, bright marigolds called cempasuchil and red cock’s combs alongside food like stacks of tortillas and fruit,” according to HISTORY. The tradition is over 3,000 years old and goes back to the Aztec Empire, where it was thought that after passing away, a person went to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. The voyage of nine challenging levels and many years of trial was necessary for the person’s soul to reach Mictlán, the final resting place.

Family members gave water, food and tools to help the deceased on their long journey through the afterlife and serves as the inspiration for the modern Day of the Dead traditions in which people leave food or other offerings on the graves of their loved ones.

UT sophomore neuroscience major Elle Smith recently visited the exhibit and shared her thoughts on it.

“The exhibit was really fascinating, and I think visiting it is a great way to respect, appreciate and learn about other people’s culture.

I suggest that everyone pop in and look around at least once. It’s definitely worth it,” Smith said.

The exhibition will run from Aug. 26 to Dec. 11 and is free and open to the public. You can check their open hours on their website.

OPINIONS

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

9

East Tennessee Maverick: Tennessee prime example why states shouldn’t decide abortion

WALKER KINSLER Columnist

Our conservative state legislature has made endangering the life and welfare of a woman state law in Tennessee.

As of Aug. 25, abortion in Tennessee is illegal from fertilization, with no exceptions for rape, incest or child sex abuse. There is also, get this, no direct exception in case of risk to the mother’s life.

You read that right: there is no explicit exemption that allows abortions to save the mother’s life. This has in effect criminalized the necessary healthcare of women in our state.

Performing an abortion in Tennessee is now a Class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Healthcare professionals’ only protection, if you can call it that, is what’s known as

“affirmative defense.” If a mother’s life is in danger, and a doctor performs an abortion, the doctor can be charged with a felony and must prove that it was necessary. This shifts the burden of proof from the state prosecution to the doctor.

As a result, there have already been multiple reports of fearful doctors being hesitant or asking for legal guidance to perform certain operations. This hesitancy to perform needed healthcare puts every woman in Tennessee at great, deadly risk. The time spent deliberating on whether to perform, or an outright refusal due to fear of prosecution, is primed to cost a woman her life.

The main argument of the conservative Supreme Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade was that each state should decide the legality of abortion.

This has proved catastrophic for the safety of women across red states. Instead of passing sensible, protective healthcare laws, Tennessee’s GOP legislature jumped to the extreme right to outright ban abortion, having no care for exceptions.

Why are exceptions for rape, incest and the very life of a woman opposed by Republican legislators? Thanks to the Republicans’ lack of exceptions, a young girl who might be raped by a power figure, such as a father or uncle, is

forced to carry that child to term.

And what caused this radical choice from the state legislature? Republican lawmakers, such as state Rep. Susan Lynn, claim to be “leading the way to the fullest possible protection for human life”.

What a contradictory statement to claim that you are “protecting human life” by passing a law that threatens women at risk. The irony is apparently lost on the GOP. It’s in this same irony that the party of “small government” is once again interfering in a giganticsized way by deciding the personal choice of a woman’s health. Why let you and your doctor decide what’s best when Gov. Bill Lee and the state legislature have already decided for you?

This fundamentally shows that the states’ rights argument for regulating abortion is disproven. Ultra-conservative states, primarily Tennessee, apparently cannot hold themselves accountable to protect the lives of women in their states.

Tennessee Democrats within the state legislature are pushing to add more exceptions in the next legislative session by pleading to the GOP’s sense of morality. While they rightfully decry the bill as a whole, Democrats are willing to try and work with conservatives to stop rape, incest or child abuse victims from being forced to carry to term.

But they can only succeed if the GOP will work with them, or if more Democrats are voted in.

On the federal level, Democrats in Congress want to codify Roe into federal law, ensuring that the risk to women’s lives found in Tennessee does not have a chance to happen. However, they need to retain their seats in the House and gain a few seats in the Senate to do so.

This brings me to my final point: if you value sensible healthcare laws that protect the life of a woman, vote against Republicans this November midterm. Register to vote, make sure your friends are registered and familiarize yourself with your local state and federal races.

Whether you vote here in Tennessee or elsewhere, every state’s elections matter for an issue as important as this. So when you approach that ballot box this fall, remember which party wants to include exceptions for a young rape victim.

Walker Kinsler is a sophomore studying political science. He can be reached at wkinsler@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.

Opinion: The Big Orange Screw and the squeaky wheel

LILY MARCUM Opinion Editor What is the Big Orange Screw and how can you avoid it?

According to Urban Dictionary, a crowdsourced online dictionary for slang, words and phrases, the Big Orange Screw is “Any terrible thing that happens to a student at the University of Tennessee because of the school’s administration, curriculum or police.”

Most prevalently, this is seen when a student has missed a credit or an opportunity needed to graduate on time. This leads to sometimes a semester or even a year-long delay in graduation which leads to thousands of dollars and time lost.

An example I’ve seen includes someone who transferred from UT Chattanooga and had to retake almost all of their general education requirements because the credits “did not transfer” even though they were presumably under

the same institution.

Another common experience is students in their fall or spring semester of their senior year being told by their advisor that they will not have the credits required to graduate on time, which leaves a lot of students frustrated because it seems like a mistake that could have been corrected earlier.

Although every university and academic institution comes with its own difficulties, UT seems to have a particular knack for leaving students frustrated and running in circles.

The best way to avoid the Big Orange Screw is to simply double check everything any administrator, advisor or professor says in reference to UT policy or requirements for graduation.

A good resource to check frequently is your Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) report, which is located in MyUTK and your general college’s graduation requirements as they can vastly differ if you switch majors. This is especially pertinent advice given that resources will be stretched even thinner due to a historically large freshman class.

The lack of preemptive additional support by the university regarding a large incoming class has led to the Big Orange Screw surging through students. By now most people have heard or complained about the lack of parking, housing and just usability of campus resources.

While this surge will eventually plateau, it is

essential to not forget the importance of proactive measures when it comes to being a student at UT. A phrase that I’ve found particularly useful as a student is “the squeaky wheel gets the oil,” meaning that those who continuously advocate for themselves are more likely to see the result they want.

This idea also relates more broadly than just checking your DARS report to see which classes you need to graduate. This idea goes into the foundation of the college experience, as well as making student needs and wants heard.

It is also important to remember that a record enrollment is not an accidental oversight.

The university knows that while we will all complain, we are basically a captive audience who have a low chance of actually rocking the boat.

Most decisions made boil down to money.

UT is arguably trying to make up for any lost funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also well-documented that freshmen make the university the most tangible money when compared to any other class through dorms, dining plans and just spending more time on campus than any other class.

Granted, according to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, the potential disruption of financial aid from freshman to senior year is another way universities can make money off of upperclassmen.

It is also interesting how the university now

has all these assumed extra funds due to a large incoming class alongside a record number of donors. In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, there were 60,142 donors who contributed over $264 million meant to bolster educational opportunities and student success programs.

There has yet to be a plan of reinvestment seen in a way that is tangible for students (more diverse club/student life investment, a raise in student minimum wage, lower tuition/ tuition forgiveness more broadly accessible, lower cost of parking/resources, etc.).

This is not to say that UT administration is responsible for addressing every individual frustration, but until there is a more fundamental addressing of the Big Orange Screw, the best way to mitigate these frustrations is to get involved and to not be afraid to ask for what you want or follow up if something is confusing. Ultimately, this is your experience and will be what you make it.

Lily is a junior studying journalism, political science and philosophy. She can be reached at lmarcum@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.

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SPORTS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Tennessee pulling out every stop for Florida rivalry this weekend JOSH LANE Sports Editor

If hype is any marker for how a season is going, then the Vols are on the right track ahead of their SEC opener with No. 20 Florida Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET from Neyland Stadium.

Fresh off a 63-6 beatdown of Akron, Tennessee football was ranked No. 11 in this week’s AP Poll, its highest rating since October 2016 – and the fanfare only begins there.

“It means the world,” tight end Jacob Warren, a Knoxville native, said of the Tennessee-Florida rivalry. “This is what you come to schools like this for. You come for these big rivalries, these big storied matchups between teams.”

Tennessee’s matchup with Akron – MidAmerican Conference, four wins in its last four seasons Akron – sold all 101,915 seats of Neyland Stadium’s new capacity, its first sell-out of a non-conference in seven years.

Tennessee-Florida sold out over a week before the game, and the student ticket portal, Big Orange Tix, crashed two minutes after it opened as thousands of students flooded the site for the limited number of seats. Not to mention the fan-driven initiative #CheckerNeyland is back for the sixth time in program history.

It was not long after Heupel’s arrival at Tennessee that he learned the weight that the annual meeting carries.

“Probably 30 seconds after I arrived here

No. 87 Jacob Warren prepares to make a hit during practice on August 21, 2019. File / The Daily Beacon on campus,” Heupel said of when he realized the importance of Florida week. “This is one of the ballgames that our fanbase and our players point to. Obviously being a fan of college football, I’ve seen the great games and the rivalry itself play out. That’s why you come here.”

Aside from the internal build-up, outside sources are starting to take notice of Tennessee football as well. ESPN College GameDay – college football’s longest-running pregame show – is coming to Knoxville for the first time since 2016. GameDay is generally reserved for the best rivalries or most exciting matchups of the week, and in 2022, Tennessee-Florida meets every qualification.

“You want to be a part of these types of games,” Heupel said. “You want to have an opportunity to have College GameDay on your campus, and be the prime time slot and have a sold-out stadium … When we run out that T, there won’t be a better atmosphere in college football.”

Florida has dominated the Vols historically, leading the all-time series 31-20, including wins in each of their last five matchups. Tennessee lost as many as 11 games in a row from 2005-2015 before breaking the streak at home in 2016 – coincidentally, the last time College GameDay was in Knoxville.

The Gators, however, do not have the same

bite as they did after Week 1. Florida climbed as high as No. 12 after a statement win over Utah, then proceeded to lose in prime time to Kentucky before sneaking past USF last weekend.

The Gators’ quarterback Anthony Richardson has been at the center of their slide. He ran for three scores in their Week 1 win, but has thrown four interceptions without a touchdown since. Regardless of Richardson’s play, Heupel knows the threat he poses as a quarterback with an ability to throw the ball both in the pocket and on the move.

“We have to bottle him up in the quarterback run game,” Heupel said. “At the same time, as you’re trying to apply pressure when they’re dropping back and throwing, he’s got the ability to make you pay if you don’t have rush integrity inside your pass rush lanes.”

For the Vols to successfully do that, they will have to get out of their own way. Tennessee committed 22 penalties for nearly 200 yards in three games this year, half of which came in the Akron blowout. After their lack of discipline in an unexpectedly chippy environment last Saturday, the Vols know they will need better control of their emotions in the heat of an SEC rivalry.

“You’re going to hear the outside noise and the energy and the excitement,” Heupel said.

“Our kids should be excited about what the environment is going to be on Saturday. Your preparation leads yourself to being ready to play. Competitive composure will be big in this one.”

‘To the ballot box and on the gridiron’: UT, Florida face off in voter challenge ABBY ANN RAMSEY Managing Editor People often think of Florida as UT’s main rival when it comes to football. But what about when it comes to having students registered to vote?

While the Vols are set to take on the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium this weekend, they will also be competing with the rival university to see who can register the most voters.

In 2016, UT had a similar voting competition with Florida. That year, they won off the field by 1,000 votes and on the field by 10 points.

Interim Chief Operating Officer at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and Adjunct Assistant Professor in political science Katie Cahill said that the Baker Center wanted to bring the competition back. The votes from the initiative will also count toward the Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s college voter registration competition for college students in the state.

“We thought it was time to remind these Florida Gators that Tennessee Volunteers know how to win and can beat them to the ballot box and on the gridiron,” Cahill said.

According to Cahill, UT has skyrocketed when it comes to voter turnout as the percentage of students voting went from 16% in 2014 to 33% in the 2018 midterm elections. This year, they’re aiming to get to 66%.

Despite the increase, people ages 18-29 have the lowest voter turnout rate of any age group. Cahill pointed out though that Gen Z represents 20% of the U.S. population, so those votes truly make a difference, especially when they’re not there.

“That is a lot of potential silence if college students don’t participate in the voting process by casting a ballot,” Cahill said.

The Student Government Association (SGA) has worked with the Baker Center on promoting this competition. SGA Chief of Staff and senior political science and communications major Juliet Gear said that encouraging voter registration does not come with a partisan agenda.

“I think we’re not here to tell you who to vote for,” Gear said. “We’re seriously just here wanting you to vote, exercise your right to vote and just kind of increase awareness.”

This fall does not hold a presidential election. But Gear said that these midterms are more important than students might think.

“I think state and local government is just so important to get involved with, or at least, just know what’s going on to kind of feel more empowered in your community, and feel like you’re helping your community in some sort of way,” Gear said. “Especially since we are here for four years, we might as well try to do all we can to leave it better than we found it.”

The competition will culminate with a Voter and Civic Engagement Tailgate hosted at the Baker Center on Saturday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

They will announce the winner of the contest and hand out a trophy at 12:45 p.m. All Volunteers are welcome to drop by for free food, games and an opportunity to register to vote or check your registration status.

If you’re already registered to vote, you can still help Tennessee win the competition by checking your registration status on the Vols Vote website and signing up for election reminders. The winner of the contest is based on the number of people signed up for election reminders.

Even if you’re not a UT student, you can still participate. The competition is open to all of Vol Nation, so parents, alumni and friends are welcome to earn points for UT. Go to vols.vote.utk.edu to participate.

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DAYS TO BEAT FLORIDA CURRENT STANDINGS AS OF 9/20: TENNESSEE: 544 FLORIDA: 527

SPORTS

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • The Daily Beacon

JACK CHURCH Contributor Although Tennessee tennis won both doubles matchups Sunday afternoon at Goodfriend Tennis Center, the Vols lost all three singles contests in the final day of competition at the Knoxville Showdown.

Tennessee began the day with two doubles matches against Illinois. Tomas Rodriguez and Shunsuke Mitsui for the Vols played on court three against Meister and Miyoshi, while Emile Hudd and Kent Hunter met their Illini opposition of Okonkwo and Debru on court five.

Rodriguez and Mitsui earned an early break to take a 2-0 advantage. They continued the pressure, earning a second break of the Illini serve and a 4-0 lead. The Illini only held serve once, as Rodriguez and Mitsui cruised to a 6-1 victory.

Hudd and Hunter also began their match with a 2-0 lead. The Volunteer pairing overcame a 40-0 deficit to earn their second break and a 5-2 advantage before holding serve and winning the match 6-2.

Three singles matches on the indoor courts concluded the day, and the tournament, for Tennessee. Boris Kozlov took on Mathis Debru on court one, Angel Diaz met Nic Meister on court two and Gabriele Brancatelli faced Kenta Miyoshi on court three.

Kozlov got off to a good start, winning an early break and a 2-1 advantage. Debru came back to lead 4-3 later in the set. Kozlov was not able to overcome this advantage and lost the opening set 6-3.

Meister had a 5-3 lead late in the first set with service. Diaz was able to break serve to cut the lead in half. In the next game, in a 40-40 situation, Diaz won the point to level

the set at five games each.

The next game featured a winner-takeall point as well. Meister was able to hold serve and lead 6-5. Diaz failed to hold his serve, and he lost the set 7-5 as a result.

Miyoshi never struggled in the opening set, defeating Brancatelli 6-3. This completed a sweep of the first set for the Illini in each of the three singles matches.

Kozlov made the first move in the second set, breaking Debru’s serve to take a 3-1 lead. Debru broke right back to cut down Kozlov’s advantage. With an ace on a 40-40 point, Debru held serve to level the set at three games apiece.

Both players split breaks to move to a 4-4 score line before doing so again to meet at 5-5. Debru then broke serve to take a 6-5 lead. Kozlov broke right back to send the second set to a tiebreak.

Deuru earned a mini break by taking a 5-3 lead against Kozlov’s serve. When he served again with a 5-4 advantage, two points would win him the match.

With a 6-4 lead in the tiebreak, Debru had two match points. He only needed one, winning the tiebreak 7-4. This was Kozlov’s only singles loss of the tournament.

Diaz broke serve to take a 2-1 lead in the second set of his match. Later in the set, he held a 4-2 advantage when he broke Meister serve to lead 5-2. Diaz held serve to win the second set 6-2.

Brancatelli fell to Miyoshi 6-3 in the second set.

Diaz was able to get to a tiebreak but could not finish off the win. Diaz had an early mini break, but Meister took the tiebreak 8-6 to win the match.

The Vols will next play at the ITA AllAmerican Championships, hosted by Tulsa University.

FOOTBALL

2022

Vol tennis struggles in singles on final day of Knoxville Showdown

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PICK ‘EM

Eric Woods Staff Writer (18-3) Tennessee 31 vs. Florida 28 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Jack Church Contributor (17-4) Tennessee 30 vs. Florida 31 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Andrew Peters Asst. Sports Editor (13-8) Tennessee 42 vs. Florida 28 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Kailee Harris Digital Producer (13-8) Tennessee 31 vs. Florida 21 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Bella Hughes Design Editor (12-9) Tennessee 36 vs. Florida 32 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Josh Lane Sports Editor (11-10)

UT’s Kent Hunter ready to serve in Barksdale Stadium on Thursday Sept. 15, 2022 during the Knoxville Showdown four-day series. Katie Wood / The Daily Beacon

Tennessee 55 vs. Florida 24 West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech Clemson vs. Wake Forest Missouri vs. Auburn Duke vs. Kansas Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

NEWS

The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, September 21, 2022

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Join us for a week-long celebration of your accomplishments so far this semester while learning more about our academic resources to enhance your success and prepare you for midterms!

Events include Job fairs Workshops Movie night Trivia

Download the Vol Life App or scan code for the full schedule!