Thursday, October 2, 2014 Issue 31, Volume 127
WHAT’S IN THE
HUNCH PUNCH? Consumption of common party drink raises questions about ingredients involved McCord Pagan Social Media Editor
The Daily Beacon set up interviews with two UT students to discuss the issue of hunch punch. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, will be referred to as Sarah and Kyle in this story. It’s a brisk mid-October evening in 2013 – one that Sarah will barely remember. She and her friends leave Presidential Court around 10 p.m. Laughing, they make their way to a fraternity party, just another night out with friends during the time of year when freshmen are still acclimating to the party scene so entwined with UT’s reputation. One of Sarah’s friends texts the boy who invited them and asks him to come outside. It’s a football weekend, and lots of houses are having parties. No one wants to make a mistake and walk into the wrong one. Once inside, Sarah and her friends begin to mingle as they make their way to the large bowl of red liquid. Hunch punch. While being served, Sarah’s cup disappears into the hand of one of the hosts and is filled with the evening’s cocktail. One and a half drinks later and Sarah and her friends have already decided to leave for their next destination. Next door at another friend’s party, Sarah is now getting sick. In between throwing up, Sarah’s friends become concerned. They’ve seen her drink too much before, but this is very different. They begin to
suspect something is wrong. Recipe for Disaster Hunch punch, a sugary alcoholic drink frequently served at parties, is not new to UT’s party culture. Hunch punch is typically three to five gallons of what is essentially a mixed drink, but party hosts include any kind of hard liquor they can find. In first-year studies classes, the Center for Health Education and Wellness specifically warns freshmen of the dangers of consuming anything they did not make themselves. What worries people like Ashley Blamey, director of the Center for Health Education and Wellness, is the potency of common-source drinks and the lack of knowledge some students have about the potential risk involved. “We would say (not to drink from common-source drinks) to anyone,” Blamey said. “If you choose to drink … then you control the amount of intake. And with a common-source you can’t control your intake (of alcohol) because you don’t know what’s in it.” Taking Effect “Sarah. Hey, Sarah! Wake up!” Sarah barely hears her friends as she sways and slowly falls to the floor. Higher brain function is gone. Someone grabs a fan. If made with enough powdered drink mix and soda, the alcohol content inside hunch punch -- usually at least two 750 milliliters of vodka and/or a 1.75 liter of grain alcohol -- can be undetectable to the tongue. While the drink is designed to mask any taste of alcohol, this also allows drugs to be discreetly slipped into drinks without the drinker’s knowledge. Kyle, a fifth-year senior, has spent much of his time in college with his fraternity, whether planning philanthropic events or going to parties. While hunch punch is hardly contained to Greek life, Kyle said he has helped host more than his fair share of events. “One of the guys I live with has made (hunch punch) once a week for about two years,” he laughed. “And me? I’ve made it … 40 to 50 times probably?” See HUNCH PUNCH on Page 2
CCortney Roark • The Daily Beacon
Students capture ‘life as it is lived’ Katrina Roberts Design Editor (@KatrinaRoberts_) If the Eyes on LaFollette Project were human, it would be a senior in college, strolling across campus with a camera around its neck. It would be preparing to go on display Friday, Oct. 3 at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville as a photo exhibit, capturing over 20 years of stories from the small town of LaFollette, Tennessee. Robert Heller, photojournalism professor, first took his advanced photojournalism class to LaFollette in the spring of 1993. Traveling approximately 40 miles north of Knoxville, the class was armed with cameras and the hopes of capturing the stories of daily life in the community. Since that first year, Heller has returned to the town nearly every spring with a new crop of students in tow. Each group spends a day and a half taking photos, and at the end, they choose the best ones to be featured in a special section of the town’s weekly newspaper, The LaFollette Press. Ben Murphy, senior in journalism and electronic media and cinema studies, went on the trip last spring. It was in LaFollette that he saw the power of a good story. “That’s what all good photos are trying to tell,” Murphy said. “And I found after being on the trip that stories are everywhere. You first have to take a step back and see what
Breaking bad stereotypes Actor to discuss living with disabilities, provide real-world perspective Altaf Nanavati Contributor
Sarah O’Leary took this photograph during the Spring 2014 trip for the Eyes on LaFollete project. • File Photo all is there, then dig deeper into a location or person. And who knows, maybe that place or person will lead you to the next one.” David McCarville, senior in journalism & electronic media and editorial production artist at The Daily Beacon, was on the trip as well. Despite his initial nervousness, he walked
A new look is coming to Cleveland NEWS >>pg. 2
away from the trip with a new appreciation for the project and the small town that hosts it. “Without doing that, I wouldn’t have really known what would be expected from newspaper assignments or anything like that,” McCarville said. “And it was great to get out there and apply what we
learned in the basic photojournalism class and the advanced photojournalism class to the real world.” Now the project itself is entering a whole new world, albeit on a much larger scale than the 18 page section of The LaFollette Press. See LAFOLLETTE on Page 3
“Talk about a PR nightmare. It involved frat guys, homophobia, Franzia, a web of lies and it was also just really weird.” VIEWPOINTS >>pg. 4
Actor RJ Mitte will break disability stereotypes tonight. Mitte, from the AMC show “Breaking Bad,” will visit campus to discuss his experiences living with cerebral palsy. In conjunction with Campus Disability Advocates’ Disability Week, Issues Committee has invited Mitte to speak on “Overcoming Adversity: Turning a Disadvantage to an Advantage,” at 7 p.m. in the University Center Auditorium. Mitte’s portrayal of Walter “Flynn” White Jr., a teenager who lived with the condition, breaks the norm Allison Gose, president of Campus Disability Advocates, said. “When characters with disabilities are shown, the disability is usually portrayed as something the character must overcome in order to obtain a socially accepted normalcy,” Gose said. “Mitte’s role as Walter Jr. is therefore very
r e v o lutionary, and Campus Disability Advocates is very excited that he is RJ Mitte coming to speak about disability in the media.” Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage of the motor centers of the brain that affect movement. Mitte was born not breathing Aug. 21, 1992 in an emergency caesarian which resulted in permanent brain damage. At the age of 3, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spent the majority of his childhood in leg braces and crutches. Through sports and exercise, Mitte’s body grew strong enough to no longer require walking devices, and he began seeking out acting opportunities which allowed him to educate viewers on his disability. See MITTE on Page 2
Post-cast Jason Croom shines for the Vols SPORTS
>>pg. 6