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Coach Butch Jones and his players prepare to run the T during the game against Western Carolina. Esther Choo • The Daily Beacon

Unmarried faculty struggle to gain insurance provision Kelsey French Contributor

effective without physical linemen up-front, however, and that is something the Razorbacks have plenty of. The starting five offensive linemen average a little over 327 pounds each, headlined by behemoth right tackle Dan Skipper. The NFL prospect is 6 feet 10 inches tall, 331 pounds, but he is far from the only future NFL player in this group. This line has paved the way for 745-yards and six touchdowns on the season, but has gotten some help from a talented running back.

The June 2015 Supreme Court ruling saw a major victory for same-sex couples in the states. However, it may have caused quite the headache for unmarried, domestic couples in need of insurance. While UT has offered insurance benefits for married faculty and staff for years, only since June, when same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states, was this provision extended to include married LGBTQ+ faculty and staff as well. Before the ruling, many institutions and companies offered domestic partner benefits to their LGBTQ+ employees in spite of state bans on same-sex marriage. UT was not among them. Before the legalization of same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ faculty and staff couldn’t get their partners on insurance plans offered by UT, including health, dental, life, optional special accident and optional universal life insurance plans. There are also certain educational assistance plans that waive some tuition fees for university employees’ spouses and dependent children. Donna Braquet, director of the Pride Center, recalled her own struggle with the insurance system prior to the Supreme Court decision. “I’ve been with my wife for 17 years,” Braquet said. “We were married in 2014 in San Francisco because before then, there were only a few states where we could get married. We came back to Tennessee, and Tennessee didn’t recognize our marriage. So, the state of Tennessee and the university didn’t recognize us as being married so I couldn’t put her on my health insurance.”

See FOOTBALL on Page 6

See INSURANCE on Page 3

Vols face unique challenge in Arkansas’ offense Taylor White Assistant Sports Editor Pace has become the name of the game in college football -- more specifically, speed. With many teams opting to spread the field, and run as many plays as they can squeeze into 60 minutes of football, a smash-mouth style such as Arkansas’ has become a rarity. Tennessee has spent the first four weeks of the season planning for up-tempo offenses, where speed is a priority. That makes the Vols’

Volume 130 Issue 32

(2-2, 0-1 SEC) Saturday matchup with the Razorbacks (1-3, 0-1) that much more challenging to prepare for. “They do a good job,” defensive coordinator John Jancek said. “The thing for us is it’s pretty foreign. Last week when we saw 12 personnel, we played nickel. This week there is no way. They’ll knock you out of the stadium if you do that, so we’ll have to play base and we’ll have some young guys in there.” Arkansas Head Coach Bret Bielema wants his offense to control the game on the ground, grinding out tough yards in the run game to produce extended drives. That philosophy isn’t

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Friday, October 2, 2015


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