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Zombies attack! Run for
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Monday, October 18, 2010
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Issue 41 I N D E P E N D E N T
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906
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UT tourism director wins ‘Shining Example’ Award recognizes innovation in marketing, economic development of tourism Alyce Howell Staff Writer The Shining Example Award from the Southeast Tourism Society is a prestigious award given once every two to three years to organizations and individuals who demonstrate new and innovative ideas in marketing and economic development of tourism. Steven Morse, director and economist of the UT Tourism Institute, won this award for the first time this year. He was presented with the award in September in Greenville, S.C., at the organization’s annual meeting. “I was surprised, because unlike many awards, this award is not an award you are nominated for,” Morse said. “It is an award you are chosen for from the 900-plus membership of STS across 12 southeastern states.” Twenty years ago, Morse became interested in the travel and tourism industry when some of his economic studies described define the role of tourism as an economic development tool in both urban and rural communities.
“The importance of these economic impact studies in rural areas has been especially helpful for local economies in organizing resources to foster small businesses associated with tourism in economic development,” Morse said. Morse said that working at Six Flags in his college days also led to the interest in the hotel, restaurant and attractions industry. Morse’s greatest contribution to Southeast Tourism has been the opportunity to share the methods and models developed in the UT Tourism Institute with all 95 counties in Tennessee. STS recognized the methods and models used in Tennessee and has asked that they
are shared with tourism professionals across 11 southeastern states. “In particular, we have been asked by STS to teach a two-day seminar series at the annual STS Marketing College, which is a professional education series attended by over 300 tourism professionals each year,” Morse said. Southeast tourism stands out, because the hospitality and tourism industry has a larger role in local •Steven Morse economies than other states around the U.S. The current focus of the Tourism Institute has been the role of tourism in the economic development of all Tennessee counties.
However, the long-range vision is continuing to serve all counties in Tennessee and to grow in efforts to become a leader for this research and outreach in the U.S. The next step is to use new online technology to deliver economic impact information to local economies. Morse said many students don’t think that the retail, hospitality and tourism industry has high-paying professional jobs, because most students are familiar with entry-level minimum wage jobs. However, students are very successful at finding professional managerial positions. “This is a great industry that creates sustainable jobs in the retail and tourism industries that will always exist, because unlike other jobs in the U.S., retail and tourism jobs will never be exported to another country,” Morse said. Morse also said students should get some experience from interning. Elizabeth Hawkins, a sophomore in marketing, said Morse gave great advice when it comes to internships. “Students should take advantage of their time to practice for the real world,” she said.
Political campaigns bring in funding Associated Press
Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon
Paul Lee and Jonathan Ziegler performing during a joint graduate piano recital Friday, Oct. 15. Information about future recitals hosted by the School of Music can be found at www.music.utk.edu
Programs help disabled students Associated Press Zach Neff is all high-fives as he walks through his college campus in western Missouri. The 27-year-old with Down syndrome hugs most everybody, repeatedly. He tells teachers he loves them. “I told Zach we are putting him on a hug diet — one to say hello and one to say goodbye,” said Joyce Downing, who helped start a new program at the University of Central Missouri that serves students with disabilities. The hope is that polishing up on social skills, like cutting back on the hugs, living in residence halls and going to classes with non-disabled classmates will help students like Neff be more independent and get better jobs. In years past, college life was largely offlimits for students with such disabilities, but that’s no longer the case. Students with Down syndrome, autism and other
conditions that can result in intellectual disabilities are leaving high school more academically prepared than ever and ready for the next step: college. Eight years ago, disability advocates were able to find only four programs on university campuses that allowed students with intellectual disabilities to experience college life with extra help from mentors and tutors. As of last year, there were more than 250 spread across more than three dozen states and two Canadian provinces, said Debra Hart, head of Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, which provides services to people with disabilities. That growth is partly because of an increasing demand for higher education for these students and there are new federal funds for such programs. The federal rules that took effect this fall allow students with intellectual disabil-
ities to receive grants and work-study money. Because details on the rules are still being worked out, the earliest students could have the money is next year. Hart and others expect the funds to prompt the creation of even more programs. “There is a whole generation of young people who have grown up under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and to them it (college) is the logical next step,” Hart said. The college programs for these students vary. Generally the aim is to support the students as they take regular classes with non-disabled students. Professors sometimes are advised to modify the integrated classes by doing things like shifting away from a format that relies entirely on lectures and adding more projects in which students can work in groups. See DISABLED on Page 3
Campaign finance reports show the heaviest fundraising activity among congressional races in Tennessee is in the battle to succeed Democratic Rep. John Tanner, who is retiring from his 8th Congressional District seat in the state’s northwestern corner. Republican Stephen Fincher pushed his total receipts to $2.4 million since entering the race, including a $250,000 loan he made to the campaign during the primary and about $298,000 from political action committees. He reported a cash balance of about $542,000. Democrat Roy Herron’s total receipts reached $2.3 million, including $500,000 from himself and about $348,000 from political action committees. Herron had nearly $645,000 on hand at the end of the third quarter. Tennessee has two other open House seats because of the retirements of Democratic Rep. Bart Gordon of Murfreesboro and Republican Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga. The two-week early voting period for the Nov. 2 election began Wednesday. In the 6th District race to succeed Gordon, Republican state Sen. Diane Blacks pushed her total receipts to $1.7 million, while her expenditures reached $1.5 million. Her campaign has received $950,000 from the candidate and $242,700 from PACs. Black narrowly won the GOP primary over fellow state Sen. Jim Tracy and Lou Ann Zelenik, a former chairwoman of the Rutherford County Republican Party. Zelenik, who lost the nomination by 283 votes, reported a cash balance of $199,000. She had raised about $174,000 from donors and loaned her bid another $432,000. Tracy, who came 566 votes short of Black, reported spending all but $1,224 of the $846,000 he raised. Attorney Brett Carter, the Democratic nominee in the 6th District, reported raising about $200,000 through the end of the quarter and spending $151,000. In the 3rd District, Republican Chuck Fleischmann reported that his total personal contributions to his campaign had reached $1.3 million out of his total receipts of $1.9 million. Fleischmann won the crowded GOP primary to succeed Wamp with 31.6 percent of the vote. His nearest opponent was Robin Smith, a former state GOP chairwoman, who received 30 percent. She reported spending all but $1,150 of the $730,000 she raised for the race. No report was available for Democratic candidate John Wolfe. In the 4th District, Democratic Rep. Lincoln Davis reported spending $600,000 in his increasingly bitter campaign against Republican challenger Scott DesJarlais. Davis’ receipts reached about $1.1 million in the period, including about $614,000 from PACs. He had about $482,000 remaining. DesJarlais spent almost $528,000 in the period and had about $81,000 remaining. Outside groups have begun advertising heavily in the district. In the 9th District, Rep. Steve Cohen’s reports show he spent about $714,000 in the period that included his defense in the Democratic primary against former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton. Herenton’s filing was not available on the FEC website on Sunday.