11 01 13

Page 1

Student-led youth program provides training, comfort

Tiny’s promise: “We’ll beat Missouri.”

NEWS >>pg. 2

Column: Editor commits to write novel in November ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 3

Fort Sanders students throw parties for a cause

SPORTS >>pg. 7

ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 5

Friday, November 1, 2013

Issue 50, Volume 124

Historic Strong Hall faces final days on campus McCord Pagan Copy Editor Strong Hall’s days are officially numbered and swiftly declining. A place that once served as UT’s first all-female dormitory is slated to be demolished during the spring semester. Through a donation by Benjamin Rush Strong in honor of his mother, Sophronia Mars Strong, Strong Hall opened its

doors in 1925 for 50 residents. Yet, due to short, cramped hallways and poor wiring preventing common luxuries like central air conditioning, one student was caused to pass out from heat stroke. After closing in 2008, maintenance for the dormitory was no longer deemed cost-effective. The entire hall will be torn down to make room for a new science facility, tentatively scheduled to

open in fall 2016. The final design will be finished by next summer. The updated building will house the Anthropology and Earth and Planetary Sciences departments, as well as new, more interactive labs for undergraduate chemistry and biology. The majority of the $114 million, 270,000 square foot project’s funding will come from the state of Tennessee, but UT will

contribute $38.75 million for the new structure. Despite outward perceptions, UT has not given up on the history of the building. “We have to look at it from the financial side and determine if we’re willing to invest those dollars to bring things up to code,” said Chris Cimino, vice chancellor for Finance and Administration. “It was determined a number of years ago

that it was not going to make financial sense to actually invest the money to keep operating it as a residence hall.” Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor of Finance and Administration, also acknowledged that practicality outweighs sentimentality. “It’s important to us to try and preserve old buildings, it’s our heritage, but oftentimes it’s difficult to do that because of new,

‘Eat, Pray, Love’ author reflects on UT roots

Ronald McDonald House builds upon humble beginnings

Claire Dodson Arts & Culture Editor Elizabeth Gilbert’s renowned memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” features many exotic locations, including Italy, India and Indonesia. Not mentioned in the memoir is the city where Gilbert edited her soon-to-be-famous work: Knoxville, Tenn. In 2005, Gilbert served as the Jack E. Reese Writerin-Residence at UT for six months while she put the finishing touches on the memoir she would release the following February. Since then, Gilbert has gone on to worldwide recognition, due largely to the film adaptation of “Eat, Pray, Love,” which starred Julia Roberts. She has also released two works, the nonfiction memoir “Committed,” and most recently, her novel “The Signature of All Things,” released Oct. 1. Although Knoxville is not a usual stop on most book tours, Gilbert’s Knoxville ties are bringing “An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert” to the Tennessee Theatre on Saturday Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The event will include a reading and a question and answer session; it is sponsored by the Friends of the Knoxville Public Library, in partnership with Union Avenue Booksellers and the Knox County Public Library. Gilbert, who stayed at the Hotel St. Oliver and ate lunch every day at The Tomato Head, said her memories of the prepublication of “Eat, Pray, Love” are very tied up in Knoxville. “I worked in my hotel room in the Hotel St. Oliver,” Gilbert said in a phone interview with The Daily Beacon. “It had a certain old-world charm. I loved it there actually, it almost felt haunted and definitely like the set of a Tennessee Williams story. It had a kind of weird, evocative air to it.” While working on her final draft, Gilbert also had her first teaching experience. “I had a wonderful class, so it was a really memorable experience for me,” Gilbert said. “I remember being absolutely dazzled by the amount of talent in that classroom. There were a few in the class who really wanted to devote themselves to a lifetime of writing.” See GILBERT on Page 5

Madison Rasnake Contributor

sad for everybody that comes back.” Bucker, a class of 1962 alumnus, recalls his alma mater as a much nicer, larger school. Once alive with Greek life, sports, choir and other clubs, the campus is now quiet.

What once housed the creators of weapons of mass destruction now serves as a sanctuary for those struck by tragedy. The Ronald McDonald House, a rose-colored Victorian house on West Clinch Avenue, was built upon the former grounds of Fort Sanders in 1903. After serving as college apartments and a nursing home before finding its current purpose, the house has seen its fair share of history. During its 28 years of service to the Knoxville community, the House has been home to more than 45,000 people, acting as a temporary place of solitude for any family with a child younger than 21 undergoing treatment at a regional hospital. “We can house up to 65 people,” said Carolyn Broscious, House manager. “They can stay as long as their child is receiving treatment. We have a few families that have been staying with us for almost two years.” With a medical referral and a donation of $5 a night, each family gains access to a bedroom, showers, free laundry and, occasionally, a free meal.

See KNOXVILLE COLLEGE on Page 2

See MCDONALD on Page 2

Hannah Cather • The Daily Beacon

Rotting ceiling tiles and a missing window pane (center) in Knoxville College’s weight room embody the current state of the campus that less than 100 students attend across town.

‘Frozen in time’ Knoxville College campus still welcomes students but in desperate need for repair Liz Wood Contributor Just three miles from UT’s campus, Knoxville College sits atop its own hill. Years ago, this historic black college was teeming with student life. Today, less than 100

students are enrolled, and the college’s staff consists of six people. Much of the campus is in disrepair. In the library, there are bird feces on the stairs. Books strewn across the floor lie among discarded mops and overturned furni-

ture. The ceiling is caving in. Built in the late 1800s, many of the buildings were scheduled to begin renovation more than a decade ago. Several are now out of commission, although one dorm on campus is still open.

However, despite lackluster facilities, the institution continues to operate. “Knoxville College is not the place it used to be, and it’s not likely to be again,” said Robert Bucker, Knoxville College historian and alumnus. “It’s very

Reunited tennis duo captures title Brian Canever Contributor Freshly reunited UT doubles partners Jarryd Chaplin and Brandon Fickey concluded their fall season in victorious fashion last weekend by capturing the title at the USTA Collegiate Clay Court Invitational in Orlando, Fla. The duo went 5-0 in the tournament and defeated North Florida’s Norbert Nemscek Jack Findel-Hawkins in a grueling final 8-7 (4). “It was the first time we had played together this fall,” Fickey said. “So we were just happy to get back out there and see what

INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON News Arts & Culture Opinions Sports

modern-day codes,” Maples said. “It’s very difficult to try and preserve a building and still make it useful when you move back in.” However, an old gardener’s cottage at the corner of 16th Street and White Avenue, part of the former Cowan estate, will be completely restored. Plans for this building have yet to be decided. See STRONG HALL on Page 2

Page 2 Page 3, 5 Page 4 Page 6-8

we could do.” In the final, the pair trailed two break points down 5-2. In Division I tennis, doubles matches are played to eight. With a mountain to climb in order to secure the title, the partners dug deep and pulled off a remarkable comeback. “We both went into the final with a little bit of nerves,” Fickey said, a Knoxville native. “But, we eventually settled in and knew that we would have to work as a team and not individually and that was the biggest thing for us to turn the match around and win.” For Chaplin, an Australian and

one of only two seniors in the program, the belief was there from the onset. “There were a lot of good teams there,” Chaplin said. “But we wanted to win it. And, after we won the first round, I absolutely knew we could win the tournament.” Fickey and Chaplin only occasionally played together in the past as UT tried out various doubles combinations. Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese, the current No. 1 doubles team in the Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon country, individually partnered with Fickey and Chaplin before Brandon Fickey, left, and Jarryd Chaplin congratulate settling in together this season. one another during a tennis match against the Vanderbilt Commodores on March 24. See TENNIS on Page 8

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