Third Annual Roll Call honors veterans, fallen heroes NEWS >>pg. 3
Vols defense, Dobbs focus on taming Tigers in Neyland
Benefit concert to help finance WUTK’s new transmitter tower ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 6
Diwali offers introduction to Hindu holiday with authentic cuisine, dance ARTS & CULTURE >>pg. 8
SPORTS >>pg. 11
Friday, November 8, 2013
Issue 55, Volume 124
Same-sex benefits granted to Knoxville city employees Hayley Brundige Staff Writer Beginning Jan. 1, same-sex, in addition to opposite-sex couples, may file for insurance benefits in Knoxville. Mayor Madeline Rogero made an administrative decision to expand employee benefits to include domestic partnerships Oct. 16.
In a statement made via email, Rogero explained what this citywide change will entail. “The expansion of employee benefits to same or opposite-sex domestic partners allows city of Knoxville employees in committed domestic relationships to extend medical, dental, vision and dependent life benefits to their domestic partners,” Rogero wrote. The expected annual cost is
about $60,000 from the city’s $13 million benefits budget. Although the city of Knoxville has adopted these measures, UT has not. As of now, benefits are not extended to UT employees in domestic partnerships. In 2012, the UT Faculty Senate submitted the Faculty Resolution on Support for Benefit Equality. In a Jan. 10 letter in response to this resolution, Chancellors Jimmy Cheek and Larry
Arrington cited the Tennessee Constitution and the state’s current definition of “marriage.” “The university does not have authority to extend coverage provided by the state group insurance plan or to establish a separate insurance plan for university employees,” Cheek wrote. Knoxville is the second city in Tennessee to provide employee benefits to individuals in domestic partnerships, trailing the town
of Collegedale by two months. The change in Collegedale resulted largely from the efforts of Kat Cooper, a respected Collegedale detective. Cooper married her partner, Krista, in Maryland and did not receive marriage-related benefits when she returned to Tennessee. On Aug. 5, Collegedale City Council members voted 4-1 to approve the extension of health benefits to same-sex couples.
“In Collegedale, it wasn’t a political decision,” said Alex Green, a reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press who covered the Collegedale story. “It wasn’t, ‘I’m a Republican commissioner so I vote this way,’ or, ‘I’m a Democrat so I vote this way.’ It came down to the way we were treating Kat Cooper.” See BENEFITS on Page 1
500 Pride alumni to march for homecoming McCord Pagan Copy Editor
Mica Stephens Contributor Eight hundred current and former Pride of the Southland Band members, united and marching on the field at once. That’s what students have to look forward to during this year’s homecoming game halftime show. Each year during homecoming, the Pride of the Southland Band has the distinction of marching with its former members and alumni, as the Alumni Band joins in. While the event has always had a respectable turnout with about 100 men and women in attendance, this year is different. Saturday, nearly 470 former members will be in attendance. Combined with the 330 current members, there will be nearly 800 marchers on the field for the halftime show, more than ever before. Although former Director of Bands Gary Sousa remains on paid administrative leave – pending a full review after a public disagreement in October – interim Band Director Don Ryder carries on this band tradition, with a spin. As a result of unprecedented participation, Ryder said the Alumni Council has had trouble finding enough instruments for all the attendees to play. Ryder was originally excited by the prospect of a large turnout by the former Pride members, dubbed 500 Strong, in early September. “A lot of it is the camaraderie and the friendship,” Ryder said. “We have people coming back who graduated in 1961 and that are marching. “... We have people that are flying in from California just to march.” Patrick O’Shea, who performed in the Pride from 1968-70, is coming from Virginia for the weekend. In light of recent events, O’Shea said he sees homecoming as an opportunity to spark greater interaction with current members. See HOMECOMING on Page 3
Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon
Vols soar past Screaming Eagles in second exhibition, 78-47 Steven Cook Copy Editor Defensive-minded Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin wasn’t happy with his team giving up 80 points in its Saturday exhibition opener against Florida Southern. The Vols’ 78-47 win over Southern Indiana in their final exhibition contest on Thursday night fits his style a bit better. “We came out aggressively,” Martin said in his post-game press conference. “I thought we did a good job tonight in
report. “We were closing in on their shooters well,” McRae said. “We know who their shooters were. That was just us paying attention to our scouting report.” Tennessee never trailed in the contest, getting out to a quick 24-9 lead. Much of that was due to avoiding sloppy play— the Vols committed just five turnovers as compared to the 17 from Saturday’s opener. “(We) didn’t get as many assists as we would’ve liked, but I thought we did a good job of not turning the ball over,” Martin said.
Despite sporting a lead that reached as high as 33 points, UT shot just 36.4 percent (28-for-77) from the field — just edging out the Screaming Eagles’ 35.1 percent performance. “I mean, this isn’t going to be the only game that we’re going to shoot bad,” said McRae, who shot 4-for-16 on the night. “We missed a lot of easy shots, layups and things like that. “We’re off (Friday), but I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole team is in, getting up shots.” See BASKETBALL on Page 9
Gungor produces The T sees spike in ridership more than simply musical ‘noise’ Kendall Basham Contributor
Claire Dodson Arts & Culture Editor
as we’re creating albums.” These albums include the Grammy-nominated “Beautiful Things” and the group’s most recent effort “I Am Mountain,” released on Sept. 24. “Mountain” came after a long “fallow” season, Gungor said. “For the new album, we reapproached writing,” Gungor said. “We took some time in the last year and just stopped doing anything really. We did a lot of snowboarding and hanging out with friends and playing video games and just living some normal life. We tried to not force anything out.
Amidst the swell of music millennials are inundated with on a daily basis, musical collective Gungor aims to add more to the world than just “noise.” “There’s plenty of noise in the world,” said band founder Michael Gungor in a phone interview with The Daily Beacon. “(We want to make) something that can allow people to experience their heart opening towards their lives, towards the world. “It’s a little ambiguous, but that’s something that drives us See GUNGOR on Page 8
INSIDE THE DAILY BEACON News Opinions Arts & Culture Sports
denying wing passes. If you can take away those passing lanes and opportunities, it will give you a better chance defensively.” After giving up eight 3-pointers to Florida Southern and allowing three opposing players to reach above doubledigit scoring, UT’s defense didn’t allow a repeat performance on Thursday night. Tennessee didn’t allow a 3-point field goal or double-digit scorer from the Screaming Eagles. Senior guard Jordan McRae — who led the way offensively with 15 points— attributed the improvement to his teammates locking down on the scouting
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UT’s T-Transit System is moving forward. Literally. The T is now hitting its highest ridership since being absorbed by First Transit during the summer of 2013. Speculation attributes the rise in popularity to the new, more visible bus advertisements and the accompanying smart phone app. Previously, UT’s transportation system was run and funded by Knoxville’s KAT bus system. The new system is modeled after that of Harvard University, embodying the progressive, Top 25 attitude sweeping campus. “A bus system on any campus is essential to the master plan,” said Director of Transportation and Safety Mark Hairr, “the master plan of connecting people and helping them operate through their day-today lives across campus.” See T RIDERSHIP on Page 3
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Stan Taylor • The Daily Beacon
Students waiting to board the Neyland Express on Nov. 6 might not have a seat to themselves due to the increased popularity of campus transportation.
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