A RALLYING CRY FOR PEACE
At a recent rally, Muslim, Jewish and Christian community organizers in Knoxville came together to call for peace in the Middle East. The Daily Beacon
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Volume 144, Issue 9
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
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@utkdailybeacon
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
DAILY BEACON STAFF AND POLICY INFORMATION
EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abby Ann Ramsey MANAGING EDITOR: Bella Hughes COPY CHIEF: Emma Johnston NEWS EDITOR: Eli Boldt ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Macy Roberts SPORTS EDITOR: Caleb Jarreau ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR: Eric Woods OPINIONS EDITOR: Calie Wrona PHOTO EDITOR: Edward Cruz DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Fingeret ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: Makenzie Clark PAGE DESIGNERS: Chloe Black, Jibril Foronas,
Katie Goss COVER PHOTO: Edward Cruz
ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION ADVERTISING MANAGER: Cullen Askew ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Shelby
Coppock, Jacob Stromatt ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Donatella
Thomas, Ailin Lopez
CONTACTS TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM OR SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE, please email editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com or call (865) 974-2348 TO PLACE AN AD, please email admanager@utk.edu. LETTERS POLICY: Letters to the Editor must be exclusive to The Daily Beacon and cannot have been submitted to or published by other media. Letters should not exceed 400 words and can be edited or shortened for space. Letters can also be edited for grammar and typographical errors, and Letters that contain excessive grammatical errors can be rejected for this reason. Anonymous Letters will not be published. Authors should include their full name, mailing address, city of residence, phone number and e-mail address for verification purposes. Letters submitted without this information will not be published. The preferred method to submit a Letter to the Editor is to email the Editor-in-Chief. CORRECTIONS POLICY:It is the Daily Beacon’s policy to quickly correct any factual errors and clarify any potentially misleading information. Errors brought to our attention by readers or staff members will be corrected and printed on page two of our publication. To report an error please send as much information as possible about where and when the error occurred to managingeditor@ utdailybeacon.com, or call our newsroom at (865) 974-5206. The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee on Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The offices are located at 1345 Circle Park Drive, 11 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year or $100/semester. It is also available online at: www.utdailybeacon. com
Letter from the Editor: What the Beacon is here for ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief
As editor-in-chief of the Beacon, my days are rarely predictable. I’m not saying we’re constantly dealing with breaking news, scandals and protests — but days are often hectic, even if it’s just because my email inbox feels out of control or because I’m trying to post something online as quickly as possible. Getting caught up in the day-to-day schedule of student news can make it easy to lose sight of the big picture of The Daily Beacon. When I’m not piecing together the puzzle that is our weekly paper or trying to find times to meet with a prospective writer, I try to remind myself that the Beacon is more than an experiential learning environment and that student news is vital to not just the UT community but the landscape of the journalism industry as a whole. We live in a landscape where distrust of “the media” runs rampant and where anyone can be a reporter if they have Twitter — or X, I should say. We live in a landscape where journalists struggle to admit they were wrong. We live in a landscape where it’s imperative to train the next generation of journalists on how to gain trust, report fairly and remain hopeful. Student journalists give a glimpse into what the future of journalism looks like. And while some days I feel regret about an editorial decision or feel so exhausted that the future seems bleak, most days I’m in awe at the journalists our student newsroom is shaping and of the work we’re doing. As it’s easy to get caught up in the day-today, the Beacon’s managing editor Bella Hughes and I recently decided to discuss the values of the Beacon with our editorial team — things to keep in mind when we lose sight of what we’re doing and goals to work toward to make the Beacon “the best college newspaper in America” — a superlative Paul Finebaum recently gave us. These values often have many meanings in our newsroom. Some of them are things we value and uphold every day, while others are things we value but occasionally struggle to uphold — not because we don’t want to but usually just because we’re stressed out students who forget about comma splices. We came up with a whole laundry list of values and goals including editorial independence, transparency, accuracy, quality, inclusivity, mentorship, history, justice, reputability, collaboration, passion and honorability. We talked about the importance of being visionary journalists who present not only problems but also solutions. We want the Beacon to be a creative outlet for students that is representative of campus. The Beacon has always valued attention to detail and accuracy, but in the past few months, our fact-checking process has
Managing Editor Bella Hughes (left) and Editor-in-Chief Abby Ann Ramsey (right) work in The Daily Beacon newsroom where staff members are committed to transparency, accuracy and solutions. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon helped us prioritize these values even more. For our editorial team, storytelling is at the heart of the Beacon — whether we’re telling the stories of campus or just hanging out in the office and telling stories about our days. I think it’s easy to be pessimistic about student newsrooms. When it feels difficult to trust tenured journalists and legacy news outlets, why trust college students to give you the facts? The best answer I can give is that we’re working day in and day out to become the best journalists we can be and to provide you with the most accurate reporting possible. We may be students, but we’re students who are hopeful about the future of journalism, and having hope is vital in reporting. If everyone is so pessimistic about the news industry that they can’t even trust student journalists who are actively being trained on the importance of fairness, accuracy, quality and solutions, society will continue to create echo chambers for misinformation, conspiracy theories and isolated viewpoints. I can’t sit here and tell you that everything we do is perfect, but I can tell you that we try our best to be as close to perfect as possible. We face many obstacles from other entities, especially when it comes to covering news. Our staff members balance a low-paying student news job with full classloads, other jobs, other extracurriculars and personal lives. Despite the challenge that student news is, we do our best to be here for you.
In order to best serve you and to make our work as meaningful as possible, we welcome constructive feedback and corrections to our pieces. I encourage you to contact me at editorinchief@utdailybeacon.com with any questions about our editorial processes or any corrections to our stories. We’re all about recognizing where we fall short and how we can improve. If you have thoughts about anything going on on campus or if you dislike the way we cover an event, I encourage you to submit a letter to the editor. We want to be connected to our audience and showcase people’s opinions, even in cases where those opinions are critical of our work. If you have story ideas, we’d love to hear from you. If there’s a club on campus we haven’t featured before, tell us about it. If you want to know more about campus issues like accessibility or housing, send us your questions so we can try to find answers. If you heard about a student starting a new business or just doing something cool, we want to know about them. You can contact me by email or you can submit news tips online. Our main goal is to tell the stories of campus, and we can’t do that without you. The Beacon is here to uphold the values of journalism and to train budding, hopeful journalists who tell the stories of UT. Above all else, the Beacon is here for you.
NEWS
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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Baker School, Viola Gienger present lecture on disinformation, national security ADAM DELAHOUSSAYE Staff Writer
It should come as no surprise to any informed citizen that media and policy have a tendency to affect one another. As the two seem to inch closer in relevance to one another, so does the danger of disinformation in relation to crucial nationwide issues. On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Baker Center and senior editor of Just Security Viola Gienger held a lecture to discuss just that. Foreign policy, national security, artificial intelligence and their relation to news media was brought to the forefront in the halls of the School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. Gienger, an alumna of UT’s College of Communications and Information, was welcomed into the Toyota Auditorium just after 5:30 p.m. “I think we can all agree a school like this is needed now more than ever,” Gienger said. “It’s critical, and we see that playing out right now in the Middle East.” Gienger went on to mention a number of other conflicts of national interest, including the war in Ukraine, followed by citing the two major factors that play into these issues: disinformation and news silos. While misinformation is a commonality in political discourse, news silos may be an unfamiliar term to some. The basic definition essentially boils down to echo chambers in media and the tendency of Americans to pick and choose media outlets that confirm their preconceived notions on political issues. Gienger cited these silos as some of the definitive factors in today’s political discourse, the most relevant of which being the current conflict in Palestine. By no means is this a new issue, however. Sensationalized media has been a topic of discussion dating all the way back to the inception of the 24-hour news cycle by Ted Turner in the mid90s. From there, the issue took form in new ways, namely social media and the emergence of artificial intelligence. All of these pooled together, Gienger pointed out, only muddies the waters of accuracy and legitimate information being presented to today’s public. Again, Gienger returned to the topic on everyone’s mind. The speaker made reference to the student groups at Harvard that, just last week, produced and signed petitions denouncing any and all acts of defense by Israel as a form of terrorism and refusing to
acknowledge the atrocities committed by terrorist groups like Hamas. While any issue of this nature is controversial, Gienger noted the reactionary response here as one of extreme concern. The Hamas attacks have been compared in severity to the attack on 9/11 — a poignant comparison that, as Gienger pointed out, has the possibility of sharing similarities in action as well as reaction. “A 9/11 comparison is important,” Gienger said. “Because we here in the United States made some fatal errors in our response to that attack. Just one example, Guantanamo. Remember Donald Rumsfeld’s ‘worst of the worst?’ Turns out, not so much.” The heart of Gienger’s thesis on these issues seemed to stem from emotion in some form or fashion. Outrage and anguish make people quick to assume the worst of a situation, forcing them to latch onto radical ideas that are maybe not fully thought out in the first days of existence, as seen at Harvard University early last week. In her solutions to these tall problems, Gienger cited a number of resolutions: demanding civil discourse from lawmakers, voting, calling representatives as well as a call for a more informed body of citizens. The last of which was cited as an important result that Krista Wiegand, the director of the global security program at the Baker Center, hoped students and any attendee would be able to take away from a lecture of this nature. “Without reliable news, people are uninformed or poorly informed about what’s going on in the world, why the U.S. is or is not involved, and what the right solutions are,” Wiegand said. “Misinformed Americans can make faulty assumptions about foreign affairs, such as blaming all or most Arabs or Muslims for the recent attacks by Hamas in Israel.” While misinformation seems to run rampant, scholars like Gienger and Wiegand are still willing and able to help lead public discourse in a more civilized direction.
“I think we can all agree a school like this is needed now more than ever.” VIOLA GIENGER Senior Editor, Just Security
In a lecture at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, UT alumna and journalist Viola Gienger discussed the intersection of media and policy. File / The Daily Beacon
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NEWS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Knoxville organizers gather at Market Square to rally for peace in the ongoing Isreali-Hamas conflict. Friday, Oct.20, 2023. Edward Cruz / Daily Beacon
Knoxville residents call for ceasefire
Community organizers recently collaborated to rally for an end to the violence in the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict. ELI BOLDT News Editor
On Friday, Oct. 20, a rally for the Free Palestine Movement was held in Market Square organized by the Muslim Community of Knoxville, the Local Alliance for Mideast Peace, Knoxville Area Women in Black and Jewish Voices for Peace Knoxville. The rally, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, called for an end to the violence. “We demand a ceasefire now,” Hasan Atatrah, one of the rally’s organizers, said. “We demand an end to the
genocide. We demand an end to the blockade.” On Oct. 7, Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip and is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department, launched an attack on Israel, who in turn laid siege to Gaza, which is located on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza, a densely populated area has been called an openair prison as Israel has imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip for years. After the Oct. 7 attack, Israel blocked Gaza’s access to water, food and electricity. Israel’s control of the Gaza Strip and its conflict with Palestine goes far beyond
the last two weeks of conflict. In 1917, the British government issued a public statement supporting a national home for Jewish people in Palestine. Waves of Jewish immigration to Palestine began in the late 19th century, with Jewish populations coming from Russia and later fleeing from countries controlled by Nazis. Zionist forces declared Israel’s independence, which was followed by the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, during which more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes. Israel’s apartheid control of Palestine called out as “cruel” and a “crime against humanity” by Amnesty International, has devastated Palestine for decades. The rally in Market Square joined together people supportive of the Free Palestine Movement. Palestinian flags waved in the air as children and elders in a community inherently displaced came to grieve their people and call for peace. Jewish community members and representatives from Jewish Voices for Peace were also present to support the Free Palestine Movement and to show solidarity. Renée Jubran, a Palestinian elder in the Knoxville community who is now 86 years old, was only 11 when she was forced out of her home. “I miss my Palestine, my home in Palestine,” Jubran said. “I close my eyes, and I can see my garden in Palestine.”
She recalls living in Palestine in peace with a Jewish neighbor, a Muslim neighbor and her childhood best friend: a Jewish girl with whom Jubran is still in touch. Jubran helped to create an organization called Women in Black, a network of people worldwide who are committed to peace and opposed to war, militarism and violence. The organization was brought to Knoxville in 2002. Maha Ayesh, the president of the Muslim Community of Knoxville’s Shura Board of Directors, spoke at the rally about the consequences of dehumanization. “When our leaders fail to acknowledge the violence perpetrated against Palestinian civilians and instead express unqualified support for Israel, they send the message that they do not value Palestinian lives,” Ayesh said. Atatrah, a UT junior studying psychology and minoring in political science, stressed the importance of action. He recalled the story of his own father, who fled to caves in 1967 when Israeli soldiers raided his village. “We in this country have the privilege of voices,” Atatrah said. “We have the ability to place pressure on genocidal administrations.” As of Monday, Oct. 23, over 5,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health.
NEWS Along with the Palestinian and Muslim communities in Knoxville calling for peace, Jewish and Christian speakers joined in the cause. Representatives from Jewish Voices for Peace, an organization that fights for the liberation of all, spoke on their support of Free Palestine’s cause and on ceasefire. Father R.J. Powell, a chaplain at the Lutheran and Episcopalian ministry Tyson House on UT’s campus, also spoke in support of Free Palestine. “Palestinian does not mean Muslim only. There are Palestinian Christians, and there are Palestinian Jews as well,” Powell said. “We will not forget them. When we stand up for justice and demand an end to violence for Palestinians, we stand up for justice and an end of violence for all people.” During the course of the rally, through the chants of “Free, free Palestine,” “Ceasefire now” and “From the valley to the sea, Palestine will be free,” the speakers stressed their three demands: an immediate ceasefire, an end to the blockade and an end to the genocide. The rally started and ended in prayer. “A lot of us have been speaking for years about the daily killing of Palestinians at the hands of either settlers or Israeli occupation forces,” Atatrah said. “And for our family in the West Bank … these past two years have been the deadliest, two deadliest years for Palestinians … in the past twenty
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
years.” Atatrah continued to stress the importance of action at times like this, and through the rally, resources were handed out for people to stay in touch with the cause and help with support. Those looking to help can fill out a form to stay in touch with the Knoxville movement or look through the resources compiled by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
NOW ON EXHIBITION
“We must realize the power of our collective voice.” HASAN ATATRAH Rally organizer
On Oct. 17, UT provided a reflection space for students to process the conflict in the Middle East but has not sent an official statement to students. An interfaith meditation space in the Student Union is open to students. “Our people need us now more than ever in our lifetime,” Atatrah said. “The goal we have here is critical, and we must realize the power of our collective voice.”
JORGE LUCERO STUDY COLLECTION Presented by the UT Downtown Gallery in collaboration with the Tennessee Art Educators Association's annual conference. Learn more about Lucero's exhibition and events
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Knoxville residents take action to advocate for peace in the Middle East, which organizer Hasan Atatrah said is “critical.” Friday, Oct.20, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
Funding is generously provided by the Arts & Culture Alliance, Knox County, the Department of the Treasury, Tennessee Art Educators Association, the East Tennessee STEM Hub, and UTK co-sponsors from the Center for Enhancing Education in Mathematics and Sciences and the Department of Theory & Practice in Teacher Education.
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ARTS & CULTURE
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Center for Global Engagement, International House host 40th annual International Festival SHELBY WRIGHT Staff Writer
On Friday, Oct. 20, the Center for Global Engagement partnered with the International House to host the 40th annual International Festival on Ped Walkway. This festival is an eclectic celebration of UT’s global community and features all kinds of different food, activities and performances from cultures all over the world. The International Festival has been a yearly tradition for UT since the World’s Fair came to Knoxville in 1982. Diane Cudahy, the former director of the International House, was inspired by the fair and wanted to keep featuring different cultures on UT’s campus. Thus, in 1983, the International Festival was born. The International Festival has something that can interest any student on campus. This year, the festival featured performances from the Chinese Cultural Club, Thai Dance Group, Martial Arts Club, K-Pop Dance Association, African Goddess, Indigenous Vibes, Salsa Knox Company and many more. Most intriguing to many students, though, was all the different varieties of food. Vansh Patel, a freshman studying biology, was with the Indian-American Association, selling different Indian traditional savory foods and sweets, as well as offering henna tattoos, which are temporary tattoos made from a henna plant. Henna tattoos are common in many cultures, but in India, they are traditionally used by men and women for weddings and other large family events. “We love sharing our culture, our food and traditions,” Patel said. Ezra Miller, a senior studying anthropology was with the FilipinoAmerican Association, which was selling lumpia and graham-cracker refrigerated cake, and was very excited to be sharing her family’s food with fellow students. “International Festival and all of the international events here, they do a really good job of encompassing what college is all about,” Miller said. Miller said the festival gets students out of their shells, exposing them to more cultures and ideas. The cultural demonstrations provided by the International Festival and UT clubs truly reflect how richly diverse UT’s student population is, which is not only educational to many students but comforting as well. “If you come from, you know, a small
Dancers perform in front of students at the International Festival. Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Julia Dieter / Contributor town to a big school here, there really are a lot of other people, you know, where you can really express your culture … if you were not able to in high school,” Patel said. “Here, you can really meet people who have gone through those same experiences as you – same culture, same traditions, so it’s just a great way to meet people and a great way to show how diverse UTK is.” The International Festival is not only a way for students to interact with and be exposed to other cultures, but it’s also a way for students to become more connected with UT’s wide array
of multicultural organizations and get more involved. Chiara Ravelli, a sophomore studying English and Italian was with the Italian Club’s booth, who was not only sharing Italian food but also advertising the activities they have throughout the year. “I think this festival is, first and foremost, really important because it’s so important for your education, as well, to just immerse yourself in other cultures and have the open-mindedness to it and just explore what other people experience and how their culture affects their worldview,” Ravelli said.
This festival’s vibrant celebration of international cultures creates a fun and safe environment for international students. It gives those who may not know that there’s a department associated with their language or a club associated with their heritage the accessibility and opportunity to connect and commune with fellow students and professors outside academia who share similar cultures and experiences to them. It also gives us all the ability to learn about the lives and experiences of others outside of our own and celebrate them.
ARTS & CULTURE
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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Students build bouquets on Ped Walkway, with each part of the bouquet representing an aspect of a healthy relationship. Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
‘Let Love Bloom’ event teaches healthy relationship values HARRISON ING Contributor
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, the Center for Health Education and Wellness teamed up with the Office of Title IX to present “Let Love Bloom” on Ped Walkway. Participants in the event had the opportunity to craft a bouquet out of six flowers, each representing one of the six components for building healthy relationships and learn why they’re important. The six components are trust and support, safety and comfort, negotiation and fairness, honesty and accountability, respect and independence. Relationship and sexual violence prevention coordinator Kayley McMahan said she organized the event because she wanted to give students a chance to participate in something fun and meaningful while learning about important topics. “What we’re hoping to do here is symbolize what the foundational elements (of a relationship) should be, and we’re doing that with something pretty like flowers,” McMahan said. The flowers, once collected by students, were wrapped into a bouquet with a burlap ribbon that symbolizes equality, which McMahan said is the most important part of any relationship. “We always like to say that equality should be at the center of all healthy relationships because it’s the core foundation of a healthy relationship,” McMahan said. “If equality is not present, then the rest of this stuff won’t work.” Gracie Chiampas, a senior biological sciences major and student peer health coordinator, said she participated in the event because she believes in the message
they promote. She said the event is great because students are often inexperienced with relationships and need help with identifying and fixing unhealthy tendencies. “I think it’s really important that they do this activity because, as young people, we sometimes aren’t awfully educated about the aspects of a healthy relationship,” Chiampas said. “Sometimes all we know is based on what we’ve seen in our own life or what we’ve seen in the media, and it’s always a good reminder to see what’s healthy in a relationship and what we deserve.” Two other participants, students Kaitlyn Rini, a sophmore supply chain management major, and Kendall Easterly, a freshman exploratory student, said the bouquet crafting really drew them in and made learning about serious topics feel less daunting. “It’s special to walk on campus and see that flowers are given out and that you can make them for your friends,” Easterly said. “It just brings a sense of joy while you’re on your way to class.” CHEW works frequently to connect students with important information regarding their health on Wellness Wednesdays – which is the larger chain of events that “Let Love Bloom” falls under. McMahan said this is the third time this event has been hosted after she had the idea to transform it from trail mix-crafting to its current form. She said she loves seeing the positive reception it receives and hopes people can ultimately benefit from the time they put in. “I love this event because it’s an excellent way for students to actively learn what a healthy relationship should be in a hands-on way,” McMahan said. “Every time they look at it (the bouquet) I hope they remember how they talked with us and think of it positively.”
by Margie E. Burke
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OPINIONS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Opinion: Kevin McCarthy’s ouster marks much needed shift for the Republican Party ELIJAH BOATWRIGHT Columnist
In a historic 216-210 vote, the United States House of Representatives voted to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his post as speaker of the House. Spearheaded by conservative firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., eight Republican members joined with a unanimous Democrat caucus in vacating the chair of the speaker, the first time such a motion has succeeded in the history of the United States. In a break from party orthodoxy, Tim Burchett, Knoxville’s very own congressman, was one of the eight Republicans who voted in favor of the resolution. The speaker of the House’s removal marks a turning point in Republican politics. Conservatives in Knoxville and across America have been demanding change in Republican leadership in Washington for over a decade. The event that occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 3 finally brought home a victory. In an internal poll, 85% of right-wing UT students in College Republicans approved of former speaker McCarthy’s removal. With a majority of conservatives in America supporting his removal as well, it is clear that McCarthy did not draw support from the Republican base. Entrenched in House GOP leadership since 2009, McCarthy has always been in cahoots with lobbyists and special interest groups. Since the bulk of McCarthy’s donations came from wealthy individuals and corporations tied to big business, as well as lobbies in foreign countries, he was essentially controlled by them and forced to answer to their demands. This control often results in lip service to authentic conservative values while neglecting to act substantively. For instance, the congressman has been a staunch supporter of billions in aid to Ukraine ever since the war broke out, secretly supports big tech, is more left-wing than 97% of House Republicans and is a member of The World Economic Forum. In the 2010s, periods in which McCarthy was still heavily involved in decision-making at the top, this was the case as well. Even when the party controlled all three branches of government, House Republican leadership failed to provide meaningful conservative victories like building a border wall, repealing ObamaCare and cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. Instead, their biggest and perhaps only memorable accomplishment was passing the largest corporate tax cut in history in 2017, a gold mine for their donors. Coupled with their unpopular efforts among the right-wing base to provide amnesty for illegal immigrants,
Columnist Elijah Boatwright says the historic vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy from his post as Speaker of the House was widely accepted by liberals and conservatives. Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon another nod to their corporate backers’ wishes for cheap labor, it was this general reputation of “all talk, no action” politics that McCarthy was up against in January’s speaker election. Given this poor history of Republican leadership and McCarthy’s personal record, it was understandable why some Republican House members were questioning whether he could be trusted. Unfortunately, after nine months, the fears of right-wing America and the most conservative members of Congress rung true. As speaker, McCarthy broke several of his agreements cut with the original Republican holdouts, severely lacked leadership and “negotiated” terrible deals with congressional Democrats. The congressman backtracked on his promises to release Jan. 6 Capitol security footage to the public, to bring up a term limits bill for a vote and to not allow a bill to pass with the support of more Democrats than Republicans. But at the forefront of concerns was his lack of effort in reigning in reckless government spending — failing to return to the “regular order” of passing an annual budget consisting of 12 single-subject spending bills, one of the commitments he made to the holdouts. Instead, McCarthy opted for continuing resolutions, which are short-term spending bills designed to fund government agencies for a limited time only and almost always lead into a year-end omnibus bill. An omnibus bill is a colossal spending package usually littered with excessive funding for far-left social programs, foreign wars and
other controversial provisions that fellow conservatives find onerous. With looming deadlines and members of Congress wanting to travel home for the Christmas season, however, omnibus bills, are often passed without most of our elected representatives knowing what is in them. This model of fiscal governing results in trillions of dollars in annual deficits and has plagued the country’s debt crisis — now $33 trillion — for the past 30 years. In response to claims from both Republicans and Democrats that continuing resolutions are necessary temporary measures in order to buy time to ensure a proper budgeting process, our East Tennessee congressman Burchett correctly assessed, “It’s like telling a crack addict, ‘I’m going to give you crack cocaine to get you off of crack,’ and it never works.” Former speaker McCarthy not only broke his word on the budgeting process. He also blundered any negotiating leverage on the most recent continuing resolution. As the deadline to fund the government by Sept. 30 approached, most people thought a shutdown would be inevitable, with negotiations at a standstill between the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House. However, out of nowhere, just hours before the potential shutdown, McCarthy brought to the floor a 45-day continuing resolution that gave Democrats everything they wanted and gave Republicans virtually nothing. Instead of forcing Senate Democrats’ hand by including cuts in wasteful spending and strong border security measures —like E-verify and border wall funding — in a
time where the migrant crisis has become increasingly unpopular even among prominent Democrat leaders, he and his conference caved to the left’s pressure and came up emptyhanded. McCarthy needed to be willing to shut down the government for however long it may have been necessary to extract meaningful concessions, but his capitulation to Democrats had become a theme. In June of this year, he also folded at the last minute to suspend the debt ceiling until January 2025. “All over America, Republicans think that when you negotiated that debt limit deal, (Democrats) took your lunch money,” Gaetz asserted in his argument to vacate the speakership on the House floor on Oct. 2. McCarthy’s removal from the speakership was not so much an indictment on him specifically but an indictment on how the Republican Party has been run for a long time: insufficiently conservative, weak and ensnared by special interests and money. Excluding Donald Trump, they are constantly plagued by a losing mindset – always on the defensive and squandering leverage whenever they possess it. Dubbed one of “the worst negotiators I’ve ever seen” by former president Trump, the head of the snake, McCarthy, needed to be cut off. The brave eight conservatives who ousted him from the speakership unequivocally made the correct decision. Liberals didn’t trust him, conservatives didn’t trust him and the youth at UT didn’t trust him. No longer should Republicans accept leadership from establishment hacks who are “in line” for the job but rather people who are strong, effective, do not work at the behest of their lobbyists and donors, and are authentically committed to restoring America to greatness. While House conservatives must continue to have a high bar for their next speaker. This historic decision is a necessary and encouraging step for the future of the GOP if it wants to survive. UT College Democrats and UT College Republicans are student run organizations dedicated to increasing political activity in students and electing political officials of their political parties in all levels of government. Check out their Instagrams at @utcollegedems and @utkcrs. Elijah Boatwright is a sophomore at UT this year studying Political Science and Economics. He is the president of UT College Republicans and can be reached at eboatwri@vols.utk.edu.
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
OPINIONS
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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On the Brain: The psychology behind why we enjoy being scared ALAYNA HEIFNER Columnist Why do we enjoy being scared? My favorite pastime lately is sitting in my room reading “The Shining” by Stephen King, with the only light on being the ambience emitting from my lamp and string lights. I enjoy the anticipation of not knowing what’s coming next in the book and the twinges of fear when I hear the wood floor outside my bedroom door creak or the air conditioning turn on. I am not alone in this since these eerie environments excite millions, if not billions, of people. I love watching horror movies no matter the time of year. I have a long list of favorite horror films that range from classics like “The Shining” and “Psycho” to brand new thrillers like “The Barbarian” and “Get Out.” Two things remain the same no matter the horror movie: the enjoyment from being scared while watching it and my roaring laughter after screaming from the unexpected jumpscares. Our nomadic ancestors who fought for food and constantly searched for comfort would probably be horrified to know that we purposely go to haunted houses or write stories for the sole purpose of becoming scared. The real question is: Why do we enjoy fear when our sole purpose as humans is to do things that further our survival? Surely, being chased by a fake masked killer at a haunted corn maze is not something humans instinctively believe will further their survival. Yet, we continue to consume horror and true crime media at a faster rate than ever before. The global horror industry is flourishing. Chris Arkenberg from Deloitte Center for Technology, Media & Telecommunications states that horror movies and media make approximately $120 billion annually. That is a whole lot of money. The horror industry stays afloat because there is a reason why we get so enthralled with all things scary. Horror provides our brains with stimulation. When we experience something terrifying, our brains get stimulated. We can become fearful or excited when scared. In a Harvard Business Review article, Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang said, “Fright can trigger the release of adrenaline, resulting in heightened sensations and surging energy.” If you pay attention to your actions during the average day, your brain is constantly seeking stimulation. No one derives pleasure from sitting down and staring at a wall. I remember finishing the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program in middle school early and having nothing else to do but stare at the wall silently until everyone else finished. It was
Columnist Alayna Heifner explains that the brain releases endorphins while watching horror movies, which explains why so many people love to sit down and watch “The Shining.” Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon
miserable. Stimulating our brains creates positive emotions. Since being scared stimulates our brains, compared to mindlessly scrolling through different TV channels or doing other mundane activities, we enjoy horror for its rich entertainment qualities. Our frontal lobe makes sure we know we are ok. The frontal lobe of our brain controls movement, higher-level cognitive functioning and language production. In Healthline magazine, Katherine Brownlowe, a neuropsychiatrist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said, “If you’re in a situation like a haunted house and something jumps out at you or you hear a scary noise, your body goes into fight or flight mode, but your frontal lobe still knows you’re safe and will calm you down, allowing the situation to be more pleasurable.” Essentially, our brain knows the difference between being chased by an actor with a fake chainsaw at a haunted house and being chased by a crazy madman. Our brains release endorphins and adrenaline when we get scared, helping us relieve stress and escape from dangerous situations. When we are not actually in danger, but it feels like we are – when we ride roller coasters or watch that scary movie – our brains release these same chemicals. In these situations where we are not in danger, these chemicals can make us feel good by raising our mood, even to the point of feeling euphoric. Because our frontal lobe does not sense tangible danger when we experience fear responses from true crime documentaries or
jumpscares, we are able to sit back and enjoy the fear instead of running and screaming. Horror allows us to explore what we are scared of in a safe environment. What we do not understand and what makes us scared is intriguing. Listening to a true crime podcast in the car or sitting back and watching slasher films like “Scream” or “Friday the 13th” may seem macabre, but it remains fascinating. Humans are inherently curious, and doing or watching scary things helps us safely explore our deepest and darkest fears. We are physically safe while walking through a haunted house, but we get to have a simulated experience of what it would feel like for a killer clown to jump out in front of us or for a masked killer to lurk nearby. When we consume horror media, we can confront the worst parts of the human psyche all while being in the comfort of our own homes. We are fascinated by what human beings are capable of – which is why there are 10 “Saw” movies – so we consequently seek out media that explores the things that no one else is willing to talk about. Being scared allows us to connect with others. When I watch horror movies, I rarely ever do it alone. I coerce my parents, friends or sister to watch them with me. Cuddling up with snacks and putting on a great horror movie, holding tightly onto my friends in anticipation of the next jumpscare makes for a great bonding experience. After the movie ends, we can laugh at each other for screaming and discuss the specific plots or events. Nothing is better than having a friend who likes the same activities as you, and being scared together is a bonding experience. After you shut
the television off and get ready to go to bed at a sleepover with your friend, knowing that both of you are still awake and scared after watching the movie, you now have a common experience that will strengthen your bond. The pleasurable hormones released when we are scared in safe situations subconsciously have us associate those happy chemicals with the person we are around. Not only are horror movies a great way to share common adventures, but they are also a great way to make you chemically bond with someone. Because endorphins and adrenaline hormones are released when experiencing an enjoyable scare, we can expect to be happy the next time we are around the person we experience it with. So what should you do now? Curl up and celebrate Halloween by watching a horror movie, telling scary stories by candlelight outside or going to a haunted house. Even if you are not a horror connoisseur, you may find yourself enjoying the thrill of being scared. Stay safe and face your fears! Happy Halloween!
Alayna Heifner is a freshman at UT this year studying philosophy. She can be reached at aheifne1@vols.utk.edu.
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
10
SPORTS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Aaron Beasley (6) and Tamarion McDonald (12) tackle the Alabama quarterback at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon
What went wrong for Tennessee football in the 34-20 loss at Alabama CALEB JARREAU Sports Editor
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Cigar smoke filled Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night. Those cigars did not come from orange and white boxes. There was no field storming or goal-post tearing down. It was routine. Tennessee losing in Tuscaloosa has become routine. The Vols haven’t won on the road against Alabama since 2003. That didn’t change on Saturday as Tennessee fell 34-20. The score certainly doesn’t tell the whole story of Saturday night. The game actually started as good as someone would want for the Vols (5-2, 2-2 SEC). Joe Milton III orchestrated an eightplay, 75-yard drive that got Tennessee on the scoreboard. It was capped off by a highlight catch from Squirrel White. A couple of field goals and another Milton touchdown pass gave Tennessee a 20-7 lead going into halftime. It was the first time Tennessee had a 13-point lead over Alabama on the road since 1999 — a dream scenario for the Vols. The dream turned to a nightmare very quickly in the third quarter. Alabama came out and took just two plays to go 75 yards and find the end zone.
“End of the day reset, gotta keep coming, keep playing,” Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel said. “And we did at times offensively. Don’t put it in when we get down there, with seven, eight minutes left and you got a chance to make the game.” The one touchdown snowballed. Tennessee was called for signaling a fair catch by an up-man. That pinned the Vols at their own 4-yard line after the play. The offense couldn’t get anything going and was forced to punt. From there, it was all downhill. Nothing different happened during halftime to contribute to the bad second half, though. The players all echoed the same message. “‘Let’s go step on their throats,’” White said of the halftime message. “But obviously, we weren’t able to do it.” “I believe that we came out with a lot of energy. The message was just the same. You got to play all four quarters. Tonight we didn’t get it done,” Gabe Jeudy-Lally said. The Crimson Tide managed to outscore Tennessee 27-0 in the second half. Nothing went right for the Vols. The offense stalled, penalties increased — to the displeasure of Heupel — and Alabama took all of the momentum. The loss was reminiscent of Tennessee’s trip to Florida.
“You got to come out swinging early,” Milton said. “You got to put a guy to sleep early. I feel like if you do that, I feel like then all the momentum would be on our side for the whole game.” Alabama ran for 131 yards in the second half, after rushing for just 16 in the first half. Milton was blindsided and stripsacked, one of Alabama’s second-half touchdowns. Tennessee’s offense picked up 275 yards in the first half but finished with 404 total. A lot of those yards came near the end of the game in crunch time. To make matters worse for the offense, the running game was nonexistent for most of the night. Milton led the way on the ground with 59 rushing yards on 15 carries. The next closest was Dylan Sampson with 28 yards. “We just let go of that rope, got comfortable,” linebacker Elijah Herring said. “Felt like we won the game already. “It’s tough out there when things are flying around. Guys got to snap and reclear. I mean, it seemed like we couldn’t do that today.” Herring denied that is was complacency after halftime, but the message from Saturday is clear. The Vols had the game in hand and couldn’t finish the job. The trend is becoming a lot more common for Tennessee on the road. Mistakes snowball into bigger mistakes
which snowball into losses. It happened at Florida. It happened at Georgia last year. It happened again on Saturday. A lot of their goals get a lot tougher with the second SEC loss. A road trip to Kentucky awaits Tennessee, who has played poorly on the road. “I mean, the communication is the only thing that, in my opinion, that’s really more difficult,” Heupel said of the road. “As long as you are settled into your job and doing that when you’re out between the white lines. Today, it’s a good football team. We’re talking about Alabama. “We didn’t reset, refocus and make enough plays in the second half. End result.”
SPORTS
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
11 11
Takeaways from Tennessee baseball’s offense after first fall exhibition ANDREW SMITH Contributor
of their young players to see extended action. One of the young players who impressed was junior college transfer Alex Perry. Perry had three RBI in the game, including a tworun home run in the 11th inning of play. The blastoff of the batter’s eye was followed by an RBI single in his next at-bat. Perry ended the day 3-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs scored.
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee baseball finally got to face some pitching that was not its own on Sunday afternoon as they faced the Virginia Tech Hokies in an 18-inning exhibition. Here are four takeaways from the Vols 14-8 win. Billy Amick shines in new shade of orange When Billy Amick transferred from Clemson to Tennessee over the summer, many hoped that he would provide a boost in production from the Vol infield. The early returns were promising from Amick as he had a perfect day at the plate. He began his afternoon by drawing a pair of walks after long at-bats against Virginia Tech pitching, as well as scoring a run. After the third lengthy battle of the day, Amick dumped a ball into left field for his first hit of the day. After the Hokies tied the game in the sixth, Amick came through for the Vols with an RBI base hit. However, when he stepped back into the right-handed batters’ box in the eighth inning, Virginia Tech had taken its first lead of the game. The third baseman responded
Billy Amick (11) leads off of first at the Hokie-Smokey Baseball Classic at Pioneer Park. Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Edward Cruz / The Daily Beacon with a three-run home run to left to give Tennessee its 8-6 lead, which was the score before an intermission. Dreiling’s big blast Dylan Dreiling had a 2-for-5 statline hitting on the day, with three runs driven in. One of those came in the aforementioned first inning with an RBI single. However, the big hit was yet to come. After a leadoff walk to Amick in the third inning, Dreiling hit a laser beam over the
right field wall to extend the Tennessee lead to 4-0. The rocket was clocked in with an exit velocity of 115 mph. That bests a former career-high for the outfielder as his previous personal best was 108 mph hit last spring. Alex Perry plays big after intermission Following the first nine innings of the exhibition, the teams took a 15-minute intermission before returning to the diamond. Upon their return, both squads allowed many
Catcher competition starts to take shape Coming into the fall, Tennessee had four players on the roster vying for time as the team’s starting catcher. The club had two returners in Charlie Taylor and Cal Stark and two transfers in Cannon Peebles and Dalton Bargo. Taylor got the start behind the plate, where he went 1-for-3 on the day. Stark, who missed a significant amount of time this fall recovering from hand surgery, was the next Vols backstop on the day. The Knoxville native went 0-for-3 at the plate. Peebles also caught for Tennessee during the exhibition, going 0-for-4 hitting, while Bargo played around the diamond, but not at catcher, also getting one hit. Freshman Stone Lawless saw action in harness for the Vols towards the end of play as well, notching a 1-for-2 game offensively.
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12
SPORTS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
2023
Football
PICK ‘EM
Caleb Jarreau Sports Editor (36-13)
Macaira Midgley (20) during a match against Texas A&M University at Regal Soccer Stadium. Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. Cole Moore / Contributor
Lady Vols soccer falls to Texas A&M JACK CHURCH Staff Writer
Tennessee soccer held the advantage until the 77th minute but fell to Texas A&M 4-3. The Lady Vols (7-5-4, 2-4-3 SEC) have now lost three of their last four games and sit on the outside of a conference tournament berth. The Aggies (8-6-3, 4-32) picked up their first win in three games. Jordan Fusco completed a hat trick with a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the second half, allowing Tennessee to have a chance of beating a strong Texas A&M team. “She was tremendous today,” Kirt said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for her to finally get the final product in terms of goals. She’s been such a huge part of what we do going forward.” The loss puts a lot of pressure on the Lady Vols going into Thursday’s game against Vanderbilt. Without a result, Tennessee will likely miss the SEC tournament. Here are three takeaways from the loss. Quick starts in both halves It took just five minutes for Fusco to find the opening goal of the game. In the second half, Fusco had two more goals in just three minutes of play. In both halves, it was important for Tennessee to get out to a fast start. “That was something we had been talking about the last two weeks, especially with Kate (Runyon) being out and Kam (Kameron Simmonds) a little hurt,” Fusco said. “Going into the second half, I really needed to try to get forward.” The first five minutes of the second half were especially critical as the Lady Vols turned a deficit into a lead. “Our team has been phenomenal in
terms of their response when their backs are against the wall, and it was no different today,” Kirt said. Even though Tennessee got off to a quick start in both halves, Texas A&M showed its quality over the course of the game. Goalkeeping has moments of weakness Although Abby Reisz and Ally Zazzara combined to make seven saves, the pair allowed four goals, which was the most allowed by Tennessee this season. Jazmine Wilkinson scored three of Texas A&M’s four goals. Her first came off a mistake by Reisz, who tried to take control of the ball outside of her box. Just four minutes after Fusco opened the game’s scoring, Wilkinson had the equalizer. Regardless of mitigating factors, the Lady Vols have to limit opponents to fewer goals in order to get results. “We’ve given up too many goals in the last three games, and today was no different,” Kirt said. “We’ve got to look at it a bit more in terms of video and see what we can do better. We need to be better collectively as a team in terms of giving up goals.” Tennessee’s inconsistencies show Even though Tennessee showed signs of improvement in the second half, two goals allowed to Wilkinson proved to negate the Lady Vols’ early efforts. “It’s pretty disappointing to let them back in,” Kirt said. “Obviously, they were really dangerous in transition.” Tennessee was outplayed in the first half, leading to two goals by the Aggies. However, even though the Lady Vols played better in limiting defensive opportunities, two key moments proved costly for Tennessee. All season, Tennessee has put together good performances and has been unable to get results because of mistakes in important situations. Sunday’s game was no different. “We have to finish the job,” Kirt said. “That’s really frustrating for all of us, staff and players alike.”
Eric Woods AssT. Sports Editor (35-14)
Tanner Johnson Staff Writer (32-17)
Madeline McNeely Contributor (29-20)
Jack Church Staff Writer (29-20)
Bella Hughes Managing Editor (28-21)
Kentucky 21 vs. Tennessee 27 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice Kentucky 27 vs. Tennessee 31 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice Kentucky 17 vs. Tennessee 31 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice Kentucky 27 vs. Tennessee 35 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice Kentucky 17 vs. Tennessee 24 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice Kentucky 20 vs. Tennessee 28 Georgia vs. Florida Oregon vs. Utah Duke vs. Louisville Mississippi State vs. Auburn Colorado vs. UCLA Tulane vs. Rice