SEMESTER IN REVIEW
IN FRAME: A look at fall p5 2023 through photos The Daily Beacon
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Volume 144, Issue 14
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Wednesday, December 6, 2023
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@utkdailybeacon
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LETTERS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 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 DIGITAL PRODUCER: Karsten Hoglund OPINIONS EDITOR: Calie Wrona PHOTO EDITOR: Edward Cruz DESIGN EDITOR: Emma Fingeret ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: Makenzie Clark PAGE DESIGNERS: Jibril Foronas, Katie Goss,
Julia Paulman, Chloe Black COVER PHOTO: Audrey Nash
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 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 Anonymous Letters will not be published.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 Letters submitted without this information will not be published.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 editorinchief@ utdailybeacon.com. 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: The importance of improvisation ABBY ANN RAMSEY Editor-in-Chief Every day at The Daily Beacon office feels different from the day before. We’re not constantly dealing with breaking news, but something unexpected usually happens. Whether we’re needing to get a last-minute photo or a new writer walks in or my dog makes a surprise appearance, each day is full of something new. One thing people might not know about me or might not expect from the editor-in-chief of a student newspaper is that I love improv comedy, and I perform with a team on campus. The team is called Involuntary Sports Party, and it’s made up of 12 people who meet up several times a week to make up skits on the spot. It’s very strange and is usually the highlight of my day. In improv, you quite literally never know what’s going to happen. One minute you’re in the North Pole, and the next minute you’re shaking hands with the president of the United States. You might be speaking to your scene partner about applying to grad school when they tell you you’re actually a 3 year old. When you think things couldn’t get any weirder, you’ll find yourself walking through a gremlin-infested IKEA. Improv is much more formulaic than people might expect. You start by establishing your base
reality — establishing where you are, what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with. What’s most important to the scene, however, is the relationship you have with your scene partner. From there, the relationship between characters guides the scene and drives you into a game full of jokes and frequently outlandish scenarios. Earlier this semester, I was talking to people on my improv team about how weird it is to think about our very normal lives outside of the craziness of improv practice when one of my friends jokingly commented that I must be so serious in my day-to-day life since I’m a journalist. And while running a newspaper is something I take extremely seriously — possibly too seriously at times — our newsroom is full of laughter, and I frequently leave with a smile on my face. The reason I bring this up is because these two hobbies seem so disparate on the surface. But in actuality, a lot of my job at the Beacon is improvisation. We’re all trying to come up with solutions on the spot and figure out what to do when a surprise pops up. And just like the characters’ relationship drives a scene in improv, the people in our newsroom must work together in order to sustain a successful newspaper and news website. The relationships between editors, writers, photographers, videographers, copy editors, page designers, advisors and everyone in between is the backbone of what we do at the Beacon. Relationships outside of the office with our sources and readers is also vital.
Once those relationships are built, we can play in the space — like we say in improv — and fully tell the stories that need to be told. I’m so thankful that my first semester as editor-in-chief was highlighted by a team of people that supports one another and is committed to keeping the newsroom going, no matter what. There’s a lot of unexpected in the news, and I knew that when I decided to major in journalism and get involved in the Beacon. What I didn’t know was all the ways this year would be surprising and, at times, scary. I’m thankful to have had the power of improv on my side in this whirlwind of a fall semester.
Editor-in-Chief Abby Ann Ramsey and her improv team “Involuntary Sports Party” gather after a recent performance. Abby Ann Ramsey / The Daily Beacon
Letter from the Managing Editor: Celebrate being sentimental BELLA HUGHES Managing Editor December makes me sentimental. Not only because Taylor Swift’s “Back to December” and “‘tis the damn season” are the soundtrack to rainy days, but because December is a time for celebration. As the end of the semester, both ramp ups and settles down, I tend to take this time to reflect on what I have accomplished. At the beginning of the year, I so desperately wanted to maintain balance in my life. Being active on campus and working multiple jobs made it hard for me to be steady throughout the year. Thanks to Google Calendar, I can happily say that I kept a steady balance between my social and work life — despite having a jump scare when I checked my Canvas a couple of weeks ago. We got a taste of freedom during Thanksgiving break and were then thrown into the deep end with final projects. The two weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break are the hardest weeks of being a college student. In the times of dark hours in a Hodges carousel, it’s impor-
tant to celebrate the small wins. Academic wins can come from completing a study guide, getting extra credit or finding an empty study room. With academics at the forefront, personal health goes under the radar. I like to help maintain my sanity by planning out my self-care for the week — this week’s goal is to spend the first 30 minutes of my day off of my phone. I’m hoping this provides some clarity to mind throughout the day. Other self-care goals included going to bed at a decent hour, treating myself to a sweet treat and going on walks with my friends. As students, we get so caught up in our to-do lists that it’s important to disconnect from campus life and focus on ourselves. I encourage everyone to put equal amounts of effort into themselves as they do their schoolwork. This week’s issue includes a special section titled “In Frame.” In Frame is a bi-annual reflection of the semester, looking back at club events, sporting events, coverages and small moments that make this campus feel like home. This is my favorite edition the Beacon publishes because it plays right into those sentimental feelings. Our design editor Emma Fingeret and her team have done a wonderful job showcasing a semester of challenges, successes
and wonderful memories shared between volunteers. Although these next two weeks are challenging, they aren’t impossible. Take the time to play Taylor Swift and reflect because the year will be over before you know it — celebrate while you can.
Market Square celebrates the holiday season each year by putting up a Christmas tree on Gay Street. File / The Daily Beacon
NEWS
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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UT Pride Center talks education and advocacy on HIV/AIDS DJ CAMPOS Contributor
The University of Tennessee’s Pride Center hosted a roundtable on HIV in the South on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at the Frieson Black Cultural Center. Moderated by Riya Golden, a freshman studying political science, and John-Michael Lyons, a senior studying management, the talk hosted special guests Jordan J. Edwards, Marnina Miller and David Wyley Long. Long started the discussion by talking about the Southern AIDS Coalition, a group that works to aid marginalized communities in the South. The coalition and other organizations work to break down social barriers and politics that continue to harm communities of people seeking treatment. “It is a need to come and speak in academic spaces,” Long said. Miller noted that the South had accumulated more transphobia and homophobia than any other region in America. She also highlighted that the South is home to more rural areas where clinics may not be easy to locate or hear about. From Washington, D.C. to Texas, there is a band of HIV covering the area. This has led to local organizations and communities helping communication for people in the South. Miller also highlighted that these areas are home to communities that are still overlooked in hospitals and clinics. This tethers to the statistic that Black women ages 1824 years old are more susceptible to the AIDS virus. Edwards said that just having a conversation helps advancement and awareness. He added to Long’s knowledge of HIV treatment with how grateful he is to have the privilege to experiment with a shot every six months. Edwards approached the issues of treatment in the South by sharing that in Houston there are many areas where people are suffering from HIV because of a lack of knowledge about PrEP, preventative measures and access. Transportation is also another obstacle that Houston residents and other people face as an issue when trying to reach a clinic. Miller added that economic injustice is another disparity for people in the South, especially in more rural areas. Cost burden is an issue when searching for the best resources to find out what works best. Without housing, people become more susceptible to contracting HIV when not having a permanent home. All these factors tie into poverty and vulner-
ability. The Ryan White CARE Act is a social program under which people on rural lines can receive access to treatment, care and housing opportunities. Tennessee is divided into 95 counties, but not every county has a clinic. Especially for college students, it is important for people to know of resources on and off campus. Long discussed that talking about health with friends is the first thing that students need to start with. Locating a circle where they can be vulnerable and comfortable in their status is where the work can start. An example shared is simply going to a doctor’s office together when getting tested. “Community at large can help in facing the HIV epidemic,” Long said. Social access to health is a major point that Miller brought up, as racial and trans discrimination are other challenges that patients face. Education is important, too. Simply calling HIV by the correct title instead of using AIDS when not applicable, or even refraining from saying someone has been “infected” with HIV, can go a long way. Miller shared that she still feels an internalized stigma even when avoiding the externalized stigma. “I wish these resources were there when I was in college,” Miller said. Edwards brought up that most students feel like HIV is not relevant to them because either they or no one they know is affected. It is efficient to “be proactive, not reactive,” Edwards said. Students need to find a way to prevent HIV in the first place by finding spaces to freely discuss their questions or concerns. Edwards highlighted how HIV is associated with sex, a topic that is still taboo. Miller agreed, saying that even in a sexualized world, sex can be scary to discuss in public. For Miller, one major issue that everyone should take home is the fact that there are multiple issues connected to HIV. Acknowledging the bias and working to tear down the lack of access is valuable to everyone in this community. Long shared that family and friends allowing you to have a conversation is important. The more the world talks and attends to HIV, the more the stigma and misinformation can be eradicated. Edwards argued that students should be allowed to lead, speak on their experiences and review policies on campus. Even allowing teachers on campus to create a safe space to discuss their status or introduce themselves with pronouns are great steps in letting students feel represented and respected.
UT Pride Center invited students to paint the rock for World AIDS Day to bring awareness about HIV and AIDS within the community and on campus. DJ Campos / Contributor
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NEWS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Big Orange Pantry adds satellite locations through pocket pantries ALLISON MURPHY Contributor
The Center for Basic Needs has started three new “pocket pantries” around campus to ensure UT students, faculty and staff have the food and other products they may need. According to Blake Weiss, the Basic Needs program director, geography can be a barrier for people in many ways. The three locations — located in Pendergrass Library, the Free Store and the Tennessee Recreation Center for Students — were chosen strategically to reduce areas that are low-access food points. “That’s the whole concept of low-access food points,” Weiss said. “Not having a grocery store in your neighborhood, it’s no different than not having a food pantry on this side of campus where you spend 90% of your time. And so these pocket pantries really are a way to expand that footprint.” In a 2020 national survey, the first of its kind, 3.9 million undergraduate students and 400,000 graduate students reported food insecurity. The undergraduate rate of 22% was double the public’s 10% rate. Tennessee’s study of higher education student food insecurity began in 2022, thanks in part to the efforts of the UT Student Basic Needs Coalition, and the study is due Dec. 31 of this year. During the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s initial meeting, Research and Strategy graduate assistant Amal Afyouni pointed out contributing factors: increases in tuition, transportation and rent, restrictive meal plans, busy schedules, and a lack of cooking facilities and abilities. Students’ stress and lack of nutrition can lead them to take fewer classes or drop out, and those from previous food-insecure backgrounds are more likely to experience the same at college. On the UT campus, Pendergrass is more than a mile from the main Big Orange Pantry in the Student Union, and the Free Store is a little less than a mile away. Weiss said the Free Store pantry was a convenient way to meet students where they were already picking up other basic household items, and the Pendergrass pantry would save visitors a trip. “We heard from our colleagues and peers over on the Ag campus that their students get to campus 7:30 in the morning. They leave campus probably 7:30 at night,” Weiss said. “They’re tethered to the Ag campus.” In TRECS, the pantry is in the form of a vending machine, which is refrigerated and offers milk among other options. Weiss says the machine will also hold KAT passes and other well-being items.
UT’s Center for Basic Needs introduced pocket pantries across campus, like this one in the Pendergrass Library on the Agricultural Campus. Allison Murphy / Contributor “Why not have it in one of the busiest places so that ... students can access it while they’re there, and it can also make sure that the students that need those resources the most know about the pantry and the other basic needs resources as well,” Weiss said. Every week the main Big Orange Pantry receives deliveries from Second Harvest, according to Weiss, and the center purchases other things like snacks and produce. Every other week students drive out to the Maryville warehouse and pick up orders of staples recovered from local grocery stores: canned vegetables, pastas, peanut butter and cornmeal. Weiss says on those biweekly trips, they will swing by the pocket pantries and restock them. All items in all the pantries are free. While the Big Orange Pantry has posted limits for different items, the pocket pantries’ signs ask to only take what visitors need. The Office of the Dean of Students tracks usage for research, so Pendergrass has an iPad with the form, the Free Store has a QR code link and the TRECS machine operates on the university’s 9-digit ID number. Weiss said besides location, previous feedback about the difficulty in parking and getting to classes led to longer hours in the Student Union pantry itself. “That was kind of the first step to being more accessible to our students,” Weiss said. “... getting to the Union can be tricky on those Monday through Fridays. Much
easier on a Sunday afternoon. And so that Sunday hour expansion was kind of a step in the direction of providing more access. And that’s kind of also where the pocket pantries came into play.” Earlier in November, Pendergrass and the Free Store held grand openings to celebrate the locations. Samantha Ward, manager of public services and operations, attended and said the Pendergrass staff wants to eliminate any hurdles they can, for faculty and staff as well as students. “It was mostly an opportunity to introduce our patrons to the pantry to help reduce any uncertainty or any stigma that they might have associated with it because we want everyone to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about utilizing the pantry,” Ward said. “Everyone needs to eat. And everyone is hungry. And this is here for everyone to use.” Ward pointed out that the produce was already taken. She added that shampoo and deodorant were among the most popular. Bok Euim Yeom, a public services and engagement librarian, also said there was a scarcity of vending machines at Pendergrass, and according to a library survey, fresh fruit ranked higher than other items. “We have P.O.D. (market), but they close at five,” Yeom said. “We’re open until 10. So when they need to eat something, it’s very hard to find something ... They want to get something for energy for their study … the
rest of the day.” During the THEC meeting last year, Afyouni noted the coping strategy of compromising nutrition and buying cheaper food. As for spring semester, Weiss said the office will see what usage is like before opening any more pocket pantries. He added that the four pantries made up “a pretty decent footprint” of resources across campus, and the office will see if needs are being met in the right way. “If an academic college says, ‘Hey, we’ll pay for the pantry. We’ll pay for the food,’ there’s also opportunities to expand in that direction,” Weiss said. “But I think we’re good with the three now.” Smokey’s Closet is growing as well — when the Big Orange Pantry moved to the Student Union, Smokey’s Closet was added from the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration. Weiss said the initiative aligned with basic needs and is now also expanding from business wear into essential and winter clothing like socks and gloves. Weiss hoped the students who need the pantries the most know about them but also stressed that it was just one of the ways the Center for Basic Needs can help. “The student doesn’t have to figure out which resource is the best for them,” Weiss said. “We can help work them through both their immediate need and their future need.”
IN FRAME
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
IN FRAME
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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
ABOUT THE PHOTOS
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Ashley Jackson / Contributor
Madelyn Stone / Contributor
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Zachary Proctor / Contributor
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Cover: Dolly Parton is escorted off the field by Peyton Manning after her performance of “Rocky Top” at Neyland Stadium. Nov. 18, 2023. 1. Jacob Warren (87) scores a touchdown in game against Texas A&M. Oct. 14, 2023. 2. Davey Crockett and Smokey ring in Homecoming with Vol Cheer. Nov. 3, 2023. 3. Jillian Hollingshead (53) gets shot blocked by Team USA’s Brittany Griner (15). Nov 5, 2023. 4. A student rehearses for UT’s shadow cast performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Oct. 16, 2023. 5. Joshua Hill tees off during the Visit Knoxville Collegiate at Tennessee National Golf Club. Sept. 10, 2023. 6. Eden Allen (right), Sara Alexander (middle), Taia Sorrell (left) and their friends sit on HSS lawn and share their life experiences at a Chi Alpha meeting. Oct. 2, 2023. 7. DJ Sterl gets the crowd excited to see the Lady Vols and Vols basketball teams at Market Square Madness in downtown Knoxville. Oct. 12, 2023. 8. Smokey chills on the sidelines during the game against UTSA at Neyland Stadium. Sept. 23, 2023. 9. Joseph Stabb donates blood at the American Red Cross in Knoxville, TN after the rule against gay men donating is lifted. Oct. 3, 2023. 10. Nayeli Diaz (25) celebrates with her Lady Vols teammates after scoring the game-tying goal versus Kentucky. Oct. 5, 2023. 11. Moon River headliner, Hozier, shines during his performance of “Cherry Wine.” Sept. 10, 2023. 12. Josh Peck speaks at the UT Student Union Auditorium. Nov. 14, 2023. 13. Students enjoy free Chick-fil-A and board games at TCE Movie & Game Night. Sept. 26, 2023. 14. UT land ambassadors speak to a group of perspective students in front of the torchbearer earlier this semester. 15. Tyler Baron (9) prior to a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Sept. 16, 2023. 16. Young-Williams Animal Center brought adoptable shelter animals to UT campus for CEB’s “Hats & Hounds” event. Sept. 6, 2023. 17. A night of fun filled with delicious catering, airbrushing of shirts and silent disco dance parties. Aug. 24, 2023. 18. Smokey (00) performs for Vols Fans as the Lady Vols enter Food City Center. Oct. 8, 2023. 19. The Vols celebrate Billy Amick’s (11) three run homer at the Hokie-Smokey Baseball Classic. Oct. 22, 2023.
ARTS & CULTURE
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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‘Enchanted Forest’ transforms Student Union Ballroom into whimsical getaway AALIYAH HAMMONTREE Staff Writer
To help students unwind before finals, the Center for Student Engagement in collaboration with the Campus Events Board turned the Student Union Ballroom into an enchanted forest on Thursday, Nov. 30. Like many of the other events that CSE and CEB have co-hosted this year, “Enchanted Forest” aimed to provide students with a free way to take a break from classes and relax. Before the event started at 6 p.m., many students gathered around outside of the ballroom waiting to be let in. Inside the ballroom, fairy-themed tables were set up with nature-based centerpieces, and smaller tables were set up around the edge of the room for various activities. The theming didn’t just stop at the tables. Forest animal balloons were dotted around the ballroom, and a couple of fairy forest photo spots were provided. There were plenty of things for students to do in the Enchanted Forest. Students could get their fortunes read by the tarot card reader, and each table had ceramic plant pots for students to paint. Some students, like Justice Morris, a freshman psychology major, showed up already dressed for the Enchanted Forest. “I heard ‘enchanted forest,’ and I love all those things,” Morris said. “Also, I love dressing up, so this gave me an excuse to do so.” Those who didn’t dress up had the chance to add a bit of fairy charm to their outfit at the event. Face painting and fairy hair makeover stations allowed students to get more into the fairy spirit. Alongside the fairy-themed food and fun activities, students were also given a chance to take some of the fairy things with them. At the entrance sat a table full of fairy and magic-themed pins, stickers, rings, bubbles and even flower crowns. Students could also enter a giveaway drawing for a Lego flower bouquet set. Among all the activities, the tarot card reading and fairy hair stations were the most popular. Many students enjoyed the relaxed vibe of the Enchanted Forest and being able to take a break and hang out with friends in the heavily decorated space. Helayna Garlett, a freshman majoring in forensic anthropology, was one of the many students there to take a break. “It’s really gorgeous,” Garlett said. “I expected it to be kinda fun, but I wasn’t
“Fairy forest” themed treats are provided to help students unwind prior to finals week at the “Enchanted Forest” event in the Student Union Ballroom. Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Cole Moore / The Daily Beacon
expecting this. They really went all out, and it’s a really a nice experience.” Many students came as friend groups, like Anila Fariab, a freshman microbiology major, Benvy Kelly, a junior biology major, and Scarlett McConville, a junior English major. “Anila is the one who shared it in our group chat,” McConville said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that sounds absolutely fabulous.’ And we just kinda came to destress from finals.” “I’m really glad that I came,” Kelly said. “I actually was contemplating on whether to come or not, and then I was like, ‘Nah, I can’t let them down.’ So I
came and I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s so chill.” Fariab decided to show up because she said she knew CSE and CEB had hosted really nice events in the past. “I found this through the CEB’s Instagram,” Fariab said. “I went to their ‘Totes and Treats’ thing. That was really fun. So I was like, ‘Okay, they know how to run cool programs.’ Then I saw this on Instagram. Fairies? Whimsical magic? Flowers? Obviously, I need to be in attendance.” Fariab and her friends were all in agreement that CSE and CEB should host more events like the Enchanted Forest.
“I really hope they do more of these in the future,” Fariab said. “This is adorable. It’s not too hype. It’s really chill, and it’s what I need before finals.” “They should do one for when we come back from winter break to get us re-acclimated into classes,” McConville said. The Enchanted Forest was part of the Big Orange Finish Line series of events, which aims to help students finish the semester strong. The Big Orange Finish Line events include a combination of study and de-stress events, with “Enchanted Forest” being one of the many to help students reduce stress.
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OPINIONS
The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Opinion: Time stopped for no one throughout 2023 CALIE WRONA Opinions Editor
And just like that, the 2023 season is coming to an end. The 12 chapters of existence that sculpt a year have unfolded and dissipated, leaving only the lingering echoes of memories in their wake. The ebb and flow of those swiftly fast yet painstakingly slow months always leaves me in a time paradox. In January, I was begging for time to speed up, hoping to escape my childhood bedroom and step back into adulthood. Yet, in March, I was begging for time to still, begging for time to slow down and match the rhythm of my grieving heart. But time is relentless and stops for no one. That is, until time meets an irreversible end. Time and grief, like water and oil, inherently resist one another. Time flows endlessly, an unstoppable current moving forward, while grief is an enduring presence resistant to the passing of hours. However, some losses in life are so abrupt that time stops moving. Everyone carries on with their lives while you live on in your own harrowing Groundhog Day. You look around and viciously dig through your mind, trying to figure out how your life continues after another life ends. For me, time has not been the same since March 3, 2023. On that day, time, as I knew it, paused in an unwavering solidarity. The clock that once ticked, marking the passage of time, became a distant echo consuming me in a still silence. I was transported into a realm where seconds stood still, and life yielded to a perpetual pause. But, outside that realm, seconds continued ticking, and hours continued striking. So I lived in that manufactured pause as March turned into April, April sprung into May and so on. Before I knew it, summer had dimmed, and a crispness settled in the air. Unlike January, I was begging time to slow so I could stay home in my childhood bedroom, trying to revert to a time when my biggest worries revolved around dance competitions and hair bows. You never know how to measure the passage of time until you are left to reflect on the past. All of a sudden, everyone is so eager to grow up, so eager to experience adulthood. It’s not until you have hit that mile marker that you start to look back and yearn for childhood. Yearn for a time when you, hopefully, had not yet learned
Opinions Editor Calie Wrona lived in a “perpetual pause” while grieving the loss of her close friend. Calie Wrona / The Daily Beacon the world’s true nature. When ignorance was not an insult but a state of peace. Nevertheless, I had to embrace my age and return to college for the start of my senior year. Time was cruel to go by so fast these past three years. When someone inquired about the state of my summer, I would ignore the pain, put on an unconvincing smile, and say, “It was good.” Obviously, bottling up your emotions and locking them away is not a healthy coping mechanism — shocking, right? But I started to acknowledge that time had passed. Tried to convince myself that it was time to be ok again. I, if you will, gaslit myself into thinking I was fine. Surprising none, my first attempt at navigating through this grief panned out unsuccessful. There was no way to escape
grief, no way to convince myself I was fine. With a little help from my therapist, and by a little I mean a lot, I started to sit with my grief. I unpaused my manufactured pause in time and let myself feel everything. By October, I blew out 21 candles — somewhat confirming my place in adulthood — and by December, I started to look at grief differently. I lost a friend, a best friend, and was so lost that every step I took felt like wandering through uncharted territory. Though I am still wandering, with every sunrise, when my eyes gently unfold and I inhale a breath, her memory becomes the compass that guides me through my day. These 12 chapters of life that encapsulate my 2023 significantly changed me in more ways than one. As much as I tried to
lock myself away from the continued sequence of existence, time and grief know no mercy. Yet within my struggle with grief emerged a resilient strain of love — a love that transcends the confines of time and space.
Calie Wrona is a senior at UT this year studying journalism and media. She can be reached at cwrona@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.
SPORTS
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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This week’s crossword Week of 12/4/23 - 12/10/23 brought to you by
Hibachi Factory Week of 12/4-12/10
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A frustrated Kellie Harper shouts at her team against Ohio State in the Food City Center. Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. Parker Phegley / The Daily Beacon
Kellie Harper ‘not sure’ how Lady Vols basketball will respond to losing run JACK CHURCH Staff Writer All four of the Lady Vols’ losses have come in very different ways. The first loss by Tennessee (4-4) was a back-and-forth game against Florida State in which Rickea Jackson did just about everything, scoring 31 points in the 92-91 loss. Against Indiana in Fort Myers, the Hoosiers were in control the entire game as they won 7157. The Lady Vols were not physical enough for Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper’s liking. “I still think we’re just too nice,” Harper said after the loss to Indiana. “We’re just a group of nice young women.” Returning home, Tennessee blew a 16-point lead to Notre Dame on Wednesday, allowing the Fighting Irish to claw back and win 74-69. Tennessee’s presence on the boards drastically decreased in the second half, which was a major reason Notre Dame came back. And then on Sunday, Tennessee was blown out by Ohio State, losing by 20 or more for just the third time in 50 years. The Lady Vols only scored 58 points throughout the game, which is a massive reduction in their offensive performance. “We didn’t have the balance that we needed,” Harper said. “We weren’t aggressive enough going to the basket.” Last year, Tennessee’s schedule made the team better. The team was poised to do well in SEC play and did so, knocking off LSU in the SEC tournament and earning a No. 4 seed in March Madness. However, every team is different, and Harper does not know if this team has the same fortitude.
“Last year, our team handled it,” Harper said. “They handled it, they recovered and it made them better. We’ll see what this team does.” Last year’s team had significant leadership. Jordan Horston and Rickea Jackson led the team on and off the court and helped the Lady Vols during their losing runs. However, now Horston is gone, and Jackson is sidelined with a lower leg injury. Tamari Key has returned to on-court play and made a large step forward on Sunday, scoring nine points in 16 minutes. Key has still been limited so far this season, only playing a total of 30 minutes coming into the game against Ohio State. Jackson’s injury still leaves Harper in an uncertain position. “I’m not sure where we are exactly,” Harper said. “That is obviously the big question, the big challenge that we have in front of us. Every year, every team is different.” Harper always schedules tough, but she has often failed to deliver in big games. Under Harper, the Lady Vols are 12-32 against ranked opponents. In a stretch of four games against ranked teams, Tennessee went 1-3. Although Tennessee will not face another ranked opponent for over a month, there are still lessons that need to be learned from this stretch of four games, especially as the Lady Vols move into conference play. “It’s going to be a challenge for them, a challenge that they can absolutely handle,” Harper said. “They can. I believe in them and I know they can do that, but that’s beyond me. That’s something that they have to internalize and something that they have to do.”
by Margie E. Burke
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The Daily Beacon • Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Colin Coyne’s contributions to Tennessee basketball are ‘immeasurable’ ERIC WOODS Assistant Sports Editor
Colin Coyne wakes up every morning and goes through team workouts and practice. He goes through the same routine as the rest of Tennessee basketball. As a walk-on, Coyne is held accountable for all of his actions despite not being on scholarship and having to pay for school. He is expected to know every opponent’s playbook as a member of the scout team, taking on the persona of the opposing post players to ensure that the Vols are prepared. The 6-foot-10 forward doesn’t get the outside credit for the amount of work he has put in. His contributions go much deeper than oncourt fame, but it doesn’t show up in any box score or TV. Coyne has put in so much work for so little time on the floor. In two years at Tennessee, the senior forward has totaled just eight minutes. Why does he do it? Why would anyone? “I love the game of basketball,” Coyne said. Coyne has basketball in his blood. His father Kevin Coyne played basketball at the Naval Academy with Hall of Fame center David Robinson. Since he was 7 years old, Coyne went to basketball camps in conjunction with his father’s coaching. By the time high school rolled around, he began to work his way through the ranks at Stafford High School. Coyne played on the freshman and JV teams before earning three years of varsity experience. Coyne continued to absorb his father’s experiences and attended various camps in the hopes of earning a spot in the college ranks. In his senior year at Stafford, he was named team captain and went on to earn All-District honors. His performance was enough to earn him a spot at the Division III level with Mary Washington in his hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia, keeping his basketball dream alive. As he began to thrive on the court, he built a connection with former Davidson head coach Bob McKillop, who recruited and coached fourtime NBA champion Stephen Curry. Coyne attended McKillop’s camps in high school, kickstarting their relationship. When Coyne was looking to continue honing his game in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he called McKillop. Coyne was inactive for the 2020-21 season as a sophomore, but in his junior year at Mary Washington, Coyne averaged 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 25 games while starting in 23. From there, Coyne decided that it was time for a change and sought a bigger opportunity. He entered the transfer portal. He wanted to go Division I.
“I felt that I still had a lot more room to grow and to grow as a player and as a person,” Coyne said. He called up McKillop to search for a new home, willing to accept any opportunity that the longtime coach had to offer. McKillop called up an old friend in Tennessee, head coach Rick Barnes, who offered Coyne a spot on the team. Coyne said he would “be a fool” not to accept the offer to play for a storied coach such as Barnes, and he was originally “blown away” by what Tennessee had to offer him. He had the opportunity to be a part of a legacy. “Just the fact that I’m part of his legacy and part of his team,” Coyne said. “I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s just a huge honor.” Now settling into his new home in the 202223 season, the next challenge was adjusting to making the leap from Division III to Division I. Being a walk-on, Coyne knew that he would be fighting an uphill battle when it came to time on the court. However, Coyne has been committed to being a contributor in any way he could ever since he stepped on campus. He takes his role very seriously. In practice, he plays the role of the scout team, where he is forced to wear many different hats in order to get the team best prepared for the upcoming game. “Finding people that will accept that role, that willingly accept that role, and they still take pride in it speaks a lot to their character, their personality, who they are,” associate head coach Justin Gainey said. “For us, it’s invaluable because of the value that they add into practices. “It’s immeasurable. They help raise our level of everything we do.” Ahead of the Maui Invitational, he took on the role of preseason AP All-American bigs Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson. The Vols also faced another preseason All-American in Armando Bacot in the ensuing game against North Carolina. Though their play is unreplicable, Coyne went and grabbed as many rebounds as he could in practice, making life as difficult as possible for the Vols’ frontcourt. It’s not a glamorous job. It won’t be seen on TV. If anyone has a reason to not go 100% every day, it would be Coyne. Why does he do it? Barnes has a specific motto for his team — “INAM,” meaning “it’s not about me.” Coyne puts everything into Tennessee basketball in hopes that the fire will spread throughout the rest of the team. “He shows what INAM really is,” forward J.D. Estrella said. “He really shows that it’s not about me that is about this team. And he shows that through his dedication. We’ve heard many people say, ‘You don’t need to do this. Why do you do it?’ He’s just for the team. He’s like me. He just wants to win.” In his eight minutes with Tennessee basketball, Coyne has two points and two blocks.
Colin Coyne (35) attempts a shot during a game against Tennessee Tech University at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. Cole Moore / Contributor He also had two points in an Oct. 31 preseason game against Lenoir-Rhyne at the buzzer after the student section chanted his name. The remaining crowd was in a frenzy, and each teammate had a vertical leap contest in celebration as the countless hours of work accumulated into just one basket. “Looking back and knowing that they were cheering me on like that and having my back like that, it’s a very special feeling,” Coyne said. Though the feeling of the moment was special for Coyne, time on the floor isn’t what it’s about. It’s about the camaraderie. It’s about the experience. Getting on the court is a bonus. Coyne has fun doing it, too. After wins, he heads to the locker room and greets his team with a dance and graces them with his innate sense of humor at times. “He’s not even trying to be sometimes, and it just happens to be hilarious,” Estrella said. “The one thing I will say is Colin’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s a better dancer than you would think,” Gainey said. Successful programs see buy-in at all areas of their roster. That role extends to the walkons.
Coyne is expected and willing to play whatever role he is asked to for the betterment of Tennessee basketball. Though mostly unseen by the masses, his value is noticed throughout the program. “He’s always gonna do the right thing every single time,” Estrella said. “There’s never a time where he’s doing the wrong thing. Like I said, he gives 100% of everything he does.”