Scoop master Spring 2007.latest.indd - SCOOP Magazine

!"##$!"#$$%&$'&($)*+,%-./&,+0&1%2"3*$+-"&420-,5#2&6+-72*.-38&$'&52++2..22Spring 2007Roll CallScoop gets the scoopon UT student mediaMovin’ on UpProfi les of journalists whomove from the newsroomto the conference roomAudience ParticipationReaders are changing theway reporters do their jobsConnectingwithTraditionJournalism’s past buildsa stronger future

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Editor’s LetterWelcome back to the fourth issue of Scoop magazine! Our publication is continuing to evolve each issue.The Scoop staff this semester has proven to be a great team and not only did we work hard to bring you thiseye-catching issue, but we also had a great time putting it together.The theme, “Connecting with Tradition, journalism’s past builds a stronger future” has several differentmeanings. Throughout this issue our goal was to stress the importance of coming together in the journalismfield, not only by making connections but relating with our distinguished alumni and the traditionsphoto by Tom BaylessChase Kehoe is a senior inJournalism and Electronic Mediaand this is her second semesterworking with Scoop. Aftergraduation, Chase plans to moveback to the Northeast and begin hercareer in the magazine industry.here at the University of Tennessee. Through making these connections weare able to see the path that has lead us to the journalism environment we arein today and to visualize the future of this field.The merger of the School of Journalism and the department of broadcastingthat took place at UT in 2003 is a perfect example of the importance ofconnecting in the media industry. This merger not only connected the twodepartments, it also brought a lasting tradition of the unified talents that areneeded in order make a publication like this possible.Connections and bonds are always coming together in the JEM departmentfor both teachers and students. In this issue, Dr. Naeemah Clark joinsher students by laughing and learning together, while JEM student, AshleyYeager, shows us that ties can be made on an international level for bothcareers and cultures.This issue’s feature stories are all examples of the continuing convergencein the journalism and electronic media field. Whether it is the growing connectionbetween the corporate world and the journalism world or the immediatereactions of the audience toward the reporter, this field is constantlydeveloping. Nonetheless, we examine the legal aspects of journalism andhow they are the foundation of the traditions and standards we are boundby each day. These legal cases are the history and future of student publicationslike Scoop. In this issue we also emphasize the importance of personalgrowth and challenges without forgetting traditions or goals. This is portrayedin the story of Jerica Maclin, a hopeful journalist who reflects on herchildhood dreams of being a reporter and how they are still possible while juggling her days as a full- timestudent and mother.I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I enjoyed my involvement in putting it together. Whetherit was working along side the advertising directors and their endless workload, brainstorming with thetalented writers or watching the photographers develop visually stimulating photo ideas for each article,this semester’s staff has gone above and beyond all expectations. They should all feel very proud to holdthis issue in their hands and reflect on their hard work. This semester’s theme of connecting transcends thepages of this issue. It also reflects greatly on the unity of the staff. I personally enjoyed working with eachperson on the staff and I hope that as a reader you will have some insight on this experience and are able to‘‘connect’’ with us.This issue would not be possible without the generosity and support of family, friends, university staffmembers and alumni. Please take pleasure in reading this issue and seeing the development of Scoop in theyears to come.# spring 2007

!"##$38features424638424650The Right to WriteDoes a Supreme Court precedent give a universitythe power to censor its students?He Said, They SaidIncreased audience participation creates a newdimension in jounalismBeyond the NewsdeskA journalism degree can take you anywhereDefi ning the ‘Average Student’At 21, this single mother balances home-life andcampus-lifespring 2007 $50

!"##$10645414% spring 20072030182822departments4101214182022242830546466Editor’s LetterWho We AreNow appearing for one night only…Dr. Naeemah ClarkTrade TipsAlumni in sports media give advice toJEM students and recent gradsResearch in the RoundA Fulbright Scholar strengthens mediathrough educationInk/Screen/MicMedia roundupFrom the WireJournalism with a sweet toothThen & NowNotorious NotablesVince Staten suspends homecoming traditionPress PassportStudying hyenas is no laughing matterA Thousand WordsForward/Backward: Our view of twodirections through a single lensPieces of Our ParkRetrospectFrank Thornburg Jr. gives us the insighton how The Daily Beacon was namedCircle View

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Who We AreLaughing and LearningDr. Naeemah Clark connects with her students through her love of learning andencouraging teaching style!"#$%&'%Kelly Hunt & Jessie KruegerStudents long to findprofessors who are elitein their field, knowthe material and won’tbore them with longlectures. Once thatprofessor is discovered,students spread theirname throughout theschool like wildfire.Dr. Naeemah Clark, a media professorat the University of Tennessee, is that instructor– a rare breed of professor studentssay they can’t get enough of.Clark, a New Jersey native, movedto Florida when she was 12 years old.She attended Florida State University,and later received a degree in EnglishEducation. She became interested inmedia and obtained a master’s anddoctoral degree from the University ofFlorida. Clark started looking for workaround the South at a university that offeredmore research support.“I was only applying to schools southof the Mason-Dixon line – I had a littlemap,” she said. “A friend of mine workedhere and said they were hiring.” Thoughthe job available at UT was nothing sheknew much about – digital communication– Clark applied anyway, with apush from Dr. Barbara Kaye. Clark hadtaught introduction to journalism andelectronic media, but preferred teachingmore research-based classes likeReadership and Audience analysis andMedia and Society.Brock Bodell, a senior UT journalismand electronic media student, searchesfor Dr. Clark’s name during registration.He is currently enrolled in her Mediaand Society class, which is his fourthclass with Clark.“She’s very personable and funny,”Bodell said about his decision to take() spring 2007another class with her. “She’s got somegreat stories that don’t get old, no matterhow many times you hear them.”For Jennifer Powell, one of Clark’sformer students and a JEM senior, oneof those stories is how Clark receives amarriage proposal from a stranger everytime she goes to New York.“It is the most hysterical thing to hearher talk about,” says Powell. “I knowwhen I took her 302 class she had to goto New York, and she got a marriageproposal from some homeless guy in awheelchair. And I think she was in abookstore, and some guy walked up andwas just amazed by her and was like, ‘Willyou marry me?’ and then I went with herand Dr. Lepre on the media tour back inJanuary and I made the joke, ‘Have youbeen proposed to yet?’ and she said, ‘No,not yet.’ And then later on that night shegot a proposal from somebody.”Margaret Menefee, also a senior JEMstudent said she wanted to take Dr.Clark’s class.photo by Lyn Lepre“She’s definitely very different. Shewatches the same shows we watch andshe listens to the same music,” Menefeesaid. “She’s bubbly… and she is probablyone of the most animated teachers I’veever had. I always tell people to take Dr.Clark. I tell everybody about her.”The professor has an advantage overothers because of her age, 33.“She is very involved with her students,”Bodell says. “She is really like astudent herself. She is constantly learningthings from us like we learn fromher and she makes a point to tell us that,which is always nice.”Clark’s age makes it easy for her to relateto her students and present materialin a way that makes them want to learn.“Every semester, I go into the classroomand I think: ‘I am going to be serious,’Clark said sternly. “But I sneak stuffin there and I think that makes [learning]painless.”With participation a must in Clark’sclasses, lectures are often discussions

with some debate. Clark oversees,throwing in thoughts to stimulate conversation,so students can learn fromone another.Her lectures keep students involvedand Clark doesn’t mind if a slide presentationgets put off one day.“We get off topic sometimes,” she saidwith a shrug. “I make a lecture everydayand sometimes I don’t finish it becausethere’s something else students want totalk about. And if it works well withwhat we’re discussing today, then I’m allfor it.”Clark said she hopes this encouragesstudents to talk about what they’vethought about, read or seen in themedia.“Everyday there’s something newto talk about,” she said. “In that way, Ithink I approach teaching as being veryconversational.”Students are often just as involvedin media as she is, Clark said, so theirthoughts are important.“I value their opinion – that’s somethingI pride myself on,” she said. “Theywatch TV; they read. They have theirown points of view. I really want studentsto feel they can express themselvesin class.”Clark said her students give her somethingto look forward to each day, offeringa pick-me-up when she just can’tseem to get it together.“It’s one of the few jobs you have, besidesa talk show host, where you have totalk and hopefully people get somethingout of it,” she said. “That always givesme energy and hopefully I keep themawake.”“It’s a good life we have,” Clark said.“You get to work with students and that’salways fun. You get to watch what theywho we arebecome. You get to be creative. I can’timagine leaving it.”But even so, this may not keep Clarkin the classroom forever.“Teaching takes a lot of energy. I cansee how in twenty years that I might bereally tired,” Clark said with a laugh. “Atthe same time, if I have a couple cups ofcoffee, I’m a little energizing bunny, so Idon’t know.”As nature dictates, being close in agewon’t give Clark an advantage with herstudents forever.“When I started I was 26, and I wasvery close to their age,” Clark said. “NowI’m getting older, but the students staythe same age. It’s like now I’m becominglike their older sister. Soon I’ll be liketheir mother.“The students are always 20,” she jokinglywhined. “They never get older. Justme.”photo by Tom BaylessJEM students seek out Dr. Clark’s name when it is time to register for classes.spring 2007((

Trade TipsCareer CoachA few pointers from two UT alumni that have hit home runs in the fi eld of sports journalism(#)*+,-.&'%Julie ProffittBorn in London, England, Candy Reid, 29, majored inbroadcasing with a minor in economics at UT. As a sportsanchor at CC INternation, Reid has interevied sports startssuch as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Jack Nicklaus, AndyRoccick, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Manu Ginobili andcountless others. She has also covered events such as theMasters and the U.S. Open.Another alumnus also working in the field of sportjournalism is Gene Wojciechowski is a 1979 graduate of thethen- College of Communications (B.S. in Journalism), andis a former editor of The Daily Beacon and The Volunteer.He is beginning his 10th year as a writer and columnist forESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. Prior to joining ESPN,he worked at, among others, the Chicago Tribune and the LosAngeles Times, and has authored or co-authored eight books.Who is your mentorin the businessand how have theyinspired you?Gene Wojciechowski: My first sports editor once dropped afolded note on my desk six months after I had been hired. Itread, “You’ll never make in the business.” I kept the handwrittennote and still have it somewhere in my office desk. Thatnote became my mentor. Competition became my mentor.Jim Murray, P.J. O’Rourke, Dan Jenkins, George Plimpton,George Will, wisdom upside down became my mentors. Idon’ have a mentor per se, but I have a handful of longtimefriends ( Rick Seilly of Sports Illustrated, Rick Morrissey ofthe Chicago Tribune, Bill Plaschke of Los Angeles Times, inparticular) who simply like to talk about writing. It’s sortof our own continuing education program. So the essentialtruth is this: Inspiration comes in a thousand different formsand voices.How haveconnectionshelped you inyour career?Candy Reid: Several people have inspired me. Dr. Swan, Dr.Moore and all the other broadcasting professors at UT wereexceptionally helpful throughout my four years in Knoxville.Their classes taught me how to write and edit copy and honemy on-air skills. Then at the end of my senior year, I internedat CNN and my boss at the time hired me from there, givingme a job as a production assistant. He was also the man whogave me my big break on screen. It didn’t happen overnight,though. I made several tapes and each time he advised me onhow to improve. Eventually, he said I was good enough andput me “on-air” at the age of 25.CR: At the start of my broadcasting career I really didn’thave any connections. During my final year in KnoxvilleI met with a few UT graduates at CNN who gave me somegreat advice, but getting the internship was really down to myknowledge of international sport and the classes and experienceI’d gained at UT. Since then, I’ve made more connections,which really help at events. For instance, I covered the2006 US Tennis Open and a former UT teammate of mine,who’s now working for the WTA Tour, told me who to talk toin order to line up the best interviews. It proved invaluable asI was able to interview all the top stars.(! spring 2007

Trade TipsCandy Reidphoto courtesy of Candy ReidGW: A job connectiondoesn’tmean bupkus ifyour clips read likethe back of a soupcan. The theorythat who you knowis more importantthat what you knowis, sadly, true on occasion.But in theend, talent usuallyprevails. I’ve onlyhad one instance inmy career where apersonal connectioncame into play (ansomewhere else to gain the necessary experience. But I didn’treally want to go to a local station in the U.S. because I wantedto cover all sports rather than just baseball, football and basketball.Plus, I didn’t think the British accent would go downtoo well - so I persevered and again it paid off.GW: The secret is to understand there are no secrets. Instead,you take the basics of writing and reporting (my God, I soundlike a PBS documentary) and you constantly try to refine them.It’s the eternal wax and buff job. Nothing is more dauntingand exhilarating than staring at an empty laptop screen atthe day’s beginning, and then somehow fi lling it with a story.That’s all you’re really doing: telling a story – a beginning,a middle, and an end. The trick is to make it compelling.And to make it compelling you’ve got to do the grunt work,which means you first have to report the hell out of the story.My only secret is that I’m fairly certain I can’t do anythingelse. If you forced me to become, say, a CPA, I’d stick knitting“The theory that who you know is more importantthat what you know is, sadly, true on occasion.But in the end, talent usually prevails.”- GENE WOJCIECHOWSKIassistant sports editor at the L.A. Times became the sportseditor of the Chicago Tribune, and later hired me). And eventhen, the quality of my work had to win the day.What areyour secretsto success?CR: Hard work, never giving up and being personable. Ireally put the hours in at UT, especially in the final few years.Balancing school, tennis and internships wasn’t easy, but thelog hours really paid off. Then, when I got the internshipat CNN, I made sure to learn all I could as soon as possibleand make myself an invaluable member of the sports team.Internships are a great way of getting a job, but so many peopledon’t make the most of the opportunity.After I got hired, I was told several times that I wouldn’tbe able to start “on-air” at CNN and that I would have to goneedles in my eyes.The great Red Smithonce said somethingto the effect, “Writingis easy. All you do issit down and open avein.” Smith’s sarcasmaside, he’s right. It’s apainful exercise, butan honorable one.And I wouldn’t traythe pain for any otherprofession.photo courtesy of ESPNspring 2007("

Research in the RoundBuilding BridgesFulbright Scholar works toward stronger media in Cental Asia!"#$%&'%LaRue CookWhen BahodurKosimov firstarrived at theUniversity ofTennessee fromTajikistan, his office lay within the heartof the journalism and electronic media’smain office. Distracting him were theintermittent slams of the entrance door,not to mention the audible hum of conversingpassers-by. Juxtaposed with thecommotion, however, was a view of serenityfrom his lone window—NeylandStadium standing at attention as theTennessee River rolled by in the distance.Kosimov had been to the United Statesbefore, but never had he seen an edificequite like the 104,000-seat behemoth.“It’s amazing,” said the FulbrightScholar in his office last fall. “I’ve heardit’s crazy and energetic, and I can see thebig screen (the JumboTron) when I’m atmy apartment on Saturdays.”Now in his second semester, heresides on the fourth floor of theCommunications Building, in an officewith no windows and only the lowhum of a heater to distract him. Despitelosing the scenery, he attests that the atmosphereis much more conducive to research,which is his sole purpose here.Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistanto the south and People’s Republic ofChina to the east, is just a little morethan 13,000 square miles larger thanTennessee, and what impresses Kosimoveven more than the stadium is HodgesLibrary.“You have a very brilliant library,”Kosimov said, apologizing for any mixup in adjectives. “I have found so muchinformation in the library. There are somany books—I just wish I could take allof them home.”Kosimov teaches at a Tajik universityin the capital city of Dushanbe on topicsranging from media and minoritiesto new media formats in the digital age.His primary area of research lies in masscommunication, and he has digestedpart, if not all, of 56 books on the subjectsince arriving in August. He plansto write a textbook in his native languageof Tajik when he returns in June,but as his time here wanes, Kosimov isadamant about creating a program thatwould one day send journalists from theUnited States to Tajikistan in hopes ofstrengthening underdeveloped media.“When we are analyzing problems ofbasic journalism education in Tajikistan,we must come to the conclusion thatthere is a lack of relationship betweenskills taught in universities and skillsneeded in the mass media industry,”he said. “Basically, many internationalorganizations in Central Asia focus onmomentary results. But it doesn’t work.Short-term seminars and training sessionsdo not change journalism educationin these countries, where antiquatedprograms remain in use.”Tajikistan is a relatively young country,having declared its independence whenthe Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Itsdevelopment was stunted by a civil warlasting from 1992 to 1997, and Kosimovsaid cohesive views are still lost amongthe fragmented states of Central Asia.“With the division of Central Asia intoindependent states, influences of manyethnic groups … have been combined.Central Asia’s peoples are isolated fromone another in states whose boundariesbear little resemblance to traditionalcultural demarcations,” he wrote in oneof his many scholarly articles.“In terms of access to information,Central Asian populations are isolated.Predominant information sources acrossCentral Asia remain government-affi liatedbroadcasters or newspapers. Thesestate broadcasters devote little time tothe real social economic or social politicalissues, and the existing coverage isstrictly official, with biases intended tosupport the policy of the government.”Reared in communist-occupiedRomania, JEM Director Dr. Peter Grossis well aquatinted with the strugglescountries like Tajikistan face when attemptingto establish a new and unrestrictedmedia. Both he and Kosimovagreed the United States has a limitedview of the social underpinnings affect-(# spring 2007

ing post-communist media.“The U.S. often takes a simplistic approachto helping the media,” Grosssaid. “It is one that does not take intoconsideration the amount of work thatwe need to do in other spheres of societythat have such a heavy effect on theworking of the media.”Along with Gross, Kosimov is developinga proposal for a comprehensivestudy of the media in Central Asia.Gross describes the proposal as onethat will provide both a descriptive andanalytical source for governmental andnon-governmental agency policy makingfor scholars of post-communism,specifically in Central Asia.Much like JEM professor Dr. SamSwan’s “Jordan Media StrengtheningProgram,” Kosimov suggested a similarprogram in Central Asia that will forgeahead at a fundamental level—ratherthan teaching the teachers, teach thestudents.“I would like for our academic programsto become much closer toAmerican education programs,” he said.“It would be more successful and helpthe understanding between people becausethey would have the same background.It would be easier because therewould be a shared view.”When Tajikistan first declared its independence,Kosimov said the mediawere initially quite active in the region,only to have the civil war deliver a severefinancial blow to the industry. Since thestrife ended, media have been strugglingto gain strength, because the countrymust learn how to manage an industrythat has not always been independent ofthe government.“It’s so strange. There are totalitarianleaders in Central Asia that call theirgovernment a democracy. What is a democracy?”Kosimov asks rhetorically,photo by Amy BlakelyResearch in the Roundthrowing his hands in the air. “We arelearning together, and I am here tryingto get Tajikistan to recognize what weare doing wrong. I am trying to get somany of them thinking like you.”Sitting on Kosimov’s desk is a workby legendary communications theoristMarshall McLuhan, which Kosimov’sbeen reading incessantly. It wasMcLuhan who first introduced the ideaof a global village, where media wouldconnect communities, and humankindwould move from individualism to acollective identity. Although McLuhanpostulated this effect nearly 50 yearsago, it is a concept Kosimov still findsintriguing.“Creating a global village and globalcommunications is a very importantconcept for my country to learn,”Kosimov said. “Global communicationswill be one of the topics of my textbooks.But it is difficult to formulate a conclusionwhen dealing with internationalcommunication. This field is in a stateof flux, and global changes affect it on adaily basis.”What interests Kosimov most is the recentrise in digital media, especially theInternet. But the World Wide Web is notso “world-wide,” according to Kosimov.The staggering amount of informationafforded by digital media has yet to berealized by countries like Tajikistan.“We don’t have access to this type of informationin Tajikistan,” Kosimov said.“There is so much information here thatI can learn to take back to my country, somany textbooks that I can study in orderthat we can change the way we teach ourmedia subjects in the universities. Wecan decide what is best for us,” he said.“I look on the Internet and get 2,000 dissertationsto read. Now I’m just trying tofigure out how I can take all these backhome.” Kosimov is longing for homeeven though his stint in the states hasbeen fruitful. Down time has been hardto come by, although he did manage tovisit Dollywood and was quite enamoredwith Dolly Parton. He also discoverediTunes and its extensive library ofmusic—he admits that his favorites areElvis Presley and The Beatles. He usesthese songs to unwind, but there maybe no opportunity to decelerate when hereturns to Tajikistan this summer.“I can share these experiences withmy colleagues when I return and we canbegin to build a bridge between universities,”he says. “We must start buildingour media at a fundamental level to createan efficient sysytem.“I have many new friends now, and Ihope when I return in June, I can call onthem to help me create a program in mycountry to aid our media. And I hope Ican one day return to teach this countryabout the media in Central Asia.”map provided by faculty.fortlewis.eduspring 2007($

(% spring 2007

Humane Society/ Half

ink/screen/micRoll CallScoop rounds up UT student media outlets on their recent adventures, additions andachievements.(#)*+,-.&'%Dylan Lanephoto by Kimberly PeerThe Daily Beacon’s winning waysWalk into any classroom on campus and you notice a certain “paper-trail.” Thebreadth of circulation The Daily Beacon enjoys on the University of Tennessee campusis noticeably growing. In 2006, the students were not the only readers who wereimpressed with the Beacon.2006 awards include: “Newspaper of the Year” by Southern University Newspapersfor overall advertising program excellence, SUN Marketing Award for “Best in Show”2006, first place for Best Rate Card 2006 and Best Classified Advertising Page 2006.Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists include: “Mark of Excellence”Award 2006, and first place as “Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper” Region12.The impressive lexicon of awards showered on The Daily Beacon is a byproductof a staff of undergraduates and graduates from diverse majors. Together they contributetheir time and effort in making The Daily Beacon an innovator in the field ofeditorially independent student publications at the University of Tennessee.Celebrate with WUTK The RockWUTK has survived the radio “dark ages” and is determined to stay on listener’sdials. This year marks the 25th anniversary for a station that went on air January12, 1982. To commemorate the year, a new slogan has been coined, “Rockin’ YourEars for 25 Years.”Unfortunately, the challenges for the station continue, since it recently lost alluniversity funding. WUTK will mix work and play with fund raising concerts anda special edition logo to get more support for the station’s daily needs.Other ideas to celebrate 25 years include a possible old-school deejay series withformer hosts returning to play old-school music. A new partnership with UT TVwill simul-cast all “Rock Solid Sports” shows. The station is enjoying more studentworkers but still needs more student volunteers for specialty shows and other operationalduties. Over the years WUTK consistently offers a great opportunity forpractical learning and hands-on experience for the real world. The more studentswho get involved, the easier it will be to produce a station that will appeal to manynew listeners and can build on being voted “Best Local Radio Station” in MetroPulse’s Best of 2006.(* spring 2007

New York, New Yorkink/screen/micGet InvolvedFor many JEM students, New York is the pinnacle location to realize their futuredreams and aspirations. For a group of JEM students this January the dream becameless surreal and more real.Highlights of the trip included a tour of Glamour Magazine by former UT alumnae,Erin Zammett Ruddy. Zammett Ruddy is a Glamour article’s editor and livingproof that UT students can make the transition.Another stop on the trip was made at MTVU, MTV’s station for colleges anduniversities. Here students had a chance to soak up the atmosphere and work onValentine’s Day promos.To end the trip on a high note, the group was treated to a swank dinner night atan upscale New York restaurant. The trip offered students a first-hand look at jobsand lifestyles in New York while also offering opportunities to network with UTalumni in the Big Apple.The Volunteer evolvesprovided by Mollie RobinsonIs your yearbook all about the pictures? For 110 years the Volunteer Yearbook hasbeen a source of history, but never has it been antiquated.This upcoming fall, students can look forward to a new yearbook format and designcreated by the all-student staff. The book will document student culture, theacademic experience, and extracurricular activities at the University of Tennessee.Supporting these endeavors will be photography, statistics, human-interest stories,as well as in-depth articles describing the unique combination of campus personalities,issues, and events of the 2006-2007 year.Amid such an eclectic line-up, students should not lose focus on the most importantpart, looking nice for the pictures that will forever be linked with the storiesand times of their lives as college students.The University of Tennessee’sSchool of Journalism and ElectronicMedia offers a forum and comparativereal-world workplace for studentsof all media and arts.Other student media organizationsinclude the Volunteer Channeland the Phoenix.The ability to bring almost 7,000students a cutting edge student televisionstation is all about showcasingstudent talent while offering experienceand opportunities for the futureUT JEM graduate.The Phoenix Literary ArtMagazine published a fall 2006 issuefeaturing creative works of 12 students.The staff has the spring 2007issue well underway, as selections ofphotographs, art, poetry and prosehave been made for the print issue.The spring edition each year has acompanion CD featuring studentcreative works of original musicalcompositions, musical performances,student theatre, dance andfilmmaking.For a full list of opportunities andconnections currently offered by theJEM school, visit the Web site http://www.cci.utk.edu/~jem/student_orgs.html and get active today.photo by Tom Baylessspring 2007('

From the WireThe Sweet SideFrom the Daily Beacon to the USA Today, 1998 UT alumnus Whitney Matheson’s blog “PopCandy” features a medley of pop culture updates on new music, movies and celebrity gossip.Matheson gives advice to JEM students on how to survive in the journalism world and how toprepare while still in school.(#)*+,-.&'%Katie Caldarulo!"#$%&'%$"(%)**+('$%$"&,-%#.*/$%0*/1%2*.3%!"#$%4*%0*/%+*5(%6*'$3The coolest thing is probably the fact that I’m writing aboutwhat interests me every day - fi lm, music, TV, books. I alsohave a huge amount of editorial freedom, which is wonderfuland rare.7*8%4&4%0*/%-($%$*%8"(1(%0*/%#1(%,*83%9*,$#)$'3%:($8*1;&,-3%

From the Wirestop, or I can end up working 13-hour days with no break. Ialso have sift through hundreds of e-mails and comments allday, so it can be difficult to know when to tune out that stuffand when to listen to it.!"#$%#1(%0*/1%+*,-I$(16%-*#+'3Eventually, I may focus on writing books, longer-formarticles and such - I like blogging, but it’s incredibly stressfulto work on a nonstop deadline all the time. Then again, a newtechnology could pop up in the next few years and I could bedoing something completely different. We’ll see.

then & nowCampus EvolutionFrom grass roots to business suits, UT’s campus has made a series of historic changes(#)*+,-.&'%Mollie RobinsonThis picture was taken in theearly 1900s, and shows the officialentryway to the University ofTennessee. When fi rst founded, theuniversity was fi rst named BlountCollege.thenFootball has always been a mainattraction for students and alumni.This picture was taken beforeadditions were made to NeylandStadium, Shields-Watkins Field.This picture shows the entirecampus at the turn of the century.The same place on campus servesas the official entryway to “the Hill.”Football is still a big draw, and withadditions to our stadium we nowcan fi t over 104,000 fans wearingorange on Saturdays in the fall.The campus has expanded toover 500 acres, and includes nineacademic colleges. We also callthe original part of the campusThe Hill, which now is all academicbuildings concentrating on mathand sciences.!! spring 2007

then & nowThe aerial view of Knoxville showsthe campus in the upper left corner,with the Fort Lake Loudon passingthrough.Though Ayres Hall is evident inthe background, the Humanitiesbuilding was underway, along withthe UC Plaza, which later wouldgive easier access to studentsfor learning and moving aroundcampus.Glocker was the home of theCollege of Business Administration,before it was torn down forrenovations in 2005.It is evident to see that the campusand the city of Knoxville havegrown. Today, the metropolis areaof Knoxville has a population ofabout 600,000.The UC plaza gives students easieraccess to the academic buildingsaround campus.nowThough it is still under construction,Glocker is planned to open in Fall2008. Once opened, it will beone of the most technologicallyadvanced buildings in the state ofTennessee.all then photos provided by UT archivesall now photos provided by Mollie Robinson & Tom Baylessspring 2007!"

notorious notablesKing of all QueensReviving the lighthearted side of journalism!"#$%&'%Maria SmurzynskaHomecoming Queens embody perfection,confidence and beauty.It’s something judges often referto as “the complete package.”Vince Staten knows all about thequalities of a perfect HomecomingQueen. After all, he did competeagainst 10 other female candidatesand beat the odds.The story began in 1970 afterStaten, who received a master’s degree in journalism from theUniversity Of Tennessee in 1973, became the humor columnistfor The Daily Beacon, growing closer to the entire staff.“I went in the office one afternoon, and when I passed thenews editor, David Williams, I said ‘the rumor that I am runningfor Homecoming Queen isn’t true. It was supposed to bea joke,’” Staten said.The next day, The Beacon published a story entitled “Statendenies running for Homecoming queen.” People began havingfun with the idea of possibly having a male, non-greekcandidate and as Staten said “it mushroomed from there.”He told anyone who wanted to be part of his supportingcommittee was welcome to join, and soon groups such as theFormer SGA Presidents for Staten Committee, were formed.Dan Pomeroy, a UT graduate and Staten’s former roommate,remembers working as his campaign manager underthe slogan “I Have Something None of the Other CandidatesHave.”“I did a cartoon of him with a paper bag over his head, andwe plastered the campus and printed them on adhesive stickers,”Pomeroy said. “We were considered the ‘Apathy Party’and the sticker featured the cartoon and the following legend:‘Vince Who? Homecoming What?’ It was all about thehumor.”Pomeroy said the innocent humor got out of control, at leastin part because there were some who wanted to make it into astatement against the Greeks andthe whole Homecoming fandango.“When it came time to vote for Homecoming Queen I believethere were graduate students emerging from the librarywho had not seen the light of day for weeks,” he said. “Theywere intent on making a statement.”!# spring 2007photo by Michael O’BrienStaten ultimately won with a final vote tally of approximately2,512, nearly 60 percent of the student population’s vote.However, the Homecoming Advisory Board met in an emergencysession and threw out his win, saying he was ineligiblebecause of his graduate student status.“Even then they knew they couldn’t declare me ineligiblebecause of gender,” Staten explained. Pomeroy said that Statenhad no intent of disrupting the symbolism of homecoming.“As I recall, he made it known that he did not desire to blockthe Homecoming crowning and festivities; but he did want,in some way, to have those who voted for him to be acknowledged,”he said.Several days later, supporters fi led a disenfranchised voter’ssuit, protesting Staten’s stripping of the crown. After theStudent Tribunal heard the case, they declared the electionnull and void, saying that voters were unaware of the fact thatvotes for Staten were not considered legitimate. However, itwas too late that year to hold another election and there wasno other queen crowned until 1982. In fact Homecoming as awhole was held off until that year as well.Today, Staten has moved on to bigger and better things.Growing up in Kingsport, TN during the “Leave it to

notorious notablesBeaver” era, Staten learnedthe meaning of hard workwhen he would help in hisfather’s hardware store as ayoung child.“I knew I didn’t want togrow up to run a hardwarestore,” he said. “I used towatch all the Westerns on TV,so my first career goal was tobe a cowboy. But I got overthat after I discovered I wasafraid of cows.”Staten discovered his passionfor writing in the sixthgrade. “I wrote a story thathad my best friend DavidSmithe rolling in the aisle ofMiss Larkin’s room at JohnsonElementary School,” he said.“But, Kingsport didn’t have awriter in town—no Faulknerfor me to shadow to see howa writer lived—so I learnedabout writing in the library.”He would spend hours readingevery “how-to-be a writerbook” in the “I want to be awriter section.”“I think there were two,” hejokes.“But … writing is a scary occupation.You put your ego onthe line every time you writesomething and let someoneelse read it,” Staten said.He decided to be a mathematicianinstead, for onesimple reason: he was good atmath.“Don’t be impressed, it’s justgenetics,” he said. “In mathtwo plus two is always four.In writing you can approach astory from a million differentangles and all of them can beright or wrong.”En route to becoming amathematician, Staten majoredin math at Duke University in North Carolina, but alwaysflirted with writing in one way or another.“I was too shy to apply to the Duke student newspaper, butwhen some organization sponsored a fi lm festival my senioryear, I convinced my dorm to sponsor me,” Staten said. “And Iwon.” In fact, one of the runners up went on to snare an Oscarnomination years later.photo by Don DudenbostelVince Staten talks to the editor at The Daily Beacon during his years asan graduate student at The University of Tennessee back in the ‘70s.spring 2007!$

Joints, the Best Sauces, the Best Cookers-And Much More,”which he spent updating in 2006. “I still consider this bookmy greatest scam,” Staten said. “I convinced a New York publisherto pay me to eat barbecue for a year, but since this wasan update, I could only convince them to pay me to eat barbecuefor the summer.”Chris Wohlwend, UT alumnus and journalism and electronicmedia lecturer, recalls their times together at UT andworking with Staten in Louisville, Kentucky.“When I first met Vince at UT in the early 1970s (actuallythe first meeting was at a party), he didn’t particularly standout,” Wohlwend said. “Sure, he was doing crazy things, but sowas everyone else […] I noticed that his craziness (we call itcreativity now that we are more mature) contained elementsof wit. For example, he named his cat ‘Lassie’ after the dogthen popular on television.”I used to watch all the westerns onTV, so my fi rst career goal was to bea cowboy, but I got over that after Idiscovered I was afraid of cows.After graduating from undergraduate school, Statenplanned to attend the University of Southern California toobtain a master’s degree from the fi lm school. His applicationwas already complete when he received a letter from the draftboard during the ongoing war in Vietnam. To his advantage,he failed the physical and settled on staying back.“I decided I would stay back east rather than move to theUniversity of Southern California and be 2,000 miles closerto Vietnam,” he said. “Instead, I applied to UT’s brand spankingnew graduate program and even won the Grantland RiceFellowship.” He was the first person ever to win this prizewithout the intention of becoming a sportswriter.“I remember they told me that there was no stipulation onthe scholarship that it could go to an aspiring sportswriter,” hesaid. “I’ve only written one sports article in my life: a story forThe Saturday Review—now defunct, but once a big time magazine—abouta high school basketball team that lost 126 gamesin a row. It was Friendsville Academy, near Knoxville.”Following his graduation from UT, Staten moved on to becomea freelance writer, author, movie critic, lecturer, professorand restaurateur.“One of these days I’ll settle down and pick a career,” hejoked. He even appeared on Late Show with David Letterman,Dateline NBC, the Today Show, the History Channel, HGTVand has had more than 1,000 radio appearances.“Being on Letterman was the scariest experience of my life,even scarier than the night at UT when a few misguided membersof the football team came to my apartment to discuss theHomecoming Queen election with me.”Throughout the last 20 years, Staten has focused on balancingtwo of his main passions: teaching and writing what hecalls investigative humor books, his joking term for non-fictionhumor.As a part-time instructor, he has taught classes in featurewriting, news writing and television at The Universityof Louisville since 1979. Additionally, Staten has written 12books including “Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts?,” “InSearch of America’s Great Barbershops”, “Can You Trust aTomato in January?” and his latest book “Real Barbecue: TheOnly Barbeque Book You’ll ever need: A Guide to the BestWohlwend believes thata combination of creativityand wit make him theperfect movie critic.“He understood themedium and its inherentabsurdity and was ableto let that understandingunderpin everything hewrote,” Wohlwend said.“For a brief period (untilthe editor noticed it),he produced a columnunder the pseudonymDwight Suggs, which wasTV commentary from anunapologetically ignorantredneck. It was too funnyfor our straight-lacededitor. Then he became abarbecue guru and entrepreneurand slipped intoseriousness.”!% spring 2007

UT Bookstore/ Halfspring 2007!&

Press PassportInto the WildAshley Yeager’s once in a lifetime trip opened a path for journalistic inspiration!"#$%&'%Kimberly PeerAshley Yeager says she’llnever forget the firsttime her safari jeepcame upon a male lionin Africa.The lion’s call wasunlike anything shehad ever heard. It rattled her bones withfear as he stared at her from two metersaway, despite the fact she was enclosedinside a safari jeep. As he moved aroundtheir jeep, she could see the musclesripple beneath the skin of his long, leanframe.“That experience made me reconsiderthe power of nature,” Yeager said.During a trip to Africa during thesummer of 2006, Yeager, a senior injournalism and electronic media, receivedthe unique opportunity to pursueher love of science and combine it withanother passion — writing.The Chance of a LifetimeYeager, winner of the Nissan-WorldWildlife Fund Environmental LeadershipAward, traveled to South Africa in earlyAugust to the South Africa PilanesbergNational Park and neighboring wildlifereserves to assess the value of protectedareas for brown hyenas and other carnivores.She participated in photographicsafaris and cultural events in communitiesnear the park.Yeager was selected for the awardbased on her academic achievement,leadership ability and commitment tothe environment.In addition to the expedition, thephoto provided by Ashley Yeageraward included a $5,000 cash prizeand participation in the four-day environmentalpolicy-making summit inWashington, D.C during late June.For Yeager, who is specializing in sciencecommunication, the Africa tripwas a chance to explore her interests inscience, research and writing. She haswritten and lectured about her trip.“I have submitted a piece for publicationin South African Embassy newsletter,and I’m working on a few pieces forthe school and local papers,” she said.How it All Began“My interest in science communicationbegan when I first met Dr. MarkLittmann. My academic adviser, BonnieHufford, has an office adjacentto Dr. Littmann’s,”Yeager said. “When she and Idiscussed my familial and researchbackground in science,she took me next door to meetDr. Littmann. Before I knewit, I was in his Science Writingas Literature class. That onesemester changed my plans.A colleague and I started ascience series for the universitynewspaper. Interviewingthe researchers mixed an academicinterest I did not realizeI had, with my passion forwriting.”Both Yeager’s parents teachhigh school science.“To say that science is importantto our family wouldbe something of an understatement,”she said. “I cannotremember a weekend wheremy sister and I were not in ourbasement titrating chemistryexperiments or wallowing in!* spring 2007

Press Passportthe mud of a wetland near our house.My sister and I actually got caught pullingthe safety shower in my father’schemistry lab when we were young. Hislab was our playground, even though weweren’t supposed to touch anything.”She also co-founded The DailyBeacon’s science series, which examinesthe research taking place on campus.Yeager serves as a main contributor.From the Classroomto the WildernessYeager applied classroom learningwhen she and the other participants’had to spot and collect hyena excrementfrom the side of village roads, whichwas difficult because it often looked liketoilet paper due to the high amounts ofcalcium ingested when hyenas eat theirprey’s bones.“I remember sitting in the trucks,driving down this one transect, andevery few seconds someone would yell,‘Stop, stop, stop,’ and usually bang onthe side of the truck to get the driver’s attention,”Yeager said. “The scientist withus would hop out, squat down, and takea close look at the latrine. One of themhad to record the age and color of the feces.After doing this every day for twoweeks, we all got pretty good at spottinghyena excrement and distinguishing itfrom toilet paper.”The team was also in charge of callins.They would drive to a specific placeand use baby pig noises to attract nightcarnivores. The GPS location and habitatof the animal was then recorded. Doingthis at night allowed them to see nocturnalanimals like the African bushbabyand an African cat resembling a lynx.“Finally, on our last night to performa call-in, my group lured two brownsclose enough to see through binoculars,”Yeager said. “I had never reallyconsidered hyenas a beautiful creature,but once you see them in the wild, intheir element, they are as amazing as thelions.”Culture ShockAnother highlight of her trip was gettingthe chance to talk to the native peopleand experience the African culture.“I’ll never forget asking a young boywho lived with seven of his family membersin a tin shack in the poorest partof the Southwest Township about hisfuture,”Yeager said. “I hesitated before I asked,assuming that the boy would considerhis future hopeless. Instead, the boy’seyes lit up in excitement. He shared withme his dreams of becoming a doctor sothat he could take care of his mother andneighbors who were ill. He wanted to becomea lawyer so he could argue for theprotection of the environment. He waspart of a community-based wetland restorationproject.“At fifteen, this boy had not much tolive on, yet he was full of dreams anddetermined to fulfill them through academicscholarship,” she said. “He mademe realize all I take for granted.”Yeager said she didn’t anticipate thedifficulty of living in South Africa.“The biggest challenge I faced was leavingthe 90-degree weather in Knoxvilleand heading to a climate where the temperaturescould drop below freezing atnight,” Yeager said. “We went to do ourcall-ins after dark. I ended up wearingall the clothes I brought – usually twoor three pairs of pants, a T-shirt, toppedwith a long-sleeve shirt, two fleeces anda jacket – and I always wore a wool hat.I forgot gloves, so I had to buy a pair,which had a hole in the pointer finger onthe right-hand side, so I used electricaltape to close it.”photo provided by Ashley Yeager“Out in the bush, a sewing machinewould have been a luxury, just the sameas a heater,” she said. “But I can’t complain.We had hot food, flushing toiletsand a shower, which is more than theboy I met in Soweto possessed.”“I believe I learned the most from witnessingthe hope of children living inextreme poverty and experiencing thelast of what is considered wilderness,”Yeager said. “The trip really forced me toquestion what I value and illustrated allthat is superfluous in life.”Yeager admits she misses the jungleat times, but Knoxville is home and shecan’t wait to finish her undergraduatedegree and pursue another adventure inscience, journalism or both.“This trip opened my eyes to an areaof journalism I had yet to consider, environmentalwriting, but is also exposedme to the multi-faceted area of environmentalpolitics,” she said. “From interactionswith different players within theenvironmental arena, I think I gained avaluable perspective of the interactionsamong different groups and that hashelped me to consider how I report thecomplexity of the environment issue.”Yeager plans to attend graduate schooland pursue a masters’ degree in sciencewriting. She is also currently workingon several articles and essays she hopesto have published.spring 2007!'

A Thousand Wordsforwardbackward") spring 2007

Scoop asked University of Tenneseestudents to submit photos depicting theirinterpretations of “forward/backward.”spring 2007"(photo by Tom Bayless

Sarah Spear“There are many ways of going forward, but"! spring 2007Ashley Yeager

Tom Baylessonly one way of standing still”- Franklin D. RooseveltAlex WasselTom Bayless""spring 2007!(

“The farther backward you can look, thefarther forward you are likely to see.”- Winston Churchill"# spring 2007

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The Threat of Censorship Continues to Lingerstory byCasey Nicholson“Should I or shouldn’t I publish this? Will I have First Amendment protection if my article is disputed orwill my work fall victim to censorship?” In the last 20 years, student publications at public high schools anduniversities have been at the heart of this debate.With landmark cases like Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier and Hosty v. Carter, students’ free pressrights have been substantially set back and it’s causing them to wonder whether or not these decisions willaffect the future of editorially independent university publications like the University of Tennessee’s DailyBeacon.Fortunately, the Beacon and the university have a strong relationship that works diligently to preventfuture problems as the freedom of expression versus censorship debate continues to grow.“High school journalists have limited First Amendment rights, as decided in the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeiercase, and it’s debatable about college now-a-days because of the Illinois case of Hosty v. Carter,” said professorKelly Leiter of the UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media.Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, asserts that college newspapers shouldnot be subject to the same restrictions as high school newspapers.“The only argument that seems to justify high schools’ limitations is that they are dealing with minorswho are compelled to be there. Arguments like those just don’t make sense on a college level,” he said. “Ninehundred and ninety-nine times out of 1,000, when college and university officials attempt to censor, it is justbecause they don’t like what is being said.”"* spring 2007

This vague decision on whether or not college journalistshave First Amendment protection remained unquestioneduntil 2005, when the case of Hosty v. Carter was broughtbefore the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals governing overIllinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.In October 2002,student journalistsMargaret Hosty, JeniPorche and StevenBarba published storiesand editorials criticalof the Governors StateUniversity administrationin their studentrunnewspaper, theInnovator. GovernorsState University DeanPatricia Carter orderedthe newspaper’s printerto hold press on futureissues until an officialfrom the school hadgiven prior approval ofeach issue’s contents,despite a university policystating the Innovatorwould determine itscontent without priorrestraint.The lower courts firstruled in favor of the students,offering its strongsupport for college pressfreedom and refusingCarter immunity, deemingHazelwood an inappropriateprecedent.However, this decisionwas then petitionedfor a rehearing in frontof the 7th U.S. CircuitCourt of Appeals. On June 20, 2005, the court reversed theearlier decision. It cited Hazelwood as its precedent.The majority ruled that Hazelwood’s application in thiscase was accurately used at the public college and universitylevel because the Innovator had not been designated a publicforum, where policies and practices are established in supportof freedom of expression and where students had completeeditorial independence.The students filed a petition for appeal to the Supreme Courtof the United States, but on February 21, 2006, the SupremeCourt announced it would not hear an appeal.“Certainly the sheer numbers is why the Supreme Courtmight not have heard the case,” Goodman said. “But this alsocould be an issue where they wanted to see how it developedbefore they stepped in.”The 7th district’s decision is only precedent in its jurisdiction,but the ruling could threaten other district’s publicationsby serving as an opendoor to new censorshipopportunities.“Hosty v. Carter is theruling precedent in the7th District, but the imageI want to put out isthat it doesn’t automaticallyapply to the 8th, 9th,or any other circuit,” JEMprofessor Dwight TeeterJr. said. “But it’s sort ofanalogous to dropping apebble in a pool of water;this will create ripples toother districts.”Because of the rulingin Hosty v. Carter,thousands of universitypublications around thecountry are now beingthreatened with potentialcensorship if they arenot established as a publicforum.“Most importantly,each publication shouldhave a written policy inplace spelling out theeditorial independenceof the publication that issigned by the administration,”Goodman said.Perhaps the largestphoto by Tom Baylessconcern Hosty v. Carterraises is that it gives othercollege administrators a road map to censorship.“If an issue comes up, the first thing the lawyers from theschool trying to censor it will grab onto this decision and tryto use it as a precedent in their district, as well,” Teeter said.“It is a green light to people at other schools, maybe not alarger state school like UT, but the smaller state schools whosemanagement is considerably more conservative,” Leiter said.The Daily Beacon does not seem threatened by the decisionin this case because of its strongly-written policies and thehigh ethical standards it upholds. It also has a close workingrelationship with the administration. Although the two gohand-in-hand, they are not exactly chained together.spring 2007"'

The Beacon is editorially independent, but it is not entirelyindependent of UT, because it is a division of the Departmentof Student Publications.The department’s purpose is to provide administrative coordinationand support for its three editorially independentpublications, even though its content is solely up to its studenteditors. As publisher of the Beacon, UT provides oversight ofits publications through the department and the members ofthe Student Publications Board, who choose student leadersIf an issue comes up, the fi rst thing thelawyers from the school trying to censor it willgrab onto this decision and try to use it as aprecedent in their district.to be responsible for editorial decision-making.“The Department of Student Publications manages thebusiness operation of the Daily Beacon for the University ofTennessee,” Jane Pope, director of the department of StudentPublications, said. “The department is also the frameworkwithin which students are given responsibility for the editorialprocesses of the publications.”Pope said the university created this strong framework in the1960s with the General Policy for the University of TennesseeStudent Publications. This policy is university-produced andaims to state the purposes of the publications so that stabilityand the highest ethical publication are promoted, in spite ofthe regular changes in student staff.“Decisions aren’t dictated, but the framework and mannerof operating all of that is one that has been defined,” Popesaid.These policies help draw a blatant editorial line between theuniversity and the student newspaper, and the Beacon has actuallyfound the university to be a large help in content, nota hindrance.Beacon writers have personal support from university staff,especially in the University Relations Office.“If Beacon writers are experiencing problems or can’t getinformation they need on particular stories, they can call particularstaff members and ask for help. I would characterizethat as a highly costive and very cooperative relationship, soI don’t see there being any highly adversarial things,” Popecontinued.Not only does the relationship benefit the Beacon, but itbenefits the administration as well.“Many of the stories the editorial staff at the Daily Beacondevelops are about issues, processes, and new policies here on#) spring 2007campus that are prompted by news releases that the UT communicationoffice actually sends out… So very often, storiesthat are in the Daily Beacon about official university matterswere initiated by the university through a news release,” Popesaid.“Having an editorially independent newspaper that’s doneby students provides the university with a good resource onwhat students are thinking about, what their priorities are,what their concerns are, because it does provide an opportunityfor the student voice to be heard,” she said.School-to-newspaper relationships don’t always have to bestrained ones. By working together to establish principles andgoals for student publications, the threat of future censorshipon the college level can be eliminated. The Daily Beacon andthe University of Tennessee have worked together to valuephoto by Tom Baylessthe freedom of students to communicate in theKnoxville and campus community, while dually respectingthe heritage of the publication and the UT as a whole.“I think the policy guides and the policies of the DailyBeacon set a framework of meeting high standards— beingfair, being truthful— and I think as long as high standardsare met in that regard, I don’t think decisions in courts inother jurisdictions represent any kind of threat to the DailyBeacon,” Pope said.

Commedy in CommunicationsAfter a combined 55 years, Teeter and Leiter still crack each other up!"#$%&'%LaRue CookWhen a routine trip to the hospital six years ago turnedinto a quadruple bypass and Professor Kelly Leiter was forcedto miss several of his Communication 400 classes, ProfessorDwight Teeter Jr., who team teaches the class, bought a cardand had the 70-plus students sign it.Professor Teeterphoto by Tom BaylessLeiter, 81, remembered well what one student wrote:“Hurry back. What’s Abbott without Costello?”Like Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Mutt and Jeffand even the two old curmudgeons in the balcony on “TheMuppets Show,” Teeter and Leiter are a comedy act that thriveson contrast. Towering several inches above 6 feet, Teeterplays a perfect Bud Abbott to the 5-foot nothing Leiter’s LouCostello.The rapport between them is still palpable as they work theirroutine in the law class, which they teach one Wednesdaynight a week, constantly countering illustrative example withillustrative insult.“We always use one example for libel law about a sports reporterthat decided to goof off in the newsroom, which we adviseour students not to do,” Teeter said. “The writer addeda graph at the end about the high school’s star soccer playerto make his editor laugh. Let’s just say it had something todo with bestiality. The story got past the editor and ran, andthe family sued the paper for libel. I asked Dr. Leiter if he rememberedif the out of court settlement was a million dollars.He fired back with, ‘Yeah, and one donkey.’ He caught me offguard, and I lost it.”Teeter and Leiter enjoy the camaraderie, but it’s the studentswho bring Leiter back even though he retired 16 years ago.He still shows up to Teeter’s office at 3:30 p.m. nearly everyWednesday to prepare for their 5:30 performance.“I’ve always enjoyed classroom work. I don’t like gradingpapers sometimes, but I enjoy the students,” Leiter said. “I’menough of a ham that I enjoy having the audience.“I was faced with a problem when I retired. I knew theuniversity could live without me, but could I live without theuniversity?”Teeter needed his predecessor to remain. “Dr. Leiter fills inwhat I leave out,” said Teeter, who is 72. “If he’s slowed downany at 81, I haven’t caught it. One student described him as‘merry but demanding,’ which I think is a pretty good threeworddescription.”Before becoming a professor of journalism, Leiter worked asa reporter for a paper in Indianapolis and as a Midwest correspondentfor LIFE magazine for 15 years. Despite his diminutivestature and a voice that he often describes as “MickeyMouseish,” he interviewed the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, FidelCastro and four U.S. presidents.How both Teeter and Leiter left the field and entered theclassroom are two all together different stories. Teeter’s tale isa bit more diluted – figuratively and literally as he might attest– but much more intriguing. Through no real fault of hisown, Teeter, a young reporter for the Waterloo (Iowa) DailyCourier, wrote a story that inadvertently turned into a libelsuit for the paper. Oddly enough, Teeter’s editor sent him tocover his own trial.“I’m pacing up and down the hallway in the courthouse, andI couldn’t eat because I was so worried,” Teeter said. “Luckily,the lawyer for the plaintiff never showed. But I wish I hadknown more about liable law, which sent me to law school.”Leiter often thought of attending law school. Instead, hestarted covering courts.“I was really interested in how the law is made,” Leiter said.“But it’s sort of like learning how sausage is made. You wishyou didn’t know after you’ve found out.”The class has become a right of passage for graduates of thecollege. Teeter and Leiter have instructed reporters for theWall Street Journal, CBS news anchors, editors of daily newspaperslike the Charlotte Observer and a deputy assistant tothe President.But even the modest success stories please will continue toplease Leiter for as long as he continues to teach.“When we encounter a student that is really working hardand when we give them an assignment and we don’t have toexplain anything, just get the hell out of the way. That’s a realjoy,” Leiter said. “But there’s always one to two that start outrough, but they start to catch on. By the time they get their degree,you can actually see in their work that they’ve improvedimmeasurably, which we love to see.”spring 2007#(

photo by Tom Bayless!"#$%&'%Calvin CarterIt started with an October story in the Knoxville News Sentinel about a birthday party– a third-person account of a celebration based on extravagance. The guest of honor wasa 15-year-old Farraugut teenaged girl carried in to the party Cleopatra-style by teenageboys wearing jeans, a pink bow-ties with their bare upper bodies sprayed with glitter. Hermother splurged for a performance by a platinum-selling rapper. And the icing on thisextravagant cake was a new BMW, ironically given to the teen who didn’t have a driver’slicense yet. For the rest of the week, the paper’s online edition was deluged with commentsfrom people who were either ready to place blame on the story’s subjects, or thepaper itself. Simply put, people were outraged.#! spring 2007

“A great example of spoiled, self-centered,and stuck-up,” posted one anonymousreader.“I cannot believe the ([News Sentinel)]wasted space on this. It is sick and I actuallypity this unevolved mother anddaughter. The Sentinel needs to cover theIMPORTANT issues in our city, not somewannabe spoiled, redneck socialite,” saidanother, this time choosing to point a fingerat the paper. Countless others continuedto voice their disappointment or vent theirdisgust at the “Super Sweet 15 for FarraguttTeen” story.After News Sentinel editor-in-chief JackMcElroy posted a blog response, no resolutionwas reached.. The comments keptcoming, some nastier than before. And reporterswere left little choice but to respondquickly. With the tap of a keyboard, and thenear instant speed of broadband, people interacted.And journalists had no choice butto take note as their familiar world of meticulousnote taking and accurate reportingwas changing.No longer a commodity that begins andends with each issue or broadcast, journalismis different today. Audiences havemore ways opportunities to contact reportersand editors. They no longer have to waitfor the letter to the editor section to voicetheir opinion. Perspectives and views are asinstant as text messaging. The relationshiphas become more intimate between journalistsand audiences, potentially changingnews stories into two-way conversations.And the role of a journalist is being re-examined, as everyonefigures tries to figure out where they fit into this onlineequation.PreparationUT’s journalism program has always provided preparationfor its students to survive outside the classroom. For broadcastand television, students have the opportunity to work forWUTK and TVC. For those walking with notepad in handdown the print route, The Daily Beacon and the PhoenixLiterary and Art magazine have served as beginning stompinggrounds. And as of recently, online journalism studentshave the Tennessee Journalist websiteWeb site, TNJNwww.tnjn.com, to gain experience, thanks to its creator, professorJim Stovall. Outside of a web work internship, it’s perhaps theclosest thing that students will get to having practical experiencewith online journalism.But to pigeonhole an online journalist as merely a codejunkie may not be completely right. Stovall said he believesthat as a “web reporter” you might need to bring not only apen and paper, but also a camera, voice recorder and camcorderto build a successful online story. In other words – thinkconverengence.“There are a few ‘one-man band’ journalists, some of whomwork for established media organizations and others whowork on their own, and I think that number will grow,” saidStovallStovall said. “Those who are individuals , – entrepreneurs–, and again, the number is fairly small – are interesting.I know of some who have gone to Iraq to cover the warand financed it through the donations of their readers. Allthat is why we established TNJNtnjn.com. We want to begintraining students to work with a wide range of tools and togive them an outlet for using those tools. With online, thereare numerous ways to approach and present a story all atonce. The medium of the Web is going to have an effect on theprocess of Journalism journalism and Electronic electronicMediamedia. We’re going to have to re-examine the way weactually do reporting.”Adaptability is a key quality to have if you want to make it asa web journalist, at least that’s what Knoxville News Sentinelmanaging editor Jack Lail believes.“You have to be very adaptable, things are changing veryfast,” Lail said. “You have to be willing to learn. You don’t haveto know every technology, but you have to be willing to learn.You don’t have to be an expert with technology or computers,but you cannot be intimidated by it.”But there’s still the matter of preparing journalists for thisnew type of relationship with their audience. Maybe it’s truethat this isn’t the medium for social wallflowers afraid to talkto people. Shyness may cost a story. Openness may save it.How do you prepare students for talking backcommunicatingwith the audience continuously after the story is printed?After all, some students may wonder how to deal with an audiencethat wants to talk long after the time-clock has beenpunched. UT online journalism instructor Dr. Bob Stepnosuggests it may be something students are already preparedforalready know how to do.“Well, does the journalism school have to prepare studentsfor that or is that the students’ culture already?” asked Stepno.“You have your Myspace accounts. You have your Facebookaccounts. You have text messaging. You’re used to being intouch with a lot of people and writing and having to conversespring 2007#"

ack and forth.”RelationshipIn March of 1999, journalist Mark Bowden decided to collecta series of articles he wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirerinto and create a book. The series was a detailed account ofthe U.S. military’s 1993 attempt to capture officials of formerSomali president President Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s militia.An attempt that turned itself into one of the most intense battlesbetween U.S. forces, the militia and local citizens. ,he Theseries managed to catch the eyes of many readers. But manyresponses were actually informative pointers for Bowden insteadof praise or criticism.Bowden, like any journalist, used the audience as a sourceto improve the accuracy of his story. And the news series thatwould be collected for a his book, were eventually made intothe film “Black Hawk Down.”If Bowden’s experience with his series was a testament toanything, it may have been how he relied on his audience.Readers were able to help him in numerous ways, from givingmore accurate descriptions of military weapons than Bowdencould provide, to providing him with interviews with actualsoldiers involved in his seriesthe event. The audience didn’tplay receiver, and they weren’t trying to show how much controlthey had over a journalist’s paycheck. They wanted tohelp.“I don’t know that we’re giving (the audience) more power,not in the sense that they have power over the reporter,” Lailsaid. “I think the reporter is still trying to write the best storythat they can, but (the audience) is being included in the processa lot more.”And newspapers like the News Sentinel aren’t trying tobreak up the process. They welcome it. Whether its readinginformative emails, including links provided by readers, orchecking blogs to see what readers are saying, today’s papersare trying to grasp the beating pulse of the audience’s onlinecapabilities. And then there’s the comment feature, a quickletter to the editor like an e-mail reply, that’s instant. Overall,commenting seems to have its supporters and detractors.“As far as that comment stuff goes I’m not all that idealisticabout it,” Lail said. “You get a whole situation with a lotof choice, and you get people that are just trying to be nastyto other people. Sometimes they’re their [(comments] ) good,but there’s that possibility that you’re going to attract thesepeople who don’t want to engage in a conversation, they justwant to screw around with people.”Stepno said, “This whole idea that journalism is a conversationbetween people is new since the web and blogging camealong, ” Stepno said. “wWe’ve always had letters to the editor,but I think they may have been more important when we hadmore newspapers. Now that we get down to one newspaper in## spring 2007photo by Calvin Carter

a big city and half a page of letters, there’s not a whole lot ofconversation going on there.”It’s true the audience has always had the ability to voicetheir opinion or talk to a reporters since the business began.But now it appears that the audience has more ways of trackinga reporter down.“For as long as I’ve been in the business, people have calledyou about stories,” Lail said. . “The only difference is some ofthat interactivity is in the public view now,” Lail said. “. Itused to be they’dreach you by phoneor they’d come inand punch you inthe face or something.But nowthey can call you,e-mail you, postsomething aboutyou on a blog, posta comment on astory, so there’s allsorts of avenues forthem now.”There are somejournalists whobelieve that theaudience wants tobe more involvedwith news andthe reporter. Forexample, maybethere’s informationthe reportermissed that someonecould bring up in a comment post. Or perhaps there’s adifferent angle that could have been covered. Thanks to onlinepublications, the audience has slipped into a more proactiverole with no signs of backing off.RoleThings heated up one night in early February in Knoxville.At least they did in the downtown district. Two warehousesmysteriously caught on fire. And just as the flames kept growingbefore firefighters met to combat the problem, so did coverageof the event. Anyone with access to a digital camera orcamcorder became a photojournalist. Anyone with a laptopbecame a reporter. The News Sentinel spent most of the followingdays trying to organize the new information that justkept coming. Nothing was start and finish. Everything wasconstant.“People living in the nearby downtown condos on NorthGay Street captured the late-night-into-day fire with digitalstill cameras and video cameras,” wrote Lail from his personalblog on jacklail.com. “The results are just a search awayon Flickr and YouTube and personal Web sites. Bloggers hereand yonder logged in with personal tales, links and tidbits,”wrote Lail from his personal blog on jacklail.com. “All the traditionalmedia used their Web sites for as-it-happens news.At the News Sentinel, where I hang out, we had quite a bit ofvideo, audio, tons of photos, stories that seemed living theychanged so much.”It seems that anyone with a blog site, digital camera, or camcordercan turnhimself or herselfinto a journalist.The tools areopen to everyone.So with that inmind, there area few questionsfor those whospend four to sixyears training inschool. What is ajournalist?“I think a journalistis anyonewho does journalism,regardless oftheir training orthe source of theIt use to be they’dreach you by phoneor they’d come in andpunch you in the faceor something.paycheck,” saidGlenn Reynolds,author of the blogsite Instapudnit.“Not all bloggersdo journalism– – in fact, most of them don’t – but then not everything in anewspaper is really journalism either.”But is there any need for someone who trains for this occupation– , someone who wants to become a professional?“I think there will always be a need for professional journalists,”said LailLail said. “That doesn’t mean that there can’t becitizen journalists that are digging at information, but I thinkthat it needs to be somebody’s job to do this stuff.”Despite these questions, one thing is clear. There is no stoppingof this merger of reporting and online content. To somethis means that the rules of journalism are still going througha great change.“The organization that gives you a paycheck may set somerules for you,” Stepno said.. “You as an employee with a consciencemay negotiate some rules.,” said Stepno. “And if you’reworking for some new ‘just started on the web’ Web’ publication,it’s time to invent its rules. And if you’re starting yourown publication, you can make your own rules. So it’s a prettyopen universe to do things.”spring 2007#$

!!!"#$%&''&()*%+),!!!!!!!!!!-%&.-/!"#$%&'%Laura Jane WalkerJessie Krueger#% spring 2007

MEDIA. It’s everywhere. More than writing for a newspaper ormagazine, and beyond radio broadcasts, an education and fi rmbackground in media off er more opportunities than one might thinkat fi rst.Every media major out of college has to start somewhere. Thereis always a fi rst job, and media majors usually start out in the fi eld.As family needs dictate, and as journalism jobs provide, many mediaprofessionals don’t stay in the business. A media degree doesn’t meanyou can only work in a newsroom for life – you just have to know whatyour options are.spring 2007#&

Alexia Poe graduated from theUniversity of Tennessee in 1995 with adegree in broadcasting, and thought shewould be a reporter for the rest of herlife. But she says news wasn’t her firstchoice for a career.“I started out thinking I wantedto do sports reporting. Of course Istarted looking for a job and had the realizationthat there were a lot more newsjobs out there than sports; and so I hadminored in political science just in case.And I ended up with more of a news joband did some sports reporting and anchoringalong the way.”Right out of college, she workedat WIVK radio in Knoxville alongsidelocal celebrities Hallerin Hill and MikeKeith. After that, Poe was a reporter forWKPT-TV in the Tri-Cities, and thenAlexia Poephoto provided by Alexia Poecations department. Because of theunique nature of TVA, a governmentagency that provides power to severalstates in the southeast, reporters wouldcall from all over the world for information.Carmichael was the editor fora clearinghouse that provided mediawith information to provide the public.Carmichael advanced over the years inthe communications department andwas vice president of government relations.By the time he left TVA in 1998,he was senior vice president of communications.Carmichael is now co-presidentof Moxley Carmichael public relationsfirm in Knoxville.But the stress of producing on a deadlineis tempered by the excitement of abig story.“The most exciting thing about report-“You’re a part of a big enough organizationbecame the lead anchor. With a minorin political science, it wasn’t difficultfor her to move into the field of politicsand become the press secretary for thenGovernor Don Sundquist in 1997. ButPoe said she never expected to switchcareers.“When I started my career Inever thought I would do anything butbe a reporter. And the opportunity to gowork in the governor’s office – I resistedat first – and the more I learned aboutit, I realized it was kind of a unique opportunityand ended up enjoying it verymuch.”Wear and tearAfter five years in the governor’s office,she (and her husband) moved toWashington to become the deputy presssecretary for First Lady Laura Bush.She later became the CommunicationsDirector and eventually the press secretaryfor Senator Lamar Alexander.In 2005, Poe landed a job at GaylordEntertainment. As the Director of PublicAffairs, Poe handles government affairsand oversees charitable contributions.“We’re both from East Tennessee, butwe both lived in Nashville and so wewanted to come back to Nashville, and#* spring 2007had been looking at moving back andkind of starting a new phase of my life,getting out of the grind and the 24/7 oncallof the press secretary roles that I’veheld.”Poe’s move away from reportingisn’t unusual. Alan Carmichaelgraduated from UT in 1969 with a degreein journalism. His first job out ofcollege was a brief stint at the MemphisCommercial Appeal, but what he reallywanted was to work for the NashvilleTennessean. So when they called justafter he moved to Memphis, Carmichaeljumped at the opportunity where hestayed until 1980.But like Poe, Carmichael said the dailycycle of the media business began to takeits toll on him.“It’s a demanding profession. And after11 years, you also start to notice you’redoing the same stories over and overagain, year to year. And then, I wouldalso say, pretty much, with a few exceptions,it’s a young person’s game becauseof the demands that the profession putson you. I never thought I would stay init forever.”The opportunity arose for him to takeon a position in a more corporate environment.He went to Tennessee ValleyAuthority to work in their communi-ing was being out and about, going fromone story to the next, and never knowingwhat the day was going to bring.Breaking news events could change thewhole day,” Poe said.“I do miss [journalism],” Carmichaelsaid. There are things about it. It’s anexciting thing to be in. You’re in theknow. You’re ahead of the curve inknowing what’s going on. Now today,with the internet and everything, whenyou find it out you’ve got to out it out.It’s a 24-hour cycle like the broadcastbusiness. But being in the know and beingin that kind of exciting environmentwhere things happen fast – that’s hard tofind in every profession.”The other side of the equationRon Harr, a 1975 UT communicationsmajor, says the corporate environmentwas what he sought all along. Heworked as a photographer for the DailyBeacon in college and worked severaltimes in advertising and said it was toofast-paced for his liking.“I enjoyed my agency experiences. It’svery different than corporate. I think it’sa matter of personal style – some peoplethrive on that chaos. Your clients loveyou one day and then they forget what

you did for them. It’s really high-energy,it was great training, and I admire peoplewho do it. But for me, the corporateenvironment was better,” he said.Now the senior vice president ofMedicaid and public affairs for BlueCross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Harris responsible for government relations,public relations and charitablefoundations.“You’re a part of a big enough organizationthat you have headway; you haveinertia. We’re able to build on that andyou don’t have to worry every day aboutlosing your business. I actually enjoy[corporate jobs]. I take pride in being apart of a big organization [with a] greatsocial mission.”For Poe, the decision to go corporatewas a personal one.say: ‘this guy is a friend of mine fromUT. Take care of him.’ The value of thatis immeasurable.”Carmichael, on the other hand, was onthe other side of the equation. Beyondthe everyday connections, relationshipson a deeper level infiltrate both theworld of media and business.“In the newspaper business, you developsources to get information. That’sthe same as relationship building. A reporterhas to establish a trust level witha source – a source that trusts them togive the information and you’re goingto get it right. The same thing works inbusiness. You have to develop a level oftrust with your clients so that they understandand appreciate the fact thatyou can get results for them. That’s a directconnection moving forward.”that you have headway; you have inertia.”- RON HARRRon Harrphoto by Jim Burns“The corporate world was just attractiveto me because it seemed challengingand definitely a new experience, but atthe same time it seemed to offer a littlemore balance in home life and worklife,” she said.What we take with usHarr is president of the VolunteerState Health Plan, which serves 600,000Medicaid members in Tennessee.Although Harr never worked as a reporter,he said his experience with the DailyBeacon prepared him for the workplace.“It was a real-world experience. Wehad a deadline every day, every night, atmidnight. And if we didn’t get it done,the paper didn’t go out. It was like thereal world. That was absolutely the bestthing that prepared me. But I don’t wantto take anything away from the classroominstruction I got.”Poe also discovered her media experienceproved valuable in the corporateworld.“It always helped in public relations tohave been a reporter because you alreadyknow first hand what a reporter will belooking for. You have a better sense ofreporters as people. A lot of people,whether it’s in the corporate world orjust everyday people, are scared of reportersor intimidated by reporters. …[The] media are people, and usually peopletrying to do their job well, not tryingto bring someone down and not alwaysout to get someone.”Carmichael said his career in mediahas given him a broader understandingof people in general.“One thing about working at a newspaperis you get to see people from allwalks of life. You get to see the highestlevel politician down to a poor personwho might run afoul of the court systemor the legal system. So, number one, thatgives you a good appreciation of whatmotivates people and gives you a goodsense about what life is like.”ConnectionsContacts made along the way aContactsmade along the way are also benefitsof working in media. Connectionshelped Harr land jobs throughout hiscareer.“When I was working a story earlier inmy career I was doing media relations.I could show up at any newsroom in thestate and look around, and I could findsomebody who was a classmate of mineat UT. And I’d walk over to them, shaketheir hand, say: ‘Hey, I’m working a storyon X or Y, whose beat is that?’ Theywould walk me over to the person andBeyond the news deskConnections are only one piece of thepuzzle. According to Poe, personal attitudeplays an important role in one’s jobsatisfaction and success.“I went into school thinking I was goingto be a reporter the rest of my lifeand never thought about being anythingelse. I think being open and flexible todifferent experiences doesn’t mean tonot be determined and not to work veryhard, but to have an open mind and tobe open to new experiences. I’ve gottento do a lot and experience a lot I neverwould have otherwise.”Looking back, Harr recognizes abackground in media can open up doorsa person never would have previouslyimagined.“If you told me when I was at UT thatI was going to be running a major divisionof BlueCross, with my training andbackground I would have said ‘no way’.The other great thing about it is I’venever done the same thing for very long.I’ve been able to move around and havedifferent assignments - a lot of variety inmy work life. I looked at some other professions,and people get in a corner doingthe same thing for 30 years. I can’timagine.”spring 2007#'

Who We AreJugglingactphoto by Julie Proffitt$) spring 2007

Balancing life between her studies and motherhood, Jerica Maclin is not your averagestudent. Determined to succed, Maclin shares how she manages her time.!"#$%&'%Julie ProffittIt’s 11:15 and Jerica Maclin is sittingin sociology 344. The students aroundher still seem bleary from just wakingup. Maclin, on the other hand, is wideawake. While the other students weresleeping, she was fi xing her 3-year-olddaughter, Jaidah, breakfast.“I fix her breakfast; I go to get dressed,usually while she is eating breakfast,and come back in and get her dressedand then take her to day care,” shesaid.Then a day of classes begins at 10 or11 a.m., and at 5:30 p.m. it’s time topick Jaidah up from day care. Fromthere, Maclin’s day doesn’t end. Thereare school-related meetings and campusobligations. If so, Julius Phillips,Jaidah’s father, will take care of heruntil Maclin can go home to a night ofcooking.“I usually try to fix dinner on mostnights that I don’t have class or I don’thave meetings,” she said. “That is just atypical day of what I have to do.”A junior in journalism and electronicmedia at the University Of Tennessee,Maclin is focusing on a career in broadcasting.She is a producer aat WUTK,recording secretary of the CollegiateChapter of NAACP and of the BlackCultural Programming Committee.She is also on Publicity Committee inher sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc.She had always wanted to go to a historicallyblack college, but most of theschools she wanted to attend were eitherout of state of too expensive.“I was looking for schools based ontheir programs as far as journalism,” said Maclin, who is fromMemphis.Maclin came to UT for interviews and orientation. It wasthen she fell in love with the radio station.“The radio station is really what got me,” she said. “UT wasthe first school that I had actually had a chance to come to andlook at everything.”And Maclin has always had a passionfor the craft of journalism. “I think thatjournalism has kind of been natural forme, other than just an interest.”When Maclin was a child, her motherentered her in contests at the mall tobe a reporter for a day, and she began tosee first-hand her talent at a journalist.“Her choice in journalism was ofnot surprise to me,” said Maclin’s sister,Candy. “She has always been an outstandingwriter.”Inspired by her favorite daytime host,Oprah Winfrey, Maclin strives for a careerthat will allow her to be involvedwith people and their stories.“I think, as a journalist, that’s kindof my creative type of expression – justfinding out about people. People are soinspiring all over the world.“I want to work in the field longenough to where I can have my owntype of stories. I have always wanted todo inspirational stories,” she said.After having Jaidah her senior yearof high school, Maclin initially thoughther life was destined for difficulty, butwith the support of her mother andfamily, she decided to look at the situationin a positive light.Growing up in a traditional All-American family, Maclin was never exposedto a situation like her own. Noone in her family had a child out ofwedlock.“I just really wanted to show my momand also Jaidah that she could grow upin a stable environment. I wanted herto still feel like she was in a functionalfamily,” Maclin said.Of course, there were adjustments, but the family was overjoyedwhen Jaidah arrived.Initially Maclin’s mother wanted to keep Jaidah with her,so Maclin could concentrate on school, but Maclin was determinedto prove she could balance the role of a mother and astudent.photos provided by Jerica Maclinspring 2007$(

“I was more the person to say, ‘I’m still going to do everythingI want to do. I’m still going to go to college.’”At 18, Maclin, with 8-week-old Jaidah in tow, made the moveto UT. In addition to her own family, Maclin had encouragementfrom Julius and his family, who reside in Knoxville.“We got a routine in, we found a day care,” she said. “Thefirst couple of semesters her dad was keeping her during theday.”When Maclin doesn’t have class, Julius takes Jaidah to schoolto give Maclin an extra break. In the afternoons, if Maclinhas organizational meetings, Julius will pick Jaidah up fromschool and take her home. He is also there on the weekendsfor Jaidah.Maclin schedules her classes around Jaidah, which makes iteasier when other obligations arise.“Basically I schedule my whole agenda around her,” Maclin“When you have a child, whether it is planned or not, youkind of have to say, ‘Okay it’s all about sacrifice. This person isnew, they don’t have any choice, and they didn’t ask to be here.’So you kind of put yourself aside,” she said. “My whole thingwas I wanted to give her the best life I could because my momdid that for me.”Candy applauds her sister’s drive.“I am inspired by my sister at just the thought of her beinga full-time mother and a full-time student. I know how hardit is to be a full-time student and the addition of a child couldmake things a bit more challenging.”Through her experiences, Maclin has a deep message toshare. “I have this whole thing were I have something to provenow. […] I knew that society would look at me different. I knewthat people would say she’s the girl with the baby or she madea bad choice. I want to prove to people that it can be done -I just really wanted to show my mom andalso Jaidah that she could grow up in astable environment. I wanted her to stillfeel like she was in a functional familysaid. “I usually schedule my classes back-to-back during theday time, and then in the afternoon I have lots of organizationalmeetings as far as sororities and different things like that.”The transition from home to college has been trying, andMaclin said she has run the emotional gamut in her struggle asa “non-traditional” student.“The way I came up here, it was just a really big issue withadjusting to ‘What am I going to do every day with her?’ Sheis a handful—you try to plan everything according to how youwant to do it all that week and on your calendar, but you neverknow what is going to happen with a baby.“I had to mature a lot, because the first semester I would skipclasses if I was tired. I quickly found out that was not going towork because I would just get behind.”Maclin said she still questions her ability as a full-timemother and a full-time student. “It’s kind of a struggle becauseit pulls me in so many different directions,” she said. “I alwaysfeel like, am I giving her enough time, is she with other peoplemore than she’s with me, do we have enough just-personaltime?”Maclin had to become selfless, not to mention pragmatic, ifshe was going to be successful.that I’m still the same motivated person who is going to makethings happen in my life, and that I’m just not a statistic.”Maclin’s goal to remain a traditional student is inspiring tothose who know her.“She is a young mother in college and I admire the fact thatshe doesn’t let that hold her back from anything,” said LatrishaTalley, a friend of Maclin’s. “She is going to class, participatesin various extracurricular activities, all while making time tospend with her daughter. She is one of the most dedicated individualsI know.”Maclin said she appreciates the encouragement, but she neverwants others to view her sympathetically. She refuses to useher situation as a crutch or excuse.“People compliment me and they say ‘that’s great what you’redoing’, but at the same time, I made a decision and so I had todeal with it. I don’t like to be glorified for it, because I know itwas something I was supposed to do. She is here and I’m doingwhat I feel like I’m supposed to do, so I don’t take the admirationas a reward.“I just know that with my situation I can encourage somebodyelse and let them know that it can be done. That’s reallyimportant.”$! spring 2007

!"#$%&'()*+(,&-".&/0((1&2-#!&/*$+01&2334To all our supporters, we offer our sincerest thanks.Those who have made this publication possible: Jim and Sandy Powell, Sue Powell, Tom Hill, DeanMichael Wirth, Deborah Douglas and Dr. Peter Gross for their generous donations; Fusion Tanning,STA Travel, WUTK, Copper Cellar and Pita Pit for raffle donations; Bonnie Hufford for her editingexpertise, our fabulous subscribers, Chandra Eskridge and Deborah Douglas, and JEM faculty for theirextra assistance, Rob Heller for his design and photography advice, the alumni for their contributionsand words, our advertisers and Dr. Lyn Lepre, our guide through this learning process.This page has been made possible through donations in memory of John M. Kehoe Jr., astrong supporter of higher education.!"##$!"#!$%&'"#()*!+,!,()!)-*!./!)+0(!#$1"-2!+-*!/+''!#)3)#,)1!+-*!"#!$1.*%0)*!&4!54-!5)$1)6#!78+2+9"-)!:-*%#,14!;.1spring 2007$"

pieces of our park!"#$%&'()*$ $ $+,-./0#/1((#)*+,-.&'%Jessie KruegerHoly Troutman$# spring 2007photo by Tom Bayless

pieces of our parkCircle Park. It’s home to our beloved Torchbearer, our College of Communication andInformation and the bursar’s office. Each semester, thousands of students wait by the light of thestatue in front of Circle Park for the T-bus to carry them to the Hill, the Ag campus, and even totheir apartments in Fort Sanders or farther away – all for no fare. Over the years, the universityhas taken efforts to provide free bus service to its students whenever possible. To accommodatethe evolving student population, bus service has adapted. During the ‘60s, there were only twobuses servicing UT. Running once an hour, the route began on Main Street, made its way downCumberland Avenue and picked up passengers at the corner of Andy Holt Avenue and PhilipFulmer Way. The bus traveled to Neyland Drive, then to the Ag campus and dropped off its riders.The bus then snaked its wayback to the main campus andheaded back downtown to doit all over again. The averagebus load was 25 students – approximately44,000 student ridersover a modern semester’stime. Over the years, more buseswere added. Ridership was upin the ‘70s during the oil embargo,then dropped in the ‘80swhen gas was less expensive.The Knoxville Trolley has servicedUT and the university andhas offered van service for studentsas well. The current T-lineboasts 32 buses, and six lines toget students where they need tobe. From July 2006 to January2007, the T-bus line gave almost700,000 students a safe ride –forno fare.photo provided by Ron Harr“It’s convienent, but it’s also effi cient and is a goodway to catch up on that last bit of homework.”- WES BOLINGJEM Seniorspring 2007$$

news feedWonder what’s going on with some of your old college buddies?As time passes after graduation, it’s natural that you loose touch withold classmates, roommates and friends you met while attending UT.This semester Scoop wanted to dedicate a few pages recognizingsome of our grads and their outstanding accomplishments.If you would like to have your news included in next semester’s issue,send us something about yourself to jemscoop@gmail.com or bymail to Dr. Lyn Lepre at 328 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN37996-0332.Nancy Parker Brummett, JM1969, Eng Edu M.S., 1976, is stillwriting. Her most recent book is“Reconcilable Differences” was releasedin September 2006. In herbook, she debates with her coauthoron the roles of Christianwomen. This is her fourth book byCook Communications. She alsoworks as the editorial manager forCurrent Inc., on a freelance basisand continues to write greetingcards for them.1950s 1960sBetty Elam Ingram, JM 1958,retired from Baptist HealthServices and her position of corporatevice president of publicrelations in 1997. She now livesin Orange Beach, Ala. withher husband, Bill, a retiredphotojournalist with theBirmingham Post-Herald.She has a son, Jon, and twograndchildren, Jack, 5, andSophie, 2.Harvey Gardner, JM/BusAdmin 1966, is a freelance writer,online publisher and personalcoach. He resides in White House,Tenn. www.HarveyGardner.comSandra (Sandy) FrostDickerson, JM 1969, is servingas the director of communications/marketingfor Earl SwenssonAssociates, an agricultural firmheadquartered in Nashville.$% spring 2007Photo provided by the Volunteer

news feedAndy Knott, JM 1979, isworking for Morgan Stanleyin Chicago as a portfoliomanager and wealth adviser.Some of his clients are UTalums. Andy.knott@morganstanley.comPhoto provided by the VolunteerScott E. Ray, JM 1979, isworking as an assistant U.S.attorney in Miami, Flor. Healso freelances for sportsand travel-themed publications.He is married withthree small children.1970sRonald B. Clark, JM 1971, is theassistant vice president of publicationsfor LOMA, and also servesas editor and associate publisherfor LOMA’s Resource magazine.Under his management, Resourceand the publications staff havereceived more than 60 awards onthe local, regional, national andinternational levels.David Everett, JM 1974, isteaching in the graduate creativewriting programs at JohnsHopkins University. He has twochildren and lives in northernVirginia.Karen F. Maier, JM 1974, is vicepresident of marketing for Frisch’sRestaurants, Inc. in Cincinnati,Ohio.Martin Covert, JM 1975, isnow in his 26th year at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Sheserves as an advertising reporterwith a daily column. She has twogrown children and acts locally.Macov53@aol.comDonna Worley Gibson, JM/PR1977, is working for the Universityof Tennessee College of Medicinein Chattanooga as the programcoordinator for the Departmentof Orthopedic Surgery.Kim Simmons (Simms)Thomas, Broadcasting 1978, isworking with her husband, BobThomas, on www.sportsfanpodcasts.com,a “clearinghouse” ofpodcasts for all sports teams.sportsfanpodcast@aol.com1980sHudsonAlexander,Broadcasting 1980, is working forWilliamson County government inhis hometown of Franklin, Tenn.He also writes a weekly newspapercolumn called “Around theBlock” for The Williamson Herald.Each week, he hosts a radio showon AM-950, WAKM. His wife, Edna,and he have two grown children,Jason and Hudson IV, and fourgrandchildren.John A. Troutman, JM 1982, isheading up the sales and marketingfor eLearning products in theengineering arena for Elsevier, aglobal publisher. He also servesas adjunct professor of marketingat Keller Graduate School ofManagement. He lives in Roswell,Ga. with his wife Tammy, sonBanks, 9 and daughter Abigail, 7.spring 2007$&

news feedPhil Breedlove, BroadcastManagement 1988, is working asthe training and continuing educationmanager of NetLearningUniversity, a division of publishinggiant Thomson Learning inKnoxville. Phil and his wife Kristi,UTK 1991, live in west Knoxville.1990sJeanie Costa Torchio, PR 1995,is a senior regional events specialistfor ALSAC/St. Jude. She livesin Kensington, Md. with husbandPaolo.Mark Murdock, Broadcasting1997, is the director of marketingfor Broadway Across America. Heand his wife live in Louisville, Ky.Karen Hood, PR 1990, is inthe Ph.D. program in marketingat UT (CBA). She plans to earna degree in late 2008. She alsoteaches Integrated MarketingCommunications and theMarketplace Business Simulation.Ashley Engler, Broadcasting1999, is a public relations senioraccount executive at The LavidgeCompany in Scottsdale, Ariz. Shehas been married to fellow UTgraduate, Matt Laws, for sevenyears.Photo courtesty of the VolunteerMike McCloud, JM 1990, isthe owner/president of MMACreative.2000sStephanie D. Scordas,Broadcasting 1983, has beenworking for WXLK for the past 10years as an account executive.Roger Bryant, JM 1984, publishedhis first book, “WilliamPowell: The Life and Films,” lastyear.$* spring 2007Jennifer Ulrich, Broadcasting1992, has been the producer at“Live with Regis and Kelly” forthe past two years. She marriedher longtime boyfriend, Mitch, inAugust 2006 and they now live inBrooklyn with their dog, Sam.Trish Nevin Reid, PR 1994, ismarried to Joe Reid and has threechildren, Hunter, 6, Taylor, 4 andHolden, 2.Todd Steed, JM 1994, is thestudy abroad coordinator at UT.Leticia Carissa Claytor, COMM2000, was named director of theaudiology department at TheGeorge Washington Hospital inWashington, D.C. on Dec. 1, 2006.Her son, Brendan Ian ClaytorButler is two.Josh Drewry, PR 2000, isworking as director of franchisesales and developmentin North Carolina, Virginia andWashington, D.C., for ChoiceHotels International. He lives inCharlotte, NC.

news feedWilliam Lewis, Broadcasting2001, has returned to the Southto take a job as a reporter at FoxCharlotte, WCCB-TV in Charlotte,NC.Lore Bailey Mullins, PR 2004,works in advertising for theKnoxville News Sentinel and wasmarried in April 2006.Rhonda Robert, Broadcasting2001, received a Mid-SouthRegional Emmy Award for “BestBreaking News Coverage” inJanuary. She is a 9:00 news producerfor Fox 17, WZTV-TV inNashville, Tenn.Photo courtesty of Lore Bailey MullinsDavid Turner, JM 2001, beganworking for the Atlanta bureau ofThe Associated Press in June. Shecovers K-12 and higher educationin Georgia.Rachel Bodenbender,Broadcasting 2002, is a locationcoordinator/scout for RIVR Mediain Knoxville.Laura Nicole “Nikki” Burdine,JEM 2005, recently moved to theWashington, D.C., area to work forESPN Radio and the WashingtonRedskins. In addition to being asports marketing executive forTriple X ESPN Radio, she is alsoon air one day a week during the“John Riggins Show.”Eric Haag, PR 2003, has beenthe assistant director of stewardshipand donor recognition in theUT Development Office.Kaylen Patterson, MediaManagement 2006, works atABC 32 in Montgomery, Ala. as anaccount executive.spring 2007$'

!"##$%&'News FeedInformation FormName: ____________________________________________Year of Graduation: _____________________________________Degree earned: _______________________________________Major/concentration: ____________________________________Your Note:Please send or e-mail toDr. Lyn Lepre at:333 Communications BuildingKnoxville, TN 37996-0333E-mail: jemscoop@gmail.com%) spring 2007

NEWS FEED -- PAGE 6the love kitchen adspring 2007%(

%! spring 2007NEWS FEED -- PAGE 7

JEM “Give us some Money” Ad/Full --- from Development???spring 2007%"

RetrospectBefore the BeaconFrank Thornburg Jr. tells his story of how The Daily Beacon was named, and refl ects on his timeas an advisor during a major transition for UT’s student publication.!"#$%&'%Chase KehoeIt had been a ling and grueling process, but it appeared thenew student daily, not yet born, was about to have a name.Its predecessor, The Orange and White, a weekly, just did notseem to be an appropriate name for a large university dailynewspaper. Probably the biggest thing against continuing thename was that most Tennessee high school newspapers werenamed for their school colors. So after months of deliberationthe Board’s consensus seemed to be that the new publicationwould be named The UT Volunteer. This seemed tomake sense because the name would be seamless and compatiblewith the name of the yearbook, The Volunteer. Wasn’teverything around these parts names The Volunteer? So whynot the new daily newspaper?Charged with the task, not only for naming the new newspaper,but for the typesetting, paste-up operations, and traininga production staff was the UT Publications Board. Its membersconsisted of Professor Willis C. Tucker, chairman; SquireJames Smith, alumnus member, Dr. Percy Adams, representingthe English Department; and Julian Harriss, UT directorof public relations. I was not a member, not was I ever told Ihad to attend the Board’s meetings, but it seemed I was alwaysexpected to be there. So, in a sense, I guess it could be said Iwas an ex-officio member. I do not recall ever missing a meetingin nearly 10 years and meetings usually ran long. Motionsoften sailed right through with a minimum amount of discussion.If major issues were at stake, such as naming the newdaily, the matters were held over for the next meeting.It was the early sixties and the Board began laying plansfor the new daily during the spring term. The offset printingprocess was making great stride then, and with the new dailyoperation, it was decided to do all the production work inhouseprior to printing.It became evident that the Board expected me to accomplishmost of the production. After several Board meetings whenit appeared The Volunteer Daily was going to stick, I finallyspoke up: “I think this is a great idea, but I can assure you thatthe students will dub this publication The VD. If there is noobjection to that, then you can go with The Volunteer Daily,but I do think it is a rather heavy cross for a new publication,while trying to establish acceptance and build a degreeof reader loyalty.Apparently some agreed. The Volunteer Daily was neverbrought up again and the discussions continued for severalmore months, occupying a part of each meeting, with no%# spring 2007photo by Tom BaylessFrank Thornburg Jr. is a 1948 alumnus as well as a professor emeritusto the University of Tennessee. His teaching career spans over 35years in addition to service during World War II as a military pilot.Thornburg is the father of seven children and spends his retirementtraveling abroad and at his homes in Florida and Knoxville.progress being made. Professor Tucker, as one meeting, indesperation perhaps, suggested that each Board member lookat well respected dailies around the country for desirablenames. Still the months ticked with the no progress.Meanwhile, I was securing the typesetting and relatedequipment through the UT purchasing, deciding hot best totrain a new production staff and how the prepare the studentediting staff. As to the latter, I thought it best to have twoseparate competing editorial staffs at start up, this would givemore students editing experience and to add an element ofcompetition for news.The spring term was still winding down and the paper wasgetting desperate for a name. It had already been decided thatthe new publication would be birthed at the beginning of the

Retrospectfollowing fall quarter. This was excellent as the summer gavevaluable lead time, but the big problem was that the Board didnot meet during summer months. This meant the major decisionshad to be made by the end of Spring.The Board naturally assumed that as faculty advisor it wouldfall to me to determine what typesetting equipment would bebought, decide on a criteria for hiring a full time productionstaff and get the student staff ready to go in the fall.All was going well on my end. I dutifully checked out myplans with the Board, who all seemed pleased with the progress.Still two big hurdles remained. The new daily did nothave a name, nor did it yet have a home.We were close to the last meeting of the publication Boardand I was getting more desperate. The Publications Board hadto act on a name! I reasoned that if I chose the name duringsummer months it could be subject to criticism for perpetuitybecause it did not have the Board’s official seal of approval.Professor Tucker saw to it that the Board minutes were meticulouslykept and I was considering historians at work yearslater attempting to determine how the daily newspaper got itsname. I wanted to make it easy on them, too.One spring morning one of my student advisees, CynithiaRicketson, who came by to chat, was sitting in my GlockerBuilding office. As time drew near for the start of thePublications Board meeting, I said “Cynthia, I’ve got to go.There’s a Pub Board meeting down the hall and I have to attend.This is the last meeting for the school year and we’ve gotto have a name for the new daily newspaper. I wonder if youwould do my a big favor?”“Well I will if I can,” she said. “I want you to attend the PubBoard meeting,” I continued. “Don’t come in with me. Waita while. You know the Board always likes to receive studentinput, so you will be warmly received. At an appropriate timeseek to be recognized and propose as a name for the new daily,The UT Daily Beacon.”“Being academic types, they’ll immediately ask for the rationalefor this name. At that point you will tell them it stemsnaturally from the UT Alma Mater song,…’the stately wallsof old UT rises majestically to sight….like a Beacon shiningbright.”Whether weary or delighted with the name, it went as orchestrated.Yes, the first question asked as expected: “Whythis name?” Cynthia mentioned the Alma Mater and how thename tied in with the University’s objectives to be a beaconof enlightenment and learning. It seemed to meet with 100percent approval. I do not recall a single question being raisedafterwards. A vote was taken and it was a done deal.For years Cynthia and I were the only ones who knew the secretof how the UT Daily Beacon got its name. It was kept thatway on purpose. I asked Cynthia never to divulge our secret.Many former Orange and White editors were disappointed,some were so outraged they wanted to get their hands on theperson who chose that name. In a few short years, new studentswould be asking “What was The Orange and White?”The staff of the 1964 Orange and White, the predecessor of The Daily Beacon, prepare for another news day.photo provided by The Volunteerspring 2007%$

As the setting sun ignites the skyover Circle Park, illuminatingthe day’s accomplishments,we are reminded that anotherday will soon begin. As weleave our mark on this place,and today becomes yesterday,tomorrow will bring studentstrying to find their way –looking to history, to us – to findtheir place, just as we looked totradition to find ours.%% spring 2007photo by Tom Baylesscaption by Jessie Krueger

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