Writing develops unique style, sense of self

This is not only my last column of the school year, but it is also my last column with The Daily Beacon. I, and many others, will be graduating in May and moving on from the University of Tennessee to new jobs, schools, cities or programs. The past four years ...

Hate spewed over marathon bombing

There is no doubt that what happened in Boston on Monday can and should be called a tragedy. The nation is mourning for the three lives lost and the individuals injured by the explosions at the marathon, flying flags at half-mast to honor the victims. News and reports about the ...

Civility necessary in Internet discussion

It is common knowledge that the Internet has changed much of the way our modern society functions. The Internet changed the way that we learn and access information, achieving the ambitions of the early creators of encyclopedias and other collectors of knowledge by serving as a single access point to ...

'Sex Week' meets campus needs

"Sex Week" at UT, an event that has gained international attention, officially begins its lineup of speakers, workshops and discussions on Monday. The hype surrounding it will undoubtedly only increase once the featured events take place.

"Sex Week" has been an astoundingly polarizing event, one that has provoked both vociferous ...

'Research Week' advances culture of innovation

March is often a busy month, and the end of March is no exception. "Research Week" at UT officially begins this coming Monday, involving a wide variety of events like the "Exhibition of Undergraduate Research" and "Creative Achievement (EURēCA)," at which undergraduate students assemble posters regarding their research experiences and ...

Women deserve choice in lifestyle

The study of history is intended, first and foremost, as a means of understanding people: the way we operate, the way we understand the world around us, and the way that we have changed and evolved over time. Although many other disciplines study people and society, history is unique in ...

Undergraduates face tough job market

Applying for jobs is one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my collegiate career, even in some ways more difficult than writing my thesis or studying for my toughest midterms. The reason I, and surely many others, struggle with it so much is because I ...

College students need actual breaks

February is always so depressing. Teachers seem to assign double the homework on top of the midterms they give, which are not even in the middle of the term at all. The weather is either miserably cold and rainy or unseasonably warm, so everyone on campus has either a cold ...

Classics still spur creativity

I recently met with a group of my peers in the history department who are writing senior theses. Our professor was giving us tips to help stop a serious case of writer's block. One piece of advice he gave stuck with me: he suggested that if we ever came ...

Learning best applied outside classroom

Efforts in what educators like to call "experiential education" have increased in both secondary and higher education. While the phrase itself is fairly self-explanatory, experiential education can and does take on many different forms depending on the discipline. It can be hands-on research, community service, cooperative learning, or even internships ...

Traditionalist finds benefits in Kindle

For years, I have sworn to myself that I would never buy an e-reader. As an avid reader and a student assistant in the library's Special Collections and Rare Books department, I have come to love the entity that is a physical book.

I love the smell of a ...

Research culture should be shared

Much has been made about Chancellor Cheek's efforts to revamp UT as a Top 25 public research institution. With the barrage of "Big Orange, Big Ideas" posters and videos, it is easy to forget what the primary goal of this campaign actually is. It is much more than a ...

University fails to provide UT Alerts for safety

The report in the Beacon on Tuesday of the recent shooting in Fort Sanders comes in the wake of the undisclosed alleged sexual assault that occurred in Hodges Library last semester, a story that the Beacon diligently reported.

The pattern that emerges from these events is cause for concern — twice ...

Every ending brings new beginnings

Like many of you, I am graduating this upcoming May, which means that I started my final semester of college on Wednesday. I remember finishing my freshman year and feeling quite sad when I realized that I only had three years left of college. Now that I'm in my ...

Students must resist feeling of entitlement

On Tuesday, I walked into one of my classes and noticed my teacher's Powerpoint presentation that had been pulled up for lecture that day. The outline for the lecture was spelled out on the first slide — recap, topics for discussion and exam review. But what really caught my eye ...