| Thursday, October 10, 2013 |  |
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| Homecoming events show Mississippi State tradition | |
 | The theme of Mississippi State University's homecoming celebration this year is "Live Maroon and White Forever." MSU holds a homecoming poster design contest each year, and the winning design from Thomas Fitzner captures the intergenerational appeal the theme implies. It depicts Bully waving an MSU flag, looking something like a vintage Disney or Warner Bros. cartoon, against the backdrop of a maroon cowbell. Emma Sweat, MSU Homecoming co-director, said intergenerational appeal is one of her favorite parts of homecoming weekend. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| 'Mississippi Roads' to feature MSU's T.K. Martin Center Thursday | |
 | Mississippi State University's T.K. Martin Center will be featured on "Mississippi Roads" airing Thursday at 7 p.m., on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. An original production of MPB, the "Roads" segment features the center's "Express Yourself" program, which aids persons with severe physical disabilities in expressing their ideas by painting canvases with the assistance of able-bodied helpers. |
| State's longest-running TV news program gets new time slots | |
 | An iconic local television news program that is still airing after five decades is moving to a new time. Farmweek, the state's oldest and only locally produced agricultural television news show, has moved to Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Mondays at 6 a.m. on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. The show also can be seen on the nationwide satellite and cable TV network RFD-TV at 3 a.m. CST, or online at msucares.com/news/farmweek/index.html. The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the MSU Office of Agricultural Communications have produced Farmweek since Oct. 3, 1977. The show began its 37th season this month. |
| Lukes Still Supporting Mississippi State University | |
 | Mississippi State University's College of Architecture, Art, and Design formally dedicated the Bob and Kathy Luke Library this week. Bob Luke works as managing principal architect of LPK Architects PA in Meridian. Kathy Luke currently serves on the MSU-Meridian dean's council. The couple met while attending Mississippi State and graduated from the university. |
| Mississippi House Speaker gets input during 'Idea Tour' | |
| Twelve area residents pitched various ideas -- defund the Affordable Care Act, get out of Common Core educational standards and protect gun owners' rights -- during Miss. House Speaker Phillip Gunn's "Mississippi Solutions -- An Ideas Tour" stop Tuesday at Mississippi State University. "There's uncertainty out there about Common Core, and I think we have to take a look at it to understand it better. The Affordable Care Act has also been a topic of great discussion at both ends of the spectrum. A lot of people want to take another look at it, while a lot want to embrace it," Gunn said. |
| House Speaker Philip Gunn brings listening tour to Pascagoula on Thursday | |
 | Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn will be in Pascagoula on Thursday afternoon to find out which issues local residents would like to see addressed in the 2014 legislative session. His Starkville meeting, held on the Mississippi State University campus, focused on topics such as firearms and government transparency. |
| Artists to Watch: Wolf Cove | |
 | Indie-rock band Wolf Cove recorded its first EP in one member's basement. The aptly titled "Ben's Basement" came out in April. Jackson native Clayton Waller, 21, on drums; Grenada native John William White, 22, on guitar; and Birmingham native Ben Watson, 21 on lead vocals and bass make up Wolf Cove. The three study at Mississippi State University in Starkville, but officially met two summers ago while working at Alpine Camp for Boys, where they decided to form a band. |
| Starkville High Students Prep for Robotics Competition | |
 | Students at Starkville High School are preparing to show off their newly built robot in a local competition. "This year the game scenario is CPU construction. We're building a new CPU for a robot called Squeaky to upgrade Squeaky from its present state to Squeaky 2.0," says Kelley Mazzola, CEO of the Stark Tech Robotics Team at Starkville High. |
| Starkville Police Search For Robbery Suspect | |
| The Starkville Police Department is asking for your help in locating Joe Mitchell Gillespie. A warrant was issued for him in connection to a robbery that took place Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. at the Chevron Gas Station located at 311 Hwy. 12 in Starkville. The victim was sitting in his vehicle when approached by the suspect, asking for money. He then reached in, grabbed the wallet and fled on foot. |
| KAJACS Contractors gets water/sewer project for Yokohama Tire plant | |
| West Point selectmen awarded Missouri-based KAJACS Contractors the contract for water and sewer extension to what will be the Yokohama Tire Company site in Clay County during their meeting Tuesday. KAJACS, the only out-of-state company out of four to submit bids, will soon begin installing the water main and sewer extension for $2,307,083.50, the majority of which will be funded by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The water extension will reach to the tire plant's tank, which Texas-based Landmark Structures was awarded the contract on last month. |
| Some House Republicans discuss MDOT change | |
 | Changing the structure of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, which is governed by a three-member elected commission, has been discussed during closed-door meetings by the House Republican Conference. During a recent meeting of the conference, Republicans, who hold a House majority, discussed changing from an elected commission to some type of appointed system. But House Judiciary A Committee Chair Mark Baker, R-Brandon, said Wednesday nothing has been decided. "We're kind of looking at all our options," said Baker, a key member of the House leadership. The three incumbent Transportation commissioners – Mike Tagert in the Northern District, Dick Hall of the Central District and Tim King of Southern District – are all Republicans. But in recent years, Hall has been an outspoken advocate of a tax increase to help deal with statewide transportation needs. That has put him at odds with some state Republican Party leaders. |
| State Senator Terry Brown undergoing cancer treatment | |
| Senator Terry Brown has been diagnosed with cancer, The Dispatch has learned. According to Rep. Gary Chism, Brown was diagnosed with stage one cancer last week and has a tumor on his left lung. Sources close to the senator said the cancer is also in his bones. He is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. |
| Government default would have far-reaching impact | |
| Failing to raise the United States' debt ceiling and causing a default would have a devastating impact on not only the U.S. economy, but also the global economy. Scott Reed, CEO of Hardy Reed, a Tupelo-based investment advisory firm, said a potential default is far different from a government shutdown. "Few people know that we've had 17 shutdowns since the Ford administration, and there was no significant impact. ...they've really been non-events," he said. "But a default is a different deal. There's no excuse for it. ...and it's a self-inflicted problem." |
| Financial execs: Default brings 'disaster' | |
 | The financial sector plans to deliver a blunt message to Congress Thursday: quit messing around and raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit. The heads of some of the industry's most powerful groups are prepared to offer an unflinching message to the Senate Banking Committee, warning that even the threat of a default could upend markets, drive up costs and throw the world's confidence in the United States into doubt. According to prepared testimonies made available by the committee, the officials will rattle off a host of ways a failure to raise the debt ceiling could wreak havoc on the economy. |
| Business Groups See Loss of Sway Over House G.O.P. | |
 | As the government shutdown grinds toward a potential debt default, some of the country's most influential business executives have come to a conclusion all but unthinkable a few years ago: Their voices are carrying little weight with the House majority that their millions of dollars in campaign contributions helped build and sustain. Their frustration has grown so intense in recent days that several trade association officials warned in interviews on Wednesday that they were considering helping wage primary campaigns against Republican lawmakers who had worked to engineer the political standoff in Washington. Such an effort would thrust Washington's traditionally cautious and pragmatic business lobby into open warfare with the Tea Party faction. |
| Lew tells Senate panel: Debt default would force 'perilous choices' on economy | |
 | Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned lawmakers Thursday that he will be unable to guarantee payments to any group --- whether Social Security recipients or U.S. bondholders --- unless Congress approves an increase in the federal debt limit. With Washington in gridlock and a key deadline in the debt-limit debate just one week off, Lew told the Senate Finance Committee that he would do all he can to minimize the pain of breaching the $16.7 trillion debt limit. But Lew also told the senators that in an unprecedented situation in which he would be relying entirely on the erratic flow of incoming revenue, the economy would suffer and there would not even be certainty that the government could make all interest and principal payments. "No credible economist or business leader thinks that defaulting is good for job creation or economic growth," Lew said. |
| Natural gas 'fracking' has flipped U.S. energy map, study says | |
 | Natural gas pipelines that for a half century sent natural gas flowing northward from energy-rich Gulf Coast states to heat and power the megacities of the chilly Northeast are seeing a role reversal. Northeast shale-gas discoveries are now being pumped in the opposite direction to meet rising industrial demand in the Southeast. That switch in the status quo presents enormous infrastructure challenges while also promising big economic gains. |
| Canadian Alice Munro, master of the short story, wins Nobel literature prize | |
 | Alice Munro, a Canadian master of the short story revered as a thorough but forgiving chronicler of the human spirit, won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday. Munro is the first Canadian writer to receive the prestigious $1.2 million award from the Swedish Academy since Saul Bellow, who left for the U.S. as a boy and won in 1976. Seen as a contemporary Chekhov for her warmth, insight and compassion, she has captured a wide range of lives and personalities without passing judgment on her characters. Unusually for Nobel winners, Munro's work consists almost entirely of short stories. "Lives of Girls and Women" is her only novel. |
| Ole Miss, Oxford to change game-day traffic, parking | |
| The University of Mississippi's home opener against Southeast Missouri State University didn't much challenge the Rebel football squad, but it strained parking and traffic management. Texas A&M visits Ole Miss on Saturday, its team and the crowd it attracts will likely test both logistics and gridiron capabilities. "It'll be a whole different crowd, a much bigger crowd this time," said Oxford Police Maj. James Owens. "We've changed the way we're going to try to get people in and out for the game." "We added two additional lots for game day – Northwest Mississippi Community College on Belk Boulevard and near the airport on McElroy Drive," said Isaac Astill, UM director of parking and transportation. "Between those two we'll have 950 additional spaces, and we'll have additional buses as well." |
| Football spending fuels Oxford Square shopping | |
 | The quality of shopping on the Square may depend on the success of Ole Miss football. Business owners on the Square say they enjoy huge revenue boosts from Rebel football weekends that keep many of their businesses alive. "The difference is athletics, in general, but especially the influx brought by football is tremendous in our store," said Landry's owner Stan Shanks about the additional customers visiting the Square on game weekends. Shanks estimated that football weekends can generate up to four times the amount of revenue brought in on an ordinary weekend in his store. |
| Oxford-University Transit passes 100,000 monthly riders | |
| Ridership on Oxford-University Transit (OUT) passed the 100,000 mark for the first time last month, eclipsing the previous monthly high by more than 17 percent. "We had 100,492 passengers for the month, which is a record for us since the beginning of transit," said OUT Manager Ron Biggs at the system's board meeting on Wednesday. The September figure reflected recent-year trends in which the vast majority of riders were University of Mississippi faculty, staff or students -- 96 percent last month. The university, which is trying to balance increased enrollment with decreased on-campus parking, provides funds for several routes aimed at getting student commuters to and from the campus. One of the growing pains for the system has been staying on schedule with its campus-focused routes. |
| Women's Health Awareness Week at MUW | |
| Mississippi University for Women is celebrating women's health awareness week with presentations to empower women. This week's presentations were sponsored by MUW and Baptist Memorial Golden Triangle. |
| Supporting National Coming Out Day at MUW | |
| It was a haze of colors at Mississippi University for Women. MUW's Department of Student Life, Counseling Center, and Gay-Straight Alliance Organization hosted a tie dye event in support of National Coming Out Day. "We really strive to have our student population feel supported; and recognize and welcome everything that they do and different initiatives. So, we thought we would have this event out here today to allow them to tie dye and wear their shirts Friday," Kimone Holtzman the MUW Coordinator of Student Engagement told WCBI. |
| Vanderbilt fraternity Alpha Tau Omega suspended over rape references in rush email | |
 | Vanderbilt University has suspended the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity for a rush-related email making light of an ongoing rape case. The profanity-laced and sexually charged email was sent out Sept. 22 to prospective members of the fraternity and was eventually brought to the university's attention. The university -- and Alpha Tau Omega's national office -- suspended the Vanderbilt chapter on Oct. 3. "The suspension prohibits all ATO activities, including new member education activities," said Beth Fortune, vice chancellor for public affairs at the university, in an email. "The action was taken because of offensive content throughout the message as well as allegations of multiple violations of university and Interfraternity Council policies." The university called the email shocking. |
| U. of Florida sets up team to crunch 'big data' | |
 | With the rise of the Internet, the proliferation of smartphones, cars with onboard computers, social networks like Facebook, even the digital storage of medical records, people are generating billions and billions of nuggets of information daily. A leading edge in research is the ability to capture and analyze all that "big data" and use it to help track weather patterns, model disease outbreaks, and make economic forecasts. There is a demand in business, the social sciences and other fields for 200,000 people who can crunch big data, according to one recent study. The University of Florida wants to be at the front of that big data revolution. It has committed $3.8 million to create a multi-disciplinary team of researchers -- to be called the Informatics Institute -- able to crunch big data and apply it to economic, social, medical and educational issues. |
| Symposium at U. of Florida will focus on immigration reform, tuition equity | |
| The University of Florida Immigration Reform Symposium on Thursday evening will provide an open dialogue about tuition equity and provide a forum to discuss the impact of the reform. Intercultural Engagement, an organization within the UF Multicultural and Diversity Affairs department, will host the free event that will feature two different forums at UF in Little Hall room L109. "Immigration is not an issue just for one community or another, but it's impacted all communities of different cultural perspectives," said Jarrod Cruz-Stipsits, director of Intercultural Engagement. |
| National intelligence director Clapper calls off talk at UGA, but will reschedule | |
 | Director of National Intelligence James Clapper won't be coming to the University of Georgia next week as scheduled. The controversial Clapper cited travel restrictions because of the continuing federal government shutdown for his cancellation, but said he would try to reschedule in an email sent to university officials Wednesday morning. The email noted that "due to the ongoing government shutdown (Clapper is) ... unable to travel at this time," said Meg Amstutz, UGA associate provost for academic programs. Clapper, the nation's top intelligence official, was set to deliver the university's prestigious Charter Lecture on Wednesday in the UGA Chapel. |
| Panel talks mental health counseling, support for student veterans at Texas A&M | |
 | On day two of the Texas A&M System's Military Friendly Symposium, top caregivers from around the Lone Star state gathered to discuss veteran counseling and support networks. The group talked about health issues unique to veterans and the ways of reaching out to them. Veterans are sometimes reluctant to reach out to the support networks, staff or faculty, said panelist Nancy Welch, a Texas A&M psychologist. "We do have veterans who have been already through the process, for example, of disability services, but they still hesitate to talk with their instructor about it," Welch said. |
| Truth-seeking topic of A&M journalism symposium discussion | |
| Truth and how it's sought will be the main topic of discussion Friday during of a symposium being organized by the Texas A&M Journalism Studies Program. Community members are invited to the free event, which will be in 501 Rudder Tower on campus, with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by the keynote at 10 a.m., a panel discussion at 11 a.m., lunch, then a 1 p.m. book signing. James McGrath Morris, founder of Biographers International and author of Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power, will be the keynote speaker. |
| U. of Missouri research feels effects of government shutdown | |
 | Every workday since the government shut down Oct. 1, an estimated $1 million in new federal award opportunities and starts at the University of Missouri are delayed. Robert Duncan, vice chancellor of research, estimated this number because MU received more than $253 million in new federal awards during the 2012 fiscal year. Broken down, it means MU spends slightly less than $1 million of federal funds each workday on research and research-related activities, he said. "If the government shutdown extends indefinitely, the pipeline of new funding opportunities will be interrupted, and these missed opportunities will probably never come back," Duncan said in an email. |
| Government shutdown stalls fellowships applicants | |
| Some federal agencies are not accepting or processing fellowship applications during the government shutdown, Tim Parshall, director of the University of Missouri Fellowships Office, said. The shutdown started Oct. 1. Six of the 10 programs for which MU students are currently applying involve federal funding, Parshall said. They are: the Fulbright Scholars Program, the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, the Boren Fellowships, the Critical Language Scholarship Program and the George J. Mitchell Scholar Program. The National Science Foundation, a huge contributor to fellowships, is closed for now. |
| Faculty group criticizes role of private money in higher education | |
 | A national group of faculty leaders on Wednesday launched the first of three reports that will shine a critical spotlight at the influence of private funds on higher education. The effort is not intended to stifle the rate of change of technology in higher education, members say, but rather to broaden the conversation about the companies fueling it. The report urges readers to question the influx of private funds into the ed-tech industry -- investments that topped $1 billion in 2012, according to one consultant group's estimate. In order to evaluate how technology is helping improve student outcomes, the public needs to "follow the money," a phrase the report frequently invokes. |
| Darpa Courts Biotech Researchers | |
 | Donald E. Ingber, a professor at Harvard University, has combined advanced electronics and biology to create a "lung on a chip," a breakthrough device that could safely allow precise tests of risky new medical treatments before they are tried out on humans. Just as eye-opening as his work, however, may be his source of federal financing. It's not the National Institutes of Health, the $30-billion agency that is the largest provider of federal basic-research money to universities. Instead it's the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, an agency one-tenth as large as NIH and responsible primarily for meeting the military's technological needs. The enigmatic agency has earned fame as the originator of the Internet and other military and civilian technological advances. |
| OUR OPINION: Timber growing its way back to profitability | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Mississippi's huge timber acreage pays profitable dividends when the national economy is buzzing with demand for forestry products that makes owners and employees happy and prosperous. ...In Mississippi, forestry is a $1 billion per year industry. That's a tremendous impact in direct and indirect jobs in the state. Earlier this year, Mississippi State University Extension Forestry Professor James Henderson said 2013 'is looking better than 2012 and much better than the last several years following the recession. The recovery for Mississippi's timber markets will take time, but everything is finally heading in the right direction.' ...Sometimes Mississippians lose sight of the fact that some of our best and most sustainable economic development comes from resources like timber that with continually improving management techniques can provide jobs and create wealth for decades and beyond." |
| OUR VIEW: No justification for East Mississippi Community College's blood lust | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: "What was once conjecture is quickly become accepted fact: This year's East Mississippi Community College football team is the best in school history, surpassing even the 2011 team that captured the national championship. ...two weeks ago, the Lions tied a national juco scoring record in a 90-7 win over Coahoma. That verdict is impressive, but also troubling. Beating an opponent by such a margin suggests no regard for good sportsmanship. It goes beyond defeating an opponent: It is an act of humiliation. Who can defend that sort of blood lust? It is, in a word, inexcusable. Or is it?" |
| BILL MINOR: Will Ashley Edwards deliver for Hancock County? | |
 | Longtime political observer and columnist Bill Minor writes: "A story in the Sun Herald caught my eye last week. A 33-year-old named Ashley Edwards with scant knowledge about managing a Gulf Coast port commission (especially one that includes broad authority over a nationally important airport), was handed a $150,000 job as director of the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission. ...Even the chairman of the commission that voted 5-1 to hire him conceded Edwards 'has no work experience at a port, an airport or industrial park.' But the commission chairman, Robert Kane, says Edwards makes up for his lack of job qualifications by being 'a bright and articulate fellow.' And lucky, too. It may have helped a smidgen that Edwards was on the staff of Gov. Phil Bryant as a 'recovery advisor' -- the one and only member of the 'recovery advisory' staff." |
SPORTS
| Mullen grew professionally during his time at Bowling Green | |
| Dan Mullen hates to think what his life would be like without his two years at Bowling Green State University. Professional the quarterbacks coaching job with the Falcons program was his first full-time position in college football. Personally, he met his wife Megan. When asked what he would tell the Dan Mullen 12 years ago that was wide-eyed and excited about beginning his career as a college football coach under head coach Urban Meyer at Bowling Green, he didn't want to change anything. "I like my right now, so I don't know if I want to mess with it too much," Mullen said with a smile. |
| Bowling Green rolls with run game into Mississippi State | |
 | Mississippi State enters Week 2 of the ground-and-pound portion of its schedule. After four games against spread offenses, this week's opponent, Bowling Green, brings a power running game similar to LSU. But unlike the Tigers last week, the Falcons struggle to throw the ball. Indiana devoured Bowling Green 42-10 in its only game this season where the Falcons passed more than they ran. "We'll fell behind, and we run the ball more now than we did two years ago because we're playing with a lead more than we did two years ago," Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said. "So we want to be a balanced offense." |
| Mississippi State offense rolling, still working on defense | |
| Mississippi State has two good quarterbacks and one shaky defense heading into this Saturday's game with Bowling Green. The Bulldogs looked good offensively with Tyler Russell and Dak Prescott sharing time under center, but they're trying to correct some defensive problems that allowed LSU to score eight touchdowns -- including four in the fourth quarter -- in Saturday's 59-26 loss. Coach Dan Mullen said Mississippi State's main problem on defense is too much aggression, which causes players to get out of position. |
| Bulldogs' Russell feels he's back to his record-setting ways | |
| For 35 days, Tyler Russell sat helplessly on the sidelines, unable to play due to the lingering effects of a concussion suffered in the season opener. The Mississippi State senior quarterback missed three games before returning to the field last Saturday in a backup role. Russell led the team with 146 yards passing and two touchdowns. "It felt good to get back out there," Russell said. "I hadn't played in over a month and it was good to get back into rhythm and the flow of things." |
| Bulldogs take different look at red zone statistics | |
| It should come as little surprise that Dan Mullen and the Mississippi State coaching staff have a different take on a critical statistical breakdown. Mississippi State ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in red-zone scoring percentage. In 23 trips inside the 20-yard line, the Bulldogs have come away with points 20 times. "I see a lot of 'well, you scored this percent of time in the red zone,' (but) that's irrelevant to me," Mullen said. "It's how much of your potential points have you scored." Mullen, who has a degree in exercise and sport science from Ursinus College and a graduate degree in education from Wagner College, has already stated previously that his staff has a different viewpoint on amount of touches for individual offensive players. Mullen didn't have a problem sharing his mathematical viewpoint on red zone scoring this week. |
| Mississippi State converts more third downs | |
| Through the wins and losses, on the road and at Davis Wade Stadium, one aspect continues to haunt Mississippi State. The Bulldogs converted 2 of 16 third down attempts in the season opener. Five weeks later, they're still not efficient when it matters most. "In games, we've been poor on third down; we've had a lot of third down and long situations, and those are tough to convert," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "But I have seen us improve on those less-than-10 situations." Overall, Mississippi State's 36 percent conversion rate ranks second to last in the Southeastern Conference, ahead of only Kentucky. But the numbers back up Mullen's point. The Bulldogs faced 15 situations on third-and-long situations (more than 10 yards), and they converted two. |
| Mississippi State's Tyler Russell: 'We've probably got the best (two-QB combination) in the nation' | |
 | Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell, who is back in the lineup after suffering a concussion in the season-opening loss to Oklahoma State, started for the Bulldogs' in their 59-26 loss to LSU. While Russell was glad to be in the saddle, he said the quarterback position is well staffed with he and Dak Prescott. "I was very anxious -- very anxious to get back out there and in the swing of things," Russell told The Clarion-Ledger. "We've got two really good quarterbacks. I'll say, we've probably got the best (two-quarterback combination) in the nation." |
| Mississippi State fans, basketball teams gearing up for Maroon Madness | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball team is taking its new vibe to the streets. At 6 p.m. Friday, coach Vic Schaefer and the MSU women and Rick Ray and the MSU men's basketball team will participate in Maroon Madness on Creelman Street between Dorman Hall and The Junction. The second-annual event will feature a dunk contest and other games and giveaways involving fans, coaches, and players. Bouncers will be available for children adjacent to the MSU amphitheater. There also will be performances by the Famous Marion Band, MSU cheerleaders, and pom squad. |
| Sousa claims band injustices, U. of Tennessee refutes allegations | |
| Instruments down, eyes up, more than 300 members of the Pride of the Southland Band sat Indian style in a semi-circle around their director Gary Sousa after completing a rehearsal of the Circle Drill at the intramural field on Wednesday. "When you attack our students, we're going to step up," Sousa said just moments later, "because that's what we have always been about." Since 2011, when Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart began his tenure at Tennessee, Sousa feels like the band has indeed been under attack. That sentiment rose to a new level on Saturday at Neyland Stadium during Tennessee's 34-31 overtime loss to Georgia when Sousa alleges that the band was told not to play UT's unofficial fight song, "Rocky Top." A statement provided to The Daily Beacon by band members claims that "the band has been locked in a bitter battle with athletics since Dave Hart, athletic director, arrived in 2011 regarding the travel of the band and game-day atmosphere and marketing in Neyland Stadium." |
| U. of Tennessee says it supports marching band, counters allegations | |
| University of Tennessee officials said Wednesday they support the Pride of the Southland and its students, but insisted many of the accusations the band made against the athletic department were incorrect. The campus administration sent out its own news release late Wednesday afternoon, countering a two-page "fact sheet" the band circulated to media earlier in the day that accused athletics of trying to eliminate band performances during football games. The band's statement details a two-year contentious relationship with Athletics Director Dave Hart, accuses the department of slashing budgets, reducing band travel and limiting when during football games the musicians can play. |
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