THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY l, 2018

IVoted ag scientist, oryrt*adv o c at e t o sP e ak-at U T M

By LINDA TIIURSTONPress Editor

A woman who wears two hats, scientistand advocate, will speak at the Universityof Tennessee at Martin next week, thanksto a serendipitous meeting with a localUTM staffer.

Dr. Temple Grandin, an internationally-known animal behaviorist and autism ad-

vocate, will speak atp.m. Feb. 13, in the S

located adjacent to thleen and Tom Elam Center. Her presenta-

and Llew Joneses, is titled "De-Have Different ,

Kinds of Minds."Tickets for this event are available free of

ers are also listed. The fieldhouse doorswill open at 6 p.m., and all tickets will be

scanned upon entry.Grandin is currently a professor of ani-

mal science at Colorado State University inFort Collins, Colo. Her specialties includethe behavior and handling of cattle andpigs: the design of livestock handling fa-bilities and restraint systemsi and the studyof animal welfare in the meat industry.

with the 1950s'top sP for the au-nily in her work in

the animal science field. She is the authorof several books in both subject areas, andher life story was the subject of the HBOfilm "Temple Grandin," starring Claire'Danes.

Sara Rachels, a library specialist at PaulMeek Library, first heard of Dr. Grandinin late April after a poster competitionon campus. One of the posters was aboutanimal science, and Rachel said that ledsome of her library colleagues talked withEmalee Buttrey, an agriculture professor.Somehow the topic of Rachels' daughterFelicity came up. Felicity, who was 5 at thetime, was not yet talking and Rachels wasconcerned about her development.

The poster conversation led to Buttreymentioning Temple Grandin and her advo-cacy for autism.

Rachels' colleagues rushed back to thelibrary, found a video on Grandin andhanded it to Rachels.

"I was hooked," Rachels said. "I startedgobbling up information about her [Gran-o"nd

on a button to ask the scientist a question,and with the help of many UTM facultyand staff, she soon had Grandin's agree-

ment to speak on camPus'Meanwhile, her daughter Felicity was

accepted for diagnosis at the Treatmentand Research Institute for Autism Spec-

trum Disorders at Vanderbilt. Within twohours Felicity was diagnosed as being on

GRANDIN,Fnou Pecn r

the autism spectrum."It's a devastating diagnosis, but I wasn't

as devastated as I would have been becauseI had all this knowledge from my reading,"Rachels said.

"It's so special to the ag program, to theuniversity, and to me personally to have Dr.Grandin come here," she said. "She givespeople hope. She shows that barriers can

be overcome, especially if you latch ontoyour passion."

Grandin has appeared on numerous tele-vision shows, including 20120,48 Hours,60 Minutes, the Today Show and LarryKing Live, and has been featured in publi-cations such as People Magazine, the New

Snn GRANDIN,Pl.cn r4

ries was recently reinstatedby Meg Kinnard Hardee,the only granddaughter offormer Congressman EdJones, and her husband,Geoffrey Hardee, in honorof Meg's grandparents.

F'or more infbrmation onGrandin's appearance orfor assistance downloadingtickets, contact Dr. EmaleeButtrey, assistant professorof animal science. at l3l-881 -7 255 or ebuttrey@utm.edu, or Sara Rachels, PaulMeek Library, at 731-881-7083 or srachell @utrn.edu.

York Times, Forbes, U.S.News & World Report,Time Magazine and Dis-cover magazrne, amongothers. In 2010, Time Mag-azine named her one of the100 most influential peoplein the "heroes" category.

Grandin will also speakwith students in both ag-riculture and behavioralscience classes during hercampus vlslt.

The Ed and Llew JonesDistinguished Lecture Se-

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

BEHAVIOR SpECIALIST - Dr.Temple Grandin is an internationally-known animal

behaviorist and autism advocate. she will speak at UT Martin on Feb. 13.

Photo provided by Colorado State University and taken by RosalieWinard'

FELICITY RACHELS

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY t, 2018

received a Tennessee Army National Guard partnershipAward.This honor is given to a limited number of individu_als each year who dedicate themselves to helping the cur-rent and future soldiers of theTennessee Nationll Guard.

DYER RECOGNIZED -Johnny Dyeria Union City res-ident and veterans services coordinator for the UT-Martin,

Town hqll meeting slated Thursday forThe University of Ten-

nessee at Martin will host a

town hall meeting at 4 p.m.next Thursday in WatkinsAuditorium of the Bol-ing University Center. Thepublic is invited to hear anupdate on important univer-sity events and informationand ask questions about theunrverslty.

The town hall is the resultof an act passed by the Ten-nessee General Assemblyestablishing a communityrelations outreach programdesigned to maintain a con-sistent and healthy relation-ship between universitiesand the communities they

serve.Dr. Keith Carver, UT

Marlin chancellor. willprovide an opening updatefollowed by questions fromthe audience. Questions canalso be emailed to town-hall@utm.edu prior to theevent. Administrators fromcampus offices and aca-demic areas will be on handto answer questions.

A live webcast of themeeting will be availableonline at utm.edu/townhallfor those unable to attend.

For more information,contact the UT Martin Of-fice of University Relationsar73l-88I-'7615.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1 2018

Cups for the Cure to benefitAnna Kate Wenz Fight Foundation

The second-annual Cupsfor the Cure event, hostedby the University of Tennes-see at Marlin, will take placefrom 2-4 p.m., Saturday, atthe UT Maftin Wesley Foun-dation building on LovelaceAvenue.

David McBeth, UT Mar-tin professor of art, and hisstudents will be selling hand-made ceramic cups and mugsfor a $15 donation. One hun-dred percent of funds raisedwill be split between the AnnaKate Wenz FIGHT Founda-tion and the Joliet Oncology-Hematology Center.

McBeth created Cups forthe Cure in 2017 to supportcancer patients and their fam-ilies. McBeth's mother wasdiagnosed with cancer onFeb. 4,2014, and passed away21 days later. She received fl-nancial assistance from JolietOncology-Hematology As-sociates, a foundation at thecancer center where she wasreceiving treatment.

The event is open to thepublic, and a variety of hotbeverages and desserts willbe available. McBeth willalso be present to give dem-onstrations of the potteryprocess.

For more information, FOR THE CURE - Cups for the Cure will take placecontact McBeth at 731-881- this Saturday.All proceeds go toAnna KateWenz FIGHT'7416. Foundation and Joliet Oncolorgy Hematology Center.

TIIE WEAKLEY-q OUNTY PRE SS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1' 2018

UT Martin Civil Rights Conferenceto feature first student art exhibition

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin and theuniversity's department ofhistory will present the firstCivil Rights ConferenceStudent Art Exhibition,Feb. 13-24, as part of thel8th Annual Civil RightsConference. The theme is"50 Years After Dr. King'sDeath: From Dream toWoke." Organizers plan tomake the art exhibition anannual event.

Entry is free for up tothree works and is open toany individual at least 18years of age who is current-ly enrolled at UT Martin.All themes, narratives andsubject matter may be ex-plored, as long as the imag-ery addresses the history ofthe civil rights movementor specifically the theme

for the 2018 conference.Awards will be presentedfor first and second placeand for People's Choiceduring a reception for theexhibition at I p.m., Feb.23, inthe Boling UniversityWelcome Center. A lectureby the juror will follow at2 p.m. in Watkins Audito-num.

The exhibition will bejuried by Carl Moore, aMemphis-based artist anddesigner.

Moore received his BFAfrom the Art Institute of

Chicago and his MFA fromthe Memphis College ofArt. His work is describedas a form of visual commu-nication using simplicityand depth to express cur-rent social and economicconditions.

More information on theexhibition may be found bycontacting Jason Stout, UTMarlin Associate ProfessorofArt, at jstout@utm.edu orby contacting Kalen Sharp,student representative forthe exhibition at kalshar@ut.utm.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1., 2018

UT Martin Associate Professor

The University of Tennessee at Martin's Phi Kappa Phi

Muriel Tomlinson Memorial Lecture will be held at 7 p'm''Feb. 6, in Watkins Auditorium of the Boling UniversityCenter.

Dr. Jeffrey Longacre, UT Martin associate professor ofEnglish, will present a lecture titled,"It's Still Alive! - 'Frankenstein' at

200" in honor of the bicentennial ofthe novel's original publication. Lon-gacre completed undergraduate workat Texas State University and earned

his doctoral degree in English fromthe University of Tulsa. He special-

izes in 19th and 20th century Britishand Irish Literature.

Longacre has served as project manager of the "Modem-ist Journals Project" - an online, fully searchable, digitalarchive ofmodernist periodicals; and as book review editor

of the "James Joyce QuarterlY."He also currently seryes as an assistant director of the

UT Martin Honors Program. In addition to work on Wil-liam Blake and James Joyce specifically, his scholarly and

teaching interests include modernism, Irish literature, ro-

manticism and film studies. Recent scholarship includes

work on authors Alfred Hitchcock and Edna O'Brien'Phi Kappa Phi Chapter l2'7 was founded at UT Marlin

in 19'll and honors students, faculty and staff who have

reached high levels of academic success. Phi Kappa Phi

is the nation's oldest, largest and most selective collegiate

honors society for all academic disciplines.This event is free and open to the public. For more infor-

mation, contact Dr. Ann Gathers, chapter president-elect,

at agathers@utm.edu.

THE PARIS PO5T-INTELLIGENff R THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

of English, Dr. Longacre, to lecture CountSz students place

in UTM Honor BandSeveral Henry County band

students earned top chairplacements at the 39th An-nual University of Tennesseeat Martin Honor Bandlastweekend.

These students were chosento participate out ofover 8ooapplicants. They auditionedfor chair placements andrehearsed music with otherstudents in the region as wellas being ledby nationally-renown music educators.

They then performed in aconcert Saturday afternoonin the Harriet Fulton Theateronthe UTM campus.

Middle school studentsselected to first chair for theirinstruments are Taylor Boase,Lakewood, oboe; and ThomasHolcomb, Harrelson, percus-sion.

Also selected from Lake-wood were: Tiori Fletcher,fifth chair, Frenchhorn; AbbYReed, sixth chair, Frenchhorn; Samantha Wynn, sixthchair, trombone; Jack Kib-bler, seventh chair, tuba; andSuzie Chau, seventh chair,flute.

Landon DoughertyfromHarrelson was also namedsecond chair, alto saxophone,andJake Davis from Henrywas chosen sixth chair, Per-cussion.

Henry County High Schoolstudents selected for sym-phonic band, concert band orwindensemble.

For the symphonic band,Garrett McKinney was cho-sen seventh chair, percussion.

In the concert band, ClaireBurns was chosen first chair;oboe, while Abigail Liuttrellwas chosen second chair,alto saxophone, and MirelleLoftquist was chosen tzthchair, clarinet.

For the wind ensemble,Luke Weatherly was chosenfirst chair, trombone, EmmaWalters was chosen sixthchair, trumpet, and AaronMacDonald was named ninthchair, trumpet.

Information was supPliedby Chris Watson, directorofbands at Harrelson andHenry and assistant directorofbands at Henry CountYHigh School.

Local students make UT Martin honor roll

Feb 2,2018 https : //www.robertsoncountyconnection. com.r

The outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students at the University

of Tennessee at Martin have been honored with publication of the Fall2017

Chancellor's Honor Rolls for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, College

of Business and Global Affairs, College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences,

College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the College of Humanities and Fine

Arts.

To be eligible for Chancellor's Honor Roll recognition at UT Martin, a student must

take at least 12 hours of credit (pass-fail courses are not included) and achieve a 3.2

(B)grade point average based on a 4.0 scale. Students can make the Chancellor's

Honor Roll with honors (3.2 thrcugh3.49), high honors (3.5 through 3.79) or highest

honors (3.8 through 4.0).

Local students making the honor roll include:

Adams: Catherine M. Black, Honors; William T. Thomas, Highest Honors.

Cedar Hill:Trisha N. Crutcher, Highest Honors.

Cross Plains: William T. Gregory, High Honors; Peyton R.Judkins, Highest Honors;

Torger O. Torgersen, Highest Honors.

Goodlettsville: Gwendalynn M. Bracey, Honors; Hope C.Jarrett, High Honors; Kristen

M. Speer, Honors.

Greenbrier: Kenneth A. Abel, Highest Honors; Madelyn M. Dycus, Highest Honors; Erin

T. Keenan, Highest Honors; Hailey E. Williford, Honors.

https ://www.robertsoncountyconnection'com/

Orlinda: Lane T. Eden, High Honors.

Pleasant View: Chelsea E. Frase, High Honors; Timothy C. Minton, High Honors.

Portland: William M. Alexander, Highest Honors;Julia R. Anderson, Honors; Trey D.

Hinton, Honors; Elizabeth F. Sapp, High Honors; Gabrielle M. Zizzi, Highest Honors.

Springfield: Ashlee M. Heinlein, Honors; AlexandraJ. Proffitt, Highest Honors; Ragan L.

Sloan, Highest Honors.

White House: Arianna L. Howell, Honors;Jason P. Repath, High Honors.

UT Martin is a comprehensive public university that maintains an excellent reputation

for its high-quality undergraduate programs, its beautiful campus and caring

professors.

http ://www.thunderboltradio. corn;

UT-Martin Town Hall MeetingPosted on February 6 2018 by Charles Choate n Local News

The university of rennesJee?t Martin wiil host a town hail meeting at 4:00 on Thursday, in \A

The public is being invited to hear an update on important university events and information, i

The town hall is the result of an act passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, which estatdesigned to maintain a consistent and healthy relationship between universities and the comr

Chancellor Dr Keith Carver will provide an opening update followed by questions from the au

Administrators from campus offices and academic areas will also be on hand to answerquesj

http ://www.wenkwtpr. com/

UTMstude n ts Atte M Gove rn oFS-Fo ru mm FEBRUARY 6,20!8 AT 9:25AM g POSTEDBYSHANNON MCFARLIN

Photo: Students Rikki Erwin, a senior from Brighton; Ashley Shores, a senior from Lebanon;

Emma Bruner, a junior f rom South Fulton; and Holly Seng, a senior f rom Union City. Erwin and

Shores also participate in the university's Ned Ray McWherter lnstitute, a mentoring program

that includes engagement and networking opportunities for selected students.

Martin, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin WestStar Leadership Program

partnered with the Tennessee Press Association and other individuals and organizations to

co-sponsor a gubernatorial candidate forum during the Tennessee Press Association Winter

Convention on Feb. 1 at the Nashville Public Library. More than 70 current WestStar class

members and alumnitraveled by chartered bus to hear candidates answer questions and

address issues in the race for Tennessee governor.

The non-partisan forum was open to all candidates and supported WestStar's strategic vision

to promote economic development in West Tennessee and encourage participation in the

upcoming election. Participants were Democratic candidates Carl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh

http : //www. we nkwtpr. com/.

and Republican candidates Kay White, Bill Lee and Randy Boyd. Each offered opening

statements, answered questions submitted by Tennessee Press Association member

newspapers and closed the forum with final statements. Eric Barnes, publisher and CEO ofThe Daily News Publishing Co. lnc. in Memphis and TPA president, was the forum moderator.

Traveling with the WestStar group and attending the forum were UT Martin communications

students Holly Seng of Union City, Enlma Bruner from South Fulton, Rikki Erwin of Brighton,

and Ashley Shores of Lebanon. Erwin and Shores also participate in the university's Ned Ray

McWherter lnstitute, a mentoring program that includes engagement and networkingopportunities for selected students.

The current WestStar class is the program's 29th since WestStar was established in 1989.

Thirty class participants were competitively selected by the program's board of directors tolearn new leadership skills and develop strategies to help communities solve problems and

maximize potential. Participants are selected from all occupations and levels of community

and regional involvement. WestStar has graduated 798 class members since the program

began.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2OI8

BE I{ELD

-The University of Tennessee at Martin'smusic department will be hosting Rootsof Rhythm, a first-class percussion perfor-mance, at The Discovery Park of Americain Union City on Saturday.The event willhave two-time slots at I l:30 a.m. and l:30p.m. Admission is free. Roots of Rhythm isa one-of- a-kind experience th.at elevates

cultural awareness through enertetic. per-formances and enlaglng aJdience -partiiipa-

tion activities with music from around theglobe.The Roots of Rhythms presentationincludes interdisciplinary subjects such asworld history, geography and of course,music, that coincides with the NationalStandards forArts Education. For more in-formation, visit www.utm.edu/roots.

HEREFORD SALE - Feb. l7 the UT MartinTeachingFarm will be hosting a Hereford cattle sale at the SmithCenter. Feb.24 there will be an Angus cattle sale at theSmith Center.

UNIQUE E)GERIENCE - UT Martin cohort members Kathryn Reece, Zane Cox, Brianna Rinker, Ashley Coots, Alyson Brown,Houston Downey, Dr. Dexter Davis, Tristan Cost, Colten Daugherty, Leah Barnett, Austin Barber, of Bradford, Leighton Chappell, andSara Taylor, will work behind-the-scenes during Super Bowl LII Sunday in Minneapolis.

Bradford student helped with Super Bowl LIIA dozen students from the Uni-

versity of Teruressee at Martinworked behind-the-scenesduring Super Bowl LII Sundayin Minneapolis.

The group, led by Dr. DexterDavis, associate professor ofsport business at UT Martin, isthe fifth and largest UT Martincohort to receive first-hand,real-world experience at one ofthe largest sporting events in theworld.

Austin Barber, a sophomorefrom Bradford, wds among thosemaking the trip.

Previous years have seen a

maximum of nine sfudents par-ticipate in the experience, butadditional students are attend-ing this year at the request oftheNational Football League. "TheNFL has asked us to bring (12

students) because they like whatour students do and how theydo it," said Davis. "I think thatshows the growth of this pro-gram."

This is Davis' 13th SuperBowl, where he woiks with OnLocation Experiences, the NFL'soffrcial hospitality company, tocoordinate player appearances

during and after the game. UT

Martin students assisted Davisby providing hospitality servicesto visiting players and escortingplayers between event venues.Students also assisted with post-game activities, including anon-field experience for VIP NFLguests.

In addition to Barber, otherstudents participating in the tripwere Bamett, a junior from Par-sons; Alyson Brown, a seniorfrom Pinson; Leighton Chap-pell; a sophomore from Flush-ing, Mich.; Ashley Coots, asenior from Fairview; Tristan

Cost, a sophomore from Nun-nelly; Zane Cox, a junior fromFremont, Ohio; Colten Daugh-efi, a senior from Nunnelly;Houston Downey, a senior fromPegram; Kathryn Reece, a juniorfrom Lotrisburg, Kan.; BriannaRinker, a senior from SouthFulton; and Sara Taylor. a seniorfrom Jackson.

For more information on the tripor the UT Martin sport businessprogram, housed in the Collegeof Business and Global Affairs,contact Davis at ddavisT8@utm.edu.

TRENToN Gnzptrp. Tuesday, February 6,2018

PEABODY BAND MEMBERS (from left) Claire Rollins, Eshan Patel, Chloe Cates, Anna Nowell, Sarah Carlton,Cali Whitwell, Chloe Shelton, Thor Hollingsworth, and Colby Lancaster recently participated in the UT MartinHonor Band.

TnBNroN Gazprrp Tuesday, February 6,201g

TRMS BAND STUDENTS (from left) Phebe Manner, bass clarinet; Ari'yana Hall,euphonium; Kalyn Gant, clarinet; and Tucker Brown, trumpet recently participatedin the 39th annual University of Tennessee at Martin Honor Band Festival. Nearly120 ofthe top seventh and eighth grade band students from West Tennessee and Ken-tucky participated in this 3-day event that culminated in a fi.nal concert at the HarrietFulton theatre on Jan. 27 . Geotge Pokorski who served as a music educator for a totalof 37 years in schools in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, conducted the honorband. HalI (right), an eighth grade euphonium player, will also participate in the AIIWest Convention Feb. 8-10 at the Cannon Centerfor the Performing Arts inMemphis. The West Ten-nessee School Band andOrchestra Association spon-sors this event to recognizethe many talented youngband, orchesLra and jazzmusicians in grades 6-12 inWest Tennessee. Studentsare selected by an auditionprocess to be members ofone of two ensembles fortheir grade level Hall hadthe second highest scorefor the middle school agedeuphonium players. givingher the ranking of secondchair in the Blue Band.Students selected for theseensembles will spend twodays rehearsing with highlyqualified and regionally re-nowned clinicians and thenpresent a final concert Feb.10 on the Cannon Centerstage. TRMS was also for-tunate to have eighth gradealto saxophone playet Zach-ary Taylor recognized as thethird alternate to the AllWest Middle School bands. Hall

The University of Tennesseeat Martin will host the 18thannual Civil Rights Confer-ence, Feb. 18-24, on the maincampus in Martin. The 2018conference will center on thetheme "50 Years After Dr.King's Assassination: FromDrearn to Woke."

Building; 7 p.rn; $5 admis-sion charge

Feb. 2l

1l a.m.; sponsored by the UTMartin Social Work Association

Performance: Roots ofRhythm; Harriet Fulton The-atre, UT Martin Fine ArtsBuilding; noon; g5 admissioncharge

Performance : "Night of Danceand Spoken Word"; Imani Ce-zanne, Samuel Hawkins and theJudith Jamison Dancers; 7 p.m.

Feb.22Speaker: "The Last Year of

Dr. King' Jones,historian, RightsMuseum;

Speaker: "From Memphisto St. Louis"; Adolphus Pruitt,chairman, St. Louis chapter ofthe National Association forthe Advancement of ColoredPeople, and Beverly Robert-son, former president for theNational Civil Rights Museum;1l a.m.

Speaker: "The White Churchand the Civil Rights Move-ment"; Rev. George Pasley,pastor, Trinity PresbyterianChurch in Martin; I p.m.

Panel: Black Student Asso-ciation presidents from variousinstitutions; 2:30 p.m.

Keynote speaker: BobbySeale, co-founder and firstchairman of the Black PantherPafi;7 p.m.; accompanied bya performance from the Voicesof Harmony

Feb. 23Civil Rights Conference Stu-

dent Art Exhibition awardsreception; Watkins Auditoriumfoyer; 1 p.m.

Speaker: "Art and CivilRights"; Carl Moore, Memphis-based artist and contest juror;2p.m.

Feb.24National Civil Rights Mu-

seum trip, sponsored by TrinityPresbyterian Church in Martin;

University7:30 a.m.;

sion feeUT Martin is one of only

two universities in the nationto host an annual civil rightsconference, and the event hasbeen held each year since 2000.

For more information onthe Civil Rights Conference,contact Dr. David Barber, as-sociate professor of historyand conference organizer, at731-881-7465 or by email atdbarber@utm.edu.

Bobby Seale, co-founder andfint chairman of the Black Pan-ther Party, will serve as keynotespeaker at 7 p.m., Feb. 22, inWatkinsAuditorium of the Bol-ing University Center.

A special forum discussiontitled "Heritage or Hate: A Fo-rum on Confederate Monu-ments" will be held at noon,Feb. 14, in Watkins Auditoriumbefore the official start of theconference. New this year is apublic trip to the Natioiral CivilRights Museum in Memphis,sponsored by Trinity Presbyte-rian Church in Martin. Thosewishing to epartthe Boling enterparking lot Feb.24. Admission to the museumis $10 per person.

The public is also invited tovote for ChoiceAward in hts Con-ference Contestduring the day Feb.22.Awardswill be presented at I p.m.,Feb. 23.

All other events will be heldin Watkins Auditorium free ofbh#ge'unless otherwise noted.A schedule of events is as fol-lows:

Feb. l8Movie screening: "Detroit";

{ and 9 p.m.; sponsored by theStudent Activities Council

Feb. 19Roundtable: "Black Writers

Reading Roundtable"; HortenseParrish Writing Center, AndyHolt Humanities Building,room 209; noon

Performance: "Ffom Dreamto Woke"; Florence Roach andUT Martin theatre studentsoriginal play;7 p.m.

Feb. 20Speaker: "Double Jeopardy:

Crossrcjads of Discrimination";ond, professorgender studies,ee State Univer-

sity; I p.m.Panel discussion: "Athletes

and the Civil Rights Move-ment," chaired by Dr. DavidCoffey, UT Martin Departmentof History and Philosophy;2:30 p.m.

Performance: Roots ofRhythm; Harriet Fulton The-atre, UT Martin Fine Arts

18il Gluil BighF GonlerGnoeIo Be Helil ]elruary 18-24

UIil lrllBllll T0 ll0$II0wlt H[11 ]rtEiltoThe University of Tennes-

see at Martin will host a townhall meeting at 4 p.m., Feb.

8, in Watkins Auditorium ofthe Boling University Center.The public is invited to hearan update on important uni-versity events and informationand ask questions about theuniversity.

The town hall is the re-sult of an act passed by theTennessee General Assem-bly establishing a communityrelations outreach programdesigned to maintain a consis-tent and healthy relationshipbetween universities and thecommunities they serve.

Dr. Keith Carver, UT Martinchancellor, will provide anopening update followed byquestions from the audience.Questions can also be emailedto townhall@utm.edu priorto the event. Administratorsfrom campus offices and aca-demic areas will be on handto answer questions.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE o FEBRUARY 7 2018

West$tal lGadetshi[ Ptogtam Go-S[onsors Gu[ematofial ]orumThe Universily of Tennessee at

Martin WestStar Leadership Pro-gram par-tnered with the Tennes-see Press Association and otherindividuals and organizations toco-sponsor a gubematorial candi-date forum during the TennesseePress Association Winter Con-vention on Feb. I at the Nashville

Public Library. More than 70current WestStar class membersand alumni traveled by charteredbus to hear candidates answerquestions and address issues inthe race for Tennessee govemor.

The non-parlisan forum wasopen to all candidates and sup-ported WestStar's strategic visionto promote economic develop-ment in West Tennessee andencourage participation in theupcoming election. Participantswere Democratic candidatesCarl Dean and Craig Fitzhughand Republican candidates Kay

White, Bill Lee and Randy Boyd.Each offered opemng statements,answered questions submittedby Tennessee Press Associationmember newspapers and closedthe forum with final statements.Eric Bames, publisher and CEOof The Daily News PublishingCo. Inc. in Memphis and TPApresident, was the forum mod-erator.

UT Martin Chancellor KeithCarver, also a WestStar gradu-ate, attended the forum and laterjoined other Tennessee collegepresidents offering campus up-

dates at the TPA luncheon andkeynote address by Gov. BillHaslam.

The current WestStar class isthe program's 29th since West-Star was established in 1989.Thirty class participants werecompetitively selected by theprogram's board of directors tolgarn ne anddevelop om-munitie and

has graduated 798 class memberssince the program began.

Animal behaviorist Temple Granat UT Martin

din to speakwww. bellinghamherald. corn,

The Associated Presswww.wate.com,r

February 08,2018 06:29 AMUpdated February 08,2O1g O6:30 AM

MARTIN, TENN. - An internationallv knownbehaviorist is coming to Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee at Martinin the Skyhawk Fieldhouse on campus.Individuals Who Have Different Kinds

www.usnews.com

www.tampabay.com

www.fresnobee.com

autism advocate and animal

says Dr. Temple Grandin will speak TuesdayThe sold-out lecture, "Developingof Minds," will also be streamed online.

Colorado State University, specializingand the study of animal welfare in theand work was produced in 2OIO.

in behavior and handling of cattle and pigs,meat industry. An HBO movie about her life

Diagnosed with autism in the 1950s, Grandin is a professor of animal science at

Grandin's presentation is sponsored by the Ed and Llew Jones DistinguishedLecture Series, which was recently reinstated by Meg Kinnard Hardee,granddaughter of former Tennessee u.s. Rep. Ed Jones, and her husband,Geoffrey.

Local students make UT Martin honor rollFebruary 08,2018 www.murfreesboropo st. com,

The outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students at the Universityof Tennessee at Martin have been honored with publication of the Fall2017Chancellor's Honor Rolls for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Collegeof Business and Global Affairs, College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences,

College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the College of Humanities and Fine

Arts.

To be eligible for Chancellor's Honor Roll recognition at UT Martin, a student musttake at least 12 hours of credit (pass-fail courses are not included) and achieve a 3.2(B) grade point average based on a 4.0 scale. Students can make the Chancellor'sHonor Roll with honors (3.2 through3.49), high honors (3.5 through 3.7g)or highesthonors (3.8 through 4.0).

Local students making the honor roll include:

Auburntown: Benjamin T. Chumley, High Honors.

La Vergne: Andrea M. Boulton, Honors; Madison P. Lee, High Honors; Leonel perez,

Highest Honors.

Murfreesboro: Lana Albasri, High Honors; Bailey M. Barber, Highest Honors; Lane E.

Brown, Highest Honors; TimothyJ. Dye, High Honors; Andre D. Espinoza,High Honors;Gracie K. Fusting, Honors; Allison G. Glover, Highest Honors;John Michael Glover,Honors;Jennifer L. Greene, Honors; Danielle E. Gruenke, High Honors; Alexis L.

Muncy, High Honors; Emily p. Nash, Honors; stephen M. Reneau, High Honors;Hannah l. Roberts, Honors;Jack A. Scalzo, Highest Honors; Christian C. Waiker,Highest Honors; Elizabeth A. Whitt, Highest Honors; Nicholas R. Wolf, Highest Honors.

Rockvale: Mary L. Minatra, High Honors.

Smyrna: Clint D. Beel, Honors; Savannah K. Frazier, Honors; Amanda S. Harrell, HighHoncrs; Mika E. Purvis, High Honor-s.

UT Martin is a comprehensive public university that maintains an excellent reputationfor its high-quality undergraduate programs, its beautiful campus and caringprofessors.

UT Martin holds their first town hallmeetingF e b ru ary 8, 20 1 I by Ama n d a Ge rry ( http : 4UlrurWbqtv pstn/btqgSnet{a{e rI'1)

MARTIN, Tenn. - Guests took the mic Thursday evening at the first ever University

of Tennessee Martin Town Hall meeting.

"l love to be involved, and I

to know what's going on around campus, and

town hall meeting was a great way to just stay

pdated with everything that Dr. Carver is working

on and the university administration has been working on," said Daniel Jones, Junior

at UT Martin.

Students, alumni, members the community, and local government officials came to

ask questions and listen in to the open forum.

"l thought the questions centered on enrollment, governance, recruitment strategies,

budgets; so areas I think that people would be very concerned with came up," said Dr.

Keith Carver, chancellor at UT Martin.

Jones said he asked about the upcoming academic affairs provost selection process.

"There's lots and lots of different parts of the

academic process, and the best way for them to

get feedback is from the students," said Jones.

Another important issue was the economic impact

the university has on the community.

"Northwest Tennessee is kind of known for being one of the more poorer areas of

Tennessee," Said Jones, "and So it's always a question that comes up aS to how UT

Martin affects that and how we can help with that."

Dr. Carver said the discussion, which was broadcast live, allowed viewers to email

him with questions. Both students and the chancellor say they enjoyed the opportunity

they had and are hoping to participate again in the future.

http : //www. wbbj tv. com

"l would definitely come

use you never know what questions are going

be asked, and it's aiways exciting to see that,"

ones said.

Students we spoke with say they were surprised at the turnout this evening. Dr.

Carver said he plans on holding another town hall meeting around this time next year.

Regarding the recent interviews of the four academic affairs provost candidates, Dr.

Carver said he hopes to make a selection in the next couple of weeks.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 201 8

A marriage of television and radioAshleigh Burton, a 2016 gradu-

ate of the University of Tennesseeat Martin. entertains area residentseach morning as "Gracie Hopper,"a weekday radio personality onFroggy 103.7's Morning Splashprogram, broadcast from Murray,Kentucky.

Burton, originally from SouthFulton, visited the UT Martin maincampus Jan.25 to speak to a classofbroadcast students. However, as

she answered various student ques-tions, she had no idea her long-timeboyfriend, Blake Stevens, was pre-paring to make a different sort ofrequest.

Stevens, originally from Brigh-ton, is an evening news reporter forWPSD Local 6 in Paducah, a posi-tion he accepted after graduatingfrom UT Martin in spring 2015.He and Burton were classmatesin the UT Martin communicationsprograln: pn.WUTM90.3 FM. ey firstm6t

in the UT Marlin CommunicationsBuilding.

In that same classroom, fouryears later, Stevens intemrPtedBurton's presentation, took aknee and asked her to be his wife- a question she happily answered,"Yes !"

Stevens and Burton are a truemarriage of television and radio.Both received their UT Marlin de-grees and walked straight into on-air positions in their chosen careerfields.

"I was blessed and lucky to beable to walk right into a morningshow. which is what I wanted todo," she told broadcast studentsJan. 25. "When I started workingat Froggy, I was straight out ofcol-lege working with a lot of peoplewho were older than me who havebeen in (the field) longer than me.So I had to humble myself and say,'.You knop whal, if,ygu want meto work this appeararice with no

pay, I'm there. If you want me towork 400 Saturdays in a row, I'mthere. "'

However, as Stevens points out,their individual successes createchallenges in their personal rela-tionship.

"ln radio, your dream spot is themornings, drive time. In TV news,in most markets, the reporter's goalis to be on the evening news. So,by default, if she does well, she'searly, and if I do well, I'm after-noons. And that's what we have,"he said. "So we don't see eachother Monday through Friday. Shecomes home after I've already leftfor work."

Burton, who was recently pro-moted to assistant program direc-tor at Froggy 103.7, begins her dayat 5 a.m. and is on the MorningSplash from 6-10 a.m. and hoststhe station's Taco John's All-Re-quest Lunch program from noon-2 p.m. as well. Stevens begins hid

workday at 1:30 p.m. and could beon camera until 10:30, dependingon when his stories are scheduledto air.

"It really makes us considerwhat's worth our energy, I think,"said Burton. "It's really importantto us that we spend the one-on-onetime, too. We don't want to be con-stantly going and going and forgetabout each other."

As for professional rivalry, thecouple says their jobs may be inthe same industry but are differentenough to keep them in separateplaying fields.

"I make jokes all morning, andhe's very serious recording thenews. So they are two totally dif-ferent beasts," said Burton.

The future is wide open as bothBurton and Stevens climb the pro-verbial ladders in their respectiveplatforms. Yet one thing is for sure:wherev.er they go,: an{ ,.whateve{they do, they'Il do together.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Blake Stevens and Ashleigh Burton, both local broadcast personalities, got engaged Jan.25 where they met on the UTMartin main campus.

Actor to portray famousabolitionist Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, fa-mous abolitionist leader.will visit the University ofTennessee at Martin in theform of Nathan Richard-son, performance poet andauthor. Richardson willperform at 5 p.m., Feb.12. in the UT Martin PaulMeek Library as part of his2018 Bicentennial Freder-ick Douglass Live Speak-ing Tour.

Richardson is the authorof the poetry collections"Likeness of Being" and"Twenty-one Imaginary T-shirts" and has contributedto a variety of anthologies.He is in his third year ofThe Frederick DouglassSpeaking Tour, which of-

fers a live look at the his-torical figure.

Douglass, who lived dur-ing the 19th century, wasborn into slavery and laterbecame an author, oratorand prominent human rightsleader during the anti-slav-ery movement. He is alsothe first African Americancitizen to hold a high U.S.government rank. PresidentWilliam Henry Harrisonappointed Douglass to bethe United States's ministerresident and cons ul-generalto the Republic of Haiti andCharg6 d'affaires for SantoDomingo in 1889.

He was also the first Af-rican American to receivea vote for President of the

United States in a ma-jor party's roll-call voteinl888.

His autobiography,"Narrative of the Life ofFrederick Douglass, AnAmerican Slave," de-scribes his experiencesliving in slavery and hislife after the Civil War.Douglass died on Feb.2O,1 895.

Richardson's perfor-mance is free and open tothe public and will includea question-and-answersession with the audience.

For more informaLion,contact Dr. John Burch,director of the Paul MeekLibrary, at 731-881-7070or jburch5@utm.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

NATHAN RICHARDSON AS DOUGLASS

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Bobby Seale to deliver keynoteat Civil Rights Conference

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin will hostthe 1Sth annual Civil RightsConference, Feb. 18-24, onthe main campus in Martin.The 2018 conference willcenter on the theme "50Years After Dr. King's As-sassination: From Dream toWoke."

Bobby Seale, co-founderand first chairman of theBlack Panther Party, willserve as keynote speaker atI p.m.,Feb.22, in WatkinsAuditorium of the BolingUniversity Center.

Events begin with a spe-cial forum discussion titled"Heritage or Hate: A Fo-rum on Confederate Monu-ments" will be held at noon,Feb. 14, in Watkins Audito-rium before the official startof the conference.

New this year is a publictrip to the National CivilRights Museum in Mem-phis, sponsored by Trin-ity Presbyterian Church inMafiin. Those wishing toattend will depart the Bol-ing University Center park-ing lot at 7'.30 a.m.,Feb.24.Admission to the museumis $10 per person.

The public is also invit-ed to vote for the PopularChoice Award in the CivilRights Conference StudentArt Contest during the dayFeb.22.

Awards will be presentedat 1 p.m., Feb.23.

All other events will beheld in Watkins Auditoriumfree of charge unless other-wise noted. A schedule ofevents includes:

.Feb. 18 - Movie screen-ing: "Detroit"; 6 and 9 p.-.;sponsored by the StudentActivities Council

.Feb. 19 - Roundtable:"Black Writers Reading

Roundtable"; Hortense Par-rish Writing Center, AndyHolt Humanities Building,room 209; noon

.Feb. 19 - Performance:"From Dream to Woke";Florence Roach and UTMartin theatre studentsoriginal play; 7 p.m.

.Feb. 20 - Speaker:"Double Jeopardy: Cross-roads of Discrimination";Marisa Richmond, profes-sor of women and genderstudies, Middle TennesseeState University: I p.m.

.Feb. 20 - Panel discus-sion: "Athletes and theCivil Rights Movement,"chaired by Dr. David Cof-fey, UT Martin Departmentof History and Philosophy;2:30 p.m.

.Feb. 20 - Performance:Roots of Rhythm: HarrierFulton Theatre, UT MarrinFine Arts Building; 7 p.m;$5 admission charge

.Feb. 2l - Workshop:"Understanding CulturalDiversity"; Boling Univer-sity Center, room 206; 11a.m.; sponsored by the UTMartin Social Work Asso-cratron

.Feb. 21 - Performance:Roots of Rhythm; HarrietFulton Theatre, UT MartinFine Arts Building; noon;$5 admission charge

.Feb. 2l - Performance:"Night of Dance and Spo-ken Word"; Imani Cezanne,Samuel Hawkins and theJudith Jamison Dancerst 7p.m.

.Feb.22 - Speaker: "TheLast Year of Dr. King'sLife"; Ryan Jones, histo-rian, National Civil RightsMuseum; 9:30 a.m.

.Feb.22 - Speaker: "FromMemphis to St. Louis";Adolphus Pruitt, chairman,St. Louis chapter of the

National Association forthe Advancement of Col-ored People, and BeverlyRobenson. lormer presi-dent for the National CivilRights Museum; 11 a.m.

.Feb.22 - Speaker: "TheWhite Church and theCivil Rights Movement";Rev. George Pasley, pas-tor. Trinity PresbyterianChurch in Martin; 1 p.m.

.Feb.22 - Panel: BlackStudent Association presi-dents from various institu-tions; 2:30 p.m.

.Feb. 22 - Keynotespeaker: Bobby Seale, co-founder and first chairmanof the Black Panther Par-ty; 7 p.m.; accompaniedby a performance from theVoices of Harmony

.Feb.23 - Civil RightsConference Student ArtExhibition awards recep-lion; Watkins Auditoriumfoyer; I p.m.

.Feb.23 - Speaker: "Artand Civil Rights"; CarlMoore, Memphis-basedartist and contest juror;2p.m.

.Feb. 24 - NationalCivil Rights Museum trip,sponsored by Trinity Pres-byterian Church in Mar-tin; leaves from BolingUniversity Center parkinglot; 7:30 a.m.; $10 muse-um admission fee

UTMartin is one of onlytwo universities in the na-tion to host an annual civilrights conference, and theevent has been held eachyear since 2000.

For more informationon the Civil Rights Con-ference, contact Dr. DavidBarber, associate profes-sor of history and confer-ence organizer, at 737-881-7465 or by email atdbarber@utm.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2018

LET'S TALK ABOUT RACE - Dr. LindsayAnderson, assistant professor of sociology atThe University of Ten-nessee at Martin, advises studentJoe Lurks lll of Dyersburg.Anderson explains how race is still an issue and a viablecurrent topic of discussion. Photo by Kimberly Page

Race still matters, sociology profe.ssor declaresBy KTMBERIY PAGEPress Reporter

In an age of political cor-rectness, race is often con-sidered an uncomfortablesubject.

For people who grew upin the '60s and '70s, it'ssurprising race and racerelations remain activetopics in the 21st century.Even after the "Summer ofLove," desegregation, civiirights. affirmative actionand "tslack Lives Matter,"a recent NBC News/Wall

Street Journal poll found 70percent of Americans stillthink race relations in theUnited States are poor.

According to Dr. LindsayAnderson, associate pro-f-essor of Sociology at TheUniversity of 'fennessee atMafiin, the reason we'restill talking about race isthat race is still very muchan lssLre.

When talking about race,one obstacle is using poiiteand proper language. Whenasked il African-Ameri-can or black was the cor-

rect terminology Andersonsaid, "They mean differentthings. l'm both, but not allblacks are African-Ameri-can. and not all African-Arnerican are black. Blackis your racial category andit's based on visuals. Forexample, you may havesomeone that looks white.but has Afiican-Americanparents. So going by visuals,people r dontt'eonsieler themas biack. AIncis mv'efhfiicso wfiat that means is thatI am an American citizen.

and I am descended frompeople who came fromAfrica. African-Americanalso usually means that myancestors were slaves.

"We are taught that raceis over. lt's been so longago, we should be over it,"Anderson continued. "I ar-gue that racism used to bea bullet wound. You couldpoint to the scar, you ktrewwho slrot you, people wit-nesseci it, it was obviouswhat had occurred. Now

SEE RACE,PLcn r8

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

RACE,From Page Irace is like cancer. It's stilljust as much killing us, andit's probably doing it faster.But it's silent, it's under-ground and we're not evenaware of our diagnosis. Sothe problem is our inabilityto recognize race still mat-ters. While we're sittinghere talking that race is anissue, we're actually con-tinuing to letting it becomean issue."

When asked how to stopracism, Anderson said theproblem is "we really don'tknow how. Our sociely.from day one, was built ondifferent people having dif-ferent access -- in terms ofrace. in terms of gender. interms of landowners. Ourcountry was never built tobe free."

If a 5O-year-old womanis told she is not right for ajob because a younger per-son could handle the dutiesbetter that, "is overt dis-crimination," Anderson ex-plained. "It's illegal ageismand blatant. However, if thewoman is just not told any-thing and is just not put intothe pool of applicants, thatis coverl discrimination andthe reason for not hiringher is the exact same. Andthat's how racism works.l'm not hiring someonebecause they're black, butI may hear something like'our customer base won'trelate to you."'

Stereotypes are still aliveand well in our culture."The problem becomesnot that we stereotype; theproblem becomes that thestereotype allows us to jus-tify different treatment,"Anderson said.

"All of us stereotype.When I teach general so-ciology, I treat the stu-dents differently than I dowith my 4OO/senior levelstudents. I expect my se-nior level to be a bit moreself-aware, more self-suf-ficient. General sociology

- I spoon-feed thern. I haveto, because it's the first timethey've had sociology. ltusually is a first semester,and high-school-to-collegetransition is hard. So it'scompletely different. I ste-reotype."

"These stereotypes nec-essarily don't have to bebad," she said. "I don'tvalue my general sociologystudents different from myseniors. I give them boththe same amount of atten-tion, or at least I try to."

In class, Anderson ad-dresses a common stereo-typical example that peopleof color don't work as hardand therefore don't have thewealth and status of whites."Let's look at the historvof the U.S. For 300 vear.sthere was no way that'spe-cifi cally African-Americancould accumulate wealth.They were slaves; theywere properly themselves.So when they finally gotfreedom and emancipation,they started exactly withnothing. They had no edu-cation, they had no money,they had no skilis reallyexcept for physical labor,which we know pays theleast. And then we had JimCrow segregation, whichwasn't slavery but it in-sured that wealth couldn'tbe accumulated. So untilthe '60s or '70s, this is thefirst time we've seen theability ol African-Ameri-cans to join the military andget GI benefits. World WarII veterans who came backdidn't get any benefits.They didn't get the col-lege education, they didn'tget the housing that every-one else got. Once they gotthe house and the collegeeduoation, you have morewealth to pass on so thenext generation can start ata higher level."

Changing our thinkingabout race is problematicand takes time. "Change hasto be three levels," Ander-son explained. "You have

to change hearls and minds,which is difflcult. You haveto change the system andyou have to change the ac-cumulation. This is whataffirmative action tried todo and people got reallyupset with affirmative ac-tion because they were try-ing to quickly find a wayfor people who had beenexcluded" to catch up.

"What ends up happeningwith race, we focus so muchon the superfcial changesthat we are not looking atthe structural changes, weare not looking at the wide-spread changes.

"So the issue with raceis that it's structural, andthat's what sociology stud-ies," Anderson said. "Thishas been going on a longtime and it's deeply embed-ded in our culture. Whenyou are 5 or 6 years old, youaccept fstereotypes] as fact.This becomes your realityand you start to treat peopledifferently, which leads toproblematic behavior. Ourculture hasn't changed, sowe haven't changed. We'vegotten really good at sayingthe right things and lovingthe word 'diversity,"' butwe still segregate, she said.

"We self-segregate.There is a level of we arecomforlable and attractedto people like us becausewe can communicate witheach other, we have similarbackgrounds. That's whywe tend to date within ourclass, within our race, with-in our religion, within ourpolitical spectrum, becauseit's usually who we havethe most common with.

"But within our culturethere is an understandingthat the only people whowilt understand you ispeople like you, and thatperpetuates this self-segre-gatron.

"We fall back on our ste-reotypes whenever we arein situations of stress orconfusion." Anderson ex-plained. "Our stereotypesare there because we'vebeen socialized into them.And no matter how muchwe want to dispute them orrefute them because they'renot good even when we re"-ognize it, in times of stress

or problems we fall back onthem. When you strip awaywho we are, what is left isour culture. And our cultureis a problem. "

Trying to repair racial re-lations can be overwhelm-ing. "People feel dishearl-ened," Anderson said. "Butthe way I see it is there'sonly two things I can do asan individual.I can work onmyself constantly and rec-ognize there are times I'mgoing to fail and there aretimes where I'm going tohave to swallow the pill andrecognize that I am wrong.I'm going to have to cor-rect myself and let otherscorrecl me. There are times

cringe is good."She continued, "The first

part is that we have to workon ourselves. The secondparl is while we are work-ing on ourselves we haveto speak up because theproblem is we don't sayanything; it's easier. Wetake the easy route. Some-times we just sit there andare appalled but we don'tdo anything, we don't sayanything and our silenceis supporling that behaviorto continue. We don't en-9age."

explainedty in talkingS.

"If enough people join, ifthings,

change,our cul-

ture. And then that impactsthe next generation com-ing up, more than any PCor polite term or anythingwe can do. Us coming to-gether is necessary forus to change our culturalawareness and our society,just like with 'Me Too' or'Black Lives Matter.'

"There is backlash be-cause a lot of people don'tsee the point in thingschanging because it doesn'timpact them."

Relating to other races"takes a level of empathy,"Anderson said. "You haveto be able to understand thesituation of somebody elsethat's outside of your realmof understanding."

UTM Town Hall Meeting

Posted on f'Eb' r ary I 20 1 A lr'i Joseph Anderson - Local News

UTM Chancellor Dr Keith Carver is optimistic about the growth of campus as well as the wellbeing of Martin following yesterday's TownHall meeting on campus

Dr carverfeels the local area and UTM are connected during positive and negative times.

Dr Carver credits his faculty and staff for overcoming recent challenges with accreditation

With the TN Promise program making progress, Dr Carver believes it will benefit the local economy while creating interest towards higher

education

Enrollment for the Spring Semester is slightly above 6,800 students Dr Carver is optimistic this nurnber will increase next semester

JACKSONSUN.COM U SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11,2018UTM hosting CivilRights conference

From Staff ReportsJackson SunUSA TODAY NETWORK . TENNESSEE

Thb University of Tennessee at Mar-tin will host the l8th annual Civil RightsConference,, Feb. 78-24, on the maincampus in Martin. The 2O18 conferencewill center on the theme "5O Years AfterDr. King's Assassination: From Dreamto Woke."

Bobby Seale, co-founder and firstchairman of the Black Panther Party,will serve as keynote speaker at 7 p.m.,Feb.22, in Watkins Auditorium of theBoling University Center.

A special forum discussion titled"Heritage or Hate: A Forum on Confed-erate Monuments" will be held at noon,Feb. 14, in Watkins Auditorium beforethe official start of the conference.

New this year is a public trip to theNational Civil Rights Museum in Mem-phis, sponsored by Trinity PresbyterianChurch in Martin. Those wishing to at-tend will depart the Boling UniversityCenter parking lot at 7:3o a.m., Feb. 24.Admission to the museum is $1O perperson.

The public is also invited to vote for

the Popular Choice Award in the CivilRights Conference Student Art Contestduring the day Feb. 22. Awards will bepresented at 1p.m., Feb. 23.

All other events will be held in Wat-kins Auditorium free of charge unlessetherwise Ooted. A schedule of events isas follows: '

' Feb.18r Movie screening: "Detroit"; 6 and 9

p.n!; sponsored by the Student Activ=ities Council

Feb. 19. Roundtable: "Black Writers Reading

Rourrdtable"; Hortense Parrish WritingCenter, Andy Holt Humanities Building,room209; noon

. Performdnce: "From Dream toWoke";.Florence Roach and UT Martintheatre students original play; 7 p.m.

Feb.2O :

. Speaker:'Double Jeopardy: Cross-roads of Discrtnination'; Marisa Rich-mond, professor of women and genderstudies, Middle Tennessee State Uni-versity; 1p.m.

. Panel discussion: 'Athletes and theCivil Rights Movement," chaired by Dr.David Coffey, UT Martin Department ofHistory and Philosophy; 2:3O p.m.

JACKSONSUN.COM € SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11,2018

' Performance : Roots of Rhythm; Har-riet Fulton Theatre, UT Martin Fine ArtsBuilding; 7 p.m,; $5 admission charge

Feb. Z' Workshop : "Understanding Cultural

Diversity"; Boling University Center,room2O6;11 a.!p'.; sponsored by the UTMartin Social rvtr/ork Association

.Performance: Roots of Rhythm; Har-riet Fulton Theatre, UT Martin Fine Artsnuilding; noon; $5 admission charge

. Perfolmance: "Night of Dance andSpoken tvttrord"; Imani Cezanne, SamuelHawkins and the Judith Jamison Danc-ers; 7 p.m.

Eeb.22. Speaker: "The LastYear ofDr. King's

Life"; Ryan Jones, historian, NationalCivil Rights Museum; 9:30 a.m.

'Speaker: "From Memphis to St. Lou-is"; Adolphus Pruitt, chairman, St. Louischa ional Association forthe of Colored People,and Beverly Robertson, former presi-dent for the National Civil Rights Mu-seum; Ia.m.

. Speaker: "TheWhite ChurchandtheCivil Rights Movement"; Rev. GeorgePasley, pastor, Trinity PresbyterianChurch in Martin; 1p.m.

. Panel: Black Student Associationpresidents from various institutions;2l3o p.m.

'Keynote speaker: Bobby Seale, co-founder and first chairman of the BlackPanther Party; 7 p.m.; accompanied by aperformance from the Voices of Harmo-ny

Feb.23' Civil Rights Conference Student Art

Exhibition awards reception; WatkinsAuditorium foyer; 1 p.m.

. Speaker: 'Art and Civil Rights"; CarlMoore, Memphis-based artist and con-test juror; 2 p.m.

Feb.24. National Civil Rights Museum trip,

sponsored by Trinity PresbyterianChurch in Martin; leaves from BolingUniversity Center parking lot; 7:30 a.m.;$1O museum admission fee

UT Martin is one of only two univer-sities in the nation to host an annualcivil rights conferqnce, and the eventhas been held each year since 2OOO.

For more information on the CivilRights Conference, contact Dr. DavidBarber, associate professor of historyand conference organizer, at 731-881-7465 or by email at dbarber@utm.edu.

WestStar leadershipprogram co-spOnsorsgubernatorial forum

From Staff ReportsJackson SunUSA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE

The University of Tennessee at Mar-tin WestStar Leadership Program part-nered with the Tennessee Press Asso-ciation and other individuals and or-ganizations to co-sponsor a gubernato-rial candidate forum during theTennessee Press Association WinterConvention on Feb. L at the NashvillePublic Library. More than 70 currentWestStar class members and alumnitraveled by chartered bus to hear can-didates answer questions and addressissues in the race for Tennessee gover-nor.

16s 1sn--partisanT6rurn was open toall candidates and supported West-Star's strategic vision to promote eco-nomic development in West Tennesseeand encourage participation in the up-coming election. Participants wereDemocratic candidates Carl Dean andCraig Fitzhugh and Republican candi-dates Kay White, Bill Lee and RandyBoyd. Each offered opening state-ments, answered questions submittedby Tennessee Press Association mem-ber newspapers and closed the forumwith final statements. Eric Barnes,publisher and CEO of The Daily NewsPublishing Co. Inc. in Memphis andTPA president, was the forum modera-tor.

JACKSONSUN.COM B SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11,2018

Traveling with the WestStar groupand attending the forum were UT Mar-tin communications students Rikki Er-win, Ashley Shores, Emma Bruner andHolly Seng. Erwin and Shores also par-ticipate in the university's Ned RayMcWherter Institute, a mentoring pro-gram that includes engagement andnetworking opportunities for selectedstudents.

Erwin and Shores both gained im-portant insights about the candidatesand commented by email following theevent. "I really enjoyed learning moreabout more specific beliefs and valuesof the candidates," wrote Erwin, a sen-ior from Brighton. "It (the forum) wasreally informative, and I especially en-joyed hearing comments on penal re-form and the education goals each can-didate had."

Shores, a senior from Lebanon, wastwpicssed by the candidates' prepara-tion. "They have to be prepared for anyand every question that could possiblybe asked, and they have to be able totake a solid stance on that issue withina given time," she wrote. "I also thor-oughly enjoyed hearing their openingstatements, because it gave an insight

into their lives, families and past so youcan see them as more than just a politi-cal candidate asking for your vote."

Bruner and Seng both valued the ex.perience and see voters benefiting fromthis kind of campaign event. "I believecandidate forums such as this are im-portant, because they allow candidatesto conduct an open discussion that en-

what policies the candidates supportand how they would run the state ofTennessee as the new governor."

Seng, a senior from Union Citygained valuable voter knowledgethrough her attendance and sees theforum as a way to involve and infolmyounger voters. "I encourage other stu-dents and voters to either attend fo-rums or stay informed about local andstate politics because of the direct im-pact their (elected officials) decisionshave on our lives," Seng responded. "Idefinitely walked away with an interestand greater appreciation of local andstate governments, an interest that willtranslate into my continual effort tostay informed and participate in the fu-ture."

UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver,also a WestStar graduate, attended theforum and laterjoined other Tennessee

Also attending the forum, TpA con-vention and lunch were Dr. Robert Nan-ney, UT Martin communications de-partment chair, and student journalistsfrom the department. Nanney, a long-time print journalism photographer, re-porter and managing editor, annuallytakes university students to the con-vention.

These students included Matt Her-od, a junior from Jackson; SarahKnapp, a junior from Moscow; JuliaEwoldt, a senior from Savannah; JasonRepath, a freshman from White House;and Rachel Moore, a senior from Ash-land City.

The current WestStar class is theprogram's 29th since WestStar was es-tablished in 1989. Thirty class partici-pants were co ly selected by*the program's fi directors tolearn new leadership skills and developstrategies to help communities solveproblems and maximize potential.

Participants are selected from all oc-cupations and levels of community andregional involvement. WestStar hasgraduated 298 class members since theprogram began.

http : //www. che stercountyindependent.com/

University of Tennessee at Martfn(UTM) invites students to Skyhawk"Test Flight" Academic PreviewDay2lt2l20t8

The University of Tennessee at Martin will host Test Flight Academic Preview Day

beginning at 8:3o a.m., Feb. 19.

High school juniors and seniors are invited to tour the campus, meet with faculty members

and students in areas of interest and experience college life inside the classroom.

Check-in begins at 8:3o a.m. in the Boling University Center's Watkins Auditorium with an

official welcome following at 9 a.m An administrative fair featuring representatives from

the offices of undergraduate admissions, financial aid and scholarships, housing and

dining services will be open during the registration period.

Students will be introduced to the various academic departments at 9:3o a.m. and can

attend a college course later in the morning.

From 10 a.m. until noon, participating students will visit classrooms, meet with faculty intheir chosen departments or attend a question-and-answer discussion panel.

Guests can have lunch at noon with members of the chosen department, and students willreturn at 1p.m. to tour the rest of the UT Martin campus.

There is no charge to attend either event, but pre-registration is required.

Visit utm.edu/testflight to register online, or contact the UT Martin Office ofUndergraduate Admissions at 88r-7ozo for more information.

Bobby Seale at UTM

Posted on F"5 taty 12,2018 by Joseph Anderson if Local Newswww. thunderboltradio. corn

A co-founding member of the Black Panther Party will be the key note speaker at the 18th annual Civil Rights Conference at UTM

Event organizer Dr David Barber says the Panther's formation revolved around self-defense, which has often led to misconceptions

about the group

Although most commonly known for skirmishes with law enforcement, Dr Barber says the Panthers were involved in a variety of social

programs to better African-American communities

Bobby Seale will speak on February 22nd al7:00 in Watkins Auditorium

Jackson Symphony partners with UTMarti n students for LperformanceFebruary 13,2018 by Hannah King www.wbbjtv.com/.

JACKSON, Tenn. - Students from the University of Tennessee at Martin joined the

Jackson Symphony Tuesday at the Jackson-Madison County Library for a special25-minute pedormance for children.

'The Magic Flute" is a combinationof etements that are classical music, educational

nd fun. These performances are for all ages butre part of the Jackson Symphony's lntegrative

Medicine Program created for children who have developmental challenges.

"What we have been seeing today at the library is actually really l,Aozartsung alongwith our collaboration with UT Martin and Dr. Mark Simmons," said Peter Shannon,Jackson Symphony's conductor and artistic director. "We are really proud of this. lt issomething that we do here at the library, but we have also done it at the Therapy andLearning centers for children with physical and mental disabilities."

Tuesday's performance was during the regular children's story hour and was open tothe community. Over the past year, the program has been modified for audiences forall ages.

TIIE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

CLASS ACT - Members of UTM Professor TaraWoods' class had a laboratory day full of affection lastweek. They visited Lake Nowhere Mule & Donl<ey Farmoutside Martin just in time to see five donkey foals thatranged in age from 3 months to 3 days. Pictured above,second from left, is farm proprietor Deb Kidwell and atfar right,Woods. Students pictured areAnna Kiseri Court-ney Rivera, Hunter Sternenberg, Hope Richardson,AshtonMcCage, Caroline Jones, and Heather Weisenstein. Below,Caroline Jones cuddles with Maia, the only female born sofar this year. Maia is 2 weeks old. More pictures can beseen on the Press Facebook page.

Photos by Linda Thurston

Tuesday, February 13, 2018Trenton Gazette

High schoolstudents invitedfor a SkyhawkTest Flight

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin will hostTest Flight Academic Pre-view Day beginning at 8:30a.m., February 19. Highschool juniors and seniorsare invited to tour thecampus, meet with facultymembels and students inareas of interest and ex-perience college life insidethe classroom.

Check-in begins at 8:30a.m. in the Boling Univer-sity Center's Watkins Au-ditorium with an officialwelcome following at 9. Anadministrative fair featur-ing representatives fromthe offices of undergradu-ate admissions, financialaid and scholarships, hous-ing and dining services willbe open during the regis-tration period.

Students will be intro-duced to the various aca-demic departments at 9:30and can attend a collegecourse later in the morn-ing. From 10 a.m. to noon,participating students willvisit classrooms, meet withfaculty in their chosendepartments or attend aquestion-and-answer dis-cussion panel.

Guests can have lunch atnoon with members of thechosen department, andstudents will return at 1

p.m. to tour the rest of theUT Martin campus.

There is no charge to at-tend either event, but Pre-registration is required.Visit utm.edu/testflightto register online, or con-tact the UT Martin Officeof Llndergraduate Admis-sions at 731-881-7020 formore information.

THE FAYETTE }ALCON

ACT prep course offeredat UTM's main campus

ACT scores are extreme-ly imporlant when it comesto applying for college andscholarships.

High school studentslooking to improve theirscores can register foran ACT review courseoffered from 8 a.m. to noonSaturdays Feb. 24-March17 on the University ofTennessee at Martin's maincampus.

Ron Ramage, courseinstructor, has taught ACTprep classes for more than20 years and will conductfour sessions focusing onEnglish, math, reading

and science. Students willuse "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2018: OfficialPractice Tests + 400 BonusQuestions Online 1stEdition."

The registration fee forthis course is $95 per per-son plus the cost of thetextbook, which can be pur-chased on Amazon.com.

For more informa-tion or to register, contactthe UT Martin Office ofEducational Outreach at(731) 881-7104 or visit thecourse website at utm.edu/departments/nondegree/course s/children/act .php .

Wednesday February 14, 2018

www.westkentuckystar. colrri

Published (}):09 PM, Wedoesda) Feb 14, 2018Updated 07 20 PM. Wednesdq Feb 14 201 8

Spring Enrollment Up at UT-MartinBy West Kentucky Sttr Staff/UT-Martin-Ml1-*"*n_":,

MARTIN, 'lN - The University of Tennessee at Martin hasseen its first increase in spring semester enrollment since201 1 Total university headcount for the spring 2018semester is up I 6 percent as compared to the spring 2017semester

UT Martin has specifically seen increases in tle number oftransfer ( I 0 4 percent increase), first-time freshmen (7 7percent) and dual/concurrent enrollment students (25 9percent) as compared to last spring

"Our admissions and recruiting teams have been workingvery hard, and we are pleased to see this increase in ourspring semester enrollment," said Dr Keith Carver, UTMartin chancellor "It is no secret that overall enrollmenthas been trending down in recent years, but this bump,along with our record-setting fi'eshman-to-sophomoreretention rate and large first-time freshman class, proves weare heading in the right direction once again "

Ihis news comes on the heels of a study that places UTMartin sixth in the state in LendEDU's third-annual College Risk-Reward IndicatorLendEDU, a student loan comparison service, evaluates the average student loan debt perborrower as compared to the average early career pay for university graduates to determineinstitution standing Average early career pay can also be defined as the median salary foralumni with fewer than five years of work experience

2018 Leadership Fayette class orientation on January 2zrhfne ?O1B

LeaOerstiip fayele class held Orientation at UT Martin in Somerville. Senator Dolores Gresham, Mayor Ronnie Neill, Mayor Rhea Taylor and Ms. Molly Mccarley,founders of the Leadership Fayette p,rogram, were in attendance and welcomed the class. Edward Champaghe iacilitated "Discover Vour Leader!hip personality Skills,, whichis designed to assist the memberg of the class to recognize and acknowledge their leadership personaliti, tipe wilh a view towards imorovino teamwork. pictured are: Mavorls oeslgneo to asslst lne memberg of the clas! to recognize and acknowledge their leadership personality type wilh a view towards imffoving teamwork. pictured are: Mayor

MilletrWatkins, Jarrett Burrows, Lauren Browning, Angie Rivers, Amy Segraves, Laurie Scott, Michelle Duncan. Not Pictured: Wyafl Follmann, Gen"nette Malone, and AmandaStout. (Photos by Jim Larkin)

The top-raaked school in Tennessee is Vanderbilt University

www.wenkwtpf .corrl,

Grandin Speaks To Huge Crowd At UTMm FEBRUARY !4,2ot} Ar 5:50 pM t posrED BYSHANNoN MCFARL|N

www.wenkwtpr.com

Martin, Tenn. - Dr. Temple Grandin, an internationally-known animal behaviorist and autism

advocate, spoke to an overf low crowd Tuesday at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Her

presentation, titled "Developing lndividuals Who Have Different Kinds of Minds," was

sponsored by the Ed and Llew Jones Distinguished Lecture Series.

Grandin focused her comments on the value of individuals who see the world differently than

those around them, such as those on the autism spectrum and those with other learning

difficulties such as dyslexia.

"We've got to help the minds that are different succeed. We need these minds that are

different, and we must not screen them out because the world needs all kinds of minds," she

said. Grandin gave examples from her own life to illustrate the need for creative classes such

as woodworking, welding, sewing and theater in schools. She has invented many restraint

systems and handling facilities for the livestock industry, and those pursuits began with an

early exposure to construction and art.

"When I was a little kid, four years old, I had no speech. I had allthe full-blown symptoms ofautism. Nobody thought I would go anywhere, but my ability in art was always encouraged.

Take the thing the kid is good at and build on it; build on the area of strength," she said. " l've

seen too many kids (who) are becoming their disability."

Grandin is currently a professor of animal science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins,

Colorado. Her specialties include the behavior and handling of cattle and pigs; the design oflivestock handling facilities and restraint systems; and the study of animal welfare in the meat

industry.

Her presentation is available through archived video on the OVC Digital Network.

For more information on Grandin's appearance, contact Dr. Emalee Buttrey, assistantprofessor of animal science, at 731-88I-7255 or ebuttrey@utm.edu, or Sara Rachels, Paul

M ee k Library, at 7 3I-881-7083 or srachel 1@utm.ed u.

NS band Director

directorO

resrgnsfrom postInappropriate contactalleged against educator

Brandon Shields .tackson sun*usn rooay NETWoRK - TENNEssEE

*' A teacher and banddirector at North SideHigh School resignedfp-rq his position Feb. 7after being suspendedearlier in the week for"inappropriate physical -Jason

contact ofa sexual na- Eckfordture and inappropriatecomments of a:sexual nature towardsa student" according to recent docu-ments in his personnel file.

. Jason Eckford was first hired as an

See DIRECTOR' Page 6A

Personalized readingclinics at UTM

The UT Martin Read-ing Center offers person-alized reading clinic ses-sions for students ingrades 2-72who have dif-ficulty reading or are fall-ing behind grade-fevelreading standardS.

JACKSONSUN.COM A WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2O18

Continued from Page 3A

employee of Jackson-Madison County Schools in thespring of 2OO8 and was promoted to head band direc-

tor at North Side in graduat-ing from Jackson C UT Mar-tin in December of 2OOZ.

His record is full of positive recommendations andfrom past system superintendentsand attendance, but a letter dated

Feb. 2 from JMCSS Superintendent Dr. Eric Jones

highlighted the accusations against Eckford.E

vestgategation closed with Eckford's resignation. JpD,s inves-tigation is still open according to the JMCSS final re-port regarding Eckford.

UTM offersAGT prep course

ACT scores are ex-tremely important whenit comes to applying forcollege and scholarships.High school studentslooking to improve theirscores can register for anACT review course of-fered from 8 a.m.-noon,

Saturdays, Feb. - Z+

March 17, on the Univer-sity of Tennessee at Mar-tin s rnain campus.

Ron Ramage, courseinstructor, has taughtACT prep classes formore than 20 years andwill conduct four ses-sions focusing on Eng-lish, math, reading andsclence.

Students will use "TheOfficial ACT Prep Guide,2O18: Official PracticeTests + 4OO Bonus Ques-tions Online 1st Edition."

The registration fee forthis course is $95 per per-son plus the cost of thetextbook, which can bepurchased on Amazon-.com.

For more informationor to register, contact theUT Martin Office of Edu-cational Outreach at 737-887-TfO4 or visit thecourse website atutm.edu/departments/nondegree/courses/chil-dren/act.php.

Dr. Temple Grandin speaks at University ofTennessee at Martin

10:16 am CSfl:14 pm Ctr

Written by Steve Pobst, Director

I/ARTIN,TN(KFVS) Dr.TempleGrandin,aninternationally-knownanimal behavioristandautismadvocate,spokeFeb. l3attheUniversjtyofTennessee at Martin

Her presentation, titled "Developing lndividuals Who Have Different Kinds of Minds," was sponsored by the Ed and LlewJones DistinguishedLecture Series.

Grandin focused her comments on the value of individuals who see the world differently than those around them, such as those on the autismspectrum and those with other learning difficuities such as dyslexia

'we've got to help the minds that are different succeed. we need these minds that are different, and we must not screen them out because theworld needs all kinds of minds," she said.

Grandin Save examples from her own life to illustrate the need for creative classes such as woodworking, welding, sewing and theater in schools

Grandin is currently a professor of animal science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Her presentation is available through archived video on the OVC Digital Network.

The Ed and LlewJones Distinguished Lecture Series was originally created in 1 989, and Grandin is the 1 5th speaker in the series.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

http://www.wbrc.com/

http : //www.kfvs 1 2. com/

SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT BREXIT-AI the Feb.7 Kiwanis meeting,Dr.Jeff Rogers, professor of geography at UT Martin, shared information about BREXIT,the formal, staged exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union.The map showsthe 28 current EU member states (blue),the EU candidate states (pink),the EU potentialcandidate states (green), and non-member states. ln Dr. Rogers' talk titled "BREXlT:WhatandWhatAfter," he said that BREXIT has been"a political fiasco" and shared an overviewof facts,tensions,and consequences of the exit,which will be official in 20 l9.He said thatdiscussions of BREXIT dominated the news in Europe.

ACT coursesto be offered

ACT scores are extremelyimportant when it comesto applying for college andscholarships. High schoolstudents looking to impror.etheir scores can register foran ACT review course of-fered from 8 a.m.-noon,Saturdays, Feb. 24-March17, on the University ofTennessee at Martin's maincampus.

Ron Ramage. course in-structor, has taught ACTprep classes for more than 20years and will conduct foursessions focusing on Eng-lish. math, reading and sci-ence. Students will use "TheOfficial ACT Prep Guide,20 1 8: Official Practice Tests+ 400 Bonus Questions On-line lst Edition."

The registration fee forthis course is $95 per personplus the cost ofthe textbook,which can be purchased onAmazon.com.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15 2018THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

ByRACHELFULCIMRSpecial to the Press

About six months ago, the University ofTennessee at Martin made an announce-ment that one of the biggest influences onthe agriculture industry, who is also an au-tism advocate, would be coming to UTMto speak. As an agriculture student myself,I was not only excited to hear of this infor-mation, but overjoyed. Being able to attenda lecture by Dr. Temple Grandin at UTMis the opportunity of a lifetime. This eventbrought in over 1000 attendees, and everysingle seat in the Skyhawk Field Housewas sold out.

Temple in 1947 to a

family in agnosed withautism at Grandin ex-plained that she was just a poor high schoolstudent with little interest in studying. Shehad the goal of becoming a scientist, andthis goal turned her into a motivated stu-dent'

couldn't talk. lnh ninth grade andI I for fighting be-c a'retard."'

Temple Grandin entebation, but through herseverance she was ablein her class. Grandin now hs a career inpsychology and animal science.

"I learned to build on the thing that I wasgood at. That's what the education systemdoesn't understand anymore. We have to

figure out what people can do, and build onthat."

oke about building on thepeople attain, and turning

s into a career. TodaY, Tem-ple Grandin has become one of the mostadmired and respected people in the agri-culture industry.

Grandin's science teacher motivated herto become a scientist. However,Temple alsosot a lo1 ofexperienc work-ing on her Aunt Ann whereshE realized that she ke theanimals that she was working with.

"We gotta get kids out there working onstuff," she told the audience. "Too many

she being educated bY

her very important toher; he made kites and

cardboard and PaPer. Hers working.st famous for her invention

a high-

:f"#'1;squeeze

machine, and plays a significant role in thecattle chutes used in the livestock industryas a therapeutic calming device to keep ani-

Snn GRANDIN,Pncn r4

GRANDIN,Fnou Pncn rmals calm.

Grandin specializes in ani-

mal behavior, livestock man-asement, and much more',.,ihen it comes to the agricul-ture industry. She has sPent

her entire life blending heragriculture

eer, and herso well that

she has not onlY made hugestrides for the agriculture in-dustrv. but for those affectedhv autism and their lovedones as well.

Grandin began her lectureon Tuesday night bY remind-ing people ol the need fortouch to Percelve lnlorma-tion. A recent studY cameout that said every student in

most states has an iPad."This doesn't make educa-

tion better!" said Grandin. "Itonly makes it decline."

The typical "classroomsetting" is theposite of thethat Grandin bto learn in.

"l remember when I firstsaw our industry go from Pa-per to computer. Old PeoPleaian't lite it. I began seeingstrange mistakes on draw-ings when theY would trY totransfer from comPuter topaper. Real work gets mindsturned on." said Grandin.

Stle brouEha-up severafexamples of people whowere educated and success-

ful without a "by the book"education from a classroom.Some examples that she usedwere Jane Goodall, ThomasEdison, Stephen SPielbergand Elon Musk.

"Thomas Edison was la-beled as a hyperactive highschool dropout, who wasalso labeled as 'addled' bya teacher. He ProbablY hadautism. But Edison accom-plished more by the age oi14 than most people do in a

lifetime." she said.The common denomina-

tor of these successful PeoPlewas their earlY exPosure tocareer interest, a lot of books,leaming to work at an earlY

age. not oversPecializing.having mentors to start ca-reer paths, and career entrywith internships.

Trv out different careers,Graridin told the students.Figure out what You likeand what You don't like.They didn't learn everY bitof their skills from a book orin a classroom. "That's whYwe gotta get kids out doing

stuff!" exclaimed Grandin.Grandin explained that theneed for out-of-classroomactivities, and hands on ex-periences go hand in handwith those who are autistic.

Grandin used examPlesfor hands-on classes thatincluded activities such as:

ar1, sewing, cooking, plaYingmusical instruments, theater,welding, auto, shop and cre-ative writing.

When addressing autism.Grandin reminded her audi-ence that people with autismare everywhere. They mightnot know it, but theY are on

the autism spectrum."Autism in its mild form

has been around for a longtime. But people in mY gen-eration learned what theY

could do, and found jobs.Many even work at NASAtoday," said Grandin.

"Autism is all about brainvariability," Grandin ex-plained. She said studiesshow that people with au-

tism typically have relativesin a more technical careeraud may find themselves inone of these careers, too. Abrain can be more cognitiveor more socially/emotionallYoriented.

Temple Grandin talkedabout the four different tYPes

of thinking: photorealisticvisual thinking object visu-alizer, pattern thinker sPatial

visualizer mrxic and nia.ter,verbal facts language trans-lation, and auxiliarY thinker."Some kids are visual learn-ers, some can do math in theirhead, and some need to see iton paper." said Crandin'

She labeled herself as a

visual thinkingzer. There canof these think-

ing purposes, she said. She

stressed the importance ofvisual thinkers in our world."When someone saYs churchsteeple to me I see a widearray of pictures and Photosof church steeples, but whensomeone says church steePle

to you, you just see one tall

thinkerwork in

ecause Inoticed a lot of little detailsthat not everYbodY else no-ticed. I used to think that ev-eryone was a visual thinker.But almost all animals thinkvisually. Grandin stressed theimportance of tying uP loosechains that scare animals, re-moving jackets hanging onfences, not having changes

in flooring."Gotra give tlre t*d.tt u

chance to look at it. Cattlenotice little details that wedon't notice," she said. Ani-mal memories are sPeciflcbecause they are sensorY and

not word-based. ToP downverbal thinkers overgeneral-tze.

In the realm of agricultureGrandin was able to use hersenses and her ability to no-tice what other peoPle mightmiss to focus on the live-stock's point of view.

Today over half of thecattle in North America are

handled in equipment thatshe designed. Grandin imPle-mented an objective scoringsystem lor evaluating animalwellare in meat Plants. Gran-din created the "flight zone"parameters, and designedchutes and practices to keeP

cattle safe and calm.Parker Meyer, an animal

science production major atUTM. was thrilled to hearGrandin speak.

"Her appearance is theopportunity of a lifetime. Itbrought people in from across

the region and even the state.

As an animal science studentwith a livestock background,I don't believe that I couldhave gotten a better exPeri-ence in my undergraduatecareer that would have beenbetter than listening to Dr.Grandin todav."

-roaiv,

craialn is a animalscience professor at ColoradoState University. Her courses

are said to fill up with stu-dents in under an hour. Gran-din has been said to be "theprofessor of a lifetime," "thekind of mentor and leaderwho leads you where Youneed to be," and "a teacherwho makes you think thingsthrough, and learn from a

firsthand experience."Grandin has a list of ac-

complishments, awards, and

accolades longer than anY

award show one could watch.She also has several moviesproduced about her life andher accomplishments. Gran-din has won the GoodreadsChoice Awards Best Non-fiction for the "The Autis-tic Brain." She has won theaward for the James Beard

Who's of Food and Beverage

in America. She was listed on

Time's annual list of the 100

most influential PeoPle in the

world in 2010, and she was

the sub.lect and insPirationfor the award winning -semi-biographical film "TemPle

Grandin."

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Foundation Award for Who's

Good grades Gradesfor teachertrainingprogramsJennifer PignoletMemphis Commercial AppealUSA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE

Many of the smaller, non-traditionalprograms that prepare Tennessee'steachers are outperforming some thelarger university programs, according toa new report.

Graduates of some of the smallerprograms, like the Memphis TeacherResidency, were more effective in their-public school classrooms, the reportshowed, highlighting the importance ofconmTunityirhmersed training forteachers.

But many larger programs still faredwell, including University of TennesseeKnoxville and University of Memphis.

The Tennessee State Board ofEduca-tion made public Thursday its 2O17Teacher Preparation Report Card grad-ing each program across the state thatreadies teachers for the classroom.Schools use the report to inform wherethey can make improvements, and itserves as a tool for perspective teachersto find a training program right for them.

Kandi Hill-Clarke, dean of the collegeof education at University of Memphis,said her department takes the report se-riously.

"It's important because children de-

See GRADES, Page 12A

Continued from page 1A

serve highly effective teachers,,' shesaid.

The report card assigns an overallgrade of1 through 4 based on scores giv-en for diversity of candidate pools, thepercentage of students employed andretained after graduatiop, and the effec-tiveness of those teachers, measured bytheir evaluation scores.

The programs in Memphis are strongacross the board, the report shows, witfiall earning an overall score of a 3 or a 4.Both of those scores mean the schoolsare meeting expectations.

The University of Memphis andChristian Brothers University eachearned a 3 overall. Memphis TeacherResidency and Teach for America Mem-phis both earned a 4. In Nashville, TheNew Teacher Project also earned a 4.

The Commercial Appeal s rHURsDAy, FEBRUARy 1s,2o1B

for their speqific classroom environ-ment.

competence about the needs of Mem-phis students. Rhodes College in Mem-phis will also be adding a master,s de-gree in education next year.

Morrison said there's not one modelthat is the "silver bullet," but that everymodel can learn from each other,s suclcesses.

Of the smaller, non-traditional op.tions like Teach for America and Mem-

"I think that's often a result ofthe factthat they're working pretty closely withtheir communities and with their dis.tricts and the places they're placingthese students," she said.

University of Tennessee Knoxvilleearned a 4, but UT campuses in Martinand Chattanooga both earned a 2 over-all. Vanderbilt University's programearned a 3.

Teach for America programs in bothMemphis and Nashville eirned a +. Theprogram for puttingteachers with onlyweeks of its partici-pants are heavily supported.

The state's report does not addresswhether a program specifically trainsteachers to work in high-poverty class-rooms with increased needs.

That could make a difference in aplace like Memphis, where children sneeds are often andjust onein five third-gr ts reads ongrade level.

Sara Morrison, executive director forthe state board, said an additional ..sat-

isfaction' score will be added next yearthat would ask both teachers and theiremployers whether they felt prepared

Tea cy, which0 of in Shelbyools aspiringYea on before

fu 1X111;1t:n,T,1!ith

Molly Nied, the director of educationfor MTR, said the program is unique inits abilityto train teachers for the exactjob they will have following their resi-dency.

"We're able to design courseworkthat directly prepares teachers to behere in Memphis teaching;" she said.

Reuch Jennifer Pignolet at jenhifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.celn or onTwitter @JenPignolet.

UTM Offers New Visitor Pass Procedure h ttp ://www. wenkwtpr. comM FEBRUARY 75,2o78 AT 4:2OPM g PoSTED BYSHANNoN MCFARLIN

Martin, Tenn. - Alumni, community members and other guests to the University of Tennessee atMartin main campus now have a new way to obtain visitors' parking passes.

One-day parking passes can be requested online at utm.edu/parking and will be verified during normaloffice hours from I a.m'-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Once verified, a PDF pass will be emailed to therequestor and can be printed and displayed on the vehicle's dashboard.

These printed passes are only valid for the single day displayed on the printout, and a new pass willneed to be requested for each additional visit.

Visitors wishing to park on campus outside of normal office hours can still visit the traffic office inperson, 24hours a day, seven days a week, to obtain a parking pass. All temporary visitor passes areissued free of charge- The traffic off ice is located in the Department of public Safety in Crisp Hall,which can be accessed via Hurt Street past Clement Hall.Parking passes are not needed to attend large events such as commencement, sporting events orsummer orientation and Registration. During these events, lots used by event attendees are notticketed for failure to register.

visitors who do receive tickets for failure to register are not charged parking fines but are required tosign the ticket and return it to the traffic off ice within 14 days.

For more information, contact Scott Robbins, director, UT lvlartin Department of public Safety, atsd robbins@utm.ed u or 7 3I-8Bt-7 77 5.

UTM Vanguard Theatre presents "Vanya andSonia and Masha and Spike"

February 16 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm http://www.wenkwtpr.com

MINThe UT Martin Vanguard Theatre presents its spring production, "Vanya and Sonia and

Masha and Spike" by playwright Christopher Durang, February 22through27 at8 p.m., in

the Vanguard Little Theatre inside the UT Martin Fine Arts Building. Sunday, Feb. 24, will

offer a 3 p.m. matinee viewing instead of the 8 p.m. show time.

Tickets are on sale now for $15 for adults and $5 for UT Martin and local students.

Tickets can be purchased through the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts from 8

a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Contact the office at 731-88I-74OO, or visit room 2Ot of the Fine Arts Building to claim

tickets.

The Vanguard Box Office will open one hour before each performance for will-call pick up

and last-minute ticket purchases.

This performance is not recommended for young children, and adults with children who are

not able to remain in a purchased seat may be asked to leave.

For more information, contact the department office at 731-88I-74OO.

JACKSONSUN.COM g SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17,2O1A

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely importantwhen it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships. High school studentslooking to'improve their scores can reg-ister for an ACT review course offeredfrom 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Feb.24-March 17, on the University of Tennes-see at Martin s main campus.

Ron Ramage, course instructor, hastaught ACT prep classes for more than20 years and will conduct four sessionsfocusilig on English, math, reading andscience.

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2O18: Official'Practice Tests+ 4OO Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-tion."

- The registration fee for this course is$95 per person plus the cost ofthe text-book, which can be purchased on Ama-zon.com.

For more information or to register,contact the UT Martin Office of Educa-tional Outreach at 737-887-TlO4 or visitthe course website at utm.edu/depart-ments/nondegree/courses/children/act.php.

Personalized readingclinics at UTM

The UT Martin Reading Center offerspersonalized reading clinic sessions for

JACKSONSUN.COM & SIJNDAY, FEBRUARY 18,20-IB

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely irnportant

when it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships. High school studentslooking to improve their scores can reg-ister for an ACT review course offeredfrom B a.rn.-noon, Saturdays, Feb.24-March 17, on the University of Tennes-see at Martin s main campus.

Ron Ramage, course instructor, hastaught ACT prep classes for more than20 years and will conduct four sessionsfocusing on English, math, reading andsclence.

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2O1B: Official Practice Tests+ 400 Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-tion."

The registration fee for this course is$95 per person plus the cost ofthe text-book, which can be purchased on Ama-zon.com.

For more information or to register,contact the UT Martin Office of Educa-tional Outreach at 73I-88I-TIO4 or visitthe course website at utm.edu/depart-ments/nondegree/courses/children/act.php.

students in gradesculty reading orgrade-level reading

UT Martin kicks off 18th annual GivilRights conferenceFebruary 18, 2018 by Erjlt_alyllardaway

MARTIN,

Tenn - The University of Tennessee at Martin kicked off their 18th annual Civil

Rights conference.

conference started Sunday and will go until February

4th, on the main campus in Martin. The 2018 conference

ill center on the theme "50 Years After Dr' King's

assination: From Dream to Woke' Bobby Seale, who's

co-founder and first chairman of the Black Panther

arty, will serve as keynote speaker at 7 p.m. on Feb' 22nd

n Watkins auditorium of the Boling University center'

High school students 'prepare fortakeoff' at UT Martin preview dayFebruary 19, 2018 by ,Los[Rqbinson http : //www. wbbj tv. com/.

MARTIN, Tenn. - High schooljuniors and seniors visited the University of Tennesseeat Martin Monday for a test flight.

"This is the chance for students to see the academic side of things," Assistant Director

of Admissions Mary Wiggins said.

Martin gave high school students a chance to'test out becoming a Skyhawk.

l'm going to tour my academic program," AllisonOgg, from Adams, said. "And l'm going to learnhow l'm going to study next year."

Students met with admissions counselors and then split into groups based on theirplanned major.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with some of the visiting juniors and seniors to findout why they think UT Martin is the right choice for them.

"l like UT Martin because it's a smaller school and I wouid get to know my professorsa lot more," Jaleah Little, from Lexington, said.

"l live in a small town, and this just feels homey tome and I love the campus and everything about it,"Ogg said.

They toured the buildings where the majority oftheir classes would take place and got to sit in on

classes and ask teachers and current studentsabout their majors.

Students and university leaders hope the event helps them decide if UT Martin is theright fit for them.

"l'm hoping I can figure out what major I want to do," Little said. "lf drama is goodenough, l'll pick that as my major."

They also got to eat lunch with their departments' chair horders.

SSEE

Monday. February 19. 2018

Union City businessman participatesin 2018 WestStar Leadership Program

Portis Tanner of UmonCity is a member of theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin WestStar LeadershipProgram's 2018 class.

Tanner, who serves aschief operating officer ofWestan Insurance GroupInc., currently serves on theboards of the Obion CountyChamber of Commerce,Boys & Girls Clubs ofNorthwest Tennessee,Poplar Meadows CountryClub and the CommunityConcert Association ofObion County.

He is a recipient ofthe Presidential CitationAward from the Insurorsof Tennessee and theVolunteer of the Year Awardwith Boys & Girls Clubs of

PORTIS TANNER

Northwest Tennessee.Tanner is an Obion

County Leadership gradu-ate.

The WestStar LeadershipProgram, created in 1989,is the state's oldest andlargest regional leadershipprogram.

Boasting 198 gradu-ates since its inception.WestStar continues to serveWest Tennessee by offer-ing leadership developmentand education for selectedparticipants.

The 2018 class is the29thin program history.

For more informa-tion about the WestStarLeadership Program, con-tact Virginia Grimes, pro-gram coordinator, at (731)881-7298 or by email atvgrimes@utm.edu.

Henry County students

on IJT Martin honors listThe outstanding academic

achievements of undergradu-ate students atthe Universityof Tennessee at Martin havebeen honored with publica-tion of the fall zorT chan-cellor's honor rolls for theCollege of Agriculture andApplied Sciences; College ofBusiness and Global Affairs;College of Education, Healthand Behavioral Sciences; Col-lege of Engineering and Natu-ral Sciences; and the Collegeof Humanities and FineArts.

To be eligible for chancel-lor's honor roll recognitionat UT Martin, a studentmust take at least rz hours ofcredit (pass-fail courses arenot included) and achieve a

3.2 (B) grade point averagebased on a 4.o scale. Studentscan make the chancellor'shonor roll with honors (3.2through 3.49), high honors(3.5 through 3.79) orhighesthonors (9.8 through +.o).

Henry Countains that madethe honor roll include:

. Buchanan - KatelynN. Caldwell and Rachel G.Ragan, highhonors.

. Cottage Grove - TarynA.Marter, highest honors; KaylaL. Wood and Clay T. Wlrick,high honors.

. Henry- StephanieA.

England, highest honors:Sarah M. Dicus and MollyJ.Rowlett, high honors; CharlesE. Clayton, Abigail N. Congerand HollyN. Potts, honors.

. Paris - Daniel R. Arnold,Amy J. Bonar, Alyssa Brown,Meredith B. Bullock, MasonB. Crosser, Julianna M. Cul-Iey, Carly B. Johnson, WayneR. Powers, Evan R. Pugh,Jared M. Pugh, WhitneyJ. Rawls, MadisonN. Rog-ers, Flynn R. Watson andSummer B. Wilson, highesthonors;

ThomasA. Bomar, KristenD. Chenoweth, Kimberly B.Dolliver, Jacey H. Guarino,Hannah G. Gwaltney, CharlesA. Haney, AlexJ. Lancaster,Carly S. Milton, Mariah M.Purcell, Lawrence E. Sims,Vincent L. Vine and Cody G.

Watson, high honors; andJohnT. Bomar, RhettA.

Braham, Matthew H. Counce,AndrewK. Key, DakqtaW.Parsons and Brooks W. Wim-berly, honors.

. Puryear - James D.Wilson, high honors; BayleeD. Pafford, honors.

. Springville - Margaret E.Fuson and Kara D. Hoskins,highest honors; ColesonT. Papszycki, high honors;Shelby L. Susewitt, honors.

THE PARIS POST.INTELTIGENGR TUE5DAY, FEBRUARY 20,2018

The Banner . McKenzie, Tennessee o Tuesday, February 20,2O1g

local Residents Participate in WestStar Leadership tlassMARTIN - Joseph Builer,

Brent Dillahunty and FrankTate, all of Carroll County aremembers of the University ofTennessee at Martin WestStarLeadership Program's 20tB class.

Bufler is the executive consul-tant at Savant Learning Systemsand the executive consultantand director of community en-gagement at Bethel UniversityHe serves on the boards of theUnited Way of West Tennessee,Habitat for Humanity of Car-roll CountS4 Huntingdon VisionCouncil and the Lions Club. But-ler is a graduate of LeadershipCarroll County

Dillahunty is the general man-ager of the West Tennessee pub-lic Utility District. He serves onthe boards of the West TennesseeGas Association and the Tennes-see Energy Acquisition.Qgrp.

. Tate .is the,execuJive directorof McKenzie Industrial Develop-ment. He served 10 years in theU.S. Navy and currently partic-ipates in the Tennessee Valley

Joseph ButlerAuthority Rural Leadership In-stitute. Tate is the recipient ofthe Enlisted Surf3ge WarfarePin, Expedition Warfare Pin,Navy Commendation Medal andthree Good Conduct Medals.

The WestStar Leadership Pro-

Brent Dillahuntygram, created in 1989, is thestate's oldest and largest region-al leadership program. Boasting798 graduates to date, WestStarcontinues to serve West Tennes-see by offering leadership devel-opment and education for select-

Frank Tate

ed participants. The 2018 class isthe 29th in program history.

For more information aboutthe WestStaf Leadership pro.gram, contact Virginia Grimes,program coordinator, at ZB1-BB1-7298 or by e-mail at vgrimes@utm.edu.

http ://www.thunderboltradio. com

UT Martin's Educator Preparation Program Report Card

Posfed on Fei\iatv 20 2CT8 by Joseph Anderson in Local News

UT Martin's Educator Preparation Program has received its grade from the state Board of Education

The program maintained a category-two ranking in rhe 2016-17 state report card

The Report card covers three domains: candidate profile, employment satisfaction and provider impact. providers are awarded aperformance category score from one to four based on the providers' ability to successfully prepare Tennessee educators, with four beingthe highest score i

The cui'rent report reflects teacher data from 20131o 2O16

The report showed the largest score declines for UT Martin in provider impact or teacher effectiveness

chancellor Dr Keith carver says UTM's teacher-education program made quality-enhancement changes based on the last report card,and the data largely shows improvement But, the university accepts this report and will conrinue to look for ways to improve its teacher-education program

JACKSONSUN.COM S TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20,2018

* ffi&a- ffiweffiFs

Bobby Seale speaking at UTM

Bobby Seale, co-founder ofthe BlackPanther Party, will serve as keynotespeaker ofthe 18s-annual University ofTennessee at Martin Civil Rights Con-ference beginning at 7 p.m., Feb. 22, inWatkins Auditorium of the Boling Uni-versity Center.

Seale co-founded the Black Panthersin the 196os with fellow activist HueyNewton. The pair established the par-ty's lo-point program, 'What We Want,What We Believe," which declared, "Wewant freedom. We want power to deter-mine the destiny of our black communi-ty." Seale and Newton quickly led theBlack Panthers to international head-lines with their militant stance for blackfreedom.

The Black Panthers challenged policebrutality in California communities andprotested the state government's deci-sion to make the open carrying of weap-ons illegal. The party also established avariety of "Serve the People" programs,including the Free Breakfast Scholar-ship Program which, at its height,served thousands of children in Oak-land, California, and other areas ofBlack Panther activity.

UT Martin is one of two universitiesnationally to host an annual civil rightsconference. Events run through Feb.24and include a variety of speakers, dis-cussion panels and performances tomark the S0-year anniversary of the as-sassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For more information, contact Dr. Da-vid Barber, associate professor ofhisto-ry and conference organizer, at 731-881-7465 or email dbarber@utm.edu. Acomplete list of conference events isavailable online at utm.edu/civilrights.

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely importantwhen it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships. High school studentslooking to improve their scores can reg-ister for an ACT review course offeredfrom 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Feb.24-March 1Z on the University of Tennes-see at Martin s main campus.

Ron Ramage, course instructor, hastaught ACT prep classes for more than2O years and will conduct four sessionsfocusing on English, math, reading andscience.

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2018: Official Practice Tests+ 4OO Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-tion."

The registration fee for this course is$95 per person plus the cost ofthe text-book, which can be purchased on Ama-zon.com.

For more information or to register,contact the UT Martin Office of Educa-tional Outreach at 731-887-7104 or visit

the course website at utm.edu/depart-ments/nondegree/cours es/children/act.php.

Personalized reading clinics atUTM

The UT Martin Reading Center offerspersonalized reading clinic sessions forstudents in grades 2-12 who have diffi-culty reading or are falling behindgrade-level reading standards.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20,2018

UT Martin recognized as top school for veteransThe University of Tennessee at

Martin ha n recog-nized as a FriendlySchool by a and asa top school in the 2018 MilitaryAdvanced Education and Transi-tion Guide to Colleges and Uni-versities.

Designation as a MilitaryFriendly school identifies those

specialto help

familiesadapt to the expectations of col-lege life.

veteran students and institutionalsurveys to create a comprehen-

sive guide for veterans and theirfamilies. More than 1,300 schoolsparticipated in the 2017-18 surveycycle and 849 earned the MilitaryFriendly designation, according to

a Victory Media press release.The 2017-18 Military Friendly

Schools list was included in theDecember 2017 issue of G.I. Jobsmagazine and can be found onlineat militaryfriendly.com.

UT Martin has also been in-cluded as a top school in the 2018Military Advanced Education and

se-eking to transition from militarylife to the civilian seclor.

For more information on theservices available for student-vet-erans at Ul Martin, contact John-ny Dyer, veterans service coordi-nator, at '13I-881-1144 or emailjdyerl6@utm.edu.

'gin, a farmer from Greenfield stopped by UTM Thursday to speak to the NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) Club.yeareirbusiness and rnarketing involved in an agricultural opera'tion.The NAMACIub con'sists of "gri."fi"i" .r.f i;ril;;;j"i;;?ffi 5;d tc having him back again.

Martin resident to graduate,have article published

Cassie Hood of Martin will graduate fi.om SouthernIllinois University School of Law in May. She beganher education at the University of Tennessee-Martin,where she graduated magna cum laude in 2015 with abachelor of arts degree in political science.

She is in the process ofhaving an article publishedwith the "ABA Journal for Tennessee," regardingTennessee Voter ID laws.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY FEBRUARY 20,2OI8

New county seal receives national awardWeakley' County recently re-

ceived national attention when itsnew county seal was highlighted inthe National Association of Coun-ties Newspaper. Selected from one of3,069 counties nationwide, WeakleyCounty was honored to have the newseal featured in the Feb. 5 edition ofthe NACo Newspaper biweekly pub-lication.

Weakley County Mayor Jake By-num unveiled the new seal designand applauded designer and UT Mar-tin University Scholar Rachel Meltonat the Weakley County State of theCounty Address held in Watkins Au-ditorium at UTM in October 2017.

Melton is also a frequent contribu-tor to the Weakley County Press.

"In collaboration with Ms. Melton,we worked to identify a design thattruly represents each piece of ourcounty's multifaceted past, pres-ent, and future into one unified andcohesive image. We knew it had tobe meaningful and represent all ofus, and I believe that this design

showcases those qualities that makeWeakley County, Martin, Sharon,Greenfield, Dresden, Gleason, andall of our communities special - fromDukedom to Stafford Store," saidBynum.

Included in the highlight was a

brief history about Weakley Coun-ty's establishment and the symbol-ism within the design that is specific

to the county and its municipalitiegThe field in the background fea.-tures lines representing the origi-nal districts that made up WeakleyCounty. The nine stars in the designsymbolize the nine districts that cur-rently make up Weakley County.The field, tractor and barn at the backleft are a nod to Weakley County'shistory in agriculture.

The water tower image salutes thecities in Weakley County and eacheye-catching and unique water towerin each community. The power linesat the right of the locomotive ac-knowledge the fact that the countyis one of a few in the state with acounty-owned and operated electricsystem.

The locomotive exemplifies Weak-ley County's rich history in rail, andthe tri-star at the front of the trainillustrates the county's unity, con-nection and commitment to the state

Ssn COUNTY SEAL,Pl.cn rz

COUNTY SEAL,Fnou PLcn rof Tennessee. The colorof the sky represents thedawning of each new day inWeakley County, with thelocomotive moving everforward.

NACo is a national or-ganizalion that unitesAmerica's 3,069 countygovernments and bringscounty officials together to

advocate with a collectivevoice on national policy.exchange ideas and buildnew leadership skills,pursue transformationalcounty solutions, enrichthe public's understandingof county government, andexercise exemplary lead-ership in public service.

For more informationabout NACo, visit http://www.naco.org.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018

Bobby Seale to speak ThursdayBobby Seale, co-founder

of the Black Panther Par-ty, will selve as keynotespeaker of the lSth annualUniversity of Tennessee atMartin Civil Rights Con-ference beginning at7 p.m.Thursday in Watkins Audi-torium of the Boling Uni-versity Center.

Seale co-founded theBlack Panthers in the 1960swith fellow activist HueyNewton. The pair estab-lished the party's l0-pointprogram, "What We Want,What We Believe," whichdeclared, "We want free-dom. We want power to de-termine the deStiny of ourblack community."

Seale and Newton quick-ly led the Black Panthers tointernational headlines withtheir militant stance forblack freedom.

The Black Panthers chal-lenged police bnrtality inCalifornia communities andprotested the state govern-ment's decision to make theopen carrying of weaponsillegal.

The party also estab-lished a variety of "Servethe People" programs. in-

cluding the Free Break-fast Scholarship Programwhich, at its height, servedthousands of children inOakland, Catif., and otherareas of Black Panther ac-tlvlty.

The parly also createdfree health clinics for blackcommunities, highlightedthe prevalence of lead poi-soning in black commu-nities and raised nationalawareness of sickle cellanemia through sickle celltesting programs.

UT Martin is one of onlytwo universities nation-ally to host an annual civilrights conference. Eventsrun through Feb. 24 andinclude a variety of speak-ers, discussion panels andperformances to mark the5O-year anniversary of theassassination of Dr. MartinLuther King Jr.

For more inlormation.contact Dr. David Barber,associate professor of his-tory and conference orga-nizer, at 731-881-7465 oremail dbarber@utm.edu. Acomplete list of conferenceevents is available onlineat utm.edu/civilrights.

TOWN HALL - The University of Tennessee at Martin's first Town Hall Meetingwas held Feb. 8 in Watkins Auditorium. Chancellor Keith Carver addressed questionsfrom the audience as well as those sent via email from the UT Martin extended campuscenters, alumni and other viewers. Question topics included the economic impact of UTMartin on West Tennessee, future steps in the provost search, the effectiveness of theStudent Government Association and budget concerns, among others. A reporter fromWBBJ-TV in Jackson was also present and spol<e with several audience members abouttheir participation. Carver said he was pleased with the meeting attendance and plans tohold another town hall this time next year.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2OI8

MEDIA TRENDS - Meg Kinnard Hardee, a political an! lgga! affairs reporter withTheAssociated Press who bylines as Meg Kinnard, speaks with UT Martin students about

the current state and future of iournalism.

Meg Kinnard Hardee, a

politicalporter wPress who bylines as MegKinnard, visited the Univer-sity of Tennessee at Martinlast week to speak with stu-dents from the universitY'sdepaflmenl of communi-cations. Her presentationsstressed the importance ofob.jective journalism and re-liable information sources.

"You really can't come tothe answer of whatever theproblem is unless you'relistening to the other side,"she said. "You don't haveto go all the way to wherethey are, and you don't haveto stay there, but you do atleast have to ingest whatthey are saying in a thought-ful way and respect it."

She also urged students tostay at the forefront of newtechnology and be preparedto adapt to changing newsformats.

"There is no such thingas 'just a print journalist' or

Local AP reporter offerstips for obiective iournalism

'jusl a radio journalist ....Everybody is multiformatthese days. While you're inschool, you have all thesetraining tools available toyou. Use them. Practicewith them; be comfortablewith them." she said. "To-morrow Fox News could becalling wanting you to com-mentate on whatever theYare talking about."

Kinnard, who serrredas UT Martin's Fall 2017commencement sPeaker. iscelebrating 12 years withThe Associated Press andhas reported on all levels ofpolitics - from local to in-ternational - from her homebase in South Carolina. Shereported extensivelY on the2016 presidential race andtraveled with both the Sand-ers and Rubio campaigns.

Kinnard grew up in Mem-phis and is the only grand-Cnita of rhe late Sth-DistrictCongressman Ed Jones.She and her husband, Geof-frey Hardee, are co-authors

of the upcoming biography"Grassroots Politickin':The Life and LegacY of EdJones."

She and Hardee are dedi-cated UT Maftin supportersand have contributed to sev-eral university scholarshiPsand special funds, includingthe Ed and LIew Jones Dis-tinguished Lecture Series.

This series is responsiblefor the appearance of Dr.Temple Grandin, renownedanimal behaviorist and au-tism spokesperson, on theUT Martin campus lastweek.

Kinnard holds a bachelorof science in loreign servicein international politics/in-ternational securitY stud-ies from the Walsh Schoolof Foreign Service atGeorgetown University inWashington, D.C., and hascompleted internships withThe Washington Post andthe United States House ofRepresentatives Committeefor Government Reform.

The Lauderdale Voice, Wednesday, February 21 , Z01B

UT-Martin stays at top of rankingsThe University of data from 2AB-A,2O74-15

Tennessee at Martin's and 2015-16 completers.Educator PreparationPrOgram maintained a cate-gory-two ranking in the2016-11 state report card.The annual EPP reporl card,issued this week by theTennessee State Board ofEducation, measures theeffectiveness of teacher-education programs.

The Teacher PreparationReport Card covers threedomains: candidate profile,employment satisfactionand provider impact.Providers are awarded aperformance category score

from one to four based onthe providers' ability to suc-cessfully prepare Tennessee

educators. with four beingthe highest score. The cur-rent report reflects teacher

UT Martin EPP scores

show improvement in each

of the three domains scoredin the current reporf.

"Based on data in recentyears, a variety of modifica-tions have been applied toour program," said CindyWest, UT Martin College ofEducation, Health, andBehavioral Sciences Dean."We anticipate these actionswill provide a positiveimpact on future reportcatds."

Additional changes madesince the last report include:hiring a full-time assess-

ment coordinator to trackdetailed candidate, com-pleter and program data touse for data-informed deci-sion making; increased

INDEPENDENT APPFAL

efforts to recruit studentsfrom diverse backgrounds;and also increased efforts torecruit students interestedin teaching high-need areas

such as math, science andspecial education.

The report showed thelargest score declines forUT Martin in providerimpact or teacher effective-ness. "This is not the out-come we had hoped for,"said Dr. Keith Carver, UTMartin Chancellor. "Ourteacher-education programmade quality-enhancementchanges based on the lastreport card, and the datalargely show improvement.But, we accept this reportand will continue to lookfor ways to improve ourteacher-education pro-gram."

UT Martin earned its besttotal score of four in theemployment domain, whichmeasures placement andretention. The candidateprofile domain includedscore increases for ACTscores, high-demandendorsements and racialdiversity, but the total scoreremained as category one.The university will contin-ue to offer mentoring sup-port for teacher-educationcompleters in the field whomay have received lowTennessee Value AddedAssessment System orTVAAS scores.

WEDI\E5DAY FTBRUARY 21, 2018

UT Martin EPP scoresshow improvernent ineach of the three domainsscored in the cutrent re-port.

"Based on data in re-cent years, a variety ofmodifications have beenapplied to our program,"said Cindy West, [,IT Mar-tin College of Education,Health, and BehavioralSciences dean. "We antici-pate these actions will pro-vide a positive impact onfuture report cards."

Additional changesmade since the last reportinclude: hiring a full-timeassessment coordinator totrack detailed candidate,completer and programdata to use for data-in-formed decision making;increased efforts to recruitstudents from diversebackgrounds; and also in-creased efforts to recruitstudents interested inteaching high-need areas

such as math, science andspecial education.

The report showed thelargest score declines forUT Martin in provider im-pact or teacher effective-ness.

"This is not the out-corne we had hoped for,"said Dr. Keith Carver, UTMartin chancellor.

The teacher-educationprogram made quality-en-hancement changes basedon the last report card, andthe data largely show im-provement, according toCarver.

"We accept this reportand will continue to lookfor ways to improve ourteacher-education pro-gram," said Carver.

UT Martin earned itsbest total score of four inthe employment domain,which measures place-ment and retention.

The candidate profiledomain included score

increases for ACT scores,high-demand endorse-ments and racial diver-sity, but the total scoreremained as category one.

The University of l'en-nessee at Martin wilicontinue to offer mentor-ing support for teacher-education completers inthe field who may havereceived low TennesseeValue Added AssessmentSystem or TVrMS scores.

UT Martin maintains tier-two statusFor the lndependent Appeal

MAIiTIN - The Univer-sity of Tennessee at Mar-tin's Educaior PreparationProgram maintained a cat-egory-two ranking in the2016-17 state report card"

The annual EPP reportcard measures the effec-tiveness of teacher-educa-tion programs.

The Teacher Prepara-tion Report Card coversthree domains: candidateprofile, ernployment sat-isfaction and provider irn-pact"

Providers are awardeda performance categoryscore from one to fourbased on the providers'ability to successfully pre-pard Tennessee educators,with four being the highestscore.

The current report re-flects teacher data from2Ol3-14, 20I4-I5 and2015-16 completers.

JACKSONSUN.COM E WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21,2018

Personalized reading clinics atUTM

The UT Martin Reading Center offerspersonalized reading clinic sessions forstudents in grades 2-12 who have diffi-culty reading or are falling behindgrade{evel reading standards.

Bobby Seale speaking at UTM

Bobby Seale, co-founder ofthe BlackPanther Party, will serve as keynotespeaker of the L8th-annual University ofTennessee at Martin Civil Rights Con-ference beginning at 7 p.m., Feb.22, inWatkins Auditorium of the Boling Uni-versity Center.

Seale co-founded the Black Panthersin the 196Os with fellow activist HueyNewton. The pair established the par-ty's 1O-point program, "What We Want,What We Believe," which declared, "Wewant freedom. We want power to deter-mine the destiny of our black communi-ty." Seale and Newton quickly led theBlack Panthers to international head-lines with their militant stance for blackfreedom.

The Black Panthers challenged policebrutality in California communities andprotested the state government's deci-sion to make the open carrying of weap-ons illegal. The party also established avariety of "Serve the People" programs,including the Free Breakfast Scholar-ship Program which, at its height,served thousands of children in oak-land, California, and other areas ofBlack Panther activity.

UT Martin is one of two universitiesnationally to host an annual civil rightsconference. Events run through Feb.24and include a variety of speakers, dis-cussion panels and performances tomark the So-year anniversary of the as-sassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For more information, contact Dr. Da-vid Barber, associate professor ofhisto-ry and conference organizer, at 731-881-7465 or email dbarber@utm.edu. Acomplete list of conference events isavailable online at utm.edu/civilrights.

UTM offers phlebotomy courses

' Community members seeking careers in thehealth-care,field are encouraged to register for a 90-hour phlebotomy technician program offered from 6-9:3Op.m., T rsdays, Marchl-May3! atthe Univers of Martin s main campus.

This program prepares students"to collect bloodspecimens from clients for the purpose of laboratoryanalysis. Classroom and lab work include terminology,anatomy and physiology, blood collection procedures,harids-on practice, and training techniques to performpuncture methods safely.

The registration fee for th-is course is $1,799 and in-

al Health-at the endctlY to the

National Healthcare AssociationP egister,, con-

tact Outreach at

73L- at utm'edu/depattments/nondegree/martin.php :

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely importantwhen it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships.

High school students looking to im-prove their scores can register for anACT review course offered from 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Feb. 24-March 17,. onthe University of Tennessee at Martin smain campus.

Ron Ramage, course instructor, hastaught ACT prep.classes for more than20 years and will conduct four sessionsfocusing on English, math, reading andscience. .

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2018: Official Practice Tests+ 4OO Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-tion."

The registration fee for this course is$95 per person plus the cost ofthe text-book, which can be purchased on Ama-zon.com.

For information or to register, contactthe UT Martin Office of EducationalOutreach at 73L88L-ThO4 or visitutm. edu/departments/nondegree/tourses/children/act. php.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE o FEBRUARY 21 2018

Uanguatil Theatrc IoPresent SRting PIau

The University of Tennesseeat Martin Vanguard Theatre wrll

inside the UT Marlin Fine ArtsBuilding 24, willoffer a 3 viewinginstead o ow time.

childhood home, and their world-traveling sister Masha and herboyfriend, Spike. The play wasoriginally presented as a Broad-way musical.

Tickets are on sale now for $15

for adults and $5 for UT Martinand local students. Tickets canbe purchased through the De-partment of Visual and TheatreArts from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5p.m., Monday-Friday. Contaclthe office at 73I-881-7400, otvisit room 201 of the Fine ArtsBuilding to claim tickets.

The Vanguard Box Office willopen one hour before each per-formance for will-call pick upand last-minute ticket pruchases.

This performance is not recom-mended for young children, andadults with children who are no1

able to remain in a purchased seat

may be asked to leave. For moreinformation, contact the dePafi-ment office at 731-881-7400.

llew WeaHcy Gounty Seal ]eaturGd in tationalAssociation of Gounties llews[a[ff Puilisation

Weakley County recently re-ceived national attention whenits new county seal was high-lighted in the National Asso-ciation of Counties [NACo]Newspaper. Selected from oneof 3,069 counties nationwide,Weakley County was honoredto have the new seal featuredin the February 5th editionof the NACo Newspaper bi-weekly publication. WeakleyCounty Mayor Jake Bynumunveiled the new seal designand applauded designer andUT Martin University ScholarRachel Melton at the WeakleyCounty State of the CountyAddress held in Watkins Au-ditorium at UTM in October2017.

"In collaboration with theMs. Melton, we worked toideutify a design that trulyrepresents each piece of ourcounty's multifaceted past,present, and future into oneunified and cohesive image.We knew it had to be mean-ingful and represent all of us,and I believe that this designshowcases those qualities that

Weakley County's newseal wasfeatured in the February 5thedition of the National Asso-ciation of Gounties Newspaper.

state with a county-ownedand operated electric system.The locomotive exemplifiesWeakley County's rich historyin rail, and the tri-star. at thefront ofthe train illustrates thecount5r's unity, connection andcommitment to the state ofTennessee. The color of thesky represents the dawningof each new day in WeakleyCounty, with the locomotivemoving ever forward.

make Weakley County, Mar-tin, Sharon, Greenfield, Dres-den, Gleason, and all of ourcommunities special - fromDukedom to Stafford Store,"said Weakley County MayorJake Bynum.

Included in the highlightwas a brief history aboutWeakley County's estab-lishment and the symbolismwithin the design that is spe-cific to the county and its mu-nicipalities: The field in thebackground features lines rep-resenting the original districtsthat made up Weakley County.The nine stars in the designsymbolize the nine districtsthat currently make up Weak-ley County. The field, tractorand barn at the back left area nod to Weakley County'shistory in agriculture. Thewater tower image salutesthe cities in Weakley Countyand each eye-catching andunique water tower in eachcommunity. The power linesat the right of the locomotiveacknowledge the fact that thecounty is one of a few in the

Increase Rodeo Pageant

marked slated at UTMThe University of Tennes-

see at Marlirr Rodeo BoosterClub will sponsor the MissUTM Rodeo Pageant Marchl7 at Watkins Auditorium inthe University Center.

The pageant is open to allgirls from birth to age 20.Contestants will be judged informal/evenir.rg gown only.

Doors will open at noon.Pageants rvill be as follows:bifih-l2 months at t p.m., 1-3 years at 1:30, 4-6yearc at2,7-9 years at2:30, 10-1 2 yearsat 3, I 3-15 years at 3:30 andl6-20 years at 4.

Registration is at the dooronly, $25 for beauty withside categories available foran additional cost.

The winner of the 16-20division is required to par-ticipate in UTM Rodeo Weekactivities. Junior, Teen andMiss Division queens will berecognized at UTM Rodeoperformances April 12,13and 14.

For more inlormation,contact Beth Weldon at (73 I )225-t227.

Keynotespeakeris Seale

Bobby Seale, co-found-er of the Black PantherParty, will serve as keynotespeaker of the lSth-annualUniversity of Tennesseeat Martin Civil RightsConference beginning at 7p.m. Thursday in WatkinsAuditorium of the BolingUniversity Center.

Seale co-founded theBlack Panthers in the 1960swith fellow activist HueyNewton. The pair estab-lished the pafty's lO-pointprogram, "What We Want,What We Believe," whichdeclared, "We want free-dom. We want power todetermine the destiny of ourblack community."

Seale and Newton quick-ly led the Black Panthersto international headlineswith their militant stancefor black freedom.

The Black Panthers chal-lenged police brutality inCalifornia communitiesand protested the stategovernment's decision tomake the open carrying ofweapons illegal. The partyalso established a varietyof "Serve the People" pro-grams, including the FreeBreakfast Scholarship Pro-gram which, at its height,served thousands of chil-dren in Oakland, Calif., andother areas ofBlack Pantheractivity.

The party also createdfree health clinics for blackcommunities, highlightedthe prevalence of lead poi-soning in black commu-nities and raised nationalawareness of sickle cellanemia through sickle celltesting programs.

UT Martin is one of onlytwo universities nation-ally to host an annual civilrights conference. Eventsrun through Saturday andinclude a variety of speak-ers, discussion panels andperformances to mark the50-year annivefsary of theassassination of Dr. MartinLuther King Jr.

AI UTMThe University of Ten-

nessee at Martin has seenits first increase in springsemester enrollment since20n.

Total university head-count for the spring 2018semester is up 1.6 percentas compared to the spring2017 semester.

UT Martin has specifi-cally seen increases in thenumber of transfer (10.4percent increase). first-timefreshmen (7.7 percent) anddual/concurrent enrollmentstudents (25.9 percent) as

compared to last spring."Our admissions and

recruiting teams havebeen working very hard,and we are pleased to seethis increase in our springsemester enrollment,"said Dr. Keith Carver, UTMartin chancellor. "It is nosecret that overall enroll-ment has been trendingdown in recent years, butthis bump, along with ourrecord-setting freshman-to-sophomore retention rateand large first-time fresh-man class, proves we areheading in the right direc-tion once again."

This news comes on theheels of a study that placesUT Martin sixth in the statein LendEDU's third-annu-al College Risk-RewardIndicator. LendEDU, a stu-dent loan comparison ser-vice, evaluates the averagestudent loan debt per bor-rower as compared to theaverage early career payfor university graduates todetermine institution stand-lng.

Average early career paycan also be defined as themedian salary for alumniwith fewer than five yearsof work experience.I 'The top-ranked schoolin Tennessee is VanderbiltUniversity.

Vanguard Theatre'sspring play slated

The University of Ten- for $15 for adults and $5nessee at Marlin Vanguard for UT Martin and local

present its students. Tickets can betion, "Vanya purchased through theand Masha DePartment of Visual and

left their childhood home, recommended for youngand their world-traveling children, and adults withsister Masha and her boy- children who are not able to

remaininap tas originallY maY be askeda BroadwaY

"Ji;,"'H"" ;Tickets are on sale now office at (731) 881-7400.

UT Martin maintains Community may requestcategory-two ranking UT Martin visitor passes

on state report cardThe University of Ten-

nessee at Martin's EducatorPreparation Program main-tained a category-two rank-ing in the 2016-17 statereport card.

The annual EPP reportcard, issued this week bythe Tennessee State Boardof Education, measures theeffectiveness of teacher-education programs.

The Teacher PreparationReporl Card covers threedomains: candidate pro-file, employment satisfac-tion and provider impact.Providers are awarded aperformance category scoretrom one to four based onthe providers' ability to suc-cessfully prepare Tennesseeeducators. with four beingthe highest score. The cur-rent report reflects teacherdata from 20 1 3-14 ,2014-15and 2Ol 5 - I 6 completers.

UT Martin EPP scoresshow improvement in eachof the three domains scoredin the current report.

"Based on data in recentyears, a variety of modifi-cations have been appliedto ou id CindyWest Collegeof Health,and Behavioral Sciencesdean. "We anticipate these

provide a posi-on future report

Additional changes madesince the last report include:hiring a full-time assess-ment coordinator to trackdetailed candidate, com-pleter and program datato use for data-informeddecision making; increasedefforts to recruit students

from diverse backgrounds;and also increased efforts torecruit students interestedin teaching high-need areassuch as math, science andspecial education.

The reporl showed thelargest score declines forUT Martin in providerimpact or teacher effective-ness.

"This is not the out-come we had hoped for,"said Dr. Keith Carver, UTMartin chancellor. "Ourteacher-education programmade quality-enhancementchanges based on the lastreport card, and the datalargely show improve-ment. But, we accept thisreport and will continue tolook for ways to improveour teacher-education pro-gram."

UT Martin earned itsbest total score of four inthe employment domain,which measures , place-ment and retention. Thecandidate profile domainincluded score increases forACT scores, high-demandendorsements and racialdiversity, but the total scoreremained as category one.The university will con-tinue to offer mentoringsupport for teacher-educa-tion completers in the fieldwho may have received lowTennessee Value AddedAssessment System orTVAAS scores.

The complete report cardtbr all Educator PreparationPrograms is available at theTennessee State Board ofEducation website at http:llteacherprepreportcard.tn.gov.

Alumni, communitymembers and other guests tothe University of Tennesseeat Martin main campus nowhave a new way to obtainvisitors' parking passes.

One-day parking passescan be requested online atutm.edu/parking and willbe verified during normaloffice hours from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. Monday throughFriday. Once verified, aPDF pass will be emailedto the requestor and can beprinted and displayed onthe vehicle's dashboard.

These printed passes areonly valid for the single daydisplayed on the printout,and a new pass will need tobe requested for each addi-tional visit.

Visitors wishing to parkon campus outside of nor-mal office hours can stillvisit the traffic office in per-son,24 hours a day, sevendays a week, to obtain aparking pass.

All temporary visitorpasses are issued free ofcharge. The traffic office islocated in the Department ofPublic Safety in Crisp Hall,which can be accessed viaHurt Street past ClementHall.

Parking passes are notneeded to attend largeevents such as commence-ment, sporting events orSummer Orientation andRegistration. During theseevents, lots used by eventattendees are not ticketedfor failure to register.

Visitors who do receivetickets lor failure to regis-ter are not charged parkingfines but are required tosign the ticket and rerurn itto the traffic office within14 days.

For more inlormation,contact Scott Robbins,director of UT Martin De-partment of Public Safety.at sdrobbins@utm.edu or(13r) 88t-77',7s.

Dr. Grandin encouragesdifferent types of minds

Dr. Temple Grandin, aninternational ly-known ani-mal behaviorist and autismadvocate, spoke last week atthe University of Tennesseeat Martin.

Her presentation, titled"Developing IndividualsWho Have Different Kindsof Minds," was sponsoredby the Ed and Llew JonesDistinguished LectureSeries.

Dr. Grandin focused hercomments on the value ofindividuals who see theworld differently than thosearound them, such as thoseon the autism spectrum andthose with other learningdjfficulties such as dysllexia.'

"We've got to help theminds that are different suc-ceed. We need these mindsthat are different. and wemust not screen them outbecause the world needs allkinds of minds," she said.

Dr. Grandin gave exam-ples from her own life toillustrate the need for cre-ative classes such as wood-working, welding. sewingand theater in schools. Shehas invented many restraintsystems and handlingfacilities for the livestockindustry, and those pursuitsbegan with an early expo-sure to construction andart.

"Whenlwasalittlekid, 4 years old, I had nospeech. I had all the full-blown symptoms of autism.Nobody thought I would goanywhere, but my abilityin art was always encour-aged. Take the thing thekid is good at and buildon it; build on the area ofstrength," she said. "I'veseen too many kids (who)are becoming their disabil-ity;'

Dr. Grandin is current-ly a professor of animalscience at Colorado StateUniversity in Forr Collins.Colo. Her specialties in-clude the behavior and han-dling of cattle and pigs:the design of livestock han-dling facilities and restraintsystems; and the study ofanimal welfare in the meatindustry.

Her presentation is avail-able through archivedvideo on the OVC DigitalNetwork.

The Ed and Llew JonesDistinguished LectureSeries was originally creat-ed in 1989. and Dr. Grandinis the l5th speaker in theseries. The program wasrecently reinstated in partby Meg Kinnard Hardee

(see related story, Page 7),the only granddaughter offormer Congressman EdJones, and her husband,Geoffrey Hardee, in honorof Meg's grandparents.

For more information onDr. Grandin's appearance,contact Dr. Emalee Buttrey,assistant professor of ani-mal science, at (73 1) 881-1 255 or ebuttrey@utm.edu;or Sara Rachels, Paul MeekLibrary, aI (731) 881-7083or srachell @utm.edu.

GRANDIN SPEAKS Dr. TempleGrandin, a professor of animal science atColorado State University and an inter-nationally-known animal behaviorist and

autism advocate, spoke to individual stu-dent courses before her public eveningpresentation last week at UT Martin.

AP reporter Meg Kinnardvisits with UT Martin students

Meg Kinnard Hardee, apolitical and legal affairsreporter withTheAssociatedPress who bylines asMeg Kinnard, visited theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin last week to speakwith students from theuniversity's Department ofCommunications.

Her presentations stressedthe imporlance of objec-tive journalism and reliableinformation sources.

"You really can't come tothe answer of whatever theproblem is unless you'relistening to the other side,"she said. "You don't haveto go all the way to wherethey are, and you don'thave to stay there, but youdo at least have to ingestwhat they are saying in athoughtful way and respectit."

She also urged studentsto stay at the forefront ofnew technology and be pre-pared to adapt to changingnews formats.

ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTERVISITS Meg Kinnard Hardee, apolitical and legal affairs reporter with

The Associated PressMeg Kinnard, spoke wTennessee at Martin stud

asof

"There is no such thingas 'just a printjournalist'or'just a radio journalist' ...

Everybody is multiformatthese days. While you're inschool, you have all thesetraining tools available toyou. Use them. Practicewith them; be comfort-able with them," she said."Tomorrow irox Newscould be calling wantingyou to commentate onwhatever they are talkingabout."

Ms. Kinnard, who servedas UT Marlin's Fall 2011commencement speaker. iscelebrating 12 years withThe Associated Press andhas reporled on all levelsof politics - from localto international fromher home base in SouthCarolina. She reportedextensively on the 2016presidential race and trav-eled with both the Sanders

and Rubio campaigns.Ms. Kinnard grew up in

Mernphis and is the onlygrandchild of the late 8thDistrict Congressman EdJones. She and her hus-band, Geoffrey Hardee, areco-authors of the upcom-ing biography "GrassrootsPolitickin': The Life andLegacy of Ed Jones."

She and Hardee arededicated UT Martin sup-porters and have contrib-uted to several universityscholarships and specialfunds, including the Ed andLlew Jones DistinguishedLecture Series. This seriesis responsible for the

appearance of Dr. TempleGrandin, renowned ani-mal behaviorist and autismspokesperson, on the UTMarlin campus last week(see related story, Page 6).

Ms. Kinnard holds abachelor of science degreein foreign service in inter-national politics/inter-national security studiesfrom the Walsh Schoolof Foreign Servjce atGeorgetown University inWashington, D.C., and hascompleted internships withThe Washington Post andthe United States House ofRepresentatives Committeefor Government Reform.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAI FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Theatre honorUTM's educator preparato ry society to host

program stays at category twoThe University of Ten-

nessee at Martin's Educa-tor Preparation Programmaintained a category-tworanking in the 2016-17state repofi card. The annu-al EPP report card, issuedthis week by the TennesseeState Board of Education,measures the effectivenessof teacher-education pro-grams.

The Teacher PreparationReporl Card covers threedomains: candidate profile,employment satisfactionand provider impact. Pro-viders are awarded a per-formance category scorefrom one to four based onthe providers' ability tosuccessfully prepare Ten-nessee educators, with fourbeing the highest score.The curent report reflectsteacher data from 20I3-I4,2014-15 and 2015-16 com-pleters.

UT Martin EPP scoresshow improvement in eachof the three domains scoredin the currentreport. "Basedon data in recent years, a

variety of modiflcations

have been applied to ourprogram," said Cindy West,UT Marlin College of Edu-cation, Health, and Behav-ioral Sciences dean. "Weanticipate these actions willprovide a positive impacton future report cards."

Additional changes madesince the last report include:hiring a full-time assess-ment coordinator to trackdetailed candidate, com-pleter and program data touse for data-informed de-cision making; increasedeffofis to recruit studentsfrom diverse backgrounds;and also increased efforls torecruit students interestedin teaching high-need areassuch as math, science andspecial education.

The report showed theIargest score declines forUT Marrin in provider im-pact or teacher effective-ness. "This is not the out-come we had hoped for,"said Dr. Keith Carver, UTMartin chancellor. "Ourteacher-education programmade quality-enhancement

changes based on the lastreporl card, and the datalargely show improve-ment. But, we accept thisreport and will continue tolook for ways to improveour teacher-education pro-gram."

UT Martin earned its besttotal score of four in theemployment domain, whichmeasures placement and re-tention. The candidate pro-file domain included scoreincreases for ACT scores,high-demand endorsementsand racial diversity, but thetotal score remained as cat-egory one. The universitywill continue to offer men-toring support for teacher-education completers inthe field who may have re-ceived low Tennessee ValueAdded Assessment Systemor TVAAS scores.

The complete report cardfor all Educator PreparationPrograms is available atthe Tennessee State Boardof Education website athttp : /i te ach erprepreport-card.tn.gov.

Weakley Co.film festival

The University of Ten-nessee at Maftin chapter ofAipha Psi Omega NationalTheatre Honors Society willhost Weakley County Film-fest at 7 p.m., April 28, inthe Little Theatre. locatedinside the UT Martin FineArls Building. The eventwill feature live screeningsof submitted films from lo-cal producers. The submis-sion deadline for short filmentries is March 16.

Submitted films shouldbe shot entirely in WeakleyCounty with a total runtimeof three to five minutes.Winners will be notified byApril 16, and the directorof the first-place film willreceive $100 and a com-memorative plaque. Secondand third-place winners willreceive $50 and $25, respec-tively.

Films can be shot in anygenre, but there are somerestrictions on content andcopyrighted material. Com-plete rules and submissionguidelines can be found atfi I mfreeway.com/Weakley-CountyFilmFestival. Thesubmission fee is $10 perentry, and any funds notused to finance cash prizeswill be donated to the UTMartin Alpha Psi Omegachapter.

All submissions shouldbe entered online at film-free w ay.com/Weakley-CountyFilmFestival. Thereis no charge to attend thescreenlng.

For more information,contact Kevin Shell, festi-val director and UT Marlinassistant professor of the-atre, at 731-881-7487 orkshelll @utm.edu.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2OI8

Spring rodeo seasongets underway tonightFrom Sports Information

The spring college ro-deo season starts up thisweekend for the Univer-sity of Tennessee at Mar-tin rodeo squad as it willtravel to Meridian, Miss.for a rodeo hosted by EastMississippi CommunityCollege tonight throughSaturday.

This three-day eventis the first of four rodeosthis spring for UT Martin.which has not competed asa team since Nov. 2-4 atSouthern Arkansas.

UT Martin also visitsArkansas-Monticello onApril 5-7 before hostingthe 5Oth Annual SpringCollege Rodeo takes placeaL the Ned McWherterAgricultural Pavilion onApril 12-14.

The rodeo team roundsout the regular season atNorthwest Mississippi(Aprll 19-21) before theCollege National FinalsRodeo occurs on June l0-l6 in Casper, Wyo.

UT Martin men's teamcurrently ranks third inthe Ozark Region (and 2lstnationally) with 1,708.33points.

Meanwhile, the UTMartin women's squad isfourth in the Ozark Re-gion and l6th in the nationin total points (1,110).

Jonny Walker rankssecond regionally andllth nationally with 555points in bareback riding.followed closely by Hous-ton Herbert's 340 points,which is good enough forfourth place.

Ryan McDaniel ranksfifth in the Ozark Regionwith 110 points in bull rid-1ng.

UT Martin boasts threecowboys in the top-10in the region in tie downroping, paced by ChaseThrasher (285 points,third).

He also ranks 20th na-tionally in that category,

while Colt Matthews (180points) and Hunter Styles(150 points) rank seventhand eighth. respectively, inthe Ozark Region.

Robbie Van Holten's 215points in steer wrestlingis good enough for sixthplace in the Ozark Region,while Ross Mitchell (235points, fourth in header),Clay Tilley (130 points,eighth in header).

Patrick Houchins (240points, fourth in heeler)and Will McCraw (130points, eighth in heeler)each rank amongst the re-gion's best in team roping.

Houchins' score of 240points is good enough for24th fl,ace nationally.

On the women's side,Ashley Brooks has piledup 490 points in barrel rac-ing to rank second in theOzark Region and sixth inthe nation.

The duo of Casey Allen(310 points. fifth) and Ken-zley Wilson (190 points,sixth) also represent theUT Martin women's teamin the top-10 while Allen'spoint total is the 22nd-bestmark in the country.

Summer Conley (60points) and Raegan Taylor(30 points) each accumu-lated points in the barrelracing event throughoutthe fall campaign.

Kayla Lombardo comesin at 10th place in goat ty-ing, amassing 100 pointson the season so far.

This weekend's rodeois the sixth hosted by EastM ississippi Commun ityCollege.

There will be approxi-mately 250 cowboys andcowgirls representingteams from 14 collegesand universities in sevenstates.

Gates open at 7 night-ly during the three-day,Tickets are $10 at the gateand admission for childrenthe age offive and under isfree for those planning tomake the trip.

JACKSONSUN.COM g THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22,2018

Medical CoursesSet At UT Martin

Community mem-bers wishing to prepare

for a career in health-care are invited to reg-ister for the pharmacy

technician program orphlebotomy technicianprogram offered at theUniversity of Tennes-

see at Martin RipleyCenter. The pharmacytechnician program isscheduled to be heldfrom 5:30 p.m. through8:45 p.m., Tuesdays and

Thursdays, March l3ththrough May 3rd. Thisis a comprehensive 50-hour course designed toprepare students to enterthe pharmacy field. Stu-

dents will learn dosage

calculations, I.V. flowrates, dose conversions,dispensing of prescrip-

tions, inventory control,and billing and reim-bursement. The course

will prepare students totake the Pharmacy Tech-

nician Board's exam.

The registration fee forthis course includestextbooks and supplies.An optional 8O-hour

clinical is also available.

The 9O-hour phleboto-my technician programwill be held from 6 p.m.

through 8:45 p.m., Mon-days and Wednesdays,March l2th throughJuly 9th, and prepares

students to collect bloodspecimens from clientsfor the purpose of labora-tory analysis. Classroomand lab work includeterminology, anatomyand physiology, bloodcollection procedures,

hands-on practice, and

training techniques toperform puncture meth-ods safely. The registra-tion fee for this course

includes textbooks and

supplies. The NationalHealthcare Associationcertification exam is giv-en at the end ofclass and

is an additional fee paiddirectly to the NationalHealthcare Association.The phlebotomy tech-nician course will notmeet May 28th or July4th. For specific course

requirements or to regis-ter, contact the UT Mar-tin Office of EducationalOutreach at 731-881-7082 or visit utm.edu/departments/nondegree/ripley.php.

UTMartinHostsFree Tax Event

The United Way ofthe Mid-South is sched-

uled to provide Free Tax

Preparation at the UTMartin Ripley center, lo-cated at 315 South Wash-

ington Street, Saturday,

February lTth andFebru-ary 24th, 9 a.m. through1 p.*.; Saturday March3rd, 10th, l7th,24th, and

31st, 9 a,m. through 1;

p.m.; and Saturday, APril7th, 9 a.m.through 1 P.m.Participants should bringa social security card,

photo ID, Insurance 1095,

W-2's, 1099's and all tax

documents. For more in-formation call 901-415-

2790.

THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY ENTERPRISE FEBRUARY 22,2018

Bobby Seale speaking at UTM

Bobby Seale, co-founder of the BlackPanther Party, will serve as keynotespeaker of the 18'h-annual Universityof Tennessee at Martin Civil RightsConference beginning at 7 p.m., Feb.22, in Watkins Auditorium of theBoling University Center.

Seale co-founded the Black Panthersin the 'l96Os with fellow activist HueyNewton. The pair established theparty's 1O-point program, "What WeWant, What We Believe," which de-clared, "We want freedom" We wantpower to determine the destiny of

"

our black community." Seale andNewton quickly led the Black Pan-thers to international headlines withtheir militant stance for black free-dom.

The Black Panthers challenged policebrutality in California communitiesand protested the state govern-ment's decision to make the opencarrying of weapons illegal. The par-ty also established a variety of"Serve the People" programs, in-cluding the Free Breakfast Schol-arship Program which, at its height,served thousands of children in Oak-land, California, and other areas ofBlack Panther activity.

UT Martin is one of two universitiesnationally to host an annual civilrights conference. Events runthrough Feb.24 and include a varietyof speakers, discussion panels andperformances to mark the So-yearanniversary of the assassination ofDr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For more information, contact Dr.

David Barber, associate professor ofhistory and conference organizer, at731-8A1-7465 or email dbar-ber@utm.edu. A complete list ofconference events is available onlineat utm.edu/civilrights.

The Camden Chtonicle Thursday, February 22, 2018

ACT prep course to beheld at UTM Parsons

:

Preparing for the ACT on a counties. Beene will prepare ticipate in his courses increas(one's own can be challenging students tbr the ACT by work- their composite test scores by arq

andoverwhelming.Highschool ing through each section and av-erageof3.4points.students interested in preparing teaching time management. He The registration fee fbr thigfor the ACT are encouraged to also will address the most com- course is $45 per person. Fo4register tbr an ACT prep course monly missed questions and more information or to register,oft'ered from 8 a.m.-noon on give advice on how to answer contact the UTM Office of Ed.Saturday, March 3, at the UTM them correctly. is .;j ucational Outreach at 731-881.Parsons€ert ._;--:--

-Since-2013; lffirftsmerr.-Jte4eryisit the coursswetsiteCourse instructor Alex Beene tored more than 1,000 students at utm.edu/departments/nonde.i

current\ serves as a lead in- who have been awarded schol- gree/general.php and select thestructor fbr Tennessee Adult arships totaling more "than $4.2 Parsons location.Education programs in three million in value. Those who par-

Lashlee ioins WestStarLeadership Glass

Brett Lashlee, of Benton County, has been accepted as a memberof the 2018 class of the WestStar Leadership Program a theUniversity of Tennessee at Martin. The 2018 cliss is the zgth nprogram history.

Lashlee, accountant and business process coordinator forCaterpillar Financial Insurance Services, currently serves on theaudit board of a community non-profit, as an ambassador for RuralTennessee Speaks, and as a mentor for Tennessee Promise. He is arecipient of the Defense Meritorious Servicb Medal, the MeritoriousServicb Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and theArmy Commendation Medal. Lashlee is a Leadership DicksonCounty graduate.

The WestStar Leadership Program, created in 1989, is thestate's oldest and largest regional leadership program. Boasting798 graduates to date, WestStar serves West Tennessee by offeringleadership development and education for selected participants. Formore infounation about the WestStar Leadership hogram, contactVirginia Grimes, program coordinator, at73l-881-7298 or by emailat vgrimes@utm.edu.

Brett Lashlee

Former CongressmanTo UTM

John Tanner Donates Papers

www.wenkwtpr.comm FEBRUARY 23,2OtB AT 6:04 PM g POSTED BYSHANNON MCFARLIN

Photo: From left, Tanner with wife Betty Ann and UTIvI Chancellor Keith Carver.

Martin, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin hosted a reception Feb. z3 to honorJohn Tanner, former U.S. representative for Tennessee's B'h District, and thank hirn for thedonation of his Congressicnal papers to the r,rniversity's Alliene and Jimmie S. CcrbittSpecial Collections. Tanner's ciocuments have been digitizeci and are now availabie onlinefor research use around the world.

Tanner hopes this record of his work with the U.S. House of Representatives and the NorthAtlantic Treaty Organization wiil heip future generations learn from the past.

"I hope this collection of papers and so forth will benefit young people in the future," saidTanner. "We live in a different time, perhaps, than some of the work that I did throughNATO, but if peopie can look back and see what happened then, it might give them a

better perspective of what happens now."

Tanner filled the seat vacated by Rep. Ed Jones in rg8g and represented the district until2010.

http : //www. wenkwtpr. com/

"It is our mission to conserve, preserve and make available the historical record of thisuni.rersity and West Tennessee," said Sam Richardson, university archivist and head of theCorbitt Special Collections. "We here at the Corbitt Speciai Collections consider ourselvesthe caretakers of the B,h District and the B,r. District's historical record. We, today, aremaking public a large part of that history."

"This coilection will bring great interest to researchers who are interested in Tennesseeand B't'District politics, as well as national and foreign affairs in the late 2oth and early zt"centuries," Richardson continued, addressing the Tanner family. "We here at UT Martinappreciate your generous donation, and we appreciate that you have trusted us to bringthat to the public."

The Tanner documents can be accesseC online through the Paul Meek Library website.

For more information, contact Karen Elmore, senior library assistant with specialcollections, at 731-BB1 -T og4 or kelmore@utm.edu.

UT Martin announces new provost &vice chancellor for academic aflairsFebruary 23, 2018 by WEBJ 1-_E1euv{19_ss News Staff

0tBluryw_wbljtv squd

MARTIN, Tenn. - Dr. Keith Carver, chancellor of the University of Tennessee atMartin, announced the selection of Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier as the university,s newprovost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

provost or Lyon corese in Batesvine, Arkanr"., "nf,lul';:[Til"":"JH"t}Tfi tduties effective July 1.

"l am excited to join a community that impressed me, during my campus interviews, as

truly energized and moving in a positive direction," said Cavalier." I am eager to

partner with Chancellor Carver and the faculty, staff and members of the chancellor's

leadership team to advance UT Martin's commitment to making a profound impact on

the lives of all UTM students."

At Lyon, Cavalier was responsible for working with areas such as curriculum and

program development, faculty support and shared governance, student support and

persistence initiatives accreditation and assessment.

For more information, contact the UT Martin Office of University Relations at 731-881-

7615.

http ://www. wenkwtpr. com/

Cavalier Chosen New UTM ProvostM FEBRUARY23,2018AT3:25 PM g PosTEDBYSHANNoN MCFARLIN

MARTIN, Tenn. -Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier has been chosen as the University of Tennessee at Martin's newprovost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Cavalier most recently served as provost of Lyon College

in Batesville, Arkansas, and is expected to assume UT Martin duties effective July 1.

"l am excited to join a community that impressed me, during my campus interviews, as truly energized and

moving in a positive direction," said Cavalier. "l am eager to partner with Chancellor Carver and the

faculty, staff and members of the chancellor's leadership team to advance UT Martin's commitment tomaking a profound impact on the lives of all UTM students."

At Lyon, Cavalier was responsible for working with areas such as curriculum and program development;

faculty support and shared governance; student support and persistence initiatives; accreditation; and

assessment.

http : //www.wenkwtpr. com

Cavalier holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, a master's

degree in English from Northeastern University in Massachusetts and a doctoral degree, also in English,

from the State Univei-sity of NewYork at Buffalo. He has served in higher education administration since

2004.

Cavalier plans to arrive in Martin with his wife, Dr. Carol Acree Cavalier, and youngest son, Elijah, later

this summer. The couple's two older sons, Tobiah and Benjamin, are attending universities elsewhere'

For more information, contact the UT Martin Office of University Relations at73t-887-7615.

JACKSONSUN.COM 6 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23,2018

Personalized readingclinics at UTM

The UT Martin Read-ing Center offers person-alized reading clinic ses-sions for students ingrades 2-12who have dif-ficulty reading or are fall-ing behind grade-levelreading standards.

UTM offers AGT PrePcourse

ACT scores are ex-tremely important whenit comes to applying forcollege and scholarships.

High school studentsIooking to improve theirscores can register for anACT review course of-fered from 8 a.m.-noon,Saturdays, Feb. 24-March 17, on the Univer-sity of Tennessee at Mar-tins main campus.

Ron Ramage, cou(seinstructor, has taughtACT prep classes formore than 20 Years andwill conduct four ses-sions focusing on Eng-lish, math, reading andscience.

Students will use "TheOfficial ACT PreP Guide,2018: Official PracticeTests + 4OO Bonus Ques-tions Online lst Edition"'

The registration fee forthis course is $95 Per Per-son plus the cost of thetextbook, which can bepurchased on Amazon-.com.

For information or toregister, contact the UTMartin Office of Educa-

tional Outreach at 731-

881-7104 or visit utm'edu/departments/nondegree/courses/children/act.phP.

Black Panther Party co-founder speaks at UT-Martin

OmeTYusuf,USATODAYNET\IORK-Tennessee Publisheci2:59pn CTFeb 23,2018 http://WWWjaCkSOnSUn.COm/

(Photo : KENN ETH C U M M I N G S/Th e

Jackson Sun)

MARTIN - When Bobby Seale and Huey Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966, they wanted to

"capture the imagination" of the American people.

Seale said when he researched the number of black people in political offices throughoutthe United States in

1965, he found only 52 were elected to the nearly 500,000 elected positions available

One of the reasons Seale helped create the Black Panther Party was to organize the African-American

community to vote and help elect more African Americans into office in hopes of creating more sustainable

change in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement

"l'mtellingtheotherpeople(inthegroup),we'regoingtohavetotakeovertheseseats,"Sealesaid "Wehadtherighttovote

miserably unregistered to vote "

in California We were just

Buy Photo

Co-founder of the Black panther party Bobby Seale speaks to an auditorium full of people including students and faculty of UT Martin for the 16th Annual UT Martin Civil

RighB Conference, Thursday, Feb.22 (Photo: KENNETH CUMMINGS/The Jackson Sun)

Seale served as the keynote speaker at the University of Tennessee at Martin's annual Civil Rights Conference Thursday night He spoke for nearly two

hours on his early beginnings and the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party

The Black panther party had another key goal - to prctect African Americans from police brutality in Oakland Newton and Seale learned all the gun

laws in California, specifically the open-carry gun laws, so when "policing" the Oakland Police Department to keep track of potential acts of police

brutality, they were not committing illegal activity themselves

Seale said if the community saw their efforts to combat police brutality, they would be able to effectively organize enough people to create the political

change the Black Panther Party sought

http : //www j acksonsun. c om/

co-founder of the Black panther party Bobby Seale describes how he and his party provided 1o,o0o sacks of groceries and chickens to PeoPle in oakland. california

during a voter registration drive the 1 960s. seal was the keynote speaker for the 1 8th Annual LJT Ma rtin Civil Rights conference, Thursday, Fe6 22. (Photo: KENNETH

CU M MINGSlfh e Jackso, Sun)

At its peak, the Black panther party had more than 5,000 members and many offices across the United States The party also created free health clinics,

established the successful "Free Breakfast Scholarship Program" and raised national awareness of sickle cell anemia through sickle cell testing

programs

The organization declined in the 1g70s after Seale was sentenced to prison for four years after being convicted of conspiracy and inciting a riot ahead of

thelg6gDemocraticNational ConventioninChicago ln1972,theUS GovernmentreverseditsdecisionandSealewasreleased

After being released, Seale ran for mayor of Oakland in 1973, finishing in second place, but four years later Oakland elected its first black mayor, Lionel

Wilson For Seale, that meant his political organizing had been a success

,,Judge Lionel Wilson did say when he was elected, 'lf it had not been for what Bobby Seale did to organize here in Oakland, California, when he ran for

mayor, lwould not be mayor,"'Seale said "Thatwas political organizing, and we did get more black politicians in the city of Oakland "

Seale said today the number of black politicians is up to 20,000, but to make further progress he encouraged those in the audience to elect more

"progressive" politicians, one of the same principles he kept when he created the Black Panther Party more than 50 years ago

,,Thisupcomingeleciion, lwanttheminvolvedall overthecountry,runningforsomeofthesepolitical seatsandtakingover,"Sealesaid "We'vegotto

get more and more political seats "

JACKSONSUN.COM # SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24,2018

Personalized reading clinics atUTM

The UT Martin Reading Center offerspersonalized reading clinic sessions forstudents in grades 2-12 who have diffi-culty reading or are falling behindgrade-level reading standards.

UTM offers ACT PreP course

ACT scores are extremely important

when it comes to applying for college

and scholarshiPs.High schoof students looking to im-

orot"- their scores can register for an

icr review course offered from 8 a'm'-

noon, SaturdaYs, Feb' 24-March 1Z on

t-tre Universitybf T"tttt"*t"e at Martin s

main camPus.Ron Ramage, course instructor' has

taught ACT PreP re than

20 vears and will esslons

f#;i;c on Engli ing and

science.

-students will use "The official ACT

pt"p C"ia", 2018: Official Practice Tests

* abo Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-

tion."The registration fee for this course ts

Sqi;er pirson plus the cost ofthe text-

Uoof, *iti"tt can be purchased on Ama-

zon.com.---foi ittfot-ation or to registeS contact

the UT Martin Office of Educatronat

O*t"""tt at 731-88I-TIO4 or visit

utrnedu/departments /nonde gree /courses /children/act'PhP'

JACKSONSUN.COM E SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2018

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely importantwhen it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships.

High school students looking to im-prove their scores can register for anACT review course offered from 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Feb. 24-March77, onthe University of Tennessee at Martin smain campus.

Ron Ramage, course instructor, hastaught ACT prep classes for more than2O years and will conduct four sessions

focusing on English, math, reading andscience.

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2O18:. Official Practice Tests+ 4OO Bonus Questions Online lst Edi-tion."

The registration fee for this course is$95 per person plus the cost ofthe text-book, which can be purchased on Ama-zon.com.

For information or to register, contactthe UT Martin Office of EducationalOutreach at 737-AA7-TIO4 or visitutm. edu/departments/nonde greelcourses,/children/act. php.

http ://www.kfv s I 2. com

UT Martin names new provost, vice chancellorFebruatY 25th 2018, 8:09 Pn CSfFebruary 26th 2018, 2:40 Pn CSr

Written by Brittany Myers, Content Specialist

MARTIN, TN (KFVS) - Dr. philip Acree Cavalier was announced as the UT lvlartin's new provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs by Dr. Keith

Ca rver.

He is expected to assume his duties on July 1st dt UT Maftin.

cavalier most recently served as provost of Lyon college in Batesville, Arkansas.

,,t am ex a communitythat impressed me, durin interviews, astrulyenergized and moving in,a positive direction,".said

cavalier rtop.nn"iiriinCnuricetiorCarverand aff andmembersbf thechancellor'sleadershipteamtoadvanceUTl\ilartin's nt to making a profcund impact on the I M students "

Cavalier holds a ofs degree in economics from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvanta, a master's degree in-English from Northeastern

University in l\.4a setts a;d a doctoral degree, also in English, from the State University of New York at Buffalo

JACKSONSUN.COM ff MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2018

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party Bobby Seale was the keynote speaker Thursday for the 18th annual UT Martin CivilRights Conference. Seale spoke about the true history of the party's beginnings. KENNETH cuMMTNGS/THE JAcKSoN suN

number of black people in political of-fices throughout the United States in1965, he found only 52 were elected tothe nearly 5OO,OOO elected positionsavailable.

One ofthe reasons Seale helped cre-ate the Black Panther Fartywas to orga-nize the African-American community

See SEALE, Page 5A

Black traco- und

Seale details history of political party, voting, politicsOmer YusufJackson SunUSA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE

MARTIN - When Bobby Seale andHuey Newton co-founded the BlackPanther Party in 1965, they wanted to"capture the imagination' of the Amer-ican people.

Seale said when he researched the

&6 s & € ffitr& fttmws€e &m mfrfiffmrax$m. w

w'fffi Twhffiw" $smra g

ffig'Btr€ $g*www ft &*.u*

Bobby Seale

Black Panthers co-founder

JACKSONSUN.COM # MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2A1A

SealeContinued from Page 34

to vote and help elect more AfricanAmericans into office in hopes of creat-ing more sustainable change in theUnited States during the Civil RightsMovement.

"i'm telling the other people (in thegroup), we're going to have to take overthese seats," Sea]e said. "We had theright to vote in California. We were justmiserably unregistered to vote."

Seale served as the keynote speakerat the University of Tennessee at Mar-tin s annual Civil Rights ConferenceThursday night. He spoke for nearly twohours on his early beginnings and therise and faII ofthe Black panther party.

The Black Panther Party had anotherkey goal - to protect African Americansfrom police brutality in Oakland. New-ton and Seale learned all the gun laws inCalifornia, specifically the open-carrygun laws, so when'policing" the Oak-land Police Department to keep track ofpotential acts of police brutality, theywere not committing illegal activitythemselves.

Seale said if the community sawtheirefforts to combat police brutality, theywould be able to effectively organizeenough people to create the politicalchange the Black Panther party sought.

At its peak, the Black panther partyhad more than 5,OOO members andmany offices across the United States.The party also created free health clin-ics, established the successful "FreeBreakfast Scholarship program" andraised national awareness of sickle cellanemia through sickle cell testing pro-grams.

The organization declined in the1970s sent s-onfor bein ofconsp ng a ofthe 1968 Democratic National Conven-tion in Chicago.lnlg72,the U.S. Govern-

California, during a voter registrationdrive the 1960s. KENNETH cur,4MtNGS/THE

JACKSON SUN

ment reversed its decision and Sealewas released.

After being released, Seale ran formayor of Oakland in79Z3, finishing insecond place, but four years later Oak-land elected its first black mayor, LionelWilson. For Seale, that meant his politi-cal organizing had been a success.

'Tudge Lionel Wilson did say when hewas elected, 'If it had not been for whatBobby Seale didto organize here in Oak-land, California, when he ran for mayor,I would not be mayor,"' Seale said. "Thatwas political organizing, and we did getmore black politicians in the city of Oak-land."

Seale said today the number of blackpoliticians is up to 2O,OOO, but to makefurther progress he encouraged those inthe audience to elect more "progressive"politicians, one of the same principleshe kept when he created the Black Fan-ther Party more than 50 years ago.

"This upcoming election, I wantthem involved all over the country, run-ning for some of these political seatsand taking over," Seale said. "We've gotto get more and more political seats."

Reach Omer Yustrf at (TS1) 425-968Zoyusuf@jqcksonsun. com, or on Twitter :@OmerAYusuf.

Seale describes how he and his partyprovided 1O,OOO sacks of groceries andchickens to people in Oakland,

JACKSONSUN.COM 6 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2018

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party Bobby Seale speaks Thursday to anauditorium full of people, including students and faculty of UT Martin, for the18th annual UT Martin Civil Rights Conference. KENNETH cUMMTNGS/rHE JAcKSoN suN

JACKSONSUN.COM E TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27,2018

UTM offers ACT prep course

ACT scores are extremely importantwhen it comes to applying for collegeand scholarships.

High school students looking to im-prove their scores can register for anACT review course offered from 8 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, until March 17, on theUniversity of Tennessee at Martin s

main campus. Ron Ramage, course in-structor, has taught ACT prep classesfor more than 20 years and will conductfour sessions focusing on English, math,reading and science.

Students will use "The Official ACTPrep Guide, 2O18: Official Practice Tests+ 4OO Bonus Questions Online 1st Edi-tion." The registration fee for this courseis $95 per person plus the cost of thetextbook, which can be purchased onAmazon.com. For information or to reg-ister, contact the UT Martin Office ofEducational Outreach at 731-881-71O4 orvisit utm.edu/departments/nondegree/courses/children/act.php.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

SHELTON SPEAKS - Dr.Abigail Sheltd6iwanis meeting. Pictured with Dr.Shelton(center) spoke about communicating the are Kiwanis president Vickie Hazlewoodvalue of chemistry when she and two stu- and UT Martin professor and Kiwanian S.

dents gave a presentation at the Feb. 14 K.Airee.

ROGERS SPEAKS TO CLUB _ Atthe Feb. 7 Kiwanis meeting, Dr. Jeff Rog-ers, professor of geography at UT Martin,shared information about BREXIT, the for-mal, staged exit of the United Kingdomfrom the European Union.The map showsthe 28 current EU member states (blue),the EU candidate states (pink), the EU po-tential candidate states (green), and non-

member states. ln Dr. Rogers' talk titled"BREXIT: What and What After," he saidthat BREXIT has been "a political fiasco"and shared an overview of facts, tensions,and consequences of the exit,which will beofficial in 20 19. He said that discussions ofBREXIT dominated the news in Europe. Dr.Rogers was introduced for this presenta-tion by his colleague S.K.Airee.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018

THE (MAGIC' OF CHEMISTRY

- Dr. Abigail Shelton, associate profes-sor of chernistry in the Department ofChemistry and Physics at UT Martin, andstudents Cherie Saffold and Kristina Kaulshared insights about chemical reactionswhen they visited the Martin Kiwanis Clubon Feb. 14. Saffold and Kaul, members ofthe local group Dr. Shelton advises, the Stu-dent Members of the American ChemicalSociety (SMACS), entertained Kiwanians

with two demonstrations that illustratedchemical properties - the first was "burn-ing" a $ l0 bill after soaking it in a solutionof alcohol and water and the second wasmixing three clear solutionsthe colors change from blueback to clear again as the chacted. Dr. Shelton said that she and otherstudents are available for outreach in areaschools and want to communicate the val-ue of knowint more about chemistry.

Miss UTM Rodeo Pageant to be heldThe University of Tennessee at Martin

Rodeo Booster Club will sponsor theMiss UTM Rodeo Pageant on March 17at Watkins Auditorium in the UniversityCenter on the campus of UTM.

The pageant is open to all girls, agesbirth-20. Contestants wili be judged informal/evening gown only.

Doors will open at noon, with pageantsas follows: ages birth-l2 months at Ip.m.; l-3 at 1:30; 4-6 at 2 p.^.:7-9 at2:30; l0-12 at 3 p.m.; 13-15 at 3:30; andl6-20 at 4 p.m.

Registration is at the door only, $25for beauty only, with side categoriesavailable for additional cost. Winnerof the l6-20-year-old division will berequired to participate in UTM Rodeo

ities and is eligible to competeal Queens Review/Strawberry

Junior, Teen and Miss division queenswill be recognized at UTM RodeoPerformances on April 12,13 and 14.

For more information, contact BethWeldon at (731) 225-1227.

THE WEAKLEY COUNTY PRESS

TTJESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 2018

TEAM COMPETES - UT MartinChancellor Dr. Keith Carver and manage-ment, marketing, and information sciencesdepartment chair Dr. Cooper Johnson re-cently visited with the CyberPatriotTeamwhile they competed in the semi-finals.The

ream consists of (from left) William Scar-brough, Riley Cormia, Dr. Keith Carve[ Dr.Cooper Johnson, Dr. Bryan Foltz (coach),Reagan McMahan, Sarah Foltz and DestinMcKeel.

technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM)disciplines. Teams ofmiddle and high schoolstudents are placed in therole of new IT profession-als at a small company andare tasked with managingthe network of computers.Teams that advance to thenational level are eligiblefor scholarships and an allexpense trip to Baltimore,MD for the National FinalsCompetition.

The Civil Air PatrolEverett-Stewart Compos iteSquadron, the officialU-S. Air Force Auxiliarymetiii the second andfourth Thursday from 6to 8:30 p.m. at Everett-Stewart Airport terminal.Membership is open to allindividuals 12 years of ageand older, and those inter-ested are invited to attenda meeting. Questions maybe addressed to Capt. Laura

Foltz at laurafoltz@gmail.com.

For additional informa-tion about the Everett-Stew art CompositeSquadron, visit theFacebook location ofEverett-Stewart Compos iteSquadron, Civil Air Patrolor website at https://sites.google. com/a/tncap. us /tnl95l.

Civil Air Patrol, thelongtime all-volunteer U.S.Air Force auxiliary, is thenewest member of the AirForce's Total Force. Inthis role, CAP operates afleet of 560 aircraft, per-forms about 90 percentof continental U.S. inlandsearch and rescue mis-sions as tasked by the AirForce Rescue CoordinationCenter and is credited bythe AFRCC with saving anaverage of 80 lives annual-ly. CAP's 57,000 membersalso perform homelandsecurity, disaster relief .and

rnlssrons,ff federal*hgenCie#a leading

role in aerospaceiSTEMeducation, and its mem-bers serve as mentors to24,000 young people par-ticipating in CAP's CadetPrograms. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com formore information.

Team competes in semifinalsThe Everett-Stewart Civil

Air Patrol CyberPatriotteam placed first in the statefor the all-service, gold tierof competition on Jan. 20and advanced to the nation-al semifinals. The teamcompeted for the nationalsemi-finals on Feb. 9.

The CyberPatriot teammembers for the NationalYouth Cyber DefenseCompetition are C/AmnRiley Cormia of Martin,ClCapt Sarah Foltz ofMartin, C/Amn DestinMcKeel of Martin, C/AmnRegan McMahan of UnionCity, and C/Amn WilliamScarbrough of Martin. Theteam coach, Capt. C. BryanFoltz, PhD is an associateprofessor of ManagementInformation Systems at TheUniversity of Tennessee atMartin. Dr. Ross Dickens,the dean of the Schoolof Business and GlobalAffairs has graciously lentthe use of a computer labto advance the CAP cadetprogram.

The CyberPatriot is theNational Youth CyberDefense Competition.The National Youth CyberEducation Program wascreated by the Air ForceAssociation (AFA) toinspire K-12 students topursue careers in cyber-security or other science,

Trenton Gazette

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

UT MARTIN STUDENTS recently attended and competed at the 2018 SoutheastJournalism Conference at Harding University. The students brought home severalawards for their work with the campus radio station and newspaper. Pictured are(front row, from left) Jillianne Moncrief, of Mclemoresville; Ashley Shores, of Leba-non; Ashton Priest, of Union City; Holly Seng, of Union City; (back row) John Thorn-ton, of Atoka; Kait Scott, of Martin; Emma Bruner, of Martin, Sarah Knapp, of Mos-cow; Rachel Moore, of Ashland City; Brooke Boshers, of Mt. Pleasant; Jason Repath, ofWhite House; Matt Herod, of Humboldt; and Shane Wofford, of Trenton.

New provost chosen for University of Tennessee atMartinwww.seattletimes.com

Orrginally published Feltruary 28, ?o1B at 12:23 anr

By "Ihe Associaled Pr ess

The Associated Press

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) - The University of Tennessee at Martin will soon have a newprovost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

He is Philip Acree (AY'-cree) Cavalier, who most recently was provost of Lyon College inBatesville, Arkansas. He's expected to begin his work at Martin effective |uly r.

UT Martin Chancellor I(eith Carver announced the selection recently.

Trenton student wins SoutheastJournalisrn Conference award

The University of Ten-nessee at Martin's stu-dent-run radio stationand campus newspaperrecently competed at the2018 Southeast Journal-ism Conference at Hard-ing University in Searcy,tuk.

Shane Wofford, a seniorfrom Trenton, won secondplace in the on-site RadioNews Reporting competi-tion. Matt Herod, of Hum-boldt, also represented UT

Martin at the conference.For the fourth year in a

row, WUTM 90.3 FM "TheHawk" was named BestCollege Radio Station inthe South. WUTM is thefirst to accomplish thisfeat in the history of theconference and has wonthe category eight of thelast 11 years.

WUTM also receivedfirst place in the Best Au-dio News Program for thethird consecutive year. The

radio station has placed inthis category every yearsince its creation in 2011.

"This was a tremendousshowing by our studentsand student media at theconference, said Dr. Rich-ard Robinson, associateprofession of communica-tions at WUTMfaculty ad-viser. "Our students wonin almost every area ofcommunications. They dida great job.

Cavalier has served in higher education administration since 2oo4.

NEW PROVOST - Dr. Philip AcreeCavalier is shown during his open forumpresentation Jan. 25 at the University of

Tennessee at Martin. He was recentlyselected as provost and vice chancellor foracademic affairs.

THE CURRENT, FEBRUARY 28, 2OI8

Local studentstackle ACTtest at UTM

(Editor's Note: The followingwas submitted by South FultonHigh School student Lance Sam-billoza)

Students around our area tookthe ACT test at the UTM Cam-pus in Martin, Tenn. Feb. 10.

Every student seemed energet-ic and are ready to take the four-hour test.

This big event is important forthe students because it can helpthem shape their futures afterhigh school.

The actual test is kind of like aculminating experience becausepreparation for the test beginsmonths prior to the actual test.

Many students prep4re forthe test by studying ACT studyguides or even taking classesto help them learn how to scorebetter on the test. Students thenhave to register for the test, on-line, several weeks prior to thechosen test date.

On the day of the test, studentsshould arrive early and preparedwith their id, entry ticket, pen-cils, and an approved calculator.

All needed identificationis checked then students aregrouped into rooms so the testcan actually be administered.

South Fulton students, alongwith many other area students,are given an opportunity to takethe ACT one time, free of charge,at their school.

This opportunity gives ourstudents an advantage in thatthey know what to expect if theychoose to take the test again atUTM.

This nerve wracking experi-ence is just one of the ways thatstudents work to advance to thenext stage of their educationalcareer: college.

Cavalier selected as new provostat University of TN at Martin

Dr. Philip Acree Cavalierhas been selected as theUniversity of Tennessee atMartin's new provost andvice chancellor for academ-ic affairs.

His selection was recent-ly announced by ChancellorDr. Keith Carver.

Cavalier most recentlyserved as provost of LyonCollege in Batesville, Ark.,and is expected to assumeUT Martin duties effectiveJuly 1.

"I am excited to join acommunity that impressedme, during my campusinterviews, as truly ener-gized and moving in a posi-tive direction," Cavaliersaid. "I am eager to partnerwith Chancellor Carver andthe faculty, staff and mem-bers of the chancellor'sleadership team to advanceUT Martin's commitmentto making a profound

impact on the lives of allUTM students."

At Lyon, Cavalier wasresponsible for workingwith areas such as curricu-lum and program develop-pent; faculty support andshared governance; studentsupport and persistence ini-tiatives; accreditation; andassessment.

Cavalier holds a bache-lor's degree in economicsfrom Swarthmore Collegein Pennsylvania, a master'sdegree in English fromNortheastern Universityin Massachusetts and adoctoral degree, also inFnglish, from the StateUniversity of New York atBuffalo. He has served inhigher education adminis-tration since 2004.

"I appreciate Dr. RichHelgeson (former dean,UT Martin College ofEngineering and Natural

Sciences) for stepping up tofill the provost position thispast year. and I wish himwell as he returns to thefaculty in the fall. I wouldalso like to thank Dr. PhilipSmartt (search committeechairperson and professorof natural resources man-agement) and the rest ofthe search committee fortheir tireless efforts to findthe best person to lead UTMartin's academic areas,"Carver said in a campusmessage. "I am confidentDr. Cavalier is this person,and I look forward to wel-coming him and his familyto campus this summer."

Cavalier plans to arrivein Martin with his wife, Dr.Carol Acree Cavalier, andyoungest son, Elijah, laterthis summer. The couple'stwo older sons, Tobiah andBenjamin, are attendinguniversities elsewhere.

Bo[[y $eale $Reafts [t UiltBobby Seale, co-founder of

the Black Panther Party, spokeFeb. 22 on the UT Martinmain campus as part of theuniversity's I 8th-annual CivilRights Conference. Seale co-founded the Black Panthers inthe 1960s with fellow activist

Huey Newton. UT Martin isone of only two universitiesnationally to host an annualcivil rights conference, andthe 2018 event focused on the5Oth anniversary ofthe assas-sination of Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr.

DRESDEN ENTERPRISE' FEBRUARY 28' 2018

Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale spoke atUT Martin as partof the University's Civil Rights Gonference.

2018 ilil$s uilttRllIITll PIGTITI

The University of Tennessee atMartin Rodeo Booster Club willsponsor the Miss UTM RodeoPageant Saturday, Mxch I7, atWatkins Auditorium in the Uni-versity Center on the campus ofUTM. The pageant is open toall girls, ages 0-20. Contestants

will be judged in formaVeveninggown only. Doors open at 12:00pm with pageants as follows:0-12 months at1:00, l-3 years at1:30, 4-6 years at 2:00, 7 -9 yearsat 2:30, 10-12 years at 3:00, 13-15 years at 3:30, and 16-20 yearsat 4:00. Registration is at thedoor only, $25 for beauty onlywith side categories available foradditional cost. Winner ofthe 16-20 division required to participatein UTM Rodeo Week activitiesand is eligible to compete in Ter-ritorial Queens Review/Straw-berry Festival. Junior, Teen andMiss Division Queens will berecognized at UTM Rodeo Per-formances April 12,!3, and 14.For more information, contactBeth Weldon at (731) 225-1227.

New provost chosen for University of Tennesseewww.wate.com/ http://www.wsmv.conv

washingtontimes'com/ https://www.usnews.corn

MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) - The University of Tennessee at Martin willsoon have a new provost

and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

He is philip Acree (AY'-cree) Cavalier, who most recently was provost of Lyon College in

Batesville, Arkansas. He's expected to begin his work at Martin effective July 1.

UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver announced the selection recently.

Cavalier has served in higher education administration since 2OO4'

at MartinUpdated: Feb 28,2018 03:23 AM EST

Miss Rodeo USA returns for MCS rodeo

SarahPavlik-Hernandez 212812018 http ://www. enewscourier. com

Miss Rodeo USA, Summer Weldon fires up the crowd during the Bluegrass Rockin' Rodeo at the KentuckyHorse Park in Lexington, Kentucky last November.

Courtesy Photo

Summer Weldon, winner of the 2018 Miss Rodeo USA competition, has been riding

horses on her family's sprawling Bermuda hay farm on the outskirts of Martin, Tennessee,

since she was 3. Now 20, the avid competitor still remembers the freedom and exhilaration

she got from riding "Dandy," her small Shetland pony.

"l have been hooked on horses every since," she said.

By the time she started elementary school, Weldon was already showing horses, a

competition she said was fun but not as exciting as the rodeos she often attended with her

horse-enth usiast parents.

http : //www. enewscourier. com/

She fell in love with barrel racing, competing and winning competitions throughout

Tennessee by the time she was in middle school.

At about the same time, the dark-haired belle began entering area beauty pageants until

she discovered Rodeo eueen Pageants - a contest that melded her two favorite thinEs,

horsemanship and Pageantry.

She was hooked again. Rodeo Queen Pageant participants compete in several categories,

including personality, appearance, horsemanship, ability to answer interview questions

and speech lasting 5-7 minutes.

Of the 20 Rodeo Queen Pageants she has competed in, she's won 15 of them.

"The ones I lost just pushed me harder, driving me to do better next time," she said.

Last year, Weldon made the four-hour trip to Decatur to compete in the Morgan County

Sheriffs Rode eueen Competition because winning the competition would put her one

step closer to the Miss Rodeo USA competition.

Weldon gave her all, nabbing the Division 7 title and qualifying to compete at the national

Miss Rodeo USA competition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma'

Riding against 12 young women frorn across the United States, Weldon then racked up

enough points during the weeklong competition to take the crov/n.

For the speech portion of the competition, she drew inspiration from her brother's best

friend, who suffers from cerebral palsy, and a friend who was left as a paraplegic after

being thrown from a horse.

"seeing them work through their limitations was humbling and inspiring," she said. "l want

to promote the idea that even if you have a physical or mental disability, you can still live a

full, productive life,"

ln addition to winning the crown, Weldon also gained a platform.

http : //www. enewscourier. com/

Speaking by cellphone on her way back from a competition in Arkansas that also included

a brief stop in Texas, Weldon explained the next year of her life basically belongs to Miss

Rodeo USA and being ambassador for the lnternational Professional Rodeo Organization.

She'll be gone nearly every weekend of the year, traveling to states as far-flung as

California, a commitment that required her to take a couple of semesters off of college.

The University of Tennessee at Martin sophomore is studying cellular and molecular

biology, with plans to become a physical therapist like her parents.

"Different IRPA rodeos will hire me to go around to local schools, hospitals and other

community groups to get people to fill the stands at their local rodeos," she said. "l'm their

public relations person for the year."

It's also her job to kick off the rodeo, riling up the crowd as she gallops by on the back of

her quarter horse, Baby Girl, a job she will proudly do at the upcoming MCSR, April 13 and

14 atthe Celebration Arena in Priceville.

"We always have Miss Rodeo USA at our rodeos. This year, we are lucky enough that the

winner is one of our own," Terrie Wright, member of the MCSR Queen Committee, said.

According to Wright, the organization is looking for "new faces" to compete in the local

queen pageant which will lead up to the April rodeo. The pageant consists of seven age

divisions, ranging from ages 3 to 26 and is open to non-Morgan County and out-of-state

residents.

The deadline to enter the pageant is March 17. The pageant and horsemanship portion of

the competition will take place on March 24 al Shoal Creek Baptist Church, 1077 Shoal

Creek Road, Decatur. For more information about the MCSR Queen Pageant, visit

or contact Wright at256-679-7545.

JACKSONSUN.COM 6 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2018

Martin's hofarobattling rareblood diseaseBrandon ShieldsJackson SunUSA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE

MARTIN - "You're sick. There's nocure. You can't beat ttris."

Those were the three statementsthat resonated with Joe Lofaro in Oc-tober <-rf 2ol5 when he was diagnosedwith Erdheim Chester's Disease(ECD).

Lofaro said his response took a fewseconds to sink in.

"My mother and brother werethere, and we sat for a minute; I criedfor about 30 seconds and then I said,

See LOFARO, Page 5A

LofaroContinued from Page 34

'OK, let's go beat this,"' Lofaro said.Lofaro said his diagnosis causes him

to want to raise awareness for ECD, butalso for rare diseases in general. The lastday in February is Rare Disease Daywhich was first established as a day ofobseryance in Europe in 2OO8.

Lofaro is one of three people in Ten-nessee with ECD. There are 2O in theUnited States, and 600 in the entireworld with the diagnosis.

Thafs one reason it took about 2.%

years to officiallybe diagnosed, as otherpossibilities were ruled out at hospitalsin Jackson, Nashville and other states.

Lofaro's short answer to describeECD is a "slow cancer of the blood." Themore scientific answer is it's a diseasethat causes over-production of whiteblood cells that can lead to organ failureor deterioration of bones and tissue invarious organs.

The brain is one ofthe organs poten-tially affected by the condition, and

Lori Beth Spaulding is a therapist atSidelines in Martin who works with JoeLofaro in maintaining his balance.SUBMITTED

that's one that's affected Lofaro themost.

He was checked for stroke as he's hadspeech and balance issues throughoutthe process that began in April of 2013with what he thought was the flu. Brainscans indicated he had multiple lesionson his brain stem, which caused the lackofbalance and slurred speech.

He went through various diagnostictests, including multiple spinal taps, totry to figure out the root ofthe problembefore ECD was the flnal diagnosis.

"It was frustrating, just not knowingwhy all this was happening," Lofarosaid. 'And I usually tell people I'm flneand everything's good, but there weresome days that was a lie - because it'sone thing to be sick and a totally differ-ent thing not knowing why you're sick."

Lofaro said there's no known causefor him to develop ECD.

"I don t guess it matters as long as it'snot something I can pass on to my chil-dren, which I can t," Lofaro said.

A longtime journalist at variousnewspapers in Middle and West Ten-nessee before working at UT Martin intheir sports information and communi-

"M3r rvrlmd st*l* mser*ss welB" $ san sti$lre ernbqlr t$tisr s- M3r vpxeah jwst getssl"iarrwd $st*r ir* €Bne *ay whe*r 4 eetired" Se*t yana i<n*rru vokmt? Un gclmg€* 4e*ega ftghtlng, acld i stE$! g*fa* **be*t th$s thi*g."Joe LofaroMartin resident

cations departments, Lofaro is now re-tired as his condition caused him to goon disability last year.

"I'm not used to that yet," Lofaro said."But I deal with it. I'm still able to getaround, but I havent driven a car in afew years.

"My mind still works well. I can stillremember things. My speech just getsslurred later in the day when I get tired.But you know what? I'm going to keepfighting, and I still plan to beat thisthing."

Reach Brandon Shields atbjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 73i-425-9751. FoIIow him on Twitter @JSEd-itorBrqndon or on Instagrqm at editor-brandon.