A new performance audit by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has found a number of areas that require increased oversight by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.
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On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy spoke with Laurie Cardoza-Moore President and founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations about the continued anti-Semitic activity at UT Knoxville that’s gone conveniently unnoticed by the chancellors. Moore explained how many textbooks are teaching a false narrative about 9-11 and the Jewish people which is creating a violation of civil rights for those Jewish students. Towards the end of the segment, Moore revealed the two co-sponsors for her anti-Semitism Awareness Act in the state of Tennessee and advocated for a federal investigation of college campuses where anti-Semitic incidences occur. Leahy: And we are joined now on our newsmaker line by our very good friend Laurie Cardoza-Moore founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations. Welcome, Laurie. Moore: Good morning. Thank you for having me on the program again this morning. Leahy: We always are happy to have you on here Laurie. And you know you started Proclaiming Justice to the Nations just a few days after the original 9-11 attacks in 2001. Tell us a little bit about how you got…
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The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is facing the music over the controversial event known as Sex Week, with the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office sending a report to legislators pointing out that very few students attend the university-supported program. A copy of the report by the Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability is available here. The report was given to the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. Legislative leadership requested a review of the week-long event which has been held at UTK each spring since 2013. The event is organized by Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee (SEAT), a registered student organization (RSO). A 2017 story by The Tennessee Star revealed the titles of some of the Sex Week classes, such as “Having an Affair With Yourself.” The names go downhill from there. According to the Comptroller, SEAT’s membership is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of UTK’s enrollment, and has refused administrators’ requests to “tone it down.” The Comptroller’s Office says: • SEAT is one of about 600 RSOs at UTK, all of which are eligible to request student activity fee funding. In four of the past five years, SEAT received the highest allocation of student activity fee funds, including about…
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People in Tennessee lodged far more Title IX discrimination complaints against the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis than other public entities in the state that take federal money, according to a new report. In laymen’s terms, that means a lot of people allege school officials discriminated against them because of their gender. More specifically, Title IX says no education program that takes federal taxpayer money can discriminate based on sex, and it includes protections against sexual harassment. According to a new report from Tennessee Comptrollers, the University of Memphis had 153 Title IX complaints in Fiscal Year 2018, a slight increase from 152 in Fiscal Year 2017. Schools in the University of Tennessee System, meanwhile, had 162 Title IX complaints in Fiscal Year 2018. The UT system had 166 such complaints in Fiscal Year 2017 and 129 in Fiscal Year 2016, according to the Comptrollers’ report. In an emailed statement, Kenneth P. Anderson, the University of Memphis’ Title IX coordinator for the Office of Institutional Equity, said the high number of complaints is “a positive.” “They speak to the University’s efforts to seriously address interpersonal violence and sexual misconduct,” Anderson told The Tennessee Star. “The University of…
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Former gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd will not run for retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s seat because he is serving as interim president of the University of Tennessee system for a two-year period, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said Tuesday. Boyd finished in second place to Gov.-elect Bill Lee in the August Republican primary after spending an estimated $20 million on his campaign. Had he chosen to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020 to succeed Alexander, he would have been a first tier candidate, despite his primary loss. According to the Times Free Press: “It just seems so far removed from the state of Tennessee, I couldn’t see myself in Washington, D.C., arguing about things and not getting as in depth,” he said. Having only 24 months or less to tackle his goals adds to that sense of urgency, he said. Alexander (R-TN) on Monday said he would not run for a fourth term in 2020. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said, “Lamar just gave political consultants and media buyers an early Christmas gift as he just kick-started the 2020 campaign for his open Senate seat.” The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees on Sept. 25 appointed Boyd as…
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The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees on Tuesday placed its trust in failed gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd to lead the system as interim president. Boyd, the Knoxville entrepreneur who made improving education a key plank in his failed bid this summer to be Tennessee’s governor, will take over as interim University of Tennessee system president when current President Joe DiPietro retires in November, WBIR reported. The Board of Trustees voted Tuesday morning to appoint Boyd to the role. As the board started its vote, a few students began protesting. Stephanie Haines reported on Twitter, “Before this, a few students interrupted the vote and approached Chair Compton with a petition against the appointment. They were asked to leave. There was some profanity.” UT Board of Trustees votes Randy Boyd as interim system president pic.twitter.com/2GE7OMhD3F — Stephanie Haines (@StephNewsNation) September 25, 2018 Several UT students attended the meeting and protested Boyd’s appointment, holding signs saying, “LIES” and “#RunoutRandy,” the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported. Several also spoke during the meeting, saying they had concerns about his appointment. Some protesters planned to introduce a bill to the Student Senate Tuesday night opposing Boyd’s appointment. The bill says, “the administration has forgone any review of…
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University of Tennessee’s Board of Trustees says they will consider appointing Knoxville businessman and failed gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd to serve as interim president, WJHL reports. The job could last up to 24 months or until the appointment of a new president at UT. If he’s appointed as interim president, Boyd has told the board that he will decline to be paid a salary. Boyd lost in a blowout primary election Aug. 2 in the Republican governor’s race to political newcomer Bill Lee. UT President Joe DiPietro said Monday that he planned to retire from active service Nov. 21, the university announced. Members of the public can preregister to address the board regarding the proposed appointment during a 30-minute comment period at the Sept. 25 meeting at the Visitors Center on the UT Knoxville campus. UT Board Chair John Compton said appointing an interim president gives the trustees time to plan for the university’s future. He and the other trustees, since beginning their work Aug. 1, have individually been meeting with and listening to key stakeholders, including legislators, faculty, campus leadership and alumni. Boyd is the founder and chairman of Radio Systems Corp., with more than 700 employees, offices in six countries and the…
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Taking a stand on Nike’s support of National Anthem kneeler Colin Kaepernick, State Senator Bo Watson (R-TN-11) is calling for a review of university endorsement deals with the seller of running apparel. Watson’s request was reported by Campus Reform. “I have asked the TN Office of Legislative Budget Analysis to review what TN state-financed colleges & universities have Nike contracts and report findings,” Watson, who is the Senate Finance Chair, tweeted. I have asked the TN Office of Legislative Budget Analysis to review what TN state-financed colleges & universities have Nike contracts and report findings. @TN_SenateFWM @TNGOP @tnsenategop @ltgovmcnally #WeStand @robints https://t.co/RoolkmWOY4 — Bo Watson (@SenBoWatson) September 7, 2018 Catherine Haire, Senate budget analysis director in the Office of Legislative Budget Analysis, confirmed to Campus Reform that the office has launched the inquiry and should have the findings by the end of the week. Currently, the University of Tennessee is locked into a deal with Nike as the official apparel supplier until the 2025-26 academic year, The Tennessee Star reported. Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill says that legislators might have a say about the issue. “Similar contracts with Nike reduce the amounts paid to schools if athletes or coaches cover…
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When the University of Tennessee shifted its apparel and shoe contracts from Adidas to Nike three years ago, there was an enthusiastic embrace of the new gear from athletes and fans alike. That deal was extended last year by then Athletic Director Dave Hart. But the Nike deal was not without some controversy, as the Nike brand experts were a big factor in the University deciding to drop the Lady Vols logo and implement a “branding restructure.” Fans forced a reversal of that decision, in part thanks to some pressure from the Tennessee legislature. Now, a new controversy has arisen for Nike and the University of Tennessee with Nike embracing the controversial and unapologetically anti-National Anthem/American flag and chief kneeler Colin Kaepernick in a new ad campaign for the company. Protests and calls for boycotts have dominated social media in the wake of Nike’s announcement of their new deal with Kaepernick. Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis has dubbed the Nike decision the “dumbest move” in the brand’s history and pointed out that the decision had cost Nike about a $3 billion loss in market cap based on stock trading Tuesday morning after the announcement. Currently, the University of…
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In the final segment of Friday’s Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville, Steve Gill reflected on the life and times of legendary Vols sports broadcaster, John Ward. Ward passed away this week at age 88 after a lengthy illness. The segment opened up with a 1995 recording of Ward calling a classic moment in Vols football history: a first-down, first play touchdown by then-quarterback Peyton Manning and his wide receiver, Joey Kent. “What did he do?” Ward said in his trademark galloping cadence – the live Vols fans roaring in the background – “All he did was score!” “The Voice of the Vols has passed,” Steve Gill said, “But his legacy lives on as long as someone shouts ‘BOTTOM’ whenever a Tennessee basketball player scores a basket; or ‘Give him six!’ when they cross the checkerboard; or ‘It’s football time in Tennessee!’ when those crisp, Fall Saturdays begin.” He continued: You know, when I was a kid – eighth or ninth grade – we lived in Colonial Heights Virginia, near Richmond, and late at night I could tune in and just barely catch the Vol basketball games. I would have to actually turn the dial sightly…
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The first woman Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, Beverly Davenport, has been fired effective July 1 although she will remain on the payroll as a tenured professor of Communications. Davenport began her tenure as Chancellor in February, 2017 but was terminated by President Joe DiPietro for a number of reasons, which he cited in a letter to Davenport. “As I indicated to you last Tuesday, I do not think you can be successful as the leader of our flagship campus and have decided that it is best to move forward with a change in leadership rather than putting you on a formal performance improvement plan,” DiPietro said in the letter. When Davenport takes assumes her position as a professor, she will be receiving 75 percent of her initial base salary as professor for four years, approximately $439,000 per year, at which time her pay will be adjusted to the average base salary of a full professor. She is being immediately placed on administrative leave with pay until June 30. To call DiPietro’s termination letter to Davenport scathing could be an understatement, as he detailed her failings and refusal to address concerns that had been expressed to her earlier. Here…
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Conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star contributor Steve Gill shared a bombshell finding Thursday on The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville that more than a third of college students say they don’t get enough to eat and are functionally homeless. “We were talking about Sex Week, and have to just tell you – and I’m trying to be delicate here – but I feel so sorry for that poor, UT football fan who is so distraught over the last couple of years, when Tennessee football couldn’t make its way into the end zone,” Gill said. He continued: We could not get to the checkerboard square. We. Could. Not. Score… under Butch Jones. And there’s great hope that coach Pruitt will be an entirely different matter. But I feel so sorry for that poor UT football fan, or UT student on campus who is a big UT football fan that comes across the Sex Week schedule and thinks that some of the focus on “End Zone” has to do with better offensive efficiency for the football team, when they’re going to get in those meetings and really, really be surprised. Also, a new story – a third of college students, according to a new US…
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The University of Tennessee at Martin Student Government Association president, Jordan Long, signed the controversial concealed carry resolution passed by the Student Senate last Thursday. Reaction by some in the student body was swift, as many staged a sit-in at the Student Government Association (SGA) offices on campus, WBBJ-TV reported: Although it received a majority of “yes” votes from SGA senators, students who voted in the referendum on Tuesday did not show the same support. More than 1,400 students voiced their opinion in the referendum. In the referendum vote, 89 percent agreed that students feel safe on campus, 54 percent disagreed students with a Tennessee concealed carry permit should be allowed to carry a concealed firearm on campus, and 58 percent disagreed they would feel safer if students were allowed to carry a concealed firearm on campus. On Dec. 7, the resolution was passed 17-10. Now, the resolution will go to UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver for approval. SGA president Jordan Long told WBBJ-TV, “The hundreds of emails that I have gotten, I’ve almost responded to all of them – some for, some against – in a respectful manner, even when the ones that I’ve gotten aren’t at all. It is a constitutional right of…
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UPDATE 7:40 pm central Monday “The memorandum of understanding signed between Greg Schiano and University of Tennessee athletic director John Currie for Schiano to be Tennessee’s next head football coach was not signed by the university chancellor, chancellor’s office spokesperson Ryan Robinson told ESPN,” ESPN reported late Monday, adding: Lawyers on both sides are expected to argue whether it’s still a binding legal document and whether Schiano is owed any compensation without the signature of Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport, who released a statement about the hiring fiasco Monday, saying, “I deeply regret the events of yesterday for everyone involved.” Currie, in his first year as Tennessee’s athletic director, signed Schiano to a memorandum of understanding on Sunday. A plane was waiting in Columbus, Ohio, to bring Schiano to Tennessee that night and introduce him as the Volunteers’ coach. But Tennessee backed out of the memorandum of understanding following outrage by fans and state politicians when news broke that the Vols were finalizing a deal with Schiano, who’s in his second year as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. Memorandums of understanding are formal records of the understanding between the coach and the school as to the terms and conditions under which the…
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By David Tulis / Noogaradio 1240 AM 92.7 FM A 13 year old homeschool girl, Sofia Tomov, is entering studies at the University of Tennessee starting with a course in coding. She looks forward to furthering her passion with computers and problem-solving. “Computer science is a very interesting way to solve global scale problems,” Sophia tells the UT Daily Beacon newspaper. She has published a children’s book, has a patent pending for a drug disposal device to keep water supplies clean, excelled in the ACT, passed two AP courses by age 12 and in 2016 had enrolled in three more AP courses. The Knoxville resident enjoys fencing, playing David Bowie tunes on a guitar and spending time in nature. The girl who hopes to pursue a career in the energy field will be dual enrolled as both high school and university student. She is a recipient of the scholarship that is given to seventh graders who are the 97th percentile. Last fall she was a finalist in contest for young scientists in which she presented the project on an algorithm that examines genetic code for mutations to reduce the negative effects of prescription drugs. “So far they have not found…
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