Volume 148, Issue 13
RA horror stories
OPINION:
I don’t want to go home
Page 3
Page 7
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
@utkdailybeacon
Knoxville City Council to weigh indoor smoking CASSIDY GASPARD Contributor
UTK Turning Point hosts Sen. Marsha Blackburn OLIVIA LEE Staff Writer MARGARET WHITE Staff Writer On Tuesday evening, political activists Riley Gaines and Josh Thifault joined U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on campus in a conversation centered around conservative values. In coordination with UTK’s chapter of Turning Point USA, Blackburn spoke to over 100 members of the UT community in the Student Union ballroom. Blackburn, who is campaigning for her 2026 gubernatorial run, encouraged students at the event to register to vote. “In this country, ‘one person, one vote,’ is vitally important,” Blackburn said. “One of our precious rights is that right to go cast that vote and participate in the electoral system.” Gaines and Thifault have been heavily involved with Turning Point throughout their careers.
Thifault, a founding member of Turning Point USA, touched on the importance of Blackburn speaking to the “future leaders of the country.” “That’s one of the things that made America great – colleges were the forum for this kind of open debate,” Thifault told The Daily Beacon. “It’s easy to talk about the corruption in both parties, the one way that you fix it is you set up situations like this where the representatives actually face-to-face dialogue with the people that they represent.” Blackburn, who has been criticized by some constituents for not holding public, in-person town halls, used the event as an opportunity to answer questions facing young voters. “I do think that it’s important for politicians to get involved with their constituents because that’;s who they serve,” UTK’s Turning Point Chapter President Emma Arns said. “We definitely want to see more of that and plan to have more of that in the chapter.”
Faculty senate addresses enrollment, Neyland plans OLIVIA LEE Staff Writer As university enrollment declines nationwide, University of Tennessee administrators boast sturdy enrollment numbers for the fall 2026 semester. UT Provost John Zomchick provided an overview of the university’s fall 2026 enrollment at Monday’s faculty senate meeting, days after UT’s first-year student enrollment confirmation deadline. “I’m happy to announce that we have had a very strong confirmation response, and we are on target to meet our enrollment goals for fall of 2026,” Zomchick said. “As you know, that’s not the case across the country, so we continue to be a destination of choice.” UT’s enrollment matched last year’s goal of serving Tennesseans and enrolling in-state students, Zomchick said. He also noted an increase in the number of honors students enrolled. Large enrollment numbers have brought concern to UT students, faculty and staff who worry about limited parking and steeper housing costs. These concerns spiked after the UT board of trustees approved a $280 million Neyland Entertainment District project Monday. Questions over the project’s funding have been raised on campus since last week, when Athletics Director Danny White announced plans for construction to commence this summer. UT Chief of Staff Matthew Scoggins clarified that while the campus and UT Athletics are contributing in part to the project, the $280 million price tag is attributed to private investment. “The campus is not subsidizing athletics. The campus is not subsidizing entertainment,” Scoggins said. Senators asked Scoggins how the university expects to handle parking as the current G10 parking garage is replaced with a new, $83 million garage, which plans indicate will offer 1,316 spaces. According to Scoggins, the university is developing a surface parking lot on Stephenson Drive to accommodate motorists amid the construction. “We love the G10 parking garage,” Scoggins said. “But we need to be using that area of campus in a more strategic way.” See ‘FACULTY SENATE,’ Page 2
An initiative to ban indoor smoking and vaping in bars, venues and hospitality workplaces is set to go before the Knoxville City Council. Several Knoxville bars permit indoor smoking, including The Half Barrel, Cool Beans Bar and Grill, Urban Bar and Corner Cafe, a n d Preservation Pub. If passed, the ordinance would require these establishments to transition to smoke-free indoor environments. The council could vote on the measure as soon as May 12, 2026. Smokefree Knoxville, a public health advocacy group working in partnership with the Metro Drug Coalition, is leading the effort. According to WBIR 10News, Smokefree Knoxville Chair Jeremy Kourvelas has found himself in a predicament when it comes to booking shows. As a
musician with asthma, he must put his own health at risk to make money at venues that allow indoor smoking. Sophomore University of Tennessee student Lincoln said indoor smoking has never impacted his nightlife decisions. “Smoking in bars has never affected my experience in a bar, let alone it being a deciding factor in staying or leaving,” Lincoln said. He noted that the proposed ordinance could shift the social dynamic in these spaces by creating a divide between smokers and non-smokers. “Having bars that allow indoor smoking gives them a unique characteristic and distinctive atmosphere,” Lincoln said. “Although the majority of bars have outside areas for smoking, in those areas, I feel disconnected from the main social atmosphere, disrupting the overall experience.” He added that businesses without outdoor smoking areas could be particularly affected, as he has witnessed firsthand the appeal of establishments that permit indoor smoking. SEE ‘SMOKING BAN,’ PAGE 2
Julia Dieter named 2026 Truman Scholar TESSA NACKE Staff Writer Junior public affairs major Julia Dieter has been named a 2026 Truman Scholar, a program that recognizes students who exemplify leadership, a potential future for public service and academic excellence. Recipients of this scholarship receive $30,000 for graduate school, leadership training, a summer spent at an institute in D.C. and a vast network of connections for future internships or careers. Beyond being one of the 55 winners for this application cycle, Dieter will join the network of all of the 3,673 Truman Scholars named since 1977. “The application process is not easy. It’s like a bunch of essays, a policy proposal, different (recommendation) letters about different aspects of your leadership, service, character, those kinds of things. … It comes with a lot of opportunities,” Dieter said. Dieter worked tirelessly to apply for the award. Initially nominated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, she was chosen as one of four students to represent UT on the national stage. “I did admittedly feel a little bit of imposter syndrome when I was announced as a finalist, but then when I had so many people supporting me and talking to me about the process, that really gave me a lot of confidence going into the interview, which I think allowed me to do a lot better than I would have done,” Dieter said. Dieter said she is proud of the writing she accomplished as part of her application. “The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships also helped me a lot with my essays. And I think those were, honestly, some of the best things I’ve ever written, just because of how much we met about them, talked about them and revised them. They were some of the best things I feel like I’ve ever produced,” Dieter said. Outside of Dieter’s academic prowess, she is involved with UT Ambassadors, Vol Team, Baker School Ambassadors and the Student Government Association. She also serves as a student commissioner on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and she will step in as SGA’s chief of staff under Caroline Marcus in the fall. “I think a lot of the different (organizations) on campus also
Julia Dieter, Truman Scholar winner, outside of the Baker School. Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Grace White / The Daily Beacon really helped me, I think being an ambassador gave me a lot of confidence with public speaking and talking about myself, and kind of just like, being able to articulate different things really well, especially in an interview setting or in a setting to people I had never talked to before, even if they aren’t necessarily receiving it well,” Dieter said. Dieter’s community backed up her story of success, and she had support not only from her friends and peers but also from UT resources. “(Dieter’s) journey from Signal Mountain to the Truman stage is a powerful testament to what happens when a student’s drive meets the UT ecosystem of support,” Senior Vice Provost for the Division of Student Success Amber Williams said. “At the University of Tennessee, we’re not just focused on academic milestones; we are committed to nurturing the kind of visionary leadership (Dieter) shows as she advocates for the future of education policy.” Dieter will be interning in Washington, D.C., this summer, working with policymakers on education policy. “I’m just excited to be up there doing work I actually really care about for (education) policy, but
also being up there with a bunch of my classmates and then the people in the grade above me. ... The Truman scholars who just finished their undergrad degrees are going to be in D.C. through the summer institute, so I’ll be able to meet them and to gauge their experience that they’re having this summer before I do the summer institute through Truman next summer,” Dieter said. As Dieter looks toward the future, including a possible career in public policy, she remains steadfast in the discipline and hard work she pursues every day. “I think it’s definitely more than just the leadership classes, the money, the recognition, all those things,” Dieter said. “To me, it’s really kind of a nod to the things that I’ve been doing for a really long time and to the places that I want to go, because I never really saw a career in public service as something I’d actually be able to do right and pursue, so to actually have the tools, the resources and to be given that recognition that I’m able to do that, and I’m able to pursue that and be in a career path that’s so fulfilling to me, is something that I’m just really excited to keep in mind in the future, and really excited to get the ball rolling with all of that.“