With statewide debate about the possibility of the legislature’s attempting to implement an income tax as a solution to what was seen as a major shortfall in the budget, the Student Government Association lobbied and implemented a website, Fund UT Now, upon which students submitted complaints regarding funding and could explain how the lack of … Continued

In 1999, with a hiring freeze in effect, students discussing a possible walkout from classes to protest cuts in UT’s state appropriation and pressure being brought upon the legislature to raise the appropriation for UT. President J. Wade Gilley instituted a plan by which the top one-fourth of UT employees should be given raises in … Continued

In November 1999 the Daily Beacon obtained a copy of The Pirate, which listed the names of members of the Scarabbean Society and stated the society’s purpose, “To be nameless in worthy deeds,” and touched off a campus-wide debate about the secret society by naming members such as Student Government Association President Will Carver, SGA … Continued

The Student Government Association elections in 1999 included a student referendum on whether to expand the university’s nondiscrimination and affirmative action statement to include sexual orientation. The referendum was originally sponsored by Michelle Collins, a member of the Gay Straight Political Network. Adding sexual orientation to the statement passed 2,360 to 761. The failure to … Continued

Citing the lawsuit filed against J. H. Design Group, charging that it operated a sweatshop from 1991 to 1999 and noting that this firm produced some UT logo apparel, the student organization Tennessee Anti-Sweatshop Coalition delivered a petition with more than 150 names to President Gilley in the fall semester of 1999, together with a … Continued

An art project confused for a racial statement caused outrage from African American Students. On November 6, 2000, Rachelle Peck, a senior art major, implemented the assignment in Art Sculpture 241 to create a temporary, site-specific art project to depict the destruction of nature by hanging nine nooses from a single tree at the corner … Continued

Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK) and Citizens for a Pedestrian-Friendly Campus sponsored a rally at the University Center Plaza just prior to the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s public hearing in the UC Ballroom on March 16, 2000, at which the final design of the bridge was unveiled.

Over three hundred students, faculty, staff, and members of the community rallied on Friday, March 3, 2000, at the university center at noon, kicking off the weekend’s “Labor Rights as Human Rights: At Home and Abroad” labor teach-in, and then marched peacefully to Andy Holt Tower where delegates met with Senior Vice Chancellor of Business … Continued

The Muslim Student Association and Amnesty International organized a candlelight vigil on October 27, 2000, in which approximately 250 persons participated. There were readings from the Quran, Torah, and Bible, and speakers from both Amnesty International and the Muslim Student Association (Rayhan Farooq). The goals were to bring attention to the excessive use of force … Continued

In its October 17, 2000, issue, the Daily Beacon carried a front-page story about a reported rape on campus and stated that the alleged victim identified a group of laughing bystanders as African Americans. The race of the victim was not reported. On October 25 a silent march from the University Center Plaza and silent … Continued