UT’s funding problems were the focus of the Student Government Association’s lobbying trip to Nashville early in spring semester 2000.  Each student was armed with a packet of information, and they attempted to put before legislators President Gilley’s Plan for Excellence, showing that the institution had a plan for reallocating administrative costs to academic needs. … Continued

In spring 2000 the touchtone registration system vendor was changed from Periphonics to EPOS, and students complained of dropped calls, inability to get into the system, difficulty getting classes, and the delay between registering for the class and the class roll showing the enrollment. Dean Richard Bayer responded that the difficulties were typical of switching … Continued

Representatives of the Tennessee Anti-Sweatshop Coalition met with UT administrators to discuss changing policies to press their demand that UT sign a code of conduct for its business practices and join the Fair Labor Association. The group conducted petition drives to bring attention to the making of UT apparel by J. H. Design Group.

Jerry Green replaced Kevin O’Neill as basketball coach in 1997 and accepted a $1.7 million buyout on March 17, 2001, the day after UT lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Charlotte. The buyout ended a lengthy public, often acrid, debate among students and fans about him. As Travis Haney, Daily Beacon … Continued

The final report of a committee commissioned in spring 2000 to investigate the quality of the undergraduate experience was presented and discussed at the June 2001 board of trustees meeting. The report indicated that there were significant areas in which students believed they were getting the Big Orange Screw, which the report defined as not … Continued

The student allotment of tickets was set at 13,850 in 1998, but in 2001 students were not provided with the agreed-upon number of tickets. Athletics Director Doug Dickey replied to student complaints by stating that the Athletics Department “miscalculated” the number of tickets students would require for the first four home games, taking what it … Continued

Students joined members of the United Campus Workers in a march from the Law Building to the Volunteer Statue and a rally at the Volunteer Statue on April 5, 2001. The events celebrated the one-year anniversary of victories such as paid-for hepatitis B shots, an end to forced overtime in the housing department, a 4.75 … Continued

During the fall and spring of 2001, rumors spread into the media about a possible intimate relationship between UT President J. Wade Gilley and Pamela Reed, a staff member installed in Knoxville at Gilley’s direction. The Daily Beacon, student leadership groups, and the general student population speculated widely about the nature of the relationship and … Continued

Following the opening of Starbucks in Hodges Library, students displayed anti-Starbucks flyers at the University Center Plaza. The student organization Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville (SPEAK) led the general concerns that while Starbucks sold Fair Trade coffee beans in bulk, it did not use the beans in the coffee it brewed and that it … Continued

The Black Law Student Association held a rally in front of the College of Law Complex in November 2001 to protest two upcoming trials involving affirmative action. They also registered people to travel to Cincinnati to join in a march and rally to be held in Cincinnati on December 6, the day of the trials. … Continued