By Cormac Parker

Who would have thought that years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., that a multiethnic conference would be coming to town? Or that a university who at one point was only racially diverse because of eight bold and courageous African American students would have a number of students helping in the conference? 

Well, on April 16 and 17 all of this will be a reality. Kainos: A New Normal is a multiethnic equipping conference—the first of its kind in the city of Memphis. 

“The purpose of the Kainos 2014 is to gather leaders who either seek to start multiethnic ministries or churches or who aspire to transition their current homogenous ministries into a multiethnic trajectory,” according to Kainos’s mission statement. 

U of M students, primarily Campus Outreach members, will be a part of this movement.

“It's a great opportunity to take my serving outside of my campus body, and serve my diverse body of brothers and sisters,” Kelsie Carter, a junior journalism major, said.

By Dee Reneé

A four-year public college costs an estimated $18,391 per year for in-state students and an organization has found a way to help students get some relief from their increasing tuition and living expenses.

Walking into the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) on Free Food Friday, there's laughing and pool balls scraping against billiard tables.
 
Located just across the street from the University of Memphis at 469 Patterson St., the BCM has served food to college students for the past 10 years.

"I come to get free because I’m a broke student and I need food and I always ask my friends if they want free food to come with me on Fridays," said Rianna Sarmiento, a senior biology major.

Churches from the city come and serve students different meals and deliver a message. The event lasts from noon to 1 p.m. 

 Students must show their college IDs and non-students pay $2.

The $2 goes to the mission's foundation where students go on mission trips.Students go on varies mission trips in hopes of sharing the gospel and the love of Christ with people.

"I love being a part of this organization where I help serve my peers and just fellowshipping and getting to know other students," said Anna Joy Batchelor, a sophomore journalism major

This past Friday Whitehaven Baptist served hot dogs, chips and cookies.

"I haven’t brought anyone but people have brought me and this is my third time here," said Morgan Bell, a freshman music composition major.

Everyone is always welcomed to get seconds.

The meals vary on what the participating church brings to serve the students, which can differ from home cooked meals to barbecue and even pizza.

Late Night appetite is another free meal opportunity hosted by the BCM every third Monday of the month from 9 p.m. till midnight, and they serve breakfast food.

By Leah Beth Bolton

Tennessee lawmakers voted to delay the Common Core education program that would bring Tennessee public school standards up to speed with other schools across the U.S. on March 13. 

The bipartisan legislative push to implement Common Core was first introduced in December 2008 by the National Governors Association after test results showed that Tennessee students were not prepared for college. 

As of 2012, only 16 percent of Tennessee students graduated high school at a college ready level, according to test results from the ACT. 

With a new set of standards on the cusp of being initiated in schools, University of Memphis education majors are being prepared to enter the workforce with a different set of expectations.

Kia Lasley, a senior education major at the U of M, said idealistically she thinks the Common Core will be beneficial, but she has her doubts on how schools will integrate the standards.

By Darnesha Cotton

Fashion Moguls Memphis (FMM) hosted #reWERKd, their debut fashion on Monday, March 24, in the University of Memphis Ballroom.

The event showcased designs by Lena Evans-Ray, Christina Dang, Dyneesha Bradley and Jeromy Clear along with other pieces from local boutiques such as Crazy Beautiful, Langford Market, Wish and Plato's Closet.

The clothing featured are being sold on the #reWERKd website with the proceeds benefiting St. Jude's Children's Hospital Research. 

By Leah Beth Bolton 

Students and residents who live in the surrounding areas of the University of Memphis are concerned about what warrants a Tiger Text.

The U of M's emergency alert text messaging system, which was put in place in 2007 following the Virginia Tech Massacre, is used to keep students abreast of their safety on campus. However, for many students, it’s been unclear exactly what Police Services deems as necessary to report.

“We tell parents and students, especially at orientation, that we don’t use Tiger Text for anything other than what we think is an ongoing threat to our campus community. That includes students, faculty and staff—not just students,” said Bruce Harber, the director of Public Safety and Police Services.

He added that many people want to use the system for news updates. 

“There’s a tendency for people to want us to use it as a news service,” Harber said. “If something is going on, they want to know about it, and that’s not what it’s designed for. We want to be very cautious when we use it. We don’t want to overuse it so it loses its impact.”

Harber explained that Police Services uses the Timely Warning of Reported Crimes policy. 

According to that policy, the U of M must report crimes to students when two conditions are met. First, the crime must be listed as “arson, aggravated assault, criminal homicide, robbery, sex offense, or any crime determined to be a hate crime is reported to the University Police (UMPD) or other campus security authorities.” Secondly, the crime must be considered “by the University to represent a continuing threat to students or employees.”

In the past, however, not all crimes have been reported to students, which has been a hot topic for the University’s newspaper.

In 2012, a registered sex offender was arrested for allegedly raping a woman on campus. The offense was not immediately entered into the campus’ incident log, which is required by the Clery Act, and students were not alerted until The Daily Helmsman reported on the crime.

Harber later responded to the incident, telling the Helmsman that it was not reported via Tiger Text because it was not viewed as an ongoing threat to the campus after his arrest.

Despite the University’s clear policies on when they will alert students with a text message, many students claim they would feel safer knowing about more crime.

U of M junior Josh Tucker, who lives a block from campus, said he's enrolled in the service and relies on it for his safety at home as well as on campus.

 "In a way, Tiger Text has helped me feel safer," Tucker said. "But a lot of time it just reminds me that I don't live in a safe area. However, it is a useful tool."

By Jamesa Y. Alston

For candle maker Jessica Whitfield, the influences of her grandmother shaped her passion for crafting.

“My grandmother told me I needed to start doing something constructive because I had too much time on my hands," Whitfield said. "She was exactly right, so she took it upon herself to show me.

Whitfield, owner of Jessie’s Scented Candles and Gifts, marked her ninth year anniversary of her business this month. She has been making scented candles for events such as the Cooper-Young Festival and also began selling them on various online websites such as eBay and Etsy.

Whitfield began making candles at the age of 16 as a hobby.  Her grandmother, who was taught by her mother, taught her how to make them.

After her grandmother’s death, Whitfield started making candles all the time just to keep busy. 

“It was not until people started offering money did I begin to sell them,” she explained, adding that the candles cost $5 each.

By L. Taylor Smith 

More than 40 volunteers showed up for the Memphis River Warriors’ first cleanup of the year Saturday.

During the cleanup, volunteers walked through the woods by McKellar Lake and collected Styrofoam, plastic and glass bottles, wrappers and other trash that had washed up on the banks.

In two hours, volunteers collected 580 pounds of recyclable materials.

The Memphis River Warriors, a registered student organization at the University of Memphis, works with other organizations like Memphis City Beautiful and the Sierra Club Chickasaw Group to clean up the area, which used to be a popular vacation spot.

Rachel Waters, a freshman psychology major at the U of M, got involved when she came to college because her older sister Grace Waters was part of the core group of initial volunteers.

“I started to go in support of her, but I very soon got hooked on the idea of making a change in the community and doing something for the greater good of millions of people,” Waters said. “Before coming to these cleanups, I had no idea of the magnitude of trash that could accumulate in one location.”

By Kirby Cheers

It takes a village to raise a child and it take hot wings to raise a college student.  

At least that's what one will find when they visit Ching's Hot Wings located at 1264 Getwell Road, one block away from South Campus on the corner of Park.  

On any given weekday, the hot wing restaurant is filled to capacity with standing room only. Placing an order for carry-out over the phone leaves the customer waiting for about 45 minutes on "Scandal Thursdays" and a solid hour for a night of March Madness. Yet, the various, mouth-watering flavors keep Ching's customers coming back and waiting for more each week.  

"It's a good problem to have," Stacey Jackson, one of the co-owners of the popular hot wing restaurant, said. "We talk about the parking. Even with our employees, they will call me and say, 'I'm here, but I can't find a parking space.' It's exciting to see the growth and see where the next level will take us."  

By Charles Gray

As Women's History Month comes to a close, it is important to reflect on the strong female characters that have played major roles in history.

Locally, it immediately suggests a few names, but none more so than recently retired University of Memphis President Shirley Raines. Though her tenure was very recent, it will continue to hold historic significance not only for its precedence of her being the first female president of the school, but also for the work that she accomplished while holding the chair.

“President Raines has made an indelible mark on the university and the entire Memphis community,” chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents John Morgan said. "She is a friend, and I appreciate the guidance and leadership she has provided for these 12 years.”

Raines began her career as a kindergarten teacher in Louisville, Ky. Over the next 30 years of her career, she would go on to write 14 books, most of which had a focus on child education and early development—a subject she has come to be regarded as an expert in according to a University of Memphis website post regarding Raines' retirement. 

As the millennium passed she had built her career past teaching, holding a position as the vice chancellor for academic services and dean of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.

By Kirby Cheers

The next time you are on a campus tour at the University of Memphis, make sure to visit Smith Hall. After the tour guide showcases the exhibition dorm room, ask them to introduce the Assistant Area Coordinator (AAC) there. This may cause an eyebrow to raise, but the guides are more than accommodating. 

On the first floor in a small office hidden around the corner of the dormitory's desk and lounge area, sits Kanesha Johnson, the AAC for Rawls and Smith Halls—adjacent, all-women dormitories in the middle of campus off Patterson Street. Her credentials may not sound extraordinary, and when you meet her, she may not come off as important as one of the four candidates for university president.  

Nevertheless, she is an unsung, success story in Memphis. 

Johnson, 22, graduated from the university in the fall of 2013 with a B.A. in political science. She was the first in her family to graduate from college in addition to being the first in her maternal family to graduate from high school.  

A Raleigh-Egypt High School alumna, Johnson, was raised predominately in North Memphis, surrounded by poverty, drugs and gangs during her upbringing.  

"I grew up in a single parent home with my mom, brother and older brother," Johnson recalls. "The neighborhood was pretty rough. Frequently, there were gun shots and my mom did not allow me to go outside. My brother was also in a gang."  

Living in an unstable home and being engulfed by poverty and violence seemed normal to Johnson. However, what truly impacted her childhood was her mother's schizophrenia, something Johnson never understood, but could recognize the signs and symptoms.  

"I always knew something was wrong," Johnson said. "It wasn’t until I got older and went through counseling on my own that I knew that's what was going on with her. We tried to offer her help, but she would not accept it."