By Cormac Parker Jr

When some people think of mission trips, the first couple locations that come to mind are deep in the jungles of Africa, parts of China or maybe even the local mission serving the homeless.

However, for more than 100 University of Memphis students, Orlando can be added to the list.

Affectionally called the Orlando Project, the 10-week program, starting May 25, sets out to “give students tools that would help them share their faith with their families and friends while growing closer to God,” said Denny Catalano, campus director of the Orlando Project.

Campus Outreach is an interdenominational organization whose "mission is to glorify God by rising up labors on the campus within a lost world." The organization reaches thousands of college students each year with eight college sites across the nation.

When asked why the city of Orlando was choosen, Catalano shines a light on the diversity that the city naturally possesses. 

“We go to Orlando because it is one of the most visited cities in the world, a melting pot of the nations,” he said.

By Courtney A. Smith

University of Memphis Tigers basketball coach Josh Pastner expected a smooth transition into the off season, but it's already off to a rocky start. 

Pastner and his team were in danger of heading into next season without one of their 2013 signees, Pookie Powell. Powell, former Dr. Phillips High standout, had plans of transferring to another school after a disagreement with Pastner about wanting to train with Frank Matrisciano, a former conditioning coach at the U of M, in California over the summer.

Pastner was not on board with Powell's training with Matrisciano, which made the shoot-first point guard think twice about staying at Memphis. However, the player's father, RaShawn Powell, contacted local newspaper The Commercial Appeal on Thursday to inform them that Pookie will stay at the U of M.

Before the final decision was made on Powell’s future, RaShawn and the family talked Pookie's decision over on Wednesday, along with assistant coach Robert Kirby, who flew to Orlando to meet with them.

By Kirstin Cheers

When cacophonic harmonies and tragic memories dance together in Memphis, they create a stage of epic proportion.  

In true Memphis fashion, the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will traditionally consist of candlelight vigils, silent marches and rowdy sermons from preachers who remember holding conversations with the great civil rights leader.

This year, however, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will celebrate one of the world's greatest revolutionaries with melodic strands of harmony, storytelling the emotions evoked from the sanitation marches in downtown Memphis to that fretful day on April 4, 1968.   

"Rebirth of the Dream" was inspired by the legacy of King as he stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, leading a generation of people from his years as a young preacher, father, but most of all- a radical- towards racial and economic freedom in America.  

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra seeks to revitalize the history, pains and victories with the power of music surrounding King and his contributions. In an unprecedented effort to unite individuals and communities, experiencing such an event could be compared to revisiting that period of time, witnessing the relevance and resilience of the Memphis community as they stood near King.  

Even though they go unnoticed, women in the 1960s stood with King just as much as men, and today, women stand even stronger as they seek to honor his legacy.

By Courtney A. Smith

Basketball season at the University of Memphis is wrapping up, which means that the coaches are moving onto prepping for the next season.  Recruiting players is one thing, but there are other duties when it comes to being a head coach for a Division I basketball program.


Coach Josh Pastner of the Memphis Tigers is currently focused on the team’s structure for next season but will have to also focus on hiring a new assistant coach to his blemished coaching staff.

Hiring a new assistant coach is an old tune for Pastner as he has had to replace assistants for the past three seasons.

Athletes in college basketball are considered to be one-and-done, but coaches are following the same path.

A prime example would be assistant coach Jason Gardner, who has decided to take the head coaching job at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Gardner was brought in alongside Robert Kirby prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 basketball season.

Before Gardner came to Memphis, he was an assistant at Loyola University Chicago from 2011-13. He will replace Todd Howard, who went 26-70 in three seasons as the head coach.

Before Gardner’s career as a coach began, he was a star basketball player at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind., in the late 1990s and in Arizona from 1999-2003.

During a press conference, Pastner talked about the possibility of losing an assistant coach.

“I got great assistant coaches. I love my guys. I never want to hold anybody back,” Pastner said. “They obviously want to be head coaches so I would always fight for them to be a head coach. So obviously if they have an opportunity to be a head coach somewhere, then obviously they will take the opportunity.”

This will be the fourth straight season that Pastner will have to replace an assistant.

By Cormac Parker

Every Sunday morning in Memphis, pastors step to the pulpit and deliver sermons. Throughout the week, Memphians can see them giving back to the community, from feeding the homeless to counseling struggling individuals.

For Kenneth Whalum Jr., pastor of the New Olivet Baptist Church, his words are shared in the pulpit as well as politics. He is a candidate for Shelby County mayor.

Whalum is extremely proud to be a Memphian. He will unashamedly tell you that he is Memphis born, Memphis bred and when he dies, he will be Memphis dead.

This passion for his city is one of the many reasons he is running for office. Giving attention to the children of the city is what Whalum said is the base of changing the community for the better.

By Leah Beth Bolton

If ever an inch of snow falls on the ground in Memphis, Tenn., you can guarantee the students at the University of Memphis are anxiously awaiting an alert from the school’s Director of Public Safety and Police Services Bruce Harber letting them know school is canceled for the day.

However, for Harber, that decision isn’t as easy as sending out an email.
 
Many students were disappointed Monday night following the bad weather on Sunday when Harber made the decision to open the campus late rather than canceling school all together. Twitter complaints flooded the U of M’s page with students commenting on the inconvenience of the late decision.

Senior journalism major Shelby Smith commutes from Arlington, Tenn., and said she was one of the  students disappointed in the decision.

“A 30-minute commute is no joke,” Smith said. “I think if Shelby County Schools are out; we should be out, too.”

Sara Harrison, a senior fashion merchandising, home decor and journalism major, said coming to school with ice on the ground is an inconvenience for commuters.

“I commute to school on a daily basis, so when school closes due to weather, I’m thrilled. I would rather not drive when there is ice and snow on the ground,” Harrison said.

Harber said that, contrary to popular belief, determining whether the UofM should close due to inclement weather doesn’t fall solely on him.

“I don’t make the absolute determination,” Harber said. “It’s kind of a misconception a lot of people have. I usually end up making a recommendation to the president or vice president, and then we all make the final decision together.”

Harber explained that this year brought more unexpected weather than he has seen in years past, forcing him to be abreast of the weather as far in advance as possible.

“This has been a really challenging year for us as far as weather is concerned,” he said. “Some years we’ll go a whole year without a single threat of bad weather. I tend to watch the weather, well, my deputy and I do, and like, right now, we know 10 days out what to expect.”

But for Harber, sending out a TigerText to let students know school is cancelled doesn’t mean he’ll be sleeping in.

“I’m up no later than 4:20 a.m., so I can hear what they’re saying on the weather on the morning news,” he said. “I have several layers of who to contact and what to look at before I make a decision.”

Harber said he starts by using the Weather Channel, then he moves on to Weather.com to view their map in motion. After that, he calls the Memphis Police Department’s senior dispatcher and the Shelby County Sherriff’s dispatcher to check on the roads for commuter students. Lastly, he checks in with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“We just gather as much information as we can from those sources, and then I call campus to see what’s going on there,” Harber said.

Harber said most importantly, students, faculty and staff must make their own decisions when it comes to safety.
  
“We always tell people they have to make their own personal decisions, too,” Harber said. “We don’t know where everyone lives. We have to go by what campus looks like, and if everything’s fine here it’s hard for us to know. We tell people to do what you think is best for your situation.”

         

By L. Taylor Smith

Despite dreary weather, more than 100 runners turned out to the 16th annual Relic Run 5K at the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa Saturday morning.

The C.H. Nash Museum is part of the University of Memphis and sits on the grounds of a Native American temple mound complex that dates back to the 15th century, according to Director Robert Connolly.

“We primarily interpret the Native American prehistory of the area,” Connolly said. “Most people think of it as being a Native American area primarily, but there was also a plantation at the bottom of the areas around the site as well as sharecroppers farming the area during the 1930s.”

By Dee Reneé

Many University of Memphis students have yet to notice the price increase by 10 cents at the Subway on campus.

Subway brands their products as low-cost but nutritious meals and promotes their fresh vegetables served daily by their motto "Eat Fresh."

However, two weeks ago the Subway on campus increased their prices on all items excluding the value meals.

“I get the value meal so it not that bad but if I was getting something more expensive, I would be upset,” said Victoria Law, a junior business major with a minor in Japanese.

The $5 foot long deals have not increased in price but there is a 10 cent difference in price with all other items.

Patrick Cook, the retail manager for the Tiger Den, also said that the Chick-fil-A on campus will also have a price increase in the upcoming semester.

Aramark, the University of Memphis's dining services provider, is not responsible for the price increase.

By L. Taylor Smith

The Eckles-Madison Family Cemetery on Carnes Avenue does not look like much of a threat during the winter with trees bare and vines limp from the cold. But the Normal Station neighborhood knows it’s only a matter of time before the flora emerge out of hibernation and take back the lot.

Come spring break, however, college students from Florida will spend the week clearing the lot.

TK Buchanan, community safety liaison for the University of Memphis, said the property, which is just off Echles Street, has been a problem for more than 100 years, especially during the summer when plants grow over the gravestones and into nearby properties.

“Literally, no one has ever taken care of it,” Buchanan said.

 The cemetery was created just before the area was redeveloped for housing in the early 1900s, and approximately 14 members of the Eckles and Madison families are buried on the property.

Although Memphis city workers, local residents and Boy Scout troops would occasionally try to rehabilitate the lot, it was never enough.

“Basically what they do is remove the litter or dumping and leave,” Buchanan said. “There’s nothing else that they can do without heavy equipment, a plan and some resources.”

By Jamesa Y. Alston  

The Peddler Bike Shop has kicked off construction in its new building and is expected to open in May 2014.

The shop will be moving to the former YMCA building located at 3548 Walker Ave. It will be housed in the former natatorium area of the building. The estimated cost to complete this project is not known.

“The new shop will have a better layout and will be more conducive for the business,” Court Percer, the current manager, said. 

The Peddler Bike Shop has been a part of the University District for more than 40 years.  The shop was located at 3573 Southern Ave. until it moved to its current location at 575 S. Highland St.

This expansion will be one of the first projects of the new Walker Avenue Streetscape Project that will begin at the end of the year.

“We are supporting the re-development of Walker Avenue,” Percer said. “It’s like pre- redevelopment.”

Contractors have begun filling the pool and laying concrete that was once in the natatorium of the old building.  The roof is also being replaced because of the harsh chemicals that leach out and cause corrosion in some of the metal materials. 

The Peddler caters to everyone with its bikes range from kids to advance racers.  Since many of its customers are students at the University of Memphis who come to rent, buy or get repairs, the new shop's location closer to campus will be beneficial. 

“We’re really excited to be closer to campus,” Percer said.

Percer believes the new store will increase the amount of customers that visit because they will be able to access the store more easily. 

“It is a major plus to be in an easily accessible place,” he said. “We support walkers—the people who don’t have cars."