Tennessee Tech’s Board of Trustees last semester approved an organizational structure that would “better support the effort to increase enrollment.” At the recommendation of Tech President Phil Oldham, Chief Communications Officer Karen Lykins is the new vice president of enrollment and communication — which sets her salary at approximately $200,000. […]
Author: Megan Reagan
Tech faculty lose, appeal civil rights lawsuit
U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw released a written opinion in December ruling against two Tennessee Tech faculty members who sued the university’s provost for alleged violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The federal lawsuit filed in October 2021 by Dr. Julia Gruber and Andrew Smith alleges retaliation […]
Tech community marches against displays of hate
“This is an extension of nonviolence. That is why we’re doing this — to be supportive of all members of this community.” That is what Mark Rine said of an organized silent march that took place Jan. 29, just one week after members of hate groups and some local church […]
Bill looks to ban public ‘cabaret’ performances
The Tennessee General Assembly is introducing a new bill known as SB3/HB9 creating offenses to those who “engage in an adult cabaret performance where it could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.” This comes as no shock to members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom […]
Federal judge sets discrimination lawsuit against Tech for trial
A case alleging discrimination against a female Tennessee Tech faculty member has been set for trial. Associate Professor of English Kristen Deiter filed the federal lawsuit against Tennessee Tech in July in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee alleging she was discriminated against when seeking a […]
LGBTQIA+ charity protested by hate group Sunday
A group of nearly a dozen men carrying a Nazi flag protested Sunday afternoon outside a local event that featured a drag performance brunch for charity at Hix Farm Brewery. This protest comes just days after citizens filled the Cookeville City Hall chamber at a council meeting demanding action to […]
White Ribbon TN aims to bring men into the conversation in preventing gender-based violence
Preventing men’s violence against women is what the first-ever chapter of White Ribbon TN aims to do. Executive Director Andy Burgess explained that the majority of men believe that violence against women and children is never acceptable. “The purpose of White Ribbon TN is to grow a community that invites […]
Faculty Senate issues a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in Tech CFO
Tech’s Faculty Senate, an advisory board to the university president, has passed a “Vote of No Confidence” in the university’s vice president. The vote comes after it was discovered that some faculty and staff members received raises exceeding the 1-7% approved by the Board of Trustees for the 2020-2021 academic […]
ETSU student seeks recognition of ASL and Deaf culture
American Sign Language has been recognized as its own language in the United States since the 1960s, and Tennessee passed legislation in 2017 recognizing it as a modern language that fulfills high school foreign language requirements; however, students at East Tennessee State University say that the institution has fallen behind […]
Upper Cumberland cities sued for violations of Clean Water Act
The cities of Cookeville and Sparta have been named in a federal lawsuit alleging violations of the Clean Water Act. The complaints, filed in the U.S. District Court by Tennessee Riverkeepers, Inc. claims Cookeville and Sparta are in violation of provisions of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit by […]
