June 2009

Hugs of Congrats
Hugs of Congrats
Monday, June 29th, 2009

Kelsey Ainsworth, (crying) receives a congratulatory hug from Brittany Hanna following one of their wins in Marshall.

Hole-in-One fundraiser returns to Tyler campus
Joseph Elerson
Monday, June 29th, 2009

The 23rd annual U.T. Tyler Suddenlink Patriot Million Dollar Hole-In-One contest returned to the University in May, drawing many first time visitors to the event and the campus.

“The property that we have used for roughly the last 20 years changed ownership and the new owners, and while they were still supportive of our event, they were actively trying to utilize the property for something different,” said Kevin Williams, project vice president and chairman. “We did not want to take a chance on waiting and we thought now was the time to go ahead and move.”

Questions linger after Pct. 4 ‘No alcohol’ vote
Joseph Elerson
Monday, June 29th, 2009

The May 9 election might be over but the fight for allowing alcohol for off-premise consumption in Smith County Precinct 4 may continue to rage as questions emerge about voter eligibility.

Proposition 1 called for residents of Precinct 4 to buy alcohol and take it to their homes, while Proposition 2, called for the legal sale of mixed beverages in some restaurants by food and beverage certificate holders only.

Heavy Competition
Heavy Competition
Monday, June 29th, 2009
Civil engineering students participated June 11 in the 2009 National Concrete Canoe Competition in Tuscaloosa, Ala. They captured the spirit award and 19th place overall. Above, members test the buoyancy of the 428-pound craft. The team beat out 10 Texas universities in April to claim first place overall.
Inquiry halted after Hutto’s resignation
Aaron May
Monday, June 29th, 2009

University officials suspended their investigation into an ethics complaint against the former enrollment manager because he resigned in December — a sudden decision both sides say was unrelated to the inquiry.

The complaint, filed on the University’s Ethics and Compliance Employee hot line, claimed assistant vice president Jim Hutto did “personal things” on recruiting trips and sought reimbursement without providing receipts.

A review of travel records, expense reports and other documents obtained by the Patriot Talon, however, failed to support that complaint.

Space scarce at graduation
Amy Weatherholtz
Monday, June 29th, 2009

Spring graduation held a record number of 909 graduates, but not everyone was able to share in the celebration.
The doors to the Cowan Center were closed when an overflow crowd of well-wishers exceeded the 2,000 available seats, forcing an undetermined number of family members, friends and supporters to wait outside.

“We had to adhere to the fire marshal rules, and avoid exceeding fines,” said Beverly Golden, director of news and information for the University. “Growth becomes a challenge at some point… we had 200 more candidates walking than we normally do.”