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MASON MASONRY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
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VOL. 126, ISS. 9
One of the nation’s top young coaches believes he can build a title winner at Vanderbilt. Do you? By Jesse Golomb, sports writer
A
ll around the Commodore practice field, Derek Mason’s new players dance to his commanding tune. Near one sideline, receivers jump back and forth, high-stepping in and out of a laid-down ladder. On the other, two redshirt freshmen tear ceaselessly at opposite ends of a tire, tugging each other to the ground. Channeled energy churns up black rubber pellets from the turf, kicking recycled bits of old tires up into the damp February air. A few steps out of bounds, at the 35-yard line, another redshirt bends at the
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OPINION
waist, unleashes a groan, and deposits his lunch onto the artificial grass. Mason notices at once. “You didn’t think it was going to be easy!” the new Vanderbilt coach barks in a breathless baritone. “Nine wins, 10 wins, 11 wins, 12 wins. If you want it, it’s going to hurt.” Two months earlier, Mason stood on the sideline during the 100th Rose Bowl, choreographing Stanford’s topranked defense on a national stage. Now, weeks into his first-ever head coaching job at Vanderbilt, he has wasted no time in setting a bar few believe he can jump over. At his introductory press conference in January, Mason spoke about winning the SEC East title. On National Signing Day last month, Mason addressed a crowd of Vanderbilt fans for the first time, and his rhetoric escalated.
“I’m not blowing smoke at you,” he said then, flanked by inflatable gold stars and other bright balloons. “We will win championships, just so you know.” The response was affirmative — all stood, all clapped — but also hesitant, the type of applause a politician might receive when making proclamations his audience isn’t quite sure will be fulfilled. “I guess you didn’t hear me,” Mason retorted, trying to invigorate the crowd. “We will win championships.” This sort of prediction might not seem so grand at Alabama, or Texas, or even at Stanford, whose football history, until a few years ago, was as unremarkable as Vanderbilt’s. In Nashville, however, at a school that has played in as many bowl games in the past three years as it had the previous 50, accepting Mason’s grandiose proclamations seems a matter of faith. — Continued on PAGE 14
CAMPUS
Eyes on each other
Columnist Kenny Tan discusses the Orwellian vibe of the posters in residence halls warning against marijuana distribution
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SAE eliminates pledging process Vanderbilt chapter will comply with changes implemented by national organization
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LIFE
Uber vs. Lyft vs. the rest
The Hustler breaks down the pros and cons of Nashville’s newest ways to get around town
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campus VANDER
BITS VSG candidate debate to be held March 12 in New Rand By ANDRÉ ROUILLARD Editor-in-chief --------------------
QUOTE OF THE DAY “This is a historic change for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and one that I am confident that our chapter will handle effectively.” KRISTIN SHORTER, DIRECTOR OF GREEK LIFE
YOUNG ALUMNI TRUSTEE
candidates announced
Each year, the junior and senior classes, as well as alumni who graduated the previous year, vote among three candidates to select a Young Alumni Trustee who will serve on Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust for a four-year term as a representative for young alumni and current students. Voting for this year’s Young Alumni Trustee will take place March 17-21
Candidates
Maysa Kaskas
Julie Babbage
Sid Sapru
PHOTO COURTESY OF VANDERBILT STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Tanner Owen (left) and Ryan McKenney (right) are running for the position of Vanderbilt Student Government President in the elections to be held March 18-19.
In anticipation of next week’s presidential election, Vanderbilt Student Government will be hosting a debate for the candidates today, Wednesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. in New Rand Lounge. The debate will feature the two tickets that declared their candidacy on Feb. 24. The debate will be an hour long and will be broken into segments for opening statements, a presidential debate and a vice-presidential debate. The Vanderbilt Hustler and Vanderbilt Television will be cohosting the event. Tanner Owen, a junior in the College of Arts and Science running for VSG president, will square off for 35 minutes against Arts and Science junior Ryan McKenney, also running for president. Their vice-presidential running mates, School of Engineering junior Fletcher Young and Arts and Science junior Hannah Gacke, respectively, will debate afterward in a 15-minute segment. The last 10 minutes of the debate will open the floor to questions from the audience. The candidates will touch on a range of issues during the debate, including campus culture, policy, student issues, VSG’s shortcomings and student government’s role in students’ lives. Last year, a portion of the debate focused on student government’s role in regulating drug and alcohol culture. The debate will provide an opportunity for the tickets to introduce their platforms and to distinguish themselves from the competition before election voting on March 18-19. The debate will be moderated by a representative from The Hustler.
vanderbilthustler STAFF
ANDRÉ ROUILLARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE BABBAGE
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYSA KASKAS
PHOTO COURTESY OF SID SAPRU
As a member of VSG, Julie has served as Peabody Council president and chair of the academic affairs committee and currently serves as VSG’s first director of human resources in the Cabinet. Julie has placed a strong emphasis on class unity, reflected in her four years as president of the Class of 2014 Student Alumni Board. The overall chair of the Senior Class Fund, Julie is working with a dedicated SCF board to reach a record-setting 80 percent participation from the graduating class. Additionally, Julie has enjoyed her experiences as a Relay for Life board member, Susan Gray School volunteer and Kappa Delta sorority member. A writer for the Vanderbilt Political Review, Julie’s passion for government and foreign affairs has translated to her academic focuses — HOD, Spanish and philosophy — augmented by a semester-long internship at the U.S. embassy in London and an honors thesis discussing interrelations of health and education in Africa. After graduation, Julie will join Deloitte as a consultant.
A student in the honors program for cognitive studies, Maysa is currently completing her thesis, a longitudinal study on childhood depression and bullying in schools. An Ingram Scholar, she is a member of the Visioning Committee, which develops the annual theme and plans weekly class sessions for the group of fifty Scholars. Maysa’s leadership activities include serving as head resident of North House, president of the Middle Eastern Student Association and community service chair of the American Red Cross Club. She also serves as an intern with Associated Psychiatrists of Nashville and co-facilitates weekly child and adolescent clinical therapy groups for youth with behavioral, emotional and social skills difficulties. In the future, Maysa plans to earn her doctorate in clinical psychology.
As president of Vanderbilt’s Interfaith Council, Sid has helped coordinate multiple campus-wide events promoting interfaith dialogue, including a candlelight vigil on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a service to honor victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. A student studying political science and economics, he has also maintained a strong commitment to promoting informed political debate on Vanderbilt’s campus as president of the Vanderbilt Political Review, the university’s premier nonpartisan political affairs publication. In addition, Sid has been a resident adviser on Highland and Kissam Quadrangles, participated in some of Vanderbilt’s largest multicultural student productions and helped allocate more than $1.7 million in funding to student organizations through VSG’s AcFee Committee. Sid will join Bain & Company after graduation.
HANNAH SILLS — NEWS EDITOR KELLY HALOM — LIFE EDITOR ERIC LYONS — OPINION EDITOR ALLISON MAST — SPORTS EDITOR
BOSLEY JARRETT — PHOTO EDITOR
DIANA ZHU — DESIGN DIRECTOR JENNA WENGLER — ASST. DESIGN DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNERS DESIGNERS
ZACH BERKOWITZ KAREN CHAN ZOË SHANCER KATHY ZHOU ALEXA BRAHME HAN DEWAN HOLLY GLASS
ALEX DAI — CHIEF COPY EDITOR COPY EDITORS ALEXIS BANKS KATY CESAROTTI WESLEY LIN
BRITTANY SHAAR KARA SHERRER SOPHIE TO
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READY, SET,
STARTUP
25 Vandy students will vie to launch a new company at the 3 Day Startup event, beginning Friday, March 14 HISTORY OF 3 DAY STARTUP 3 Day Startup was originally founded in 2008 by a group of University of Texas at Austin students. They were impressed by the keen business sense their peers showed in conversations about potential startups, but underwhelmed at the lack of followthrough on those ideas. The students designed 3DS as an opportunity for peers to learn about startups through handson experience and, by the end of the weekend, to design their own businesses. Since the first 3DS event, the student group has incorporated into a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has helped run 3DS events both in the U.S. at a variety of colleges and universities, such as Harvard, Rice and Georgia Tech, and at cities abroad like Doha, Qatar and Bangkok, Thailand. 3DS events have helped launch more than 71 different tech companies.
By JR MAHUNG News reporter --------------------
While some students will be spending the weekend celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, junior and electrical engineering major Tate Travaglini will be 3 miles away from campus at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center racing in a three-day sprint to design his own business. Travaglini is one of 25 Vanderbilt students accepted as a participant in Nashville’s first 3 Day Startup (3DS) event, hosted by the Vanderbilt Innovation and Entrepreneurial Society (VINES). 3DS, a corporate non-profit, challenges 45 budding entrepreneurs to take a tech startup from the idea phase to a prototype in just 49 hours at events hosted around the world. The Nashville event will take place from 5 p.m. Friday evening to 6 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to the 25 Vanderbilt students, the remaining participants are primarily local business professionals. VINES founder and Vanderbilt senior Ben Draffin had the idea to bring a weekend accelerator to campus after attending numerous “Hackathons” on campus, in the Nashville community and in Palo Alto, Calif. Hackathons are events where techies work in teams to develop new technology, such as a piece of hardware or a new phone application. Draffin saw the energized, innovative environment as a perfect setting for students whose time and attention is often occupied with schoolwork and campus extracurricular activities. “It’s such an engaging environment that you don’t have to commit a lot of time to,” Draffin said. “What we wanted to do is give that opportunity for people who have business ideas.” After an earlier attempt at
putting on a weekend accelerator fell through, VINES contacted 3DS. The organization then sent in a team to help set up an event website, design application forms and garner sponsors for the event. Draffin said event participants will benefit from the experience and connections the 3DS team has to offer. “Anyone who participates and generates a real idea, (3DS) works with them to get legal advice and connections to existing industry people,” Draffin said. “3DS has a big network that, if you really take something from the event and want to run with it, they’ll help you.” Participants mostly come from technical backgrounds — computer science, engineering and economics majors who often have some level of professional or internship experience — and while their credentials vary, all 3DS participants, including Travaglini, share a strong passion for entrepreneurship. “I could be classified as a highly interested bystander,” Travaglini said. He attended a few meetings for VINES and made a practice of following startup news around campus, but schoolwork was a longtime barrier to his involvement in the entrepreneurial community. Travaglini says 3DS is a way for him to wet his feet in the field of business development. “I got tired of standing on the sidelines and just watching others start game-changing companies,” Travaglini said. “This will provide 49 hours of ‘real world’ experience in the realm of building a startup. To me, that sounds like a great opportunity to get away from the sidelines and start making things happen.” The participants will spend Friday afternoon brainstorming business concepts. They then form teams of approximately
four people each based off of which ideas they gravitate towards. Each team then has until Sunday afternoon to work and design a prototype to present in a 10-minute final pitch. The time crunch poses a challenge to competitors. Though not unfamiliar to Vanderbilt students, sleep deprivation is common in 3DS contests. Participants at other 3DS challenges have been known to eschew their dorms and homes in favor of sleeping at the event site, although the Nashville venue will be closing at midnight each night of the contest. According to Traviglini, the tight window for the competition could result in a less-thanpolished final prototype. “It also runs the risk of developing a product that is not quite fully fleshed out yet,” Traviglini said, although he personally is looking forward to the intense atmosphere of 3DS more than he fears it. Traviglini says the pressure cooker environment suits Vanderbilt students who are used to performing in a bind. “We typically have multiple large assignments due each week, so we’re used to being pressed for time,” he explained. Although only 25 Vanderbilt students are participating in the contest, Draffin says the event will help bring current technological innovations — as well as a glimpse of the direction in which those innovations are heading — to the forefront of campus consciousness. “It helps everyone on campus because it starts the conversation of ‘What is the future going to be like?’” Draffin said. Final pitches for the competition are open to the public and will be held in Featheringill’s Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 16.
COMPANIES FOUNDED BY 3DS ALUMNI
Cabstr is a website that allows students to create cab routes, pay for rides ahead of time and split the costs with friends and via crowdsharing.
Hoot.me is a Facebook application that connects students in a class via video chat, doodles and screen sharing sessions to collaborate on homework or projects.
Moodfish is a search service that allows users to find music, movies, books or even restaurants based on their current mood.
Famigo is a service that rates apps for parents and their children based on their suitability for family use using factors like educational value and age appropriateness.
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AROUND CAMPUS
VSG election campaign posters
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he campaign process for this year’s VSG presidential election officially began at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 10. Ryan McKenney and Hannah Gacke will be squaring off against Tanner Owen and Fletcher Young in the contest. The annual debate between candidates will be held on Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. in New Rand Lounge. Voting will take place March 18-19. JAMES TATUM / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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SAE to end ‘pledging’ period, per national governing body
New members will now be initiated within 96 hours of receiving a bid from the fraternity By HANNAH SILLS News editor --------------------
The national headquarters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) announced that, as of March 9, the fraternity will no longer have a “pledging” period for new members. Instead, within 96 hours of receiving their bids, new members will be initiated as fully-fledged brothers into the fraternity. “Our Supreme Council decided to enact this change between conventions in order to protect Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s future and to eliminate a class structure between our new members and our active members,” said the fraternity’s national organization in the announcement of the change. The desire to eliminate instances of hazing was also mentioned as one of the motivations behind the new policy. In December 2013, Bloomberg reported that more people “have died in events related to SAE” than any other fraternity, earning them the nickname of the “deadliest frat.” SAE acknowledged “a number of incidents and deaths,” as well as “a painful number of chapter closings as a result of hazing” in their announcement of the policy change, but also stated that “the attack on our
image is not the sole motivating factor behind the changes.” In the announcement, the fraternity noted that the pledging process was not intrinsic to its organization, which was founded in 1856, but rather developed after World War II. Under the new system, brothers of SAE will “learn about the Fraternity’s values, mission, creed and history and develop personally over the course of their collegiate tenure,” rather than in a new member ewducation period. “We are excited to work with Vanderbilt’s Office of Greek Life and SAE nationals to implement these changes and are proud to be associated with a national organization that continues to be a leader among Greek organizations,” said Vanderbilt SAE President Patrick McGee in a statement to The Hustler. “We are also continually thankful for the hard work and support that Kristin (Shorter) and the rest of the Office of Greek Life dedicate to our chapter on a day-to-day basis.” “This is historic change for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and one that I am confident that our chapter will handle effectively,” said Director of Greek Life Kristin Shorter. “Given that we do not issue membership invitations until January, the men in our
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SAE’s house on campus is currently undergoing rennovations; in the mean time, the fraternity is occupying the house formerly belonging to Zeta Beta Tau. ZBT plans to move back into their house in the fall of 2014. chapter have sufficient time to ensure that the men they are giving bids to meet the membership criteria and will be an asset to the chapter.” While the change in policy is a first for
SAE, they are not the only Interfraternity Council group to eliminate the pledging period. Zeta Beta Tau, which returned to campus this semester, eliminated pledging practices nationally in 1989.
MHS program adding track options for majors 6 new concentration areas will be available for students to choose from, including ‘global health’ and ‘critical health studies’ By CHARLOTTE GILL Senior news reporter --------------------
JAMES TATUM / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
The MHS major at Vanderbilt was created approximately five years ago, but already has more than 300 students.
The medicine, health and society (MHS) department is reshaping the curriculum of its popular interdisciplinary major to include an area of concentration and a disciplinary requirement. The new curriculum will consist of one three-hour core course, 21 hours of MHS-approved electives, 12 hours within a student’s selected concentration area, and a “disciplinary requirement.” The six possible concentration areas are global health; health behaviors and health sciences; health policies and economies; race, inequality and health; medicine, humanities and the arts; and critical health studies. According to Jonathan Metzl, director of the Center for Medicine, Health and Society, the new curriculum should make the process of majoring in MHS easier for students. “We’re hopeful that focusing on a concentration in the major, which again
is only 12 hours of the major … will help students as they go to interview for jobs, or apply to medical school, or apply to graduate school,” Metzl said. “What we feel is that … the students will be even more competitive for jobs and for getting into graduate school because they’ll be able to tell employers or schools specifically what skills they’re learning in MHS.” The changes are also part of an effort to take advantage of faculty expertise. “We’ve hired now nine world-class faculty, and we have this tremendous network of secondary faculty, and so we really want to emphasize the strength of the people we’re hiring,” Metzl said. Although current students should easily be able to make the switch because the requirements do not change drastically, current and future students will be able to choose between the old and new curricula. “I want to reassure all current and future students in MHS that these changes won’t in any way change the experience of what it feels like to get an MHS major,” Metzl said. “The MHS major is still
going to be incredibly flexible, and we very much encourage people to … make their own pathway toward their career.” Created approximately five years ago with the goal of addressing health topics beyond basic biology, the medicine, health and society major has grown from around 20 to more than 300 students. According to Metzl, about 65-70 percent of MHS majors apply to medical school, while others go into health or hospital administration, attend graduate school in public health or health policy, or even move into the humanities, music or business fields. The Center for Medicine, Health and Society has also begun a new BA/MA (4+1) program this academic year for Vanderbilt undergraduates wishing to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degree in the “Social Foundations of Health”— a term taken from the new 2015 MCAT exam. Interested students can attend an open house event in Calhoun 300 on Wednesday, March 19 to learn more about new curriculum.
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opinion THE
RANT Something got you peeved? Irked? Honked off? The Rant is your place to anonymously vent your spleen on any issue you want. To get your rant on, visit the InsideVandy.com Opinion page. Check out this week’s Rant on our Twitter account @InsideVandy.
Why in the hell does the Alumni estrogym close at 10pm? The gym isn’t even staffed. It wouldn’t hurt anyone to keep it open all the time. I find it obnoxious that students use People Finder to look up the values of other students’ houses. But I’m not surprised. It seems giraffes have it better off because at least they can get leaves whenever they want. How can Leaf run out of leaves???!!! We really need a second tray return near CJ and Pi/Leaf. Why is the froyo machine at Last Drop always broken? Dude. Dinner at Food For Thought left me thinking of all the food I could have gotten at a different campus eatery. #regrets Can the Red Vandy Van get its GPS transmitter fixed? It annoys the shit out of me when I want to know how far away it is but can’t find out because “arrival times cannot be predicted at this time.” Towers bathrooms are in a constant state of disrepair. Every week one stall is closed, and one door’s latch has been broken all year. Two showers didn’t even have curtains until I got back after break!
Administration catches ‘reefer madness’ The Dean of Students’ posters ask for Orwellian betrayals of our peers
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osters that have recently appeared in residence halls promote a dangerous and immoral university policy with unintended consequences. The posters, courtesy of the Office of the Dean of Students and the Office of KENNY TAN Wellness Programs & Alcohol Education, is a senior in the feature a map of the contiguous United College of Arts States and ask in all caps “In which of and Science and these states is marijuana legal?” Colorado founder of the and Washington are highlighted in green Young Americans with a marijuana leaf superimposed for Liberty chapter at Vanderbilt. He over them. In contrast, Tennessee is can be reached at highlighted in red and accompanied by a kenny.tan@vander- marijuana leaf behind a red “no” symbol. A yellow arrow points to Tennessee with bilt.edu. the all caps text “you are here.” Additional text in all caps reads: The distribution of drugs (by sharing or in exchange for money) is a violation of the Vanderbilt University policy. Please anonymously report any such distribution or related activity by calling and leaving a message at 615-343-STOP (7867). The message communicated by this poster is reminiscent of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Everyone is now an agent of Big Brother and has a duty to spy on and inform on suspected drug activity. As a result, students are now less willing to have an honest conversation with their peers about drug use for fear they will be betrayed and turned in to the thought police. In an email sent on Jan. 23 of last year, Dean of Students Mark Bandas wrote, “The sale and consumption of illegal drugs is a high risk activity. It undermines learning and personal development, endangers the health and safety of the user and other students and is potentially life-threatening.” The exact same statement could be made about alcohol.
vanderbilthustler EDITORIAL BOARD ANDRÉ ROUILLARD
TYLER BISHOP
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF editor@insidevandy.com
INSIDEVANDY DIRECTOR director@insidevandy.com
HANNAH SILLS
KELLY HALOM
NEWS EDITOR news@insidevandy.com
LIFE EDITOR life@insidevandy.com
ERIC LYONS
ALLISON MAST
OPINION EDITOR opinion@insidevandy.com
SPORTS EDITOR sports@insidevandy.com
In fact, the consumption of marijuana and most other popular illegal substances is no more risky than the consumption of alcohol. In 2010, the British peerreviewed journal “Lancet” published a study which ranked 20 drugs, from alcohol to marijuana to mushrooms, by overall harm. The study analyzed both harm to users (e.g. dependence, mortality and impairment of mental functioning) and harm to others (e.g. crime, environmental damage and loss of relationships). Ranked at the top was alcohol at 72 out of 100, with powder cocaine at 27 out of 100, marijuana at 20 out 100 and MDMA (ecstasy) at 9 out of 100. If marijuana is really so dangerous that the university must wage a war on it, then it might as well shut down all alcohol-serving fraternity parties. Moreover, the university should stop being complicit in the distribution of alcohol at the Pub. One wonders what will occur if an anonymous report is made through the hotline. Anonymous reports are inherently unreliable. Any number of innocent victims could be the subject of an anonymous report ranging from the professor who gave you a bad grade to the fraternity brother who broke your heart. Will a report prompt an official investigation of the accused by campus authorities? It seems quite possible considering the following incident. Last year, the Vanderbilt University Police Department investigated two Vanderbilt students who were later arrested and charged with felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine and MDMA. Under Tennessee law, the penalty for possession of as little as a single gram of marijuana is up to a year in prison and a mandatory fine of between $250 and $2,500.
The Vanderbilt Hustler Opinion page aims to stimulate discussion in the Vanderbilt community. In that spirit, columnists, guest columnists and authors of letters to the editor are expected to provide logical argument to back their views. Unreasonable arguments, arguments in bad faith or arguments in vain between columnists have no place in The Hustler and will not be published. The Hustler welcomes reader viewpoints and offers three methods of expression: letters to the editor, guest columns and feedback on InsideVandy.com. The views expressed in lead editorials reflect the majority of opinion among The Hustler’s editorial board and are not necessarily representative of any individual member. Letters must be submitted either in person by the author to the Hustler office or via email to opinion@insidevandy.com. Letters via email should come from a Vanderbilt email address where the identity of the sender is clear. With rare exception, all letters must be received by 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The editor reserves the right to edit and condense submissions for length as well as clarity.
The war on drugs is wasting too much money and ruining too many lives. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, more than $51 billions is spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs. As a result of the drug war, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with approximately 1 in every 99 adults in federal, state and local prisons and jails. One also questions the morality of the university’s active support of prohibition. The laws which criminalize drugs in the United States were written with racist motivations and continue to be enforced with a bias. A report by ACLU found that in Tennessee, the black-to-white arrest ratio for marijuana was 4-to-1, while rates of marijuana use among blacks and whites are approximately the same. Furthermore, the distribution of drugs to consenting adults and the voluntary consumption of drugs are victimless crimes. Individuals ought to be permitted to consume, smoke or drink any substance as long as they do not cause harm to others. What consensual activities individuals decide to engage in within the privacy of their own residence should be none of our business. While marijuana is currently illegal in Tennessee, a recent MTSU poll found 75 percent of Tennesseans support legalizing medical marijuana. A bill in the state legislature to legalize medical marijuana is expected to be voted upon this week. Though marijuana will not be fully legalized in Tennessee this year, legalization is the inevitable conclusion to the long failed war on drugs. What remains to be seen is whether Vanderbilt will stop trying to punish non-violent entrepreneurial individuals just trying to earn some money when prohibition ends.
Lengthy letters that focus on an issue affecting students may be considered for a guest column at the editor’s discretion. All submissions become the property of The Hustler and must conform to the legal standards of Vanderbilt Student Communications, of which The Hustler is a division. The Vanderbilt Hustler (ISSN 0042-2517), the student newspaper of Vanderbilt University, is published every Wednesday during the academic year except during exam periods and vacations. The paper is not printed during summer break. The Vanderbilt Hustler allocates one issue of the newspaper to each student and is available at various points on campus for free. Additional copies are $.50 each. The Vanderbilt Hustler is a division of Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc. Copyright © 2014 Vanderbilt Student Communications.
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Shame with a side of spinach
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
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Rigid college meal plans have consequences beyond the ‘freshman 15’
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have a confession to make: I am a girl, and I love to eat a lot. There, I said it. The only problem: Vanderbilt is more than a little obsessed with appearance. College Prowler, obviously a reputable source, ranked Vanderbilt at No. 5 on its list of colleges where students are both hot and smart, if that tells you anything. And Vanderbilt isn’t the only KARA college like this: Many students are concerned with SHERRER how they look, and student orgs all over the country is a sophomore (such as the campus chapter of Go Figure) are trying in the College to promote positive body image in response. of Arts and This image obsession comes bundled with a host Science and social of other issues, especially regarding eating habits. media director for In fact, according to the National Association of AnVanderbilt Student Communications. orexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 91 percent of women on college campuses have tried to control She can be reached at their weight at one time or another through dieting, kara.n.sherrer@ and 22 percent dieted “often” or “always.” vanderbilt.edu. Obviously, food shame, dieting and eating disorders not at all limited to college campuses. However, they do take very specific and often bizarre forms in a university environment. Rather than thinking of the food we eat in terms of our metabolisms, we college students are often forced to consider it in terms of an administrative, top-down meal plan that artificially emphasizes the volume of food consumed. For example, depending on their year, Vanderbilt students get a set number of meals each week, as well as a set number of entrees and sides at each dining location. This makes it very easy to compare what you’re eating
‘‘
Not all stomachs are created equal, but the meal plan makes it seem like they are least comparable, and college students, particularly girls, are acting on these cues to contribute to a culture of food shame.
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to what other people are eating, and a quick glance down the lunch line makes it clear who’s trying to get the most food for their meal plan and who’s not. Multiple times, I have overheard girls at Vanderbilt trying to top each other with how little food they need from their meal plans. I distinctly remember one such conversation that took place between several of my good girl friends. “I only need, like, a sandwich, not the whole meal plan!” one claimed. “And I usually only get an apple!” the other countered. I kept quiet the entire time, thinking ashamedly, ‘Well, I need my whole meal plan.’” Part of this need is due to the fact that I have a high metabolism and work out pretty intensely five or six days a week. I also walk miles every day to class
and work, since I live in Blakemore (aka as far away from campus as possible without officially being off campus). Burning more calories equals needing more calories, and even though I stick to a limited diet for a college student, that doesn’t change that fact that I still need to eat more food than my two friends to keep from getting hungry. Nor does it stop strangers from eying my tray in the Vanderbilt dining room, silently food shaming my large portions and scrapedclean plates. Not all stomachs are created equal, but the meal plan makes it seem like they are least comparable, and college students, particularly girls, are acting on these cues to contribute to a culture of food shame. However, in the world beyond the campus gates, you can cook what you want to eat and eat as much of it as you want. Have a high metabolism? You’re free to chow down. Not that hungry? Eat only that apple (and you don’t have to worry about wasting the rest of your meal plan). Granted, food shame doesn’t disappear once you step foot off campus, and the idea that girls should eat as little as possible in order to stay thin and attractive is prevalent in many different communities. But out in the “real” world, food shame can’t be quantified in entrees and sides, and that’s what makes its influence on college students so potent — and that’s why college communities should become more aware of what their meal plans affect beyond just waistlines.
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‘If only ...’
OPINION
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Human rights abuses in North Korea remind us not to repeat past mistakes
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his Monday was an exciting one for the citizens of North Korea. Once every five or so years the country holds a highly democratic election for its people to approve the new roster of government officials. In a landslide victory, Kim Jong Un won the race for his leadership DAVID SHUCK post with a stunning 100 percent of the is a sophomore in vote. As North Korea’s state-operated news station reported, this unanimous the College of Arts and Science decision expresses the North Korean and a member “people’s absolute support and proof the Vanderbilt found trust in supreme leader Kim Jong debate team. He Un as they single-mindedly remain can be reached loyal to him.” How pleasant. at david.j.shuck@ Of course, Kim Jong Un ran unopvanderbilt.edu. posed. In fact, so did every single elected official; these are not coincidences. The boxes that can be checked are not names, but “Yes” or “No” beneath a single candidate’s name — spoiler, near everyone votes “Yes.” Complete faith is quite easy to manufacture when speaking out gets you sent to a labor camp. Recently the U.N. released a detailed report on the ongoing atrocities perpetrated by and in North Korea. During a news conference, the chairman of the
independent Commission of Inquiry made the point that the human rights abuses happening right now as you, the reader, read these lines are nearly as grave and appalling as those we remember from the horrors of the Holocaust. A spokesman at the conference reflected, “At the end of the Second World War so many people said ‘if only we had known … if only we had known the wrongs that were done in the countries of the hostile forces,’” intimating that just maybe they would have done something sooner to stop the most terrifying crimes against humanity this earth has seen. Looking to today, it seems that people do know what’s happening in another such criminal state. The report details that there is: “An almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”; discrimination against women is “pervasive in all aspects of society”; the state “has used food as a means of control over the population” and deliberately blocked aid for ideological and power-hungry reasons, causing the deaths of “hundreds of thousands”
‘‘
It’s terribly easy to say ‘if only’ about the past once it’s too late to raise a finger. ‘If only,’ however, hardly works if we knew and never raised one.
’’
of people; “hundreds of thousands of political prisoners” have died in “unspeakable atrocities” in prison camps in the past 50 years; and security forces “systematically employ violence and punishments that amount to gross human rights violations in order to create a climate of fear.” So here we are; it’s terribly easy to say “if only” about the past once it’s too late to raise a finger. “If only,” however, hardly works if we knew and never raised one. North Korea as an international threat can seem impotent:
Most military exercises seem to be mere saber-rattling, and if past missile launches are any indication of technological ability there’s not too much to worry about on that front. Regardless, the country remains an undoubtedly terrifying threat to its citizens. If the modern world would like to believe that if it had indeed known about the horrors of the Holocaust it would have intervened, at the risk of hypocrisy it is obligated to intervene in this echo. I do not intend here to use such a weighty comparison lightly; rather, I intend to show that there are commitments countries like America would like to hold that require validation. If a country in the contemporary world is able to get away with such horrors as North Korea is trying to, countries that swear they would never allow for past outrages must either act or come to terms with their own performance. No, America does not have to intervene in the moral wasteland that is North Korea. But if it does not, I hope to never again hear it speak the delusion that if it could intervene, it would.
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AROUND NASHVILLE
Young the Giant at the Ryman Hailing from Southern California, Young the Giant performed at the Ryman Auditorium on Tuesday, March 11. Their current tour comes on the heels of their sophomore album, “Mind over Matter,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 charts. Lead singer Sameer Gadiha utilizes two microphones as he switches between two separate effects to liven the performance. ALEC MYSZKA / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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sports The march to madness
THE BIG STAT Total number of appearances by the Commodores in the SEC tournament. This year’s will be the team’s first trip as the 11th seed.
FIRST ROUND MARCH 12
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SECOND ROUND MARCH 13
THIRD MARC
11 12 8 MISSOURI 13 14 9 TEXAS A&M
12 11 7
Noon, SEC TV AND ESPN3
12 AUBURN 13 SOUTH CAROLINA 6 p.m., SEC TV AND ESPN3
12 11 7 ARKANSAS 5 13 14 25 min. after first game, SEC TV AND ESPN3
14 13 1 FL 12 11 7
14 13 1 TE 4 25 min.
11 2 5 KE 7
12 11 7 LSU 13 ALABAMA 14 10
14
6 p.m., SEC TV AND ESPN3
12 11 VANDERBILT 13 14 MISSISSIPPI STATE
6 OLE MISS 14 13 25 min. after first game, SEC TV AND ESPN3
25 min. after first game, SEC TV AND ESPN3
KEVIN BARNETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Commodores look for hot SEC tournament start against Bulldogs By ALLISON MAST Sports editor --------------------
The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team has a history of performing well under the bright lights of the SEC tournament. After taking home the trophy as the third seed in 2012, the 10th-seeded Commodores pulled off two upsets, including a 64-48 stunner over Kentucky, before falling to eventual tournament champion Ole Miss in the semifinals of the 2013 tournament. With mediocrity serving as the theme of SEC basketball this season, the Georgia Dome could very well host a drama starring the 11th-seeded Commodores. Vanderbilt hits the court Wednesday for a first-round matchup against Mississippi State, the No. 14 seed. The Bulldogs are on a 13-game losing streak that extends back to Jan. 25, and the Commodores won their only meeting this season, a scrappy 55-49 victory at home. Second team All-SEC forward Rod Odom led the Commodores in scoring with 18 points, while All-SEC freshman center
Damian Jones added 13 points during his 27 minutes on the court. If the Commodores can outmuscle the Bulldogs, they’ll move on to face the sixthseeded Ole Miss Rebels. The Commodores dropped both games to the Rebels this season, once by a score of 63-52 and again in the final game of the season 65-62. Despite the unfavorable outcomes, Vanderbilt has been able to contain SEC villain and sharpshooter Marshall Henderson, holding him to 5-of-19 from the field on his Senior Day. The success of the Commodores will depend on their ability to prevent Henderson from getting open looks beyond the 3-point arc. If they can do that, the No. 3-seeded Georgia Bulldogs will await them in the quarterfinals. Vanderbilt defeated Georgia on the road on Jan. 29 to snap a Bulldog eight-game win streak. In addition to a strong 16-point, 12-rebound performance by Odom and clutch free throws down the stretch by the entire team, the Commodore defense held Georgia to a 27.3 field goal percentage. Should they get by the Bulldogs, Vanderbilt will yet again find itself in the semifinals.
JAMES TATUM / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
12 11 5 7 3 2 6 GE 13 14
25 min. a
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Getting hot in Atlanta: The SEC tournament bracket
D ROUND CH 14
LORIDA
SEMIFINALS MARCH 15
11 12 5 7 2 6
Noon, SEC TV AND ESPN3
ENNESSEE
14 13
after first game, SEC TV AND ESPN3
ENTUCKY
Noon, ABC
12 11 5 7 2 6
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MARCH 16 2:15 P.M., ESPN
6 p.m., SEC TV AND ESPN3
EORGIA
after first game, SEC TV AND ESPN3
13 14 25 min. after first semifinal, ABC *all times CST
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
SPORTS
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‘I always like to challenge, and I always like to be challenged’ — Continued from PAGE 1 “Everyone else will get on the bus if it’s moving where we want it to go,” he says now. “You’ve just got to give them something to believe in.”
PHOTOS BY BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
D
erek Mason stands just 5-foot-8. Still, hard facial features give way to a stout frame — the
musculature of a former athlete — and when he speaks, booming with the voice of a 300-pound lineman, Mason appears much larger than his actual sum. Today, the coach sits at a glassand-mahogany desk in his new office, in Vanderbilt’s newly renovated athletic facility. “Vanderbilt’s going to be there,” he says, staring over a massive computer screen he sometimes uses to watch game film. “I’ve seen that. I’ve slept on it. I’ve dreamt it.” An only child, the 44-year-old grew up knocking around on playgrounds and backyards with friends and cousins in Phoenix, Ariz., sticking his chest out and jumping on his toes to appear taller. “That’s where the chip on my shoulder came from,” he says. “Growing up as a smaller kid in the neighborhood, you always had to compete, on the field or the basketball court. That chip never really left. I always like to challenge, and I always like to be challenged.” Two weeks after this year’s Rose Bowl, Mason flew to Atlanta, where Vanderbilt Athletic Director David Williams, Chancellor
Nicholas Zeppos and a few other members of Vanderbilt’s inner circle had gathered to interview candidates for the school’s open head coaching position. “I knew then — I knew going in,” Mason said. “I packed a black suit and a gold tie, with a full intention of trying to get the job.” Eight candidates received interviews for the Vanderbilt job. Mason was the last one to check in. During the interview, Mason laid out his plan to hoist Vanderbilt to a higher plateau. He would compile a coaching staff that combined NFL and college experience. He would emphasize player development, not just recruiting, and implement a roster-building philosophy that trickled all the way down to the walk-ons. He would work to minimize injuries and maximize Vanderbilt’s opportunities on the football field through scheduling. “The enthusiasm was clear,” Williams said. “And coming from Stanford, he had a great idea of what we were trying to do here.” Williams added: “Not just from a performance perspective, he
talked about how he saw Vanderbilt, from a football point of view, where Stanford was — when their head coach had left, and David Shaw took over. He knew we had some kids who were probably hurting because the previous coach and staff had left. He remembered when that happened at Stanford, and what they did to take care of the players.” Fifteen minutes into Mason’s interview, Williams said, they knew they had their man. Afterward, Williams asked Mason to stay in Atlanta. “We didn’t want him to fly home,” he said. “We didn’t want to let him go. We loved that he was talking about the long term. We had just been here three years ago, talking to coaches, and we didn’t want to be here three years from now.”
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n Jan. 18, Ethel Manuel was at home, in Phoenix, watching college basketball on ESPNU. Her eyes flickered to the bottom of the screen. A name she recognized was scrawling across. “I found out on TV!” Mason’s mother exclaims. “It said he had been hired by Vanderbilt, and I had no idea.” At home in Phoenix, Manuel raised Mason with high athletic expectations. His grandfather played baseball. His father and several uncles played football in college. One uncle even made it to the NFL. “Sports were always a part of our house,” she said. Mason played running back and defensive back, then. By high school, he was playing only defense and taking a double shift on the basketball team. At Camelback High, he played all four years for both squads, but when it was time to go to college, it was clear Mason would choose football. “I had my own ideas about where I wanted to go,” he said. “My mom had a sure idea of where I was going.” Manuel said, “Derek needed to
SPORTS THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.INSIDEVANDY.COM be close to home.” At Division I-AA Northern Arizona, Mason played cornerback under an all-star cohort of future NFL coaches including Andy Reid, Brad Childress, Marty Mornhinwhig and Bill Callahan. At practice, he lined up across from four future NFL receivers. In four years, Mason had four different position coaches. No matter what impact he made on the football field, he was forced to prove himself to a new power each spring. “Iron sharpening iron” is how Mason describes that environment now. “It never allowed me the opportunity to feel comfortable,” he says. “Because I was a smaller DB, I needed to make sure that they knew who I was.” “You could tell then that Derek had a fiery personality,” said Childress, a former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and now an assistant for the Kansas City Chiefs. After college, Mason jumped into coaching. Before he was defensive coordinator at Stanford, Mason circled the fringes of Division I. He led wide receivers at Weber State, running backs at Idaho State, defensive backs at Bucknell and special teams at Utah. He was a co-defensive coordinator at St. Mary’s before coaching receivers at New Mexico State and Ohio.
Then, when Childress was hired as head coach of the Vikings in 2006, he created a position for Mason on his staff as an assistant secondary coach. “Derek just has an incredible amount of enthusiasm for the profession, a vision, an energy that makes him stand out,” Childress said. “Guys like him are hard to come by. A team starts to take on their personality, and that’s valuable.” Mason stayed with Minnesota through the 2009 season. Coaching in the NFC championship game, he watched from the sideline as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre tossed a game-sealing interception, a trip to the biggest game barely eluding his team’s grasp. A few weeks later, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh called. A new opportunity awaited: coaching defensive backs for the Cardinal.
F
our years later, on the corner of West End and 28th Avenues in Nashville, artist Michael Cooper grabs a paintbrush, dips it in red and begins a day’s work. From 9 in the morning to 5 at night, he sets another coaching transition in brick. For 22 years, Cooper has maintained a prominent mural of Commodore head coaches splashed across the outer wall of a Verizon store, just a few blocks away from Vanderbilt Stadium. He started with Gerry DiNardo, whose Vanderbilt teams went 9-22 in SEC play. Then came Rod Dowhower (1-15 in the SEC) and Woody Widenhofer (4-36). Over the years, Cooper added coaches from the baseball team and the men’s and women’s basketball teams. He has been here 15 times in total. Each time, more people show up to watch him add another face to the wall. Today, he buries James Franklin’s likeness beneath Mason’s. A new grin reflects over West End. It is no secret the Commodores hope to take the next step to join the Southeastern Conference elite, to weave a culture of powerhouse football into a campus more renowned for its academic heritage, medical research and
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
its large, varied assortment of trees. Certainly, 18 wins over the last two seasons is nothing to scoff at. But progress in college football is not linear. A significant gap lies between failure and success. The void separating success and a national title, though, is cavernous. Mason knows the stakes, the obstacles. He knows he coaches in a conference that has sent nine teams to the BCS Championship Game in eight years. He knows Vanderbilt just won one of its biggest games in recent school history — at the BBVA Compass Bowl. He knows his new school still has a long way to go if it is to reach the towering goal he has set. “You can try to climb Mount Everest,” Mason said. “You can get to stage 16, but if you have two more stages to go, those last two stages are tough. Those are the hardest ones.” He continued: “You have to take your players to a dark place, a place that they’ve never been. Because they’ve been to 9-4. They know what that looks like. But you’ve got to take them to a dark place. You’ve got to close the door, turn off the lights and say, ‘Boo.’ You make them experience adversity. And then, in the game,
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they flip on the lights and they say, ‘Aha. I know what this is. I recognize where I’m at, and I can thrive in the moment.’” After descending from the stage on National Signing Day, Mason lingered for a few minutes, signing autographs and snapping photos with fans. Dozens encircled his figure. A few minutes later, an elderly man in a tweed flat cap and glasses cut through the crowd and approached the new coach. “I tried to run after a bus once,” the man said, hunching over Mason, grinning. “Someone shouted at me, ‘What are you doing?’ I stopped, and I said that I needed to get somewhere, that I needed to catch the bus. Well, then that person gave me some very good advice. He said: ‘I need to win the lottery, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got the ticket.’” The old man laughs. The creases around his eyes deepen. Mason angles his shoulders away. He turns his head back toward this skeptic and strains to smile. “I take a different approach,” the coach says. “If you believe, everyone else around you eventually will, too.”
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
3 UP By MAX HERZ Sports writer --------------------
It’s the freakin’ weekend (rotation) Starting pitchers Tyler Beede, Jared Miller and Tyler Ferguson each picked up wins to lead the Commodores to their fourth weekend series sweep this season in as many tries, combining to strike out 23 Winthrop hitters in 20 2/3 total innings. The three allowed just two runs all weekend and now have a cumulative record of 11-0 this year at the end of nonconference play. X finds his spot After going hitless the previous series against Stanford, third baseman Xavier Turner bounced back in a big way by going 4-for-5 on Friday with two RBIs and finished the series with a 6-for-11 mark. The preseason All-American has also been carrying his weight in the field, having made more than a handful of spectacular plays with the glove to this point. Freshman phenom First-year outfielder Bryan Reynolds has made his presence felt in the Commodore batting order, having seized an everyday spot in the lineup batting second and playing all three outfield positions. Reynolds went 7-for-14 in the three games against Winthrop, driving in four runs and scoring four more. The switch hitter has given coach Tim Corbin an extra table setter at the top of his lineup alongside leadoff hitter Dansby Swanson, giving Zander Wiel and Turner ample opportunities to bring in runs.
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Spring break sports roundup: By KATIE WALDEN
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sports writer --------------------
BASEBALL
Women’s basketball was the No. 8 seed for the SEC tournament but fell 53-43 to the No. 9 seed, Georgia. Now 18-12 overall, the team waits for the NCAA bracket to be revealed Monday, March 17.
The No. 8 Commodore baseball team swept Stanford and Winthrop and won midweek games at home against Tennessee Tech and away at Middle Tennessee State. Now 16-2 and undefeated in weekend games, the team is riding an eight-game win streak to open conference play against LSU on Friday, March 14.
MEN'S GOLF
BOWLING
No. 17 men’s golf was in Los Cabos, Mexico over the break and tied for fifth in the Querencia Cabo Intercollegiate.
Bowling went 7-3 to finish second in the Greater Ozark Invitational with junior Rebecca Reguero earning all-tournament honors. The team won the Music City Classic with its 300th perfect game.
WOMEN'S GOLF
MEN'S BASKETBALL Men’s basketball dropped its last home game 57-51 to LSU and lost at Ole Miss 65-62 in the final game of the regular season. Now 15-15 overall, 7-11 in conference play, the team is the No. 11 seed in the SEC tournament and faces Mississippi State Wednesday, March 12.
BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Women’s golf finished second at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, scoring 872 (293-290-289) in a field with 14 of the top 30 teams in the country. Freshman Simin Feng tied for third overall, shooting 212 (74-69-69) over the weekend, one under par.
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
While most students had the week off, the Commodores were still in the heart of their spring seasons
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3 DOWN Ro’s cold bat As far as his bat is concerned, freshman speedster Ro Coleman has yet to make a major impact on a ball game this season. Although he has consistently been given chances to start games, the 5-5 outfielder is hitting just .172 in 13 games played at the end of nonconference play. Coleman’s chances to start may become less frequent as SEC games loom, and he may be relegated to a situational bunting or pinchrunning role for the rest of the season.
LACROSSE Women’s lacrosse pulled off an upset 16-15 victory over No. 13 Stanford in overtime on March 2. Team captain Abby Wheeler scored a career-high 7 goals and was named ALC offensive player of the week. The team fell 10-8 to No. 18 Denver in a midweek game and opens conference play March 15 at home against Penn State.
Nobody home Despite announcements of well over 2,000 tickets sold, the stands at Hawkins Field have been sparsely filled to this point, most notably the weekend series against Winthrop as some beautiful baseball weather overtook Nashville. As conference play begins, more season ticket holders and students will likely show to claim their seats and give this ball club the support it deserves.
MEN'S TENNIS Men’s tennis, currently ranked 18th, took down LSU 4-1 on the road and returned to campus to defeat Ball State 6-1 for Coach Ian Duvenhage’s 100th career win. The team fell 4-0 to No. 8 Texas A&M over the weekend.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Senioritis Senior pitcher and noted stretching circle leader Steven Rice has only seen time on the field in between innings this season as he recovers from an offseason shoulder injury. Corbin hinted that Rice could have returned against Winthrop, but the senior did not make an appearance in the series.
The No. 7 women’s tennis team started spring break with a sweep of No. 41 LSU 7-0, going 1, 3, 2 in doubles and 5, 4, 3 in singles. The team carried its momentum to Missouri and won 7-0 for coach Geoff Macdonald’s 500th career win. The Commodores fell to No. 10 Texas A&M 5-2 over the weekend in College Station, moving to 10-4 overall, 3-1 in SEC play.
Note: All statistics are for the Winthrop series, played March 7-9. BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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life
GO DO
Panel 2014: Does Religion Do More Harm Than Good? THIS Interfaith This year’s annual Interfaith Panel will discuss how different faiths can occasionally produce bad results in the name of God. The panel will include a member from the Atheist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim communities to share their opinions regarding the social and political benefits and dangers of religion. The event will be in the Ben Schulman Center (Grins) at 8 p.m. and include a free catered dinner.
BEHIND THE BARS
Vanderbilt Prison Project fights injustice within the prison system
By KELLY HALOM Life editor --------------------
The United States prison population is the largest prison population in the world, with nearly 1 in 100 citizens locked behind bars. But as prisons are often located in isolated places, many do not see the implications of mass incarceration in their daily lives. The Vanderbilt Prison Project, a student organization committed to fighting the injustices of the criminal justice system, hopes to engage the Vanderbilt community in the experiences of those affected by the nation’s prison system. Founded in the 1970s, VPP originally intended to explore the connection between inmates reentering society and students graduating from college, as both are expected to leave a bubble to enter the “real world.” Though the organization began four decades ago, it has seen a resurgence of activity in the past year, with increased programming and even a class for members to attend inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. VPP President Erica Johnson said the class at Riverbend was created after the board met with inmates and discovered they had a lot to offer students. Many of the inmates felt that service organizations often only gave to convicts, while so much was left for visitors to take away from those on the inside. After the conversation, the VPP board worked with inmates to create a Tuesday night class for students to take inside Riverbend. Inmates teach the class, which teaches students about the justice system and what it means to experience incarceration. “It is such an honor to hear their stories and be their students,” Johnson said. “It is so inspiring and encouraging to see people stand up in the midst of a system that is meant to tear them down.” Though VPP believes it is within its mission to reach out to inmates and serve them, Johnson said prison guards sometimes criticize the organization’s efforts. “They (the guards) say, ‘Well, why do you come here? You can’t help these people. If you want to help people, you should go to the juveniles,’” Johnson said. But Johnson feels this act of service is valuable, even if many of the men are scheduled to be detained for the rest of their lives. “These men matter. These men are still human beings. There are people who love them,” she said. “I so firmly believe that no matter what you do, you deserve to have your humanity restored, at least on a basic level of having some-
1 in 4 of the world’s inmates are in a U.S. prison or jail. *
1 in 14 state general fund dollars are spent on corrections.
in 1
104
American adults are behind bars. * Data provided by the Pew Center on the States, 2012
one hear your story.” While VPP actively tries to serve those within the system, it also works with organizations on the outside. The organization works with Reading Buddies, reading to children whose mothers have been incarcerated, and with grassroots organization Gideon’s Army, which works to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Even if students do not have time to actively be involved in VPP, Johnson said being informed is the first step. Understanding the prison system and the legislation surrounding it, as well as voting for politicians approaching the issue in a just way, is what matters most. She also advocates getting educated on the country’s prison system and being sensitive to how it is addressed within U.S. culture. “Just be conscious,” Johnson said. “There have been a lot of parties recently on campus that have been prisonthemed, and my desire is for us to be more sensitive, to not trivialize people’s experiences, and to also realize that we are all affected in various ways.” Johnson notes that incarceration affects many people, not just those currently behind bars. “There are people who are victims of crimes, and prison parties can be insensitive to that. There are people who work at Vanderbilt who are on work release, and you never know who they are, but they are here and they are amongst us; there are people who have relatives and friends in prison,” Johnson said. “We should be mindful of the things that we say and mindful of the fact that there are structural issues within our system — it’s not just committing a crime.” Besides the service work VPP does for those affected by incarceration, the organization also tries to educate the Vanderbilt community on issues relating to incarceration. Its most recent event on Monday hosted former Juvenile Court Magistrate Shelia Calloway, who discussed the path of a juvenile case through the court system, highlighting how young people can be funneled through the prison pipeline. “I just really believe in reconciliation, and I believe in second chances, and I think that so much of our system is set up so that we fail, and then once we fail there’s no grace. There’s no way out,” Johnson said. “I believe that should bother us. It should convict us, and it should change us and cause us to change things.” Those interested in getting involved in VPP or classes on Tuesday (6-8 p.m.) can email Erica Johnson at vanderbiltprisonproject@vanderbilt.edu. — Poulumi Banerjee contributed to this report.
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LIFE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014
NEED A RIDE?
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If you are looking to get around Nashville, but don’t have a car on campus, you’re in luck. Here is a breakdown of some popular transportation options for car-less Vandy students, By Michelle Phan
ALLIEBD CA
Nashville Allied Cab Nashville Cab, which includes the companies Allied Cab and Nashville Cab, is one of the many taxi services in Nashville. Nashville Cab has partnered with Vanderbilt, so students can pay for rides with their Commodore Cards.
Uber
Lyft was founded in 2012 with the tagline “your friend with a car.” Lyft’s primary goal is to provide affordable, safe and friendly transportation.
Lyft
PROS • • •
Nashville Cabs are always hanging around campus on weekends. The Commodore Card is an accepted form of payment if you have Commodore Cash in your account. Nashville Cabs can accommodate more people.
PROS •
•
CONS • •
Nashville Cabs often have far longer wait times than the other two options. Nashville Cabs often have poor customer service.
Though cabs and Uber go through their own safety regulations, Lyft drivers go through extensive screenings, background checks, in-person interviews and vehicle inspections, with zero tolerance of drug and alcohol use. Lyft is directly connected to your credit card through your phone, so there is no need to worry about having cash or a credit card handy.
CONS •
Lyft has the same cons as Uber, with the addition of being more expensive.
COSTS
COSTS
The base fare for any Nashville Cab, as well as for most other Nashville cab services, is $3. For each additional mile there is a charge of $2 and with each additional person a $1 fee is added. The flat rate to the airport is only $25. There is no minimum fee or cancellation fee.
Rates for Lyft are similar to those of both cabs and Uber, coming slightly between the two. There is a base fee of $2.50 with each additional mile at $1.90 and the cost per minute at $0.40. There is a minimum fee of $6 and a $5 cancellation fee.
HOW TO GET A RIDE To schedule a ride, simply call this easy-to-remember number: 615-333-3333.
HOW TO GET A RIDE To use Lyft, just download the phone app and create an account with your email and preferred credit card. Through the app, you can schedule a ride to any destination.
Uber was founded in 2009 as a luxury-style transportation company that has now ventured into the “ridesharing” business. Though luxury car services are offered, most vehicles used in ridesharing services are more modest, though still clean and comfortable. PROS • • •
Just like with Lyft, the phone is connected to a credit card for easy payment. Drivers are friendly because they are rated after rides and are thus incentivized to be particularly nice to their riders. Uber is cheaper than cab services, with no tips taken.
CONS • •
It is not on the card. Uber is less accessible without a smartphone.
COSTS The base fare starts at $2.10 with either an additional $0.20 per minute, if the car is traveling above 11 mph, or $1.22 per mile fee. There is a minimum of $4.80 and a cancellation fee of $10. A distinctive difference between Uber and other services is that you can earn free rides after using the service a certain number of times. Uber has also been known to provide riders with special gifts such as flowers on Valentine’s Day.
HOW TO GET A RIDE As with Lyft, download the app and create an account to start travelling throughout the city.
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Mellodi brings college music to campus By MAGGIE KNOX Life reporter --------------------
For college musicians, promoting their music may seem an impossible task. Once they leave the studio, musicians often must rely on social media and current fans to promote their work. In the midst of this dilemma, Vanderbilt graduates Andrew King and Branden Sanders saw an opportunity to create a central location for college music. So, Mellodi was born. King and Sanders were brought together through their shared love of music, leading them to start Studio CRB in the Curb Center. Studio CRB was Vanderbilt’s first student-run recording studio. The duo hoped that Studio CRB would provide students with the opportunity to produce their own music, but they soon noticed a problem facing many collegiate musicians. “No matter how good the music was, it sort of trickled into nowhere once we left the studio,” Sanders said. “We wanted to give that music a context and find a way to share it with colleges across the country.” After identifying the problem of promotion for young
students, the two created Mellodi, a site where student artists across the country can add their music for free. Any student with a valid .edu email address can register and upload their songs. King and Sanders work with students to curate the music by school, making it easy for students to search for music uploaded by their own classmates. The site has a clean, iTunes-esque appearance, with features such as top songs, campus picks and new releases Anyone, whether they’re in college or not, can stream music for free. Through leveraging school communities, Mellodi helps artists gain new listeners — from classmates and alumni to local music fans and fellow musicians. Currently, there are 22 Vanderbilt artists on Mellodi — as the site has proven to provide a valuable outlet for student musicians on campus. “It really brings the music community together,” Sanders said. Since Mellodi’s launch last December, more than 100 artists from 10 different schools have signed up. There are more than 300 tracks on the site, and Mellodi had more than 18,000 views in its first month of existence. King and Sanders hope to expand Mellodi to more campuses in the coming months. King attributes the site’s success to the connection it creates between musicians and listeners. “These people are relatable,” King said. “You can listen to top 40 and be like, yeah, they’re pop stars, but these are people that you have common ground with.” By going to http://themellodi.com/vanderbilt, students can directly access a list of Vanderbilt artists. Some of the artists currently topping the Vanderbilt charts include Eli Teplin, the most popular artist on Mellodi to date, as well as The Two Friends, Nick Wells and Emma Grager. To explore the site further, visit http://themellodi.com.
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LIFE
Warm weather eats By ALISON VON DEYLEN Life reporter --------------------
After the long cold winter, it’s hard to stay inside for long with the sun now shining. So instead of eating your meals inside, go to one of Nashville’s many eateries with outside seating. From coffee shops to southern favorites, Nashville’s got you covered for enjoying great food, warm weather and good company. Crema: Sit outdoors at this downtown coffee shop and enjoy one of the best views around. Its quintessential Southern porch lets you take in the many sights of the city, including LP Field, the AT&T Building and the Cumberland River, while you sip on Crema’s signature Cuban coffee. All of Crema’s coffees are ethically sourced and meticulously roasted so you can feel good about enjoying that perfect cup of jo. The menu also includes coffee shop favorites like quiches and chocolate bars. With a relaxed atmosphere and professional service, Crema is the perfect place for coffee connoisseurs and novices alike. Where: 15 Hermitage Ave.; Price range: under $10 Edley’s Bar-B-Que: A delicious combination of barbecue and traditional Nashville meat and three, Edley’s is the place to go for
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a truly Southern experience. From sandwiches to ribs to mac-n-cheese, Edley’s menu includes everyone’s homestyle favorites. The meats are roasted to flavorful perfection, and the Southern-style sides are cooked from scratch daily. The best part about Edley’s, however, has to be the restaurant’s extensive outdoor patio. Hanging lights set the tone while long tables make sure there’s room for everyone. Between the delicious barbecue and family-style seating, Edley’s is a favorite for enjoying time with friends and family. Where: 2706 12th Ave. S; Price range: $1020 Tavern: A popular place for weekend brunch, Tavern in midtown is also a prime location to sit outdoors. Featuring a bi-level patio with the same sleek design as the inside, Tavern is great for outdoor eating any time of day. The award-winning brunch menu includes everything from red velvet waffles to a Singapore stir-fry. Lunch and dinner is also fantastic, offering dishes such as chicken masala and fish tacos. An extensive drink menu completes the experience at one of Nashville’s favorite dining options. Where: 1904 Broadway; Price range: $10-30 Rosepepper Cantina: Enjoy some of the best Mexican food East Nashville has to offer in the warm spring weather. Rosepepper Cantina’s large, outdoor patio includes lights
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Edley’s Barbecue serves up southern favorites in the 12 South area. The outdoor patio is the perfect dining spot to celebrate the beginning of spring. and colorful artwork that create a festive atmosphere both day and night. With a wide range of unique and traditional dishes, from the delicious buffalo white cheese dip to the vegan burrito, Rosepepper promises to be a fun and delicious experience. The menu also features Nashville’s most extensive tequila bar to compliment every dish. When all is said and done, you might just feel as though you are in Cabo. Where: 1907 Eastland Ave.; Price range: $10-30
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Answers to Feb. 26th’s puzzle
Answers to Feb. 26th’s puzzle