vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
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VOL. 127, ISS. 29
A CALL TO ACTION Putting the list of demands to the chancellor in national and campus context
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SPORTS
Meet Marqu’es Webb
The women’s basketball power forward talks about her inspirational figures and her plans for the future
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NEWS
LIFE
Group crafts bill to increase wages and summer employment options for dining employees
A look at true life inside Blair, Vanderbilt’s smallest (and possibly most rigorous) undergrad school
Movement for dining workers Commodores’ conservatory PAGE 6 PAGE 3
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ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN SAXON/ THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
news
CAMPUS UPDATE The Vanderbilt Interfaith Council will offer a short vigil tomorrow, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. on Alumni Lawn to remember the victims of the recent terror attacks.
Movement for dining workers revived
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Dining Worker Anne Alukonis is part of OURVanderbilt, an organization that advocates for increased wages and summer employment opportunities for dining workers.
Vanderbilt Food Justice is crafting a revised bill for the VSG Senate, calling for higher wages and summer employment options for campus dining employees By ANNA BUTRICO and SARAH FRIEDMAN Web editor and Assistant news editor --------------------
An organization called Vanderbilt Food Justice, which deals with campus issues surrounding food, including workers’ rights, plans to revive a dining movement that addresses workers’ salaries and unemployment benefits.
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ALLIE GROSS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The organization plans to bring a bill to Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) before the end of the semester, which will be a revised version of the bill that then-president Isaac Escamilla vetoed in 2014. Since 2006, various student groups have rallied to support dining workers in their pursuit of wages above minimum wage — known as living wages — which are calculated based on how expensive it is to live in a
specific area, in addition to issues relating to summer employment. Vanderbilt dining workers are paid below the Davidson County living wage. Their median pay is between $10.98 and $14.50 an hour. The living wage in Nashville for a family of four, provided that both adults work, is thought to be around $11.50 per hour, or $21,280 annually according to MIT’s living wage calculator. However, this
JOSH HAMBURGER — MANAGING EDITOR BOSLEY JARRETT — DESIGN DIRECTOR ZOE SHANCER — NEWS EDITOR ANNA BUTRICO — WEB EDITOR KARA SHERRER — LIFE EDITOR ZIYI LIU — PHOTO DIRECTOR QUEEN STEVENSON — OPINION EDITOR WESLEY LIN — CHIEF COPY EDITOR COLLIN ZIMMERMAN — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPER BEN WEINRIB — SPORTS EDITOR MATT LIEBERSON — FEATURES EDITOR PRIYANKA ARIBINDI — AUDIENCE STRATEGIST KATHY YUAN —ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR
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KATHY YUAN
THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM number is considered only a guideline, and Vanderbilt is not required to comply with it so long as they meet the minimum wage requirement of $7.25 an hour. Further, many dining workers are not employed during the three and a half months that school is not in session.
FIGHTING FOR DINING WORKERS: A HISTORY
Conversations about the difference between a living wage and minimum wage began at Vanderbilt in 2006, when a New York Times article called attention to the fact that while the Vanderbilt chancellor was (and still is) one of the highest-paid university executives in the nation, workers did not make enough to support their families. Then, in 2009, Living Income for Vanderbilt Employees (LIVE), a student-run organization, hosted a “no cuts” rally in Sarratt Student Center, begging the chief administrative officer not to make any cuts from low-skill laborers’ salaries facing the economic crisis of the time. In 2012, the Organized and United for Respect Vanderbilt (OURVanderbilt) movement of was the largest-scale dining worker protest Vanderbilt had ever seen. The organization was created by a graduate student, and included participation from other undergraduates and some of the dining workers. Evan Werner, a VSG Senator, approached Anne Alukonis, a dining worker at Last Drop in 2012, asking what VSG could do to help her and the other dining workers. Commonly called Ms. Anne around campus, Alukonis is known for being outspoken. “I have a rapport with people,” Alukonis said. “You know, it’s easy for me to talk to people based not only in my background in social services, but the kind of person that I am.” According to Alukonis, Werner came to her with an idea to help dining workers find summer jobs. “That was his only goal,” Alukonis said. “It was a good idea, and it was very much in line with the goals of OURVanderbilt.” After working with Alukonis and consulting with other dining workers, OURVanderbilt presented their bill titled “Equal Rights for Dining Workers” to the VSG Senate in 2013. Ben Eagles, a representative from OURVanderbilt, fielded over 40 questions from the Senate regarding the bill. The bill called for three specific resolutions: OURVanderbilt wanted the administration to improve summer job fairs by actively reaching out to more employers, provide recommendations for dining workers seeking employment and prioritize current Vanderbilt employees when hiring for temporary service jobs. While in 2014 the VSG Senate voted to pass the bill, then-president Isaac Escamilla vetoed it. Escamilla met with Laura Nairon, director of business services, and Camp Howard, director of dining services at the time, and decided to veto the bill for its factual inaccuracies, including a false reference to an unemployment committee and false claims about workers’ summer benefits, according to Nairon and Howard. This veto was the first in VSG history. Another wave of student dissent came when Sebastian Rogers (’13) created a video in 2012 titled “Enough is Enough: Poverty at Vanderbilt,” made with help from a $5,000 grant from the Vanderbilt Ingram Scholarship Summer Program. The video attracted campus-wide attention to the dining workers’ demands. Attempts by students to help workers have been limited by the fact that workers’ concerns are managed through their union, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), and any action must be initiated through their leadership.
INITIAL ATTEMPTS TO SATISFY DINING REQUESTS
For the past three years, campus dining has organized a summer prep fair for workers by bringing in temp agencies, who find positions for short-term workers, to support employees in their summer job hunt. According
to Alukonis, around 60 dining workers attended the first fair, around 25 came to the second, and only 16 attended the event hosted during spring break of last year. “I think a lot of people the first year were under the impression that they could be hired on the spot for the job,” Alukonis said. “The prep event was about submitting applications and resumes. It wasn’t a direct placement, and I think people were turned off by that.” Nairon and the other administration were frustrated by this low attendance. “We want to make sure that this is needed, that it is something that is useful,” Nairon said. “And when we only see 16 people show up, it almost can indicate that there aren’t that many people who want to work during the summer, and if that’s not the case, what can we do to make this as appealing as possible?”
CAMPUS ACTION RESTARTS TO RE-OPEN DINING RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
Representatives from Vanderbilt Food Justice met with Nairon and Howard Nov. 11 to discuss potential changes to the bill and specific factual inaccuracies in the old bill, as well as express concerns over dining workers’ treatment and wages. First, the initial bill made a request for a student to sit on a supposedly newly established committee for unemployment, to serve as a liaison among dining workers, students and administration. Nairon had never heard of this committee, however, and later realized that it didn’t exist. As a result, this clause of the bill was not valid. Another inaccuracy in the original vetoed bill was its mention that “most Vanderbilt Dining workers are only employed for eight and a half months of the year and the Vanderbilt administration does not provide its laid off summer workers with unemployment compensation, insurance or other benefits during the summer months.” This statement is not accurate, according to Howard. “Vanderbilt doesn’t make the determination if someone is qualified for unemployment insurance or not,” Howard said. Despite the inaccuracies mentioned in the meeting, Tristan Abbott, a member of Vanderbilt Food Justice, says he still wants the bill to remain mostly the same. “I think we will edit the original bill as little as possible,” Abbott said. “In my opinion, it should have passed in the first place.” Abbott is concerned that the university either doesn’t have the money to pay workers more or does not want to spend additional money on workers. Howard responded by saying that Campus Dining has little control over workers’ salaries. “I think there’s this understanding that Vanderbilt, this big institution, has all this money,” Howard said. “Well campus dining is self-supporting. We’re just like any other restaurant company out there. We pay rent, electricity, gas bills, we buy our equipment, we pay our salaries, we pay our benefits, just like anyone else.” Nairon and Howard agree that they want the best for employees and would like to be included in future courses of action. “We had not had a dialogue prior to this getting presented, and we could have worked more collaboratively toward the goals and objectives that this seeks to reach,” Nairon said. “But as it came through there just wasn’t a whole lot to work with.” While Abbott isn’t completely confident in the movement’s success, he doesn’t believe his efforts will go to waste. “Mostly, I think it’s going to get attention and be sort of symbolic,” Abbott said. “It will send a message and start a campaign. But to get real change done, it’s going to have to come from administration.”
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Panel features international refugees living in Nashville Inspired by his internship at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, senior Will Hanna hopes to teach students about Nashville’s role in the global refugee crisis By ZOE SHANCER News editor --------------------
In an effort to teach students about Nashville’s role in the global refugee crisis, senior Will Hanna is running an event tomorrow called “Music City Refugees: A Conversation with Neighbors and a Lesson the Human Heart” that will feature a panel of refugees from various parts of the world who live in the Nashville area. The refugees hail from Iraq, Somalia, Bhutan, Columbia and the Congo, and will be joined by leaders from the Nashville community, experts and students. Hanna was inspired to create the event by his internship this semester at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, a refugee resettlement agency in Southeast Nashville. “Nashville gets a ton of refugees from all over the world, so we resettle refugees and provide them services,” Hanna said. The refugees will speak to their personal experiences of arriving and living in Nashville. According to Hanna, Nashville has the nickname “Little Kurdistan” because it houses the largest Kurdish population in North America. “It’s pretty well known to the locals, but I don’t know if a lot of Vanderbilt students know that,” Hanna said. In addition to a large population of Kurdish refugees from Iraq and Syria, Nashville also has refugees from Nepal, Burma, Somalia, Sudan and Congo, among other places, according to Hanna. “It’s an incredibly diverse group of people, and they are pretty much located all in Southeast Nashville along Nolensville Pike,” Hanna said. Hanna hopes students at the event gain a better understanding of Nashville’s role in the global refugee crisis. “My goal is that people gain a better appreciation for these people and see them less as victims or something that is outside of our control on the other side of the world, and really see it as an issue we can help with and effect change with, especially considering that we share a city with thousands of these people,” Hanna said. The event is being held Nov. 19 from 4-6 p.m. in the Commons Multipurpose Room 237.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Students react to Mizzou-inspired protest for action on diversity
Event pushes for institutional change on racial issues By JOSH HAMBURGER and ALLIE GROSS
Managing editor and Editor-in-chief -------------------A pair of students stood up at 12:15 p.m. in the middle of junior Ariana Fowler’s HIV/AIDS in the Global Community class. When the professor asked what they were doing, the students explained that they were going to attend a protest on Central Library lawn. “She asked the class if they wanted to participate and some of us said yes, and she told us that we could go. And literally my entire class got up and went to the event together,” Fowler said. Fowler’s class joined almost 200 students gathered at Central Library on Monday to sign a list of demands to submit to the chancellor. The list of 14 demands ranged from paying the requisite roughly $1 million to remove the “Confederate” inscription from Confederate Memorial Hall, to establishing curriculum requirements focused on minority experiences, to increasing the number of people of color on faculty and the staff at the Psychological and Counseling Center. One by one, the students filed into Kirkland and personally handed the signed lists to a smiling and nodding Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. The university issued a statement in response. “There is nothing more important than cultivating a safe and tolerant campus for all members of the Vanderbilt community, and we appreciate that our students are engaging in that effort,” it read. “We expect and welcome continuing conversations with our students as we work collectively to create and sustain an environment in which each of us has the same right to participate fully and without fear in the Vanderbilt experience.”
‘THE TIPPING POINT’
The list of demands says it was authored by “a diverse coalition of students.” Hidden Dores and representatives from various facets of campus, including the Divinity School and Peabody College, planned the demonstration, spreading information about it on Facebook. Akaninyene Ruffin, president of the Multicultural Leadership Council and a lead facilitator for Hidden Dores, said the demonstration was planned in response to recent events at the University of Missouri. “We planned all of this in less than a week,” Ruffin said. “We knew Monday night after Miz-
zou fell: Ok, we’re going to do something.” According to the demonstration’s Facebook page, the list of demands was modeled after those brought to the Mizzou administration earlier this fall. When the demands were not addressed by the Mizzou president, a hunger strike, football team boycott and student activism led to the president’s (and the chancellor’s) resignation. College campuses have been under close scrutiny in the national media in past weeks. Protests erupted at Yale after a faculty member sent an email questioning the university’s decision to provide advice on culturally sensitive Halloween costumes. Campuses all over the nation from Dartmouth to UCLA have seen similar racial protests. There has also been backlash from free speech advocates and others who accuse the protesters of promoting “PC” culture. Black students at Mizzou received death threats amid the protests, and many students at Vanderbilt took to social media to express solidarity with them. Students also organized a moment of silence on the steps of the Wyatt Center last Wednesday, and NAACP and National Pan-Hellenic Council organized a “Black Out Vandy” event on Thursday, both to stand in solidarity. “If we all said that we stood in solidarity with Mizzou, and we saw literally people put their lives on the line to get their goals accomplished, you can’t say that you stand in solidarity with them and never act,” Ruffin said. “I’ve been saying since last spring that this was going to be the year where something big pops up. This was just going to be the year where you would have to hit the tipping point.”
‘THE MOST IMPORTANT THING’
Earlier this year, Zeppos announced at the fall faculty assembly that diversity and inclusion would be a priority. “This is a project of great importance. It is the most important thing I’m going to be spending my time on,” Zeppos said. “At the center, it’s really a matter of race. It is America’s most fundamental challenge.” This summer, the university created the Office of Inclusion Initiatives and Cultural Competence. IICC’s website indicates that cultural competence training and professional development series are “coming soon.” The chancellor has also launched a committee on diversity and inclusion.
But some students feel like these initiatives have left student input out of the process. “Administration likes to do just enough to keep students satisfied,” Fowler said. “I think that they are also very aware of student needs but don’t always necessarily act upon them. And students haven’t always been the most vocal as they could possibly be.” On Vanderbilt’s campus, students said they saw a need for direct action rather than discussion. Instead of following the movements of the past, the protesters sought to mimic actions at other universities that have already enacted institutional change. “The movement nationally really showed us that they did it, that it is possible,” said senior Safiah Hassan. “We don’t have to be stuck in a bubble of dialogue forever. Maybe we as students can be active agents of our own change. Maybe we’re more powerful than we think. Maybe we have higher bargaining power than ever thought possible.” Student activists say the change in tactics stems from the inability to implement policies in the past that they have invested time and work into. “In the end, when nothing comes to fruition, all that comes out of that is frustration,” Hassan said. “You feel like you put so much time and effort into making a program or talking with people.” For some students, the demands are hardly new. Ruffin said Hidden Dores has been pushing toward these goals for the past year and a half, since the organization’s founding in spring 2014. She said the list was more of a direct consolidation of those goals.
STUDENT REACTIONS
Backlash to the student protests over university action on racism — at Vanderbilt and elsewhere — has framed the protesters as “entitled,” or “whining.” Some students in Rand hadn’t heard about the protest at all. Others said they felt that there wasn’t a need for the demands because they hadn’t witnessed racism on Vanderbilt’s campus. Sophomore Audrey Shinar said she feels Vanderbilt has made efforts to promote diversity. “I felt like they were asking for a little much,” said Shinar. “This sounds bad, but I honestly don’t feel like racism is a problem on this campus — this campus. Mizzou, yes, but on this
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campus I feel like people are pretty good about inclusion.” Sophomore Rachel Hoy didn’t attend the protest, but said she supported the cause. “I feel like everyone in different schools are protesting the same issue, so it kind of just shows how the same problems are permeating around all different campuses so it’s good that they’re all banding together and protesting,” Hoy said. Sophomore Reggie Wimbley — who attended the demonstration — said the reactions he’s seen on campus have been “disgusting.” “I wouldn’t believe that my own peers would say stuff like this before, like I was just in utter disbelief,” Wimbley said. “A lot of it is hidden behind Yik Yak, but I’ve also heard toward other students. Like they say, ‘why are you complaining, you guys have affirmative action, and you guys have financial aid,’ and just general assumptions that they believe we all have. “People have shared their personal experiences and the only thing that they can say is stop whining. That is very apathetic and a very negative way to look at it,” he said. Ruffin hadn’t downloaded Yik Yak until her friends told her about reactions to the protest. She described her response to mocking Yaks. “Oh, so this is how the other side thinks,” she said. “Oh wow.” Activists said that some of the negative reactions stem from students’ lack of connection to the problems faced by students of color. “I think in certain circles or certain communities, this conversation is daily,”said senior Sarah D’Amico. “I think in other communities, it doesn’t come up, or people check out when it does come up.”
MOVING FORWARD
Ruffin and others involved with the protest recognized that change can’t happen overnight, but she emphasized that she wants students to be consulted as decisions are made at the administrative level. “The ball is now in the administration’s court. As students, we said we want to be intimately involved in the creation of a new Vanderbilt, where it’s not just modifying the system, it’s making a new one,” Ruffin said. “I think that they have the position and power to make the right choice.” — News reporters Amanda Nwaba and Catie Lambert and News editor Zoe Shancer contributed to this report
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
opinion
QUOTE OF THE DAY “The key to being a rocking ally is to just do what you’re told. That’s all. Don’t assume you know what other people need. Don’t think you know what your friends of color want from you. Just do what they tell you they need and want from you.”
SHAWN REILLY, JUNIOR
ALLYSHIP 101 How white students can act in solidarity with students of color SHAWN REILLY is a junior in the College of Arts and Science and can be reached at shawn.e.reilly@ vanderbilt.edu.
We are at a really telling point in the movement. When sitting and planning some support logistics for the action at Vanderbilt this Monday, I found myself at a place of tension with the realities of activism on campus. When attempting to brainstorm white allies to invite, I found myself at a loss. Those whom I could think of and felt we could count on were already involved or told. In a school with 4,577 undergraduate white students, I had already exhausted my list of white allies. This is not something that is unique to Vanderbilt. A phenomenon I have observed in activist spaces across the country is white folks’ willingness to post a link in solidarity with folks of color, but when asked to take real action, so many are hesitant to jump in. The reality is, as folks with white skin, we are oftentimes the least at risk at protests and actions. Why are we afraid to show up? Why are we so worried about ourselves when others face trauma and violence everyday? While we sit in apathy, or obliviousness, or without direction, folks are experiencing trauma due to our white silence. White people definitely have a place in the struggle. We do. And it is important. It’s just nowhere near as important as the people of color’s place in this particular struggle. Which is the center. When fighting with people for liberation, it is important that you don’t turn the “with people” to “for people.” Unless of course, that’s what is asked of you. That’s the first step to being a white ally. The key to being a rocking ally is to just do what you’re told. That’s all. Don’t assume you know what other people need. Don’t think you know what your friends of color want from you. Just do
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what they tell you they need and want from you. Ask what is needed of you. And if they say, “Nothing, we need you to just go away right now.” Do that. To be a real ally, you should not be dictating your allyship. You can ask questions, if completely necessary. If it truly helps you in your ability to hold someone’s complete, whole, and authentic self in a space, ask those questions. If you’re asking questions only to help your own comfort, pump the breaks. Google is a wonderful thing. Before asking those questions, ask yourself if it is better suited for a search engine. Maybe the trauma of tokenizing a person of color to tell their narrative isn’t worth finding out why you can’t touch their hair. I am in no way attempting to invalidate the very real and very present oppression that a lot of gender expansive, queer, disabled, working class and otherwise historically marginalized white people face. However, with the recent events in the South, and the real action that students of color are taking on this campus, it is important that we support them. It is because the fact that we are queer and disabled and female that we should be responsible allies to communities of color. We all share the same oppressors. We must come together to help support particular portions of the community that have recently faced very pointed trauma. We must support them to ensure that we don’t lose any more of our unmercifully and unbelievably large community of oppressed peoples. Although we often feel alone, it is because our oppressors have created the system to do so. We are not alone, and as such we need to support one another. My beloved white family, it is our duty to fight for everyone’s freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.
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 vanderbilthustler.com. The views expressed in lead editorials reflect the majority of opinion among The Hustler’s editorial board and may be supposed to represent the opinion of The Vanderbilt Hustler at the time of publication. They 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@vanderbilthustler.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 2 p.m. on the Sunday prior to publication. The editor
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Dear White People,
White people definitely have a place in the struggle. We do. And it is important. It’s just nowhere near as important as the people of color’s place in this particular struggle. Which is the center.
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reserves the right to edit and condense submissions for length as well as clarity. 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 official 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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A shameful irony
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
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Response to recent terrorist attacks displays deeply embedded bigotry and xenophobia
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HYTHAM AL-HINDI is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at hytham.a.alhindi@vanderbilt. edu.
hame on you, Governor Haslam. Shame on you and the countless other public officials both at home and abroad who have taken the recent tragedy in Paris as a pretext to stigmatize and marginalize the very people who have been affected most by the savagery of ISIS. The recent attempts to deny refugees the right of asylum in the U.S. and around Europe may be based in fear, bigotry, or a mix of both — but one thing is undoubtedly true — they are welcomed by ISIS. The irony is almost too great. Those reactionaries who present themselves as the most opposed to terrorism, those who are quick to cite “Islamic” radicalism for political and personal gain, are the very ones that are playing into ISIS’ game of fear mongering and division. One of the main goals of ISIS is to destroy the “grayzone,” or the sense of acceptance Muslims feel in the West. Quite tellingly, ISIS cites Bush’s famous quote, “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists,” as a propaganda tool to justify their agenda of division. With recent announcements from 27 state governors that Syrian refugees are not welcome in their respective states, one can only think that the hatred and xenophobia that ISIS aimed to foment has already taken place. Beyond the words and decisions of public officials regarding the plight of Syrian refugees, a close look at the reaction that the world had towards the attacks in Paris evokes a mixed response. On one hand, many people jumped to social media to condemn the Paris attacks and the backlash that would undoubtedly result against refugees and Muslims in general both in Paris and around the world. The fact that media officials from outlets as mainstream as CNN quickly
Calling to question the double standard that has been displayed by the global public in response to the Paris attacks is not insensitive to the memory of those lost.
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jumped to lay blame on Parisian Muslims for the tragic attacks says that much is left to be done to dispel the arrogant idea that Muslims must explain themselves for any violence that is committed in the name of their religion. While the significant support for refugees has been and continues to be hopeful, the double standard that has been displayed in the reaction towards the
tragedy in Paris calls to question whether all lives are truly valued as much as others. Where was the 24/7 news coverage when ISIS massacred 128 peaceful Kurdish protesters in Turkey just a few weeks ago? Where was the “check in” option on Facebook when 43 people were murdered by an ISIS bombing in Beirut just a few days ago? In her book Frames of War: When is Life Grievable, Judith Butler says that “an ungrievable life is one that cannot be mourned because it has never lived, that is, it has never counted as a life at all.” Calling into question the double standard that has been displayed by the global public in response to the Paris attacks is not insensitive to the memory of those lost. Suggesting so would be as ridiculous as the criticism of the phrase “Black lives matter.” In both cases, more worth seems to be put on the memory of white lives in comparison to colored ones. In light of this, I urge my fellow classmates to go beyond the patronizing or calculating interpretations of the events unfolding in the Middle East, and beyond merely stating that ISIS does not represent the majority of Muslims across the globe. The former only amplifies the superiority complex which helps to justify or brush off the wanton death inflicted on innocents both by Western powers and by groups like ISIS, and the latter only states the obvious. The best we can do is to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters that are affected by the tragic events overseas, and what better way to do so than to demand that our public officials allow refugees a temporary home away from the violence that they desperately long to escape?
The best four years
College presents opportunities for personal growth and increased social consciousness
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LAUREN CAVERLY is a
junior in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at lauren.e.caverly@ vanderbilt.edu.
love college. Not in an Asher Roth way — not just because of the raging parties, abundant alcohol, and the hookup culture everyone treasures so dearly. Not just because it’s a place to have freedom from my parents (figuratively, of course. Still 99 percent financially dependent on my folks). And not just because I get to study the things I love and make intellectual connections with other students and faculty every day. I love college because it’s a place where young adults can come together over a cause, over mutual love for music, over similar interests, over cultural connections. It’s where we start to care about things greater than us. We start to care about the things that have helped build society up. We start to really care about the history that brought us to where we are today, the culture that is our day-to-day lives, and our personal and collective futures. Sometimes, we realize the “normal” we have accepted and tolerated our whole lives is wrong. We, as college students, have the opportunity to take a stance on issues that will shape the future of our society.
For many of us, this is the first place and time we choose to do so. Some witness or experience injustice for the first time. Some, like me, have the stunning realization that history happens every day, often in our daily lives. Take the time to appreciate this. I love college because people here actually pay attention to the news. Regardless of which side of any issue you find yourself on, it’s in your best interest to be informed at the very least. Read the articles people post on your Facebook newsfeed. Find a news source that you agree with and find another one that challenges your thinking. Have conversations. If you find you can’t take one side or the other, don’t feel pressured to do so. Don’t voice full support for anything you don’t fully support. And if you do find yourself pushed to one side, great. There’s probably a good reason you feel that way and it would benefit the conversation to have another point of view. College provides the perfect platform for open, intellectual discussion and debate. Take advantage of this, to voice your thoughts (provided they are sane and don’t cause harm to anyone!) and gain some understanding of why others think the way they do. Conversation is a two-
way street. You are important, your thoughts, feelings and ideas matter to others, and their thoughts, feelings and ideas should matter to you. I love college because you can watch people grow into real life adults. Students are shuttled through 12+ years of structured education and then set free onto college campuses. This is where real learning takes place. Personally, I learn more outside the classroom than in it (I don’t know if this causes or stems from my tendency to skip class).Yes, my engineering classes are absolutely integral to my future career, but I want to able to consider myself an educated member of society. I want to look back and remember how it felt to be a part of a movement that transformed lives and went down in history. How it felt to participate in a celebration of a different culture. How it felt to realize that we — myself included — sometimes tokenize and “otherize” our peers and that is not okay. How it felt to witness injustice and realize if we work towards changing minds and attitudes now, someday there might only be justice. I love college because I have the chance to voice myself to an audience who will listen. You do too.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
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special
life
MUSIC SCHOOL in
MUSIC CITY
PHOTOS BY ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
What it takes to graduate from Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music By PAXTON GAMMIE Senior life reporter --------------------
Two hundred and seven of Vanderbilt’s current undergrads will spend four semesters learning how to play the piano before they graduate. A lucky few will be able to place into more advanced classes and will only have to enroll in two or three semesters, while some of the less fortunate who have no experience will have to take up to five semesters. That’s because the Blair School of Music requires that all of its students, no matter their departments or ensembles, learn to play the piano proficiently. There is no equivalent requirement for any of the other three undergraduate colleges at Vanderbilt. Blair differentiates itself from the rest of campus not only with its piano requirements, but also with the way it works and its small size. In addition to enrolling 100 percent undergraduate students, Blair has a 4:1 student to faculty ratio, the lowest of any of the four colleges at Vanderbilt. Blair also offers 16 different ensembles for its students to join and hosts some type of performance almost every night. While most non-Blair students are aware of the workings of the other three undergraduate colleges, Blair is far more of a mystery to many undergrads, even though around 2,000 students take classes in the music school every year. So what does it actually take to be a Blair student?
LIFE IN BLAIR
Many believe that because Blair is a music school, the classes are easier and require less work. While Blair classes may seem
more “fun” because they are about music and not something such as chemistry, in reality, there is an equivalent (if not more strenuous) workload for Blair students due to rehearsals, private lessons and extra practice time. Assistant Director of Admissions Molly Jewell said that some classes such as music theory, music literature or music history do have written exams like other non-Blair courses. Junior Danielle Bavli, a vocal performance major, further elaborated on how classes in Blair work. “Studying music is essentially like learning a new language,” she said. “In a class like Musicianship, we have to learn how to sight-read and hear a piece and be able to transcribe the notes on paper. Music Theory is like a math class, and our Music History classes are as demanding as ‘normal’ history classes.” Many Blair students find the sheer amount of time needed to fulfill their requirements very challenging. Director of Admissions Thomas Crespo, who attended Blair as an undergraduate student himself, acknowledged the workload. “In addition to their academics, students are supposed to practice four hours every day,” Crespo said. Blair students concur that the rehearsals can be overwhelming at times. “For example, the majority of Blair students are in multiple rehearsals for one credit hour that meet anywhere from 3-6 hours a week,” said Robert Fay, a junior music education major with a focus on trumpet. “Add that to two to six hours a day of individual practice, and you can see why it can be easy to get ‘stuck’ in Blair.” Sophomore Aidan McCarter, a music composition major, agreed with Fay.
“
If you go to Blair on a weekend, it pretty much looks the same as it does during the week because everyone is there practicing at one point or another. You never really reach a point when you’re ‘done,’ because you can always improve when it comes to honing a craft.
’’
“The workload is grueling. I struggle to find time for extracurricular interests and sacrifice sleep and exercise more often than I’d like,” McCarter said.
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feature Bavli also noted the significant compromises required of Blair students. “As a voice major, I definitely have to make sacrifices in regard to being a normal college student,” she said. “When your body is your instrument and your instrument is your major, being consistently fatigued or even catching a cold can put you out of commission for weeks and sabotage your grades, schoolwork, and personal progress.” In terms of course load, Blair students oftentimes feel more pressure than a “regular” student because of the inherent nature of their work. “We have finite tasks like papers, tests, and homework like everyone else, but we also have to learn repertoire and practice consistently to ‘stay in shape’ much in the way that an athlete does,” Bavli said. “If you go to Blair on a weekend, it pretty much looks the same as it does during the week because everyone is there practicing at one point or another. You never really reach a point when you’re ‘done,’ because you can always improve when it comes to honing a craft.” Even final exams are different for Blair students. “The final exam for your major is called a jury,” Jewell said. “So if you’re a piano major, you’ll play one to two pieces that you’ve been working on that semester with your private instructor in front of the whole department, and they’ll score you on your performance, and that becomes your final grade.” According to Crespo, if students do not pass the jury, they do not pass the class. Although the workload and class requirements can be strenuous, a general consensus by the students, admissions staff and dean is that Blair provides a network of support. Wait mentioned how he was able to see this aspect of Blair in a tangible sense this past weekend during the performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass.” The performance featured undergraduate students from Blair playing on stage together with members of Blair’s pre-college program. The pre-college program includes students as young as four years old. “Students at Blair have a sense of community, and when something good happens to one of us, everyone takes pleasure in it,” Wait said. “If I have a philosophy of what we do at Blair, it’s that I want to give Blair students an experience they can’t get anywhere else. We rejoice in each other’s achievements.”
admissions for that reason,” Jewell said. “It’s good for us to have the two experiences, because that way we can say what it’s like to be a Blair student.”
“
GETTING IN
Becoming a member of that community is harder than it might seem, although many students may believe Blair is easier to get into than the other three undergraduate colleges because the coursework is focused on music. However, the application process for Blair is more extensive than that of A&S, Engineering or Peabody. “I think there is a misconception that Blair is easy to get into and easy to succeed in, when in reality Blair is incredibly hard to get into,” said Shannon Corey, a junior voice major. As a voice major, Corey had to send in a pre-screening video alongside hundreds of other applicants. Based on those videos, the Blair faculty invited just 30 people to come audition in person on campus, in addition to undergoing an exam in music theory and sight reading at the piano. After auditions, the faculty picked 15 to accept into the program. They then sent that list to the admissions office to make sure the applicants passed the academic requirements as well as the musical ones. Each year, only 7-11 students off that final list of voice majors actually become part of the class. Admission requirements are similarly strenuous for Blair’s many other tracks. Crespo agrees, noting that the pre-screening process helps the admissions office sift through applicants before inviting them to audition. “A good majority of students don’t make it past the initial pre-screening phrase of the application process,” Crespo said. According to Crespo, Blair typically has around 600 total applicants a year, but only 100-150 of those are invited to complete a live audition. Crespo and Jewell both attended Blair as students together. Crespo played the bassoon while Jewell was a music composition major. “We were in school together, so we have the student experience, which is neat for both of us to be involved in
Students at Blair have a sense of community, and when something good happens to one of us, everyone takes pleasure in it.
THE DEGREE
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One of the aspects of Blair that differentiates it so drastically from the other three undergraduate colleges is what its students do with their degree after graduating. While a large portion of majors at Vandy lend themselves to careers in the corporate world, a degree from Blair opens a whole host of other doors. Charles Calotta, a junior vocal performance major who focuses on classical singing, feels that a Blair degree is more flexible than people typically believe it is. “People from Blair go on to do everything,” Calotta said. “A few of my classmates plan on going to medical school, a friend of mine who graduated last year is in law school now, and of course, plenty of students go on to be performers or arts administrators.” Additionally, Bavli points out that if she decides to pursue a career other than one in the music industry, she will still be qualified to get a job. “The great thing about having a degree from Blair is that it’s still a degree from Vanderbilt, so in terms of finding good jobs on the side or perhaps eventually wanting to get a degree in something else, I still have that strong academic qualification with a focus in something that is unique,” she explained. Crespo expanded upon the various paths students pursue. “I’ve seen students work for nonprofits, as well as arts administration,” Crespo said. “I’ve also seen students go to medical or law school. Some work in the government or the business world, while others go into music education.” Wait noted that he supports students who pursue paths outside of music. “I actively encourage students to have double majors or minors,” Wait said. “Around one fourth to one third of students in Blair have either a double major or minor, and I think that’s great.” Although there are a variety of paths students can (and do) pursue after graduating from Blair, many choose to perform professionally. “For students who want to follow a more typical music path and become professional performers, 99 percent of them go straight to graduate school,” Crespo said. An example of this type of music path can be seen in Fay, who plans to use his degree to both play and teach professionally in the music world. “After graduating, I plan on playing trumpet on cruise ships, and then coming back to get a masters in education from Peabody,” he said. “After that, I plan on joining either the Marine or Air Force band, and then eventually teaching at a high school level.” Despite the rigor of the work and the pressure of studying in such a highly regarded music school, Blair students seem to truly enjoy what they are doing. “At base-level, I love that I can go to school and study what I am truly passionate about,” Calotta said. “I think art means something to everyone, and being able to focus fully on art, its meaning, its uses, and the nitty-gritty of what music really means to humans in performance and otherwise is something that I am incredibly grateful for.”
DANIELLE BAVLI VOCAL PERFORMNCE MAJOR
BLAIR BY THE NUMBERS
4:1 207 16 100%
student to faculty ratio students
ensembles for students to join
undergraduates
2,000
students per year take classes in Blair
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Transition with style
Fabulous fall fashion ideas that will keep up with Nashville’s ever-changing weather By Kayla Butsko, Life reporter Now that the leaves have changed and fall is officially here, it’s time to transition your wardrobe from shorts to sweaters. Nashville may have some crazy weather, with its cooler mornings but often warm afternoons, but we’ve got you covered with these three chic yet functional outfit ideas that will work all day. Treat yourself and take a weekend to shop for some cute new accessories to make outfits from last fall’s pieces seem brand new (or have your parents take you shopping over Thanksgiving Break).
PHOTOS BY
BOSLEY JA
RRETT / TH
E VANDERBI
LT HUSTLE
R
EDGY BUT CLASSY
CASUAL AND COZY
BOHO CHIC
Football season may be almost over, but you can still repurpose that black game day dress for a casual day of classes by dressing it down with a pullover wool sweater and lace-up combat boots. Try this twist: knee-high socks keep your legs warm, but can be pushed down and bunched around your ankles as the day warms up. Keep your color choice of sweater on the darker side to keep the overall look ultra-flattering — you can’t go wrong with pretty burgundy or plum shades. A dark leather satchel and chunky necklace also fit well with this look.
We all already have those classic staples in our wardrobes, like the plain white tee and the denim jacket. Utilize these standbys to create a functional outfit that will keep up with the changing temps. Combine your plain white tee with a warm gray or tan colored cardi and black skinny jeans, then pull on a denim jacket and cuff the sleeves to add a cool layered effect. Add a funky tassel necklace: Long necklaces are flattering and make your neck appear longer. Finalize the look with a pair of comfy animal print flats.
Still have those cute summery white sundresses, but not sure how to wear them now that the sun isn’t shining so brightly? Pair one with black tights and a tan jacket to keep you warmer during those chilly mornings. Complete your look with a thick knit infinity scarf in beige or khaki to add a coziness factor. As the day gets warmer, you can take off your scarf and tie your jacket around your waist. Add suede booties and a hat and you’re ready for a full fall day.
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black dress dark pullover wool sweater knee-high socks lace-up combats leather backpack/satchel chunky necklace
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plain white tee warm cardi in gray or tan denim jacket black skinnies tassel necklace animal print flats
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white sundress tan jacket black tights suede booties chunky infinity scarf in beige or khaki suede hat (optional)
*Thanks to Tennessee Chic for providing clothes for the photoshoot.
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s i h t t a E
not that
By SARAH FRIEDMAN Assistant news editor --------------------
PHOTOS BY THOMAS STILSON / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
everywhere else on the meal plan
PHOTOS BY ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
By SARAH FRIEDMAN Assistant news editor --------------------
LEAF
Leaf is an excellent option for a high-vitamin, proteinpacked lunch. Load up on veggies for a hearty, filling salad for very little calories and fat. Go with the chicken instead of the salmon since it has half the calories. Vegetarians and pescetarians, have no fear: The tofu has only 50 calories and 2 grams of fat, but avoid eating it more than a couple times a week, as excess amounts of soy products can have adverse effects on your health. When it comes to cheese, go with parmesan if you’re getting it at all: It has one-fifth the calories and fat of cheddar. Feta, which often seems like the healthiest choice, actually has three times the calories and fat of parmesan as well. For the dressing, your best option is the fat-free balsamic vinaigrette (which is even better than just getting olive oil and vinegar). All the other dressing options have at least 100 calories and 10 grams of fat, but especially avoid the chipotle ranch, which packs nearly 30% of your daily allowance of fat.
PI
Try to avoid this fat and calorie trap: Half of the pizzas at Pie pack over 1000 calories and more than 50% of your daily fat levels. If you do decide to eat here, share a pizza with a friend to avoid packing on the pounds. Your best bets are the Greek and cheese pizzas, which both still have nearly 800 calories and over 20 grams of fat each, as well as more than half of your daily sodium. The spinach, onion and garlic pizza has 205% of your daily value of saturated fat, so unless you’re planning on not eating for a full day, avoid this one at all costs. If you’re going to get additional sides with your pizza, go for the minestrone soup, a healthy option containing only 100 calories and 3 grams of fat. If it’s the breadsticks you’re after, ditch the cheese — the garlic cheesy breadsticks have ten times more fat and twice the calories of the regular breadsticks.
LAST DROP
While the colorful smoothies at Last Drop seem like healthy options, many are filled with dairy products that add high levels of fat and calories, as well as sugary juices that put carb counts through the roof. The PB&C smoothie, the worst offender, packs 113.8% of your daily fat, so if you plan on eating anything but undressed veggies for the rest of the day, avoid this one. If you’re craving a sweet morning pick-me-up, try ordering a brewed coffee with an added syrup instead of a latte, macchiato or mocha. The taste will be just as sweet, and you’ll save enough fat and calories to enjoy a scone on the side. Try the sugar-free syrup to really keep the calories away: It tastes just as sweet as the regular kind.
THE PUB
The Pub is a comfort food staple, but eating here doesn’t have to break your health streak. Menu items to avoid include the buffalo style hot wings (679 calories and 45g of fat), the pub burger (70% of daily saturated fat without cheese), the cheese quesadilla (890 calories and 160% of daily saturated fat), and the caesar salad (which may seem healthy, but really packs 60% of your daily saturated fat). Don’t take solace in the salads: The Harvest salad, with 457 calories and 50% of your daily saturated fat, has more calories and fat than the hot chicken sandwich. All of the other options are actually pretty decent: a meal of chicken tenders and pub fries only has 664 calories. Pair it with an unsweet tea (sweetened with Splenda), and you’ve got a pretty reasonable comfort food meal. Go with the fries over the chips and queso to cut fat in half. If you splurge for a milkshake, pick vanilla or strawberry over chocolate to save 240 calories.
BAMBOO BISTRO
This place is a hidden gem of healthy foods: nothing on the menu has over 500 calories or 10 grams of fat. The beef brisket banh mi is like a burger but more flavorful (a little added kick) and only 462 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat. A hearty, warm bowl of pho in the wintertime holds just 205 calories before toppings, so load up
on some healthy vegetables for a low-calorie and low-fat (or fat free, depending on how you top it) meal. The rice noodles are completely fat-free, making for a wellbalanced lunch. In the protein department, top your pho with chicken instead of beef brisket: It has less than half the fat.
ROCKET SUBS
It’s possible to make a healthy, protein-filled sandwich at Rocket Subs — but it’s also really easy to make the wrong choice. The best protein options are turkey (90 calories and 3 grams of fat) and ham (101 calories and 3 grams of fat). Avoid the four cheese, which packs 75% of your daily saturated fat and doesn’t give you any protein, so you’ll be hungry again in an hour. Vegetarians can take solace in the flame roasted vegetable option, which holds only 65 calories and 4 grams of fat. Avoid the tuna and chicken salads, because the mayo adds extra fat and calories. Both the white and the wheat rolls have the same number of calories, but the wheat actually has one more gram of fat. The difference isn’t significant, so just choose what you like — don’t get the wheat just to “be healthy.” Pepperjack and swiss are the best cheeses by far, with just 40 and 80 calories respectively. Avoid the other cheeses or ask for half the normal portion. Be aware that some of the sauces have more calories and fat than the rest of your sandwich combined, such as the pesto mayo which has 93 calories and 10 grams of fat. To avoid squeezing extra calories onto your sandwich, try choosing mustard instead of mayo-based sauces.
Note: The nutrition information for all 21 campus dining locations is included in the Nutrition-Vanderbilt app available for iPhone and Android. All percentage daily values are based on a 2000-calorie diet, but this may vary depending on your gender, height and weight. We did not include Grins in this roundup because it is managed by Bonjo Java, not Vanderbilt dining, so the restaurant’s nutrition information is not available in the app.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
sports 2015 women’s basketball preview Jasmine Jenkins by Josh Hansan Senior Hometown: Gainesville, Ga. Height: 5-8 Position: Guard
Rebekah Dahlman by Robbie Weinstein Sophomore Hometown: Braham, Minn. Height: 5-9 Position: Guard
Jasmine Jenkins is entering the season as one of two senior starters alongside Morgan Batey. She played in each of Vanderbilt’s 31 games last season and averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 assists, good for 15th in the SEC. A stellar ball-handler known for her defense, Jenkins is expected to complement junior Texas Tech transfer Minta Spears in the backcourt. Watch for Jenkins to step up into a leadership role this season as she enters her final season as a Commodore.
Vanderbilt’s lone representative on either of the SEC’s preseason All-Conference teams, Rebekah Dahlman’s second-team recognition foreshadows what could be a big year for the Commodore star. Dahlman led the team in scoring last season while playing more minutes than any other player on the team. This season, the redshirt sophomore’s challenge will be to limit turnovers, as her 0.56 assist-to-turnover ratio last year illustrated the turnover issues that plagued the Commodores in 2014-15. Dahlman’s scoring, however, will be key if Vanderbilt is to return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus.
Marqu'es Webb by Karim Oliver Junior Hometown: Hoover, Ala. Height: 6-1 Position: Forward
Rachel Bell by Torben Ginsberg Sophomore Hometown: Cumberland Furnace, Tenn. Height: 5-10 Position: Guard
Though Vanderbilt struggled to its first losing season since the 90s, Marqu’es Webb came into a zone at the end of the season, reaching double figures in each of the last ten games. She also led the team in field goal percentage, while finishing third in scoring and second in rebounding. Webb is already making her presence felt this year, as she recorded three blocks, eight points and four rebounds in the opening game. There is no doubt that Webb is going to be an impact player for this team as a strong inside presence, and if she continues to improve Vanderbilt would be in solid position to return to the NCAA tournament.
After playing in thirty games in her freshman season, look for Rachel Bell to take on more of a leadership role in her second year. Despite starting in just four games and averaging under twenty minutes per game, the 5-foot-10 Tennessee native was fifth on the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game. A good chunk of that scoring came from behind the arc, as over half of Bell’s field goals were three pointers. She led the team in three point percentage, shooting 36.0 percent while taking the second-most threes on the team. As defenses key in on the sharpshooter this season, Bell will have to improve her playmaking ability to keep the Vandy offense dynamic.
Morgan Batey by Evan Mercer Senior Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Height: 5-10 Position: Guard As a returning senior, Morgan Batey hopes to capitalize on her previous success and make her last season her best. Batey has dominated during her career as a Commodore, capping it off with her strong junior season (5.2 rebounds per game, 8.5 points per game). Last year alone, Batey posted 13 double-doubles. Leading the team in rebounding and second in points scored, Batey has demonstrated her importance to this Commodore basketball team. As for this year, Batey shows no signs of slowing down and looks to add on to her already impressive resume.
Christa Reed by Max Herz Sophomore Hometown: Bay St. Louis, Miss. Height: 5-11 Position: Guard Minta Spears by Isabel Futral Junior Hometown: Bullard, Texas Height: 5-10 Position: Guard
A graduate transfer from Texas Tech, Spears will have two years of eligibility with the Commodores. She played 62 games with the Red Raiders, averaging 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during her two seasons of action. During her redshirt freshman season, she was one of only two players to start all 30 games. She has also proven to be a viable asset from beyond the arc, shooting 35 percent during her sophomore season and collecting 82 3-point field goals over her career. This season, Spears will look to continue that offensive production off the bench, as well as provide experience and leadership.
Reed averaged six points per game over the first half of her freshman season but injured her ankle early in conference play and missed the season’s final 15 games. She opened the 2015-16 season with a bang, scoring a career high 22 points against Mississippi Valley State on 50 percent shooting with four three-pointers. Reed struggled from distance at times last season, but she is likely the team’s best shooter along with fellow sophomore Rachel Bell, as both guards make the important transition from year one to year two. Reed’s versatility and physicality have improved from last year, guaranteeing her playing time in head coach Melanie Balcomb’s system of positionless basketball. After missing most of the past two seasons with knee and ankle injuKendall Shaw ries, Kendall Shaw looks to give Vandy an inside presence, especially in by Josh Hamburger terms of rebounding. With just 43 minutes played last year, Shaw averJunior aged 2.3 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. However, with more playHometown: Mont Belvieu, Texas ing time, the junior center will certainly see her major stats increase. Height: 6-4 In the season opener against Mississippi Valley State University, she Position: Center recorded 6 points and 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.
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13
Passion
drives Marqu’es into junior season
The 6-foot-1 forward was recruited for her talent, but found her place on the women’s basketball team — and at Vanderbilt — through her energetic leadership style
Webb (22) celebrates after a big play in last season’s loss to Tennessee in Memorial Gym. The final score was 57-49.
By BEN WEINRIB Sports editor --------------------
Marqu’es Webb loves body art because she sees it as a way to express oneself. It shows what’s important to a person. The junior power forward has a simple tattoo on her left wrist: A heart with an infinity sign through the middle. Webb says the tattoo reminds her of a quote: “When it’s done right, love can be infinite and unconditional.” The quote and tattoo also remind Webb of her mother, the person who taught her unconditional love and also the most influential person in her life. “My mom is the best person I know,” Webb said. “My mom is the strongest person I know. I always tell her if I have her strength I know I can do anything. Because my mom is a single parent with three kids, and one of us is at Vanderbilt, one of us just graduated from Auburn, and the other one is at college on a football scholarship. She got us all here, I don’t know how, she got us here, and I feel like I can conquer the world.” Webb and her mother, LaTangelia Sanderson, still talk nearly every day, whether it is quickly texting, wishing one another a great day or talking on the phone. That unconditional love and support means so much to Webb that she wants to show that to others too, especially once her
basketball career ends. She would love to impact someone as much as her mom has influenced her. “I think I want to coach because I love the game so much and I’ve seen what good coaches can do to me,” Webb said. “I’ve been blessed to have a lot of good coaches in my way, and they’ve really just taught me a lot about life and a lot about basketball. “One of my goals in life is to impact someone’s life,” she said. “Every day, I want to impact someone whether it’s just telling them good morning when nobody’s saying good morning. If I could impact kids’ lives, that would really, really, really, really mean something to me.” Webb was very successful during high school, as she was a McDonald’s All-American Game Nominee and was named the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Alabama Basketball. But after moving from Montgomery to Hoover, Alabama, she had three different head coaches over her final three high school seasons. The most influential coach she had was Donnie Quinn, who she had in her junior season at Hoover High School. Even though he only coached her one season before taking a job as an assistant at Alabama, it was a critical time for Webb. “I really had to grow up my junior year, and he really, really helped,” Webb said. “He was just someone I could go talk to, even during my freshman year (of college). He
would still send me texts, send me advice, I still talk to him now when I go home.” As it turned out, Quinn’s strong influence impacted one of her toughest decisions: where she was going to college. Webb grew up a big Crimson Tide fan, still rooting for their football team to this day, and Alabama was the first school to offer her a scholarship. “My high school coach was now recruiting me to go to this school, and I had been recruited from Alabama since eighth grade,” Webb said. “I knew and still know all the girls on the team, and am really close with them still. Two of my best friends were committed to Alabama at the time, so it was really hard to turn it down. But at the end of the day, I figured [Vanderbilt] would be better for me to come here, and I just feel like it’s a better fit.” Now that she’s made it to Vanderbilt, however, she hasn’t looked back. Webb has gone on to be one of the most productive members of the Commodore team, finishing third on the team in scoring (8.0 PPG) and second in rebounding (4.9 RPG) last season despite battling knee and back injuries and sitting out the month of December. Equally important, though, has been her effect on the team emotionally. “Marqu’es is our emotional leader, so whenever she’s in a great mood, we’re in a great mood. When she goes we go,” said
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Jasmine Jenkins, senior guard. “With her, we have tons of energy, we know where everybody’s supposed to be on defense. She’s very vocal. Without her, we kind of go into lulls. She’s definitely our emotional leader, and we’re better with her.” Head coach Melanie Balcomb has seen Webb grown as a player throughout her time at Vanderbilt as well. She originally recruited Webb largely because she saw the 6-foot-1 forward as incredibly skilled for her size, but has seen Webb mature even more as she channels her passion into aggressive, positive play. “One of the things we want to do this year is be a little more passionate and a little less emotional, and I think Marqu’es has worked on that,” Balcomb said. “Marqu’es has kind of taken some of the emotion and is more of a consistent, passionate player. She loves the game and has fun playing and gets excited for her teammates, as you can see. At the same time, she’s doing a better job of controlling her emotions in a positive way to stay focused.” Balcomb believes that with a clean bill of health, Webb should be more effective than ever and able to play more high-quality minutes. And on a team that starts four guards next to Webb, she could be the key to the team’s first postseason run in two seasons.
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2DRILL MINUTE
This weekend in Commodore sports By MAX HERZ Sports reporter --------------------
FOOTBALL (4-6, 2-4 SEC) vs. Texas A&M Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Vanderbilt Stadium TV: SEC Network Vanderbilt Football needs one win in its final two games to finish 5-7 overall and potentially make a bowl game with a losing record based off the tiebreaker of Academic Progress Rating (APR), in which Vanderbilt sits near the top nationwide. Of course, APR could be thrown out the window if the Commodores simply sweep their pair of remaining games and finish 6-6. Texas A&M and Tennessee are both winnable games for Vanderbilt, which boasts a +5 turnover margin in its first two November games.
NO. 17 MEN’S BASKETBALL (2-0, 0-0) vs. Stony Brook Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Memorial Gym TV: SEC Network+ vs. St. John’s Monday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. Maui Invitational, Maui, Hawaii TV: ESPN2 With two blowout wins under their belts, the Commodores face Stony Brook on Thursday night at home, a team Coach Kevin Stallings called “one of the best mid-majors in the country.” The team will then fly to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, which starts Monday afternoon against St. John’s. Vanderbilt will play either Indiana or Wake Forest on Tuesday, and will look to make the championship game on Wednesday night. The ’Dores plan on leaving paradise with some resume-building wins against other top teams.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (1-0, 0-0) at Dayton Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Dayton, Ohio at Green Bay Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. Green Bay, Wisconsin The Commodores visit Dayton, who they lost to 71-67 at home last season and then finish a two-game road trip up north against the Phoenix, who they defeated 68-64 in overtime last November.
How to make money on Vanderbilt football
Remarkable streak gives fans something to root for By JOSH HANSAN Sports reporter --------------------
Disclaimer: Compulsive gambling is an addiction and this article is not meant to encourage any illegal betting of any kind. Sure bets are tough to find. The sun will rise, winter will come and Alabama will make the College Football Playoffs. But Vanderbilt football may be the best bet of all. Wait, what? Vanderbilt sits at 4-6. They are in the midst of a mediocre season in the bottom-half of a league ruled by college football giants. There’s not a whole lot left to root for. Now what if I were to tell you Vanderbilt was the most consistent team in the nation? That they lead the country in a category known by many and exploited by few? You’d say, “Third down defense!” or perhaps, “interceptions to passing touchdowns ratio!” In both cases … maybe. However, you can’t exploit either statistic for money. The degenerate gambler inside us all looks for any semblance of an edge. Vanderbilt football has given us just that. Before each football game, odds-makers set a “total” point score that they feel the two teams point totals may add up to. Vanderbilt is the only team in the entire nation to finish under its expected point total in each and every game this season. That’s right. Here’s some real world perspective: If you had started with a single $100 bet on Vanderbilt football to finish under the over/under total at the beginning of the season and reinvested your winnings each week, you would have $51,200 dollars today (Vanderbilt-Austin Peay finished at exactly 54 and resulted in a push, according to VegasInsider.com).
Better bet on Vandy Betting the under on every game this season could have netted more than a year’s tuition at Vanderbilt. Opponent
Projected Over/Under
Final Score
Result
Winnings
WKU
60
14-12
Under
$200
UGA
49
31-14
Under
$400
Austin Peay
54
47-7
Push
$400
Ole Miss
53
27-16
Under
$800
MTSU
49
17-13
Under
$1,600
USC
45
19-10
Under
$3,200
Mizzou
34
10-3
Under
$6,400
Houston
49
34-0
Under
$12,800
Florida
38
9-7
Under
$25,600
Kentucky
41
21-17
Under
$51,200
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Vanderbilt’s 10th-ranked scoring defense has been one reason why their games have never gone over the projected point total. There’s a noticeable downward trend in the expected totals as the season has gone on. Odds makers have taken notice. The MissouriVanderbilt game had the lowest over/under line (34) since 2004. Why has this happened? Well, for starters, Vanderbilt scores the third fewest points in the nation. Coupled with allowing the 10th fewest points on defense, the point total of the average Vanderbilt football game is just 32.8, third lowest in the country. Vanderbilt may not be one of the best teams in the nation, but they sure are the most reliable. Unfortunately, this information doesn’t do you any good without a DeLorean sitting in your garage. Thankfully, there are two games left this season. There’s still time to get your gambling fix. Betting the over/under isn’t nearly as fun as betting on a game itself. Think of the over/under as an insurance policy for your rooting interest. Vanderbilt is 6-3-1 against the spread this season, one of the better marks in the country. Looking ahead, Vanderbilt is a 7-point underdog to Texas A&M. If earlier games this season offer some indication, Vanderbilt has a shot against any SEC team it faces. Despite its 2-4 conference record, Vanderbilt does tend to keep SEC games much closer than people expect … just ask the Florida Gators. That being said, gambling does have the potential to suck the fun out of the sport. One day, you bet $5 on Vanderbilt to hit the under. The next, you find yourself on the phone with your parents trying to explain how you managed to lose your entire college tuition in a bet on the Tennessee Tech-Southeast Missouri game. It happens to the best of us. The unpredictability of the college football landscape doesn’t do a gambler any favors. For every sure bet you think you have, there are a hundred games ready to steal your money away. Vanderbilt football may not win you any bragging rights over your SEC friends, but they sure do have the chance to win you some cash. If you need three words to get you through the rest of the football season, just remember this: bet the under*. *Note, now that this article has been published, be advised that Vanderbilt will break the streak and the last two games will finish on the over. The gambling gods won’t have it any other way.
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Mr. C celebrates with fans after the Commodores defeat the Austin Peay Governors 80-41 at Memorial Gym last Friday.