vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015
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VOL. 127, ISS. 27
GET ON BOARD ‘Hoverboard’ trend rolls through campus PAGE 8
BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
OPINION
The ‘d’ word
First-year columnist Priyanka Kadari argues that not every situation warrants the PAGE 6 “diversity” label
NEWS
SPORTS
Fighting the virus PAGEEbola 6
Survivors team up with Vanderbilt researchers to end the disease
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McCrary or Shurmur?
Vanderbilt is back to running a two-quarterback scheme after trying to avoid it earlier
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ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN SAXON/ THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015
news
CAMPUS UPDATE NASA Senior Technical Advisor and author Les Johnson will speak about the future of spaceflight and solar sailing on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Vanderbilt University Club.
Club hosts International Thanksgiving dinner
Every Nation Campus invites international students for Thanksgiving dinner tonight By CATIE LAMBERT News reporter --------------------
This Wednesday, Nov. 4, Every Nation Campus Vanderbilt, “a global campus organization that empowers students for LIFE - Life, Integrity, Faith and Excellence,” will host its 4th annual International Thanksgiving Dinner. The event will feature a meal as well as performances, games and giveaways and will offer opportunities for students who will be staying on campus over Thanksgiving to be hosted for Thanksgiving dinner by families in the Nashville community. According to Every Nation Campus President Kevin McCoy, the purpose of the event is to connect different cultures and share the Thanksgiving experience. “Students who are International, they don’t really know what Thanksgiving’s about, but they’re typically here for the break on campus,” McCoy said. “So we try to share this experience with them while also connecting them with homes that are also in Nashville where they can go for Thanksgiving.” The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Life Center Ballroom and will be open to all students. Tickets are being sold this week on the Wall and can also be purchased at the door for $5.
EVENT INFORMATION Wednesday, Nov. 4 2015 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Student Life Center Ballroom Tickets are $5 cash, credit and debit.
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ALLIE GROSS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Petition promotes eco-friendly campus PHOTO COURTESY OF SPEAR
SPEAR plans to send sustainability plan to Chancellor Zeppos By MORGAN MARQUEZ News reporter --------------------
Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility (SPEAR) has created a petition that promotes more ecofriendly procedures at Vanderbilt and plans to send it to Chancellor Zeppos once they get 350 signatures, approximately 5 percent of the student body. SPEAR orchestrates environmental programs such as Climate Connections, where a panel of experts discusses sustainability, as well as various service events. However, it hopes that this petition will show that students outside of SPEAR also care about Vanderbilt’s ecological footprint. “We’ve received a lot of support from the administration and the faculty members we’ve worked with, but the main feedback we’ve gotten is that we need to show that it’s more than just SPEAR that is passionate
about this,” said Catherine Mitchell, SPEAR Co-President. The petition offers environmental precautions that the school could take, such as retrofitting old buildings to be LEED certified (which is a national certification that approves environmentally-friendly buildings), creating an Environmental Sustainability Track on My Vanderbilt Experience and increasing the use of a food waste machine called ORCA. The ORCA food waste machine was introduced to Rand and cuts down on food waste by liquefying it. SPEAR is looking into ways of possibly using the water waste as a fertilizer instead of dumping it because the water contains useful nutrients. The petition also asks for an increase in the Green Fund, a fund that starts out with $75,000 each year for the purpose of student-led environmental initiatives. Though SPEAR originally aimed to double the Green Fund, now it raises funds without a specific monetary goal because the amount changes depending on how much money is reinvested into the fund. Eric Kopstain, vice chancellor for administration, responded to the petition. “The university remains committed to creating and maintaining an environmentally sustainable campus,” Kopstain said. He highlighted that recycling has in-
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
creased by 25 percent and that the school is working with Office of Housing and Residential Education to increase in-room recycling containers. According to Kopstain, Vanderbilt’s overall greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 18 percent from their peak in 2008 and almost 30 percent per square foot, and Peabody Library, Payne, Jessup, Home Economics, The Divinity School and the Stevenson Chemistry and Physics buildings were all changed to meet higher environmental standards. Alumni Hall just received Gold-level LEED certification. “We agreed to an increase starting in the 2016-2017 academic year, as well as an expansion in scope to include not just utility conservation projects, but also laboratory greening initiatives, and experiential, field, service, and place-based learning opportunities,” Kopstain said about the Green Fund. SPEAR promoted the petition through social media and by asking organizations that they have collaborated with in the past, such as Vanderbilt Student Government and the Vanderbilt Programming Board, to help spread the word. “We have a chance to, instead of playing catch-up and tag along with this movement, to be a leader in this movement and make a much larger impact,” Mitchell said.
SHARON SI — ASST. DESIGN DIRECTOR JACK SENTELL — ASST. LIFE EDITOR SARAH FRIEDMAN — ASST. NEWS EDITOR PATRICK ZINCK — ASST. NEWS EDITOR DESIGNERS COPY EDITORS ZACH BERKOWITZ KAREN CHAN AUSTIN WILMS ALAN WILMS YUNHUA ZHAO
KATHY YUAN PRIYANKA KADARI
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Jeni’s ice cream founder to speak as part of OWN IT campaign VSG’s OWN IT campaign focuses on embracing diversity and each person’s individual story
Ebola survivors team up with researchers to fight deadly virus
Two Ebola survivors from Nigeria are working with researchers in the Vanderbilt Medical Center to help treat people infected with Ebola By GABRIELLE TIMM News reporter --------------------
Recently, two Ebola survivors from Nigeria flew to Vanderbilt, not only to share their story of survival, but to provide blood samples for ongoing research in the Vanderbilt Medical Center. Researchers at Vanderbilt are developing antibodies that could help treat people infected with Ebola and protect people at high risk of infection. “There is a very small list of people in the United States who have survived Ebola,” said Dr. James Crowe, director of Vanderbilt Vaccine Center. “We’ve studied almost all of them, yet we needed more samples. We had specific contact with these individuals in Nigeria … and they volunteered to visit and to tell us their story and to give a blood sample here.” Crowe began his Ebola research in 2013, about a year before the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. He received a grant from the Department of Defense to study Marburg and Ebola, two diseases on a list called Agents of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases, produced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both diseases are in category A, which contains the worst diseases on this list. “It’s been virtually impossible to get blood out of Africa, despite over 10,000 people who got infected. When we first started working on this, we obtained over a thousand vials of blood cells from Ebola survivors from a 2007 outbreak,” Crowe said. The 2007 outbreak from which Crowe obtained vials occurred in Uganda, and existing HIV research infrastructure made it possible for them to obtain cells, though the process of getting them into the United States was complicated. A host of people including the US Army (who had people conducting HIV research), the Center for of Disease and Control, the University of McCrary, a Ugandan university helping with the research and the Ugandan Health Minister had to approve the blood. The research in Crowe’s lab focuses on isolating antibodies from blood samples of people who have survived infectious diseases. “We can make antibodies to almost anything, anything that
people have experienced,” Crowe said. The lab then manufactures antibodies, which would attach to a virus and prevent it from infecting other cells. This antibody research is not just limited to severe and rarer diseases like Ebola. It also targets viruses like Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which is the most common cause of children being hospitalized in the United States. “Antibodies themselves, if we give them to people, are only temporary,” Crowe said. “They only probably are present in the body after you get them for about three weeks, so you would have to get a second dose. They are either temporary prevention for a few weeks, or they can be used for therapy either way. So we make them, and then we figure out how to use them.” For health care workers looking to go to Africa, a few weeks of protection provided by these antibodies could be incredibly useful. Additionally, researchers are working on developing treatments for Ebola. ZMapp, which uses re-engineered mouse antibodies, had been used in the 2014 Ebola outbreak on some patients.Though it was suggested to be helpful, it has not been clinically proven. The Vanderbilt labs hope to produce a second-generation, safer antibody drug using human antibodies to replace ZMapp. In order to do the large scale testing needed for a dangerous disease like Ebola, Vanderbilt is an integral part of a national network of hospitals working on Ebola treatments. This network includes a biosafety level 4 lab at University of Texas Galveston, which holds the live Ebola viruses where Vanderbilt tests antibodies, and Scripps in California which has equipment that can do more detailed structural scans. “We are one of the world’s few antibody labs that can make human antibodies,” Crowe said. With the arrival of new blood from the Nigerian Ebola patients, as well as additional blood coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Crowe’s lab will continue the long detailed process of developing antibodies for potential treatments and protective measures against Ebola.
PHOTO COURTESY OF OWN IT
PHOTO COURTESY OF EBOLA RESEARCHERS
By SARAH FRIEDMAN Assistant news editor --------------------
VSG will launch their OWN IT campaign Thursday, Nov. 5 with a talk from Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Ice-Cream, in Wilson 103 at 5 p.m. Free Jeni’s ice cream will be served. Junior Bryan Stromer founded the OWN IT campaign when he was in high school in New York City to emphasize that strengths, failures and successes are all parts of a person’s story that should be embraced. At the launch event, Jeni will discuss how she holds her business to a high ethical standard and how she dealt with challenges along the way. “It is based around the idea that differences comes from lived experience and honoring the story that goes along with that,” Stromer said. “We’re really trying to get people to tell their complete stories, which I think is something as a university that we don’t hear a lot about, because the focus is on maintaining this reputation and this idea of being perfect.” At the end of the launch event, attendees will have a chance to “own” something, revealing something that sets them apart. “I honestly don’t know if people are going to participate or not, but our goal is to create a space where people are comfortable enough to really share it,” Stromer said. Prior to the event, members of the OWN IT campaign posted photos on social media of students holding up whiteboards claiming what they “own” about themselves and what makes them different. After the event, they will continue to host events and distribute stickers that people can wear and write on what they “own”. Stromer’s ultimate goal is to have all Vanderbilt students engage in some way, even if that just means wearing a sticker for one day. He also plans to establish OWN IT as a registered student organization. “We want to make sure that we are not only talking about diversity but really living it,” Stromer said.
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Student’s firsthand account: visiting North Korea
Sophomore Charles Jin describes his visit to one of the world’s secretive countries By Amanda Nwaba, News reporter
ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Charles Jin, a sophomore who transferred from Loyola Chicago, has visited North Korea three times because of his mother’s job in the country. Jin’s mother first went to North Korea to pursue her doctorate degree at Kim-Il-Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city, and now has a teaching job there. “There are quite a substantial amount of foreign scholars there, especially in Pyongyang,” Jin said. While in North Korea, Jin and all other tourists must be accompanied by designated government guides throughout their day. “The guide would follow you around and translate for you,” Jin said. “He had to accompany me to tell me what to do and what not to do.” The guides enforce some strict and unusual policies in North Korea that tourists would likely break if unwarned. “There’s a famous monument with the largest Kim Il-Sung statue, and you are only allowed to take a picture where all parts of the statue have to fit,” Jin said. “If you have a video recorder they’re very sensitive about that.” Jin also learned from his time in North Korea that the govern-
ment requires its people to watch certain news stations. “You would have an hour of mandatory news time when the government requires you to watch the national news,” he stated. The difference between North Korea and America is stark, Jin said, and he sees very few similarities. “The only similar thing between Pyongyang and Vanderbilt is Carmichael Towers,” Jin said jokingly. “Because Carmichael Towers, to me, has very Soviet looking architecture and you see a lot of those raw brick buildings everywhere.” Jin said he was struck by North Korea’s poverty and the lack of constant electricity. “Electricity is a very scarce source,” Jin said. “You don’t see a lot of buildings with light on after sundown, so the only places you would see electricity are hotels and hospitals.” While Jin’s mother worked in North Korea, Jin wasn’t able to sightsee extensively, but he was able to visit a middle school and learn about the students’ lives. “I felt very uncomfortable because they were all wearing identical white uniforms,” Jin said. “I felt like they were statues almost. Nobody talked at all. It was very rigid, and the food they provided was just awful.” Regarding higher education, although college education is available to all, most people opt out so that they can work in factories and provide for their families, Jin said. Instead of working for money, North Koreans work for tickets, which artificially control inflation. “College education is certainly available and it’s free because it is a socialist country,” Jin said. “But not a lot of people are actually able to do that because the government encourages most of the men to join the military.” There are also social differences between North Korea and the U.S., Jin said. “One of the main things with North Korean people is that they’re very reluctant to talk to strangers,” Jin said. “They’re not fans of small talk.” Jin was able to connect his own education as an econ major to the issues he witnessed in North Korea. He said his experience in North Korea has inspired him to work for change there in the future. “I always feel like there’s a calling for me to help change the situation,” Jin said. “I’m very interested in developmental economics and I just hope that one day I have enough expertise that I’m readily available to help out.”
Peabody researchers conduct nation-wide study of female engineering faculty
Vandy professor teams up with professors from Purdue to study the experiences of women in engineering, By Lindsay Williams, News reporter More women than ever are going to college, but they still lag behind in some areas. Most notably, women are vastly underrepresented in many STEM fields, including engineering. Professor Ebony McGee, an assistant professor of diversity of urban schooling in Peabody College, along with two professors from Purdue University, are looking to change that. McGee is leading a study examining the experiences of women in engineering faculty positions across the country. The first phase is to do an institutional analysis, which looks at the number of women in engineering departments in colleges nationally, how many of these women are pursuing leadership positions in their departments and other factors that impact their professional careers. The second phase is focusing on
black women in engineering, with an emphasis on the qualitative data of their experience. In the third phase, the data will be analyzed to produce an argument for why diversifying the field of engineering is important. “We particularly want to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for that vulnerable group,” McGee said. “We want to understand what factors could improve the experiences of women in engineering. We want to understand women in engineering who are having successful trajectories within their particular fields. We want to understand from an institutional context if there’s something the institution can do.” According to McGee, women, especially those of color, face
racial and gender isolation in their departments, dealing with the “male huddle,” by which males exclude women in networking opportunities. Women do not earn tenure at the same rate as men or being put in leadership positions at the same rate as their male counterparts. “Innovation comes from the diversity of thought and women bring a certain perspective to the table that males do not bring,” McGee said. “If we want to continue to be dominant in the field of technology and innovation as a society, we can’t be dominant by not having all of the players in the society be part of that innovation. So we’re less innovative as a society by having mostly males, and mostly white males, in engineering.”
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
opinion The ‘d-word’
“Feminism is a movement for change. It seeks to dismantle existing institutions that define social, political, and economic power. Those who benefit from an institution have incentive to help maintain it.”
YOKO KANAI, JUNIOR
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Diluting a word’s meaning threatens its credibility
PRIYANKA KADARI is a first-year in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at priyanka.kadari@ vanderbilt.edu.
Studying at the tables in front of Stambaugh, about to crank out a paper, I naturally started to play music out loud. But, I turned not to Spotify or Youtube, but instead Saavn, a music service similar to Spotify but filled with Indian music. When people walked by, though, I muted the volume. A lot of people turned their heads, gave me a few strange looks, and then after about 20 minutes, one guy sat down. I almost lowered the volume, but he said, “No, no, keep it on, that’s why I sat down, it sounds really cool.” I hesitantly turned it up and glanced over occasionally to see him bobbing his head and tapping his feet, and I thought, “This is what diversity really means.” I shouldn’t have used the word diversity, though. A black guy sitting with an Indian girl to listen to her music doesn’t warrant using the word “diversity”; it just means he’s a nice, curious guy. Using the word diversity in every situation involving race dilutes its incredibly important meaning. Minorities face real and valid issues of stereotype threat and discrimination. I am not by any means arguing that race doesn’t play a role in many people’s experiences here, and I am sure there is much more we can do to support minorities at the institutional and administrational level. However, the phrase “racial diversity” is used so often and in every conversation relating to race, culture or minority life, that people have become closed and deadened to that phrase. Especially in the last year, where the conversations have reached a new level of tension and where I’ve personally seen many articles angrily lashing out at white people, using the phrases racial diversity and discrimination constantly distort their important meaning. Precisely because I want us to be able to speak about these issues openly, I think we should be more careful about what we mark
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The phrase ‘racial diversity’ is used so often and in every conversation relating to race, culture, or minority life, that people have become closed and deadened to that phrase.
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as examples of racial diversity or lack of racial diversity. For example, a common thread of discussion has been that Greek life or the frat party scene in general does not promote racial diversity. The typical Instagram picture of a group of predominantly white people heading out on a Friday night doesn’t seem to leave room for minority students. I think that’s a very prevalent image to latch onto, and I know it can easily discourage minority students. I am intimidated by that image of white homogeneity as well. But that image of white homogeneity is not an example of a lack of racial diversity; it just means people are not inclusive in the social scene. Racial diversity specifically means appreciating and understanding other races’ culture
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
and challenges. However, we don’t have to be close friends with everyone in order to have genuine conversations appreciating cultural and racial differences. Others can deeply appreciate our deeply different culture, and still connect on a more visceral, social level with someone more like them. By nature, we all gravitate toward people who have a lot in common with us. Secondly, inclusivity also depends on people’s individual character. You can take a horse to water by making many official policies and initiatives, but you can’t make it drink if it doesn’t want to. I had a serious inferiority complex of white people before I came to Vanderbilt — I basically thought they wouldn’t want to understand my culture or connect with me on any sort of level. And, yes, plenty of white people don’t ask me to hang out or show interest in my culture. But, neither do plenty of black people or Asians or Indians or Hispanics. Independent of race, there will always be people who are inviting and people who are not. Our day to day social interactions with other people are based more on the character of the person than the race, and to borrow a friend’s words, similarities between people can often transcend differences in race. I’m only speaking to what I see on a daily basis, and in those situations, race plays less of a role in certain places than others. Whenever two groups set themselves apart from each other, and they also have differences in race, we tend to allocate all those problems to race, rather than recognizing the subtlety of character and individual differences that play into that dynamic. In order to avoid making the phrase “racial diversity” trite and overused, we need to think more carefully about when we apply it.
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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Take note of Blair students
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Our school might struggle with campus visibility, but we have so much to offer
SABRINA BRADFORD is a sophomore in the Blair School of Music. She can be reached at sabrina.bradford@ vanderbilt.edu.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, a friend alerted me to a new opinion piece published that morning in The Hustler titled “Why music deserves more than its common definition,” regarding the importance of music in society and in daily life. The author, Alice Li, stressed how taking a class in Blair was crucial to helping her survive first semester. I immediately went to read it, as Blair is rarely mentioned in any capacity that reaches a wider, main campus audience. Yet, at the end of the article, I couldn’t reconcile her message in the column and the reality of my daily life as a Blair student. As a performance major that aspires to play in a professional orchestra one day, it is heartwarming to know that all of late nights, the tears and frustration, and the hours of rehearsal and practice are worth it. It is reassuring to know that my peers and I still have an audience that understands the value of music in education, but advocates on its behalf and is receptive to our hard work and our desire to share our passion and joy with them. But, each time I sit down onstage at an orchestra concert and turn to look out into the hall, I see rows of empty seats. When I tell a new acquaintance that I am a music performance major, people ask where Blair is located, if we take “real” classes, if our degree program is challenging, or what careers are available in the field of music. While these may seem like simple, innocent questions, I have never heard anyone in A&S, Peabody, or Engineering being asked anything remotely similar to the ones that Blair majors find themselves always answering. And so after reading Li’s piece, I began to ask myself — if music takes such a prominent role in
people’s lives, why is it that Blair still struggles with invisibility on main campus? Blair students have long been reaching out to main campus, bringing our performances to the Dean’s residence on the Commons, Kissam, and even Rand during the lunch rush, with the Blair Salon Series and Blair Big Band, featuring various student and faculty ensembles, with works ranging from classical to contemporary to jazz. By leaving the physical location of Blair, we have all hoped to spark greater interest in the performances and events that take place on the far side of Highland Quad. Yet we still struggle to fill seats, let alone garner basic awareness of upcoming concerts and recitals. It may seem like Blair majors camp themselves out at the school of music, isolated from the rest of main campus, but Blair students are involved, important members of the larger Vanderbilt community. Many of us are pursuing double degrees, are on the pre-med or pre-law track, or are involved in multiple extracurricular activities. We are members of the Greek community, VUceptors, tour guides, and RAs. Yet, despite our best efforts to accommodate our varied interests, it is sometimes difficult for us to have a real presence on main campus, as fulfillment of our degree program requires long hours spent in Blair, either in class or in a practice room. But we long to share our hard work, our successes and our best performances with the rest of the Vanderbilt community. All of us in Blair love what we do, and we also truly believe, as Alice Li said, that “[music is] a vital form of expression that pieces together the fragments of the human experi-
It may seem like Blair majors camp themselves out at the school of music, isolated from the rest of main campus, but Blair students are involved, important members of the larger Vanderbilt community.
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ence.” If you feel that music has an important place in your life, I urge you to make the effort to attend at least one Blair concert or event, to see and experience what we do every day. We would love to have you there.
Putting the ‘act’ in ‘activism’ Don’t be a feminist in name only — do the work
YOKO KANAI is a junior in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at yoko.m.kanai@ vanderbilt.edu.
During my time thus far at Vanderbilt, I’ve found that nearly every person I’ve met here has had a mission — some sort of passionate cause that motivates them in the incredible work they do every day. The list is endless; I know folks who have fundraised thousands of dollars for Relay for Life or Dance Marathon, devoted countless hours to serving freshmen as VUceptors, done un-circumscribable work to amplify unheard voices on campus. I know far, far too many pre-med students to keep track. The key defining characteristic that each of these students share is commitment — a willingness to put in work to get things done. As for myself? Since I was 15, I’ve considered myself as a feminist. My feminism is as deeply personal as it is political: My entire worldview is shaped by a faith in human potential and a grounding belief that no one should be born with the cards stacked against them due to their identity. However, I soon realized that I was only a feminist in the ideological sense — in practice, I wasn’t. I hadn’t made the commitment. Over the past few years, I started questioning my claim to the term “feminist.” I was in no way a particularly
involved activist; I rarely went to protests, nor did I think I was doing formidable work to “smash the patriarchy.” I have always been a highly opinionated person who loves to read articles on politics and share them on Facebook, but social media soapboxing is slacktivism at best. However, those around me have also said that I am persistent in my attempts to challenge the way they perceive the world and the beliefs that they take for granted; sure enough, I am not the type of person to let a slut-shaming comment or microaggression slide. So, is feminism belief, or behavior? And what am I doing to further the cause? I see this lukewarm feminism in many of my peers on campus: The folks who subscribe to the ideology, but are minimal in their commitment to it. At a school with a student body as passionate and involved as ours, this seems a little bizarre. We all know you have the motivation to go out and do amazing, incredible work, so what gives? My best friend once told me “if your feminism doesn’t scare people, you’re doing it wrong.” Although this statement seems abrasive and alienating, it actually makes a lot of sense. Feminism is a movement for change. It seeks to dismantle existing institutions that define social,
political, and economic power. Those who benefit from an institution have incentive to help maintain it. So long as you are actively challenging the social order, those at the top will resist. If they aren’t scared, you aren’t working hard enough. To all of the quiet feminists on campus, I implore you to explore what you can do to create a more safe and welcoming Vanderbilt — changing your phone background to a picture of Beyonce is not enough. Attend Vandy Fems and Lambda events. Join Hidden Dores, or lend a hand with any of the numerous anti-sexual assault initiatives. Attend more cultural events — not just Holi for the sake of a hip Facebook profile picture. Educate yourselves: monitor the news and watch the ongoing presidential debates to keep track of how women’s issues are — or aren’t — gaining traction. On a personal, day-to-day level, remember to always be conscientious about the impact of your words and actions, and be open to learning from others. And most importantly: never stop speaking. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
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special
‘THEY SEE ME ROLLIN...’ Football players’ new ride motors across Vanderbilt By Josh Hamburger, Managing editor
Linebackers Darreon Herring and Zach Cunningham didn’t even have to think about why they bought their “hoverboards.” “Swag,” they said laughing in unison. The boards are designed like a modified segway that balances without a handle and moves based on the user’s weight. But Herring and Cunningham didn’t seem focused on the technology. “First it was the looks,” Herring said. ”It would kind of turn heads and different things like that, but now it kind of helps you out in terms of getting around.” The prominence of these boards exploded over this past summer, due to a wide variety of celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Justin Bieber riding them on Instagram and television. Vanderbilt has been no exception to this growing trend, as seen by the increasing number of hoverboards popping up around campus this semester.
FROM THE FIELD TO AROUND CAMPUS
When Herring listed the football players with boards, it sounded more like the depth chart than an exclusive group. The number has skyrocketed since the start of the season. Defensive lineman Jay Woods most recently purchased one and has clearly made everyone well-aware of it. “He just got his, so I know he’s happy,” Herring joked about Woods. “He’s been bragging about it.” Woods was sure to preach the benefits of the board. “Being athletes, we’re on the go all the time, and we’ve got to get to meetings and get to places, and we’re out here practicing every day of the week, so getting off of our feet is a plus,” Woods said. Non-athletes have also been rolling around campus on their boards recently. Not only have the football players influenced one another, but they have also helped spread the culture across campus. “I’ve seen a bunch of students starting to get them recently,” Cunningham observed. “Most people that I know that have them ... saw the football team with this.” The football players have been actively promoting the boards around campus, and students know to come to them with questions and advice. “If you want a monorover, hit up Jay Woods, Zach Cunningham, Darreon Herring, and we’ll try to see what we can do to get you one,” Herring said, as Woods and Cunningham chimed in. Not everyone took inspiration from the football team, though. Freshman Robby Matthews actually first witnessed rapper Juicy J riding the board at a gas station in his hometown of Memphis. “It was the first time I had ever seen one, and I asked him where he got it,” Matthews said. Though social media introduced the board to many, senior Cassie Ho first caught sight of it in Finland after the school year, then finding herself constantly reminded of it on Instagram and at a Nicki Minaj concert. “I couldn’t escape them,” Ho said. “It was just everywhere.” But Ho didn’t want to get it by herself. When she and her suitemates bumped into a group of football players riding them on campus, they decided to pull the trigger on a group purchase. “I don’t know if I would have gotten one if my friends didn’t
just because I never ride it alone,” Ho reiterated. “I’m not that bold.”
BUT WHY BOARD?
While athletes around campus have relied on bikes and traditional scooters as transportation in the past, the board sticks out as beyond just a ride. “They [bikes and scooters] don’t look as cool,” Herring said. “I know a lot of people haven’t seen them before, so I know when we got ours … it turns heads. You just see someone literally floating, and it’s something a lot of people hadn’t seen yet.” In addition, Woods said the board helps him get around campus and reduces his reliance on cars, which helps avoid hefty expenses in gas and parking tickets. “A lot of students are rushing on their way to class,” Woods said. “Some of you have got class on Commons to Wilson, I know it takes a good 15 minutes walking. I’m telling you, they are a big investment. First of all you can’t drive on campus with your car, but with the Monorover, you can get to point A to point B in just a matter of seconds.”
‘‘
Being athletes, we’re on the go all the time, and we’ve got to get to meetings and get to places ... so getting off of our feet is a plus.
’’
Others use the board to spice up mundane tasks. While students lament taking out their garbage or dread the long walk to Munchie Mart, Ho greets these chores with excitement nowadays. Instead of walking, Ho hovers her way through her room and the hallways of Towers — the floor surface that she likes best. Typical tasks for her have helped legitimize the use of her board. “No one really takes out recycling, but it’s fun if you’re on a scooter. It’s an excuse to go scooting,” Ho said. She also uses the board to give her a boost to help reach dishes and spices when cooking in her Towers kitchen. “The height is a major draw,” Ho explained, something she didn’t realize until she actually rode the board a few times. While junior Phil Hawkins also sees more of a use for the board in his immediate area of residence, junior Ellen Bley seems to be more focused on utilizing for travel to and from class.
“Getting from Highland to main campus is kind of annoying, but once you’re on main campus, it’s really convenient, like just going from Featheringill to Rand on it,” she said. Not only does the board service the rider in terms of transportation, but Ho said it can help raise her spirits. ”Sometimes now when we’re down, we’re like, ‘Let’s just take a scoot’,” she said.
LEARNING TO BOARD
Riders can quickly learn how to use the board because its movement mimics walking. People move by leaning in a specific direction which which applies pressure to sensors along the top of the board, powered by an electric motor. Some football players noted that they felt comfortable atop the board immediately. But for others, the initial moments upon the board are rather difficult because of the strange feeling of balancing on just two horizontally aligned wheels. Both Ho and Matthews felt comfortable with about an hour of practice. “It’s like that five minutes, we call it the wiggle period,” Bley observed. ”Where they’re [new riders] just like sitting on it, wiggling back and forth … Once you get it, it’s pretty easy to move around.” “We still can’t figure out which way is backwards and forwards,” Bley said. “In the instruction manual, which was very clearly written in Chinese then put into Google Translate, it’s like ‘do not ride backwards for extended periods of time’, but it never tells us which way is front and which way is back.”
PRICE TAG
With the price tag deterring some individual students from buying the board, Hawkins and Bley decided to jointly purchase one. Both had talked about acquiring one for months over the summer, but neither could justify buying one on their own. That’s when they realized just one could effectively serve them both. “Phil and I kinda played this game of chicken with it,” Bley said. “‘Are we going to buy it or are we not,’ and we just convinced each other, look at how cool this looks, look at how cool we could be, this could be us’, and eventually that’s what worked out.” As they just recently received the board, divvying up time to share the board, as excited as they are, hasn’t yet been decided. According to Bevan Verma, the founder of Twizzle Hoverboard, the discrepancies between brands and cost exist because of the lack of copyright laws in China on the product. Verma further admitted that each company is selling essentially the same product. While the price of the board ranges in cost from just under $200 on eBay to upwards of $1,800 for the IO Hawk models, most Vanderbilt students have swayed toward the lower to middle range products. Though some students were not fully aware of the differences between brands, Herring and Cunningham spent significant time researching the different boards. Yet, they knew how similar many of the brands were, which led them to look for a more af-
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fordable one. “It was one of those that we bought on Amazon,” Herring explained, “but I read a lot of reviews about them...and they’re pretty much all the same boards from the same manufacturer. People just put them in different boxes and stuck a sticker on them.” Cunningham echoed this sentiment. “It was more of the best board for the best price. When we first got them, we were pretty much just thinking they were a lot cheaper than the ones that all the celebrities got, so that it would be a good deal to have one [at this price],” he said. None of the students interviewed knew which brand of board they had purchased. Instead of buying from a specific website, each student shopped on Amazon and eBay, where prices were lower and brand name was irrelevant.
SO WHAT’S IT CALLED?
While every hoverboarder can agree on how fun it is to ride, it seems nobody can agree on what to actually call it. Hawkins hasn’t yet decided what to name his new board and says the name ‘smart balance scooter’ stated in the packaging isn’t sexy enough. Nonetheless, he enjoys the popularly applied name of a hoverboard. “That’s kind of a fun name,” Hawkins explained. “It makes me feel futuristic.” Some take opposition to the name hover board because the product depicted in Back to the Future Part II literally hovers and doesn’t have wheels. However, the term is both recognizable and focuses more on the ride as opposed to the actual functionality. “People call it a hoverboard because it makes them feel like they are hovering over the ground,” Verma said. Meanwhile, Woods bypasses the technical name debate and
instead names the board based on what it’s done for him. “I call it my new vehicle,” Woods put it simply. “My schoolwide vehicle.”
PERCEPTIONS
As the popularity of the board continues to increase all over campus, this could only be the beginning of the growing trend. “It looks pretty cool. I would have a lot of fun with one,” said Becca Weires, junior, though she claimed that she wouldn’t buy one. Other students were more skeptical of the boards and their utility. “It’s really easy to just walk,” said Sarah Grichnik, senior. When riding the boards around, students said curious students often approach them. “Now that we have it, all of our friends want to do it.” Bley said. “You don’t realize how much fun it is until you actually get on it and move around,” Hawkins added. As the holiday season approaches, Matthews said it’s easy to assume what may be on many students’ wish lists, a trend he has noticed from friends who have demoed his board. “Christmas is coming up, Hanukkah is coming up,” Matthews noted. ”I think it’s the next thing that everybody is going to ask for.” As one of the original hoverboarders on campus, Herring believes that the boards won’t fade out. “I think it’s the future,” Herring said. “Now they’re kind of expensive, you know $500 is still kind of expensive in some people’s eyes, but you know I think it’s the mode of transportation of the future as far as you know not really too much walking anymore, conserving energy.”
BY THE NUMBERS
12 MPH
max speed for a board
200-400 price range students paid
15 mile
range on one charge
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015
life Three Brothers Coffee opens with a bang (and a crash) GO DO
of Asia THIS Taste Student Life Center Ballroom; Friday, Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.
Every year, the Asian American Students Association organizes a buffet of traditional Asian dishes from across the continent. Taste and learn about a variety of delicious food, and then stick around for the unveiling of AASA’s literary and visual art exhibit, Anthem.
New coffee shop by Cumberland Transit back up and brewing after bus accident By Claudia Willen, Senior life reporter
Walking past Three Brothers Coffee on West End, students might easily believe the shop is closed. After all, the boarded-up wooden entrance doesn’t exactly encourage passersby to come inside and buy coffee. But don’t be fooled by the current renovations: A large MTA bus smashed into the front of the store last month, but Three Brothers has made the necessary repairs, and the store is back up and brewing as construction continues. Cumberland Transit owners Allen Doty and TJ Wilt opened Three Brothers this August in the hopes of offering West End customers rich coffee. Doty and Wilt want to encourage a rustic coffee shop experience by actually connecting the Three Brothers coffee shop directly to the Cumberland Transit, an outdoor apparel and equipment store. Located in the same plaza as chain restaurants like Chipotle and Panera, Three Brothers has an outdoorsy, western
aura. The brightly lit, spacious shop has a hipster warehouse interior. Peeling brick walls, rugs and light wooden tables keep the shop open and rustic. These unfinished touches make the setting modern and differentiate it from your run of the mill café. The store’s rare vibe draws in an artsy, young professional crowd, so don’t expect to see an overwhelming number of Vanderbilt students at the tables, unlike some other closeby coffee shops. Three Brothers also doubles as a modern art gallery. Large, bright canvas paintings with the artist’s name and price. hang on the plain white walls. Colorful human and animal skeletons are a predominant theme in the coffee shop decor, both in the art and sitting on the shelves. The owners have partnered with Bongo Java Coffee and offer the coffee company’s drinks and pastries. The shop also carries the gourmet, organic Rishi Tea line. However, Three Brothers also has food and drink specials unique to the shop, such as the Fall Specials Muir Woods and Autumn Walker. If you’re in an especially seasonal mood, try the latter: this spiced Apple Cider Americano with cayenne-maple whipped cream is completely different from the ubiquitous Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the cayenne spice balances out the sweetness. Perfect for trying something new, the Muir Woods drink is a cappuccino with sage, juniper berries, and cracked white pepper. It also serves specialty breakfast
sandwiches such as the Egg Sammy and Breakfast Burrito hot to eat. Three Brothers Coffee is the perfect solution when you want to get off campus without veering too far away. Escape for the afternoon to soak in the coffee shop vibes and look at some art while you do your work — just keep your eyes open for any incoming MTAs.
ALEC MYSZKA / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Three Brothers Coffee, located on West End Ave., is still open after being damaged by a bus last month.
Nashville Scene puts on second annual Crafts and Drafts event Local fest will bring over 50 craft vendors together with beer and food trucks this Saturday By ISABEL FUTRAL Life reporter --------------------
Ever thought that drinking alcohol while holiday shopping would make the whole process a lot less painful? Well, this Saturday, Nov. 7, you can down a beer or two as you get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping with the second annual Nashville Crafts and Drafts event. Hosted at the Nashville Farmer’s Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event will feature a curated collection of artisans and vendors with hand-crafted wares. Admission is free. More than 50 different vendors will display their handmade crafts for sale. Beer vendors and food trucks will also sell a variety of refreshments. The beer selection includes Harp Lager, Red Stripe, Smithwick’s, Guinness Blonde Lager and the newly launched Guinness Nitro IPA. The alreadyregistered food trucks are local gourmet trucks including The Grilled Cheeserie, hot dog cart Ethan’s Doggs, local cafè Flatrock Coffee, Tea & More, Korean street food truck Funk Seoul Brother and Ray’s Wings & Things. More food truck
vendors are still to be announced, so check the website for the most up-to-date listing. Crafts and Drafts is one of the newest brew fests to start in Nashville, a city that has certainly demonstrated its love for beer in the recent past. In October alone, Nashville hosted five beer festivals, and many saw a high degree of success: Nashville Oktoberfest had over 143,000 attendees, making it one of the largest brew fests in the country. What sets Crafts and Drafts apart from the rest of these brew fests is the focus on the craft vendors. All kinds of products will be sold, from beautiful handcrafted jewelry to hand-sewn toast characters. Yes, that does say toast characters — Murfreesboro artist Amanda Bimson will be showcasing her unique toast plushies at her booth “Toast is Art.” Plenty of other local artisans will be displaying their unique wares this weekend. For example, the Nashvillebased Afterglow Candle Company will sell hand-poured soy candles in vintage glass containers, and Black Sheep Goods will have cozy scarves to warm up a friend and fiber-based home decor to spruce up a dorm or apartment. Several jewelry designers will set up shop, including Eric Young
Designs, M. florita jewelry and Simon & Ruby. If that doesn’t sound like enough variety, there will be hand-stitched clothing, gourmet popcorn, homemade bread, glass art, loose leaf teas and many more items to pick through. These vendors provide an excellent opportunity to get ahead on holiday shopping and find a quirky trinket or irreplaceable memento for someone — and you can do it all while enjoying craft brews and local food. The festival is actually a spin-off of an annual arts and crafts fair held in Washington D.C. called Crafty Bastards. The Nashville Scene, which hosts the Crafts and Drafts event, updated the D.C. version by introducing beer and local food trucks to the festival. This year, Crafts and Drafts will benefit Soles4Souls, a not-for-profit organization. Soles4Souls’ vision is to eradicate poverty through acts of service big and small. The nonprofit provides much-needed footwear and clothing after natural disasters and delivers shoes to impoverished areas of the world. A donation box will be set up at the festival, so bring your gently-worn shoes to drop off.
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Month in Music: November By JACK SENTELL Assistant life editor --------------------
COIN, Nov. 6 — 3rd & Lindsley
With all of the country artists coming out of Nashville, it can be easy to overlook the strong contingent of indie bands that also call Music City home. COIN is a Belmontborn band that burst onto the national scene after releasing their self-titled debut album this June. The record’s first single “Run” is an indie pop anthem currently receiving a lot of airplay on alternative radio. COIN’s live performances bring even more energy to their songs, which is evident the moment the group runs onto stage with Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” as their walkup song. This concert will be a high-powered homecoming for Nashville’s rising stars. Must Listen: “Time Machine”
Sufjan Stevens, Nov. 11 — Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman hosts a number of loud bands, but the venue’s acoustics truly shine when folk artists take the iconic stage. Sufjan Stevens’s music is made for the mother church. His soothing fingerpicking and longing lyrics will fill the room, creating a pure sound to captivate the audience. Stevens will perform many songs from his 2015 release “Carrie & Lowell,” which Pitchfork rated 9.3/10. Overall, this show will be one of those concerts that proves why the Ryman is such a special venue. Must Listen: “Should Have Known Better”
Dead & Company, Nov. 18 — Bridgestone Arena
The Grateful Dead may have “technically” retired after the Fare Thee Well Tour this summer, but who really thought that America’s most well known touring band was going to call it quits? Dead & Company consists of Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, alongside vocalist-guitarist John Mayer. The result is the same never-ending blues music that made the Dead famous, plus the unique addition of Mayer’s vocals. Whether you’re a Dead Head, a John Mayer fan or just someone who enjoys good music, Bridgestone will be the place to be on this Wednesday night.
down the guitars and drums for their most recent record, “Glitterbug,” but still retained the catchy hooks that have defined the Liverpool band so far. Songs like “Give Me a Try” are tailor-made for live performances, with a simple chorus that fans will have fun screaming back at the band. Indie fans looking to dance and sing will be hard pressed to find a better way to the end the month. Must Listen: “Greek Tragedy”
Must Listen:: “China Cat Sunflower” (Grateful Dead)
Azealia Banks, Nov. 21 — Marathon Music Works
Azealia Banks is an up-and-coming rapper who is carving her own niche in hip hop. Her music places fast-paced, intelligent rapping over powerful EDM tracks that could stand on their own even without the lyrics. The combination of the two creates a repertoire of music that is raw and infectious. The songs are complex and fun, and the energy of the beats along with Banks’s personality on stage will make Marathon feel like an underground dance club. Must Listen: “212”
The Wombats, Nov. 30 — Mercy Lounge
The Wombats are a prime example of the fun, melodic indie pop that currently characterizes British alternative music. The group toned
PHOTO COURTESY OF AZEALIA BANKS
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sports
DRILL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015
2-MINUTE
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FOOTBALL
One week following a tough 34-0 loss against No. 18 Houston, Vanderbilt football plays its fourth ranked foe of the season as the team heads to Gainesville to battle the Gators. Florida (7-1, 5-1 SEC) sits atop the SEC East with a two game lead over the second place Georgia Bulldogs after defeating UGA 27-3 on Saturday.
SEC POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 9
By BEN WEINRIB Sports editor --------------------
1. No. 4 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) For how much hype the latest Game of the Century (a.k.a LSU-Alabama) is getting, it’s almost bizarre that they’re only ranked No. 4 and No. 7 in the nation. Obviously that has something to do with the fact that there are still six undefeated power conference teams, but I’m becoming more and more worried that the SEC may have a tougher time getting a College Football Playoff spot than we all expect.
2. No. 7 Alabama (7-1, 4-1)
3. No. 11 Florida (7-1, 5-1) How amazing is it that the only team besides Florida that has yet to be eliminated from the SEC East title is Vanderbilt? All the Commodores need is Florida to lose to them and Vanderbilt needs to beat Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. So no big deal.
4. No. 19 Ole Miss (7-2, 4-1) I’m not sure if we should be more impressed that Ole Miss shut down Texas A&M 23-3 or more worried that they only beat Auburn 27-19. Irregardless, they remain in the third spot in the power rankings.
5. No. 24 Mississippi State (6-2, 3-2) Quietly, Mississippi State has averaged 44 points over the past three games. Given, it was against Troy, Louisiana Tech, and Kentucky, but with a game coming up against Missouri, that trend will probably continue one more week until they host Bama.
6. No. 25 Texas A&M (6-2, 2-2) Kyler Murray looked really good against South Carolina last week. Like really good. 379 total yards is no joke, especially with no turnovers. Giving up 28 points to South Carolina is an entirely separate issue.
Fresh off the program’s first SEC Tournament win since 2005, Vanderbilt soccer’s next assignment is top-seeded Florida in the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening. The No. 8 seed Commodores took down the No. 9 seed Georgia 2-1 on Monday night to advance in the team’s first postseason appearance since 2010. This game’s winner advances to semifinals Friday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.
BASKETBALL
Vanderbilt’s two basketball teams will play 33 games at Memorial Gym this winter, and the women’s team will play the first of those contests on Saturday afternoon against the Clayton State Lakers. This is the Commodores’ only exhibition game before the season.
Vandy’s
QB carousel carousel
Each week, I rank the teams in the SEC 1-14. This week, Vanderbilt is Florida’s last obstacle before winning the East, I tease my Jason DeruloSEC article and Steve Spurrier goes shirtless.
You have to feel bad for Derrick Henry. He could easily be a first round pick but he’s getting almost no attention because of Leonard Fournette. That first (NFL) paycheck may ease his lack of attention, though.
SOCCER
Derek Mason has decisions to make after preseason promises of a one-quarterback team fall through By CUTLER KLEIN Sports reporter --------------------
Vanderbilt Football has taken a number of leaps forward during head coach Derek Mason’s second season at the helm of the team. The defense looks a lot better, and the Commodores boast a phenomenal one-two punch at running back in Ralph Webb and Darrius Sims. However, one storyline seems awfully familiar: the quarterback position is in flux yet again. For the second season in a row, Vanderbilt has used multiple quarterbacks, even though they didn’t intend to do so at the start of the season. Last season, Patton Robinette, Stephen Rivers, Johnny McCrary and Wade Freebeck all split time at the position. This time around, McCrary has ceded some playing time to freshman Kyle Shurmur, and as Shurmur runs through concussion protocol this week, Freebeck could see the field for extended time this weekend against Florida. All of this comes after Mason promised not to create a circus at quarterback again, instead relying on one man behind center. At Media Day this year, he said, “I want to play one quarterback. There will be a starter, there will be a
backup, and that’s clear.” At a press conference Tuesday, Mason defended his decision to shake up the quarterback position, saying that the circumstances led him to give playing time to both Shurmur and McCrary. “It’s not a change of mind,” he said. “What’s happened is in looking at the quarterbacks, we couldn’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. At the end of the day, it’s about not turning the ball over and giving us the chance to be in ball games. Whatever quarterback gives you the chance to do that, that’s who you’re gonna play.” Mason also said that the injury to Shurmur will make a big difference as to what we see on the field on Saturday in Gainesville. “Kyle suffered an injury this Saturday,” he said. “It really makes it a next-man-up scenario. [Freebeck] has to be the next-man-up behind Johnny.” When asked if he was planning on playing one quarterback this weekend, Mason added that if all goes well, he will end up only sending one guy out there. Offensive players claim that the man under center makes no difference to them, and that they will play behind whoever comes into the field. “It doesn’t matter who’s back there,” wide
receiver Kris Kentera said. “We’re all going to rally around that guy, and he’s going to play his best for us.” Even if the players feel comfortable around any quarterback, the numbers paint a much bleaker scenario. The Vanderbilt offense only has two passing touchdowns in their last five games, both of which have been from McCrary. Meanwhile, they have eight interceptions in those five games, split between McCrary (7) and Shurmur (1). Turnovers have been a serious problem, which could stem from the fact that the team is unable to build chemistry around a single quarterback. Quarterback controversies are nothing new in the SEC. Vanderbilt’s opponent this weekend, the Florida Gators, have split time between Will Grier and Treon Harris under center due to Grier’s suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Mizzou had to switch to Drew Lock at quarterback after Maty Mauk fell out of favor and was eventually suspended indefinitely. However, those situations are due to extenuating circumstances surrounding the team. As the season enters the final stretch run, it seems clear that the Commodores want to solve the quarterback question in order to solve their team’s offensive woes. Based on what Mason said, a revolving door of quarterbacks won’t cut it.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015
Behind enemy lines
SEC POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 9 7. Tennessee (4-4, 2-3) I was originally planning before the season to write an “SEC Teams by Jason Derulo Song” article. Still haven’t ruled it out. But I was planning on putting Tennessee last with a terrible, terrible Jason Derulo song with the caption “There is no reason to ever like this.” Not so sure that’ll still work at this point in the season.
FLORIDA
The Vanderbilt Hustler sports editor Ben Weinrib and The Independent Florida Alligator sports editor Graham Hall discuss their teams before Saturday’s matchup Ben Weinrib: Vanderbilt’s last trip to the Swamp ended in a 3417 victory that was one of James Franklin’s signature wins. Are there still hard feelings from that loss, or has two years healed that wound? Graham Hall: I wouldn’t say there are hard feelings from the loss, but it definitely proved Vanderbilt was no longer the inferior opponent the Gators would schedule on homecoming. With how surprising Florida’s season has been to this point, I think most have forgotten about losing to the Commodores. Fans try not to think about 2013 due to how atrocious the Gators were that season.
BW: How much has the Gators’ offense changed since Treon Harris stepped in for the suspended Will Grier? GH: Treon doesn’t posses arm strength equivalent to Grier’s, and he often struggles going through his progressions, as he tends to zero in on a wide receiver once the Gators break huddle. But he’s improving in that department, albeit inconsistently. His best attribute is his quickness, often opting to take off and run with the football if his go-to options aren’t open.
8. Georgia (5-3, 3-3)
BW: If for no other reason than to take the ball out of Johnny McCrary and Kyle Shurmur’s hands, establishing the run will be critical for Vanderbilt this week. They only averaged 2.9 yards per carry two years ago when they won in the Swamp, but they also picked off Tyler Murphy three times and held Florida to 39 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Expect to see a good deal of Darrius Sims running the ball to the outside as well, and he’s been Vanderbilt’s most dangerous weapon lately.
GH: What about Vanderbilt’s defense? How can the Commodores exploit Florida’s offense? BW: Vanderbilt’s biggest areas of strength are in 3rd down defense (5th nationally at a .252 first down rate) and red zone defense (17th nationally at a 75 percent score rate). If they can hold Florida to less scores (and more field goals), that’ll be about their only way to keep up. They’ll need to focus on stopping Kelvin Taylor (18th nationally in run defense) so that they make Treon Harris beat them through the air.
GH: Who do you think will win on Saturday and what’s the final score? BW: As much as I’d love to see a repeat of two years ago, Jordan Matthews isn’t walking through these doors again. Florida wins 20-10.
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BW: How surprising is Jim McElwain’s success in his first season? Is this a function of Will Muschamp just being gone?
Faton Bauta, Georgia’s starting quarterback, sounds like a villain in the upcoming Star Wars movie. After going 15-33 for 154 yards and 4 interceptions against Florida, that may actually be his true calling.
9. Arkansas (4-4, 2-2) Sure, Arkansas put up 63 points on UT-Martin, but they also gave up 28 points, so they have no case to move up in the power rankings.
10. Auburn (4-4, 1-4) It only took one week for Sean White to ruin my “How long will Sean White go without throwing a touchdown” streak to end. Thanks for nothing, Sean.
11. Kentucky (4-4, 2-4) After starting 4-1, Kentucky actually may not make a bowl game. They’ve looked horrific three weeks in a row now against Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee, only averaging 21.3 points per game over that stretch. And I love it.
12. South Carolina (3-5, 1-5) Just weeks into his retirement, we got a shirtless Steve Spurrier on a Nissan commercial. This should be a fun retirement.
GH: Let’s set things straight: what Jim McElwain has done in his first season has been unfathomable to this point. With relatively the same roster as last season, with the most notable addition being freshman wide receiver Antonio Callaway, the Gators appear to be revived under McElwain. Players have bought into McElwain’s everyday approach to preparation and it has paid off to this point.
13. Vanderbilt (3-5, 1-3) Sure, Vanderbilt got shut out by an American Athletic Conference team and only completed 5 of 20 passes for 44 yards and three interceptions, but did last-ranked Missouri win? Hell, did they score a single point last week? I don’t think so. Vandy stays at 13.
BW: Who do you think will win on Saturday and what’s the final score? GH: I think the Gators win 28-13.
GH: Florida quarterback Treon Harris had a rough outing against Georgia, completing just 52.4 percent of his passes. How do you expect the Commodores to play Harris knowing he can struggle at times as a passer?
14. Missouri (3-5, 1-3)
BW: Vanderbilt’s defense has more or less its lone bright spot this season. They’ve faced three quarterbacks who are top-10 in the nation in passing along with Heisman candidate Greg Ward Jr., yet only two quarterbacks have passed for more yards than their season average and only one has completed a higher percentage of his passes than his season average. Harris looked better last week than he did against LSU, but I expect Vanderbilt to load the box and put plenty of pressure on him.
GH: With Gainesville native Ralph Webb returning to his hometown, how critical is it for Vanderbilt to establish a consistent running game against the Gators?
13
Maty Mauk is now suspended for the rest of the season just days after coming back from a four-week suspension. Allegedly, Mauk was downtown on a Wednesday night (rage!) and got in a verbal confrontation with another man. Maybe, just maybe, that was fueled by other unconfirmed reports that you can find on the internet by searching “maty mauk coke” on Google. JOHN RUSSELL / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
A tackle from Vanderbilt’s 34-17 upset of Florida at The Swamp in 2013.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015
3 MATCHUPS TO WATCH: FLORIDA
ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
By EVAN MERCER Sports reporter --------------------
JONATHAN BULLARD VS. RALPH WEBB The Florida defense has proven itself to be among the top in the nation, and defensive end Jonathan Bullard heads this force of destruction. As a senior, Bullard has seen significant action on the field and developed himself into a run-stopping machine. On the opposing side of the line, Ralph Webb will struggle to make progress against the stiff Florida defensive line in his homecoming to Gainesville. With just 3.9 yards per carry for the season, Webb will be in for a long day against the Bull.
VERNON HARGREAVES III VS. VANDERBILT QUARTERBACKS The Florida Gators do not rely on just one superstar. While Bullard dominates the ground, Vernon Hargreaves III locks down opposing receivers. A two-time All-SEC star, Hargreaves has ensured few balls reach the quarterback’s targets. As such, playing Vanderbilt should be a dream come true for Hargreaves. With Johnny McCrary and Kyle Shurmur throwing the ball (combined for 5-20 for 44 yards and three interceptions against Houston last week), Vanderbilt may be hard-pressed to surpass 100 yards and score any points against the superior Florida defense.
ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
TREON HARRIS VS. TORREN MCGASTER While the Vanderbilt offense has been a hot mess, the defense managed to hold its own throughout the year, particularly the secondary with strong showings from Torren McGaster. McGaster has solidified his spot in the Vandy defense, having nine pass deflections and 34 tackles so far this season. Fortunately, he does not have to face off against Will Grier, who shined for Florida before being suspended for PED use. Instead, Treon Harris will start as the Gator quarterback. While not nearly as talented as Grier, Harris has shown flashes of brilliance which may force McGaster to work even harder to cover the receivers.
AROUND THE NCAA: THREE GAMES TO WATCH By KARIM OLIVER Sports reporter --------------------
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ACC REFEREES VS. FOOTBALL RULES (NO. 3 CLEMSON AT NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE)
NO. 4 LSU AT NO. 7 ALABAMA Not only is this the Game of the Week, it may be the Game of the Year. An Alabama loss all but completely knocks them out of playoff contention, but an LSU loss sets up a free-forall in the SEC West, in which Alabama would undoubtedly be favored. However, the most intriguing matchup is between superhuman running backs Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette. At 6-foot-3 and 242 pounds, Derrick Henry has been punishing defenses all year, while a 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds Leonard Fournette has been the best player in college football and a frontrunner for the Heisman. Vanderbilt fans should rejoice that we don’t have to face either of these two teams this year and watch to see which teams’ linebackers tap out first.
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NO. 5 TCU AT NO. 12 OKLAHOMA STATE While the aforementioned game in Tuscaloosa will end up relying heavily on defense, this game will be a good, old-fashioned Southwest shootout. TCU’s offense is led by Heisman candidate, Trevone Boykin, and its balanced attack has led them to be the second-highest scoring offense in all of college football. On the other hand, Oklahoma State’s offense is coming off a game in which they scored 70 points and gained an astounding 662 yards. The Cowboys also employ a two-quarterback system, which reminds me ... wait nevermind.
Florida State will look to regain control in the ACC against a Clemson team that has spent all year trying to prove to all the doubters that this isn’t like every other Clemson team. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Florida State running back Dalvin Cook can also make some Heisman noise with standout performances, and if Clemson wins it will essentially have a cakewalk the rest of the way to the College Football Playoff. Both sides, however, are praying that if nothing else, this game doesn’t get decided by the referees. I’m not sure what it takes to become an ACC ref, but after watching, last week’s Duke-Miami game, something tells me it’s not much more than what it takes to get into UT.
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