The Vanderbilt Hustler 2-10-16

WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 VOL. 128, ISS. 5

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Anchor down the aisleWhat it’s like to be engaged or married on campus

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Busting housing mythsThe Hustler breaks down the logistics of the housing application process

First-year Henry Bristol cautions against well-meant but contrived judgments about cultural identity

OPINION

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Ambiguities of appropriationThe Commodores’ dominant big man has seen his draft stock shoot up and down throughout his career

SPORTS

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How is Damian’s draft stock?NEWS

2 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

STAFF

ZACH BERKOWITZALAN WILMS AUSTIN WILMS KAREN CHAN

DESIGNERSALLIE GROSSEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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ZOE SHANCER — NEWS EDITORKARA SHERRER — LIFE EDITOR QUEEN STEVENSON — OPINION EDITORBEN WEINRIB — SPORTS EDITOR

JOSH HAMBURGER — MANAGING EDITORBOSLEY JARRETT — DESIGN DIRECTORANNA BUTRICO — WEB EDITORZIYI LIU — PHOTO DIRECTORKATHY YUAN — CHIEF COPY EDITORCOLLIN ZIMMERMAN — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPERMATT LIEBERSON — FEATURES EDITOR PRIYANKA ARIBINDI — AUDIENCE STRATEGISTKATHY YUAN —ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR

SHARON SI — ASST. DESIGN DIRECTORJACK SENTELL — ASST. LIFE EDITORSARAH FRIEDMAN — ASST. NEWS EDITORPRIYANKA KADARI — ASST. OPINION EDITORROBBIE WEINSTEIN — ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

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news

Housing myths debunkedCAMPUS UPDATE

VUPD Parking Services will relocate from Wesley Place Garage, opening its new location at 2800 Vanderbilt Place on Feb. 22 in the Vanderbilt University Police Department complex.

The lowdown on seniority, Warren and Moore suites, living off campus and more

With housing application deadlines looming, students muddle through paperwork and myths to decide what dorms to pursue. Applications for Warren and Moore occur next week, with other housing accommodation applica-tions to follow. The dates for these dorms have not yet been released. Students enter the housing pool on group ballots or individual ballots, and housing placement is based on a point system relating to seniority.

The Hustler sat down with director of housing assign-ments Alison Matarese to break down the myths and facts of the housing process.

1. TURNING IN YOUR HOUSING APPLICATION EARLY IN THE APPLICATION PERIOD GIVES YOU A BETTER CHANCE.

The balloting process opens at 12:01 a.m. the day it is scheduled to open and closes at 6 p.m. the day it is scheduled to close for each location. As long as your housing ballot is turned in within that period, you are set and the housing out-come does not change whether you turn in your application at 12:02 a.m. the day it opens or 5:59 p.m. the day it closes.

2) IF YOU WANT A SHOT AT A TOWERS SUITE, YOU NEED TO HAVE MULTIPLE SENIORS.

The house balloting process is based on points, and bal-lots with higher numbers are more likely to get their first choice option. Rising seniors get four points, rising juniors get three, and rising sophomores get two points, so if you apply for a Towers suite, having seniors on the ballot does

give you more points and a greater chance of getting a suite. However, you are not required to have multiple seniors on your ballot to get a Towers suite.

For example, since there are six students who live in a Towers suite, six sophomores would have a total of 12 points, six juniors a total of 18 points, and six seniors a total of 24 points.

The usual point cutoff for getting a Towers suite is about 18 or 19 points. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen an all sophomore group secure a Tower suite just because of the demand and popularity from our upperclass students,” Matarese said.

3) WHERE YOU LIVED THIS YEAR CAN AFFECT YOUR CHANCES FOR DORMS FOR NEXT YEAR.

This is false —except for certain Living Learning Commu-nities, like Warren and Moore, which has different rules. In the standard housing process, no one gains points or loses points based on where they lived and everyone is judged solely on the points assigned to their year.

4) MORE STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO LIVE OFF CAMPUS NEXT YEAR.

Until the 2015-16 school year, only rising fourth-year students were allowed to live off campus. Depending on the year, about 500 students were allowed to reside off campus out of 600-800 applicants.

However, because of the recent announcement that Barnard will not house residents next year, an additional 125 students will be authorized to live off campus, and third-year residents will be allowed to live off campus. The dead-line for submitting requests to live off campus next year is Feb. 10. Additionally, because Barnard currently houses 250 students, the remaining 125 bed spaces lost will be made

up by adding a fourth bed to each Morgan and Lewis triple. This was also a technique used during the construction of the Warren and Moore colleges.

5) WARREN AND MOORE COLLEGES ARE IMPOS-SIBLE TO GET INTO.

But your chances vary a lot depending on your year. Two years ago, Warren and Moore colleges received 2,500 ap-plicants for 660 spaces and last year, the colleges received 1,800 applicants for between 330 and 350 available spaces.

“Based on the applicant numbers we have seen over the past two years, the odds are greater to get into Warren and Moore as a rising sophomore, because every year there are always going to be 220 rising sophomore students that get spaces. The available spaces we have for the rising juniors and seniors are based on how many of the students that are currently there don’t want to return. A significant portion of those students do want to return, so there is always a lim-ited amount of spaces for rising juniors and rising seniors,” Matarese said.

6) CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL HALLS ARE DESIGNATED FOR SPECIFIC CLASSES.

While certain residential halls can be made up propor-tionally of a specific year student, the buildings were not specifically designed to house specific classes. If seniors wanted to live in Branscomb, a sophomore-heavy residen-tial hall, they could. These situations are unlikely because juniors and seniors tend to prefer the apartments and are able to obtain them because of their higher points in the lottery system.

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By MORGAN MARQUEZ News reporter--------------------

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 3

By SARAH FRIEDMANAssistant news editor

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The Vanderbilt Performing Arts Community (VPAC) Executive Board has opened one new rehearsal space and has renovated two rehears-al spaces on campus.

The new rehearsal space was formerly oc-cupied by Varsity Market in Carmichael Towers East (1 & 2) and is tentatively being called Mr. Heb’s 2. One of the renovated spaces is also in Carmichael Towers East and is called Mr. Heb’s, while the other renovated space is in the Branscomb recreation room. The ameni-ties for the rehearsal spaces include eight foot mirrors along one wall, a sound system, sound insulation, repainted walls, updated security cameras, improved lighting and new ceiling tiles and grid.

“The performing arts community has grown so quickly over the last ten years that the addi-tion of one new space and also the refurbishing of two new spaces really opens up a lot of pos-sibilities for groups and also allows us to more flexibly schedule groups in different areas,” Taylor Gutierrez, vice president of VPAC, said.

The spaces have been equipped with Mar-ley flooring, which, according to Gutierrez, provides cushioning but also grip for dancing. In addition to renovated spaces, all officers of performing arts groups now have card access to the buildings with rehearsal spaces.

“For many people on campus, performance is such a healthy way of expressing them-selves, and I think the addition of performance rehearsal spaces really helps the 950 students who are involved in performing arts,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez is excited about what these im-provements might mean for the performing arts community in the future.

“I think that was the most exciting thing for us on VPAC board, is that after doing this proposal, the school said ‘yes’,” Gutierrez said. “It makes us feel so much more supported as a community by the school.”

New and renovated rehearsal spaces open in Towers and Branscomb

By ZOE SHANCERNews editor--------------------

The VPAC Executive Board introduced additional practice areas for the performing arts community

FREDDO LIN / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

7) TO GET INTO THE WARREN AND MOORE COLLEGES, YOU ARE BETTER OFF APPLYING FOR A SINGLE OR A DOUBLE ROOM.

Warren and Moore colleges have an internal balloting process before the open balloting process, meaning people who currently live in Warren and Moore and want to live there again next year get their first choice of rooms before others get to apply.

Warren and Moore has four, five and six person suites, several of which are two stories. Because students tend to prefer the suites, they are usually taken by third- and fourth-year students who live in Warren and Moore before the open balloting process opens for students not living in Warren and Moore. However, last year, there were a few suites available after the internal process was complete.

“All our current sophomores living over there (Warren and Moore colleges) are in single or double rooms,” Matarese said.

The open ballot will only show available room options, so students applying to live in Warren and Moore will be able to see what rooms they could potentially get.

8) GROUPS WITH EQUAL PROPORTIONS OF GUYS AND GIRLS HAVE A GREATER SHOT AT GETTING A MAYFIELD LODGE THAN THOSE MADE UP OF AN UNEQUAL GENDER PROPORTION (ALL MEN, ALL WOMEN, OR HEAVILY LEANING TOWARDS ONE).

Mayfield decisions are solely based on the project the group proposes, regardless of the gender makeup of the house. A committee conducts interviews for the best proposals sub-mitte and makes final decisions based on those interviews, Matarese said. The deadline for Mayfield applications for next year has already passed.

9) IF YOU HAVE BAD GRADES OR A BAD CONDUCT RECORD, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO GET THE DORM YOU LIKE.

The Housing office bases housing assignments solely on your year and the points your ballot has. The only exceptions to that are the Living Learning Communities that have ap-plications and interviews.

10) IF YOU BALLOTED FOR MULTIPLE HOUSES, IT WILL HURT YOUR CHANCES AT OTHER HOUSES.

Most of the house balloting runs consecutively, so you ap-ply for certain residential halls and find out the results before the next ballot process for another dorm opens up. This means you can ballot multiple times if you don’t get the dorm you applied for, and your chance at dorms does not change if you had tried for another dorm beforehand.

“It doesn’t hurt you to try for things. It doesn’t affect future odds. Until you pick a room, you can ballot for as many things as you would like,” Matarese said.

11) IF YOU PLAN TO STUDY ABROAD IN THE SPRING, YOU LOSE YOUR SQUATTING RIGHTS FOR WARREN AND MOORE COLLEGES.

Students who live in Warren and Moore colleges during the fall semester that study abroad or leave for the spring, are not allowed to participate in the internal processes such as room reservation and the internal ballot, and instead need to go through the open balloting process. They are no longer guar-anteed a spot in Warren and Moore but they are given priority over the open spaces within their year.

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Learn to fl y with Vanderbilt AviaDORESNew student organization to off er prospective members fl ying experience

If you’re older than 14 years old and in good health, you can fl y a plane at the AviaDORES “Discovery Day” on Feb. 28.

AviaDORES was formed by president Jack Murphy, vice president Alexa Cordell and treasurer Riley Ferguson, three fi rst-years who met through the Class of 2019 Facebook group over the summer because of their experience and interest in fl ying planes. When the trio arrived on campus, they met up to discuss how they could pursue their passion and decided to form a student organization to unite both current pilots and those interested in going through pilot training.

“We wanted to involve students who are interested in the aviation community, whether it be learning how to be a pilot, skydiving, anything related to aviation at all, engineering, aircraft maintenance,” Murphy said.

In her search for a faculty advisor, Ferguson found Phil Davis. As a professor in the school of engineering who also has his pilot’s license, Davis became an asset to the team, bringing connections and experience in the fi eld of aviation.

Twenty students, some experienced and some new to the fi eld, attended an interest meeting the group organized in the fall, and the leaders began to organize what would become AviaDORES.

“I feel like a big misconception about our club is that you have to have some aviation background or experience at all, and that’s not at all the case,” Murphy said.

Before winter break, AviaDORES was approved and regis-tered as an offi cial student organization. This semester, the group participated in the spring organization fair and hosted another meeting with interested students. The group will host “Discovery Day” to get prospective members started on their journey to becoming pilots. After looking at several local air-ports, the club’s founding members decided to host the event at Murfreesboro airport.

“We’ve gone to airports in the area and feel most comfort-able with the instructors there,” Murphy said.

A discovery fl ight, from which Discovery Day gets its name, is a person’s fi rst fl ight in which the fl ight instructor carries out the critical parts of the fl ight, such as takeoff and landing, but allows you to get a feel for the plane and its controls, Murphy said. While the process of obtaining a pilot’s license can be time-consuming and expensive, AviaDORES makes the pro-

cess easier and cheaper, Murphy said. The organization plans on organizing trips to local airports for convenience, and Murfeesboro airport provides them with discounted group rates. While fl y time is typically over $100 dollars an hour, the rate with AviaDORES, including for the fi rst discovery fl ight this month, is only $60.

Being a member of the organization provides a source of information and assistance throughout the process of obtain-ing a pilot’s license. While prospective pilots typically have to pay their instructor for their time if they have questions about their studying, the licensed members in AviaDORES are will-ing to provide their time and expertise free of charge.

“We love to talk about fl ying,” Murphy said. “We could liter-ally talk about it for hours on end.”

If you aren’t interested in fl ying a plane in February or don’t want to pay the $60, you can still attend the Discovery Day event and ride along in a plane for free. If you are thinking about participating in Discovery Day, there is a form available on Anchor Link to sign up. Even if you aren’t planning on get-ting your pilot’s license, the event will be an entertaining and informative experience, Murphy said.

“Nothing beats a selfi e at 3000 feet!” he added.

By BRENT HUANG and SARAH FRIEDMANNews reporter and Assistant news editor

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life GO DO

THIS

For all the hopeless romantics out there, the most highly anticipated day of the year is upon us: Valentine’s Day. The promise of fl owers and gushy cards makes your day. For the rest of us, America’s favorite Hall-mark holiday can resonate feelings of dread, obliga-tion, cheap chocolate and sympathetic notes from your mom (not to mention the extra fi ve pounds from “treatin’ yo’self”).

Even if you’re in a relationship, the run-of-the-mill fancy dinner date on Feb. 14 can get old. While tra-ditional, having to wear uncomfortable clothes and struggle for reservations at a restaurant where you can barely read the menu (and maybe barely afford the food) is not the best option for everyone. Instead, we’ve rounded up seven alternative Valentine’s date ideas for every personality. This year, trade the long waits and dorky love notes for plans that make this romantic holiday one to beat.

IF YOU’RE A HOMEBODY:

If you prefer sweatpants and the comfort of your own home, you shouldn’t feel pressure to leave the house this Valentine’s Day. With some special attention, you can transform your night from the unoriginal Netfl ix and chill to a cozy celebration of your relationship. Decorate your place with candles and light a fi re (okay, realistically, put a fi re screen on your computer in your dorm room). Play your signifi cant other’s favorite movie or a classic fi lm, and order their favorite meal. If you’re really against leaving home, use OrderUp, Postmates or Favor to deliver all the Nashville noms. Don’t forget the nerdy yet endearing personal mixtape of love songs playing in the background.

IF YOU’RE A HIPSTER:

Find authentic Nashville live music with delicious food and a hip scene at the Listening Room Café; cel-ebrate the holiday a day early to hear the talented Jason Connelly and Sharif Iman on Feb. 13. If you don’t want to deal with a set dinner menu or reservations, put a spin on the predictable box of chocolates and consider a daytrip to Olive and Sinclair, Tennessee’s only bean-to-bar chocolate company. Learn about what goes on behind the scenes when making chocolate, and try the sweets fi rsthand.

IF YOU’RE A PENNY-PINCHER:For a V-day that makes it into the memory book

(but not the checkbook), you have to be heartfelt and creative, playing it off like it took a ton of planning and time even if you’re winging it. A romantic hike and picnic with cheese and some red wine will defi nitely win your Valentine over. For those on an even tighter budget, develop pictures of you two together, write love notes on the back of each one, and frame them. Don’t forget to wrap them in pretty paper or put them in a nice gift bag.

IF YOU’RE A FOODIE:

The Nashville Chili Festival is a great way to add some fl avor to your love life if you need to spice your relation-ship up a bit. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Yazoo Brewing Company, and tickets are just $15 each for general admission. In addition, if you think you have the cooking chops, you can enter the chili contest itself for the same price and make fi ve gallons of chili to bring with your special someone. Plus, if fi ve gallons of chili doesn’t impress your valentine, probably nothing will.

IF YOU’RE AN ARTIST:Valentine’s Day is the perfect oppor-

tunity to seek out Nashville’s culture. For classical art and visiting exhib-its, plan a day at the Frist Center for the Arts. Study up on the visiting exhibit to impress your date with your intellectual curiosity and so-phistication. They won’t believe how much you know about Anthology and Visual Narratives in Print off the top of your head. For a true art connoisseur, spend the day taking your date gallery-hopping in some of Nashville’s less popular spots like Local Color Gallery, Zeitgeist Gallery and Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum.

IF YOU’RE AN ADVENTURER:Let out your wild side with a trip to Soar Adventure

Tower, a four-level high ropes course for climbers of all skill levels. Located in Franklin, Tenn. right off I-65, Soar is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and only requires reservations for groups of 10

people or more, so you and your date can book ahead online or try to walk in. Soar offers two levels of adven-tures for adults, one that is 30 feet above the ground and one that is 45 feet removed. An Adult Adventure pass costs $45 per person; while there is no time limit, most people spend 2-3 hours at Soar. You can follow up your aerial adventure with a picnic lunch, since Soar currently allows guests to bring their own food into its picnic area (although the company does require guests to purchase their drinks at the park).

IF YOU’RE A HEARTBREAKER:

Maybe you don’t like your Valentine that much and you’re looking to get rid of him or her. While the most romantic day of the calendar year isn’t the best choice, if you must dump them soon, don’t tell your Valentine what you have in store. While this can be seen as a romantic gesture, keeping things mysterious raises the expectations and anticipation, making it the perfect time for you to strike. Second, give your date the incor-rect dress code. Going on a rigorous hike? “Dress nice.” Going to a classy dinner? “We’re having a PJ night.” Oh, and never forget to show up empty-handed.

JOURNEYS: Asian New Year Festival 2016Langford Auditorium; Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.Featuring 16 acts ranging from Taiko Drumming to martial arts to K-Pop, join the Asian American Student Association for an exciting celebration of the Lunar New Year. This year’s event will explore each individual’s journey by focusing on performing arts and a telling of the story of The Monkey King. And if you’re hungry, join ASAA for the dinner portion of the evening at 5:30 p.m. in the SLC Ballroom.

Forget drinks and dinnerThe perfect date ideas for every Valentine’s personalityBy Claudia Willen, Senior life reporter

Valentine’s Day is the perfect oppor-

much you know about Anthology and Visual Narratives in Print off the top of your head. For a true art connoisseur, spend the day taking your date gallery-hopping in some of Nashville’s less popular spots like Local Color Gallery, Zeitgeist Gallery and Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum.

Let out your wild side with a trip to Soar Adventure Tower, a four-level high ropes course for climbers of all skill levels. Located in Franklin, Tenn. right off I-65, Soar is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and only requires reservations for groups of 10


Local loving: Nashville Valentine’s Day giftsBy Gianna Strand, Life reporter

Instead of mail-ordering flower arrangements or buying big-brand chocolate at the drugstore, there are countless benefits to purchasing local goods instead — from supporting job creation for our Nashville community to providing the perfect solution if you’re in a time crunch for a gift for that special someone. Below are four suggestions for the perfect Music City Valentine’s Day gifts.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LOVER:Head down to Olive & Sinclair for a unique twist

on classic candies and chocolates. To show your love, try their special Mexican Style Heart, a nearly-5-ounce hand-poured chocolate heart spiced with cinnamon and salt for a smoky sweet flavor. For a more classic choice that still shows some Ten-nessee flair, try the Bourbon Nib Brittle Bar. This 6-ounce chocolate bar is more than big enough for two to share, and is made by aging cocoa nibs in bourbon barrels from local Corsair Distillery.

Price: $12-$15

FOR THE COFFEE FANATIC:Pick up a pound of artisan, micro-roasted cof-

fee beans at Humphreys Street Coffee Co. Try the Brooklyn Espresso blend for a sweet, dark roast coffee with a burst of caffeine guaranteed to make any morning brighter. If you’re looking for the perfect gift to pair with a box of chocolates, try the award-winning El Salvador Gourmet Finca for a more subtle roasted fruit taste of dark cherries and plums.

Price: $8 for ½ lb., $14 for 1 lb.

FOR A ROMANTIC NIGHT IN:Turn Netflix to your favorite rom-com and set

the mood with some soft candlelight and delicious scents with elegant glass jar candles from Thistle Farms. These soy candles burn clean with 100 per-cent cotton wicks for over 35 hours, and they come in a range of scents like Tuscan Sun, Citrus Vanilla and Lemon Sage.

Price: $18 each

FOR THE TRADITIONALIST:If your date truly loves flowers, there are sev-

eral local florist shops that offer a wide variety of arrangements. A Village of Flowers provides local delivery for an extra fee, or you can pick up your bouquet at the nearby location in Hillsboro Village. Bloom Flowers, located near the 12 South neigh-borhood, has 24 online ordering in addition to its physical store, and offers a selection of Valentine’s Day-themed arrangements. If you prefer to build your own bouquet, check out Import Flowers, which allows you to purchase flowers at wholesale prices; critically, it’s open on Valentine’s Day itself in case you’re running a little behind.

Price: starts at $45

Four fast food Valentine’s datesFrom free Qdoba to romance at Waffle HouseBy Isabel Futral, Life reporter

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and you’re panicking because you still haven’t settled on a game plan for the night out with that special someone. Sure, you could make a reser-vation at Sambuca or Virago and be done with it, but you’re a broke college student (and let’s be honest, those restaurants filled up long before you realized you’d need to plan for Val-entine’s Day). Luckily, plenty of Nashville restaurants are of-fering up special deals for a budget-friendly and memorable date night, as long as you have an adventurous partner with a sense of humor — and not an ounce of shame.

On Valentine’s Day, White Castle will be transforming into Love Castle, a reservation-only dining experience with table-side service, romantic decorations (garishly red tablecloths and heart-shaped balloons) and mood lighting (their best-selling burger-scented candle). There will be a special menu featuring their classic sliders, Shrimp Nibblers and straw-berry and cream waffles for dessert. Four different couples’ “Share a Meals” will also be available for $9.95 if you’re a big spender. Three Nashville-area locations will be participat-

ing: 3060 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. in Clarksville, 2206 Old Fort Pkwy in Murfreesboro, and 162 E. Main St. in Hendersonville. Reservations are available from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 14, but they will probably fill up fast, so don’t wait! Your date will surely be impressed that you had the foresight to plan ahead for such a special night.

If you prefer waffles and hash browns to burgers, Waffle House is ready with their own special dining lineup. They’ll provide white tablecloths and candles as well, and offer a T-bone steak special in addition to their classic menu items. It’s another reservation-only event that’s sure to be packed. If you, like Ron Swanson, are a lover of dark-haired women and breakfast food, it’s the only place to be on Feb. 14.

Qdoba is taking PDA to a whole new level with their annual “BOGO for a Kiss” promotion. Bring your bae to West End and give them a kiss at the counter for a free entree with the purchase of another entree. If it just feels too strange to visit Qdoba at any time other than 2 a.m. after a night at the frats, the company is running a social media deal that’s even sweet-

er. Post a smooching selfie with your one true love (or anyone who wants to help you win a contest) to Twitter or Instagram and caption it #QdobaForAKissSweeps for the chance to win $500. Now you totally have an excuse to post those annoying couple-y photos in the name of Mexican food and free guac (and romance, of course).

For those planning a Valentine’s Day dinner for one, have no fear. Hooters has you covered with its “Shred Your Ex” promotion, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Buy 10 wings and bring in a photo of your ex to shred, and you’ll get another 10 wings for free. So you can stuff your face with buf-falo chicken and tell yourself you’re completely, 100 percent, totally over her and this definitely isn’t a rock-bottom mo-ment. Of course, if you’re a true baller, you can bring in your new girlfriend and boldly shred your ex together in a moment of bonding before sharing your free wings while an atten-tive Hooters girl treats you to prime tableside service. If your lady doesn’t leave you after that, then you might have found yourself the one.


Vanderbilt seniors Tyler Keagle and Melissa Whitehurst shared one of the most important moments in their lives on a Friday this past August — they got engaged, agreeing to eventually get mar-ried and spend the rest of their lives together.

Three days later, they had to go back to their engineering classes in Featheringill.

“It’s a little like it didn’t happen even, because it didn’t change anything with our daily lives,” Keagle said. “I still had class, still had homework, all that stuff was the same. It was kind of weird.”

After telling some close friends, Whitehurst had to spend that Monday hiding the news so she could tell her sisters fi rst in private at chapter for Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering-interest sorority.

“I didn’t want to take my ring off, so I fl ipped the ring to have the diamond on the inside,” Whitehurst said. “I was really careful about it. I had class from 10 to 5, then I had Phi Rho when I fi nally told people. I had to eat lunch with people who didn’t know yet, and it was killing me on the inside.”

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While marriage seems far off for most college students, a few Vanderbilt students have already found someone to spend the rest of their lives with. That doesn’t necessarily mean that every-body came into college seeking a soul mate.

“I never came to college to get married or anything. You want to fi nd the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with, but you don’t plan for it,” Whitehurst said.

Senior Casey Chorens didn’t see engagement in the cards for herself either. Chorens got engaged to Vanderbilt graduate school alumnus Petr Merkov in January 2015.

“I would’ve never guessed,” Chorens said. “I didn’t think I want-ed a serious boyfriend in college. I initially wanted time for myself and self-discovery, and I didn’t think I’d become so absorbed in this one person. But Petr’s made me a better person.”

Those who started college with a signifi cant other had a choice

to make before college, as senior Stephanie Skinner and her husband Caleb Santos-Alejandro recognized. Santos-Alejandro and Skinner met in their hometown of Panama City, Panama their junior year of high school, and they have been together since.

“We had an established relationship when [I] got here. We had been together for a few years and were pretty serious. Our [deci-sion] was to do long-distance,” Skinner said.

“There were rough months,” Santos-Alejandro added with a laugh.

Senior Rikki Albert has been in a long-distance rela-

tionship with her fi ance Geoffrey Hopkins, whom she met back home in Chicago her senior year of high school while they were working at a restaurant together. After transferring from DePaul (which is in Chicago, where Hopkins lives) last year, Albert had to adjust to being away from Hopkins.

“Last year when I fi rst transferred, it was really hard, but this year has been a lot better,” Albert said. “We just had to learn how to communicate doing long-distance.”

Maintaining a long-distance relationship, or any relationship, can be hard enough. But for many Vanderbilt students, fi nding

PHOTO BY CLAIR KASSEBAUMChase Harriman and Hannah Ladendorf on the roof of Medical Research Building IV.

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM love on campus proves just as challenging. Still, senior Hannah Ladendorf and Vanderbilt graduate Chase Harriman (class of 2014) managed to do just that. Harriman’s proposal to Ladendorf even involved going on a walk to revisit campus landmarks from their relationship. Those included the location of the Beta Upsilon Chi tailgate where they first met in fall 2013 and Highland Quad, where they shared their first kiss.

That walk culminated in Harriman’s popping the question on the roof of Medical Research Building IV.

“Back when I was a senior and she was a sophomore, [MRB IV] was just unlocked all the time and you could just go up there, but they started figuring out that people were doing this, so they lock it now,” Harriman said. “But I called around and found the guy who could get it unlocked, and we smuggled one of her friends up before that with a camera so she could get some pictures of the proposal. It was fun.”

Chorens met Merkov on campus as well, at the Rec Center in a kayaking class while he was still at the Graduate School for engineering.

“He was one of the instructors,” Chorens said. “I was get-ting into whitewater kayaking, so we did a little rock climbing together, some whitewater kayaking, and … we decided to start dating after that.”

Things developed from there and clearly had a different feel from Chorens’ other relationships.

“We were very serious right away, more so than either of us had been in any previous relationships,” she said. After seven months of dating, Merkov proposed. Chorens recognizes that seven months is not a long time before becoming engaged.

“Just because you date longer doesn’t necessarily mean your marriage will be better,” Chorens said. “Like, what if you date for a really long time and get stuck in that mode of, how much of a person’s life do you have to share before you commit? Petr and I are both engineers, which may make us more logical about it, but at a point you just know, ‘This is who I wanna marry.’”

The proposal was nothing ambitious, but it was sentimental for the two of them.

“We went up to Love Circle, and there you could kind of see the roof of the Rec Center where we met in that class, and so he was able to point that out. It was cute,” she said. However, their shared passion for outdoor recreation did prove problematic later.

“I kind of lost the ring. We were rock climbing, and I started to climb so I gave it to him to put in his pocket. He somehow lost it out of his pocket,” Chorens said. “At least it takes me off the hook when I eventually get a new one and lose it.”

Keagle had an elaborate plan to propose to Whitehurst.“I had taken her to The Melting Pot before, and she really liked

it. I secretly planned to take her there again, but I made her think I was dumb and didn’t make a reservation anywhere,” Keagle said. “I found a little park [near the Cumberland] River, so I took her up on a hill, and I pointed out a building, which gave me enough time to get the ring out and propose.”

While Keagle was proud of his plan, and had attempted to cre-

ate a little bit of suspense, Whitehurst wasn’t surprised.“I knew it was happening,” Whitehurst said, laughing. Since

her parents also got engaged at Vanderbilt, Whitehurst did not find it weird to get engaged while still in college.

“My parents met here, and they got married right after. It’s not like I planned to do the same; it just sort of happened that way. But to me, it wasn’t weird to get married right after college or get engaged,” she said.

Love is clearly in the air at The Melting Pot, as Albert’s fiance proposed at the Chicago location over Christmas break during her first year of college. She said that while eating in a private room at the restaurant, she expected a proposal during the meal. It never came, which added the element of suspense.

“We’re going through dinner, nothing is happening. I think, clearly it’s not gonna happen anymore,” she said. “Then we get up to go pay, and I turned around, and he’s on his knee. I started crying in front of the whole restaurant.”

While the proposals themselves were all romantic gestures with an (attempted) element of surprise, none of the couples said that the decision was spontaneous. The lack of spontaneity didn’t seem to be a problem for Santos-Alejandro and Skinner.

“There’s a park downtown in our hometown that’s lit up with lots of Christmas lights, and it’s right on the water. So we went to the park and started walking on the paths, and I proposed,” Santos-Alejandro said.

“I knew he was going to propose. It wasn’t a surprise. He prob-ably wouldn’t have proposed at all, but I insisted on him doing it,” Skinner said, smiling.

The lack of surprise comes from the fact that couples often need to figure out if marriage or an engagement is even logisti-cally possible at this stage in life.

“We needed to know if it would be feasible to have him move up here and us to get an apartment together. The question was, we’re emotionally ready to get married, but now will the practical circumstances fall into place?” Skinner said. The two were official-ly married in March of 2015 with a larger ceremony in June, and moved into an off-campus apartment together this August, since married students are automatically approved to live off campus.

Chorens and Merkov were always honest with each other about their feelings and plans.

“My friends make fun of Petr for something about the Russian mentality. He is just so to-the-point and almost brutally honest sometimes,” Chorens said. “It started out just looking at the next year, like, ‘Oh, I love you and don’t want to be living in a different place from you. I want to be with you forever.’ It sounds really mushy-gushy, but that comes up when you love someone.”

For Ladendorf and Harriman, trust in the unknown — and in each other — was key.

“I had asked a lot of married couples, ‘How do you know?’” Harriman said. “And generally the response is something like, ‘Well, you just know,’ but I think eventually what I realized is what that meant was you don’t ... If you wait until a point in your life where you feel totally ready, you’ll never do it.”

Ladendorf added, “The rest of my life is very scary. I’m very young, and sometimes I think, ‘Am I old enough to make this decision?’ But I’m just trusting with faith that it’s gonna work out and that he’s the one.”

While an engagement or marriage is focused on forever, getting engaged or married leads to changes in life at college as well. Since getting engaged, Chorens, who also lives off campus, has felt a sense of separation from Vanderbilt.

“Being engaged and living off campus makes me feel much more removed from campus. Sometimes I feel a little sad about that. I’m not spending as much time with my friends, and I’m doing things with Petr all the time when I should be doing more with them,” Chorens said. However, she doesn’t regret distancing herself from campus.

“I wouldn’t change it. I wanted to live off campus all along anyways,” Chorens said. “I just have to work harder sometimes to do things with friends and do things on campus.”

Albert doesn’t have the luxury of her fiance being on campus. But while Albert visits him in Chicago every other weekend (he comes to campus once a semester), she doesn’t find the commit-ment to be such a burden for her social life.

“I look forward to it. Breaking it into two or three weeks makes the time apart look shorter because I have something to look forward to,” Albert said. “My friends know, and they accept it by

now. I don’t think it’s disruptive.”Whitehurst, on the other hand, has seen her relationships with

some of her friends start to change. She finds that her friends are less likely to ask her for dating advice now that she is engaged.

“It’s frustrating that they discredit me because I’ve been in a relationship so long,” she said.

That isn’t the case with all of her friends. Senior Chase Mu, a longtime mutual friend of Keagle and Whitehurst who lives with them in a Kissam suite, has grown to trust the betrothed couple more.

“I think a lot of times, people kind of look at them as the parents of the group, and I’m like their adopted child. It’s a weird setting,” Mu said. “I am a little bit forgetful and clumsy, so they’re the ones who are having to look after me sometimes. It’s a funny dynamic,” he said.

Vanderbilt students who have already gotten engaged have a unique perspective on collegiate dating. Those who have essen-tially left the dating world behind can provide wisdom for those still looking.

“I don’t think it’s wrong to date in college if you find someone you really like, but I also wouldn’t want people to waste time on people they aren’t gonna be happy with,” Whitehurst said. She also understands the lack of instincts to look for someone to marry.

“It’s strange if you think about it, but if you understand Vander-bilt, it’s not strange,” she added. “People here are very individual and self-driven. They don’t focus, I guess, on finding a singular person to date. I wasn’t looking for [Tyler] — it just happened.”

“That sounds harsh,” Keagle responded with a smirk.Harriman echoed the sentiment that relationships at Vander-

bilt — and millenial dating culture as a whole — tend to be rooted in self-fulfillment. “[There’s this idea of] going to marry this other person, and they’re going to fix all of your emotional issues and help you achieve all of your dreams, and when it stops working, just find a new one,” he said. “At what point do you stop spinning the wheel?”

Ladendorf agreed, mentioning that she finds great security in her and Harriman’s shared commitment to each other. Still, she was quick to point out that engagement isn’t a destination but a process — a difficult one.

“I was actually asked a few weeks ago, ‘Now that you’re en-gaged, everything’s perfect, right?’” she said. “And the person was very serious about it. And while I love Chase, being engaged isn’t any easier than being single or being in a relationship. … We still have our fights. We’re not perfect.”

“You still have to work really hard to know the other person, to hear what’s on their mind and in their heart,” Harriman said, his hand on Ladendorf’s knee. “It’s this funny period of, like, you know where you’re going to be, but you’re not there yet.”

Life reporter Angelica Lasala contributed to this report

PHOTO BY MORGAN LYTTLE

PHOTO BY LAUREL AWTRY

Geoffrey Hopkins and Rikki Albert at the Lin-coln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Melissa Whitehurst and Tyler Keagle.


Which Vanderbilt baseball player is your valentine?

NO

TED

BILLY MADISON MOVIE NIGHT! ARE

YOU WATCHING TED OR BILLY MADISON?

WHAT’S YOUR PREFERRED MUNCHIE MART MEAL?

MAC AND CHEESE

FROZEN PIZZA

BEN BOWDENPitcher, Jr.

JEREN KENDALLOutfi elder, So.

KYLE WRIGHTPitcher, So.

DO YOU LISTEN TO HIP HOP OR

COUNTRY MUSIC?

HIP HOP

COUNTRY

YOU’RE ORDERING DESSERT. COOKIES,

OR PIE?

PIE

DANSBY SWANSONShortstop, MLB

HOW MUCH DO YOU LIKE PIE, THOUGH?

I’VE WON PIE EATING CONTESTS

WILL TOFFEYThird Baseman, So.I’M A FAN

MOVIE NIGHT! STEPBROTHERS OR

MEN IN BLACK?STEPBROTHERS MEN IN BLACK

TIME FOR A DATE. ARE YOU GOING HIKING OR PLAYING

VIDEO GAMES?OUTDOOR HIKE VIDEO GAMES

JOHN KILICHOWSKIPitcher, Jr.

BRYAN REYNOLDSPitcher, Jr.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM VACATION DESTINATION?

OREGONPANAMA CITY BEACH

JORDAN SHEFFIELDPitcher, Jr.

TYLER CAMPBELLSecond Baseman, Sr.

Based on vucommodores.com player bios

DINNER DATE, OR A SPONTANEOUS DATE?

RO COLEMANOutfi elder, Jr.

KARL ELLISONCatcher, Jr.

IS FAMILY GUY ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE

SHOWS?

YES

DINNER SPONTANEOUS

COOKIES

By JONATHAN VAN LINDENLife reporter--------------------

TIME FOR A DATE. ARE YOU GOING HIKING OR PLAYING

OUTDOOR HIKE

START HERE

Take this quiz to fi nd out which of Tim Corbin’s #VandyBoys should be yours this Valentine’s Day


Based on vucommodores.com player bios

With Chris Martin and Beyoncé performing together at the Super Bowl halftime show, I was surprised they didn’t perform “Hymn for the

Weekend.” But then again, maybe I wasn’t too surprised. For lyrics so innocuously void of culture, the song’s music video has done nothing but stir the pot of cultural ap-propriation controversy through its portrayal of India, from the festival of Holi to Beyoncé’s exaggerated dress. I have seen and heard fi rsthand the outcry over how Beyoncé and Chris Martin have pointlessly reinforced the Western rheto-ric of exoticism, profi teering and stereotyping of minority culture. It’s easy to loudly denounce a video of white people in India as cultural appropriation, but in reality, there is ambiguity behind these representations of culture.

Cultural appropriation, by defi nition, is the adoption and use of one culture by members of another. So yes, the formulaic use of color, eclecticism, holy men and slum chil-dren throwing Holi powder in “Hymn for the Weekend” is cultural appropriation. But appropriation itself is not inher-ently wrong. It’s often confused with cultural misappropria-tion, or inherent disrespect, racism, bigotry and colonialist marginalization of a minority culture. There’s a spectrum to consider here, and we need to learn to recognize the nu-anced difference between innocuous cultural appropria-tion and targeted misappropriation.

I was born and raised American to a fi rst-generation In-dian mother and a white father whose lineage in the United States goes back farther than can be traced. I have long lived a distinct dichotomy of culture; I am as American as baseball and apple pie, but I also travel to India every two years to visit family and eat the food. But is Indian culture really mine? By race, I am half-Indian. But by experience, I am no more Indian than my dad is, and that concept can be hard to comprehend. Every time I’ve been to India, he’s been there. Every time I see my mom pray to Ganesh in the front room of our house, he can see it as well. Yet I defi ne my identity as Indian, while he does not.

I don’t believe that if he and I were to don kurtas in public, I would be embracing my culture and he would be appropriating it, but society tells me I have to draw a

clear line. Where I’m told wearing a kurta is embracing my culture, my white male father is told that he doesn’t belong. That it is not his religion. That his race’s history of oppres-sion of the Indian people should not be taken lightly. None of these statements are false. But then again, none of these statements are adequate reason for him not to personally appreciate and partake in Indian culture. He knows more, he appreciates more, he has lived more Indian experiences than I have. What makes society assume that appropria-tion is misappropriation? What makes him any less Indian than I?

Society has a habit of stereotyping, even when attempt-ing to protect minorities. We assume that culture is rigid, that those born into one culture can never be another, that my dad is and always will be “white.” But culture, like race and sexuality, is far more complex than black or white, straight or gay, Indian or American.

The outcry over misappropriation draws cultural divides that prevent celebration, that bar intercultural collabora-tion, that escalate cultural alienation, and, if anything, promote cultural stereotyping by limiting attire, practices and actions to those of a single culture. While that’s not to say misappropriation is acceptable, oversensitivity to appropriation promotes cultural rigidity and stereotyping of people that runs contrary to the very ideals of those who cry out about cultural misappropriation.

Which leads me back to the question — was “Hymn for the Weekend” culturally appropriative? By defi nition, absolutely, but the real question is whether it was culturally misappropriated. Did it deserve the backlash it received? That’s where we move far more into the realm of ambigu-ity. Even within the Indian community there are mixed reviews, from those who love the celebration of Indian culture to those who despise the appropriation.

Filmed in India during Holi, the music video invokes a sense of pride in my heritage, capturing India’s beauty. Yes, it followed the standard use of color, holy men and slums that so many have come to associate with India, but is that wrong? India is a land bathed in color, where religion’s infl uence spreads from the impoverished slums to the

grandiose palaces. Coldplay and Beyoncé didn’t sugarcoat it, they didn’t whitewash it and they didn’t disrespect it. If anything, by working with Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor, Beyoncé served as commentary on the exalted status of Bollywood actresses — how they’re lavished, fetishized, exotifi ed.

Much in the same way that eating Mexican food is not (mis)appropriating Mexican culture, white men wearing kurtas or Beyoncé portraying Bollywood alongside Sonam Kapoor is not either. The problem with the vilifi cation of cultural appropriation is that it defi nes culture by what it can and cannot be, forcing culture and identity into socially contrived boxes. The oversensitized outcry over appropria-tion promotes cultural rigidity and reinforces stereotypes; as long as interracial and intercultural exists, culture can, should and must manifest itself as fl uidly as gender and sexuality.

12 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

opinion

vanderbilthustlerThe 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 o� ers three methods of expression: letters to the editor, guest columns and feedback on vanderbilthustler.com.

The views expressed in lead editorials refl ect 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 o� ce or via email to [email protected]. 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

reserves the right to edit and condense submissions for length as well as clarity.

Lengthy letters that focus on an issue a� ecting 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 o� cial 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.

QUOTE OF THE DAY“But culture, like race and sexuality, is far more complex than

black or white, straight or gay, Indian or American.”

HENRY BRISTOL, FIRST-YEAR

HENRY BRISTOL is a fi rst-year in the College of Engineering. He can be reached at [email protected].

ALLIE GROSS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]

EDITORIAL BOARD

ZOE SHANCERNEWS EDITOR

[email protected]

QUEEN STEVENSONOPINION EDITOR

[email protected]

KARA SHERRERLIFE EDITOR

[email protected]

BEN WEINRIB SPORTS EDITOR

[email protected]

Culture is as complicated as race and sexuality

Think twice before labeling ‘cultural appropriation’

We assume that culture is rigid, that those born into one culture can never be another. ’’

’’

Three Muslim college students in North Carolina, Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and Razan Mohammad, were murdered last year on Feb.

10. Their crime? Their unwavering faith and dedica-tion to serving the community. Their crime? Wearing a headscarf. Their crime? Having a sick neighbor who regularly professed enmity towards Muslims via social media. They were ultimately victims of Islamophobia and anti- Islamic rhetoric, which, in the past several years, has reached an all-time high in the United States.

Donald Trump or Ben Carson’s histrionic display of bigotry and ignorance towards Muslim Americans and others pose a threat to the safety of Muslim Ameri-cans. However, mainstream media doesn’t realize that the likes of Trump would not gain so much attention if it weren’t for a pervasive, underlying belief among many Americans that Muslims are, at best, “guests,” or even “infi ltrators” at worst. Nothing could be more dangerous to the Muslim community than this belief, which motivates bigots to attack Muslims, leaves or-dinary citizens indifferent, and causes Muslims to feel unwanted. As Vanderbilt students, campus is the one place everyone, regardless of race or religion, should feel accepted, supported and safe. We cannot rest easy or stop fi ghting for a more genuine acceptance of Muslims on campus, and we need to continue to exhibit solidarity across different student organiza-tions and initiatives.

Many Muslim students on campus feel that our

actions and words are viewed from a simplifi ed lens that only takes into account our religion and not the varied experiences that make each of us unique members of the Vanderbilt community. This is why solidarity between different groups on campus is so important. It pushes us to recognize the ways in which our experiences vary while at the same time helps us not to “otherize” those members of our community who can easily feel like they are out of place. And, in the past, Vanderbilt students have come together in order to support each other in times of extreme trial and tragedy.

In fact, only a month before the Chapel Hill shoot-ing, when a Vanderbilt professor expressed hateful comments about Islam guised as free speech, there was an outcry and students came to together to pro-test her hateful rhetoric. I was surrounded by peers, professors, and community members who came to stand in solidarity against the false statements expressed by the professor. After the UNC Chapel Hill shooting, there was a community vigil right across campus at Centennial Park.

However, as beautiful as that was, we need to en-sure that that same acceptance and support continues for Muslims and all minorities. We need more than a Chief Diversity Offi cer; for our campus to change for the better of every student, we need everyone to consciously work towards it. We have come together in solidarity, but we need a strong display of support every day, not just after a tragedy.

I was disappointed that, despite the proximity, the turnout at the community vigil was almost completely Muslim. I would like to have seen a diverse group of people unite to support the Muslim community and honor ‘Our Three Winners.’ We should make an effort to branch outside of our social circles and educate ourselves on others’ experiences. I hope that our campus can grow to show the kind of solidarity that allows me and other marginalized minorities to walk our campus and feel safe and supported.

As we refl ect on this tragedy during Islamic Aware-ness Week and determine ways to make Muslims and other minorities feel comfortable, it is just as important to remember Our Three Winners, Yusor, Deah, and Razan, by continuing their legacy. While their passing was a diffi cult day for many, they have left a memory that will stand through time, for not even death can blind the light of serving others. Their model commitment to community engagement and service, despite outside pressure reinforcing Ameri-can Muslim youth that they don’t belong, serves as a reminder that brotherhood and solidarity is more powerful than any form of bigotry and ignorance in shaping the destiny of minorities both in Vanderbilt and throughout the U.S. President Obama said it perfectly during his recent visit to a mosque: “There are voices who are constantly claiming you have to choose between your identities... Do not believe them... You fi t in here. Right here... You’re not Muslim or American, you’re Muslim and American.”

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 13

Solidarity doesn’t end with a vigil or a Chief Diversity O� cerRefl ect on past tragedies to change the future

UNITED MUSLIM RELIEFMembers of Vanderbilt United Muslim Relief —Hytham Alhindi, Muniro Dini, Sumaiya DeLane, Merna El Rifai, Rafat Hossain, and Farishtay Yamin — contributed to this column.

Recognizing your biases is essential to fulfi lling the role of a readerRead opinion columns responsibly

Before you begin to read this piece, look at my name. Then shut your eyes, and for one minute, think of the prior perceptions and expectations you are bringing

to my piece. Think of how my racial and gender identity will infl uence the way you read this. Think of how anything else you have read by me or heard about me will infl uence your evaluation of my arguments. Acknowledge what you, the reader, are bringing to this piece. You are more than a pair of eyes, and it is your responsibility to recognize that.

When you read this piece, your beliefs and values can no longer be separated from my opinions and arguments. It is impossible to separate the two, so the best you can do is recognize which part of your conclusion has been built on your beliefs. Why am I asking you to do this?

Because this piece is no longer just mine, and I cannot take sole responsibility for its interpretation. By reading it, you have made this our piece. If you read it without acknowledging your own beliefs and values, you will come to a conclusion that you have attributed solely to my arguments. This is false, because any conclusion you have arrived at is colored with your own perceptions of the issue, of the context, of me.

So often, I see people willfully remain blind to their prejudices. I see anonymous posts on Yik Yak, Vandy Secrets, and the Hustler’s website, among others, tearing apart various authors. And, I wonder, have these individu-als recognized how much of their anger springs from their

own beliefs, and not from the arguments put forth? Have these individuals opened their minds and read these pieces with a willingness to be challenged? Do they truly fi nd fl aws in the argument or do they simply dislike that the ar-guments make them uncomfortable? Heated and vengeful criticism of an individual does nothing to prove that their argument is fl awed. It simply shows that you have not fully considered the argument as separate from your own biases. I am not asking you to agree with every controversial piece written. I am asking you to separate yourself from the piece before you read it and understand where you’re coming from.

I see this most with op-eds written about social justice issues. Anonymous posts write off the authors as “kids who will fi nd a reason to bitch and whine about anything.” But who would write something, putting their reputation on the line, unless they fully believed in the presence of a problem? Students on this campus sacrifi ce their time, energy and peace of mind to speak out because they have no other option. These issues are not ones they choose to engage with; they are issues which are thrust upon them day after day. To ignore these issues would be impossible; to confront them, a requirement for sanity and survival. Student activism arises from necessity, not from desire for glory or fame. Students write these pieces with their par-ents, their siblings, their friends and themselves in mind. They write these pieces because the alternative would be

to watch helplessly as their loved ones are broken down by systems of oppression. When you insult these authors without considering their arguments, you insult the love and strength they have drawn upon to fi ght a battle which they never chose. When you attribute their arguments to some selfi sh motive, you belittle their daily struggle.

Next time you read an opinion piece that you immedi-ately disagree with, consider the context from which the piece and the author have come. I am asking you to take ownership of the power that you, as a reader, have in this relationship. Until you read the piece, it remains unfi n-ished.

AADITI NAIK is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at [email protected].

Acknowledge what you, the reader, are bringing to this piece.’’

’’

It’s time to reinvest in Vanderbilt women’s basketball.

It would have been easy to cash out last summer after the Commodores missed the NCAA Tournament for the fi rst time since 1999. In fact, Paris Kea, Heather Bowe, Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau and Khale-ann Caron-Goudreau all did, transferring out of Vanderbilt and leaving the program both without four players expected to play big roles in the 2015-16 season and with no incoming freshmen to replace them.

This season’s focus, however, hasn’t been on who left the program, but who’s still here.

Occupying the place of a nameplate on the team’s practice jerseys is “Invest,” one of the team’s mantras for this season. A term typically associated with stocks and fi nances describes exactly what head coach Melanie Balcomb expects from her players after a down year in 2014-15.

“The players here are really buying in and doing whatever it takes to win and, if anything gets in the way of that, they're addressing it,” Balcomb said early in the season. “We're really committed to growing and getting better.”

To account for the losses of star guards Jasmine Lister and Christina Foggie, Bal-comb welcomed the 16th ranked recruit-ing class in the country to Vanderbilt in

the summer of 2014. Of that fi ve-player freshman group, just two remain with the program as sophomores, but that duo has earned Balcomb’s praise on many occasions for their commitment. Christa Reed and Rachel Bell, the surviving sophomores, are Vandy’s two leading scorers this season.

“Those sophomores are maturing, they’re doing the normal maturation from fresh-man to sophomore year,” Balcomb said. “That all starts with their foundation and where they come from, the families and the homes they come from, as well as the programs and the coaches that they come from, and that’s why they’re still here doing a great job, and it’s exciting.”

Reed, a fi ve-star recruit and the biggest piece of that 2014 class, missed the fi nal 15 games of her freshman season with an ankle injury and wasn’t able to fi nd her three-point stroke even before the injury. As a sophomore, she leads the SEC in three-point percentage and has started every game at what Balcomb calls the “stretch four,” allowing the Commodores to play a four-guard lineup. She hit two threes in the fi nal 90 seconds of Vandy’s biggest win this season, a 71-69 victory at No. 12 Kentucky on Jan. 28. Fellow sophomore Rachel Bell trails only Reed in terms of points per game on the roster, averaging 9.7 per game.

That road win over Kentucky remains the team’s only top-of-the-resume victory this year, as the ‘Dores sit 58th nationwide in RPI, a measure of strength of schedule

and how a team does against that schedule. Vandy will get another chance at a big win — and their second shot of this season at their rival — on Thursday night as the Ten-nessee Lady Vols visit Memorial Gym. The Commodores were within one possession of UT in the game’s fi nal minute on Jan. 21, de-spite committing 23 turnovers at the mercy of a tough full-court press in Knoxville.

“I thought their press affected us early,” Balcomb said. “They were so fast, but down the stretch we were really just going too fast and rushing, and we haven't been success-ful in those situations, but I have all of the confi dence in the world that we will. We will keep practicing, and next time we will execute."

That next time has come, and Vandy is preparing for the always-big home rivalry game Thursday night at 8 p.m. Sitting 11th in the SEC standings at 4-6 with six games to go, Vanderbilt will need some immediate return on investment to make the NCAA Tournament this season. Whether or not they make the dance this year, there’s no doubt this stock is trending upward.

"I think there's no comparison [to last season],” Balcomb says. “The commitment to each other, the commitment to what we're asking them to do. They've been very coachable this year, and the players here are really buying in and doing whatever it takes to win and, if anything gets in the way of that, they're addressing it. We're really com-mitted to growing and getting better."


By MAX HERZSports reporter--------------------

BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDEBILT HUSTLER

sports THE BIG STATBlocks per game by men’s basketball duo Luke Kornet and Damian Jones. Kentucky is

the only other SEC school to have a duo with at least three blocks per game (3.96). 4.8

On the RISEMEN’S BASKETBALL

(13-10, 5-5 SEC)vs. Missouri

Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. Memorial Gym

Vanderbilt returns home to host the last place team in the SEC. The Tigers roll into Memorial Gym on an eight-game losing streak and haven’t won in a full month. This will be Missouri’s only trip to Nashville this season, as the program self-imposed a one-year postseason ban that bars them from the conference tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

at AuburnSaturday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.

Auburn, Ala. TV: ESPN2

Good thing David Price left Detroit, because it’s Tiger Hate Week here at Vandy. These two teams last met on Jan. 12, when Luke Kornet registered the second triple-double in Vanderbilt history with 11 points, 11 boards and 10 blocks, as the Commodores cruised to a 75-57 victory.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (15-8, 4-6 SEC)

vs. No. 25 TennesseeThursday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

Memorial GymVandy women’s basketball hosts two ranked

foes at Memorial Gym this weekend, and it all starts with a rivalry game Thursday night. The Commodores nearly beat the Lady Vols in Knoxville for the fi rst time ever in January despite committing 23 turnovers, and UT is 1-4 in road conference games this season.

vs. No. 18 KentuckySunday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m.

Memorial GymVandy edged out No. 12 Kentucky in Lexington

by two points on Jan. 28 for the team’s only top 50 RPI win of the season. The Commodores really need another one of those to force their way into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

LACROSSE (1-0, 0-0 Big East)

vs. FurmanSaturday, Feb. 13 at noon

VU Lacrosse ComplexVanderbilt lacrosse plays its fi rst home game

of the season against the Furman Paladins. The Commodores opened the season last Sunday with a 16-6 win over Kennesaw State, with Ashlin Dolan scoring four goals.

This week in Commodore sports

By MAX HERZSports reporter--------------------

Commodores sit high on NCAA Tournament bubble after missing the Big Dance for the fi rst time in 15 seasons in 2015


BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDEBILT HUSTLER

Inconsistent play might keep him out of the lottery, but Jones is still a first-round talent

Keeping track of Damian Jones’ NBA Draft stock

PHILIP KRESGE / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Damian Jones is one of the best draft prospects that the Vanderbilt basketball program has had in years, but as his junior season progresses, there is significant debate over where he now stands on NBA draft boards.

Coming out of high school, Jones was a 6-foot-9, 220 pound center from Louisiana who flashed a lot of potential but had an underdeveloped game. He was largely an under-the-radar recruit until the spring of his junior year, when he began to turn heads with his play in the AAU circuit. By the end of his senior year, Jones was a four-star recruit and had turned down interest from Duke, Florida and others to play for the Commodores.

When he began his college career, it seemed unlikely that Jones would end up being a first-round pick in the NBA draft. Recruiting service Rivals.com had rated him the 77th overall prospect in his class, so the potential was there, but an undersized center with a limited offensive game is not a highly prized prospect in today’s NBA. By the time he was play-ing in his first game for Vanderbilt, however, Jones was standing at a true 7-foot, and those extra three inches alone were enough to put scouts on notice.

Even more impressive was Jones’ freshman season for the Commodores, as he averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, displaying a more polished offensive game than initially expected of him. As a sophomore last year, he improved in every statistical category, and many thought that he would be a first round pick had he declared for the draft.

Jones endeared himself to the Vanderbilt commu-nity by announcing that he would stay in Nashville for one more year before leaving for the NBA. Now a prospect who had proven to be a great defender with a workable post game, Jones was on every NBA scouting list before the season.

ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford initially projected him being selected 22nd overall in a preseason mock draft. Coming off back-to-back strong games against Wake Forest and Kansas in the Maui In-vitational, Ford updated his rankings, with Jones projected to go 13th overall, which would make him the first lottery pick out of Vanderbilt since Will Perdue in 1988.

But despite several impressive performances this year, Jones has been remarkably inconsistent, with six games this season in which he failed to score

in double figures. Furthermore, the Commodores’ struggles as a team have reflected poorly on their star. Some of his best individual performances have come in blowout losses, causing them to go largely unnoticed.

All of these factors may have affected his draft stock. The Draft Board at CBSSports.com now has him at 39th overall, while Ford has Jones projected as an early second round pick just two months after having him in the lottery.

Jones has not regressed as a player at all this season, but has simply failed to take the next step that many expected he would. This is in part due to his inability to stay on the floor, as he is racking up 3.3 fouls per game this season and has fouled out of five games, four of which were Vanderbilt losses. As a result, his per-minute numbers are actually better across the board, but he has not been able to consis-tently dominate as some scouts hoped.

Not all projections have been negative for Jones, however. DraftExpress.com, which had him in the late first round to begin the year, now sees Jones go-ing 17th overall.

When Ford had Jones rated as the No. 13 draft prospect back in November, he wrote, “Jones exhib-ited significant progress this summer. He was stron-ger, more aggressive and showed that he can be more than just a force defensively. If he can put together the same sorts of dominating performances in the SEC this season, he’ll be a lock for the lottery.”

It’s true that Jones has not been consistently dominant enough to justify a lottery pick, but he has surely put together enough impressive performanc-es to keep him in the first round. A recent four-game stretch saw him average 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game against top-flight competition in Kentucky, Florida, Texas and Texas A&M. That run demonstrates that Jones has the potential to be a difference-maker at the next level, if he can ever find the consistency.

As Ford noted this summer, “With so few 7-footers on the board, there’s an expectation that he should end up somewhere in the lottery to mid-first round if he continues to show progress.”

Damian Jones will likely be chosen in the 16-24 range. Maybe he hasn’t shown quite the progress that was hoped for, but there aren’t too many teams that will be able to pass on a prospect with his height and skill set in this draft. The Charlotte Hor-nets and the Chicago Bulls are both teams looking for a young rim protector that might be a good fit for Jones.

By TORBEN GINSBERGSports reporter--------------------


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PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Luke Kornet celebrates as Vanderbilt men’s basketball defeats No. 8 Texas A&M 77-60 at home in Memorial Gym on Feb. 4.

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Answers to last week’s sudoku

The Vanderbilt Hustler 2-10-16

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