June 2008
GEARING UP WITH THE ’DORES
table of contents 2 4 6
Connecting With The Web National Commodore Club In My Words Ryan Flaherty
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Commodores Cubed Know your Commodores
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Point of View
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Changes In Memorial Gym
Evan Dufaux Basketball locker rooms get a new look
11 Commodore Tidbits By the numbers
13 It’s My Turn — Rod Williamson Achieving academic excellence
15 Where Are They Now?
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Jillian Danker
16 Gearing Up With The ’Dores VU merchandise is hitting the shelves
20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams
21 Community Service Spotlight Karen Grygiel
22 Vanderbilt’s Officer In Training VU punter has a future in law enforcement
24 The Last Look
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Connect with
VUCOMMODORES.COM Editorial Publisher: Vanderbilt University Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Schulz Director of Communications: Rod Williamson Designers: Jeremy Teaford Ryan Schulz
Digital Image Specialist: Julie Luckett Turner Photographers: Neil Brake
Commodore Nation All-Access Your ticket to free multimedia content online is Commodore Nation All-Access. The page includes live audio, live video, Gametracker, postgame highlights and interviews.
Joe Fisher’s Daily Update Listen to what the Voice of the Commodores has to say about Vanderbilt on a daily basis. Fisher’s daily Vanderbilt updates on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone are archived daily.
Daniel Dubois Steve Green Paul J. Levy Chris Livingston John Russell
Contributors: Andy Boggs Chad Crunk Evan Dufaux John Erck Larry Leathers Thomas Samuel Chris Weinman
Administrative Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Michael J. Schoenfeld
Commodore Nation Survey This is your opportunity to share what you would like to see more of or less of in Commodore Nation. The survey provides us with more information about what the reader would like to see in the magazine.
Podcasts Download archived audio files to your computer or media device. Audio files available for download include postgame interviews, weekly press conferences, Joe Fisher’s daily updates and weekly radio interviews.
Exec. Director National Commodore Club: Jeff Ulmer
Vanderbilt University’s Mission, Goals and Values Vanderbilt University is a center for scholarly research, informed and creative teaching, and service to the community and society at large. Vanderbilt will uphold the highest standards and be a leader in the quest for new knowledge through scholarship, dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach, and creative experimentation of ideas and concepts. In pursuit of these goals, Vanderbilt values most highly intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry; and equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors. Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university. ON THE COVER: VU tennis player Amanda Taylor poses at the Vanderbilt Bookstore (Photo by Daniel Dubois)
Photo Galleries Take a look at the memorable pictures from Vanderbilt’s sporting events by visiting the photo gallery archive. Galleries from every sport are on VUCommodores.com.
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Commodore Nation Archive Did you miss an issue or wanted to show an article to a friend? If so, every issue of Commodore Nation from the 2007-08 academic year is archived on VUCommodores.com.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe to Commodore Nation, please contact the National Commodore Club at 615/322-4114. ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt ISP Sports. Jeff Miller, General Manager 615/322-4468 jmiller@ispsports.com
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C O M M O D O R E C LU B
COR N ER
VU—Committed To Excellence In All Areas
PHONE: 615/322-4114 vucommodores.com
BLACK AND GOLD BANQUET
By Jeff Ulmer NCC Executive Director If you have driven by Dudley Field, walked the halls of Memorial Gym or passed the football practice field in the past several weeks you’ve probably noticed a lot of dust, scaffolding and construction workers in close proximity. That is because there are some renovation and facility enhancement projects under way at several of Vanderbilt’s sports venues.
Shan Foster poses with NCC member Brian Grove and Charlotte Sunderland.
NCC member Michael Sheridan (left) spoke to the athletes about giving back. Here, he poses with NCC member Jack Whiteaker.
Soon you will see aesthetic transformations on the southern exterior of the football stadium. New plaza entrances, ornate gates and perimeter walls will resemble the classical look of Hawkins Field and reflect the traditional collegiate-gothic style architecture that Vanderbilt’s historic campus is known for. Both the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms are undergoing modifications that include expansion and technological enhancements to better serve the needs of our players, coaches and trainers. A new basketball court will be installed this summer with shock-absorbing suspension to reduce player fatigue and produce better game performance, and a new-generation artificial practice surface is being installed for the benefit of our football, soccer and lacrosse teams. You will also see enhancements to Hawkins Field and the McGugin Center in the coming months and years. All of these projects will come in phases, and all will require the financial support of alumni, fans and friends like you. These projects are under way because Vanderbilt University is committed to upholding the same standard of excellence for its athletics facilities as it does for its classrooms, laboratories and student housing. After all, Commodore sports are an integral part of the total educational experience of our students, and they help to connect the university to its alumni, fans and the Nashville community. Please join us in helping to preserve Vanderbilt’s rich athletic traditions by investing in excellence. For more information please call 615/322-4114.
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Student-athletes and administrators fill the ballrooms at the Student Life Center for the annual Black and Gold Banquet on April 14.
JOIN THE NCC OR RENEW TODAY!
Swimmer Shannon McConnaughey poses with scholarship donor Dr. Jerry Reves. McConnaughey won the Dr. Jerry Reves Student Athlete Award, which is awarded annually to the student-athlete with the highest GPA.
It’s not too late! You should have recently received your membership renewal for the National Commodore Club. Please mail it in, call 615/3224114, click vucommodores.com or stop by the office in the McGugin Center to make your gift. Every gift is allocated toward the goal of funding student-athlete scholarships. This year’s membership deadline was again May 31, but Vanderbilt’s fiscal year ends June 30. Thank you for your continued support of Vanderbilt Athletics. Your Membership Matters!
SCHOLARSHIP RECEPTION
2020 BASEBALL EVENT
Scholarship donor Toby Wilt talks with members of the men’s and women’s golf teams during Vanderbilt’s annual scholarship reception, held for scholarship donors and scholarship recipients.
NCC members Natalie and Ross Lucas attended the 2020 Society’s annual baseball tailgate before the Friday night game against Kentucky on April 25.
Scholarship donors Gene and Paula Southwood pose with Ross Neltner, recipient of the Southwood Family Men’s Basketball Scholarship.
NCC members Jamie and Vince Wyatt with their son, Luke.
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In My Words
Ryan Flaherty egarded as one of the best shortstops in the nation, junior Ryan Flaherty has been a product of consistency for the Commodores in each of his three seasons in Nashville. A native of Portland, Maine, Flaherty, or “Flash” as his teammates call him, set a school record with a 38game hitting streak that stretched from the 2007 season through the first three games of 2008. He also ranks in the top 15 all-time in Vanderbilt history with more than 200 hits in his career.
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On his nickname: Flash I got it back when I was 12 or 13 when my baseball coach called me that. I have no idea why he called me that, but since then it has stuck and everywhere I’ve gone, everyone has called me that. It’s not because I was fast. Speed has never been my gift. On why he plays with his right back pocket out I’m not really a superstitious person, but I’ve done it ever since I was in high school. Every now and then, the umpires will say something to me and I’ve got to tuck it in a little bit, so they will let me hit. On playing for Coach Tim Corbin It has been great. He’s almost like a father to everyone on the team. He’s definitely more than just a coach. He watches out for all of us, and he definitely cares about all of his players beyond the baseball field. On playing shortstop at the next level That’s what I want to do. I know some people want me to move, but I want to play shortstop at the next level. On who he tries to model his game after I like Derek Jeter and Troy Tulowitzki. They are big shortstops and on top of that, they are good leaders and they play the game the right way.
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On growing up in Portland, Maine They love sports in that town. It was a good town to grow up in. It was cold, but it is a special town and I love going back there. I know they follow Vanderbilt baseball closely with Andrew (Giobbi) and myself being from there. On his high school career at Deering High School I played baseball, basketball and football. My favorite sport growing up was football. In basketball I was the point guard, and in football I played quarterback. I played three years of basketball, and I think I led the league in turnovers. In football, I started at quarterback for three years, and we won the state championship my junior year. On if he recommends kids playing more than one sport in high school I’m definitely a big fan of having kids play multiple sports. It gives kids a chance to compete year round instead of just at certain times of the year. I think staying in competitive and pressure situations is going to pay off more than concentrating on one sport. On having to play baseball indoors in Maine because of the weather We practiced indoors in a high school gym. There were a lot of days I spent learning to hit in a small gym. Fortunately, for me my dad (Ed) is a college coach (Southern Maine), so I always worked out with his team and that always helped me get a jumpstart on the season.
STEVE GREEN (PORTRAIT); RYAN FLAHERTY (ACTION)
On his time as a bat boy for his dad’s team It was cool. As a bat boy, you get to pick up on a lot of things just by watching. You don’t have much of an opportunity to say much or ask many questions, but you can just sit there and watch and learn the game by seeing things that other kids maybe couldn’t have seen at that age. It is kind of funny when we travel to other parks — I see all the coaches’ kids and I remember that that was me back in the day. ■
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Commodores Cubed
adam CRONK
adam HOFMANN
chavon RHABB
carmen MIMS
Baseball
Golf
Track & Field
Track & Field
Best Non-Athletic Talent
Cooking
Parallel parking
Singing
Painting
Number Of Text Messages I Send In A Month
Too many to count
Not too many ... 25 or so
400
200
Sporting Event I’d Like To Attend
World Cup — soccer hooligans are crazy
Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh
Summer Olympics
Wimbledon
Summer Plans
Water skiing and wakeboarding
Bus tables
Volunteer at the Navy Medical Center in Maryland
Study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa
Small Town Or Big City
Small town
Small town
Big city
Big city
Major
Human and Organizational Development
Political Science
Medicine, Health and Society
Studio Art
One Thing I Refuse To Eat
Mayonnaise
Coleslaw
Pig’s feet
Anything that looks like the animal it is, such as lobster
State I’d Most Like To Visit
Utah to ski
Montana
Texas
Maine
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Point of View By Evan Dufaux Editor’s Note: Each month “Commodore Nation” will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. Dufaux finished up his senior year with the tennis team, and recently made a 27-month commitment to join the Peace Corps.
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JOHN RUSSELL (ACTION)
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rriving on campus as a bright-eyed freshman four years ago, I came to Vanderbilt to play tennis in the SEC while studying computer science. My lifelong dream of professional tennis sat far in the distance at the end of an arduous academic schedule of classes, papers and exams. Now at the end of those four years, I’ve been through several changes of direction, having eventually found my most passionate interest in philosophy. I am sitting at a crossroads that many in my situation face. I’ve completed my Vanderbilt tenure and have a world of possibilities open to me. I could remain in the tennis world, shipping off to Europe to compete or to an upscale country club to teach. Or I could enter the business world, scaling someone’s corporate ladder and devoting my life to turning a profi t. Graduate school a always looms as an option, but ffeels more like a postponement tthan a real decision. My education as a student of philosophy has greatly impacted p m my thinking regarding my future. The most fundamental lesson T I have learned is to derive a ssense of purpose from whatever course of action I choose. I will c o only jump into a career in which I find real redeeming value; I will never be content to sacrifi ce my n ssoul to my bank account. As I refl ected on how my time a and energy could best be put to use, some options were opened u Dufaux graduated with a up and others were immediately degree in philosophy. eliminated. Rather than using the world as a means to garner my personal ends, I decided from my privileged stance that I would use myself as a means for the world’s profi t. Being well aware that others have not realized the same comfort and satisfaction in their lives as I have, I thought it best to use my resources to narrow that disparity. I began to casually explore my options for how I could spend myself in a way that would help others achieve their own freedom and comfort. While backpacking through Europe last summer, I struck up conversation on board a train in Italy with a British man who did relief work for the UN in Africa. I learned how bad the situation really is with war, genocide, poverty and AIDS. Our conversation served as a catalyst to my decision to embark on a similarly altruistic course. After hours of Web surfing and phone calls, I decided the Peace Corps would be a perfect option for me. Speaking Spanish as a second language made working in Latin America the natural decision. Although the Peace Corps’ 27-month commitment was initially intimidating, I rested in the knowledge that it would be two years of enriching experience for me and those I would serve with a lifetime of reward. ■
Memorial Gym Undergoing Changes
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he sound that fills Memorial Gym on cool winter nights has long since subsided, but if you walk into the gym these days, your ears will be filled with a much different sound. Since April, construction crews have been hard at work renovating portions of Memorial Gym. Just how big is the renovation project, you ask? Large enough that if you were to enter Memorial Gym through the player’s entrance on the northwest side of the gym, there is a chance you would think you were in the wrong building. Walls have been knocked out, ceilings have been torn up and the only things that are still in tact from when the season ended are the concrete pillars. The main phase of the renovation includes new, more expansive locker rooms for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. One of the many added amenities in both locker rooms will be player lounge areas with computer stations. This area will enable players to have additional space to study and relax before meetings and practices. The locker rooms also will have more space for watching film and having team meetings.
The creation of new locker rooms will not only provide the teams with one of the nicest setups in the country, it also will give the teams an added edge in recruiting. The construction inside Memorial Gym doesn’t just end with the locker rooms. The renovation also includes a new, larger training room, as well as a new postgame interview room, which will take the place of where the weight room was. The location for the old training room now will be part of the women’s locker room, while the old postgame interview room now will be part of the men’s locker room. Lastly, a new basketball court is being installed. The new court will feature a shockabsorbing suspension, which will reduce player fatigue and, therefore, create a more crisp game. Because of summer camps, the installation of the new court will get under way in July. All of the construction projects should be completed at the end of the summer and will be ready for the 2008-09 season. The last major structural changes to Memorial Gym came in 2002 with the completion of practice gym, coaches offices and donor room. ■
COACHES’
CORN E R Clark Humphreys Assistant Track and Field Coach/ Pole Vault/Multi-Events
Humphreys is in his third season at Vanderbilt, as an assistant track and field coach, specializing in the pole vault and multi-events. He is a native of Nashville and graduated from Brentwood Academy. Being a Nashville native, did you grow up as a Vanderbilt fan? We weren’t Tennessee fans or Belmont or Lipscomb fans. When I was growing up, the only pro team in town was the Nashville Knights (hockey), and I only went to one game. If there was an athletic event that we went to in Nashville, then Vanderbilt is where we came. I remember watching Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal come here. I can still take you to where our seats were. As a Nashville native, how nice was it to return to your hometown? That was a lot of the reasoning behind coming to Vanderbilt three years ago. Our family was here, and my wife (Erin) and I were having our first child (London) at the time. It’s not too often that coaches get to raise a family around immediate family and be with grandparents and brothers and sisters.
Men’s Locker Room
Women’s Locker Room
COMPLIANCE
COR NER Q: A:
Field Turf is a prospective student-athlete that will be attending college in the fall. He is looking for a summer job following his high school graduation. Field submits a job application to a representative of athletic interest (booster) for a position at his company. Field’s resume demonstrates that he is the most qualified applicant. Is it permissible for the booster to hire Field for this position? Yes. The NCAA states that employment of a prospective student-athlete, regardless of recruited or athletics award winner status, by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests would not be considered an improper recruiting inducement, provided the institution does not arrange the employment, the opportunity for employment is available on an equal basis to all applicants who qualify for the position and the prospect is paid only for work performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locale for similar services.
Compliance questions? Please contact: Candice Storey Director of Compliance 615/322-7992 candice.storey@vanderbilt.edu
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George Midgett Compliance Coordinator 615/322-2083 george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu
John Peach Compliance Coordinator 615/343-1060 john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu
You and your staff are building a program on the rise, how exciting is that? It is exciting. We’ve always had a lot of excellent individuals, and we are looking to make our team a little bit more of a stronger unit from top to bottom. To see it grow from the ground up and see what we can do with it for the next three or four years will be one of the most gratifying things. How did you first get into pole vault? My parents own a farm in Clarksville, Tenn., and we’d go up there and goof off in the summertime. I found this stick that a beaver cleaned up and smoothed, and it looked like a human had done it. It was probably eight-foot tall and I would use it to jump over creeks at the farm. My mom and dad also had a fence at home that I would jump over. What is the best advice another coach ever gave you? “Put in your time. You have to put in your time whether it’s working as an athlete, working at your event or learning to be a coach.” – Jerry Clayton, assistant track and field coach at Auburn. ■
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COM MODOR E
T I DB I T S • For the first time ever, the combined GPA of VU’s athletic teams was higher than 3.1 during the spring semester. Also, the baseball team became the first revenue sport to achieve a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for an entire school year.
By The
NUMBERS 13
Wins recorded by Vanderbilt’s lacrosse team this season – the most in school history.
• During the spring semester, 212 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Of those 212 student-athletes, 102 of them achieved Dean’s List status (3.5 or above). Nine student-athletes posted a 4.0. • Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball and men’s cross country teams were honored on April 24 with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. Both teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all teams in their respective sports. Just 712, or 11.4 percent, of NCAA Division I teams were recognized.
0
The number of players in school history that have more hits or doubles than Dominic de la Osa.
• Shan Foster was pictured on the cover of the spring edition of the NCAA’s Champion Magazine. It is just the second issue of the new quarterly magazine. • For the 10th consecutive year, Vanderbilt was chosen as a host site for the first and second rounds of the Women’s Tennis NCAA Tournament. In all 10 of those years, Vanderbilt is 20-0 and has advanced to the round of 16. • Vanderbilt lacrosse Coach Cathy Swezey was named the American Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year on May 1. Goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry was named ALC Goalkeeper of the Year. • On May 12, athletics officials announced that season ticket sales for the 2008 Vanderbilt football season were up 17.6 percent from last year.
300
Wins recorded at Vanderbilt by women’s tennis Coach Geoff Macdonald after the Commodores beat Indiana State in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
11
Of Vanderbilt’s 15 athletic teams achieved GPAs of higher than 3.0 during the spring semester.
3
Of those 11 teams (swimming, women’s tennis and men’s cross country) had GPAs of higher than 3.5 during the spring semester.
10
Consecutive years that Vanderbilt’s women’s tennis team has advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
212
Student-athletes achieved GPAs of 3.0 or higher during the spring semester.
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It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson
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hat does first round NFL draft pick Chris Williams have in common with Shan Foster, Dominic de la Osa and Liz Sherwood? They were among our 61 student-athlete graduates this academic year. Perhaps you haven’t heard that our student-athletes enjoyed their finest year ever in the classroom. Good news travels slowly. In a world that can seem choked with scandal and academic fraud, about 325 Commodores compiled a 3.072 cumulative grade point average. The spring semester’s 3.12 marked the third consecutive term over that previously elusive 3.0 barrier. This upward graph is not the result of grade inflation or selective course identification. So here’s the $64,000 question: Just how are these grades coming about? To get that answer, we visited with Elizabeth Wright, director of academic support for Vanderbilt athletics. Her answers are centered in old-school ideas. Wright and her dedicated staff of counselors have tapped into the competitive instincts of our gladiators. “We make grade points competitive,” Wright says. “We post names on 3.0 and Dean’s List banners, for instance. We select a Student Athlete of the Month, and quite often they want their photo taken by one of those banners. Some of our counselors decorate their walls with cut-out stars that announce the “A” test grade of a given student-athlete.” You were expecting cutting-edge theory, and we have counseling offices decorated like third grade! But there is more than banners and stars. “Our coaches put a high value on academics,” Wright continues. “For instance, during pre-season camp, Coach (Bobby) Johnson reads each name of each player that earned 3.0 and 3.5 or better grades. He has them stand. They know he puts a high value on their classroom performance.” For the record, 50 members of our football team made 3.0 or better grades spring semester, and 18 were on the Dean’s List as the team compiled an impressive 2.92 average. Wright refuses to accentuate the negatives or accept excuses. Instead, she expects each student will exceed all expectations. She challenges them. “We talk a lot about their futures,” she says. “They know they need a minimum of 3.0 to make graduate school, for instance, and that becomes a goal to many. We keep setting new goals. Our students are actually taking harder classes than they did in the past when there were temptations to simply take the easiest route. We have more students adding second majors and minors because they are getting excited about their academic lives.” Student-athletes are encouraged to develop relationships with their professors and faculty advisers. These associations result in clear communication, better understanding and sound advice. In short, the culture has changed inside McGugin’s Academic Center, aided by administrators and coaches such as Johnson and Tim Corbin, known to have sat a key player after learning of a skipped class. Baseball, by the way, became Vanderbilt’s first “revenue” sport to crack the 3.0 mark this spring with its 3.104. Wright and her staff practice tough love, tracking attendance and exams while expecting maximum effort, but they also become valuable mentors. Wright gets 200 e-mails daily along with another dozen or two text messages from her advisees, staff, tutors, administrators and faculty. There’s no doubt her work is marathon-type stuff. But talk about rewarding! From her chair she sees diamonds-in-the-rough cautiously come onto campus. Four or five years later she watches genuine student-athletes celebrate graduation. The view doesn’t get much better. ■
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Where Are They Now?
With Jillian Danker
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hat happens when your primary hobby that has filled your competitive drive for the first 22 years of your life ends? Former Vanderbilt women’s basketball player Jillian Danker is using the competitive drive that she once had on the court to drive her career in the corporate world as an account manager with Google Inc., in Chicago. “It is a very intense, competitive and collaborative environment,” Danker said. “We are certainly one of those companies that subscribes to working hard and playing hard, without a doubt.” Danker, who was a four-year letterwinner for the Commodores from 1999-2002, began working for Google last September after completing her master’s degree at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management in May 2007. In order to get a job with Google, candidates usually go through a lengthy interview process that has been well documented. Fortunately for Danker, her route to full-time employment did not take quite as long because of a summer internship she did with the company in 2006. “It can be pretty lengthy,” Danker said
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Jillian Danker was a four-year letterwinner for the Commodores from 1999-2002.
of the interview process. “I was pretty fortunate given that I got to do an internship. A lot of people go through a sixmonth interview process before landing an actual offer.”
Although Google is globally known for its domain name, there are many more facets to the company beyond just technology. “I work for a company that is known to be a technology company, but in all reality it is really a global media company,” Danker said. As an account manager, Danker’s primary responsibility is to work with retailers located in the Midwest. “What I do with my clients is try to enhance their marketing scheme,” Danker added. “I do work on their online marketing, but in addition to that, Google has expanded into the offline world as well, so we have print, audio and television platforms. In my job, I’m looking to put together a 360-degree approach for my clients.” Working for a company such as Google is something that never crossed Danker’s mind when she was younger, but so far she is finding the job to be right up her alley. “What I really like best about this job is that it is very fascinating,” Danker said. “Things are ever-changing in this part of the business world. It definitely keeps me on my toes and keeps me busy.” ■
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Getting Geared Up With The Commodores
Lee McGowan looks through t-shirts at You Greek Me Greek on West End Avenue in Nashville.
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here you are. It is two weeks before your son’s birthday and you want to get him a fitted Vanderbilt baseball hat, but you don’t know where to find one in your hometown. You walk into your local sporting goods store, and much of what you see is Tennessee Titans or Nashville Predators merchandise. The Vanderbilt gear is in a small section in the corner, and there are only two styles of hats, neither of which is fitted. Unfortunately, scenarios such as this are a reality for many Vanderbilt fans, but it maybe not for much longer. Thanks to a collective network of individuals working behind the scenes, finding Vanderbilt merchandise in Tennessee and even throughout the rest of the country is not nearly as hard as it was even just a few years ago. Working to make merchandise more prevalent on local and national levels is Vanderbilt’s trademark and licensing department. The department was started in 2000 and was created to ensure that Vanderbilt’s logo and wordmarks are used correctly and that royalties on the merchandise are being paid to the school. “Eight years ago, you had to go to the bookstore to get Vanderbilt merchandise,” said Maggie Huckaba, Vanderbilt’s director of trademark and licensing. “It has just been a collective effort to get merchandise on the shelves, and demand is the No. 1 way to get product in there.” At first, the office primarily focused on keeping up with royalties and infringements, but it now has expanded its focus to find ways to increase the diversity and quantity of Vanderbilt’s merchandise.
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Even with the new focus, the department has not wavered from its responsibility to ensure that all of the Vanderbilt merchandise produced is up to specifications. To do this, each product must go through marketing specialist Mary Ann Daniel, who safe checks each proposed product before approving it. “We went from not having any guidelines to creating guidelines and trying to get people on campus to know that they can’t change our logo,” Huckaba said. “Now we are trying to be more strategic about our efforts, not only protecting our name, but to get people to buy the stuff and wear the stuff and get those royalties to help fund athletics and help the general scholarship fund.” However, before people can buy Vanderbilt’s merchandise, they have to be able to find it. The challenge of being a private school in a pro sports town has made getting Vanderbilt’s merchandise on the shelves of Nashville retailers one of the department’s most difficult tasks. One of the strategic ways that the department has gone about trying to spread Vanderbilt merchandise is with a grassroots approach called the Commodore Spirit Association, which was created to get Vanderbilt products on the shelves of smaller retailers, such as gift shops in the airport and convenience stores. “When this office was first created and I would go to any of the local retailers, even hotel gift shops, you couldn’t find anything Vanderbilt in there,” Huckaba said. “What we did with this program is allow any of these businesses to order directly from us at cost. We would sell merchandise with
no minimums and deliver it to them.” The program has been so successful that there actually has been a minimum added for certain products purchased to make it worth the time for Huckaba or Daniel to deliver the goods at no charge. “That program has gotten better and better every year, and we are at the point now, just this coming year, that we are stepping back from it and we are having a vendor that is going to manage the program for us because it is taking so much of our time.” Maybe the department’s biggest initiative came a little less than a year ago when the university teamed JOHN RUSSELL with Collegiate Licensing Company, the oldest and largest trademark and licensing company in the nation. It represents approximately 180 institutions and properties, including 11 of the 12 schools in the Southeastern Conference. Already, CLC has helped Vanderbilt increase its sales in many different ways by utilizing extensive analysis to pinpoint areas that need to be modified. “One of the things CLC does is help us be more strategic and figure out what gaps we are missing,” Huckaba said. “They will compare us to other SEC schools and tell us how we are doing in different categories of sales such as T-shirts or hats. They can also break it down into certain styles of hats or T-shirts. Then we can work on those areas to increase those products. We can then go to a company and tell them they need to do more of this or that for a company.” Since joining forces last July, Vanderbilt already is seeing the dividends of working with CLC. During the second quarter of the 2007-08 fiscal year (Oct. 1–Dec. 31, 2007), Vanderbilt ranked 72nd in royalties among CLC’s top-selling universities.
Purchasing Vanderbilt gear has become much easier for fans with the addition of a team store (above) and photo store on vucommodores.com.
JOHN RUSSELL
A collection of merchandise sold at You Greek Me Greek in Nashville.
I think we are confident that we will continue to see this number rise for sure.” When the department made the switch from Licensing Retail Group to CLC, Huckaba knew there would be an increase in royalties, she just didn’t expect the numbers to be so staggering. “I didn’t think we’d have that much of an increase at this time of year with several months left in the fiscal year,” Huckaba said. “That just shows you that, again, collectively all the efforts on the university side and from the agency side are pulling us up to where we need to be, and we are excited about that.” A program through CLC that really has helped Vanderbilt get its product out nationally is College Vault. College Vault is a brand that sells vintage-looking merchandise from universities throughout the nation. “The College Vault program is getting us into locations that we were not in before, Huckaba said. “That program is going to help us with visibility. We just continue to try to be open. We are very lucky that we work for an administration who tells us to go out and be creative and do what we can
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to get more product out there.” Creative is exactly the approach Vanderbilt has taken in recent months. Just this past March, Vanderbilt broadened its availability of merchandise by opening an online team store on its athletic Web site, vucommodores.com. That same month, Vanderbilt reached an agreement with Replay Photos to create an online photo store on vucommodores.com. Beyond helping Vanderbilt increase sales, CLC also has helped VU streamline the number of vendors licensed to sell Vanderbilt merchandise. The number of vendors has been cut significantly to 250, but Huckaba would like to see that number go even lower. “We are starting to say that we don’t need 250 vendors,” Huckaba said. “If you look at our royalty reports and a vendor is bringing in zero dollars repeatedly, there is no reason to have them be a licensee. I hope that in the next five years, it will be cut in half.” While CLC and the trademark and licensing department continue to look for ways to expand the allotment of Vanderbilt merchandise in the stores, one factor that neither can control is whether Vanderbilt’s teams win or lose. A contributing factor in the increase in Vanderbilt merchandise being sold and demanded has been the success experienced by Vanderbilt’s athletic teams. “(Athletic success) does dictate sales,” Stinnett said. “I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t. Success on the playing field can definitely contribute to more fan excitement and therefore, they will buy more product and we will usually see peaks in royalties for Vanderbilt.” Huckaba also agrees that the recent success experienced by Vanderbilt’s teams has made it easier to get retailers to buy Vanderbilt gear. “The No. 1 driving force is winning ball games,” Huckaba said. “If you look at Nashville, we’ve got all these schools in Tennessee and you’ve got professional teams. A retailer is very strategic about what they put in their store because they have a limited amount of space and they don’t bring in what they don’t sell in.” A recent example of where Vanderbilt’s athletic success sparked an interest came this past basketball season with the increase in vendors wanting to produce Vanderbilt merchandise. “Going into conference play and the SEC Tournament, it was incredible,” said marketing specialist Mary Ann Daniel. “This year, especially, I think it was busier and more intense. Some days I would have 30 submissions and maybe more than that, and it was like that consistently every day from the beginning of the tournament until we got beat in the NCAA Tournament.” Just as success on the field can increase interest in Vanderbilt merchandise,
DANIEL DUBOIS
“That ranking is extremely good,” said Tyler Stinnett, CLC’s university services representative for the SEC. “We are excited about the continued partnership, and we are hoping to see continued growth.” Vanderbilt also has seen a significant increase in the amount of money generated through its eight percent royalty rate. Last year royalties brought in $200,000 to the university for the first time and as of the end of April, royalties had already reached $242,000 this year with the fiscal year ending on June 30. Once the fiscal year ends, all the money generated through royalties is combined with the money left in the trademark and licensing budget, and is split equally between athletics and financial aid. “Compared to where (Vanderbilt was) last (May) when they weren’t a CLC client, they are up 21 percent in terms of gross royalties,” Stinnett said. “We’d definitely love to see that number maintained, and hopefully we will see it grow a little more.
A collection of merchandise sold at Vanderbilt Bookstore in Nashville.
losing can decrease interest. Because it is a reality that even the most storied programs will go through a rough stretch at times, (see: Nebraska football) CLC develops programs to help limit the drop-off when teams are rebuilding. “We try to present programs and initiatives to Vanderbilt that can offset some down times because every school is going to have some athletic down time every once in a while,” Stinnett said. One area where CLC knows it can market Vanderbilt in a way that makes it unique from a lot of schools is its academic prestige. Because of its academic reputation, Stinnett believes that Vanderbilt can be marketed internationally. “We are definitely trying to get Vanderbilt involved internationally,” Stinnett said. “We do have a strategic partner at CLC, CLC International, whose main focus is international business rather than domestic. “It has only been in place for three or four years, but we have targeted a lot of Ivy League schools and higher academic institutions like Vanderbilt. In the future I would not be surprised if we saw more Vanderbilt product being promoted overseas.” Just as Vanderbilt’s academic reputation can help get merchandise into more locations, its small alumni base also can make it more difficult to get merchandise into stores. Huckaba understands that being a private institution has its advantages and disadvantages, but she believes the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. “I think because we are private, from my viewpoint, it has added a different challenge,” Huckaba said. “However, because we are not state funded, it gives us the opportunity to do some things that maybe a state school couldn’t. I’ve really appreciated that Vanderbilt is No. 1 about our brand and No. 2 is the royalty part of it. “At the end of the day, if you are winning, people don’t care if you are private or public.” ■
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Quick Hits MEN’S SPORTS Baseball • The baseball team became
VU’s first revenue sport to achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the schol year. • Twenty-four student-athletes Tim Corbin achieved a 3.0 during the spring semester, with seven earning Dean’s List status. • Senior Dominic de la Osa became Vanderbilt’s all-time leader in hits and doubles on May 4 against Tennessee. De la Osa surpassed Karl Nonemaker (1999-2002) with his 284th hit and topped Sean Luellwitz (1999-2002) with his 62nd double. • Vanderbilt’s sweep over Tennessee was its second in a row. The sweep in Knoxville was the first for the Commodores since the SEC went to three-game series in 1986.
Basketball • On April 24, the team received
a public recognition award for posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all Division I basketball proKevin grams. VU was the only basStallings ketball team in the SEC to be recognized and one of only 33 teams out of 340 Division I programs. • Kevin Stallings announced the signings of 6-foot-7 forward Jeffery Taylor (Hobbs, N.M.) and 6-foot-3 guard Brad Tinsley (Oregon City, Ore.). • Five members of the basketball team had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the spring, and one member achieved Dean’s List status.
Men’s Cross Country • On April 24, the team received
a public recognition award for posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent Steve of all Division I cross country Keith programs. VU was the only cross country team in the SEC to be recognized and one of only 33 cross country teams honored. • All 11 members of the cross country team posted a GPA of at least 3.0 during the spring semester. • Nine student-athletes achieved Dean’s List status in the spring, and two student-athletes had 4.0 GPAs. • Rob Whiting was named to the SEC Men’s Track and Field Community Service team on May 14.
Football • Vanderbilt had three play-
ers selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. • Offensive tackle Chris Williams was selected 14th overall by Chicago, wide receiver
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Bobby Johnson
Earl Bennett also went to the Bears in the third round, and linebacker Jonathan Goff was picked in the fifth round by the New York Giants. • Linebacker Marcus Buggs (Buffalo), defensive end Curtis Gatewood (Washington) and Theo Horrocks (Jacksonville) signed NFL free agent contracts after the draft. • Cornerback D.J. Moore was named to the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List on May 12. Jonathan Goff was named to the same list before the 2007 season. • Fifty student-athletes had over a 3.0 GPA during the spring semester. • Eighteen members of the team made the Dean’s List and one had a 4.0 GPA.
Men’s Golf • Junior Jon Curran tied for 58th at the NCAA East Region Championship. Curran was the fifth of six individuals selected to compete in Tom Shaw the regional. • The team was not selected to compete in the NCAA Regionals due to NCAA legislation put in place this season, that requires teams to have a head-tohead winning percentage of .500 or better. Vanderbilt narrowly missed by finishing 70-77-5. • Six student-athletes had at least a 3.0 GPA during the spring semester, and one student-athlete made the Dean’s List.
Tennis • Vanderbilt was selected to play in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and for the seventh time in the past eight years. Ian • Senior Ryan Preston com- Duvenhage peted in the NCAA Singles Championships for the third year in a row. • The team defeated No. 38 Indiana, 4-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 4 Ole Miss in the second round. • With the victory, Vanderbilt moved to 8-0 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. • The Commodores finished 14-10 overall with 11 wins against ranked teams. • Eight members of the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the spring semester. Three members of the team made the Dean’s List.
WOMEN’S SPORTS Basketball • Five student-athletes on the team achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher during the spring semester. • Two members of the team were named to the Dean’s List in the spring.
Melanie Balcomb
Bowling • Every member of the bowl-
ing team posted a GPA of at least 3.0 during the spring semester, giving the team a GPA of 3.371 for the year. John • Five members of the team Williamson were named to the Dean’s List in the spring. • Incoming freshman Brittni Hamilton competed on CBS Television’s “Clash of Champions” against 15 other male and female national champion bowlers.
Women’s Cross Country • Nineteen
student-athletes had over a 3.0 GPA during the spring semester. • Nine of those student-athletes acheived Dean’s List status, and one had a 4.0 GPA.
Steve Keith
Women’s Golf • Senior Liebelei Lawrence was named second team All-SEC on April 23. • The team placed 11th at the Greg NCAA East Regional. Allen • Lawrence led the team at the regional by placing 32nd overall. • Seven members of the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring. • Five of those student-athletes acheived Dean’s List status, and one had a 4.0 GPA.
Lacrosse • Vanderbilt finished the regular
season with a school-record 12 wins and set a new overall season record for wins (13) with its win over Johns HopCathy kins in the semifinals of the Swezey ALC Tournament. • Seven Commodores earned postseason honors from the American Lacrosse Conference on May 1. Cathy Swezey was named Coach of the Year, and senior Brooke Shinaberry was named Goalkeeper of the Year. • Earning first team All-ALC honors were Shinaberry, Sasha Cielak, Margie Curran and Cara Giordano. Heather Koutrakos and Carter Foote were selected to the second team. • Seniors Sasha Cielak, Michelle Slotke and Margie Curran were named to the ALC AllTournament team on May 4. • The Commodores dropped a 14-10 decision to Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on May. 11. • Ninteen members of the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring. • Eight members of the team made the Dean’s List, and one had a 4.0 GPA.
• Eighteen student-
athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the spring semester. Ronnie • Twelve of those Coveleskie student-athletes made the Dean’s List, and one had a 4.0 GPA.
Swimming • Fourteen
members of the team achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring. Jeremy • Twelve of those Organ student-athletes made the Dean’s List, and two had 4.0 GPAs. • Head Coach Jeremy Organ announced the signing of Elizabeth Brunk (Raleigh, N.C.) on May 6.
Tennis • Vanderbilt
made it to the round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament for the 10th year in a row. Geoff • The Commodores Macdonald hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year. • Amanda Taylor and Catherine Newman competed in the NCAA Singles Championships. Taylor also joined Courtney Ulery to
compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships. • Amanda Taylor won the ITA/ Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship in the Southeast Region. • Taylor also was named the ITA Senior Player of the Year in the Southeast Region. • All eight members of the team had a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring. Six of the players achieved Dean’s List status.
Track and Field • Head
coach D’Andre Hill announced the signing of Imani Ellis ( Lawrenceville, D’Andre Ga.), Teegan Hill Hill (Lancaster, Texas), Meagan Martin (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Josalyn White (Ossining, N.Y.) to National Letters of Intent on April 23. • Rita Jorgensen (800 meters) and Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (5,000 meters) earned wins at the Mississippi Open on May 3. • Junior Kellianne Kleeman was named to the SEC Women’s Track and Field Community Service Team on May 12. • Eight members of the team achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher in the spring. Six members made the Dean’s List.
The Month Ahead Baseball NCAA Regionals NCAA Regionals NCAA Super Regionals NCAA Super Regionals NCAA Super Regionals NCAA Super Regionals College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series College World Series
TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA
Women’s Sports Track and Field 6.13 6.14
NCAA National Championships NCAA National Championships
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KAREN GRYGIEL bowling A native of Brick, N.J., and a rising senior on the bowling team, Grygiel works with the Boys & Girls Club and is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In general, what type of community service work do you do with the Boys & Girls Club and SAAC? I volunteer at the Boys & Girls Clubs for Commit To Be Fit, an after-school program that teaches children about nutrition and health. With SAAC, I coordinate community service activities with student-athletes and the local Nashville community. For example, we hold book drives, collections for supplies for U.S. soldiers, donations to Mending Hearts and participate in other student-service activities on campus. Why is it important for you to do community service? Community service is important to me because it allows me to meet the members of my community and give back to them. It teaches me to be appreciative of all the opportunities I have been given and especially helps me encourage youth to never give up on their dreams. It also creates social capital within a community and opportunities for success by working together. How much does community service make you realize how fortunate you are? A lot. Doing community service really helps me realize how many great opportunities I have been given and that it is important to return the favor.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE SPOTLIGHT
CHRIS LIVINGSTON
Soccer
Explain the feeling you have when you are doing community service. I get an amazing feeling of warmth and joy when doing community service. There is nothing like making other people smile. It also feels good to know that I can make a difference in someone’s life, but it works both ways because at the same time, the people I am helping often help me and make a difference in my life, as well. What was the first type of community service you got involved with? The first type of community service I got involved with was with the American Cancer Society. When I was five I got involved with a program called Daffodil Days and helped raise money for cancer research. I also volunteered at my local bowling alley back in New Jersey and coached younger children in bowling. Ever since I was five, I have volunteered in my community. My parents got me started young, and I have continued doing community service ever since.
All Day All Day
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Vanderbilt’s Officer In Training
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STEVE GREEN
W
hile you’ll find Brett Upson punting for the ’Dores during football season, you’ll find him in a police car in Griffin, Ga., during the offseason. He’s not there because of something he did, rather it’s something he’s chosen to do. Since his junior year of high school, Upson has been preparing for a career in law enforcement by volunteering with the Griffin Police Department as a ride-along intern. Even now as a rising junior at Vanderbilt, Upson religiously makes the fourand-a-half-hour drive home most every weekend during the offseason. “That commitment takes a lot on his part and tells a lot about the type of person Brett is,” said Drew Jackson, one of the two Griffin police officers Upson rides with. Just as he has each year since arriving in Nashville, Upson is spending his summer in his hometown volunteering with the Griffin Police Department. While most college students will be fetching coffee during their summer internships, Upson will be taking part in high-speed chases and trying to put a “good lick on drugs.” “It is a big adrenaline rush,” said Upson, the SEC Specialist of the Week after Vanderbilt’s victory at South Carolina last season. “Every day, there is always something new that is going to happen. You see 100 different things a day.” Upson’s interest in law enforcement came from his grandfather, Wallace Upson, who was a police officer in Griffin for 35 years. “I would always hear stories growing up about how great of a person he was,” Upson said of his grandpa, who passed away last October. “I always looked up to him for who he was.” Now Upson is following in his grandpa’s footsteps as a ride-along intern, where he spends his days in the car with Jackson or fellow officer Jeremy Bennett. While on the job, Upson is responsible for handling all of the paperwork, radio traffic and the lighting of the car. Since he is not a certified police officer, he does not carry a weapon. Not having a weapon does bring some risk, but Upson has full confidence in Jackson and Bennett to protect him. To lessen the risk, Upson remains in the car during calls and does not leave until he receives word that the situation has been secured. “Sometimes I do (have fear), but I also know that the guys that I ride with are going to protect me and keep me out of the way,” Upson said. “If it is something where they know something is going to happen or they think something might happen, they will keep me out of harm’s way.” Even though he has stayed far out of harm’s way, it hasn’t kept Upson from witnessing some scary situations. “Probably the most frightening time that Brett has ever had was when we had a
Maybe a one line caption from the story here? Will provide needed space between photo.
standoff from a guy who had already fired some rounds, and we were the first ones on the scene,” Jackson said. “That was a pretty hairy time because the guy had me at gunpoint, and I had him at gunpoint. It was a standoff for about 20 minutes before he finally gave up. That was probably the scariest situation he has witnessed.” Despite witnessing dicey situations such as that, Upson keeps coming back wanting to learn more. Since joining the department, Upson has had the opportunity to work in areas such as the crime lab, narcotics unit and canine unit. The department recognizes Upson’s strong interest in law enforcement and, therefore, continues to give him an opportunity to learn more about different aspects of the job.
“This summer, the department wants him to take a case and watch it as it goes completely through the system,” Jackson said. “That will provide Brett with an outstanding chance to learn even more.” Opportunities to soak up as much information as he can are exactly what Upson knows he needs if he wants to reach his goal. “I’m going to start out in local law enforcement, but I’m going to work my way up to working with U.S. Marshals, DEA or ATF. If that doesn’t work out, I’d like to open up a private eye company with my experience.” No matter where Upson ends up, Jackson believes that he will be successful. “He’ll have a good basic knowledge of law enforcement when he gets there,” Jackson said. “He takes it very seriously.
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PAUL J. LEVY
Upson averaged 39.2 yards per punt in 2007.
Jackson also believes that Upson’s experience in law enforcement has benefited him on the field.
“This job is very stressful, and I think it can help control your stress level,” Jackson said. “I think it does help Brett in football, and it probably helps him a lot.” Even for as much that working with law enforcement has helped Upson quell his nerves on the football field, he still admits that his experience can’t completely calm his nerves when he is punting out of his own endzone in front of 70,000 fans. After all, he’s only human. “I wouldn’t say it doesn’t bother me,” Upson said. “I still get that nervous adrenaline rush that I wouldn’t get any other time, but I’d say working with the police department and getting put in different pressure situations in a matter of seconds has helped me out a lot.” The experience Upson has gained in law enforcement has certainly helped him handle stressful situations during a football game, but most importantly, his experience has helped him become a differencemaker in the game of life. “I think the experience has made me a better person,” Upson said. “I’ve always liked to help people. One reason why I like it so much is that I want to be able to help people for a living. As a policeman, I feel like I can do that and also enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve always been told to enjoy what you do, and there’s not been a day I haven’t enjoyed.” ■
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STEVE GREEN
He’s learned a tremendous amount, and he’s helped us out a lot. With the degree from Vanderbilt, I think he’s got a good chance of jumping right into federal.” Law enforcement has not only given Upson something to shoot for as a career, it has also provided him with a perspective on life and his hometown, which he once thought was a nice, quiet town of 35,000 residents. “Working with the police has given me a new perspective on my town,” Upson said. “I never would have thought that my town is as bad as it was if I hadn’t ridden with law enforcement. I’ve been lucky enough to only be associated with the good part of town. I’m sure it is like this with most towns, where you go a certain way and you know that it is a bad part of town, but you don’t know how bad it is. It is absolutely amazing.” Upson’s experience working with law enforcement may not physically help him with punting the football on Saturdays, but he believes that his experience has helped him with the mental part of being a punter. “Mentally, when I’m on the field, I can think back to different situations I’ve been in that I’ve been a lot more nervous,” Upson said. “With football, I’m out having fun. There isn’t anything fun about having a situation where somebody might get hurt. I look at it like that, and it helps me out a lot.”
The Last Look
CLOSING TIME
JOHN RUSSELL
Shan Foster was one of 3,215 Vanderbilt students who graduated on May 9.
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