presents
Thursday, April 26, 2012
YEAR IN REVIEW
With the 2011-2012 academic year coming to a close, The Vanderbilt Hustler staff has combined a list of the most intriguing stories and exciting events that happened in the past year. From the nondiscrimination policy issue to the men’s basketball SEC championship, check out the year’s top stories.
Religious zealots cause stir, create viral hit during tailgating Elise Dirkes-Jacks Staff Reporter september 2011 On Sept. 10, the pre-football tailgates were visited by a small group of evangelists urging students to stop drinking and “repent.” The religious protestors drove through campus calling out of the car windows condemning students for drinking and women’s “immodesty.” They later exited the car and preached on fraternity lawns. The episode was captured on video by a member of the group and was posted on YouTube by Cheap Missions Trips, a missionary travel group. The video circulated via Facebook throughout the Vanderbilt community and was removed from the Internet by Cheap Missions Trips. Tabitha Lovell, an international travel specialist with Cheap Missions Trips, led the protest, but refrained from comment. Student reactions to the pro-
testors ranged from indifference to anger, some going so far as to respond to the evangelists by provoking arguments. One student’s response to being told “no drunkard shall enter the kingdom of Heaven” was to answer back with scripture, telling one of the protestors, “Let he without sin cast the first stone.” On a campus with a large religious, and particularly Christian, population, many were offended that they were being condemned for merely one incident. Neely says the protestors’ preaching method was hypocritical. “As a Christian, I tend to base a lot of my beliefs on what Jesus actually did and the message he tried to convey,” Neely said. “Last I checked, he didn’t spend his life running around the Sea of Galilee on a camel condemning everyone he met to Hell. Regardless of where they think their message came from, their method was fundamentally antiChristian.” ★
Flulapalooza shatters previous world record liz furlow News Editor october 2011 Flulapalooza more than doubled the Guinness world record for the number of vaccinations given in an 8-hour time span, with 12,647 faculty, staff and students vaccinated between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The event was planned as a mass vaccination test drill designed to prepare for the possibility of a public health emergency. Pam Hoffner, director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for Vanderbilt said, “We made a commitment to the state that we would be able to vaccinate 60,000 people — faculty, staff, students and their families — in the case of a public health emergency situation.” In a tent erected between Light Hall and the Nashville VA Medical Center campus, 44 nurses sat at individual stations, working with over 300 volunteers
kevin barnett/ The Vanderbilt Hustler Students and staff were able to get their Flu vaccine at Flulapalooza today and lend a hand in breaking a Guiness World Record for most vaccinations in 8 hours. to vaccinate up to 2,000 participants every hour. About 14,000 prefilled syringes were on-hand for the event, and lines for the shots moved quickly, the result of long-term planning and coordination with a consultant from the
University of Louisville, where a similar event was held in 2009. In past years, about 16,500 flu shots have been given to student, faculty and staff throughout each flu season. The 2011-12 flu vaccine will protect against
three influenza viruses. “We are really proud of our results today and thank for our faculty, staff and volunteers who helped out. We’re also thankful for all the people who decided to come and get vaccinated,” Hoffner said. ★
Lisa Branding wins outstanding senior liz furlow News Editor october 2011 Lisa Branding was named the 2011 Outstanding Senior during the halftime of Vanderbilt’s Oct. 8 football game against Alabama.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for a lot of hard work, and it’s especially an honor because I know there are so many amazing students in the class of 2012,” Branding said. Branding, a Libertyville, Ill., native, is double-majoring in Sociology and
Medicine, Health and Society with a minor in Corporate Strategy. She is a director of Dance Marathon and the Philanthropy Chair for Delta Delta Delta sorority, whose philanthropy partner is the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Branding plans to work in hospital administration and would ideally work for a children’s hospital. “The first time I went to the Children’s Hospital, I took a tour with the head of Cranial/Facial. He showed us all of the different elements of a hospital and
how they work together. There are ducks on the ceiling so that kids on stretchers on the way to surgery can look up and see them. Children’s hospitals are such amazingly happy places, even though a lot of sad moments happen there,” Branding said.
Reflecting on her time at Vanderbilt, Branding advised students to make the most of the their time. “I think that students should make the most of their time and do what they love. There are so many opportunities at this school available to us.” ★