The Vanderbilt Hustler 1-20-16

vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

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VOL. 128, ISS. 2

RETHINKING Greek Row

Faculty recommend shorter pledging, nonresidential houses, promoting diversity PAGE 2

BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

OPINION

LIFE

Debunking philosophy

Senior Charlie Woodlief discusses best practices for making it in one of Vandy’s most interesting majors

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SPORTS

Housing with PAGE 6a mission

An in-depth look at Vanderbilt’s Living-Learning Communities as application deadlines approach

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Cressler’s journey down South Commodore guard Nolan Cressler spent two years at Cornell before finding a home in Nashville

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ILLUSTRATION BY VIVIAN SAXON/ THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

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news

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What will Greek life look like in 20 years?

Faculty Senate’s Greek Life Task Force presents report outlining vision

By ALLIE GROSS, SARAH FRIEDMAN AND MATT LIEBERSON

Editor-in-chief, Assistant news editor and Features editor -------------------In 20 years, Greek Row could be entirely non-residential. In just a few years, Vanderbilt Greek houses could have their own Area Coordinator and programming from Faculty Fellows for each house. That’s if the administration adopts the recommendations put forth by the Greek Life Task Force report, released last week.

For the first time since 1998, members of the Faculty Senate — who serve as an advisory body to Vanderbilt’s administration — met over a two-year period to review the status of Greek life on campus, charged with studying all aspects of the Greek system from a “holistic perspective” and making recommendations to ensure the Greek system supports the university’s mission.

“Our job is to look into the crystal ball… and try to look into

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ALLIE GROSS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

the future of higher education at Vanderbilt and in the U.S.,” said David Weintraub, Greek Life Task Force chair.

The Greek Life Task Force has produced a final report complete with goals and recommendations that were presented to the full Faculty Senate on Jan. 14 and, if approved, would be sent to the provost and chancellor’s offices for potential implementation.

In the past, recommendations in similar reports released about every 20 years have led to drastic changes in Greek life on campus, such as switching to the on-campus Greek Row housing system during the 1950s. Other past recommendations, such as deferring pledging until sophomore year urged by reports from both the 1950s and 1990s, however, have been ignored by the administration.

According to Weintraub, the recommendations are usually seriously considered by the administration. He said the task force aimed to only include recommendations that were data-driven,

and the most realistic and likely to be well-received by the Faculty Senate and the Greek community.

The report relied on data collected by an analytics sub-group commissioned by the task force to determine the main differences between Greek and non-Greek students. The group found that while affiliated students were happier with their social lives and had higher GPAs, they reported drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs at higher rates than non-Greek students and are more likely to be Caucasian than unaffiliated students, according to statistics cited in the report.

Weintraub said he did not expect any of the points to be particularly controversial, and emphasized that the task force’s examination of Greek life did not imply that Greek life had problems that had to be addressed— rather, the task force review was part of a routine review every two decades or so.

To determine the recommendations in the report, the task force

JOSH HAMBURGER — MANAGING EDITOR BOSLEY JARRETT — DESIGN DIRECTOR ZOE SHANCER — NEWS EDITOR ANNA BUTRICO — WEB EDITOR KARA SHERRER — LIFE EDITOR ZIYI LIU — PHOTO DIRECTOR QUEEN STEVENSON — OPINION EDITOR KATHY YUAN — CHIEF COPY EDITOR COLLIN ZIMMERMAN — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPER BEN WEINRIB — SPORTS EDITOR MATT LIEBERSON — FEATURES EDITOR PRIYANKA ARIBINDI — AUDIENCE STRATEGIST KATHY YUAN —ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR

SHARON SI — ASST. DESIGN DIRECTOR JACK SENTELL — ASST. LIFE EDITOR SARAH FRIEDMAN — ASST. NEWS EDITOR PRIYANKA KADARI — ASST. OPINION EDITOR ROBBIE WEINSTEIN — ASST. SPORTS EDITOR DESIGNERS COPY EDITORS ZACH BERKOWITZ ALAN WILMS AUSTIN WILMS YUNHUA ZHAO

ABBY HINKSON PRIYANKA KADARI

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM met with stakeholders in the Greek experience, such as Office of Greek Life staff, the main Greek organizations’ presidents, VSG and several campus organizations’ leadership, Weintraub said. He emphasizes that faculty hold a more holistic view of Vanderbilt than students.

“Faculty are engaged with the university in a different way than the students are because the faculty are here for a lifetime,” Weintraub said. “I’ve been here for 25 years. Students are here for four years. So we have a very different perspective on both the history, what’s going on now and the future.”

GREEK LIFE AND THE RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE SYSTEM

Generally, the recommendations of the task force’s report aim to align Greek life with the university’s overall strategic vision for residential life. Vanderbilt’s Academic Strategic Plan, released last fall, prioritizes making all of Vanderbilt a part of the College Halls system. Piloted last year with the opening of Warren & Moore College Halls, the system would place all undergraduates in residential living and learning communities similar to the Commons for their last three years at Vanderbilt.

In regard to Greek housing, currently, six officers of each chapter are allowed to live in each Greek house. But Weintraub said that the task force was concerned that students living in Greek houses — although physically on campus and on university property — are treated like those students in off-campus housing by the Office of Housing and Residential Education.

According to Weintraub, the task force thought students living in Greek (and off-campus) housing should have access to the same ResEd resources as those in other campus housing — from programming to Resident Advisors trained in safety, conflict management and directing people to resources.

“Students who live on Greek Row and the students who live off campus should not be neglected, in effect, the way they’re currently neglected,” he said. “They should be incorporated into the overall community of Vandy as much as possible.”

To address this concern, the report recommends that an area coordinator be hired for the Greek houses as well as off-campus residents. The report also suggests that three graduate RAs live on Greek Row, and that non-residential Faculty Fellows be assigned to each Greek chapter. These Faculty Fellows would serve similar roles to their counterparts in the Commons houses. Another recommendation urges chapter presidents to go through RA training to provide residents with resources Greek houses do not currently have.

To ensure students have an opportunity to spend time living in the residential communities, the report says that only juniors and seniors should be allowed to live in the Greek houses, effective in the 2019-2020 school year. Once the chancellor’s College Halls project has been completed, the report suggests that the Greek houses should become entirely non-residential. Weintraub said that project could take up to 20 years, if it is completed at all.

“But if they do it, if Vanderbilt University makes that kind of strategic investment and we say we think that is a critical part of Vanderbilt education, then all the students who come to Vanderbilt should benefit and participate fully in that component of the Vanderbilt education,” Weintraub said.

According to Weintraub, because the College Halls are a goal of the university, all students should participate in that part of the Vanderbilt experience.

DIVERSITY IN GREEK LIFE: A CRITICAL CONCERN

Weintraub identified diversity and inclusivity as the most critical concern for Greek life moving forward.

“When someone takes a picture of Greek life, it ought to be representative of Vanderbilt,” Weintraub said. “It’s not. It’s only representative of part of Vandy. That’s not OK. That’s got to change.”

The report reflects this goal by suggesting that the Panhellenic Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council create “public declarations in support of full inclusivity” similar to the one already created last year by the Interfraternity Council.

He stressed that the task force is not trying to define why Greek life isn’t currently diverse or impose a solution — rather, the report just recommends increasing diversity and inclusion as a goal for Greek life.

The report also claims that another problem for Greek life in the coming decade is the divide it creates between those who can and cannot afford to go Greek, saying that Greek life should aim to

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016 increase socioeconomic equality in its members by 2025.

In this section, the report suggests preventing the chapters from using funds provided through Experience Vanderbilt and other similar funds, which are intended for the student body as a whole.

This is already a stated restriction for Experience Vanderbilt, a VSG initiative which funds student extracurriculars and was launched this semester. While the report approves of alumni donations as a possible solution, it does not support setting up an endowment through the university. Additionally, the report suggests the creation and distribution of a publication entitled “Affording Greek Life,” which would provide actual, honest estimates of the costs of Greek life for potential new members.

RESTRICTING PLEDGING HOURS

Another suggestion is that the Greek organizations lower their maximum number of “new member education” hours — pledging — per week from 30 to 20. To defend this suggestion, the report includes references to the NCAA maximum practice time per week, capped at 20 hours. Additionally, the report claims that based on the “traditional academic rule” that students should spend at least three hours per week studying for each hour spent in class, thirty hours would value Greek life the same way as a 7.5 credit hour class.

“The real issue that led to this recommendation was a concern that came from the Commons. That [concern] was that when pledging happens in the spring, the communities in the Commons are disrupted in a very major way,” Weintraub said.

Although addressing sexual violence was identified as a priority in the task force’s interim report, because there was no data to express a link between Greek life and sexual violence on Vanderbilt’s campus, Weintraub said the task force decided to focus on other areas in its final report.

REACTIONS FROM CAMPUS LEADERS

Although the task force consulted Greek leaders on campus throughout its two-year review, some students were critical that the process left out important perspectives.

Weintraub presented the report to the Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) Senate on Jan. 13. Several senators said that there was a lot of questioning and pushback from senators about the report’s process and recommendations.

VSG President Lizzy Shahnasarian and IFC President Kevin Groll said that students should have been more heavily involved in the process.

While she agreed with some recommendations, Senator Lizzie Hinson said that it seemed to her that the task force didn’t do adequate research into certain aspects of Greek life before making the recommendations. For example, she said older graduate students already live in most of the Greek houses as “house moms” or “house dads.” She also said that Alpha Delta Pi is already piloting a “Faculty Fellow” program to see if it could be expanded to other houses.

Senator Jami Cox said the report leaves out multicultural organizations, such as those in the NPHC, which is comprised of historically black organizations.

“I thought it was interesting that the policies were about Greek Row... and that the policies would not reach the multicultural organizations that aren’t located on Greek Row,” Cox said.

Shahnasarian echoed these concerns, saying that the report did not adequately consider the separate needs of each type of Greek organization.

“Something the report does is lump the three councils together, stripping them of their identity,” Shahnasarian said. “They function very differently, and there was definitely a lack of communication and research and understanding of the Greek community and the overall Vanderbilt community in the process.”

Mwamba Mvula, president of NPHC organizations, also felt that the task force did not adequately address NPHC concerns.

“We are a unique council in terms of size and design and purpose,” Mvula said about the NPHC. “And a lot of the goals interfere with it and would cause a lot of detriment to our council.”

Because of NPHC’s unique structure, several of the recommendations don’t apply to the organization. For example, because of the smaller size of the NPHC chapters, they reside in one-bedroom apartments instead of houses. Therefore, she said the recommendations related to housing aren’t realistic for this setup. Additionally, an NPHC organization can be comprised of

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GOALS • • • •

Inclusion Accountability Alignment with university ResEd mission Purposive programming

RECOMMENDATIONS • • • • • • • • •

20 hours max for pledging Area Coordinator and Graduate RAs for Greek houses Greek presidents to have RA training Faculty Fellows for Greek houses Public inclusivity declarations for NPHC and Panhel 2019-20: only juniors/seniors in Greek housing When College Hall system is complete — no more Greek housing By 2025: address socioeconomic problem ‘Affording Greek Life’ publication

only sophomores, making it ineligible for housing at all under this requirement.

However, Weintraub said NPHC organizations may not have only sophomores in the future.

“These organizations have several years to work with the Office of Greek Life to help solve this problem,” he said. “Assuming that these organizations will always have only sophomores as members is to assume that the present defines the future. The task force is not willing to accept that logic.”

“That’s a very real possibility, very very real,” Mvula said. “We don’t get a lot of resources, but that’s one resource that is automatically taken away. Yet, the report says no exceptions.”

Further, the setup of new member education for NPHC organizations includes members attending three-day conferences off-campus, which would put pledging activities well over the 20 hours prescribed in the report for that week.

“If you were to simply multiply the number of weeks times 20 hours, we probably don’t go over that as a whole, but there are certain weeks where it might take up more than 20 hours,” Mvula said.

Weintraub was receptive to the idea that the 20 hour pledging limit can be fluid based on events like the conferences, though.

“Exceptions can be made for unique and special situations and events. In my view, the 20 hour/week limit should be understood to apply to the regular, on-campus activities, and I think an exception can easily be made for travel to a conference,” he said.

Other concerns with the report include issues with the goal of eliminating Greek residential life. Without members living in the houses, several members of Greek life expressed concerns that they would lose part of the culture of a fraternity or sorority, or a sense of ownership of the house.

“I feel like it’s part of the essence of being Greek, having the opportunity to have a house, a place to go, and just feel at home in that place,” said Senator Damonta Morgan. “And by taking away the opportunity to have your brothers and sisters live in the house, it really takes a piece of ownership away from the house so it’s just like it becomes a facility... what’s the difference in that case between meeting [in Sarratt] and in your house?”

With regards to an inclusivity declaration, Shahnasarian and Panhellenic President Jen Warner felt that the council did not take

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into account the efforts already underway from Panhellenic and NPHC, such as a Panhellenic task force devoted to a creating a comprehensive plan to promote inclusion.

“Telling these councils to do this when they were already doing this undermines the councils,” Shahnasarian said. “I think they should have recognized the efforts that are already in place, which again shows a lack of research from the task force.”

One of the final issues raised was related to the way the report addressed costs of Greek life. While the report emphasized the importance of accountability and financial independence, Shahnasarian said several of the recommendations could increase costs of membership, making independence more difficult. For example, she said members residing in Greek houses pay normal Vanderbilt housing fees to live there. Shahnasarian pointed out that this money goes towards costs such as heating the house and other maintenance tasks. If no members lived in the house, these maintenance costs could increase normal membership dues, making Greek life less affordable.

Additionally, the report recommends that scholarships given to students through the Experience Vanderbilt scholarship fund should not cover costs associated with Greek life, emphasizing that Greek costs should be funded “with private dollars” because some students are excluded from the system.

However, some students said that the organizations cited in the report as being covered by Opportunity Vanderbilt also exclude several students, such as Alternative Spring Break.

NEXT STEPS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS

Still, student leaders seem encouraged that Faculty Senate leaders are willing to engage in ongoing dialogue about the recommendations moving forward. VSG Speaker of the Senate Jackson Vaught said that Greek life student leaders and the VSG Executive Board will be meeting very soon to discuss how VSG can best support Greek life in tackling the issues they have raised with the report. Vaught added that three members of the Greek Life Task Force will be hosting a focus group with VSG Senators next week to continue to solicit student feedback.

Panhellenic President Jen Warner wants more Greek and non-Greek student involvement in the re-envisioning of goals for Greek life, saying that involving more voices and more dialogue can strengthen the recommendations.

“Even though the recommendations aren’t right for us — we don’t feel that they’re right right now — people are willing to keep working with us and I really think that that’s essential, and I think the leaders are doing the correct thing there,” Warner said.

Weintraub anticipates the Faculty Senate having one or more motions presented at its March meeting. That’s the soonest the Senate could act on the matter, according to chairman Professor Richard Willis. But the Senate doesn’t have any enforcement power — implementation would be up to the administration.

In an email to the Hustler, Director of Greek Life Kristin Torrey did not answer specific questions regarding the report, but offered the following statement: “I look forward to ongoing collaborative conversations with student leaders and the Faculty Senate leadership to ensure the recommendations that are advanced are in the best interest of a thriving Greek community for both current and future members.”

Although Weintraub said the task force is done with its work, the Faculty Senate as a whole can determine what parts of the report it will choose to endorse.

“They are a deliberative body that can do whatever they want with the report and the recommendations therein,” he said.

He said that the task force believes the recommendations will make Vanderbilt a better place to ‘go Greek’ than it is now.

“Truly, the task force has tried to put together a set of recommendations that it believes will enable students who go Greek to become healthy members of those Greek communities while also allowing them to be even healthier members of the larger Vanderbilt student community, academically and socially, than they are now,” Weintraub said.

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Hoverboards confiscated from dorms In light of reports of exploding batteries, Vanderbilt has prohibited the use and storage of hoverboards in residence halls and Greek houses

By JOSH HAMBURGER Managing editor --------------------

Reports of exploding batteries in hoverboards have caused Vanderbilt to ban one of the country’s hottest new gadgets from residence halls and Greek houses on campus, in some cases searching for and confiscating hoverboards left in residential rooms over break. The new policy took effect on Dec. 16 via email from Associate Provost and Dean of Students Mark Bandas.

Students that own a hoverboard on campus will either need to take it home or store it off campus, a service being arranged

by VUPD’s Emergency Preparedness and Plant Operations. To do so, these individuals must reply to the original email sent out in December.

Although Vanderbilt offered this storage off campus, only five students utilized this service, Jim Kramka, Senior Director of Housing Operations said. In addition, two boards were seized over break during room inspections and also stored off campus.

Senior Anna Childress had left her board

in her room on campus during break and came back afterwards to find it no longer there. However, she wasn’t too concerned about it or the ban in general.

“I wouldn’t really use the hoverboard at home,” Childress said, expressing how she didn’t rush to find out what had happened to her board. “It was a bit unexpected at first but I’ve come to terms with it now.”

While the university cites safety as their main concern, some board owners aren’t happy with the new policy.

“I was pretty disappointed, because now there’s not too much I can do with it,” junior Ellen Bley said.

Conveniently for Bley, the ban took place just a day before she was leaving for winter break, allowing her to bring it home.

Meanwhile, junior Phil Hawkins, who co-owns the board with Bley, also feels her sentiments but understands the university’s reasoning.

“I was a little upset, but if they are causing as many fires as it seems like, the rule really makes sense,” Hawkins said.

The battery problem has occurred most

when charging the boards, where the battery can overheat and cause an intense fire that can be difficult to put out. Damage from these explosions has ranged from minor fires to burned-down houses.

Vanderbilt is hardly the first university to institute a ban, as many others, including Louisiana State University and George Washington University, have implemented a similar suit, in addition to “jurisdictions, shipping companies, [and] airlines,” Bandas said in the email notifying students. Amazon, where many students purchased their boards, also pulled several models from their website over safety concerns.

All board owners need not worry however, as Vanderbilt still allows students to ride them on campus if they can store their boards somewhere off campus. Nonetheless, Dean Bandas is certainly aware that this was disappointing news for many students.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of this news, and ask your cooperation and understanding as we sort through this issue while doing our best to keep the campus safe,” Dean Bandas wrote in his school-wide email.

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opinion

QUOTE OF THE DAY “The latest popular wanderlust slogan I’ve seen is “Collect memories, not things.” Yet collecting memories that are only focused on you and where you’ve been is just as selfish as hoarding items that will only collect dust. ”

PAUL SNIDER, SENIOR

Letter to a young philosophy student Warnings and advice about an often misunderstood major

CHARLIE WOODLIEF is a senior in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at charles.a.woodlief@ vanderbilt.edu

vanderbilthustler EDITORIAL BOARD ALLIE GROSS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF editor@vanderbilthustler.com

ZOE SHANCER

KARA SHERRER

NEWS EDITOR news@vanderbilthustler.com

LIFE EDITOR life@vanderbilthustler.com

QUEEN STEVENSON

BEN WEINRIB

OPINION EDITOR opinion@vanderbilthustler. com

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Second, never let philosophy be Ralph Lauren for your thoughts. People dress their inner thoughts up in clothes just as much as they do their physical bodies. Some will use a Polo pony on their shirt to pull rank on people whose shirts don’t have Polo ponies. And some philosophy students will do the same with the books they’ve

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Philosophy is all about the arguments.” Delivered on the heels of a dramatic pause, these were the first words I ever heard in a college lecture, my professor’s opening line to a room of freshmen. Almost four academic years later, I still disagree with him. Philosophy is all about the questions.

Curiosity begins with ‘wh-’ words: Who? What? Why? You could spend a lifetime grappling with the questions these words pose. These ‘big questions’ – who am I? how should I live? etc. – motivate the business of philosophy from the outset. Arguments only matter once you’ve gotten out of bed in the morning.

At Vanderbilt, you’re in the lucky position of having a four-year shelter from real life to drill down on your curiosity and ask the big questions as a member of an intellectual community. After four years of successes and hard lessons, I want to share some advice on the ‘how’ of this process – personal thoughts on how to make room in your life for philosophical thoughts. As they comprise what I have to say for four years of my life, I hope my do’s and don’ts will be useful for more than just prospective philosophy students.

You are probably kind of weird. Weird has a range of meanings, maybe a political, religious, artistic or identitybased eccentricity, but I’ve never met anyone curious about philosophy who wasn’t kind of weird. Even if you weren’t weird, when you tell people you study philosophy, the mythology around it will usually make them project an aura of atypicality onto you. Though this atypicality only rarely carries a stigma, you will periodically have to live with feeling different. You also want healthy social connections, which can make for a balancing act. The trick is to own your difference without letting it become a pretentious gimmick.

There are two things to avoid. The first is what I’d call Zooey Deschanel syndrome: propagandizing a social image of phony quirkiness to vie for superiority over normality by vainly exaggerating your distance from it.

Philosophy has a certain loftiness that can make it tempting to define yourself through scorn for ‘the normals’ by embellishing your differences. Difference for its own sake is no good. Don’t be like Zooey Deschanel.

Difference for its own sake is no good. Don’t be like Zooey Deschanel.

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read, hoping to brand their thinking above that of anyone without an extensive repertoire. If you have a deep understanding of Plato, definitely share it, but if you use it for self-aggrandizement, you’ll wind up alienating people without the background to dress their thoughts up in the same clothes. Whether it’s Vineyard Vines or Friedrich Nietzsche, hiding behind brand names is a lonely life.

Owning your difference in good conscience means self-policing any pompous tendencies, but not everyone will recognize your efforts. The haters will certainly hate.

For example, my sophomore year I wrote a column for

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the Hustler arguing that too many people not in Greek life become defined by their opposition to Greek life. A friend of mine found a copy of that week’s issue with the words written in Sharpie across the article: “Charlie Woodlief is a huge faggot.” You’ll need to learn to exercise maturity to know when to ignore versus when to heed the voices telling you to shut up. I still struggle with this a bit, because I like to talk at length, but I hate coming off as full of myself.

For me, this means saving my I-hate-Zooey-Deschanel rant for later when someone tells me they like New Girl.

That said, there’s no easy rule here, so approach it situationally, be willing to make mistakes, and trust yourself to grow into the right balance with time. A little pompousness never hurt anybody.

Three last points: Learn to admit you haven’t read all the books and don’t know all the jargon. The humanities have books, books about the books, and jargon about the books about the books. Not even your professors know them all. Your life will be easier once you can let go of appearances and say: “No, I haven’t read that.”

Don’t settle for fake diversity, because there’s a lot of it. Diversity means different perspectives challenging one another on a deep level. Genuine diversity is not something that will find you; it’s something you seek out.

If you find yourself unreflectively using ‘good’ and ‘bad’ as synonyms for ‘us’ and ‘them,’ stop what you’re doing and put yourself in the way of someone you don’t normally get along with, whether it’s a Republican, Democrat or Bitcoin enthusiast.

Lastly, under absolutely no circumstances ever claim to be romantically attracted to someone for philosophical reasons. Take my word for it that you aren’t, and that it won’t work. Ten times out of 10, you’ll be projecting your intellectual ego onto them, treating them like a prop in your self-image. As the great Slavoj Zizek says: “If you have reasons to love someone, you don’t love them.”

They say education is what you remember after you forget what you learned in school. Here’s one thing I’ll remember: Philosophy is a behavior. It’s a system of ideas and methods lived out by fallible, social, emotional human beings. If you do study philosophy, go wild questioning your being, but hold on to the human.

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Bring back more than just pictures Thoughts on how we can better engage with the world when we go abroad PAUL SNIDER is a senior in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at paul.@ vanderbilt.edu.

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rom summers in Aix-en-Provence to Maymesters in New Zealand, to international internships in London, the students at Vanderbilt are well-traveled. More than 40 percent of Vanderbilt students choose to study abroad. We learn about host cultures, try local food and drink, practice foreign languages and make friends from around the world.

Despite these exotic experiences, we return as better conversationalists who can show off our worldliness rather than better citizens of the world. We may be well-traveled, but when we travel, we don’t become well-connected.

This week marks a year since I had the opportunity to leave school for 10 days and travel to Turkey to work at a conference. Our team connected through Istanbul to Antalya, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast and the location of the conference center.

With a busy schedule, and most other conferenceattendees hailing from America or Eastern Europe, I didn’t spend a lot of time getting to know Turkey itself.

I really enjoyed the trip and loved everything that I experienced, but I don’t think I could claim leaving a piece of my heart behind.

Fast-forward to Tuesday last week: a suicide bomber in Istanbul killed 10 people and injured 17 others. He detonated his explosives in the midst of a German tour group, in the historic Sultanahmet Square. Despite the time I spent in Turkey, I don’t feel

a huge connection to the people of Turkey. As a result, I don’t have much natural empathy for the terror they must be experiencing after this attack. I can consciously think of how horrible it must be, but it’s easy for me to internally lump this event in with all other deaths connected to ISIS. You might say that I just

The problem is that we are, in general, more attached to the places we visit and the pictures we return with, than the people that we leave behind.

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didn’t spend enough time there to develop a bond, but I know you can go a summer or a full semester somewhere and still not feel a connection with the local people. The problem is that we are, in general,

The heart of service

more attached to the places we journey to and the pictures we return with than the people that we leave behind.

There’s so much potential for our trips overseas.

When we travel, we can learn firsthand about issues that might not reach our ears in Nashville and meet people directly affected by them. Our campus can become an international summit where we bring perspectives we’ve learned from other nations. More than this, we can discover parallels between societies and better understand our common humanity.

Practically speaking, if you’ve already gone abroad, find a way to reconnect with your host country. Message people you’ve met or read local news stories. If you’re going abroad, think of it as more than just a four-month vacation in a place where the legal drinking age is 18.

The latest popular wanderlust slogan I’ve seen is “Collect memories, not things.” Yet collecting memories that are only focused on you and where you’ve been is just as selfish as hoarding items that will only collect dust. We should aim to better ourselves and our communities through the connections we make.

That slogan may be a poignant way of saying travels are better than toys, but there is definitely something better than both. In an ever-shrinking world, you could be one small connection that draws two distant corners closer together.

’’

Remembering why you serve keeps your drive alive

W

PRIYANKA KADARI is a first-year in the College of Arts and Science and the Assistant Opinion Editor of The Vanderbilt Hustler.

She can be reached at priyanka.kadari@ vanderbilt.edu.

e all had to do some kind of service in high school. Or else, we wouldn’t be here. Yes — I’m talking about the hours through National Honor Society or volunteering at the hospital or the soup kitchen. I personally disliked these sometimes superficial service acts in high school, but I did it anyway because it would look great on my resume for college. But, after only a semester at Vanderbilt, my perspective on service has shifted radically. For the first time, I found a project to which I wanted to commit entirely because it filled me with a sense of drive and fulfillment. And, as students, whenever we become jaded or stressed, we need to remember the more fundamental reasons for why we participate in clubs and organizations.

About two weeks ago, I stumbled upon the website for Project RISHI, a chapter-based charity focused on bringing self-sustaining solutions to problems faced in rural Indian villages. I asked one of my friends about starting a chapter here at Vanderbilt, and as of last Friday, we were already freaking out. We had no idea how to plan a trip to India, whom to ask for funding or where to find reliable people to participate. The energy with which we began the endeavor took a hit.

As luck would have it, on that same Friday, I listened to a speech that kickstarted my determination. In his talk regarding injustice within the legal system, Bryan Stevenson spoke a great deal about how to purposefully and effectively engage in service. As he emphasized remaining proximate, engaging in the uncomfortable and holding onto hope, he orated with enthusiasm and encouragement. He

We cannot afford to become tired or trite.

’’

included stories of the individuals whom he impacted and braided a breathtaking story of survival and service.

Hearing him speak flooded me with refreshing realizations that allowed me to finally escape my own limited, self-centered views of Project RISHI’s difficulties. He forced me to sit straight up, furrow my eyebrows and dig in my heels. I walked out of the auditorium knowing that I would do whatever possible to make Project RISHI a success.

I would travel to India, I’d send the necessarily passiveaggressive emails, I would host however many meetings it took. I decided then that I simply would not let anyone stop me.

Project RISHI feeds me energy, purpose and fulfillment, and it helps me remain lighthearted amidst the struggles of everyday life. It leaves me smiling at night, when I plan for the villages we might visit. My days have a strange, new sense of direction filled with buoyancy. For me, this feeling is what service is about — the feeling that you are wrapped up in something beautiful and glorious that is far more important than yourself. I found this feeling through service, but that’s not absolutely necessary. Really, it applies to any walk of life in which you are completely absorbed; any organization of which we are a part applies, whether

it’s a cultural club or a sports team or a student publication.

Each has a purpose and vision.

I think it is all too easy for us students to lose sight of this bigger picture, of why we participate in organizations. Some of us start out as VUceptors or RAs or premed students or musicians. Inevitably, we are jaded after searching for internships, worrying about the MCAT or practicing music for hours on end. Even though we don’t mean to, amidst all the stress, I think we trample upon the feeling which drove us to participate in these clubs in the first place. Instead, every time we become frustrated or discouraged, we should close our eyes, pause for a moment and draw strength from a quieter, deeper place. We cannot afford to become tired or trite.

Part of the beauty of being a college student is that we are incubators of energy. It’s not just about participating in clubs that feed us — we also feed each other as we spark conversation and conduct meetings and discuss our viewpoints. And, we might think we survive the day just fine without thinking about all this feeding and energy, but I promise you, we don’t. When we fail at something or experience great hardship and struggle, this feeling will offer us solace and remind us that we are comprised of more than any one experience. Five, 10 years down the road, when we reflect on college, we won’t remember the specific positions we had or the titles on our resumes. We will remember that feeling that made us smile at night and colored our days with a permanent hue of brightness. And, so, we need to chase it, breathlessly and fearlessly, every day that we can.

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life

GO DO

THIS

Living Learning Community (LLC) Week Schedule Thursday, 1/21 MCGILL OPEN HOUSE – 6:30 p.m., Commons Center Tuesday, 1/26 LLC INFO TABLE – 5:30-6:30 p.m., Commons Center Wednesday, 1/27 MAYFIELD OPEN HOUSE – 7:30 p.m., Commons Center Thursday, 1/28 LLC INFO TABLE – 5:30-6:30 pm, Commons Center; MCTYEIRE OPEN HOUSE - 6:30 p.m., MCGILL SHOWCASE – 6:30 p.m.

The basics of the LivingLearning Communities What they are and how to get involved By Dallas Shatel, Life reporter

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

The twenty Mayfield Lodges on Highland Quad are just one of the many living-learning options for students.

For students looking for engagement within a community of equally motivated students, the Living-Learning Communities offer exactly that. But what exactly are the LLC communities?

LLCs are communities at Vanderbilt which are based around a specific project. Each community has a set of goals and values upheld by the members which are achieved through events within the community. The more established LLCs are the three M’s: McGill, McTyeire and the Mayfields.

THE MCGILL PROJECT The McGill Project is centered around dialogue amongst people who wish to share their political and social views and embrace differences in others’ perspectives. Members attend a series of discussions called the McGill Dialogue Hours Series; a guest speaker presents their view on a current issue, whether it be on a global or local scale, and the community presents and discusses their views on it. McGill students emphasize freedom of expression and celebrate the different perspectives offered by their peers. Each floor of the McGill house has its own culture, such as the topless fourth floor where shirts and bras are optional. Other aspects of the house include coffeehouses in which students can perform and hold debate forums.

“With McGill they do an individual and group process, because they do function in a lot of debate and hot topics, and so it is important to kinda see what the group dynamics could look like in the community,” said Director of Residential Education Traci Ray about McGill’s application process.

McGill also offers a buddy system called the McGill Satellite program, in which first-years have a chance to pair up with a McGill resident and participate in the community in hopes of finding a niche within it.

THE MCTYEIRE PROJECT The McTyeire Project, the international LLC, emphasizes

the use of a foreign language (among other aspects) in order to give students a taste of a new culture. Students are required to speak their designated language at community events and can experience different cultures through the foreign cuisine offered in McTyeire’s dining hall. The program requires members to work within a group environment while speaking in a foreign language about topics relevant to that culture. Thus, a large part of the program is focused on communication.

“The language component is important, and how you communicate with other people,” said Ray about the communication aspect of McTyeire. Thus, the program requires a group interview in addition to the individual interview and application.

THE MAYFIELD LODGES The Mayfield Lodges are a group project in which 10 students live in one house in an effort to collaborate on a single project. The project is overseen by a faculty advisor chosen by the members, but the students have the freedom to make the project into whatever they desire, as long as it meets the requirements set forth by the program. This allows students to find a community of like-minded individuals who share common interests and goals and work together as a community.

The program requires a group application in which the applicants present their project idea to a panel. Some current projects include monthly parties that integrate foreign cultural holidays, hosting creative writing workshops and studying the therapeutic effects of music during open-mic nights.

WARREN AND MOORE... AND MORE Some students may be surprised to learn that Warren and Moore Colleges at Kissam are technically considered LLCs, even though they are part of the housing ballot. The halls host various student-led programs open to the public and vary from musical performances to guest speakers presenting information on global issues.

Upperclassmen may recall other LLCs from previous years, including the Vanderbilt Interest Project (VIP), Creative Campus Residential Fellows and Leadership Hall programs, all of which were located at Vanderbilt-Barnard Hall. These communities were established during the renovation of Kissam to allow students in that community to continue their involvement. However, once Kissam reopened last year, these programs were set aside, although VIP will be making a comeback soon after being restructured over the past few years.

“We let [VIP] die down to bring it back in a different way based on what the current student population wants and reacted to,” said Ray. Unlike the three M’s, newer programs like VIP were not so heavily based on a location, and so this newer incarnation will not be housing-based.

As far as the demographics of who joins the LLC communities, Ray noted that it varies quite a bit.

“It’s very very mixed. I would say it’s organic,” Ray said. “A big thing we find for the Mayfields ... especially for the rising sophomores, oftentimes a project might be driven by a group that all lived in the same [Commons] house.”

For students interested in applying or learning more about the communities, Jan. 21-28 is LLC Week, where students can visit roadshows set up by the communities, attend open houses and also take a guided tour through the houses.

Attending events during LLC Week and other acts of demonstrated interest greatly help your chances of being accepted into a program, according to Ray. For example, attending a preproposal meeting with a member of the Mayfield panel to discuss your project or signing up for the Satellite program at McGill improves your application. For those interested in applying to live in LLCs, applications are due by Feb. 5.

To learn more about McGill in particular, check out web editor Anna Butrico’s online podcast “This Vanderbilt Life: The McGill Project” from Nov. 17.

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Four facts you didn’t know about McTyeire Getting to know the international Living-Learning Community

By SOPHIE JEONG Life reporter --------------------

Tucked away by the University Club, McTyeire International House stands apart from the other residential quads. But the residence hall isn’t just set apart by its location: as the international Living-Learning Community, McTyeire immerses its residents in foreign language learning programs year-round. If you’re considering applying to McTyeire before the Feb. 5 application deadline, here are some fun facts you should know before housing registration.

1. MCTYEIRE WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT AS A WOMEN’S DORMITORY. “McTyeire was built in 1939-40 as a women’s dormitory,” said Anja Bandas, Director of McTyeire. “The building was remodeled and opened as ‘McTyeire International House’ in the fall of 1981. A dedicated team of Deans and professors established the McTyeire handbook and the program has been successful ... ever since.”

2. MCTYEIRE HAS REQUIRED LANGUAGE DINNERS, ITS OWN CAFETERIA AND A MEAL PLAN. McTyeire residents attend required language dinners served Monday through Thursday evenings in McTyeire’s own dining room. For senior Caroline He, attending language dinners “feels like a dinner that you’d have with family at home. It’s just really fun being in the hustle and bustle.”

Head resident Arrush Choudhary said dinners play a big role in crafting sense of community in McTyeire. “Because everyone is required to be at dinners four days a week, the community just forms inherently,” Choudhary said. “There’s so much going on, and everyone’s doing them together. It probably has, I can almost comfortably say, the strongest residential community on campus.”

3. STUDENTS MUST SPEAK FOREIGN LANGUAGES DURING DINNERS AND STUDY BREAKS, EXCEPT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL HALL. McTyeire offers programs in French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Russian, as well as a program in English for students interested in international topics.

For sophomore Wendy Yu, language dinners helped her

get over the fear of speaking German. “I know that when I took French in high school, the biggest problem I had was speaking. I was afraid to do it because I’d make so many mistakes,” said Yu. “But even though I still make mistakes during dinners, I think it has helped me get over that fear.”

4. EVERY HALL HAS WEEKLY STUDY BREAKS TO LEARN ABOUT ITS RESPECTIVE COUNTRY. The weekly study breaks, which are organized by a team of three students, fall into two categories: cultural and language learning. Cultural breaks teach students about history and culture, while language breaks teach students about vocabulary and grammar.

Junior Anissa Alexander said that “it’s really interesting to have a different perspective, like Anja [hall coordinator]’s perspective on things that happened in the past or different things as far as what’s current in German culture right now.”

“Our next study break is going to be about swear words in French,” said sophomore Yiran Chen. “We watched movies, learned songs and played games about French celebrities.

We learn lots of things from a perspective of a native.”

More information about McTyeire is available online.

A field trip to Franklin

Your guide to planning a day trip to Tennessee’s No. 1 small town

By SARA ERNST

HISTORICAL SITES

Life reporter --------------------

Home of subversive pop icon Miley Cyrus, host to the annual Pilgrimage Music Festival, defender of the title as #1 small town in the state: Franklin, Tenn. may not be Nashville, but the nearby little town certainly has its own appeal. Franklin’s history runs back to the 19th century, and the quaint town is notable for its preservation of historic buildings and architectural styling of the Civil War period.

Located just a half-hour long drive from Vanderbilt, Franklin is the perfect chance for an afternoon getaway from campus before papers and tests begin to pile up.

Franklin boasts several historically significant sites in its vicinity, mostly dating from the Civil War period. For instance, the Lotz House, a Civil War museum, was used as a makeshift hospital after the Battle of Franklin in 1864, while the nearby Carter House was turned into the Union headquarters during the battle.

The neighboring Carnton Plantation also became a large temporary field hospital after the Battle of Franklin, which is believed to be the bloodiest clash of the Civil War. All three houses are open to tours, and a bulk ticket for the three sites is available for $30. The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, which is located adjacent to the Carnton Plantation, is open to the public free of charge during daylight hours.

FOOD

TRANSPORTATION

While the small town naturally boasts fewer restaurants than Nashville, Franklin’s food quality still competes with that of Music City foodie joints. If you’re ready to challenge one of Nashville’s most well-known dishes, check out Big Shake’s Hot Chicken & Fish, which offers heat levels ranging from “Cry Baby” all the way up to the “Executioner.”

On the other hand, if you’re seeking to especially treat yo’self, Red Pony Restaurant, which serves sophisticated Southern food, might be worth your while — and your dollar. You can top off lunch or dinner with post-meal coffee and desserts from Honest Coffee Roasters or drinks at the popular bar The Casual Pint, which features a wide array of American craft beers.

SHOPPING If shopping is more your speed, Philanthropy: Fashion + Compassion might be the place for you. Located on Main Street, Philanthropy is a clothing store that carries apparel that embodies the carefree wardrobe of Nashvillian style.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

Visitors walk down Main Street in Franklin, Tenn. The historic small town features many local shops and restaurants.

True to its name, the story pledges at least 10% of its profits to dedicated causes.

Main Street houses many other appealing stores that are unique to Franklin, such as Avec Moi, which offers new and vintage gifts and home decor, and The Shoppes on Main, which features work from many different artisans. Those looking to satisfy their inner kid should check out the Main Street Toy Shoppe before it closes or relocates in February; after years of being a Franklin mainstay, the store has been forced out of the downtown area by a 50 percent rent increase.

If you have a car on campus (or a friend with a car on campus), Franklin is just a 20-mile straight shot down Interstate 65. Driving yourself on weekends is your best bet, as users of carpool-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft can expect their fares to round out to about $24-32 one-way during off-peak hours. With a group of four friends, the cost of travel averages out to be $15 per person on round trip transportation alone.

However, if you can carve out time to get to Franklin on a normal weekday, you can travel there and back for free: The Franklin Express, a direct bus line on the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority, runs 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students can find the pickup sites for this bus route on either the 21st Avenue and Children’s Way stop or the 21st Avenue and West End stop. Just like any Nashville public bus throughout the city, the Franklin Express is free to Vanderbilt students with their Commodore Cards.

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Winter circuit workouts

Stay warm and keep your New Year’s workout resolutions with these fieldhouse routines

By Gianna Strand, Life reporter Working out more is a popular New Year’s resolution... which means that the Rec is always super crowded once school resumes in January.

If you want to avoid the masses of people lifting weights or colonizing the cardio machines, the fieldhouse offers a great alternative space to get in a bodyweight workout in a timely and efficient manner. Repeat the circuit workouts below to work different muscle groups, or mix and match them together for a total body routine. *For a beginner level, repeat each circuit four

times with a 30 second rest in between each circuit. *For an intermediate level, repeat each circuit six times with a 20 second rest in between each circuit. Consider adding higher reps or advanced additions to some circuits. *For an advanced level, repeat each circuit six times with a 20 second rest in between each circuit. Use higher reps, added weights from a medicine ball or hand weights, and advanced challenges in most to all circuits.

If you want to work your... HEART

1. 5 MIN. JOG. Use 50% max effort.

2. 1 MIN. RUN. Use 65% max effort.

3. 30 SECOND SPRINT. Use 80-90% max effort.

4. 30 SECOND JOG. Use 30-40% max effort.

5. REPEAT 30 SECOND SPRINT/JOG SERIES 4 TIMES (4 OF EACH, FOR A TOTAL OF 8 INTERVALS).

6. 1 MIN. RUN. Use 65% max effort.

7. REPEAT 30 SECOND SPRINT/JOG SERIES 2 TIMES (2 OF EACH, FOR A TOTAL OF 4

INTERVALS).

8. 1 MIN. SLOW JOG. Use 20% max effort.

9. 2 MIN. WALKING COOL DOWN. (These are known as M workouts, and are often used by distance runners to build up endurance. The intensity begins going “up” the first part of the M, then dips slightly with a short recovery jog in the center, then climbs back to the second peak of the M, then falls for the cool down.)

If you want to work your... ARMS

You will need to use the benches around the edge of the fieldhouse for moves 1 and 2.

1. TRICEP DIPS (20 REPS).

2. INCLINE PUSH-UPS (15 REPS). Keeping your abs engaged so your back doesn’t arch, place your hands on the bench shoulderwidth apart with your body in a 45 degree plank position and do a regular pushup.

3. HIGH-LOW PLANKS (10 REPS). Start in high plank position with arms straight, but do not lock elbows. Slowly release the right arms so that the forearm rests on the turf.

Then release the left arm so the left forearm rests on the turf and you are in a lowered

forearm plank. Hold for 5 seconds then place the right hand on the turf followed by the left hand and push up into the starting high plank position. Hold for 5 seconds, then repeat. This is considered one rep.

5. BURPEES (10 REPS) *ADVANCED ADDITION: DECLINE PUSHUPS (15 REPS). Beginning on your hands and knees, carefully place both feet onto the bench so you are in a high plank position.

Using your abs to keep your back from arching, bend your arms to lower your chest to the floor. Without locking your elbows, push yourself back up to the starting position.

If you want to work your... LEGS

1. WALKING LUNGES (15 PER LEG). ADDED CHALLENGE: Do walking lunges in reverse (going backwards) for increased hamstring work.

2. JUMP LUNGES (10 PER LEG).

3. SUMO SQUATS (10 SQUATS). Keep a wide-leg stance dropping as low as possible without extending knees over ankles.

4. JUMP SQUATS (15 REPS).

5. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS (10 PER LEG). Even though they’re called squats, this exercise really looks more like a lunge. Place your back leg on an elevated surface, such as a bench, with your front foot planted firmly on the ground. Lower yourself down as far as you can go like a regular lunge.

If you want to work your... ABS

1. MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS (10 PER LEG).

2. AB BICYCLES (20 PER SIDE).

3. ROTATING AB TWISTS (25 REPS). Sitting with knees bent, feet on the floor, lower your torso with a straight back to a 45 degree position with engaged abs into a V shape. Twist your torso to the right side, then back to center. Twist your torso to the left side, then back to center. This is one rep.

ADDED CHALLENGE: Raise your legs off the floor, keeping the ankles and knees together, for deeper ab work.

For even more of a challenge, add a medicine ball or light handweights under 5 lbs.

4. LEG RAISES (20 REPS). Lying flat on your back, raise your legs to a 45 degree position. If needed, place hands under the small of your back for support. Raise legs to a 90 degree position, hold for two counts, then engage your abs to lower legs back to a 45 degree position. This is one rep.

ADDED CHALLENGE: Beginning with legs in a 45 degree position, engage the core muscles to lower legs so they hover only one to two inches above the ground. Hold for two counts, then slowly raise legs back to the 45 degree position.

5. PLANK (30 SECONDS). After each circuit, add on 10 seconds to the plank to slowly increase the difficulty and really work the deep inner-core muscles. *ADVANCED ADDITION: RAISED-LEG TWISTED SITUPS (15 PER SIDE). Lying flat on your back, raise your legs to a 45 degree position. You can use a bench to rest your heels on for an intermediate level, or for an advanced challenge, engage your abs to hold your legs in the air. Do a sit-up, and at the top of the sit-up, reach the left hand towards the right ankle (it’s okay if you can’t actually touch your ankle). This twist should come from the abs, not from the shoulders or upper body. Release back to the floor, then do another sit-up extending the right hand towards the left ankle.

ADDED CHALLENGE: Do 15 twists on the left side followed by 15 twists on the right side instead of alternating.

If you want to work your... WHOLE

BODY

1. CROSSING JUMP SQUATS (10 TOUCHES ON EACH SIDE). In a low squat position, twist from the core to touch the right hand to the left ankle. Use your legs to push up into an extended-leg jump, landing again in a squat position. Twist from the core to touch the left hand to the right ankle.

2. SIDE-TO-SIDE SQUATS (3 REPS). With feet hip-distance apart, do one squat. Extended the right leg out to a wide-legged position, do one squat. Bring the right leg back to hip-distance, do one squat. Extend the left leg out to a wide-legged position, do one squat. Bring the left leg back to hip-distance, do one squat. This group of 5 squats is one rep.

3. TUCK JUMPS (10 REPS). Try to get your knees to touch your elbows (if possible).

4. 10 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS + 2 PUSH-UPS (5 REPS) 5. PLANK (30 SECONDS) *To increase difficulty, add five more reps to each exercise and/or 15 seconds to the plank.

BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

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sports

THE BIG STAT

Percent of NBA players younger than sixth-year center Josh Henderson. This includes All-Stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

From the Big Red to the

&GOLD

BLACK

A look at the story of junior Nolan Cressler and his transfer from Cornell

By EVAN MERCER Sports reporter --------------------

Vanderbilt’s men’s basketball team does not often take transfers, but a basketball star over 700 miles away at Cornell University caught the eye of head coach Kevin Stallings.

Playing for one of the top high school basketball teams in Pittsburgh and dominating the Ivy League at Cornell University, Nolan Cressler has been a top player for the last few years.

Leading the Big Red in scoring with 16.8 points per game with a 36 percent shooting on three-pointers shot during his sophomore year, Cressler made himself known as Cornell’s top basketball player. However, Cressler’s strong performances were often in vain due to Cornell’s 2-26 record in the 2013-14 season.

And yet, Cressler, now a junior guard for Vanderbilt, decided he wanted more and made the decision to transfer to the SEC school with similar academics.

“Being at Cornell, I didn’t want to leave the academics,” Cressler said. “Between the schools like Michigan and Notre Dame, I chose Vanderbilt because my visits were great experiences and the players were already treating me like I was a part of the team.”

Ron Richards, Cressler’s basketball coach at Plum High School, backed up Cressler’s drive for continued success.

“He went and sought another challenge, and I think Vanderbilt provided that for him,” Richards said. “I’ve known Nolan and his family since he was five or six years old. They moved into the community right when I started coaching at Plum. Even from elementary school or junior high, you could tell he had a drive to succeed.”

Cressler’s drive and optimism did not go unnoticed by Richards.

“He was a great teammate, he was liked by everyone in the building, every group of kids and his teacher,” Richards said.

“You would’ve never known he was a basketball player the way he carried himself in the hallways.

“He decided real early that he wanted to be successful. He had a drive to work incredibly hard to make himself the player he is. He worked at it. It wasn’t easy with the combination of athletics and academics but he just worked.”

Even though an NCAA transfer rule forced him to sit out for the entirety of last season, as he watched games from the bench, Cressler committed himself to working everyday at basketball.

“I’ve always prided myself on my work ethic,” Cressler said.

“I’m always working during practice, on off-days. I really worked hard last year too when I was sitting out. That’s all I could really do.”

Left: Cressler (24) attempts a layup against Austin Peay in an early-season matchup.Right: Cressler, who averages 5.3 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting.

Cressler’s dedication to improvement could not exist without a great attitude.

Despite his struggles so far this season, ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER Cressler remains optimistic about what his future brings.

“Finding my rhythm has been the most challenging part.

Sitting out a season, you don’t really know what to expect,” Cressler said. “I haven’t really missed a game from injury, so sitting out a season affected me more than I anticipated. I could feel bad for myself, but I’m not going to do that. I just need to stay working with the team. It’s going to be cool looking back 10 years and saying, ‘Wow, I was a part of a team that did something really special and more importantly, I was with a great group of guys.’”

Cressler’s transfer from Cornell has certainly not been without its challenges and undesired results. As he works his way into more minutes and a possible starting spot, his points per game (5.3) and three-point shooting (29.5 percent) have fallen since his Cornell days.

Despite Cressler’s initial struggles, he remains focused on practicing, putting faith in his work ethic.

Richards remains optimistic about Nolan’s future, reminiscing on his favorite memory of Cressler’s capabilities.

“When he was a sophomore, we went to a tournament in Florida with a lot of really great teams,” Richards said.

“We knew they were playing physically late in the game, but Nolan came and pulled up in front of a guy — four inches taller and some pounds heavier — and drilled it right in his face. And I’ll never forget looking at Nolan with just a big smile on his face.

“He ended up scoring 34 points in the game. He took big shots, was always up to the challenge and played physical. He just wants to get better and better.”

Stallings recognizes Cressler’s potential to be a true star and has seen those flashes at times.

“Nolan’s a great kid; he’s a hard worker and a team guy,” Stallings said. “We always want those guys to succeed. We’re excited he’s here and hopeful that he can start doing the things we’ve seen in practice.“ Starring at Plum High School and Cornell University, Nolan Cressler has already demonstrated his incredible drive and phenomenal attitude. Cressler’s optimism colors his outlook on both his own struggles this year, and the struggles of the Commodores as a whole.

“We just got to stay enthusiastic, our coach always says nothing great was accomplished without enthusiasm. We know what we are capable of and there are signs that we know what we are doing.”

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This week in Commodore sports

By MAX HERZ Sports reporter --------------------

MEN’S BASKETBALL (10-7, 2-3 SEC)

at Tennessee Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m.

Knoxville, Tenn.

TV: SEC Network

A FOUL PROBLEM

BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Will Vanderbilt’s inability to stay out of foul trouble hurt them?

By CUTLER KLEIN Sports reporter --------------------

One of the most noticeable issues plaguing the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team this season has been fouls, contributing to a disappointing 10-7 start.

Opponents seem to enter the bonus and double bonus quite quickly against the Commodores. Out of the 346 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball teams this season, Vanderbilt is tied for 245th in personal fouls per game at 20.5. That means that, on average, opponents will be in the double bonus in every half they play against Vanderbilt.

So why is this happening, and who are the worst offenders?

There are any number of reasons why Vanderbilt can’t seem to keep their opponents off the foul line. First, the team has been generally frustrated as of late, with turnovers and losses to teams they could beat. Frustration generally leads to fouls, and Vanderbilt is no exception.

On top of that, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel issued recommendations to officials for areas of focus when it comes to fouls. According to a press release from June 2015, officials were told to pay special attention to perimeter defense, especially on the ball handler, physicality on the blocks down low, moving screens and block-charge plays.

Those areas are, unfortunately, ones that

Vanderbilt is strong in. They set a lot of ball screens to free up some of their sharpshooters, like Riley LaChance, and will see some tough defense on the perimeter as a result.

The Commodores are also aggressive in the paint, as they boast three big men that can post up and put the ball in the basket.

This convergence of circumstances has contributed to Vanderbilt’s foul trouble.

However, the issues seem to mostly be on the blocks. Center Damian Jones has been the most notable victim of foul issues. He is often forced to sit out big chunks of important games because he has too many fouls.

Jones had played 16 minutes or less in three of the six games leading up to the victory over Alabama on Saturday. In the win over Auburn last week, he played just 13 minutes. In addition, in Vanderbilt’s last four losses, Jones fouled out in three of them and picked up four fouls in the other one. The touted NBA prospect has now played fewer minutes per game than fellow big man Luke Kornet. Despite all of that, he sits second on the team in rebounds per game and points per game. That could be an indicator of how skilled he is and the numbers he can put up, even with restricted playing time.

All of this is not lost on head coach Kevin Stallings, who, according to the Tennessean, has reached out to the SEC’s head of officials and complained about unnecessary fouls called against Jones, claiming that he is being whistled for fouls he didn’t even commit.

On the flip side, Stallings acknowledged that the majority of the fouls were Jones’ fault and that he has watched film with him to try and prevent bad fouls on his end. That work, coupled with the hope for better officiating, might just solve the foul issue, according to Stallings.

If Vanderbilt wants to right the ship and keep their tournament hopes alive, they’ll need to learn to adjust to the new officiating focuses. The extra points from free throws

go a long way in deciding who wins these games, and there’s no doubt Vanderbilt will play plenty of close games down the stretch.

The Commodores just need to find a way to cut down on their fouls.

Or, at the very least, just foul less than the other team.

BASKETBALL WOES

BY THE NUMBERS

348

personal fouls, the ninth least in the SEC

23.0

personal fouls per game in Vanderbilt's losses, compared to 18.7 in wins

5.2

personal fouls per 40 minutes for Damian Jones this season, compared to 3.5 last season

Consecutive home wins over Auburn and Alabama have quickly erased the Commodores’ 0-3 start to SEC play, as Vandy hits the road to visit its two biggest hardwood rivals this week. Tennessee and new coach Rick Barnes are also 2-3 in conference play and, on paper, lack the size to contain Vanderbilt’s offense.

However, anything is possible when these two teams meet, most recently in last year’s SEC Tournament opener when the Vols upset the Dores 67-61 at Bridgestone Arena.

at No. 23 Kentucky Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m.

Lexington, Ky. TV: ESPN VU’s week away from home continues with the first of two regular season matchups with Kentucky, one of Vanderbilt’s new permanent home-and-home men’s basketball opponents along with Tennessee and Florida. The Wildcats have fallen 21 spots in the AP Poll from their No. 2 preseason ranking, already holding four losses on the season. Kentucky’s 75-70 loss to lowly Auburn on Saturday likely represents a low point in their season, a dark patch which the Commodores will be seeking to prolong.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (13-4, 2-2 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m.

Knoxville, Tenn.

TV: SEC Network

Vanderbilt women’s basketball and the Lady Vols will take the court in Knoxville just 22 hours after their male counterparts battle on the same floor, with just as much on the line. The Commodores have won two straight after an 0-2 start to conference play but lack a resume-building win, which a dub against their archrivals would provide.

vs. Alabama Monday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.

Memorial Gym This Monday night matchup is a rematch of a 54-48 Vanderbilt victory in Tuscaloosa just two weekends ago. Christa Reed scored 15 points in the second half of that game to give Vandy its first SEC win of the season.

14

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

Where in the

world is Johnny McCrary

(going to be next year)?

A reunion with former coach James Franklin at PSU is one possiblity among many for the redshirt sophomore

By BEN WEINRIB Sports editor --------------------

Johnny McCrary’s time at Vanderbilt was short-lived, but the redshirt sophomore will have two more years of eligibility after graduating from Vanderbilt before the 2016-17 season starts.

The next question becomes “Where?”

McCrary will be eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer and should have a pick of several intriguing schools. He could follow in the footsteps of former teammates Josh Grady (Florida) and Stephen Rivers (Northwestern State) and choose a big-time school to be a backup, or a smaller school with a greater chance to start, respectively.

Despite his up-and-down performance throughout his 12 starts over two seasons, there’s no denying McCrary’s present skill set. Recruiting website Rivals.com rated him a four-star recruit and the 10th best dual-threat quarterback in the nation out of high school, and he’s shown flashes of greatness at times.

McCrary hasn’t publicly announced any details about where he will end up but has dropped several hints, leading to this list of six potential schools for the former Commodore quarterback.

GEORGIA

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM the caption “Wait A Sec... No Wait...

Oh Bet...” that he later took down.

Is this saying he will reunite with Franklin? Is he posting a picture of the first time he played in a Vanderbilt uniform before he announces his exit?

Was it just a picture he likes? Who knows.

WESTERN KENTUCKY Now we’re getting into schools that seem more likely. Western Kentucky had the third-highest scoring offense last season led by the nation’s passing yardage leader, sixth-year senior Brandon Doughty.

With Doughty moving on and no clear replacement for him, McCrary could slide in and take over the explosive, up-tempo offense that would mesh well with his abilities. Better yet, he would face off against Vanderbilt in the Commodores’ fourth game of the season just 70 miles north in Bowling Green.

MEMPHIS There will be plenty of turnover in Memphis next season with head coach Justin Fuente leaving to coach Virginia Tech and projected firstround pick Paxton Lynch declaring for the NFL draft.

The Tigers hired former Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell as their new head coach, but he doesn’t have any connections to inhouse quarterbacks. With Brady Davis the lone quarterback on roster to receive even a three-star rating, Norvell may have his quarterback of the future three hours east. Norvell runs an offense similar to Gus Malzahn at Auburn, which would work well with McCrary.

GEORGIA STATE

This seems like the biggest long-shot, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that McCrary could return to his home state. New head coach Kirby Smart has no loyalty to incumbent starter Greyson Lambert, who was a far lower recruit than McCrary, and Smart could be looking for a new starter.

Furthermore, when McCrary announced he was graduating and not returning to Vanderbilt on Instagram, it was with a picture from Vanderbilt’s home game against Georgia in 2015 with the geotag “Athens Ga.” Is it a hint where he’s going? Has he already talked with Smart? Who knows.

McCrary grew up in Ellenwood, Ga., a short drive from Georgia State’s campus in downtown Atlanta. It seems likely that McCrary would return home to a smaller school somewhere in Georgia, and the Panthers are a solid fit.

With senior quarterback Nick Arbuckle graduated, McCrary could be a significant upgrade over the rest of their roster and improve the Panthers in their fourth year of playing Division I football.

PENN STATE

TENNESSEE STATE

This connection makes sense for several reasons, and the Nittany Lions would be as good of a team as any he could transfer to. Head coach James Franklin recruited McCrary out of high school to Vanderbilt and is still one of his highest recruits at any school.

With projected first-round pick Christian Hackenberg expected to declare for the NFL draft, the Nittany Lions are left with just sophomore Trace McSorley, another former Vanderbilt recruit, at quarterback. McCrary was a far better recruit than McSorley, who has only completed 13 of 51 career passes.

McCrary posted a picture of him and Franklin from the 2013 Black and Gold spring game on Instagram two days before announcing he would not return to Vanderbilt with

The Tigers aren’t necessarily a great fit on paper since they’re an NCAA Division I FCS team, and McCrary can probably get an FBS offer from some teams. However, he has led a trail of clues on Instagram that may or may not mean anything at all.

McCrary has posted four pictures over the past two days with geotags at Tennessee State’s campus, including one at their multi-purpose athletic center. Does this mean he’s considering transferring across town? Is he just visiting friends? Again, who knows?

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016

backpage TODAY'S CROSSWORD

TODAY'S SUDOKU

Answers to last week’s crossword

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

JULIA ORDOG / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Civil Rights icon Rev. James Lawson delivers the Keynote Address to a sold-out audience in Langford Auditorium on Monday, Jan. 18. The address closed a weekend commemorating the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through guest speakers, teach-ins and a march through Nashville.

YEARBOOK PORTRAITS FEB. 8-12 and FEB. 15-19, Sarratt 110

Visit www.thecommodoreyearbook.com to learn more and to schedule your Senior portrait.