The Vanderbilt Hustler 1-28-15

vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015

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VOL. 127, ISS. 4

Is 10 minutes enough?

Limited time between classes causes headaches for professors and students SEE PAGE 8 RAPE TRIAL

GUILTY

Verdict marks critical moment in national rape conversation SEE PAGE 2

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campus Beyond the guilty verdict

QUOTE OF THE DAY I want to remind other victims of sexual violence: You are not alone. You are not to blame.

POST-TRIAL STATEMENT FROM VICTIM

Putting the landmark rape trial in campus and national context

BY TYLER BISHOP AND ALLIE GROSS Editor-in-chief, News editor --------------------

Trigger warning: The following includes content pertaining to a specific campus sexual assault. It may be triggering to some readers.

The case against Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey represents a story that often goes unwritten: Sexual assaults on college campuses go to trial only a fraction of the time that they are reported. But 19 months after the initial June 23, 2013 incident, the two were found guilty on four counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery in a Davidson County court.

The case began making national headlines on June 28, 2013 when four Vanderbilt football players were dismissed from the team. Since, it has been held up as a prominent example of campus rape, though the details of the incident — including the involvement of multiple aggressors and the use of a water bottle — make it an especially horrific instance.

Still, the case is just one element of a broader conversation on campus and nationally about the issue of sexual assault, which is more often characterized by grey areas and “he said, she said” controversies.

The trial Throughout the trial, which lasted 12 days total, the prosecution pieced together video, photo and testimonial evidence to paint the picture of the victim’s graphic assault and subsequent attempted cover-up, which involved at least a few additional football players.

The defense presented Batey as a good kid who came to Vanderbilt on a scholarship and was corrupted by a culture of promiscuity and excessive drinking. Batey — though he says he has no memory of the incident — took responsibility for his involvement on the stand, apologizing directly to the victim, who was in the courtroom. But Worrick Robinson, his attorney, made the case that he could not be held criminally responsible.

vanderbilthustler STAFF

TYLER BISHOP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN

Cory Batey embraces his attorney, Worrick Robinson, following the jury’s announcement of the verdict. Batey was found guilty on four counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery.

Based on the evidence, Vandenburg did not physically assault the victim. However, the state holds him fully responsible for the assault because he aided and encouraged the others. His defense team attempted to pick apart the prosecution’s claims that he was the “ringleader” by arguing that he had no control over the actions of others. But prosecutors successfully debunked the defense, relying again on video evidence — including a graphic video from the dorm room in which Vandenburg was heard telling someone to “squeeze that shit” referring to the bottle that was used to violate the victim.

For The Hustler’s full coverage on the evidence and arguments presented in trial, visit vanderbilthustler.com.

The verdict Vandenburg and Batey were convicted on 5 counts of aggravated rape and 2 counts of aggravated sexual battery. On one count, however, the jury found Batey and Vandenburg guilty of a lesser charge: attempted aggravated sexual battery. Vandenburg was additionally convicted of tampering with evidence (for disposing condoms after the incident) and unlawful photography.

Brandon Banks and Jaborian “Tip” McKenzie face the same charges and are still awaiting trial, though McKenzie testified during the trial with the hope of receiving a lighter penalty.

Judge Monte Watkins said that the sentencing hearing would

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be held March 6. Vandenburg and Batey face potential penalties of between 15-60 years for aggravated rape and 8-30 years for aggravated sexual battery. Vandenburg additionally faces between 1-6 years for unlawful photography and 3-15 years for tampering with evidence. The sentences are expected to be served concurrently, rather than back to back.

The verdict was announced by the jury foreperson after only three hours of deliberation. Both defendants were immediately taken into custody. The defendants will likely appeal their convictions.

When asked about his conversation with Batey following the verdict, Robinson said: “I told him I loved him. I told him that we’re not going to abandon him. I told him there are other processes to seek, but I’m not worried about that tonight.”

Robinson also reflected on the “several tragedies” of the case.

“I’m sorry this happened for her. I’m sorry it happened for these boys. I think if you look into these boys’ hearts, they’re good boys,” Robinson said. “I can’t change 30 minutes of his life that is going to cost him 15-25 or more in prison.”

Prosecutor Jan Norman read a statement from the victim expressing gratitude that the criminal justice system held the defendants responsible. “The hard work of the law enforcement officers, prosecutors and victims’ advocates who dedicated so many months of their lives to this case has made justice

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The Vanderbilt landscape The movement against sexual assault at Vanderbilt has changed much in the 19 months since the incident took place.

The university updated and fleshed out its sexual misconduct policy. The Project Safe Center opened its doors as a resource for victims of sexual assault last fall. And a higher number of students than ever before, including all new IFC fraternity members this spring, have been trained in Green Dot, a bystander intervention program aimed at preventing sexual assault.

Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) launched a task force, held a student-only forum and facilitated more than 430 students signing the “It’s on Us” pledge to take responsibility for sexual assault prevention. VSG’s task force will present its plan for addressing sexual assault in the coming semester Wednesday night. Additionally, a number of both new and existing student organizations have hosted a variety of events aimed at raising awareness.

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune acknowledged these ongoing efforts in a statement delivered Tuesday evening following the verdict.

“Incidents will be investigated, victims will be supported and perpetrators will be punished. We will also continue our comprehensive ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of every Vanderbilt student intervening when another student is at risk or in distress,” Fortune said.

The case also raised questions about a possibly problematic culture among college athletes. “The culture you really saw was entitled athletes thinking the rules don’t apply to them,” prosecutor Tom Thurman said during his closing argument.

First-year Adam Taylor highlighted why athletes’ involvement might be especially problematic. “I think that a lot of students look up to athletes as role models. They can potentially be famous if they go on to be professional and … I think that they

should be held to a higher standard.”

The problem of sexual assault remains an ongoing conversation at Vanderbilt. In the 18 and a half months between the June 2013 incident and the start of the trial, 26 sexual assaults were reported at Vanderbilt.

The verdict comes the same week that federal investigators are on campus interviewing student focus groups to review the university’s compliance with sexual assault and sexual violence policies. Also this week, The Hustler is publishing a related anonymous guest column written by a student who details why she feels that the university failed in its obligation to treat her with respect as a victim (see page 10).

Thurman, in a post-trial statement, pointed out that the problem of sexual assault extends beyond Vanderbilt’s campus. “It’s going on at colleges all across the country. I think it will open a discussion about what’s going on,” Thurman said. National initiatives — such as the “It’s on Us” campaign launched by The White House in September — have increased, bringing greater attention to the statistic that one in five women are sexually assaulted during their college years.

Junior Alexandra Ruff said the verdict sets an important precedent for campus sexual assault at Vanderbilt and nationwide.

“I think that it sets a really good precedent for other cases that are similar throughout the country, and it makes it so that Vanderbilt seems like a school that takes rape seriously,” Ruff said.

Another student, junior Sarah Fine, said she feels the verdict avoided a setback in national dialogue about campus rape.

“On some level I feel a sense of relief that it turned out this way,” Fine said. “I don’t know that I would celebrate it or be so glad that it turned out the way it did, but I can’t imagine what a huge setback it would be if it hadn’t turned out this way.”

“I hope that it serves as a source of strength to people so that if people need to speak up about these things, they feel that their voices will be heard,” Fine added.

WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

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JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN

Brandon Vandenburg hugs his attorney, Albert Perez Jr. The victim’s statement closed, “I am also hopeful that the publicity this case has received will lead to a discussion of how we can end sexual violence on college campuses. Finally, I want to remind other victims of sexual violence: You are not alone.

You are not to blame.”

EDITOR'S NOTE The Vanderbilt Hustler will never name a victim or alleged victim of sexual assault — or otherwise provide identifying information about them — without their consent. In our coverage, we additionally will not name current students, our peers, who are involved in the case without their consent.

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WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

CAMPUS

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Warren and Moore colleges espouse student-driven programming to facilitate the development of the living and learning community.

Warren and Moore: A semester in review

After the College Halls’ first semester, residents and faculty director reflect on their community and goals moving forward

By AADITI NAIK News reporter --------------------

W

hen upperclassmen moved into Warren and Moore colleges in August, many were not sure what to expect from a living and learning community that vastly differed from the one they experienced as first-years.

The introduction of The Martha Ingram Commons in 2008 set the model for residential college life at Vanderbilt.

Four years later, the university Board of Trust approved an investment of $115 million to build a residential college for sophomores, juniors and seniors to provide them with a living and learning experience as well. About 25 percent of 2,440 applicants were accepted last spring to pioneer the College Hall living-learning communities.

“My conception is that The Commons orients students to Vanderbilt,” said Douglas Fisher, faculty director of Warren College. “Here at the College Halls and in living and learning communities elsewhere — Mayfield, McGill — we’re starting the process of orienting students to the outside world and to getting engaged as citizens in that world.”

Fisher said the size — 660 residents total — and

student-driven nature of the College Halls makes them unique as living-learning communities.

“We want to encourage a group of students who are interested in themes, be it board games or sustainability, to self-organize. And we’ll give them the resources to develop a presence beyond the informal interest group,” he said.

According to Fisher, the goals of a sense of community and student-driven programming are being realized.

Reflecting on the first semester Sophomore Lisa Muloma, a member of the Warren College Student Governance, has found her experience at Warren College to be “more rewarding” than her firstyear experience on The Commons, although there is less programming in Warren and Moore. Muloma said that this actually accommodates the lifestyles of upperclassmen.

“Warren College has a lot to offer, but there is a slight impetus to seek it out and make of it what you will,” Muloma said. “Vanderbilt students, especially those who are returning having finished freshman year, tend to be overcommitted. A constant stream of programming just wouldn’t make sense.”

Junior Cristina Petrovich, who lives in Moore, thought the housing arrangements, composed of singles, doubles and suites, lack community. She added that Warren and

Moore’s absence of a formal dining space for students to sit and eat together, despite a dining option, The Kitchen, offering breakfast and dinner, results in a lack of community.

One junior resident spoke under the condition of anonymity about her experiences of isolation living in College Halls.

“I considered leaving because it was sometimes sad coming home to a quiet, empty hall and a single,” she said. “In the first half of the semester there were little to no programs, no clear levels of leadership within the LLC, empty halls and common rooms, closed doors — it was like living in a hotel. People came to WAM, went in their rooms and stayed there.”

Despite the difficulties, she said that her experience had improved over the semester.

“Soon, programming began to pick up,” she said. “Some common rooms started to see more people.”

Fisher recognizes the potential for students to be lonely, stating that “if you walk the halls at night, it is often isolated and empty.” He said that RAs had nevertheless been making greater efforts to plan floor-level programming.

The faculty directors and graduate fellows, who contribute to the activities, also meet monthly to sit and write a reflection on the success of the month’s efforts.

CAMPUS THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM “We want to, as faculty directors and graduate fellows and RAs, reach those people who are feeling lonely and bring them out,” Fisher added. “Come to us with ideas.

Very often, the best ideas come from dissatisfaction with something.”

Fisher said that student interests have driven the spontaneous creation of weekly group yoga sessions and floorwide game nights. More formal programming — including Kissam Carnival, fresh-baked cookies weekly at the Fishers’ apartment and Sunday night dinners with guest faculty — was planned by the faculty directors as well.

“I feel like I’ve engaged with the community by attending events, both celebratory and educational,” said Alisha Newton, sophomore.

She emphasized the impact of personal interactions with fellow residents as part of her daily life.

“More than anything else, nothing has made me feel like part of a community like the late-night conversations in the common area, prank wars and studying with neighbors who also happen to be classmates,” Newton said.

Moving forward While Fisher recognizes that there is space for improvement with regard to Warren and Moore based on student feedback, he is also waiting for the situation to settle before implementing changes.

“What we’ve got here is something really good, we’ve got great students. We’re going to be tweaking things here and there but we’re not in a rush to see where this goes.

We’re going to give it some time because it’s something new to Vanderbilt,” he said.

Integrating all Vanderbilt students living on campus into living-learning residential communities is the ultimate goal of residential education, as outlined in the Academic Strategic Plan released this fall.

In the more immediate future, the application process for Warren and Moore is being changed to call for

students to more actively commit to Warren and Moore’s guiding principles. The application will ask students to reflect on their reasons for desiring to live in the livinglearning communities. The lottery system will nevertheless remain in use.

Although residents in College Halls are guaranteed the right to stay in their specific College, students were concerned about not being able to switch or live with residents of the other College. In line with the original vision for the halls, he said that the planners, however, would prefer for students to commit to the smaller community of their college.

According to Fisher, this reflects a question the College Halls are confronting of which community to emphasize: that of the college, hall or floor level. He said students at a recent Warren town hall meeting expressed that they prefered “finer-grained community-building” programming on the floor and hall levels.

“I want applicants because they are committed to building and participating in community with others, having each others’ backs, taking an active interest in the lives of others who they didn’t know before they walked in the door and creating a home in which all the residents get reenergized with the help of their fellows,” he said via email.

The attitudes of some of the first residents of Warren and Moore reflect a sense of empowerment in students to shape the culture of their residential halls. Senior Robert Lux spoke to the unique position that he and his peers found themselves in as their first semester at Warren and Moore wound to an end.

“College Halls is a unique residence hall right now because students can quickly and easily impact the community’s culture,” Lux said. “Other residence halls come with reputations, with well-known baggage and lists of pros and cons. Right now, College Halls offers students a chance to make their own residence hall culture.”

WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

PERSPECTIVES ON WARREN AND MOORE

“All of the staff at Kissam seems incredibly focused on making the Kissam experience ‘like home’. I have taken the time to engage with the security guards as well janitors and kitchen staff and, at least for me, they go above and beyond — taking the time to get to know us, remember our names and be welcoming.”

­­—Cristina Petrovich, junior “It’s important to us that our LLC organically falls into some recognizable identity or personality that distinguishes it from all others. We don’t want Warren and Moore to be known as just a couple of pretty buildings.”

—Lisa Muloma, junior “The expectation is that once you were admitted you have a right to stay in the community. Because we think of these places as communities. Warren and Moore — they’re not simply buildings. They’re actually communities.”

—Douglas Fisher, Faculty Director of Warren College

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life

QA

GO DO

THIS

VIBE show: The Definition Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, 7p.m. at the Student Life Center Vanderbilt’s multicultural hip-hop group VIBE is presenting their showcase The Definition, this Friday at the SLC. The show features performances inspired by how the group defines themselves and tickets are available on the wall for $7 and at the door for $9.

Speaks Sexologist &

Megan Andelloux

By ABBEY FERNANDEZ Life reporter --------------------

At a school like Vanderbilt, there’s no doubt that students can perform in the classroom, but do their skills measure up in the bedroom?

Megan Andelloux, certified sexologist and founder of The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, is coming to Vanderbilt to make sure they do.

The Hustler sat down with Andelloux to hear more about her work and what’s in store for her workshop:

A

The Vanderbilt Hustler: Was there a specific time growing up or in your studies that you knew you wanted to become a sexologist? If so, when?

Megan Andelloux: Absolutely. It was my second semester in college.

I went to school for marine biology ... but second semester I took an elective in human sexuality. I always had a knack for memorizing sex stuff. I didn’t really care much about it, but for whatever reason it just always stuck in my head. So on the first day the professor gave us a quiz, and I remember everyone freaking out because it was the first day of class and we already had a quiz. After we took it and got it back, the professor told us that 85 percent of American adults fail this quiz. And I remember thinking, “I only got one wrong.” I was fascinated — why does this come so easily to me? I couldn’t understand why something so common amongst all individuals was also so taboo. So it was that day that I decided to change my major and to focus in on human sexuality as a way for me to excel at what I’m good at.

VH: What was your upbringing like? How did your parents react to your career choice?

Andelloux: I grew up on the cape. My parents are older so there was a large age gap between my siblings and I. It was a very waspy town.

Very “don’t have emotions, don’t show vulnerability” in my family. It was hard for my family to adjust to what my career was ... That was not a happy moment — when I told my parents what I would be going in to. My mother is so proud of me now. It’s really interesting to see how the dynamics of our relationship have changed over the years as she has become more comfortable talking about sexuality since I opened up the door.

VH: What do you make of the “hookup” culture that runs rampant on college campuses?

Andelloux: I think that people feel a lot of pressure and anxiety when it comes to sexuality. We are stacking ourselves up against one another, yet nobody really knows what one another is doing. Unfortunately, I think that the way that media has portrayed hookup culture has been really hyped up and approached in a very negative light.

And the fact that our culture doesn’t talk about sexuality, in general, makes it even more anxiety-filled. So what I end up coming face to face with is people who struggle with becoming comfortable with their sexuality because most of the messages they’ve heard have been negative.

VH: Do you think you have to be in love with the other partner that you’re having sex with to experience pleasure?

Andelloux: Oh my goodness, no. I mean, I’ll go to the worst-case example and we’ll work backwards. There are numerous individuals who experience an orgasm during a sexual assault. And obviously there’s a lot of shame associated with that because when you hear the message “If you had an orgasm, it means that you enjoyed it,” and then these people have been sexually assaulted, what does that mean for them? Then, on the other hand, sometimes being in love or in a relationship can make it harder to let go and enjoy for certain individuals because it’s too emotionally risky. They have an easier time experiencing an orgasm with someone they won’t be seeing the next day. So in terms of if you have to be in love to have an orgasm or good sex, I would say absolutely not.

VH: What is the largest myth you’ve heard associated with sex in college?

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MEGAN ANDELLOUX

Andelloux: There are so many, but for me, if there’s one mission that I’m on in regards to sexuality, it would be to stress that it is ok to talk about it. Whatever “it” is, it’s ok to talk about. That’s a message that I didn’t receive in my upbringing and that I don’t see reflected in our society. That creates shame, diseases, dysfunction. For example for me, my sex ed was nonexistent besides fifth grade sex ed. If people can gain more muscle memory by communicating about sex, they can get better while having sex.

VH: What is the main message of your workshop?

Andelloux: I think that sexuality, for many people, is a very natural state of being. Not all people are sexual, but most people are and they are usually not looking to get hurt emotionally or physically when they’re having sexy time. So when I’m talking about “safety,” I’m talking about physical and emotional safety. I think it’s really important that we focus on all the components of having “safe” sex — how to feel comfortable, how to feel desired, how to communicate your needs. So that is going to be anything from skill building, like where the hell is the “G-spot,” to how to make safe sex comfortable, less awkward and actually sexy.

VH: If you had to give just one piece of advice to college students regarding the navigation of their sex life, what would it be?

Andelloux: I would say go on sexual adventures. Experiment. Try things out before you say, “no, that’s not for me.” People have been told a rhetoric of what “sex” is supposed to be, but sex can be so many different things. It’s about stepping out of the box of what we have been told sex is and figuring out how you can have sex that’s good for you.

Join Vandy Sex Ed and the Margaret Cuninggim’s Women’s Center on Tues, Feb. 3, 7 p.m. at the SLC Ballroom for Andelloux’s interactive workshop, “Want to be Brilliant in Bed?”

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Is 10 minutes enough?

special

The Vanderbilt Hustler takes to campus walkways (including the dreaded Stevenson bridge) to evaluate the growing dilemma By Maddie Hughes, Features editor

‘‘

I know what the hike is, I do what I call my infantry march. Cause it’s no dallying, step lightly to get there in time.

’’

—John English, professor

‘‘

Professors say they are really strict about you being on time and don’t want you to come late, but I feel like showing up late is better than not showing up at all.

’’ ’’

—Emily Belthoff, junior

‘‘

I’ve learned you can’t talk to people, you have to get to class.

—Ariana Fowler, sophomore

‘‘ ’’

You can’t stop for anything!

—Alexis Mayhall, senior

The well-known walk from Wyatt Center on Peabody Lawn, to Wilson Hall on main campus is 0.9 miles. While most classroom buildings are not located at such a distance, the presence of several such commutes is enough to warrant the question whether a 10-minute passing period long enough.

The Hustler decided to put some campus commutes to the test. The walk from the Wyatt Center to Wilson Hall was the longest, taking over 11 minutes even at a brisk pace, not accounting for the time necessary to pack-up after class ends, settle into the next one, or make it past slow walkers on the bridge. Even a walk between two buildings on main campus, Featheringill Hall and Furman Hall, took nearly six minutes to complete.

The current class construct was implemented 45 years ago in 1970, according to the Registrar’s Office. Vanderbilt University merged with the George Peabody College for Teachers in 1979, adding 53 acres of land to the university, to span a total of 300 acres.

No corresponding change in passing period length, however, was added to account for the new addition.

“There has been discussion about increasing the length of the passing time, but no changes have been affected to date,” said Quinet Bart, University Registrar, in an email. As the University Registrar, Quinet is responsible for setting the calendar and schedule for the university.

Karen Campbell, senior associate dean for undergraduate education in the College of Arts and Science, added that the Faculty Senate raised the issue during the 2007-08 school year and launched an investigation.

According to Campbell, the results of the report, revealed in March 2009, indicated that the change would not be feasible due to a lack of classroom space, which would be necessary to lengthen the passing period.

“It seems (like) a no-brainer — ‘let’s give everybody 20 minutes between classes’ — but it has ripple effects that this committee looked at and said, ‘Right now, we cannot see how we can do this,’” Campbell said.

In the time since the report, however, related issues have arisen. Two years ago, the Department of Communication Studies relocated to The Curb Center at 18th and Edgehill, from it’s former location in Calhoun Hall.

Senior Michael Olson, a communication studies minor, said that the current location of the department is more inconvenient

than its previous location on main campus. to tardiness, but trusts faculty members and As a result, professors and students need to students to work together, citing personal be flexible in adjusting to the change. experience as a sociology professor.

“All the professors have to understand “I had a student last fall who needed to that people will be getting to their classes get to a distant class, and so two days out of late or having to leave early. Right now I three in the week she left my class five minsit next to her a girl who has to leave five utes early. So I think students and faculty minutes early because she has a class in do make those kinds of accommodations,” Sarratt Cinema. I won’t say that it’s the most Campbell said. disruptive thing in the world, but if I was a Some students, however, have had less professor it would bug me a little bit,” Olson positive experiences with their professors. said.

Sophomore Austin Taylor had to walk John English, a senior lecturer in the from a writing seminar in Gillette Hall to a Department of Communication StudSpanish class in Buttrick Hall last year, but ies, teaches a popular introductory public his professor was not understanding when speaking class with a strict tardiness policy. he arrived to class late.

He deducts 15 points from a student’s “We had quizzes at the beginning of class, grade every time he or she arrives late to and I often didn’t have enough time to finish class because of the disadvantage caused them when I got to class late,” Taylor said. to students’ peers in a class with a lot of Senior Alexis Mayhall said her relationpresentations. ship with her professor was negatively “Being on time and in your seat is imporaffected because she was late in arriving to tant because if you get people busting in the her class in Wilson Hall from her class in the middle of speeches, and you get people who Mayborne Building. are not considerate, it causes the person “(My professor) honestly did not like me who is speaking difficulty, and when I am because I always showed up late. I told him grading I won’t change and give them conat the beginning of the year, and he was like sideration for that,” he said.

‘Do your best,’ and I did, but I guess it wasn’t While English will not consider making good enough,” Mayhall said. a more lenient tardiness policy, he says he But professors emphasize that tardiness would favor lengthening the passing period policies are in place for reasons unrelated to due to the distance between main campus the passing period. and The Curb Center.

“In virtually all cases, (my class) is the “I think 15 minutes would probably be first class of the day for my students, so better, because we’ve got classes over here tardiness is likely not due to the 10-minute now. Whether they’ll do that or not, I don’t passing period, but instead due to personal know. I could live with 15 minutes,” he said. choices,” said Lloyd Massengill, an electronSeveral students also addressed the imics professor, in an email to The Hustler. portance of personal responsibility in planSome students said that the hassle of ning out their classes for the semester. extending the length of the passing period is Junior Darshi Edirisooriya moved her not worth the disruption it would cause to recitation to an hour later when she realized the university-wide schedule. When asked she only had five minutes to get from her whether the passing period should be exclassroom in Stevenson to a writing seminar tended, sophomore Ariana Fowler said that on Commons. she likes the current model.

Sophomore Adrienne Sherrod, said that “I like that more than I like longer periods as a Blair student, there are difficulties in (in between classes). It’s kind of a comprotraveling to main campus in 10 minutes, but mise,” Fowler said. she added, “I usually just schedule things Campbell said that although many stuthe way that I don’t have to do that.” dents and faculty members may be in favor Most students feel that they do not have of a lengthened passing period, there will to preemptively take into consideration most likely be no changes in the near future. their professors’ policies when it comes to “I think it’s pretty much in a holding pattardiness — professors are generally symtern,” Campbell said. pathetic to unavoidable issues in students’ —Charles Obrecht and Joshua Timm conschedules.

Dean Campbell said the administration tributed to this report doesn’t make school-wide policies relating

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lfeature

Campus commutes Walking map of campus

Wilson Hall Furman to Hank: 10 min.

55 sec.

Main Campus

Furman Hall

Calhoun Hall Cole Hall Buttrick to Blair 10 min.

6 sec.

Buttrick Hall

Curb Center to Calhoun 9 min.

31 sec.

Stevenson Center Olin Hall

The Curb Center

Stevenson to Olin 5 min.

8 sec.

Maybourne

The Commons Wyatt to Wilson: 11 min.

34 sec.

Blair

Maybourne to Cole 9 min.

31 sec.

Hank Ingram House Wyatt Center

Two reporters timed how long it took them to walk common routes between classrooms on campus. The times recorded do not account for the time it takes to pack up after class, or settle in to the classroom. Timelapse videos from the walks can be viewed on vanderbilthustler.com.

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WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

opinion

QUOTE OF THE DAY “Hidden Dores wasn’t and isn’t about shaming or vilifying white people for their privilege. When you make our movement about you and your privilege, you’re co-opting and diminishing our struggle.”

AKANINYENE RUFFIN

I am one of the 26

Anonymous victim speaks out about reporting her assault EDITOR'S NOTE This editorial is being published anonymously to protect the identity of of the author. The editors have privately reviewed the confidential correspondence between Vanderbilt’s office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Disability Services (EAD) and the author.

I

n many more ways than not, I’m just like any other Vanderbilt student. I dream about that perfect F Lot parking spot, I know to avoid the Wall at all costs around 12 p.m. unless you want a million pamphlets, and I can never manage to use all my meal swipes by the end of the week. But there’s something about me that you don’t know.

I am one of the 26.

The Tennessean recently stated that there have been 26 reports of sexual assault at Vanderbilt since the June 2013 incident involving Vanderbilt athletes.

It’s a funny feeling, looking at that statistic and knowing that you’re part of it.

It’s strange to be inexplicably tied to a number that shows up next to phrases like “jury selection” and “plea deals.”

I am one of the 26.

There is a movement on campus to talk about rape culture. I am incredibly grateful for campaigns like “I Am The Girl That Ratted.” I would not have had the courage to come forward without it. But with all due respect, nearly every one of you is only imagining what it must be like to be that victim. Only 25

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I never once told the officer my attacker’s full name. He clearly explained to me that the case would not be formally opened until I filed a formal complaint.

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NEWS EDITOR news@vanderbilthustler.com

LIFE EDITOR life@vanderbilthustler.com

MOLLY CORN

ALLISON MAST

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other girls and I know what happens from the moment you show up at the Women’s Center. It goes like this: I was raped by a male Vanderbilt undergraduate student during the fall of 2013. For nearly three months, I stayed silent. The first time I told my story, I couldn’t even lift my head or make eye contact. But time and practice helped.

I have never once regretted telling my story to those close to me. I have been so humbled by their fiercely supportive, encouraging reactions. I have cried far more out of surprise and joy for the compassion I have received than I have cried for the crime committed against me. But this editorial isn’t about that. It’s about Vanderbilt.

I showed up at the Women’s Center in January 2014. My name was taken down; within a few weeks, I had received multiple calls from the Vanderbilt EAD Department, which deals with sexual assault cases. It wasn’t until April that I agreed to meet with an officer. I remember his office, covered in pictures that

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his children had drawn with crayons. He expressed outrage over what had happened to me. I thought to myself, “This will be simple. He seems like a compassionate, respectful man.” However, I never once told the officer my attacker’s full name. He clearly explained to me that the case would not be formally opened until I filed a formal complaint.

He reassured me that my attacker wouldn’t be contacted in any way until I had made that decision. He urged me to take time and talk it over with the PCC. He told me that there was no statute of limitations and that the ball was in my court, so to speak. I spent the next several weeks weighing my options.

I woke up on May 1 with several voicemails from a Vanderbilt number. My heart stopped when I heard this: “After reviewing your file, I found your attacker’s full name. We are now obligated to bring him in and see what he has to say about your allegations.” I begged both him as well as a high-ranking official at the University not to call until I made

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my decision. But nothing could be done.

Within hours, I had received intimidating messages from the man who had raped me. It took days and my parents’ intervention just to receive a stay-away order from the University, directing the attacker to never contact me again. I thought long and hard and decided, what good was justice, if it came from a system like this? Like so many others, I chose not to file a formal complaint.

I still don’t know how the EAD got that name. I do know that I feel betrayed by a system that makes promises it can’t keep. I don’t know if the fault lies with the Vanderbilt EAD or if it lies with the Title IX regulations that must have required the action that that officer took. All I know is that it didn’t seem fair to me, and it didn’t seem to protect a victim. And the saddest part? I received that phone call the exact morning that the U.S. Department of Education announced its open Title IX investigation into Vanderbilt. My instinct tells me that Vanderbilt was saving its own skin in preparation for the upcoming investigation. Vanderbilt’s compliance took away the voice that I was told I would have in my case. And if that’s the law, then I don’t think the law is right. The victim should feel safe coming to Vanderbilt with her story. More than anything, that’s what I hope comes out of this university-wide dialogue about our rape culture. Until then, I’ll be here, cheering on those who continue to fight for us, the 26.

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13 11

Opening Hidden Dores

Defining the movement’s mission and vision

T

his time last year Hidden Dores didn’t exist.

Racial conversations were hushed or suppressed. Speaking out about microaggressions is a sophomore in the College of Arts or the latest Joshua Everett editorial probably wasn’t and Science. She as common as it is now. But, in this short amount of can be reached at time, the campaign has shot across this campus in a akaninyene.d.ruffin@ way that we never expected. Honestly, all we origivanderbilt.edu. nally wanted was a photo campaign, a chance to tell our stories and remove the burden of silence.

Before the protests surrounding the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner exclaimed that “Black Lives Matter,” those who participated in our original photo campaign wanted to let Vanderbilt know that our stories, voices and lives all matter. We were students of color who desired the opportunity to tell our stories of marginalization that for so long had been disregarded.

We believe that the only way to heal is to confront the issues that plague us. And while folks may be uncomfortable with people like me who allegedly tell people like them to check their privilege at the door, imagine how “uncomfortable” it is to have to explain that you are more than their narrow stereotypes surrounding Black culture or Latino culture or Asian culture, to explain to a white girl in your anthropology class that Trayvon Martin wasn’t just a random rapper. Imagine how unpleasant it is to be told that you’re “pretty for a dark-skinned girl,” or told that your suitemates “aren’t attracted to black girls, just

AKANINYENE RUFFIN

like they aren’t attracted to animals.”

If we want to speak about being offended, let’s discuss the experiences of hundreds of AsianAmerican students who have been made to feel like perpetual foreigners. Let’s discuss the experiences of Muslim women who have been judged for their personal choice of wearing a hijab. If you want to discuss shameful and disrespectful behavior, it’s time to discuss why some believe that students of color were accepted simply because of affirmative action or to fill some imaginary quota, and not because we earned it.

Let’s discuss the cultural erasure of American Indian students, who have been told not to embrace their culture because they were “weren’t really Native American.” Let’s discuss the silencing of the AfricanAmerican woman that occurs when students blow us off for being “angry black girls.” Let’s talk about the overwhelming sentiments of invisibility that so many of us have felt as brown faces in this white space.

However, Hidden Dores wasn’t and isn’t about shaming or vilifying white people for their privilege. When you make our movement about you and your privilege, you’re co-opting and diminishing our struggle. Hidden Dores is about celebrating and confronting the experiences of students of color on Vanderbilt’s campus. It’s about the stories that make us uncomfortable and the stories that make us laugh.

These stories are where we can and will find healing.

I want Vanderbilt to be a place where we can talk about the issues surrounding racism and marginalization without getting stuck in the tropes of hyperbole and passiveness. Vanderbilt should be a place where the beauty of cultural differences is celebrated beyond Diwali, ANYF, Harambee and Cafe con Leche.

Vanderbilt must be a place where we stop simply viewing culture as entertainment without taking the time to learn more. We no longer want Vanderbilt to be a place that coddles and allows ignorance. In our global economy, cultural competency is a must. As a top-20 university, Vanderbilt should require basic knowledge about culture and history in order to instill in students an awareness about themselves and the world in which they live.

We want Vanderbilt to improve — not to stagnate in status quo or tradition. And while sometimes it feels like we take two steps forward only to be pushed three steps back, we won’t stop pursuing progress.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the issues we have cannot be changed overnight. But we cannot grow complacent. We cannot ignore these issues. We cannot be distracted by divisiveness. The mission statement of this institution says that we will uphold the goals of the institution by supporting “equality, compassion, and excellence in all endeavors.” We will not stop until we achieve that statement. We will be here until Vanderbilt is a vision of the mission it proclaims.

Pressure cooker

Campus expectations cripple mental health

T NAEHA HARIDASA is a first-year in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at naeha. haridasa@vanderbilt. edu.

wo weeks ago, another opinion writer, Queen Stevenson, wrote a piece titled “To ‘Secret #978’” as a response to the anonymous individual who couldn’t bear the thought of having failed out of Vanderbilt and resorted to running away as the best solution. Reading this post deeply saddened me, but Stevenson’s thoughts caused me to question: Are we as a community doing enough to address issues of stress and pressure?

The inability to seriously address the incredible pressure on college campuses has resulted in some scary statistics. In a recent study conducted by the American College Health Association, the National College Health Assessment found that 60.5 percent of college students said they felt “very sad,” and 30.3 percent said they felt “so depressed that it was difficult to function” at least once in the past 12 months.

Regarding suicidal thoughts, 18 percent of undergraduate students have seriously considered attempting suicide in their lifetimes. Between 40 and 50 percent of these same students report multiple episodes of serious suicidal thoughts, suggesting substantial prior experience with suicidal ideation.

But this brings me to a difficult question to ask: Just how accepting are we of our peers’ struggles here at Vanderbilt? Countless times I’ve talked to people who are struggling with the academics at Vanderbilt say that their biggest stress isn’t the classes themselves but the pressure felt on campus. And this pressure isn’t baseless. Among us are high school valedictorians, all-star athletes, professional-level musicians

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You’re not alone. Every Vanderbilt student who has come in as a successful and distinguished high school graduate has also experienced failure and setbacks.

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and budding scientists, doctors, lawyers and engineers — all of us students of extremely high caliber.

Nonetheless, all of us feel the same pressure to succeed in our own ways. Having understood that, we could do more as a community to equally understand and value everyone’s burdens in order to reduce the level of pressure. While our futures are important, we need to learn to value ourselves and our peers for more than just resume characteristics.

As hard as it is for me to recall, the feelings ex-

pressed in Secret #978 are no strangers to me. High school was a particularly rough time in my life — as college approached faster and faster, I felt suffocated by my slipping grades and the thought of not getting where I wanted to be. I began to see myself as synonymous with my GPA. The worst part was that I felt as though I couldn’t tell anyone for fear that I might be judged for my poor academic performance. The day I got into Vanderbilt was undoubtedly one of the happiest days of my life. I felt so lucky — like someone was giving me a second chance to change my life.

Now, after just having completed my first semester, I’ve realized that the chance to start over was all I needed to get me back on my feet.

When I read posts like Secret #978, my message to those people is this: You’re not alone. Every Vanderbilt student who has come in as a successful and distinguished high school graduate has also experienced failure and setbacks. You’re not alone.

I wish I could say that changing the pressurized environment we live in is an easy task. But it’s not.

This kind of change isn’t something any program or tutorial can inspire; it is a fundamental change in our campus culture. Despite being students of a challenging institution, we need to simultaneously be members of an accepting and open community. Letters and numbers aren’t anywhere close to defining who we are as individuals. We are people of personality, talents and various kinds of intelligence — all of which make us unique individuals. As a community, we ought to foster these traits.

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WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

sports

THE BIG STAT National ranking of Vanderbilt’s No. 1 men’s doubles team, comprised of senior AJ Austin and junior Rhys Johnson

5

Tennis teams kick off ITA season

Men’s tennis beats No. 19 Women’s tennis dominates ITA Kick-off weekend at home Kentucky in consolation round

By CALLIE MEISEL Sports reporter --------------------

The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team showed no mercy this weekend at the 2015 ITA Kick-Off Weekend tournament, which the Commodores hosted at the Currey Tennis Center. As No. 12 in the nation, they earned the first seed spot, followed by Texas at No. 2, DePaul at No. 3 and Harvard at No. 4.

In the first round of matches, Vanderbilt went face to face with Harvard.

The Commodores dominated all match play, as they did not lose one match and won 4-0. In fact, in the three completed singles matches, sophomore Sydney Campbell, sophomore Astra Sharma and senior Marie Casares collectively gave up only five games. The other singles matches were marked as incomplete because Vanderbilt only needed to win three singles matches in order to beat Harvard.

The following day, the Commodores took care of the Longhorns just as swiftly as they did the Harvard Crimson. Vanderbilt went undefeated yet again, boasting an impressive 5-0 victory. Campbell played particularly well at No. 1 singles.

She beat a two-time All-American Breaunna Addison, 6-2, 6-2.

Sharma’s singles match also proved notable.

Her 6-4, 6-0 win on the fourth court marked her

sixth consecutive victory.

“I think that’s a really good Texas team, and we competed and came up with some extraordinary shots on big points. There was a very high level of play. Today was a team effort; they all did great,” said Head Coach Geoff Macdonald.

Now for the third consecutive time, the Vanderbilt Commodores are headed to the University of Virginia for the ITA Team National Indoor Championships, which will be played on Feb. 5.

Sophomore Sydney Campbell walks off the court after beating Kentucky last season. At the ITA Kick-off, she defeated two-time All-American Breaunna Addison, 6-2, 6-2.

ANDREW PERRY / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

By CALLIE MEISEL Sports reporter --------------------

The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team experienced a strange weekend that can only be described as an emotional roller coaster. On Friday, they traveled to Kentucky to compete in the 2015 ITA Kick-Off tournament, where they competed against the University of Kentucky, South Florida and Penn State. At No. 25 in the nation and seeded second in this tournament, the Commodores arrived in Kentucky with high hopes.

In the first round, Vanderbilt faced No. 3 seed USF in a grueling set of matches.

The Commodores first locked in the doubles point, with close victories on the first and third courts.

As singles match play began, the future continued to seem bright for the Commodores. Freshman Daniel Valent was the first to finish, with a swift 6-0, 6-4 defeat on the fourth court over USF’s Sasha Gozun. This win was Valent’s eighth consecutive victory, with the first in his dominant streak dating back to November 2014. The Commodores worked to earn a 3-1 lead over USF, but they lost that lead after several three-set matches. Ultimately, they fell to USF 3-4.

The following day, the Commodores were lined up to play the No. 1 seed Kentucky in the consolation match. If anything, one would expect to see the top-seeded teams in the finals of the tournament, not competing in the back draw. Again, the Commodores fought in a “nail-biter” of a match, but this time the score was reversed, 4-3. Vanderbilt went undefeated in doubles match play, and the real fight took place in the singles match play.

Senior AJ Austin won his match at the first court, and Valent continued his winning streak as he squeezed out a tight two-set match on the fourth court.

The entire match came down to senior Suresh Eswaran, who is ranked sixth in the Vanderbilt lineup.

After winning the first set

in a tiebreaker, Eswaran only allowed his opponent to win a single game in the second set.

“I’m proud of the way our team competed and especially happy for Suresh for clinching the win,” said Head Coach Ian Duvenhage after Vanderbilt’s win over Kentucky.

The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team will be back in action on Jan. 30 as they compete against Indiana.

Senior Suresh Eswaran plays out a point during a match his freshman season. Eswaran’s victory this past weekend in the ITA Kick-off clinched a consolation round win over Kentucky.

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13

Commodores head to Hawaii for 2015 Maui Invitational

By ROBBIE WEINSTEIN

HOT COMPETITION IN HAWAII

Sports reporter --------------------

The Vanderbilt basketball program was presented with an EA Sports Maui Invitational custom surfboard on Saturday against LSU ahead of the Commodores’ appearance in the tournament’s 2015 edition next November.

Considered the nation’s premier nonconference exempt tournament, the Maui Invitational routinely sends at least half of its field to the NCAA tournament each season. The annual eight-team event is known to provide participants with a valuable opportunity to gain quality neutral site wins against strong competition, and Vanderbilt has a chance to use their three-game set as a springboard for the rest of the season.

Kansas, arguably one of the top three programs in college basketball at the moment, represents the biggest name in the tournament, and most would expect the Jayhawks to bring a highly ranked team to Maui. Indiana, UCLA, UNLV, St. John’s and Wake Forest round out the field along with Division II Chaminade University, the host school. Since 1979, Vanderbilt is 7-10 against the Division I teams that make up the 2015 field according to Sports-Reference.com, but Vanderbilt has not faced UNLV or St. John’s within that time span.

VANDERBILT’S MAUI INVITATIONAL COMPETITION

CHAMINADE SILVERSWORDS PHOTO COURTESY OF VUCOMMODORES

Vanderbilt holds a record of 8-4 in Maui and has played in the tournament previously on four separate occasions, most recently in 2009. That vintage of the Invitational saw the Commodores drop their opener to Cincinnati before bouncing back with wins over Chaminade and Arizona. Vanderbilt took home the tournament championship in 1986, only the event’s third year, with a victory over New Mexico in the title game.

With only two seniors in this season’s nine-man rotation, Vanderbilt will likely bring high hopes to Maui. Traditionally, a 2-1 record in an exempt tournament is considered a success for teams expecting to compete for a NCAA tournament at-large bid, so two wins is likely the minimum of what the team will be looking for.

Founded the tournament in 1984, and since then has hosted 108 schools from 23 conferences in 40 states

INDIANA HOOSIERS Sixth tournament appearnce (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2008)

KANSAS JAYHAWKS Sixth tournament appearnce (1987, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2011)

ST. JOHN'S RED STORM First tournament appearance

UCLA BRUINS Fifth tournament appearnce (1995, 2001, 2006, 2011)

UNLV REBELS Third tournament appearnce (1988, 2000)

WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS First tournament appearnce

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SPORTS

WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

The ‘Dores you know

going pro

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Looking back at the some of the more prominent professional athletes who started their careers in a Vanderbilt uniform

Jay Cutler: a quarterback in question

By MATT CITAK Sports reporter --------------------

PHOTO COURTESY OF VUCOMMODORES

Entering the 2014 NFL season, the Chicago Bears had high hopes for Jay Cutler. With offensive weapons Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte, many considered the former Vanderbilt quarterback to be a preseason MVP candidate. After the first few weeks of the season, this looked like a possibility. Through Week 3, the Bears were sitting at 2-1, with the one loss in overtime against Buffalo. Cutler had 750 passing yards and eight touchdowns, with only two interceptions. Things were looking good in Chicago until their division rival, the Green Bay Packers, arrived at Soldier Field for their Week 4 matchup.

Starting with the Packers game, the Bears went on to lose five of their next six. Cutler threw eight interceptions and failed to eclipse the 300-yard mark even once. In Chicago’s 11 losses, Cutler threw 16 interceptions, with several of those coming at the end of close games, such as in the losses to Buffalo, Carolina and Miami. Cutler’s downfield numbers also took a big hit this season, averaging only 6.8 yards per attempt, more than half a yard less than in 2013.

The former star quarterback never truly looked comfort-

able in the offensive system under Head Coach Mark Trestman and Offensive Coordinator Aaron Kromer, both of whom were fired at the end of the season.

Looking ahead to the 2015 NFL season, the Bears have question marks throughout their whole roster, including at quarterback. However, after signing Cutler to a seven-year, $126 million contract only a year ago, it is hard to believe Chicago will give up on him after one season (not to mention he is guaranteed $16.5 million in 2015).

Even with his poor play from this past season, there is reason for optimism for our former Commodore. Entering the 2015 season, the Bears will return all of their offensive weapons. With two of the top wide receivers in the NFL, one of the best tight ends and the best pass-catching running back, it is hard to imagine Cutler will put up such poor numbers two seasons in a row. In addition, Chicago has brought in John Fox to take the reins as head coach, with Fox bringing his offensive coordinator from Denver, Adam Gase, with him. This is the best news for Cutler. Fox and Gase found tremendous success with the Broncos and Peyton Manning. Denver finished number one in scoring in 2013 and number two in 2014, with a 25-7 record in those two years. While a big part of this was due to Manning, there is no reason that Cutler should not be able to find at least some of the same success this upcoming season.

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15

The streak continues...

The Commodores looked sluggish in their sixth straight loss, leaving them in last place in the SEC

By ALLISON MAST Sports editor --------------------

The men’s basketball team’s losing streak stretched to six games Tuesday night after a 70-62 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Commodores (11-9, 1-6 SEC) battled back from a double-digit deficit, but their efforts fell short as the Bulldogs (14-5, 5-2 SEC) swept the two-game series.

In the first half, Vanderbilt’s big men kept their team within arm’s length of their opponents. Luke Kornet and Damian Jones, reunited in the starting lineup, contributed a combined 10 of Vanderbilt’s 27 points. Defensively, they protected the rim, each blocking a shot. When the buzzer sounded to signal the break, the Commodores were down 31-27 with plenty of room for improvement.

By about the 10 minute mark in the second half, however, the Bulldogs had nearly put the Commodores away. A three-point play by Marcus Thornton made the score 53-40.

Suddenly feeling a sense of urgency, the Commodores went on a run, which was capped off with a Kornet 3-pointer. With a little more than three minutes on the clock, Georgia held only a four-point lead.

Despite this comeback, poor shooting throughout the game doomed the Commodores. They shot only 36.2 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, while the Bulldogs shot 44.2 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range. Jones led the way for Vanderbilt with 16 points. Kornet and Jeff Roberson both finished in double digits with 11 points apiece.

Damian Jones (30) is shaken up during Vanderbilt's 79-75 overtime loss against LSU at Memorial Gym. Georgia, on the other hand, had four players finish in double figures: Thornton (14), Nemanja Djurisic (15), Kenny Gaines (13) and JJ Frazier (12). Their roster also boasted the game-leader in rebounds (Djurisic with nine), assists (Gaines and Charles Mann with three each) and blocks (Gaines with

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

three).

The Commodores will be back on the road this weekend as they take on the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are 4-2 in conference play.

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WEDNESDAY,JANUARY 28, 2015

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