The Vanderbilt Hustler 2-24-16

vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016

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VOL. 128, ISS. 7

IRFAN KHAN / MCT CAMPUS

OLIVIER DOULIERY / MCT CAMPUS

OLIVIER DOULIERY / MCT CAMPUS

Students and experts weigh in on the presidential race as TN primary nears PAGE 8

OLIVIER DOULIERY / MCT CAMPUS

OLIVIER DOULIERY / MCT CAMPUS

OPINION

ROGER MALLISON / MCT CAMPUS

LIFE

Vanderbilt’s No. 1 drug

Opinion editor Queen Stevenson examines our addiction to leadership positions

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The ‘secret’ buff PAGE 6 et on campus

We review the exclusive McGugin dining hall, which only serves student athletes and Blakemore residents

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HARRY WALKER / MCT CAMPUS

SPORTS

Will the ’Dores go dancing?

What Vanderbilt basketball has to do to get a spot in the NCAA Tournament

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news

CAMPUS UPDATE The Women’s Center will host “Sex Workers in the Kitchen” to discusss how women are simultaneously praised and criticized for the expression of their sexuality, on Tuesday Feb. 23 from 5-6 p.m. in Sarratt.

A frat for sexual diversity

Delta Lambda Phi returns to campus, aiming to include members of all sexual orientations and gender identities

By SARAH FRIEDMAN Assistant news editor --------------------

Sophomore Quinton Turner came to Vanderbilt with his heart set on one fraternity — the only one he could see himself calling home. After exploring the website for the Office of LGBTQI Life the summer before he arrived on campus, Turner discovered a link to an article about Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for sexual diversity, which had recently colonized on Vanderbilt’s campus.

“That was the first time I’ve ever thought about being Greek,” Turner said. “I was a product of the stereotype that they only party like in Animal House, so I think that was the first point where I saw myself as ‘Wow, I could see that as something I really want to be involved in.’”

When Turner came to Vanderbilt and learned the chapter disbanded in 2013, he was crushed and knew he had to bring it back.

“This is something I want for future Vandy kids, to have that opportunity,” he said. “I had kept hearing a story, almost the exact same phrasing every time, of people in my community that were like ‘Oh yeah, I looked into Greek life, but I just don’t think it is for me.’”

Turner got approval from the Office of Greek Life over the summer and began to gauge interest by sending out an email on the Lambda (the campus gender-sexuality alliance) listserv.

“Quinton talked a lot about the importance of having a good social space within the queer community outside of things like going to Play, which is a gay bar,” said senior Joshua Little. “And he felt like queer men on campus needed a space to be social that was different from the options that were available.”

Turner created a to-do list called “Let’s Get it Started in Here” and reached out to the DLP national organization, which has 30 chapters and five colonies. He got a phone call back just 20 minutes later from the executive director, Cory Mollner.

“Every contact I’ve had with nationals, I’ve gotten so much support it’s been amazing,” Turner said.

Mollner provided Turner with a colonization document that provides step-by-step instructions for starting a chapter. He was paired with an interest group coordinator to mentor him throughout the process and also met with a Vanderbilt professor, George Wilson (class of 2011), who was a founding member of Delta Lambda Phi when he attended Vanderbilt.

In order to become a colony, Turner compiled a colonization petition, a formal 23-page document including information about Vanderbilt as well as plans for potential philanthropy, brotherhood events, recruitment ideas and biographies of each interested member.

vanderbilthustler STAFF

ALLIE GROSS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA LAMBDA PHI

Members of Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for sexual diversity, hold their official flower on the night their colony was inducted.

During a conference call in January, the national organization approved the request, and the Vanderbilt Office of Greek Life approved the colony as a member of the Interfraternity Council.

The colony, which was officially inducted last weekend, has 12 members. They have elected an executive board and revised the constitution of the DLP chapter that disbanded years ago.

Included in these changes was the replacement of the word “brother” with “member” or “DLP.” “We want it to be as gender-inclusive as we possibly can as a fraternity because we don’t want people who maybe don’t identify with the word ‘brother’ or ‘man’ to be excluded,” said Turner, who has since been named DLP’s president. “This is a place for them and we want it to be a place for them as well as it is for anybody.”

While Turner said that DLP is composed of people “on the male side” of the gender spectrum, members are accepting of those who do not identify with a gender or who are unsure of their gender identity, he said.

“You don’t have to define yourself as a stereotypical male,” junior Morgan Miller said. “You can be non-gender binary and join or even trans, and for the most part, I think people like that would definitely never consider joining a fraternity for obvious reasons.

They don’t think it’s a safe space. We offer that to students. I think, personally, it would be really cool if those types of people who felt like they never could join a fraternity saw our fraternity as an option to actually join.”

Now, the DLP members are focusing on new member education as well as deciding on chapter details such as dues.

ZOE SHANCER — NEWS EDITOR KARA SHERRER — LIFE EDITOR QUEEN STEVENSON — OPINION EDITOR BEN WEINRIB — SPORTS EDITOR

The membership fee to join DLP is around $250 per semester.

This low fee, compared to a typical IFC fee of around $1,000, stems from the fact that DLP will not have a house and desires to keep costs low for potential new members. They will also offer an internal scholarship program which would waive the dues for members who aren’t able to pay.

Turner and the executive board are also beginning to plan for DLP’s recruitment, which he anticipates will be similar to that of the smaller fraternities on campus. Their goal is to take on at least five new pledges at the start of the 2017 spring semester.

“We’re not going to be the biggest fraternity on campus, like ever,” Turner said. “I think it’s really just going to be a mid-size or small fraternity, but I think there’s a lot of bonuses with that.

There’s a lot of bonuses, meaning you can know everyone’s name, you know a lot more about people.”

After three successful semesters as a colony, DLP will become a chartered chapter. For now, though, Turner is focusing on building up DLP’s base so that it can provide the friendship and home that he has been searching for since he came to Vanderbilt.

Several members of the fraternity emphasize its importance for prospective students who are exploring queer life while considering Vanderbilt.

“It shows people that LGBT people can be part of the fraternity system,” said Miller, now sergeant of arms of DLP. “I think it’s important that prospective students can see that this school has something for them, and they’re represented.”

JOSH HAMBURGER — MANAGING EDITOR BOSLEY JARRETT — DESIGN DIRECTOR ANNA BUTRICO — WEB EDITOR ZIYI LIU — PHOTO DIRECTOR KATHY YUAN — CHIEF COPY EDITOR COLLIN ZIMMERMAN — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPER 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 KAREN CHAN

ABBY HINKSON ANGELICA LASALA

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

opinion

Involvement degenerates into a crude and careless Pokémon game — when it comes to executive boards and planning committees, you gotta catch ‘em all.

QUEEN STEVENSON, JUNIOR

Just say no to leadership

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Let’s shift our culture from one of empty leading to that of active participating

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QUEEN STEVENSON is a junior in the college of Arts and Science and the Opinion Editor of the Vanderbilt Hustler. She can be reached at queen.o. stevenson @vanderbilt.edu.

h, the email signature. Its aliases typically include a mini resume and involvement indicator. It’s that final, declaratory block of text ending an email; and in some cases, it’s longer than the email message itself. For professionals and academics, this business card redux is absolutely essential — signatures can contain necessary links to published articles, books and other pertinent career information that can help orient and connect them to others in their career or industry.

However, for college students, and Vanderbilt students in particular, the email signature is — in my opinion — merely indicative of the larger, broken and honestly disappointing culture of leadership. To be fair, I myself have an email signature, which includes my major, my respective school and graduation year, my two leadership positions and my on-campus job. And to be clear, I am not wholly incriminating the email signature — rather, I am using it as a vehicle to examine our approach to leadership positions, which, for many, are simply resume fillers. When we approach these positions as such, whatever purpose or initiative we might have had for an organization (superficially or seriously) goes out the window, and involvement degenerates into a crude and careless Pokémon game — when it comes to executive boards and planning committees, you gotta catch ‘em all.

Vanderbilt touts the fact that 100 percent of our current freshman class held leadership positions and/ or earned significant honors in high school. A further breakdown reveals that 72 percent “were founders/presidents/captains/vice presidents/ or secretary-treasurers,” excluding athletics. Our student body is a population of leaders, operating out of the mindset proclaiming: “Why follow when you could be directly influencing something?” In this, however, we valorize leadership and lessen participation. But this can be problematic if, as leaders, we become jacks-of-all-trades and masters of none.

On campus, we’ve collectively enforced this cultural requirement that we all need to be leading and, even more, leading in multiple spaces. But I argue that if we’re going to lead in these spaces with limited initiative and

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

ZOE SHANCER

KARA SHERRER

NEWS EDITOR news@vanderbilthustler.com

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QUEEN STEVENSON

BEN WEINRIB

OPINION EDITOR opinion@vanderbilthustler. com

SPORTS EDITOR sports@vanderbilthustler.com

It’s crucial to understand that when you apply for a position, within that position you will actually have to apply yourself.

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engagement, we’re better off just being active participants. To lead in this way is honestly disappointing and disrespectful to fellow students in these organizations who are actually invested.

For example, overextended leaders may chronically arrive late to meetings or neglect to show up at all. Emails, GroupMe messages, text messages and the last frontier — phone calls — are ignored or are casually “missed” (i.e. “I totally didn’t see that!” But we definitely saw you update your Snapchat story). When we are called out for not doing the baseline expectations of our jobs, we bemoan that we are “busy” or “had a lot going on.” This is absolutely acceptable once or twice — at Vanderbilt, when it rains, it pours, and we sometimes we can’t do anything to minimize the onslaught of exams and other extracurricu-

The Vanderbilt Hustler Opinion page aims to stimulate discussion in the Vanderbilt community. In that spirit, columnists, guest columnists and authors of letters to the editor are expected to provide logical argument to back their views. Unreasonable arguments, arguments in bad faith or arguments in vain between columnists have no place in The Hustler and will not be published. The Hustler welcomes reader viewpoints and offers three methods of expression: letters to the editor, guest columns and feedback on vanderbilthustler.com.

The views expressed in lead editorials reflect the majority of opinion among The Hustler’s editorial board and may be supposed to represent the opinion of The Vanderbilt Hustler at the time of publication. They are not necessarily representative of any individual member.

Letters must be submitted either in person by the author to The Hustler office or via email to opinion@vanderbilthustler.com. Letters via email should come from a Vanderbilt email address where the identity of the sender is clear. With rare exception, all letters must be received by 2 p.m. on the Sunday prior to publication. The editor

lars. But when our neglect turns chronic, our inaction has adverse consequences for those in an organization who actually care enough and sacrifice to be fully there. In response, they bear the brunt of your negligence and fulfill the responsibilities of the job that you voluntarily signed up for. I know far too many fellow organization leaders to which this has happened, and I’ve experienced it myself.

To avoid this, there are plenty of ways to contribute to and influence an organization without being on its executive board. General body members are vital to student orgs — they expand and liven discussion, and give meaning to meetings. Suggestions from fresh-eyed first years to seasoned seniors can provide exec boards with valuable insight and vision for the way forward. This way, you can be involved with a group on your own terms and not feel wearily obligated to attend activities or guilty for constantly flaking on your colleagues.

It all comes back to this central question: Why did you apply for these positions? Is it the prestige that attracts you, the social capital it gives you or the weight it gives your resume and LinkedIn page? Or are you truly invested in the core values of an organization, willing to put in the work? Let’s start approaching leadership positions with a posture of purpose, instead of passivity.

It doesn’t matter where you’re pursuing leadership — from our established student government, to the wellfunded cultural organization supported by both AcFee and alumni, or even the fledgling, newly minted group dedicated to underwater basket weaving — it’s crucial to understand that when you apply for a position, within that position you will actually have to apply yourself. If you’re not keen on that, I’d advise you to stick to being an active, purposeful participant. Despite what the admissions stats tell us, you’re not abnormal if you choose not to lead. And the people reading your emails will thank you.

All my best, Queen Stevenson ’17 A Student Leader Concerned About The Welfare of Student Leadership at Vanderbilt University

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

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016

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Discomfort is key to progress

Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy performance makes case for necessary conversation

IRFAAN KHALID is a first-year in the College of Engineering. He can be reached at irfaan.khalid@ vanderbilt.edu.

industry, and he received the appropriate recognition for this. Critics, of course, offered their own opinions on the matter. Generally, criticisms of the performance cited the performance as a proponent of reverse racism. A black man standing up for black nationalism and culture with as loud a voice as his appears, to some, to be excessive or inappropriate. Beyond that, many critics believe that his lyricism in the “The Blacker the Berry” is hypocritical and misguided.

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porting his signature Reebok Ventilators, blue denim and a blue-collar work shirt, Kendrick Lamar led a prisoner chain gang onto the stage of the 2016 Grammy Awards to begin a six-minute performance of his songs “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright,” both of which come from his critically-acclaimed, Grammy Award winning album “To Pimp a Butterfly.” A dazzling, powerful performance, Kendrick brought with him an intensity typically unparalleled at the Grammy Awards. Driven by the cultural connotations of his music, he performed “The Blacker the Berry” for about two minutes in the aforementioned jail cell scene before transitioning into a performance of “Alright” in front of a giant fire pit. He was joined by a group of tribal dancers and accompanied by culturally-rooted live instrumentation. For the last third of his set, he performed a new song that failed to make the cut for “To Pimp a Butterfly” when it was released last March.

Cultural conversations are inherently difficult — they make their participants uncomfortable, addressing the myriad elephants in the rooms that house social injustice — but having them is necessary to making progress. Conversing openly is the only way to work through the difficult social issues we face today. Between references to Langston Hughes and police brutality, heavy cultural rhetoric and the striking visuals that characterized his Grammy Awards performance, Kendrick proved outspoken with regards to his feelings about black culture and faced the difficulty of making such a statement. I, for one, applaud the effort; in light of the tragedies that plague black culture and America as a whole — such as the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice — opening a dialogue is necessary in order to actually make progress.

Kendrick’ Lamar’s performance was certainly met with much praise. His ability to discuss sensitive cultural topics as openly as he does on a platform as wide as his is generally unseen throughout the rest of the hip-hop

Race conversations are inherently difficult — they make their participants uncomfortable, addressing the myriad elephants in the rooms that house social injustice.

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Given the state of affairs we as a society face — the troubles of police brutality, racism, social inequality and more remain omnipresent — I do believe that the performance was well-placed. The Grammy Awards are not generally intended to be a platform for social commentary. Rather, they are relatively safe, often geared towards entertaining a suburban middle class. In some ways, they might even be seen as similar to the Oscars, which are considered heavily

caucasian (#OscarsSoWhite). Essentially, the Grammy Awards are not typically a place for a black rapper to take the stage and make a statement like Kendrick did. Doing so puts him in a spotlight on America’s center stage, leaving him at the mercy of the media. Regardless, Kendrick stood up and spoke what he represents. Despite the challenges of performing this particular set in the context he did, the sensitivity of the topics he discusses, and the criticism and consequences of his performance, Kendrick delivered a statement that most of his audience needed to hear but did not want to. He marks a catalyst for a dialogue that will ideally bring people one step closer to overcoming the social injustices faced by black culture today.

Listening to “To Pimp a Butterfly” is challenging. Facing the issues that Lamar blatantly put into the public eye is challenging. The dialogues that these challenges inspire, however, are essential to progress. On Vanderbilt’s campus, these kinds of statements on a large scale are relatively rare. When Black Lives Matter movements began, social media was riddled with racist comments, criticizing and mocking the sentiments that students fought to promote.

Posted were claims of reverse racism and blatant disrespect for the importance of the marches, die-ins and protests on campus. Much of this was done anonymously (via Yik Yak, for instance).

What Kendrick Lamar did was lead us in taking another step towards being able to vocalize injustice and address the problems we face. By putting the issues he speaks about into the public eye, he enables the rest of us to do the same, and such action needs to take place at Vanderbilt. On a campus where we strive for diversity and inclusion as much as we do, recognize that we do so for a reason. Change has yet to happen, and putting issues into a spotlight, having challenging conversations and achieving mutual solutions to problems of social injustice are necessary steps towards making that change.

Why you should vote in your local elections Trump isn’t the only one you should pay attention to

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JACOB PIERCE is a first-year in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at jacob.m.pierce@ vanderbilt.edu.

very presidential election season brings about a discussion from commentators on CNN and Fox News about which candidate is leading in their most recent swing state poll. This perennial conversation about the seven swing states that will “make or break” the election for a given candidate leaves Americans in the other 43 states feeling as if their vote doesn’t matter when it comes to selecting the next president.

However, it doesn’t mean Americans should tune out from politics entirely. In fact, too often, the conversation about voting revolves mainly around presidential elections. Many people fail to see the importance of other elections. Even on Vanderbilt’s campus, student organizations and opinions largely focus on the presidential candidates. However, Vanderbilt’s students and Americans across the country should participate in and pay more attention to state and local elections.

In a sense, this apathy makes sense. As President Obama once said, midterm and local elections don’t seem to be “sexy” to a vast majority of Americans.

Presidential elections often garner more coverage from national media, and information about the candidates is ubiquitous in the years leading up to and during the election. When it comes to local elections, however, news stations rarely cover stories about these races.

Presidential elections also feature people with more

high-profile names and stories, from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz while local elections tend to be replete with individuals who are only known within a particular community. It would be difficult for national news media to cover local elections because the elections tend to be very esoteric. However, these facts don’t detract from the importance of these elections. Some of the most important political decisions are happening, sometimes quite literally, in their own backyard.

Vital issues that influence people’s daily lives are decided by local elections. The members elected to school boards have a direct impact on the various education policies within your school district; city councils make decisions about traffic collection and zoning; local ballot initiatives could determine whether streets in your neighborhood get the upgrade they’ve needed for years.

Many of the policies promoted at the local level are often very technical, which makes it quite easy to get lost in the details as research about policies are being done, and this technical nature of these policies is another reason why many voters tend to sit out these local elections. Their apathy is rational, not ignorant. If people are unable to understand the details of a given policy issue, it would be rational for them to not pay attention to local politics at all, but I am imploring people to not take this approach. Learning about these issues can

be tough, but local politics is where the impact of your vote is the most palpable. You can see the new sidewalk being built; you can see the new textbooks your school has received; you can see a library being built for your community. These are just some of the benefits of being cognizant of your local politics.

It’s difficult for so many of us to stay engaged with local issues when we are so far away from home, but we still have an opportunity to become well-versed on these issues so that we can inform our friends back home and they can make informed decisions or even cast an absentee ballot if an issue or election is of particular import. I believe that everyone should vote.

However, although not wanting to vote in a presidential election because you live in a solidly red or blue state is understandable, not voting in local and state elections is unacceptable. Those elections are often where our voices are the loudest.

Many Vanderbilt students will be away from home when Election Day rolls around this November, but it is my hope that, even if you are away from home this election day, you take some time to learn about the issues close home, fill out an absentee ballot and vote in this year’s elections.

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Even Nashville natives may not know that the clean, trendy neighborhood of The Gulch was originally the city’s industrial district. The area was abandoned after World War II and redone in the early 2000’s into the clean, modernized (and some would say gentrified) hotspot it stands as today. Full of lively bars, tasty restaurants, different genres of music and up-and-coming apartments, The Gulch is now an energetic urban pocket right

by Nashville’s business district.

As Nashville’s only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified neighborhood, The Gulch is extremely environmentally aware and conscious. This certification means the buildings reduce the amount of energy and water they use in order to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, benefitting the neighborhood both environmentally and financially. When in The Gulch, you can almost feel the cleanliness that sets the neighborhood apart from the surrounding strips and strongly contrasts with the area’s former life as an industrial district.

With nicer restaurants like Adele’s, Flyte and Virago, The Gulch has a distinctly refined vibe that distinguishes it from more of the casual, country Nashville neighborhoods. Each restaurant in the Gulch has its own unique twist that holds its own appeal. For example, Adele’s is an ode to the owner’s late

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American mother. The naturally-lit garage has amazing meatballs, kale salad and snapper. The fireplace and curtains make the warehouse feel cozy and intimate, and the heated patio makes mild nights enjoyable.

In keeping with the neighborhood’s devotion to clean living, Flyte offers farm-to-table fine dining. All the meat is responsibly sourced and the produce comes from local farms, providing truly fresh dishes. While the food is all local, Flyte also specializes in unique wines from around the globe. Virago, a sushi restaurant and bar, is a high-end outing that is very popular with foodies around Nashville. Their Crispy Rice/Spicy Tuna is a crowd favorite in particular.

Venues like Agenda and Sambuca offer a 21+ scene for those trying to delve into Nashville nightlife. Agenda has a club feel to it, and many sorority and fraternity date parties are held here due to the dance floor, lounge area and accessibility to the bar.

For those looking for less of a club vibe, Sambuca offers live music in a sit-down, restaurant setting. Don’t be mistaken though, as people can be found swing dancing or crowding the stage on a good night. If you’re seeking a sophisticated night on the town, Up Rooftop Lounge is the place to be. The modern setup overlooks the Nashville skyline and offers a picturesque view at night. Keep in mind that many of these restaurants are rather upscale and will cost far more than your typical bar.

To get your creative juices flowing, pack your bottle of wine and bring some friends to Sips N Strokes, a store dedicated to painting and drinking wine in a social setting. All levels of painters are welcome, and the wine doesn’t hurt the easygoing atmosphere, which is probably what makes this such a popular activity for Vanderbilt students. Sips N Strokes is a small chain that has multiple locations in Alabama and Georgia, but the Nashville address is the only one in Tennessee.

If you’re on a health kick instead of a creative one, The Gulch has a wide variety of fitness classes to keep your workout regime challenging and new. From sprinting intervals at Barry’s Bootcamp, to perfecting pirouettes at Barre3 or Pure Barre, or completing a round of boxing at HOTBOX, you’ll be more than spring break ready.

Because there is such a young community, The Gulch constantly hosts weekly events to bring the residents together.

Check out the The Gulch website to keep up to date on what’s happening in the neighborhood.

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The Gulch features many upscale restaurants and shops. The neighborhood begins at Broadway and extends past 8th Avenue, covering many blocks.

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Exploring Nashville’s only LEED-certified neighborhood

by Claudia Willen, Senior life reporter

If you enjoy the Bhangradores and the Diwali showcase, check out Nachde Nashville, an intercollegiate Bhangra competition. Eight universities — from Cornell to University to North Carolina — will compete with one team being declared the winner. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

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Langford Auditorium; Saturday Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016

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Want to eat like an athlete?

Reviewing McGugin, Vanderbilt’s least-known and most exclusive dining hall

By JONATHAN VAN LINDEN Life reporter --------------------

Getting prime rib on the meal plan sounds like a myth, but it’s not — at least not if you have access to the dining hall at McGugin Center, the athletic complex located across the street from the baseball and football stadiums. Some students may wonder if athletes and Blakemore residents (the only two groups that can eat at the dining hall) are served better quality food than dining halls such as Rand and Commons, and it turns out, yes, the rumors are true.

McGugin Center houses many services catered to the student athletes, but the dining hall is open to residents of the infamously isolated Blakemore dorm as well. Unlike the typical entree and side rationale employed by every other campus dining option, McGugin offers unlimited buffetstyle dining. Once swiped in at the front kiosk, a student can eat however much he or she desires before leaving the facility. Therefore, the sheer amount of food offered by McGugin — as well as the girth it could potentially add to your waistline — is significantly greater than any other campus dining option.

Not only does McGugin offer superior quantities of food, but the dining hall also provides superior quality of dishes as well. The rotation often includes (but is by no means limited to) prime rib, swordfish, peach cobbler, Salisbury steak and fried plantains. The prime rib in particular is a strong candidate for the single best food on campus. It tends to be per-

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McGugin is the only dining hall on campus that offers unlimited buffet-style food. fectly tender and juicy, with a perfectly complementary amount of sauce. Other standouts include the spicy macaroni and cheese and the Cuban sandwiches.

In addition to the rotating entrees and sides, McGugin also offers pasta, soft serve ice cream and a salad bar every day.

If none of the daily entrees strike your fancy, the pasta with tomato sauce is a solid fallback.

Moving on to desserts, the unreliable nature of the soft

serve ice cream machine is McGugin’s biggest flaw, as it only works roughly one out of three days. However, when the machine is working, the ice cream provides an excellent complement to the cobbler. McGugin offers no soda — a nod to athletes’ healthier lifestyles — but there are plenty of fruit juices and other beverage options to satisfy everyone but ardent soda enthusiasts.

As for the ambience, the McGugin facilities are perhaps startlingly bland. The dining hall resembles a high school cafeteria more than anything else, and the sparse decor does not help much. There are signs advertising each sport, a few Vanderbilt logos, and that covers it. This boring atmosphere is offset somewhat by the presence of Vanderbilt’s student athletes, many of whom tower over most Blakemore McGugin frequenters. To pass the time during dinner, try identifying whether each student is an athlete or Blakemore inhabitant, perhaps the easiest test you’ll take during your time at Vanderbilt.

Both the quantity and quality of McGugin’s food is top notch, and the actual experience of eating amongst the athletes is genuinely unique on campus. Blakemore gets a bad rap for its questionable “on” campus location, but for some prospective residents, eating at McGugin might just might outweigh the 10 minute walk to main campus — and the superior food is certainly a potential perk for anyone contemplating walking onto the football team.

How to end poverty with VUT this weekend

Newest interactive production asks audience members to help allocate donations

By LEAH SPANN Life reporter --------------------

Vanderbilt University Theatre is giving away $5,000 dollars to combat poverty in Nashville this week … and it’s up to you to decide where it goes.

VUT’s latest production, “How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes (with 179 people you may or may not know),” directed

by Rebecca Martinez of Sojourn Theatre, is a unique show that combines relevant cultural discourse with theatrical performance. The audience is just as much a part of the production as the actors: Each audience member must consider his or her thoughts on poverty and ultimately decide which one of five types of aid should receive the money.

The experience begins with immersive pre-show elements, including interactive boards with statements about poverty-related issues, a serenade group that welcomes audience members to the show and a short “History of Poverty” performance. The pre-show primes the audience to think about the issues that emerge throughout the show.

The actors describe the show as one third audience participation and two-thirds song, dance and scenes. The result is a game-show-like atmosphere, in which actors constantly move across the theatre, audience members participate in true-or-false statements and individuals speak on their own views of how to address poverty.

For the purposes of the show, the interior of Neely Auditorium has been divided into “pods” of 20 people each,

designated by a colored button handed out at the entrance and led by one of the actors. During timed breaks in the onstage action, the actors facilitate discussion between the members of their pod, asking relevant questions about the performance and gauging how each member seems to want the money to be donated as the show progresses.

Despite the interactive nature of the performance, many of the traditional elements of theatre remain. Throughout the show, actors participate in dance numbers and emotional dialogues that highlight the many contrasting views on how to combat poverty issues, as well as the underlying racial, gender and ability-based biases that exacerbate the issue.

The audience cannot expect to leave this experience without confronting some difficult questions about their own biases and privileges. It is no coincidence that the show appears on Vanderbilt’s campus: In the midst of a culture that exudes opportunity, it is crucial to remember that the surrounding community does not always share the privilege that some Vanderbilt students enjoy.

Cast member Katherine Ko says that the show, while clearly focused on the issue of poverty, is not just about poverty: It is also about democracy. The show offers every member of the audience the chance to have a voice in how his or her money is allocated. Ultimately, she stresses, the show is also about fostering discussion about relevant local and global issues between strangers and friends alike.

Unlike many previous VUT shows, tickets are $5 for undergraduates, $10 for graduate students and $15 for the general

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Audience and cast members will collaborate on how to donate the $1,000 raised by the ticket sales of each show. public. All proceeds will go toward the $1,000 to be given away each night.

“How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes” will be performed Feb. 24-27 at 8 p.m., and Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. in Neely Auditorium. A pre-show educational primer will also be performed a half hour before each showtime for theatregoers looking to learn even more about fighting poverty.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016

special feature: 2016

’Dores get candid about their candidates Supporters of each candidate give their take on the election By Nathan Kiker, News reporter Tennessee votes in the presidential primaries next week. Tuesday, March 1, has been dubbed the “SEC primary,” in which voters in our state and 12 others will go to the polls to cast their votes and narrow the field for who will be the Republican and Democratic nominees.

In the unpredictable primary season that has been 2016 so far, here are some perspectives from student supporters of different candidates.

JONATHAN GEORGE JUNIOR HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER

Q: Why are you supporting Hillary Clinton?

A: One issue is health care. I am from Kentucky where health care reform has worked phenomenally well. Our uninsured rate has gone from 21 percent to 8.5 percent.

Most of those people being from eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky is one of the most difficult places to live and grow up in the country. I think that it is right that they get easier access to health care, because now living isn’t an issue they have to worry about. They can focus on getting a paycheck and working and trying to get that community out of poverty. I think it’s obvious that the system that we have going on is what works and will work. That is one of the reasons I am passionate about Hillary Clinton. I think that she has the most know-how to not only see that we keep the Affordable Care Act, but that we push it forward and make sure that it works for more Americans.

Q: How should Clinton frame the election against the Republicans?

A: We have had a very successful eight years under President Obama, we’ve gotten comprehensive health care, saved ourselves from a depression, we’ve moved beyond the disastrous Bush years and I think we need someone that is committed to moving forward with that progress.

Republicans aren’t and Democrats are.

Q: Why should a student support Hillary?

A: I went into the summer not fully knowing why I support Hillary. I did some research into what she has done. Before that I never understood how many conversations she defined. Our conversation on women’s rights internationally, she defined that. Our conversation on LGBT rights, she defined that. She has set the stage for these issues.

Beyond the policies, she has been leading the progressive movement for years, and I think she has proven why she should be President.

about how much hope there was that he could bring us even further left than Hillary’s moderate politics. I think that his surge right now is speaking to the fact that was missing.

MADELEINE BOYD SENIOR BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER

Q: Why are you supporting Bernie Sanders?

A: For Bernie, there is a sense of authenticity in him that you don’t often find in politics. I think that is why he speaks so much to our generation. He is speaking truth that he has felt for such a long time. He organized gay pride parades in Burlington back in the day. It’s not a new issue to him. Fighting for income inequality is not a new issue for him. These are things that he has worked for his entire career and it feels very authentic. The more I looked at it and the more I talked to people

Q: Do you think Sanders is electable in a general election?

A: I don’t think it matters that he calls himself a Democratic socialist, once you look into his platform you see that he wants everyone to be better off. We have the largest economy in the world, we have these fantastic advances, we are far and away doing well, yet our people could be so much better off.

Q: What have you seen is the most important issue on campus?

A: College affordability is huge in general, but it is a little different at Vanderbilt than a public institution. People here are concerned about income inequality and racial justice and these other issues that have been discussed on campus in the last year. They all come into his platform.

PAWEL DURAKIEWICZ

NOAH BLACK

FIRST-YEAR DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER

SOPHOMORE JOHN KASICH SUPPORTER

Q: Why are you supporting John Kasich?

A: Being from Ohio, I have been exposed to John Kasich and what he stands for. You have the aspect of experience which is really absent in the race now. Especially since Christie and Bush are gone. And also working in Congress, so you have that federal experience. The other reason is that John Kasich is one of the few members in the race now that can remain principled but also understands that compromise doesn’t have to be a dirty word. He gets billed as a moderate a lot, which I don’t necessarily agree with. He’s more moderate than Cruz for sure, but

by Republican party standards, he’s solidly conservative, but that doesn’t mean he can’t work with the other side.

The big thing for me is that he emphasizes that we are all Americans before we are Republicans or Democrats.

Q: What do you think about the calls for Kasich to drop out?

A: As a committed Republican and anti-Trump and -Cruz Republican, I sympathize with those calls for him to drop out to expedite the coalescence around Marco Rubio, but I don’t agree with that yet. I honestly believe that John Kasich is the Republican party’s best hope in the general election so for him to drop out would be foolish, especially given the success he had in New Hampshire and the money he has raised because of that. As the only governor left in the race I really see an opportunity for him to break through.

Q: Why should a Vanderbilt student consider Kasich?

A: After examining all of the candidates, John Kasich comes out as the least partisan. He’s very principled but he understands what it takes to get things done. He can remain committed to what is right for the country but he can also take into account everyone’s opinions. I would encourage people to look at John Kasich. He looks at issues and looks at the country in the most thoughtful way.

Q: Why do you support Donald Trump?

A: I feel like the Republican establishment is incompetent at achieving what the base wants. As the opposition party, they were not able to stop things like Obamacare. More recently, Republicans in Congress voted for a budget that included unnecessary spending. An outsider candidate like Trump gives us a shot of turning around our politics … I think people underestimate Trump’s intelligence. In managing the Trump organization and “The Apprentice,” he has skills in management that are important for any executive.

Q: What is your response to criticism of Trump for his controversial statements?

A: A lot of the talk about him being sexist doesn’t hold water. I believe in the Trump organization there are more women executives than men. His positions on immigration such as temporarily banning Muslims is not as crazy as it seems. It is not unreasonable to suggest that a ban on Muslims may be necessary. Look at places like Sweden and France where Somalis and refugees are bringing a lot of problems. Crime rates among people who immigrate are higher than the native populations.

Q: Will Trump win the Tennessee primary?

A: If the polls hold, I think Trump will win in Tennessee.

Most college Republicans dislike Trump and support Rubio and Cruz. I also suspect that the student body will vote for Bernie, and maybe Hillary … He could win the general election too. I think how he runs his campaign will allow him to shift his focuses for the general election.

BEN CARSON

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson is running for the Republican nomination. However, none of the Republican students contacted planned to support Carson.

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Presidential Election

JUNIOR MARCO RUBIO SUPPORTER

Q: Why are you supporting Rubio in the presidential campaign?

A: I think Rubio has the best chance to win. Cruz is too far to the right to win. Donald Trump is too brash and says things that alienate people that might vote for the Democrats. My second choice is John Kasich. I think he is a well-spoken candidate.

Q: Would you vote for Trump over Clinton or Sanders?

A: I think I would just stay home at that point.

Q: Do you think Vanderbilt students will vote on economic issues or other issues?

A: I think most students will vote on social issues, because it’s a college campus and most students tend to be more left, but people want to get jobs and see a better economy. I think most people understand that the economy is better under Republicans.

Past the punditry: VU experts analyze the election Vanderbilt political science professors Suzanne Globetti and John Geer share their views about where the candidates stand on the issues and whom they expect to do well in Tennessee and in the nomination fight

By NATHAN KIKER News reporter --------------------

WHAT ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT IN THIS ELECTION SEASON?

STEPHEN CHRETIEN JUNIOR TED CRUZ SUPPORTER

Q: What issues are most important to you right now?

A: We need to see three big repeals: Obamacare, DoddFrank, Starbanes-Oxley, all of which are terrible for small business and are devastating to free enterprise.

That would allow for a stronger free market. Entitlement reform is obviously up there and it’s something that’s more of a long-term factor. We also need a huge reduction in the taxes. I like Cruz because he wants a flat tax rate, a simplified tax code and only a slightly higher tax rate on corporation. It’s not perfect, but it would help the economy.

Q: How should the Republican party frame the election?

A: I think they should run on repealing Obamacare. I also think taxes. Sanders wants a massive transformation of the tax system and Hillary is not too far from that. If someone like Cruz framed their message against a Democratic plan, that would be a winning issue. The threat of terror is also a winning issue for the GOP. Q: What issues do you think will drive Vanderbilt students to the polls?

A: I think most students will vote on social issues; however, at Vanderbilt, students are better informed and have stronger positions on fiscal issues. Most people in their 20’s do not vote on complex policy issues. A lot of people our age vote on abortion, gay marriage and personality more than issues like taxes.

Globetti explained that much of the race on the Democratic side has been dominated by economic issues such as income inequality.

“Sanders is focusing on the billionaire class and income inequality and somewhat about things such as prison reform, but it centers around income inequality,” Globetti said. “Hillary Clinton has focused on similar issues, saying that she agrees with Sanders on principle but disagrees on the path to get there.”

She also predicted that the Democrats will start focusing more on issues such as race and civil rights as they vie for votes in Tennessee and other Southern states.

On the Republican side, Globetti said that the candidates are much more focused on national security. “[That] should hurt Trump, but he has a persona that makes people think he would be strong on terrorism,” Globetti said.

Geer suggested that Republican voters’ choices are shaped by anger and the antiestablishment sentiment prevalent in the party.

“I don’t think the Republican base is that ideological,” Geer said. “They’re angry and think Trump is being honest.

There is a public reaction against candidates being too programmed and too scripted ... Trump isn’t that way.”

WHICH CANDIDATES DO YOU THINK VANDERBILT STUDENTS SUPPORT? Among Vanderbilt students, Globetti expects issues such as the cost of college, income inequality and general political frustration to drive student turnout in favor of Sanders.

“One thing Sanders talks about is the cost of college tuition, and income inequality and the idea that the system is rigged,” Globetti said. “I think he taps into the disenchantment of the system, and I think the excitement and energy are a result of that.”

But among Republican students, Globetti said she senses that students at Vanderbilt are more excited by Rubio and Cruz than Trump.

“I feel like the national scene is a more pro-Trump crowd, but I’m not picking that up here,” she said.

PREDICTIONS FOR THIS ELECTION Donald Trump’s success has caught people off guard,

’’

JONNY BAKER

I feel like the national scene is a more pro-Trump crowd, but I’m not picking that up here.

’’

according to both professors.

“Trump is breaking all the rules,” Geer said. “He isn’t putting a lot of money in paid ads. Jeb Bush did and it did not get him very far. Trump has a knack for getting media attention and changing the conversation when he needs to. It’s uncanny, and I don’t know what drives it, but he is very skilled at that. So I think you have to give him high marks.” “(Trump’s) continued dominance is expected to fade, but it hasn’t,” Globetti added. “He has continued to have high poll numbers despite a lot of negativity.”

Globetti remarked that Sanders has been a huge surprise as well and that she thought his socialist platform would make him unelectable.

Globetti hesitantly predicted that Clinton will win the Tennessee Democratic primary, while Cruz and Trump will have the edge on the Republican side. Geer also anticipates a Clinton win in the Tennessee Democratic primary and predicted that Trump will likely win in the Tennessee Republican primary.

Globetti predicted that Clinton will be the eventual Democratic nominee.

“I think Hillary Clinton will win the nomination,” Globetti said. “I think she will be strong on Super Tuesday, and her coverage will change.”

However, Globetti added that she was unsure who the Republican nominee would be.

“There is the political scientist in me that just can’t believe Donald Trump can win because he defies all the typical laws of politics,” Globetti said. “But when I stop and think who is going to beat him, it is difficult to see who that is.”

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sports

THE BIG STAT

Right fielder Jeren Kendall’s OPS through last weekend’s opening three games. He had 10 hits in 15 at bats, with 3 homeruns and 10 RBIs.

2.000

Let the madness begin

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Despite a heartbreaking season, ’Dores still have a shot at the tourney

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

Whispers of being a dark horse Final Four team surrounded the Vanderbilt Commodore squad, with its imposing big men and sharpshooting guards. Instead, the team sways between dancing with the best or falling back into yet another disappointing season.

Ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP rankings, Vanderbilt suffered its first loss at the hand of the Kansas Jayhawks, the current No. 2 team in the country. A lead at the halftime, amid a close battle, gave hope to the Commodores and their fans that this team would be able to compete down the road.

However, the losses did not stop after that first one. Suffering embarrassing defeats to ranked teams such as Baylor and Dayton and even lower-tier teams such as Arkansas, the Commodores began the long slide to their current 17-11 record. Their inability to respond to pressure effectively led to numerous Vanderbilt breakdowns in the second half, a source of much frustration down the stretch.

College basketball analysts constantly shift the Commodores between the last four teams in the tournament and first four out as they struggle to string together win streaks of more than three games. With the only quality win being over a struggling then-No. 8 Texas A&M and weak performances on the road, Vanderbilt lacks a strong resume to make it into the tournament, barring an SEC championship victory.

The Commodore squad also has the chance to earn an automatic bid — by winning the SEC tournament in early March. Each of the 32 Division I conferences sends its conference tournament winner to the national tournament, regardless of that team’s regular season record.

This opportunity remains wide open for the Commodores even with a collapse to close out the regular season, but Kentucky and Texas A&M make it difficult for Vanderbilt to assume the SEC throne.

With only four games left before the SEC Tournament, the Commodores clearly have their work cut out for them. The question remains, though: What needs to be done to sneak into the madness of March with an at-large bid?

Looking back at tournaments since 2000, several teams with 11, 12 and 13 losses have made the tournament with at-large bids. However, only eight teams with 14 losses have made the tournament, and none have made it since 2011 when five teams alone earned a spot.

While it is possible to sneak in if Vanderbilt ends up as a 14-loss team, the other bubble teams of Michigan, Seton Hall and Butler competing for those coveted spots have no more than nine losses currently. Losing our remaining games would certainly not reflect well in the selection committee’s eyes.

Realistically, the Commodores will have to aim for 20 wins (including the SEC Tournament) with room for only one — possibly two — more losses. Looking at Vanderbilt’s remaining schedule, the away game against Texas A&M is a must-win as Vanderbilt is currently 3-8 in true road games. A critical win over fellow bubble team Florida on the road gives Vanderbilt a much needed boost in the committee’s rankings.

One more win here along with a home win against Tennessee would put the Commodores in a more positive light.

Unfortunately, Kentucky and Texas A&M are in the top half of the SEC standings, making this final stretch extremely difficult.

Fortunately for the Commodores, there is a little bit of wiggle room due to postseason bans on Louisville and SMU,

essentially turning the 68-team field into a slightly more manageable 70-team field.

Having some success in the SEC Tournament would also bode well for the Commodores. The selection committee tends to look favorably on teams that perform well at neutral court sites, such as the Maui Invitational last November.

A strong finish in the regular season combined with a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament would be enough for Vanderbilt to partake in March Madness. This, along with weak finishes from other bubble teams, would give Vanderbilt a shot to sneak into the tournament as a 10 or 11 seed.

As disappointing as the season has been, and with a harsh looming schedule, it may be hard to be optimistic. Just remember, though: It’s called March Madness for a reason.

'SLOW DANCE' 14-LOSS TEAMS TO MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SINCE 2000:

No. 11 MARQUETTE (2011): 20 - 14 (Sweet 16) No. 9 TENNESSEE (2011): 19 - 14 (First Round) No. 10 PENN STATE (2011): 19 - 14 (First Round) No. 11 USC (2011): 19 - 14 (First Four) No. 10 MICHIGAN STATE (2011): 19 -14 (First Round) No. 10 ARIZONA (2008): 19 - 14 (First Round) No. 10 NC STATE (2005): 21 - 14 (Sweet 16) No. 8 GEORGIA (2001): 16 - 14 (First Round)

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The case for Kornet

The junior’s defensive impact is unparalleled in the conference

DURING LUKE'S 5-GAME ABSENCE

WHEN LUKE PLAYS

3.4

5.8

Team defensive rebounds per game

27.0

30.0

Opp. 2-pt FG shooting

46.9 40.2

41.0 38.1

Team blocks per game

Opp. FG shooting

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016

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By ROBBIE WEINSTEIN Assistant sports editor --------------------

It would be easy to look at Vanderbilt’s record this season and say the Commodores have not improved much from the 2014-15 season.

If there has been one difference between this season and last, however, it’s come in the form of the Commodore defense. For the year, Vanderbilt has limited opponents to 38.0 percent shooting, a significant improvement from last season’s 40.6 percent mark.

The team ranks first in the entire country in threepoint defense in allowing 28.6 percent shooting, down from 33.9 percent a year ago.

“I think that they have a good defensive team,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said about Vanderbilt following the Commodores’ 80-67 victory Saturday, in which the Bulldogs shot a ghastly 35.6 percent from two-point range. “Certainly their length on the inside is an advantage for them defensively. They had great defensive numbers (entering the game) so we can criticize our offense all we want but we played against a great defensive team.”

The engine behind this improvement stands 7-foot1, towering over opponents like they’re junior high players. Junior forward Luke Kornet’s development into one of the most disruptive defensive forces in the SEC has put him in the conversation for conference Defensive Player of the Year. His size and anticipation have given opposing teams fits when they drive into the paint and have discouraged many from attacking the hoop in the first place.

Commodores head coach Kevin Stallings held steadfast early in the season that Kornet had grown into the team’s best defender and “the anchor behind our defense.” The lanky big man has backed up his coach’s words by dominating play, highlighted by a triple-double against Auburn Jan. 12 in which he tallied 9 defensive rebounds and 10 blocks.

Kornet’s status as the linchpin of one of the league’s best defenses helps his case for Defensive Player of the Year, which is voted on by the league’s coaches at the end of the regular season. Vanderbilt’s head-to-head wins over fellow contenders John Egbunu and Florida as well as Jimmie Taylor and Alabama could give Kornet a slight advantage in a close race.

The Lantana, Texas native’s defensive statistics add to his impressive profile. Kornet is third among SEC players, with enough minutes to qualify in swatting away 9.4 percent of all opponents’ two-point shots during conference play, while also gobbling up 20.7 percent of available defensive rebounds for the seventh-best mark in the league according to statistician Ken Pomeroy.

Stallings, however, has maintained that Kornet’s biggest contributions to the Commodores’ defense can’t be measured by statistics. Perhaps the best example lies not in Kornet’s play on the court, but in the team’s 0-3 record against RPI top-100 teams during his five-game absence in late December and early January with a knee injury.

“Luke’s presence around the goal was critical,” Stallings said following Kornet’s record-setting performance against Auburn. “People wondered what I was talking about when he was out and I said something was missing, and there was a little glimpse of it tonight of what he can do.”

If nothing else, Vanderbilt’s evolution from the sixth most efficient SEC defense in 2015 to breathing down the neck of Texas A&M for the league’s top spot this season shows Kornet’s value. Arguably the Commodores’ most improved player, the 7-foot-1 skyscraper’s penchant for racking up blocks and defensive rebounds could result in him racking up votes for SEC Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the season.

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From forfeits to force in the Southeast How Vanderbilt Club Ice Hockey grew into a legitimate, winning program

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

The Vanderbilt Club Ice Hockey team was on the brink of collapse in 2010. The team couldn’t hold down a coach or a consistent roster, the SEC Hockey Conference had placed them on probation for two years and after canceling on some road games due to roster issues, the league was threatening to suspend and banish them from the conference.

Just six years later, that same Commodores program hosted the rest of the conference at the 2016 SECHC Tournament at the Nashville Predators’ Ford Ice Center, and two weeks later, went on to clinch a spot in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division Three Nationals by winning the South Regional tournament.

Former Vanderbilt goaltender Brenden Oliver, who suited up for the program from 2008-12, said the team was mere hours from being banished by the SEC for forfeiting too many times before a whirlwind road trip to Arkansas.

“There was a Friday afternoon where we had a road trip planned to play Arkansas in Fayetteville,” Oliver said. “It was hard finding five skaters to make the trip down. We had everyone’s gear thrown into two Suburbans.

We got down there two hours late, but we showed up and played with no substitutions at all. We got slaughtered in both games, but we made it through the weekend and were able to keep the program alive.”

At that point, the players had enough.

They needed a new direction for the program, so the program brought in Thomas Bernstein, a former club hockey player at Cornell and local businessman, to be their head coach. Immediately, Bernstein wanted to change the attitude and outlook for Vanderbilt Hockey.

“The key to getting the program off the ground was helping the kids understand that the program was theirs to run, that they had the resources at their disposal to create something special if they wanted to,” Bernstein said.

However, it took a little time for Bernstein to instill a sense of pride and a winning drive in his team.

“At that time, they didn’t want to take it very seriously, they just wanted to have fun,” Bernstein said. “So we started off by asking a simple question: Is it important to win? Some of the guys said ‘No, it’s not that important to win.’ Others said, ‘Sure, yeah, we want to win.’ But, that’s where we started.

Now, if you ask everybody, they’ll say it’s very important to win.”

Senior Chad Wyatt said that the team was a “ragtag group” during his freshman

The Vanderbilt Club Ice Hockey team takes the ice in the I-40 Classic against Tennessee. year and recalled yet another shorthanded roadtrip.

“We went up to Louisville towards the end of the first semester, and for the first game, we had about 12 guys, which was normal at the time,” he said. “Then literally half the team left, and we still had another game the next night, so we were calling everybody up the next morning, asking them to come up to Louisville for this game at 5 p.m. We ended up getting two more players. We got blown out, but it was just one of those things that represented what the club was like.”

Andrew Dellapina, a junior forward, said that the team competed in his first years on the team but didn’t quite have the drive to play as a unit.

“We were playing decent teams and playing good games, but we didn’t have any predetermined goals, things we wanted to accomplish before the end of the season,” he said. “Guys were just out there to play hockey. Since then, it’s been a lot more focus on what we want to do.”

With the coach and the attitude in place, the next step was to build an awareness of the team. A move to the Ford Ice Center has helped draw these fans to games.

“We’ve tried to do a good job of drumming up fan support and making it fun to go to,” Dellapina said. “Ford Ice has been a huge help. They make it real easy for fans to get there and they have great discounts on food

and drinks. It’s been a great atmosphere to play games in. We’ve definitely had some great fan support this season.”

The Commodores are on their way to ACHA Nationals for the first time in their 40year history, and the team is more legitimate and more talented than ever. Oliver still hangs around the team, despite graduating way back in 2012. He does the scoreboard for home games simply because he wants to.

“I just love this team,” he said. “I was president my junior and senior year, and the relationships that I’ve formed with all the guys on the team at the time, and the camaraderie behind it, it’s something you don’t want to let go of.”

Senior defenseman Zach Satin said that their bid to Nationals is the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of different people.

“Going to Nationals is an amazing experience and means a lot to the club,” he said.

“It’s a huge step forward and speaks volumes to the work that the players and coaches put into the organization.”

As some of the players acknowledged, they’re proud of the way the club has grown, but have not lost sight of what the club is: a player-led organization that is meant to be fun.

“The important thing is that we’ve been successful without losing sight of having fun,” Dellapina said. “Our regional trip last weekend, we had as much fun as we ever

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have. At the same time, we accomplished something that the club had never done before. Every year, the new guys that come in are adding to that, and it’s definitely made a huge difference.”

“Even for this level, a lot of teams have general managers, and their coaches make a lot of decisions,” said Jack Gibbons, a senior forward. “Vanderbilt is really a team-run club. The players make the decisions. I think it’s been great to see the growth of the club over the past four years. If you told me when I joined as a freshman that we would have a bid to nationals by my senior year, I would have said you were crazy. It’s been a fun ride.”

This team has come a long way from the near-ruined team in 2010, and in just six years’ time, the players, coaches and media have built a program that is to be reckoned with in the Southeast. The most important thing that Bernstein notes, however, is the pride that comes with the program. Vanderbilt’s team is a cohesive unit.

“Every year is different, but there’s a camaraderie and a sense of family amongst each and every person on this team now that is very special and I think everyone is very proud of. I know I’m extremely proud of it.”

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backpage TODAY'S CROSSWORD

TODAY'S SUDOKU

Answers to last week’s sudoku

PHOTO OF THE WEEK Answers to last week’s crossword

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The Vanderbilt baseball team opens the season with an 8-4 victory over San Diego on Feb. 19 at Hawkins Field. Jordan Sheffield earned the win at pitcher, while right fielder Jeren Kendall led the offense with two home runs.