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VOL. 127, ISS. 8
Avoiding ‘voluntourism’
Ahead of spring break service trips, students and OACS director reflect on balancing service with self-interest SEE PAGE 4
LIFE
How to take a better selfie Photography director offers some tips on how to spruce up your inevitable spring break selfies
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OPINION
‘Fight for 15’
SPORTS
Campbell earns spot in starting lineup A look at the journey of Tyler Campbell, the starting second baseman who proved his reliability during the College World Series
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Columnist argues for a living wage, making the case that the current minimum wage perpetuates poverty PAGE 6 JAMES TATUM / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
campus Empowering inmates through literature
“A lot of people view service as something vertical, something that is someone higher up helping someone who is lower down. It’s really important to see it more horizontally, that you can help and you can teach someone but they can also teach you.” NICHOLE SMITH, SOPHOMORE
Professor teaches prison lit course to both inmates and students By ZOE SHANCER News reporter --------------------
At the Tennessee Prison for Women, there is an English class comprised of 15 inmates along with 15 students from Lipscomb University. At the head of the classroom is English Lecturer Robbie Spivey, who, in addition to teaching at Vanderbilt, is a part of the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) program. According to Spivey, the LIFE program began in 2007 and brings together prison inmates and traditional college students for various English classes. Spivey began teaching for the program soon after its creation and continues to do so during the summer months. “It was just like any other college class where there was a heavy reading load and writing requirements, but the difference was that students who would normally not share a space and not share conversation were in dialogue in the context of a college community,” Spivey said. The traditional Lipscomb students had many questions for the inmates regarding their personal experiences in prison and how those experiences compared to those of the authors of the literature, Spivey said. “The inmates could offer insight, partly from the experience of being incarcerated, but also just from a complex and more extensive life experience,” Spivey said. “(The inmates have) gone through some really difficult things, done some bad things and dealt with those consequences, and they could offer actually a lot of wisdom about what that process was like.” Spivey said the inmates benefited from the experience as well because the class allowed them to escape from the traditional prison experience. “For a while every week when (the inmates) are in class, they are a student and they are not a number,” Spivey said. “They have a Lipscomb ID that is different from their inmate ID, so they have an opportunity to think of themselves in a positive way and to be challenged. They’re capable of complex academic work, and it relieves some of the boredom that comes from the routines that they are subject to the rest of the week.” Spivey noted that inmates in the program felt a responsibility to influence other inmates to be on good behavior so they could also qualify for the program and potentially earn a degree. Inmates also positively influenced their loved ones through their work in the course. “Some of my students have also told me about how they
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have family members … and they have to deal with having told them, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be away. I’m going to be in prison for these many years. I have to do this,’” Spivey said. “Now they have something else to tell them, ‘Don’t be like me in this way, but stay in school because I’m in college now and I’m going to have a degree and I’ve studied this material, and you can do that too.’” Spivey feels that she has also benefited from teaching classes at the Tennessee Prison for Women because the inmates have taught her to read prison literature in a different way from how she did before and helped her better understand the prison system as a whole. “It’s not just an abstract idea for me, which it was before I ever went there,” Spivey said. “It was kind of distant and scary, and after spending time with people who are doing time, I see each person as an individual and a lot of them are my friends.” Spivey’s experiences through the LIFE program influenced the way she crafted her English 118 course at Vanderbilt, which aims to integrate questions about literature and culture in the context of prison literature. “We don’t really trust people who have been convicted of crimes, and yet, they can tell us about what it is like to experience sentencing and incarceration and the losses that come with that and the experience of attempting to make a change and how challenging that can be in prison,” Spivey said. “So having that testimony through the form of a literary autobiography or a memoir or expressive poetry can be very informative and forces us to ask some questions about what prison is doing and what it could be doing.” Some of Spivey’s favorite works to teach are Jimmy Santiago Bacca’s “A Place to Stand” as well as some of Santiago’s poems, particularly “Cloudy Day.” “There’s a stanza in his poem ‘Cloudy Day’ where he’s describing the men in their prison jackets huddled together up against the fence of the prison, and it’s a windy cloudy day, and he says that the wind carries their words over the fence,” Spivey said. “I just think that’s a really beautiful metaphor for what prison literature does.” According to Spivey, discussions in her class often surround the idea that the media tends to dehumanize criminals, but that prison literature can provide a humanizing perspective. “When we read ‘Orange is the New Black,’ there is often a surprising feeling of solidarity with Kerman (the inmate) and so we talk about why she’s an appealing, likable character,” Spivey said. Spivey finds that the students in her classes at Vanderbilt
KELLY HALOM — CO-NEWS EDITOR ALLIE GROSS — CO-NEWS EDITOR PRIYANKA ARIBINDI — LIFE EDITOR MOLLY CORN — OPINION EDITOR ALLISON MAST — SPORTS EDITOR SAARA ASIKAINEN — MANAGING EDITOR KARA SHERRER — WEB EDITOR SOPHIE TO — CHIEF COPY EDITOR
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBBIE SPIVEY
Robbie Spivey is lecturer in the English department and teaches at the Tennessee Prison for Women as part of the Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE). are often rational and methodical in their writing, while her students at the prison are often more emotional. She would like to find a balance between these two styles. “I think in both cases, I’m always pleasantly surprised by my students’ motivation to learn,” Spivey said. “I think Vanderbilt is a place where you would expect that, but I’m always impressed by how motivated my students are to make improvements in their work, and I think the same is true of my students at the prison. They are highly motivated to learn, and they work really hard because of that. It’s mostly about the students in both cases, even though they are very different.”
BOSLEY JARRETT — PHOTO DIRECTOR JENNA WENGLER — ART DIRECTOR PHIL DANTA — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPER MADDIE HUGHES — FEATURES EDITOR ANGELICA LASALA — SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR BEN WEINRIB — ASST. SPORTS EDITOR KAREN CHAN — ASST. ART DIRECTOR QUEEN STEVENSON — ASST. OPINION EDITOR ZIYI LIU— ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR KATHY YUAN — ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR
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ZACH BERKOWITZ ZOE SHANCER KATHY ZHOU HAN DEWAN AADITI NAIK CHRISTOPH SPROUL SHARON SI BRIANNA GALGANO
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CAMPUS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
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Not all service is ‘good’ service Service leaders emphasize critical reflection and education to ensure meaningful volunteer experiences By AADITI NAIK and MADDIE HUGHES News reporter, Features editor --------------------
More than one in 10 Vanderbilt undergraduates will participate in a service trip during spring break, according to the Office of Active Citizenship and Service (OACS). With an abundance of student involvement come unique perspectives on what service means. Dr. Clive Mentzel, director of OACS and professor of political science, finds “beauty” in the multiplicity of perspectives. He sees service as reaching beyond a volunteer’s actions and immediate impact. “It’s more about the conversation and more about the diversity and richness of the interpretations,” Mentzel said. Mentzel grew up in apartheid-era South Africa. As civil war and protests spread under the “racist dictatorship,” Mentzel said he witnessed massive injustices. He began to ask himself a question to which he would continue to seek the answer for the rest of his life: “How do we want to live?” “(Asking that question is) what it means to be an active citizen,” he said. “That’s what it means to do service. That’s what it means to question the policy and structural reasons for the service that we have to do.” Senior Aditya Karhade, current co-chair of Alternative Spring Break (ASB) and former president of Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science, volunteered in high school, but it was not until he arrived at Vanderbilt that he began to think critically about service. Karhade said that he wanted service to be a part of his daily life, but realized that for others it could be something very different. “If it’s an equation that you can write out, service depends on who you are right now, who you hope to be, what you’re doing and what you’re gaining from it,” Karhade said. “And all those things are variables that are changing over time.” Karhade said that some types of service have measurable outcomes, while others do not. However, he does not consider any one to be more important than another. “It’s intangible, it’s the conversations that you’ve had, it’s how you’ve made people feel and how they’ve made you feel,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a hierarchy.” Karhade noted that he is speaking for himself and not on behalf of the organiza-
tions that he leads. Mentzel considers service to be first and foremost an intervention that will have implications for the lives of others — regardless of the volunteer’s experience and motivation. “Be aware that you shouldn’t think that just doing service is a good thing. You have to intentionally engage with it before you go because it could be a bad thing, and you don’t want it to be a bad thing,” Mentzel cautioned. Senior Ingram Scholar Andrew Legan became passionate about issues related to volunteering through serving abroad in Nicaragua. As the first vice president of education for Manna Project International, Legan helped the service organization develop a new program to educate participants. Legan explained the difference between good service and “voluntourism,” which he defined as a “trip that imposes an agenda on a community, as opposed to a shortterm trip that responds to an invitation.” He added that the goal of the service project should be to work with the community as equal partners. Various students stressed that without listening to the needs of the community, a project might waste resources and time addressing nonexistent issues or issues which are not sustainable for the community. Nichole Smith provided the example of volunteers visiting developing countries to build schools or latrines. She said that without the proper tools and training, such projects often yield structures that are not sturdy enough and have to be rebuilt by locals after the volunteers leave. “It’s not necessarily doing harm, but it’s putting something there that’s not going to be used or helpful in any way,” she said. A number of students spoke to the “savior mentality,” a mindset that leads volunteers to believe that they know what is best for the community. Nichole Smith said that this mentality is particularly applicable to international trips. She said she witnessed this attitude among American missionaries on a service trip in Haiti last summer. “A lot of people who were working with the Haitian citizens there tried to get them to assimilate to a more American standard,” she said. “That does create a rift and sort of a hierarchy within the countries that are being
PHOTO COURTESY OF NICHOLE SMITH
(Top) Sophomore Nichole Smith poses with group during her service trip in Haiti. (Right) Clive Mentzel is the director of the Office of Active Citizenship and Service. served.” To counter this mentality, Nichole Smith suggests volunteers approach service as more of a horizontal transaction. “A lot of people view service as something vertical, something that is someone higher up helping someone who is lower down,” she said. However, Smith said that by doing service, volunteers can be served as well. Senior Jarod Smith pointed out that volunteers should also recognize the limitations of the impact they can have. During a trip to a public health clinic in Ecuador, he said he realized his limited qualifications meant that he was not going to instantly change people’s lives. “It’s just having a realistic expectation of what your abilities are and not just thinking that because you come from a more well-off background than these people, you know what’s best for them,” Jarod Smith said. “It’s letting people tell you what they need.” Many students said that serving people from different backgrounds in communities around the world forced them to confront their own privileges in order to better understand the experiences of others. “Instead of pretending like those things don’t exist when we’re doing service, we should be very vocal and active about recognizing where we have privileges and where these sort of systematic privileges and discrimination have changed the course of people’s lives,” Nichole Smith said. For Mentzel, having the right intentions forms the basis of a positive service experience. To him, the whole point is engaging in service seriously and genuinely. “Did you really go there to serve, or why
are you there? Did you go there for the bungee jump or the ziplining?” Mentzel posited. Junior Andrea Blatt, who has various experiences with both international and domestic service, said that volunteers’ motivation to travel can also have positive effects. “Global understanding and cultural exchange are crucial for helping the world move forward together,” she said. “But if you’re just going for the pictures next to a kid in Tanzania and the T-shirt, stay home. At least until you learn Swahili.” With so many ethical considerations tied into service, it simply isn’t possible to just get on a plane and go serve in a meaningful way, according to Mentzel. Careful education and preparation on the part of the organization are essential. Mentzel pointed out the “triangle model” used by Alternative Spring Break (ASB) as a model to follow in terms of preparing volunteers to perform worthwhile service.
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Voluntourism is a trip that imposes an agenda on a community, as opposed to a short term trip that responds to an invitation.
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ASB promotes education, service and reflection — the three points of its triangle — as a way for participants to continue to learn and improve. “Service is not about going in, doing something and not thinking about it ever again,” Karhade said. “Service is about going in, learning about something and seeing how your day-to-day life can be a little bit different because you’re aware of this thing now.” Reflection makes a short-term service project last longer than the days spent on a site. One way to continue reflecting on a service trip after it ends is by sharing experi-
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADITYA KARHADE
Senior Aditya Karhade poses with his ASB group during service trip in Florida. ences with those who might not have been able to directly work with the issue. “You can become almost an advocate for these people and spread their stories and make these issues more well-known and inspire people to want to do service themselves in a similar situation somewhere else,” said Jarod Smith, who is leading an ASB site this year.
By hearing stories from their peers, students who might not have any experience with service can also be inspired to engage in and define service for themselves. Kelly Jamerson, assistant director of OACS, said that every volunteer must start somewhere. “So if it is just a one-week experience to get your feet wet, and learn what you are passionate about and learn what drives you,
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I think there are certainly benefits in that too,” Jamerson said. First-year Adithya Sivakumar said he anticipates his own personal development with regard to future service, as he looks forward to his first experience with ASB this year. “And even if it is a one-week thing, I think it will leave an indelible impact on the person as they realize, ‘Ok, this is the issue at hand, and hopefully I can do something to better it,’” Sivakumar said. Mentzel stated that while service in itself does not ensure good outcomes, a volunteer who practices mindful intervention, careful reflection and genuine engagement can have transformative experiences, if the student is open to them. “Sometimes the things that you do, when you’re not trained, when you’re first starting out, that does have a negative effect as well. But does that mean that you should stop? No,” Karhade said. “If we’re too afraid to try, then we’re never going to learn, we’re never going to be better, we’re never going to solve the problems.” Both Karhade and Mentzel believe that service stretches beyond an immediate outcome — it is a lifelong conversation. “By virtue of existing, you are in the world … The fact that you are means that you impact the world. And so, the choice is about how you impact the world,” Mentzel said. “And so the question then becomes … What kind of world do I want to live in? What is my contribution to the kind of world I want to live in?”
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opinion
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Even if you are fortunate enough to be employed in a job that meets your financial needs, your tax dollars are funding the government welfare made necessary by corporate wages.”
MEREDITH VITALE
‘Fight for 15’
Current minimum wage perpetuates poverty
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he American Dream of prosperity and upward social mobility is an American fable when you find yourself unable to make ends is a junior in the College meet working a full-time minimum wage job. of Arts and Science. She can be reached Wal-Mart made headlines this week after anat meredith.o.vitale@ nouncing they would raise the pay of roughly vanderbilt.edu. 500,000 employees to $9/hour, a $1.75 increase from the minimum wage. However, despite a fairly significant increase, a full-time Wal-Mart employee living in Nashville would still fail to bring home a paycheck that is equivalent to a living wage. The amount that constitutes a living wage varies depending on cost of living in an area and the number of incomes and dependents in a household. In Davidson County, the living wage is equivalent to $9.51/hour for fulltime employees. Add one child as a dependent in a single-income household, and the number nearly doubles to $18.36. The wage gap in America continues to widen with a staggering disparity between high and low earners, and there are clear winners and losers as the result of economic equation. The winners are able to consume beyond their needs and they are offered constant opportunity for growth. The losers are not able to meet basic needs, and often are forced into a cycle of poverty. Due to little to no access to resources, including education and financial services, subsequent generations are unable to break out of the poverty trap. Out of necessity, the vast majority of these families end up on government welfare. While corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonald’s make annual profits in the multibillion-dollar range, their workers subsist on wages that fail to meet basic human needs. This affects all of us. Even if you are fortunate enough to be employed in a job that meets your financial needs, your tax dollars are funding the government welfare made necessary by corporate wages. So what is the real price of the dollar menu? Fast food workers across the country have organized in efforts to achieve wage justice. The Fight for 15 movement began in 2012 and demands a $15/ hour minimum and union representation for fast food workers. They state their purpose as “underpaid workers who work in fast food stores and other
MEREDITH VITALE
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service sector jobs are building the Fight for $15 movement to stand for better pay and a voice for a better life for Americans who cook, clean, care, and serve for a living.” It is in the interest of the American people to raise wages for workers because this benefits millions of people both directly and indirectly. Low-wage workers provide services that are often conveniently disregarded, but are in fact important to the function of society. Opponents of a $15 minimum argue that it would cause higher unemployment rates or lead to jobs being outsourced or automated. However, the capitalist argument for a $15 minimum wage contends that the spike in wages makes sense economically. It would cultivate a large base of consumers with more disposable income and reduce government public assistance. Whether or not you agree with a $15 minimum wage, you have to respect the Fight for 15 movement, and the strength and unity shown by these workers who have organized without the representation of an established union. Low-wage, nonunion workers comprise a marginalized group in society with little political power and representation. Through sheer will, determination and perseverance, they are attempting to take power back from the corporations and achieve wage justice. The fight for a $15 minimum wage is not aggressive — it’s progressive. Working a job in a fast food restaurant should not disqualify someone from earning a living wage. Any hard-working person deserves to be treated with the same dignity afforded to any other profession and given opportunities to advance their socio-economic status and escape the cycle of poverty.
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
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reserves the right to edit and condense submissions for length as well as clarity. Lengthy letters that focus on an issue affecting students may be considered for a guest column at the editor’s discretion. All submissions become the property of The Hustler and must conform to the legal standards of Vanderbilt Student Communications, of which The Hustler is a division. The Vanderbilt Hustler (ISSN 0042-2517), the official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University, is published every Wednesday during the academic year except during exam periods and vacations. The paper is not printed during summer break. The Vanderbilt Hustler allocates one issue of the newspaper to each student and is available at various points on campus for free. Additional copies are $.50 each. The Vanderbilt Hustler is a division of Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc. Copyright © 2014 Vanderbilt Student Communications.
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Chains, whips and outrage ‘Fifty Shades’ reinforces several stereotypes
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he movie adaption of E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a “Twilight” fanfiction novel, was released over Valentine’s Day weekend. The storyline follows the tumultuous relationship between recent college graduate Anastasia Steele and 27-year-old Seattle self-made billionaire Christian Grey. Even though many were excited for the release of the film, it received a plethora of reviews criticizing the director, writer and actors for their lack of talent. As a reader of ERIN LOGAN the books, I felt that they did a good job translating is a sophomore in the juvenile writing onto the big screen (although I the College of Arts and Science. She can was bummed that Ana’s inner goddess didn’t make be reached at erin. a holographic appearance). But an apt adaptation logan@vanderbilt.edu doesn’t mean much when the novel reads like the diary of an inexperienced 14-year-old girl. I disliked the movie because of its hints of domestic abuse, the poor portrayal of BDSM and the static plot. What supposedly set this movie apart from other heteronormative films was the incorporation of BDSM into the sexual aspect of the main characters’ relationship. Even though both the novel and the film have undeniably brought the BDSM community a lot of mainstream attention, it has been accused of inaccurately portraying the true meaning of submissive sex. A playroom with handcuffs, blindfolds and leather whips does not BDSM make. Through the continual confirmation of false myths from those who comprise the kink community, “Fifty Shades of Grey” created a rabbit hole of stereotypes that further ostracizes the BDSM community from the general population. Perhaps exacerbating the poor portrayal of
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A man’s interpretation of body language is not a woman’s consent.
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BDSM is the constant glorification of domestic abuse. To put it bluntly, Christian Grey is an overbearing domineering sadist who only wants love when it constitutes torture for his sexual partner. For parts of the movie, Ana seems to find a wonderland of romance in Christian. But when their onceholy ground devolves into a bullet wound, he turns into an abusive and vindictive fiend. For me, the point of no return came when Ana, a grown woman, forgets to tell Christian that she is traveling to Savannah for the weekend to see her mother. Either because he is upset over his loss of control, or because he won’t be able to fulfill his sexual needs for two days, he naturally decides to follow her to Georgia so they can be together. While this may seem like a fantasy desired by some women, his behavior is not only freakishly controlling, but very abusive. Their relationship is contin-
CARTOON
CHRISTOPH SPROUL is a junior in the College of Arts and Science. He can be reached at christoph.s.sproul@ vanderbilt.edu.
gent upon the sexual pleasure that she can supply him. For much of the movie, I would cringe when Christian said things like “I can tell by your body language you want me,” because a man’s interpretation of body language is not a woman’s consent. You do not get the girl by assuming that she wants to sleep with you. You get the girl when she verbally consents. My other problem with this movie was the plot. After the release of the Oscar nominations in January 2015, The Academy was criticized for its failure to provide diversity among the nominees. But the lack of diversity in storytelling in Hollywood is not a new phenomenon; and unfortunately, this socalled “different” romantic drama does nothing to assist in Hollywood’s problem. Because the director, screenwriter and novelist are all women, I hoped that this movie would resist the commercial allure of trope. However, my hopes were dashed: Relying heavily on female nudity, the movie contains the stereotypical strong white male lead coming to save the weak and inexperienced white girl. Perhaps they could have included an interracial relationship, or written a gender-conscious woman into the plot, or they could have attempted to tackle the everlasting taboo surrounding women’s sexuality, or they could have shown a male full frontal, or included a transgender character, or given a black person a speaking role. Instead, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a woman’s project, perpetuates the tradition of making the perfect Hollywood movie — with a nondiverse cast and a white male savior.
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GO DO
life
the Truth – Momentum Dance Company THIS Bend Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Ingram Hall Momentum Dance Company’s “Bend the Truth” consists of performances in contemporary, lyrical, ballet, hip-hop and more, and is entirely choreographed by students. Tickets are on sale at the Sarratt Box Office and are available on the Wall for $5.
Spruce up your selfie
Up your Insta-game with advice from The Hustler’s photography director, Bosley Jarrett As spring break approaches, beaches and other leisure activities replace the dull books and studying of campus life, and the time off is the perfect opportunity to document your adventures on Instagram. These three tips can make a selfie superstar out of even the most inexperienced photographer.
LIGHTING
PHOTOS BY SHERRY CHEN
BACKGROUND
This can make or break your selfie. Nobody wants to see the room you haven’t cleaned in weeks or a not-so-scenic background. The point of a selfie is to not only show how awesome you look, but also the great time you’re having, and a good background is what turns an average selfie into a like-generating machine.
Taking a photo without good light is like taking a midterm without having attended any classes — there’s only so much you can do. If you’re on the beach, make sure to face the sun. The shadows will be harsh, but you’ll get higher quality results with that little camera if you have more light. Make sure to look slightly upward to minimize the size of the shadows around your nose and eyes — sunglasses might be a good idea here as well. If the weather gods are frowning upon your vacation adventures, it is actually easier to take a well-lit photo on an overcast day, so even though the sun is not out, your selfie game can still shine.
POSITIONING
In the event that your beach bod isn’t quite “spring break ready” (whose really is?), there are various techniques based on where you place your camera and how you pose to hide any extra insulation you may have acquired during the colder months. The key here is keeping your camera above eye level and rotating the shoulders slightly to the side.
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Holcomb’s homecoming Nashville native Drew Holcomb heads back to the Ryman after months touring abroad By Madeline Goetz, Life reporter PHOTO COURTESY OF DREWHOLCOMB.COM
First formed in Nashville in 2007, Americana rock band Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors is coming home again for a show that Holcomb considers to be one of the highlights of his musical career at the Ryman Auditorium this Saturday, Feb. 28. Accompanied by only his guitarist, Holcomb enjoyed “getting back to (his) roots” of intimate, acoustic shows in small venues and bars while in the U.K. on the first leg of his tour, but he is excited to reunite with the entire band to continue performing for their large, loyal U.S. fanbase. Within days of returning from the U.K. mid-February, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors was already touring around the Southeast, all the while making their way toward the muchanticipated Nashville performance this weekend. Attendees of Saturday’s sold-out show at the Ryman are perhaps most excited to witness a live performance of many
of the tracks from Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’ newest album, “Medicine.” Holcomb said the band’s fourth studio album is comprised of “(their) best work yet,” as well as the “best-received work yet,” because of the band’s confidence that has strengthened as the group has aged. Their selfassured groove is exemplified in the wholesome, relaxed feel of the album. The band’s comfortable fall into their most personally satisfying and audience-pleasing sound to date is aptly exemplified by the natural culmination of the album’s first song “American Beauty.” Built upon the foundation of a single lyric that Holcomb had been musing over for quite a while, “She was a good companion, eyes like the Grand Canyon,” the song came to life when he was inspired by a guitar part that he ended up pairing with the words. If you missed out on tickets to their show this weekend,
there’s another opportunity to see Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors live during the summer festival season. In addition to extensive touring across the U.S., they will be performing for the second time at their own music festival, Moon River Festival, in Memphis on Aug. 15. Holcomb loves the “community” aspect of music festivals and the opportunity they present to introduce attendees to new music, and acknowledges that playing at festivals was what garnered much of their current fans’ initial attention to their music. “The music” is what fuels Holcomb’s passion for performing — he’s never had goals of being on the radio or becoming famous, but rather simply “having a career making music.” With his band, he wants to write and perform for his fans “the soundtrack for (their) lives.”
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LIFE
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Flipping an American classic Nashville’s newest ‘burger boutique’ puts culinary spins on the tried-and-true By Sara Carta Wagman, Life reporter Don’t be fooled by the booths lining the walls — FLIP Burger isn’t the average burger joint. The self-proclaimed “modern burger boutique” first opened its doors in Nashville in late January, and the hype surrounding its innovative burger menu has kept the waiting list running full ever since. FLIP Burger’s one-page lunch and dinner menu is limited to sides, soups/salads, burgers and milkshakes. However, nothing on their menu is tired — everything is served with a special twist. The 16 different types of burgers include an oaxaca burger served with pico de gallo, a Spanish-style chorizo burger and even a raw tuna tartare burger. Among their most notable milkshakes is Cap’n Crunch, and their side of tater tots is made of sweet potatoes and served with burnt marshmallow foam. The force behind the inventive menu is Chef Richard Blais, winner of “Top Chef: All Stars” in 2010. Chef Blais serves as the creative director of all five FLIP Burger loca-
tions, all of which are located in the South. His vision for the restaurant is to take an “American classic and flip it on its head to deliver a unique culinary experience on a bun.” The experience at FLIP certainly was unique — their Stack Burger, composed of two patties and the special “flip sauce,” was flavorful and an elevated version of an American classic. For the vegetarians, the “Fauxlafel” burger — made with a warm falafel patty is served with a chilled tzatziki yogurt spread — delivers a stimulating mix of sensations, and the side of perfectly crisp sweet potato tots is a must-try item. The milkshakes, however, were subpar and not worth the splurge. The Nutella and burnt marshmallows milkshake was not creamy, and their Krispy Kreme milkshake was too strange a concept to fully enjoy — although this one was creamy, the donut bits in the shake were off-putting. It is clear that Chef Blais took meticulous care to create a complete dining experience in order to wow his custom-
PHOTOS BY SARA CARTA WAGMAN / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
ers, but even with such an elevated menu, FLIP Burger still maintains a casual environment with swift service and moderately priced burgers. At only a short car ride’s distance from Vanderbilt’s campus, this is a must-try, but go on a weeknight because wait times can get long.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
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The Hustler’s picks: Best of brunch
Between the timeless and new finds, The Hustler tracked down the best spots for your weekend brunch in Nashville By Margaret Macon and Dana Alloy, Life reporters
PHOTO BY MARGARET MACON / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
PHOTO BY MARGARET MACON / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
PHOTO BY DANA ALLOY / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
JOSEPHINE
MARCHE ARTISAN FOODS
TAVERN
Located in the 12 South neighborhood, Josephine’s menu offers a modern and delicious upgrade to traditionally simple European cuisine. Their Saturday and Sunday brunch is offered 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and includes a variety of sweet and savory options. From pistachio sticky buns and apple cider doughnuts to omelets, quiche and eggs Benedict, Josephine’s extensive menu adds a flavorful spin to all the brunch classics. Fortunately, they take reservations for brunch, but also accommodate walk-ins.
Marche, the daughter restaurant to Margot Cafe and Bar, is located in historic East Nashville. Marche offers rotating breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that all include simple, fresh cuisine made from seasonal ingredients, but they are most popular for their weekend brunch. Although they do not take reservations, this dining experience is well worth the wait. Their brunch menu is always changing, but consistently includes a seasonal tartine as well as a variety of sweet and savory crepes, freshly baked goods, eggs, bacon, chicken sausage and all other brunch necessities.
One of Nashville’s MStreet restaurants, Tavern offers a filling brunch that works for everything from game day to parents’ weekend. The menu has options ranging from healthy selections to decadent choices such as a red velvet waffle or pretzel pancakes. While many would head to Tavern just for these, their two-for-one drink offer doesn’t hurt either. They don’t take reservations, but they use an app to show where people are in line, so you can always send someone ahead to put in a name, and keep track on the app for when to all head over.
Hustler’s pick: The winter seasonal tartine includes slices of ripe pears and camembert cheese on toasted raisin sourdough and is drizzled with local honey.
Hustler’s pick: Tavern dresses up classic breakfast potatoes with peppers, onions, cheese and a variety of other ingredients to create their famed “White Trash Hash.”
Hustler’s pick: This pistachio and dried cherry sticky bun is presented in a hot iron skillet, and is the perfect dish for sharing with the table.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
sports
THE BIG STAT Career draw controls for junior Kelly Chandler, putting her sixth on Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse all-time list
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The art of the draw Women’s lacrosse star Kelly Chandler discusses the importance of perfecting the draw control By JOSH HAMBURGER Sports reporter --------------------
Arguably the most important part of any lacrosse game occurs at the start of each half and following every goal. During these times, one player from each team lines up at midfield for a draw, equivalent to a basketball tip-off, although the ball starts between the back of both stick heads. Luckily for Vanderbilt, Kelly Chandler has provided utter dominance in winning the draw for her team. After being moved from midfield to attack this year, much of her game has remained the same, especially in facing off on the vast majority of the draws. Although the positions differ slightly, she said, “I’m most productive when I’m on the field. I go harder on the midfield … a lot more short sprints.” This positional change has allowed for her to focus more specifically on draws and shooting, a need she has found essential to maintaining her physical longevity. For Chandler, the past two seasons have been filled with success, but simultaneously have been marred with physical ailments. Since her freshman year, Chandler has dealt with a chronic back injury that has limited her playing time, in addition to a leg flare-up over the second half of last season. “I was hitting a peak, and the fact that my body wasn’t responding was frustrating,” Chandler said, reflecting upon last year. Though she endured tremendous pain visible to her coaches, Chandler still stepped up where she could. The team needed her draw talents; thus, Coach Swezey would put her in several instances for the draws alone — only to be subbed out immediately after. These ongoing, nagging injuries provided a catalyst for Swezey to move Chandler to attack in order to narrow down her focus and lessen her wear over the course of a long season. As midfield requires playing both offense and defense on both
sides of the field, playing attack allows her to concentrate more so on creating scoring opportunities. To date, Chandler has already netted 11 goals, second on the team only to fellow junior Mallory Schonk. “We felt like it was one way to save her legs, but we also felt like her ability to score was really going to open up the floodgates for her by having her on offense,” Swezey said. Swezey is the first to boast the importance of the draw in any game, and the impact that Chandler has on the game through this skill. “It is hugely important. Kelly has just been a huge asset for us on the draw,” she said. Winning the draw sets up possession, and like in hockey, you have the opportunity to keep getting the ball back, even after having just scored. Winning a high percentage of draws more often than not leads to victory because of increased possessions. When Kelly Chandler lines up for each draw, the goal is to take possession, whether for herself or to push the ball toward a teammate. “If I feel that I can win it to myself, then I’ll win it to myself. If I feel that whoever the girl on my side is going against can beat her, then I’m going to push it to her,” she said about her technique. In leading the team with 26 draw controls, there is no doubt in Chandler’s mind that she often holds the advantage in winning the draw herself. The preseason All-Big East selection looks to continue her dominance on the draws and attack, as the season’s upcoming schedule is loaded with ranked teams and conference opponents. Her 98 career draw controls already put her at sixth all-time at Vanderbilt — with more than a season and a half left in her career. If she stays healthy and keeps up at this rate, Coach Swezey is confident that Kelly Chandler will end the season as one of the top draw control players in the country.
BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
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Commodores blow out UT-Martin By BEN WEINRIB Asst. sports editor --------------------
The 2015 season hasn’t gone exactly according to the script for Hayden Stone. But after two disastrous relief outings to start the season, the sophomore out of Columbia, Tennessee, finally got back on track in his first career start, earning the win in a 16-3 victory over UT-Martin. In his first extended outing of the season, Stone’s stuff was solid at best, although the cold weather didn’t help. His fastball was sitting 88-89 mph for most of the game, and he also mixed in a few low-80s sliders, although not nearly often as his near 50-50 split he’s had out of the bullpen. Still, despite his middling stuff, Stone got great results. He pitched quickly throughout his three-inning outing, and only needed 43 pitches to get out 12 batters. He didn’t give up a single run and surrendered just one hit while striking out and walking two. “It was a little bit (different),” Stone said about starting his first game. “I didn’t really know what to do during BP and team stretch and stuff like that, but once I got out there, I felt pretty good. I started in high school, and it was good to get out there and start again.” Stone didn’t face much trouble all game except in the second inning when he gave up a double down the left field line to Luis Paublini. After he walked Matt Hirsch and
Jason Delay allowed a past ball, Stone was able to get out of the jam by throwing seven sliders in nine pitches to get a strikeout and easy ground ball to shortstop. “I think it was good for my confidence,” Stone said. “I just try to put (the bad outings) behind me as quickly as possible and remember I’ve been doing this my whole life. “ Vanderbilt’s offense matched Stone’s stellar outing with the most runs they've scored on the season. The Commodores tacked on three runs in the first two innings on Dansby Swanson fielder’s choice and a Bryan Reynolds triple, but the offense didn’t truly get going until the third inning. Vanderbilt chased Skyhawks starter Daniel Shaw six batters into the inning when he couldn’t get the third out and loaded the bases after giving up a run. Shaw only threw 11 strikes in 22 pitches, but his successor wasn’t any more effective. Patrick Bernard came into the game with the bases loaded looking for the final out, but it took seven batters to get the third out. The right hander threw 16 balls in 27 pitches, allowing a single, two walks, a triple, a hit batter and another single. When all was said and done, all nine hitters in the Commodores lineup got on base that inning, and they scored eight runs. Because of the nearly 30-minute break while Vanderbilt was hitting in the third and the low-30s temperatures, Stone was pulled
ANDREW PERRY / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Hayden Stone throws two scoreless innings in Vanderbilt's win against Stanford last season. Stone pitched three innings last night against UT-Martin, giving up one hit and no runs. before he could go longer in the outing. Vanderbilt took its foot off the gas pedal to give young players some playing time in the midweek game, including three who made their college debut. Brendan Spagnuolo
gave up two runs in two innings, Montgomery Bell Academy alum Tristan Chari hit a two RBI single, and Riverdale High School (Murfreesboro) alum Collin Snider pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
SPORTS
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College World Series hero earns place in starting lineup By MAX HERZ Sports reporter --------------------
Entering the 2014 College World Series, Tyler Campbell had played in just 26 college games over two seasons, collecting seven hits in the process. He played in Vanderbilt’s final five games in Omaha, notching five hits. Those five hits were nothing short of game-changing. After Xavier Turner was suspended for a violation of NCAA rules two games into the World Series, Campbell became the team’s fill-in third baseman after starting only one game all year. The sophomore beat out a grounder to shortstop with the bases loaded in the 10th inning to defeat Texas and send the Commodores to the College World Series finals. His bases-clearing double was the highlight of a nine-run third inning as Vanderbilt topped Virginia in game one of the championship series. Campbell’s effort led to a national championship and a spot on the CWS All-Tournament Team. It also earned him a place in Vanderbilt’s starting nine. With Vince Conde going pro and Dansby Swanson moving from second to short, the second base position is now Campbell’s. With seven hits in 19 at-bats through the first six games of 2015, he’s seizing the opportunity he had patiently waited for, repeating his Omaha performance. Although he didn’t know when, Campbell was always convinced that his chance would come. “I always felt like I would get some sort of opportunity,” Campbell said. “I think the plan there was just to be patient until something came up. Maybe it was an injury, maybe it was someone who wasn’t playing well, but however it was going to happen, I’d probably get some chance.” Turner’s suspension allowed Campbell to crack the Commodore lineup in June, but his first chance at extended, everyday playing time came to be not because of a teammate’s misfortune, but through Campbell’s hard work. Coach Tim Corbin could not guarantee future playing time to Campbell, but sensed that the situation would sort itself out somehow. “I never assured him,” Corbin said. “I told him, like all kids, that there’s hope. But Tyler gave himself the assurance because of the investment that he put in.” Corbin understands how difficult it is for freshmen and sophomores to receive playing time on his deep team. While some
Commodore hitters earn starting roles as underclassmen, those who do not are forced to wait for a rare opening. At times, it feels like that opportunity to play at Vanderbilt may never come. “That’s definitely a thought that crosses your mind when you have such great players in front of you,” Campbell said. “Dansby Swanson, Vince Conde, guys like that. It’s tough to break a lineup with guys that are so successful.” With only select occasions to prove himself in game action, Campbell made the most of his only opportunity to display his game. He excelled by bringing his best effort to every practice, putting him in a position to succeed once his opportunity materialized. “Before Omaha, we saw it every day in practice,” said sophomore pitcher John Kilichowski. “You watch him in practice every day; he practices extremely hard. He didn’t practice any harder when he was playing than when he wasn’t playing.” This steady work ethic in training made Campbell the easy choice to fill Turner’s position in Omaha. “As far as showing up every day and working hard, that’s just a consistency thing,” Campbell said. “That’s a habit you get into. If you’re consistent off the field or in practice, that will lead to some level of consistency within the game, so that’s what we aim for.” The ability to give your all on a daily basis but still sit in the dugout for nine innings on game day requires a great deal of patience and maturity, two qualities that Corbin has repeatedly attributed to Campbell. Sophomore catcher Karl Ellison is impressed by Campbell’s infield play in both practices and games. “When you see him taking ground balls, it’s a fun thing to watch, it really is,” Ellison said. “The way he plays is really fun to see.” The joy over what Campbell has accomplished is echoed across the Commodore roster. Despite this appreciation and his recent success with the bat, Campbell’s teammates and coach are still a bit surprised when the defensive ace becomes a catalyst on offense. Campbell was the only Commodore with multiple hits in a 4-0, season-opening win over Santa Clara on Feb. 13, reaching base in three of four plate appearances. “He handled the zone well, he didn’t chase out of the zone,” Corbin said after the win. “I thought he had a good heartbeat for the game today offensively. He’s going to play good defense.”
BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Feb. 23, 2013: Freshman Tyler Campbell (2) fields a grounder during Vanderbilt's game vs. Monmouth (NJ) at Hawkins Field. The Commodores defeated the Hawks 11-1. This assumption of good defense and minor surprise at any major offensive contribution still floats around the Commodore clubhouse. “He’s swinging the bat really well right now, and he’s always been good defensively,” said Swanson, Campbell’s double play partner. If Campbell continues to swing the bat well — he began the season with a fivegame hitting streak — he will soon be counted on as one of the team’s best twoway players. His defense is steady as ever and his offense is surpassing expectations. Often hitting eighth or ninth in the batting order, Campbell’s ability to get on base sets the table for the top of the lineup. Leading the team with a batting average of .368 through two series, he serves as a second leadoff man for Coach Corbin. The patience and willingness to contribute exhibited by Campbell are great models for the many new freshmen who join a championship club, but will have to wait a year or two for playing time. His advice to newcomers who will wait for their turn in the spotlight — guys like Liam Sabino and Joey Mundy — is to be patient, hungry and ready, all at once. “Really it’s just being patient but, at the same time, being a little bit selfish with your work ethic, just in the sense that you want to come here every day with the attitude that you’re going to play.” Tyler Campbell made the most of his opportunity in Omaha and rode the momentum of his World Series contributions to an everyday job. The junior waited patiently for his chance and, now that that chance has arrived, he refuses to let it go.
TYLER CAMPBELL BY THE NUMBERS 2013 SEASON
.313 16 3 5
BATTING AVERAGE
AT-BATS
RUNS
HITS
2014 SEASON
.212 33 6 7
BATTING AVERAGE
AT-BATS
RUNS
HITS
2015 SEASON (so far)
.368 19 4 7
BATTING AVERAGE
AT-BATS
RUNS
HITS
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The Dores you know
going pro Zac Stacy: From Vandy to St. Louis By MATT CITAK Sports reporter --------------------
In his first year in the NFL in 2013, Stacy carried the ball 250 times for 973 yards and seven touchdowns (he added 141 yards and another touchdown receiving to his stats). Heading into the 2014 season, there was a lot of talk about Stacy becoming a star running back. However, the Rams decided to add to their running back depth by selecting Auburn’s Tre Mason in the third round of the NFL draft. Most people believed Mason would find his way onto the field, but only to give Stacy a short breather. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as Stacy seemed to hit what a lot of people call the “sophomore slump.” The former Vanderbilt running back started the season looking like
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
15
Looking back at the some of the more prominent professional athletes who started their careers in a Vanderbilt uniform
the stud rookie running back from the year before. In week two, Stacy ran the ball 19 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. His best game of the season would come the following week against the Dallas Cowboys. In this week three matchup, Stacy carried the ball 12 times for 67 yards (a whopping 5.6 yards per carry). He also caught five passes for 54 yards. At this point of the season, things were looking up for the second-year tailback. Stacy’s week three success was the only time that the running back surpassed 100 total yards from scrimmage all season. In week five, Stacy had a costly fumble in the second half of the Rams’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. From there, it all went downhill. Stacy did not return to the field that game, and in the following week’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, he received only eight carries for 17 yards (while Mason had five carries for 40 yards). Week seven’s game against Seattle saw Mason get the start at running
back (and notch 18 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown), while Stacy failed to find the field. This was essentially the beginning of the end of Stacy’s sophomore season. He finished the season with only 76 carries for 293 yards and one touchdown. It is hard to tell what the 2015 NFL season will be like for Zac Stacy. It is clear that Tre Mason has become the starting running back for the Rams. However, Head Coach Jeff Fisher has recently praised Stacy, and had said that he enjoys the depth that the former Commodore provides the Rams. With Mason and Benny Cunningham both returning to St. Louis in 2015, the chances Stacy gets 250 carries again are very slim. However, Fisher is known for following the “hothand” approach in the past (whoever is running the ball the best at the time will continue to receive more carries). All it takes is one opportunity for Stacy to remind the Rams of his talent, and he could be back in the starting role.
MICHAEL FRASCELLA / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER
Zac Stacy rushes the ball during a 2011 game against Arkansas. The Commodores lost 31-28.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015
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TODAY'S SUDOKU
Answers to last week’s puzzle
Answers to last week’s puzzle