The Vanderbilt Hustler 2-3-16

vanderbilthustler WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

VOL. 128, ISS. 4

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Illuminating international stories The experiences of Vanderbilt’s international students PAGE 8

JOEL S / FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

LIFE

The music venues of Music City The Hustler highlights five well-known concert spots and five hidden gems in Nashville

PAGE 4 BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

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news

CAMPUS UPDATE Marcellina Melvin, the new Inclusion and Access Coordinator of the PCC, will speak about racial tensions and mental health on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Stevenson 4327.

The Faculty Senate:

explained

By SARAH FRIEDMAN

HAVE? WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?

Assistant news editor --------------------

If it weren’t for the Faculty Senate, the Psychological Counseling Center wouldn’t exist, the Honor Council would have to fail every student that plagiarized even a single homework problem and the current Greek life system wouldn’t be in question. The body has been called into attention recently due to the task force report they released last month recommending substantial changes to the Greek system, including making all Greek houses nonresidential.

HOW IS THE FACULTY SENATE STRUCTURED? The Faculty Senate is composed of 70 voting faculty members: 60 senators and the deans of each of Vanderbilt’s 10 graduate and undergraduate schools, who vote by virtue of being deans. The senate also has “ex officio” members, such as the chancellor and provost, who can contribute to discussion but cannot vote. Each graduate and undergraduate school is allotted a number of senators according to the principle of “one voice, one vote,” meaning that representation is based on number of faculty and students in each school, according to Richard Willis, the current chair of the senate. The senators are elected by their respective schools each year and serve three-year terms. The organization’s governing documents are available on the body’s website.

The body is led by a six-member executive committee, which is composed of a chair and a vice chair, the chair- and vice chairelect (next year’s chair and vice chair), and the immediate past chair and vice chair. Once a month, the executive committee meets with the chancellor and the provost to discuss ideas, said David Weintraub, a past chair of the senate and the current senator who was chair of the recent Greek Life Task Force.

The body, which has been around since 1960, serves as an advisory body to the chancellor and provost.

“The Faculty Senate does not have the power or the authority to actually implement changes on campus,” Weintraub said. “What the Faculty Senate has the power to do is to say to the provost and the chancellor, ‘we think these ideas are good,’ or ‘we don’t think these ideas are good.’”

HOW DOES THE FACULTY SENATE FUNCTION? The body meets once a month to discuss issues and vote on reports. Due to busy schedules, the senate has been struggling to maintain a quorum at their meetings, meaning they don’t often have enough members present to vote on proposed recommendations, Willis said. Their meetings are not open to the public like those of the Vanderbilt Student Government Senate.

The senate can appoint task forces to investigate issues and make recommendations to the administration on how to resolve them. To appoint a task force, the senate’s executive committee proposes the creation of the task force to the senate, who can approve its creation with a majority vote. Notable task forces the senate has created include the task force on university athletics and the recent task force that investigated Greek life.

WHY WOULD A FACULTY MEMBER WANT TO SERVE ON THE FACULTY SENATE? Willis, a professor in the Owen Graduate School of Management, said he is on the senate because he gets to interact with faculty and issues he wouldn’t otherwise be informed about.

“And it is so incredibly rewarding,” Willis said. “And this Greek life [task force] is a great example, because I’m in a graduate school. I knew very little about Greek life before we started this process and now I’m learning about Greek life.”

’’

The Hustler explains the structure and function of the Faculty Senate in light of their recent involvement in the reform of Greek Life and Monday’s forum on sexual assault

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD WILLIS

Richard Willis, a professor of accounting in the Owen Graduate School of Management, is the chair of the Faculty Senate.

What the Faculty Senate has the power to do is to say to the provost and the chancellor, ‘we think these ideas are good,’ or ‘we don’t think these ideas are good.’

’’

HOW MUCH INFLUENCE DOES THE FACULTY SENATE

vanderbilthustler STAFF

ALLIE GROSS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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

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

ABBY HINKSON PRIYANKA KADARI LONG ADAMS KAYLA BUTSKO

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[IM]Perfection Project launches Organization highlights stories of success and failure on campus

First-year Ben Scheer discusses starting photo company for children with special needs PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN SCHEER

By ANNA BUTRICO Web editor --------------------

Cade, first-year Ben Scheer’s younger brother, has autism.

Over the years, his family would be increasingly disappointed with the school photos they would receive of Cade.

“Year after year, pictures were being sent home and my brother wasn’t smiling and looking at the camera. We wanted photos to be proud of, to give to family and friends,” Ben said.

Taking school photographs for special needs students often proves to be difficult. Photographers are frequently unaware of how to best treat and best capture these students. Acknowledging this in high school, Ben set out to fix this problem by creating a company called Photobilities that photographs special needs children.

Ben took photography classes in high school and began to snap photos of his brother as an alternative to the continually disappointing school pictures.

“I realized that with patience, just taking the time, I could get really good photos,” Ben said. “I think it’s just a problem that at school when these companies come to take photos of the kids, they don’t have a lot of time for each individual and they don’t know how to handle children with special needs very well. I feel like people need to spend more time and intention for people who need it. That would solve that problem. Doesn’t every family deserve good photos of their child?”

Blending patience with play, taking his time to make Cade feel comfortable, Ben managed to take better photographs of his brother. Through these interactions, the idea for Photobilities was born. The tagline that motivates this company is “Capturing the beauty of all of us.”

“I’m really involved in the [special needs] community because of my brother and my family,” Ben said. “So I compiled a Listserv and contacted all the other families in the community that I knew and just asked them their thoughts about my idea, what they thought about the school photos they were getting, and if they needed photos of their children. The response was astounding. I think a lot of people need help.”

Fast-forward two years, and Photobilities is a well-oiled machine, serving over 20 families in Scheer’s hometown in the Bethesda, Md. area. Ben has created a website that has a gallery of smiling children with disabilities in their backyards and includes raving reviews of his work.

Ben says every shoot for Photobilities was a different experience. Not knowing many of these families before he went to their home to take photographs, he often did not know how the children would react to getting their picture taken.

“Basically you have to be very spontaneous and patient,” Ben said. “I felt I was qualified to do that, because I handled the different behaviors with my brother my whole life. Nothing really phases me, there’s no rules of how I went about taking photos, going about my business. I did whatever the child felt comfortable doing. If the child didn’t feel like taking photos right [then], I would play with them, spend time.”

The results of his hard work are evident: He was granted the Bethesda Magazine Extraordinary Teen Award for his work in March of last year. The most rewarding part for Ben, however, is the testimonials from the parents, many of which can be seen on his website.

“One of them said that a woman was able to take one of my photos to her husband as a Father’s Day gift, and it’s probably in his office right now,” Ben said. “Just like those things make me really happy, to know that I was able to take a photo to be proud of and hang somewhere and give as gifts. That appreciation really is what kept me going with it.”

Ben has put down the camera for now at Vanderbilt, but is fueled by the business experience that Photobilities gave him.

A Human and Organizational Development and Economics double major (with minors in computer science and corporate strategy), he aims to hone his entrepreneurial and business skills as a student.

Ben is the committee chair on VSG’s Vanderbilt Ventures Committee, an organization that promotes entrepreneurship on campus. As the newly elected chair, he aims to initiate future Ventures entrepreneurial competitions and to assist with on-campus start-ups. Ben is also on the marketing committee for Vanderbilt Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society (VINES) and has dabbled in some start-ups himself. Armed with patience, spontaneity and business sense, Ben said he is excited for what awaits during the rest of his college career.

“Photobilities was a real life experience and was difficult to do but gave me a lot of insight and experience of running a business,” Ben said. “At Vanderbilt I look for more of that, more of those experiences and just trying out new things.

What I really like doing is helping out people and creating things.”

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Justine Ker helped to bring the [IM]Perfection project to Vanderbilt to allow students to share their experiences.

By MADELINE STEWART News reporter --------------------

When senior Justine Ker heard about the [IM]Perfection project from a peer studying at Princeton, she was inspired and met with faculty to help make the project a concrete idea at Vanderbilt.

The Vanderbilt University [IM]Perfection Project, an initiative that aims to highlight the pressures of perfectionism on a college campus, will be officially launching its website on Feb. 16.

A student committee of nine undergraduates and two staff advisors brought the [IM]Perfection project to Vanderbilt’s campus in order to give students the opportunity to share stories of success and failure that are an inevitable part of every student’s experience. The website allows students to share their stories artistically, in a variety of mediums, from written stories and poems to videos and songs.

“Perfectionism is so important to talk about on our campus,” Ker said. “I think especially on college campuses where there is pressure to be academically and socially successful, we don’t want others to see us fail, but it’s important for people to know that we’ve all failed.”

The organization will provide an online outlet for students to share original content such as music compositions and personal narratives that describe their previous challenges and setbacks in order to create a strong sense of empathy and encourage openness. The website will be an official Vanderbilt website and allows students to log in with their VUNet ID and share content anonymously or publicly.

“What’s most important about the site is that only students can share and view content, and there are multiple outlets,” said Ker. “It’s going to be able to unite a lot of groups for one cause.”

The [IM]Perfection student committee will be holding a “Speak-Out” panel event Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in Kissam C216.

The event will provide an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to listen to speakers sharing stories of pressures and failures related to perfectionism. The committee will also offer a tutorial for uploading content to the organization’s website.

The group has invited researcher and storyteller Dr. Brené Brown to campus to help kick off the initiative. She will give a talk called “More Brave, Less Perfect: Creating a Culture of Courage at Vanderbilt.” Brown’s TED Talk on the power of vulnerability and our ability to empathize with others is one of the most viewed TED Talks in the world.

The talk will be at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14 in Ingram Hall. Tickets for the event are available to members of the Vanderbilt community through the Sarratt Box Office.

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life

GO DO

THIS

ACME Swing Dance Party

ACME Feed & Seed; Saturday, Feb. 6 from 11 p.m. – 2 a.m.

ACME Feed & Seed, a popular downtown bar, will feel more like a honky tonk on Saturday thanks to its monthly swing dance party. Swinging country band Hushpuppy’s Daddy will provide the tunes for the party.

The dance party is a recurring event for ACME, so if you can’t make it out to this Saturday, check out the next one on March 5.

Nash-venues Where to go, who to see, what you’ll spend, where you’ll sit: The Hustler has your road map to ten of the best music venues in Music City by Jack Sentell, Assistant life editor RYMAN AUDITORIUM

Typical genres: Country, rock, singer-songwriter Style of show: Assigned seating Notable upcoming artist: Chris Stapleton (Feb. 18–20) Typical ticket price: $30 – $65 (varies by seating section) Capacity: 2,362 Neighborhood/Distance: Downtown, 1.7 miles from campus What to know: As a converted church and the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman has garnered the nickname the “Mother Church of Country Music.” Fans even sit (or stand, depending on the show) in church pews while watching the show. The venue is renowned for having some of the clearest acoustics in the nation. Period.

BRIDGESTONE ARENA

Typical genres: Pop, arena rock Style of show: Assigned seating and dance floor Notable upcoming artist: Mumford & Sons (Apr. 15) Typical ticket price: $35 – $80 (varies by seating section) Capacity: 20,000 Neighborhood/Distance: Downtown, 1.5 miles from campus What to know: Bridgestone is the only arena in town, so most of the major touring acts will end up on its stage. But while the stage is visible from all seats, the Jumbotron is often turned off for concerts. So when you’re picking where to sit, keep in mind that what you see is what you get for the nosebleeds.

MARATHON MUSIC WORKS

Typical genres: Alternative, hip-hop Style of show: GA dance floor Notable upcoming artist: Pusha T (March 20) Typical ticket price: $20 – $30 Capacity: 1,500 Neighborhood/Distance: Marathon Village, 1.8 miles from campus What to know: Marathon shows are always high energy, no matter what the genre.

The venue is located in the renovated Marathon Motor Works building, which is also home to a hip shopping district that includes Antique Archaeology, Corsair Distillery and The Soda Parlor. So if you have the time, plan a fun afternoon or evening around the night’s show.

ASCEND AMPHITHEATER

Typical genres: Rock Style of show: Assigned seating and dance floor Notable upcoming artist: Alabama Shakes (Apr. 21) Typical ticket price: $30 – $130 (varies by section) Capacity: 6,800 Neighborhood/Distance: Downtown, 2.5 miles from campus What to know: Ascend just opened in July 2015 and sits along the riverfront in downtown Nashville. As an outdoor amphitheater, Ascend only hosts shows from late spring to fall. But when the weather is nice, a riverfront venue with top-tier talent is hard to beat.

EXIT/IN

Typical genre: Rock, hip-hop, EDM Style of show: GA dance floor Notable upcoming show: Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Feb. 13) Typical ticket price: $10 – $20 Capacity: 500 Neighborhood/Distance: Elliston Place, 0.5 miles from campus What to know: One of Nashville’s most famous venues, the club has an impressive list of alumni that includes Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Johnny Cash. While most of the venue is a dance floor, fans will take to the balcony and line its stairs in order to get a better view of the show. While many nationally touring acts take the stage, the venue is also considered a major stepping stone for plenty of area bands as well.

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BLUEBIRD CAFE

THE END

THE 5 SPOT

THE BASEMENT

Typical genres: Singer-songwriter Style of show: Reserved seating and GA seating Notable upcoming artist: Sunday Spotlight with John and Jacob (Feb. 10) Typical ticket price: $15 – $25 Capacity: 90 Neighborhood/Distance: Green Hills, 2.7 miles from campus What to Know: Reservations are competitive for the Bluebird, especially after the venue gained national recognition from the TV show “Nashville.” Tickets for the week’s shows typically go on sale Mondays at 8 a.m. If you don’t have a reservation, every show also has a standby line. Just be ready to wait for over an hour if you want to be sure that you’ll get in.

Typical genres: Local, rock, country Style of show: Bar (note: 21+) Notable upcoming artist: Tim Carroll Rock ’n Roll Happy Hour (Fridays) Typical ticket price: $5 cover, $2 on Tuesdays Capacity: 180 Neighborhood/Distance: East Nashville, 5.2 miles from campus What to know: The 5 Spot is known as one of the premier venues for local music, especially throwback-sounding rock and Americana. Regulars of the bar venue swear by the energetic crowds and constant dancing. The venue itself — a staple of East Nashville — is so committed to local music that a touring artist must share the bill with at least two Nashville artists in order to perform.

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Typical genres: Alternative, punk, indie Style of show: GA dance floor Notable upcoming artist: Pallbearer (Feb. 27) Typical ticket price: $5 – $12 Capacity: 175 Neighborhood/Distance: Elliston Place, 0.5 miles from campus What to know: With bars on its doors, a black walled–interior and a fully graffitied smoking patio, the End is a true rock club. Perhaps that’s how it earned the nickname “Nashville’s premier indie-rock venue.” Shows are always cheap, and there’s often a number of bands on the bill, so the End is an inexpensive way to dive into Nashville’s alternative and garage rock scene.

Typical genre: Indie, alternative Style of show: GA dance floor (note: 21+) Notable upcoming show: Marlon Williams (Feb. 8) Typical ticket price: $5 – $10 Capacity: 100 Neighborhood/Distance: Eighth Avenue/Melrose, 1.5 miles from campus What to know: The Basement sits below the famous Grimey’s New & Preloved Music store. The Basement’s sister venue, The Basement East, is located in East Nashville and provides a similar environment to its western counterpart. Both provide support for local artists and continue to be home for regional bands even after they break onto the national scene. Cage the Elephant played two surprise shows at The Basement East in 2015.

STATION INN

Typical genres: Bluegrass, roots music Style of show: First-come, first-serve seating (note: 21+) Notable upcoming artist: Bluegrass Jams (Sunday nights) Typical ticket price: $12 cover Capacity: 175 Neighborhood/Distance: The Gulch, 1.2 miles from campus What To Know: As the Gulch continues to gentrify, the Station Inn may seem a bit out of place in the yuppy neighborhood. But rather than seeming like a “sore thumb,” the Station Inn is better characterized as a bluegrass hub reminiscent of classic Nashville and the sound that the city was built on. There are no reservations or tickets sold in advance, so if it’s a show you really want to see, get there early.

Just how big is

BRIDGESTONE? The only arena in town, Bridgestone can seat 20,000 people — more than all other nine venues we profiled combined. In fact, you could fit all the other venues in Bridgestone and still have approximately 8,000 seats left open.

ASCEND AMPITHEATER 6,800 SEATS

ALL OTHER PROFILED VENUES 720 SEATS

RYMAN AUDITORIUM 2,362 SEATS

EXIT/IN 500 SEATS

MARATHON MUSIC WORKS 1,500 SEATS

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

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special feature: inte

Worldly perspectives

International students speak about their experiences at Vanderbilt and the importance of sharing their stories By Matt Lieberson, Features editor Mianmian Fei, a first-year from Guangzhou, China, knows she has a name that Americans struggle with.

She learned that as soon as she got to campus.

“When I was picking up my textbooks in Barnes and Noble, the person was asking about my name and I told her, but she found it very hard [to understand],” she said. “The way it’s spelled, it’s not common for four characters to appear twice like that in an English name.

That was my first day at Vanderbilt. “ But Mianmian doesn’t think her name is a problem — she sees it as a metaphor.

“My name means a kind of flower in my hometown.

I [recently] found that the flower didn’t originate in China, but it’s also from another country and migrated to my hometown,” Mianmian said. “Now, it’s integrated very nicely into the city. I should be like the flower.

Although not from the community, I can still prosper.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING

Kelly Perry, a sophomore from Chiang Mai, Thailand, recognizes the importance of international students being able to share their experiences. That was the motivation behind her “Stories” event through Lanterns, her initiative as the Multicultural Leadership Council’s international students relations chair. Everyone who spoke with the Hustler for this piece, besides Daniel Valent and Antonia Scherer, participated in the Lanterns event. Perry, as half-Thai, half-American, wanted to bridge the gap between international students and the rest of campus.

“The act of storytelling can be an act of liberation,” she said. “Not just for the person telling the story, but also for the listener, because it’s a raw, real moment where you’re trying to connect to someone.”

The event, which had about 200 attendees, involved each international student being free to share whatever they wanted about their experiences for around 10 minutes. Perry felt that the openness allowed for a unique mix of viewpoints.

“They all tackled it from totally different perspectives, so it was an eclectic mix of the perspectives of an international student, but it in no way tokenizes their culture or their background. It’s just a person’s story,” Perry said. She also was sure to point out that while she organized the event, she did not speak.

Ilie Ashraff, a sophomore from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, enjoyed that the event actually allowed people to engage with the diversity on campus.

“How I explain it is you have a bowl, and you have eggs, baking powder, sugar, flour, and other baking stuff,” Ashraff said. “But if you don’t make an effort to stir it, you’re not gonna have a cake. You can have different people in one place, but if people don’t … get to know each other’s cultures, it isn’t going to mean anything.”

HOW THEY GOT TO VANDERBILT (AND AMERICA) Every international student took a different path to end up at Vanderbilt. Rebeca Trabanino, a sophomore from San Salvador, El Salvador, believes her path began before she was even born.

“I know my life has been a consequence of the expe“At first I was very timid, because I never spoke riences my family had,” said Trabanino. “We came from English on a daily basis in China,” Fei said. “I feel like a very humble background. … My mom had to work in I pronounce things right but they don’t get it. So I was the day and go to school at night to get her degree. It [initially] quite frustrated.” took her 10 years, but she did. I can’t forget the people Ashraff added that the same initial fear can lead to that live in poverty that I know and care for. I’m making early introversion. the most of the opportunities that my family fought for “It just isn’t your first language. It’s awkward, you’re me to have.” gonna be a bit scared to speak,” she said.

Exposure to Vanderbilt before coming here differed Others had more experience with the language. for all of the international students. Some, like Ashraff, Trabanino went to a private school in El Salvador had never heard of the school. where all of her courses were in English. Emir Rodzi’s “When I got an offer, I didn’t know what Vanderbilt grandmother was an English teacher. Rodzi, though, was, but when I looked it up, yeah, I wanted to come believes that language shouldn’t interfere with forming here,” she said. relationships.

Current Malaysian students had a unique process for “If you put effort into knowing a person, language admission to Vanderbilt — their arrival here was the should not be a barrier,” he said. “I find that people result of a scholarship from the Malaysian government. here don’t judge based on bad English.”

While this changed recently, government intervention Even the expected changes, though, can bring about in the process meant that Malaysian students did not homesickness. Ashraff, for example, found it hard to necessarily make their college decision themselves. contact her family because of the time zone change.

“I didn’t choose Vanderbilt,” said Asyraf Kamal, a juDealing with that homesickness can come from simply nior from Selangor, Malaysia. “We ... choose a scholaracknowledging differences and beginning to address ship to go to the United Kingdom or the United States. them, both internally and to others. Perry remembers a And then the government assigns us to the university.” bout of homesickness from freshman year.

Other students had a strong interest in Vanderbilt “It was a Skype conversation with my parents,” she prior to choosing the school. said. “I told them I’m not happy here, even though “I went on a recruiting trip and visited UNC, Wake I have everything here, and evForest and Vandy,” said Daniel Valent, a junior from erything seems great.

Zurich, Switzerland who is on the tennis team. “I Something felt picked Vandy because I loved the tennis team. It’s like missing. a family.”

Antonia Scherer, a junior from Munich, Germany, was recruited by the Vanderbilt golf team when playing for the German national team at a tournament in England. She relished the opportunity to take advantage of collegiate athletics, which schools in Europe don’t have.

“I feel like in Europe you can’t really combine academics and sports, so [coming to America] was a good option to play sports,” Antonia said.

Each international student has a different amount of exposure to America as well. Some, like Trabanino, had been to America multiple times. Others had never seen the country and were excited at their International undergraduate first sight of the United States. students at Vanderbilt represent “I landed first in Chicago as a tran49 countries from around the sit, and it was, wow,” said Emir Rodzi, a world, according to a report sophomore from Kuala Lumpur, Malayfrom the university registrar. sia. “I was a big Chicago Bulls fan, so landing there was a bit of a dream come true.”

ADJUSTING TO VANDERBILT/NASHVILLE

While it can be a dream to come to America, it can be hard for an international student to adjust quickly. One of the biggest barriers for international students is language. While nearly every international student learns English before college, the usefulness of formal language training varies.

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ernational students They just told me to talk about where I’m from and be proud of it, stop being so quiet.”

COLLEGIATE CULTURE DIFFERENCES

International students often come into Vanderbilt without much of an understanding of American collegiate culture. Fei told a story of an international friend’s first experience of being “sexiled.”

“One time, the roommate brought someone back, and it was uncomfortable, she said. “They didn’t want to wake [my friend] up, but [my friend] woke up ... and stayed in the lobby for two hours.”

Fei said this rarely happens in Chinese universities due to the size of the schools and dorm rooms. “In Chinese universities, the dorm [room] is very big. It’s 4-6 people,” she said. “People wouldn’t take someone back to the room like that.”

This doesn’t apply to all international students. On the flip side, Rodzi said that Vanderbilt is larger than most Malaysian colleges.

“It was so huge compared to any university back in my country. What makes it more shocking is that Vanderbilt is quite small when I see other [American] universities,” he said.

Greek life is one of the least-understood aspects of American college culture. Fei, for example, had no knowledge of Greek life before coming to Vanderbilt.

“I want to know what it is here. My understanding comes from American movies, where it’s party, party, party,” Fei said. Other international students also expressed that they lacked the knowledge to join Greek life.

“Maybe we could add a segment to international orientation where you [learn] about it,” Dimobi said.

“It felt like almost all the people who wanted to rush already knew everything about rushing.”

Not every international student was deterred from joining Greek life. Antonia Scherer decided to join a sorority after encouragement from her first-year hallmates.

“I wanted to meet people outside of athletics,” said Antonia, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. While she didn’t know anything about Greek life before joining her sorority, her friends from both her hall and the golf team convinced her to join.

“It was a really spontaneous decision. My family still doesn’t understand what Greek life is,” she said.

Beyond Greek life, some students don’t understand the typical beats of American college life.

“My first few weekends, I didn’t know what Friday nights were like,” Fei said. “So I just studied.” Rodzi added that partying and going out on weekends isn’t common in Malaysian culture, either. In some countries, college doesn’t even have a social aspect at all.

“It’s very different from a university education in El Salvador. There’s no idea of clubs and residence halls and things like that,” Trabanino said. “You just go to school and that’s it.”

Adjusting to American college, though, is not a process with a finite end.

“I don’t think I understand Vanderbilt now. It’s a process,” Fei said. “I understand it bit by bit.”

BEING STEREOTYPED AND MISUNDERSTOOD

Being from another country also means coming into an environment where peers have preconceived notions about your culture. Trabanino is quick to dispel one idea — that all international students don’t intend to return to their home countries.

“Not everybody who leaves a country is running away, or is here to ‘steal from Americans’ or ‘invade,’ because some people feel like foreigners ... should just go back to their country,” Trabanino said. “People aren’t necessarily trying to dissociate from their origins.”

Malaysian students seem to experience this stereotyping in a different way than others. Asyraf Kamal is disappointed at times that many students have certain notions of Malaysian students.

“People don’t want to approach a Malaysian because of the stereotyping that’s been going on,” he said. “I really want people to stop and get to know me personally rather than just looking at the stereotype and [judging] me beforehand. It’s really sad.”

Students said that misunderstanding can be borne out of religion. Most Malaysian students are Muslims, and some believe that stereotypes about the Islamic faith can be pervasive on campus.

“I truly believe that how the media portrays us is very different from what we are as one. They easily paint us with a single brush,” Rodzi said. “It’s sad to know [people] only get to know Islam [through terrorism].”

Rodzi also thinks that stereotyping can unfairly target Muslim women.

“I never have a problem, but my female friends who are in hijabs, they have a problem.

When I walk with them, it’s different.

I try to ask what happens to them, and they sometimes [feel stereotyped],” he said.

Ashraff recalled a moment that highlighted a misunderstanding of Malaysian and Muslim culture.

“Once after a lecture ended, I was using a phone, and

TOP 3 HOME COUNTRIES OF UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

1. CHINA

192 students

2. MALAYSIA 108 STUDENTS

3. REPUBLIC OF KOREA 38 students

someone asked if women in my country use phones. I found it really weird, but apparently that’s how some people view us,” she said. “That person even told me, ‘I didn’t think you guys ever do anything. I thought you just stay in and do nothing.’”

Being grouped together can often be upsetting for Malaysian students.

“I read a Yik Yak saying, ‘I really admire Malaysians because they’re tight-knit and so close to each other.’

It initially made me happy that people think we’re so close, but then it made me kind of sad, because they may think we’re in our own bubble; in our own world,” Ashraff said. “Maybe they think we don’t like to be friends with other people.”

That pattern of “grouping” can be hard on all international students, especially because international students are initially strangers to each other.

“China’s a very large country. I think people from the north and south have very different habits,” Fei pointed out. “Before I went out for college I only lived in the southern part, and now my roommate is [from northern China].”

Dimobi senses a divide between international and domestic students.

“You see people separate into groups with the same color of skin,” she said. “It’s just the easiest thing to do.

So it has to be a conscious effort, an intentional effort, to actually break away.” She also knows the barrier between international and domestic students can often be harder to break and feels like the effort often has to come mostly from the international side.

“I know how much effort I have to make,” she said.

“I’m usually the one to make a lot of effort because I know if I don’t make that effort, most people won’t.”

But the effort is clearly worth it for someone like Rodzi — and it all comes back to something as simple as a name.

“When I memorize [someone’s] name, and they memorize my name, it’s a trust I’m developing,” Rodzi said. “I put the effort in myself, because I want to know people. When I bond with people, I feel officially a part of the Vanderbilt community.”

— News reporter Gabrielle Timm contributed to this report.

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opinion

QUOTE OF THE DAY “Today, when Ku Klux Klan members in the rural South wave Confederate flags, they are not making a reference to Southern pride or states’ rights. They are not memorializing the soldiers that died in the Civil War. Rather, they are reminiscing about a time where the systematic oppression of the black race was the norm.”

JOSHUA ABREO, FIRST-YEAR

Vanderbees, stop and smell the roses

’’

Emphasizing busyness leaves us little time for our loved ones

W

CRYSTAL KIM is a first-year in the Blair School of Music. She can be reached at crystal.y.kim@ vanderbilt.edu.

hat was the most difficult thing that you found about your transition from high school to college? Most of us have either been asked this question or have asked it to ourselves.

If you haven’t, try answering it for yourself now. Is it dealing with a more rigorous workload? Learning to wake yourself up every day? Choosing not to skip class? Making new friends? Being homesick? Fighting the Freshman 15? Traveling everywhere by foot?

Or even worse, having to rely on an unreliable Vandy Van? Admittedly, I have been struggling with all of these problems. However, recent events led me to realize that my hardest adjustment to life at Vanderbilt isn’t any of the things I just listed: It’s being too busy for my own life. The culture of busyness pressures us to stand out at any cost, but we should not forget the friends and family we left behind in favor of our lives on campus.

From its inception, college became the busiest stage of my life yet by far. I went to the student organization fair hosted on Commons last fall to explore some of the 500+ clubs on campus. Although I had been warned by my RA to sign up for things in moderation, I entered my email into at least 15 different Listservs. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I went through AnchorLink and submitted membership requests to about 10 more clubs I thought might look good.

None of this struck me as a bad idea until all of the clubs started sending out reminders about their meetings, events and fundraisers. I felt so overwhelmed but still refused to believe that I couldn’t do it all, despite my music major and pre-med track.

You can’t successfully be in 25+ clubs and still have time to make grades that will successfully keep you enrolled. (If you can, let me know because you might be a superhuman.)

Still, I just didn’t want to give it up. There is a certain kind of pride associated with being overly

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KARA SHERRER

NEWS EDITOR news@vanderbilthustler.com

LIFE EDITOR life@vanderbilthustler.com

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BEN WEINRIB

OPINION EDITOR opinion@vanderbilthustler. com

SPORTS EDITOR sports@vanderbilthustler.com

busy at our school, and when we do have time to relax and put our feet up, we feel as if we’re behind everyone else. Even as we complain about a lack of sleep and too many tests or meetings, we chase it all anyway because there’s a certain respect associated with over-commitment and running around with too little sleep. I wanted that respect, for myself, and from other people. I wanted people to know me as the girl who could handle all of it and still come out alive.

But I should have dropped a number of clubs or more realistically rethought my academic goals.

Regrettably, I did not take either of those actions, and I unintentionally neglected my relationships instead. Before I came to college, I promised my mom that I would call her every week and I promised my best friend that we could maintain our bond despite being 350 miles apart. I fully intended to keep those promises, but trying to do so much caused me to forget that they were still an important part of my life.

It wasn’t until my mom refused to talk to me and my best friend told me that I was no longer a part of her life that I realized I had neglected people who were so crucial to me.

It’s easy to lose ourselves in the rat race of busyness and congratulate ourselves on doing so. But this overcommitment isn’t what lasts. Eventually, it slows down as the academic year, and our entire time here, comes to an end. The busyness fades into stress and emptiness when we run out of emails to answer and meetings to schedule. But, the people in our lives don’t fade — unless we force them to. They don’t leave unless we let them. I’m not saying we have to call our moms every day, or update our old friends every time something new happens to us. But, we can’t just forget the people and passions we left behind and allow our busy lifestyles to consume us.

Unlike bees that spend the entirety of their short lives working, we don’t have an obligation to tirelessly collect pollen from flowers over and over again.

We have to take a breath, knowing that we’re not

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

Even as we complain about a lack of sleep and too many tests or meetings, we chase it all anyway because there’s a certain respect associated with overcommitment and running around with too little sleep.

’’

the only ones that need time to breathe. We have to pause, believing that others are taking that pause too.

We have to realize that filling out every inch of our Google Calendar is not the definition of success and respect and take the time to focus on the people who are important.

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.

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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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11

Overshadowing the overachiever

’’

Combating the effects of elite institutions on self-esteem W However, with 1,600 of us, it’s easy to be overshadowed, and we need to remember that we are here on our own merit.

REBECCA JACOBSON

is a first-year in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at rebecca.m.jacobson @vanderbilt.edu.

e made it to Vanderbilt. Some of us flew across the oceans and others drove a few blocks, but in a sense we came from the same place, one filled with achievement and success.

We stayed after school to participate in three different organizations, became the captains of our lacrosse or debate teams and spent way too much time studying for our standardized tests.

But, in four years of high school, most of us were also the anomaly. Being average did not help us get here; standing out, pursuing leadership positions and winning awards pushed us through Vanderbilt’s gates.

Applications weren’t a problem for us. If anything, we were self-assured, and the only question we faced was whether or not our success was enough to place us in the pool of 1,600 lucky applicants to be accepted into Vanderbilt University. However, with 1,600 of us, it’s easy to be overshadowed, and we need to remember that we are here on our own merit.

At some point or another, we faced the realization that on campus, we were no longer the anomaly, no longer the ones who always had the answer to the teacher’s question, the ones consistently shortlisted for leader. This was our dream, this school surrounded by these successful students with plans just as big as ours.

So why is it that when we’ve finally accomplished this goal, we forget this initial sense of accomplishment?

For so long, we were driven by being the best, and now, our best just doesn’t seem to be good enough.

’’

I attended a public high school with a graduating class of 872 where the most prestigious summer job that students had was a management position at Chick-fil-A. When I arrived at Vanderbilt and learned of the internships that students had at major corporations and the ones that they already had scheduled for next summer, I suddenly felt like I was running behind. I had always been the girl who had everything together, and somehow I arrived at college and I didn’t have anything planned, whether it was which classes to take or which clubs to join. The initial burst of high self-esteem from an acceptance to an elite university can quickly transform into feelings of inadequacy as it turns out to be more than we bargained for.

It’s also easy to believe that you’re the only one on campus who feels like you’re falling behind, lacking a few key points on a resume or missing out on great summer setups. It’s natural to think that every time you gain a bit of a foothold by finding a new club or getting an A on a paper, others have already been there and done that. But the reality is that everyone hasn’t, much as they would like to believe so. And that’s okay.

I am by no means saying that Vanderbilt University causes everyone who wasn’t bred at a prestigious private school to feel incompetent. But, unfortunately, our educational system is constructed to promote a competitive attitude, and if we don’t keep in mind that we are in a pool with some of the most apt competitors in the nation and even the world, we can find ourselves feeling average.

So I say to my fellow students, when you fail that chemistry test, or don’t receive that research position, or get passed over for that audition, just remember that you made it here in the first place. You are still the same overachiever; you just live on a campus where those achievements seem mitigated. Don’t forget the student who studied all year for the SAT or who served as student body president. And most importantly, do not let your place at one of the most prestigious universities in America make you feel like you are not good enough.

What are we really memorializing?

Confederate Memorial Hall is a symbol that needs to be changed

T

JOSHUA ABREO is a first year in the School of Engineering. He can be reached at joshua.abreo@ vanderbilt.edu.

he only thing I knew about Memorial Hall when I arrived as a first-year was that it was the smallest house on the Commons. I was completely unaware of the history behind the hall and what it stood for. Though the history behind its official name has been discussed in a forum, and people have cried out for more action, little more has been done to confront this issue. We have all been resting on our laurels, and it just isn’t enough to hold a forum and publish a few opinion pieces. It has to be talked about, again and again, until it changes. Even if the same points must be hammered week after week, we cannot let the issue be silenced for months at a time.

Confederate Memorial Hall was built in 1935 as part of Peabody College, funded by a donation given by the Tennessee chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. When Vanderbilt bought Peabody College in 1979, Confederate Memorial Hall – and its name – came in the package. In 2002, Vanderbilt attempted to rename the hall, but their attempts were denied. Vanderbilt was faced with the choice of either letting the “Confederate Memorial Hall” inscription stay or pay back the original donation, worth approximately $1 million today.

I initially viewed Confederate Memorial Hall as a piece of history and saw nothing wrong with the inscription.

However, this past week, I attended a dinner at Dean Beasley’s house, where other Vanderbilt students and faculty discussed the implications of the name “Confed-

erate Memorial Hall.” I heard the opinions of those who had concerns about the hall’s inscription and what it told them about their voice and value at this university.

Speaking with them solidified my opinion that Confederate Memorial Hall is a name that needs to be changed.

The word “Confederate” is more than just a word; rather, it is a symbol. People may argue that the word “Confederate” stands for more than just slavery – that instead, it also stands for states’ rights and Southern pride. I do understand this sentiment, but it is impossible to discuss the Confederacy without referring to slavery.

However, states’ rights and Southern pride do not need to be intrinsically tied to the Confederacy, as they can stand alone on their own rich, cultural history.

Today, when Ku Klux Klan members in the rural South wave Confederate flags, they are not making a reference to Southern pride or states’ rights. They are not memorializing the soldiers that died in the Civil War. Rather, they are reminiscing about a time where the systematic oppression of the black race was the norm.

Let me make a simple, albeit coarse analogy. Would you, as a Vanderbilt student, be comfortable attending a university with a dorm called Nazi Memorial Hall? I know that I wouldn’t. However, there are many striking similarities between the Nazi Party and the Confederacy.

Both the Nazi Party and the Confederacy shared a central dogma surrounding the oppression of specific peoples.

Both believed that other races were subhuman, and as a

result, deserved to be treated like so. So then why are we fine with Confederate Memorial Hall?

During his biannual address to the Faculty Assembly, Chancellor Zeppos said, “If Vanderbilt does not address issues of diversity, inclusion and culture, and [instead] acts like everything is just fine, it will fail as an institution.” But this is exactly what Vanderbilt has been trying to do with Confederate Memorial Hall. While the forums, discussions and awareness raised about this issue indicate significant steps in the right direction, there is more that Vanderbilt can and should do, be it by trying the case again in court or paying back the donation to the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It is time for Vanderbilt to stop talking about things that can be done and to instead actually start doing them.

College is supposed to be an environment of inclusion and acceptance, a place where people can discover who they really are. But in order for a person to step outside of their “comfort zone,” they first have to be comfortable with their surroundings. By not taking action to remove the word “Confederate” on the pediment of Memorial Hall, we, as a university, are saying that we do not value the opinions of those who feel uncomfortable, and even traumatized, when they are constantly reminded by the dark history memorialized by the inscription. If Vanderbilt’s administration is truly committed to diversity as they claim, it is vital that they take concrete actions to address this issue.

f II e

er-

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sports

DRILL

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

2-MINUTE

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MEN’S BASKETBALL VS (8) TEXAS A&M Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.

The Aggies are likely the highest-ranked team to visit Memorial Gym this season, barring a rapid rise by Kentucky. A&M had won 10 straight before a 74–71 road loss to Arkansas, although they bounced back with a win over No. 14 Iowa State. An upset win would put the ‘Dores in great shape for the tournament.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL AT AUBURN

Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.

The Commodores begin a full week on the road with a Thursday tilt at Auburn, Vandy’s second of three straight games against teams with losing records in conference play. VU picked up its best win of the season in a 71-69 victory over No. 12 Kentucky last week but followed it up with a bad home loss against Georgia.

SUPER THOUGHTS ON

SUPER BOWL The Hustler staff offers their thoughts on this Sunday’s matchup Cutler Klein: The way I see this game is a battle of many different things. Peyton Manning’s jig that he did in practice once vs. Cam Newton’s Dab. The new-age quarterback vs. the veteran on his last legs. The new NFL vs. the old NFL. Mobile vs. pocket passer. David vs. Goliath. Empire vs. Rebels. Any way you put it, it’s all about Cam vs. Peyton. Not about two of the best defenses in the NFL, not about Ron Rivera, not about both sides’ underrated running backs, but all about the quarterbacks. Yep, there’s literally nothing else that matters about this game. Or, at least that’s how it seems.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re a Carolina fan, be glad the Patriots aren’t in this game. There’s only one quarterback that has ever beaten Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, and he happened to do it twice.

Long live Eli Manning.

OMAHA

Matt Lieberson: Nobody ever feels bad for the Patriots.

Since my first memory of my beloved team is Tom Brady’s first start back in 2001, I get it. They keep winning. They (allegedly) cheat ... a lot. Their quarterback has a supermodel wife. Their coach is the biggest curmudgeon on the planet.

So when the Patriots lost last week, I never expected any sympathy from anyone. Still, to get so close to the Super Bowl and come up short makes the entire season before it seem like a waste.

Patriots fans like myself often become complacent with the expectation of a Super Bowl. For most fanbases, a 12-4 regular season and an AFC title appearance make for a fun season. That’s no longer so for me. To paraphrase the great philosopher Ricky Bobby, if they’re not first, they’re essentially last. I wonder if I’ve become too jaded, and I probably have. Regardless, I’m going to be a sore loser. I’m not watching the Super Bowl. I’ll spend this Sunday miserable. I don’t expect any sympathy.

Josh Hamburger: I am rooting for the Panthers for two reasons: First, I am forever thankful for the Panthers releasing Steve Smith Sr. for the Ravens to grab up. Thank you for giving us the best wide receiver we have ever had and the best trash-talker in the league.

Second, Peyton Manning played for the Colts. The Colts moved out of Baltimore in the middle of the night back in 1984, and nobody back home has ever lived that down. I wasn’t even around at the time, but I still resent the Colts. I won’t support somebody who played for the Colts.

Kara Sherrer: I’ll be upfront: I lived in Colorado for eight years, so I’m cheering for the Broncos all the way. After losing to Peyton Manning’s former team the Colts in their first playoff game last year, the Broncos have redeemed themselves and made it all the way to the Super Bowl (and beat the Patriots twice to get there too!). There’s a good chance that Super Bowl 50 will be Peyton’s last game ever due to his recent health troubles, and I really want to see him end his career on a high note if that’s the case. And after all, if the Atlanta Falcons can beat the Panthers, then the Broncos can too ... right?

Priyanka Aribindi: Super Bowl pick: definitely the Panthers. With a slogan like “keep pounding,” how could you not want them to score?

MEN’S BASKETBALL AT OLE MISS

Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.

When Ole Miss spends $96 million on a new basketball arena, you know the SEC is taking hoops too seriously. Basketball — or as the locals say, “indoor football” — is now Mississippi’s second most popular sport behind regular football, and with the game on Saturday, everyone will be expecting football.

50

Karim Oliver: Nothing makes me more upset than seeing Cam Newton. It’s as if he’s having fun. Football is not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be tough, gritty, stealthy and other adjectives for rugged. For someone to score a touchdown and put a smile on a face while making a kid’s childhood is absolutely awful. This is just another example of young people with their Internet and cellular phones and rap music ruining tradition. Disgusting.

Panthers 28, Broncos 17 Isabel Futral: I just want everyone to know for every time CBS shows a panning shot of the Golden Gate Bridge or cable cars or San Franciscan architecture, the Super Bowl is not being played in San Francisco. Or even in Oakland. It’s being played 45 minutes away in Santa Clara, home of Silicon Valley execs and people who don’t care about football and leave the game at halftime (remember all those empty red seats during the 49ers regular season?). Basically, everything you know is a lie.

Anyway, I’ve been playing this fun game where I try to guess which scandal will be tagged with “gate” and overanalyzed until next year’s Super Bowl. Will it be “Dancegate”?

Or “Made-up-PED-storygate?” Only time will tell.

Ben Weinrib: After exorcising past playoff demons by beating the Cardinals and forcing seven turnovers, I was really looking forward to the Panthers beating down the Patriots, the team they lost to in their only Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately, they’re going to beat down poor, old Peyton Manning, which makes me feel a little bad until I remembered that I hate Peyton Manning and love watching him lose. Anyway, I haven’t been this confident about a team winning the Super Bowl since the last two times the Patriots played the Giants, so this one should work out well.

Robbie Weinstein: I can see it now. Panthers ball, up 4 in Broncos territory at the 2-minute warning. Jonathan Stewart rumbles toward the first down marker with visions of the Super Bowl trophy on his mind. But then, he fumbles and Denver drives down the field for the game-winning touchdown after penalties from Josh Norman and Luke Kuechly. The Panthers join their feline brethren from Cincinnati in NFL ignominy while The Sheriff rides off into the sunset with a second trophy.

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13

The idiot’s

guide to

Super

Bowl 50

By KARA SHERRER Life editor --------------------

Baseball may be hailed as America’s pastime, but football consistently beats it at the numbers game: The Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League, holds the top six spots for most watched American TV programs of all time.

Super Bowl 50 will be played this Sunday, Feb. 7, and odds are you’ll be one of the 110 million Americans who tune into the broadcast. If you’re not a sports fan but still plan to watch the Big Game this year, check out our primer below so you know the basics beforehand:

ROBIN TRIMARCHI / COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER/MCT

SEC dominates the ‘Big Game’ Every Southeastern Conference school (but Vanderbilt) represented in NFL championship

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

Super Bowl Sunday will feature a special battle this year: SEC vs. SEC. This year alone, there are a total of 31 players who hail from our very own Southeastern Conference – a count that includes the active roster, the injured reserve and the future list.

Notably, both quarterbacks are among the 31 players who share roots in the SEC. The Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning played at Tennessee from 1994 to 1997, where he became the Volunteers’ all-time leading passer, totaling 11,201 yards in his four years. Manning also won 39 out of 45 total games as a starting quarterback, setting yet another record for the SEC career wins.

As a result, Manning graduated with a multitude of awards, notably being named a First Team All-American.

The Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton played for Auburn, and in 2010 – his only season playing there – he won a National Championship, the Heisman Trophy, the AP Player of the Year award and the Manning Award (talk about aging, Peyton…) among other honors.

Manning and Newton were both chosen as first overall draft picks, going to the Colts and Panthers, respectively.

Ultimately, the battle between these two star quarterbacks boils down to the old and

the new SEC. These two quarterbacks are 13 years apart in age — a difference that any onlooker can identify. While Newton has a high energy level and never hesitates to strike his Superman pose after throwing or scoring a touchdown, Manning is more calm and steady.

During Manning’s era, he dominated at Tennessee largely because of his mastery of a more traditional offensive strategy. The emphasis on running and throwing required a quarterback who possessed strong pocket passing skills, and Manning continues to possess and utilize these skills today.

More recently, during Newton’s era, the SEC and football in general has largely shifted to a spread offense. Newton’s exceptional quickness and agility allows him not only to expand his ability to pass or hand off the ball, but also to run the ball himself, if the situation calls for it.

This year’s Super Bowl allows football enthusiasts to look beyond Manning and Newton to gain insight into the changing nature of football’s offensive strategies. Of the 31 players, 17 play for the Panthers and 14 play for the Broncos, and a combined 23 SEC alums are on the two teams’ active rosters. Notably, Pro Bowlers Thomas Davis and Trai Turner of the Panthers plus Danny Trevathan and Evan Mathis of the Broncos will be duking it out on the field this Sunday.

Coincidentally, the two SEC schools boasting the most representation in the

Super Bowl are Manning’s and Newton’s alma maters: Tennessee and Auburn. Every other SEC school is also represented, except for poor Vanderbilt. Former Commodore Jonathan Krause was the most recent Super Bowl winner, as a Patriots’ practice squad member last year.

The SEC’s history seems to suggest that the conference’s newer offensive strategy produces the most success, therefore favoring Newton. The SEC has always been dominant in the college football world, as the schools collectively hold 29 National Championships. Seven of these titles, however, stem from a recent seven-year winning streak, from 2006-2012.

That being said, other football conferences have also been adjusting and updating their offensive strategies to spread or option offenses, so it is difficult to compare the effectiveness of the newer offensive strategy in the SEC alone.

Regardless of who comes out on top, these two quarterbacks have incomparable talent and stellar skills, both of which have been shaped by the one and only SEC. Manning’s, Newton’s and the 29 other former-SEC players’ shared history shows that this conference has been — and still is — a force to be reckoned with.

What teams are playing, anyway?

The Denver Broncos will face off against the Carolina Panthers on Super Bowl Sunday. The Panthers are currently the favorites, and most betting sportsbooks anticipate they will beat the Broncos by six points.

“Madden NFL,” a video game simulation that has been used for the past dozen years to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl, also favors the Panthers, predicting they will beat the Broncos 24-20. (“Madden NFL” has correctly predicted the winner of the Super Bowl in nine of the past 12 years.)

Who’s who for the Broncos?

Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, played every single game in 17 out of his 18 years in the NFL (he sat out the 2011 season to recover from neck surgery). However, Manning was laid low by plantar fasciitis for five weeks toward the end of the regular season this year, and many are certain that Super Bowl 50 will be the record-setting quarterback’s last game ever. On the other side of the ball, look for outside linebacker Von Miller and and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. to make big plays on defense.

Who’s who for the Panthers?

Quarterback Cam Newton will most likely be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player this season, thanks to factors like his league-leading 45 regular season touchdowns and leading his team to a 17-1 record (so far). Defensive players don’t get as much attention from commentators, but linebacker Luke Kuechly has led the whole NFL in tackles since he started playing pro in 2012, so expect to hear a lot about him. Other notable defensive players include cornerback Josh Norman and linebacker Thomas Davis, the latter of whom will be playing with a broken right arm.

How do I watch the game?

Super Bowl 50 will be televised live on CBS (channel 5.1 on Vanderbilt’s cable). You can also stream the game for free (legally!) on CBSSports.com. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. CST on Feb. 7; expect the game to go until at least 9 p.m., as the average Super Bowl lasts about 3.5 hours.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

How to throw a Super Bowl party Easy recipes to make and games to play to celebrate the biggest game of the year By Lexi Smith, Life reporter SNACKS Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest food consumption day in the U.S. after Thanksgiving, so don’t let living in a dorm room prevent you from creating the ultimate potluck with your friends. These easy-to-make suggestions will satisfy your Super Bowl munchie cravings.

Popcorn Party Mix

What You’ll Need: · 3 bags microwavable popcorn · 2 packages of honey roasted peanuts · 2 bags of M&M’s or peanut M&M’s (go for Panthers and Broncos colors) · 1 bag of chocolate chips Pop popcorn in the microwave as directed on the package. Line a disposable baking container with parchment paper and pour half of the peanuts and M&M’s in. Separately, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips until a slight liquid consistency. Drizzle the melted chocolate over your popcorn. Add the remaining peanuts and M&M’s. Let cool and eat.

Puppy Chow

Easiest 7-Layer Dip What You’ll Need: · 16 oz. refried beans mixed with 1 package taco seasoning · 1 cup sour cream · 1 cup guacamole · 1 cup salsa · 1 cup lettuce · 4 oz. sliced olives · 1 cup tomatoes Layer in this exact order in a large flat pan, like a casserole dish. Enjoy with some Tostitos Scoops! or other easy-to-dip tortilla chips.

In a microwave, melt butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Mix well. Add the cereal and stir, What You’ll Need: coating all pieces. Pour entire mixture into a paper/ · 1 stick of butter · 1 bag of chocolate chips plastic bag with powdered sugar. Close tightly and shake to coat. Pour the coated mixture out into a · 1 cup of peanut butter · 1 box of Chex rice cereal container without lid, allowing it to cool. Shake well · 1 box of powdered sugar before eating this yummy mix.

PARTY GAMES

Tensions will be high on Super Bowl Sunday between Panthers and Broncos fans. Instead of risking injury during a halftime game of pickup football, get in the competitive spirit by playing one of these Super Bowl games throughout the broadcast instead.

Betting Squares

If fantasy football hasn’t fulfilled your betting urges yet, you can continue to gamble during the Big Game with betting squares. You can play for anything from $1 to $50 per square. Take a piece of paper and make a 10-by-10 grid. On the top of the page write the name of one team. On the left-hand vertical side write the name of the other team. After you collect people’s money, let each person write his or her name on the grid (leaving the first row and first column blank). Keep going around until all the squares are filled with one name each. Randomly assign numbers 0-9 (not in order!) to the outside rows, both vertically and horizontally, on the paper. The numbers represent the last digit in the score at the end of each quarter. For example, if the score is Panthers 14, Broncos 9, then the person whose square is located at the intersection of “Panthers 4” and “Broncos 9” wins the money. Usually, you have payouts at the end of the first quarter ($50), at halftime ($150), at the end of the third quarter ($50) and at the end of the game ($250).

Pick-a-Player Write up the names of the key players of both teams on pieces of paper. Put the names in a hat and have everyone present draw a name. Every time your player is involved in a play, you are able to pass out a drink to the person of your choosing (i.e. make him or her drink their beverage of choice).

A touchdown is worth seven drinks for the player that scores it.

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BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

Vanderbilt’s hip-hop dance group, VIBE, performed at Langford Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 29 for their ninth annual show. This year’s theme was “The Seven Deadly Sins.”