VOL XI NO 5 by Orbis Magazine

ORBIS The Month of Women

04. Slant Cover Controversy 05. Miss Representation Review 10. Pray the Devil Back to Hell Review Also in this issue:

Occupy Vanderbilt jhjhj

What are those tents in front of Kirkland doing?

Vol XI No V 3.2012

Orbis / In This Issue / March 2012

Inside Orbis Features

Commentary

04. Slant Issue Pulled for

04. Unsigned Editorial: The Slant

Controversial Cover Meghan O’Neill

A February issue of Vanderbilt’s only satire paper, The Slant, was pulled after only a few hours on stands because of a cover that featured a joke on rape.

Published with support from the Center for American Progress/Campus Progress Online at http://www.campusprogress.org

Orbis

Cover and Feminist Concerns

While the joke was undoubtedly tasteless and very poorly timed, there are larger incidents of subtle anti-Feminist messages that pervade even our campus. Why aren’t those the messages we’re rebelling against?

Amplifying Vanderbilt's Progressive Voices

March 2012

Volume 11, Number 5

06. Occupy Vanderbilt Chal-

05. Miss Representation Film

What is Orbis?

Andri Alexandrou

Charlotte Otremba

Orbis is a forum for social and political commentary relevant to the Vanderbilt, Nashville, and greater communities. By providing a voice for alternative viewpoints at Vanderbilt University, Orbis creates a platform where diversity can be a unifying force in the community.

lenges Administration

and Discussion Review

The Occupy movement here on campus is the cumulation of a yearlong investigation into Vanderbilt’s unethical investment practices and apathy toward worker’s concerns.

Jennifer Newsom’s documentary discusses the role the entertainment industry and advertising play in presenting a very skewed view of women.

08. Current Tennessee Legisla-

10. Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a

Steve Harrison

Wolf Clifton

ture is Limiting Rights

This year’s Tennessee legislature is looking at bills that limit the LGBT community and current protest movements, namely Occupy.

Film Review

The tale of a successful women’s uprising in Liberia provides an example of positive social change movements that does not call for foreign aid, but are organic to the area.

09. Copycat Bills Attack Immigrant Population

Visit us at www.vanderbiltorbis.com.

Editor-in-Chief Andri Alexandrou Associate Editors Carol Chen

Meghan O’Neill

Maria Ochoa

Conservative politicians could soon be adopting legislation that impacts the immigrant population, regardless of the negative consequences that could result in increased criminality.

Features Editor Steve Harrison Designer Ricky Taylor Web Editor Matt Joplin Editor Emeritus Jon Christian

Occupy Vanderbilt sets up camp outside historic Kirkland Hall. Photo: Andri Alexandrou

Questions, comments, concerns? E-mail us at vanderbiltorbis@gmail.com. E-mail submissions to the address listed above, or send to Box 1669, Station B, Nashville, TN, 37235. Letters must be received one week prior to publication and must include the writer's name, year, school and telephone number. All submissions will be verified. Unsigned letters will not be published. Orbis reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. All submissions become property of Orbis and must conform to the legal standards of Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc., of which Orbis is a division. Editorials represent the policy of Orbis as determined by the editorial board. Letters and commentary pieces represent the opinions of the writers.

I mages C over //R icky T aylor //2//A ndri A lexandrou //4//T he slant website //5//J ennifer S iebel N ewsom //6//A ndri A lexandrou //10//F ork F ilms , LLC//12//T ongue ‘ n C heek /A ndri A lexandrou

Please recycle.

Orbis / From the Editor / Calendar / March 2012

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Campus Progress engages students in national issue campaigns on critical issues — from global warming to civil rights, student debt to academic freedom. Visit CampusProgress.org/issues for more.

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a note from the editor This past semester has definitely been one for the history books, at least for here at Vanderbilt. If you haven’t noticed the Occupy Vanderbilt camp set up outside of Kirkland Hall, or if you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to what they’re about, I detail the history that has led them to this point, and what kind of responses they’re looking for from the Vanderbilt administration. What we’ve decided to focus this March issue on is the current state of Feminism, how women are perceived, and what some women of the world are doing to fight against oppression. First Meghan O’Neill discusses why The Slant pulled their March issue off stands. Then Charlotte Otremba reviews Miss Representation, a film that focuses on the detrimental effects of our current entertainment industry’s portrayal of women.Wolf Clifton, conversely, reviews a film of the successes local women are seeing in proclaiming their rights. Finally there are those political issues which have gained national attention but definitely take up local prominence here in Tennessee. Steve Harrison looks at current pending legislation we should all pay attention to, and Maria Ochoa discusses more specifically legislation that targets immigrant communities, and the potential future fallout should specific parties alienate those demographics. Good luck wrapping up your semester, happy spring weather, and thanks for reading. Andri Alexandrou

March/April 2012 Ongoing Occupy Vanderbilt protests in front of Kirkland Hall. Stop by to hear about their next moves to get the attention of the administration.. March 27 Jamaican-born artist Tamara Madden opens her show titled “Illuminations: Crowned, Cloaked and Cultivated” at the Black Cultural Center Auditorium. Opening and Reception at 12:00 noon. March 28 World on Wednesdays conversations host talk “Neoliberal Agricultural Policy, Food Crisis, and ‘Land Grabs’ in Africa: what does Vanderbilt have to do with it?” in Student Life Center meeting rooms 1 & 2 at 12pm. March 29 Poet and children’s book author Elizabeth Spires will read her poetry as a part of the Visiting Writer series. The reading is open to the public, and will be in Buttrick 101 at 7pm. April 1 All classes cancelled. That means you, professors. April 3 International Lens Film Series will be showing Japanese film classic Godzilla in Sarratt Cinema at 7:30pm. April 6 New venue in Nashville, Marathon Music Works, will be hosting a Music City Burlesque show starring BOB. Doors open at 8pm. The show is for an 18+ audience, and tickets start at $15.

Orbis / Feature / Commentary / March 2012

Slant Issue Taken Off Stands for Rape Joke Meghan O’Neill ASSOCIATE EDITOR

On F e br u ar y 27 , T h e S la n t pub li s h ed i t s M arch issue. The content of the issue was standard Sl an t f ar e , f e atu r i n g a r t i cles o n t h e 1 2 t y pes of people w h o w a tc h po r n a n d n e w Va n d y h o us ing arr an ge m e nts, a s w e ll a s a cr o s s wo r d s a t i r i z ing r acial ste r e o ty p e s. B ut b y t h e en d o f t h e d a y on Febr u a r y 28, al l r e m a i n i n g co pi e s o f t h e i ss ue had be e n p u l l e d f r om s t a n d s ca m pus -wi d e. The c o ve r o f th e i s s ue fea t ur e d a j o ke t hat many fe l t w e nt to o fa r , eve n fo r t h e S la n t . I t f e a tu red a c r y i ng w o ma n a lo n g s i d e a jo ke a b o ut running ma sc a r a th a t co uld , i n s o m e r ea d i n g s , i m ply that sh e w as r ap e d . The d e c i si o n to p ull t h e i s s ue wa s m a d e b y The Sl an t’s e d i to r i a l sta ff, i n r e s po n s e t o co m pla i nts r ec eive d a bo u t th e jo ke, wi t h i n h o ur s o f h i t ting stands . This i m p l i c ati o n o f r a pe pr o vo ked co m pla i nts f r om stu d e nts a c r o s s ca m pus , i n clud i n g m em be rs of Slant sta f f and Va n d er b i lt F em i n i s t s . Ke lle y Hin es, a Sl a nt w r i t e r a n d pr e s i d e n t o f Va ndy Fems , h a d th i s to sa y a b o ut t h e co v er : “ T h e S lant has ea si l y be e n o ne o f m y fa vo r i t e a s pe ct s o f t his c ampu s, and to se e s uch a po o r jud g m en t ca ll is u psett i ng. I k no w a n d a ppr eci a t e t h a t t h e s taff is s in c e r e l y ap o l o get i c a b o ut t h e i n ci d en t . I jus t hope th a t f r o m no w o n , m o r e co n s i d e r a t i o n will

be put into the kind of m ate rial the y pre s e nt.” The pre vious S lant cove r s atiriz e d the Fe bruary de bate s ove r the rights re ligious groups have on cam pus , by re quiring re ade rs to s ign an agreem e nt that the y w holly as cribe to Chris tian prin ciple s and that the y hold Je s us Chris t as thei r savior. While this cover was met with com-

Some students cited the recent rise of assaults and attempted rapes on and around Vanderbilt campus.

plaint—purporte dly one e m ail com plaint is s ued to Editor- in- Chie f of The S lant, D an K ing—the cove r w as large ly in ke e ping w ith s tude nt s e nt i m e nt.

The compl a i n ts su rrou n di n g th e M a rch cov er hi n ged on i ts ta stel essn ess, a s wel l a s i ts poor ti mi n g. Some stu den ts ci ted th e recen t ri se of assaults and attempted rapes on and around Va n derb i l t ca mpu s. On e recen t i n ci den t, i n f ormed to stu den ts th rou gh ema i l of recen t cri me reports, took pl a ce i n the Terra ce Pl a ce pa rk i n g ga ra ge. King apologized for the cover, saying, “the cover i n q u esti on wa s n o dou b t i n poor ta ste, a n d a s soon a s we l ea rn ed of th e con n ecti on to a recen t i n ci den t on ca mpu s we took th e i ssu e ou t of ci rcu l a ti on . It wa s n ot ou r i n ten ti on to ma k e l i gh t of thi s seri ou s i ssu e, a n d i t wa s certa i n l y n ot ou r i n ten ti on to ma k e a jok e a b ou t a speci f i c ev en t on ca mpu s. ” “Th e jok e wa s a mi sta k e, a n d th e ti mi n g com pou n ds the seri ou sn ess of th i s error. Ou r si n cer est a pol ogi es go ou t to a n yon e who wa s h u rt b y th i s jok e. In th e f u tu re, Th e Sl a n t’s edi tori a l sta f f wi l l do ev eryth i n g i n ou r power to a v oi d a n other i n ci den t l i k e th i s.” Detra ctors di d n ot seem con v i n ced b y th e a pol ogy, some goi n g so f a r a s to go to The Sl a n t’s F a ceb ook pa ge to i ssu e compl a i n ts a b ou t the poor ju dgmen t ca l l . Despi te th e i ssu e b ei n g pu l l ed, n on -of f en si v e con ten t wa s n ev erthel ess u pl oa ded to thei r web si te.

Unsigned Editorial:

Slant Cover Bad, but Larger Feminist Problems Abound Let us begin by saying that we at Orbis do not find rape or domestic abuse at all funny. However, we do think that the controversy caused by The Slant’s cover has been kind of over-the-top. Yes, the joke was somewhat poorly worded, and could be read in a way that doesn’t resolve the initial suggestion that the girl was being raped or abused. But the intention of the joke seems to have been to turn that notion on its head and make it clear that the girl was not being assaulted in the slightest. Furthermore, we find the joke to be much less offensive than other recent pictures in campus publications, such as Vandy dining’s advertisements promoting meal plan, which feature women in dresses and heels smiling while doing the dishes and making meals, a classic fifties trope

used to help convince women to leave their jobs and head into the kitchen to make room in the workplace for returning GIs. At least The Slant meant theirs as a joke; dining is serious. This distinction plays out in society in a larger sense. Everyone can make an off-color joke from time to time, if one doesn’t do it often. It’s the things we say and do in seriousness that really reflect how we feel and should be scrutinized. Things like advertisements and television tropes, produced in seriousness, often without the realization that there is something wrong, that degrade women and others, are what we should be focusing our efforts on. Maybe some subjects will never be funny, but the fact that some subjects have moved into a realm of comedy shows that the majority of people realize that it is wrong.

Making light of them, not in seriousness but in jest, can at least be considered one step toward progress. Fifty years ago, a joke about beating a woman would more likely have been said in seriousness, and which did result in second wave Feminism. It was reflective of contemporary ideology. Today, though, when Stephen Colbert says something off-color or offensive, we know it’s a joke - he’s a satirist playing devil’s advocate, and ultimately, that is the role that The Slant fills on campus. While they shouldn’t necessarily be freed from suffering any consequences at all, we must understand the context within which they operate. Honestly, the real outrage in this situation is that this month’s issue of The Slant, which the staff worked exceptionally hard on, isn’t on stands for students to enjoy.

Orbis / Commentary / March 2012

Miss Representation Film Presents New Feminist Issues Entertainment industry goes unchecked in its oppressive image of women vocative clips, honest interviews, pleas made out of frustration. High-powered men and women, middle and high school-aged children, the director herself – all gave their say on the portrayal of women in the media. Often emotion-filled, the honesty with which these men and women, boys and girls, spoke was moving and compelling. In perhaps the most heart-wrenching quotation, one high-school girl, in reference to the great pressure to always look attractive according to mainstream media asks, “When is it going to be enough?” In one question, she summed up the messages of the film. When will derogatory messages about women – of all rankings in society – end? When will women truly have an equal say in decision-making in our country? When will pressures to conform to a single image of attraction – causing disordered eating in girls of all ages – end? “Girls get the message from very early on that what’s most important is how they look…And boys get the message that this is what’s important about girls,” says Jean Kilbourne, EdD. The auditorium emptied out – save for about a handful of dedicated attendees – for the panel discussion. An act sadly representative of our generation: aware of greater social problems, but apathetic to discuss them or rise to action. It can be daunting to decide where to begin with such a task ahead of us; even the panel, featuring Courtney Cuden, Misty Ellis, and Elizabeth Kampf, seemed in despair. Misty Ellis, a notable TV and Film producer in the Nashville area, put her head down on the gray table on the stage where she and the two other panelists sat and sighed, “I am tired.” The women presented in the media are “so different from the women I know and respect,” said Elizabeth Kampf, a former Vanderbilt undergraduate student who was past president of Go Figure! and is a current Vanderbilt graduate student. Indeed, the limited number of powerful women presented in the media – respected solely for their accomplishments, rather than their looks – is small. This gives young girls few respectful role models in the public eye. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” says Marie Wilson (Founding President, The White House Project). All the more reason the next generation needs more female role models, so that there can be greater equality. Courtney Cuden, the third panelist, expressed her own inner-conflict while she was involved in

the media industry; working with countless networks, including VH1 and E!, as well as hosting an HGTV show. She was concerned with her image, especially in a high-powered job. After everything, she switched careers, and now is on the track to a private therapy practice. Women are conflicted. Images in movies, commercials, and magazines tell us we must be pretty, thin, and groomed; institutions of higher education, like Vanderbilt, empower us to take on the world as leaders in any career we choose. Can we be expected to conform to the traditional definition of “feminine,” which implies submissiveness and domesticity, while taking on a role that is more “masculine”: success-oriented and dominant? For men and women, there is hardly an in-between. The media presents a one-sided picture of inherently complex individuals. But we must start small: at screenings like this, with open dialogue, with meetings and discussions. The portrayal of women in the media is detrimental to everyone: to women, to men, to children, to the country. So how do we initiate change? It’s an overwhelming task at a place like Vanderbilt, where image is valued highly, especially for girls. We’ve all succumbed to it – myself included – the “done up” look of heavy makeup, styled hair, and a tight skirt and heels to head out at night. Who is it for? Ourselves? Boys? To fit in? What’s worse is that most students seem to acknowledge this confining image, yet rarely alter their own appearance in dissent. Thus, the “f” word is not to be scorned. Feminism is like every other “ism” – a movement for equality. If the attendees learned anything from the film and discussion, it’s that we should all be feminists. That is, believe in equal treatment to both sexes, or an end to sexism. We’re not crazy, we don’t burn our bras, and we don’t demand an elimination of men (why does that stereotype even still exist?). The modern citizen is a feminist if he or she realizes the need for equal treatment for the success of our country. The panelists hit home with their final point: it all goes back to the golden rule. We don’t demand anything other than respect, and that’s something that everyone deserves.

US global ranking for population to legislature ratio of women in legislature.

Photo: Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Charlotte Otremba CONTRIBUTOR

As I walked into Sarratt Cinema on March 1, I was unsure of what to expect from the screening. Was ‘Miss Representation’ going to be a film of preaching feminists? Denouncing all that was wrong in society? Or was it going to be hopelessly boring, a recitation of statistics and figures unmemorable and unconvincing. More importantly, was I going to be the only audience member there? Save for those required to come, of course: Vanderbilt Feminists, VUEES, Go Figure!, and the Margaret Cunninggim

Positions of power in telecommunication held by women. Women’s Center staff. To my surprise, by the time the lights dimmed, attendees filled nearly three quarters of the auditorium. A deep, urgent melody began, and towards us flowed quotations and statistics meant to shock and inform. Side conversations and murmuring quieted, and the documentary began to unfold. The following 85 minutes were filled with pro-

16%

Writers, producers, cinematographers, directors, and editors who are women.

Orbis / Feature / March 2012

Ari Schwartz, organizer for Occupy Vanderbilt, speaks to Nashville news crew. Photo: Andri Alexandrou

Occupy Vanderbilt Wants Answers from Administration After a year long investigation into investment and worker’s rights, students act. Andri Alexandrou EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Occupy Vanderbilt has sprung up seemingly from no-where. But there’s a story to how those students got angry and decided to take a stand. The students’ seven months of investigation into Vanderbilt’s investment with EMVest, along with years of investigation into Vanderbilt’s investments in HEI Hotels & Resorts, play a large role in that. Here’s a recap. In June 2011, the Oakland Institute, an independent policy think tank that studies various facets of the economy in Africa—land rights, food, poverty, foreign aid and investment, for example—found a huge number of companies to be engaging in unethical practices in the African continent. The unethical practices, as laid out by the Oakland Institute researchers, derives from these companies abusing African land and African peoples for the betterment of these foreign investment companies. EmVest, one of these investment firms, says that it

is collecting unused, but arable land which has been “lying fallow,” to farm and return a very quick profit in Mozambique, expecting and hoping for a large increase in land prices because of specula-

Vanderbilt administrators can finally be proud to be mentioned in the same breath with fellow investor, Harvard University. tion – essentially rapid and unhindered globalization. Researchers found that villagers and village leaders where EmVest took root tell a different story: one where the company came in, coerced them by

co-opting the government’s power and corruption into signing documents they didn’t understand and they now realize were extremely harmful to the local population. That land is now being used by EmVest for “industrial” farming. The jobs and economy they claimed would be created in the process have actually shrunk job opportunity for local people who can no longer farm their own land to provide for their families, because of the super-efficient, but ultimately environmentally unsustainable, unlimited irrigation and fertilization practices. HEI Hotels and Resorts is another company in which Vanderbilt invests. It operates in the US and has been found liable for multiple state labor violations and has settled federal labor violations. Their business plan is acquiring hotels, “slimlining operations,” and then reselling the hotels in under a decade. HEI practices shrink workforce, dramatically increasing workload on each worker causing increased injury rates, decrease pay, and intimidate workers so that they are too scared to organize themselves and unable to protect themselves against many unfair labor practices. This, all in the name of

Orbis / Feature / March 2012

“decreasing labor costs.” Vanderbilt isn’t the only big name being accosted for being involved with these companies. Vanderbilt administrators can finally be proud to be mentioned in the same breath with fellow investor, Harvard University, which is also invested in both of these companies. Students at Harvard just held their own Occupy campaign. You might even say that Occupy Vanderbilt is the “Occupy Harvard of the south.” While they led it without a narrow list of demands, at the top of their discussions and reasons for setting up a tent city in the Harvard Yard were workers rights, labor rights especially relating to Harvard’s investment in HEI, and this ongoing mistreatment of African landowners through Harvard’s investment in EMVest. This movement, spearheaded by a core group of only a dozen or so students, was a success. In December 2011, Katie Lapp, Harvard Executive Vice President, issued a statement regarding HEI Hotels and Resorts saying that when the time came to reconsider the university’s investment, a process repeated every few years, they would take into

Are Ye Truly Free?

(published 1848; words by J.R. Lowell) Men! whose boast it is that ye Come of fathers brave and free; If there breathe on earth a slave, Are ye truly free and brave? Are ye not base slaves indeed, Men unworthy to be freed, If ye do not feel the chain, When it works a brother's pain? Women! who shall one day bear Sons to breathe God's bounteous air, If ye hear without a blush, Deeds to make the roused blood rush Like red lava through your veins, For your sisters now in chains; Answer! are ye fit to be Mothers of the brave and free? Is true freedom but to break Fetters for our own dear sake, And, with leathern hearts forget That we owe mankind a debt? No! true freedom is to share All the chains our brothers wear, And with hand and heart to be Earnest to make others free. They are slaves who fear to speak For the fallen and the weak; They are slaves, who will not choose Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, Rather than, in silence, shrink From the truth they needs must think; They are slaves, who dare not be In the right with two or three.

account its compliance with industry standards and regulations, namely its frequent violation of labor rights. In light of those successes Occupy Vanderbilt is looking to confront Vanderbilt administrators in a way that can’t be ignored. Students working on The Responsible Endowment Campaign (REC) at Vanderbilt have been demonstrating against Vanderbilt’s investment practices and structure, specific to its involvement with EmVest and HEI, for months. After enough pressure mounted on top administrators, Dr. David Weintraub, Chair of the Faculty Senate and Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Arts & Sciences, reported that an investigation had been conducted by three members of the Senate and had found nothing wrong with investment practices. The Senate did not release the actual report, but Dr. Weintraub made an interperative summary in his email, which stated that “members are satisfied that Vice Chancellor Wright and his team follow an appropriate and thorough due diligence in assessing investments on behalf of Vanderbilt University.” At this point, there seem to be some politics and possible misconstrual going on. In the email summary sent out by Dr. Weintraub regarding the investment, he writes, “In summary, these investments [in EMVest] appear to be good for both Vanderbilt University and for the people in Africa most directly affected by these investments. The Senate Executive Committee, speaking for the Senate, has now expressed its support of the Administration with regard to our investments in Emergent Asset Management.” However when an organizer for REC met with Dr. Daniel Beauchamp, chair of a committee within the senate, he seemed to believe that Weintraub did not say that “the investment was good for the university and ‘the people in Africa,’” as was stated in the released email. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and there are infinite lines of bureaucracy to tell us there’s really no smell at all. Zach Blume, one of the chief organizers for both REC and Occupy Vanderbilt, said in response “The only legitimate thing about the quote ‘investigation’ was that it shows us that the Senate thinks that the investment team shouldn’t be able to do whatever it wants with impunity, something everyone appears to generally agree on. Therefore it seems sensible to say we need a permanent reviewing body which isn’t so ad-hoc like this, and doesn’t require us to have rare insider information delivered to us to combat unethical investments.“ That’s not the end of the protests, though. Even the Hustler Editorial Board, which is normally fairly conservative about the issues it takes a stance on, published a response that was very much in line with the REC’s demands. “The Hustler believes that an informed community is necessary to ensure that those who control Vanderbilt’s purse strings adhere to this standard. As such, the lack of transparency surrounding the African land grab issue is unacceptable. Our admin-

istrators owe it to the student body to be more open about the University’s investment with Emergent, as well as Vanderbilt’s future business dealings and investments.” That was all back in November. So why, in March, are students still frustrated with Vanderbilt’s seeming refusal to become transparent over an issue that should not have persisted so long? As an attempt to make this fight more visible, REC hosted an unauthorized Teach-In at Kirkland Hall, in which around fifty students gathered to discuss the problems at hand along with four faculty. As expressed by Lucius Outlaw, a scholar in the Philosophy Department on Africana philosophy,

“It seems sensible to say we need a permanent reviewing body which isn’t so ad-hoc like this, and doesn’t require us to have rare insider information delivered to us to combat unethical investments.” “I’m less concerned about the issue than about how we deal with such issues. This will not be the only such issue!” The problem is not just the investment in Africa by itself, while it is troublesome. It’s Vanderbilt’s lack of transparency and accountability. The problem can also be traced to the cultural tendency to trust an American university’s actions. Or, at least, to not challenge them. In this spotty economic climate, employees are disinclined to demand too much of an administration that could just as easily hire someone else. Alumni are largely engaged in their own lives, far from their Alma Mater. Students, too, are busy with school and not engaged in bureaucratic politics here in Nashville that happen to be threatening the rights of fellow humans a continent away. “Most are too afraid to even speak up and say [universities are] doing anything about it even if they want to, because they’re afraid it’ll just attract more attention to the fact that our schools hold a collective $350 billion and nobody knows where any of it is going,” said an Oakland Institute article entited “University Land Grabs in Africa and Student Activism.” In the light of this bureaucratic burrowing, the Responsible Endowment Campaign, and now Occupy Vanderbilt, hope to attract the attention of students and media to bring Vanderbilt to a level of accountability that’s in line with its academic prestige and reputation. Visit occupyvanderbilt.org to see all the work that Occupy Vanderbilt is pulling together.

Orbis / Feature / March 2012

Tennessee Legislature to Discuss Current Topic LGBT Rights, protester’s rights, and business motives are all on Nashville docket. Steven Harrison FEATURES EDITOR

The LGBT community? Check. Proponents of transparent business dealings? Check. Occupy Nashville protesters? Check. Victims of bullying? Check. During the current Tennessee legislature session, it seems that there isn’t a single group immune from the GOP’s rampage on rights and liberties. And Governor Bill Haslam’s support of these proposed bills or tacit silence does not help matters in the slightest. State politics tend to be overlooked in favor of national politics, but, in this case, Tennessee voters should pay close

State politics tend to be overlooked in favor of national politics, but, in this case, Tennessee voters should pay close attention to the type of laws submitted by their elected officials. attention to the type of laws submitted by their elected officials. Instead of working to incorporate a balanced view of sexuality into the classroom, Republicans have done the opposite by proposing a bill that would explicitly prohibit any mention of gay issues in elementary and middle schools. This sends a very clear message to students that there is only one “normal” and acceptable lifestyle. The bill also discourages teachers from coun-

seling students who may be struggling with their own sexuality, weakening the studentteacher relationship. One Knoxville teacher, Jason Gulledge, commented, “The legislators in Nashville should really worry about lots of things going on in schools. If they keep pushing at teachers, there will be none left in Tennessee.” Voting on the bill has been delayed at the moment, but will resume toward the end of March. Governor Haslam has actively sought passage of a bill that would close off public records for the owners of companies receiving government grants. This proposal reflects an extreme probu s ine s s at t it u d e t hat is aime d at p rot e c t ing companies concerned about the release of their financial information. Activists for open government policies are furious about the bill’s inherent secrecy and believe the bill will ultimately lead to increased government corruption. The bill has already been sent back to committee as serious questions have been raised about the sealed information. In a frustrating move aimed at those who call themselves the 99%, Governor Haslam signed into law earlier this March a bill that would criminalize camping on state land not officially designated for camping. The general applicability of the law only serves to shroud its actual political target: the Occupy Nashville movement. The law effectively turns Occupy Nashville protesters into criminals for the mere act of setting up tents and advocating for their cause. Protesters who continue to camp outside War Memorial Plaza face up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500. HB 1153, better known as the “License to Bully” bill, takes its cue from a similarly proposed piece of Michigan legislation. Yet the Michigan bill ultimately turned into a more inclusive and protective anti-bullying bill. The Tennessee version,

which currently awaits action from the House’s General Subcommittee on Education, would protect the alleged rights of students who display nonphysical unpleasant or uncomfortable attitudes toward other students (see: bullying) on the grounds of religious, philosophical, or political beliefs. In this way, victims of bullying, as long as the bullying is not accompanied with the threat of physical violence, would not be protected against those who harass on the basis of certain religious credos. Tennessee Equality Project chair Ben Byers fears for these students and notes,

Activists for open government policies are furious about the bill’s inherent secrecy and believe the bill will ultimately lead to increased government corruption. “Obviously [the bill] opens the door not only for LGBT issues but it also opens it up for Jewish issues, for Catholic issues…. This is obviously something we have a lot of concern about.” With the upcoming presidential election in November, it’s easy to be swept up in the frenzy of national politics and the fiery offensive rhetoric of GOP candidates. But Tennessee citizens should be equally concerned about what’s going on in their own backyard, as it might affect them in a more significant way.

Orbis / Feature / March 2012

Tennessee Pushes Hostile Immigration Legislation And in the future, they’ll likely regret it. Maria Ochoa STAFF WRITER

As Alabama copycat bills SB 2176 and HB 2191 attempted to make their way to the Tennessee House floor in February of this year, pressure from constituents forced the House Judiciary to take the bill off notice. This bill would have made transporting undocumented immigrants as passengers illegal. Enforcement of the Alabama version of the bill has already cost the state government $10.8 billion. Not only would this type of reform have meant great expenditure that would not create a sustainable solution for the problem of illegal immigration, but the bills and reforms that are passed and rejected this year are also key to swing the vote of Latinos in upcoming elections. As the presidential election approaches, this demographic is faced with a tough choice. While Obama has been known as the deportation president, and did not keep his campaign promise to prioritize immigration reform within the first year of his administration, Republicans have been passing Latino-hostile immigration bills all over the country. While Tennessee is and will probably remain a red state, Republicans must become aware that the Latino demographic is growing faster than any other group in the United States and these votes will become key in future elections. Latinos make up 16% of the US population today, a percentage that is projected to grow to 30% by 2050. In Nashville alone, the Latino population has grown by 800% since 1985. While a significant proportion of this group is in the United States illegally, and thus unable to vote, the next generation of Latinos (if naturalized or born in the US) will have a voice that will become significant in United States politics.

Although the presence of Latinos is definitely lower in Tennessee than in Southwestern states, the Latino population is growing all over the country. As violence escalates and the economy worsens in Mexico, immigrants from all kinds of economic backgrounds are fleeing to the United States. While Americans mostly think of Mexican aliens as poverty-stricken immigrants illegally coming to the United States, thousands of upper and upper-middle class Mexicans have come to the United States in increasing numbers since the war against drug cartels has escalated dra-

Republicans must become aware that the Latino demographic is growing faster than any other group in the United States and these votes will become key in future elections. matically in violence with the aggression of the Calderón administration. So, even if Tennessee is not likely to be a state where the Latino vote could swing the election this year, it is not certain that in future elections this will still be the case. Although the “pull” factor of immigration has decreased since the recession hit in 2008, the push factor in Mexico since 2007 has grown and will probably continue growing stronger. Thus, legislation that directly targets illegal immigrants in this state may not have

a strong political impact in this next election, but the tone that the Republican party keeps taking on immigration issues will certainly have strong resonance as the Latino vote becomes stronger and stronger. For instance, a bill that is set to be voted on this year (HB 3744 and SB3747) is meant to redefine “Tennessee Resident” for the purposes of paying for tuition to higher institutions. This emulates a bill already passed in Arizona where Latino students faced tuition increases for not having proper immigration papers. Stemming from this and other hostile pieces of legislation, the Latino student movement for immigration reform has gathered so much momentum in Arizona that its support brought an independent Latino, Daniel Valenzuela, to city council office recently. He was so successful in sweeping votes from the Republicans that Obama’s political director immediately sought out his support for the race to the presidency. Tennessee Republicans should mind the consequences of these education-hindering bills before setting them into motion. Immigration is a political issue that affects more than 11 million people who live without proper documentation in the United States. In addition, the people who live here legally have such close ties to their undocumented compa triots that it is foolish for Republicans to aim to win the extreme right wing vote by alienating a group that is growing much quicker demographically. Furthermore, creating legislation that hinders education is only bound to result in higher criminality, which would in turn create more discontent from nativists towards both the Latino population in the U.S. and the government that allowed criminality to rise. Candidates for the 2012 election will have to pay close attention to their parties’ Latino-aimed bills in order to win

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Orbis / Commentary / March 2012

Pray the Devil Back to Hell Wolf Clifton CONTRIBUTOR

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When Kony 2012 first hit the Internet a few weeks ago, it immediately became an Internet sensation, attracting over 40 million views on YouTube over the span of just a few days. When I viewed it myself, however, I was skeptical – how much good is the arrest of a single brutal warlord, in a region teeming with warlords and plagued by decades of bloody war, really going to accomplish in the long term? For those who truly want to see lasting social change in Africa, I recommend another film, which played as part of Vanderbilt’s International Lens series: Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008), a documentary covering the real-life struggle of women in Liberia, who united in 2003 to end decades of bloody civil war in their country. Through a combination of interviews and live footage, Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the women’s progress as they achieve increasingly incredible victories against the forces of violence and oppression. Perhaps surprisingly in a world so racked by religious conflict, the movement actually begins in churches and mosques, whose members unite across religious lines under their common goal of peace and set a powerful example of interfaith cooperation and religion’s potential to motivate positive social change. Their efforts ultimately lead to interviews with Liberia’s President Taylor and rival warlords – despite threats of violence from both – and eventually peace talks to end the war. When the talks falter and nearly collapse, the women surround the building and trap the president and warlords inside, refusing to disperse until they promise to follow through with a peace deal. Watching the women stare their oppressors – men who had formerly raped, exploited, and terrorized them – in the eye, unafraid, and shame them into submission was one of the most powerful images I have ever seen. Even more powerful are the women’s actions following the resignation of President Taylor, as they extend forgiveness to the

You can also visit campusprogress.org to see what’s affecting college students across the nation.

Photo: Fork Films LLC

soldiers who once terrorized them and teach them to respect women as human beings. The effectiveness of their efforts is confirmed by interviews with the soldiers themselves, who decry their past violence towards their “mothers and sisters” and vow never to rape or abuse women again. Perhaps the greatest victory – not actually covered in the film – was the election of Liberia’s current president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2005, the first female head of state in all of Africa. Pray the Devil Back to Hell is one of the most inspiring films I’ve ever seen. More than simply a moving success story, it offers an incredible example of how the empowerment of women and religious cooperation can lead to peaceful revolution and the creation of a more enlightened social order. While Kony 2012 may achieve some limited good for the child soldiers of Uganda, I believe Pray the Devil Back to Hell holds far greater power to inspire lasting change for oppressed people throughout Africa and the world.

Orbis / Culture / March 2012

illel v h s a N t Eas an Meghan O’Neil

Entaurtess across the

ve . n’t miss d l u o h s you ari eateries nd veget a h c e i i h d w o o F s on d report river an

Mad Donna’s 1313 Woodland Street

The Wild Cow 1896 Eastland Avenue

Featuring brunch, lunch/dinner, and late night menus, Mad Donna’s is the perfect place to eat any time of day. Though it can get busy, I highly recommend getting brunch there on the weekend. Their bread is delicious, as are their omelettes and eggs. The rest of their menu serves up delicious traditional fare with a twist, and they have quite a few vegetarian options. Try their sweet potato fries, served with a mild dipping sauce. Addictive. And as a bonus, they have live entertainment upstairs at night.

A small but invitingly decorated restaurant, The Wild Cow is one of the best places in town to eat if you’re a vegetarian or vegan looking for variety. Everything on their menu is vegan, but you can opt for dairy cheese instead if you prefer. Their menu features staples, like veggie burgers and pinto bean nachos, but also more rare entrees, like buffalo tempeh strips and a Philly cheese seitan sandwich. Each day they have a different, delectable special, which you can check out online beforehand.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 1892 Eastland Avenue A hipster haven if I’ve ever seen one, Jeni’s Ice Cream is a great place for out-of-the-ordinary dessert. Served in biodegradable containers or cones, Jeni’s ice cream comes in flavors you don’t encounter often: goat cheese with cognac figs, riesling poached pear sorbet, whiskey and pecans, etc., as well as a few old favorites: ugandan vanilla bean and “the milkiest chocolate in the world.” They also offer ice cream sandwiches (made in front of you) and a few other icecream based desserts. Both child- and college kid-friendly, the vibe at Jeni’s is sweet and relaxed.

Rosepepper Cantina 1907 Eastland Avenue Though not everything they serve is incredibly authentic, Rose Pepper Cantina serves up some of the best tasting Mexican food in town. Their chips and salsa are perfect, and their menu features everything from chile verde to fajitas to flan. They also offer a few vegetarian and vegan versions of traditional fare, and since their rice and beans aren’t made the old-fashioned Mexican way, they’re vegetarian friendly too. With a funky vibe and lots of space, it’s a perfect place to eat with friends, especially in a group with both meat-eaters and vegetarians.

Orbis / March 2012

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