The Vanderbilt Hustler 9-2-15

vanderbilthustlerWWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 VOL. 127, ISS. 18

Commodores ready for redemption

Campus leaders are ready for real changeOPINION

Columnist Kait Spear refl ects on her experience at VSG’s Presidents Roundtable last week

PAGE 6New Tastes of NashvilleLIFE

Say goodbye to Sweet Cece’s and hello to Nama Sushi: Here’s where you can now eat on the Commodore Card PAGE 12

Vandy alum David Warren is starting a program called “Take the Fight” that pairs college students with cancer patients

PAGE 4

The ‘Teach for America’ of healthcareNEWS

PAGE 8

Coming o� a 3-9 campaign in Derek Mason’s fi rst season, Vanderbilt is looking for a chance to prove it was a fl uke

2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

2 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

Meet Nashville’s candidates for mayornews

vanderbilthustlerSTAFF

ZACH BERKOWITZJORDAN BICKHAMASHLEY KATZENSTEINSHARON SIKAREN CHAN

GEORGIA WILSONSOPHIE GAYLORALAN WILMSAUSTIN WILMSYUNHUA ZHAO

DESIGNERS

ALLIE GROSSEDITOR-IN-CHIEF KATHY YUAN

PARIS FANVICTORIA YAO

COPY EDITORS

ZOE SHANCER — NEWS EDITORKARA SHERRER — LIFE EDITOR QUEEN STEVENSON — OPINION EDITORBEN WEINRIB — SPORTS EDITOR

JOSH HAMBURGER — MANAGING EDITORBOSLEY JARRETT — DESIGN DIRECTORANNA BUTRICO — WEB EDITORZIYI LIU — PHOTO DIRECTORWESLEY LIN — CHIEF COPY EDITORCOLLIN ZIMMERMAN — CHIEF WEB DEVELOPERMATT LIEBERSON — FEATURES EDITOR PRIYANKA ARIBINDI — AUDIENCE STRATEGISTKATHY YUAN —ASST. PHOTO DIRECTOR

CAMPUS UPDATEAt the fall faculty assembly, Chancellor Zeppos announced the appointment of a Diversity, Inclusion and

Community Committee that will seek creative and bold solutions to building a community that values difference.

BY ALLIE GROSS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Next week, Nashville will elect its next mayor. Following a general Aug. 6 election with a broad field of seven candidates, the city has narrowed it down to two for the Sept. 10 runoff: Megan Barry and David Fox.

What are the most important issues facing millennials in Nashville?

Two of the most critical are how do I get around Nashville, and how can I afford to stay here? The third component would be jobs. Are there jobs available when you graduate so you can stick around if you want to? We need a strong local economy — that’s what Mayor Dean and I have been working on, so Vander-bilt graduates can stay here if they want.

What plans do you have to improve public transportation downtown?

Right now if you are a student at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt has a wonderful thing where you can ride the bus system for free. What I hear the most about the buses is about frequency and the routes, because you guys are on bus lines you can actually hop on a bus and get downtown from Vanderbilt. That’s what we hear, and that’s what we’re working on.

What plans do you have to make housing more affordable in Nashville?

Housing is multifaceted, there’s not one particular silver bullet. But what it takes is you have to — first of all — fund, build, retain and replace, and that comes out of research that James Fraser did, who’s a Vanderbilt professor. The funding component is usually a housing fund trust we’ve made. The opportunity for the

next mayor is to further fund that, and to use nonprofit developers to also retain the housing you have.

What do you want Vanderbilt students to know about you as a candidate?

I’m a Vanderbilt alum. I graduated from Vanderbilt in 1993 with my masters in business administration. Vanderbilt is what brought me to Nashville, and what I’ve been able to do is stick around because I was able to start my career here.

If you were a professor at Vanderbilt, what class would you teach?

I have taught at Vanderbilt — when I taught there, I was an adjunct professor in an ethics class.

Who do you root for in a Vandy vs. UT game?

That’s easy, Vanderbilt.

What are the most important issues facing millennials in Nashville?

The heart of our economy is the creative culture we have here which comes with our songwriters. I think we need to make sure that we protect that, and I think that is of interest to young people who are thinking about mov-ing here. They want this to be a creative com-munity with a creative economy and we need to keep on doing what we can to foster that.

What plans do you have to improve public transportation downtown?

We need to have a very robust and genuine process of public input. I’m not going to come up with a 50 page plan that I’m going to inflict on Nashville. Instead I want to help lead the process so that we as a city can come together and have a vision for transportation in the next 20 years that we’re comfortable with and that we’re comfortable paying for.

What plans do you have to make housing more affordable in Nashville?

A few things I would like to see us do is I’d like to see us offer incentives to developers to provide some housing for sale and for rent at the low market prices. I believe in giving incentives rather than issuing mandates. I think we also as a community ought to have a conversation about putting more money

into the Barnes Housing Trust. It’s a trust that Mayor Dean set up several years ago that money goes into it and developers can use that and borrow against it.

What do you want Vanderbilt students to know about you as a candidate?

I’m pretty careful in how we spend money and I’m very much opposed to kicking the can down the road on liabilities that we have. I want to make sure that at the city level, we address these things so they don’t blow up when the current college age students are in control and they have a problem that is too overwhelming.

If you were a professor at Vanderbilt, what class would you teach?

I could teach about entrepreneurship, if I were called to teach something.

Who do you root for in a Vandy vs. UT game?

My dad was a 1941 Vanderbilt alum and I went from age 6 to 16 or 17 to every Vanderbilt football game and almost every Vanderbilt home basketball game. So that’s probably where my loyalty is, but generally I like to sometimes wear an orange tie, and so it kind of covers both bases for me in terms of it cov-ers the UT crowd but also it’s the color of my alma mater in University of Virginia.

Q&A During his campaign, Fox has publicly released his cell phone number, inviting “mayoral speed dates” with voters. The Hustler decided to speed date both candidates so that Vanderbilt students can get to know their next mayor.

Megan BarryAt-large councilwoman

David FoxEntrepreneur and journalist

Note: Candidate responses may be abbre-viated for brevity. The spirit of the answer was preserved. Photos courtesy of campaigns

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 3

In late 2011, the father of Vanderbilt alum David Warren was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. On visits to different specialists, Warren accompanied his father to all of his ap-pointments, bringing along a detailed medical history, records from events that happened be-tween visits and notes from their own research together on the disease and treatment.

During one visit, Dr. Glenn Lesser of Wake Forest University remarked upon the success of their proactive partner approach, and suggest-ed they try to share the system with others.

This response sparked the creation of a non-profit known as Take the Fight — an idea similar to Teach for America, but for the medi-cal profession. Take the Fight directs a two-year program for top college students, who apply in pairs their junior year of college.

“The whole genesis of Take the Fight was to be the patient’s movement, to help them maxi-mize their role in their care,” Warren said.

During year one of the program, seniors in college are paired individually with serious can-cer patients. Students work to help patients and their families navigate the overwhelming and emotionally taxing process of battling cancer, according to Warren.

“A lot of patients, including my father, and I as his caregiver, think ‘Okay, well if I just go to the best physician I can get to, then my job is done. Either I live or I die … I’ve done all I can

do.’” Warren said. “The reality is that the patient has the most important role to play in their care, in terms of equipping their medical team and following their treatment strategy.”

According to Warren, students are trained to help their patients through two main steps. First, they help patients follow the physician’s instructions and ensure all important informa-tion is being presented. Second, they ensure patients understand they have a limited time with their doctors, and they need to maximize this time to the best of their ability.

“Our students become adopted family mem-bers with the patient,” Warren said.

While working with individual cases, stu-dents begin to identify areas for improvement within the healthcare system. This leads to the second year of the program when students are hired to work full-time at the company’s head-quarters in New York City.

At the beginning of year two, participants present problems in the healthcare system that they have identified during their first year, and suggest plans to solve these problems in groups. The group then decides which issues to pursue.Issues that have been brought up thus far include doctor-patient communication, patient literacy, patient organization and fragmentation of health care nonprofits.

“The first year, you’re going to change lives, including your own,” Warren said. “But the second year is about changing the world.”

Prior to this year, the program has only focused on recruiting students at Wake Forest. Because physicians have praised the program

for helping improve patient outcomes, Take the Fight is embarking on a Campus Campaign which will hit Top 20 universities within the next couple of months. Vanderbilt, Warren’s alma mater, marked the first stop of the tour on Aug. 31.

Students from all academic backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply for the pro-gram, with the idea that those looking to work

within medical fields would get valuable patient experience and those not would offer a different perspective to issues at hand, Warren said.

“There are certain things we offer that apply to anybody,” Warren said. “Impact. (This is for) people who want to make an impact in the world.”

For more information about the organiza-tion, go to www.takethefight.org.

As of the first week of classes, only one student organiza-tion on campus has officially backed a candidate in the 2016 presidential race. Vanderbilt for Bernie Sanders is led by junior Douglas McKinley, who founded the group and acts as its student liaison.

“When ‘Nashville for Bernie Sanders’ started having meet-ings, I started going to those,” McKinley said. “That’s where I sort of met and greeted with some of the people starting to organize here.”

The group’s plans include a main event where Sanders would come and speak to both Vanderbilt students and the public.

“We’ve actually contacted the official campaign about it and they’re pretty excited,” McKinley said. “So we’re hoping it’s something we could pull off.”

McKinley says the idea for the group was based on turnout that Sanders has received at various speaking engagements in other red states, including an event in Arizona that garnered 10,000 people and another in Texas with 11,000 attendees.

Marc J. Hetherington, a professor in the Political Science Department with an interest in American politics, suspects that founders created the organization because they think Sanders’ chances of winning are low.

“So in that sense, people who are Democrats or who are sympathetic to the Democrats kind of realize that to get behind him is going to require something along these lines,” Hether-ington said.

Forming an organization supporting Sanders that is separate from the democratic party is necessary because of candidate Hillary Clinton’s frontrunner status, Hetherington said.

“Hillary doesn’t need that because the Democrats are going to support her, and College Democrats are institutional types who are going to back who the party is behind,” Hetherington said.

Hetherington believes Sanders appeals to college students because the Clin-tons, especially, Hillary Clin-ton have been around so long. This is unfortunate, Hethering-ton said, because he thinks she’s a “really interesting character.”

“I think there’s a kind of an ‘old news’ element to this,” Heth-erington said. “We’ve found that 18 to 22 year-olds have said … there’s just this desire for somebody different.”

According to McKinley, the group extends beyond just a student organization constrained to the Vanderbilt campus.

“The idea would be to campaign for Bernie here in Nash-ville,” McKinley said. “Tennessee is sort of uniquely important

because it’s one of the Super Tuesday states that votes on March 1st.”

Senior Jacob Graham, president of the Vanderbilt College Democrats, says that while the group is always glad to see new student organizations support certain issues, it is disappointed that the new organization felt it needed to form a separate group without consulting the Vanderbilt College Democrats.

“We’re disappointed that instead of trying to further the dialogue, they tried to co-opt our membership a little bit,” Graham said.

According to Graham, the Col-lege Democrats are not going to consider endorsing someone until the election gets closer.

“We support the Democratic Party and will absolutely consider

endorsing someone in the future,” Graham said.Junior Claire Deaver, president of the Vanderbilt College

Republicans, echoed Graham’s statement. “We do not back candidates in the primary,” Deaver said.

“Once there is a Republican nominee, we will back that nomi-nee. We do have contacts with nearly every Republican presi-dential candidate, but we are not going to endorse anyone yet.”

As for McKinley, he said, “The Bernie Sanders campaign is in it to win it.”


Bernie supporters bring 2016 campaign season to campus

‘Take the Fight’ matches students with cancer patients

By JESS MAHONEYNews reporter--------------------

By GABRIELLE TIMMNews reporter--------------------

A Vanderbilt alum began an organization called Take the Fight offering students a chance to work directly with cancer patients navigating the health system

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID WARREN

Connor Crowley of Wake Forest University and the cancer patient he fought alongside at Wake Forest Baptist’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

We’ve found that 18 to 22 year-olds have said...there’s just this desire for somebody different.‘‘

’’

As the presidential primary is heating up, Vanderbilt for Bernie Sanders is the first group on campus supporting a particular candidate

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER u WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015


opinion

We are a changing campus, and if there were ever a more appropriate time to reflect on that, I have not

seen it yet. It is the commencement of a new semester, with 1,600 new faces, shifting orga-nizational leadership, a restructured Office of the Dean of Students, and a new Dean of the Commons. Last year saw Vanderbilt pushing and pulling at issues of diversity, inclusion, and representation. Students clamored for gender-inclusive housing options, for ethical collabora-tion between student activists and our admin-istrators, and for an efficient and cooperative student government.

We advocated, and Chancellor Zeppos heard us, prompting the Faculty Assembly to reflect on our pleas during the Chancellor’s bi-annual address. Zeppos said, quite deliberately, “If Vanderbilt does not address issues of diversity, inclusion and culture, and (instead) acts like ev-erything is just fine, it will fail as an institution.” With our breath held fast from the upheaval of last year, we look to this year for action. Last year was the year we cried out for equality, and this is our year for change.

Part of such change began the day after Founder’s Walk, with the inaugural Presidents’ Roundtable. The five hour long event, hosted by Vanderbilt Student Government, gave student organization presidents the opportunity to net-work amongst ourselves and establish a strate-gic vision for the academic year with the help of administrators. As the President of the Vander-bilt Lambda Association, and someone who has demanded — more times than I can count — that VSG create programs in partnership with student organizations instead of programming over us, I was pleasantly surprised to see VSG facilitating the immediate empowerment of stu-dent leaders and putting us in direct contact with influential administrators.

As the chairs of organizations, we facilitate the interests of our general bodies, we know the intricacies of every conflict within our organization, our priorities in terms of time and money, and what kinds of pro-grams define and develop our organizations. We’ve seen our orgs at their best and at their worst, in triumph and in need. It’s our job to take everyone’s concerns and integrate them with the abilities of our institu-tion to address such concerns within the larger Vanderbilt community. To see that intimate relationship between president

and organization reflected at the Presidents’ Roundtable, between the student leaders as a body and student government as an organizer, was not only personally moving, but politically inspiring. This did not feel like student govern-ment programming over us — it felt like student government listening to us and to our general bodies.

Not only did the culture of respect move me, but in addition, I was impressed by the resourc-es provided to us and the agenda’s simplicity. The most impactful resource was, by far, the Keynote Address from Vanessa Beasley, Dean of the Commons. She entitled her address: “Three Ways to Better Collaboration (And None of Them Involve Other People),” and it was elo-quent, empathetic, and motivating — more of a discussion than a lecture.

She asked us why collaboration mattered, and we responded that working with others brings new expertise and insight to the table — we don’t know everything and cosponsors can help round out our programming. Collaboration

brings larger audiences, which not only reduces the total number of programs that are demand-ing the attention of students at any given time, but also brings new people to our events. New audiences are crucial because if we only preach to the choir, we will just see to it that folks who already agree with us end up agreeing with us more, and our views will solidify instead of adapt.

Dean Beasley pressed us further — if collabo-ration is so important, then why is it so hard to accomplish? If we’re honest, some of it has to do with our egos. If we collaborate, things might not get done our way. If we’re even more honest, we’re also scared. Bigger programs are novel and conspicuous, so if we fail, we fail publicly. But Dean Beasley affirmed our anxieties and re-minded us of our duty to each other to provide the best opportunities for our organizations.

VSG Presidents’ Roundtable instilled confi dence in organization leadersIs change fi nally coming to Vanderbilt?

QUOTE OF THE DAYAs a Vanderbilt student, I have been programmed to intrinsically want to produce, create,

facilitate, collaborate, plan, act and lead. At all times.

QUEEN STEVENSON, OPINION EDITOR

KAITLIN SPEARis a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].

Tips forCollaboration

From Dean Beasley

Last year was the year we cried out for equality, and this is our year for change.

“

’’There is a direct relation-

ship between physically showing up to your events and building trust across organizations.

Show Up.1

Put the phone away, face your speaker, and actively listen to what they’re say-ing. Make them a priority.

Pay Attention.2

Even if the event flops, you’ve set the ground-work for collaboration in the future, and if you know what went wrong this time around, you can fix it in the future.

Plan Ahead.3


A reflection on a season devoid of Vanderbilt busyness

QUEEN STEVENSONis a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She serves as the Opinion Editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler.She can be reached at [email protected].

Summertime sadness

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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.

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The Vanderbilt Hustler is a division of Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc. Copyright © 2015 Vanderbilt Student Communications.

ALLIE GROSS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]

EDITORIAL BOARD

ZOE SCHANCERNEWS EDITOR

[email protected]

QUEEN STEVENSONOPINION EDITOR

[email protected]

KARA SHERRERLIFE EDITOR

[email protected]

BEN WEINRIB SPORTS EDITOR

[email protected]

“How was your summer?” It’s the inquiry of the hour. It’s flung as we pass each

other in Rand, as we sit down for coffee or the much-missed Jeni’s, as we drunkenly maneuver in an over-stuffed, boisterous Towers suite and as we settle into our seats in class, the dead space peppered by pleasantries as we shuffle syllabi. Some see it as the socially acceptable thing to do, the Southern thing to do, even, akin to asking “How are you?” Some find it annoying or surface-level, because, do we really care to know what happened in that three-month gap between academic years? As for me, I get hit by a wave of anxiety.

Do I lie, and say it was “good/great/amazing/life-changing”? Do I skirt around the truth with semantics, and affirm that “I learned a lot”? Or do I opt for brutal honesty and admit that I cried often, stared at my bed-room wall, and felt hopeless and helpless at times?

The truth is that this summer was one of the most dif-ficult seasons in my short almost-twenty years of life. As a Vanderbilt student, I have been programmed to intrinsi-cally want to produce, create, facilitate, collaborate, plan, act and lead. At all times. This campus provides each student with an almost endless collective of resources guaranteed to build organizations, drive partnerships, and pad resumes. We, former class presidents, National Merit Scholars and Valedictorians, are junkies for this stuff; we get high on forming committees and drunk on partak-ing in executive boards. Leadership is our own brand of personal heroin. And when you take the druggie out of the crack house, there’s an opportunity for withdrawal pains,

and such was my summer. Most people find their areas of discomfort to be in

unfamiliar places, like interning in a new city or study-ing abroad in a new country. Meanwhile, I feel out of my comfort zone when I’m at home for long periods of time. I had two great internships — the first, a governor’s health campaign and the second a local paper — but they were low-hour commitments, enabling me to be done after Wednesday. The rest of my time, four whole free days per week, was spent mostly at home, especially since I didn’t have a car.

This was hard for me because at Vanderbilt, I’m so ac-customed to attending meetings, cranking out late-night papers, and being challenged and engaged by my impres-sive and insightful peers. There was always a topical speaker, a fascinating lecture or research presentation and plenty of performing arts selections from which to choose. In a weird way, I was used to operating out of constant sleep deprivation, because at the same time, I was also operating out of constant mental stimulation.

However, at home, I alternated between reading books and online articles, and watching Netflix and Hulu. Some-times I had to completely bar myself from social media because I would see pictures and blog posts about people living in exciting cities and countries doing incredible things while I was buried in my bed, eating yet another microwave mug cake and taking yet another Buzzfeed quiz.

I would wake up, go to work and return home — very little variation manifested in my days. Emotionally, I was

in a place I had never been before — I slept gratuitously but was still always tired, and I cried more than I’d like to admit. I worked extremely hard to feign happiness, but just couldn’t pull myself out of the pain that plagued me. I felt helpless and also useless. I had no idea how to process this three-month period of forced rest.

Vanderbilt had taught me how to go, go, go — a mental-ity and way of life that is both blessing and curse, because, while always being ready to deliver and take on challenges is desirable and profitable in the “real world,” what about when you find yourself stuck in a holding pattern,

an atmosphere devoid of the kind of activity and en-gagement you’re used to?

The most important lesson I gained from this summer is that times of rest are just as valuable as times of busy-ness. We Americans tend to value and admire perceived busyness and packed schedules over laxity, because we believe that nothing productive is happening when we’re not doing anything. But reflection is just as, if not more, important than action, and now that I’m back at Vander-bilt, I’m in the process of reconciling my summer experi-ences with my campus commitments and realities.

Now, I’m discovering that I’m more conscious, more willing to prioritize self-care, and more present. I see Jesus more clearly, along with my purpose and drive for living — foundational things that I can so easily lose sight of on this campus. These changes wouldn’t have been possible without those three months. And with that realization, I can fully affirm that my summer was life-changing — and I barely left the house.

Collaboration

Show Up.

Pay Attention.

Plan Ahead.

CHRISTOPHSPROULis a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected].

So how was your summer?

CARTOON

sports8 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

1. AlabamaThe Crimson Tide opens the season

against No. 20 Wisconsin at Jerry World, meaning Alabama could lose consecu-tive games to Big Ten opponents. Of

course, “could” is the operative word in that last sentence because Nick Saban isn’t losing that opener to another Big Ten School. S-E-C! S-E-C! Ess-Eee-Cee!

2. GeorgiaTodd Gurley may have been the best

running back to come through college football in years, yet somehow Georgia is

not going to miss him between having Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Keith Marshall. Georgia will in-evitably lose a dinker of a game to Florida, Missouri or Georgia Tech, but I’ll give them the benefi t of the doubt for now.

3. AuburnI get that Jeremy Johnson has a huge

arm and has similar size and speed to Cam Newton, but that’s just about the laziest comparison you can make. Let’s

slow our roll on this guy before we go comparing him to someone who had the greatest quarterback season of the past decade.

4. LSUTigers’ quarterbacks have been been

fairly non-descript for years, which I think makes it perfectly fi tting that LSU’s quarterbacks have the most

non-descript names ever: Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris.

5. Ole MissRemember that one year that Ole Miss

randomly got two top-fi ve recruits and the seventh overall recruiting class in a

totally not suspicious way? Yeah, this is the year all of those players are juniors.

6. Mississippi StateWith all the turnover among SEC

quarterbacks, Mississippi State has by far the best option in Heisman hope-

ful Dak Prescott. Then again, this is the same guy who got kicked in the shin by a fellow student and jumped at a Waka Flocka Flame concert.

7. ArkansasIn the creepiest social media moment

of 2015, Razorback head coach Bret Bielema tweeted, “It’s midnight on the eastern time zone and NCAA legal to direct message with top recruits. #WoooPig” Always good to see a 45-year-old excited to DM 16-year-olds.

By BEN WEINRIBSports editor--------------------

Arguably the most signifi cant aspect of playing football in the SEC, the plethora of strong teams across the league, means each squad faces a tough schedule during confer-ence play. This is no different for Vanderbilt, as the Com-modores won’t have much respite this year after limping to a 3-9 fi nish in 2014.

2015 opponents Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri and Ten-nessee all garnered spots in the Associated Press preseason poll, and Vandy also heads on the road for two non-confer-ence matchups. Eight home games in the comfy confi nes of Vanderbilt Stadium didn’t help the Dores much last year, and now the team must improve its record despite playing six of 12 games this fall on the road. The 2012 season marks the last time the Dores played six away contests, and this comes on the heels of a 2014 campaign in which the squad averaged a dismal 9.5 points per game away from home. VU coaches hope an increased emphasis on mental tough-ness can help cure last year’s road woes.

“This group’s got to learn how to endure,” said Derek Mason, head coach, at his preseason press conference Aug. 5. “(Our coaches) are going to try to make that skin a little thicker.”

Aside from the unfavorable distribution of home ver-sus road games, Vandy appears to have one of the more diffi cult schedules in the country based solely off quality of opponents. The basic strength of schedule projection used by the NCAA shows this year’s opponents combined for a 2014 win percentage of .610, which comes in around 15th nationally when compared to previous years’ rank-ings. While this method is fl awed due to the fl uctuating

strength of each team from year to year, ESPN’s Foot-ball

Power Index analytical system generally agrees, projecting the Commodores’ schedule as the 11th toughest in the NCAA.

The challenges surface immedi-ately, as Vanderbilt starts off with its fi rst three games at home in what may represent the most important stretch of Mason’s head coaching career so far.

A Thursday night visit from explo-sive Conference-USA power Western Kentucky kicks off the season on Sept. 3, followed by the SEC opener against No. 9 Georgia Sept. 12 in what looks like Vander-bilt’s premier home game of 2015.

A three-game road trip for the Commodores following a home matchup against Austin Peay includes visits to conference foes Ole

By ROBBIE WEINSTEINSports reporter--------------------

SEC POWER RANKINGS: PRESEASON

Each week, I rank the teams in the SEC 1-14. This week, grown men get excited to tweet at teenagers, we remember the last time Vanderbilt won a bowl game, and Kentucky basketball jokes return.

After a less-than-impressive inaugural season, Derek Mason and his young team hope to bounce back against a heavy-hitting schedule

‘Make that skin a little thicker’


THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

Arguably the most signifi cant aspect of playing football in the SEC, the plethora of strong teams across the league, means each squad faces a tough schedule during confer-ence play. This is no different for Vanderbilt, as the Com-modores won’t have much respite this year after limping to

2015 opponents Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri and Ten-nessee all garnered spots in the Associated Press preseason poll, and Vandy also heads on the road for two non-confer-ence matchups. Eight home games in the comfy confi nes of Vanderbilt Stadium didn’t help the Dores much last year, and now the team must improve its record despite playing six of 12 games this fall on the road. The 2012 season marks the last time the Dores played six away contests, and this comes on the heels of a 2014 campaign in which the squad averaged a dismal 9.5 points per game away from home. VU coaches hope an increased emphasis on mental tough-

“This group’s got to learn how to endure,” said Derek Mason, head coach, at his preseason press conference Aug. 5. “(Our coaches) are going to try to make that skin a little

Aside from the unfavorable distribution of home ver-sus road games, Vandy appears to have one of the more diffi cult schedules in the country based solely off quality of opponents. The basic strength of schedule projection used by the NCAA shows this year’s opponents combined for a 2014 win percentage of .610, which comes in around 15th nationally when compared to previous years’ rank-ings. While this method is fl awed due to the fl uctuating

strength of each team from year to year, ESPN’s Foot-ball

Power Index analytical system generally agrees, projecting the Commodores’ schedule as the 11th toughest in the NCAA.

The challenges surface immedi-ately, as Vanderbilt starts off with its fi rst three games at home in what may represent the most important stretch of Mason’s head coaching career so far.

A Thursday night visit from explo-sive Conference-USA power Western Kentucky kicks off the season on Sept. 3, followed by the SEC opener against No. 9 Georgia Sept. 12 in what looks like Vander-bilt’s premier home game of 2015.

A three-game road trip for the Commodores following a home matchup against Austin Peay includes visits to conference foes Ole

‘Make that a little

thicker’


8. Texas A&MThere’s probably some joke to be made

about how A&M’s two quarterbacks are Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, and their home sta-

dium is Kyle Field, right?

9. MissouriWe should all just accept right now that

the Tigers are going to win a third straight SEC East title. It’s just not even worth worrying about anymore.

10. TennesseeIn the 2012 Music City Bowl, NC State quar-

terback Mike Glennon threw three intercep-tions against Vanderbilt and looked exceed-

ingly subpar, only to go in the third round of the NFL Draft. Analysts were all over his arm, but I couldn’t get past how bad he looked against Vanderbilt. That’s exactly how I feel about Vols quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who went 11-for-19 for 53 yards and two inter-ceptions in Knoxville against four second-string Commo-dores in the secondary. He’s just not good.

11. FloridaWill Muschamp is a highly qualifi ed de-

fensive coordinator and an unqualifi ed head coach. All we know about Jim McElwain is that

he’s a solid offensive coordinator, so I’m not too excited yet.

12. South CarolinaWell, if nothing else, Steve Spurrier’s press

conferences should be blunt and funny, right?

13. KentuckyThe Wildcats are spending $150 million for

a nicer stadium for fans to complain that it’s not basketball season yet.

14. VanderbiltAt least Commodore fans will get plenty of

chances to see Darrius Sims return kicks.

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 9

The Hustler’s PREDICTIONSvs. WKU, L 31-24vs. UGA, L 41-10vs. Austin Peay, W 41-3@ Ole Miss, L 27-6@ MTSU, W 24-13@ South Carolina, L 21-17vs. Mizzou, L 24-16

@ Houston, L 20-14@ Florida, L 20-10vs. Kentucky, W 24-23vs. Texas A&M, L 45-24@ Tennessee, L 27-13

Overall Record: 3-9

SEC POWER RANKINGS: PRESEASONMiss and South Carolina sandwiched around a short drive over to Murfreesboro to face Middle Tennessee State. Aside from improved mental toughness, Mason says a year of experience for a roster fi lled with second-year contributors should lead to better perfor-

mances in intense atmospheres such as those in Oxford and Columbia.

“We played a lot of young guys (last year), and these guys got a taste of

what the SEC is all about,” Ma-son said. “They went into the

big stadiums … and what they realized is that foot-

ball is football. The fi eld is still the same length and width here as it is every place else.”

The homecoming rematch with Missouri Oct. 24 presents an op-

portunity to avenge VU’s 51-28 loss in 2013 and a

close loss at Mizzou last season marked one of the

team’s best 2014 perfor-mances. Another two game

road stretch follows with matchups against American Athletic Conference foe

Houston on Halloween and at Florida Nov. 7. The out-

come of these two tough, but winnable games may prove decisive with respect to the outcome of Vandy’s quest to return to a bowl game as the team enters the home stretch.

The Commodores’ fi nal two home games come on Nov. 14 and 21 respectively against Kentucky and Texas A&M, as VU hosts the Aggies for the fi rst time ever. A 17-7 road loss to the Wildcats in 2014 perhaps served as the height of Vandy’s offensive woes, but the 2015 home matchup likely marks the Dores’ best op-portunity to win an SEC game.

Fans will be looking forward all season long to the fi nal game of the campaign in Knoxville against in-state rival Tennessee. The Commo-dores can tout rare success in Neyland Stadium recently with two wins in its last fi ve visits to UT as VU looks to avenge a close defeat to end last season.

While the team’s 2015 slate only features one matchup with a preseason top 10 team, it’s fi lled with competitive non conference opponents and includes the typically strong SEC schedule. Combine that with the six road games and it’s clear that if Vandy returns to a bowl game in 2015, it’ll have earned it.

“This team has come a long way,” Mason says. “It’s been a rough ride during my fi rst sea-son, but those diffi culties are really a comma, not a period.”

BOSLEY JARRETT / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

vs. WKU, L 31-24vs. UGA, L 41-10vs. Austin Peay, W 41-3@ Ole Miss, L 27-6@ MTSU, W 24-13@ South Carolina, L 21-17vs. Mizzou, L 24-16

Miss and South Carolina sandwiched around a short drive over to Murfreesboro to face Middle Tennessee State. Aside from improved mental toughness, Mason says a year of experience for a roster fi lled with second-year contributors should lead to better perfor-

mances in intense atmospheres such as those in Oxford and Columbia.

“We played a lot of young guys (last year), and these guys got a taste of

what the SEC is all about,” Ma-son said. “They went into the

big stadiums … and what they realized is that foot-

ball is football. The fi eld is still the same length and width here as it is every place else.”

The homecoming rematch with Missouri Oct. 24 presents an op-

portunity to avenge VU’s 51-28 loss in 2013 and a

close loss at Mizzou last season marked one of the

team’s best 2014 perfor-mances. Another two game

road stretch follows with matchups against American Athletic Conference foe

Houston on Halloween and at Florida Nov. 7. The out-

come of these two tough, but winnable games may prove decisive with respect to the outcome of Vandy’s quest to return to a bowl game as the team enters the home stretch.

The Commodores’ fi nal two home games come on Nov. 14 and 21 respectively against Kentucky and Texas A&M, as VU hosts the Aggies for the fi rst time ever. A 17-7 road loss to the Wildcats in 2014 perhaps served as the height of Vandy’s offensive woes, but the 2015 home matchup likely marks the Dores’ best op-portunity to win an SEC game.

Fans will be looking forward all season long to the fi nal game of the campaign in Knoxville against in-state rival Tennessee. The Commo-dores can tout rare success in Neyland Stadium recently with two wins in its last fi ve visits to UT as VU looks to avenge a close defeat to end last season.

While the team’s 2015 slate only features one matchup with a preseason top 10 team, it’s fi lled with competitive non conference opponents and includes the typically strong SEC schedule. Combine that with the six road games and it’s clear that if Vandy returns to a bowl game in 2015, it’ll have earned it.

“This team has come a long way,” Mason says. “It’s been a rough ride during my fi rst sea-son, but those diffi culties are really a comma, not a period.”


QUARTERBACKJohnny McCrary or Wade FreebeckCoaches still haven’t announced the starter yet, but both have a strong arm and limited playing experience.

RUNNING BACK Ralph WebbWebb is the premier player of this offense with a Vanderbilt freshman record 907 rushing yards last season.

FULLBACKDallas RiversLast year’s second-leading rusher will take over at fullback with ex-defensive lineman Ladarius Banks playing some.

WIDE RECEIVERTrent Sherfield, Latevius RayfordC.J. Duncan will be sorely missed, but Vanderbilt has two big playmakers in Sherfield and Darrius Sims.

TIGHT ENDSteven ScheuScheu led the team in receiving yards last year, and former tackle Sean Dowling and receiver DeAndre Woods will add a new dimension to this corp.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE Will Holden and Blake FromangThe loss of Andrew Jelks thrusts Fromang into the starting lineup, but Holden should be a rock on the left side.

OFFENSIVE GUARDJake Bernstein and Barrett Gouger Bernstein should be a strong veteran presence, and Delando Crooks will likely take back full-time duties once he’s back to full health.


OFFENSIVE STARTERS

DEFENSIVE STARTERS

SPECIALISTS

Breaking down the

depth chart

CENTERSpencer PulleyPulley is clearly the team’s best lineman with Jelks down and has made the transition from guard smoothly.

DEFENSIVE ENDAdam Butler and Caleb AzubikeAzubike and Butler were second and third, respectively, in sacks last season and should be one of the stronger parts of the defense. Jonathan Wynn, who played some linebacker last season, should get plenty of playing time on the line.

DEFENSIVE TACKLEJay WoodsWoods added weight to shift over to nose tackle but remains undersized for the position. He’ll be helped by four-star sophomore Nifae Lealao.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERNehemiah Mitchell and Stephen WeatherleyJuCo transfer Mitchell will be flanked by one of the most improved defenders in Weatherley, who had 10.5 tackles for loss in the last five games. Young Josh Smith and Landon Stokes could also see playing time.

INSIDE LINEBACKERDarreon Herring and Nigel BowdenBowden broke out as the team’s leading tackler as a freshman last year, and sophomore Zach Cunningham should see heavy minutes.

CORNERBACKTorren McGaster and Tre HerndonTre Bell and Taurean Ferguson are also listed as “or” starters, so this young unit should be rotated in and out heavily.

STRONG SAFETY Andrew WilliamsonWilliamson has drawn high praise from Derek Mason and should be helped by Emmanuel Smith, who will also see time at nickel back.

FREE SAFETYOren BurksThe former linebacker will also be splitting time with one of the few seniors on the defense, Jahmel McIntosh.

PUNTERColby CookeCooke was eighth in SEC in punting yards per attempt last season, but kicker Tommy Openshaw could also be used.

KICKERTommy OpenshawOpenshaw was perfect on six attempts within 40 yards last year but just 2-for-5 beyond that.

SNAPPERJacob Schultz and Wilson JohnsonSchultz will take care of snapping duties, while Johnson will be the long snapper in an effort to replace Andrew East.

KICK RETURNERDarrius SimsVanderbilt’s most dynamic player took two kickoffs back for scores last season, helping him to rack up the second-most return yardage in the SEC.

PUNT RETURNERTrey EllisEllis was the team’s punt returner for most of the season, although most of his chances turned into fair catches.

Vanderbilt released its preseason football depth chart, which is

filled with talented young players across

the board By Ben Weinrib,

Sports editor


MINUTE

DRILL2

FOOTBALL (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. Western Kentucky

Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 PMVanderbilt Stadium

This will be the fourth consecutive year that Vanderbilt Football starts its season on a Thursday night at home, with the three previous weeknight openers resulting in losses against South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Temple. Hilltopper quarterback Brandon Doughty led the FBS in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2014, presenting an early challenge for Derek Mason in his new role as both the Commodore head coach and defensive coordinator.

SOCCER (1-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Dartmouth

Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 PMVanderbilt Soccer Stadium

New Commodore soccer head coach Darren Ambrose looks for his first home win against a team he knows well after spending 15 years in the Ivy League coaching at UPenn. Vandy beat Gonzaga 3-2 for its first win of the season last Friday in Spokane on Simone Charley’s overtime goal.

SOCCER (1-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Lipscomb

Sunday, Sept. 6 at 2:30 PM Vanderbilt Soccer Stadium

The Commodores get a chance to finalize their rotation in the team’s last game before SEC play begins next Friday. Vandy beat the Bisons 1-0 at home last season, teaching them a lesson in both soccer and grammar.

This weekend in Commodore sports

By MAX HERZSports reporter--------------------

“There’s no one looking around saying, ‘woe is me,’” said Andy Ludwig, offensive coordinator, reflecting on a recent string of injuries. As somebody who has been around college football since his playing days in 1982, he knows well enough about the commonality of injuries.

Within an eight-day stretch of training camp practices, the Vanderbilt Commodores football team lost two of its most crucial offensive players. On August 12th, leading receiver C.J. Duncan went down with a season-ending leg injury, only to be followed by the loss of left tackle Andrew Jelks to another leg injury.

At the top of Vanderbilt’s struggles last year was quarterback production, and both Jelks and Duncan were going to be crucial components to the passing game’s success.

Last season, Duncan played almost exclusively at wide re-ceiver, starting nine games and receiving 441 yards, a mark only behind tight end Steven Scheu. However, as a versatile player, head coach Derek Mason and Ludwig experimented with him at running back as well during the spring and summer.

The move seemed to better utilize his productivity, especially given his results with the SEC’s worst passing game. However, now Vanderbilt loses not only his ability to stretch the field in the passing game, but also an unseen potential to assist running back Ralph Webb in the backfield.

Along the offensive line, Jelks had been slated to protect the quarterback’s blind side at left tackle, the most important posi-tion on the line. After 22 straight starts on the line, including all 12 last year at left tackle, the quarterback’s left side seemed fairly secure.

However, without him, right tackle Will Holden has been shifted to the left side to fill the void. Holden last played left tackle in high school, and offensive linemen are told to learn every position, so there should be some familiarity. However, with less than two weeks of practice between Jelks’ injury and

the first game, some transitioning issues could be inevitable. Though seemingly big losses when looking at last year’s

production, both Mason and Ludwig shrugged them off as just unfortunate injuries. Mason explained, “It never shifts expecta-tions, we look to play at a high level. These guys are preparing to go out and do what Andy wants them to do, and what I’ve seen during camp, they’ve made plays.”

As much as the passing game struggled last year, Ludwig gave out high remarks to much of the receiving corps, many of whom return from last year. He named Latevius Rayford, Trent Sherfield and Kris Kentera as “the top guys” to lead the group this season. In addition, the tight end group, led by senior Scheu and sophomore Nathan Marcus, will almost certainly be just as utilized. Last season, the tight ends accounted for 866 receiving yards, over 40 percent of the team’s total receiving yards.

In replacing Jelks with Holden, Mason and Ludwig agree that he will be fine in that position because of athleticism, experi-ence and intellect he brings. However, Ludwig noted, “You’ve been playing on the right side for x amount of practices, and it’s all muscle memory what you used to start with your left foot, and now you start with your right foot, and vice versa. So it’s mastering that (is key).”

Thus, with such a short amount of time in practice at right tackle, it’s the adjustment of essentially flipping footwork and vision at the snap. Yet, each coach expressed much optimism in Holden’s quick transition.

Having not named a right tackle yet, Ludwig will have a slew of choices with Blake Fromang currently listed as the starter on the team’s depth chart and freshmen Justin Skule and Bailey Granier also available.

Mason clearly hasn’t lost sleep over injuries to two of his top-returning players. Unmoved by the inevitability of injuries, he calmly exclaimed, “The ship’s already sailed, so let’s go.”

Ouch!Preseason injuries plague Commodore offense

ZIYI LIU / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

By Josh Hamburger, Managing Editor


life Taste of Nashville updatesThe Taste of Nashville program has added several new restaurants to the Commodore Card (and lost a few old favorites) this year By Paxton Gammie, Life reporter

Just as one class of students moves into Commons and one class of students walks across Alumni Lawn for their diplomas each year, so does the Taste of Nashville program gain and lose restaurants over the summer (and sometimes even during the semester — RIP P.F. Chang’s).

Each Vanderbilt meal plan includes varying amounts of “Meal Money,” which can be used at certain off-campus restau-rants. The program is collectively referred to as “Taste of Nashville”, and this year’s list includes 28 participating restaurants as of right now.

Two new sushi restaurants were added to the Taste of Nashville program this school year. One of them is Nama Sushi Bar, located at 2300 Elliston Place, which makes it about a mile from Commons, half a mile from Branscomb, and only a quarter of a mile from Towers. In addition to dozens of rolls, Nama also has a wide variety of non-sushi options, including tofu burgers, beef and salmon, making it a versatile option for students.

GoGo Sushi, located at 2057 Scarritt Place, is another new sushi restaurant on the card. GoGo is located close to Commons, making it a more convenient option than Nama for fi rst-years. In ad-dition to traditional rolls, GoGo allows customers to “make their own rolls” by choosing what sort of meat and add-ons they want. GoGo also features a relatively large ramen menu, as well as bubble tea and desserts.

Another new restaurant that has been added is Soulshine Pizza Factory, located at 1907 Division St, near other popular Taste of Nashville restaurants such as Chuy’s and Noshville. Besides pizza, Soulshine also serves salads, pasta and hotdogs as well as a wide range of ap-petizers like shrimp nachos and craw-fi sh bread. In addition to their relatively diverse menu for a pizza place, Soulshine also has live music almost every night. The music schedule can be found on their website.

Returning students will be saddened by the fact that the staple Sweet Cece’s has been removed from the card. During mid-March, Sweet Cece’s underwent extensive renovations after announcing its new

business plan: to collaborate with new restaurant Subs N’ More. The renovations caused the Hillsboro location to be closed for several weeks. Upon reopening during the second week of April, Sweet Cece’s announced that it would be located at the back entrance of the store, while Subs N’ More would be in front.

Sam’s Sports Grill, a bar and grill that is

also located in Hillsboro, closed in June due to a fi re and therefore was removed from the card. Whether or not Sam’s will reopen after the damage is fi xed is still unclear. Sunset Grill also closed last Janu-ary and was consequently removed from the card.

Returning students will be relieved to know that plenty of staples are still on

the card, including Cabana, Cafe Coco, Chuy’s, Mellow Mushroom and more. For an updated list of the Taste of Nash-ville restaurants, as well as information on delivery, visit the Vanderbilt Taste of Nashville website.

Nama Sushi Bar (2300 Elliston Place)

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Soulshine Pizza Factory (1907 Division Street)

GoGo Sushi (2057 Scarritt Place)

College Halls

Law School

Rand

Alumni Lawn

LibraryLawn

GO DO

THISBhangraDores ClinicDance Studio C in Memorial Gym; Friday, Sept. 4, 5-7 p.m.

The BhangraDores are Vanderbilt’s premier co-ed bhangra team, which combines traditional Punjabi dance moves with more contemporary pop music. No experience is necessary, and the clinic is open to everyone who would like to learn how to bhangra, whether or not they plan on trying out for the BhangraDores. Tryouts will be held the day after the clinic (Saturday, Sept. 3) at 3 p.m. in the same location.

TASTES FROM THE NEW MENUS

GoGo SushiCommodore Roll: A seaweed wrap with shrimp, avocado, pineapple, unagi (eel sauce), wasabi mayo and spicy tempura crunch.

Nama Sushi BarFantasy rock shrimp salad: mixed greens topped with candied rock shrimp, avocado, cucumber, tomato, edamame, daikon and cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

Soulshine Pizza FactorySleeps with the fi shes: A pizza made with al-fredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, spinach, bell peppers and sauteed shrimp, then garnished with lump crab meat and goat cheese.

life

Looking to escape campus more this year? Here’s one easy way to break out of the Vanderbubble and hear some of the great music Nashville has to offer:

Musicians Corner is part of a free concert programming series that highlights a variety of up-and-coming artists (and a few better-known names) every Saturday after-noon in May, June, September and October. Convenient for students at Vanderbilt, the festival takes place right across the street from Main Campus in the program’s new, permanent Centennial Park location on the corner of West End Avenue and 27th Street. The fall concert season kicks off this Saturday, Sept. 5.

Food trucks, vendors and local artisans open for business beginning at noon, and music runs from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. There’s also a Dogville portion of the park with free activities for canines in case you want to

relieve stress and make some furry friends in between sets. While there’s some seating available, it’s recommended that you bring a blanket or folding camp chairs to sit on.

While you can’t go wrong spending an autumn afternoon listening to free music in a park, there are a few artists you definitely do not want to miss at Musicians Corner this season.

You may not have heard of Heather Mor-gan, but if you have been in Nashville long, odds are you have heard her work. She’s responsible for country hits such as “Angel Like You” (Eli Young Band), “Fall Like Rain” (Trisha Yearwood) and “Love’s Poster Child” (Keith Urban). Morgan is more than just a songwriter, touring with Little Big Town, Willie Nelson and Eric Church. Morgan will

be performing on the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage on Sept. 12.

Fan of ABC’s tv show “Nashville”? The hit series’ Jonathan Jackson, who plays Avery Barkley on the show, will be performing with his band Jonathan Jackson + Enation on Sept. 26. On the band’s website, drummer Richard Lee Jackson describes their sound as “if U2, Radiohead, and Bob Dylan all got to-gether for breakfast, decided to adopt a baby boy, called it Jonathan Jackson + Enation, and then left it to fend for itself.”

Indie band The Lonely Biscuits formed in 2011 just down the street in a Belmont Uni-versity dorm room. In 2013, they won MTV’s first Chevrolet Sonic College Artist Woodie Award, which honors top emerging campus musicians, and earned the opening spot at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. Since then, the band has become familiar with the festival circuit, playing at Hangout Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza in 2014. They will play Musicians Corner’s closing week-end on Oct. 31, so you can kick off your Hal-loween celebrations with a fun, high-energy show that afternoon.

Note that there won’t be any music at Musicians’ Corner on Oct. 17, since the SoundHarvest Music Festival will take place in Centennial Park that same day. For more information about the event or artists, visit MusiciansCornerNashville.com.


The concerts around the Corner


Musicians Corner launches its fall season of free concerts this Saturday

By MAGGIE KNOXLife reporter--------------------

14 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM

Month in Music

By JACK SENTELLLife reporter--------------------

LIFE

September1 2 3 4 5

86 7 9 10 11 12

1513 14 16 17 18 19

2220 21 23 24

2927 28 30

25 26

18 19

25 26

Sept. 13, Bridgestone Arena Oftentimes, pop stars strive to build up the big-

gest spectacle possible at their shows. Then there’s Ed Sheeran, who opts to strip it down. The U.K. singer-songwriter takes the stage alone — just him and his guitar — and builds his songs step-by-step by looping guitar and vocal tracks with a soundboard. But even though Sheeran will be the only voice on stage, fans are sure to sing along with him; his Grammy-nominated album, “x,” produced several singles that have cemented their catchy melodies in pop radio. Simply put, this show will be all about the music.

Must Listen: “Don’t”

Like the hundreds of tables crammed onto the Commons Lawn during the Student Org Fair, the sheer quantity of great performers coming to Nashville in September is also a bit overwhelming. Still, The Hustler took in all of the choices, researched the details, talked to friends and ultimately selected the six concerts that stand out this month.

ED SHEERAN

Sept. 15, Marathon Music Works While many Vandy students are still settling into

their dorms, 21-year old rapper Earl Sweatshirt is busy touring the country in support of his album “I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside,” which was released March of this year. The Los Angeles-based rapper’s new record was welcomed by a rave 8.0 rating from Pitchfork and great commercial suc-cess. With fl ashing lights, an honest lyrical delivery and a strong stage presence from Sweatshirt, fans should prepare themselves for an intense show.

Must Listen: “Grief”

EARL SWEATSHIRT

Sept. 17, The High Watt (Americana Music Festival)

When Rolling Stone calls you one of the “Twenty best things (it) saw at Americana Music Fest 2014,” why wouldn’t you come back? Canadian roots-rock group, The Bros. Landreth, return to the annual festival for the second straight year, riding the suc-cess of their 2015 debut album “Let It Lie,” which features a nice mix of mellow acoustic tracks and bluesy jams. Last time the band played in Music City, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Oates agreed to open for them. That doesn’t happen to just any band.

Must Listen: “I Am the Fool”

THE BROS. LANDRETH

Sept. 23-24, Ryman Auditorium

It’s hard to fi nd a bigger name in contemporary country music than Kacey Musgraves. Her recent release, “Pageant Material,” debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and topped the Top Country Albums chart. The record has a softer sound, yet still showcases Musgraves’s poignant lyrics. Even with the diverse list of superstar acts who have played The Ryman, there is something special about seeing a top-tier country singer in the genre’s “mother church.”

Must Listen: “Biscuits”

KACEY MUSGRAVES

Sept. 25-26, Bridgestone Arena

Much like LeBron returned to Cleveland, Taylor Swift is returning to Nashville. The country-turned-pop star is bringing her 1989 World Tour back to her hometown after moving from Nashville to New York last year. The homecoming adds an extra element of intrigue to an already exciting show. Swift has brought surprise guests and friends onstage at each tour stop, and with all of the country music stars in Nashville, one can only imagine who she might col-laborate with during her two nights at Bridgestone.

Must Listen: “Blank Space”

TAYLOR SWIFT

Sept. 28, Cannery Ballroom

“T-Shirt Weather” may be the song of the summer that you never heard. Then again, with almost 10 million plays on Spotify and positive reviews on NME magazine, maybe you’re one of the many people who are discovering just how fun Circa Waves’ music is. The Liverpool four-piece blends garage rock and pop in a way that makes their songs catchy enough to stick in your head and gritty enough to thrash your head to. The band will open for MS MR the last weekend of the month, but this is one case where the opener alone is worth the price of admission.

Must Listen: “T-Shirt Weather”

CIRCA WAVES

6 7

13 14

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

What happens when you take a play origi-nally set in late medieval England and trans-port it to the American Civil War? The annual Shakespeare in the Park performances are the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s (NSF) attempt to fi nd out.

Every year in August and September, the NSF puts on a month-long series of perfor-mances of one of William Shakespeare’s plays for free. This year, the theater society chose “Henry V,” which dramatizes the life of the eponymous English king. The play chronicles his life from the beginning of the young king’s reign to the infamous Battle of Agin-court, which the English won despite being grossly outnumbered by the French.

The show is held in the bandshell near the front of Centennial Park. Performances run evenings from Thursday to Sunday (and Labor Day Monday) through the show’s closing date of Sept. 13. Pre-show entertain-ment starts at 6:30 p.m., and the show itself starts at 7:30 p.m.; those looking for good seats should defi nitely get there early. Bring blankets or folding camp chairs to sit on if you want to be closer to the stage. If you’d like to buy refreshments at the play, various

food trucks are available each night (includ-ing Jeni’s Ice Cream).

In keeping with tradition, the NSF’s rendi-tion of “Henry V” keeps the original Early Modern English dialogue instead of using a contemporary translation. This decision preserves Shakespeare’s style and lyrical skill but can certainly make the action diffi cult to understand. If viewers are truly set on follow-ing the plot, a summary of the play or Henry V’s life would be greatly benefi cial.

The casting for this show is excellent, es-pecially Matt Garner’s role as Henry V. Due to the outdoor setting of the performance, the show uses only one static set, but its design is still detailed in its simplicity. Director Nat McIntyre also incorporates the African-American a cappella group The Princely Players into the play, emphasizing the Civil War setting and adding another layer of tal-ent to the play.

The choice to set the play during the Civil War is not entirely unprecedented, as last year’s performance of “As You Like It” was transported to the Great Depression. Some of the Civil War-appropriate additions to “Henry V,” such as Southern accents and banjo solos, do add needed comic levity to an otherwise serious drama.

However, the artistic choice to set the play during the Civil War is not capitalized on

as successfully as it could be. For example, instead of choosing to cast one side as Yankees and the other side as Confederates — perhaps the most logical choice — both English and French characters are dressed in pseudo-Confederate garb. The two sides are instead differentiated by yellow and purple accessories, rather than the more traditional

blue and grey of Civil War garb.Those looking for intellectually engaging

and artistically intriguing entertainment should certainly stop by the bandshell in Centennial Park sometime during the next two weekends. However, students wanting more lighthearted fare should look elsewhere for their weekend plans.

THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER ◆ WWW.VANDERBILTHUSTLER.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 15

‘Henry V’ visits Centennial ParkThis year’s Shakespeare in the Park puts a Civil War twist on the Elizabethan play

Matthew Rosenbaum (left) and Matt Garner (right) play Dauphin and Henry V, respectively.PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEFF FRAZIER

By KARA SHERRERLife editor

--------------------

LIFE


TODAY'S CROSSWORD TODAY'S SUDOKU

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The first annual Music City Hot Air Balloon Festival featured an antique car show, food trucks, live music and a hot air balloon show on Aug. 29 at Percy Warner Park.

ALEC MYSZKA / THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER

The Vanderbilt Hustler 9-2-15

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Transcript of The Vanderbilt Hustler 9-2-15