2008 Woodie Awards
The administration is helping to create a Vanderbilt Community
Daniel Kasbohm
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Issues
Although many efforts by the administration to create a sense of unity and shared understanding at Vanderbilt force community and create a constructed, artificial community, they nonetheless succeed in bringing students together and creating dialogue that would not otherwise take place. The administration of Vanderbilt largely has to schedule programs, lectures, discussions, speakers and every other kind of "programming" for a diverse student body that is often completely disconnected from the administration itself. The interests of the students are not uniform and are also rapidly changing; and in some cases, interested students will not go to a university function simply because "that is exactly what they want us to do."
Vanderbilt Visions has come under heavy criticism in its first year of existence. Many people suggest that "over-programming" actually reduces the community at Vanderbilt because students do not have enough time to just sit around and talk about the issues that matter most to them.
The University's efforts at community building, however, are not completely unsuccessful. Amidst all of the planning, programming, and execution of events that have zero or negative effects on Vanderbilt students, a few instances shine through. "The Shape of Things," for instance, was shown last semester in Neely Auditorium to the entire freshman class. It seemed like every freshman (and upperclassman for that matter) I talked to had something to say about the play. For some, seeing the play launched an in-depth discussion about society, values and deception. For others, it simply showcased a great way to get involved on campus through theater. There were, of course, the few who stated that it was all just fake, and therefore irrelevant, and that the play's messages did not affect them. But even these reactions were necessary to creating a dialogue among students.
The Freshman Commons and the entire College Halls system rest largely on the claim that a new residential system will foster a greater sense of community. I recently attended the "Finding Common Ground" question-and-answer session about the Freshman Commons and all of its implications. For such a hotly contested issue, and for a session that was heavily advertised and well-staffed, the event was sorely under-attended. This illustrates the fact that students are not going to readily dedicate themselves to the building of community, so the administration's efforts in building a framework for community such as the Commons are necessary.
In the end, I think it is noble for the university to tackle the problem of creating a community in a place where people come from such different backgrounds. Many of the lectures, events and programs do fail in reaching and impacting students to the extent desired. But the few successful events that spark a flurry of discussion on campus, the programs that make Vanderbilt students think critically and cultivate a populace of educated young people, and the lectures that inspire the piercing questions asked in a late-night residence hall conversation make the entire effort worthwhile.
Vanderbilt Visions has come under heavy criticism in its first year of existence. Many people suggest that "over-programming" actually reduces the community at Vanderbilt because students do not have enough time to just sit around and talk about the issues that matter most to them.
The University's efforts at community building, however, are not completely unsuccessful. Amidst all of the planning, programming, and execution of events that have zero or negative effects on Vanderbilt students, a few instances shine through. "The Shape of Things," for instance, was shown last semester in Neely Auditorium to the entire freshman class. It seemed like every freshman (and upperclassman for that matter) I talked to had something to say about the play. For some, seeing the play launched an in-depth discussion about society, values and deception. For others, it simply showcased a great way to get involved on campus through theater. There were, of course, the few who stated that it was all just fake, and therefore irrelevant, and that the play's messages did not affect them. But even these reactions were necessary to creating a dialogue among students.
The Freshman Commons and the entire College Halls system rest largely on the claim that a new residential system will foster a greater sense of community. I recently attended the "Finding Common Ground" question-and-answer session about the Freshman Commons and all of its implications. For such a hotly contested issue, and for a session that was heavily advertised and well-staffed, the event was sorely under-attended. This illustrates the fact that students are not going to readily dedicate themselves to the building of community, so the administration's efforts in building a framework for community such as the Commons are necessary.
In the end, I think it is noble for the university to tackle the problem of creating a community in a place where people come from such different backgrounds. Many of the lectures, events and programs do fail in reaching and impacting students to the extent desired. But the few successful events that spark a flurry of discussion on campus, the programs that make Vanderbilt students think critically and cultivate a populace of educated young people, and the lectures that inspire the piercing questions asked in a late-night residence hall conversation make the entire effort worthwhile.
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