COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE

Terror The College Responds to September 11 Attacks

t has become almost a cliché to say that the Unit- Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff were teaching and learning, working on research ed States was irreversibly changed on Sept. 11, shocked and saddened by the attacks and projects, writing papers and studying texts were I2001. On that day, America’s illusions that two concerned by the war that followed. Along with antidotes for anxiety. Acts of patriotism and hope great oceans could protect the mainland from inter- the rest of the country, they went about their daily in the future helped, too. national aggression were shattered along with an lives with the threat of biological and chemical Scholarship and teaching combined to make estimated 3,000 lives. terrorism hanging over their heads. Going to class, (please turn to page 6)

WINTER 2002 A & S News A & S News High-energy physics experiment may benefit car, aircraft navigation Dyer Observatory to play role in remote telescope operation Vanderbilt on ‘hot’ list en or 15 years from now, if auto manufacturers begin Paul Sheldon, associate professor of physics at Van- Vanderbilt has performed well in several recent national rankings. U.S. News & T offering guidance systems that allow your car to drive derbilt, heads the project to solve the technical problems he Astronomical League and its fellow stargazers World Report ranked Vanderbilt 21st in the magazine’s survey of the nation’s best you automatically to and from work, you may have an presented by the BTeV “trigger system.” That system will T are mounting an ambitious project to provide U.S. universities. This is the 12th year ambitious new computer science be responsible for automatically students in K-12 with access to a network of remotely that Vanderbilt has been chosen by project at the Fermi National Accel- identifying and recording poten- operated telescopes in sites around the globe. Vanderbilt’s U.S. News as one of the nation’s erator Laboratory (Fermilab) in tially interesting subatomic events. Dyer Observatory is slated to play a central role in the top 25 universities. For more information about Batavia, Ill., to thank. The five-year grant is part of a effort and will serve as the control and download center In a report released last fall, the College of A research group of physicists, $156 million program in infor- of the network. Newsweek/Kaplan listed the University atop eight other colleges and universi- Arts and Science, computer scientists and electrical mation technology research visit our Web page at Vanderbilt will provide observatory space for a satel- ties deemed to be “America’s Hot Schools.” engineers from Vanderbilt, Syra- announced by the National Sci- What makes schools like Vanderbilt, Emory, and Tulane “hot”? Primary con- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ lite dish that will communicate with the telescopes. The AnS/cas.htm cuse University, the University of ence Foundation. According to University will also maintain a computer server that will sideration was the number of students competing for admission. According to Pittsburgh, the University of Illi- NSF, the purpose of the awards is Bill Shain, dean of undergraduate admissions, applications to Vanderbilt’s You also can access the upload control sequences to the telescope, download the main alumni Web page at nois, Urbana-Champaign, and the “to preserve America’s position as astronomical images that they undergraduate schools increased by 14.7 percent Fermilab has received a grant of the world leader of computer sci- from 1999 to 2001. As the University’s www.vanderbilt.edu Fermilab’s Tevatron is the site of a $4.98 million produce, store the images until $4.98 million to develop an advanced ence and its applications.” Projects largest school, the College of Arts and /alumni high-energy physics experiment that may result in they can be transferred to a computer system. The system must were specifically selected that could Science enrolled 909 students in the and the on-line version of a variety of practical applications such as permanent storage facility, and be capable of scanning terabytes have commercial applications. Class of 2005, out of 7,000 applicants. the A&S Cornerstone at autonomous vehicle navigation. host the Web site that will take (thousands of billions of bytes) of Possible applications of the Fer- www.vanderbilt.edu requests for observations and /alumni/publications/ information produced by the detector in a new high- milab project include autonomous vehicle navigation, air disseminate the images to par- cornerstone.html energy physics experiment, called BTeV. Not only must traffic control systems, global weather monitoring and dis- ticipating teachers and stu- the system identify the exceedingly rare interactions that aster early warning systems, satellite-based surveillance, dents. The initial phase of the Father of deconstruction visits Vanderbilt CONTENTS the physicists are interested in, but it must also be excep- highly available Internet services, computer vision systems, project involves setting up a Vanderbilt responds to tionally reliable and easy to maintain and upgrade. and turbine engine and rocket motor monitoring. remotely operated telescope in enowned French philosopher and literary critic Jacques Derrida delivered the Chan- terrorism, pages 1, 6-9 Arizona, with future sites con- R cellor’s Lecture at Vanderbilt in October. The A&S departments of French and Ital- A&S News, pages 2-3 PEYTON HOGE College faculty members receive templated in New Zealand and ian, and philosophy, as well as the Law School, the Divinity School and the French Student and Alumni News, $21 million in research funds Russia. The required commu- government sponsored his visit. pages 4-5 nication equipment will be installed at Dyer Observato- In his address on “Perjury,” Derrida probed a range of topics relating to memory, fideli- Research and Faculty ry over the next few months. The ultimate goal of the ty, and religion. He continued to explore language and culture in the vein of his water- News, pages 10-11 aculty in the College of Arts and Science received $21 project is to mount a similar telescope on the International shed works, Writing and Difference, Of Grammatology, and Margins of Philosophy. Faculty Art Exhibit, 12 million in external research funds during fiscal year F Space Station, a step that will require the support of NASA. Derrida is the chief architect of the school of deconstruction, which has been applied 2001, according to Dennis G. Hall, professor of physics and The Astronomical League is the world’s largest feder- to law, literature, religion, linguistics, and other fields. the University’s associate provost for research. That figure ation of amateur astronomers. A&S CORNERSTONE© amounts to 10 percent of the research funds received by all is published by the College of Arts

the schools of the University last year. PEYTON HOGE and Science in cooperation with the Furthermore, Vanderbilt psychology ranked 9th nation- Division of Institutional Planning FORMER NEA CHAIR JOINS VU FACULTY and Advancement’s Office of ally in the amount of funding it received from the Nation- Alumni Communications and Bill Ivey, former chairman of the National Endowment Publications. You may contact the al Institutes for Health (NIH) during the same time period. editor by e-mail at Psychology’s total included the combined efforts of psy- for the Arts, has joined the Vanderbilt faculty. As the [email protected] or by chology faculty and graduate students in A&S and Peabody Distinguished University Visiting U.S. mail at VU Station B357703, Scholar, Ivey will teach, write and conduct research on 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, College. 37235-7703. Copyright “This is the fourth year in a row of increased research cultural policy. He will also begin planning a proposed © 2001 by Vanderbilt University. revenue for the College of Arts and Science,” Professor Hall center that will examine the complex relationship Joanne Lamphere Beckham, BA’62, said. “It takes great ideas, hard work and well-written pro- between the arts and public policy. Ivey is credited Editor posals to win extramural research funding in today’s com- with restoring the NEA’s credibili- Samar Ali, Nelson Bryan, petitive world. The continuing increase in new research ty with Congress by bringing a pop- Judith DeMoss Campbell, ulist approach to the endowment. Mark Carlisle, Shelton Clark, funding could not occur were it not for our faculty’s cre- Lew Harris, Gayle Rogers, ativity, talent and effort.” “I am delighted to have the David Salisbury, Contributors Appointed in June 2000, Hall came to Vanderbilt full- opportunity to work for this Neil Brake, Peyton Hoge, time last July after 20 years on the faculty of the University esteemed university with its Woodie Knight, Photography Two A&S students were chosen Homecoming king and renowned community of scholars,” queen this year. Ibrahim “Ibby” Nasmyth and Anna of Rochester in New York, where he was William F. May Donna Pritchett Ivey said. Art Director Curry were presented at halftime during the Vanderbilt- Professor. During the past seven years, he directed the uni- Before his appointment to the Keith Wood, Designer Georgia football game. Nasmyth is a senior from Atlanta. versity’s Institute of Optics. Bill Ivey NEA in 1998 by former President Last October, Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint, right, and her husband, Anthony J. Spence, E’75 A Chancellor’s Scholar, he has a double major in Professor Hall received the PhD degree in physics in 1976 Bill Clinton, Ivey led the Nashville-based Country Music actor/director Jeffrey Hayden, led workshops for A&S students interested in stage Director of Alumni Publications psychology and communication studies. Curry, a senior from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and conduct- Hall of Fame. A respected folklorist and musician, he performance. The couple visited Vanderbilt as part of the Fred Coe Artist-in-Residence Vanderbilt University is committed to English major from Birmingham, receives the Harris Riley ed his dissertation research at the Oak Ridge National Lab- principles of equal opportunity and also taught classes at the . program. Saint won the Oscar as best supporting actress for her role opposite Marlon affirmative action. Jr. Scholarship for a premedical student. oratory. He also has an appointment as professor of electrical Brando in the 1954 film On the Waterfront. Cover illustration by David Wariner engineering and computer science at Vanderbilt.

2 3 Student and Alumni News A&S ATHLETES SUCCEED Student and Alumni News Vanderbilt’s 2001 base- ball team had a league- Honor Thy Mother Three Men and a Chair: Remembering Nelson Tyrone high and team-record 12 Commodores selected to the Southeastern Confer- hen Richard Wallman, BE’73, and his wife, Amy, the prestigious Gamma Beta Phi service fraternity, is also a ence Academic Honor Roll. t was the remarkable friendship between two men that Through the years, Rentschler and Tyrone kept up, get- Included on the list were W chose to endow a scholarship at Vanderbilt, they member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and a Young Life vol- brought scores of Vanderbilt alumni and others to the ting together at Vanderbilt reunions, meetings and when- Kevin Geshke, BA’01, a did so not in the Engineering School from which Richard unteer at Nashville’s McGavock High School. She also works Law School lecture hall on a bright blue October day ever else they could. “He was my best friend,” Rentschler mathematics major; Kyle was graduated, but in A&S, which his moth- part-time at a local restaurant. I Flubacker, philosophy; Jeff to celebrate Don Doyle’s inaugural lecture as the Nelson said, describing Tyrone as a Renaissance man who “loved er, Dorothy Niederhauser Wallman, BA’39, After receiving his Vanderbilt degree in Little, molecular biology; Tyrone Professor in American History. to travel, loved classical music [and] the arts.” John Prothro, interdiscipli- attended. electrical engineering, Richard Wallman earned The two friends were 1961 A&S classmates Nelson “He was also a tremendous father to his daughter, Clay- nary communications; and Wallman, the chief financial officer of Hon- an MBA from the University of Chicago, where Tyrone and Fred Rentschler, whose friendship began in ton, and his son, Nelson III, who happens to be my Brooks Rutledge, mathe- eywell, and his wife felt that it was important to he met Amy, who also earned an MBA there. matics. It was the third the fall of 1957 when they were freshmen living togeth- godson,” Rentschler added. Tyrone’s children and his consecutive award for give the same educational opportunity that his Richard worked for Ford and Chrysler Did You Know? er on the third floor of Vanderbilt Hall. Together, they widow, Mary Munday Tyrone, live in Atlanta and attend- Geshke and the second for mother had enjoyed to other young women before becoming controller at IBM. Since Every undergradu- enjoyed the vagaries of Professor Belissary’s History of ed Doyle’s lecture. Flubacker. from Nashville. The scholarship memorializes 1995, he has been the CFO at Allied Signal, ate student can Brandt Snedeker, a Van- receive up to five PEYTON HOGE It was with great sadness, but not shock, that Rentschler Dorothy Wallman, who died in 1997. and subsequently Honeywell, after the two learned of Tyrone’s sudden death in 1987. “He was born derbilt golfer, was named “She thought that Vanderbilt was the best companies merged. Amy has been a partner hours of free to the second-team All SEC tutoring at the with a heart defect and later on developed diabetes,” squad as a freshman last school in the country—the equal of any place,” Amy and Richard Wallman with Ernst and Young for 17 years. Learning Center said Rentschler. “But he didn’t let it slow him down. He May in voting by the Richard Wallman said. “We established the scholarship to honor for each A&S kept himself in great shape and lived life to the fullest.” league’s 12 head coaches. Dorothy’s three sisters also attended Vanderbilt, and her my mother, because she loved Vanderbilt so much,” Wall- course they take The economics major from each semester. The A few years later, Rentschler—on campus for an alum- Nashville led the Com- daughter and Richard’s sister, Lynne Wallman Reed, earned man said. “It’s hard to imagine what a great feeling you have ni meeting—strolled past the dormitory where he and modores with a 73.09 a BS degree from Peabody in 1970. when you know you’ve had a positive impact on somebody’s Learning Center also provides gen- Tyrone first met. Looking up at the third floor, he remem- stroke average and fin- Jessica King is the scholarship’s first recipient. “My moth- life. It certainly helps that Jessica is a wonderful person. ished in the top 10 in three eral academic bers thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice someday to have a chair tournaments last season. er and I are overwhelmed with appreciation for Mr. and Mrs. “What I particularly like about the scholarship is that this counseling, learn- named in Nelson’s memory.” His best round of the year Wallman,” said King, a junior majoring in sociology and is an endowed scholarship that will help students for years ing strategies After several years the dream became a reality with Rentschler was a 5-under-par 67 at the Spanish. “As recipients of such a generous gift, we have been and years to come,” he continued. workshops, indi- Gator Invitational. endowing the Nelson O. Tyrone Jr. Chair in American His- convinced even more of our need to give back to the com- “The one request that we made is for the recipients vidual tutoring, Several A&S grads have tory. Last October, Don Doyle delivered his inaugural lec- munity. We really hope to give others the same joy that we to give us an update once a year on how they’re doing. directed study assumed new coaching du- groups, tutored Professor Don Doyle, left, the Nelson Tyrone Professor of ture as the Nelson Tyrone Professor to an overflow crowd. ties in the collegiate ranks: have so appreciatively received.” When you’ve helped somebody in their life, it’s a won- study halls, and American History, with Fred Rentschler, BA’61, who endowed The lecture, “Reading Faulkner, Writing History,” was based Jan van Breda Kolff, King, whose academic work earned her membership in derful feeling.” special programs. the Tyrone Professorship. on Doyle’s latest book, Faulkner County: The Historical Roots BA’74, moved from the of Yoknapatawpha County. West Coast to the East Coast when St. Bonaven- Students visit Cuba Western Civilization class. Together they joined ATO fra- Calling the lecture thoughtful and scholarly, Rentschler ture in New York hired him ternity, with Tyrone becoming president their senior year lauded the artful way Professor Doyle wove the fiction away from Pepperdine in Through a recent change in Cuban specialist in the student’s chosen area. Students designed and Rentschler vice president. of Faulkner with the reality of Lafayette County where Malibu, California. He had a 47-18 record at Pepper- U.S. policy, licensed cultural projects to study music, Catholic and African religions, sports, Tyrone also became editor of The Commodore, while Faulkner lived. “Nelson would have been deeply appre- dine that included a NCAA organizations may now travel cinema, painting, Chinese-Cuban culture, and medicine. Rentschler served as student association president. Both ciative [of the lecture],” Rentschler said, “and he would Tournament appearance in to Cuba. The Vanderbilt Alum- Tourists from other parts of the world play an important men were tapped for ODK, the prestigious leadership/schol- have wholeheartedly endorsed the fact that Don Doyle 2000 and NIT bid in 2001. His career record, includ- ni Association is sponsoring a tour in February 2002, led by role in present-day arship fraternity, and both excelled at intramural sports. holds a chair in his name.” ing stints at Vanderbilt and Associate Professor Jane Landers, director of the Center for Cuba. In fact, life seems After graduation, Tyrone, the son of a country doctor Doyle praised Rentschler’s generosity in establishing the Cornell was 174-128. Latin American and Iberian Studies (please see related arti- to revolve around the from Mississippi, went on to become a urologist and sur- chair. “I make a point of telling my students about the ori- David Lee, BS’75, was cle, page 11). tourist, who in no small geon, earning his MD at Tulane and doing further work gin of this chair,” Doyle said. “I have no doubt some of them hired as quarterbacks During last spring’s Maymester, Professor of Spanish William measure contributes to coach at Arkansas by head at the University of Virginia and Sloan-Kettering Hospi- will have the kind of friendships that will inspire this kind coach Houston Nutt. He Luis took 14 students to Cuba for 11 days, as part of the the current economy. tal in New York. Then he settled down to practice medi- of honor. I only hope they have the combination of suc- previously was offensive Spanish 294 class. Here are some of his observations: Those who associate cine in Columbus, Georgia. cess and generosity that Fred Rentschler exemplifies.” coordinator and quarter- themselves with tour- Rentschler, meanwhile, returned to Ohio and worked backs coach at Rice under Judith DeMoss Campbell, BA’63 former Arkansas coach Ken he trip to Cuba proved to be the experience of a life- ism, in an official or his way up in the Armour-Dial Company from sales- Hatfield. Lee coached T time for our students. They took advantage of every unofficial capacity, man to president, after earning an MBA from Harvard. Arkansas quarterbacks minute available to them to learn as much as they could about prosper; those who do He went on to become CEO of Hunt Wesson Foods, then from 1984-1988 and was the Razorbacks’ offensive culture, history and politics, which in Cuba are related. not have difficulty mak- Beatrice U.S. Foods and Beatrice Companies. He served More Ambassadors coordinator in 1988. In addition to studying Cuban literature and culture, the ing ends meet. Even briefly as president and CEO of Northwest Airlines before In the fall issue of the A&S Cornerstone, the article on Karen Booker, BS’87, was students also visited important sites in Havana and the coun- Santeria practitioners retiring in 1991. named women’s basketball A&S alumni who have served as ambassadors to other tryside. They attended a Santeria (Afro-Cuban religious) cer- have had to adjust to Today Rentschler chairs the board of trustees of the coach at the University of countries was incomplete. We have subsequently emony, observing some of the religious rituals, which included the present conditions, as they open their doors to tourists These students traveled to Salk Institute for Biological Studies and serves on several the South in Sewanee, learned that Lyons Brown Jr. was sworn in as ambas- Tennessee. An assistant the sacrifice of animals. The group also met with represen- to observe practices once denied to outsiders. Cuba as part of Professor other boards. He is also a member of Vanderbilt’s College sador to Austria on December 6, 2001. The list also coach last season, she was tatives of the UNEAC (the writer’s union) and Casa de las The trip was a total success, and all my expectations were William Luis’ Maymester Cabinet, the leadership donor society for A&S. For his promoted when former includes Marion Creekmore, BA’61, ambassador to Sri Americas, where the poet Nancy Morejon, the director of exceeded. The students gained insight into a neighboring Spanish class. Among the work with Salk, the University of Wyoming awarded him coach Richard Barron ac- Lanka and the Republic of Maldives from 1989 to cepted a job at Princeton. the Caribbean section, read from her work. country about which our society knows very little. I am very sites they visited was the an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1999. He and his 1992, and Thomas C. Ferguson, BA’55, JD’59, Booker was head women’s The students were asked to keep a diary, review a book proud of them for their dedication and commitment to “Prehistory Mural (Mural de wife, Pam, divide their time between their home in Scotts- coach at Cal Poly San Luis la Prehistoria)” painted by a ambassador to Brunei from 1986-1990. of their choosing, and complete individual projects based on the course and each other. dale, Arizona, and their Montana cattle ranch. Obispo for two seasons in farm worker following the 1996 and 1997. a selected topic. Part of the project included interviewing a 1959 Cuban revolution.

4 5 NEIL BRAKE (continued from page 1) terrorist’s point of view, “What other kinds of threats are most likely and important contributions to understanding what happened and why. “The how can we protect ourselves?” best response to fear has always been knowledge,” said A&S Dean Richard Terrorism is violence for political purposes by non-state actors, such as A generation’s defining moment Osama bin Laden’s organization. In the last 10 years states may have McCarty. “The study of the liberal arts and sciences serve to counteract the Concern for students, faculty and staff was the number one prior- forces of ignorance, hatred and violence.” become less important and influential, while non-territorial, non- governmental actors like Al Qaeda have probably become more ity as the University responded to the Sept. 11 attacks and the war Studying War and Terrorism important. that followed. Many A&S professors with expertise in the Middle East, Islam, war and Some people erroneously think that terrorist violence is pointless, or “Today we have witnessed a horrific series of events,” Chancellor terrorism have incorporated those current topics into their classes. They just an emotional striking out, but it’s clear that it sometimes has the Gordon Gee said at a “Come Together” service organized by the Stu- include political scientists, historians, philosophers, economists, potential to be useful politically. From bin Laden’s point of view, the U.S. dent Government Association on the Thursday after the attacks. He anthropologists and classics professors. As is characteristic of those who could overreact and that could provoke a backlash that would serve his noted that Sept. 11 would be a defining moment for this generation study and teach the liberal arts, their views are not uniform. Each brings a political purposes. Let’s say that the U.S. kills thousands of innocent of college students, who have been labeled the “9-11 generation” by unique perspective to the issues. Here are the views of two faculty Afghanis in a bombing campaign. That would inflame the passions of Newsweek. members: a political scientist and a philosopher. Islamic groups in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt or even Indonesia, which Here are some ways the University showed its concern for its members in the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks: NEIL BRAKE • Vanderbilt initially offered round-the-clock counseling for students at several campus locations and provided free outgoing long- Speaking about terrorism distance telephone service for those trying to contact loved ones. Many A&S professors have spoken out about the war and terror- • The University chartered two buses to take 40 students to their ism, either in the media or in their classes. Here is a sampling of what homes in the New York City area. they’re saying: • A variety of prayer services were held for several days following the • “This is a big shock to the American psyche because we have attacks. The bell atop Kirkland Hall chimed 11 times on Friday, led such sheltered, protected lives of wealth, privilege and such Sept. 14, as the University community gathered for the National safety. I see that in my students’ eyes: They are looking at the Day of Prayer and Remembrance. world very differently. This really is without precedent.” • Campus security was heightened, and the number of officers on Jeremy Atack, professor and chair of economics, quoted in the Wall Street Journal patrol was increased. However, no unusual activity was reported, on how the terrorist attacks differ from past disasters. according to Vanderbilt police. • “Any group we support must be committed to restoring human • International students were offered places of sanctuary on campus rights for girls and women—rights to education, medical care if they felt threatened. There were no reports of violence against any and participation in public life.” students, but a few Middle Eastern students opted to return home. Beth Conklin, associate professor of anthropology, quoted in the Tennessean on • Student, faculty and staff volunteers turned out in record numbers U.S. foreign policy to donate blood and to give other blood donors rides to and from • “The Arab-Israeli conflict has proved to be one of the most the American Red Cross headquarters. intractable international issues since World War II. Most Arabs • Fraternities and other groups raised funds for the families of the vic- perceive the United States as the primary benefactor of Israel. tims. Ben Cirillo, an A&S junior from Watertown, Conn., helped The facts are that we have also supported Arabs in Kuwait and design a t-shirt that students sold to raise more than $10,000 in Muslims in Kosovo. A just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict four days for the Red Cross. will go far toward helping the American image among Arabs.” Bill Longwell, director of Microcomputer Laboratories and senior lecturer in his- • For continual updates on information stemming from the Sept. 11 tory, who taught a freshman seminar last fall on the “Arab-Israeli Conflict.” attack and the war in Afghanistan, please visit the following Web- site: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News/news/nr11f.html • “I want to impress upon my students the volatility of expecta- tions and how they can generate severe market fluctuations. As long as we continue to have successful military efforts, confi- NEIL BRAKE dence will continue to come back and markets will continue to Professor James Lee Ray is a political scientist whose field of expertise includes is the largest Islamic country in the world. There’s always the danger that respond. But if another attack were to occur on the magnitude international politics, international conflict, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle [the war] will get out of hand and provoke some kind of backlash leading of the [World Trade Center], it would have a devastating effect East and terrorism. The author of Global Politics, he was recently elected to governmental changes in all of those countries that would be beneficial on consumer confidence.” president of the Peace Science Society. for Al Qaeda, and very detrimental to the United States. This is the main Peter Rousseau, assistant professor of economics, who modified the curriculum of danger stemming from too much emphasis on the conflict as a “war,” and his class, “Financial Instruments and Capital Markets,” to feature the U.S. econ- This may be the most serious international crisis on which I have too little emphasis on “crime fighting.” omy in light of the terrorist attacks. commented over the years, especially for the United States. The longer I The Arab world has three main grievances: first, Osama bin Laden is look at it, the more I believe it may be wiser to treat the attacks as a crime angry about American troops on Saudi soil, where the most sacred • “The greatest value [of the course, ‘The Ancient Origins of rather than an act of war. Islamic shrines are located. Second, the issue that antagonizes the largest Religious Conflict in the Middle East’] might be in the princi- The best way to fight terrorism is with police work, arrests, increased number of Arabs, I suppose, is U.S. support of Israel, which also involves ple it demonstrates so well: the enduring value of a liberal arts intelligence and counter intelligence, surveillance, investigation of assets, foreign aid to Egypt, making it the second largest recipient of U.S. education. World events have helped to make it easy to see why diplomacy and better domestic security. We have to ask ourselves from a foreign aid after Israel. And then finally, the sanctions on Iraq, which, studying the ancient roots of modern religion and culture in according to reputable independent sources, have lead to the deaths of the Middle East—the focus in this case—can be so important (Top) Chancellor Gee speaks to students at the “Come Together” ceremony on Rand thousands and maybe even hundreds of thousands of Iraqis since the to understanding the world in which we live.” Terrace. (Center) Representatives of the University ROTC units and Marching Provost Thomas G. Burish, professor of psychology Band presented a giant American flag at the Vanderbilt-Richmond football game Persian Gulf War. I’m not saying that any or all of these things justify the on Sept. 22 . (Right) Natalie DuBose, a junior majoring in art history, reads the attacks of September 11, or that the U.S. should respond, for example, prayer ribbons hanging on the Tree of Remembrance on Alumni Lawn. (please turn to page 8)

6 7 ARAB-AMERICAN STUDENT CONDEMNS TERRORISM An alumnus looks at the Middle East Samar Ali is an A&S junior majoring in political The other part of me felt upset as a Muslim. I thought, “My science and an Arab-American Muslim.The God, did somebody really do this in the name of my religion?” The College of Arts and Science has educated many Today’s Arab world is made up of 18 states would include American pressure to foster de- daughter of two physicians—her father from I want everyone to know that Arabs and Muslims around the people with expertise in foreign affairs and terror- plus Palestine, which probably will and should colonization throughout the region and sus- Palestine and her mother from Syria—she was world condemn this act. I received over 40 phone calls on [Sept. ism. One of them, a distinguished professor at become a state. The total population of all these tained attempts to orchestrate an Arab-Israeli born and reared in the United States. She cur- 11] from Arab Americans, Palestinians, and people in Syria and Jor- Princeton University, offers his perspective on the countries is almost 270 million, only slightly settlement. rently serves as an officer in Vanderbilt’s dan.They all wanted to know if America was going to be O.K.The current situation. less than the population of the United States. To the extent that the bombing in Middle Eastern Students Club. Here are Middle East joins the world in grieving for what has happened in L. Carl Brown, BA’50, is the Garrett Professor Moreover, the Arab world has experienced ex- Afghanistan drags on with unavoidable collat- remarks she made at the “Come Together” service on Sept. 13. America. in Foreign Affairs, emeritus, at Princeton Univer- tremely rapid population growth in modern eral damage, Arab public sentiment (like Mus- was asked to speak to you all today as an Arab-American Mus- We cannot let these terrorists succeed and fill our hearts with sity and an expert on the modern Near East and times, resulting in very young populations, with lim opinion in general) is likely to shift toward Ilim. All I know to do is to tell you something from my heart, and hatred.We cannot allow them to split us apart as Americans.We North Africa. Last fall, he delivered the annual all the ensuing difficulties of ed- even greater antipathy to the my heart is filled with pride to be a student of this amazing Van- must come together; we have come so far.We must not fight hate Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture, sponsored by the ucating and employing those U.S. Witness the strong disap- derbilt community. Look at us; we are a family. I am proud to be an with hate. Robert Penn Warren Center. Howard, BA’51, a teeming millions coming of age proval of the continued sanc- American and to feel the patriotism right here, right now. The people who did this are a disgrace to mankind.While they classmate of Professor Brown’s, attended the lecture. each year. tions against Iraq, even though Several people have asked me how I feel as an Arab-American claim to be fundamentalist Muslims, they are of no religion at all. I Here are some excerpts from Brown’s talk, “In The Arab world is over- Saddam Hussein has never ful- know of no true religion that celebrates a loss of lives. Islam con- Muslim.When I saw my country’s buildings come tumbling down Search of the Middle East.” whelmingly Arabic-speaking filled his post-war obligations to demns these acts.The people who did this do not represent any with thousands of my fellow citizens on Tuesday, I felt angry as an nternational terrorism predates Osama bin and over 90 percent Muslim. the U.N., could do so readily, American at whoever did this. How could somebody do this to our true religion or any ethnic group.These are individual attacks, and they are horrific and absolutely terrifying and must be prevented. Laden and the Al Qaeda. Moreover, the ear- The entire area, from Morocco and could also, if he chose, pro- country and feel so much hatred towards us? I lier terrorism was the work of radicals push- on the Atlantic to the Arabian vide under the prevailing U.N. ing secular nationalist agendas, not jihad. It is Peninsula, shares a common arrangements the food, medi- (continued from page 7) worth recalling that early on, the Palestine Lib- Arab culture, as seen in architec- cine and other basics that the eration Organization announced the goal of cre- ture, music, cuisine, patterns of Iraqi people so badly need. by abandoning Israel. I’m just looking at the situation from the point of Having achieved that goal, they want to go on to destroy the United States, ating “a democratic, secular state in all politesse, kinship and male- L. Carl Brown What then can we do? Once view of the terrorists, and those who sympathize with them. which they see as a source of secularity and modernity and of values that Palestine,” (thus the elimination of Israel). female relations. Yet, the differ- begun, we must stay the course they oppose. Is there a link between the Arab peoples’ ences within the Arab world are enormous. Par- with the bombing campaign. We should cer- Lenn E. Goodman is professor of philosophy. His interests center on metaphysics The United States needs to take the threat very seriously. It’s a threat alienation from their governments—which are ticularly unsettling are differences in wealth. tainly put a major effort into facilitating an Is- and ethics, with special attention to Islamic and Jewish philosophical against our existence, since the people who threaten us are so dedicated seen as corrupt, despotic, and beholden to out- The per capita GNP expressed in U.S. dollars raeli-Palestinian settlement. We will not and thought and their creative interactions. He is currently writing a book on “Islam- and so violent. We can’t side forces that really control things—and acts of ranges from a low of $810 (Yemen) to a high of must not “leave” the Middle East as Osama bin ic Humanism.” make the mistake of think- terrorism? Surely, there is. Although we quite $25, 314 (Kuwait). Laden wishes, but we can and should involve

America has experienced a very large attack on the civilian population. ing that our enemies are NEIL BRAKE rightly insist that bin Laden and the Al Qaeda do Are the Arabs’ negative perceptions of the others more in addressing the area’s many prob- Because the victims were inoffensive civilians from all walks of life and races fools or madmen. We can’t not represent the Arab or Muslim world, they United States an accurate reflection of reality? lems. We should be open to U.N. and interna- and origins, we can clearly call it an act of terrorism. It’s intended to demor- operate on the under- have emerged from the prevailing Arab and Certainly not. American policies in the Middle tional court jurisdictions in bringing bin Laden alize and destroy, and it calls for a military response. It is erroneous to ask standing that anyone who Muslim environment which they seek to change. East since the Second World War reveal a much and the Al Qaeda to justice. And down the ourselves, “What did we do to provoke this act?” Nothing would justify an is an extremist must rep- They reflect in horribly extreme form a more more complex picture that does not add up to a road, we can and should think in terms of get- act of this kind and this magnitude against innocent civilians. resent some kind of fringe general malaise in Arab and Muslim society. sustained effort to keep the Arabs down. This ting our troops out of Saudi Arabia. I’ve been a student of Islamic thought for over 40 years now, and I’ve minority element. Many seen some of the finest and most wonderful contributions to civilization Muslims in Egypt, Pales- come out of the Islamic culture and religion. Like any other civilization it tine and Indonesia regard contains the good, the bad and the ugly. The idea that many apologists have the Taliban government VANDERBILT MOURNS THE LOSS OF ITS SONS been putting forward, that Islam is basically a peaceful religion, is some- and Osama bin Laden as hen Ted Adderley and Davis “Deeg” the 93rd floor of the north tower of the of Kelly Services, were justly proud of what misleading. Islam has had many phases in its history, and some of its heroes of Islam because Eleni Binioris, a senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., hugs W Sezna graduated from the College World Trade Center. Sezna worked across their only son. So were his five sisters and expansion has been very violent. they have successfully Tresha Francis, a sophomore from the Bronx, as of Arts and Science in May 2001, their fu- the plaza on Floor 104 in the south tower. his grandmother, Margaret Kelly. “Ted was Osama bin Laden’s organization is representative of a number of attacked and promise to the students prepare to board a bus to New York. tures looked bright. He had been employed by Sandler O’Neill, a top student,” said his former professor, Islamic militant groups that have existed throughout the history of Islam bring to its knees and The bus was chartered by the University to enable The two economics majors enjoyed liv- an investment-banking firm, for only six Peter Rousseau. During school breaks,Ted and have often claimed for themselves leadership of Islam. The Al Qaeda destroy America as the students from New York to go home for the ing and working in the Big Apple, landing days on Sept. 11, 2001, when he, Adderley, often worked for Kelly Services, which his organization would like very much to gain power in countries like Pakistan, symbol and bastion of a weekend in the wake of Sept. 11. coveted positions with Manhattan-based and Mark Hindy, a Peabody alumnus, lost grandfather,William Russell Kelly, A’26, Egypt, the Philippines, Indonesia and other places where they have a fol- free and open society. companies. Adderley worked as a securi- their lives in the worst terrorist attacks founded. lowing. They would like to see Israel defeated and destroyed, but they have Muslims are rightly proud of the pluralistic nature of classic Islam, the ties analyst for Fred Alger Management ever on the U.S. mainland. Davis “Deeg” Sezna grew up in Wilm- a much broader goal that goes back to an Islamic claim for jihad. It’s a medieval Islamic civilization. It was more pluralistic than Christianity and Inc., a money management company on A former member of the Commodore ington, Delaware, with his parents, Gail

NEIL BRAKE and Davis G. Sezna Sr., and two younger very old and very traditional and well-established claim. Muslims must more enlightened than Europe. They created a great civilization, and they baseball team, Mark Hindy, BS’95, grew up in Brooklyn with his parents, George brothers.Tragically, one brother,Teddy, decide, “Are we going to take jihad in the spiritual sense of self-conquest, had some of the greatest philosophers, astronomers, engineers, scientists, and Virginia, and his brother, Gregory. died in a boating accident in July 2000. An historians and poets. One of the things that made “The study of the liberal arts and sciences serve to counteract After Sept. 11, Mark’s Vanderbilt team- avid golfer, Deeg learned to love the game it a golden age was their openness to other ideas, mate, Josh Paul, P’97, a catcher for the from his father, whose company, the 1492 the forces of ignorance, hatred and violence.” to the past, to other cultures and civilizations, their Chicago White Sox, wore Mark’s Vander- Hospitality Group, owns the Hartefeld Na- interest in learning of other religions from the bilt #41 on his chest protector to honor tional Golf Club. A&S Dean Richard McCarty ancient Greeks, the Jews, Christians, Persians and his friend. As far as we know, no other alumni lost Indians. Ted Adderley was from Bloomfield Hills, their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks. If you are which has been promulgated within the Islamic tradition, or are we going Today, the triumphalism, the militancy and the anger need to be quelled; Michigan, a Detroit suburb. His parents, aware of others, please contact the direc- to take it in the military sense of pursuing worldwide domination?” they need to be distinguished from authentic Muslim religion. It’s not Vanderbilt trustee Mary Beth Adderley and tor of Alumni Relations at The Mujahedeen, the holy warriors of Osama bin Laden’s group, have something that they have to represent to non-Muslims; it’s something that Terence E. Adderley Sr., president and CEO [email protected]. boasted that they are responsible for the destruction of the Soviet Union. Muslims have to do for themselves.

8 9 Faculty News RESEARCH BRIEFS Faculty News Art audiences aging • While Seeing Double senior citizens might be Burish steps down as provost Kudos attending Rigoletto or Daniel B. Cornfield, professor and chair of sociology, has been NEIL BRAKE hen one can’t believe one’s eyes, it may be because enjoying the music of Duke rovost Thomas G. Burish, who named to the executive board of the Industrial Relations Research Ellington, their children and W of binocular rivalry. Randolph Blake, Centennial grandchildren likely are not, P served as Vanderbilt’s chief acad- Association. He also received the association’s 2001 Excellence in Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt; Hugh R. Wilson, a according to a recent study emic officer for the past 10 years, will Education Award in Sociology. mathematician from York University in Toronto; and Van- by Vanderbilt sociologists. step down from that position next sum- Mary Ann Horn, associate professor of mathematics, has been derbilt graduate student Sang-Hun Lee have devised a new The study, sponsored by mer. The longest serving provost in Van- named treasurer of the Association for Women in Mathematics. test that measures what people see when viewing discor- the National Endowment derbilt history, Burish will return to his for the Arts, tracked arts par- dant images in their right and left eyes. Their work, which research and teaching activities as pro- Charles E. Morris III, assistant professor of communication stud- ticipation for classical Daniel B. Cornfield was published in a recent issue of the journal Nature, has music, opera, ballet, musi- fessor of psychology and professor of ies, has received the Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award from the produced important new clues about the location of some cals, jazz, plays and art medicine. Burish received his 25-year National Communication Association. The award is given annual- Thomas G. Burish of the brain activity underlying visual consciousness, museums. “There is a crisis chair at the fall faculty assembly, along WOODIE KNIGHT ly to a scholar early in his or her career for When a person is presented with two dissimilar images— coming for the arts in Amer- with the following A&S faculty mem- philosophical, historical, or critical scholar- one for each eye—people with binocular rivalry report see- ica,” said Richard A. “Pete” bers:William W. Damon, professor of economics and ship in rhetoric and public discourse. Peterson, professor of soci- ing first one image and then the other, with the two images business administration; William G. Eickmeier, associate ology and lead author of the Thomas J. Weiler, professor of physics, has alternating unpredictably. In normal binocular vision, the professor of biological sciences and associate professor of study. “The average age for been elected to a three-year term on the Uni- sensory information from the two eyes is fused into a sin- all of these art forms has biology; Luigi Monga, professor of French and Italian; and versities Research Association’s Board of Over- gle, three-dimensional visual impression (stereopsis). increased.” Without wide- George Herbert Sweeney, associate dean of the College of seers for the Fermilab National Accelerator “Since this breakdown in binocular vision was discov- spread support, he cau- Arts and Science and associate professor of economics. tioned, funding for the arts Center. The board oversees the governance of ered [in 1838 by Sir Charles Wheatstone], it has been the could dry up and art groups Physicist appointed Fermilab, which is funded by the U.S. subject of scientific interest because it involves the switch- may increasingly present Randolph Blake, Centennial Professor of Psychology, studies to Cain Professorship Department of Energy (please see related story, ing of visual consciousness without conscious control,” binocular vision using a mirrored device in his Wilson Hall less difficult compositions, plays, dances or art page 2). said Blake. laboratory. The question of which neurons are responsible for exhibits, which Peterson ohn P. Wikswo Jr., the A.B. Learned Professor of Liv- David A. Weintraub, associate professor of calls “art lite.” this effect is a matter of scientific controversy. Some vision others maintain that it must be handled at higher levels. J ing State Physics and professor of physics and astrono- astronomy, received the 2001 Chancellor’s Cup researchers argue that binocular rivalry must be handled at Results from the new test lend weight to the argument that Women and taxation • my, has been named the inaugural holder of the Gordon A. during Homecoming Weekend in October. The a low level in the brain’s visual processing hierarchy, while the effect occurs at a low level in the visual cortex. Although some state legis- Cain University Professorship. The first cup has been awarded annually since 1963 to a lators might not want to University professorship to be endowed faculty member who has made the greatest con- hear it, women in Tennessee David A. Weintraub tribution outside the classroom to undergrad- A Double Homecoming would have the most to by an external source, the Cain Profes- gain from a tax system that sorship is funded by Houston business- uate student-faculty relationships. imposes an income tax man Gordon A. Cain. hen Lucius T. Outlaw Jr. first lived in Nashville as A native of Starkville, Miss., Outlaw first became inter- rather than one that relies University professorships require the a student at Fisk University during the mid-1960s, ested in African American Studies while at Fisk, and recalls My Most Memorable Professor W solely on a tax on sales or faculty member to hold primary appoint- sit-ins, protests and riots over civil rights dominated the his earliest impressions of Vanderbilt from across town: services, a team of Vander- ments in at least two schools at Vander- landscape. “Vanderbilt seemed to me a well-off, predominantly white bilt researchers has con- s an undergraduate, I worked as a part-time research assistant for Professor of bilt. Wikswo is on the faculty of the Substantial changes have taken place in American race institution that went confidently about the business of cluded. Ronnie Steinberg, John P. Wikswo Jr. Psychology Keith Clayton, who is now retired [with emeritus status]. professor of sociology and College of Arts and Science, the School relations since then; yet, modern problems such as hate producing mostly Southern, white, educated aristocrats.” My job consisted of conducting animal learning tests involving albino or director of Vanderbilt’s of Engineering, and the School of Medicine. Since joining A crimes and racial profiling remain. The challenge today, His early ideas of Vanderbilt shifted as he met students black and white rats and mazes. On my first day at work, Professor Clayton showed Women’s Studies program, the A&S faculty in 1977, Wikswo has worked at the inter- says an income tax would me what to do and observed and critiqued my work for several weeks. As time wore

PEYTON HOGE says Outlaw, the new and faculty members, including John Lachs, Michael face of physics, engineering, and physiology. director of Vanderbilt’s Hodges, and John Compton, who gave him intimate lessen the tax burden on on, he allowed me to work full-time during the summer and on school breaks. He was African American Stud- knowledge of “real people” associated with the Universi- the majority of Tennessee of that rare breed of individuals who allowed you to do your work without peering women and raise sufficient Landers named associate dean over your shoulder, but he was always available if you had to see him about any work ies program, is to “con- ty. Outlaw’s wife Freida, a member of the University of revenues for budget tinue to embrace our Pennsylvania School of Nursing faculty, also taught at the matter. He was adamant that all experiments be performed according to his specifi- requirements. Steinberg ast fall, Dean Richard McCarty appointed Associate racial, cultural and bio- Vanderbilt School of Nursing in the early 1970s, mak- and her team have distrib- cations, and all laboratory animals were to be treated more than Professor Jane Landers, a historian, as associate dean of logical identities without ing their return to Nashville a dual homecoming. uted copies of their findings L humanely. the College of Arts and Science. Her primary responsibili- invidious exclusivity and African American Studies, Outlaw explains, “is not to state legislators He always treated people with respect, no matter what a per- ties will be international programs, interdisciplinary pro- discrimination, war or about oppression studies or demonstrating how mean and embroiled in a tax crisis son did for a living, the pigmentation of their skin, their reli- exacerbated by economic grams, curricular and non-tenure-track genocide.” racist white people have been. It’s about studying African gion, age, sex, etc. I never heard him badmouth another person downturns. Tennessee cur- faculty issues. She is also responsible A graduate and for- and African-descended peoples and understanding them, to their face or behind their back. Likewise, I never heard rently taxes dividends but for planning the proposed Center for mer faculty member at gaining a critical appreciation of their cultures.” Just as no no other forms of income. anyone ever say anything derogatory about Professor Clayton. the Americas. Fisk University, Outlaw institution can move forward without studying its own The state derives the bulk of He was always gracious, pleasant to work for, and greeted Professor Landers also directs the returned to Nashville in context, “no 21st-century university can be truly ‘univer- its tax funds from one of the people with a big smile. He loved a good joke and could pull nation’s highest sales taxes. Center for Latin American & Iberian the fall of 2000 after two sal’ without studying our nation’s peoples,” he states. one on you as well as laugh at himself. He was a good admin- Keith Clayton Lucius T. Outlaw Jr. Studies, while continuing to teach decades of teaching at The overarching task of such disciplines as African For more information about istrator, and the staff really respected him. His love of Vander- and research the African diaspora in Haverford College in Pennsylvania to become professor American Studies is to bridge racial and ethnic differences Vanderbilt’s cutting-edge bilt was, and is, strong. research, visit the Universi- the Spanish world. Jane Landers of philosophy and director of African American Studies. through education, dialogue and what Outlaw calls “truth- In my opinion, Professor Keith Clayton was the best in his field. He will always be ty’s online research journal, In November, she received the A leading scholar on race and education, philosophy telling,” a quintessential goal of any institution. one of the most unforgettable individuals I have had the privilege of knowing. Exploration, at http://explo- Francis B. Simkins Award from the Southern Historical and history, Outlaw brings both experiential and acade- ration.vanderbilt.edu/home. Mark Carlisle, BA’70 Association for her “distinguished first book,” Black Soci- mic expertise to the Vanderbilt program. Gayle Rogers, BA’01 htm ety in Spanish Florida (University of Illinois Press, 1999).

10 11 DIVERSE VISIONS 2002

n exhibition by Vanderbilt studio faculty from the A B ADepartment of Art and Art History will be held at the Vanderbilt Gallery in the Old Gym this spring. “Diverse Visions 2002” will feature a broad range of work in sever- al different media by Michael Aurbach, Susan DeMay, Mark Hosford, Marilyn Murphy, Ron Porter, and Carl- ton Wilkinson. The exhibit will open on Parent’s Week- end, March 22-24, and will continue through June 8.

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Clockwise from top: A) “Night Landscape,” stoneware by Susan DeMay B) “Lifeguard,” oil on canvas by Marilyn Murphy C) “The Embrace,” giclée print by Carlton F. Wilkinson D) Detail from “The Critical Theorist,” mixed media by Michael Aurbach C E) “Moot Muse,” oil on canvas by Ron Porter F) Detail from “The Bunny’s Gift,” graphite, tea and gesso on paper by Mark Hosford

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