Saturday is Senior Day for the men’s Read what Quiznos basketball team… is hiding… For more, see columnist Scott Greer Blog over break! Keep up with students’ spring For a preview, see Sports, page 6 Opinion, page 4 break antics on InsideVandy.com… For more, see Blogs at InsideVandy.com THETHE VOICEVOICE OFOF VANDERBILTVANDERBILT SINCESINCE 18881888 FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2007 • 119 TH YEAR, NO. 23 THE WALL Agreement compiled by KRISTEN CHMIELEWSKI TODAY MESA Night serves up Operation Smile reached after information session Operation Smile will hold its last six months of information session today at 5:30 p.m. pre-break food, fun in the Community negotiations Partnership House. Go to learn about the events, applying to be Vanderbilt base pay to on the board, going increase to $10 an hour to Ireland and what you can to do help. over two years. by ALLISON SMITH News Editor SATURDAY, MARCH 3 Undergraduate Vanderbilt and the union representing residence halls close approximately 600 of Vanderbilt’s lowest-paid All undergraduate workers have reached a tentative agreement residence halls on a three-year contract. will close at 9 a.m. Th e new contract will bring the base pay for Students must visit Vanderbilt’s lowest-paid workers up to $10 an the Offi ce of Housing hour within the next two years. and Residential Th e workers at the bottom Education Web site of the pay scale currently to register for room receive $7.55 an hour at access during spring Vanderbilt. break. Members of the Laborers International Union of North America are expected to approve the contract at WORSHAM TUESDAY, MARCH 6 5 p.m. today in the Parthenon Room of the Grand Chili Cook-off Marriott Hotel adjacent to campus. benefi t “Overall, we are pleased with the The Vanderbilt agreement,” said Beau Worsham, the union Postdoctoral representative in Vanderbilt’s negotiations. Association presents “It represents money the university said The Grand Chili Cook- would not be forthcoming.” off held at 11:30 a.m. In order to make the fi nal off er available, in the Light Hall third ADAM SETREN / The Vanderbilt Hustler Vanderbilt administrators shifted $1 million Students and faculty members in attendance at MESA Night Thursday evening in the Student Life Center enjoy the free Middle Eastern food provided at the event. The annual from academic programs and fi nancial aid. fl oor Medical Student showcase of Middle Eastern culture features food and dancing. Lounge to benefi t Vanderbilt spokesperson Mike Schoenfeld The Leukemia and said this money reallocation should not Lymphoma Society. impact Vanderbilt’s “continued momentum.” Participants will “Vanderbilt constantly reprioritizes to rank their favorite Gees informs board of respond to new needs,” Schoenfeld said. chili recipes. A $10 “Th is will not and should not aff ect forward donation is requested momentum. Nevertheless, a million less at the door. dollars spent on those programs …” agreement to seek divorce Negotiations between the union and Vanderbilt began in September and ended by ALLISON SMITH but it seems diffi cult because he’s residence, Braeburn. Wednesday with the help of a federal WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 News Editor both a public person, so everything Asked then about the possibility negotiator. ‘Flock of Dodos’ he does is campus news, but he is of divorce by Th e Hustler, the In January, the union vetoed Vanderbilt’s screening Students are beginning to respond also a human being, so we should chancellor responded that it was not fi nal off er, which also established a base rate A free screening of to the divorce of Chancellor Gordon give him respect for his own personal on the table. of $10 an hour within the second year of the the light-hearted Gee and his wife, Constance. Th e matters,” he said. “No, no, no, no. I mean, we work contract and a 3 percent across-the-board “Flock of Dodos: chancellor informed the Board of every day on our relationship, increase. Th e union voted against the contract The Evolution Trust Wednesday morning of his marriage is a long-time relationship, because they did not receive the 4 percent — Intelligent Design divorce. and we work very hard at it,” he said across-the-board increase they believed they Circus” will be off ered “Constance and I have agreed in the interview. deserved. at the Watkins School to seek a divorce,” Gee said in a Senior Nathan Starke said he does Th e current contract would provide an of Art and Design at statement released Wednesday not see a direct connection between increase of 3 percent in the fi rst year of the 2298 MetroCenter morning to Th e Vanderbilt Hustler. the article and the Gees’ divorce. contract and an increase of 3.5 percent in Blvd. at 7:30 p.m. “While this is a diffi cult decision, we “My initial reaction is that it the second and third years of the agreement, A short panel remain committed to each other’s defi nitely does have something closer to the union’s original goal of 4 GORDON GEE CONSTANCE GEE discussion will follow happiness and success. I ask that to do with the Wall Street Journal percent. the fi lm. you respect our privacy regarding Vanderbilt spokesperson Mike article, but on second thought, I It also allows for the implementation of a this issue.” Schoenfeld is confi dent the divorce think that the article was indicative new program that will provide opportunities Constance Gee, an associate will not have an eff ect on the of larger problems, probably not a for lower-paid employees to earn additional professor for public policy and chancellor’s career at Vanderbilt. direct cause and eff ect,” he said. pay increases based on service and TUESDAY, MARCH 13 education, fi led for divorce Tuesday, “It is, of course, a diffi cult personal Sophomore Andrew Mazey said performance and includes increases in shift Affi rmative action citing “irreconcilable diff erences.” decision for him, but Chancellor Gee he thinks the divorce is unrelated to diff erentials and on-call pay. debate Rose Palermo, Constance Gee’s is deeply committed to Vanderbilt’s the Wall Street Journal article. “We are committed to bring all workers up Dean of Students attorney, declined to comment. success and is eager to continue “I look up to Chancellor Gee and to living wage,” Worsham said. “We are a lot Mark Bandas will Th e chancellor, who holds an building on the extraordinary consider him a role model for myself closer to our goal. We couldn’t accomplish moderate six approval rating of 84 percent with progress that has occurred over the and the rest of the student body,” everything that we wanted this year, but panelists as they students according to a scientifi c poll past six years in every part of our Mazey said. “I feel bad that this is through all the trials and tribulations, we have discuss affi rmative conducted by Th e Vanderbilt Hustler mission,” Schoenfeld said. happening to him, and hope it works reached an agreement we can recommend action from 7 to in October, has received support Some people speculate if out for the best in the end. Honestly, to our membership, and we believe it will be 9 p.m. in Furman from the student body. Constance Gee will continue to I don’t think it has anything to do approved.” Hall, Room 114. The “Obviously divorce is never a teach at Vanderbilt once the divorce with the Wall Street Journal article.” Grounded in the idea that someone who Mayfi eld Forum, the good thing, and it’s too bad he is is fi nalized. Gordon and Constance Gee were works full time should not have to live in residents of Mayfi eld in the public eye,” said sophomore Five calls and detailed messages married in 1994 in Salt Lake City, poverty or rely on public assistance, the living 10, are sponsoring Caroline Hull. “It must have be hard to her university phone number Utah. Th eir marriage produced no wage is calculated diff erently by supporters the event. with so much publicity surrounding went unanswered. children; however, Gordon Gee for every city. their marriage.” Th e split comes fi ve months has a daughter, Rebekah Gee, from Th e living wage in Nashville, as calculated Junior Dave Silverstein was not after a report in Th e Wall Street a previous marriage to the late in 2005 by the student-led Living Income for Compiled by staff from various aware of the divorce before asked for Journal addressed Constance Elizabeth Gee. ■ Vanderbilt Employees organization, is $10.18 sources. Check out http://calendar.vanderbilt.edu a comment. Gee’s use of marijuana in the —Christine Baccich contributed an hour or $42,336 a year for a dual-income for more events. “I don’t have much information, chancellor’s university-owned reporting to this article. family of four. ■ 615.352.9696 Monday–Friday 10–7 Saturday 10–6 6000 Hwy 100 at 70 & 100 split 2 Friday, March 2, 2007 The Vanderbilt Hustler www.insidevandy.com WEATHER compiled by KRISTEN CHMIELEWSKI IN THE KNOW TODAY The news you need — in brief compiled by KRISTEN CHMIELEWSKI Alumna bathes in WORLD South Africa proposes culling elephant population to slow growth media spotlight Th e environmental minister of South Africa announced a series of measures to slow the rate of population growth MostlyMostly SunnySunny, 59/35 amongst elephants in national parks. Th e elephant population of over 20,000 is now growing at a rate of more than 6 percent per year, creating biodiversity after winning issues in the wildlife parks that pepper the country.