IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER On Page 7, see how baseball pulled out a crazy series win over Florida: a weather delay, a shouting match and a walk-o strikeout. MONDAY MARCH 25, 2013 VOL. 125, ISS. 20 WWW.INSIDEVANDY.COM Freshman Connor Henderson and sophomore Jackson Crossley Freshman Connor Henderson set out to fi nd what current and sophomore Jackson Crossley perceptions of gay men on campus set out to fi nd what current include, especially as they pertain THE INTERSECTION perceptions of gay men on campus to Greek Life. In a survey of 192 include, especially as they pertain anonymous students, this is what to Greek Life. In a survey of 192 they found: between anonymous students, this is what Q&A they found: Q&A What most defi nes a Vanderbilt man? A gay man’s sexual orientation would Polite be an obstacle to earning a bid to a 8.9% fraternity at Vanderbilt. True or false? Arrogant True 25.5% 77.6% Confi dent False 56.8% GAY 22.4% Caring and 5.2% Recently, a fraternity in Boston raised money to help a transgender brother Aggressive 3.6% a ord his sexual reassignment surgery. Do you think this would happen at Vanderbilt? How many fraternities at Vanderbilt do you think have openly gay Yes brothers? 29.2% No Zero 70.8% 3.1% GREEK One to three 66.1% The Vanderbilt Hustler joined a group of students Most Vanderbilt students would be comfortable at a party where they Four to six in assessing the culture surrounding sexual norms in saw two men dancing together. True 20.8% Vanderbilt fraternities. Two students conducted a survey or false? Seven to nine 4.7% True and hosted an anonymous panel to foster an “open and 35.4% Ten or more honest” dialogue on a controversial topic around campus. False 5.2% 64.6% By KYLE BLAINE When asked about the need for ano- who is now a member of fraternity “I think that personality is the big- open and honest,” he said after the Senior news reporter nymity, Henderson said, “There could said he was not offered a bid because gest factor when it comes to rush,” discussion concluded. “Most impor- -------------------- be a danger about having strong opin- he was “too gay.” said one participant who said he tantly, what I got out from it was that ions on these issues on this campus.” The perception of fraternities as went through the rush process. “If the it takes knowing someone that you For many young, gay men at Vander- Junior Sarah Smith and sophomore inhospitable to openly gay men — as personality doesn’t fi t in with the rest care about to open your mind to LGBT bilt, the question is a common one: Dominique Gant gave The Hustler correct or incorrect as it may be — is of the fraternity’s, then that’s probably issues.” “What are my options in the Greek permission to use their names as refl ected in a survey of 192 Vanderbilt not the best fraternity for him.” Yet for Vanderbilt, which has made community, if any, should I choose to members of the Vanderbilt Lambda students conducted by Henderson Added another member of the its name known in the past two years pursue that path?” Association, but mostly remained and Crossley. When asked if a gay group from a different fraternity, as a university willing to champion Freshman Connor Henderson and silent during the hour-and-a-half man’s sexual orientation would be an “Maybe fraternities don’t interest gay diversity and nondiscrimination, sophomore Jackson Crossley set out discussion. obstacle in earning men.” the presence of a Greek system on to fi nd answers to this question and The task of determining the level a bid at a Vander- “Any situation in which men Other members campus that appears immune to the the issues surrounding it as part of a of acceptance for gay men within bilt fraternity, and women are separated came to the discus- changing demographics of the school project for the Women’s and Gender fraternities is diffi cult — the recruit- 149 students, or automatically puts men and sion with more nega- poses a serious image problem. Dur- Studies course “Sex and Gender in ment rituals for Intrafraternity Council 78 percent of the masculinity in a dominant tive views on Greek ing the debate over the university’s Everyday Life.” The goal: spark a con- (IFC) organizations are mostly kept respondents, an- Life as a whole. nondiscrimination policy last spring, versation within the Greek community hidden from the outside world, mak- swered yes. role and women and “Any situation conservative religious groups pointed about LGBT issues, specifi cally the ing it nearly impossible for anyone Yet, the instinct femininity in a submissive in which men and to fraternities and sororities as exist- level of acceptance for different sexual to concretely discuss the curses and of the fraternity role. It’s bad for women and women are separated ing at odds with the school’s own orientations and identities. blessings of the system. members on the bad for gay men.” automatically puts stated value. Last Thursday evening, in a third- But it does not take a detailed panel — all of men and masculin- In recent years, the university’s analysis of the outcomes to raise seri- whom agreed that -------------------- ity in a dominant strategy to resolve this has been to story classroom in Buttrick Hall, Anonymous member of a panel to discuss Henderson and Crossley assembled a ous questions about the process. The their fraternities identity and sexuality within Greek organizations role and women bring to campus new fraternities or small group of Greek and non-Greek mostly white, heterosexual collection may be more pro- on campus and femininity in a returning fraternities with a carefully students to address questions of mas- of men that make up the IFC commu- gressive than other submissive role,” said designed process to attract men solely culinity, fraternity stereotypes and the nity seems to support some people’s organizations one member. “It’s bad based on values, and not on race or level of acceptance within the Greek perception that many fraternities are within Vanderbilt IFC — was to play for women and bad for gay men.” sexual orientation. For openly gay community. Illustrating just how taboo not open to deviations from the norm. down any notion of discrimination Henderson, who led the panel with men, the outcome of this strategy the subject of sexual orientation is on Adding to this are the unsubstan- based on sexual orientation within a series of questions, said that at the shows promise — Delta Tau Delta and campus, the participants agreed to dis- tiated assertions from openly gay fraternities, instead attributing it to end of the day, he believes Greek Life Phi Kappa Psi, the two fraternities that cuss these issues only under the condi- men claiming they were cut from a personality differences and a lack of is a positive experience. have colonized in the last two years, tion of anonymity for both themselves chapter’s rush list due to their sexual interest in fraternities on the behalf of “I thought the discussion was a both rushed and initiated openly gay and the organizations they represent. orientation. One member of the panel some gay men. good fi rst step, and I thought it was men during this year. IN OHIO, CHARTER TN PUBLIC DEFENDERS SCHOOLS DON’T MATTER Babies from Sierra NOT PAID ENOUGH? As the Tennessee General Assembly debates a bill that Leone... In Middle — Tyler Bishop, news editor would give power to the state to authorize charter schools, Court-appointed defense attorneys living in Tennessee Ron Zimmer, associate professor of public policy and educa- are not being paid as much as attorneys in other states, ac- tion at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education and Hu- Tennessee cording to a recent study. man Development, has released the fi ndings of a new study The state of Tennessee pays court-appointed attorneys that show that there is no signifi cant difference in student $50 an hour for courtroom time and $40 an hour for work achievement based on whether the child attends a state- NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Middle Tennessee family completed outside of the courtroom. The national aver- authorized or a district-authorized charter school. has tripled in size with the adoption of eight siblings age its around $65 an hour. Tennessee also caps the pay for “Using data from Ohio where nonprofi ts, districts, states from Sierra Leone. attorneys at $1,500 for felony cases and $1,000 for misde- and county-level organizations can authorizer charter The children — seven boys and one girl — walked off meanor cases. schools, we found students had lower achievement while a plane in Nashville last week with their new mom Hay- “Our compensation rates are outrageous and unconscio- attending nonprofi t-authorized schools,” Zimmer said. ley Jones and were greeted with hugs from their new nable,” defense attorney Patrick McNally told the Tennes- “Students attending state-authorized charter schools did no father Mike Jones and brothers Tyler and Tucker. sean last week. “It makes attorneys want to move cases and better or worse than students authorized by other authoriz- The children’s arrival comes three years after the move them fast. That incentive to conclude cases is not ers, including district-authorized schools.” Thompson’s Station family began the process of adopt- good for defendants.” The results of his study will be published in a forthcoming ing the children.