- Week 1:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/27/vanderbilt-led-nasa-satellite-mission-enters-implementation-phase/
- On January 27th, the Deputy News Editor Katie wrote an article on Vanderbilts $42 million dollar NASA supported satellite mission that is dedicated to the study of ice cloud formation. There are many different aspects that go into this such as: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have been gathering materials for this project while another team, Blue Canyon Technology, builds the two spacecrafts necessary for their estimated launch that is predicted to happen in 2027. The entire point of this mission began to help scientists and humanity gain a better understanding of Earth’s dynamic atmosphere.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/25/vumc-heart-transplant-program-surpasses-2000-procedures-sets-world-record/
- On January 25th, a Staff Writer Salma wrote about VUMC (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) and how their heart transplant program had surpassed 2,000 procedures which set a world record. VUMC had performed a record breaking number of 174 adult and pediatric heart transplants in just this past year.
- Week 2:
- Undergraduate email services will transition from Google to Microsoft this summer
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/02/02/undergraduate-email-services-will-transition-from-google-to-microsoft-this-summer/
- the school feels this change from Google to Microsoft will be a change that simplifies email flow and unifies users. The main reason for the change is the the university feels that the word uses Office products, therefore they’d like their students and staff to be use to using them so it’s not a shock, but also so that way they are comfortable using it. They also starting switching over the google profiles for current students and faculty members so there wasn’t a mix of Google and Microsoft accounts
- Stop Campus Hazing Act signed into law, mandates reporting of hazing specifics
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/02/04/stop-campus-hazing-act-signed-into-law-mandates-reporting-of-hazing-statistics/
- One of the fraternities on campus are facing penalties due to hazing while other students shared concerns for the hazing that is seen in the Greek Life on campus. Joe Biden had signed for a law to be put in place banning all hazing for any campus and for certain papers to be put in place regarding the specific rules for each fraternity as well as places to file any hazing acts that do happen. There is also a platform Fizz where students anonymously can post anything and many students talked about hazing that included forced alcohol consumption, physiological abuse and sexual assault
- Week 3:
- Mayfield Lodges to close until 2025-26 academic year, residents relocated
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/02/18/mayfield-lodges-to-close-until-2025-26-academic-year-residents-relocated/
- One of the residential halls, Mayfield Lodge, had to be close until the following school year due to citating issue with heating and hot water facilities, making it unable to be in living conditions for students. There were mixed feelings with this from the residents and the Ra’s housed here. Students were frustrated because they felt as if they had been evicted with very short notice and it was right before another snow storm so they felt they should have waited until after the snow storm to finish. The RA’s felt it was best to keep students safe as they were aware that every week there were serious concerns with complaints they had to file with the water and heating, so they are happy everyone will have a better living situation in terms of safety and are understanding as to why it happened. Other students are sort of excited for another building that will have better facilities.
- Students express frustration with VandyRides shuttle service, miscommunication in the VandySafe app
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/02/15/students-express-frustration-with-vandyrides-shuttle-service-miscommunication-in-the-vandysafe-app/
- multiple students have filed complaints due to being left stranded and having to walk home in the middle of the night as well as in freezing temperatures. Students have expressed how there are supposed to be two vans yet there only seems to be one, when waiting for a bus the bus drivers tell them that isn’t a bus stop route even on the map it says it is and then they proceed to drive away, the bus is supposed to go until a certain time but they often stop running before they are supposed to. One student claims they have to walk a scary route due to there being no bus and that results in them having to walk through a psychiatric unit, a smoke shop, a gas station where there are often shootings, and big groups of homeless people. Many students voice their concern about their safety when having to walk rather than having the bus, but also having to go through the cold temperatures. Students also have said if they are under time constraint they don’t even bother trying to wait for a bus they just walk because they know it’s unreliable.
- Week 4:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/11/08/students-receive-racist-texts-similar-texts-reported-nationwide/
- Black students on campus as well as “nationwide” were receiving racist text messages telling them they’ve been selected as a “slave” or they have been chosen as that persons “cotton picker” and there were following texts giving students instructions on where a van would pick them up. Authorities on campus as well as city authorities were reported to with the campus delivering a statement to let the students know they were doing everything they can to track these people down as well as letting the students know despite the messages they are wanted on campus and cared for and to not listen to the messages. The students that received the texts said they found it disgusting and felt it was politically related.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/10/31/breaking-body-found-outside-25th-avenue-parking-garage/
- AN undergraduates body was found outside a parking garage on campus. There wasn’t much information on who it was or what happened. Students gave statements that were there on the scene, were next to the body, what it was like being at the scene, etc. The school sent out condolences to friends and family of the victim as well as reminding everyone of mental health resources on campus and off campus.
- Week 5:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/01/22/breaking-two-shot-in-antioch-high-school-shooter-no-longer-threat/
- There was a school shooting at Antioch High school which is nearby Vanderbilt. The 17 year old male shooter Solomon Henderson, shot two females, one of them being 16 year old Josselin Corea Escalante who passed due to a fatal gunshot wound. The other female, as well as another male student who received a facial injury (not due to gunshots) were rushed to the hospital – along with the deceased victim. Both those students were reported to be in stable condition. The shooter, after shooting the two females (killing one of them), then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. The schools were on lockdown and this story was being periodically updated as more information was revealed.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/12/27/a-ray-of-light-vanderbilt-community-remembers-alumna-alyssa-lokits/
- Vanderbilt remembers alumni Alyssa Lokits for #runforalyssa. Lokits graduated with a neuroscience degree and she was 34 years old at the time of her death. Lokits was an avid runner and on one of her runs in Mill Creek Greenway Nashville. Lokits was on her run when suspect, Paul S. Park allegedly followed her at a brisk pace before pulling her into an overgrown area. Parks allegedly tried to rape her, and people passing by heard a woman scream “Help! He’s trying to rape me!” before immidietly hearing gunshots that followed her screams for help. Police were able to catch the suspect due to a car at the scene having a dashcam and catching Parks following Lokits before running back to his car where he was covered in scratches and blood. Vanderbilt remembers this tragedy that happened to their alumni in their annual run to commemorate her.
- Week 6:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/02/early-decision-acceptance-rate-drops-to-13-2-for-class-of-2029/
- Early decision rates for the incoming class of 2029 drop to 13.2% which is a 2% decrease from the following year. The increase of students deciding early decision shows the commitment that students have to Vanderbilt their number 1 choice, therefore it’s a positive benefit for the school as a whole. Not only are they a good school, but so many students are willing to commit themselves right away if they get accepted. With the rates dropping, it takes away that opposite impact and says the opposite for the school unfortunately.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/14/vanderbilt-recognized-as-fulbright-top-producing-institution-for-2024-25-academic-year/
- Vanderbilt was recognized as a Fulbright top producing institution for the academic school year after 19 Vanderbilt students received Fulbright awards to travel to 10 different countries across the world. This scholarship provides “a global cultural exchange program that allows students, academics, artists and professionals to study, conduct research, teach English or pursue other projects abroad”. In this program, they award about 9,000 scholarships and partner up with about 160 different countries to “promote mutual understanding and the exchange of knowledge”.
- Week 7:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/02/24/senate-alleges-4-9-million-in-vanderbilt-and-vumc-nsf-funded-research-as-promoting-far-left-ideology/
- Senate alleges $4.9 million in Vanderbilt and VUMC NSF-funded research as promoting ‘far-left ideology’. U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a database on Feb. 11 flagging 3,483 National Science Foundation grants awarded during the Biden-Harris administration toward “questionable projects” allegedly promoting diversity, equity and inclusion or advancing “neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda.” There has been an estimated over $2.05 billion in funding. the goal of the database is to influence cuts to grant funding allocated by NSF in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders to limit DEI initiatives and research funding. The database flags each grant as relating to social justice, race, gender and/or environmental justice. The majority of Vanderbilt’s grants fall under the social justice category — with 17 individual and collaborative grants totaling $3.9 million.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/31/department-of-education-investigates-vanderbilt-for-alleged-race-based-discrimination-under-phd-project/
- Vanderbilt is one of 45 schools under investigation over its ties to the PhD Project, a program that supports underrepresented students through mentorship and access to business studies. They are investigating 45 universities, including Vanderbilt, for their alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act via their participation in the PhD Project program. Through its partnerships with universities and corporations, the PhD Program aims to help underrepresented students earn PhDs in business and gain access to mentorship. A student states she was one of 15 students in her program and had never even heard of this so called program and knows it has not helped her in any way or even impacted her or any of her fellow students in her program.
- Week 8:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/04/05/former-student-files-lawsuit-against-university-alleging-false-arrest/
- A former student had been sent on a leave of absence due to his academic standing not being within expectations of the school. The former student also was being charged of domestic violence against his now ex-girlfriend who is a current student at Vanderbilt. Following all of this, the student claims he was falsely arrested twice by campus security for trespassing. He claims he had permission by security themselves that he was aloud to be on campus (after he specifically asked them) to attend school games. At the gate they never told him to go home when he handed them his ticket, they allowed him in and then arrested him while he was trying to go to other games on different days before handing in his tickets. While trying to sort out his academics with the schools, allegedly the officers told the employees to stall him so they could arrest him, which they ended up doing while he was trying to sort out coming back to school after they relieved him of his absence.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/28/students-share-concerns-about-future-ice-presence-no-agents-reported-on-campus/
- Students are frustrated that their friends who are not legal citizens, and ones who are but were born in other countries, have to be scared now to make sure they have their documentation on them at all times or to make sure they stay out of the way so they aren’t arrested by ICE now that they can come on school and church properties.
- Week 9:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/22/friends-remember-vanderbilt-alumna-sarah-lee-best-after-potomac-river-american-airlines-crash/
- Sarah Lee Best was one of two Alumni that tragically died in the Potomac River American Airlines Crash. There were over 60 people on that flight and the 3 soldiers on the Black Hawk plane that they crash into – all gone.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/27/electrical-outage-leaves-main-campus-and-vumc-without-power/
- There was a campus wide power outage that left most dorms, specifically freshmen dorms, with almost no light. The power outage occurred after 8 pm which set most students back as they couldn’t see, their phones and computers were dying, most people didn’t have a flashlight access due to phones dying and not having a physical flashlight, and no way to complete work. The dining hall was also forced to close since they lost power which left students needing to leave campus to get food, have light, and charging ports for their electronics to get their assignments done.
- Week 10:
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2025/03/27/frist-center-for-autism-and-innovation-implements-sensory-boxes-across-campus/
- These sensory boxes have been added to provide students with a distraction free work space. The boxes are available to all students, but they were specifically created for those with sensory processing disorders who are particularly vulnerable to sensory triggers, including motion, sound and lights. Only a select few places around campus have approved the boxes, but they are working on more floor managers around campus to approve them and approve more of them being made available for the students use. The benefits that these boxes can provide for all students, but especially students with sensory issues and ones that are easily distracted by every day life around them, it can greatly improve their academic success.
- https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/11/12/water-main-break-causes-flooding-water-outages/
- A main water break occurred on main street which many students reported. This resulted in the school informing the students to halt in using many of the water facilities. Students were told to avoid doing their laundry, to not use water fountains, sinks, toilets, or showers. Students who needed to eat or drink could go to the commons or the dining hall, the athletic and wellness building had showers students could use and they needed to bring toiletries and towels. Toilets were available around campus. The town said they could have it fixed overnight, so luckily, the inconvenience students would have was only temporary.
- Presentation:
- https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19OMUN6J0dmEryQJVW9Pscx0oVcj7iRpjfIHU_6fJ47s/edit#slide=id.g35691bb1792_0_96
- https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19OMUN6J0dmEryQJVW9Pscx0oVcj7iRpjfIHU_6fJ47s/edit#slide=id.g35691bb1792_0_84
