My Commons Life

News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here

Alexis Pramberger

Top 5 Ways to Productively Procrastinate on Finals

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5)Catch up with a visions group member on the 21st bridge.

“Hey it’s Banana Bonnie!” you exclaim while crossing the 21st bridge to the library, You might be late to meet your calc study buddy, but hey, college is about maintaining old connections right? At least ask them something about the frisbee team they mentioned briefly a semester ago so that you still have something fruitful to discuss.

4)Apply for the exec board for orgs of which you were sort of a member.

You may have only been a member who tried when they could, but you may as well give it a go. Sometimes we find motivation for an organization when we A)have a job to do ad B)are forced to reflect on the experience more, rendering the application process a great way to appreciate an org.

3)Look up plane ticket prices to places you ~might~ go over the summer.

What if you took the first week in July off from working at a relative’s firm and plant yourself in the middle of Germany? You might not have any money nor language experience in German, but wouldn’t it be an adventure? The cost is the only thing keeping you down.

2)Breath in the gorgeous, pollen-laiden air.

Our throats may be scratchy for it but by golly you want to breath in the rich and warm air of the days we’re having. Enjoy the weather you expected of Nashville by basking in the sun, ofoing to centennial for a pokemon raid, or playing with a dog you find on the sidewalk. A moment of gratitude can put you into a great mental space.

1)Take a 4 hour nap to restore and rejuvenate the soul.

At some point you might crash, and you should let yourself do this. It’s been a heckin’ long semester which has worn on you for almost the last 4 months straight. Sleep has tremendous benefits to mental health, physical health and memory function in the brain, so you probably will be better for it than if you haphazardly stared at your work, ready to collapse.

Top Five-Bucket List for the Semester’s End

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1.Bask in the warmth and glory of Vandy Spring.

You have, in fact, made it to this point in your college career at Vanderbilt. Take a minute to celebrate that by packing a lunch with your friends, grabbing a blanket, cards and a guitar, and heading to Wyatt or the Lower Quad for the afternoon. The two times I’ve done this put me in a state of insane peace of mind and appreciation (two things we don’t get a lot at Vanderbilt).

 

2.Drop yourself into the map and explore.

Nashville is a cultural hub for more than just country music! Take an afternoon to put yourself somewhere you’ve barely been (12 South, Five Points, and Bicentennial park are a few places to start), then find your new favorite thrift store or soda shop. Not every college student gets to explore a brand new student friendly city like we do.

 

3.Cross it off your bucket list.

You’ve probably put off a college activity for a few months now. Whether it be swing dancing, finally checking out Greek row, or taking an artsy photo shoot, schedule time for that experience. As Shia Labeouf once said, “Don’t let your dreams be dreams!”

 

4.Do something distinctly “Vandy”.

Still haven’t tried a rand cookie or brookie yet? Deterred by the incredible line at Bowls and intimidated by Chili’s? Never been to Ranhas? Before you leave it this year, go out of your normal routine and check out the memes for themselves. While your here, you may as well get the true Vanderbilt experience.

 

5.Give genuine thanks.

How often do you tell someone how much you truly appreciate them, and not just in the short term? Take a moment to let someone, be it a friend, professor, parent or significant other, know how they helped you through the wildly messy, stressful late nights and long days at Vanderbilt. We’ve all gotten help along the way; the least we can do is give a little gratitude.

 

Top 5 Retro Nashville Location to Blast You to the Past

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5. The Hip Zipper

https://www.hipzipper.com/

Hip Zipper is a slightly more reasonably priced vintage shop which offers an even wider variety of dated clothing. From Bowie-esque sunglasses to floral overalls and daredevil onesies, this critically acclaimed shop offers a surprise in every corner.

4. Brentwood Skate Center

http://brentwood.skatecenter.comWant to reconnect with your parents jiving generation while speeding uncontrollably down colorfully lit dance floor? Then Brentwood roller skating rink is for you! Engage in an activity which has spanned decades of American cultural history while feeling like a little kid just 15 minutes from campus.

3. Robert’s Western World

HOME

Looking for a true old-timey nashville feel? Go to Robert’s Western World and get an authentic country experience. If you want to go, schedule your trip for an afternoon since the doors close at 6pm for anyone under 21! Still, with no cover, this place place is a hidden gem to newbies on the Nashville scene.

2. Smack

https://www.facebook.com/smackclothing/

Smack is a local 70s and 80s vintage store with an overwhelming amount of style and sequins. Although pricey, if you’re willing to spend a little extra you can get all the roller skating outfits, neon jackets and bedazzled bras you want. Still, if you’re like me, you might just roam through this museum-like store in awe instead.

1. The Soda Shop

http://thesodaparlor.com/

Located in Five Points Nashville, the Soda Parlor offers a vintage soda parlor experience with the modern twist of being in a mason jar. Besides sweet creamy drinks, the parlor offers small batch sodas and a variety of (free) vintage arcade games to play.

Common Connect: Campus Resources Now 3 Minutes Away

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This semester, I pursued my passion for mental health resources on campus by joining VSG’s Health and Wellness Committee. Especially with the transition of mental health care at Vanderbilt to the University Counseling Center system, many students–including myself–have been concerned by First-year’s current accessibility to campus resources. Beyond meeting an ambitious group of my peers on this committee, I began to realize the potential for VSG to initiate change on campus, even on the committee level. Recognizing that First-years may not know where resources are located or may want a more discrete way to be exposed to certain resources, a VSG subcommittee, lead by Senior Rachel Smith, answered the call, choosing to initiate a satellite program for these resources now known as “Commons Connect”.

This is Rachel Smith, leader of the Commons Connect Initiative.

“In an early meeting last semester, the idea dawned on us not only to have the CSW present on Commons, but other resources as well. My mind immediately jumped to the Office of LGBTQI Life, because I personally found support from the director, Chris Purcell, early in my college career. We began to assemble a list of offices we thought could be represented on The Commons, and we plan for it to grow in the coming semesters. Countless meetings later, we have the framework for a consistent locale for first-year students to find members of their support system.”

Smith has found her own support system within the campus resources at Vanderbilt and hopes that other First-year will have same exposure to the communities that she did as an underclassman. After months of work and coordination with various resource directors, Smith and her team have completed an initiative many have waited years for.

“Saying more about my experience with Chris Purcell, it is important to find people who push you. To pick yourself up after you fall, to create better conditions for yourself, to be fair to yourself and others. Sometimes, it takes that special person to get you to listen. I want everyone to find their Chris. Maybe your Chris will be that sweet girl you remember meeting in summer Gen Chem, or the compassionate French professor who asks you how you’re doing during office hours and truly means it. Vanderbilt is hard. Being a student here is physically and psychologically taxing. Building your support network is crucial for more than your success- it is critical for your wellbeing. First-years, I hope that you can use Commons Connect as a way to do just this.”

You are welcome to bring any topic you like for discussion, and this service is available to everyone! Consultations will be held on a first come, first served basis and take place in Room 216 (the Study Lounge next to the writing center) in Commons Center.

Current Representatives working with Commons Connect:

Center for Student Wellbeing: Thursdays, 1:00 pm – 2:45 pm

LGBTQI Life: Wednesdays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center: Tuesdays, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Project Safe: Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Note: There will likely be expansions of the services offered and their availability in future semesters.

Article co-authored with Rachel Smith.

 

MCL Top 5: Add Some Quirkiness to Your Weekend

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At this point in the year, many of us first years have gotten stuck in a regular Saturday routine, partaking in frat culture, going to see a movie, or dining at mellow mushroom. The adventures and new experiences of first semester are now the new normal, but do you ever question what else might be out there?

Escape your normal routine this week and try out some of these random and memorable Nashville experiences for yourself!

 

5.Swing Dance Nashville

https://swingdancenashville.com/

Swing Dance Nashville keeps the spirit of the 1920s and 1950s alive with big band music and an old-timey flair that’s contagious. Once you know the Lindy Hop (a form of swing) which you can learn 8-9pm on Fridays, you are all set to dance around the open hall from 9pm-12pm. The dance floor features everyone from true beginners to wildly talented professionals and is truly a mesmerizing blast from the past.

 

4.Studio Goddess

https://www.studiogoddess.com/

Studio Goddess is a female-centered workout studio with a profound twist. Dive head first into their unique fitness classes which include Stiletto Cardio, Aerial performance (including silks and the aerial ring), and Pole Dancing. Pay for a class and see how you like it, or get a starter pack and try everything this bold and fun studio has to offer!

 

3.Station Inn

https://stationinn.com/

If you still haven’t felt like you’ve gotten to the heart of Nashville yet, then the Station Inn is for you. Loaded with the history and culture of Bluegrass and Roots music, this humble venue features some of the most talented musicians I’ve ever heard. You certainly don’t have to be a Country music fan to appreciate the energy and atmosphere surrounding these performers.

 

2.Grimey’s Record

http://www.grimeys.com/

Grimey’s Record store not only contains some of the most unique records in Nashville; it is also home to regular pop-up, intimate in-store concerts. If you’re into records of music beyond what the Honky Tonks offer, then Grimey’s is the place for you.

 

1.Adventure Science Center

http://www.adventuresci.org/

While most of us are at least legal adults now, we all deserve to release our inner child at some point this semester! Invite Pre-med. and Russian Lit. students alike to be amazed by interactive displays, planetarium shows, and virtual reality. The Adventure Science Center is sure to be a brilliant and vibrant way to spend a Saturday!

 

Image links: https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/swing-dance-nashville-1

https://plus.google.com/100809616275291806076

http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/nashville-tn/bars/the-station-inn

Music City Landmarks #6—Grimey’s New and Preloved Music

https://inandaroundnashville.com/place/adventure-science-center/

Perspective; Even Pre-med Students Should Explore Academically

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This is Alex Luckerman.

(image from the hustler)

“I came into college thinking that my passion was education but upon further thought I realize I didn’t want to teach and I didn’t really know what else to do with that, so I’m kind of at a point where I just want to explore, and that’s all I really feel like is certain at this point.

So right now I’m taking Neuroscience, ugh, a computer science class, a class called mind and brain which is about cognitive neuroscience–I did not really know that getting into it, but I thought it was cool so I stayed– the intro seminar for Peabody scholars which is on creativity and an English class on representative american writers… and intro French, because I took it in high school and I forgot everything despite having been in it for 5 years…”

His Plentiful Interests

Honestly I would take classes in pretty much everything we have here with the exception of maybe like, really theoretical math classes and anything in business, (it just) isn’t that interesting to me. But otherwise, all of the sciences, like chemistry, biology and physics were just so interesting to me in high school…I also really, want to take classes in philosophy, I took intro to ethics last semester, and it was easily my favorite class, with my class on justice just behind it. And neither of those pertain to anything I’m going to show up with on my diploma when I leave here, but they were just so, cool.

I like thinking about how different social structures work, and what it means to be human, and all these really deep questions that I feel like a lot of students here don’t really feel like they have the time to pause and think about, because they’re too busy trying to go down a specific path toward a career, or they’ve managed to isolate one thing that they’re really passionate about, that they can just pursue.

His Recommendation?

I’m really fortunate that as a cognitive studies major with a good number of AP credits transferring in that I have just a bunch of freedom that I can just explore. I understand that not everyone is going to be able to do the same sort of random class taking that I am lucky enough to be able to do, especially if they’re pre-med, and want to do a double major in whatever crazy stuff people are up to around here.

 But, when they get the chance, I think it’s really mind-opening to just be able to take a class that you wouldn’t otherwise be studying and just give you a moment to take your mind away from the very specific path that you might have chosen… you’re, sort of forced to choose when you choose a major, and actually explore the broader intellectual world around you. There’s a unique opportunity to do that at college that you’re gonna struggle to find anywhere else, especially for the time to do.”

A down-to-earth look at the busiest First year on commons

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This is Gabrielle Blackburn.

Her response to hearing about the random events on campus most of us ignore?

“Oh that’s really cool, let me try that. Oh that really cool, let me do that. And so i have a

tendency to get veryinvolved very quickly...Tango club’s on my calendar. It doesn’t mean I go every week, because sometimes it’s not in the cards. But, because I wanted to learn how to dance tango, I do these things because it makes me happy.

The Google Calendar

“So you know how the background is white, and then the default things you add are blue? Its like 90% blue. Yea,  the only white is between 11pm and 9am. But, I’m okay with that… it changes week to week… I’ve been trying to keep it all in my head but there’s like no way…  so i actually started using (an agenda) and it changed my life.

I switched to google calendar so I can see everything… it’s all in my phone, so if someone like, when are you free?, I can say, Monday at 7… scheduling things, and being intentional about how you use your time. If being in all these things is what you want then you have to be willing to make sacrifices of things you consider less important.

Is it for you?

I don’t think you should try to cram yourself full or join 8 billion clubs just to join 8 billion clubs. I was talking about this with someone earlier and she said There’s no need to have a resume which can bench press the weight of all your hopes and dreams. There’s not reason to fill up your time if that’s not what you want you want to do and is going to make you satisfied.

I am not someone who watches Netflix, but some people like having an hour of just chill watching a show in their day. It has to do with what fulfills you; what you can reasonably do and still be a functioning human being, because that’s also really important

(Gabrielle then laughed) 

Because sometimes I forget that too.

There’s no point in being in every club if you’re not present, its not meaningful to you… It’s better even just from a resume standpoint. It’s better to have something that you’re invested in rather than something to check another box, take up another line.

How to Juggle a full google calendar, friendships and self

 

Taking a moment

So I’m trying to be very intentional about it (self care). Today I stopped doing my work, took a long shower, did a face mask. It was like, okay, I feel better.

I feel like that’s my biggest form of self care, when like, I mess up, when i forget somethings, when I let someone down. I try not to beat myself up over it; I’m like, okay this is what i have to do next time to be successful… I’d say improvement is growth.

Eating

Life hack: schedule meals with people. ‘Cuz then you get to see friends you wouldn’t see otherwise and someone holds you responsible for making sure you don’t forget to eat. You have to eat anyway, so you may as well make it friendship time.

One of my friends has all her social media in her phone in a folder, its called time wasters and i love that…. Its not a replacement for real interaction  with people. So if I’m gonna having fulfilling, full friendships its not going to be liking everyone’s Instagram post, its gonna be texting “hey when are you free for lunch this week”. So i have a running list of people in my phone of people I want to eat food with in the near future and I thought I was the only one… (she is not; I myself have one).

Friendships

If a friendship is important, you’ll make time for it. And this is a side note, but I’m not going to put effort into spending time with people who don’t want to put an effort into spending time with me…. It’s okay to let something go if that friendship isn’t meaningful and the other person isn’t willing to meet in the middle. I’d rather focus on..those really good people that  add things to my life. It’s the same thing as like having a resume that can… there’s no point in having a resume that is miles long but not deep. So I feel the same way about friendships as I do about that.

Sleep

Its easy to fool yourself, like yea I’m doing fine, or lie to yourself and be like yea, 5 hours of sleep is plenty of sleep for me. So if you have something objective telling you (she showed me an app she uses), like, no you only slept this much last night, that was dumb. THAT’S helpful.

I am a person who needs more than average amount of sleep to function, like some people are good on 6 hours a night; I am not one of those people, but I’ve also recognized that, so sometimes I have to say no i cant go out tonight, like, rain check, next time I’ll go out, but tonight I need to take care of myself.

Journaling

I try to journal because if I just go go go go go, I don’t have time to process all the things that are happening, and when its things that involve my relationships with other people, I want to work through everything in my head, and so physically writing it down forces me to  actually think about it, because if I just do it mentally, its like, okay THAT’S done, even if I didn’t actually work on myself… 

Efficiency

I found out in High school that if I wanted to keep doing all the things I was doing -(like not die of not sleeping)- if i wanted to keep that level of involvement, I had to maximize my efficiency. Its such a nerdy thing, it sounds so dumb, but choosing if I want to be able to be apart of this organization, if I want to work on this show, I need to not watch Netflix. I need to not be on my phone that dead time between classes; I need to be working on my stats homework instead of just sitting there on my phone until the professor shows up.

Growing

I’d like to think I’m pretty self aware… we’re in this time of transition, becoming real adults. (I’m) working on that process of being more responsible and taking care of myself.

I’m also optimistic to a fault, so sometimes I’m like yea, yea I can do 4 things in 1 evening, and I get to the first one, and I’m like I’m going to go home, and do my homework as soon as possible and go to sleep. This GBM for something isn’t… i can prioritize something else, I can prioritize my own health.

Her final message

“I believe in everybody. I believe in you you can do it.”

An Environmentalist’s View

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This is Charlie Fabricant.

Turning Point

“Going into freshmen year of highs school that summer, I went with a teen tour backpacking in northern California. It’s the kinda thing where you have no phones for three weeks, you got 3 showers in 3 weeks which is fun because everyone smelled bad (Charlie giggles), but I saw some absolute beautiful things, like we woke up at 4am to summit a mountain at sunrise, and we went hiking for miles along this hidden beach untouched by people, and I grew up like on the east coast less than a mile from the beach so I spent a lot of time at the beach, but there was something totally different about this natural beach, with sea lions lying about, this beautiful forest above the cliff, and something clicked at that moment, like, wow, nature’s beautiful. There have been some gorgeous pieces of human art too, but there’s something amazing about the natural world and how magnificent it can be even though it just like kinda formed and nobody really designed it, (its) just how it is.”

Practice what you Preach

“Some people are absolutely amazing with it, like they do every single thing they can… I’m still like a normal person-that’s the wrong way to say it… the average consumer who tries to take all the little steps. I try to take quick showers and not use too much hot water.. Or if I see bottle pick it up and put it in the recycling bin, research…. To make sure the factory is sustainable.”

Companies and the Enviroment

“This little company I found based out of Philadelphia thats really cool, the company called united by blue, and their whole…mission is for every product they sell, they take a pound out of a waterway.”

“Google and amazon are moving to make all their factories completely solar; they’re trying to cover all their factories and storage houses in solar… so the amount of energy they use now, produces a lot of carbon dioxide, so the fact that they are moving to use solar even tho its only one company, actually makes a big difference.”

 

Humans of the Commons Expanded: The Celiac Saga

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Based on an interview with Valerie Kraft.

“Okay, everything revolves around food. Like everything. You think about every college event; How do they get you to come? There’s gonna be food. It’s a very big part of american culture, because we’re Americans, it’s what we do.”

What is Celiac disease?

“So Celiac, (is not) an allergy but it’s … an autoimmune disorder, and if I eat the things (gluten), I don’t have an allergic reaction; I have an autoimmune reaction which means my body just, like, kills itself. And because gluten is what I can’t eat a lot of times people just think ~ “trendy”~ but it’s not. You know on one hand i’m really grateful to those people because that’s why i can go to munchie mart and get gluten free chicken nuggets from the freezer.. and it’s like thank y’all for making a market for this…  but it’s really annoying when you have to tell people that no, this is really serious and you have to take precautions and they’re like “yeah okay”…….. Like no, please.

Another thing is when you get diagnosed, they go, don’t eat gluten! And then they don’t tell you what that means! They don’t tell you what level… they don’t tell you any of that… I’m very lucky that I was able to connect with a (specialized) doctor… the doctor who diagnosed me was like, Bye. You’re done. Copay.”

Eyes Opened.

“You can say that my whole disease is a hoax, like people come and try to tell me their conspiracy theories… I’m grateful that that’s all it takes; it doesn’t take medicine or shots, you know what I mean?

You don’t realize how terrible the world is for people without allergies until you are one.”

You don’t realize how terrible labeling laws are, or how everything is food related, and how everything has gluten in it .. people think bread, but that also means no licorice, no licking envelopes, you have to be careful with your shampoo, and your makeup, and lotion and pickle juice, and drinks, and lemonade, and coffee… it’s literally everything.

There was a kid at my school who had this big peanut allergy and when he came to my school we had to get rid of our peanut butter and get sun butter and everyone was pissed… and it’s a bunch of 6 year olds, and we wanted our peanut butter… And they could have killed the kid, it’s not worth it!”

 

____The Industry_____, It’s a Trap!

“Halloween candy in general, the shapes don’t make any sense… Reese’s cups for example. The cups are gluten free but not any of the seasonal shapes; for example no hearts no pumpkins, trees, the wrapped minis are gluten free but not the unwrapped minis…

These are just rules you have to know on your own or you have to go on the updated-once-a-year glutenaway.com halloween candy list. Cuz you just have to know and like certain candies are only gluten free in certain countries like starburst are only gluten free in north america if you eat starburst in australia you’re in baaaad luck my friend.

There is no labeling consistency in america… Wheat is a top 8 allergen, gluten is not, there’s a lot more to gluten than just wheat. Something could not have that contain wheat, or have that contain wheat, and still it’s not gluten free. Like you can’t ever go by labeling, you can only go by labeling if you’re in the top 8 and even then that’s still pretty iffy.

There are a lot of products that are labeled gluten free in the american marketplace that are not labeled gluten free in other places because they recognize that they are not actually safe.”

 

Effect Beyond the Food.

“Till this day it try to, like, tape some candy to their (a friend’s) door or say have a nice day because people have gone out of their way to do nice things for me like that in life. You don’t really know all the details behind a person’s life… you just don’t know! And so i figured out that when someone’s “vagueing” about something going on in life, it’s usually a lot worse than they let on, and so I always try to just do something nice for people… because how many times has someone done something really little for you and still think about it to this day… the thing with the whole dietary restriction is you always have to be thinking about these sort of things… when you get good at picking on who else has dietary restrictions… you get good at picking up on a lot of things.

…Celiac and food allergies are a lot more common than you think. We’re more than that, we’re not just a food allergy… like you think of your friend, you think of doing social things and oh can they do that? …and a lot of times you’re hesitant to invite us to things, cuz we can’t eat… but we’re your friend before we’re — the allergy kid– so just invite us, and we’ll do what’s best for us… if we come and we get water, or the one allergy safe option of lettuce.

A lot of the time it’s easy for people to get into the *gasp you can’t eat thisss?!?!. We have allergies but we’re, like, y’all.”

 

Valerie Kraft (class 2021) is a leader for teen Celiac activists throughout country. She is also a self-proclaimed adrenaline junky, caretaker for friends, and advocate.