Quite the buzz has centered on the Ole Miss campus in recent days. First, two Saturdays ago Ole Miss was the site of Vanderbilt's winning football game, allowing Vanderbilt football to be ranked for the first time in 24 years. Then, this past Friday night, Ole Miss hosted the two presidential candidates for the first debate of this election. While on different scales, both events are historical - though perhaps the scales are tipped in football's favor amongst loyal Vanderbilt fans. The common location of the two events led me to wonder what, if anything, do they have in common?
Many may be unaware that in 2003 Vanderbilt completely did away with its athletic department, shocking the campus, the athletic community and the media. Everyone laughed. This was certainly the end of any hope Vanderbilt ever had of becoming a real competitor in the Southeastern Conference. But the administration at the time had a vision - a vision of athletes who did not live in an athletic world separate from the rest of campus and of an athletic program that was not a faction of the campus but instead tied directly to student life. The administration had a vision of a stronger, more cohesive Vanderbilt, and pursued that goal, staying true to course when others thought they'd lost their minds. It's never easy to make a difficult decision without support.
Today, five years later, they have all the support they could hope for, as the move has met the deepest hopes of the decision-makers and left the naysayers hiding in the corner. Vanderbilt is winning, and it's winning a lot. In 2007 the bowling team won the national championship and the baseball team was ranked No. 1. Former football quarterback Jay Cutler now starts for the Denver Broncos, while baseball stars David Price and Pedro Alvarez were top picks in the last two MLB drafts. Both men's and women's basketball were seeded No. 4 in last season's NCAA tournament. The football team started both the 2005 and 2008 seasons with a 4-0 record, with the Ole Miss game earning them the long-dreamed-of ranking. To top it off, they're all pretty smart, too. According to an article earlier this month in the New York Times, Vanderbilt's average student athlete GPA is 3.1 and the athlete graduation rate is a conference-best at 94 percent.
The presidential candidates were most likely unaware of the momentous event that had taken place at their debate site just a few days earlier. If they had known, however, they might find a lesson for themselves in Vanderbilt's win. Vanderbilt athletics were losing, and so is our country - our failing financial institutions, wars, deteriorating public education and partisan bickering are taking their toll. Vanderbilt made a bold move and chartered an unknown path. The old way wasn't working and it was time for a new one. People like to stay on an old path, even if it's broken, because it's familiar. We fear the unknown. Vanderbilt was mocked, but steadily stayed its course. Our country needs a new path - our old one is broken - and we need a leader. We need a leader with a vision for a way out and who will have the confidence to stay steady in the face of opposition. Bold moves and big decisions don't always pan out, that is part of the risk in taking a new path. The unforeseen is always an obstacle. We do know, with fair certainty however, that today's path is quickly leading nowhere. Vanderbilt is reaping the rewards of breaking from the pack, and I hope the next president will have the confidence to do the same.
Neily Todd is a senior in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at neily.p.todd@vanderbilt.edu.
