The Orbis

Issue date: 10/15/08 Section: News/Features

In a year when it is fashionable to belittle the importance of community organizations, Vanderbilt Students of Nonviolence is determined to prove the contrary. We are organizing students to resist injustice by utilizing the tactics and philosophy of ahimsa, or nonviolence. Far from being just another leftist letter writing campaign, VSN is committed to building a sustained activist infrastructure here in Nashville. Although we will take positions on national issues, our focus is local, as we feel that change must begin at home.

In keeping with that vision, VSN spends much of its energy organizing our community. That means developing leadership among the student body, networking and building relationships with power brokers in Nashville, and strategizing campaigns with the same dedication and discipline that underwrote successful social movements in our nation's past.

VSN understands the impact that college youth can have. Our access to resources and the hopeful attitude that characterizes our demographic is potential energy waiting to be expended in the cause of social justice. Our mission is to utilize that energy by reversing the culture of apathy many associate with Vanderbilt. In fact, we question the very foundation of the argument that students don't care. We have met far too many good-hearted individuals that have used that excuse as a reason for their own inaction. How can we expect others to act, when we do nothing? The only way to change the culture of the community is to first change ourselves.

This is not a pipe dream. Every year, Vanderbilt students demonstrate their commitment to the betterment of their community. We donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity. Our philanthropy is renowned and is a testament to our willingness to devote time and money to those in need. VSN hopes to make use of this good will, not through philanthropy, but through the support of social justice reform. While charitable donations are necessary, a full commitment to change requires that we address systemic problems, so that philanthropy is no longer needed. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."

Far from a radical concept, nonviolent reform has a history at Vanderbilt. Juniors and seniors will remember the Living Wage movement in 2006. A group of activist students organized to pressure the Vanderbilt administration to come to the table and drastically raise the wages of Vanderbilt's employees. This campaign succeeded in educating and energizing the student body, proving that we do have the environment necessary to sustain a social justice campaign.  Although the Living Wage campaign did not achieve an inflation-anchored living wage for Vanderbilt workers, they did help build an infrastructure necessary to continue the struggle for justice in Nashville. This year VSN has teamed up with the LIVE, the Living Income group, to advance the cause of fair wages for Vanderbilt workers. We are learning from their experience as we prepare for next year's contract negotiations.

Our main focus right now is supporting Nashville's taxi drivers, who are also organizing for higher wages. We intend to raise the consciousness of fellow students to the plight of the drivers whose services we often depend on. Hopefully, education will lead to action, and the Vanderbilt community will prove their capacity to come together in the cause of social justice.

If you are interested in getting involved or need more information, email vandynonviolence@gmail.com.

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