Soulja Boy Off In This Yo, Watch Me Crank It, Watch Me Roll!

Hello world! Here I am again, that Vanderbilt “Soulja Boy” Angelo, aka Vanderbilt Admissions Counselor, writing to offer you, the interested prospective, my weekly perspective of Vanderbilt culture and asking you to watch me crank it, watch me roll (as I do my three step to the side and then super man….now watch me yuuuaaa!) LOL! I feel like you’re judging me right now. But you have to admit that Crank that Soulja Boy is one of the hottest hip hop songs out right now! Hey wait a minute though, is it just me, or is the phrase ‘Vanderbilt Soulja Boy’ a complete oxymoron? LOL! Anyway, I digress!

So since we’re talking about hot songs out right now, another track that is pretty “tight”, as some might say, is the Cupid Shuffle! Uh oh, give me a second so that I can do my two step:

"To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right
To the left, to the left, to the left, to the left
Now kick, now kick, now kick, now kick
Now walk it by yourself, now walk it by yourself"

Now you better watch out because I was once a member of V.I.B.E., Vanderbilt’s premier hip-hop dance group, so if you let me I might start to dance it up! LOL! So at this point you’re probably thinking, “This dude Angelo is so random, what the heck is he talking about.” Well young grasshopper, don’t get discouraged. If you’re still reading this blog, then COME ON DOWN BECAUSE IT’S YOUR TURN TO PLAY BLOG CHAIN REACTION. The first connecting phrase in the chain is Crank that Soulja Boy and the last connecting word in the chain is Stompfest. Now you’re task Ms. or Mr. aspiring Vanderbilt student is to figure out how the two connect. Don’t worry…it will become fairly obvious by the end of reading this blog.

Anyway, so to continue on, I don’t know if any of you have seen the Cupid Shuffle music video, but Cupid has several NPHC fraternities and sororities included in his video and after I saw it this evening, I was motivated to write this blog. However, just so you know; the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is the national governing organization for the nine largest historically African American, intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternities and sororities in the US. They include:

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (1906)
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (1908)
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (1911)
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (1911)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (1913)
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (1914)
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (1920)
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (1922)
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (1963)

In addition to their commitment to community service and tackling social justice issues, most people know these African American Greek organizations because of an art form called stepping.

Now, if you’ve seen the movie Stomp the Yard that came out earlier this year in January 2007, then you have already seen an example of stepping. However, for my inquisitive friends out there who enjoy reading my brief history lessons, the next few sentences are for you. Stepping is a complex performance involving synchronized percussive movement, singing, speaking, chanting, and drama. In fact, it can be traced to cultural African dance traditions, specifically one called the "Gumboot Dance". With a focus on precise foot movements and hand-clapping, gumboots used dance as a means of strategic communication. However, in the U.S., stepping can be traced as far back as the 1920's and has evolved as a format of choice for NPHC organizations to display pride and is reproduced today in many African-American churches, schools, community groups, fraternities, and sororities, as well as Latino, Asian-American, and multicultural Greek-letter organizations (Thanks GSC!) In fact, thanks to the video media YouTube, you can see an example of stepping from Stomp the Yard (2007) by visiting the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxUznvxFy-4. You should know as a prospective student that the art form of stepping has not only become a strong part of NPHC tradition, but coming this week, this unique art form will find itself, once again, circulating throughout Vanderbilt culture.

HERE YE, HERE YE, ALL RISE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF STOMPFEST TO VANDERBILT’S CAMPUS! This Thursday, October 11 will be the 2nd annual Stompfest competition at Vanderbilt where IFC and Panhel organizations will get to show off the steps that their NPHC coaches have taught them. The members of our Greek community use Stompfest as an opportunity to show the unity that exists among Greeks on our campus and what is equally important is that the winning team has all of its winnings contributed to a philanthropy organization of its choice. So not only do Greeks get to participate in a fun activity, but they also get to give back to the community as well. This is yet another example of how Vanderbilt sees themselves as global citizens, but hey, I won't go there on this blog...maybe next time.

Well friends, this is the end of my blogging for right now, but this weekend is the big weekend – HOMECOMING WEEKEND – so I will definitely let you know how everything goes down, including the Kanye West and Guster concert. Be safe and happy college searching!!

PS> For those of you who are still lost regarding the connections of our Blog Chain Reaction game, just check out all of the bolded phrases and you’ll find the connection.

Gandhi What...Gandhi Who? Kind of like Jigga for Jay-Z, but not quite!

Yo, yo, yo people, this is your boy Angelo again from OUA giving you the low down on what’s up so that the side to side of the low down can get you up and excited with what’s down at Vanderbilt so that you know what’s good!! Now, if you can understand what the heck I was trying to say there, then you deserve free tuition to Vanderbilt because I’m struggling to understand that myself. Your analytical reasoning skills must be off the charts! Well, for those of you, including myself, who didn’t understand a word of what I was trying to say the first time, let me put my initial statement into a non-secular version for you. “Jolly ho and good day dear prospective, this is the Vanderbilt representative Angelo back again to offer serendipitous insight into Vanderbilt’s unknown cultural capital so that you may contextualize the offerings of our fair campus.” Umm yeah, I think that I prefer the first way too. LOL!

So, if you’re reading this third entry of my blog, then you are at least a bit intrigued of the campus culture that is Vanderbilt. So in keeping with tradition, a three blog tradition at this point I might add, I will enlighten you oh inquisitive one with more cultural offerings that can be found at Vanderbilt. Therefore, this entry should surely peak your interest! If you did not know, Vanderbilt is celebrating Gandhi Week this week to commemorate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Now I know that some of you are probably like, “Gandhi What…Gandhi Who?” You know, it’s kind of like Jigga for Jay-Z but not quite (that’s a rap song by the way for those of you who officially think that I’ve lost it). But if you don’t know, Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He has been called the pioneer of Satyagraha, a resistance movement grounded in non-violence, which led to the independence of India. He is called the “Father of the Nation” and is celebrated on his birthday each year on October 2nd worldwide (thanks Wikipedia for the history lesson). Random fact about Gandhi, but he actually was a lawyer that received his formal training in Britian. Who knew?

Now according to the VU Gandhi Week organizers, students at Vanderbilt will join other college campuses and cities, in a nationwide event that is known as “Be The Change”, to serve communities and engage in dialogue. The event draws individuals who are attracted to the values espoused by Gandhi and other leaders who devoted their lives to public service and engagement in their communities. The guest speaker for Gandhi Week this year will be Jenan Mohajir. Jenan is the Education Outreach Associate for the Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that strives to build mutual respect and pluralism among youth from different religious traditions. "The Legacy of Our Faith Heroes" is the topic of her speech for Gandhi Week. It will cover the stories of famous faith heroes, such as Gandhi, and how their lessons can be applied to building a religiously tolerant society. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion regarding 'Gandhian Philosophies and its relevance in the 21st Century,' which will include numerous speakers including Civil Rights activist and Vanderbilt alumnus Rev. James Lawson. Ghandi Week is in large part sponsored by the student group Masala-SACE (South Asian Cultural Exchange), however other campus sponsors include Project Dialogue, The Vanderbilt Divinity School, and the Office of Religious Life just to name a few. To find out more information about Gandhi Week or programming sponsored by Masala-SACE, check out their website at (http://studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/sace/).

Alllllrighty then (that's from ACE Ventura Pet Detective...do you remember that or am I getting old?) , I’m out until next time, but be safe and choose your colleges wisely!!

PS> Is anybody else excited that the Vanderbilt Football team is 3-1 after their win this weekend over Eastern Michigan 30-7…GO DORES!!