@bernie12 Thanks for clarifying - I was perplexed when I did infer your disagreement with the changes, as I know your views don’t tend to do so! You bring up interesting points, and the Duke comparison seems to be the most compelling parallel. Only time will tell. But as a Vandy alum to be, I can say that I don’t intend to donate to Vanderbilt in future unless they do start to move in this more academic and intellectual direction as I feel they ought to, because there are elements of the culture that I think the administration takes a rather weak stance on, unshakable Greek life not the least among them.
If you want a fraternity culture AND top academics with a stimulating culture, tough. I really don’t think the two mix very well, frankly, and the campus does feel stratified (albeit ostensibly) between Greeks and non. The abundance of smart but not overly intellectual people tends to weaken the common denominator of learning in smaller seminar style courses and larger classes at CAS alike I’ve found, which I think is an enormous shame. It’s not always the case, of course, but two of my classes this last year had a disappointingly low caliber of discussion and quality of debate. Maybe this is the first step in changing that, by reworking the image and brand first. And bringing up a new generation of wealthy alumni who won’t stop donating just because their frats and sororities were booted from campus.
I think Vanderbilt is also in need of a logo change - I wish we had a more sophisticated crest of sorts, like the Ivies and Rice, Washu and Northwestern all seem to, an elegant design to replace the V with the acorn leaf motif. But that’s a separate issue I guess…