NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ When the Vanderbilt Commodores squared off on the gridiron against the University of Mississippi last September, members of both teams no doubt had on their most intimidating game faces. The scene was a contrast to just a day before, when Vanderbilt and Mississippi students congenially worked side by side at various volunteer sites around the Oxford, Miss., community.
The scene will be similar this year, though the setting different, as a contingent of University of Mississippi students travels to Nashville Aug. 29-30 to participate in the second "Sports and Service: A Winning Tradition." Organizers are pleased that the weekend of student fellowship and volunteerism has become an annual event.
"The tradition of bringing Vanderbilt and Ole Miss students together each fall is a meaningful time of building community both within and between our university communities," said Rana Husseini, program coordinator for Vanderbilt’s Office of Volunteer Activities and an organizer of the event. "As [the students] build relationships with one another through service, they learn the value of collaboration, as well as the excitement of collegiate competition on the football field."
On Friday, Aug. 29, two busloads of Mississippi students will arrive in Nashville and join approximately 100 Vanderbilt students at six service sites. Beginning at 4 p.m., the students will sort food items at the Second Harvest Food Bank and Nashville’s Feed the Children warehouse, prepare and serve meals at the Nashville Union Rescue Mission and the Campus for Human Development, perform grounds beautification at the Monroe Harding Children’s Home, do maintenance on the YMCA’s YCAP facility and campus improvement at Eakin Elementary School.
The students will share dinner at the service sites, then all will return to the Vanderbilt campus for the University’s annual Fall Festival, where two bands will perform on Alumni Lawn.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, the students will don their separate teams’ colors and convene at Vanderbilt’s Community Partnership House for a bagel breakfast before heading to Dudley Field to cheer on their respective teams. Kick-off for Vanderbilt’s season-opener against the University of Mississippi is at 11:30 a.m.
Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee and Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat will be on hand for activities throughout the weekend. The University of Mississippi students will depart Nashville following the game.
For more information about Vanderbilt athletics, visit http://vucommodores.com. For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the Vanderbilt News Service homepage at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news. Media Contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-NEWS kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu