The Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) Senate will discuss a bill opposing Vanderbilt Football’s potential move to an off-campus football stadium at their meeting on Wednesday.
Vice Chancellor and athletic director David Williams will attend the meeting at 8 PM to give an update on the proposal and answer questions from the Senate and the student body. Students who wish to hear more and address Williams should arrive at 7:45.
The meeting will take place in the Board of Trust room in the Student Life Center.
According to VSG Senate speaker Molly Gupta, Williams has asked VSG to produce a statement reflective of their stance on the stadium issue in order to guide the university’s decision-making process in advance of their presentation to the Metro Council.
While the bill will be made public with its exact wording on Monday night, Gupta said the sentiments will reflect VSG’s stance on the issue.
“We support the construction of a soccer stadium and hope that Nashville gets awarded a franchise expansion, but we do not want a majority or all of our football games moved in the future as a result,” Gupta told The Hustler.
According to VSG president Jami Cox, if the bill is passed, it will serve as a statement from the student body on the issue and will be presented to the administration.
Gupta said that the general public and graduate students will be allowed to attend so long as they maintain decorum, but priority in addressing Williams will go to the undergraduate students in attendance.
After the Senate and students in attendance ask their questions, the bill will be formally presented and debated.
UPDATE (11:00 AM Tuesday): VSG has officially released the initial resolution they will introduce at Wednesday’s Senate meeting.
The resolution expresses support for an MLS franchise and new stadium in Nashville, but cautions against Vanderbilt’s involvement if it means playing football games off-campus.
“…playing home games on Vanderbilt campus is essential to preserving the atmosphere of college football, which is a critical component of the fan experience, and the relocation of a majority or all of home football games to an off-campus stadium would damage this atmosphere,” the resolution reads in part.
The resolution may change before it is voted on if amendments are introduced during the meeting.
Read the full resolution here:
[aesop_document type=”pdf” src=”https://vanderbilthustler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/17-18-06-Resolution-Regarding-the-Construction-of-the-MLS-Soccer-Stadium.pdf” caption=”The VSG resolution to be introduced tomorrow opposing football games played off campus. “]
