UPDATED: This piece was updated at 2 p.m. CDT on Oct. 20 to include responses from VUPD, the university and the Office of Student Accountability. It was further updated at 11:10 p.m. CDT on Oct. 21 to include information about reprimands for Wesley Place residents.
Wesley Place residents were notified this morning by property management that outdoor gatherings—of any size and for any reason—on the rooftop of the complex are prohibited, effective immediately. Wesley Place has long been the site of tailgates before Vanderbilt football games.
Per the email obtained by The Hustler, the change comes as a result of violations of the complex’s health and safety protocols, policies and procedures that occurred during the Oct. 8 homecoming tailgate. These offenses left the rooftop of Wesley Place in an “unacceptable” condition, according to the email.
“There were reportedly hundreds of individuals on the rooftop, individuals climbing and sitting on the roof, individuals using the trash chute room as a restroom, and four DJs playing excessively loud music,” the email reads.
The email stated that these actions resulted in residents receiving lease and policy infractions. All units were notified in an Oct. 13 email obtained by The Hustler that they would be fined $20 each due to the amount of trash that had to be removed from the chute. The email stated that an additional $20 would be charged to each unit if the rooftop was not cleaned by Oct. 17 to cover the cost of a cleaning company. This additional fee was not charged, per senior and Wesley Place resident Martín Alemán.
“In the event that a resident instigates or attends an unauthorized gathering, we will strongly consider pursuing all legal remedies available to us against that resident, including eviction,” the policy change email reads.
A university representative told The Hustler that Wesley Place’s property management team is not affiliated with the university, despite the complex being a residence solely for Vanderbilt undergraduate students. The property is owned by Vanderbilt but is managed by a private real estate management team. According to the university representative, the university worked with the team to address the situation, which it said resulted in the change of the gathering policy. Furthermore, the email from the property management team states that the group is working with university departments to “decide on any further [preventative] action.”
“We encourage all our students to act responsibly and to follow the established health and safety policies of their residences whether on campus or off campus,” a university statement emailed to The Hustler reads.
Wesley Place did not immediately respond to The Hustler’s requests for comments. VUPD and Vanderbilt’s Office of Student Accountability declined to comment about what action the department can take against individuals—particularly non-residents and non-students—for potential violations during gatherings prior to Oct. 8 or future violations. Student Accountability cited that privacy laws bar the office from publicly discussing individual conduct matters, but that students are held responsible for actions that violate university policy.
“Through coordination with the management company, the university has access to the property’s security cameras and other systems (i.e., fire alarm systems and emergency blue light phones) in the interest of resident safety,” a statement emailed to The Hustler jointly written by Student Accountability and VUPD reads. “Vanderbilt University Public Safety does not use facial recognition technology. Vanderbilt students were identified through personal contact and security camera footage with the assistance of Vanderbilt staff and property management staff.”
Senior Ben Powdermaker, Interfraternity Council president, stated that IFC is asking its members to respect the new rules at Wesley Place. IFC fraternities often table at Wesley Place events. He declined to comment on whether IFC members have received Student Accountability violations relating to actions at Wesley Place.
This piece will be updated as more information becomes available.
