Vanderbilt welcomed admitted students from the Class of 2028 to campus on April 13 for Anchor Day, which coincided with MOSAIC Weekend for the first time. Current students, including Vanderbilt Divest Coalition members, protested at the weekend’s activities with posters, banners and marches. 

Each year, some admitted students are invited to Vanderbilt for a weekend through MOSAIC to shadow student hosts on Commons, learn about diversity on campus and connect with Vanderbilt’s multicultural student organizations. This year, MOSAIC weekend coincided with Anchor Day due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of race-based affirmative action. 

This year’s Anchor Day was the university’s highest-attended, with it hosting 530 admitted students, compared to 511 in 2023 and 412 in 2022. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, this year’s weekend featured more specific programming than in the past, including informational sessions on Immersion Vanderbilt, the Student Care Network and the Career Center, as well as tours of residential living and a mock class discussion with professors and current students. 

Admitted student reactions

“I liked seeing how their discussion played out and how students presented their differing ideas to each other,” incoming first-year Kate Lu said. “We also got to see a model dorm room and learn about various student resources and opportunities such as study abroad programs.”

Admitted student Chloe Blacknall, a MOSAIC participant, said some sessions cleared up confusion while others sparked more questions than answers. She expressed appreciation for the “kind and passionate” students who oriented her to campus.

“I loved the study abroad/Immersion session because I was initially confused about the programs based on the website,” Blacknall said. “I did leave campus with more questions about academics because we weren’t able to sit in on a class. I think there should have been a presentation on AXLE to explain the new Core curriculum.”

Incoming first-year Melanie Valdez, also a MOSAIC participant, said the weekend’s activities “really immersed” her into the Vanderbilt community. 

“My hosts were amazing, and all the current students were super welcoming and just wanted to answer any and all questions,” Valdez said.

Student protests

Amid MOSAIC and Anchor Day programming, protests were staged in response to the expulsion of three students and suspension of one following a sit-in at Kirkland Hall that called for a BDS vote to be reinstated on the VSG ballot. 

Members of VDC greeted prospective students and families outside Memorial Gym, where the Class of 2028 arrived to check in and attend a general welcome session. They held banners and signs, including one that read “Welcome to Vanderbilt, #1 in Student Suppression.”

Blacknall expressed surprise toward the protesters and what she viewed as a lack of acknowledgement by the administration. 

“I read a few articles about [the protests] before, but seeing it in person made it real,” Blacknall said. “I don’t think it made me change my mind [about attending Vanderbilt], but it did make me look differently at the administrators who didn’t mention the protesters.”

VDC protesters distributed pamphlets at school-specific academic info sessions later that morning. At 3 p.m. CDT, during the End of Day Celebration, students held a silent protest on Wyatt Lawn. 

Other students also attached posters to trees around Commons that read “Ask your tour guide why we arrested a journalist” and “Protesters Expelled: 3. Rapists Expelled: 0.” Senior Sam Sliman, former VSG president, said the content was meant to promote awareness of ongoing campus happenings.

“The posters were essentially calling attention to the fact that expulsion was not a fair consequence for the protestors as we have students found guilty of sexual assault (among many other things) who faced lesser consequences,” Sliman said. “We also handed out flyers that had the same text as the posters, and we talked with prospective students and parents about the ongoing situation at Vanderbilt.”

Sliman said the decision to post and distribute flyers on Anchor Day was spurred by a desire to capture administrators’ attention.

“It’s clear that they [administrators] don’t listen to student voices, so we are attempting to sway prospective students and alumni donors, who the university actually cares about,” Sliman said. “If students stop being interested in coming, and donations start to dry up, the university might actually have to start paying attention.”

OUA emphasized its support for free speech on campus in a message to The Hustler about the Anchor Day protests.

“We are supportive of Vanderbilt’s longstanding commitment to free expression and practice of civil discourse, which includes constructive and respectful debate and the exchange of ideas and viewpoints,” OUA said.