Hot Topics: Student Life and Discourse during Vanderbilt’s First Decade

In Vanderbilt’s first decade, there was much discussion among those in leadership positions of the best direction to take the university in order to become as distinguished and reputable as their counterparts in the South. Likewise, students created for themselves a seat at the table, creating avenues for themselves that would allow them to share their own opinions and offer discourse about issues that affected their daily lives while at Vanderbilt. This included the precursor to the modern Hustler, the Austral, and oratory contests that drew in visitors and local attention to campus discourse.