Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos, along with eight other heads of universities and colleges in Nashville, released a statement over break urging the citizens of Davidson County to vote "no" in the upcoming English-Only referendum.
In an open letter to The Tennessean published on Dec. 28, the higher education leaders denounced the initiative as one that would cause untold problems for Nashville. The letter outlined their worries about the signal of narrow-mindedness the passage of such an initiative might send to the wider American and global communities, as well as the negative effect they feel it could have on education.
The referendum for the English-Only initiative, proposed by Councilman Eric Crafton, a Vanderbilt alumnus, is scheduled for Jan. 22.
"As academic leaders, we are concerned about the impact - literal and symbolic - on our mission of teaching, learning, curing and discovering," the university officials wrote in the letter.
If passed, the referendum would deny the right to government services in any other language but English. It would prevent the city of Nashville from allowing interpreters to translate government-issued materials into other languages. The city of Nashville would become the first major metropolis in America to pass such an initiative.
Zeppos said he worries the law would adversely affect the Nashville community, and possibly the Vanderbilt experience, by possibly reducing the applicant pool.
"As an institution of higher learning, we rely on the diversity of our community," said Zeppos. "However if it is passed, I hope we would remain true to our mission of learning, discovery and diversity."
The initiative is opposed by various Nashville leaders and celebrities, among them Mayor Karl Dean, Bishop David Choby, television host Anastasia Brown, businessman Tom Oreck, head of Nashville NAACP Reverend Sonnye Dixon and Councilman Buck Dozier. It has also generated a negative reaction from the Vanderbilt student body. On Thursday night, the Vote NO campaign hosted an informational meeting on campus about the English-Only referendum and a film screening of "The Visitor," a drama detailing the plight of illegal immigrants in New York City.
According to Zeppos, voting against this initiative is of the greatest importance.
"We must vote ‘no' for the future of Nashville, the future of education and the future of Vanderbilt," he said.
Norah Scanlan contributed reporting to this article.
