I'm using this blog, in part, to promote the newly-formed In-depth Journalism Club.

Before posting any content I'd like to make clear that the intent of the IJC is not to undermine Vanderbilt Student Communications or the Vanderbilt Hustler.  The Vanderbilt Hustler did a phenomenal job providing comprehensive coverage of the recent Wall Street Journal article and reaction. 

But why couldn't we have broken this story?

In the fast-paced, day-to-day effort to put out a newspaper, bigger topics and longer, nuanced pieces are often overlooked. While the IJC looks forward to working with The Hustler, InsideVandy and VSC, it believes that maintaining its journalistic independence from other university organizations is essential to remaining open-minded and free of bias. 

Journalistic integrity is important to me. I pose the following facts not as indictments, but to draw attention to questions the IJC will pose and evaluate objectively, and as starting points for discussion.

If you'd like to find out more, please join us on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Stevenson 3210.

-The Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs took an $800,000 loan from Vanderbilt University in 2002 at 5.526%.

 - In 2004 Vanderbilt Dining Services had sales of $11,477,983 with a cost of sales of $4,350,192. This resulted in a net of $7,127,791.

-  According to a Vanderbilt tax form, basketball coach Kevin Stallings made $906,872 in 2004. His salary made him one of the five highest paid non-director/board member Vanderbilt employees.

-Vanderbilt spends more than $200,000 a year in lobbying expenses.