To the Editor:

Along with the majority of Vanderbilt undergraduates, I love the convenience of the Taste of Nashville program. Like many others, I also wish it could be expanded to include a wider variety of the restaurants near campus. However, those Senate candidates who are promising to include new restaurants on the Commodore Card are not being realistic. During the last year of working in Vanderbilt Student Government, I have learned that the economic conditions, coupled with the university's efforts to introduce more on-campus options, make it currently unfeasible to expand Taste of Nashville in its current form.

What I propose is a new, added approach to off campus dining. Restaurants near campus should provide discounts to Vanderbilt students simply when they show their Commodore Card. This program has been successfully implemented at many institutions around the country, and I believe it would be a great addition to Vanderbilt. For example, while we cannot add Ben and Jerry's to Taste of Nashville, I would work with their management to make their ice cream less expensive for Vanderbilt undergraduates. Eventually, this program could be expanded to include popular shopping locations in the Vanderbilt area in addition to restaurants.

For VSG to be successful, we need elected officials who propose real solutions that empower Vanderbilt students.

Maria Crist
Freshman
College of Arts and Science