January 30, 1998 Contact: Beth Fox (615) 343-3210 beth.fox@vanderbilt.edu

Vanderbilt's "Conversations With..."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Vanderbilt University alumni and faculty will explore the issue of rising crime and gang violence in Nashville during a Feb. 8. panel discussion.

"Gangs, Drugs and Children...in Nashville?" will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Vanderbilt University Divinity School Refectory. It is part of the annual "Conversations With..." series examining current topics. A Feb. 15 discussion will focus on "Technology: Burden or Blessing?" The panels are sponsored by the Nashville Vanderbilt Club and are open to both alumni and the public. Reservations are required.

Alumni participants for the Feb. 8 program include Deborah Faulkner, assistant chief of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; Andrew Shookhoff, juvenile court judge; James Threalkill, special assistant to the mayor; and Jacqueline Shrago, state director, ConnecTEN Project.

"We are taking current topics of concern and using them to inform and educate the community," said Garland Rose, chair of the Nashville Vanderbilt Club's Education Committee. "We are trying to create a setting where people can come and relax. We encourage participation; this is not just a lecture by these speakers."

"Gangs, Drugs and Children" will examine the problem of crime in Nashville and possible solutions.

Vanderbilt representatives who will participate in the discussions include Bill Phillips, chief of staff of university relations; Gary Jensen, professor of sociology; and Mark Cohen, associate professor of management at the Owen Graduate School of Management and a member of Mayor Phil Bredesen's Commission of Twelve on Law Enforcement & Justice.

"We are trying to increase awareness," said Rose. "We want to look at the effects of drugs and gangs in Nashville. This involves our children and their future."

The cost is $10 per session. Reservations can be made by calling the Office of Alumni Programs at 322-2929 by 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2.

-VU-

Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately 5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute, a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center. Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range of graduate and professional degrees.

For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the News and Public Affairs home page on the Internet at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News.