Vanderbilt Interfaith Council
The Vanderbilt Interfaith Council (VIC) is a student organization representing a wide variety of faith traditions. Our purpose is to increase pluralism on campus through building meaningful relationships and increasing an appreciative knowledge of world religions among participants, to reduce prejudice on campus, to increase bridged social capital (by connecting individuals and groups of people with different religions), and to improve civil society on campus and beyond by strengthening the foundations for social networks and bonds among students. To this end, Interfaith Council meets bi-weekly to discuss various issues relating to faith, religion, and spirituality, and coordinates several large, community-wide events each year. In addition, Interfaith Council provides support and co-sponsorship funding to registered student religious organizations, helping them to achieve their individual goals and serve their respective communities.
Check out our Facebook Page
Planning an event? Interfaith Council Fund Request Form
Officers for 2022-23
President: Malak Elmessiry
Vice President: Davis Glen Ellis
Secretary: Jeevan Rajkumar
Treasurer: Ethan Morris
PR Co-Chairs: Namrah Ajmal, Public Relations, and Hangling Liu, Community Education
The Vanderbilt Interfaith Council (VIC) meets on Mondays at 6 PM in the Fireside Room at the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, 401 24th Ave. S (behind Branscomb and next to the University Club). The VIC Executive Board meets in the second floor Conference room at the Office of the University Chaplain and Religious Life. Dialogue Dinners are listed as “DD” in the schedule below.
- January 9th (first day), Exec Board Meeting
- January 16th (MLK day—no class)
January 23rd, Dialogue Dinner (DD) - January 30th, DD
- February 6th, Exec
- February 13th, DD—theme will be related to Valentines Day
- February 20th, Elections and Dialogue Dinner on Civic Engagement/Politics
- Notes: Weekend of 24th-26th: Exec Board Retreat, Maybe Weekend of 3/3-3/5
- February 27th, Exec
- March 6th, DD
- March 13th (Spring Break)
- March 20th, DD: Spring Solstice Tie-Dye Event
- Notes: Spring holidays near the event are Ramadan (March 22nd), Hindi New Year, Navarati (March 22nd-31st)
- March 27th, Exec
- April 3rd, DD
- April 10th, DD
- April 17th, Exec
- April 24th, DD
Fall Semester 2022
- August 22nd (Monday before 1st day)
- Exec Board Meeting, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (2nd floor)
- August 29th
- VIC Night: Spiritual Marketplace, 6-8 PM at the Commons Patio (Rain date, Sept 12)
- September 5th
- Religion and You, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- September 12th
- VIC Night: Spiritual Marketplace, 6-8 PM at the Commons Patio
- September 19th
- Dialogue Dinner: TBD, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- September 26th
- Dialogue Dinner: TBD, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- October 3rd
- Exec Board Meeting, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (2nd floor)
- October 10th (week of fall break)
- Dialogue Dinner: TBD, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- October 17th
- Dialogue Dinner: TBD, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- *Potential Cosponsorship* October 21, 2022, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
- The Pathways Conference: Hope, Integrity, and Imagination: Pathways to Moral Leadership at the Vanderbilt Divinity School
- October 24th
- Exec Board Meeting, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (2nd floor)
- October 31st
- Dialogue Dinner: Death and the Afterlife, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- November 7th
- Dialogue Dinner: TBD, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
- November 14th (week of thanksgiving break)
- Exec Board Meeting, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (2nd floor)
- November 28th
- Interfaith Thanksgiving, 6-8 PM likely at the Alumni Hall Ballroom
- December 5th (before finals)
- Coloring with the Council, 6-7 PM at the CSRL (living room)
Spring Semester 2022
Jan 10, 2022–religious org representatives/Exec Board
Jan 24 –Dialogue Dinner
Jan 31–Dialogue Dinner
Feb 7–religious org representatives/Exec Board
Feb 14–Exec Board and Religious Org Reps
Feb 21–Dialogue Dinner: “Sex, Relationships, and Religion”
Feb 28–Dialogue Dinner: “Black Lives Matter” with speaker, Jemma Suwa
Mar 7–Spring Break
Mar 14–Exec Board and Religious Org Reps
March 21–Dialogue Dinner: “Politics and Religion”
March 28–Panel Disucssion
Apr 4–Exec Board and Religious Org Reps
Apr 11–Dialogue Dinner: “Clothing Self-Expression and Religion”
Apr 18–Fun Event
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Executive Board Officers for 2020-21
President: Madelynn Roche
Vice President: Maysaa Rahman
Treasurer: Davis Glenn Ellis
Secretary: Lena Robertson
Education Chair: Malak Elmessiry
First-Year Student Representative: tbd
Public Relations Chair: Namrah Ajmal
First Semester, Fall 2019, Full Council and Dialogue Dinner dates are below:
Aug 20–VIC officers
Aug 27–VIC officers
September 3–VIC Dialogue Dinner
September 10–religious org representatives
September 17–VIC Dialogue Dinner
September 24–religious org representatives
October 1–VIC Dialogue Dinner
October 8–religious org representatives
October 15–VIC Dialogue Dinner
October 22–religious org representatives
October 29–VIC Dialogue Dinner
November 5–religious org representatives
November 12–VIC Dialogue Dinner
December 3–virtual Dialogue
Second Semester, Spring 2021, Dialogue Dinner dates:
Feb 4, 2021 06:30 PM
Feb 18, 2021 06:30 PM
Mar 4, 2021 06:30 PM
Mar 18, 2021 06:30 PM
Apr 1, 2021 06:30 PM
Apr 15, 2021 06:30 PM
Apr 29, 2021 06:30 PM
Additional Interfaith links: