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 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.
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Planning an event? Interfaith Council Fund Request Form
Officers for 2025-26
President: Cynthia Xu
Vice President: Mackenzie Rice
Secretary: Maisha Farzana
Treasurer: Samrah Osman
PR Chairs:
Community Education: Elyse Garcia
Discussion Moderator–Rebecca Hurwitz
Display Coordinator —
Newsletter Director —
Graphics Director —
President: Shunnar Virani
Vice President: Ethan Morris
Secretary: Greyson Wintergerst and Rebecca Hurwitz
Treasurer: Cynthia Xu
PR Chairs: Lena Kim
Community Education: Greyson Wintergerst
Discussion Moderator–Elyse Garcia
Display Coordinator — Mackenzie Rice
Newsletter Director –Samrah Osman
Graphics Director –Farzana Maisha
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.
Spring Semester 2025
- 1/6: Exec Meeting
- 1/13: Dialogue Dinner: Charity, Wealth, and Religion
- 1/27: Dialogue Dinner: Bridging Beliefs with Vanderbilt Interfaith Council and One Small Step
- 2/3: Exec Meeting
- 2/10: Dialogue Dinner: Love, Sex, and Religion
- 2/17: Exec meeting
- 2/24: Interfaith Panel (CSRL, 6 – 7pm)
- 3/3:
- 3/17: Exec Meeting
- 3/24: Dialogue Dinner: Women in Religion
- 3/31:
- 4/7:
- 4/14: Elections and tie-dye event
- 4/21: Coloring with the Council
Fall Semester 2024
- 8/26: Interfaith Org Fair (Commons Lawn) 6 PM – 7:30 PM
- 9/2: Dialogue Dinner: Nature, Wildlife, and Animals
- 9/9: Exec Meeting
- 9/16: Dialogue Dinner: Religion and Music
- 9/23: Dialogue Dinner: Religion and Pop Culture
- 9/30: Exec Meeting
- 10/7: Dialogue Dinner: Religion and Science
- 10/14: Dialogue Dinner:
- 10/21:
- 10/28:
- 11/4: Dialogue Dinner:
- 11/11: Exec Meeting
- 11/18: Interfaith Feast Day
- 12/2: Coloring with the Council
Officers for 2023-2024
President: Ethan Morris
Vice President: Laura Vaughan
Secretary: Shunnar Virani
Treasurer: Rhonda Gialodor
PR Chairs: Leo Huang and Lena Kim
Community Education: Greyson Wintergerst and Jeevan Rajkumar
Fall Semester 2023
- 8/28: Interfaith Org Fair (Commons Lawn)
- 9/4: Exec Meeting
- 9/11: Dialogue Dinner:
- 9/18: Exec Meeting
- 9/25: Dialogue Dinner: “Religion and Animals”
- 10/2: Dialogue Dinner:
- 10/9: Exec Meeting
- 10/16: Dialogue Dinner: Dr. Anand Taneja will speak on the idea of prophethood in general, as well as showcasing the different manifestations of that in Islam and Hinduism, which are his fields of expertise.
- 10/23: Interfaith Trivia Night (Leadership and Service Space, 6-7:30pm)
- 10/30: Exec Meeting
- 11/6: Dialogue Dinner: “Death and the Afterlife”
- 11/13: Exec Meeting
- 11/27: Interfaith Thanksgiving (SLC, 6-8pm)
- 12/4: Coloring with the Council
- 1/8: Exec Meeting
- 1/22: Dialogue Dinner
- 1/29: Dialogue Dinner
- 2/5: Exec Meeting
- 2/12: Dialogue Dinner
- 2/19: Exec Meeting
- 2/26: Interfaith Panel (Leadership and Service Space, 6-7:30pm)
- 3/4: Dialogue Dinner
- 3/18: Exec Meeting
- 3/25: Dialogue Dinner
- 4/1: Dialogue Dinner
- 4/8: Exec Meeting
- 4/15: Dialogue Dinner
- 4/22: Coloring with the Council
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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 Discussion
Apr 4–Exec Board and Religious Org Reps
Apr 11–Dialogue Dinner: “Clothing Self-Expression and Religion”
Apr 18–Fun Event
Notes: Spring holidays 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
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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: