What You Need to Know Before Submitting

Thank you for your interest in sharing your story through the Vanderbilt [IM]Perfection Project.  The strength of the [IM]Perfection Project lies in participants’ willingness to share their stories of imperfection, failure, and resiliency in ways that are genuine.  The Project is committed to protecting the privacy of contributors by restricting access to the stories on the website so that they can be viewed only by those individuals who have VUnetIDs. Written pieces as well as other creative submissions may be posted anonymously at the creator’s request.

All submissions will be reviewed by the [IM]Perfection Project student committee members and staff advisers, who reserve the option of accepting, rejecting, editing, or removing submitted content on the basis of the goals and mission of the project, on Vanderbilt University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, or other issues that may arise with a particular post.

You must be 18 years of age or older in order to submit a story to the Vanderbilt [IM]Perfection Project.

For your safety and the safety of the University community, appropriate Vanderbilt staff will be notified if you describe situations that raise concerns about a current danger to yourself or others.  In addition, University faculty and staff have an obligation to report information about sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and other crimes to appropriate University officials. It is also possible that administrators may reach out to offer support or interim measures. If a submission discloses information about a violation of University policy, that information may be referred to the Office of Student Accountability, Community Standards, and Academic Integrity, or to other appropriate University officials for further review.  

If a submission discloses current or past neglect of abuse of a minor, that information may be referred to appropriate University officials for review and to state and/or local child protective services, when required by law. 

Students impacted by sexual harassment, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, or other forms of sexual misconduct involving sex- or gender-based discrimination may want to share their story through the Vanderbilt [IM]Perfection Project website. Please note: such submissions cannot be considered confidential and must be reported to the Title IX and Student Discrimination Office.  Students who desire information about their options may call The Project Safe Center.  The Project Safe Center is a confidential resource available to support those affected by any form of sexual misconduct by listening, providing information, answering questions, connecting students with on and off-campus resources, accompanying students to the Student Health Center or the Emergency Department to obtain a forensic examination by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, assisting with interim measures, and more. Students may call the Project Safe Hotline, 615-322-SAFE (7233), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to speak with a Victim Resource Specialist.

It is possible that individuals logging into the website may fail to heed these guidelines and copy a video or a piece of writing which they distribute to others outside the Vanderbilt [IM]Perfection Project website. Although the University prohibits such misuse, adherence to this policy cannot be guaranteed.

If this website contains material that you believe is your own and has been used inappropriately or without permission, or if you decide that you no longer wish to have your contribution posted on the site, please write to us at imperfectionproject@vanderbilt.edu. The [IM]Perfection Project will review reported concerns and remove inappropriate or unwanted content as soon as possible.