In its last issue of 2010, The Daily looks back on 10 of the year’s biggest Stanford stories.

Westboro pickets on campus

When a handful of members of the radical Westboro Baptist Church arrived on campus on Jan. 30 to picket the corner of Mayfield and Campus, the Stanford community was ready to respond with messages of unity and acceptance. A counter-protest organized by the Jewish Student Association, Hillel and 22 co-sponsors from Stanford and Palo Alto attracted an estimated 800 to 1,000 people, according to police.

The counter-protest featured anti-hate signs and performances by Talisman, Blake Parkinson ’10 playing “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes, and the Stanford band. The crowd also read a declaration titled “Stanford United” out loud.

The event, which was advertised with the goal “to affirm our common values, regardless of WBC’s presence,” was largely smooth and peaceful, though three of the tires of the group’s vehicle were slashed.

Those in attendance were pleased by the counter-protest’s turnout as well the message it sent about the values of the Stanford community.

“While I really abhor what the Westboro Baptist Church stands for, it resulted in a positive opportunity for the University, to have so many students come together to support each other and make a statement for tolerance and against hate,” said University spokeswoman Lisa Lapin.

— Caity Monroe

Major curriculum study begins

The Study for Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES) launched in February as part of a comprehensive, top-level effort by the University to reexamine the undergraduate curriculum.

The study, headed by history professor James Campbell and biology professor Susan McConnell, is attempting to achieve two objectives: articulating the goals and mission of undergraduate education on the Farm, and translating that philosophy into a set of practical recommendations regarding University-wide educational requirements.

Though setting requirements for earning a major will remain under the control of individual departments, SUES will address other issues regarding the undergraduate academic experience, including the role of programs such as Introductory Seminars, Introduction to the Humanities and the Program and Writing and Rhetoric and current requirements for writing, breadth, citizenship and foreign language.

The University’s last similar effort was conducted in 1994. Since its announcement, SUES has presented to the Faculty Senate and polled student opinions at a town hall meeting in May. Since then, the study has moved forward with its review of the undergraduate curriculum as its subcommittees, centered on topics such as writing, the freshman year and breadth requirements, continue to meet. The study is also continuing to solicit student opinions, with Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Harry Elam sending an e-mail Nov. 19 to upperclassmen asking them for a “frank assessment” of their IHUM experiences.

— Ivy Nguyen

Cardinal Care mandate for international students overturned

Stanford’s international community responded with resounding opposition when changes to Cardinal Care, introduced in February, denied them the option to waive a $3,000 annual fee — a choice still available to domestic students with proof of alternative health coverage. The university’s 3,200 international students won the fight a month later.

In a March report by The Daily, Fabian Sahl, a graduate student in international policy studies who led the opposition to the new healthcare policies, described these requirements as “discriminatory because it assumes that domestic students can better evaluate whether their coverage is adequate or not.”

Choosing to use their own insurance providers, instead of Stanford’s, had economic benefits for students like Sahl, who was covered by a German plan. He paid $2,000 less annually.

Vaden Health Center director Ira Friedman said that although 80 percent of international students already use Cardinal Care, the other 20 percent often encounter problems such as being refused in-patient mental health treatment or being required to transfer to a more distant county hospital during emergencies.

Lobbying endeavors, which included a petition with more than 500 signatures that Sahl helped collect, compelled Vaden to revoke the revisions to Cardinal Care for an “opt-out” choice for international students upon the receipt of a completed form from their personal insurance providers.

The modifications to Cardinal Care, which also included an optional insurance plans for the dependents of Stanford students, took effect at the beginning of this quarter.

— Cassandra Feliciano

Faculty studies possible ROTC return

In March, Professors William Perry and David Kennedy recommended that Stanford re-open discussions on ROTC and its place on campus. The Faculty Senate formed an ad hoc committee, which includes professors and students, one an active Navy ROTC member, to investigate the issue.

ROTC was removed from campus in 1973 after concern that the academic quality of the program’s courses did not meet Stanford’s standards. Students now travel to other universities to participate. The ban against ROTC remains in part because of the federal “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which the University and many of its peer institutions call discriminatory.

Since March, the ad hoc committee has met several times to conduct research and further its discussions, according to chair Ewart Thomas. The committee sent an open letter to the Stanford community in mid-November and received fewer than 30 responses to its request for feedback.

Thomas said that the committee expects to host a town hall during winter quarter that will be open to students. It is expected to make its recommendation in the spring of 2011.

— Kate Abbott

Judicial Affairs overhauls sexual assault process

In April, President Hennessy signed onto a new pilot procedure for how Judicial Affairs handles sexual assault cases at Stanford. The Board on Judicial Affairs, which developed the pilot, aimed to make the process for hearing accusations of rape, harassment, dating violence and stalking among students faster and more private.

“In every case that I have been involved in, once the alleged victim learned about the Judicial Affairs process, she was extremely fearful and anxious,” wrote law professor Michele Dauber, an advocate for Judicial Affairs reform, in February. “Those who pressed ahead were incredulous that this was our process.”

Among the most significant changes to the current process is the elimination of the requirement that alleged victims and suspects attend the same panel hearings during a case and, in some instances, answer questions about the alleged misconduct in each other’s presence.

The pilot will be reviewed in fall 2011. It now overlaps with a new University review of the Judicial Affairs office, which will include the first review of the Student Judicial Charter since its creation in 1997. Stanford staff and external consultants will report at the end of the school year.

— Elizabeth Titus

Endowment starts to recover

Stanford made measureable steps forward in financial recovery this year. In May, Provost John Etchemendy Ph.D. ’82 discussed the University’s annual budget report for 2010-2011 with the Faculty Senate. He highlighted that despite financial declines, the University chose not to cut its financial aid programs, which accounted for over half of what the University collected in student tuition.

Etchemendy said that some signs of recovery could be found in the reactivation of various construction projects around campus.

In October, Stanford Management Company (SMC) chief executive John Powers highlighted this year’s endowment gains, reporting a 9.6 percent increase over the previous fiscal year with a value of $13.8 billion as of Aug. 31, 2010. During the economic losses suffered the previous year, the endowment dropped from $17.2 billion to $12.6 billion. SMC also announced a 14.4 percent gain by its merged pool, the University’s principal investment pool.

Stanford’s investment gains are also more pronounced than those of many of its peer institutions. Harvard, Yale and MIT reported 11, 8.9, and 10.2 percent investment returns, respectively, in the year-long period that ended June 30, 2010.

— Caity Monroe

Federal court overturns gay marriage ban

While California watched the state debate over Proposition 8, Stanford took its own role in the process, with a law school alumnus and a professor playing key roles throughout the year.

On Aug. 4, gay rights advocates scored a major victory when federal judge Vaughn Walker J.D. ’70 overturned Proposition 8, the 2008 initiative banning same-sex marriage in California. Walker, a San Francisco judge, called the ban unconstitutional. His ruling was appealed.

California voters narrowly approved the ban on gay marriage in 2008, with 52 percent voting for Proposition 8. Stanford students overwhelmingly opposed the ban, with 87 percent voting against it, according to a 147-person exit poll conducted by The Daily at the Graduate Community Center on Election Day.

Gary Segura, a political science professor who testified on the civil rights implications at the Proposition 8 trial, said Walker’s decision has the “potential to be a landmark case.”

“Ultimately, if the Supreme Court upholds Walker’s decision, this could be the most important case for gay rights,” he said.

On Dec. 6, a panel of three judges will decide the case’s fate in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case could be appealed to the Supreme Court.

— Samantha McGirr

Pac-10 expands

Under new commissioner Larry Scott, and with the approval of the presidents and chancellors of member schools, the Pac-10 Conference aggressively pursued expansion opportunities this summer.

The conference will be officially rebranded as the Pac-12 when the two schools join in all sports for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The biggest changes will be in football, the sport that drove the expansion negotiations. Next season, the Pac-12 will be split into two divisions, North and South, and will have a championship game in football between the division champions, hosted by the school with the best overall conference record.

The North division will be comprised of Stanford, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State, while the remaining schools — USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah — will be in the South division. Teams will play nine conference games per season, five against divisional opponents and four against the opposite division. Stanford is guaranteed to play the Southern California schools every year, in order to preserve those rivalries.

The Pac-12 is also expected to command a much more lucrative television deal during the next round of negotiations, and will move to equal revenue distribution in 2012. Stanford Athletics is expecting a significant increase from current conference payouts due to the new deal.

— Kabir Sawhney

Stanford nabs two NCAA team titles, Directors’ Cup

By the end of spring, Stanford had wrapped up two NCAA team titles, an IRA team title and two individual titles on its way to winning the Directors’ Cup for the 16th consecutive year.

The first championship of the season might have been the most heartwarming, as Stanford’s men’s volleyball team completed a “worst to first” turnaround, winning the national title on its home court at Maples Pavilion. Despite the death of longtime assistant coach Al Roderigues in March, the Cardinal persevered, earning the triple distinction as MPSF regular season champions, MPSF Tournament champions and NCAA Tournament champions. Just three years after finishing 3-25, Stanford men’s volleyball reigned supreme, sweeping both its NCAA Tournament opponents in dominant fashion.

Next came the tennis tournaments in Athens, Ga., where Cardinal tennis made its presence felt. While the men’s team fell in the Sweet 16, the women could not be stopped, earning their 16th national title with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Florida. In individual rounds, Stanford performed remarkably well, as sophomore Bradley Klahn won the men’s single title and the duo of junior Hilary Barte and senior Lindsay Burdette won the women’s doubles title.

The Cardinal women’s lightweight crew team won the IRA National Championships for the first time. This summer Stanford won the Directors’ Cup as the nation’s best overall athletics program for the 16th consecutive year.

— Jacob Jaffe

Football goes 11-1

Stanford’s football program is in the midst of the best season in its history, reaching 11 wins for the first time ever, and is on the cusp of its second appearance in a BCS bowl (and the school’s first-ever at-large berth). The historic season comes in Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh’s fourth season at the helm, and Harbaugh has become the hottest coaching commodity in the country.

Stanford’s season has been keyed by the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck, a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy and only the fourth 3,000-yard passer in Stanford history. Another key to the Cardinal’s big year has been the much-improved defense. Under first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, an NFL veteran, the defense switched to a new scheme this year, has shut out three Pac-10 opponents and held its last five opponents to less than 18 points each.

The Cardinal’s visit to Eugene marked its only loss of the season, as Stanford jumped out to an early lead but failed to contain the Ducks’ high-flying offense in the second half, falling 52-31.

The 113th Big Game saw Stanford break a streak of futility against its traditional rival, hammering the Golden Bears 48-14 in Berkeley and taking revenge for last year’s heartbreaking home loss.

— Kabir Sawhney