Alexandra Bourdillon – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:14:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Alexandra Bourdillon – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Police Blotter: Jan. 20-26 https://stanforddaily.com/2016/01/28/police-blotter-jan-20-26/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/01/28/police-blotter-jan-20-26/#respond Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:14:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1109919 This report covers a selection of incidents from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 as recorded in the Stanford Department of Public Safety bulletin.

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This report covers a selection of incidents from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 as recorded in the Stanford Department of Public Safety bulletin.

Wednesday, Jan. 20:

  • An individual reported being paid with a fraudulent check for a product in Escondido Village on Dec. 29 at 11 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 21:

  • An individual stole an electric golf cart from Sweet Hall between Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. and Jan. 19 at 8 a.m.

Friday, Jan. 22:

  • An individual was arrested for driving under the influence at the intersection of El Camino Real and University Avenue 12:45 a.m.
  • An individual was cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol at the intersection of Mayfield Avenue and Campus Drive at 10:30 p.m.
  • An individual was arrested for driving under the influence at the intersection of McFarland Court and Olmsted Road at 11:45 p.m.
  • An individual stole a laptop from the Landau Economics building between 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 23:

  • An individual was cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol at the intersection of Lane W and Lomita Drive at 11 p.m.
  • An individual was cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol at the intersection of Lane W and Lomita Drive at 11:10 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 24:

  • An individual shoplifted from the Stanford Bookstore at 1:30 p.m.
  • An individual was sexually assaulted at the 200-300 block on Santa Teresa Street between Jan. 23 at 11:15 p.m. and Jan. 24 at 2:30 a.m.

Monday, Jan. 25:

  • An allegedly locked golf cart was stolen from Wilbur Hall between Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 25 at 8:30 a.m.
  • A package was either stolen from or misplaced at the Post Office between Jan. 15 at 4 p.m. and Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 26:

  • An individual stole the rear wheel from a reportedly U-locked bike from the bike racks outside of the Mudd Chemistry building between Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. and Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

There were no alcohol transports reported between Jan. 20 and Jan. 26 as recorded in the Stanford Department of Public Safety bulletin.

 

Contact Blanca Andrei at bandrei ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Stanford launches Raw Data podcast on big data technologies https://stanforddaily.com/2015/10/27/stanford-launches-raw-data-podcast-on-big-data-technologies/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/10/27/stanford-launches-raw-data-podcast-on-big-data-technologies/#respond Wed, 28 Oct 2015 06:38:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1105821 Worldview Stanford, an initiative that promotes interdisciplinary learning on campus, recently launched its biweekly podcast, Raw Data, which explores the implications of big data and cyber technologies.

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Worldview Stanford, an initiative that promotes interdisciplinary learning on campus, recently launched its biweekly podcast “Raw Data,” which explores the implications of big data and cyber technologies.

The podcast is supported by the Stanford Cyber Initiative, which was created late 2014 following a generous grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The episodes explore not only fascinating trends in big data but also the impact of this recent revolution on our daily lives and institutions. Topics covered so far include the revealing power of individual data from phone calls to internet searches, the implications of data management for the job market and the ways data affects medical knowledge.

The podcast will serve as an avenue to explore the interdisciplinary effects of various aspects of cyber information.

Stanford law professor and Cyber Initiative co-director George Triantis told Stanford News: “Our aim is to draw attention to the ways that cyber-technologies are transforming our society, from the privacy of individuals to the ways we work, vote, shop and visit the doctor.”

The podcasts are available through a number of platforms including iTunes, Soundcloud, KZSU and associated blogs.

 

Please contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Mass notification test scheduled for Oct. 8 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/10/07/mass-notification-test-scheduled-for-oct-8/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/10/07/mass-notification-test-scheduled-for-oct-8/#respond Thu, 08 Oct 2015 05:25:35 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1104100 The annual Stanford campus alert system test will be conducted next Thursday on Oct. 8. A series of alert messages and sirens warnings will be employed to assess community emergency preparedness.

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The annual Stanford campus alert system test will be conducted next Thursday on Oct. 8. A series of alert messages and siren warnings will be employed to assess community emergency preparedness.

The test will occur sometime between noon and 1 p.m. An initial alert message will be sent to every member of the Stanford community via text message, mobile phone and email. Contact information for a Stanford affiliate is automatically uploaded to the AlertSU system if the individual has opted in and updated their contact information.

In an email statement, Linda Saunders of the Public Safety Department said, “This test is a good reminder to be sure that your contact information is updated in the appropriate university databases.”

During the test, the outdoor warning system will also be activated and each of the seven sirens around campus will sound an audible tone for about one minute. A verbal message will follow this alarm.

The annual test is in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, a federal act that requires institutions participating in federal student aid programs to disclose campus safety information and impose certain policies for emergency situations and incidents of sexual violence. This year’s test is the same as those of previous years.

 

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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ASSU Senate resumes with first meeting of school year https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/22/assu-senate-resumes-with-first-meeting-of-school-year/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/09/22/assu-senate-resumes-with-first-meeting-of-school-year/#respond Wed, 23 Sep 2015 06:56:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1103668 The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for the first time during the 2015-2016 academic year. The council members shared summer updates, discussed internal business and introduced new projects for the coming year.

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The Undergraduate Senate had their first meeting of the quarter on Tuesday (RAGHAV MEHROTRA/The Stanford Daily).
The Undergraduate Senate had their first meeting of the quarter on Tuesday (RAGHAV MEHROTRA/The Stanford Daily).

The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met on Tuesday for the first time this academic year. The council members shared summer updates, discussed internal business and introduced new projects for the coming year.

Summer Updates

Appropriations chair Justice Tention ’18 shared information about ASSU funding toward the beginning of the meeting.

“We’re continuing the weekly system, and from a student group perspective, [it is] going to look very, very similar to last year with some clarifications in the actual guidelines themselves,” he said. “We’re going to be adapting the new system to fit that better.”

According to Tention, events like Mausoleum and Full Moon on the Quad will have high priority early in the quarter for funding.

Frederik Groce ’14 M.A. ’15, ASSU financial manager, provided updates about funding regarding a new waiver site and recent progress on club sports, which were not approved for joint special fees last spring.

“The Provost will fund club sports for one year,” Groce said. “It’s not a long term solution, but it is a solution at least for a year.”

Internal Business

The Senate discussed the constitutionality of approving a proxy for Senator Hattie Gawande ’18, who is taking a leave of absence this quarter. There was controversy around the language of the bill since Senate bylaws only address senators leaving for study abroad. The senators will consider amending or overruling the bylaws as a solution, and the bill will be voted on next week.

A proxy was approved last spring for David Wintermeyer ’17, who is currently abroad, but no proxy will be introduced for Malcolm Lizzappi ’17, who is taking a gap year.

There was also a discussion about which senator would replace Gawande’s position as deputy chair.

Leo Bird ’17 initiated a discussion on the Senate attendance policy, which calls for expulsion after three unexcused absences.

“I think we need to do a better job of keeping each other accountable for coming to these [meetings],” Bird said. “I mean, why else run for an elected position if you’re not actually going to represent your voices?”

“Also, we get paid, too, and we represent the students,” said Senate chair Sina Javidan-Nejad ’17. “We should be here.”

Groce offered some advice about Senate rules as a whole.

“Just run your meetings effectively so that nobody comes in here and fact-checks you guys, because you never know what’s going to come, and if you aren’t playing by your rules, you have no ground to stand on,” he said.

Future Plans

Communications chair Eni Asebiomo ’18 reported progress on the restructured ASSU website and Senate intern program, while Cenobio Hernandez ’18 announced plans for an undergraduate-wide event on diversity in the faculty and administration.

Executives John-Lancaster Finley ’16 and Brandon Hill ’16 have two primary focuses: sexual assault and climate change action.

To address sexual assault on college campuses, the executives are collaborating with a coalition of PAC-12 schools to create a statement endorsing or criticizing particular legislations and policies surrounding the issue.

“President Hennessy gave his approval of the project and of the effort to get all university presidents to sign on to it,” Finley said.

Finley and Hill are also working toward addressing climate change with the highest level of University administrators.

“One thing that our administration has long been both in favor of and unapologetic about is that we are pro-fossil-fuel-divestment,” Finley said. “We are writing a statement to the Board of Trustees regarding that.”

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at aboudil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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ASSU Senate meets for last session of the school year https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/04/assu-senate-meets-for-last-session-of-the-school-year/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/04/assu-senate-meets-for-last-session-of-the-school-year/#respond Fri, 05 Jun 2015 01:57:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101981 The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met for the last time for the 2014-2015 academic term on Tuesday, June 2nd. During this meeting, one resolution and two bills were voted on.

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The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met for the last time for the 2014-2015 academic term on Tuesday, June 2. During this meeting, one resolution and two bills were voted on.

 

Bus Rapid Transport Passes

The Senate passed the Resolution In Support of El Camino Bus Rapid Transport Project, which was introduced and discussed last week by students from Students for Sustainable Stanford (SSS).

 

University Committee Nominees

Representations from the Nominations Committee brought up concerns about the constitutionality of certain actions taken by the University to appoint a student to a position that was not nominated by the designated Nominations Committee for that specific position.

“Technically the constitution says that whoever we nominate and then you guys approve has to be on the committee,” explained Daniela Olivios ’15, Co-Chair of the Nominations Committee.

The position in question was for the Undergraduate Representative for the Board of Trustees: Committee on Alumni and External Affairs.

“The agreement was that there would be a student voice who would be advocating for the student population, so this is very much in [the Senate’s] power for who gets chosen,” said Olivios.

Because there is no precedent for this, there would be some discussion as to how the position would eventually be filled.

A motion to first reconsider the Bill to Confirm University Committee Nominees failed. A following motion was passed to approve an amended version of the Committee Nominees, in which the position in question was left vacant.

 

TDX: Stanford Bicycle Project

A Funding Bill was passed to support a project initiated by the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity to recycle and refurbish abandoned or donated bikes in order to distribute them to students based on need.

The project had been denied VSO status and was requesting funds for storage and bike repair materials. The project will partner with FLIP to assess the distribution details.

“FLIP is a VSO, too, they don’t have necessarily the same information that the Financial Aid office has, but they have resources that will help them evaluate everyone. They are known to be experts in this field on campus,” said Senator Justice Tention ’18.

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Executive gala announces year’s goals https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/31/executive-gala-announces-years-goals/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/31/executive-gala-announces-years-goals/#respond Mon, 01 Jun 2015 02:24:23 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101757 On Thursday, May 28, ASSU Executives John-Lancaster Finley ’16 and Brandon Hill ’16 hosted the first ever ASSU Executive Gala. The event hosted almost 80 people, including student leaders and administrators.

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On Thursday, May 28, ASSU Executives John-Lancaster Finley ’16 and Brandon Hill ’16 hosted the first ever ASSU Executive Gala. The event hosted almost 80 people, including student leaders and administrators.

Goals

Members of the Executive Cabinet gave a presentation on the goals for the upcoming year. Leaders of the various committees spoke about ways to address relevant issues, including campus climate, sustainability, mental health and sexual assault prevention.

Some members addressed specific issues they would begin tackling. The director of the Social Scene committee mentioned finding funding for the Inter-Fraternity Council, and Funding Issue Leader Eric Wilson ’16 highlighted upcoming changes to MyGroups, the funding platform for student groups.

The Sustainability Committee was particularly concerned with broadening its reach throughout the student body. They shared plans to add Sustainable Education to NSO as well as other day-to-day activities.

“We feel that currently fossil fuel divestment is not discussed broadly among the student body, but rather among a small group of very passionate student. We want to widen that,” said Robert Young ’18, a sustainability issue co-leader.

“At the moment, there are many communities that are minimally involved in sustainability efforts on campus,” added Chiamaka Ogwuegbu ’18, a sustainability issue co leader.

The Community Liaisons explained their roles, in particular creating more inter-community dialogue, which is sometimes less examined than simply individual community presence.

“We have 10 communities currently represented on this board, but there are some that we are missing,” said Miles Brinkley ’18, the black community liaison. “So as we operate, we look to grow to encompass the whole body of Stanford’s wide community.”

Welcoming input

There was a recurring theme of gaining insight from the student body.

Hannah Long ’16, a Sexual Assault Issue Co-Leader echoed this theme: “We really want to hear specifically what people need. That means both from the student body, but also the faculty and administration.”

The second aim of the Gala was to invite students to share their input. The collaborative spirit of the d. school set the stage for white boards and sticky notes where audience members commented on topics mentioned and suggested other avenues of discussion.

The Executive team would later read these notes in hopes of adapting future projects to these needs.

 

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Senate discusses public transit, fair trade https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/27/the-17th-assu-undergraduate-senate-met-this-tuesday-for-their-penultimate-meeting-two-bills-remained-on-the-agenda-for-the-senate/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/27/the-17th-assu-undergraduate-senate-met-this-tuesday-for-their-penultimate-meeting-two-bills-remained-on-the-agenda-for-the-senate/#comments Thu, 28 May 2015 02:32:50 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101600 The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met this Tuesday for their penultimate meeting. Two bills remained on the agenda for the Senate.

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The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met this Tuesday for their penultimate meeting. Two bills remained on the agenda for the Senate.

 

SSS Pushes for El Camino Transit Resolution

Students for Sustainable Stanford (SSS) have spearheaded a resolution to support public plans by the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) spanning from Palo Alto to San Jose.

The BRT project would introduce bus lanes on El Camino that would expedite the public transportation service. If completed, this particular project would mark the second of three BRT projects in the South Bay Area. The first BRT, the Santa Clara to Alum Rock corridor, is scheduled to finish this year.

The VTA is currently deliberating whether to move forward with the Palo Alto-San Jose project. They are assessing community support, and the City Councils of Los Altos and Mountain View have already voted in favor.

SSS is pushing for recognized Stanford support as Palo Alto City Council considers this topic.

There was some discussion and continued clarification about Section 5 of the Undergraduate By-Laws regarding the necessity of direct impact on Stanford students. This item was cited in the previous meeting regarding the Fair Trade Resolution.

“Does that clause exist to show that it’s a uniquely Stanford problem or that if you weren’t at Stanford, it wouldn’t affect you?” asked Senator Gabe Knight ’17.

The resolution asserts that the Stanford community would be greatly impacted by the BRT service as students and faculty commute throughout the South Bay Area for residential, professional or recreational purposes.

Supporters of the BRT claim it will offer a valuable mechanism of commute for Bay Area residents, especially as low-income workers rely heavily on these services. Supporters also claim enhanced public transportation options will reduce traffic and tackle air pollution.

“El Camino is turning from a car-oriented/-dominated corridor to really an urban corridor,” said John Ristow, Director of Planning and Program Development, VTA. “The character of that street is changing and this is the kind of system that will serve that very well.”

The Senate was not able to vote on the item without previous notice. There was a discussion to suspend the rule of order to vote on the bill, but the bill was ultimately not voted on.

“I’d rather let the undergraduate population air its views on this for a few days before voting on it,” said Senator Hattie Gawande ’18.

 

Fair Trade Resolution Stalemate

Matthew Cohen ’18, Administration and Rules Committee Chair, gave an update of the work with the author of the Fair Trade Resolution in order to assess the Bill’s constitutionality.

According to the Senate, there needed to be significant evidence that the Resolution was pertinent to the Stanford community as designated in Section 5 of the By-Laws (the same clause discussed in the BRT resolution).

The author was also asked to talk to administrators in charge of approving the use of the “Stanford” name in conjunction with an outside organization.

The resolution could not be voted on because it was not deemed constitutional.

It was also brought to light that the author of the resolution was being paid in some capacity.

“That raised some serious questions for me,” Cohen said.

 

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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ASSU Senate discusses Fair Trade Agreement, plans for summer https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/20/assu-senate-discusses-fair-trade-agreement-plans-for-summer/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/20/assu-senate-discusses-fair-trade-agreement-plans-for-summer/#respond Wed, 20 May 2015 21:22:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101301 The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate revisited the Fair Trade Bill and previewed future plans, before the quarter begins to wrap up.

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The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate revisited the Fair Trade Bill and previewed future plans, before the quarter begins to wrap up.

 

Fair Trade Resolution Bill tabled again

For the third week in a row, the Senate has discussed the Bill to Make Stanford a Fair Trade University. The discussion was two-fold: examining the constitutionality of the proposed bill and the content of the specific issue at hand.

Serving Parliamentarian Matthew Cohen ’18 invoked Section 5 of the Undergraduate By-Laws: “All resolutions must… show that the issue has a direct effect on at least one Stanford student who is affected by the matter in a substantially different manner than would be the case if he or she were not a University student.”

Some Senators gave their interpretations on this particular article and how the Fair Trade Resolution fit in.

“To me the constitutionality… comes down to whether the component of choice is eating at a dining hall or whether because you are eating at a dining hall and…you are in fact forced to eat a product that is not fair trade,” said Senator Hattie Gawande ’18.

The resolution’s author did Skype in to the meeting last week to address the specific language of the bill and was assured the Administration and Rules Committee would continue oversight. This meeting has not been concluded and some of the concerns last week about the specific effects of the resolution have not been amended.

“Last time… we brought up these issues of constitutionality, and then the author expressed a question [about] if there was anything we could do to help her out in making it more constitutional and I feel we’ve failed in that if we’re coming to this conversation today and still arguing whether it’s constitutional,” said Senator Leo Bird ’17.

There was a discussion about the merits and cautions of “Fair Trade” itself. This included some arguments offered by Harry Elliott ’18, who recently published an article on the issue for The Stanford Review.

“It is not at all clear to me that the empirical data as to whether Fair Trade is efficacious or actually exists; the Fairtrade Foundation often uses individualized case studies in areas that look good for it, rather than conducting randomized-sample trials… that would be nicer to see before we commit,” Elliot said at the Senate meeting.

Nanci Howe, director and Dean of Student Activities and Leadership, raised the question as to whether the resolution would give an outside entity the ability to label the University, something that the Undergraduate Senate does not have the power to give.

“I don’t think ASSU can give an off-campus organization permission to affiliate with the name Stanford University,” Howe said. “There is a staff person in the University who can make those decisions.”

Some Senators also asked why the author approached just the Undergraduate Senate instead of considering a joint resolution, since the resolution would affect graduate students as well.

 

Other items

ASSU Executive Vice-President Brandon Hill ’16 gave a brief report on the “Real Talk at Stanford” event hosted last week. It brought together 50 student leaders from diverse student groups to generate dialogue about issues on campus.

A resolution to support El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transport was introduced and will be voted on in the next meeting.

Communications Committee Chair Eni Asebiomo ’18 announced plans to enhance the ASSU website over the summer.

 

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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ASSU Senate discusses retroactive non-funding for student groups https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/13/assu-senate-discusses-retroactive-non-funding-for-student-groups/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/13/assu-senate-discusses-retroactive-non-funding-for-student-groups/#respond Thu, 14 May 2015 02:58:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100906 The 17th Undergraduate Senate met on Tuesday night to discuss retroactive non-funding, the Fair Trade resolution, and Senators' ex-officio status.

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The 17th Undergraduate Senate met on Tuesday night to discuss retroactive non-funding, the Fair Trade resolution, and Senator’s ex-officio status.

 

Retroactive Non-Funding Upheld

Every new Senate inherits a body of laws and precedents from previous years. This week, the 17th ASSU Senate dealt with policy introduced by the 16th ASSU Senate on retroactive funding.

The issue arose when the Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society, requested retroactive funds for the speaker event it held on Friday, May 7th called the “Future of Technology & Entrepreneurship.” Tau Beta Pi requested financial support from the ASSU for this all-campus event. Because the meeting with the Appropriations Committee occurred after the event itself, the request was deemed “retroactive.”

The 16th Senate passed a bill that prohibited retroactive funding. This law was enacted during a time of financial constraint, which was in part due to the overspending of the 15th Senate.

“[The bill was passed] last fall when the 16th Senate had undergone some of the roughest funding period in the spring,” said Senator Malcolm Lizzappi ’17, who was also a member of the 16th Senate. “We had some ridiculous amounts of requests. I think we over-allocated about $300,000 in funding and a lot of that was because of retroactive funding.”

Retroactive funding makes predicting future budgets difficult and can cause financial imbalance. It also becomes more difficult to assess these requests as students claim they have used personal funds for a group’s event.

ASSU Executive John-Lancaster Finley ’16, a member of both the 15th and the 16th Senates, noted that, “retroactive funding put us in the situation where we had to overhaul everything…while that was a policy in the 16th Senate.”

Some Senators felt a responsibility to maintain consistency with previous policy in order to ensure fairness to all student groups. Money that goes to retroactive funding deducts from the same funds that are distributed to all student groups who apply within the guidelines of ASSU funding.

“I personally think that it would be the most fair to say that we can’t do retroactive requests, let’s see if we can work with Student Activities and Leadership, let’s see if we can work on raising some outside money,” Finley said.

Senator Leo Bird ’17 suggested additional communication and financial officer training to avoid situations in which groups faced consequences for misunderstanding or not knowing certain guidelines.

“I think a better way to approach the situation… [would be] to look into mediating the cause before they come to us,” Bird said.

 

Ex-officio status

The idea of carrying policy between Senate terms also came up during the approval of ex-officio status for a Senator Proxy appointment. There was a brief discussion about the duration of that status, how it could be modified, and how long it could constitutionally carry into the future.

 

Fair Trade University

There was continued discussion on a bill that was introduced last week to support a Resolution to certify Stanford as a Fair Trade University. A co-author addressed questions through a Skype call. There was agreement that more specific details were needed in the description of the bill.

“In order for me to not veto this resolution, what I would like to see within the language of it, is a lot of the things that were clearly included… verbally or in email,” Finley said. “Constitutionally the bill is insufficient in saying how it directly affects Stanford students.”

 

New Venue in Bio/Chem Quad

There was an update about plans for the new food venue that will be added to the Biology/Chemistry Quad. The administration is considering a location and student food preferences. There has been suggestions that the price for a meal range about $7 to $10.

 

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

An earlier version of this article stated that the organization had not received outside funding — in fact, they did. The Daily regrets this error.

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Senate considers Fair Trade, doesn’t censure Elections Commission https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/06/the-17th-assu-undergraduate-senate-met-officially-as-a-group-for-the-second-time-tuesday-night-a-bill-was-submitted-to-issue-a-censure-on-the-elections-commission-for-not-complying-with-certain-terms/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/06/the-17th-assu-undergraduate-senate-met-officially-as-a-group-for-the-second-time-tuesday-night-a-bill-was-submitted-to-issue-a-censure-on-the-elections-commission-for-not-complying-with-certain-terms/#respond Thu, 07 May 2015 03:58:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100542 The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met officially as a group for the second time Tuesday night.

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The 17th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met officially as a group for the second time Tuesday night.

Elections Commission censure not passed

A bill was submitted to issue a censure on the Elections Commission for not complying with certain terms designated by the Senate and other controversy, including a website security flaw. Some Senators were disappointed that the Commission failed to display how much money voters would be approving in total for Annual Grants.

The Elections Commission defended its action, citing Article V, Section 1 of the Joint By-Laws, which states that the Commission can “devise and implement the procedures for carrying out all elections and elections operations.”

Because the previous Senate appointed the Elections Commission, it was in question what role the new Senate had to resolve this issue.

“A censure is unproductive… we can focus on moving forward,” said Senator Justice Tention ’18.

Some Senators argued that the Senate always has the responsibility to uphold legislation and apply consequences when order is broken.

“We have to look at it from the perspective of the student body,” said Senator Malcolm Lizzappi ’17.

In the end, the bill did not pass, but there was agreement to construct an elections handbook and to provide more oversight for future elections to avoid miscommunication.

Fair Trade resolution

Alysha Shivji BA ’13 MA ’15 has spearheaded the Stanford Fair Trade campaign to certify Stanford as a “Fair Trade University.” The campaign is in its final steps as it has worked with vendors on campus and sponsored educational activities.

According to Shivji, the campaign has completed four out of the five steps needed to become an officially certified University. The final step is passing a Resolution, which, according to Shivji, “the director of Stanford Dining has agreed to sign.”

The resolution itself advocates a commitment to the consumption or use of food and products that abide by sustainable and ethical practice.

Nanci Howe, the Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Activities and Leadership, commented on the logistical challenges of implementing such a resolution given that “the University is very decentralized.”

Other affairs

ASSU Executive Vice President Brandon Hill ’16 announced the creation of a “G50” group, which will involve hosting a variety of student leaders to discuss campus climate and other pressing topics.

Senator Eni Asebiomo ’18, Chair of the Communications Committee, mentioned intentions for developing a Senate newsletter to increase transparency with the student body.

Contact Alex Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/06/the-17th-assu-undergraduate-senate-met-officially-as-a-group-for-the-second-time-tuesday-night-a-bill-was-submitted-to-issue-a-censure-on-the-elections-commission-for-not-complying-with-certain-terms/feed/ 0 1100542
16th ASSU Senate convenes for last meeting of the year https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/29/16th-assu-senate-convenes-for-last-meeting-of-the-year/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/29/16th-assu-senate-convenes-for-last-meeting-of-the-year/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2015 05:43:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100106 The 16th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met for the last time on Tuesday as the new Senate will begin its role next week. They voted on financial items and final items to wrap up their term before swearing in the 17th Senate, whose newly elected members were also present at the meeting.

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The 16th Undergraduate Senate met for the final time on Tuesday.  (NICK SALAZAR/The Stanford Daily)
The 16th Undergraduate Senate met for the final time on Tuesday. (NICK SALAZAR/The Stanford Daily)

On Tuesday night, the 16th and 17th ASSU Senates met for the last time and the first time, respectively.

 

The 16th Senate

The 16th ASSU Undergraduate Senate met for its last time on Tuesday, as the new Senate will begin its role next week. Senators voted on financial items and final items to wrap up their term before swearing in the 17th Senate, whose newly elected members were also present at the meeting.

The main item during the meeting was the approval for the Operating & Overhead Budget for next year’s fiscal year. The final sum included administrative costs for running the ASSU, and the budget will go to the Graduate Student Council for approval.

During voting there was also discussion about the salary for next year’s Senators, and some Senators expressed strong opinions against the proposed budget in which only Senators with leadership positions would be given salaries.

Senator Luka Fatuesi ’17 believes that every member of the Senate puts in a lot of work and should be compensated for their time and energy.

“While I do think that the leadership does do a lot more and because of that I’d be fine with them getting paid more, I still think that every Senator and every member of this body should at least have some sort of salary,” he said.

The budget was amended to include a minimum salary for all Senators while certain leadership positions were compensated more. Some members of the 16th Senate suggested employing creative incentives to reward hard work and effort. This was advised as a topic of discussion for future Senators to consider.

Newly elected ASSU Executive and Senator John-Lancaster Finley ’16, who abstained to vote on this particular item due to conflict-of-interest, noted that he has been interested in an incentive program, rather than keeping the same salary for each Senator.

“I’ve never thought that salary should be attached to title, but I do think compensation should be attached to work,” Finley added.

A motion was passed to approve a 15 percent increase in the Undergraduate Student Activities Fees, which supports ASSU funding for many student groups. The 2015 Spring Quarter General Election Results were reviewed and certified.

There was also a discussion about a bill to censure the Elections Commission on the grounds of a lack of communication and readiness, and reports of security breach and the “ignoring of legislative order,” according to Finley ’16. Ultimately, the censure was not voted on.

 

The 17th Senate

The 17th Senate met officially for the first time during this meeting after members were sworn in by a representative from the Constitutional Council. The new Senate also elected leadership roles, including Sina Javidan-Nejad ’17 for Senate Chair.

Over the previous weekend, the 16th Senate had held a training session for the new Senators to prepare them for the inauguration.

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Engineering alumna develop toys to inspire young female engineers https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/22/engineering-alumna-develop-toys-to-inspire-young-female-engineers/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/22/engineering-alumna-develop-toys-to-inspire-young-female-engineers/#respond Mon, 22 Dec 2014 21:00:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1093120 One typically thinks of an engineering degree as the entrance to a future in the tech industry. For three Stanford alumna, however, engineering was the path towards a career in developing children’s toys, and their products aim to inspire young girls to develop interests in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

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One typically thinks of an engineering degree as the entrance to a future in the tech industry. For three Stanford alumnae, however, engineering was the path towards a career in developing children’s toys, and their products aim to inspire young girls to develop interests in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

After completing her master’s in electrical engineering at Stanford, Bettina Chen M.S. ’12 went on to co-found Roominate with Alice Brooks M.S. ’12. Debbie Sterling ’05, who earned a B.A. in product design, is the founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, which shares Roominate’s commitment to engaging girls, rather than just boys, in active play through their toys. Roominate and GoldieBlox encourage girls to build by catering to their interests: Users can create various house-like structures with the toys’ modular pieces.

Both products had similar origins. When Chen and Sterling noticed a gender disparity in the field of engineering, they examined how they themselves had developed an interest in the discipline. Chen explained that she and her co-founder thought about childhood memories.

“It was really toys that we played with when we were younger that first inspired our love for building and tinkering,” Chen said.

Unfortunately, the toy industry often markets games to a certain gender, and historically, there are fewer “active-play” games for girls. If girls are less exposed to building at a young age, they may feel less adept at dealing with such materials in school.

“I would say, in particular though, since the ’80s, there seemed to be more and more gendered toys,” said Carol Muller, the executive director at Stanford WISE Ventures. “There always has been to some extent, in the sense that there was a feeling that girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks, even though lots of girls play with trucks, and [there are] boys who play with dolls.”

“The main idea of Roominate is really all about open-ended play and creativity and really letting girls build anything,” Chen said.

According to Chen, exposing girls to the vocabulary and skills pertaining to creating will help them become accustomed to similar scientific practices later. Roominate develops these skills through house-like toys which are not restricted to step-by-step instruction. GoldieBlox offers a similar approach, but through the storyline of a character named “GoldieBlox.”

“Another key component are the circuits,” Chen said. “For a lot of girls, they have never put batteries in a battery pack before.”

While both companies have been covered by media institutions, including TIME Magazine and The New York Times, GoldieBlox received recent attention from the press about its recent marketing video. Some writers have argued against the idea of making girls appear more “boyish” to be better fit for STEM.

“What I’ve seen in little girls, and especially with…the toys today that inundate the “pink aisle,” it’s all about being a perfect little princess,” Sterling said in an interview. “And the problem with that is that girls start to become afraid of making mistakes. And if you’re going to be successful in math and science and engineering, you’ve got to be okay with making mistakes because those topics are challenging.”

However, Muller believes that it is possible to be a “girly girl” and be interested in science. She also explained that gender stereotypes at a young age can often result in unsettling consequences.

“I think what’s important is to enable people as much as possible without gender stereotypes to have the opportunity to get interested in all kinds of endeavors,” Muller said. “Ideally, they would make their choices free of gender stereotypes.”

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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A look at dorm funds: Quarterly-divided funding and logistical issues make new dorm programming difficult https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/19/a-look-at-dorm-funds-quarterly-divided-funding-and-logistical-issues-make-new-dorm-programming-difficult/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/19/a-look-at-dorm-funds-quarterly-divided-funding-and-logistical-issues-make-new-dorm-programming-difficult/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2014 21:01:35 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092783 For any student who lives on campus, a portion of one’s “room and board” costs go to house dues. These funds cover a variety of extracurricular expenses that supplement the dorm experience. While most students enjoy the fruits of these funds, only dorm staff and government realize the challenges of managing funds.

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For any student who lives on campus, a portion of one’s “room and board” costs go to house dues. These funds cover a variety of extracurricular expenses that supplement the dorm experience. While most students enjoy the fruits of these funds, only dorm staff and government realize the challenges of managing funds.

The ways in which dues are managed differ from dorm to dorm. Dorms are essentially independent in how they choose to spend funds. This often involves the collaboration of Residential Educators, Resident Fellows, Residential Assistants and students involved in dorm government. In addition, dorms typically employ polls or surveys to allow residents to offer input as to how funds should be spent. On the whole, the main responsibility goes to the dorm treasurer.

Nate Boswell, an Associate Dean of Residential Education, explains, “All house treasurers go through a training with the Assistant Director for Finance prior to receiving access to the House Dues bank account and House Dues funds.”

At this training, treasurers learn about financial policy and are offered skills and materials, which will assist in their bookkeeping.

On campus, occasionally there is word of a dorm going “into debt.” It is usually unclear how “debt” is handled and whether it can actually exist, given that dorms don’t take loans.

The simple answer, however, is that treasurers cannot overspend the House Dues bank accounts, according to Boswell.

Sometimes what is called “debt” is really a delay in payment. House dues are distributed quarterly, meaning that the sum allotted for an entire year is divided by three and provided at the beginning of each quarter. Some dorms may be inclined to spend more one quarter and less another, in order to balance opportunities and costs.

One item requires special fiscal preparation: the Ski (or Snow) Trip. Deposits for housing and other travel arrangements often come out of fall quarter sums, even though Ski Trip occurs in the winter. Dorms use student co-pays or external funds to absorb costs so that the fall quarter does not sacrifice funds for dorm gear and other costs.

“I think it ties up the hands of the treasurer and dorm government in general when the money is split into three quarters, but, in reality, spending overlaps,” Chinedum Egbosimba ’18, the treasurer for Soto, said.

It can also be difficult to plan for events in advance without guarantee sums from grants, which typically take a week to confirm.

“It’s hard planning an event that you hope to get grant funds for, and then finding out later that you won’t actually get those funds,” Isabel Gueble ’16, a Resident Assistant at Crothers, said.

While there are some events or expenses that are consistent from year to year, there is ample opportunity to initiate fresh programs. For example, some dorms like Junipero try to incorporate a social justice component to which the dues can be put to use.

“We wanted J-Ro to spend with more consciousness, to keep the bigger picture in mind,” Eva Jordan, a Resident Fellow at Junipero, said.

Some Resident Fellows try to cultivate dialogue about thinking critically when it comes to managing funds. After all, there is often a lot of talk about obtaining additional “free” gear or dorm accessories.

“It’s not to spoil anyone’s fun — you got here … you deserve to enjoy it,” Jordan said. “But stay human…[Think] about where your dollars are coming from and where they’re going.”

Unfortunately, it is difficult to maintain this type of attitude with new students coming in every year. Interest in any particular focus is similarly difficult to maintain.

Other logistical issues pose challenges to the process of managing house dues. When receipts are not turned in quickly enough then it is difficult to gauge the amount of dorm funds at a given time. A possible solution would be to lend out more debit cards that Residential Assistants can use to make large purchases.

“I hate spending money and then getting reimbursed, because it’s scary spending sometimes a thousand dollars at once and then waiting to get reimbursed,” Gueble said.

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford Cyber Initiative receives Hewlett Foundation grant https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/08/stanford-cyber-initiative-receives-hewlett-foundation-grant/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/08/stanford-cyber-initiative-receives-hewlett-foundation-grant/#respond Tue, 09 Dec 2014 02:05:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1093068 The Stanford Cyber Initiative was recently awarded $15 million from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to approach cyber issues through interdisciplinary examination. The sum is part of $65 million that the Hewlett Foundation's Cyber Initiative will distribute over the next five years. MIT and UC-Berkeley are also recipients of the grant.

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The Stanford Cyber Initiative was recently awarded $15 million from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to approach cyber issues through interdisciplinary examination. The sum is part of $65 million that the Hewlett Foundation’s Cyber Initiative will distribute over the next five years. MIT and UC-Berkeley are also recipients of the grant.

According to its website, the Stanford Cyber Initiative is “Stanford’s university-wide initiative to understand cyberspace, cybersecurity and the challenges and opportunities that networked information pose to humanity.”

Researchers will examine cyber issues as they become increasingly more complicated and more prevalent. They will look at the effects cyberspace and related technologies have on society. Researchers already plan to study networked information, as well as its legal issues and its impact on national security, in the context of intellectual property, civil liberties and society.

“We want to better understand the short- and long-term consequences and implications of the pervasiveness of digital technology in our lives,” said Stanford’s vice provost and dean of research Ann Arvin to the Stanford Report.

The team will immediately begin developing seminars and conferences and organizing dialogue and supported research on the topic of cybersecurity. The Cyber Initiative involves the collaboration of leaders and experts in a wide range of fields, including computer science, law, the social sciences, engineering, political science and education.

“Faculty and students will expand existing research efforts and conversations with the goal of building a safer, better world that balances humanity’s concerns with the promise of new technologies,” said Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar M.A. ’96 Ph.D. ’00, professor of law, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and one of the founders of the initiative.

Stanford already hosts a “cyber boot camp” for U.S. congressional staff and a variety of ongoing speaker series with leaders in the industry and the government. Stanford also hopes to broaden the impact of the work through a highly interdisciplinary approach.

“Choices we are making today about Internet governance and security have profound implications for the future,” said Hewlett Foundation President Larry Kramer, a former dean of the Stanford Law School. “To make those choices well, it is imperative that they be made with some sense of what lies ahead and, still more important, of where we want to go.”

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford students, community members lead demonstration reacting to Ferguson decision https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/01/stanford-students-community-members-lead-demonstration-reacting-to-fergusion-decision/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/12/01/stanford-students-community-members-lead-demonstration-reacting-to-fergusion-decision/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:10:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092774 Beginning 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, organizers of the Palo Alto State of Emergency group led between 200 to 300 Stanford students and community members in a demonstration reacting to Monday’s grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown this past August.

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Students and community members participated in the SIlicon Shut Down demonstration on Tuesday morning (Courtesy of Kristian Bailey.)
Students and community members participated in the SIlicon Shut Down demonstration on Tuesday morning
(Courtesy of Kristian Bailey.)

Beginning at 11 a.m. on Nov. 25, organizers of the Palo Alto State of Emergency group led between 200 to 300 Stanford students and community members in a demonstration reacting to Monday’s grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown this past August.

The demonstration, also known as Silicon Shut Down, included two simultaneous marches — one primarily for students from the Main Quad to downtown Palo Alto and another for community members in Palo Alto — that converged at Lytton Plaza for a die-in at the intersection of University and Emerson. Following the die-in, participants proceeded to Palo Alto City Hall, where the organization held a speak-out for roughly an hour before marching back through Palo Alto and back to campus.

Throughout the march, students, also holding cardboard signs, conducted a series of chants that referenced the recent verdict on the shooting of Michael Brown that has sparked protests in his community Ferguson, Missouri.

These included “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “This is what democracy looks like” and “We have to fight for our freedom.” The protesters Tuesday were diverse in ethnicity and age. Many wore black and many held cardboard signs, with messages like “Black Matters,” “Unarmed. Only 18” and “No Justice in AmeriKKKa.”

The Palo Alto State of Emergency group is a coalition of individual members from various social justice groups in the Stanford community.

Student leader Tianay Pulphus said, “When we planned this event we knew that whether or not there was indictment, that justice would not be realized….We wanted to make sure that we aided Ferguson’s call to ensure justice.”

The first stop in the march was at the cross-streets of Emerson and University. Two groups of protesters met at the intersection and formed a circle at the center of which one of the student leaders delivered a speech. The group also coordinated a “ring-around-the-rosie” in which an inner circle of members fell “dead,” mirroring the grave subject matter.

After this “die-in,” the group later also congregated in front of Palo Alto City Hall where other community members, of various races and backgrounds, shared chances to stand up and speak their mind.

“Our intention was to first provide an outlet for ourselves, we realized that the entire community also needed healing and wanted to extend the invitation to them as well,” Pulphus said.

“This demonstration was powerful,” said EKela Autry, a participant. “Systemic racism and oppression targets communities of color, but that doesn’t mean it is only our problem. The diversity of the group of students involved proved that students across the board are passionate about breaking these systems down and working together for a greater cause.”

“There is strength in numbers and if we could gather that many people during Thanksgiving break, then I cannot wait to see how many people we can organize once everyone is back on campus,” Autry added.

The Palo Alto State of Emergency group is planning another community-wide demonstration at 10:01 a.m. later this morning.

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu and Catherine Zaw at czaw13 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Lagunita residents petition for temporary staff member’s employment https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/20/lagunita-residents-petition-for-temporary-staff-members-employment/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/20/lagunita-residents-petition-for-temporary-staff-members-employment/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:34:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092536 Residents on West Campus have started a petition to grant custodian Maria Buenrostro full-time employment.

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Residents on West Campus have started a petition to grant custodian Maria Buenrostro full-time employment.

Buenrostro is currently a temporary staff member at Ujamaa in Lagunita Court. Temporary staff are hired for operational peak periods.

“While any individual temporary hire is able to apply for a permanent position and are welcome to do so, longer-term employment opportunities correctly follow the hiring protocol,” said Rodger Whitney, the executive director of Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Student Housing/CHO.

According to a petition letter spearheaded by Ujamaa residents, Buenrostro was denied a permanent position by R&DE, in part due to the fact that she is still learning English. However, the letter also explained that language is not a true limiting factor because R&DE has previously hired people who are not fluent in English. In addition, Buenrostro has independently chosen to take classes through Habla, a group on campus in which Stanford students tutor participating janitorial staff in English.

Citing Buenrostro’s diligence and positive attitude, students argued that Buenrostro has become a member of the Lagunita community, and the petition, which is signed by “The Residents of Ujamaa, Naranja, West Lagunita and Roble” collected 200 signatures in its first week.

R&DE explained that they are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and hire women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

“While we appreciate very much the support students have provided on behalf of one of our temporary staff and the praise for their work while here, any permanent hiring decision is made on the basis of many factors and criteria and in fair and equal consideration of all the applicants for a position in order to ensure the most qualified person is ultimately hired in Residential & Dining Enterprises,” Whitney said.

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Patrick Suppes, professor emeritus of philosophy, dies at 92 https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/18/patrick-suppes-professor-emeritus-of-philosophy-dies-at-91/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/18/patrick-suppes-professor-emeritus-of-philosophy-dies-at-91/#respond Wed, 19 Nov 2014 05:59:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1092378 Professor of Philosophy Patrick Suppes died on Nov. 17.

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Professor of Philosophy Patrick Suppes died on Nov. 17.

Suppes was the Lucie Stern Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and also professor emeritus in the Department of Statistics, Department of Psychology, and School of Education. He has been on campus since 1950.

Suppes was born March 17, 1922 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and received a B.S. from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D at Columbia University. In the fall of 1950, Suppes came to Stanford, where he would spend his entire professional career. He began research into the philosophy of science. In particular, he studied the foundations of physics, special relativity, quantum mechanics and the theory of measurement. He also studied formal philosophy, social sciences, psychology and education technology.

Suppes helped shape Stanford’s community through the co-founding of the Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences in 1959 and served half-time as the Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences for three years and as Acting Dean for one. He served as the Director and Faculty Advisor for Stanford’s Education Program for Gifted Youth.

“Pat had a regular presence in Ventura Hall up until just a few weeks ago, as he continued his research in emotion and language in the brain,” his former colleague Charlotte Cattivera said.

Suppes is survived by his wife, five children, three step children and five grandchildren.

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

This post has been edited to reflect Suppes’ correct age. The Stanford Daily regrets its error.

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GSB announces online LEAD Certificate program https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/12/gsb-announces-online-lead-certificate-program/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/12/gsb-announces-online-lead-certificate-program/#respond Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:42:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1091852 Last week, the Graduate School of Business (GSB) announced an online program targeted at engaging working executives in a part-time, cohort-based, self-paced curriculum. The program is called the LEAD Certificate and derives its name from a few guiding principles: Learn, Engage, Accelerate and Disrupt.

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The GSB offers the LEAD certificate, an online program which enables participants to continue working while expanding their skills and knowledge in the realm of business. (Courtesy of Barbara Buell)

Last week, the Graduate School of Business (GSB) announced an online program targeted at engaging working executives in a part-time, cohort-based, self-paced curriculum. The program is called the LEAD Certificate and derives its name from a few guiding principles: Learn, Engage, Accelerate and Disrupt.

The online platform enables participants to continue working while expanding their skills and knowledge in the realm of business. The flexibility of the digital course allows people who are unable to live at Stanford for weeks at a time to take short, conventional courses offered at the GSB.

Another advantage of hosting a part-time program is that participants can immediately apply the skills that they learn in a professional setting. Upon encountering challenges or questions, they can return to their professors and advisors about how to develop new skills.

“The format is designed to be flexible so you can really engage with the concepts – understand how they can be applied – and allow you to start transforming your organization while you’re in the program,” said Paul DeMarzo, the faculty director of educational technology at the GSB, in the introductory video for the program.

What makes this program unique is the emphasis on virtually replicating the “residential” setting a university campus offers. According to DeMarzo, the LEAD program is radical because the designers will implement a variety of strategies to give the students a sense of community.

Students will interact with each other online through group projects and offering feedback. Synchronous events, including speakers, panels and workshops, will imitate the “classroom” feel, which is much more engaging than a typical online course, or MOOC (Massive Open Online Course).

The program will use a platform called NovoEd, which was co-developed by Stanford MS&E professor Amin Saberi and Ph.D. student Farnaz Ronaghi.

“NovoEd has been very successful in making the students feel a sense of belonging and making them basically learn certain skills, like giving feedback to other people, running meetings – many things people learn through working with others,” Ronaghi said.

The virtual community is also enabled by the select cohort of participants who make up the body of learners. The LEAD Program will accept up to 100 applicants from around the world.

“We want people are going to be go-getters and are going to have an impact in their organization with the things that they learn,” said Audrey Witters, the managing director of online executive education at the GSB.

While a MOOC can host a large number of students, these students often fall along a large and varied scale of commitment and interest. The LEAD program will foster a community of students who are eager to work with peers, business faculty and additional thought-provokers and mentors.

“I think what this represents is really a big step into the virtual learning for the GSB,” said Barbara Buell, the Director of Communications for the GSB.

To earn the LEAD Certificate, participants will complete eight of 12 virtual classes over a course of a year, averaging two per quarter. In designing the program, instructional designers, motion graphics and media specialists work with Stanford faculty to build an engaging and effective learning system. All of the courses are geared toward working executives and focused on what Witters calls “intra-preneurship.”

The LEAD Certificate is an addition to the portfolio of innovative approaches to business education. On-campus business classes already employ digital technology, including the use of a mobile app called “The Business of Change,” which was custom-developed for the GSB. Some courses also implement the flipped classroom, in which students learn material through videos at home and implement ideas and discuss concepts in class afterwards.

The GSB offers two other atypical technology-shaped programs. Stanford Ignite is a part-time program which uses high-definition videoconferencing to bring together technical experts in Stanford and five other cities: Bangalore, Beijing, London, New York City, Paris, São Paulo and Santiago. The GSB has also partnered with the School of Engineering to establish the Stanford Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which offers online courses “à la carte.”

The biggest challenge, Witters said, is the GSB’s continual effort to always stay at the forefront of technological innovation, finding the best new tools that can be implemented in the virtual classroom.

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Prevention Research Center to launch Wellness Living Laboratory https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/03/prevention-research-center-to-launch-wellness-living-laboratory/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/11/03/prevention-research-center-to-launch-wellness-living-laboratory/#respond Mon, 03 Nov 2014 19:51:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1091191 The Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC) received $10 million in funding to launch the Wellness Living Laboratory, a project that will take a scientific approach to wellness.

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The Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC) received $10 million in funding to launch the Wellness Living Laboratory, a project that will take a scientific approach to wellness. The lab will assemble a large group of research participants interested in promoting their own health while contributing information related to wellness.

John Ioannidis, professor of medicine and director of the SPRC, called the lab “a next generation cohort” because of its potential to change wellness research on a massive scale. This cohort, or gathering of participants, is the first of four aspects of the project. Participants will track various factors about their wellness and submit information about nutrition, activity and other health aspects.

The second aspect of the project is interventional wellness. The lab will offer up-to-date information about ways for participants to improve their health and will also analyze tactics that enhance wellness, including encouraging tips and preventative strategies for harmful behavior.

The third part of the lab involves the creation of a bio-bank, a large database of samples supplied by participants for research studies. The bank will host anything from blood and urine samples to tissue and genetic material. The SPRC anticipates that the database will provide an opportunity for genetic testing and hopes to track biological factors that correlate with wellness, according to Ioannidis.

Ioannidis called the final aspect of the project the “outer sphere.” The lab will publish its findings to support wellness understanding on a large, if not global, scale. It will consider both the best and the latest evidence, as well as what is established and what still needs more data.

“[Wellness] is a very fragmented landscape,” Ioannidis said.

He explained that there are many differing views and approaches to wellness without much hard data. In fact, most studies focus on diseases rather than wellness.

According to Ioannidis, one of the greatest potential assets of the Wellness Living Laboratory is its use of randomized trials. Traditionally, randomized trials take a lot of effort and time, but the Living Lab allows for numerous trials to be run on the same population. These tests will not only enhance efficiency but will also create a more formative understanding.

The project is funded from an unrestricted gift provided by Amways’ Nutrilite Health Institute Wellness Fund, and the pilot program will begin in 2015. Participants will be taken from Santa Clara County and China.

The SPRC hopes to build a system that will use technology to optimize the time and energy of the participants.

“In the past in order to participate in a cohort, people had to come again and again back to the clinical site,” Ioannidis said. “We will try to minimize that.”

Ioannidis explained that the lab is the first of its kind and that wellness itself is a largely under-explored field. He believes that the lab will also revolutionize data collecting and access to knowledge while also exploring what people believe it means to “feel well.”

“The big challenge is that wellness is a rapidly evolving concept,” Ioaniddis said.

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil’’at’ stanford.edu.

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Contemplation by Design Week begins Nov. 3, emphasizing calm, meditation https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/contemplation-by-design-week-begins-nov-7-emphasizing-calm-meditation/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/contemplation-by-design-week-begins-nov-7-emphasizing-calm-meditation/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2014 22:13:06 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1090728 Next week, a host of wellness groups will guide the community in meditative opportunities to celebrate the “Power of the Pause” during the first ever Contemplation by Design Week. The inauguration of this program is paired with the recent opening of the Windhover Contemplative Center, which is a special meditative resource. The whole week is an invitation to the entire community, students, faculty, staff and maintenance, to explore the value of experiencing time away from daily routine.

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Next week, a host of wellness groups will guide the community in meditative opportunities to celebrate “The Power of the Pause” during the first ever Contemplation by Design Week. The inauguration of this program is paired with the recent opening of the Windhover Contemplative Center, which is a special meditative resource. The whole week is an invitation to the entire community, students, faculty, staff and maintenance to explore the value of experiencing time away from daily routine.

The week’s theme, “The Power of the Pause,” is captured in the central acronym, “PEACE,” which stands for “Pause, Exhale, Attend, Connect and Express.” The aim of the week is to cultivate a culture that embraces a need for mental quietness that enhances our personal health and collective performance.

Contemplation by Design (CBD) Week follows an event in May that invited the campus to practice contemplation during a carillon concert from the carillon bells of Hoover Tower. This tradition will be continued on Friday, Nov. 7, as the grand finale to a week of mindfulness and meditation. The concert will serve as the grand finale to a culminating series of sessions and discussions of meditation.

 

Sponsorship

Various groups on campus — including Health Improvement Program, BeWell, iThrive, the Office of Religious Life and Residential and Dining Enterprises — are sponsoring the events occurring throughout the week. Partners in the d.school, Stanford Arts Institute and the Windhover Center will create spaces conducive to the purpose of each occasion. All of the events are funded off the budgets of the individual sponsors.

Student groups such as Talisman and Stanford Taiko are also donating their time for the Contemplative Concert in Bing Concert Hall on Thursday, Nov. 6.

“Each of the collaborators is making a significant contribution of time and energy and funds and resources,” said Tia Rich, CBD organizer.

The number of involved departments is indicative of the huge outreach of CBD, according to Rich.

“There are not a lot of events that bring the entire Stanford community together, especially in a shared learning experience,” Rich said.

 

Importance of pausing

Contemplation reduces the effects of stress, which can impair academic, emotional and social functioning, according to Carole Pertofsky, director of the iThrive program at Vaden Health Center.

“It’s deliberate. It’s a recognition that I need to refuel and…tap into something that is healing and restoring inside myself,” Pertofsky said.

Rich also explained that science has shown that meditation invokes alpha and theta brain waves that offer fresh perspective from the beta waves used during routine work.

“In the contemplative and meditative states we move more into the parasympathetic region that is going to be supportive of physiological health,” Rich said.

At Stanford, finding quiet time and space can be a challenge, Pertofsky has noticed.

“More and more is being accomplished with incredible amount of speed and effectiveness and efficiency, and yet the level of distress [makes] everyone is ramped up,” Pertofsky said.

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil’’at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford’s Open Learning Initiative receives Gates Foundation grant https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/stanfords-open-learning-initiative-receives-gates-foundation-grant/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/27/stanfords-open-learning-initiative-receives-gates-foundation-grant/#respond Mon, 27 Oct 2014 16:31:14 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1090618 Stanford's Open Learning Initiative (OLI) program is one of seven educational technology programs to split a $20 million fund from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Stanford’s Open Learning Initiative (OLI) program is one of seven educational technology programs to split a $20 million fund from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

OLI is an online educational platform that enhances classroom learning through digital modules that provide feedback to instructors. Students use the modules to learn and engage with material in an interactive online environment, while activities examine each student’s understanding of key concepts. The instructor uses the data from the platform to design the class and focus on important areas.

Founded by Candace Thille, OLI began 12 years ago at Carnegie Mellon University. Thille brought the program to Stanford one year ago when she joined the Graduate School of Education. Originally, OLI focused mostly on assessing the cognitive process of learning. Since it has come to Stanford, the goal has been to build on its foundation while also exploring theoretical models and psychological assessments. Teams of disciplinary experts, learning researchers and software engineers build environments that can support classrooms anywhere that aim to provide the same experience as a top institution.

“The team designs these interactive environments, and the environments both support the learners but also collect the data to refine the learning environment,” Thille said.

The grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will specifically go towards a module for an introductory statistics course, chosen for its high-enrollment and high-variability. Thille and her colleagues are building upon an existing statistics course and are integrating OLI into another online platform called edX. They will also be enhancing the environments with social-psychological interventions. Ultimately, the module will be used in thousands of classrooms across the nation.

Partners at other institutions offer faculty expertise for content development and use trial modules to gather data and improve strategies. These institutions include universities and community colleges in Maryland, North Carolina and California. The platform is designed to assess students’ specific sub-skills pertaining to larger concepts that they learn in the class, and design teams pool data to focus on refining less effective aspects of the online courses.

OLI also emphasizes the openness of every education environment it develops: Anyone can access its content. The program aims to lead the way in integrating technology into education. The enhanced statistics course which is already being taught at Stanford, and more courses will soon follow.

Thille explained that she considered three main resources through OLI: “What a student can do with their computer, what they can do with their peers, and what a student can do with an expert.” She also highlighted what she believes to be the key question in developing the program.

“What are the affordances and limitations of each of those resources and how can we blend them to create the best learning environment for that student at that point and time?” Thille said.

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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University announces results of 2013-14 fiscal year funding https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/13/university-announces-results-of-2013-14-fiscal-year-funding/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/10/13/university-announces-results-of-2013-14-fiscal-year-funding/#respond Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:26:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1089641 Stanford raised $928.5 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, which raises funds separately, earned an additional $53.8 million. Funds from this year have been channeled into existing reserves and new facilities on campus.

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Stanford raised $928.5 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, which raises funds separately, earned an additional $53.8 million. Funds from this year have been channeled into existing reserves and new facilities on campus.

Many of the funds have been distributed to several key focuses on campus: $299.5 million towards research and programs, $65.5 million to faculty, and $80.7 million for students, which includes graduate fellowships ($39 million) and undergraduate financial aid ($31.7 million). A large portion of fundraising is centered around the construction of the new hospitals. Funds for Stanford Medicine, which includes construction of the new Stanford Hospital and other initiatives of the Campaign for Stanford Medicine, totaled $264.9 million.

One testament to the success of this year’s fundraising is the recently opened Anderson Collection and its new 33,000-square-foot space. The collection houses 121 modern and contemporary American sculptures and paintings, assembled by Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson and Mary Patricia Anderson Pence.

This addition to the arts on campus was mirrored by the newly constructed Shriram Center for Bioengineering & Chemical Engineering, which stands as the fourth and final building in the Science and Engineering Quad. The center will replace aging facilities and help consolidate the Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, each of which were previously dispersed over several buildings.

This year’s funds continued the five-year trend in the growing number of donors, which have now reached 82,300. The 2012-13 fiscal year drew $931.6 million from 82,000 donors, and the year before raised $1.035 billion, which was the largest in fundraising history.

 

Contact Alexandra Bourdillon at abourdil ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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