Caleb Smith – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:28:18 +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 Caleb Smith – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Title IX explained: A primer on Stanford and sexual assault https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/03/title-ix-explained-a-primer-on-stanford-and-sexual-assault/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/03/title-ix-explained-a-primer-on-stanford-and-sexual-assault/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2017 08:19:15 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1130566 The Daily explains Title IX and gives a condensed overview of how the contentious issue has evolved on campus.

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Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ decision to reevaluate federal guidance governing the Title IX process for adjudicating sexual assault cases on college campuses was the latest in a series of developments that have made sexual assault one of the most high profile issues on campus. The issues of how to reduce sexual assault, respond to accusations and support survivors of sexual assault have sparked large student demonstrations and Stanford policy changes in recent years.

Here, The Daily explains Title IX and gives a condensed overview of how the contentious issue has evolved on campus.

Policy in flux

Title IX is a federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funding, like Stanford, from excluding, discriminating against or denying the benefits of an educational program on the basis of sex.

In 2011, the Department of Education, which monitors compliance with the law, issued a “Dear Colleague” letter that told colleges and universities that sexual harassment and sexual violence are forms of sex-based discrimination. The letter further stated that institutions of higher learning have a corresponding obligation to investigate complaints of sexual harassment and violence on their campuses and take appropriate steps to prevent them from recurring. This meant that institutions are required to have a process in place to investigate and judge complaints of sexual assault parallel to and separate from any criminal investigation and prosecution that might be conducted by law enforcement.

What that investigation and disciplinary process should be at Stanford has been the subject of repeated changes and much scrutiny.

Between 1996 and 2009, there were 104 reports of sexual assault at Stanford, which resulted in three disciplinary hearings under the adjudication system in place at the time. In April 2010, Stanford established the “Alternate Review Process,” which replaced the old process as the University’s means of examining sexual assault complaints and determining sanctions.

Under the Alternate Review Process, accusations of sexual assault were judged by a five-member panel, which consisted of three students and two faculty or staff members. At the same time, Stanford reduced the burden of proof required to find someone responsible for a charge from “beyond a reasonable doubt” to a “preponderance of evidence” standard. Under the new standard, which was mandated by the Department of Education’s 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, a panel would only need to be convinced that the offense had been more likely than not committed.

ARP replaced

Despite these changes, Stanford’s policy for handling sexual assault cases came under intense criticism during spring quarter 2014. Leah Francis ’14, a student and survivor of sexual assault, circulated a letter around the Stanford community that called for a demonstration against the University’s process for adjudicating sexual assault cases.

After Francis reported to the University that she had been sexually assaulted by another student, a panel found the accused in Francis’ case responsible. The panel gave the male student a one year suspension, allowing him to graduate on time and return to graduate school at Stanford a year later — a punishment Francis derided as  “gap year.” Francis’ case also took nearly five months to process, while the Department of Education indicated that a typical case should take around 60 days.

Francis called for Stanford to expand resources for sexual assault survivors and make expulsion a mandatory sanction for sexual assault. Several hundred students showed up to a rally several days later in the first in a series of demonstrations.

In 2016, Stanford began using a new process for handling sexual assault complaints, run by the Title IX office, that remains in place today.

Once the Title IX office receives a complaint, it investigates it to determine if there is enough evidence to charge the alleged assailant. Although some University employees are required to forward complaints they receive to the Title IX office, some resources such as the Confidential Support Team, Counseling and Psychological Services and clergy are confidential and are not required to forward complaints.

If the Title IX Coordinator believes that a panel could find a student responsible for prohibited conduct, but there is no significant disagreement between the defendant, complainant and Title IX office regarding what happened and what the penalty should be, the complainant can elect to skip a hearing. If the Title IX office deems evidence sufficient to charge, the complainant can also choose to have a hearing before a three-person panel. The panel is appointed from a pool of faculty, staff and graduate students selected for that purpose. A unanimous ruling is required to find an alleged assailant responsible.

Expulsion is currently the default, but not mandatory, sanction for sexual assault, defined by Stanford as oral or penetrative sex carried out by force or incapacitation. Other sexual offenses can carry a wide range of penalties.

Stanford’s reforms to the Title IX process came under almost immediate criticism. Advocates for a more aggressive reform package argued that Stanford had an unusually narrow definition of sexual assault and that requiring a unanimous vote for a finding of responsibility set Stanford apart from other schools and would cause more accused students to be acquitted. Unlike many peer institutions, Stanford does not count the unwanted touching of an intimate body part as a form of sexual assault, instead classifying it in the broader category of “sexual misconduct.”

As of earlier this year, Stanford was one of only four schools in the U.S. News top 20 colleges or schools in the Pac-12 to require a unanimous vote to reach a responsible finding. Two of those four schools use two-member panels, meaning that a majority decision will necessarily be unanimous.

Explaining Stanford’s policy, administrators have said that Stanford mirrors California legal definitions and that Stanford separates types of sexual offenses in order to differentiate default sanctions. A task force on sexual assault is currently reviewing the University’s policies and still accepting community input.

Although students are not represented in Title IX hearings by lawyers, both the complainant and respondent in cases have access to up to nine hours of free legal assistance by a lawyer from a pool the Title IX office created for that purpose — a resource rare among colleges. However, some allege that nine hours of legal assistance is inadequate to properly support students involved in the Title IX process.

Stanford was accused of retaliation in February when it dropped one of the attorneys retained for advising students in the Title IX process, Crystal Riggins, after she made critical comments about Stanford’s Title IX process to The New York Times. The Stanford administrator who wrote to Riggins with news of her dismissal said Riggins’ public statements were “disappointing” and indicated a lack of confidence in Stanford’s Title IX process.

Increasing attention to the incident, Riggins was at the time the only member of the pool of attorneys the University keeps on retainer for Title IX cases who specialized in representing sexual assault complainants at Stanford.

Accusations of overreach

Although some students and faculty have accused Stanford of an inadequately aggressive approach to Title IX cases, others have accused Stanford’s Title IX office of violating the rights of respondents and overreaching in its investigation of student groups.

The male student who Stanford found responsible for assaulting Francis filed a lawsuit against the University in 2016, alleging that Stanford’s process violated various due process rights and discriminated against him. Other defense lawyers have also criticized the Title IX process, alleging that Stanford provides so little information to respondents that it is difficult to prepare an effective defense. One attorney told The Daily previously that a defendant he represented asked Stanford to disclose which calendar year an alleged assault took place in but had the request rejected.

Even more controversial have been Title IX cases against the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) and the Stanford Band.

Accused of creating a “sexually hostile environment” during a 2014 toga party and of subsequently retaliating against witnesses, SAE lost its status as a housed fraternity and was placed on three years of probation in 2015. Some SAE members criticized the Title IX investigation for alleged procedural failures, while a student subject to an anonymous Whatsgoodly poll attacking her character for allegedly reporting SAE’s party accused SAE of retaliation. The individual SAE member accused of directly retaliating against the suspected witness was acquitted of retaliation in an Office of Community Standards disciplinary hearing, while SAE was found responsible for the same charge in the Title IX process.

Following allegations of sexual harassment and hazing during the 2011-12 school years, a Title IX investigation found the Leland Stanford Junior Marching Band responsible for these accusations and imposed a one-year travel and alcohol ban in 2015. After alleged violations of the no-travel and alcohol policies, Stanford suspended the Band in December 2016 — a move that drew swift outcry from many students and alumni — until the Band successfully appealed the suspension in January.

Brock Turner

As debates about the future of Stanford’s Title IX process continue, one of the most high profile developments in sexual assault issues at Stanford has little direct connection to Title IX.

On Jan. 18, 2015, Stanford student and athlete Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious woman outside Kappa Alpha on the Stanford campus and was arrested for the crime. Unlike in most alleged sexual assaults at Stanford, Turner was subsequently charged and convicted of rape in a Santa Clara County court. Turner’s case drew international media attention after the survivor of the assault read a moving statement in court on the impact of the assault; scrutiny grew after presiding judge, Aaron Persky ’84 MA ’85, then sentenced Turner to six months in jail and three years of probation.

What many criticized as a lenient sentence sparked public outrage and led a Stanford Law School professor to lead a petition to force a recall election against Persky. Meanwhile, legislators changed California state law to stiffen rape penalties in cases where the victim is unconscious.

The recall petition is currently entangled in litigation over procedural questions, and Persky has stepped up his efforts to fight the recall, garnering support from a number of the recall leader’s colleagues at Stanford Law School, among others. But recall supporters are still hoping to get adequate signatures by early January so that the recall election can take place during California’s 2018 primary elections.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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The edge of impossibility https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/21/the-edge-of-impossibility/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/21/the-edge-of-impossibility/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2017 17:00:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1129238 It sometimes seems like Stanford exists in a special distortion of the space time continuum. The sun goes up and the sun goes down, but you could be forgiven for thinking that time stands still. The grass is almost always green. The weather is almost always great. The people almost always say they are doing […]

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It sometimes seems like Stanford exists in a special distortion of the space time continuum. The sun goes up and the sun goes down, but you could be forgiven for thinking that time stands still. The grass is almost always green. The weather is almost always great. The people almost always say they are doing “good” or “great!” Something is always under construction. Every year, a bunch of wide eyed freshmen arrive. Every year, a bunch of nostalgic seniors graduate and go trooping off into the world.

Today, those graduating seniors are us. Stanford seems to be timeless because the time between our arrival on campus and our departure at once seems an instant and a geologic era in length. After drinking deeply of the cool dark waters of knowledge for four years like we never had before, it seems almost impossible that the time has come for us to put down the glass and drink no more of Stanford’s store.

But we are well acquainted with almost impossible. Few in our class had a safe path into Stanford. For most of us, the prospect of getting into Stanford seemed almost impossible. Yet we did it. Once we got here, when faced with the full blast of human knowledge in its most intense heat, it seemed almost impossible to pick one or two meager portions to concentrate on. Yet we did it. Most of us experienced one or two (or for the more unfortunate, more) classes in which success seemed almost impossible. Yet we did it. We are here today.

At Stanford, almost impossible gives no special fright. Few ideas are more hollowed in the Stanford mythology than the idea that, in the bounty of talent at Stanford, all problems might yield to the intellect and dedication we bring to the fray. Stop nuclear proliferation? Totally doable. Colonize Mars? Way ahead of you. Cure cancer? Just give it a few more years. Taking courage from our compatriots, we trusted that our better natures could form a mosaic that frustrates the iron odds beyond our borders.

Today that mosaic breaks, and the pieces scatter to the four winds. It was perhaps always a myth that together we could solve the most intractable of all problems. We didn’t solve many near impossibilities so far. Maybe, at the cost of four years, we gained a few feet in trench warfare against the unforgiving laws of nature and the unending folly of man. Yet the struggle continues and many good things remain dauntingly, nearly impossible.

Yet this marks not the end of our hopes, but the beginning of our dreams. The fight against nearly impossible is a fight against hopelessness. If we yield to hopelessness, nearly impossible becomes truly impossible. In the past we have had allies in our struggle against nearly impossible- parents, caregivers, teachers, professors, mentors, friends, and more.  Those who have stood with us so far shall stand by us still. Treasure their counsel and despair not.

While we graduates were once a legion against the nearly impossible, today we go forth on solitary quests. Many of us do not know what comes next in our lives. Many of us think we know what comes next, but predict wrongly. Some of us actually have plotted a true course, but they are the few. Fear not to which category you belong to, because it matters not. In time, all of us can find the right road forward if we know how to look for it.

And how are we to find this path forward? The intoxicating magic of the Stanford experience may recede, but we will find that our intellects and stores of knowledge have been braced, reinforced, and filled to the brim these past four years. To do good for mankind is to do good for ourselves, and we are well equipped to pursue this calling.

But what manner of good should we pursue? Is it better to pursue a sure if smallish addition to the world’s joy, or ought we chase the great and nearly impossible at the risk of accomplishing nearly nothing if we fail?

It seems there is no single answer that fits poncho-like over us all. Try multiplying the value of success with the probability of success to find its expected value. If you want to do the most good, pursue whichever path that leads towards the greatest expected value.

This may sound perfectly logical, but we are by nature a risk-averse people, and we are all too likely to walk the trail we can see rather than climb upwards toward the towering but misty heights of our mightiest aspirations. Considering how much good we can achieve by conquering whatever near impossibility is dear to our hearts, the treacherous path up is typically the wiser one.

If we each chase the edge of impossibility, many of us will fail like meteors burning against the starry sky. Yet the more of us who make the attempt, the more wonders we shall cumulatively accomplish. Some of these wonders may be so great as to shake the very foundations of our world.

In the English language, the expression “tilting at windmills” is known as shorthand for making foolhardy attempts at great deeds. We ought not to be so stingy in our boldness. My final advice to my good friends, the Class of 2017, is to tilt at the biggest windmill you can find.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at calebsmithoakland ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Stanford’s earthquake precautions diverge from some standards https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/02/stanfords-earthquake-precautions-diverge-from-some-standards/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/02/stanfords-earthquake-precautions-diverge-from-some-standards/#respond Fri, 02 Jun 2017 08:30:54 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1128818 In particular, Residential & Dining Enterprises’ (R&DE) failure to bolt bunk beds and other tall furniture to the walls appears to contradict federal guidelines, and students do not regularly drill for earthquakes.

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Stanford's earthquake precautions diverge from some standards
Federal guidelines advise securing tall furniture to walls in case of earthquakes (SAM GIRVIN/The Stanford Daily).

Despite a variety of drills and ongoing upgrades to structural safety, Stanford still diverges from government advice in its preparation for the next large earthquake. In particular, Residential & Dining Enterprises’ (R&DE) failure to bolt bunk beds and other tall furniture to the walls appears to contradict federal guidelines, and students do not regularly drill for earthquakes.

Guidelines from the Federal Emergency Management Agency advise that tall furniture should be anchored to wall studs. A number of Stanford students currently loft their beds, sometimes placing a desk underneath them. However, these lofted beds are not bolted to the walls. Stanford spokesperson E.J. Miranda wrote over email that the lofted beds provided by R&DE are intended to be stable and not tip in earthquakes.

“Only beds provided by R&DE may be lofted and bunked, and students are advised on how to properly bunk their beds should they desire that configuration,” Miranda said.

“R&DE works closely with safety experts across campus on a regular basis evaluating all furniture and equipment and earthquake-related safety features,” he added.

Although, as Miranda noted, Stanford holds a variety of emergency drills, Stanford held its last all-campus earthquake drill in October of 2010.

Meanwhile, the most prominent annual drill of earthquake readiness, the Great California Shake Out, has already attracted participation from 39 colleges and universities in California for its 2017 drill. The Great California Shake Out also attracts widespread participation from K-12 schools in the state.

Stanford also does not provide a structured earthquake safety training program to new students, despite the fact that many new students hail from areas without significant earthquake hazards.

Sajana Weerawandhena ’21 took a mixed view toward the earthquake safety education Stanford provided and indicated that some knowledge spread through word of mouth.

“I think it’s okay, you know, but they haven’t been explicit about it,” Weerawandhena said.

Miranda noted that information on how to prepare for earthquakes is included in the annual campus safety report and the University’s annual AlertSU test. Miranda said that student dorm staff are also trained in earthquake and other emergency safety as part of their fall training. In addition, Miranda indicated that other emergency situations such as natural gas leaks remind students about proper emergency procedures.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Campus eateries pass health inspections with few violations https://stanforddaily.com/2017/05/05/campus-eateries-pass-health-inspections/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/05/05/campus-eateries-pass-health-inspections/#respond Fri, 05 May 2017 08:14:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1127041 All but two kitchens on campus passed unconditionally, meaning they had no more than one major violation of the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health's standards.

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Campus eateries pass health inspections with few violations
Inspections of campus eateries found few major health issues (CALEB SMITH/The Stanford Daily).

The Daily’s review of restaurant inspections on campus found that most campus eateries passed their most recent county health inspections with few, if any, serious violations.

The inspections, which were conducted by the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, showed that all but two kitchens on campus passed unconditionally, meaning they had no more than one major violation of standards. Two kitchens, one for Lutticken’s Deli and one for a special event on campus, were initially given conditional passes and were promptly reinspected due to major risk factors. Both locations successfully resolved the complaints.

Amadeo Penas, the manager of Lutticken’s Deli, took issue with some of the alleged violations but praised the food safety inspector and the importance of the inspection.

“They’re very picky about some things that are non-food issues,” Pena said.

Lutticken’s Deli was written up in its conditional pass for failing to have soap in the soap dispensers at the stations employees wash their hands at as well as for keeping food at temperatures outside of the county’s safety standards. Pena reported that his restaurant is taking careful steps to ensure food safety such as daily temperature testing of food and is regularly inspected by Stanford personnel.

Dining halls generally posted scores in the high 80s and 90s on a 100-point scale. The worst-performing dining hall, Ricker Dining, scored a 79. Points were deducted for food safety and best-practice violations. Performance for Row and co-op houses varied considerably within the passing tier, with 576 Alvarado Row performing the worst among co-ops and self-ops with a score of 79. The number represents an improvement for co-ops and self-ops as a whole, as last year’s Daily review found 1047’s score of 70 to be the lowest for the segment. Over the past year, 1047 has improved to score an 82.

Other prominent on-campus eateries did well in their last inspection results. The Axe & Palm scored a perfect 100, Coho and Treehouse both scored 88, Coupa Cafe at Green library scored a 96 and Ray’s Grill scored 93.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Daily poll shows heated race for ASSU Exec https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/13/daily-poll-shows-heated-race-for-assu-exec/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/13/daily-poll-shows-heated-race-for-assu-exec/#respond Thu, 13 Apr 2017 08:40:56 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1125852 The Stanford Daily conducted a poll about the upcoming ASSU election.

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A Stanford Daily poll suggests that the ASSU Exec slate Tention/Niu holds an early lead in the Exec race with Khaled/Ocon providing the closest challenge. Means/Lozano and Anderson/Seter lag among undergraduates that decided their vote before the elections on April 13 and 14. However, the large portion of undecided voters suggests that the Exec race is still highly competitive.

Among those that have already decided on their first-choice vote, Tention/Niu leads with 31 percent support, trailed by Khaled/Ocon with 20 percent, Means/Lozano with 12 percent and Anderson/Seter with 6 percent. The remaining 31 percent of respondents indicated that their first-choice vote for Exec is undecided.

The ASSU uses ranked-choice voting to decide the ASSU Exec winner, which means that if no candidate reaches 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the second-choice preferences of their voters are used to reallocate votes. The process of elimination and reallocation is repeated until one candidate exceeds 50 percent of the vote.

Almost half of undergraduate respondents indicated that they were undecided in their second-place choice. No candidate received an overwhelming share of the second-place ballots. If Anderson/Seter and Means/Lozano are the first two candidates to be eliminated and their second-place votes reallocated, the Tention/Niu slate would see 36 percent support, and Khaled/Ocon would see 24 percent support among decided voters.

However, the final result could be affected by third-place votes and undecided voters.

This year’s ballot will also see three constitutional amendments. Majorities were undecided on Amendments A and C, which would prohibit appropriating student funds for anything that violates the law or University policy and modify the rules regarding petitioning in the annual grant process, respectively. Amendment B, which would ban officer salaries for student group leaders, received support from 39 percent of respondents. 26 percent were opposed to the amendment and 35 percent were undecided. All constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority to pass.

The ASSU Senate itself had a net 18 point favorable rating, with 42 percent indicating that they “don’t know” how they feel about the Senate. The Stanford Daily’s poll was conducted on April 11 and 12 via email and had a margin of error of plus or minus 8 percent with 144 respondents.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17@stanford.edu.

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Benefit concert for refugees draws hundreds https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/10/benefit-concert-for-refugees-draws-hundreds/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/10/benefit-concert-for-refugees-draws-hundreds/#respond Mon, 10 Apr 2017 08:11:55 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1125534 A benefit concert to help refugees, organized by the Muslim Student Union, raised over $1,500 dollars on Saturday evening.

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A benefit concert Saturday night at Memorial Church drew hundreds to raise funds for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian relief organization. Organizers expect that the event raised over $1,500, which will support refugee resettlement and other refugee outreach work.

According to event organizer Leila Abdelrahman ’19, the event sold about 310 tickets.

“I think it went really well,” Abdelrahman said. “A lot of things came together very well.”

The event featured a number of musical, dance and comedic performances. The event also included remarks from Dean of Religious Life Jane Shaw and from a representative of the International Rescue Committee.

The event was organized by the Muslim Student Union and was supported by the Markaz, the Office for Religious Life, the Iranian Studies Program, the Haas Center for Public Service, the Arab Students Association, the Bechtel International Center and the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies.

Anita Husen, associate dean and director of the Markaz, attended the event and applauded the work of the students involved.

“I am just really proud for the students for the first time they did such a big event, and it was such a big hit,” Husen said.

Jenny Raymond, a staff member for the International Rescue Committee who spoke at the event, was also pleased and said many of those who came to the event had asked for more ways to help her organization’s cause.

“I was incredibly pleased both by the turnout and the excitement of seeing those performers,” Raymond said.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford to put grad students in houseboats on Lake Lag https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/01/stanford-to-put-grad-students-in-houseboats-on-lake-lag/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/01/stanford-to-put-grad-students-in-houseboats-on-lake-lag/#respond Sat, 01 Apr 2017 21:51:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1125166 “This is a major step forward in providing low-cost, low-draft graduate student housing,” Provost Persis Drell said. “This also takes us closer to our long-term goal of developing every square inch of the Stanford campus.”

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In a surprising but widely welcomed move, Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) announced today that they will be housing 100 graduate students in houseboats on the newly filled Lake Lagunita.

“Adequate graduate housing is just like Lake Lag,” an anonymous R&DE source said. “Sometimes it’s there, usually it’s not, and everyone moans about its absence when it’s missing.”

“This is a major step forward in providing low-cost, low-draft graduate student housing,” Provost Persis Drell said. “This also takes us closer to our long-term goal of developing every square inch of the Stanford campus.”

According to R&DE, new amenities of the houseboats will include banjos, Mark Twain collections and big swords to fight off the snakes that inhabit the murky waters of the lake.

Professor Anne Phibian of the biology department expressed concern over the fate of the endangered tiger salamanders.

“This can’t possibly be legal under the Endangered Species Act,” Phibian said.

R&DE said that with a variety of Stanford alumni in Congress, they would find a way to make the project acceptable.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

Editor’s note: This article was published for April Fool’s Day and is completely fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only. That said, The Daily can confirm that the snakes are real.

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GSC approves ballot for higher student activity fee, talks elections https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/09/gsc-approves-ballot-for-higher-student-activity-fee-talks-elections/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/09/gsc-approves-ballot-for-higher-student-activity-fee-talks-elections/#respond Thu, 09 Mar 2017 08:04:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124631 In its latest meeting, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) approved a proposal to ask voters for a higher graduate student activity fee and approved a bill seeking student comment on whether Stanford Student Enterprises should divest from fossil fuels.

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In its latest meeting, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) approved a proposal to ask voters for a higher graduate student activity fee and approved a bill seeking student comment on whether Stanford Student Enterprises should divest from fossil fuels.

The GSC voted unanimously to request an increase in their student fee of five dollars per quarter to bring annual revenues up to pace with annual expenditures. This ballot measure will be the second time in as many years the GSC has sought voter approval for a fee increase. Last year’s ballot measure failed due to low voter turnout despite receiving a majority of votes.

The GSC co-chair Pau Guinart Ph.D. ’18 reported that he met with the elections commissioner on Monday and discussed holding a meet and greet for GSC candidates. The spring election will be held this year on April 13-14, with results expected on April 15.

The GSC also approved funding for the Stanford Queer Women student group, the Russian Students Association, Stanford India Association and Asian American Graduate Student Association.

Finally, GSC committees reported on the progress of various initiatives, such as planning for the Grad Formal on May 5, the re-design of the GSC logo and an ongoing effort to archive council documents with the help of a librarian.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

 

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Finances dominate GSC meeting https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/02/final_fl-finances-dominate-gsc-meeting/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/03/02/final_fl-finances-dominate-gsc-meeting/#respond Thu, 02 Mar 2017 08:56:48 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1124220 The Graduate Student Council (GSC) discussed the long-term financial viability of GSC finances, divestment from fossil fuels and several funding requests in their latest meeting.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) discussed the long-term financial viability of GSC finances, divestment from fossil fuels and several funding requests in their latest meeting. The GSC also heard a presentation on the future of the Diversity Advocacy Committee (DAC).

Graduate student fee

The GSC discussed a bill that would increase the graduate student fee by five dollars to meet a structural deficit. Several years ago, the GSC reserves had accumulated to the point that the former GSC decided to deliberately overspend their revenues in order to get the reserves down to a more reasonable level.

Now that the GSC reserves have been substantially reduced, the GSC is requesting that the graduate student body agree to increased fees, or risk cutbacks on programs and popular events due to funding shortages. An identical bill was placed on the ballot last year but failed to pass due to low turnout, despite achieving considerable voter support. In a later meeting, the GSC will vote whether to pursue a second attempt at securing voter approval.

Divestment and diversity

The GSC also discussed a joint bill that would seek information from Stanford Student Enterprises on the possibility of divesting the ASSU endowment’s holdings from fossil fuel companies. GSC members asked if the bill would be providing information that would already be available upon request, and clarified the process for obtaining information.

To ensure the DAC’s permanence, the GSC considered a bill to confirm the leadership of the Diversity Advocacy Committee (DAC) for next year, provide a stipend for senior DAC leadership and designate the positions as permanent parts of the GSC leadership.

Funding requests

The GSC approved funding for the Graduate Students of Applied Physics and Physics student group, Stanford Celli Dance, Bhakti Yoga Club and Stanford Jazz Consortium. However, the GSC expressed skepticism at the Wine Society’s request to send three members to a blind champagne tasting in Europe on the basis that it would boost the group’s reputation. GSC members were concerned that they were being asked to spend roughly $1,000 per student on the proposed expenditure, compared to the $30 per student that the GSC funds for most events.

Organizers of Frost Music Festival also sought funding from the GSC, stating that graduate students do not directly support the event through annual grants, unlike undergraduates. The GSC members probed into how the requested money would be spent, and will be able to conduct a final vote next week.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Frost music festival to take place in stadium due to construction https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/26/frost-music-festival-to-take-place-in-stadium-due-to-construction/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/26/frost-music-festival-to-take-place-in-stadium-due-to-construction/#respond Thu, 26 Jan 2017 11:17:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1121959 A meeting of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) on Wednesday night discussed funding for the Frost music festival this year.

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A meeting of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) on Wednesday night discussed funding for the Frost music festival this year. They also discussed upcoming social events for the graduate community.

Ateeq Suria ’17 reported that the group organizing the Frost festival was looking into forming a graduate student group similar to the Viennese Ball organization. Suria also reported that Frost will be held in the football stadium as the Frost Amphitheater is being upgraded. He stated that the event may therefore be more expensive than last year’s event. Suria also reported that the event is slated for the weekend of May 14 and 15.

The GSC heard updates on the upcoming graduate housing information session and on the upcoming Valentine’s Day party. The housing information session, which will be held next Wednesday at noon, will provide guidance to graduate students on finding off campus housing. The Valentine’s Day party is being organized by the Escondido Village Community Associates and the Graduate Life Office. The specific details of the event are still being worked out, but the party is expected to feature wine, a photo booth and a caricaturist.

The GSC approved funding for the Stanford Japanese Association, the Black Law Student Association, the Stanford Association of New Zealanders, the Korean Students Association and the Stanford India Association. The GSC rejected a funding request by Stanford Triathlon because their funding request was seen as contrary to the funding guidelines and funding limits.

The GSC also confirmed the Graduate Elections Commissioner, Kali Allison.

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly identified Ateeq Suria’s class year as ’16 and not ’17. The Daily regrets this error.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Office of Civil Rights to hold office hours on Stanford campus https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/10/office-of-civil-rights-to-hold-office-hours-on-stanford-campus/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/10/office-of-civil-rights-to-hold-office-hours-on-stanford-campus/#respond Wed, 11 Jan 2017 07:32:32 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1121236 Department of Education representatives will visit Stanford to hear from students about sexual assault.

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Stanford Title IX Coordinator Catherine Glaze announced in an email to the student body on Monday that the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education will be visiting campus to hear from students.

In addition to pre-scheduled meetings with certain student groups, representatives from the Office of Civil Rights will be holding drop-in office hours on Jan. 18 and Jan. 19 from 1:45-2:45 p.m. in the East Asia Library. The Office of Civil Rights may also be available to meet with students outside of the scheduled times if contacted.

The announced purpose of the visit is to gather student thoughts and input regarding campus climate and how Stanford prevents and responds to incidents of sexual assault and harassment. Stanford is currently under investigation for the most Title IX complaints of any university in the country.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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GSC debates sexual assault reporting service, event funding https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/01/gsc-debates-sexual-assault-reporting-service-event-funding/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/01/gsc-debates-sexual-assault-reporting-service-event-funding/#respond Thu, 01 Dec 2016 08:06:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120559 The Graduate Student Council covered funding guidelines, sexual assault reporting, and other topics in a sometimes heated meeting Wednesday night.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) debated the merits of a new sexual assault reporting website and discussed funding for off campus events in its Wednesday night meeting.

The GSC considered whether it should urge the University to adopt Callisto, an online reporting system approved by the Undergraduate Senate on Tuesday, as a way for survivors of sexual assault to report being assaulted.

Shanta Katipamula ’19, the chair of the Undergraduate Senate, explained how the process would work under the website. Users of the website who submitted a complaint would be summoned by the Title IX office to discuss the matter. Katipamula said that the service would be helpful because it enables people to delay reporting a complaint while still preserving the timeline.

One GSC member expressed concern that this ability to preserve information might tilt the field in cases heard long after they happened, as the person making the complaint would have lots of information preserved at the time but the defendant might not have any records or recollection of the night in question.

The GSC then debated how serious an issue this would be. Several GSC members wanted a pilot program to exist for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The GSC decided to table the measure for further consideration next week.

Katipamula said that she was told by the Office of Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse Education and Response (SARA) that the office supported Callisto. Katipamula said that Stanford would want to try a demo before signing a contract with the service.

The GSCs funding guidelines were a source of tension when a representative for the Graduate First-Generation and/or Low Income Partnership (Grad FLIP) sought funding for a mixer in Redwood City.

Isa Rosa, a GSC member, expressed serious concern over the proposal, as it was off campus in a private residence.

“We are taking too big of a risk here … We want this event to happen, we would like it to be with GSC funding, [but] we would like it to be held in the Tymoshenko lounge [on campus],” Rosa said.

GSC funding guidelines allow off-campus events, but such events have not been previously held at private residences. Some GSC members thought that it would be a dangerous precedent and would potentially open the ASSU to liability if something went wrong in an off-campus event.

There was also concern within the GSC that the event might be hard to get to for on-campus students. The representative of Grad FLIP pushed back strongly against the concerns, arguing that as an organization that serves students who sometimes do not feel like they fit in on campus, an off-campus location would be helpful. The representative also said that the non-GSC-funded version of the event last year held off-campus was a success and that a carpool was being arranged to provide rides to those who needed them.

The proposal to fund the request for the off-campus event lost by a vote of three to five with two abstentions. However, when the condition of holding the event on campus was added, the GSC approved the revised event unanimously.

The GSC also discussed funding an event being put on by several student groups  together. However, there was an issue with some participating student groups not appearing at a funding committee hearing, which prevented all the funding applications to be approved in tandem. The limited package of funding was approved for the Student National Medical Association and Black Graduate Student Association. The Stanford German Student Association and Stanford Youth Cultural Exchange Initiative also got funding approved.

ASSU Senator Kathryn Treder ’18 urged the GSC to approve a resolution recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This would change the name of the holiday on the free calendar that Stanford Student Enterprises distributes, but would not have an impact on the University, and the resolution did not call on Stanford to recognize the holiday.

The GSC  discussed the bill and ultimately resolved to vote on it next week.

The Graduate Student Council is searching for a webmaster, who would be filling a paid position.

Gabriela Badica reported that the Thanksgiving event hosted by the Graduate Student Council was very successful. She reported that wait times were about seven minutes and that about 60 people volunteered. Badica reported that Provost John Etchemendy came and assured the GSC that the event would continue to be funded in future years.

The GSC also realized that the GSC banner is missing and wanted whoever has it to return it.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Joint ASSU meeting tackles sexual assault, elections https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/16/joint-assu-meeting-tackles-sexual-assault-elections/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/16/joint-assu-meeting-tackles-sexual-assault-elections/#respond Thu, 17 Nov 2016 07:50:22 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120068 The undergraduate and graduate student legislative bodies met in a joint meeting to discuss action on sexual assault, green goods, and student elections.

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The Undergraduate Senate and the Graduate Student Council held their first joint meeting of the year to consider urging the University to use the program Callisto to address sexual assault. The meeting also discussed how the ASSU can increase the use of compostable products and boost turnout in student elections.

Senate Chair Shanta Katipamula ’19 introduced a bill that would urge the University to conduct a one-year trial using the program Callisto. Katipamula said that the website would allow survivors of sexual assault to report incidents 24/7 and would allow survivors to write down what happened without requiring them to immediately submit their reports. According to Katipamula, less than 3 percent of Stanford’s sexual assault victims report their attacks. Katipamula expressed concern that many perpetrators of sexual assault may repeat again. Callisto offers a an optional matching feature, where a report is only submitted if another report cites the same suspected perpetrator of sexual assault. However, the website would tell the University how many unsubmitted reports there were, and the information would be preserved so the timeline would remain intact for future cases.

(CALEB SMITH/The Stanford Daily)
(CALEB SMITH/The Stanford Daily)

Katipamula said that the University of San Francisco and Pomona have already conducted trial periods with Callisto. Katipamula praised Callisto for working with sexual assault survivors in the design of the application.

Katipamula said there was no negative feedback from other schools the ASSU had contacted. While she did acknowledge concern that there would be an opportunity for false reporting, Katipamula also pointed out that false reporting would remain a concern regardless of the reporting method used.

According to Katipamula, the SARA office is also evaluating the Callisto program.

The ASSU legislative bodies also considered potentially creating a vending machine for emergency contraception such as the Plan B pill, which might be subsidized to a less-than-market price.

Katipamula then began a discussion about how the ASSU could increase the use of compostable goods.  She said that the Undergraduate Senate was interested in promoting compostable bags and that the GSC wanted to promote compostable utensils.

Senator Cenobio Hernandez ’17 said that the Senate wanted to make compostable bags available for groups that received funding for event food above $40. Groups receiving more $225 for food would be asked to purchase a compostable bin. Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS) would provide a one-page flyer with instructions for both bags and bins. According to Hernandez, the Undergraduate Senate also wanted to support the reuse of leftovers as well as training on environmental sustainability.

GSC member Isa Rosa ’18 said that the GSC was interested in providing vouchers for groups to pick up compostable event materials. Rosa said that they imagined a pickup location rather than a dedicated store and suggested that Stanford Student Enterprises might be a suitable location.

Rosa and Hernandez resolved to work together in the future on the compostable goods issue.

Finally, a representative from the ASSU Elections Commission reported that certain groups, such as undergraduate seniors and business students, voted at disproportionally low rates in their respective undergraduate and graduate elections. The representative announced plans for get-out-the-vote efforts such as flyering, candidate mixers and visits to community centers. The Elections Commission also intends to work with campus media organizations to boost its social media presence. The actual ballot website will be migrated to Qualtrics, and tests will be conducted on the new system soon.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Veteran’s Day events slated for Stanford https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/11/veterans-day-events-slated-for-stanford/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/11/veterans-day-events-slated-for-stanford/#respond Fri, 11 Nov 2016 08:05:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1119675 Veterans, staff and community members will be gathering at Stanford today for a pair of Veteran’s Day events. The events will include a celebration of the Marine Corps’ 241st birthday and a Veteran’s Day reception.

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Veterans, staff and community members will be gathering at Stanford today for a pair of Veteran’s Day events. The events will include a celebration of the Marine Corps’ 241st birthday and a Veteran’s Day reception.

A Marine Corps birthday cake-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today at the sunken garden in the Hoover Institute. The Marines have their actual birthday on Nov. 10, but the ceremony at Stanford will be held today this year.

Additionally, a Veteran’s Day reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Engineering Quad, with remarks between 6:15 and 7:15. Following a welcome from Dustin Noll, Kevin Mott ’17 will speak on the theme of continuing service, Professor Scott Sagan will talk about what makes a just warrior, and David Ahern ’17 will discuss the responsibility of veterans. The event will conclude with a reception.

Although Veteran’s Day is a federal holiday, Stanford does not recognize it as an academic holiday on the Stanford calendar. Classes and business will be conducted as usual.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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GSC debates graduate student unionization merits https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/10/gsc-debates-graduate-student-unionization-merits/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/10/gsc-debates-graduate-student-unionization-merits/#respond Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:51:59 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1119640 The Graduate Student Council discussed various concerns of the graduate student community and whether a union would help.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) clashed over the merits of graduate student unionization, received updates on planned social events and approved funding in its meeting Wednesday night.

The GSC considered whether it should seek action on issues where a graduate student union may one day focus on.  One issue raised at the GSC was summer pay for graduate students. In some programs, student work is only funded during the academic year, and students have challenges finding funding for summer research. However, summer research may be important for students who are working on theses and do not wish to fall behind. Health care costs were seen as another issue that graduate student unions might advocate about.

The conversation evolved into a discussion of the merits and drawbacks of graduate student unions. While some thought that graduate student unions could effectively advocate for students on pay-related issues, some were concerned that a graduate student union might disregard the wishes of graduate students. The GSC as part of its debate also discussed possible gaps in Stanford’s policies for graduate student maternity leave.

According to the chair of the GSC, the number of students who use Stanford’s legal counseling service has gone down. However, the GSC is going to put a link to the legal services on the GSC website.

In social updates, the GSC-hosted Thanksgiving celebration will have a relaxed guest policy. The GSC discussed how to organize space for the event and intends to provide separate space reserved for families.

The Stanford Graduate First Generation Low Income Partnership had funding approved for a fall quarter kickoff meeting. The GSC also funded a musical event on Jan. 28 jointly sponsored by several organizations to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The event will be open to all students. The Stanford Alpine Project, Pakistan at Stanford and the Stanford Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Engineers, Entrepreneurs and Enthusiasts group received funding too.

In next week’s meeting, the GSC and ASSU will be holding a joint session and will receive an update from Stanford Student Enterprises.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Mid-quarter transport numbers drop 45 percent from five-year average https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/02/mid-quarter-transport-numbers-drop-45-percent-from-five-year-average/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/02/mid-quarter-transport-numbers-drop-45-percent-from-five-year-average/#respond Wed, 02 Nov 2016 08:41:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1119071 New statistics show that alcohol transports have dipped at the beginning of the year, amid student concerns over the policy.

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Preliminary transport numbers for the first five weeks of fall quarter suggest that medical alcohol transports, one indicator of problem drinking, are down compared with previous years.

According to Ralph Castro, the Director of the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, the number of transports in the first five weeks of fall quarter was 45 percent lower than the preceding five-year average.

The statistics potentially provide ammunition to advocates of the new alcohol policy, which bans hard alcohol from undergraduate parties and restricts hard alcohol to containers smaller than 750 mL.

Castro suggested several factors might be responsible for the early dip in alcohol transport numbers, but he noted the numbers were early.

“Whether it’s the policy, or the dialogue, or the awareness, sometimes that’s enough to get people to think,” Castro said. “It’s really about getting people to think differently.”

Undergraduates resist policy

Despite the new policy, many Stanford students indicated that they do not intend to adjust their behavior to follow the new policy. In a Daily poll of undergraduates, 59.4 percent indicated that they did not intend on following the new policy, while 6.3 percent indicated that they planned on adjusting their activities to follow the new policy and 34.4 percent indicated that they either already did what the rules now required or did not drink at all.

The poll was conducted Oct. 3 through Oct. 7. With 256 responses, the poll has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus seven percent.

While the poll did not include graduate students, the direct effects on graduate student drinking are expected to be smaller than the effects on undergraduates. The only provisions that directly affect graduate students are the ban on serving straight hard alcohol in graduate parties and the ban on serving hard alcohol at undergraduate parties. Many graduate social functions that involve drinking are already targeted exclusively for graduate students. According to Terence Theisen Ph.D. ’20, a co-chair of the Graduate Student Council (GSC), existing policies prohibit the serving of straight alcoholic drinks at GSC funded events.

Castro discusses new alcohol policy

When asked about the possible defiance of undergraduates toward the new alcohol policy suggested by The Daily’s poll, Castro said “buy-in” to the new policy was very important.

“The core tenant of it is really to get people to buy into the goal of why we are doing what we are doing,” Castro said. “The goal is to reduce high-risk drinking and the related consequences. Everyone I talk to agrees that this is the goal. Whether you drink or not, people want less community disruptions, people who drink don’t want to get sick or vomit, don’t want to blackout, don’t want to put themselves in negative or dangerous situations.”

Castro indicated that initial student skepticism was understandable.

“Just like any public health initiative that you do, it’s not popular in the beginning. Change is hard,” he said.

Castro explained that Stanford has been concerned about dangerous hard alcohol use.

“Hard alcohol is implicated in 95 percent of students that have gone to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning,” Castro said. “Of those students, some self-reported having eight drinks on average during that evening that necessitated medical attention. That has been alarming for us… 13 percent of undergraduate drinkers had self-reported they had gotten sick or vomited in the past 30 days, and 12 percent had self-reported they had experienced a blackout or memory loss.”

According to Castro, the President and Provost started their examination of alcohol policy with a hard alcohol ban on the table. However, they quickly rejected this option.

“There isn’t research that shows that banning hard alcohol or dry campuses are any more effective [at stopping alcohol problems],” Castro said.

Castro said that in 2012 an alcohol advisory board considered a variety of policies and programs to help address alcohol issues, and that the group included RAs, PHEs and other students. The second most popular alcohol policy the group came up with was limiting large alcohol containers. Action was not taken at the time because Cardinal Nights and alcohol education programs were still under construction.

Efficacy of container limit

Castro said there is no research showing the efficacy of limits on alcohol container sizes at universities, but he did cite “considerable research” that shows reducing venues that serve alcohol and increasing costs to buy alcohol can lead to declining alcohol use and alcohol related problems.

Castro said that although some retailers in the area sell smaller hard alcohol containers, students would have to know where to find them. Even if students could find smaller alcohol containers, Castro thought the policy could still have an impact from the higher per volume cost found in smaller containers.

The Daily attempted to determine how difficult it would be for a student to find smaller containers of hard alcohol by calling local retailers and asking if they had smaller alcohol containers in stock. On its second call, The Daily was told by CVS’s location in Palo Alto that they stock hard alcohol in containers smaller than 750 mL.

Castro said that smaller containers were also helpful psychologically because drinking a certain amount of alcohol could seem like a smaller amount if it was in a large container.

Feasibility of enforcement

When confronted with concerns that drinking could be driven behind closed doors, Castro said that, because hard alcohol is permitted, there is not a need to hide it. Castro said that if students were found with impermissibly large containers they would be reminded about the policy.

“Our assumption is that [students] will comply when confronted about that,” he said. “Now if a student repeatedly defies the policy, then that’s a conversation about their readiness to be in residence here.”

Castro also addressed findings that many RAs are not planning on enforcing the rules and concerns that inconsistent enforcement may be arbitrary or unfair. Castro said he saw RAs evolve on the hard alcohol rules since the start of the quarter as Stanford continues to educate about the new policy and he is hopeful more will follow.  

“I’m hoping that initial wave of ‘what’s going on’ will give way to more openness to understanding why we’re all trying to accomplish [this],” Castro said.

Castro said that Stanford wanted to measure several indicators — including preferences for hard alcohol, frequency of student blackouts, hangovers, vomiting and binge drinking — in a multi-year impact evaluation to evaluate whether the policy was working or not.

Castro added that he was “disheartened” to see the popular linking of Stanford’s new alcohol policy to the Brock Turner sexual assault case.

“This is not a tool to address sexual violence, that’s not what this is about. This is really about a tool to address high-risk drinking,” Castro said.

RAs on the policy

The Daily interviewed two RAs staffing in freshman residences on their reaction to the early transport numbers and to see how the policy was playing out in their dorms.

The RAs the Daily talked to for this article did not believe that the residents were more likely to drink behind closed doors in their dorms, nor did they report pressure from Residential Education to strictly enforce the policy in a policing role. Although it appears the new policy is an active part of alcohol related discussions, the RAs did not assume a police-like role in strictly enforcing the policy.

“As far as attributing [the drop in transports] to the new policy, I don’t agree at all,” Larkin RA Brandon Walker ’18 said.

Walker said he applied alcohol policy similar to how his RAs did when he lived in Larkin freshman year, and thought the students were different between his year and the current one. Walker thought this was a factor in alcohol use issues.

“From what I know of the Class of 2020, they are really good kids,” Walker said. “They are much more responsible than past years I think.”

Walker said that some residents continue to play drinking games but people consume hard alcohol responsibly. Walker also said that the staff focus on safety above all else has led to an environment where residents are open with the staff.

“Their safety is our first interest, we don’t care about anything else. We care that our transport number remains zero. We care that our throw up number remains zero. That is our first priority as staff,” Walker said.

Walker said his dorm also communicates with residents about safe hosting practices. Walker said that residents are supposed to tell the staff before parties happen.

Walker said Larkin has a policy where if someone gets sick drinking, is associated with more than one person who got sick drinking or is frequently hosting alcohol focused events, he or she is pulled aside to discuss safe behaviors.

“This is a community issue, not a personal issue,” Walker said.

Walker said that they do not actively confiscate impermissibly large alcohol containers, but do tell residents that they are not supposed to have such containers.

Another RA in a freshman dorm, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed a mixed attitude about the new policy.

“I think it’s hard as an RA to maintain the kind of relationship we want with our residents while being strict about the details, but I really take to heart the sentiment of the policy and the behavior it suggests,” the RA said.

The RA was cautious about interpreting the early drop in alcohol transports.

“It seems a bit early to count transport numbers as a sure sign of the policy itself, but it’s great [that they are down],” the RA said.

The RA said they were initially nervous about the policy, but thought its application so far has been realistic. The RA also thought the new policy had a role in pointing to acceptable drinking behaviors, making students generally more conscious about hard alcohol consumption

The RA said the staff seeks to tackle high-risk behavior but does not “go around measuring bottles.”

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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GSC talks housing, funding at Wednesday meeting https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/20/gsc-talks-housing-funding-at-wednesday-meeting/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/20/gsc-talks-housing-funding-at-wednesday-meeting/#respond Thu, 20 Oct 2016 07:20:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1118281 The GSC heard from Stanford representatives about the controversial new Escondido Village project.

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At its meeting Wednesday night, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) heard from administrators about steps the University is taking to solve the ongoing graduate student housing shortage. The GSC also approved a series of funding requests.

Representatives from Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) and the Graduate Life Office (GLO) presented to the GSC about the work the Stanford administration is doing on the housing issue, which they said has caused 1,100 students or so to live in off-campus apartment sites. Michael VanFossen, the Director of Planning & Project Management for R&DE, said that the recent appeal of the Escondido Village construction plan by critics of the current plan would be held by a county commission. VanFossen believed that the appeal would most likely be heard on either Nov. 15 or Dec. 15. If that decision is appealed, the matter would proceed to the Santa Clara County Board for Supervisors for final hearing. Although some preliminary work can be accomplished before the appeals process is exhausted, delays in the project were anticipated as a result of the appeals.

The University representatives also pushed back on the notion that the new development project was forcing graduate students with families into off campus housing. These representatives said that the housing in Escondido Village South was actually capable of accommodating 88 families but is presently only serving 31.

The issue of parking came up during the meeting as well. VanFossen said that although the total amount of parking may be greater after the construction than before, there will be a temporary reduction in available parking during the construction. Stanford is considering additional programs to incentivize affected graduate students to not bring cars to campus, such as possibly providing Amazon Prime accounts or Uber credits.

Although the prices for the new apartments have not been determined, VanFossen said that he imagined that the rates would be similar to those in the Kennedy housing development. GSC member Isamar Rosa Ph.D. ’18 asked about the high cost per bed in the new development. VanFossen cited new amenities, shared common space, and the underground parking garage as factors that helped cause the per unit cost to be so high. VanFossen said that in the San Francisco Bay Area, an underground parking space can often cost $40,000 to $50,000 each. Ken Hsu, the Director of the Graduate Life Office, said that Stanford seeks to avoid unnecessary expenditures on construction projects.

VanFossen also said that due to the delayed construction timeline, people may receive an extension before they have to move their cars if they are presently parked in construction due to be demolished.

The GSC also held a brief discussion of changing how they handle funding requests, an item which may receive further consideration in next week’s meeting.

The GSC also funded the Rains Halloween Party and approved funding requests from oSTEM, the Stanford African Entrepreneurship Club, Stanford Youth Cultural Exchange Initiative, Stanford India Association and the Black Graduate Student Association.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Poll shows undergraduates chilly towards Israel divestment https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/18/poll-shows-undergraduates-chilly-towards-israel-divestment/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/18/poll-shows-undergraduates-chilly-towards-israel-divestment/#respond Tue, 18 Oct 2016 07:11:59 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1118129 A new poll shows a majority of Stanford undergraduates oppose divestment from certain companies doing business with Israel.

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A new poll by The Stanford Daily reveals that a majority of Stanford undergraduates would oppose a hypothetical ASSU ballot initiative urging the university to divest from companies supplying the Israeli Defense Forces.

According to the survey, 58.2 percent of undergraduates would oppose the measure, with 41.8 percent in favor. The poll was conducted Oct. 3 through Oct. 7. With 256 responses, the poll has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 7 percent.

Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine and the Stanford Israel Association both declined requests for interviews.

The issue of whether Stanford’s endowment should divest from companies supplying weapons and equipment to Israel has been a contentious issue in the recent past. During the 2014-15 academic year, the Undergraduate Senate approved a resolution urging the University to divest from some companies contracting with Israel. The action was controversial as that Senate had initially voted against divestment in a packed public meeting the week before. Stanford declined to act on the Senate’s recommendation and divest from any company in connection with the issue.

With the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War falling in June 2017, it remains to be seen whether a referendum might be presented to the students on the question of divestment. If such a referendum does go before the student body, it appears to face a steep climb to victory.
Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly identified the Stanford Israel Association as the Stanford Israel Alliance. The Daily regrets this error.

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GSC discusses graduate housing, social events https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/13/gsc-discusses-graduate-housing-social-events/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/13/gsc-discusses-graduate-housing-social-events/#respond Thu, 13 Oct 2016 07:15:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1117937 The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met on Wednesday night, discussing graduate housing construction, social events, the Diversity Advisory Committee and funding. The GSC also discussed the format of the GSC meeting.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met on Wednesday night, discussing graduate housing construction, social events, the Diversity Advisory Committee and funding. The GSC also discussed the format of the council’s meetings.

Two graduate students who were concerned with the new proposed development in Escondido Village presented about their concerns to the GSC. Forest Peterson Ph.D. ’16 and Zachariah Rodgers Ph.D. ’17 had several concerns including about the method used to design the building. Peterson, a former project engineer on construction projects, said that the new development was planned on paper rather than using building information modeling. Peterson expressed a concern that failing to use modern tools would contribute to issues with the design of the development and could lead to cost overruns. Peterson also suggested that Stanford might want to build more units than currently slated for the development.

Rodgers, a graduate student with children, said that Stanford has also failed to properly take into account student feedback. He listed several projects as examples where the Stanford administration failed to adequately account for student wishes. Rodgers also expressed concern that the new development would not contain adequate parking.

GSC members expressed concern that the older system might lead to cost overruns, but balanced this concern against worries that a delay in the project could also create expenses. The GSC resolved to follow up with Stanford Housing to hear all sides of the debate. The GSC considered holding a straw poll to clarify where the GSC stood on the housing development but instead decided to use the minutes of the meeting to communicate where they stood.

Those concerned about the housing development expect to appeal the development to a Santa Clara County panel on Friday.

The Peruvian Students Association got funding approved for a kickoff barbecue on Saturday. Volunteers were being sought for the event. The Stanford Chinese Women Collective got funding approved for a biweekly Chinese calligraphy and painting class, which will start this Sunday. The Stanford Bhakti Yoga group asked for funding to help with the cost of the Stanford Diwali celebration on Oct. 29, which was approved. The Russian Students Association sought funding for a welcome back barbecue on Saturday, and the GSC granted the request. The Stanford India Association saw funding approved for a discussion next Tuesday. The Asian American Graduate Student Association received funding for an alumni panel and mixer on Oct. 22.

The GSC also approved a slate of nominees to University committees.

The GSC discussed funding for the Rains Halloween Party, a final decision about which is going to be made next week. The party is open to all graduate students. Turnout was reportedly rising over the past couple of years. They also discussed strategies that can be taken to handle the possibility of noise complaints.

The GSC also considered a bill that would create a joint committee on sexual assault, working with the Undergraduate Senate. According to Shanta Katipamula’19, the chair of the undergraduate senate, this new committee would improve coordination between different parts of the Senate. A final vote will be taken on the bill next week.

The GSC was briefed on the welcome back party they recently held. Gabriela Badica, a graduate student in Iberian and Latin American Cultures, reported that the party went well, with an estimated attendance of 1732. There were reportedly a few people who over consumed alcohol with one medical alcohol transport, but the Stanford Emergency Medical Service team provided capable assistance. Badica expressed a strong sentiment that one transport was one transport too many. Ten noise complaints were issued this year, as opposed to none during last year’s event, despite a lack of noticeable changes between this year and last year’s event. Despite the noise complaints, Badica said that public safety told them the party was not too loud in public safety’s opinion. The organizers ultimately elected to voluntarily close the event about 20 minutes early.

Badica made several recommendations, such as holding the party earlier in the day and holding a variety of social events during the year. Badica suggested holding a holiday social that would not be focused on alcohol. The idea of a silent disco party was also raised, but a final proposal has not been generated yet. Badica said that the GSC would seek funding from the provost for the Thanksgiving event coming up in future. She also said she would ask the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education (OAPE) for suggestions on alcohol issues.

The GSC discussed different ways to streamline the meetings. Options discussed included waiving the requirement for people to attend the full GSC meetings if their student group had funding approved in the past or waiving the appearance requirement for funding requests below a certain threshold. Ideas will continue to be collected.

The GSC also got an update on the Diversity Advisory Committee (DAC) from its chair Eduardo Munoz-Munoz Ph.D. ’18. He said that over twenty people were interested in getting involved with their efforts. He also reported that he wants to see another diversity month this academic year and continue the mini-grant program they offered last year. Munoz-Munoz invited the GSC members to join the committee.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Graduate Student Council talks funding, Title IX https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/05/graduate-student-council-talks-funding-title-ix/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/10/05/graduate-student-council-talks-funding-title-ix/#respond Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:24:21 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1117665 The Graduate Student Council approved many funding requests and discussed other business on Wednesday.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met on Wednesday night and approved several funding requests in addition to considering other business. Among the issues discussed were the prospect of holds being placed on students who fail to complete Title IX training and the new graduate housing that Stanford seeks to build.

Approximately 20 percent of graduate students have reportedly failed to complete the required Title IX training as of the meeting time. If students continue to fail to complete the training, it is possible they will receive a hold on their status and have difficulty enrolling in classes in future quarters. The timing between the first and second classes in the training sequence has reportedly been shortened by the administration to 21 days, which may help students avoid an unwelcome hold.

A proposal to increase graduate housing at Stanford reportedly encountered opposition from several Ph.D. students when it recently went before a Santa Clara County body. It remains possible that the GSC will be called upon to weigh in on the project, but at this time, the project remains on track for approval.

The GSC also approved a variety of funding requests. Unanimously approved funding requests came from the Thai Student Association, the Stanford India Association, Graduate Students in Applied Physics, Persian Student Association, Stanford Association of New Zealanders, Turkish Student Association, Hindu Student Association, GradQ, oSTEM, the French Stanford Student Association, the Stanford Hellenic Association and Belgica.

The Stanford Biotech group also applied for funding for an event that would be held at a venture capital firm near Stanford. The event received pushback for several reasons from GSC members. Some concerns raised were that only one venture capital firm would be present and a perception that GSC funds would be indirectly subsidizing the firm. Another concern was that the event will be held in concert with a Graduate School of Business (GSB) club at a time when the GSB does not have a good relationship with the GSC. Despite these concerns, the event was eventually approved on a 6-4 vote.

The GSC also discussed how it voted on funding bills and approved a bill to buy new electronic equipment.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Q&A with William Gould IV https://stanforddaily.com/2016/09/17/qa-with-william-gould-iv/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/09/17/qa-with-william-gould-iv/#respond Sat, 17 Sep 2016 19:19:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1117098 The Daily had a chat with Professor William Gould IV to discuss the decision by the National Labor Relations Board that may pave the way for teaching assistant unions.

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William Gould IV is a professor emeritus at the Stanford Law School and served as the chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 1994-98. The NLRB recently ruled that teaching assistants (TAs), many of whom are graduate students, are eligible to organize labor unions and collectively bargain their contracts. The Daily asked Professor Gould about efforts to organize at Stanford, next steps and the possible merits of TA unions.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): Have you heard anything about students at Stanford trying to organize a graduate student union?

William Gould (WG): Not in recent years or months. I do recall that when there was a discussion about some of the earlier NLRB decisions involving NYU and Brown University. Years ago, I spoke to a group of graduate students, teaching assistants — of course this [most recent] decision covers undergraduates as well — who were interested in invoking the procedures of the NLRB [to organize a union].

TSD: What happened last time students were interested in organizing?

WG: I know that Stanford University has historically been hostile to the idea of collective bargaining for employees here at the University, generally, but I don’t think that anything with this group of employees ever got sufficiently off the ground to raise the issue. My recollection is that I received a number of inquiries from people here and also from people throughout the United States who were graduate teaching assistants, who were interested in invoking NLRB procedures.

TSD: As you may be aware, the Stanford administration filed an amicus brief against TA unions when the NLRB was considering the question. What do you think are the next steps for the University here? Do you anticipate them trying to make some appeal to the students or do you think they will continue to pursue legal options?

WG: Probably both. If there is some [unionizing] activity here, there may very well be some appeal to the students suggesting it is not in their interests to organize into a union. I would imagine if the students do organize and vote for representation, Stanford [may] very well take appeals to the courts of any kind of NLRB decision which certifies a union as bargaining representative. One can never be certain about this, and we will have to wait and see how this plays out.

TSD: What is your evaluation of the impact of TA unions?

WG: I think that the impact of unions is generally positive. There are union uses and there are union abuses. Unions are not perfect but if these employees have someone speaking for them collectively they will be better able to obtain [a] voice with the university [than] in the absence of union representation.


If you know of any effort to organize a labor union at Stanford, please contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Members of working group on Greek life financial aid announced https://stanforddaily.com/2016/06/09/members-of-working-group-on-greek-life-financial-aid-announced/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/06/09/members-of-working-group-on-greek-life-financial-aid-announced/#respond Thu, 09 Jun 2016 20:42:45 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116124 At least some members of a working group on financial aid to Greek life fees has been announced.

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The members of a group of students and administrators who will work on a proposal to provide financial aid to help low-income students access Greek life and other opportunities has been announced. Three Undergraduate Senators, Mylan Gray ’19, Khaled Aounallah ’19 and
Gabe Rosen ’19, will represent the Senate on the working group. Four students involved in greek life will also be part of the working group. They are Kayla Guillory ’18 of the Inter-Sorority Council, Sean Means ’18 of the Inter-Fraternity Council, Samantha Hoffman ’17 of the Multicultural Greek Council and Benjamin Williams ’18 of the African-American Fraternal and Sororal Association.

Administration members of the working group were listed as Karen Cooper of the Financial Aid Office, Nanci Howe of Student Activities and Leadership, Amanda Rodriguez and Joseph Brown.
Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Candidates clash in Stanford Daily Congressional debate https://stanforddaily.com/2016/06/01/candidates-clash-in-stanford-daily-congressional-debate/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/06/01/candidates-clash-in-stanford-daily-congressional-debate/#respond Thu, 02 Jun 2016 01:15:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116031 All three candidates for Congress in California's 18th district faced off in a debate Tuesday about a variety of key issues.

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In the photo, Stanford Daily debate moderators and the candidates for California's 18th Congressional district pose for a group photo. Courtesy of KMVT Mountain View.
In this photo, Stanford Daily debate moderators and the candidates for California’s 18th Congressional district pose for a group photo. Courtesy of KMVT Mountain View.

All three candidates running for Congress in California’s 18th Congressional District assembled for the only time in a debate hosted by The Stanford Daily in the studios of KMVT Mountain View. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D), Bob Harlow’ 15 (D), and Richard Fox (R) faced off for approximately one hour over issues such as bipartisanship, housing, H-1B visas and more.

The first question in the debate asked how candidates would potentially work with a president of the opposite party in an era of increased partisanship. Harlow responded first to the question with a strong endorsement of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

“He’s the only candidate who will put the American people first,” Harlow said.

Fox answered second and identified himself as a libertarian Republican and said that he would not be supporting Trump.

“I don’t think he is of the requisite character and temperament and principles that I follow.”

Fox said he would support Gov. John Kasich in June and was leaning toward a vote for the Libertarian party ticket in the November general election.

Eshoo explained that she has experience working under Democratic presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and also Republican presidents like George W. Bush. Eshoo said she would support Hillary Clinton in the general election and slammed apparent Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“Mr. Trump troubles me… he seems to have a policy free sorcery,” Eshoo said.

Harlow responded with a rousing attack on Clinton for her vote for the Iraq War and said that Eshoo’s endorsement of the candidate was “irresponsible.”

The next question was about the housing crisis in the Bay Area and how the candidates would respond.

Fox said that the federal government was borrowing too much and spending too much already.

“I don’t believe that  the federal government should try to involve itself in what people pay for their rent in Palo Alto for their rent versus Houston versus Detroit- those are state and local issues,” Fox said.

Eshoo disagreed and called for more federal action on housing. Eshoo explained that she started in local government and that the state and federal governments were key partners then but that matters had since changed.

“I think the federal government is no longer a reliable partner in this area. Why? Because the funds have been cut and cut severely.”

Eshoo said that it was a major loss to the community when many workers such as teachers and garbage collectors could not afford to live there.

Harlow said that the issue was not a lack of affordable housing but rather a lack of housing in general. Harlow said that what the Bay Area needed was a high speed rail line from San Jose to the Central Valley region of California to open up new land for development. According to Harlow, the rail link would “save hundreds of millions of dollars in our district alone.”

Harlow responded by holding up a chart showing the increase of national debt. He said that increases in affordable housing, open space, and population growth had to be balanced due to the availability of funding.

Eshoo said that she was proud of the work she had done to help fund Caltrain and support capacity increases and electrification for the system.

Harlow disagreed and argued that Caltrain was a failure because it was not a faster route to San Francisco than using a car. Harlow also argued that San Francisco International Airport ought to be torn down and replaced with housing while a new airport ought to be built south of San Jose.

The next question was about the provision of military surplus equipment to local police departments and the issue of policing more broadly. Eshoo said she was shocked that the equipment had been used during protests and had voted on an amendment to end the program that provided the equipment.

“I don’t think that military weaponry belongs in local police departments,” Eshoo said.

Eshoo also emphasized the need for more police training, noting this could be challenge for smaller police departments in particular.

Harlow said he agreed on stopping the provision of the military surplus equipment and swiftly pivoted into an argument that education was vital to preventing crime.

Fox agreed that militarized police forces was a challenge and that education was an important issue. Fox however said that there was not enough money to afford increased education expenditures and supported school choice. Fox blasted existing public schooling options.

“A lot of these kids are in schools which themselves are no more than concentration camps where children are herded into them every day and locked down,” Fox said.

Harlow disagreed that the funding was not available and reiterated that more funding was necessary.

Eshoo said that the federal government had very little involvement in K-12 education in terms of funding but should fulfill existing unfunded promises.

“The Congress needs to make good on what it promised years ago for special education.”

Eshoo said she supported zero interest student loans and expanded pell grants. Eshoo also said she supported closing down schools that took student loan money but had a low graduation rate.

Fox followed up by repeating his support for school choice.

The next question for the candidates was how they intended to support access to higher education in the face of rising tuition and fees.

Harlow said that in previous decades much of the University of California tuition had been subsidized.

Fox said the issue was very important and also affects those who aren’t college aged. Fox specifically referenced the high proportion of young people living at home. Fox said that the problem was a shortage of jobs.

Eshoo said that student loans are outstripping credit card debt and indicated her support for a national public service corps program in which part of the student debt would be forgiven.

Harlow disagreed that college graduates should serve after college and instead suggested that incoming college students should conduct community service before they attend college so that they could gain a sense of direction before beginning their studies.

Eshoo said that she wanted local control of public education in most areas, with the exception of certain areas like special education.

Fox said he also supported local control but emphasized school choice.

The next question asked the candidates about the H-1B visa program and allegations that the program had been abused to displace American workers.

Fox said that guest worker programs should be focused on helping Americans. Fox suggested working via the internet as a means for foreign workers to pitch in on projects in the United States.

Eshoo denounced abuses of H-1B visas and said that reforms were needed. Eshoo said that comprehensive immigration reform was also necessary. Eshoo supported a reform of the H-1B visa and said that some other categories of visas were outdated. Eshoo said that the use of H-1B visas pointed a need for more job training.

Harlow argued that immigration was not a challenge and that investment in the American workforce was inadequate. Harlow said that he supported “open immigration.”

Fox followed up and said that he opposed Trump’s plan to round up all undocumented immigrants. Fox said that the E-verify program should be used to reduce the hiring of undocumented immigrants.

Eshoo said that there should be a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and paid tribute to the role of immigration in American history.

The next question asked was about the influx of refugees due to international conflicts and the candidates’ responses to the phenomenon.

Eshoo said that she had supported refugees due to their vulnerability and thought that the United States “could do more” to help refugees. Eshoo emphasized that refugees were thoroughly vetted before entering the country.

Harlow said that the United States needed to accept more refugees and denounced the United States falling short of its intended goals. Harlow believed the failure endangered the United State’s role as the “moral voice of the world.”

Harlow again slammed Eshoo for supporting Clinton due to what he perceived as an interventionist foreign policy.

Fox said that Harlow was right that many refugees were generated by poor decisions in American foreign policy. Fox expressed a preference for accommodating refugees on foreign countries.

Harlow argued for a “foreign policy reset.” Harlow specifically criticized Saudi Arabia and Israel and called for sanctions against Israel.

Eshoo followed up by noting that “we live in an age of terrorism” and that the vetting system for refugees was very stringent.

In their closing remarks, the candidates summed up each of their pitches for why they should be in Congress.

Harlow emphasized his focus on transportation and called for a system of high speed rail connectors between city centers and commuter suburbs to expand the areas in which housing is built.

Fox reiterated his concern about the national debt and his fears that the United States might follow the lead of countries like Argentina, Greece or Venezuela.

Eshoo said in her closing statement that she was focused on issues such as healthcare, a free and open Internet and supporting seniors.

A video of the debate is available here.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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New ‘welcome grants’ intend to help with college transition https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/31/new-welcome-grants-intend-to-help-with-college-transition/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/31/new-welcome-grants-intend-to-help-with-college-transition/#respond Tue, 31 May 2016 07:57:44 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115881 For the first time, Stanford will give incoming low-income freshmen a grant to help with transition expenses.

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Starting with the 2016-17 academic year, Stanford will begin providing some low-income freshmen with $2,000 “welcome grants” to help with the transition to college. These grants will be provided to domestic students from families without any expected parent contribution to the cost of a Stanford education. This will be the first year the grants are offered to low-income students and follows a similar grant program at Harvard.

“We decided, yes, we should go ahead and do this, after we saw Harvard’s investment,” said Stanford Director of Financial Aid Karen Cooper. “We did not want to see students with decisions about where they go to school simply based on dollars.”

“We were all very, very excited to hear that Stanford would be taking [the grant program] on,” said Sydney Osifeso ’17, the chair of the advocacy committee for the First-Generation Low Income Partnership (FLIP).

Osifeso said her own experiences demonstrated the need for the new grant.

“The summer before coming to Stanford was particularly difficult,” Osifeso said. “I had to work a lot in order to save up for coming into Stanford. I had expenses — I needed a laptop, I needed a comforter, all these things for my dorm room — but I didn’t really have the resources to pay for that. And so I think that this money will be really useful in aiding that process and making it a lot less stressful. I think a lot of people were really excited to come to Stanford, but I was more stressed out about how I was going to pay for things. So I am excited to hear [that] a lot of students won’t have that burden any more.”

According to Cooper, the money will be disbursed in three segments. The first $1,000 will be provided before students arrive. $500 will be provided at the start of each of the winter and spring quarters. Cooper thought the funding might be used on transportation expenses, bedsheets, bicycles and laptops. Cooper said the funding would be provided via direct deposit.

The Financial Aid Office has partnered with the Diversity and First-Generation Office to create a video in which current students give advice to incoming students on what they should and should not spend the money on. According to Cooper, the First-Generation Low Income Partnership (FLIP) helped with the video. There will also be virtual office hours over the summer for students to discuss financial aid-related matters.

The $2,000 will not be disbursed in a single sum due to concerns over students’ budgeting skills. Cooper said students might not be able to properly space out spending on the grant and recommended cashcourse.org as a tool for learning about budgeting and financial literacy. Osifeso agreed that the grant should be broken up, noting that financial literacy was a challenge in the first-generation low-income community.

Osifeso approved of the size of the grant but thought it would be wise to prorate it based on the distance students travel to get to Stanford.

The Stanford administration is still debating how to help low-income international students, who won’t be subject to the new grant. For several years, international students were given gift cards to help tide the new arrivals over until the start of the quarter. Extra funding was also made available for winter break. Cooper pointed out that it may be difficult to transfer money directly to international students because direct deposit requires an American bank account.

The Financial Aid Office has not yet addressed other forms of aid for low-income students, like providing meals for low-income students over spring break. While Cooper acknowledged the importance of this issue, she said she hoped the new grant would help pay for these meal expenses. However, Osifeso said the welcome grant should be separate from the solution helping low-income students with spring break meal expenses and said that spring break meals should be included in the room and board section of financial aid packages.

Cooper declined to discuss other future changes to Stanford’s financial aid offerings, but she expressed excitement about timing changes with the Federal Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). The changes will eventually affect what tax year is used to calculate eligibility for financial assistance. Cooper said that this meant that students would in the future be able to get a more precise financial aid offering rather than an estimate.

When asked her opinion of what the next frontier of financial aid would be, Osifeso said that FLIP has been having early internal conversations about the student contribution to their Stanford education. The student contribution is a $5,000 sum that students are expected to pay to the University, separate from the expected parent contribution.

“A lot of folks, myself included, send money home to support our families. And that is something that is not included in our financial aid package,” Osifeso said. “I think just having more nuanced financial aid would be helpful.”

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Congressional candidates to clash in Stanford Daily debate https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/31/congressional-candidates-to-clash-in-stanford-daily-debate/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/31/congressional-candidates-to-clash-in-stanford-daily-debate/#respond Tue, 31 May 2016 07:04:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115913 The Stanford Daily is holding a Congressional debate on Tuesday, May 31st.

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The Stanford Daily will be hosting a debate of all three Congressional candidates for California’s 18th Congressional District on Tuesday, May 31. The candidates — incumbent congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D), Richard Fox (R) and Bob Harlow ’16 (D) — will debate for one hour on a variety of domestic and international issues.

This debate will mark the first time that all three candidates appear together on the same debate stage, and this is the only time the candidates will debate before the primary on June 7, which will decide which two candidates advance to the general election in November. The debate is being hosted with the assistance of KMVT, a public access broadcaster in Mountain View and will be broadcast subsequent to the event on public access television and online.

Written coverage of the debate will be available Wednesday online at The Stanford Daily’s website.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Graduate Student Council discusses budget, funding requests https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/19/graduate-student-council-discusses-budget-funding-requests/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/19/graduate-student-council-discusses-budget-funding-requests/#respond Fri, 20 May 2016 06:49:50 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115460 The Graduate Student Council (GSC) held a meeting Wednesday night in which they discussed their budget for next year, approved several funding requests and briefly explored strategy for convincing the graduate students to vote for a fee increase next year.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met Wednesday night to discuss its budget for next year, approve several funding requests and briefly explore strategies for convincing the graduate student body to vote for a fee increase next year.

The GSC approved funding for the Asian American Graduate Students Association, the Black Graduate Students Association and Belgica.

The GSC discussed several aspects of its budget for next year, which was presented as similar to the one in place for this year with a few modifications. Among the proposed changes was possible compensation for the co-chairs of the diversity advocacy committee. The GSC also focused on how to convince the graduate student body to bother voting on an expected request for a higher graduate student fee. Various ideas were proposed to accomplish this, including handing out cookies and eliminating alcohol funding.

The GSC also received an update on the recent Graduate Formal event — the event successfully made over $30,000 after Eventbrite fees, with about 1,200 people in attendance.

The GSC was also informed that a joint committee was possibly being set up to work on the issues of sexual assault in conjunction with the Undergraduate Senate.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Students protest history professor Aishwary Kumar’s tenure denial https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/13/students-protest-history-professor-aishwary-kumars-tenure-denial/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/13/students-protest-history-professor-aishwary-kumars-tenure-denial/#comments Fri, 13 May 2016 08:35:48 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115072 The decision to deny tenure to a history professor sparked a student protest on Thursday.

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Several students held a demonstration at the History Corner on Thursday to protest the history department’s decision to deny tenure to Aishwary Kumar, an assistant professor of history. The demonstrators handed out information materials and refurbished Building 200 with a variety of printed signs and banners expressing outrage over the tenure decision and featuring testimonials from Kumar’s students that praised the professor’s work. The students also put caution tape on the building’s railings until a University representative arrived and instructed them to remove the tape.

The protesters, who had organized to hold the demonstration independent of other on-campus organizations, expressed concern about the secrecy involved in the tenure process and that the history department did not give adequate respect to Kumar’s area of study.

Students protesting the denial of tenure to assistant professor of history Aishwary Kumar decorated the History Corner in support of Kumar (MCKENZIE LYNCH/The Stanford Daily).
Students protesting the denial of tenure to assistant professor of history Aishwary Kumar decorated the History Corner in support of Kumar (MCKENZIE LYNCH/The Stanford Daily).

Some of the protesters had been personally moved by Kumar’s teaching. “He has singularly embodied my Stanford experience. If Stanford gets rid of what Stanford is for me, what is Stanford any more?” said Lara Prior-Palmer ’17.

Prior-Palmer explained that Kumar’s classes were uncommon at Stanford, which she sees as “undervaluing” traditions of thought from the global south.

According to Prior-Palmer, Kumar’s teaching had been important in persuading some students who might have majored in engineering fields to major in the humanities instead. Prior-Palmer also expressed concern that Kumar’s departure would leave Stanford without an expert on non-Western intellectual history.

Truman Chen ’17, another student involved in the protest, said that the group of protesters wanted to raise awareness about the tenure process. Chen said he recognized the importance of secrecy in the tenure process, but expressed concern that reasons for tenure denial were not given, and that it was not clear how departmental votes were weighed in tenure decisions. Chen said that the protesters were circulating a petition regarding the tenure decision and might decide to write a second op-ed (after their first in the Stanford Political Journal on the issue) going forward.

Appeals on the question of Kumar’s tenure go to the Provost for consideration. Chen said that the protesters had brief conversations with the Provost’s office but were going to talk more with them in the future. Chen said that the protesters were working on a tight timeline to have their impact before the end of the school year.

Chen was concerned that the denial of Kumar’s application for tenure was not a standalone incident.

“The denial of Professor Kumar’s tenureship has confirmed long-standing worries about certain biases within the humanities,” Chen said.

Chen said that even if the effort to help Kumar win his appeal was unsuccessful, the protests would still have a positive impact.

(NINA ZUBRILLINA/The Stanford Daily)
The students were eventually asked by the University to remove the caution tape, but they were permitted to keep the banner and posters in place (NINA ZUBRILLINA/The Stanford Daily).

“At least at this stage, what we want to make clear is that the decision to deny Professor Kumar tenure was a mistake,” Chen said.

Paula Findlen, the head of the history department, said in a statement to the Daily “The History Department fully respects students’ desire to express their support for Professor Kumar. It’s free speech and knowing how much they care is a wonderful thing! This is precisely why we solicit the views of students in the process, since excellent scholarship and teaching are both crucial components of a tenure review, and this is also why Dean [Debra] Satz and I were pleased to meet with students a few weeks ago to talk with them.”

Kumar declined to comment.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17@stanford.edu.

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GSC approves financial manager nominee https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/13/gsc-approves-financial-manager-nominee/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/13/gsc-approves-financial-manager-nominee/#respond Fri, 13 May 2016 08:33:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115047 A meeting of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) approved a nominee for the new ASSU Financial Manager and agreed to funding for several student groups.

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A meeting of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) approved a nominee for the new ASSU Financial Manager and agreed to funding for several student groups.

The GSC approved funding for the Black Graduate Student Association, the Brazilian Student Association and Graduate Students in Physics and Applied Physics.

The GSC also got an update on the Graduate Student Formal and Diversity Month. Eighty-four tickets for the Graduate Student Formal were reported as unsold.

The GSC discussed finding a new Equipment Manager to handle the equipment that the GSC owns.

During a closed session of the Graduate Student Council, the GSC approved a Financial Manager, though the name of the candidate has not yet been announced.
Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 @stanford.edu.

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Graduate Student Council considers funding requests, campus climate survey https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/05/graduate-student-council-considers-funding-request-campus-climate-survey/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/05/graduate-student-council-considers-funding-request-campus-climate-survey/#respond Thu, 05 May 2016 07:52:03 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1114697 The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met Wednesday night to discuss the Campus Climate Survey and student group funding.

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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met Wednesday night to discuss the campus climate survey and student group funding.

The GSC started its meeting with a presentation about the campus climate survey. Despite some concern that it might be impermissible under open meeting rules, the presentation occurred in closed session.

Funding requests were approved for the Stanford Brewing Club, Black Graduate Student Association, Pakistanis at Stanford and the Stanford Graduate First Generation Low Income Partnership. Funding was also approved for the United Nations Association Film Festival. The GSC also discussed how a visit from a French author to Stanford could be supported with funding.

The GSC also discussed an upcoming retreat with the Undergraduate Senate.

The GSC received an update on the Grad Formal event. About 650 tickets have reportedly been sold so far.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford biodesign program marks anniversary https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/04/stanford-biodesign-program-marks-anniversary/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/04/stanford-biodesign-program-marks-anniversary/#respond Wed, 04 May 2016 07:08:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1114618 Stanford's biodesign program is 15 years old.

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Stanford’s biodesign program is marking its 15th anniversary with a name change to the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, according to the Stanford News Report. The name change is to honor venture capitalist Brook Byers MBA ’70.

Veronique Peiffer and Richard Timm work with lecturer Ross Venook on ideas for solutions to unmet health-care needs (Norbert von der Groeben/STANFORD NEWS SERVICE).
Veronique Peiffer and Richard Timm work with lecturer Ross Venook on ideas for solutions to unmet health-care needs (NORBERT VON DER GROEBEN/Stanford News Service).

Since its inception, the center has worked with hundreds of graduate students and nearly 200 fellows. Some of these went on to found over 40 companies. Each year the center selects 12 fellows who typically work in teams of four to develop new medical technologies. These teams will often include a mix of medical doctors and engineers.

The development teams identify a variety of possible medical needs that technology could address before using a variety of criteria such as affordability, business viability and regulatory hurdles before taking action.

The center has also begun working with partners abroad to address health needs in other areas.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Stanford Health Care to open new clinic https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/03/stanford-health-care-to-open-new-clinic/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/03/stanford-health-care-to-open-new-clinic/#respond Tue, 03 May 2016 07:07:45 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1114586 Stanford Health Care and a partner are set to open a clinic in San Jose.

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Stanford Health Care and the Irvine Company have teamed up to open a new health clinic in San Jose, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

This is reportedly the first time that a health clinic has been opened in an apartment clinic in the San Francisco Bay Area. The clinic will provide limited services to treat minor complaints, such as cuts and sprains, and will also be able to conduct some lab work. The clinic will also provide referrals to more comprehensive services from specialists.

The clinic is not limited to members of the apartment complex and accepts a variety of insurance plans as well as uninsured patients.

“Any patient, regardless of payer, would be welcome in the clinic, like any of our clinics,” said Tim Engberg, vice president of primary care at Stanford Health Care, to the Mercury News.

Stanford Health Care declined to rule out the possibility of opening more local clinics in other parts of the Bay Area. The clinic, which is located in the River View Apartment Homes at 52 Skytop St., will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Who’s Teaching Us protests over Admit Weekend https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/02/whos-teaching-us-protests-over-admit-weekend/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/02/whos-teaching-us-protests-over-admit-weekend/#respond Mon, 02 May 2016 07:33:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1114518 The Who's Teaching Us held several actions during admit weekend.

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The activist movement “Who’s Teaching Us?” (WTU) held several protest actions during Admit Weekend in response to Stanford not immediately accepting its demands. Members of the WTU movement flyered and demonstrated on Thursday at the University Welcome and on Friday at the Q&A with President Hennessy and also attended the activities fair held on Friday.

WTU also conducted a joint activism Open House in concert with other groups.  WTU was joined by Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for Queer Liberation, Students for Alternatives to Militarism, the International Socialist Organization and Fossil Free Stanford at the event, which also featured Stanford faculty and staff members and focused on WTU’s demands. Event organizers estimated that over 100 people attended the event.

WTU expressed satisfaction with the events’ turnout.

“Seeing the Class of 2020’s excitement about social change at this campus highlights the need for University leadership to be responsive to this,” said WTU media representative Colin Kimzey ’17.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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GSC talks campus climate, upcoming events at meeting https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/28/gsc-talks-campus-climate-upcoming-events-at-meeting/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/28/gsc-talks-campus-climate-upcoming-events-at-meeting/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2016 08:10:17 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1114310 The Graduate Student Council met Wednesday to consider a number of issues.

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In a meeting on Wednesday evening, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) elected officers for the new session, voted in a candidate for the Graduate School of Business’s seat and discussed a possible campus climate survey redo.

A candidate to fill a vacant GSC seat for the Graduate School of Business, was approved for the position unanimously. This appointment finally took the GSC up to its full 15 members. The full name of the newly appointed GSC member was not immediately available.

Cardinal Squares, a square-dancing group, requested and received funding for the caller for a dance. A caller is a person who provides guidance on how to dance during square dancing. The Stanford Materials Research Society requested and received funding for two events. The Intervarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship also requested and received funding for an event. GradQ received funding for two events as well. The Taiwanese Student Association requested and received funding for a farewell party. Representatives of Fire on Fire, a spring barbecue of different national associations contributing different kinds of food, requested and received funding. The different national associations will provide different kinds of food, like the German Students Association providing beer. The GSC also approved a bill to fund a Rains Block Party.

The GSC discussed financial support for the United Nations Association Film Festival, but did not vote this week on funding for the group.

The GSC discussed the event planning for the upcoming Grad Formal. As part of the discussion, the GSC received an update on the status of the alcohol license for the event and discussed whether the possibility of free masks for event attendees would be a helpful selling point for the event.

May is Diversity Month, according to the GSC, and over a dozen events are lined up to occur. The Diversity Advocacy Committee, part of the GSC, is playing a major part in the month.

The GSC also discussed their reaction to an allegedly “nasty” email received by the GSC relating to the issue of the Campus Climate Survey. The Faculty Senate will vote Thursday afternoon on the question of re-conducting the Campus Climate Survey next year and separately on changing the survey method. Members of the GSC pushed back against the perception that the GSC was not representative of the graduate student body. Several members of the GSC also delivered a rousing defense of the GSC’s action on the issue of sexual assault, in particular calling attention to the recent resolution the GSC passed on the issue of sexual assault.

The GSC also elected Terence Theisen and Pau Guinart ’18 as Co-Chairs of the GSC and held a discussion about improving the relationship between the GSC and the Undergraduate Senate.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Subleasing ban reminder sparked by graduate student violations https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/19/subleasing-ban-reminder-sparked-by-graduate-student-violations/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/19/subleasing-ban-reminder-sparked-by-graduate-student-violations/#respond Tue, 19 Apr 2016 09:16:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113804 New information has emerged about last month's email to undergraduates about subleasing dorm rooms.

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New information reveals that several incidents of graduate students violating Stanford’s prohibition on subletting dorm room prompted an email last month from Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE).

The original email noted that some students may have tried to sublease their dorm rooms through Airbnb and couchsurfing.com, and that such subleasing was a violation of the Residence Agreement that could lead to disciplinary action.

According to Rodger Whitney, the Executive Director of Student Housing for R&DE, subletting has been a particular problem in graduate housing, although a few undergraduates have used websites to try to rent out their dorm rooms as well.

“Our letter to undergraduates is an effort to remind students of this policy before we see more violations like this in undergraduate housing,” Whitney said in a statement to The Daily.

According to Whitney, no students have yet been expelled for illegally subletting their dorm room.

“However, some graduate students have lost their housing privileges and been referred to the Office of Community Standards,” Whitney said.

According to R&DE, graduate students are allowed to use certain platforms to advertise sublicensing opportunities. However, graduate students face strict limits on the duration of the lease and must lease to a Stanford affiliate, among other restrictions.

When asked if a free service like couchsurfing.com violated the terms of the Residence Agreement, Whitney said it did.

“For undergraduates, subletting or renting any space in a university building or allowing strangers access to any part of a student residence (whether for money or not) is a clear violation of the Residence Agreement and can create an unsafe environment for students and their entire residential community,” Whitney said.

Both Airbnb and couchsurfing.com have denied responsibility for the incidents.

“[W]e ask all of our hosts to follow their local rules and regulations,” Alison Schumer, a spokesperson for Airbnb, said in a statement to The Daily.

“Couchsurfing is not a platform for “rentals” or to find housing, but a place for travelers to connect and stay with locals during their travels, in order to enrich their travel experience… All our members are required to comply with all legal restrictions in their location, and are expected to stay within the terms of their lease,” couchsurfing.com said in a statement to The Daily.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Graduate Student Council talks funding, elections https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/15/graduate-student-council-talks-funding-elections/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/15/graduate-student-council-talks-funding-elections/#respond Fri, 15 Apr 2016 08:21:49 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113631 The Graduate Student Council met Wednesday and talked funding and elections.

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At  a meeting Wednesday evening, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) reviewed changes in the policy for retroactive funding, approved funding for several student groups and discussed the failure of a ballot measure that would have raised the graduate student fee to close a budget deficit.

The Graduate Student Council discussed a failed ballot initiative at its meeting on Wednesday (RYAN FONG/The Stanford Daily).
The Graduate Student Council discussed a failed ballot initiative at its meeting on Wednesday (RYAN FONG/The Stanford Daily).

The GSC considered a proposal to change their rules on retroactive funding from a ban, as it currently stands, to permitting it under exceptional circumstances only. The latest proposal, which was not yet approved, would only allow retroactive funding if the request came to the GSC no more than 180 days after the event, if the request was under $1,000, if no more than one request every three years was filed by each group, if the event funding does not exceed the soft cap, if the GSC is not running low on funding and if the event conformed to funding guidelines. The proposal may see further action next week.

The GSC approved funding for graduate family events and events by Alliance Dance, the Stanford Association of New Zealand, the Russian Student Association, the Asian American Graduate Student Association, the Turkish Student Association and the Hong Kong Student Association.

The GSC also discussed several aspects of the recent election, including voter turnout. According to initial estimates reported in the meeting, there were 8,722 eligible student voters. Voter turnout was estimated to have ranged from 7.5 percent at the Graduate School of Business to 32.7 percent at the School of Earth Sciences. The proposal to raise the graduate student fee failed despite achieving a majority of cast votes due to inadequate voter turnout.

Contact Caleb Smith at Caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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ASSU Senate discusses financial aid for Greek organization dues https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/13/assu-senate-discusses-financial-aid-for-greek-organization-dues/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/13/assu-senate-discusses-financial-aid-for-greek-organization-dues/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2016 07:40:20 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113542 The third meeting of the 17th Undergraduate Senate this quarter featured a fierce debate over funding for financial aid for Greek organizations.

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In the 17th Undergraduate Senate's penultimate meeting, Senators discussed a bill to provide funding to Greek organizations to help low-income students pay for dues (ROBERT SHI/The Stanford Daily).
In the 17th Undergraduate Senate’s penultimate meeting, Senators discussed a bill to provide funding to Greek organizations to help low-income students pay for dues (ROBERT SHI/The Stanford Daily).

The third meeting of the 17th Undergraduate Senate this quarter featured a fierce debate over funding for financial aid for Greek organizations. The Senate decided to table a bill on anti-Semitism and approve the nomination of Benjamin Kaufman ’17 to the Board on Judicial Affairs. The Senate also passed a congratulatory motion for Carl-Fredrik Arndt and Peter Jonsson, the two graduate students who intervened in Brock Turner’s sexual assault.

The Senate began their meeting with a closed session to discuss the hiring of the next Chief Executive Officer of Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE). This individual will replace Fred Groce ’14. The closed portion of the meeting lasted about half an hour.

ASSU Vice President Brandon Hill ’16 provided Executive updates. Hill announced that members of the ASSU government would be attending a special dinner on April 28 and that it would be paid for.

Sean Means ’18, the assistant financial manager for SSE, submitted a bill for previous motion to appoint an equipment manager. The Senate will have the option to approve it next week.

The Senate discussed and approved several funding bills.

 

Funding for Greek life

Joshua Seawell ’18, a member of the ASSU Executive branch, spoke about the request for funding for Greek life. Seawell and other supporters of the bill said it was an important measure to make Greek life accessible for many low-income members of the Stanford community. Seawell criticised what he called a “myth” that the Senate only funds student groups open to everyone, that he believed that was the primary obstacle to the passage of the bill.

Some chapter presidents spoke Alizabeth McGowan ’16, a representative of the sorority Sigma Gamma Rho and the African American Fraternal and Sororal Association gave a talk about the impacts of inadequate financial support for low-income students seeking to join Greek organizations. According to McGowan, initial dues to to join Greek organizations can range from $700 to $1000. McGowan reported that low-income students had difficulty in scraping together that amount of money and that sometime students deferred joining.

“Often students are unable to join organizations because they do not have the money at the moment,” McGowan said.

McGowan also reported that the challenges members have in joining can severely reduce the number of individuals in Greek organizations and threaten the viability of the Greek organizations themselves.

“Without any financial support, the chapter basically dies,” McGown said.

McGowan disagreed with the idea that funding for financial aid for Greek organizations would support opportunities for some but not all students. McGowan argued that financial aid for students would increase access to Greek life for low income students and thereby make the organizations more accessible to the student body.

Samantha Hoffman ’17, a member of Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, and a representative of the Multicultural Greek Council talked about her experiences last year. She reported the national organization required a number of events, that it was quite difficult to attend these events and that the national organization put them on warning status due to attendance problems. She reported that some members of her chapter have had to take a leave of absence from the organization and sometimes Stanford because of financial concerns and that the cost of the dues only added to those financial burdens.

Hill ’16 said he and ASSU President John-Lancaster Finley ’16 were giving “high level support” to the initiatives to provide financial aid to needy students in the Greek system.

“No opportunity at Stanford should be foreclosed to any student on the basis of financial need,” Hill said.

 

Disagreement on its necessity

David Wintermeyer ’17 called for the ASSU party on April 28 to be cancelled and the money to be diverted to support financial aid for students in the Greek system. Wintermeyer said more details needed to firmed up on the question of how specifically the $18,000 proposed to be spent towards the purpose of financial aid for Greek Life would be spent. He said the use of a funding bill was inappropriate and called for the Senate to reject it.

Hattie Gawande ’18 said the item started as a bill but had changed into a funding request

Wintermeyer remained concerned.

“A screen grab for $18,000 is a little scary for me,” Wintermeyer said.

Seawell responded to Wintermeyer’s concerns and noted that the dues amounts for specific Greek life organizations are confidential. Seawell said that the funding that the Senate had remaining for the year far exceeded what the ASSU Executive had remaining.

The Senate discussed possibly going over the dues amounts in closed session next week.

Hoffman said that students could use a payment plan for her Greek group if needed.

Eni Asebiomo ’18 asked about other possible sources of funding for the financial aid program.

A supporter of the bill reported that the Provost will offer $15,000 for the Diversity First Generation Office if the bill in question passed. Seawell said the fund will be a pilot and will help collect good data to better appreciate the size of the fund needed.

The proxy Senator Justice Tention ’18 read a letter that was critical of the measure.

“[The] committee only allocates programming board funds to events and activities that are open to the entire student body … We do not fund any exclusive gatherings where students do not have the ability to join,” Tention said.

He added, “I strongly believe that Greek organizations should be accessible to students of low income background for the benefit of low income students and the organizations themselves. However, the programming board is not where that money should come from. No student should have to pay for exclusive organizations.”

Seawell responded in the meeting by referencing an earlier email in which he pointed out the ASSU Senate had previously funded club sports teams.

Jasmine Espinosa ’18 asked how the financial aid for Greek life might impact financial aid. She also said she was conflicted on the measure and planned to abstain.

Seawell said that the Diversity First Generation Office has in past run into trouble with financial aid being reduced, when, for example, the office gave out support for textbooks. Seawell said the Financial Aid Office had told them that financial aid would not be reduced for individuals receiving support from the possible aid fund for Greek life.

 

Miscellaneous

The bill to condemn anti-Semitism that sparked heated discussion last week was tabled.

Gawande introduced a motion to censure her fellow Senator Gabriel Knight ’17, further consideration of which is expected next week.

Wintermeyer introduced a bill to congratulate the graduate students who intervened to stop Brock Turner’s sexual assault. It passed unanimously.

Luka Fatuesi ’17 proposed that a refundable deposit be not required for the rental of equipment to avoid being a burden on low income students.

Gawande reported that one member of the Sophomore Class President slate had to step down, and that the Senate had to confirm a replacement. Gawande reported that there was a similar instance of this happening several years ago.

The next meeting is expected to be the final meeting of the current Senate.

Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify Hoffman’s comments about the impacts of fees on her members. An earlier version of this article attributed her members leaving Stanford to the fees.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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GSC holds final pre-election meeting https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/08/gsc-holds-final-pre-election-meeting/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/08/gsc-holds-final-pre-election-meeting/#respond Fri, 08 Apr 2016 19:46:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113321 The Graduate Student Council met Wednesday and discussed several important matters.

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In a Wednesday meeting of the Graduate Student Council (GSC), the members discussed retroactive funding, approved a resolution calling on Malala Yousafzai to attend Stanford and discussed housing issues for graduate students.

In the meeting, funding applications for Out in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (oSTEM@Stanford), the Black Graduate Students Association / Stanford National Medical Administration and the Thai Student Association. The GSC engaged in a discussion of possible retroactive funding for the Stanford India Association. The GSC discussed changing the guidelines to help avoid future situations of groups seeking retroactive funding. Ultimately, the GSC decided to table possible funding for the Stanford India Association until next week.

The resolution to urge Malala Yousafzai to attend Stanford was adopted without opposition.

The GSC also considered recently announced changes in graduate housing policies that threaten to cause some students to lose housing. An event has been planned to help affected students understand the local rental market. Some GSC members expressed concern about the short notice given to the students affected.

 

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17@stanford.edu

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Stanford Daily poll finds enthusiasm for referendums, but not Exec race https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/07/stanford-daily-poll-finds-enthusiasm-for-referendums-but-not-exec-race/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/07/stanford-daily-poll-finds-enthusiasm-for-referendums-but-not-exec-race/#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2016 10:28:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113226 The Stanford Daily conducted a poll revealing the likely results of several referendums.

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According to a Stanford Daily poll of undergraduates on the 2016 ASSU elections, referendums supporting regular campus climate surveys and opposing the proposed ban on hard alcohol are likely to receive support from a majority of students.

In the race for ASSU Executive, half of poll respondents were undecided at the time of their response, and another 10 percent of respondents intended to abstain from the race. The last day of polling saw no clear increase in decisiveness This suggests that many voters may be relatively unengaged with the Executive election or that the race may produce an unexpected result. The Executive race, between the slate of Tristan Navarro ’18 and Scott Mutchnik ’19 and the slate of Jackson Beard ’17 and Amanda Edelman ’17, has seen less frenzied campaigning than last year’s fiercely contested election. If voters are less engaged with the high-profile election for Executive, turnout may be low for the election in general.

Low voter turnout could be especially devastating for student groups seeking Joint Special Fees. Due to inadequate voter turnout, the Stanford Speakers Bureau lost its Joint Special Fees election last year, despite receiving a majority of graduate and undergraduate votes.

A resounding majority of respondents supported the referendum in opposition to the administration’s proposed ban on hard alcohol. Although the final tally may vary from the poll due to the margin of error and late breaking undecideds, the referendum is expected to pass by at least a two to one margin.

A clear majority of respondents also support a referendum calling on the university to conduct regular surveys on campus climate. However, a larger proportion of respondents for this question were undecided compared with the previous question.

The poll also found that the referendum on the Stanford Review’s proposal for a Western Civilization requirement is likely to be rejected by students, potentially by a large margin.

The poll of 244 respondents was conducted via online survey between April 3 and April 6 and has an estimated margin of error of roughly 6 percent.

Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Stanford perimeter trail now complete https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/05/final_vx-stanford-perimeter-trail-now-complete/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/05/final_vx-stanford-perimeter-trail-now-complete/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:32:58 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1113114 Stanford has finished work on an improved bike and walking trail.

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Work is now finished on a 3.4-mile trail between Stanford property in the foothills and bayside recreation areas, according to an item in the Stanford Report. Work occurred on the trail for roughly a year, and the trail can be used for bicycling or pedestrian pursuits. The trail was paid for with Stanford funding, though the plans originated as part of an application for Santa Clara County funding. Upgraded features of the trail include remodeled shoulders, more bike parking and better crossing across intersections.
Nixon and Escondido Elementary Schools, as well as Palo Alto High School, are local schools expected to benefit from safer access between the schools and the neighborhoods. The trail runs along portions of El Camino Real, Stanford Avenue and Junipero Serra Boulevard.

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‘Who’s Teaching Us’ holds packed information session on demands https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/01/whos-teaching-us-holds-packed-information-session-on-demands/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/04/01/whos-teaching-us-holds-packed-information-session-on-demands/#comments Sat, 02 Apr 2016 06:53:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1112896 A Friday afternoon meeting by the group “Who’s Teaching Us” (WTU) packed a room at the Black Community Services Center as the group held an information session on their demands for change. Approximately 150 to 250 people listened to a presentation of the demands and a following question and answer session.

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A Friday afternoon meeting by the group “Who’s Teaching Us” (WTU) packed a room at the Black Community Services Center as the group held an information session on their demands for change. At the conclusion of the event, WTU announced that it will meet on April 8 at 3 p.m. at the Native American Cultural Center to hear the response of the Stanford administration.

Between 150 to 250 people listened to a presentation of the demands and a following question-and-answer session. The demands spanned several issue areas. One major focus was faculty diversity, including demands for at least 10 more tenure-track ethnic studies professors. WTU also demanded more minority faculty in general as well as better information on tenure achievement for minority faculty.

WTU also demanded that faculty receive more training, that a platform for reporting “microaggressions” be established, that the Acts of Intolerance Protocol be revised, and that minorities make up a proportional portion of the student body. WTU demanded that humanities majors require more non-Western classes, that the Engaging Diversity requirement be revamped, that Structured Liberal Education be reformed, and that an Integrated Learning Environment be created focusing on social justice.

Several demands centered around increasing cultural sensitivity. WTU demanded that Residential Education (ResEd) staff undergo training on cultural humility, that Ethnic Theme Associate pay be increased and that a cooperative house be created for people of color. WTU also demanded that community center funding be doubled, that the Haas Center for Public Service increase training for those involved in service learning and that the Bing Overseas Studies Program open five more programs in non-Western countries.

WTU further demanded that Stanford divest from private prisons and Wells Fargo.

In a brief interview with The Daily before the information session, Jonathan Fisk ’16, a spokesperson for WTU, responded  to the satirical article the Stanford Review that ridiculed the WTU agenda.

“It was incredibly tone-deaf and racist and ignorant,” Fisk said. “They showed through their actions last night they did not listen or even attempt to empathize with students of color.”

The audience for the event was a mixture of students, faculty, and community members who came out for a variety of reasons.

“I’m an earth systems major and I’ve been really disappointed by the fact that all of my earth systems professors have been white, and so I feel like I’ve been missing [out] on a huge perspective, and I haven’t really gotten that perspective, so I’m looking to see how things can change moving forward,” said Sarah Kolarik ’16.

Linda Hess, a senior lecturer with the Department of Religious Studies who attended the event, supported the “Who’s Teaching Us” initiative and expressed hope that progress would be made on the demands.

“It is obvious from the big crowd this is something a lot of students are ready to get behind,” Hess said.

This article has been updated to include additional quotes and further edits.

Skylar Cohen contributed to this article.
Contact Caleb Smith at caleb17 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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