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T Stanford Daily The

WEDNESDAY May 16, 2012

An Independent Publication
www.stanforddaily.com

Volume 241 Issue 61

Transfer class cut by nearly half to compensate for high yield rate
By SARAH MOORE
STAFF WRITER

UNIVERSITY

Thirty-three transfer students received offers of admission this year out of a pool of more than 1,500 applicants, according to Assistant Director of Admission Kate Shreve. This years 2.2 percent acceptance rate is nearly half of last years 4.1 percent rate, when 58 of about 1,400 applicants were admitted. We reduced the transfer admit target by 20 given the higher than expected freshman matric[ulation] rate, wrote Richard Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, in an email to The Daily. According to Shaw, 17 of the transfer students are from commu-

nity colleges, while 11 are from fouryear universities and five are international. We did see an increase in the number of applications for transfer admission this year, Shreve said. However, due to the diverse nature of the transfer applicant pool and its relatively small size, it is difficult to characterize the pool as a whole and to describe how it differs from year to year. Nonetheless, Shreve said she thinks transfer students differ from students admitted during regular admissions in some ways. While we do seek many of the same qualities in transfer students as in freshmen, [such as] a strong academic record and intellectual vitality, there are also some differ-

ences, Shreve said.With transfers, we look for students who are academically mature and prepared to jump into Stanfords rigorous curriculum mid-stream.We also have a strong commitment to our U.S. Armed Services Veterans and to students with non-traditional educational backgrounds. Shaw added that the transfers are a different population with different kinds of experiences and perspectives. We believe the transfer perspective does add to the ambiance of the campus and in the classroom. Transfers bring various unique backgrounds that diverge from those of the typical Stanford student who comes to campus directly after high school. For example,

Emma Wood 14 transferred last year from Williams College after also spending a year in Italy and Argentina. This time was not only productive for academic growth, she said, but was also a way to develop her passion for food, wine and tango dancing. Even though not all transfer students belong to the same graduating class, they still form their own sense of community, Wood said. Transfers participate in their own version of New Student Orientation, and this year, most transfer students live in Kimball Hall or Paloma in Florence Moore Hall, making it easier for transfers to

Freshman dies from leukemia

By BRENDAN OBYRNE
DEPUTY EDITOR

Please see TRANSFER, page 2

UNIVERSITY

Bike crash highlights helmet use

By ERIN INMAN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SPEAKERS &EVENTS

Brown critiques identity framing

By NATASHA WEASER
DESK EDITOR

Freshman life saved by bike helmet, ED chief says

Stanfords Bicycle Program, in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety, is working to improve traffic control and congestion on campus by installing bikespecific stop signs and riding guidelines on the roads. Two recent bicycle-related accidents, however, contribute to this existing call for increased focus on biker safety and responsibility, according to those involved. Stanford undergraduate Anna Polishchuk 15 was hit broadside by a car while biking on Monday, May 7. Polishchuk hit the windshield of the car, which was going about 10 miles per hour through an intersection by Florence Moore (FloMo) Hall. She was thrown unconscious two car lengths away into the bushes. I was biking home from the dining hall, and then I find myself waking up on the ground, Polishchuk said. Despite the severity of her crash, Polischuk escaped with minor injuries because she was wearing a helmet. Stanford undergraduates are notorious for not wearing helmets, and this reputation has not gone unnoticed by Stanford hospitals emergency department (ED), according to Robert Norris, the ED doctor who treated Polischuk. I told her she could not be a Stanford undergrad because she was actually wearing a helmet, Norris said. Polishchuk heard similar comments from more of the ED staff. I was shocked by their shock at my wearing a helmet, Polishchuk said. It was unsettling how amazed they were. Norris commented on the value of wearing a helmet. This $20 investment [the helmet] saved her life. Period, Norris said. Without the helmet theres no doubt in my mind that she would have been an organ donor or dead upon arrival. The University has been trying to fight the stigma behind wearing helmets. According to Ariadne Scott, bicycle program coordinator, the Bicycle Program under the umbrella of Parking and Transportation Services (P&TS) continues to offer resources such as a New Student Orientation

NICK SALAZAR/The Stanford Daily

Graham Brown, the 2012 Lee Kong Chian NUSStanford Distinguished Fellow at Stanford, spoke Tuesday afternoon on the Global Dynamics of Culturalized Conflict in Southeast Asia.

Graham Brown, director of the Center for Development Studies at the University of Bath, warned against generalizing regional conflicts as caused by one factor, such as religion or nationality, during a talk Tuesday morning. Brown said that individuals he called identity entrepreneurs often frame conflicts in terms of religious and national identity so that they can mobilize support for their cause.According to Brown, this is a problematic phenomenon because people face a range of overlapping and intersecting identities to frame their struggle. Looking at the dynamics of conflicts in Asia, when it comes to a choice between selecting a national versus religious identity, there is a payoff matrix, Brown said, referring to the main theme of his presentation. His talk focused on local conflicts in Southeast Asian regions, such as the Aceh region in Indonesia, the Sabah region in Malaysia and the Moro National Front in the Philippines.

Akash Dube, a freshman from Dubai, died Friday, May 11, due to complications from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The Arroyo resident spent most of winter and spring quarter in Stanford Hospital and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He was a really strong, really enthusiastic, extremely resilient kid, said Lena Potts 12, Dubes resident assistant in Arroyo. He was a huge member of this community, even though he was only here for a few months. Dozens of friends posted on Dubes Facebook page following news of his passing, expressing their gratitude for being able to get to know him. I have always been so amazed by the way you care for other people and the way you take such genuine interest in the lives and feelings of others, wrote Austin Block 15.Its so easy to see why we all love you. You were never here for only one quarter, Akash. Youve been here ever since the fall, as a part of the Arroyo family, and will always be in our hearts, said Janhavi Vartak 15. Even after his leukemia returned, Potts said Dube remained upbeat. He was still strong. He was the same little Akash; he was still strong and hopeful, she said. He always really believed [in himself].That was one of the best things about him. When I saw Akash in the hospital he was not only smiling and optimistic, but his primary concern was to make sure that I was entertained and not hungry, said Adam Goldberg 15, a fellow Arroyo resident. If youre battling cancer, and youre preoccupied with the comfort of your guests, it really just speaks to how amazing of a person

Please see ASIA, page 2

Please see DUBE, page 2

ASSU seeks to fill Univ. committee spots

By JULIA ENTHOVEN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

The ASSU Undergraduate Senate addressed Tuesday a pressing need to form an interim commission to solicit applications, interview and nominate student representatives for more than 40 University committees before a June 1 deadline. Senators described the process as not ideal, tough and even shitty during their second full-length meeting in office.

Nanci Howe, director of Student Activities and Leadership (SAL), expressed concern about the administrations frustration with the ASSUs perceived incompetency if it cannot meet the deadline for nominations. The last three to five years, the ASSU has been late every year, Howe said. Particularly the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate [are] quite unhappy with the performance of the ASSU . . . I worry about the credibility of ASSU as an organization. Senate Chair Branden Crouch 14 said that

the 13th Senate told this years Nomination Commission (NomCom) that the commissions responsibilities were going to be dissolved at the end of this academic year. As a result, the Senate did not recruit new NomCom members after the commissions term ended. The premature anticipation of the previous ASSU Senate may have been due to an expectation that an updated ASSU Constitution, developed by the Governing Documents Com-

Please see ASSU, page 3

Realizing the DREAM

NICK SALAZAR/The Stanford Daily

Please see BIKE, page 2

Stanford students and community members attended a panel Tuesday evening titled, Activism: What Can You Do? The event was part of the 2012 Undocumented Students Teach-In at which speakers and panelists talked about obstacles and opportunities for undocumented students.

Index Features/3 Opinions/4 Sports/5 Classifieds/6

Recycle Me

2 N Wednesday, May 16, 2012

NEWS BRIEFS

The Stanford Daily

Caterpillar outbreak prompts night spray

By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF In response to an outbreak of oak moth and tussock moth caterpillars, Buildings and Grounds Maintenance sprayed oak trees around Crothers Hall, Branner Hall and Toyon Hall Tuesday overnight. The diluted Conserve solution used on the trees should help protect them from the furry visitors that have already caused trees near Crothers to lose a significant amount of leaves. The University implemented this solution two years ago, but the caterpillar population has continued to spike during spring. The spray will provide aid to more than just oak trees, according to an email sent out to residents of the affected houses. Pedestrians also typically do not enjoy having the caterpillars drop down on them as they walk by, so benefit from this treatment program as well, wrote Craig Harbick, Crothers Hall front desk coordinator. The spraying is part of the Universitys integrated pest management system implemented this month, which aims to address this seasonal phenomenon of the caterpillar outbreak on campus while causing minimal damage to the environment. The caterpillars are a devastating natural threat to the local oak trees, according to a pest control notice on the Student Housing website. The University has created a map of which oak trees will be treated.
Ileana Najarro

Palo Alto approves retail and affordable housing structure

By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF After rigorous debate, the Palo Alto City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to approve the construction of and rezoning for a new gateway building on the corner of Lytton Street and Alma Street according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News. The three-story, 50-foot-tall building would include office spaces, retail and a 70-foot-tall corner tower.These approved plans are a reduction of the initially planned five-story building, following months of debate between Palo Altos planning commission and Lytton Gateway LCC. The negotiations also require the new building to make space for 14 affordable housing units. While the council officially approved moving forward with the projects construction, speakers at the council meeting raised issues surrounding a possible parking strain. Many argued that the buildings location would only contribute negatively to the existing traffic congestion problem due to a reduction of parking space. In response to these claims, the council also approved Vice Mayor Greg Scharffs proposal to allocate some of the funds behind the buildings affordable housing project to the issue of parking and traffic congestions. The $2 million in question would potentially go toward a parking garage for city use, but details are yet to be confirmed.
Ileana Najarro

TRANSFER
Continued from front page
bond in the dorms. There is definitely a transfer community, and its really well mixed, Wood said. I think there can be this fear that transfers will group off according to where they came from, but theres no segregation along those lines. Wood said she doesnt feel as much of a connection with the Class of 2014 even though she is technically a sophomore, feeling closer to those in her academic classes. I feel like were in this interesting place where were between being a freshman in some senses, and being practically graduated in others, said Jesse Clayburgh 13, who transferred from a community college in San Francisco. Aside from this sense of separation from ones graduating class, the transfer experience has its own challenges. Ronaldo Esparza 13 transferred after two years at a community college in Miami. Youre not sure what year youre in, Esparza said. For exam-

ple, I was in community college for two years, but that doesnt mean Im necessarily a junior. It all depends on what classes they accept, he added. That way, its good to have people from different grades that you can identify with. Stanfords learning environment was also distinct from what Esparza was accustomed to at his former school. At community college and other colleges, you have to work by yourself and ace a test, Esparza said. Here, you have to work together to be successful.The challenging part is that it is not only way more difficult [academically] than my previous college, but you also have to live and develop your social skills. Wood also said that she had to adjust to Stanfords active social scene after coming from an institution where academics seemed to be the schools only focus. The Office of Undergraduate Admission hopes to continue to make these transitions manageable for incoming transfers through preestablished programs like New Student Orientation. We remain deeply committed to transfer students and look forward

to welcoming a vibrant and diverse transfer class to the Farm in the fall, Shreve said. Contact Sarah Moore at smoore6@ stanford.edu.

DUBE

Continued from front page

you are. Diagnosed his senior year of high school, Dube organized the Terry Fox Charity Run in Chennai, India, in 2009. Dube went to schools in Chennai and urged students to run, in addition to sharing his own experience with cancer. The race, which takes place in locations all over the world, helps raise funds for cancer research. The Arroyo lounge now hosts a memorial to Dube, and a whiteboard features written memories from Arroyo residents and friends of Dube surrounding photos of the freshman. Contact Brendan OByrne at bobyrne@stanford.edu.

BIKE

Continued from front page

Brown is the 2012 Lee Kong Chian National University of Singapore (NUS)-Stanford Distinguished Fellow at Stanford. The fellowship is awarded to one scholar annually to conduct research at both Stanford and NUS for up to six months. During his talk, Brown warned against legitimizing or misinterpreting the goals of certain groups of separatists, citing the Filipino group Abu Sayyaf, which he calls pirates and war profiteers. He emphasized the need to distinguish between greed and grievance as causes for conflicts. Many times conflicts are not really caused by religion, but then it turns out to be in the process, he said. People invent causes and frame them into their identities. As a researcher, Brown said one of the fundamental problems is how social scientists conduct their research in the field. Political scientists and scholars working on religion face the problem of re-labeling religious conflicts, which feeds into narratives that become accessible to groups [involved in the conflict], he said. Citing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, Brown argued that scholars such as Samuel Huntington incorrectly labeled the Sri Lankan conflict as a religious one, and thus gave identity entrepreneurs the opportunity to manipulate their

literature. Brown further argued the idea of a relationship between demand and supply and identity, stating that not all of these identity narratives stick. Attempts to Islam-ize the Free Aceh movement fall on deaf ears, he said. There is something about the nature of Acehnese identity that is strong and cohesive. People know what it means to be Acehnese, and Islam is part of the project, but jihadization isnt. He contrasted this example against that of the Moro National Front in the Philippines, which he said is a relatively new and deliberately put-together bunch of ethnic groups, and therefore there is a demand for more of a jihadized identity. Donald Emmerson, director of the Southeast Asia Forum at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, provided a few comments at the end of the talk. Even though he agreed with most of the points presented, Emmerson noted, Identity is not a clinical choice and people can identify with multiple identities and have a choice. I am interested in Islam in Southeast Asia and the idea of Eurarabia and whether or not there is a globalized connection of radicalized Islam, said audience member Jane Miller Chai 60. The talk was ambitious, but I felt that the idea of Eurarabia was not spelled out clearly, she added. Contact Natasha Weaser at nweaser@stanford.edu.

TRANSFER
Continued from front page
(NSO) program on bicycle education for freshmen, free bike safety classes offered twice a month for the entire campus community and a bike safety web page. Additionally, the program tries to increase helmet usage by collaborating with P&TS to offer discounted helmets. Despite these resources, much of the campus continues to bike without helmets, and when a collision does occur, accident protocol can get hazy. Last month, a fellow in the Stanford Department of Pathology, Ellen Yeh, was crossing the street as a pedestrian between Serra Mall and the Main Quad when a bicyclist hit her. I saw him coming really fast, stopped to let him pass, Yeh said. He swerved into me from the front, and I fell onto my back. Both my arms hit the ground. A witness had called 911, but Yeh refused the ambulance, as she didnt suspect bad injury. Yeh reports that the bicyclist was unapologetic and claimed that he had the right of way. According to Scott, bikers should yield to pedestrians on shared paths. Upon noticing swelling and pain in her arms, Yeh went to the ER, where she was informed of

three fractures in her arms, two in the left arm and one in the right. You can get really hurt by getting hit by a bicyclist, Yeh said. Its not trivial its dangerous. Yeh said her injuries have compromised her ability to perform daily functions, as well as caused her to postpone her medical research trip to Thailand. Theres a hazy part to being hit by a bicyclist rather than a car, Yeh said, in reference to difficulties in contacting the biker who hit her and the reluctance of police to get involved. The police say theres no reason for them to be involved, and I cant force him [the biker] to talk to me, Yeh said. I just want him to realize his speed, safety and be somewhat compassionate . . . which is hard to achieve with a bike accident apparently, she added. To reduce accidents in the future, bicyclists must get in the mindset that they are driving, Scott said. They should be predictable and visible. Bicyclists should be 100 percent focused on riding their bike. Finally, to reduce the trauma associated with said accidents, Norris encouraged helmet usage. Ive seen too many young adults cut off in the prime of life for not having a helmet, Norris said. Contact Erin Inman at einman @stanford.edu.s

The Stanford Daily

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 N 3

WATER IN THE WEST

By JOSH HOYT
STAFF WRITER

FEATURES

any homesteaders came to the American West in the 19th century with the tragically misinformed notion that the rain follows the plow, a theory suggesting that human land occupation and agricultural production of an area would beneficially alter the precipitation and climate of that same region. Ironically, the homesteaders land, which is considered to be the backbone of American agriculture and produces 50 percent of the nations fruits, vegetables and nuts, is now known as the Arid Region. We face some really dire circumstances when we look at the water situation in the western United States, said Andrew Fahlund, executive director of the Stanford project Water in the West. Water in the West, formed in January 2010, is a joint program by the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Bill Lane Center for the American West. It aims to engage in research and policy initiatives from various academic disciplines in order to deliver solutions for the key water challenges in the western United States. In particular, the program focuses on three aspects: groundwater management, water recycling and water system sustainability. Fahlund emphasized that he and his partners are mobilizing all of the relevant expertise at Stanford to create an interdisciplinary look at the pertinent issues. The quality of the engineering department here, coupled with the remarkable legal minds and the economists . . . then you bring in people from the history department and from journalism, and all of them have contributions to take on a very complicated issue,

Fahlund said. Members of Water in the West led a 2011 Sophomore College class on a two-week, 225-mile trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in order to introduce undergraduates to the complexities of the water system in the region. The Colorado River supplies water and power to over 25 million people in seven states, as well as to parts of Mexico. The water is supplied to a diverse range of people, from rural farmers to urbanites in Los Angeles, and increasing demand for this essential resource, coupled with a decrease in water volume, is causing major conflicts. The river once ran all the way through Mexico and out through the Gulf of California but now runs dry at many places. According to a 2010 Smithsonian article, the river is 130 feet lower than it was in 2000. Besides the effects of water diversion from dams and irrigation, Fahlund stressed that the dire situation of freshwater ecosystems in California can be traced to climate change. Snowpack in California, a natural water storage system, is expected to decrease by as much as 80 percent over the next 50 years, and groundwater is being pumped out of the ground faster than it can be replenished. Freshwater ecosystems across the West are pretty stressed and they are really at breaking point, and up until recently they were largely ignored, Fahlund said. You dont think about water policy on a macroscopic level, and you dont think about things like [the fact] that L.A. only exists because they have been swindling water, said Andrea Acosta 14, one of the 2011 Sophomore College participants. Being aware of these bureaucratic policy fights and being on the river and seeing the people and places that policy actually affects made the ideas so much more

DEPARTMENTS COLLABORATE FOR

WATER POLICY CHANGE

M.J MA/ The Stanford Daily

meaningful, she added. While students of the Sophomore College trip reflected that they had fun learning to raft and enjoyed being surrounded by the dramatic landscape, many came away with deep concerns about the future of the water in the area. I am not really sure who would be optimistic about this situation, said Julia Barrero 14, who also participated in the Sophomore College class. Maybe I am optimistic just because we need to be optimistic in the face of this crisis. Fahlund said he sees hope for improvement by bridging the fields through communication and cooperation.

We held a meeting just a few days ago bringing in groundwater managers from around the state of California, as well as researchers, Fahlund said. I dont think the researchers had historically given a great deal of thought to what practical questions groundwater managers have had, and groundwater managers had never bothered to ask the question, What could research actually do for me in my practical challenges? Our job is like translating in a sense, he added. David Kennedy 63, professor of history and faculty co-director of the Bill Lane Center, looks to the history of water in the West both as

an explanation and guide to handling the current water crisis. It is just an incredible engineering accomplishment to put in place the system we have, and it didnt just happen . . . it took generations and it took focus and political will and engineering ingenuity, Kennedy said. So if prior generations had that much ambition and ingenuity, then I dont see why we in future generations shouldnt have something comparable to update the system. However, he warned, We cant go on as we have been. Contact Josh Hoyt at jwghoyt@ stanford.edu.

ASSU

Continued from front page

mission, would pass. The proposed new Constitution revised the process for committee nominations, establishing a Joint Nominations Committee made up of ASSU elected representatives instead of delegating the responsibility to the external body, NomCom. This new document, however, unexpectedly failed to pass in the last few weeks of the 13th Senates term, leaving the ASSU with an outdated Constitution and no new NomCom. ASSU President Robbie Zimbroff 12 initially proposed Tuesday to nominate himself as the unilateral chair of an interim nominations committee. Senator Garima Sharma 15 noted, however, that this suggestion violated the bylaws of the Association, which say that no member of the [Nominations] Commission shall, during her/his term, hold an elected office of the Association, disqualifying Zimbroff from such a position. For the Senate to approve Zimbroffs self-nomination, representatives would have been required to suspend the Senate bylaws and rules of order, an action opposed by several senators. Most senators said that while they viewed the idea of suspending the bylaws and giving the power of nomination to Zimbroff as flawed, the alternative of losing student influence in committees across campus would be far worse. If this isnt done, there will be very drastic consequences, Parliamentarian Kimberly Bacon 15 said in response to a suggestion that the Senate have an open application process for a NomCom chair. I dont really see a feasible alternative in the time crunch were in. The senators also discussed how their decision would affect the image of the ASSU. Sharma said that she believed nominating the ASSU president as the chair of NomCom, against the bylaws of the ASSU, would reflect badly on the Senate in terms of checking bias. Howe encouraged the senators to worry less about the details of their decision and focus more on producing nominations efficiently. We have more than just the image at stake, Jack Weller 15 said, supporting action rather than meticulous attention to procedure. This is our duty; this is our responsibility. So we have to get it done.

I worry about the credibility of the ASSU as an organization.

Director of Student Activities and Leadership (SAL)
The senators compromised by agreeing to reinstate those members of last years NomCom, who accepted a re-invitation. Although Crouch, who served on the 20112012 NomCom, could only confirm that one of the previous members would return, the senators voted unanimously in favor of the revised bill, with both Zimbroff and the co-chairs of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) serving as ex officio members. The Senate did not have to suspend the rules of order to approve the bill. Former GSC Chair Addy Satija urged the Senate to ensure the ex officio status of the GSC chairs, without which the NomCom would not have a graduate representative. He said that the only graduate member on last years NomCom has already refused to serve again. If there is a proposal for Nominations Commission with no graduate students on it, I know that people would rather defer it and have completely no appointments rather than go ahead with a commission that is entirely undergraduate, Satija said. Satija also reported that the Senate budget, which the 13th Undergraduate Senate passed in its last meeting, was rejected by the Graduate Student Council (GSC) the following day, leaving the Senate without an operating budget. Funds for a retreat including Zimbroff, Vice President William Wagstaff 12 and the senators which Zimbroff estimated was around $700 for hotel rooms, food and gas came from the former Senates budget. The current Senate will discuss the approval of a revised version of the budget in future meetings. The senators also nominated and confirmed Senator Christos Haveles 15 as treasurer. Contact Julia Enthoven at jjejje@ stanford.edu.

SNAPSHOT

The hermit of Jasper Ridge

triding around under the fruit trees of his terraced garden, Domenico Grosso, the hermit of Jasper Ridge, was a familiar figure to the first few generations of Stanford students. He lived beside an abandoned mine shaft in a house he had built himself, surrounded by a chicken coop and stables, an outdoor picnic area for his many guests and an ornamental stream with carefully tended plants. Its impossible to have a complete picture of life as it used to be in the Portola Valley neighborhood without knowing about one of its most intriguing and colorful early inhabitants, said Nancy Lund, the Portola Valley town historian. His life is the stuff of local legend. Grosso, who lived in the Stanford-owned Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in Portola Valley, Calif., was the areas unofficial guide. Especially after the University opened in 1891, Grosso enjoyed the company of many visitors. Hiking through maze of foot trails he maintained throughout the hills was a popular Sunday afternoon community pastime. Stanford students hiked the trails often, and even Jane Stanford is reported to have dropped in on occasion. Hospitable to the extreme, Grosso would sight visitors from afar and raise some combination of his American, Italian, French and Chilean flags. He offered visitors homemade wine, a vinegary white for strangers and his best red for regulars. Also renowned as an excellent cook, he would invite people over to come on and eat a rabbit leg as he put it. His pickled miniature corn on the cob was a particular favorite. But if complimented on his cooking, Grosso would brush it off by saying, Julia did it. Or when inviting friends over, he might say, Dont bring the Julia. If someone played music, he would mutter something about Julia and ask that it stop. While no one knows who Julia was, it is believed she was an Italian sweetheart he left behind or who died shortly before he left Italy. All this could only come from speculation, however, since Grosso was miserly with details of his prior life. In an interview in 1952, well after Grossos 1915 death, his friend Frank Bracesco revealed that he had served as a soldier under Giuseppe Garibaldi and had been a valet to the Duke of Genoa. Grosso was most likely born near Genoa, Italy, in the 1830s. He came to America in 1869 and hinted that he had spent time in Panama and mining in Chile prior to reaching the continental United States. He first worked for Hippolyte Bellocs banking company and later for Nicholas Larco as a ranch foreman. During this period, he is reputed to have discovered silver in what is now Jasper Ridge, but he claimed to have hidden the find by covering it with brush and burning it. In 1875, when Larco became bankrupt, Belloc gave Grosso the prospecting rights to the land. He immediately moved there and set up his elaborate estate next to the 185-foot abandoned mine shaft in which he hoped to find silver. When the Stanfords purchased the property, they unsuccessfully tried to

NANCI HOWE,

M.J MA/The Stanford Daily

evict Grosso, but with his prospecting right, he could stay as long as he made attempts at mining. For the rest of his life, Grosso would remain obsessed with the idea that someone was trying to take the mine from him. He went to great lengths to convince people he had found large quantities of highgrade silver, although records indicate that he never found anything worth more than one dollar per ton. Accounts differ, however, and some insist that he made a fortune. He kept mysterious bags under his house, which he claimed contained ore of the same quality as that in his display jars, Lund said. About once a year, hed take the bags to Redwood City in a rented buggy, presumably to cash them in. It seems unlikely that the content of the bags proved lucrative, since in his later days, after Bellocs widow stopped providing him a pension the reasons behind her financial support of Grosso are ambiguous he basically lived off the generosity of others, walking around with a sack in which he would accept vegetables and other necessities. He could not work the mine on his own and was too suspicious of potential investors to ever open it up again. Instead, he dug over 20 surface pits in the hope of finding his elusive treasure. In the spring of 1915, Gross suffered a stroke. He was discovered in his bed by Ida Bracesco a few days later. He died on May 18 in the San Mateo County Hospital, at 85 to 90 years of age. In 1923, the Stanford Mining Department reopened the Hermit Mine to use as a practice mine. By this time, most traces of Grossos stay there had disappeared, even his house. But his story captured the interest of many students involved in the project. Who was this gentlemanly recluse who spoke five languages and kept up an impeccable appearance? Did the lonely and mysterious figure, with a beard down to his chest, ever actually make a find? What kept him up at night, sweeping his maze of paths in the moonlight? The last official mention of the mine came in 1941, when the head of the mining department stated that it had not been touched in years. Today, thick hedges of poison oak guard the location of the mine, taking on Domenico Grossos legacy of protecting it from opportunistic hands. In addition to an interview with Nancy Lund, this information was gathered from sources including The History of Jasper Ridge: From Searsville Pioneers to Stanford Scientists by Dorothy F. Regnery, Volume 27 of the Stanford Illustrated Review in the Stanford University Library Special Collections and The Hermit Mine by Merle Marion Repass.
Amrita Rao

4 N Wednesday, May 16, 2012

OPINIONS
E DITORIAL

The Stanford Daily

The benefits of group projects

Established 1892 Board of Directors Margaret Rawson President and Editor in Chief Anna Schuessler Chief Operating Officer Sam Svoboda Vice President of Advertising Theodore L. Glasser Michael Londgren Robert Michitarian Nate Adams Tenzin Seldon Rich Jaroslovsky

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
Managing Editors Brendan OByrne Deputy Editor Kurt Chirbas & Billy Gallagher Managing Editors of News Jack Blanchat Managing Editor of Sports Marwa Farag Managing Editor of Features Sasha Arijanto Managing Editor of Intermission Mehmet Inonu Managing Editor of Photography Amanda Ach Columns Editor Willa Brock Head Copy Editor Serenity Nguyen Head Graphics Editor Alex Alifimoff Web and Multimedia Editor Nate Adams Multimedia Director MollyVorwerck & Zach Zimmerman Staff Development

The Stanford Daily

Incorporated 1973 Tonights Desk Editors Mary Ann TomanMiller News Editor Erika Alvero Koski Features Editor Caroline Caselli Sports Editor Nick Salazar Photo Editor Matt Olson Copy Editor

s students in classes as varied as PoliSci 1 and ME 101 know, group projects are not unheard of at Stanford, and it is quite common for students to complain about working in groups. Having reached Stanford by succeeding as individuals, the temptation and even preference to just do the work yourself is a common one on campus. Nevertheless, group projects are extremely valuable, both as a format of applying academic knowledge but also for the real-world learning experience they provide. The Editorial Board calls for Stanford students and faculty to embrace group projects as a valuable form of learning, and to expand their use in programs of study. Group projects are useful because they test students on more than one level. Students, of course, need to have a grasp of the material that is applied in the project itself, and they must understand the format of the project how to best organize a presentation or convey an argument in an essay or build a functioning model. They also, however, have to understand how to work with other people in the group. This can often be positive, as it has been shown that teaching others, like fellow group members, is one of the most rigorous ways of mastering new material. Similarly, splitting up work means (in theory) that each individual can do their portion to a higher standard than if they had to do the entire project alone, and James Surowieckis book The Wisdom of Crowds suggests that groups often produce better decisions together than any individual could make. It can also be more contentious. Multiple group members mean that responsibilities must be delegated, and there are multiple interests, varying work ethics, and conflicting schedules to juggle, as well.These difficulties are frustrating and may well lead to lower quality group work if members

dont cooperate successfully. Above all, though, group projects are what the real world is like: Work in the real world whether it be doing basic science research in a lab, working on a political campaign, producing a computer program, or writing a novel involves collaborating with others to produce a finished product. Even the dreaded group essay is akin to realworld reports found in many fields that are rarely written by just one author. This collaboration involves some of the very same pitfalls outlined above, and it usually offers the same upsides as well. Thus, having more group projects in college allows students to show that they have mastered the material in the manner they are likely to apply it post-graduation. While the free rider problem exists both in college and in the real world, many professors include a component that lets students grade their fellow group members to mitigate it. Some courses may seem to lend themselves to group work more than others. Even those disciplines that seem less amenable to group projects, however, should and often do incorporate more group work. A philosophy class that requires students to prepare a debate, for example, or more collaborative pieces in students studio art portfolios, would offer some of the same learning. While the debate about the Universitys role in educating students in a practical manner as opposed to educating for the sake of expanding the intellect may go on indeed, it has been raised in several previous editorials there is no doubt that almost all students will have to function in the professional world at some point. To this end, departments should utilize more group work in their curricula because regardless of which educational approach you prefer, group projects have clear benefits.

Contacting The Daily: Section editors can be reached at (650) 721-5815 from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The Advertising Department can be reached at (650) 721-5803, and the Classified Advertising Department can be reached at (650) 721-5801 during normal business hours. Send letters to the editor to eic@stanforddaily.com, op-eds to editorial@stanforddaily.com and photos or videos to multimedia@stanforddaily.com. Op-eds are capped at 700 words and letters are capped at 500 words.

RAVALATIONS

The Facebook fallacy

people. He believes that that number represents the amount of people he actively interacts with at any given time. He argued that he knows he doesnt need to delete anyone, and that he knows this because he feels comfortable writing on the walls of any one of his friends, and has done so at some point or another. Another friend, who has over 1,000 Facebook friends, told me that she is completely comfortable with her social network. According to her, you never know when those old connections might come in handy, and her only stipulation is that she only adds individuals she has met in real life (well, that and she refuses to add her parents). She insists that she doesnt put anything up on Facebook that she has a problem with anyone seeing, so it doesnt make a difference to her. In addition to the act of cleansing, theres also the question of how to deal with the aftermath of deleting a Facebook friend. If you choose to delete people you once knew in high school, what happens when you run into them back home during breaks? One person argued that you merely smile and gesture hello, but that theres no need for further acknowledgement. After all, my friend argued, if she wanted me to know about her life in college, she would have stayed my Facebook friend. The fact that she was offended by the deletion wasnt masked very well. Now, even though I gave my friend a sympathetic smile at the time, her words led me to an entirely different realization: people take Facebook way too seriously nowadays. We are all aware that Facebook is not real life, yet the idea that things need to be made Facebook official appears to

Unsigned editorials in the space above represent the views of the editorial board of The Stanford Daily and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Daily staff. The editorial board consists of five Stanford students led by a chairman and uninvolved in other sections of the paper. Any signed columns in the editorial space represent the views of their authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire editorial board. To contact the editorial board chair, e-mail editorial@stanforddaily.com. To submit an oped, limited to 700 words, e-mail opinions@stanforddaily.com. To submit a letter to the editor, limited to 500 words, e-mail eic@stanforddaily.com. All are published at the discretion of the editor.

BURSTING THE BUBBLE

very now and then, something pops up in my Facebook newsfeed that really catches my eye and occupies my thoughts for a while. Last week it was the video of the Harvard baseball team dancing to Call Me Maybe in the car (the guy sleeping in the back seat is my favorite), and on Sunday it was the article from The New York Times Magazine that was titled Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath? an unnerving and wellwritten piece. The other day, however, it was actually someones Facebook status that caught my eye. One of my Facebook friends had written a status that read, Just finished cleaning out my Facebook friends list. If youre reading this status, then congratulations, you made the cut! It had garnered over 30 likes and got me thinking: how does one go about a Facebook cleanse? The first step is obvious: going through your current friends list and unfriending those who you dont know in real life although, to be fair, I dont know why anyone would add those people as friends in the first place. The next thing would be to delete those individuals you have only met once or twice. Easy enough. But then what happens next? Do you start with the people you knew in high school but no longer talk to? What about old co-workers? And how about that one girl you once worked on an IHUM project with, because your TF paired you up, but havent talked to since? Does she deserve to survive your purge? A late night discussion with some friends led to some interesting thoughts on the topic. One friend of mine insists on keeping his friend list limited to about 200

Ravali Reddy

Facebook friendships dont validate our real ones.

have consumed our generation. We feel the need to wish people we would never wish in real life a Happy Birthday because the site tells us to; we share our relationship statuses with the world, regardless of whether were sharing information about a hook-up or a breakup, and we get offended when we get unfriended. Im as guilty of it as everyone else is, but its important to remember that our Facebook friendships dont validate our real ones. At the end of the day, Facebook is nothing more than a public forum where some people choose to share tidbits of their life and others choose to share the Call Me Maybe music video, and taking something like that seriously may be as ridiculous as the aforementioned music video. Want to call Ravali maybe? Send her an email first at ravreddy@stanford.edu.

Get me to the Greek

Edward Ngai

O P-E D

alloons, glitter and candy candy, everywhere. Just another room on Burbanks second floor (nunnery). Its May at Stanford, and Greek life has taken over the spring calendar. Pledge retreats at country homes. Special dinners. Digging moats at three in the morning. Ive never been fond of fraternities at universities: too many stories abound of alcohol poisoning, hazing and even death. And sure, alcohol and hazing exist here, but if theres one Greek system that I feel does a pretty good job, its the one here at Stanford. Its not perfect, of course. There was an awful lot of heartbreak a month ago when sorority rush ended many smiled broadly, announced what sorority they were a part of at brunch, and you could just tell they were dying a little inside. The same can probably be said for fraternities, though I witnessed a lot less of it because Sigma Chi tapped Burbanks entire third floor. But a lot of it has worked out since then. Some sorority sisters I talked to admit that they werent too thrilled at first with their new families, but more for lack of information than anything else theyve found camaraderie and great pledge peers in their current classes. Near-miss fraternity rejects have gotten over their we-likeyou-but-not-enough messages. But its not always rainbows and lollipops. Some arent happy with their pledge classes, or even with the system. And considering theyre going to be (and already are) surrounded by those people for a year, the best theyre doing is

Tony Blair is a war criminal

Some arent happy with their pledge classes,or with the system.
grinning and bearing it. Fitting, because that seems to be what a lot of rushees I know did during their entire rush process man flirting, you could say. It was just so shallow, one told me. Im so into this, thats so cool, so nice to see you! It seemed like even the most prideful of men were willing to for a couple weeks at least parade themselves and their talents in front of a panel of upperclassmen. And the looks on prospective sorority sisters faces when they would come back from their events! Clutching their blistered ankles, rasping to me in hoarse voices. We were in there for hours! one complained, describing a social

Please see NGAI, page 6

f tomorrow it were announced that Charles Manson was being released from prison and that he had a really interesting theory on sustainable agriculture and wanted to come to campus to discuss it, what would your reaction be? Some of the freest of thinkers might want to hear what he had to say. Most would think its kind of messed up, arguing even if it is an interesting theory on sustainable agriculture, Stanford should not be bringing convicted murderers to campus, out of some sense of principle. Arguing from that sense of principle then, I guess the only difference between the described scenario and Tony Blairs arrival on campus is that Tony Blair hasnt been convicted yet. By all accounts, Tony Blair seems like a nice guy, your archetypal lovable Brit. Charles Manson is a lot more scowly. However, Blairs also a lovable Brit who just so happened to wage an illegal war. Thats not really a matter of philosophy, of whether or not you were for or against the Iraq War. An opinion by George Monbiot published in The Guardian on January 25, 2010, reads: Under the United Nations Charter, two conditions must be met before a war can legally be waged. The parties to a dispute must first seek a solution by negotiation (article 33). They can take up arms without an explicit mandate from the U.N. Security Council only if an armed attack occurs against [them] (article 51). Neither

of these conditions applied. The U.S. and U.K. governments rejected Iraqs attempts to negotiate. At one point the U.S. State Department even announced that it would go into thwart mode to prevent the Iraqis from resuming talks on weapons inspection (all references are on my website). Iraq had launched no armed attack against either nation. We also know that the U.K. government was aware that the war it intended to launch was illegal. In March 2002, the Cabinet Office explained that a legal justification for invasion would be needed. Subject to law officers advice, none currently exists. In July 2002, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, told the prime minister that there were only three possible legal bases for launching a war self-defence, humanitarian intervention or UNSC [security council] authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Bush and Blair later failed to obtain Security Council authorisation. Kofi Annan said the same thing in 2004 in an interview with the BBC:I have indicated it was not in conformity with the U.N. Charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal. Without legal justification for the Iraq War,Tony Blair is implicated in the death of over 1,000,000 Iraqis and the displacement of 2,000,000 more. Just because he was elected by Parliament or speaks English or doesnt dress in

crazy military garb or is white doesnt mean that he didnt commit a crime in waging the Iraq War without U.N. Security Council approval. The brutality of Saddam Husseins regime is irrelevant to this fact. If youre one of those people who thinks Yeah, but its international law.You cant enforce it.Why does it matter? I want you to take a second and think about how silly that sounds. Every member of the U.N. agreed to the charter when it was formed. Were supposed to be grown-ups here.When dealing with international affairs, when dealing with the prospect of invading countries, a snotty You and what army attitude a la Black Bush is not only not helpful, it frankly has no place in the thought process of anyone who considers him/her/perself a global citizen. International law is in fact law, and it needs to be respected. I mean, you do want world peace, right? What Tony Blair is on campus to talk about, the African Governance Initiative, is also problematic, what with him being the former prime minister of what still technically is an empire. I hope he faces questions about the implications of developing a foundation whose goal in part seems to be asserting de facto control of African governments, but the politics of the AGI aside, Tony Blair is still a war criminal.
PETER MCDONALD 11 Occupier of Meyer Library

The Stanford Daily

SPORTS
Zimmerman
Dishing the Rock

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 N 5

Zach

DOWN WITH THE DONS

By PALANI ESWARAN
STAFF WRITER

Preserve Oaklands finest

On Tuesday night, the No. 17 Stanford baseball team came from behind to beat the University of San Francisco, 6-3. However, it was an up-and-down night for the Cardinal, which was outhit by the Dons and left 11 men on base, despite the win. Stanford (33-14, 14-10 Pac-12)

has now won its last four contests, while the Dons, who recorded a sweep over Santa Clara last weekend, fall to 27-29 overall (129 West Coast Conference). Freshman David Schmidt, the winning pitcher for Stanford, improved to 3-1 on the season. Offensively, Stanford got off to a fast start. In the first inning, junior centerfielder Jake Stewart reached on an error, and the next

ive years ago, if I had made a list of the top American cities in which I would least like to run out of gas, Oakland may have taken the cake. I really knew nothing about the 510, other than that people from the Peninsula mocked it and that it was home to world-class rioters and high murder rates. Then I met my girlfriend who resides in the East Bay, took a few classes that pulled my head out of the suburban Florida sand I had been stuck in for 18 years and slowly grew more comfortable making the trip over the Dumbarton Bridge and into one of the more undervalued multicultural hubs in the country. Like any major city, Oakland has its flaws, but its infamous reputation has far exceeded reality. Its home to things like gorgeous hiking trails and incredible places to eat, and having now driven though the town several times at night, its comical to think I was once afraid to park my car at any BART station. In fact, the East Bay now feels a bit like a third home. As a displaced sports fan begging for a fresh start with a few unconventional teams, its no surprise that Oaklands finest stood out. For the past couple of years, Ive been loyal to the Warriors, Athletics and Raiders, but its been a difficult adjustment. These teams play in venues that are a far cry from the state-of-the-art Amway Center, the playing

IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily

Please see ZIMMERMAN, page 6

Brian Ragira (above) had a two-out RBI double in the eighth, capping off a four-run rally and securing the Cardinals 6-3 victory over San Francisco. With the win, No. 17 Stanford extends its win streak to four.

batter, junior leftfielder Tyler Gaffney, walked. Junior third baseman Stephen Piscottys base hit loaded the bases with no outs for first baseman Brian Ragira. Ragira struck out swinging, but the third strike was a wild pitch and Stewart dashed home to score the first run of the day. San Francisco sophomore starter Jordan Remer settled down, limiting the damage to one run. The bottom of the second was similar for the Cardinal, with freshman catcher Wayne Taylor left stranded in scoring position and the score remaining at 1-0. In the third inning, San Franciscos offense came to life. Freshman rightfielder Bradley Zimmer led off the inning with a single, and two batters later, junior second baseman Jason Mahood hit a towering home run to left field that put the Dons up 21. The next batter, senior first baseman Nik Balog, singled to left. Starter Garrett Hughes, who was having trouble keeping the ball down in the strike zone, was relieved by junior Sahil Bloom, and he escaped the inning without giving up any more runs. In the bottom of the third, Remer walked Gaffney and Piscotty, putting men on first and second with no outs. Remer was replaced by junior Andrew Pulido, who promptly struck out Ragira and sophomore rightfielder Austin Wilson. In the top of the fourth, Dons leftfielder Tom Barry hit a solo home run that stretched the San Francisco lead to 3-1. Meanwhile, the Cardinal offense continued to sputter. In the bottom of the fifth, a bunt single by Gaffney, a hit by Ragira and Wilson getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases for freshman second baseman Alex Blandino. But Blandino struck out, and once again the Cardinal left runners on base. In the top of the sixth, reliever Dean McArdle remained stellar, striking out the side, and the bot-

tom of the inning finally seemed to spark the Cardinal offense. Freshman designated hitter Dominic Jose hit a fly ball to centerfield, where San Francisco centerfielder Justin Maffei laid out in an attempt to make the catch. It was difficult to tell whether the ball hit the ground, but the umpire ruled that Jose was not out, and he ended up with a triple. Sophomore Brett Michael Doran came in as a pinch hitter and drove Jose home, cutting the Dons lead to one run. Schmidt relieved McArdle in the seventh inning, and despite a fluke single by Maffei and an error by Blandino, he left the inning unscathed. The bottom half of the seventh was uneventful for the Stanford offense as reliever Haden Hinkle retired the side in order. After a great eighth by Schmidt, the Stanford bats finally exploded. To lead off the inning, Blandino was hit by a pitch. Junior Elliott Waterman then came in to relieve Hinkle and quickly gave up a walk to Jose. Next up was junior Eric Smith, who had come into the game at catcher the inning before. Smith hit a booming double to right field that drove in Blandino. Coming off the bench is always tough, Smith said. I just wanted to look for a pitch early in the count that I could hit, and luckily it stayed fair. After an intentional walk to Stewart to load the bases, Gaffney drew a walk to put Stanford up 43. Piscotty then hit a sacrifice fly, followed by a double by Ragira, and the Cardinal had a comfortable three-run lead. In the top of the ninth, sophomore closer A.J. Vanegas struck out three batters to secure the win. This weekend Stanford will travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah in a three-game series, starting Friday at 5 p.m. PDT. Contact Palani Eswaran at palani14 @stanford.edu.

TRACK & FIELD

Women second, men fifth at Pac-12s

By JACOB JAFFE
DESK EDITOR

Five individual titles highlighted a successful trip to the Pac-12 Championships for the Stanford track and field teams. The women placed second while the men tied for fifth, as host Oregon swept both titles. Freshman Brianna Bain got things going for the womens team on Saturday, winning the Pac-12 title in the javelin. Bains final throw of 53.58 meters was good enough for both the title and a new Stanford record. Success in the field continued on Sunday, when senior Katerina Stefanidi won the pole vault for the second straight year. Her vault of 4.48 meters broke her own Stanford record and was just two centimeters short of the Olympic A standard that Stefanidi is seeking in order to represent her home country of Greece in the London Olympics. In other field events, redshirt senior Arantxa King and junior Karynn Dunn placed second and third, respectively, in the long jump. Kings first jump of 6.42 meters was the best in the field until Arizona States Constance Ezugha edged her by three centimeters on her final jump. King added a thirdplace finish in the triple jump, while junior Alyssa Wisdom placed third in the hammer throw. On the track, sophomore Kori Carter rounded out the individual wins on the womens side with a victory in the 100-meter hurdles. Carter narrowly edged out classmate Katie Nelms, 12.99 seconds to 13.01, and both were far better than the previous Stanford record of 13.13, which was also set by Carter. Carter and Nelms also contributed to a third-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay. Redshirt senior Shataya Hendricks and junior Carissa Levingston ran the additional two legs to help the team put up a 44.25, good for the secondfastest time in Stanford history. Hendricks also placed third in the 100 and sixth in the 200. Junior Kathy Kroeger had the best finish in the distances, placing second in the 5,000. Meanwhile, the individual winners on the mens side were no strangers to success in big meets, as

seniors Amaechi Morton and Chris Derrick both added a Pac-12 title to their trophy cases. Morton won the 400-meter hurdles with the sixth-fastest time in the world this year. His 48.95 missed his own school record by just one-hundredth of a second, but it was enough for the Olympic A standard. Along with his first Pac12 title, Morton added a secondplace finish in the 110-meter hurdles to account for 18 of the teams 78 total points.

We needed a big meet to break through.

CHRIS DERRICK
Derrick started out his Sunday with a close runner-up finish behind Arizonas Lawi Lalang in the 1,500. Lalang and Derrick also finished 1-2 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and both the 3,000 and 5,000 at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year. Derrick broke through later on Sunday, though, edging out Lalang and his teammate Stephen Sambu to win the 5,000. The win was Derricks second career title in the event and third overall. It was a really good day, Derrick said. For the 1,500, I would have liked to have won, but I got boxed in a little early. I closed fast, which I was happy with, but I just couldnt catch [Lalang]. The 5k was a slugfest. It was a really tough race, and Sambu was the one pushing the pace. With a mile or 2k to go, I noticed Lawi hurting, and I had never seen him struggling. There was a lot of lead-trading, and I was trying to keep up the pressure to finally beat the guy that had beaten me before. We were all wiped afterward, but I was pleased to come out on top. Other top finishers for the men were senior Benjamin Johnson,

Please see TRACK, page 6

6 N Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Stanford Daily

TRACK

Continued from page 5

who placed third in the 3,000meter steeplechase, and redshirt junior Geoffrey Tabor, who placed third in the shot put. Tabor fouled in every attempt at the discus, though, so he was unable to repeat his 2011 title. Overall, the men were disappointed with their team finish. We werent too happy with that, Derrick said. Were at that level as a team where were in a pack of quality teams and we needed a big meet to break through. We had some good performances, but not enough. We know were built more for NCAAs, though, so were looking forward to that. Next up for the track and field teams is the NCAA Regional in Austin, Texas, on May 24-26. The NCAA Championships will follow two weeks later in Des Moines, Iowa. Contact Jacob Jaffe at jwjaffe@stanford.edu.

IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily

Redshirt senior Corey Dysick (above) and the Stanford mens track and field team tied for fifth at the Pac-12 Championships in Oregon, led by seniors Amaechi Morton and Chris Derrick. The women's team placed second, anchored by strong performances from Katerina Stefanidi and Brianna Bain.
ers in San Francisco to move back across the Bay to their previous home. The much-maligned Raiders have been rumored to be leaving the Coliseum again, this time for a potential stadium-share with the cross-town San Francisco 49ers. And the As, the beloved princes of the Moneyball era, have been mentioned in connection with places like Fremont and San Jose. Woof. Id be devastated to see any of the three depart, but my personal hurt would be nothing compared to Oaklands. Mayor Jean Quan has suggested the possibility of building a sports wonderland in place of the current relics, allegedly with private funding, but the Warriors have a better chance at a championship than that happening in the near future. Different markets would undoubtedly garner more money and support, but it would kill one of Americas best sports cities. So much of the hurry for relocation stems from outside pressures that see Oakland in the way that I used to see it. Sports are big business, I understand that, but there are ways to at least sustain the franchises without shipping them away to less deserving places. The city will never rival L.A., New York and Chicago in terms of financial potential, but knowledgeable and productive leadership can at least set things in the right direction. The moral of the story is that things arent always as they seem. The Warriors,Athletics and Raiders are not second-rate organizations in a second-rate city. Oakland doesnt need to go under the knife; it just needs a little makeup. Considering that he drives the most stolen car in America, maybe Zach Zimmerman should reconsider leaving his Camry at BART. Send him safety tips at zachz@stanford. edu and follow him on Twitter @Zach_Zimmerman.

ZIMMERMAN
Continued from page 5
grounds of my hometown Orlando Magic. Theyre not franchises you look to as models of effective management. And, most importantly, these arent bandwagons you hop aboard if you enjoy winning. Never have I left a game in Oakland feeling as if a championship were on the horizon. I once saw LeBron James hit the first game-winner of his career, naturally against the Warriors, and that sort of otherteam-moment has been all too frequent. Games are often attended to watch opposing players compete, and Ive seen cheers for losses that improve draft position. But I keep coming back, because there is something endearing about the cluster of stadiums directly off the 880, and something endearing about the people who migrate to them that is tough to put into words. Oakland fans are among the most passionate and intelligent in the world. That may be a hard pill to swallow when As games are regularly filled by fewer people than attended my senior prom, and Raider Nation routinely dresses like a group of teenagers headed to a gothic Halloween party. Its fair skepticism, but the regulars are more connected to their teams than just about any other fan base Ive witnessed, and it is something that needs to be experienced in order to be understood. (As a bonus, parking is free and abundant at the Coliseum BART station. Good luck finding that at any other stadium in the country.) Oaklands teams, regardless of their recent history, are immensely valuable to a struggling city. However, theyre at risk of fleeing in the very near future. The Warriors are being actively enticed by city lead-

NGAI

Continued from page 4

scene where women were supposed to sell themselves over loud music. And I will spare you the horror of being with rushees at the Stanford Shopping Center, searching desperately for a sundress for a rush event the next day. As if shopping werent stressful enough. Its kind of a shame, really, if its true that lots of current pledges had to sell themselves in order to gain entry into a social club. It would be an even greater shame if they had to be someone theyre not after all, its kind of hard to fake it for a full year, around people you will be forced to live with. Of course, this is all hearsay, because I never bothered to look at the fraternity scene, partially because of the stigma of Animal House and a couple damning Rolling Stone articles. But again, while its not perfect,

Stanford does do a pretty good job. People seem by and large happy. Theres a lot of PDA on Facebook, on the sidewalks in front of our dorm and at parties. Sister and brother have become major parts of students identities in non-biological ways. It sometimes makes me regret not giving Greek life a shot. But then again, how many of our new happy Greek families are just grinning and bearing it? Want to do some man flirting with Ed? Send him an email at edngai@ stanford.edu.

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