Westhem: Bring back the Indians?

I grew up playing sports in a league in which the mascots included the Arabs, the Aztecs, and the Rajahs. I myself was an Indian at Palm Springs High School and a Viking at La Jolla High School. Never was there any animosity towards the mascot from either of the groups represented by it.

            I found it interesting that Pres. Hennessy was a very strong proponent of not bringing the Indian mascot back any time soon unless the Indian/Native American students and faculty give the okay. However, I have a hunch that their approval hasn’t even been really sought out, so I doubt that it will even happen. I think it was wrong to change the mascot in the first place because it went against the tradition of the school that started in 1930. Until 1970 it wasn’t an issue. Interesting how the Native American started to have issues with it and find it offensive during the whole activism, counterculture time period sweeping across college campuses. Why not before?

            I went through many of the archives of the Stanford Daily last year and I remember reading editorial after editorial arguing to keep the Indian mascot. And I would have to say that I would have written one myself if I were around during that time. I would have voiced sympathies with the Native Americans for taking offense by it, but contended that it wasn’t meant as an insult, but merely a symbol of school pride. I think it should be taken as a compliment to the Native Americans that the Indian is the face of a major university.

            It’s a bummer for the alumni who no longer have a mascot to associate their time at Stanford with.

            But at the same time I understand that it can be construed as dehumanizing. I just grew up with it not being a big deal and so to me, it is just another mascot. Florida still remains the Seminoles, right? But I realize this will probably never be open to a vote any time soon.

            

Kiki Hui: Football, anyone?

Let’s talk football. The quintessential university sport. The gathering that unifies the college population and creates friendly animosity between schools. The endeavor the athletic department invests so much in.

Last Saturday, Stanford opened the anticipated season on a good note, beating San Jose State 34-13. With Stanford ranking in the top five of pretty much all the university football pre-season rankings this year, it’s definitely an exciting season to come. This is the first year Stanford sold out of season tickets. I can attest that even though school hasn’t even started yet, the crowd at Saturday’s game was larger than most games of the past year.

I went to every home game and most away football games this year. I love the energy of football games, especially the excitement of night games. I love the ups and down, those times when I’m not sure if we’ll win or lose. I love how much higher a high feels when it is unexpected (USC last year). I love high-fiving random people after a touchdown, sitting with crazy friends who paint themselves red, and partaking in university crowd traditions.

However, I wonder how many students don’t go to the football games, how many students have never been to a football game. Maybe they don’t want to give into the hype to watch huge guys tackle each other. But I guess I see football as a college tradition that people should experience at least once just as they should seize an opportunity or take a class that has nothing to do with their major. Not everyone will like it, of course, but I think it’s less about the game as embracing your university, your culture, your peers. There’s a reason Gerhard Casper was overshadowed by Bill Walsh. Football gives us something to be proud of, to excite over, to momentarily forget about all the work we have to do, and to just belong. Belong to our school. I, like many people, do not always understand what is going on in the game, but I will still rejoice in the celebratory “5-6-7-8-WHOO!”

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m really excited for the upcoming football season. Not only because we’re supposed to have a really good team but also because it will be that time again for fun, excitement, and bonding. And I hope everyone at least tries it.

Jotthe Kannappan: Stanford- Just a bubble, or its own country?

Earlier today, Provost Etchemendy made an offhand comment about how Stanford, since 1975, has gained more Nobel Prizes than either France or Germany. Interestingly, this comment spurred a thought in my mind. Could Stanford be its own country?

The political structure definitely exists. President Hennessey is the President, and Provost Etchemendy could be his Chief of Staff. All the Deans of individual schools would be cabinet members. The Board of Trustees could act as a legislative body that actually does the most heavy lifting in terms of enhancing the Stanford experience. The students, paying tuition, are the taxpayers.

That leads to the next logical question, what does the geographical distribution look like? The answer, of course, is that Stanford has various states. Each school is its own state. As Provost Etchemendy mentioned today, there was a time in Stanford's history where the university was less than its constituent parts. The individual schools all belonged to the same union, but did not work together very often. In the past 13 years that has changed. One could look at this situation as a switch from states'-rights to marble cake federalism.

The next issue comes to federal and state policies. The government funds the creation of "infrastructure," as Provost Etchemendy mentioned, in the form of building new buildings that evolve with technology and the university. Provost Etchemendy also spoke about freedom of expression and speech, and how that was integral to the university. The university also had founding principles, which included co-education and non-sectarianism (equality in our country).

Not to mention that, above all, we have select few Stanford citizens that have spent their entire lives at Stanford, and have educated a new generation of students, some of whom will become Stanford educators in the future. Stanford has a self-perpetuating workforce/citizenry.

Of course, the hardest part to create a logical parallel for is the endowment. One could pretend that our government was simply operating on a huge surplus budget, one that guarantees the future of this great nation. The benefactors of the university don't have any parallel at all, by any stretch of the comparison, but, for the sake of amusement, we can ignore this fact.

Though there are many holes in the argument, it is an interesting comparison to make, because it puts in perspective exactly how hard it is to run a university, and how much history and tradition is involved in that mission. 

Kishnani: Lasker Award won at Stanford!

One of the most respected Science prizes of the world is the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, given by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation in New York City. The purpose of the award is "to honor visionaries whose insight and perseverance have led to dramatic advances with practical medical potential."

This year, a professor from the Stanford School of Medicine will be receiving the award: Dr. Thomas Südhof. Dr. Südhof is a professor of molecular and cellular physiology and his three decades of research have helped us understand how neurons - nerve cells - communicate with each other.

Dr. Südhof will share the award and the $250,000 prize with his former partner and co-winner, Dr. Scheller. Dr. Scheller used to do research at Stanford, but is now the executive vice president for research and early development at Genentech.

Just an average guy, Dr. Südhof enjoys the outdoors, SF Symphony concerts, and spending time with his family. But on the farm, his colleagues admire his memory, intuition, and determination. One co-worker described him as, "the scientific equivalent of the force of nature" and "without him, we'd be ten years behind."

It is very cool that someone from Stanford has won this award and you can read more about it here!

Kishnani: John Arrillaga

We've heard so much talk about John Arrillaga, especially about his donations to the University. Just the other day, CFO Randy Livingston mentioned, "If there wasn't a John Arrillaga, do you think we would have the lavish athletic facilities that we do, today? Probably not." This got me thinking...why is Arrillaga so interested in athletics and just giving back to Stanford in general?

It turns out, John Arrillaga was only able to attend Stanford because he received a basketball scholarship. Though he still had to work 6 jobs to put himself through college, the scholarship opened the door to Arrillaga's educational and life opportunities.

Because of the generosity given unto him, Arrillaga now gives back to the school and is very passionate about it. As soon as he graduated, he gave what he could - a 2 figure donation to the University. This year, several donations, endowed scholarships, and buildings later, Arrillaga made a 9 figure ($151 million) donation to the University, the biggest in the school's history from a single living donor. 

His daughter, a professor and alumnus of Stanford, has written the following article about him, providing a lot of insight to this mysterious and very generous benefactor.

CLICK HERE!

Jotthe Kannappan: What would Jane and Leland Sr. think?

During our conversation with President Hennessey this past Tuesday, I asked him what his favorite Stanford memory was. The President mentioned that he had many, but one of the ones that stood out was listening to a graduate student from Mongolia giving a speech about her Stanford experience. He said he remembered her saying "I imagine Jane and Leland sitting in the audience, astonished that a student from across the globe came to their university."

Over the past few days, we have been repeatedly reminded of the caliber, opportunity, and excellency that Stanford embodies. It's easy to forget in those moments exactly where Stanford started. It was a university, often called a country club, that was laughed at and demeaned. Entertainingly, the established University of California system looked down on our humble beginnings and were amused by the idea that Stanford might someday become a world-class university.

Yet, so many years later, here we are. Nobody can argue that Leland Sr. and Jane didn't get their way. They have provided the best education for thousands of sons and daughters of California, the United States, and the world at large. Stanford worked it's way up from the bottom, and has fought its way to success after many years of trials and tribulations. That in itself makes me prouder to be a student at this university than almost anything else.

Anyway, the reason I mention humble beginnings is to put in perspective exactly what Leland Sr. and Jane would think if they saw how far their university has come. Yesterday, as we were sitting at a tailgate for the first football game of the season, I saw generations of Stanford graduates, and many of their children. I saw successful students, bright young toddlers, wiser heavyweights, people from all walks of the world. What do they all have in common? A deep, strong passion for everything that Stanford is and has been. Taking in that sight, I couldn't help but imagine how astonished Leland and Jane would have felt looking out into their generations of adopted posterity.

Kiki Hui: Stanford to Invest in Startups

Click here to read the article on Techcrunch!

The above article covers the news that Stanford is going to invest in student startups. When I first read this article I have to admit that I was a little scared. What is a university doing investing in companies? Are we just investments in the university as they wait to cash out on their return? I’m still unsure of the implications of this move and its impact on the student population.

Since so many Stanford students are starting their own businesses, Stanford’s investments will definitely be beneficial to many students. It only encourages the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades the campus. Students will be even more encouraged to pursue their ideas and passions. If a startup is their passion, that is.

Investing in Stanford startups serves to reinforce the image of Stanford as money and industry-driven. We only continue to tiptoe that line between university and industry. What about the humanities students? Startups are definitely more typical of engineering students. Will a Classics major be able to utilize this investment? Probably not.

I, like the article, also question Stanford’s motives. If Stanford is willing to invest in these startups, wouldn’t VC firms be interested as well? Does Stanford want more money even though it is unnecessary? More press? I loved how we got to meet with the CFO, Robert Livingston, the day after this news was released. He seemed quite excited about it; I think he sees it as a way to give back to the students.

I also found it interesting that the former editor of the Stanford Daily, Billy Gallagher wrote this article and how it was posted on TechCrunch, a division of AOL, which supports StartX. The article does not seem biased, but it is interesting to see how all these parts are connected. Anyways, it will definitely be interesting to see how this will impact the future.

-Kiki