Grassroots activists who fought against systematic violence and corrupt institutions come to Stanford with their journeys in advocating and change.
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Kylie Price ’28 has always known how to endure. As the daughter of a disabled immigrant mother who had survived cancer, she and her mother have experienced egregious treatment by U.S. Customs and Border Control.
When she was in eighth grade, her district experienced a school shooting. Her school went into a lockdown, with students sheltering in place, unsure if the shooter was on their campus or not. Seeing what was happening in her community empowered her to step up as an activist to face society’s issues.
Beginning her activism journey, Price started a Students Demand Action Chapter in her hometown that comforted students who were affected by the shooting. She also created a non-profit organization that targeted gun violence and the lack of laws preventing the violence nationwide.
“I didn’t expect it to be emotional, but a lot of people were impacted and a lot were affected so we put [a victim poster] up at my school, and it is still there,” Price said. “It’s a reminder that things need to change and my entire school wants to not be afraid of gun violence anymore.”
Student activism plays a crucial role in Stanford’s history, from the civil rights movement in the 1960s to the anti-war movement in the 1970s, the student body has always been actively involved in various social movements.
Having personally witnessed the decades of student activism at Stanford, political science and sociology professor Larry Diamond ’74 M.A. ’78 Ph.D ’80, a Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs senior fellow, wrote to The Daily that “students tend to be very idealistic and are often drawn to political and civic engagement. That’s a good thing.”
According to Price, activists are “courageous people who go out of their way to make a difference in the world.” Being an activist continues even if your representative is no longer in office, Price added.
When Price was in middle school and high school, she emailed then-Senator Kamala Harris about gun legislation and hosted rallies in Washington D.C. to raise awareness for gun violence. Creating change does not happen overnight, Price said — it takes late nights, weeks and months.
In her first year at Stanford, Price is already continuing her activist pursuits, mainly related to campus issues. Her focus is on Stanford’s anthropology department, which possesses the property of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe for research purposes while not offering those communities to view the bodies and belongings.
“I definitely want to see Stanford take more steps to recover our relationships with Indigenous communities and one way we can do that is by returning remains of Indigenous people back to their communities,” Price said.
David Sengthay ’26, who serves on the Undergraduate Senate (UGS), has also been drawn to fighting for more just policies. Beginning in high school, he fought against Stockton Unified School District officials who allocated more money to their paychecks than to the struggling schools in the district, during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for more district transparency on where school funding was going.
Sengthay’s activism journey was started by the death of George Floyd in 2020, which led him to dive further into systemic racism and national issues of gender, race and religion. Even before 2020, Sengthay has long been inspired to speak out against injustice. His grandfather was murdered in Cambodia after speaking out against the authoritarian regime, and his family was forced to flee after the country fell to communism.
“Part of my history and my heritage, of course, is something that I hold dear to my heart while I organize…[as] an activist,” Sengthay said.
Two generations later, Sengthay serves as an Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) undergraduate senator, appropriations chair and New Student Program Coordinator at Stanford’s First-Generation and Low-Income Student Success Center (FLISSC). Sengthay works closely with the Stanford administration to advocate for students’ right to free speech and protest.
“It’s always going to be a hard relationship, as activism is disruptive by nature and [Stanford] seeks to stabilize and create order within,” Sengthay said.
According to Diamond, student activism has changed over time. “The problem comes… when [students] think there is only one politically correct and morally right answer to a question, and when they are unwilling to listen to and respectfully debate different points of view,” Diamond said.
Over the decades, Stanford has made strides to communicate, amplify and aid activists’ voices by pursuing safety measures and connecting administration and activists, according to the newly created free speech website. Diamond said the Haas Center for Public Service has been assisting students with opportunities to become involved in various communities.
Price and Sengthay agreed that Stanford is hard at work supporting activists and going in the right direction. However, both stressed the role of safety regarding activism on campus. Sengthay believes Stanford has a long way to go, specifically regarding the implications of rules and policies.
According to Price, the essence of activism lies in recognizing that anyone has the potential for change regardless of any circumstances.
“For activists, the hardest thing is feeling like you have political power, or the power to change stuff,” Price said, adding, “but honestly it can be anyone.”
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Police Blotter: Impersonation, smuggling of controlled substances and simple batteryThis edition of the Stanford Police Blotter contains incidents of bike theft, simple battery and impersonation.
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This report covers incidents from Jan. 25 to Feb. 2 as recorded in the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) bulletin. Learn more about the Clery Act and how The Daily approaches reporting on crime and safety here.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of impersonation at 376 Lomita Way.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of stalking at 737 Campus Drive
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report involving smuggling controlled substances at 554 Governors Avenue.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of non-criminal hate violence at 1201 Welch Road.
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MUSK model forms personalized cancer prognosis with predictive AIA new artificial intelligence model developed by Stanford Medicine combines clinical notes and pathology images to predict melanoma relapses, patient immunotherapy responses and disease-specific survival.
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Stanford Medicine has developed a vision-language artificial intelligence (AI) model that can predict cancer outcomes, such as forecasting melanoma relapses and patient responses to immunotherapy. However, the model is not yet ready for use in clinical practices.
The Multimodal transformer with Unified maSKed modeling, or MUSK for short, is trained on over 50 million histopathology images and one billion text tokens from clinical reports to predict cancer prognosis. By integrating both visual and language-based data, the model mirrors the approach used by oncologists, who draw from multiple sources to make informed treatment decisions. Yet, developing multimodal models has historically been difficult for other precision oncology AI initiatives.
“In a lot of these previous [AI developments], data is used in silo. This [AI] group is focused on imaging, the other group is focused on language, and they develop all these single-model based approaches,” said Ruijang Li, an associate professor of radiation oncology, who oversaw the project. “But in practice, physicians now would almost never do that.”
The team, primarily made up of researchers from Stanford’s Departments of Pathology and Radiation Oncology, published a study in Nature on Jan. 8, detailing the model’s architecture and its potential to help physicians develop more effective treatment plans for cancer patients.
As a foundation model, MUSK is trained on vast amounts of pathological data and can be tailored to specific applications with minimal additional training. The model leverages unlabelled and unpaired datasets, eliminating the need for manually-annotated images.
The team of researchers specifically evaluated the model’s ability to identify patients with the highest risk of melanoma relapse. MUSK outperformed existing vision-language models, correctly identifying those patients 83 percent of the time – a nearly 12 percent improvement over other models.
The model also outperformed in predicting patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer who were most likely to benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a form of immunotherapy. MUSK predicted patient outcomes at a rate that was 7 to 12 percent more accurate compared to other unimodal and multimodal models.
“Only 20 percent of patients get responses from immunotherapies, so we need to find out and identify who those 20 percent of patients are,” said Jinxi Xiang, the lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral student. “For those who will not have responses, we will not get them into treatment because of economic burden, and there are lots of side effects.”
Across 16 major cancer types, the model could predict the disease-specific survival of a patient 75 percent of the time.
“Obviously, everything else that comes after diagnosis is really important,” said Steven Lin, director of Stanford’s Healthcare AI Applied Research team. “How do you manage patients? How do you treat them? How do you predict whether or not they will respond? And this model gets at that latter half of the equation, which is really refreshing.”
As a practicing primary care physician, Lin believes the use of predictive AI to advance personalized medicine is exactly “where medicine needs to go.”
With aims to deploy the model in high-risk clinical applications, the MUSK team first plans to validate their findings with more data. The model’s high demand for computing power and infrastructure may also present future challenges in the transition to the clinical setting.
“We mainly relied on the data from Stanford hospital, but for a clinical and reliable model, we need to actually collect more [data] from other hospitals as well, so we can test whether it has generalized ability on other patients of different races, patients of different characteristics,” Xiang said.
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Scared of the dentist? Here are some strategies to copeWe’ve taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with everyone’s worst nightmare: your local dentist. I know these simple tricks will have you opening wide and saying “ahh” in no time.
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Editor’s Note: This article is purely satirical and fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine, and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only.
Here at The Daily, our readers are at least our third priority, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with everyone’s worst nightmare: your local dentist. I know these simple tricks will have you opening wide and saying “ahh” in no time.
1. Don’t go
In the dental world, actions are like side pieces and consequences are like bastard children: at least several months away.
2. Breathe
Research shows that just 5-10 minutes of quick, shallow breathing can cause a period of non-lucidity that’s sure to make any medical professional think twice before performing even the most routine procedure.
3. Take a mental health retreat
They can’t find you in the woods.
4. Challenge your negative self-talk
You have lots of people who love and support you! Reach out to a friend or two and tell them about your anxiety. Then you can go out for lunch with them, go see a movie, hang out at the park, and– OH! Would you look at the time. You missed your appointment. There’s always next time, though.
5. Avoid sudden movements
Remember, these are wild animals and they’re just as afraid of you as you are of them. If you slowly back away, avoid sudden movements and don’t make any loud sounds, your chompers should be safe and sound. If you’re a professional (and feeling a little bit frisky), you can even approach and observe them in their natural habitat. Don’t be too shocked if you get sprayed with blood or saliva during working hours. Those in the dental profession aren’t known for their tidiness during feeding frenzies.
6. Make yourself heard!
If you make it to that dreaded chair, just remember that you are a customer. If I’ve learned anything from being an American consumer, it’s that the customer is always right. You paid good money to be there! Let your doctor know if the room’s too cold, if your neck hurts, if you’d like a hot towel, or even if you want a snack (sadly, only sugar-free).
7. Try self-medication
There’s nothing better than a little mid-day high to balance out your appointment with the teeth-freaks. Don’t be afraid to mix substances, but remember: a smoke before (laughing) gas, the appointment will pass; gas before a smoke, you’ll likely choke.
8. Bring a United Nations-Appointed Observer
Bring along an uninterested 3rd party in plainly marked attire who can moderate the interaction. According to international law, they can’t get directly involved, but it’s always good to have a witness in case things get really messy.
9. Ground Yourself
My favorite technique for remaining present and calm is called the 5-4-3-2-1 method. It goes like this:
”Now that you’ve overcome your fear of the dentist, I’m sure your pearly whites will thank you and you can go right back to “forgetting” to floss every night. But hey, I’m just your resident advice columnist, not your mother.
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Amy Bunnage breaks longest-standing indoor track and field school recordSophomore distance standout Amy Bunnage wrote her name in the record books for the second time this season, shattering the 3,000-meter women’s school record that has stood since 1983.
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Last February, sophomore Amy Bunnage was just 1.3 seconds shy of breaking the indoor 3,000-meter school record. This year, she shattered it by 10.
Bunnage’s blistering 8:43.82 at the Boston University John Terrier Classic broke the longest-standing women’s track and field record in Stanford history. Patricia Susan “PattiSue” Plumer, a former two-time Olympian and four-time U.S. champion, had previously set the 3,000-meter school record in 1983, and her time of 8:53.54 stood untouched for nearly 42 years.
On Friday, Bunnage, who hails from Australia, ran the seventh-fastest time in collegiate indoor history. She also broke her own U20 Australian absolute 3,000-meter record and secured a spot at No. 5 on Australia’s senior short track all-time list.
The race featured a highly competitive field, including Olympians Nikki Hiltz and Linden Hall. Bunnage, however, remained composed, executing a strategic race plan that proved her ability to compete among high-profile athletes.
Bunnage came through 1600 meters in 4:38.92 alongside Hiltz, Hall and Providence senior Kimberly May. Although Bunnage trailed the lead group by 25 meters in the following laps, her eyes remained locked on fellow NCAA competitor May. With 600 meters to go, Bunnage gradually narrowed the gap, unleashing a 33.09 second final lap to outkick May at the line. Bunnage stole third overall by 0.9 seconds, finishing behind Hiltz and Hall.
“I honestly don’t really remember when they got away,” Bunnage told CITIUS MAG. “I was kind of running, and then I realized that the gap opened up. But honestly, it was a great way to race, and I kept chasing and finished hard.”
This isn’t the first time Bunnage has made her way into Stanford’s record books. In early December, she broke the women’s absolute 5,000-meter record at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, which was hosted at the same facility. Bunnage clocked 15:00.75, dipping under the Australian short track record in the process.
The indoor season comes on the heels of a particularly unconventional cross country season for Bunnage, who spent the majority of the fall building back from injury. However, she still tasted success, winning West Regionals and placing fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in her only two races of the season.
Still only a sophomore, Bunnage currently leads the NCAA in the 3,000 and is No. 5 in the 5,000. With momentum building, the question remains – what more can this Cardinal do?
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My Life in Playlists: Middle School CringeLevine reflects on middle school imperfections through memories of past music and friendships, in the latest installment of her column "My Life in Playlists."
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My Spotify is my most honest form of social media. Instagram is a polished, posed image of my hilarious, cool, city girl life. Twitter is a library of my never-ending witty refrains, dry remarks, and pop culture commentary. LinkedIn is for the employers that don’t want to hire freshmen, and for the scammers who bug me to fill out a survey for a gift card.
My Spotify is just for me. Every month, I make a playlist about the mood I am in – last October, during college application season, the vibe was frantic and depressing. This past August, right before I left for Stanford, was pure nostalgia. Every December, at least three Christmas songs make the cut.
Seventh grade. Saturday night, six p.m. I carefully apply lip gloss, smooth over my hair still damp from my post-ballet shower and squeeze my feet into $20 black H&M heels. My friends zip up each other’s dresses, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over our excellent choices. We’re getting ready for another bat mitzvah.
As someone who grew up in New York City and went to a predominantly Jewish school, bar/bat mitzvah season was a rite of passage during seventh grade. Bar/bat mitzvahs are traditionally celebrations of a Jewish 13-year-old becoming an adult – they learn a Torah portion, finally make use of the years spent in Hebrew school and perform a good deed (a mitzvah) that gives back to their community. But the more central event for their friends is the celebratory party thrown in their honor after the religious service. Kids go crazy – from themes to competitions to monogrammed hoodies.
For the three “couples” in our grade, these functions were date night. For me, it was free dinner, a space to go out and dance with my pals and hopefully score some personalized merchandise, usually with classmates’ names on them. These bar/bat mitzvahs were my first exposure to the music “of my time.” I would stress about not knowing the lyrics to Shawn Mendes, carefully memorizing a chorus or two before every weekend. My friends, luckily, were not so culturally removed – with their extensive YouTube search history, they knew basically every song on the need-to-know list. So, to make up for my middle school deficit, I’ve made this playlist (which I now know every lyric to).
My friends from those days taught me a lot. We went to Sephora for the first time together on a long weekend, where I bought the cheapest eyeshadow palette possible (Sephora brand for $15.99). We tried face masks, hoping they’d magically disappear our newly blossoming pimples. We watched Call Me by Your Name at our British friend’s house (her European mother wouldn’t check the rating) and cried together. When I scroll on TikTok and see 12 year olds applying retinol or giving an H&M haul, I thank my parents for refusing me social media in middle school and reflect fondly on what a privilege it was to be embarrassing.
I still think about those days of girlhood. I came across a few videos last week, where my friends and I were getting ready for a winter bar mitzvah and doing a Secret Santa exchange the same night (the religious irony is clear to me, too). The girl singing along to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” with me is still my best friend. I woke up early in the morning yesterday to call her (East to West Coast relationships are not for the weak), and when we launched into our “remember when…” segment of the conversation, I’m consistently horrified by my preteen behavior and amazed at how far I’ve come. Why did I smile like that in photos? How did I think that joke was funny? Then again, I’m sure the brothers at KSig are bored of my bits too. Maybe not that much has changed.
We’re often told to savor our childhood. No one gets the phrase until it’s too late, of course – we long for nap-time or snacks between meals only when they’re gone. Of course I miss those days (who doesn’t?), but I’ve grown more and more appreciative of the freedom I was given to figure myself out on my own time, to embarrass myself and to learn from my mistakes. Middle school was scary, don’t get me wrong, but my biggest fear back then was saying something stupid in class. I know I’m lucky. A lot of kids my age didn’t get the childhood I had – lockdown drills were only ever practice, I never worried about my next meal, education was abundant and unlimited. The girl who got me for Secret Santa in the video has a little sister in fifth grade now. She’ll be going to bar and bat mitzvahs in a few years too, and I hope she gets to fuss over her hair and her outfit like we did. But that self-centered charm of childhood is dissipating with the pressure to grow up and the fear that if we don’t, we risk our safety or future. Every time I open the news, there’s another piece about education policy – colleges being defunded, critical race theory outlawed, books banned. Students are rallying in protest, but they shouldn’t have to. They deserve to dodge responsibility and simply worry about the day-to-day, at least right now. The freedom I once had helped me grow into a person who can now fully contribute to the world I live in. What happens when kids don’t have a chance to be imperfect anymore?
My Secret Santa and duet partner are still my best friends. Another moved schools, but I see her when we’re both in the city. I had a falling out with the one behind the camera; we haven’t spoken more than a sentence to each other in over five years. In Ocean Vuong’s novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” he says, “I miss you more than I remember you.” The days of middle school cringe are (thankfully) hazy in my mind. But the good and bad of how those friendships made me feel is a memory engraved in my brain. I can’t tell if it’s them I miss or all the firsts we had together. I remember vaguely and I miss fondly. I never forgot the lyrics of those party songs.
What are you listening to?
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From the Community | What the GSB looks like to an engineerAdeline Leung explores her newfound interest in business classes that enhance her engineering background with storytelling and strategic thinking.
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In fall quarter, the majority of my units were Graduate School of Business (GSB) classes, despite my engineering degree. I felt like I was learning a new language on day one when a lecturer casually asked, “Who here wants to build a unicorn?” — talk about a culture shock for an engineering student.
I laughed at the absurdity of the question… then noticed nearly every student had their hand raised. Soon, I was bombarded with unfamiliar terms: “Angel investor” (some kind of otherworldly figure?), “Series” (the sum of a list of numbers, like in math class?), “Sand Hill Road” (huh?).
I spent the first few weeks cringing; usually, I am happiest working with fellow architects, engineers and construction professionals to make buildings more sustainable — doing my part in fighting the climate crisis.
By mid-quarter, I started to adjust to the business school lingo. A “key takeaway” from my GSB-heavy quarter is to focus on your audience when pitching — particularly when dealing with global-scale problems like the climate crisis. I learned to list the economic and social benefits of my technology, not only the environmental benefits. This sounds basic, but mission-oriented storytelling and business pitching are drilled into GSB students, yet “soft influence” classes are nowhere in my engineering curriculum — and it shows.
My GSB classes exposed me to grand plans for reversing climate change, from carbon dioxide removal technologies to a constant buzz about carbon markets — which are systems for trading carbon credits to help organizations reduce their emissions. Through the “Winning Writing” and “Strategic Communication” classes at the GSB, I became critical of the rhetorical techniques and word choices of guest lecturers, CEOs and other campus speakers. I winced every time I heard the word “impact” — it’s a vague term that my communications classes at the GSB taught me to eliminate.
I found myself using my newfound GSB skills in places I hadn’t expected, like in lectures taught by leading climate engineers, where my classmates seemed disengaged. The lecturer’s ideas were probably fascinating, but due to their lack of presentation skills, they couldn’t connect with us. I found myself wondering how many great ideas have failed to take off due to the skills that we engineers are never taught, such as “elevator pitching” and “stakeholder engagement?”
My master’s program has a public speaking/writing graduation requirement – a candid acknowledgment that engineers have a reputation for being bad at communicating with people outside their domain. Instead of encouraging the next generation of engineers to strengthen their communication skills, many of my engineering classmates dismiss these courses as unnecessary.
In contrast, active participation in class discussions is encouraged at the GSB, and often required for top grades. This fosters spirited debate between students and professors on the validity of carbon capture credits, or on the use of the Oxford comma. Everyone is willing to be proven wrong, and everyone has a chance to voice their opinion.
If Stanford truly wants to meet its mission to “accelerate solutions and amplify impact,” it must create an interdisciplinary culture. This doesn’t just mean creating project-based programs across schools or interdisciplinary degrees. It means providing simple, organic opportunities for students from different disciplines to connect, collaborate and form friendships. Below are some recommendations.
For GSB administrators: Make GSB classes more accessible to non-GSB students. It was only by word of mouth that I learned how to apply for a GSB class. I then had to submit a form, get instructor permission and hope I made it off the waitlist. I understand there are enrollment caps to keep a small teacher-to-student ratio, but if these key communications classes were extended to engineers and other STEM majors, more people could share their ideas with the world.
To my peers in engineering departments: Get out of your labs and learn to communicate.
Despite initial emotional distress, I learned how to effectively share my technical narratives with wide audiences and the people who could help realize my vision. Even more important were the lessons outside of class: I got to see what matters to non-engineers and understand how our ideas could intersect. Every engineering student should take public speaking/communications classes before graduation.
To my colleagues in the GSB: Step outside of business and the GSB, and into technical fields. The most successful companies work cross-functionally and collaboratively. Eventually, you will have to learn the basics of engineering, computer science, biochemistry or other disciplines. It’s worth it to risk being a fish out of water like I was, and learn to problem solve when presented with new and highly complex theories.
I started fall quarter thinking I would do my part to fight climate change as an engineer. I dismissed the idea of an MBA, presuming its lack of technical skill made it a “fake” degree. However, I was wrong. We need diverse skill sets and backgrounds to make a difference in catastrophic, universal problems like climate change, biodiversity collapse and public health crises. I’m now a devoted promoter of GSB classes. Who knows? Maybe an MBA is in my future.
Adeline Leung is a second-year Masters student in the School of Engineering.
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Made a mixtape, hope you like it: Courtney Love from HoleIn this installment, Amanda Altarejos ’26 has compiled a list of songs that reverberate the passion of Riot grrrl icon, Courtney Love, and the lovely shrieks of her 90s punk band, Hole.
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In her column “Made a Mixtape, Hope You Like It,” Amanda Altarejos ’26 curates a “mixtape” of modern music for older artists. Listen here for a playlist “for miss world.”
No one is listening.
Courtney Love, the lead vocalist of the 90s alternative rock band, Hole, sings it in “Miss World” — “no one is listening.”
So please — be quiet enough to let Love’s shrieks and screams and dizzying roughness ring and ring and ring in your ear, for however long it takes you to feel her ache and hear her nails raking against the skin of her scalp.
But I’d want Love to listen, too. To others that sing of the same frustration, the same fire of what it means to be a girl. Below are songs that I think would let Love know that it is perfectly acceptable to be triumphant in the woman that she is — the women that we all are.
Love would love it — the deep purple hues of the album cover, Rodrigo’s angsty portrait — she would love all of it. The scraping, saccharine legacy of female punk rock lives on through Rodrigo’s second album, “GUTS.” Love’s “Miss World” is apologetic and abrasive, and this perfect “all-american bitch” is exactly that — maybe just a little bit sweeter. But as the song ends, Rodrigo’s postured pissed-offness brings consolation to us girls everywhere.
Hole’s “Live Through This” is an album that lets girls live through it. Love’s singing is brutish and beautiful, just like the female voices (characters) that she speaks with. Desire and hatred for good and bad, everything and nothing, simmer in the heat of her lyrics and the fire of the woman speaking. Fiona Apple’s “A Mistake” is sung by that kind of woman: she wants to mess things up and revel in it.
A DIY-esque pop-punk rock band from Seattle, Tacocat developed out of a shared love for the Riot grrrl scene. Love prods her listeners provocatively. It is sometimes feminist, sometimes not. In “Asking For It,” Love seems to be holding a man down by the throat, with her eyes and words and endless interrogation. Tacocat’s “Men Explain Things to Me” takes Love’s questions and turns them into cheekier demands.
The guitarist sings too. Terribly fantastic sounds of the stringed instrument do not just belong to icon Kurt Cobain, lead vocalist and guitarist of grunge band Nirvana. Love takes it for herself, too, and it provides a cathartic release to listeners that resonate with her fiery passion. Not only does Bleached’s “Can You Deal” offer that classic 90s release through a fast-paced melody that pushes and shoves, but it rightfully affirms the kind of woman that Love is — a (cool) girl in a band, a (cool) girl that listens to Sabbath. Can you deal with that?
In Canadian poet Anne Carson’s essay, “The Gender of Sound,” she discusses the rhetoric of female sound. Namely, she picks apart the male conception of female sound as “abhorrent,” turning to Ernest Hemingway’s dislike of Gertrude Stein’s voice and other literary examples of the woman’s voice as one of “madness, witchery and bestiality” that needs to be controlled. Both Love and Ethel Cain bite at this control as they embrace allegedly abhorrent sound. “Ptoleomea transforms Love’s feeling” — palpable in her grating voice and furious screams — into a religious experience.
Hole’s punk-rock background would lend to an appreciation of the DIY music scene that Philadelphia-based Cayetana developed from. Like Hole’s “Plump,” “Bus Ticket” is narrated by a poised but guttural voice that seems to be poking fun at someone that has hurt them. Unapologetic once again, this voice echoes the sentiment Love pushes in our faces throughout all of “Live Through This” — she is this girl. This is who she is, and she will never be sorry about it.
Do not let the 80s synth and nasal monologue disturb you – let it bring you comfort. The big feelings that Love sings about can be isolating; I feel this, Love feels that, you feel another. We may all sound different, but there are, as sung by ex-Bikini Kill lead singer in her experimental band, The Julie Ruin, girls like us. Be that girl! Be any girl you want.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
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‘Democratizing biology’: Stanford bioengineering lab provides affordable gene-editing kit for high school studentsStanford undergraduates and bioengineering researchers have created a $2 CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing kit to make biotechnology more accessible for high school students underrepresented in STEM.
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At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Marvin Collins ’22, a bioengineering student, was balancing their Stanford classes from home in Alabama while also helping bioengineering professor Stanly Qi create a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing kit from a makeshift lab in their parents’ garage. They lacked typical lab equipment or reagent storage, evening having to buy a $30 chicken egg incubator from Amazon to control temperature over the course of the experiments.
Fast forward five years to January, and the kit, named “CRISPRKit,” is now being disseminated through a pilot program to 500 high schoolers across 25 high schools across the Bay Area.
Collins, along with Matthew Lau ’25, developed the affordable CRISPRKit to make CRISPR gene-editing technology accessible to high school students underrepresented in the sciences. The kit was created during their time as undergraduates under the mentorship of Qi, a CRISPR/Cas9 researcher. Qi believes that college students are critical in making biotechnologies within the life sciences more understandable and accessible for the general public.
“Universities are so good at making cutting-edge technologies, but sometimes they can be out of people’s scope,” Qi said.
For Lau, the broader purpose of the kit is to “democratize biology,” especially with CRISPR/Cas9 being a significant “black box of biology” for many.
James Stiltner, a biotechnology teacher at Los Altos High School, tested CRISPRKit with his students. He said CRISPR technology applications hold great promise to be a focal point in society for coming generations, underscoring CRISPRKit’s relevance to today’s youth.
CRISPR/Cas9 kits provide miniature experimental set-ups that allow individual students to visualize gene-editing, typically through fluorescent color changes. Existing CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing kits currently cost at least $100 per student, on top of expensive lab equipment, according to Qi. The newly developed CRISPRKit costs about $2 per student and can be used in a typical high school classroom with only a smartphone.
Tanya Buxton, an Advanced Placement biology teacher at Menlo School, also taught students who tested CRISPRKit, which she said has an “elegant and simple” design. According to Buxton, CRISPRKit provided her students an opportunity for “high level learning” by allowing them to visualize gene-editing “with the naked eye.”
In a Nature Communications study published in August, CRISPRKit was tested on seventy five high school students from three different Bay Area high schools. Collins and Lau were co-first authors of the paper.
The team has received almost 8,000 kit requests internationally, including from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Philippines and Brazil. The team also hopes that their pilot program will prove to manufacturers that their kit is “viable on a broad scale” and ready for distribution statewide, especially to Title I high schools in California.
The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system, based on a bacterial immune response against viruses, has been applied to human genome editing and was recently implemented in the first Food and Drug Administration-approved gene-editing drug Casgevy, which treats sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder.
CRISPR/Cas9 works using a Cas9 enzyme and a guide RNA. Lau compared the guide RNA to a global positioning system (GPS) that scans the genome and leads the Cas9 to cut DNA at a specific sequence, which can activate or deactivate specific genes.
CRISPRKit works in a similar way, though it employs dCas9, or “dead” Cas9, a deactivated version of the Cas9 enzyme unable to cut DNA.
“Whereas CRISPR-Cas9 is normally a pair of molecular scissors, dCas9 acts as an on-off switch,” Qi said.
The dCas9 enzyme sticks to specific DNA sequences and blocks protein production and gene expression. According to Qi, the fact that this method lacks any direct DNA editing makes it well-suited for the classroom. The Qi Lab is the first lab to develop a working dCas9 protein.
CRISPRKit experiments are carried out within a cell-free system, which contains the contents of cells that were previously broken open. These mixtures, which create artificial cell-like environments for protein production and gene-editing, are now being supplied by the Jewett Lab, a bioengineering lab at Stanford that specializes in cell-free synthetic biology, Lau said.
According to Collins, these cells can’t reproduce in the same way as normal cells living in bacteria, but they can still perform the same essential processes involved in making proteins.
“We wanted to make the readout interesting, straightforward and fun for students using colors,” Qi said. To align with current high school curricula, especially AP biology, the team plans to move forward with a version of their kit that leverages dCas9 to repress the production of melanin, which is responsible for hair and skin color.
According to Lau, CRISPRKit demonstrates how various guide RNAs can repress genes with differing levels of effectiveness. The team designed the melanin CRISPRKit to include guide RNAs leading dCas9 to different regions of the gene for the tyrosinase enzyme, which is normally involved in the conversion of an amino acid into melanin.
The experiments themselves take thirty minutes and after a day of incubation, students can analyze color readouts to predict which guide RNAs were the most effective repressors by taking a picture with their smartphone and uploading it to the CRISPectra website.
“The greater the success of your gene switch, the more decrease in color you see,” Qi said.
According to Collins, the COVID-19 pandemic informed the team’s approach to CRISPRKit by “highlighting an existing need” for accessible STEM education. Despite CRISPR becoming a scientific breakthrough and a significant topic of interest, gene editing technologies can be outside of peoples’ scope.
“It requires a lot of innovation, creativity, and effort but college students could have a profound impact democratizing broader biotechnology, biology or life sciences so that their parents, grandparents and the broader general public can better understand them,” Qi said.
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Students fundraise for animals affected by Pasadena fireStanford PAW started a GoFundMe to support Pasadena Humane, a shelter that has taken in over 1,000 animals affected by the Eaton Fire.
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A GoFundMe organized by People for Animal Welfare (PAW) at Stanford raised over $1,700 to support animals affected by the Eaton fire in Altadena and Pasadena, Calif.
The Eaton fire was California’s fifth deadliest fire in its history, killing 17 people and damaging at least 9,400 structures. Many Pasadena residents were forced to leave behind pets when evacuating. Shelters like Pasadena Humane took in over 1,000 of those animals, along with injured strays and wildlife such as peacocks. As a result, shelters became overcrowded.
Stanford PAW’s efforts to support Pasadena Humane began when Alana Belle M. Tirado ’27, a writer for The Daily, approached PAW co-presidents Sofia Ceva ’25 and Katelyn Santa Maria ’26. Tirado wanted to help the animals affected by the wildfires in LA and ensure that the pets and wildlife were not left behind during relief efforts.
“We shouldn’t just forget about the animals and focus only on helping people but make sure we include both in our efforts,” Tirado said.
Ceva and Santa Maria, both from the LA area, resonated with the idea. “By helping animals, you’re helping a lot of people,” Ceva said.
PAW decided to start a GoFundMe that would directly support the shelter’s needs, for Pasadena Humane initially received many donations of supplies but lacked the monetary donations necessary for specific medications and food for the animals.
The club shared the fundraiser in Slack channels and on social media, distributing it to faculty, students and parents alike. It was wildly successful.
PAW raised $1,000 in just four days. Then, the fundraiser reached its original target of $1,500. The goal has since been raised to $2,500.
“Over a thousand dollars in a week is kind of insane, so we’re very excited about it,” Santa Maria said.
The shelter’s needs have continued to increase. According to Kevin McManus, the public relations and communications director for Pasadena Humane, it was overwhelming to take in all of the animals. The shelter’s intake has continued to rise, even though the Eaton fire is 99% contained.
The growing shelter intake has been driven by evacuees returning to the Pasadena area with their pets. Since many have lost their homes, they must find temporary housing solutions, which means staying in rental apartments or homes. Many of these temporary homes do not allow pets, forcing people to leave pets with shelters or humane societies.
“We’re going to be caring for some of these dogs and cats and other pets for months, if not longer,” McManus said. “We might have 200 dogs with us for a year while their families get back on their feet.”
Pasadena Humane sent its adoptable animals, who were present at the shelter before the fires began, to other shelters throughout the state. Humane societies across California, such as Marin Humane, located about 50 miles north of Stanford, have also supported each other by sending volunteers to aid shelters affected by the wildfires.
McManus said Pasadena Humane appreciated the support from people all over, including Stanford PAW, in their relief efforts. “We have such a duty to our community and to take care of the animals in our community, and it’s so nice to know that that resonates with people throughout the whole country,” he said.
To raise more funds in the future, PAW plans to establish a partnership with FLiCKS, a campus tradition of Sunday movie showings, in the near future, where proceeds from the event would go toward Pasadena Humane’s relief efforts.
In a statement to The Daily, FLiCKS organizer Daniel Rashes wrote that the FLiCKS team was “excited to hear from Stanford PAW” and to support their cause. They plan to promote PAW’s efforts to support the animals in L.A. at their next screening.
PAW will also host a fundraiser in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. The club will be selling flowers and plushies, both in White Plaza and online, with half of the proceeds going to Pasadena Humane and the other half going to another animal welfare nonprofit.
While Tirado isn’t from California, that didn’t stop her from aiding wildfire relief efforts.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t help, even [if we’re] from another state,” Tirado said.
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How to tell if your roommate is a communist spyIs your roommate starting to act suspiciously? Sam Lustgarten is here to tell you why you should be concerned they're spying for The Enemy.
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Editor’s Note: This article is purely satirical and fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine, and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only.
We’ve all been there: you have a wonderful relationship with your roommate, or friend, or companion, and then they suddenly just start hiding things from you. Things they would normally share with you. And of course, your mind naturally wanders to wondering whether they’re helping the Treacherous Reds ruin our country. Here are some surefire ways to tell whether your roommate is starting to spy for The Communists.
Should I worry that he’s starting to send texts he doesn’t allow me to read?
Those messages are likely containing secret codes about America’s strong, capable defense infrastructure. If he refuses to share them with you, he’s definitely a spy, so you should probably shoot him.
What if he starts taking photos of himself at strange times?
That’s him sending status updates back to his handlers to keep them aware of his whereabouts. Observe what the subjects of his photos are. Is American-made technology in the photo? Is he showing specific, classified body parts? If it’s the latter, he’s probably showing his superiors all the scars he got fighting defenders of freedom and family values.
What if he starts giggling randomly for “no reason”?
That’s his maniacal laughter. He’s giggling because he and the rest of that godless horde of treasonous bastards have taken over positions of power in our society.
But what if he’s starting to mention some girl?
She’s either a cover story, or some weird Japanese love AI that he bought with his tainted, Marxist dollars.
But what if he’s just seeing this girl?
That’s impossible. He’s not! She’s a Red snake in the sweet green fields of capitalism! Don’t you get it? She’s the reason he’s a spy! It’s all Cynthia’s fault!
Who’s Cynthia?
She’s the Communist Honeypotter-in-Chief. She got to my roommate. I had to cut him out of my life to protect myself.
Wait, so you’re not talking to your roommate?
Hey, who said you were in control of this conversation? Your roommate is a Communist Spy! Haven’t you been listening? We have phone calls to make, lobbyists to flatter, plots to thwart!
When was the last time you spoke to him?
To who, Chris? That traitor? Not in the two years since Cynthia poisoned the waters of Chris’s beautiful Midwestern mind.
Are you sure you’re not just jealous?
Jealous? Me? Never! I would never be so irrational! The only thing I feel is angry at myself for allowing Cynthia’s feminine Marxist wiles to corrupt someone I care about.
You should really talk to him.
About what? How he’s ruining my country? How their Leninist-Stalinist-Maoist Tik Toks are corrupting the morals of our youth? Yeah, right.
It will make you feel better.
No it won’t. I don’t need anything from them. I’ve adapted. I don’t need friends. I just need my values, and my purpose, and my country…
…and your best friend?
What? No, shut up.
Admit it, you want him back.
So what if I do? As long as that she-devil is there, she’ll just take all his time and tell him I’m weird and highly suggestible and all that other nonsense those leftie psychiatrists tell me. I might be lonely, but I wasn’t born yesterday.
Look, you miss your friend, I’m worried about my friend. Let’s just talk to them.
But what if it fails? What if the Communists have infiltrated his mind too much?
Then we’ll report them to the authorities. But isn’t the risk worth it, if there’s at least a chance you can have your friend back?
I mean, I guess if all else fails I’d have enough reason to convince the FBI to get a FISA warrant and nail both of them with lifetime imprisonment in Guantanamo.
Go to Chris.
Are you sure?
Yes, dude! Go to him! Tell him how you really feel!
Yeah dude! I’m gonna go do that! I’M GONNA GO GET MY BEST FRIEND BACK!
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Tommy Orange presents on writing and pretendingTommy Orange shared excerpts of a new novel, gave a brief lecture and answered questions on literary form and the current political moment.
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On Thursday night, Tommy Orange — novelist, storyteller and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma — gave a lecture titled “Pretending — An American History” at the Stanford Faculty Club. The event was the 20th annual Anne and Loren Kieve Distinguished Lecture, co-sponsored by eight programs from across the university.
Orange is the author of “There There,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the 2019 American Book Award. Orange’s second novel, “Wandering Stars,” was listed as a notable book by The New York Times and longlisted for the Booker Prize.
The evening centered on ideas of Native American identity, authorship and pretending, as Orange recounted a brief American history of non-Native people pretending to be Native, before giving the audience a preview of his forthcoming novel.
The lecture’s theme of “pretending” also came from Orange’s feeling that “a lot of writers have to start out pretending that they’re writers.”
The event began with an introduction by Annie Atura, the Executive Director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE). Then, Demetrius Brown ’27 took the stage to offer a land acknowledgement, first in the Lakota language, then in English. Teresa D. LaFromboise, Faculty Director of Native American Studies, introduced Orange.
“We are in for a profound cultural lesson on Native American life this evening,” LaFromboise said.
Orange discussed early experiences he had with the writing world. The main focus of the evening was inspiration — when and how it strikes, and what can happen when you choose to carry out an idea. Orange shared the inspirations for his two previous novels, as well as the new book he is working on currently.
Orange revealed he’d previously been toying with the idea of writing a parody of Asa Earl Carter’s “The Education of Little Tree,” a novel embroiled in scandal, as its author pretended to be Native American. An even fuller idea took shape for Orange while he was on a treadmill in Arizona, listening to an audiobook of R. F. Kuang’s “Yellowface.” The question inspired his novel-in-progress: “What if someone rose to prominence as a Native author and then realized they aren’t Native?”
The excerpt Orange shared from his future work displayed a domestic scene of a character named Ben and his family. Through Ben’s narration, the scene spanned epic swaths of history, from the ancient to the contemporary. Germanic barbarians were connected to podcasting, while the Roman Empire was connected to memes about the Roman Empire.
The excerpt elicited excited reactions from the audience — a glimpse inside a forthcoming Tommy Orange book is a major event, though readers have to wait until the novel is published to appreciate the work’s greater meaning.
Orange followed the reading with a brief history of non-Native people pretending to be Native — including the Boston Tea Party, when protestors dressed as Indians to avoid rousing suspicion. Then, he discussed the 1800s, when no one was pretending to be Native because Native Americans were brutalized. Orange took the audience into contemporary Native representation in film, television and even Coachella concerts.
The second portion of the evening consisted of an interview moderated by Paula Moya, Faculty Director of the CCSRE. Moya asked questions with an eye to paratexts, which consist of the book’s written material outside of the novel itself. In Orange’s novels, there are many paratexts: the title “Wandering Stars,” the epigraphs in “There There” and the novel’s famous prologue about Native history in America.
“Epigraphs are the fun part,” Orange said, and prologues guide the reader through “the doorway of the novel.”
“There There” was published during the important political moment of Trump’s first administration. Orange’s agent liked that the prologue “resisted the idea that America was great at one time,” said Orange.
When asked about how Orange remains hopeful for his community during the time of the Trump administration, he said, “Native people have survived a lot worse.” Orange also said that having two children makes him “have to have hope.”
Orange concluded by focusing on the importance of continuing to make and believe in art. Tying together the evening’s discussion of art, history and politics, he said, “Art that exists in uncomfortable times can rise to the occasion.”
Orange urged audiences to “keep showing up,” even during the uncomfortable times.
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Meet Jonathan Gienapp: the ‘Michael Jordan’ of the Stanford history departmentAssociate professor of history and law Jonathan Gienapp debates constitutional interpretation in his work and with his students.
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Jonathan Gienapp, an associate professor of history and law, hasn’t missed a Patriots game in 31 years. Growing up in Massachusetts with the American Revolution in his “backyard,” his father, William Gienapp, helped inspire his journey in American history. Gienapp’s father was also a historian of the American Civil War and Gienapp’s main companion at Patriots games.
Now, at Stanford, Gienapp is a scholar of constitutional, political, legal and intellectual history of the early United States.
To Gienapp, there isn’t a more urgent question than constitutional interpretation: “None of us who’s alive today had any say in making the Constitution law. We didn’t vote on it, but it is our law. Does that change how we interpret it?”
Historians Bernard Bailyn and Gordon Wood shaped Gienapp’s interest in 18th-century in American history, along with undergraduate history classes at Harvard University. He focused on the Constitution of the United States in his graduate education at Johns Hopkins University, which continued to be his focus as a professor at the University of Mississippi and now Stanford.
Gienapp is known around campus as the “Michael Jordan of the Stanford history department,” according to Johann Smith ’24 M.A. ’25.
From talking to classmates, Smith said that taking Gienapp’s classes is a combination of happiness and sadness – happiness because Gienapp is the professor, sadness for not discovering him sooner.
When Gienapp started at Stanford as an “intellectual historian,” Jack Rakove, a professor of history, suggested that Gienapp study the “lawyer’s debate about originalism,” which he has since taken to. According to Rakove, Gienapp’s research into constitutional history has become a “fabulous asset” in the history department and the university as a whole.
One method of interpretation is constitutional originalism, which reads the Constitution’s meaning in the context of when it was written. This is the topic of two of Gienapp’s books: “The Second Creation: Fixing the American Constitution in the Founding Era,” published in 2018, and “Against Constitutional Originalism: A Historical Critique,” published in 2024.
By interpreting the Constitution through the 18th-century perspective, originalists “impose far more on the past than they take from it,” Gienapp said, “creating a past that never existed as though they lived in that past as though people thought like them in that past.”
Gienapp had a “messy” process for his two manuscripts. “All students read finished works, which does not give you a good glimpse of how non-linear and frustrating the writing process is,” he said, which really involved a lot of “stumbling around” and “bursts of epiphanies.”
But for both projects, Gienapp credits his students. To Gienapp, this is the fundamental reason why being at college contributes to the development of ideas and thinking, whether it be in debates in class or with friends.
Gienapp’s appreciation for legal thinking as a historian is notable, according to law professor Pamela Karlan. Gienapp “straddles the two disciplines superbly,” Karlan wrote to The Daily.
History professor Kathryn Olivarius echoed Gienapp’s “encyclopedic knowledge” of areas outside of his direct area of expertise, she said.
Gienapp’s students further emphasized his breadth of knowledge, especially within his classroom setting. “It’s difficult at Stanford sometimes to find a professor who is not solely focused on their scholarship or research in one capacity or another,” David Mollenkamp ’19 JD ’25 said. “Professor Gienapp breaks the mold and he genuinely seems to care about students.”
Karlan added that one of her undergraduate students kept referring to things he’d learned in Gienapp’s class, highlighting the profound, memorable impact of Gienapp’s teachings.
Sachin Singh ’26 echoed: “He treats us as equals and helps us develop our intellectual interest.”
In particular, Gienapp’s class on originalism “brings history to life” in two ways, he said.
The first is through the incorporation of recent historical developments. In fall quarter, he taught about United States v. Rahimi, a major second amendment decision that was handed down in October 2023. In 2022, he taught about the Dobbs v. Jackson decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on abortion.
Second, the wide range of student voices from different walks of life “nicely captures what it means to be a constitutional citizen and to debate the constitution,” Gienapp said.
“People flock to his class,” Smith said. “People who study history, philosophy, science and computer science; people who hold views and opinions from the left, the right and the center.”
Gienapp’s presence as a professor is also notable. “He’s attracted this whole knot of students,” Rakove said. “He’s very amiable. He looks like a big kid.”
Gienapp’s colleagues and students are fans of him even outside of history.
“Ask him about the New England Patriots,” Baird Johnson ’24 JD ’27 wrote. “Name any week in the last 20 years — he can tell you who they played and the score.”
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David Shaw returns to coaching, lands role with Detroit LionsDavid Shaw, who led Stanford football to three Pac-12 championships in his 12-season tenure, will be the next pass game coordinator for the Detroit Lions.
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Former football head coach David Shaw ‘95 has accepted an offer to join the Detroit Lions as their pass game coordinator.
The role is Shaw’s first coaching position since stepping down from the helm of Stanford football in 2022. He previously served as Senior Personnel Executive for the Denver Broncos in 2024 where he worked alongside John Morton, the Lions’ new offensive coordinator. Shaw’s hire comes amidst a mass exodus of Lions coaches after the team finished 15-2 this season, the team’s best performance in their history.
Shaw follows in his father’s footsteps, as Willie Shaw previously served as the Lions’ defensive backs coach in the 1980s. This move marks Shaw’s return to the NFL after more than a decade coaching at the collegiate level.
The hiring comes less than a month after Shaw was interviewed by the Chicago Bears for their head coaching position, which has since been filled by former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Shaw played wide receiver at Stanford from 1991 to 1994 and returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2011, leading the program for 12 seasons. During his tenure, he compiled a 96-54 record, won three Pac-12 championships and secured two Rose Bowl victories. He stepped down in 2022 following a string of difficult seasons but remained a respected figure in the football community.
Prior to coaching collegiate football, Shaw spent nine years in the NFL, working for the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens in various offensive assistant roles. Most recently, he served as a senior personal executive for the Denver Broncos last season, further expanding his front-office experience.
Shaw replaces Tanner Engstand, who served as the Lions’ passing game coordinator for the past two years. His hiring strengthens Detroit’s coaching staff, bringing a wealth of knowledge in offensive strategy and player development. The Lions, led by head coach Dan Campbell, continue to build a strong contender in the NFC, and Shaw’s experience in both the college and professional ranks could play a key role in further developing their offensive scheme.
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Strawser | Standing up to Trump on immigration is what justice demandsJustice demands that we stand by the undocumented members of our community. History reminds us that we cannot afford to wait, writes Strawser.
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My father, a US veteran, is the person I thank for my Chinese and Mexican heritage. On his side of the family, I have relatives from a Texas border county that issued an emergency declaration in response to migrants’ impacts on public safety. My mother, who came to the US much younger than I am today, is who I thank for my Filipino heritage. To say immigration is personal to me would be an understatement.
I believe this makes me a reasonable person to discuss our nation’s need to secure its borders and give more people the opportunity to lead the better lives they deserve in this country. All of the pieces of this puzzle, from our foreign policy to state ballot measures, should be subject to reasonable conversation. However, the Stanford community must understand exactly how untrustworthy President Donald Trump’s administration is in facilitating this conversation.
Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has suspended 14-year-old limits on arresting suspected undocumented immigrants in “sensitive areas,” such as hospitals, schools, religious institutions and protests. This sledgehammer of a response has raised obvious and regional alarms, with fears of deportation worrying Bay Area families and rendering Central Valley farmworkers too afraid to come to work.
Trump’s demands for a five-fold increase in daily immigration arrests does not meaningfully address the real dangers of, say, our lax gun regulations practically giving Latin American gangs an “iron river” of firearms or our chronically underfunded immigration courts delaying the deportation of genuine criminals. With DHS putting more effort into detaining Native Americans and Puerto Ricans — all US citizens — its quotas amount to state-sanctioned racial profiling.
Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law and demanded that Guantánamo Bay be used to hold undocumented immigrants without trial. The Act requires the detention of undocumented immigrants based on mere accusations of criminal activity, adding another layer of inhumanity to the President’s calls to restore the war on terror’s signature torture center. It is evident that the administration is abandoning due process in truly horrifying ways.
Our President declared that undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and spread false blood libel about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio. Trump’s broader rhetorical playbook is rooted in the “ugly strain in American history” telling us that some among us — those that don’t look like us, those we’re told to view as savages — don’t belong here.
Trump has even fired over a dozen federal oversight authorities, barred his Department of Justice from future civil rights litigation and accepted $270 million in political donations from a Nazi-inspired billionaire. It must be said that he, in addition to treating our republic’s most sacred protections as obstacles to overcome, is intent on removing immigrants from our country. He has clearly ventured far beyond any reasonable balance between rights and security on the issue of immigration.
With the President violating legal protections, moral principles and historical lessons, Stanford must view his immigration agenda diligently. We must demand that the University devote every dollar possible to Know Your Rights workshops, legal defense funds and other resources as necessary. We must never surrender the information we have on our undocumented community members. We must tirelessly demonstrate to display our full love and solidarity for our undocumented peers, campus workers, etc. As a community, we would be leading by example for higher education at-large.
It is crucial for University President Jonathan Levin ’94 and Provost Jenny Martinez to say that Stanford will forever be a safe haven for its undocumented community members, wherein hatred will forever be condemned in all of its forms. Such a message would be the disavowal of Trump’s inherently exclusionary and blatantly unconstitutional excuse of an immigration agenda that the moment calls for. Amidst Stanford’s institutional neutrality policy, I can think of no dilemma more core to the University’s commitment to research and educational excellence than addressing harms that could put its very own students, hospital patients and campus staff in danger.
Stanford, as an institution, loves to uplift its marginalized community members during diversity photoshoots and establishing a greater number of feckless committees. However, political pressures and potential donor influence are no excuse to surrender our undocumented community members to the nation’s modern-day Schutzstaffel. For I am reminded of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who was murdered for his convictions, said in urging his fellow Germans to resist the Hitler regime:
“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”
Justice demands that we stand by the undocumented members of our community. History reminds us that we cannot afford to wait until DHS forces its way into Stanford Hospital, Memorial Church or even our own classrooms to speak up.
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District Attorney called on to drop charges against Daily reporter by 2025 John S. Knight Journalism FellowsIn an email statement, the Fellows appealed to Santa Clara County DA Jeffrey Rosen on behalf of Dilan Gohill ’27, a Daily reporter who was arrested while covering pro-Palestine protests last June.
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2025 John S. Knight Journalism Fellows appealed to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office to not pursue charges against Dilan Gohill ’27, a current Daily news editor, who was arrested while covering pro-Palestine protests last June.
Gohill was detained alongside 12 protesters while reporting on the occupation of Building 10 on June 5. On Jan. 20, University President Jon Levin ’94 confirmed in an email to the First Amendment Coalition (FAC) and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) that Stanford would not pursue internal disciplinary action against Gohill.
In their email to District Attorney (DA) Jeffrey Rosen, the Fellows stated that Gohill’s distinguishable red Daily sweatshirt and press badge, as well as the use of Gohill’s photographs and dispatches in the Daily’s coverage of the demonstrations, show that Gohill was reporting on, not participating in, the protests.
“Gohill… was clearly identified as a working journalist on assignment for The Stanford Daily, documenting a historic event on campus, when he was unjustly arrested,” the Fellows wrote. “At no point could Gohill’s actions be confused with that of a protester.”
Since Gohill’s arrest, free speech organizations, Stanford alumni, the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) and the Graduate Student Council (GSC) have called on the DA not to prosecute Gohill and for the University to support such an action. The UGS passed a joint resolution to this effect on Oct. 9.
“When we think about the level of power dynamics in this space, let’s think about all of his identities,” UGS Deputy Chair Ethan Alfonso ’27 said in a senate meeting. “What we’re advocating for here is not only for Gohill but for all future journalists who are willing to tell the truth and get to the truth.”
According to a written statement to The Daily from Sean Webby, the Director of Communications at the Santa Clara County DA’s Office, the DA must “review the evidence and make a decision” before commenting on Gohill’s case.
The University and Nicholas Rowley, Gohill’s legal counsel, did not respond to a request for comment.
In their email, the Fellows asserted that the uncertainty surrounding Gohill’s case is unjust, calling on the DA to follow the University in clearing Gohill of any possible legal action.
“Stanford University has dropped its internal disciplinary action against Gohill. It’s time the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office takes similar action by clearing the cloud of possible prosecution that is currently hanging over Gohill and announcing no charges will be filed,” the Fellows wrote. “Gohill, who is now a sophomore at Stanford, has already lived with this uncertainty for far too long.”
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Pulse: ‘Wicked’: Holding space for differenceThe classic musical’s revival has Black queer watchers, old and new, exploring what it means to be misunderstood in a seemingly perfect world, writes Cunningham.
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In “Pulse,” columnist Madisyn Cunningham ’27 reviews albums that spotlight the Black Queer experience.
This is going to sound crazy, but stick with me here… this week I want to write about “Wicked.” Yes, that “Wicked.” The film whose press tour has been less about the movie itself and more about the strangely intimate — and even that seems like an understatement — relationship between lead actresses, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and whose choreography has taken TikTok by storm. While it is a great movie that has been on many people’s minds for many different reasons, the film and its soundtrack has many themes, including desirability politics and rejecting the status quo, that have resonated especially with Black queer audiences.
Directed by Jon M. Chu, the blockbuster hit comes 21 years after the musical’s Broadway premiere. Since then, “Wicked” has been a cultural staple — it hasn’t left Broadway since its debut in 2003, making it the fourth longest running Broadway musical in history. Most people, even those who wouldn’t consider themselves theater buffs, can hum along to “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” two of the musical’s most well-known songs.
“Wicked” is a retelling of the classic story “The Wizard of Oz.” Adapted from the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” and written by Steven Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, the story is one that humanizes the Wicked Witch of the West, named Elphaba (played in this adaptation by Cynthia Erivo). The plot details her tumultuous childhood, unlikely friendship with Glinda the Good Witch (Ariana Grande) and unfortunate shift to the enemy of the public.
It’s a beautiful story about government propaganda, what it means to take a stand and the ways in which being different opens one up to scrutiny. Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winner Idina Menzel, who you might know for voicing Elsa from “Frozen” or her portrayal of Maureen in “Rent,” was Broadway’s first Elphaba, and she played it beautifully. Since her stint, Elphaba has been played by hundreds of actresses, and a few Black women have been cast as an understudy, but in its two-decade history, none have signed on to play her on a consistent basis.
New fans to “Wicked” have the complete opposite experience though. Their first and only Elphaba so far is Cynthia Erivo, the insanely talented British Black actress who is on pace to become the youngest ever EGOT recipient (in fact, all she needs is an Oscar, and from the critical reception of “Wicked,” it seems like she will achieve it). For many new watchers, Elphaba being played by a Black woman makes sense. Of course, there’s the obvious reason: the premise of her character is a young girl who has been bullied and ostracized for the sole reason of her skin color, and she must navigate the ways in which she is villainized for it.
Diving deeper, however, there are themes of desirability politics that many Black watchers can relate to. In the story, there’s a love triangle of sorts. Fiyero, the young prince from out of town, is immediately swept up by Glinda, the pinnacle of beauty and celebrity in Oz. But as time goes on, Elphaba and Fiyero’s connection grows. At first, Elphaba is convinced that love will never happen between them, because, as she sings in “I’m Not That Girl,” Glinda, the girl with “gold hair with a gentle curl / [is] the girl he chose / and Heaven knows / [Elphaba’s] not that girl.” On TikTok, Black women young and old have recalled crying in the theater to this line, as it mirrors the helplessness they felt in their youth having to compete for male attention with their white counterparts.
There is also the commentary on white allyship that Glinda perfectly fuels. What she does to Elphaba is a far too common story — she supported her when it was convenient, but as soon as her friendship meant sacrificing power and status, Glinda chose fame. As she says herself in “Popular,” “It’s not about aptitude / It’s the way you’re viewed.” From the first scene, in which Ariana Grande beautifully delivers the lyrics of “No One Mourns the Wicked,” the audience sees that Glinda is willing to publicly condemn and celebrate the death of her best friend to maintain her image, an action that we know deep down Elphaba could have never stomached. With this in mind, we come to wonder, “What good was Glinda’s friendship if she didn’t go all the way with Elphaba?” and more personally, “Would my white friends have gotten on the broom with me?”
Then, of course, there’s the flagship song, “Defying Gravity.” In the film, it was split into a longer sequence chock full of action and emotion, but the impact of the song remained the same. This song has caught the attention of many queer watchers — I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the infamous “holding space” meme, which stems from the hilarious interview during which an interviewer informed Erivo and Grande that those in “queer media” have been holding space for the lyrics of the song, and was immediately met with tears. While this moment is hilarious, and no one really knows what it meant, even in the words of Erivo and Grande themselves, there definitely have been talks about the impact of the song on queer audiences.
The song itself is queer in the sense that it is about living on the margins and being okay with it. In it, Elphaba sings, “Something has changed within me / Something is not the same / I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game / Too late for second-guessing / Too late to go back to sleep / It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap.” Despite Glinda’s pleas, Elphaba is headstrong, assured that she can no longer sit and conform to what society asks of her, an experience most, if not all, openly queer people have had. There is an intentionality to living and being out and proud: “Defying Gravity” is a perfect example of the push and pull present in the choice to rise above the mainstream and dive into who one truly is.
In fact, TikTok users have described experiences as extreme as seeing the scene in theaters and immediately divorcing their spouses, knowing that it was time to “close their eyes and leap” into the lives they have always wanted to live.
The amazing thing about “Wicked” is that, despite me covering a few of the album’s most popular hits, I haven’t even scratched the surface. Songs like “The Wizard and I,” “What Is This Feeling?” and “Dancing Through Life” have been on repeat for the past month or so, and my love for the soundtrack has grown as time goes on. If I may say so, “Wicked” is a must-watch in all its forms.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
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The Next Unicorn: The job description of a VC (Part 1)In this installment of "The Next Unicorn," Andrew meets Alyeesha, a summer intern looking to break into the VC world.
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Editor’s Note: This story is a piece of fiction, meaning that all characters and events are purely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Andrew Ho is an aspiring wantrepreneur. There are many things he wants — the new Tesla Cybertruck, a perfectly proportioned Sweetgreen bowl, and, most importantly, a girlfriend. Ride along with Andrew as he tries to maintain his sanity through the ups and downs of being an early-stage founder surrounded by the absurdities of Silicon Valley. From the magic of B2B SaaS to finding founder-market-fit to starting from first principles, The Next Unicorn depicts the fanatical constant grind within the SF startup community.
You can read the previous chapter of “The Next Unicorn” here.
It was Friday evening when Andrew met Alyeesha. Andrew had recently joined the Midnight Runners group to socialize. He had been inspired by Arnav’s pickleball finesse and decided he also needed the weekly intermingling. He had bought a pair of Sauconys and downloaded Strava on his phone.
Andrew arrived a little early. He was freezing in his short-sleeved tee as the SF wind blew him back and forth in front of the Ferry Building. As time passed by, more and more people gathered. He felt a little outdated in his raggy Tree Hacks t-shirt compared with the Alo Yoga-decked girls and a huddle of shirtless guys.
“Hey! Aren’t you the new founder Nick mentioned on his blog?” A girl approached him and waved. This was a girl at the peak of her summer-internship-raging lifestyle. She had dark circles under her eyes covered by concealer, a nervous twitch like she just downed a Celsius and the smell of heavy perfume covering a few all-nighters.
“Uh, yes. I don’t know how you recognized me…” Andrew scratched his head and avoided a handshake by holding his hand up in a fist for a bump. “What’s your name?”
“Alyeesha.” She stared down at his fist, which she had tried to shake but inadvertently turned into a kind of hand struggle. “Ha — first time with this running group?”
“Yah, I was thinking I need to get out more—”
“Never mind that. What’s Nick like in real life? I’m such a big fan of his Monday Musings and I can-not believe you got to be featured.”
The group had started moving, and Alyeesha ran at a rapid pace with Andrew already foreseeing the struggle ahead.
“I mean, I’m only a summer intern based in their South Bay office so I haven’t gotten to see Nick around at all. He’s so cool. I’m currently getting my MBA at Wharton and I’m really trying to understand the VC mindset — you know?”
“Ye-yeah,” Andrew panted through a stitch in his side. Alyeesha was somehow able to mind control the flood of people around them to move out of her way, but Andrew kept bumping into other runners and the occasional pothead roaming down Embarcadero Street. “I feel like VCs must be different from traditional finance, right?”
Andrew didn’t know much about traditional finance, but he had heard his cofounder Arnav’s many rants about how West Coast finance was superior to the dustbins on Wall Street.
“YES. That’s exactly why I want to enter the industry through VC. Like, they are funding the ex-cep-tion-al. They’re not going for small wins — they want home runs,” She seemed to be talking to herself. “Hey—”
“What’s up?” They had paused at a streetlight where Andrew bent down to catch his breath. He shouldn’t have had dinner beforehand.
“Can you introduce me to Nick by any chance? I mean, I know you two must be super close and it would be amazing if I could just learn more about startups and Sunflower Ventures, you know?”
Alyeesha looked at him expectantly and Andrew was in too much pain to say anything so he nodded.
Alyeesha looked very pleased.
“Oh my god, thank you so much. Let me get your number.”
Later that night, as Andrew was updating Alyeesha that Nick would love to meet her (Nick’s exact reply was “sure”), he reflected that it had been a very successful evening — he had gotten a girl’s number.
“No no you’re so right. It’s all about finding work for yourself. No one’s here to tell you what to do — like you weren’t able to make that early investment into Stripe because you were just sitting around. You were on the ground, on the battlefield, rolling up your sleeves. Thank you so—”
“It’s about keeping busy, keeping on your toes. You need to stay in the loop — have you subscribed to my podcast yet?”
“No—”
“Perfect, I’ll send you the link. I’d recommend listening to all of the episodes — in order — so you get the whole outline of my thoughts and my investing philosophy. I have a very specific and unique way I do things that’s crucial to my success. For instance, I can’t interview a founder at square tables because it forces oppositional body language…”
Andrew was exiting the bathroom in the Sunflower office when he saw Alyeesha and Nick speed walk across the hallway. Nick always had a post-lunch walk meeting he took around the block and then looped around the office twice to pass by both the founder desks and the conference room his boss took meetings in.
“Oh hey Alyeesha,” Andrew waved. Alyeesha quickly looked at him then back at Nick who had picked up a phone call and was waving goodbye. Alyeesha smiled, shook his hand vigorously, and was still calling out her appreciation for his time when Nick closed the door of a meeting room.
“I think I just met Jesus,” The words tumbled out of her mouth like the Beyond Meatloaf served as the vegetarian option for Meatless Mondays at the office.
Andrew didn’t know how to respond.
“There is something imperceptible about the lifestyle of a VC. The East Coast just doesn’t get it. Ever since coming here, I’ve been trying to pinpoint it down — Nick just blasted it out of the water,” Alyeesha explained in rapid-fire words. “What have I been doing with my life?! He gave me an ENTIRE BOOKLIST to go through before I can even call myself ‘someone interested in startups.’ ‘The Winning Mindset,’ ‘Think and Grow Rich,’ and ‘Bromania’—there is so much wisdom.”
Andrew hadn’t read any of those books and was starting to feel panicked when Arnav joined the conversation. Arnav couldn’t believe a girl had asked for Andrew’s number.
“Holy sh—” Arnav caught himself before he finished the sentence. “Oh hey there! Who are you? I’ve never seen you around here.”
Arnav immediately leaned against the wall and flashed the results of his $10K orthopedic treatment and recent “red-carpet facial.”
“I’m Alyeesha—you must be Andrew’s co-founder right? Berkeley drop-out and top entrepreneurial voice on LinkedIn” She shook Arnav’s hand and eyed his tall frame as if trying to x-ray for founder potential.
“Hey — I just heard the books you mentioned. Definitely some of my favorites. I can show you around if you’d like — they’ve got a bookshelf with some MUST-READS in the back.
Alyeesha looked very pleased.
“Oh my god, thank you so much. Let me get your number.”
Alyeesha’s eyes lit up at the prospect. She had been gunning for a chance to stick around longer.
“Of course! I would love to. Thank you so much — you’re so considerate.”
Arnav promptly led her away as they chatted intensely about which book she should start with first. Andrew was left standing and a little lost. Maybe he should check out some of the books?
TO BE CONTINUED…
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High School Workshop Exhibition 2025: Profiles & perspectives from our writersFrom scholars to movies, our Summer and Winter workshop students uncovered the hidden stories of campus life.
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Each summer and winter, The Daily newsroom invites talented, passionate and community-oriented secondary school students to hone their writing and reporting alongside our staffers. The following selections highlight our most recent cohort’s journalistic work and the stories we told through the workshops.
The people we interviewed
Aneline Cristiana Maria Gulie & Kaylee Gong profiled Stanford’s five 2025 Marshall Scholars. Their comprehensive piece unpacked the intricate lives, careers and motivations behind these award-winning individuals. They wrote about Jaeh Kim ‘25, who told the reporters, “It was very meaningful to me to be a part of this historic connection between two nations, and I am honored to contribute to this enduring partnership to address shared global challenges.”
Adrian Chan interviewed Stanford’s Rhodes Scholars representatives, reporting the stories of people like Alvin Lee ‘25, who wished to institutionalize student voices and perspectives in global education.
The perspectives we explored
Shivam Verma described the different ways in which students and youth can maintain financial health at Stanford. “Through a variety of programs, classes, and personal strategies, there are many opportunities for students to make the most of their money [at Stanford],” Verma wrote. Through his interview with Financial Wellness Program Manager Daniel Khan, Verma detailed how these classes and other University-supported initiatives help Stanford students keep their wallets intact.
The experiences we returned to
Paramjot Kaur took us from Harvard to Stanford in her piece about Aaron Sorkin’s 2010 hit “The Social Network,” arguing that Stanford was crucial to the development of Facebook. “Recognizing the proximity of Stanford to Silicon Valley was crucial because it symbolized the opportunity to tap into a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem,” she wrote.
Sarah Grupenhoff and Shreemayi Kurup explored the “emotional narratives and innovative concepts” captured by Heechan Lim’s viral short films “to(get)her” and “not your average college decision reaction.” Kurup & Grupenhoff unveiled the ways that “technical perspective, dedication, and passion” manifest in Lim’s work.
Naomi Kotani traveled alongside current students, revisiting their college application experiences and discussing the differences between regular decision and early action applications. Haniya Yusufali continued the college admissions journey by unveiling the nuances of Stanford’s returning test score policy.
Elizabeth Halie discussed the complexities and competitiveness of figure stating, writing that “it’s never too late to start a new sport or join a club.”
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The Stanford Daily Magazine: DiplomatiqueWelcome to The Stanford Daily’s Vol. 266 Magazine: Diplomatique, where we explore Stanford students' journey on the international stage.
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Editor in Chief
Linda Liu
Executive Editors
Luc Alvarez, Itzel Luna
Magazine Editors
Rani Chor, Judy Liu
Photo & Graphics
Cayden Gu
Da-Hee Kim
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Jane Lauder ’95 elected to Stanford Board of TrusteesJane Lauder ’95, former executive and current board member at Estée Lauder Companies, began a five year term on the Stanford Board of Trustees Saturday.
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Jane Lauder ’95, a former executive and current board member at Estée Lauder Companies, began a five-year term on the Stanford Board of Trustees Saturday.
Lauder’s election to the Board comes amid wider changes to University leadership this year, including the inauguration of Jonathan Levin ’94 as president, the election of Roelof Botha MBA ’00, Stacy Brown-Philpot ’02 and Peter Salovey ’80 to the board and the election of Lily Sarafan ’03 as board chair.
Lauder graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in history in 1995. She currently serves as a member of Stanford’s Humanities and Sciences Council, providing outside support and non-academic viewpoints to the leadership of the School of Humanities and Sciences.
Lauder described studying at Stanford as “more than just an education,” according to the Stanford Report. “It’s a place of discovery and exploration that shapes how you think and view the world. It is not only an open, inclusive, and welcoming community but also entrepreneurial and on the cutting edge of research.”
Previously, Lauder contributed to Stanford Athletics and the Stanford Fund and endowed the University with a data science professorship aimed at educating leaders with data-driven problem-solving skills.
“There are so many incredible breakthroughs that Stanford is leading in, and for me, that’s exciting. Stanford is part of innumerable positive impacts on the world,” Lauder said.
Lauder, the granddaughter of Estée Lauder Companies founders Estée and Joseph Lauder, previously served as Chief Data Officer and Executive Vice President of Enterprise Marketing at the company. She also serves on the boards of Eventbrite, Friends of the High Line and the New York Public Library.
“We are delighted to welcome Jane to the Board of Trustees and look forward to working with her,” said board chair Jerry Yang ’90 M.S. ’90. “Her strong leadership experience and enthusiastic commitment to Stanford’s research and teaching missions will undoubtedly make her a valuable addition to the board.”
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work closely with [Lauder],” Sarafan wrote to The Daily. “Our board will greatly benefit from Jane’s global perspective, strong connections to Stanford and extensive leadership experience.”
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Her POV: ‘The Last Showgirl’ is a moving glimpse of an artist’s journeyPamela Anderson gives a tour de force performance in director Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl.” The film is a beautiful portrait of dedication to one’s craft and the costs to interpersonal relationships.
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Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
I often bristle at the term “career-defining performance” because it flattens the work required of acting in different genres. However, it is an apt way to describe Pamela Anderson’s work as Shelly in “The Last Showgirl” (2024). Anderson is given the best material of her career, and in turn, she elevates it and makes up for the minor weaknesses of the film.
Directed by Gia Coppola, “The Last Showgirl” is a workplace and family drama centered on a Las Vegas cabaret act, Le Razzle Dazzle, the only remaining show of its kind with grand costumes, elaborate sets and glamorous dancers. Shelly is the reluctant matriarch — a performer who has been with the show since the 1980s and was once the face of the brand. Her brood includes Mary-Anne (Brenda Song) and 19-year-old Jodie (Kiernan Shipka). Stage manager Eddie (Dave Bautista) and former Razzle Dazzle dancer turned cocktail waitress, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), serve as the stoic father figure and eccentric aunt, respectively.
During an impromptu girls’ night at Shelly’s home, Eddie shows up and causes a major vibe shift. He reveals that Le Razzle Dazzle is being canceled to dedicate more resources to a popular bawdy circus act. Mary-Anne and Jodie must scramble to find new gigs, while Shelly faces the possibility that she might have to find a new career due to her age. An analog woman uneasy in the digital era, Shelly clings to the time when Las Vegas showgirls were “treated like movie stars” and served as “ambassadors for style and grace.” There is a running bit used to position her as an analog woman who is uneasy in the digital era. From the self-checkout register that refuses to scan her items to a finicky car door and smoke detector, modern devices constantly give her trouble.
Another challenge is Shelly’s strained relationship with her daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd). In one scene, Hannah expresses her reservations about pursuing a career as a photographer. Her mother excitedly encourages her to follow her dreams. Hannah regards the outpouring of emotional support with disbelief — artist is the role Shelly was too busy playing during Hannah’s childhood to be a reliable mother to her.
Anderson’s incandescent turn as Shelly makes it clear why the actress was first-time screenwriter’s Kate Gersten first choice for the part. The role trades in on Anderson’s status as a sex symbol who couldn’t shake being objectified. Much of the action occurs in transitional spaces —the parking lot outside of the venue, backstage and in the hallway and staircases of the venue — and it’s a pleasure to watch her inhabit these spaces. When she’s not contemplatively taking a drag on a cigarette, she is practicing her moves. Shelly declares that she enjoys feeling good and beautiful on stage, and Anderson’s portrayal reveals how a performer gains mastery over her stage persona: the repetition of movements, but with the intention of making them look fresh when done in front of an audience.
Lourd is similarly well-suited to play Hannah. She and Anderson do not look alike, but their shared scenes show the genius of the casting. Their faces telegraph the same incredulity at the fact that their characters have been dealt bad hands. Shelly may not have been an active mother, but she was present enough for Hannah to pick up on her mannerisms.
Although the conflicts between several characters are well-defined in the first act, the resolutions are unsatisfying. The development of Jodie’s connection with Shelly comes at the expense of Mary-Anne’s character arc, which is given the short shrift. The mom-shaming Shelly receives from Hannah is warranted, albeit difficult to watch. Whether Shelly was aware of the impact of her negligence is the right question. However, when a coworker presses the issue, Shelly avoids wrestling with how she plans on showing up for adult Hannah, instead litigating her past choices.
Ultimately, I enjoyed watching Anderson so much that I hung around the theater for twenty minutes after the credits rolled to buy another ticket to watch the movie a second time. My desire to see it again was informed by feeling as if I didn’t spend enough time with the characters, — the film’s run time is a compact 89 minutes — but I was too impatient to wait for the next screening.
On the drive back to campus, I noted the irony of how much I enjoyed watching an artist hone her craft during interstices, yet I couldn’t keep myself occupied for a little under two hours. Art can present us with a portrait of how we would like to be — dedicated and focused — instead of how we really are in the present moment.
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Heart to Heart: anyways, please don’t be a strangerAudrey Tomlin muses on what it means to grow — not just up but away from home — in this installment of her column "Heart to Heart."
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8 p.m. and I’m in my best friend’s kitchen. I bring her the jeans I mended, thread and needle pressing through stiff denim, because they were too big. “For Christmas,” I say. The tree is decorated. Fragments of childhood are sprinkled through the house: the couch we binge watched The Summer I Turned Pretty on, the backyard we tried to play croquet during the pandemic in, the dining table she opened her birthday presents on last year.
We’re trying to heat gyoza in the microwave. My childhood friends are cluttered around the kitchen, laughing because I’m doing it wrong. Together, we exist not just as our present realities but as every version of ourselves we have lived. With them, I am seven, on the play structure, spinning. With them, I am 12, in Lake Arrowhead, scared because the family dog is running towards me. I’m 17, in an airport in North Carolina, making TikToks. We’re eight, at hotpot, yelling at my brother for mixing the broths.
Tonight, it’s PowerPoint night; we are recapturing all that has happened over the last quarter. I am debriefed on the friend who’s a quadrupedal and the roommate we’re pretty sure stole a water filter. I want to say I used to know what you would eat for lunch the next day, now you walk me through your life slide by slide. Once, we cried together in math. Next year, I think, I’ll finally be convinced to give up English for computer science, and you’ll be across the sea walking through grey fog and ivy-covered stone buildings. Next year, I think, I’ll still be here, watching the highlight reel of your life, trying to reincarnate the past.
On the drive back, we pass a tree toppled on the sidewalk strip, roots threaded through each other, veins knotted together and coming undone. Once, our lives were intertwined in this manner: I could not decide where one story ended and the others began. Next year, I think, I’ll still be here, watching your life slowly untangle from mine.
I do not wish for my childhood friends to be fossils, remnants of who I once was. How to say I do not know what your dorm room smells like or which dining hall you prefer, but I still remember how you hung the posters above the bed in your room and the creatures you liked to doodle in the margins of your notebook. How to say I will never meet another person who understood me at seven spinning on the play structure because the floor was chicken noodle soup.
My mother, too, shares my concern. She is afraid, I think, that I have grown too fast and too far, that I might not come back. “I blinked, and now you’re gone. How could I explain that I never wanted you to grow up and go off to college — even if it were the greatest school in the world?” she texts me on a Friday. I want to tell her I did not know growing up would be this unearthing of sorts, pulling roots from the earth, bruised soil, raw, woven veins. I can still see the stain of dirt under my fingernails. Instead, I send a heart emoji.
When I return for break, my grandmother tells me that when my father left for college she smelled his pillow every night for three weeks.
Weeks after PowerPoint night, my best friend loses her home to the Los Angeles fires. I cannot understand loss as she does, cannot grasp it in my palms, make it tangible, say, look at all that was once here, unrooted, our lives slowly coming untangled. And yet I want to say all of the pieces of you since 9th grade are still alive in me; the version of you who only shopped at Hollister for jeans and dyed her hair pink at the tips just for it to get washed away from two weeks of swim practice still exists in the phrases I say and the restaurants I like. A person, sometimes, can be a time capsule too.
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Levine | Violent resistance and terror: Where do we draw the line?Luigi Mangione's killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson represents a retributive turn toward violence that will only erode communities, Levine writes.
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Whether it’s the news, the thirst tweets or even family dinner conversation over the holidays, everyone’s been talking about the suspect charged in the United Healthcare CEO’s killing, Luigi Mangione. Depending on where you get your media, reactions to the shooting have been completely polarized.
From social media users lauding Mangione as a “hero” of the proletariat to Mayor Eric Adams calling his shooting an act of terrorism that “traumatized” the entire industry of corporate executives, Mangione’s celebrity status has sparked discourse around the insurance industry and the ethical implications of political violence.
From a historical perspective, Mangione’s star turn has been made possible by the advent of social media and globalization, which has allowed individuals to more easily express their opinions, criticize political institutions and organize to effect change. In general, much of this organizing has been peaceful, coming in the form of strikes, marches or boycotts. Indeed, through the 20th century, “campaigns of nonviolent resistance against authoritarian regimes were twice as likely to succeed as violent movements.” This is largely due to the fact that a democracy is more likely to replace a dictatorship when war has not exaggerated the standing conflict.
However, in the 21st century, this trend toward nonviolent resistance has become unpredictably successful as a result of external factors such as social media, international aid and regional conflict. This makes it difficult to accurately assess their long-term efficacy. Despite the beneficial after-effects of nonviolent resistance (provided the movement succeeds), protests have become — as most prominently demonstrated by the Jan. 6 insurrection — increasingly brutal and aggressive, demonstrating America’s mainstream normalization and acceptance of political violence. When politicians endorse violence on national TV and the contagion effect of highly-publicized shootings or media portrayals of increased aggression encourage more of the same, young people become particularly susceptible to undue influence, pushing the inevitability of violence as a definite future rather than a possibility.
In 2020, there was a staggering 5% increase in violent crime compared to the year before. Experts have pointed to political unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic and economic depression as causes, suggesting that when people’s qualities of life are lower, their actions are more aggressive. Although violent crime is lower now than it was four years ago, the perception of rising crime (particularly violent crime) has risen significantly across the country. Huge numbers of voters from both the Democratic and Republican Party believe crime should be a top priority for the government according to the Pew Research Center, as demonstrated by both harsh legislation against crime and law-and-order candidates having great success in recent elections. People are afraid and in an effort to protect themselves from victimhood, they perpetuate violence for the sake of prevention.
Fearmongering, oversaturation of violence in media and the sensationalization of graphic horror keep the politics of violence in business. We’re kept in a state of terror – will World War III finally break out? Is my school next in a long line of shootings? Could I be killed while riding the subway? These concerns are exponentially multiplied by the clickbait nature of social media algorithms, force feeding us our worst nightmares and pushing a narrative that violence is everywhere. This narrative isn’t wrong, but the blame is disproportionately centered on individual actors rather than institutions that perpetuate harm.
Our standards of violence vary depending on the individual perpetrator. When boys on the playground say they won’t hit a girl back, her punch is considered less of a threat, or less violent, than his. When a young Black man reaches into his hoodie, police assume he’s getting a gun. When the government holds our budget hostage, threatening people’s jobs and delaying their benefits, it’s considered a harm to citizens’ quality of life rather than an act of violence.
These unbalanced expectations have drastic consequences. As of 2019, Black Americans spent more time in jail for violent crimes than their white or Hispanic counterparts, according to the Pew Research Center. The government enables violence against anyone it deems a threat — civilians overseas, Black Americans and undocumented immigrants. It unsurprisingly draws the line at their campaign donors. Violence is much easier to get away with when your existence itself is not considered a threat to the status quo.
Mangione, a white man with an Ivy League education and generational wealth, has inverted white America’s expectations of a terrorist. Charged with terrorism, he is accused of “intimidating or coercing a civilian population”, something that could have been applied to former NYPD officer Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide last year for suffocating unhoused street performer Jordan Neely in a chokehold just a few days after Mangione allegedly shot Brian Thompson.
Yet Penny’s actions are not considered terrorism, because they are within the norm for American standards of violence: violence against Black Americans, particularly at the hands of law enforcement, is a historically powerful and often-used tool for disenfranchisement and legal oppression. Terror is a term applicable exclusively for threats or harms not defended by institutional tradition.
Explaining his views on nonviolence, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Mahatma Gandhi pushes back against the idea that the ends justify the means, instead characterizing the ends as being defined by how we go about achieving them. “They say ‘means are, after all, means.’ I would say ‘means are, after all, everything.’ As the means, so the end,” Gandhi said.
Violence as a form of rebellion does not guarantee a new, peaceful state, but rather, normalizes a culture of retributive justice instead of restoration. A rule of law established by fear is not powerful; it is unstable. Discontent only grows, and when people are afraid, they don’t always submit. They act out, as evidenced by the Mangione case.
Regardless of how resistance is sought, change is never guaranteed. Yet rather than guaranteeing positive change, or at least positive adjustment, reactionary and retributive action only further distance communities and erode trust. Even if violence is more attention-grabbing, we have to sacrifice those simple binaries of good and evil for the sake of normalizing peaceful resistance and not establishing violent norms.
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Stanford men’s volleyball falls to Irvine for second consecutive nightStanford men's volleyball lost in three sets to No. 6 UC Irvine, with the final set extending to 33-31 after multiple ties and a late challenge.
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In a highly competitive men’s volleyball match-up between No. 6 UC Irvine (19-10) and No. 9 Stanford (14-12), the Cardinal fell in three straight sets. The Saturday night match came after Stanford had already suffered a loss to the Anteaters the night before.
The first set began as a tight contest, with Stanford holding a slight edge early on. This advantage was partly due to Stanford’s strategy of tipping the ball over the net. The Cardinal worked to maintain a narrow lead, tying with Irvine multiple times before losing their edge at 17 points. The Anteaters preserved their lead as the set neared its conclusion. With Irvine at set point for several rallies, Stanford fought back from 19-24 to a tense 23-24. Ultimately, however, Irvine secured the set.
At the start of the second set, both teams struggled to gain a substantial lead. The set saw five ties within the first eight points for each team. As the match progressed, Irvine began to pull ahead, gaining a 9-8 lead and maintaining it until the end of the set. Despite Stanford’s efforts in the middle of the set, including several impressive kills, Irvine took the set 25-18.
In the third set, Stanford came out strong. Although Irvine responded with points of their own, the Cardinal held an early lead through their first four points. Once again, the teams exchanged ties throughout the set. Stanford took control at 12 points, maintaining their advantage with a combination of kills and Irvine errors. The Anteaters trailed but remained within striking distance.
As the set reached its climax, Irvine fought to tie the score at 23. The Anteaters then took the 24-23 lead. Stanford, however, pushed back and reached set point at 25-24. The intense exchange continued, with both teams holding multiple match points. In one particularly stressful rally, Irvine initially won game point, but Stanford successfully challenged the call to tie the score at 29-29 — the 13th tie of the set. After a hard-fought battle, Stanford ultimately fell 33-31.
Despite the loss, the Cardinal put forth a valiant effort in their attempt to regain the lead throughout each set. Junior outside hitter Theo Snoey led Stanford with 15 kills and a .350 hitting percentage. Freshman middle blocker Reed Wainwright paced the team with six blocks. Up next, Stanford will face No. 7 University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (23-7) in Honolulu.
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Women’s basketball falls short in comeback effort against No. 15 North CarolinaStanford women’s basketball fell just short in a 69-67 thriller against No. 15 UNC, despite Nunu Agara’s double-double and a strong fourth-quarter comeback effort.
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Stanford women’s basketball (11-10, 3-7 ACC) put up a relentless fight against No. 15 North Carolina (20-4, 8-3 ACC) but fell just short in a 69-67 thriller at Maples Pavilion Sunday afternoon. Despite a strong defensive effort in the second half, holding the Tar Heels to just 10 points in the final frame, the Cardinal couldn’t overcome UNC’s late-game execution.
Senior guard Elena Bosgana made an early jumper to put Stanford up. Stanford was able to establish an early edge thanks to sophomore guard Chloe Clardy who nailed an early three-pointer, which was hard to come by in Stanford’s last game. The offense, however, sputtered after the strong start, allowing UNC to capitalize on three straight Stanford turnovers. Stanford’s defense held firm in the early going, but UNC’s Lexi Donarski hit a late jumper to push the Tar Heels ahead 20-12 by the end of the first quarter.
Stanford’s offensive struggles continued in the second quarter, limiting its second-chance opportunities. The Cardinal shot just 35.5% from the field in the first half, struggling to generate high-percentage looks. Clardy remained a bright spot, using her quick decision-making to earn trips to the free-throw line and keep the Cardinal within reach. Sophomore forward Nunu Agara continued to be a force on the boards, collecting 14 rebounds in the afternoon contest. But Stanford’s reliance on difficult outside shots, including several highly contested threes, allowed the Tar Heels to maintain control. A strong and-one finish from senior forward Brooke Demetre late in the first half provided a needed boost, but UNC responded with back-to-back three-pointers, extending its halftime advantage to 39-32.
Coming out of the break, freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye’s tenacious on-ball defense was key in slowing down the Tar Heels’ perimeter attack, while Agara’s rebounding continued to provide Stanford extra possessions. Stanford, however, was not able to accumulate enough offensive plays to get within striking distance. Bosgana’s three-pointer rekindled the home fans, and Clardy continued to drive inside for layups, but UNC had an answer for every offensive push by the Cardinal. UNC’s Alyssa Ustby, who finished with 16 points, came through with a series of clutch baskets to preserve the Tar Heels’ advantage.
In the fourth quarter, while the game was bouncing back and forth, Bosgana came through with a key three-pointer that reduced UNC’s lead to three. Up-and-coming freshman center Kennedy Umeh put in a tip shot while being fouled and was able to finish the three-point play to tie the game 62-62 with 3:52 left.
“I’m really excited about Kennedy Umeh and the incredible progress that she’s made,” said head coach Kate Paye. “When I look [at the box score], she had eight points, four rebounds, and her great defense inside. That’s something that we didn’t have earlier in conference play, and that’s a testament to Kennedy and her work ethic.”
After UNC had reestablished their lead, Stanford had a chance to tie the game when Agara called a timeout after grabbing a crucial rebound with less than a minute remaining. On the last possession, however, Clardy was forced to take a difficult shot, Agara’s putback attempt was unsuccessful and UNC managed to escape with the win as the time ran out.
Despite the loss, Stanford had a promising showing. Agara finished with a double-double, tallying a game-high 22 points to go with her 14 rebounds. Clardy scored 15 points, and Demetre added nine points.
Up next, the Cardinal will head to Indiana for a Thursday night matchup against Notre Dame. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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My Room! – A FloMo Room TourWatch the first episode of our new series, My Room, where we take an inside look at Stanford students' dorm rooms
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Lindsay ’27 gives a tour of her dorm room in Florence Moore Hall!
A special thank you to Lindsay and Izzy for allowing The Stanford Daily to film their dorm room.
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Students rally support for LA students amid firesThe LA Fires will have serious impacts on respiratory health, home insurance and education for residents.
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As of Jan. 30, the Los Angeles fires that began on Jan. 7 have killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 120,000 structures. With 32% of Stanford’s student body being from California, many students across campus were directly and indirectly affected by the fires.
“I lived there over the summer and I would drive up on Sunset and go through the Palisades. It’s crazy to think that the area is now totally decimated,” said Jessica Korobkin ’27, a student from LA whose mother’s house burnt down as a result of the fires.
However, the repercussions of the fires extend beyond just the destruction of buildings. The ash’s impact on air quality is an ongoing concern for many of the area’s residents.
At the peak of the Pacific Palisades fire, an EPA air monitor in LA Chinatown recorded 483.7 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter. The federal limit of fine particulate matter in comparison is 35 micrograms. Numerous parts of LA are well above the limit, which may prove to be harmful and dangerous to residents’ respiratory health.
Korobkin said a number of the Palisades residents were advised by doctors not to go back home, even if they were not directly impacted by the fires.
Given the nature of the materials burned — such as houses, vehicles and other structures — a significant amount of toxic chemicals, including benzene, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and heavy metals, were released into the atmosphere. The rebuilding of these houses further adds to the degradation of air quality.
In an email to The Daily, professor and physical science research scientist Jessica Yu, wrote that “fine particulate matter can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, potentially leading to cardiovascular health issues.” Wildfire smoke is also associated with an “increased risk of premature births, low birth weight, dementia, cognitive impairment, memory loss, anxiety and depression.”
Yu also advised LA residents to wear P100 masks, which can filter at least 99.97% of airborne particles and are more resistant to clogging in heavily polluted environments.
Patricia Bromley M.A. ’05 M.A. ’10, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Education, wrote in an email to The Daily that the impact of the fires is indiscriminate.
“These hardships affect everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, although families with greater resources can often access alternatives more easily (e.g. housing, meals, alternative schooling),” Bromley wrote.
The fires have also had significant impacts on education. UCLA had one week of online education due to the air quality.
Impacts have also been seen on home insurance premiums, exposing an insurance crisis that has festered for years.
“Home insurance affects everybody, even people that rent. The fires are maybe going to affect the affordability of housing. Our home insurance is in a crisis to cover the loss for insurers,” said Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program. “Having home insurance cost two to five times what it costs today would have a huge impact on the state.”
“I just hope insurance companies uphold their promises, and if they can’t, then the government steps in,” Korobkin said.
California’s current policies on wildfire control mandate a 100-foot defensible space around homes in State Responsibility Zones, clearing flammable materials to slow down wildfires and provide a safe perimeter for firefighting efforts.
“I would not categorize this as a forest fire or a wildfire, the right way to think about this is an urban firestorm,” Wara said. Reports show that many homes do not follow the current regulations. “Changes to the built environment and how homes and gardens are built can prevent these kinds of fires,” said Wara.
For the time being, Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken measures to curb and manage the effects of the fires on the people.
Shreya Ramachandran ’25, a senior class president, and the StanfordCaresforLA team have also set up a GoFundMe to provide relief and donations to those affected by the fire. As of Thursday, it has received $2,970 in donations.
Additionally, the team is hosting a charity concert at Xanadu on Thursday night, featuring student performers and bands. They are also partnering with Coupa Cafe to donate one dollar to the relief fund for every latte sold on Friday.
“One thing that I have been really happy to see is, as we’ve been reaching out to organizations to support me in this effort, how much of an interest there was from the Stanford community,” Ramachandran said.
Ramachandran has continued rallying her fellow students for support, whether it’s monetary or otherwise.
“Every bit helps, whether it’s donating, volunteering or just spreading the word. Let’s show up and make a difference together.” wrote Ramachandran in a campus-wide email.
Korobkin is looking to the future with hope.
“What was so special about the Palisades was that it really felt like a small town,” Korobkin said. “I really just hope that people stay and rebuild.”
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Daily Diminutive #026 (Feb. 3, 2025)Click to play today's 5x5 mini crossword. The Daily produces mini crosswords twice a week and a full-size crossword biweekly.
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Reimagining Journalism: Updates from Stanford’s Knight FellowsFrom tackling AI misinformation to defending press freedom, the 2024-25 John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship united 13 journalists to address journalism’s most pressing challenges.
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When the 2015 Breaking News Photography Pulitzer Prize winner, David Carson, applied for the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship (JSK), he joked that he thought the experience would be as surreal as walking on the moon. “I [didn’t] really know what to expect,” he said. The size of the fellowship cohort changes every year, with Carson selected as just one of 13 journalists for the 2024-2025 term.
Founded in 1966, the JSK Fellowship at Stanford University is a nine-month program that provides experienced journalists with the resources and support to step back from their daily routines and address journalism challenges in their own communities. From defending press freedom to combating misinformation, the fellowship encourages participants to explore innovative solutions that strengthen their communities.
Each year, the program brings together a diverse cohort of journalists from around the globe. As members of the 2024-2025 cohort, fellows like Carson gain access to Stanford’s courses and resources, allowing them to explore modern technologies and approaches that shape the future of media.
According to Carson, Stanford’s access to cutting edge technology and its wide array of courses have been a highlight for JSK fellows. For Carson, whose goal is to rebuild public trust in news photography and combat the use of false AI-generated images in journalism, the courses helped him to understand more about disinformation and AI.
“I took a data science of disinformation class with Professor David Donaho, and it really kind of dovetailed in with some of my other stuff I’ve done outside of classes,” Carson said.
2010 Editorial Cartooning Pulitzer Prize winner and 2024-2025 JSK cohort fellow, Mark Fiore, found the fellowship inspiring, describing the courses as a “springboard”.
“They’re providing you with the ability, whether it’s through enhancing what you’ve already done or giving you new tools to really get into some new and exciting place,” Fiore said.
The classes at Stanford weren’t the only eye-opening feature of JSK. One of JSK’s defining features is its professional and demographic diversity. “We have people who are editors, reporters, photographers, and even an oddball political cartoonist like me,” Fiore said. “Everyone brings their own unique perspective to the table.”
This diverse and collaborative environment allowed the fellows to learn from one another and share their own experiences.
Gregory Gondwe, an investigative journalist from Malawi and founder of the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), is another 2024-2025 JSK cohort fellow.
Gondwe found that the “cultural and intellectual diversity has expanded [his] worldview and deepened his understanding of global journalism.” PIJ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the public with a trustworthy source of transparent news in Malawi. Gondwe was inspired by the work of nonprofit media outlets in South Africa exposing corruption within the government to found PIJ.
JSK fellows found the program a transformative journey. Gondwe said, “the experiences and knowledge I’ve gained are already reshaping my goals and visions. By the time I leave, I anticipate being not just a different person, but also a transformed profession.”
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Former Yale president Peter Salovey ’80 elected to Stanford Board of TrusteesSalovey, a former psychology professor and researcher, served as Yale’s President for nine years before joining Stanford’s board.
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Former Yale president, psychology professor and Stanford alumnus Peter Salovey ’80 began a five-year appointment to Stanford’s Board of Trustees on Dec. 1.
Salovey served as Yale’s president from 2013 to 2024 and the institution’s provost from 2008 to 2013. Since joining Yale’s faculty in 1986, Salovey also served as dean of Yale College, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Chair of Yale’s psychology department. He was succeeded as Yale’s president by art historian Maurie McInnis in July.
“Having stepped down from the [Yale] presidency last summer, I was delighted that Stanford asked me to be a trustee as I believe my experiences at Yale, as well as my education at Stanford, allow me to provide a different perspective on the issues facing Stanford and higher education more generally,” Salovey wrote in an email to The Daily.
Salovey received his B.A. in psychology and a coterminal M.A. in sociology from Stanford in 1980. At Yale, he completed his M.S., M.Phil and Ph.D, focusing his research on the connections between emotion, health communication and health behavior.
According to Salovey, his position as a board member focuses on University governance rather than day-to-day management. As a trustee, Salovey will focus his efforts on strategy, helping to manage risks to the University’s well-being and oversee University processes in tandem with the president.
“Most of the issues that I dealt with at Yale are similar to the ones that are challenging for Stanford, even though these are different universities with different personalities,” Salovey wrote. “Our country’s very best research universities are all concerned with the public’s trust in our research and educational missions, funding for cutting-edge research and scholarship, an education that motivates critical thinking and engaged citizens and… remaining accessible and affordable to talented students.”
Board Chair and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang ’90 M.S. ’90 said he was “delighted” to welcome Salovey to the board. Salovey brings a “tremendous depth of leadership experience” that will “be invaluable to the board’s work,” Yang added.
Salovey wrote that he hopes to work closely with University president Jonathan Levin ’94 throughout his time as a trustee, supporting Levin’s leadership from the beginning of his tenure. Levin’s father, economist Rick Levin, served as Yale president for 20 years and directly preceded Salovey.
“I very much enjoy remaining engaged in important issues facing higher education and, particularly, Stanford, and I have been thrilled to get to know my fellow trustees,” Salovey wrote. “I love the idea of supporting Jon Levin’s presidency right from the start. My goal as a trustee is to assist our new president in making Stanford that absolute best version of itself that it could possibly be.”
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Chief Justice Barroso and the Brazilian Supreme Court’s struggle with disinformationDuring a three-day student-led conference, Brazilian public officials met with Stanford scholars to advance understanding of innovations in AI and their impact on democratic governance.
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Felipe Jafet’s ’26 parents lived through a military dictatorship in Brazil. Like many Brazilians, they had never known life under a democracy. Following two decades of military dictatorship, Brazil adopted its current constitution in 1985 — less than forty years ago.
“In Brazil, there’s no such thing as democratic institutions like in the U.S.,” Jafet said. “Part of what people are trying to do is build them, and they’re not going to be identical to the American institutions, because it’s impossible to be, and it shouldn’t be. It’s a completely different context.”
Jafet worked with Thay Graciano ’23 MIP ’24 Ph.D. ’28, lead organizer for the conference to bring together Brazilian public officials and Stanford scholars. Sponsored by the Deliberative Democracy Lab, the conference was sparked by Graciano’s Ph.D. thesis research on AI governance in Brazil.
Stanford’s experts, including professors Condoleezza Rice, Larry Diamond and John Hennessy, led discussions during the three-day conference from Sept. 23 to 25. There was also a University-wide discussion with Brazil’s Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, which was sponsored by the Hoover History Lab.
“These leaders are at the center of protecting democracy,” Graciano said. “It’s no small deal that these [scholars] want to get together and learn.”
In light of democratic backsliding in both Brazil and the U.S., Brazilian students underscored the importance of hosting a conference to reaffirm Brazil’s commitment to democracy.
Approximately 30 Brazilian judges and prosecutors associated with the National Magistracy School attended the conference, including the Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice of Brazil. Nelson Missias de Morais, one of the judges in attendance, highlighted the potential for innovative collaboration between Stanford experts and Brazilian leaders.
“The exchange with esteemed institutions such as Stanford holds immense significance, particularly for members of the judiciary,” he said. “By engaging in discourse with the world’s foremost authorities in both legal studies and technological innovation, magistrates gain a broader, more nuanced perspective on how technology influences legal frameworks.”
For student organizers Graciano and Jafet, helping bolster their country’s democratic institutions by facilitating knowledge exchange between Brazil’s top leaders in the legal arena and Stanford’s foremost scholars represents a unique and intellectually rewarding opportunity.
“What unites a lot of Brazilians here is we really feel love for our country, and we feel a great desire to give back through the education we’re getting here,” Graciano said.
Chief Justice Barroso, president of the Brazilian Supreme Court, stressed the importance of a return to civil discourse in public affairs and highlighted the critical role that the Brazilian Supreme Court plays in safeguarding democracy against the threat posed by mass disinformation disseminated by social media platforms.
Barroso also discussed the striking parallels between the U.S. and Brazil — two democracies that have been challenged by the erosion of traditional liberal democratic values.
“[Brazilians] assume that the institutions that exist in Brazil right now will last. But it’s a work in progress,” Jafet said. “We wanted judges to stop and think together about these issues and what they can bring back to Brazil.”
Prior to his appointment as Chief Justice, Barroso served as the chief judge of Brazil’s highest electoral authority, the Superior Electoral Court (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, TSE), which he argued provides a “model for electoral regulatory institutions.” To protect the integrity of the electoral system, the TSE actively monitors digital platforms in an effort to prevent the spread of false or misleading information.
Barroso contrasted Brazil’s approach with the U.S. According to Barroso, the controversies about the electoral process are decided by judges in Brazil, rather than decided by people who hold political affiliations.
In 2019, Brazil’s Supreme Court began investigating digital attacks and threats against judges and their families. These investigations later expanded to include attacks on political institutions linked to individuals associated with the Bolsonaro presidency and its allies.
In late August 2024, Brazil’s Supreme Court voted unanimously to uphold a ban on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The ban was lifted a couple months later. The site was originally suspended in Brazil for failing to appoint a new legal representative within the required timeframe. This dispute began when the Court ordered the suspension of accounts that it believed spread disinformation.
The ban was ultimately lifted after X paid millions of dollars in fines and agreed to block accounts that were accused of spreading misinformation, Brazil’s Supreme Court announced in October 2024.
After Brazil’s 2020 election — in which Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker’s Party defeated Jair Bolsonaro — Bolsonaro and his supporters refused to concede power. Instead, they alleged the influence of fraudulent schemes, launching a violent intimidation campaign against institutions.
“The dangers were enormous. [Bolsonaro and his supporters] were attacking the institutions, including Congress, the Supreme Court and the press, and they were calling on people to invade the Court and remove us by force,” Barroso said.
Despite no evidence of fraud, the election’s aftermath brought “unimaginable” consequences for Brazilian democracy. Barroso cited the rise of militant politics in Brazil as a contributing factor.
According to Barroso, the Jan. 8, 2023 assault on Brazilian democratic institutions bore a striking similarity to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“I don’t know how close we were to a coup, but that many people were engaged in having a coup, I have no doubt. Disinformation was part of the strategy for the coup — that’s why we were fighting back,” Barroso said.
As Chief Justice, Barroso has implemented several reforms to promote equity, diversity and political stability. These include requiring a national exam for all judicial candidates, increasing the number of female judges in higher courts and establishing affirmative action measures for Afro-Brazilians.
As Brazilian society has become increasingly conservative, the Brazilian Supreme Court has sought to institute progressive rulings in line with Brazil’s 1988 Constitution, which establishes a system of universal access to healthcare and education. According to Ronaldo Costa Filho, former Brazilian ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and current consul-general in San Francisco, Brazil’s 1988 Federal Constitution established social rights when the country lacked the means to guarantee them.
Calls for the legalization of same-sex marriages and protections for Indigenous communities draw on the constitutional commitment to equality.
“The Brazilian constitution is a very enlightened constitution,” Barroso said. “The Court did not invent anything…Many people don’t like the Constitution itself, but it is hard to amend the constitution. So, you criticize the Court, and say that the Court is activist.”
While Barroso acknowledged that policy disagreements are inevitable — and indeed vital — to a functioning democracy, he criticized the growing “loss of civility” and rise of aggressive, personal politics in both Brazil and the U.S.
“The problem is intolerance,” Barroso said. “We need to recover the capacity of having people who think differently, of sitting [at] the same table, and putting [forward] their arguments, because that is what democracy is.”
Among the fastest-growing sectors of the Brazilian economy are AI and software, which, according to Stanford experts, present both opportunities and risks in terms of democratic governance and regulation. The country’s AI innovations make it part of a small but growing list of democracies that are pioneering innovations across the digital spectrum.
Jafet noted the degree of digitization in both Brazil’s public and private spheres is growing, with elections now held entirely online and banking operations almost exclusively conducted through digital means.
AI tools can be deployed in Brazil’s judiciary system to speed the processing of cases and direct resources towards democratic governance, said Graciano, whose dissertation focuses on Brazil’s AI governance.
“People forget that developing countries have a lot of room for experimentation,” Graciano said. “Brazilians are extremely creative…they want to use technology for the better.”
Graciano noted that the country’s cadre of public defenders relies heavily on AI. However, there is concern that public defenders could lose the human element of casework given the reliance on AI.
In Brazil, the National Council of Justices (CNJ), a public institution overseen by the Chief Justice, has pioneered the Justice 4.0 project that employs digital tools including AI technologies to improve access to the judicial system.
“If we want to make sure that people feel satisfied with the justice system, that they believe in the justice system, we need to use AI,” Graciano said. “The judges perhaps should be spending their time doing things that are more creative or interpretative of legal texts. There’s no reason why we should be spending money and interns’ [time] doing things that could be improved by the machine.”
Through her doctoral project, Graciano aims for the Deliberative Democracy Lab to partner with Brazil’s public defense system to establish a regulatory institution comparable to the CNJ that can address concerns regarding the use of AI. While Brazil’s senate currently deliberates on AI Bill 2338 — which provides for regulation of AI across both the public and private spheres — the country’s judiciary has received criticism that there is currently no ethical framework for the use of AI.
“It’s very much aspirational,” she said. “Imposing regulatory frameworks is up to the judicial system, and it’s up to us to make sure that they know that we are watching. That’s why these conversations are so important.”
Jafet aimed to create a space where participants can build networks and bridges with leaders from different nations with lasting benefits for all involved.
“By hosting events like this, Stanford can really impact the world,” Jafet said. “If we’re able to bring in just a few leaders from whatever place in the world that we think needs improvement, Stanford can be at the forefront of that.”
In one event organized by Jafet, there was a discussion on the history of legal interpretation between Brazilian judges and Michael McConnell, director of the Stanford Constitutional Law Center. This event was meant to offer the Brazilian judges insights from the American experience.
“My session with the Brazilian judges showed how much we can learn from one another,” McConnell said. “I felt I connected with the group, as one judge to another.”
Clarification: This article was updated to reflect that the event was sponsored by the Hoover History Lab Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso and that the three-day conference was sponsored by the Deliberative Democracy Lab.
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Letter from the Editors | On diplomacy and doubtThe magazine's theme of Diplomatique allows us to peer into the world from the Stanford bubble and through our eyes contend with consequences of history and diplomacy.
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The concept of Diplomatique is as much a perspective on the Stanford student’s experience within international affairs as it is Stanford’s place in the international community. Our writers don’t always agree with each other. But we felt their pieces all had one thing in common: a desire to capture fragments of a world in flux, to take a snapshot of history and diplomacy unfold before our eyes.
This magazine recognizes that diplomacy is not just treaties and summits, but the quieter negotiations of identity, of language, of belonging. That no single article can encompass the scope of a war, a movement, a history — but that words, carefully chosen and rigorously examined, still have weight.
The pieces in this issue often explore doubles: borders and bridges, pairs of lovers, exile and belonging. Diplomacy does the same, in various forms, and there lies no singular meaning of the title, diplomatique. We cannot fully capture the nuance of these connections within a dichotomy. We don’t claim to. The real act of diplomacy, of storytelling, is, at its best, a dialectic — a negotiation of perspectives, a tension of ideas, a willingness to engage with, rather than shy away from, the uncomfortable.
In this issue, a Thai refugee reflects on her return to her homeland, offering a poignant personal account of migration and identity. Another piece delves into the escalating threat to diversity, equity and inclusion under Trump’s recent executive orders, examining the implications for U.S. diplomacy. Closer to home, the ongoing debate over faculty representation at Stanford highlights the enduring challenges of institutional inclusivity. The soft power of sport takes center stage, as we explore how athletic exchanges can build bridges where politics often fails. Finally, the inaugural Congo Week provides a lens into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s historical complexity and evolving geopolitical significance.
The world is too vast to fit into a single magazine. If there is a flaw in our approach, it is the inevitable one: the impossibility of containing complexity within the confines of any one publication. But in the attempt, in the interrogation of narratives rather than the assertion of them, we hope to contribute something worthwhile. The world is shifting. So must the conversation.
Rani Chor ’26 (B.A., international relations)
Judy Liu ’26 (B.A., history)
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The diplomacy of sports: Allegiances in the arenaThree international student-athletes at Stanford discuss what it means to represent their countries in global competitions while attending a prestigious university like Stanford.
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Levi Jung-Ruivivar ’28 seemed set to join the United States Women’s National Team in gymnastics. Growing up, she participated in various gymnastic programs run by USA Gymnastics. However, on Sept. 26, she announced her decision to represent the Philippines.
Jung-Ruivivar decided to compete for the Philippines at age 16 to gain more opportunities to compete internationally and better connect with her Filipino heritage. Because her grandfather was born in the Philippines, she was able to obtain dual citizenship and switch her International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) license to the Philippines. It was a lengthy process, but it was worth it for Jung-Ruivivar.
“The feeling of competing for a country that I love so much [is] truly amazing,” Jung-Ruivivar said.
Her first competition under the Filipino flag was supposed to be the Asian Games, which were hosted by China in 2023 from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. The entry submission deadline to the Games had already passed, but the Philippines was allowed to appeal a roster change to allow Jung Ruivivar to compete at the Games. She was expected to participate, and there was even talk that she could become a potential medalist.
However, Jung-Ruivivar’s entry visa to China was denied.
“When I was about to fly out, due to some political debate and with the Philippines and China fighting over fishing rights, China did not approve my visa because I was a likely medalist, and they did not want [me to win],” Jung-Ruivivar said, referring to rising tensions in the South China Sea between the two nations. That tension translated from international relations into sports.
“Persona or principles or values should be a reflection of the country as a whole, and I think that when you’re competing on a big stage and you’re representing the country, you know there’s a lot of people watching, [and] it’s up to you to represent what you hold to be true and what principles or values you find important,” Jung-Ruivivar said.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jung-Ruivivar had another opportunity to represent the Philippines. Jonathan Tan ’27 also represented his own country, Singapore, in swimming. He participated in the 50m and 100m free.
“It was amazing. That has been my dream since I was a kid,” Tan said.
Competing at the Olympics not only fulfilled their individual dreams but also inspired others from their country as they garnered support. Jung-Ruivivar and Tan described their respective national teams as very tight-knit at the Olympic Games, though there were also opportunities to make connections with and meet athletes from many different countries.
Athletes also engage in international affairs off the field. At Stanford, Jung-Ruivivar has become involved in politics, speaking at a Democracy Day 2024 event entitled “All Vote No Play.” There, “current Stanford Olympians from democracies across the world discuss[ed] what civic engagement means to them and their countries.”
Meanwhile, Tan had the unique experience of serving in the army. In his country, Singapore, every male is required to perform two years of service.
“In general, I think it was a great experience,” he said. “In Singapore, we always call it a rite of passage. You have to do it, and everyone goes through it differently.”
Though his service did interfere with his swimming training, it also taught him independence and allowed him to gain the experience of representing his country in another avenue besides athletics. The first year Tan served, he could only swim on the weekends or late at night alone because army training occupied most of his time. Other days, Tan was unable to train at all because he was out on expeditions “in the jungle.”
These days Tan balances athletics with something else — being a student at Stanford.
“I try to finish all my work before the weekend…so I can chill over the weekends and meet some friends,” Tan said.
Being an international student also adds another level of challenge. One way students can adjust to living in the United States is by finding community. Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas ’26, Anna Ghuliani ’26 and Guido Leonardi ’26 started the Community of International Student-Athletes (CISA) during their first year on campus in 2022. CISA helps students obtain SIM cards in the United States, register for a Social Security number and establish strong networks with other international student-athletes. Though it started with a few frosh meetings in dorm lounges, the club has now expanded to hosting bonfires and information sessions.
“We wanted to expand it and make it more accessible to freshmen coming in [by] having a place for them to ask questions and a more direct form of help,” Tenconi-Gradillas said.
Tan has attended CISA with some of his international teammates, and he said that it was a good place to mix with people from various countries. Tenconi-Gradillas agrees.
“I think it can only be a positive thing to bring so many people over here from different countries. [They] have their ways that they’ve been brought up [in],” Tenconi-Gradillas said.
Jung-Ruivivar extends this importance of diversity of experience to Stanford as a whole.
“Being able to feed off each other’s energy and motivate one another to pursue a higher level of excellence is something that’s very common at Stanford,” she said. “I really love that energy.”
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The quiet exclusion: How the loss of diversity in diplomacy imperils the futureAs U.S. diplomacy teeters on the brink of DEI rollbacks, the fight for inclusive representation in foreign policy is more urgent than ever.
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There are many ways to judge a country’s diplomatic service, but a solid one is this question: are you representative of the people? After President Trump’s latest executive order blitz, the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in U.S. diplomacy hangs in the balance.
On Monday, Trump signed an order to dismantle “illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ mandates,” targeting policies and programs embedded across the Federal Government. He didn’t stop there. Another sweeping order unraveled decades of progress, gutting Clinton-era environmental justice initiatives and overturning Johnson’s nondiscriminatory hiring policies. The message is clear: inclusion, in all its forms, is no longer a priority.
For students looking to enter a rapidly changing global landscape, the question looms large: what happens when the government cuts diversity from diplomacy?
At Stanford, we occupy a niche space within this evolving diplomatic landscape. A classmate might even prototype an AI-generated foreign ministry spokesperson—only to learn Ukraine’s foreign ministry beat them to it last spring. Here, amidst a hum of being on the edge of precipices, the same restless energy driving breakthroughs in tech shapes the diplomatic world. It’s a space for the bold, the passionate and propulsive. We are told we will shape the world.
That the State Department has long been filled with “pale, male and Yale” diplomats, as the common refrain goes, is well established. Nearly 80% of foreign service officers identify as White. The Foreign Service was more diverse in 1986 than it is now, according to Eric Rubin, president of the American Foreign Service Association. What’s new is Elon Musk’s proposed $120 billion cuts to federal diversity programs amid furious uproar that “DEI must DIE”. Trump’s actions whitewash an already exclusionary system.
In 2023, Marco Rubio co-authored a report, “Diversity Over Diplomacy’—How Wokeness is Weakening the U.S. State Department,” further fueling debate over the value of D.E.I. in diplomacy. The resulting outrage, in a word, is absurd. It’s also demanding, pushing diplomacy itself to turn inwards and consider a fundamental misunderstanding: D.E.I programs do not exclude merit. They address the exclusion of marginalized groups from fields like the Foreign Service.
Not that I haven’t thought about this for a very long time. As a child in Los Angeles, I heard stories of my father’s escape from killing fields in Cambodia and it framed my study of international relations; as an adult, I visited my mom’s hometown in China amidst growing calls to decouple from the country’s growing influence. The specter of identity looms everywhere: the sports arena, the classroom and the jazz performances of the 1960s; diplomacy, as a spread of soft power, is hollow without meaningful representation.
There’s an unease I can’t shake—a sea of indifferent faces, wearing crisp suits at a podium, telling the world what’s best for the country that my family calls home. It’s not a question of qualifications. There are countless people, each bringing the richness of their personal histories, who could step into the Foreign Service and lead with understanding, empathy, and authenticity. But they don’t. Not because they can’t — but because something deeper, something systemic, keeps the gates closed. It’s a quiet exclusion, a barrier that whispers, “This space isn’t for you.”
And then came Trump, delivering a blow that wasn’t quiet at all. A blow that reinforced these barriers, solidified them, and left a system even less accessible than before. The damage is real, and so is the question: why are those who understand these places and people not allowed to lead?
In diplomacy, meaningful representation shapes the world’s vision of America. At times, it seems like lofty exhortations that DEI will “be a voice for the people” and “heal the world” have become platitudes, empty rhetoric without any firm ideas about how that might be accomplished. Often in diplomacy people ask for the negotiation of peace; true impact essentializes the importance of creating the conditions for peace—and that involves commitment to education and equality.
“Diplomacy is about bringing together people with different ideas, backgrounds, and guidance to find solutions we can all live with,” UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told AP News. Without DEI, she argued, the collaborative essence of diplomacy is under threat.
It may be cliché, but it’s still profound: meaningful diversity lies in thought (rather than just appearance). DEI initiatives and education contribute immensely to human rights worldwide and this, in turn, can help prevent violence—a crucial point to bear in mind in 2025 when diplomatic mediation and negotiations will be paramount.
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After Oct. 7, Jewish students burdened by pressure to take a stanceFollowing the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish students felt like they had to speak out and have an opinion, or risk being ostracized.
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Two weeks before Halloween 2024, a bus carrying 40 festivalgoers sped down the I-5 toward Southern California. They were on their way to see a music festival. And for a brief moment once they were there, young people danced under flashing lights, lost in the rhythm of the crowd. Then the shouting began. Then the gunfire. When the violence ended, 370 lay dead. Forty-four were taken hostage.
On Oct. 19 to 20, Stanford students went to view the Los Angeles Nova Exhibition where they were shown in an exhibit what it was like to be at Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023 in Israel, where Hamas, a terrorist organization, killed and captured concertgoers.
The exhibit showed social media footage and vlogs of people shouting about the sounds of rockets, the remains of scorched cars and bathroom stalls covered in bullet holes and personal belongings that were left behind amid the chaos. There were also tapes of phone calls to parents and friends from the concertgoers and footage taken from Hamas showing their perspective of the massacres.
According to Julia Segal ’26, an organizer of the trip, the students that came “were sobbing, crying, saying they couldn’t imagine if they were in those shoes.” The Nova music festival was, in many ways, like Coachella, she said. The people there were college-aged, like the students that had gone to see the exhibit.
Segal said some of the students who went to see the exhibit had no idea it had happened. For some, they learned about the massacre and abduction at Nova for the first time by way of the application for the trip. Others, Segal said, knew there was a war in Gaza, but did not know why there was one in the first place. And yet, all over social media and in real life, there was a pressure to speak out, to say something, anything, about the war.
After the Oct. 7 massacres, students immediately began reposting infographics and posts to show their support for one side. For some Jewish students, they felt like there wasn’t space to process the attacks or have room for nuanced opinions, as they watched classmates, friends and other members of the community post black-and-white takes on a conflict they viewed as more complex.
“There was a lot of pressure to agree with a ‘simple’ story about good guys/bad guys, or victims/oppressors,” Rabbi Jessica Kirschner, the Executive Director of Hillel, wrote to The Daily. “There was a lot of knee-jerk ‘liking’ of posts that made it feel as though opinions on campus were monolithic.”
When Aaron Schimmel, a sixth-year graduate student in history with family and friends in Israel, first heard news of Oct. 7, he had about an hour and a half to process the attacks before people on campus were posting signs and posters in White Plaza. The signs and posters he saw were anti-Israel, “and at times, very clearly crossing the line into antisemitism,” he said. He felt like he didn’t have time to process what was happening in Israel before things started to happen on campus.
Tensions on campus rose following the attacks. On Oct. 20, 2023 a sit-in was established in White Plaza to urge the University to call for a ceasefire and condemn Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks. Rallies and walk-outs were also happening on campus. The University suspended Ameer Hasan Loggins, a non-faculty instructor of COLLEGE 101, because he “addressed the Middle East conflict in a manner that called out individual students in class based on their backgrounds and identities,” Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez wrote in a statement. A petition was circulated to reinstate Loggins. Pro-Israel protestors rallied against the sit-in. The Blue-and-Tent was set up across from the sit-in to offer another perspective.
Despite the loud public discourse, Segal found that she was often surprised when having conversations with her non-Jewish friends — they seemed to know little about the issue, but they also demonstrated a willingness to hear her opinion and engage in a nuanced dialogue.
Some of the people Segal spoke with didn’t actually have a strong stance, and had been internalizing what they were seeing on social media and around them on campus, assuming that what they were seeing was the correct way to feel about the issue. Only after she spoke with them did she start to see more nuanced opinions that weren’t reflected on social media or in group settings.
“One of my friends mistakenly thought that Hamas was an Israeli organization, which kind of hinted at a deep, fundamental lack of knowledge about what was going on,” Segal said.
Still, even people who are not engaged in the topic have felt pressured to express a public view.
At the Stanford Law School (SLS), the pressure to take a stance on Israel and Palestine existed even before the Oct. 7 attacks, according to Matthew Wigler ’19 J.D. ’25. When Wigler entered the fall of 2022, there were students who actively excluded and avoided being friends with Zionists, he said. (Since Oct. 7, this sentiment has grown demonstrably, with events and students often openly declaring that “Zionists are not allowed.”)
“During the height of everything that happened, there were tears. There were people who said nasty things to each other, both in person and online,” said Martin Rakowszczyk J.D. ’25, who is the co-president of the Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA), alongside Wigler.
When the law school tried to bring people together in their regularly held #SLSSocial Social Hour, which brings together students to mingle and have a drink in Crocker Garden, Wigler said Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) sabotaged the event. On Jan. 25, 2024, SJP posted on Instagram for students to wear black and their keffiyeh to show that they were standing in solidarity for calling for a ceasefire. Wigler said members of JLSA told him that they weren’t going to the social hour because they felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to be singled out if they didn’t wear black.
Wigler also said it was very difficult to recruit and maintain people in JLSA, which he was also co-president of last year. Many of the people Wigler sat down with said they were worried they were going to face bullying, harassment and ostracization, and wanted to keep their identity hidden, he said, arguing that most JLSA events have nothing to do with Israel, but students are nevertheless afraid that if they come, they will be ostracized by others on campus “as a Zionist.”
According to the Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report, it found that there were cases when “Zionist” or a shortened form, “Zio,” were used in implicitly antisemitic ways.
For Wigler, Zionism is the belief in the right to self-determination, which is the most commonly accepted version of Zionism’s definition. He said he believes in the Jewish right to self-determinate, but he also believes in the Palestinian right to self-determinate.
“I’m very proud to support both the Jewish state and the Palestinian state,” Wigler said. “It’s because I’m a Zionist, but I also believe in the right [for] Palestinians to have a state because I believe in the principle of self-determination for all peoples.”
For him, the root of the problem of anti-Zionism “is a belief that Jews, unique amongst the nations, don’t deserve the same right.”
Before Segal returned to campus this year, she felt scared watching how the world was responding to the attack. She started to hide her Star of David because she felt unsafe “as a Jewish person in the world,” she said. When she actually returned to campus, she felt less afraid. Now that the encampments were gone, she felt that the climate on campus had changed.
However, some students still feel like they can’t talk about the issue. Larry Diamond B.A. ’74, M.A. ’78, Ph.D. ’90, co-chair of the Subcommittee on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias of the Jewish Advisory Committee, has conducted countless interviews with students over the past year about on-campus sentiment and repeatedly encountered a hesitancy to approach the topic. In some cases, Diamond said, students are afraid that if they talk about the issue, they will be shunned.
“Who wants to be denounced, ostracized, whatever it might be?” Diamond said. “It would be very sad and not really in the spirit of the intellectual and social environment we’re seeking in the University if people felt there were issues where discussion had to be avoided because it was too dangerous, too explosive.”
“There was sadness and a sense of abandonment to see that our lives didn’t seem to matter as much,” Wigler said, but he also felt gratitude towards the people who were willing to have empathy and the people that checked in and stood by them.
Clarification: This article was updated to clarify that the Nova Music Festival massacres happened in Israel and the students were heading to Los Angeles to view the exhibition.
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Searching for home on the Caltrain tracksMoving across the world, public transportation can be quite different but still the same. Explore how the Caltrain compares with other trains around the globe.
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“Next stop: Palo Alto”
Hearing those words has become more familiar with time. As I moved to Stanford, home turned into hearing “Palo Alto” instead of hearing words in French or Portuguese. Coming from Wallonia, Belgium, I was used to hearing “Prochaine gare, Libramont” in French. But I also split my time in my first home Brazil, so growing up, I mainly heard “Próxima parada.”
But now those words no longer rang true. It was all in English.
It’s weird. Growing up in one of the world’s biggest cities, I got used to using the subway or the bus every day. Coming to Stanford, it has been an adjustment. When I sit on the Caltrain, I can’t help but reflect on how different the stations feel. The sprawling grandeur of Paris’s Gare du Nord or São Paulo’s Estação da Luz contrasts sharply with the smaller, quieter stops in California.
I’m reminded of the past trains I have been on of everytime I use the Caltrain. Perhaps it’s time to write my own review of the Caltrain — through the lens of someone learning to find “home” in small but meaningful stops.
Punctuality
“Run! If we don’t, we’ll have to wait 20 minutes for the next train!” my friend shouted. At that moment, I realized just how punctual the Caltrain is — easily the most reliable train system I’ve experienced, though I haven’t encountered many. I constantly worry about missing it after the long walk from the Main Quad to the station. When I say I’ll arrive in San Francisco at 1:55 p.m. after a long week, you can trust that I’ll be there at exactly that time — or maybe even five minutes early.
My main advice? Always leave campus early for the Palo Alto Transit Station. The timing is tricky, and missing your train is all too easy.
Safety
The Caltrain earns high marks for safety, at least in my experience — though that might be because I grew up in or visited cities known for pickpocketing hotspots. Compared to Paris, São Paulo or Barcelona, the Caltrain feels remarkably secure; I’ve never encountered safety issues while riding it. That said, my heart still belongs to Vienna. There, I could board a train at any hour and feel completely safe as a solo female traveler — something I can’t say for the other cities I’ve mentioned.
While the Caltrain’s Palo Alto Transit Station feels safe overall, I don’t look forward to the half-hour walk from campus, especially after late-night returns after a long trip to San Francisco.
Pricing
Let’s agree — it would be amazing to have a student discount on the Caltrain. In Europe and Latin America, many countries offer discounts for students on trains and buses. But not the Caltrain. Here’s a pro tip for the Caltrain: follow Luxembourg’s example with free rides or at least give us a discount — we’re students, and we’re broke!
Route coverage
While the Caltrain covers a lot of places within the Bay, it would be great if there was some type of easier connectivity between Palo Alto and Stanford. Many professors live in San Francisco, and many students would enjoy having a more easy way of getting out of our Stanford bubble. Sometimes all we need is to leave campus to feel fulfilled and alive again. And to do so, it would be great if we didn’t have to walk for half an hour or to be afraid of getting our bikes stolen in Palo Alto.
Going round and round around the world
Overall, the Caltrain reminds me of home. As I look out the window at the green California, I remind myself of the green Austrian pines. When I look at the water, I remember the nice views of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. Looking at the big buildings when arriving in San Francisco, I remember the surroundings of Berlin’s central station. Every time I ride on the Caltrain I remind myself of home, with every up and down side of this system.
Even though, in essence, the whole point of public transportation is to get people moving around from one place to another, I see it as a constant. The only thing that didn’t change in my life. But it’s still brand new and unique. They create moments of reflection, nostalgia and belonging. I met people on trains that changed the way I thought about life. I also went on trains where I met no one. Riding trains around the world taught me more than instructure, they taught me to be a free soul that can go round and round. It helped me to build impossible bridges among Belgium, Brazil, Spain – which I also lived before – and the United States. Regardless of how good or bad public transportation was, they were there. They became my constant, my diplomacy symbol. Using public transportation is a way of connecting with the past versions of myself from around the globe.
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Breaking the Silence: Stanford’s inaugural Congo Week examines culture and challengesIn Stanford's first inaugural Congo Week, students and experts celebrate Congolese heritage and discuss important issues regarding the DRC.
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Over twenty years ago, violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forced Asukulu Songolo’s ’25 family to flee and resettle in the U.S. Now a second-generation Congolese-American, Songolo finds connection to the DRC through his family’s history, Congolese art and cuisine and social media advocacy.
This past summer, Songolo traveled to South Kivu, an embattled province in the country’s west.
“Congo is a beautiful country,” he said. “The country’s most valuable resources beyond its riches are the people… I hope that someday they will be relieved of their suffering and be able to live in a peaceful country.”
Despite living halfway across the globe, Songolo and other Congolese students have pieced together a vibrant understanding of their native country. The DRC is Africa’s second-largest nation and the world’s third-most mineral-rich country, which has experienced decades of ongoing conflict and human rights abuses.
Over a hundred armed groups are operating in the DRC. Since 1996, an estimated seven million Congolese civilians have been killed and more than seven million others have been internally displaced.
Terry Karl, professor of political science, said the conflict is primarily driven by “struggles to control land, mineral wealth and oil and by ethnic tensions.”
Karl emphasized the conflict has led to an ongoing human rights crisis, as thousands of civilians are caught between rival groups. Sexual violence, especially mass rapes, are unchecked at roughly 400,000 per year — the highest in the world — as are mass killings, torture and kidnappings. Camps, which house 6.7 million internally displaced Congolese refugees, are regularly bombed.
Ben Zuzi ’25, a Congolese-American whose family fled Goma — a province in eastern DRC — in 2000, emphasized the personal impact of the ongoing conflict.
“It’s so easy to view this conflict as another one of those skirmishes in the world,” he said, adding that his family adopted a girl who lost her family in the war before they emigrated. “This is a conflict that has real effects on people, on families and on communities.”
From Oct. 14 to Oct. 21 in 2024, Stanford hosted its first-ever Congo Week, “Breaking the Silence,” to raise awareness about challenges facing frontline communities in the Congo. Part of a global movement launched in 2008 and sponsored by the Friends of the Congo (FOTC), the event fostered knowledge exchange between Congolese experts and Stanford scholars.
The week also featured exhibits commemorating the millions of lives lost in the Congo and discussions with members of the Basandja Coalition, an Indigenous union of approximately 10,000 artisanal miners and activists from the Congo Basin region.
“This is such a pivotal moment to talk about the Congo on campus,” said Fatoumata Barrie ’24 M.A. ’25, lead organizer of Congo Week. “I feel filled with hope, especially after all our conversations…It’s just a matter of creating those bridges, having those conversations.”
The Congo, part of Africa’s Copperbelt region, holds vast reserves of critical minerals like cobalt and coltan, essential for powering electronic devices.
“There are companies that benefit one hundred percent from what is going on in Congo,” Zuzi said. “As someone who is looking to work in Silicon Valley, it pains me to see it get to a point where people don’t even come to realize how we are getting these resources.”
To address these challenges, Stanford’s Mineral-X program is fostering sustainable mining practices in the DRC. Co-founder and program director David Zhen Yin said 300 new mines are needed to meet global climate transition demands, fueling a mining boom. To support sustainable development, Stanford Mineral-X, an affiliate program of the Doerr School of Sustainability, established a computer lab enabling Congolese students to learn remotely from Stanford researchers.
To educate future generations and support the development of a socially sustainable mining industry, Mineral-X has established a long-term computer lab for Congolese students to learn remotely from Stanford researchers. The lab is part of a broader Mineral-X initiative to establish a joint education program between the DRC and Zambia that is funded by the U.S. Department of State.
Mineral-X uses AI-driven remote-sensing data to locate mineral deposits and increase transparency in mining practices.
“The artisanal miners are not fully informed,” Yin said. “It is important to find a more hybrid mine and then have those discoveries be fully transparent, instead of hidden transactions.”
Dena Montague, a lecturer in environmental justice who has conducted research on DRC for over three decades, called Congo Week “an opportunity for people to reflect on what the energy transition means within a justice framework.”
“I hope that the Congolese people can prosper on their terms,” Songolo said. “Many countries seek the riches of the Congo while exploiting and violating the Congolese people.”
Hundreds of thousands of Congolese women have been forcibly evicted from their homes and subjected to human rights abuses including sexual assault due to industrial mining of critical minerals, said members of the Basandja Coalition and Congo Week organizers.
This past summer, Jackline Wambua ’25, a leader of the Stanford African Students Association (SASA), traveled to Goma with Songolo to witness the conditions in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
At a Congo Week event highlighting Congolese women, Wambua said humanitarian aid often fails to meet cultural needs.
“One of the refugees told me that sometimes when they receive aid, they may sign a check of $75, but in reality, they receive only $15,” Wambua said. “This raises a big question: Are we misallocating resources? Who are we to decide what is best for a refugee?”
She called for better research into direct cash payments for refugees and economic solutions tailored to their needs.
“Refugees are able to decide for themselves what they need,” Wambua said. “[I wanted to learn] better ways in which we could help uplift communities without taking away their autonomy or dignity.”
Congolese communities face persistent challenges tied to the treatment of gender-based violence, mental health and infectious diseases.
The country’s strained healthcare system has worsened its ability to respond to crises such as the recent mpox outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024. The DRC accounts for 90% of all reported mpox cases in Africa, with Goma at the epicenter.
Wendy Bernstein, an adjunct clinical instructor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine, has treated severely mentally ill refugees and other vulnerable populations from the DRC and other developing countries.
“What was really remarkable was just how open the providers were to learning despite the stigma around mental illness and survivors of psyche violence in the region,” Bernstein said at a Congo Week health awareness event.
Esther Elonga M.D. Ph.D. ’26, a Congolese student who has interacted with medical providers in the DRC, underscored the country’s lack of trained physicians and medical infrastructure.
“No one wants to go to the Congo because it is war-torn, but at the same time, there are so many people who are suffering from war, diseases and malnutrition,” she said, emphasizing the urgent need for investment in medical education.
Stanford’s Congo Week highlighted the resilience, strength and cultural richness of the Congolese people while raising awareness of the political, social and environmental issues affecting the DRC, organizers and students said.
“The people of the DRC are the most resilient people on Earth,” Zuzi said. “That is the reason why I am proud to be Congolese. They’re the reason why I go around with my Congolese jersey, and I have my Congolese flag in my room.”
Despite survival being the primary concern for many, particularly in the country’s east, Zuzi emphasized “they are very spiritually tough people.”
For Songolo, visiting Congo this summer reshaped his perspective on change within the country.
“I thought as though there was little hope for change in Congo. Though, after meeting people, both young and old, who had hope for a better future for Congo, I too hold hope that Congo’s future will be better than our present,” Songolo said. “Change and revolution in Congo will and should come from the Congolese people.”
Elonga reflected on the deep cultural heritage that continues to unite the Congolese, even across borders.
“I’m so glad I was born in the Congo because of the richness of languages and cultural expression,” she said. “Even as I’ve moved across the world, having that heritage has really helped me to still stay Congolese.”
As Songolo summed up the week’s message, he invoked the legacy of Congo’s first democratically elected leader, Patrice Lumumba: “One day, I hope that the Congolese people will be able to write their own story as he dreamed.”
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Returning home: Resistance, resilience and reflections of KawthooleiHsi reflects on Kawthoolei, her home that marks a deep cultural significance for her people, but is also ravaged by violence and loss.
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Whenever someone asks me where “home” is, my mind runs in a circle — trying to figure out the best way to answer the question truthfully without confusing them or myself. How do I tell someone that my “home” is Kawthoolei, an almost mythical place? How do I explain to them that my idea of a homeland is largely aspirational, based on cultural memory rather than lived experience?
There was a part of me that felt uncertain about my own sense of belonging in Kawthoolei. I was not born there, nor did I belong to a specific district, brigade or township.
I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, and my fluency in the Karen language had been fractured by the distance of migration and the influence of Western tongues and culture. Yet, the people showed me that our identity is not confined to physical borders — it resides in the connection of our hearts and souls to the revolution. Although our life experiences and environments differ, our shared sense of identity and collective hopes for the future created a bond that transcends boundaries.
I have visited Kawthoolei and lived there briefly, but my experiences in my homeland are different from my people who have been rooted there their whole lives. I can decide to visit or leave whenever I please. They, however, are faced with only two options: to stay or to flee — not out of desire, but because these are the only paths available for survival. While I have the privilege of choice, for them, choice is a luxury they cannot afford.
Kawthoolei is engulfed in turmoil: marked by violence, corruption and loss. While it holds deep cultural significance for my people, it is not recognized as its own nation and its volatile political landscape renders it more of a dream than a tangible homeland.
Kawthoolei, meaning “Land without Darkness,” is the name used by us, the Karen people, to refer to our homeland, and our aspirations for self-determination and greater autonomy. The Karen (pronounced Kuh-Ren) people are an indigenous group to Burma (Myanmar), primarily residing along the Thailand-Burma border. We are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Burma—with unique cultural heritage and history—but have faced decades of conflict, persecution, and displacement due to political and ethnic tensions with the Burmese government and military.
While there is a Karen (Kayin) State, it is not Kawthoolei. It does not encompass all the regions that hold historical and cultural significance for the Karen people. Moreover, the area remains contested between the Karen National Union (KNU) — a political organization representing the Karen people’s fight for self-rule — and the Myanmar government, whose military junta (Tatmadaw) is the primary perpetrator of violence in the region. The Myanmar government’s actions have forced my people into a defensive struggle, subjecting them to violence, displacement and unimaginable suffering.
For me and many in the Karen community, our identity is not just a label — it is an act of survival. Our ethnic and cultural identity becomes a powerful form of resistance in the face of efforts to erase our existence. Decades of conflict and displacement deeply etched the need to protect our heritage into our collective memory, transforming our shared identity into a symbol of resilience and solidarity.
While I was studying abroad in Hong Kong, I met a Burmese student. When I spoke with her, I was struck by her revelation: For a part of her life, she had no idea she was of Karen descent because her parents had hidden it from her to protect their family. After others found out she had Karen in her blood, she began to experience discrimination. For many Karen people and other ethnic minorities in Burma, the truth of their identity often carries more risks than benefits.
In Burma, Karen people are often denied identification cards. By extension, my people are often denied freedom of movement and access to opportunities. Yet the card itself, which designates one as a minority, can subject them to systemic bias and social exclusion at the hands of the Burman majority, stripping them of the privileges others take for granted. This painful reality is a constant reminder of the challenges faced by those whose heritage is both their pride and their vulnerability.
In the last month of 2024, I had the privilege of returning back to Kawthoolei. A few months prior, I was connected with Naw Manger Baw, the founder of Knyaw Academy (KA) — an organization dedicated to supporting the development of the Karen community, and became an ambassador for KA. We bonded over our shared experiences of migration and aspirations to advocate for our people. When we realized that we would both be in Thailand at the same time, Naw Manger invited me to join her and Moo Hsa, another Karen youth, on a journey to visit different Karen schools and reconnect with my heritage.
During this trip, I visited Kaw Moo Rah Junior College (KMRJC), where I witnessed the incredible passion of the students and teachers. Their commitment to education and motivation to help their people were truly inspiring. Through conversations and interactions, I learned of their dreams to become doctors, teachers and leaders in order to serve their communities and nation. Their continuous determination and strength amid adversity reaffirmed my commitment to advocating for my people’s voices, preserving our culture and supporting the fight for a better future for our people.
I was also able to see Ho Kay Karen Teacher Teaching College (North KTTC) again. It is a place close to my heart because I worked there in the summer of 2023. Seeing familiar faces and getting to reunite with the second-year students one last time before they graduate was very special to me as I had created close friendships with them. During my brief return to North KTTC, I taught for two days, driven by the desire to contribute to my community and not just occupy space. When I was there, I was able to reflect on my own positionality and reinforce my sense of responsibility to support my people and empower the dreams of Kawthoolei’s leaders and its future.
Between my departure from KMRJC and journey to North KTTC, I also met with the School of Governance and Public Administration (SGPA) and the Karen Student Network Group (KSNG). There, I conversed with Saw Kapi, the founder of SGPA, and representatives of KSNG, gaining deeper insight into their efforts to foster unity among Karen people and other ethnic minorities. I learned more about the critical resources and support they provide to empower their communities, including leadership training and initiatives that promote collaboration and resilience.
During my visit, I participated in a brief interview conducted by a member of KSNG under the guidance of Saw Kapi. They asked me thought-provoking questions about why I decided to return to the motherland, my personal goals and my educational journey to Stanford. I explained that I wanted to return to see the situation for myself, as living abroad and hearing about what’s happening is vastly different from experiencing it firsthand. I felt it was important to return, reconnect with my people and gain a deeper understanding of the realities they face. This experience was deeply meaningful as it allowed me to connect with individuals who share a common vision for a stronger, united future for our people.
Throughout my time at these different sites, I witnessed how resistance lives in the depth of my people’s hearts. Resistance is often imagined in its physical forms — protests, uprisings or violence — but it is so much more. Resistance is returning to homes that have been burned down or destroyed by airstrikes. It is planting seeds and nurturing life in spaces that have been repeatedly devastated, because why else would you continue to grow life in a place if you had truly lost all hope? Resistance is pursuing an education despite the constant threat of airstrikes and danger; it is running through the jungle and hiding in caves. Resistance is preserving our culture, heritage and language, holding onto these roots and refusing to let them wither. Resistance is choosing to live, to endure, and to thrive despite these harsh realities — because they cannot kill us all, and they will not silence our voices.
To me, Kawthoolei is more than a geographic location. It represents my people’s resilience, purpose and enduring spirit. Even though I am physically distant from it, Kawthoolei remains an integral part of my identity, bridging the gap between where I live and where I feel I truly belong. It is a cultural and emotional space that embodies our shared heritage and reminds me that belonging is not defined by proximity but by the depth of one’s connection to their people and their fight for freedom. Each time I return to Kawthoolei, I leave pieces of my heart and soul there. It is truly an honor and privilege to know my nation and my people — one that strengthens my understanding of my identity and purpose.
The recapturing of Manerplaw — Kawthoolei’s proposed capital and the KNU’s former headquarters — by KNU on Dec. 16, 2024, is a continued fight towards liberation. Their victory serves as a symbol of resilience and courage, reigniting hope for autonomy and self-determination.
To my home: မ်တၫ်ပၫၫ်ဆၫအသးသဟီၣ်ကမူဝဲလၫပပူၤတုၤပန့ၫ်က့ၤတၫ်သဘျ့တက့ၫ်
May the people’s revolution live and may we survive in the name of liberation.
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Canadian, Greenlandic students are no longer considered international, University saysThe University's Bechtel International Center announced that students from Canada and Greenland will now be classified as domestic students.
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Editor’s Note: This article is purely satirical and fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine, and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only.
Stanford’s Bechtel International Center announced this week that students from Canada and Greenland will no longer be considered international students. The timing of this decision follows indications that President Donald Trump will take actions to bring these nations under the control of the United States.
The Bechtel Center’s announcement states that “Students from the territories formerly known as Canada and Greenland will henceforth be treated as domestic students when considered for admission to Stanford, financial aid and apportionment of campus resources in accordance with the will of His Excellency, the President of the United States, Canada and Greenland, Donald Trump.”
Consequently, Dean Richard Shaw has directed the creation of a new admissions zone covering the added landmass which he has named North Montana (formerly Canada) and New New York (formerly Greenland).
“It is the responsibility of Stanford University to rise to the occasion when bold, new political ambitions are sought by those in power. Therefore, we have taken every step to ensure that the integration of new territories coincides with an increase in resources dedicated to researching the impact this political change will have on our North Montanan and New New Yorker students,” said Hoover Institution Director and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “As the United States unites these territories in pursuit of freedom and liberty, I have the honor of welcoming Dr. Jordan Peterson, renowned psychologist and proud North Montanan, to join the Hoover Institution. The inclusion of diverse voices that can bring agreeable ideas to the new administration is vital to our mission.”
Dan Olivier ’26 is from Calgary, Alb., Canada. On the possibility of an American takeover, he said, “I don’t necessarily have anything against the folks down stateside, but I think Trump and his bunch’a hosers ought to stay on the straight and narrow. Now, we never did nothing to provoke you all and we just want to go about our days rink ratting around Cowtown, not fending off imperialist bullies. The Crown gives us plenty of trouble already.”
The general consensus seems to be that Stanford’s veer to the right is a direct response to this seismic shift in its Silicon Valley donors. To combat its acute institutional poverty, the University has teased a number of significant investments to court big donors. Among these projects, none compare to the half-mile Panama Mall Canal, which aims to promote free trade between East and West Campus. The destination of all of these changes remains uncertain as the elite institutions of Silicon Valley race to the right, but it’s sure to be a wild ride.
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