Adithi Iyer – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Thu, 13 Feb 2020 09:05:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Adithi Iyer – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Continuing the conversation: compassionate leadership and paths to change in Greek life https://stanforddaily.com/2020/02/13/continuing-the-conversation-compassionate-leadership-and-paths-to-change-in-greek-life/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/02/13/continuing-the-conversation-compassionate-leadership-and-paths-to-change-in-greek-life/#respond Thu, 13 Feb 2020 09:00:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1163940 The question is not whether Greek life will remain on this campus. Instead, to the hundreds of women who draw their communities from Greek life, the question is whether we will remain and continue to push for change.

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Like so many of us, I was absolutely heartbroken reading Lizzie’s account of her time in her sorority. The comments and treatment she endured and her recounting of the hurt that the experience left her with made me feel a range of emotions — but unfortunately, shock was not one of them. 

To explain, we must acknowledge what makes Greek life so conducive to the experiences that Lizzie has outlined. Her article strikes a chord with so many of us because it’s true. The Greek system is antiquated, built on problematic foundations and discriminative principles that still linger today. These organizations were mostly established in the late 19th century and featured policies of racial segregation and socioeconomic elitism; these were white, privileged women’s organizations. Sororities nominally ‘desegregated’ as schools desegregated (although multicultural organizations continue to serve as spaces of solidarity for women of different cultural backgrounds) but were still bound to the same racist undercurrents, financial systems and social elitism. In practice, not much has really changed; these problematic concepts are still at the heart of the Greek experience.

Today you’ll find a continuation of these “traditions”: our organizations continue to be mostly white and privileged; sororities and fraternities mix at fraternity houses and many sororities are banned from hosting parties and serving alcohol. Not to mention, these mixers completely neglect LGBTQ+ women in that they rarely, if ever, include inter-sorority parties and often reinforce toxic, heteronormative approaches to sex. Dues cause distress and occasionally act as barriers to entry for women looking for community, disproportionately affecting FLI women of color. And what’s more, there’s a social component that turbo-charges these simmering tensions. A fictional social “hierarchy” based on chapter affiliation, pressures of party culture and the perceived relevance of “image” and “reputation” push out so many women who want to benefit from these communities. These largely remain because of their origins. In Greek life, “tradition” is essential, and our centuries-old, out-of-touch histories remain central to the activities of our chapters that initiate us and supposedly bring us together for life. Here at Stanford, we often take pride in declaring that our Greek life is ‘different’ because of its less central role on campus, but we must acknowledge that these issues are still very present and very harmful.

I want to be clear in commending Lizzie; her efforts took place in the context of an incredible uphill battle. Year after year, we find at Stanford that these issues go unspoken of and worse still, so do any efforts to address these issues. I often asked myself over the past three years what chapter leadership was doing when a number of appalling events occurred and they remained completely silent — these issues always seem to explode into campus conversations and then, discouragingly, fade away with little to no acknowledgement or change. In light of all of this, it not only makes sense but is completely understandable that Lizzie chose to leave the system. The behavior she endured is appalling and not reflective of the values that I, and many others in Greek life, stand for. It deserves our support and commendation that amidst all this, she made the best choice for herself in stepping down. 

I had a similar experience to Lizzie’s in that I, too, entered this system and wanted to make change in diversity programming. While I was the Vice President of my own chapter, I researched and ran diversity programming, led discussions during our chapter meetings and incorporated diversity training into our recruitment preparation. In the spring, when we welcomed our new class, I facilitated scholarship applications for women to receive assistance for paying dues. But unfortunately, my program ended with my time in the executive role. I felt I had gotten nothing meaningful done. With relative indifference to the program expressed by national advisors, who did not want to make the role a permanent part of our executive board, I was dejected and, frankly, disappointed. I entertained leaving my sorority very seriously for months; most of my friends knew I was on the way out. It was devastating. 

This effect was heightened because I actually joined an organization of relative diversity compared to others on campus; ours was more representative and seemed genuinely open to inclusive, compassionate leadership. I was furthermore inspired by so many amazing women in my chapter whom I look up to greatly for their efforts raising money for philanthropic causes, rallying behind other women and speaking up on issues like mental health, relationship violence and a range of personal journeys and struggles. 

But my problem wasn’t with my friends: largely, I was frustrated because there seemed to be such a deep disconnect between our chapter’s values and the values of our national organization. I spent my planning meetings with my national advisor largely hearing her disappointment at not being in a house (we’re an unhoused chapter) or disagreeing with her over options for financial accessibility because, as she put it, these efforts would lower the value of being in the chapter. She said, to my shock, that if you couldn’t afford to pay, you didn’t deserve the benefits of membership. I was appalled, and within my organization, I felt helpless. As I reviewed my options and considered deactivating for almost two quarters, I revisited one memory in particular.

It was our “Philan” night at recruitment where chapters traditionally share a video from their national organization’s philanthropy partner. I had just led diversity training before recruitment and was up to that point so proud of some of the honest discussions I was hearing during our parties. But I was immediately unsettled as our chapter, in the same breath, played our philanthropy video: It was 15 white, blonde women dancing, laughing and releasing balloons on a hillside. That image stuck with me, and it put my hesitance to leave into context: I realized that if I don’t do something, nothing would change. For me, letting the system continue this way without a fight was unacceptable. I want and personally need to see women like me — dark-skinned, culturally foreign and extremely proud of their identity — getting a platform to speak. But my next move could not be within my organization; I had to look to higher places to really pursue change and disrupt the system from the inside.

As the Inter-Sorority Council President, I now oversee all seven of our Panhellenic sororities on campus. It was a gamble taking on this role, as I had until then not seen anything particularly promising within the system besides my and my friends’ passion for changing it. But the gift of the inter-sorority community is that it has tapped me into a new group of women from different chapters with whom I have had incredible conversations, shared outrage and worked tirelessly to come up with real, tangible ways to make change. I am invigorated by this group of women, especially our forward-thinking executive board, with whom I am working right now to redesign the recruitment process with compassion and a high value on inclusivity. My philosophy is simple: I don’t delude myself with visions of immediate, transformative change. Instead I believe that, like many women I look up to, I can put out a message of diversity and inclusion as the norm, not a tokenized tool, and put a brown face on a traditionally white, privileged system. I know that this is not a panacea for racism, nor is it to any of the deep fundamental issues in Greek life, but I know that if I can make the process of recruitment or the positive work of even one woman easier, then I will have moved the needle in the right direction. 

To this community’s credit, I have many reasons to believe that we can move this needle: our leadership is not afraid to see this system for what it is, and most importantly, we work to do something about it. We have the resources and the conviction to provide paths to power and for once, recognize the efforts of women like Lizzie and others who work on these issues. There is a wave of solidarity and positivity that makes these communities so special to the women in them and now a voice and a commitment to action that we hope will, with time, reshape the way this system operates. Change doesn’t happen in a year, but we need to take the first steps; we hope to begin and continue a tradition of committed, caring leaders and ample resources for women across our organizations.

Should Greek life exist? That’s a question we’ve been debating for years at this school. Articles on blogs, in The Daily and just about everywhere abound with the proposition; we even eliminated it at Stanford at one point, only for it to crop back later. Through years of scandals, life-threatening incidents, and incredible callousness in responding (or not responding) to these issues, we find to our frustration that these cries fall on deaf ears. Calling for its end, while coming from the right place, is not going to change the fact that there are many who find invaluable communities from this system and many still who are looking for opportunities to use the immense resource capacity of this system for the right reasons. 

Calling for its end will not stop the hurt, either. We must acknowledge that this is not a new discussion; regardless of efforts to end Greek life, barriers of money and institutional power make its immediate abolition hard to predict or control. The reality is that Greek life at Stanford still remains and people are negatively affected by its ills at this moment. I choose to act because I know that incremental change is felt regardless of the magnitude. To me, every moment of bettering this organization — every chance to empower and every prevented feeling of hurt — is doing more in real time for women in this system than would leaving it. Because at the end of the day, the people are the purpose. They are the reason I, and so many others, joined this system; they make up the communities and lasting friendships that keep us in these organizations. They are the reason that, all things considered, I am so glad I joined a sorority on campus.
For all these reasons, the question is not whether Greek life will remain on this campus. Instead, to the hundreds of women who draw their communities from Greek life, the question is whether we will remain and continue to push for change.

— Adithi Iyer ’20

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Senate responds to SSE controversy, shows solidarity in face of Trump’s executive order https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/01/senate-responds-to-sse-controversy-shows-solidarity-in-face-of-trumps-executive-order/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/02/01/senate-responds-to-sse-controversy-shows-solidarity-in-face-of-trumps-executive-order/#respond Wed, 01 Feb 2017 08:35:45 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1122286 The 18th Undergraduate Senate discussed a bill in response to President Donald Trump’s travel ban and disputed renewed criticism of the Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE) management.

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The 18th Undergraduate Senate discussed a bill in response to President Donald Trump’s travel ban and disputed renewed criticism of the Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE) management. Senators also reported on their efforts to bring sexual assault reporting app Callisto to campus and heard funding requests.

Executive order response

Representatives from the Graduate Student Council (GSC) reported that, in total, 73 students at Stanford were affected by last Friday’s executive order that banned nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Among them were four affected undergraduates.

The GSC presented a joint resolution in response to the order commending the University’s statement of support for affected students and calling on the University to “make the repeal of this order an active and visible priority of Stanford University going forward.”

Author Trevor Martin, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in biology, focused on the impact of the resolution on Stanford students.

“The resolution is ambiguous enough for Stanford to be able to take a stand on it,” Martin said. “It’s not necessarily a political resolution but something that should really help Stanford students regardless of political affiliation or their thoughts on Trump.”

The resolution received unanimous support from the Senate in a straw poll and will be put to an official vote in subsequent meetings.

SSE

Senators also provided official responses to controversy over SSE management, after a Daily article published Tuesday cited anonymous senators’ complaints about the transparency and conduct of CEO Jelani Munroe ’16.

“From the start of his role in August up until now, at no point have I witnessed any reasons for concern about his performance,” said Senate Chair Shanta Katipamula ’19. “Should senators have any questions about the Student Store, please approach Jelani directly to ask. There’s no need to hide behind an anonymous news article.”

Callisto update

Following up on the approval of the pilot launch of Callisto — an online sexual assault reporting service — on the Stanford campus, Katipamula provided updates on the implementation of the program in anticipation of the 2017-18 school year.

According to Katipamula, the Callisto launch is currently in the contract negotiation phase. In the interim, a number of student groups have come together to create related events and workshops. Senators reported that Grace Poon, coordinator of prevention education and training for the Title IX Office and SARA (Office of Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse) are working on upstander intervention training and a Stanford Sexual Health Peer Resource Center workshop to be held Wednesday.

 

Contact Adithi Iyer at adithii ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Protestors target Palantir for role in digital registries https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/20/protestors-target-palantir-for-role-in-digital-registries/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/20/protestors-target-palantir-for-role-in-digital-registries/#respond Fri, 20 Jan 2017 08:35:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1121694 On Wednesday, tech workers, Stanford students and the larger Silicon Valley community organized at the Palantir Headquarters in Palo Alto to protest technology misuse and the formation of digital registries used to track immigrants, particularly Muslim Americans.

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On Wednesday, tech workers, Stanford students and residents of the larger Silicon Valley community organized at the Palantir Headquarters in Palo Alto to protest technology misuse and the formation of digital registries used to track immigrants.

In the midst of rain and wind, protestors of varying ethnic, socioeconomic and industry backgrounds carried signs with messages such as “People over profits” and “#dobetter” in reference to the event’s organizer, DoBetter Tech.

The protest comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration, following an election cycle criticized by some for its xenophobic rhetoric. Many of the protestors expressed concern that Palantir co-founder and Trump advisor Peter Thiel ’89 J.D. ’92 could aid the president-elect in tracking information and data on Muslim Americans.

In response, DoBetter Tech released an online petition encouraging community members to rally for concrete solutions and demanding transparency from Palantir. The petition has since amassed over 100 signatures from Stanford students, alumni and members of such tech industry giants as Oculus, Apple and Pixar.

The actions of organizations with ties to the Trump administration and the administration’s promise to limit immigration were hot-button protest issues at the demonstration.

Some attendees took to the loudspeaker took to the loudspeaker to raise concerns and rally the crowd. Mitch Stoltz, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), highlighted the importance of accountability among tech firms in his own speech.

“Don’t expect someone else to build in the ethics,” Stoltz said, “because if you don’t, nobody else will.”

DoBetter Tech, made up largely of tech workers and Stanford alumni, partnered with Stanford student groups to increase awareness of the event on campus.

According to Solveij Praxis ’17, the Stanford Student and Labor Alliance (SALA) participated in order to highlight the difficulty immigrants face in organizing for protests and demonstrations.

“These really are labor issues from our standpoint,” Praxis said. “When workers are living in fear of being fired because they’re undocumented, it’s much harder to organize to lift their wages and working conditions when working class people are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to pay the rent. It’s very difficult to have the energy to organize.”

DoBetter Tech’s petition also highlighted AFI and FALCON, two government-affiliated intelligence systems which have had considerable roles in the tracking, data mining and compilation of data specific to immigrants.

“Some of these tools – on our website we’ve particularly called out AFI and FALCON – these two databases could be used to build something like a Muslim registry and could already be being used for workplace-raid-style mass-deportation,” said Jason Prado ’08, a member of the Tech Workers Coalition present at the event.

Protestors made a point of suggesting the importance of organization and demonstration now more than ever in the wake of Trump’s inauguration.

“We’re here to tell Palantir to look in the mirror and consider what their actions do, particularly to the most vulnerable members of society – people whom President Trump has actively called out as people he wants to target,” said tech worker Dana Sniezko. “I am standing here with my fellow tech workers and members of the Stanford community, the Palo Alto community and the San Francisco community, to say: Think about your actions.”

 

Contact Adithi Iyer at adithii ‘at’ stanford.edu and Zoe Sayler at zoeneile ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Q&A with Meghan Shea, 2017 Rhodes Scholar-Elect https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/01/qa-with-meghan-shea-2017-rhodes-scholar-elect/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/01/qa-with-meghan-shea-2017-rhodes-scholar-elect/#respond Fri, 02 Dec 2016 07:50:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120562 Meghan Shea ’17 was named a Rhodes Scholar-elect on Nov. 19, making her one of 32 American students to win a fully-funded scholarship to further her studies at Oxford this year. Shea, an environmental systems engineering major at Stanford and prospective nature, society, and environmental governance student at Oxford, is an active member of several on-campus programs, such as Students for a Sustainable Stanford, and an independent researcher working through such programs as Stanford@SEA and Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR). The Daily recently sat down with Shea to shed more light on her journey as a scholar.

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Meghan Shea ’17 was named a Rhodes Scholar-elect on Nov. 19, making her one of 32 American students to win a fully-funded scholarship to further her studies at Oxford this year. Shea, an environmental systems engineering major at Stanford and prospective nature, society and environmental governance student at Oxford, is an active member of several on-campus programs, such as Students for a Sustainable Stanford, and an independent researcher working through such programs as Stanford@SEA and Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR). The Daily recently sat down with Shea to shed more light on her journey as a scholar.

(Courtesy of Meghan Shea)
(Courtesy of Meghan Shea)

The Stanford Daily (TSD): Congratulations on the Rhodes; what an incredibly prestigious honor! Can you describe your interests and how you got involved in them?

Meghan Shea (MS): I’ve always really loved the ocean and the environment more broadly, and so I knew that at Stanford I wanted to study something related to the environment — I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do yet, so I was just exploring through a bunch of different classes my freshman year. I realized that I really love math as a set of quantitative tools for thinking about science, but I also really loved the fact that Stanford has all of these interdisciplinary majors, so I was really torn between a couple of different majors. My sophomore year, right as I was about to declare, they unveiled this brand new program, which took these quantitative foundational concepts and applied them to interdisciplinary environmental problems. I ended up going that direction thinking that I wanted environmental work more broadly. But when I went abroad and spent time near the ocean, I realized that in fact, the ocean is the ecosystem that I am the most passionate about, so I ended up using environmental systems engineering as essentially an oceanography degree.

TSD: What motivated you to apply for the scholarship?

MS: It was mostly this particular program that I’d been reading about that I was most interested in — I also just think that the academic history Oxford has is really incredible, and the resources they’ve built up over the history of the institution are really incredible. The opportunity to study there for two to three years is something I’m really excited about!

TSD: What was the process like, and what was the most nerve-wracking part for you?

MS: The interview part was definitely the most nerve-wracking. In my case, I was interviewing in Pennsylvania, and you show up the night before for the reception with all of the other finalists in the region and all of the panel members who’ve read your application and know everything about you. Conversations tend to the go the direction of what you’ve wrote about on your application, so what seems like a casual gathering is actually a way that the panel is getting information about you. Even that, the beginning part of the process, is stressful. Everyone comes back the next day, and we have these intense and short interviews with the panel — I was at a big long table with all the panelists on an arc on one end and me on the other. They spent 20 minutes asking me questions that I couldn’t possibly have predicted they might ask, which is a really interesting experience. I had a surprising amount of fun in the actual interview, but it was also definitely not the easiest interview to go through. Then, you have all the finalists sitting together in a room as the panel walks in, and you sit together as they announce the winners. It’s an intense process.

TSD: Looking back on your Stanford journey, what parts of your experience will you take with you to Oxford? What was most memorable for you?

MS: The first thing that comes to mind is the people at Stanford — the professors I’ve had, mentors I’ve had, people both in and out the classes I’ve been in are truly the most wonderful part of Stanford. I feel so lucky to have been here for four years and built the connections and friendships I have. Those are definitely the things I will carry the most with me to Oxford: the lessons I’ve learned and the friends I’ve made along the way.

I think for me, I was really lucky to end up in an academic program and a lot of social situations that really excited me and brought out my passions. I tell people back home that I haven’t taken a class at Stanford yet that I’m not excited about, getting up to go that class or do the work for that class. I think I had the same experience outside of classes also; I did a lot of different, random things at Stanford and loved them all for different and random reasons. Doing a lot of things that I was excited about allowed me to also bring the best version of myself to all of those different things and give back to the communities that I really cared about.

TSD: How does the Rhodes fit into the bigger plan for you, if you have one at the moment?

MS: So ultimately, my vision and my dream is to find a career in oceanographic research that lets me continue to be a scientist and be in a lab and be out in the field but also lets me play a role in policy-making and communicating research to the public. I think academia is one place where I could take on all of these roles, and government research is another. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but the hope is that I can be doing research that will actually impact the oceans that I care so deeply about as opposed to doing something limited to science papers and journals. I think for me, the Rhodes and studying at Oxford will be an opportunity for me to think more deeply about the human side of environmental change, whereas at Stanford I’ve thought about the scientific side. I’m excited to take a step back and now think about communicating the changes we’re seeing on paper to a larger audience.

TSD: Any advice for students looking to find their groove?

MS: The best advice that I can give is to both try new things and keep doing things you know you really love. It’s really easy to lose the balance between the two — to either spend a lot of time doing random and different things or to limit yourself. The challenge at Stanford is to find that balance between different things and following your passions — it’s really hard, but it’s my best advice.

TSD: If you had a biography written about you, what would the title be?

MS: I’m not entirely sure, but it’d have something to do with the ocean and something to do with vegetables. I don’t know what the connection would be, but I think there might be a pun involved.

 

Contact Adithi Iyer adithii ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Undergraduate Senate passes pilot of online sexual assault reporting program https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/30/undergraduate-senate-passes-pilot-of-online-sexual-assault-reporting-program/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/30/undergraduate-senate-passes-pilot-of-online-sexual-assault-reporting-program/#respond Wed, 30 Nov 2016 08:46:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120522 The 18th Undergraduate Senate held its 15th meeting on Nov. 29, discussing at length a bill to initiate a wellness requirement for undergraduate students. The Senate also once again discussed recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and bringing the sexual assault reporting service Callisto to campus.

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The 18th Undergraduate Senate held its 15th meeting on Nov. 29, discussing at length a bill to initiate a wellness requirement for undergraduate students. The Senate also once again discussed recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and bringing the sexual assault reporting service Callisto to campus.

(EDER LOMELI/The Stanford Daily)
(EDER LOMELI/The Stanford Daily)

Wellness requirement

Eleanor Collier ’16 submitted a bill to incorporate wellness into the undergraduate curriculum to help students cope with stress.

“I was actually just at a research symposium talking about wellness education,” Collier said, highlighting the proposal’s roots in current education research. “There’s research showing that how long you engage in these practices and spend time in the classroom [on wellness education] matters.”

Co-sponsored by Senators Jayaram Ravi ’19 and Khaled Aounallah ’19, the bill made a general recommendation about undergraduate wellness education, leaving the implementation details open to further discussion. During their conversation, Senators raised the possibility of a wellness-focused new student orientation (NSO) event for students, as well as small-scale programs surrounding wellness education on campus as approval at the faculty and administration levels were deemed unlikely.

After discussing possible measures at length, the Senate moved to table their decision until they finalized a plan of action.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The Senate continued their discussion of a resolution to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of Columbus Day, which was first introduced during their Oct. 26 meeting.

The Senate bill comes in the wake of a nationwide movement that has criticized Columbus Day for allegedly celebrating the enslavement of Native American communities by Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus. The Senate tabled the resolution for further discussion.

Callisto One-Year Pilot

Amid increasing mobilization by on-campus sexual assault awareness and prevention programs, Senate chair Shanta Katipamula ’19 authored a bill proposing the implementation of Callisto, an online sexual assault reporting service, for a one-year pilot run on campus.

Senators passed the proposal to initiate the pilot program at Stanford after initial concerns about cost, noting that Callisto founder Jess Ladd had tested and researched the service thoroughly.

Callisto offers several changes to the current sexual assault reporting system. For one, victims of abuse are allowed to write reports on their own and then decide whether or not to actually file them. Additionally, the victim can choose to only have the assault report refiled if there have been other reports filed against the perpetrator.

The Senate also passed a motion to confirm a list of appointees to the Nomination Committee.

 

Contact Adithi Iyer at adithii ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Ballot Blast Initiative spreads awareness, informs voters before election https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/04/ballot-blast-initiative-spreads-awareness-informs-voters-before-election/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/04/ballot-blast-initiative-spreads-awareness-informs-voters-before-election/#respond Fri, 04 Nov 2016 08:00:21 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1119221 In the days leading up to the 2016 presidential and state elections, Stanford students have come together to form the Ballot Blast Initiative, a program which seeks to inform students about the 17 propositions on the California ballot this cycle.

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In the days leading up to the 2016 presidential and state elections, Stanford students have come together to form the Ballot Blast Initiative, a program seeking to inform students about the 17 propositions on the California ballot this cycle. Currently in its first year of operation, Ballot Blast is being run by Stanford in Government (SIG) along with a number of independent student political activists and volunteers with interests in policy and peer education.

The project is the brainchild of Josh Lappen ’19, whose political experience working on campaigns and research inspired his interest in the cause. For Lappen, the complex nature of the propositions motivated him to present the information to voters in a more easily digestible way.

“Looking at this year’s lineup of 17 complicated, convoluted and sometimes interconnected ballot measures, it seemed to me that there was a big need for nuanced and nonpartisan voter education on these propositions,” Lappen said. “They touch a lot of different and very important aspects of citizens’ lives and the way in which California government functions.”

Lappen’s interest in peer education regarding the amendments drove him to enlist SIG’s help to spearhead the campaign. In addition to a webpage dedicated to ballot education and details on the propositions, SIG program manager Jacob Kaplan-Lipkin ’19 has also helped to organize on-campus events to raise awareness.

Kaplan-Lipkin said, “We really want to engage more of the community in these critical debates and policy discussions, so our ultimate goal is making sure that more people at Stanford are talking about policy in a meaningful way.”

In addition to the website, SIG and its affiliates hosted an open house for proposition education on Tuesday, at the Haas Center for Public Service. Students of all years and members of the community at large attended the event, which consisted of small group discussion regarding each of the ballot measures. SIG members, student volunteers and members of other organizations gave presentations on specific ballot measures, providing information to voters.

Among the attendees was first-time voter Lily Randhawa ’20, who managed to gain more context and information about the ballot measures as a first-time voter.

Randhawa said she especially appreciated the organizers’ efforts to keep the discussion nonpartisan.

“It was really helpful because they presented both sides and used a lot of facts but also showed the possibilities for concern, [such as] unintended consequences of passing a certain measure or not,” Randhawa said.

Lappen, who also spoke at the event, agreed that the presenters kept nonpartisanship in mind when speaking to participants. He added that he was encouraged by the response to the publicity drive, which he said led to an increase in student awareness and interest in the propositions.

As Election Day draws nearer, students can interact with Ballot Blast resources online and by contacting SIG directly. According to Kaplan-Lipkin, the best way for students to find out more about the initiative and the ballot is to check out the resources on the SIG website.

“To me, every person that goes to the website and spends five minutes looking into at least one proposition, that’s a victory in terms of citizen engagement,” Kaplan-Lipkin said. “But most importantly, vote!”

 

Contact Adithi Iyer at adithii ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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