“We reduced the transfer admit target by 20 given the higher than expected freshman matric[ulation] rate,” wrote Richard Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, in an email to The Daily.

According to Shaw, 17 of the transfer students are from community colleges, while 11 are from four-year universities and five are international.

“We did see an increase in the number of applications for transfer admission this year,” Shreve said. “However, due to the diverse nature of the transfer applicant pool and its relatively small size, it is difficult to characterize the pool as a whole and to describe how it differs from year to year.”

Nonetheless, Shreve said she thinks transfer students differ from students admitted during regular admissions in some ways.

“While we do seek many of the same qualities in transfer students as in freshmen, [such as] a strong academic record and intellectual vitality, there are also some differences,” Shreve said. “With transfers, we look for students who are academically mature and prepared to jump into Stanford’s rigorous curriculum mid-stream. We also have a strong commitment to our U.S. Armed Services Veterans and to students with non-traditional educational backgrounds.”

Shaw added that the transfers are “a different population with different kinds of experiences and perspectives. We believe the transfer perspective does add to the ambiance of the campus and in the classroom.”

Transfers bring various unique backgrounds that diverge from those of the typical Stanford student who comes to campus directly after high school. For example, Emma Wood ’14 transferred last year from Williams College after also spending a year in Italy and Argentina.

This time was not only productive for academic growth, she said, but was also a way to develop her passion for food, wine and tango dancing.

Even though not all transfer students belong to the same graduating class, they still form their own sense of community, Wood said.

Transfers participate in their own version of New Student Orientation, and this year, most transfer students live in Kimball Hall or Paloma in Florence Moore Hall, making it easier for transfers to bond in the dorms.

“There is definitely a transfer community, and it’s really well mixed,” Wood said. “I think there can be this fear that transfers will group off according to where they came from, but there’s no segregation along those lines.”

Wood said she doesn’t feel as much of a connection with the Class of 2014 even though she is technically a sophomore, feeling closer to those in her academic classes.

“I feel like we’re in this interesting place where we’re between being a freshman in some senses, and being practically graduated in others,” said Jesse Clayburgh ’13, who transferred from a community college in San Francisco.

Aside from this sense of separation from one’s graduating class, the transfer experience has its own challenges. Ronaldo Esparza ’13 transferred after two years at a community college in Miami.

“You’re not sure what year you’re in,” Esparza said. “For example, I was in community college for two years, but that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily a junior.”

“It all depends on what classes they accept,” he added. “That way, it’s good to have people from different grades that you can identify with.”

Stanford’s learning environment was also distinct from what Esparza was accustomed to at his former school.

“At community college and other colleges, you have to work by yourself and ace a test,” Esparza said. “Here, you have to work together to be successful. The challenging part is that it is not only way more difficult [academically] than my previous college, but you also have to live and develop your social skills.”

Wood also said that she had to adjust to Stanford’s active social scene after coming from an institution where academics seemed to be the school’s only focus.

The Office of Undergraduate Admission hopes to continue to make these transitions manageable for incoming transfers through pre-established programs like New Student Orientation.

“We remain deeply committed to transfer students and look forward to welcoming a vibrant and diverse transfer class to the Farm in the fall,” Shreve said.

First baseman Brian Ragira had a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning, securing the Cardinal's 6-3 victory over San Francisco. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

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

Stanford (33-14, 14-10 Pac-12) has now won its last four contests, while the Dons, who recorded a sweep over Santa Clara last weekend, fall to 27-29 overall (12-9 West Coast Conference). Freshman David Schmidt, the winning pitcher for Stanford, improved to 3-1 on the season.

Offensively, Stanford got off to a fast start. In the first inning, junior centerfielder Jake Stewart reached on an error, and the next batter, junior leftfielder Tyler Gaffney, walked. Junior third baseman Stephen Piscotty’s base hit loaded the bases with no outs for first baseman Brian Ragira.

Ragira struck out swinging, but the third strike was a wild pitch and Stewart dashed home to score the first run of the day. San Francisco sophomore starter Jordan Remer settled down, limiting the damage to one run. The bottom of the second was similar for the Cardinal, with freshman catcher Wayne Taylor left stranded in scoring position and the score remaining at 1-0.

In the third inning, San Francisco’s offense came to life. Freshman rightfielder Bradley Zimmer led off the inning with a single, and two batters later, junior second baseman Jason Mahood hit a towering home run to left field that put the Dons up 2-1. The next batter, senior first baseman Nik Balog, singled to left. Starter Garrett Hughes, who was having trouble keeping the ball down in the strike zone, was relieved by junior Sahil Bloom, and he escaped the inning without giving up any more runs.

In the bottom of the third, Remer walked Gaffney and Piscotty, putting men on first and second with no outs. Remer was replaced by junior Andrew Pulido, who promptly struck out Ragira and sophomore rightfielder Austin Wilson.

In the top of the fourth, Dons leftfielder Tom Barry hit a solo home run that stretched the San Francisco lead to 3-1.

Meanwhile, the Cardinal offense continued to sputter. In the bottom of the fifth, a bunt single by Gaffney, a hit by Ragira and Wilson getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases for freshman second baseman Alex Blandino. But Blandino struck out, and once again the Cardinal left runners on base.

In the top of the sixth, reliever Dean McArdle remained stellar, striking out the side, and the bottom of the inning finally seemed to spark the Cardinal offense. Freshman designated hitter Dominic Jose hit a fly ball to centerfield, where San Francisco centerfielder Justin Maffei laid out in an attempt to make the catch. It was difficult to tell whether the ball hit the ground, but the umpire ruled that Jose was not out, and he ended up with a triple. Sophomore Brett Michael Doran came in as a pinch hitter and drove Jose home, cutting the Dons’ lead to one run.

Schmidt relieved McArdle in the seventh inning, and despite a fluke single by Maffei and an error by Blandino, he left the inning unscathed. The bottom half of the seventh was uneventful for the Stanford offense as reliever Haden Hinkle retired the side in order.

After a great eighth by Schmidt, the Stanford bats finally exploded. To lead off the inning, Blandino was hit by a pitch. Junior Elliott Waterman then came in to relieve Hinkle and quickly gave up a walk to Jose. Next up was junior Eric Smith, who had come into the game at catcher the inning before. Smith hit a booming double to right field that drove in Blandino.

“Coming off the bench is always tough,” Smith said. “I just wanted to look for a pitch early in the count that I could hit, and luckily it stayed fair.”

After an intentional walk to Stewart to load the bases, Gaffney drew a walk to put Stanford up 4-3. Piscotty then hit a sacrifice fly, followed by a double by Ragira, and the Cardinal had a comfortable three-run lead. In the top of the ninth, sophomore closer A.J. Vanegas struck out three batters to secure the win.

This weekend Stanford will travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah in a three-game series, starting Friday at 5 p.m. PDT.

Many homesteaders came to the American West in the 19th century with the tragically misinformed notion that “the rain follows the plow,” a theory suggesting that human land occupation and agricultural production of an area would beneficially alter the precipitation and climate of that same region. Ironically, the homesteaders’ land, which is considered to be the backbone of American agriculture and produces 50 percent of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts, is now known as the “Arid Region.”

“We face some really dire circumstances when we look at the water situation in the western United States,” said Andrew Fahlund, executive director of the Stanford project Water in the West.

Water in the West, formed in January 2010, is a joint program by the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Bill Lane Center for the American West. It aims to engage in research and policy initiatives from various academic disciplines in order to deliver solutions for the key water challenges in the western United States.

In particular, the program focuses on three aspects: groundwater management, water recycling and water system sustainability. Fahlund emphasized that he and his partners are mobilizing all of the relevant expertise at Stanford to create an interdisciplinary look at the pertinent issues.

“The quality of the engineering department here, coupled with the remarkable legal minds and the economists…then you bring in people from the history department and from journalism, and all of them have contributions to take on a very complicated issue,” Fahlund said.

Members of Water in the West led a 2011 Sophomore College class on a two-week, 225-mile trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in order to introduce undergraduates to the complexities of the water system in the region.

The Colorado River supplies water and power to over 25 million people in seven states, as well as to parts of Mexico. The water is supplied to a diverse range of people, from rural farmers to urbanites in Los Angeles, and increasing demand for this essential resource, coupled with a decrease in water volume, is causing major conflicts. The river once ran all the way through Mexico and out through the Gulf of California but now runs dry at many places. According to a 2010 Smithsonian article, the river is 130 feet lower than it was in 2000.

Besides the effects of water diversion from dams and irrigation, Fahlund stressed that the dire situation of freshwater ecosystems in California can be traced to climate change. Snowpack in California, a natural water storage system, is expected to decrease by as much as 80 percent over the next 50 years, and groundwater is being pumped out of the ground faster than it can be replenished.

M.J MA/The Stanford Daily

“Freshwater ecosystems across the West are pretty stressed and they are really at breaking point, and up until recently they were largely ignored,” Fahlund said.

“You don’t think about water policy on a macroscopic level, and you don’t think about things like [the fact] that L.A. only exists because they have been swindling water,” said Andrea Acosta ’14, one of the 2011 Sophomore College participants.

“Being aware of these bureaucratic policy fights and being on the river and seeing the people and places that policy actually affects made the ideas so much more meaningful,” she added.

While students of the Sophomore College trip reflected that they had fun learning to raft and enjoyed being surrounded by the dramatic landscape, many came away with deep concerns about the future of the water in the area.

“I am not really sure who would be optimistic about this situation,” said Julia Barrero ’14, who also participated in the Sophomore College class. “Maybe I am optimistic just because we need to be optimistic in the face of this crisis.”

Fahlund said he sees hope for improvement by bridging the fields through communication and cooperation.

“We held a meeting just a few days ago bringing in groundwater managers from around the state of California, as well as researchers,” Fahlund said. “I don’t think the researchers had historically given a great deal of thought to what practical questions groundwater managers have had, and groundwater managers had never bothered to ask the question, ‘What could research actually do for me in my practical challenges?’

“Our job is like translating in a sense,” he added.

David Kennedy ’63, professor of history and faculty co-director of the Bill Lane Center, looks to the history of water in the West both as an explanation and guide to handling the current water crisis.

“It is just an incredible engineering accomplishment to put in place the system we have, and it didn’t just happen…it took generations and it took focus and political will and engineering ingenuity,” Kennedy said. “So if prior generations had that much ambition and ingenuity, then I don’t see why we in future generations shouldn’t have something comparable to update the system.”

However, he warned, “We can’t go on as we have been.”

“He was a really strong, really enthusiastic, extremely resilient kid,” said Lena Potts ’12, Dube’s resident assistant in Arroyo. “He was a huge member of this community, even though he was only here for a few months.”

Dozens of friends posted on Dube’s Facebook page following news of his passing, expressing their gratitude for being able to get to know him.

“I have always been so amazed by the way you care for other people and the way you take such genuine interest in the lives and feelings of others,” wrote Austin Block ’15. “It’s so easy to see why we all love you.”

“You were never here for only one quarter, Akash. You’ve been here ever since the fall, as a part of the Arroyo family, and will always be in our hearts,” said Janhavi Vartak ’15.

Even after his leukemia returned, Potts said Dube remained upbeat.

“He was still strong. He was the same little Akash; he was still strong and hopeful,” she said. “He always really believed [in himself]. That was one of the best things about him.”

“When I saw Akash in the hospital he was not only smiling and optimistic, but his primary concern was to make sure that I was entertained and not hungry,” said Adam Goldberg ’15, a fellow Arroyo resident. “If you’re battling cancer, and you’re preoccupied with the comfort of your guests, it really just speaks to how amazing of a person you are.”

Diagnosed his senior year of high school, Dube organized the Terry Fox Charity Run in Chennai, India, in 2009. Dube went to schools in Chennai and urged students to run, in addition to sharing his own experience with cancer. The race, which takes place in locations all over the world, helps raise funds for cancer research.

The Arroyo lounge now hosts a memorial to Dube, and a whiteboard features written memories from Arroyo residents and friends of Dube surrounding photos of the freshman.

Stanford undergraduate Anna Polishchuk ’15 was hit broadside by a car while biking on Monday, May 7. Polishchuk hit the windshield of the car, which was going about 10 miles per hour through an intersection by Florence Moore (FloMo) Hall. She was thrown unconscious two car lengths away into the bushes.

“I was biking home from the dining hall, and then I find myself waking up on the ground,” Polishchuk said.

Despite the severity of her crash, Polischuk escaped with minor injuries because she was wearing a helmet.

Stanford undergraduates are notorious for not wearing helmets, and this reputation has not gone unnoticed by Stanford hospital’s emergency department (ED), according to Robert Norris, the ED doctor who treated Polischuk.

“I told her she could not be a Stanford undergrad because she was actually wearing a helmet,” Norris said.

Polishchuk heard similar comments from more of the ED staff.

“I was shocked by their shock at my wearing a helmet,” Polishchuk said. “It was unsettling how amazed they were.”

Norris commented on the value of wearing a helmet.

“This $20 investment [the helmet] saved her life. Period,” Norris said. “Without the helmet there’s no doubt in my mind that she would have been an organ donor or dead upon arrival.”

The University has been trying to fight the stigma behind wearing helmets.

According to Ariadne Scott, bicycle program coordinator, the Bicycle Program — under the umbrella of Parking and Transportation Services (P&TS) — continues to offer resources such as a New Student Orientation (NSO) program on bicycle education for freshmen, free bike safety classes offered twice a month for the entire campus community and a bike safety web page. Additionally, the program tries to increase helmet usage by collaborating with P&TS to offer discounted helmets.

Despite these resources, much of the campus continues to bike without helmets, and when a collision does occur, accident protocol can get hazy.

Last month, a fellow in the Stanford Department of Pathology, Ellen Yeh, was crossing the street as a pedestrian between Serra Mall and the Main Quad when a bicyclist hit her.

“I saw him coming really fast, stopped to let him pass,” Yeh said. “He swerved into me from the front, and I fell onto my back. Both my arms hit the ground.”

A witness had called 911, but Yeh refused the ambulance, as she “didn’t suspect bad injury.”

Yeh reports that the bicyclist was “unapologetic” and claimed that he had the right of way.

According to Scott, bikers should yield to pedestrians on shared paths.

Upon noticing swelling and pain in her arms, Yeh went to the ER, where she was informed of three fractures in her arms, two in the left arm and one in the right.

“You can get really hurt by getting hit by a bicyclist,” Yeh said. “It’s not trivial — it’s dangerous.”

Yeh said her injuries have compromised her ability to perform daily functions, as well as caused her to postpone her medical research trip to Thailand.

“There’s a hazy part to being hit by a bicyclist rather than a car,” Yeh said, in reference to difficulties in contacting the biker who hit her and the reluctance of police to get involved.

“The police say there’s no reason for them to be involved, and I can’t force him [the biker] to talk to me,” Yeh said.

“I just want him to realize his speed, safety and be somewhat compassionate…which is hard to achieve with a bike accident apparently,” she added.

To reduce accidents in the future, bicyclists must “get in the mindset that they are ‘driving,’” Scott said. “They should be predictable and visible. Bicyclists should be 100 percent focused on riding their bike.”

Finally, to reduce the trauma associated with said accidents, Norris encouraged helmet usage.

“I’ve seen too many young adults cut off in the prime of life for not having a helmet,” Norris said.

Senators described the process as “not ideal,” “tough” and even “shitty” during their second full-length meeting in office.

Nanci Howe, director of Student Activities and Leadership (SAL), expressed concern about the administration’s frustration with the ASSU’s perceived incompetency if it cannot meet the deadline for nominations.

“The last three to five years, the ASSU has been late every year,” Howe said. “Particularly the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate [are] quite unhappy with the performance of the ASSU…I worry about the credibility of ASSU as an organization.”

Senate Chair Branden Crouch ’14 said that the 13th Senate told this year’s Nominations Commission (NomCom) that the commission’s responsibilities were going to be dissolved at the end of this academic year. As a result, the Senate did not recruit new NomCom members after the commission’s term ended.

The premature anticipation of the previous ASSU Senate may have been due to an expectation that an updated ASSU Constitution, developed by the Governing Documents Commission, would pass. The proposed new Constitution revised the process for committee nominations, establishing a Joint Nominations Committee made up of ASSU elected representatives instead of delegating the responsibility to the external body, NomCom.

This new document, however, unexpectedly failed to pass in the last few weeks of the 13th Senate’s term, leaving the ASSU with an outdated Constitution and no new NomCom.

ASSU President Robbie Zimbroff ’12 initially proposed Tuesday to nominate himself as the unilateral chair of an interim nominations committee. Senator Garima Sharma ’15 noted, however, that this suggestion violated the bylaws of the Association, which say that “no member of the [Nominations] Commission shall, during her/his term, hold an elected office of the Association,” disqualifying Zimbroff from such a position.

For the Senate to approve Zimbroff’s self-nomination, representatives would have been required to suspend the Senate bylaws and rules of order, an action opposed by several senators.

Most senators said that while they viewed the idea of suspending the bylaws and giving the power of nomination to Zimbroff as flawed, the alternative — of losing student influence in committees across campus — would be far worse.

“If this isn’t done, there will be very drastic consequences,” Parliamentarian Kimberly Bacon ’15 said in response to a suggestion that the Senate have an open application process for a NomCom chair. “I don’t really see a feasible alternative in the time crunch we’re in.”

The senators also discussed how their decision would affect the image of the ASSU. Sharma said that she believed nominating the ASSU president as the chair of NomCom, against the bylaws of the ASSU, would reflect badly on the Senate in terms of checking bias.

Howe encouraged the senators to worry less about the details of their decision and focus more on producing nominations efficiently.

“We have more than just the image at stake,” Jack Weller ’15 said, supporting action rather than meticulous attention to procedure. “This is our duty; this is our responsibility. So we have to get it done.”

The senators compromised by agreeing to reinstate those members of last year’s NomCom, who accepted a re-invitation. Although Crouch, who served on the 2011-2012 NomCom, could only confirm that one of the previous members would return, the senators voted unanimously in favor of the revised bill, with both Zimbroff and the co-chairs of the Graduate Student Council (GSC) serving as ex officio members. The Senate did not have to suspend the rules of order to approve the bill.

Former GSC Chair Addy Satija urged the Senate to ensure the ex officio status of the GSC chairs, without which the NomCom would not have a graduate representative. He said that the only graduate member on last year’s NomCom has already refused to serve again.

“If there is a proposal for Nominations Commission with no graduate students on it, I know that people would rather defer it and have completely no appointments rather than go ahead with a commission that is entirely undergraduate,” Satija said.

Satija also reported that the Senate budget, which the 13th Undergraduate Senate passed in its last meeting, was rejected by the Graduate Student Council (GSC) the following day, leaving the Senate without an operating budget. Funds for a retreat including Zimbroff, Vice President William Wagstaff ’12 and the senators — which Zimbroff estimated was around $700 for hotel rooms, food and gas — came from the former Senate’s budget. The current Senate will discuss the approval of a revised version of the budget in future meetings.

The senators also nominated and confirmed Senator Christos Haveles ’15 as treasurer.

Brown said that individuals he called “identity entrepreneurs” often frame conflicts in terms of religious and national identity so that they can mobilize support for their cause. According to Brown, this is a problematic phenomenon because people face a range of “overlapping and intersecting identities to frame their struggle.”

“Looking at the dynamics of conflicts in Asia, when it comes to a choice between selecting a national versus religious identity, there is a payoff matrix,” Brown said, referring to the main theme of his presentation. His talk focused on local conflicts in Southeast Asian regions, such as the Aceh region in Indonesia, the Sabah region in Malaysia and the Moro National Front in the Philippines.

Graham Brown, the 2012 Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellow at Stanford spoke Tuesday afternoon about Southeast Asia and the dynamics between local identity conflicts and their connections to global struggles. (NICK SALAZAR/The Stanford Daily)

Brown is the 2012 Lee Kong Chian National University of Singapore (NUS)-Stanford Distinguished Fellow at Stanford. The fellowship is awarded to one scholar annually to conduct research at both Stanford and NUS for up to six months.

During his talk, Brown warned against legitimizing or misinterpreting the goals of certain groups of separatists, citing the Filipino group Abu Sayyaf, which he calls “pirates and war profiteers.”

He emphasized the need to distinguish between greed and grievance as causes for conflicts.

“Many times conflicts are not really caused by religion, but then it turns out to be in the process,” he said. “People invent causes and frame them into their identities.”

As a researcher, Brown said one of the fundamental problems is how social scientists conduct their research in the field.

“Political scientists and scholars working on religion face the problem of re-labeling religious conflicts, which feeds into narratives that become accessible to groups [involved in the conflict],” he said.

Citing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, Brown argued that scholars such as Samuel Huntington incorrectly labeled the Sri Lankan conflict as a religious one, and thus gave “identity entrepreneurs” the opportunity to manipulate their literature.

Brown further argued the idea of a “relationship between demand and supply and identity,” stating that not all of these identity narratives stick.

“Attempts to ‘Islam-ize’ the Free Aceh movement fall on deaf ears,” he said. “There is something about the nature of Acehnese identity that is strong and cohesive. People know what it means to be Acehnese, and Islam is part of the project, but jihadization isn’t.”

He contrasted this example against that of the Moro National Front in the Philippines, which he said is “a relatively new and deliberately put-together bunch of ethnic groups, and therefore there is a ‘demand’ for more of a ‘jihadized’ identity.”

Donald Emmerson, director of the Southeast Asia Forum at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, provided a few comments at the end of the talk.

Even though he agreed with most of the points presented, Emmerson noted, “Identity is not a clinical choice and people can identify with multiple identities and have a choice.”

“I am interested in Islam in Southeast Asia and the idea of Eurarabia and whether or not there is a globalized connection of radicalized Islam,” said audience member Jane Miller Chai ’60.

“The talk was ambitious, but I felt that the idea of Eurarabia was not spelled out clearly,” she added.

The diluted “Conserve” solution used on the trees should help protect them from the furry visitors that have already caused trees near Crothers to lose a significant amount of leaves. The University implemented this solution two years ago, but the caterpillar population has continued to spike during spring.

The spray will provide aid to more than just oak trees, according to an email sent out to residents of the affected houses.

“Pedestrians also typically do not enjoy having the caterpillars drop down on them as they walk by, so benefit from this treatment program as well,” wrote Craig Harbick, Crothers Hall front desk coordinator.

The spraying is part of the University’s integrated pest management system implemented this month, which aims to address this seasonal phenomenon of the caterpillar outbreak on campus while causing minimal damage to the environment.

The caterpillars are a devastating natural threat to the local oak trees, according to a pest control notice on the Student Housing website. The University has created a map of which oak trees will be treated, which mostly includes trees in the more urbanized areas of campus since they are likely to attract more caterpillars.

– Ileana Najarro

The three-story, 50-foot-tall building would include office spaces, retail and a 70-foot-tall corner tower. These approved plans are a reduction of the initially planned five-story building, following months of debate between Palo Alto’s planning commission and Lytton Gateway LCC.

The negotiations also require the new building to make space for 14 affordable housing units.

While the council officially approved moving forward with the project’s construction, speakers at the council meeting raised issues surrounding a possible parking strain. Many argued that the building’s location would only contribute negatively to the existing traffic congestion problem due to a reduction of parking space.

In response to these claims, the council also approved Vice Mayor Greg Scharff’s proposal to allocate some of the funds behind the building’s affordable housing project to the issue of parking and traffic congestions. The $2 million in question would potentially go toward a parking garage for city use, but details are yet to be confirmed.

– Ileana Najarro

Redshirt senior Corey Dysick and the Stanford men tied for fifth at the Pac-12 Championships in Oregon, led by seniors Amaechi Morton and Chris Derrick. The women's team placed second. (IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily)

Five individual titles highlighted a successful trip to the Pac-12 Championships for the Stanford track and field teams. The women placed second while the men tied for fifth, as host Oregon swept both titles.

Freshman Brianna Bain got things going for the women’s team on Saturday, winning the Pac-12 title in the javelin. Bain’s final throw of 53.58 meters was good enough for both the title and a new Stanford record.

Success in the field continued on Sunday, when senior Katerina Stefanidi won the pole vault for the second straight year. Her vault of 4.48 meters broke her own Stanford record and was just two centimeters short of the Olympic “A” standard that Stefanidi is seeking in order to represent her home country of Greece in the London Olympics.

In other field events, redshirt senior Arantxa King and junior Karynn Dunn placed second and third, respectively, in the long jump. King’s first jump of 6.42 meters was the best in the field until Arizona State’s Constance Ezugha edged her by three centimeters on her final jump. King added a third-place finish in the triple jump, while junior Alyssa Wisdom placed third in the hammer throw.

On the track, sophomore Kori Carter rounded out the individual wins on the women’s side with a victory in the 100-meter hurdles. Carter narrowly edged out classmate Katie Nelms, 12.99 seconds to 13.01, and both were far better than the previous Stanford record of 13.13, which was also set by Carter.

Carter and Nelms also contributed to a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay. Redshirt senior Shataya Hendricks and junior Carissa Levingston ran the additional two legs to help the team put up a 44.25, good for the second-fastest time in Stanford history. Hendricks also placed third in the 100 and sixth in the 200. Junior Kathy Kroeger had the best finish in the distances, placing second in the 5,000.

Meanwhile, the individual winners on the men’s side were no strangers to success in big meets, as seniors Amaechi Morton and Chris Derrick both added a Pac-12 title to their trophy cases.

Morton won the 400-meter hurdles with the sixth-fastest time in the world this year. His 48.95 missed his own school record by just one-hundredth of a second, but it was enough for the Olympic “A” standard. Along with his first Pac-12 title, Morton added a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles to account for 18 of the team’s 78 total points.

Derrick started out his Sunday with a close runner-up finish behind Arizona’s Lawi Lalang in the 1,500. Lalang and Derrick also finished 1-2 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and both the 3,000 and 5,000 at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year. Derrick broke through later on Sunday, though, edging out Lalang and his teammate Stephen Sambu to win the 5,000. The win was Derrick’s second career title in the event and third overall.

“It was a really good day,” Derrick said. “For the 1,500, I would have liked to have won, but I got boxed in a little early. I closed fast, which I was happy with, but I just couldn’t catch [Lalang]. The 5k was a slugfest. It was a really tough race, and Sambu was the one pushing the pace. With a mile or 2k to go, I noticed Lawi hurting, and I had never seen him struggling. There was a lot of lead-trading, and I was trying to keep up the pressure to finally beat the guy that had beaten me before. We were all wiped afterward, but I was pleased to come out on top.”

Other top finishers for the men were senior Benjamin Johnson, who placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and redshirt junior Geoffrey Tabor, who placed third in the shot put. Tabor fouled in every attempt at the discus, though, so he was unable to repeat his 2011 title.

Overall, the men were disappointed with their team finish.

“We weren’t too happy with that,” Derrick said. “We’re at that level as a team where we’re in a pack of quality teams and we needed a big meet to break through. We had some good performances, but not enough. We know we’re built more for NCAAs, though, so we’re looking forward to that.”

Next up for the track and field teams is the NCAA Regional in Austin, Texas, on May 24-26. The NCAA Championships will follow two weeks later in Des Moines, Iowa.

Then I met my girlfriend who resides in the East Bay, took a few classes that pulled my head out of the suburban Florida sand I had been stuck in for 18 years and slowly grew more comfortable making the trip over the Dumbarton Bridge and into one of the more undervalued multicultural hubs in the country.

Like any major city, Oakland has its flaws, but its infamous reputation has far exceeded reality. It’s home to things like gorgeous hiking trails and incredible places to eat, and having now driven though “the town” several times at night, it’s comical to think I was once afraid to park my car at any BART station.

In fact, the East Bay now feels a bit like a third home. As a displaced sports fan begging for a fresh start with a few unconventional teams, it’s no surprise that Oakland’s finest stood out. For the past couple of years, I’ve been loyal to the Warriors, Athletics and Raiders, but it’s been a difficult adjustment. These teams play in venues that are a far cry from the state-of-the-art Amway Center, the playing grounds of my hometown Orlando Magic. They’re not franchises you look to as models of effective management. And, most importantly, these aren’t bandwagons you hop aboard if you enjoy winning.

Never have I left a game in Oakland feeling as if a championship were on the horizon. I once saw LeBron James hit the first game-winner of his career, naturally against the Warriors, and that sort of other-team-moment has been all too frequent. Games are often attended to watch opposing players compete, and I’ve seen cheers for losses that improve draft position.

But I keep coming back, because there is something endearing about the cluster of stadiums directly off the 880, and something endearing about the people who migrate to them that is tough to put into words. Oakland fans are among the most passionate and intelligent in the world. That may be a hard pill to swallow when A’s games are regularly filled by fewer people than attended my senior prom, and Raider Nation routinely dresses like a group of teenagers headed to a gothic Halloween party.

It’s fair skepticism, but the regulars are more connected to their teams than just about any other fan base I’ve witnessed, and it is something that needs to be experienced in order to be understood. (As a bonus, parking is free and abundant at the Coliseum BART station. Good luck finding that at any other stadium in the country.)

Oakland’s teams, regardless of their recent history, are immensely valuable to a struggling city. However, they’re at risk of fleeing in the very near future. The Warriors are being actively enticed by city leaders in San Francisco to move back across the Bay to their previous home. The much-maligned Raiders have been rumored to be leaving the Coliseum again, this time for a potential stadium-share with the cross-town San Francisco 49ers. And the A’s, the beloved princes of the Moneyball era, have been mentioned in connection with places like Fremont and San Jose. Woof.

I’d be devastated to see any of the three depart, but my personal hurt would be nothing compared to Oakland’s. Mayor Jean Quan has suggested the possibility of building a sports wonderland in place of the current relics, allegedly with private funding, but the Warriors have a better chance at a championship than that happening in the near future. Different markets would undoubtedly garner more money and support, but it would kill one of America’s best sports cities.

So much of the hurry for relocation stems from outside pressures that see Oakland in the way that I used to see it. Sports are big business, I understand that, but there are ways to at least sustain the franchises without shipping them away to less deserving places. The city will never rival L.A., New York and Chicago in terms of financial potential, but knowledgeable and productive leadership can at least set things in the right direction.

The moral of the story is that things aren’t always as they seem. The Warriors, Athletics and Raiders are not second-rate organizations in a second-rate city. Oakland doesn’t need to go under the knife; it just needs a little makeup.

Considering that he drives the most stolen car in America, maybe Zach Zimmerman should reconsider leaving his Camry at BART. Send him safety tips at zachz “at” stanford.edu and follow him on Twitter “at” Zach_Zimmerman.

“It’s impossible to have a complete picture of life as it used to be in the Portola Valley neighborhood without knowing about one of its most intriguing and colorful early inhabitants,” said Nancy Lund, the Portola Valley town historian. “His life is the stuff of local legend.”

Grosso, who lived in the Stanford-owned Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in Portola Valley, Calif., was the area’s unofficial guide. Especially after the University opened in 1891, Grosso enjoyed the company of many visitors. Hiking through maze of foot trails he maintained throughout the hills was a popular Sunday afternoon community pastime. Stanford students hiked the trails often, and even Jane Stanford is reported to have dropped in on occasion. Hospitable to the extreme, Grosso would sight visitors from afar and raise some combination of his American, Italian, French and Chilean flags.

He offered visitors homemade wine, a vinegary white for strangers and his best red for regulars. Also renowned as an excellent cook, he would invite people over to “come on and eat a rabbit leg” as he put it. His pickled miniature corn on the cob was a particular favorite.

But if complimented on his cooking, Grosso would brush it off by saying, “Julia did it.” Or when inviting friends over, he might say, “Don’t bring the Julia.” If someone played music, he would mutter something about Julia and ask that it stop. While no one knows who Julia was, it is believed she was an Italian sweetheart he left behind or who died shortly before he left Italy.

All this could only come from speculation, however, since Grosso was miserly with details of his prior life. In an interview in 1952, well after Grosso’s 1915 death, his friend Frank Bracesco revealed that he had served as a soldier under Giuseppe Garibaldi and had been a valet to the Duke of Genoa.

Grosso was most likely born near Genoa, Italy, in the 1830s. He came to America in 1869 and hinted that he had spent time in Panama and mining in Chile prior to reaching the continental United States. He first worked for Hippolyte Belloc’s banking company and later for Nicholas Larco as a ranch foreman. During this period, he is reputed to have discovered silver in what is now Jasper Ridge, but he claimed to have hidden the find by covering it with brush and burning it.

M.J MA/The Stanford Daily

In 1875, when Larco became bankrupt, Belloc gave Grosso the prospecting rights to the land. He immediately moved there and set up his elaborate estate next to the 185-foot abandoned mine shaft in which he hoped to find silver. When the Stanfords purchased the property, they unsuccessfully tried to evict Grosso, but with his prospecting right, he could stay as long as he made attempts at mining.

For the rest of his life, Grosso would remain obsessed with the idea that someone was trying to take the mine from him. He went to great lengths to convince people he had found large quantities of high-grade silver, although records indicate that he never found anything worth more than one dollar per ton. Accounts differ, however, and some insist that he made a fortune.

“He kept mysterious bags under his house, which he claimed contained ore of the same quality as that in his display jars,” Lund said. “About once a year, he’d take the bags to Redwood City in a rented buggy, presumably to cash them in.”

It seems unlikely that the content of the bags proved lucrative, since in his later days, after Belloc’s widow stopped providing him a pension–the reasons behind her financial support of Grosso are ambiguous–he basically lived off the generosity of others, walking around with a sack in which he would accept vegetables and other necessities.

He could not work the mine on his own and was too suspicious of potential investors to ever open it up again. Instead, he dug over 20 surface pits in the hope of finding his elusive treasure.

In the spring of 1915, Gross suffered a stroke. He was discovered in his bed by Ida Bracesco a few days later. He died on May 18 in the San Mateo County Hospital, at 85 to 90 years of age.

In 1923, the Stanford Mining Department reopened the “Hermit Mine” to use as a practice mine. By this time, most traces of Grosso’s stay there had disappeared, even his house. But his story captured the interest of many students involved in the project. Who was this gentlemanly recluse who spoke five languages and kept up an impeccable appearance? Did the lonely and mysterious figure, with a beard down to his chest, ever actually make a “find?” What kept him up at night, sweeping his maze of paths in the moonlight?

The last official mention of the mine came in 1941, when the head of the mining department stated that it had not been touched in years. Today, thick hedges of poison oak guard the location of the mine, taking on Domenico Grosso’s legacy of protecting it from opportunistic hands.

In addition to an interview with Nancy Lund, this information was gathered from sources including “The history of Jasper Ridge: From Searsville pioneers to Stanford scientists” by Dorothy F. Regnery, Volume 27 of the Stanford Illustrated Review in the Stanford University Library Special Collections and University Archives, and “The hermit mine” by Merle Marion Repass.

-Amrita Rao

One of my Facebook friends had written a status that read, “Just finished cleaning out my Facebook friends list. If you’re reading this status, then congratulations, you made the cut!” It had garnered over 30 likes and got me thinking: how does one go about a Facebook cleanse?

The first step is obvious: going through your current friends list and unfriending those who you don’t know in real life — although, to be fair, I don’t know why anyone would add those people as friends in the first place. The next thing would be to delete those individuals you have only met once or twice. Easy enough. But then what happens next? Do you start with the people you knew in high school but no longer talk to? What about old co-workers? And how about that one girl you once worked on an IHUM project with, because your TF paired you up, but haven’t talked to since? Does she deserve to survive your purge?

A late night discussion with some friends led to some interesting thoughts on the topic. One friend of mine insists on keeping his friend list limited to about 200 people. He believes that that number represents the amount of people he actively interacts with at any given time. He argued that he knows he doesn’t need to delete anyone, and that he knows this because he feels comfortable writing on the walls of any one of his friends, and has done so at some point or another.

Another friend, who has over 1,000 Facebook friends, told me that she is completely comfortable with her social network. According to her, you never know when those old connections might come in handy, and her only stipulation is that she only adds individuals she has met in real life (well, that and she refuses to add her parents). She insists that she doesn’t put anything up on Facebook that she has a problem with anyone seeing, so it doesn’t make a difference to her.

In addition to the act of cleansing, there’s also the question of how to deal with the aftermath of deleting a Facebook friend. If you choose to delete people you once knew in high school, what happens when you run into them back home during breaks? One person argued that you merely smile and gesture hello, but that there’s no need for further acknowledgement. “After all,” my friend argued, “if she wanted me to know about her life in college, she would have stayed my Facebook friend.” The fact that she was offended by the deletion wasn’t masked very well.

Now, even though I gave my friend a sympathetic smile at the time, her words led me to an entirely different realization: people take Facebook way too seriously nowadays. We are all aware that Facebook is not real life, yet the idea that things need to be made “Facebook official” appears to have consumed our generation. We feel the need to wish people we would never wish in real life a “Happy Birthday” because the site tells us to; we share our relationship statuses with the world, regardless of whether we’re sharing information about a hook-up or a breakup, and we get offended when we get unfriended. I’m as guilty of it as everyone else is, but it’s important to remember that our Facebook friendships don’t validate our real ones. At the end of the day, Facebook is nothing more than a public forum where some people choose to share tidbits of their life and others choose to share the “Call Me Maybe” music video, and taking something like that seriously may be as ridiculous as the aforementioned music video.

Want to call Ravali maybe? Send her an email first at ravreddy “at” stanford “dot” edu.

It’s May at Stanford, and Greek life has taken over the spring calendar. Pledge retreats at country homes. Special dinners. Digging moats at three in the morning.

I’ve never been fond of fraternities at universities: too many stories abound of alcohol poisoning, hazing and even death. And sure, alcohol and hazing exist here, but if there’s one Greek system that I feel does a pretty good job, it’s the one here at Stanford.

It’s not perfect, of course. There was an awful lot of heartbreak a month ago when sorority rush ended — many smiled broadly, announced what sorority they were a part of at brunch, and you could just tell they were dying a little inside. The same can probably be said for fraternities, though I witnessed a lot less of it because Sigma Chi tapped Burbank’s entire third floor.

But a lot of it has worked out since then. Some sorority sisters I talked to admit that they weren’t too thrilled at first with their new families, but more for lack of information than anything else — they’ve found camaraderie and great pledge peers in their current classes. Near-miss fraternity rejects have gotten over their “we-like-you-but-not-enough” messages.

But it’s not always rainbows and lollipops. Some aren’t happy with their pledge classes, or even with the system. And considering they’re going to be (and already are) surrounded by those people for a year, the best they’re doing is grinning and bearing it.

Fitting, because that seems to be what a lot of rushees I know did during their entire rush process — “man flirting,” you could say. “It was just so shallow,” one told me. “I’m so into this, that’s so cool, so nice to see you!” It seemed like even the most prideful of men were willing to — for a couple weeks at least — parade themselves and their talents in front of a panel of upperclassmen.

And the looks on prospective sorority sisters’ faces when they would come back from their events! Clutching their blistered ankles, rasping to me in hoarse voices. “We were in there for hours!” one complained, describing a social scene where women were supposed to sell themselves over loud music.

And I will spare you the horror of being with rushees at the Stanford Shopping Center, searching desperately for a sundress for a “rush event” the next day. As if shopping weren’t stressful enough.

It’s kind of a shame, really, if it’s true that lots of current pledges had to sell themselves in order to gain entry into a social club. It would be an even greater shame if they had to be someone they’re not — after all, it’s kind of hard to fake it for a full year, around people you will be forced to live with.

Of course, this is all hearsay, because I never bothered to look at the fraternity scene, partially because of the stigma of “Animal House” and a couple damning Rolling Stone articles.

But again, while it’s not perfect, Stanford does do a pretty good job. People seem by and large happy. There’s a lot of PDA on Facebook, on the sidewalks in front of our dorm and at parties. “Sister” and “brother” have become major parts of students’ identities in non-biological ways.

It sometimes makes me regret not giving Greek life a shot.

But then again, how many of our new happy Greek families are just grinning and bearing it?

Want to do some man flirting with Ed? Send him an email at edngai “at” stanford “dot” edu.

By all accounts, Tony Blair seems like a nice guy, your archetypal lovable Brit. Charles Manson is a lot more scowly. However, Blair’s also a lovable Brit who just so happened to wage an illegal war. That’s not really a matter of philosophy, of whether or not you were for or against the Iraq War. An opinion by George Monbiot published in The Guardian on January 25, 2010, reads:

“Under the United Nations Charter, two conditions must be met before a war can legally be waged. The parties to a dispute must first ‘seek a solution by negotiation’ (article 33). They can take up arms without an explicit mandate from the U.N. Security Council only ‘if an armed attack occurs against [them]’ (article 51). Neither of these conditions applied. The U.S. and U.K. governments rejected Iraq’s attempts to negotiate. At one point the U.S. State Department even announced that it would ‘go into thwart mode’ to prevent the Iraqis from resuming talks on weapons inspection (all references are on my website). Iraq had launched no armed attack against either nation.

“We also know that the U.K. government was aware that the war it intended to launch was illegal. In March 2002, the Cabinet Office explained that ‘a legal justification for invasion would be needed. Subject to law officers’ advice, none currently exists.’ In July 2002, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, told the prime minister that there were only ‘three possible legal bases’ for launching a war – ‘self-defence, humanitarian intervention or UNSC [security council] authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case.’ Bush and Blair later failed to obtain Security Council authorisation.”

Kofi Annan said the same thing in 2004 in an interview with the BBC: “I have indicated it was not in conformity with the U.N. Charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal.”

Without legal justification for the Iraq War, Tony Blair is implicated in the death of over 1,000,000 Iraqis and the displacement of 2,000,000 more. Just because he was elected by Parliament or speaks English or doesn’t dress in crazy military garb or is white doesn’t mean that he didn’t commit a crime in waging the Iraq War without U.N. Security Council approval. The brutality of Saddam Hussein’s regime is irrelevant to this fact.

If you’re one of those people who thinks “Yeah, but it’s international law. You can’t enforce it. Why does it matter?” I want you to take a second and think about how silly that sounds. Every member of the U.N. agreed to the charter when it was formed. We’re supposed to be grown-ups here. When dealing with international affairs, when dealing with the prospect of invading countries, a snotty “You and what army” attitude a la Black Bush is not only not helpful, it frankly has no place in the thought process of anyone who considers him/her/perself a global citizen. International law is in fact law, and it needs to be respected. I mean, you do want world peace, right?

What Tony Blair is on campus to talk about, the African Governance Initiative, is also problematic, what with him being the former prime minister of what still technically is an empire. I hope he faces questions about the implications of developing a foundation whose goal in part seems to be asserting de facto control of African governments, but the politics of the AGI aside, Tony Blair is still a war criminal.

Peter McDonald ’11

Occupier of Meyer Library

Students gathered at Tresidder Union outside the office of Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman Monday morning to protest the lack of student input in deciding the future of Chi Theta Chi's lease. (ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily)

Proclaiming that “we will not forget and we will not go quietly,” approximately 70 Chi Theta Chi (XOX) residents and members of the Stanford community marched on the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs (VPSA) on Monday morning in protest of the University’s decision to terminate the house’s lease.

Led by drums and bearing placards with slogans such as “Home is where the lease is,” protesters walked from XOX to the Tresidder Union office of Student Affairs, where they called on Vice Provost of Student Affairs Greg Boardman to engage in a direct dialogue with residents about the house’s future.

“We are distraught by the failure of [University administrators] to acknowledge our repeated attempts to demonstrate the value of our student-owned and managed community,” said Kelsey Grousbeck ‘12, a XOX kitchen manager, reading from a statement signed by all XOX residents and eating associates.

XOX residents have expressed concern in recent weeks at the lack of input they’ve been granted in ongoing negotiations between the University and the XOX Alumni Board, a sentiment echoed in the statement. Stanford officials voted to let XOX’s lease lapse for at least two years, during which time Stanford and XOX will jointly manage the house.

“Since the announcement on February 8 to revoke Chi Theta Chi’s lease, the administration has failed to treat Chi Theta Chi’s residents as valued undergraduate students,” Grousbeck said. “The administration has demonstrated a lack of consideration for the character, creativity and family of Chi Theta Chi.”

“I think that it’s important for students to have an outlet,” said Abel Allison ‘08, president of the Alumni Board, in advance of the march. “Until recently, we hadn’t really been able to communicate the details of what’s being discussed. I trust that they’ll be respectful.”

Grousbeck argued that the introduction of joint oversight — between the University and the Alumni Board — of the house for an interim period lasting “a minimum of two years” would jeopardize the house’s culture of independent living and the institutional memory of that experience among students.

“Without the knowledge of the level of responsibility required to run the house and maintain our community values, the lease would fall into ineffective hands,” Grousbeck said.

Residents also sought more immediate clarification by the University on issues identified as particularly pressing, such as the ability of the Alumni Board to retain control of the lease during the interim period, the ability of residents to continue to pay rent to the Alumni Board and the restoration of the lease by the time current sophomore residents are seniors.

The statement’s sentiments were echoed by Daniel Mattes ‘12, kitchen manager at Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Mattes argued that the XOX lease issue has been symptomatic of more rigorous University oversight of the co-op community, leading to a “sense of constant suspense and fear” for co-op residents.

“We stand in full support of Chi Theta Chi, and we find it deeply disturbing how the University has handled this,” Mattes said.

Boardman acknowledged that there are “a number of issues here which we need to go through” and offered to converse with a smaller number of residents in private.

“In the next few days, I will be reviewing and discussing this [statement] with my colleagues in Residential and Dining Enterprises, which includes Housing, as well as my staff in Residential Education,” Boardman wrote later in an email to The Daily. “And, we’ll continue to meet with the Chi Theta Chi Alumni Board.”

When his offer of a smaller gathering was refused, however, Boardman returned to his office while protesters remained outside to further express their discontent with the lease issue.

“The response was disappointing,” Grousbeck said after the event, noting that XOX resident representatives had met with Boardman last week and had notified him in advance of the march. “We kind of thought he would have some response, even a prepared one.”

“These are issues that extend beyond the 37 people in XOX,” said Autumn Burnes ‘12, XOX resident assistant (RA), in thanking her fellow protesters for the turnout. “What you’re seeing here is an expression of frustration from students who feel excluded from the situation.”

After spending just over half an hour outside the office of Student Affairs, protesters gradually dispersed or returned to XOX.

After the event, Boardman acknowledged that the lack of student input in ongoing negotiations was “understandably frustrating” for XOX residents, but argued that the focus on the lease — a legal document between the Alumni Board and the University — meant student input had been harder to incorporate.

“We are indeed making progress,” Boardman wrote. “In retrospect, we wish we had developed a more open process that included the student voice in a more purposeful manner. Having said that, however, the Alumni Board has served, in my opinion, as strong advocates for the Chi Theta Chi community.”

Alex Kindel ‘14, a marcher and a former ASSU Senator, expressed optimism about the degree of student involvement in the protests, but criticized the response by administrators.

“I thought it was great that so many students from across campus rolled out in support,” Kindel wrote in an email to The Daily. “To their credit, VPSA and Residential Education officials did listen to student statements, but it was disappointing to me that they declined to participate in a conversation with the gathered students.”

Senior Ashley Hansen was once again instrumental in a Cardinal series victory. The stud shortstop had a fantastic weekend, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance in game two. (MADELINE SIDES/The Stanford Daily)

The Cardinal (38-17, 11-13 Pac-12) was blanked by the Utes (28-28, 2-22) by a score of 6-0 in game one, but bounced back with a 9-1 blowout in the second game and a 12-9 victory in the series finale. With the road wins, Stanford wound up sixth in the highly competitive Pac-12 standings.

Junior pitcher Teagan Gerhart was uncharacteristically shaky on the mound early in Thursday’s game, as she allowed five earned runs despite a six-strikeout performance. The Utah offense managed to inflict most of its damage in the bottom of the second inning by scoring five quick runs.

The Stanford bats did not help Gerhart much either. Utah senior pitcher Generra Nielson dished out eight strikeouts and held the Cardinal to just four hits over seven complete innings.  Senior catcher Maya Burns was the leader of an otherwise quiet offensive showing, going 2-for-3 at the plate.

But the Utes could only hold off the Cardinal for so long. In game two, the Cardinal’s bats exploded. Senior shortstop Ashley Hansen stole the show in the batters box, going 4-for-4 and matching her career-high for hits in a game. Just as impressive was the fact that Hansen hit her 18th career triple in the process, breaking a school record. The senior currently leads the Pac-12 in triples, with eight so far this season.

Joining Hansen in the offensive showcase was freshman leftfielder Leah White, who hit a three-run homer in the top of the sixth that allowed Stanford to put away Utah for good. The dinger added to White’s already impressive rookie campaign by giving her a total of five home runs on the season. Freshman third baseman Hanna Winter also hit well at the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4. And the hitters behind her in the lineup certainly did their jobs, as five Cardinal hitters drove in one run or more.

Freshman pitcher Nyree White’s dominant performance on the mound also proved to be critical in Stanford’s victory in game two. White, who played on the U.S. Junior National Team this past summer, did not give up a single walk or an earned run. The only run that the Utes scored came from a Cardinal defensive error in the bottom of the first inning. The win improved White’s season record to 7-6 and set up the rubber match.

In the decisive game three, the Stanford offense once again showed up in full force, and Utah’s Nielson could not limit the scoring the second time around. Hansen continued her hot streak by hitting a home run and a double along with scoring three runs and driving in another pair. Matching Hansen, both White and junior second baseman Jenna Rich accounted for three RBI in the game.

The Utes didn’t go down without putting up a tough fight, however. Utah put the pressure on Stanford right away by scoring in the first inning. On the mound, Gerhart pitched 4.2 innings in which she gave up six runs, but only one was earned. Nyree White came in to relieve Gerhart in the fifth despite pitching six full innings the day before, but Gerhart showed her toughness once again by re-entering the game in the sixth to pick up her second save of the season.

With the regular season officially wrapped up, Stanford has set its eyes on the postseason after receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament two days ago. Postseason play is nothing new for the Cardinal, which is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the national tournament. The Cardinal will square off against Baylor (33-20) in Lafayette, La., in the opening round of the tournament on Friday.

The Iris and Gerald B. Cantor Center for Visual Arts, formerly the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum, boasts a history almost as extensive as its collection of exhibits. (OLLIE KHAKWANI/The Stanford Daily)

The museum was hit by the 1906 earthquake and later closed in 1945 following years of disuse, but the next year a committee was established to rejuvenate the museum. Over time, the site branched out to incorporate holdings beyond Stanford’s initial collection. Eventually, the museum committee decided to look outside of Stanford’s campus to receive additional funds and direction.

The external contributors recruited to revamp the museum’s direction and financial backing were Iris and Gerald B. Cantor, prominent art collectors and philanthropists.

“Iris and B. ‘Bernie’ Gerald Cantor, a successful financier and philanthropist, became serious collectors of Rodin sculptures after Mr. Cantor saw Rodin’s ‘Hand of God’ in a Madison Avenue gallery window in 1947,” Patience Young, curator for education at Cantor, wrote in an email to The Daily.

Young added that the Cantors’ collaboration with Stanford University stemmed from a relationship with Albert Elsen, a professor of art history and career-long Rodin scholar. With their combined passion for the French sculptor, Elsen and the Cantors planned the Rodin Sculpture Garden that opened in 1985.

In the late 1980s, the Stanford campus, including the museum, was hit by the Loma Prieta earthquake, which caused significant damage to the building.

In a 1989 article, The Daily reported on damage to the Stanford campus as a result of the earthquake.

“Stanford and the surrounding area were rocked by an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale…Some pieces of artwork in the [museum] suffered major damage from the quake,” The Daily reported (“7.0 quake rocks Stanford,” Oct. 18, 1989).

A few days later, the museum also “suffered major structural damage,” The Daily reported. The museum administrator at the time, Mary Drickey, added that the building was closed indefinitely (“Quake damage estimate placed at $160 million,” October 23, 1989).

After the 1989 earthquake, Stanford and the supporting art community decided to rescue the damaged museum building and revive the institution. Tom Seligman ’65, the John and Jill Freidenrich Director of the Cantor Arts Center until his retirement in December 2011, was hired as the full-time director of the museum in 1991 and began fundraising to restore and add to the existing building.

Young added that the Cantors were major donors to that campaign, and the renovated museum now bears their name. Many other funders were involved, and their names are displayed in the lobby and elsewhere around the galleries.

Finally, in January 1999, the museum reopened to the public and showcased its new and more extensive exhibits.

“The Stanford Art Museum, now known as the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, will re-open to the Stanford community and public this weekend,” The Daily reported. “The University spent $36.8 million on the museum to undo damage done by the [Loma Prieta] earthquake” (“Museum reopens tomorrow,” Jan. 22, 1999).

Young added that the museum primarily relies on gifts, bequests and long-term loans to attain works. Past exhibitions include “The Photography of John Gutmann: Culture Shock” (1999), “Fictional Worlds, Virtual Experiences: Storytelling and Computer Games” (2003) and “Collection Highlights from Europe 1500-1800, Ancient Greece and Rome” (2010).

Over the years, the museum itself has received increasingly more visitors due to its collections. Young estimated annual visitors at about 200,000.

Anna Koster, Cantor head of communications, added that about 20,000 of those visitors only visit the Rodin Sculpture Garden and never go inside.

“This is the largest and most comprehensive art museum between San Francisco and Santa Barbara, so we draw a lot of visitors for many reasons, for formal study and for informal learning and for the simple pleasures of spending time browsing the galleries,” Young said.

The museum’s exhibitions are made up of Cantor’s own pieces or are borrowed from other institutions.

In mid-May, the museum will open its next big exhibition, titled “Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley.” Organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, the exhibit is currently traveling across the university art museum circuit.

“Our exhibition schedules are usually planned some years into the future to allow each project to mature thoughtfully for our viewers,” Young said.

–  Josee Smith

Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover's love story has its roots in the Stanford Geology Department and expands across the globe, though the couple eventually returned to Palo Alto after Hoover's presidency. (M J. MA/The Stanford Daily)

In fact, “screw your student” might be a more accurate description of their first date, as Herbert and Lou were set up on a date by their geology professor.

Herbert was a senior majoring in geology when he first met Lou in the office of John Branner, head of the Geology Department.

“There was a sly twinkle in his eye as he [Dr. Branner] said: ‘Miss Henry, this is my assistant, Herbert Hoover. Hoover, this is Lou Henry, our first woman in the Geology Department,” reported the November/December 1904 issue of The Stanford Review magazine.

At first, Herbert was not particularly interested in Lou, but it wasn’t long before Branner’s wife arranged for them to have lunch at her house. By the end of the luncheon, Lou had captured Herbert’s heart.

“His college habits began to change,” the magazine reported. “He even joined the callers waiting in the conspicuous Roble reception hall for their girls to answer the bells in the upstairs corridors.”

Although both Lou and Herbert majored in geology, Lou had a strong interest in natural history, Latin and English, while Herbert loved science and mathematics. In fact, the July 22, 1928 issue of The New York Times Magazine reported that Herbert did not pass his English exam until an hour before graduation.

After they both graduated, Herbert and Lou married in 1899 before leaving for China, where Herbert would serve as the head engineer for Bewick, Mooring & Co, a London mine management firm. The couple traveled the world until 1917, when Herbert was appointed to lead the U.S. Food Administration during World War I.

Before the end of the war, the Hoovers commissioned Louis Christian Mullgardt, the architect of the Knoll, to design a home for them near the Stanford campus. However, Mullgardt publicized the job before the war was over, which led to the termination of his contract because the Hoovers were worried that the publicity would suggest that Herbert was not focusing his energies on the war effort but rather on the construction of his new home.

After the war ended, the Hoovers returned to Palo Alto and convinced Arthur B. Clark, a Stanford art professor, to take on the role of architect. While Clark was the primary designer of the house, Lou also contributed her own ideas to the blueprints and actively oversaw its construction.

In a letter written to her friend Anna H. Rult in the years following World War I, Lou suggested that the Hoovers intended for their house to be built in a style that mirrored that of the rest of the Mission Revival architecture of the campus.

“My husband and I had said we wanted this house to be a collection of rooms where we wanted them for living purposes, enclosed by plain wall surfaces,” Lou wrote. “Of course in visioning the result before it was built, we felt that it was in decided harmony with the architecture of the University on whose campus it sits.”

Although the house, which finished in 1920, was the couple’s only permanent residence throughout their marriage, they only resided there for a short while before Herbert was appointed Secretary of Commerce under President-Elect Warren G. Harding in 1921. Their family eventually moved back in 1932, after Hoover’s term as president ended.

In 1944, after the death of his wife, Herbert deeded the house to the University as a home for professors. It now serves as the private residence of the University president.

Although more than half a century has passed since the Hoovers left the Stanford campus, the legacy of their presence can still be seen from miles away — literally — in the form of Hoover Tower, which was sponsored and founded by Herbert in 1919 to house his collection of war documents. The collection, renamed the Hoover War Library in 1922, eventually became the largest library in the world dealing in World War I memorabilia. The tower itself was completed in 1941, reaching a height of 285 feet, and grew to include documents from the interwar period, World War II and the Cold War.

As evidenced by their architectural and institutional vestiges on campus, the Hoovers’ legacy — and love story — remain landmarks on the Farm.

– Stephanie Wang

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

A couple dressed in Northern traditional dress for Stanford’s 41st annual Powwow, which was held for three days last weekend from May 11 to 13.

The word powwow translates to “spiritual leader” in Narragansett, the language of the Narragansett tribe. Modern-day powwows generally involve both Native Americans and non-Native Americans gathering together in celebration of Native American culture.

According to Layton Lamsam ’14, co-chair of Stanford Powwow, the event is one of “the top two or three major ones in the country and definitely the largest in the Bay Area.”

“I am originally from Oklahoma, and I know people that come out here just for this event,” he said. “When people hear ‘Stanford Powwow,’ they know it. It has name recognition.”

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

A group of men huddled in a circle to sing a traditional song and play the drums, while visitors look on and enjoy the performance.

While there is no official attendee count, Lamsam estimated the cumulative total amount of visitors over three days to be roughly 30,000 people.

He pointed out that the addition of four bleachers to the two available bleachers last year, as well as an increase in handicapped and elderly seating, attracted a larger crowd this year.

“More people came this year because of better public access,” he said. “Hopefully next year we will have more bleachers and make this event even larger.”

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

Marti Hardbarger ’15 (right), wearing a traditional Jingle costume, brought some friends along with her to the Powwow, including Elizabeth Sigalla ’15 (left), a freshman from Tanzania and first-time Powwow attendee.

“It was a great bonding experience for me, especially with getting to know the Native community better,” Hardbarger said. “Also, a lot of my friends had no idea what a powwow was, so I was teaching them things, and they learned a lot.”

“My first Powwow experience was pretty amazing” Sigalla said. “I loved the dances, traditional jewelry and the costumes.”

“Once I got them to try the frybread, there was no turning back,” Hardbarger joked.

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

Visitors look at traditional Native American artifacts such as colorful dream catchers hanging above them. According to Native American folklore, dream catchers, when hung over a sleeping area, trap and prevent nightmares.

“I loved the feathers, beads and colorful fabrics [in the stores]. They really appealed to me,” Sigalla said.

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

A dancer participated in the second round of the women’s dance competition.

Besides competitive dancing, the arena featured public dancing, instrument shows, vocal performances and exhibitions. The event also included a five-kilometer “Fun Run.”

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

A mother and daughter dressed in Northern traditional clothing for the festivities.

“People make it a yearly event, so it has become a fixture for families,” Lamsam said.

Reflecting on this year’s Powwow, he said, “I think it went really well, and we pulled it off. Our goal is always to tweak and improve the event every year. We want it to be a family-friendly social gathering where the public can be educated and also have fun.”

Approximately 80 students, most of them of Native American origin, serve on the Stanford Powwow committee. Stanford Powwow is one of many Stanford Native American Cultural Center’s activities. Lamsan noted that the group receives a range of volunteer offers from non-Stanford affiliates from around the country.

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

Prospective buyers examined handmade jewelry at one of dozens of booths selling various goods from pottery to feathers.

The booth’s seller, Alex Hing, has attended Stanford Powwow for the past eight years.

“Stanford students and potential consumers were friendly and outgoing,” he said. “We did fairly okay in sales — with the recession people can’t spend a lot.”

(NATASHA WEASER/The Stanford Daily)

The Powwow was filled with young children. A group of three children, calling themselves “The Youth Dancers of the Southwest,” sold traditional jewelry to raise money for Powwow travel and dancing costs.

–  Natasha Weaser

(OLLIE KHAKWANI/The Stanford Daily)

The survey indicated that Stanford was around 50 percent below national averages both in the number of students who had used tobacco in the last year and students who had ever used tobacco.

Chronic smoking, indicated by students who say they smoke three times or more per week, came in more than 83 percent below national averages at only 2.4 percent of survey respondents.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the results of the study,” said Ralph Castro, director of the Office of Alcohol Policy and Education (OAPE). OAPE administered the Core Survey to assess trends in alcohol use at Stanford. The survey, standardized nationally, also gathers data on use of tobacco and other drugs.

Providing a variety of data, the survey illustrated the perceptions of students toward tobacco as well as quantitative information about the frequency and locations of usage. Results of the study showed that 23.1 percent of students say they have used tobacco over the last year, compared with the national average of 48.3 percent.

The numbers provided by the survey may reflect on the culture of tobacco use at Stanford.

“I think it is, in part, a reflection of California and the tough restrictions on smoking in the Bay Area,” Castro said.  “In many parts of California, there is no smoking in restaurants, bars and public spaces, based on city and country ordinances. From a policy standpoint, taxation on cigarettes that fund educational programs, educational services and public service announcements have made a real impact on smoking statistics in California.”

The survey population also demonstrated that gender differences might be a factor related to tobacco usage at Stanford. Over 80 percent of women said they never used tobacco, while only 68 percent of men reported similarly.

Many students said that the smoking culture at Stanford is highly social, although not prevalent.

“It’s more of a social thing when I see people smoking,” said Salish Harrison ‘13, a Peer Health Educator in Arroyo. “Group wise, more men do it than women. Usually when I see smokers, it is at night or at parties smoking outside, and it’s normally when people are drunk that they smoke.”

The Core Survey supported this perception — the highest category where people said they used tobacco was at private parties, followed closely by the second highest, in the home.

“A lot of times alcohol and cigarettes go together; there is a social smoking attitude among young adults,” Castro said. “People say they smoke when they drink.”

“As a former smoker, I wouldn’t say I often see students smoking throughout the day around campus, but at night there is a higher percentage of people smoking,” Harrison said. “In terms of consumption, the order of popularity that I notice usually goes cigarettes, hookah and then chewing tobacco. Hookah is definitely a more social activity.”

Castro said that different populations of students might have different influences leading them to smoke.

“A population in which I think smoking rates may be higher is the graduate student body,” Castro said. “My observation stems from the knowledge that there are higher smoking rates in international countries, and we have large percentage of international students from Europe, Asia and countries outside of the United States, and these students may be coming here with smoking habits.”

Reflecting the low rates of tobacco usage, there is limited access to cigarettes on the Stanford campus.

“There are not that many places on campus to buy cigarettes; the only place close to the center of campus is the Valero gas station on Campus Drive,” said Ikshu Neithalath ‘15.

The low tobacco consumption results indicated by the Core Survey also reflect a healthy culture among the Stanford population.

“I have noticed a stigma about tobacco at Stanford,” Harrison said. “Stanford is a very health-minded campus, and people are very health-conscientious.”

Stanford currently does not have a prominent anti-tobacco campaign, but Castro said that the survey, which will be administered every year from now on, will serve as a baseline against which to measure future trends.

“We collected the data and are currently doing cursory analysis,” Castro said. “From there, we will develop educational programs. The results of the February survey will be used as benchmark to move forward, but overall I am glad that students are making good choices as related to tobacco.”

Aspiring professional racecar driver Julia Landauer is one of many student-athletes who juggle a budding professional career with a school schedule. Landauer arranged her coursework to finish this spring quarter early. (Courtesy of Aidan Landauer)

Many student-athletes make plans to graduate early or alter their schedules in order to pursue Olympic dreams or a professional sports career. Some athletes have to plan alternative class schedules — within University requirements — to accommodate their professional sports schedules. These strains are especially prominent this spring, with several Stanford students selected in the late-April NFL draft and participating in the upcoming summer Olympics, along with other professional sports.

Julia Landauer ‘14, a hopeful professional racecar driver, finished up her sophomore year early this past week in order to “pursue a racing opportunity” that she declined to disclose to The Daily.

Landauer arranged to finish the 10-week spring quarter in less than six weeks by her own initiative.

“Since about winter break, I started contacting professors and looking into the curriculum to see if there were any classes I could take where the teachers would also work with me,” Landauer said. “I could only take classes with final papers and presentations so I wouldn’t break the Honor Code by taking finals early.”

Kristina Vaculik ‘14, who will try out for the Canadian women’s gymnastics team in June, had to miss time to compete almost immediately after arriving at the Farm.

Vaculik missed three weeks of the fall quarter of her freshman year to compete in the World Championships. When she arrived back at Stanford, it was just in time for the first round of midterms.

The Canadian women’s gymnastics team qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and Vaculik chose to defer her sophomore year at Stanford and return home to train full-time.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics,” Vaculik said. “That’s why I planned out my academics and my sport the way I did.”

Like Vaculik, many Olympic hopefuls arrange to take time away from Stanford to train or compete in addition to altering their schedules.

Among them is Maria Koroleva ‘12, who will be a member of the U.S. women’s Olympic synchronized swim team.

Since joining the U.S. national team in 2007, Koroleva has spent her summers living and practicing with the team. This past year, she chose to postpone her graduation date, which would have been this June, to take the year away from classes to train full-time.

“For synchro, you have to train with the team,” Koroleva said. “This year, the training location was in Indianapolis, so if you want to be on the team, you have to move.”

After the Olympics, Koroleva plans to return to Stanford and graduate with a communication major.

As difficult as it may be to handle a vigorous academic schedule and life as an athlete, the quarter system helps some athletes.

Senior No. 1 tennis player Bradley Klahn used it to his advantage at the onset of his junior year when he began working with his advisers at the Athletic Academic Resource Center (AARC).

For his final five quarters, Klahn shouldered a heavy academic schedule and stored up enough units to graduate with an economics major this past winter quarter and focus on tennis this spring.

“There’s no shortcut for athletes,” Klahn said. “It’s difficult for us, no question. Every student-athlete is intelligent and capable of handling the rigors of balancing both [school and sports]. “

Klahn is looking to become a professional tennis player after he completes his final season with the Stanford tennis team.

Many athletes said they find it difficult to work with professors to find courses that both count toward a degree and fit into a professional athlete’s schedule, which can vary widely depending on the sport.

Landauer said she had to start planning early to find a plausible schedule with her professors.

“They appreciated the responsibility I was taking with my activities, and I found three [classes] that worked for me and counted towards my major,” she said. “So I got pretty lucky with that one.”

Landauer said she has found her sport and academic pursuits complementary. Majoring in Science, Technology and Society (STS), Landauer plans to apply her degree toward racing.

Bradley Klahn, who holds the No. 1 spot on the tennis team, arranged his schedule to graduate a quarter early. Klahn is using his completely free spring schedule to focus on the tennis season and his professional career afterward. (ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily)

“I’ll be able to tell by the time I’m 25 or 26 if it looks like I’ll make it or not,” Landauer continued. “If so, fantastic! If not, I’ll utilize the skills I’ve learned at Stanford and from my Julia Landauer Racing brand development to go into the racing industry.”

Many athletes agreed that the scheduling conflicts made their passion for their athletics even more apparent.

Molly Kinsella ‘12, who is training for the U.S. women’s rugby team following the Stanford team’s national championship loss this weekend, is well aware of this reality. After her sophomore year, she made the switch from being a varsity track and field thrower to play lock on the Stanford women’s rugby team.

“I think the culture is nice,” Kinsella said in reference to rugby. “The people who want to be there are there, and I think that makes those few hours a lot more valuable.”

Kinsella said that USA Rugby expects its players to take responsibility and commence the training for the program on their own.

“They [USA Rugby] are trying to do something new,” Kinsella said. “It’s called Eagle 365, and the idea is that you live every day of your life with this goal of going to the World Cup in 2014. They give you strength and conditioning workouts, nutritionist access, mental imagery and a whole binder of information. The idea is really trying to make it workable for athletes.”

The USA Rugby team and the Eagle 365 program are more independent than many programs, but most professional sports programs present huge time management difficulties to students.

“It’s challenging, but definitely well worth it,” Klahn said of balancing school and tennis.

Likewise, Landauer said she is willing to make accommodations in the future to continue with racing.

“The goal is to be able to make a living from driving a race car, whether it be in stock cars, formula cars, sports cars, production cars [or] sprint cars,” Landauer said.

“Even school buses,” she added, jokingly.

The body of the Bing Concert Hall is largely formed. University officials said the concert hall, which will host both professional and student performances, is around 75 percent complete and will be finished in October. (ROGER CHEN/The Stanford Daily)

The rising Bing Concert Hall, a project seeking to build a “world class performing arts center” according to signage near the site, has made significant progress this spring and is beginning to resemble its finished form. Located across Palm Drive from Cantor Arts Center, the concert hall is set to open in Fall 2012 with its first performances scheduled for January 2013.

“Construction is 75 percent complete,” said Maggie Burgett, project manager for the concert hall. “We will have substantial completion at the end of August.”

Burgett said that final touches on the project will continue into October.

The building consists of a tall, stucco cylinder with a square glass lobby surrounding it. According to Burgett, a metal trim will be added to some parts of the stucco cylinder to complete the building’s façade.

The whole facility will ultimately include a lobby, artist suites, a 2,300-square foot rehearsal hall, offices, practice rooms and storage space, in addition to the concert hall.

Although construction will finish around October, Burgett said the performances will not begin until January 2013 to allow time to tune the building and for the music department and Lively Arts program to move in.

“The Bing Concert Hall will feature a wide mix of programming in many different genres, including both visiting artists and student performers,” said Matthew Tiews, executive director of arts programs, in an email to The Daily.

Acts scheduled for the 844-seat concert hall’s opening year include percussionist Glenn Kotche, cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing with pianist Kathryn Stott, and pianists Emanuel Ax and Jon Nakamatsu, according to the Stanford Report.

“The hall will be high-use,” Burgett said, noting that the opening year acts are “typical of what will be presented” at the concert hall.

Tiews said that the concert hall will also be available for some student groups. Performances will include the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Chorus and computer-based performers from Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).

The hall represents part of a University effort to enhance arts programming. The Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES) report even mentioned the idea of creating an unofficial “arts district” on campus, using Cantor and Bing as anchors.

Two more buildings planned to help define the arts district, the Anderson Collection at Stanford and the McMurtry Art and Art History Building, will open in 2014 and 2015, respectively, near Bing Hall.

“I don’t like making additional cuts, and I recognize the impact they have on Californians,” Brown said in discussing the plan, according to The New York Times. “They are difficult — but necessary — in order to get us back on firm fiscal footing until California fully recovers from the global economic recession.”

The proposal would help negate the need for proposed cuts to California public schools, a topic of much debate, especially in the Bay Area. In early March, Stanford’s Occupy Meyer protest group traveled to UC-Berkeley to present an open letter at Berkeley’s Occupy Education protest against state public education cuts.

Brown has also proposed a quarter-cent sales tax hike and an additional tax on the wealthy known as the Millionaire Tax. On Monday, he said that these measures, combined with his proposed spending cuts, would result in a 16 percent increase in state public school spending.

The taxes, however, are hotly contested.

Brown said that if the cuts proposed today do not pass, the state would have to cut $6 billion from funding for public schools.

-Matt Bettonville

Historically, one of the things that has made Stanford unique has been its role as a temporary home for some of the world’s finest athletes. Indeed, it is through its scholar-athlete tradition that Stanford conclusively separates itself from Ivy League institutions, finding a way to sew the world’s greatest athletic department into the fabric of one of the great research universities on the globe. It is, in my opinion, one of the main reasons why Stanford is such a special place.

Junior Stephen Piscotty has been one of the most valuable assets for the Stanford baseball team this season. The projected first-round MLB draft pick has been a stud at the plate while also providing some much-needed pitching prowess. (MEHMET INONU/The Stanford Daily)

Every so often, a special Cardinal athlete distinguishes himself or herself from the rest. I would argue that we currently have one of those once-a-decade student-athletes in our midst—and most of us don’t even know it.

If you were at Sunken Diamond this past weekend to watch No. 17 Stanford cruise to an 8-3 victory in the second leg of an eventual three-game sweep of unranked Washington State, you can probably guess that I’m talking about Stanford’s do-it-all extraordinaire, junior Stephen Piscotty.

Raised in the idyllic and aptly named Northern California town of Pleasanton (ranked No. 63 on CNN’s 2011 “Best Places to Live in America” list), Piscotty attended Amador Valley High School, where he excelled both as a pitcher and a shortstop. Following his senior year, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Piscotty in the 45th round of the 2009 draft but could not lure the intriguing prospect away from his commitment to Stanford.

When he arrived at the Farm in September of 2010, he was just one of many exciting pieces of a star-studded group of newcomers, ranked by several publications as the top baseball recruiting class in the country. Though he had a good swing, a rifle for an arm and occasionally showed flashes of brilliance, few of us anticipated just how good Piscotty would become.

After hitting .350 over nearly three seasons of brilliant baseball, he has proven himself to be one of the best offensive players on the Farm in the past decade. People outside of the Bay Area are taking notice as well: after winning the batting title in the prestigious Cape Cod Collegiate Baseball League last summer, Piscotty is projected to go in the first round of next month’s MLB draft.

In a career of countless highlights, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if this weekend’s performance proves to be the most memorable performance of Piscotty’s already-unforgettable career.

On Saturday, in the second game of a must-win series, Piscotty went 3-for-3 and reached base in all five of his plate appearances, all the while pitching into the seventh inning and giving up only one run to collect the win in his first career start on the mound. Simply put, it was a performance unmatched by any in recent memory.

In Little League and high school baseball, it is not uncommon for the best player on the team to be both the best pitcher and hitter on the team. That doesn’t happen in college, particularly not in the uber-competitive Pac-12 conference. It appears that someone forgot to remind Piscotty that he is not in Little League anymore. At this level, one player isn’t supposed to win games single-handedly.

Any great competitor wants to do whatever he or she can to help their team win a game. With Piscotty, the difference is that he <I>can<P> do whatever is needed to win a game. That’s what makes Piscotty so special: He matches a peerless competitiveness with unparalleled ability and does things that simply shouldn’t be done on a baseball field.

Furthermore, in his time at Stanford, Piscotty has also developed into the type of leader that every team needs. Quiet and reserved by nature, it’s not as though Stephen has turned into General George Patton, but no one in the clubhouse or dugout speaks with more gravity and weight. More often than not, Piscotty lets his play do the talking, exhibiting the relentless effort, hustle and desire that has come to characterize Stanford baseball.

Finally, the best part of Piscotty’s success is the man he is off of the field. Although no one is perfect, he is about as close as it gets to a model human being. In every sense, he is a great reflection on our fine University—we are indescribably fortunate to have him in the Stanford family.

Let this be your warning, folks: Stephen Piscotty won’t be on the Farm much longer. Come June 4, Piscotty will undoubtedly hear his name called early in the 2012 MLB Draft. Do not miss out on watching, and maybe even meeting, one of Stanford’s hidden gems; I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Last week, after reading an interesting online column about the recent boom in television exposure of soccer in the United States, I kept reading and plowed headlong into the comments section below. Pretty soon a war had evolved; soccer fans making outlandishly ill-informed declarations about football, and very much vice-versa, too. A small band of peacemakers had bravely tried to bridge the ideological chasm, but their balanced and reasonable observations were lost under a flood of abuse.

When I first set foot in Cardinal territory, I didn’t just have zero interest in American sports—I was stubbornly opposed to it. Even after turning my hand to writing about sports for The Daily, where I was surrounded by passionate American sports fans, it took time to both like and understand these foreign games. Meeting my fellow beat writer for the 2009-10 women’s basketball season for the first time, he asked me how familiar I already was with the team. I think he was at least a little taken aback by my admission that I wasn’t even that sure about most of the rules.

I know I’ve written some pretty critical articles over the years about U.S. sports—and received my fair share of abuse from readers—but over time my opinions have mellowed, and I even might have become a little Americanized. Last week a friend accused me of developing a bit of a U.S. twang in my voice, and when I recently went out to buy a soccer ball, I came back with a football, too.

Don’t get me wrong. However cool it may feel to hold a football in my hand, my fingers spread out, gripping the laces, getting ready to attempt a spiraling throw, it’ll never quite match the feeling of having a soccer ball at my feet. And standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow soccer supporters easily beats doing the same with football fans. My cultural connections to British sports will always run deeper than those to American ones. From the family rivalry when my soccer team plays my brother’s to teasing my Welsh friend when England beats his home country—though Wales somehow won the most recent encounter—to sitting down with my dad to watch some international cricket, those experiences can’t be beat.

But I can still enjoy a dazzling play in football or basketball, and I am still willing to give baseball and hockey a chance. In fact, call it a sport and you’ve already got my attention. Maybe this is what it’s like to be a real sports fan.

The complaints that both sides have are often real; neither sport achieves athletic perfection. During the four hours it takes to play a football game, there is relatively little action on the field, and I can’t imagine many fans in the stadium would complain if a few seconds were shaved off each pause. Likewise, soccer games are generally low scoring affairs, and few supporters would be against their club playing a more attacking style.

But both football and soccer are products of these characteristics. The breaks in action allow football players to recover and the plays to be far more explosive than they would otherwise be, and the fact that goals are difficult to score in soccer is not a negative thing. Simply scoring more points doesn’t make a sport more worthy, or all baseball fans would be flocking to watch cricket.

Cheating, the area in which soccer usually draws the most critics, is relative, too. Yes, soccer players do dive, and even the most hardened fan feels some embarrassment when they do. But, as the New Orleans Saints showed, football teams break the rules as well. And what is worse, pretending you got injured or deliberately attempting to hurt someone? Neither strikes me as particularly courageous or honorable.

There is a lot to get worked up about in the world of sports, from the highs of great games and championship finals to the lows of cheating and corruption, but we shouldn’t be fighting each other tooth and nail in some sort of xenophobic defense of our national pastimes. A great pass, be it from a quarterback’s hand or a midfielder’s foot, should impress us all, no matter our backgrounds.

Just give Tom Taylor the Nobel Peace Prize already. The award can be shipped to tom.taylor “at” stanford.edu

Imagine how this announcement was received in the punk community, known for angry outbursts and middle-finger responses — a community Gabel helped create. Many people have been very supportive, but the responses have run the spectrum. Many are confused, some betrayed, others malicious. Masked by the anonymity of the Internet, people have cast their judgment upon Gabel with every profanity and vulgarity possible.

I’ll be honest: I was very confused when I read the preview article. I haven’t had any close conversations or relationships with someone who is transgender (at least that I know of). I didn’t know about the controversy surrounding gender identity disorder, debating how normative gender identities and roles actually are and whether cross-gender feelings and behaviors should be considered a disorder. But most importantly, I didn’t understand the severity of the issue on a very personal level.

“The cliche is that you’re a woman trapped in a man’s body, but it’s not that simple,” Gabel says of gender dysphoria in the article. “It’s a feeling of detachment from your body and from yourself. And it’s shitty, man. It’s really [freakin] shitty.”

What may be more telling of the struggle is the final song “Full Clarity” on the band’s album “Searching for a Former Clarity,” in which Gabel sings, “Confessing childhood secrets of dressing up in women’s clothes/ compulsions you never knew the reasons to/ Will everyone you ever meet or love/ be just a relationship based on a false presumption?” That album was released in 2005. It is now 2012. That’s seven whole years to live in torment and anguish while the secrets that keep others from truly knowing you tear you up inside. Gabel reveals in the interview that the fear and misery of the situation caused him to develop an addiction to alcohol and hard drugs at the age of 13. That sounds like hell.

I think, given how political the conversation has become in the last couple years, it’s easy for those disconnected from the LGBT community to drown in the stats and figures and forget how truly personal and individual the difficulties are. And given that everyone I’ve met who has identified with LGBT has, to some degree, begun addressing the internal tension and pain of secrecy, it’s easy to forget how severe that pain can be.

I have a friend I’ve known for years and spent a great deal of time with who recently revealed some secrets relevant to this topic. And after hearing everything they went through over the last few years to get to a point where they could admit it to themselves and to others — the denial and disbelief, the fear and frustration — my only wish is that I could have been there with them through it all. That they wouldn’t have had to go through it alone.

I know that, for many, this issue is a moral issue, and I don’t expect anything I write here to be able to change your moral views, as I understand they are grounded in a very personal part of your life. I’m not asking that you change these views but that you hold them in perspective. Because the opinions you casually throw out without a second thought can have lasting effects on another person in a very deep way. Those words can be the keys that lock a person into self-isolation and the belief that he or she can never be his or herself because it is wrong.

You may believe a person’s lifestyle is wrong according to your God, and there’s nothing I can do to change that. But what else do your choice of words and actions say about your god? That he wants to lock people in their silent despair? That his hatred justifies their outcast and mistreatment from society? I am a Christian, and that is not my God. My God desires freedom and restoration for all, independent of “right” and “wrong.” My God is love.

Show Chase some love with an email to ninjaish “at” stanford “dot” edu.

We have since spent the quarter reviewing hundreds of nonprofits in the Bay Area. Our class has broken into four teams focusing on separate issue areas (not surprisingly, I ended up on the “Health and Environment” team), each one crafting pseudo-mission statements, researching potential recipients and soliciting grant proposals. My team is beginning our first round of site visits and interviews today.

It has been an eye-opening process. Simply scrolling through all 25 Bay Area organizations listed under “Food” on GreatNonprofits.org gives one confidence in the power of civil society. When combined with the 68 nonprofits under “Environment” and the 67 organizations under “Health,” it’s clear that there are a lot of individuals in the Bay Area working for positive change.

The class has not focused solely on grants, however. Under the exciting announcement of our $100,000 assignment, the syllabus detailed a list of readings that would ground us in the theories and practices of civil society. Coming from Earth Systems and walking into PoliSci 236, I was a little confused about what exactly “civil society” meant. The term has many rough synonyms, including “the independent sector,” “nongovernmental organizations” and “the nonprofit world,” all of which served as labelers that I don’t find very fitting. The terms “charitable realm” and “voluntary service organizations” impute a bit more meaning and value, but are still a bit confusing.

The term “civil society” is inherently amorphous, but to me — and probably Professor Sievers, to whom this definition should really be credited — civil society embodies the realm of nonprofits, foundations and philanthropy, as well as the set of institutions and normative values that enable these entities’ existences, namely protection of individual rights, freedom of expression, the rule of law, commitment to the common good and tolerance.

The term is still up for debate, particularly as the lines between the government sector, the for-profit sector and the “third sector” (civil society) blur in America. The purposes and goals of civil society shimmer in a mirage-like state, whereby many different actors can see different goals for a sector that operates at the confluence of private and public interests. One goal that is commonly mentioned, though not necessarily agreed upon, is the concept that civil society organizations exist for the provision of public goods that would otherwise be unsupplied by the other two sectors.

Judging from the sheer number of organizations working to ensure that individuals in the Bay Area are being fed, I’d say civil society has adopted food as an otherwise underprovided public good. Given that most of the 25 organizations under “Food” are food banks, this doesn’t seem too far-fetched. In fact, there are many neat civil society organizations operating in the food sphere, although their size and funding often limit their power to achieve change and guarantee food access.

The very existence of this array of food and hunger-based nonprofits reveals a sad fact: The U.S. government does not view access to food as a fundamental right. If it did, nonprofits wouldn’t be stumbling over each other to enter into the food sphere and ensure this basic public good.

Further evidence that the government does not view food access as a fundamental right came from the House Budget Committee last week. The GOP proposed reversing planned cuts to the Pentagon defense budget in favor of pushing 1.8 million people off of food stamps and removing school lunch subsidies for 280,000 children.

Since the U.S. government does not view guaranteed food access as a task that falls under its purview, and since food is privatized in a for-profit sector that is complicated by government commodity payments, civil society organizations are left with the daunting task of ensuring that all Americans are fed. That’s a monumental undertaking.

It is especially difficult because there is no oversight ensuring that nonprofits are pursuing this task equally and in all locations, and there are no guarantees that existing civil society organizations will operate indefinitely into the future.

If we view access to food as a fundamental right, we cannot continue to use civil society as a crutch for its provision. The government must play a larger role.

Until then, I will work hard to convince my classmates that food organizations are worthy of our funding money.

Have suggestions for that $100,000? Let Jenny know by emailing her at jrempel “at” stanford “dot” edu.