SPORTS/6

GAINING GROUND
Card travels to Corvallis

INTERMISSION/INSERT

Today

Tomorrow

EXOTIC EROTIC

Partly Sunny 67 46

Mostly Sunny 74 49

T Stanford Daily The

FRIDAY May 4, 2012

An Independent Publication
www.stanforddaily.com

Examining mental health resources

Admins, students speak about CAPS, Bridge Peer Counseling Center
By KRISTIAN DAVIS BAILEY
DESK EDITOR

Volume 241 Issue 53

This is the third in a four-part series exploring crisis response and mental health resources on campus. Roughly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students utilize Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) or receive off-campus treatment each year, according to CAPS director Ron Albucher. CAPS has experienced growth in student use consistently over the last five years. Student experiences- both positive and negative shed light on the organization. Satisfaction with CAPS services differs widely among students. The Daily examined the resources offered by CAPS and The Bridge Peer Counseling Center and undertook an informal survey of student experience. Increased usage Both CAPS and The Bridge Peer Counseling Center have experienced increases in student usage in recent years. Both organizations cite relationship issues, depression and stress as the primary factors that bring students in. Albucher, who said CAPS sees

Courtesy of Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service

Economics Professor Caroline Hoxby, center, argued in favor of the Study of Undergaduate Education at Stanford (SUES) report recommendation to mandate two classes in four breadth areas.

UNIVERSITY

FacSen talks breadth requirements

By MARSHALL WATKINS
DESK EDITOR

The Faculty Senate discussed revisions to undergraduate breath requirements at its Thursday meeting, with professors disagreeing over the number of courses a student should be required to take under the proposed new system. Provost John Etchemendy Ph.D. 82, currently acting president due to University President John Hennessys ongoing sabbatical, opened the meeting by emphasizing the success of Admit Weekend 2012.

Based on preliminary results from the Office of Undergraduate Admission, this years yield the percentage of admitted students committed to Stanford will be around 73.4 percent, an increase of approximately 3.4 percent from last year, Etchemendy said. Etchemendy subsequently addressed the departure of Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, who will leave Stanford at the end of the academic year to become commissioner of the Big 12 athletics conference. Etchemendy said that Bowls-

about 2,200 unique students per year, or 14 percent of the campus population, said that an additional six to seven percent of campus seeks treatment outside of CAPS, according to self-reported data. CAPS has seen an influx of funding and personnel since Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman initiated a Mental Health and Well Being task force in 2008, following a string of student suicides. Since 2008, CAPS has hired the equivalent of nine full time employees who are psychotherapists, psychologists and case managers rounding out a workforce of roughly 40 people. In that time, Albucher said, the University has gone from having less than the recommended ratio of one counselor per 1,500 students to having about twice the recommended number of specialists. As CAPS reports a steady increase in the number of students utilizing its services, The Bridge Peer Counseling Center says it has also experienced an increase in traffic. The Bridge which offers 24/7 counseling by phone has roughly 30 staff counselors and four live-in counselors at Rogers House, which is open for drop-in counsels from 9

Please see SENATE, page 2

Please see SERIES, page 7

RESEARCH

SPEAKERS & EVENTS

Compound aids stroke recovery

School of Medicine researchers say treatment could be first of its kind
By ALEXIS GARDUNO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Love key to change, says Williamson

Bestselling author says spirituality and empathy at the heart of social movements
By FEDERICO BECKER Speaking to a predominantly female audience Thursday night at Cemex Auditorium, best-selling author Marianne Williamson proposed that the only way society can change its course from inevitable doom is to employ love as an agent of social transformation. Williamson, a founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass-roots organization that led a campaign for the U.S. Congress to establish a Department of Peace, directly addressed the common rejection of spiritual values in modern society by offering a historically grounded argument revolving around figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Many may say that this love stuff is naive, Williamson said. What Im here to propose to you tonight is that anybody who thinks that any kind of traditional political and social activism at this point in our history, devoid of a spiritual love component, is enough to turn this titanic around theyre naive. Williamson urged humanity to follow the examples of spiritual figures such as Buddha, Moses and Jesus. She said that all people must perceive the ongoing human suffering in our world today and use love to act upon it. We talk about success all the time how to have success and how to make money, how to address all the economic issues of our planet meanwhile we have one billion people who live on a quarter or less a day, she said. We have 17,000 children who die of hunger everyday in this planet. Take a moment and let that penetrate your heart. The obscenity of it, the immorality of it, the absurdity. Addressing the primary demographic of the audience, Williamson asked women of America to eradicate unnecessary suffering from the planet by acting as mothers to their children. We must empower the women and educate the children, she said. Williamson added that modern-day politics is missing the point, arguing that to change the world, we must instead realize that in each of our lives we go through an Armageddon the sadness, the divorce, the loss of someone

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have identified a new molecular compound that could revolutionize the treatment of strokes in humans, for the first time offering the ability to enhance recovery after a stroke has taken place. Stroke-afflicted mice treated with a molecule called LM22A-4, which helps to stimulate the growth of new neurons, exhibited accelerated and more extensive recovery. Current stroke-treatment practices focus on limiting initial damage to the brain by breaking up the clots that caused the stroke. Since there are about 800,000 strokes each year in the United States and stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability, any treatment that improves recovery from stroke would significantly help a large number of people, wrote Marion Buckwalter, professor of neurology and the papers senior author, in an email to The Daily. Buckwalter and her team tested the compounds effects by first training a group of mice to perform basic physical tasks, such as walking across a horizontal ladder. After surgically inducing strokes and testing the mices speed and agility, researchers treated the equally impaired groups with a placebo or the drug starting three days after the stroke. We followed their recovery using tests of gait and speed and found that the drug improved both limb-swing speed (the speed at which they moved the limb weakened by the stroke) and gait accuracy, Buckwalter wrote. Buckwalter emphasized the breakthroughs significance, noting that the compound could have an equivalent effect on human subjects. LM22A-4 mimics a protein called

ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

Please see STROKE, page 5

Marianne Williamson, founder of The Peace Alliance, spoke at Cemex Auditorium Thursday, calling for people to use love to help resolve human suffering in the world.

Please see LOVE, page 2

Index Opinions/4 Sports/6 Classifieds/7

Recycle Me

2 N Friday, May 4, 2012

The Stanford Daily

POLICE BLOTTER
By ALICE PHILLIPS
DESK EDITOR

Passing the test

MONDAY, APRIL 23
I Somebody

This report covers a selection of incidents from April 21 through April 29 as recorded in the Stanford Department of Public Safety bulletin.

was transported to the San Jose Main Jail and booked for trespassing in Tresidder at 5:25 p.m.

TUESDAY, APRIL 24
IA

SATURDAY, APRIL 21
IA

male was cited and released for giving false information and a false ID to a peace officer at the lacrosse field at 3:55 p.m. tory Corner between 2 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.

bike was stolen from outside Building 530 between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25
IA

I A camera was stolen at the His-

bike was stolen from outside the Clark Center between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

I An

assault occurred near Tresidder between 11:40 p.m. and 11:55 p.m. involving two suspects and two victims. iPhone was stolen from Sigma Nu along with some cash between 10 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. In a separate incident, a laptop was also reported stolen from Sigma Nu between 11 p.m. and midnight.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26
I Somebody

I An

was transported to the San Jose Main Jail and booked for trespassing and resisting arrest at the Arrillaga Alumni Center between 11 a.m. and 3:50 p.m. intersection of Panama Mall and Lasuen mall between 9:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

I A bike was stolen from near the

ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

The Stanford community was invited to see the senior project of drama major Patrick Kelly 12, a one-act play called This is Not a Test, Thursday night. The play, about the threat of nuclear warfare, plays again tonight.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22
IA

FRIDAY, APRIL 27
IA

SENATE

Continued from front page

bys post will likely be filled on an interim basis while the University conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Bob has done a fantastic job here and were very sorry to see him go but this is an exciting opportunity for him, Etchemendy said. The Senate then heard a report by the Committee on Undergraduate Standards and Policy (CUSP) on proposed revisions to academic breadth requirements. CUSP chair Judith Goldstein delivered the report. Goldstein critiqued the existing breadth requirements, which total 12 courses, including the Introduction to the Humanities (IHUM) program and the Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR). In particular, she highlighted students current ability to double count courses between the Disciplinary Breadth and the Education for Citizenship General Education Requirements (GERs). This has created an odd and, at times, insidious incentive for students to get around our breadth requirements, Goldstein said. The original Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford (SUES) report, which was first delivered to the Faculty Senate at the end of January, recommended the implementation of seven new interdisciplinary breadth requirements based on skills that were deemed essential to students: aesthetic and interpretive inquiry, social inquiry, scientific analysis, formal and quantitative reasoning, engaging difference, moral and ethical reasoning and creative expression. Under this proposal, students would be obligated to take two courses in four of the breadth areas and one course in each of the remaining three. The C-USP report, however, chose to abandon the double requirements in all but one breadth requirement. Goldstein expressed a desire to emphasize student choice within the new system and said she is concerned that weighting some requirements more heavily might distort the undergraduate academic experience. We dont have to worry that our students arent being broadly educated, Goldstein said, citing

statistics demonstrating the breadth of study pursued by nonhumanities majors even as upperclassmen. Mechanical Engineering Professor Chris Edwards and Economics Professor Caroline Hoxby proposed an amendment to the CUSP proposal to return to the SUES reports recommendations for differently weighted requirements. There is a reason for having more than one [course per requirement], and it has to do with the choice we can offer students, Edwards said. We want students to be thoughtful about the choices theyre making and for them to be able to choose two courses that work together to satisfy the learning goals in this area, Hoxby added. Edwards, who served as the chair of the SUES subcommittee on breadth, argued that the SUES report aimed to spread requirements across the undergraduate experience and engage students to a greater extent, rather than reduce overall requirements. We want breadth to complement the major, Edwards said. Its about being smart, and its about being intentional. Edwards emphasized the relatively light nature of current undergraduate academic requirements at Stanford by comparing overall course load to peer institutions such as Yale, Harvard and Princeton. After adjusting other universities requirements to accommodate the quarter system, Stanfords requirements remain significantly less onerous, he said. Were allowing more freedom than any of our other peer institutions, Hoxby said. Because our system isnt departmentally based, it also allows more flexibility. Faculty discussion of the CUSP proposal, and of the amendment, revolved around the impact of revised requirements on the Universitys reputation, as well as on undergraduate students. Outside perceptions of Stanford are important, said Richard Saller, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences. I worry that the C-USP amendment will only contribute to the reputation that Stanford has [of being mostly science-oriented]. Joseph Lipsick, professor of pathology, expressed concern that the amendments restoration of more extensive requirements may prompt resentment among undergraduates. There are certain things we into the world, Williamson insisted that everyone serves somebody. If you do not give up your mind to the higher love, which is the center of the universe, it will be hatred, Williamson said. Youre going to have to serve somebody. The Womens Community Center sponsored the talk, which was also co-sponsored by the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, The Office for Religious Life and iTHRIVE. Contact Federico Becker at fbecker@stanford.edu.

need for a liberal education and certain things we want for our students as they exit Stanford, countered Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Harry Elam. If we limit [the requirements], are we fulfilling all the things we want them to be as they enter the world? The notion that weve dramatically extended the footprint [of requirements] is not correct, said James Campbell, co-chair of the SUES committee. Id be reluctant to see it shrunk further. Dan DeLong 13, ASSU Undergraduate Senate representative, expressed the importance of soliciting student feedback on the various proposals. The success of either proposal largely hinges on how Vice Provost Elam and his office are able to create a program that allows students to easily identify courses they want to engage in, DeLong said. The Senate will return to the subject at its next meeting on May 17. Contact Marshall Watkins at mtwatkins@stanford.edu.

male was transported to the San Jose Main Jail and booked for being publicly intoxicated near Tresidder at approximately 2 a.m. female was transported to the San Jose Main Jail and booked for being publicly intoxicated near Governors Corner at 3:10 a.m. was cited and released for trespassing and giving false information to a peace officer at 10:50 a.m. in the Escondido IV high-rise. bike was stolen outside Robinson between midnight and 5 p.m.

IA

female was transported to the San Jose Main Jail and booked for driving under the influence near the intersection of Bowdoin Street and Campus Drive East at 2 a.m.

55 p.m. near the intersection of Campus Drive and Alvarado Row.

I Somebody

SATURDAY, APRIL 28
I No incidents were reported.

SUNDAY, APRIL 29
IA

IA

bike seat was stolen from a bike parked near Meyer Library between 4 p.m. on April 27 and 5 p.m. on April 29.

LOVE

Continued from front page

loved. According to Williamson, everyone must make a choice between darkness and light at some point in their lives. She said by choosing light, we can harness energy in order to change the world. Find peace in your heart; the choice is yours, she offered. The individual choice of every person to choose light, Williamson claimed, is the most powerful agent of social and political change. The majority has never been the factor that turns the world around, Williamson said. Social changes are always established by a small group of people considered outrageous radicals simply because they are on a higher level of consciousness. After describing the regular life of an American who wakes up, reads the news, sees the atrocities, adds caffeine and rushes out

The Stanford Daily

Friday, May 4, 2012 N 3

A GUIDE TO THE HOUSING DRAW

ith the 2012 Undergraduate Housing Draw May 6 application deadline approaching, The Daily took a closer look at the options Stanford offers to upperclassmen seeking oncampus housing. This list examines 25 of the total available 2012-13 residence options. Draw number refers to the highest individual number housed in the residence for the 2011-12 academic year. Tier refers to the range of numbers accepted into the residence, where Draw numbers 1 to 1,000 are Tier 1, 1,001 to 2,000 are Tier 2 and 2,001 to 3,000 are Tier 3. Draw groups can have up to eight members. Data is based on 2011 Undergraduate Housing Draw statistics, which were available through Stanford Housing following 2011 draw results but have since been removed. For complete 2011 draw statistics, visit stanforddaily.com.
Marwa Farag and Marshall Watkins

Cooperative houses CHI THETA CHI

LA CASA ITALIANA

We are all really close and its like a big family.

MARIELOS SANSON 14

Self-operated houses BOB

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 27 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 417. Women 1,867 2011 tier: Men One. Women For groups of up to 2, two. For groups of 2 +, one. TERRA

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 43 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 413. Women 210 2011 tier: One

Apartments and suites MIRRIELEES

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 53 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 853. Women 332 2011 tier: One MARS

Every person is almost guaranteed to be able to find their place.

ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ 14

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 46 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 2,601. Women 1,943 2011 tier: Men For groups of up to 6, three. For groups of 7 +, two. Women Two KAIROS Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 27 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 639. Women 530 2011 tier: One

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 249 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,373. Women 1,749 2011 tier: Two SUITES Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 186 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,996. Women All 2011 tier: Men Two. Women Three.

Co-ed residence halls TOYON

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 32 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 864. Women 671 2011 tier: One ROTH

COLUMBAE

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 45 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,273. Women 1,456 2011 tier: For groups of up to 2, two. For groups of 3 +, one. Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 34 2011 cutoff for individual: Men N/A. Women 1,915 2011 tier: Two ZAP Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 49 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,610. Women 1,863 2011 tier: For groups of up to 3, two. For groups of 4+, one. NARNIA ENCHANTED BROCCOLI FOREST (EBF)

Class: Sophomore 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 150 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,266. Women 1,428 2011 tier: Two CROTHERS Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 358 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,832. Women 1,975 2011 tier: Two ROBLE HALL Class: Four-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 129 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 2,185. Women 2,032. 2011 tier: Men For individuals, three. For groups of 2+, two. Women For groups of up to 2, three. For groups of 3+, two. LAGUNITA COURT Class: Three-class, four-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 115 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 2,081. Women All 2011 tier: Men For groups of up to two, three. For groups of 3+, two. Women For groups of up to four, three. For groups of 5+, two. FLORENCE MOORE (FLOMO) Class: Three-class, four-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 214 2011 cutoff for individual: All 2011 tier: Three MANZANITA PARK

[It has a] certain vibe of freedom and spontaneity.

GABY LESLIE 14

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 44 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 811. Women 761 2011 tier: One

Language/cultural theme houses LA MAISON FRANCAISE

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 51 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,459. Women 539 2011 tier: Men For groups of up to 3, two. For groups of 4+, one. Women One. 680 LOMITA Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 50 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 413. Women 540 2011 tier: One GROVE MAYFIELD

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 38 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,144. Women 360 2011 tier: Men For individual, two. For groups of 2+, one. Women One. HAUS MITTELEUROPA Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 376 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,971. Women 2,748 2011 tier: Men Two. Women Three. FRESHMAN-SOPHOMORE COLLEGE Class: Two-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 70 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 2,637. Women 1,821 2011 tier: Men Three. Women Two.
ALISA ROYER, IAN GARCIA-DOTY, ANNE PIPATHSOUK/ The Stanford Daily

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 29 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,547. Women 698 2011 tier: Men Two. Women One.

Class: Three-class 2012 Draw and pre-assignment space for upperclassmen: 28 2011 cutoff for individual: Men 1,547. Women 832 2011 tier: Men For groups of up to 3, two. For groups of 4 +, one. Women One.

4 N Friday, May 4, 2012

OPINIONS
E DITORIAL

The Stanford Daily

Attacks on administration regarding suicide response unfair

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

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

The Stanford Daily

Incorporated 1973 Tonights Desk Editors George Chen Sports Editor Alisa Royer Photo Editor Willa Brock Copy Editor

n an op-ed last week, Stanford Daily deputy editor Brendan OByrne 14 criticized Stanfords response to student suicide, writing, The Universitys failure to foster a campus dialogue about mental health or illness is appalling. In addition, an ongoing series in The Daily explores the Universitys response in more detail, identifying places for improvement. While the Editorial Board agrees that more campus conversation about mental health is needed, we question whether it is appropriate to center the dialogue around a tragic event. It is certainly true that Stanfords campus culture is resistant to discussion of mental health issues. Part of this, we believe, is due to the way Stanford students like to think of themselves laid back, happy and in control. We often joke about how superior our culture is in comparison to those unnamed East Coast schools, which some students see as bastions of unhappiness. Yet in defining ourselves according to this binary, we also preclude a meaningful conversation about what it means to feel unhappy and alone on a campus where everyone else seems to thrive. It is imperative that Stanford foster more discussion on mental health defined broadly, yet many of the op-eds that have emerged in the wake of recent student deaths have made that claim without detailing how the University should go about doing so. Is better resident assistant training the appropriate response? Should more workshops take place at New Student Orientation (NSO) that direct students toward mental health resources on campus? Should all freshmen have one required meeting with a CAPS counselor in addition to their academic advisor? Focusing on tangible improvements, rather than levying broad claims against the administration, is a more feasible route toward changing something as immense as campus culture.

Furthermore, OByrnes editorial ignores the fact that suicides occur in unique contexts, and that the responses of administrators at Harvard and Yale were dictated by different circumstances than those at Stanford. He neglects to mention the fact that Sam Wopats death occurred over spring break, a rather difficult time to foster a campus dialogue given that most students are not on campus. In addition, he makes the implicit claim that sending out a campuswide email is a necessary response, but the Editorial Board questions whether or not this is true. On a campus as large as Stanfords, campus-wide emails tend to foster more speculation and gossip than they do meaningful dialogue (witness, for example, students immature responses to virtually every email about a residential break-in). Publicizing a tragic event is not the same as creating meaningful conversation. By framing the administrations response in such an antagonistic way (nothing can excuse a weeklong silence), OByrne also fails to take into account the formidable constraints that administrators faced, including confidentiality, family wishes, and a desire to allow Wopats friends a space to grieve free from scrutiny. Suicide is undoubtedly one of the most difficult issues to discuss on this campus, and there are very real cultural and structural barriers in place that prevent dialogue from taking place. The Editorial Board encourages those who are frustrated by the Universitys response to take into consideration the limitations administrators face, rather than portray them as insensitive, callous or indifferent. By beginning a conversation on mental health with the administration instead of in opposition to them, we as a Stanford community can create the kind of change that will help prevent future tragedies and reduce the stigma of mental health on campus.

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

MARKS MY WORDS

Save the last chance

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

EXISTENTIAL FORTUNE COOKIES

Tipsy Tuesdays

ne of the great things about observing other people is that you can learn a lot about yourself. This week, I spent a sliver of Tuesday night sitting in my car talking with my fiance while people-watching. The car was parked in the dark, and none of the passers-by had any idea that we were there. Apparently there had been some sort of off-campus party. Marguerite shuttle after Marguerite shuttle dropped off tipsy students, and they stumbled past our car. Some were wearing costumes, others were dressed for the cold weather. Most just seemed lost. There were two pairs though, that stuck out, and Id like to focus on them to show you how I have changed over my time here at Stanford. The first person to really set herself apart from the crowd was a drunk girl who vomited repeatedly while walking with her friend. She slowed very little when she started heaving, and the two joked about it. When we saw this transpire, we of course wondered if she would be all right and, at the same time, were surprised that she could continue to walk while vomiting; we surmised that she had practice at it. As the girls walked off, I couldnt help but wonder why she hadnt put her hair up or in a ponytail. After all, if

Sebastain Gould

If youre going to puke, you dont want to get it in your hair.

you are going to puke, you dont want to get it in your hair. The second incident happened as we got out of the car to walk back to my dorm. There was a girl sitting on the ground and another male student near her. As we approached, he got ready to urinate on a BMW parked in the lot near the street, but before he did, he asked me if it was mine. At first, I was startled that he was so polite. I replied, No, I drive a Ford. He laughed at that and said, A mans car. At this I discontinued the conversation because I didnt feel

ts Week 5 of spring quarter. As members of the senior and coterm class of 2012 continue to go about our daily routines, a strange realization is sinking in: Were graduating. And were graduating pretty soon. Well never be Stanford undergrads again. And although some of us may return to campus as University employees, graduate students or Panda Express customers, it just wont be the same. Because our time as undergraduates is ending, everything we do has acquired the new characteristic of being the last thing. This spring becomes the last spring, that midterm is now the last midterm and Exotic Patriotic is (probably) your last Exotic Erotic. The knowledge that everything will soon end creates a sort of frenzy: the Last Chance Syndrome. This obsession with the lastness of everything is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be kind of good when it motivates you, serving as a friendly reminder: Attention: this is your last chance to try [insert name of thing you havent done yet]! For four years, everyone told you about everything you should do at Stanford. And for four years, you told yourself, I can do that some other time. But the clock ticks particularly fast by May of your senior year, and suddenly the Last Chance Syndrome catches hold. And thats why, in the final days of spring, you can see the masses of seniors flock to the top of Hoover Tower. After years of commenting on its phallic shape, they suddenly realized that it was their last chance to climb it, and off they went. Other seniors made their

first-ever visits to The Dish, the cactus garden and the elusive Thai Caf. Its not only your last chance to do things, but its also your last chance to see a lot of people. After Stanford, your friends will scatter across the world or, if youre coterming, across Escondido Village (pretty much the same thing). You will lose them to high-paying jobs and grueling graduate school programs. The pressure to meet up with all those old friends is a common aspect of Last Chance Syndrome. Have you seen your freshmanyear roommate in the past two years? No? Better get lunch! Is it time to tie up some loose ends with your ex-girlfriend? With all of your ex-girlfriends? Bring on the coffee dates! After all, nows your last chance. This brings us to the bad outcomes of the Last Chance Syndrome, because sometimes it makes you do things you didnt actually want to do again. Even though you only fountain-hopped once before, and even though you didnt love the experience, you suddenly realize that this is your last chance to do it . . . a second time. Or maybe you find yourself eating lunch with someone you havent seen in two years just because you know you wont be able to do it again. Is that a good enough reason to do it? Ask yourself why you didnt see this person during the past two years and whether you genuinely enjoy spending time with him/her. Hopefully your answer to the second part is yes. Its annoying to constantly question what youre doing, but

Miriam Marks
Ive found that the worst symptom of the Last Chance Syndrome is the constant pressure to have the time of your life. Whether its the last supper or the last dance, it has to be meaningful. And as time grows ever more precious, each activity is held to a higher and higher standard. None of your last-chance activities can possibly afford to be anything less than absolutely awesome. So as you walk the Dish for the last time, as you stand in line for an omelet at Wilbur, the nagging thought remains, Is this worthy of being the last time? Am I having an awesome time right now? What other awesome last things should I be doing?! The pressure to cram a ton of meaningful last things into a few short weeks grows by the day. The problem is that you may not be having an awesome time after all. So seniors: if you didnt particularly like that one student group co-president of yours, dont feel obligated to grab dinner. If you hated the feeling of rubbing up against 100 scantily clad, sweaty bodies, then dont go to Exotic Erotic. If you didnt love it the last couple times, dont do it just because its the last one. Spend your final undergrad moments doing what you have loved at Stanford and spend those moments with the people you love as well. Dont overthink it, but this could be the last time you send a message to Miriam at melloram@stanford. edu.

O P-E D
Why I support Israel, Palestine, and Divestment
When you have two alternatives,

the first thing you have to do is to look for the third that you didnt think about, that doesnt exist. Shimon Peres, President of Israel

Please see GOULD, page 5

n fall 2011, Students for Palestinian Equal Rights (SPER) renewed its call to action with a petition entitled, Divestment from Companies whose Direct

Violations of International Law have an Injurious Impact on Palestinians: Petition to the Trustees of Stanford University. As with each major issue that has affected the Stanford community from the Vietnam War, to South African apartheid, to ROTC this issue invariably reached the office of the ASSU Executive. Individuals and groups from both sides of this debate have approached me. In order to best represent all Stanford students, I felt that it was my duty to read and educate my-

self about this debate, in addition to experiencing it myself, so that I could form a detailed and well-researched opinion. In that spirit, I agreed to be part of a student delegation to Israel this past summer (sponsored by the Israeli government), attended the 2012 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference last quarter, and visited the opposing OccupyAIPAC encampment. Throughout these visits, I continued to read various Middle

Please see OP-ED, page 5

The Stanford Daily

Friday, May 4, 2012 N 5

L ETTER
Finding Flora
To the Editor: For several years our Stanford neighborhood had a faithful companion Flora, the Roman goddess of spring. She guided visitors to our campus home at 511 Gerona Rd. Flora was a solid member of our community greeting people who met her on their walks or

TO THE

E DITOR
If you happen to know her whereabouts, we would be very grateful if you help her make a safe return to her perch. The members of our neighborhood and our family will be very grateful to have her back. We are sure she benefitted from some new experiences, but in the end there is no place like home. Sincerely,
BRIAN A. WANDELL Stein Family Professor

while jogging. Alas, at the beginning of the winter break (2011-2012), Flora wandered off. We are hoping that someone might have spotted her at some nearby location. Perhaps she went off in search of a livelier venue, and we fear that her wanderings might have brought her to a place where she experiences some of the less admirable or at least less serene aspects of campus life. diate offense and called the police to report the indecency. They asked if anyone was hurt or injured, and I told them no. At that point, the operator sounded less interested and replied that someone would be sent out to investigate, and of course, no one came. Presumably, they had better things to do than go looking for people who urinate on residences. At the time, I felt that nothing in the world could be more important than stopping them from urinating on my building, but after several years of elevators and dorms and stairwells at Stanford that smell of urine, I have become numb to it. It still offends me when someone urinates on an inanimate object in front of me, but I no longer think about doing anything about it. In many ways, I felt the same way when my locked bike was stolen last week in front of my dorm. It was just one more instance of inappropriate behavior that I can do nothing to stop.

GOULD

Continued from page 4

that I could claim anything about the heteronormativity of driving a 37-year-old American-made pickup truck. Something about the situation made me wonder about myself and the way I reacted, though. It was more than his politeness and the fact that I was tired and the fact that it really wasnt my car that made me not care at all. I am a different person now than I was when I came here; Im more used to absurd things like that. My freshman year, a group of upperclassmen were walking past my dorm on their way to a frat party as I was returning from Late Nite. One of the men asked the others to hold up as he relieved himself, and, as they stopped, another joined him in urinating on the wall of my dorm. I took imme-

What we can do though, if we still find some things inappropriate despite seeing them repeated so many times, is to not repeat those behaviors ourselves. When you go out, set the example for your friends. Dont drink so much that you vomit or, if you must, at least put your hair up so it wont get dirty. Dont steal bikes. Dont steal phones. Dont take anything that doesnt belong to you; in fact, go so far as to return things that you find. I cannot even remember the number of lost phones that Ive returned to owners. Each and every one of us can help make campus better, but dont get too discouraged if you witness something objectionable or if you lose something. As my good friend Cameron Smith always says: Dont take life too seriously! Have you ever returned a lost phone to its rightful owner? Tell Sebastain about it at sjgould@stanford.edu.

OP-ED

Continued from page 4

Eastern news sources (including Al Jazeera, Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post) to stay abreast of current events in the region. Over the past six months, I have read and re-read the petition, met with many members of the Stanford community, and done my own independent research. Of course, one can never stop learning about a topic as deep as Israel-Palestine, but I do believe that I have now formed a detailed and well-researched opinion. Stanford is not removed from this debate; rather, our investments are actively serving to perpetuate this conflict, which harms all parties in the region. Stanford and its investments have a real impact in IsraelPalestine politically, socially, and economically. For example, Stanfords investments in Caterpillar Inc. mean that we are directly complicit in the unlawful destruction and demolition of Palestinian property to allow the construction of Israeli settlements and Israeli-only roads.

These activities are considered illegal by the Fourth Geneva Convention, as affirmed by the U.N. Security Council. In short, our investments are not serving the interests of the Israeli or Palestinian people; rather, we are merely helping to intensify this conflict, and result in greater profit to these firms. The continuation of the conflict in IsraelPalestine does not serve the interests of Jews or Muslims; instead, the continuing debate has merely served to oppress many, worsen Israels image, and divide the international community. As a community, we must seek and demand a long-lasting peace. Ultimately, this petition is not radical, extreme, or anti-Semitic; this petition is pro-justice, propeace, and based on the approved Stanford model of investment responsibility. The petition calls for a specific action for a specific purpose to divest from companies engaged in unethical actions, ensuring that we fulfill our legal and ethical obligations to persons outside Stanford. While there may be other modes of engaging in dialogue many of which I greatly admire, such as the Seeds of Change project and the Peres Center for Peace I believe that this petisince the drug binds a receptor that is very important for plasticity [adaptability] in neural pathways and very significant because there is currently no drug that we can give to people that works by promoting recovery, Buckwalter wrote. In addition to accelerating and enhancing recovery, the treatment also had no detrimental effects on the subject mice, such as inflammation or scar tissue. Buckwalter noted that the compounds benefits may be applicable to human stroke victims in the future, offering a substantial leap forward in stroke treatment. She pre-

tion acts as an additional push towards true peace and justice for all peoples. All peoples regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed have a right to self-determination. No single initiative will create a lasting peace; it is only if we stand together, to promote all human rights, that true peace might come to the Middle East. Citing University policy, carefully tailoring the issue to the Stanford case, and levying charges against those most responsible, this petition is deeply pro-peace, pro-dialogue and pro-Stanford. Having seen the power imbalance in Israel, I believe that this petition strictly seeks to force those at fault which includes leaders across the international political spectrum to engage in real and lasting dialogue, designed to create a long-term solution in the Middle East that respects the equally legitimate narratives of Palestinians and Israelis. As President Peres stated, we must find a third solution to this crisis. I believe that this petition can help start that search. For these reasons, I sign this petition and urge my fellow Stanford community members to do the same.
MICHAEL CRUZ 12 ASSU President

STROKE

Continued from front page

brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF), which binds with a neural receptor called TrkB to stimulate neuron growth in both humans and mice. Mice treated with LM22A-4 produced twice the number of new nerve cells in stroke-affected areas of the brain compared to mice given the placebo and were able to regain pre-stroke limb-swing speed. It was the hoped-for discovery

dicted, however, that a time frame of many years would be needed before any such drug is approved and available to the general public. Buckwalter described the current study as just the first step. The next steps are to find the optimal dosing and time window in which to treat mice and to test for drug toxicity in mice, Buckwalter wrote, adding that due to the disparity in size between a human and a mouse brain further finetuning of the molecule itself may be required. Contact Alexis Garduno at agarduno@stanford.edu.

6 N Friday, May 4, 2012

SPORTS
NO. 7 CARD SQUARES OFF AGAINST BEAVERS
By JOSEPH BEYDA
DESK EDITOR

The Stanford Daily

ON THE MOVE

Joseph Beyda

At this point of the season, the mission is simple for the No. 7 Stanford baseball team: three games to gain, four weeks to go. And though the Cardinal (28-12, 10-8 Pac12) will play the last month of its conference season against the bottom half of the Pac-12, a major slip-up this weekend at No. 20 Oregon State (28-14, 9-9) would all but end Stanfords chance of winning the best conference in college baseball, which it was a near-unanimous favorite to capture in the preseason. With No. 12 Oregon and No. 16 Arizona going head-to-head in Tucson this weekend, the Cardinal will be the beneficiary of some top-tier infighting that could draw it closer to the respective first and second-place teams in the Pac-12. But the Beavers lurk just one game behind Stanford and three-and-a-half out of first place, so theres going to be a lot at stake for everyone involved in the threegame set starting tonight in Corvallis. Having won its last two Pac-12 series against squads that have better conference records than Oregon State, the Cardinal has the momentum it needs for a big weekend to make up for a frustrating start to conference play. The Beavers had a much streakier month of April than Stanford, being swept at Arizona State a team that lost all three games to the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond before winning four straight against the likes of No. 14 UCLA, Oregon and USC. Losses to the unranked Trojans last Saturday and Sunday, however, have left the Beavers plenty to think about before the Cardinal comes to town, with no midweek game on their schedule last week. Stanford players must be shaking their own heads after Tuesdays perplexing 8-5 loss at San Jose State. The only team to top the Cardinal in a midweek contest this year, the Spartans went a perfect 2-0 on Tuesdays against Stanford last month, most recently roughing up freshman righty John Hochstatter for three first-inning runs before Cardinal pitching could even record an out. Hochstatters fall from early-season grace has paved the way for sophomore righthander A.J. Vanegas to claim the Sunday starter spot, and he has given up just under one hit per inning in his last two weekend starts. Vanegas (3-0, 2.77 ERA) will be the likely choice to go up against fellow sophomore righty Dan Child (4-3, 2.65) this Sunday as well. As always, Stanford will have stalwart junior righty Mark Appel on the hill for the Friday opener. Appel is averaging nearly eight innings and as many strikeouts per start, with opponents hitting just .218 against the future first-round draft pick. On the other hand, the

MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily

Sophomore Brett Michael Doran (above) and the No. 7 Stanford baseball squad prepares to face No. 20 Oregon State in Corvallis this weekend. The Cardinal is currently sitting at fourth in the Pac-12 standings, but has four weeks left to gain ground in the close conference race.
Cardinal will be looking for redshirt junior lefthander Brett Mooneyham to break out of a midseason slump, as he has now allowed 14 runs in as many frames over the last three weekends, going 0-2 over that stretch. Statistically, Oregon States Friday-Saturday rotation of lefties Ben Wetzler and Jace Fry doesnt stand out against some of its elite Pac-12 counterparts. The Beavers 3.48 team ERA puts them squarely in the middle of the 11-team league, and the squad ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in both hits (8.82) and walks (3.44) allowed per nine innings as of last Sunday. But the Beavers do boast one of the best hitters in the conference in freshman phenom Michael Comforto. The leftfielder is hitting .356 and has driven in 54 runs this season, tied for fourth best in the country and the highest total for a freshman, though he went just 1for-6 at the plate in Oregon States two losses last weekend. Stanford has gotten its own fair share of underclassman production in recent weeks, though freshman third baseman Alex Blandino has gone a bit cold after a .563 week in late April that earned him National Player of the Week honors from National Collegiate Baseball. Sophomore Austin Wilson, on the other hand, has been on a tear, and two home runs against the Spartans made it four long balls in the last five games for the rightfielder. The one area in which the Cardinal will have trouble matching up is defense, with the Beavers recording three double plays for every two by Stanford and ranking 44th in the country in fielding percentage. The Cardinal is over 100 spots lower in that category, though many of those errors came during that troubling stretch at the start of Pac-12 play. In the weeks since the squad lost sophomore shortstop Lonnie Kauppila for the season to injury and head coach Mark Marquess had to shift his infield around, there havent been many of the fielding problems you

Please see BASEBALL, page 8

bradley klahn
BY JACK BLANCHAT

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

MANAGING EDITOR

ts 9:30 a.m. on a cool Thursday morning, and Bradley Klahn is setting out traffic cones on a tennis court. My serves been such a rollercoaster lately, he says, placing 10 cones from left to right across the service line, five in each box. Klahn, the 2010 NCAA mens singles tennis champion and the number one player on the Stanford mens tennis team, is preparing for the upcoming NCAA championship next week. His third serve smacks the red cone in the left service box, knocking it off the court. The problem with the big cones is, if I hit the top of them, the serves going out, he says. The senior from Poway, Calif., is used to balancing his prodigious tennis career and school, but now, its all tennis, all the time. Six feet tall, dressed from head to toe in red and black drifit, the economics major graduated from school in the winter and now spends his days preparing for the final hurrah of his college career and the beginning of his budding professional career. The lefty pulls a serve and smacks a cone in the wrong service box. Aw, that doesnt count. Now, the only thing on Klahns schedule is to play tennis, practice tennis, work out and rehab sometimes for 12 hours a day. Most days, he rises at 6:30 and goes to bed before 11. Without any schoolwork, I

ALISA ROYER/The Stanford Daily

Senior Bradley Klahn (above) is fully devoting his time to preparing for the upcoming NCAA championship, after having graduated in the winter. The 2010 NCAA mens singles champion hopes to end his illustrious career on a strong note.

go to bed a lot earlier. Trying to get on a more professional routine, I guess. He finds his rhythm when he switches to the other side of the baseline, hitting three cones in rapid succession. Target practice, he says. This years NCAA title is in Athens, Ga., the site of Klahns 2010 singles win, where he crushed Louisvilles Austin Childs, 6-1, 6-2, in the final to capture a championship ring. Those memories and his memories after from the 2011 NCAA tournament in front of a rowdy home crowd at Stanford drive him to wake up and hit ball after ball every morning. The [2011 quarterfinal] match against Texas A&M was a wild one . . . that was fun. [The semifinal match against] Virginia was fun too. Virginia was the most absurd thing Ive ever seen, let alone been a part of. And I cant say Ive got bad memories [about Athens] after winning there, he adds. However, if Klahn hopes to add a championship coda to his days at Stanford, hell have to overcome his two nemeses this season: USC and a balky back. The Trojans have won three consecutive team titles behind the powerful play of senior Steve Johnson, last years NCAA singles champion, who is riding a 60-match winning streak coming into the tournament. Hes been a lock. Theyre always starting 2-0 in every match, or at least 1-0, Klahn says. The No. 1 Trojans also captured the

enough. Thats why theyre adding another one in the first week of January. After the commissioners of the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences (and separatist Notre Dames athletics director) met last week to decide what will become of the BCS, they finally determined to install a fourteam playoff in college football. Its unclear if the current BCS ranking system will be used to select the top four teams, but by 2014, were going to have a playoff, whether you like it or not. As a good Pac-12 football fan, the first words out of your mouth should be: What about the Rose Bowl? How existing bowls BCS and otherwise will be integrated into the new system still remains to be seen. One popular model is that the semifinal bowls will be determined by the conference of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams; that is, if Stanford finished first in the country (Barry J. Sanders for Heisman in 2014, anyone?), it would play in the Rose Bowl against the fourseed, and if LSU finished second, it would play in the Sugar Bowl against the three-seed. So the Pac-12s chance of being represented in the Rose Bowl isnt seismically better or worse, its just . . . different. As of now, pretty much the only way a Pac-12 team isnt included in the Rose Bowl is if the conference champion plays in the national title game and there isnt a BCS-eligible squad from the conference to fill the void. The one exception was in 2005, when No. 1 USC went to the championship game and No. 5 Texas got the Rose-Bowl nod over No. 4 Cal (not that I have any sympathy). Under the proposed system, a Pac12 team would get to play in the Rose Bowl if it was ranked No. 1, and the same would be true for No. 2 as long as a Big Ten team hadnt already claimed the bid with the top ranking. But a Pac12 team wont be playing in Pasadena if it finishes out of the top-two and the Big Ten does, except for the off chance that the 1-4/2-3 seedings match up perfectly to put a Big Ten and Pac-12 squad in the same game.There is, however, some talk of giving slightly lowerranked conference champions a chance to play in the Final Four to help maintain tradition. So, at first glance, there doesnt seem to be anything particularly offensive about the four-team playoff plan. Then again, the BCS didnt seem all that bad before it was marred by years of controversial bowl selections. Fairness will always take center stage, but my main concern has always gotten way less air-time than it deserves. By adding an extra game, were continuing down the slippery slope of extending the season further and further. What was at most a 12-game schedule 20 years ago 11 regularseason contests and a bowl will now be a 15-game monstrosity for two teams, who have to go through hardfought conference title games, the semifinal bowls and the national championship. Since the SEC became the first conference that crowned its winner with a championship game in 1992, players have consistently been asked to put their bodies on the line more frequently. The proliferation of the conference postseason, the addition of a 12th regular-season game in 2006 and the increase in the number of bowl games all contribute to wear and tear on the athletes, especially those in high-pressure situations. Injuries add up over a career just ask Chris Owusu, whose three concussions over 13 months nearly ended his playing time on the Farm and could sideline him permanently. And when the two teams in the national title game are asked to play nearly a full NFL schedule, the clock starts ticking much faster for a bunch of players careers. At the end of the day, a four-team playoff seems like a decent compromise between the current system and larger, eight- or sixteen-team proposals. But ensuring that we crown the rightful national champion comes at a price, and when critics of the new system inevitably start advocating for larger playoff fields in a few years time, we need to keep in mind that by playing more games, we may be asking just too much of college athletes. Joseph Beyda is not sold on the fourteam playoff system just yet. Give him your own postseason proposals at jbeyda@stanford.edu.

Playoff still not perfect

he college sports powersthat-be have spoken, and they have decided that a single Final Four in late March and early April just isnt

Please see KLAHN, page 8

The Stanford Daily

Friday, May 4, 2012 N 7

ble and short-term, Gopalan said, saying that many students like talking to peers to resolve issues. Bridge calls tend to last one to two hours, Gopalan said. Alejandro Martinez, a senior associate director at CAPS, a primary advisor to The Bridge and an instructor of its training courses, said The Bridge is a great first resource for mental health. If a person has a place to call, that is the most critical step in getting help, Martinez said. And that is something The Bridge does exceedingly well. Kai-Yuan Neo 14 said he went to The Bridge and CAPS each for the first time last month and described positive experiences. I highly recommend both, Neo said, commenting that access to The Bridge was convenient because it was open late and didnt feel as serious as talking to a professional counselor. While The Bridge is meant for one-time counseling, CAPS which has both psychologists and psychiatrists, who can prescribe medication offers more regular meetings. CAPS used to offer students 10 free counseling sessions per year, but shifted to a less rigid model four years ago, Albucher said. There is no longer a fixed number of available sessions, but CAPS prefers to perform shortterm counseling in the interest of seeing more students. There is no fixed number for the amount of sessions available to students, and counselors make a determination based on the students progress and counselor caseloads. For some [students] it might be 5 to 6 [sessions] for others it may be 12, Albucher said. Neo, who said he had been experiencing feelings of loneliness and a lack of excitement since winter quarter, said he had not considered either resource before last month because he perceived he did not need psychological help. Now, he said, he recognizes something does not need to be wrong with him to utilize CAPS and has schedule a follow-up meeting. Everybody has small problems its nice to talk about them, to make sure everything is on the right track, Neo said. Scheduling an appointment One of our key priorities is talking to students the same day they contact us, Albucher said, referring to the triage system, in which students schedule a 5 to 10 minute call with a clinician to assess his or her counseling needs. At the end of this triage call, students schedule initial sessions with counselors. The average wait time between triage and initial meeting is five days, Albucher said. Most students who spoke to The Daily said they have had to wait a week before seeing CAPS. Multiple students said they have experienced waits of longer than a week, commenting that even a week can be too long for a student with a non-crisis health concern. Jen Wylie 13, a resident assistant (RA) in Suites, where sophomore Sam Wopat lived and attempted suicide in March, said that even though she wishes to see a counselor, the CAPS schedule does not work with hers. Wylie is a member of the diving team. After Sams funeral I was really sad, Wylie said. I tried to make an appointment with a CAPS counselor, but my schedule was so busy. Anytime they can meet, I cant meet. Anytime I can meet, they cant meet. It hasnt happened yet. I feel like its a lot of emails back and forth. Albucher said CAPS sometimes receives complaints about wait time and that he would personally follow up with students who report grievances. Weve had complaints about people not being able to get in a timely way, Albucher said. I take those seriously and want to hear about those from students. Switching counselors A student may not find a good match with his or her initial counselor. While some might stick with a partnership and others might decide to stop going to CAPS altogether, one RA spoke of a time when his own RA helped him switch counselors. When I felt that my CAPS counselor was a little too stoic and didnt seem to understand me, my RA checked in, Charlton Soesanto 11, a co-term student, wrote in an email to other RAs as part of a thread on what to do about suicide/death after The Daily began this series. When he found out CAPS wasnt going too well, he sat next to me, called the director of CAPS for me, and told him that I needed someone new. Now. The next day I got an appointment with a new counselor. Soesanto emphasized that his new counselor was fantastic in a follow-up email to The Daily. Another RA, who identified as a varsity athlete who dealt with major depression, said she was dissatisfied with the services of both CAPS and The Bridge. My experience with CAPs has not been the best, she wrote. Both in times of crisis and in times of simple distress, it has taken up to a month for me to have a session where I get to seriously address issues with a trained counselor. At the Bridge I do not feel that students who wish to talk to a trained counselor can really get what they need. Addressing sexual assault A female sophomore reported waiting two weeks to be seen after a sexual assault on campus in 2011. I called triage on February 8 and the first available appointment they had was February 21, she said, adding that she had described symptoms of depression, said she had been assaulted, and reported not being at risk to harm herself. They said that I could come in for an on-call clinician. The student said she canceled her relationship with CAPS after two counseling sessions because of the tone she perceived when discussing strategies for avoiding a future attack. Within two appointments, it was recommended that I take Prozac and that in order to avoid being assaulted in the future I reevaluate my clothing choices, she said. The student said she could not sleep for four days after being blamed for her attack and spent the following month ridden to her bed. It confirmed my fears that what I was experiencing was my own fault, she said. The whole goal of sexual assault counseling would be to not make the student feel like they are to blame for any of it, Albucher said, commenting that he could only speak generally and not to any specific case. Albucher expressed that such an incident was concerning. I would hope that the student can come and set up a time to meet with me and Id be happy to figure out what went wrong, what was said, and take steps to if there was a problem on our end to fix that, he said. I certainly dont want anyone in any way, shape or form getting that message. Despite her experience, the sophomore said she would still recommend CAPS to people dealing with most mental health issues. I would recommend CAPS to friends, because Im sure my experience isnt a universal one, she said, though she added that given her experience she would not recommend CAPS to a student who is a victim of sexual assault. I wouldnt feel comfortable recommending CAPS if that experience had even been a possibility. The University opened the Office for Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse (SARA) Education and Response last June to serve as an additional resource for students. Addressing serious depression Two students with serious mental health issues reached out to The Daily following the first article in this series. Both students, who said they had not discussed their experiences with many others on campus, agreed to speak with The Daily under the condition of complete anonymity. Student X is an undergraduate who has an anxiety disorder and major depression. Student X has taken multiple leaves of absence and is currently home seeking long-term treatment. Student Y is a junior with a family history of depression and has battled the illness since early childhood. Student X said she appreciated resources from The Bridge, but that it could not meet her needs. I used The Bridge a few times, but I feel like the severity of my depression was a little bit too much for a peer counselor to handle, student X said. I thought it was nice that that resource was there. She expressed similar sentiments about CAPS. I really appreciated the fact that there were 10 free sessions per quarter, student X said. My qualm was that I didnt really feel connected with my personal counselor. My counselor gave me general tips deep breathing, writing down worries, she said. I wish hed listened more and taken me a little more seriously in terms of my concerns, worries, fears. Student X said she didnt know that it was an option to switch counselors. While neither resource worked for her, she said she was very grateful to Stanford for connecting her to treatment at home. Student Y said no one at CAPS communicated that seeing a regular psychiatrist at Stanford Hospital was a viable option, even though she began seeing a specialist there following a suicide attempt. I brought it up earlier with someone at CAPS, she said.They said there was no insurance it would be so much more expensive. It really discouraged me. Student Y said it was not the case that going to Stanford Hospital was not expensive. Off campus referrals If a therapist, when coming up with an assessment for students, thinks the students difficulty cannot be handled short term, CAPS will recommend students to seek longer-term treatment in an outpatient center, Albucher said. Albucher said that Stanford will partner with a new mental health insurance benefits company in the 2012-13 academic year that will help students in Cardinal Care find good providers in the local community. If they dont want to come to CAPS thats fine, well help them get healthcare elsewhere, Albucher said. Sarah Quartey 14 said she also left CAPS after a few sessions, but because she thought long-term care would be more beneficial. I came to campus with a lot of mental health issues definitely depressed, showing signs of OCD, anxiety disorder and other things, Quartey said. Quartey said that she went to CAPS for a while, but now sees an off-campus counselor every week. She said that Stanfords Office of Financial Aid was able to cover her co-pay for the off-site services and that CAPS led her to that resource. CAPS was a really user-friendly way to start, she said. Contact Kristian Davis Bailey at kbailey@stanford.edu.

SERIES

Continued from front page

a.m. to midnight. Between 30 and 40 students take The Bridges two required training classes each quarter. A student Bridge counselor said this size is feasible given space and personnel constraints, but added, it would be nice to scale that up a little bit. Albucher said the same about CAPS resources, commenting that we could always use more. Each year has always been busier than the last, going back the last five years, Albucher said, commenting that this years data will not be analyzed until the end of spring quarter. I would expect overall that this academic year, well still see this kind of an increase. This quarter, The Bridge has experienced a spike in calls, possibly caused by two recent student deaths. We are getting a spike of calls related to mental health and illness and the loss of Cady and Sam, said Bridge counselor Akshay Gopalan 12 to The Daily in April. CAPS has seen a similar trend, Albucher said. But Gopalan, who currently teaches the Bridge training classes and has served as a financial coordinator for the group, said that the majority of calls are related to relationships issues romantic, social and familial followed by academic issues general stress and anxiety about pending probations or suspensions. Depression-related counsels ranked third in 2011 data on the Centers work. CAPS reported more counsels related to mental health than The Bridge, and Albucher said that the factors that cause students to utilize CAPS have remained constant over the years. The number one issue that brings people in are relationship issues, Albucher said. Two and three are depression and anxiety symptoms. Albucher said that generally, students are reporting less stigma about mental health care. Short and mid-term solutions The Bridge and CAPS each offer, respectively, short- and mid-term counseling to students, with each serving as a transition to care for students who need psychiatric treatment in longer increments. The Bridge is meant to serve as a one-time, short-term resource for student counseling. The Bridges general counseling style, Gopalan said, is driven by the counselee and not the counselor. We [have] students talk through everything theyre going through and systematically break down complex thoughts and emotions into manageable steps, [and] create an action plan that is feasi-

CLASSIFIEDS
GET NOTICED BY THOUSANDS.
HIRING

(650) 721-5803
www.stanforddaily. com/classifieds

$50K_funding for Internet Entrepreneurs/Hackers. hr@kingstarusa.com

HOTEL SUPERVISOR DONORS WANTED

$$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Earn up to $1,200/month. Give the gift of family through California Cryobanks donor program. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com 1. Excellent analytical, organizational, and verbal/written communication skills. 2. 1 year prior hotel front desk, guest services, or revenue management, and prior college coursework. Resume with expected hourly rate to sti9119@gmail.com

Like most Americans, millions of young people have been deeply affected by the terrorist attacks. They are asking for a way to get personally involved and make a difference. By purchasing The Heart of America Pin, corporations and organizations can support the relief efforts and also help young people get involved in creating a better world. All pro ts from the sale of pins will support The Heart of America Foundation s community programs and Family Relief Fund for the families of the victims of terrorism. Show the world the power of love.

Corporations and organizations can visit The Heart of America Foundation s website at www.heartofamerica.org for information about how they can help. Retail orders may be placed directly with the pin s manufacturer, Friends, Inc. at 1-877-I-CARE PINS (422-7374).

8 N Friday, May 4, 2012

The Stanford Daily

est so far. I dont know if people will sign me or not, he says. Id obviously like to sign with an agent; itd be cool, and they can help out with deals and money and stuff, but Im sure any agent is going to have their reservations about signing a guy who had back surgery. I hope not, though, because I feel healthy; I feel good. Its definitely better than it was. For now, though, Klahns first concern is ending his college career on the right note. He feels the pressure of being a senior team captain in his last NCAA tournament. Thats the real reason he gets up in the morning to hit serves, hits with Coupe after lunch, goes to the regularly scheduled practice with the rest of them team, then works out, then rehabs. Hell do the same thing again on Friday, and Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday. All tennis, all the time. Just a normal day in the life of Bradley Klahn: not quite studentathlete, not quite a professional. Contact Jack Blanchat at blanchat@stanford.edu.

KLAHN

Continued from page 6

Pac-12 title this year and blanked the Cardinal 7-0, 7-0 and 4-0 in their three matchups this season. Klahn also still battles the effects of a herniated disc in his back, an injury that forced him out of competition for half the school year and still affects his mobility and strength, he says. He takes the time to stretch his back during every pause in his practice schedule. I had the same injury that [Orlando Magic forward] Dwight Howard has, he says. Its just stiff, more than anything else. The surgical site was painful right after, but the hardest thing for a while was just getting in and out of bed. After finishing his morning session of serves, Klahn gets a necessary back massage, eats lunch and returns to the Taube Tennis Center courts to hit with assistant coach Brandon Coupe. A light drizzle forces the two

of them to the underground indoor court the team refers to as the dungeon, where Coupe gives Klahn pointers on his backhand and volleys. Coupes strokes are short and direct when compared to Klahns nimble, smooth backhands Coupe is leathered from 10 years spent on the professional tennis tour. He gives Klahn tips that will serve him well when he moves along to the professional ranks right after graduation. Klahn will train in Carson, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, after his time at Stanford is up and could possibly begin playing in professional events as early as June 2, at the Sacramento USTA Futures tour event a step below the ATP tour of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It kind of depends on how I feel depending on where my fitness is. But really, I havent planned it out too far in advance, he confesses. The bigger question, he says, comes down the road, when hell need sponsors to help him jumpstart his pro career. I havent had any agent inter-

BASEBALL
Continued from page 6
might expect from the relatively inexperienced lineup. But Stanford committed three errors all in the infield in that Tuesday loss at San Jose State, so defense will continue to be of particular emphasis for this team going forward. When all is said and done, the

Cardinal likely wont be in first place in the Pac-12 come Monday but Stanford has a good chance to leapfrog No. 14 UCLA, which is just a half-game ahead in third place and traveling to Seattle this weekend to face Washington. Tonights opener at Goss Stadium in Corvallis is set for 5:35 p.m., and the Saturday and Sunday games will both start at 1:05 p.m. Contact Joseph Beyda at jbeyda@ stanford.edu.

IT

only
Please
smokeybear.com

TAKES A SPARK.

ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES.

vol. 241 i. 11 fri. 05.04.12

inside:

INTERMISSION

BARES IT ALL

TOP 5: THINGS NOT TO TELL PEOPLE YOU JUST MET

College is one of the few times in your life when work and social environments completely overlap and youre expected to automatically bond with everyone you come into contact with. With the friendliest season upon us, coinciding with final round interviews, it can be difficult to navigate the decorum appropriate for Exotic Erotic versus Wilbur Field tanning versus that first Google pod nap. Read on for the cardinal rules on which subjects shouldnt be discussed up front.

I broke so many laws last weekend . . .

Dont let the tutu or the leather pants fool you. Are you familiar with 21 Jump Street? The strangers you just met could very well be undercover police officers. And even though some Daily writers may even be so badass as to have warrants out for their arrests (albeit for unpaid biking tickets), some weekend memories are best left to the imagination and legal record.

FRISKY ON THE FARM

1 2
2

I dont like animals.

In a city where its not uncommon to spot poodles in Neimans and Savannah cats in Bloomies, you can bet most people will suspect foul play if you suggest youre not actually obsessed with their furry friend. They will hold it against you. If it comes up, just say youre scared of animals. Its easier to stomach. And the vegans may even forgive your misguided or PTSD-induced phobia. Either that or point you toward the Comm department for some virtual reality therapy.

4 5

LUIS AGUILAR/The Stanford Daily

Let me share my religious beliefs with you.

We have God on our money, so we will not be claiming a separation of church and state. But, in general, if you bring it up, people will think youre trying to convert them. Which is actually pretty offensive, because you dont know anything about the state of their soul. They could be Gandhi.

EXOTIC EROTIC
AND BEYOND
n case you hadnt heard, Newsweek came out with their College Rankings, and Stanfords ranked fifth. For horniest, that is. With Exotic Erotic on the horizon of todays setting sun to be exact we think this is the most relevant of our rankings. Now, we made the cut many times over in those silly areas like Most Return on Your Investment or whatever, but lets face it: You can get a good education anywhere. Thats why God (and Horace Mann) invented public school. When you choose a college, its like picking out a car. It has to go from point A to point B; thats the given. What youre really looking for is something fun and sporty, something that will take you there fast and preferably comes in Cardinal red. And any rep/tour guide/student/ alum/Dean Julie will always give you the same used-car-salesman spiel: Yeah ,we have the best teachers, and campus, and whatever, but its really(and they draw it out here, so you KNOW they tellin the truth) the students that make it the best. I know how it works; I wrote those Why WhateverCollege essays, too. But when youre making your list, will YOU want your roommate to be the future co-founder of a giant company, which you may try to swindle 40 percent of later? No, no,

I dont like Beyonce.

See number one. Everyone loves Beyonce. Whats not to love about this singing, dancing, acting, rags-toriches golden girl? And shes a mother. Blue Ivy Carter cant even walk yet, and she already has a strain of marijuana named after her. Theres a good chance if you say this to someone, they arent going to let you finish.

I havent showered in [X number] of days . . .

This probably goes without saying, but if youre that dirty, chances are they can already smell you. Dont draw attention to it. Plus, with a little dry shampoo and spray-on deodorant, you might be able to fool some people. Heck, with a suns out, guns out philosophy, you may just be able to blame your stale appearance and au naturale odor on all the outdoorsy activity youve been wrangling.

youre not going to Harvard. Youd rather they be the wingman to your Friday nights and Sunday Fundays. And really, what does Horniest mean anyway? Like horniest students, or professors, or curriculum? I mean, I did hear about some wild IHUM they offered for a year, but that got axed (insert Cal joke here), and everyone is always chatting up that French Cinema (porn) class, but is this mark cause for concern? Or celebration? As far as I can tell, I guess its pretty true. Any visiting student could tell from Exotic Erotic or the sheer number of hardly-clothed people on Wilbur Field just how excited this campus is. Or the fact that Full Moon on the Quad is, like, a normal and school-sponsored event? Not to mention the Chappie Queens of bygone years (Heres hoping for a revival!). And living down the hall from he-who-shallbe-known-as-RushCrush during freshman year certainly opened my eyes to the world of walks of shame (and no names), empty bottle evenings and un-returned phone calls (of both the literal and figurative variety). But the real reason why this list has got me thinking is, | continued on page 8 |

intermission

ach year, the San Francisco International Film Festival chooses a director to honor with the Founders Directing Award, and this years was bestowed upon the great actor-director Kenneth Branagh. With past winners like Clint Eastwood, Akira Kurosawa, Werner Herzog and Mike Leigh, Branagh finds himself in good company. He came to San Francisco this week to accept the award and to participate in a special on-stage event at the Castro Theatre on Friday with a screening of his second film, Dead Again. Kenneth Branagh has often been called the next Laurence Olivier, in praise of his fantastic film adaptations of Shakespeares plays, both as a director and an actor. At 28, he made his directorial debut with Henry V, in which he also played the title role, earning Academy Award nominations for both Best Actor and Best Director. In his interview on Friday, he revealed that he was actually in San Francisco when Henry V was beginning to get significant critical acclaim, and he cited reading a glowing New York Times review of it while in San Francisco as a life-changing moment. His later film, Much Ado About Nothing, is a masterpiece and the definitive version of the play; Branagh plays Benedick to Emma Thompsons Beatrice, alongside an impressive supporting cast including Denzel Washington and Kate Beckinsale. In 1996, Branagh, not Sir Branagh he declined the offer of knighthood filmed a full-length rendition of Hamlet, in which he also played the title role, alongside Kate Winslets Ophelia. When he found out that he had been nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Hamlet, he thought it was some kind of cruel joke. Yes, he had radically interpreted the play as a director, but he had kept the entire script intact. Eventually, he and a writer friend concluded that this was really a nomination for Mr. William Shakespeare, 400 years late, and a nod of

B R A N A G H B AY
BY THE
approval from other writers for leaving Shakespeares play alone. Although his adaptations of the Bards Loves Labour Lost as a Hollywood musical and As You Like It were both flops, as Branagh puts it, only the great can fail spectacularly. His oeuvre, however, is not limited to Shakespeare. He successfully dabbled in noir with Dead Again, made a film of Frankenstein, remade Sleuth with a script by Harold Pinter and most recently tanked with Thor. Its also a little-known fact that his film Peters Friends, which starred his real-life friends Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Imelda Staunton and then-wife Emma Thompson, was the first time Hugh Lauries singing and piano playing were captured on film for the big screen. The evening opened with an interview with Branagh by CalShakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone. Branagh was, of course, charming, witty and incredibly articulate and humble. When the floor opened up for audience questions, there was a general, welldeserved outpouring of gratitude for Branaghs work in making Shakespeare accessible to the masses, and yet he still remained sincerely humble. We were reminded of his beginnings as a boy from a working-class family in Northern Ireland, who moved to England at age nine and adopted an English accent as a means to ensure he was understood and fend off bullies. As a young actor and director, he was known to mouth off a fair bit about wankers who claimed to know what Shakespeare was or how Shakespeare should be performed. He has had the misfortune of having some of these youthful phrases, now circulating on the Internet, quoted back to him, like Im just a foul-mouthed Brit. Branagh and Moscone got into some very exciting, in-depth discussion about his directorial choices in his Shakespearean films. He chose to set Hamlet in bright,

MOVIES

Courtesy San Francisco Film Society expansive spaces because, after performing the play multiple times, he felt that these sets were just as arguably appropriate as the gloomy environs Hamlet is so often confined to. It was also done to help draw attention to the fact that there were many joyous happenings in Elsinore, from his mothers happy new marriage to Claudius competent ruling of the country, and that Hamlets gloominess was very much a character trait. And although Branagh humorously summarizes the play as basically being about how the map of Europe could change just because a man couldnt have a proper conversation alone with his mother after his fathers death, he does, of course, acknowledge that its also brilliant in many ways. The pair discussed the iconic opening scene of Henry V, when Derek Jacobi speaks his soliloquy while walking through the backstage of a film studio, and upon finishing, opens a door, revealing a small sliver of light, and the play begins. While earlier adaptations of Henry V, like Oliviers, favored a romantic interpretation, Branagh aimed to look at the play as being about what happens in hushed conversations behind closed doors. The frequent use of close-ups in the film, he said, was part of setting up this idea. After the interview and a brief intermission, the audience was treated to a screening of Dead Again, in which Branagh also stars alongside Emma Thompson. Dead Again is an impressively crafted film, which embraces, acknowledges and mocks all the conventions of film noir and puts them in a modern setting. When Mike Church | continued on page 4 | friday may 04 2012

MOVIES

S O U N D

CULT FILM
O F M Y

V O I C E

al Batmanglijs provocative debut feature and Sundance hit Sound of My Voice follows a young pair of documentarians seeking to infiltrate an underground cult. Starring indie it-girl Brit Marling as the cults enigmatic leader, the Courtesy Fox Searchlight

films exploration of the boundaries between knowledge, faith and trust prove that it doesnt take a big budget to drive a high-concept story. By day, twenty-somethings Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole

Vicius) are a substitute teacher and a writer, respectively, but by night, after weeks of preparation, they are finally close to realizing their goal of exposing a local cult. Following explicit instructions, the couple scrubs down and changes clothes before being blindfolded and taken to the basement of a safe house, where they meet their fellow members and leader Maggie (Marling). Shrouded in white and hooked up to an oxygen tank, Maggie is like a modern-day Madonna whose mesmerizing aura resonates with even the staunchest disbelievers like Peter. Claiming to be from the distant future, she promises to protect her disciples from imminent catastrophe in exchange for their faith and trust. As Maggies demands escalate, pressuring the converts to prove their worthiness, Peter and Lorna begin to question just how far they are willing to go in pursuit of the truth; that is, if they even know what truth means anymore. Marling anchors the film as the manipulative Maggie, who constantly fluctuates between wise sage and petulant superior, relying on others to bring her items from the outside world that her condition prevents her from setting foot in. The performance is a study in calculated charisma, such that, by the end, it matters less whether Maggies story is true but rather that her power to elicit such blind faith is a force to be reck-

oned with. While this may all sound quite heavy, co-writers Marling and Batmanglij infuse the story with moments of levity that prevent the film from taking itself too seriously. The elaborate handshake that designates membership seems silly at first, but, by the end, becomes emblematic. In another memorable scene, Maggie performs Dreams by The Cranberries in a botched attempt to impress her followers with a song from the future. Sound of My Voice leaves plenty of loose ends and unanswered questions that suggest it would have perhaps functioned better as a television pilot (and indeed, the writers originally conceived of the story as a web series), but nonetheless manages to please and intrigue as a film. Viewers who prefer their movies neatly wrapped up with a bow should take note and proceed with caution). An engrossing and haunting examination of the lengths to which individuals will go to in order to hold fast to something they believe in no matter how rational or irrational this is a film that doesnt shy away from testing conventions and suspending disbelief. misa SHIKUMA
contact misa: mshikuma@stanford.edu

CONTINUED FROM BRANAGH, PAGE 3 (Branagh) is called into the orphanage where he grew up to help Grace, a woman who has lost her memory (Thompson), everything starts to get screwy for him. Through a series of hilarious events, they wind up visiting a quirky hypnotist who helps Grace regain some memories. Her memories are not from the recent past, but rather involve a married couple from the 1940s that look exactly like our heroes but are, in fact, Margaret and Roman Strauss, famous for the fact that Roman was sentenced to death for Margarets murder. Of course, its absurd, and we have to suspend our disbelief just as much as our heroes do. Here the film gets very, very clever. Branagh thickly applies the noir from the suspicious camera angles to the genrelike dialogue, and Mikes own disbelief about his peculiar circumstances grows. But in this suspension, Branagh also manages to capture resounding comedy, both from one-liners and the intended irony of the situations. Branagh succeeds in building up so much suspense, so much dramatic tension and so much enthralling action, with earned plot twist after plot twist, that by the end, you actually have to catch your breath. Here Branagh proves that hes not just a master at putting theatre on film but at filmmaking itself, mastering film noir just as deftly as he did Shakespeare. It has now been a few years since Branagh last brought a Shakespeare play to the big screen. When asked if he will be returning to Shakespeare again anytime soon, Branagh said he has plans to make a film of a play whose name cannot be uttered in the current venue: The Scottish Play, that is. And after a few more comments about superstition, he asked us if he had made himself absolutely clear yet. The unnamed play is, of course, Macbeth. He also stated that he would like to make another noir film set in San Francisco, a city so rich with film noir history. alexandra HEENEY
contact alexandra: ahenney@stanford.edu

Courtesy San Francisco Film Society

intermission

VIDEO GAMES

ind ames

E M O T I O N A L I T Y IN M O T I O N
Journey seems to anticipate precisely what you will do without ever making you do it. It never tries to force a reaction out of you, but rather feels like an extension of feelings you already have. Its a bit like a dream, you might agree. Journeys most surreal experience, no doubt, comes from encountering another wanderer. Considering the racist 12-year-olds who plague an average match of Halo, Id assume that any hint of genuine emotion would be dashed away with the inclusion of multiplayer. But Journey, in its own elegant way, deftly avoids this problem. Players remain nameless and mute, lingering in your game only as long as they desire. You might travel together for a time or move past each other like strangers in a train station. If you cooperate, youll build a silent bond. A simple language emerges as you look at one another, walk off a bit and chirp to your companion with the games one-button singing mechanic. Follow me, you both understand. Inevitably, then, youll be stung when they leave your side. There are no rules, no technobabble and certainly no screaming adolescents. Its just two strangers in a strange land, like innocent children on the same playground. Somehow, Journey solved the problem of fostering real, in-game intimacy by stripping out all the traditional ways that games let us communicate. And its beautiful. Simple as it seems, Journey is a cryptic experience. I doubt if I could ever throw enough words onto the Internet to capture all its subtle nuances. But that mystery belies a compelling, unadorned elegance that anyone with a heart would find moving. In so doing, Journey is a powerful case for games being a unique and engaging medium. Even if I cant win you over with words on a page, I suggest you pick up a controller and give it a try yourself. nate ADAMS
contact nate: nbadams@stanford.edu

laying Journey is a bit like sliding through an exotic dream. Its exhilarating one moment, sad the next, and, inherently, the experience is solely yours, the dreamers. The intensity of such things, for better or worse, will always fade when you leave the bed or put down the controller. The sights and sounds evaporate in daylight, and the experience boils away to lingering, naked emotion. When someone asks if you had any dreams last night, youre at a loss for words. But you have no lack of feelings, difficult though they are to convey. I played through Journey on a cold night in March, but the memory went dormant until a few days ago. It was one of those nervous, gleeful moments that come up every so often for any hobbyist or closeted geek: A friend of mine, with whom I quite happily spend time never mentioning games, was asking about them. My mind raced I dont make a habit of talking about this kind of thing, but I jump like a hungry dog when I get a good chance. With effort, I held myself back from clicking open my metaphorical briefcase and unleashing an off-putting presentation of why games will save the world, or some other overwrought bullshit. Luckily, I managed to keep my head on straight and give a sensible, not-tooenthusiastic account of what makes games worth playing or at least, I hope I did. I was mostly satisfied when the conversation moved on, if only because I didnt embarrass myself, and she didnt think any worse of games. Mostly satisfied, but not entirely. In the rapid scanning of my mental archives, Journey was the first hit in response to the query, Which games are interesting to non-gamers? Even so, the Journey page in my mind was gibberish. The problem, Ive realized, is that Journey escapes conventional description. Its not a platformer, its not a puzzler and its certainly not an action game. Its title reveals nothing about the game. Theres no dialogue, no clear story, no

JOURNEY
Courtesy Sony Computer Entertainment names, no specific setting, no bosses, no checkpoints, no life bars, no skill trees and no death. Its deeply subjective, mingling in the curious spaces where joy, sorrow, loss and anger meet. At times it flies; at others it falls. Its dynamism; its despair. Its emotion, in motion. Ah, yes that sense of movement. I could never properly capture it without putting a controller in your hands. Likewise, Ive never seen a game accomplish so much with the plain action of pushing a joystick forward. You feel exhausted trudging through the sand, then elated as you ski down the opposite slope, riding the winds as they twirl your scarf and tug at your robes. Your strength later fades as the elements claim you; a blizzard closes in, your legs grow heavy. With an earnest, caring focus, you push a bit harder on the joystick but to no avail. One knee falls, then you collapse. After that comes the games best use of motion, which I wont spoil. Its eye-opening, really, for a single gameplay mechanic to move you through all the emotional peaks and valleys of a stirring concerto. I wondered for some time how such a simple game could pull so fiercely at my heartstrings. Its precisely that austerity, though, that makes Journey so provocative. It reduces the explicit experience to basic, sub-cortical reactions, stripping us bare and letting us bring our own emotionality to the table. For that reason I came to think of Journey as really knowing me as a person a ridiculous notion, of course, but one thats grounded in the games design. Journey never holds your hand. It doesnt put a marker on a map or tell you to go anywhere, and it forgoes most games abrasive reminders to press square to attack! Such interruption, after all, would wake the placid dreamer. It merely lets you wander as you will, sweeping you oh-so-gently onto the proper path with a cool breeze here or a sharp ledge there. A mountain beckons in the distance, across the sands. Youll feel so much more purpose, more weight, from deciding to travel there instead of having the game slap a nav-point on it. In that way,

friday may 04 2012

LISTS

FIVE RESTAURANTS
as told by their (fictional) patrons

Courtesy Camden Menervino

he first part because I like food and getting off campus. The second because a list of restaurants seemed quite drab, and I happen to be in the mood for role-play. Lavanda, Palo Alto (upscale Mediterranean, read: PARENTS WEEKEND): I am a classy businessman in my early 60s on a double date with my wife, who I met in college, and Nancy and Steve, who we also know from college. We enjoy wine and live jazz trios. At dinner, we reminisce about our days at said college in exaggerated tones and talk about cultured things, like the independent movie (I mean, film)

we just saw at the Aquarius. Or the Guild. Or CineArts Palo Alto. Reposado, Palo Alto (upscale Mexican, read: PARENTS WEEKEND): I am a 20something member of a hip, promising startup, and a 50-year-old investor is taking us broke 20-somethings out for a good dinner at a buzzy place that still makes him look young and exotic. He entertains us with stories of when he was a 20-something, continuing his ploy to relate to us. He is most likely a VC with a scratched up motorcycle and a lonely condo. Orens Hummus Shop, Palo Alto (midpriced Israeli/Mediterranean; good for a night out every couple weeks): I am a carefree

girl in my late 20s, out to dinner with my former sorority sistaaas for a little reunion. We all work in the Bay for different consulting firms, but like, were all so busy with advancing our careers and being modern women and finding the cute leader of a promising start-up I mean, Mr. Right that we hardly have time to loosen up like this. You girls want pita? Waiter, could we get more PITAAAH for the table and another bottle of that wine? Im really tryna get my rip, dip, eat on here. Thaiphoon, Palo Alto (mid-to-highpriced Thai, as far as Thai goes; good for a quality meal every now and then): I am a single man in my late 40s who is eating alone because, while I appreciate culinary finesse, I am a hopeless romantic who will someday resort to marrying a very loud-mouthed woman I like only mildly. I offer extra soup to the table with two girls next to me as a kind gesture, but they stare at me like Im a creep or something. I do not like chain restaurants. (Based on true events.) Shivas Indian Restaurant and Bar, Mountain View (reasonably-priced Indian; go for the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $12): I am a middle-aged woman with purple hair and purple glasses out for the first time with my newly minted husband, a fellow divorcee. We are with his adopted, grown stepchild, Young-Jun, who sits at the table in silence, and Young-Juns newly discovered birth mother, who also stares at me in silence. (Based on true events.) alex BAYER
contact ALEX: abayer@stanford.edu

WHATWERE LISTENINGTO
A list of songs Intermission staffers are jamming to this week. RIPPED KNEES NO AGE

DYSFUNCTIONAL TECH N9NE

SHAKE IT OUT VITAMIN STRING QUARTET

S T A N F O R D

WISH LIST L
isten, I just spent an entire weekend with a fake smile plastered on my face for

the ProFros, pretending that everything here is perfect when I was actually trying to start and finish a p-set in two hours. I know I wasnt the only one conning the Class of 16; I saw a group of girls tanning in the Oval, casually laying on a Stanford flag instead of an actual towel (?!) with Cardinal-colored bikinis on (?!?!), as if this is something that happens in real life. So my reality check on Sunday when I stood in

the line at Coupa to spend my 21st dollar on coffee in three days was not the happiest. Stanford is incredible, dont get me wrong, but there are a couple things that some of us might like to see to make campus life a little easier. Coffee with meal plan dollars Lets return to the scene of the crime the Coupa Caf line. The problem is not that there isnt good coffee on campus a

Tiger Spice chai with a shot of espresso may or may not be one of the best drinks of all time but that there are very few options for which one can simply swipe his or her SUID and actually use those $5,279 we pay every year for meals. Combine this with the fact that all the coffee houses that take real money are strategically located next to prime study/class areas, and many Stanford students find themselves | continued on page 8 |

THE REELING PASSION PIT

BIG JET PLANE ANGUS & JULIA STONE

intermission

FOOD

M O R E

HIT AND R U N
B
eing trendy can come at a high price. In the world of fashion, many people wear uncomfortable footwear to appear chic. In the tech realm, its common to purchase the newest smartphone despite its terrible battery life just to keep up with the changing times. And in the food world, trendiness often includes going to sketchy dives or holes-in-the-wall, many of which are of questionable cleanliness. A recent example of this phenomenon is the food truck movement. Food trucks are a good idea . . . in theory. In reality, however, many rely solely on fast methods of cooking such as deep-frying and use less-than-fresh ingredients. The Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile, however, defies all of my preconceptions about food trucks. What started as a series of cooking classes and then became a restaurant in Palo Alto has now become a food truck that travels around the Palo Alto area. The Oaxacan Kitchen has been a longstanding vendor at the various farmers markets in the Bay Area. On many a Sunday morning, flocks of Palo Alto families and Stanford students alike can be found waiting in the massive line at the California Avenue

T H A N

TREASURE TRUCKS

RACHEL ZARROW/The Stanford Daily farmers market to get a delicious Mexican brunch. The Oaxacan Kitchen offers a variety of options for breakfast, including chilaquiles, (tortilla chips drenched in salsa with many toppings), various tortilla dishes with poached eggs, breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros. When I get breakfast, I normally order a memela a thick corn tortilla topped with black bean puree and then add the seasonal veggies and a poached egg.

It is topped with crumbly Mexican cheese, guacamole and green salsa. Every bite of this magical (and massive) memela offers a different texture, temperature and flavor, from the warm, runny egg to the cool, salty cheese to the tangy guacamole and tomatillo salsa. But to complicate the eternal brunch paradox, they also offer excellent lunch choices, from tacos to quesadillas to empanadas. Their empanadas are not what come to mind when one thinks of an empanada they are much more like quesadillas on steroids. They are homemade tortillas stuffed with cheese and vegetables or chicken. What might be rather plain on its own is enhanced by the salsas my favorite is the spicy, red one. And, for Stanford students who really dont want to leave the bubble to go across the street to the farmers market, the Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile can be found (usually once or twice a week) on campus for lunch or dinner. For a schedule of its whereabouts, check http://www.oaxacankitchenmobile.com. While there is about a five- to 10-minute wait time for the food, it is worth every second because it guarantees that the food is made on the spot, as opposed to sitting around for hours. This delicious Oaxacan fare tastes unlike anything Ive ever had: its one trend that is all its hyped up to be. rachel ZARROW
contact rachel: rjzarrow@stanford.edu

#GOOD QUESTION
hen I shirk away from a problem set to sit in mindless bliss on my computer, Reddit and Imgur (Reddit minus words) are my go-to sites. (Not to mention Facebook, which is, regrettably, a given.) Few other things can capture my attention so addictively. As of late, however, some Tumblr accounts have been catching my eye. Texts From Bennett was, of

course, a work of art, but the relatively recent #whatshouldwecallme page proves to be a sinkhole for productivity. Little did I know my problem set would have to wait even longer, as Stanford spinoffs started popping up, most notably #whatshouldwecallstanford and #whatshouldstanfordcallme. These Tumblr pages have quickly developed a following within the Stanford community for their witty, Stanford-related humor. Just like the original #whatshouldwecallme page, the spin-offs take GIFs (very short, looping, video-ish clips) from popular

media and give them funny, clever captions that Stanford students can relate to. They emphasize the idea of what students are really thinking in the context of day-to-day campus life. For instance, they provide a realistic depiction of students reactions to certain events, whether going to Late Nite, attempting to study or coping with the long walk to KA down Scary Path. A textual description does little justice to the full package of caption and GIF, so I highly recommend checking the pages out. The real question, however, is: Whos behind it all? Rumors are circulating that

someone in the Greek community is regulating the #whatshouldstanfordcallme page, given its sorority references. But whos to say? There are a number of brilliantly funny Stanford students capable of such a feat. Perhaps a merry band of pranksters is up to the task. We can only hope the ingenuity and simplistic style are left intact, because really, why ruin a good thing? isaac HALYARD
contact isaac: ihalyard@stanford.edu

friday may 04 2012

ADVICE

CONTINUED FROM FRISKY, PAGE 2 what does this mean for the rest of em? I know people who go to the colleges that placed one through four on the list do they just blow off class for orgies and cocktails all the time? How can I look at Bo Levine (names changed, for confidentiality . . . and as a precaution against cyber bullying) without wondering what goes on in all those colleges of Yale? Or is it more of a gradient? Yalies (#1) are just like, Manwhores and Lady Pimps; Stanfordians are ladies on the street, but freaks in the sheets; and then my friends at Brown (#25), you know, they get some action, CONTINUED FROM WISH, PAGE 6 dishing out hundreds a quarter trying to keep themselves awake. And Peets we love you but what is with your hours? Golf carts for all Heres a common scenario: Want to go out tonight? I but they arent bragging in the boys room? I just dont know what to think of them, or even my other classmates. Does this Cardinal H imply a certain amount of reciprocity? Is prudence more Princeton (not listed) style? And how exactly did the admissions officers screen for this? Are they calling me a ho? Are they calling all you other Stanford kids hos? Or congratulating us for being smarties with needs? I think, in reality, somewhere between Full Moon on the Quad and Mausoleum Party, every freshman class loses all sense of propriety and restraint and realizes that the last four years of over-achieving have brought about a pressing need for rebirth, in the form of over-crowded, under-dressed, perspiration-laden frat house floors rife with questionable make-out sessions and copious amounts of rally. I mean, if that sounds horny to you, I guess we earned our ranking. Congrats Stanford now lets go party. sasha ARIJANTO
contact sasha: sasha16@stanford.edu

EXOTIC EROTIC:

ROXY ON RAISING THE FLAG (POLE)

lthough Roxy is hardly a traditional girl, theres one Stanford tradition with a special place in her heart or, more accurately, her libido. Exotic Erotic, the legendary event hosted by 680 Lomita, encourages girls to wear two articles of clothing and guys to wear just one. Featuring a patriotic theme this year, Exotics got Roxy excited to raise some flagpoles. And in the spirit of pursuing happiness, Roxys got some tips to keep your night erotic without the ick. Flashy but not trashy Like the star spangled banner, certain sights are best saved for dawns early light, rather than the 680 dance floor. While Roxy fully supports freedom of expression, especially when that expression involves partial nudity, sometimes its better to leave something to the imagination. And remember, clothing is like alcohol know your limits. Find a way to enjoy the long . . . lines While extra length is rarely a bad thing, the wait to get into the party can reach extremes that even Roxy cant handle. Roxy suggests putting that time to good use scope out prospects or hit on the security guards (nothing like a man or woman in uniform). And if the night gets too cold, find a cutie and get real close (with permission) . . . for body heat, of course.

Dont do it on the dance floor With so much half-naked grinding in a crowded, sweaty space, some (westward) expansion is bound to happen. But if you feel the urge to plant your flag in somebodys Plymouth rock, Roxy encourages you to migrate into new territory . . . outdoors. Though theres nothing wrong with the occasional public make-out in the 680 lounge, hooking up in said lounge in the midst of sweaty, scantily clad freshmen verges on orgy status. For those of you whod rather channel your Roman inclinations into great costumes for SAEs toga party, moving outside provides marginally more sanitary conditions and the chance to check interesting hookup locales off your bucket list (hello, Scary Path). Embrace the heckling At its core, Exotic is about exhibitionism. And whats the point of putting on a show without an audience? The fact that the audience consists mostly of frat boys on couches just means that this weekend is no different than any other. For those unwilling to shed their clothes (or their dignity), participating in the pre-Exotic heckling, or at least taking in the sights, can be a fun alternative. Also looking to check Scary Path off your bucket list? Roxy is frighteningly good. Arrange a rendezvous at Intermission@Stanforddaily.com.

hear KA is having something! But KAs so far . . . Ugh, I know. Theres no way Im walking all the way over there in this skirt; its way too cold. Maybe we should just call 5SURE? Ten minutes later . . . The wait is an hour.

BONE TO PICK?

05.04.12

well then, email us! intermission@stanforddaily.com

MANAGING EDITOR
Sasha Arijanto

DEPUTY EDITOR
Isaac Halyard

DESK EDITOR
Misa Shikuma

COPY EDITOR
Willa Brock

Awesome. Or maybe this scene describes you more accurately: You stayed up until 3 a.m. working and thus hit snooze as many times as possible on your alarm the next morning, only to realize you have five minutes to get to a class thats an eight-minute bike ride away. Techies living on East campus or athletes traveling to the fields all the way from the lower Row understand the pain of having to bike a couple miles (which may or may not obnoxiously be on a slight incline) to get to almost all your daily activities. And while the brief bursts of exercise are great, Stanford is way too large when youre in a hurry. Carting gets you there in half the time, and you dont have to battle the elements on the way (which are admittedly few and far between, but still). Obviously, its not feasible for everyone to have a cart, but a girl can dream, right? andrea HINTON
contact andrea: anhinton@stanford.edu

COVER
Serenity Nguyen

intermission