ANTHRO
May 2024 Volume 6 Issue 4
Mission Statement
The ultimate goal of Anthro Magazine, Paly’s social activism publication, is to create a platform and forum for students to express their opinions and voices. Social activism is bringing issues into the spotlight to spread awareness and create change in society. On this platform, we will promote unity, diversity, and respect. As a publication, we aim to be inclusive but do not tolerate hate speech of the targeting of individuals. We hope to highlight issues that we see in our community, create a safe place to discuss these issues, and to make sure student voices are heard.
From the Editors
Dear Readers,
Welcome to spring. We are excited to present you with our last issue of the school year.
These past two months, protests at college campuses erupted around the country demanding divestment and a ceasefire in Gaza. In the feature “Student Activists urge Stanford to divest” our reporters Faizan Kashmiri and Amani Fossati-Moiane paid a visit to the encampment at Stanford University, giving the reader a glimpse of how activism around the nation is playing out at a local level. In our editorial “An echo from the past,” we shed light on the First Amendment right to peacefully protest.
Anthro’s second editorial “Abortion rights still threatened,” seeks to safeguard abortion rights as lawmakers around the nation continue to block access to abortion two years after the overturning of Roe v Wade.
April and May have been full of other protests that our staff has worked hard to cover. “What the funding” by Faizan Kashmiri and Spencer Wu-Chin detail the Palo Alto Educators Association teacher actions demanding higher wages. Reporters Vivian Lin and Amily Zhang cover the protests in response to President Biden’s visit to Palo Alto. Finally, “Green Gathering” by Amily Zhang and Saanvi Garg spotlights the annual Earth Day climate protest hosted by Paly ECO club.
This issue also features stories highlighting the empowerment of women in our community. “One leap for womankind” by Lara Dumanli showcases Space Cookies Robotics, an all-girls robotics team, breaking STEM barriers. “Rise up together” by Evelyn Zhang and Anika Nair, sheds light on Harvey Weinstein survivor Rowena Chiu’s story and raises awareness of sexual assault.
In our opinion section, writers Hadrien de Martel and Chiara Martin advocate for limiting the grasp of social media on American teens. In “Blocking the Bullet,” Evelyn Zhang and Mihika Sridhar take on the question of whether or not parents should be held accountable for their kids that committed gun violence.
Enjoy Anthro Volume 6.4!
— Lara Dumanli and Vivian Lin, editors-in-chief
IN THIS ISSUE
Letters to the Editors
The staff welcomes letters to the editors. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity. Send all letters to anthromagazine. paly@gmail.com or to 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Printing & Distribution
Anthro is printed by Folger Graphics in Hayward, California.The Palo Alto Parent Teacher Association mails Anthro to every student’s home. Past issues are available at anthromagazine.org.
Publication Policy
Anthro, a social activism magazine published by students in Palo Alto High School Incubator class, is a designated limited open forum for student expression and discussion of issue of concern to its readership. Anthro is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. Please visit anthromagazine.org to view our AI policy and ethics policy.
Abortion rights still threatened
Echo from the past
Palo Alto Musuem / Day of (No)
Silence
Local Activism Roundup
Protestors Demand Action over War in Gaza
Student activists urge to Stanford to divest
Rising up for animal rights
What the funding?
Chasing dreams, counting pennies
Rise up together
One leap for womankind
Free and Embargo wrought nation
Lookng past the screen
Blocking the bullet
Green Gathering
Activism around the world
Two people talk on the street during Biden’s visit to Palo Alto. Photo taken by Kensie Pao
Abortion rights still threatened
Roe v Wade, 2 years and onward
When Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022, a political earthquake shook the nation. Not only was it the revocation of a U.S. Supreme Court case that broadly protected access to abortion, but it signaled that that right to exercise that our freedom to choose was under siege.
And now? We have the results on what this has meant for bodily autonomy.
In the two years since Roe v Wade was overturned, access to abortion has been continually under attack in every corner of the nation, and with it, the decisive effort to undermine the right to choose. In the most egregious instance, access altogether was revoked, when Arizona’s assembly upheld an 1864 law that banned abortion across the board. Despite the law being narrowly repealed after two failed attempts, the writing is on the wall. This is beyond ‘reasonable restrictions’ now. We are now in a new, dangerous phase of hostile and punitive anti-abortion legislation.
would declare there is no inherent right to abortion in-state. To further advocate for this issue, Americans must continue to engage in political affairs. With enough power, and the support of millions, we can defend the rights of women and their right to choice.
To guarantee abortion access, individuals should seek to empower through national action to fight this national issue.
There is time to create a future where such rights are a given.
We encourage students to directly take action in keeping abortion a priority issue. It doesn’t have to be just sending an email or writing a letter. Donating and showing up in support of organizations like Women’s March, Reproductive Freedom for All, and Planned Parenthood, remains instrumental in keeping the fight alive. And backing student initiatives; both here in California and nationally; plays an important role in putting our generation at the forefront of this struggle.
California, while actively seeking to help those from neighboring states, can only do so much. It is imperative that women’s choices are upheld nationally. Leaving it to the states has created not just an uneven distribution of access to healthcare, but sets the precedent that civil liberties can be tossed at the whims of a polarized state legislature.
Does our society not value freedom of choice or does it simply feel attacked by the idea of allowing abortion? And, if that’s the case then what’s stopping other freedoms to be challenged as well?
Although it may seem so, the battle for bodily autonomy is not a lost cause.
In Michigan, 55% voted to codify reproductive rights. And in Kansas, a bastion of conservatism, 60% voted in favor of keeping abortion as a right, despite an attempt to amend the state constitution that
We all have a stake in this matter. Paly graduates preparing themselves to go to college face a possible inevitability of being in a state where abortion is heavily restricted, or flat out criminalized in its entirety.
And let’s not forget the duty of our representatives. While we can take to the streets, only they can actually vote to pass the legislation necessary for bodily dignity. Biden and the Democratic Party, who have repeatedly promised to defend abortion, have to uphold their part of the deal to the American people. As election season fast approaches, the passage of new abortion protections remains urgent. We cannot hold off any longer.
We still have time to choose. There is time to create a future where such rights are a given. And our quest to strive for the better must start now, without delay.
Art by SALEM COYLE
An echo from the past
Support students in the face of speech suppressions on campus
In 1964, the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, began as a way to protest the university’s restrictions on political activities on campus. Small protests quickly escalated to large-scale demonstrations, such as at Sproul Hall, where around 1,000 students gathered together on Dec. 2 as an act of civil disobedience.
Police responded to the show of courage by arresting 733 students on counts of trespassing. The following years were marked with students fighting bitterly against the university, exacerbated by the Vietnam War.
One such protest at People’s Park in 1969 saw the death of a student, fatally shot after the university called the police to disperse the protest. Then Governor Ronald Reagan would later defend the actions undertaken by the police, saying “If it takes a bloodbath, let’s get it over with. No more appeasement.”
There is a striking parallel between those protests that took place throughout the 1960s, protests that shaped a culture of campus activism nationally, and the protests happening on campuses today, especially in how our universities have reacted.
Across the nation, thousands of students have poured out of their classes and into the streets, demanding divestment from institutions they see as supporting Israel in its ongoing war in Gaza. Encampments, occupations, and protests are now daily occurrences at nearly every major
university in the United States.
As the Washington Post reported, over 2,000 have now been arrested as a direct response to campus protests. That number continues to grow daily.
Students should have the right to peacefully protest.
The crackdown on protests by the police has been largely unacceptable. It is no longer a way to protect students, but rather a crackdown on the right to demonstrate on university campuses. Political freedoms should not end at the prestigious gates of higher education.
What seemed like nothing but a disturbance that needed to be squashed in 1964 ended up becoming a monumental moment for free speech on university campuses all across America. We simply cannot allow university administrations today to treat student demonstrators as nothing more than agitators and let all the past decades of struggle for rights be reversed.
We choose democracy. The question is now: Will you?
We will not justify every single action taken by protestors. There is no justification for people who use this moment to spread sectarian hatred. This editorial is not an endorsement of the content or ideas propagated at these protests.
But it is an endorsement of something held closely to the heart of every renegade everywhere: The freedom to speak openly, without fear of reprisal at the hands of the state.
The precedents set by these protests, including their suppression, risk undermining activism nationally. We cannot ‘draw the line’ of when peaceful protest is ‘acceptable’ to us, even if we disagree with the opinions being expressed. Rather, we must unilaterally stand behind the sacred virtue of protest.
There are a variety of ways in which to do this. As many of us leave Paly for higher education nationally, our universities must know that we demand accountability. Without an open, transparent process of dialogue, we end up embracing decisions made in the dark as an alternative to democratic expression. Write to your dean, members of school administration, and local representatives.
Above all, we encourage students to look past their zeal in understanding the big picture here. Beyond the campuses and the ferociousness of police violence. Society currently stands at a crossroads. Will we march into a dark future, where unpopular speech lacks any protection? Or will we stand against the repressive current, and demand the democratic right to exercise our First Amendment rights?
We choose democracy. The question is now: Will you?
PROTESTING FOR PALESTINE. Students at Stanford encampment participate in group reading of Palestinian poetry. Similar encampments have popped up throughout the nation.
Palo Alto Museum expected in 2025
Known as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto’s rich historical past will be exhibited in the city’s newest museum, the Palo Alto Museum, located on 300 Homer Avenue. Museum Board President Rich Green hopes to open its doors by 2025 and share the city’s rich history.
“We’re about the extraordinary people of Palo Alto and will go back to the very beginning,” Green said. “There’s just so much here that people aren’t aware of, and we will tell those stories right. We hope that people will come into our museum, see something, hear something, and have an experience that blows little fireworks off in their heads.”
In order to tell these stories, Green hopes to use the newest technology, such as augmented and virtual reality simulations, to create unique experiences.
“We’re hoping stories can come to life in the form of augmented reality or immersive media experiences,” Green said.
Green hopes local high school students will help the museum integrate these technologies into the exhibits.
“With [Apple’s Development kit] and some training, we can have students start writing the code and helping us tell the stories,” Green said. “We’d love to continue working with high school students in the museum’s teen council.”
Palo Alto Museum Board member and previous City Historian Steve Steiger has worked on this project since its inception 18 years ago.
Steiger said the museum will include both permanent and temporary exhibitions showcasing the lives of Palo Alto residents.
Steiger said that the museum would offer both permanent and temporary exhibits. Some exhibits would include facts about the Palo Alto tree — for which the city is named after — to innovative technologies and the effects of Stanford’s railroad, in hopes to highlight the city’s past.
One individual offered the museum their father’s motorcycle, Steiger said. With plenty of space in the museum, creating a base and mounting exhibits from Palo Alto residents’ experiences would be easy to accomplish.
“We have an offer from a man whose
father belonged to a multi-ethnic motorcycle club in Palo Alto in the 60s,” Steiger said. “And this man has his father’s Harley Davidson chopper motorcycle. Well, that’s not the standard thing you think of for Palo Alto. But he was a Palo Altan.”
For more information, please visit paloaltohistorymuseum.org.
Text by MIHIKA SRIDHAR and VIVIAN LIN
Day of (No) Silence advocates
The Palo Alto High School Gender Sexuality Alliance is calling for more awareness surrounding LGBTQ+ rights after hosting the Day of (No) Silence event on April 12 to speak out against hate.
Day of (No) Silence is a national, stu dent-led event where students participating choose not to speak throughout the day and unite during lunch to “break” their silence by yelling. The event has traditionally been the “Day of Silence,” where students silent ly protested, but has been renamed this year to “Day of (No) Silence,” due to the pleth ora of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation introduced this year according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Freshman Colten Migliore, co-presi dent of the Paly Gender Sexaulity Alliance, said he organized the event to raise aware ness around the silencing of LGBTQ+ indi viduals and encourage students to actively speak out against LGBTQ+ hate.
“My hope is that students become more aware of how their actions affect people around them,” Migliore said. “An offhand remark to a friend can make the learning environment less safe for all involved.”
According to Education Week, in the
by VIVIAN LIN
for LGBTQ+
taught our whole lives,” Migliore said. “Check your own unconscious biases and privilege, and be willing to learn from your mistakes.”
Freshman Darah Katz, who attended the event said that it is especially important to be mindful of peers to create a safe school
“So I know, obviously, we live in a pretty great community,” Katz said. “There’s a lot of other places in the US where it’s a lot worse for LGBTQ people. I’ve heard a lot of people here at Paly use ‘gay’ as an insult and other similar things, and it makes me really uncomfortable.”
Migliore says Paly GSA Club hopes to host the Day of (No) Silence next year to continue rallying for the LGBTQ+ community.
Freshman Darah Katz stands on the Quad along with other Palo Alto High School students on April 12 for the Day of (No) Silence event.
Palo Alto Museum located on 300 Homer Avenue is anticipated to open in spring of 2025. Photo by Marcus Ling.
Photo by
Photo
Local Activism Roundup
Activism defined by a turbulent climate
The protesting organization A15 obstructed key economic routes on April 15 to put pressure on governments all around America and even hosted protests in Greece, Spain, and Australia to support Palestinians in Gaza. The protest on the Golden Gate Bridge lasted for five hours and closed all lanes of traffic. As part of the protest, the protesters used handcuffs and PVC pipes to make removing them from the bridge as hard as possible. This resulted in 26 people being arrested on the bridge, and San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins urged people caught in the protest to file a report with authorities. According to a statement by the city’s district attorney account on X, “This is an active & open investigation. Anyone who was detained against their will (falsely imprisoned) (...) is urged to contact the CHP (California Highway Patrol).”
College Campus Protests
Ahuge crackdown on pro-Palestine college campus protests is happening all over the United States. These protests demand colleges divest from companies that benefit from Israeli actions. To show solidarity with other college protests nationwide, UC Berkeley students have shown no signs of stopping. This increase also is prominent in other UCs like Universty of California Los Angeles, Cal Poly, & University of Southern California. Almost 3,000 students have been arrested in the US, a number that is only climbing. Colleges have shut down these protests mostly out of fear of antisemitism. In a Twitter post from New York Mayor Eric Adams he said “I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus.” As the issue compounds, we have seen a increase in violence, like the fighting at UCLA on April 30. Columbia University and USC have both canceled graduations and many colleges are having to move classes to accommodate the protests. Closer to home, a Stanford student who requested to remain anonymous talked about their reasons for protesting “We just want the university to diverge how much they invest in companies that benefit from the Israel apartheid and completely divest from them.”
In November, more than two-thirds of voters joined Californians statewide to enshrine “Reproductive freedom” in California’s constitution. While abortion is still a national issue, in California, it has fallen out of the spotlight a little. Specifically, three late-stage abortion clinics in California have been prevented from opening in the last two years. Late stage abortion clinics are clinics that perform abortions after 24 weeks. But a combination of red tape and corrections to the building plan led to the DuPont clinic being unable to open. DuPont Clinic in Beverly Hills Los Angeles was prevented from opening amid a swarm of threats from anti-abortion groups. On April 10, the group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust projected the words “MURDER MILL” onto a building. A group Beverly Hills for Choice was founded to protest for the opening of the clinic and created a change.org petition online with over 3,500 members.
The Golden Gate Bridge Protest
DuPont Abortion Clinic
A pro-Palestinian vigil the night before the police were scheduled to take down the encampment at UCLA. Photo from a student from Paly class of 2023 source name withheld
The Golden Gate Bridge before the events of this protest.
Photo: Joshua Watterson
Protesters demand action over war in Gaza
A Palo Alto High School sophomore (who wishes to remain anonymous) holds up a sign saying “All eyes on Rafah” during a lunch break at school, bringing attention to the current conflicts in Gaza. “We are not using the media to aid those in need and I think that should be our priority instead of settling who’s right who’s wrong and pointing fingers at each other,” the student said. (left)
Pro-Palestine protesters and Pro-Israel counter protesters gather at the intersection of Addison road and Middlefield road, the two sides holding either Israeli or Palestinian flags. Many counter protesters chanted in opposition to the protesters; “From the river to the sea,” they said, “This is the only flag you’ll see.” (right)
Photo by AMILY ZHANG
Biden’s visit to Palo
Alto met with
protesters
Acrowd of around 50 protesters gathered at Town and Country at noon on May 10 to demand action from President Biden regarding the war in Gaza. The protest came in response to Biden’s visit to Palo Alto for a reelection fundraising event.
To prevent students from entering Town and Country during lunch, barricades surrounded Palo Alto High School starting at noon. Police also blockaded the area around Addison Avenue, where the fundraising event was held at former Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo Marissa Mayer’s house. At 1 p.m. the protesters marched from Town and Country to Addison Avenue, where counter-protesters gathered.
ians,” she said. “And you know, because that is the basis for safety and peace.”
Protester Zach Klieman, a Jewish American and a member of Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America urges immediate action to stop atrocities in Gaza.
“While we appreciate moves towards a ceasefire, and we appreciate what I’ve heard about the recent blocking of weapons sending, we need more and we need it faster,” Klieman said. “There needs to be complete isolation of Israel diplomatically on the world stage, namely the recognition of Palestine at the UN.”
“The president that I have voted for is sending arms that are doing this, causing the suffering of innocent people who have nothing to do with politics. And that’s not the American way.”
—Reza, pro-Palestine protester
Reza, a protester who wishes to withhold his surname due to safety concerns, said he is no longer voting for Biden this upcoming election due to the way he has handled the war in Gaza.
“Thirteen thousand children have already been killed by bombs that we have sent,” Reza said. “The president that I have voted for is sending arms that are doing this, causing the suffering of innocent people who have nothing to do with politics. And that’s not the American way.”
A protester part of Standing Together, an Israeli Jewish and Palestinian group leading the anti-war movement in Israel, who wishes to remain anonymous said the organization’s mission is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“[The organization wants to] release the hostages, release the prisoners, stop starving people in Gaza, and they are for equality of both Israeli Jews and Palestin-
Eran, an Israeli citizen who requested to withhold his last name, said he attended the protest to show his support for President Biden running for reelection.
“So we came here to support Biden because he has [been] supporting Israel since October 7th” Eran said. “We need to make sure he understands that we support him and we like the way he supports Israel.”
Aaron, a Paly sophomore who wishes to withhold his surname, said he attend-
ed the protest to voice his disapproval of President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
“We need to show President Biden that we do not support his actions, we do not support his policies, and we do not support his reelection,” Aaron said. “He keeps on funding this genocide that’s going on, that’s being enacting on these Palestinian people, and is not going to hold Israel accountable for their actions and their murdering of 40,000 people.”
Protester and Paly parent Edith Cohen said she condemns Hamas’ treatment of Israelis in Gaza.
“There is no choice,” Cohen said. “Nobody wants to hurt civilians or kill children. The reason for the situation in Gaza is because Hamas took control of Israel. They are extremely oppressive towards their own people. …They murdered hundreds of Palestinians. They oppressed LGBTQ people. They oppressed women. …They don’t recognize our [Israel’s] right to exist.”
Cohen adds that in Israel, where the population is 20 percent Arab, people live in unity, unlike in Gaza, where minorities are severely discriminated against.
“There is no apartheid [in Israel],” Cohen said. “There is no desire to genocide. People want to live together to coexist in a respectful way… The goal is to never kill civilians. The goal is to dismantle that terrorist organization [Hamas].”
Photo by Amani Fossati-Moiane
Text by Amani Fossati-Moiane & Faizan Kashmiri
student activists urge stanford to divest
Students, university face off in divestment struggle
For a ‘liberated zone,’ as declared by a black, red, and green poster in the camp, it might look quaint at first glance. Two dozen or so tents. A community library. And plenty of banners, posters, and signage plastered all around its compact perimeter.
But here in White Plaza, the heart of Stanford, pro-Palestinian protestors have entrenched themselves. As universities struggle to extinguish protests over their perceived role in the ongoing Israel-Gaza War, the “Sit In to Stop Genocide” has become the most visible aspect of student discontent over the conflict.
Since April 25, protestors have occupied part of White Plaza, an area usually reserved for student-led events, concerts, and fairs. Students have been engaged in sit-ins here for over 120 days, with the ongoing encampment being only its most recent iteration. Students clad in Palestinian keffiyeh and masks descend onto the camp to participate in daily teach-ins, classes, activities, and vigils.
And it’s clear from the scenes nationwide why these events are important for the students.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, the encampment there suffered
two nights of consecutive violence. Protesters and counter-protesters faced off in fierce battles before the police eventually shut down the encampment. At Columbia, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested after Hamilton Hall was occupied, with riot police dispersing both the encampment and the occupied building.
The number of arrests has now reached over 2,000 nationally.
Yungsu Kim, a Stanford student organizer and demonstrator, makes that contrast glaringly obvious.
“It’s terrifying to watch because quite frankly, if you go to Stanford University, there’s a good chance you know someone who goes to Columbia,” Kim said. “You know someone who goes to USC, you know someone who goes to UCLA.”
ciplinary hearings. Kim pointed out that while students are sleeping in the tents, they do so out of protest.
“We know we’re breaking rules,” Kim said. “That wouldn’t really be civil disobedience if we weren’t breaking rules, right? Being out here in the cold and these tents is another way of them [the protestors] committing themselves to the fight for a free Palestine.”
“It’s terrifying to watch because quite frankly, if you go to Stanford University, there’s a good chance you know someone who goes to Columbia... You know someone who goes to USC, you know someone who goes to UCLA.”
—Yungsu Kim, Stanford student
Around the camp, a visible police presence occasionally patrols the area. Kim said that the police presence is there not to protect them, but to serve as an attempt to intimidate the protestors.
“They’ve stationed all these security guards around here to intimidate us,” Kim said. “They’ve put police all around the perimeter to intimidate us saying that these things are quote-unquote, ‘for our safety,’ we know that’s bullshit.”
Establishing a “People’s University of Palestine,” as it’s been termed, has played a significant role in all of this. Run by mostly anonymous student leaders, they manage a variety of daily teach-ins. Speakers lead communal readings of Palestinian poetry, run nightly prayer sessions, and organize poster-making workshops. Instructors roleplay how to avoid confrontations with counter-protestors or police, including those threatening violence.
And despite everything, there is a cautious peace around the camp. Life goes about as normal. Students still participate in their daily classes, as evident by the study sessions offered in the public itinerary. It’s a reminder that for the most part, the people in the student encampment are just that: mostly students.
“My sister goes to UCLA and it [the encampment] is creating a very hostile and unsafe environment that I would not want to be around... I don’t think that students should be able to make other students feel unsafe in their own school.”
—Jane, Paly sophomore
Stanford’s administration has sent several notices to the encampment, prohibiting demonstrators from camping overnight or forming a permanent occupation. In extreme cases, students have been summoned to dis-
Out of fear of getting doxxed, Jenny, a Stanford student, only gave her first name. Jenny comments on photos circulating of an anti-Israel protester wearing a Hamas headband. The images, which made rounds on national news, were submitted to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation by the university on May 3.
“We had absolutely no idea who he is,” Jenny said. “They [student-led security team] would not let him in with the Hamas headband on.”
“We did not welcome him into our encampment. We did not affiliate ourselves with him.”
The concerns about the open espousal of hatred, however, still remain very pressing. The Anti-Defamation League reported earlier this year that incidents of anti-semitism have “skyrocketed” by over 360% in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack. Jane, a Paly sophomore who wished to use a pseudonym, voiced her concerns about the encampment as a Jewish student.
“My sister goes to UCLA and it [the encampment] is creating a very hostile and unsafe environment that I would not want to be around,” Jane said. “I don’t think that students should be able to make other students feel unsafe in their own school.”
The chants said at these camps have also come under fire. The phrase “From the river to the sea,” a common phrase chanted at encampments, has been classified as anti-semitic by the ADL. Critics have said that the phrase calls for the destruction of Israel, while supporters have argued it’s a broader call for Palestinian nationhood. Some signs throughout the camp include this phrase, alongside other popular slogans revolving around Palestine.
The conflicting language has only intensified discussions about the ongoing Israel-Gaza War. Jane said that many of the students who are protesting don’t understand the gravity of what they’re saying.
“I’m not sure if all the students understand the chants that they say, but often, many of them have intentions that are anti-semitic,” Jane said. “And many of the common chants you hear in itself are anti-semitic. Because if they’re against Israel, and often against Jews, it’s very targeted.”
The student encampment at White Plaza. Standing in front of the White Memorial fountain is an encampment surrounded by tents and an outer layer of banners. One banner states behind the statue “Divestment”
Rising up for
Junior from Turkey advocates against animal abuse
As she sifts through a pile of photos, stopping at each one with thought, Palo Alto High School junior Asya Buyukcangaz pulls out a photo of an injured cow that got infected from a concentrated animal feeding lot. She recalls her experience caring for Nazar the cow at an animal sanctuary in Turkey.
“Nazar escaped from a slaughterhouse and swam in the Mediterranean ocean for 14 miles,” Buyucangaz said. “HAYTAP brought [in] the animal and we took care of it in the retired animal farm.”
volunteering with HAYTAP, a Turkish animal rights federation with the mission of enacting harsher punishments for animal abusers in Turkey.
“For example, the Turkish Animal Protection Law 5199 does not provide a strong enough punishment for animal abusers,” Buyukcangaz said. “They only provide some fee and they can get along with it and do not have to go to jail. HAYTAP works with lawyers and veterinarians, and many people who are volunteering like me, too.”
According to Omer Semih Celik, Buyukcangaz’s mentor at HAYTAP, the organization also cares for animals that have been impacted by natural disasters.
“People always talk about climate change or some other activism, but animal rights activism is always kind of not really talked about enough.”
Buyukcangaz is just one of many with a love for animals. But her passion extends beyond caring for animals — she is a vocal advocate for animal rights.
— ASYA BUYUKCANGAZ, Paly junior
Growing up in her mother’s veterinary hospital in rural Turkey, Buyukcangaz was surrounded by animals in need, each with a different story.
“I always saw how people beat up and punish their animals, not only their pets, but sheep, livestock because they were not making enough milk or anything,” Buyukcangaz said. “That’s what really motivated me to look at how I can help these animals and not only just like pets, but all of the animals: cows, donkeys, sheep, and all kinds of livestock. I was really heavily interested in helping them out.”
Three years ago, Buyukcangaz started
“In HAYTAP, we work on the field in earthquakes sites or other natural disasters, then we collect the animals who are ingested or are in danger in retired animal farms and look after them with professionals or veterinarians until they are able to be sent back to their environment again,” Celik said.
Buyukcangaz says she currently manages the organization’s English Facebook page, creating daily posts of HAYTAP events and current news regarding animals to reach international audiences.
“For me, advocating for animal rights not only embodies better animal treatment, but also our humanity and empathy,” Buyukcangaz said. “[It] can help build a more compassionate world in which all living beings are treated with dignity and respect.”
After moving from Turkey to Palo Alto, Buyukcangaz created a veterinary medicine club at Gunn High School — which she
has continued since her transfer to Paly this year — to raise awareness on animal rights. Through her club, she hopes to continue her activism work by looking into the hygiene of animal shelters or animal hotels in the Bay Area to inspire the local community to be more aware of animal health and rights.
“I share my experiences I had in Turkey as an animal rights advocate and hopefully inspire more people in the community and the rest of the Bay Area to hopefully take action and to realize what’s going on in the world and how they can help,” Buyukcan-
animal rights
said. “I want to continue my work in Palo Alto by starting with animal shelters and investigating how hygienic the conditions are.”
Although abusing animals is not as prevalent in the Bay Area, Buyukcangaz believes that it is still important to shed light on this issue that impacts other parts of the world and inspire others to take action.
“I think it’s my duty to make the organizations that promote animal rights activism, and to make it more known and common,” Buyukcangaz said. “People
always talk about climate change or some other activism, but animal rights activism is always kind of not really talked about enough.”
In the future, Buyukcangaz believes that she would like to continue being engaged in veterinary medicine. Not only to continue her work in animal rights advocacy, but to inspire others with her experiences.
“I think that veterinary medicine is huge, there’s so many opportunities you can go to by studying it,” Buyukcangaz said. “I also really want to advocate for an-
imal rights because I think it’s important to raise awareness about how the world can take action about this. After being raised in an environment surrounded by animals, I want to continue helping them.”
With a notebook in hand, ready to take notes for her
animal rights activism blog, Palo Alto High School junior Asya Buyukcangaz stands in a goat pen in the Retired Animals Farm in Bursa, Turkey.
What the funding?
Palo Alto staff’s battle for better contracts
PROTESTING FOR PAY. Hundreds of PAUSD staff and Palo Alto community members gather at a school board meeting on April 29th to speak out amidst an impasse in negotiations between staff members and the district.
Text by Faizan Kashmiri and Spencer Wu-Chin
Photos by Arjun Jindal
One-hundred-thirty-five million dollars.
That is the amount of cash in reserves that Palo Alto Unified School District has for the 202324 school year. That number has been the crux of a conflict between Palo Alto Staff and district leadership in a struggle over contracts and benefits for the upcoming school year, especially over wages.
Earlier this month, for the first time in 15 years, the Palo Alto Educators Association, alongside its sister organization, the California School Employees Association, filed for an impasse with PAUSD. As of May 13, a tentative agreement has been reached, and things seem hopeful as a vote to ratify is being held over the course of the week, while this magazine was being produced.
The tentative agreement allots for a scheduled 4% salary increase for both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, as well as an unscheduled salary increase of 1% for the 2023-2024 school year. It also adds a salary increase of 4% for outside-of-classroom activites and a salary restructuring that amounts to around a 2.5% increase per teacher.
Still, this is a situation Palo Alto has not had to deal with for 15 years, so how did things get to this point?
According to Niche Rankings, PAUSD is ranked first in the state, a fact regularly promoted by the district as a sign of Silicon Valley excellence. However, over the past few years, staff wages have gradually fallen behind other districts: PAUSD now ranks 11th in starting salaries, according to PAEA president Teri Baldwin. Curiously, over the same period of time, administrator wages have been rising.
“It has been a concern for many years, and last year, we reached a salary agreement that helped, but we are still behind our neighboring districts, Mountain View Los Altos High School and Santa Clara Unified District,” Baldwin said.
some decide to leave for districts that are paying more.”
“We are not a bank, but an educational public institution, and that money should be used on our students”
— PALO ALTO EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION, Negotiations update - Background, Data, and Analysis
Baldwin also pointed out the impact that the slow growth of pay is having on the quality of education within the district.
“We have many teachers that have long commutes to get here because they can’t afford to live near here,” Baldwin said. “That takes a toll on our teachers and
PAEA, which represents 97% of the teachers throughout PAUSD, originally began negotiations back in December 2023. In a slide deck shared online, PAEA pointed out that Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District has a maximum salary that is over $37,000, or 24.8%, more than PAUSD. During this time, PAEA originally requested an 8% raise, which has now come down to the tentative agreement of 4%.
Although members of the board were not available for comment, they directed reporters toward the PAUSD website, which says that the financial reserves were being withheld to maintain fiscal responsibility.
However, PAEA also alleges that yearly budget excesses that are later added to the reserves would be enough to cover proposed salary increases without dipping into reserves. In a post on its website, PAEA also expressed disagreement with the school district’s level of commitment to financial security over investment in high quality staff and therefore investment in students.
“We are not a bank, but an educational public institution, and that money should be used on our students,” union members wrote.
Things came to a head on April 23 at a school board meeting, where hundreds of teachers, staff, and their supporters rallied in the early evening and spoke out during the open forum.
Gunn math teacher of 33 years Kathy Hawes emphasized the effects of the wage disparity at the open forum.
“I love my department,” Hawes said. “I love my collaboration. I love the people I work with. But at some point I have to think about what that $37,000 would do for my retirement? What would that do for my cost of living? Can I afford to keep working in Palo Alto?”
Paly English teacher Alanna William-
Tentative Agreement Details:
- 4% scheduled and 1% unscheduled salary increase for the 2023-2024 School year
- 4% scheduled salary increase for the 2024-2025 school year
- Overall salary restructure (amounts to about 2.5% increase per staff)
- Compensation for IEP, 504, and other legal meetings meeting over 4 hours per semester
- 4% increase of all outside-of-classroom activites like writing reccomendation letters
- Adjusted teacher evaluation process between staff and district
also spoke about the broader issues with the district during her time in the open forum.
“More than the actual money, it’s about what the pay represents: the degree to which this district values educators and our work,” Williamson said.
“When you say you do not worry about teacher retention it suggests that PAUSD does not care about teacher retention and our happiness.”
lash that perhaps goes back at them. I do worry about the future of our district. For awesome educators to stay and come together, they need to really reevaluate how they approach things now.”
“[At some point I have to think] can I afford to keep working in Palo Alto?”
— KATHY HAWES, Gunn math teacher
Despite the tentative agreement, many teachers are unsure about the future of negotiations and whether to vote to ratify or not.
A PAUSD middle school teacher who asked not to use her name expressed how this current struggle feels like part of a larger issue with the district as a whole.
“Now, teachers can see that [campus administrators are] in fear of the people at the district,” they said. “It looks like the administration can’t really make decisions for their own sites on their own since they’re so worried about all the consequences or back-
PAEA union representative and statistics teacher Daniel Nguyen also underscored a feeling of growing mistrust between staff and the district, especially around a recent report comparing local salaries. He said the district took advantage of the fact that salaries are constantly being increased in step with inflation in order to misrepresent potential increases.
“If you look at a salary from two years ago [at a different district], compared to a possible salary [at our district with an inflation bonus built in] next year, the next year just by default is gonna be high, right?” Nguyen said.
According to Nguyen, a state mediator arrived on April 29 to assist with negotiations. If neither side comes to a final resolution, a fact-finding committee will be formed by both parties and the mediator, which will
SITTING IN SOLIDARITY. Members of the PAEA and CSEA unions, as well as PAUSD students and families fill the school board’s meeting building. Attendees spoke out during the meeting’s open forum, while others cheered and clapped in appreciation. Paly student representative Karthi Gottipati expressed his support during the meeting as well. “Every single Paly student believes in their teachers“, he said. “I know that every single one of them, if I was ever having an issue, would be prepared to spend the time talking to me to make me feel heard, and because [of that] I want to make sure that every teacher here gets heard as well“.
compose a final report on the negotiations. At that point, the district will put forward a final offer, which the CSEA and PAEA unions can either accept or choose to strike.
“It’s not fun for anybody, but if the district continues to indicate that they value building their reserves and profits over recruiting the best teachers, [we have to] do something about that,” Nguyen said.
Most likely though, the tentative agreement will be ratified by May 20 and the situation will not end in a strike.
History teacher Ken Tinsley, who was at the board meeting on April 23rd, also reiterated what a strike would mean for the district.
“When it comes to striking, it is something where it’s not lost on anybody. It shouldn’t be lost on anybody, the effects,” Tinsley said. “I just want to stress, that is the nuclear option. That is the end all be all.”
This is an ongoing story that has been printed before the ratification vote of the tentative agreement was voted on. For updated information please visit anthromagazine.org.
Text by VIVIAN TANG and DOREEN HOU
¢ hasing dreams,
How incoming USC students have weighed rising college tuition
This year, universities such as Wellesley College and the
high as 56%. For the past 20 years, universities have increased their tuition year
“When I saw it [college tuition], that’s what I felt like a mini heart attack.”
—VIVIAN TAN, senior
cial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — which can appear in the form of student loans and fully reduce the cost she would have to pay, she was unable to apply for either ply for FAFSA and all the CSS types of scholarships,” Tan said. “But I am not eligible tional financial arships and financial aid] outside.”
Despite the pricey tuition, Tan cause she thinks the opportunitiews the “I choose ly because they have really good internship nities,” Tan said. “Also, [USC] is in LA. There are
¢ounting pennies
to the opportunities and the experiences university provides
good opportunities for jobs. Also, there’s something called the Trojan network where alumni help USC students out.”
Paly senior Natalia Hopper was also enticed by the network and opportunities presented at USC, but was hesitant to commit to USC at first because of the price, even though it was one of her top choice universities.
“It’s just that the price is very high and I didn’t think getting in was enough incentive for me to go,” Hopper said. “I eventually committed because I was able to find a way to pay for it through loans. I also work a lot so I can have a lot saved up to pay for it.”
Given recent trends, tuition for universities will eventually surpass $100,000, and financial aid will become even more prominent for students. Sandra Cernobori, an advisor in the college and career center at Paly, says that although financial aid may not become easier to obtain, paying for college will continue to be a concern.
off, at least from the outside. I think it’s a bit ridiculous, and I don’t really know where it [the tuition] goes.”
Even with the adjusted inflation price of college tuition, there’s still a sharp increase in the overall col lege tuition. Cernobori explains the various reasons why colleges contin uously increase their annual tuition.
What you need to attend a college
“It’s just that the price [college tuition] is very high and I didn’t think getting in was enough incentive for me to go.”
NATALIA HOPPER, senior
“The reason they’re [colleges are] raising tuition, they would argue, is to create keep-quality programs, the same numbers of majors,” said Cernobori. “They are competing with other colleges for their facilities. Or maybe part of that is even if they use some of that money to give out scholarships and awards. So they all have these institutional values and priorities that are driving their decisions.”
The average cost of tuition and fees for the 2023-2024 school year is $42,162 for private colleges, $23,630 for out-of-state students at public universities and $10,662 for in-state public schools. According to U.S News & Report.
“They didn’t necessarily make it easier to get money—that’s beyond our control.” Cernobori said. “I mean, that would be lovely. But, the housing and food costs, what they call room and board, can be very expensive, especially in California, so paying for college is definitely a concern.”
Cernobori also explained that private universities typically have more money to give away in addition to the FAFSA and require another form of financial aid called the CSS profile. But from another perspective, Hopper believes that since universities like USC have more money to give away, they can afford to lower the tuition.
“[USC] is a private school,” Hopper said. “I feel like they have a bunch of money saved up. They are pretty well
Ultimately, applying and committing to college is not only about the opportunities a university can provide but also a-bout the ways to make it affordable. As financial aid and merit-based scholarships continue to be prominent, Cernobori emphasizes that it is important for students to talk with their families about the affordability of college.
“I’ll be honest, there are families who don’t always feel comfortable talking about money with their children, but I would really encourage families to have those conversations,” Cernobori said. “Everyone is affected [by the raise of tuition], unless you are one of the very lucky few where money is no object.”
Choosing between colleges Paly senior Natalia Hopper recently committed to attend USC to the upcoming school year. “If they [universities] can find a way to make more profit, I don’t see why they wouldn’t” Hopper said. Photo by
Adjusted for inflation, tuition of private university increase about 40%, out-ofstate tuition increase about 38%, instate tuition increase about 56%.
According to Daily Trojan, USC increased it’s tuition 4.9% for 2024-25 school year.
Vivian Tang
Rise up together
Harvey Weinstein survivor Rowena Chiu shares story about consent and sexual violence
Text by ANIKA NAIR and EVELYN ZHANG
Photo by ARJUN JINDAL
Amid the glitz, glamor, and lights, Miramax was considered a powerhouse in the independent film industry in the 1990s. Working at the studio could catapult anyone’s career in film. Yet, Rowena Chiu’s time was vastly different from what she expected as she began working for Harvey Weinstein as an assistant in 1998.
Chiu, one of many accusers of sexual assault by Weinstein, spoke in the Haymarket to Palo Alto High School students on April 25 at an event hosted by the Paly RISE (Responsive Inclusive Safe Environment) Club.
Chiu was forced into signing a non-disclosure agreement to keep her silence after Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 1998; Weinstein was convicted in 2020. When she eventually spoke out in 2019 — in a story retold in the 2022 film “She said” — it contributed to the growing #MeToo movement, a development that sparked increased awareness and transparency about sexual violence and advocacy for preventative measures.
However, according to The New York Times, Harvey Weinstein’s conviction in New York was overturned on April 25 due to a legal technicality. Chiu explains how she views this as an injustice of the legal system.
“We’ve had an egregious miscarriage of justice today,” Chiu said. “‘It’s like rip-
ping open a wound’ is what my fellow survivor said today.”
However, Chiu vows to seek justice through legal reforms.
“The work is still to be done,” Chiu said. “His conviction was only the start of the #MeToo movement, not the beginning of it. Today has been a setback but despite the grief that today’s legal action has set about, I hope it will start a conversation about the bias in the legal system, against those with power.”
key topic in the curriculum.
“We worked with them [One Love] to curate a curriculum unique to Paly that not only teaches Paly students to give and receive consent and identify unhealthy and healthy relationships but also talk about their experiences and help them reflect and brainstorm and how they can make relationships better,” Nguyen said.
“Don’t be a bystander, be an upstander. Show that person who’s suffering from the microaggression that we’re here, we’re with you, and we stand with you.”
— ROWENA CHIU, Harvey Weinstein survivor
Chiu described how a lack of consent-based culture contributed to her assault.
“In a room full of lawyers, Harvey said, ‘I’m a man who is very powerful and I don’t fully understand consent,’” Chiu said. “And not one lawyer lifted the phone against him.”
RISE has been partnering with the Paly administration to teach consent education to all ninth and tenth-grade P.E. classes. Bella Nguyen, co-president of RISE, says that teaching the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships is a
Nguyen explains how RISE got in contact with Rowena to speak at Paly.
“Rowena is actually a Paly parent — one of our math teachers, Mrs. [Natalie] Docktor, is friends with Rowena and suggested that RISE host an event,” Nguyen said. “It was simple and Rowena was very excited to work with us and to pursue this opportunity, so we were lucky with that one because it just came right out.”
Nguyen speaks to why RISE decided to invite Rowena to speak and how her message applies to everyone.
“Rowena can teach us to stand up for themselves not only for cases around bias, which is a big thing in RISE,” Nguyen said.
Chiu described how she is working in classrooms with students as young as elementary level to implement a more consent-conscious environment, a goal that coincides with RISE’s objectives at Paly.
“It’s not your fault where you live in a society where you have to do things to protect yourself,” Chiu said. “We need to change language and culture about body autonomy and consent. If we can change the conversation for really young children, we can change the roots of college rape culture.”
Chiu emphasizes the importance of bystander intervention, regardless of how small the conflict or situation is.
“What do you do if you encounter an everyday encounter of power abuse?” Chiu said.” Don’t be a bystander, be an upstander. Show that person who’s suffering from the microaggression that we’re here, we’re with you, and we stand with you.”
Members of the Paly RISE Club speaking with the audience at the end of Rowena Chiu’s speaking event.
Bay Area all-girls robotics teams breaks STEM, diversity barriers
ne time during an international call, our finance girl had joined to help with the logistics,” grimacing at the memory, Haley Oba, a long-time member of Space Cookies FRC 1868, recalls, “And after some awkward silence, they just simply asked where our finance dude was.”
However, as Oba points out, discriminatory experiences are more common than most people think — especially to Space Cookies, an all-girl robotics team working at the NASA Ames Research Center.
“I mean, I can tell that some people think that we are incompetent,” Oba said. “Some people don’t think we deserve respect.”
The Palo Alto High School Senior, who has been on the team her entire high school career, said that even if Silicon Valley is known for its innovation, stereotypes and microaggressions still seep into day-to-day interactions.
“There is this misconception that girls are equally represented in STEM, and that’s simply just not true,” Oba said.
According to MIT, in 2023, women
made up 28% of the STEM workforce — a statistic that makes Oba proud that Space Cookies can foster an environment that isn’t intimidated by deep-rooted sexism.
“It’s so heart-warming to see how everybody comes together to support each other, despite the setbacks,” Oba said.
Starting with NASA’s mission to invest in more women-dominated spaces in STEM fields and Girl Scouts of America’s vision of supporting women in seeking STEM-related fields, Space Cookies was a partnership founded in 2006.
with numerous organizations, Oba highlights the opportunity and skills Space Cookies has brought her.
ONE LEAP FOR “O
“It’s such a cool opportunity, and the skills you learn at Space Cookies are transferable anywhere,” Oba said.
Before Space Cookies, Oba was shy and nervous to speak aloud but as she flourished, she started talking louder and more confidently.
“My growth affected me in all parts of my life: school, home, leadership,”
—Haley Oba, member of Space Cookies
Throughout the next two decades, Space Cookies recruited over 50 members from all corners of the Bay.
“The cool thing is that we have people that are coming from 24 different high schools,” Oba said
Participating in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) tournaments, Space Cookies reaches both national and international appreciation. With strong partnerships
“My growth affected me in all parts of my life: school, home, leadership,” Oba said.
As a part of their Menstrual Equity initiative (m.e FIRST) to provide menstrual products for those in need, Space Cookies devotes their projects towards ensuring inclusivity deserves to be guaranteed everywhere.
“We were in the championship tournament, and somebody from the opposing team came up to us asking for tampons,” Oba said. “That’s when I thought, wow, our team is making an impact.”
Space Cookies’ impact spans deeper
WOMANKIND
Text by LARA SU DUMANLI
within the team as they prioritize having fun and learning rather than simply winning competitions. Elaine Kim, a Paly student on Space Cookies VEX Team 1868, a subteam specifically serving 7th to 12th graders, said that this learning style allows for a more friendly and open environment.
“My friend at Space Cookies talked about how in a mixed robotics team that she was in, the boys constantly told my friend that they would do the work,” Kim said.
“Seeing them go into STEM fields in college gives me more insight into what I could do in the future.”
“In our team, only the girls touch the robot,” Kim said. “the coaches don’t touch the robot at all, so this allows for the girls to learn.”
—Elaine Kim, member of Space Cookies
Kim also mentioned that open houses can be a great place for people to learn more about the program. The ability of former students to give their testimonials on Space Cookies has shown a major influence on its popularity
“When I first went, I was really amazed by how the robots could move and have different functions,” Kim said. Being an all-girls team, Space Cookies showcases the growing polarity in diversity in the STEM field.
“Even when she asked what she could do to help.”
Highlighting the importance that Space Cookies has had on her perspective, Kim dives deep into explaining how seeing other former Space Cookies girls
flourish, gives her hope that she will too. “Being in Space Cookies, I have many older girls who are my role models,” Kim said. “Seeing them go into STEM fields in college gives me more insight into what I could do in the future.”
CHEESING AT THE CAMERA (ABOVE): Smiling at their First Robotics competition Impact Award, Space Cookies members ____ are beaming at their accomplishment. “I remember being really proud when we won that work,” Oba said.
HARD AT WORK (FAR RIGHT): Bendin down at their robots Claire M. and Anika Z. are looking down at Space Cookies robot. Typically, bulid season starts at Janurary so we are working 6 days a week,” Oba said.
LAUGHING AROUND (FAR LEFT): As Haley O., Natalie H., and Anukha V., joyfully laugh together as they work on their robotics to travel to regional tournaments. “The best memory I have is travelling with my team for competitions,” Oba said.
Photos by NASA/Donald Richey
free an embargo
America needs to end the siege on the Cuban people to give more
Just four hundred miles south of Miami, Cuba has proven itself to be a thorn in Washington’s foot. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Cuba has been alone in the world, its biggest ally tossed to the dustbin of history. But remarkably, the Cuban nation has withstood the test of time, managing to survive in the new world order it was subjected to overnight. In the face of oblivion, Cuba has faced the wind for decades, alone. Against all the odds, they’ve become an unlikely survival story.
Cuba’s medical program, for example, has been a frontrunner in global solidarity. During the height of the pandemic in Covid-battered Italy, hundreds of Cuban doctors were dispatched to combat the pandemic. Not to mention the significant contributions they’ve made in creating the first lung cancer vaccine, the only of its kind globally.
Following a
olence, passed after millions of Cubans flocked to the polls. In comparison to the nation’s Latin American counterparts that have routinely lagged on these issues, these are both massive achievements that should be praised.
But these achievements haven’t come easy. America’s siege on Cuba, particularly through its ongoing embargo, is a deliberate attempt to force the Cuban people to submit to our influence.
ended with the negotiated withdrawal of these weapons, America has continued to embargo the island nation into submission.
America’s embargo on Cuba is enforced through a few pieces of existing legislation.
The Cuban people deserve the right to self-determination, a right the United States has functionally curtailed severely.
The origin of the embargo comes following the Cuban Revolution, which saw the American-backed Fulgencio Batista dictatorship overthrown. Following the Bay of Pigs invasion, where mercenaries armed and supported by the American
America’s willingness to try
The 1963 Cuban Assets Control Regulations froze all American assets in Cuba and prohibited all Cuban exports unless explicitly allowed with a special, often hard-to-obtain, permit.
More recently, the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act has been particularly harsh, barring all foreign ships that docked in Cuba from docking in the United States for six months. This is beyond just the sphere of the United States. It is an attempt to isolate Cuba from the rest of the world.
Make no mistake about the intention.
wrought nation individual
freedoms and begin to mend the long historic oppression
gramme of the United Nations points out that the rationed food that is available provides barely a fraction of the nutritional needs of the Cuban people.
This economic warfare has been disastrous for the island nation. Economically, the cost of the embargo for Cuba has been estimated by the United Nations to be around $130 billion over the six decades it’s been imposed. America’s willingness to try to bleed Cuba dry has led to a nation sinking increasingly into crisis.
Those rations have actually been reduced significantly over the years. According to the Cuban government, inflation in 2023 ended at around 30%. In early 2024, Finance Minister Vladimir Regueiro announced a 25% increase in electricity prices, as long subsidized fuel prices have
land’s underclass.
And perhaps worst of all, it’s near-universally unpopular. Every year since 1992, the United Nations has routinely put forward a resolution condemning the embargo, with 187 nations voting to repeal the blockade in 2023 alone. The two nations that have voted against the resolution every single session? The United States and Israel.
This is unacceptable.
The Cuban people deserve the right to self-determination, a right the United States has functionally curtailed severely. As Cubans rally in the street, in part exhausted from an economic crisis only heightened by the United States, America has continued to wring the Cuban people dry.
The United Nations held a meeting on November 1st of 2023, in which issues were raised in terms of the negative effects of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Here were some of the issues stated in the press release.
• 80% of Cuba’s current population has only known life under the blockade
• The embargo has made it difficult to acquire medical supplies and equipment
In the face of oblivion, Cuba has faced the wind for decades, alone. Against all odds, they’ve become an an unlikely survival story.
Locked in a seemingly intractable struggle to breathe, the seriousness of the blockade on the Cuban people cannot be understated. This is not an issue that can
• Cuba is denied access to markets, international aid and technology transfers, challenging socioeconomic development.
Representatives gave these statements for an ending to the 60 year blockade.
• Cuba’s has made positive contributions over the years
• The embargo damages Cubans right to survival and undermines their peace
• The embargo is an antithesis of sustainable development
Looking past
Younger audiences should not be exposed to social media
Video after video, minute after minute, hour after hour. After opening a social media platform, time seems to drift away. Every few minutes you promise yourself you’ll stop watching, but you stay hooked, unable to focus on
come an addiction. This social media ep idemic is something that people today, especially teenagers, have to face.
According to Forbes, 42% of kids in the U.S. have a phone by age 10. As kids tend to get phones at even younger ages nowadays, we need to do all we can to pre vent the damage from spreading.
The General Surgeons Advisory found that in 2021 the average time spent on social media for 8th and 10th graders was 3.5 hours a day. Yale Med icine has also found that excessive use
“But when you look at the harm that social
of insecurity. It’s like a disease, ensnar ing both teenagers and adults worldwide, with seem ingly no intention of has its positives as everything in our soci ety does,” Palo Alto High School sophomore Kacey Washington said. “But when you look at the harm that so cial media can cause to the ones around you, I can’t rationalize social media having more pos
the screen
greatly restricting social media for minors, which is to take effect on Jan. 1. The bill prohibits social media accounts for children under 14 and requires 14 and 15-year-olds to have parental permission to make an account.
This is part of a larger campaign in the
Onemorevideo
United States hoping to limit the influence social media has on American teens. Ohio Republicans have also proposed a bill that would require public schools to ban social media, as well as prohibit students from using electronics during class. Thirty-three states are also banding together to sue Meta.
Yale Medicine has also found that excessive use of social media has been linked to sleep and attention problems.
Overall, the government is attempting to limit the grasp social media has on the American population. Although this is a step in the right direction, these regulations aren’t enough. Instead of only having a few select states enforcing these rules, there should be a country-wide policy limiting social media usage.
“I think a ban [on social media] could work, but only if there’s an age verification with some legal document,”
You don’t need to sleep
Paly sophomore Deniz Aba said.
We must look past the screen. Art by HADRIEN
count, but it is loosely enforced and is easily avoidable. The 2023 General Surgeons Advisory found that nearly 40% of children ages 8–12 use social media despite most social media platforms requiring users to be over the age of 13.
Although any nationwide ban restricting all social media will most likely never be possible due to the concerns over free speech rights, proposing them does put more pressure on social media companies to enforce age restrictions. It will also hopefully shine more light on the negative effects kids face due to social media, and encourage them to make smarter decisions and be selfaware.
“I think a ban [on social media] could work, but only if there’s an age verification with some legal document.”
– DENIZ ABA , 10th grade
“Adding on to that, it would also be incredibly difficult to get the ban passed into law since there would be heavy lobbying against it.”
To make policies more enforceable, they should be less severe than the Florida state ban, focusing only on removing accounts of children under the age of 13. There already is technically an age requirement to make a social media ac-
As teens, our generation has been the guinea pig. It’s not our fault that we’ve been sucked in, but it will be our fault if we don’t prevent this social media addiction from further hindering future generations.
The younger kids get social media, the bigger the impact it has on their development. It’s our job to prevent social media from having a widespread negative impact on youth around the world. Adolescents must advocate for more age-related regulations for social media on a local, and national level now.
Text by EVELYN ZHANG and MIHIKA SRIDHAR
Blocking
Should parents be blamed for their kids’ violence?
When you hear that a student has opened fire at a school, the first thought for some is: How could this happen? Who is to blame for this tragedy? Are the parents of the child to blame for not realizing what their child would do? Did these parents know that their child would go this far?
Recently, the conversation has widened concerning accountability and liability. Although only one person may have physically had their finger on the trigger at the time of the shooting, many other invisible factors also contributed to the event — one influential factor being parents who ignored warning signs or even, in some cases, inadvertently provided the weapon used.
day. Threats of gun violence and safety procedures are even more familiar to students across the country, including Paly students. An example of these threats was when Paly went into a shelter-in-place in December after there was a report of a man waving a gun on the Embarcadero overpass.
“That access frequently occurs in homes, where the gun is typically owned by a family member. Access to means is a critical ingredient.”
— DAVID STUDDERT, Stanford Professor
There are many factors that have been identified as causal factors of increased firearm violence at schools — loosening gun control is a central one, according to David Studdert, a professor of health policy and law at Stanford University who specializes in the gun violence epidemic. Parents oftentimes, whether intentional or not, have made access to a firearm easier for their child.
“It’s necessary for the shooter to gain access to a firearm,” Studdert said. “That access frequently occurs in homes, where the gun is typically owned by a family member. Access to means is a critical ingredient.”
While not every parent of a school shooter should be charged with manslaughter, we believe parents need to be held accountable for their child’s violent actions. It is true that in some cases, there were no telltale signs that the parent could pick up on. However, more often than not, there has been negligence on the part of the parents. Therefore, it is fair to hold a trial — criminal or civil — and charge them. Parents are responsible for raising their children and speaking up, rather than recluse when a red flag pops up.
To put this problem into context, in 2023 alone, according to U.S. News and World Report, there were 346 school shootings in the United States — almost one per
Too often, we attribute the blame of tragic school shootings solely to the shooter. We tell ourselves, “No one could have seen it coming,” and “Thoughts and prayers.” Yet many scenarios that have unfolded in court have told us another story — despite multiple red herrings, parents often took actions that egged on, rather than mitigated, the preventable. For instance, when parents leave a firearm unlocked in a home with a student who has shown signs of mental health struggles, like in the case of Ethan Crumbley.
On April 9, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, who murdered four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School in 2021, were sentenced to 10-15 years in
prison for manslaughter. Ethan’s parents gifted him a gun, which was used four days later to open fire on his high school. The judge determined that the parents failed to take steps to prevent the event.
Some may see it as an overreach of the court — parents can’t have full control over the actions of their children. However, it is a gross injustice when we label a school shooter as an anomaly, a case that will not happen again because we have seen time and time again that it will.
the Bullet
However, Ethan Crumbley’s parents being charged and convicted is unprecedented as they were prosecuted for criminal parental negligence, Studdert says. The Crumbley parents’ case is significant because they were prosecuted in criminal court, not civil court.
“That [a criminal case] means that the state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the parents recklessly or intentionally created conditions that led to the school shooting — it’s a really hard thing to
prove,” Studdert said. “You can imagine juries want to give parents some latitude, give them the benefit of the doubt, and allow them to parent in the way they think is best. For these reasons, courts usually try to avoid getting involved in second-guessing parents’ decision-making.”
Studdert argues that the Crumbley case is instructive because of how mental health struggles combined with access to a firearm created a perfect storm for firearm violence, and that the parents were culpable.
In
2023,
there were 346 school shootings in the United States.
Source: U.S. News and World Report
“Morally, I do think it’s wrong for parents of children, especially children who are experiencing mental health difficulties, to leave weapons lying around the house or within easy reach,” Studdert said. “Many shooting clubs would teach that as a classic instance of irresponsible gun ownership.”
Studdert explains that although this case prevailed and resulted in a successful prosecution, most other school shooting cases will be on a case-by-case basis.
“I don’t think we’re going to see many cases involving criminal prosecution of parents or guardians for their role in these situations,” Studdert said. “However, we may well see more cases alleging negligent supervision and care by parents, particularly in states with safe storage laws.”
Although the Crumbley parents’ case was a rare win in court, parental accountability for gun violence needs to continue, whether it is prosecution in criminal or civil court. Parents have the moral obligation to raise their children in a way that prevents societal harm, and if they fail to do so, they must be held accountable.
Green Gathering
Youth protesters gather at City Hall to push on climate reforms
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels have got to go,” chanted climate protestors outside City Hall. Paly ECO club hosted its annual Earth Day rally on April 16. The rally was filled with student protestors and climate organizations like the Youth Community Service and the Raging Grannies. The rally was a part of a larger movement to encourage City Hall to improve Palo Alto’s climate reforms.
“End fossil fuel usage now,” yelled Floyd Neesan, Junior at Gunn High School through his mic at the crowd of climate protesters. Neesan coordinated the protest and was the emcee of the climate protest at 5 p.m. of April 16th, calling for the end of energy production that’s harmful to the environment. “On Earth Day, we are peacefully walking the City Hall, just kind of give a push on all kind related stuff within city council because we believe they’re behind on a lot of the time reform that they said they would be reforming,” Neesan said. Photo by Amily Zhang.
Attendees of the climate protest at City Hall hold signs declaring for the end of unsafe climate practices in Palo Alto. They had the opportunity to explore the seven booths surrounding the perimeter of City Hall, where members from climate groups discussed the details surrounding their organization. “This is the best event to find out how to get involved in climate action because we have speakers,” Neesan said. “We also have all these organizations around the event that you can join and you can start getting yourself involved in climate change.” Photo by Saanvi Garg.
Members of the YCS hold signs reading “Later is Too Late.” Student activism and involvement in climate issues has always been a prominent thing. Vince Wu, a member of 350 Silicon Valley, a climate organization discussed what he believes Palo Alto can do to discuss its climate impact. “The main thing is just creating more electrification in infrastructure that uses natural gas, fossil fuels, and also upgrading the grid to handle increased demand,” Wu said. Photo by Amily Zhang.
Activism Around the World
Constitutional reforms and illegeal immgrants becoming citizens
Iran shot hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday night, April 13. The Royal Jordanian Air Force immediately responded by shooting down the barrage, which the Air Force said crossed into their air space. The Pro-Palestine rallies have only increased since the missile strike, with thousands of people all over the country protesting Jordan’s support of Israel, according to TV news organization Deutsche Welle. One of the biggest protests happened just a mile from the Israeli Embassy in Amman, according to online news agency Reuters. Thousands of people gathered daily to demand the 30-year-old Israel-Jordan peace treaty be terminated and for Jordan to sever diplomatic relations with Israel.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, there were marches all across Kazakhstan to fight for women’s rights. These marches were organized by groups like the United Women Foundation, the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, and the youth movement Oyan Kazakhstan. After a month of protests, a new law to protect women’s rights was passed on April 14. This law, known as the domestic abuse law, is a victory for human rights in the country. The law illegalizes domestic abuse, which previously was not a prosecutable offense. According to the Human Rights Watch, an investigative journalism platform, in 2023 police received 99,026 complaints related to family violence.
Thousands of people from Colombia took to the streets to protest the current leftist President Gustavo Petro and his reforms. According to Reuters, the protests have been happening since 2022 when Petro was elected, but recently became widespread due to his comments about rewriting the constitution. This came after Congress struck down Petro’s plan to expand medical insurance. In response to Petros’ attempt at passing these laws, over 70,000 Colombians braved the rain and gathered in Bogota on April 21. They marched to Bolivar Square near the presidential palace, screaming “Out with Petro’’ and waving the Colombian flag, according to news organization France 24.
On March 11 the Citizenship Amendment Act was instated by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This act helps fast track the process for illegal immigrants fleeing religious persecution to attain citizenship. But because of the excluded countries it doesn’t apply to Muslim immigrants. There has been a reemergence of protests as political rivals of Modi have been criticizing his anti-Muslim policies. One such protest was at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia University. Activist groups accused Modi of attacking civil liberties and cracking down on civil protests. According to Reuters the last time this law was proposed the resulting protests and the police crackdown that followed killed at least 76 people.
