W ED N ES DAY, D E C EM B ER 7, 2016
The political differences between parents and students
Unique jobs
The history of pearl milk tea
Features page 6-7
Lifestyles page 8-9
Girls soccer kicks off season
The Turning Pointe
Opinions page 4-5
VOLUME 58 NO. 3
Sports page 10-11
Flipside page 12
The Prospector
CHSPROSPECTOR.COM
Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School
10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014
Racial diversity in Silicon Valley companies Amidst growing concerns of exclusion, companies aim to increase diversity
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE RAVI
JENN ZARATAN photo editor
Silicon Valley is unique not only because of its high number of successful tech startups but also for its diverse population. However, the area struggles to bring diversity to its technology workforce. Companies have implemented numerous initiatives to increase diversity, but while improving, they continue to search for an ideal solution that is both effective and ethical. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported last May that the high-tech industry comprises 7.4% African Americans, 7.97% Hispanics, and 14.04% Asians. Last August, business leaders discussed the need for a more inclusive workforce during the White House’s very first “Demo Day.” Thirty-three companies signed the Tech Inclusion Pledge, committing to construct objectives for diversity, publish demographics annually, and invest in coalitions that incorporate more minorities into the technology sector. “Different people bring different strengths to the table, and in education as well as the office, it’s really important that you have representatives from every group in America,” said teacher Ashley Hooper. “There are people in areas aligned with race and
CHS ASB introduces genderneutral Winter Formal Court MELISSA SILVA editor-in-chief
ETHAN QI news editor // copy editor
Last month, Cupertino’s Associated Student Body (ASB) voted to create a gender-neutral Winter Formal court, suggested by the Spirit Committee. Individuals, rather than couples, are nominated to be royalty and represent their class. These decisions were made in an effort to foster acceptance, inclusion, and diversity within the student body. Said ASB adviser Wes Morse, “So I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I brought it up to last year’s crew, but last year’s crew was [unsure] ... The timing to have that conversation was this year, but by the time we had it, [homecoming] was a
ASB gender neutrality, continued on page 3
socioeconomic status who start on a completely different playing field than, say, [students in Cupertino] do.” Affirmative Action policies, which give minorities a conscious advantage when hiring, have always been highly controversial. The term is most commonly used in the context of college admissions; the idea is to cancel out the disadvantages minorities inherently face, but it was banned from public institutions in California as well as in eight other states. In the case of Silicon Valley tech companies, Asians are generally not considered minorities and thus do not receive special consideration. Said junior Matthew Atmadja, “When [companies or schools] have quotas for [accepting] certain races, I think it discriminates against other races and it feels unfair — they should just accept whoever has the capabilities.” One company that has aggressively spearheaded efforts to increase diversity is Apple Inc. — compared to Google, Facebook, Microsoft and others, its racial demographics have largely diversified since 2014. But despite being located in a predominantly Asian-American community and having a relatively more diverse employee cohort, Apple still struggles to recruit a diverse workforce. According to Apple’s reports from June 2016, 55 percent of employees in its tech department are white.
Leadership positions in particular have seen limited progress, with minority employees slumping at 33 percent. Some companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, have adopted a “Rooney Rule” — an alternative policy to affirmative action, the “Rooney Rule” works to offer interviews to more minorities for executive positions, but does not give them any advantage in the decision-making process. Companies have also approached the racial discrepancies by trying to encourage more minorities into the field in the first place. Facebook, for instance, maintains a university program in which 170 undergraduate minorities gain hands-on experience and knowledge about the field. They have also invested in TechPrep, an online learning tool for students interested in computer science. Said senior Yatziri Arias, “Diversity is an important ideal to achieve, but I don’t think it should be a key factor to consider. Programs that get minorities involved and grant them information are [a better approach], because at the end of the day, [people] should be accepted based on skills, not race.” An obvious solution for racial gaps would be more than idealistic to expect, but progress can and is slowly being made as a result of companies’ sustained efforts.
Traffic issues worsen amidst construction GENE KIM news assistant JENN ZARATAN
CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL | Annual increases in student enrollment exacerbate morning traffic around the school
The recent campus construction has caused traffic in and around Cupertino High School to worsen, raising the concerns of its community. In particular, a lack of student parking spaces has contributed to the change in traffic circulation. Parking spaces have been reserved for the construction workers, rather than faculty members. Consequently, students are left with few places to park their cars, and are forced to do so in residential areas. In addition to inconveniences community members attribute to the construction, safety is also a major concern for the CHS community. The increased traffic can frustrate drivers who are anxious to arrive at school without delay. Some students have noted that traffic causes drivers to make dangerous decisions. Said sophomore Anirudh Krishnakumar, “As a biker, I run into a lot of dangerous situations on my way to school. The traffic is so bad in the mornings, the cars seem to get impatient and
CHS traffic issues, continued on page 3