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The Stanford Daily An Independent Publication
THURSDAY February 20, 2020
www.stanforddaily.com
Volume 257 Issue 13
Students back Rolen as FLI head Petition criticizes passing over Rolen for FLI Office Director By ESHA DHAWAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
By GRACE CARROLL DESK EDITOR
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Administrators and student body leaders announced that a commitee would evaluate and consider modifications to the ‘Secret Snowflake’ campus tradition, following complaints related to sexual harassment.
STUDENT LIFE
Complaints prompt review of ‘Secret Snowflake’ By SARINA DEB DESK EDITOR
University officials and student leaders announced their intention to “begin a discussion” about the “Secret Snowflake” campus tradition following complaints, including some directed to the Title IX Office, about dares that “crossed boundaries of good citizenship” and involved violations of sexual harassment policies.
The announcement came Wednesday afternoon in an email signed by Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) President Erica Scott ’20, ASSU Vice President Isaiah Drummond ’20, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole and Senior Associate Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Access Lauren Schoenthaler.
Please see REVIEW, page 6
Students leaders in Stanford’s First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FLI) Office have launched a campus-wide petition urging administrators to appoint Jennifer Rolen as the office’s permanent director. Rolen currently serves as the associate director and assistant dean of the FLI Office. A committee has been assembled to hire a permanent director, but FLI student leaders say Rolen was not offered a second-round interview and was removed from the committee’s list of candidates for director. “Losing Jenn’s leadership and vision is a huge mistake, and we want the university to know how disappointed and angry students and alumni are about this decision,” wrote Daniella Caluza ’21, Kiara Bacasen ’21, Christopher Middleton ’16 J.D. ’21 and Jeffrey Rodriguez ’20 in an email circulated by FLI student leadership after it came to light that Rolen’s name had been removed from the list of candidates. Middleton resigned from the
Graduate Student Council (GSC) on Wednesday, citing his frustrations with the Stanford administration’s management of the FLI office. Rolen “has essentially been acting director since the conception of the FLI Office but without the title or the pay,” the email reads, calling her “the backbone for all the events and programming that the FLI Office has put on.” Students were urged to write messages to Stanford administrators advocating for Rolen’s appointment, in addition to signing a petition — which currently has more than 800 signatures — demanding that student voices be given more weight in the selection process. Rolen declined The Daily’s request for comment, citing her desire to maintain the integrity of the hiring process. “The first round included a very strong pool of candidates,” wrote Student Affairs spokesperson Pat Harris in an email to The Daily. “Decisions were made after due consideration and careful deliberation. The search committee is composed of thoughtful people who care deeply about FLI students at Stanford.”
SPEAKERS & EVENTS
The Diversity and FirstGen (DGen) Office was created in 2012, but it split into separate branches for FLI and diversity education two years ago. Since then, Rolen has been the primary leader advancing the FLI Office’s mission, according to Middleton, who is also co-president of Stanford FLI Alumni Network. “When the position was opened in November for director, we kind of assumed that Jennifer Rolen would have that position of being the director because effectively she’s led our office — and, we believe, quite successfully,” Middleton said. Students cited Rolen’s leadership of FLI initiatives including the FLI Office’s library (FLIbrary), FLI Student Orientation (FLISO), the Leland Scholars Program and the Opportunity Fund. “None of this came from the University waking up one day and saying, ‘Oh, FLI students should have this,’” said Kiara Bacasen ’21, co-president of the FLI Partnership (FLIP) student organization. “It was all either FLI-student-led, or Jenn went out and found the money, or a combination of both.”
Please see FLI, page 4
STUDENT GOVT.
Speakers talk water quality
GSC member resigns amid FLI Office dispute
CEO and investor discuss water sanitation, accessibility in India By CLARA KIESCHNICK STAFF WRITER
At “The Future of Water: The role of innovation and human rights in the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals,” Smaart Water CEO Ravi Mariwala and venture capitalist and social impact investor Paula Mariwala discussed how to improve water sanitation and accessibility concerns in India, a country with a population density 10 times that of the United States. Radhika Shah, chair of the Tech and Advisory Group at Stanford’s Center for Human Rights, introduced the speakers and their research in the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2015, the UN announced 17 SDGs, including goals to reduce poverty and promote ecological sustainability. “[The UN was] recognizing that these goals are linked; they’re not isolated,” Shah said. “[It was] also recognizing that we can’t achieve these goals unless we have the spirit that change comes from the ground — from all over the world and every corner of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, [not just] in Silicon Valley.”
By ELLA BOOKER DESK EDITOR
She said she was initially discouraged from pursuing teaching, having been told that teaching could “ruin” an artist. Gluck said this has not been her experience, as she has benefitted from her students’ ideas and energy. “There’s an obligation to make something of what you’re looking
Second-year law student Christopher Middleton ’16 announced he would resign from the Graduate Student Council (GSC) amid a dispute over leadership of the First-Generation and/or LowIncome (FLI) Office. Student leaders in the office recently circulated a petition — which garnered more than 800 signatures — calling for FLI Office Associate Director Jennifer Rolen to be instated as the office’s director, saying a committee had passed over her candidacy for the role. In their Wednesday meeting, GSC councilors had been slated to vote on Middleton’s “Resolution to Form Permanent Community Centers for the FLI and Disability Communities,” but Middleton withdrew the resolution. Middleton, co-president of the Stanford FLI Alumni Network,also announced that he would resign from the GSC and step back from his involvement in University affairs. Middleton is a member of the Committee of 10, a group considering the University ’s judicial process. “Because of things happening within the FLI Office and the hiring decisions regarding Jennifer Rolen, I’ve decided to really step away from a lot of my major involvement on campus, one of those things being aboard the GSC,”
Please see POETRY, page 6
Please see GSC, page 6
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“Civilizations have come up around water,” Paula Mariwala said at an event on United Nations sustainable development goals. She was joined by Smaart Water CEO Ravi Mariwala. Ravi Mariwala, the first and primary speaker, discussed Smaart Water’s efforts to bring clean and affordable water to India. Ravi situated his remarks in the context of current water quality issues in India, identifying sewage treatment as a major obstacle to water access in the area. About two-thirds of sewage enters the environment without treatment, which in turn affects water sanitation, reducing the water supply and creating rampant malnutrition, according to Ravi.
Paula Mariwala also spoke to India’s malnutrition problems in her remarks. “Malnutrition numbers are scary, and we should all be ashamed as citizens of India that we allow this to happen,” she said. Ravi discussed the impact of agriculture on water usage, which accounts for about 82% of water usage in India. Agricultural water is completely free, making it difficult to incentivize
Please see WATER, page 4
SPEAKERS & EVENTS
Poet laureate on inspiration, discovery from ignorance By BROOKE BEYER STAFF WRITER
How do writers balance writing with life commitments? How can teaching poetry enhance one’s own work? These are some of the questions that Louise Gluck, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. poet laureate, addressed in her poetry colloquium on Wednesday.
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Gluck is currently the Mohr visiting professor in the creative writing program. She spoke to the challenge of writing in a society that places emphasis on productivity, citing the need to write in “time that is stolen” from other duties and pursuits. “How do you continue to write from unexpected places?” Gluck asked. “If you’re not yourself sur-
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prised there will be no excitement on the page.” Gluck emphasized maintaining a writing routine despite other obligations. “When I have steady, empty time, I produce steady emptiness,” she said. Gluck also reflected on her career as a teacher, which she characterized as “open-minded scrutiny.”
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