AFDC and Lakeside will remain open with modified hours during the Thankgiving recess from classes. R&DE cafés, markets and other services will experience closures.
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For students remaining on campus during the Thanksgiving recess from Nov. 24-28, dining options will be more limited than usual.
After dinner service on Friday, Nov. 21, all dining halls other than Arrillaga Family Dining Commons (AFDC) and Lakeside Dining will be closing until either Saturday, Nov. 29 or Monday, Dec. 1.
“Many undergraduate students travel home or stay with friends during this week, which significantly reduces the campus population,” wrote Eric Montell, assistant vice provost for Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries, to The Daily. “Keeping one dining hall open on each side of campus ensures that students who remain still have convenient, reliable access to meals.”
AFDC and Lakeside will operate with modified hours: weekend brunch will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., weekday breakfast fom 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., weekday lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Florence Moore Dining, Stern Dining, Wilbur Dining and Ricker Dining will all open for brunch on Nov. 29, providing more options as students begin to return to campus.
Suites Dining, Yost, Murray, East and Row (Self-Op) Dining will re-open for breakfast on Dec. 1. Students living in these houses — along with Co-op residents — will be placed on a 19-swipe meal plan during the break so they can access open dining halls.
Branner Dining and Gerhard Casper Dining Commons will not re-open until lunch that Monday. EVGR Dining will open for that Monday’s dinner.
Tristan Flowers ’29 said she appreciated that, with Lakeside operating, a dining hall close to her dorm in GovCo will be open.
“As long as there’s at least two dining halls on either side of campus, that’s fine with me, and it makes me happy,” she said.
According to Jamie JudahBram ’27, who will be staying for Thanksgiving break for her third year in a row, the two dining hall setup increases the already present feeling of emptiness on campus.
“West campus stays in Lakeside Dining ,and then east campus stays in Arrillaga Dining,” she said. “Whoever is on campus is split in half.”
Within AFDC, Athlete Dining will remain open. Additionally, a kosher station will be available in Florence Moore’s kosher kitchen.
“For students with other dietary needs, food allergies, or specific requirements, we encourage them to reach out to our on-site staff, who are always available and happy to assist,” Montell wrote.
Dining options outside of dining halls will be available as well.
R&DE cafés and markets will close on Nov. 22 and 23, with most reopening on Dec. 2. Many Tresidder vendors will remain open for most of the break, with the exception of Thanksgiving and the adjacent Friday.
Other University services will also experience changes. Housing Service Centers and the Tresidder Package Center will be closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
David Ward, the assistant vice provost for Student Housing Operations and Stanford Conferences, encouraged students remaining on campus to submit Fix-It requests and call (650)-725-1602 for 24/7 emergency maintenance issues.
“Aside from the closures on the holidays… staff will be on site to support students and respond to their needs,” Ward wrote.
On Thanksgiving, a special holiday menu will be available at both AFDC and Lakeside, beginning with a “velvety butternut squash soup and a fresh baby kale harvest salad,” according to Montell.
“For entrées, we’re serving citrus-brined roasted turkey, slow-roasted for exceptional tenderness and paired with rich mushroom gravy and our homemade cranberry–orange relish, alongside a beautiful vegan Jackfruit Wellington wrapped in golden, flaky pastry,” he wrote.
“The meal will be rounded out with an array of delicious sides, including caramelized balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts, soft and aromatic brioche herb dressing, creamy Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, sweet maple-glazed yams topped with toasted marshmallows and assorted dinner rolls with silky maître d’ butter,” Montell wrote. “To finish, students can enjoy classic pumpkin pie, warmly spiced vegan apple pie or delicious sweet potato pie.”
Despite these efforts, some students have noticed a decrease in food quality during school breaks, with JudahBram even becoming sick once.
“I’m not sure what happens that makes it that way, but you can tell by looking at it that it looks either left over or it’s colder than usual or something,” she said. “It’s kind of disheartening to be on campus and the food quality is that much worse just because you decide to stay.”
Montell and Ward said they want students who remain on campus to feel included and welcomed.
“We want students to have a seamless experience over the break without any change in the level of service and commitment to excellence in support of their ability to thrive in the residences,” they wrote.
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GSC votes to dissolve club sports funding umbrellaUnder the new system, club sports will apply for standard ASSU quick and annual grants, rather than receiving funds through the former umbrella organization.
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The Graduate Student Council (GSC) voted to pass the Joint Bill to Dissolve the Club Sports Funding Umbrella and Require Direct Team-Level Grant Applications for Transparency and Compliance at its Thursday meeting.
As a result of the bill, each club sport will apply directly to the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU), rather than the club sports council, for funds using the annual and quick grant processes. However, the councillors acknowledged that current funding guidelines do not adequately support needs such as equipment, travel and competition fees.
The previous funding umbrella was initially instituted following complaints relating to Title IX compliance. In the past, the club sports council faced allegations that men’s teams were receiving more funding than women’s teams. The umbrella organization attempted to address this issue by shifting money between unrelated sports, creating confusion and budgetary inefficiency for clubs, according to Elena Vasilache, a fourth-year M.S. candidate. Council members also noted that the umbrella organization is not an elected body, meaning they don’t have the authority to make such major funding decisions on its own.
“[The club teams] were actually saying that they’re willing to forego the opportunity of getting more funds if it means that they can have a more stable funding year to year and at least know what to expect for the following year,” said GSC co-chair and third-year J.D. candidate Laurel Kim.
The council also discussed updates regarding Graduate Student Appreciation Week, which will take place from April 13-17. The week aims to celebrate graduate students across campus with a series of events coordinated by the vice provost for graduate education (VPGE).
The VPGE plans to host several anchor events, including a Three-Minute Thesis competition and department and program-based gatherings, such as faculty dinners and other social events involving food. The GSC is also working to plan its own event.
“I think it’s unique that we come from the student perspective, so I think we can kind of have something that maybe other departments might not have,” said third-year Ph.D. candidate Casey Chan.
The GSC also discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in academics. To combat AI use on assignments and exams, professors are considering more oral exams, an electronics ban and an “engagement over attendance” attitude. Some law school professors are experimenting with exams that include an AI generated model answer to the question. Students are then tasked to identify the AI’s mistakes.
“Another thing that’s happening is heavier weighting towards finals. In many of these classes… roughly 75% of [a student’s] grade is determined in the final few weeks. So, it’s causing some issues in that respect right now,” said GSC diversity and advocacy chair Artem Arzyn ’26 M.S. ’26.
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And So We Thought: In ‘The Long Walk,’ simplicity mutates into sufferingThough Stephen King’s first novel isn't his most famous, it certainly invites us to reconsider our perception of the world.
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In “And So We Thought,” Daniel Xu ’29 explores creative works, both in their content, but also in how they relate to broader media and societal ecosystems.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques. This review contains spoilers.
A couple of weeks ago, I gave up biking. This statement might sound strange, even heretical at a place like Stanford, especially when you consider that it’s a 22-minute walk from Rains to the West Campus Tennis Courts. But I’ve always preferred to walk. Especially at Stanford. The crispness of the early morning or late night air, the solidity of foot hitting pavement and the warm, lazy light of the California sunshine spilling onto your skin — in a world of abstract academic ideas and lofty must-have internships, there is something special about the grounded nature of walking.
I doubt, however, that I would enjoy walking nearly as much if there was a gun pressed to the back of my head. This is the simple yet brilliant premise of “The Long Walk” by Stephen King. Originally written under King’s pseudonym, Richard Backman, the “The Long Walk” follows 16-year-old Ray Garraty, one of 100 boys competing in an annual televised walking contest. Starting at the Canada-Maine border, the boys are instructed to walk as far as they possibly can. The winner is awarded an elusive guarantee of comfort and riches. The rest are shot.
“The Long Walk” is, in many ways, defined by its physicality. This may not seem surprising given the premise at play, but it is King’s careful control of prose that drives the point home. Rather than immediately exhausting its horror through overly-dramatic language, “The Long Walk” purposefully mirrors the suffering of the Walkers themselves. Garraty’s first observation of his own pain, for instance, is downright innocuous.
“[He] was aware for the first time that his feet hurt,” King writes. “He noticed that he had been unconsciously walking on the outside of the soles, but every now and then he put a foot down flat and winced.” Other than the wincing, Garraty is almost detached from pain. He is still lucid in his mental processing, still scientific in his precision and description. And crucially, he still subscribes to the myth of the Long Walk, whose glorified narrative of opulence sits at the nexus of their adolescent dreams. In the beginning, it is a privilege, not a punishment, to Walk.
But by the end of the contest, we are left with an exceptionally different Garraty. As the Walkers approach Boston, “[Garraty] began to cry a little bit. His vision blurred and his feet tangled up and he fell down,” King writes. “The pavement was hard and shockingly cold and unbelievably restful. He was warned twice before he managed to pick himself up, using a series of drunken, crablike motions.” With hundreds of miles to his name, this version of Garraty is no longer in control: not of his emotions, nor his vision, nor the feet that betray him at every turn. The ruins of his mind are divorced from the husk of his body, a perpetual machine of drunkenness functioning on rudimentary, crustacean movement. He is, in effect, no longer human.
That loss of humanity is also echoed in the novel’s depiction of social death. From the get-go, Garraty meets a host of other contestants: somber Abraham, boastful and blustering Olson, the sadistic Barkovitch. Garraty grows closest to Peter “Peter” McVires, whose kindness, sincerity and discipline mirror his own — but with an added dose of self-hatred after a traumatic breakup. In the grim coldness of “The Long Walk,” Garraty and McVires’ friendship is a little spark of joy. The two have genuine concern for one another, to the point where each saves the other’s life on at least one occasion.
Yet these relationships are conditional; runners learn quickly that the only certainty is death. Contestants who can no longer go on are shot on the spot — a much anticipated event for the hoards of spectators and TV audience. Others simply die walking from exhaustion.
The initial exposure to mortality is horrific. When Curley, the first walker, dies, King writes, “Curley’s angular, pimply head disappeared in a hammersmash of blood and brains and flying skull-fragments.” It is a viscerally nauseating description, one meant to shock Garraty and the reader in equal parts. “This is not just some TV show,” King seems to say. “This is the real deal.”
Just a couple of hours later, however, the horror of death has already settled into the background. By the time a contestant named Fenter dies, Garraty barely reacts. He is simply too tired. Garraty still maintains his deep compassion and fierce loyalty to his friends, but he has adjusted to the long and bloody nature of the road. Only instances of specific horror — like Barkovitch ripping out his own throat — are enough to capture his attention.
King seems to envision “The Long Walk” as a cog in a greater dystopian world. The Major, the mystical and macho figurehead who begins the Walk, is the leader of a secret police force known as the Squads. Political dissenters, like Garraty’s father, are “Squaded,” or forcibly disappeared. Perhaps most curiously of all, the word “Government” is capitalized — hinting at a permanent, totalitarian institution and an associated suspension of democracy. The design of the Long Walk reflects these absolutist ideals. The Squads have complete control of the food and water supply and total discretion over life and death, with the guns to back them up.
The regime also has the complete cooperation of public opinion. Watching the Long Walk isn’t even so much obligatory as it is downright fun. It is the Super Bowl of a new, perverse America. Garraty himself once watched a Long Walk, and he recalls being “mildly disappointed at not seeing anyone [die].” They are the vultures of King’s world, these men and women and boys and girls plopped into their lounge chairs, munching on hamburgers, “ooh”-ing and “ahh”-ing as boys take bullets to the back of their brains. For those unable to attend a physical viewing, high-definition cameras and microphones broadcast the experience straight to your sofa-step. As King grimly notes, “The crowd had come now, and the crowd was here to stay.” The Long Walk is reality TV taken to its highest degree.
But ultimately, the horror of “The Long Walk” lies in its simplicity. Walking is quotidian. It is both absolutely essential — especially when navigating a campus as large as Stanford — and largely unconscious. More than eating and almost as much as breathing, it is something that we simply do. And walking is also fundamental in a quiet way: whether we’re strolling back from a dorm party at half-past three, meandering over to ANKO for a PoliSci class or striding over to Treehouse for lunch with friends, walking is how we shape our realities at Stanford. King takes this most simple act and uses it to deconstruct reality — to deconstruct the bodies of Garraty and fellow Walkers, to deconstruct the relationships that form our societies, to deconstruct our beliefs about morality and mortality. In this sense, “The Long Walk“ is about the power of the act. It is an allegory of how even the most innocent actions can be transformed into utmost suffering, and how Schadenfreutic nature — of regimes, of media, of us in the audience — never really leaves us. Nor leaves the Walkers themselves.
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Berkeley student founder shares company journey with Stanford entrepreneursAditya Banerjee, a sophomore at UC Berkeley and the founder of protein bar startup Posana, visited Stanford on Thursday to share his story at a Founders Club event.
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Aditya Banerjee, a sophomore at UC Berkeley and the founder of the protein bar startup Posana, discussed the launch of his company at an On Call Café event hosted by the Founders Club on Thursday .
Banerjee launched Posana from his Berkeley dorm room earlier this year, eventually securing over $500,000 in funding from angel investors.
“Ever since I was a kid, I would cook,” Banerjee said. “I used to be a waiter. I worked at Red Lobster, and then I became a chef. This sparked me to learn more about nutrition. What I first learned about is that a lot of protein products are not diversified.”
As he experimented with recipes and nutrition, Banerjee said he spent significant amounts of money on grocery runs and time pestering his dorm building for advice. He described the early stage of Posana as largely trial-based and dependent on feedback. When he began creating the company, Banerjee had few resources or mentors beyond prototypes and a strong pitch.
“Pre-revenue, you don’t really have anything as a founder,” he said. “First, I made a product by myself without packaging. I would put in 10k of my own money to show my commitment, then I went door to door in California. That’s how I collected my first 50k.”
Banerjee found most of his early investors through outreach while living in his dorm. Consistent communication and pure passion was critical during the fundraising process, Banerjee said.
“You have to learn how to sell yourself, how to sell the vision and have unbearable consistency,” Banerjee said. “I had to update email investors every month.”
According to Banerjee, Posana will differentiate itself through flavor variety and packaging. He also said the product’s composition was designed with specific trends in mind. Specifically, Banerjee emphasized protein and fiber — two current diet trends in the U.S.
“From a national standpoint, when it came to designing the product, high-protein was a must,” Banerjee said. “I really wanted it to be an actual protein bar. I also wanted to keep everything in the United States. I also believe fiber is going to be a big trend.”
Event attendee Claire Sun ’29 said the talk opened her eyes to the diversity of perspectives offered by Founder’s Club events.
“I’ve realized how interconnected this club is, and you can apply interests to so many different fields,” Sun said. “I don’t really know what I want to do in life, so I’m trying to go to a lot of different things to get exposure.”
Emily Zhu ’29, who also attended the event, appreciated Banerjee’s student perspective. “I thought it was cool that a student started something that has this much outreach,” Zhu said.
According to both Zhu and Sun, Banerjee’s achievements motivated them to make the most of their own experiences as freshmen at Stanford. As a new founder, Banerjee’s accomplishments serve as inspiration for students entering the startup space.
“For any student that’s looking to start a project, I would say don’t start it for the sake of starting it,” Banerjee said. “Start it because you have a personal passion for it.”
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What Democrats can learn from TrumpO’Reilly and Davis argue that the Democrats must uncouple strength from extremism and embrace centrist values.
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Democrats have been adrift for some time. They divided on Clinton in 2016, lost trust in party leadership under Biden and failed to rally behind Harris in 2024. And now, more than ever, we need a leader.
Although Democrats consider themselves the party of the working class, increasing numbers of middle-class and minority groups are voting for Trump. In fact, recent research found that voters were less likely to choose a candidate with the same policy who identified as a Democrat than an independent, a phenomenon dubbed the “Democratic penalty.” What’s behind this?
The cultural shift left by many upper-class Democrats in recent years has convinced moderate, working class voters that social issues are more important to the party than the economy. The working class feels alienated by a party increasingly concerned with climate, abortion and LGBTQ+ causes. But the culture war is only part of the problem.
Democrats’ ineffective policy efforts have been brought to light by Ezra Klein’s popular book Abundance, which explains some of the bureaucratic barriers to progress that eroded voters’ patience with the party over time. One study concisely summarized the working-class perspective: Democrats are seen as “woke and weak.” Recent Democratic candidates have only strengthened these perceptions of the party.
The bottom line: the Democratic party doesn’t have much to lose. Our democracy is under attack, and our country cannot afford another far-right president. We need a presidential candidate in 2028 who can redefine the Democratic brand and win back the working class.
Many Democrats, blinded by hatred toward Trump, believe the antidote to his power is an equally extreme leftist like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Rightfully appalled by many of Trump’s actions, they overlook the opportunity to learn from him. The key to defeating Trump lies in understanding why he won.
Trump speaks differently from other politicians. Although his manner has been ridiculed to no end by Democrats, it’s an important part of the way he comes across to the American people. He talks about bread and butter issues and uses easy-to-understand extremes. He curses on camera. While his habits are extreme, his populist approach is the opposite of the air of elitism behind the Democratic penalty. His bold and simple campaign messaging inspired trust that he would get things done, regardless of if he actually has.
Trump’s economic policy promises also demonstrate his understanding of the working class in an area where Democrats falter. On paper, the Democratic party should appeal to the working class — they raise taxes for the rich and fight for expanded Medicaid and SNAP. However, there is an important distinction between redistributing wealth and reducing inequality at the source.
Whereas social support programs treat the working class as a burden to be cared for, Trump promises job creation and lower inflation, policies that prioritize the dignity of the working class. It’s no wonder polls show widespread support for economic populism among working class voters. To win back Trump voters, Democrats need stronger messaging in support of protecting jobs and raising the minimum wage. We took a step in the right direction in recent elections, with Democratic wins coming from economic populists.
To build on the momentum of recent gains, Democrats should be cautious about concern for the working class coming across as performative and patronizing. Trump managed to create an ethos of authenticity and solidarity through his manner and policy promises, despite failing to deliver. Taking cues from his appeal, Democrats should lean into bold, digestible rhetoric and prioritize popular economic policy over leftist social issues in 2028.
However, bold energy and pragmatic centrism seem to be mutually exclusive among existing Democrats. Mamdani’s inspiring rhetoric and populism won New York, but his extreme policies would not unite the nation. Centrist Democrats were elected governors, but their campaigns lacked the energy to inspire a country. The ideal candidate for 2028 needs the energy of Mamdani and the policy of affordability-focused centrists.
Do such candidates actually exist? Take a look at Dan Osborn, an independent Senate candidate in Nebraska. He runs on economic populism and moderate social positions. As a former union president and mechanic, he brings an authentic and inspiring anti-establishment ethos to his campaign. He outperformed Harris by 14 points in 2024, creating competition in a Republican stronghold.
Centrist candidates reliably outperform extremist options, especially when they take a more aggressive approach. A centrist Democrat won Arizona, a state that voted for Trump in 2024, by criticizing unpopular identity politics and arguing for a secure border. Other Democrats in competitive states like Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin have taken a similar approach.
Inspiration and excitement often come from the extremes of the political spectrum, while moderate candidates are tied to lower-energy campaigns. It doesn’t have to be this way. Democrats need to uncouple strength from extremism. If we are successful, 2028 can redefine Democrats not as “woke and weak” but as pragmatic and bold.
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Faculty Senate debates student AI useThe Faculty Senate discussed the role of generative AI in education and ways to improve public perception of universities in its Thursday meeting.
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The Faculty Senate debated the role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education, attempting to strike a balance between encouraging independent critical thinking and acknowledging the utility of AI during its Thursday meeting.
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Jay Hamilton presented to the Senate on the ways students currently use AI and how its use has impacted learning.
Hamilton noted that students mainly use AI to understand difficult concepts. The result of this use is that office hour attendance and in-class exam scores have dropped while take-home problem set scores have skyrocketed, according to Hamilton. He referenced The Daily’s Editorial Board article, “Stanford students would rather not think,” as evidence of the issue.
Hamilton presented several solutions devised by students enrolled in CS 283: Governing Artificial Intelligence: Law, Policy, and Institutions, a class that explores AI policy regulations. He read four papers from the class that proposed explicit AI policies in syllabi. Hamilton also suggested that syllabi adopt a “barbell” model, either embracing or prohibiting AI use.
Hamilton expressed the risks of policies that call for AI use in between these extremes. “Sort-of use just goes to full-on use,” he said.
Hamilton asserted that an ideal AI policy would teach students both “augmented writing and coding and unaided writing and coding,” as well as help students achieve the goals of a liberal arts education, including critical thinking skills and networking.
Faculty expressed uncertainty about the efficacy of more specific AI policies in syllabi. Finance professor Jonathan Berk noted that Hamilton neglected to discuss the concern of “externality,” the idea that if students feel as though their classmates are using AI, they will also use AI to “keep up.”
Hamilton and other faculty agreed that “externality” plays a significant role in the use of AI in educational settings.
Comparative literature professor David Palumbo-Liu took a critical stance on the use of AI in the classroom.
“Stanford should understand that the use of this [AI] creates really bad mental health issues,” Palumbo-Liu said.
To mitigate the use of AI in the humanities, Palumbo-Liu suggested that Stanford expand offerings of seminars over lectures or even introduce “tutorials, like the Oxford model.” This smaller setting would allow professors to change the structure of their assignments to be less conducive to AI use, Palumbo-Liu said. He pointed to the final exam of the comparative literature class he teaches, in which students meet individually with him and discuss their writing choices.
Several faculty members supported this proposal and debated how to expand seminar and tutorial offerings. Suggestions included implementing caps on majors such as computer science and hiring more faculty.
The Senate also discussed how to renew public support for higher education. SLAC vice president Kam Moler and political science professor Brandice Canes-Wrone presented on the topic, sharing their plans to conduct internal surveys and research on the public’s declining confidence in universities. Moler and Canes-Wrone also argued in favor of faculty outreach and messaging to rectify this decline.
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Former government strategist discusses role of national policy in entrepreneurshipIn a Wednesday talk, former government strategist Eric Volmar discussed the role of AI and other emerging technologies in the changing entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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Eric Volmar Ph.D. ’19, a former chief strategy officer in the U.S. Office of Strategic Capital, said the next generation of startup founders will need to develop a new playbook shaped by deep tech, national policy and long-horizon capital at a Wednesday event.
“It’s never been a more exciting time to be an entrepreneur,” Volmar said in the talk, which was part of Stanford Technology Ventures Program’s speaker series. “But we are not just extending the trajectory of the last 30 years. We’re in a fundamentally new place.”
To explain the shift in modern entrepreneurship, Volmar began with the 1990s, when the internet facilitated conditions for software’s explosive rise. For the first time, Volmar said, startups could scale globally in months and venture capital could thrive on fast, high-risk returns. After the Cold War, the federal government stepped back from the front lines of technological innovation, allowing private companies to expand with little intervention.
Volmar described how this rapid growth in startup emergence made entrepreneurship into a profession, leading to the creation of companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Netflix.
“But the forces that shaped that world aren’t the forces shaping the world today,” Volmar said.
Volmar described how the recent wave of expensive foundational technologies — including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, photonics and more — left room for family offices, sovereign wealth funds and patient private capital to play larger roles in startup emergence today.
However, Volmar said the most dramatic change in modern entrepreneurship was the federal government’s return as a key player in technological innovation.
Over the last decade, the U.S. and other governments have re-engaged in frontier technology to safeguard national competitiveness and security. For Volmar, who worked with the Air Force before joining the Office of Strategic Capital, the change has been significant.
“It’s like entering another country,” he said. “Different norms, different language, different rules.”
He pointed to companies such as Joby Aviation, which worked with regulators on aircraft certification, and Hermeus, which partnered with the Air Force to develop hypersonic vehicles. In these cases, the government acted not only as a regulator but also as a financier and potential customer.
“That’s the reality of the new entrepreneurship ecosystem,” Volmar said. “Your first customer might also be your regulator.”
“Eric’s message about the necessity of Silicon Valley’s expertise in the government and the intricacies of innovating in a field where the same entity is an investor, customer and regulator makes me think differently about the future of entrepreneurship,” Jacob Yurev ’28 said.
Volmar encouraged students to recognize that today’s innovation landscape requires the integration of technology and policy.
“Think about the research you’re doing,” he said. “If you plan to take it out of the lab, are you ready for new forms of capital? Are you ready to work with government partners?”
He added that students entering mission-driven fields would need to orient their work around principles that last beyond political changes.
“Anchor to the surest foundation: the values of individual freedom, freedom of expression and self-determination,” he said. “If you frame your work in those principles, it can withstand political change.”
Some audience members said Volmar’s talk left them with an understanding of how entrepreneurship may be changing in an era where the government is a key contributor to a company’s success.
“It was interesting to hear how the role of the government in business has evolved and what that relationship might look like in the future,” Sophie Profit ’28 said.
Volmar closed by urging students to think seriously about their own role in this new landscape.
“And if you choose to engage with the big missions of our time, it will change your career forever… I couldn’t have predicted where stepping into government would take me,” Volmar said. “But it’s been the greatest privilege of my life.”
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Poem | An Ode to LuckWith Big Game on the line, Stanford's resident poets deliver a touching ode to good fortunes ahead.
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A stadium near vacant,
A student section hushed,
A fanbase impatient,
A field begging to be rushed.
To Seniors familiar is Three And Nine,
Not a bowl game to remember.
All we ask for is a Divine,
Savior, for our last ember.
Wishing upon sparks ascent
And hours spent combing clovers.
Eyes aground hunting A Lucky cent,
When will this drought be over?
A beacon in the distance,
A Captain with prose of old,
A Colt worn from battle,
Returning evermore bold.
Is This Our Year? I shout aloud.
Go Card, I hear amongst the crowd,
Oski’s head atop the claw.
Fans from Cal scream, AAAAGH!
A whisper, a murmur,
A cheer, a shout.
This is our year,
I’d never doubt.
The Biggest Game, the axe reclaimed?
Can we restore our pride?
I Do Believe, I must proclaim,
For Luck is on our side.
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International student shoots Oski at halftimeThis is a developing story. Please stay tuned for more hard-hitting investigations from The Daily.
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Editor’s Note: This article is purely satirical and fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only.
Oski the Bear was shot through the heart from 200 yards away during the Berkeley band’s halftime performance Saturday. The alleged culprit, a first-year international student from South Africa, said he apparently “got this ‘Big Game’ thing all wrong.”
Oski was in the middle of his three-minute breakdance solo at the center of the field when a loud pop rang out and he collapsed head-first onto the turf. The band scattered first, with some performers stopping to criticize the mascot for flooding the field with red during their performance — a noteworthy omen for the final score (Go Card!).
Santa Clara Sheriff Mike McStasch commented on the department’s swift apprehension of the suspect.
“He just walked up to us with a haunted look in his eyes and said with his funny little accent, ‘I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.’” McStasch said. “Open and shut case, really.”
The suspect, who has been identified as Johannes van Wyk ’29, is an asylum seeker recently resettled to Atherton via the federal administration’s Mission South Africa program, which aims to grant safe haven to persecuted landowners. He allegedly told authorities that due to the stress of his first quarter, he sought to feel closer to his grandfather, who so painstakingly seized the farmland on which he’d been raised and taught him everything he knew about hunting.
The suspect has already received a presidential pardon, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying during a conference, “It is an absolute disgrace that these immigrants, many of whom are dangerous illegal aliens, are able to waltz onto our pristine shores and commit such vile, violent, hateful acts of–” before she was interrupted by a young staffer handing her a folded piece of paper. After reading it, she continued, “He is officially pardoned. Have a good night. No further questions” before throwing a smoke bomb and disappearing into the aether.
In the aftermath of these events, the Axe Committee has submitted a motion to the Athletics Compliance Services Office to rename the yearly competition on all official marketing materials in order to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
This is a developing story. Please stay posted as The Daily investigates further.
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In ‘Fun Home,’ art mediates the unraveling of a family mysteryIn a unique interpretation of a Broadway classic, TAPS reframes our relationships with family and our past selves, Xu writes.
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Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
In the backdrop of Pigott Theatre, there are a handful of massive, gorgeous, anatomical panels. They seem like sketches at first, equal parts Michelangelo and TED graphic designs. At first, they seem like meta-references to the graphic-novel nature of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 memoir, the book Theater and Performance Studies’ (TAPS’) main stage musical “Fun Home” is based on. But a closer look also reveals their narrative function: by projecting different patterns onto these panels, Stanford’s “Fun Home” tells its story through a secondary visual-arts axis.
Directed by Adin Walker Ph.D. ’25, “Fun Home” centers around Bechdel’s discovery of her lesbian sexuality and her relationship with her closeted, secretive father, Bruce (Henry Lleyton Cargill ’26). The narrative is dispersed and highly non-linear. There is Adult Alison (Lyle Belger ’25 MA ’26), who seeks to unravel the mystery of her father and his death; Small Alison (Maddie Garfinkel ’28), who still believes in the invulnerability of parenthood and finally, Medium Alison (Alexis Tuchinda ’28), a college freshman beginning to understand the types of people both she and her father have become.
The trifold of Alisons gives “Fun Home” an exceptional amount of space to play with. Adult Alison serves as an anchor to the narrative world. She is a witness to the memories of her younger selves and an author scrambling to piece together the story of her own life through these million, broken moments. And she is unique in her ability to break through temporal barriers: in one scene, Belger hands Tuchindia a pencil to journal with before reading the latter’s journal entries over her shoulder. Belger is gorgeous in portraying Alison’s desperate, gnawing need for resolution — a resolution that she sometimes conflates with the medium of her message. “I’m drawing. I’m drawing. I’m just drawing. I’m remembering something, that’s all,” she says. There are other lies she tells herself, too.
Small Alison is the immediate focus of Adult Alison’s attention. She is flamboyantly boisterous, a true believer in the promise of the world. The pigtails and overalls go a long way in creating this impression, but so does the energy Garfinkel imbues into Small Alison. Whether she’s crouched in front of the TV or nagging her parents about her latest adventures, Garfinkel is spontaneous — a light whirlwind of chaos in the way real 10-year-olds are. But she is also a proxy through which Alison traces the secrets of her past. In one scene, we find Bruce seducing Alison’s babysitter, Roy (Ryder Thompson ’27). Diegetically, Small Alison is bugging her mother by the downstairs piano (“Helen’s Etude”). On stage, however, Garfinkel is only mere feet away from Cargill, a bleak reminder of how little Alison understands her father, despite their physical proximity.
“Fun Home” is, in many ways, a piece about centering. The book is Bechdel’s attempt at centering her relationship with her father; simultaneously, it tells the story of how she centers her own sexuality. The TAPS production shines brightest when it leans into this centrality. By deftly creating minimalized environments where certain props take center stage (Alison’s dorm room bed, on which she realizes her sexuality, comes to mind), Stanford’s production team simultaneously spotlights certain concepts, images and phrases.
Nowhere is this done better than the climactic moment of the musical, which peaks as Alison and Bruce embark on one final drive across their small, rural Pennsylvanian town. “Telephone Wire” is gorgeous. It is quotidian in all the best ways — and mournful in the most regretful. On one side of the divide is Bruce’s broken, half-offered attempts at sharing his own sexuality. On the other side, there is a now-Adult Alison, desperately pleading for her younger self to connect with her father one last time. In their attempt and failure to find familiar connections, we are reminded of everything we should have said to the people we left behind. “Say something, talk to me,” Belger screams at her nonexistent younger self. “Say something, anything.” But the car Belger and Cargill sit in is merely two seats and a steering wheel. There are no wheels. The car can’t be changed. When Alison and Bruce arrive back home, they are also arriving at Bruce’s soon-to-come death.
But if “Fun Home” evokes the ghosts of the past, it also reminds us that absolvement can be found through creativity. When Alison struggles to label her memory of her family’s trip to New York halfway through the drama, she frames it in terms of her comic. Is it “Cluelessness” or “Denial?” Belger asks. “How ‘bout ‘Family Fun in New York?’”
As Alison must eventually admit to herself, she doesn’t know. What is her relationship to her father? What did it mean for her to be openly gay, and for him not to be? Did she kill him by coming out? Who is she, both with and without her father? “Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance,” Alison sings (“Flying Away”), “When I soared above him.” This is the closest she comes to a true epiphany. It is through the process of the play — the process of creative expression and reflection — that she is able to find the answers to the questions that plagued her.
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What Makes Us Human: UntitledDrawing upon the ideas of political science professor Lowry Pressly, Sakamoto writes on the importance of embracing what cannot be articulated.
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“What Makes Us Human?” is a biweekly column where Emi Sakamoto ’28 investigates the question on everyone’s mind to better understand human-centered meaning in the midst of a rapidly evolving artificial landscape.
This article’s permission for publication is predicated on a promise. This is my attempt to sharpen its edges.
To introduce Lowry Pressly by title or accolade would be a disservice to the depth and degree to which he inspires. But to keep you (the human) in the loop, he is an assistant professor of political science at Stanford and the author of “The Right to Oblivion: Privacy and the Good Life.” This column emerged from his teachings, and I’m hardly prepared to articulate the weight of the worldview which emerges from it. As I write this, the pressure is palpable, and I will ultimately fall short. But in the spirit of his teachings, and perhaps precisely because of it, I have decided to struggle with this paralysis: to sit silently, pained and a little panicked, and write anyway.
The following is an imperfect convergence of some of the meditations we shared in conversation, over two cups of coffee, on an average Wednesday morning, 9:30 a.m.
Pressly began our conversation in an entirely human way. As a father of two, he shared with me a picture of his children smiling joyfully amidst the evergreen backdrop of Muir Woods National Park. He had just dropped them off at school, and he voiced a feeling of distance from them. He remarked, “I’m closer to them than I could ever be to anyone, and yet nevertheless, I see their individuality, their distance from me, their unreachability.” There are parts of their inner worlds which are entirely unknown to him, and he marveled at this ineffable facticity. I began to, too. And thus began an invitation into the world of oblivion.
Instead of defining what oblivion is, we’ll begin with what it is not: knowing. This is anathema to our information age, one that is flattened by an obsession with answers generated by search engines and language learning models. Our insatiable desire to know is seemingly matched by the rate at which technology promises to answer. Technology provides us with a sense of certainty and controllability. The Enlightenment ethos is an admirable one, but Pressly invites us to dare beyond its borders and into the inexhaustible unknowing, or as he coins it, oblivion.
Oblivion compels us to consider, as Pressly says, the “beautiful beyond that is nevertheless a part of our world and expands it.” While it cannot be constrained into just one type of epistemic relation, it is helpful to understand an important distinction between two of its subtypes: secrecy and privacy. When we fail to consider this distinction, conversations on data and privacy merely dance around the heart of the problem. Pressly explains, “What secrecy conceals is information, which some know and some don’t. But what’s on the other side of privacy isn’t information. Privacy protects against the creation of information.” Instead of asking how we ought to protect our privacy, Pressly challenges us to consider a far more important question: why should our lives become information in the first place?
The consequences of chronic datafication are condemning. If every part of ourselves — our idiosyncrasies, ironies and introspections — were entirely accessible to others, what weight would a simple question carry? How meaningful would conversation be? How incorrigible would our character be?
Oblivion, then, is a humble and human acknowledgement of what is inherently valuable: parts of ourselves which remain unknown to others, even to those whom we love most. Without oblivion, we lose sight of that which cannot be known, or that which may have otherwise become. It is oblivion itself which radically defies the laws of stasis and deepens the unknown depths of what moves us to tears and towards meaning.
Pressly explains that part of the experience of this kind of depth is precisely its inarticulability. The inability to express and articulate perfectly is a profoundly human thing. It means that we have been lucky enough to bear witness to, as Pressly says, “something that is beautiful and emotionally affecting, yet evidently exceeds our ability to fully articulate in words.”
This beauty is something which technology tears us away from. As artificial intelligence (AI) begins to develop astonishing capabilities, swallowing even the art form, it is impossible not to ask ourselves, “What’s the point?” It may feel despairing to create art that AI can spit out far faster than you can, but that is precisely the point. To feel, viscerally and fully, how hollowing that is. When we allow ourselves to offload our process for the sake of product, we deprive ourselves of the very struggle that makes life worth learning from and through.
Inarticulability is just one kind of the very struggle which AI promises to steal away from us. Pressly reminds us that there is value to “the struggle to know my own mind, to develop my own mind, to think for myself. To take this away from me is not just to take away a burden, it is to take away a vital part of what it means to be a human being.” As soon as we allow a machine to do this for us, we abdicate a piece of our humanity. We must not forget that we are capacious creatures, deserving of the time and turbulence it takes to dive deeply, humbly and wholeheartedly into the depths of our oblivion. Rapidly evolving technological advancements only force us to consider these old questions more urgently.
Because our conversation was rooted in the power of oblivion, I was admittedly hesitant to ask the final question, “What makes us human?” In a long and stilled silence, I wrestled with this paradox. After garnering the courage to ask anyways, Pressly recognized this struggle (recognized my humanness). He encouraged, “There you go, there’s the struggle. This is an impossible question, and that is exactly why you should ask it.” A few moments later, he followed with his response: “The human is the creature who is profoundly limited and vulnerable, like all living things, but perhaps uniquely can spin depths and wonder out of those limitations and vulnerabilities.”
As I walked away from our conversation, I didn’t know what to say. But it was that very unknowing which left me with the fullness I feel to this day.
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New Ways: Reflecting on my time with The DailyEighteen months since pausing his Stanford education and leaving campus, Strawser has rediscovered what made his time at The Daily so special.
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New Ways is a biweekly column from Sebastian Strawser ’29. In these installments, Strawser reflects on the pause of his Stanford education and ponders new ways to approach education, mental health and life itself.
I didn’t just send the first draft of this piece two weeks late. I very nearly didn’t write it in the first place. At first, I chalked it up to my community college classes picking up and balancing that with work. But when I finished most of my assignments days before I needed to, and therefore had more time on my hands, the desire to write this felt like a fading ember.
It felt very different from the flames that have long sustained my passionate writing for The Daily across its multiple sections. I even looked back to my past as a reporter — a time of late-night Faculty Senate pieces and diverse community coverage — and started to question my future with The Daily. It’s as if the times when a Daily staffer was quoted (long live the quoteboard) saying, “I want someone to love me as much as Sebastian loves The Daily” and I was recognized as “someone who is deeply passionate about journalism and The Daily” felt like they could never have been about me.
Recent reflections on my life trajectory made this Daily dissonance abundantly clear — and jarringly so. Before today, my name had appeared on the byline of 53 pieces. Before my leave from Stanford, it was 39. Though the frosh that I joined The Daily alongside in the fall of 2022 — the one-of-a-kind Class of 2026 staffers — are graduating this spring, my time with The Daily feels like a thing of the past despite the fact that I am literally writing for The Daily today.
Whenever you lose the heart for something you did with such love on the daily, that part of your soul atrophies like an inactive muscle. You almost forget that it was even there in the first place, and any attempts at reawakening it can feel like such a tiring experience. Admittedly, I’ve felt this not just with writing this piece but also as I wrote about community college success, institutional resistance and California’s recent re-districting proposition. As real as the writing burnout is, I realize that something had to change. As I think about my eventual return to Stanford and the part of me wanting to keep the advocacy in my writing alive, my very outlook on The Daily has to change.
I have to look back at some of my pieces and try hard to remember — even harder to truly internalize — what made them so special to begin with.
The first article I ever wrote for The Daily was a protest where over 200 members of the Stanford community called on the University to do better against sexual violence on campus. On a very personal level, it set me on a path to understand more of my identity as a survivor and what it means for me, as a bi man, to do good in this world.
I also co-wrote a piece about the Faculty Senate’s “nuclear option” motion to disregard the Undergraduate Senate and allow exam proctoring. This piece reminded me that, while not every fight is won in the end, students can disrupt the normal business of the University to get a response from those at the top.
Following my switch into Opinions, I’ve written in solidarity with Stanford’s creative writing lecturers, graduate workers and international students. These pieces, all of which are about groups that I’m not a part of, reminded me of the awe-inspiring diversity of the campus community that deserves our most unyielding support.
I eventually wrote a poem titled “Justice for the Other” that I’ve read a number of times to get in the right mindset for my sociology class. It reminded me to forever see the humanity in the so-called groomers, vermin and terrorists in society — to believe in justice for all of those that polite society wants to dehumanize.
The piece that I am most proud of is my magazine piece, “Stanford’s Democratic duty to combat the MAGA rage.” I devoted so much time and effort to researching the underlying, at times overlapping, societal mechanisms behind why the Nazi regime and Trump movement came to power. Each time I read that piece, I am once again reminded of the kinds of truths that the written word can and should illuminate.
That is what I lost sight of after all of this time away from campus. As the days became weeks, months and now almost two years, I forgot so much about the work, memories and people of The Daily that made it what it is. While my heart for the paper has started to atrophy, this recent reflection on my time with The Daily sets the record straight. Just as I thought about The Daily in a new light following my last big reflection on it, I’ve come around to a better understanding of it today.
The most likely outcome is that, when I resume my Stanford education, none of the staffers I’ve worked with before will still be with the paper. And that’s okay. From production nights coinciding with Taylor Swift album releases to late-night edits, I’ll still have a treasure trove of cherished memories to look back on. I am thankful for everyone, whether or not I’ve worked with them before, that makes The Daily the beating heart for campus storytelling, dialogue and creativity that it is (special shoutout to the three staffers who played Cards Against Humanity with me at On Call before I left campus).
So much about my life is up in the air right now. But much like life, death and taxes, the certainty of my love for The Daily persists — reawakened in this new chapter.
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Students weigh in as Big Game hype takes over campusHow and why students are gearing up for (or opting out of) Big Game.
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It is week nine on campus, which means the extended California summer has finally given way to cold mornings. Finals are looming, and students are counting down the days until Thanksgiving break. But there is also a certain buzz in the air: it is Big Game week.
The Big Game is the annual football showdown between Stanford and UC Berkeley, a rivalry dating back to 1892 and centered around the coveted Axe, awarded to the winning team. The schools alternate in hosting each year, and students, alumni and fans travel between campuses to fill the stadiums with coordinated chants, band performances and more than a century of tradition.
In the days leading up to kickoff, anticipation builds across campus. Hoover Tower, now glowing red, can be seen from a mile away. The fountain outside Green Library is dyed red (more like a pale pink), and email inboxes are overflowing with Big Game announcements and spirit events.
This year in particular brings its own intrigue. It has been three long years since Stanford last claimed the Axe, meaning current seniors have yet to witness a win. Will this finally be the one they get to see?
This season, Stanford football has pulled off several surprises. With a couple of home field wins under their belt, including an astounding 20-13 upset over Florida State University, there is a slightly different tone for this season. Will the new Andrew Luck era lead the Cardinal toward a different outcome this time around?
To capture the campus mood, The Daily spoke with students on two sides: the super fans painting their faces cardinal red and blaring trumpets in White Plaza, and those burrowed in common rooms who swear they will watch “just the first quarter” before returning to their problem sets. Together, their perspectives show how students are gearing up for (or opting out of) the Big Game.
The following conversations have been edited for length and clarity.
Walker Coley ’29: “Absolutely, I’m planning to go. It’s the biggest game of the year. I’m in Spanish class with two of the football players — I’m going to go support them. The beautiful thing about Stanford is that it’s so tight knit, so you are in classes with the same people you are watching on the football field.”
Autri Das ’29: “I’m not planning to go to Big Game, only because I have my flight back for Thanksgiving Friday night.”
Lucy Thomas ’27: “I will not be going to the big game because as a student athlete that swims for Stanford, I’m currently at a meet in Texas. After this meet, I will fly home instead of returning to campus to watch the big game.”
Alan Williams ’26: “I am attending Big Game because it’s my senior year, and this is the last undergraduate Big Game for me to attend.”
Ana San Jose Gonzalez ’26: “I am planning to go to the Big Game because it’s my last Big Game, so I must be there.”
Coley: “This is what fall quarter has led up to. The Big Game is the most important day of my fall quarter. I’ve watched every Big Game since I was 10 years old, and it’s been great watching it with my dad for my entire childhood. And now, for the first time, I get to watch a Big Game in person, in the student section.”
Das: “The Big Game is good for school spirit, and the events leading up to it are really fun. A win would be fun for boosting spirits and moods in general.”
Thomas: “The Big Game [is] a direct representation of the rivalry between Cal and Stanford. I think it’s something that creates a lot of hype and a lot of energy and it’s really a fun thing to be a part of and experience. I think a win would mean a great deal for our school. I think it generates a lot of enthusiasm and sense [of] community when we win.”
Williams: “It’s [the] closing of a chapter, [and] it’s ending my Stanford career here. The past three years we have not won, and it’s been pretty disappointing, especially hearing my friends at Berkeley saying, ‘Ha ha, this is going to be your fourth year of losing.’”
San Jose Gonzalez: “The Big Game is just tradition [and] here at Stanford we’re pretty big on tradition so that’s really meaningful. And if we won, that would be amazing because it’s my senior year, so winning after five years is a big deal.”
Coley: “I will be there every year for the next four years, that I can guarantee you here and now. Post-grad, probably not, because I’ll be living on the East Coast. But I’ll be coming back for the homecoming games.”
Das: “I definitely want to go at some point, because it seems like a nice tradition to be a part of. I would plan to go next year, [and] I think it would be fun to be there for a win.”
Thomas: “I’m unsure yet about my decision to go next year, just because I will be at a similar competition away from campus in Texas.”
Williams: “I probably won’t attend next year as an alum, because I’m not from this area. I plan on being on the East Coast.”
San Jose Gonzalez: “Maybe. I would bring my kids later on in life.”
Coley: “This is the year we reclaim the axe. I am going to watch [the] Axe Committee take back the axe, I’m going to storm the field and I’m going to have a great time.”
Williams: “A big factor for me attending this year is being a senior and it being my last year, and I missed the last years because I went home early for Thanksgiving Break.”
San Jose Gonzalez: “The new coach is a big part of it. And once again, it’s my senior year. You can’t skip it.”
Das: “I don’t know if I will stream it or check the score, because I’m not super into sports in general. But it would still be interesting to hear about how it goes from friends.”
Thomas: “I’ll definitely be following along with the score and I might try to watch it. I’m a really big fan of college football, and as a student athlete I think it’s so important to support other teams, especially football. Football can make such a big difference in our athletics program and I think it’s important to know they have a lot of support behind them.”
Das: “I’m probably [going to] be preoccupied with being at home and adjusting to that, so I don’t think so, but I definitely look forward to hearing how everything goes.”
Thomas: “I definitely get a little bit of FOMO about the Big Game, just because I’ve never been able to go because of competitions. It’s a little bit difficult for me too because I feel like it’s such a fun part of being a student, like it is such a cool thing to have this awesome rivalry that can bring a community together.”
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Stanford Tree to celebrate 50 years at Big GameAlthough Stanford does not have an official mascot, the Tree has emerged as the University's beloved unofficial mascot as it celebrates 50 years of service.
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Big Game has seen its share of legends, but this year, one of them will turn 50: the Stanford Tree.
Since the Tree’s debut at halftime of the 1975 Big Game, 47 students have served as Stanford’s unofficial mascot and most spirited leader, following in the footsteps of the original, Tree Chris Hutson ’76.
The Tree’s origin traces back to 1972 when the University discontinued its official mascot, the “Indian”. In the years that followed, the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) proposed a series of bizarre replacements, including French Fries, Steaming Manhole, Robber Barons, Banana Slugs — the kind of “make your parents cringe” kind of mascots, as Hutson recalled.
The Tree emerged from a late-night brainstorm between two band members, Eric Strandberg ’76 and Bob Tiffany ’76, on their drive to a USC game, an idea the band would hail as a “Personification of our Fighting Spirit” just two weeks later.
“And it’s organic,” a member wrote in The Daily on the day of the 1975 Big Game.
Hutson, who had no connection with the Band besides the fact she was living in a trailer with four roommates whose boyfriends were all members, was the one to bring the Tree to life. On the night of Big Game, for what would only be her second-ever Stanford football game, she stayed up until 4:30 a.m. with Jan Kraus Wolfe, ’76 M.S. ’77 to create the first-ever Tree out of red construction paper, a scuba backpack and a styrofoam cone top.
The next day, the 1975 halftime show featured a parade with a tree queen, flower-tossing wooden nymphs and, of course, the Tree herself, who eventually was “attacked” by Cal’s Oski the Bear.
“He was stoned on marijuana and thought it was his halftime show,” Hutson said. “He just charged over to me on the field and knocked me down, started pulling my leaves off until the Stanford band came over and saved me.”
The Tree idea stuck with Stanford students and Hutson, who returned for a second year as her mascot during her master’s. Hutson’s all-red Tree design, however, quickly turned into the green one we recognize today after repeatedly being mistaken on the field as a chicken with ruffled feathers, she said.
Much else has changed in the past 50 years, including the role’s anonymity. The early Trees followed just two rules — to never speak and never dance in front of the Dollies — and wore padded, paw-like gloves that encouraged head pats and hand shakes. Today, however, the identity of each Tree is revealed immediately following the annual turnover.
“I love being not anonymous,” said current Tree Sonnet Van Doren ’28. “I was talking to one of my friends who’s a mascot at another school and I was like, how do you keep this a secret? How could you not tell your closest friends about this and when you’re traveling to these places, what do you tell people?”
Hutson passed off her Tree costume after her two-year stint to Bob Siegel ’76 M.A. ’77 M.D. ’90, then a conga drum player in the band who is now a Stanford professor in microbiology and immunology. Hutson found in Siegel qualities that have defined Trees ever since: bouncy, energetic, courteous and able to dance and spin for well over 2 hours. The two drove to a wildlife preserve in central California two years ago to retire their now-deteriorating construction paper costume.
Each Tree today is tasked with designing a new costume around a 45-pound aluminum frame. With every Tree allowed to take on a different form, Van Doren believes there is no “wrong” or “right” way to be the Tree.
“Not gonna lie, Oski doesn’t have that much personality because Oski’s costume stays the same every year,” Van Doren said.
Hutson was surprised by the now week-long tryout process called Tree Week and the mascot’s duties at sporting events beyond football. This was all part of the evolving “Tree lore” she recently rediscovered at Stanford’s homecoming game against FSU in October, where she wore a makeshift tree made from an Amazon box.
“I just went to the football games,” Hutson said, who was studying to become a veterinarian at the time. “I would study until the last minute, run to the trailer, put on the tree costume, walk on over to the stadium, dance around for 2.5 hours, have a great time and walk on back and hop back in the library.”
Though Stanford’s unofficial mascot has endured with a rich history, the question to establish an official mascot beyond just the color Cardinal remains deeply rooted in Stanford’s past. In a 1975 referendum of 2800 students, held just two weeks following Big Game, 60% voted for Robber Barons, with Sequoias and Trees coming in close second and third.
In 1978, 225 athletes presented University president Richard Lyman with a petition to establish the griffin as the official mascot in an attempt to “rectify the weak mascot situation.”
Hutson hopes that in 50 years, it will be the Stanford Sequoias, as giant sequoias are trees only native to California.
“There’s a tree on the trash cans. A tree on the flag when you go into the quad,” said Hutson. “Your backpack, your sweatshirt, everything has a tree. So even if they don’t acknowledge it, it’s still there.”
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Daily Diminutive #099 (Nov. 21, 2025)Click to play today's 5x5 mini crossword. The Daily produces mini crosswords three times a week and a full-size crossword biweekly.
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Stanfordle #045 (Nov. 21, 2025)Enjoy The Daily's Stanfordle, the newest part of our Games section. The Daily produces Stanfordles on weekdays.
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Big Game Diminutive (Nov. 20, 2025)Click to play today's 5x5 mini crossword. The Daily produces mini crosswords three times a week and a full-size crossword biweekly.
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Tracing back a decade of Big GamesFrom win streaks to highlight reel-worthy plays, these are the moments that have defined the last decade of Big Game.
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As Stanford prepares to break its four-year Big Game losing streak, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and look back at the last decade of Big Game. While Cal holds the upper hand now with four-straight wins, a decade ago it was the Card that were dominant, remaining undefeated against the Golden Bears from 2009 all the way to 2018. While Stanford is still up in the overall Big Game record, the last decade of Big Games shows just how fast fortunes can turn in college football.
No matter who is winning, Big Game always produces highlight reel moments and stand out players. From Christian McCaffrey ‘18 putting up video game numbers, to Paulson Adebo ‘20 making back-to-back fourth quarter interceptions, to Thomas Booker ‘22 blocking a PAT to give Stanford the win, to an unfortunate run of fourth quarter comebacks from Cal, lets recount the moments that made each game from the last decade memorable.
2024: 24-21, road loss
Last year the Cardinal traveled to Berkeley and lost in heartbreaking fashion. Up 21-10 at the end of the third quarter, Stanford looked poised to break its three-year losing streak. Hopes for the Card were slowly dashed as then-Cal quarterback and current Indiana Heisman trophy hopeful Fernando Mendoza put together back-to-back 11-play scoring drives that gave Cal the lead with just over two minutes left on the clock. The Cal defense managed to put up a quick four-play turnover-on-downs that sealed the home win for the Golden Bears. Stanford left dejected as Cal fans poured on to the field to celebrate their comeback win.
2023: 27-15, home loss
The last time Big Game was played on Stanford home turf, Cal managed to walk away with a 27-15 victory. Fernando Mendoza, a then-redshirt freshman in the midst of his breakout season, threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Cal was suffocating on both sides of the ball that year holding the Stanford offense and future NFL talent Elic Ayomanor to just 188 passing yards. Ayomanor managed just three catches for 43 yards in the disappointing home loss.
2022: 27-20, road loss
In 2022, Cal completed another fourth-quarter comeback in their home stadium. After trailing 17-3 at the end of the third quarter, Cal put together a seven-play scoring drive that put them within one score of tying the lead. On the ensuing drive, then-backup Stanford quarterback Aston Daniels took a direct snap. On the scramble, Cal defense managed to strip the ball out of Daniels’ hands. The fumble was recovered by Cal, but Daniels managed to strip the ball back out of the hands of a Cal defender. Unfortunately, another Cal player managed to pick up this second fumble and run it all the way to the end zone for a 37-yard scoop-and-score to gain the lead. Cal then managed to punch in one more touchdown to seal the game, cementing the iconic double fumble scoop-and-score into the history books as one of the rivalries’ all-time moments. And to top it all off, Stanford kicker Joshua Karty nailed the longest field goal in Big Game history — a 61-yard attempt — as the final seconds of the game ticked away.
2021: 41-11, home loss
In a year where COVID restrictions hung heavily over both teams, all the pieces seemed to align for Cal going into Big Game. Just two weeks before, over 20 Cal players had to sit out against Arizona, but as Stanford rolled around, nearly the entire Cal roster was available. The full might of that year’s Cal roster was too much for Stanford. Stanford lost 41-11 at home in one of the most lopsided games in the history of the rivalry. To add to the embarrassment, Cal quarterback Chase Garbers set a Big Game record for longest pass on a 84-yard touchdown heave.
2020: 24-23, road win
We have to go all the way back to 2020 — a time when most of the current student body was in middle and high school — to recall Stanford’s most recent victory over the Golden Bears. The game took place in the midst of the pandemic and was a unique entry to the annals of Big Game history, as it was the first time that both teams entered the game winless and the first time the game was played on a Friday. Stanford eked out a gritty road win thanks, in no small part, to exceptional special teams play. In the final seconds of the game, Cal scored and only needed to make an extra point to send the game into overtime when Thomas Booker ‘22 managed to do the impossible and block the kick. The miraculous block secured the win for Stanford.
2019: 24-20, home loss
2019 marked the first time Stanford had lost Big Game since 2009, doing so at home by a score of 24-20. In typical Big Game fashion, Cal managed to pull off an impressive fourth quarter comeback by outscoring the Card 14-3 in the final 15 minutes. Cal’s miraculous comeback to break their nine-game losing streak can be attributed to stellar play from quarterback Chase Garbers, who had 357 all-purpose yards.
2018: 23-13, road win
Stanford’s road win marked the ninth consecutive Big Game victory for the Card. Stanford’s defense was the deciding factor in 2018, making big plays when it mattered most to hold the Cal offense to just a single touchdown. Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo made two clutch fourth-quarter interceptions, including a one-handed grab in the end zone, that prevented a game-tying score.
2017: 17-14, home win
Back in 2017, the No. 20 Cardinal barely bested the Golden Bears in a 17-14 home win that kept Pac-12 Championship hopes alive for the Card. Stanford running back and current Washington Commander Bryce Love, the nation’s then leading rusher, was the story of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, Love had already rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown when he was forced to sit out the rest of the game due to an ankle injury. Stanford’s defense managed to hold Cal scoreless in the fourth quarter to hang on to the win, but questions persisted about Love’s ability for the following week against No. 9 Notre Dame. Love ultimately did play the following week,helping Stanford beat the Fighting Irish 38-20. That year Stanford made it to the Pac-12 Championship game where they lost to No. 10 USC.
2016: 45-31, road win
Long time Stanford football fans will know that the 2016 era of Stanford football means prime Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey, the current San Francisco 49ers starting running back and 2023 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award winner, put up historic numbers in Big Game that year. McCaffrey ran all over the Cal defense accounting for 284 yards and posting an all-time highlight 90-yard touchdown run. No. 24 Stanford won 45-31 that year in Berkeley.
2015: 17-14, home win
In 2015, No. 11 Stanford beat Cal 35-22 at home, thanks primarily to yet another Christian McCaffrey highlight reel. Both teams had their offenses humming. Cal quarterback, and current Detroit Lion Jared Goff threw for 386 yards, but it was Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford offense that won the day. McCaffrey had a 49-yard touchdown pass reception and a 98-yard kickoff return on top of his 192 rushing yards.
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Stanford professor reminisces on Big Game historyGeophysics professor Rosemary Knight recounts her experience at the devastating 1982 Big Game in Berkeley.
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Possibly the most iconic and heartbreaking Big Game moment came in 1982: a four-second sequence forever known as “The Play.” With practically no time left on the clock, Cal’s offense pulled together an unimaginable game-winning touchdown.
Rosemary Knight, Stanford geophysics professor and senior fellow for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, was there to witness it.
Knight was working towards her PhD in geophysics while her husband was working on his PhD in geological sciences. They traveled to Berkeley for Big Game that year. Even decades later, she describes the atmosphere with vivid excitement.
“John Elway was the Stanford quarterback, and I just remember being in the stands screaming my head off, because there had just been this spectacular performance by the Stanford team,” said Knight, recalling the game leading up to its final play.
Just before The Play unfolded, Stanford fans were confident that they had secured a Big Game win after a field goal secured them three points.
“We were ahead 20-19, all that’s left is four seconds,” Knight said. “So we were just elated, screaming, I’m surprised I’m not still hoarse to this day. The Cal section was dead silent.”
But then came chaos. In the final play of the game, Stanford kicked a squib kick, intended to go long but awkwardly fell short, that was recovered by Cal.
“I was jumping up and down and screaming because I thought we’d won, and my husband’s going ‘Ro, Ro, the ball’s still in play,’” Knight said.
Cal kept the play alive with five lateral passes as time expired. The Leland Stanford Junior Marching Band (LSJUMB), believing the game was over, had already rushed the field.
“You can see in the video for the game, the trombone player just gets run over as the Cal player goes into the end zone to score,” Knight said.
In possibly the most devastating moment in Big Game history, Cal defeated Stanford in a 25-20 game.
“The worst part was we then had to walk through the Berkeley campus on our way to the train station, all the parties and the celebration going on, and us in our Stanford colors,” Knight said.
“The Play” became legend, and even merchandise.
“Someone made a T-shirt. It was called ‘The Play,’ and on the T-shirt, it shows these five lateral passes going down the field,” Knight said. “I would be wearing it if I bought it.”
Though she doesn’t consider herself a die-hard sports fan, Knight said the memory — and her pride in Stanford — have never faded.
“I’ve just always been a real fan of all things Stanford, not particularly sports. I don’t always go to sports events. I don’t regularly buy season tickets, by any means, but I just love this university.”
When asked to deliver a message to today’s Stanford students ahead of Big Game, Knight said, “Cheer, cheer, cheer, like your life depends on it. This team needs your support, and it’s gonna be an amazing game. You could be at the next famous Big Game.”
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Research over rivalry: Stanford and Berkeley collaborate to advance science and social impactStanford and UC Berkeley are collaborating on major research initiatives despite their rivalry on the field, from developing advanced genomic AI models to building a statewide police misconduct database.
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Stanford and UC Berkeley often stand opposed as athletic and academic rivals, but in research they collaborate as powerful partners. Across fields such as genomics and public-interest data science, interdisciplinary teams at the two universities are combining expertise, resources and creativity to advance knowledge.
Two recent collaborations, the development of the Evo 2 genomic foundation model and the creation of a statewide police misconduct database, show how joint efforts between Stanford and Berkeley are influencing scientific discovery and public accountability.
The Arc Institute’s Evo 2 Project
At the Arc Institute, an independent research center headquartered in Palo Alto, scientists at Stanford, Berkeley and UC San Francisco unite to drive advancements in biomedical research. Recently, scientists collaborated to develop Evo 2, one of the most advanced genomic AI models to date. Trained on more than 9.3 trillion nucleotides from over 128,000 genomes, Evo 2 can process and generate sequences up to 1 million nucleotides long, far beyond the capabilities of previous models.
“This capability opens new possibilities for identifying disease-causing mutations, understanding how genes function, and designing new biological systems,” said Joseph Caputo, head of communications at the Arc Institute.
Evo 2’s extensive size and scope gives it the potential to reshape AI’s capability in biology. By combining Stanford’s strengths in computational biology and AI with Berkeley’s expertise in evolutionary genomics and large-scale data science, Arc Institute created an environment where developing a model like Evo 2 was not just possible, but inevitable.
“While Stanford and Berkeley compete on the football field, Arc shows how their scientists can team up to push the boundaries of what’s possible in biology,” Caputo said.
Database on Police Misconduct
While Evo 2 is a reflection of Stanford and Berkeley’s collaboration to accelerate cutting-edge scientific research, the Police Records Access Project demonstrates how the institutions can work together to strengthen democratic accountability and public access to information.
The Police Records Access Project officially launched August 2025, representing a multi-year effort to bring unprecedented transparency to policing in California. What began with UC Berkeley journalism students filing hundreds of public records requests in 2019 in response to the passage of California’s transparency law, S.B. 1421, grew into a statewide undertaking involving more than 100 journalists, researchers and data scientists at Stanford and Berkeley alike.
Stanford’s Big Local News, part of Stanford’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Department of Communication, joined forces with Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program and Institute for Data Science to process millions of pages of misconduct and use-of-force documents.
Aditya Parameswaran, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Berkeley and co-director of Berkeley’s Effective Programing, Interaction and Computation with Data (EPIC) lab, found Berkeley’s collaboration with Stanford to be invaluable to the project’s success.
“The collaboration with Stanford on the Police Records Access Project was terrific,” Parameswaran said. “On the software side, [Stanford’s] Big Local News team helped develop the frontend experience, while we at the Berkeley Institute of Data Science helped handle the backend aspects, including data processing and extraction.”
Generative AI tools helped sort cases, extract key information and improve search functions, while human reviewers ensured accuracy and contextual understanding. The result is a publicly accessible database that is hosted by major news outlets, including CalMatters, KQED, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times, allowing Californians to examine police conduct across hundreds of agencies for the first time.
“Local journalism organizations are strapped for resources, so collaboration is how we have to operate now … it was a pretty unique and first-of-its-kind collaboration on such a broad level,” Cheryl Phillips, founder of Big Local News and a Hearst Professional in Residence at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences, told the Stanford Report. “It involved a lot of innovative problem solving.”
From generating breakthroughs in biomedical AI or building tools to enhance transparency and civic oversight, joint research initiatives between Stanford and Berkeley prove the value of collaboration off of the football field. As society’s challenges become more complex and opportunities for impact grow, such cross-institutional partnerships may become more frequent and essential.
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UGS hears presentations on RA vacancies, Department of Public Safety initiativesThe UGS passed a bill to reform club sports funding and heard presentations on the current state of Resident Assistant vacancies and on takeaways from a meeting with the Department of Public Safety.
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At its Wednesday meeting, the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) heard a presentation from Aileen Rubio ’26 and Dawn Ariel Royster ’26, Resident Assistants (RAs) for Burbank and Branner Hall respectively, on the current state of RA vacancies.
In the presentation, Rubio and Royster noted that there are currently RA vacancies at Rinconada, Synergy, Terra, Branner, ZAP, 586 Mayfield and Junipero. Rubio also said there has been a lack of transparency from ResEd regarding if or when these vacancies will be filled.
Rubio and Royster said that the vacancies have led RAs to feel overwhelmed and unsupported.
“When we are overwhelmed and understaffed, we become less effective RAs … and that was a lot of what RAs were feeling at the beginning of this quarter,” Royster said.
Rubio noted that a lot of First-Generation & Low Income (FLI) students look to become RAs for financial security, and firings can lead to housing and financial stress for these students. Royster also added that the perceived lack of transparency and suddenness of RA firings have led some RAs to fear retaliation from ResEd.
“If we have no protections, how will we feel safe asking for help?” Royster said.
In response to the presentation, the UGS voted to send to the undergraduate body a petition calling for ResEd to resolve the current vacancies. The petition demands the reinstatement of a ZAP RA, Emmanuel Angel Corona-Moreno ’26, who was fired for missing training while positive for COVID-19 and a plan to fill all RA vacancies by the end of the quarter.
The UGS also heard a presentation from Health and Safety Committee co-chair Troy Harris ’27 and Housing and Dining Committee co-chair Intisar Alkhatib ’28 on their meeting with the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
In the presentation, Harris and Alkhatib brought up several initiatives to improve bike and scooter transportation on campus.
Alkhatib noted that the DPS and Student Housing are in the early stages of a process to build areas where students can park electric scooters. Harris also mentioned a new online bike safety class in the Stanford Training and Registration System (STARS) that students can take to learn about campus navigation and the rules of the road.
“We were recommending, and they were open to this, making this a NSO required course,” said Harris.
Harris also mentioned that one resource that the DPS emphasized was the SafeZone app, a mobile app that allows students to call 911 or the DPS office and immediately send their precise location.
“It’s basically a faster version of calling 911,” Harris said.
The UGS also passed the Joint Bill to Dissolve the Club Sports Funding Umbrella and Require Direct Team-Level Grant Applications for Transparency and Compliance. The bill will now move to the Graduate Student Council (GSC) for a vote.
This bill would dissolve the Club Sports Council, which currently receives funds from the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) and allocates them to individual club sports. The bill states that under the current system, several clubs have been allotted a different amount of money than was indicated in the voter-approved budgets.
Under the new system, which will be fully implemented next academic year if the bill is passed, individual club sports will apply directly to the ASSU for funding.
“We are doing something that I believe is going to return the will of the voters, when it comes to funding club sports, back to them,” said UGS Chair David Sengthay ’26.
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Tree-ditions: Stanford rallies for 128th Big GameIn the week leading up to this Saturday’s home game, Stanford students revive time-honored Big Game traditions.
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As Stanford’s 128th Big Game week kicks off on the Farm, students are once again preparing for campus traditions that embody the school’s famous rivalry with Cal. This year, Gaieties, the Axe Committee and the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB) are each putting their own spin on the spirited events that lead up to the matchup.
Gaieties brings community and satire to the stage
Ram’s Head Theatrical Society will debut the 113th Gaieties production this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, continuing a tradition that dates to 1911. The annual musical is a combination of satire, spectacle, and school-spirit, known for pulling the entire Stanford community together. This year’s Gaieties will tout the theme “50 Shades of Grayeties,” according to Noah Goldsmith ’27, a member of the show’s creative advisory board. Goldsmith was a former video producer for The Daily.
“Gaieties illuminates the unpretentious, not-taking-ourselves-too-seriously energy of Stanford as a student body,” Goldsmith said. “Gaieties is supposed to be the kind of entry point for anyone who has a desire to try out the arts at Stanford.”
For many students, attending Gaieties is a collective ritual, as it provides the entire student body, both undergraduate and graduate, with an opportunity to collectively celebrate Stanford pride.
“It’s all about the community of the school coming together Friday night to celebrate why we love being Stanford students,” Goldsmith said.
Bearial Marks the Start of Big Game Week
LSJUMB’s annual Bearial combines a funeral, band performance and parody to honor the death of Cal’s “Oski” mascot. The corpse of Oski’s body can be found littered across the Claw Fountain in White Plaza. The water inside the fountain is dyed bright red.
“The biggest part of the event is impaling the bear on the Claw, so we’re always trying to figure out what kind of bear we can get,” said Carl Purisima ’25, LSJUMB manager and clarinetist who handled the logistics of the event. “This year, we are going big.”
For many, Bearial marks the beginning of Big Game week, gathering the student body to witness the symbolic death of Cal.
“Bearial is the kickoff of Big Game week. It really signifies that we are now getting ready for this moment,” Purisima said. “It signifies getting rid of any last remorse you have for Cal.”
Lia Singh ’26, LSJUMB’s social chair, recalled her freshman year introduction to Bearial and the spectacle it became. For Singh, Bearial encapsulates what makes the rivalry fun and enduring.
“It was a super high-energy, fun event, and I loved the script that they were reading,” Singh said.
This year, Singh said her favorite part of the event was its performance element.
“My favorite thing is pretending to be really sad the whole time,” Singh said. “You have to try and keep a straight face while you’re reading everything and I’m not good at it, but it’s fun.”
Axe Committee countdown builds 128 hours of suspense
128 hours before the 128th Big Game, the Axe Committee began its countdown. Every hour, on the half hour, a member of the committee or a campus celebrity blows the train whistle from a furnished tent in White Plaza.
On Wednesday, the committee invited the Stanford football head coach Frank Reich to blow the whistle on the 74th hour before Big Game.
Fernando Cors Chi M.S. ’27 witnessed his first Big Game Countdown on Wednesday.
At the 72nd hour before Big Game, Cors Chi watched members of the Stanford Axe Committee sound the train whistle. Cors Chi feels that the countdown takes place in the perfect place on campus, right next to the site of the “Bearial.”
“It’s creating school spirit. At the end of the day, that’s what we want to see,” said Cors Chi. Cors Chi plans to return to White Plaza on Thursday for the 48 hour countdown.
The rivalry continues
The Stanford-Cal rivalry traces back to 1892, allowing students from across generations to come together and celebrate Stanford spiritedness. While The Card leads the rivalry 65-55-11, Cal has won the last 4 Big Games, making this year’s rivalry especially intense.
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War of the Wears: Stanford vs. Cal merchKnutson provides a holistic, merit-based review of Stanford and Cal’s merchandise offerings.
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Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
Big Game season is a time of overconsumption. Hats, sweatshirts, socks and even tumblers — apparently, the number of logos emblazoning your body and possessions directly correlate to your level of school spirit. And when it comes to Stanford vs. Cal, everything is a competition. So between these bitter rivals, which school offers the most enticing merch?
One of the classic indicators of merch quality is design. After all, who wants to show up to a tailgate in an ugly top? Both Stanford and Cal’s “vintage” sections are distinguished by slightly faded graphics that, contrary to their ‘80s aspirations, evoke elements of millennial fashion. Stanford is notably more sterile, while Cal features some charming hand-drawn portraits of Oski the Bear in various outfits:
Scrolling through each university’s website, there is a sense of déjà vu. The same hoodie, for instance, is present in both Stanford and Cal’s collections. Bedecked in white studs, it seems more at place in a Hot Topic than a college merch store. There are more doppelgängers: a t-shirt scribbled with chalkboard font, a gray henley top with a tiny logo, a cardigan so oversized it looks like a bathrobe.
Even the websites are recolored carbon copies, down to the font. (Stanford and Cal have the same merch provider, Fanatics, as do a large portion of NCAA colleges.)
In the face of this overwhelming similarity, Cal’s bear motif provides a whimsy and dynamism that is absent in Stanford merch. So, until cartoon trees claim their place on Stanford sweatshirts, the point for this round goes to Cal.
The Stanford store is its own little world. Its wall art section is particularly vibrant, offering a glimpse into the home life of extreme Stanford fans. There is an “In This House” sign made by a graphic designer who had too much fun with Microsoft Word, a grungy guitar sign for a child’s room (presumably to pressure them into applying to Stanford) and a Halloween-themed pumpkin leaner that promotes school spirit and festivity at the same time. Cal’s wall art pales in comparison — it is mostly composed of pictures of the Golden Bears.
After browsing the Stanford website, it becomes clear that anything can be Stanford-themed, from a barbeque set to a crystal whisky decanter. Cal sticks to more traditional fare, like iPhone cases and mugs. The Stanford store beats Cal by a landslide in variety; it is essentially a Home Depot in red and white.
Unfortunately, some items offered by the schools do not fit within a typical student budget. Stanford’s most expensive piece of merchandise is a gaming chair that sells for $509.99 ($407.99 with a code). Meanwhile, Berkeley offers a recliner with two cupholders for the eye-watering price of $959.99 ($719.99 with a code).
The cheapest product on both sites is a 10-dollar flagpole. Due to inflation and college merch markups in general, it is hard to find anything under ten dollars’ worth buying.
The prices for most items are comparable. However, Stanford’s website has 903 items for sale, while Cal only has 760. Taking into account Stanford’s bountiful sales and highest price point of around $500, Stanford wins this round.
Stanford is well-known for its connections, and a benefit of a Stanford education is its desirability in the workplace. Even in the Stanford store, the networking never stops. For students who want to catch the eye of a rich CEO at a golf course, Stanford offers 90 variations of a polo shirt, 14 of which are women’s. Berkeley only has 80 polo shirts, with a meager four women’s polos.
After Big Game, the students that return home for Thanksgiving break face a dilemma: how much flexing is too much? When meeting hometown friends, a giant Stanford logo can come off as arrogant. Cases like these call for something more discreet, like a cropped form-fitting tee where the school’s name is a slightly brighter shade of white than the rest of the fabric. Unfortunately, Cal has no equivalent, so Stanford wins on versatility.
Despite Cal’s creativity when it comes to graphic design, its merch came second to Stanford’s offerings in the three other metrics. Some may say this disparity mirrors the real-life positions of the two colleges, but only Big Game can settle the dispute once and for all. Stanford was the clear winner in the war of wears; let’s hope that its football team is as superior as its merch.
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Former diplomat claims Obama, Trump failed on North Korea policy at CISAC eventFormer State Department Official Joel Wit criticized the Obama and Trump administrations at a CISAC event on Tuesday, claiming that neither president effectively managed U.S. relations with North Korea.
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Under the Obama and Trump administrations, American foreign policy toward North Korea has been defined by a mix of presidential ignorance and internal inertia, former State Department official Joel S. Wit argued at a Tuesday event held by the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC).
The talk was moderated by Rose Gottemoeller, the William J. Perry Lecturer of the Freeman Spogli Institute and former U.S. Under Secretary of State.
Wit, who helped negotiate the 1994 U.S.-DPRK Nuclear Agreed Framework, spoke about his new book, “Fallout.” His talk drew on his insider’s account of how the U.S. government failed to stop Pyongyang from becoming a nuclear power.
CISAC communications and administrative associate Gabby Ermanni wrote in an email to The Daily that the center decided to host the event to generate discussion about North Korea-U.S. relations, the topic covered in “Fallout.”
“CISAC scholars have a long history of interest in the North Korea nuclear weapons program, dating back to the tenure of Dr. Siegfried Hecker, former CISAC co-director [and] former director of Los Alamos national laboratory,” Ermanni said.
Wit began the talk with the claim that the Trump administration entered its first term ill-equipped for the complex issue of North Korea.
When Donald Trump was officially elected President in 2016, then-President Barack Obama knew that North Korea was going to be a central topic of conversation between them, according to Wit.
Wit recounted an instance when Trump appeared unaware of the basic geopolitical reality of the peninsula.
“Indeed, there were reports that he did not know there are two Koreas,” Wit said.
But Wit’s critique was bipartisan. He argued that the Obama administration, which is often credited with a more measured diplomatic approach, did not perform well on the matter of North Korea.
He pointed to 2014, when Obama was “not happy about” the U.S. military’s inability to eradicate North Korea’s new mobile missile launchers. A strike to eliminate them was brought up by the White House but not executed after the Pentagon’s report, Wit said.
According to Wit, when Obama was briefed as the president-elect by then-Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, the two paid little attention to the issue of North Korea, focusing on Iran instead.
“[Obama] told aides that he will negotiate with dictators, but not the North Korean dictators,” Wit said. He also said that Obama once proclaimed that North Korea is a “crime family, not a country.”
Wit pointed to the 2019 Hanoi Summit as a blunder of Trump’s first term — a moment that “could have been a big success.” Instead, Wit said, the summit ended in “big failure” when Trump proposed an ultimatum for North Korea — destruction of more nuclear facilities or preservation of economic sanctions — that left the meeting without a resolution.
International policy lecturer Daniel Sneider, who was present at the event, challenged Wit’s account of North Korea-U.S. relations and his interpretation of the summit.
According to Wit, the U.S. and North Korea drafted a ten-page document before the Hanoi meeting containing conditions to settle the issue of nuclear weapons. Wit “doesn’t think people understand how close” the issue was to resolution.
However, Sneider said that Wit’s interpretation is “off-base.” According to Sneider, the alleged document did not resolve the most important issue of nuclear solution.
According to Sneider, Kim was not sincere in abandoning nuclear weapons. “[Wit] said that this was a failure in American diplomacy … I am not disputing this claim [in terms of the consequences], but it is because the North Koreans decided to go down the road,” he said.
Sneider critiqued Wit’s failure to mention South Korea’s presence at the summit. According to Sneider, progressive South Korean president Mun Jae-in was eager to pursue a deal.
Wit’s talk came as the speculation of a fourth Trump-Kim meeting garnered media attention several weeks ago, when Trump visited South Korea for the first time in his second term.
Responding to an audience’s question on the current re-building of U.S.-North Korean relationships, Wit said the “step one” is getting Russia and China on board.
“[That includes] getting realistic goals … [for instance] not to totally eliminate North Korea’s nuclear weapons,”Wit said.
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Andrew Luck pardons turkey in a new Big Game week traditionStudents gathered on the Mars house lawn Wednesday night to watch Andrew Luck, the football team’s General Manager spare a live turkey.
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In an inaugural event at Mars Wednesday night, Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck ’12 M.A. ’23 administered a turkey pardon in celebration of Big Game week, which is the week before Thanksgiving.
As he addressed a crowd of nearly 100 students on the Mars lawn, Luck emphasized his nostalgia for his time on the Stanford football team as its former quarterback. A well-known figure in Stanford Athletics history, Luck was selected as the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
“For generations, Stanford football has faithfully executed two great American traditions: dedicating the week before Thanksgiving to dominating that school across the Bay and creating fun experiences that no other student body would ever, ever, ever think of, certainly not tonight,” Luck said.
Dash Beavers ’26, Odin Farkas ’26, Susanna Newsom ’26 and Erin Ye ’26, this year’s Mars Residential Assistants (RAs), designed the event after the presidential turkey pardon, parodying an annual White House tradition in which the nation’s leader spares a turkey from Thanksgiving tables. The practice officially began with George H.W. Bush in 1989 and has continued ever since.
Ye held Tom, a turkey on loan from Pastorino Farms of San Mateo, as Luck gave his pardoning speech.
Students cheered and joined Luck in chants of “beat Cal” as Tom basked under red floodlights and phone cameras.
“This is Stanford, the whimsy is Stanford,” attendee Mercer Weis ’26 said. “I didn’t know a turkey could get me to think that Stanford is going to win this game.”
For the turkey pardon organizers, Wednesday’s event was about bringing the fall quarter to a close with school pride.
“The event was more successful than we ever could’ve dreamed,” Newsom said. “The crowd was going wild, Andrew Luck was revving up the energy and the turkey was performing like he’d just been drafted first overall.”
Beavers took the time to reflect on the levity the event brought at the close of midterm season, on the precipice of finals. As students grow increasingly busy, Beavers said he hopes they can draw on moments like these as a source of community spirit.
“We have the ability to create the culture that we want to see on campus,” Beavers said. “And we want to see turkeys getting pardoned by Andrew Luck. If [this event] ramps up school spirit and people are more inclined to go to Big Game and participate in the wackier side of campus, I think everyone wins. I hope it becomes an annual tradition that I can come back to in 25 years and say I had a part in.”
Luck ended his speech by urging the audience to attend Saturday’s football game and show the robust support he hopes to see in the stands.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the students of Stanford for being here and cheering on the team,” Luck said. “We appreciate you guys. There is no greater school in the world and no greater home for the Stanford Axe.”
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Faith and the ballot boxFertig writes about the connection between religion and voting, arguing that people's religious beliefs ought not influence their voting when legislation affects people beyond their faith.
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I’m sitting on a freezing wooden pew in the back of the St. Paul Cathedral as I wait for my first mass to begin. Unlike most Catholics, this first-time attendance happens when I am seventeen rather than seven. Also unlike most Catholics, I am not Catholic. I’m an atheist curious to see what draws more than 15 million Americans out of bed every Sunday.
The deacon begins the sermon, displaying impressive control of scripture as he guides us through fiery verses. A professional vocalist even sings a few poignant hymns. Then, abruptly, the sermon halts. “The Minnesota End-of-Life Option Act,” the deacon proclaims, “is something I must bring to your attention.” The bill he’s referencing would allow terminally ill adults to consent to physician-assisted suicide. “They’re not talking about this bill in the news — they’re trying to quietly pass it,” the deacon continues. “I can’t allow that to happen. God will decide when we are called home. It is not my choice to make when I die.”
The deacon is not alone in his stance. Primarily due to religious belief, only 11% of Catholic clergymen across the U.S. think physician-assisted suicide (PAS) should be legal. Other Christian denominations are not nearly as against it — around half view doctor-assisted suicide as immoral. The general population is even less opposed to PAS, as 66% of U.S. adults support legalizing it.
At its core, physician-assisted suicide is a personal decision. If presented with the option of PAS, the deacon would probably refuse it; a different Christian might not.
This is not an advocacy piece for its legalization. There’s pragmatic discussion across party lines on whether PAS is a slippery slope to euthanasia or if it overrides the integrity of physicians otherwise entrusted to heal.
But the deacon didn’t mention either of those discourse topics in his sermon. I can’t help but assume that when he filled out his ballot, his vote against PAS was dictated by his religion. He knew that others, even fellow Christians, didn’t share his interpretation of God’s word, and yet he still voted as if every American were a member of the pew.
I think voting this way is a problem.
The vast majority of Americans believe religion and government should remain separate. That’s why the U.S. doesn’t resemble Medieval Europe, where the Catholic Church held immense direct power over policy. But if the religious institutions of today can’t whisper in the ear of politicians, the next best thing is to have their believers, like the deacon, vote on their agendas. In a way, each time someone considers the Church’s opposition to a personal choice and votes to prohibit others from making it, the Church regains some of its power over the state.
That defeats the purpose of separating religion from government, which is to prevent a single group’s value system from caging Americans into one way of thinking.
However, not all religious beliefs have the same problematic effect on voting. The kind of impact we should avoid is when religion constricts the right to choose. To help identify which beliefs do that, I’ll classify them into two categories: views shaped by religion, and religious views.
The former is an understanding of the secular world adjusted by faith. For example, 53% of Americans claim religious teachings greatly influence their understanding of right and wrong. For them, spirituality has helped create their morality, which in turn allows them to think critically about who and what to vote for.
In contrast, a religious view, as I define it, is a belief about how a religious person should lead their life. A Protestant might have conviction in traditional gender roles, or a Sikh man might be dedicated to wearing the Five Ks. Not everyone believes in the same practices or structures, even within a single faith. So, voting to hold everyone to these customs doesn’t make sense.
Physician-assisted suicide is just one personal choice issue where people extend religious views to the voting booth. The same dynamic appears, perhaps more visibly, in debates over LGBTQ rights. For instance, the right to same-sex marriage has remained a central political battle even more than a decade after its legalization in Obergefell v. Hodges. The link between opposition to same-sex marriage and religious belief is indisputable — just 10% of people who oppose it consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, whereas 84% of those against it are not only religious, but Christian in particular. Religious justifications for opposition are mostly rooted in a desire to uphold tradition, or, in other words, impose personal preferences about sexuality on society at large. To that end, the first explicit formal request to overturn Obergefell was based on religious ideology.
Further, religious views have fueled attacks that restrict the personal choice of people who cannot vote to protect themselves, such as transgender youth. Thus far into 2025, over 100 anti-transgender bills have been signed into U.S. law. The strong correlation between transphobia and religion suggests religious views helped drive that legislation. Therefore, voting based on religious preference is partially responsible for 40% of transgender youth in the U.S. living in the 27 states that have banned access to gender-affirming care, sports participation or bathroom use. Passing these kinds of state-level anti-transgender laws is associated with an up to 72% increase in the statewide suicide rate of transgender youth.
I make this point not to condemn religion, nor the people that follow it. I do not think believers should abandon their ideas or change how religion influences their personal lives. I only hope that I, and countless others, should not be made to live according to how one God or another asks us.
When I left the St. Paul Cathedral that day, I was not angry. I did not think less of Catholicism, nor of the deacon. I would still love to sit down with him and learn more about his beliefs. But I would like him to share his faith — not legislate it.
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Asking Stanford: Share a game day memoryIn honor of Big Game Week, we asked Daily writers to share memorable moments from game days of past.
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“Asking Stanford” is a series that collects bite-sized stories from students to highlight the diversity of experiences and perspectives on campus.
My freshman year, I went to the game with a few of my friends who attended UC Berkeley. It took a long time, but I remember the first touchdown we scored deep in the fourth quarter, finally giving me a chance to gloat back at my friends. — Ishan Mehta ’25 M.S. ’26
The (only) two football games that I’ve been to at Stanford have been alumni reunion games. I’ve staffed the 50th reunion the last two years and have been with the alums, from tailgate to walking the field. I guess that might be my game day tradition then, eating Stanford catering tailgate food, the same menu of pulled pork with Hawaiian rolls, chickpea chili and roast chicken. Loading up on Sweet Street brown butter rice krispies and alumni conversations. Passing out red pom poms and crossing the field. Both times I’ve been there the football team was pretty good. We were winning the game last year up until halftime and we beat FSU this year, so I have something to look forward to next year! — Sonnet Xu ‘27
My favorite game day memory is screaming in the rain with friends against Cal, in one of the worst weather experiences of the year. I also enjoyed seeing Stanford people storm the field, despite Cal winning. — Michael Malone ’26
The first and last tailgate I attended was five years ago. I stuffed my face with pigs in a blanket and flat Coke while someone tried to explain the football rules. I left early to finish a p-set due the next day. — Iris Hwang M.S. ’27
I remember being seventeen, running out to the 50 yard line and staring back at the stands full of people. Being on a high school dance team meant that game days were mandatory. High ponytail, tight fitted skirt, and glitter smeared on my cheeks (which I later had an allergic reaction to). But my favorite game day moments were being out in the center of that field, when the audience is so far away that you really can’t hear them. The peace of being able to count “five, six, seven, eight” to keep your teammates in sync, without anyone overhearing you. I haven’t touched a football field since then, but perhaps if we win Big Game, I will. — Sharis Hsu ‘28
The line to get into the game is my favorite part. Stanford students, Cal “people,” all spewing vitriol in one sardine-packed space. — Odin Farkas ’26
My junior year, I traveled to Boulder to broadcast Stanford vs. Colorado for 90.1 FM KZSU for what would be one of the last “PAC-12 After Dark” classics. At halftime, Stanford was down 29-0, and it looked like the season would only get worse — especially since Stanford didn’t win a single home game that year. But then the comeback happened: Stanford clawed back to win 46-43 in double overtime. I even FaceTimed my friend Scott back on campus so he could witness the game-winning moment from the stands. What started as a crushing cold evening turned into one of the most unforgettable highlights of my junior year. — Joanne dePierre ’25 M.A. ’26
One memory I have is leaving Big Game at halftime when we were up, only to come back to Stanford and watch us lose on TV. — Dhruv Naik ’26
Absorbed in a mob of students covered head to toe in Cardinal red, we marched towards the stadium, heckling anyone foolish enough to don the blue and gold of the enemy. We lost that day, but never again! On Saturday we go to battle once again! Roll Card! — Zachary Ewing ’27
It’s freshman year and you’re a little homesick and quite sniffly from the freshman flu. Despite the bout of finals that face you after Thanksgiving break, you wake up bright and early nonetheless and spend 2 hours coming up with a clever name for your borg (you end up going with “the BORG game” anyway). Life has never been better. — Hoang Nguyen ’26
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Police Blotter: Rape, offensive words, possession of controlled substancesThis report covers incidents from Nov. 11 to Nov. 17 as recorded in the Stanford University Department of Public Safety bulletin.
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This report covers incidents from Nov. 11 to Nov. 17 as recorded in the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) bulletin. Learn more about the Clery Act and how The Daily approaches reporting on crime and safety here.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of a hit-and-run collision at Hundred Block.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of offensive words at Stock Farm Road Children’s Center.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of a burglary from a motor vehicle at Hundred Block.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of bicycle theft, stolen property and possession of controlled substances at Schiff House.
The Daily has reached out to SUDPS for more information regarding the report of rape at 450 Jane Stanford Way and the false reports at Green Library.
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Seniors yearn for Big Game win before graduatingStanford seniors reflect on three years of Big Game losses in hopes of a Cardinal win, completing their college experience.
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“I will remember for the rest of my life if I went all four years without seeing a Big Game win,” senior Jacob Rubenstein said.
For Stanford seniors, the 128th Big Game isn’t just another matchup. It’s a final shot at rewriting a four-year story of heartbreak.
“We have not been great, unfortunately,” senior Graham Johnstone said. “Always support the boys, but it’s just been brutal, especially losing to a rival every year in pretty theatrical fashion at that. Last year was saddening.”
In last year’s Big Game, Stanford (3-7, 2-5 ACC) led 21-10 entering the fourth quarter before Cal (6-4, 3-3 ACC) stormed back for a 24-21 win. For many seniors, that collapse still stings.
“I feel like that always happens,” senior Liza Mikacich said. “It’s a tragic upset. So I really hope this year we’re the ones doing the tragic upsetting.”
But even after three straight heartbreaks, optimism still hums across campus.
“I feel like it’s definitely on the rise,” said Mikacich, a longtime Stanford football fan. “At least this past season with Andrew Luck and the $50 million donation we just got, I feel like our football program is back to hopefully getting better and getting to something that we experienced in the 2010s.”
However, for many seniors, Big Game isn’t just about the final score. It’s about the traditions and memories that define their time at Stanford.
“I really liked freshman year when we went to Berkeley,” Rubenstein said. “Every time you saw someone in a Stanford shirt, you would give them a hug, even if you didn’t know who they were.”
“I like how they dye all the fountains red for the game,” Mikacich said. “When I was little, I thought that was really fun. And then sometimes Cal comes and tries to dye it back, and then it’s some discolored nonsense. I really like that.”
Even if gameday ends in disappointment, the days leading up to the showdown always bring amazing memories.
“I love Gaieties every year,” Johnstone said. “Pre-gaming with some of my friends for the Friday show, going and sitting down, just having a great time. It’s always genuinely good shows, too. It’s kind of fascinating how Stanford students can just put on something like that.”
As Saturday approaches, excitement is building not just for football, but for the spirit that unites campus.
“It’s the day of the year when Stanford students show the most school spirit,” Rubenstein said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the Berkeley students come to campus, and I’m looking forward to seeing them be sad when they lose.”
Whether they leave Saturday night with the Axe or not, the class of 2026 will leave Stanford with one shared wish: to end their college years with a Big Game worth remembering.
When asked what he would tell both sides, Johnstone kept it simple.
“I hope you guys lose. You know, you guys suck,” he said to Cal, before turning his attention to Stanford. “Boys, put your lives on the line. Play like there’s no tomorrow. Wear the Cardinal ‘S’ on your sleeve like a badge of honor. Let’s get the win.”
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Revisiting the most improbable moment in college football historyLooking back at "The Play," the singular most famous play and ending in the history of the Stanford-Cal rivalry and arguably all of college football.
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Each year, the longstanding Stanford-Cal rivalry culminates with Big Game. This historic match is perhaps best known for a moment dating back to 1982. “The Play,” as it has come to be known, was a singular moment of sheer chaos, school spirit and unadulterated love for college football. As the 128th Big Game nears, it is only fitting to revisit this iconic play and its legacy. And perhaps more importantly, to revisit the age-old question: is The Daily the true star of the story?
The Play is easily one of the most notorious and highly debated moments in college football history. The game was hosted by Berkeley, Stanford’s lead was 20-19 and the Cardinal were looking to secure a bowl game bid with the help of star quarterback John Elway ‘83. The game had already been declared the most thrilling in the longstanding Stanford-Cal rivalry with four seconds left on the clock.
Coming out of a highly frantic timeout, none of the officials noticed that Cal sent just 10 players onto the field, rather than 11. Though the misstep would not have resulted in any serious penalty, it ultimately changed the course of the game. Kevin Moen of the Golden Bears, noting that his team was down a man, positioned himself a few yards further than he normally would have. When Stanford went for the squib kick, which should in theory have prevented a significant return, the ball bounced directly into the waiting hands of Moen. Had he been in his intended position, Stanford would have held onto its lead. What followed instead was nothing short of thrilling.
Cal’s players juggled the ball in a chaotic yet masterful display, totalling five laterals (risky backwards passes) before ultimately landing once again in the hands of Moen. Moen charged toward the end zone, surrounded not just by Cardinal jerseys, but by the entire Stanford Band, Stanford cheerleaders and assorted spectators. Perhaps the most iconic image from The Play is when, upon scoring the highly contested touchdown, Moen — mid flex — knocked down an unsuspecting trombone player named Gary Tyrrell.
The final call came down to referee Charles Moffett.
“I asked the other officials if [Moen] had crossed the goal line,” Moffett said. “They said he had. I asked if anyone had blown a whistle during the return. No one had. I asked if every one of those laterals was clearly backward. They said they were. And the penalty flag? On Stanford for extra players and band on the field. ‘Well then,’ I said, ‘we have a touchdown.’”
Upon witnessing the chaos, one spectator is quoted in Sports Illustrated’s “The Anatomy of a Miracle” as saying, “It appeared to me that the weakest part of the Stanford defense was the woodwinds”.
Another said, “[it was] an act of God.”
Joe Starkey, a commentator for the game, punctuated the moment with a singularly iconic quote: “The Bears have won. Oh my God, this is the most amazing, sensational, heartrending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football … I guarantee you, if you watch college football for the rest of your life you’ll never see one like this.”
And true to Starkey’s word, the college football stage never saw a scene quite like this one again. Not only was the game itself spectacular, but the aftermath that followed was equally as memorable. The Daily released a counterfeit version of The Daily Californian, the primary publication on Berkeley’s campus. The headline read, “NCAA AWARDS BIG GAME TO STANFORD,” and went on to cite a detailed, fine-print — and completely nonexistent — rule that effectively crowned Stanford as the winners of Big Game.
The pandemonium that ensued was one of horror on Berkeley’s campus and one of sheer joy and pride, at having pulled off such a ruse, on Stanford’s campus (particularly at the Daily House). Though this rule was fabricated by The Daily’s editors, and Cal’s victory was never truly in question, the absurdity of this moment left its mark on the rivalry. It left Big Game even more highly anticipated in the years following.
This year is no exception, with the Cardinal hosting the Cal Golden Bears for the 128th annual Big Game on Saturday.
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The top-five greatest players to ever play in Big GameFrom Tony Gonzalez to Richard Sherman, the Big Game rivalry has produced NFL greats whose legacies stretch beyond the Bay Area.
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With the sixth-most meetings of a college football rivalry, few match the longevity, regional pride and generational imprint of Big Game. Since 1892, the Cardinal has held a slight edge over the California Golden Bears, with an all-time win-loss-tie record of 65-51-11.
Together, the programs have produced dozens of first-round picks, including Stanford’s 2017 duo of Solomon Thomas and Christian McCaffrey and Cal’s last first-rounder, quarterback Jared Goff ’16. The two programs have also produced multiple NFL Hall of Famers, including John Elway, Tony Gonzalez, John Lynch and James Lofton. The rivalry’s footprint extends far beyond the Bay Area, reaching deep into the history of the NFL.
As the two teams prepare for this year’s matchup, with Stanford sitting at 3-7 (2-5 ACC) and Cal at 6-4 (3–3 ACC), it is worth revisiting the broader legacy of success each program has achieved. The schools enter on opposite trends, with Cal riding a four-game win streak in the series (2021-present), while Stanford still holds the longest win streak ever recorded, with nine straight victories from 2010 to 2018.
Within this historic rivalry, several players have stood out not only for their contributions to Big Game but also for their extraordinary careers at the professional level. The following list identifies the top-five greatest NFL players to appear in Big Game, evaluated primarily by their accomplishments at the professional level. This metric inevitably leaves out several iconic talents, which is why five additional honorable mentions are included in no particular order.
Honorable Mentions: Cameron Jordan (Cal ’11), Jim Plunkett (Stanford ’71), Marshawn Lynch (Cal ’07), James Lofton (Stanford ’78), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford ’17)
5. Richard Sherman (Stanford 2006-2010)
Richard Sherman’s collegiate career at Stanford is one of the most impressive positional transitions in recent college football history, beginning as a wide receiver before switching to cornerback due to injury.
Across his three appearances in the rivalry, Sherman totaled six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown during his time on offense. He later added a defensive resume that included two interceptions, 11 combined tackles, four pass deflections and a forced fumble.
Position changes dropped Sherman to the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft, but his adaptability and competitiveness during his time at Stanford foreshadowed the traits that would define his NFL career. Sherman became a cornerstone of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom,” earning five All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and helping deliver the Seahawks’ first and only Super Bowl title in 2014.
Sherman will be remembered in his professional career as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his generation and is infamously known as one of the biggest trash-talkers in the NFL.
4. John Lynch (Stanford 1989-1992)
Initially recruited as a quarterback, Lynch struggled to gain traction at the position, completing just 43.6% of his passes and throwing no touchdowns with three interceptions during his time under center.
As his football future grew more uncertain, Lynch’s baseball stock surged. An excellent pitching prospect, he was selected in the second round of the 1992 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins and briefly appeared poised to leave football behind altogether.
That trajectory changed when new head coach Bill Walsh arrived at Stanford. Walsh saw Lynch as a potential impact player on defense, convincing Lynch to remain committed to football and to return for his senior season as a starting free safety. Lynch flourished, and his strong senior year, posting four interceptions, propelled him as the 82nd overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
From there, Lynch built a professional resume that justified Walsh’s faith. He became a key player of Tampa Bay’s dominant defense in the early 2000s, with nine Pro Bowl and four All-Pro selections. He is a Super Bowl XXXVII champion and a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. While detailed game-by-game statistics from his Big Game appearances are limited, Lynch’s story as a player on the verge of leaving the sport altogether to having an esteemed professional career is incredible. Now, he is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, which is next-level impressive.
3. Tony Gonzalez (California 1994-1996)
Tony Gonzalez entered Berkeley splitting time between football and basketball, yet still emerged as the most overwhelming tight end Stanford faced in the mid-1990s. Across his two most significant Big Game appearances, Gonzalez totaled 12 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns, including a standout performance in 1995 in which he recorded 10 catches for 150 yards and a score. Although he went 1-2 in his Big Game appearances, it must not be mistaken that his presence was often the focal point of Stanford’s defensive game plan.
Gonzalez’s collegiate production resulted in him being drafted 13th overall in the 1997 NFL draft, proving to be only a prelude to one of the greatest careers in NFL history at the tight end position.
In 17 seasons, he accumulated more than 1,300 receptions, 15,000 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns, numbers that remain unmatched. His 14x Pro Bowl selections, 10x All-Pro honors and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame solidified his legacy as a transformative figure in his role.
Among all players to emerge from the Stanford-Cal rivalry, Gonzalez stands as one of the most accomplished and is the best player to emerge from the rivalry outside the quarterback position.
2. John Elway (Stanford 1979-1982)
Despite the lack of team success during Elway’s time at Stanford, his placement near the top of the list reflects his extraordinary college production and the Hall of Fame career that followed.
During his time on The Farm, Elway completed 62% of his passes, threw for 9,349 yards and recorded 77 touchdown passes to 39 interceptions, numbers that cemented him as one of the most prolific passers in school history.
Although detailed individual statistics from his Big Game appearances are challenging to find, his rivalry performances included decisive moments, including “The Play,” from the 1982 Big Game — arguably the most famous Big Game moment. Elway seemed to have engineered the game-winning drive and had Stanford in position to close out the game. But Cal’s ensuing kickoff return, known as “The Play,” flipped everything. The Bears weaved across the field, lateraling the ball five times before scoring as the Stanford band stormed the field early. The return went all the way for a touchdown and sealed what is now remembered as the rivalry’s most iconic finish. Elway inevitably left Stanford with a 1-3 record in the Big Game.
After being drafted No. 1 overall in the 1983 NFL draft, Elway became a two-time Super Bowl champion, 9x Pro Bowler, 3x All-Pro and 1987 NFL MVP. His blend of competitive fire and late-game brilliance has carved his name in NFL history. One of his most famous plays includes his “Helicopter Spin” for a first down in Super Bowl XXXII, where he won his first ring against the Green Bay Packers. Elway is considered one of the greatest passers of the football, but to many he is beaten by the player at the top of this ranking.
1. Aaron Rodgers (California 2003-2004)
Aaron Rodgers stands at the top of this list due to his stature as one of the most efficient and decorated quarterbacks in NFL history. His performances in the Big Game rivalry provided an early glimpse of the precision and poise for which Rodgers is known for. During his only two appearances, Rodgers went 37 for 51 with a 72.5 completion percentage, throwing for 479 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, torching the Cardinal defense.
Rodgers would go on to be selected 24th overall in the 2005 NFL draft in what is primarily considered the craziest draft slide in NFL history. His collegiate flashes matured into a professional career that includes four NFL MVP awards, a Super Bowl championship, a Super Bowl MVP and the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in league history.
It is safe to say that the No. 1 overall pick holder in the 2005 NFL draft, the local San Francisco 49ers, regretted passing up on Rodgers to pick Alex Smith instead. His sustained excellence, record-setting efficiency and longevity, now as the oldest active player in the NFL, make Rodgers the best football player to compete in the Stanford-Cal rivalry.
In a series defined by generations of elite talent, no Stanford-Cal alumnus’ NFL resume stands taller than Rodgers, a definite first-ballot Hall of Famer.
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Pedaling Between Worlds: Rainy days and crosswindsCouchman follows a rainy bike ride that pulls her between present discomfort and vivid memories of Guyana’s rainy season, revealing how weather becomes a bridge between two homes.
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The drizzle starts just as I push off the curb near Main Quad, a scattered mist that cools my cheeks and blurs the edge of the afternoon. The orange leaves of fall skitter across the pavement like small warnings, darting under my wheels. Some I manage to swerve around, others brush past my face or nestle in my hair. Then there are those that crack and fold beneath my bicycle’s wheels, tiny obstacles that keep me pedaling harder.
The air grows colder as I cycle the narrow, moist road around Meyer Green and up Santa Teresa Lane. A spray of water leaps up from a passing car and soaks my socks, seeping through the fabric. The sting reminds me of the sore throat I came down with midway through the quarter, an effect of the changing weather, colder than it has ever been back in Guyana. The water doesn’t ask permission, it just hits. And still, I keep pedaling.
Soon, the drizzle thickens into something steadier. Droplets cling to my glasses and my backpack. For a moment, I immerse myself in a day of navigating Guyana’s rainy season, a signal that Christmas is fast-approaching. I remember seeing people walking with open umbrellas, shoes splashing the flooded pavements, and the fruit and bread stalls at Stabroek Market wrapped tightly in protective blue and silver tarpaulin. I particularly enjoyed driving by the seawall, watching the sky stretch dark and low over the ocean’s horizon. When I passed there, the Atlantic always seemed restless and close, slapping the rocks and recovering mangroves with a force that echoed water’s power. I loved watching the rain bead down the glass of my family’s car and the excitement of a rainy-day culture unique to my country.
A crosswind barrels down the sloping road and balloons my jacket out behind me, bringing me back to reality. For a second, it tilts me off-center, slipping my foot off the pedal as if it wants to knock me out of rhythm entirely. Rain starts to whip my hair back, streaking down the sides of my face like tears. Then the real tears come: emotional crosswinds from missing milestone birthdays and connections with relatives after Sunday mass or from reading a message from home that thickens the distance. The tears come from watching my younger siblings mature while I’m away and seeing their lives through photos. They come from being the only Caribbean student in a room and wondering whether to explain a reference or let it pass.
Around me, other students ride with their heads tucked low, bikes splashing through puddles, gears clicking. In a way, their hustle is similar to the bustle back home: cars swerving around each other in the rain, schoolchildren hopping over mud puddles to keep their shoes clean, people waving down minibuses with umbrellas half-open. I see the same drive here to keep pushing through life. Uphill, downhill, pedaling forward all the same.
By the time I turn toward my dorm, my fingers are stiff, my socks damp, my breath sharp in the cold. But the smell after the rain, wet earth and something metallic, wraps around me the way evenings did back home after a long stormy day. Back then, warmth meant stepping inside with my family, to food and voices and light. Now, warmth is the light of the lamps shining dimly through the wet leaves and the glow of my dorm room after the ride, a small space that’s also beginning to feel like home.
As the weather changes, I’ve come to realize something: these crosswinds aren’t a sign that I’m going in the wrong direction, they’re a force that requires strength to ride through. A quiet strength of continuing to pedal, even in those times of doubt when the wind seems to insist I shouldn’t.
So here, between these two worlds, I’m learning to lean into every gust and welcome every drop of rain from both the sky and my memories (while wearing warm clothing and a rain jacket). Because these chilly crosswind-filled rainy days remind me of not only the home I miss, but of the support that is always there for me. These reminders will continue to motivate me to use the gift I’ve been given to be here at Stanford and make the future I’ve always dreamed of a reality.
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Stanfordle #044 (Nov. 20, 2025)Enjoy The Daily's Stanfordle, the newest part of our Games section. The Daily produces Stanfordles on weekdays.
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From ‘Bearial’ to Regatta: LSJUMB prepares for Big GameThe Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, better known as LSJUMB, holds a funeral, designs costumes and recruits last-minute members to play in Saturday’s rivalry game.
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While for many, Stanford’s annual football game against Cal is no laughing matter, this seriousness is no match for the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, better known as LSJUMB.
LSJUMB helped lead the charge into Big Game week on Monday by proclaiming dead Oski the Bear (an effigy of Cal’s mascot) after impaling him on the Claw Fountain in White Plaza during the “Bearial.”
Trombonist Kaleb Gjestson ’28 said that events like the “Bearial” help electrify the Stanford community in preparation for Big Game. “Everybody kind of gets into the band spirit themselves,” Gjestson said.
“It’s fun to have silly traditions,” Lillian Sanders ’26, a percussionist, saxophonist and member of the Band’s leadership team, said.
The Band’s activities continued on Wednesday, competing against Cal’s band during a sailing regatta between the two schools at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, as well as a handful of other sporting events throughout the week.
However, the focus of the Band’s energies remains on Saturday’s Big Game. In preparation, musicians have been practicing in the Band Shak and listening in the hallways to the same background track all week: an alumni-recorded sound bite called “We’re Gonna Eat the Bears”. Each section of LSJUMB also prepared group costumes that remain secret until Saturday, even to other sections.
“There’s so many traditions that we have that make [Big Game] super special and fun,” said Stella Chung ’25 M.S. ’26, a melaphonist, tubist and saxophonist. “I think if anyone’s wanting to join in the future, they definitely should check that off the bucket list.”
Any Stanford student is eligible to join LSJUMB and play for Big Game — the only requirement is attending a Friday volleyball game and the Band’s field rehearsal on Saturday before kickoff. Sanders said this flexibility means the Band usually varies in size from around 30 to 80 musicians.
Of the freshmen who had already joined the band earlier in the quarter, Sanders sees a lot of enthusiasm. “We’ve got a great class of newcomers this year,” she said. “They’re definitely ready.”
Sanders hopes more students join the Band and find the community and environment she enjoys so much. “I feel like it’s an amazing way to, like, get out of the stress of being a Stanford student and just like, rock the f**k out.”
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Behind the scenes of Gaieties, the Stanford-Berkeley rivalry as a musicalThe cast and production crew of Gaieties — the entirely student run and produced musical — get ready for the opening night of one of Stanford’s most popular Big Game traditions.
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Since the beginning of fall quarter, the Gaieties cast and production staff have been preparing for one of Stanford’s most popular traditions leading up to the Big Game. For its 114th year, Stanford’s Ram’s Head Theatrical Society presents “50 Shades of Grayeties”. As in previous years, the student run and produced show satirizes the Stanford-Berkeley rivalry in musical form.
Since the finalization of auditions in the second week of the quarter, cast members have been rehearsing blocking, choreography and vocals often more than four times a week. Director Daniel Grossman ’26 plans out these rehearsals while stage manager Sierra Kelly ’29 assists with scheduling and logistics.
Much of the Gaieties cast is new to musical theater. Of the three leading actors — Caroline Goldman ’29, Lyle Dela Luna ’29 and Sophie Mazzeo ’29 — Dela Luna performed in his first musical in February, and Mazzeo has never participated in a musical before.
“During the callback process, Sophie and I ended up getting matched to do this scene, and when I saw her act, I thought, ‘Whoa. This person’s really, really talented.’ That’s why I was so shocked to realize that she had no experience,” Dela Luna said.
For members of the cast with musical theater experience, Gaieties is unlike any show they’ve performed in before. Ensemble cast member Colette Chang ’29 said, “The shows in high school were already pretty famous, but Gaieties is a completely original show. Everybody gets to play with their characters a lot more because they’re not predetermined. A lot of times when you do shows that are already on Broadway, you watch these very famous actors, and you copy them exactly. But with Gaieties, everybody gets to bring themselves to it.”
Rachel Mack Jones ’26, the choreographer of the show, recognized the cast’s willingness and eagerness to engage with “silly” dance numbers. She also appreciated that since all leads and much of the cast are freshmen, she can help introduce them to the traditions of life at Stanford.
“Gaieties, especially, I think is special, though, because at the same time that you’re putting on a show, you’re also introducing all of these people, who are basically all brand new to campus, to a bunch of different jokes and different parts of our culture,” Jones said.
Many upperclassmen who participated in Gaieties their freshman year continued their involvement in the show as production staff. Co-producer Sam Cousins ’28, who starred in the show last year, said, “I’ve jumped in as a producer, trying to do as much work as I can, to give this year’s cast the experience that I had last year and more. It’s obviously been totally different. I’ve never produced before in my life. I’ve never done anything backstage.”
Co-producer Oliver Chally ’28 similarly decided to become a producer after having a positive experience as a cast member in Gaieties last year. This year, he enjoyed watching the cast come together and seeing the process of putting on Gaieties from a different perspective.
Leading up to the show’s opening night, Cousins hopes he successfully shoulders the stress for the rest of the cast. “My job as one of the administrators is to feel as stressed as possible so that everyone else feels happy and wonderful and comfortable as possible. So I’d like to say that everyone feels great, and I feel very stressed, because that’s exactly how it should be,” Cousins said.
Dela Luna looks forward to his classmates’ reactions to Gaieties on Wednesday, also known as Frosh Night. “I just hope that the audience really enjoys it, and they get to experience a fraction of the happiness that this whole show has given me,” Dela Luna said.
Gaieties opens Wednesday and runs through Friday.
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Stanford looks to end five-year ‘dry spell’ against CalWith nobody on the team having experienced a Big Game win, aside from former Golden Bear Hunter Barth, Stanford football is hungry for a Big Game victory.
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Stanford does not need any reminders of how long the Axe has been on the other side of the Bay. When Cal (6-4, 3-3 ACC) runs out of the tunnel at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, they will be chasing a fifth-straight Big Game win — and the Cardinal (3-7, 2-5 ACC) will be trying to end a drought that stretches back to 2020.
Both teams enjoyed a bye week coming into this matchup, but Stanford is coming off a brutal loss to North Carolina while Cal is trending upward after an overtime win at Louisville. The Cardinal returning back home, however, may serve as the ultimate equalizer. The Cardinal’s only three wins this season have come at Stanford Stadium, where the offense doubled its scoring output compared with the road (25 points per game at home versus 12.5 away) and averaged more than 110 additional yards on offense.
In the aforementioned loss at North Carolina, redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Brown was sacked nine times, a reminder that protection must improve against a Cal defense that has recorded at least one sack in 22 straight games. In large part to the disappointing outing against the Tar Heels, head coach Frank Reich said the bye week was anything but a vacation.
“It’s a bye week, but it’s Big Game, and we’re in preparation mode,” Reich said. “We reduced the physical work but kept the same focus and intensity, shorter but intense practices, tightening things up schematically and getting guys healthy and fresh so we come in fully ready this week.”
He added that he “felt it Sunday” when the team returned from North Carolina. “In our team meeting, in practice, in the building, you can feel the excitement and the spirit around this game,” Reich said.
With all the hype surrounding Big Game, this will be a tough test for the inexperienced Brown, who will be starting just his second game of the season. Senior tight end Sam Roush will be central to helping Brown settle in. Roush leads all ACC tight ends in receiving yards (458) and is two catches shy of the league lead for tight ends, ranking in the top 10 nationally in both categories.
“He did a great job last week,” Roush said of Brown. “We were running the ball well, and in the second half our offense started to show some flashes, and we’re going to carry that over this week. Elijah has been doing great, and obviously we’ve got a great offensive system as well.”
Roush believes a year of development behind former quarterback Ashton Daniels and redshirt senior Ben Gulbranson has paid off for the young quarterback.
“Sometimes quarterbacks are forced to start their freshman year, and that can be hard on them,” Roush said. “Him having a year to develop was great, just being able to learn, and now he’s able to come into his own.”
Around Brown, the Cardinal will lean on their most reliable playmakers. Senior wide receiver CJ Williams ranks among the ACC leaders in catches and yards and has posted four 100-yard games, the first Stanford player to do so since 2018. In the backfield, sophomore Micah Ford and redshirt freshman Cole Tabb give Stanford two backs over 400 yards, something the program has not seen since 2010.
Across the line of scrimmage, Stanford’s defense faces one of the nation’s most productive freshman passers. True freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of his first 10 college games and ranks among the ACC’s leaders in passing yards and completions. He is joined by running back Kendrick Raphael, who has 12 total touchdowns, and wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, whose 73 catches rank near the top of the conference.
“With all due respect, I’m not going to try to pronounce his name,” Reich joked of Sagapolutele. “I’ll tell you what, he’s fun to watch on tape. He can get the ball all over the field… when he finds that rhythm, he’s dangerous. It’s a good test for our defense. We do a good job, I think, in disguise and mixing things up — that’s going to be critically important. We need to be effective on first down, get them behind the sticks as much as we can and play ball from there.”
Redshirt junior cornerback Collin Wright echoed that challenge of facing Sagapolutele.
“He’s very talented, very accurate and makes all the right reads,” Wright said. “We just have to do a good job trying to confuse him. Obviously, he’s a young quarterback and we have to use that to our advantage.”
De Jesus, Wright added, poses another major threat on Cal’s offense.
“He’s fast, very shifty. They love to give him the ball,” Wright said. “Communication for us is going to be a huge thing, knowing where he is and trying to limit all those explosive plays.”
Statistically, Stanford’s defense has taken steps forward under coordinator Andy Thompson, allowing 407.7 yards and 29.7 points per game — both on pace to be the program’s best marks in several seasons — and just 123.7 rushing yards per game, its lowest clip since 2013. For Wright, the key is physicality.
“We have to be physical,” he said. “As much as we can do our job and really try to make those guys super uncomfortable while they’re running routes or trying to block us, that’s truly the key. We just have to be the more physical team.”
Beyond schemes and stats, this Big Game carries an emotional weight for Stanford’s veterans. Cal has won every year since Wright and Roush arrived on campus, and these two season-long team captains are starving for a win over Berkeley.
“We haven’t been able to get it done since I’ve been here, and I think everybody is very clear what this game means to us and to everybody that’s played here before,” Wright said. “What better year to do it than now? Records obviously don’t matter. All the outside noise doesn’t matter. What’s going to matter is what we do in between the white lines.”
Roush called Saturday his “last crack at it.”
“The last three years, two of them were our game and we kind of let that go, so that sticks with me,” he said. “This is the biggest game of the year for me and for the team.”
Reich, in his first Big Game as Stanford’s head coach, said players are well aware of the “dry spell” against Cal.
“Sure, that’s motivation, and it’s big motivation,” he said. “But that motivation has to lead to enhanced preparation. You just can’t turn that emotion on Saturday and expect to get what you want. The increased motivation has to come into play during the week, when we’re in meetings, when we’re on the practice field and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Oddsmakers have installed Cal as a slight road favorite, but after a week of self-scouting, healing and scheming, Stanford believes that a strong home track record, an emerging young quarterback and a physical defense give it a real chance to flip the script — and to finally bring the Axe back to Palo Alto.
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Stanford reacts to Nancy Pelosi’s retirement from CongressAfter the former Speaker announced her retirement, Stanford faculty and students reflected on her legislative accomplishments and legacy as one of the most influential women in American politics.
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Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), two-time Speaker of the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in the position, announced on Nov. 6 that she would not run for reelection to Congress in 2026, capping off a nearly four-decade-long career in politics.
In light of her retirement, Stanford faculty and students highlighted Pelosi’s congressional successes and her role as a pioneering woman in American politics.
Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco in Congress since 1987, led House Democrats from 2003 to 2023 under four presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Defining her two speakerships were the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare) under Obama and two impeachments of Trump. In 2007, Pelosi became the first female speaker and the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history until Kamala Harris was elected vice president.
In 2023, she announced that she would retire as House Democratic leader and was succeeded by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), but she has continued to serve in Congress with the title of speaker emerita.
As of Nov. 17, two Democrats have announced they will run to succeed her: State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-Calif.) and Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Ava Acevedo ’26, the president of Stanford Women in Politics, said she considers Pelosi a “tremendous trailblazer” and role model both as a woman in politics and as a legislative leader who has remained faithful to her principles.
“I think that many women interested in the political sphere are sometimes intimidated to an extent by a space that wasn’t really built for us,” Acevedo said. “She carries herself so unapologetically, with such confidence and sticking true to her values, in a way that is very inspirational to myself and other women in just showing what is possible.”
Adrianna Zhang ’26 M.A. ’26 described Pelosi as someone who has “opened the door behind her to let people in,” emphasizing her role in recruiting female candidates to run for Congress in 2006 and 2018. Zhang added that by not shying away from her role as both speaker and a mother, Pelosi has demonstrated herself to be both “the strong leader of a household and a country.”
Zhang, a San Francisco resident and an Assembly District Delegate for the California Democratic Party, also said she believes that Pelosi has remained committed to her district, despite her national profile.
“Pelosi is thinking about how policies can help the United States as a whole but especially uplift the place she represents,” Zhang said, citing Pelosi’s presence at local events and the funding she earmarked for the city.
According to public policy professor and former Democratic California state legislator Joe Nation, when Pelosi was first elected to Congress, “not very many people took her seriously.” However, he said that she “surprised” people with her focus on “getting stuff done” over the prestige of any political title or office.
Hoover Senior Fellow and political science professor David Brady said that speakers should not be evaluated based on their policies, but rather by “the coalition they had to deal with” to pass legislation and the specific political context they faced. In particular, he explained her key role in the passage of the ACA in 2010.
Brady noted that when Pelosi was first elected speaker, she navigated Democrats’ ideological diversity to prevent hurting the Democratic Party’s popularity ahead of the 2008 presidential election. One such example, Brady said, was her refusal to support an impeachment effort against Bush.
He added that Pelosi helped ensure the passage of the ACA after Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, forcing the House to approve the Senate-passed version as-is. “Irrespective of whether you like the policy or not, she’s been a very effective speaker,” he said.
Nation also highlighted Pelosi’s political acumen in pushing the ACA through the House. “I don’t know if it would’ve happened without her,” he said. “I don’t think anyone would call her a policy wonk, but she is a political wonk. She knew how to get stuff done and still does.”
According to Brady, Pelosi has also been a “formidable fundraiser,” which he considers one of a speaker and party leader’s most important roles. Both he and Zhang said that Pelosi played a major role in the passage of Proposition 50, which California voters approved on Election Day this year.
Nation said that when Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced the proposal in August, “there was real doubt about whether it was going to pass,” but Pelosi’s immediate support for the measure catalyzed fundraising and support for the campaign. “I think she was instrumental in terms of… seizing the opportunity and then getting the money behind it to make it happen,” he said.
Even with Pelosi’s pending departure from elected office, both Zhang and Nation expect her to continue to play a leading role in Democratic politics.
“She’s left a great foundation for whoever comes next to be able to thrive, but I’m sure there are still plenty of people knocking on her door to ask for advice and understand the direction of where the Democratic Party should go,” Zhang said.
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StanfordNext project devises long-term campus growth initiativeThe University is in the early stages of developing campus growth projects in order to meet future demands including housing, research space and transportation.
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While specific details are still being formulated, Stanford is in the process of devising StanfordNext, its long-term plan to grow the Stanford campus. The University’s plan is anticipated to include more student and workforce housing, the gradual addition of academic and research space, transportation and infrastructure improvements and expanded community access to campus spaces and events.
“The University is finding pathways for how to increase the undergraduate class while preserving its educational quality and culture,” Whitney McNair, Stanford senior associate vice president and StanfordNext project executive, said.
In order to engage stakeholders, Stanford is focused on convening the StanfordNext Advisory Council (SNAC). SNAC is a multidisciplinary group made up of 22 community leaders — including Palo Alto Mayor Ed Lauing, Palo Alto Unified School District Trustee Alison Kamhi, policy director for Green Foothills Alice Kaufman, Silicon Valley@Home Executive Director Regina Celestin Williams and Alta Housing CEO Randy Tsuda — tasked with coordinating the early stages of the growth process in order to bring a broad range of local perspectives together to advise the StanfordNext plan.
“There’s a great deal of engagement happening externally to hear from our neighbors, to hear from county stakeholders, to hear from surrounding jurisdictions about what their concerns and what their hopes are for this process,” Jessica von Borck, executive director of land use planning, said.
Stanford is currently guided by the 2000 general use permit (GUP) regarding its use and development of the land, but is nearing the plan’s allocation limit of 2,035,000 net square feet for new academic space.
The University initially submitted an application to the County in 2016 but withdrew it in 2019 after protracted disagreements with the County surrounding development rules for campus growth.
Stanford plans to submit a new GUP application to Santa Clara County by mid-2026, following which, the County would begin an environmental review process and a public hearing process.
The new StanfordNext plan aims to focus on a better-defined vision and scope, strong alignment with local goals, and early and consistent stakeholder engagement.
“Our community engagement doesn’t stop when we submit the application. It really does continue throughout this process,” Joel Berman, director of land and local policy communications, said.
SNAC is organizing a series of open houses, the first ones to be held on Dec. 10 and 13 in Palo Alto, in order to start conversations, answer questions and obtain community feedback for the growth project.
Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated the last general use permit (GUP) application was submitted in 2019. The Daily regrets this error.
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PolarisingThis cartoon is too cool for school.
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The cathedral and the bazaar: Why Bay Area startup ‘Big Game’ is its true geniusGupta argues that Stanford and Berkeley aren't just rivals on the football field, but also in the startup scene, both with startup accelerators that attract global talent.
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In the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley startups, the Bay Area boasts a rivalry that echoes the roar of the “Big Game” between Cal and Stanford. This contest, however, is not fought on a gridiron; it is waged in pitch decks, demo days and venture capital offices. The main event? The clash between two of the most powerful startup accelerators on earth: Stanford’s StartX and Berkeley’s SkyDeck.
But to truly understand this Bay Area rivalry, we need a better framework. We find one in Eric S. Raymond’s 1997 essay, “The Cathedral and the Bazaar.” In it, he described two opposing models of creation. The “Cathedral” is a closed, top-down model, where a small, exclusive group builds a perfect, polished product in isolation. The “Bazaar” is a chaotic, open-source model, where development is public, merchants organize themselves, and it can get messy.
The “Cathedral” here is Stanford, with its incubator StartX: an independent non-profit that has developed an equity-free community with a remarkable 92% 10-year survival rate for its ventures, focused on teams made up of Stanford students exclusively. The “Bazaar” you find at Berkeley, with Skydeck, an equity-based, public-private partnership open to any founder globally.
Let’s start with Stanford. The “Cathedral” ethos is reflected everywhere. You can see it in its student clubs, like the Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES), one of the “most established student-run entrepreneurship organizations in the world.” The institutional spine runs through the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the d.school for rapid prototyping and creative practice and the Graduate School of Business’s (GSB) Startup Garage for hands-on venture design. Stanford’s a place where a quarter of faculty have participated in startup activity, with the administration allowing them to take leave to join startups.
The campus is adjacent to Sand Hill Road, the Vatican of venture capital. VCs and angel investors are active pilgrims to campus, scouting Stanford events and classes for the next unicorn. You can see it at Stanford Venture Studio’s Demo Day, where the GSB spotlights graduate founders for alumni, investors and fellow students; during the event, the founders present their ventures and make specific “asks” of the audience, such as introductions and mentorship. This sense of abundance is reinforced by Stanford’s tight, interlinked alumni network. Its graduates return again and again to support new founders, passing along opportunities, mentorship and capital in a shared tradition of paying it forward, including via Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs Silicon Valley.
The results are impressive. StartX’s companies by themselves have $120B+ aggregate valuation, with 144 $100M+ companies and counting. 15 years ago, two Stanford professors found that Stanford had generated nearly three trillion dollars in annual world revenue, creating 5.1 million jobs since the 1930s.
Now, in the blue and gold corner stands a different beast: Berkeley’s SkyDeck is the “Bazaar,” powered by a global public mission — a dedicated venture fund invests $200,000 for approximately 7.5% equity for each of its startups, and it returns 50% of its profits back to campus. It’s not a closed community; it’s a bustling marketplace open to the global community — Cal affiliation or not — that results in a brutal 1-2% acceptance rate that filters for the best ideas, whether they’re from Berkeley or Berlin. Despite two-thirds of SkyDeck’s cohort founded outside the U.S., Cal now rivals Stanford in founder counts. And the scale is staggering: 850+ investors at their Demo Day, 900+ advisors and more than $2 billion raised by SkyDeck alumni. Feeding those pipelines are campus engines like the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET), which teaches Cal’s methods of entrepreneurship.
Unlike the stone-arched campus that sits along Sand Hill Road, the “Bazaar” had to build its own banks. Berkeley entrepreneurs historically had to work harder for funding from South Bay VCs who did not want to brave the trek. While that has changed, the campus has also cleared this hurdle by creating dedicated, alumni-driven funds. The most prominent is “The House Fund,” which focuses on Berkeley startups and has backed over 100 startups and produced 7 unicorns, alongside Berkeley Angel Network that connects Cal founders with alumni investors. Like a bazaar, the Cal startup ecosystem is a marketplace built by its own merchants.
That translates to the DNA of its students. Student clubs, like Entrepreneurs @ Berkeley (E@B), have launched over 60 startups with 6 acceptances to SkyDeck (a 10x improved acceptance rate). It sits in a campus pipeline that includes Free Ventures (student-run, equity-free accelerator) and Haas programs like LAUNCH (also equity free) that pull in undergrads and grads across campus.
So which model “wins”? That question misses the mark. Raymond provides us nearly the perfect lens for the Bay Area’s two-part innovation engine — but we come away with a crucial caveat. Raymond’s original thesis argued that the open “Bazaar” would inevitably out-compete the closed “Cathedral.” The evidence here shows no such thing. Instead, we get two launching pads that are both succeeding powerfully. The Bay Area’s unique genius isn’t that one model is winning; it is having this wonderful coexistence in fierce, symbiotic competition.
If you are an entrepreneurially curious student reading this, the playbook for Saturday is not mysterious. Pick a room. For Stanford: go to a BASES kickoff, sit in on ETL, get feedback at Stanford Venture Studio and apply to StartX when the problem and team are real. For Berkeley: show up at an E@B build night, meet navigators at the Entrepreneurship Hub, talk to SCET about challenge labs and throw your hat in for SkyDeck when you can show demand or a prototype that wants to be a product. On both campuses, talk to alumni early. Ask for one conversation, not a check. Then earn the next one.
The Axe will end up with one campus on Saturday, but the pursuit of ideas belongs to both. In the end, the rivalry is a shared creation too, part of a Bay Area scene the world admires from afar and struggles to replicate.
Utsav Gupta is pursuing a master’s of liberal arts at Stanford. A former patent litigator turned Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he now works on AI and spatial computing.
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