California Tech v. 124:6, April 12, 2021

The California Tech VoL. CXXIV No. 6 PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2021 TECH@CALTECH.EDU CAMPUS REOPENING PLANNED FOR FALL SNIGDHA SAHA | CURRENT EVENTS LA County", and thus the "close contact between con-stituents" allows for a tighter enforcement of COVID Most Caltech undergraduates remember March 11, 2020 as a turning point in their academic careers: It was the beginning of a remote learning model that has spanned 4 academic terms to this day, and it put on hold a year of countless on-campus traditions and activities that many had taken for granted. After nearly a year of Zooms and Discord voice calls, the question naturally arises: "When will we back on campus?". While many undergraduates long for a return to cam-pus, the freshmen simply desire to officially begin their Caltech journey as they had desired. So far, the answer to this question comes every term in the form of an email, indicating that the pandemic is nowhere near an end and signalling yet another remote quarter. The reaction to this answer has been quite varied within the Caltech community; while many students have been able to adjust to the online setting, quite a few have voiced concern and discomfort with the current situation. In fact, in December, several parents wrote a letter to President Rosenbaum, Provost Tirrell, outlining how the "fully remote model does not adequately replace an in-person one", leading to many students feeling "distraught" and "considering deferring or transferring". While it is not clear how or where the authors of the letter collected their data, there is a strong urge for Caltech to "invite all students back to campus for the spring quarter" since other institutions of higher education have "safely brought and retained students on these campuses". As a concluding action item, these parents urged the Caltech administration to organize a Zoom Town Hall to address their con-cerns. With regards to the comparison to other schools across the country and even in LA County, there is quite a unique situation for Caltech. As can be found on the Academic Year 2020-21 FAQ, Caltech has their "own local health authority in the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD)" and are thus "restricted by the health orders and restrictions implemented by PPHD and not by the Los Angeles County Health Department (LACHD)". On that note, in January the Pasadena Public Health Officer Dr. Ying-Ying Goh expressed that it will be difficult for any college to reopen while the county is in the purple tier, and colleges that are reopening under the current restrictions are "violating the order" and will thus be "ineligible for a lot of government fund-ing". In addition to the horrifying conditions in LA County, Pasadena also houses a slightly older population and thus higher at risk for COVID-19. Plus, since Pasadena is "70x smaller in population compared to restrictions. Dr. Goh also confirmed that Caltech has been setting up mechanisms to bring students back. but anytime "20 year olds come together, there happens to be a surge among 60 year olds", and thus the risk to the community overpowers the need to reopen. However, Dr. Goh emphasizes that with a low enough case rate, protective measures, and vaccines for the older professors and staff, and then students, this risk might be able to be combatted. Thus, the only thing we can do as a community is follow orders and hope that the pandemic takes a better route soon. Caltech administration did indeed host a virtual town hall on January 25th, 2021. The main points of discussion were a return to campus, vaccinations, academic planning, commencement, SURFS, and student life and mental health. Many of these topics correlate to the issues raised by the parents in the aforementioned letter. There were mentions of a potential hybrid model if approved by the PPHD, and students can expect a decision by mid-February. The administration shared optimism for a return to campus in fall term, and thus a resumption of normal Caltech life, including lab work, in-person classes, and campus tra-ditions. Interestingly, the vaccine is not yet a predetermined requirement for a return to campus. However, as of January 28th, Caltech is an approved communi-ty-based provider of the COVID-19 vaccine and thus this may change. Interestingly, there are a handful of undergraduates and several graduate students on campus cur-rently, but only for the purpose of research. Despite the pandemic and its numerous difficulties, research continues either virtually or, to a limited amount, in-person. Geoffrey Pomraning (Ricketts '23) lived in Marks last term and he describes it as a "capital S Surreal experience", due to "the empty Olive walk and the quiet houses". Alex Hong (Blacker '23) is currently on campus researching "synthesizing nickel catalysts that copolymerize polar and nonpolar monomers to make high molecular weight olefins with polar side groups". She says that "living on campus is extremely isolating" and that campus is constantly "either barren or scattered with people walking their dogs or their children", with her only in-person interaction being with her lab mentor. It is evident that campus is now only a skeleton of what it used to be under normal circumstances. On February 18th, the Caltech authorities informed all individuals of the Spring Term decision. Much like the last two terms, Spring will also be virtual and public health officials in the area did not approve the requests to have a limited number of in-person classes. However, the email still contained optimism for a re- Fleming's canon might be firing soon! Credit: Canon.vs.nikon under Creative Commons turn to "in-person instruction and residential living in the fall". As we prepare for yet another eleven weeks of Zoom classes and virtual friendships, this optimism seems to provide a glimmer of hope for the future. As vaccinations rise and test positivity declines. Caltech is indeed optimistically looking at an in-per-son fall term. At the March 24 town hall, Caltech administration announced new plans to slowly prepare campus for fall. In the current term (Spring 2021), while classes remain remote, undergraduates living in Pasadena will have access to certain facilities on cam-pus. In summer, there are plans to have a few SURFs and WAVEs in-person, with various restrictions. Fi-nally, in fall, Caltech hopes to bring all students back to campus. While graduation remains remote in June, administration is also planning for a celebration in the fall meant for all individuals from the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021. Thus, President Rosenbaum and his team are certainly preparing for a "normal" fall. While it is not a guarantee, it does help us believe that the end is in sight. The fact remains that many other universities have welcomed students back on campus (although in limited amounts) for Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 - but to varying levels of success. While some colleges such as UC Berkeley have seen surges of cases in their under-graduates, others such as UC San Diego have been able to successfully maintain a low case rate. On the other hand, Stanford University cancelled their plans of being freshmen and sophomores back on campus for winter quarter a mere two days prior to the beginning of term, owing to a spike of cases on the Santa Clara campus. However, most universities are continuing to practice online instruction as much as possible even with students living on campus. It is quite clear that the Caltech administration is trying to find a way to bring students back, but the decision ultimately lies with the pandemic and its state in the larger community of Pasadena and LA County. VACCINES VS. VARIANTS ADITEE PRABHUTENDOLKAR | CURRENT EVENTS It seems almost ironic that just as pharmaceutical companies received approval for their COVID-19 vaccines, new variants of the virus found their way into the country. The vaccines that are currently being released were manufactured and tested in consideration of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, which originated in Wuhan and quickly made its way throughout the world. Since the pandemic began, the virus mutated many times, but most of these variants weren't as ideal for survival as the original strain and thus died out quickly. The main reason why there are so many mutated versions is the sheer number of people that have been infected by the virus globally--the more the virus spreads person to person, the more chances it has to make a mistake in DNA replication. Given how many times the virus has mutated in transmis-sion, as pure probability would have it, there are now two more dangerous and aggressive strains for us to worry about. The B.1.351 strain originated in South Africa and was first observed in the U.S. in December 2020. The B.1.1.7 strain originated in the U.K. and was first observed in the U.S. in January 2021. As of right now, B.1.1.7 is the most common variant in the U.S. It has a higher rate of transmission than the original strain, especially in those who haven't built up immunity yet (either through previous infection or vaccina-tion). The question naturally arises: are the vaccines effective against the variants? So far, Pfizer and Modern have proven effective against B.1.1.7, but less effective against B.1.351. The B.1.351 and potential other variants seem to be pharmaceutical companies' primary concern. Of course, many vaccines are still being tested against these new strains, so information is likely to be updated in the near future The companies that are primarily distributing vaccines in the U.S.--Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson--are updating their vaccines and beginning the process of clinical trials in light of the situation. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are considering providing an extra dose as a booster against these new variants. It almost goes without saying, but scientists from the CDC are still strongly encouraging everyone to get vaccinated once they are able to, but it's important that we don't treat vaccines as cure-alls. Vaccines will certainly provide some immunity and highly likely protect us from the original strain, but (given the new variants and the possibility of more) taking precautions is still necessary. INSIDE THIS ISSUE CALTECH ...2 SCIENCE … ...2 CANDIDATE STATEMENTS.. 3-5 MINUTES ..6-9 HuMOr ..10 TECH@CALTECH.EDU | CURRENT EvENTs | APRIL 12, 2021 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] | CurreNt eveNTs [REDACTED] THE TIME CAPSULE THAT ORBITS EARTH: MOON DIRT MAY HOLD THE HISTORY OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM ISABEL SWAFFORD | SCIENCE A village of lunar scientists may be the key to solving the mysteries of our solar system according to the claims of a recent astrobiology paper. In their November 2020 Royal Society publication, Ian Craw-ford, professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck College, University of London, writes that "the Moon itself can be viewed as a giant 'telescope' which has been observing and recording astrophysical processes ever since it first developed a solid surface some 4.5 billion years ago." Like a time capsule, our neighbor in the night sky has been slowly collecting little mementos from the life of our Sun, and soon we will be able to open it and peer back in time. For billions of years, this lunar 'telescope' has been capturing tiny particles produced by high-energy events like solar winds, cosmic rays, and supernovae ejecta, to name a few. Our Sun generates both low-en-ergy and high-energy particles in its bursts of radia-tion, and these particles emanate throughout our solar system. Earth's magnetic field prevents many of the damaging particles from reaching us, but the Moon isn't so fortunate. Somewhere between 4.2 and 3.6 billion years ago, the Moon had a magnetic field of a strength comparable to that of Earth's. It declined over the following 2 billion years, reaching its near-zero point of today approximately 1 billion years ago. Its present lack of a magnetic field is unfortunate for any lunar aliens, but is extremely fortunate for our lunar telescope. Just as how Earth's magnetic field prevents radiation from reaching the surface, the Moon's missing magnetic field allows all radiation to reach its surface and become embedded within the terrain. This radiation can include electrons, protons, alpha particles, and cosmogenic nuclides, or rare particles only produced by high-energy radiation such as cosmic rays. Particles striking the lunar landscape not only get stuck in the regolith, or Moon dirt, but can also physically change its properties. These particles are able to deplete the abundances of different elements such as sodium and potassium in the surface regolith. The severity of this depletion or the depth of the particles in the regolith can tell us about the strengths of different kinds of radiation over time, and thus about the life of our Sun. Serving as the chief emitter of radiation in our solar system, the Sun is constantly spewing radiation into space. The strengths and types of radiation that the Sun has produced throughout its life are signatures of different stages in the Sun's evolution. It is widely believed that stars go through significant changes in their life cycles, but much of the evidence is inferred through observations of stars at different points along their timelines, since this timeline can stretch over billions of years. By studying the abundances of particles in the lunar regolith, and their relative ages, we can more definitively piece together the evolution of our Sun and other similar stars across the galaxy. Investigations of lunar samples already returned from missions like Apollo have confirmed the existence of these distinctive particles in the surface rego-lith, and now it is only a means of studying these samples in more depth. Accessing this lunar 'telescope' is no small task though, and is why Crawford asserts that a 'Moon village' is the obvious step forward in lunar studies. Although robotic missions have successfully collected and analyzed soil samples at sites like the Martian surface, a rover can impart limitations to a mission. A permanent or semi-permanent Moon base would cause an immense increase in the capabilities of scientific infrastructure, overcoming the limitations of cramming a few science instruments onto a rover. Lunar astronauts would also be able to drill to great depths for regolith samples and quickly make 'game-time' calls as to where best collect a diversity of samples, unlike a rover which can require hours and hours of re-planning and re-transmitting. A diversity of sample collection sites is also essential to understanding the global trends of solar radiation over time, and sending a rover over the entire surface could be difficult and inefficient, whereas a team of astronauts could cover more area in less time. With NASA astronauts planning to return to the Moon in a matter of years with the Artemis mission, we may be closer to a Moon village than science fiction suggests. THE CALIFORNIA TECH | CANDIDATE STATEMENTS | APRIL 12, 2021 2021 SPRING ELECTION CANDIDATE STATEMENTS (PAGE 1 OF 3) INTERHOUSE COMMITTEE CHAIR (2 CANDIDATES) Kaden Taylor Culture: Emphasize the conservation of house traditions and culture, and their importance to un- Safety: Develop response protocols with administrators and Caltech Security which properly I accepted this nomination as a joke. Please don't vote for me. Instead, gaze upon this picture of high school me dabbing in a mattress suit with a Burger King crown on, so I can remind you, dear Techer, to get some rest. Katherine Chang Hello everyone! My name is Katherine, and I am sophomore in Lloyd and Avery. In the case that you don't have the time to read through my entire state-ment, I've briefly summarized my objectives as In- • Culture: Emphasize the conservation of house traditions and culture, and their importance to undergraduate life. • Funding: Protect the autonomy of house dues and establish a clear system for obtain- • Rotation: Moderate between houses and administration to promote house desires and streamline the hopefully in-person Ro-tation, as well as continue promoting the importance greater house input in the Rotation • Safety: Develop response protocols with administrators and Caltech Security which properly prioritize student safety. • Housing: undergraduate house desires regarding housing while still meeting health codes for public safety. • Mental Health Support: Support the PA program to better meet the specific needs of each house and expand general accessibility to mental health support training. • Communication: Continue to increase and reiterate the importance of direct accessibility of undergraduates to administrators, as well as strongly promote transparency in all administrative actions pertaining to the To begin, I am running to be IHC Chair to protect the House system that we know and love. The Houses have been such critical foundations of undergraduate culture for many years, so I found the pause of student life from the pandemic and the corresponding loss of over a year of lived-in experience to be devastating. In response, I am running in an effort to conserve the facets of undergraduate culture that we love throughout my term and beyond. I aim to make sure that the desires and motivations of houses are understood by administration without unnecessary antagonization, and thus promote a productive environment where solutions in favor of the students and houses can be reached. This coming year will be a daunting process to reconstruct student life at Caltech after the collective trauma of the pandemic, and I am ready to champion student interests throughout this entire undertaking. House traditions are part of what makes Caltech Undergraduate culture so special, so I intend to thoroughly communicate with administration the significance of specific house traditions and what parts of student culture would be lost if they were to be redacted completely. I hope to work with administration to increase transparency around all possible liability issues can arise so that houses will know exactly what to work around in order to continue putting on house traditions and minimize having events rejected by the Event Registration Commit-tee. By emphasizing the importance of house traditions to administration and acknowledging specific issues which cause events to be redacted, I believe we are fully capable of reaching agreements with administration that prioritize student and house in- Funding: Protect the autonomy of house dues and establish a clear system for obtaining endowment funding. The ability of Houses to control their own funding is especially important in giving houses the freedom to be self-governed and put on house events without administrative threat of withholding fund-ing, so I will ensure that houses retain autonomy of their dues - for this next term and terms beyond. It is crucial that house dues do not become centralized within Caltech, so you have my promise I will do whatever I can on behalf of houses to keep it that way. Additionally, a lot of houses relied on Tom Mannion to hold traditional house events and Tom's budget cut over this past year will be a significant barrier to the continuation of such events in the near future. In response, I aim to negotiate with administration to formulate a way for those events to receive the funding and resources needed so they can happen by continuing to communicate the significance of those events to improving student life. Finally, the current process for obtaining funding from the endowment is very unorganized - each house has a different process, contradictory information is being told to different people, etc. - and thus confusing to get. I aim to work with the Investment Office to centralizing the process for getting endowment funding across all houses in order to clarify and minimize future confusion about the procedure for getting this funding. Rotation: Moderate between houses and administration to promote house desires and streamline the hopefully in-person Rotation, as well as continue promoting the importance greater house input in the Rotation algorithm. With the event of Rotation hopefully concurring with a return to campus, I aim to continue refining rotation experience for prefrosh and upperclassmen by continually gathering student feedback and communicating house desires to administration, throughout the planning and actual event of Rota-tion. I can't project how the world will look by then, but whatever the situation, I will endeavor to make Rotation run as smooth as possibly by improving the communication between administration, secu-rity, and house leadership, especially making sure the expectations of everyone involved are clear to all parties. I will advocate against redacting his-tory-rich events all the while keeping student and general public safety a priority. Logistically, I will continue the efforts of the previous IHC in increasing house input on the final allocation of the rotation algorithm. In particular, I will strongly advocate for house presidents to be present while the algorithm is being run, and to implement the additional house list suggestion from the previous IHC so that there will be a more optimized fit between prefrosh and houses. Finally, I will work with administration to allow current frosh to experience rotation event in person, and with house leadership to relax house membership guidelines for those who may want to join after experience an in-person rotation. The return to campus will be quite an eventful situation, and since this would the first time in over a year in which students are back on campus, things will inevitably get wild. Additionally, even prior to the pandemic, there was already a genera distrust of administrators and security to properly deal with things in a manner that prioritizes student wellbe-ing. Thus, I aim to develop through plans that are event-specific with administrators logistically and security on ground for properly de-escalating and addressing situations in a way which emphasizes student safety. By continually gathering and communicating student feedback to administrators and security, I believe we can work towards building trust and preventing students from feeling unsup- Housing: Advance undergraduate and house desires regarding housing while still meeting health Especially in recent years, the issue of housing and room picks has been strictly regulated by ad-ministration, so I aim promote house interests by communicating the motivations behind student desires to have room allocated certain ways. Similarly, I will seek out and clearly communicate to the houses reasoning behind administrative decisions in order to best negotiate a solution with administration that follows safety guidelines while still promoting house interests as best we can. Mental Health Support: Support the PA program to better meet the specific needs of each house and expand general accessibility to mental health Caltech is a very high-stress environment, and the occurrence of the pandemic and period of subsequent online learning and isolation has only made things more difficult to get help. At the moment, the PA program does not fully meet the specific mental health needs of houses, so I aim to support working with house PAs and Student Wellness Services to better improve the program by working to identify house needs and communicate them as needed Additionally, I will advocate for expanding accessibility to mental health support training. Cur-rently, the PA program limits the number of people who can be trained per year by housing situation, so I aim to work with house leadership, Student Wellness Services, and administrators to develop a solution that allows for more people to receive training on mental health support, and for those who are trained to be given clear expectations of how best to support their specific house. Communication: Continue to increase and reiterate the importance of direct accessibility of undergraduates to administrators, as well as strongly promote transparency in all administrative actions pertaining to the student body. I aim to prioritize better communication between houses and administrators by personally assuring pertinent information is regularly being disclosed, as well as continue the work of the previous IHC in developing avenues of direct student access to ad-ministrators. By improving on the opportunities for the student body to directly interact with relevant administrators, greater communication and transparency can be achieved. In this way, I believe we will be able reach agreements in favor of student interests more often. Ultimately, my goals as IHC chair are to coerce administration into agreeing to decisions which are in favor of the students and house interests, and I have high hopes this is attainable through better communication and understanding of motivations to benefit the student body In closing, thank you for spending your precious time to read my statement! If you have any ques-tions, feel free to message me on Facebook messenger or email me kchang5@caltech.edu. TECH@CALTECH.EDU | CANDIDATE STATEMENTS | APRIL 12, 2021 2021 SPRING ELECTION CANDIDATE STATEMENTS (PAGE 2 OF 3) BOARD OF CONTROL CHAIR (1 CANDIDATE) Timothy Yao A large part of what makes Caltech special is its honor code. It provides an environment where students can feel comfortable collaborating with one another, and thus enhances our ability to learn with and from our peers. It is an integral part of academic life at Caltech. Through the dutiful participation of students, the Board of Control plays a significant role in upholding the Caltech honor code - a vital part of maintaining the collaborative atmosphere. As BoC Secretary this past year and BoC rep the year before, I have gained thorough experience regarding the proceedings of the BoC, and have undertaken the key responsibilities of the BoC. As BoC Chair, I will continue to actively help uphold one of the very special things about Caltech and work as a liaison between students, faculty, and the administration to continue to promote academic collaboration in our community. Feel free to contact me via email (tayao@caltech. edu) with any questions. BOARD OF CONTROL SECRETARY (2 CANDIDATES) David Melisso Trust is important in any scientific community, and at an educational institution, it allows for learning to be more effective and efficient. The student body's respect for the Honor Code separates Caltech from other similar universities. However, these ethics are not prioritized as heavily outside of Caltech. Luckily, if someone is convicted of an Honor Code violation, the Board of Control has the opportunity to give the respondent an educational approach. This allows the student to learn from the experience instead of simply being punished. This process enables students to learn about one of the most important things they will As BoC Secretary, I will continue to uphold the Honor Code. As I have done on the 10 cases I have sat and the 3 cases I have secretaried so far, I will protect the community while being fair to those accused of committing a violation. I will advocate to the deans and to the rest of the BoC leadership to further advertise and bring awareness to "as-sistants,"-a BoC representative, who can help you through your case. This resource is afforded to all those who are responding to a case, and makes the BoC process more fair to those involved. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at dmelisso@caltech.edu. learn about at Caltech: integrity. Jolly Patro "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech Community". The Honor Code is the guiding principle that we all uphold ourselves too - it lets us collaborate on sets, take exams from home without proctoring, leave our laptop in our house lounges, and so much more. In order for the community to do these things, there has to be a deep sense of trust within each other. The Board of Con-trol, plays a strong role in protecting the community to make sure that we maintain the deep trust between each other. I'm Jolly, and I have been currently serving as an Interim BoC Secretary. Previously I was a BoC Representative and have gained experience over the past year. As a member of the Board of Control, I have sat 11 cases and secretaried 3 cases. With these experiences, I have gotten to understand how the Board of Control works from both the representative and leadership perspective. The BoC Secretary, in my mind, should be someone who is dedicated to upholding the trust in the community and understands and is experienced in BoC processes. I ensure you that if elected, I will work with that goal and that with my prior experience I have learned about how the BoC works. Feel free to reach out to me by email (patro@ caltech.edu) or message me if you want to ask my anything or have any questions about the BoC. Thanks for reading my statement! CONDUCT REVIEW COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR (1 CANDIDATE) Winter Pearson One of my favorite features of Caltech is the Honor Code, because I believe it's essential to the way that students support each other. It is one of the most compelling things that I have had the chance to be a part of, and I am always excited for every opportunity to help it flourish. I was elected as a BoC rep during my frosh year, and since then have had the opportunity to sit a large variety of cases. I have found this enormously fulfilling, and I hope to make even more of an impact going forwards. I would like to serve as the CRC Co-Chair because I love both the Honor Code and the possibilities for its further improvement. I believe it's an important step to transparently formalize CRC procedures in a way more similar to the BoC. More generally, I aim to make the CRC less removed from students. The CRC, like the Honor Code that inspires it, will always work best when it works with the students. I'm excited for the possibilities for where we go next! If you have any questions, please ask me them at winter @caltech.edu. Thank you! Candidate statements continued on next page THE CALIFORNIA TECH | CANDIDATE STATEMENTS | APRIL 12, 2021 2021 SPRING ELECTION CANDIDATE STATEMENTS (PAGE 3 OF 3) TECH EDITOR (13 CANDIDATE TEAMS) Devin Chotzen-Hartzell, Daniel Contaldi, Aditee Prabhutendolkar Dear Members of ASCIT, As the current editor-in-chief, business manag-er, and a reporter for The California Tech, it has been our pleasure to write and edit articles this past year. We are proud of what we've accomplished despite having to transition to remote operations as a newspaper, and we would like the opportunity to continue our efforts to produce quality journalism that has an impact on the Caltech community. Since this school year was entirely online for the first time, we adapted the format of our newspaper accordingly. We have switched from distributing physical copies to publishing our issues online and building a social media presence. This year, we have continued reporting on a variety of topics, including how students have academically adjusted to online school, the construction of new research buildings, and how integral aspects of student life--such as rotation--had to be hosted vir-tually. We've also closely covered the hot debates on "campus," such as the renaming committee and diversity in undergraduate and graduate admissions. When we report on campus issues, we always make sure to interview students, professors, and faculty members to get their input and perspectives. We've also conducted polls on our Instagram page to gauge student opinions on recent developments. Our goal has always been to provide a window into the Caltech community's diverse perspectives, and once we return to campus, we hope that the fierce independence, passion, and activity of the student body will once again manifest in full force. Next year, we plan to have a bigger presence on campus, which will be much easier once we go back in person. We dearly miss publishing physical cop-ies, especially because distributing memes in PDF format only goes so far. Our other plans for next year include having more faculty profiles and columns on student advice. We can't wait to be there on the ground to document the transition back to being in-person and all that will entail, the inter-houses, the traditions, and all the moments that make being on campus special. Kenny Thai and Kaden Taylor In the event that I (Kenny) for some reason actually get elected as Tech Editor and make no attempt to fulfill the campaign promises I make in my candidate statements, I am leaving this candidate statement as a failsafe on the public record. My candidate statements for this election were not intended to be read as serious promises, and that I do not intend to fulfill the vast majority of them. I don't intend to do much of anything if elected, and this should be taken into account while voting. That statement is being made to prevent myself from getting into trouble relating to violating the honor code by making false promises, but as we all know, politicians are by design never held accountable for their failures anyways, especially in the "real world", so this shouldn't be a major issue. While in theory a decision against me from the Conduct Review Committee could lead to my removal from my position, I believe this will be wildly un-likely, especially given the existence of this state-ment. This leaves only me ceasing to be a Caltech student during my term (which is unlikely) and the ASCIT recall option. From the ASCIT bylaws, ARTICLE VIII--RECALL SECTION 1. Any elected officer may be recalled in a special election. A special election shall be held upon presentation of a petition bearing the signatures of twenty percent (20%) of those eligible to vote for the office or by request of the Review Com-mittee. Signatures will be valid only if the petition was signed not more than seven days before it was submitted to the Board. On the question of whether or not the officer shall be recalled, an affirmative vote from two-thirds (2/3) of the voters shall suffice to remove him from that office; otherwise they shall continue. With the petition bearing 20% of eligible signatures being wildly unlikely, especially in [current year], the last remaining way for me to be removed from office would be the two-thirds vote for my removal during an election requested by RevComm. While there is a real possibility that RevComm will initiate this vote, I would guess reaching the two-thirds threshold for removing a candidate that was fairly elected under the agreed upon system is very unlikely as long as those elected haven't done something horribly repulsive. I mean, our current editorial staff are operating in violation of the ASCIT bylaws that were loosened just for us that dictate we must publish monthly, and we still don't have a story out for an over year-old event, the removal of the fireplaces in the South Houses. If that's not enough to remove us, I highly doubt that mere inaction will be. However, we've grown as a newspaper since we started publishing online. We now have active social media accounts and a real web presence, and we're going to continue to have an online presence going forward. We've taken remote learning as an opportunity to reflect on the Tech's role in the campus community, and it is our hope that you'll give us the chance to continue the work we've been doing. We appreciate your support. So I feel that I should once again raise the question, why is Tech Editor an elected position? If I'm elected this figurehead position, there is a good chance that we would be left with a position that is effectively empty (as I mentioned in another one of my candidate statements), but not much will change. The only special perk of the job is the ability to send emails to ug-list, a perk that I don't even have at the moment despite my current status as Tech Editor (as you could probably tell from the email I couldn't send out myself on April 1st as Tech Editor). I'm not going to suddenly remove Devin's access to the Tech's website that he created himself, nor am I going to order that the production of the paper halt entirely... but according to the job description in the ASCIT bylaws, I probably could. Isn't the existence of that possibility to begin with a little concerning? (And if you think that would be what finally leads to a two-thirds vote in a special election.. I personally have my doubts.) The title of Tech Editor hasn't held much weight for a long time. Half of our currently elected Tech Editors play little to no active roles in contributing to the publication. One of the most influential students behind the paper this past year, Alejandro, wasn't even elected. In fact, I ran for Tech Editor with him last year and we lost to the team of Mole Frosh, but this hasn't stopped him from being in the Tech Editor group chat or calling some shots in the editors' room back when we were in person. This kind of practice is by no means new to the Tech; precedent goes back to at least a few years ago, with a RevComm forwarded statement by a previous "anyone could be a Tech editor and join anytime." At the moment, I feel that the drawbacks of Tech Editor being an elected position outweigh its bene-fits. Once a year, there is an opportunity for someone new to be elected, for the old style guides to be thrown out, and for the old guard to be relieved of any and all responsibility to help with the publica-tion. Just about anyone to run without any prior ex-perience, and the editors' selection is at the whims of people that aren't always going to be voting with the best interests of the publication in mind. Not ideal. So of course, I'm going the incorrect frivolous route of running for the position twelve times and posting my manifesto as a candidate statement with someone else's name attached rather than coming up with an alternative way to run the publication, maintain accountability to the publication schedule, prevent abuses of power, and proposing an amendment to the ASCIT bylaws. I mean, I wouldn't want these twelve candidate statements to just become a huge waste of time, now would I? let's supress the voters! Editor's Note: The eleven other joke) candidate statements were included in the previous issue and will not be reprinted here. The California Tech EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Devin Hartzell PAGE EDITOR Ankita Nandi | Kenny Thai COpy EDITORs Devin Hartzell STAFF WrITERS Bridget Yang | Suchitra Dara Snigdha Saha | Isabel Swafford Aditee Prabhutendolkar BUSINESS MANAGER Daniel Contaldi ADVISOR Richard Kipling The California Tech aims to publish biweekly except during vacation and examination periods by the Associated Students of the California Institute of echnolory. luc lue oblors exoressed Jerem ar strictly those of the authors and advertisers. Letters and submissions are welcome; e-mail submissions to tech @caltecn.edu as plain-text attachments, includ ing the author's name, by Friday of the week before publication. The Tech does accept anonymous contributions under special circumstances. The editors reserve the right to edit and abridge all submission. for any reason. All written work remains property of its author. The advertising deadline is 3 PM on Sat-urdav: all advertising should be submitted electroni cally or as camera ready art, but The Tech can also do simple typesetting and arrangement. All advertising Inquiries shoula de alrected to the business manage at tech@caltech.edu. ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MEE OR ANY 24,8021 ¡wa, Katherine Chan Call to Order: 7:05 pm President's Report (Yuying): Staff appreciation award logistic: Marsh funding Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (Megan): SURF deadline update V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti): Frosh have houses Algorithm logistics Working on getting 3rd term house dues Director of Operations (absent): Nothing to report Treasurer (Eilleen): Funding for pairs of houses to run events January 2021 expenditures summary Budget posted to Donut Social Manager (Ayooluwa): Social events logistics osh committee send survey for frosh ever cret Snowman funds reconcil Secretary (Katherine): Nothing to report. If anyone has any questions or concerns about a section of the minutes please email the appropriate officer. We are happy to answer any questions. Meeting Adjourned: 7:19pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR JANUARY 31, 2021. TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG. Officers Present: Yuying Lin, Kriti Devansenapa-thy, Megan Wang, Aditi Venkatesh, Eilleen Zhang, Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Katherine Chang Guests: Tom Mannion Call to Order: 7:34 pm President's Report (Yuying): MHF fund progress Staff Appreciation Awards logistics ficer's Report P. of Academic Affairs (Megan Student-Faculty lunches logistics URF deadline extended to 3/1 rosh option video seri V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti): IHC transition dates Mousin plans at ACro anim legarin Rotation algorithm updates irector of Operations (Aditi) tarting club funding round Treasurer (Eilleen): Proposal for cross-House event funding Centralized club instructions on Donut Social Manager (Ayooluwa): ASCIT concert logistics rosh events logisti rents with Tom logisti TECH@CALTECH.EDU | MINUTEs | APRIL 12,2021 Secretary (Katherine) ISCIT newsletter and club announcement change Guests: Tom: cream event with houses (except Blacker, Ri s, Flemir vent last Friday with Ruddock successfu Jouse social organizers contact Tom to organiz events rani cent for "Ill met you there" directed by Mars/SpaceX event with Elon Musk ip Thorne movie events (Interstella enior movie events (Pixar, Parasit Study break on pi day Senior class clarifications President's Report (Yuying): MHF funding reque: Vorking with Social Director and Tom on conce Restarted SFL ssembling SFC special committee Maz course concern Voring there As from frosh about options Meeting Adjourned: 8:34 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 7, 2021. TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG. Officers Present: Yuying Lin, Eilleen Zhang, Ayooli wa Odemuyiwa, Katherine Chans Guests: Tom Mannion Call to Order: 7:40 pm President's Report (Yuying): MHF fund pending Concert funding concerns Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report Director of eration ase: Treasurer (Eilleen): ASCIT January spending summary Joint-house event funding Social Manager (Ayooluwa): Concert planning logistics Valentine's event logistics Secretary (Katherine): Nothing to report Guests: Tom: Tenet movie event next friday with Kip Thorne Mars/SpaceX event "I'll meet you there" (Iram Bilal) event tomorrow night Vertec platform If anyone has any questions or concerns about : section of the minutes please email the appropriat officer. We are happy to answer any questions. Meeting Adjourned: 8:02 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING- VPSA INUTES FOR FEBRUARY 10, 20: KEN BY KATHERINE CHAI Guests: Kristin Weyman, Kevin Gilmartin, Tom Mannion Call to Order: 12:04 pm Treasurer (Eilleen): Cross-house event funding Romasement for clubs, Rotation, donuts, Secret Social Manager (Ayooluwa): ASCIT concert logistics Valentine's day event (movie + grubhul More grubhub/movie events to com lars landing event (working with Tol rosh Committee frosh-only even Guests: Tom: Mars landing event details Vertec platform Kevin: Spring term plans to come If anyone has any questions or concerns about: section of the minutes please email the appropriat officer. We are happy to answer any questions Meeting Adjourned: 12:17 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES 1INUTES FOR FEBRUARY 14, 202 AKEN BY KATHERINE CHAN ficers Present: Yuying Lin, Eilleen Zhang, Ayoc | Odemuyiwa, Katherine Cha Call to Order: 7:35 pm resident's Report (Yuying HF Proposal drafte Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report XsP.ing o reacademic Afairs absent): Director of prations absen): easurer (Eillee ard reconciliations progr or had event mements Social Manager (Ayooluwa): ASCIT Concert logistics Reconciliations for Secret Snowman rasmo is aelled hecause link not working, but Kip Thorne movie event Frosta lanh wit poesclassman event in March Secretar garine) Meeting Adjourned: 7:47 pr ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 21, 2021. TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG. Officers Present: Yuying Lin, Kriti Devansenapa-thy, Megan Wang, Aditi Venkatesh, Eilleen Zhang, Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Katherine Chang Guests: Tom Mannion, Prof. George Djorgovski, Santiago Lombeyda, Ari Rosner, Andrew Chan Call to Order: 7:36 pm President's Report (Yuying): MHF proposal submitted Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (Megan): SFC special committees updates Option Video on FAQs logistics V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti): IHC and PFEx panel logistics RA Appreciation Week plans Director of Operations (Aditi): Club Funding round 2 interviews done, set budget Request for wider circulation from the Tech Treasurer (Eilleen): Reimbursed clubs, Houses, and donuts Club funding round 2 excess funds ideas Social Manager (Ayooluwa): Valentine's movie event error Finished Secret Snowman reconciliations Lunch with upperclassmen event logistics ASCIT concert offer updates Secretary (Katherine): Nothing to report Guests: George: Caltech virtual world (VIRTECH) overview ASCIT to advertise platform Andrew: Second life demo Santiago: Virtual island logistics pantact Santiago or George for question about Tom: Concert administrative logistics If anyone has any questions or concerns about a section of the minutes please email the appropriate officer. We are happy to answer any questions. Meeting Adjourned: 8:16 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2021 TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG Bie Present ying in, ali, Ven karestine Chang Guests: Antonio Caceres, Maggie Sui, Alex Call to Order: 7:34 pm President's Report (Yuying): Worked with Ayooluwa on ASCIT concert logistic: Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (absent): Option FAQ Video V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report Director of Operations (Aditi): Finished Club Funding round 2 AAPI statement cosigning logistics and announcement THE CALIFORNIA TECH | MINUTEs | APRIL 12, 2021 Treasurer (Eilleen); Club funding leftover logistics Social Manager (Ayooluwa): Schech with an Upperclassman matches + Grubhub Game Night event for Frosh next weekend ACCo or dos ments signed, waiting to hear Secretary (Katherine): Donut ASCIT document updates in progress Guests: Antonio: Me evereruling regarding resolution amend-Maggie: 2/28 Revcomm ruling logistics Request ent appray ros emendment to clarify fanyone has any questions or concerns about ection of the minutes please email the approprial officer. We are happy to answer any questions. Meeting Adjourned: 7:58 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR MARCH 7, 2021. TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG. ficers Present: Yuying Lin, Megan Wang, Eille ang, Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Katherine Cha Guests: Tom Mannion Call to Order: 7:50 pm President's Report (Yuying): Finalized election timeline BOC, CRC, IHC, and Tech Editor elections: signup: 3/29-4/2, voting 4/12 Sacrilet asings 4/5 9, voting 4/19 aw amendment (specify the procedure for B solution amendments, and change gender pronouns to neutral pronouns) voting Officer's Reports: V.P. of Academic Affairs (Megan): Nothing to report V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report Director of Operations (absent): ASCIT accounts renewal Treasurer (Eilleen): Individual reimbursements for food-related ASCIT events in process ASCIT Canva subscription for IG posts Midnight Donuts happening finals weel ASCIT Game Night was successful Secretary (Katherine): Caltech Community Mentors program update: ASCIT document updates anyone has any questions or concerns abou ction of the minutes please email the appropri officer. We are happy to answer any questions Meeting Adjourned: 8:11 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR MARCH 8, 2021 TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG Officers Present: Yuying Lin, Kriti Devansenapa-thy, Megan Wang, Aditi Venkatesh, Eilleen Zhang Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Katherine Chang Guests: Tom Mannion, Kristin Weyman, Kevin Gilmartin Call to Order: 12:03 pm President's Report (Yuying): Election timeline finalized B/2-C/2, To, Tech Editor elections: sign ups ASCIT BOD elections: sign ups 4/5-9, voting 4/19 law amendments to be proposed: 1) clarificati o procedure for amendmendments to BoD res lutions (particularly regarding positions), and 2) change gendered pronouns to neutral pronouns Officer's Reports V.P. of Academic Affairs (Megan) V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti): PFEx upcoming plans: expanding PFEx activities All house leadership will have transitioned by 4/10 Treasurer (Eilleen): Worked on reimbursements for clubs jocial Manager (Ayooluwa) alities movie event: Grubhub credit, delaye lassman in their majo ASCIT Game Night successful secretary repatherine): Guests: Kevin: Felter eil e the point person for Student Faculty summertem pi leadership are working hard on Tom: cone with Academic Meeting Technologies for If anon of the any ques piens email ens apropriate officer. We are happy to answer any questions Meeting Adjourned: 12:16 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR JANUARY 3, 2020. TAKEN BY KATHERINE CHANG. fficers Present: Yuying Lin, Megan Wang, Adi Tenkatesh, Eilleen Zhang, Ayooluwa Odemuyiw Katherine Chang Call to Order: 7:34 pm Peinents See ey hanning with Socia Eylan em starent will be sent to ug for voting V.P. e's genie Afairs (Megan) SFC date changed to 4/2: V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report Director of operations (Adit): Treasurer (Eilleen): Wenked on individual reimbursements for Grubhub Will cal clubs about spending club funding which Social Manager (Ayooluwa): AS Cone astics (intro videos, student open- cretary (Katherine nut document updat If anyone has any questions or concerns about ¿ section of the minutes please email the appropriate thicer. We are happy to answer any question leeting Adjourned: 7:50 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES Call to Order: 7:34 pm President's Report (Yuying): taff appreciation awards form will sent this wee ylaw amendment logistic ..Or Remic Afairs (Megan): so mor spee /camill be on Symposium with live finch ARC funding requests for Student-faculty V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (absent): Nothing to report Directs or prations (absent): Working on club reimbursements er to previconto continue serving as ASCIT Treasur-Social Manager (Ayooluwa): ASCIT Concert completed Frosh virtual escape room logistics Secretary at erine Meeting Adjourned: 7:44 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES Officers Present: Yuying Lin, Kriti Devansenapathy Aditi Venkatesh, Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa, Katherin Chang Call to Order: 7:35 pm President's Report (Yuying): Staff Appreciation Awards nominations sent ou 3ylaw amendment logistic OR. er's Repomi Afairs (absent): Option discord advising event email will go out soon 7.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti) maders hi, week for new house Excomms 4/12-11 irector of Operations (Aditi igured out car club funding done with Treasur documentar eS) toria account (art house films and Treasurer (absent): TECH@CALTECH.EDU | MINUTEs | APRIL 12,2021 Nothing to report cial Manager (Ayooluwa ubhub for concert people arrang Frosh event escape room plans Secretary (Katherine): Count a dentors Pare partnership with ASCIT Newsletter survey will be sent this week Meeting Adjourned: 7:50 pm ASCIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES - VPSA Guests: Leslie Nye, Kevin Gilmartin, Tom Mannion Call to Order: 12:02 pm President's Report (Yuying): slaw ay on ent logistics; aditional bylaws sug-Stat Appeciation Awards nomination form sent, pris rising Discord event this weekend from SFC website created with option session descriptions and option schedule (site: https://sfc.sites caltech.edu/) V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (Kriti): Vorked with Felicia on organizing leadership wee or transition of House excomn Vill do more detailed transition with new IHC cha ndividually with Felicia late Asked house presidents to bump the house study groups Director of Operations (Aditi): using oil es and tey clubs of remaining Addressed miscellaneous club questions Treasurer (Eileen): Handled club reimbursements from past few weeks Wil ed and reminde spo dels to use up funding club funding Social Manager (Ayooluwa): comes hor rued, wentme: worked on giving ot planning too many new events before transitic ecretary (Katherine Tothing to repo Guests: Tom: Fel new A rBbaye also have a leadership week Met with senior class presidents on ditch day fund-Ditch day logistics Working on Lesley to craft letter about ditch day Congrats on the concert Kevin: Whapks Kriti, Tom, Felicia for planning leadership Meeting Adjourned: 12:15 pm ARC MEETING MINUTES MAN NO AN 16, 2021 F, updates/action items in the process of email- SURF deadline updates Institutional Review Board Rep SFC ARC Tip of the Week Start getting committes together for SPC James and maggie interested in Sci Writing Not liste concerns - prac is like anal, topics covered ARC MEETING MINUTES MAN NO NEE 30, 2021. esent: Megan, Mohini, Sophie, Anjini, Ha mes Chen, Nathan, Anna, Mag SURF Deadline Pushed Good feedback among frosh, upperclassmen CS people finding it more easily bio/wet lab hard bes profs are more hesitant Suggestion- more SFC Mental Health Committee - mohini assembling committee : Email being sent out (see SEP folder for who) Who else? SEC 10, phys 40/30? STEM spe-in age mean rope ope Freshmen Course Concerns Updates on Maib. Chib, Phib Handwriting issue? Rough screen protector Ma13? Not much info about it but Sophie asked about it Student-Faculty Lunches rots, some teents of walty: to students, o go on waitli 5 - 7 people/ prof (36-42 students) tion Buddies Event - program seems to ter for ad tei ind term better to find ways to start picking a op- • Nathan's idea • Short video series on options • I.e difference between phys and applied physics Send out survey to frosh • Videos for smaller majors Action items: SFC keep compiling Are youtube channel? Option advising things ARC MEETING MINUTES PreSop: Mean, Mohini, James C, James B, Anna Math 3 Previous version of course also had complaints Too theoretical Between lecture/ rec/ practice problems I toc nany hours What to do • CTLO? Not usually effective Ombuds will bring to him but not sure how waterec lown the message will be as it goes through Messages to bring to him: • Just because we can do it doesn't mean it isn't • OH moved around Not Tatod lery ing experience when we have to Meet with him next week Other suggestions • Have TAs take midterm • Drop set • Midterm not one day Action items: Make suggestions to PMA from mathia meeting Reach out to chib profs and see if it can be recorded Megan ask about p/f period for chemax Update flowchart for hums ARC MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2021 TAKEN BY MOHINI MIsRA. PRESENT: MEGAN, MOHINI, SOPHIE, ANNA, ANJINI, MAGGIE, ARUSHI, HANNAH HU, VIBHA, HALLE Update on Ma3 Concerns - sounds good, making changes, but we will see concrete changes starting the midterm/next set SFC Committees Scientific Writing - meeting next week, maggie interested Mental Health - still working on getting it together, profs aren't responsive Melany Hunt Math survey/bio E ha SFLs Review - went well, maybe more profs next time Option FAQs - send survey out to frosh for Nathan's video Survey with open-ended Meeting with Deans - Anjini, Sophie, Anna, Arushi Phys 1c anal-› people are confused if itll be pass fail Email Christy about it ARC Tip of the Week - catalog come out ARC MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 27, 2021 TAKEN: MOHINI MISRA Present: James B., James C., Mohini, Megan, Anna, Anjini, Nathan, Alex Option FAQ video topics Nathan made a breakdown of the survey statis-tics: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pjO- J_8s-Idgp-cIlip47FJ8GvUslvTkVBiGTwTio8M4/ edit In addition to test courses -> also put some profs (link department pages, research page), pizza class • Plug to MechE chair- pizza class needs to be less industry (or not, because maybe ppl drop because its not for them) Emphasize that the decision isn't set in stone Make test course page Also make page for common major/minor mixes (CS/BEM, MechE/CS) ARC Tip of the Week - registration Monday ARC MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR APRIL 3, 2021 TAKEN: MOHINI MISRA Present: Megan, Mohini, Anna, Alex, Adishree, Gabi, Halle, James B, James C THE CALIFORNIA TECH | MINUTEs | APRIL 12, 2021 Option advising event Saturday North houses 3-4 South houses 4-5 Ug discord Save text chat House reps push Option video series update Nathan will do, by end of week SLFS Week 6 Got list of profs, need to email SFC day overview House reps push website - Mohini will draft email ARC Tip of the Week SFC, add day REVCOMM MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AGENDA: ADDRESS FILED COMPLAINT (BELOW) Complaint must be in groups of no more than 2 people. is clearly a reaction to the fact some candidate teams ran last year as teams of more than 2 peo-ple. I agree there should be a limit, but 2 is too low, given that it looks like many of the current seniors voted for a team of 3 people over no. Anyway, here's my actual complaint: The Bylaws Article 4 section 5 say "''Resolutions concerning the formation of a committee or office shall require the approval of the Review Committee. '''Clearly, Resolution I creates the office of Senior Presidents. The bylaws do not explicitly say this but I believe it's implied that any amendments to Resolutions like Resolution I also require RevComm approval. (Otherwise, consider the following loophole: the BoD could pass any committee or office-creating resolution in a way ReComm approved and then immediately insert provisions RevComm would not agree to). I think ReComm should rule that amendments to BoD resolutions that concerns committees or offices require RevComm approval. ReComm should then discuss the BoD's amendment and vote on it and if they disagree with the 2 person limit, they should send it back to the BoD Call to order: 6:30 pm PST Present: Chair Mag-Rickets Representative Toussaint Pegues, Rud Ruddock Representative Tarini Singh, Dabney Representative Danny Wendt, Avery Representative Antonio Caceres, Lloyd Representative Emily Du Maggie: Reads filed complaint and asks for com-Varun: The complaint seems to be about more than the ASCIT office. It addresses whether Recomm should approve BoD amendments to solutions. Antonio: We should note that this resolution is not creating a new office. It's just changing the existing one. But there's nothing that addresses amending BOb resolutions in the bylaws. Varun and Danny agrees Danny: We should ask BoD to clarify whether amendments should be approved by Revcomm. Since there is nothing on amendments in the bylaws, we should effectively treat amendments to resolutions creating offices or committees with the same procedure as the resolutions themselves. Danny: Motion to rule complaint valid. Antonio seconded The motion is passed 6-0-0. Varun: The next question then is whether we approve this BoD resolution amendment that senior Class co-presidents must be in groups of no more than 2 people. Maggie: Yeah, let's discuss that. What are your thoughts? Varun: I think that unless there is a serious issue or bylaw violation, we should approve it. These resolutions are under the jurisdiction of the BoD, so I don't see how we can disapprove it unless there was some gross violation. Antonio: I agree it's mainly up to the BoD Maggie: To play devil's advocate, if it's under the BoD jurisdiction and we should approve it, then why do Bob resolutions need our approval in the first place. Is it just to check that there are no serious issues. Antonio: Hmmm, yeah I'm not sure. Should we be able to approve/reject amendments? It's not covered in bylaws. Reasonable amendments might not need our approval. Danny: The bylaws are not clear what it means to amend resolution. It doesn't explicitly say whether it's different or the same as passing new resolutions. We should amend the bylaws to clarify. How do we amend the bylaws? Varun: Student body has to get 200 signatures t propose it or Bob proposes 11 Danny: Easier if BoD is willing to propose a change. Maggie: Yeah, I'll ask them. Danny: Let's write a ruling that Revcomm recommends that BoD propose a change to the bylaws to clarify the procedure of amendments to BoD resolutions. Revcomm Ruling The Review Committee reviewed the complaint "The BoD amended Resolution I without requesting RevComm approval to add a provision that Candidates running for Senior Class co-presidents must be in groups of no more than 2 people.' ... The Bylaws Article 4 section 5 say 'Resolutions concerning the formation of a committee or office shall require the approval of the Review Committee. Clearly Resolution I creates the office of Senior Presidents The bylaws do not explicitly say this but I believe it's implied that any amendments to Resolutions like Resolution I also require RevComm approval... Revcomm ruled this complaint valid. In the absence of an amendment procedure in the bylaws for resolutions concerning the formation of a committee or office, Revcomm ruled that amendments should be treated as resolutions. Recomm thus requests that the BoD send Resolution 1 Section 4 to Recomm for approval. Furthermore, the Revcomm recommends that the BoD proposes an amendment to the bylaws to clarify the amendment procedure of BoD resolutions and specify whether amendments to resolutions concerning the formation of a committee or office require Revcomm approval. Danny: motion to pass ruling Varun: seconds The motion is passed 6-0-0. Varun: Should we also motion on the resolution in question regarding the senior class presidents amendment? Maggie: Yeah, let's settle that now too. We've already discussed it. Varun motions to approve changes to BoD resolution one Antonio: seconds The motion is passed 6-0-0. Meeting Adjourned 8:40 pm PST RECOMM MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AGENDA: DISCUSS ASCIT BOD TREASURER'S PETITION TO REMAIN TREASURER WHILE ON LEAVE Call to order: 6:00 pm PST Present (email): Chair Maggie Sui, Ruddock Representative Tarini Singh, Dabney Representative Danny Wendt, Blacker Representative Alex Hong, Lloyd Representative Emily Du, Ricketts Representative Toussaint Pegues To whom it may concern: My name is Eilleen Zhang, I'm currently the ASCIT Treasurer, and I'm writing this petition because I'd like to continue serving as ASCIT Treasurer while I take personal leave for the Spring 2021 term. Due to the virtual learning format of the spring term, I will still be able to effectively complete all my duties during the term. My plans for the spring term also wil not interfere with my responsibilities on ASCIT. In addition, because ASCIT elections and turnover will happen during the spring term anyway, it would be more efficient to wait until the new BoD is elected to train a new Treasurer. Thanks for your time, Eilleen Zhang Maggie: goes over petition Turnover will happen within half a term anyways, and it doesn't seem like they'll be any issues. Anyone else have any thoughts or concerns? Danny: Is this allowed in the bylaws? Maggie: Yeah. She just has to petition us. Danny: Oh, then I have no problems. Alex motions to allow Eillean to remain treasurer Danny seconded The motion is passed 5-0-0. Meeting Adjourned 6:30 pm PST TECH@CALTECH.EDU | HuMoR |ApRIL 12,2021 STILL NOT AN ABUSE OF POWER KENNY THAI | NOT AN ADVERTISMENT I WANT YOU TO TAKE MY JOB! "ANYONE COULD BE A TECH EDITOR AND JOIN ANYTIME." - REVCOMM PRECEDENT DWP! Write for the Tech! If for no other reason than giving me more flexibility when editing! oh god how did i get here i am not good at computer Edit for the Tech! I've been getting lonely... are you good at computer? join the tech!