California Tech v. 126:5, May 16, 2023

The California Tech PASADENA, CALIFORNIA VoL. CXXVI No.5 Unexpectedly High Admissions Yield Leaves Students Unhoused Next Fall graduates adu tuss day, May 2, ot er- had not picked into a fall room assignment received an email from the Housing Office: 'As vou may be aware, were notified we Admissions wout the larger incoming loss and the Institute has requested that we adjust the number of available suites in Bechtel. Students in suites that made the cutoff have been contacted and will pick into suites on Thursday afternoon. Any other groups will need to plan Lap-ply] to go into Marks and Braun doubles The number of suites avail-able, according to the Housing Office's website, had changed overnight from 8 in Bechtel and 2 in Marks to 5 in Bechtel and 4 in Marks (the total number of available beds decreased). "I planned based on the [original] rules of the lottery. And then between the second and third round of the lottery, they changed the rules,' Hannah Fisher (ME says '24, Un- affiliated). Fisher and her proposed suitemates were counting on the availability of one of those Bechtel suites in this final round of roompicks. Some of them had given up spots in their affiliated houses in favor of living in this suite with their friends. Now, they had very few options remaining The Housing Office did ex- tend the deadline for groups applying for suites or doubles Marks and Braun during the Final Unaffiliated Lottery. However, the new deadline was May 4 at noon - - less than 48 hours after the May 2 email was sent. Because of this abbreviated turnaround time, several students missed the deadline. Others opted not to waste their time throwing their hats in the ring, for bottom-of-the-barrel Marks/Braun rooms, reason- ing that by this point, their lottery numbers were too low to guarantee them any room at all. They instead chose to begin the long and intimidating process of finding off-campus housing. "It's very difficult, as someone who's never found housing before, and hasn't been given any instructions or advice from Caltech on how to do that,' Fisher told us. "It's taking a lot of my time that I would to be spending, you know, on Maxwell Montemayor | Campus Caltech's administrators of- fered little sympathy. "I met with Joe Bennethum, I met with Felicia Hunt, I met with Diamartine" Fishet said Gilmartin, I met with Kevin "Each time, I asked, 'What are you going to do to help me?' And they said nothing. "I'm not sure how to feel about the situation, " said Juan Luchsinger (ME Dabney). '25, Blacker/ "It seems like they just needed more space for the incoming class... I would pre- fer that they [the first-years] get Bechtel rooms/any housing The Institute evidently agrees that first-years should have priority for Bechtel rooms rather than Marks/Braun rooms, SO they presumably know as well as we do that the living conditions in Marks and Braun are less than ideal. The fact that even the forced-double rooms have become highly coveted is indicative of how dire the situation 1s. "I really don't want to live in Marks/Braun, says Max Oberg (ME '25, Blacker), one of the students affected by the surprise process changes. "All I've heard from people is how depressing those rooms are. It really breaks up house culture and separates students from the rest of campus." The Tech has received several conflicting reports on the current status O1 the Final Unaffiliated Lottery process; there is very little clarity from the Housing Office in general. What is obvious, though, is the dissatisfaction of the student body. "I'm surprised and disap- pointed that Caltech has made this policy in one of the tightest rental markets in the country, said Lily DeBell (Bi '24, Unaf-filiated). "When I enrolled at Caltech, living on campus all four years was not only guaranteed but required." Fisher brought this upwith the Housing Office, she was told that "the term 'resi-dential' does not mean housing. It means 'enrolled in school.' that the lottery rules were changed... I felt that it unfairly disadvantaged some Fisher concluded. "That is not in the spirit of the Code and contradicts the entire ethos of Caltech." my schoolwork or doing other A crowd of prefrosh and families watch with delight as their egg-drop creations are thrown off the roof of Caltech Hall. Credit: Lance Hayshida Discothèque: A Reflection Sascha Goldsmith | Student Life The numbers are in! We've got just over 270 committed freshmen in Caltech's Class of 2027. A number of factors went into building the structure of next year's incoming class, including a continuing Test-Op-tional policy, the newly implemented Restricted Early Action process to increase yield %, an exciting and in-person Caltech Up Close, as well as both Dis coTech and Caltech In A Day (CIAD) to lure admits to com-mit. This poses a number of hurdles for housing capacity, dining options, and lecture hall space for frosh core amongst others. But hey, as a member of the class of '25 with a similarly over-enrolled total of about 270, I'm not in the position to complain. "The undergrad classes are not getting bigger by any design or intention. Many more students unpredictably came than expected," Gilmartin as- sured us. "But as we struggle to manage this, will see that these are students that decided to come to Caltech more intentionally and more well informed. I hope when it comes to rotation, there will be more of a sense of excitement and engagement, " he added. significant number of Techers regard recruitment ef forts like DiscoTech with bit- terness, finding it painful to enrolled students, blind-sight-ed by promises of fun prank culture, fun-yet-challenging STEM classes, and plentiful research opportunities - only to be hit with the reality of a campus culture slowly being picked apart, a learning environment that burns out a significant portion of students within their first year, and general dissatisfaction reflected by student surveys. Those Techers may be relieved to know that coordinators of DiscoTech and Caltech In A Day made a clear emphasis on the strenuousness of the university. "Caltech is a special and specific college experience. Stu- dents are pushed to their limits to become the scientists they are meant to be. DiscoTech meant to showcase what Caltech is about to our admitted students, and help them determine if this is the kind of experience they're looking for. We want to make sure they make a clear and informed decision when accepting or declining their admission," said Nicholas Lee, Assistant Director of Admissions. This year's DiscoTech saw many new changes compared to last year's DiscoTech and previous pre-Covid years admit events. Admissions Officers (AOs) like Lee are now looking into refining those changes anc assessing where things landed. imagine these new admits arriving to campus in the fall as continued on page 2 TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2023 Proposed Solutions to the Housing Crisis Hannah Fisher and Lily DeBell | Satire The unprecedented high level of freshman enrollment has spurred a housing shortage on the Caltech campus We feel that this situation will deprive several students of the residential experience that is at the center of a Caltech education. Therefore, we propose the following locations as new options for undergraduate housing: Housing Office: : Isn't that the point of it? I need housing Houses Office on Hill Avenue: of Residential Experience (I'm in the market for a residential experience myself), the Music House (my house WILL be full of beautiful tunes), the Einstein Papers House (let me absorb his knowledge os-motically), Admissions House (admit me to affordable, close-to-campus housing, please) Center for Student Ser vices: the only service I need is to be provided housing... Caltech Hall (floors 2-8): does any singular person know what goes on in there? Dabney Hall of the Hu-manities: Dabney Hovse satellite campus, if you will. Broad Center for the Biological Sciences: They already house all those monkeys plus it's close to on-campus dining options. I can pay rent by participating in psychological experiments. Brown Gym: Who needs SimpliSafe, the new bronze Beaver can protect us! Resnick Sustainability Center Construction Site: Bechtel Residence 2.0? Call up the architect, it's not too late to change the plans Rooftops: Top-floor pent- house suite, anyone? President Thomas Rosenbaum III's F. House: A frequent topic at the Stu-dent-Faculty the Conference was lackluster undergraduate advising program. As a solu tion to this issue, any studen being forced to move off campus should be permitted to take up residence in the President's Caltech-ownec house. Don't misunderstand, we don't want to kick Rosenbaum out of housing (that would be just as bad as what happened to us), we simply propose creating some double-occupancy rooms and moving in with him! First Republic Bank Sale: Student Loses $2,400 syche Maxwell Montemayor | News INSIDE THIS IssUE.. I sold $2,500 worth of FRB shares, for 2 •... So we have a beaver statue now. $41, admits Cris- tian Ponce (BioE '25, Blacker). "I knew it was a risky invest-ment; it didn't work out." After a two-day-long bank Caltech Dining Scoop: I would Jul. Silicon Valley Bank faile berry much like some fruit! 3 on March 10 and was placec under federal control. High interest rates and the underperformance of tech stocks caused customers to lose confidence in 5 ... Esprit de corps — Be a Beaver! the bank, prompting a wave of withdrawals. The bank did no have enough money available to pay its depositors, so the bank failed World Fest 2023 8 Cristian Ponce reflects upon the loss of nearly his entire portfolio continued on page 2 2 Tuesday, May 16, 2023 First Republic from page 1 This collapse led to a panic that put other banks like Credit Suisse, Signature Bank, and First Republic at risk of their own bank runs, as they had similar clientele to Silicon Val-Bank. Before the failure of Sey on Verone the Sailure of First Republic Bank were valued at over $100 each. Ponce explained what he saw as he monitored First Republic's stock. "As a result of the Silicon Valley Bank news, there was a correction-the stock dropped from around $120 to maybe $30. Imagine about 75% of the market capitalization night, just disappearing"over- The other banks had similar movements, so there was a lot of money made on these dips in prices. However, having missed the window mished sell a tina to bet on stocks decreasing in value), Ponce had another idea. "Everybody was trying to bet on what banks would fail, and using puts as an instrument to I tried to bet on what bank would not fail," he said. He hoped that the bank run would not continue and stock vould jump back up once the government stepped in and ev. erything returned to normal This deflation in stock price is just caused by fear. And that fear will subside over time as the banking crisis gets further and further away, he says In regards to SVB, the Federal Reserve said on March 12 that "All depositors of this institution will be made whole, so it seemed the government was trying its best to support these banks Instead of studying for his final, Ponce carried tensive market research. On Thursday, March 16, after the initial bank run earlier in the week, he "called up a whole bunch of the branches... about He wanted to see if people were still withdrawing by asking how busy each branch was. With this, he could gauge if First Republic's stock had any hope of reverting back to "This was before my Bi8 fi-nal," he admitted. "I was ac- tively trading while taking the final, which is not the best time DiscoTech from page 1 Thomas A Day, (25 taking his Physics) Ph lecture, (Physics and general great match Noam on his host, meeting Financial officers, tours, "Caltech is hiding tons of cool science behind every one of its doors, and it definitely feels like a Dace wiere the intensity of the curriculum finally matches that of my desire to learn. On the other hand, while attending a lecture, I felt like an actual student, especially when my host's TA casually made note of the radioactive material next to me. The reality of moving across the country to a place with a radically different culture hit me pretty hard." Ethan Labelson (Blacker/ Dabney 26), a DiscoTech host, also had a positive experience despite sharing a "pretty tight" room with his protofrosh, recalling that his protofrosh and he had a common interest in Electrical Engineering. Label- son was an in Hovse active volunteer DiscoTech events, showing off projects and other Mole activities" to the visi- tors. Similar events were held across the North and South Houses and Avery to exemplify the personality of each house and community on campus. Nat Hernandez, a DiscoTech protofrosh, participated EcosySTEMs, in a fully funded program to fly in admits for DiscoTech. "It was overwhelming as far as the culture goes, she said, recalling her first impression of Caltech. "I thought students would have no social life because of work. I liked the campus the first time I visited but I didn't think it was the prettiest campus I had seen. Althougl I did come to love it over the four days. It really is for a very specific type of person. Over the course of her time visiting Caltech, Nat and other admits were taken to lectures" "mini with every depart- ment, attended planned lunch events, competed in an egg So We Have A Beaver Statue Now. Lilia Arrizabalaga | Culture Caltech is not a school well known for sport or school spir-it. Many undergraduate students have more pride in their House than their school, and it is much more common to see people in Blacker or Fleming shirts than it is to see them in the bright orange Caltech shirts. Most of the undergraduate population does not care about our sports teams. And yet, 25% of us are members of one. For such a large sporting population, Caltech has an incredibly low amount of school spirit. Caltech themselves have been trying to encourage more school spirit with new 'Orange Fridays", telling people to wear orange clothes on They even went as far as issuing "violations" students not wearing orange the Friday before Orange Out, the Caltech Athletics day with many home sporting events. Wearing orange is a very visible marker of school spirit, but it is still a rare sight on cam-pus. Caltech Athletics is trying a new solution to the school spirit problem. They installed a 4-foot-tall solid bronze statue of a beaver outside the Braun gym. The beaver is a surprisingly realistic depiction of a beaver gnawing on a stick. In addition to the new statue, on May 21st they will unveil a name for the mascot. Caltech's mascot, the beaver, currently does not have an official name. It does however have a Linkedin page which claims it is called 'Bucky Beaver" This name was not chosen in a democratic manner, so to try to remedy this error, a new name will be selected. The naming process has taken at least a month, first soliciting suggestions from all corners of campus. Then a naming committee met to filter through the 100 or so suggestions. The commit- tee narrowed the list down to 5 entries, selecting based on several criteria including starting with a B, being sci- ence based. and a name oun opponents couldn't make fun of. The 5 names selected were "Bernoulli" (Berni, for short), "Beta", "Bunsen", and "Buster" All of these names start with a B, so the first criterion at least is met. Bernoulli is science based and the shortened version feels familiar and is based and is it Beaver" themed and other entries. on May 21st. of ambiguous if said as easily be and The California Tech investment on a timed exam." He claims that the distractions cost him a letter grade on the final. The investment initially paid off well. "I opened a position at I think $25-26 a share, which was up the next day by about 30%, says Ponce. However, the stock plum- meted by 50% after its Q1 earnings call reported sub-pai performance, then dropped again from about $3.50 $0.33 to after the government sold it to JPMorgan Chase on May 3rd. "I should have closed [sold the position]." he says Ponce says he did not sell because "there were multiple outlets, and even First Re- public themselves saying they were not exploring a sale." He also cites how eleven of the biggest banks also came together to give First Republic a $30 billion cash infusion to help with the liquidity crisis. "So they y have $30 billion to help with their liquidity issue, right? This is like the ultimate show of confidence by these big banks, right? Ponce reports "My account his loss: 1S now worth $134. Three months ago, was worth $3,500." He says that it was experience, good learning though he does think "there's a lot of scrutiny around the circumstances that surrounded the buyout]." "I only have $100 in my ac-count, he says "Oh, well, I probably won't be trading for a while. drop contest, explored cam- pus, and went to Griffith Ob-servatory. Hernandez emphasized the tofrosh created together. highlight of my experience at DiscoTech was house dinner because I think sharing a meal as a community brings everyone together (as does throwing bread). I really insight into house life. got some Overall, the work that ad ministrators, academic de- partments, individual profes-sors, and current students put into making DiscoTech pos- sible was NoW, a definite success. we just have to wait 'til the fall to formally introduce ourselves to our new class-mates. Remember to pick up your T-shirts and merch from the Admissions Office if you volunteered! normally have the opportu- nity to do. According to Betsy Mitchell, the beaver statue was just the opportunity. Caltech worked with several in-house artists who worked on the design of the statue. Once the design was finalized, a mold was made, then finally the statue. In fact, because Caltech owns the model, this statue could be the first of many. The beaver statue seems, so far, to be a success. More people are talking about school spirit and our mascot than have ever heard before. Whether this will persist after the novelty wears off remains to be seen. Perhaps the beaver statue will become as iconic on campus as the Fleming cannon is. Perhaps it will be included in pranks or new tra-ditions. The beaver statue is an investment in school spirit by our anonymous benefactor, and only the future knows if it was worth the price. The California Tech Tuesday, May 16, 2023 3 Caltech Dining Scoop: I would berry much like some fruit! Trinity Lee | Column Fruit! Whether it's a refreshing dessert or a healthy snack, we all appreciate having it as an option to supplement our diet of Red Door sandwich- es and other Caltech Dining Services (CDS) fare. Even students who regularly cook their own food or dine out will often partake in open kitchen fruits for their daily dose of vitamin C or potassium. But are Caltech students satisfied with the array of fruit that CDS pro-vides? For those who may not be aware, CDS offers apples, or-anges, and bananas at most dining locations, such as open kitchens, Browne Dining Hall, Red Door Broad Marketplace, and Cafe. Students with a hankering for the elusive blueberry or strawberry can find them from 7:00-11:00 a.m. Broad Cafe on the Nutella Toast or at Browne on the French Toast at Grill. During the weekend brunch at Browne, berries are often served with waffles or pan-cakes, and sometimes the staff are willing to provide a cup of berries. Other fruits, like grapes, cantaloupe, ineapple, honeydew, are found in the assorted fruit tray, often seen in open kitchen or in cups Browne/Broad. Recently, CDS has also introduced bowls of seasonal fruit in open kitchens - this week's specialties were pears and peaches! However, some students have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of fruit pro-ided, such as unripe peache or bruised apples. The apple are often mealy or not sweet, complains Anna Li (EAS '23, Dabney). Several other stu- dents agreed that the apples were often "mid", but many re-orts expressed contentment vith the bananas and oranges Others, like Maddie Swint (ChE '23, Avery/Lloyd), find the assorted fruit cups problematic because "these fruits are a mix and force each person to get every fruit" which can lead to food waste. She also reports that some of the cups are left in the fridge long 15 minutes of open kitchen ev- enough to "begin to ferment ery morning - sadly prevent- and "taste a little funny". I ing the majority of the popu- can recall a few times last year lation that woke up after 7:15 when I received a fruit cup at a.m. from enjoying the berries. Browne or open kitchen only This was not the only in- to discover mold growing on stance of Techers squirreling the fruit at the bottom. away berries - there was also Eric Lee ('26, Avery) be- the "Great Berry lieves it's all a matter of tim- Scandal of 2019". Hayward Melton (EE ing. He often selects fruit cups G1) recalls the summer af- at Browne and is generally sat ter his freshman isfied with them. I usually ge when Browne Dining Hall had a there pretty early, so I active- self-serve waffle bar where you ly choose the ones that look could add berries to your waf- good." Timing seems to play a fles. As one might guess, stu- role with other fruits as well; dents would often take sometimes the fruit selection cups of berries without making a is better in the mornings and waffle, which prompted CDS sometimes fruit is only ripe for to send out an announcement the taking near the end of the week. asking students to only take the berries that they would eat Jaime Reyes, Director of on their waffle. Dining Services, assures that "It blew up so hard... the stu- CDS staff regularly check the dent outcry in support of the fruit in the kitchens and re- berries" was immediate; they place them as necessary. He vere outraged that they wer states, "We get a new produce not allowed to take berries a delivery every day, except for they pleased despite Sundays. (He and the Food for an expensive plan. Committee encourage you to Similar complaints report any clearly spoiled fruit still present today. Despite being CDS staff or to the Food required to pay for a ~$2.5k Committee feedback form.) The most common meal plan per term, it seems fruit that food variety and quali- request from students, espe- ty has remained at a reduced cially seniors who have ex- level since the pandemic, and perienced the glory days of some argue that the berries CDS, has been to bring back are the most obvious exam- the berries. For any confused ple of this. If the berries ever first-years reading this, before made a return, would Caltech the pandemic, CDS used to students restrain themselves provide berries in open kitch-from hoarding them? Would ens. In 2019-2020, "we had you? huge vats of berries in open It is clear that while students atchen every day There were appreciate some of the fruit wo vats that held probably already provided, they would Ibs of berries... each vat had a be very grateful for greater different berry (think raspber-variety. In ry, blackberry, strawberry, or interviewing for this article, I heard numerous blueberry) that would change out weekly," Maddie recalls pleas for cherries, watermel-on, plums, more pineapple, "After we returned to campus mangoes, grapefruit, and - of in 2021, the berries were com- course - more access to ber- pletely gone. Instead, Caltech res began providing the miscel- What do YOU think about laneous fruit cups we have in the fruit on campus? Are you open kitchen now." also a supporter of #bring- Part of the reason for dis-backtheberries? Contact your continuing the vats of berries, local FoodComm according to Jaime, was that represen- tative to let us know OR fill students would take cups and out the Feedback form bit.ly/ cups of berries within the first caltechfoodfeedback r :20% OFF, *COUPON MUST BE SURRENDERED AT TIME OF PURCHASE TWINKLE *PROMOTIONS AND DISCOUNTS CANNOT BE COMBINED TWINKLE TEA proud sponsor of Che California Tech 498 S LAKE AVE PASADENA CA 91101 (626)-460-8084 Caltech Dining Services May 19, 2019 • C Crepe bar at Open Kitchen today! #caltech #dining CDS's pre-pandemic berry game went HARD. The entire school would turn feral if this happened today! Review: Arturo's Taco Truck Joseph Kim | Food Where do you when you're hungry and it 52 am en a Friday? Well, if you ask me, it's Arturo's taco truck. A bit over a mile away in a parking lot near Huntington Hospita Arturo's Taco Truck is an unofficial Pasadena staple. I've been going there almost every week for my fourth meal whenever I'm pulling late nights. Their meats are just as good as any other taco place I've been to and their tortillas are top-notch. That said, they've had a couple of changes over the past year, getting a Hew truck, changing the burrito guy, and getting new side op; tions (beans, radishes, grilled onions, and chilies). Neverthe-less, they are hands-down the best place open late in Pasade-na. If you go there, be sure to tell Kevin I sent you. What's good? You can't go wrong with tacos, LA's spe-cialty, but everything is good pastor, pollo, or buche (pork stomach!) if you're feeling ex-periment-y. Personally, I like the al pastor burrito with some guacamole and hot salsa. Anc don't forget to get the grilled onions and chilies on the side! What's not? CASH ONLY! What are they, Europeans? Where? 400 Fair Oaks Ave Run a mile west and you'll get there. Vibe? Chill food vibes. Nice parking truck pending on the lot. De- nour, Cyuu might catch healthcare workers coming off work down the road, post-party crowds, even an impromptu bagpipe performance. How much? $2.50 for a taco. $9.75 for a burrito. Normal taco truck pricing (for Cal-ifornia). Notes? Get the grilled on ions for the tacos. Also, prices include taxes! Maybe they are European. here; go for carne asada, a. The floodlights on Arturo's roof serve as a beacon for hungry college students. 4 Tuesday, May 16, 2023 Art & Photography Spotlight The California Tech "San Diego" by Abraham Belayneh "Curvature" by Abraham Belayneh "Tree Arch" by Cristian Ponce "What I-Dreamed About" by Alicia Zhang "Devin Elle Kurtz. Study" by Anya Mischel "White Sands" by Cristian Ponce "Purple Sun' by Juan Renteria The California Tech Tuesday, May 16, 2023 5 The Admin Corner Esprit de corps — Be a Beaver! Betsy Mitchell Column cheering for ourselves, no one rallying point for school pride these are ways in which we that makes the community bet- "Esprit de corps" literally else is cheering for us, figura-and thus school spirit. To say take strength from unity and translated means a feeling of tively or literally! In the end the least, that was not what I synergy from a common expe- ter. The honor code, renaming buildings, all the positive esprit des corps demands that pride or a common loyalty. found upon arrival. Now...... rience, whatever that experi- traditions that are a Caltec This phase interpreted into in order to get that support, is a different story! ence is. (athletics, residences, hallmarks, wearing orange or an educational setting means you also must participate and For the 25% of undergradu- ubs, lab groups, etc) Pride going to any event to suppo something more common give support! ate students, and a few grads n community means to sup- your classmates. Lifting ea When and simple. It is school spir- I arrived on cam- other up not tearing anyone it! From its battlefield roots. ous 12 years ago this spring down is the essence. So, wear a rallying cry, a ra lying cry, they are lie thought myself fortunate to have the opportunity to work lly depending on each other in this unique and awesome contributing to their team, another Caltech hallmark, also support each other, take pride n a life and death situation environment. I looked forward representing the Institute in connotes strength in num- in our collective accomplish ments, work toward The camaraderie, sup-and teamwork solutions to our chal- ure critical to attain- ang the goa a a ain 3 RAUN ATHLETIC CENTER lenges in a constructive way. Be the best version of yourself! arly, college students This spring we are ely on each other fol engaged in an awesome emotional support, ac- community ademic collaboration activity building around our and develop camara- mascot, the Beaver! derie going through As you may be aware, a challenging large bronze sculpture experi- ence at a challenging of Beaver arrived time of life. There are at the Braun Athlet- many currents of es- Center last week. If prit des corps running you haven't seen through the Caltech it, you should really community, classes, check it out! Perched lab groups, residences, proudly in front of th clubs, friends Braun Center, protect and more. ing its Lodge, contem- We are united in the plating its next Dam coulou values project. We claim our pressed by unique size mascot as nature's en- and STEM star power, gineer, persistent, myriad of student gritty, smart, influenc- traditions, laborative our col- er, who shapes their spirit and own path and envi- unity of community ronment (DAM), and around common pur- is loyal to their fami pose. There is an ex- ly, friends, and living tension of the concept group (kit, colony) their of esprit des corps into LODGE There the athletic realm; all of are many unique and our academic competi- awesome characteris- tors and partners are tics of the Beaver and awash in their unique long ago it was a good lute as We are nee choice to be our mas- If school spirit is not cot. All students and for you, or you find it faculty were sent a poll silly, adolescent, frivo- to participate in nam- lous and unnecessary ing the Mascot, for- so be it, no amount of mally, as all previous Orange items in the references are casual, Caltech Store will float informal or of happen- your boat. However, If stance. We will have a you are proud of your- name reveal ceremony selves, your school on Sunday May 21 at and what we stand for, 12noon at the Athlet- shout it out, be loud, ic Center, I hope you be proud and be posi- come and participate! tive. Either position is 1 encourage you to be OK, to each their own, proud of your but perhaps you can and by school extension of reconsider? yourself. This commu- tend to take a nity is a wonderfully middle course. See, diverse and unique think that positive one Full of strong school spirit helps ev- minds. personalities eryone. Being proud (and bodies) that are of your community, always made even bet- your school, our cam- ter through collabo- pus, your friends and ration and pulling to- classmates helps gether... like the Beaver eryone, starting with making a Lodge (or a each one of us, indi- Dam) vidually. Feeling as if Betsy Caltech Mitchell, community has • Director your of your back, supports you and Athletics Physical values your contributions, to my task of breathing new competition is something that bers, producing our best work Education and Recreation is whatever they may be, that is life into our athletic, physical I am very proud of for them. or thought collaboration a two time Olympic swim- integral to the collaboration I education and recreational Just as with every student with each other. Wearing our with and see all around us. The notion programs. I couldn't imag- here, a person's identity and mer silver common school colors creates medals (1984 and 88), she of positive school spirit is re- better place to show chosen passions are import- pride, ally a collective confidence value and support for the im-ant to support in their overall WEAR and confidence. (We multi-time Division ORANGE FRI- National Champion for the in our mission and activities portance of play, exercise and educational translates into an expression movement. When I arrived, experience. The DAYS!) Taking support from University of Texas at Aus- concept of school spirit is one knowing that others are shar- tin, she is a former of confidence in ourselves. It the school spirit vibe on cam- closely aligned with athletics, ing your experience and can world and American record holder. pus was at be lukewarm and but by no means exclusive to offer support when you might self, and others, up and that is at worst, cynical, sarcastic and athletics. I see it as a broad- need it Cheering After her swimming takes great strength to lift one- career, for your she took up competitive row- the power of collaboration and self-deprecating. Not a drop er brush and reflection of the classmates at a sporting event; ing for fun and represented support. (And for sure, there of Orange anywhere! At many is no room to be knowingly of the other rigorous, selective community. Positive school spirit is most supporting their self-identi- the US in the women's dou- ty in being an athlete (or in a ble sculls in the 1994 World colleges and universities, large knocking anyone else down, simply, being proud of your-musical, or giving community Rowing Championships. or making them feel less.) One or small, and even in most selves and your community. service). http://www.betsymitchell.us thing is for sure, if we aren't high schools, often athletics There are manifestations of The concept of school pride serve as a 'front porch' or a that pride and confidence; and spirit includes anything 6 Tuesday, May 16, 2023 The California Tech Check out ASCIT's Hot New BoD - Election Results and Appointments ASCIT Board of Directors President Gabi Twombly ARC Chair Alex Burr IHC Chair Sophie Elam Director of Operations Ankita Nandi Treasurer Jonathan Booker Social Director Snigdha Saha Secretary Ava Barbano IHC Food Chair (Foodcomm chair): Kenadi Waymire Stewardship Chair (Stewcomm chair): Nachiket Bhanushali IHC Athletic Manager (IHC AthMan): Andrew Wang Review Committee Chair (Revcomm chair): Kaushal Shyamsundar Campus-Wide Orange Watch Coordinator: Bram Schork Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs (Adcomm Co-Chairs): Luna Brooker & Suchitra Dara ADVERTISE IN ThE TECH Black & White Ads Ad Height (inches) Ad Width (inches) Cost per Unit BW Processesing Fee 10 12 14 16 2.5 $25.00 S0000 $40.00 $70.00 $55.00 $70.00 $100.00 $130.00 $85.00 $160.00 $100.00 $115.00 $190.00 $220.00 $130.00 $250.00 $15.00 (One unit is 5 sq inches) $10.00 (included in above table) 7.5 $55.00 $100.00 $145.00 $190.00 $235.00 $280.00 $325.00 $370.00 57.00 $130.00 $190.00 $250.00 $310.00 $370.00 $430.00 $490.00 The advertising deadline is Friday at noon the week before publication; all advertising should be submitted electronically or as camera ready art, but The Tech can also do simple typesetting and arrangement. All advertising inquiries should be directed to the business manager at tech@caltech.edu. 10 Color Ads Ad Height (inches) Ad Width (inches) 2.5 585.05 $35.00 56000 $110.00 $60.00 $110.00 $160.00 $210.00 $85.00 $160.00 $235.00 $310.00 $110.00 $210.00 $310.00 $410.00 10 $135.00 $260.00 $385.00 $510.00 12 $160.00 $310.00 $460.00 $610.00 14 $185.00 $360.00 $535.00 $710.00 16 $210.00 $410.00 $610.00 $810.00 Cost per Unit Color $25.00 (One unit is 5 sq inches) Processesing Fee $10.00 (included in above table) The California Tech Tuesday, May 16, 2023 The California Tech Crossword - "Places" 8 11 12 7 13 17 20 14 15 18 16 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 130 31 32 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 49 52 60 64 46 47 48 51 54 55 56 57 58 59 62 65 ACROSS 50 Type of buckwheat noodle 18 Down to earth, abbr 1 Americans with disabilities 52 Abdomen or advocate 22 A generous persor act abbr. 25 Music listening device 1eA part of a necklace or brace- 53". but a scratch" 27 Applied, like a coat of 55 Nickname for the Beatles, 9 Umami flavor chemicals or one less than the Queer Eye 28 Nighttime flying creature 13 Intense cry presenters Radioactive 15 Italian bowled sport 60 Red steak Waste Liquid 16 Lepton heavier than an 62 Holy rodents taking 30 Former famous library electron part in chemical biology exper- 31 Used to be plastic but 17 A biological medieval weap- aments they are now paper 64 Move swiftly 33 Beverage that comes in 19 Enter a poker game 65 Part of a jacket you would green and black 20 Erodes or wears thir put a pin on 35 Species of dead-nettle 21 Gotta crack a few to make 66 Spanish pronoun 38 State disability associa- an ome ene 67 San Diego Astronomy tion 23 What you can't do when the Association 40 Ornamental knife holder lights are off 68 Master of Ceremonies 41 Dabney, to the RF court- 24 A duck in Berlin 69 Unhappy yaro 26 Part of a train carrying liquid fuel DOWN 44 Ignominious fiasco 28 Female undergarment 1 Winner of Eurovision in 45 They enjoy digging deep 32 Represents a geology house 1974 with a Napoleon based sometimes too deep 34 Jingle _way song 46 Irreverent and comical 36 What a republican might 2 Someone who might be 47 Be released wear to a debate caugnt arawing DEl 51 Abbr. form of assault 37 "To hold as _a mirror 3 Missing in the military 54 A pretense un to nature 4 Lune awa 56 Mexican fencing associa- 38 Small business administration 5 A hobbit no one 6 Good for the environment 57 They can be essentia 39 Havens or gardens 7 Measure of land size 58 Fellow California 42 Where Kubla Khan decreed 8 Was kind and philan- a stately pleasure-dome thropic campus, to the west 59 What you have done to 44 Flying hovercraft 9 Fighting sport, abbr. the Tech, hopefully 45 Castle entrance that uses 10 Items to protect you from Estimation of arrival physics UV 48 Acronym you should open 11 What you might say at a 63 Grocery ID you can scan at work Caltech sports game (abbr.) 49 If he finishes it first, he 12 smiles mocking 14 A note to follow Sew Question the Quail! already confronted you about your loose tongue. We arent 13 anymore and it's not to go around from campus, how a couple meals ev- ready, I would ex- can I learn to be a ery week, you would plore some sort of real adult and cook quickly pick up some mental health treat- my own meals before culinary skills, which ment. Worst case, if I starve out there in can come in handy at you can't find a ther- the real world? home, in the work-apist, it seems from Signed, place, and on dating Fiending for Free apps! your letter that you are more likely to their mother. Food Congrats on gradu- steal objects while A new advice column about life, love, classes, and everything in be-tween! Brought to you by the one and only California Tech. Would you want peo- ating, ple talking about you Dear Fiending, Quail intoxicated Try to cut down on the am honestly drinking especially do you prefer some shocked that you privacy in your per-can still stomach Dear Quail, at locations where I have a problem pretty glassware is sonal life as well? CDS food. With that Consider that being with stealing things accessible said, props to It's just so exhila- and hopefully you'll next time you talk you for taking ad- rating to take some- cut down on to your friends, and vantage of your re- thing from the bars thievery as well. sources! God knows School been and restaurants. Good luck, them to come around unless you clean up Good luck, muchpay way too But this is causing tuition me from Quail for concern and mediocre food my friends. What here. With respect should I do? to your question, I Signed think you can treat Kind Klepto Dear Quail this term as a bit of I'm a senior that a transition perioc Dear Klepto, graduated last term, into your adult life L question your de Dear Quail, I love advice col- umns! Thank you for starting one at Caltech xoXo Signed Ardent Admirer but I still come to Open Kitchen has scription of campus every day To set hours and I'm self as "kind". Youry 0 my do research work. 1 sure you don't spend knowledge, "kind' love CDS food, but all night and week- people don't often since I'm not on the ends here as well. openly bra about meal plan anymore, spilling Why not grab lunch the enjoyment the I can only eat for and dinner on campus get from taking ob-free at open kitch- and make a healthy jects from business- en. Every day I ha- breakfast at home? es, some of which rass underclassmen Or, use ingredients may be locally owned Dear Admirer, Thanks! хохо Quail To submit questions for next week's "Question the Quail" fill out the google form: Signed to let me into their from house so I can sa- open kitch- and/or struggling en to supplement Drop the act and tiate my desire for meal-prepped lunch face your problem https://bit.ly/41rEQ1N Dear BB, delicious Caltech from home? Finally, head on. Your friends I hate to be harsh, cuisine, I can't get make sure you take clearly but your friends enough of the stuff! advantage of those have their heads and hearts in have every right to But I'm worried that relaxing weekends stop talking to you, I won't be able to at home to learn the right place with their concern, and anything especs like they've after I move away if you only cooked recipes. Even it they havent sug gested therapy al- 8 Tuesday, May 16, 2023 World Fest 2023 Sascha Goldsmith | Culture For the first year since an attendance in the high 400s COVID. the Caltech Y and the for a late lunch. Student Pro- "It is always rewarding to see grams (ISP) successfully held so many Caltech community World Fest 2023. With 22 dif-members volunteer and share ferent countries and regions their foods and cultures at a represented, this year's an- campus-wide event, recalled nual spring event was sure to representatives of the Caltech brighten the days of the hun- Y and ISP. "It really speaks to dreds of community members the great community we have that came to indulge in diverse here at Caltech and how we foods and music. World rest has been value the important contributions our diverse internation- Caltech tradition for over 25 al community brings to help rears. A team of staff from the build an inclusive campus. I and ISP began planning the Aside event months in advance to from abundance of delicious foods, this year's brainstorm presentation ideas, Fest also featured an hour of coordinate finances and logis-tics, live music and performances and recruit by undergraduate and gradu- members - including Caltech ate students and community students, staff and communi-members. "It's always allah ty volunteers - to represent a ing to see the incredible tal- region of their choice with a ent at Caltech from Bollywood reimbursable budget of $325 dancers to amazing musicians. for food handouts and booth We also had two presentations decorations. in Hameetman by students In regards to the Interna- tional sharing their travel experienc- Food Fair section of es and home country cultures World Fest, volunteers were with the Caltech Community, asked to prepare or purchase replied representatives of the foods and snacks that they ISP. felt would best represent their In addition to this interna- countries and cultures to share tional food and culture fest, with the community. Some ASCIT also later held its in- groups met and cooked their augural Multicultural Fashion oods personally while oth Show. Students and commu- ers were able to source dishes nity members alike showcased from local restaurants to feed the cultural attire, food, mu- The California Tech sic, and dance unique to the various cultural groups that constitute the Caltech community to the Caltech community on Beckman Lawn accompanied by a variety of foods and drinks. Aside from a beautiful display of cultural attire, performances with cultural instruments and dance were featured, representing campus communities like the BSU The events that ISP and Caltech Y offer aren't just limited to World Fest. Other cam-pus-wide events such as the WRITERS & COLUMNISTS WANTED! CAMPUS | OPINION | HUMOR | ART | PHOTOGRAPHY COMICS | CULTURE | SPORTS | POLITICS POSITIONS ARE OPEN FOR ALL SECTIONS If we print your material, we will pay you up to the amounts listed below (at our discretion). Emai submissions to tech@caltech.edu or join our Discord server using the following link Wages Columnists: $20 per 500 words, minimum $15 Reporters: $25 per 500 words, minimum $15 Art/Photos: $5 Comics: $7 discord.gg/Zaah8749s2 oh god how did i get here i am not good at computer MISN S,N.ヨ iBegin@Caltech international student orientation, Interna- tional Women's Day SPEAK OUT co-hosted with the CCID, and Fall term's International Education Week are organized by the ISP. Similarly, the Caltech Y hosts extensive programming throughout the rear like trips, volunteer op portunities, and events lik Make a Difference Day on May 20th. Crossword Solution 313 Che Califorma Lech EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Gutierrez SECTION EDITORS Alicia Zhang Maxwell Montemayor Joseph Kim Lilia Arrizabalga LAYOUT Alanna Yelland STAFF WrITERs Sascha Goldsmith Michael Gutierrez Lilia Arrizabalaga Maxwell Montemayor Trinity Lee Joseph Kim ArTISTS Anya Mischel Alicia Zhang PHOTOGrAPHERS Juan Renteria Abraham Belayneh Cristian Ponce PUZZLE MASTER Lilia Arrizabalaga BUSINESs MANAGER Jonathan Booker ADVISOR Richard Kipling The to caornia Tech aims publish during biweekl except VaCallo! and exalil ination periods by the Associ ated Students of the Califor- nia Institute Technology, Ine ovinlons exoresse nerein are strictly • Those the authors and advertisers Letters and submissions are welcome subIllIssIOI to tech@caltech.edu, or sub mit them server Discord 4ddll014454 editors reserve the • Mơnt to editand abridge all submissions for any reason. All written work remans vroperly 01 1ls auurior The advertising deadline is 12 PM on Friday all advertising should be su bmitted electron Ically or as Callera • reduy arl but The Tech can also do sim ple typesetting and arrange All advertising inquiries should be directed to the busi ness manager at tech@caltech. edu. JOIN US FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL CALTECH DANCE SHOW SINCE 2019! are you good at computer? join the tech! IN RAMO AUDITORIUM ON: SATURDAY, MAY 27 AT 7:30 PM SUNDAY, MAY 28 AT 2 PM UNDERGRADS AND GRAD STUDENTS FREE WITH ID TICKETS: $5 AT THE TICKET OFFICE OR AT THE DOOR