R&DE, Transportation, and Sustainability Town Hall

The ASSU is hosting a Town Hall featuring Residential and Dining Enterprises, Transportation, and Sustainability on October 29, 2009 at 5:30PM-7:30PM in the Black Community Services Center Community Room. You can RSVP at http://j.mp/4FhOzD and there will be a live webcast at http://assu.stanford.edu/townhall.

Ray's Taste Testing

Finally, after The 750, the pub in the Graduate Community Center, closed around the end of the 08-09 academic year, there is now a new restaurant in the space! Ray Klein, owner of the Treehouse and CoHo has opened a new restaurant called Ray's where The 750 used to be. On 10/16/09 I attended the inaugural taste testing event and I can report that the food is good and the prices reasonable! The menu is very similar to the Treehouse menu with some new additions like fish & chips and pastries. Ray's is also serving coffee drinks and plans to have a good assortment of beers available including my favorite, Dog Fishhead Palo Santo Marron! Ray's also features a whole new look and feel that makes the venue much more welcoming. The bar has been stained a much darker color, there is a new matching dark wood floor, and the furniture has been replaced with much comfortable and cozy chairs and tables! Make sure to visit Ray's the next time you are at the GCC!

Woods Student Leader Lunch

On October 14, 2009 I attended the Woods Student Leader Lunch with Co-Director Professor Buzz Thompson. There are almost 40 student groups involved with environmental issues this year - truly an impressive number! It is a very exciting time to be involved with sustainability and environmental research and initiatives at Stanford where we are very lucky to have dedicated and brilliant faculty and administration working both on academic teaching & research and infrastructure & operations. During the lunch, environmental curriculum, research opportunities for students, conferences, workshops, and other ways of engaging students in environmental research and education were explored and discussed. It was a very productive lunch and allowed many of the student leaders focusing on environmental issues, to come together, meet each other, and discuss ways to collaborate not only with each other but also with the faculty and administrators. It is a very exciting year for environmental projects!

Tutoring for Community

Last Saturday I visited the Tutoring For Community (TFC) program at the Haas Center. TFC is a new tutoring program that was started last spring by the ASSU Executive for children of Stanford staff. Stanford students act as the tutors and tutor all subjects from kindergarten to high school. The format is one-on-one tutoring and works to not just provide academic help but to "developing relationships between tutors and students that foster positive attitudes toward education.” The program has sessions every Saturday 3PM to 4PM at the Haas Center. See the full flyer here for more information and a map to the Haas Center which is located at
562 Salvatierra Walk on the Stanford Campus.

ASSU Legal Counseling Office

Do you need legal advice? Do you have a question about a contract, intellectual property issue, sublease agreement, minor in possession citation, drunk in public citation, traffic ticket, or other legal issue? You can get free counseling at the ASSU Legal Counseling Office! This service is provided by the ASSU and funded through special fees. See their Eligibility for Services page and their Hours & Location page for more information and to learn how to make an appointment.

Attorneys from the McManis Faulkner Law Firm staff the office and William (Bill) Faulkner is the Managing Attorney. Bill is a member of the great class of ’73 and majored in sociology. He went to Hastings for law school and graduated in ’78.

On the Palm Drive Curb

I've heard the Palm Drive curb is made out of granite. I've looked at it and I think it is. Definitely not cement... it sort of sparkes. Interesting little fact! I'm going to take a photo of it next time I'm over there and post it.

Office of the Ombuds

Yesterday I met with David Rasch, the University Ombuds from the Office of the Ombuds in Mariposa House. If you are wondering what an Ombuds is, I bet you aren’t alone. I just learned about the Office of the Ombuds this year. The website describes the Ombuds in the following way: “The Ombuds is an impartial dispute resolver who strives to see that faculty, staff and students at the university are treated fairly and equitably.” This sounded like a great service to the University so I went to learn more about it.

In my meeting I learned that David is a psychologist and has been the University Ombuds for 5 years. He sees approximately 375-400 cases a year of which 30% are students, 20% are faculty, and 50% are staff. The students are split about 50/50 grad/undergrad. After meeting with David I believe the Ombuds is an excellent resource and more students should become aware of the Office. From the Office’s “How We Can Help” page, you can see that the Ombuds is impartial, confidential, and independent. The Ombuds is outside the standard reporting structure, is answerable to the President, and authorized to talk to anyone in the University to resolve a dispute.

Do you have a grade dispute, petition denied issue, research lab issue, work environment discomfort, advisor conflict – basically anything - you should go see the Ombuds and see if he can help!