By ANDREW VALENCIA
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Growing anger and frustration with WallStreet hit a high note this month,as mass pub-lic furor with compensation in the finance sec-tor,particularly with insurance giant AIG,resulting in Congressional efforts to tax bonus-es at all companies receiving significant bailoutfunds.But despite watching the vilification of WallStreet over the last several weeks,many busi-ness and finance students at Stanford remainoptimistic about the market they will enterafter graduation.Those students who plan to soon enter theworld of business and finance will do so amidone of the worst economic downturns sincethe Great Depression,and in an atmosphere inwhich Federal Treasury bailouts,irresponsibleinvestment practices and CEO bonuses havefed public animosity against big business.Despite this climate,Stanford students seemlargely resilient,and even hopeful,for thefuture.Alex Song ‘09,who is completing degreesin both economics and biomechanical engi-neering,is still heading to the Street aftergraduation—he will be joining MorganStanley’s fixed income division upon gradua-tion.Song is hopeful about his chances of suc-ceeding during the recession;he believes thathe will have more opportunities for successthan many who were in the industry prior tothe recession.“The landscape has changed so much that,if there’s any time to enter the industry,it’snow,”Song said.“Three or four years fromnow,people entering will have a much betteradvantage than other generations.”Evan Reas MBA ‘09 hasn’t changed hisplans due to the current economic climate,and plans to enter the business world aftergraduation.Reas noted that the funding cru-cial for starting a new business is harder tofind than it was just a year ago,as investors aremuch less likely to trust a fledging companywith their capital.“I’m looking all over the place,”Reas said.“You really have to show that you’re makingmoney before investors will get on board.”Reas came to the GSB with the long-termplan of either founding his own business aftergraduating or joining a start-up.He has had toalter his immediate business plans somewhatas a result of the times.In response to a grow-ing reluctance toward risk within the invest-ment sector,Reas has had to look at safer,more traditional options for the company hehopes to begin.“There’s a narrower selection of ideas thatI’m going after right now,”he said.“It makesit much tougher on which business modelsyou can go after.”The recession nonetheless could offersome benefits for Reas;layoffs,for example,could mean that he will be able to staff his
Soon-to-be grads see opportunity amidst downturn
ASSU ELECTIONS
Senate discussesgrad role infunding
By ZOE RICHARDS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As its term nears the end,theUndergraduate Senate discussedthe budget for the new StudentServices Division (SSD),whichwill act as an operational arm of the ASSU providing additionalresources for students.Among itsservices are the Green Store,Wellness Room,Airport Shuttlesand Informational andEducational Resources (IER),which became a major source of contention at Tuesday’s meeting.IER would involve workshopsproposed by the GraduateStudent Council (GSC),includ-ing tax aid,legal informationalmeetings and possibly seedmoney for student projects.Senator Luukas Ilves ‘09,theAdministration & Rules Chair,explicitly rejected the proposi-tion for significantUndergraduate Senate fundingon the grounds that the programsprimarily serve the Graduate stu-dent community.Others dis-agreed with Ilves.“We don’t want to see this becompletely nixed because it is aservice to our students,”saidYvorn “Doc”Aswad-Thomas ‘11,who saw the mutual benefits of tax aid and other programmingfor undergraduate students.After completing a pilot yearof the Wellness Room,the ASSUeventually hopes that it can bemoved to the Special Fees Ballot,which will open up more fundsfor other ASSU initiatives withinthe nearly $32,000 SSD budget.However,the possibility did notseem to satisfy those in theSenate who demanded that dol-lars spent by the UndergraduateSenate primarily benefit under-graduate students.Ilves emphasized the impor-tance of sharing burdensbetween the UndergraduateSenate and GSC.“If graduate students benefit,I want them to pay somethingcommensurate to how they bene-fit,”Ilves said.The senator pointed out theimportance in ensuring thatfunding for IER be financed bythe GSC and UndergraduateSenate in proportion to howundergraduates and graduatestudents benefit,with the GSCpaying more for programs thatprimarily cater to graduate stu-dents.“Until I see something reflect-ing that,I’m not comfortablesigning off on it,”Ilves said.Senate Deputy Chair PatrickCordova (‘09) agreed and said“[The GSC has] great interest toparticipate,but great hesitance tocontribute funding.”“It’s unfortunate and discon-certing...I’m losing compas-sion,”he added.Vice President Fagan Harris‘09 contended that because theASSU discriminates on pricingfor Airport Shuttles and GreenStore products,by charging grad-uate students more for theseservices,the Undergraduate divi-sion of the ASSU ought to makea better effort to support IERthat will help graduate andundergraduate students alike.At the end of his term andfaced with a contentious fundingquestion,Harris did not take onhis typical role of mediationbetween the UndergraduateSenate and the GSC.Harrisremained doubtful about success-ful negotiations between the twoparties regarding proportionalshared funding for the new IER.“I’m utilitarian right now and Ihate it,”Harris said.He later deemed funding forthe Green Store among the toppriorities,moving funding for IERthat primarily benefit graduatestudents to the back shelf.The meeting concluded with adecision to write what the Senatedescribed as a “friendly amend-ment”to the bill,which subsidizedthe undergraduate student por-tion of IER.The Senate also madethe decision to pass the remainderof the SSD budget.Reflecting on the dividebetween undergraduate and grad-uate interests that had dominatedthe meeting,Harris was somber.“It’s going to require a culturechange,”Harris said of the GSC’sfeeling of separation from the restof the ASSU.“It’s frustrating ourefficacy.”
Contact Zoe Richards at iamzoe@stanford.edu.
STUDENT LIFE
Students undeterredby Wall Street mess
C
AMPAIGNWEEKTOSTARTTONIGHT
By MARISA LANDICHO
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Tonight at 12:01 a.m.marks the officialstart of campaign week for the ASSU elec-tions,but there are already multiple storiesshaping up before the clock starts ticking forcandidates to make an impression.
Executive Race
Next week’s ASSU elections will againfeature a battle between Stanford’s graduateand undergraduate populations—DavidGobaud M.S.‘08 M.S.‘10,who narrowly camein second place in last year’s Executive elec-tion,is running again this year along with Jayde la Torre ‘10.Undergraduates BennettHauser ‘10 and Matt Sprague ‘10 will beGobaud-de la Torre’s main competition.Last year,under the slate Go Go GobaudGoldgof,Gobaud and Greg Goldgof ‘08 fin-ished second out of five slates for the 2008Executive spot,earning 1880 votes to JonnyDorsey and Fagan Harris’ 2150 votes.The breakdown of first-choice votes,how-ever,revealed the divide between grads andundergrads in last year’s campaign.Dorsey-Harris,with 1534 votes,had 1,000more first-choice votes from undergrads thanthe next highest slate,Gobaud-Goldgof.However,Gobaud,the only grad studentin the Exec race,earned nearly four times asmany graduate first-choice votes than theultimate winners,Dorsey and Harris.Gobaud is now trying to rewrite historywith current running-mate de la Torre.This year,there is only one competitiveundergrad slate:Bennett Hauser ‘10 andMatt Sprague ‘10.Last year,the Dorsey-Harris slate split the undergraduate votebetween four other undergrad slates—thistime there will be far less competition for theundergraduate vote.Gobaud views his grad status as a strongasset.“If anything,running as a grad/undergradteam with Jay is beneficial because it allowsus to truly represent the entire student body,”Gobaud wrote in an email to The Daily.“Foryears,important issues such as grad mentalhealth,grad cost of living and the lack of dependent health care have been ignored atthe Executive level.”
Senate Race
In the Senate,a new coalition of candi-dates has formed.Anchored by currentSenate Chair Shelley Gao ‘11,“Students for aBetter Stanford”could change the way theSenate race is run.Ten Senate candidateshave indicated their participation in“Students for a Better Stanford.”In previous elections,endorsements,pri-marily from the Students of Color Coalition(SOCC) and The Stanford Review,have beenvery important.But with Gao’s new coali-tion,the value of endorsements may change.
Campaign Finance
Financial reforms passed by theUndergraduate Senate and the GraduateStudent Council (GSC) will also attempt tochange the playing field this campaign sea-son.This year,students running for Executiveare eligible to receive $750 in ASSU funds tosubsidize their campaign.Candidates accept-ing public money are required to cap theirtotal spending at $1,500.The Gobaud-de la Torre slate has said thatthey will be accepting the public funds andthe subsequent spending limit,though theystill plan on ordering T-shirts,which typicallyrun up campaign costs.Last year,Gobaud spent a reported totalof $3,768.55 on his campaign,including$1787.81 on shirts.The winning Dorsey-Harris slate purchased $2046.35 in shirts andspent a total of $3,597.31.“The spending limit has encouraged us touse our creativity to come up with ways of campaigning that aren’t centered aroundspending money,”Gobaud said.The Hauser-Sprague slate,on the otherhand,said they won’t be taking the publicfunds.“While we value the principle of publicfinancing,we do not believe it is prudent forour slate to accept money from a weakenedASSU in this time of economic crisis,”Hauser and Sprague wrote in an email to TheDaily.“However,public financing is great forthose who would otherwise be dissuadedfrom running,”they added.The slate hasagreed to cap their own spending at $2,000
Grads vs.undergrads in Executive race;new coalition of10 candidates in play for Senate race
How far will the Stanfordwomenʼs basketball team go inthe NCAA Tournament?
24 votes takenfrom stanforddaily.com at 12:13 a.m. 04/01/09
38%
A
25%
B
13%
C
25%
D
Today’s Question:
Has the latest bout of anger with Wall Streetchanged your career plans?a) Yes, I wanted to go into finance, but now Iwouldnʼt go near itb) No, I think I can still make it bigc) No, populist anger excites med) No, I want to work for Barack Obamae) Iʼm screwed anyway
vote today at stanforddaily.com!
A)
Win the NCAA Championship
B)
Lose in the final round
C)
Lose in the semi-final round
D)
The other three Final Four teamsforfeit after watching theJayne Appel highlight reel onESPNʼs SportsCenter
DAILY POLL
Senators question funds for Student Services Division
STUDENT LIFE
Students helpout in Big Easy
By ERIC MESSINGER
DESK EDITOR
Most college students heading to New Orleans forspring break used to arrive ready for a week of revelryin a bustling city with an infamously wild nightlife.Butafter Hurricane Katrina,New Orleans is attracting adifferent kind of attention from college students,includ-ing those at Stanford.Since the death and devastation left by the hurricanein 2005,New Orleans has had to weather even moremisfortune,reeling from the flight of thousands of itscitizens and slow or ineffective responses to the dam-age.A group from Stanford’s Alternative Spring Breakprogram (ASB) went to the city for a busy week thatincluded meetings with local volunteers and hurricanesurvivors.Students sought primarily to gain a furtherunderstanding about the complex situation in the city,and also to assist in educational and service projects,including planting wetlands to help decrease futurestorm surges.“We wanted to get our hands dirty,”said NickMcIntyre ‘11.“We [tried] to expose ourselves to asmany of the major issues as we could.”The trip leaders were McIntyre and Jess Hawkins‘11,both of whom had participated in the program theprevious year and found themselves excited at theopportunity to return.“We knew there was so much more to be done,”Hawkins said.“When we were there,I felt there wasn’tenough time to explore everything.”Hawkins and McIntyre agreed that a key experiencewas tutoring for a day at the Sophie B.Wright CharterSchool.There,they were able to observe the severe gapsin learning evident in the education system,and attemptto help with fundamental skills.“It seemed like we were plugging a serious gap,”McIntyre said.“Instead of helping explain who [19th-century Senator] Henry Clay was,we would be showingthem how to use an index and glossary.”“We put far more of a focus on how to learn,ratherthan teaching them a few facts,”he added.The ASB group prepared throughout winter quarter,enlisting both knowledgeable students and professorsto provide introductory lectures.While the undergraduate students focused on theirefforts,Stanford GSB students also made their way toNew Orleans for a different project.Second-year MBAstudents Ashley Dayton and Luke Stewart worked withthe non-profit IDEACorps to help with local start-upFeelgoodz,which produces eco-friendly flip-flops.Dayton explained that the students focused on makingtwo main contributions to the two-man company theyaimed to assist.“We had to make sure the company had the capaci-ty to fulfill sales,and to generate demand so peopleknow this product exists,”Dayton said.“We ended upgiving [Feelgoodz] an action plan—tactical steps theycould take.”
Groups pursue service and business projects in New Orleans for spring break
Index
Features/2 •Opinions/4 • Sports/5 •Classifieds/8
Recycle Me
FEATURES/2
LINE FOR WINE
Students vie for spots in popular wine-tasting course
TheStanf ordDaily
An Independent Publication
WEDNESDAY Volume 235
April 1, 2009Issue 27
www.stanforddaily.com
TheDDilyilynf nf
Today
Mostly Sunny
6642
Tomorrow
Mostly Sunny
6644
SPORTS/5
HITTING THE PEAK
Men’s volleyball rolls to three-game winstreak as season nears end
Please see
BREAK
,page 6Please see
WALL STREET
,page 6
CRISBAUTISTA/The Stanford Daily
Please see
CAMPAIGN
page 6
By JENNIFER RABEDEAU
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
W
e’ve all seen “The Line.”You know,the line of stu-dents camping outside of Building 30 at the beginningof every quarter,vying forone of the coveted spots in Frenlang 60D?Officially “Viticulture and Oenology,”but better known among students as the“wine-tasting class,”this course is more thana group of alcoholic seniors looking for anexcuse to binge-drink on a weekdayevening.“Students really learn how to recognizegood wine from bad wine;that’s the point,”said Patricia de Castries,assistant director of the Stanford Language Center and facultyaffiliate for La Maison Francaise.“You learnhow to drink it,sip it,enjoy it.You don’tbinge.”The viticulture class was founded in 1998by a master’s student interested in teachingpeople how to appreciate wine.The classwas immediately full and has been filling upever since.Although restricted to studentsover 21 (they do check student records),theclass has remained one of Stanford’s mostpopular classes.Students cite a variety of motivations fortaking the course,but everyone wants tolearn about wine and appreciate it.“The whole purpose of the class is toenjoy wine more,”said A.J.Ferrari,courseinstructor and bartender at Michael Mina inSan Francisco.“I’m trying to take away theanxiety surrounding wine,to demystify it.Wine is like art—if you don’t know any-thing about it,it’s hard to talk about.”Ferrari,who has spent 14 years in thewine industry,lends his many insights to theclass,condensing a year or two of experiencein the industry into the nine weeks of thecourse.Ferrari brings five or six different winesfor everyone to taste at the weekly classmeetings at La Maison Francaise.As studentvolunteers pour the wine,Ferrari talks abouteach label,explaining the process of makingdifferent types of wine or the flavors thatcharacterize each varietal.After inhaling thebouquet and tasting the wine,the studentsdiscuss their impressions.Some of the course meetings havethemes,such as sparkling wines or Italianwines.These meetings allow students a morein-depth understanding of different wine-making processes and of specific regionalwines.Ferrari also incorporates guest lecturesand a field trip into his syllabus.Last fall,Chris Benziger of Benziger Family Wineryin Sonoma came to discuss the biodynamicprocess in making their wines.Students alsovisited a wine-tasting event at RosenblumCellars’ tasting room in Alameda,wherethey had the opportunity to try over 40wines.By the end of the quarter,studentsunderstand the basic process of wine-mak-
2
N
Wednesday,April 1,2009
The Stanford Daily
F
EATURES
AGUSTINRAMIREZ/The Stanford Daily
Students line up at 10 p.m. last night for a spot in “Viticulture and Oenology” - the popular wine-tasting class. These hopefuls have been waitingsince 1 p.m., and many more are expected to wait throughout the night.
A
glass of cabernetsauvignon,s’il vous plaît
Stanford cultivates new generation of wine connoisseurs
Please see
WINE
,page 3
The Stanford Daily
Wednesday,April 1,2009
N
3
ing and have a great deal of experi-ence in wine tasting.“You become more open-mind-ed about different types of wine,”said Katharine Wulff ‘09.“The goalis to know what you like and whatyou don’t like.The class gives youmore confidence and encouragesyou to fully engage your senses andbe thoughtful about it.”Brian Chavarria ‘08 emphasizedthe importance of developing per-sonal taste through the class.“[Ferrari] told us that the mostimportant part of the class wasn’t toall agree on what is a ‘good’ wine,but to focus on finding what each of us liked in wine,how to describethat and to really build up our ownpersonal knowledge of wine so wecould enjoy it more,”he said in anemail to The Daily.Although they might not remem-ber every wine they taste,studentsdevelop the confidence to purchasea bottle or order a glass in a restau-rant.“One of my favorite wine experi-ences was at a restaurant withanother friend from wine-tastingclass,”Chavarria said.“We decidedto go with the wine pairings for eachcourse.Having taken the course,Iwas able to appreciate how well thewine was paired with the food.”“It was amazing to observe howmuch food can affect the wine andvice versa,”he added.“A wine thatoriginally smelled light and fruitywas transformed into somethingtotally different when paired withthe food.”The course,however,is not sim-ply about wine appreciation.Formany students the viticulture classteaches a set of valuable skills forlife after graduation.“It was one of the best classes Itook at Stanford...in terms of actual learning,”said Owen Li ‘08 inan email to The Daily.Li,a trader for a hedge fund inNew York,goes out to dinner pro-fessionally almost every weeknight.“The lessons learned have defi-nitely helped me navigate wine listsconfidently,”he said.“Last week,there was a medium-sized wine listat a restaurant with a modest set of Napa [cabernet sauvignons].I wasactually able to discuss each one.”Although the material covered inthe viticulture class might not bedirectly applicable to professionallife after Stanford,the course helpsdevelop the ability to talk aboutwines,which many students havefound to be a useful social skill.“The class definitely gave memore confidence in picking wines atdinner and talking about wine withfriends and colleagues,”Chavarriasaid.Niji Jain ‘08 agrees.“I love talking to people aboutwine now and definitely feel moreconfident at social gatherings,”Jainsaid in an email to The Daily.“I’vefound that talking about wine is agreat conversation starter,and peo-ple enjoy talking about it.”And although Ferrari does notrecommend joining wine clubs,heencourages students to be active ineducating themselves about wine.“Go to a wine bar or wine shop,”he said.“Beltramos in Menlo Parkhas weekly tastings,and you can findwines with an intriguing flavor or aninteresting history.”“We’re so close to Sonoma andNapa.It’s all about personal experi-ence at the vineyard.The winerycreates an atmosphere for you tofall in love with their wines,”headded.Jain also had advice for studentsinterested in developing their wine-tasting skills outside of class.“Experiment as much as possi-ble with new varietals;don’t juststick to one or two types youknow,”she said.“At restaurants,I always ask to hear allabout the wine,so Ican learn new thingsabout a particularvarietal or region.”
Contact Jennifer Rabedeau at rabe-deau@stanford.edu.
WINE
Continued from page 2
CRISBAUTISTA/The Stanford Daily
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