The end of race-conscious admissions.
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, holding that their practices, which took race into account as one factor when admitting students, were unlawful. Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne wrote to the campus community regarding the decision. “I am deeply disappointed by today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upends the long-standing practice of race-conscious university admissions to help achieve a diverse student body,” he said. “Now, our task is to respond in ways that allow Stanford to continue expanding opportunity and fulfilling our mission in a diverse and changing world.”
Universities can still consider “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” according to the majority opinion. “Interestingly, this closely describes the current practice of holistic review rejected by the court,” said Anthony Antonio, MS ’93, an associate professor of education and one of six faculty members to share their thoughts on the day of the court’s decision. “Absent a checkbox, admission essays will be the next part of applications to be appraised and scrutinized—by applicants, admissions officers, and inevitably, the courts.”
Have skates, wheel travel.
Photo: Nikolas Liepins, ’25/Ethography
It didn’t take much to entice Alison Rogers, ’25, to attend Roller Rinc, one of a flurry of neighborhood-sponsored events during spring quarter. “I skate almost every day,” says Rogers, who is majoring in symbolic systems and in theater and performance studies. “It’s my main way of getting around campus.”
How to relate to a chatbot, if you must.
Artificial intelligence has been growing around us for decades. But in November, ChatGPT vaulted AI into the public consciousness at a new scale and somehow made the whole concept feel much more personal. “It’s almost like no matter who you are right now, you have some form of AI FOMO—fear of missing out or fear of being left behind,” said Ge Wang, an associate professor of music and founder of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra. At the same time, you can hardly avoid the headlines about AI’s pitfalls, from its potential to fuel disinformation to how it can enable cheating to whether it might end humankind altogether. Stanford magazine asked experts steeped in AI how we should be thinking about the changes coming in four essential—and very human—areas: our careers, health care, relationships, and creativity.
But wait, there’s more.
Garry Nolan, PhD ’89, is a Stanford professor of pathology. He’s also known for his work researching evidence of alleged UFOs.
Stanford researchers have discovered that a common blood condition associated with diseases such as coronary heart disease and blood cancers may actually have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.
The production of concrete is among the largest industrial contributors to global warming. But that could change. Tiziana Vanorio, an associate professor of earth and planetary sciences, is developing a low-carbon cement, paving the way (it had to be said) for a greener future.
Speaking of, faculty and scholars associated with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability offer book recommendations for your summer reading stack. Run, don’t drive, to pick one up.
Do you remember when Stanford changed the rules of frosh and JV baseball in order to speed up games? Yeah, neither do the players.
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