Last fall there was a considerable controversy about whether, as the student banners held, “Stanford hates fun.” Among other things, Stanford requires that student parties have to be registered and cleared with the campus administration. This is having a chilling effect on student life, as the Stanford Daily student paper reports:
There were just 45 parties registered on campus during the first four weeks of the fall quarter, compared with 158 in the same period in 2019, according to Student Affairs spokesperson Pat Harris. . . Freshmen this year describe wandering campus Friday and Saturday nights in search of an open party or even trekking to San Jose State University in search of social engagement. Where music and loud laughter once were prevalent, weekends are often much quieter.
You know things are bad when Stanford students are slumming it at San Jose State!
Well, if student fun is nearly absent, have some sympathy for Stanford’s administration, which hasn’t had any fun since John Elway was on the field.
First, Stanford students have taken out their revenge on the president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is resigning as president because of “irregularities” in some of his scientific publications. We noted this brewing story back in February, along with Tessier-Lavigne’s denials of any unethical conduct. He is now going to retract at least three journal articles. Is there any corner of science left untainted by unethical behavior?
This story was driven entirely by student journalists, who must be having more fun now for having toppled the president.
Even more fun: Tirien Steinbach, the dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Stanford Law School who brought disgrace on the school for her shameful treatment of Judge Kyle Duncan back in March, is “leaving” her position. Although the language is carefully worded, Stanford clearly decided not to renew her contract:
“I write to share that Tirien Steinbach has decided that she will be leaving her role as Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Stanford Law School to pursue another opportunity,” Jenny Martinez, the law school’s dean, said in an email on Thursday.
“Pursue another opportunity.” That’s a euphemism for “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Of course, it is a certainty that she will find another useless administrative job somewhere. Just recall the case of Melissa Click, the communications professor at the University of Missouri who was fired in 2016 after being caught on video calling for “some muscle” to physically oust student journalists from campus. This episode ought to have ended her career, but of course she was snapped up right away by Gonzaga University, where she still is today.
Why should Stanford and Gonzaga have all the fun? Help Tirien Steinbach find a job so she can share her fun disposition with a new campus of victims!
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.