Maxwell Montemayor

…or Blinterhouse 2024: Gravity Falls.

Appointed on July 16, 2019 and stepping down on March 15, 2024, Vatti was Caltech’s longest serving Title IX coordinator.

From January 29 to February 2, the Tech conducted an anonymous poll regarding undergraduate students’ experiences with Caltech’s Title IX Office.

In the January 16th issue, the Tech reported on a 16-month-long Title IX Case regarding a hidden camera incident. Since then, more students have contacted the Tech to share their experiences with Caltech’s Title IX Office. In the interest of privacy, their identities will not be disclosed. Students who filed Title IX complaints will be referred to as complainants, and the subjects of the complaints will be referred to as respondents.

In a Title IX case characterized by incessant delays, non-disclosure agreements, and frustration, a conclusion was finally reached late last November.

There has been a lot of buzz about the vague spectre of “admin” banning undergraduate house events, both during and outside Rotation this year. In continuing this discussion between tradition and inclusivity, the Tech interviewed Dr. Kevin Gilmartin, Vice President for Student Affairs, to get his perspective on the matter. Our conversation focused on two specific issues: Blacker Hovse’s Potato Cannon, and Ricketts Hovse’s Rotation Dinner Skits.

After over two decades ofcontinuous operation, Caltech Administration has banned the firing of the potato cannon as part of Blacker Hovse’s rotation events. Built in 2002 as part of a Ditch Day stack, firing it has been a Blacker Hovse tradition ever since. “The potato cannon was my favorite rotation event last year. I’m disappointed that this year’s frosh [weren’t] able to have the same experience as I did,” says Ethan Labelson (EE ‘26, Blacker/Dabney).

“Go to a Nordic country and commit a crime that will get you a school term of jail time… do your work remotely from there in luxury and comparative extravagance,” says Josiah Miller (Ay ‘24, Venerable).

“I sold $2,500 worth of FRB shares, for $41,” admits Cristian Ponce (BioE ‘25, Blacker). “I knew it was a risky investment, it didn’t work out.”

“I planned accordingly.. based on the rules of the lottery”, says Hannah Fisher (ME ‘24, Unaffiliated) “If they had stuck with the original rules, I would have gotten housing in Bechtel. But now I don’t have on-campus housing.”

On Tuesday, April 18th, Caltech held its biannual Student Faculty Conference (SFC), an all-day forum between students and faculty.