I am coming out of this entire process (which has not truly ended) extremely disillusioned with Title IX, and hopeless for a future where justice will be served for incidents like the one I went through.
We, the Caltech Turtle Club, write to you with a vision for change, a vision that will not only redefine our identity but also unite us in a symbol that truly embodies the spirit of Caltech.
In the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen an extremely large influx of news about the solar eclipse, including what to do and what not to do. But something that’s probably not made its way to you on your communication channels is a phenomenon closer to home, called “Earth Day” — so I’m here to tell you a bit about it, and what to do and what not to do.
When I pinged off my Caltech grad application, a little over a year ago, it started something like: I am passionate about applying to the California Institute of Technology in order to escape the effing rain.
In the two years that I have been a Social Director for Ricketts Hovse, I have had more than a few opportunities to explore undergraduate student-administration relationships at Caltech and where they have broken down. I have watched my peers in student leadership be ignored and shut down by members of administration.
The class that plagued me the most during last Fall term was Ch 21a, Physical Chemistry, which is an introduction to Quantum Mechanics for chemistry-related majors. My freshman and sophomore years were honestly pretty rough, but these were all supposed to build my skills as a science student here. As a Junior, I was hoping to excel in courses directly related to my major.
Each undergraduate house has a unique culture. Pretty much every Caltech student ever would agree. Parts of what makes house cultures unique, since they are so intertwined with their physical spaces, are the murals in each house.
On November 30, 2023, Caltech grad students and postdocs filed union authorization cards with the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB). Earlier that day, around 100 grads and postdocs joined together to deliver a letter to Provost Tirrell, signed by over 500 grads and postdocs, requesting a fair union election process and that the Institute remain neutral rather than engaging in anti-union tactics.
In true Caltech fashion, the content for this article came about over midnight coffee at Red Door Café. I was sitting with a group of friends when the topic shifted to freedom of speech on campus. The atmosphere grew heavy and quiet. We were all afraid of saying the “wrong” thing. Finally, I broke the tension.
The laundry machines in all Caltech Undergraduate Housing have recently switched from an ID card-operated payment system to a smartphone app-based system. Previously, users of laundry machines could swipe their student card and the bill was charged to their bursar account. Bechtel Residence and Avery House have had this new system for a few years, but the decision was recently made to retrofit the existing North and South House washing machines with the WASH-Connect control panels.
