Question the Quail

Question the Quail

Q I’m a grad student looking for club funding. How do I go about applying for money? -Madeline Hatter A Simple! Just follow this 4-step plan:
The Unstandardization of Caltech: Bathrooms

The Unstandardization of Caltech: Bathrooms

After arriving at Caltech, one of the first things I noticed about the campus once I finally had time to wander around was that, from what I could tell, this place lacked a consistent architectural style. There’s a mix of Spanish-style architecture like Beckman Institute, more modern-looking buildings like Chen, and silly guys like the Beckman Hall (and also ugly ass ones like Downs-Lauritsen). This mixing of styles continues inside, with some buildings like Bridge keeping their old-fashioned style but Gates-Thomas deciding to modernize. That’s all neat and cool, but it goes a little further than what you see walking up and down the halls. The place I noticed these tiny details is a sacred place where you have time to yourself, a place free of distraction, a place of relief: the bathroom.
To Unionize or Not to Unionize

To Unionize or Not to Unionize

On Friday, September 29, 2023, the Caltech Graduate Students and Postdocs United (C/GPU) hosted a rally to celebrate reaching a majority of signed union authorization cards. For those unfamiliar or just confused about the process, this was not a vote. Those in charge of the union effort made it clear that according to their recorded numbers, enough graduate students and postdocs currently support moving forward to a vote to force the issue. These same leaders have also been very vocal about the fact that a vote would not have needed to be forced if the administration had simply consented early on to let us hold one.

Blacker’s Potato Cannon Banned After Over 20 Years of Use

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).
ASCIT Social Calendar 2023-24

ASCIT Social Calendar 2023-24

While houses throw a significant portion of the social events during the year, ASCIT throws events open to the entire student body every term. We’ve listed an overview of the events that we both host and help out with, often with our advisor, Tom Mannion, the Senior Director of Student Activities and Alumni Engagement.
Barbies, a.k.a Feminism 101?

Barbies, a.k.a Feminism 101?

Over this summer, the blazing-pink cinematic nuclear warhead that is Barbenheimer – the sobriquet of the dual releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer – hit theaters worldwide.
Blacker Olympics - The Frosh Perspective

Blacker Olympics - The Frosh Perspective

Following Dabney Boat Tours, Chill at Page, and Ricketts Open Mic Night, the team-based, tournament-style competition centered around the promise of a massive water fight at the end, which participants could use their tickets to prepare for. Up for sale were water guns, tubs of water balloons, and defensive materials like mattresses and cardboard. To earn tickets, participants competed against each other in a series of games - ranging from lock picking to tug of war.
Caltech Men’s Soccer Rising to the Top

Caltech Men’s Soccer Rising to the Top

The Caltech Men’s Soccer team has been having a groundbreaking season this year, displaying a level of excellence and resilience that has made the institute proud. Their prowess on the field has been nothing short of phenomenal, displaying a level of excellence and resilience that has resonated across the campus.
Caltech Y Annual Yosemite Hike: An Odyssey

Caltech Y Annual Yosemite Hike: An Odyssey

In the mystical realm of Yosemite National Park, where towering sequoias whisper tales of centuries past and granite giants stand as stoic sentinels to the whims of time, a brave band of Caltech students - prefrosh, returning undergrads, and grad students - embarked on a four-day backpacking and camping odyssey as a part of the annual Caltech Y hiking trip.
The Truth About Not Eating When You’re Hungry

The Truth About Not Eating When You’re Hungry

[TW: Eating disorders, starvation] For me, it was a comment from my dad that planted the seed. My friends watered it. Social media gave it light. I nurtured it myself at times, until it broke through the one thing I swore I would protect: my curiosity, my joy, my desire to learn.
When Tradition Awakens Trauma: The Fleming Cannon's Unintended Consequences

When Tradition Awakens Trauma: The Fleming Cannon's Unintended Consequences

The firing of the Fleming Cannon is a tradition that is supposed to bring pride and joy to the hearts of students every year and mark the progression of time from the end of rotation to the end of every term. However, for many students, the sound of the Fleming Cannon carries a heavy burden, evoking memories of a past they had hoped to leave behind when they came to Caltech.
Censorship and Squirrels

Censorship and Squirrels

On January 21, the Caltech graduate student body received an email entitled “Campus Poll to Protect Wildlife”. The email, for those unfamiliar, provided a link to a poll where students could report concentrations of Fox squirrels on campus so that “yield to wildlife” road signs could be put up in strategic squirrel locations.
Dear Orange - #1

Dear Orange - #1

Dear Orange, What is this column about? I’m new to Caltech and don’t know much about this paper, or Caltech at all for that matter. Please tell me more. Sincerely, Curious
Let's Talk About the Title IX Situation

Let's Talk About the Title IX Situation

The Caltech experience for women and non-binary folks is undeniably influenced by the fact that the majority of people at this school are men. Only in the past few decades has the undergraduate gender ratio at Caltech approached some semblance of balance. Enrollment statistics for Fall 2022 show that 55% of undergraduates are male. Not too shabby for an all-STEM institution.