Glen Davis

According to Seventeen magazine, Stanford is the fourth-coolest campus in America. What I want to know is–how in the world did we fail to attain the number one spot?

In any event, the Stanford Daily has a somewhat tounge-in-cheek (yet appreciative) response.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find the original article online. Here’s the Stanford Daily’s summary:

Stanford revels in its rep as the best of the West, and even more important what other school can boast its own campus mall! the article said. Stress relief is big on this campus of notorious overachievers: Students are aggressively casual, the most popular for-credit sport is windsurfing, and almost 20 percent of those who go on to graduate drop out for a semester or two along the way (part of a formal policy called stop-out).

The magazine described the campus as looking like an upscale taquera, and praised the warm weather, the suburban setting that feels secure and the proximity to San Francisco.

The magazine also included a picture of bikini-clad bikers, noting owning a bike is practically required.

The University was even noted for the quality of boys on campus. As for boys ever see the hunks snapped in the tabloids with Chelsea Clinton before she graduated from here? Hope she left some for the rest of us. Boy-girl ratio: 48:52.

Well, tonight will see the annual practice of a particularly devilish Stanford tradition: Full Moon on the Quad.

In most of our minds, the only cultural reference we have to full moons involves lycanthropy (that’s a 50 cent word referring to werewolves).

At Stanford, Full Moon means something completely different (and I’m not sure the metaphor of man turning into beast is entirely inappropriate).

For Stanford students, Full Moon on the Quad is a major cultural initiation: freshmen head to the quad and get royally smooched (kissed within an inch of their lives) by seniors. As you might imagine, the evening has more than a hint of debauchery about it.

Here’s an excerpt from the Stanford Daily: In theory the very idea of it is quite romantic lovers kissing under the gentle moonlight amidst a sea of endless stars, a beautiful church hangs as a backdrop, and all around you frolicking naked people dance drunkenly to techno music. Well, on second thought, Full Moon on the Quad is devoid of all romance. (full article)

FMOTQ is a true Stanford tradition… and one more evidence that Stanford needs Jesus!

There are lots of web links related to this festival, including a poem, tame photo galleries (here’s one and here’s another), and a mildly humorous essay entitled Got Mono?.

This weekend was Stanford’s homecoming celebration, highlighted by a victory over the Arizona Wildcats!

Reading the Stanford Daily news article about this homecoming, I was once again struck by how influential this school is. I already knew that four of our nine Supreme court justices are Stanford alumni, but I didn’t know that Stanford could also boast of Robert Mueller (the F.B.I. director) and former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

What a mission field–today they learn, tomorrow they lead!

Ehud Barak, former Israeli Prime Minister and Stanford grad, spoke in Memorial Auditorium last night.

Read the school paper’s write-up, which contains several interesting anecdotes, such as this one about how Barak, who served in the Israeli Defense Force for over 30 years and is often described as Israels most decorated soldier, illustrated the need for ruthless resolve as he recounted some of his most memorable operations against Palestinian militants. He told the audience about a successful raid he led on a hijacked airplane, and he described the execution of a Hamas leader he carried out while disguised as a female brunette with everything in place, he laughed, gesturing toward his chest.

of course, such an event could not pass without protest (albeit peaceful)

and in an interview beforehand he made an observation that I found particularly relevant to my calling as a campus missionary: Though Barak ultimately left his mark on the world not through academia but rather through the military and politics, he said that he considers universities to be at the forefront of international leadership.

Somehow, the university is the place where the leadership of the future in all areas of life is formed, he said. Since the best and the brightest are coming through … these institutions, they have a great influence on the leadership of this nation and nations as a whole. (source universal remote divx )