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Welcome back from (a much needed) break! Here’s what you may have missed in the most recent Stanford-related news.
Stanford Politics Magazine Preview: China’s Puzzling Islam Policy
BY WILSON LIANG
Description: Painting of two people in Islamic dress.
Photo Credit: Lorena Diosdado / Stanford Politics
“China’s crackdown in Xinjiang is fundamentally political in nature ... To the Chinese Communist Party, the Hui are Chinese who happen to be Muslim. The Uighurs, on the other hand, are Muslims who happen to live in China.”
Read Wilson Liang's first piece for Stanford Politics — an analysis of China's peculiar Islam policy. This article will be featured in our upcoming print magazine, which is scheduled to come out early next week. Keep an eye out for copies of the magazine on campus!
Stanford responds to DeVos’ new sexual assault regulations
Description: Betsy DeVos speaking at the 2018 CPAC.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
Last Friday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released her department’s proposal for new regulations surrounding campus sexual assault. Key changes include narrowing the definition of sexual assault to behavior that is “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” rather than the Obama-era definition of any unwelcome sexual conduct, allowing the accused party to cross-examine the accuser, requiring a higher burden of proof, and diminishing the liability of universities. However, in a post to Notes on The Quad, Provost Persis Drell made it clear that Stanford’s Title IX process would not change, saying “we fully intend to continue our efforts to reject sexual violence in our community, to support survivors, to hold perpetrators accountable and to have fair adjudication processes.” The Stanford administration intends to participate in the public comment period for the new rules, and students who are interested in providing feedback can email Provost Drell.
Trump nominates Hoover fellow and former CENTCOM commander as Saudi ambassador
The White House announced President Trump’s intent to nominate retired four-star army General John Abizaid as the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a position that has been vacant since Trump took office, in the midst of the U.S.’s current tense relationship with the country. Gen. Abizaid is a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution and worked with Stanford’s Preventative Defense Project. General Abizaid is known for overseeing the Iraq War as chief of the U.S. Central Command and has urged the U.S. to act as a leader in setting norms for military drone use as well as to take a more active role in the Middle East.
FedEx discontinues partnership with NRA
Description: A FedEx truck in a parking lot.
Photo Credit: Kelly / Wikimedia Commons
On Oct. 30, FedEx officially ended its partnership with the National Rifle Association, six months after over 200 members of the Stanford community signed a letter calling on Stanford to not renew their contract with FedEx in Tresidder Union unless FedEx ended its relationship with the NRA. While FedEx cited financial reasons for the break, pressure to do so has been increasing, as the NRA refused to alter its stance on gun control despite recent mass shootings. However, not all Stanford students are in agreement with the decision. In a statement to the Daily, SCR expressed their disappointment, saying:
“We think that capitulating to the left’s gun-grabbing, totalitarian tendencies reflects moral weakness unbecoming of a major corporation like Fedex. In fact, while we tend to oppose the concept of boycotts, we’d encourage all of our fellow patriots to consider their alternative options for package delivery.”
And In Case You Missed It…
Melinda Hernandez ’21 addresses College Republicans in song released after assault allegations (Woo / Stanford Daily)
Watches, cash stolen in break-in at 680 Lomita (Foreman & Woo / Stanford Daily)
Big Game rescheduled due to “very unhealthy” atmospheric smoke levels (Kurosawa, Pragada, & Espinosa / Stanford Daily)
Rhodes Scholars: 2019 list includes Stanford student (Mercury News)
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