Damian R. Wilson

Page Hovse kicked off Interhouse season with a full-throttle throwback to the year 2000—back when the world braced for computer doom and dial-up tones counted as much.

Tom Mannion (left) and the much-beloved Davey (right).

On a late September morning, a caravan of first-year students and faculty packed into SUVs and drove about 30 miles down Highway 101, windows down, the smell of salty ocean air rushing through the cars.

Richard Kipling, former director of the Los Angeles Times’ Minority Editorial Training Program and longtime adviser to The California Tech, died this November 10 at age 81.

The California Tech is at once delighted and horrified to announce that we have, as of October 2nd of this year, been cited in another publication. Namely, by the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a conservative 501(c)(3) founded in 1987 for the preservation of “Western intellectual heritage.”

At the heart of Caltech’s accessibility initiatives are Jocelyn Vargas and Chris Barragan, who work side by side at the Center for Student Success. I sat down with them last week to discuss how they help ensure access and equity for all members of the community.

On October 13th, JPL announced that it will lay off roughly 550 employees—about 11 percent of its workforce—in what Lab Director Dave Gallagher described as a “reorganization” effort to “secure JPL’s future” through leaner operations and refocused priorities.

A small layout hiccup in our last issue left Joseph Greenwell captioned incorrectly, featuring Betsy Mitchell’s instead of his own. This coupled with Greenwell’s iconically bowtied image made for a curious moment that, in its way, captured something of the Caltech spirit. Now, with a proper introduction, meet the Institute’s new Associate Vice President for Student Life and Chief Student Affairs Officer.

This fall, Caltech introduced its pilot Integrated Core curriculum, a new approach to the first-year experience designed by faculty members collaborating across all five divisions.

The email pops up on my screen: of course, today is FoodFest! Who knows what surprises Tom Mannion—the mastermind of it all—has planned for us.