Palo Vol. XXIX, Number 57 • Wednesday, April 23, 2008 ■ 50¢ Alto Who will pay for sidewalk repair? Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.comw ww.PaloAltoO nline.com Reinventing grad school Grants create intellectual, social community at Stanford Page 3 Photo Illustration Susan Bradley/Carol Hubenthal Explore our new real estate Web site at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/real_estate ■ Upfront Future of Internet debated at Stanford Page 3 ■ Neighborhoods Barron Park battles May Fete ‘volunteer fatigue’ Page 7 ■ Sports Stanford baseball sits at top of PAC-10 standings Page 30 apr.com It's just one click to a complete list of virtually all homes for sale in the Bay Area. LOS ALTOS HILLS Amazing hilltop custom- designed home surrounded by breathtaking views. Step- down living/dining room with fireplace. Eat-in kitchen with floor to ceiling windows. Hardwood floors. Perfect patio for outdoor living and entertaining. $2,668,000 PALO ALTO This exquisitely-designed 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath French-style home offers charm and high-end appointments. Rich detailing, hardwood floors, high coffered ceilings, gourmet kitchen with Thermador appliances. $2,250,000 MENLO PARK Suburban Park 3bd/2ba sunny and bright home with updated kitchen featuring Corian counters and greenhouse window. Hardwood floors. Living room with fireplace, separate dining area. Updated master bath. $789,000 apr.com | PALO ALTO OFFICE 578 University Avenue 650.323.1111 APR COUNTIES | Santa Clara | San Mateo | San Francisco | Alameda | Contra Costa | Monterey | Santa Cruz Page 2 • Wednesday, April 23, 2008 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Plan to share sidewalk-repair costs curbed? If dropped, financing of proposed public-safety proposal made him “squirm”; coun- do it this way, but that doesn’t mean don’t necessarily use the sidewalks cil members Yoriko Kishimoto and we should do it,” Klein said. in front of their property more than building gets harder Pat Burt said they oppose the idea. Property owners in Menlo Park, passersby, he said. by Becky Trout The current city-pays-all system Mountain View and Redwood City “You’re sort of zinging one per- is “embedded in the Palo Alto cul- pay for at least a portion of sidewalk son thousands of dollars rather than et with widespread opposi- the sidewalk cost-sharing,” Benest ture,” Mayor Larry Klein said. repairs, according to Mike Sartor, everybody a couple of dollars,” he tion, City Manager Frank said, adding that he hasn’t made a He’s been getting calls about the the city’s assistant director of Public said. M Benest’s proposal to shift final decision whether to continue proposal. Works. Midtown neighborhood leader some of the costs, and liability, for recommending the change, which “I’ve been telling people who use “I think [sidewalks are] a pretty Sheri Furman said she also opposes Palo Alto’s sidewalks to property could save the city as much as extreme language that this wasn’t obvious taxpayer service,” said any sidewalk cost-sharing. owners may be dropped. $600,000 a year. a crazy idea submitted by the city Todd Sachs, a resident of the Mead- “Nobody was really thrilled about Councilman John Barton said the manager because most communities ow Park neighborhood. Residents (continued on page 16) TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPOTLIGHT Future of Reinventing Internet graduate education debated at New Stanford grant program aims to foster creativity, community in Ph.D. programs FCC hearing by Arden Pennell Free speech threatened by ometimes Stanford University doctoral student Nick ‘corporate gatekeepers,’ Weiler sees a completely new face in the hallway some say S — only to realize the stranger is a student like him, he said. by Arden Pennell Busy in separate labs or studying alone, neuroscience he future of Internet use — doctoral students often work in isolation, he said. and First Amendment rights to “If there aren’t events scheduled or structured to lead T free speech — was discussed people to interact, they often won’t,” fellow neuroscience at a roughly seven-hour hearing student Nick Steinmetz said. convened by the Federal Commu- In a multidisciplinary field whose students and faculty nications Commission at Stanford are spread throughout the campus’ sandstone-colored University Thursday. buildings, a sense of togetherness is tough to feel, he At issue was whether, and how, the said. federal government should regulate But not anymore. companies that sell Web access in Weiler and Steinmetz won a $5,000 grant from the uni- order to enforce the principle of “net versity this month to encourage community and intellec- neutrality,” or that all Internet traffic tual exchange in their doctoral program. Theirs is one of be treated equally. seven grants awarded for the first time to student groups by Two expert panels and at least 300 Stanford’s Office of the Vice Provost of Graduate Educa- members of the public were present tion. Dubbed SPICE, or Stanford Program for Intellectual to debate the issue in a lively session Community Enhancement, the awards are part of an effort marked by boos, jeers and cheers. kicked off this year to revamp graduate education. “Few choices in the history of the Weiler and Steinmetz will spend the funds launching FCC carry as much weight as this new programs, including a book club, movie series and one does. ... The future of the In- ternet for everyone depends on it,” lunch seminar where the students can break bread — and David Cenzer share insights. A student trying to unlock how the brain said Ben Scott, policy director at the interprets the world — by knowing it sees a cat rather than open-media advocacy nonprofit Free a dog, for example — could present his research to peers Press. studying brain-scan technology, Steinmetz said. Scott urged the commission to Also debuting next month are grants for faculty, called Chris Golde, Stanford University associate vice provost, co-founded the SPICE enforce its current policy that Inter- Strengthening the Core or SCORE, to encourage students and SCORE grant programs, which promote intellectual engagement among net-service providers may not block to be risk-takers or even change doctoral requirements. graduate students. users from certain information or services. he grants are the graduate-education office’s first mersed in their own work. Students with questions can’t get a word The commission’s investigation major undertaking, according to Chris Golde, an as- “Too often, students say you can hear in edgewise — or are too intimidated to was sparked by complaints last sum- T sociate vice provost for the office, which was founded a pin drop in the hallways, or doors are try, she said. mer that Web provider Comcast was in January 2007. shut because faculty members [are] home And Golde would know. preventing consumers from using Prompted by a study that uncovered deeply rooted prob- working or jet-setting around the world,” She helped lead a sweeping study of BitTorrent, a file-sharing applica- lems with graduate education, Golde worked last year with she said. doctoral education conducted from 2002 tion. Patricia Gumport, the university’s vice provost for gradu- Even programs meant to foster dialog, to 2005 by the Carnegie Foundation for Comcast said they did so only ate education, to found the SPICE and SCORE grants. such as a talk from a renowned scholar, the Advancement of Teaching, a nonprof- when the Web was busy, in order to The lofty ideal students have of graduate education fre- can fall short, she said. it think-tank headquartered at Stanford. free up bandwidth. quently doesn’t match reality, Golde said. “The only people who talk are senior The foundation surveyed 84 depart- But some speakers Thursday said “They have this vision that’s it going to be full of ideas faculty members who use it as occasion ments at four universities for its Carnegie regulating for congestion violates net and this vibrant intellectual experience,” preparing them to hash out old arguments, so it’s about Initiative on the Doctorate study. neutrality — and the First Amend- to lead their field forward, she said. showing off and looking smart — not Among the problems uncovered by the ment. Instead, students arrive to a place where many are im- engaging with the speaker,” she said. Free speech must not sit in the (continued on page 10) (continued on page 16) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, April 23, 2008 • Page 3 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER Our William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Associate Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Town Tyler Hanley, Online Editor by Don Kazak Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Arden Pennell, Becky Trout, Staff Writers Saving kids from trouble Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Marjan Sadoughi, Veronica Weber, Staff bout 60 teens gather every Photographers Wednesday night at a house “We target the kids on Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, on Beech Street in East Palo Lynn Comeskey, Kit Davey, Jack McKinnon, A Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Craig Wentz, Alto. Some have seen trouble, are the edge” Contributors on probation or have dropped out – Kristina Thompson Alex Papoulias, Veronica Sudekum, Richard To, Editorial Interns of high school. Others are good Nick Veronin, Arts & Entertainment Intern students. Danielle Vernon, Photography Intern They are all street-smart and are DESIGN like a big, unruly class when the ing device. Carol Hubenthal, Design Director Diane Haas, Sue Peck, Senior Designers weekly session begins. Starnes, who can talk to the kids Dana James, Paul Llewellyn, Charmaine Then Doug Fort walks in and in the words they use, began blow- Let Ms.Fit Boot Camp Adventures Mirsky, Scott Peterson, Designers things quiet down.