STANFORD, CA— What seemed like another beautiful year at Stanford University may turn out to be its last. Unable to pay the $500 it owes to real estate developers, Stanford will be bulldozed at the end of the month to make way for new condominiums. As the foreclosure date nears, most students are packing up their dorms and saying their tearful goodbyes. But not everyone has given up hope.
Sophomore Jasmine Hsieh has come forward with a radical plan to keep Stanford from shuttering its doors for good. “I was walking through campus one last time when I saw a flyer for the Battle of the Bands,” Hsieh recounted. “The winners get a cash prize of $500 and I thought to myself, huh, that’s how much money Stanford owes those greedy real estate developers! A few hours later, I came up with a plan.”
That plan? To form a band, win the battle, and save the school. Hsieh has enlisted students from all corners of campus to play in the Battle of the Bands, which coincidentally falls just one day before demolition of Stanford is slated to begin. Those students include soccer star Elijah Walker, sorority president Angie Gonzales, math whiz Kurt Luftin, and drummer Todd.
Although they don’t have much time, Walker is optimistic about their band, The Winds of Freedom. “Those developers may have money, but we’ve got a scrappy, can-do spirit. And that’s worth more than any condominium.”
According to most recent reports, developers are aware of Hsieh’s plans and have begun recruiting college students to form their own rival band, The Titans of Industry.
