[cctop]

 with each of the 8 new S-T-A-N-F-O-R-D neighborhoods equally represented

Maybe since I was a precocious child I'm destined to get old, crusty, and cantankerous prematurely as well, but: the idea of being forced into neighborhoods named after the letters in my Alma mater's name can't help but make me react that, per Count Von Count, the S stands for Stupid. I assume the thinking is that letters of the alphabet will not one day be deemed problematic, but back in my day...

My recollection is that the S-T-A-N-F-O-R-D neighborhood names were only temporary placeholders, until the neighborhoods could name themselves.

Yup, the article in Stanford Magazine about the renaming says the letters are temporary:

https://stanfordmag.org/contents/all-tog...orm-reboot

Administrators say those one-letter appellations are just placeholders until students come up with more meaningful names. (Thank goodness, says one returning student. “No one wants to have, like, ‘A pride,’ or ‘T pride.’ It’s just weird.”) Also on students’ to-do lists: creating neighborhood mascots, crests and theme dorms (which can change annually, in contrast to the more formal university theme houses).

[cctop]

 with each of the 8 new S-T-A-N-F-O-R-D neighborhoods equally represented

Maybe since I was a precocious child I'm destined to get old, crusty, and cantankerous prematurely as well, but: the idea of being forced into neighborhoods named after the letters in my Alma mater's name can't help but make me react that, per Count Von Count, the S stands for Stupid. I assume the thinking is that letters of the alphabet will not one day be deemed problematic, but back in my day...

My recollection is that the S-T-A-N-F-O-R-D neighborhood names were only temporary placeholders, until the neighborhoods could name themselves.

Yup, the article in Stanford Magazine about the renaming says the letters are temporary:

https://stanfordmag.org/contents/all-tog...orm-reboot

Administrators say those one-letter appellations are just placeholders until students come up with more meaningful names. (Thank goodness, says one returning student. “No one wants to have, like, ‘A pride,’ or ‘T pride.’ It’s just weird.”) Also on students’ to-do lists: creating neighborhood mascots, crests and theme dorms (which can change annually, in contrast to the more formal university theme houses).