Under Durkheim's model of the separation of the sacred from the profane, Stanford becomes a religious community centered on tech values-- most significantly, ideas of tech for social progress. Many of the startups either founded on Stanford's campus or in nearby Silicon Valley make this type of claim. Unlike many normal companies, the rapid growth of Startups in the bay area was heavily influenced on Durkheim's model. Once a few of the founding startups (google, apple) began to innovate, new startups began to flood the area near Stanford. More sacred objects and rituals began to come forth at these STEM-related companies (collar neck tshirts, unconventional work hours..etc).
On the contrary, "profane" symbols or rituals (as typically seen by bay area residents) are generally expressed as a feud with the more conventional east coast, where profane symbols are represented by normal working hours, strict clothing attire, and a sense of uniformity.
According to Geertz, religion acts as a cultural system through the use of symbols. As mentioned, many of these symbols originated from the founding companies that created this techy atmosphere in the bay area around Stanford. One particular symbol, necktie tshirts (initially worn by Steve Jobs) became a powerful symbol as more startup founders (like Elizabeth Holmes) 'adopted' this symbol as well to align themselves with the original founders of silicon valley.
The "adoption" of these STEM-related symbols in startup culture marks the beginning of the transition to a religion as defined by Geertz. Once a
Under the hegemonic culture created by a focus on STEM fields, the humanities become a source of blasphemy, in which every student who declares as a 'fuzzy' transgresses established norms and goes against the social values that created the community of Stanford and of Silicon Valley. The "cultural system" of Stanford as a place for STEM values and ideas becomes desecrated by the continued existence of humanities-focused students.
Especially at Stanford, where Computer Science is nearly ubiquitous and where, in 2015, over 90% of students had taken a CS class, STEM isn't just the focus, or the majority-- it is, makes, and perpetuates the culture on campus and the perceptions outside of Stanford. If Stanford, or Silicon Valley, is a religion, CS is the practices and lifeblood of the community, and every student who decides not to take CS 106A, or not to take an internship at a start-up, becomes an outlier and a violator of the community's values.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/stanfords-top-major-is-now-computer-science/259199/