During my three semesters at Princeton, I have paid very little attention to the USG. Its plans and projects have rarely, if ever, had a significant impact on my social and intellectual life. On Monday, a sadly amusing news story ...(back to the article)
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@Pton '11--if you went to this school for more than a semester you would know that these things have been worked on in the past. You would also know that the Prince makes up sensational headlines that are not necessarily true.
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I agree with Brandon! It is silly and, quite frankly, embarrassing to read that the USG's top priorities are hammocks and toilet paper. I understand that it can take a good deal of work to accomplish these goals, and I do appreciate the hours that USG officers put in each week on top of their classes. What bothers me most is that they are spending their time on tp and hammocks to begin with. There are much more important small-scale initiatives that could be tackled. Students have complained repeatedly about the condition of Dillon Gym, for example. Since it doesn't look like we're going to get a brand new facility anytime in the near future, the USG should work on getting a few new treadmills or offering free group exercise classes. What about extending Late Meal to weekends, or buying a few copiers for students to use free of charge? These are things that would actually impact student life on a small-scale, not just provide us with a few trivial diversions. USG projects don't have to be huge, but they should be relevant!
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Actually, USG DVD is run and organized by Maria Salciccioli, '09. Thanks, U-Council!
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Emailing USG is a wash. Upon emailing USG VP Mike Wang about the Spelman issue, a student was told simply when Shirley Tilghman's office hours are. Note the laziness, and sheer lack of professionalism, not to mention the illogic nature of that recommendation. When students join together by the dozens, write in to the Prince, email USG repeatedly, to only get referred to the President of the University is pretty weak. If USG really is doing anything it would be nice to see a public effort. 50 new positions is great, for more bureaucracy and less action. P'07's comment is patently false. It is just frustrating to hear Josh "USG DVD was my major accomplishment" Weinstein talk about how critical t.p. is to the function of USG. I mean the guy got elected for buying a dozen dvds, and sticking them in a drawer in the USG office. Impressive. McGinley has the right idea and the ball is now in USG's court. Ten bucks says they don't change their ways, though.
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Wasn't Josh Weinstein the one who organized the Late Meal Petition? I agree with Parent '10. It's time for individual students to take the initiative to gather their concerns in LARGE numbers and lobby to the USG. The USG can fight/work with the administration, but they only have so much political capital. If it is made clear that Spelman or PDF is a huge issue, someone should organize a petition or other active campaign and then bring that to the USG - that's the only way to get them (and in turn the school's administration) to really listen.
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I'm sure if you emailed any of your USG officers, they would take your suggestions. Students on this campus are apathetic about nearly everything given the numbers that turn out to vote for USG elections, USG officers can ask you time and again what you want done but often times will get no response. The little things you probably enjoy on this campus--one mailbox for four years, an enlarged c-store, discounts on nassau street, usg dvd, study breaks, room draw guide, point.princeton.edu, expanded email inbox quotas, fixing puddles at spelman, a study of laundry rooms on campus--these are all things that would have seemed silly to you in the abstract but you are happy about in the present. Think about it.
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Regardless of the amount of time and effort expended by the USG, which I am sure is considerable, I do have to admit I am disappointed by its unwillingness to stir the pot. The USG and campus admin don't have to be at each other's throats, and two-ply toilet paper would certainly be appreciated, but as long as the USG is unwilling to do what is necessary to represent larger student interests, then its usefulness as a body is rather limited. We should expect representation of student concerns, and a proactive USG, rather than one which simply reacts while allowing Nassau Hall to decide "what is best for the students."
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I see, so USG members are *doing me a favor* by padding their resume with election wins and titles while providing toilet paper and hammocks! Getting a few pet projects done per year is not impressive *especially* if they're spending so many hours on them. I'm sorry, but I have a really hard time feeling Josh Weinstein's pain, here. His main campaign promise was that he loved USG and wanted to spend every waking moment improving Princeton through USG. So, that's his decision... it's too bad he lacks the confidence or competence to try to make real, lasting changes that the student body actually cares about.
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I believe the writer, as well as many other students who question the contributions of USG on campus, are ignorant of the complexities of organizing university programs and reforming policies through student government. USG officers already spend numerous hours, unconceivable by most students on campus, working on these so called "trial" pet-projects. If one actually take the time to investigate the smaller projects USG is currently undertaking, one would actually be surprised by the amount of effort and time sacrificed by these student leaders. To say that USG has provided little for our community is a true reflection of ingratitude. I know several USG officers who consistently and consciously withdraw time from academics to fulfill the responsibilities of their positions. If you do not like the results produced by the current administration, then run for office yourself. Moreover, larger issues ARE constantly being discussed by these leaders. However, as witnessed by the efforts of USG officers, resolutions are difficult.
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BRAVO Brandon! Very well put. Providing the president's office hours to a student who has a legitimate grievance is a pretty pathetic response by the newly expanded USG. There are many ways to get your point heard by an administration that is turning a deaf ear. How about trying to build some public pressure? i.e. How about planning a campus-wide rally or protest or sit in at Spellman? How about starting a campaign to get parents of all independent students and their roommates concerned about getting rooms in Spellman to write/call the President voicing their concerns? Based on a previous comment by a parent to this same article it appears that there may be a few unhappy parents out there. If the USG can't negotiate change with the administration then it may be time to get a larger number of voices heard and the USG could be the central body to help organize a coordinated effort. 2-ply TP and hammocks are nice but they don't buy you much political capital with your constituents nor with the administration. Frankly these feel very much like high school projects to this parent who has been watching the Spellman annexation issue evolve. I say it is time to show us what the USG is made of.
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To those saying that the USG doesn't have Univ. respect and therefore can't tackle the big issues... I think you've reversed the causal relationship here. I mean, if you were an administrator, would you have any respect for a USG that wanted to work towards two-ply toilet paper? Respect is earned.
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The USG providing us with better toilet paper is ABSOLUTELY necessary, and this is definitely a critical goal for the student body. This makes it easier and cleaner for the social climbers to shove their noses up everybody else's asses.
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The USG is wasting its time on thicker (read, worse for the plumbing and the environment, and more expensive) toilet paper and hammocks (unsightly additions to a Collegiate Gothic campus); neither of them will ever happen.
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Paternalistic? More like maternalistic...
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If only students could snap their fingers and have every miserable administration policy disappear. Unfortunately, generations of USG leaders can make a change to little effect if the suggestions fall on deaf ears. In the mean time, the pet projects give students immediate results while one or two well-thought out issues can be addressed over one USG administration. To suggest that one or the other is more valuable is ludicrous; a successful USG administration tackles both.
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I don't know if these criticisms of the current USG administration are valid, based on the past experience of other USG leaders. Alex Lenahan squandered his political capital fighting valiantly against the grade deflation policy; Nassau Hall scoffed and ignored him. Leslie Bernard-Joseph also attempted to tackle big issues, but found a lot of his efforts were met with only apathy. Biederman has been a decent leader, aiming for small changes to improve the quality of life of students while doing what he could to deal with an administration that is clearly willing to turn a blind eye to student issues. When Weinstein is facing a highly paternalistic (and I use that term here in its full definition) administration that already sided with his opponent, small advances are all that can be achieved by the USG.
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Just because the guy writes about Anscombe occasionally doesn't mean he is unable to produce legitimate ideas. (And what does this have to do with Nava at all?) The USG seems to be planning to do very little, when it could and should be doing a lot more. I'd trade two-ply toilet paper for a real consideration of the Spelman annexation, and I'd definitely give up hammocks for a better PDF policy. These are definitely not things that would be impossible to change, but the USG doesn't even seem to be thinking about them.
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As a proud liberal, I feel really strange saying this: I agree with Brandon McGinley. This is why I voted for Sarah Langberg. I'm not sure if she would have done a better job, but her rhetoric was definitely in the direction of "big issues" rather than "pet projects." I really don't know what this toilet paper talk is all about... I mean does the USG have disproportionately many chapped asscracks?
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McGinley is just ticked that the USG isn't building a chastity center like he called for last week. How's this guy have any credibility after he "broke" the Nava "attack"?
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This guy sounds like an Obama speech: sounds really nice at first, and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy when you read it, but, on reflection, you realize that there's nothing really there...
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While proposing thicker toilet paper might not have the philosophical import of fighting for better PDF policy, I'm also sick of popping my fingers through the thin transparent sheets they call toilet paper at this school. I'll gladly trade another Lenahan-esque USG for Charmin Ultra Strong now.
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