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(05/12/23 2:51am)
What should I do with my time here? This question sometimes feels like a specter haunting me while I try to make my way through campus. Much of the time, the answer is obvious: try to keep up in the fast-paced academic environment that Princeton prides itself on, which is a tall order in and of itself. Much ink has been spilled over whether or not Princeton’s academic environment is conducive to a balanced and healthy existence. But what about the rest of our time? Overlooked in the past semesters’ mental health discourse is the toll of our obsessively competitive culture. Princeton’s network of competitive systems feels natural to us, but it is worth considering: is striving to one-up each other truly the best use of our limited time on campus?
(05/08/23 1:58am)
A year ago, I called on the University to improve the experience for Muslim students during Ramadan. This Ramadan, there were marked improvements for Princeton Muslims thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Muslim Student Association, University Student Government, and Campus Dining.
(05/01/23 2:02am)
On April 22, the Daily Princetonian released the results of its highly anticipated annual Senior Survey. Among a wide array of data points it collected, the survey asked 571 graduating seniors (approximately 44 percent of the Class of 2023) to answer questions about their political views — quizzing them on topics ranging from their vote in the 2020 U.S. presidential election to how their stances on issues have evolved over the course of their undergraduate education.
(05/01/23 3:43am)
Princeton does not give students the option to take five years of undergraduate coursework. Such a primitive and restrictive policy is detrimental to the University’s success and the health of the student population. For many students, four years is not enough to fully explore their interests and personal goals.
(04/27/23 5:42am)
Princeton represents the scientific and intellectual vanguard of our society, and it needs to act like it by demonstrating an awareness and care for student needs. When the University prioritizes performance metrics over students’ well-being, trust in the institution’s commitment to mental health is eroded. If we feel like Princeton is an aggravator of our conditions, why would we look to it for help? This is the reality: Princeton does not adequately show students that it cares about our mental health. Therefore, we are less likely to seek help when we need it, which may create or exacerbate existing mental health issues.
(04/26/23 3:30am)
Grading is a subject of great mystery and concern at most schools, including Princeton, especially as finals season approaches and the end of the semester draws near. But conversations around grading reform are less prominent, and the Princeton community has yet to sufficiently grapple with the important questions of this debate. Are the systems we have in place conducive to student learning and growth — or are they harmful to those objectives? And do they constitute an accurate standard for assessing students’ academic progress and achievements (if such a standard is even possible)?
(04/21/23 4:47am)
Princeton’s Board of Trustees rules the University. Trustees determine the University’s contested investment decisions, direct campus architecture and design, elect the president, and oversee faculty appointments. Through it all, these 39 individuals claim to wield impartial and apolitical judgment in their decision-making, having taken an oath to perform their duties “faithfully, impartially, and justly.” The University envisions trustees as unbiased, apolitical, and benevolent in their capacity to make decisions.
(04/20/23 2:50am)
This year’s March Madness tournament — in which the Princeton men's basketball team made it to the Sweet 16 and the Princeton women’s basketball team to the top 32 — proved to Princetonians that we are not bad at sports. In fact, we are pretty fantastic. Based on the crowds at regular home games, though, you wouldn't really know it.
(04/20/23 3:59am)
While taking Arabic over four semesters here at Princeton, I have learned about the language as well as about the complexities of incorporating lessons about culture and religion into language instruction. Yet there’s one dynamic I’ve seen clearly: Arabic courses at Princeton identify the language as representative of the people of a single culture and religion — Islam. This teaches Princeton students to consider the Arab and Islamic world as a monolith, excluding diverse groups such as Jewish, Christian, Baháʼí Arabs, as well as non-Arab Muslims. When presenting regional cultures, Princeton should seek to teach diversity rather than try to encourage a uniform perspective.
(04/19/23 3:09am)
A few days ago, I pulled up TigerHub, navigated to the major declaration page, and took a deep breath. My cursor hovered lovingly over “East Asian Studies” (EAS) for a few seconds; then, with a firm finality, I scrolled down and clicked on “School of Public and International Affairs” (SPIA). One last click, “submit form,” and the deed was done.
(04/18/23 3:59am)
Coming to Princeton as a first-year student, I noticed a recurring theme in conversations with juniors and seniors: they valued Princeton’s emphasis on community. Many of the students I talked to valued a deep familiarity with both their physical location and the people who inhabit it. Having a sense of community involves knowing one’s fellow class members and feeling connected to every part of campus. While many have critiqued Princeton as an “Orange Bubble” which students rarely venture out of, within that bubble, the common sentiment was that upper-class students felt a strong connection to their peers.
(04/17/23 1:57am)
State legislators in Trenton were busy before leaving for their April break. They passed a controversial bill changing New Jersey’s campaign finance laws, which Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed into law without the usual fanfare of a press conference. Intense opposition to the paradoxically named “Elections Transparency Act” united the far left and far right of Jersey politics, and for good reason: it is the antithesis of good government, undermining the interests of New Jersey residents. Endangering the Dinky bidding process, it has specific harms for Princeton students.
(04/13/23 5:15am)
Last week brought warm weather and an explosion of flowers at Princeton. However, the hottest topic of conversation was not the seasonal shift. Instead, since mid-March, much of the student body’s attention was focused on room draw: the stressful and complex process where rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors pick their room for the upcoming year. Room draw is opaque, and the University has not provided enough reminders — nor adequate and accessible guidance about the process — especially about the group-selection aspect.
(04/12/23 3:24am)
Attempts to enjoy your quotidian life in Princeton, New Jersey, can be expensive. For example, coffee is not cheap in Princeton — the average latte is $5. To offer all students the equal opportunity in relishing in the delights the town has to offer, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) began the Pay with Points program, providing stipends for those on unlimited meal plans to spend at local businesses. Yet there’s another use of Pay with Points that attacks the very purpose of this program: points can be used to cover sophomore eating club dues. The Pay with Points program should not be treated as a rebate from the unlimited meal plan: if that were the case, the University could simply reduce the meal plan by $150. Rather, this is a program with a specific purpose — to increase town engagement — and it should not be exploited to cover insufficient eating club financial aid.
(04/11/23 2:22am)
At Princeton, we don’t only learn in the classroom, we also learn life skills — like how to deal with rejection. And that’s just as important as anything we learn in our courses.
(04/07/23 4:39am)
The expiration of Section 568 of the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 has raised one question: what is the fate of athletic scholarships in the Ivy League, especially here at Princeton? Proponents of compensating student-athletes generally cite the immense difficulty of performing well physically, academically, and mentally, and argue that it is exploitative to withhold fair compensation from the very students generating national attention and revenue for their universities.
(04/05/23 4:04am)
The field of the upcoming Young Alumni Trustee (YAT) election was culled to three spirited and devoted candidates last Friday. Although Caroline Kirby ’23’s commitment to school spirit is impressive, and Mayu Takeuchi ’23 showed admirable leadership in her role as USG President, we believe that Mutemwa Raphael Masheke ’23 has demonstrated a willingness to undertake the most pertinent University issues and reforms.
(04/05/23 1:45am)
Welcome to Princeton! This fall, if you so choose, you will walk through FitzRandolph Gate and join an intellectually vibrant community united by a desire to pursue knowledge, test ideas, and be challenged. As you prepare to join our academic community and engage in meaningful, open-minded inquiry, those of us committed to the liberal arts character and spirited truth-seeking mission of our university will be cheering you on.
(04/04/23 2:20am)
Let’s be honest, Princeton students are stressed about their grades. And there’s an easy fix that could help alleviate this stress: Princeton should extend the current three-week-long window to elect the pass/D/fail (PDF) option to allow students to PDF a class at any point in the semester. This change would help to reduce grading and GPA pressure, as well as relieve some student stress.
(03/30/23 11:00pm)
Welcome to Princeton! Next Fall, if you so choose, you will walk through FitzRandolph Gate with hundreds of new friends and classmates and become a Princeton Tiger. As you enter this new phase of your life, my fellow classmates and I, who walked through those same gates just a year before, will be there cheering you on. But now that you’ve won the admissions game, it’s time to leave otherwise pointless resume-building activities behind, including individualistic, ineffective activism.