Let’s be skeptical of PGSU
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
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The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
Nothing is as permanent as a temporary solution. Columbia University displayed the truth of that adage last Wednesday when it announced it would go test-optional for all future application cycles, codifying the test-optional policy it first adopted in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly all of Columbia’s peer institutions, including Princeton, implemented similar test-optional policies which have also been subsequently extended. Columbia, however, is the first in the Ivy League to scrap standardized testing for good.
The COVID-19 pandemic completely transformed the college application process. Members of the class of 2025 applied, on average, to more schools likely due to the uncertain conditions caused by the pandemic. Students’ anxieties increased regarding distance from home in the event that family members got COVID-19. In-person campus tours became virtual videos. Individual financial and learning circumstances drastically changed. Yet one of the biggest and most positive changes to arise from the pandemic has been the decision by most colleges and universities to become test optional, which means that students are not required to submit SAT or ACT test results as a part of their application. Colleges and universities, including Princeton, should continue to remain test optional as we leave the pandemic era, as such policies allow for a more equitable admissions process for first-generation, low-income (FGLI) applicants.
Last semester, I got the dreaded text from a friend: “so sorry, but I just tested positive for covid.” Instantly, my stomach sank. My likelihood of having gotten COVID-19 from this friend was low — we only had one class together, and we had worn masks during most of our interactions. Nevertheless, the worry persisted. In the Spring 2022 semester, I had been sick with COVID-19 before during midterms week. At that time, Princeton still had many of its strict COVID-19 policies in place. Though mask mandates and weekly testing had been eliminated, the University provided isolation housing for students as well as clear support for obtaining meals during and after the isolation period. Furthermore, many lectures posted recordings of classes or provided Zoom links. COVID-19 still was not easy to deal with — it’s difficult to stay on top of Princeton’s demanding workload while ill — but it was more manageable. Just one semester later, however, with fewer accommodations but the same moral requirements to isolate, it’s near impossible for students with COVID-19 to keep up with their academics while isolating.
Are far-right conservative viewpoints nothing more than an emotional reaction to progressivism? Yes, suggests Adam Hoffman ’23 in a recent New York Times guest essay. More importantly, through his much-discussed contribution, Hoffman entirely gives up on arguing for conservative values. Instead, he threatens academia, arguing that it must shift its viewpoints, or else it will be met with the virulent anger of the “conservative firebrands” it is apparently producing in bulk.
Last semester, I took on the daunting task of writing my first junior paper (JP). This was an incredibly significant moment in my academic career, not only for its importance within the Princeton community, but also due to its grueling nature. Despite the demanding process — or maybe because of it — I found the depth of exploration I achieved to be rewarding, as I ultimately proved to myself that I was capable of such intense work. What was not rewarding, however, was the meager feedback I received, revealing the inadequacies of Princeton's systems for giving students feedback and how they fail to promote student learning.
Last Wednesday, the New York Times published an Opinion piece from Adam Hoffman, a senior at the University, who argued that Princeton’s administration and campus community create an environment inhospitable to nuanced discussions. In response to allegations of censorship, some have claimed that institutional “neutrality provides a starting point” to protect and develop free speech on college campuses like Princeton’s. Princeton has adopted the University of Chicago Free Speech Principles, meaning that Princeton’s policies now attempt to “[guarantee] all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.” However, recently some of my fellow students have argued that Princeton should go further and adopt the Kalven Report, which focuses on maintaining the political neutrality of the University. While “institutional neutrality” is appealing and certainly has its merits, the University needs to speak out to support the inclusion of voices that have traditionally been marginalized.
Tragedy struck East Palestine, Ohio last month when a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying 115,580 gallons of vinyl chloride derailed. Although the derailment resulted in no direct injuries, it has evolved into one of the largest ecological disasters on the rails in recent memory. In an attempt to prevent greater environmental damage and to quickly restore the railroad, Norfolk Southern intentionally burned the chemicals in the derailed cars in what officials called a “controlled release.” Unfortunately for East Palestine, a village of roughly 4,700 residents, vinyl chloride has been classified as a carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
I went to therapy for the first time during my freshman year of college.
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
Returning to campus as a Butlerite this winter, I was particularly disappointed by the closure of our adopted center of residential life, Wilcox Hall. We had made fun of Wilcox Hall with its 60’s style, too-colorful interior and the funky smell that never went away. It was tacky. It was ugly. But it was our home. In its upstairs J Street Library, we rushed to finish our readings before precept. In its basement, I weathered a hurricane on the first day of freshman-year classes. And in 1968, a group of students known as the Woodrow Wilson Society shared meals in the dining hall when Princeton’s residential college system was first born. With the demolition of Wilcox Hall at the end of the semester, these memories will fade as the physical building in which they were made ceases to exist.
Editor’s Note: This article was co-written by both authors, but in the voice of Gil Joseph ’25.
The University strives to produce scholars “in the Nation’s Service, and the Service of Humanity,” but refuses to substantially support undergraduates exploring service through their academic work. Despite programming at the Pace Center for Civic Engagement and the Learning and Education through Service (LENS) initiative, the University doesn’t truly prioritize service because it’s not integrated into its core academic goals. One critical step towards making service a real priority for the University, rather than a performative addition, is offering course credit.
Unlike many students across the country, my last all-nighter had nothing to do with my studies. In June 2020, the last month I was a graduate student at Oregon State University, I stayed on a Zoom call for almost 24 hours to support friends in my department who were members of the bargaining unit of our union, the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE). It was the last of the 180 days allotted for bargaining, so it was crucial that we reached a consensus before this deadline. Because of the pandemic, I could not be there with my friends — the least I could do was be a square on the screen, so the bargaining unit could see me. As the sun rose, I remember hearing the lead negotiator for the university say, “I think we can make that work.” I will never forget the intense joy felt by the breakout room participants, many of whom were on the verge of tears.
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone. For information on how to submit an article to the Opinion Section, click here.
To the Editor:
On Feb. 6, 2023, two earthquakes, of 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude each, struck Southeastern Turkey and Northern Syria. In his speech given on Feb. 9, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres stated, “the earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria is one of the biggest natural disasters in our times.”