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(04/14/16 3:08pm)
An important, yet often forgotten, historical site in the United States is just around the corner from the University, beyond the Graduate College: the Princeton Battlefield. The battlefield is the site of George Washington’s victory over the British Army in January 1777, in a battle that set the course for the Continental Army’s eventual victory in the Revolutionary War. Today, the preservation of the field is threatened due to the purchase of a portion of it, Maxwell’s Field, by the Institute for Advanced Studies. The IAS intends to develop faculty housing on the plot. The Board calls upon IAS to sell the land to a non-profit for the purposes of historical preservation and build housing elsewhere.
(04/11/16 7:43pm)
Last week, the University Board of Trustees announced its approval of the recommendations made in the Wilson Legacy Committee's report. These recommendations include retaining Wilson’s name at the Woodrow Wilson School and Wilson College, revising Princeton’s unofficial motto, diversifying campus art and establishing a potential graduate school pipeline program for underrepresented groups. The Board supports the aforementioned recommendations, commends the committee’s emphasis on student involvement through the process and encourages student involvement in continued discussions about Wilson.
(04/07/16 3:25pm)
Last week, Harvard Collegeannounced the creation of a $2,000 “start-up” grant for incoming members of the Class of 2020 from low-income households. The grant, which will augment Harvard’s typical financial aid package, is meant to help students “fully engage in what Harvard has to offer” irrespective of their financial circumstances by offering them assistance with the costs related to college matriculation. One member of Harvard’s Undergraduate Council aptly noted that, despite Harvard’s need blind policy for admission, few resources and other opportunities on campus are likewise need blind.
(04/03/16 5:49pm)
The last major academic hurdle that many Princeton seniors must clear to graduate is completing their senior thesis. The senior thesis consists of original research and a significant written component and serves as the culminating experience of a student’s time at Princeton. Despite the important nature of the senior thesis, the thesis binding process has significant flaws. The Board recommends that each department implement two changes to improve the thesis submission process: set the deadline for binding of the thesis after the due date of the thesis itself and subsidize the cost of binding for students on financial aid.
(03/31/16 6:23pm)
President Eisgruber recently stated, “We at Princeton believe that it is a fundamental advantage for a university to be able to tolerate even offensive kinds of speech and to respond to bad arguments when they are made with more speech rather than with disciplinary actions.” His statement was made to defend freedom of expression, up to the point of protecting the right of student groups to commemorate Osama bin Laden, and this Board believes that such freedom extends to other offensive ideas and arguments.
(03/27/16 6:28pm)
In recent years, the unfortunate prevalence of sexual assault on campus has become a political issue of national importance. President Barack Obama has launched a campaign to raise awareness and the U.S. Senate is considering a bill to tackle the issue. Despite this, college sexual assault is ultimately a campus issue that the University administration and community have a responsibility to mitigate. As part of University efforts to curb sexual assault and related issues, such as stalking and harassment, graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to fill out the We Speak survey on sexual misconduct.
(03/24/16 4:42pm)
In the next few weeks, sophomores enrolled in the A.B. program will be declaring their majors within one of the 35 academic departments offered by the University. In light of this rapidly approaching deadline, the Board recommends the following improvements to the declaration of majors and certificate programs: 1) the University should update its certificates webpage to include a more comprehensive and inclusive list of all programs offered, as it is currently missing some programs, 2) individual departments should create and advertise open houses and information sessions for their respective certificate programs, and 3) the Office of the Dean of the College should update its website for choosing majors to make it more comprehensive and user-friendly than is its current format.
(03/06/16 3:41pm)
The General Education Task Force was established in the fall of 2015 to review the University's undergraduate curriculum and to make recommendations about distribution requirements, independent work and other aspects of academics at Princeton. The academic calendar determines how these components fit together. A new survey which asks students for feedback regarding potential changes to the academic calendarhas been created by the Task Force in conjunction with the Dean of the College, the USG Academics Committee and members of the Graduate Student Government. The survey explores the following three proposals: 1) moving the fall term exams before winter recess, 2) expanding the teaching semester from 12 to 13 weeks and 3) increasing intersession from 1 to 2 weeks. These are important issues about which the Board has written before; consequently, we call on all students to participate in the brief survey.
(03/03/16 4:30pm)
Last Friday, New Jersey Gov. and ex officio University Trustee Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump in his bid for the Republican nomination and the White House. This Board believes that this action runs contrary to both democratic and University values and calls on Christie to renege on his endorsement and remove any affiliation to Trump and his campaign.Trump has made several statements antithetical to values that the University holds dear. Section 1.1.4 of Rights, Rules and Responsibilities states that while the University “acknowledge[s] the difficulties inherent in creating a community of” differing backgrounds, beliefs and experiences, it is committed to supporting the creation of such a diverse community. Trump has not conducted his campaign in accordance with this value. He has argued that he saw Muslim-Americans “celebrating” following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, a claim that has not been substantiated and simply serves to stoke animosity towards Muslims living peacefully within America’s borders. Similarly, his refusal to immediately disavow the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke speaks to his lack of regard for the millions of minority group members that the KKK has harmed with violence and hate. Trump has also embraced a broadly xenophobic and intensely ignorant view of Hispanic-Americans and Hispanic immigrants in order to divide the country and propagate his campaign’s image. Section 1.2.1 asserts that while the University seeks to foster vigorous debate, “alienating ... individuals” whose diverse perspectives enrich this debate “harm[s] the whole community.” Even if Trump doesn’t believe what he says, that does not change that fact that his comments insult and demean large portions of the Princeton community. Christie should recognize what 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and other politicians have termed “disqualifying [and] disgusting” remarks and recant his endorsement accordingly.Beyond his affronts to University standards, Trump’s comments further run contrary to the values of a democratic society. We refer to his response to criticism that he’s faced in the media. Trump has stated his willingness to “‘open up’ libel laws” and make it easier to sue news organizations. This type of legislation would create a chilling effect on free press, weakening one of the most important rights afforded to American citizens. Again, whether or not Trump, the man, believes what Trump, the candidate, says is immaterial. His willingness to directly flout the tenets of the Constitution in response to simple critiques does not inspire confidence in the reaction a Trump administration would have to criticism in the face of controversy. Christie should have taken this into consideration before he endorsed Trump, and we call on him to rectify his poor judgement.Christie may join Trump supporters and argue that Trump “tells it like it is,” and that we should hold this unabashed commitment to the truth above the concerns stated above. Even if the University placed such little weight on these concerns, the Board rejects this argument on the basis of fact. Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checker Politifact rates 76% of Trump’s statements that it has reviewed as “mostly false,” “false” or “pants on fire” — the latter refers to a statement that is willfully misleading or egregiously incorrect. Trump’s statements are not just ideologically offensive — they are objectively untrue.This Board does not make a partisan objection to Trump’s political stances, nor do we fault him for changing his view on several issues. Many candidates share some of Trump’s views, and almost all of them have changed their position on issues during this election cycle. We recognize that vigorous discussion of the merits and flaws of various candidates and platforms is necessary for the flourishing of the American political system. Different candidates can present incompatible yet sincerely held beliefs that should be discussed in the open. However, we find a trustee’s endorsement of a candidate who holds no regard for University and American values unacceptable and urge Christie to reverse his endorsement immediately.Connor Pfeiffer ’18, Theodore Furchtgott ’18, and Paul Draper ’18 recused themselves from the writing of this editorial.The Editorial Board is an independent body and decides its opinions separately from the regular staff and editors of The Daily Princetonian. The Board answers only to its Chair, the Opinion Editor and the Editor-in-Chief.
(02/28/16 6:45pm)
It is currently a common practice for instructors not to return Dean’s Date papers or final exams with feedback — or at all. The Board sees no reason why these essays and tests should be treated any differently from those scheduled throughout the course of the semester. In fact, we believe that the habit of ignoring these final assignments both costs students some of their best learning opportunities and sends a message of grading-over-teaching that corrodes Princeton’s educational environment. The Board believes that the University should encourage course instructors to make marked-up Dean’s Date papers or final exams available by the date on which overall course grades are posted online.
(02/25/16 3:57pm)
Recently, the University announced its intention to accept a small number of transfer students, starting as early as 2018, as part of a broader strategic planning framework intended to underscore Princeton’s commitment to continued leadership in education, inclusivity and diversity. Princeton has not offered admission to transfer students since 1990. In the past, President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 had hinted at the possibility of reversing the University’s transfer policy, arguing that such a move might afford students from community colleges and diverse economic backgrounds the opportunity to flourish at Princeton. The Editorial Board commends the University’s Board of Trustees for its decision.
(02/21/16 4:56pm)
Princeton offers its undergraduate students a wide array of summer opportunities, from the International Internship Program (IIP) to Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS). Included in students’ access to summer opportunities is the ability to study abroad during the summer for course credit through the Office of International Programs. However, for students on financial aid who wish to study abroad, the number of summer study abroad programs funded by the University remains low. Furthermore, when compared to the summer study abroad options offered by peer institutions such as Harvard, Princeton offers comparatively fewer and less flexible options. The Board encourages the Office of International Programs to extend financial aid coverage to all of Princeton’s seventeen summer study abroad programs. Additionally, the Board calls on OIP to explore the possibility of adding additional summer programs that give students more flexibility in regards to location and duration.
(02/18/16 4:52pm)
Since the beginning of the academic year, the Princeton community has engaged in lively debate surrounding the name of the Wilson School, Princeton’s school of public and international affairs. Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, is a former president of the University, who went on to become Governor of New Jersey and the 28th President of the United States. He instituted long-lasting changes on campus, including the creation of additionalacademic departments and the precept system. However, he also left behind a troubling legacy on race relations, such as re-segregating the United States Civil Service; he also had a history of making racist statements. The Board commends students who have expressed their concerns on both sides of the issue. We recognize, however, that in the end, the Trustees of the University must decide whether to change the way the University honors Wilson’s legacy. In order for this decision to properly represent the diverse viewpoints of the Princeton community, the Board urges students to engage in discourse with the trustees and the administration through all available channels.
(02/14/16 4:17pm)
Many Princetonians, mainly sophomores, spent the first week of this semester concerned primarily not with finalizing their course schedule or buying books, but rather with the process of joining an eating club. We acknowledge the Interclub Council (ICC) and the Class of 2018 officers for their efforts to make this process more transparent by, for example, releasing a graphic explaining the various upperclass dining options and their costs. However, there remain areas for improvements to make this process clearer and less stressful for students. The Board recommends three reforms: 1) include as part of eating club registration on the ICC website a step requiring students to acknowledge and accept the spring dues for their clubs of choice, 2) like in years past, release the numbers of first-round sign-ins, and 3) encourage sign-in clubs to defer their initiations until the week after bicker.
(02/11/16 1:45pm)
Princeton University prides itself on its undergraduate focus and especially on the incredible availability of its world-renowned faculty to work with undergraduate students. With a student-faculty ratio of 6:1, students have a remarkable proximity to some of the most outstanding minds in today's academic disciplines. All University professors engage in teaching as well as research, and students interact with their instructors in various class formats such as precepts, seminars and lectures, but oftentimes the most valuable interactions come from outside of the classroom. Professors are not just technical experts; they are also individuals with tremendous experience in academic life and passions for intellectual pursuits. Students seeking out professors beyond the lecture hall can expand their knowledge of class material, discover new interests, bear witness to relevant wisdom about finding a career path and receive advice for navigating University life. While University professors already hold office hours for facilitating student-professor interactions outside of class, the Editorial Board proposes better promotion of that system as well as popularizing programs that support meals between students and professors.
(02/07/16 4:11pm)
Last semester, the unsigned editorials featured on this page have discussed issues such as anonymizing exam grading, expanding co-op options and improving career services. The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board, a group of 15 undergraduates, was collectively responsible for writing these pieces. The members of the Board are not the editors of the various sections of the ‘Prince.’ Instead, they constitute an independent group of undergraduate students charged with determining the position of the newspaper as a whole. Today, instead of taking a stance on an issue, we would like to explain the editorial process and invite interested freshmen, sophomores and juniors to apply to join the Board.
(02/04/16 5:05pm)
Princeton’s Office of Disability Services provides resources and opportunities to help students with disabilities overcome significant obstacles and works to ensure that all qualified students can attend Princeton regardless of physical or psychological disability. As reported this week, Princeton has seen an 80 percent increase in the number of students registered with ODS between 2011 and 2015. As more students with disabilities enter Princeton, there remain several steps that the broader University community can take to further its commitment to students with disabilities. Specifically, this Board has two key recommendations in support of Deaf students on campus: allowing American Sign Language to satisfy the foreign language requirement and pursuing further options for the study of ASL or ASL-related topics.
(01/10/16 7:38pm)
Following reading and final examination period, the most pressing event for the University’s sophomore class is making the decision of where to dine as upperclassmen. We are all familiar with the various options for upperclassmen dining: eating clubs, co-ops, residential college dining hall meal plans and independent dining. With nearly 70 percent of upperclassmen claiming membership in one of the 11 clubs on Prospect, there is a significant amount of social pressure placed upon underclassmen to join an eating club during sophomore year. The Board understands this social pressure and encourages the University’s Office of Financial Aid to increase the upperclassmen dining allowance, which is currently set at $2110, to a higher figure in order to prevent financial constraints from impeding students’ access to eating clubs. The Board similarly encourages a smaller increase in the dining allowance for students in their fourth semester at the University.
(01/07/16 5:08pm)
Nothing further exemplifies the University’s decline in prestige than the recent Class Day speakers, such as Al Gore, Brooke Shields ’87 and Jon Stewart. These people are total losers. They are all talk and no action. For too long, Princeton’s Class Day has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. When Princeton invites Class Day speakers, they do not invite the best. They do not invite people like you. They invite people who have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us.
(12/17/15 6:21pm)
As the last week of the fall semester wanes and students return home for the duration of winter recess, we would all do well to remember how truly fortunate of a position we enjoy. We attend a world-class university. As a consequence, we are frequently afforded academic and social opportunities, of which many others may only dream. And while we are diverse in our backgrounds, traditions and troubles, there is an undeniably lucky, wonderful and exciting quality that characterizes all of our admission to and experience of the University. The Board encourages students to express their gratitude for the opportunities available at the University to those who make them possible, including University staff, professors and teaching assistants.