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E-Prince
Created by Katherine Elgin
Opinion editors and columnists 2010 (left to right): Mendy Fisch, Brian Lipshutz, Kelsey Zimmerman, Adam Bradlow, Adi Rajagopalan, Charlie Metzger, Jacob Reses, Brendan Carroll, Monica Greco, David Mendelsohn, Camille Framroze, Chris Troein, Joey Barnett. Not pictured: Andrew Saraf, Haley White, Sophia LeMaire, Michael Collins, Miriam Geronimus.
Columns
Staying connected
The recent Internet outage has taught me that we need more connectivity, not less.
Limited meal plans
Each meal plan should reflect what individuals signed up for. The unlimited diner wants the freedom to swipe in and out of dining halls without worrying about keeping track of meal swipes. The current break system accommodates that. All I ask is that it also accommodate us block-plan holders, who would like to use our set number of meal swipes when we choose.
On 'Sophomore Week'
Whenever I bumped into a few friends at the dining halls, the Street would always be a main topic of conversation. It turns out that a good percentage of my friends are choosing to go independent or co-op, causing me to wonder why there weren’t any similar opportunities for the hundreds of other sophomores who may not be interested in joining an eating club and would rather become independent or join a co-op. And then I realized that students interested in alternative options should be taken into consideration by those who make events catering to the social needs of all kinds of Princeton students.
North Woods adventure
The idea of a trip to New Hampshire reminded me of Bill Bryson’s article about the ill-omened forests near Hanover, described as “some kind of Bermuda triangle of the deciduous world.” I brushed these grim thoughts off and kept packing. Future events proved me wrong. The Bermuda-triangle hypothesis was, in the end, borne out by our experience: Even though we did not get lost in the woods for good, we did spend close to five hours in a car in the middle of the wilderness on our way from the Sunapee Ski Resort to Hanover.
A message from home
Last week, in the midst of an impressively boring, white bread town in the south of Connecticut, a student of Ridgefield High School created an anonymous Twitter account that sparked an uprising against cyberbullying. The student had attempted to take up a growing trend of anonymous Twitter accounts meant to victimize other students in the high school, the likes of RHSrumors and RHSbabewatch. But this particular student, in a disgusting attempt to “outdo” the rest with the worst account yet, created RHSf*goftheday and, since its foundation last Monday, my often apathetic hometown has been immersed in activism and outrage.
Culture and athletics
In the past two years, I have raised funds extensively for both cultural events and to set up a club sport. My personal experience has suggested that finding cash for cultural events is easier than finding resources to buy sports equipment. This bias raises interesting questions about event funding on campus.
Is this real life?
The argument that we live in an unreal bubble seems to be based on the fact that we are sheltered, that what happens outside Princeton does not affect our lives and vice versa. This idea is itself flawed because it ignores how many among us have families who were severely hit by the recession, or how many of us have had to take out personal or family loans, or take more than one campus job, in order to pay for our tuition. But more importantly, it misses the point.
Turn the Internet off
The Internet is a fantastic tool. With family and friends all over the world, the internet is a great way to connect. It is also an invaluable research instrument. But at the same time, it is frightening how much we depend on it. When I told people that not only was I going to have almost no Internet access for a week, but that I intended to get some thesis work done, they laughed. How could one possibly do work without the Internet? What about Google or Wikipedia? How could one possibly enjoy having no connection to the outside world? Well, after trying it, I promise it is possible and extremely liberating.
IPWoah
While I think there are substantive differences between the dotcom bubble and the Facebook IPO, I think the sentiment behind the comparison is quite right. The dotcom bubble grew from an excitement for the potential of Internet sites. The problem was not only this misleading level of excitement but also that investors were making projections for a medium they didn’t really know. Much like this lack of familiarity in the dotcom bubble, most of those making predictions for Facebook’s value aren’t the most acquainted with what Facebook is and does. They may know the figures, they may even have a profile — but it’s our generation that Facebook was created to target and it’s our generation that it continues to target with each change to the site.
Power Hour
If you’re like me, you haven’t thought once about the source of the energy which helps fulfill all of our academic and residential needs. You might not even know that we have a power plant serving campus. After learning a little about how we Princetonians get our power, we not only gain an appreciation for this undervalued aspect of campus life, but also gain insight into key issues underlying America’s energy use.
One person, one bed
Having more than one bed might mean that you have more space to sleep. Or, more likely, you are providing yourself with a vacant space begging to be filled next to you in those wintry Reading Period nights, when your skin is cold and lonely, comforted only by the warm breath of an individual whispering sweet nothings about the intricate beauty of your mid-sized armoire.
The cost of the clubs
While it’s great that Quad has become financially accessible to the entire student population, a change in one eating club alone is not sufficient. The administration has addressed this problem in the past, and now increases financial aid awards for all juniors and seniors in attempts to defray the costs of joining an eating club.
Why I am (and am not) failing
This is the last issue I will oversee as editor-in-chief. When my term ends this semester, I will essentially be kicked out of the office so the next board can do their job without me standing behind them telling them how to do it.
Letter to the Princeton student body
I want to thank you for taking the time to vote for Catherine Ettman, Bruce Easop or Shikha Uberoi. However, none of them is going to serve as your USG president for the upcoming term. I will.
A forum for few voices
Occupy Princeton has done everything but allow for open political discourse.
Open letter to the Dean of Undergraduate Students
Perhaps you know about the current controversy over the University furniture policy. Our concerns particularly refer to the use of an additional bed. The intent of this op-ed is to offer arguments for compromise that will grant a grace period for the newly enforced policy until the end of the 2011-12 school year.
Why I always come back early
Some breaks are for having a good time and forgetting the worries and cares of a semester long gone. But other times, like last week, are for just the opposite. I was not trying to forget that this is a school; I was trying to forget that it is anything but.
Our intentions
We would like to thank Morgan Jerkins ’14 for raising her concerns in her article “ ‘diStracted’ or dispirited?” The reaction that she experienced was obviously not the intention of the piece in question or of the diSiac show. As the choreographers of “Eyes Watching Unseeing,” we would like to offer some responses and explanations that may help readers understand where we were coming from.
Priorities
I’m afraid of bad exam results and a poor GPA, and I want to lay the potential blame for such failings elsewhere. The more rational approach to this fear demands that we put our lives in perspective.
Letter from the Editor
This year, we will be piloting a number of new ways to present the Princeton story, and I look forward to your feedback. But as we enter an exciting new time for the ‘Prince,’ we will not forget a guiding principle of journalism — that trust and reputation are earned.
JP Houdini
Here’s where things get interesting. If you realize, then, that there is a difference between independent work in theory and independent work in practice, you are in a position to harness a tremendous power. All social and extracurricular obligations fall before the onslaught of independent work.
Lessons for Occupy Princeton
Simple, smart and clear: This is exactly how protests should work — Occupy Princeton has much to learn from the Russians.