Columns

The not-so-great class of 2027: Why none of us deserve to be here

"If your instinctive response to this system is that it isn’t fair to those who ‘deserve it’, remember that no form of admissions has ever been—and that in the end, the university’s primary purpose is not to mend all of society’s evils...A partial randomization system, though imperfect in its aims for egalitarianism, will work gradually in combating the good because great mentality."

"If your instinctive response to this system is that it isn’t fair to those who ‘deserve it’, remember that no form of admissions has ever been—and that in the end, the university’s primary purpose is not to mend all of society’s evils...A partial randomization system, though imperfect in its aims for egalitarianism, will work gradually in combating the good because great mentality."

Harnessing collective power to strengthen resolve: the purpose of marching

"Because the march so visibly demonstrated the sheer scale of people who are equally determined to work towards a safer future, the whole experience made clear that none of us are alone in wanting to do something about climate change, and that the fight isn’t over yet."

"Because the march so visibly demonstrated the sheer scale of people who are equally determined to work towards a safer future, the whole experience made clear that none of us are alone in wanting to do something about climate change, and that the fight isn’t over yet."

President Eisgruber, step up or step aside

The decision-makers who govern our Princeton lives – both Eisgruber and the Board of Trustees – are disconnected from the student body and don’t show a real interest in our most pressing problems, making it difficult to solve them. 

The decision-makers who govern our Princeton lives – both Eisgruber and the Board of Trustees – are disconnected from the student body and don’t show a real interest in our most pressing problems, making it difficult to solve them. 

Students won’t take COVID-19 tests unless University accommodations improve

“The University’s failure to provide resources for roommates can provoke resentment between friends and roommates, and detrimentally impact students’ living situations. Students are disincentivized from testing when the University neglects the most rudimentary needs of those in isolation.”

"The University’s failure to provide resources for roommates can provoke resentment between friends and roommates, and detrimentally impact students’ living situations. Students are disincentivized from testing when the University neglects the most rudimentary needs of those in isolation."

Worker safety under an orange sky

We have a new, unpredictable climate, which requires us to act. While we work to slash carbon emissions, we must also protect our campus communities from the heating that has already occurred — especially the people who make the University run but who we so often overlook. Stronger environmental safety measures represent a first step in that direction.

We have a new, unpredictable climate, which requires us to act. While we work to slash carbon emissions, we must also protect our campus communities from the heating that has already occurred – especially the people who make the University run, but who we so often overlook. Stronger environmental safety measures represent a strong first step in that direction.

College clubs need gatekeeping. That doesn’t mean they have to be cruel.

"As decision-makers, club leadership teams have a duty to make sure that our treasuries don’t run dry and that our businesses can keep operating. But we also have a duty to the prospective students hovering outside the door and peering inside."

Slow down to swim rather than sink into overflowing inboxes

Our University, steeped in tradition and knowledge, plays an active role in students’ lives — it is not merely a place where we learn; it is an environment in which we are permanently molded. The University’s vibrant community and myriad opportunities also make it a partner in our exploration. So could we, perhaps, imagine a Princeton that not just throws opportunities our way, but also helps us navigate them?

Our University, steeped in tradition and knowledge, plays an active role in students’ lives — it is not merely a place where we learn; it is an environment in which we are permanently molded. The University’s vibrant community and myriad opportunities also make it a partner in our exploration. So could we, perhaps, imagine a Princeton that not just throws opportunities our way, but also helps us navigate them?

No more taking pride in college rankings

There is a lot to be proud of at Princeton. But let’s not indulge in national college rankings that reward colleges for merely serving as refuge for the rich and a jumping-off platform for the less privileged.

There is a lot to be proud of at Princeton. But let us not indulge in national college rankings that reward colleges for merely serving as refuge for the rich and a jumping off platform for the less privileged.

Princeton must create an equitable experience for hijabis using communal bathrooms

“The experience of hijabi students in Princeton’s communal bathrooms points to the broader issue of unequal housing conditions on campus.”

"The experience of hijabi students in Princeton’s communal bathrooms points to the broader issue of unequal housing conditions on campus."

As Princeton expands, mental health care contracts

“Without a more-than-proportional increase in the counseling staff employed at CPS, students’ mental health care needs will continue to be unaddressed at Princeton.”

"Without a more-than-proportional increase in the counseling staff employed at CPS, students’ mental health care needs will continue to be unaddressed at Princeton."

Instead of banning scooters, improve TigerTransit

“Princeton must expand the TigerTransit system where undergrads need it the most: between residential colleges and academic buildings with a central Elm Drive shuttle, as well as between more class locations and athletic practice facilities.”

Princetonians must invest in the marketplace of ideas

"If students start by situating free expression in a liberal context, individual engagement would restore and enliven the marketplace of ideas on campus, enabling a fuller appreciation for the dynamic, invigorating, and fundamentally democratic nature of campus discourse."

"If students start by situating free expression in a liberal context, individual engagement would restore and enliven the marketplace of ideas on campus, enabling a fuller appreciation for the dynamic, invigorating, and fundamentally democratic nature of campus discourse."

Affirmative action’s shortcomings

“Different experiences may lead to different perspectives; even similar experiences may lead to different perspectives. The lives and perspectives of underrepresented minorities vary greatly, and it’s essential not to make assumptions about them.”

"Different experiences may lead to different perspectives; even similar experiences may lead to different perspectives. The lives and perspectives of underrepresented minorities vary greatly, and it's essential not to make assumptions about them."

As Princeton remakes itself, incorporate native plants

“By creating and explaining its vision for an interconnected landscape of gardens filled with food for pollinators and habitat for insects, the University can inspire students, faculty, staff or anyone visiting campus to consider what they can do to create a better habitat for their local fauna.”

“By creating and explaining its vision for an interconnected landscape of gardens filled with food for pollinators and habitat for insects, the University can inspire students, faculty, staff or anyone visiting campus to consider what they can do to create a better habitat for their local fauna.”

We must think more critically about public service

“We need to endeavor to explore more deeply what public service actually means, and how we can be truly effective with the tools our Princeton education gives us.”

"We need to endeavor to explore more deeply what public service actually means, and how we can be truly effective with the tools our Princeton education gives us."

Humanities courses can solve Princeton's civic service problem

"When students do not take courses in the humanities, they miss out on studying works which ask how to determine what it means to be good, and why you should pursue the good. In a climate in which students don’t have the basic ability of interrogating these questions, how could a university expect its students to go forth and creatively serve their nation and humanity at large? Service cannot be reduced to post-graduation careers, but it can be predicted from the quality and type of an education itself."

"When students do not take courses in the humanities, they miss out on studying works which ask how to determine what it means to be good, and why you should pursue the good. In a climate in which students don’t have the basic ability of interrogating these questions, how could a university expect its students to go forth and creatively serve their nation and humanity at large? Service cannot be reduced to post-graduation careers, but it can be predicted from the quality and type of an education itself."

Princeton must install air conditioning as temperatures rise

“Princeton must begin proactively updating its older residential colleges and buildings before worsening climate conditions make the change absolutely necessary.”

“Princeton must begin proactively updating its older residential colleges and buildings before worsening climate conditions make the change absolutely necessary.”

The disgraceful legacy of legacy admissions

“While not explicitly affiliated with identity, legacy admissions, since their inception, have been successfully crafted to exclude minorities — first on the basis of religion, then on the basis of race — and should thus be abolished in our nation’s universities.”

“While not explicitly affiliated with identity, legacy admissions, since their inception, have been successfully crafted to exclude minorities — first on the basis of religion, then on the basis of race — and should thus be abolished in our nation’s universities.”

Princeton alumni seek status, not service

“It is troubling to see little to no action by the University to push for alumni outcomes favoring service, not individualistic financial gain. The administration should develop a comprehensive system that strongly encourages alumni to seek careers that are beneficial to humanity.”

"It is troubling to see little to no action by the University to push for alumni outcomes favoring service, not individualistic financial gain. The administration should develop a comprehensive system that strongly encourages alumni to seek careers that are beneficial to humanity."

Princeton should not grant diplomas to insurrectionists

“Giberson’s behavior clearly implies that he believes in lies and is willing to violently act on them, violating Princeton’s code of conduct and demonstrating that he does not understand Princeton’s emphasis on principled civic engagement. Because of this, the University should not have awarded Larry Giberson a diploma.”

“Giberson’s behavior clearly implies that he believes in lies and is willing to violently act on them, violating Princeton’s code of conduct and demonstrating that he does not understand Princeton’s emphasis on principled civic engagement. Because of this, the University should not have awarded Larry Giberson a diploma.”