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Princeton's fire squad gets high-tech firefighting tool from state

Princeton's fire squad gets high-tech firefighting tool from state

The Princeton Fire Department has acquired a new high-tech gadget to help its firefighters beat the heat.On Friday, the department received a thermal-imaging camera from the state in exchange for Princeton Borough and Township participation in the national fire-incident reporting program.The portable, battery-powered camera ? manufactured by Bullard and retailing for between $18,000 and $23,000 ? detects hot spots and displays them on a small television screen.According to Fire Chief Henry Tomasi, the device has a range of applications for firefighters, allowing them to find the source of a fire or determine how far it may have spread."It lets us look into walls and find the [source] of a fire, which can be very important, both in fighting the fire and in investigations," he said.The camera can also be used by authorities on search-and-rescue missions where visibility may be hindered by darkness or smoke, Fire Chief Peter Root explained."With the camera, during a fire we can see right through the smoke.

NEWS | 10/04/2000

Race at a pivot, Bush and Gore hammer at the issues

BOSTON ? With their attire as similar as many Americans suspect them to be, Texas Gov. George W.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

USG hosts candidate forum for freshman seeking class office

With the excitement of frosh week slowly dissolving into the harsh reality of problem sets and papers, members of the Class of 2004 have finally begun to settle in as the newest members of the Princeton community.This inevitable transition has cast the spotlight on a small group of individuals who have emerged to vie for the positions of freshman class officers.As each of this year's candidates rose and addressed those gathered at the annual student government candidate forum last night, it became increasingly clear that unity within the freshman class was a common, if not universal, concern.Presidential candidate Eli Goldsmith '04 voiced his intentions to facilitate freshman unity by suggesting ways in which the separate residential college groups could be brought together through class-wide activities such as field trips, movie nights and talent shows.Sonya Mirbagheri '04, who is also running for the office of president, echoed Goldsmith's sentiments, adding that class unity depends on important elements such as joint study groups, social events and peer-assistance initiatives.A self-proclaimed volunteer worker, presidential candidate Dan O'Brien '04 addressed the issue of class unity by suggesting ways in which first-year students might participate in Princeton-area community service projects.Dareious Nowrouzi '04 emphasized the importance of voter registration during his speech, and Nicole Apollon '04 spoke of her strong commitment to the ideals of the Honor Committee.Seth Fishman '04, who served as the president of the National Young Judea Board during high school, said he hopes to address concerns regarding food prices at the Frist Campus Center, as well as problems related to the meal plan system in general.The sole non-traditionalist of the group, candidate Benjamin "Buddy" Fong '04, seemed confident that freshman voters would decide against a qualified and motivated leader, instead electing a president both "lazy" and "incompetent."When asked to comment on the election process thus far, many of the candidates expressed disappointment at the shortness of the allotted campaign period.Having been on campus for only about one month, the candidates generally agreed that it has been difficult to understand fully the views of their potential constituency."It's pretty frustrating," O'Brien said in an interview before the forum.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

Student groups urge undergraduates to vote in Borough Council election

With local political issues currently kindling discussion on campus, some student groups are urging undergraduates to voice their opinions by voting in the upcoming Princeton Borough Council election.One salient issue is a possible alcohol ordinance that could change the tone of social life on campus.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

Reconsidering the Standard Model

Change is coming quickly in the field of particle physics, and two Princeton researchers are helping to lead the way.Traditionally, particle physics has been explained by two complementary theories, the Standard Model and general relativity, but physicists have been unable to combine the two into a single theory that can explain everything.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

Debate draws flurry of activity to Boston, as candidates gear up for crucial contest

BOSTON ? Beantown was awash with presidential campaign fever yesterday as Texas Gov. George W.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

Package delivery backlog at Frist prompts changes in mail services

When the prescription his mother had sent him via two-day priority mail had not arrived after a week, Jon Barnes '03 began griping to the Frist Campus Center mailroom workers.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

University extends deadline for Cannon Club alumni to repurchase clubhouse

For the second time in three years, University officials have extended the deadline for Cannon Club alumni to repurchase their former clubhouse, Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 said yesterday.According to Wright, Cannon alumni will now have until April 15, 2001 to buy the building located on Prospect Avenue.The deadline for the purchase originally was set for May 1999, but University officials later agreed to push that deadline back one year.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

John Witherspoon area residents speak out against overcrowding

About a 10-minute walk from the sprawling, manicured landscape of the University campus and the sparkling sidewalks in front of chic storefronts on Nassau Street, abandoned cars litter the yards and children sleep in basements in dangerously crowded conditions.Residents from the John Witherspoon area ? an ethnically diverse and typically lower-income area north of Palmer Square ? filled the Princeton Borough Hall meeting room last night.During the Borough Council meeting, area residents voiced their concerns over the deteriorating conditions in their community.Representatives from the John-Witherspoon area came before the Council after holding several of their own forums during which they discussed problems they sensed had been rapidly growing worse in recent years.Minnie Craig, of 173 Witherspoon St., stood before the microphone and encouraged her neighbors to take advantage of their opportunity to speak up."This is your chance to be heard," Craig said.And members of the audience displayed no timidity, voicing an attack against their landlords while emphasizing that racial issues were in no way at the root of their anger."I want to stress that this is not a racial thing," said Craig, who is black.

NEWS | 10/03/2000

McCosh has no plans to offer abortion pill

University health officials have no plans to make the recently approved "abortion pill" available to students at McCosh Health Center in the near future, Director of University Health Services Dr. Pamela Bowen said yesterday.In a landmark decision certain to reshape the abortion debate, the U.S.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

Swinging and not missing

It hit.The story Victor Simpkins '76 was telling centered around a woman who killed her husband with a leg of lamb.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

A storied past, and a place in Princeton's future?

As the Third World Center embarks on the year of its 30th anniversary, its members hope to use the milestone to reconcile two seemingly contradictory goals ? adapting to a changing campus while returning to the center's roots.Standing in the way, however, are what some might call an identity crisis, a controversial history and the presence of a new, bigger student center.Overcoming these obstacles will require the TWC to rediscover its purpose on campus, members said.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

Despite new fee, auditors continue to turn out for University classes in strong numbers

Instituted officially last year, the University's community auditing program is thriving this fall among local residents despite the required $50 registration fee per class.Though town residents have been attending University course lectures for years, the formal auditing program was established to cover administrative fees and course materials, said Pam Hersh, director of community and state affairs.According to Hersh, 674 people ? who are mostly senior citizens ? signed up for the program this semester, though about 100 may have dropped out because of classes being closed to auditors.Before the program officially began, auditors sometimes caused problems for students and faculty.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

When a president signs off, administrative turnover is an almost inevitable by-product

The imposing entrance of Nassau Hall may become a revolving door as inevitable administrative turnover follows President Shapiro's departure at the end of the year.Since former President Robert Goheen '40's retirement in 1972, a trend of high-level University administrators leaving within the first few years after a presidential change has developed.During the first year of Shapiro's term, for example, three top-level administrators left the University.Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Spies GS '72 said it is difficult to predict how much administrative attrition will accompany Shapiro's departure."It's early for all of us to absorb," he said.Spies noted that there are two reasons an administrator might leave.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

550 students receive tickets to attend Clinton's address

Some 550 students plowing through their e-mail inboxes yesterday discovered they are the lucky recipients of a golden ticket to President Clinton's address to be held this Thursday.Winners of the lottery were notified after uncertainties about the number of seats available for students, staff and faculty pushed back the notification deadline, which the University originally slated for last Friday.Clinton will deliver the keynote address at Richardson Auditorium on Thursday at 2 p.m.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

Dancing on the small screen, three students grace MTV request show

Sporting a bright green "Rush PKE" T-shirt, Christopher Jensen '01 stole the spotlight on MTV last week.Not simply a fraternity-advertising ploy, Jensen ? along with Sharon Park '02 and Julie Roman '02 ? had been selected as a member of the set cast of MTV's new hip-hop request show "Direct Effect," which airs live Monday through Friday at 5:30 p.m."Direct Effect," hosted by Teck of "The Real World: Hawaii," offers its viewers a choice of hip-hop videos and allows them to vote directly over the Internet.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

Listen hear: Students still neglect to set up voice-mailboxes

Yesterday's deadline for more than 700 undergraduates to set up their voice-mailboxes came and went, but according to University telecommunication officials, more than half those students have yet to initialize the electronic answering service.The University sent an e-mail Thursday to all undergraduates reminding them to set up their voice-mail systems, but according to voice-mail system manager Thomas Heller, 406 voice-mailboxes remain uninitialized.At the time the e-mail was sent, the number of voice-mailboxes that had not yet been set up totaled 775 ? 175 group and 600 individual voice-messaging mailboxes.

NEWS | 10/02/2000

Nader '55 holds pre-debate rally

Continuing his crusade for inclusion in the upcoming presidential debates, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader '55 staged a rally yesterday at Boston's Fleet Center that organizers estimate drew 12,000 people.Attacking both major political parties for excluding him from the debates and accusing them of selling out to corporate interests, Nader emphasized the importance of the debates as a means to access voters."The keys to the gate to those tens of millions of Americans are held by the very two parties that small parties are trying to challenge," the third-party candidate told a cheering audience, according to Reuters.Yesterday's rally ? which carried a $10 ticket price ? was the fourth such event held by the Nader campaign to protest the decision of the Commission on Presidential Debates to exclude both him and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan from its series of televised debates.

NEWS | 10/01/2000

Colleges to increase use of e-mail to target prospective students

As admissions officers at Princeton and at schools throughout the country prepare for another wave of applications, changes are being made that may transform the way colleges contact students.Since the early 1970s, colleges have purchased lists of the names of students who recently have taken the SAT from the College Board ? a nonprofit association that oversees the widely used standardized test.From these lists, admissions officials send out brochures and viewbooks to prospective students.But last summer, the College Board began including the e-mail addresses of students on those lists.

NEWS | 10/01/2000

Teaching or Tenure?

When Elizabeth Bogan's oldest son was accepted to the University, he gave his "Yes!" letter to his mother."When the letter came in the mail, he brought it to me and said 'Mom, you are the one who has always wanted to go to Princeton.

NEWS | 10/01/2000

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