Sixth residential college location still undecided
Your article in the Oct. 6 edition of the 'Prince' about the University's presentation before the Princeton Regional Planning Board was incorrect in reporting that University officials identified one of the locations under consideration for a sixth residential college as "most likely." University officials clearly stated on several occasions during the presentation that no decision has been made, and no decision will be made until after further discussion has taken place on campus, with the trustees and with the community. The three sites described for the Planning Board are south of Dillon Gym, near Forbes College and near McCarter Theatre. At this point, all three are being considered and there is no front-runner. Pam Hersh Director of Community and State Affairs
Clarification of policy with Fair Labor Association
My proposal to the Fair Labor Association last spring was not as you reported in yesterday's news article — that colleges only be allowed to contract with FLA-approved companies (there is no such thing). Instead, the proposal stated that all schools in the FLA should be required to adopt policies requiring all the companies with which they have contracts to disclose publicly the factory locations where licensed merchandise is manufactured. This has been Princeton's policy since the spring of 1999 and it had increasingly become the policy at many other FLA-member schools. The proposal to extend the requirement to all FLA schools was approved unanimously in June and now all FLA-affiliated schools must have such a policy in place by December. Robert K. Durkee '69 Vice President for Public Affairs
Reactions to columns on violence in the Middle East
The Oct. 6 column by Sam Spector '03 alleges that the Palestinian Authority has been encouraging the recent violence in the Middle East. Yet it ignores the fact that the Israeli government has been using weaponry more suitable for a major theater of war than for civil unrest. Though it is true that violence is violence despite the extent of its direct or indirect consequences, it is merely necessary to consult news media for recent events to understand the inequalities of violence in the Middle East: Palestinians gathering with little more than rocks in their hands, met by the gunfire, tanks and helicopters of the Israeli military.
Furthermore, the Israeli government refuses to set up an international inquiry into the recent outbursts of violence that have claimed at least 80 lives, including those of 12 children, some as young as nine years old. The article also alleges that Palestinian authorites have violated the 1993 Oslo accords. Despite the Oslo agreement, however, the Israeli government continues to expropriate land in the West Bank as well as build new settlements and expand existing ones, in clear opposition to the resolutions of said agreement. In addition, we could point to Israel's many violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and dozens of U.N. resolutions since 1967 — notably the confiscation of land for civilian purposes, and the settling of civilians in occupied territories. Ilham Elkoustaf '02
Reactions to columns on violence in the Middle East
This letter is in response to the opinion piece by Nawal Atwan '01, Aliya Shariff '01 and Zeyna Kamalick '01 that appeared in the Oct. 9 issue of the 'Prince.' First and foremost, no one can deny that the death of Mohammed al-Durah is an absolute tragedy. However, it is unfortunate that his death is being used to cloud the circumstances behind the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To say that the current violence in the Mideast was "triggered by Ariel Sharon's visit" to the Temple Mount or Haram Al-Sharif, is to pervert the truth. While it would be perfectly understandable if Sharon's visit had been followed by heated debates, the current conflict now consists of death and violence rather than constructive dialogue. The events of the past few days can hardly be called protests — these are acts of unrestrained violence, completely out of proportion with the supposed offence.
Granted, Ariel Sharon is not widely liked. However, the 'Prince' column only repeats the accusations which were the basis of a libel suit filed by Sharon against Time Magazine — a suit that Sharon ultimately won. The authors of the Oct. 9 column wrote that Sharon "incited . . . feelings of humiliation at one of the holiest shrines in Islam. Palestinian youth responded by throwing rocks. Israeli troops chose gunfire." In addition to being one of the holiest sites in Islam, the area Sharon visited is the single holiest site in Judaism. Whether one disagrees with his action or not, it was within Sharon's rights to visit the site, just as it is has been within the rights of Arabs, Christians and all other groups since 1967. (Prior to 1967 Jews were not allowed access.) The so-called protestors have attacked Israeli soldiers and civilians with automatic weapons, grenades and bombs, which cannot, even under the most liberal of usages, be termed just "rocks." Sunday night, the bullet-ridden body of Hillel Lieberman was found. Lieberman was last seen on his way to Nablus to prevent the desecration of Joseph's Tomb, a Jewish pilgrimage site. Does this kind of action constitute protest?
The blame for this violence rests squarely on the shoulders of the Palestinian Authority, which has been manipulating the very same people whose interests it has been charged to protect. Instead of controlling the violence, PA policemen have been inciting the populace and have, on numerous occasions, participated directly with automatic rifles and handguns. Recently, the PA released 20 known Hamas terrorists from jail. While the Israelis have limited access to Israeli territory for pressing security reasons, they have granted access to 20,000 Palestinian workers. The PA has not allowed the permits to be picked up. Instead of seeking peace, the PA has chosen to incite violence to irresponsibly further its own ends, placing its people in tremendous peril. It is time for the PA to rededicate itself to the people it represents. The PA must stop releasing terrorists from prison, stop allowing police officers to escalate violence rather than calm it and start making peace. It's time for honesty, not bloodshed. Jonathan Sapan '03
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Faculty letter to U. admin calling for VP Calhoun’s resignation
Guest Contributors“We demand the immediate resignation of VP Calhoun, in whose leadership we have lost all faith following her untruthful and, in our opinion, deliberately misleading representation of student protesters, that has proven to be the real threat to the Princeton University community.”
"We demand the immediate resignation of VP Calhoun, in whose leadership we have lost all faith following her untruthful and, in our opinion, deliberately misleading representation of student protesters, that has proven to be the real threat to the Princeton University community."
USG's recent statement failed to properly represent student interests
Arman Nemati"From my experiences within USG and from seeing what other student governments have done, I find USG’s inability to directly condemn the University’s arrests to be deeply disappointing."
"From my experiences within USG and from seeing what other student governments have done, I find USG’s inability to directly condemn the University’s arrests to be deeply disappointing."
What’s the rush? Keep the old final exam schedule.
Lizbeth ReyesThe new final exam schedule is detrimental both to students’ academic achievement and mental health during the exam period. Students’ well-being and academic success should take priority over efficiency, thus the University should reinstate the old final exam schedule.
The new final exam schedule is detrimental both to students’ academic achievement and mental health during the exam period. Students’ well-being and academic success should take priority over efficiency, thus the University should reinstate the old final exam schedule.
