A late arrival to the USG, Anderson '02 assesses her goals for year

After a tight race last December, Brigitte Anderson '02 became USG vice president. Since then, despite her previous inexperience in the USG, she has worked on such projects as WROC and addressing minority and gender issues on campus. She recently spoke with 'Prince' Executive Editor Rob Last about her new role.

'Prince': So why did you decide to run for the USG, noting that you were an outsider to student government until this year?

Anderson: I was somewhat dismayed by the lack of diverse representation in student government, more specifically the [number] of women leaders in the USG. The USG is the most visible platform for addressing concerns, but yet it didn't seem like the composition of the USG was at all reflective of the student body at large. The USG needed a new perspective and what better place to infiltrate than at the top. Being an outsider gives me a totally fresh take . . . and I am always open to suggestions.

P: You mentioned in your platform that you would work towards bettering campus life for both women and minorities. What personal anecdotes do you have that show there is room for improvement for this area?

A: A while back, I took a class on gender issues. The professor lamented that Princeton remains a difficult institution to be a woman professor. She cited some specific examples and it just goes to show how far we still elude true progress even at the top.

More recently, I've been attending many forums on race and gender issues sponsored by various student organizations. I've noticed there is a contingent, a sizeable one at that, that is very concerned about the nature of life here. This is nothing new, but I feel that now more than ever is the time to be vocal about your opinions and advocate change.

P: Give me one thing that you'd change about Princeton.

A: My friends and I talk about this strange social dynamic where one minute people know you, and then the next time they see you, you are invisible to their eyes.

It is not a phenomenon that is limited to Princeton alone, but there are certain aspects of life here that foster this sense of social elitism. I just feel that in a campus as small as ours, people should not employ selective vision and avert their gaze. Look people in the eye!

P: I hear you have lived in many places. Can you tell me a little about the places you've been to?

A: Sure. Well, I guess I am what you call your quintessential military brat. My dad served in the USAF for 22 years and I pretty much had a nomadic existence. I am obsessed with geography, maps and travel. In retrospect, I can see that I was always an anthropologist in the making. As a child, we packed up every three to four years and were stationed in exotic locales such as Texas, Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico and Panama.

Sarcasm aside, growing up the way I did teaches you an incredible amount of independence. I guess in some ways it was this sense of self-reliance that led me to accept a scholarship to prep school for my junior and senior years of high school.

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Going to Deerfield definitely wasn't the easiest experience, but it prepared me well for life at Princeton.

P: Which place did you or do you like the best?

A: My time in Central America was a great way to ease into adolescence. I was in Panama [from] 1992 to 1996. [It] was a unique time to be there, as it was post-Noriega drug invasion yet pre-canal turnover. I ate a lot of mangos, learned Spanish, went to the beach and played tons of soccer. At the time I wasn't thinking too much about imperialism, globalization and hegemonic powers.

Nowadays, I spend a lot of time thinking about those topics. At the time, I was just this kid living in the tropics missing Taco Bell and the Gap.