Eight hours a year

A group of U-Councilors has proposed that an hour be set aside once a month on Tuesday evenings for dinner and socialization across the whole campus. The proposal lacks concrete form at present, but two things appear likely: There would be no required activity for students during this time, and the administration would not allow academic departments, sports teams or student groups to schedule their usual events — "practices, rehearsals, meetings, or classes" — during this hour.

We don't think we need intellectualism forced on us, and we would be adamantly opposed to any plan that reduced our freedom to schedule our own time.

Provided participation is voluntary, however, we think this proposal is a good idea that could make it easier for us all to socialize outside the circles of our regular daily activities.

There are, for most of us, people we'd like to see more often — former roommates, people we know from precepts that have ended, people who have ended up in other eating clubs or other majors. At the same time, we want to get the most out of Princeton, and often schedule ourselves so thoroughly that it's hard to find mutual gaps in one another's schedules. Many an email exchange, designed to precipitate a meal with a friend whom we do not encounter serendipitously, has ended in frustration at the sheer difficulty of matching schedules. If this monthly program comes into being, it will give people a dependable area of unscheduled time. For those who choose to use it, it will make staying connected that much easier.

If the administration is prepared to sponsor voluntary dinners during this time that would bring students of all four years, graduate students and faculty together, this too might be a welcome option for many undergraduates.

Some may fear that most students will use this hour as another bloc of study time or a chance to go to the gym. They may be right; if so, the program won't make much of a difference. If many students take advantage of the time to socialize, though, it could be a real improvement. We see no significant downside, and urge the administration to give it a try. — The Daily Princetonian Opinion Board