Letters to the Editor

Appreciating Princeton

I take issue with Anna Huang's poorly informed column of Nov. 4. As a graduate student at Stanford, I can assure Ms. Huang that she is incredibly fortunate not to be at another school. For example, she could be an undergraduate here, where there is a hiring and wage freeze along with cuts in services in response to the slow economy, or at any of the number of schools in a similar situation such as Brown or Duke. Even illustrious Harvard is not immune; Joe Wrinn, the director of news and public affairs, said that they are "feeling the effects of the current economic times" (reported in the Stanford Daily, Nov. 3).

Perhaps she would be happier at Stanford, where the university's draconian anti-drinking effort has led to a complete dearth of social outlets on campus and absurd overreactions such as making RAs responsible for shutting down parties in their dorms and ejecting a freshman from on-campus housing for throwing a party where alcohol was served. A number of other schools have attempted to curb drinking in this manner, rather than in the more enlightened way that Princeton does — providing alternatives to drinking and yet a safe environment for those who do drink.

The longer I am away from Princeton, the more I realize how unique it is and how no other school can even compare to it. There isn't a single other school in the country that provides the same mix of topnotch academics, athletics, and social life. Princeton undergraduates are easily the most spoiled students in the country. Princeton is the be-all and end-all, and Ms. Huang should spend a little longer there before she decides that it isn't. Jonathan Meer '02