It's not all bad for Christians at Princeton
Regarding 'Being Christian at Princeton' (March 8):
As always, John V. Fleming gave us much to think about this week in his column on the anti-Christian bias on campus. I do agree with his observation that there is, indeed, such a bias here. Yet I would like to add a few related points.
The first is that it should be recognized that Princeton University gives religious life and denomination chaplains a level of support and access to students, faculty and staff and to University functions and facilities that is exceedingly rare among its peers institutions. This is to acknowledge that while Fleming may be right that there is an anti-Christian bias — and an anti-religious bias in general — here at Princeton, at least we religious types have a fighting chance, and we're grateful for it.
I would also like to point out that it might surprise many on this campus that religious belief in general, and Christian belief in particular, is embraced by noted scholars in all fields from the humanities to the sciences. There are on this campus Nobel Prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences and of Engineering, former Rhodes Scholars — in addition to Fleming — and scholars are at the top of their field internationally who are devout believers and worshippers.
Fleming is probably correct in asserting that it is not easy to be a Christian scholar here, but Christian scholars are here in abundance nonetheless. The same can be said for senior University administrators in any department you would care to name.
Finally, I would like to say, with regard to Fleming's sidelong mention of the late hour of our weekly worship service, one person's hell is another's heaven, or more accurately, one person's night is another's morning. And it is always a pleasure to have Fleming — and several other faculty and staff — with us occasionally — asleep or awake. Stephen L. White Chaplain, the Episcopal Church at Princeton University
'Prince' slanted figures in study abroad story
Regarding 'Study abroad to expand programs' (Feb. 27):
The article misstates the study abroad options in science and engineering for students at Princeton. The Engineering School works with the Study Abroad Office to alert qualified students to programs that allow them to fulfill requirements in a timely manner. A program expressly for engineers in electrical and mechanical and aerospace engineering to study at Oxford University is now in its second year. Moreover, this semester, 32.4 percent of the 126 students abroad are in science and engineering, and we hope more students will go next year. Students who have studied abroad have gone on to win prestigious scholarships upon their return, so their work abroad was duly recognized as a significant part of their education.
Some other errors in the article include a chart saying the percentage of Brown students studying abroad this spring was 9.3 percent. It was, in fact, 5.3 percent. The 'Prince' apparently calculated percentages using the total number of Brown students who studied abroad for fall, spring and full year. The numbers for Brown also include non-Brown students who attended Brown programs. Also, the Dartmouth numbers have to be read in context. The Dartmouth plan requires that all students spend one quarter studying off campus, which makes study abroad a more likely option there than at Princeton.
It is discouraging to read articles designed to send the message that study abroad is too difficult to arrange or that studying in another country has nothing to offer Princeton students. Princeton students will find themselves less prepared to function in a world full of global concerns if they don't venture beyond Nassau Street. Nancy Kanach Director, Study Abroad Program
That's one thing I don't miss when abroad
Regarding 'The joys and woes of midterms' (Feb. 9):
The atmosphere at Princeton during midterms is not among the things I have missed while studying abroad in Rome this semester. I certainly don't miss the time crunch, the anxiousness, or the sleepless nights. But calling Seneca's words on learning "an unblemished truth" seems to me to be a sad commentary on the suppression of joy in the Princeton academic experience.
Perhaps studying classics has made me defensive about pursuing academic paths that are enjoyable and inspiring, if not traditionally practical. I don't study Latin so I can sit in the basement of Firestone and plough through translations; I do it with the idea that one day I will be able to stand here in Rome and have a sense of the whys and hows of a certain age and civilization. At the risk of contradicting Seneca and sounding like an older adult going through a midlife crisis, if we don't learn for life, then what good is an education, let alone a Princeton one? Kelsey Mayo '05
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Princeton, let’s adopt a digital prox
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What is a Princeton degree really for?
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