Regarding 'Take Back the Night fights wrong fight' (John Andrews, April 19):
I agree that contemporary culture unfortunately tends to value eroticism at the expense of morality. Nonetheless, I cannot see how this premise supports his apparent belief that feminists should focus their criticism of sexual assault on women.
That I do not surround my house with rent-a-thugs does not give a burglar just cause to steal my television. Similarly, I fail to see how common sense encompasses any circumstances that make sexual assault inevitable.
If it does, we are truly in more trouble than even Andrews seems to think. Jonathan Jew-Lim '04
Would Andrews blame me for being kidnapped?
Regarding 'Take Back the Night fights wrong fight' (John Andrews, April 19):
To blame a "culture of free sex" for date rape is as logical as blaming the culture of free travel for kidnapping. In each case, the difference is in what Andrews disdainfully terms the "calculus of consent."
To insist that a woman has the right to consent to some sexual acts in some situations and to withhold consent from others is simply to claim for her an autonomy over her will and her body that is the most basic of human rights.
It is disheartening to be obliged to repeat this — in 2004 — but it seems that some still aren't listening: A man who has sexual intercourse with a woman against her will after participating in other consensual erotic behaviour with her is not, in Andrews' oleaginous phrase, "de-civilized."
He is quite simply a rapist. Beau Madison Mount GS
Sex assault victims already face too much hostility
Regarding 'Take Back the Night fights wrong fight' (John Andrews, April 19):
Andrews asks if assertive Princeton students could really only report one in seven sex assaults.
The answer to this question is a resounding yes, primarily because of the stigma, shame and difficulties of reporting a sexual assault. Reporting such a frightful and horrible experience is a daunting and seemingly impossible task. This difficulty is multiplied based on the denigration and harassment women receive for reporting these crimes. We see this today with the plaintiff in Kobe Bryant's case. Other times, both victims have to change schools because fellow students blame her or him for what happened.
When faced with this culture of disbelief, it becomes obvious why more instances are not reported. Both male and female victims think if they do not report rape, it will go away. Many others do not want to report it because the offender is somebody close to him or her. Still others are convinced that the offense is not "worth" their offense — an unwanted kiss or an inappropriately placed hand, perhaps.
If many in our community are as unaware of this as Andrews, then TBTN faces a challenge of continued education. Jen Albinson '05 and Emily Chiswick-Patterson '05
View from Cornell: Grade quotas are bad news
Regarding 'Students voice opinions on grade inflation proposals' (April 16):
While I am sure that many of us at Cornell would love to see Princeton subjected to the same "war against grade inflation" that has consumed some of our faculty in recent years, knowing full well that it would likely "level the playing field" to a certain extent for graduate and professional school admissions, I strongly believe that an A is an A, and your faculty is living in a very distant past if they think otherwise.
While I can honestly say that I "earned" my grades at Cornell, the reality is that many of our students have lost tremendous opportunities, particularly in the sciences, under the lash of Cornell's highly-arched curves. I hope that Princeton does not choose a similar path. Peter S. Cohl Cornell University Class of 2005
Williams shows reverse racism at its worst
Regarding 'The peacock'(Robin Williams, April 20):
I am offended Williams' racist column. To assert that the caucasian race is the "weakest among us" and that blacks are "the fittest" William reveals himself as perfect example of the type of person his column attacks. Thomas Knight '07
So what are all those people doing out in the sun?
Regarding 'The peacock'(Robin Williams, April 20):
If Williams is right, this just increases the mystery of the annual rite in which the whitest among us go out to seek the sun's rays to become as dark as possible. Carol Williams Greensboro, NC
Registration isn't only way U. falls short of motto
Regarding 'In whose service?' (Editorial, April 20):
Strange that you should only single out the University's policy on voter registration. I would think that the its somewhat hostile stance toward the Army and Air Force ROTC programs on campus would be a more egregious failure to live up to our school's motto. Andrew Hudson '03
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The CPUC must not gut its Judicial Committee
Bill HewittEnding the Judicial Committee’s jurisdiction over initial complaints would embolden abuses of power, allowing the administration to evade accountability for University rule violations without the pressure of student and faculty authority.
Ending the Judicial Committee’s jurisdiction over initial complaints would embolden abuses of power, allowing the administration to evade accountability for University rule violations without the pressure of student and faculty authority.
Princeton, let’s adopt a digital prox
Jorge ReyesTo prevent pointless replacement and lockout charges, maximize convenience, and create better access to meals and facilities, Princeton should follow the precedent set by some of its peers and adopt a digital prox system.
To prevent pointless replacement and lockout charges, maximize convenience, and create better access to meals and facilities, Princeton should follow the precedent set by some of its peers and adopt a digital prox system.
What is a Princeton degree really for?
Joel IbabaoSo what, in the end, is a Princeton degree really for? I take a more moderate view: Students should prioritize earning potential — unless they feel irresistibly called to something else.
So what, in the end, is a Princeton degree really for? I take a more moderate view: Students should prioritize earning potential — unless they feel irresistibly called to something else.