Sororities' small gestures aren't that impressive
Regarding 'Sororities service should be recognized' (Karen Karniol-Tambour, Sept. 28):I strongly disagree that the sororities have given anything significant back to the community. Karniol-Tambour says that one in five freshman girls will rush the sororities. Once rush has concluded, previous trends suggest that about 450 undergraduate girls will be members.
She then writes that the four sororities' community service project generated $2,400 for cancer research. This means that on the average, each member raised $5. If it takes about a week for them to raise that money, they are each raising less than $1 per day.
My amateur high school robotics team raised over $60,000 for national science education in its spare time. A handful of students selling pizza on Prospect Avenue on a weekend night can raise $100 in an hour. The sororities have the audacity to admit they only raised $2,400 between 400 girls, and we're supposed to believe that it is an accomplishment?
A nowledgeable 'Prince' reader will consider the number of girls involved in sororities and realize that their contributions through fundraising are insignificant and do not legitimize their cause. Jeffrey Alpert '05
Real question is why the academy is so liberal
Regarding 'A budding academic's take on why academics support Kerry' (Sept. 28):The real question is, Why is the academy so liberal? The lockstep liberalism seems to puzzle many people but I believe it is very understandable. Academics live a privileged, isolated environment where most actually "work" less than 10 hours a week for nine months per year, where many have absolute job guarantees through tenure. They have jobs where they are paid an amount disproportionate to their work hours. They have jobs where there is no constraint on what their institutions charge, with education costs rising disproportionately to cost of living.
In short, the academic life is not, in many respects, a life of accountability. It is ironic that the concept of tenure, which was intended to protect academic freedom and diversity of opinion, has had exactly the opposite effect. It has helped to produce the current bastion of liberalism in the academy, one of the only places left in America where Marxism and socialism have any credibility as a philosophy for organizing society.
There may be at least a partial cure for this situation: Require that every tenured faculty member work at least six months in the real world: say, milking cows or wiring a house-for at least six months every three years. Elwin Fraley '57
Textbooks ISBNs would make it easier to save
Regarding 'Searching for the best textbook deals' (Sept. 29):Buying textbooks would be a lot easier if professors released the ISBN number of the course textbooks. Particularly when buying from sites overseas —amazon.co.uk is often significantly cheaper than amazon.com, for example — it's hard to tell if you're purchasing the right edition. The ISBN assures you're getting the right text edition.
If professors released this information earlier, students could get their books before the semester starts and not have to worry if they ship in time, which is obviously a concern in buying them overseas. Tom Brennan '07
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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.