University aims to help those with gambling addiction
Regarding 'The future of Princetonian poker' (Thursday, March 24):
While the University administration does have a policy of upholding the laws of the state of New Jersey, its response to gambling on campus reflects our commitment to supporting the health and progress of Princeton's students.
Like having a social drink or working out in the gym, playing poker can be fun, recreational and healthy. It can also turn into a compulsive activity as damaging to a student's academic, social and personal life as any other addiction. My colleagues and I know Princeton students who have decided or even have been required to withdraw from the University because of the effect of gambling on their grades and their emotional lives. If we knew that a student's welfare was being jeopardized by gambling, we would do whatever was practically and ethically possible to help him or her get help.
I wholeheartedly agree with P. G. Sittenfeld that University students should not be infantilized by oversolicitous administrators, and that they benefit by learning from the consequences of their own decisions. When a student is in the grip of an addiction, however, he or she needs help — that of friends, certainly, and sometimes that of deans and psychotherapists. Anyone who gambles frequently or for long periods of time and who neglects other interests and activities may be gambling compulsively, and the losses that result may be irreversible.
Fun and learning are wonderful; addiction is painful and destructive. I hope members of the University community will join in appreciating this distinction and in helping those who need it.
Hilary Herbold Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students
Remembering the darker side of poker
Regarding 'The future of Princetonian poker' (Thursday, March 24):
I read P.G. Sittenfeld's column concerning poker, and needless to say, I believe that the whole campus is getting a skewed image of gambling.I was a poker player for eight years, gambled online like Sandberg and had great success, making $10,000. All my friends at home did the same, some making as much as $200,000 in a year. However, this should not be glorified. All my friends have lost most of their gains and much more than that. They are now members of GA, Gamblers Anonymous, and have lost friends and family over their problem.Two of them have been kicked out of their homes, living in their cars or bumming couches at friends' houses. This Michael Sandberg kid definitely has a gambling problem, for I did too and denied it as well. I have now quit poker and am genuinely concerned about the current trend and what it will do to all the kids involved. I believe the 'Prince' should highlight the addiction aspect of this issue and not glorify Sandberg. In fact, I feel the New York Times article did a good job of making him look absurd. However, more kids are glorifying him and attempting to duplicate his achievements. I believe the administration should make steps in begining a GA chapter on campus or make steps toward slowing or halting this addiction in its student body.
Mark Price '06
Madison Program hardly free of ideology
Regarding ' Academic freedom at Princeton' (Thursday, March 24):
I was astounded to read David Horowitz's column arguing for an Academic Bill of Rights to prevent faculty from creating "personal fiefdoms" within which to indoctrinate their students in sectarian ideas and to discriminate on such sectarian grounds in class, in hiring and in the distribution of other benefits. Fine principles perhaps. However, the author then went on to uphold Robert George's Madison Program as the paragon example of such principles in action. Nothing could be further from reality. Since founding the Madison program in 2000, George has used it to further his extreme social and political agenda through the distributing of benefits to students, hiring of Visiting Fellows and the bringing of speakers to campus based in large part not on academic merit but on the these individuals' having a similarly extreme religious and political agenda. Moreover, much of this agenda has been specifically attacking the rights of a minority of Princeton's community — gays and lesbians. This is hardly a contribution to increasing "diversity" on campus and sits uneasily with Princeton's public commitment to nondiscrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. Finally, as your article on Opus Dei ('Spotted history aside, Opus Dei forges close campus links,' Tuesday, March 22) pointed out, various organizations and individuals from outside the academy have massively bankrolled George's program precisely because it fosters such indoctrination and discrimination. No other program at Princeton so violates the letter or spirit of Horowitz's alleged principles.
Stefan Weisman GS
Gender bias in University hiring
Regarding 'Tilghman speaks on women in science' (Friday, March 25):
I would like to ask: is there a "natural human instinct" by women to hire other women in view of the hiring practice in the early tenure of Tilghman?
Xinping Zhu Electrical Engineering
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The CPUC must not gut its Judicial Committee
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Princeton, let’s adopt a digital prox
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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.