Keep our unique schedule
Regarding 'Timing isn't everything" (Editorial, Monday, April 18):
Once again, the editorial board members have shown themselves to be out of touch with their fellow Princetonians.
If we merge Thanksgiving with fall break, when will students do thesis research trips? Many of my fellow seniors and I had to travel great distances for crucial interviews and access to critical archives, access that is not available over vacations in December due to Christmas, nor in November due to Thanksgiving. Furthermore, flights are more expensive at these times, and Princeton's travel grants do not allow for leeway in travel expenses as they stand now. In response to an earlier draft of this letter, a member of the editorial board informed me that they do favor keeping intersession, which is also a good time for interviews. But if intersession stays, along with reading weeks, then what kind of calendar reform are they actually advocating? This kind of vague insinuation is a poor substitute for taking a position.
It's become very chic for Princeton underclassmen to poke fun at our "ridiculous" calendar compared to other schools. I find it far more ridiculous for those people to even compare Princeton to other schools. We have a mandatory senior thesis, others do not. More of our courses have term-papers AND final exams, other schools' do not. If you favor changing the calendar you have better be prepared to abolish the senior thesis, and, if necessary, junior independent work. To me, this is a lousy trade-off.
Our calendar is different, but so is Princeton.
Zachary Goldstein '05
No need for anatomical descriptions in 'Prince'
Regarding 'Vulvagraphy' (Thursday, April 21):
I guess if President Shirley Tilghman can debase Princeton by being a judge in a transgender fashion show then it is understandable that Misses Hines and Rogachevsky can debase themselves and Princeton with their coarse, vulgar and embarrassingly crude article. The editorial staff at the 'Prince' obviously needs therapy and an infusion of morality and sensitivity. Is Princeton becoming the nation's poster university for the deviant, prurient and obscene?
Michael Scharf '64
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Keep academic authority in human hands
Lily Halbert-AlexanderThe Trump administration’s attacks on research and higher education as well as a blind reliance on AI chatbots are reflective of a societal backslide: a commodification of knowledge that prioritizes “efficiency” over the messy process of getting to an answer, where nuances are flattened and the truth is fungible.
The Trump administration’s attacks on research and higher education as well as a blind reliance on AI chatbots are reflective of a societal backslide: a commodification of knowledge that prioritizes “efficiency” over the messy process of getting to an answer, where nuances are flattened and the truth is fungible.
What do we owe society for a Princeton education?
Jia Cheng ShenThe social and moral responsibility that comes with receiving a degree subsidized by both private generosity and public trust is significant.
The social and moral responsibility that comes with receiving a degree subsidized by both private generosity and public trust is significant.
Notes from a so-called enemy’s classroom
Jennifer JenningsIt wasn’t revolutionary. It was homework. But it was homework that asked: how do we build schools that work for all kids? Inclusion, after all, is the “I” in DEI. That’s what we’re thinking about together. And caring about each other’s experiences and opportunities, it turns out, isn’t something you can outlaw.
It wasn’t revolutionary. It was homework. But it was homework that asked: how do we build schools that work for all kids? Inclusion, after all, is the “I” in DEI. That’s what we’re thinking about together. And caring about each other’s experiences and opportunities, it turns out, isn’t something you can outlaw.