On an average weekday, Leslie-Bernard Joseph '06 gets at least 100 emails.
He starts reading for classes at 3 a.m., tries to nap for a few hours before going to meetings from 9:30 to 11 in the morning, and then goes to lecture, where he often falls asleep. In a day jam-packed with meetings, catching up on news, responding to email and reading administrative reports, the newly-elected USG president has little time for leisure.
"The days run together," he said. "More than three consecutive hours of sleep is a good night."
By many accounts, Joseph's expansive, service-oriented vision of Princeton is the broadest of any USG president in recent memory. During his campaign last semester, he was continually dogged by accusations that his goals were too "sweeping and abstract," as opponent Shaun Callaghan '06 put it.
Nine weeks into his term, however, Joseph has poured such energy and effort into achieving those goals that sleep remains a luxury. He has worked tirelessly on projects including the USG's proxy voting resolution, the recently-released Race Survey and plans for next fall's "In the Nation's Service Day."
Nevertheless, questions still remain about whether Joseph's broad, public service-oriented vision of a changed Princeton will become a reality.
The vision
When Joseph ran for USG president, he envisioned a Princeton "where your thoughts, ideas and talents matter more than alcohol, where your friendships matter more than affiliations [and] where exclusivity isn't valued over community." He hoped his administration could encourage every student to participate in community service, and could foster an environment in which minorities would not feel uncomfortable at the Street and dry eating clubs would "take the emphasis off of the alcohol."
But Joseph said he realizes that many of these goals will require time and patience before they are fully realized.
"A lot of what I want to see happen has to do with cultural shifts," he said. "I hope we can change Princeton over time . . . A more inclusive campus isn't going to happen in five months, but by the end of next school year, I hope Princeton will feel like a different place."
Joseph said that, overall, he is pleased with what he and other USG members have been able to accomplish so far.
"I'm happy we were able to get off to a quick start," he said. Joseph cited the USG's proxy voting resolution — which recommended the formation of a committee to consider ethical issues concerning the University's investments — and the release and publicizing of a University-wide survey on race.
Looking ahead, Joseph said the USG is "planning a lot of events right now centered on things that came out of the race report," as well as "pushing forward with plans for 'In the Nation's Service Day.' "
"In the Nation's Service Day," a University-wide day of community service, is emblematic of Joseph's desire to foster "a bigger University emphasis on community involvement and civic engagement."
Last Friday, Joseph met with leaders of campus student groups to discuss plans for the event.
Though many student leaders who attended seemed excited about participating, others have been critical.
"I don't know if forcing people to do community service is the best way to change the ethos of Princeton, or for that matter, if it even counts as community service," said Powell Fraser '06, a 'Prince' columnist and a writer for the Tory, a conservative student publication.
Joseph responded to such concerns by saying the USG no longer plans to make the event mandatory.
In addition to a more University-wide focus on service, Joseph said his longterm goals include diminishing the stigmas and social limitations of the Street, particularly for minority students. He also wants to focus on practical longterm goals such as preparing students for the four-year residential colleges, he said.
Joseph said he doesn't want to forget about "the little things that make campus life easier" — such as campus-wide wireless Internet access. However, Fraser, among other critics, said he still thinks Joseph's goals are too abstract.
"I think the [proxy voting resolution] was characteristic of an overall focus on ideological issues rather than the nuts and bolts of campus issues," Fraser said.
"I'm concerned that [Joseph] is trying to deal with issues that he can't change, rather than ones that he can," he added.
Communication as hallmark?
On one of his typically jam-packed days, Joseph has few moments to himself. But Joseph said he doesn't mind this at all. In fact, he enjoys "getting emails from random people [and] getting feedback from them," Joseph said.
USG vice president Jesse Creed '07 said that he believes this knack for communication has been one of the Joseph administration's main strengths so far.
"I think the lasting mark [of the USG under Joseph] . . . will be communication," he said. "I think we're much better at communicating and reaching out to the student body than previous administrations. People have been saying to me, 'Wow, the USG is in the 'Prince' more often now.' "
Creed said that Joseph's status as an "outsider" before he became president — much of his leadership experience was gained as president of the Black Student Union (BSU) — might be responsible for his different style.
"Whereas [former USG president] Matt Margolin ['05] was more of an 'insider' before he became president, Leslie's been building relationships once he's in the USG," Creed said.
Working with him
"Call any time if you have more questions," Joseph said, after giving a telephone interview from a Minneapolis airport. "I basically don't sleep."
Fellow USG members say this is unsurprising, citing a drive has defined Joseph's first weeks in office.
USG Executive Secretary Gabriel Ivey '08 — who said that he and Joseph have sometimes "been kicked out of the Frist office for staying too late" when working on projects — added that Joseph is "really a one-on-one type of guy."
"He cares about the person you are, the person you bring to the table," Ivey said.
Joseph is also willing to support other USG members' goals as well as his own, U-Councilor Harrison Frist '06 said.
"He's very outgoing, very active and supportive of every individual's pet project," said Frist, noting that his own "pet project" is getting more printers installed in Frist Campus Center. "We've been in touch, and he's been very supportive . . . he knows who to contact."
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne said he appreciates Joseph's personality and range of contacts. "[Joseph] has a great sense of humor, which makes it enjoyable to work with him," he said in an email. "He knows a lot of people from a broad spectrum of the student body, and I have found this to be a real asset in discussing ideas with him."
But Fraser said he believes the Joseph presidency is "taking on a partisan tone that we didn't see with Matt Margolin."
"Margolin didn't have a radical tone — 'we're going to change this, we're going to change that,' " Fraser said. "It was simply a straightforward addressing of student concerns."
Margolin, however, said he approved of Joseph's work so far. In particular, he said he thinks Joseph is making a good effort to continue projects started by the previous USG administration.
"Leslie and I have had a couple really good talks about the continuing of projects," Margolin said in an email. "There is a tendency to start over on the same projects each year, but he and I have had multiple conversations about how to continue my work on the Race Survey and implementation into his term and similarly, with the reform of academic advising."
"It's a difficult job!" he added. "You have to focus on large-scale goals like grade inflation or advising reform or the Race Survey, and you also try to accomplish concrete things . . . The key to it is balance[.]"
Joseph agreed that he wants to focus on both specific and broad goals. But he acknowledged that his overall vision emphasizes the latter, especially when it comes to fostering a more service-oriented student body.
"[We need to] do what we're supposed to do as Princetonians," he said.
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