Public Safety responds to student concerns
I want to respond to concerns raised by community members regarding Public Safety's use of facebook.com as an investigative tool. I understand that our relationship with students and the wider community is one that must be built on trust and a reputation for fair treatment. I am concerned that some members of the community feel we have violated that trust.
My department uses Facebook in limited situations. When officers become aware of information that potentially affects campus safety, we have an obligation to follow those leads wherever they take us. Sometimes, investigations lead to Facebook; other times they lead to Google, eBay and other public sites. But I want to reiterate that we do not have a policy of routinely monitoring Facebook to uncover violations of the law or "Right, Rules, Responsibilities."
Many of our officers are currently enrolled in degree programs at other institutions and are therefore likely to have accounts where they are listed as "students." However, because I appreciate student's concerns, I have asked all my officers to change their accounts to more accurately reflect their roles at the University. I have also issued new guidelines related to the use of Facebook. Specifically, I have directed that we will not use the tool to conduct broad-brush inquiries into student activities.
It's important to note that Facebook is a public website and that information posted on the site is openly available to practically anyone with Internet access. Students should be aware of potential threats to their personal safety when they post private or inappropriate information on a public website.
I firmly believe that it is appropriate to use every tool available when conducting investigations into situations that threaten the campus or individual community members. We all benefit when those investigations lead to the successful termination of dangerous activities.
Steven Healy Director of Public Safety
A fond farewell to the Annex of Princeton
Regarding 'Last call at The Annex' (Friday, March 10, 2006):
The Annex was the quintessential spot to meet with preceptors and professors for dinner or an after class discussion over drinks. Some of my fondest memories of Princeton were sharing dinner and drinks with Professor Gillett Griffin, curator of the pre-Columbian and primitive collection at the art museum, and his visiting friends, often luminaries in the field of pre-Columbian art and archeology. The Annex had everything from inexpensive snacks to prime rib dinners.
When the temperatures rose and the days lengthened, I would often wait outside of McCosh for friends to come out of their last lecture of the day walk across Nassau Street for $1.75 gin and tonics or a hearty pitcher of Guinness. It was the one place in town where everyone felt equally comfortable, students, faculty, townsfolk and even visiting parents in town to see their son or daughter perform in a concert or show.
To The Annex, I raise a glass, Princeton will surely miss you.
Ryan Sawchuk '00
President Tilghman not loud but clear
Regarding 'Dean Fred for President?' (Friday, March 3, 2006):
Anyone who has been paying attention to the public statements of the Tilghman administration and observing its machinations over the past few years knows where President Tilghman's Princeton is headed.
Is Berger not aware that aside from simply "hiring more women administrators," Tilghman is committed to the principle of combating the underhiring of women and minority faculty to ensure that we have the most talented people working at the University?
Has Berger not heard of the SEAS strategic plan, initiated by Tilghman and spearheaded by outgoing Dean Maria Klawe, that is supposed to make our engineering school more interdisciplinary and among the best in the nation?
Has Berger not noticed an increasingly diverse student body, one that has access to unprecedented financial aid? Has Berger heard about Tilghman's focus on expanding the Creative and Performing Arts at Princeton?
Tilghman is not an outspoken loudmouth like Larry Summers, but she has not been mysterious about her agenda. There are people who disagree with Tilghman's ideas for Princeton, but they don't object on the grounds that her vision lacks clarity or consistency. In fact, if the statements of her most fervent opponents are any indication, Tilghman has actually staked out a very specific path for Princeton under her leadership.
Freddie Lafemina '06
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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.