University should rethink its motives for 'late show' and dining reforms
Regarding "University alters meal plans, 'late show' " (Wednesday, March 1, 2006):
I am all for dining hall and "late show" reform — my experience during my freshman and sophomore years led me to dislike the food and to view the entire system as unjust and restrictive, especially since a dining plan is mandatory. For the task force to frame its reforms not in terms of treating its core customers (underclassmen with mandatory dining plans) fairly but in terms of convincing upperclassmen to stay with the dining plan, however, makes the goal of these reforms clear: the elimination of incentive to join an eating club, with the obvious longterm implication of eliminating the clubs entirely. Reading the task force's statement, one must consider the question: Without the motivation of discouraging club membership, would there have been reform at all?
Cleland Welton '06
Trustees hold honor and responsibility
Regarding 'Leeds '06 opts to stay in running' (Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006):
The Princeton Matters campaign is to be commended for showing the independent spirit so sorely needed on Princeton University's Board of Trustees.
Independence and willingness to hold administrators accountable are crucial qualities on any board but particularly so at America's finest university. As an alumnus, I rely on the trustees' judgment to be sure that my donations, however small, are well spent. The trustees are ultimately responsible for seeing that Princeton develops in a manner consistent with its traditions, values and aspirations. Their job is no mere honor but a weighty responsibility carried out on behalf of others.
All alumni are poorly served by the Alumni Council's policy of barring those who would accept this responsibility from saying why they seek it. The purpose of this policy — to continue the election of genial yes-men — is poorly disguised. That the University vice president should, in print, impugn the integrity of students who dare to question this system is offensive.
Carlos Ramos-Mrosovsky '04
New Butler is like old Butler: An eyesore
Regarding 'University releases designs for new Butler' (Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2006):
After two years of serving time in "the But," I am now happily housed in the oh-so-Gothic junior slums. But it was with mixed feelings that I heard of the slated demolition of my old stomping ground. I wondered, was it really that bad?
It was. The incredible disparity between the absolutely hideous Butler architecture and the gorgeous Holder quad is unjustifiable. Rocky/Mathey is the kind of architecture people come to Princeton for.
But the architect's rendering for the new Butler buildings is a whole new take on ugly! The University ignored original student wishes for "arches" and "spires and gargoyles." Rather than matching Walker Hall, the homey Gothic building with arched doorways, or 1915 Hall, the gorgeous redbrick dorm, the new design matches the rather bland and unexciting Wu Hall, a building you'll never see on one of the U-Store's overpriced and oversized postcards.
With Whitman College, the University got it right. But if the new Butler looks even remotely like the picture we saw, it will be merely Princeton's ghetto redone — just as undesirable and un-Princetonian as it is now. If the University really hopes to improve campus by demolishing Butler, it needs to head straight back to the drawing board instead of breaking ground on this new campus eyesore.
Jennifer Mickel '07
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