Breaks a burden on finances and stomachs

On behalf of the USG and student body, I would like to thank the administration for the seriousness with which it has received our feedback on the academic calendar. The results of our survey, I believe, helped committee members better understand undergraduate views on the effects of the proposed changes.

Even as the minutiae of calendar reform continue to be debated, the process of revision itself has brought critical problems to light. In particular, there are serious issues that the Committee on Course of Study sought to address through calendar reform which will now go unresolved for at least four years, even if reform does indeed occur. Specifically, these problems include the burden imposed on all students, but especially international students and those on financial aid, who cannot travel home for fall, spring or Intersession breaks and are currently underserved by the University during those periods.

The USG, and specifically current and past members of the Priorities Committee, was quite pleased to see a special stipend for international students approved in this year's Pri-Com season. (The funding of this request will provide international financial aid students with a much-needed $400, which can be used to help defray the cost of a second trip home each year or subsidize dining costs for international students forced to remain on campus during the month of December and the early part of January.) Even with this remedy, the current academic calendar imposes easily solvable hardships on students with distant homes whether international.

Our proposed solution is threefold.

First, the University should extend meal contracts to all students who request them for fall, Intersession and spring breaks, in time for next week's spring break. This should be done at no extra cost to the student. Since one of the dining halls is already kept open during these breaks, this first recommendation requires no massive preparation, planning or expense. A quick and painless application process, which the USG can administer if needed, would allow students to indicate their desire to remain on campus for each break. Whether his or her reason is financial or academic, no student should have to waste time scavenging for food on Nassau Street or at the Wawa instead of focusing on academic work.

Second, it is of critical importance that these break contracts be extended to all students who apply, regardless of individual financial situations. Imagine the awkwardness and unfair cruelty caused when two freshmen, remaining on campus to work on a joint presentation, must split up for meals while working side-by-side in the library. If non-financial aid students are not offered the chance to eat in the dining hall during these periods, Princeton's socioeconomic divisions, usually carefully hidden, will become all too stark. To avoid that situation, the University must extend the dining contracts for all students on meal plans.

Third, the University should continue to offer — and better publicize — their special break dining contracts to upperclassmen who have chosen to join eating clubs. These contracts offer a low-cost and convenient alternative to hunting and gathering on Nassau Street during breaks; coupled with the coming renovation of Madison and Mestres Halls, and the addition of Whitman's dining facility, these special contracts would also be an excellent way to foster inter-year interaction when the eating clubs are not serving food.

So long as it is clear that students (particularly upperclassmen without residential college libraries) remain on campus for University breaks to do research, hours for facilities should not change as dramatically as they do currently. While the USG appreciates the administration's desire to give the employees of facilities such as Dillon Gym and the Frist Campus Center a well-deserved break, it seems myopic to continue assuming that a pause in classes necessarily translates to a student exodus. Maintaining the University's facilities at only slightly reduced levels when classes are not in session would be far more realistic and cognizant of student needs.

It is our opinion that the speedy implementation of the proposed changes will make Princeton a more inclusive and friendly place. We commend the administration for its responsiveness to student feedback on this issue and feel confident that such a collaborative spirit will continue. Rob Biederman is USG president and writes on behalf of the USG. He may be reached at rdb@princeton.edu.