PINS intended to promote service across campus
Regarding 'USG sets up anonymous email site' (Monday, Feb. 19, 2007):
First, "Princeton in the Nation's Service" was NEVER originally designed or conceived of as an attempt to coordinate other University service organizations such as SVC, Pace or Community House. The purpose of PINS was to reinvigorate students' commitment to service through existing campus groups, particularly student organizations not typically tied to civic engagement.
Second, Sarah Breslow '08 should not make comments of perception regarding events in which she did not take part. The PINS Walk-a-thon of 2005 raised over $1,000 for Princeton Young Acheivers in three hours. I am sure the kids it benefited consider this a success.
Finally, if Breslow was uncomfortable with the money spent on t-shirts by a previous administration, she could have donated the leftovers during her tenure as Campus and Community Affairs Chair. Leslie-Bernand Joseph '06 USG President Emeritus
Students should speak out only on campus
Regarding 'Undercover story upsets Bicker clubs' (Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007):
I was distressed to read the article in The New York Observer, which almost every student I have spoken to lately has managed to take a look at. More distressing than the article was the fact that a Princetonian would speak to a tabloid in that manner.
While a number of us may be opposed to the eating-club system some of us also go with the system. Many of us choose to join a club while having a distaste for the larger concept. But whether or not we bicker, whether or not we get hosed — we must understand that an institution's problems, secrets, call it what you will, MUST remain private.
In speaking to a tabloid, the "anonymous bickeree" didn't embarrass or hurt any of the people mentioned in the article. I am sure Nassau Hall has little need to blush either. By washing the club's dirty linen in public, this student showed what little respect he or she has for the institution he or she is enrolled in. He or she forgot that no matter which club we are in, or not in, which sorority or fraternity we choose to join or not join, we are, in the end, all Princetonians, and we have all pledged loyalty to this institution. If we feel the need to speak against it, our speech must take place within the walls surrounding the University, not in someone else's muddy backyard. Maryam W. Khan '08
U. phone numbers should not be public
Regarding 'Undercover story upsets Bicker clubs' (Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007):
After reading this story, I feel that reporter Spencer Morgan's conduct in pursuit of his story was highly questionable and deserves to be scrutinized. I was more disturbed, however, by the following comment in the article: "Morgan said he called the University-listed phone numbers of the individuals he mentioned in the article, but that no one returned his calls."
Why does the University insist on making student contact information — including our student ID numbers — available to anyone with a computer? This policy seriously compromises student safety and privacy. Last year, a friend of mine was subjected to multiple late-night obscene phone calls from a man who looked up her campus phone number on the Princeton website. She succeeded in having her contact information removed from the website, but thousands of other students remain vulnerable to the same kind of harassment.
My undergraduate institution required a campus username and password in order to search the campus directory. Why hasn't Princeton adopted a similar security measure? The Spencer Morgans of the world should not be able to gain access to students' personal information with so little effort. Lindy Baldwin GS
A Karim return?
Regarding 'Wild Oats on Nassau Street to close' (Tuesday, February 27, 2007):
If Wild Oats is closing, does this mean Karim will be returning to the Wa? Matt Margolin '05
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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.
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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
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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.