Ann Coulter is more of an entertainer than a political commentator
Regarding 'A few comments on Ann Coulter' (Tuesday, March 27, 2007):
Jason Gilbert '09 is, I believe, missing the point of Ann Coulter. She isn't really a "political commentator." She's an entertainer. And, judging from her ubiquity in various media, a very successful one. She's also, I suppose, a sort of cheerleader for her team/sect/cult.
But I can't take her seriously, any more than I can see taking seriously Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Susan Sarandon, Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn, George Clooney, etc. Terry Wintroub '69
Next president will have a tough job dealing with war
Regarding 'Friedberg says multiple mistakes lower chances of success in Iraq' (Wednesday, March 28, 2007):
We must also remember the other Bush falsehoods on the reasons to go to war: No ties to Al Queda; no Iraqis on the 9/11 planes (15 out of the 19 were Saudis, as is Bin Laden). Why did the United States buy this?
Further, the surge (Stay the Course II) will, if maintained until the end of Bush's term in January 2009, condemn another 1200 U.S. troops to die. But Cheney will appreciate their sacrifice. Remember the secret energy policy meetings with the oil company reps and the maps of Iraq oil fields on the table. The Production Sharing Agreements will permit U. S. oil companies to reap the majority of profits from the sale, with a minimum in investment risk. Their coffers will be further swollen and contributions will pour into the Republican political machine. It is, was and always will be blood for oil.
Bush said that he would leave Iraq for the next president to handle. What sane person would want to inherit this disaster? Robert Givey '58
RCCs fail to help fix students' computers as well as OIT does
OIT is once again hiring Residential Computing Consultants, and I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of them. They're scarcely advertised, extraneous and useless — and the University spends thousands of dollars on them every year.
RCCs are meant to be a resource we can turn to for computer repair. Theoretically, they lighten the load of OIT and can respond to student concerns faster. Without tearing into OIT — which has fixed my laptop promptly every time I've crashed it — the RCC system is a sham.
The RCCs of my residential college made a haphazard attempt at introducing themselves to the new freshmen last year in the interest of making themselves accessible. Fat chance — I crashed my laptop on a biweekly basis last year, and emailing the RCC list never resulted in a reply, much less a visit to look at my laptop.
This year, they did no such thing — several of my freshman friends have never even heard of a RCC. How can people seek help from them if they're not advertised, not mentioned in freshman orientations or anything else, outside of OIT's confusing self-help site?
Dismantling the RCC system and using the thousands they pay these students to do nothing to buy fresher food would be a nice start to revamping the residential college system. Jordan Bubin '09
A new coach proposal
Maybe I'm biased because I saw many of the games that made him the fourth leading scorer in Princeton basketball history and Ivy League Player of the Year twice, but wouldn't picking Craig Robinson to be Princeton's head coach be a slam dunk for the Tigers? Not only was he a great player for Princeton, but he's already a proven coach, having been named Ivy League Men's Basketball Coach of the Year this year. In his first season, he helped make Brown respectable, beating Princeton twice this year and coming within one basket of beating Penn. Robinson's team had great teamwork on offense and played tough defense, but also allowed players enough room to develop their individual talents.
He earned the respect of his players and got the most out of them — just ask Mark McAndrew, who went from getting little playing time and averaging 1.2 points per game last year without Robinson to being First Team All-Ivy and averaging 18.6 points per game this year with him. It's hard to think of someone who would be better suited for the Princeton job. But can Princeton lure him away from Brown? I hope we try. David A. Naimon '83
Read More
$56,000 in debt at graduation is not the financial aid Princeton advertises
Avi CheslerTake my story as an example — despite repeated evidence, both before and after taking out loans, that I would be unable to pay what Princeton asked of me — the University never set a cost that I could truly meet loan-free.
In the Garden State’s service and the service of humanity
Olivia Ragan, Lauren Aung, and Madison LintonIt is important to cultivate in students interest in local and state level change, because it is the most direct way to give back to the New Jersey community that sustains the University.
Why do two-thirds of your summer research wages go to Princeton, anyway?
Isaac BarsoumThe income that students earn from employment is not “miscellaneous.” So Princeton must decide: Does it want its students — all of them, not only those who can afford it — to be able to work on the important research happening at Princeton, or be forced to go home?
The income that students earn from employment is not “miscellaneous.” So Princeton must decide: Does it want its students — all of them, not only those who can afford it — to be able to work on the important research happening at Princeton, or be forced to go home?