The Princeton freedom

As freshmen quickly discover, freedom abounds at Princeton. We enjoy the freedom to live, love and learn as we pursue our interests to the fullest. I'd like to reflect on the light and dark sides of some of the freedoms we enjoy here.

To start with, my dear readers, I have a confession to make: I am addicted to Frist Campus Center's sinfully delicious lunchtime offerings. When late meal rolls around, you won't find me in line for salads or sushi. No indeed, I'll be ordering two monster slices from Villa Pizza or a burrito with everything from the oh-so-lovely Olé. Sure, this isn't good for my health, but we are free to gather our rosebuds — and junk food — while we may.

On a more serious note, many Princetonians take advantage of the incredible freedom to express their opinions, from precepts to dining halls. This freedom gives us the power to define our own identities and leave old stereotypes in the dust. But great power, as any fan of the "Spiderman" movies knows, come with great responsibility — just ask Don Imus. We have the responsibility to cultivate informed opinions and share them with others respectfully, never hiding behind the cowardice of anonymous graffiti, like the Blair Hall incident in February or the more recent anti-Semitic drawings in Bloomberg.

And what of Don Imus? I can't claim any great sympathies with the man, but there does seem to be a curious double standard at work here. Some rap lyrics are light years worse than anything Imus has ever dreamed up, and yet there is little uproar for rappers to lose air time or record deals — and I'm no mean fan of hip-hop myself. Snoop Dogg recently justified this double standard in an interview with MTV News, arguing that rappers should be free to speak from their hearts about the hard-knock experiences of the lives they lead; Imus, on the other hand, is an outsider with no right to attack black women. I think there's some truth in that picture, and if it came down to it we should favor the freedom of artists over that of commentators. Still, we should not be too comfortable with this double standard. With any luck, the Imus affair will force us to confront the issue of propriety in rap, radio and beyond.

Closer to home, we've recently had some tragic reminders of the darkest sides of freedom. We enjoy the freedom to drink in eating clubs and dorm rooms, and we recognize that this privilege can foster camaraderie and downright good fun. On the other hand, the death of Gary DeVercelly at Rider University tragically reminds us of the incredible responsibility we take on every time we drink. The University isn't ignoring these risks, but its response has been far from adequate. The supposedly mandatory alcohol.edu program for incoming freshmen is, in a word, a joke. It is written at the level of a seventh grade health textbook, so anyone with the slightest common knowledge about alcohol can pass the program's tests without engaging with the material itself. While our eating clubs strive to maintain safe environments, we need to do more to reduce drinking risks in dormitories.

Perhaps our greatest freedom, though, is choosing our own friends, seeking out those with whom we can share our joys and heartbreaks. We must not forget, however, that this freedom also comes with responsibility. If we do not find time to reach out to others beyond our narrow social groups, even just to hold a door, or share a laugh or smile, we are shortchanging ourselves and hurting others. Diversity is a wonderful thing, but we need more than just variety to be a true community. We need a bond that transcends our differences, the bond of friendship and camaraderie. I believe this bond is in the making, and at times it surprises us with its strength. We have shown our unity in the best of times, like the November bonfire, and in the worst of times, as we mourned the profound losses of the Virginia Tech community. Confronted with a tragedy of this magnitude, we must ask ourselves what we can do to prevent these horrors on our own campus. One answer, I believe, is to strengthen the bond of camaraderie that unites us all. To that end, let us live our freedoms well, ever aware of our responsibilities. Matt Hoberg is a sophomore from Kennett Square, Pa. He may be reached at mhoberg@princeton.edu.