Letters to the Editor

Library renovation clarifications

Regarding 'The value in the pages' (Friday, Sept. 28, 2007):

I am writing to clarify the status of planning for the renovation of Firestone Library. Last Friday, The Daily Princetonian suggested that work is underway to slash Firestone's shelving capacity. This is not true, and such a move would happen over the very strong objections of the University's librarians, myself included. We agree wholeheartedly with the editorial board's view that "a top research library that is well funded and full in scope is the best way of achieving excellence in research and scholarship."

The preliminary planning for Firestone's modernization has been going on for almost a decade, with starts and stops caused by changes in funding. There are no detailed plans for the renovation, and no decisions have been made; instead, we have a series of broad concepts derived from about 10 years of campus visits, meetings, focus groups with faculty and with students selected by the USG and GSG and other conversations by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, a Boston architecture firm with a specialized library practice. Those interested in seeing SBRA's work firsthand should visit the renovated Marquand Library, which was an SBRA project.

As is typical of such study projects, SBRA has worked through iterations of general concepts, and they will work through many more now that the renovation is on the University's top priority list. To minimize disruption for students and faculty, the construction is expected to take place in phases over 10 years, beginning with infrastructure work in fall 2009. Details of the project will be worked out in stages as well, with more input from library users.

Meetings around campus will be scheduled for those interested in this important and exciting work. Karin A. Trainer University Librarian

Flawed reasoning

Regarding 'Princeton's 100-year war' (Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007):

As a philosophy major, Matt Hoberg '09 needs to take a course in logic. If a club president takes all precautions to enforce drinking rules, i.e, wristbands, certified bouncers, monitoring bartenders, etc. and an underage student manages to secure a drink anyway, then, according to Hoberg, the club president should be criminally charged despite the fact that he or she committed no crime and worked hard to stop underage drinking. Preposterous. Maybe the Dean of Admission should also be charged for having admitted students who violate the underage drinking rules. Or maybe Hoberg should stop being so sanctimonious and accusatory, sit back and have a Grey Goose on the rocks (if he is 21). Michael Scharf '64

Street offers safest social environment

Regarding 'Colonial Ruling Sets Precedent' (Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007):

Professor Stanley Katz' claim that "eating clubs are completely irresponsible about their alcohol policies" comes from the same dangerous naivete that leads the Borough to pursue charges against eating clubs like Colonial. I would challenge Katz and the Borough to find a safer college drinking environment than the eating clubs at Princeton. There are two primary dangers associated with underage (as well as of age) drinking: driving under the influence and drinking to the point of alcohol poisoning. There is very little driving on campus, so the first danger is largely irrelevant. The danger of fatal alcohol poisoning, such as the incident at Rider University, comes almost exclusively from hard alcohol, which is rarely served on the Street.

Though I do not know the specifics of the Colonial recent incident, most serious intoxication events that I have witnessed in my four years at Princeton have not occurred as a result of a student drinking one too many Milwaukee's Best Lights at the Street, but rather because the student pounded shots in someone's room before going out. Additionally, each club has at least one officer "on duty" on any given night who remains sober and can take care of any medical incidents that may arise. Officers are trained to give first aid for alcohol intoxication and seek further medical attention when necessary; unfortunately, the Borough has discouraged clubs from seeking medical attention by pressing charges against clubs that take this step. Instead of using the eating clubs as a scapegoat, we should be focused on encouraging responsible drinking behavior in individuals. Sam Grossberg '08