Policy shop 'til you drop

As the University continues to dramatically alter the structure of residential life on campus, new and complex policy questions are constantly being posed to the administration. In addressing such changes administrators have largely employed a piecemeal approach, taking each problem as it comes. Students have not seen many indications of rigorous evaluation and longterm planning, let alone consultation with all stakeholders, before these policies are announced or enacted. The new alcohol policy exemplifies this methodological shortcoming. So do the plans for renovating Firestone, which, thanks to courageous faculty and staff criticism, appear to be on the road to revision. Instead of continuing down its well-worn, mistaken path, the administration should seek to create an internal think tank charged with the evaluation and assessment of policy options.

Known as a policy shop, such internal institutions are commonly found in private corporations, government agencies and increasingly, within academia. By hiring professional staff, such an organization would be able to lend analytical rigor in efforts to solve the issues most pertinent to campus life and the University as a whole. One of these is how to better integrate minority students on campus, a question drawn into focus most recently by a report put out by Latino students.

At the same time, any think tank based at Princeton would be able to draw on the University's formidable research strengths — a tremendous advantage. As an additional benefit, such an institution would ideally hire qualified Princeton students to contribute as researchers, serving the dual purpose of creating more informed assessments of campus life and creating unprecedented learning experiences for students of serious public policy.

Finally, and most importantly, the existence of such an organization would allow for rigorous follow-up and evaluation of policies after their implementation to ensure their effectiveness. In doing so, the administration would finally be able to know if its lofty intentions had been carried into practice or if the time had come to take a different approach, an insight that is sorely lacking today.