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Thursday, March 24, 2023
“The best decision I’ve made”: students, faculty reflect on the first full cycle of ASL classes
A student signing ASL, the abbreviation for American Sign Language.
Candace Do / The Daily Princetonian

Good morning!

This semester marks the first time students can fulfill the language requirement using American Sign Language. Two years ago, the Faculty Committee on the Course of Study (COCS) approved a proposal to establish a sequence in American Sign Language (ASL) that fulfills the University’s A.B. language requirement. The sequence begins with ASL 101 and finishes with ASL 107 where students are exposed to Deaf cultures and studies.  

The University has expanded its ASL course selection significantly over the past few years. The first ASL course was offered in 2018 by the Program in Linguistics. In 2020, Genrietta Churbanova ’24 wrote in the ‘Prince’ criticizing the University’s underdeveloped ASL program. In agreement, Elaine Wright ’21 compared the University’s ASL program with other universities with more developed ASL programs in a guest column. These student actions propelled an existing proposal made by the Program in Linguistics to allow ASL to fulfill the A.B. language requirement

Daniel Maier, a lecturer in the linguistics program, wrote to the ‘Prince’ that teaching ASL 101 and ASL 102 has been “an incredible and eye-opening experience.” For students, ASL is a new learning experience both culturally and linguistically. “ASL is created by the hands, body movement, and facial expressions, and I thought that was absolutely amazing,” said Veronica Zhang ’25.

As the University continues to expand its focus on disability and accessibility, according to Maier, taking an ASL course is one way for students to become more aware of “how ableism has come to influence much of our perceptions about language and culture.”

READ THE FULL STORY →
Analysis by Jacqueline Zhou

Today’s Briefing:

Inaugural Director of Campus Accessibility Michael Barnes looks back on his first year:  Barnes wrote, “As a student with a disability, I relied heavily on my university's disability support office and credit this experience with my career trajectory.” This is also the first year of the position’s existence.  With the University’s eleven major ongoing construction projects, Barnes’ hiring coincides with a time of extensive disruptions to physical accessibility. While celebrating the progress the University has made in accessibility, Barnes also wrote, “By acknowledging the challenges and keeping them in front of mind, Princeton will become a more accessible place every semester.”

READ THE STORY →

Seyedsayamdost lab discovers first pathway for Selenium insertion into natural products: In a study published in the journal Nature, Princeton researchers in the Department of Chemistry reported on their discovery of a new pathway in selenium metabolism, by which microorganisms are able to break down selenium. This discovery, led by Professor Mohammad Seyedsayamdost and has implications for the development of cancer therapeutics. In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Seyedsayamdost referred to the therapeutic nature of small selenium-containing molecules and noted that selenoneine synthase, an enzyme observed in the study, could be a potential “miracle antioxidant.” 

READ THE STORY →

OPINION | USG should support its student-athletes and fans 

 
Zehao Wu / The Daily Princetonian

Guest Contributors Jacob Davis ’26 and Max Hines ’25 argue that Undergraduate Student Government (USG) should allocate funding to send students to the Princeton v. Creighton NCAA Tournament game, which is the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance in the modern tournament era. Although USG plans to fund on-campus programming for March Madness, according to Davis and Hines, attending the game “provides students with a sense of school spirit that is difficult to replicate.” By funding travel and tickets to the Louisville matchup, “USG would be investing in the school's culture while building stronger relationships between students,” Davis and Hines write. “Although we’re still dancing into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, we should be sure to celebrate and support the basketball team to the fullest extent before it’s too late.”

READ THE COLUMN →

At your leisure:

If you have any feedback or concerns about today’s newsletter, please email managingeditor@dailyprincetonian.com
Today’s newsletter was copy edited by Naisha Sylvestre. Thank you. 
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