Jamal talks institutional neutrality and engagement in interview

Good morning! 

On Nov. 28, the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) hosted  “The Current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Constructive Campus Conversations,” in which Dean Amaney Jamal and Keren Yarhi-Milo, Dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, addressed universities’ roles in addressing controversial topics on campus.

Last month, Jamal and Yarhi-Milo published a guest essay in The New York Times advocating for universities to promote “mutually respectful dialogue” and ensure that “each side can air their opinions” on difficult topics such as the Israel-Hamas conflict. “Examples of this include webinars that our respective schools held in the wake of the attacks, featuring a diversity of voices, including academics and policymakers, Israelis and Palestinians, Democrats, and Republicans,” they wrote. 

Since the conflict began, numerous vigils and protests have occurred on campus. In October, amid a day of walkouts across college campuses, hundreds of students gathered to rally in solidarity with Palestine. This demonstration was met with counter-protests who held up photos of Israeli hostages and Israeli flags. Students and faculty have also contributed to the discussion with op-eds written from a variety of perspectives. 

Jamal highlighted the potential for shared academic work as a bridge to understanding, ahead of a week of planned action by pro-Palestine groups. While Jamal highlighted a number of academic events, the protests and rallies in public have gotten significantly more reach.

READ THE FULL STORY →
Analysis by Michelle Miao

Today’s Briefing:

Integrated science curriculum set to be revamped after almost 20 years: The Integrated Science Curriculum (ISC) will not be offered this academic year. The program, established in early 2000s, is meant to cover material traditionally covered by “two semesters of introductory physics and chemistry and one semester of molecular biology and computer science in a condensed, four course program.” The program is undergoing “revitalization,” according to the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics website. Changes will be centered around increasing its focus on the intersection of biology, chemistry, and data science. The ISC will be returning in Fall 2024 for its 20th anniversary.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE →

VP candidates debate institutional knowledge versus fresh perspectives: With the USG presidential debate standing uncontested, the presidential debate yesterday became a vice-presidential debate. The three candidates for vice president, Chase Magnano ’25, Srista Tripathi ’25, and Warren Shepherd ’27, participated in the debate hosted by the ‘Prince’ and Whig-Clio. Tripathi, who is running with presumptive president-elect Avi Attar ’25, emphasized her ties to Attar. Magnano spoke most passionately on issues of student social life. Candidates also discussed proposals “that they would make to the academic calendar and exam schedules.” The debate concluded with a question over the price of milk; Shepherd and Magnano both suggested four dollars a gallon, while Tripathi said it was three in Virginia.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE →

OPINION | Learning to burst the Orange Bubble

Contributing Columnist Sarah Park ’27 argues that Princetonians often fail to “demonstrate care for the places or people beyond campus,” instead opting to stay sheltered within the Orange Bubble. Park writes that many of the amenities students enjoy, such as the free food at events and clean bathrooms in dorms, are only possible “because of the people from the surrounding communities who work here.” She encourages more personal choices that can bring students closer to the town community, including taking jobs off-campus or classes that can “provide us with enjoyment while bringing us closer to the community’s institutions and people.”

READ THE COLUMN →

Letter to the Editor: How the Office of Religious Life handles funds: Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel, Alison Boden, clarifies the fundraising process within the Office of Religious Life (ORL) and student religious organizations. Boden claims that a recent column “suggests that alumni donations are given over to the ORL to distribute amongst religious organizations.” She clarifies that “student religious organizations do their own alumni fundraising independent of the ORL” and that the “accounts of every student organization [...] are reported in SAFE, the student organization funding portal.” She also explains that the Fred Fox Fund “is not comprised of money that is given to the ORL to distribute but rather is an existing endowment.”

READ THE LETTER →

At your leisure

• PROSPECT: Shere Khan is Princeton’s premier co-ed acapella group, and so much more
• HUMOR: Princeton Housing Services involved in campus cover-ups, investigation ongoing
• PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode of Daybreak, The Daily Princetonian’s daily news podcast.
• CARTOON: Check out our newest cartoon, “Gym Playlist,” by Luiza Chevres.