Undergraduate Student Government (USG) representatives and top University administrators discussed personal electric vehicle (PEV) policy changes, protective policies against harassment, graduate student concerns, and updates to the status of international students on campus at a Monday meeting of the University Student Life Committee (USLC).
The USLC convenes top administrators, including Dean of the College Michael Gordin and Director of Athletics John Mack ’00, alongside undergraduate and graduate students to study “the tone and character of University student life.” Vice President for Campus Life,W. Rochelle Calhoun co-chairs the committee with Anuj Krishnan ’27 and Jan Ertl GS.
The committee’s meetings are closed to the public, according to Calhoun. However, the University permitted The Daily Princetonian to report on this session.
The committee discussed an ongoing reassessment of the University’s ban on personal electric vehicles, performed annually by the Environmental, Safety, and Risk Management Committee (ESRM) as required by the policy.
The University banned PEVs — such as electric scooters, hoverboards, and electric or motorized skateboards — from most of campus in December 2023, with the ban taking effect on Jan. 25, 2024. Notably, electric bikes (e-bikes) were not included in the definition of PEVs, so long as they are used in “assist” mode, where pedaling activates the motor.
Director of Campus Safety and Health Kelly States said campus use of e-bikes has changed significantly since the policy debuted.
“E-bikes have also gotten larger, they’ve gotten significantly more powerful; most of them are now throttle assist, rather than pedal assist,” she said. “You don’t have to pedal at all on some of these.”
The University reserves the right to revisit PEV restrictions regarding e-bikes under the existing policy.
“The issue [of e-bike usage] is being looked at,” States told the ‘Prince.’ “Any change or update if it were to happen to the policy would not take effect until next summer.” She added that EHS will launch a community feedback form on its website.
In response to questions from Krishnan and Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Vice President Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26, States clarified that the ESRM is not currently considering a specific policy change to PEVs at this time.
“The intention is to look at the policy and look at the situation and see if there are any changes that need to be made,” said States.
Mack spoke up during the meeting to thank States for meeting with athletics coaches to get their perspective on the policy, as many athletes have switched to e-bikes after the PEV ban.
Aside from the PEV policy, Krishnan presented on USG updates, arguing that the University does not have sufficient protections for doxing.
“Princeton’s harassment policies and resources do not currently contain any narrow tailored language or resources that can protect our campus community,” he said. Krishnan also referenced specific events where trucks displaying messages targeting student groups and administrators appeared near campus in 2023 and 2024. Swamidurai and Krishnan distributed copies of example language on doxing that peer institutions use in their harassment and campus safety policies.
Ertl, the USLC’s graduate chair, also delivered updates from the Graduate Student Government (GSG) Executive Board, citing concerns about unequal impacts of departmental budget cuts, the timeline for graduate housing renewals, and incentives for graduate leadership roles, among other issues.
Aly Kassam-Remtulla, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Operations, presented a demographic breakdown of international students on campus. He claimed their presence is likely higher than the 23 percent figure reflected in official University data..
“We’re even more international than the numbers show,” Kassam-Remtulla said. “It’s a core identity for this institution, and it’s a very important community that we value for the academic and cultural benefits that we all gain from having a diverse community.”
Albert Rivera, Director of the Davis International Center, spoke next about the challenges facing international students resulting from federal policy and the use of executive orders. He cited a recent New York Times article showing international student enrollment went down by 17 percent nationally.
However, Rivera noted that 98 percent of international undergraduate students and 96 percent of international graduate students at Princeton made it to campus this fall. “We consider ourselves lucky that … we didn’t see these kinds of reductions,” Rivera said. He did not provide any specific details about students that were not able to enter the United States.
The next USLC meeting will take place on Feb. 16, 2026 in Frist Campus Center MPR-C.
Kian Petlin is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from San Francisco, Calif. and typically covers campus events and student life.
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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