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Syrian film collective presents screening and Q&A

Syrian film collective presents screening and Q&A

Pooja Patel

The act of filming takes on special meaning during times of war, Charif Kiwan, Syrian filmmaker and co-founder of the Abounaddara Collective, said on Monday. The collective’s films, titled "Syria: A History of Snapshots in the Making," were presented on Monday night.

NEWS | 02/16/2015

Scheide '36 bequeaths 2,500 rare books to Firestone

Jasmine Wang

William Scheide ’36, a musician and philanthropist who died in November at the age of 100, bequeathed his rare books collection to the University, making it the largest gift in the University’s history. The collection is valued at nearly $300 million and is particularly notable for its breadth and depth, Karin Trainer, the University librarian, said. Scheide had announced at a luncheon hosted by the University for his 90thbirthday thathe would bequeath the collection to the University upon his death, Trainer said. After his father,John Scheide,Class of 1896, died in 1942, William Scheidepermitted the transportation in 1959 of the collection from his father’s home in Titusville, Pa., to Firestone Library, where he continued to oversee its care and occasionally add valuable items to it. “I think he was very happy with the way he thought it was being used and the care he could see we were taking with it even though it belonged to him,” Trainer said of Scheide’s decision to trust the University with the collection after his death.

NEWS | 02/16/2015

Tea With Strangers launches, fills quickly

Jacob Donnelly

Tea With Strangers, a student-organized chapter of an international group by the same name, launched on campus Sunday evening and all of the program’s time slots have already been filled. The program facilitates group conversations between students on campus who do not know each other.

NEWS | 02/16/2015

Copeland speaks on diversity in the ballet world

Lorenzo Quiogue

One of the most important responsibilities of the ballet world today is to empower young dancers who don’t feel like they belong, Misty Copeland said at a discussion on Monday. A soloist with the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland spoke as part of the Lewis Center’s Masters of Dance series, which features professional dancers and choreographers in a series of events at the University in January and February. "I wish people would ask, ‘How does it feel to be alone?’ Because there’s really a history of there not being much diversity in the ballet world," Copeland said. She explained that when she first joined American Ballet Theatre, she wasn’t really aware of how she felt about being the only black female dancer on the roster, but things gradually built up as she spent more time in the company.Copeland was the only African-American member of the company for 10 years. "By my third year in the company, I had this resentment, and I really didn’t know where it was coming from," she said.

NEWS | 02/16/2015

News & Notes: Cornell U. fraternity chapter recognition restored

Daily Princetonian Staff

Cornell University has restored its official recognition of its Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity chapter after an interim suspension was imposed on Feb.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

News & Notes: Meningitis B case confirmed at Yale

Daily Princetonian Staff

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a Yale student was diagnosed with a probable case of meningitis B, the Yale Daily News reported on Friday. The student has already been discharged from the hospital after reporting there on Thursday with headaches and vomiting. No other cases have been reported at Yale so far. Medical services at Yale will begin to offer a vaccine for meningitis B at no cost to those with the college's health insurance.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

10 bridges around Princeton structurally deficient or functionally obsolete

Grant Golub

There are 10 bridges in the Princeton area that are“structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete,” New Jersey Department of Transportation commissioner Jamie Fox said last month. There are 500 bridges around the state of New Jersey that fall under this category. The 10 bridges in the Princeton area include bridges that serve important commuter routes, including Princeton Pike and Alexander Street, according to a Feb.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

USG discusses 24-hour study spaces, upcoming mobile calendar app

Katherine Oh

The Undergraduate Student Government discussed their semester goals as a whole and for specific committees at their weekly meeting on Sunday. USG president Ella Cheng ’16 said that the USG recently sent an email to the student body that included a list of the senate's priorities for the spring 2015 semester.The list was compiled based on the recent What Matters campaign, which gave students the opportunity to rank projects they would like to see the USG work on in the future. “For the first time ever, USG can advertise our whole list of priorities,” Cheng said. One priority the senate is working on is increasing the availability of 24-hour study spaces on campus, Cheng said.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

Former student admitted to pretrial intervention program

Grant Golub

A former member of the Class of 2016 alleged to have recorded a video of a female student while she was showering was admitted into a pretrial intervention program last week, according to a press release from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday.David Chesleyvoluntarily surrendered to and was charged by the Department of Public Safety on Sept.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

3 U. students awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarships

Pooja Patel

Laura Cooper ’15, Samuel Kim ’15 and Cameron Langford ’15were among the 40 winners of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships that were awarded to students in the United States.Another 55 international recipients will be announced in the spring.The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded based on the criteria of intellectual merit, leadership and service.

NEWS | 02/15/2015

News & Notes: Harvard student group stages sit-in for divestment

Daily Princetonian Staff

About 40 Harvard students staged a sit-indemanding divestment from fossil fuel companies in Massachusetts Hall, which houses the office of Harvard President Drew Faust, onThursday,The Harvard Crimson reported. Undergraduate, graduate and law students from the activist group Divest Harvard participated by occupying a first-floor hallway beginning at around 10 a.m. The eventtook place on the eve of Global Divestment Day, which calls for climate change through divestment from fossil fuels. “We’re trying to put as much pressure on them as possible,” protester Canyon Woodward said.

NEWS | 02/12/2015

U. plans campus development for next 10 years

Olivia Wicki

The University is currently in the planning process for a new Campus Framework Plan that will cover the 10-year period from 2016 to 2026. Campus plans need to be renewed every 10 years for a campus plan to remain valid and vital, University architect Ron McCoy said. The University hired Toronto-based consulting firm Urban Strategies in August 2014 to assist in developing the plan. Currently, Urban Strategies is in the initial planning stages for future campus plans, Urban Strategies partner Warren Price said.

NEWS | 02/12/2015

U. to appeal denial of its motion to dismiss newer tax exemption lawsuit

Jessica Li

The University announced on Thursday that it will appeal a Morris County tax court judge’s denial of the University’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against its property tax exemption for the 2014tax year.The University is asking the Appellate Division of New Jersey’s Superior Court to review the denial of the motion to dismiss.The lawsuit in question is separate from a 2011 suit challenging the University’s property tax exemption for 19 buildings alleged to have non-educational or primary uses, University spokesperson Martin Mbugua said.In the lawsuit whose motion to dismiss was adjudicated on Thursday, four town residents are challenging the University’s receipt of a property tax exemption from the town in 2014.The lawsuit’s premises are flawed, University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee ’69 said.“The standard in New Jersey for being eligible for property tax exemption is that your dominant purpose should be an educational institution, and Princeton’s dominant motive is to be an education institution," Durkee said.

NEWS | 02/12/2015

Crunchbutton to provide restaurant delivery service to U. students

Do-Hyeong Myeong

Crunchbutton, a start-up that offers delivery service from restaurants that typically do not deliver, will launch its operations on campus on Feb.

NEWS | 02/12/2015

Student Health Advisory Board launches mental health mentorship program

Christina Vosbikian

The Student Health Advisory Board last week launched Peer Connection, a one-on-one peer advising service for students who might be dealing with stress or who seek academic, life, relationship or other advice from peers.So far, 92 students have signed up as mentors, and 19 have signed up as mentees, project organizer Mizzi Gomes ’16 said.Gomes is a senior opinion columnist for The Daily Princetonian.“Now that the meningitis campaign is over, SHAB has really been looking for our next big project, and mental health is such a timely issue and has concerns that we want to address,” Gwen Lee ’16, chair of SHAB, said.Although Peer Connection officially launched last week, it has been in development since last spring.

NEWS | 02/12/2015

Martinez '15, Robertson '15 win Pyne Prize

Annie Yang

Yessica Martinez ’15 and Jake Robertson’15 were named as the recipients of the Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize on Wednesday afternoon. The Pyne Prize is the University’s highest general distinction, awarded to an undergraduate who displays excellent scholarship, strength of character and effective leadership. Martinez and Robertsonwill speak at Alumni Day exercises onFeb.

NEWS | 02/11/2015

News & Notes: Town to consider charging disposable shopping bags

Do-Hyeong Myeong

The town of Princeton is considering charging customers a fee of between 10 and 25 cents for disposable plastic or paper bags, The Times of Trenton reported. A local environmental group suggested the fee, and the town is investigating whether it can impose the charge,Mayor Liz Lempert told the Times.

NEWS | 02/11/2015

University begins process of creating gender-neutral bathrooms

Corinne Lowe

The University is in the process of creating more gender neutral, single stall bathrooms around campus, according toMichele Minter, vice provost for institutional equity and diversity.“There’s just been a lot of interest from students over the past couple years to have more gender neutral bathrooms, as well as interest from our Office of Disability Services,”Minter said.The buildings of interest are academic, athletic and other non-residential buildings, Assistant Vice President for the Office of Design and Construction Anne St.

NEWS | 02/11/2015

Mwita discusses East African integration, borders

Katherine Oh

Africa’s national borders are often the products of colonization, Mahiri Mwita, lecturer in the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, said during a lectureon Wednesday. Before 1884, he said, Africa consisted of simple communities with no clear borders.

NEWS | 02/11/2015

Town council developing 2015 priorities

Jacqueline Gufford

Town council discussions have established three strategic priorities for 2015, including providing financial stability, creating an inclusive and well-run community and improving service delivery, according toMayor Liz Lempert. While the council has not yet passed a list of specific priorities for 2015, working sessions have outlined a number of initiatives in line with the strategic priorities, she said. Unlike last year, which saw several large administrative reorganizations, the town council will primarily focus on several projects slated for developmentthis year. In particular, the town will focus on harmonizing existing town and borough parking ordinances, seeking bids for the potential installation of a solar array at the local landfill and creating a plan for the inclusion of bike lanes on Hamilton Avenue are important upcoming projects, Lempert said. “This is an exciting time for the municipal government because we are still in transition and we have a lot of opportunities to do more self-assessment and adopt policies that will put us in a good position moving forward,” she said. Councilwoman Jo Butler said that maintaining financial stability is at the top of the council’s concerns for the coming year. “Costs are always increasing, concerns exist about taxes rising and we need to focus on maintaining low costs while improving infrastructure,” Butler explained.

NEWS | 02/11/2015

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