News

Blogging through cancer

"Anyone who’s been in the role of patient can attest to the way it changes how you see yourself,” Suleika Jaouad ’10 wrote in a recent column published in The New York Times.Jaouad, a 23-year-old writer, was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago, only shortly after graduating from the University. In between undergoing rounds of chemotherapy and working toward recovery, Jaouad writes a regular column in The Times, and previously wrote for The Huffington Post, about her life with cancer.

U. held investment in Pakistan

A week after the student body voted in favor of greater transparency in the University’s financial investments, a Daily Princetonian review of University tax filings shows that as recently as July 2009 the University held a financial account within the country of Pakistan.The fund had a maximum value of $86,000, University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua said in an email. He explained that the account was set up by an external fund manager, rather than through a direct investment decision by the Princeton University Investment Company.

Sophomore with Super PAC

While working for the Obama campaign in 2008, Tim Hwang ’14 noted that many federal policies failed to include the voices of American youth. With a group of likeminded college students Hwang discussed the creation of an organization that would start a youth lobby in Washington, D.C., to better represent students in the nation’s capital.

Tilghman to teach course

In March 2010, President Shirley Tilghman gave a lecture at the University called “The Meaning of Race in the Post-Genome Era.” A dinner conversation she had with history and Wilson School professor Keith Wailoo right before the lecture revealed that the two shared similar interests about the interplay of modern genetics and the public sphere.Next semester, the two will co-teach WWS 354: Modern Genetics and Public Policy, a Monday evening seminar that will explore topics ranging from eugenics to FDA regulations, according to the course description. 

For U. fund, extra money creates legal complexity

When professor emeritus of Romance languages and literatures Alfred Foulet GS ’27 donated a gift in the name of Fulton McMahon, Class of 1884, he intended for the gift to be spent covering travel expenses for graduate students. The fund, established in the 1980s, would be reserved for research abroad in what was then called the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.Now, the University is legally seeking to expand the parameters of the Fulton McMahon Research Fund, broaden the scope of who can benefit from the yearly income. The process of expanding the purview of the donation highlights the complicated issues involved when yearly funding exceeds the enumerated need on the campus.

For Borough mayor Moore '79, an uncertain political future

Only five months after winning a close election to succeed Mildred Trotman as Borough Mayor, Yina Moore ’79 seems to be slipping in political favor.It remains unclear how or why Moore, the highest-ranking Democrat in the municipality, apparently lost the support of local Democrats.

Failed Republican candidate pitches campaign reform

Former Louisiana governor and Americans Elect and Reform Party nominee for president of the United States Buddy Roemer discussed campaign reform and his own long-shot bid for the presidency on Wednesday night.

Cartoon: Trolling at Princeton

News & Notes: Light fixture malfunction causes smoke in Woolworth

The source of the smoke that caused the evacuation of roughly 100 people from Woolworth Music Center on Monday has been determined, according to an email from University spokesperson Martin Mbugua. The cause of the smoke has been traced to one of the light fixtures on the third floor of the building’s atrium, which malfunctioned yesterday.

TI's day trip to 'The Jerry Springer Show' reveals life outside the Orange Bubble

When Jerry Springer singled Margaret Tait ’14 out of the crowd at his show on Monday and told her that he loved her, she said her face turned bright red immediately.“He stopped and looked at me, stared at me for a while and pointed. I waved. And he said, ‘You. I love you.’ Then he made some bluntly sexual comment,” Tait said. “I’m pretty sure he’s in his 60s. It was awkward.”

On Street, clubs unite for charity

Prospect Avenue is fundraising to support low-income classrooms in New Jersey as part of the 10-day Inter Club Community Fundraiser, which began last Thursday and will conclude this Saturday. The clubs are working with the Pace Council for Civic Values to raise money for DonorsChoose.org, a website that allows donors to give money directly to teachers of low-income schools and to fund field trips and school supplies.

A lifetime studying power: Robert Caro '57

Set for publication on May 1, the fourth volume in a monumental five-part biography of President Lyndon B. Johnson took Robert Caro ’57 10 years to write — longer, in fact, than the six-year time span that it covers. Titled “The Passage of Power,” the latest installment of Caro’s biography “The Years of Lyndon Johnson” chronicles Johnson’s life from 1958 to 1964, when he served as Kennedy’s vice president before assuming the presidency and winning the 1964 election.

Exchange students given club spots at Charter

In an effort to share the undergraduate experience of the eating clubs with visiting students, Charter Club has announced recently that it will allocate two membership slots specifically for exchange students, Charter president Rodrigo Menezes ’13 confirmed in an email.

News & Notes: Penn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi votes for de-recognition

In the face of sanctions for violating Penn’s hazing policy, the university’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi voted to relinquish its campus charter and move out of its on-campus chapter house, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian

Study break budgets sufficient, RCAs say

When Daniel Lewis ’13 was a freshman, he said he looked forward to the massage study breaks held by his residential college adviser. Now an RCA himself in Whitman College, Lewis is the one providing the study breaks rather than taking advantage of them. Lewis is tasked with spending a budget provided to him by his college office, which he said is to be spent on food and supplies for various study breaks for his 14 freshmen and eight sophomore advisees.

Guests to be charged $20 fee at spring Lawnparties

For the first time, students bringing a guest to this spring’s Lawnparties, which will be held on Sunday, May 6, will be charged a $20 guest fee. A limited number of guest tickets went on sale April 13 and will be sold until May 4, or until the spots sell out.Graduate students, who formerly could attend Lawnparties for free if they were guested in by an undergraduate, are allowed to purchase tickets for Lawnparties for $20 but are not allowed to bring guests. The event will remain free for undergraduate students.

Chess Club plays against N.J. state inmates

Five members of Chess Club played a series of tournament matches against 60 inmates of the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton on Friday. After the students went through security screening around 9 a.m., they stayed to play until noon, when the prisoners had to leave.

Signs of smoke cause evacuation of 100 people from Woolworth

Apparent problems with the lighting system in the Woolworth Music Center led to the evacuation of about 100 people from the building and the disruption of some evening classes. Officials are unsure if there was an actual fire in the building, but Public Safety officers reported signs of smoke throughout the building.

Tweets aren’t big fans of #oscar nominated films, @princeton team finds

Twitter posts are an unreliable indicator of box-office success, University researchers have found.A research paper released last month by Felix Wong GS and postdoctoral research associate Soumya Sen of the electrical engineering department demonstrated that Twitter users are both more positive in their reviews than other movie rating sites and that tweets tend to be less positive in their reviews of Oscar-nominated films than non-nominated ones. The paper also questioned the ability of Twitter to predict success in theaters.

With council vote, Arts and Transit District progresses

While the New Jersey Historic Sites Council’s 5-1 vote to abandon the current Dinky easement brings the University one step closer to its Arts and Transit Neighborhood, the victory is nevertheless a limited one. University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee ’69, who spoke at the meeting, called the vote “a very helpful step” for the University but noted that it was only one part of a much larger approval process that the plans for the University’s Arts and Transit District must undergo.