I discovered last week that I can read my columns in German, courtesy of German Google and its automated translator.
Despite his notable contributions to the University Art Museum over the past three years, Bryan Just didn?t expect his recent promotion to the position of curator and lecturer in the art of ancient Americas.?It was a pleasant surprise, actually,? Just said.Rebecca Sender, current acting director of the Art Museum, said in a University statement that she is ?delighted? to announce Just?s appointment.?Bryan?s passion for objects and for teaching is infectious,? Sender said.
Even as the field of journalism faces financial difficulty and accusations of bias in its political reporting, Todd Purdum ?82, the national editor and political correspondent of Vanity Fair, argued for its continuing significance Thursday afternoon in a lecture in McCormick Hall.Purdum described his experience as a magazine writer in this election as watching events unfold ?from a middle distance perspective, between ?this just in? and ?this is history.??His position has given Purdum a unique perspective on the campaign, the candidates and the overall role of the media.?I have come to believe that Republicans are just better at exploiting the so-called mainstream media,? Purdum said.
The University has delayed the sale of a tract of land on Route 1 in South Brunswick to a local real estate developer that had planned to build an office park there intended for scientific research.Eastern Properties, a real estate company based in Cranbury, has decided to move forward with the construction of the complex at a slower pace because of difficult economic circumstances, Princeton Forrestal Center director David Knights said.The planned development, called Science Park at Princeton Forrestal, will be located on the west side of Route 1, north of the Forrestal Village shopping and office complex.The souring national economy has played a major role in the delay, Knights explained, adding that the University does not intend to sell the land to Eastern Properties until the company appears ready to develop it.?We never sell any land until the developer has everything lined up,? Knights said.Princeton Forrestal Center, a branch of the University that manages and develops land along a stretch of Route 1 southeast of the main campus, purchased the land that Eastern Properties plans to develop in 1986, Knights said.Eastern Properties president Joseph Stern and his son and partner, Zev Stern, declined to comment, citing a policy of not speaking to the media.South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gamabatese said in an interview with The Newark Star-Ledger that a development plan approved by South Brunswick Township requires the University to begin development of the property by December 2009.Gambatese explained that the proposed development would generate $5 million annually in property taxes for South Brunswick.While Knights expressed confidence that Eastern Properties would eventually follow through on the development, he cited expensive credit and a cautious business atmosphere as reasons for postponing construction.?They?re a father and son team.
The Princeton Borough Council approved a contract with New Jersey Transit on Wednesday for the Free B Shuttle service, despite controversy among Borough administrators regarding the project?s implementation.The shuttle service, which provides transportation from locations in the Borough to the Dinky Station, has been in operation since last spring and has been partially funded by the University. With last night?s approval, NJ Transit will donate a shuttle and provide funding for half of the operating expense of the shuttle over three years, up to $60,000.The plan is ?tentatively agreed to? apart from drug and alcohol testing standards for the vehicle?s driver, Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said at the meeting.Though the plan has gone forward for now, councilmen David Goldfarb and Andrew Koontz noted their concern about the cost-effectiveness of the service.?The total cost of the service is roughly the cost of providing everyone who is riding it with a free taxi from their house to the Dinky,? Goldfarb said.Koontz voiced concern over ridership levels, noting that the shuttle currently averages fewer than two people per circuit and that Americans tend to be suspicious of free transportation.Bruschi opposed charging for the shuttle, explaining that if it were not free, it would be required to conform to commercial driving regulations that currently do not apply.Councilwoman Margaret Karcher supported Bruschi, citing successful free shuttle services at Colorado ski resorts.But Goldfarb also faulted the Free B system for what he said was confusing advertising.The advertisements for the shuttle do not note that the vehicle only goes in one direction along its circuit, he said.?It was never clear to me how you were supposed to get from point A to point B,? he noted.Goldfarb also questioned the clarity of published graphics describing the proposal.?The written description that we have written up here in 10 lines is a much better description than any of the graphics we have,? he said.Bruschi disagreed with Goldfarb?s assessment.
After serving 22 years on the Princeton Township Committee, including 13 years as mayor, Phyllis Marchand is stepping down.?It?s been wonderful, very hectic,? Marchand said, ?and I think now is the time for me to slow down a bit, maybe audit some courses at Princeton University ... it?s time for a younger generation to take over.?During her tenure as mayor, the Township saw significant building changes, including the building of a new hospital for the University Medical Center at Princeton and the construction of more affordable housing units.Marchand also pointed to the new municipal building as a positive development.
Students have expressed mixed opinions of the new University Webmail client, @Mail, since it was released on Oct.
Amid the falling leaves and crisp autumn air, Princeton?s gothic architecture stands as a testament to three centuries of history and tradition.
Director of Parking and Transportation Kim Jackson introduced the TigerTransit system, which will begin service on Jan.
After failing to permanently shut down the eating clubs, Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, took on the easier task of lobbying for world peace in his journey from Princeton to the presidency.Barksdale Maynard ?88, a visiting lecturer in architecture who wrote a book about Wilson?s time at Princeton, spoke to a group of students in Wilcox dining hall Tuesday night about Wilson?s battle against the eating clubs and how his Princeton experience affected his politics and future presidency.?It?s a 25-year love-hate relationship,? Maynard said of Wilson?s time at Princeton.
Universities should strive to create more diverse student populations, former University President William Bowen GS ?58 said as he accepted the 12th Jose Vasconcelos World Award of Education from the World Cultural Council on Tuesday afternoon in Richardson Auditorium.Bowen, who served as president of the University from 1972 to 1988 and oversaw the beginning of co-education, was the first American to receive the prize.
The University?s Financial Aid Office estimates a $3 to $4 million increase in financial aid requests from students so far this year, but the University will fully meet every student?s needs, according to a University statement released Tuesday.This signifies a 3 to 5 percent increase in financial aid needs from the 2007-08 academic year, when the University awarded $82 million in need-based scholarships.President Tilghman announced at a faculty meeting last Monday that the increase in financial aid demand would be $2.8 million, but Tuesday?s statement indicates that figure has been revised upward.
Crime around campus Entries from Public Safety's daily media log
The University may not be able to increase its employee salary pool and funding for graduate students to keep up with rising costs, and it may have to delay construction projects in the wake of the weakened economy, University officials announced at a meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) on Monday.In the meantime, the University is preparing to launch a revamped shuttle system and revise its parking policies, and it will continue to meet increases in undergraduate financial aid requests.?These are hard times, obviously, and in hard times, no institution, including this one, can be entirely insulated,? Provost Christopher Eisgruber ?83 explained, adding that the University faces ?no special exposure? to the economic troubles.Eisgruber said that the effects of the declining economy will be most felt in postponed construction projects and the salary pool, but he acknowledged that other aspects of campus life may be impacted.
Students trying to walk through the north entrance doors of Frist Campus Center during peak hours Monday may have encountered some obstacles, as the Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) held a series of three demonstrations to protest the establishment of military checkpoints on roads in the West Bank and along its border.?Armed? with plastic weapons, PCP members Theo Beers ?09 and Yael Berda GS played the parts of Israeli soldiers, blocking the central entrance to simulate the checkpoints on many roads essential to everyday travel in the region.All students who tried to enter the building during the demonstrations were asked to show their proxes to pass.
Raj Vinnakota ?93 and Claire Max GS ?72 have been selected to receive two major alumni awards, the University announced on Monday.Vinnakota, the co-founder of the SEED School in Washington, D.C., the nation?s first urban boarding school for students from underserved communities, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award, which is presented every year to an undergraduate alumnus or alumna whose career embodies the University?s unofficial motto, ?Princeton in the Nation?s Service.?Max, an astrophysicist who has made important contributions in the field of adaptive optics, will be awarded the Madison Medal, which is awarded each year to a graduate alumnus or alumna for a distinguished career, advancing the cause of graduate education or achieving an outstanding record of public service.
You didn?t need an Indonesian passport to get into Saturday night?s ?Passport to Indonesia,? which featured Indonesian food and songs, such as the Bengawan Solo, the Merak Dance (Dance of the Peacock) and Piring Dance (Saucer Dance).Paula Chow, the director of the Davis International Center, and Trie Edi Mulyani, the consul general of the Indonesian embassy in New York, both spoke to an audience of about 100 students and faculty members.The event was sponsored partly by Permias Princeton, a new Indonesian student group.
As the election of the first African-American president dominated headlines worldwide, Congressman-elect Jared Polis ?96 (D-Colo.) is making history in his own way.
