News

University reverses policy on faith groups

Nassau Hall has reversed its policy on the recognition of religious student groups after being contacted by an outside civil liberties organization that protested the treatment of one such group as an "ongoing injustice." Under the new policy, religious student groups with ties to faith organizations without established "campus ministries" will be considered for official student group status using the same criteria as other groups.

Melahn '07 triumphs in 'Assassins' game

Students were dropping like flies. An assassin stalked the campus ? but her weapon of choice was a shiny squirt gun, and her targets were members of the Class of 2007.With 15 "kills" to her credit and more than one daring escape, Laura Melahn '07 emerged victorious in the game of Last Man Standing ? better known as Assassins ? sponsored by the officers of the sophomore class in the final weeks of the semester.She found her victims while they strolled on Prospect Avenue or unloaded their laundry in Forbes.

Protest travels to Capitol Hill

The Frist filibuster ? which began two weeks ago with a handful of students, a single music stand and modest aspirations ? is headed to the steps of the Capitol.A group of about 50 Princeton students will arrive in Washington, D.C., this morning, transporting their around-the-clock filibuster from the north lawn of the Frist Campus Center to the reflecting pool just west of the Capitol building."We decided that we wanted some culminating event because we couldn't keep it going on forever," filibuster coordinator Peter Turner GS said Tuesday.Once in Washington, the students plan to stage a 24-hour protest filibuster aimed at convincing Senators to vote against a possible Senatorial rule change known as the "nuclear option."The nuclear option, which was proposed by Senator Bill Frist '74, would reduce the number of votes needed to end a filibuster from 60 to 51.

NES's Doran rumored for National Security Council post

Michael Doran GS '97, an assistant professor in the Near Eastern Studies (NES) department, is the Bush administration's pick to head the Israel-Palestine desk at the National Security Council, according to a report Tuesday.Citing unnamed sources, JTA, a nonprofit Jewish news service, reported yesterday afternoon that the White House has chosen Doran to replace Elliot Abrams, who will be promoted to deputy national security advisor for global democratic strategy.Doran, who in the past has done extensive consulting work for the federal government, declined to comment on the JTA report and White House officials did not return calls.In interviews Tuesday evening, University faculty and Washington observers said that though they were aware of rumors surrounding a possible appointment, they were not aware that any decision had been made."Like everybody else, I've heard rumors," NES department chair Andras Hamori said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.Established in 1947, the National Security Council is the president's principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with senior advisors and cabinet officials.

Growing dreams

As Monday became Tuesday, the convenience store in Frist Campus Center buzzed with students fueling up with candy bars, Diet Coke and Red Bull.

Faculty members Ikenberry, Slaughter '80 to join new blog

Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80 will take her political commentary to a public forum beginning May 23 with her first weekly blog posting on TPMCafe.com, a website created by Joshua Marshall '91."The new generation gets their news in new ways," Slaughter said.

Journalist Ridley challenges nature versus nurture theory

A prolific science journalist challenged conventional wisdom on human behavior determination in a lecture Tuesday before a large audience in McCosh 50."Genes are at the mercy of our experience," said Matt Ridley, who holds a D.Phil in zoology from Oxford.

Felten leads file-sharing discussion

Those who engage in copyright infringement and the businesses that profit from it must be held legally responsible for their actions, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) director of legal affairs Dean Garfield '95 said during a debate on file-sharing Friday afternoon.Speaking to an often passionate and opinionated audience in the Friend Center, Garfield said that students need to become better educated about the consequences of illegally swapping music and movie files."Just because you can do it in your dorm room without anyone seeing what you're doing, doesn't mean that it isn't wrong, that it isn't illegal, and that it doesn't have an impact," he said.The debate, entitled "Fear-to-Peer: A Debate About File-sharing on Campus," was moderated by computer science professor Edward Felten.

Former USG president Spitzer '81 plans run for N.Y. governor

Though he didn't know it, the political career of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer '81 began in the middle of his sophomore year, when he was elected USG president.

Anatomy of a filibuster

"I know I'm drunk, but I still want to sign up," a student says to her friend, walking over to the blue "Frist Filibuster" support tent.It's 1:30 a.m.

Engineers design self-driving truck

A silver GMC truck ? representing more than a year of work by 30 students and $12,000 in equipment ? slowly made its way across West Windsor fields Friday, watched by members of the Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).Then it crashed straight into a garbage can.The car in question ? "Prospect 11" ? is an autonomous vehicle competing in DARPA's 2005 Grand Challenge, a race consisting of a 175-mile obstacle course over desert terrain.

University confronts Greek life

About a year ago, in a second-floor classroom in Frist Campus Center, there was a meeting that would have been unthinkable only four years earlier.The Committee on the Freshman Experience, chaired by Dean of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan, had called a meeting with representatives of the campus' fraternities and sororities.The leaders of Greek life came reluctantly, not seeing much to gain from such a meeting and fearful they could become targets of University action.Though the University does not recognize fraternities and sororities, about 15 percent of the student body joins them.

Seniors play the waiting game

While most seniors rediscover free time and relaxation, Nelson Reveley '05 and Pablo Kapusta '05 remain in limbo between the past and future.

Lacayo '07 honored for Nicaraguan service

The International Service Award was presented Thursday to Antonio Lacayo '07, who organized a project to build houses for impoverished residents of Nicaragua."The main purpose [of the award] is to recognize and encourage services around the world with the anticipation of being able to understand another culture," International Center director Paula Chow said.The accomplishments of this year's 16 nominees ranged from providing sports gear to underprivileged children in the Princeton area to building a foster home for orphans in Bombay, India.Lacayo and fourteen other students worked with Nicaragua's Habitat for Humanity for two weeks last summer to construct the basic structure of five houses in a barrio, or poor urban district, of Matagalpa.Afterwards, the students participated in a week of touring the country's historical sites.

Grad students unlikely to join Yale, Columbia strikes

Two weeks after graduate students at Columbia and Yale united for their first multi-campus protest in the Ivy League, there have been no signs that their unionization efforts have ? or will ? spread to Princeton.Members of Columbia's Graduate Student Employees United and Yale's Graduate Employees and Students Organization (GESO) spent the week of April 18 on strike in an attempt to alter their schools' longstanding positions against graduate student unionization.

A Survivor's Story

MPAA warns University of file-sharing

Three weeks after the recording industry filed lawsuits against 25 University students, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has launched its own salvo against illegal file-sharing on the Princeton campus.In a recent letter to President Tilghman, MPAA President Dan Glickman expressed concern about illegal movie downloading on the University network and attached a list of 66 IP addresses associated with alleged acts of infringement, according to University spokesman Eric Quinones.The letter did not indicate whether the MPAA intends to sue any of the 66 individuals, Quinones said."Our OIT office has contacted all of the students associated with those machines where the alleged infringement occurred," Quinones said.

Academy issues stem cell proposal

The National Academy of Sciences, an independent advisory board, issued new ethical guidelines for U.S.

Symposium displays student work

University students presented their scientific research yesterday at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium outside Chancellor Green Cafe.

Protest draws national media

The filibuster at Frist Campus Center continued into its eighth day yesterday, as the taping of a lengthy segment on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" drew hundreds of students to the event and brought out the first organized counter-protest since the rally began.Chanting "FIL-i-BUS-ter" and holding signs reading "Support minority rights," crowds of students came to defend the filibuster and protest a push by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist '74 to change Senate rules to make it more difficult for Democrats to block judicial nominees.A smaller group of students, carrying a cardboard cutout of President Bush and signs reading "Majority rules" and "Yea or nay without delay," showed up to support Frist ? whose family contributed $25 million to the campus center ? and oppose the filibuster."It's slightly disrespectful that Frist gave $25 million and we come and crap on his doorstep," former College Republicans president Evan Baehr '05 said.