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Seniors turn tiny carrels into personal study spaces

Seniors turn tiny carrels into personal study spaces

For most seniors, the prospect of moving in to their carrels is anything but inviting.Yet a few have begun to explore these cubicles already, some with more creative approaches than others.Blake Robinson '05 has been trying to improve the bleakness of his carrel by adding personal touches.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Indian students discuss pros, cons of arranged marriages

In her school in India, Arthi Ramachandran '08 didn't talk to boys. She would walk to school through the hot streets of Chennai, a city in southern India, covered in a salwar kameez ? traditional Indian garb concealing most of her form ? so men wouldn't look her way.Where Ramachandran is from, arranged marriages are still an accepted and prevalent Indian cultural custom.But when she arrived at the University this fall, she was in for a world of change.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Undergraduates take over the classroom as TAs

In many departments with large or challenging classes, the graduate students become the extensions of professors.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Number of students with ADD increases

University Health Services has seen a jump in the number of students with attention disorders in recent years as the wider availability of treatments enables more affected students to come to Princeton."There has been an increase in the recognition of the disorders, and we have seen more cases now than ever before," said Dr. Susan Packer, associate director of counseling and psychological services.Medications such as Ritalin, Straterra and Adderall allow students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and an associated disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to focus for longer periods of time.Nationally, 1.6 to 2 million people have been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD.A slew of thorny issues arise with more ADD and ADHD students coming to Princeton, such as whether affected students should receive extra time on tests as they often do in high school.Packer leads a team in health services to help students who need remediation for their disorder or need help with psychological issues.Casey Riley '08, who was diagnosed with ADD this summer, said she thinks the University hasn't made enough accomodations for her condition."I did qualify for time and half on the SATs," Riley said, explaining she received 50 percent more time on the test because a counselor had diagnosed her as a slow reader."My report that qualified me for extra time on the SAT's doesn't [at Princeton]," she said. Extra timeAssociate Dean of the College Claire Fowler, who is in charge of the policies regarding learning disabilities and the process for requesting more time on exams, said students must have a compelling reason to get extra time on exams.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Professors travel from Pennsylvania, Paris to precept

Professor Lamine Sagna was surprised at his cousin's reaction when he told him he had a call from a scholarly acquaintance made while studying in Paris.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Deer culling plan enters final stage

Pending official approval from the New Jersey Fish and Game Council in December, Princeton Township will begin the last installment of its controversial five-year program to reduce the local deer population, Township Attorney Edwin Schmierer said.Driven by rising deer-related car accidents, the destruction of forest understories and concerns about the health of the deer population, the Township hired the group White Buffalo to kill the animals.

NEWS | 10/19/2004

Kerry tops Bush, 62-24 percent; students split on Baehr '05

If Princeton undergraduates were the only Americans allowed to vote in the upcoming presidential election, Sen.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

A social niche in religious groups

For incoming freshmen, move-in day brings a host of stressful factors ? unpacking, separation from family members and meeting new people.But for Maital Friedman '07, the hardest part of the day was that it fell on a Saturday, the Jewish holy Sabbath, which meant that she could not move in.Friedman came to campus the following Monday, but she said she was frustrated by the experience."I didn't have the same opportunities," Friedman said.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

Yale science faculty seeks to bring up course grades

Science professors at Yale University are considering awarding higher grades to students, especially those in courses for non-science majors."The primary issue was one of fairness to the students ? we don't want students to be penalized for taking any particular course, or courses in any particular division," said Yale astrophysics professor Charles Bailyn, emphasizing that it "is a special concern in terms of science."Yale's Science Council, a group of concerned science faculty members headed by Bailyn, proposed grading reforms entirely independent from the university's administration.Bailyn said the councilors convened informally to share grade distributions, talk about grading approaches and discuss possible reforms.Unlike Princeton's new policy, which would limit A's to 35 percent of undergraduate grades and 55 percent of independent work grades, Yale's proposed science grading reforms depend entirely upon professor discretion."Grading is the prerogative of the faculty," Yale College Dean Peter Salovey said.Bailyn said he senses little interest from students, faculty and administration "in moving toward the kind of global solution that is being attempted at Princeton."Princeton chemistry professor Michael Hecht said the University has aimed for the same grading outcome ? grading equality across disciplines ? as Yale with an entirely different approach."By leveling the playing field between other departments and the sciences," Hecht said."People won't be afraid to take science classes because now courses from the humanities departments are graded in the same way."Yale geology professor Mark Brandon, who teaches a course taken predominately by non-science majors, was concerned about the lack of information about the actual distribution of grades that Yale professors assign in their courses."Princeton made a brave move to publish detailed information about its typical grade distribution," he said.Yale's new guidelines are not official.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

Students donate more time, energy than cash

When it comes to activity in the political arena, University students said they are much more likely to donate time and energy than they are cash.Binna Lieh '07 calls herself a "Democrat in ideals," but said neither she nor her family has financially aided the Democratic party this election season."I just don't think that there's a candidate to whom we want to contribute money," she said.For those students who have found a promising candidate, contributions do not generally come in the form of dollar bills.John Fernandez '08, a member of College Republicans, said he thinks "[Republican politicians] don't rely on us so much for funding as they do for manpower."He explained that "all our Bush-Cheney signs are subsidized by the national organization, so actually money flows in the opposite direction."College Democrat Joe Franken '07 said he agreed that being a member of a political organization was "more about lending your time than money."Many members of both groups said they believe the time and energy donated by students have a larger relative impact than cash donations.However, a small contingency of Princeton students have chosen to aid their politician of choice by contributing financially.Pablo Kapusta '05 said he donated "$50 to Kerry over the summer to go to a fundraising dinner."He said part of the attraction of contributing was the convenience.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

Students run ESL programs

Jeny Monroy wants to learn English for many reasons.The language is a powerful tool that will allow her to converse with the students at Tiger Inn, where she works.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

Baehr '05 raises funds for Council campaign

In his run for Princeton Borough Council, Evan Baehr '05 has found campaign funding in some unexpected places.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

Whitman proceeds on schedule

Students may have begun to wonder about the status of Whitman College as piles of dirt rise above the construction site.

NEWS | 10/18/2004

'Green Light' magazine to be a beacon for cultural commentary

Green Light, a new student magazine devoted to cultural commentary, hopes to publish its first issue this spring.Andrew Perlmutter '06 conceived the idea as a response to a lack of commentary on life at the University.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

U. to construct new ORFE building

Scattered across three floors of the Engineering Quadrangle, the Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) department is making plans for a new home across the street.The ORFE building will be built on the corner of Olden and William streets, just north of the Friend Center."We're very excited about it; the dean's very excited about it" said department chair Erhan Cinlar.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

Religious minorities seek community

James Williams '06 is used to being in the minority when it comes to religion. As a Zoroastrian, with only about 5,000 people in North America sharing his beliefs, Williams is accustomed to the lack of a large fellowship of believers, and it didn't surprise him that the University didn't have a Zoroastrian temple nearby.But, that doesn't mean it's easy to be the only practicing Zoroastrian on campus."There's no community with which to share my faith," said Williams, a native of Portland, Ore.Williams is one of many students who face the challenge of practicing a minority religion at the University.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

Students unite to create new Spanish-language literary mag.

Steven McCutcheon '07 was working on a novel in Mexico last summer when he had a revelation.McCutcheon, who grew up speaking both Spanish and English, "ended up writing things in Spanish, and, when I tried to redraft my ideas into English, it didn't work out," he said.This realization prompted the idea that certain literary works needed to be expressed in Spanish, he said.When he returned to the United States in the fall, his idea became Alumbremos, a new Spanish-language literary magazine.The University has never had an undergraduate publication written in Spanish.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

Muslim-Jewish Dialogue offers forum for non-political discussion

Muslim and Jewish students shared cookies, conversation and conceptions of God in Cafe Vivian Wednesday at the second Muslim-Jewish Dialogue (MJD) event of the year.Marc Grinberg, a senior in the politics department, and Rasha Al-Duwaisan, a junior in the Wilson School, created the program last year as a collaboration between the Center for Jewish Life and the Muslim Students Association.Both Grinberg and Al-Duwaisan felt there was a general lack of interaction ? and consequent lack of knowledge ? between students of the two faiths.While the University does not release information about religious identification, the CJL estimates 10 to 11 percent of the undergraduate population is Jewish.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

Penn installs Gutmann as new president

PHILADELPHIA ? In a ceremony marked for its fanfare, Amy Gutmann, who served as Princeton's provost until this summer, was inaugurated Friday as the eighth president of the University of Pennsylvania.In her inaugural address ? delivered to an audience that included dignitaries from several universities, learned societies and government ? Gutmann challenged the Penn community to embrace a new plan for the future.Her three-part proposal, termed the "Penn Compact," seeks to make a Penn education more accessible, to better integrate the various schools at Penn and to have Penn better engage with the outside world, locally and globally."It won't be easy.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

Friends, family honor Huang '07

Memorial services were held for Melissa Huang '07 on Sunday in the University Chapel.President Tilghman and members of the Wilson College community and the chemical engineering department as well as fellow students joined Huang's parents and brother in remembering and honoring her life and the influence she had on those around her.The Chapel Choir opened the service with a hymn, proceeding to a presenting area with a portrait of Huang, a small urn on a pedestal and a wreath.After introductory remarks by Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal, students offered two readings from the Old Testament, as well as a Buddhist memorial prayer.Friends also offered their own words of remembrance.

NEWS | 10/17/2004

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