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Mitchell suspended, resigns as Butler College master

Mitchell suspended, resigns as Butler College master

Lee Mitchell, a University English professor for over 20 years, has resigned from his position as master of Butler College after being suspended as a member of the faculty, University Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee '69 confirmed Wednesday night."Professor Mitchell has submitted a letter resigning as master at the end of this academic year," Durkee said in an interview, adding that Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel has already begun a search for Mitchell's replacement.Mitchell's resignation, which comes during his first year as master of the college, was the result of a one-year suspension by Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin over the improper use of funds in an English department account meant to support the professor's research, Durkee said.Though Durkee declined to share specific details concerning how the research funds were "inappropriately spent," one senior University official said the "ballpark" figure was approximately $20,000 over a period of eight or nine years.

NEWS | 04/07/2004

Seven receive awards for engineering teaching

Four professors and three teaching assistants were recognized and honored for their teaching abilities during the Semiannual Engineering Council Teaching Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Education held Wednesday.This year's recipients included graduate students Anne Staples for MAE 335, Bryan Patel for CHE 345 and Hafize Ekran for ORF 309.The other awards went to computer science lecturer Robert Dondero, electrical engineering professor Ed Zschau, electrical engineering professor Sanjeev Kulkarni and geoscience professor Gregory van der Vink.The award, first given in 1988 to recognize quality teaching, is the only undergraduate-initiated award on campus, Teaching Award co-chair Sarah Moore '06 said."It's a way for students to tell teachers 'you inspire us ? thank you,'" Maria Klawe, dean of the engineering school, said.

NEWS | 04/07/2004

Concert will feature The Wailers

Reggae music will liven up the site of thea annual fifth reunion party behind Little Hall when Bob Marley's The Wailers play for the USG spring concert on April 17.The concert, which is free, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

University to revamp website's design

This summer Princeton students will witness the revamping of one of the University's most visited sites ? its homepage."The question we are trying to answer here is how do you include the most information possible while still making the webpage useful, easy to navigate, quick and aesthetically pleasing," said Juan Lessing '05, a member of a student focus group which is working in conjunction with OIT and the Undergraduate Life Committee to reconstruct the website.The collaborative effort plans "to bring the University webpage to where a lot of . . . universities across America [are]," said Rishi Jaitly '04, another member of the student focus group.And there is room for improvement, the students say.Student groups who want to advertise their events in the Headlines or Announcements section frequently have trouble gaining access to this "powerful way of advertising things," Jaitly said.Even with many student group events occurring daily, the organizations could benefit greatly from a homepage modification that provides more advertising space, Jaitly said, adding that groups could alternate announcements on the page to allow for more equal publicity.The group, which began meeting toward the end of fall semester, will provide recommendations to OIT "concerning the new website's content, navigability and appearance," Raj Hathiramani '07, another member of the student focus group and a 'Prince' staff writer, said."Overall the goal is to keep the webpage as technologically up-to-date as possible and to meet the changing needs of the student body and University community at large," Lessing said.The homepage does change "once in a while" and the format for the homepage changed last year too, Lessing added.Describing the current effort to transform the website, Lessing said.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

New prox system will improve security

Students will no longer have to struggle with fickle proximity readers to enter dorms and department buildings, after OIT begins replacing them this month.In collaboration with staff members from Facilities, Dining Services and Public Safety, the University's identification card system will be revamped over the summer.Becky Goodman, manager of OIT software services, said roughly 500 proximity (prox) readers will be replaced ? improving campus security and reducing systemic problems.With a swipe of an ID card imbedded with a programmable prox chip, the prox readers provide access to campus dormitories and academic buildings.However, the current prox chips do not always function correctly, and the existing technology is patented and available through only one vendor."The prox reader for 1938 Hall is very annoying at times," Lee Tien '07 said.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

Margaret Cho to perform comedy show on campus

Margaret Cho, a comedienne famous for creating her own unique style of controversial and feminist humor, will be appearing on campus April 22.The show, which will open with comedian Bruce Daniels, is sponsored by the Class of 2005.The class officers wanted to take "a different approach to USG," president Azalea Kim '05 said.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

Hookahs, for 'pseudo-hippie-hipster' crowds

A quick scroll through the list of events at the Center for Jewish Life reveals one event that is slightly out of the ordinary: Israeli Cafe and Hookah Night, Tuesday, 10 p.m.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

Getting ink in hidden places

Though a quick perusal of pop culture might lead you to believe otherwise, tattoos are clearly no longer the the latest craze ? if tattooing were that hip, University students would be first in the chair.The tattooed few here at the University, however, are not just casual tattoo fans.

NEWS | 04/06/2004

University explains plans for expansion

The lands along Alexander Road and Harrison Street will likely be the sites of future academic and research facilities, University officials recently told members of the Princeton Regional Planning Board.The announcement, made last Wednesday, marked a shift from the University's previous longterm expansion strategy, which called for the development of a parallel campus on the West Windsor lands between Lake Carnegie and Route 1."We've become increasingly focused on the longterm importance of trying to make sure that the basic academic and educational buildings remain on this side of [Lake Carnegie]," said Bob Durkee '69, University vice president and secretary.The revised strategy is aimed at containing all academic facilities and undergraduate dorms within a 10-minute walk of Frist Campus Center, he said."I don't think this is going to be very dramatic," Durkee said.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

SCG offers candid reviews and advice

As students choose next semester's courses, they will once again have at their fingertips the advice of the Undergraduate Student Government's Student Course Guide, an online resource that is now a staple of the University's course selection process."I think that the Student Course Guide is an invaluable resource that helps students to choose their courses," Shoum Chakravarti '05, USG academics chair and editor of the SCG, said in an email.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

Professor explores evolution of climate

As University geosciences professor Daniel Sigman was growing up in southern California, he considered structure to be an entirely man-made phenomenon.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

An ideal fall schedule: not a simple task

The month of April is a hectic time for seniors, who are in the midst of completing their theses ? the Princeton rite of passage.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

Does puppy have a prox?

A dozen gerbils is an unlikely collection to find anywhere, let alone in a University dorm room. But one junior ? we'll call him 'Jim' ? has assempled just this cast of characters in a cage in his suite's common room.Jim's gerbil colony started when he bought two of the tiny rodens from a pet store this winter, he said.Then, as gerbils will, the pair began to multiply, resulting in the twelve animals he currently cares for.According to the University's "Rights, Rules and Responsibilities" handbook, "Only fish may be kept in dormitory rooms, and tanks are not to exceed 10 gallons."The gerbil-owning junior is not alone in his decision to violate the rules and own a pet.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

Math, natural sciences seek to bolster undergrad enrollment

To many Princeton students, the prospect of majoring in math, chemistry, physics or molecular biology is a daunting one.

NEWS | 04/05/2004

Sophs face wait-list for housing

At 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, the last draw groups of the Class of 2006 were receiving the disappointing news that there were no more on-campus rooms available.Because the Housing Department recently adopted a policy guaranteeing housing for all enrolled undergraduates, the students without assigned rooms were placed on a wait-list.

NEWS | 04/04/2004

Contentious Hargadon deanship colors admissions' past and future

On the second floor of Prospect House six years ago, nine faculty members sat at a dinner table with former Admission Dean Fred Hargadon and complained.They thought he was admitting too many athletes, but too few artists and academics.

NEWS | 04/04/2004

Clark '04 takes prize for research

Rick Clark '04 received first place and a $1,000 prize in the first annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) on Saturday for his study on the fluid dynamics of manta rays.Following a keynote address from emeritus chemistry professor Edward Taylor, the finalists ? including Clark ? presented their projects and fielded questions from a panel of judges.Erica Gralla '04 and Naomi Chow '04 received second place and a $500 award for their study of low-earth orbit satellite designs.Mihai Parparita '04 earned the $300 third prize for his research on static and dynamic image stylization.Adler Perotte '04 explored a neural network model to describe components of memory, earning fourth place and a $250 award.Rounding out the finalists, Matt Satriano '05 earned fifth place and a $200 prize for proving special properties of doubly infinite sequences.On March 31, judges awarded six additional prizes: four $100 honorable mentions and two $150 interdisciplinary awards.Clark praised those involved in the symposium.

NEWS | 04/04/2004

Water Watch leads canvassing event in Princeton Borough

Students from the University's chapter of Water Watch traveled throughout Princeton Borough yesterday to educate residents about how to protect water quality and dispose of hazardous waste.

NEWS | 04/04/2004

International Festival celebrates diversity

Foreign music, different dance forms and food from nations around the globe greeted visitors Saturday afternoon at the 30th annual International Festival in Dillon gym.

NEWS | 04/04/2004

University accepts 11.9 percent for Class of 2008

Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye admitted 1,631 of 13,690 applicants to the Class of 2008, her first class since assuming her new job last summer."The admitted students have superb leadership and personal qualities, and possess talents and achievements in areas such as dance, theater, music, athletics, art, politics, debate and community service," Rapelye said in a news release.At 11.9 percent, the overall acceptance rate is 2 percent higher than the rate for the Class of 2007 ? a difference that can be accounted for in the decrease in the number of applicants.In early March, Rapelye said that though the number of applicants to the Class of 2008 was down this year compared to the previous year, the number of "academic 1's" ? students who received the highest possible rank on the admission office's scale that rates the academic quality of candidates ? had increased while the number of weaker candidates had decreased.A total of 1,050 letters were sent on Thursday to students admitted under the University's regular decision plan ? only 8.8 percent of the 11,875 students who applied under regular decision.

NEWS | 04/01/2004

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