I sit at my desk and stare at the list of things I need to complete today. It seems endless.
Though Harvard University is considering changing its undergraduate academic calendar, which is nearly the same as Princeton's, the University is not considering any modifications to its calendar, the registrar's office said.Harvard's Committee on Calendar Reform, formed nearly two weeks ago at the urging of Harvard President Lawrence Summers, will seriously consider changes to aspects of the university's schedule, including its late start and finish dates as well as its fall term examination period, which, like Princeton's, is after winter break."The goal is to make it more possible for undergraduates to take advantage of [Harvard's] first-class professional schools, which is impossible if the schedules don't coordinate," said Harvard Professor Lizabeth Cohen.Because Princeton does not have professional schools operating on a different calendar system than the undergraduate college, there is no similar need to make changes to its calendar, Registrar Joseph Greenberg said.But for years now, many Princeton undergraduates have bemoaned the University's odd academic calendar.In addition to the shortened winter break followed by final exams, USG Vice President Jacqui Perlman '05 said there is a great deal to examine and consider revising in the University's schedule.The University keeps relatively short semesters ? Princeton has 12-week semesters, while most other American colleges have 14- or 15-week terms ? which start and end at unusual points in the year.The University also lacks a "shopping" period at the beginning of each term."[The schedule] is still something we are interested in working to improve and see changed, if not for our classes than for future Princetonians," Perlman said.However, the odds of a student-initiated schedule overhaul or any institutional alterations in the academic calendar are slim, both students and administrators emphasized.Greenberg said a major revamping of the calendar "is a very profound change for an institution."Not only would the University's faculty have to agree to the changes to the calendar, but it would also be a serious break with a general calendar structure that has been in place for nearly a century, Greenberg said.Since at least 1890, the University has had its fall exams after winter break, as did most colleges in that day and age.
While much of the country is preoccupied with the war on terrorism, Ethan Nadelmann took the stage at Robertson Hall yesterday to speak out against another war that is affecting millions of Americans daily ? the war on drugs.Nadelmann is the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the largest drug reform organization in the nation.The lecture, cosponsored by the Wilson School and the Princeton Justice Project, focused on efforts to build a "political movement to end the war on drugs."Nadelmann, who was a Politics and Wilson School faculty member from 1987 to 1994, argued in favor of a more "compassionate set of social policies." Treatment vs.
Craig Stephen White ? known to University students as the "Brother Stephen" who often preached to students from sidewalks near campus ? was arrested during the summer and is awaiting trial for allegedly offering to perform oral sex on a 14-year-old boy in West Chester, Pa., last June, authorities said.White, of Philadelphia, will go to trial Nov.
The Class of 2007 officer elections will be determined in runoffs for each position, the USG announced last night.In a race marked by a large number of candidates and high voter turnout, no candidate secured a majority of votes.
A brief history of oil: In 1865, John D. Rockefeller founds Standard Oil, and America's palate for crude-oil is wet.
If you thought the prices of Internet stocks fluctuated rapidly, you should take a look at the local energy market.
When the officers of the Class of 2005 were planning this year's apparel orders, they had to ask themselves, "Are flip-flops cool or do we just think that because we're girls?"This year, the junior class officers are all female, and the lead officers ? president and vice-president ? are new to their positions.Last spring Azalea Kim '05 and Toni Seaberry '05 defeated two-year incumbents Beau Harbour '05 and Federico Baradello '05 for the positions of president and vice-president, respectively.
For a student living on three-dollar slices of pizza and mundane meal plans, the promise of free catered food might seem like a little piece of heaven on campus.
Independent of a formal University effort, some members of the campus community are pushing for a social honor code that would promote a more tolerant environment for minorities.The University is fighting to eliminate "a culture that still exists and encourages harassment and exclusivity," said William Robinson '04, head of the USG's Undergraduate Life Committee and an advocate for the new code.A social honor code would not change the University's stance on the importance of a respectful and safe community, but "would encourage more students to feel empowered to report cases of abuse," said Robinson.Issuing a statement of support for minoritites was first discussed at a University Sexuality, Education, Community and Health dinner discussion group at Terrace Club last year.
Five University professors gathered yesterday for an interdisciplanary discussion of Earnest Hemingway's short story, "Hills Like White Elephants."History professor Anthony Grafton welcomed a sizable audience to the James Stewart '32 Theater.
There were about the same number of sex offenses and burglaries at the University last year as in 2001, but 2002 witnessed a record number of motor vehicle thefts, according to University Public Safety's annual Campus Security Report released yesterday.This increase in vehicle theft, however, can in part be attributed to a new law, which now categorizes golf carts as motor vehicles."Nine or ten of those vehicles were golf carts, and most of them were recovered," said Systems Administrator and Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser.Incidences of burglary were more frequent this past year, numbering 68 on campus and 43 in residential facilities.
Dean Richard Williams strives to bring zest, spunk and excitement into the lives of seniors furiously working out the kinks of their dreaded senior theses."I skulk about the 4th floor in West College . . . I will bombard you throughout the year with reminders of important deadlines," wrote Associate Dean of the College Williams in his introductory email to the senior class.Williams is beginning his 30th year as adviser to the senior class.To ensure that seniors do not ignore mass emails containing important information, Williams has adopted many attention-grabbing strategies.
Carolyn Abbate, acting department chair of the music department, has been teaching at the University since 1982.
In this November's election, two candidates are vying to replace longtime Princeton Borough Mayor Marvin Reed, who is retiring at the end of the term.Democratic Borough Councilman Joseph O'Neill and Green Party member Steven Syrek will face off in a contest that features no Republican candidate.O'Neill has served two years on the Borough Council and previously sat on the Princeton Regional Planning Board.
Last Thursday's talk by former University President William Bowen GS '58 on athletics in higher education has sparked varied response from Princeton student-athletes.Bowen argues that recruited Ivy athletes enter college with "weaker credentials and tend to underperform academically, [and] increasingly they are seen on campuses as a group apart from their classmates."He also claims that recruited athletes enjoy an admissions advantage over their nonathletic peers, resulting in schools having to turn away many talented students.Flyers in student mailboxes and a recent article in The Daily Princetonian about Bowen's book incited many student-athletes to attend Bowen's talk."I liked the hype for the event ? it allowed me to debate the issue with my eating club and roommates," said Kate Reid '04, a Wilson School major and runner on the women's varsity cross-country team.Reid said she is "seriously offended by Bowen's findings" and like many other athletes, finds Bowen's argument to be biased and unconvincing."I do not believe that a capella groups, eating club officers, 'Prince' editors and USG officials have a smaller proportion of students underperforming academically than athletic teams," Reid said.Alexis Tingan '05, a member of the men's varsity track team, said, "Bowen's statistics are valid but are interpreted in a way that incriminates coaches, athletes and teachers."Chanel Lattimer '05, a Varsity Student-Athletic Committee and women's varsity track team member, said she did not appreciate Bowen's generalizations about athletes."A lot of my friends are not athletes, and it is natural for athletes to spend time with their teammates because of the time commitment," she said.Instead of accepting a scholarship at Wake Forest University, Lattimer decided to attend Princeton because of its academic reputation.
A new society at Princeton dedicated to bioengineering held its first event of the year yesterday, a Bioengineering Colloquium.At the gathering, four faculty members from different departments gave a brief taste of their current research and possibilities in the field."From what we've seen, bioengineering is a field that is very diverse, with a lot of implications for the next 20 years," said Brian Greenwald '04, society president and founder.The society aims to provide opportunities for students to expand their knowledge of bioengineering.
Princeton alumnus Edward Said '57, one of the country's most ardent advocates of Palestinian causes and a distinguished scholar of comparative literature and cultural studies at Columbia University, died Thursday at age 67.
The new University task force on health and wellness declared yesterday at a meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community that it would be seeking ways to determine which health measures are needed for students, faculty and staff.At the CPUC's first meeting of the year, Provost Amy Gutmann, the chief budget officer, also said that the University has had to increase its financial aid budget to stay put with growing financial need among famliies.
Cap and Gown, Ivy and Tower clubs accepted new members this weekend after closing out a fall Bicker week that saw the return of Tower's fall Bicker process.Ivy accepted 15 of 40 Bickerees, and Tower accepted 23 of 31 Bickerees, club officials said.
