News

COS professor appointed new dean of the faculty

The University announced yesterday that David Dobkin, who has chaired the computer science department for nine years, will be the new dean of the faculty beginning July 1.Dobkin, who has been a Princeton professor for 22 years, said he is looking forward to working closely with President Tilghman and Provost Amy Gutmann."It's an incredible honor," he said.

Honor Code referendum takes place amid confusion

The USG declined last night to release the results of the referendum on four proposed amendments to the Honor Code, citing its standing policy, as there was also confusion this weekend about the closing time of the online voting system, campaigning by Honor Committee members and the tallying of the vote.As a matter of policy, USG president Pettus Randall '04 said the USG withheld the results of the vote on the Honor Code changes proposed by Jonathan Chavkin, class of '05 senator, until they could be verified by the registrar later today.The USG also withheld the results of the U-Council and class government elections.

Schultz '42 discusses solutions to nuclear threat from North Korea

A possible solution in the U. S. conflict with North Korea is to encourage Japan to rearm in the face of nuclear threat from the communist nation, former Secretary of State George Schultz '42 said in a lecture Friday.

Dean of College explains grade inflation to USG

At the USG's weekly meeting last night in Frist Campus Center, Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel explained the administration's research and possible response to grade inflation."I would consider it a considerable accomplishment if we were to stop the upward trend in mean GPA," she said.Malkiel reiterated that the administration is not considering mandating a grading curve.

Controversial poet Baraka gives reading to packed Frist crowd

Only catchy "doo doos" and "da das" sung to the tune of obscure oldies broke Amiri Baraka's charged poetry last night in Caf

Borough Police arrest two students on DWI charges

Two University undergraduates were arrested during the past two days for driving while intoxicated, Borough Police said.Andrew McCagg '05, 20, was charged at 1:51 a.m.

Former general counsel Ende to defend Peng '05

Dan Peng '05 has hired Howard Ende, a former University general counsel, and Melissa Klipp at the local firm of Drinker, Biddle & Reath to defend him in a suit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America, Ende said yesterday.The RIAA announced last week that it had sued Peng and three other college students for what could be millions of dollars in copyright violations.

Students to vote on Honor Code

University undergraduates will have the opportunity to vote on four proposed amendments to the Honor Code during this weekend's USG elections.

Ivy officials: Grade inflation trend difficult to reverse

Grade inflation, a longstanding concern at many schools, has received particular attention at the University after the release of a faculty report expressing concern over the matter.While Ivy League administrators differ on how severely the problem is hurting the academic environment, they agree that reversing the trend will be difficult if not impossible."It's an extremely widespread problem, [but] maybe a problem that isn't worth spending a huge amount of time on," said John O'Keefe, associate dean for undergraduate education at Harvard University.In February, when a Princeton committee asked faculty to help find solutions to rising mean GPAs and increased clustering of grades in the B-plus to A range, it noted that peer institutions were experiencing the same trends.For several years, grading has been a topic of discussion at the meeting of the Ivy Deans ? comprising the eight league schools plus Stanford University, the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Nancy Weiss Malkiel, dean of the college.The meetings have been productive, but Malkiel said she wished "anyone knew how to solve it."D.

Tilghman turns presidential house into personal home

The house at 83 Stockton St. is set back about 150 feet from the busy Rt. 206 thoroughfare. That's the way its primary resident, University President Tilghman, likes it.Since Tilghman assumed the University's highest post nearly two years ago and moved into the school's most prestigious off-campus address, she has worked hard to make it less of "another institutional building" and more of a home for her and her two children.The yellow sandstone house, the official residence of the president since 1968, was given to the University by Barbara Armour Lowrie in 1960 in memory of her husband, Walter Lowrie, Class of 1890.

University cost-cutting methods save over $2 million each year

Though the University's endowment is less than half the size of Harvard University's, Harvard's cost-cutting measures save only slightly more ? between a half million and $1.5 million ? than Princeton's do.Each year, the University has saved more than $2 million per year through cost-cutting measures.

Open houses court, feed prospective concentrators

Along with the warming weather and blooming flowers that ? with the possible exception of this year ? signal spring, come the departmental open houses, meant to aid those sophomores sweating out the decision of which major to choose and for which certificates to apply.Though nearly all of the University's academic departments host open houses for sophomores, each has its own goal for what it seeks to accomplish though the event.Some departments see spring open houses as an opportunity to pull in new concentrators who might not have previously considered the department seriously."It definitely is recruiting," said Michael Andal, the department manager of the Princeton Materials Institute, which oversees the Program in Materials Science and Engineering."We've had walk-ins who've had little exposure and just wanted to check it out," in addition to students with more experience in the department, Andal said.Other departments want to introduce sophomores to its requirements and curriculum."We are a small program," said Gabriella Eggers, a manager in the linguistics department.

Chechen foreign minister discusses plan for peace

The Foreign Minister of the separatist government of the Republic of Chechnya, Ilyas Akhmadov, discussed the ongoing conflict in the region in a speech held in McCosh 10 yesterday.

Theater Features . . .

Ivy admissions selectivity increases in record year

Admissions dean Fred Hargadon's last handpicked class is a record-breaker, both in the number of applications received and in rate of selectivity.In keeping with trend witnessed by other Ivies, the University received a record 15,725 applications for spots in the Class of 2007, and accepted 1,570 students, Hargadon said in an email.

Talk the IM talk, walk the IM walk

BRB, LOL and OMG mean nothing to many people. But to many University students, these acronyms are just part of the new culture created by instant messaging over the Internet.Aaron Ellerbee '04 said that he checks other people's online away messages "constantly." He began using AOL Instant Messenger when he came to college, and he now leaves it on virtually all the time.Programs like AIM act as a combination of telephone and email, allowing students to have multiple real-time conversations using their computers.Ellerbee even takes the time to keep his profile fresh."I actually started putting up a poem of the week.

Bradley '04 presents JP to American Physical Society

Robert Bradley '04 traveled to Philadelphia yesterday to present the findings of his junior independent work at the American Physical Society's annual convention.Bradley's research in high-energy physics sought to determine the accuracy of the Standard Model, a theory about the fundamental interactions between the tiniest particles."Atoms and molecules are pretty small, but it turns out that even atoms and molecules are made of even smaller things," Bradley said.

Q&A: Richard Gott

Astrophysics professor J. Richard Gott is continuing in Albert Einstein's route of research in general relativity.

Tilghman dedicates Pace Center in Frist ceremony

The Pace Center for Community Service was formally dedicated during a ceremony in Frist Campus Center yesterday.

Students accused of dorm assault

Editor's Note: The Daily Princetonian has redacted the names of the two individuals involved in this incident -- at their request and at the newspaper's discretion -- after they provided documentation that their cases were expunged.