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Outdoor Action scales back spring, fall break trips as costs continue to rise

Outdoor Action scales back spring, fall break trips as costs continue to rise

In the face of rising costs and accumulating debts from past budget shortfalls, the Outdoor Action program has had to scale back many of its programs this year.While Outdoor Action's popular freshman pre-orientation trips ? which drew more than half of this year's freshman class ? will continue to operate, the program has cancelled most of its trips during the academic year, including its break trips.Outdoor Action's financial difficulties may also have an indirect effect on the freshman trips, some OA leaders said.

NEWS | 10/10/2002

Activist argues against two-party system, favoring open debate

The Republican and Democratic parties dominate U.S. elections, but Americans can start a grassroots campaign to reclaim control of politics, said political reform activist Omar Ali last night at the American Whig-Cliosophic Society.Ali, a Fordham University profesor and director of research for the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, rallied students to push for electoral reform at the invitation of Whig Clio and Ideas for Action."The major political parties have taken over the government," Ali said in an interview before his talk.Ali said independents are people not affiliated with any political party, but are registered to vote.He decried the lack of "meaningful" choices in elections.

NEWS | 10/10/2002

In blue: U-Store sells fresh colors beside 'dorky' orange and black

Three cheers for the orange and the powder, denim-heather or navy blue?In an effort to fulfill the requests of students and many tourists, the U-Store this year has begun selling Princeton T-shirts in more colors that do not reflect the time-honored tiger colors, said Virginia France, director of marketing for the store.The new alternative colors, which also happen to be those of Columbia University, light blue and white, upset some traditionalists among the student body.When John Andrews '05 learned of the new designs, he was "appalled," he said.Andrews said he could not understand why the U-Store would sell anything other than orange and black with the intent that students would wear such apparel to support their University's teams during athletic events."It's an insult to our Princeton heritage," he said, even though he acknowledged that orange and black is an "atrocious," yet endearing color combination.

NEWS | 10/10/2002

Wilson School eager to carve up Europe for itself

Ambitious Wilson School students will have a chance to stab each other in the backs starting next week.Intrigue will hang in the air of Robertson Hall, as students and faculty members eye each other with healthy suspicions.Thursday will mark the first round of a school-wide game of Diplomacy, a strategy board game similar to Risk.The game will continue at a slow, deliberate pace ? two turns each week ? and will likely last for several months.Rather than sitting around the playing board, teams of three to five people will email their moves to the game coordinators throughout the week.

NEWS | 10/10/2002

Kahneman wins Nobel Prize in economics for behavioral study

Psychology professor Daniel Kahneman received a call yesterday morning from someone with a Swedish accent.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

University to offer certificate in European politics

The University will offer a certificate in Contemporary European Politics and Society for the first time this year."The program encourages the interdisciplinary study of modern Europe with a particular emphasis on politics, economics and society in western and central Europe since the first World War," politics professor Ezra Suleiman said.As chair of the Committee on European Studies, he has spearheaded a decade-long effort to create the program."There is a substantial first-rate faculty in several of the departments at Princeton," he said.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Whitman '77 denies wrongdoing in IPO deals through internal eBay e-mail

In a private email to her employees Friday, University trustee and eBay CEO Meg Whitman '77 affirmed congressional allegations that she got access to and made quick profits on initial public offerings, but denied any wrongdoing.The House Financial Services Committee alleged last week that Whitman and 22 other executives gained preferred access to the IPOs because of their firms' ties to investment banks.Legal experts say these allegations could land her in court, though they say it will be hard to prove any crime.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Campaign for divestment spurs University debate

Vincent Lloyd '03 insists that he does not deliver a message of intolerance or prejudice when he talks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his commitment to the campaign to divest University funds from Israel.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Lamenting the dominance of pollsters in U.S. political campaigns

My summer travels took me to gala events with Bill Clinton and Tom Daschle, to commercial shoots in senior living complexes, and to shipyard docks to hear the concerns of longshoremen.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Arts Alive expands to include seven northern N.J. schools in cultural trips

A new phase of Arts Alive was launched Friday when 130 students from Hoboken and Jersey City schools toured the Newark Museum, guided by 15 University students trained as docents.The visit marked an expansion of Arts Alive to include seven New Jersey schools to help heal those impacted by Sept.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

What are American citizens' obligations in the war on terrorism?

'Roundtable Ethics' features University faculty members answering ethical and moral questions solicited from the community.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Development office restructures to promote teamwork, technology

The University's development office has been restructured under the direction of Brian McDonald '83 to promote teamwork and develop new technological networks."We have been one of the most efficient fund-raising entities on the planet," said McDonald, vice president for development, noting that the office has tended to spend five to seven cents for each dollar brought in.Now the office plans to use some money to create an online network for use by volunteers."We haven't invested in a knowledge-management system," McDonald said.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Athletic department collects printer cartridges to raise funds

Beginning at this year's first home football game Sept. 28, the University athletics department began encouraging students to donate their used ink jet printer cartridges to raise money for the department and benefit the environment.The athletics department has teamed up with the Charitable Recycling Company, LLC to make money from these cartridges, which would ordinarily be thrown away.The company collects used ink jet cartridges from various organizations including colleges and universities in order to refill the cartridges with new ink and repackage them for sale to the public.In exchange for each used cartridge the department donates, it receives $2.There is a potential to make nearly $25,000 per year, assuming each student donates three cartridges, said Brandon Macneill, associate director of athletics for development and marketing.But so far, the athletics department has collected only 30 cartridges, earning $60.

NEWS | 10/09/2002

Hopping the pond: Oxford students learn American ways

When he first arrived at Princeton as part of the University's exchange program with Oxford University, Matthew Yeo looked at the American academic system and almost went back to England."I gave thought to going home," he said.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

Nader '55 makes tour stop in New Jersey, speaks on corporate ethics

Trenton ? Two years after running as the Green Party candidate for president, Ralph Nader '55 stopped here last Saturday as part of his nationwide tour addressing corporate responsibility, "People have the Power."Just as members of the press and public began to gather at the steps of the N.J.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

Early decision policy to stand

Though Yale University is formally reevaluating its early decision program, Princeton has no plans in the near future to follow in its footsteps, President Tilghman said yesterday.Last December, Yale President Richard Levin's public criticism of early decision programs prompted the creation of an advisory committee to reexamine Yale's current early application system.Yale plans to make a final decision by mid-November, said Richard Shaw, the Yale dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid.But Princeton will not consider a similar course of action until a new dean replaces Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon, who will retire in June."We will certainly not do anything in a formal way until we get a new dean of admission," Tilghman said.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

Professors calculate monetary, statistical value of human life

$1.54 million. Exchange rate ? 190 million yen, 980,000 British pounds or one human life. That is the statistical worth of a person, according to studies by economics professor Orley Ashenfelter GS '70.After years of conducting research on the effects of speed limit changes, costs involved and traffic fatalities, Ashenfelter and Michael Greenstone GS '93, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, calculated the statistical value of a human life.The pair began their research with data from 1987 because that year marked the U.S.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

New webmail server offers more personalized features

The University announced yesterday its new, revamped webmail service that will formally replace the existing system at the end of the year.The new service, currently located at newwebmail.princeton.edu, is functional, but OIT continues to test the software.The webmail page offers users the option of trying the new system or continuing with the old one.The new program is part of the iPlanet Messaging Server suite that runs all of the University's email services.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

Computer science professor Felten challenges new telecom legislation

Talking picture frames, Barbie cash registers and computer science homework all could be under new government control if Congress were to pass a broad telecommunications bill, computer science professor Edward Felten said.During the summer, Felten created freedom-to-tinker.com to express a growing collection of his thoughts on tinkering with technology.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

Russel foresees changes to grad student life

His office is not adorned with lots of orange and black U-Store paraphernalia or Old Nassau knickknacks.

NEWS | 10/08/2002

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