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University alters curriculum to reflect new events, technology

University alters curriculum to reflect new events, technology

In the 1980s, before history professor Stephen Kotkin arrived at the University, the politics department offered a popular course on Soviet politics.Then, in his first semester at Princeton in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and the topic "ceased to exist as a contemporary issue," according to Kotkin.Though the politics course is no longer offered, Kotkin continues to teach some of the same material in HIS 362: The Soviet Empire, while also adding recent events.Kotkin begins the course in the year 1900 and continues until the present day ? 13 years later than when he began teaching here.Like Kotkin's class, other University courses adapt to changing times by both preserving traditional subject matter and adding new material.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

Not so happy meals: 'Fast Food Nation' author Schlosser berates burger culture

"Who wants a free cheeseburger?" a student yelled, as he ran up and down the aisles in McCosh 50 Thursday night.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

Shapiro one of 27 presidents to make more than $500,000, new study says

Former University President Harold Shapiro GS '64 was one of 27 private college and university presidents to make more than $500,000 last year, a new study shows.Today's Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the number of presidents who made in excess of a half million dollars in 2001 more than doubled from the previous year.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

Local residents call on University to help fix parking problems

Amid the controversy over plans for a parking garage on Spring Street, some Princeton Borough residents want the University to play a larger role in solving the downtown parking problem.At Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting, a representative from the developer Nassau/HKT Associates announced the final plans for the garage to an unusually rowdy audience.The plan includes a new public library, small apartment buildings, and a 5.5-level parking garage with 500 spaces between Tulane and Witherspoon streets.Jim Firestone, head of Concerned Citizens of Princeton, which is leading the opposition to the garage, said if the University alleviates its own parking problem, the Borough would not need a parking complex.Firestone ? who is not related to the benefactors of Firestone Library ? said a parking garage would inconvenience residents who are used to running into a store or the library without descending elevators or stairs.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

Early applications rise

Despite recent questions about admission policies and procedures, the University admission office saw an increase in the number of early applicants this year.There were 2,350 early applicants this year compared to last year's 2,120, about an 11-percent increase, Dean of Admission Fred Hargadon said.Although the University typically accepts a little less than half of its early applicants, Hargadon said the office had not yet determined how many of this year's applicants it would accept."We haven't done any profiling of the applicants yet, so we have no idea of how many members of the Class of 2007 will come from this pool," Hargadon said in an email.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

USG discusses diversity of majors among A.B. students

Last night's USG Senate meeting focused on diversity of A.B. departmental majors in the University.USG members discussed two particular concerns University officials ? why students steer away from certain majors and what can be done to diversify the distribution of majors at the University.Several speculations were presented as to why students might choose certain majors over others.Students often choose to major in a subject area that has several applications in the real world rather than limiting themselves by choosing a narrow field, one theory supposed.In addition, many of the A.B.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

Hispanic employees celebrate Latino Heritage Month in TI

The taproom of Tiger Inn, usually occupied by undergraduates enjoying the weekend with alcohol and popular dance music, was, instead, alive with the sound of salsa and merengue music and the chit-chatter of the Hispanic attendees.The party officially began at 8 p.m., but some people arrived later because some of the dining halls on and around campus in which they work close between 7 p.m.

NEWS | 11/17/2002

USG task force adds help numbers to campus blue-light phones

Telephone numbers for Public Safety, SHARE, McCosh Health Center and SECH will now be posted on every blue-light phone to address safety concerns on campus."It's a simple way to increase the safety and comfort of students, particularly women," USG vice president Sonya Mirbagheri '04 said, citing a need to make available "safety information more specific than just Public Safety."The project was coordinated by the USG Women's Issues Task Force.Mirbagheri serves on the safety subcommittee of the task force, which was created a year ago to address issues raised in the USG Committee on Women's Issues' report.The group came up with the idea last year and obtained support and funding from the office of Vice President for Campus Life.In October, Mirbagheri met with Thema Bryant-Davis, coordinator of Sexual Harassment/Assault/Advising, Resources and Education, who advised the group on which phone numbers to provide.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

Sweating school spirit in orange and black as the Princeton mascot

Some Princeton fans go to sporting events clad in various orange and black plaids, others as uniformed players, cheerleaders or band members.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

Princeton Portal Project to help students 'find' network resources

A quiet dormitory room in Brown Hall is now home to the Princeton Portal Project, a wide-ranging new resource for University students.Designed and maintained by Matthew Stack '04 and a group of friends, this addition to the Princeton web provides a more powerful University directory; centralizes network file-sharing resources Sleep, Wake and Gank; and offers lists of activities, announcements and news."The Princeton Portal Project represents the suggestions and wishes of many friends and fellow students who have asked me over the past few years why something like this didn't already exist or how hard it would be to implement," Stack said.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

USG task force adds help numbers to campus blue-light phones

Telephone numbers for Public Safety, SHARE, McCosh Health Center and SECH will now be posted on every blue-light phone to address safety concerns on campus."It's a simple way to increase the safety and comfort of students, particularly women," USG vice president Sonya Mirbagheri '04 said, citing a need to make available "safety information more specific than just Public Safety."The project was coordinated by the USG Women's Issues Task Force.Mirbagheri serves on the safety subcommittee of the task force, which was created a year ago to address issues raised in the USG Committee on Women's Issues' report.The group came up with the idea last year and obtained support and funding from the office of Vice President for Campus Life.In October, Mirbagheri met with Thema Bryant-Davis, coordinator of Sexual Harassment/Assault/Advising, Resources and Education, who advised the group on which phone numbers to provide.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

Emory professor Bellesiles joins recent string of researchers suspected of fraud

Emory University Professor Michael Bellesiles resigned from his position last month after an investigative committee of three historians said his book, "Arming America: Origins of a National Gun Culture," treaded on the turf of fraud.Called "the N.R.A.'s worst nightmare" by reviewer Michael Zuckerman of the University of Pennsylvania, "Arming America" claims guns were not as common during the founding of the United States as previously thought.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

Painting the town trendy: New shops replace older downtown storefronts

Stan and Mary Julia Kephart stood with arms linked in front of the window of Smith Brothers, a trendy store on Nassau Street directly opposite Rockefeller College.The two Princeton residents of forty years gazed quizzically inside, wondering what happened to Pringle Gallery, which occupied the space before the boutique moved in this August.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

You are the weakest link: Goodbye!

"Well, Ivy kids always think they're better than everyone else."And with that, Mark, a contestant on "The Weakest Link" from the University of Georgia, justified his change of vote and casual dismissal of Princeton's Elliott Dorsch '05 from the stage of the show.For those who were not able to tune into the 2:00 a.m.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

PADA hears reasons for alcohol ordinance

A representative from the Mercer County prosecutor's office, Angela Onofri, spoke yesterday to the Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance on why the Borough should adopt the state-approved alcohol ordinance.

NEWS | 11/14/2002

New Wilson School program PRIOR to address N.J. regional policy issues

While the University assists and interacts on a regular basis with communities beyond the gate, faculty and students will soon have an established academic program through which to effect change.Last Wednesday, the Wilson School announced the establishment of the Policy Research Institute for the Region, a new program within the Wilson School that will concentrate specifically on regional policy issues.

NEWS | 11/13/2002

Post-enrolled graduate students receive new University benefits

A policy implemented this year has been the first step in amending the graduate school problem of 'post-enrollment,' whereby students who have gone past the departmental time limit for completing their dissertation work are demoted to what has been described as a second-class citizenship, losing many of the privileges enjoyed by other grad students.An average grad student at the University takes about six to seven years to finish his dissertation, but funding and other benefits from most departments expire after only five years ? the recommended time from most departments for completion of the dissertation.Now, grad students who do not finish their dissertation in the recommended amount of time can claim a status of Degree Candidacy Continued and have select benefits continued for another year.The new benefits offered to these students ? most of whom are in their sixth year ? include a University ID card, health care coverage, access to athletic facilities at staff rates, parking rights and continued access to the University's email service and group discussion boards.Prior to the change, the great majority of grad students who had not finished dissertations in the allotted time period were given the classification "Enrollment Terminated/Degree Candidacy Continued." These students were cut off from the University in nearly every respect except for library privileges."It is appropriate to understand that the new statute is a good step forward, but it is not the last step," said Graduate School Dean William Russel.

NEWS | 11/13/2002

Does a liberal arts education prepare you for a practical career?

"Princeton is the largest sandbox you will ever get to play in."This is how University President Shirley Tilghman describes the experience of learning here.

NEWS | 11/13/2002

University offers full packages to recruit, reward top coaches

Princeton men's squash head coach Bob Callahan graduated from University in 1977 with an offer from IBM for a lucrative position in a company on the rise.Four years after the job, Callahan was called to be on a search committee for a new squash coach.

NEWS | 11/13/2002

Trustee Tien GS '59, celebrated academic trailblazer, dies at 67

Chang-lin Tien GS '59, former University trustee and a prominent force in higher education died Oct.

NEWS | 11/13/2002

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