News

GSG officials hope to extend vote to approve new constitution

GSG officials hope to extend vote to approve new constitution

Hoping to improve on poor participation in a referendum begun last week, Graduate Student Government officials are proposing to extend the vote to approve a massive overhaul of the group's constitution.Referendum ballots were collected during registration and also during a dance Friday, but neither of those events yielded the necessary number of yea votes to approve the new constitution.According to Eric Adelizzi GS, a member of the constitution referendum committee, only between 20 and 25 percent of the graduate student body has voted.

NEWS | 09/17/2000

Fifth crow in Mercer County tests positive for West Nile virus

State laboratory officials in Trenton announced Friday that they had found another crow in Mercer County infected with the West Nile virus, bringing the total count to five.No infected mosquitoes have been found in Mercer County, though there have been eight infected mosquito pools confirmed in Bergen, Middlesex and Monmouth counties.University officials met with Mercer County and regional representatives Thursday to discuss the spread and control of the West Nile virus, according to Donald Robassor of University Environmental Health and Services."We met with the representatives of the Mercer County Mosquito Control Division and Health Department to find out what the routine is for notifying them of mosquito problems in our area," Robassor said.The University, though it is not licensed to use the advanced larvacides and sprays employed by the Mosquito Control Division, continuously surveys the campus to detect potential mosquito breeding areas, Robassor said.

NEWS | 09/17/2000

Constitutional experts assess whether new law infringes on civil liberties

Amid developing controversy over a possible ordinance that would permit police to fine underage drinkers on private property, some constitutional experts are raising questions about issues of civil liberties connected with the law.Prompted by recently passed state legislation ? allowing municipalities to give police the power to issue summons to underage drinkers on private property ? at least 30 towns across the state including Princeton Borough are considering ordinances that would stamp violators with fines of $200 for the first offense and $350 for subsequent offenses.But, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Robert George said the bill is unconstitutional because police cannot enter private property simply because they witness a party or suspect underage drinking. Probable cause"It doesn't look like probable cause is being respected," George said.

NEWS | 09/17/2000

University to distribute passports to the arts through campus mail

The University will be distributing students' Passport to the Performing Arts through the campus mail this year, Assistant Dean of Student Life Thomas Dunne said Friday.Last year, the tickets were handed out during registration, but Dunne said University administrators were trying to reduce the volume of material that is handed out during that event.He said the passports are in the process of being mailed and should arrive in students' boxes within the next few days.This year's passport will contain five "tiger tickets" and five "just-in-time" tickets, which students can use to see performances on campus and at McCarter Theater.The Passport to the Performing Arts program was started last year to encourage University students to attend campus performances by offering complimentary tickets.

NEWS | 09/17/2000

Ordinances give towns new weapon in fight against drinking

The new state alcohol law aimed at shore towns is now being used to target college campuses, where officials say underage drinking has risen to dangerous levels."Go into some of these college towns, and you'll find lots of underage drinking," state senator Leonard Connors (R-Atlantic-Burlington-Ocean) said.

NEWS | 09/17/2000

Touring the nation, from Princeton to Princeton to Princeton

Though more than 1,000 students and alumni hail from Princeton, N.J., only a handful grew up in other Princetons.David Matheu '96, who grew up in Princeton, Ill., said the coincidence frequently has been the butt of jokes."They'd say, 'You can't even leave home, can you?' " he said, adding that in his senior year he was mistaken for Dave Matthews by a freshman who thought she saw him in New York.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

The American's Crusade

Listen:All this happened, more or less. The stories, anyway, are pretty much true. A girl really did tell me she was one of the smartest people I would ever meet.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

Is time running out for Napster?

Time may be running out for University students to freely download MP3s over the Internet, especially from services such as Napster.Lawyers for Metallica and Dr. Dre ? two of the loudest critics of the company that they claim encourages piracy of their copyrighted work ? sent a letter to President Shapiro last week asking him to put a stop to Napster use on campus.In their letter, Metallica and Dr. Dre's lawyers asked the University to make a decision on whether to continue to allow Napster use over its network by Sept.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

Panel of leaders looks to create plans for downtown Princeton

A newly formed panel of University and community leaders is planning a revitalization of the Princeton downtown area with the goal of creating an additional tax base, increasing available housing and establishing a new town center only a couple of blocks north of Nassau Hall.The panel ? called Princeton Future ? was formed by former University President Robert Goheen, Sheldon Sturges, president of Sturges Publishing Company, and Robert Geddes, former dean of the University's architecture school."Princeton Future is a new citizens' council and it seeks to bring together the downtown neighborhood and the downtown core," said Geddes, the panel's co-chair.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

Second crow found with West Nile virus

Mercer County authorities said yesterday they found a second crow infected with West Nile Encephalitis within a mile of the College of New Jersey campus.The crow's body was found in Ewing Township about two weeks ago and taken to a lab for analysis, according to College of New Jersey Associate Vice President of College Relations Jessie Rosenblum.Just two weeks prior to that, a Princeton University employee discovered an infected crow near Murray-Dodge Hall, prompting the Mercer County Mosquito Control Division to begin spraying parts of campus."The Mercer County Mosquito Control Division is responsible for spraying.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

Swahili course attracts low turnout; professor expects more registrants

The introductory Swahili course students campaigned last year to secure had attracted only seven students as of the start of classes yesterday, according to the Registrar's Office and course professor Ephraim Isaac.The course ? titled AFS 199: Introduction to African Languages: Swahili ? initially was offered last year as a one-time student-initiated seminar.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

Tougher English test guidelines hinder some international graduate students' study plans

When precepts begin next week, students might find fewer teaching assistants struggling to communicate their ideas clearly.

NEWS | 09/14/2000

University compliance with N.J. sprinkler law will cost millions

The University is being forced to embark on an accelerated program of installing sprinkler systems in all dormitory rooms to comply with a recently passed state law prompted by last winter's Seton Hall fire that claimed three students' lives.Under the new law, sprinklers must be installed in all dorms at public and private education institutions in New Jersey by the fall of 2004.University officials originally had planned to install sprinklers as part of an ongoing dorm renovation project, which will involve renovating more than 35 dorms during the next 16 to 20 years.But the state law's 2004 deadline now will force the University to install temporary sprinkler systems in many of those dorms during the next four summers.Those sprinklers will later be removed and replaced with permanent systems when the buildings undergo renovation.Adding and removing the temporary sprinklers will cost the University an additional $10 to $14 million, according to University architect and code analyst Bob Allen.Pam Hersh, the University's director of community and state affairs, said installing the temporary sprinklers will be inconvenient and costly.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Learning to write and speak TV journalism

A few weeks ago, my cousin, who had just started law school, was telling me about his newly acquired vocabulary."It's amazing," he said.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Judge's decision on Nader ad: Priceless

Ralph Nader '55 may be off the hook with MasterCard. New York Southern District Judge George B. Daniels said Tuesday that Nader's campaign ad, which parodies the popular MasterCard "Priceless" series, was not an infringement on the company's copyright and trademark, according to a report in the New York Law Journal.The judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order against the campaign and said that Nader could continue to air the ad.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Hollowing the Hype

When the U.S. News & World Report 2001 college rankings were released two weeks ago, Princetonians let out a cheer and high school students across the country added Princeton ? this year's top national university ? to their wish lists.But this week University officials and the editors of the report cautioned that Princeton's stellar ranking should be taken with a few grains of salt.U.S.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Christening Blair Hall, awry sprinklers cause severe damage

Several of the much-awaited, newly renovated rooms and facilities in Blair Hall suffered considerable water damage during the final weeks of summer, University fire marshal Bob Gregory said."One of the sprinkler heads activated in entryways four and five," Gregory said.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

New kiosk to aid traffic flow on Elm

The University Planning Office has placed a second guard kiosk on Elm Drive near Butler College.The additional kiosk, which was stored in parking lot 23 last year, will be the only kiosk monitoring traffic flow from Elm Drive's south entrance once construction on the new parking garage is completed, according to Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser."The new guard kiosk will limit the amount of activity further up campus at night," Weiser said.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

$12-million gift spawns institute for research on foreign conflict

Using a $12-million gift from Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and under the guidance of Wilson School lecturer Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, the University will announce today that it has founded the Liechtenstein Institute for Self-Determination, a research center for the study and resolution of regional conflicts.An extension of the six-year-old Liechtenstein Research Program on Self-Determination ? which has conducted extensive study of the Balkan region ? the institute will offer yearly fellowships and other opportunities to faculty, students and world leaders."We hope to create the world's foremost institution on self-determination issues, with a strong emphasis on political solutions to avoid conflicts and bloodshed," Danspeckgruber said yesterday.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Borough alcohol ordinance aimed at eating clubs

Borough Council president Roger Martindell said yesterday the eating clubs are the "motivating factor" behind consideration of an ordinance that would allow police to fine underage drinkers on private property in the Borough.He and other council members said their primary concern is the disorderly behavior often associated with underage drinking, rather than the health risks.Council member David Goldfarb said he believes the presence of the University greatly contributes to the frequency of underage drinking in the Borough.

NEWS | 09/13/2000

Most Popular