News

Students attempt to boost substance-free options for housing

While the number and location of upperclass substance-free and smoke-free rooms for this year's room draw will remain unchanged, some students hope to expand the initiative in future years.USG senator Jo Chen '00 said he is leading a project to better adapt the recently implemented substance-free housing to students' needs.The limited pilot program, available to rising juniors and seniors, began on a small scale last spring with sections of Edwards Hall designated as substance-free housing and rooms in 1901 Hall reserved as smoke-free.This year there are only 39 students participating in the program, with 29 of them living in Edwards and 10 in 1901. ExpansionChen said he is primarily looking to make the program more well-known, to expand the number of rooms available and to improve the quality of the rooms that are offered."Ultimately, I would like to see an entire building for nonsmokers," Chen said in early December, before the housing committee decided to maintain the status quo.Chen said he plans to include a survey with this spring's room draw guide that would give administrators and students involved with the program a more comprehensive idea of how students feel about substance-free housing.Before winter break, a substance-free housing survey was distributed as part of one of USG president Spencer Merriweather '00's campus-wide emails.

Students play growing role in Princeton first aid squad

University students have become increasingly important to the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad in recent years, and the election of Greg Paulson '98 as the squad's new chief is a clear indicator of that trend.Paulson, the first University alumnus to be elected chief in the squad's history, took over Jan.

Students to spend Intersession on mission trip to Rwanda

Four students from the Crossroads Christian Fellowship ? Jason Harris '00, Dan Popkave '00, Cassie Gyuricza '00 and Ben Farmer '01 ? will pass up package trips to Vermont, the Bahamas and Cancun to travel to war-ravaged Rwanda during Intersession to teach English and participate in a Christian outreach project.Harris said he first devised the plan for the mission trip after speaking with members of his local church who have contacts in Rwanda with Worldvision, an international Christian relief organization.

Friends celebrate energetic senior's generosity, beauty

When Una Kim '00 remembers Mary McConville '00, her roommate of four years, she recalls a "beautiful, extremely caring and giving person" who always had plenty of Echinacea on-hand to distribute when one of her friends had a cold.Last night, Kim and other friends gathered to share memories of McConville, who died early New Year's Day in Paris.

Bradley '65 intensifies campaign as first primary battles approach

With only weeks to go before the first contests of the primary season, Bill Bradley '65's campaign playbook hinges on two key states more than 1,000 miles apart: Iowa and New Hampshire.In the all-out scramble that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination has become, both Bradley and Vice President Al Gore have intensified their efforts in anticipation of the Jan.

LaPaugh to replace Gager as master of Forbes College

Computer science professor Andrea LaPaugh will replace religion professor John Gager as master of Forbes College on July 1.LaPaugh, now a faculty fellow in Butler College, is no stranger to Forbes.

Students, administrators anticipate benefits from Frist Campus Center

In less than a year, an idea first floated by former University President Woodrow Wilson 1879 that has spent much of the last century on Princeton's back-burner will evolve from a mass of scaffolding, mud and concrete into the Frist Campus Center.Now that construction has progressed into its final stages, administrators and students alike are speculating about how the center will affect their daily lives when it opens next fall.Tom Dunne, assistant dean of undergraduate students, said he believes the center will provide a public space for the entire student body and faculty to interact and "will contribute largely to the social fabric of the community."USG president-elect PJ Kim '01 said the center's variety of dining options and large social and academic space will enhance social life on campus."The campus center is a mammoth project that will provide for the University's academic, social and administrative needs," Kim said.

New Year's accident claims life of McConville '00

Mary McConville '00 of Salinas, Calif., died in Paris on New Year's Day after a four-story fall from the apartment where she was staying with friends, according to Paris police.McConville woke up around 3 or 4 a.m., opened one of the apartment's floor-to-ceiling windows and inadvertently lost her footing, falling after attempting to open a second, outer window, according to both University Director of Communications Justin Harmon '78 and Judith Miller, McConville's mother.Miller said McConville had spent the night quietly, going out for sushi with friends and avoiding downtown Paris, which she considered dangerous.Police said McConville died on impact.

Dobkin to travel to Israel on Fulbright Scholarship

In a few weeks, computer science department chair David Dobkin will embark on his six-month Fulbright scholarship and sabbatical to pursue research in Haifa, Israel.Dobkin was awarded a Ful-bright last spring to research computer graphics and the mathematical algorithms used to create such graphics at the Technion Institute.Describing his work as the creation of "virtual worlds that parallel reality," Dobkin said he studies how to build a complex image using many simple polygons ? each with its own algorithm.

PPPL sets plasma-current record with new spherical torus reactor

An experiment at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory produced a 1-million-ampere plasma current with a new reactor last month, setting a world record for that type of reactor and opening the door for further research into the creation of fusion power."What this means is that we are now ready to begin experimentation on the machine," said PPPL spokesman Anthony DeMeo, who added that a larger reactor could be constructed in several years if these tests are successful.The PPPL is funded by the Department of Energy and is managed by the University.

University encounters only small Y2K computer glitches

Most of the world escaped serious complications from the much-discussed millennium bug, and the University was no exception.Campus personnel reported yesterday only minor problems that were fixed by mid-afternoon Saturday "Everything went smoothly, but I'm glad we prepared," said Director of Engineering Tom Nyquist.

Despite risk of University penalty, students earn money from Website

For some University students, the idea of getting paid to surf the Web and recruiting others to do the same sounds simple enough, but officials warn that it may be against University policy.AllAdvantage.com is an Internet company that pays members for using the Internet and collects data on their browsing habits, which it then gives to other companies.

Princeton sweeps Time magazine person of century, year awards

Of all the lists that have come out in the past month ? from greatest sports moments of the century to best nonfiction of '99 ? an index of the best universities of the millennium has not been among them.

'Haven' pays fine, cleans up kitchen

A judge ordered Hoagie Haven to pay a $500 fine for health code violations, but the popular sandwich shop has resolved its differences with the Princeton Regional Health Department, health officer William Hinshillwood said yesterday.Hoagie Haven owner Konstantinos Liras pleaded guilty Dec.

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USG to consider modifications to Projects Board charter

In a closed meeting Tuesday night, the USG discussed amending the charter and practices of the Projects Board, which has been closely scrutinized by USG members all semester.

Jewish writers allege discrimination on Harvard Crimson editorial page

An editorial writer candidate has accused The Harvard Crimson of excluding Jewish students from editorial or columnist positions on its staff.

Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against University

A federal judge in Hartford, Conn., yesterday dismissed charges filed by a former undergraduate against the University for warning medical schools of doubts it had regarding the truthfulness of his applications.Rommel Nobay '89 brought the suit against the University for breach of contract, invasion of privacy and character defamation in 1995.

Hansen advocates new approach to environmental issues

Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Fred Hansen began his speech yesterday by challenging his audience to "think differently about environmental issues.""We think we are communicating, when in fact we are repeating what we've said before but just a little louder," he said.Rather than looking to the past or the present to solve environmental issues, Hansen advocated "looking forward, projecting an extreme picture and then stepping back to help solve the problems we have today.""No one can predict the future," he admitted, but "by looking at the future, we are better prepared for it."Hansen was optimistic about the EPA's progress.

U-Council to debate regulations in light of advancing technology

Seeking to change University policies to reflect the increased use of the Internet and other electronic information technologies, the U-Council will weigh a proposal to revise "Rights, Rules, Responsibilities" at its Monday meeting.The proposal ? written after months of review by the U-Council's Rights and Rules Committee ? contains primarily minor revisions that aim to include references to email, the Internet and other new technologies that are now frequently absent from the rule book.Despite the seemingly limited nature of the changes, the revisions have sparked reactions on a grander scale.