News

Astronomers, stargazers prepare for last solar eclipse of millennium

Astronomers, stargazers prepare for last solar eclipse of millennium

Astronomers and amateur sky-watchers alike will have the opportunity today to observe the Western Hemisphere's final total solar eclipse during this millennium.While the eclipse will only reach totality in a small area of the Caribbean, a partial eclipse will be observable throughout much of North and South America.A solar eclipse takes place when the moon comes between the earth and the sun, thereby blocking the sun's direct rays and casting its shadow on the earth's surface.Total solar eclipses are fairly common, with one occurring about every 18 months.

NEWS | 02/25/1998

Brown, Columbia claim aid plan tips balance in athletic recruiting

Though new financial aid programs at Princeton and Yale universities will make it more affordable for students from lower and middle-class families to enroll, there is some concern that the programs may unfairly tip the balance on the playing field of Ivy League athletics.Athletics directors at other Ivy League schools said they are concerned that by offering more financial aid to a wider pool of students, Princeton and Yale may attract a greater number of potential athletes.They said they are worried that what the University's Board of Trustees referred to as "the most important changes in Princeton's financial aid policies in several decades" may fundamentally change Ivy League athletics. Changing the RulesColumbia University's Athletics Director John Reeves called it "the biggest change since the league's establishment in 1954."Joan Taylor, senior associate director of athletics at Brown University, voiced similar concerns.

NEWS | 02/25/1998

Committee endorses move toward P/D/F-rescind option

Taking a break from the grade inflation issue, the Committee on Examinations and Standing endorsed the introduction of the "P/D/F-rescind option" at a meeting Monday.However, even if the rescind option is approved at a faculty meeting this spring, the need to update computer programs could postpone its implementation for an uncertain period of time.The option would allow students to switch to a letter grade if they had already decided to take a class P/D/F.

NEWS | 02/25/1998

USG proposes less stringent fire safety inspections, codes

It's an all-too-familiar scenario to some students. Seconds after returning to your room from the shower, you hear a knock: "Fire inspectors." Without further delay, the inspectors make their entrance and proceed to go through the room as you stand watching, clad in nothing but a towel.The avoidance of this and other embarrassing situations is one of the goals of measures to reform fire and safety policy reform introduced by USG senator Carlos Lazatin '99.

NEWS | 02/25/1998

Missing manuscripts prompt curator to search Firestone

A pictorial manuscript from central Mexico has been misplaced from the Garrett Collection of indigenous manuscripts at Firestone Library, according to the collection's curator, Alfred Bush.The item was supposed to be included in the exhibition, "The Search for Latin America: Sources at Princeton," that recently opened in the library's main gallery, but it could not be found during the preparation of the exhibit.Peter Johnson, the exhibition's curator and bibliographer for Latin America, Spain and Portugal, said although there were many items in the University's collections to choose from, "when you can't find something, it's a cause of concern." MisplacedBush stressed that the manuscript is not missing from the library.

NEWS | 02/25/1998

Law schools refute method, validity of U.S. News ratings

It would seem that the Ivy League is not the only group dissatisfied with U.S. News and World Report's system of ranking the nation's best colleges and graduate schools.In a Feb.

NEWS | 02/24/1998

Children's library stimulates learning through interaction

Even though they do not have their PUIDs yet, eight-year-old readers still have a place in Firestone Library.Cotsen's Children's Library, located next to the Special Collections Room in the library's southeast corner, contains over 22,000 books and features an interactive exhibit specifically designed for young readers.The children's library opened Oct.

NEWS | 02/24/1998

Borough considers increasing parking rates

For years Princeton Borough residents and shoppers have been accustomed to the same parking meter rates.

NEWS | 02/24/1998

Bosstones to play P-Party; contract remains uncertain

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones will be knocking on the wooden floors of Dillon Gym this April for the University's annual P-Party, the band's booking agency said yesterday.Although the USG would not confirm the contract with the Bosstones, a ska-core band that has gained fame recently for its single "The Impression That I Get," the booking agency, Monterey Peninsula Artists, said the band would play in Dillon April 17."In this business, nothing is ever final until a contract is signed," said USG social chair Jeff Leven '00, who has the responsibility of getting a band for the annual spring concert.

NEWS | 02/24/1998

University develops plans for new academic buildings

By the year 2000, the Wilson School and the E-Quad will each receive a new, modern building equipped for the 21st century.The University recently named the architects for a structure that will house part of the Wilson School and much of the sociology department.

NEWS | 02/24/1998

Malkiel meets with students to discuss grading practices

Bringing the issue of grade inflation back to campus after it received national attention, Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel met with student representatives for the first time since her grading report was issued.Sunday's USG meeting gave students the opportunity to discuss grade inflation, P/D/F reform and the possibility of more flexible finals with Malkiel.Because the Committee on Examinations and Standing does not include students, the grade inflation report was issued without the consultation of students.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Engineers investigate Jadwin floor after hoops fans shake bleachers

During the last three home basketball games, enthusiastic students and sellout crowds have rocked Jadwin ? literally.Following last week's Penn-Princeton game ? during which students jumped up and down in unison causing the court and ceiling to shake visibly ? the University called in an outside consultant to observe the floor during Friday's contest against Harvard.Director of Engineering Tom Nyquist called Allen Roth, vice president of Joseph B.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Campus cable coverage prevents live broadcast of basketball games

Although 1.2 million homes in the eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey area were privy to last week's home basketball game against the University of Pennsylvania, the few thousand students here on campus were awarded no such luck.Unlike last year, the University has divided this year's men's basketball television coverage between two competing cable companies, one that is much larger and caters to a regional audience and another that serves a very localized area.Comcast, which serves an expansive eastern cable area ? with the exception of University dorms ? has televised the men's home games against Monmouth, Manhattan, Yale and Penn, and they will also provide live coverage of next week's away-game versus the Philadelphia rival.RCN, the smaller provider that feeds all University cable, does not have as large a media exposure for the men's team as Comcast.According to Kurt Kehl, associate director of Athletics for Public Affairs, RCN was supposed to televise the Penn game, but did not due to technical errors."The Comcast broadcast was on satellite, but RCN failed to pull it off," he said.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Knight to resign as LGBA liaison

After serving less than one year as the Student Life office's liaison with the campus lesbian, gay and bisexual community, Stephen Knight said yesterday he will be resigning at the end of this week.Knight, who is an intern in the office, said he is leaving the University to take a position in New York City's family court system.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Lander, Rosen receive accolades during celebration of Alumni Day

Alumni Day is often associated with lavish awards and flattering remarks on undergraduate life. However, this weekend's award winners were modest about their Princeton experiences."I have never been properly qualified for any job I have held," Dr. Eric Lander '78 said in his acceptance speech for this year's Woodrow Wilson Award.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

McGraw '40 donates $5 million for teaching and learning center

Publisher Harold McGraw Jr. '40 donated $5 million to the new Teaching and Learning Center, the University announced Saturday.The Teaching and Learning Center will provide instruction and advice for professors and graduate student teachers, and will be housed in the new Campus Center.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Weekend occurrences include BB pellets, mooning

Months after the Sovereign Bank robbery and the apprehension of a flasher on campus, two incidents this past weekend demonstrated that the University is not yet crime-free.In the first incident, an unknown perpetrator fired BB pellets at several windows on the west side of Witherspoon Hall at 3:55 a.m.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Association provides open forum for discussion among freethinkers

Students still trying to find their niche among the multitude of campus organizations now have yet another option.

NEWS | 02/23/1998

Alisharan, Lee win Pyne Honor Prize

Culminating diverse academic and extracurricular careers, psychology major Shalani Alisharan '98 and English major Julia Lee '98 received this year's M.

NEWS | 02/22/1998

Student group criticizes fan behavior at basketball games

Jon Garfunkel '98 could take the obscenities. He could take the catcalls. He could even take the incessant exhortations to "Sit down, you suck!"But when the student section behind the basket at the Princeton-Harvard basketball game was slapped with a technical foul for their raucous behavior on Friday, Garfunkel decided that something had to be done.The result was an ad hoc group, unofficially titled "Smart Fans," that encouraged students to clean up their act for the team's final home game Saturday night against Dartmouth.By putting up posters around campus, creating a Web page and simply urging people to show a little restraint, the group said it hoped to keep the team from getting penalized again for the fans' exuberance."People need to think for themselves, and not get sucked into mob mentality," Garfunkel said.

NEWS | 02/22/1998

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