Opinion

Combating Princeton students’ risk-averse culture

The summer hiatus from classes offers students an opportunity to truly embody Princeton’s motto, “In the nation’s service and the service of humanity.” We have the time to travel and to immerse ourselves in culture and independent work. But the current career-driven, goal-oriented, and risk-averse dynamics on campus lend themselves to playing it safe and pursuing popular and well-traversed options. In a campus brimming with diverse interests and independence, our summers should reflect and foster these ambitions.

Arts Education

You can make friends while sober

I used to cry for hours because I said I didn’t know how to make friends. “That’s silly,” my friends would scoff. “You’ve made plenty of friends before.” “That’s true,” I agreed. “But that was before people really started to drink.”

So you passed a referendum. Now what?

"Shall the undergraduates direct the USG Senate to establish a standing committee that works with the Interclub Council to annually collect and release demographic information, such as race, gender, and academic major, about the members of each Eating Club, and additionally, for each selective (‘bicker’) Club, its applicants (‘bickerees’)?"

A piece of pie and a peace of mind

Tradition in art: Why it matters

With the opening of the new Lewis Center for the Arts, the University bristles with opportunities for engagement and exchange in the creative arts. Combining the disciplines of music, theater, creative writing, painting, and much more, the new center furthers the University's efforts to promote the creative humanities as a fundamental element of a liberal arts education. 

St. A's: The nicest, artsiest bullies

By admitting those individuals with the hippest, most marketable, and oftentimes most expensive personal brands (which typically entail a palatable degree of quirkiness and maybe a dash of Nietzsche), St. A’s contradicts its own mission of cultivating an air of mystery and uniqueness. In reality, A’s is fundamentally, transparently mundane — just another smug, elitist group on a frequently smug, elitist campus.

On the Catalan question

 I’ve never heard Catalonia being discussed so much here as I have in the past few weeks. My parents are from Barcelona, and I lived there for a bit, so I’d like to offer my view on the Catalan procés so far. As a disclaimer, I am pro-independence; however, I will not be arguing for independence. Instead, I want to discuss how the process has been carried out so far, and why President Rajoy and government in Madrid are currently in the wrong. 

Send help, missing home

I looked down at the shiny metal serving platters in front of me, one which had a piece of paper that read “Filet Mignon” and another one that said “Ratatouille”. Considering that I had to look up how to spell these words to write this article, it was obvious to me that I was far, far away from home – in every sense of the word. 

Our campus deserves our attention

Walking while using my phone invariably leaves me disoriented, as I cannot devote my full attention to either task. Once I reach my destination, I often cannot even recall the physical steps I took to get there. Several days ago, I looked up from my phone to find myself on a collision course with a passing cyclist. With a hasty “sorry,” I stumbled out of her way, embarrassed to have slipped into such inattention.

The speaker series we should all be going to

Lecture series at Princeton are ubiquitous. Any given day, there will be a number of visiting professors, foreign dignitaries, and leading experts on almost every academic topic. But the one speaker series that every Princeton student should be attending is the Asian American Studies Speaker Series hosted by the Program in American Studies.

Pumpkin Lit-erally

Old sins cast long shadows: Repressing ballots with batons in Catalonia

The Oct. 1 referendum on Catalan independence made headlines, but not because of its result. As the CNN reported, “some 893 people were injured as riot police raided polling stations, dragged away voters, and fired rubber bullets during clashes.” International media published videos showing Spanish policemen beating people up, from teenagers to old ladies. Nonetheless, about 42 percent of Catalans managed to vote, and among those, 92 percent voted to secede from Spain.  

COS LAB TA's

True Flu Fest

In love with the comeback

On Sunday, Oct. 1, Curb Your Enthusiasm — the groundbreaking and widely acclaimed comedic television project of Larry David — returned to HBO after six years off the air. In 2011, after eight Curb seasons, many fans considered the show to be finished and never to return to television again. But Sunday saw the modern comedic staple return. 

Toxic masculinity

Toxic masculinity brings out the worst in men and damages the community at all levels. Let’s reclaim what is positive and healthy about male identity and reject unhelpful stereotypes. Let’s give men something to be proud of. 

A plea for self-compassion

The philosophy that Princetonians need is one of self-compassion; to love and accept themselves, flaws and all, and to recognize that failure is an inevitable and necessary aspect of the Princeton experience. The difference may seem trivial, but these are two fundamentally different approaches to building resilience. 

Letter to the Editor: Resisting Trump's latest action against DREAMers

The government says that it wants to eliminate the incentives for immigrants to come to the United States. By turning out the light of hope and opportunity that draws people to our shores, the administration puts all of us in the shadows. 

I’m wearing whatever I want to the Street (and you should too)

There is no one way to dress like a feminist. Prescribing that you own your sexuality is no more liberated than recommending that you keep your body covered up.