There's an odd glow that seems to hover over Princeton in May, when seen through the eyes of a graduating senior.
Regarding 'Rethinking Bicker from the inside' (Stephanie Greenberg, May 12):After reading the anti-Bicker sentiments in the last two issues of the 'Prince,' I felt it necessary, as a former officer of a bicker club, to offer some perspective from the other side of the coin.Yes, bicker is exclusive.
Regarding 'Rethinking Bicker from the inside' (Stephanie Greenberg, May 12):It is a shame that Greenberg's well-intentioned piece will do little to change the phenomenon at work every fall and spring as sophomores and juniors vie for spots in eating clubs.
I really appreciate Stephanie Greenberg's column about the ugliness of Bicker.
The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees. The man standin' next to me, his head was exploding, Well, I was prayin' the pieces wouldn't fall on me. Yeah, the locusts sang off in the distance, Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody. Oh, the locusts sang off in the distance, And the locusts sang and they were singing for me. I put down my robe, picked up my diploma, Took hold of my sweetheart and away we did drive, Straight for the hills, the black hills of Dakota, Sure was glad to get out of there alive. And the locusts sang, well, it give me a chill, Yeah, the locusts sang such a sweet melody. And the locusts sang with a high whinin' trill, Yeah, the locusts sang and they was singing for me, Singing for me, well, singing for me.? Bob Dylan H '70, from "Day of the Locusts" Summer is here, and the sound of whirring and drilling floats through the open windows of libraries and dorm rooms.
For the past two years, I have been a member of one of Princeton's Bicker eating clubs, including a year spent as an officer and a resident.As I near graduation and reflect on my undergraduate experience, I regret the role I've played in perpetuating Bicker and urge Princetonians to work toward ending this frighteningly well-organized system of social exclusion.I value deeply my friendships with fellow members, and many of my happiest memories from Princeton emerge from club activities.
For over a year now, America has been engaged in a protracted war in Iraq. But here at Princeton, that battlefront between terrorism and democratic ideals feel as distant and remote as it is geographically.Sure, when we choose to, we hear about the casualties in Baghdad, the insurgency in Fallujah and the battles in Basra, but we also have the luxury to ignore it, turn away from the chaos that is Iraq and seclude back to the safe comforts of friends, books, and papers.
Regarding 'CPUC focuses on health task force report' (May 5):I would like to reiterate some of the points made my colleague, Pat Gibney, at last Monday's CPUC meeting about the sick leave policy for professional Research, Technical and Library staffs that were not included in the article.Professional staff members hired before 1997 understood that sick leave was on a par with that of the faculty, governed by an unwritten policy that did not limit the number of sick days.
My assignment this reading period was to write an essay about what's going wrong in the Middle East.
The late spring on campus, with its fragrant verdure, its tidal wave of pressured work, and its round of special ceremonies and parties, becomes ever more poignant as I approach retirement.Houseparties time is particularly bittersweet.
Ask anyone about his thoughts on the precept system and you will be sure to get an earful. For my part, I have precepted three undergraduate courses over the years.
Sure, awards given out on Class Day and accolades like valedictorian are all well and good, but let's be serious: You're not getting those and neither am I, so who really cares?Seniors, I have complied a list of the winners of a new award called the Freddys, in honor of the man who let us into this fine school.
In collaboration with the physics department, the 'Prince' has obtained a copy of the Princeton Review's "Insider's Guide to the Colleges," 2010 Edition.
As much as I would love to write my final column about the moral obligations of those who leave the gate this June, I will not.Anyway, I feel that charity is something that has to come from one's own heart, not from the writings of some amateur columnist.Another part of me, yet, wants to write about the grandiose Princeton edifices, traditions and mores that I will surely miss ? but here I will heed the advice of one of my roommates who criticizes the "over-nostalgic" tone of my columns.
The fast pace of modern life often requires lunch on-the-go, if it isn't skipped altogether, and attaches an agenda to every hour of the day.
When Chanakya Sethi interviewed me for a story in the 'Prince' ('Isenberg case reveals discord, controversy', March 29), I talked to him about the secrecy of the tenure process here.
There is always something happening on campus. On any given weekday, the Princeton campus is inundated with high-profile guest speakers, study breaks, and movie screenings.
My last column but one, 'A Plan's Pitfalls,' generated a large correspondence that elicited from me promises to follow up on the great grade-inflation "debate." So even though it is old news, here it is.I don't pretend to have too many lines from Lucan off by heart, but one I know for certain: "Victrix causa deis placuit, sed victa Catoni." This is a line remembered in various second-rate musical, dramatic, and visual monuments of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and inscribed on the tombstones of various Romantic Big Losers of the same eras ? including, I believe, that of General Robert E.
Looking at the world stage these days one can be forgiven for getting a tad depressed. Escalating global tensions, the chaos of Iraq, unprecedented antipathy towards America, rising Muslim fundamentalism, increasing partisan polarization and bitterness at home, the list goes on and on.
Regarding 'The art of pregaming before Houseparties' (Street, April 29):I found this article both disappointing and offensive.
