Opinion

Princeton, possibility, and living in the moment

When we stay in the library until 2 a.m. to finish that problem set or to read that scholarly text, we are not doing so simply because we cannot get enough of differential equations or the wisdom of Nietzsche. The future employers and others that we must impress to achieve professional happiness appreciate a strong academic record. In other words, there is a profound thirst for future possibility among Princetonians.

Letter to the Editor: Live criticism — critique as care, idealism as necessity

Ultimately, my critics and I agree: Let’s make use of the fabulous space we now have, dynamically and with heart. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also question it.

Before proceeding, ponder privacy

If I really wanted to keep my identity secret, I would not maintain an online presence. Despite my recent adoption of Duck Duck Go, I have already forfeited a good deal of personal information by searching on the Internet, establishing online accounts, and making digital purchases. 

Birth control and health care

Hormonal birth control — assuming it is prescribed to avoid pregnancy and not to treat another gynecological problem — suppresses the natural function of the reproductive system. This sets it apart from other drugs that treat illnesses or disorders and seek to return the body to health, as defined by the proper functioning of all bodily systems. Certainly, contraception may improve the subjective well-being of the person, yet the ability to become pregnant is far from a disorder; it is an indicator of health. 

The art of storytelling

On Monday, Oct. 9, Emmy-award winning actor, rapper, and activist Riz Ahmed came to Princeton to speak about his own South Asian and Muslim identities in the spheres of society and art. Ahmed broke ground for his performance in HBO’s “The Night Of” as not only the first South Asian man to win any Emmy at all for acting but also the first Muslim or Asian to win the award in this category.  

The ballot: Game-changer or sideline player?

Although voter turnout rates are especially low in gubernatorial elections, this upcoming New Jersey election could prove different. With two new candidates representing the major parties, the fate of New Jersey is in your hands. You’ve got to play the game of politics to win it. 

Letter to the Editor: Replies to an unjust criticism of the new Lewis Center

This past week, Kyle Berlin ’18 sent a letter to the editor in which he criticized the new Lewis Center for the Arts complex. From decrying the center’s allegedly garish architectural style, to its supposed complicity in the Neoliberal Cooptation of the Arts, Berlin spared no aspect of the University’s newest project in his piece. As it turns out, not only are his accusations vague and unimportant, but they are wrong, threatening to obscure the great good that the existence of this new center will do for the University. 

The Monsters Inside

Trick or treat: Princeton

A kind letter to the trolls

I speak to those who do not critique the articles, but rather degrade the writers…. Please stop your unorganized, purely emotional, illogical, and cocksure spiel.

Too Princeton to fail

Rather than trying to “sell” Princeton and build up freshman year as the best time of our lives, the University needs to give equal weight to demystifying the unspoken struggles of the freshman experience. 

Expectation vs. Reality

Letter to the Editor: Live art

Last weekend, a mysterious procession of people weaved its way through north campus. From a distance, they emitted a collective murmur — a moan of mourning. If you got close enough, you could catch snippets of individual sentences.

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.