Opinion

The end of the world as we know it

But despite the terrible dullness of the town of Princeton and of this University, opinion writing at the ‘Prince’ remains a worthwhile goal — if only to make immediate the problems waiting just beyond FitzRandolph Gate. Their immediacy is perhaps best summed up by Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” who observed in 1998 that “We all know that at some point in the future the universe will come to an end and, at some other point, considerably in advance from that but still not immediately pressing, the sun will explode. We feel there’s plenty of time to worry about that,” he continued, “but on the other hand that’s a very dangerous thing to say.”

Summer "school"

As classes give way to reading period, we find ourselves knocking on summer’s door. I find May to be an extraordinary time of year: the eve of our next great adventure.

Editorial: Student loans

Given high costs of maintaining a low loan rate, the Editorial Board believes that Washington should explore other options to counteract the rising cost of higher education.

Not your grandmother's nostalgia

This April, Adam Gopnik wrote a New Yorker article called “The 40-Year Itch” in which he suggests that nostalgia occurs in 40-year waves. At Princeton, however, nostalgia doesn’t play by any of these rules.

Cartoon: How to listen to music

Editorial: Improving precept

Precepts are supposed to encourage in-depth exploration and discussion of previously taught materials to ensure that students have a fuller understanding of the course material.  However, there are many flaws with the current system, particularly with respect to how graduate students are assigned to precepts and how they are trained and prepared to teach them. 

Giant problems

In fact, I daresay this problem is the toughest I’ve yet to face in my 19 years

Cartoon: Too tired tigers

Belonging continued

An essential aspect of belonging is having that intimate atmosphere, where you feel like you know people, people know you and you have something valuable to contribute. 

Prose on prose: thesis musings

First, I share what I’ve learned about the thesis so far and how I gained that knowledge. Then, I make recommendations to rising juniors and seniors regarding the thesis process.

Sexual slur?

It might make sense to think that the dance floor between two battling crews is a gender-neutral space. At the very least, every dancer is compelled into a uniformly masculine identity in this male-dominated form of dance. However, that hasn’t been my experience.

Cartoon: Freedom

Another look at WikiLeaks (Or not?)

While it is important to respect the Princeton community’s diverse views on the larger issues surrounding WikiLeaks, it is equally important that students are aware of how using WikiLeaks may prevent them from obtaining governmental security clearances.

The meaning of somnolence

What follows is perhaps best understood as the tragic tale of a proper Greek hero, a once proud and good student who was undone by his own hubris and is now warning the world to not pick classes that are good but rather to pick classes that are good for you.

On healthcare

Breaking your nose on a rugby pitch in the United States begins a process.

Cartoon: Terrible loss

Changing the world with purpose

When I was in middle school, my grandpa asked what I wanted to be when I got older. “I don’t know what I want to do,” I told him, “but I want to change the world.” He shook his head. “Don’t change the world. Get a good job, get married and change the world for your family.”

Prestige and open sources

Journals, which publishers can sell individually for as much as $40,000 per year, facilitate academic discourse. Through peer review and distribution to an established audience, the journals play an instrumental role in spreading new ideas and discoveries. Because publishing in a top journal is essential for any researcher looking to make a name for herself or at least spread her contributions to the most relevant minds, the journals possess exclusive access to some of the most significant academic literature.

Cartoon: Competition

Let's NOT talk about sex

Princeton may be conservative, but students aren’t too conservative to have sex — some more than others, some less than others, but it’s happening. So why can’t we talk about it? Why must sex only be discussed in the confines of one’s dorm room, in the whispers of a dining hall or a small ’zee group in a residential college? Why can’t we have a Sex Week like Harvard and Yale?