Opinion

The second sex speaks up

We at Princeton are a privileged bunch — we are expected to become leaders and to have the ability to create change. We ought to use this expectation to benefit the world and to hold ourselves to that higher standard, in earnest and in jest. Because there is no reason a Princeton woman should be less likely, or believe herself less capable, to run for an elected position than a Princeton man.

Cartoon: Occupy Wagon Street

Failing diversity

The University should continue to welcome students from every corner of the world, from every background and with every set of values. However, the administration should beware of shiny statistics and those ticked boxes. Numbers are one thing, reality another. Without real integration, “diversity” will result in a shallow pretense of unity.

The dying breed of economics majors

Having asked multiple humanities majors about their future career options, most casually respond that, if they do not end up with a job in their respective concentration, they can always go into finance as a backup. As a backup. Even science and engineering majors are ostensibly starting to consider finance as a secondary plan for their future careers and internships. This trend is perceptible among Princeton students.

Cartoon: Saying goodbye at Princeton

Against pick-ups

There is no excuse to continue this practice that hurts those who aren’t accepted, and it is time that we stop letting this happen. We have three months to reconsider how we do this, so we should get started as soon as possible.

Editorial: Amend the lock-out policy

This Board opposed these measures when proposed in the spring and still finds this policy unreasonable. Rather than leading to greater responsibility, this policy only incentivizes students to leave their doors unlocked or propped open, creating serious safety hazards.

The need for bipartisanship

There is nothing more corrosive to the democratic system than an uninformed voting public, and even here at Princeton I have seen people with pretensions to political knowledge who, when prompted, can do little more than regurgitate the party lines spelled out in colorful bullet points on the Republican and Democratic websites. We can do better.

Rethinking diversity: part I

Many of us will have the opportunity to move to very small and rarified circles after graduation, running the risk of never quite coming back down to earth and interacting with people whose life paths are drastically different from our own. But these interactions are critical to the process of understanding ourselves in relation to society, a core component of diversity.

Activities fair: hold the crazy

I walked into the fair with a plan. I knew which three groups I wanted to scope out, and I was ready to power through the crowd. Get in, get signed up, get out. Oh, how clueless.

Breaking into China

I’m an advocate for study abroad. But I would argue that a study abroad experience that doesn’t include an active research component that engages you with the people of the country is a waste of time.

Cartoon: Life as an alternate

Editorial: A more accessible McCosh

The particular 50 hours offered by McCosh tend to fall at times inconvenient for a student schedule, which is unfortunate given that McCosh’s services are aimed primarily at students. Consequently, we urge the University to adjust them.

For the love of language

Given this self-consciousness, it would be best for all students, regardless of background, if all language courses were separated into native and non-native sections throughout entire language departments.

Cartoon: The top six religions on campus

Condoms and Consent

If two individuals, both of whom are capable of informed consent, engage in sex, it seems to be understood by consensualists that the act cannot be justly called impermissible. And so we see that while other moral characteristics help frame the discussion, to the consensualist, the presence or absence of consent is ultimately what determines whether a sexual act is permissible.

Confronting religion

The policy of minimizing religious differences adopts the political correctness of indifference to skin color, nationality or sexual orientation and applies it to religion. You’re an Orthodox Jew? We won’t tell. And yet — would a French student appreciate being told that nobody will notice her accent? Why promise a gay teenager that nobody in his peer group knows of his orientation if he is open about his sexuality? These assurances imply that there is something embarrassing about the student’s identity. Moreover, religion, unlike the aforementioned categories, is a choice. If anything, the assumption upon encountering people with unusual religious practices should be that they are proud of their faith.

Cartoon: Princeton spending report revealed

Improving conversation

We have a two-fold problem: a competitive rather than collaborative approach to class discussion and an emphasis and value, real or perceived, placed on quantity of remarks over quality. This attitude is unfortunate and misguided, as further developing someone else’s point demonstrates the ability to make connections and think more deeply — traits which are just as indicative of intelligence and effort as bringing up a new idea.

Editorial: Off-campus trips

Given that the disadvantages above are perfectly justified, indeed, college-based budgets used to purchase group tickets are limited, and recognizing that political activism, performances and exhibitions can be important to many Princeton students, the Editorial Board recommends that the University look into alternative ways to sponsor trip opportunities for a wider student pool.