Opinion

Editorial: Do it for the night owls

The late-night study session is a near-unavoidable element of student life at Princeton. We certainly don’t deny that we’re pampered already — but through some simple changes, the University can significantly improve the experience of night owls across campus.

Powerless

All this is a reminder of how dependent we are on infrastructure without which we can’t operate at all, let alone enjoy the services that we take for granted.

Automatons at work

Eventually, we will be thrown into a world where we must produce to stay afloat, no matter the sector in which we are employed. Hopefully, for our own sanities, we will enter that world not as miniature factories, but as beings ready, willing and able to fully interact with our jobs and our lives.

Embracing cellular angst

Cell phone addiction is merely the most visible symptom of a much deeper pathology. The basic “disease” that we now suffer is a painful incapacity to ever be at real peace with ourselves.

Cartoon: A day in the life of a Princeton student

Editorial: Expanding pre-orientation

Ensuring that as many freshmen as possible participate in an activity they enjoy would both increase the number likely to sign up for pre-orientation and the value they derive from it.

Let's talk about sex, baby

The sexual decisions each of us contribute to a culture affect everyone on this campus, particularly in the expectation surrounding romance, which the University recognizes implicitly in “Sex on a Saturday Night?"

The elusive 'perfect' resume

My point is not that resumes are unnecessary or detrimental to your application process — unless you’re competing against me for a job, in which case, don’t worry your little head about making a resume at all (Disclaimer: I’m kidding ... kind of). Rather, what I think is necessary to come away from this with is the fact that a resume cannot, and should not be assumed to, measure personal worth or the value of experiences.

9/11: A lesson forgotten?

It should go without saying that in our response to the threat of terrorism, we must not violate the values our society holds dear. But as the speakers themselves acknowledged explicitly, the terror attacks were born of no intolerance on our part. And to some degree, the lesson of the attacks was that liberal society should make an active effort not to tolerate the most dangerously illiberal values wherever they are held.

Cartoon: Long way to go

Cartoon: Crazy weekend

Racist bake sales and freedom of speech

When someone says the word “bake sale,” it brings to my mind images of bake sales during elementary school at which parents would dutifully bake brownies, cupcakes and cookies to support the initiatives of the parent-teacher association. What doesn’t come to mind are political protests and minority rights issues.

Student safety, not class warfare

The University dropped the ball on this one. By making the freshman rush ban less about hazing and more about class warfare, they’re sidelining a legitimate student health concern and turning this into a witch-hunt.

Editorial: We need more seminars

Seminar offerings should be expanded to allow for a broader range of topics and to involve more students in this more intimate classroom setting.

Cartoon: Grad jousting

The Princeton pressure

While some assume that we are supposed to come to campus with spectacular resumes, we must remember that truly extraordinary accomplishments almost always come well after college is over. The point is not to have accomplished great things before coming in, but to use Princeton’s resources to maximize our own potential after we graduate.

A new interface for community health work

I learned the importance of teaching locals the tools to help themselves in the long term, but of also working with them to make sure what we wanted to implement was rooted in pragmatism and actual needs on the ground.

The need for better dialogue

All sides of an argument must be voiced to have a productive dialogue. Islam should be discussed and understood. Furthermore, concerns about religious fanaticism should be addressed.

Discussing the death penalty

I am forced to conclude that the death penalty can be a tool that serves to bring justice and safety into the world, but it must be used with judiciousness and under extraordinarily intense scrutiny.

My two Ferdinands

There are two Ferdinands in my life. The first, a nearly lifelong acquaintance, is a bull. Born 75 years ago, right before the start of the Spanish Civil War, “el toro feroz Ferdinando” was one of my favorite characters when I was a child.