Opinion

Lighten up, Princeton

When I idealize Princeton, I think about “Mad Men.” I am Don Draper, every other woman in the world is fabulously good-looking; talk and alcohol flow freely. We work hard among beautiful architecture, working important and glamorous jobs dressed in the best New York fashions. Everyone parties hard and goes home happy.The Princeton I am actually in is not like this. People are much too serious. Not in terms of studies; we all got here by seriously working hard in school. I mean that people are too serious when it comes to other people. They are nice, they are polite, and they are distant.

Letter to the Editor: November 8, 2010

I write to solicit nominations for the Pyne Prize, the highest general distinction the University confers upon an undergraduate, which will be awarded on Alumni Day, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. 

Parachutists, truffle-hunters and the college

Earlier this year, Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel announced that she would step down from her post at the end of the academic year. The University is searching for a new dean of the college. And I have found myself wondering less about who will take on this demanding and important job than about the structure of the University — especially that of the college. More particularly, I have found myself wondering about parachutists and truffle-hunters. 

Editorial: Feeding the masses

Considering the effectiveness of the meal plan system in place during fall break, Intersession and spring break, this system ought to be extended to another period when many students are left without an effective dining option: early September.

Princeton perfection

There is a certain amount of effort required from an administration to make a school run like clockwork. It must be a logistic miracle to sort students into classes, assign rooms, maintain all the facilities and do the thousands of other tasks necessary for making sure Princeton runs perfectly. But there is a certain amount of effort required on top of that to make it look like you didn’t do the work in the first place, to make it seem like Princeton is just naturally perfect.

Overcoming ‘no means yes’

Whether or not Whitman’s high-profile status influenced the decision, it is unlikely that was the only reason the University did not discipline Harsh. There very well may have been insufficient evidence and Harsh may have been innocent. But situations in which a student accused of rape goes unpunished, even when guilty, are not unique among rape cases at American colleges and universities.

Cartoon: Don't make me angry

Editorial: Lifting of restrictions on Alcohol Initiative funding is unwise

The most direct and effective way to provide healthy alternatives to drinking on campus is to sponsor events that coincide with parties where alcohol is served.

Princeton moments through the unjaded eyes of a freshman

Having been at Princeton for a mere six weeks, I have no right to give advice. I do have an interesting anecdote, though, that even the seniors among us can enjoy.

Safety precaution

The dismal science seems to be the only one permitted to perform human subject research without consent, often with catastrophic effects.

Cartoon: Princetonian guide to Pirate Code

Editorial: Make tuition credit permanent

In his 2011 budget proposal, President Barack Obama called on Congress to make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent. This provides a $2,500 college tuition tax credit to individuals whose modified adjusted gross income is $80,000 or less, or $160,000 or less for married couples filing a joint return, as well as smaller credits to families earning above this threshold. Given the benefits this act provides to students and their families, the Editorial Board urges Congress to listen to Obama and make the tax credit permanent.

We’re number one!

Princeton computer science is a fine department, but is it better than, say, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which came in third? MIT was second in 1995, after Stanford and followed by University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon University; and Cornell — a quite reasonable result. Other computer science departments were jerked around wildly; for instance, computer science at the University of Washington went from ninth to 38th, a most unlikely outcome.

The suicide vest

Unfortunately, the war on terror, and terror itself, is all but normal. This is the story of a Pakistani struggling with that abnormality. The more we try to simplify the situation, the less we have in our arsenal against extremist ideology. The best I can do in this column is complicate things for you, since grappling with confusion is better than settling for simplification.

Cartoon: Don't look down

Letter to the Editor: October 25, 2010

Your editorial incorrectly suggests that ROTC is considered an “outside organization” because of the conflict between its discriminatory practices and the University’s policy on non-discrimination. The reason that ROTC is considered an outside organization is because it is an outside organization: The ROTC program is sponsored, operated and controlled by the U.S. Army, not by the University.

Be brave: State what you think

When we are polite to a fault, we are no longer intellectuals engaging in debate, but politicians practicing the art of offending nobody.

Cartoon: Pregaming midterms

Editorial: Reevaluating ROTC

The permanent repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” would represent an important opportunity for the University to reevaluate its relationship with the ROTC program and to grant it full recognition.

Immigration and hospitality

Imagine you inherit a house with a vast and very fertile garden, and surrounding that garden is nothing but deserts and starving farmers.