U. Affairs

House passes tax bill, U. and other institutions object to higher ed provisions

The House tax bill contains several provisions to which colleges and universities object, including the removal of tax deductions for student loan interest. The bill would make graduate student teaching and research income taxable, and would tax endowments of private universities with at least 500 students and where the value of the school’s endowment is more than $250,000 per student, an elite group which includes the University. 

U. President Eisgruber declines proposal to house, educate Puerto Rico students

University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 rejected a proposal to provide a semester of housing and education for students currently attending college in Puerto Rico whose educational plans have been affected by Hurricane Maria.

Committee on Naming to solicit suggestions on titles for two campus structures

At the behest of the University’s Board of Trustees, the Committee on Naming, a special branch of the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC), is soliciting suggestions for the names of two notable structures on campus, the easternmost arch of East Pyne and a public garden visible from Nassau Street that is currently under construction. 

Vertical farming: Key to meeting U. Sustainability Plan

Dr. Paul Gauthier, a postdoctoral research associate in the Geosciences department, created the Princeton Vertical Farming Project (PVFP) this past April. The project, situated in Moffett Laboratory, was funded by the University’s Office of Sustainability and is directly related to the University’s Sustainability Plan.

Princeton-CUNY biophysics center set up with $13-million grant

A $13-million grant from the National Science Foundation was awarded for setting up CPBF, according to Joshua Shaevitz, co-director of the program and University professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. This is one of 11 Physical Frontiers Centers funded by the Physics Division of the National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. 

News and Notes: U. completes updates to CAS and dual-factor authentication

Wilson Dining Hall to offer early breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on weekends

Last week, Wilson College dining hall opened for breakfast – early. It was not brunch, and it was early enough for students with morning commitments to fill their bellies beforehand. At 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Wilson College is now open for breakfast.

CPUC meeting discusses prison divestment, University centers

Divestment from private prisons and upcoming programming by campus resource centers were the two main topics discussed at the first Council of the Princeton University Community meeting of the 2017-2018 academic year this Monday.

Dean of Faculty advises against international travel

Dean of the Faculty Deborah Prentice sent an email to University faculty members Saturday morning advising against travel outside the United States in the coming days.

Department of Justice finds U. in compliance with ADA

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey reached an agreement with the University with regards to the University’s protocol and procedural practices relating to students with mental health disabilities, according to a University press release. A compliance review of University policies began in May 2014, and the Justice Department did not find any instances of non-compliance after years of review.

Updated: U. accepts 15.4 percent of early action applicants

The University offered admission to 770 students from a pool of 5,003 applicants through the single-choice early action program for the Class of 2021, according to Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye. This represents the largest application pool the University has received in the last six years, a 18.3 percent increase over last year's round of early applicants. 

U. completes new building to house departments, programs

The University completed an extensive renovation of the former Frick Chemistry Laboratory at 20 Washington Street, which will provide a new home to ten academic departments and five international programs, including the Department of Economics.

Jessica Lee named new director of admission

Jessica Lee, who has served senior admission positions at the University and Barnard College, has been named the new director of admission.

Eisgruber explains email supporting DACA, hesitation in designating campus as "Sanctuary Campus"

In an email sent to the undergraduate student body on Monday afternoon, University President Christopher Eisgruber '83 said that the concept of a “Sanctuary Campus” is a legally unfounded, noting consultation with immigration lawyers as the basis for this impression. Eisgruber also brought to bear his own experience as a constitutional scholar, connecting the judgment of these lawyers with “commitment to the rule of law,” which he holds as “one of the country’s most basic principles.” In the email, he wrote, “In a country that respects the rule of law, every person and every official, no matter what office he or she may hold, is subject to the law and must respect the rights of others.

Over 300 U. faculty members sign petition in support of diversity

The "Faculty statement in support for diversity at Princeton University"

Eisgruber '83 joins over 100 college presidents in support of DACA

University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 is one of over 100 college and university presidents who signed a statement calling for the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in light of the recent presidential election.

News & Notes: U. faculty members sign statement to support diversity, object discrimination

Nearly three hundred members of the University's faculty released a statement “in support of diversity and against racism and discrimination” on Thursday.The statement was signed by 267 assistant, associate,or full professors and by 32 lecturers.

News & Notes: Post-Election processing spaces this week

After the election, various organizations announced spaces and times for hosting post-election discussions.

CPUC discusses We Speak results, updates from U. committees

History professor Angela Creager, Chair of the Committee on Naming, opened Monday’s Council of the Princeton University Community meeting with an update on the committee’s work. Creager explained that the committee selected the atrium of Robertson Hall for naming in part because it is one of the nicest unnamed places on campus and because it could accommodate a plaque or another similar marker of recognition. She added that the committee selected West College for naming because it is an especially conspicuous building and because the original name referred not to a person but to its geographic placement relative to the former East College, which was demolished in 1896. Creager noted that the committee had received 150 naming suggestions within just a week of the submission form having been opened and said that she would like to see more suggestions.

We Speak Survey results find decline in sexual misconduct rates

In an email to the University community, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter reported the results of the second annual “We Speak” survey that was administered in 2015. The reported results of misconduct were lower than last year’s “We Speak” survey, but they “still show that too many of our students have been victims of sexual misconduct,” the email stated. While undergraduate women still experienced the highest rate of sexual misconduct at the University, they experienced fewer instances, according to the 2016 survey.