There is a special sense of hopelessness that accompanies leaving the Trustee Reading Room in Firestone Library at 2 a.m., paper unfinished and coffee in hand. I’ve spent more nights than I would have liked searching for a quiet study space after the libraries have closed.
Tonight, I had a conversation with a stranger in a dining hall. About USG elections. I have never done this before.
Princeton tradition defines Reunions. And although female alums are excluded from some of Princeton’s older traditions, the women on campus this weekend have formed their own legacy over the last 40 years.
Between the raging and revelry, Reunions can also give former University students an opportunity to revisit their academics.
There are already many dedicated and effective tutors working through the residential colleges and through McGraw, but there definitely seems to be space for more students to apply. In Forbes, my residential college, the director of studies sent out multiple emails asking for peer tutors. Most tutors at the McGraw Center spend three hours twice a week in Frist. With more tutors, the programs could reach more students. A larger tutoring staff could also enable McGraw and the residential colleges to reduce the required time commitment, which could attract qualified students who would not have otherwise applied. If these programs recognized diverse pathways to mastery, they could attract more tutors who are just as passionate, committed and knowledgeable.
I had always assumed that I accepted diverse people and experiences, but I had never been tested before coming to this campus. My roommate was my first friend who didn’t hold most of the same values that I did and didn’t have similar plans for her life. But exactly for these reasons, the relationship I have with my roommate is one that I treasure. I think that everyone on this campus, especially freshmen, should allow themselves the opportunity to strengthen a relationship that they originally thought might not last past freshman week, the first semester or the first year.
Just as in the greater world, tactics for news dissemination on Princeton’s campus are changing. If the courts refuse to acknowledge or protect new forms of media, we risk losing an important alternative to established news sources.
There is more than one way to encourage creativity and innovation. Even if the administration does not consider changes to the grading policy, it is possible to change the way we approach education.
I consider the Writing Center an extremely valuable academic help program at Princeton, and I am definitely grateful that I have access to it. But, while I have had several positive experiences at there, I think that the process could be improved. Several of my friends and I who have been to the Writing Center so far this year have experienced a significant problem with the system — the possibility that the writing fellow has little or no experience with the subject material of your paper.
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.
