Well, Spring Recess is over, and as everyone trickles back to campus, we're getting ready to resume regular blogging this week. Much has happened over break, so let's look back at some of the excitement:
1. Evacuations: As I was waiting for my airport train in Princeton Junction, a friend called to ask if I had been a part of the Icahn evacuation. Back on campus, Jadwin and Icahn (where I'm doing independent work) were evacuated after a bomb threat was made against the nearby construction site for the new chemistry building. While an all-clear was issued at 5 p.m., many researchers had a more relaxing Friday afternoon than they had planned.
2. Storm days: Many of our breaks began with thunderstorms, still too early to be counted with our beloved April showers. With trees blocking the Dinky (causing many to miss their flights), emergency shelter in Dillon, and a shoutout on Krugman's blog — hopefully no one will return to find a tree branch crashed through their windows.
3. Springing forward: If falling back gave Fall Recess an extra hour, I suppose it's only fair that springing forward do the reverse. Benjamin Franklin once noted that "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" and sarcastically suggested that the people of Paris could save money on candles by waking up earlier so as to make use of the morning sunlight. Here, however, his suggestion would not have meshed well with fire safety regulations. Those lamenting daylight saving time (DST) should direct all anger to the New Zealand entomologist who invented it.
Princeton connections! When DST was repealed by Congress in 1919 (only to be brought back in the 60s), our very own Woodrow Wilson vetoed the repeal twice, but was overridden. Also, which state, whose governor is an alumnus, began using DST only four years ago?
Hope you all enjoyed your 215 hours of break!
By Aaron Hosios, editor for Blogs
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Back, but sprung forward
Friday, March 12, 2010
Orange and Apples: Harvard
Harvard and Princeton are both the Number 1 universities in the country according to US News & World Reports, but how does the experience at the two schools differ for students? Ralph Kleiner '05 offers a comparison of the two institutions.
In 2005, I graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in chemistry. Immediately thereafter, I started work on my Ph.D. in chemistry at Harvard. My experience at Harvard has been extremely rewarding both scientifically and professionally. The Boston area --- including MIT, Harvard and Harvard Med, the newly formed Broad Institute and countless other academic and industrial ventures --- is one of the most exciting places in the country for research in the natural sciences. As a grad student, it’s easy to take advantage of these opportunities; for an undergrad however, the competitive environment created by students who know exactly what they want to do, and those who are less certain, can be a bit overwhelming.
For most undergrads, college is more a place of exploration than a means to an end. My time at Princeton was spent doing just that. In addition to deciding on what I wanted to study, I dabbled in several fairly diverse activities, spanning everything from a cappella singing to playing on the sprint football team. (For those interested, Harvard has no sprint football team.) I also belonged to an eating club, that bastion of Ivy League indulgence and exclusivity that my non-Princeton friends tease me about incessantly. Of course, Harvard is not without its pretension, as evidenced by the recent licensing of its name to a line of preppy high-end men’s sportswear.
What I most treasured about my Princeton experience was the sense of community fostered by the school. I think that a large part of this was due to the relative seclusion of the campus as well as the focus that Princeton places on the undergraduate body (which, after all, constitutes more than two-thirds of all students on campus). Socially, the eating clubs provided an inclusive and convenient environment for meeting your peers. I also always had a feeling that the admission office had done an exceptional job of selecting students that were both sufficiently diverse and yet had a certain set of core values in common. The friends that I made at Princeton have remained some of the closest people in my life.
In contrast, Harvard is nestled in the heart of Cambridge, which provides a number of exciting opportunities for rest and relaxation for those with the initiative to seek them out. Nearby Boston has even more things to do if you envision yourself spending significant amounts of time off campus. While the town of Princeton is quaint and idyllic, the extent of its charm can be appreciated within the span of a single afternoon.
Ultimately, it’s hard to go wrong with either school as an undergraduate institution. The undergrads that I’ve interacted with at Harvard have all seemed very happy and would probably praise its virtues no less than I’ve praised those of Princeton. Neither school however, is an appropriate choice for someone interested in following college football. Then again, my hometown team, the Syracuse Orange, hasn’t fared all that well recently either.
If you're a former Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
20 questions with Hilary from the 'Wa'
How old are you?
29.
Where are you from?
Kenya
What do you do at the 'Wa'?
I’m a customer service manager.
How long have you been working at the 'Wa'?
3 months
Do you like it?
Yes, can’t complain.
Do you talk to Princeton students?
Once in a while I do. Just about random stuff.
What kind of stuff?
Sports, day to day things…just whatever pops up.
Do you like Princeton students?
Sometime’s they’re obnoxious. They get annoying at times.
How do they get obnoxious?
Sometimes they come in and they get way too loud! Knocking stuff around…
What’s it like on a Saturday night?
It’s a hell of a night. It’s a busy night. You get to deal with the drunks and everything.
Do you like what you do? Does it get difficult?
It’s a little bit of both. Sometimes we do, sometimes it gets too hard.
What do you like best about this job?
The social aspect. I get to meet people.
And the least?
Sometimes it gets overwhelming. Like, let’s say there are a lot of people in the store at the same time – I have to do a lot at the same time. Sometimes we get 300 people in here all at the same time and some of them try to shoplift.
Somebody locked himself in the freezer. An associate. That was the best.
Who found him?
We found him. He was knocking on the door and we couldn’t figure out what it was!
How did he do that?!
It’s too cold in there and it’s warm outside. So when you go in there’s a vacuum created on the door so if you go inside the door locks itself. That was just hilarious.
6, 7 years.
Freedom about everything.
What do you like least?
The weather. Especially wintertime.
What do you think of the University?
It’s a good university. I heard about Princeton before I came here. I heard the learning system is good and everything.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bellinger '82 & Bobbit '71 protest attacks on DOJ attorneys
Former legal advisor to the Secretary of State John Bellinger III `82 and Philip Bobbitt `71, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, signed a statement protesting recent attacks against attorneys in the Department of Justice who have represented Guantánamo detainees as private clients before their appointment.
Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, issued the letter on Sunday in response to claims by Keep America Safe, a conservative advocacy organization, questioning the loyalty and patriotism of seven Justice Department attorneys.
Keep America Safe released a video last week in which the attorneys were referred to as the “Al Qaeda Seven.” The effort was led by Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Eminent conservative figures such as former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson and former acting attorney general Peter Keisler joined Bellinger and Bobbitt as signatories of the letter.
Alluding to John Adams’ defense of the British soldiers charged in the Boston massacre, the statement cited “the American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients ... To suggest that the Justice Department should not employ talented lawyers who have advocated on behalf of detainees maligns the patriotism of people who have taken honorable positions on contested questions.”
The letter described the campaign initiated by Keep America Safe as “a shameful series of attacks” against Justice Department lawyers who have either represented terrorism suspects or supported amendments to detention policy.
The statement argued that “a uniformity of background and view in government service” would not benefit any administration, and a “diverse array of prior private clients,” adds to the strength of the Justice Department.
America’s response to the debate surrounding possible changes to detention policy depends on “an aggressive defense bar” and “those who take up that function do a service to the system,” the letter concluded.
By Dilek Izek, staff writer for News
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Diggin' In The Mudd: Princeton's Fraternity Debate
Today's Daily Prince had an opinion piece arguing for university-sanctioned on-campus fraternities and sororities. But this debate is not a new one. Some of the same arguments were being made before 1900. Read them under the cut!
Theta Delta Chi Magazine 1893:
Princeton Alumni Weekly, Excerpt from Letter from Member of Class of 1892:Excerpt From Letter To "The Present Age" 1882:
Stanford considers reinstating ROTC
Last month, before receiving the James Madison Medal, General David Petraeus GS ’87 expressed his pride in Princeton’s decision to maintain its ROTC program after other schools had abandoned theirs. Looks like Stanford just got the memo.
At a meeting of the Faculty Senate last week, Stanford discussed reinstating its ROTC program, which was disbanded in the 1970s. Though no decisions have been made, the school took a page out of Princeton’s book when they decided to start a committee to investigate the possibility. The question was part of a larger discussion about preparing Stanford students for military leadership opportunities, which the committee will mainly address, and is partially a response to the expected repeal of current military restrictions on gays in the military.
In the words of Stanford history professor emeritus David Kennedy, who spoke before the senate in favor of returning the ROTC program to campus, "the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, which has been a serious impediment to reopening this discussion at all, will probably go away within the next year or two, and the field will be open to have a reasonable discussion on this.”
Yeah, former AP US-ers. That David Kennedy.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Orange and Apples: UT Austin
If you are choosing between the University of Texas Austin and Princeton then your school spirit section of your wardrobe may not look that different. The Tiger's orange and Longhorns' burnt orange are not that far from each other on the color wheel. But how similar are the instututions themselves? Devon Edwards '05, a former Politics major and law student at UT, provides a comparison.
It is difficult to compare the University of Texas with Princeton. My perspective is incomplete: I attended Princeton as an undergraduate, but attended Texas as a law student, and the University of Texas School of Law is almost entirely a separate entity from the undergraduate college. But I did spend three years mixing in among the undergrads at raucous football games and ridiculous Sixth Street. My brother also attended Texas as an undergraduate, and some of my best friends at the law school had previously called the University of Texas’ 40 acres home as well. These perspectives, as well as my own, enable me to make some comparisons.
The most important difference between the two schools is that Princeton students generally make academic growth their first priority. Students at Texas view academics as only one part of a broader college experience. Princeton is filled with people who are unabashedly intellectually curious, and the small classes and precepts encourage students to work to grasp the material. Learning is personal. When discussing the roots of Nietzsche’s philosophy in front of eight peers as well as the professor, you better know what you’re talking about. In contrast, while Texas has the resources to challenge students, the larger class sizes prevent professors and students from personally and intellectually interacting. It is easier
to coast until the final exam, and students do.
While students at both colleges are intelligent and rounded people, certain differences are notable. You’ll continually be impressed by how freakishly smart your peers will be at Princeton. You’ll find students who dominated you in Beirut the night before blowing you out of the water in your physics class the next day. These people can be intense though, and at Texas you will find smart kids who like to relax a bit more. If you got into Princeton, you’re likely to be among the smartest kids in any room at Texas. At Princeton, you’re probably not even the smartest kid in your freshman bunk bed. (I definitely wasn’t.)
The difference in the size of the undergraduate student body also leads to differences in how students socially interact and cohere. The small size of Princeton allows the administration to construct a variety of effective communities and small groups: Outdoor Action groups, the residential colleges and the small precepts mandatory for most classes. And while Greek life at Princeton is more important than the administration would have you know, it is not a central component of interaction in the undergraduate system. In contrast, because Texas is so large, students already know many people from home with whom they band together to brave the larger crowds. Joining a fraternity or a sorority is more essential at Texas to make new friends. But the larger size of Texas, as well as the ease of access to the greater Austin community, guarantees a variety of social niches and escapes that Princeton lacks. While Princeton often feels like a self-contained bubble, Texas never does.
Texas completely outshines Princeton when it comes to organized sports. If you envision a healthy dose of Saturday tailgating and cheering loudly with friends, go to Texas. Somehow Princeton students have mastered the art of tailgating right through the football game. In contrast, Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium brims with rowdy burnt-orange fans. Students take fandom seriously; there is no Princeton equivalent to the pilgrimage to Dallas for the Texas-Oklahoma shootout, nor to the ever-present possibility of a football or basketball national championship. On the other hand, it is much more likely that you will actually participate in sports at Princeton, where crew teams that win at Nationals typically count many of their members as walk-ons.
Ultimately, you will probably make the right choice for you, or anyway, you’ll be so happy at either Princeton or Texas that you could not have imagined going anywhere else. So don’t sweat it, and enjoy whatever choice you make.
If you're a former Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Georgetown follows George Washington’s lead
Thirty regular decision applicants to Georgetown University, who have not yet been officially accepted to the university, received e-mails from the biology department, which congratulated them and welcomed them into the Class of 2014.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions sent the biology department a list of acceptees from the Early Action program who had expressed interest in studying biology, but also inadvertently included on this list the names of the 30 regular decision applicants who were likely to be accepted. The department of biology sent the congratulatory e-mails to all the applicants on the list, to both accepted early-action applicants and to the regular-decition applicants.
Following the minor mishap, the admissions office sent the 30 elated students another e-mail, which stated that though they had not officially been accepted, they were “likely” to be admitted.
In February, The George Washington University sent acceptance e-mails to roughly 200 of its Early Decision II applicants who had (already) been notified of their rejection a few weeks earlier.
What’s going on in Washington?
By Wonpyo Yun, staff writer for News
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Students petition USG-funded "porn screening"
Anscombe Society President Shivani Radhakrishnan '11 began an online petition this Wednesday and posters advertising the petition have cropped up around campus this weekend. Radhakrishnan is also a member of The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board.
In late February, the USG voted to grant $1,500 to the student group Let’s Talk Sex (LeTS) to fund the event. The petition is aimed at four administrators at the University including President Shirley Tilghman and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne.
In a Daily Princetonian article, Radhakrishnan said that while the Anscombe Society does not object to discussion about pornography, “screening pornography ... is a relevantly different situation.”
The online petition, which is seeking 500 signatures, had 223 as of Saturday evening. The text of the petition reads, "We, as students of Princeton, oppose the public screening of pornography on campus." A sizable number of the signatories, however, are Princeton alumni or individuals not affiliated with the University.
*Update (3/7): The text of the petition now reads: "students, alumni, and community members of the Princeton community".
— Tasnim Shamma '11
Friday, March 5, 2010
Anscombe Society + Princeton Pride Alliance join forces
This Thursday, the Princeton Pride Alliance and the Anscombe Society are co-sponsoring a petition in the Frist Campus Center to protest the Ugandan "Anti-Homosexuality Bill"
and encourage Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to continue her efforts against the bill, which includes life imprisonment of homosexuals and HIV positive individuals.
Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 African countries including Uganda, where it is currently punishable with up to 14 years in prison. In late January, the Ugandan Parliament agreed to remove the death penalty from the bill, but the Parliament is expected to continue discussing the bill in the coming weeks and months.
At the annual National Prayer Breakfast on February 4th, both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against the bill. Numerous religious organizations and leaders have also issued statements against the bill.
This marks a first in the recent history of these organizations. Read the 'Prince' this week for more details and coverage of the partnership and petition.
— Tasnim Shamma '11
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