The elections of the last year greatly tarnished the USG's reputation on campus. The USG has had multiple hiccups in its online voting system, interrupting voting and delaying results. In the spring, the voting rules for U-Council were changed - without the knowledge of many USG members - to a flawed system that could have resulted in the election of fewer candidates than available seats. At the same time, the USG discovered it could not locate the most up-to-date version of its constitution. December's election, marked by confusion and violations of election rules that resembled a real-life soap opera, proved equally disastrous.
Nevertheless, students need the USG. As the board has noted before, the USG is the only group on campus that is theoretically accountable to the entire student body. It has the ability to gather student opinion and negotiate with administrators. The alternative to the USG is far worse: Without it, the administration could make policy based on the opinions of handpicked students who were accountable to no one.
The USG's successes demonstrate its potential as a powerful advocate for student interests. It helped coordinate the response to keep Spelman 7 and Wright Hall out of Whitman College and collaborated with the housing department to develop its survey on housing options. The USG has worked to revise the University's alcohol and RCA policies and may be gaining ground on extending library hours. It has negotiated with the administration on Dillon Gym renovations as well as the recent elimination of 9 a.m. exams on the day after Dean's Date.
The USG must resolve its problems swiftly or its utility will be overshadowed by its gross failure to abide by its own rules. In investigating its recent missteps, the USG has taken a positive first step. But given the potential conflict between the USG Elections Regulations Packet, which gives elections manager Sophie Jin '11 the right to order a revote, and the USG Constitution, which awards incoming USG president Connor Diemand-Yauman '10 the right to fill a vice presidential vacancy, it is important that the USG ensure procedural clarity. Diemand-Yauman's first priority must be to restore the USG's image as a functioning government. If he succeeds, he will do the student body a great service.
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Why the Resources Committee is not recommending dissociation from Israel
John T. GrovesI want to use this opportunity to explain how the Resources Committee arrived at its decision to not recommend dissociation from Israel, and to anticipate and answer some questions members of our community may have.
I want to use this opportunity to explain how the Resources Committee arrived at its decision to not recommend dissociation from Israel, and to anticipate and answer some questions members of our community may have.
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By advertising Estonia as an alternative location to practice Russian, the University fails to treat Estonia as it is: a sovereign nation with its own cultural identity and historical trauma related to Russian domination. Princeton is not taking a stand against Russian imperialism — it’s simply finding a more palatable way to continue supporting it.
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