Class of 2009 is fortunate to have Petraeus GS ’85
Regarding “Petraeus GS ’85: ‘True thrill’ to deliver Baccalaureate address” (Friday, March 13, 2009):
Congratulations to the Class of 2009 on your selection of Gen. David Petraeus GS ’85 as your Baccalaureate speaker. To begin to fully appreciate the awesome nature of his responsibilities and to gain a ground-level sense of what the soldiers who serve under him face in Afghanistan and Iraq, I highly recommend two books for your post-thesis, pre-Commencement reading: “Joker One” by Donovan Campbell ’01 (a Harvard Business School grad), who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a Marine platoon leader, and “The Unforgiving Minute” by Craig Mullaney (West Point grad, Rhodes Scholar and platoon leader in Afghanistan).
Fred Hargadon
University should further examine its investments
Regarding “Princeton for Workers’ Rights criticisms are misplaced” (Thursday, March 5, 2009):
In a letter to the editor dated March 5, 2009, an HEI executive promised the Princeton community that HEI treats their workers with respect, good benefits and a safe environment to organize.
I have reason to doubt their claims. Earlier this month, I was part of a delegation that presented workers’ demands for card-check neutrality to the management of an HEI-owned hotel in Arlington, Va.
That morning, an employee at the hotel, who had worked there for over 20 years, was suspended: Management claimed he did not paint a room fast enough. He had been visible the past four days talking to coworkers about the upcoming demand for card-check neutrality. This is one example of tactics used by HEI. While in the delegation, I saw managers treat workers with little respect, walking away as workers were explaining their demands. Workers expressed a desire to end the abuses of management. One worker said that she had been working at the hotel for more than eight years for less than $11 an hour. I see a huge contradiction between what goes on at these hotels and the words of Ms. Petitt in The Daily Princetonian. I saw an intense desire of workers to fight for a better life. As members of the Princeton community, who have an interest in Princeton’s investments, we can and should do our part to urge Princeton to demand an end to these abuses and the right to card-check neutrality for the workers at HEI hotels.
Ian Carlin ’12
Individuals, not the University, perpetuate self-segregation
Regarding “Black in the Orange Bubble” (Friday, March 13, 2009):
To those who do not know, I am a black senior. I think that it is important to stop and think about how this exact same article would have been viewed by the black community had it been about whites. How would the black community view a white person claiming that some location on campus was “Vanilla City”? To elicit an understanding of this reaction, I feel we can all think back to last year, when there was outrage among some members of the black community because a white student chose to don black face paint for Halloween some years before. While this action had no intent to harm, the public persecution of this person was a clear demonstration of the sensitive nature with which the black community approaches the issue of race at Princeton. Obviously, as evident from this situation, if the tables were turned, “Vanilla City” would not be well received by the black community.
Just like Miriam Camara ’10, I also attended a primarily white Ivy League prep school, and I can say that I’ve been on both sides of the experience of this racial stratum. There was a similar social climate among the minorities at my high school, and I did, at first, find comfort in accepting a similar “Chocolate City” social mode. As time went on, however, I realized that I did not want to limit my circle of friends to any single-minded group (interests, activities, skin color etc.). Yes, I have had to stretch my own perspectives and adjust my comfort zone, but I think that this is expected of every student (if not every social being). Not everything is going to be agreeable to everyone, and sometimes you’ve just got to expand your horizons. In this sense, the institution does not perpetuate segregation; instead, it is the individuals within its community that chose to propagate this type of outlook, regardless of skin color.
I’m not going to begin to think that any issue involving race has a simple solution, but how can the nickname — “Chocolate City” (a name that connotes a safe haven for blacks, and is uninviting to whites) — of a location possibly have any relevance to a progressive view about diversity? I’m not sure which should be of greater concern, the mere publishing of these concepts in an article by The Daily Princetonian or the fact that the some of the statements in the article have credibility amongst any group of Princeton students.
I think it’s worthwhile to take another look at what kind of attitudes are perpetuated within the black community and how these views are received by those outside it.
Ian Thomson ’09
Read More
Why can’t lecturers win the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching?
Jerry ZhuLet’s acknowledge those who make “boutique teaching” possible, those who work tirelessly to make our rigorous curricula more accessible, and those who dedicate their time to advising and guiding us through all the challenges we face at this University. Lecturers should be eligible for the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Let’s acknowledge those who make “boutique teaching” possible, those who work tirelessly to make our rigorous curricula more accessible, and those who dedicate their time to advising and guiding us through all the challenges we face at this University. Lecturers should be eligible for the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Princeton’s administration of justice is Trumpian
Frances BroganThe disparity between the University’s approach to Giberson and its approach to pro-Palestinian protestors reflects a concerning trend of appeasing an increasingly emboldened right rather than resisting the threat it poses to academic freedom and the wellbeing of Princeton students.
Secular Opening Exercises? Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water
Frank StrasburgerThe secular makes no room for the spiritual. What Opening Exercises are meant to convey is the spirit of the institution so that it may be kept alive from generation to generation.
The secular makes no room for the spiritual. What Opening Exercises are meant to convey is the spirit of the institution so that it may be kept alive from generation to generation.
