A modest referendum

This is not the first time that the PCP and the TFI have come to loggerheads. PCP, a group promoting resource conservation, and TFI, which encourages undergraduate research in “innovative thought of all types,” have often clashed over use of the Class of 1948 Endowment for Environmental Innovation, a small fund supporting both of the groups. Hard-liners in each group insist that the entire fund should belong to them, and cooperation has been difficult over the years due to bouts of intergroup non-recognition.

Studying, learning and being creative are undoubtedly some of the most important habits promoted at an institution of higher learning. PCP has insisted that students have an inadequate choice of places where they can fulfill these needs in an environmentally sustainable manner. The group cites David Karp, valedictorian of the Class of 2010, who when asked in an interview seven months ago where he does his best thinking, replied: “the shower — for hours at a time.” Arguing that many students will surely follow the same logic, since no place on campus provides the same level of relaxation and mental acuity as a shower, it is feared that students will take lengthy showers and contribute to water shortages.

Also, rumor has it that the PCP Facebook page has called for a “total boycott of showers” around Princeton. “One cannot help speculating about how many ‘shower-hours’ students are participating in on this campus,” one member said. “Because of the disturbing trend of competition for grades with grade deflation, more water is being wasted than ever. The University has fumbled the soap on this issue for long enough — something needs to be done.”

However, a shower provides the best possible environment for creative thought and other learning processes, bar none, says TFI. The University has had showers in place in dormitory areas for many years. According to the group, it is clear that students looking to achieve the top creative experience have no other option than to do it in the shower. Thus, they conclude that any allocation of funds for the creation of new study spaces would be frivolous, adverse to the University’s policy of impartiality in its dealings with the PCP and TFI, and contrary to the true spirit of innovation.

Moreover, they argue that the connection between students’ shower habits and world water stress is a weak one. “A shower provides just the right amount of isolation, comfort and distance from the real world for students to put their faculties to the test in a relaxing, sometimes even social, environment,” a representative said in an e-mail. “It really is a non-issue, but we at TFI feel it is still important to get the word out. With some maneuvering, cooler heads and shoulders will prevail. The PCP should be focused on more important conservation efforts than limiting students’ hygiene habits.”

PCP says that the University has not been providing enough environmentally sustainable choices to meet students’ learning and creative needs. The group has stated that the superiority of the shower forces students who would otherwise prefer water conservation to compromise their ideals for the sake of a fulfilling meditative experience. PCP feels that it is an outrage that the University indirectly supports prolonged shower use, when the dictations of water conservation efforts indicate that shorter showers are better for the environment. The group calls for the University to give students adequate choice for thinking environments that are relaxing, soothing and conducive to creative thinking — without creating what they see as a significant externality on the world’s water supply.

The current situation of only providing such an environment in the form of showers has been an uncontested University policy for years. However, the raising of this issue has sparked much intrigue and discussion among those on campus who utilize shower facilities, as well as among students who do not use them but have a purely academic interest in the matter. Although no referendum has yet been proposed to the USG, sources suspect that one will be forthcoming in the near future. Given the recent trend on campus toward attempting to resolve issues of international importance by a vote of the student body, this would come as pleasant, yet now almost expected, news. The purported Orange Bubble surrounding the Princeton campus of years past seems to have burst almost overnight — an encouraging sign for students, administrators and faculty alike.

Andy Hawley is a sophomore from Irwin, Pa. He can be reached at ahawley@princeton.edu.