Opinion

Why Rachel Yee is my friend – and why she should be your next USG president

I first met Rachel Yee ’19 exactly one year and five days ago. I was getting late meal with a friend after a particularly unhappy meeting with a counselor at Counseling and Psychological Services. I have bipolar disorder and despite CPS’s best, if limited, efforts, I was depressed as all hell.

A defense of Ryan Ozminkowski

Thank God for Ryan. He was a fellow track guy and Wilsonite, and he immediately went out of his way to connect with me, inviting me to a slew of movie nights, hangouts, meals, etc. It was largely through him that I met many of my closest friends in my new class. He was my roommate both this and last year, and has never been anything but kind, attentive, and enthusiastic, always willing to talk with and support me.

Born USG election special: Vote Yee for USG president

It can be hard to evaluate candidates. Luckily, all undergraduates have access to the USG Winter 2017 Candidate Biographies document online. I will be pulling from this document extensively in the following election special. I will discuss each candidate in turn, starting with my endorsement of Yee, a discussion of Ryan Ozminkowski ’19, and my second choice in Matthew Miller ’19.  

On the outskirts of reality

Each day, we immerse ourselves in the same world. But this world presents itself differently to each one of us. In other words, my world is different from yours — as close as we are to our best friends and as well versed as we may be in the lives of our parents, we can never fathom someone else’s experience the same way that person can. Even if, theoretically, we were to spend our entire lives alongside another person, each of us engaging in the same experiences, these occurrences would still have different meanings, yield different emotions, conjure different reactions for each person.

Students: Boycott Professor Verdú

University inaction does not have to translate into student inaction. We will soon be faced with a rare opportunity to rebuke Verdú, and in doing so, send a strong message to the administration that we will not tolerate sexual harassment of any shape or form. Next semester, Verdú will be teaching an electrical engineering course called Information Theory (ELE 528). To my fellow students, I issue a simple call to arms: boycott the course. 

Undergraduates: The Republican graduate-tuition waiver tax affects us too

We have an interest in agitating for the interests of our graduate students. They are our teachers, they are our future, they are our colleagues. We must fight against the reform of graduate student taxation.

Lend your ears and your heart

An increasingly antagonistic political relationship stemming from the 1979 American hostage crisis has rendered American consciousness largely unresponsive and apparently uncaring towards the people of Iran.

The case for cash

A cashless economy would endanger our centuries-strong tradition of financial autonomy and accountability. Cashless platforms facilitate imprudent and impulsive spending, because we are less likely to care about the amount we spend than if we used cash.

Against ICE, and for all immigrants

The arrests by ICE of our own neighbors are a clear reminder that our town is vulnerable to the everyday violence of our country’s immigration system. Four of our neighbors were torn from their communities, homes, families, friends, jobs. Reflecting on the events of Tuesday the 28th, it’s difficult knowing how little distance and time separated the ICE arrests and the gathering of sign-waving protestors. 

Whitman’s architecture: a critique

Ten years ago, in 2007, Whitman College was built. Designed by the British architect Demetri Porphyrios, this 250,000-square foot complex now houses 500 students each year, as well as a dining area and the Writing Center. Despite this prominent role in campus life, there is surprisingly little discussion within the Princeton community surrounding Whitman’s architecture.

Why Princeton students need a Shabbat

Princeton students, as long as I’ve been a student here, have suffered from the unbearable condition of cancelled plans – plans later decided too inconvenient or plans never truly intended to be honored. Things invariably come up that make that brunch date inconvenient: a deadline, an all-nighter, snow, a hangover.

U. graduate students petition against taxation of tuition waivers

We, the undersigned graduate students of Princeton University, demand that President Eisgruber, Dean Cole Crittenden, and the University administration commit to actively and vocally opposing any legislation that imposes a tax on graduate student tuition waivers. In particular, we demand that the administration commit to opposing any bill that would tax tuition waivers even if such a bill would not impose a tax on university endowments. 

We just need a refrigerated truck

Many of us came to Princeton shackled with golden handcuffs, and we haven’t shed them yet.

Why a white, conservative male cares about improving the Wilson School’s approach to diversity and inclusion

Our country is in the midst of an examination of diversity and equality that, while not new, has taken on a new tenor and urgency over the last few years. The conversation has been particularly pronounced on campuses, including here in Princeton.

Saturdays are for football (Correction: Saturdays are for studying)

Regardless of the record of the football team (it finished 5-5 this year), I believe you should still go to the games. Being back in Michigan reminded me of the tailgate culture and the beauty of Saturday gamedays. Let’s bring this to Princeton.  

What do we do with the terrible and talented?

About a week ago, I had a conversation with a friend about the movie “Baby Driver.” My friend refused to see it because, according to him, “Kevin Spacey is in it and it turns out he’s a terrible man.” My friend is right: Kevin Spacey is a terrible man. But he’s still one of my favorite actors. The fact that he abused teenage boys, then reacted to their testimonies by coming out as homosexual deeply angers me. Yet none of this removes “American Beauty” from my Top 10 Movies List. 

As an independent

The murky side of paradise

The question of whether or not Princeton can be morally justified in having an offshore account hinges on how willing we are to give primacy to the claims of the “goods” provided by the endowment over an evaluation of the endowment’s necessity and efficacy in producing such benefits.

Giving more than a face to struggle

The visual depiction of human suffering in charity commercials is necessary for provoking an emotional response from viewers that could yield donations for the organization in question.   However, visual advertisements risk objectifying those that are struggling. Commercials should extend beyond the stationary photo. Videos could more appropriately narrate the character of the people they depict.  

What a letter can mean

For 18 years, I have mispronounced my own last name for convenience. My last name is Zhao. It is a gift passed down from my grandfather to my father and now to me. It is the first last name listed on the Hundred Family Surnames — the traditional 100 most common Chinese surnames — and one of the few connections that I have to my parents’ homeland.