Opinion

Beware tech triumphalism

Technology is a tool to improve society but shouldn’t be idolized. It is a means and not an end. Unless we think critically about what purpose we are building towards, we may find ourselves inventing things that would be better off not existing. History is rife with examples of technology going wrong or even being used to advance death and destruction, from the A-bomb to Zyklon B. Furthermore, there are some things that technology may never be able to do. I am skeptical that an app will ever cure depression or heal racial divides. We should not approach technology unquestioningly, but rather with a balance of both hope and realism about its limitations. 

To commit to our mission the University must require study abroad

In my six-week Global Seminar experience in Cuba, I felt challenged in ways I never had during my first two years on campus. I was constantly placed in situations beyond my comfort zone: navigating the language barrier, understanding religious ceremonies, being perceived as a clear outsider for the first time in my life. But the fact that the course was a Princeton program provided a comfortable community to share all of these experiences. I learned while being mentored and was challenged alongside my peers. Having grown so significantly, both personally and academically, in only a half-semester, I cannot imagine my Princeton experience without this international component. 

Letter to the Editor: Sexual harassment in electrical engineering

When an advisor sexually harasses a student, that student has no good options. If a student pushes back, they must worry about the potential far-reaching impact on their career, and they may have to change research fields entirely. We must adopt a zero-tolerance policy, where violation equals termination. 

Letter to the Editor: SHARE statement on Title IX

For the foreseeable future, Princeton, bound by its voluntary agreement with the Office of Civil Rights, will continue to operate under the preponderance of the evidence standard, will complete each investigation within 60 calendar days of receiving a complaint, and will not allow for mediation or informal resolution between a complainant and a respondent. DeVos’s changes, however, reflect the Department of Education’s changing views on Title IX, and may foreshadow future guidelines that would affect Princeton’s policies. 

Amazon in Newark: Response to Max Grear

I do not think it is necessarily fair to say that President Eisgruber “sides by default with the political agenda of those who place corporate special interests over the public good.” 

Letter to the Editor: The GOP tax plan will cripple graduate programs

Princeton graduate students could see their tax bills skyrocket to $11,000 or more if the Republican tax bill currently under consideration in the House of Representatives becomes law. 

Princeton students are not risk-averse

Princeton experiences are shaped by exploring passions and interests as much as the University allows, while careers come into play naturally almost as if they’re afterthoughts.

Prepare for the worst

At a recent Goldman Sachs information session, I asked the recruiter, "In the event that I join the firm shortly before a recession, what are the chances that I will keep my job?"

Ultimate Winter Fashion

What does Harvey Weinstein have to teach us?

Weinstein’s long history of harassment and assault was an “open secret” in Hollywood. People knew something was deeply wrong, and they did nothing. It’s a case study in the long, slow failure of bystander intervention. That’s the third tough truth: in a situation where women feared speaking out, men in particular found it easy to keep quiet and look away while Weinstein kept on. Quentin Tarantino has admitted he knew about Weinstein from firsthand accounts: he’s ashamed he did nothing, and has called on other men of power and influence to “do better by our sisters.” 

The symbols of our politics

More and more, the political environment of the United States has become concerned with symbols. In this environment, great questions of morality, justice, progress, and even philosophy are infused into national dialogue through symbology. Symbols appear on both sides of the political spectrum, emanating not only from the leaders in our democracy, but also the voices of the people. The symbols are not pictures or logos, nor insignias or crests; these symbols are the actions, the decisions, the conduct, and the ultimate successes and failures of our political system entirely. 

Why does McCosh (the lecture hall) suck

In an age of expansive building renovations, from the new Lewis Arts Center to the restoration of the University Chapel’s roof, one building stands out for its sheer obstinate age, lack of comfort, and indelible presence in the academic careers of most undergraduates. I am referring, of course, to McCosh Hall. My simple question is: why does McCosh suck? 

Problems of the Ivy League

I remember when I was accepted to Princeton. It was a Friday, the infamous Ivy Day, to be exact, when all Ivy League schools send out their decisions, leaving thousands of high school seniors feeling extremely ecstatic or extremely inadequate. After other college rejections, I opened each Ivy League letter with low expectations.

Kevin Spacey and the art of confessing when convenient

“I choose now to live as a gay man,” Kevin Spacey solemnly acknowledged in a tweet. By "now," he means the crucial first moment after he was  accused of sexual assault by a man who was, at the time, a minor. By "now," he means when it is most opportune. After reports surfaced of Spacey allegedly molesting Anthony Rapp in 1986, when Rapp was 14, the world awaited Spacey’s statement with bated breath, wondering how the notoriously private actor would respond to the explosive allegations. The answer, perhaps, is best summed up by comedian Billy Eichner on Twitter, “Kevin Spacey has just invented something that has never existed before: a bad time to come out.”

Eisgruber’s hypocrisy on Amazon

So why do critiques of business practices constitute political statements, but enthusiastic endorsements are considered apolitical? It would be one thing if Eisgruber conceded that business practices with large-scale social consequences (such as corporate welfare or gentrification) may be inherently political, or if he clearly defined the difference between a political statement and an evaluation of a company’s ethical strengths and weaknesses. It’s the inconsistency that is most troubling. 

What sex & power have to do with academia

When accusations against Harvey Weinstein were first brought to light this October, it seemed like another stand-alone case. After the media cycle moved on to another story, the film industry would return to its normal ways, waiting until the next Weinstein was revealed. 

Letter to the Editor: Pyne Prize nominations

I write to solicit nominations for the Pyne Prize, the highest general distinction the University confers upon an undergraduate, which will be awarded on Alumni Day, Saturday, February 24, 2018.

Hibernation

When your bathroom is hijacked

I affectionately joke about the small community living in my Wilson basement being a nudist colony. Despite our limited interaction as nearly strangers, my dorm neighbors and I still have a healthy sense of platonic camaraderie when it comes to accepting the unintended consequences of living with members of the opposite sex in tight quarters.

The Ivy League’s insincere quest to recruit low-income students

In May, the New York Times ran a glowing article about Princeton’s efforts to recruit low-income students. The article, titled “Princeton — Yes, Princeton — Takes on the Class Divide” included everything you’d expect: concessions to Princeton’s history of exclusion, favorable Pell Grant statistics, and uplifting quotes from President Eisgruber. “I get up in the morning thinking about how I can bring [the transformative Princeton] experience to more people,” he said. But it seems that even Eisgruber is guilty of that most stereotypical of Ivy League behaviors: thinking, but never doing.