Opinion

Intellectual diversity

Within the first month of my Princeton experience, though, I realized I had overlooked one of the most obvious forms of diversity I would find at college — intellectual diversity. What sets intellectual diversity apart is that for other forms of diversity, we can claim different backgrounds and orientations; intellectual diversity, though, stems from a few common backgrounds, only different blends and ratios among students.

Who am I?

I can honestly say that, at just about two-and-a-half years in, I don’t really know myself. Not in the way that we all hope to know ourselves. I don’t know who to tell you I am if you were to simply ask. In fact, I might know myself even less than I thought I did when I came to this place.

Cartoon: Test drive

On affirmative action

The problems behind racial inequality are far too complex to solve just by targeting higher education. Using affirmative action in college admissions is simply taking the easy way out. If we are to truly solve this problem, we must overhaul the public education system and give the disadvantaged students the help they need early on.

Twitter vs. TV

There’s only so much that stands out in a full hour-and-a-half, and it turns out most of it can be reiterated in 140 characters. I hate to admit it, but my 10 minutes on Twitter and my 90 minutes of TV had left me with uncomfortably similar results.   

Cartoon: The game of life

Microsoft's grade deflation

Princeton’s grade deflation system and Microsoft’s employee evaluation system essentially operate on the same principles.

Hating the band

I have a few friends in the band, and one of them once told me about a strange phenomenon.

Greening Princeton

I have no reason to believe that green-haired 18-year-olds are, on average, smarter and more deserving of being here than those of more traditional mien — but I also have no reason to believe that they are less so. I hope the next president agrees.

Editorial: Certificates by department

Because the benefits to Princeton students far outweigh the possible harm, Princeton should seriously consider expanding the certificate program to include certificates in major areas of study.

Televised debates

Find a drinking game, enjoy what you watch and recognize those photo stills which dominate the media in the days after. But don’t let the presidential debates affect your vote

Cartoon: Forbes'd

Do your reading

If professors and preceptors have high expectations of what we can accomplish at the outset of a course, we should do our best to meet them. The default attitude in math and natural science courses is, “I can and will complete my assignments.” The humanities and social sciences deserve the same approach.

Editorial: Public speaking

The Editorial Board believes public speaking courses should be offered more frequently and with an increased number of class sections.

A response: Another four years?

Let me make the important point that the ’68 alumnus was unable to. There are vast opportunities, both through Princeton and independent of the University, to make a difference this November, and our fall break is a perfect time to take action. If after Princeton Halloween we land on different sides of a picket line or end up knocking on doors for opposing causes, that’s just fine in my book.

Cartoon: The taking tree

Our choice on health care

Do we want a health care system that is a beacon worthy of our great history and power — one that seeks to take care of as many Americans as possible, one that is not afraid to take bold steps to change what must be changed? Or do we want ... the opposite of whatever Barack Obama says?

Repainting the fence

Instead of recoiling at the looming threat from the East, we ought to recognize the merits present in both paradigms of Eastern and Western schooling and reimagine American institutions with their combined incorporation.

Cartoon: The fifth class

The Medicare we'll inherit

Princeton students should be more cautious in outsourcing their own critical thinking to oversimplified, often biased media analysis. Liberals surely believe that these cuts are justified by the value of the new programs they finance. Conservatives obviously disagree. But let’s not obscure the Obamacare debate by pretending the costs of the law are not real.