Opinion

Somewhere to belong

Princeton isn’t a monolithic institution: That’s what I love about being here. It’s a place for settling in and creating a niche for oneself. Based on how much alumni give back, and how they come back for Reunions every year, there’s clearly something that made a large and diverse group of people fall in love with this University.

Cartoon: The four prefrosh you host

Wearing your stripes

“Earn Your Stripes” is not a mandate to unconditionally praise Princeton as a university and institution, but rather to recognize your participation in something larger than your individual experiences and to take part in shaping Princeton’s future. Whether you are happy or unhappy here, whether it is because of certain aspects of Princeton or external circumstances, the reality is as simple as the P-rade T-shirt slogan: You are here.

Memo to seniors

We’re at a tipping point: Either we reestablish an economy that is based on real products and services providing real value to citizens, or we slide further into the theater of economic activity. The era of physics majors crafting opaque weapons of mass financial destruction has to come to an end. It’s going to take a new generation of Don Plattens and Dick Fishers, taking the knowledge from their majors in philosophy and history and applying it in their real work, to create a new and better real world. That observation, like solid financial practices, should be readily transparent, not opaque. If you think that you could contribute to that sort of a restoration, please don’t let anyone scare you out of it. We really need you.

Making plans

Starting this year I had a very clear set of objectives. Apply for jobs, interview for jobs, pass classes, turn in thesis, graduate. Yes, I had factored in that I wanted to enjoy this year with my friends and learn as much as possible. However, what I had not thought of was the purpose of my goal. What was the point of graduating if I didn’t know where I wanted to end up? In my strict adherence to the minimal and micro-level checklists that I organized, I never stopped to question what the larger picture was and what the larger motivation should be.

Until we eat again

Capturing a culture

Info packets, emails, invitations and websites beckon you to the different colleges, touting unparalleled research opportunities, strong undergraduate focus, incredible study-abroad programs, substantial grant-based financial aid and award-winning faculty. But when it comes to enticing accepted students to matriculate, too often colleges don’t provide the right information.

Please don't elaborate

The problem with the “please elaborate” mentality stems from a lack of understanding of the social process of teaching and learning.

Cartoon: Princeton in full bloom

What are you sinking about?

Last weekend my girlfriend and I saw the 1997 film “Titanic” in theaters, which has been re-released in 3-D to commemorate the centennial of the sinking. This experience got me thinking about how and why we relate to memorable — and disastrous — moments in our past.

Letter to the Editor: April 18th, 2012

The Writing Seminars were roundly criticized in two recent ‘Prince’ columns. While individuals are clearly entitled to their views, it’s worth noting that course evaluation data for the Writing Seminars paints a very different picture.

A smooth operator

A human offense

On April 11, editor emeritus Camille Framroze wrote a stalwart column defending the Humanities from the condescending notions of natural and engineering science majors. Though she makes compelling points — ones that might drive the reader to disdain “science” majors for their snobbery — I think that Camille’s column somewhat missed the point. In writing her piece the way she did, Camille implicitly accepts the following notion: Smarter people work harder than dumb people.

Online socialites

Networking is one of the primary purposes of the social media outlets that we as undergraduates are almost constantly plugged into.

A need for dialogue

Our mysterious endowment is so powerful because, in order to ensure financial stability and growth, the Princeton University Investment Company invests millions of it yearly in diverse corporations and causes. Its intent is, of course, to maximize returns such that the University might provide better conditions, courses and opportunities to the Princeton student community. However, a scandal arose recently when HEI — a hospitality operator and owner of several Marriots, Sheratons, and Hiltons — proudly proclaimed that prestigious Princeton was one of its major investors.

Time flies by quickly

Preview of coming attractions

The bottom line for most college applicants is that if you have thought hard about what matters to you and made sure that the schools you applied to will do well in those things, then it doesn’t actually much matter where you go. The experience will be different for sure, but not in any predictable way, and for the most part, it will be what you make of it, independent of weather, tours, panelists and parents. So let’s hope all our visitors applied to schools that really make sense for them, thought hard about what they want in a school and, in the end, make the right decision: to come to Princeton.

Campus Community Challenge

In an ideal world, everyone would be interested in giving back all the time and wouldn’t require any external rewards or praise. But the month of service confronts a reality — the current approach to cause weeks or months is the most likely to get students interested and motivated, if only for a short time. In providing many options for one-time service opportunities and fostering a spirit of friendly competition through prizes awarded to those who have logged the most service hours, the USG is bound to get people involved in service who otherwise would not have been involved.

Editorial: Princeton prizes

We believe that the Princeton Prize in Race Relations is an important project that benefits both the award recipients and the University. As such, we believe that more prizes of a similar nature should be created to commend high school students who have done outstanding things in various areas of civic engagement. Prizes in fields such as education, public health, LGBT and gender activism and poverty alleviation would attract a wide array of talented students that may also be interested in Princeton.

Cartoon: Princeton preview