It is important that bullying from abroad does not force policies and mindsets that infringe on local rights or norms, but at the same time there is an obligation for those that create art and media to be mindful of the worldwide community.
There is something very interesting in the manner in which the Office of Information Technology chose the replacement for Princeton’s Webmail system: The transparent process shows how important emailing tools are to our everyday workflows. But email today remains problematic in many ways, and it may be worth our time to think about how we want to communicate.
Just a few days ago, The Daily Princetonian reported that new security guards have been placed at the Labyrinth Books entrance along with an electronic gate. In addition, just within this past month, we’ve seen our own University ID cards being used to gain access to not only certain buildings on campus but also to our own rooms with the addition of a pin code. The latter example proves that Public Safety and the University are successfully working together to reduce the hassle it takes to issue new keys and charge students.
In the firestorm that followed the publication of the NFSS, I reflected a lot about the role of descriptive academic research in the gay parenting debate. So far, much of the debate has appealed to normative principles of justice, fairness, equality, civil rights, natural rights, children’s rights, etc. Very little of the conversation has been about just plain understanding what the gay parenting phenomenon is.
It is vital for students to take responsibility and channel their own ability and voice to speak out for or against important issues that matter to them. We support student efforts to raise awareness and promote campus discussion, as apathy can be one of the greatest barriers to progress. We encourage all Princeton students to find their own role in Princeton’s political activism and make a push against the stereotype of apathy toward a more politically active and aware student body.
This September, I watched the DNC catalyze debates and discussions on both sides of the political spectrum. Let’s bring some of that back to Princeton. After all, we don’t need to agree; we just need to talk.
If you probe your superstar friends and colleagues a bit, you will find that they often suffer from the impostor syndrome, too. It affects the newly arrived most of all, of course — new faculty members and especially new freshmen — but everyone has a twinge from time to time. So take pleasure in having amazing people as friends, and take solace from the fact that you’re not entirely an impostor either.
I’m confident that whoever is selected as our 20th president will be able to fulfill the presidential role with the University Board of Trustees, continue to break ground on new buildings and attract new faculty members. Finding someone with a rapport as personable and inspirational as Tilghman’s will perhaps be the greatest challenge, and accordingly the most important. Princeton is no doubt far more than the buildings, professors and research that outlast the Pre-Rade to P-Rade bounds of our time here — it would be a mistake if the memory of Tilghman — who possesses such a connection to students and a dedication to inspiring their growth — focused only on her contributions in those fields.
It is clear that her presidency was beneficial to the University community. As the search committee for a new president enters its initial stages, we hope its search will be guided by the principles that have sustained Princeton and by a commitment to ensuring the University grows to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
I intend to take a year’s leave, and return to the faculty and to my other passion — teaching — in the years to come. In the meantime, there is still a lot to do this year!
Campaign finance laws at a federal level have severely damaged civic discourse in the country, and the effects of this are felt here at Princeton. The money in politics has moved political access further away from the average American as our leaders increasingly turn their attention toward their donors and away from their constituents. The concerns of students in this environment are being ignored, as we have neither the political muscle nor financial resources to command attention.
Each of us decides for himself how he relates to the different facets of his identity, and for me the best way to be a Boy Scout is to uphold my own understanding of its Oath and Law and help those struggling with their sexuality see that it’s OK to be gay and a Scout, all the while respecting those whose views are different than mine.
While dropping the P-bomb might get us treated a bit differently sometimes, I find it necessary that we do everyone the favor of getting over ourselves. We are not some league of superhuman beings, and we do not need to protect others from our greatness.
I had always assumed that I accepted diverse people and experiences, but I had never been tested before coming to this campus. My roommate was my first friend who didn’t hold most of the same values that I did and didn’t have similar plans for her life. But exactly for these reasons, the relationship I have with my roommate is one that I treasure. I think that everyone on this campus, especially freshmen, should allow themselves the opportunity to strengthen a relationship that they originally thought might not last past freshman week, the first semester or the first year.
While many people were sleeping during the torrential rains of Hurricane Irene, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad EMT and rescue technician Michael Kenwood was swept into floodwaters while attempting a swiftwater rescue, and he drowned. Michael died in service to his community, trying to help those in need.
