Opinion

Movember

As Movember illustrates, a man has much more freedom to present himself in a way that makes him physically unattractive without confronting any of the social risks that a girl who chooses not to wear makeup faces, but he also cannot talk openly about prostate cancer without making people uncomfortable.

The power of the prox

If the University and downtown shopping venues were to work together to allow prox purchasing, they would create a mutually beneficial relationship, whereby students would have easier, more appealing access to outside food, stores would have more customers and Princeton University would create a positive, working relationship with its neighbors.

Editorial: Occupy Princeton

We applaud a shift away from the apathy that currently reigns on campus, and — regardless of our views on Occupy Princeton’s political goals — we are hopeful that its presence may help contribute to that shift.

Cartoon: Dressed to Kill

Looking for 'The One'

Inside the interview room we were all self-assured and positive that “this” was our goal and our dream career, but outside we each expressed self-doubt and a lack of direction. It was reassuring to realize that I wasn’t alone and yet at the same time frightening. It was not the interview but the prospect of a looming decision that concerned my peers and me.

Digital first

Though The Daily Princetonian’s website has seen a few redesigns and now sports has a Twitter account, the ‘Prince’ is still an entirely traditional and print focused organization. Improving web presence can’t be a side project — the ‘Prince’ needs to see itself as a news organization rather than a newspaper one.

Greek love?

We’ve all heard the criticisms of Greek life — they’re networks for wealthy, white students; they’re feeders into certain eating clubs; they’re havens for hazing and alcoholism. But in all the ways Greek life has been described on campus, the most limiting factor is rarely mentioned: Princeton Greek life is overwhelmingly heterosexual.

Cartoon: Princeton.edu

Who goes there?

Passwords are out of control. They’re too numerous and too weak to be the all-purpose authentication mechanism. We need so many and the rules are so arbitrary that one is forced to write passwords down, re-use them, and probably create them with some kind of pattern anyway, all of which adds to the risk

All points West

I can say, without hesitation, that both were among the best intellectual experiences I’ve had in my three years as an undergraduate. And while I’m not at all qualified to comment on Professor West’s academic production or his political activities, I do want to explain, based on personal experience, how his departure will be an extraordinary loss to the academic and public life of Princeton.

Editorial: Peer tutoring for finals

The University prohibits tutoring during finals week because “tutors need to study, too.” We believe that this limitation is misguided and that tutoring services should be offered even during finals week.

Editorial: Free access for all

When faculty members write articles, they are usually published in scholarly journals to which most people have limited access. In fact, subscriptions to some journals may cost thousands of dollars a year. If the faculty member does not reserve the right to republish the article elsewhere then only those with access to the journal can read it. This, of course, seems contradictory to the University’s goal of generating and disseminating knowledge. If our faculty’s insights are available only to the small group of people who can afford journal subscription, the value of those insights is surely limited. Knowledge in a vacuum is not valuable. Only when there is widespread access can an insight be said to have any significance to the community. For these reasons, we are glad that the University is taking steps to expand access to articles that were previously only available in journals.

Peer pressuring fitness

Start a conversation comparing Princeton with other universities, particularly state schools, and quickly someone will mention general attractiveness and athleticism. It’s true: with exception to varsity athletes, we’re generally pretty unfit. For my freshman, sophomore and junior years, I would sporadically go to the gym, while steadily eating unhealthily and putting on the pounds. I thought I’d be healthier if only I was forced, if only Princeton had a physical education requirement like MIT. This summer, when I started regularly going to the gym with a friend, I realized that being surrounded by positive examples was more effective than any University regulation could be.

World AIDS Day

We need to expand our thinking about HIV-positive individuals beyond the context of resource-poor nations, beyond the context of an intervention case. Debates about sex education, access to testing, coping mechanisms and funding are just as relevant in our communities as they are globally.

Cartoon: NBA: Where a season happens

Building intrinsic academic motivation

There is more than one way to encourage creativity and innovation. Even if the administration does not consider changes to the grading policy, it is possible to change the way we approach education.

Cartoon: Simile

Sorting out our priorities

What we learn in a class isn’t just a function of how many problem sets and how much reading the professor assigns. It’s also a function of our devotion to that class relative to other commitments.

The dead language requirement

Do we learn languages to celebrate Mass with people from different cultures or to understand the theological implications of saying “consubstantial” instead of “one in being with?” If it’s the former, require spoken modern languages. If it’s the latter, require language instruction. If it’s both, which I suspect it might be, require both. No matter what, the language requirement must be restructured if it is to be consistent with its own goals.

Editorial: How to build college spirit

When taken together, all these practices are geared toward the same goal — making residential colleges an appealing source of fun and camaraderie for undergraduates.