Finals are clearly a difficult time for everybody involved, and we credit the University for the job it has done in making this stressful period as painless as possible. Of the relevant policies, however, three stand out in need of change.
My main issue is that I do not think it should be the role of the USG to take an opinion about a national political debate. The text of the referendum says that the USG will make a formal request to the Board of Trustees to officially endorse ENDA. This is made under the pretense of “preparing the next generation of leaders in the workforce,” but the fact is that this referendum requests the University to take a political stance.
Princeton alumni are currently working in all 50 states, but their prestigious degrees are worthless when they — along with many other qualified, hard-working individuals — are denied job opportunities, fired or otherwise discriminated against because of who they are.
Many online commenters have criticized Princeton’s failure to admit the best and brightest students based on intrinsic potential rather than on the kind of experiences and educational merit that are not fully available to the financially constrained. I argue that these criticisms are unreasonable, because they are based on an unfounded conception of the admission office’s priorities.
As we debate war and peace in safety, we owe it to ourselves and to our country to learn more about the troops we send to war and about what happens to them both when they get there and when — if — they come back home. “Support the Troops Week” is above all a chance to learn.
I would encourage social science and humanities departments to seriously reevaluate the standards they place on precept participation.
The Editorial Board urges students to vote for the proposed changes to the Honor Code but it does not support the ENDA referendum.
It is essential that students exercise their ownership over the Honor Code by ensuring that it remains both relevant and reflective of Princeton’s values.
The eating clubs, an important part of the Princeton experience for many students, will be closed to non-members until you leave. We want to provide you with our take on the system in order to better inform your college decision.
Anyone who decides not to attend Princeton because of the exclusivity of the eating club system will be making one the poorest decisions of their life.
While the richest twentieth of American society is overrepresented at Princeton by a factor of eight, students from the bottom half are underrepresented by roughly a factor of five.
Fortunately, Velandia and Vandiver are not alone, and I applaud the efforts of the Princeton community to petition the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider this policy, as well as the efforts to call on Congress to enact the Respect for Marriage Act which would grant federal recognition to the same-sex marriages officiated by state governments, just as opposite-sex marriages are recognized.
I realized that I had never experienced the sort of community that I enjoyed in this physics class in a philosophy class — or any other non-math or science class here, for that matter.
As incoming freshmen, students are told they don’t declare a major until the end of sophomore year. Though the form is submitted then, students must make many decisions about majors before that point. This practice is reasonable, but there is a troubling inconsistency across departments.
Just as the registrar was required to step in to fill the gap left by the student course guide, the housing department should fill the gap left by the student room guide by creating a centralized room evaluation system to provide more access to information about rooms.
