Opinion

Our lives here don't have to feel boring

Our lives here don't have to feel boring

Andi Grene

“At Princeton, it is necessary to experience actively and not — as that visiting friend said — take the positives of campus for granted simply because we know them well. In the two years that my classmates and I have left, we must reacquaint ourselves with our campus and appreciate the old in a new light.”

“At Princeton, it is necessary to experience actively and not — as that visiting friend said — take the positives of campus for granted simply because we know them well. In the two years that my classmates and I have left, we must reacquaint ourselves with our campus and appreciate the old in a new light.”

OPINION | 11/02/2022

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Take it from me: No student government experience is necessary to run for USG

Take it from me: No student government experience is necessary to run for USG

Mayu Takeuchi

“If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that every student is qualified to run for a position on USG by virtue of their lived experience of being an undergraduate at Princeton.”

“If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that every student is qualified to run for a position on USG by virtue of their lived experience of being an undergraduate at Princeton.”

OPINION | 11/01/2022

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Letter to the Editor: Princeton’s disproportionate response to PETA’s exhibit shows their culpability

Letter to the Editor: Princeton’s disproportionate response to PETA’s exhibit shows their culpability

Keith Brown

“Princeton labs kill animals in experiments that do nothing to forward science.”

“Princeton labs kill animals in experiments that do nothing to forward science.”

OPINION | 11/01/2022

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How we grieve and remember matters

How we grieve and remember matters

Ben Xinzi Zhang

“Right now, we need a place, centrally located on campus and online, that invites every Princetonian to pause, reflect, and practice listening to each other.” 

“Right now, we need a place, centrally located on campus and online, that invites every Princetonian to pause, reflect, and practice listening to each other.” 

OPINION | 10/31/2022

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Let’s rethink Princeton’s residential college placement

Let’s rethink Princeton’s residential college placement

Prince Takano

“The random nature of residential college placement is one of its greatest flaws. I have yet to meet a person who feels they belong to their residential college as much as they belong to other campus groups.”

“The random nature of residential college placement is one of its greatest flaws. I have yet to meet a person who feels they belong to their residential college as much as they belong to other campus groups.”

OPINION | 10/30/2022

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An open letter calling on Princeton to accept the Duolingo English Test as part of international application process

An open letter calling on Princeton to accept the Duolingo English Test as part of international application process

Alexis Sursock

“Princeton has made the application process more just and accessible in many ways, from the new Financial Aid policy to offering application cost waivers to low-income applicants. Yet, it still requires internationals to take extremely overpriced tests to prove their English proficiency.” 

“Princeton has made the application process more just and accessible in many ways, from the new Financial Aid policy to offering application cost waivers to low-income applicants. Yet, it still requires internationals to take extremely overpriced tests to prove their English proficiency.”

OPINION | 10/27/2022

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The history of a campus center and the importance of renovations at Princeton

The history of a campus center and the importance of renovations at Princeton

John Raulston Graham

“Renovation projects are physical manifestations of the relationship between contemporary students and past generations of Princetonians.” 

“Renovation projects are physical manifestations of the relationship between contemporary students and past generations of Princetonians.”

OPINION | 10/27/2022

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We have to stop relying on U.S. News and World Report rankings

We have to stop relying on U.S. News and World Report rankings

Eric Xie

“The U.S. News college rankings are easily corruptible, weigh the wrong factors, and privilege older and more established institutions.”

“The U.S. News college rankings are easily corruptible, weigh the wrong factors, and privilege older and more established institutions.”

OPINION | 10/26/2022

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Princeton does nowhere near enough to help grieving students

Princeton does nowhere near enough to help grieving students

Philip Maruri

“Princeton does nowhere near enough to help the students and community members affected. As I learned in the days following Abe’s death, recovering from such a loss is a long and difficult process and can’t be solved by Princeton’s perfunctory acknowledgements.”

“Princeton does nowhere near enough to help the students and community members affected. As I learned in the days following Abe’s death, recovering from such a loss is a long and difficult process and can’t be solved by Princeton’s perfunctory acknowledgements.”

OPINION | 10/26/2022

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In Georgia’s moment of vulnerability, the US should step up engagement

In Georgia’s moment of vulnerability, the US should step up engagement

Sam Harshbarger

“In this moment of vulnerability, Georgians are right to question whether Europe and the United States will really commit to the country’s security and Euro-Atlantic ambitions.”

“In this moment of vulnerability, Georgians are right to question whether Europe and the United States will really commit to the country’s security and Euro-Atlantic ambitions.” 

OPINION | 10/25/2022

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Letter to the Editor: Identity politics can't mask the real problems inside the School of Architecture

Letter to the Editor: Identity politics can't mask the real problems inside the School of Architecture

Alejandro Zaera-Polo

“Even worse than ‘cancellation,’ these accusations of ‘patriarchy’ and ‘bigotry’ are a classic example of witch hunting, a procedure customarily used by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent and legitimize repression, or worse.”

“Even worse than ‘cancellation,’ these accusations of ‘patriarchy’ and ‘bigotry’ are a classic example of witch hunting, a procedure customarily used by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent and legitimize repression, or worse.”

OPINION | 10/23/2022

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Reactions: What would you change about Princeton?

Reactions: What would you change about Princeton?

Opinion Staff

“In 2021, then-Editor-in-Chief Emma Treadway challenged the student body to take the post-pandemic opportunity to change Princeton. As a new school year starts, we asked our columnists one thing they’d want to change, big or small, about Princeton in the coming year.”

“In 2021, then-Editor-in-Chief Emma Treadway challenged the student body to take the post-pandemic opportunity to change Princeton. As a new school year starts, we asked our columnists one thing they’d want to change, big or small, about Princeton in the coming year.”

OPINION | 10/23/2022

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I did Community Action this year. Here’s how it can improve.

I did Community Action this year. Here’s how it can improve.

Charlotte Pfenning

“Why is it that some CA groups were able to partake in substantial service, while many others didn’t have that same opportunity?”

“Why is it that some CA groups were able to partake in substantial service, while many others didn’t have that same opportunity?”

OPINION | 10/14/2022

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Campus conservatives in the POCC don’t deserve a monopoly on free speech

Campus conservatives in the POCC don’t deserve a monopoly on free speech

Nate Howard

“We have repeatedly seen that the POCC does not follow its own principles. Free speech deserves better champions.”

“We have repeatedly seen that the POCC does not follow its own principles. Free speech deserves better champions.”

OPINION | 10/13/2022

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U. Administrators: Dining pilot will test ideas for improving campus dining

U. Administrators: Dining pilot will test ideas for improving campus dining

W. Rochelle Calhoun, Chris Burkmar, Maureen McWhirter, and Chad Klaus

“The pilot is meant to help us determine what will and will not work before moving forward with any changes to the current program.”

“The pilot is meant to help us determine what will and will not work before moving forward with any changes to the current program.”

OPINION | 10/13/2022

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How many students’ voices are needed before the University takes concerns around COVID-19 protocols seriously?

How many students’ voices are needed before the University takes concerns around COVID-19 protocols seriously?

Gisele Bisch

“Sustainable 'pre-COVID-19 schedules' are not possible unless proper safety protocols are put into place."

“Sustainable ‘pre-COVID-19 schedules’ are not possible unless proper safety protocols are put into place.”

OPINION | 10/11/2022

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Hawaiʻi is not and will never be your vacation ‘paradise’

Hawaiʻi is not and will never be your vacation ‘paradise’

Gisele Bisch

“About 10 million people visit Hawaiʻi each year. That’s more than seven times Hawaiʻi's entire residential population. This is not sustainable: non-Native people need to stop coming to Hawaiʻi.”

“About 10 million people visit Hawaiʻi each year. That’s more than seven times Hawaiʻi's entire residential population. This is not sustainable: non-Native people need to stop coming to Hawaiʻi.”

OPINION | 10/09/2022

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Colonizing Alaska: confronting Sheldon Jackson’s legacy at Princeton

Colonizing Alaska: confronting Sheldon Jackson’s legacy at Princeton

Genrietta Churbanova

“As members of the Princeton community, it is time we collectively acknowledge that Sheldon Jackson’s legacy is tied to our university and that the Department of Geosciences holds objects he ‘collected.’”

“As members of the Princeton community, it is time we collectively acknowledge that Sheldon Jackson’s legacy is tied to our university and that the Department of Geosciences holds objects he ‘collected.’”

OPINION | 10/09/2022

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How the professional world takes advantage of classes like Maitland Jones’s

How the professional world takes advantage of classes like Maitland Jones’s

Rohit Narayanan

“Students want grades to reflect that given all the resources they needed, they mastered the content. Society wants grades to show which students succeeded and which floundered in a hard class. While we can’t say which is more valuable, schools should be optimizing for learning, not arbitrary faux-geniocratic sorting.”

“Students want grades to reflect that given all the resources they needed, they mastered the content. Society wants grades to show which students succeeded and which floundered in a hard class. While we can’t say which is more valuable, schools should be optimizing for learning, not arbitrary faux-geniocratic sorting.”

OPINION | 10/05/2022

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Letter to the Editor: Students should remember there are fates worse than the ‘rat race’ for admission to Princeton

Letter to the Editor: Students should remember there are fates worse than the ‘rat race’ for admission to Princeton

Jamie Nichols

“As hard and emotionally painful as it is to get into a college like Princeton, it can be harder and more painful mentally for America’s economically and educationally disadvantaged high school students to realize they will be left behind before that  “rat race” even begins.” 

“As hard and emotionally painful as it is to get into a college like Princeton, it can be harder and more painful mentally for America’s economically and educationally disadvantaged high school students to realize they will be left behind before that “rat race” even begins.”

OPINION | 10/04/2022

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