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Opinion

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What does it mean to be present three years after COVID-19 sent us home?

“The differences between before and “after” the pandemic appear to me in the interstices, or around the edges of an otherwise happy picture. We’re back, but we seem more tentative.”

“The differences between before and “after” the pandemic appear to me in the interstices, or around the edges of an otherwise happy picture. We’re back, but we seem more tentative.”

OPINION | 03/13/2023

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If Princeton wants us to isolate, it has to make it practical

“Now, as both a university and a country, we stand at a crossroads. COVID-19 restrictions continue to fall away as we ‘open up’ and ‘return to normal.’ Yet the events of the last three years are not erased by this return to normalcy.”

“Now, as both a university and a country, we stand at a crossroads. COVID-19 restrictions continue to fall away as we ‘open up’ and ‘return to normal.’ Yet the events of the last three years are not erased by this return to normalcy. Many of us, including myself, continue to feel the moral burden associated with getting COVID-19. This makes Princeton’s current COVID-19 policies difficult to navigate.”

OPINION | 03/13/2023

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Princeton must remain test optional

“Requiring the submission of standardized test results is not only harmful to FGLI applicants because it is more difficult for them to perform well on these exams, but also because the requirements deter them from applying in the first place.”

“Requiring the submission of standardized test results is not only harmful to FGLI applicants because it is more difficult for them to perform well on these exams, but also because the requirements deter them from applying in the first place.”

OPINION | 03/13/2023

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College admissions was fairer before COVID-19. Princeton should bring back the SAT.

“Yes, the SAT is skewed towards the privileged, but in deciding whether we should get rid of it, the question isn’t whether the test is skewed, but rather whether it is excessively skewed compared to other components of holistic admissions.”

“Yes, the SAT is skewed towards the privileged, but in deciding whether we should get rid of it, the question isn’t whether the test is skewed, but rather whether it is excessively skewed compared to other components of holistic admissions.”

OPINION | 03/13/2023

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We should avoid Zoom whenever we can

“But to suggest that most of our interactions, professional or personal, should shift to an asynchronous online format is misguided: it completely ignores the importance of structure and personal contact. Zoom is not the solution — it is a crutch — and one that ought to be avoided when possible.”

“But to suggest that most of our interactions, professional or personal, should shift to an asynchronous online format is misguided: it completely ignores the importance of structure and personal contact. Zoom is not the solution — it is a crutch — and one that ought to be avoided when possible.”

OPINION | 03/13/2023

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Stick with institutional restraint, not institutional neutrality

“The most challenging conversations arise when one's identity becomes politicized, and there is proof that supportive recognition from places of power helps to deal with issues of marginalization.”

“The most challenging conversations arise when one's identity becomes politicized, and there is proof that supportive recognition from places of power helps to deal with issues of marginalization.”

OPINION | 03/07/2023

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Feedback is crucial to student success. Let’s start treating it that way.

“It is not the individual professors' fault that their students are not getting adequate feedback on their independent work, but rather the fault of a system that does not set an adequate standard for the transmission of feedback. Given that independent work is such an integral part of academic life at Princeton, why are the structures for providing feedback on independent work so lacking?”

“It is not the individual professors' fault that their students are not getting adequate feedback on their independent work, but rather the fault of a system that does not set an adequate standard for the transmission of feedback. Given that independent work is such an integral part of academic life at Princeton, why are the structures for providing feedback on independent work so lacking?”

OPINION | 03/07/2023

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Norfolk Southern’s next toxic derailment could be in Princeton. New Jersey needs to act.

“Trenton must do what it can to keep Garden State residents and students safe. Norfolk Southern tracks are a ten-minute drive from campus, and the proximity of the tracks to the Delaware and Raritan Canal endangers the campus's natural escape...It's time for New Jersey state legislators to step up and break away from the grips of these railroad companies...”

“Trenton must do what it can to keep Garden State residents and students safe. Norfolk Southern tracks are a ten-minute drive from campus, and the proximity of the tracks to the Delaware and Raritan Canal endangers the campus's natural escape...It's time for New Jersey state legislators to step up and break away from the grips of these railroad companies...”

OPINION | 03/05/2023

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An open letter from alumni on mental health

“Too many of us believed, like I did, that seeking help was a sign of weakness or failure. Many of us wish we sought help sooner. And we wish we had defeated the stigma, so you wouldn’t have to face it.”

“Too many of us believed, like I did, that seeking help was a sign of weakness or failure. Many of us wish we sought help sooner. And we wish we had defeated the stigma, so you wouldn’t have to face it.”

OPINION | 03/05/2023

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Create history, stop destroying it

“I wouldn’t mind returning to campus as an alum to see new buildings. New projects are a reflection of the times and needs of the growing student body. What I do mind is the prospect of returning to campus and no longer recognizing the dorm buildings where I played cards, the halls where I partied, and the libraries in which I spent hours writing.”

“I wouldn’t mind returning to campus as an alum to see new buildings. New projects are a reflection of the times and needs of the growing student body. What I do mind is the prospect of returning to campus and no longer recognizing the dorm buildings where I played cards, the halls where I partied, and the libraries in which I spent hours writing.”

OPINION | 03/01/2023

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‘No, Princeton is not loan free’ – not for international students

“The tax bill makes Princeton inequitable and surprisingly inaccessible for many low-income international students, especially low-income students of color... If Princeton is truly concerned with equity, it’s time for them to follow Yale’s lead and take the burden of paying the tax off of international students.”

 “The tax bill makes Princeton inequitable and surprisingly inaccessible for many low-income international students, especially low-income students of color... If Princeton is truly concerned with equity, it’s time for them to follow Yale’s lead and take the burden of paying the tax off of international students.” 

OPINION | 02/28/2023

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To prioritize service, Princeton must give it course credit

“In establishing course credit, the University would finally practice what it preaches: recognizing service learning as just as valuable as what you learn in Introduction to Macroeconomics. It’s clear that currently, breaking out of the Orange Bubble remains low-priority for Princeton, despite the University claiming that service is at the core of its undergraduate experience. The University isn’t close to being truly in ‘the service of humanity.’ It should step up to that challenge, or stop using the motto.”

“In establishing course credit, the University would finally practice what it preaches: recognizing service learning as just as valuable as what you learn in Introduction to Macroeconomics. It’s clear that currently, breaking out of the Orange Bubble remains low-priority for Princeton, despite the University claiming that service is at the core of its undergraduate experience. The University isn’t close to being truly in ‘the service of humanity.’ It should step up to that challenge, or stop using the motto.”

OPINION | 02/28/2023

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Why I signed a union card for Princeton Graduate Students United

“I cannot, nor can any single person, understand what graduate students at Princeton need as a whole, but when we work together, we can better understand systemic issues at the University in order to call for change.”

“I cannot, nor can any single person, understand what graduate students at Princeton need as a whole, but when we work together, we can better understand systemic issues at the University in order to call for change.”

OPINION | 02/27/2023

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If Rutgers can provide intensive mental healthcare for students, so can Princeton

If the University wants to make the Ivy League accessible to those with mental illnesses and put an end to the mental health problems plaguing students — problems which feel intimately and horribly linked with the several student suicides of the past few years — then it should provide an accessible, extensive, University-run enhanced care option for students with mental illnesses.

If the University wants to make the Ivy League accessible to those with mental illnesses and put an end to the mental health problems plaguing students — problems which feel intimately and horribly linked with the several student suicides of the past few years — then it should provide an accessible, extensive, University-run enhanced care option for students with mental illnesses.

OPINION | 02/26/2023