Lessons for Occupy Princeton
Simple, smart and clear: This is exactly how protests should work — Occupy Princeton has much to learn from the Russians.
Simple, smart and clear: This is exactly how protests should work — Occupy Princeton has much to learn from the Russians.
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.
Cannon needs to build itself more slowly. It needs to grow a positive culture in which sophomores want to invest themselves, to create a thriving club. Scavenging for paying bodies is a bad strategy; instead, Cannon’s members must figure out what they want for the club and build up to that goal.
Pre-orientation groups are clearly not going to be friends forever. But for those first few weeks, when freshmen transition from not knowing anyone to having friends with shared interests, having an initial group of acquaintances hugely facilitates finding new friends.