Tomorrow, Princeton, and many other schools, send out their acceptances, launching thousands of school comparisons. In deference to that stress, today's school comparison will not depend solely on decisions arriving tomorrow. Instead, we look across the Atlantic to Cambridge, which sent out their acceptances months ago. Kevin Kung '08, who studied Physics at both Princeton and Cambridge, explores the residential and academic environments at the two universities.
I have the possibly prejudiced view that while Princeton is the most beautiful campus in the U.S., Cambridge is the most beautiful in the U.K. Both are green and leafy in the summer, and Cambridge is furthermore gifted with the River Cam, which creates some endless student pastimes such as punting. On the other hand, while Princeton is extremely compact (you can walk across the whole campus in less than 15 minutes), some Cambridge colleges and departments are very spread out (I have once spent 45 minutes walking to another college). This probably wouldn't be important if you have a bike, but it certainly makes it easier to choose a college that is close to your classes and normal sphere of activity. Furthermore, while Cambridge is relatively crime-free, the more distant you are from the action, the more you have to look out for your safety. For example, I live in the off-center West Cambridge, and in the past winter there were several cases of mugging on the route of my daily commute to my department, and at the bottom line, the road home at night can be quite dark. This had never been a concern to me at Princeton.
In terms of academics, it is inherently unfair to compare Princeton and Cambridge, since my Cambridge degree doesn't involve coursework. It appears that the formats of undergraduate classes in the two universities are more similar than different, the main difference lying in the terms used: For example, “tutorials/supervisions” as opposed to “precepts.” The main source of academic pressure in Princeton comes from the time-consuming, graded, and therefore peer-competitive weekly assignments. At Cambridge, study is more self-paced. What you learn in Princeton over two 12-week-long semesters, Cambridge manages to squeeze more stuff into three 8-week-long terms, with 5-week-long breaks in between, so the Cantabrigian stress level seems to fluctuate much more as a function of time. But again, I have only seen physics classes and can't speak for other departments. And oh, Princeton's exam-after-the-winter-break schedule does not apply in Cambridge.
While both universities have the residential college system, only when you've seen Cambridge do you realize that the Princetonian colleges are merely shadows of the original. Cambridge colleges are steeped in justifiable pride and history, but this can sometimes make things frustratingly bureaucratic. I live in a small, new and intimate college (Clare Hall) for graduate students only. While students have the option of eating in the dining hall, most of us find it more cost-effective to cook for ourselves, and I must say that throughout this year, I probably gained more knowledge through experimental cooking/baking, than through my degree course! Of course, Eating Clubs are non-existent in Cambridge; the closest equivalent of Princeton's houseparties are Cambridge's world-famous, pricey, and college-organized May Balls.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Orange and Apples: Cambridge
Diggin' In The Mudd: Princeton And The Great War
Princeton was never secluded from the outside world. In fact, World War I had major
effects on many aspects of campus life. This days Princeton tries to be pretty neutral as to politics, not so then. The history and politics department published a credo supporting the war! Read more under the cut.
Published 1917:
Finally, in a 1916 book of Princeton verse:
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Goldstein appointed to Obama administration
Among the new appointees is Jeffrey Goldstein, who has been appointed to the position of Under Secretary for Domestic Finance. Goldstein began teaching economics at the University in 1982, but left a year later to join the public sector.
Goldstein is the former Managing Director of the private equity investment firm Hellman & Friedman LLC. He also served as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at the World Bank from 1999 to 2004.
He has also worked at the Brookings Institute and the Department of the Treasury.
By Randy Khalil, staff writer for News
Orange and Apples: Yale
Yale and Princeton are the third and fourth oldest colleges in the US, and as a result have had time to develop their own institutional cultures. However, given their close dates of founding and membership in the Ivy League, are these two schools similar, or are they as different as Bulldogs and Tigers? Bryony Roberts GS, a Princeton Architecture graduate student and a Humanities and Studio Art major from Yale, compares the two schools.
My ability to compare Yale and Princeton is limited by my minimal exposure to undergraduate life at Princeton, but I did have a chance to get to know some undergraduates while teaching a precept last semester. From observing general campus life and my students, I can say that the academic caliber of Princeton is absolutely equal to that of Yale. The students are as engaged, motivated, and talented at Princeton as they are at Yale. In many ways, the two universities are almost interchangeable. But there does seem to be a difference in the social and political tone of the campuses.
Princeton generally seems to have a more conservative campus than Yale, which is visible in the level of political engagement, the career goals of the students, and the social atmosphere. As an undergrad at Yale, I was exposed to and participated in a range of liberal political activism. It seemed that the campus was always busy with political protests and community service projects, the most dramatic example being when the students marched alongside the campus hospital and dining hall workers when they were striking for better benefits. In the 2000 election, more people voted for Nader than for Bush, and I suspect that that wasn't the case at Princeton. I don't see many signs of political activism at Princeton, and it's certainly not as in-your-face as it was at Yale.
Socially, this is also a more conservative campus. On a superficial level, Princeton undergrads seem mostly preppy, and it's hard to find many "artsy" types, with a major exception being the students in Terrace Club or the 2 Dickinson St. co-op. The location of Princeton, N.J., probably reinforces this political and social conservatism. Because the town is small and relatively socially homogeneous, there aren't many outside forces encouraging a diversity of lifestyles or political views.
That being said, there are some very positive things about the Princeton undergrad community. I was completely won over by the students that I taught last semester - they were more intelligent, curious, and kind than I could have hoped for. One thing that is significantly better about Princeton than Yale is the amount of financial aid available to both undergraduate and graduate students. Princeton has an incredible commitment to supporting students in need, and it extends even beyond the academic context, into extra-curricular and health services. That commitment is admirable, and in that respect, Princeton surpasses all the other Ivy League schools.
If you're a Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Darwish reflects on her 'Princeton experience'
Orange and Apples: Brown
Later this week a new class of potential Princetonians will receive their acceptance letters. Given that both Princeton and Brown saw large jumps in the size of their application pools, Princeton's increased by 19 percent while Brown's grew by 20 percent, some of these students will be deciding between Princeton and Providence. Anna Berman GS, a Brown undergrad who concentrated in Slavic Languages and Literature and also Comparative Literature and now studies Slavic Languages and Literature at Princeton, provides a comparison of the two institutions below.
As a graduate student at Princeton, I do not feel like I have an “insider” perspective on what the undergrad experience is like here or how it differs from my undergrad university, Brown. At the level of academics, I see a difference that is more objective and therefore easier to write about from my perch. I think the curricula of the two universities seem designed to suit different types of students.
Brown’s curriculum supports freedom, experimentation and personal initiative. No one will tell you what is important to get from your college experience — you need to decide this for yourself. There are no distribution requirements or required classes (and you can take as many classes as you want pass/fail). There is no “great books” course where a professor has set out a list of “the greatest books of the Western cannon that you should read.” You have to design your own cannon through the courses you choose. If you feel that it’s important to know Shakespeare, you can study Shakespeare, but you’ll never find him taught in a course that covers Homer to Joyce. Because of this, it can be difficult to get a general knowledge of the classics. You are challenged to question and decide for yourself what is important. If you want to write a thesis, advisers will be delighted to work with you on it and coach you through the process. But no one will force you to write one. If you have an idea for a course that doesn’t exist in Brown’s enormous course catalogue, you can find an interested professor and create a group or individual course. This is quite a popular option, but you must take the initiative. For students who are internally motivated and have the energy, direction and organizational skills to follow up on their ideas, Brown is an ideal school because all the resources are in place to help. But for students who need structure and like to have a bit more of an imposed framework for their education, I imagine it would be easy to get lost at Brown.
At Princeton, I have been very impressed by all the helping hands reaching out to assist students through each stage of their experience. Not only are there distribution requirements structuring the breadth of courses they must take, there are also more requirements within the major. Princeton students are all required to write junior papers, which will help prepare them for mandatory theses their senior year. Through this system, the process of learning to write a serious, in-depth piece of scholarly work is broken down into stages with advisers there to help every step of the way. For students who don’t just come to their advisers before senior year with a clear direction in mind, having all these stages — learning to hone in on a topic, put together a bibliography, write a proposal, break down the research into stages, work on drafts — is a great thing. Both Princeton and Brown benefit from their small size and the high level of attention undergraduates receive from faculty, but at Princeton I think it is harder for a student to fall through the cracks. On the other hand, the openness and self-direction at Brown can provide amazing opportunities for students prepared to fully take advantage of them. If I were a prospective student, I would want to keep this in mind when thinking about how I learn, because each of these schools provides an excellent education and many students would flourish academically at both, but they cater to somewhat different types of learners.
If you're a Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
A unique educational experience
With our eating clubs, thesis requirements, and delayed academic calendar, we’re pretty quick to dub Princeton “unique.” However, in comparison to some other institutions of higher education, the Princetonian college experience seems fairly normal.
If you’re a guy and interested in 2 years of very close personal attention as well as cattle ranching and alfalfa farming, Deep Springs College in California may be for you. The student body is only 26 strong, and many of the alumni go on to Ivy League schools to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
Practically in a scene from Showtime’s hit series Weeds, Oaksterdam University aims to educate people from all walks of life in cannabis studies. Founded only three years ago as a single classroom in California’s Bay Area, OU now has four different locations in two states.
When do you poorly on a test, you may joking exclaim that you’ll need to perfect your inflection when asking “you want fries with that?” However, for the 5,000 students who currently attend Illinois’s Hamburger University to study management and leadership techniques, that question is no laughing matter.
Also, clown college is real.
By Molly Brean and Lauren Zumbach, staff writers for News
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Is That What I Call Music?
Tuesday, March 23, proved another momentous day in the history of music. Continuing a long and time-honored tradition, EMI North America, Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment released Now That’s What I Call Music! 33. In honoring this lyrically lovely event, it seems appropriate to reflect upon the time-honored history of the Now! franchise.
Arriving in the United States in 1998, Now! began as a spin-off of the original British version, which is now in its seventy-fourth installment. While the initial series has proved successful across the pond, in the United States, Now! has succeeded with flying colors. Featuring many of the most popular songs from the last twelve years, the series’ first twenty-nine installments achieved platinum certification, and a number of special edition albums have been released, including Now That’s What I Call Country, Now That’s What I Call Motown, and Now Esto Es Musica! Latino.
The latest release, Now! 33, features such current hits as Owl City’s “Fireflies,” Iyaz’s “Replay” and Ke$ha “Tik Tok.” While Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and the Ke$ha’s love of Mick Jagger seem obvious grounds for another platinum record, the only problem that might still arise for the fledgling album is its lack of one key artist. Over its storied run in the United States, no singer has appeared on more of its albums than Britney Spears, who has graced Now!’s track list 14 times. With songs ranging from “…Baby One More Time” on Now! 2 to “If U Seek Amy” on Now! 31, she has been a franchise player through this Yankee-esque musical dynasty. When you take the best players from every other team, how can you not hit a home run?
By Matt Butler
Orange and Apples: University of Michigan- Ann Arbor
This coming week (April 2) sees the first department's due date for seniors. Perhaps, either because you are experiencing the process yourself, or just hearing about it, you may be feeling ready to be somewhere else. Maybe somewhere a little bit bigger? Kevin Wilson GS, a University of Michigan Ann Arbor alum, gives a run down of some of the differences.
In such a short blog post, I can only hint at some of the differences between the University of Michigan and Princeton. Also, I have never directly experienced undergraduate student life at Princeton, only indirectly as a resident graduate students. Through that lens, I'll examine three differences between U of M and Princeton: size, focus and student-body composition.
Michigan is huge: It has upwards of 40,000 students. (Princeton has 7,500.) It has one of the largest university endowments (but Princeton's is larger), the largest living alumni base and a huge helping of school spirit. (Princeton has none that I know of.) Indeed, traveling in London and Barcelona while wearing Michigan gear invites shouts of "Go Blue!" This size means there are lots of undergraduate research positions, lots of clubs, lots of classes, lots of diverse backgrounds. It also means up to 500 students per lecture, lots of bureaucracy and the potential to "get lost in the system." To me, size was a major factor in choosing Michigan, even though my hometown's population was one-third the football field's capacity.
In terms of focus, Princeton is much more "abstract" than Michigan. At most universities, there is a severe disconnect between the real world and campus. At Princeton, the divide seems particularly wide. Protests occur weekly in Ann Arbor, in the center of campus. The best Princeton could muster last year was Princeton Proposition 8. Moreover, Michigan's 19 divisions (liberal arts, engineering, business etc.) infuse the university's scholarship with a practical flavor. This difference of focus is reflected even in the information technology services: Michigan is years beyond Princeton, from the library catalog to online student self-service to the availability of the computer labs.
Where Princeton truly beats Michigan, though, is in student-body composition. Look at the number of undergraduates at Princeton who have earned international recognition for their work in high school! You'll find very few (if any) winners of the Intel Science Fair or gold medalists in the International Math Olympiad attending the Maize and Blue. This is not to say there are not brilliant people at Michigan: Many of my closest friends are enrolled in top graduate programs. Basically, Princeton is a small pond with lots of huge fish, while Michigan is a very big pond with quite a few big fish.
I don't have room to speak of differences in diversity, job placement (42 percent of Princeton undergraduates entering the workforce go to financial services), cost and a whole host of other issues. But for the general pre-frosh, I offer the following advice: Before making your choice, decide very roughly on a life plan: "I think I want to go into politics" will do. Compare the rankings of Princeton's and Michigan's programs for your interests as well as starting salaries and job placement rates. Visit the campuses, and talk with professors and students in projects that interest you. If all these things are roughly the same, go with the cheaper option and make the most of your time. A degree from either Michigan or Princeton will get your foot in the door. From there, it's your resume and not your degree that will earn you a job.
If you're a Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Calendars to meet all your event-attending needs
For those lucky Princetonians who actually have free time, there’s good news—the University maintains not only one but three general events calendars: http://point.princeton.edu/events/, http://www.princeton.edu/events/, and http://calendar.princeton.edu/.
Interestingly, none of the three contains all of the events in the other two, so students looking to take full advantage of the Princeton experience should regularly check all of them.
It would be convenient if the University were to combine them, but we all know how hard the administration tries to make our lives easy (think grade deflation, mandatory senior theses, etc.).
Also, don’t forget the calendars maintained by individual departments that list speakers, seminars, and colloquiums. Here are just a few: computer science, economics, and history.
By Jason Jung, staff writer for News
Ehrlich '79 rumored to announce run for governor of Maryland
There has been growing speculation that Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. ’79 will announce his bid to be the next governor of Maryland in early April. According to the Washington Post, Ehrlich (R) has not yet confirmed a specific announcement date but was quite talkative about the possibility of doing so. Ehrlich had previously been the governor of the state from 2003 to 2007 before losing to current governor Martin O'Malley (D).
Ehrlich’s lead up to the announcement has been anything but consistent. In March, reporters were caught off guard when he announced that he has not ruled out running against incumbent Barbara A. Mikulski (D) for one of the Maryland’s Senate seats. Prior to being the governor, he had served four terms as the House of Representatives. However, his aides were quickly added that the former governor was not seriously considering this path.
Ehrlich is known to be very pro-business. In 2006, he vetoed the controversial Fair Share Health Care Bill, which forced any corporation with more than 10,000 employees to either spend eight percent of their payroll on employee health care, or pay that amount to a state health-care fund. The veto was overturned by the Maryland Legislature, but the bill was later overruled because it violated a federal law.
Republicans in the state believe that Ehrlich will stand a better chance this election due to unpopular budget cuts instated by Gov. O’Malley. Ehrlich and O’Malley have long debated budget and spending, even after the 2006 gubernatorial elections. Experts say that running his own radio talk show has also helped Ehrlich “stay in the conversation” in the past few years.
At Princeton, Ehrlich was the captain of the football team and a member of Cap and Gown Club.
By Sean Wu, staff writer for News
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Layoffs across the Ivies
The Brown community was reminded once again that the Ivy League is not immune to the current economic situation when its administration announced that about 60 staff members will be laid off in June according to the Brown Daily Herald.
So far this year 139 of its staff members have opted for early retirement packages, and 31 employees were laid off last year.
Brown has pledged to provide compensation and health coverage to its laid off depending on the number of years spent working there as well as career placement services.
Last year, Harvard laid off 275 employees, Dartmouth laid off 60 employees, and Yale laid off 100 employees according to their respective student newspapers.
Princeton is no exception—the University has said it will lay off 43 employees during the current school year as well.
By Jason Jung, staff writer for News
Ad attacking Whitman '77 released
With 75 days before the Republican primary election in California, one group is trying to prevent Meg Whitman ’77 from winning her bid for governor by going viral with a negative ad. In fact, their goal rings clear through their name alone, which is officially: Level the Playing Field 2010 Against Billionaire Meg Whitman for Governor, a Coalition of Nurses, Faculty and Painters Organizations (LTPF).
An ad dubbed “Meg-a-tar” portrays a caricaturized animation of Whitman as a gubernatorial candidate who will “take California for a ride” with her “buy it now” button. LTPF’s take on Whitman comes after reports claim that Whitman spent twice as much on jet fuel as Democratic rival, Jerry Brown spent on his entire campaign.
This ad comes as recent polls show Whitman tied with Brown in the governor’s race.
Watch the video after the jump.
By Jilly Chen, contributor for News
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Harold McGraw Jr. '40 passes away
Harold McGraw Jr. '40, former CEO of McGraw-Hill, passed away earlier today. In addition to working at McGraw-Hill, which his grandfather founded in 1917, he also served as president of the Princeton University Press.
Many on campus may recognize McGraw's name because he endowed the McGraw Center (named in his honor) with a $5 million donation in 1998. The Center was established the following year.
The obituary released today notes other gifts he gave to the University, including "funds for editing Albert Einstein's papers by Princeton University Press as well as the McGraw Distinguished Visiting Professors writing course." The course was established by a donation in 1984. The current McGraw Professor of Writing is Paul Salopek.
You can read more about McGraw and the establishment of the McGraw Center here.
By Aaron Hosios, editor for Blogs
Diggin' In The Mudd: Riots — A Princeton Tradition?
Life Magazine, 1946. That phrase probably makes you think of advertisements like this one:
(Yes those ads really did exist.) But, Life Magazine had articles too, and, it just so happens, on September 23, 1946, Life did an inside look into Princeton, its campus, and student and faculty life. Read about rioting, athletics and tradition after the cut.
The article title tries to create drama:
The article goes on to talk about the history of Princeton, concluding:
Princeton has been often and correctly accused of being "collegiate". This characteristic is caused mainly by its numerous moss-grown traditions, its country location, its small size (half the size of Yale, a quarter the size of Harvard, a tenth the size of Columbia) and by its fierce love (wait for it...) of athletics and rioting.
Yes, they did say athletics and rioting. Well, there was that time when half the school was expelled. (And the article says, Another year they barricaded Nassau Hall, patrolled it with daggers, and beamed their vice president with a decanter when he crawled into the basement to make arrests.) Anyway the article continues...
Rioting today has been largely submerged by the rise of sports. Nevertheless the freshman and sophomore classes still tear each other apart every autumn during a "cane spree" and a bus full of prominent New Jersey citizens was turned over not long ago on Nassau St. during a presidential election campaign. Princetonians are proud of having been the first to play college football- with Rutgers in 1869- proud also of their overall football record of 445 victories, 41 ties, and 112 defeats during 77 years of competition. They are even proud of the clappers which they still steal from Nassau Hall belfry.
Princeton students in 1946 indeed kept up a rowdy tradition! Being Life Magazine, the article of course has lots of pictures to go along. Beside more traditional professor headshots and scenery shots are the following:
So next time you get in trouble for a too-loud room party or stealing from belfries just say you're keeping up Princetonian tradition!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Princeton Review branches out in its rankings
Adding to the slew of college rankings out there, The Princeton Review, in collaboration with GamePro Magazine, has selected the top 50 undergraduate game-design programs. Never mind the best engineering departments or the best-value colleges, game design is where it’s at. The criteria were intensive; schools were asked such questions as “What game design-relevant skills does your program teach?” and “What percentage of graduates have taken a job in some aspect of game development at the time of or before graduating?”
Find out who made the cut after the jump.
At the top of the collegiate game development world reigns University of Southern California’s Interactive Media Division, which boasts big names in gaming such as Jenova Chen and Justin Hall, who have all made games or run their own game studios. DigiPen Institute of Technology and Drexel University keep USC company, along with Becker College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The Art Institute of Vancouver, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively.
MIT has an interesting program in that it does not offer a major, minor, or even a concentration in the field, but rather provides the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab for students to collaborate with other schools to create games.
Princeton students interested in game design may consider pursuing a certificate in Applications of Computing, which offers a digital media track. The program recommends that students take COS 426: Computer Graphics, COS 429: Computer Vision, COS 436: Human Computer Interface Technology, or COS 479: Pervasive Information Systems.
By Cerena Chen, staff writer for News
Fire in LTL
This morning, just before 11 a.m., a fire in the Lewis Thomas Lab prompted evacuation from the building. Several fire truck were called to the scene, and entry to the building was blocked by public safety officers. MOL 348 normally held at 11 a.m. in the building was canceled as a result.
More details will be posted when they become available.
Dinky, what shall become of thee?
On more than one occasion I have had the misfortune of taking a train from the airport in Newark to Princeton Junction only to find that the incoming Dinky wouldn't be leaving for another hour. But I may one day reminisce about this unpredictable service, as proposals have been made to replace the train with a shuttle bus instead.
This was all prompted by the proposed move of the Dinky station to make way for the arts portion of the Arts and Transit Neighborhood. Apparently this did not sit so well with many Princeton residents.
But now, a proposal has been put forth to do away with the Dinky altogether. In its stead, a shuttle bus would run from Princeton Junction to Princeton along what is currently the Dinky's path. The bus would continue to so-called downtown Princeton.
An opinion piece by Chip Crider GS '79, who runs a local business, severely criticizes the proposed plan, noting that:
This [proposal] was touted as a solution to the Dinky station location stalemate elicited by the university's Arts Campus proposal. Well, who caused the stalemate? It was certainly not the university; it was those who insisted on not moving the Dinky station an inch ... And now the same people want to eliminate the Dinky.We haven't yet heard the opinions students, faculty and University staff — who will be affected just as much by these plans. What do you think?
By Aaron Hosios, editor for Blogs
Monday, March 22, 2010
Things you missed over Spring Recess: Pi Day
Shocked? Saddened? Or maybe you made it to the festivities. Pi Day, held on March 14 (3.14, in case you're curious), is a celebration of everyone's favorite ratio, π.
While the math department has previously celebrated the fest with a pie eating contest and a digits of pi recitation contest to see who can recall the most, this year, March 14 fell during Spring Recess, and was not celebrated on campus.
This year, however, marked the town's first Annual Princeton Pi Day, complete with pie judging and pi recitation. Events at 1:59 (as π = 3.14159...) were run by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory researchers. Finally, local businesses offered discounts in honor of this day, which also happens to be Einstein's birthday.
For those who are simply devastated by their being unable to attend, fear not! March 14 will fall before Spring Recess during spring semester in 2012.
Icahn '57 is apparently to be feared
Carl Icahn '57, after whom the lab on campus is named, was recently the subject of a feature in The New York Times. The feature takes a look at his attitudes to business and his interactions with business executives.
While at the University, Icahn was a philosophy major. After graduating, he briefly attended medical school, but became a stockbroker instead.
Icahn — who, like many alumi, turned to the world of investment — is said to have "over the years perfected the art of stirring up trouble for companies and making money — sometimes lots of it — for his investors and himself."
The juiciest details come near the end of the feature where Icahn explains why he sued a good friend (and tennis partner) of his for making a business decision he didn't like.
Funds for the Carl Icahn Lab were donated by the Icahn Family Foundation, which Icahn founded and chairs, in 1999. The building was opened in 2003.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Back, but sprung forward
Well, Spring Recess is over, and as everyone trickles back to campus, we're getting ready to resume regular blogging this week. Much has happened over break, so let's look back at some of the excitement:
1. Evacuations: As I was waiting for my airport train in Princeton Junction, a friend called to ask if I had been a part of the Icahn evacuation. Back on campus, Jadwin and Icahn (where I'm doing independent work) were evacuated after a bomb threat was made against the nearby construction site for the new chemistry building. While an all-clear was issued at 5 p.m., many researchers had a more relaxing Friday afternoon than they had planned.
2. Storm days: Many of our breaks began with thunderstorms, still too early to be counted with our beloved April showers. With trees blocking the Dinky (causing many to miss their flights), emergency shelter in Dillon, and a shoutout on Krugman's blog — hopefully no one will return to find a tree branch crashed through their windows.
3. Springing forward: If falling back gave Fall Recess an extra hour, I suppose it's only fair that springing forward do the reverse. Benjamin Franklin once noted that "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" and sarcastically suggested that the people of Paris could save money on candles by waking up earlier so as to make use of the morning sunlight. Here, however, his suggestion would not have meshed well with fire safety regulations. Those lamenting daylight saving time (DST) should direct all anger to the New Zealand entomologist who invented it.
Princeton connections! When DST was repealed by Congress in 1919 (only to be brought back in the 60s), our very own Woodrow Wilson vetoed the repeal twice, but was overridden. Also, which state, whose governor is an alumnus, began using DST only four years ago?
Hope you all enjoyed your 215 hours of break!
By Aaron Hosios, editor for Blogs
Friday, March 12, 2010
Orange and Apples: Harvard
Harvard and Princeton are both the Number 1 universities in the country according to US News & World Reports, but how does the experience at the two schools differ for students? Ralph Kleiner '05 offers a comparison of the two institutions.
In 2005, I graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in chemistry. Immediately thereafter, I started work on my Ph.D. in chemistry at Harvard. My experience at Harvard has been extremely rewarding both scientifically and professionally. The Boston area --- including MIT, Harvard and Harvard Med, the newly formed Broad Institute and countless other academic and industrial ventures --- is one of the most exciting places in the country for research in the natural sciences. As a grad student, it’s easy to take advantage of these opportunities; for an undergrad however, the competitive environment created by students who know exactly what they want to do, and those who are less certain, can be a bit overwhelming.
For most undergrads, college is more a place of exploration than a means to an end. My time at Princeton was spent doing just that. In addition to deciding on what I wanted to study, I dabbled in several fairly diverse activities, spanning everything from a cappella singing to playing on the sprint football team. (For those interested, Harvard has no sprint football team.) I also belonged to an eating club, that bastion of Ivy League indulgence and exclusivity that my non-Princeton friends tease me about incessantly. Of course, Harvard is not without its pretension, as evidenced by the recent licensing of its name to a line of preppy high-end men’s sportswear.
What I most treasured about my Princeton experience was the sense of community fostered by the school. I think that a large part of this was due to the relative seclusion of the campus as well as the focus that Princeton places on the undergraduate body (which, after all, constitutes more than two-thirds of all students on campus). Socially, the eating clubs provided an inclusive and convenient environment for meeting your peers. I also always had a feeling that the admission office had done an exceptional job of selecting students that were both sufficiently diverse and yet had a certain set of core values in common. The friends that I made at Princeton have remained some of the closest people in my life.
In contrast, Harvard is nestled in the heart of Cambridge, which provides a number of exciting opportunities for rest and relaxation for those with the initiative to seek them out. Nearby Boston has even more things to do if you envision yourself spending significant amounts of time off campus. While the town of Princeton is quaint and idyllic, the extent of its charm can be appreciated within the span of a single afternoon.
Ultimately, it’s hard to go wrong with either school as an undergraduate institution. The undergrads that I’ve interacted with at Harvard have all seemed very happy and would probably praise its virtues no less than I’ve praised those of Princeton. Neither school however, is an appropriate choice for someone interested in following college football. Then again, my hometown team, the Syracuse Orange, hasn’t fared all that well recently either.
If you're a former Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
20 questions with Hilary from the 'Wa'
How old are you?
29.
Where are you from?
Kenya
What do you do at the 'Wa'?
I’m a customer service manager.
How long have you been working at the 'Wa'?
3 months
Do you like it?
Yes, can’t complain.
Do you talk to Princeton students?
Once in a while I do. Just about random stuff.
What kind of stuff?
Sports, day to day things…just whatever pops up.
Do you like Princeton students?
Sometime’s they’re obnoxious. They get annoying at times.
How do they get obnoxious?
Sometimes they come in and they get way too loud! Knocking stuff around…
What’s it like on a Saturday night?
It’s a hell of a night. It’s a busy night. You get to deal with the drunks and everything.
Do you like what you do? Does it get difficult?
It’s a little bit of both. Sometimes we do, sometimes it gets too hard.
What do you like best about this job?
The social aspect. I get to meet people.
And the least?
Sometimes it gets overwhelming. Like, let’s say there are a lot of people in the store at the same time – I have to do a lot at the same time. Sometimes we get 300 people in here all at the same time and some of them try to shoplift.
Somebody locked himself in the freezer. An associate. That was the best.
Who found him?
We found him. He was knocking on the door and we couldn’t figure out what it was!
How did he do that?!
It’s too cold in there and it’s warm outside. So when you go in there’s a vacuum created on the door so if you go inside the door locks itself. That was just hilarious.
6, 7 years.
Freedom about everything.
What do you like least?
The weather. Especially wintertime.
What do you think of the University?
It’s a good university. I heard about Princeton before I came here. I heard the learning system is good and everything.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bellinger '82 & Bobbit '71 protest attacks on DOJ attorneys
Former legal advisor to the Secretary of State John Bellinger III `82 and Philip Bobbitt `71, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, signed a statement protesting recent attacks against attorneys in the Department of Justice who have represented Guantánamo detainees as private clients before their appointment.
Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, issued the letter on Sunday in response to claims by Keep America Safe, a conservative advocacy organization, questioning the loyalty and patriotism of seven Justice Department attorneys.
Keep America Safe released a video last week in which the attorneys were referred to as the “Al Qaeda Seven.” The effort was led by Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Eminent conservative figures such as former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson and former acting attorney general Peter Keisler joined Bellinger and Bobbitt as signatories of the letter.
Alluding to John Adams’ defense of the British soldiers charged in the Boston massacre, the statement cited “the American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients ... To suggest that the Justice Department should not employ talented lawyers who have advocated on behalf of detainees maligns the patriotism of people who have taken honorable positions on contested questions.”
The letter described the campaign initiated by Keep America Safe as “a shameful series of attacks” against Justice Department lawyers who have either represented terrorism suspects or supported amendments to detention policy.
The statement argued that “a uniformity of background and view in government service” would not benefit any administration, and a “diverse array of prior private clients,” adds to the strength of the Justice Department.
America’s response to the debate surrounding possible changes to detention policy depends on “an aggressive defense bar” and “those who take up that function do a service to the system,” the letter concluded.
By Dilek Izek, staff writer for News
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Diggin' In The Mudd: Princeton's Fraternity Debate
Today's Daily Prince had an opinion piece arguing for university-sanctioned on-campus fraternities and sororities. But this debate is not a new one. Some of the same arguments were being made before 1900. Read them under the cut!
Theta Delta Chi Magazine 1893:
Princeton Alumni Weekly, Excerpt from Letter from Member of Class of 1892:
Stanford considers reinstating ROTC
Last month, before receiving the James Madison Medal, General David Petraeus GS ’87 expressed his pride in Princeton’s decision to maintain its ROTC program after other schools had abandoned theirs. Looks like Stanford just got the memo.
At a meeting of the Faculty Senate last week, Stanford discussed reinstating its ROTC program, which was disbanded in the 1970s. Though no decisions have been made, the school took a page out of Princeton’s book when they decided to start a committee to investigate the possibility. The question was part of a larger discussion about preparing Stanford students for military leadership opportunities, which the committee will mainly address, and is partially a response to the expected repeal of current military restrictions on gays in the military.
In the words of Stanford history professor emeritus David Kennedy, who spoke before the senate in favor of returning the ROTC program to campus, "the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, which has been a serious impediment to reopening this discussion at all, will probably go away within the next year or two, and the field will be open to have a reasonable discussion on this.”
Yeah, former AP US-ers. That David Kennedy.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Orange and Apples: UT Austin
If you are choosing between the University of Texas Austin and Princeton then your school spirit section of your wardrobe may not look that different. The Tiger's orange and Longhorns' burnt orange are not that far from each other on the color wheel. But how similar are the instututions themselves? Devon Edwards '05, a former Politics major and law student at UT, provides a comparison.
It is difficult to compare the University of Texas with Princeton. My perspective is incomplete: I attended Princeton as an undergraduate, but attended Texas as a law student, and the University of Texas School of Law is almost entirely a separate entity from the undergraduate college. But I did spend three years mixing in among the undergrads at raucous football games and ridiculous Sixth Street. My brother also attended Texas as an undergraduate, and some of my best friends at the law school had previously called the University of Texas’ 40 acres home as well. These perspectives, as well as my own, enable me to make some comparisons.
The most important difference between the two schools is that Princeton students generally make academic growth their first priority. Students at Texas view academics as only one part of a broader college experience. Princeton is filled with people who are unabashedly intellectually curious, and the small classes and precepts encourage students to work to grasp the material. Learning is personal. When discussing the roots of Nietzsche’s philosophy in front of eight peers as well as the professor, you better know what you’re talking about. In contrast, while Texas has the resources to challenge students, the larger class sizes prevent professors and students from personally and intellectually interacting. It is easier
to coast until the final exam, and students do.
While students at both colleges are intelligent and rounded people, certain differences are notable. You’ll continually be impressed by how freakishly smart your peers will be at Princeton. You’ll find students who dominated you in Beirut the night before blowing you out of the water in your physics class the next day. These people can be intense though, and at Texas you will find smart kids who like to relax a bit more. If you got into Princeton, you’re likely to be among the smartest kids in any room at Texas. At Princeton, you’re probably not even the smartest kid in your freshman bunk bed. (I definitely wasn’t.)
The difference in the size of the undergraduate student body also leads to differences in how students socially interact and cohere. The small size of Princeton allows the administration to construct a variety of effective communities and small groups: Outdoor Action groups, the residential colleges and the small precepts mandatory for most classes. And while Greek life at Princeton is more important than the administration would have you know, it is not a central component of interaction in the undergraduate system. In contrast, because Texas is so large, students already know many people from home with whom they band together to brave the larger crowds. Joining a fraternity or a sorority is more essential at Texas to make new friends. But the larger size of Texas, as well as the ease of access to the greater Austin community, guarantees a variety of social niches and escapes that Princeton lacks. While Princeton often feels like a self-contained bubble, Texas never does.
Texas completely outshines Princeton when it comes to organized sports. If you envision a healthy dose of Saturday tailgating and cheering loudly with friends, go to Texas. Somehow Princeton students have mastered the art of tailgating right through the football game. In contrast, Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium brims with rowdy burnt-orange fans. Students take fandom seriously; there is no Princeton equivalent to the pilgrimage to Dallas for the Texas-Oklahoma shootout, nor to the ever-present possibility of a football or basketball national championship. On the other hand, it is much more likely that you will actually participate in sports at Princeton, where crew teams that win at Nationals typically count many of their members as walk-ons.
Ultimately, you will probably make the right choice for you, or anyway, you’ll be so happy at either Princeton or Texas that you could not have imagined going anywhere else. So don’t sweat it, and enjoy whatever choice you make.
If you're a former Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Georgetown follows George Washington’s lead
Thirty regular decision applicants to Georgetown University, who have not yet been officially accepted to the university, received e-mails from the biology department, which congratulated them and welcomed them into the Class of 2014.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions sent the biology department a list of acceptees from the Early Action program who had expressed interest in studying biology, but also inadvertently included on this list the names of the 30 regular decision applicants who were likely to be accepted. The department of biology sent the congratulatory e-mails to all the applicants on the list, to both accepted early-action applicants and to the regular-decition applicants.
Following the minor mishap, the admissions office sent the 30 elated students another e-mail, which stated that though they had not officially been accepted, they were “likely” to be admitted.
In February, The George Washington University sent acceptance e-mails to roughly 200 of its Early Decision II applicants who had (already) been notified of their rejection a few weeks earlier.
What’s going on in Washington?
By Wonpyo Yun, staff writer for News
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Students petition USG-funded "porn screening"
Anscombe Society President Shivani Radhakrishnan '11 began an online petition this Wednesday and posters advertising the petition have cropped up around campus this weekend. Radhakrishnan is also a member of The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board.
In late February, the USG voted to grant $1,500 to the student group Let’s Talk Sex (LeTS) to fund the event. The petition is aimed at four administrators at the University including President Shirley Tilghman and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne.
In a Daily Princetonian article, Radhakrishnan said that while the Anscombe Society does not object to discussion about pornography, “screening pornography ... is a relevantly different situation.”
The online petition, which is seeking 500 signatures, had 223 as of Saturday evening. The text of the petition reads, "We, as students of Princeton, oppose the public screening of pornography on campus." A sizable number of the signatories, however, are Princeton alumni or individuals not affiliated with the University.
*Update (3/7): The text of the petition now reads: "students, alumni, and community members of the Princeton community".
— Tasnim Shamma '11
Friday, March 5, 2010
Anscombe Society + Princeton Pride Alliance join forces
This Thursday, the Princeton Pride Alliance and the Anscombe Society are co-sponsoring a petition in the Frist Campus Center to protest the Ugandan "Anti-Homosexuality Bill"
and encourage Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to continue her efforts against the bill, which includes life imprisonment of homosexuals and HIV positive individuals.
Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 African countries including Uganda, where it is currently punishable with up to 14 years in prison. In late January, the Ugandan Parliament agreed to remove the death penalty from the bill, but the Parliament is expected to continue discussing the bill in the coming weeks and months.
At the annual National Prayer Breakfast on February 4th, both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against the bill. Numerous religious organizations and leaders have also issued statements against the bill.
This marks a first in the recent history of these organizations. Read the 'Prince' this week for more details and coverage of the partnership and petition.
— Tasnim Shamma '11
Thursday, March 4, 2010
On and in the walls of the library
Just by walking around the perimeter of Firestone, you can stumble across a number of plaques and other mementos from Princeton’s past. If you walk up the steps from Washington Road, you’ll pass a terra cotta plaque (right), the only trace of the 1877 Laboratory. The laboratory — the precursor to Guyot Hall — occupied Firestone's current location until it was torn down in 1946 to make way for the library.The next time you go into the library, if you look to your right just before going through the main doors, you’ll see this ornament (below), a present from His Majesty, King George VI. It is a piece from the Houses of Parliament that was blown off during Word War II.
The library also has a time capsule of sorts. A small, lead-coated copper box rests in the cornerstone of the library. According to The Princeton Alumni Weekly, this box contains a variety or records and objects including a Bible; both a University and a Graduate College catalogue; a phonebook; a reproduction of the catalogue of the College of New Jersey from 1760; paraphernalia from the University's Bicentennial; a biography and picture of Mr. Firestone; copies of The New York Times, Princeton Herald, Princeton Packet, the Daily Princetonian, and the Alumni Weekly; photographs of the models of the library; some coins; and a copy of a letter from Thomas Jefferson to Ebenezer Hazard on the importance of preserving records. The box also contains specimens of the Osteopleurus newarki, which appears to be a species of fish from New Jersey. The first fossils of the Osteopleurus newarki were found during the construction of the library.As a final note, all the lights on the outside of the library are compact fluorescent.
Poor Woodrow Wilson
Overheard in front of Frist this evening:
A sophomore girl is shrieking on the phone, holding a letter and running up the stairs from the first floor, saying: Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! [So quickly, that it sounds like she's saying "Money!"]
"I just got into Woody Woo!". She repeats this in a high-pitched voice several times and is still running as she's shouting.
Two guys cross paths with her and are walking down into Frist. Once they get inside, the guy repeatedly says "Oh my God, I can't believe that just happened!" He proceeds to point his finger to his head and pretends to shoot himself.
Good luck to all of the sophomores who applied! You're in for a ride! :)
— Tasnim Shamma '11
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
$10,000 of belongings stolen from Pyne Hall
Roughly $10,000 worth of personal belongings were stolen from a dorm room in Pyne Hall today, Public Safety Deputy Director Charles Davall said this afternoon. Between 10 a.m. and 1:08 p.m., someone went into a student’s unlocked room and stole the items, which included two computers, an “expensive” watch and gaming equipment, Davall said.
There were no witnesses and Public Safety has no suspects.
"We really, really implore the students to lock their doors. It’s the number one way they can prevent something like this from happening,” Davall said. After the theft was reported, officers canvassed Pyne Hall and asked whether student has seen “anything suspicious,” said Ana Sollitto ’11, who lives in the dorm. She said that officers went room-to-room to see if anyone was hiding in the rooms.
Davall said that officers, as part of protocol, were checking nearby unlocked rooms to see if anything “looked amiss.” Public Safety then locked the doors behind them. Davall said officers were not looking for a hiding suspect.
By Henry Rome, staff writer for News
Orange and Apples: Cambridge
With midterms coming up you might be ready to run away to another country. In that case, how does time in the United Kingdom sound? David Sayers, a graduate student in Near Eastern Studies and former undergraduate at Cambridge University, compares the two institutions.
Cambridge and Princeton have a lot of superficial similarities. They’re both underdog rivals to better-known institutions: one of them to Oxford, the other to Harvard. They’ve both got gothic architecture: one of them real, the other fake. They’ve both got chapels: one of them the largest in the world, the other the second-largest. They’ve both got collegiate systems: one of them evolved over the centuries, the other instituted by fiat to rival unsavory dining establishments. You catch my drift. It’s hard to come from Cambridge to Princeton for the first time and see more than a pale imitation of the former place in the latter. If you happen to spend some time in both places, however, that first impression quickly evaporates.
Perhaps the greatest single difference between Cambridge and Princeton lies in the relationship between university and town. In Cambridge, the university is the undeniable core of the town. It occupies the center, all roads lead to it, and much of the town caters to it and its students in the form of shops, pubs, clubs and even the kebab vans that pull up on market square at three in the morning to feed ravenous partygoers. The centrality of the university also breeds its own animosity, however: the famous hatred between town and gown, courtesy of which, again at three in the morning, I received the first proper beating of my life at the hands of a group of townies whom, in my freshman innocence, I had dared to ask which college they attended.
Such a thing would never happen in Princeton, not because the relationship between town and university is so good, but simply because there is none. Only the Communiversity fair brings town and gown together --- oh, I don’t know, every term? every year? --- across the otherwise stygian divide that is Nassau Street. It’s not so much that you can’t cross Nassau Street as a student, but that once you’re over there, there’s simply nothing there for you. Sure, there is the Princeton Record Exchange, the biggest secondhand music store on the entire East Coast. But if you’re looking for an affordable place to drink with your friends, a clothing store that has anything other than what a 50-something WASP U.S. suburbanite might want to wear or, God forbid, a club, I wish you better luck than I’ve had.
I won’t even try to compare the two places in terms of academic excellence. If you’re lucky enough to be in a position to choose between two institutions like Cambridge and Princeton, it really comes down to apples and oranges. What you should ask yourself is what kind of environment would suit your character and goals better. Cambridge is diverse but distracting. During my time there I performed in plays, edited a newspaper, got kicked out of bars --- and had an average grade to show for it. That didn’t stop me from getting into Princeton, a place that is introspective but inbred. Here, I can’t wait to escape to New York on the weekends, but academically, I’ve never done better. And who knows what that might get you into?
If you're a former Tiger who is now pursuing graduate studies elsewhere or a Princeton grad student who attended undergrad outside the Orange Bubble and would like to contribute a comparison send an email to blog@dailyprincetonian.com.
Diggin' In The Mudd: Historical Princeton Poems & Songs
There is an ancient faculty most ancient in renown. The town is full of talent, and lager beer saloons When we look back on the days spent at college, Over the years that have parted our class— Deepened the furrows of life where they pass— Over the scenes of our old college days, Over our friendships, our sports and our lays. Cheer again ! Cheer again ! Cheer again ! Cheer again !
You thought "Old Nassau" captured the spirit of Princeton? How about these songs and poems from pre-1920 Princetonian history? Each provides a different (sometimes amusing) look at Princeton life and spirit!
That rules an ancient college built in ye ancient town;
The town is in the inland, far from ye ancient sea.
About the middle of the State of New-Jer-ze.
The boys sometimes get "dead broke" and pawn their old spittoons.
But this thing doesn't last long, the reason you shall see—
We always borrow when we're short in New-Jer-ze.
All powdered up, and lovely, in chignon and gay curls;
They always smash our hearts, although it strange may be.
The same girls smashed Out fathers' hearts in New-Jer-ze.
-Class of 1872, History Pamphlet
Years which have deepened and strengthened our knowledge,
Then we shall linger with dear recollections
Over our longings, our deeds, our reflections,
Till the echoes are borne far and wide,
Let the praises of Nassau abide.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Samuelson on "Downward Mobility"
Robert Samuelson, columnist for the Washington Post and Newsweek, gave a lecture yesterday about the future of the American economy. He lectured to an audience of approximately 40 people, almost all of whom were above the age of 60. Other than me, there was just one other student, and he was dressed up like he might as well have been over 60.
Samuelson predicts that “Downward Mobility” will characterize the future of the American economy, meaning essentially that the incomes of Americans may increase slightly or stay stagnant, but the purchasing power of the average American family will be noticeably reduced. He noted that since the end of the Second World War, Americans have seen a relatively high rate of income increases, but that going into the future, economic growth seems limited.
Find out more about this talk after the jump.
Samuelson noted that, since the 1940s and 50s, economic growth has relied on two factors: an increase in productivity, and an increase in the labor force. The latter has historically been centered around an increase in married women entering the workforce and population growth following the baby boom. However, in recent years both of these have stagnated with baby boomers retiring and a peak in the number of working married women.
Now that baby boomers are claiming social security benefits, Samuelson believes that a combination of higher taxes and lower spending on benefits is the only way to sustain social security in order to avoid the “Downward spiral” which is being faced by nations such as Greece who constantly have to raise taxes to sustain their entitlement programs, which penalizes economic growth, resulting in lower revenue, and the need to continue to raise taxes while destroying their economy.
Samuelson suggests that the future of America may mean that “families will live in slightly smaller homes, drive slightly smaller cars, be more efficient with energy usage, and possibly go out to dinner less” which in his eyes “isn’t a tragedy.” However Samuelson concluded saying that he might be wrong, and none of what he describes will happen.
By Randy Khalil, staff writer for News
Monday, March 1, 2010
WWS 543 from the comfort of your own home
Paul Krugman, a professor of economics at the University, is also a writer for The New York Times. This semester he is teaching WWS 543: International Trade Policy and has apparently decided to make some of the course's content open to the general public.
This semester, he has been posting content from the class on his blog, The Conscience of a Liberal. This week, he is apparently lecturing about preindustrial trade. Surprisingly, none of the commenters have remarked on this unusual blogging activity.
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