Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998
Friday February 21, 2020 vol. CXLIV no. 15
Twitter: @princetonian Facebook: The Daily Princetonian YouTube: The Daily Princetonian Instagram: @dailyprincetonian
U . A F FA I R S
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
Twenty-eight run for Young Alum Trustee By Zachary Shevin Head News Editor
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Nassau Hall aglow at dusk. STUDENT LIFE
Twenty-eight current seniors are vying to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees. The Young Alumni Trustee (YAT) retains the same rights, powers, and duties as all other University trustees, according to the University website. Each spring, a member of the graduating senior class is elected to the position on a four-year term. Currently, Sarah Varghese ’19, Myesha Jemison ’18, Achille Tenkiang ’17, and Azza Cohen ’16 serve in the position, with Cohen’s term expiring this year. The position was created in 1969. According to Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss, the average number of candidates since YAT began keeping statistics is 25. Last year, 30 students ran for the position, which Varghese eventually attained. The 28 seniors running are, in alphabetical order, Chelsie Alexandre, Jackson Artis, Grace Baylis, Sarah Deneher, Erin Endres, Jus-
ton Forte, Alaa Ghoneim, Erin Gray, Sirad Hassan, Jonathan Haynes, Taylor Jean-Jacques, Manasseh James Matossian, Jamie Mercurio, Ben Musoke-Lubega, Danielle Newton, Olivia Ott, Henry Parkhurst, June Philippe, Nathan Poland, Ben Press, Adhitya Raghavan, Rohan Shah, Ayushi Sinha, Meghan Slattery, Bobo Stankovikj, Mayisha Sultana, Katya Vera, and Zarnab Virk. Online voting for the primary election, in which only members of the class of 2020 may vote, will take place from Feb. 25 to March 5. Three finalists will advance to the general election, beginning in late April. Members of the classes of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 will be eligible to vote in the general election. Alexandre, a politics concentrator, is a member of the BodyHype Dance Company and Triple 8 Dance Company and has been involved on campus in the Asian American Students Association and Princeton for North Korean Human Rights. As a YAT, she believes she would be able to bring a diverse set See TRUSTEE page 2
U . A F FA I R S
International students relieved as court enjoins Trump immigration policy Staff Writer
On Feb. 6, a federal court struck down a 2018 Trump administration immigration policy that allowed officials to enforce the consequences of visa overstays without any prior warning. Several of the University’s international students spoke with The Daily Princetonian, expressing relief regarding the potential impacts on their immigration status after the decision. Instead of warning an individual who has overstayed a visa before enacting a punishment such as deportation or a bar on re-entry, as has been United States Citizenship And Immigration Services’ (USCIS) procedure for years, this nowoverturned policy gave immigration officials the ability to execute immigration penalties without any prior notification to the offender. In a 26-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Biggs for the Middle District Of North Carolina concluded that the policy was “both procedurally and substantively defective.” According to the opinion, the policy failed to properly implement a “notice and comment” process, as required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and the policy in contention is therefore unlawful. The APA requires that a “legislative rule,” which includes the USCIS policy in question, must publish a “general notice of proposed rule making” in the Federal Register, “give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making through submission of written data, views, or arguments,” and include “a concise general statement of its basis and purpose” with final version of the rule
In Opinion
when it becomes law. Going even further, Biggs’s decision outlines a direct conflict between the policy directive and the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. In the end, the opinion calls into question the legality of the policy change and brings up questions of executive versus legislative jurisdiction. At the heart of this legal challenge was the issue of international students at American universities. Some universities worried that students could inadvertently overstay visas during the summer or after graduation. Indeed, it was a conglomerate of universities and educational institutions, including Pennsylvania’s Haverford College and North Carolina’s Guilford College, that filed the case against the administration. During the proceedings, the University signed an amicus curiae brief alongside 65 other U.S colleges and universities. Among other things, the brief asserted that “rules changes such as this make the United States a less welcoming place for international study and have a demonstrable impact on international interest in American higher education. Consequently, the new rule will be detrimental to both our institutions and the larger American economy.” Several international students at the University who spoke with the ‘Prince’ reacted with relief, even though many were unaware of the 2018 policy until now. “The court decision makes me feel more at ease,” said Tiffany Agyarko ’23, a student from Ghana. “I would have been extremely horrified if, after the amazing year I’ve spent here, I was not allowed to come back.” Nigerian student Blessing See LAWSUIT page 2
Columnist Arman Badrei defends those who wear glasses for the aesthetics, columnist Claire Wayner affirms bats’ ecological importance, and Victoria Higgins ’16 argues that by pursuing corporate careers that intersect with the fossil fuel industry, Princeton students contribute to the climate crisis.
PAGE 6
BEN BALL / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
22 Chambers Street, where PRINCO is located.
U. holds $30M in Uber, $13M in aerospace company per recent SEC filing By Zachary Shevin Head News Editor
A recently released quarterly holdings report, which accounts for just under half a percentage of the University’s $26.1B endowment, reveals University investments in seven companies, including the rideshare app Uber, aerospace component manufacturer TransDigm, and plantbased meat substitute producer Beyond Meat. The Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) filed its holdings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Feb. 11. The filing listed around $127.6M in University holdings, which comprise about 0.49 percent of the total endowment. Quarterly filings back to 2018 are available online. The most recent filing showed more stock value than the four reports filed in 2019, each of which listed under $80M in University holdings. In the most recent filing, shares in the D.C.-based real estate firm JBG Smith comprise the largest portion. According to the report, the University holds
1,759,817 shares of JBG SMITH. Past filings show the University holding the same number of JBG SMITH shares since May 2018. The shares have increased in value by $10.9M in the last 21 months, rising from $59.3M to $70.2M. According to JBG SMITH’s website, the University is the 17th largest investor in the company, behind BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group Inc., JP Morgan Asset Management, and various other investment firms. PRINCO is also not the only Ivy League university fund invested in JBG SMITH, as Yale University Investments possesses over $24M worth of the company’s stock. Uber represents the University’s second largest listed investment, with over 1M shares amounting to $32,419,000. Uber’s stock price has risen over 30 percent since the start of the year. Number three on the list is aerospace company TransDigm, of which the University possesses over $13M in shares. The Cleveland-based business produces various pumps, valves, motors, actuators, batteries, audio systems, and safety restraints for
Today on Campus 8:00 p.m.: University Organist Eric Plutz will perform selected preludes and fugues, in keys from “A” to “G”. Free and open to all! Princeton University Chapel
commercial and military aircraft. TransDigm contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. The University also possesses around $6.4M of stock the Utahbased consulting and training company Franklin Covey, around $2.8M of stock in the cancer research company Forty Seven, and around $1.6M of stock in the genetic medicines company Audentes Therapeutics. Ten thousand shares, worth $821,000, comprise the University’s investment in in Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat’s stock has risen over 68 percent since the start of the year, and Campus Dining began serving Beyond Burgers in the Frist Gallery last semester. The SEC requires investment managers with more than $100 million of assets, such as PRINCO, to disclose securities holdings annually. Though managers are not required to report mutual fund holdings, they must include exchange-traded funds. Both Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss and PRINCO President Andrew Golden declined to comment.
WEATHER
By Omar Farah
HIGH
38˚
LOW
22˚
Sunny chance of rain:
0 percent
The Daily Princetonian
page 2
Friday February 21, 2020
Since records first kept, average number of YAT candidates 25 TRUSTEE Continued from page 1
............. of perspectives to the table and broaden her own understanding of how the University functions. “As someone who has managed to enter into spaces where I don’t look like everyone and completely immerse myself in the relationships, I have been able to start building a comprehensive understanding of the different experiences of Princeton students on campus,” she wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. Artis, a mechanical and aerospace engineering concentrator, is a member of the Fuzzy Dice Improv comedy group, the Co-Host of All Nighter, and a Rocky College Residential College Advisor (RCA). He is also a member of the club Powerlifting Team, the Princeton Christian Fellowship, and the Meal Plan Music Collective. “I decided to run because, while I’ve enjoyed my Princeton experience, I’ve had many close friends in my time here that didn’t have as positive or even a net positive experience,” he wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “It would be selfish of me to simply take from this school knowing that it doesn’t give the same positives to everyone.” Baylis is a Wilson School concentrator, an international student, and a member of the varsity women’s field hockey team. In a statement to the ‘Prince,’ she described herself as “an active participant in student wellness programming” who understands how important it is for the University’s allotment of resources to be aligned with the needs and values held by the student body. “I would approach the position of Young Alumni Trustee with an open mind, willingness to listen, and the drive to fight for progress at the university to the benefit of the whole campus community,” Baylis wrote. Forte, a Wilson School concentrator, has been involved in Undergraduate Student Government for three years, currently serving as the Senior Class President. He is also an RCA in Wilson, a Wilson Ceramics Studio manager, a former Alcohol Initiative chair, and a member of the club ultimate frisbee team. “I’m interested in the position so I can represent our class and stay involved in the University after graduation,” he wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “My involvement in campus life makes me well suited to the position because it allows for me to accurately read the opinions of recent students and use it to inform my decisions as a Trustee.” Gray is concentrating in civil and environmental engineering. In a statement, she noted that she is proud to be a part of this slate of
seniors who share the same passion of service to the University community. “I have made some amazing memories here over these four years and I want to be a part of the legacy work that allows Princeton to grow in diversity of thought, culture, courses and opportunities,” she wrote. “I am excited to stay involved with the University.” Hassan, a Wilson School concentrator, recently participated in the soon-to-betelevised Jeopardy! college tournament. She has also served as President of the Muslim Students Association, a co-leader for Breakout Princeton, as a SHARE Peer, and as a Whitman College Peer Academic Advisor. She sees her hardworking mindset, desire to impact the University, and the diverse set of convernations she has had on campus as qualifying her for the position. “We are all students from vastly different backgrounds, and in my time here I have gotten to experience this diversity through many long conversations with those around me — even if as acquaintances or close friends,” she wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “This helps because it provides a lot of perspective to what changes and policies might be important for our campus community moving forward.” Haynes, a politics concentrator, has served as a co-chair on a Pace Center board, a Peer Academic Advisor for Butler College, a member of the steering team for Vote100, and a board member for the Black Student Union. In a statement, Haynes wrote that he has already worked extensively with a variety of writing groups and offices on campus, including the University Trustees, something he hopes to continue as a YAT. “The Young Alumni Trustee position offers the chance to continue a deep and ref lective engagement with the University after we graduate and I am excited to have the opportunity to run for the position,” he wrote. Jean-Jaques, a psychology concentrator, is a member of the Varsity Lightweight Rowing team and has served as a Co-Chair of the Rockefeller College Council and of the 2020 Annual Giving Committee. She has also served on the Trustee Board of the University Store and served as Business Manager of the 143rd Managing Board of the ‘Prince.’ “I am running because I want to give back to the University,” she wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince,’ “and because my breadth and depth of experiences and leadership at Princeton would allow me to make a unique and meaningful contribution as a Trustee.” Mercurio, a computer science major, is the only
candidate with Trustee committee experience, as a member of the Trustee Committee on Honorary Degrees — the only Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) committee that meets with the Trustees. “No friend I’ve asked has known what the Trustees actually do, and that’s a problem,” he wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “As the only candidate with Trustee Committee experience, I’ve personally convinced them to listen to us already — but with $25 billion at their disposal, they can positively impact students at every level, and that’s exactly why I’m running.” Newton is a chemistry concentrator and pre-med student who plans to take a gap year before entering medical school. She is also the president and founder of the Princeton Irish Dance Company, an Orange Key tour guide, a member of the Princeton Debate Panel, and a co-chair of the Outdoor Action leader training committee. Additionally, she said, her experiences as a QuestBridge student and member of the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) heavily inf luenced her decision to run for YAT. “Being YAT means having incredible access to a level of decision-making about Princeton even when you cannot achieve financial or social access,” she wrote. “As president of three student organizations, as a pre-med student, and as someone who has worked with University officials during my time here, I pride myself in being competent, professional, organized, and prepared for the role of YAT.” Ott is a Wilson School concentrator who served as Academics Chair of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) in 2018 and 2019 and has been involved with E-Club, club tennis, Model UN, Whig-Clio, the William Trego Singers, and the Woodrow Wilson School Student Advisory Board throughout her time at Princeton. “Over the past four years, I’ve served as a student representative on seven University committees, and have led initiatives related to calendar reform, Honor Code reform, credit for internships (e.g. CPT vs. OPT), the decoupling of credit for 101 and 102 foreign language courses, and the recent addition of a new culture and difference requirement,” wrote Ott. “I believe that my experience advocating for students and working with the University’s administration has well prepared me to continue representing student interests and to serve as the Young Alumni Trustee.” Parkhurst, a politics concentrator and captain of the men’s varsity squash team, wrote that he has spent a lot of time “both appeciating [sic] and complaining about almost every aspect
of Princeton,” thinking long and hard about curricular pedagogy, academic-athletic balance, and various other issues of importance. “The YATs get to be in the room for very big decisions about the University, so it pays to have thought a lot about the mission of the school and its relationship to student’s experiences,” he added. Poland, an African American studies concentrator, is involved in Princeton Mock Trial, the Petey Greene InPrison Tutoring System, Students for Prison Education and Reform (SPEAR), and the Undergraduate Board of the African American Studies Department. He is also an RCA in Rockefeller College and a Fields Fellow at the Carl A. Fields Center. Poland cited his advocacy background as an asset for becoming a YAT. “Advocating for inclusivity and justice through activism at Princeton has given me a unique perspective on our university’s history, a practical knowledge on where we stand now, and profound hope for where we can go,” he wrote in a statement. Raghavan, a mechanical and aerospace engineering concentrator and member of the varsity men’s squash team, is involved in E-Club and Business Today on Campus. He also serves as a UCouncilor in USG, focused on sustainability issues and mental health. “As an international student from India, studentathlete and Mechanical engineer, I believe that I would bring a fresh and different perspective to the Board,” he wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “I think I have developed a holistic view of the working of our campus which would assist me in taking on the responsibility.” Shah, a Molecular Biology concentrator, dances for the Princeton Bhangra team and has launched an entrepreneurship organization called Alimtas Bioventures while on campus. He hopes to give back to a community that has “inspired,” “challenged,” and “energized” him to be the best version of himself. “From launching an entirely new entrepreneurship organization to dancing for the Princeton Bhangra team, I have had the opportunity to live many different lives here and better understand what we, as students, want now and into the future,” he wrote in a statement. “It would be an honor to represent our class among the generations of Princetonians who call this place home.” Sinha, a computer science Major, has mentored students as an Assistant RCA and Peer Academic Advisor, and has represented the student voice to alumni in the past through the participation in the President’s Advisory Council and as Co-
President of the Entrepreneurship Club. She is running to further promote the student voice in strategic University decisions. “Through my work with expanding awareness and access to entrepreneurship on campus, I strive to embody Princeton’s unofficial motto, “Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity” and show that social entrepreneurship can effectively bring about impactful change,” she wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ Stankovikj, a Wilson School concentrator, works as a barista at the Coffee Club and as an Orange Key tour guide. He also serves as an attorney on the Mock Trial team, a Davis International Center Leader, and is the Chair of the Peer Representatives, a group that defends students accused of Honor Code violations. A Macedonia native, Stankovikj noted that “Princeton’s endowment is twice the GDP of my country, and I wouldn’t be here without the robust financial aid package that only Princeton could offer.” “I’m the result of thoughtful decision-making by the Trustees — their decision to eliminate loans from financial aid packages has been crucial in enabling students like myself to attend Princeton,” he continued in a statement. “I’d love to be part of future change like this!” Sultana, a molecular biology concentrator from Bangladesh, has served as a mentor with SIFP, as Communications Chair for the Princeton Bengal Tigers, and as a Board Member for the Scully Co-op. She has also been involved in the McGraw Center’s committee for transitioning to Canvas, in a Firestone Library focus group attempting to improve undergraduate research, and has volunteered for Annual Giving. To Sultana, her reason for running is “simple.” “As a first-gen international student from Bangladesh, coming to Princeton has changed my life,” she wrote. “I have an immense sense of gratitude towards this place, and I’d like to pay it forward by dedicating my time to Princeton’s long and short-term decision making.” Virk, a psychology concentrator, feels her past role as USG president qualifies her to be a YAT. Through that experience, Virk wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince,’ she has gained insight into the behind-the-scenes processes that lead to change within the University — effective knowledge for the YAT role. “I hope to continue my work on policies that improve the holistic Princeton student experience — there is still more work to be done and more change to be made within the university, and I would be honored to be the student voice that brings about these changes,” she wrote.
Hotchkiss: It is important that international students comply with visas LAWSUIT Continued from page 1
.............
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The Louis A. Simpson Building, which houses the Davis International Center.
Jegede ’21, who is concentrating in mechanical and aerospace engineering, echoed this sentiment. “I think it’s helpful. And I do see it as a small victory because it takes away the harsh penalty of a three- to 10-year ban from re-entry,” said Jegede. For some students, whose plans do not include staying in the United States upon graduation, the announcement was less impactful. “Whilst I approve of the increased transparency, this deci-
sion does not make me feel any more or less comfortable as an international student. I plan to leave America as soon as I finish my studies, and so the legislation has very little effect on me,” said Harry Ayto ’23, who resides in the United Kingdom. This decision, however, does not necessarily mark the end of this legal battle. The U.S. Department Of Justice has the chance to appeal the decision, and a policy proposal put out by the Executive Office Of The President suggests the administration may attempt to fix procedural errors and simply add a maximum stay for student visas. However, for now, the policy remains void
across the country. Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss emphasized that students ought not to read the recent ruling as a general relaxation of U.S. immigration enforcement. “It is important to note that international students always need to be diligent about complying with the terms of their visas, regardless of the status of this case,” wrote Hotchkiss in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “Any status violation carries the potential for serious consequences, and international students should consult with their adviser at the Davis International Center if they have any questions.”
Friday February 21, 2020
The Daily Princetonian
page 3
0101110110100010010100101001001 0100100101110001010100101110110 1000100101001010010010100100101 1100010101001011101101000100101 0010100100101001001011100010101 0010111011010001001010010100100 1010010010111000101010010111011 0100010010100101001001010010010 1110001010100101110110100010010 1001010010010100100101110001010 1001011101101000100101001010010 0101001001011100010101001011101 1010001001010010100100101001001 0111000101010010111011010001001 0100101001001010010010111000101 0100101110110100010010100101001 0010100100101110001010100101110 1101000100101001010010010100100 1011100010101001011101101000100 1010010100100101001001011100010 1010010111011010001001010010100 1001010010010111000101010010111 0110100010010100101001001010010 0101110001010100101110110100010 0101001011101101000100101001010 0100101001001011100010101001011 1011010001001010010100100101001 for (;;) 0010111000101010010111011010001 { 001010010100100101001001011100 System.out.print(“Join ”); 0101010010111011010001001010010 System.out.println(“Web!”); 1001001010010010111000101010010 } 1110110100010010100101001001010 0100101110001010100101110110100 0100101001010010010100100101110 0010101001011101101000100101001 0100100101001001011100010101001 Dream in code? 0111011010001001010010100100101 0010010111000101010010111011010 Join the ‘Prince’ web staff 0010010100101001001010010010111 0001010100101110110100010010100 1010010010100100101110001010100 1011101101000100101001010010010 1001001011100010101001011101101 0001001010010100100101001001011 1000101010010111011010100101001 0100100101001001011100010101001 0111011010001001010010100100101 0010010111000101010010111011010 0010010100101001001010010010111 0001010100101110110100010010100 1010010010100100101110001010100 1011101101000100101001010010010 1001001011100010101001011101101 0001001010010100100101001001011 1000101010010111011010001001010 0101001001010010010111000101010 0101110110100010010100101001001 0100100101110001010100101110110 1000100101001010010010100100101 1100010101001011101101000100101 0010100100101001001011100010101 0010111011010001001010010100100 1010010010111000101010010111011 0100010010100101001001010010010 1110001010100101110110100010010 1001010010010100100101110001010 1001011101101000100101001010010 0101001001011100010101001011101 1010001001010010100100101001001 0111000101010010111011010001001 0100101001001010010010111000101 0100101110110100010010100101001 0010100100101110001010100101110 1101000100101001010010010100100 101110001010100101110110100010 0101001010010010100100101110001 0101001011101101000100101001010 0100101001001011100010101001011 1011010001001010010100100101001 0010111011010001001010010100100 101001001011100010101001011101 1010001001010010100100101001001 0111000101010010111011010001001 0100101001001010010010111000101
page 4
The Daily Princetonian
Friday February 21, 2020
?
? Friday February 21, 2020
The Daily Princetonian
page 5
What could I be at T HE DA ILY
Podcaster
Photographer Cartoonist
Copy Editor
Layout Designer
Reporter
Graphic Artist
Sports writer
Columnist
Ad Sales Manager
Videographer
If you see yourself
writingthinkingreporting doodlingdrawingexpressing communicatingdescribing photographingprogramming in college, check us out
Opinion
Friday February 21, 2020
page 6
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
In defense of “fake” glasses Arman Badrei Columnist
I
t’s happened a few times now, enough to call it a phenomenon of sorts: a friend and I head to Firestone to study, find a quiet spot to embark on a 200-page reading due the next morning or reply to a few emails that have been eroding in my inbox for day, and hunker down. I unzip my backpack, unfold my laptop, unlock my academic toolbox (i.e. my pencil case), whip out a book … and then put on my glasses. Even for friends who’ve known me for quite some time, the shock is instantaneous. “You wear glasses?” they inquire with a furrowed brow and wide eyes, as if pure electricity has spiraled down their spine. I confirm that, yes, I do wear glasses now, and usually the conversation returns back to a silent dialogue of occasional stares and random thoughts. Until, at some point, I take off those tortoise-shell frames to rub my eyes and nose, and that friend puts them on. In this critical moment, what follows is a reaction of either hysteria or outrage; either a fit of laughter resulting from the fact that my glasses don’t have a particularly high prescription, or a volcanic eruption of anger including a protest on my appropriation of glasses culture, coupled with accusations of my fraudulence as a
wearer of spectacles (usually from someone with weak, severely astigmatic eyes). Allow me to explain: In December, my optometrist said it would be a smart idea to wear glasses when looking at objects an arm’slength away and closer in order to prevent the deterioration of my eyes. It’s this heavy amount of reading from a close distance that took a toll on my mom’s eyes during college and is something I would like to avoid. I’ll be honest and admit that, as the only non-eyewearowner in my family, I always wanted a pair, so my doctor’s recommendation was a very willingly taken piece of advice. The glasses also have blue light filters, which help prevent the suppression of melatonin secretion and shifting of circadian rhythms at night, according to Harvard Medical School. It’s these blue light glasses specifically that I’ve started to see some of my friends wearing. And while I’ve recently been roped into that category, I don’t see that as a point of frustration since, technically, my glasses are for astigmatism; rather, when I’m accused of wearing glasses solely for blue light filters — what many refer to as “fake” glasses — I see it as an opportunity, a call to defend this newly targeted demographic of people. To those who wear glasses (or don’t) and are upset about the trend of people wearing “fake” glasses now, I say this to you: calm down and find something else to get enraged about. I will make my case with two points.
Glasses have developed a secondary purpose and have transformed into — for some time now — an accessory in addition to not simply being a functional tool. Fashion has a tendency to erase or devalue function in favor of form. Look at the wristwatch, for example. What was once a pure utility to tell the time of day has been popularly diminished to a piece of decoration for the wrist, in an age where grabbing your phone from your right pocket is more instinctive and convenient than glancing at Roman numerals above your hand. What were at one point instruments with capabilities that assisted pilots and divers are now simply pieces in collections that are remembered for their intended use but not truly utilized as fully designed. This is all to say that articles of clothing and accessories can and have evolved not necessarily as intended, but through a desire for an aesthetic. People want to wear glasses for a reason. The reality is, in our Western culture, wearing glasses connotes a greater sense of intelligence, dependability, industriousness, honesty, and sophistication compared to those who don’t, according to SUNY Oneonta’s Michael J. Brown’s overview of the literature on the subject. One study conducted by researchers from the University of Cologne and University of Groningen even found glasses to boost political candidates’ electoral success. However, the extent of perception doesn’t consist only of positives such as an
increase in perceived intelligence: Brown’s report also described negative connotations of wearing glasses, such as the perception of less strength and being less socially and physically attractive. What this research definitely concludes is that, regardless of why someone might want to wear “fake” glasses, perception matters. We all portray an image of ourselves. To those who already know us, this image is likely to be composed of our character, our actions, and our values, but to the unknown public we are constantly making first impressions. So, allow people the choice to portray a version of themselves they feel most comfortable with, and if it does not infringe on the rights of others, there is no harm. Let people put what they want to put on their face. You can say you don’t care what other people think all you want, but at a very basic and often subconscious level, humans perceive things about other humans regarding their character. If people want to wear something that suggests a trait they believe to be positive, let them. Is it an egregious enough offense to be considered fraudulent or inauthentic? No, I don’t think it goes that deep. And let me just say, for the record, I have 0.25 diopters of astigmatism, which is 0.25 more than I had before I started college. Arman Badrei is a sophomore from Houston, Texas. He can be reached at abadrei@ princeton.edu.
Princeton has more than money invested in the fossil fuel industry Victoria Higgins ’16 guest contributor
S
pring approaches. Thesis deadlines loom. And the pressure to find a job mounts. Last semester, Exxon Mobil graced the grounds of Princeton campus as part of the Fall HireTigers Career Fair. All the while, the college divestment movement is gathering steam. Georgetown, sometimes regarded as more conservative than many of its peers, divested. Almost 400 members of Harvard’s faculty issued a letter in support. President Eisgruber has repeatedly defended the ludicrous claim that divestment from fossil fuels would somehow be more “political” than investment. Most recently, he argued that the most polluting companies are simply responding to consumer demand, and that the University’s divestment would be merely symbolic. That Princeton’s ongoing investment in an industry determined to maximize short-term profit at the expense of the literal survival of current and future generations is immoral probably does not need to be expounded upon as much as pointed out over and over until someone in a leadership position is embarrassed enough to push for change. Despite his efforts to obfuscate, that person is President Eisgruber, as well as the board of directors of
PRINCO, which manages Princeton’s investments. And while students from Yale and Harvard are storming the field to promote divestment, a large portion of Princeton’s senior class is soon gearing up to storm the offices of the very industries that fuel the climate crisis. Sure, few Princetonians suit up for Exxon after graduation. But many of the banks, investment groups, and consulting firms that Princeton students work for are going to bat for Exxon and friends even if they are not wearing the uniform. Consider the post-graduation career outcomes survey for my own Class of 2016. The largest block of graduates (18.9 percent) is in the “Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services” category, which is often code for “consulting.” Some are better than others, no doubt, but generally Princeton favorites like McKinsey have helped the oil and gas industry (and authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia — oops!) figure out how to most efficiently plunder the planet for personal profit — not to mention bankrupt and sicken the working class. The next largest block, with 14.1 percent of my classmates, is “Finance & Insurance,” where names like JPMorgan Chase, which has poured more than $196 billion into the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Climate Accord, crop up. The third tier is “Information” (Google, Microsoft, Facebook) at 6.8 percent,
and, well, you get the point. By contrast, the fields of politics, research, medicine, legal services, education and teaching, social advocacy, museums, and local government clocked in at a combined 18.6 percent of my classmates. That list includes non-profits like Princeton University. The fact is, most University graduates are not “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity.” Instead, we doff our graduation caps and ride into the sunset to work in the service of bad corporate actors that aid and abet the fossil fuel industry. But why? Most first-years do not walk through FitzRandolph Gate and plan on becoming consultants for large companies. A friend from the University of Texas at Austin remarked to me that his business school classmates who are working at banks had a special ire for the University because they would find that, several years into their career, recent University art history graduates would be hired to do the same job. As an upperclass student considering my future career, I found that the vast majority of resources were dedicated to consulting, finance, and tech. Those are the companies that are invited to recruit students, and if you aren’t interested in one of those pathways or more schooling, the University is not entirely sure what to do with you. Eventually, it just
T HE DA ILY
News. Opinions. Sports. Every day.
becomes easier to apply; they’re accessible and you probably know many people that work there. Just as it funnels money directly into the fossil fuel industry, the University funnels students into companies that are tacitly responsible for the destruction of the natural world. We should divest our money and our people from those industries by refusing to allow notoriously immoral companies like McKinsey and JPMorgan to recruit on campus or advertise through our career services websites. As some small penance for our decades of contributions to the climate crisis, we should actively seek out and waive fees for environmental, economic and social justice organizations to recruit and advertise. We should take people with a vested interest in the fossil fuel industry like James Forese, the President of Citigroup, off PRINCO’s board of directors. The 12 years that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned we have left to to dramatically reduce carbon emissions have dwindled to 10 after a record-breaking year for global emissions. Institutions with power and prestige like Princeton are either throwing all of their weight behind the effort to save our planet or they are perpetuating its destruction. There is no middle ground. Victoria Higgins in a graduate of the Class of 2016. She can be reached at victoriahiggins14@gmail.com
editor-in-chief
Jonathan Ort ’21
BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Chanakya A. Sethi ’07 treasurer Douglas Widmann ’90 trustees Francesca Barber David Baumgarten ’06 Kathleen Crown Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Michael Grabell ’03 John G. Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Betsy L. Minkin ’77 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Kavita Saini ’09 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Abigail Williams ’14 trustees ex officio Jonathan Ort ’21
144TH MANAGING BOARD managing editors Benjamin Ball ’21 Elizabeth Parker ’21 Ivy Truong ’21 Cy Watsky ’21 Sections listed in alphabetical order. chief copy editors Lydia Choi ’21 Anna McGee ’22 associate copy editors Celia Buchband ’22 Sydney Peng ’22 head design editor Harsimran Makkad ’22 associate design editors Abby Nishiwaki ’23 Kenny Peng ’22 head features editor Josephine de La Bruyère ’22 head multimedia editor Mark Dodici ’22 associate video editor Mindy Burton ’23 head news editors Claire Silberman ’22 Zachary Shevin ’22 associate news and features editor Marie-Rose Sheinerman ’22 associate news editors Naomi Hess ’22 Allan Shen ’22 head opinion editors Rachel Kennedy ’21 Madeleine Marr ’21 associate opinion editors Shannon Chaffers ’22 Emma Treadway ’22 editorial board chairperson Zachariah Sippy ’22 head sports editors Tom Salotti ’21 Alissa Selover ’21 associate sports editors Josephine de La Bruyère ’22 Emily Philippides ’22
144TH BUSINESS BOARD chief of staff Carter Gipson ’21 chief strategy officer Louis Aaron ’22
NIGHT STAFF copy Annabelle Duval ’23 Auhjanae McGee ’23 Jeremy Nelson ’20 Jordan Allen ’20 design Ashley Chung ’23
Recycle your ‘Prince’!
Opinion
Friday February 21, 2020
page 7
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
The importance of bats Claire Wayner Columnist
B
ats get a bad rap, associated with everything from diseases like rabies and coronavirus to vampires and blood sucking. All of these negative stereotypes could explain why in McCosh 50 earlier this week, when a bat flew out from behind the projector, students devolved into a panic. We often are terrorized by unexpected natural life around us, from cockroaches to mice. Yet these animals are typically more scared of us than we are of them. Moreover, many species, especially bats, play essential roles in local ecosys-
tems. Instead of leaving the McCosh incident feeling terrified of bats, students should try to channel compassion and understanding for this underappreciated creature. Bats are rapidly disappearing both in North America and around the globe due to a range of issues, such as diseases like white nose syndrome (which has killed millions of bats in North America and is one of the worst wildlife epidemics known to man), deaths due to wind turbines, and human hunting and persecution. A study in 2015 found that 30 percent of North America’s 45 bat species were experiencing declines, putting them at risk of extinction. Many communities fear bats to be unwanted
pests and believe that they should be exterminated. This is far from the truth, however. Why should we keep bats around? For one, bats are important pest controllers — one little brown bat (a species native to New Jersey) can consume up to 1,000 mosquitoes in one hour! Mosquitoes are huge disease vectors (carrying anything from Zika and West Nile to malaria), and their ranges are only expected to increase with climate change. Thus, our need for bats is only intensifying. Bats also pollinate crops around the world, including mangoes and bananas. In addition to their direct services, bats have fascinating ecological adaptations which
have inspired innovative biomimetic designs for human use. For instance, their echolocation skills have been copied by engineers developing sonar systems, and their paperthin, flexible wings have been used on wingsuits and drones. Clearly, the worth of a species extends beyond what it actively does for us — the natural world can serve as a source of intellectual challenge and inspiration for human civilization. Returning to the bat in McCosh, bats normally hibernate in winter, but this bat may have been more active due to the unseasonably warm winter which we’ve been having (perhaps due to climate change). As winters get milder and hu-
man populations grow, we will be forced into more contact with bats, and we will have to decide whether to treat this as a conflict or as an opportunity. While it is true that bats can carry diseases, this doesn’t mean that we should eliminate them entirely — we simply should limit direct interaction (in other words, bats shouldn’t be pets) and allow these creatures to coexist in as great a harmony as possible to capitalize on the benefits they bring to us and to preserve the ecological fabric which surrounds us. Claire Wayner is a sophomore studying civil and environmental engineering. She can be reached at cwayner@princeton.edu.
Work for the most respected news source on campus.
Email join@dailyprincetonian.com
Friday February 21, 2020
Sports
page 8
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } TRACK
Ellis, Cantine break records as both track squads prepare for Ivy meets
PHOTO COURTESY OF PRINCETON ATHLETICS
Junior Sam Ellis broke the school record for the mile with his finish at 3:57.66.
By Emily Phillipides Associate Sports Editor
Over the weekend, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Staten Island, N.Y., to compete at the Ocean Breeze Fasttrack Invitational and Boston, Mass., to compete at the Valentine Invitational, hosted by Boston University (BU). With less than two weeks left before the Ivy League Championships (Heps), the Tigers were looking to post last-minute top marks to gauge their rankings in the league and gear up for the competitions ahead. On the men’s side, the day was dominated by junior Sam Ellis, who posted a stellar performance in the mile. Ellis crossed the line in an outstanding time of 3:57:66, finishing second place overall, behind Harvard’s Kieran Tuntivate and breaking a 29-year Princeton record of 3:58:70, set by Bill Burke in 1991. For his record-breaking performance, Ellis was named this week’s GPT Athlete of the Week, presented by Coach USA. Reflecting on his performance in the mile — the first mile he has run this season — Ellis commented, “running under four minutes is a goal of every miler, and to run 3:57 for my first time is more than I could ever ask for.” Though eager to see how he does in larger competitions late in the season, Ellis is, for now, “focused and locked in on Heps in two weeks” and will “start thinking about Nationals after we get the team win.” The 3000m was another exciting race for the Tigers, as seven men achieved personal bests, including senior Conor Lundy, who posted an impressive time of 7:58:30. In the 400m, sophomore Michael Philippy ran a season-best of 48.02, even with his shoe slipping off mid-race. Later in the day, the 4x400m relay — comprised of Philippy, sophomore Greg Sholars, and first-years Klaudio Gjetja and
Andersen Dimon — produced a season best of 3:41:13 to clinch first place in the event. Impressive marks were also posted at the Ocean Breeze Fasttrack Invitational, with the Princeton men dominating the shot put. Sophomore CJ Licata won the event with a massive throw of 18.46m, and junior Kelton Chastulik finished close behind with a mark of 17.44m. The mile race at the Valentine Invitational proved to be an exciting event for the women as well. Junior Sophie Cantine crossed the line in 4:41.49, a time that ranks fourth-fastest in school history and currently number four in the Ivy League. Cantine is now the only woman
in Princeton’s program history to rank top 10 all-time in the mile, 1K, and 3K. “This was my first mile of the year/ season, and I had no idea what time I would run going into the race,” Cantine said. “I just chose to hang on to the front group from the start of the race and then gave it my all in the final 400m. It’s been great having my fellow miler and 800m teammates pushing me in workouts and having more teammates join our workout group as they come back from injuries and illness. I think we could accomplish a lot as a group over the next few months.” Other impressive performances were recorded in the
500m and 1K at BU from firstyears Charlotte O’Toole and Maggie Hock. O’Toole won her section in a personal-best time of 1:14.17. She currently ranks second in the Ivy League, behind Penn junior Uchechi Nwogwugwu — last year’s 400m Ivy League Champion and Honorable Mention All-America. Hock also ran a personal-best time of 2:47.79, which places her third on Princeton’s all-time list and second in the League, only 0.23 away from Yale sophomore Jocelyn Chau. At the Fasttrack Invitational, sophomore Hanne Borstlap jumped a personal record of 4.05m in the pole vault to place first in the event, with no misses. Borstlap’s mark ranks
second in the Ivy League, 0.03m shy of the top performance. Up next, the Princeton Tigers will be hosting the Princeton Invitational this weekend at Jadwin Gymnasium, where a few athletes from both the men’s and women’s side will have one last opportunity to tune up before the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships are held the following weekend at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Head Women’s Coach Michelle Eisenreich is looking forward to seeing what the Princeton Tigers do, as the team members have “worked hard and pushed themselves to new levels and have competed fearlessly.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOPRINCETONTIGERS.COM
Junior Sophie Cantine ran the fourth-best mile in school history at 4:41.49, in her first run of the event on the season.
Tweet of the Day
Stat of the Day
Follow us
“Caroline Spahr is the third-straight Ivy League Rookie of the Year for @TigerSquash1 [Princeton Women’s Squash], following an 8-4 freshman campaign.”
9-2
Check us out on Twitter @princesports for live news and reports, and on Instagram @princetoniansports for photos!
The Ivy League (@ IvyLeague), Women’s Squash
Youssef Ibrahim of men’s squash is 9-2 this year and was selected to the First Team All-Ivy for Squash.