January 7, 2015 by The Daily Princetonian

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Wednesday january 7, 2015 vol. cxxxviii no. 127

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BEYOND THE BUBBLE

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Gilbert ’09 charged with murder

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In Opinion Jonathan Lu discusses the responsibilities that come with Princeton privilege, and Azza Cohen talks about how a 2-week winter break is too short. PAGE 4

By Pooja Patel contributor

Thomas Gilbert Sr. ‘66 was found dead in his home on Sunday. Thomas Gilbert Jr ‘09 was charged on Monday.

Thomas Gilbert Sr. ’66 was found dead in his Manhattan home from a gunshot wound on Sunday, and his son Thomas Gilbert Jr. ’09 was charged with murder on Monday. Gilbert Jr. has pled not guilty to charges that include second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He is due in court on Friday and Feb. 2. Gilbert Jr. was allegedly in debt, and the two had allegedly been arguing over Gilbert Jr.’s allowance, according to the Associated Press. Gilbert Sr. had allegedly been giving his son $2,400 a month for rent and $600 for spending money and planned to cut the sum to $400 a month, the New York Post reported. Gilbert Jr. had allegedly asked his mother to get him a sandwich so she would be out of the apartment before he allegedly fired a shot at Gilbert Sr.’s head, the New York Post said, adding that Gilbert Jr. al-

U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S

CPUC launches task force to improve diversity, inclusion

Eisgruber ’83 addresses Jewish life, divestment

Today on Campus 6:30 p.m.: A “Mindful Stress Management Workshop” will be taking place at The Graduate School. Participants will learn stress reduction and meditation techniques. Old Graduate College, Coffee House (Entryway 12)

The Archives

Jan. 7, 1976 Faculty members approved and adopted legislation banning students from publishing or selling lecture transcripts and other course related material.

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News & Notes UMCPP loses funding for excessive number of infected patients

Over one-third of New Jersey hospitals, including the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, will lose some federal funding because too many of their patients were infected during treatment, NJ Spotlight reported. Medicare payments will decrease by one percent for the federal fiscal year, which started on Oct. 1, 2014, and will end on Sept. 30, 2015. The penalty is based on a score that factors in the number of patients with centralline-associated bloodstream infections, the number of patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infections and a combination of eight different conditions. Funding will be revoked from the quarter of hospitals that scored lowest nationally. Twenty-three of 62 state hospitals, or 37 percent, were affected by the one percent Medicare payment reduction. New Jersey had the fourth highest penalty percentage, trailing only the District of Columbia, Utah, Connecticut and Nevada, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis. “There has been significant progress in reducing these hospital-acquired conditions both in New Jersey and nationally, and that’s what makes this penalty program very unfortunate,” New Jersey Hospital Association spokesperson Kerry McKean Kelly said. Other local penalized hospitals include Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.

legedly arrived at his father’s apartment carrying a gun and fled the scene after the shooting. Gilbert Jr. had allegedly slipped past the doorman wearing a hoodie, according to the New York Daily News. The police were notified of the incident by Gilbert Sr.’s wife, Shelly, who returned and discovered his body. Gilbert Jr. was arrested on Sunday at his Chelsea apartment after New York Police Department officers dressed in riot gear took down his door and found him hiding inside. He was taken to the 17th precinct in midtown. Police recovered a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun from the scene, according to the New York Post. The gun’s original packaging, as well as magazine clips and loose rounds, were found in Gilbert Jr.’s apartment. It remains unclear whether the gun was bought legally. Gilbert Jr. attended The Buckley School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He went See GILBERT page 2

COURTESY OF ABC NEWS

By Katherine Oh contributor

The Council of the Princeton University Community Executive Committee has launched a Special Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University Provost David Lee GS ’99 announced in an email to all undergraduates on Dec. 12. The task force will consist of a steering committee and three working groups for pol-

icies and transparency, academics and awareness, and structures and supports. The task force was launched after University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 asked the CPUC Executive Committee to develop recommendations to improve University policies and practices on diversity, inclusion and equity, as well as events to promote constructive conversations about racial equality and diversity on

campus and beyond. The formation of a separate task force was necessary to ensure that a representative group was working together on the issue, Lee said, adding that it is important for students of all backgrounds to have adequate representation on campus. “This is brought on by heightened attention and awareness of events that have happened across the country See CPUC page 3

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

3 alumni named in Forbes’ 30 under 30 By Christina Vosbikian contributor

Forbes Magazine’s 2015 Venture Capital 30 under 30 list features two University alumni, Ryan Shea ’12 and Nikhil Basu Trivedi ’11, and former University student, Kevin Petrovic, who was a member of the class of 2016. The annual list was released on Monday.

Shea co-founded OneName, a company that allows users to share bitcoins and personal data easily, with Muneeb Ali GS ’11 in June 2013. Shea received his B.S.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering and a certificate in applications of computing from the University, while Ali received a master’s degree in computer science. Shea and Ali first met

U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S

Repairs made on steam leak outside of Wu Hall By Zaynab Zapon contributor

Significant repairs were done on a steam leak outside Wu Hall over winter break, according to Sean Gallagher, manager of Facilities Civil Engineering and Construction. The steam tunnel that runs underneath the bluestone plaza had a relatively small leak that was discovered a few months ago, Gallagher said. Construction began shortly after winter break and

concluded with the complete replacement of the bluestone on Dec. 30. The hole in the bluestone, which was necessary to allow repairs of the steam leak, was created a few weeks before break began. After proceeding with the investigation to locate the leak, Gallagher said, the construction group covered the hole with plywood and monitored the whole area for safety. Although there was a clear odor surrounding the construction area, particularly See REPAIRS page 3

through the University’s computer science department and the University’s Entrepreneurship Club. The two were living in New York when they decided to start a company together. OneName users create an account, and their data is then stored in a decentralized database. Users have unique keys that require them to prove their identities before logging in to See FORBES page 2

By Shriya Sekhsaria contributor

University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 addressed Israeli alumni and guests about Jewish life on campus and the petition advocating the University’s divestment from companies with relationships to the “Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the continued siege of Gaza” at an alumni gathering near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 30. Eisgruber said the two main objectives of this gathering included updating the alumni about what was happening on campus and bringing the alumni community together. A question arose from an alumnus about reactions on American campuses to Israel, according to Eisgruber, who expressed disapproval of the divestment petition. “I mentioned the petition to make sure people were aware of it in response to that [question] and also indicated that I thought it was quite clear that the petition failed to meet our standards or social policy decisions about endowment investing,” he said. However, Eisgruber added

that the University does not have a stand on the Israeli-Palestinian topic as a university. “We have a number of different professors who take different views about that subject,” he said. ”It is a topic about which there is disagreement, as there should be disagreement on university campuses.” Eisgruber said that an alumnus from the 1940s had said that he remembered a time when there were almost no Jewish students on campus. The alumnus had recalled organizing gatherings, including one in which Albert Einstein spoke to the small number of Jewish students who were on campus at the time, Eisgruber said. In March 2008, Eisgruber discovered that he had Jewish ancestry when he was assisting his son with an elementary school project, he told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz in 2013. “Understanding myself as Jewish helps me understand who I am, what the experiences of my family are and the set of cultural traditions from which I emerge,” he told See DIVESTMENT page 3

FIRST SNOW

KINGSTON XU :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Patton hall showing off the first major snow of the year, a nice backdrop for Reading Period, see p. 2

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Snow Day 2015

Wednesday january 7, 2015

Photos by Kingston Xu, Contributing Photographer

Gilbert ’09 to appear in U. alumni named include OneName founder court for murder on Friday FORBES Continued from page 1

GILBERT Continued from page 1

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on to the Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts, after which he attended the University, graduating in 2009. He later became a manager at the investment company Bayberry Capital, according to the University alumni directory TigerNet. His TigerNet employment information was last updated in 2010. He often attended black-tie society events in New York, according to The New York Post. Gilbert Jr. did not respond to a request for comment as of press time. From 1984 to 1991, Gilbert Sr. was a managing director at Loeb Partners Corp., where he was responsible for origination of private equity transactions, including leveraged buyouts and venture capital investments, according to his LinkedIn profile. He would typically act as a director or senior financial adviser to the portfolio company after a

deal’s closing. Gilbert Sr. founded Knowledge Delivery Systems, Inc. in 1998 and ran the company for a full decade as its CEO. He served as chairman until January 2011 and served as a director until his death. Since April 2011, Gilbert Sr. had also been a founding managing partner at the hedge fund Wainscott Capital Partners LLC. Gilbert Sr. was also named in the annual Who’s Who In America list for five consecutive years starting from 1999. Gilbert Sr. attended Phillips Andover Academy, where he was awarded the ButlerThwing Academic Award for the entering freshman with the highest academic accomplishments. Following Andover, he attended the University, where he was a Wilson School concentrator. After graduating in 1966, Gilbert Sr. went on to attend Harvard Business School for the next two years, where he was winner of the Business School squash tournament.

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applications or releasing private data. “There’s one thing we kept coming back to, which was this idea of putting users back in control of their experience on the Internet,” Shea said. He explained that the Internet has become increasingly consolidated with users heavily relying on cloud data providers, email hosts and web hosts to store and share data. Many times, these third parties share personal data in ways not originally intended by users. When asked about OneName’s success and being named on Forbes 30 under 30, Shea noted that, though the company has come a long way, it still has a long way to go. “It’s important to focus on what’s really important: building a business. It’s important not to lose sight of that,” said Shea. “Princeton is a great place to meet other smart people— it’s one of the best places in the world. Some of your future potential co-founders could be classmates right now.”

According to Forbes, OneName raised $1.5 million in seed funding in November and plans to launch a new login system next year. Trivedi is a Senior Associate at Shasta Ventures, where he is the youngest member of the investment team. While pursuing a degree in molecular biology with a certificate in finance at the Uni-

It’s important to focus on what’s really important: building a business. It’s important not to lose sight of that. Ryan Shea ’12 versity, Trivedi cofounded Artsy, an art information site, and acted as chairman of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club. Trivedi then joined Shasta, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley investing in technology

startups, in 2012 after two years at Insight Venture Partners, Forbes reported. “I’m focused on backing the most passionate entrepreneurs who want to build the most enduring companies of our generation,” Trivedi wrote on his LinkedIn profile. “I’m personally passionate about mobileenabled technologies in large, challenging, ‘undisrupted’ categories like education, healthcare, financial services, and more.” Trivedi is also a board observer at Bloc, Inc., which offers mentor-led online courses in software development and design; Timehop, which retrieves and displays users’ social media posts on the same calendar date from years past; and ClassDojo, one of the world’s fastest growing education technology companies. In addition, he acts as an advisor at the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship program. Petrovic co-founded FlightCar, a car rental agency, with Rujul Zaparde, a former undergraduate at Harvard College in 2012. According to Forbes, after raising $20 million for FlightCar, Petrovic and Zaparde be-

came the youngest people ever to raise that amount of venture capital. According to its website, FlightCar lets people parking at the airport rent their vehicles out to other approved traveling

I’m...backing the most passionate entrepreneurs who want to build the most enduring companies of our generation. Nikhil Basu Trivedi ’11 members. The agency has locations in major cities including Austin, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, with plans for further expansion. Neither Trivedi nor Petrovic responded to a request for comment.

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News & Notes Sexual assault task force at Brown advises hiring of professional investigators The Task Force on Sexual Assault at Brown University advised the administration to hire professional investigators to explore and help resolve student complaints of sexual assault and misconduct on campus in a report that was published in December, according to the Providence Journal. The Task Force operates under Title IX of the United States Education Amendments of 1972.

Some of the other recommendations that the task force published include streamlining the University’s hearing process, establishing a discretionary fund to help provide resources for both parties involved and improving communication with students coming forward with sexual assault. The 55-page report published by the task force does not specify what role local law enforcement should play in the issue of sexual assault and the new changes that should take place on Brown’s campus, although it did advocate

for the development of a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the police force in Providence as well as the attorney general of Rhode Island. In the past two years, Brown has had three cases of sexual assault that have received considerable publicity, the last of which included a student who tested positive for GHB, a date-rape drug, after reporting to the University the incident that allegedly occurred at a fraternity party. Brown is still currently investigating this case.

New task force result of USG resolution CPUC

Continued from page 1

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that have to do with race issues,” Lee said. “I think it’s a very good opportunity. I’m very glad that there is heightened awareness. I think we can really make a positive impact in making the campus more inclusive.” Joanna Anyanwu ’15, who spoke at a campus walkout in December, said that the administration had given students ample support during on-campus protests after grand juries in two separate incidents had announced rulings against indicting police officers who had killed unarmed black men – Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y. “I don’t think there’s been an occasion when we felt stifled,” Anyanwu said. The establishment of the task force follows an Undergraduate Student Government senate resolution passed on Dec. 7. Proposed by U-councilor Sol Taubin ’16, the resolution consists of a series of recommendations on how the University could improve students’ experiences relating to diversity, equity

and inclusion. The resolution was sent to several administrators, including Eisgruber and Lee. USG president Shawon Jackson ’15 said that USG members are very pleased to work with the administration on the issue. “They were glad the USG

I think we can really make a positive impact in making the campus more inclusive David Lee GS ’99, provost

senate passed a resolution, and the CPUC Executive Committee is going to explore the recommendations proposed, in addition to other recommendations from students,” Jackson said. The task force will provide periodic updates to the University community about its work, and it plans to release

a report by the end of the semester. The CPUC is encouraging students to voice their thoughts regarding the task force, either through the website or by contacting Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter. Minter deferred comment to University spokesperson Martin Mbugua. According to Mbugua, the Executive Committee is currently focusing on forming the steering committee and working groups. On Jan. 5, Lee sent an email encouraging students, staff and faculty to nominate themselves or others to serve on the task force. Lee said the task force will work to identify both shortterm and long-term developments that could make campus safer and more inclusive for the University’s diverse population. However, Lee noted that the task force would not make all relevant decisions immediately and that some would take longer than others. Jackson noted that, while the creation of a task force is an important step in enhancing inclusivity at the University, students could benefit from other solutions as well.

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Eisgruber ’83 trip marks first talk at Israeli alumni gathering DIVESTMENT Continued from page 1

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Haaretz. “For me it was a voyage of connection and discovery and put me in touch with a wonderful set of people who have enriched my life tremendously.” Yael Berda GS ’14, who is affiliated with the Princeton Association of Israel and studied Israeli politics at the University, said she was hoping the petition will open more of the debate at Princeton. “I’m happy that the debate is going on at Princeton,” she said. “Although I don’t personally support the boycott, I encourage everyone to take

a stand and think that everybody should be a part of the conversation.” Berda added that she usually celebrated religious holidays at the Center for Jewish Life but felt the campus did not possess a vibrant political life with respect to Israel, with J Street and Tigers for Israel often debating among themselves. However, Eisgruber said that Jewish life on campus is much more vibrant now than it used to be, with communities like the CJL and Chabad thriving. “I think that continued engagement by this University in Israel and in the Middle East more broadly will be

very important for our mission in the years ahead,” he added. The gathering had a record turnout of approximately 115 alumni and guests, according to Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs Margaret Moore Miller ’80. According to Eisgruber, he is the first University president to speak at an Israeli alumni gathering. “When we do these trips, we get much larger turnouts than we would if there were just some other alumni event taking place or even if a faculty member or another administrator were coming. So we regularly get record turnouts,” he said.

Leak could have caused significant future damage to bluestone base REPAIRS Continued from page 1

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the hole, Gallagher noted that it was not particularly offensive. The odor was similar to that of boiling water, and Gallagher explained that it dissipated quickly. Some students living in adjacent buildings, though, stated that the odor was in fact quite significant. Aamir Zainulabadeen ’18, a resident of Wilson College, stated that he had been unable to study in the basement of Wu Hall because of the pervasive smell. Teresa Rufin ’17, a resident of 1915 Hall, said that she was not particularly affected by the construction, although it was very noticeable. “I definitely smelled a weird odor coming from the smoke,” Rufin said. “Not from my room, but every time I left

the building, and especially so when it rained.” Gallagher described the effects of the small leak, stating that it created extreme heat on the bluestone. He added that when it rained, steam would come off the bluestone, and the temperature of the plaza would reach up to 100 degrees. Had the leak not been dealt with now, it could have caused significant future damage, Gallagher explained. Over time, the leak would grow in size until it became an increasingly crucial problem. Specifically, the steam would not be condensing quickly enough because of the size of the leak. Eventually, Gallagher said, there would have been steam coming out of the ground, something that could have caused potential harm to passing students. Although important, re-

pairs were not urgent enough to be necessary while most students were on campus, Gallagher said. Butler College Administrator Robyn Howard added that construction was timed specifically for the break, which was important because nobody knew how significant the repairs would be until construction began. Gallagher said that there were no plans for similar construction on campus in the near future. “We typically won’t do repairs unless there are emergencies like [the steam leak] during the school year,” Gallagher said. Howard also said that, now that students are back on campus, everything seems to be repaired and completed. “The dorms are open as usual, so we should be able to continue without any other construction,” she said.

With great privilege

Reclaiming Winter Break

Jonathan Lu

Why does this relate to Princeton students? Well, those lawmakers, those bankers, those multibillionaires? In 15 years, we will be them.

Azza Cohen

contributing columnist

rincetonians, mark your calendars. Our 2015 winter break has been reduced to two weeks.

The debate on the length of winter break is annual; the Editorial Board and many opinion columnists have argued for an adjusted calendar during years when the winter break was three weeks long. With next year in mind, I call for the University to decide what is best for students; if the policy of final exams after break is actually beneficial for students, the University should give students the full three weeks of winter break. The academic calendar is determined three years in advance and follows certain rules according to the Office of the Registrar: the fall term defines a “midterm recess of nine days and a Thanksgiving recess of five days.” The winter recess is defined “between seventeen and twenty-four days, beginning between December 12th and 18th of the ending year, and ends on the Sunday between January 1st and 7th.” Therein lies the discrepancy of one week. It is this metronomic rule that fluctuates by a whole winter’s week that should be reexamined. This reduced break will unequivocally hinder all students. Members of the faculty have argued that the

best written work comes in the fall semester because of the break and the time it allows students to truly work through their essay topics. This may be true, but now, with only two weeks, students will be held to the same standards without the same amount of time. Further, seniors wishing to conduct thesis research over winter break will have less time than their predecessors did. (As a rising senior, this is my most immediate concern.) Finally, international students whose longer flights and farther destinations will suffer logistically from less time at home, especially because most international students do not return home during fall, spring or Intersession breaks. I personally believe our calendar should be revised to have final exams before winter break. There is no lack of examples of peer institutions whose calendars, once challenged, were changed. In 2008, Harvard moved its finals to December. Some point to the opportunity of reading period as a reason to keep exams where they are, that students can thaw the freeze-dried studying we avoided during the break. However, the strange schedule we acclimate to during winter break — juggling free time, holidays and the gnawing feeling of impending deadlines — cannot be helpful for our sanity or test scores. Some

Jonathan Lu is a freshman from Fremont, Calif. He can be reached at jhlu@princeton.edu.

vol. cxxxviii

argue that reading period benefits students’ ability to recall information by having a week devoted to studying. I contend this, especially for students in language classes; the break is detrimental as most students do not have access to the face-to-face speaking and listening time of the classroom during winter break. Additionally, the month of January aligns with deadlines for internships and jobs, including many funding and fellowship opportunities offered by the University. While Princeton students are taking finals and working on independent work, our peers at other institutions are privileged with a head start on the search. If our finals are to remain after the winter break, there should at least be consistency in the length of the break. If administrators agree that student happiness should be taken into account, then they should work with the Undergraduate Student Government and take a comprehensive look at student reasoning to revisit the calendar. If administrators argue that students benefit from finals after break, then they should give them enough time to semi-enjoy it. Two weeks is not enough. Princeton, take your pick. Azza Cohen is a history major from Highland Park, Ill. She can be reached at accohen@princeton.edu.

Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 editor-in-chief

Nicholas Hu ’15

business manager

138th managing board news editor Anna Mazarakis ’16 opinion editor Sarah Schwartz ’15 sports editor Andrew Steele ’16 street editor Catherine Bauman ’15 photography editor Benjamin Koger ’16 video editors Carla Javier ’15 Rishi Kaneriya ’16 web editor Channing Huang ’15 chief copy editors Chamsi Hssaine ’16 Alexander Schindele-Murayama ’16 design editors Austin Lee’16 Shirley Zhu ’16 prox editor Urvija Banerji ’15 intersections editor Jarron McAllister ’16 associate news editors Paul Phillips ’16 Angela Wang ’16 associate opinion editors Richard Daker ’15 Prianka Misra ’16 associate opinion editor for cartoons Theresa O’Shea ’16

snowmen

associate sports editors Jonathan Rogers ’16 Edward Owens ’15

Dave Shin ’18

on Princetonians in government. Because many of us will become powerful and influential, our Princeton experience should teach us to recognize our own privilege and understand our responsibility to society. Only so can we fulfill our informal motto “Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” One possible policy to help us move toward this ideal is to build civic engagement into our graduation requirements. Just like most American high schools, Princeton can require us to complete a set number of hours of service. Community service at the undergraduate level could be even more important than at the high school level because, with the free time, freedom and superb resources in college, we could work on bigger and better projects. Moreover, service could influence our career decisions. Service would extricate us from the Orange Bubble, in which everyone is laser-focused on the next step: finance, graduate school, law school, medical school. By interacting with and serving those who lack our privilege, we would gain a clearer perspective on our motivations and goals. I suspect prestige, peers, power and parents’ wishes play larger roles in our career decisions than they should. Service reminds us of our higher calling as Princetonians. In the vein of forcing us to check our privilege, the University could also institute a distribution requirement specifically designed for us to consider others’ viewpoints. Princeton for Ferguson has advocated for distribution requirements in issues of identity and diversity, such as African-American studies or sociology. Engaging alternate and unheard viewpoints takes us out of our own insular world views. The University could also build a privilegeexamining program into freshman orientation. For example, we could hold discussions on the privilege we have at Princeton, just as we did on diversity and the meaning of life. Such a beginning could drive us to take a new class or a new major, at the time most ripe for exploration. Finally, classes could be supplemented with projects that engage the underserved. Politics classes could assign research papers to investigate how local underserved populations are helped or hurt by certain laws. Economics classes could partner with local businesses and retailers to show how those without privilege earn their living. Science and engineering classes could investigate science literacy and perform outreach (projects, presentations, classes) to those who never considered STEM careers. Princeton is a superb place for academics, but we risk losing sight of our place in the broader social context if we don’t apply what we’ve learned. Official policy won’t be enough. On paper, we can say that we understand the world beyond our privilege, but we must truly take it upon ourselves to be aware. Through activism and dialogue, we should fight the blind self-interest prevalent on this campus. It’s a given that many of us will gain great power. However, we must take the responsibility that comes with it.

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contributing columnist

rivilege can isolate us from our responsibilities. For example, many Congressmen are privileged: their average net worth is over $1 million. Living in posh Washington, D.C., and funded by huge corporations and banks, they pass laws for special interests rather than for their constituents. A recent Princeton study found that the U.S. political system is closer to an oligarchy than to a democracy. CEOs are also privileged. However, many simply focus on making more money rather than using their power to help those who lack it. Ninety-five percent of 2009-12 income gains since the crisis went to the wealthiest 1 percent. Bankers and stock traders, too, are privileged. They would play games with people’s livelihoods and the national economy in order to help themselves. Why does this relate to Princeton students? Well, those lawmakers, those bankers, those multibillionaires? In 15 years, we will be them. More than one-third of Princetonians enter finance after graduation. Princetonians found and run huge businesses: just look at Jeff Bezos ’86 (Amazon), Steve Forbes ’70 (Forbes) and Meg Whitman ’77 (eBay). There is a whole Wikipedia page

Opinion

Wednesday january 7, 2015

associate street editors Lin King ’16 Seth Merkin Morokoff ’16

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associate photography editors Conor Dube ’15 Karen Ku ’16 Shannon McGue ’15 associate chief copy editors Dana Bernstein ’15 Jacob Donnelly ’17 associate design editor Helen Yao ’15 editorial board chair Jillian Wilkowski ’15

NIGHT STAFF 1.6.15 news Olivia Wicki ’18 senior copy editors Caroline Congdon ’17 Sharon You ’17 staff copy editors Marlyse Vieira ’17 design Sara Good ’15 Morgan Taylor ’15 Cailin Hong ’17

Finding time to reflect Kelly Hatfield

contributing columnist

or my friends, the process of choosing a movie involves nearly half an hour of deliberation, weighing individual preferences and moods (and the availability of certain titles on Netf lix or quasi-reputable streaming sites). We f loat suggestions as disparate as Silence of the Lambs and Shakespeare in Love, and sometimes the whole endeavor is too fraught with conf lict that we end up giving up altogether. The other night, however, we were all able to settle on Snowpiercer, the premise of which is a train that holds the survivors of a new Ice Age caused by scientists trying to combat global warming and succeeding all too well. The cars are ordered based on class lines, and those in the very back attempt to fight their way to the front after years of oppression and deplorable conditions. A little dark, but it sounded interesting enough to silence calls for Daddy Day Care. Within the first twenty minutes, the darkness took its

toll. Beyond the bleakness of the environment, the scenes of torture, beatings, and families torn apart rendered one of my friends and me incapable of continuing in that moment. Another friend did not fully understand our impulse to change the movie, for she argued that we should finish Snowpiercer and embrace the emotional discomfort of seeing actions that happen every day to people all over the world. Worse things happened, she said, and we should not run from an emotional experience that would likely pay larger dividends in the future from a temporary state of anxiety. And she’s right, at least with regard to the reality of our world. Much worse has happened, happens, and will happen. It’s important to understand this as we move into our futures and attempt to affect change, and film is one particularly effective medium through which to gain such knowledge. I don’t think, however, that it is the only medium to do so, nor do I think that one must necessarily suffer through two hours of this in the name of a slightly-heightened awareness, particularly when one’s present

emotional state would render such lessons useless. My friend (who also had difficulty watching) and I spent much of this first quarter hour covering our eyes, shrinking back into the couch and asking when the violence would stop. Could anyone really say that we gained a greater understanding by staring at the dark abysses of our palms and hearing only screams? Should we have forced ourselves to watch? Perhaps. But maybe not. There’s something to be said in our day and age for not being desensitized to violence and to images of human suffering—so long as one couples this with an acknowledgement of the reality of our world, and not the suppression of such a harsh truth. This, I think, was at the root of my other friend’s argument for why we should continue watching. She worried that we would construct walls in our minds separating the unpleasant from the safe, and we would neglect the former until another movie, another book, another song made it impossible; such a concern is not unfounded. What I just described is something very human.

At the same time, there are other ways to express the terrors that plague individuals every day without showing them directly. In many cases, these alternatives, are more effective by virtue of their ability to tap into the human imagination. The movie we turned on next, in fact, demonstrates this point perfectly. We ultimately chose to watch Forrest Gump, a film following a man across decades of his life and the ways in which he interacts with United States history and, in some ways, personifies ideals central to America. Implications of physical and sexual abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, and different forms of bigotry, among other serious topics, run their threads just under the surface, only occasionally explicitly mentioned or shown. This is what makes the movie so powerful. Through the lens of another human’s perspective, you see the struggles and failures of your loved ones, and of humanity as a whole without the impulse to cover your eyes. Kelly Hatfield is a sophomore from Medford, Mass. She can be reached at kellych@princeton.edu.

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Early tests for track and field yield success Last season, the Tigers travelled to Annapolis, Md. to face a strong Navy squad. The hosts pulled off a 94-87 win in a meet where the teams fought neckand-neck. This year, Princeton reversed its 2014 result with a 9486 victory over the Midshipmen. Scoring began in the throwers circle, as Princeton saw its opponents take the first two spots in the weight throw before rebutting with a 1-2 finish in the shot put. Junior John Hill produced his best ever 60-meter effort with a final time of 6.85 (passing his previous personal record of 6.88 seconds and just missing the Princeton indoor record of 6.84 seconds set by classmate Dré Nelson). The Ivy League’s 100-meter outdoor champion last spring, Hill continues to earn his team vital points in sprints. A standout rookie performance from freshman Carrington Akosa yielded 8 points for Princeton. The first-year sprinter finished .05 seconds behind Hill in the 60 meter and took first in the 200 meters three events later. The teams kept the scores close throughout, just as the programs have kept the series close. Princeton and Navy have split their 44 meetings with 22 wins each. The Tigers will compete at the

Penn State Relays this Saturday. Women’s track and field will take to Jadwin Gymnasium this upcoming Friday for an early season meeting with St. John’s University, Saint Joseph’s University and Temple University. In last year’s iteration of this early season meet, the Tigers dominated the visitors. Remarkably, Princeton runners took the first five places in the mile run and the first four in the 500 meters. Tigers to watch include junior thrower Julia Ratcliffe, who began the indoor season with a remarkable record-setting performance in the weight throw. Princeton played host to a number of local opponents in a New Year’s Invitational which saw the New Zealand native outthrow all competition by over 3.5 meters. Her mark of 19.95 meters awards her the school record and the second-best mark in Ivy League history. Maher, D’Alessandro double up on wins against rival Navy Princeton swimmers improved to 6-1 with a decisive final score 171-129 over Navy, avenging a 2014 loss with their first meet of 2015. The Midshipmen, Patriot League champions in 2013-14, topped Princeton by a score of 157-143 last year in Annapolis, Md. Senior Connor Maher, an allIvy first-teamer last season for his role in the 200 medley relay, has remained a valuable contributor in his final season. His

time of 49.76 seconds was best in the 100-yard backstroke and his 1:49.04 mark topped the 200yard race. Also dominating his stroke, junior Teo D’Alessandro took first in the 100 and 200 freestyle finals. Seniors Michael Strand, Harrison Wagner and D’Alessandro joined Maher in the winning 200 medley relay. Their time of 1:28.0 topped Navy’s ‘A’ team time of 1:31.06. Princeton likewise achieved success over longer distance, with sophomore Sam Smiddy taking first in the 1,000 freestyle, while junior Zach Ridout took third. Smiddy earned second place in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 4:32.19. The Orange and Black swimmers suffered their lone loss of the season in their first official meet. Back in November, a powerful Ohio State team (currently ranked ninth in the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America poll) played host to Princeton and Denison University, and topped both visiting teams with relative ease. Since then, the Tigers have experienced success as they anticipated in the preseason. However, this Friday will provide a test tantamount to that posed by the Buckeyes. N.C. State will travel to DeNunzio Pool to face the Princeton men and women. The Wolfpack men are currently ranked 17th in the CSCAA poll.

T HE DA ILY

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Wednesday january 7, 2015

Sports

page 6

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SARA GOOD :: SENIOR GRAPHICS STAFF

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Friday

‘Just set up the night for the birthday weekend. Bout to be lit.’

Check online for our previews of basketball’s start to Ivy League play. The Tigers open against old rival Penn.

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