October 2, 2015

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Friday october 2, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 80

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In Opinion Guest contributor Luis Ramos encourages students to embrace their ethnic diversity, and senior columnist Sarah Sakha reminds students to remember that adversity can strike anyone, anywhere. PAGE 4

Today on Campus 12:00 p.m.: The FacultyStudent Commitee on Sexual Misconduct willl host open meetings on the findings of the recently released WeSpeak report.

McCormick Hall, Room 101

The Archives

Oct. 2, 1951

The Princeton International Student Organization, a group designed to support and bring together foreign students on the university’s campus, holds its first formal meeting.

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News & Notes Deadly shooting at Oregon community college

A shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. on Thursday left 10 people dead and seven people wounded, The New York Times reported.

Local law enforcement officials identified the gunman as 26-year-old Chris Harper-Mercer.

HarperMercer had three weapons, including at least one long gun, according to the Times.

In a 1:30 p.m. conference held Thursday, Douglas County sheriff John Hanlin said the gunman and police officers exchanged gunfire, resulting in the death of gunman Harper-Mercer.

The gunman’s motive is still unknown.

Umpqua Community College has about 3,000 students and will be closed for the weekend.

Federal law enforcement has been supporting local law enforcement, President Barack Obama said in a 6:22 p.m. press conference on Thursday.

He said mass shootings in America have become somewhat routine and each time this happens he will bring it up.

“This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America,” Obama said.

SUNNY HE :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The JACK String Quartet performed with SO Percussion in Richardson Auditorium on Thursday evening.

STUDENT LIFE

USG report brings change to dining hall hours, food

By Zoe Toledo staff writer

Late Meal and dining hall weekend brunch hours have been extended, and dining hall food options will now more closely ref lect student preferences in response to recommendations from an Undergraduate Student Government University Student

Life Committee report released last March.

Sunday brunch now begins at 10 a.m. in every dining hall, an hour earlier than in previous years, and Saturday brunch will continue to open at 10 a.m.

Late Meal lunch hours have been extended to last until 3:45 p.m. Late Meal lunch, which operates from Monday to Friday,

LECTURE

previously ran from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Late Meal dinner hours remain the same — 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In addition, food served in the dining halls during heritage months such as African American History Month, National Native American Heritage Month and National Hispanic Heritage See FOOD page 3

The University will partner with online open course provider edX beginning this fall to launch courses in response to the changing needs of students and faculty, Jeffrey Himpele GS ’96, Director of Teaching Initiatives and Programs at the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, said.

Himpele explained that edX allows the University to integrate online learning into campus courses in new ways to make online and classroom experiences more interactive. He said that edX has a way of grouping students in a class that enables the professor to give certain assignments to some students and other assignments to other students, noting that this feature allows students at the University and students outside the University who are pursuing the same course to be given different assignments.

The University started having conversations with edX during the late spring and summer, Himpele said.

“We have been continuously interested in exploring a diversity of online course environments,” Himpele said. “edX also offers a robust set of analytic tools that faculty can use to understand their students’ learning and make responsive plans with class-time and constructive adjustments to their courses.”

Wilson School professor Jennifer Widner is the instructor of the first University course to be offered on edX. The course, “Making Government Work in Hard Places,” will start later this month, she said.

Widner explained that the course is a reduced version of a graduate-level course focused on addressing challenges that impede efforts to build an effective government. She said that participants will study a diverse array of cases from reform policies of Malaysia to Liberia and analyze concepts including improving service delivery, creating citizen-monitoring systems, coalition See EDX page 3

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

Panel discusses psychological factors in achievement gap

By Do-Hyeong Myeong associate news editor

Being stereotyped destabilizes an individual’s self-esteem and affects performance, Columbia psychology professor Valerie Purdie-Vaughns said at a panel on Thursday. “[Negative bias] calls into question that I’m a good, important person who is able to control important outcomes,” PurdieVaughns said. She added that especially in situations in which individuals are being evaluated, such as during examinations or in academic settings, negative stereotypes could seriously limit their achievements.

Purdie-Vaughns joined Stanford psychology professors Gregory Walton and Geoffrey Cohen in speaking on the role of psychology in understanding inequality and achievement gaps in educational settings and successful psychological intervention models. Discussion moderator Dean of the College Jill Dolan explained that the panel was organized to open up a scientific yet accessible sustainable dialogue on inequality and achievement gaps both at the University and in the United States.

Expanding on PurdieVaughns’s point, Cohen said students who don’t feel they belong to certain academic settings are often less likely to seek support and help when encountered by challenges, which prevents them from accessing resources and leads to achievement gaps.

“Psychology mediates the reproduction of inequity,” Walton said, emphasizing the role of psychology in understanding why achievement gaps exist and the importance of psychological

intervention strategies in closing such gaps.

Achievement gaps arise from the key factors of negative stereotypes and senses of alienation, Purdie-Vaughns, Cohen and Walton all said.

Both Cohen and Walton noted that psychological interventions can foster a sense of belonging among students from less-privileged backgrounds, which increases their performance drastically and helps them better adapt to colleges.

Walton explained that hearing stories of upperclassmen from similar backgrounds can help underprivileged students better adapt to college life by enabling them to anticipate challenges and letting them realize that they are not alone — that they, too, belong to the campus just as the upperclassman storyteller does.

Another strategy, Walton noted, is to clarify the meaning of what could be a threatening message to many students: academic probations. Simply stating that the probation is there to better guide them and help them get back on track, rather than to stigmatize or punish them, helps many students regain their confidence and re-boost their academic achievements, Walton explained.

“From one perspective, these results are hard to believe. They are like magic — but from another perspective, life can work like this,” Cohen said, praising intervention tools for bringing about drastic changes in students’ lives.

Children who are in a more advantageous setting have opportunities for more positive circumstances, but psychological interventions help narrow See LECTURE page 2

COURTESY OF ARCHDAILY.COM

The cookies that used to be served in Murray-Dodge Hall can now be found in the Fields Center.

Murray-Dodge Café relocated to Fields Center due to renovations

By Zaynab Zaman staff writer

Murray-Dodge Café will be housed in the Carl A. Fields Center on Prospect Avenue during the 2015-16 academic year, Office of Religious Life Operations and Events Coordinator Joanne Sismondo said.

The entire Murray-Dodge building, which dates to 1900, is undergoing significant renovations in order to satisfy fire code regulations and become handicapped accessible, Sismondo said, noting that there will be handicap-accessible bathrooms in the basement and on the second floor, and an elevator that will go to all levels of Murray-Dodge Hall.

“Smoke alarms will be going in, and sprinklers, and all that 21st century kind of stuff,” Dean of Religious Life Alison Boden said.

The Office of Religious Life, also housed in Murray-Dodge Hall, has temporarily relocated to Green Hall. Sismondo noted that the renovations will be complete in June 2016, at which point both the MurrayDodge Café and the Office of Religious Life will move back to Murray-Dodge Hall.

Though many aspects of the café remain the same, the café will only be available from 9 p.m. to midnight daily instead of being open from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. daily, student baker Mohamed

El-Dirany ’18 said.

Lucinda Pastora ’18, also a baker at Murray-Dodge Café, noted that the storage facilities are slightly different in the Fields Center as opposed to the original café. In addition, she said, the oven is smaller and the bakers don’t have the same large trays they previously utilized.

Murray-Dodge Café Supervisor Alex Cuadrado ’16 explained that the new kitchen setup has been hardest to adapt to, primarily because now the bakers only have one oven rather than two. However, the oven is newer and much faster, Cuadrado noted, so the bakers are adjusting well.

See COOKIES page 2

The Daily Princetonian

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Café to move back to Murray-Dodge Hall after one year of construction COOKIES Continued from page 1

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The kitchen is also clearly separated from the café area, something that was not the case in the previous location.

Now the kitchen is not visible to the students, and no one except the bakers is typically allowed in. El-Dirany explained that allowing students to keep going in and out of the kitchen would overcrowd it, so it is much easier to only have the bakers in there.

El-Dirany noted that the general crowd of people who frequent the café has altered slightly, though not to a large degree.

“I don’t see most of the people who were here last year,” ElDirany said. ”Now it’s mostly waves of people, and you don’t really see people who come in alone.”

El-Dirany added that the atmosphere has also changed somewhat, though this may shift again as the year progresses.

“It’s definitely not as much of a hipster vibe as you would have gotten in the old place, but it’s an interesting feel,” ElDirany added.

Both Pastora and El-Dirany said they were grateful to the Fields Center for allowing them to use the building for the café.

Pastora noted that if the Fields Center had not offered them the space, Murray-Dodge Café might have had to shut down entirely for a year until renovations were completed. She noted that the center gives the café about four hours every night, which is a significant commitment considering how many other events the Fields Center puts on.

Boden noted that due to the location change, MurrayDodge Café now has a new partnership with the Fields Center.

“They were really welcoming and delighted to have the café move over there,” she said. “It’s a really different ambience, but it’s kind of conducive to the kind of community and setting that we want.”

Boden added that she hopes the relationship between the café and the Fields Center will continue even after the café moves back to Murray-Dodge Hall.

“In a way, it’s bringing together two sides of campus,” Cuadrado said. ”I’ve always said that the Murray-Dodge Café is the kindest place on

Friday october 2, 2015

CONCERT

campus, and I think that the Fields Center is also one of the kindest places on campus, and bringing them together is really great.”

Pastora noted that despite this, the bakers do miss some elements of the original Murray-Dodge Café, primarily the sense of belonging.

“That was our own space,” she said. ”Here, we’re borrowing this space and are like visitors. We take what they give us and are very grateful for it, but of course everyone is going to miss their own space.”

The general ambience and appearance of Murray-Dodge Hall will remain the same after renovations, Boden explained.

She added that the goal of the renovators is to keep as much of the old Murray-Dodge architecture and feel as possible, because the warm and cozy atmosphere is important to maintain.

“We love it and we miss it,” Boden said. ”It’s home. It’s going to be better than ever — we can’t wait to be back.”

Murray-Dodge Hall, the original location of MurrayDodge Café, is located near East Pyne Hall, between Elm Drive and Washington Road.

Mentorship could help minority students, boost academic self-esteem LECTURE Continued from page 1

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the opportunity gap between privileged and underprivileged students by creating possibilities for the latter, he added.

Walton noted that these intervention tools should be complemented by traditional education reforms that would broaden access to education for minority

students and support them.

On that point, Cohen noted it is important to think about what these interventions say about the system at large.

“Why do these messages matter so much?” Cohen said. “Why aren’t kids already feeling assured of their belonging? Why are we relying on interventionists and researchers to come in and provide these messages?”

The panel, entitled “The Social

Psychology of Inequality: Wise Ideas and Best Practices to Close Achievement Gaps,” was sponsored by the Department of Psychology, the Department of African American Studies and the Princeton Center for Behavioral Science and Public Policy. It took place in Peretsman-Scully Hall A32 at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and is the first of the six-part Inequality Science Series that will take place throughout the year.

SUNNY HE :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The JACK String Quartet and SO Percussion performed the first of two shows on Thursday evening.

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Friday october 2, 2015

page 3

Food survey incorporated student opinions, ideas Wilson School course FOOD to be first on edX, to start later this month Continued from page 1

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Month will more closely ref lect the heritage in question, as will ingredients used to make the food, USG president Ella Cheng ’16 said.

She added that educational materials on the culturerelated food will also be provided to further inform students.

Cheng is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

The USLC Food Survey Report stated that the project’s purpose is to recognize the student body’s demand for a wider range of food options in the dining hall.

The report was part of the USLC’s 2014-2015 academic initiative to work with Campus Dining to increase the frequency of students’ preferred foods.

In particular, the report recommended an increase in the variety of fresh fruits, more avocados and guacamole and a smoothie bar.

USLC report project leader Jianing Cheng ’17 explained that the USLC convenes a meeting at the beginning of the semester where members determine top priorities and projects to work on for the upcoming semester.

Part of the process involves speaking to various students on an individual basis to identify key issues for change, and students were very eager to see improvements in Campus Dining.

“We decided that a comprehensive report of what the students would like to see served in the dining

hall would be a good way to convey student interests and needs to the dining services,” Jianing Cheng said.

The survey portion of the report utilized the polling platform AllOurIdeas to crowdsource ideas from the undergraduate population as well as to measure the popularity of certain options. The survey was made available to undergraduate students for two weeks

“I personally feel that the report is very effective in helping [Haneef] make these improvements.”

Jianing Cheng ’17,

USLC report project leader

starting on Feb. 24 through a school-wide email sent by Ella Cheng, with the most activity occurring between Feb. 24-27 of last spring.

Both USLC chair Kathy Chow ’17 and Jianing Cheng noted that one benefit of AllOurIdeas is that students could propose their own ideas to be considered in the poll.

“One of many things I wanted, coming into USLC, was that we are not just going to lobby things,” Chow said. “We are actually going to do some research, write up a report and have substantial evidence to present

to the administration.”

Chow said the USLC presented the findings of the report to Executive Director of Campus Dining Smitha Haneef after Haneef reached out to Ella Cheng and USG to discuss Campus Dining.

Chow said the meeting allowed campus dining administrators to share with USG their plan for Campus Dining with regard to sustainability and promoting healthier foods in the dining hall, and also gave the USLC the opportunity to present its food survey report.

Haneef did not respond to multiple requests to comment.

Jianing Cheng said that when she personally met with Haneef, Haneef was delighted by the report. “[Haneef] was telling me how a lot of the things can only take off if it is a new year, how a lot of planning goes into it and that the report was very helpful in helping her see what she can focus on for the new semester,” Jianing Cheng said. “I personally feel that the report is very effective in helping her make these improvements.”

Ella Cheng noted that she has already seen many changes that have been implemented in the dining hall this past year, including an effort to make halal food more available to students.

Ella Cheng said that Haneef has always been willing to listen to feedback and work with students to bring change in the dining hall, noting that when there was an issue of a lack of halal food, she had just come into

the executive director position and was willing to listen. There is now halal food in the dining halls.

Ella Cheng added that the conversation generated from the USLC Food Survey Report started a conversation with Campus Dining about the potential of creating an ongoing student advisory board to provide feedback on dining issues.

“It is really hard to discuss change if you don’t have a body that is persistent to provide students an official forum to convey feedback,” she said.

Ella Cheng is co-chair of the Student Advisory Board with Haneef along with committee members Scarlett Grabowska ’17, Reka Zempleni ’16, Kathryn Little ’16 and Sarah Beytelmann GS. “The function of the student advisory board will provide an official and long-term forum to allow students to talk to Smitha Haneef directly about what changes we want to see in the dining halls,” Ella Cheng said.

Ella Cheng said the Student Advisory Board has not yet met and is currently coordinating the first meeting for the next week or two.

“I just hope it is going to be a way to permanently institutionalize the channel of feedback with Campus Dining,” she said. “I think that often there is this perception amongst students that Campus Dining is not very responsive or receptive to feedback. I’m happy to say that is completely the opposite.”

ALTRUISM

EDX

Continued from page 1

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building and cross-cabinet coordination.

Widner noted that she had used NovoEd last year to offer courses. She explained that though the site provided decent features, her team decided to discontinue the course when NovoEd organizers began charging instructors who used the platform. “edX is a little grayer but it works well and puts us in the company of peer institutions. I am sure we will continue to see changes in all platforms over the next year or two,” Widner said.

However, Widner added that she believes Massive Open Online Courses will never replace the “bricks and mortar” ones.

Nancy Moss, edX Director of Communications, stated

“We have been continuously interested in exploring a diversity of online course environments.”

Jeffrey Himpele GS ’96

that edX is both a nonprofit and open education platform with the mission of increasing access to highquality education.

“We are honored to connect Princeton’s renowned faculty with our community of global learners,” Moss said. “Likewise, Princeton’s faculty was looking for additional teaching, learning and research tools and capabilities.”

Moss added that edX is a nonprofit, so it can focus on

its partners’ and learners’ needs first.

Courses taken through Princeton edX or through any other online platform do not result in Princeton credit or any sort of credential.

The University, Himpele explained, began using online education platforms three and a half years ago, when it became a charter member of Coursera. He said

“We are honored to connect Princeton’s renowned faculty with our community of global learners.” nancy moss,

edx director of communication

the motivation was to make University courses available worldwide and, in courses taught at the University, to make the lectures available outside the lecture hall so that the course hours stated on the Office of the Registrar’s website can be used for more interactive discussion.

The University began using NovoEd a year after Coursera, Himpele said, because it allowed for students to work together on projects.

The University also started using Kadenze, another online platform, this past spring because it enables faculty members to teach around the arts.

The University does not currently have plans for moving specific open online courses from Coursera to edX, Himpele said.

Staff writer Katherine Oh contributed reporting.

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RACHEL SPADY :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Rob Wiblin of 80,000 Hours presented on effective altruism at a lecture in Peretsman-Scully Hall on Thursday afternoon.

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Opinion

Friday october 2, 2015

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The limit does exist

EDITORIAL

Sarah Sakha columnist

W

e tend to scroll past most images, headlines and stories, skimming the text and glancing at the picture. Maybe it’ll elicit a click, like or share; maybe not.

But on occasion there’s an image or story that really grips us, even our emotions. The image of the drowned Syrian boy, Aylan Kurdi, on the Turkish coast. The image of Boston Marathon bombing victim James “Bim” Costello, limping away with burns all over his body. The video of Eric Garner gasping, “I can’t breathe,” as a police officer puts him in a chokehold. The story of Madison Holleran’s tragic suicide.

Adversity doesn’t strike only individuals thousands of miles away. Here we can see others dealing with hardship, but it can be as hard, if not harder, to care about those closer to home.

The student who works three jobs, takes six classes and still makes it to the gym every day.

The victim of sexual assault walking to SHARE. The victim of domestic violence walking back from CPS. How many of these individuals can you truly empathize with? Bostonians shared in the fear and sense of unity that prevailed after the bombing. Black people felt outrage and attacked after Garner’s killing — among many other tragic deaths — spurring the Black Lives Matter movement and gaining empathy from all races. University of Pennsylvania students understood Holleran’s plight, and the story hit home for many people struggling with similar issues. Are similar emotions through similar experiences required to bridge this empathetic gap?

Nicholas Kristof insists that the answer is no — he can see himself and his family in the images of Syrian refugees in The New York Times.

But it is one thing to imagine your family being displaced. The experiences of a young boy in an occupied territory, a victim of third-degree burns — perhaps that’s a bit harder for the average college student to understand. Even the perspective of a college student who’s depressed presents its own barriers, or one who’s trying to independently support herself and her family is unique. These stories grab our attention and invoke powerful emotions, but can such narratives make us at the same time share the pain, mirror the experiences and truly empathize with these individuals?

And if we currently can’t, could we?

Literature seems to think so, with a plethora of self-help books about empathy as a skill, art and field of study: “The Power of Empathy,” “The Art of Empathy,” “The Empathic Civilization,” “The Age of Empathy.”

Science wants to think so, with scientists trying to figure out exactly how empathy works in an endeavor to produce more of it. In the 1990s, researchers first discovered mirror neurons, brain cells that explain how and why we empathize with people. According to the American Psychological Association, research now shows that these neurons respond not only to others’ actions and emotions, but their motivations.

Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab is pioneering an “Empathy at Scale” project, which aims to create “virtual reality interventions that teach empathy” — empathy toward people with disabilities, of different races and ages.

However, German philosopher Edith Stein wrote that empathy could not be created or taught. She believed it could be facilitated through the cultivation of other related behaviors.

In reality, our lack of experience limits our human empathy. We can only relate and see ourselves in others to a certain degree, and that’s largely due to no fault of our own. Even Kristof is able to see himself in the Syrian refugees by virtue of his own father, who was a refugee in Europe. A variety of basic factors — including race, socioeconomic status, family, genes and birthplace — can determine a predisposition to the limits of our empathy. A lot of these factors are immutable. But understanding our limitations is just as important as being able to empathize to begin with.

In acknowledging the limits of our own empathy, we must realize the limits of empathy itself. Sometimes, empathy just isn’t enough. As argued in a piece on empathy in The New Yorker, empathy can pull us the wrong way sometimes, as is arguably the case with retributive justice.

When we seek to empathize with the victim of a crime, we may flock to support capital punishment for the perpetrator, and that empathy only leads us to take another life.

And often times, it’s a measure of our humanity and reason — not empathy — that leads us to accept refugees into our homes, fight police brutality or oppose a war. Empathy may not be the solution to racism, ignorance and injustice (if a solution even exists). Empathy belongs in our interpersonal relationships, but when seeking to understand and address the larger issue behind the individual in a photograph, it takes more than empathy, which is at its root, merely an emotion.

That doesn’t mean we should abandon empathy. Helping others can be motivated by empathy, but we should acknowledge that it is one tool to help others, not the only way.

Sarah Sakha is a sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz. She can be reached at ssakha@princeton.edu.

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P

Expand the use of alternative learning methods

rinceton is well-known as a dynamic research university that focuses on undergraduate education. The University’s faculty members are not only experts in their respective fields but also educators who share their knowledge and expertise with students. In order to facilitate the learning experience, several departments throughout the University have begun to implement alternatives to the traditional in-class lecture, including innovative learning methods such as video lectures, online discussion boards and beginner’s precepts. Princeton prides itself on the diversity of its student body, not just in the geographic sense, but also in terms of intellectual interests. In this same spirit of academic diversity, the Board encourages departments to expand the use of these innovative learning methods.

The University’s computer science department is the prime example of a department that has made great strides in experimenting with its learning methods by offering all three of the mechanisms mentioned previously. This fall, the department is offering COS 226: Algorithms and Data Structures in two formats — a general lecture with a typical size of 200-250 students, as well as a second lecture, provided as an alternative to the first, with enrollment capped at 30 students.

In order to be placed into the lat-

ter lecture, students had to apply during the first week of classes.

In this alternative version of the course, students have the ability to watch video lectures prior to class. During class time, students are able to participate in “short presentations, discussions, and individual or group problem solving exercises,” according to the University’s Office of the Registrar. The department has also implemented beginner’s precepts in introductory courses such as COS 126: General Computer Science and utilized the forum Piazza as a complement to the instructor’s lectures and an aid during studying.

The Board believes that diversification of academic learning should be occurring in more departments outside of computer science. Learning is not a uniform experience and we should not limit ourselves as a university by attempting to educate individuals, who each learn and think differently, under one defined standard of instruction.

Video lectures, online discussion boards and beginner’s precepts have shown to be effective mechanisms for learning in several of the courses offered at the University. As opposed to in-class lectures, video lectures give students the ability to access online lectures at all times through Blackboard. This feature allows students to review material covered in class and professors to increase class time for discus-

vol. cxxxix

sion by assigning lectures ahead of time. Similarly, allowing for the creation of a beginner’s precept would enable the instructor to move at a pace that fits each student’s experience level more accurately. Moreover, beginner’s precepts serve to increase the diversity of perspectives in a class by attracting students from a variety of majors. While numerous departments have already adopted the interactive online forum Piazza as a tool for learning, most departments are not as aggressive in adopting new technology as they should be.

The University educates thousands of students with a wide range of academic interests and backgrounds, and advances in technology have and will continue to allow instructors to provide students with the best learning environment possible. These innovations can ensure that Princeton maximizes f lexibility in learning so that both students and professors get the most out of their courses. The Board encourages the departments of the University to expand upon these academic innovations so that more students are able to benefit from these learning mechanisms.

The Editorial Board is an independent body and decides its opinions separately from the regular staff and editors of The Daily Princetonian.

The Board answers only to its Chair, the Opinion Editor and the Editor-inChief.

Anna Mazarakis ’16 editor-in-chief

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Joe Everyman #1 Emily Fockler ’17 ..................................................

Creating global citizens Luis Ramos

guest contributor

N

ational Hispanic Heritage Month, a tradition started in 1988, is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. As a young Latino, this was something I never celebrated at home or at school; I didn’t even know it existed until halfway through my Princeton career.

Lately, however, I finally find myself paying attention. As more and more students of color enter our country’s classrooms and public debate about Latinos in the United States grows increasingly vitriolic, we have an opportunity to use this moment to celebrate the contributions of people of color and advocate for their communities’ needs. It’s crucial that we do.

I spent my entire childhood trying to whitewash my latinidad. By the time I got to middle school, I stopped speaking Spanish completely and, when my parents spoke in our native tongue, would admonish them the same way my peers taunted me: “This is America, Mom. Speak English!” Through this and similar shameful acts, I further distanced myself from my heritage. I conducted my own cultural exorcism at age 13.

So when I joined Teach For America and was assigned to teach middle school Spanish,

I was initially disappointed. I knew the grammar and vocabulary content I’d be teaching, but I had no idea how to convincingly teach a culture which I had spent so much of my life trying to negate.

But once I started to get to know my students in South Carolina, I saw a parallel between the experiences of my students of color and my own. Although they were only in middle school, they had already internalized negative messages and stereotypes about their ethnicity. Few had experienced direct and malicious racism, but all had been the subject of casual racial contempt: the clerks who trailed them through stores, peers who told them they sounded “too white” when they used correct grammar and the overarching idolization of white traits as favorable. At 13 we had both already internalized society’s subtle demonization of our identities.

My mission became clear. I fought my whole life to be white and this was a test for me: I have to stand in front of these kids, proud of who I am, so that they can be proud of who they are. I knew I couldn’t erase the racism they had experienced or will experience, but I knew I could teach them how to succeed in defiance of it. So I treated every day as an opportunity not only to teach my students how to conjugate verbs and roll their r’s, but also how to be conscientious, inclusive citi-

zens of the world. I worked hard to get my students invested in Spanish and help them understand how diversity in language, culture and experience enriches communities, rather than detracts from them.

My kids thrived academically in my classroom, but to me, the work was about so much more than Spanish. It was about understanding how they and other minorities have been “othered,” so that they will never reinforce that discriminatory treatment toward anyone. It was about teaching them to be proud of who they were so that when they do experience prejudices, they can hold their heads up and stand firm in their racial identity — what I wish I had learned at their age, but only learned through teaching them.

I joined Teach For America because I felt a responsibility to give back. I was the first graduate of my low-income high school to attend an Ivy League school, and I wanted to give more kids like me the opportunity to excel.

My students would often discuss the prejudices that contribute to immigrant and minority stereotypes and they grew to challenge their peers’ xenophobic or racist rhetoric. I know from personal experience this racism won’t go away, but I hope my kids will never let others’ misconceptions about who they are define them.

It was incredibly rewarding watching my kids blossom into

kind, culturally aware young adults who were fully invested in their education.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, I hope we’ll remember that our kids are counting on us. I challenge Princeton students to be a part of a solution. Cultural shifts are never easy, but everyone can embrace the diversity that makes Princeton and this country so special. Share your stories, because your perspective needs to be heard to be understood. Listen to different opinions about race other than your own. Seek opportunities to engage in extinguishing sources of racism, whether internally or in others.

Use the advantage of your Princeton education to help dismantle racism and prejudice. And as you develop your voice, you can learn to help speak for those who cannot. As a minority who used to not have pride in my culture, I encourage you to resist doing the same. Instead use your unique outlook and position to help contribute to a social environment where all children can find success no matter their race or ethnicity. We can let the prejudice continue, or we can empower our kids to rise above it — to thrive, to excel, to rewrite the current, untrue narrative into one that ref lects them.

Luis Ramos ’13 is an alumnus of Teach For America: South Carolina. He currently works at MindSumo, an education-related startup.

The Daily Princetonian

Friday october 2, 2015

page 5

Men’s soccer looks to settle score with Dartmouth after last year’s loss SOCCER

Continued from page 6

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FILE PHOTO

The women’s volleyball team hopes to avenge a loss in Dillon Gym and establish itself with two road victories.

Women’s volleyball looks to pick up first win vs. Ivy League team VOLLEYBALL Continued from page 6

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two really big teams in the league,” junior outside hitter Cara Mattaliano said. “We are just focusing in practice, doing a lot of scouting and getting our mindsets ready to go in confident and beat these two teams in their own gym, which is always a little more difficult, but definitely more satisfying.”

The Tigers have made heavy preparations for the Ivy League Conference, changing to a 6-2 formation starting this season. The new system will allow Princeton to draw more from its bench players and integrate the whole team into a cohesive unit. Furthermore, the Princeton squad also benefits from several new additions, which

will help the team build its rhythm in the coming games.

“We have three or four people we can set it to each time so it really gets the blockers spread and confused at times,” Mattaliano said. “It’s nice to know that every single hitter that we have [can be] trusted entirely to put the ball away and do their job.”

Still though, Princeton is looking to make some final adjustments before their matches against two Ivy League rivals.

“I think we need to be more aggressive,” Peterkin states.

“And being a little bit smarter with our hits, another thing we talked about in practice was having a purpose when hitting — don’t just hit to put the ball away, focus on a specific spot.

We should be able to know which spots are open on the court.”

Under the leadership of head coach Sabrina King ‘01, Princeton women’s volleyball has maintained a tradition of excellence. The Tigers placed second in the Ivy Conference twice in the last five years. This past year, the Tigers placed third overall in the Ivy League Conference with a record of 9-5, coming behind Harvard and Yale, who has won the conference for five consecutive years.

Despite Yale’s dominance, the Tigers are optimistic that they can grab the conference title this season. “They are a very good team, but if there is any year to pull out a win I think this is the year we are pulling for it,” Peterkin said.

“There are a lot of good teams, but I think we fit right there with them and it’s definitely going to be an interesting time, since anyone can win it.”

Ranked no. 20 in NCAA, Tigers look to continue success in league play, defeat out-of-conference foe FIELD HOCKEY Continued from page 6

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peak of the Lions’ offense, Penn State scored four consecutive goals. A win for the Tigers would not only give the team a winning schedule but also a sense of redemption.

In terms of specific players to watch, freshman striker Sophia Tornetta has now won two Ivy League Rookie of the

Week Honors just a few games into her young tenure as a Tiger. En route to her most recent award, Tornetta scored two goals and earned an assist over Dartmouth. As a freshman starter, the Pennsylvania native already ranks second on the team in assists and points.

At a national standpoint this far into the season, the Tigers rank 10th in goals per game (3.57). Furthermore, senior goalkeeper Anya Gersoff

has been an anchor for the Orange and Black defense, ranking ninth in the nation in saves per game (6.71).

Talent and past successes abounding, the Tigers reach a crossroads this weekend. Two losses would put the Tigers on the path to an unusually short season. On the other hand, victories could prepare the Tigers for difficult non-conference games in the weeks to come.

Head coach Surace ’90 sees potential challenges from Lions’ Mornhinweg FOOTBALL Continued from page 6

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scoring an impressive 92 points in their first two games.

The contest against Columbia opens Ivy League play, and with it, the team’s quest for their first conference title since 2013.

In matchups against Columbia, Princeton has come out on top for the past four years.

For Kanoff, the implications of the record and of Ivy League

standing are overshadowed by an emphasis on the game immediately at hand.

“I don’t think anyone’s thinking it’s any more important because of where we’re at or anything,” Kanoff observed. “It’s just who’s next on our line.”

A win would provide the Tigers, who finished fourth in the preseason rankings, with a significant boost in the conference standings. As such, there is no understating the importance of this Ivy League opener

in Surace’s mind.

“In football you play each team once,” Surace emphasized. “On that Saturday or, in this case, Friday night, you have to be the better team on that one day, and we recognize that and we understand the importance of each week.

You know, those [Ivy League] games — you only play seven.

You only play 10 games and only 7 [Ivy] league games and they are so, so, so, meaningful.”

held the lead, was against Florida International University, currently ranked No. 14 in the NCAA. This Tiger team certainly has to have fans excited after showing they can compete with some of the best teams in the nation.

“We realized that we are a very good team and we can play with the best teams in the nation,” senior forward Tom Sanner said. “We knew what the standard should be. We know that we have the players and the talent to compete with the best.”

Armed with this knowledge, the Tigers have a chance to show they’re the team to beat in the Ivy League. The game against the Big Green (33-1 overall) has been on the Tigers’ minds for a long time now. It was the loss to Dartmouth last year — a thriller that came down to a header in the 93rd minute — that ultimately prevented the Tigers from moving on to the NCAA tournament.

“We’ve been waiting a long time,” Hummel said. “We felt like we got robbed of an opportunity to make an impact in the tournament last year.

There are some really boiled over emotions ready to explode.”

With the chance to play each team only once this season, every game counts tremendously for the Tigers, as they try to make the tournament for the first time since the 2010 season. A chance to capture a huge win — and on the Big Green’s home turf, no less — is a dream start for the Princeton squad playing with a chip on its shoulder.

For the Tigers, the game both serves as a chance to establish and redeem themselves.

“We have to realize that every single game in the Ivy League could be the difference between getting in the tournament or not,” Sanner said.

“It’s the most important game of our season by far,” senior midfielder Nico Hurtado said. “We know it’s going to be really intense … we’re really excited to have the opportunity to play them again.”

Women’s soccer travels to Hanover looking to repeat success in league play Princeton couldn’t have asked for a better start to league play. Now, the women’s soccer team hopes to follow one dominating victory with another as it travels to Hanover to face the Dartmouth Big Green.

The Tigers (6-3 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) have found their stride after hitting a rough patch earlier in the season.

After losing three straight games at home and falling to 2-3, they have since won four straight games, including an overtime thriller over thenNo. 23 ranked William & Mary.

Most recently, they dominated league rival Yale (3-4-2, 0-1) 3-0 at Roberts Stadium.

It’s clear that an uptick in offensive performance has been key. After averaging just under .7 goals per game through their losing streak, the Tigers are now finding the back of the net an average of three times per game during this win streak. Indeed, with its improved offense, the team finds itself in the top 20 teams across the NCAA for goals per game.

Indeed, dropping those games at home seems to have lit a fire in this Tiger team as it prepares for a crucial part of the season.

“The urgency needs to be better,” junior forward Tyler Lussi said. “We didn’t want to have that losing feeling at the

end of the game, where we put one half together but it didn’t pay off for the full game.”

Of course, no small part of the improvement has been the scoring of Lussi herself.

She has followed up a stellar sophomore campaign with another excellent season, scoring eight goals on the year so far. She was in exquisite form against the Bulldogs, bagging two goals on the day.

While Lussi may dominate the goal scoring, the Tigers have their fair share of players who know how to set others up. Sophomore midfielder Vanessa Gregoire and junior defender Jesse McDonough are two such players, as both rank in the Ivy League’s top five for assists on the season — Gregoire with five, McDonough with four.

This ability to score will be crucial against a team like Dartmouth. The Big Green (71-2, 0-0-1), last year’s runnerup to the Ivy League crown, boasts one of the most stalwart defenses in the NCAA. They’ve been allowing .383 goals per game so far. Interestingly enough, this is good for only second in the Ivy League, behind Cornell University’s .096 goals allowed per game.

“They’re going to be confident,” Lussi said when addressing the strength of the Dartmouth defense this season. “But I think that if we continue our urgency, and continue attacking well ... we’re going to come out with a win.”

Moreover, the Tigers hope to end their losing streak in Hanover, where they have not won since the 2007 season.

“Even though it is an away game, and that’s always a challenge, I think that if we stick together and play our game, and not get stuck into playing their game, we’re going to come out with the win,” Lussi said.

Sports

Friday october 2, 2015

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } FOOTBALL

Tigers spend weekend at Princeton Stadium, host Columbia Lions

By Nolan Liu contributor

VINCENT PO :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

John Lovett (12) contributed to the win against Lehigh in passing, rushing and receiving.

After pounding Lehigh this past Saturday 52-26, the undefeated Tigers look to continue their successes this season as they open Ivy League play against Columbia (0-2, 0-0 Ivy League).

Princeton (2-0, 0-0) overwhelmed the Mountain Hawks (2-2) with outstanding play on both ends of the ball; highlights included strong passing play by junior quarterback Chad Kanoff and sophomore quarterback John Lovett, multiple rushing touchdowns from junior running back Joe Rhattigan and a stunning interception made by junior linebacker RJ Paige.

With two solid victories beneath their belts, the Tigers look to continue their progress moving forward. Lovett reflected eagerness and determination when discussing the team’s preparation for Friday’s game.

“This being our first Ivy League game, we’re excited to get after it,” Lovett said. “The first step is obviously Columbia and getting to our main goal, which is an Ivy League championship.”

Princeton has demonstrated explosive offensive capabilities thus far, racking up 40 points against Lafayette University and 52 points against Lehigh, but head coach Bob Surace ‘90 believes Columbia could present a tougher challenge. “[Their defensive line] is one of the better position groups that I’ve seen in my time at Princeton,” Surace noted.

“Their D-backs are extremely aggressive — they’re right up in your face, and get after it.

It’s a very aggressive defense.”

Surace also commented on the capabilities of Columbia’s offense.

“Their quarterback [Skyler Mornhinweg] — you can see why he started and played at Florida,” Surace observed.

“He’s a guy that can run the ball and throw it, very versatile, ball’s in his hands at key moments. Their running game — they return a second team all-Ivy runner in Cameron Molina, and he’s off to a good start.”

Looking ahead to Friday, Surace noted that the Tigers would have to play a tight, focused game — particularly on defense.

“Last week we really, real-

ly did a good job with turnovers,” he said. “Ball security is always key, and the decisionmaking that goes along with that. We’re gonna have to do a great job playing our gaps, our responsibilities in the run game, when you have an athletic quarterback like [Columbia does] who can throw it and run it.”

Junior quarterback Chad Kanoff also emphasized concentration and determination when discussing the squad’s attitude.

“We’re focusing on practicing hard,” Kanoff asserted.

“It’s about playing fast and executing — for me, it’s about completing more passes, and [there are] also things as a team, like not jumping offsides, and stuff.”

Lovett reflected a similar sentiment when speaking about the mentality this week.

“We just need to come out and practice hard,” Lovett said.

“As a whole, we need to focus and execute the game plan the coaches are giving us.”

The Tigers, at 2-0, are off to their best start since 2006 and have racked up their highest point total since the 1950 national championship, See FOOTBALL page 5

SOCCER

Both men’s and women’s soccer teams face intense games against Dartmouth

By Miles Hinson sports editor

Men’s soccer looks to start out strong in Ivy League play against co-league champ Dartmouth After riding a string of strong results, the men’s soccer team will travel to Hanover this weekend to take on Dartmouth in their Ivy League play opener.

The Tigers (3-2-1 overall), after hitting some bumps early on in the season, appear

to have hit their stride. They beat two of their last three opponents and drew the third, a tough 1-1 overtime bout against then No. 19-ranked American University.

Indeed, the Tigers’ aforementioned bumps — they went 0-2 in an early season road trip through Florida – have allowed them to understand themselves better as a team moving forward.

“When we went down to Florida and lost those two games, they were both very,

very close contests,” senior goalkeeper Ben Hummel explained. “We figured out a lot of things about ourselves, which was how can we put together 90 minutes of soccer. In each game, we had a really, really good half, but we couldn’t quite put together a full game. They were good teams, and that forced us to improve.”

Good teams indeed — one of the losses, a 1-2 loss in which Princeton initially See SOCCER page 5

BEN KOGER :: SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Tigers, missing out on an NCAA bid to Dartmouth last season, come in with a chip on their shoulders.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

FIELD HOCKEY

Field hockey to host both Yale and Women’s volleyball to make trip to New Penn State in weekend doubleheader England to face Harvard, Dartmouth

By David Liu staff writer

Heading into the fifth weekend of the field hockey season, No. 20 Princeton (3-4 overall, 1-0 Ivy League) will welcome Yale (2-5, 0-1) on Friday and then Penn State (4-5 overall, 1-2 conference) this Sunday. Coming off a dominant 7-3 victory over Dartmouth last week, the Tigers embark on yet another weekend of Ivy League play mixed in with difficult non-conference play.

Prior to last weekend’s

win, Princeton field hockey had felt the full brunt of its schedule’s difficulty. While the Tigers have now won the Ivy League Championship for 10 consecutive years, this year’s schedule includes the top four teams in the NCAA: Connecticut, Syracuse, North Carolina and Virginia. In preparing for Yale, the Tigers hope to carry the momentum of last week’s victory.

Fortunately, the Tigers hold a dominant history over Yale. In fact the Bulldogs have only defeated the Tigers twice in program history, with the

last Bulldogs victory over 30 years ago in 1977. This season, the Bulldogs have continued to struggle, having won just two of seven games. A win for Princeton would mark the first time this season the Tigers have balanced their losses with wins.

However, the Tigers are far from comfortable as Penn State awaits on Sunday.

While Penn State may not incite as much as the nation’s top teams, the Nittany Lions managed to oust Princeton last year in a 5-2 rout. At the See FIELD HOCKEY page 5

Tweet of the day

“Hoooooo doggy it’s fUgg weather” annie tarakchian (@annabellyy5), senior forward, women’s basketball

By David Xin contributor

This Friday and Saturday, Princeton women’s volleyball (5-5 overall, 0-1 Ivy League) will face off against Dartmouth (35, 1-0) and Harvard (4-6, 0-1) in search of its first conference win. After a tough loss to rival University of Pennsylvania (76, 1-0) in the Ivy Conference opener, the Tigers will be looking to improve their standings with two away games.

Motivated by a close loss to the Quakers, the Tigers are

confident the next two games will provide the perfect opportunity to rebound. “I think the fact that we lost that game is actually good for us because it allows us to take a step back and realize what we did wrong or what we can work on,” senior right side hitter Kendall Peterkin stated. “We are already 0-1, I think the only way to go up is from here.”

Princeton will start its road trip at Harvard’s Malkin Athletic Center on Friday. Last season, the Orange and Black lost both encounters with

the Crimson, who went on to claim the conference title with Yale. Harvard would later lose the tiebreaker to the Bulldogs.

Princeton will then travel to Dartmouth for its second game in two days. The Tigers handily defeated Dartmouth in three sets during their last encounter. Nevertheless, the Big Green will present a sizable challenge for the Tigers on their home court.

“I think we all know that these are really big games, Harvard and Dartmouth are See VOLLEYBALL page 5

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