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Monday november 23, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 109
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } STUDENT LIFE
BJL sit-in demands countered by petition
By Nahrie Chung staff writer
An online petition to counter demands made by Black Justice League protesters has gained over 800 signatures since launching on Thursday afternoon, as of Saturday at 1 p.m. Drafted by Josh Zuckerman ’16 and Evan Draim ’16, the petition calls upon the University to promote “increased dialogue and the creation of a process that properly considers the input of all students and faculty, not merely those who are the loudest.” Draim is a former Editorial Board member for The Daily Princetonian. The petition followed a 32-hour-long sit-in protest by several members of the newly formed BJL in the office of University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83. The sit-in ended on Thursday evening when Eisgruber, members of his administration and student leaders in BJL agreed to
a revised list of the students’ demands. Titled “Protect Plurality, Historical Perspective, and Academic Speech at Princeton,” the petition was written in response to those demands. It is a product of “concerned Princetonians,” according to both Zuckerman and Draim, but no official student group or organization endorses the document. The petition requests that the University affirm the danger of historical revisionism in purging campus of the Wilsonian legacy. It asks that a potential diversity requirement for non-American or American minority culture be accompanied by a course in Western civilization, and claims that “affinity housing” would be racially segregating and against the promotion of campus diversity. The petition first went live on Change.org at around 5 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, according to Zuckerman. By See PETITION page 2
STUDENT LIFE
TERRORISM PANEL
CHIARA FICARELLI :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris were placed in a global context at a multidisciplinary round table discussion on Friday. For more information, read our coverage online at dailyprincetonian.com. U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S
Faculty petition supports BJL protestors on campus By Do-Hyeong Myeong associate news editor
Fifty-four faculty members signed a faculty letter in support of student protests, drafted by twelve faculty members affiliated with the program in African American Studies and published online on Friday. The letter, addressed to
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, Dean of the College Jill Dolan, members of the University Board of Trustees and other senior administrators, notes that “there is a palpable sense that … students of color, particularly black students, all too often find themselves on the margins of this University.” The letter adds that the under-
signed faculty members stand in solidarity with the student protestors. The letter urges the University administrators to take a “different, bolder, more comprehensive kind of action” to address “core problems” such as the racial climate on campus, and calls for a meeting of the faculty dedicated to the See FACULTY page 3 U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S
STUDENT LIFE
Candidates discuss mental Eisgruber ’83 health, P/D/F at Sunday debate emails about racial climate By Samvida Venkatesh staff writer
COURTESY OF PRINCETON.EDU
Cameron Platt ’16, Evan Soltas ’16, Richard Lu ’16 and Katherine Clifton ’15 (clockwise from top) were awarded the 2016 Rhodes Scholarships.
The main issues addressed by the presidential candidates at the Undergraduate Student Government presidential and vice presidential debate on Sunday included ensuring the USG is a unified voice representing all student groups, making the pass/D/fail option rescindable and providing better facilities for student mental health. Presidential candidate Aleksandra Czulak ’17 emphasized the importance of collaboration, action and results. She said that student groups on campus did not see USG as their platform, as was evident from the protests last week, and her goal would be to remedy that. Presidential candidate Grant Golub ’17 said that the student body needed to be more united when presenting demands to the administration. He also noted the inaccessibility of mental health services
on campus, and said that as USG president, he would work with administrators to allocate more resources to mental health issues. Golub is a former staff writer and a copy editor for The Daily Princetonian. Golub and Czulak both noted the need for rescindable P/D/F options and said that the administration was more open to the possibility now. Czulak said that her two years’ experience in the USG and her current position as the current vice president would help her to lead the USG. Golub, on the other hand, said that people who have been in the USG since freshman year become insulated and are not connected to student groups. “I think we need someone coming in from the outside to look at issues from a different perspective,” he said. Golub also discussed the possibility of creating a chief of staff position to take over some of the See DEBATE page 3
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 emailed University students and alumni on Sunday in response to recent demands to improve the racial climate on campus. Eisgruber said he acknowledges the distress, pain and frustration students of color feel from a campus climate they find unwelcoming or uncaring. He explained that he asked the University Board of Trustees to develop a process to consider the issue of the legacy of Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, at the University. He added that the University has begun the process to create cultural affinity spaces in the Carl A. Fields Center, a request made by both LatinX and the Black Justice League. He also noted previous steps taken to improve campus climate such as the joint faculty and trustee committee to diversify the University’s faculty, staff and graduate student body and a Special Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
be competing for the position of academics committee chair, and two candidates will be contending for the position of social committee chair. Of the four positions last year, only USLC chair and social committee chair were contested, while the candidate for the academics committee chair ran unopposed and there were no candidates for the Community Affairs
Committee Chair. Patrick Flanigan ’18, Shannon Osaka ’17 and David Landeta ’19 are contenders in the race for the academics committee chair. Flanigan is a peer academic advisor, a McGraw tutor and serves as a member of the McGraw Advisory Council. He explained that his platform includes eliminating the vestiges of See CHAIR page 3
4 U. affiliates awarded Rhodes Scholarships 2 chair positions uncontested in USG elections
By Paul Phillips news editor
Katherine Clifton ’15, Richard Lu ’16, Cameron Platt ’16 and Evan Soltas ’16 were selected as recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship Class of 2016, the organization announced Saturday. The Rhodes Scholarship is a postgraduate award that enables students to study for two years at the University of Oxford. Elliot Gerson, American Secretary to the Rhodes Trust, explained
that the application process is composed of first securing an endorsement from one’s university, then applying in one of sixteen districts across the country. Gerson noted that while most applicants come from highly selective institutions, the process is an open and fair one and that in most years there is a winner from an institution that had never previously had a Rhodes scholar. The most fundamental reSee RHODES page 3
By Drew Brazer staff writer
Two of the four chair positions for the upcoming Undergraduate Student Government elections are uncontested. The candidates running for Campus and Community Affairs committee chair and University Student Life Committee chair are unopposed. Three candidates will
In Opinion
Today on Campus
The Editorial Board endorses Czulak for USG president and Burton for USG vice president, contributor Devon Naftzger discusses the BJL protest and four University affiliates wrote to the Editor regarding recent protests on campus. PAGE 4-5
4:30 p.m.: University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and Provost David S. Lee GS ’99 to present at the November Council of the Princeton University Community meeting. Friend Center 101.
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STUDENT LIFE
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Monday november 23, 2015
The Daily Princetonian
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“We all have an equal stake in this community,” Freeman says PETITION Continued from page 1
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Friday afternoon, 24 hours after its release, over 500 people had signed. Zuckerman said that he and Draim had been concerned with the development of the protest since Thursday, as more students began hearing about the sit-in. However, their decision to formulate the petition occurred before Eisgruber and the University administration officially reached a compromise with protesters to bring the historic 32-hour student sit-in to a close, he added. Associate Dean of the College and Director of Programs for Access and Inclusion Khristina Gonzalez, the point person for the agreement between Eisgruber and the students, said that many students have expressed concerns over the agreement. “I’m hearing a lot from students who have a variety of different perspectives on the issue and I think it’s a complicated one,” she said. Draim said a large number of students on campus disagreed with the protests, with regard to either the protesters’ tactics or their specific demands of the administration. “We created a petition that we felt was ref lecting the views of this silent majority on campus that had valuable opinions on these issues but hadn’t spoken out yet,” he said. The general consensus on campus, he said, is that students respect the concerns of the protesters and acknowledge that they are important issues on campus. However, he added that students don’t think the demands of BJL are the right way to go about addressing the issues. Zuckerman added he wanted to broaden the conversation, to allow students whose opinions differ from the protesters’ to voice their views on issues that affected all of campus. A few very vocal students had been monopolizing the conversation, but the administration needs to hear from people with alternative perspectives, Draim said. Key members of BJL and participating protesters were contacted for this story but either did not respond to requests for
comment or declined to comment. Both Zuckerman and Draim explained that they do not want to reinforce the antagonistic division that currently separates student protesters from those who disagree with them. Disagreeing with BJL’s demands is not the same as ignoring the wrongness of clear historical grievances, Zuckerman added. He explained that the problem lies in historical revisionism and the attempt to purge history of what individuals find offensive, even when they are rightly so. “I think it’s extremely dangerous if you’re going to anachronistically impose modern values on past people. If you want to condemn Woodrow Wilson for his racism, fine, you’re correct to do so. But when you look back, you’re going to find very few people of magnitude in the past whose morality lives up to modern standards,” he said. “From Woodrow Wilson it’s only a small step to go back and say ‘Well, by modern standards, Aristotle is a sexist.’ Do we need to start removing Aristotle from places? Plato was a pedophile by modern standards. Jefferson was a horrible, horrible racist as well.” Furthermore, Zuckerman said, Wilson’s views do not become any less bigoted or racist in removing his name from campus buildings. History is not pretty, he noted. “I am no fan of Woodrow Wilson — I detest the guy’s politics — but the fact of the matter is I don’t want to go back on history and wipe out and cease honoring the people I disagree with, no matter how repugnant their views are,” he said. “Woodrow Wilson’s views are incredibly repugnant. He was wrong then and he’s wrong now. But he also did some great things for this University and deserves to be honored for them.” Draim said the political correctness that discourages discourse needs to be addressed, noting that people who might publicly support BJL’s demands might also have more private concerns that they feel they cannot express for fear of sounding politically incorrect, and this attitude needs to be discussed more. Draim said he would like
to see more opportunity to engage in dialogue with the student protesters as well. Racism persists in the United States, he acknowledged, but the manner of discourse to achieve a more diverse and equal society is critical. “When we focus on smaller issues that divide people and pit people against each other — when we say that people of certain races can’t understand what we’re saying because they don’t look like us — we alienate people and we keep ourselves from being able to move forward towards achieving those ends of being a more racially tolerant society,” he explained. Counter petition signer Josh Freeman ’18 confirmed that people fear speaking out
“I think it’s extremely dangerous if you’re going to anachronistically impose modern values on past people.” Josh Zuckerman ’16
against the protesters because they will be vilified. BJL fails to represent all black people at Princeton, Freeman said, referring to one member’s criticism of him as a black student with differing views. “When I posted against [BJL’s signed demands], I was literally told, straight to my face, that white people won’t love me like black people would. And no, that’s not what the case is,” he said. “You should love someone for who they are, not the color of their skin.” He noted that in the past two days, he has been labeled a white sympathizer. In contrast, he said, his mostly white track team cares about him, and he cares about them just as much. Zuckerman said he sees the petition in the context of a growing trend across college campuses throughout the nation, arguing that Universityaffiliated signers are effectively fighting to contribute their opinions as well. “What we want to do is to demonstrate that, unlike at Yale, there are students here who will stand up to these recent protests,” he said. “We will stand up to it, we will
fight for what we believe in. This is our campus too, and we’re not going to simply be quiet in the face of a small, loud boisterous group of students making their demands.” Draim said he was surprised by the diverse sources of support for the petition. Over the course of the BJL protests, he said he had reached out to many friends and students who he expected to disagree with him vehemently on the issue given their known political orientation. Instead, he found that many of them shared his concerns over the BJL’s demands, showing that the petition represents a truly bipartisan effort. “I know from my personal experience, there’s almost no issue on this campus where I’ve actually seen this kind of consensus in terms of people who — on other things, have completely different outlooks and are from complete different backgrounds — have all contacted me and said that this is something we should fight for,” he said. But Draim added that he thinks his left-of-center peers, more so than his conservative peers, are afraid to attach their names to the petition because they have close relationships with and are sympathetic toward students directly involved in the League’s protest. Gonzalez said this moment presents itself as an opportunity for a more inclusive dialogue and discussion over what values are to be reflected in the University’s academic community. “I think the primary thing to focus in on is that when students brought [the initial demands] to us and … to Nassau Hall they were telling the entire community — not just President Eisgruber, not just the administration — they were really telling the entire community that they did not feel a sense of belonging here,” Gonzalez said. “It’s really important for us to hear what our students have to tell us across all of the student body.” She said that she and other administrators plan to host public discussions at each residential college, inviting and identifying students who want to discuss general curriculum standards and what values should be reflected in the academic context. In addition, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne will convene with the Undergraduate Student Government senate for a special emergency meeting on Sunday to draft a statement
and brainstorm follow-up initiatives to the week’s events, according to USG president Ella Cheng ’16. Cheng is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian. Gonzalez said it is a primary responsibility of the administration and staff to hear the concerns and needs of the students. “Our number one concern as a community is how we can care for each other and make sure that we give every individual member of this community a space to feel included and to thrive socially, academically, intellectually, all of those things,” she said. Both Zuckerman and Draim said they are hoping to circulate the petition as widely as possible. Dodam Ih ’15, who signed the petition, commented on the petition’s main webpage that “the absolute last thing we need on this campus is a university-sanctioned echo chamber.” “We definitely have a responsibility to fight prejudice, racism — be it institutional or personal — but I do think that in the national context especially, at colleges we have to do inferential correction and factual correctness, and not political correctness,” he said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ Ih explained that it would be dangerous to erase history because such an action would begin erasing contexts for present-day experiences as well. Ih added that the “slippery slope” argument against is valid and should be seen as such within academic communities that purport devotion to a truly liberal discussion of ideas. A better way to go about the issue of tainted yet celebrated legacies on campus, Ih said, is to add a “large asterisk” next to Wilson’s name to explain how even great progressives can come to hold bigoted views. Regarding a mandatory diversity requirement, Ih noted that such a course could detract from true purpose of a college education. “I’d want the class to teach us how to think and not what to think,” he said. Freeman noted the campus climate is suppressing open discussion of ideas, and should instead facilitate intellectual and academic discourse. “All 5,000 undergraduates chose this school and said they were going to go to Princeton when they were 18 and getting out of high school. We all have an equal stake in this community and see how it grows together,” he said.
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Monday november 23, 2015
The Daily Princetonian
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Robert George’s signature added to Social, academics petition without his consent, he says chairs contested; USLC, FACULTY CCA chairs unopposed Continued from page 1
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issue of faculty diversity. The signatories come from a number of departments and programs across the arts and humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. No faculty member from the School of Engineering and Applied Science or the School of Architecture signed the letter. Politics professor Robert George noted that his name was put into the letter without his consent, via a Face-
book post published on Friday around 7 p.m. “In what is the most underhanded tactic I have encountered in thirty-one years in academic life, my name was fraudulently added to a petition supporting student protestors at Princeton,” he wrote. “There is no way I will be able to reach even a fraction of the people who are being misinformed about where I stand. Needless to say, this is extremely distressing–especially because the issue concerns values I cherish and that i believe are being placed in peril on campuses around
the country, including my own.” In a separate message to Eisgruber, shared on Facebook, George clarified his position. “I did not sign or even see the petition. Had I seen it, I certainly would not have signed it,” he wrote. George did not respond to a request for comment. By Saturday at 6 p.m., his name had been removed from the list of signatories on the official webpage for the letter. African American Studies Program chair Eddie Glaude did not respond to a request for comment.
SAMVIDA SUDEESH VENKATESH :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The two vice presidential candidates, Shobhit Kumar ’18 and Jeremy Burton ’18, debated on Sunday.
Vice presidential candidates stress transparency, efficiency within USG DEBATE
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responsibilities of the vice president and allow the vice president to look at some of the bigger issues. Vice presidential candidate Shobhit Kumar ’18 said he welcomes the creation of such position as long as the roles of the vice president and chief of staff are demarcated clearly. However, Jeremy Burton ’18, another vice presidential candidate, said that an integral part of the vice president’s role was to manage internal communications, and that dividing responsibilities would not foster effective
communication. Kumar said his platform emphasizes the elimination of superfluous discussions in senate meetings and focuses on issues that students really want answered. He explained that talking to students on campus about what the USG could do for them has brought up a lot of questions that need to be answered. “Students are wondering why NJ Transit tickets are not subsidized, whether the repealing of grade deflation has actually changed GPAs,” he explained. “These are the questions that the USG should seek answers to.” Burton noted that some standing committees in the USG, such
as the Mental Health Initiative Board and the Diversity and Equity Committee, were out of touch with student groups and did not have enough presence on campus. Both candidates stressed the need for transparency and efficiency in the workings of the USG. Presidential candidate Simon Wu ’17, who could not attend the debate due to a prior commitment, said in an email statement to chief elections manager Sung Won Chang ’18 that he wanted to increase intercultural dialogues on campus and increase the student activities fund. The debate was attended by 10 people, and took place in the American Whig-Cliosophic Society Senate Chamber at 2 p.m.
Rhodes scholars to study at Oxford for 2 years to pursue master’s degrees RHODES Continued from page 1
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quirement is strong academic performance, as the Rhodes Scholarship is an academic award, Gerson said. However, he added that the selection committees also look at personal characteristics, including concern for others, ambition to make a positive difference in the world and capacity for leadership. He noted that the criteria for Rhodes scholars remain the same as they were in Cecil Rhodes’ will, but that women are now included and the specified requirement for strong athletics is interpreted now as a desire for well-rounded candidates in general. Clifton, who majored in English, is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii and is currently in Serbia on a Dale Fellowship. She said that she wants to spend her time at Oxford doing more work on migration and refugee studies in Serbia, specifically within the Balkans. She said the University played an important formative role in her life. “The things I’m doing now I wouldn’t have been doing without Bridge Year or without Princeton or without different classes
that I took,” Clifton said. Lu, a chemistry major from Ballwin, Mo., explained that he wanted to take an interdisciplinary approach to look at the social components of health care. He said that he will be completing two year-long master of science programs, one in international health and tropical medicine and one in global health science while at Oxford and that he plans to return to the United States afterward to go to medical school. “There were so many brilliant, inspiring peers who were interviewing along with me yesterday as well, and I’m just really grateful for the opportunity,” Lu said. Platt, an English major from Santa Barbara, Calif., said that her plan is to pursue a master’s degree in English and American studies through the English department at Oxford and a master’s degree in medieval studies through the history department at Oxford. She added that she plans to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in English. Platt said that she decided to apply because she had spent the summer of 2015 at Oxford taking a graduate seminar and doing research and had formed a special connection to the place. She add-
ed that she knows she wants to pursue graduate study and that she likes the Oxford educational model. “I just love the philosophy of the Rhodes, which mixes scholarship and service,” she said. Soltas, an economics major from Rumson, N.J., explained that his plan to is to study applied statistics with the big picture goal of learning more about economics and public policy. “What is most fulfilling, I would say, is the opportunity to help enlighten and shape the choices and tradeoffs the politicians face,” Soltas said. He added that the intensity of the University has been formative in allowing him to push himself and have mentors to push him. Gerson explained that while Rhodes scholars often pursue academic careers, career paths for Rhodes scholars can include just about any career. He added the idea that Rhodes scholars are expected to go into politics is a common misconception. “There’s no screen for one particular career aspiration or another, but in all cases we’re expecting people to choose careers that are focused on others as opposed to purely self-advancement,” Gerson said.
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University grade def lation, expanding on-campus mental health programs and creating academic stipulations including the prevention of students from being forced to take three midterms in one day. Flanigan said that the pressures associated with grade def lation undermine student confidence and produce unsafe levels of anxiety. Flanigan also said the University should readopt the pre-grade def lation policy of attributing an A+ in a class to a 4.3 on the GPA scale, rather than just a 4.0. Osaka, the only candidate for academics committee chair with prior USG experience, served as a member of the academics committee this fall. Her platform, she said emphasizes the restitution of the three-week winter break and possibly rescheduling fall term final exams to before winter break. She explained that she plans to work on a survey to measure student opinions on those topics and better present it to the administrators. Her other concerns include better University support for students pursuing independent majors and improving the undergraduate advising system. Landeta, the only freshman contesting for a USG committee chair, said that his platform includes extending library hours, extending McGraw tutoring availability and initiating a system by which lectures can be recorded and uploaded to Blackboard. Landeta said he hopes that his being a freshman will not preclude him from being considered as a viable candidate. “I would not say that this position is a lot about experience — it has more to do with generating ideas, advocating those ideas, and implementing change,” he said. Lyon Aung ’18 and Rachel Park ’18 are the two candidates vying for the social committee chair. Aung, who has served on the social committee for the past two years, said that as most of the social committee’s works are logistically based, his previous experience would help him actually implement his desired projects. He explained that while many candidates have specific platforms they want to achieve in mind, implementing ideas is more important than simply generating them. Aung said he hopes to expand the speaker series, in collaboration with the Office of the Dean of Undergradu-
ate Students — taking performers out of the concertenvironment to sit down and talk with students about various subjects on their art, inf luence and experience. He also hopes to expand the concert series by enlarging committee subsidiaries for student tickets and transportation, he said. Likewise, he would like to improve collaboration with the rest of USG in order to more effectively organize and coordinate various events on campus. Rachel Park, a varsity field hockey player and a Class of 2018 senator, said that one of her principal concerns is the poor representation of student-athletes in USG, she said. “I think that the social events that are organized do not necessarily cater to the athlete population — and their lack of representation only exacerbates this matter,” Park said. Park said that her creativeness would help bring effective change to the social committee, and her experience as an athlete made her experienced in time management, efficiency and organization — traits that she believes are necessary for positions of leadership in USG. Jenny Zhang ’18, who is running unopposed for the USLC chair, is a current member of the USLC and a former 2018 Class Council officer. She is also a manager for the Student Design Agency. Zhang said that the USLC is currently focusing on the issues of social inclusion, diversity, LGBTQ community and racial and cultural inclusion, and that she hopes to continue addressing these concerns. Michael Cox ’18 is also running uncontested for the position of CCA committee chair. He is also the incumbent candidate for this position, having held position throughout this fall. Cox said he values “life outside the bubble” and recognizes that many students fall into routines that do not allow them to experience all of the opportunities that the town has to offer. “Princeton can often be overwhelming at times, and it is important that students take the opportunity to break away from their everyday routines and explore something new,” Cox said. Cox said he will also seek to reestablish a niche for CCA within the framework of USG, noting that the committee often struggles to understand the limits of its power and exercise its inf luence without stepping on the toes of other organizations such as the Pace Center.
News & Notes USG hosts meeting discussing recent BJL sitin, minority groups on campus The Undergraduate Student Government senate convened for a closed meeting on Nov. 21 in light of the recent Black Justice League walk-out and sit-in in Nassau Hall. The meeting replaced the senate’s weekly meeting. The discussion came just a few days after a 32-hourlong sit-in protest by several members of the BJL in the office of University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83. The sit-in ended on Thursday evening when Eisgruber, members of his administration and student leaders in
BJL agreed to a revised list of the students’ demands. USG president Ella Cheng ’16 said that the senate broke up into small groups for discussion, going over what the USG could do to further improve inclusion on campus. She noted that, while inspired by the BJL’s sit-in and the controversy surrounding petitions in response to the sit-in, the USG’s discussions encompassed the topic of other minority groups as well. Cheng is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian. Cheng said that the senate will be releasing a public statement regarding the protests in the next few days. — Staff Writer Katherine Oh
Opinion
Monday november 23, 2015
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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
EDITORIAL
Czulak for USG president, Burton for USG vice president
B
eginning at noon on Monday, Princeton’s Undergraduate Student Government will be holding elections through Wednesday in order to elect its leadership for the coming calendar year. USG has the potential to improve students’ experiences on campus, but it requires strong leadership in order to do so. This year there are three candidates for president: Aleksandra Czulak ’17, Grant Golub ’17, and Simon Wu ’17; and two for vice president: Jeremy Burton ’18 and Shobhit Kumar ’18. Every year, this Board endorses one candidate for the office of president and one for vice president. This year, we endorse Czulak for president and Burton for vice president. While all three candidates for USG President have experience and good ideas, the Editorial Board believes the current USG vice president, Aleksandra Czulak, is the best among them for the job. The role of the president is to represent and lead the student body, something we believe Czulak is most suited to do. In her role as vice president, she presided over the USG senate and oversaw the many project groups and committees that make up USG. This administrative experience uniquely qualifies her to be an effective President. Additionally, during her tenure as vice president she took part in many meetings with current president Ella Cheng ’16 and administrators, giving her the chance to develop relationships she can leverage in her time as president. Further, her detailed campaign platform that spans issues ranging from mental health policy to eating clubs reflects the
depth of her vision for the undergraduate student community. While the campaign promises of all the candidates were compelling, Czulak’s experience and commitment to working with the Interclub Council and other student groups to explore major issues affecting campus is unique. She has evidenced her capacity to work with these groups by spearheading the recently-released report on club accessibility. The Board has written about the responsibilities that we have to one another as students in issues of mental health and sexual assault, and Czulak’s desire to work with groups on these issues represents a keen understanding of USG’s limitations and the value that input from these groups will provide. Her willingness to seek out input from student communities across campus — through focus groups and task forces — represents a level of forward-thinking that the Board believes will make her an effective president. The role of the vice president in the USG is primarily internal. Vice presidential duties include overseeing the structure and operation of the USG Senate. These duties require working closely with the individuals in charge of USG’s many committees and projects. Given his experience as USG’s executive secretary, Burton seems particularly well-suited for the position of vice president. Burton’s current position requires compiling and publishing the agenda of all USG senate and executive committee meetings, which means that he has been exposed to the work of the many project groups in USG and has developed a working rela-
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tionship with them. This gives him a significant advantage stepping into the role of the vice president. Burton complements his experience with ideas for improving USG’s operation. A driving theme in his platform is making USG more efficient through collaboration between USG committees and other student groups on campus. He has worked very closely with the current president and vice president. Consequently, he has seen what parts of USG work best and what parts are less effective. Burton also expresses a commitment to internal feedback and criticism, which the Board sees as an important element in any plan seeking to improve USG operations. We encourage you to examine each candidate’s platform and participate in the process of selecting the next USG administration. The individuals we elect will surely face complex and demanding challenges, and we believe Czulak and Burton are the best candidates for the job. We urge you to vote for them. 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-in-Chief. Cydney Kim ’17, Allison Berger ’18, Paul Draper ’18 and James Haynes ’18 were recused from the presidential endorsement due to conflicts of interest. Aditya Trivedi ’16, Paul Draper ’18, Theodore Furchgott ’18 and Ashley Reed ’18 were recused from the vice presidential endorsement due to conflicts of interest.
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We can do better Devon Naftzger columnist
I
sat with the Black Justice League for over six hours during Wednesday’s sit-in protest in the office of University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83. I listened. I applaud the group’s unapologetic passion. I defend the group’s ability to fight to shape their educational experience. I, too, want their education at Princeton to be filled with inclusivity and equality. Yet after the administration acquiesced to a watered-down version of the protesters’ demands, all I can feel is disappointment. I am disappointed by the community’s insularity and reactive suppression of contrary views. I am disappointed that there have been threats to students’ safety as a result of their opinions. How have we reached a point where students at an intellectually thriving university are afraid to express their thoughts? Without academic discourse and diversity of opinion there is no reaching truth. While there are many supporters of the Black Justice League on campus, many other students have signed a counter-petition to “Protect Plurality, Historical Perspective, and Academic Speech at Princeton.” Some students have expressed their personal reluctance to sign that petition because those who oppose the demands or methodology of the BJL movement on this campus are stigmatized. It is no surprise that students who have an unpopular viewpoint at Princeton are tempted to stifle it; Tal Fortgang ’18 has been harassed on social media and even received death threats in response to his past articles that criticized racebased privilege. It’s a shame that in a movement focused on diversity and freedom, all races other than the one protesting are barred from entering the dialogue especially if they disagree. Yes, support for the movement is encouraged from all races, as white students also participated in the occupation of the President’s office. However, outspoken white students who disagree are specifically discredited from participating in
the conversation and often labeled as racists or told that they cannot possibly understand. As a fundamental principle of equality, the weight of a person’s opinions should not be a function of their skin color but rather the quality of their arguments. If the BJL movement is truly about diversity, then they should invite everyone into the conversation. Sadly, many persons of color who also voiced objections to the BJL movement have both implicitly and explicitly been called traitors and white-sympathizers. Josh Freeman ’18 posted a Facebook status questioning the BJL’s request for affinity housing for blacks and was told by a fellow person of color to instead stand in solidarity with the movement, to which he responded, “That does not mean I’m obligated to agree with you all.” During the sit-in, protesters read comments aloud from an anonymous app called Yik Yak in an effort to screenshot tangible examples of racism. In response to a negative post by a self-proclaimed person of color, one BJL leader said, “You ain’t black. There’s like six of us [at Princeton] and we all here.” This implies that a black person holding any opinion other than the BJL’s was too shocking to believe, and either the author wasn’t really black or they were a traitorous black. Aside from student testimony being selectively dismissed suppression of criticism went so far as to claim the identity of a professor and usurp his freedom of expression. This disappoints me the most. Professor Robert George’s name was fraudulently signed to a faculty support letter that he claimed never to have signed or even seen. His fraudulent online signature was accompanied by a comment that sounded like professor George because it directly took language from an article he had written about abortion. Professor George, a politics professor who teaches courses on civil liberties, expressed via email his frustration that as a result of the fraud, people are now “misinformed about where I stand on a matter implicating academic values I cherish — and fear are being placed in peril by events at Princeton and around the country.” This “underhanded tactic” that uses fraud to feign
support is an embarrassment for Princeton and an example of blatant hostility towards honorable discourse. Despite the fact that several BJL members told me during the sit-in, “everyone here [at Princeton] is racist,” I believe that the majority of students and faculty on this campus would support their valid plight for equality and agree that racism is a very real problem. Thus I would never invalidate their pain, but I do think we need to address their concerns in a more productive manner. It would have helped if the BJL had provided a list of grievances in addition to their list of demands, but on Wednesday my suggestion was met with, “It’s not our responsibility to educate others” and “I’m sick of telling our story.” I implore the BJL, however, to share their experiences with the campus so that everyone can understand what they’re going through and offer support. If they want change, then they should specify what behavior must be targeted for change. Also, it would have helped if they explained the positive effects that their demands would bring. For example I have yet to hear a compelling argument that explains how removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from school buildings would help their situation. Yes, by now everyone at Princeton is aware that Woodrow Wilson was indeed a racist. But that does not mean we should succumb to historical revisionism and neglect to honor him in remembrance of his other achievements as a President of Princeton and of this great nation. Nobody is perfect, but without men like Washington, Jefferson and Madison who unfortunately owned slaves, everyone in the world would be much worse off. If a moral shortcoming disqualifies a person from post-mortem veneration, then by that logic we should also remove all tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr. since he was a homophobic adulterer who often described gayness as a “problem.” We can acknowledge that these people had personal shortcomings, but it is clear that they are being honored for their achievements instead. We should refrain from judging historical figures by today’s moral standards; revisionism is a slippery slope and I see no tangible benefits to the BJL movement
by engaging in it. A more productive movement would have sought to foster open dialogue on campus and engage not only the administration but the viewpoints of other students as well. If the goal is to end injustice and increase awareness, why didn’t the Black Justice League let President Eisgruber, who patiently waited at the front of the protest Wednesday morning, respond publicly? Why, instead of engaging with students who disagree with them, do they shut down dialogue and shame those who stand up for a cause as they had? Intellectual bullying and marginalization on this campus needs to be replaced by respectful disagreement. Lastly, I’m not upset that the BJL encouraged the idea that “revolution is bloody” when a leader read Malcom X aloud during the sit-in. I’m also not holding it against the BJL that, in the aftermath of horrific attacks in Paris and around the world, their chanting on Wednesday night interrupted a beautiful candlelight vigil for the victims of terrorism that most students on campus knew was occurring. The BJL made fun of my race the entire day I spent with them, which in any other context would be perceived as inexcusably bigoted. They joked about white culture: “The cultural center for white people is Firestone [library].” They also mocked white characteristics after reading a Yik Yak post in an imitating tone by explaining, “They talk all high up in their nose. There’s no bass.” I’m not even upset that protesters received no disciplinary action as they trespassed after hours and made me feel unsafe, saying, “As far as I’m concerned they’re lucky we’re not burning this b**** down,” in reference to Nassau Hall. I am not mad about any of that. I just think we should start inspiring more productive dialogue and open mindedness that isn’t a oneway street. The only thing I demand is civility. That’s why I’m joining the Princeton Open Campus Coalition. This is Princeton. We can all do better. Devon Naftzger is a politics major from Lincolnshare, Il. She can be reached at naftzger@princeton.edu.
The Daily Princetonian
page 5
Letters to the editor : In response to the protests From Jerome Silbergeld
T
o the Editor:
In my cinema course, I teach how Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, premiered the film “Birth of a Nation” in the White House and approved its racist view of Reconstruction. But in my modern art history course, I also teach how Mao Zedong had paintings repainted and Joseph Stalin had photographs retouched to erase the images of political rivals from the historical record. When I was a student at Stanford, whose founder made a fortune using
Chinese laborers to build a railroad and then became a U.S. Senator who supported the Chinese Exclusion Act that kicked Chinese people out of the country, I wrote papers that explored Abraham Lincoln’s racism and a thesis on Joseph McCarthy’s efforts to purge academia. If we were to purge history of all that offends us about it, to eliminate Wilson, Mao, Stalin, Stanford, Lincoln and McCarthy and to acknowledge only what we like about the past, how would we ever learn from it? As a Jew whose family mostly went up in crematorium smoke during the
Nazi era, should I be so offended by Bach’s anti-Semitism as to insist that we eliminate his music from the University Chapel, or that we no longer display the paintings of the anti-Semitic Renoir, Degas and Cézanne in the University Art Museum, eliminate Shakespeare and Proust from our classrooms? Good things come from imperfect people. We don’t celebrate Wilson at the University because of his racism but because of his contribution to an institution where we can learn from such things and perhaps shape a better future. It is not like the
From Brandon Bark ’13
T
o the Editor:
In 1964, as University freshmen, we were told that Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, had been a leading Progressive, a proponent of “Democracy” and a champion of self-determination abroad. It is good to see students today challenging that picture (“Updated: Students ‘walkout and speakout,’ occupy Nassau Hall until demands of Black Justice League are met,” Nov. 18, 2015). Wilson’s record was deplorable on the “race question.” He cut back federal appointments of African Americans; supported showings of the whitesupremacist film “The Birth of a Nation” for himself, his Cabinet, Congress and the Supreme Court; stood by silently as segregation was formalized in the Post Office, Treasury, Interior, Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Navy; did nothing as almost two dozen segregationsupporting legislative attempts including exclusion of Black immigrants, segregation of streetcars and a ban on inter-racial marriages in the District of Columbia were introduced in the House and Senate; and declined to use any significant power of office to address lynching, segregation and disfranchisement (which marred the land) and the
vicious white supremacist attacks on 26 African American communities including Washington, D.C., Chicago and East St. Louis that occurred during his administration. Under Wilson, the United States not only implemented the Espionage Act of 1917, the Sedition Act of 1918 and the Palmer Raids of 1919-1920, it also occupied Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Nicaragua and intervened in Panama, Honduras and Mexico. Nevertheless, Wilson ran for U.S. President in 1916 on a campaign slogan “he kept us out of war,” posed before the world as a champion of democracy and prated of “the rights of small nationalities,” of “self-determination” and of “the right of all who submit to authority to have a voice in their own government.” In addition to the awful horrors let loose on small countries prewar, in the postwar period he also helped to pave the way for partition, occupation and conquest in the Middle East and Africa and for future wars. There were contemporaries of Wilson, people like the intellectual/activist Hubert Harrison, the founder of the first organization (the Liberty League) and first newspaper (“The Voice”) of the militant “New Negro Movement,” who saw through the
misleading portrait of Wilson so often found in the media and history books. Harrison understood that while lynching, segregation and disfranchisement marred this land, and while the United States brazenly attacked smaller countries, “Wilson’s protestations of democracy were lying protestations, consciously, and deliberately designed to deceive.” At the founding meeting of the Liberty League in June 1917, Harrison posed a direct challenge to Wilson who had claimed the United States was entering World War I in order to “Make the World Safe for Democracy.” Harrison’s mass meeting was called, as its organizational f lyer headlined, to “Stop Lynching and Disfranchisement in the Land Which We Love and Make the South ‘Safe For Democracy.’” A month later Harrison led a second major Harlem rally to protest the white supremacist “pogrom” (his word) in East St. Louis, Ill. (15 miles from Ferguson, Mo.). We are glad that the Black Justice League is raising some of these issues, opening the eyes of many and helping to point the way forward in the 21st century.
celebration of Confederate generals and f lags precisely because of their pro-slavery significance. The past is what it was. We cannot make it comfortable, and in trying to do so we do not learn from it. There is much good that can come from this arousal of anti-racist energy and awareness, but there is also much to be avoided. The administration, faculty and students must dig deep to make this thing work. Jerome Silbergeld, Professor, Art & Archaeology
From Nicholas Hammond ’71
T
o the Editor:
I wonder how many of the students who wish to indulge in some sort of Stalinist purge of Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, have taken the time to read their fellow Princetonian (and now University Trustee) A. Scott Berg’s (class of ’71) excellent presidential biography “Wilson.” Far from a whitewash, Berg shines a light on Wilson’s prejudices and opinions, many of which are unacceptable to us today. However he takes a mature and nuanced look at the man and his towering achievements despite him being in some ways trapped in the mindset of his time and class. Berg asserts that Wilson is arguably the most important figure of the 20th Century and makes a strong case to support his thesis. So perhaps it would be wise to actually read the book and consider all points of view (just like we’re taught in preceptorials, right?) before pursuing what otherwise become the words and demands of a vexatious litigant. Nicholas Hammond ’71
Brandon Bark ’13
From Pete Erickson GS ’16
T
o the Editor:
The ongoing attempt by a few University students to remove the name and erase the legacy of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, is severely misguided. Should the University acquiesce to this demand, it would send an extraordinarily bad message — one that would diminish the role and significance of higher education and tarnish the legacy of the University for years to come. It is a dangerous exercise when we judge historical figures through a modern-day prism without simultaneously attempting to understand the contexts in which these historical figures lived. Indeed, we might not be comfortable with what we find or uncover. But such an exercise is vital and helps us to think critically about who we are and where we came from. It is essential to understanding our past. Born in 1856 — nearly 160 years ago — in Staunton, Va., Wilson lived in a time in which policies and beliefs
were no doubt at odds with contemporary values. The vast majority of Wilson’s white, Southern, male peers probably held racist opinions throughout their lives. Though this does not excuse Wilson’s beliefs, it reminds us that historical context must be considered, particularly in seeking truth and assessing the life and works of an individual. This involves the ability to think critically, a skill and art which is rapidly disappearing at elite academic institutions whose very purpose is the fostering of non-stif ling discourse and critical intellectual thought. We know that racism did not end with Wilson. In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attacks, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt authorized Executive Order 9066, authorizing the internment of more than 50,000 Japanese Americans. Though this decision was prejudiced and despicable, even within its historical context, the overarching theme of Roosevelt’s life — as person and as president — is not one of racism. Rather, the dominant tenor
of his life speaks of leadership, of courage and of determination in shepherding the United States through the unfathomably dark years of World War II. It is not only possible, but proper to honor a figure’s legacy while simultaneously denouncing that particular figure’s attributes and decisions. But to do this properly requires the ability to think critically. Whether or not the University ultimately decides to remove the memory of Wilson from the school will not impact him personally. But it will undoubtedly impact generations of current and future students across the United States. Sadly, American universities are rapidly sacrificing educational prowess in the name of comfort. These decisions come at a great cost. Removing Wilson’s name from the University will reinforce the notion that is acceptable to bury our past, rather than to wrestle with and understand our national heritage. Keeping Wilson’s legacy alive at the University, on the other hand, need not be
synonymous with approval of all aspects of his life. But it will pay tribute to the ideals of an imperfect person who, in spite of his human f laws, looked at the present day and desired something better for the good of mankind. This is the Wilson that the University is proud of and should continue to remember. Surely the University can find the nuance of thought to build off his legacy toward a brighter future, while acknowledging his many mistakes. I recently picked up a book in the campus library entitled “Woodrow Wilson As I Know Him,” penned in 1921 by Joseph Tumulty, Wilson’s personal secretary. The author makes a couple of stunning observations about Wilson, and reveals a president whose attributes are obviously lacking across educational institutions today. Tumulty wants readers to know that Wilson “welcomed suggestions and criticism” and that it “was a habit of Mr. Wilson’s to meditate before taking action, to listen to advice without com-
ment.” He closes the preface of the book by saying the following: “I am convinced that he who reads this book will feel that he has met a man whose public career was governed not merely by a great brain, but also by a great heart. I did not invent this character. I observed him for 11 years.” I cannot help but think that this aspect of Wilson’s character — the ability to listen to a variety of opinions, and to even welcome criticism, is exactly what is missing from Princeton and other universities today. To that end, I welcome the ongoing dialogue and even criticism of Wilson. But let’s not try to erase our own history in the process. My hope is that recent events and discussions across colleges and universities will inspire each student, educator and administrator to pursue an educational purpose designed to foster greater brains, improved critical thinking skills and even greater hearts. Pete Erickson GS ’16
The Daily Princetonian
Monday november 23, 2015
page 6
School of Champions
by Sydney Mandelbaum :: Associate Sports Editor
So far this year, four different Princeton teams have claimed a share of their respective League titles. Below is a summary of the stunning successes of the season thus far.
field hockey No. 16-ranked Tigers swept the Ivy League before heading to the NCAA tournament for the 11th year in a row. Princeton faced Maryland, which knocked it out of the 2013 and 2014 NCAA tournaments, but the Tigers powered through before eventually falling to no. 1-ranked Syracuse.
women’s soccer In the pre-season, the Tigers were projected to finish sixth in the Ivy League. With a new head coach, the Tigers dominated in the Ivy League, defeating Boston College in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to USC in the second round.
women’s volleyball After starting the season 3-0, Princeton rallied behind Ivy League Co-Coach of the Year Sabrina King to go on to win a share of the Ivy League title. Despite the impressive season, the Tigers fell to Harvard in Friday’s battle for an NCAA bid.
men’s waterpolo Sunday afternoon, the no. 11-ranked Tigers dominated at the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship, claiming the title for the fourth time with a victory over Johns Hopkins. Princeton will play in the NCAA tournament next week when the Tigers head out west to UCLA.
The Daily Princetonian
Monday november 23, 2015
After a strong showing in home opener, Tigers look to Wednesday’s game M. B-BALL Continued from page 8
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include sophomore forward Jackson Forbes, who scored nine points in 12 minutes of action, all from behind the arc and all in the first half. The Peacocks got strong games from their star players, as guard Antwon Portley scored 20 points, while sixth man Cameron Jones added 21 points off the bench on 7-11 shooting. The Peacocks’ center Quadir Welton also had a solid game, contributing 14
points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 33 minutes of action. The men’s basketball team returns to the court this Wednesday as they host Lafayette in their third game of the season. The team returns to their home court of Jadwin Gymnasium and hopes to continue their perfect start to the season. Tip-off is slated at 7 p.m. and the game can be followed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. The men’s team will then host Fairleigh Dickinson on the following Monday.
Tigers close the books on a successful season W. V-BALL Continued from page 8
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finishing second with 3.49, and service aces per set, finishing third with 0.29. Mattaliano also finished fourth in the League for kills, with 297, just behind Peterkin, with 301. Peterkin also fin-
ished third in kills per set, with 2.46, while Ptak finished second in hitting percentage, at .336, just ahead of Ibe, at .332. Nussbaum finished the season fourth in assists per set, with 7.5, notable particularly because she wasn’t a full-time setter until halfway through the season.
Soccer finishes out an incredible season W. SOCCER Continued from page 8
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in the second half — that’s what we take away.” It is not hard to guess that a large driving force behind the positivity the Tigers demonstrated on Friday and throughout the season stemmed from Ivy League Coach of the Year Sean Driscoll. “Sean, from preseason, just set such a high bar for us. For him, every single person on the team matters, and he cares about each person on and off the field. He has such a passion and you can see it,” Lussi explained. “As a player to have that it’s an amazing feeling. The entire team is so investing in everything he does.” In addition to coach Driscoll’s energy, the teams also received support from members of the men’s varsity team and Allison Rich, senior associate athletics director, who all traveled down to Charlottesville, Va. While Friday’s game marked the end of a remarkable season for the majority of the team, the loss to USC was the final collegiate soccer game for the team’s three
seniors: midfielders Catherine Hartigan and Stephanie Paloscio and defender Emily Sura. “Soccer has defined my life. Soccer has been a part of my identity. It’s weird to be over,” Sura said. “It’s about putting a group of people above myself; that has been the most rewarding part of this season.” In the spirit of ref lection, while Friday’s match may have ended in a loss, the season ended on a victory. Coming in, Princeton, which eventually won the Ivy League Championship, was expected to finish sixth in the conference. After losing eight seniors and gaining five freshman, many questioned the Tigers’ abilities. However, the Tigers accepted the challenge in stride. Every year the team chooses a mantra at the beginning of the season to remind themselves of their goal. “Our motto this year was ‘rise’,” Sura explained. “That’s what everyone embodied every day.” Following Friday’s resilient loss, few will question this group’s ability to rise again in the future.
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WOMEN’S SOCCER
Tigers fall to USC in NCAA tournament By David Liu staff writer
On Friday night, women’s soccer (14-4-1 overall, 6-0-1 Ivy League) suffered an unfortunate elimination in the second round of the NCAA tournament, losing to USC (16-6-1, 9-2-0 Pacific-12) by a scoreline of 3-0. A week earlier, the Tigers defeated Boston College to advance into the round of 32 for the second time in four years. However, the subsequent trip to host UVA’s historic campus fell short as the Tigers suffered their third and final shutout of the season. In addition to the NCAA
Tournament hype heading in, Friday’s game was notable because, prior to the loss, Princeton had never faced USC in women’s soccer history. When asked how the team prepared, junior forward Tyler Lussi and twotime Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year said: “We try to not change anything we do except to be aware of certain players to counter.” Lussi also noted the contrast between Friday’s game and Princeton’s typical Ivy League play. “When we play in the Ivy League it’s such a different atmosphere,” she said. “We were really excited to play
JASPER GEBHARDT :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The women’s soccer team made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to USC.
a team from California we have never seen before.” Unfortunately, USC wasted little time to pounce on the hopeful Tigers, scoring all three of its goals within the first half. The Trojans drew first blood 11 minutes into the game when Sydney Sladek scored the first goal
for USC. Then, Trojan Morgan Matthews scored two goals, one 22 minutes into the game and another at the 43-minute mark, the final goal of the game. Despite the relatively large deficit at the half, the Tigers were not close to admitting defeat. In fact, if anything,
Friday’s game attested to the Tiger’s unique resilience and positivity. “Even though we were down 3-0, we had 45 minutes to give it our all. We told ourselves: We’re going to play as a team,” Lussi said. “We didn’t give up any goals See W. SOCCER page 7
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Tigers lose to Harvard 3-1, miss NCAA bid By Sydney Mandelbaum associate sports editor
On Friday, the women’s volleyball team fell to Harvard 3-1 in the playoff match for the NCAA automatic bid. The Tigers, who started out the season 0-3, had an incredible comeback over the course of the season, becoming the first team to come back from such a start to win the Ivy League Title. The game opened with a bang, as the Tigers came in hot, killing 12 balls with only three errors during the first set, winning it 25-20. Junior outside hitter Cara Mattaliano and freshman middle blocker Nnenna Ibe combined for nine of the kills but only one error, with Mattaliano totaling 12 kills and 13 digs during the entire game, while Ibe had 11 kills and five blocks. Senior co-captain Kendall Peterkin
had eight kills of her own during the faceoff, with seven digs and two blocks, while freshman Claire Nussbaum had 45 assists. Unfortunately for the Tigers, a strong Crimson offense prevailed in the following two sets, as Harvard hit .375 to win the second set 25-15 before hitting .324 to win eight of the last nine points in the third set, gaining a 2-1 lead on the Tigers. The fourth set, which sealed the loss for the Tigers, was incredibly close, as the Tigers led 22-20 after Peterkin’s final career kill. Harvard won three points in a row before Ibe evened out the score, 23-23, with her final kill, but a the Tigers fell after a kill and a tough block that left the score 25-23. Friday’s match concluded a successful season, in which Tigers won seven of the last
eight Ivy League Player of the Week honors, with co-captains Peterkin and Cara Mattaliano winning two Player of the Week honors each, while Nussbaum has won three of the last four Rookie of the Week honors. Mattaliano was named 2015 Ivy League Player of the Year, becoming the fifth player in program history to receive such an honor, while one of the four others to win the award, now program head coach Sabrina King, was named Ivy League CoCoach of the Year. Co-captains Peterkin and Mattaliano were both unanimous All-Ivy first team selections, while junior Brittany Ptak and Nussbaum were both named to the second team. Mattaliano finished the season in the top three in the Ivy League for both kills per set, See W. V-BALL page 7
STEPHEN CRAIG :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The women’s volleyball team fell to Harvard 3-1 on Friday.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Men’s basketball beats Saint Peter’s in first game at Dillon since 1969 By Tom Pham associate sports editor
The men’s basketball team pushed past Saint Peter’s in its home opener.
The men’s basketball team (2-0) returned to their old stomping ground in Dillon Gymnasium as the team played its first game there since Jan. 11, 1969. The team hosted Saint Peter’s (1-3) as part of this fixture in front of a sell-out crowd of 1,306. After winning their season opener against Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J., last Friday to the tune of 64-56, the Tigers hoped to avenge last season’s December loss to Saint Peter’s, where they were defeated 46-60 away. But the fortunes were different this time around as
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TIFFANY RICHARDSON :: SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
“So grateful that I had the opportunity to hunt with these Seniors one last time. Thank you for all you’ve done, you will be missed.” Dorian Williams (@ DWilliamsPU), junior defensive back, football
the Tigers used the raucous crowd to their advantage, winning the game 75-72. The scoreline suggested the game was much tighter than it actually was, as the Tigers held a wire-to-wire lead and closed out the game in quite comfortable fashion. The Tigers ran out to a quick 5-0 lead within the first minute and extended their first half lead to as much as eight by the 9:09 mark with a 23-15 lead. However, the Tigers could not break away as their opponents kept coming back, and they only managed a one possession lead at halftime with the score at 34-31. The Tigers did manage to lead by nine points in the sec-
4 individual titles The wrestling team dominated at the Navy Classic over the weekend, finishing first with two individual victories over Top 10 opponents.
ond-half after a three-pointer from sophomore guard Amir Bell, but failed to close the game out after that. The Tigers did allow the Peacocks to get back into the game, and they got as close as two with a minute left in the game, but the Tigers managed to close out the game with some clutch free-throw shooting. Junior forward Henry Caruso led the Tigers in points, as he set a career-high with 23 points. He also added eight rebounds in a fantastic performance. The Tigers also got a great game from Bell, who had 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Other notable performances See M. B-BALL page 7
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