The Daily Princetonian - February 21, 2019

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Thursday February 21, 2019 vol. CXLIII no. 14

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STUDENT LIFE

U. closes at noon due to snowstorm

ON CAMPUS

Day of action held for Xiyue Wang

By Albert Jiang and Karolen Eid

By Linh Nguyen

Staff Writer, Contributor

Associate News Editor

At around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20, the University announced that the campus would close “at noon today for non-essential personnel.”

“Classes will be held as scheduled,” read an email sent out via Tiger Alert.

“Individual faculty members who decide to cancel their classes based on the guidance offered on the Dean of the Faculty website should notify their students through Blackboard in advance of the scheduled class time.”

Frist Campus Center, all residential dining halls, and TigerTransit buses will run on normal schedules.

According to the University’s careers website, essential personnel comprise staff from numerous departments that are vital to the University’s safety and operation. These departments include University Health Services, Facilities, Public Safety and University Services.

The University expects to reopen at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21. All non-essential University employees working at 6 a.m. or later are required to return to campus.

According to the Tiger Alert email, the University will provide updates on the homepage and on the SNOW line, (609)-258-SNOW, as information becomes available.

ALBERT JIANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

McGovern delivers opening remarks in Chancellor Green.

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, a group of community organizers held a Day of Action to bring attention to the case of Xiyue Wang, a University history Ph.D. student detained in Iran.

The day began with a “call-a-thon” in the Campus Club Library, where volunteers reached out to elected representatives to speak about Wang’s detainment. The “call-a-thon” was followed by a rally and candlelight vigil in the Chancellor Green Library.

As of Feb. 20, Wang has been held in the Evin Prison outside of Tehran for 927 days. In May of last

year, University faculty, staff, and students held a rally in solidarity with Wang.

Last year, the United Nations concluded that the 10-year sentence Wang received under charges of espionage is arbitrary and urged his immediate release.

The first speaker of the evening was Hua Qu, Wang’s wife. She opened by expressing her gratitude to Wang’s friends and professors, as well as the University and its efforts to secure his freedom.

Qu described how she would zoom in on Evin Prison on Google Earth to examine the landscape and See WANG page 3

STUDENT LIFE

Posters protesting gender binary found across campus

By Shira Moolten Contributor

On Monday, Feb. 18, posters covering male and female bathroom signs appeared outside campus bathrooms in East Pyne Hall, Fine Hall, Lewis Library, Joline Hall, and Blair Hall, among others. Each poster read, “This bathroom has been liberated from the gender binary.”

University spokesperson Ben Chang wrote in an email to the ‘Prince’ that the University does “not know the origin of the posters.”

On Monday morning, Blair residential college adviser (RCA) Stephen Chen ’19 first noticed the posters when he went to take a shower.

“My initial reaction was, ‘This seems to be a prank,’” he said, re-

marking that it seemed like a significant change, given that he had received no notice.

Chen checked with the other RCAs in Blair but said none had heard anything regarding the bathrooms from Mathey Director of Student Life Darleny Cepin. Chen later sent a message to his advisee (“zee”) group chat, stating that the posters had no relation to the administration and that students could take them down.

According to both Chen and screenshots shared by one of the students in the zee group chat, some of Chen’s zees openly opposed the posters.

Later in the day, Chen met with Cepin, who confirmed that the posters were not endorsed by the administration or related to any new policy, according to Chen.

STUDENT LIFE

“[She] warned us that there can be some consequences for people accepting these policies [expressed by the posters] before it’s [sic] official,” Chen said. “There are implications for RCDB (Residential College Disciplinary Board) … things where it can lead to misconduct.”

Chen noted that Title IX issues could arise if, for example, “a male [were] using the women’s restroom assuming it was gender neutral.”

Chen, however, was concerned about the lack of information regarding the rules that students could get in trouble for not following.

“As far as official policy goes, there’s not exactly one website that states, ‘This is [sic] the rules,’” Chen said. “I would say that’s definitely a shortcoming.”

Cepin stated in an email to The

Daily Princetonian that she had no additional information about the posters.

“I can confirm that Princeton defines Gender Inclusive Bathrooms (also called Gender Neutral), as single occupancy, lockable bathrooms,” Cepin wrote in the email.

“All other bathrooms have an assigned gender. Members of our community are encouraged to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity and where they feel most comfortable.”

Princeton Progressive digital editor Katherine Stiefel ’20, who saw the signs in residential colleges and in other buildings across campus, expressed support for the posters, calling them “an important acknowledgement of the symbolism that [the University] refuses See BATHROOMS page 2

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

Maria Ressa ‘86 arrested, charged with ‘cyber-libel’ Staff Writer

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Clockwise from left, Matthew Ritger, Sarah Carson, Daniel Floryan, and Máté Bezdek were named Jacobus Fellows, the University’s top honor for graduate students.

Four graduate students named Jacobus Fellows

By Benjamin Ball head news editor

On Feb. 14, the University Office of Communications announced that Máté Bezdek, Sarah Carson, Daniel Floryan and Matthew Ritger have been named winners of the Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship, the University’s “top honor for graduate students.”

The award is given to one Ph.D.

In Opinion

student in each of the four academic divisions: natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, and humanities. The fellowships will support their final year of study at the University.

Ritger is a doctoral student in the English department who came to the University in 2014.

He earned a B.A. at Dartmouth College and an M.F.A. at Cornell University.

Contributing columnist Julia Chaffers criticizes the naïveté of Howard Schultz’s claim to colorblindness, and contributing columnist Emma Treadway talks about how to deal with stress in the spring semester.

PAGE 4

In an email to The Daily Princetonian, Ritger said he feels “surprised and grateful most of all, especially to my committee of advisers for their support, and also to Princeton for seeing something in this work.”

Ritger’s specific area of study is the relationship between English literature and the history of punishment from around 1500 to See JACOBUS page 3

Journalist Maria Ressa ’86 was arrested last week on the charge of “cyber-libel.” Ressa, the founder and CEO of the online news organization Rappler, was named one of “The Guardians,” the collective recipients of TIME’s 2018 Person of the Year award.

On Feb. 13, Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials arrested Ressa at the Rappler headquarters. The charges were related to an investigation published by Rappler on May 29, 2012.

The subject of the investigation, Wilfredo Keng, filed a formal affidavit in early 2018 and the Philippines Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended an indictment of Rappler early this February.

Ressa posted bail the next day, as the timing of her arrest in the late afternoon prevented same-day bail.

The law cited in the arrest is the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which was passed in Sept. 2012.

Some offenses expressly outlawed by the bill are cybersex, identity theft, and libel.

Keng alleges that since the article was updated in 2014, this law applies retroactively to the Rappler investigation.

Ressa’s arrest followed short-

Today on Campus 4:00 p.m.: Hamilton Colloquium Series: “Statistical Physics of Computational Problems.”

Jadwin Hall A10

ly after she was arrested last Dec. on alleged tax code violations.

Rappler responded to these developments with the statement that “we will continue to tell the truth.” The Daily Princetonian Editorial Board stated its support for Ressa’s journalistic efforts on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

The United Nations (UN) published a statement on Twitter calling “for an independent review of all charges against Maria Ressa.”

In a press briefing note, the UN added that these arrests are “widely viewed as efforts to silence Rappler’s independent investigative reporting and critical voice,” and warned that “attempts to intimidate or muzzle independent news sources has [sic] a serious effect on freedom of opinion and expression in general.”

Amnesty International has also decried the arrest, calling it a “trumped-up libel charge.”

When asked about Ressa’s case, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte denied involvement. Ressa has been critical of Duterte and his regime’s policies, publishing investigations on sensitive topics such as Duterte’s controversial Philippine Drug War. Both Ressa individually and Rappler as an See RESSA page 3

WEATHER

By Bill Huang

HIGH

52˚

LOW

32˚

Cloudy chance of rain:

10 percent

page 2

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday February 21, 2019

BATHROOMS

sumed it was someone from admin or a janitor.”

Amin confirmed the same observation that the anonymous Tiger Confessions poster made: the sign was “only on the women’s bathroom and not the guy’s [sic] bathroom.”

Stiefel pointed out that the posters were originally put up on both male and female bathrooms. Many of those on female bathrooms were likely torn down rather than purposely omitted, they explained.

“They were equally distributed, [and] I know they were on both gendered bathrooms when they were being put up, but some were torn down more often than others,” they said.

The posters covered male and female bathroom signs across campus Continued from page 1

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SAMVIDA VENKATESH / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Princeton defines Gender Inclusive Bathrooms (also called Gender Neutral), as single occupancy, lockable bathrooms.

to change on its bathroom signage.” “[The posters’] message in general is asking students to confront ideas that they’ve internalized about gender and particularly the binary construction of gender and sex in our society,” Stiefel said.

Stiefel was one of two signatories on an op-ed published in the ‘Prog’ on Tuesday, Feb. 19, about the gender-neutral posters.

An anonymous post on Tiger Confessions noted the appearance of a poster on the women’s bathroom sign in Fine Hall but not the men’s right next to it, asking, “Is it just me, or is this sort of problemat-

ic and sexist? Why do men get their own bathroom, but not women?”

Alec Leng ’21, who also saw the posters in Fine Hall, deferred to his reply on the Tiger Confessions post, in which he reported seeing the posters taken down and then replaced.

“I’m also pretty sure that there were at least two rounds of signs, because apparently they were up in the morning,” Leng wrote. “They weren’t there when I first got to Fine, and then they were there again.”

Joline Hall resident Amna Amin ’21 also noted seeing a poster before it disappeared.

“I kind of liked the message of it, so I was surprised it was taken down so fast,” Amin said. “I as-

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Ressa investigated Duterte’s The award is given to one Ph.D. student Philippine Drug War in each of the four academic divisions FELLOWSHIP Continued from page 1

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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa ‘86 looks at the pile of documents containing names of government workers who are allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade in an interview with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañan Palace on December 29, 2016.

RESSA

Continued from page 1

organization have been met with hostility from the Philippine government.

In addition to having been named one of TIME’s Persons of the Year, Ressa has also received numerous awards in journalism, including the Golden Pen of Freedom Award and Knight

International Journalism Award in 2018, as well as the Democracy Award in 2017.

Ressa graduated from the University in 1986 with an A.B. in English. Afterwards, she continued her studies in the Philippines, where she was born, and became a journalist there. Before helping to found Rappler, she worked for CNN, and she has authored several books.

1700. He said he has no specific plans for after his studies at the University.

“Most of all I want to keep learning,” Ritger wrote in the email. “Maybe I’ll be able to do that as a teacher, or maybe in some other role.”

Ritger received multiple research grants from the Center for Digital Humanities, the Institute for International and Regional Studies, and the Center for the Study of Religion.

Bezdek, a doctoral student in inorganic chemistry, came to the University in 2014. His interests lie primarily in fundamental thermochemistry, with applications in the development of more efficient industrial catalysts, clean fuels, and new pharmaceuticals.

According to the Office of Communications, Bezdek said, “I hope to build on the expertise I have acquired and contribute to progress in these areas after graduate school.”

As also noted by the Office

of Communications, Bezdek received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Predoctoral Fellowship.

He has also received the University’s Third Year Seminar Hubbell ’47 Prize, the Canadian Society of Chemical Industry Award, and the German Academic Exchange Service Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Carson is a doctoral student in history who arrived in 2013 after receiving her B.A. from Dartmouth College and studying Hindi as a non-matriculated student at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Her dissertation focused on weather science in India, especially within the relationship between state meteorologists and the public and how that relationship shapes scientific credibility.

“These research interests align with my personal commitments to education and climate justice,” she said in the University press release.

She was also awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Hindi at the American Institute of Indian Studies in Jaipur, India.

Prior to her time at the University, she was named a Fulbright-Nehru English teaching assistant at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Cossipore School in Cossipore, Kolkata, India.

Floryan is a doctoral student in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Prior to coming to the University in 2014, he received a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a B.A. in economics with a minor in mathematics from Cornell University.

The primary focus of Flroyan’s studies is high-performance biolocomotion. His dissertation employed experimental methods to determine how fish swim most effectively.

At the University, Floryan has received the School of Engineering and Applied Science Award for Excellence, the Brit and Eli Harari Post Generals Fellowship, the Sayre Award for Academic Excellence, and the Charles W. Lummis Scholarship, as well as a 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Carson and Bezdek did not respond to request for comment by the time of publication. Floryan declined to comment immediately.

Wang has been held in the Evin Prison outside of Tehran for 927 days WANG

Continued from page 1

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clusters of greyish-blue buildings as if she could find him behind the walls.

“I looked for a courtyard where I could imagine Xiyue spending his precious daily hour of open air,” she said, adding, “but the closer I zoomed in, the more blurred the image becomes and clearer the futility our situation [appears].”

She described the “rollercoaster” of crisis management, a full-time job, and the challenges of parenting as a single working mom.

Qu described the toll on her five-year-old son, Shaofan, who has not seen his father for over half of his childhood. Qu discussed some of Shaofan’s grim drawings, some of which included “jails bursting in flames” and “men wearing black clothes with chains in hand, their faces covered.”

According to Qu, Wang’s respect for Islam and love for Persian culture have remained. He continues to read books avidly, which Qu describes as “one of few comforts to escape the harsh conditions at Evin.”

“With books in his hand, he is able to block the noises and smells of over 20 cellmates cramped into that underground, cold cell, and stay focused, as if he were in his beloved Firestone Library, which he cherishes fondly,” she said.

Qu went on to criticize both the Obama and Trump administrations for their lack of action regarding Wang’s imprisonment.

“I have tried not to lose hope,” she said, “but it has become clear to me that the value that Iran places on him as [an] American is not matched by his own government’s commitment to bring him home.”

She explained that since neither administration has taken action to seriously engage in talks, “it is obvious that the life of one American does not attract the political will required for decisive action to be taken for his rightful freedom.”

She concluded her speech by re-emphasizing Xiyue’s appreciation for the Iranian people and their culture.

“I plead for the gate of mercy to be opened for my husband’s liberty and the reunion of our family,” she said.

In the Campus Club Library earlier that day, a log recorded the names of the volunteers and the representatives they called.

Illustrations drawn by Wang’s five-year-old son, Shaofan, were on display beside a photograph of the Wang family.

Organizers provided volunteers with sample scripts which implored representatives to “prioritize bringing home Xiyue Wang.”

Volunteers wore buttons with a photograph of Wang and his family. Postcards displaying a photograph of Wang were also available for volunteers to send to representatives, family, friends, and “anyone with influence.”

Katherine Trout ’19 wrote to representatives in her home state of Missouri.

“It’s incredibly important as Princeton students to support one another in scholarly pursuits, especially regarding international research,” Trout said. “I wanted to come out as a fellow student to support his release.”

Mikey McGovern, a Ph.D. student in the History of Science and president of the Graduate History Association, was one of the organizers of the event.

McGovern is the president of Free Xiyue Wang, a graduate student group recognized by the University that coordinates efforts and events to secure Wang’s return.

“One of the things we are trying to do is keep things alive and do more than just hold a vigil every single year to remind people of the situation,” he said. “We want to actually turn consciousness into action.”

However, since a massive winter storm led to the closure of many government offices, including in D.C. and New Jersey, many of the volunteers working the phones were forced to leave messages for their senators and representatives.

Dean Lieberman, an independent foreign policy and communications consultant based in Washington, D.C. who works with Wang’s wife on raising awareness of Wang’s case and calling for his release, was also in attendance.

“Despite the snow storm, it was nice to see so many people come out to show support and make calls to congressional offices,” Lieberman said.

After the “call-a-thon,” McGovern welcomed a crowd of nearly a hun-

dred students, faculty, and community members to the rally in the Chancellor Green Rotunda and thanked them for attending despite the storm.

“While there are some things like snow that we definitely can’t change, it’s important that we gather together like this and coordinate our efforts against all odds,” McGovern said.

Although he did not meet Wang personally, McGovern said that as graduate students transition from coursework to exams and to the field, it is more important than ever “to keep the spirit alive on this campus and in the hearts and minds of Americans.”

Joshua Bauchner, a history graduate student in Wang’s cohort, also spoke about him as a student, scholar, and intellectual.

Despite not sharing many research interests and being “novices in each others’ areas,” Bauchner described how their phone conversations are now dominated by questions about each others’ research.

“What I remember most strongly was Wang’s commitment to further querying each suggestion and idea. In a kind and generous manner, he persisted in following each thread further and further, with no topic too large or too small,” Bauchner said. “He asked because he truly wanted to learn something new ... and he truly wanted me to learn something as

well.”

Bauchner said Wang completely embodies the drive of the liberal arts, saying his purpose in research was “not to know something for the sake of nothing, nor to know it as the balm for the soul or as a guide to action, but to know it as a meaningful act of understanding itself, to place it in the perpetual revision of our shared vocational literature.”

Keith A. Wailoo, Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs and Chair of the History Department spoke on the injustice of Wang’s imprisonment and the denial of his “basic freedom to be with his loving family every hour of every day.”

Having spoken to Wang occasionally throughout the past two-and-a-half years, Wailoo discussed how their conversations deepen his “sadness and anger about [Wang’s] plight and [his] admiration for this earnest, direct, incredibly talented, brilliant man who is both devoted to his studies and family.”

“Every occasional talk that we have reinforces my appreciation for what a kind, thoughtful, and devoted father and husband he is,” Wailoo said. “The History Department, faculty, staff, and students stand ready, hopeful for the day that we can welcome him back to Princeton and Dickinson Hall [...] and we are once again able

to nurture the embers of his academic dream so that it can be fully rekindled as a flame.”

Taylor Zajicek, another history Ph.D. student and organizer of the event, spoke about the Free Xiyue Wang group and informed attendees of ways in which they can continue to support Wang and his family.

Daniel Munier, a senior program officer for Scholars at Risk, an international network of institutions that advocates for the human rights of scholars around the world, also spoke at the event. He discussed the importance of protecting scholars and their academic freedom.

“Even here in the United States, rhetoric and policy that undermine science and facts risk shrinking the American university space,” he said.

The last speaker of the night was Sarah-Jane Leslie, Dean of the Graduate School.

“Every flicker of every candle in this room represents another moment in which Wang is deprived of his rightful place among his family, his colleagues, and his friends here at Princeton,” she said.

At the end of the rally, the lights were dimmed as attendees shared a moment of silence for Wang.

The call-a-thon was held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the rally and candlelight vigil were held at 5 p.m.

Opinion

Wednesday February 21, 2019

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The problem with saying “I don’t see color” Julia Chaffers

Contributing Columnist

H

oward Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, is now considering running for president as an independent. Recently, Schultz was asked at a CNN Town Hall about last year’s racial profiling incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia. His response was alarming: “As somebody who grew up in a very diverse background as a young boy in the projects, I didn’t see color as a young boy, and I honestly don’t see color now.”

Schultz’s statement reveals a striking lack of understanding of how race operates in society. The colorblindness Schultz claims is not just misguided but actively harmful to the cause of racial justice by ignoring the ongoing inequality that permeates American society.

Pretending not to see race does not solve the problem of racism – instead, it inhibits the fight against racism.

Schultz’s assertion of colorblindness is ridiculous on its face. Race is socially constructed, but its effects are real. The ideology of colorblindness is used to distance oneself from the racial inequality all around

us. Sociologists who have studied colorblindness as an ideology “fear that the refusal to take public note of race actually allows people to ignore manifestations of persistent discrimination,” especially those more covert yet entrenched forms of discrimination in education, housing, health care, and beyond.

Conversely, moving away from colorblindness, and recognizing one’s racial identity and their role in society, “can lead to more understanding of our racially stratified society and can give rise to a willingness to work for change.”

If Schultz truly believes in advancing the cause of racial justice, he has to recognize the world we live in rather than pretend race does not exist.

This is especially important if he seeks to be the leader of a country still characterized by racial inequality.

Starbucks’ vice chair Mellody Hobson acknowledged that “colorblindness is very dangerous because it means we’re ignoring the problem,” and said “we cannot afford to be color blind. We have to be color brave.” Schultz would do well to embrace this ideology.

What is color-braveness? It means having the conviction to identify racial injustice and then have a concrete plan to address it. Already in the Democratic primary, candidates are putting forth policies that ex-

plicitly target racial inequality.

A good example of this is Senator Cory Booker’s baby bonds policy, which aims to eliminate the racial wealth gap. In a presidential race that will be shaped

by President Trump’s repeated appeals to racial animus and outright racism, it is imperative that opposing candidates not just speak, but act to counter his ideology by embracing the necessity of concrete steps for combating racism and its societal effects.

The dangers of colorblindness reach beyond the presidential race, however. Advocacy for colorblind policy threatens many civil rights advances — see the resegregation of schools or the gutting of the Voting Rights Act — by failing to recognize continuing racial inequality.

With regards to the University, the prevalence of colorblindness could shape the future of affirmative action.

President Eisgruber discussed this possibility in his recent State of the University letter.

Eisgruber stated that if the country had eliminated “racial inequalities in schooling, in policing, in healthcare, in housing, and in employment … we would not need to consider race today when seeking the talent and perspectives essential to Princeton’s teaching and research mission.” But without structural changes to address the systemic racism that holds

people back, Eisgruber reiterated the necessity of considering race “as one factor among others in a holistic admission process.”

Eisgruber rightly criticizes a colorblind admissions process, as it would fail to take into account the effects that racism has on applicants’ lives. Moreover, his statement shows a nuanced understanding of why colorblindness fails to serve the very people it purports to help, by ignoring the struggles of disadvantaged groups.

What Eisgruber realizes, and Schultz and many others fail to understand, is that the precondition for racial justice is an honest acknowledgement of race, prejudice, and our own biases and power. Schultz is but the most recent voice advocating for the ideology of colorblindness, but the view is shared widely across politics, education, and more, and presents a persistent challenge for those fighting for racial equality.

It’s easy to say “I don’t see color.” It’s harder to accept your responsibility to work for a more equitable and just society.

Julia Chaffers is a first-year from Wellesley Hills, M.A. She can be reached at chaffers@princeton. edu.

Fli-ing to a better future nathan phan ’19

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vol. cxliii

editor-in-chief

Chris Murphy ’20 business manager

Taylor Jean-Jacques’20 BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Betsy L. Minkin ’77 treasurer Douglas J. Widmann ’90 trustees Francesca Barber David Baumgarten ’06 Kathleen Crown Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Michael Grabell ’03 John Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Kavita Saini ’09 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Abigail Williams ’14 trustees emeriti Gregory L. Diskant ’70 William R. Elfers ’71 Kathleen Kiely ’77 Jerry Raymond ’73 Michael E. Seger ’71 Annalyn Swan ’73 trustees ex officio Chris Murphy ’20 Taylor Jean-Jacques’20

143RD MANAGING BOARD managing editors Samuel Aftel ’20 Ariel Chen ’20 Jon Ort ’21 head news editors Benjamin Ball ’21 Ivy Truong ’21 associate news editors Linh Nguyen ’21 Claire Silberman ’22 Katja Stroke-Adolphe ’20 head opinion editor Cy Watsky ’21 associate opinion editors Rachel Kennedy ’21 Ethan Li ’22 head sports editor Jack Graham ’20 associate sports editors Tom Salotti ’21 Alissa Selover ’21 features editor Samantha Shapiro ’21 head prospect editor Dora Zhao ’21 associate prospect editor Noa Wollstein ’21 chief copy editors Lydia Choi ’21 Elizabeth Parker ’21 associate copy editors Jade Olurin ’21 Christian Flores ’21 head design editor Charlotte Adamo ’21 associate design editor Harsimran Makkad ’22 cartoon editors Zaza Asatiani ’21 Jonathan Zhi ’21 head video editor Sarah Warman Hirschfield ’20 associate video editor Mark Dodici ’22 digital operations manager Sarah Bowen ’20

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Opinion

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Dealing with spring semester stress Emma Treadway

Contributing Columnist

P

rinceton, as one of the uncontested “best” universities in the world, is renowned for rigor, with the assumption that such difficulty will whip our minds into their intellectual prime. Indeed, the majority of alumni emerge from the University as future world leaders. However, it is crucial to consider the physical implications of the stress Princeton places on us: is such stress necessary for us to succeed? Or is it an abuse of our minds and bodies, ultimately shortening our lifespans?

Princeton ranks No. 6 in the United States for universities with the highest stress rates.

Although other factors such

as loneliness or depression affect stress levels, academics are a major perpetrator at rigorous institutions. Vast workloads, endless reading, and competing pressures of finding both passion and a career lump together into an insurmountable mountain that often seems impossible to conquer.

Linked with stress, especially given our insurmountable workloads, is a lack of sleep. In fact, one article from Very Well Mind summarizes findings from studies that reveal a link between high levels of stress or anxiety and a shorter lifespan. One of these studies, conducted over a 12year period by Purdue University, compared a group of men prone to stress and anxiety with a group that was not. By the end of the period, only 50 percent of the men with “high or increasing neuroticism [stress/anxiety prone]” were still alive, whereas nearly 85 percent of the other group

was still alive.

That’s shocking.

Stress, however, is not the only obstacle obstructing our education and well-being. The endless stream of work and applications contributes to our stress and also prevents us from doing things we truly enjoy. When was the last time you read a book for fun? I miss reading that isn’t mandatory, but I don’t have the time or mental capacity to pick up a book that I want to read because of the guilt — the guilt that tells me I have other tasks which will affect my grade or mental health if they are not completed.

I want to do so much, but I feel as if I have no time, or, in the rare circumstances that I do, I have no energy. I want to start playing my cello again, and I want to write letters to friends and family members, and I want to write poetry, and I want to start learning a new language. But the frequency of work from classes,

clubs, and other obligations entirely banishes any hope of pursuing these activities.

And that’s a significant and scary obstacle to our fulfillment as lifelong learners and dreamers in this world.

Nonetheless, it’s not exactly helpful to state that Princeton students are stressed and that stress is bad. We instead need to find a solution to ensure that each of us can live lives of quality (and longevity).

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) can only do so much, and it doesn’t necessarily target the problem at its source. One thing Princeton students lack is true relaxation. From my own experience, every “break” I’ve had has been overshadowed by a paper or various applications that need to be completed.

Weekends are spent trying to complete enough work to keep my head up during the week. As such, I would like to propose a special day, a mini “intersession” once a month

or so. This day would be University-wide, there could be no due dates, and other obligations or mandatory meetings could not be scheduled.

A day where nothing needs to be done, and students can feel free to do whatever they wish. The University could host events, from meditation to group trips to New York.

Of course, keeping this day work-free would require some intentional effort on the part of students.

Some may argue that intersession after winter exams already takes on this role.

However, it is infrequent and insufficient to sustain students through the spring semester. Thus, I believe having at least a temporary respite where students have no due dates could do a lot for the mental health of this campus.

Emma Treadway is a firstyear from Amelia, Ohio. She can be reached at emmalt@princeton.edu.

When i grow up i’m going to be president, very president tashi treadway ’19 .................................................

Wednesday February 21, 2019

Sports

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Princeton Men’s Basketball team (13-8, 5-3 Ivy) faced a split weekend this past weekend as they lost to Harvard (13-8, 6-2) and defeated Dartmouth (11-13, 2-6). A late run allowed the Crimson to break away, finishing the game 69-78. The game against Dartmouth ended in a nail-biting 6968 finish. The final possession allowed Princeton to seal the win. A missed 3-point try on Dartmouth’s last possession was rebounded by a Dartmouth player who put it back under the basket to cut the Tiger lead to one at 69-68.

JACK GRAHAM / DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Harvard’s Bryce Aiken, who scored 33 points Friday, defends Jaelin Llewellyn.

JACK GRAHAM / DAILY PRINCETONIAN

JACK GRAHAM / DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Richmond Aririguzoh faces up against Chris Lewis. Lewis fouled out after 18 minutes played, while Aririguzoh scored 15 points.

Dartmouth’s Chris Knight looks on as Richmond Aririguzoh prepares to take a free throw.

JACK GRAHAM / DAILY PRINCETONIAN

JACK GRAHAM / DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Jose Morales goes behind the back on a drive to the basket.

Myles Stephens goes up for a layup in the first half against Dartmouth.

Tweet of the Day “The time is here! The 2019 @IvyLeague Championships begin TONIGHT at DeNunzio Pool!” @ PUCSDT

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