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Wednesday February 24, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 5
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NEWS
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Designed by: Juliana Wojtenko ’23
Classics chair asks Princeton to ‘urgently’ review department culture after Katz misconduct comes to light By Marie-Rose Sheinerman and Evelyn Doskoch Head News Editor Emeritus and Head News Editor
Classics department chair Michael Flower announced in an email Tuesday that he has requested Nassau Hall “urgently” conduct a review of his department’s “environment.” “This environment review, if approved, would solicit feedback and ideas from each of you and hopefully would result in suggestions and recommendations that will strengthen our community and safeguard its well-being now and in the future,” Flower told students in the email. Although Flower did not explicitly mention recent allegations about classics professor Joshua Katz, the department’s request comes around two weeks after The Daily Princetonian published an investigation of allegations that Katz engaged in inappropriate conduct with three undergraduate women. Following publication, Katz acknowledged that he had a relationship with a student that violated the University’s rules and received a one-year unpaid suspension as a result. The University, in turn, said Katz’s description “accurately reflects the relevant facts as we understand them” and asserted that Katz “is able to fulfill his responsibilities as a member of the faculty.” After the ‘Prince’ investiga-
MARK DODICI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
tion was published, the classics department also created a new section of Katz’s course on Homer (CLG 108) and allowed students to switch from the section with Katz to the newly created one, taught by professor Andrew Ford. “The Classics Department, in consultation with the University administration, decided to add sections of certain courses so that students could continue their coursework as any concerns they raised were addressed,” University spokesperson Ben Chang said. The Office of Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Nassau Hall
NEWS
N.J. officially legalizes marijuana, town of Princeton proposes Cannabis Task Force By Caitlin McNally Contributor
As of Feb. 22, marijuana use is officially legal in New Jersey, making it the 13th state to do so. After garnering a 67 percent majority vote by the public in early November, marijuana legalization took time to be finalized. According to Section 47 of the bill, however, using marijuana will remain prohibited in the buildings and on the grounds of “any public or private institution of higher education.” In an email to the The Daily Princetonian in November, Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss wrote that even while looking ahead to legalization, “the University is still required to comply with federal law, under which
marijuana is illegal and not permitted on University property or as part of any of the University’s activities.” Now, after official legalization, Hotchkiss wrote that, “We are analyzing these new laws and their impact at the University.” Gov. Phil Murphy originally campaigned and came into office with the intent of legalizing marijuana. Though the process was not as quick as expected, he succeeded by signing three bills that will help start the industry and change the legal implications of marijuana use. Lawmakers had to work out the details for tax revenue and the penalties for those under the age of 21. One of the three bills eliminated criminal penalties and replaced them with See NEWS for more
BY JENNIFER MARTIN / CC BY-SA 4.0
In Prospect
had approved the classics department environment review. ‘Review of department’s environment’ Shortly after the original report’s publication, Flower emailed students to announce a planned department-wide “listening session” with University Title IX administrators to address any concerns raised by the allegations reported in the piece. “My colleagues and I know that many of you have been greatly upset by the article that recently appeared in the ‘Prince’ about our depart-
ment,” he said in an email on Feb. 14. “We are mindful of your concerns and will be taking steps to address them.” The “listening session” took place on Feb. 22, and according to two student attendees, the administrators facilitating the discussion limited the scope of the conversation to broad comments on University rules. “We were not allowed to talk about Katz,” one classics graduate student attendee told the ‘Prince.’ “Or rather, we would not discuss any specific cases. Only University policy.” Following the meeting, Flower wrote to students on Tuesday morning about “steps
NEWS
the Department is taking to address any worries, unease, or fears.” In the email, Flower announced his request for a review of the department’s culture by the University and called upon faculty members to “remain vigilant” and “establish an environment in which students feel comfortable bringing incidents to our attention.” Flower also promised students that he is personally committed to reporting any improper behavior to the appropriate channels. “I pledge to you that if any student, graduate or undergraduate, brings to me or to one of my colleagues an accusation of faculty misconduct,” he said in the email, “it will be reported immediately to the appropriate authority, either the Office of Title IX or the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, depending on the nature of the complaint.” Alternate course section created This spring, Katz was set to teach two courses: CLG 102: Beginner’s Greek — Attic Prose and CLG 108: Homer. In recent weeks, the classics department created an additional section of CLG 108, occurring on the same days and times as the original, taught by Ford. Since the end of the add/drop period on Feb. 19, Katz’s section currently has See NEWS for more
SPORTS
Inside Princeton Athletics: Protocols during the pandemic By Howard Wang and Jampel Dorjee Contributors
“PAUL MCCARTNEY.JPG” BY JERZY BEDNARSKI / CC BY-SA 4.0
Paul McCartney performs.
“Who wants to present first?”: Sir Paul McCartney pays surprise visit to songwriting class By Miguel Gracia-Zhang Staff Writer
Sir Paul McCartney is as busy as ever. In the last few months, he released a new album, became best friends with Taylor Swift, and just last Tuesday, joined 33 starstruck Princeton students in ATL496: How to Write A Song for a two-hour songwriting workshop. About 30 minutes into the three-hour seminar, visiting lecturer Bridget Kearney had just completed a short presentation on diatonic chords, Liam Seeley ’23, a student in the class, told The Daily Princetonian. Then, professor Paul Muldoon, who teaches the class with Kearney, announced that a new “Test Student” would be listening to the students’ songs. “[Muldoon] said that it might be ‘our special guest,’” Remy
When the Princeton Marriage Pact released the results, at least one set of twins were matched. The Prospect staff writer Cathleen Weng writes about how the Marriage Pact came to the University and how students received it.
Reya ’21 said. Reya is a columnist for the Opinion section of the ‘Prince.’ “We had been told that Maggie Rogers might show up,” Reya said. “People were putting emojis in the group chat and typing ‘omg it’s Maggie Rogers.’” “At first his camera was off and all we heard was a distant British voice,” Seeley said. “I and a few others thought it might be Jacob Collier.” Then Muldoon introduced the guest: Sir Paul McCartney. The former Beatle promptly turned on his video, though he left his Zoom name as “Test Student.” According to Seeley, Professor Muldoon then asked the class: “Who wants to present first?” “I think some people stayed See NEWS for more
In Cartoon
Feb. 1 marked the University’s first day of classes, as well as the start of Phase I of the Ivy League’s plan for resuming athletics. But with the recent decision to suspend league competitions for the entire spring season, studentathletes may now be limited to practices for the rest of the semester. Phased-In Plan for Spring Athletic Activity In order to make training possible for athletes, the University is following a strict phased-in plan that establishes restrictions and social-distancing regulations during practice. The multitiered plan is consistent with the phased-in approach that other Ivy League institutions adopted in the fall 2020 term for their in-person semester — specifically those of Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Yale. The League’s original fourphase plan outlined a progression from a completely virtual Phase 0 to a full 12 hours of weekly physical activity in Phase III. Yale spent a majority of their first semester in Phase 0 after the emergence of several COVID-19 clusters and an outbreak on the men’s ice See SPORTS for more
Check out John Ehling and Chloe Satenberg’s new cartoon, “Supineman.”