February 5, 2015

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Thursday february 5, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 4

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In Opinion Jason Choe addresses the University’s poor response to GirlCode and Max Grear questions the use of the term “microaggressions.”

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In Street This week in Street, we spotlight three exciting spring courses, Staff Writer Edric Huang investigates the extinction of dinosaurs with Professor Blair Schoene, and Senior Writer Chitra Marti reviews the Freshman One-Act Festival.

RCA Applications by Year The number of new RCAs has remained relatively constant over the years. The number of RCA applicants rose to 256 this year, up from 247 in 2014, returning to pre-2011 levels after a brief dip in past years.

New RCAs by Residential College, 2015 Butler

News & Notes Two Harvard students expelled for sexual misconduct

Two Harvard students were expelled for sexual misconduct on Dec. 10, according to a Feb. 4 article in The Harvard Crimson.

Harvard’s Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael Smith announced the dismissal in a monthly faculty meeting on Tuesday. According to Smith, one student had been the subject of three sexual harassment complaints, and the other was the subject of one.

Complaints for both students were reviewed under Harvard’s former sexual harassment policy and procedures, and the school’s Faculty Council voted to dismiss both students in December.

The identities of the students remain anonymous.

Harvard revised its sexual misconduct policy on Monday. Under the revised policy, the school’s Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Dispute Resolution will have jurisdiction over sexual harassment complaints against faculty and teaching assistants.

Student activists with groups like Our Harvard Can Do Better have recently pushed for Harvard to revise its sexual misconduct policies and implement it more consistently.

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AUSTIN LEE :: DESIGN EDITOR

U. releases 2015-16 RCA, ARCA decisions

By Corinne Lowe senior writer

Roughly 40 percent of students who applied to become residential college advisers for the 2015-16 year, including both returning and new applicants, were offered positions on Wednesday, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Michael Olin said.

Between all the residential colleges, there were 51 positions left open by graduating seniors, Olin said. Butler College had 10 new RCAs, Wilson College had 10, Whitman College had nine, Mathey College had nine, Forbes College had eight and Rockefeller College had five.

The acceptance rate for new candidates was closer to 20 percent, because a vast majority of RCAs who are juniors elected to re-apply for a second year, according to Olin.

“It’s not guaranteed. They do have to apply. The only difference now is they don’t have to

submit recommendation letters,” Olin said of applicants who had already served one year as RCA, whose chances of being rehired are good as long as responsibilities are fulfilled in a “satisfactory manner.”

The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students oversees the application system, compiling and equally dividing the applicant pools among the residential colleges so that the acceptance rate is virtually the same for each one, Olin said. Meanwhile, the residential colleges arrange the interviews with RCA applicants and determine the number of RCAs and assistant residential college advisers that they need.

Applying to become an RCA typically involves a written application, interviews with the residential college staff, particularly the Master and Director of Student Life of a given college, and group interviews with senior RCAs, Olin said.

The process for reapplying to be an RCA for a second

Winter break referendum gets significant student support

By Ruby Shao

associate news editor

An Undergraduate Student Government referendum seeking an extended winter break received support from 96.2 percent of voters, or 2,015 out of 2,095 undergraduates who voted.

The turnout was almost exactly 40 percent of the undergraduate student body.

USG president Ella Cheng ’16 said the referendum results would certainly bolster efforts to lengthen winter break.

“It basically provides us undeniable proof of student opinion in predominately one

Number of RCA applicants from 2010-2015

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A group of Princeton graduate students and seminary students formed the Princeton Graduate Draft Union to inform graduate students of alternatives to entering the draft. The University also had a draft counselor on staff.

Wilson

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8 p.m.: The freshmanproduced One Act Festival is held at Theatre Intime. Perfomances will continue on Friday and Saturday.

STUDENT LIFE

STUDENT LIFE

year is much shorter, Molly Fisch-Friedman ’16, currently an ARCA for Butler College, said. She said there are fewer, briefer interviews, focusing primarily on what returning RCAs and ARCAs learned in the past year and why they’re interested in reapplying.

As an ARCA, Fisich-Friedman arranges study breaks and primarily serves as a resource for the sophomores and upperclassmen who may receive less attention from the RCAs. ARCAs may also take over the position of an RCA who, for whatever reason, has to leave the position mid-year, Olin said.

“Typically a college will offer the ARCA position to somebody who is a really strong applicant but the college feels like, maybe based on that student’s other commitments or other factors, they might be better suited for an ARCA position,” Olin explained.

Olin described the ideal RCA See RCA page 3

particular direction, which is always good for us,” she said, adding that USG members will discuss the results in upcoming meetings with administrators.

University spokesperson Martin Mbugua said the faculty committee that controls the calendar will take the referendum into account going forward but that there will not be sufficient time to lengthen winter break for the 2015-16 academic year. He added that changes to the academic calendar have come up from time to time as a subject of study and that the University See REFERENDUM page 3

STUDENT LIFE

Eating clubs form new service council

By Jacob Donnelly news editor

The eating clubs collectively announced the formation of the Community Service Interclub Council on Wednesday.

Kate Gardner ’16 of Tower Club and Kevin Larkin ’16 of Colonial Club were appointed co-presidents.

The council is the third organization in which all of the eating clubs designate representatives, beside the Interclub Council and the Graduate Interclub Council.

Representatives are to be the community service chairs of each club, and Gardner said the group will meet monthly.

Some clubs have more than one community service chair.

Joseph Margolies ’15, president of the Interclub Council, explained that the CSICC grew out of community service dinners used to gather the community service chairs of the different clubs into one place and was aided by having a graduate adviser, Lisa Schmucki ’74, who organized the dinners and helped the clubs formalize their stated

goal of engaging in community service.

He added that the idea of the council was to promote community service that was more coordinated between the clubs.

The council’s immediate priority, however, will be continuing to organize TruckFest. The event, in its second year, consists of having food trucks on Prospect Avenue.

The proceeds from tickets for the food trucks benefit the Send Hunger Packing Initiative, which helps to provide low-income schoolchildren with meal packs on the weekends.

The even raised over $20,000 for the initiative in its inaugural year last year, and Gardner said she is hoping to double the number of food trucks this year and raise $50,000.

“We’re hoping to have 25 trucks this year, which should hopefully help with the lines, as well as being around 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., instead of a little bit later,” she said.

Larkin added they were working to coordinate what See CLUBS page 2

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

Sittenfeld ’07 declares 2016 run for U.S. Senate

By Christina Vosbikian staff writer

Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld ’07, the youngest city council member in Cincinnati history, recently declared his candidacy for the position of U.S. Senator from Ohio in the 2016 race against incumbent Republican Rob Portman.

Sittenfeld is the first candidate from the Democratic Party to announce an entrance into the 2016 U.S. Senate race in Ohio.

Sittenfeld said he intends to focus his campaign on creating educational opportunities for youth, economic security for the elderly and protection for the environment.

“The biggest thing I can do right now is run a high-energy campaign that is based on big ideas and values that I think most Ohioans agree with,” Sittenfeld said.

While ideology divides Portman and Sittenfeld, Sittenfeld is also significantly younger than the 59 year-old incumbent: at 31 years old in 2016, Sittenfeld would be only one year over the age required by the U.S. Constitution in order to take office in the Senate.

“When I think about Rob Portman, I think he spent more than a quarter of a century in Washington holding stacks of debt against the middle class,” Sittenfeld said. “The only way that things are going to be different and that the government is going to be a force for good in people’s lives is if we send new leaders to the Senate.”

Portman, who did not respond to a request for comment, was elected as a congressman in 1993 and held high-level roles in the Bush administration before See SENATE page 2

COURTESY OF CININNATI.COM, A GANNET COMPANY

P.G. Sittenfeld ‘07 has been heavily involved in improving the Cincinnati Public Schools system.

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The Daily Princetonian

Thursday february 5, 2015

TruckFest to be organized by new service council, hopes to have 25 trucks CLUBS

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types of food trucks would be serving.

Margolies added that when he was president of Quadrangle Club, there was a semiannual effort to raise money through an auction or other means to purchase Christmas gifts for local low-income families and that the CSICC could eventually help to standardize these types of efforts.

“I think it would be an excellent accomplishment to just keep doing what they’re doing in terms of TruckFest, but we have seen with the ICC is that it’s helpful to share ideas, best practices, experiences among

all the clubs so we can address problems that face us collectively or is facing a club that another club has already dealt with,” Margolies said. “With the community service officers who used to operate independently of any collaboration among the clubs, having a group not only to organize an event together but also to discuss what they’re doing individually … will make them more effective.”

Schmuki said the University has been supportive but that the formation of the council around the same time of a perceived civic engagement push

by University administration was “coincidental.” The University this week released a video of President Christopher

Eisgruber ’83 discussing his experience volunteering as an undergraduate.

“I suggested an idea of all of the community service chairs getting together on a monthly basis just to share ideas, and we did that for a year. And the club managers were great. It was sort of like a food tour,” Shmucki said, adding that the idea for TruckFest came out of the meetings. “It just caught fire really.”

Larkin said he agreed that the dinners have been valuable to the community service chairs.

“By formalizing this as an official relationship, we’d be ensure it for the future and have a lot of exciting possibilities,” Larkin said.

At 31, Sittenfeld will reach minimum Senate age requirement by only 1 year SENATE

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becoming a senator.

At the University, Sittenfeld concentrated in English with a certificate in American studies. He was involved in a range of extracurricular activities, including serving as freshman class president and writing for University Press Club and The Daily Princetonian.

“When I think back on my time at Princeton, one of my first memories is of me trying everything,” Sittenfeld said. “When I arrived on campus, I ran for freshman class president. I walked onto the crew team. I auditioned for the dance group diSiac.”

Sittenfeld’s senior thesis advisor, William Gleason, an English professor, first met Sittenfeld in an American studies course that Sittenfeld took during his freshman fall. Gleason said Sit-

tenfeld stood out both as an individual involved in many organizations on campus and as a passionate and energetic student in the classroom.

“I’m not surprised that [Sittenfeld] chose a career that let him work with people in his home city,” Gleason said.

“I know that Cincinnati is a very important place to him.

It didn’t surprise me that he moved towards a career in which he felt he could make a difference in other people’s lives.”

After graduating from Princeton, Sittenfeld earned a master’s degree in English and American studies at the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar. He then returned to Cincinnati to work as assistant director for the Community Learning Center Institute, which helps to provide academic enrichment opportunities and other services to public school students.

“What I came back home

to Cincinnati to do was to to get involved building better, stronger schools for the next generation,” Sittenfeld said.

Sittenfeld was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 2011. As a council member, Sittenfeld chairs the education and entrepreneurship committee.

USA Today described his role in transforming five Cincinnati schools into “community hubs” as his “biggest initiative.” The aim is for public schools to cultivate partnerships with “business, public and private agencies, higher education, neighborhood and faith-based groups” according to the Huffington Post.

The Huffington Post further reported that New York City was emulating the Cincinnati program.

“I really got an up-close look and saw that what government does can make a big difference in people’s lives,” Sittenfeld said.

CORRECTION Due to a reporting error, the Feb. 4 article, “Over 1,000 students enrolled in 60 Wintercession courses,” misstated the number of participants that signed up for more than one Wintersession course. Two thirds of participants signed up for more than one course. The ‘Prince’ regrets the error.

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Thursday february 5, 2015

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20 percent of new RCA applicants were accepted to fill 51 open spots RCA

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candidate as a distinguished student with leadership roles or mentorship-type work in the past who is eager to give back to the University and residential colleges. Often the students most eager to give back in this way are students who either had very positive or very negative experiences with their own RCA as a freshman, Olin said.

“I had a lot of really great mentors as a freshman, between my RCA and just the other upperclassmen I knew, and I wanted to be able to give

back and be the same mentoring role,” Fisch-Friedman said of her motivations for applying.

Students offered positions must make their decisions to accept or decline by Feb. 11.

RCAs then participate in an internal room draw in which they select the hallways or entryways for which they’ll serve as an RCA, Olin said. RCAs receive further training by ODUS and the residential colleges during several spring sessions, especially during reading period and also in September according to Olin.

Students not taken on as RCAs or ARCAs may be put on a waitlist, from which typically

a few students are let off each year Olin said. He encouraged students not accepted as RCAs to persist in looking for ways to get involved on campus that use their skills and passions.

“There are so many other ways to be leaders on this campus and to have that mentoring role for freshmen through student groups, sports teams, clubs, whatever,” Fisch-Friedman explained, “Sometimes for students who don’t connect with their RCA or zee group as much, those other mentors they have can be just as important. So just because you’re not an RCA doesn’t mean you won’t get to do the same sort of thing RCAs get to do.”

Cheng ’16 says referendum turnout exceeded her target of 2,000 votes REFERENDUM Continued from page 1

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will continue to consult with community members about the calendar.

Cheng said she was happy with the turnout, which exceeded her target of two thousand votes even during a busy week.

She suggested that the overwhelming support of student voters for the referenda on mental health in 2014 and now on winter break point to a relationship between the issues.

“I think we all realize that we need that time away from campus,” she said. “It’s good to be able to have vacation time a little bit between leisure and actually cramming for and thinking about finals.”

USG approved running the referendum on Jan. 11 in response to student concerns about the shortness of the twoweek winter recess planned for the 2015-16 academic year. The organization circulated a survey last month to collect comments from undergraduates about the ideal length of break and the academic calendar.

According to the referendum

resolution, an extended break is intended to allow students who live far from campus or who come from lower-income backgrounds to spend more time with their families and friends at the same fixed cost of travel, as well as provide undergraduates with more time to com-

“I think we all realize that we need that time away from campus.

It’s good to have vacation time a little bit between leisure and ... cramming.”

Ella Cheng ’16 USG president

plete assignments before reading period and January senior thesis deadlines.

Voting went live on Monday and ended Wednesday at noon.

Vincent Po ’18 said he voted in favor of the referendum because he thought it was silly that students would only receive two

weeks of break when most other colleges’ undergraduates have four.

“Two seems a little bit too much like high school, and considering the fact that a lot of people are traveling so far, two weeks seems like a really short time,” he said.

Another voter, Cassie Crifase ’17, said a longer winter recess would give her more time with family during the only break that she usually returns home for. She added that three weeks of vacation would enable her to prepare more for reading period and final exams.

“It’s nice to have at least some leeway time over break where I can study and I’m not wrapped up in the holidays,” she said.

Currently, since winter break begins on the Friday between Dec. 12 and 18 and ends on the Sunday in the first week of January, the period varies annually from being approximately two weeks to approximately three weeks in length. The faculty can change these parameters so long as it discusses the amendments at a prior meeting.

Faculty Committee on Classrooms and Schedule chair Niraj Jha declined to comment.

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Enough with the term “microaggressions”

On hating the Daily Princetonian

columnist

I

Max Grear is a freshman from Wakefield, R.I. He can be reached at mgrear@princeton.edu.

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }

Max Grear

n a column published last month, Newby Parton ’18 described a running joke among his peers that he had considered a microaggression: the “spectacle” that peers made of his pronunciation of “wh.” He admitted to feeling ashamed of telling a friend that he thought so, but he’s technically right. That’s the problem.

“Microaggressions” as defined by Columbia professor Derald Sue are “the everyday slights or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership,” which might seem like a bit of a stretch in Parton’s case. But Sue, who helped popularize the term first used in the ’70s, suggests that the victims of microaggression should be allowed to let us know when a phrase becomes an act of aggression.

Under this definition, anyone can call any situation in which he or she is singled out by his or her identity a “microaggression,” so long as something about this identity is not the norm. A single quirk of regional speech is fair game.

Parton’s point was that this scenario, while not particularly hurtful to him, made him realize how other individuals less “accustomed to microaggression” may unintentionally be hurt by comments made by others. Unsurprisingly, this nuance was completely lost by the outraged commenters and news sites that flocked to the scene of political correctness like vultures to a carcass.

Before long the National Review joined the liberalbashing fun.

Parton’s argument that he is privileged as a white, heterosexual male and is rarely offended by offhand comments is sound, but his focus on the idea of microaggression is misplaced. The article and its reception highlight the problem with the term “microaggression” as a tool against problems like racism or sexism. It’s become over-used and vague, and is inadequate to accurately describe the experience of everyday oppression. Any term that can be used to describe a joke about the pronunciation of “wh” is too weak to describe this experience.

It also happens to be exactly the kind of academic buzzword that makes anti-PC zealots foam at the mouth.

There’s a simple solution: we specifically call out sexism or racism or classism, or whatever else we find truly problematic. When appropriate, why not just say something like “that’s demeaning to women” or “that’s a derogatory stereotype about Asian-Americans?” The term “microaggression” is completely unnecessary to convey that meaning.

Ultimately, an effort like Tiger Microaggressions to report any and every perceived microaggression runs the risk of becoming a slightly more academic version of the golden rule. The biggest issue with the concept of the microaggression is that it is too malleable, which gives the “reversediscrimination” crowd an easy comeback. An African-American exhausted by racial prejudice makes a comment that could be construed as a generalization about white people? Now that’s a microaggression. A frustrated feminist denounces patriarchal attitudes and offends some men’s rights activists?

Microaggression!

The focus on microaggression encourages the idea that oppression is just relative. It plays into the hands of the kind of people who think that the liberal persuasion of some universities is as oppressive as the white supremacy that throughout the nation’s history has subjugated and brutalized African-Americans. The reason, for example, that a casual remark that reflects derogatory attitudes towards blacks is different than one that reflects such attitudes towards whites is that the former is reflective of historical, societal and institutionalized prejudice rather than merely individual prejudice. The emphasis on subjective experience of microaggression allows many to overlook the objective, undeniable reality of forces like racism or sexism.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t discuss and debate what exactly constitutes societal oppression and how it may manifest itself in everyday situations. Discrimination is often ambiguous, and something like homophobia or racism is not static but fluid and constantly changing. Forms of oppression that were once entirely ignored should receive attention, such as transphobia. But it is clear oppression exists beyond the scope of individual experience and perception.

We cannot ignore the legitimate concerns of individuals who fall outside the boxes of typically marginalized groups — for example, the struggles of Christian college students to maintain their identities in largely secular environments. In some cases, a strong regional accent can in fact lead to disadvantages. However, we need to keep in perspective the difference (not necessarily better or worse) between this type of situation and the experience of historical, societal oppression. The idea of microaggression makes no such distinction. For this reason, we need to retire its use as a catch-all term to publicly denounce the forces of discrimination.

I realize that as a white, heterosexual, cisgender male I do not experience societal oppression, on a large or small scale. But when I see others go through this experience, I try as best I can to understand it for what it is, whether it be racism, sexism, homophobia, etc., rather than using the blanket label of “microaggression” and moving on. As allies, we should make a genuine effort to recognize the experience of everyday oppression not as a hot topic or social media trend but as a tangible reality for many of our friends and peers.

Opinion

Thursday february 5, 2015

an astoundingly popular Facebook post in recent weeks by somebody I consider to be my friend. Invoking phrases such as “disgusted,” “embarrassed,” and Christian Wawrzonek “gossip rag,” he relentlessly drilled the columnist paper. While he did not mention specifics, I knew what he was referring to.

Such vitriol was nothing new, but the omething has been brewing most astounding thing to me was the inside my head for the past sheer amount of support he received, few months, and recently it’s garnering over 700 Facebook likes. come to a boil. Perhaps during It’s easy to fight back in the ‘Prince’ my first few years on campus I was too comment boards because just about oblivious to pick up on the pervasive everyone but myself comments anondisapproval of our school paper. Perymously. It’s much different when it haps it is truly a new issue on campus. comes directly from friends. It hurts.

Indisputably however, it has come to It hurts an awful lot. So I lashed out in the forefront in recent months after the best way I knew how. I ran to comcoverage of recent issues regarding ment boards and Facebook and found student arrests, sexual assault althe most hurtful comments. With my legations and defensive editorials. I patience dry and my anger at critical personally have nothing to do with mass, I wrote back. I replied with a sarthe news section, or much at all to do castic and dismissive tone, I insulted with the Paper itself for that matter. the commenters and I wrote in all capiI simply write my modest opinions tals as if yelling gave any credence to and hope somebody cares enough to my opinions. It showed I was mad, and comment or email. Still, having enthat was all. dured many similar attacks myself as But I’m glad this happened. In that well as witnessing the tireless work of moment, I glimpsed within myself the my peers to make this paper, I found very same sort of emotional biases that myself often siding with the Daily I so publicly detest. Psychological bias Princetonian on major disputes. is really a fascinating topic. ScientifiA few months ago I wrote a column cally speaking, it exists in all of us. Yet, about the role emotions play in con- its very nature precludes our awareness tentious issues and, more importantly, of its influences on our own thoughts how they ultimately devalue the argu- and actions. I never want to become the ment that a person is trying to make. I sort of close-minded, backward-thinkoften find this to be the case whenever ing individual that presumes personal my peers discuss the paper, especially infallibility. With that said, I have to in the flame wars that have blown up concede that if 700 of my friends and in the comment threads on the ‘Prince’ peers can openly support such overt website. This of course made it easier censuring of our school paper, there for me to dismiss the incessant criti- has to be some level of legitimacy to cism as senseless, ad hominem attacks, the mistrust of this paper on this camwhich I admit was unfairly self-righ- pus, which often manifests itself in teous of me. heated and often hurtful attacks. AlYet as much as I tried to remain ways skeptical of my own opinions, emotionally neutral, I slowly became I had a lengthy and informative disincreasingly agitated with the anti- cussion with some very close friends ‘Prince’ movement, culminating with that certainly made me question deci-

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vol. cxxxix

sions that the paper has made in the past. Without going into to extraneous detail, we covered everything from publishing names and TI gossiping to mission statements and the objective value of reporting truth. The result was this: my opinions about many issues changed, but my respect for the paper, its staff, and its values did not.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that the ‘Prince’ is not perfect. While I don’t agree, I know many think it is downright awful. In light of my reflections, I don’t agree with many decisions the paper has made. But the ‘Prince’ is still our paper, run by our peers and in many cases, our closest friends. While its practices should always be under heavy scrutiny, the motives of its staff who work tirelessly to make it a reality should not. When I hear friends claim that the ‘Prince’ is a corrupt, psychopathic gossip rag aimed at bullying its fellow students and shaming the Princeton community, it honestly breaks my heart. These sort of misguided, emotional reactions do not lead to meaningful improvement of our paper.

I encourage you all to read the letter from our new Editor-in-Chief Anna Mazarakis. She wonderfully lays out the motives of the Prince. I promise you, from personal experience, she values your feedback and participation, as does the entire staff. They all want nothing more than to make the best paper they can make. So take the time to comment, email and participate, but know this. I’m willing to admit that my emotions have clouded my judgment at times. Now it’s your turn. Such hurtful, malicious or disrespectful criticisms will only turn away the very people who want to improve our paper and nothing will ever change.

Christian Wawrzonek is a computer science major from Pittsburgh, Pa. He can be reached at cjw5@princeton.edu.

Starting the new semeester

Anna Mazarakis ’16 editor-in-chief

Matteo Kruijssen ’16 business manager

139th managing board news editor Jacob Donnelly ’17 opinion editor Benjamin Dinovelli ’16 sports editor Miles Hinson’17 street editor Lin King ’16 photography editor Yicheng Sun ’16 video editors Leora Haber ’16 chief copy editors Caroline Congdon ’17 Joyce Lee ’17 design editors Austin Lee’16 prox editor Rebekah Shoemake ’17 intersections editor Jarron McAllister ’16 associate news editors Ruby Shao ’17 Jasmine Wang ’17 associate opinion editors Jason Choe ’17 Shruthi Deivasigmani’16 associate sports editors Sydney Mandelbaum ’17 Tom Pham ’17 associate street editors Harrison Blackman ’17 Jennifer Shyue ’17 associate photography editors Tiffany Chen ’16 Christopher Ferri ’18 Sewheat Haile ’17 associate chief copy editors Chamsi Hssaine ’16 Alexander Schindele-Murayama ’16 associate design editor Julia Johnstone’16 Cailin Hong ’17 editorial board chair Jeffrey Leibenhaut ’16

Caresse Yan ’15

Cartoons Editor Terry O’Shea ’16

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NIGHT STAFF 2.4.15 senior copy editor Do-Hyeong Myeong ’17 staff copy editors Jessica Ji ’18 Winny Myat ’18

On the usefulness of GirlCode Jason Choe

associate opinion editor

A

fter being on a swim team for all four years of high school, I’ve become accustomed to changing in the presence of teammates, both male and female. So when I walked into my hall bathroom the other day wearing nothing but my bath towel and confronted a girl using the men’s restroom, it was probably more embarrassing for her than it was for me. She apologized repeatedly and hurried out the door, but before she left, I heard enough of her rapid-fire explanation/simultaneous apology to understand that she had been locked out of the women’s restroom on account of the recent changes to the codes regulating the women’s restrooms.

The issue regarding female restroom codes was brought to light in the weeks preceding winter break, when a group of three University students created an app aptly titled GirlCode. The application provided anyone with an iPhone the ability to access the codes for all restrooms in all campus dorms, but it was taken down after the creators were met with “pressure from the administration” due to alleged safety concerns.

Following the removal of the applica-

tion, most dormitories changed their codes over Intersession, leaving some girls stranded in their own halls.

As a result, there has been a spate of debate about the role that bathroom codes should play on campus. This past November, then-USG president Shawon Jackson sent out a survey to gauge the student body’s opinion about bathroom codes. Since then, however, we have not received an official email response containing the outcomes of that survey (the closest thing we got was a statement by then-USG presidentelect Ella Cheng in a Daily Princetonian article, which showed that of 1635 respondents, a 54.7 percent majority of participants voiced their preferences for no bathroom codes on either type of bathroom). Furthermore, the survey was woefully inadequate — it asked a simple multiple-choice question and didn’t account for response variability by gender, grade level, housing situation or other factors.

Supposedly, in the recent meeting between the students responsible for the creation of the contentious application and the administration’s Office of Housing and Real Estate Services, Department of Public Safety, and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, the possibility of a policy change toward no bathroom codes in either type of bathroom may have sur-

faced. But again, since no student representatives (besides the creators of the app) were present at the meeting, such results are doubtful at best.

Moreover, none of this changes the fact that the administration’s response to students’ needs has been much more reactionary than progressive. The issue has been up for debate for years, arising again semester after semester, but it wasn’t until this past November that an “official” survey was sent out by the USG to measure the student body’s opinion. However, even this attempt at obtaining a unified picture of popular sentiment, though undoubtedly wellintentioned, failed to provide an accurate representation or comprehensive results. It was only when the application was produced that the administration opted to take action — but instead of working to end the unpopular policy, it instead decided to abruptly change the codes for all female restrooms in the dormitories throughout campus.

The University administration has been quite quick to respond to a variety of other perceived problems — they made rapid reforms earlier this academic year to address compliancy concerns with Title IX stipulations, created the Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and appointed provost David Lee to head the effort, repealed the contentious and widely-disliked policy

of active grade deflation, and launched independent investigations when allegations of sexual assault and misconduct at eating clubs came to light — and their efforts should certainly be applauded. But they have undeniably fallen short on other concerns that they may perceive to be less important to the University’s overall public image — as is ostensibly the case regarding differences in gender-based restroom policies.

Columnist Will Rivitz earlier this week agreed on the unpopularity of the policy, but attacked the application as an “ineffective, willfully ignorant, and conceited” method by which to enact change. But as the previous semester has shown, other “traditional” methods haven’t made any progress either. So in the end, was GirlCode the best way to approach the situation? Probably not.

But was the University’s response to abruptly change female restroom codes over Intersession an adequate response?

Again, probably not. Regardless, the application has succeeded in forcing the administration to pay attention to the issue, albeit in a disparaging way, but we can at least hope that they will proceed progressively from here on.

Jason Choe is a sophomore from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. He can be reached at jasonjc@ princeton.edu.

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday february 5, 2015

page 5

Women’s hockey team Fresh off of homestand, men’s basketball to face has strong showings strong individual talents in games this weekend as ECAC playoffs loom M. B-BALL Continued from page 6

W. HOCKEY Continued from page 6

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age of 3.77 goals per game, ranking third nationwide in that category. Sophomore forward Molly Contini scored the Tigers’ only goal of the game, racking up her 14th goal of the season as she scored what would be Princeton’s only goal of the game. The win over Harvard is Princeton’s first victory over a top five team this season at home (having lost to Clarkson and twice to both Minnesota and ECAC rival Quinnipiac).

With the upset victory, the Tigers move closer to the coveted home-ice advantage in the ECAC playoffs.

Currently ranked fifth in

the ECAC standings, the Tigers are a mere three points behind St. Lawrence University for the fourth spot.

Princeton is in control of its own destiny now — its six remaining games all come against ECAC opponents, five of which rank lower than Princetonon. Wins they can get now would do wonders in helping the Tigers move up the rankings in a closely contested ECAC conference.

The winner of the ECAC playoffs automatically gets a bid to the NCAA championship tournament. The Tigers are going to need every advantage they can get if they want to move on and contend for the national championship come March, and get its first appearance in the Frozen Four since 2006.

Women’s tennis begins their season with four losses in their road trips TENNIS

Continued from page 6

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to get just one win in seven matches.

The match against Saint Mary’s proved to be the closest of the entire trip. The Tigers appeared to have taken the driver’s seat early on by winning the doubles point. After alternating wins and losses in the singles matches portion, the Tigers were leading 3-2

going into the final matches.

Saint Mary’s then took over, winning in the last two games and triumphing over the still winless Tigers.

Despite a disappointing beginning, the Tigers have ample opportunity to help put their road trip behind them. This weekend, they not only travel to Ithaca, New York to play Dartmouth and Brown, but will also compete in the ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) championship.

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(1.7).

Despite facing an offense that seems to be focused around one man, Princeton will still have to take extra care with Columbia’s reserves.

Both games last weekend saw bench players from the opposing team take over the game for periods of time – Harvard’s Corbin Miller, for example, averaged under 10 points a game yet lit Princeton up for 17 points in the first half alone.

Balance is far less of an issue for the offense of Cornell. The Big Red (10-10, 2-2 Ivy League) is in the middle

of a resurgent season, having already far eclipsed last year’s record of 2-26. The team has been led by the strong play of trio Shonn Miller, Robert Hatter, and Devin Cherry, who are scoring 16.2, 11.5, and 10.3 points per game respectively for their team. Miller in particular has been outstanding; after missing last season with a shoulder injury, the senior forward is controlling the game on both ends of the floor, adding 8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and almost 2 blocks to his already impressive points total.

It will be intriguing to see how Princeton’s top three scorers of sophomore wing Spencer Weisz (12.9 points per game), junior forward/center

Hans Brase (11.5) and sophomore forward Stephen Cook (10.6) matchup. While Weisz

Last year’s third place finish in the league was made bittersweet by the fact that the Tigers had a shot of making the NCAA tournament had their start to Ivy League play been better. and Brase have been the more consistent, no defense can af-

ford to overlook Cook’s combination of range and playmaking abilities. His skills were on full display last week in Princeton’s loss to Harvard, as he accumulated 21 points from behind the arc, from the line, and on strong drives.

While Ivy League play started only recently, it is nevertheless incredibly important for the Tigers to keep up their strong start. Last year’s thirdplace finish in the league was made bittersweet by the fact that Tigers had a shot of making the NCAA tournament had their start to Ivy League play been better. If the Tigers want to keep themselves in contention for the league title, getting victories on two winnable games would not hurt.

Sports

Thursday february 5, 2015

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS

Men’s tennis sees success, women’s off to slow start

By Miles Hinson sports editor

Men’s Tennis It’s always nice to start the season off with some solid wins.

The Princeton men’s tennis team had an excellent beginning to the season, defeating both Air Force and the University of Denver teams in its trip out west to Colorado. The Air Force Falcons were clearly no match for the Tigers — Princeton steamrollered its opponents to the tune of 7-0.

The next day, the Tigers came out with the same kind of intensity, making quick work of Denver. The match was expected to be closer than the previous day’s, given that the two teams are rather close in the national rankings (Tigers at no. 61, Denver at no.

63 going into the weekend). Indeed, Denver managed to take an early lead after defeating Princeton in the doubles point. Nevertheless, the Tigers regained control from there on out, winning five of the six singles matches and finishing the day with a score of 5-2. Most impressive was senior Zack McCourt’s straight-sets victory over ranked opponent Henry Craig.

It certainly is promising for the Tigers to open on the road and get two resounding victories. Coach Billy Pate himself remarked how collected the team remained even after falling under pressure. “[They] played a very good team on their home courts with fast conditions and really showed some poise,” Pate said.

With the win, the Tigers move up in ranking from no. 61 to no. 57. They remain home for their next three matches, going up against College of William and Mary, Bucknell University and Furman University this Friday and Saturday.

Women’s Tennis The women’s tennis team has struggled as it opens its season, coming out on bottom in its first four matches.

Making stops in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the cities of Stanford and Moraga in California, the Tigers saw their ranking slip from no. 35 to no.

54 because of their losses. The first two matches were both hard-fought affairs. In the first, against Virginia Tech, Princeton fell behind early by losing the doubles point, and was ultimately unable to catch up, splitting the singles matches 3-3. The following match against Syracuse University saw the opposite problem: the Tigers came out strong in this one, taking the doubles point early on. However, the Syracuse Orange came storming back, putting the Tigers away by winning four straight singles matches.

Given that Virginia Tech and Syracuse were ranked no. 56 and no. 57, respectively, the Tigers’ hit in the rankings comes as no surprise. With these matches behind them, the team travelled out west to face powerhouse Stanford University (ranked no. 8) and Saint Mary’s College of California. The match against Stanford proved as tough as expected, with the Tigers managing See TENNIS page 5

CARLY JACKSON :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The men’s and women’s tennis teams had very different experiences as they made their road trips over Intersession.

MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Women’s ice hockey climbs ECAC rankings, now eyes playoffs

Weekend of Ivy League play in store for cagers

By Miles Hinson

By Miles Hinson

sports editor

sports editor

Fresh off of a homestand against two strong opponents, the Princeton men’s basketball team travels through the state of New York to battle Ivy League foes. They will face the Columbia Lions on Friday, followed by the Cornell Big Red on Saturday.

Both games will prove to be a big test for the Tigers, who have lost all six of their away games this season.

This weekend provides the Tigers (9-10, 2-1 Ivy League) not only the chance to close in on the leaders of the conference but also the opportunity to distance themselves from the rest of the league. The Lions and Big Red are the two teams directly behind Princeton in the league standings (Princeton at no. 3, Columbia and Cornell at no. 4 and 5, respectively).

A road game against Columbia does not appear particularly intimidating; Columbia (10-8, 2-2) is at the moment a mere 1-2 on their home floor. Moreover, they do not appear to have an incredibly balanced offense. Much of their production on that end of the floor comes from junior wing Maodo Lo, who has picked up right where he left off last season and is currently the second leading scorer in the conference. Lo has been the man on both ends of the floor for the Lions, leading the team in points per game (15.9) and steals per game See M. B-BALL page 5

SHANNON MCGUE :: SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Men’s basketball will travel through New York this weekend to take on Columbia and Cornell.

With some excellent performances over Intersession, the women’s ice hockey team moves closer to obtaining home-ice advantage for an ECAC (Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) playoff series.

The Tigers (11-10-2, 9-6-1 ECAC) opened their postfinal exam portion of the season with a 4-2 loss to Boston College (25-0-1). This certainly isn’t that shocking, given that Boston College is the No. 1 ranked team in the country, with Princeton holding the No. 16 spot.

Sophomore forward Morgan Sly and sophomore defenseman Kelsey Koelzer scored Princeton’s two goals in the game.

However, the Tigers fared far better as they faced fellow Ivy League teams Dartmouth (10-10-2, 6-8-2) and Harvard (16-4-2, 12-3-1) over the weekend. The game against the Big Green proved to be a thriller, as the Tigers battled Dartmouth to a 2-2 tie. Princeton certainly did not do itself any favors early on; Dartmouth took an early lead, ending the first period

up 1-0. The lead grew larger from there, as the Big Green managed to convert on a power play about halfway through the second period.

However, the Tigers came roaring back, as senior forward Brianna Leahy got the puck into the net with 4:05 left in the second period.

The game would remain a stalemate until about nine minutes to go in the third period, when junior forward Molly Contini scored to bring the Tigers back even with their opponents. Even after the period concluded and the game went into overtime, the score would remain at 2-2, with Big Green unable to convert on their one opportunity in extra time.

After this exciting match, the Tigers pulled off one of their most impressive wins of the season with a victory over the Crimson, currently ranked No. 5 in the nation, and No. 2 in the ECAC standings. Junior goalie Kimberly Newell had a fantastic performance, stopping all 32 shots she faced. Her shutout is particularly impressive given that the Harvard team has been scoring an averSee W. HOCKEY page 5

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The Daily Princetonian

Thursday February 5, 2014

page s1 PAGES DESIGNED BY LIN KING :: STREET EDITOR

SPRING COURSE PREVIEWS Not all classes are created equal. Some travel the globe, others engage in historical geotagging and still others enter the domain of the TV writer. Only a lucky few get to take these classes, but fear not — you can study vicariously through Street’s Spring Course Previews.

Mapping NYC Modernism: Literature and Art ENG 357 JENNIFER SHYUE

OLIVER SUN

Associate Street Editor

Senior Writer

W

hat are the markers of New York City modernism at the turn of the twentieth century?

What would they look like placed on a map? Part of it could follow the A train on its route through Manhattan. Another part could stretch from Harlem in the bloom of its Renaissance down to the Greenwich Village haunts of artist John Sloan. Maybe some parts of it have yet to be imagined.

In ENG 357/HUM 357/URB 357: Mapping NYC Modernism: Literature and Art, David Ball GS ’07, visiting associate professor of English, guides students through NYC’s literary and artistic history. Students will spend the semester researching art, artists and cultural settings in NYC from 1880 to 1930 and mark points of interest on the class’ shared Google Maps rendering of the city. For their final projects, students will create their own topicspecific walking tours of NYC using some of the 90 Google Maps waypoints the class will have placed on the map by the end of the semester.

In the first meeting of the course on Monday, Ball urged his ten students to approach their study of NYC modernism with perspectives that transcend chronology or standard affiliation.

The class is “not abandoning more conventional notions of literary art history, but thinking about contiguity in a way that puts ideas, figures, cultural sites [and] cultural works into communication with one another in ways that we might not have expected,” Ball said.

The class will take two day trips to New York. The first walking tour, Ball said, will take students to the Lower East Side and the Village. The second will take them to the “institutions of midtown modernism,” such as Harlem and the Museum of Modern Art. ENG 357 is one of five classes being offered through the Princeton-Mellon

CWR 345 VICTORIA SCOTT

Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities this spring. According to its website, the Initiative encourages the creation of interdisciplinary courses that focus on the cities of North and South America and considers questions such as, “How are quantitative and qualitative, text and visual, and other methods, integrated?”

Ball noted that another Mellon grant supports ENG 357, one that is provided to professors who design courses that use the University Art Museum’s collections. The class will have the opportunity to plunge “elbow-deep in the guts of the museum,” Ball said during class. Many of the works being pulled for the class from the Museum’s archives have never been exhibited.

In fact, Ball said, “What [students] write about some of those artworks may be the first thing that’s written

about some of those artworks ever.”

In the latter half of the course, students will choose for themselves research topics that interest them, adding their findings to the growing collection of waypoints on their map.

“It’s asking students to take ownership over the shape of their own intellectual interests. It’s not about what I know — it’s about what they learn,” Ball said. “I have no idea what that map is going to look like at the end of the semester — not a clue, which is fun. I’m going to learn a lot as we go along.”

This semester is the first semester Ball is teaching the course. It may also be the last, as he is finishing up his two years as visiting professor and will be returning to Dickinson College in the fall. For students who are interested, as of this article’s publication, there are still two spots left in the seminar.

COUTESY OF ARTIMAGE.PRINCETON.EDU

Photograph “Midtown” by Andreas Feiniger, owned by the Princeton Art Mseum.

W

ith a firm handshake and a welc o m i n g smile, professor German Labrador Mendez brings comforting warmth to his classroom. A native of Vigo, Spain, Mendez earned a B.A. in Romance Philology and Hispanic Philology from the Universidad de Salamanca, as well as a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from a joint program between Salamanca and Paris’ Sorbonne.

Mendez attributes his interests in academia to both his mother, who was involved with teaching literature, and his university professors, who fueled his love of learning. “The scholar is a permanent student — COUTESY OF WIKIMEDIA.ORG someone who studies all his The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. life. I just love being around books,” he said.

Such an experience is critical to Now, as a professor, Mendez hopes students who hope to understand to provide “the experience of a great Spanish culture, Mendez explained. lesson and the pleasure of a challeng- While on the trip, students will work ing course for [his] own students.” on independent research projects in Having taught in the Department of addition to immersing themselves Spanish and Portuguese Languages in Spanish culture. “To learn a lanand Cultures since 2008, he is excited guage, one must learn a world of valto teach SPA 230: Contemporary Spain ues, ideas and differences through in Context this semester. real interactions with real people,” According to Mendez, SPA 230, a Mendez said. new course, is the natural progres“The addition of SPA 230 is a stratesion from SPA 227: Contemporary Is- gic decision made by the department sues in Spain and/or Latin America. to increase the number of majors and Whereas SPA 227 examined modern certificates,” Mendez explained, addSpanish issues through film and the ing that he is optimistic about the news, SPA 230 will offer students the prospects of the growing Spanish opportunity to directly engage with department. Travel abroad, he said, and experience Spanish culture. Its is a crucial attraction for language 15 students will travel to Madrid and studies because it acquaints students Barcelona over spring break, where with “the complexity of learning a they will meet with notable academ- language, learning a world and underics in the fields of art, history and standing how language is a material politics. from which the world is made.”

The Writer’s Room

Staff Writer

E

Contemporary Spain in Context

SPA 203

ver wanted a glimpse into the writers’ room of a critically acclaimed television series? This spring, Professor Lawrence Konner is teaching “CWR 345: The Writer’s Room: Creating a Dramatic Series for the New Television,” which will offer exactly that. Students will pretend to be members of the writing staff for a television series and produce the framework for the subsequent episodes. The class will focus heavily on the writing process in an effort to create an effective script and show that would captivate viewers. Konner hopes the students will learn crucial writing techniques from this course.

“They [the students] will have a good idea on how real television writers function. In this class we will create [and outline] a series together. Each student

will write one episode, just like in an actual television series,” Konner said.

Students will watch pilot episodes for series such as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and House of Cards, and read works such as The Inner Game of Screenwriting by Sandy Frank. The class discussions will focus on character development and screenwriting.

“I think all the best writing is in television, not in film. In programs such as Netflix and Hulu, these are the only places to explore human condition,” Konner explained. “Instead of focusing on the plot, the focus is on character development.”

Konner has significant expertise in screenwriting. Konner started as a television writer for series such as Little House on the Prairie, Family, Remington Steele, and the HBO Series The Sopranos. Konner was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dramatic Writing. He was also a writer and

co-executive producer for Boardwalk Empire. He moved to movie-writing soon after, contributing to films such as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country and Planet of the Apes (2001).

The course is limited to advanced writing students with prior creative writing experience. Christina Lazaridi, full time screenwriting faculty member in charge of applications, was very excited by the applicant pool for this semester.

“We have been very excited to see the number of applications for all creative writing courses, and for screenwriting courses in particular, rise this year,” Lazaridi said. “This makes the selection process especially difficult.”

This year’s CWR 345 is different from past CWR 345 courses in terms of the selection process. This year, the course was listed as an advanced writing course that required two prerequisite 200 level

COUTESY OF TWOCENTSTV.COM

A still from “Boardwalk Empire,” for which Konner was a writer and co-producer.

courses in creative writing for a student to be eligible to apply. Furthermore, since the purpose of this class is to simulate a television series writing room, a diversity of ideas and backgrounds is necessary.

“We looked for candidates who had a solid creative writing background, and a demonstrated interest for the medium of film and television — an awareness of

the intricacy of the form and a commitment to understanding and exploring its complexity,” Lazaridi explained. Furthermore, the idea was to “curate a mixture of temperaments and backgrounds in the class that would facilitate student collaboration and insight.”

One thing is clear — this semester, instead of watching television, these 10 students will write it.

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday February 5, 2014

page s2

ON THE VOLCANIC PLATEAU

Professor Blair Schoene and the dinosaur extinction EDRIC HUANG Staff Writer

A

rhesus monkey scampered toward them, but Blair Schoene and Kyle Samperton GS ’15 just shooed it away. They were too excited by a 15-centimetertall ash bed containing an uncommonly large amount of zircon, the mineral of interest. Just as they unpacked their pick-axes, they heard a rumbling above them.

An avalanche offset by monkeys isn’t the field experience most geologists expect. After avoiding the landslide, the researchers found a monkey strutting around them while trying to snatch their bags, unaware that the bags contained more rocks than bananas.

Schoene, an Assistant Profes-

sor of Geosciences at the University, was scouring the Deccan Traps, an ancient volcanic region in Western India, for a more precise timeline aligning the extinction of dinosaurs with a massive volcanic event that occurred around the same time of the Chicxulub meteorite impact, which is widely thought to have been the primary cause of the mass extinction of dinosaurs. He published this research as “U-Pb geochronology of the Deccan Traps and relation to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction” in the journal Science last month.

“The K-T boundary is inherently interesting, mostly because of the dinosaurs, but also because it’s the most recent mass

extinction; it serves as a modern analog,” Schoene explained.

“You can also date things much better if they’re younger. With the Deccan Traps, you want to get to a precision of 20 to 30 thousand years.”

Precision is the centerpiece of Schoene’s research. By analyzing ratios of uranium and lead through U-Pb geochronology, he determined that the volcano began its main eruptions roughly 250,000 years before the extinction. For the next 750,000 years, the volcanoes unleashed about 80 to 90 percent of the Deccan Traps’ lava flow.

“You start at the bottom of a pile of rocks and work your way up,” said Schoene, explaining what geochronology is. “It’s

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.ORG

Deccan Traps, India

similar to flipping through a history book, but one of the differences here is that many of the pages are missing. You have to go to look at a bunch of sections of rock to see how these things piece together — to write the history.”

THE SHOENE IDENTITY Geology has become like religion for Schoene. “It relates me to something much larger than myself. It’s humbling to put ourselves in the context of 4.5 billions years,” Schoene said.

Before he attended Colorado College as an undergraduate, however, he was barely aware that geology was a science.

But when Schoene took an Introductory Geology class as a freshman, he was instantly intrigued, especially by granites.

“Studying mass extinction is way sexier than studying granites, but I always find myself gravitating back to granites,” Schoene said. “And I don’t know why, maybe because I climbed on them growing up.”

Through his fieldwork in the American Southwest, his interests ballooned into studying the crust’s formation and evolution, through a technique called geochronology. After college, Schoene received his Ph.D. from MIT in 2006 and conducted his post-doctoral research on the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction at the University of Geneva. He finally joined Princeton in 2009, when he also received funding to create the University’s own geochronology lab, designed as a synthesis of the MIT and Geneva labs’ best elements.

“When I came [to Prince-

ton], there was literally nothing there — the room where the lab currently is was boarded up,” Samperton, a grad student who works with Blair, said. “But Blair said, ‘There’s nothing here now, but in a few years this is going to be the best place to work. If you come here, you can be a part of it.’ That’s when I was sold.”

DECCAN TRAPS AND DINOSAURS To the untrained eye, the Deccan Traps may seem like a ubiquitous mass of black rocks. Yet as Schoene and his team drove through the chaotic melee of India’s roads, they scanned the plateaus for tiny pipe vesicles, or veins in the basalt indicating the presence of zircon.

Zircon is the ideal “time capsule” for U-Ph geochronology, due to its high uranium and low lead content. But seeing as how pipe vesicles were nonexistent at the site, the team had to change their plan on the fly. They drove for days hopping from one section of the Traps to another, scanning passing mountains for ash beds or weathered soil deposits known as red boles. At times, they walked miles along road cuts looking for slivers of turquoise and red.

“It’s tough to stay sharp when it’s this punctuated type of fieldwork. But it’s also really exciting, because the type of features we’re looking for are very small-scale features. You could literally drive by them and miss them. That’s part of the reason why no one has been able to do the kind of analysis we’ve done,” Samperton said.

Finding these rock beds is only the first step; one basket-

ball-sized rock sample from these flows could contain as little as a 50-micrometer long sample of zircon. “Part of the difficult part of the work is that we don’t actually know if we’re successful until we get back here, crush them up, and see if there’s datable material,” Schoene explained.

To further their research, Schoene returned to India last month looking for the crucial zircon. Now back on campus, over 400 hours of analysis with a thermal ionization mass spectrometer awaits Schoene and his research group.

FUTURE RESEARCH There are still much older flows and micro-paleontological evidence needed to explain Earth’s history. Moreover, critics are abundant, sticking with the common meteorite impact theory.

“In the end, I don’t think we’ll know if the extinction would have happened without the meteorite or volcanic eruption, but they both happened, and they’re both potentially really important,” Schoene said. “I don’t think our study diminishes the role of the meteorite impact, but it gives us much more precise information on what may have been the role of the volcanic events.”

As Schoene explained the science behind the Deccan Traps to me, he gesticulated actively, diagramming lava flows with his hands as though they were right before us. His hands moved restlessly, as though he wanted to jump onto another plane and go back to the field in India right then and there.

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The Daily Princetonian

Thursday February 5, 2014

THIS SIDE OF: OUTDOOR ACTION

FIT TIPS: New semester resolutions

KATIE BAUMAN

NICOLE BUNYAN

Street Editor Emerita

Three years ago, I sat on a bu s watch i ng ca rs, ex it sig n s a nd t rees f lash by wh i le my m ind was racing.

I was su re that one of my f rosh h ad forgot ten t hei r boots. Or the tar p. Or maybe a stove. Or cou ld one have forgotten thei r enti re pack? The l ist gre w longer and longer as I remembered each v ita l piece of gear we m ight have been forgotten.

A fter I checked for the th i rd time to make su re the med k it was at my feet, I rea lized that I needed to take a breath. I was one of about 200 leaders t h at vent u re into the great outdoors w ith incom ing fresh men before school beg i n s i n September. P r i nceton’s O utdoor Action program is par t or ientation, par t advent u r ing and par t persona l jou r ne y.

The or ientation and advent u r ing are perhaps the most obv iou s, but it is the persona l jou r ne y that has been the most u nex pected takeaway in my time as an OA leader. Each year, I ex pect to have a d i fferent group of f rosh, d i fferent co-leaders and a d i fferent route, but it is on ly in ref lection that I can rea l ly see mysel f changing over the cou rse of those t r ips as wel l.

“No e x per ience necessar y ” is a coveted t rope in the world of Pr inceton act iv it ies and ex t rac u r r ic ula rs. Though ideolog ica l ly at t ract ive a nd i nclu sive, a more rea l i st ic version m ight read, “No ex per ience necessar y i f you a lso possess prod igiou s nat u ra l ta lent and a ff in it y.” Th is sets a h igh bar and creates an env i ron ment that f lou r ishes w ith ta lent, but it a lso can deter ex ploration into f ield s whose sk i l ls do not come so effor t lessly. O utdoor Act ion depa r ts f rom the Pr inceton nor m in th is respect. If you are w i l l ing to u ndergo t he t ra i n i ng — med ica l, tech n ica l and i nter person a l — t hen you are capable of becom ing an OA leader. The program is desig ned for ex posu re and lea r n i ng ex per iences t h at a re pred icated on t he i nd iv idu a l st r uggl i ng w it h t he appl icat ion of k nowledge. Train ing to be an OA leader isn’t dependent on outside ex per tise but rather

Staff Writer

M

COURTESY OF MARK AKSEN

on choosi ng to ju mp into a ne w env i ron ment, wh i le a l so bei ng t he person respon sible for prov id ing e ver y th i ng needed to t h r ive in that env i ron ment.

The sk i l ls them selves depar t from the nor m of academ ia that I have felt su rrou nded by at P r i nceton.

The k nowledge acqu i red isn’t meant to be appl ied theoretica l ly or in a paper or equation but rather tangibly per for med and u sed in “rea l time” in the “rea l world.” It’s not ju st about memor izing the process of spl inting and then enu merating the steps on a paper but rather g rappl i ng w it h creat i ng t h at spl i nt a nd act u a l ly put t i ng concept s into practice. Du r ing t raining, when you do not abide by t he r u le to move forward on the t rai l e ven after someone is st u ng by a yel low jacket (wh at to do to avoid d ist u rbing a potentia l nest), a swar m of yel low jackets do not then hy pothetica l ly swar m the pack you proceed to accidenta l ly d rop on top of thei r nest. In rea l it y, what the y act ua l ly do is swar m the pack for the nex t f i fteen m inutes as you attempt to retrieve it and f ina l ly resor t to don n ing f u l l rai n gea r (acqu i red f rom you r frosh since you rs is in t he pack u nder at tack) to protect you rsel f as much as possible. Work at Pr inceton can re volve arou nd the theoretica l, and it is refresh ing to grapple w ith sk i l ls that have d i rect and im med iate resu lt s, e ven when t hose

resu lt s a ren’t necessa r i ly want you want.

Be yond t he sk i l l s a nd tech n iques t h at m ake up becom i ng a leader, act ua l ly lead ing is at the core of OA. It wasn’t u nti l th is past year that I rea l ly saw what it meant to be fresh men’s f i rst cont act w it h P r i nceton as an OA leader. O ver the cou rse of th ree years, I cer tain ly saw speci f ic and u n ique person a l it ies, but I a l so saw t he con sistent quest ion s a nd fea rs a nd concer n s t h at s u r rou nd com ing to Pr inceton. A nd in the ret u r n to those u ncer tainties each fa l l, I saw the progression of my ow n nav igation and u nderstandi ng of P r i nceton. Conversat ion s about feel i ng out of place and u ndeser v i ng at P r i nceton g re w f rom places of person a l ex per ience, as d id reassu rances of t he relat ion sh ips a nd fr iend sh ips that wou ld be bu i lt and d ispel the in secu r ities. Discu ssion s about Pr inceton’s socia l l i fe d re w on the f lawed rea l ities but a lso the u n forgettable moments. Lead ing merges the i nd iv idu a l ex per ience and the col lective and has been a fou nd at ion a l P r i nceton ex per ience for me.

My time lead ing has come to a close, but I can on ly hope that nex t year and the year after and on and on, someone w i l l be sitting on that bus, cran ing thei r head to t r iple check boots, and prepa r i ng to emba rk as a leader on thei r f i rst Frosh Tr ip.

ASK THE SEXPERT This week, she discusses the male orgasm.

Dear Sexpert, I am a sexually active homosexual male, and I have never had an orgasm, although I have ejaculated many times. My boyfriend has an orgasm almost every time we have sex, but I never do. He thinks it might be because I am stressed from taking six classes this semester and have trouble winding down. Is there something wrong with me?

— Missing Out on the Big O

Dear Missing Out, Just like the female orgasm, there is a lot we still don’t know about the male orgasm.

However, fortunately for you, there is quite a bit we do know.

The sexual response cycle has four phases: excitement and arousal, plateau, ejaculation and orgasm and resolution. There is a common misconception that orgasm and ejaculation always occur in conjunction during sexual intercourse, but that’s not the case. Many men cannot ejaculate but still orgasm, and some men orgasm several seconds before they begin to ejaculate.

Orgasm is a cerebral or brain response to physical pleasure; ejaculation is the body’s physical response.

Since sexual intercourse is both a physical and psychological experience, it is inf luenced by physical and psychological factors. Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, neurological disorders and hormonal imbalances can all have adverse side effects on your experience of sexual intercourse. Alcohol or drug use can also impact your ability to experience sexual pleasure.

Work-related stress, anxiety about performance (in and out of the bedroom), depression and feelings of guilt can also negatively impact your sexual experience.

As your boyfriend suggested, it is entirely possible that you are stressed out about your coursework, and it’s interfering with your desired sexual experience. Your coursework is important, but so are your health and your relationship.

Allow yourself to take time to de-stress — listen to relaxing music, try some physical exercise or practice deep breathing. It may let you separate your mind from schoolwork so you can enjoy other things.

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Furthermore, if anxiety about being unable to achieve orgasm is consuming your attention, you may find it difficult to stay engaged in the activity. Try “mindful sex.”

Don’t focus on the result, but instead on the sensations, feelings and intensity in the moment.

If you try these tactics and still have difficulty achieving orgasm or maintaining an erection, you may want to seek consultation from a medical professional, like the Sexual Health and Wellness staff at the University Health Services. If your inability to reach orgasm is related to a serious medical condition, you probably want to take care of that with professional help as soon as possible.

— The Sexpert

Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexpert is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with fact-checking from University health professionals, help write these columns.

Email sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com for more information and questions about sexual health.

Don’t be shy!

uch of the population makes New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of each calendar year. However, for us Princetonians, it seems much more suitable to make resolutions after the crazy and unstructured month of January. Let’s face it — the best of habits are not likely to arise during the stressful period of exams and the blissful week of Intersession. However, it is now February, and with this new month comes a new semester. Looking to make some healthy changes before spring break hits? It’s not too late — you’ve still got about six weeks to commit to clean eating, a new workout regime or whatever it may be. Here are some tips!

have some, but if you’re full from more nutrient-dense food, chances are you’ll be much less likely to overdose on fries.

EXERCISE

Pick one thing and stick to it. If getting to the gym is a feat for you, perhaps a weekly schedule isn’t the right way to go. Instead, make a plan to consistently spin x number of times per week, or to do x number of pushups by a certain date. Doing one thing consistently will keep you accountable and at least get you started. And once you’ve started, you may find that was the hardest part and you can keep going

MENTAL HEALTH

As hard as it may be, cut down on multitasking — focus on one thing at a time.

After years of protesting against my dad, claiming that I could do my sixthgrade math homework “just fine” in front of the TV, I must admit that I was wrong.

I have realized that whether it is homework, talking with a friend or exercising, I am incredibly unproductive when I am trying to multitask. Furthermore, I become frustrated, and not only does the task take much too long, I don’t do as good of a job.

Here’s to a new semester and a new start!

FOOD

Focus on the good, not the bad. If you’re set on cleaning up your diet but are trying to switch from a diet which consists mainly of processed food and few vegetables, going cold turkey is not going to work for you. Rather than focusing on cutting out unhealthy foods, focus on eating more healthy foods. Try filling up your plate with vegetables, and then reevaluate just how appealing that plate of French fries looks. It’s totally okay to

BEN KOGER :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday February 5, 2014

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ONE-ACT FESTIVAL: WELL PRODUCED BUT LACKS DEPTH TOP TEN STREET’S

CHITRA MARTI Senior Writer

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ometimes, freshmen seem a bit too keen to tackle coursework, social life and extracurriculars. Fresh off the high of getting into Princeton, they’re plucky and still believe they know how to make this University better. Eventually, University life tempers their enthusiasm, but for that first year, we get to see all the refreshing optimism, the naïveté and the unabashed hope that fills all freshmen.

Thankfully, Theater Intime has taken advantage of that pluckiness in their very enjoyable production, the Freshman One-Act Festival, putting its freshmen in charge of directing, acting and producing four short plays: “The Problem” directed by Jared Hopper ’18, “Insomnia” directed by Abigail Jean-Baptiste ’18, “Enigma Variations” directed by Carolyn Beard ’18 and “The Sandbox” directed by Kyle Berlin ’18.

“Is all this actually nothing with something behind it, or is it something with nothing behind it?” one character

in “Enigma Variations” asks. As far as the play goes, the answer seems to be the latter — a carefully-executed production with little deeper meaning.

The play is built on irrational statements and contradictions, but Beard doesn’t seem to try too hard to make sense of it, instead focusing on the finer details — a smart choice, as cues, motions and dialogue are well-executed, with the doppelgängers moving and speaking in perfect coordination.

But like that one kid in your precept who simply opens his mouth and starts speaking, the play seems to be going nowhere thematically.

“The Sandbox” is another seemingly meaningless story of a family’s trip to the beach, directed by Kyle Berlin ’18.

Though the play itself is intended as a commentary against artificiality, the avoidance of deeper exploration of that theme in favor of charismatic performance is acceptable here, thanks to the earnest performance of Miranda Bolef ’18 as Grandma. Bolef is simultaneously charismatic and committed, elevating

the unconvincingly cartoonish performances of her costars.

Freshman naïveté proves an asset in “The Problem,” which stars Nico Krell ’18 and Hope Kean ’18, which explores themes of class, race and married life. The dialogue runs long and the ending is too brief to fully understand what kind of message Hopper wants to send about the colorlessness of upperclass culture the couple represents, but Krell and Kean approach their roles with an ease and comfort — and the occasional smirk — that belies their ages, with dialogue featuring just enough puns and references to keep the mood light-hearted.

“Insomnia,” starring Alex Vogelsang ’18 and Meagan Raker ’18, features the projection of a mother’s rage onto her daughter, who quite simply won’t let her sleep. The daughter proceeds to transform into a grocery list, a husband, a boss, a mother and a torturer, all agents of stress in

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ‘Freshman One-Act Festival’ Pros: Impressive performances and

dedicated direction.

Cons: Confusing plot in all four

plays.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: CHRISTOPHER FERRI :: ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

the mother’s life. Its tale of sleep deprivation, unsurprisingly, is the most relatable. “Insomnia” comes the closest

Phrases Heard at Eating Clubs This Week

CHRISTOPHER FERRI :: ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

to thematic meaning with Vogelgang’s rants about all her stresses. Though it seems the least vapid of the four plays, it is only by default — sleep deprivation is something everyone at Princeton can easily understand.

Innocent ambition, as brief as it lasts, can still be a beautiful thing.

Though each play seemed to shy away from attempts at deeper meanings or themes, the twenty minutes and brief one-act plays seemed to discourage this in the first place, instead allowing freshman directors and actors to work on the mechanics of putting on a play: the subtle cues and deliberate motions that make up acting.

Besides, these freshmen have plenty of time to explore duality, death, married life and sleep deprivation — for now, they can just enjoy being on stage.

HARRISON BLACKMAN Associate Street Editor

I

be stored in the bowels of Firestone’s secret D Level.

We can only speculate on Princeton’s disaster contingency plan. Surely, Princeton alumnus Jeff Bezos ’86 is on the list, and rock-star faculty Peter Singer and Paul Krugman (for now), but what of the general members of the Princeton family? What can guarantee you “essentiality” in the Princeton Book of Secrets?

2. You must be dedicated to the cause of essentiality.

In the zombie apocalypse film World War Z, Brad Pitt’s family gets safe passage on an aircraft carrier as long as Brad Pitt does whatever it takes to find a way to stop the zombie virus. In the event of a similar apocalypse, Princeton probably has a say in who gets to stay on SS Orange Bubble. Of course, such a privilege demands some degree of service to the Princeton-nation and the service of all nations. And annual giving. Lots and lots of annual giving.

3. “Only Licensed Mini-Snow-Plow Drivers Need Apply” You may be van-certified by the Department of Public Safety. Good for you — but are van drivers that essential? Will you really need to rent a car during the

end times? Probably not. On the contrary, there’s a certification that might make you quite essential during a new Ice Age à la The Day After Tomorrow.

This may seem obvious, but the miniature snow plows that magically clean up the snow (most of the time) are pretty essential. I wouldn’t be surprised if all tenured faculty have taken a 35-hour course on snow plow driving.

4. The Once and Ever WaWa Employees Last November, fictional Dean of Sustenance Lawrence Hoagie might have declared all persons currently or formerly employed by the WaWa Corporation essential to the ongoing life of Princeton, regardless of the WaWa’s location on campus. There might even be a contingency plan to airlift coffee and sandwiches to the convenience store during Snowmageddon. It’s certainly possible. Or else, how can the WaWa remain our lone stable source of sustenance when the University has given up on feeding its students?

In Conclusion: Truth be told, I don’t fit any of these categories. I’m not in the President’s secret book, nor have I ever driven a snow plow.

I guess I’m non-essential. Oh, it’s kind of icy outside? Chances are, Princeton will tell me I won’t need to go to class (during intercession).

KINGSTON SHOE :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

DAILY PRINCETONIAN STAFF

“Hard alcohol bans Dartmouth”

Why [insert eating club]?

Would you rather...

It’s okay if you don’t.

I don’t want to take any more of your time.

Thank you.

Womblings

CAMPUS PICKS CONCERT: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CONCERTS PRESENTS STEFAN JACKIW AND ANNA POLONSKY Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall Thursday, 8 p.m.

Are you familiar with the works of Ravel, Lutoslawski, Saariaho and Franck? If you are, Thursday’s concert featuring violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Anna Polonsky will be right up your alley. If you’re not, it will be the perfect chance to fall into the world of modern classical music and become an infinitely more cultured person overall. Student tickets are currently on sale for only $5, a small price to pay to listen to the works of musical giants.

EVENT: PRINCETON TANGO CLUB BEGINNER SERIES

COMEDY: LOBSTER CLUB PRESENTS: SAY NO TO POT

headlines you didn’t read this week

“According to USG Winter Break Referendum, at least 83 students hate three-week break”

Our bicker is not like other bickers.

Carl A. Fields Center Monday, 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Winter bringing you down? Want to escape the ever-looming stress of second semester? Test your moves with Argentine Tango! Taught by the brilliant Robin Thomas from New York, this Spring Beginner Series is sure to heighten your skills on the dance floor. The series is free for Princeton students, $5 for non-Princeton students and $10 for general admission, and there is no partner required. The lessons will be on every Monday, with Beginners’ Classes at 8:30 p.m. and Guided Practicas at 10:30 p.m, and will continue until March 30. Come learn something new, exciting and undeniably sexy!

HEADLINERS AND HEADSHAKERS “Terrace fills up with early round sign-ins; the future is full”

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Nice to meet you.

Do you have any questions for me?

IN DEFENSE OF “Essential Personnel” n response to last Tuesday’s “blizzard of 2015,” otherwise known as “a huge miscalculation,” Princeton University closed for all “non-essential personnel” while employees designated “essential” remained on duty. The concept of non-essential personnel seems to make sense, as there are certain jobs that must be fulfilled even during emergencies to keep the small city that is the University in operation. However, the “non-essential” terminology raises humbling questions. Who, exactly, is essential to Princeton’s continued existence? The four qualities that follow are essentially essential to being Princeton’s chosen “essential.”

1. Like the President’s “Book of Secrets,” Princeton must have a secret list.

If you have seen Nicholas Cage’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets, then you’ll readily believe the prospect of a secret scrapbook kept by American presidents and stored in the Library of Congress. It must seem no less ridiculous to surmise that President Eisgruber ’83 has a similar database of the most critical Princeton personnel. Obviously, it must

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Hi, my name is...

reet “Blizzard of 2015 makes Nassau St slippery, closes U.”

Class of 1970 Theatre in Whitman College Friday and Saturday, 11 p.m.

Looking for casual laughs during your (hopefully) laid-back syllabus week?

Look no further than the Lobster Improv Comedy Group’s spring show!

Though you might cluck your tongue in (dis?)-approval at the name, don’t worry — there will be plenty to earn a good chuckle. And the best part? It’s only $3! Even those absolutely laden with overpriced textbooks and even more overpriced Pequods should be able to shell out a trio of Washingtons for this great opportunity for a night of laughter.

DANCE: SYMPOH PRESENTS FLOOR DISPLAY 3 Wilson Black Box Theater Saturday, 6 p.m.

“7-ELEVEN PROPOSED FOR NASSAU STREET, WAR FOR WAWA SUCCESSION BEGINS”

“1,000 students sign up for Wintersession, attendance still lower than first week lectures”

This Saturday, come out to Wilson Black Box Theater to witness the third installment of Sympoh Urban Dance Crew’s Floor Display. This energetic competition will feature 2v2 breaking and 1v1 house dance tournaments as participants compete for $400 and $100 cash prizes, respectively. DJs Foxx Boogie and tENr will also be amping up the music on site to ensure that music and dance lovers alike will be guaranteed a good time. Admission is free for Princeton students and costs just $10 for the general public — don’t miss out!