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Thursday february 8, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 4
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } U . A F FA I R S
Eisgruber to discuss annual letter at town hall meeting By Rose Gilbert senior writer
Next Monday, President Eisgruber will hold this year’s annual Town Hall meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community. The meeting will be based on President Eisgruber’s second annual President’s Letter to the community, a tradition the President began last February. The annual letter provides the University community with a regular update on how the University has changed over the course of the year, and it includes goals set for the future. In this year’s letter, President Eisgruber began by listing the recent series of “festive ribbon-cuttings” for three new facilities on campus. He then discussed pressing issues that will directly impact the University community. These issues include Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, higher education reform, and increasing political tension on campus and across the
nation, and they will likely dominate discussion in next week’s meeting. Eisgruber said that the University and allies fought aspects of the tax bill, signed into law late last December, which places a new 1.4 percent tax on the University’s net investment income. Eisgruber noted that unfortunately, some of the most damaging parts of the bill would have changed parts of the University’s tax-exempt status and taxed graduate student’s tuition waivers, making graduate student education completely unaffordable for most students. Eisgruber also noted the polarized political opinions on higher education that accompanied the tax bill, as well as the debate over trade-offs between free speech and inclusivity that has been rocking campuses across the nation. While discussing inclusivity, the President also detailed the steps he and the University have taken to advocate for DACA students over the past year, includSee EISGRUBER page 1
S T U D E N T A F FA I R S
S T U D E N T A F FA I R S
KEVIN MCELWEE :: DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Residency of University students from the current four classes (left) and residency of University graduates from the class of 2012 (right). International data not reflected. Source: Princeton TigerNet, Princeton Residential College Facebook.
Numbers show that U. students tend to move to cities post-graduation By Kevin McElwee contributor
For seniors who may be stressed about where they’ll end up after their time at the University, know that if the Class of 2018 is anything like the Class of 2012, it’s very likely that recent graduates will call New York or California home. Each year, the University enrolls around five or six students from Kansas, four or five from Kentucky, and three or four from Idaho. However, five years after graduation, no one from the Class of 2012 has returned to any of those states. Nearly a quarter of the Class of 2012 is living in New York City. The University can be a ticket out of small towns, especially for those from the South and Midwest. The decision to leave home is easier for some more than others. “Zero. No. Zilch. Not a chance,” said Rachel Macaulay ’19 when asked
what kind of jobs would be available to her in her hometown of Cloquet, Minn. Macaulay is an enthusiastic and friendly chemistry concentrator, but when asked her thoughts on returning to Minnesota, she turns grim. “Especially being a chemistry major, there’s no opportunity for me there,” Macaulay said. Cloquet has a median household income of $45,000, 16 percent lower than the national median. Macaulay explained that, other than the local hospital and some law jobs, Walmart would be the next best option for her. She added that even if she could find a worthwhile opportunity in Cloquet, there’d be little else to keep herself occupied. “There’s not much to do. There was a bowling alley, but that closed down,” Macaulay said. What makes her town unique? Frank Lloyd
Wright, a prominent U.S. architect of the 20th century, designed one of the town’s gas stations. She’s not interested in returning to Minnesota either. “I guess in the Twin Cities [of Minneapolis and St. Paul] there’s some things, but I just don’t really see myself going back,” she said. Comparing the origins of the current four classes to where the Class of 2012 now resides reveals a pull toward the coasts, especially to New York and California. Even magnets like Texas and Florida do not regain the number of students they send to the University. In fact, the only states that don’t lose any Princetonians are New York, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. What may be less surprising, however, is the University’s keen ability to pull from rural and suburban areas and place See MIGRATION page 5
ON CAMPUS
Lewis Center reading series features acclaimed writers Alaa Al Aswany and Linda Gregerson Sam Arnesen ‘20 debates in the final round at the World Universities Debating Championships.
U. students place at world debating championship By Audrey Spensley news editor
Sinan Ozbay ’19 and Sam Arnesen ’20 were named runners-up at the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC), held in Mexico City, Mexico, from Dec. 27, 2017, to Jan. 4, 2018. In a tournament featuring over 300 teams from roughly 90 countries, the pair surpassed predicted frontrunners such as Yale University, Oxford University, and Tel Aviv University to secure the secondplace title and advance further than any prior University team.
The record was previously held by Ted Cruz ’92 and David Panton ’92, who reached the semifinals of the World Championships in 1995. “When we got to semifinals, that was far enough that we didn’t feel the pressure anymore,” said Ozbay, who also serves as president of Princeton Debate Panel. “That didn’t mean we weren’t nervous between rounds, waiting for decisions.” Ozbay is a contributing columnist for the Daily Princetonian. Unlike typical debate tournaments, which are See WUDC page 2
By Nick Shashkini contributor
Acclaimed Egyptian novelist and activist Alaa Al Aswany and American poet Linda Gregerson read selections from their work on Feb. 7 as part of the 2017-2018 Althea Ward Clark W’21 Reading Series sponsored by the Program in Creative Writing. Aswany was introduced by Professor of Creative Writing Jhumpa Lahiri, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Gregerson was introduced by Lecturer in Creative Writing Monica Youn ‘93. Aswany began the reading with a translated excerpt from his 2002 novel The Yacoubian Building. Most of the text focused on Zaki Bey el Dessouki, an elderly and welleducated man as well as a self-declared expert in pursuing women. The book has been translated into 22 languages. It was the best-selling Arabic novel from 2002 to 2003 and was adapted into the highest-grossing Egyp-
tian film of all time. Gregerson read several poems including “Sleeping Bear.” After the reading, Gregerson remarked that she enjoyed coming to the University, noting that it has “greatly changed” since her last visit. “I come every once in a while, but I also lived here one year while I was at the Institute for Advanced Study,” she said in an interview at the event. She had good things to say about the new Lewis Center Complex, calling it “spectacular” and “really handsome.” The reading was wellattended by both University students and outside guests. “I think the contrast between his novel and her poems was interesting”, said Pam McGowen ‘20, who was encouraged to attend this event by the Program in Creative Writing. “They both dealt with different topics, and it was great to compare them to each other, and I appreciated
In Opinion
Today on Campus
Contributing columnist Dora Zhao highlights ways to break cultural norms related to sex and Guest Contributor Kyle Berlin closely examines the inherent flaws with the Bicker process. PAGE 6
4:30 p.m.: Cornell professor Rebecca Harris-Warrick presents “The End Is My Beginning — Or Not: A Talk on the Aesthetic and Ideological Implications of Music and Choreography in Opera During the Ancien Régime” in Woolworth 102.
both.” “I’m writing my senior thesis on disappearance in Patagonia, and I admire the way [Gregerson] describes nature and humans and the way they interact,” said Kyle Berlin ‘18. “I found her writing and delivery quite beautiful. I come to a lot of readings, and I really admired the content and was also impressed by the turnout tonight.” After the event, everyone was invited for food and an opportunity to talk with the invitees and have their book copies signed. As with this event, all future readings will be free and open to the public. The next reading in the Althea Ward Clark W’21 Reading Series will feature Osama Alomar and Luc Sante on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lewis Arts Complex.
WEATHER
AUDREY SPENSLEY :: DAILY PRINCETONIAN
HIGH
33˚
LOW
20˚
Sunny but cold. chance of rain:
0 percent