The Daily Princetonian: April 28, 2023

After troubled decade, a changed process for students seeking mental health leaves

tional distress,” the complaint read.

Content Warning: The following article includes mention of suicide. University Counseling services are available at 609-258-3141, and the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988 or +1 (800) 273TALK (8255). A Crisis Text Line is also available in the United States; text HOME to 741741. Students can contact residential college staff and the Office of Religious Life for other support and resources.

In December 2014, a student at Princeton filed a lawsuit against the University and seven administrators, alleging that they discriminated against him when they reacted to a suicide attempt in his dorm room two years prior.

In the lawsuit, the student, who identifies using the pseudonym “W.P.,” alleged that had he not ‘voluntarily’ withdrawn from the University, he would be involuntarily withdrawn in approximately three weeks for failing to attend the classes from which he had been banned. The student ultimately left Princeton for two semesters.

“Princeton knew, or should have known, that this was against W.P.’s best interests and was likely to exacerbate his condition and cause him great emo-

The lawsuit prompted a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation. Other students also expressed issues obtaining a mental health leave, and the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) spoke with administrators to make the process more transparent.

An overview of the past decade of mental health-related leave of absences at Princeton shows that the process has rapidly changed over time. The mid-2010s saw high-profile negative experiences with the University’s mental health services, but students today report that obtaining a mental health leave is “a very smooth process.” The Daily Princetonian spoke with two students who took a mental health leave of absence on their experiences obtaining a leave, how they got reinstated, and their concerns with how Princeton handles the process.

Mental health leaves are again relevant with Yale having had a major recent controversy. In December 2022, Yale University was sued for discriminating against students for mental health disabilities. The plaintiffs, including mental health advocacy group “Elis for Rachael” and two current students, alleged that the University dis-

criminates against students with mental health disabilities through unfair practices and policies, especially surrounding withdrawal and reinstatement. Yale and the plaintiffs later negotiated a settlement.

Henry Erdman ’24 and Justin Chae ’24 both took leaves for a year. Chae withdrew before the start of the spring semester and moved out during winter break. Erdman withdrew before the ninth week of the semester, the last week that students can take a leave from the University without taking “Ws,” or withdrawals, on their transcript.

“I think for me, there are certain feelings, like guilt. I felt like I was sort of giving up by taking a gap year but I think at the time, that’s what I really needed to do,” Chae said.

Princeton’s history handling mental health leave of absences

Though the process to obtain a mental health-related leave of absence was relatively easy in Chae and Erdman’s experience, in the past, students have had issues with the process.

The 2014 lawsuit said that, as a result of the forced withdrawal, W.P. “will always be afraid that seeking the help of mental

Firestorm erupts at Princeton High School over principal’s unexplained removal

By Charlie Roth & Annie Rupertus

Upwards of 75 students walked out of afternoon classes and joined parents to gather in front of Princeton High School at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 21. They chanted slogans like “We want Chmiel!” and cheered for cars that honked as they drove by. The group was protesting the recent removal of principal Frank Chmiel ’98. His replacement marks the fifth principal

NEWS

Peer reps, explained by

in the last four years.

Chmiel’s termination was announced in indirect terms in a message sent to the high school community on March 17. In the message, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol Kelley and the Princeton Public Schools Board wrote that PHS’s assistant principals have “jointly assumed the responsibilities of the principal ... on a temporary basis.”

Chmiel was not identified by name in the message. Additionally, no explanation for his firing was provided. For the school commu-

nity, the past month has been marked by turmoil as interests of parents, students, and administration collide. As legal constraints complicate the school board’s ability to share information about the termination, some students feel their concerns are being ignored.

According to Shira Kutin, a senior at PHS, the email was sent the evening of “Asian Fest,” one of the schools “biggest events” of the year. Chmiel was expected to participate. She reported that she and other students were “shocked”

The PROSPECT

The Princeton University Orchestra sweeps the stage with powerful performance

The Princeton University Orchestra (PUO) took the stage at Richardson Auditorium on April 22 and 23 for a stunning performance. The auditorium was full of Princeton students, locals, and visitors as the musicians warmed up, tuned instruments, fiddled with sheet music, and rearranged chairs. With the dim of the lights, the audience was swept away by a transformative, 2.5-hour performance by PUO.

The performances of the weekend were showcased at the Stuart B. Mindlin Memorial Concerts and conducted by Michael Pratt, the official conductor of the PUO and director of the Certificate Program in Music Performance.

The program was divided into three pieces, the first of which was Felix Mendelssohn’s “The Hebrides” Op. 26, led by student conductor Yuqi Liang ’23. “The Hebrides” began with emotive, dramatic notes, and the power of the orchestra performing together was apparent. The brasses, strings, and percussion complemented each other

and produced an evocative complexity of sounds that fully immersed the audience in the piece. Liang deftly conducted throughout “The Hebrides” with thoughtful, controlled movements, and he received several rounds of enthusiastic applause for his work afterward. After a few moments of rearranging the stage for the next piece, Pratt resumed his role onstage for Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano Op. 56 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The second piece, composed of three movements, heavily featured the work of soloists: Myles McKnight ’23 on violin, Robin Park ’23 on cello, and Kimberly Shen ’24 on piano. The Beethoven piece highlighted what I find to be both so beautiful and difficult about classical music, as the soloists struck a balance of sound between precision and emotion. McKnight, for example, swayed to the music, producing both careful and evocative sounds. Park’s connection to his instrument showed in his deep concentration and precise notes. Shen played fully and emotively, and the

Eight takeaways from the 2023 senior survey

Last year, The Daily Princetonian launched the Senior Survey, asking a range of questions of the senior class and breaking it down in over 200 ways. Today, the ‘Prince’ released its second senior survey. Here are eight takeaways from the data collected about the class of 2023.

The average GPA of survey respondents was markedly higher than Princeton’s last report, in 2018.

The average GPA of Princeton students was 3.49 in 2018, the last time the University reported the

DATA

The Class

OPINION

Make

The University retired its policy of grade deflation in 2013, and since then, the average GPA has crept higher. Just over a fifth students surveyed had received one A+ during their time at Princeton, while 48.6% had never received one. About 5 percent of students had received six or more A+s. Administrators are worried about a trend of grade inflation — Dean Jill Dolan raised the issue to the USG Senate in November 2021, and recently, Eisgruber has stressed the importance of “academic rigor.” DATA

INSIDE THE PAPER

The

PROSPECT

statistic. The survey found an average GPA of 3.70 among respondents.

By Lia Opperman Associate News Editor

ANGEL KUO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

By Laura Robertson Seniior News Writer

By Isabella Dail Associate Prospect Editor

HS Student:

“He would come into clubs, he would stop by during lunch.”

WALKOUT

Continued from page 1

by the email.

“It felt like it came out of nowhere,” she told The Daily Princetonian.

Why was Chmiel removed?

“We don’t really know,” said parent Elizabeth Semrod, who was present at the start of the walkout. “He’s really loved and adored by the students,” she said. “I don’t know one parent or one student that’s not behind him.”

Kutin recalled Chmiel’s presence “in between classes in the hallway saying hi to everyone.”

“He would come into clubs, he would stop by during lunch,” she said. “And it really didn’t take too much time out of his day, but we all knew him and saw him all the time.”

“He just kind of lightened the mood whenever we did see him. He was very friendly to everyone … I don’t know a single person that didn’t like him,” Kutin continued. “He was the sense of stability and friendliness that we all needed.”

“One person even quoted Batman, and said that he’s not the principal we deserve but the principal we need,” Henry Cammerzell ’25, who went to Princeton High School, told the ‘Prince.’

In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ President of the Princeton Board of Education Dafna Kendal said that “unless Mr. Chmiel waives his right to privacy in writing,” the board’s hands are tied, legally, as far as disclosing any more details about the removal.

Kelley confirmed in an email to the ‘Prince’ that state law prohibits the board from sharing more.

“The board is extremely frustrated that we can’t say more,” Kendal said, adding that she thinks the protest “was a good display of democracy.”

So far, Chmiel has not waived his right to privacy. Nor has he filed plans for an appeal or a Donaldson hearing — an informal appearance before the school board. Chmiel’s lawyers have not responded to multiple requests for comment from the ‘Prince.’

Parents, students, and administrators clash

Parents and students had previously protested on March 20 at PHS and on April 16 in Hinds Plaza, gathering under a banner that read, “Save Princeton High School! Reinstate Principal Chmiel!”

“The board has continued to just ignore this reaction by the students,” said Elif Cam, a ninth grader at the walkout. “It was like they didn’t even care. And the board is supposed to represent our interests, the students and the community of Princeton High School.”

Students also spoke up in support of Chmiel at the March 28 Board of Education meeting. A number of student petitions have circulated, garnering thousands of signatures in support of Chmiel. Another, whose author does not identify herself as a PHS student, calls for Kelley’s resignation as superintendent.

Friday’s rally was organized by a group of sophomores via an Instagram account called @ chmiels_the_real_deal, according to PHS sophomore McConnell Sundgren. “Chmiel deserves justice and recognition for his love at PHS and unfair termination,” reads a post advertising the walkout.

Students gathered at the school in support of Chmiel before marching to the district building.

Some students also voiced criticism of Kelley, chanting, “Get Kelley out!”

Soon after the protestors arrived at the district building, they sent a delegate to knock on the door and request a meeting. Seven students were sent in to speak with Kelley — the meeting lasted almost an hour and a half, according to Princeton Public Schools Public Information Officer Elizabeth Collier, who was present.

Sundgren, who was also at the meeting, noted that it mostly involved students expressing their support for Chmiel, as well as concerns around transparency and student involvement in the Board of Education.

On the subject of the meeting, Kelley wrote in an email to the ‘Prince’ that she “understand[s] and empathize[s] with the stu-

dents’ feelings,” adding, “whenever a student’s voice is heard, it’s productive.”

Kendal told the ‘Prince’ that her impression based on conversations with administrators present at the meeting was that it was “a good first step.” Not all of the students agreed.

“We came to the Superintendent with real concerns and questions that required real transparency,” sophomore Alexis Colvin wrote in a message to the ‘Prince.’ “What we were placated with was a platter of sandwiches, the district’s therapy dog, compliments on our looks, and admonition to reach out to our school counselors.”

“Our questions were dismissed and there was some aggressive intimidation,” Colvin said. “We wanted to make clear that if the board honored our request to reinstate Principal Chmiel, it would be seen as a point of strength for recognizing a poor decision.”

One student reported being followed back to school and questioned by a member of the district’s staff after the meeting.

“The individual made a point to apologize for Kelley’s aggressive behavior towards me during the meeting,” the student said, adding, “the interaction made me feel uncomfortable, intimidated, and concerned about the ramifications of the conversation.”

A pattern of administrative turnover

Colvin reported that students asked Kelley to confirm whether she “had fired 14 principals at her last place of employment.”

“She told us that she couldn’t recall,” Colvin said.

Semrod raised similar concerns about Kelley in an interview with the ‘Prince.’

“Our superintendent has a pretty heavy record,” she said. “She’s kind of known for coming in and firing people.”

Kelley began at Princeton Public Schools in July 2021. Previously, she served as superintendent of Oak Park Elementary District 97 in Oak Park, Ill. from 2015–2021, and before that, she served as Superintendent of Branchburg Township School District in Branchburg, N.J. from 2012–2015.

Amanda Siegfried, the Senior Director of Communications for Oak Park Elementary District 97, told the ‘Prince’ that “no principals were fired during Dr. Kelley’s tenure as superintendent.”

Representatives from the Branchburg Township School District did not respond to a request for comment.

When asked about rumors about her record dismissing administrators, Kelley replied, “Any staffing recommendations have been made with input from multiple leadership sources.”

Frequent administrative turnovers at PHS have caused difficulties for students in the past few years.

“There’s no consistent message in what the school is going for, if you’re swapping people in and out all the time,” Cammerzell told the ‘Prince.’ “Ever since I graduated Middle School, there’s been a sense of turmoil within Princeton public schools.”

Some community members have remained supportive of Kelley. Princeton Parents for Black Children (PPBC), a group that advocates for Black students in Princeton public schools, issued an email statement on March 28 in support of Kelley and opposing “attacks against Black women [in] leadership.”

The statement affirmed a trust in Kelley and the board “in its recent personnel decisions regarding Princeton High School,” adding, “We also condemn and share our disappointment in efforts by a small, but vocal, group of parents to use

these decisions as a pretext to mount a vicious and disrespectful misinformation campaign against Dr. Carol Kelley and other Black women leaders in the district.”

The PPBC Executive Board situated the discourse in a national context, writing, “Attacks against educators and education are taking place around the country. From banning books, to eliminating Black History from curriculum, to discrimination against LGBTQ students, to physical attacks and threats against Board of Education members, this country is confronted with a crisis that is being led by people with a specific political agenda. It has become a national movement and, [noticeably], outsiders have joined the few locals to target Princeton.”

An abridged version of the statement was published as a letter to the editor in Town Topics on March 29. It remains unclear whether Chmiel will be reinstated and whether the board will be able to disclose more details around his removal.

“I’m waiting for a legal action,” Cam told the ‘Prince.’ “I’m excited to see what Chmiel and his lawyers have in store for us.” Charlie Roth is a head Data editor and staff news writer for the ‘Prince,’ focusing on local politics coverage.

Annie Rupertus is an associate News editor for the ‘Prince.’ Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Nearly 62 percent of students view Honor Code strongly or somewhat unfavorably

Continued from page 1

A significant share of students who look for mental health counseling do so offcampus.

Only 35.4 percent of students report that they’ve never had mental health counseling, while over half of respondents stated that they’d been to counseling with CPS. Since September, CPS has made significant changes to its program, including implementing a 24/7 CPS Cares Line. However, a majority of students who said that they had therapy reported that they had been to therapy outside of CPS. While some of these students may be reporting therapy they have had either before Princeton or during COVID, this may also be related to complaints that CPS has long wait times or inadequate therapy.

Students in eating clubs and co-ops are more likely to have strongly unfavorable views of the dining pilot than independent students.

Over thirty percent of students in eating clubs said they had strongly unfavorable views of the University’s dining pilot, while 28.6 percent of co-op members said the same. By contrast, only 11.5 percent of independent students viewed the dining pilot strongly unfavorably.

The dining pilot, if fully implemented, would vastly expand independent students’ options, which some students report are hindered by transport options and local expenses. Eating Clubs and co-ops have pushed back against the dining pilot, but according to a recent investigation by the ‘Prince,’ most dining pilot swipes are used for late meal and at dining halls.

International students were more likely to take out small loans than their peers, but no overall difference in loans.

Though 87.5 percent of international and 88.4 percent of domestic students reported graduating without having taken out loans, international students were significantly more likely to take out loans that amounted to less than $5,000.

As highlighted in a guest contribution by Gil Joseph ’25 and Mutemwa Masheke ’23, some international students have previously reported taking out loans to cover a 14 percent tax that the Internal Revenue Service applies on international students’ scholarship amounts that exceed the cost of tuition.

Students on partial financial aid were significantly more likely to take out loans than students on full aid or no aid. The University is substantially increasing its financial aid, starting next year.

For the second year in a row,

Colonial Club had the highest expected income after graduation. Cannon Club had the lowest.

Last year, Colonial swept away its eating club peers in expected income after graduation, with an average expected income $172,100. This year, the club’s expected income is lower, but it is still the highest of all the eating clubs, at $157,200. Cannon had the lowest, at $60,900.

The survey also shows that Colonial is the only club where a majority of members are pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree – a factor correlated to income after graduation.

The few students going into entrepreneurship, government, non-profit work, and the military felt confident that they were living up to Princeton’s informal motto.

In each of these fields, 100 percent of respondents said that they viewed their postgraduate plans as being “in the nation’s service and in the service of humanity.” Yet together, only 8.4 percent of seniors were going into these fields.

Over a quarter of total respondents had lower confidence of living up to the motto. This included students choosing more popular career fields: only 32.6 percent of prospective consultants (8.3 percent of respondents), 14.5 percent of those going into finance (9.9

percent of respondents), and 34.9 percent of software engineers (7.7 percent of respondents), felt the same. In a recent interview with the ‘Prince,’ University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 said that students in all disciplines should be concerned about service, saying that “if you’re a software engineer, and you’re producing outstanding code, you should also be thinking about what that code means for the world. How is it affecting people?”

Despite overhauls to the Honor Code, it remains unpopular, unfollowed and most students don’t believe it has improved.

The Honor Code is deeply unpopular, with 61.9 percent of students viewing it strongly or somewhat unfavorably. Moreover, over a quarter of students surveyed reported violating the Honor Code during their time at Princeton.

Only 6 percent of respondents said that the Honor Code had been improved during their time at Princeton. Indeed, the last major changes to the Honor Code were implemented in February of 2019 (months before the Class of 2023 arrived on campus), when the University increased the range of penalties — including adding a reprimand for minor first offenses — and eliminating character witnesses from disciplinary hearings.

The last major reform related to the Honor Code came in Nov. 2022, when Princeton Peer Representatives were made a resource to students facing accusations through the Committee on Discipline.

Conservatives on campus report feeling very uncomfortable sharing their political views.

64.3 percent of very conservative students and 55.2 percent of somewhat conservative students feel somewhat or very uncomfortable sharing their political views on campus, compared to 3.2 percent of leftists and socialists.

Prominent campus conservatives have expressed this same opinion in the pages of national media outlets, including the National Review and, recently, The New York Times.

The survey also revealed that major campus issues were deeply politically polarized – while leftists and socialists overwhelmingly voted in favor of disassociating from Caterpillar in a 2021 referendum, the vote was about even among very liberal students, and in favor of no for all other identifiers. Eisgruber was also significantly more popular among conservatives than liberals or leftists.

Laura Robertson is a senior News writer and associate Audience editor for the ‘Prince.’

Annie Rupertus / Daily Princetonian Students walked out of afternoon classes on Friday, April 21.

Chae: “I decided I need some time away to figure out, like, what’s even overwhelming me?”

Continued from page 1

health professionals in a time of distress may lead to disaster.”

According to Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), requiring a student to take a leave of absence is “exceedingly rare” and such a situation only occurred “fewer than five times in the past ten years.”

The year before, another student wrote an anonymous oped in the ‘Prince’ describing her experience with the University’s mental health process. She wrote about the series of events leading up to voluntary withdrawal as a “cookiecutter ... [one] that seems to be very rigid and inflexible,” one that made her feel violated and ostracized.

In December 2014, members of the USG’s Mental Health Initiative Board met with Senior Associate Dean of the College Claire Fowler to explore the possibility of publishing the official policies for mental health withdrawals and readmissions in the Undergraduate Announcement, something that they now do.

Fowler suggested that the Mental Health Initiative Board work with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) to revise the current FAQs on mental health withdrawals and readmissions and have that recognized as the University’s official protocol.

The conference came after 95.5 percent of voters approved of a referendum question calling for greater transparency in mental health withdrawal and readmission policies.

Two years later, in December 2016, the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded its review of the University’s Americans with Disabilities Act policies.

The DOJ did not find any instances of non-compliance. However, the University and the DOJ reached an agreement that detailed steps that the University must take to strengthen its policies, practices, and training to benefit all current and future students with disabilities.

At the time, the University said it “will clarify some information regarding policies and practices for reasonable accommodations and student leaves of absence.”

How students obtain a mental health related leave

According to a document from CPS from December 2018, approximately 150 – 180 undergraduates take a leave of absence in the course of an academic year, with approximately 30 –40 students for self-described mental health reasons.

“In almost all cases, it is the student who initiates the leave of absence,” the document reads. There are around three to five cases a year where the University will encourage a student who had not initially considered time away to consider doing so to “address the issues affecting their safety and/or well-being.”

The document also explained how most students who encounter mental health issues at the University remain enrolled.

Chae explained that he hadn’t initially considered his leave a “mental health leave” and decided to take time off for an “overwhelming number of factors,” including to figure out what his goals were to “resituate academically.”

“I decided I need some time away to figure out, like, what’s even overwhelming me?” he said.

According to CPS, a leave of absence is typically initiated for one of two reasons: the student believes that their treatment requires more attention than is possible while also being a fulltime student, or the student has been unable to concentrate on their academic work and hopes to avoid a negative effect in their coursework.

Chae visited a University website for students consider-

ing taking a leave and then had a conversation with his residential college dean to put a specific plan in place, which is the first step in the leave process.

“I might have emailed [my dean] on a Friday, and we met on that Monday,” he said. “We basically had a quick Zoom meeting talking about how we are feeling and what’s going on and I didn’t really get any sort of resistance.”

“Throughout the whole process, she was pretty supportive,” he added.

Sometimes the Director of Student Life (DSL) or dean may request or require an exit consultation with CPS before students leave campus to understand the student’s experience on campus or provide treatment recommendations that the student can pursue while away from the University.

In order to allow disclosure of limited information from the exit consultation from CPS to the DSL or dean, the student is required to sign an authorization, permitting CPS to share with the DSL or the dean the student’s risk assessment and recommendations for treatment.

After the meeting with the dean and if necessary, a consultation with CPS, students planning on taking a leave need to sign a few documents.

“It was a lot easier than expected,” Chae said.

Considering Erdman decided to take a leave during the middle of the semester, once he pressed a button confirming his leave, he had to move out.

“Once you press the button, you have 72 hours to leave,” Erdman said.

Getting reinstated by the University

Chae and Erdman both reported that during their time off, they didn’t receive any “check-ins” or resources from the University, besides information about the reinstatement process a few weeks before they were slated to return to Princeton.

The semester before the student’s return, the residential college dean communicates what is required for reinstatement, provides the timetable for submitting forms, information about financial aid, and rooming preferences, and directs the student to the reinstatement application.

After taking time off, Erdman filled out a form to be reinstated by the University, which he explained had “conflicting deadlines” and made course selection “stressful.”

He claimed that due to the time this process took place for him, it interfered with his course selection.

“I had a friend who took an academic leave of absence. He said that he was able to do course selection at a normal time,” he said.

According to a letter obtained by the ‘Prince,’ in order to be reinstated by the University, Erdman had to schedule an appointment with CPS between four and six weeks before the beginning of his intended return.

“A goal of your treatment should be the development of an increased ability to handle both the academic and psychological stresses that regularly arise during a semester here,” the letter read.

In some circumstances, students have to meet with a CPS counselor as part of the reinstatement process. According to CPS, the consultation confirms that the student is not at risk of self-harm or harm to others, and the meeting provides an opportunity for the CPS clinician to discuss the progress the student has made following their leave. Sometimes, the meetings are used to help with ongoing support when the student returns to campus.

Though Chae did not express issues with course selection, considering he first took time

off in the spring semester and came back the following spring, he could not participate in room draw. He was placed in a random room when he returned.

According to University guidelines, the University expects that “all students will be reinstated.”

Participation in extracurriculars

Erdman was previously the drum major and the president of the Princeton University Band. He explained that during the fall semester, he traveled from his home in Maryland to play with the band at football games. According to him, about three weeks later, a member of ODUS who knew that he was on a leave recognized him and told the band that he could not play anymore. Erdman also claimed that he was not allowed to follow the band “as a fan” on their march around the stadium before football games either.

Erdman said that in the contract he signed when he first took a leave, it mentioned that students could not be a part of ODUS-affiliated clubs during their time off, but he explained that it was “buried” and that “it wasn’t something that [he] was aware of,” until after ODUS told him he could no longer participate.

“I did dig through and find that [in the contract], but it was hard,” he said.

Chae remained president of the Korean Students Association at Princeton during his time off and helped out with events from home.

“I remember that I was still

like, taking on a lot of the responsibilities like figuring out catered food and stuff like that, even though I was like 1000s of miles away in Texas,” he said.

He mentioned that although he didn’t have an experience like Erdman, he knew a friend who was a senior who took a leave who wanted to participate in their senior show for a performance group, but wasn’t allowed to by ODUS.

Room for improvement

Erdman also said that he wishes the University provided more resources to students before deciding on a mental health leave of absence.

“There are ways to step in before [taking a leave] that I feel weren’t really accessible,” Erdman said.

He explained how during his leave, he was a part of an intensive outpatient program (IOP). Though Erdman described his IOP as “intense,” he said that “a lot of IOPs are designed for people to work and then go [to the program] in the evening.”

Princeton University does not offer an IOP nor resources to obtain one on the CPS website. On the other hand, Rutgers University does offer an IOP through a four-week, 12-session structured program for adults ages 18 and older “with a focus on utilizing DBT [(dialectical behavior therapy)] skills to manage and relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression.” Participants of the program attend three three-hour sessions a week. The program offers group sessions facilitated by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker as well as

individual and family therapy and medication management appointments with a Licensed Medical Provider.

Chae explained that having to take a year off instead of having the option to take a semester off from Princeton made his choice “a much bigger decision.”

“If you can’t take a semester, then you kind of go all into this gap year or not at all,” he said.

Students with advanced standing eligibility who plan on taking the option of one semester of advanced standing can apply for a one-semester leave of absence. Students who have completed at least one year of study and have joined an academic department may also petition to take a one-semester leave if they “can demonstrate that returning out of the normal sequence would not unreasonably impact their regular progress to degree.”

Chae reflected on his time off and mentioned how choosing to take a gap year was the right choice for him.

He said that although he believes that may be a privileged thing to say, as he had resources available and a supportive home environment, he thinks that “you should be the priority” when it comes to deciding to take a leave or not.

“I gained a lot of great skills that I wouldn’t have had time to develop while here on campus,” Chae said. “My advice would be if you feel like you need it, you can take it and then the rest can be figured out later.”

Lia Opperman is an associate News editor for the ‘Prince.’

TigerHub crashes for Class of 2026, U. denies class size was a factor

By Justus Wilhoit & Lia Opperman Assistant & Associate News

Editors

The Class of 2026 woke up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 20 to enroll in courses for the fall 2023 semester on TigerHub, Princeton’s course enrollment platform. First-years quickly encountered issues, however, when the website crashed for many students and some alleged that they couldn’t enroll until at least 15 minutes after enrollment opened.

The Class of 2026 is the largest class to ever attend Princeton, and represents the first step in the University’s planned fouryear expansion of the undergraduate student body. In fall 2022, despite the increase in the student body, roughly the same number of undergraduate classes were offered as recent semesters. Though many classes later expanded the number of available student seats, many introductory classes, such as CHM 201: General Chemistry I and PHY 103: General Physics I exceeded their average enrollment numbers.

Despite this, in a statement to The Daily Princetonian, University

ON CAMPUS

Spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi wrote that “the increased class size was factored into this year’s [TigerHub] stress testing and did not contribute to the issue.”

He explained that a “technical problem” slowed the registration process in the morning, which led to some students receiving error messages.

“The problem was resolved quickly and all but 50 Class of 2026 students had registered by 8:15 a.m,” Rizvi wrote.

Although students were eventually able to enroll in their courses, the ‘Prince’ found that some popular and core courses were difficult to get into, which caused frustration for some members of the Class of 2026.

Myrah Charles ’26 spoke with the ‘Prince’ about how she was unable to join CWR 203: Creative Writing (Fiction).

Though creative writing (CWR) courses have been met with higher demand for a limited number of seats following the program dropping the application requirement for introductory CWR courses last spring, for Charles, missing out on a spot in one of the program’s coveted classes created uncertainty.

“It is what it is,” Charles said.

The requirements for earning a Creative Writing certificate include taking two 200- level classes by the end of sophomore year and two 300- level courses by the end of junior year, however the program states that in “unusual circumstances,” a portion of this requirement can be waived.

In spite of Charles’s current frustration with course registration, she remains optimistic that the Creative Writing program can accommodate students who don’t meet all the prerequisites prior to their junior year.

“I can’t see them denying a person the opportunity to get the certificate with the current system we have now,” Charles added.

According to TigerSnatch, a student-created app created that allows students to receive email and text notifications when a spot opens in a full course, CWR 203 is currently the third most subscribed course. CWR 201: Creative Writing (Poetry) closely follows as the sixth most subscribed course. Toggling “subscribe” on a course activates email and text notifications.

ORF 309/EGR 309/MAT 380: Probability and Sto -

Peer Reps, explained

By Olivia Sanchez Staff News Writer

Being accused of an Honor Code violation can be an extremely stressful and isolating experience. Amidst swirling rumors about a disciplinary incident in COS 126: Computer Science — An Interdisciplinary Approach, campus discussions on the procedures of the Committee on Discipline and Honor Committee have been renewed. In light of these discussions, The Daily Princetonian examined the history of an important part of the disciplinary process: Peer Representatives.

Princeton Peer Representatives emerged after a 2003 referendum, which called for an amendment to the Honor Code to allow peer representation for accused students. The group aims to aid students through the stresses of the investigation process.

Though the group originally helped students being investigated by the Honor Committee, it was reformed in November 2022 to also serve students facing the Committee on Discipline (COD).

Alice McGuinness ’24, a co-chair of the Peer Representatives, told the ‘Prince’ that despite the change, their roles are quite similar in both types of cases.

“The essence of what we do is the same in both the COD and the Honor Committee. We support students, we help make sense of evidence and help uplift the students voice, to share their truth of what happened with either committee. The processes look slightly different.”

The Honor Committee is composed solely of students, while the COD has a mix of students, faculty, and administrators. Additionally, the Honor Committee is limited to investigating accusations of Honor Code violations on in-class examinations. According to the COD website, the Committee handles “violations of rules and reg-

ulations pertaining to any academic work that is not performed in class, including essays, term papers, problem sets, homework, laboratory reports, and independent work,” as well as “serious nonacademic misconduct.”

Brian Li ’24, deputy chair of the Peer Representatives, told the ‘Prince’ that although the group represents students, its goal is “not to be antagonistic towards the University,” but to be a “point person … who is there to explain things to them, to provide support, to help them gather their thoughts, and to be a voice of calm and reason.”

“We’re not interested in defense, we’re not interested in getting people off; what we are interested in is providing compassionate care” he added.

McGuinness and Li expressed the positive impact being a Peer Rep has on them.

“Being a Peer Rep is certainly among the most meaningful commitments I have on campus,” McGuiness said. “Brian and I are both RCAs and think we use some of the same skill sets and find similar meanings in both roles. I love being able to provide support to students during what can be a really stressful time and helping them make sense of the process.”

McGuinness described the training students undergo to become Peer Reps as “pretty intensive.” The training involves multiple members of the University community, including the chair of the Honor Committee, Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) representatives, including Director of CPS Calvin Chin, and Senior Associate Dean Joyce Chen Shueh ’96, who is secretary of the COD and coordinates undergraduate disciplinary matters. McGuinness noted that there are typically two training sessions on the Honor Committee procedure, a separate COD procedure training, and a CPS training that uses PDAR, the Princ-

chastic Systems, a required course for Operations Research and Financial Engineering majors, is the seventh most subscribed course For the fall 2023 semester, there are currently 1,041 subscribed users on TigerSnatch with 3,322 subscriptions. 227 courses have subscriptions.

SPI 298: Introduction to Public Policy, Authority, Incentive, and Persuasion is a required course for School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) majors that must be taken either in the fall of sophomore or junior year; all spots were filled quickly, leaving many students uncertain.

“I spent the morning constantly checking TigerSnatch with concern, which interrupted my ability to focus during classes today,” Rebecca Cunningham ’26 said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’

Cunningham is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’.

Hours later, citing enrollment demand, more spots were opened up for students to join the course.

However, following the course’s increase in capacity, students who were still unable to enroll in the course received a message from Joanna Kovac, the aca-

demic coordinator of SPIA. Kovac notified students that they were on a waiting list, and that the course’s capacity may increase in the near future. Kovac additionally advised students to enroll in the course if seats become available during the May 1-5 add/drop period, and that the course will be available to prospective SPIA majors when they are juniors if they do not have the opportunity to take the course this fall.

First-years also took to Fizz, a private anonymous discussion app, to share their opinions on the TigerHub crash. Over 1,000 students upvoted a post that said “It should be a crime that the number one school in the country still uses TigerHub.”

Rizvi explained that there is “extensive preparation and testing” performed before each course registration cycle.

“We will investigate improving the course registration performance in the future to reduce any potential slow-downs,” Rizvi wrote.

Justus Wilhoit is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’

Lia Opperman is an associate News editor for the ‘Prince.’

eton Distressed Awareness Response Training, as well as active listening training.

Li explained that while the Peer Reps program in its current form has only existed for five years, “The ability for a student to be advised by a fellow student or a fellow member of the University community has existed for quite some time.”

To learn more about how students deal with accusations before the Peer Reps program, the ‘Prince’ interviewed Stanley Katz, a former professor in the School of Public and International Affairs. Katz worked with students brought before the COD to guide them through cases prior to the institution of the Peer Representatives program.

Katz stated, “The University regulations have always said that Princeton students can’t be represented by lawyers,” yet students have always been able to reach out to anyone in the University community.

“Very often, what has happened is that students have come to the small number of faculty members who ei-

ther are lawyers or have legal training, to help them when they’re accused,” said Katz.

According to Katz, a small number of faculty with backgrounds in law, especially him and Robert George, helped students fight discipline charges. Katz added,

“We are very different politically. Professor George represents a very conservative political point of view, I represent a very progressive political point of view, and yet, we are completely aligned when it comes to our attitude [on the discipline system].”

Katz primarily assisted students facing the COD for over three decades with, in his words, “very infrequent success.”

“I think they’re biased against defendants … So I thought it was very important to provide assistance to students who found themselves attempting to defend themselves against discipline charges,” he said.

When asked about his experience assisting students, Katz stated, “I came away radically unhappy with the University discipline system. I

think it’s unfair to students.” Katz noted students’ attempts to reform this “biased” process.

“Over the last five or eight years, there have been consistent attempts by students through the referendum process to reform the discipline system and to reform the Honor Code System,” Katz explained. “And those have mostly failed.”

While Katz and others would argue there is more opportunity for reform, the Peer Representatives program was a successful referendum that continues to thrive. The organization ensures that all accused students know about their right to a Peer Rep, and Peer Reps now have a dedicated University website that outlines their procedures, introduces students to their 16 members, and provides information about how to join.

Olivia Sanchez is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’

ANGEL KUO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Frist Campus Center.

Aleksa Milojević, Annabelle Duval named valedictorian, salutatorian

By Tess Weinreich Ass0ciate News Editor

Aleksa Milojević ’23 was named the valedictorian for the Class of 2023, and Annabelle Duval ’23 was named salutatorian, the University announced on Monday, April 24.

Aleksa Milojević

Milojević is a mathematics concentrator from Belgrade, Serbia, marking the third consecutive year an international student was named as either the valedictorian or salutatorian.

Milojević’s research is focused on the mathematical field of combinatorics, including “solutions to some open problems that leading researchers would be proud to have produced,” according to mathematics professor Peter Sarnak, as quoted in the University press release.

For Milojević, however, these breakthrough contributions don’t rank among his most meaningful academic experiences. Rather, the mathematics concentrator identified time spent with peers, as a tutor with Mathey College, as “most fulfilling.”

He recalled working with a “struggling” younger student pursuing the introductory math sequence.

“I tried to encourage them as much as I could,” he wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. “I saw them put in an immense effort.”

U. AFFAIRS

Now, Milojević reports, this student is “doing very well in their classes” and has gone on to pass on the favor, supporting younger students in the sequence today.

“This is the perfect example of a positive domino effect,” he wrote.

Milojević plans to continue his study of mathematics as a Ph.D. candidate at ETH Zurich.

Annabelle Duval

Duval is a history concentrator from Rhinebeck, N.Y. with a certificate in Gender and

Sexuality Studies.

Traditionally, the salutatorian delivers their address in Latin, a language Duval first started studying in the sixth grade. As an undergraduate, Duval studied the antiquity period in her home department, as well as in Classics. She also has taken courses focused on Latin literature.

In particular, a course taught by classics lecturer Melissa Haynes, “Readings in Latin Literature — Roman Women, Reality, and Fantasy,” sparked her interest. Before then,

she noted in the University press release, she had never approached Latin texts from the female perspective. For Duval, centering women and their longsidelined experiences is a leading academic interest.

Duval’s senior thesis examined underground abortion networks in San Francisco and Chicago in the 1960s, conducting oral interviews with women involved at the time. She identified the “empowerment that came from building a group of

women” as a key takeaway in a comment sent to the ‘Prince.’

Duval is a former associate features editor for the ‘Prince.’ After graduation, Duval will be working as a paralegal in the Environmental Justice and Enforcement Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Ultimately, she told the ‘Prince,’ she intends to attend law school.

Tess Weinreich is an associate News editor for the ‘Prince.’

After a professor’s email, rumors of a disciplinary incident in COS 126 are spreading

By Julian Hartman-Sigall & Zach Lee Assistant News Editor & News Contributor

On Monday, April 3, students enrolled in COS 126 (Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach), got a Canvas announcement from Professor David August entitled “Important Collaboration Policy Information.”

In it, he requested that everyone review the COS 126 Collaboration Policy.

“After reviewing the policy, if you feel you have accidentally, or even intentionally, not followed our policy, committed plagiarism, attempted to gain an unfair advantage, or committed another violation of course policy, you may bring this to the attention of David August or Alan Kaplan,” August wrote in the announcement.

“In general, if such an

admission occurs before a disciplinary case has been submitted and found to be complete and truthful, such cases will not be submitted to the Committee on Discipline/Honor Committee,“ he wrote.

Students have not had updates since the email was sent and a variety of rumors have swirled in the absence of firm information. The instructors and preceptors of the introductory computer science course did not respond to requests for comment from the ‘Prince.’ The ‘Prince’ granted anonymity to multiple students to discuss disciplinary matter.

Suspected violations of the honor system result in a hearing before the Honor Committee, while violations related to problem sets, essays, or laboratory reports will be dealt by the Committee on Dis -

cipline. Accused students first meet with a University investigator and their director of student life and then undergo a hearing, where they can present their case and must respond to questions from Committee members and other relevant parties, including professors. Committee on Discipline punishments can be stiff, including year-long suspension.

Computer science classes have historically formed a large fraction of the cases involving honor code violations. Notably, during the pandemic, the ‘Prince’ reported that “almost all the cases came from economics, mathematics, or computer science.”

“I would assume that some students plagiarized work from other students or online and were caught by the COS 126 staff,” Sa -

breen Alam ’26, who is in the COS 126, speculated. Other students in the class doubted that there was anything happening: “It just seems like scare tactics they’re using as the assignments get harder and people want to cheat on them more,” one said.

Another anonymous student said that his preceptor “told [us that] they had a whole stack of reports ready to be sent to the Committee on Discipline [because] they’d found a bunch of cheating in the previous few assignments and so they were like ‘turn yourself in and get a lighter punishment or don’t and get the full punishment.’”

A different anonymous student said that their preceptor announced that private investigators found evidence that “corroborated” the existing charges. The University’s use of private investigators in disciplinary has garnered mixed reactions in the past. Yet without firm information, a more outrageous array of hearsay is spreading. According to one circulating rumor, a group chat used to share code was infiltrated by Teacher’s Assistants. Another rumor alleged that instructors detected students using ChatGPT on assignments. The ‘Prince’ has not been able to independently confirm any of these rumors.

In the Canvas announcement, August wrote, “A penalty consistent with the course policy violation may be assessed (e.g., an impact on your grade), which is much less severe than the typical University-level penalty (e.g., mark

on permanent record and suspension). Admissions will not be shared with other COS 126 staff beyond the senior staff. A student taking this option will not be treated differently going forward.”

August’s message included a Q&A section in which he answered questions that he anticipated the message would raise. Additionally, he explained the process used to detect plagiarism, which he said he did in order to put students’ minds “at ease.” According to August, there are thousands of ways to do every COS 126 assignment, but “for some parts of the code there are only a few correct ways to do it.” He wrote, “There exists an entire science to finding the ‘fingerprint’ in the code. Similarity may or not indicate a problem … parts of the code [for which there are not many ways to do it] are not a meaningful part of the fingerprint.”

He elaborated on their plagiarism detection process: “We don’t pursue a case unless the analysis reveals a vanishingly small probability of similarity by independent development. In all cases in which I have been involved, we provided [evidence to the investigators] or investigators uncovered corroborating evidence outside of the code itself.”

Julian Hartman-Sigall is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’

Zach Lee is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGEL KUO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN (LEFT) AND PRINCETON UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS (RIGHT)

Class of 2023 valedictorian Aleksa Milojevi ’23 (left) and saluttorian Annabelle Duval ’23 (right).

Amid tech layoffs, fewer students declare COS BSE

By Madeleine LeBeau Staff Data Writer

For the first time in four years, the number of students declaring a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree (BSE) in Computer Science (COS), the University’s most popular major, decreased.

Data from this year’s Declaration Day shows that the most popular University majors remain relatively stable. The Class of 2025 is the first class admitted during the pandemic.

As in each of the past four years, the University’s top three areas of study remain the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Economics, and Computer Science (BSE), though COS BSE saw the fewest number of students declared since the Class of 2021. While there was an increase in declarations for the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) track for Computer Science, it is not enough to make up the loss.

The drop in COS B.S.E. majors comes amid sizable layoffs for tech companies, as major tech corporations have laid off nearly 200,000 tech workers since the start of 2022.

In contrast, this year’s fourth-place major — History — saw a significant jump in new majors. History surpassed Operations Research & Financial Engineering (ORFE) and Computer Science (A.B.).

Students also expressed increased interest in Molecular Biology and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), which pushed these areas of study ahead of a long-time favorite, Politics.

Three of the four departments in which classes filled nearest to capacity this past fall also tallied the largest increases in the number of new students pursuing degrees in those departments.

Psychology, which saw 94.3 percent of seats in its course opening filled in Fall 2022, had an increase of 40.0 percent in its year-over-year declarations. This gain represents a significant bounce back for the department, as it had been one of the two majors that experienced the largest year-over-year decrease last year, along with Mathematics.

Two of the top four most popular majors of the Class of 2025 had the greatest number of new faculty additions over the past two years. Computer Science (BSE), the most popular major among 2025s, and History, their fourth-most popular major, both added four new faculty positions during the past two years.

The decline among COS BSE meant that more students are studying in the social sciences over engineering, as was traditional until last year.

The COS BSE decrease comes at a time of major investment in engineering. University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 said in a recent in -

terview that “rebuilding and fortifying our School of Engineering and Applied Science” would be one of his top priorities over the next five years. The University is building a new complex for Environmental Studies and Engineering and Applied Science (ES & SEAS) in order to support the six BSE majors, Computer Science (A.B.), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), and Geosciences.

ECE is the only department within ES & SEAS recording an increase in the percentage of majors in each of the past five years. The department was renamed from the Department of Electrical Engineering to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2020, and has since seen a jump in declaration of majors.

Other areas of study had a more selective appeal. Majors with the fewest new students include four language disciplines. German and Spanish and Portuguese each gained five students and French and Italian gained four while no students declared Slavic Languages and Literatures. In addition, four members of the Class of 2025 declared Near Eastern Studies, five chose East Asian Studies, Music, and Religion, and six selected the Independent Study: Linguistics option.

However, a number of these smaller departments, including German as well as French and Italian, still experienced relative growth as compared to the Class of 2024. Psychology, Physics, Geosciences, History, and English also claimed significant increases, while Philosophy continued its multiyear oscillating pattern since the Class of 2021.

When compared to each major’s four-year average, the class of 2025 was an unusually strong year for majors in Comparative Literature, ECE, and Anthropology. Anthropology showed a significant jump among 2025s as compared to its eight-year average, as did ECE, Computer Science, and African American Studies.

Conversely, 10 majors experienced a 20 percent or greater reduction in declarations as compared to Spring 2022.

When viewed in context of each major’s four-year average, notably fewer than usual students in the Class of 2025 selected Slavic Languages and Literature, Spanish and Portuguese, Mathematics, and East Asian Studies.

The ‘Prince’ tracked when people declared throughout the declaration period. Just over 14 percent of the class, 199 students, declared their major in the final week, with 55 students declaring on the last day.

The declaration period for BSE students in the Class of 2026 begins on April 24.

Madeleine LeBeau is a staff Data and senior News writer at the ‘Prince.’

The Class of 2023, by the numbers: Selections from our annual senior survey

By Daily Princetonian Staff

After 200+ internship rejections, student to spend summer researching how to land internship

By Windsor Nguyen Humor Contributor

The following content is purely satirical and entirely fictional.

After a disappointing internship application season, Princeton student Noe Jobs ’24 has decided to spend their summer conducting research on the art of applying to internships.

“It’s all about getting that perfect summer internship,” Jobs said. They will spend most of the summer researching the latest resume templates and experimenting with different cover letter formats. “I’m really excited to see how many extra buzzwords I can fit on my resume for this fall,” he continued.

Woz Niak ’24, Jobs’s roommate, said, “They’ve already applied to over 200 internships in various industries, including finance, consulting, tech, and even the local ice cream parlor. We’re starting to get worried.”

“I’m just trying to keep up with my friends who get internships through their

family connections,” Jobs said. “I know some people might think it’s a waste of time, but I’ve got a growth mindset, and I’m not going to stop until I get that offer.”

Niak told The Daily PrintsAnything that Jobs has already received some re -

jection letters for next summer, but they remain undeterred in their mission to land a summer internship.

In the meantime, Jobs plans to use this summer to work on their thesis, which they plan to title “Internship Rat Race: The Likeli-

hood of Landing an Internship When Offering to Work for Free.”

Windsor Nguyen ’25 is a COS B.S.E. concentrator and a Humor contributor. That’s it. That’s the whole byline.

Student with lowest GPA also to speak at graduation

By Caroline Rasmussen, Sophia Varughese, & Sam McComb

Writer,

This past week, the University announced that Aleksa Milojević ’23 and Annabelle Duval ’23 have been named valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2023. Included in this announcement is naming of the defictorian, defined as the student with the lowest GPA. The term valedictorian is derived from the latin word “valedīcere” meaning “to say goodbye.” Meanwhile, the term defictorian is derived from the latin word “deficere” meaning “to fail.”

This year’s defictorian is Brody Lachey ’23, son of Love is Blind Host Nick Lachey, more widely known by his SoundCloud rapper name “Magna Pila Sacci,” which is Latin for “large ball sack.”

Lachey told The Daily PrintsAnything that he was particularly excited to be named defictorian. “I’ve always wanted to be known for my brick-like

sh*ts.”

While the salutatorian address is traditionally given in Latin, the defictorian delivers a speech in pig latin. Lachey first gained proficiency in this language in third grade, and has been practicing his pig latin throughout his time at Princeton, to

the chagrin of his professors.

Lachey is an independent concentrator in Linguistics. He told the ‘Prints’ his only reason for declaring this major was so he could refer to himself as a “cunning linguist,“ despite the fact he has yet to find the clit. Lachey hails from

Naples, Fla., which is apparent from his beachwear clothing and the scent of Axe body spray.

Lachey also dedicates his time at Princeton to creating important change in the University community. In his spare time, he founded a group called “TigerTransit,” which advocated to drive a real tiger around campus. Lachey was also a regular in the ceramics studio, before being asked to leave due to his crude artwork.

Lachey’s GPA is currently a 3.50.

Caroline Rasmussen is a member of the class of 2026 and a contributing Humor writer. She has decided to start practicing pig latin, just in case.

Sophia Varughese is an associate Humor editor. Her high school superlative was “most likely to eat a significant other’s hair.” They were right.

Sam McComb is an associate Humor editor. He is the reason his RCA is taking a gap year.

CANDACE DO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

MADDY PRYOR / OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Graduates toss their caps in celebration at the conclusion of the Commencement ceremony.

Fermi Paradox

By Simon Marotte

Like the fact that this clue references itself

Borscht ingredient

Where to ask for a hero?

Arduous journey

Sloth and wrath, for two

Luxury hotel brand

Nail, as a test

Mediterranean fruit

Mysterious sight in the sky

The Minis

By Sabrina Effron Puzzles Contributor

1 Strong, oxidized drink flavor that might have bubbles

6 Enter your password, say

Japanese cartoon

1965 March location

Tire pattern

"Gotta ___" (Jimmy Neutron catchphrase)

By Sabrina Effron Puzzles Contributor

Milky, purple drink flavor that might have bubbles

Harbingers 7 "WHOLE ___ MONEY" (BIA song) 8 Protective cloth for hair

You may skip over it?

By Sabrina Effron Puzzles Contributor

1 Creamy, Southeast Asian drink flavor that might have bubbles 5 Listens, old-style

Sheepish? 8 Start over 9 Stitches

1 "___: Love and Thunder" (2022 film) 2 Wealthy people

Come up

"Not surprising to me"

The case for raising student activity fees

Walker Penfield Guest Contributor

The following is a guest contribution and reflects the author’s views alone.

Last week, you may have read that the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is considering increasing student activity fees. As the USG treasurer, I hope to lay out why an increase in student activity fees would be good for the student body and why we all have an interest in calling on the administration to implement it.

As it stands, the $45.50 student activity fee per semester is significantly lower than our peer institutions. Cornell’s USG equivalent receives three times our level of funding each semester, and Stanford’s receives six times as much. This disparity allows other student governments to do things that seem unimaginable to a Princeton student (for example, Stanford’s student government provides free legal counsel to all students). While we’re not tripling or sextupling our budget, a reasonable increase would mean that USG could begin restoring the many projects and initiatives that we have lost over the years due to rising costs.

While the finances behind USG can be complex, I think this is a no-brainer issue. Here’s the logic: Firstly, the USG budget is critical for our student experience — it funds Lawnparties, grants for 150+ student events a semester through the Projects Board, Tigers in Town, free movies, and more. Secondly, the USG budget is entirely

funded by student activity fees, which have stayed stagnant, despite inflation, for two decades. Thirdly, the USG budget is already stretched thin and faces a bleak financial future. Fourthly, student activity fees are fully covered by financial aid, meaning that no students will face financial hardship as a result of an increase. For students not on aid, any increase considered would represent less than 0.1 percent of the overall cost of Princeton (with an outsized benefit). Finally, raising student fees mobilizes Princeton’s financial resources to improve equity and access within the student social experience.

On a basic level, this is how USG finances work: Each semester, USG receives $45.50 for every enrolled undergraduate student. This semester, the amount totaled approximately $240,000. Additionally, we typically maintain a reserve of about $20,000. While we temporarily had a surplus of funding from the University during COVID-19 (which allowed us to create new programs like Tigers in Town), that has now run dry, and by the end of the semester, we will likely fall below $20,000 in reserves. The total minimum cost of our standard semesterly programming is now $250,000, so each semester, we run at least a $10,000 deficit (although this is usually higher due to other discretionary spending, like our March Madness Celebration). Once our reserve budget runs out, we will likely have no choice but to significantly cut back on programming, such as Tigers in Town, which has been sustained

by our COVID surplus. Most of the budget comes down to just a few items, with any shortfall resulting in the loss of key programming for students.

Here’s how the USG currently spends its money, and how we could make programs better with more resources:

First, we spend $118,000 on Lawnparties, which is our largest event of any given semester. Most of this number goes towards the headliner, stage, and security, and it’s low as we can go and still put on the full event. Increasing this by even just $20,000 would mean significantly bigger artists and a better quality event (so we aren’t all dehydrated and sad that there’s no more Taco Bell).

Then, we spend $60,000 on Projects Board, which directly funds 150+ student group events every semester but is currently unable to fund most proposals fully (to apply for funding from USG for your student group, look here). An increase in funds would allow for more student-led events for the community.

Next, $24,000 is allocated for the USG Movies Committee — This goes towards weekly free movies at the Princeton Garden Theatre, outdoor movies, and occasional buses to AMC for big premieres. A larger budget would mean more frequent and exciting trips.

Finally, there’s $50,000 for everything else, which includes Tigers in Town, Porchfest, and Dean’s Date celebrations, which all have room for expansion. If you’d like to see a detailed breakdown of our budget, it is available here.

Although USG does a lot to support student well-

being and campus social life, we used to be able to do much more — because our budget was relatively bigger. The last time the USG budget was meaningfully increased was over two decades ago, and due to a quarter century of inflation, much of our buying power has been eaten away.

In the past, USG provided subsidized shuttles to the airport and athletic events, subsidized summer storage, booked more prominent names for Lawnparties (à la Rihanna), and betterfunded student groups through the Projects Board. With a budget increase, we could revive past successes and establish new projects, like student-run affinity and recreational spaces.

While the capacity of the USG budget shrank, the undergraduate student body continued to expand and diversify. As the number of student groups increases and we adjust to Princeton’s four-year expansion, we will need to more than proportionally expand USG’s budget, because a larger and more socioeconomically and culturally diverse student body warrants new student services and events. Given the limits on our funding, we risk failing to meet the needs of every community. An engaged student body needs a budget to match. Without a budget increase, USG will have to reevaluate almost every piece of our programming and lower student group funding limits within one or two semesters.

Increasing student activity fees will not cause financial hardship for students: the University calculates financial aid based on need and not the cost of attendance, so a margin -

ally higher total cost does not impact a student’s predetermined contribution. Thus, the vast majority of funds would come from Princeton’s own expanding aid allotment rather than from students. Instead of a burden, a fee increase is a meaningful step towards improving equity as students face the increasingly expensive amenities of Princeton, N.J.

At Princeton, we rarely feel we have a say in how this institution is run. Additional resources would allow us to identify where our needs are not met and implement student-centric solutions to fill them. To support equitable opportunities for community building, recreation, and student services, it is paramount that we continue to support and expand studentrun programming. But the reality is that our current budget is inadequate to do this, disempowering students. It’s time to reevaluate student activity fees. If we want a Princeton where anyone — regardless of socioeconomic background — can have a fulfilling and engaging student experience, we need to give students the funds to create it.

Walker Penfield is a sophomore from Mendon, Mass., studying economics. He serves as USG treasurer and is a staff Humor writer for The Daily Princetonian. He can be reached at wpenfield@princeton.edu.

This article represents the author’s viewpoint alone and does not necessarily speak for USG as an organization. USG Senate meetings are held every Sunday at 4 p.m. in Roberston 016.

When we celebrate athletics, it will bring us together

This year’s March Madness tournament — in which the Princeton men’s basketball team made it to the Sweet 16 and the Princeton women’s basketball team to the top 32 — proved to Princetonians that we are not bad at sports. In fact, we are pretty fantastic. Based on the crowds at regular home games, though, you wouldn’t really know it.

I went to my first home football game during fall 2021, and I expected lots of excitement. What I found, however, was a half-full stadium empty of fanfare. It doesn’t need to be this way: sports can strengthen the bonds of a community, offering an opportunity for individuals to focus their joy on a unifying event. Yet we have to make them accessible, which can only happen when we put more energy into making games special parts of our school’s culture.

In 2021, we ended up winning the Ivy League football championship along with Dartmouth, but we only came together as a community for the large celebratory bonfire on Cannon Green after we beat both Harvard and Yale. Yet on a regular basis, celebrations occur in exclusive circles, such as eating clubs, student organizations, and private friend groups. Athlet-

ics offer a unique opportunity for energy and excitement that all students can equally participate in; the University should capitalize on this and provide more regular spiritbuilding activities that the entire campus can partake in together.

Imagine Baker Rink during the hockey season, filled with both students and community members decked out in orange and black. There is food, music, and maybe even a gear giveaway. The energy is palpable, not because everyone knows what constitutes a cross-check, but because this hockey game offers the chance for Princetonians of all stripes to celebrate, hang out, and have fun on a Friday night. Athletics comes with so much natural energy — anyone can be a fan by virtue of their identity as a University member and nothing else — and we should exert more energy to embody this ideal. Even for the March Madness Sweet 16 game against Creighton, there were not nearly as many spirit-building activities as there should have been to celebrate such an enormous success. Life mostly went on as normal, as students followed their daily routines of grabbing quick dinners between library grind sessions. Though ODUS did organize a watch party at Whig, the hall was not necessarily conducive to community-building and insufficient to fit interested

parties. Instead, the University could have organized a campus barbecue open to all, where students could have experienced in real time the great community that they were celebrating. Rooting for Princeton basketball is not just about liking basketball: It’s about celebrating Princeton. There is a reason why athletics are at the center of campus life at so many universities: They are a way for the entire school to come together around shared experiences. Athletics build school pride and have the potential to bring students, alumni, and community members of all different in-

terests and age groups together like no other. I am not a diehard sports fan. Sporting events should have fun, spirit-building aspects to them that allow even those who are the least excited about sports to come and have a good time on a Sunday afternoon. Athletics don’t have to be everything. We enjoy and celebrate our peers at dance and musical performances, theater shows, and poetry open mic nights. There is so much that makes our school special, from its incredible work ethic to its strong religious and cultural communities to its warm and creative atmo-

sphere. We have formed our own special culture over the years. The way that the band parades around Firestone and students flock to their residential dining halls for a midnight meal on Dean’s Date Eve is unique to Princeton and forms our identity.

Athletics presents just one more opportunity among many to build stronger school spirit and bring joy to the Princeton community. Let’s take full advantage of it.

Julianna Lee is a sophomore and a Politics concentrator from Demarest, NJ. She can be reached by email at yl34@princeton.edu

ANGEL KUO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

The crowds of Princeton stadium fill with fans during a football game.

Julianna Lee Columnist

Make the Board of Trustees transparent

Alex Norbrook Contributing Columnist

Princeton’s Board of Trustees rules the University. Trustees determine the University’s contested investment decisions, direct campus architecture and design, elect the president, and oversee faculty appointments. Through it all, these 39 individuals claim to wield impartial and apolitical judgment in their decision-making, having taken an oath to perform their duties “faithfully, impartially, and justly.” The University envisions trustees as unbiased, apolitical, and benevolent in their capacity to make decisions.

However, the Board sabotages this aspiration by blocking transparency and public participation during its deliberations. Furthermore, trustees employ the aura of impartiality to shut out voices of the school community by weakening Alumni and Young Alumni trustee elections and barring representation from the wider community. These factors make trustees unaccountable to the community they purport to serve and weaken their legitimacy. Students do not have an opportunity to weigh in on the Board’s decision making. While USG bylaws suggest that the Board will grant USG “opportunity”for “consultation” on undergraduate life decisions, according to USG president Stephen Daniels, “the only current formal interaction” between the two bodies is “a yearly presentation to a committee that deals with student life” — far too infrequent and shallow

an interaction to fully accommodate student opinion.

Princeton manages its Board members’ conflicts of interest (COI) principally through the above oath of impartiality and a Board committee that oversees COI cases. But unlike at other universities, the bylaws don’t specify what that COI policy actually looks like. We also don’t know whether or not the committee actually enforces it. When asked about the bylaws, University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss directed me to the bylaws and declined to comment further.

Given that the Board includes people who have alarming potential conflicts, such as senior members at JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs or a recent former trustee who served on the Internal Advisory Board of British Petroleum (BP), this lack of procedural transparency is a grave risk. It leaves the University community in the dark about how effectively the Board manages its conflicts of interest. Although at Princeton we have no way of knowing about conflict of interest violations, they aren’t hypothetical: At Yale, a legal complaint recently accused four trustees connected with the fossil fuel industry of partiality in a divestment vote.

We also don’t have a good way of finding out whether trustees remain true to their oath because the Board seals their meeting minutes for 30 years. This renders the trustees completely unaccountable. They can drastically change the direction of the University and reshape its values without having to respond to scrutiny or

criticism of their decisions until decades too late.

As a result, the Board’s image of impartiality lies on shaky ground. But the University still uses it to deny democratic processes for selecting alumni trustees. In Alumni Trustee and Young Alumni Trustee elections, the Alumni Association bans candidates from campaigning on any political platform. The justification? Campaigning violates impartiality: They claim it invites “partisanship” that “detracts from this sense of shared responsibility, and thus is detrimental in both the election process and participation in the board.”

Candidates who reveal their political platforms, according to the Alumni Association body which runs trustee elections, suddenly become “beholden” to these platforms and their voters in a way that makes them unable to fairly adjudicate University matters. Without platforms, these elections are contests between candidates with vague biographies. The University’s concern that candidates might act in the interest of their constituents at the expense of the University as a whole is reasonable considering their goal of impartiality. But it doesn’t follow that the solution should necessarily be to ban any form of political discourse during elections. All this election process sets up is what Yale alumni trustee candidate Lauren Noble calls “a false choice between a political slugfest and no information.” Banning campaigning doesn’t make candidates impartial, it only means that voters lack an informed choice

about candidates’ positions on critical university issues. To ensure a more accountable structure of governance that incorporates the interests of the wider Princeton community, the Board must make a number of policy changes around trustee selection and Board operation. The following proposals are reasonable first steps that are by no means unprecedented: They’ve been called for and established by many universities and advocacy groups.

First, the Board must prioritize transparency. They need to require trustees to disclose financial and managerial conflicts of interest and to publicize its conflict of interest policies. In addition, the Board can make its meeting minutes accessible to the public with a drastically shorter seal time. Many public and private colleges, from University of Pennsylvania to the University of California system unseal minutes immediately. With this measure, if trustees aren’t acting in accordance with their oath of impartiality, they can be held to account before their time expires. Secondly, the Board ought to open up representation. One strategy is to invite open campaigning in Alumni and Young Alumni Trustee elections. If Princeton is worried that trustee candidates that are permitted to campaign would indeed act partially because they’re beholden to their voters, the Board can adjust their bylaws to bar elected trustees from acting on campaign promises in a manner that interferes with their responsibilities as a caretaker of the Uni-

versity. Another method would be to create trustee positions for faculty, staff, and even current students — a model that Cornell has championed for decades. This change would allow these stakeholders to gain an equal seat at the table on decisions that affect them the most.

Finally, instead of separating themselves from the school community, the Board must foster more accessible relations. Trustees could strengthen their connection through more frequent, public interaction with students, faculty, and staff. While the form of this access might vary, it could include more frequent Board town halls, office hours for stakeholders and trustees to discuss topics from free speech to fossil fuel divestment to Title IX reform. The Board could even allow stakeholders to propose agenda topics for trustee meetings that the Board can deliberate over and respond to.

The opaque and antidemocratic structure of the Board of Trustees needs change on all fronts to restore its legitimacy in the eyes of the community. These changes are not radical; most have been implemented at other well-reputed institutions. Only when Princeton holds its Board to a higher standard of representation, transparency, and accountability can the community begin to place confidence in its decisions.

Contributing columnist Alex Norbrook (he/him) is a first-year from Baltimore, Md., intending to major in anthropology or politics. He can be reached at alexnorbrook@princeton.edu.

Arabic is not an extension of Islam

Anais Mobarak Contributing Columnist

While taking Arabic over four semesters here at Princeton, I have learned about the language as well as about the complexities of incorporating lessons about culture and religion into language instruction. Yet there’s one dynamic I’ve seen clearly: Arabic courses at Princeton identify the language as representative of the people of a single culture and religion — Islam. This teaches Princeton students to consider the Arab and Islamic world as a monolith, excluding diverse groups such as Jewish, Christian, Baháʼí Arabs, as well as non-Arab Muslims. When presenting regional cultures, Princeton should seek to teach diversity rather than try to encourage a uniform perspective. Throughout all of the introductory Arabic sequence courses, I’ve seen Arabic presented as an extension of Islam many times. For instance, the textbook teaches students traditional Islamic phrases at a disproportionate rate compared to those from other religions, and the lecturers have sometimes referred to Islamic law as “Arab law.” This sends the message that

Islam is the only religion practiced by Arabic speakers, which is factually incorrect — there are prominent Jewish, Christian, and Baháʼí communities, not to mention Zoroastrianism and many others. Similarly, this tendency inaccurately represents Islam as a religion of only Arabic speakers, when in reality, less than 20 percent of Muslims are Arab.

However, the moment during which I felt the most unmistakable conflation of Arabic with the culture and religion of Islam was when the nonMuslim students in my Arabic class were asked by the lecturer to refrain from eating and drinking in class during Ramadan. This request made me realize a bias I had not previously observed: the only religious holidays that we had ever learned about in class were Muslim ones. This felt problematic to me as I felt uncomfortable by the demand for all students to change their behavior for the religious beliefs of some. After voicing my opinion to the class, the lecturer rescinded their request. In a subsequent conversation with the lecturer, they said that they didn’t think asking students to not eat and drink in class for Ramadan was requesting behavior from students for a religious reason but rather

that it had to do with the culture of the Arab world. To me, this was curious, as I don’t subscribe to the narrative that a language has only one specific culture associated with it — especially not a language that has over 450 million speakers in 60 different countries. It is listed as an official language in about 30. It is undeniable that the vast majority of the Arab world — 93% — is Muslim. This, however, does not mean that Islam should dominate religious and cultural lessons in Arabic classes. Minorities matter, and they should not be forgotten, especially because many religious minorities are persecuted in the Arab world. Further, these minorities demonstrate the wonderful diversity and complexity of the Arab world. Moreover, there is no single Islamic culture or version of the religion. For example, not all Muslim sects prohibit depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, nor do all Muslim women believe that wearing a hijab is a legitimate interpretation of Islam, so when only a single version of Islam is presented, some Muslims are misrepresented in their own culture and religion.

The Arab world is not monolithic; not only are there varied cultures

throughout the Arabicspeaking world, but there is also no one uniform culture that exists in each Arabic-speaking country. Though in some parts of the Arab world, people do not eat or drink in public during Ramadan — indeed, in the United Arab Emirates, all individuals, including non-Muslims, are prohibited from publicly eating or drinking during fasting hours — this is not a custom practiced in every Arab country. It is impossible to import the “Arab culture” into an Arabic class because no such culture exists. My father, who grew up in Lebanon, never once discussed a cultural custom of avoiding public food consumption during Ramadan, and when I’ve visited Lebanon, this “part” of the culture has never come up. But to reemphasize an important point, his experience is not an example of “Lebanese culture,” as there is not simply one Lebanese culture. The culture in my father’s home village is different from the culture of other Lebanese communities. There will always be more than one culture and religion practiced by people who speak the same language. Presenting languages as only being spoken by practitioners of one religion or members of

one culture excludes the many others that are just as important. There is no homogenous Spanish culture, Chinese culture, or Russian culture. Even languages that are seemingly spoken by a smaller population, such as Italian, are utilized by multicultural communities.

This does not mean that we must avoid discussing religion and culture altogether in language classes. Rather, language instructors ought to highlight as many religions and cultures as possible in their instruction. Muslim holidays are important for Muslims in the Arab world, just as Jewish holidays are important for Jewish people in the Arab world, Christian ones are important for Christians, and Baháʼí ones are important for the Baháʼí community. Educators should not discuss the cultural practices of only one culture in class, but touch on practices from many cultures. Instead of leaving students with a monolithic idea of the people who speak a language, language classes should highlight the diversity of culture and religion within a specific language-speaking population.

Anais Mobarak is a sophomore from Newton, Massachusetts studying chemistry.

As campus expands, we can’t leave the sense of community behind

Aly Rashid Contributing Columnist

Coming to Princeton as a first-year student, I noticed a recurring theme in conversations with juniors and seniors: they valued Princeton’s emphasis on community. Many of the students I talked to valued a deep familiarity with both their physical location and the people who inhabit it. Having a sense of community involves knowing one’s fellow class members and feeling connected to every part of campus. While many have critiqued Princeton as an “Orange Bubble” which students rarely venture out of, within that bubble, the common sentiment was that upper-class students felt a strong connection to their peers. But with the campus expanding in size, the sentiment of community is fading. As Princeton increases class sizes and campus area, it runs the risk of weakening its small-college-style community. While I agree that Princeton should increase class sizes and welcome more people into our undergraduate community, the acceleration of this process may leave school unity behind.

First, while Princeton expanded the body with two new residential colleges, Yeh College (formerly New College East) and New College West (NCW), college spirit has lagged behind. This trend showed itself in casual ways, like when Yeh College didn’t have a mascot during Clash of Colleges and how NCW still does not have an actual name. There are also

more concrete signs that the new colleges are not integrated into the school community: there are fewer sophomores in Yeh, leading to a community which is primarily first-years. For juniors and seniors who didn’t choose to live in the new colleges, Yeh and NCW are totally new communities and were not part of the campus that they once knew and identified with.

For example, Ayeda Hamed ’23 said that, “I am mentally accustomed to thinking that campus ends at Poe Field.”

Second, campus construction has also divided us in space, making walking around campus a larger chore. As new construction barricades rise, students are more inclined to spend most of their day on one side of campus if they can, and access to even “central locations” like Frist Campus Center has been impeded. Indeed, the terms “South Campus” and “North Campus” have firmly set in, dividing what once could have been considered a short walk down Elm Drive.

Finally, the effects of the physical barriers imposed by construction are exacerbated by Princeton’s decision to double down on the four-year residential college model. Princeton chose to restrict the room draw process for rising juniors to rooms within their own residential colleges, reversing the tradition of allowing upper-class students to draw into any residential college. Some incoming first-years may struggle with finding a community if they cannot find their core group in their randomly allotted

college. By restricting room draw options, Princeton prevents these students from diversifying their communities and limits the cross-college exchange that was once a common part of the campus living experience. Since students can’t move to other residential colleges, each college is becoming more selfcontained.

Princeton probably doesn’t mean to harm the sense of campus community. However, their decisions still have real, negative impacts on the ways students navigate their Princeton journey. They alter social expectations (in-

fluencing questions such as “should you prioritize friendships within your own residential college?”) and could completely change what someone defines as their Princeton community. As we get ready to welcome the Great Class of 2027 (the second year of expanded class sizes), we must reflect on the type of college community we are introducing them to. With continuous expansion, we face the risk of losing cohesive campus unity. If Princeton doesn’t take steps to address the waning sense of community, like reforming their room-draw pro-

cess and fostering more residential college spirit in the newer colleges, all we will be doing is giving first-years a warm welcome into a campus coolly divided.

Aly Rashid (he/him) is a prospective SPIA major in the Class of 2026 from Lahore, Pakistan. He is a contributing columnist and associate editor of the Newsletter for the ‘Prince.’ Outside of the ‘Prince,’ he is Deputy Captain of the Princeton Model UN Team and International Orientation leader at the Davis IC.

vol. cxlvii

editor-in-chief Rohit Narayanan '24

business manager Shirley Ren ’24

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

president Thomas E. Weber ’89

vice president

David Baumgarten ’06

secretary Chanakya A. Sethi ’07

treasurer Douglas Widmann ’90

assistant treasurer

Kavita Saini ’09

trustees Francesca Barber

Craig Bloom ’88

Kathleen Crown

Suzanne Dance ’96

Gabriel Debenedetti ’12

Stephen Fuzesi ’00

Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05

Michael Grabell ’03

John G. Horan ’74

Danielle Ivory ’ 05

Rick Klein ’98

James T. MacGregor ’66

Julianne Escobedo Shepherd

Abigail Williams ’14

Tyler Woulfe ’07

trustees ex officio

Rohit Narayanan ’24

Shirley Ren ’24

147TH MANAGING BOARD

upper management

Kalena Blake ’24

Katherine Dailey ’ 24

Julia Nguyen 24

Angel Kuo ’ 24 Hope Perry ’ 24

Strategic initiative directors

Archivist

Gabriel Robare ’24

Education

Kareena Bhakta ’ 24

Amy Ciceu 24

Financial Stipend Program

Genrietta Churbanova ’ 24

Mobile Reach Rowen Gesue ’24

DEIB Chair Christofer Robles ’25

Sections listed in alphabetical order.

head audience editor

Rowen Gesue ’24

associate audience editors

Laura Robertson ’24

Paige Walworth ’26

head copy editors

Jason Luo ’25

Nathalie Verlinde ’24

associate head copy editors

Tiffany Cao ’24

Naisha Sylvestre ’25

head data editor

Elaine Huang ’25

Charlie Roth ’25

Associate Data Editor

Ryan Konarska ’25

head features editors Paige Cromley ’24

Tori Tinsley ’24

associate features editor

Sejal Goud ’25

head graphics editors

Noreen Hosny ’25

Katelyn Ryu ’25

head humor editors

Spencer Bauman ’25

Liana Slomka ’23

associate humor editors

Sam McComb ’25

Sophia Varughese ’26

head news editors

Sandeep Mangat ’24

Isabel Yip ’25

associate news editors

Lia Opperman ’25

Annie Rupertus ’25

Tess Weinreich ’25

head newsletter editors

Olivia Chen ’26

Sidney Singer ’25

associate newsletter editor

Aly Rashid ’26

head opinion editor

Abigail Rabieh ’25

community opinion editor

Lucia Wetherill ’25

associate opinion editors

Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26

Ashley Olenkiewicz ’25

head photo editor Jean Shin ’26

head podcast editor Eden Teshome ’25

associate podcast editor

Senna Aldoubosh ’25

head print design editors

Avi Chesler ’25

Malia Gaviola ’26

head prospect editors Kerrie Liang ’25

Claire Shin ’25

associate prospect editors

Isabella Dail ’26

Joshua Yang ’25

head puzzles editors

Joah Macosko ’25

Simon Marotte ’26

associate puzzles editors

Juliet Corless ’24

Sarah Gemmell ’24

Jaeda Woodruff ’25

head sports editors Nishka Bahl ’26

Wilson Conn ’25

associate sports editors

Cole Keller ’26

Brian Mhando ’26

head web design and development editors

Ananya Grovr ’24

Brett Zeligson ’24

associate web design and development editor

Vasila Mirshamsova ’26

147TH BUSINESS BOARD

assistant business manager

Aidan Phillips ’25

business directors

Benjamin Cai ’24

Juliana Li ’24

Samantha Lee ’24

Gabriel Gullett ’25

Jonathan Lee ’24

project managers

Brian Zhou ’26

Sophia Shepherd ’26

Andrew He ’26

Diya Dalia ’24

Tejas Iyer ’26

Laura Zhang ’26

Dauen Kim ’26

Julia Cabri ’24

Jessica Funk ’26

Tony Ye ’23

Anika Agarwal ’25

147TH TECHNOLOGY BOARD

chief technology officer

Joanna Tang ’24

lead software engineer

Roma Bhattacharjee ’25

software engineers

Carter Costic ’26

Dylan Esptein-Gross ’26

Jessica-Ann Ereyi ’24

Ishaan Javali ’26

Adam Kelch ’24

THIS

Vanessa Auth ’26

Cindy Chen ’26

Avi Chesler ’25

Malia Gaviola ’26

Li ’26

Liu ’26

Sanh Nguyen ’26

Ramirez ’26

Pham ’26

Phillips ’25

Wang ’26

Jessie Wang ’25

Shannon Yeow ’26

Brett Zeligson ’24

Annabel Green ’26

Austin Guo ’26

Vivi Lu ’26

Rachel Seo ’26 AND COPIED BY

Lindsay Pagaduan ’26

Make area studies cool again

Vincent Jiang Contributing Columnist

Afew days ago, I pulled up TigerHub, navigated to the major declaration page, and took a deep breath. My cursor hovered lovingly over “East Asian Studies” (EAS) for a few seconds; then, with a firm finality, I scrolled down and clicked on “School of Public and International Affairs” (SPIA). One last click, “submit form,” and the deed was done.

I would observe that my experience — considering EAS but ultimately declaring SPIA — is far more common than vice versa. In 2022, the Daily Princetonian published a piece analyzing the relative popularity of majors (then called concentrations) among the Class of 2024. SPIA was one of the most popular majors, with 134 declarations, whereas EAS was one of the smallest, at only seven. The same was true of the other regionally focused majors: only six students declared Near Eastern Studies (NES) and a mere three declared Slavic Languages and Literatures (SLA).

Looking at the Office of the Registrar’s University Enrollment Statistics, the same trends hold year after year — the area studies majors were all consistently in the bottom half. This is not inherently bad. Many area studies majors cite the small department size and attention from faculty as a pull factor to them; NES specifically highlights this appeal on their website.

That being said, area studies departments were originally founded out of a sense of urgency, with a specific purpose in mind and during a specific political context, and they are no less relevant today. Indeed, from the current state of American foreign policy, it’s clear that both the government and higher-educational institutions need more young policymakers with a background in area studies to better inform their political decisions. We can’t be a school that produces only policy generalists while sidelining policy specialists. Princeton should address this deficiency by encouraging more students to concentrate in or work towards certificates in area studies.

Princeton’s initial investment in area studies was largely driven by necessity. During the Cold War, the United States realized that it was woefully

unequipped to deal with the rise of new challenges, especially the Soviet Union and its influence in various areas of the map. The Orientalist scholarly tradition that had dominated before no longer held up in the dynamic and rapidly decolonizing world. In response to a series of setbacks, especially the launch of the Soviet spacecraft “Sputnik” in 1957, the Eisenhower administration’s landmark 1958 National Defense Education Act (NDEA) used the nation’s financial resources to shift the center of gravity in higher education toward “area studies” that blend together the study of language, history, culture, economy, and politics through the lens of a particular region.

The University’s academic departments also followed this trend. The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures was once so peripheral that it was categorized as a subsidiary of the French department, until it received a major boost in 1957 from the NDEA. Similarly, the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures was founded in 1927 but did not welcome its first East Asia specialist until 1956, whereupon it continued to grow until it formally split into the Departments of NES and EAS in 1969. Those departments were eventually joined by the Program in Latin American Studies (LAS) in 1967, the Program in African Studies (AFS) in 1969, and the Program in South Asian Studies (SAS) in 2007, none of which are proper major-awarding departments, but are instead certificate programs.

After the end of the Cold War, however, the misconception arose that the need for regional specialists had also diminished. Funding was slashed for area studies departments, and the zeitgeist moved towards interregional themes of democratization and development. But all it takes is one look at the foreign policy mistakes of the last twenty years to recognize that there will always be a need for experts with a deep understanding of the local language, history, and culture. The expectation that American troops would be “greeted as liberators” during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the incoherent Pivot to Asia strategy attempted by the Obama administration, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 catching nearly everyone off guard all reflect the reality that our policymakers badly need more input from area

studies specialists. Despite its history of more reactionary investment, the University must now be proactive and lead the way in rebuilding area studies as a core discipline of social science. While it’s tempting to place the entirety of that burden on the administration, the best way to accomplish this would be for students and the University to meet halfway. On one hand, I urge my fellow students: sign up for more courses crosslisted with EAS, NES, LAS, AFS, and SAS! These are terrific classes, oftentimes criminally under-enrolled. You might just discover a passion that will lead you down the path to getting a minor in the department — or even a major. Nevertheless, the University also needs to make major adjustments to support students with an interest in area studies. For instance, there needs to be a more consistent system for course cross-listing — there is no reason why “China’s Foreign Relations” does not count towards EAS nor why “Southeast Asia’s Global History” is counted towards EAS and NES but not towards SAS. More importantly, it’s way past time to make LAS, AFS, and SAS full departments that award majors, as has been argued before for AFS in the ‘Prince.’ Young, aspiring future policymakers with a passion for an area of the world should be encouraged to develop that passion to the fullest through coursework and a senior thesis, not forced to approach the issue obliquely through SPIA, History (HIS), or Economics (ECO). If both the students and the University make a conscious effort to strengthen area studies as a discipline, a virtuous cycle ensues: student success will stimulate University funding that empowers even more student success. With our endowment, we should not need to wait for the next National Defense Education Act to be passed, nor for the next huge foreign policy blunder to be made. There is no better time than the present to make area studies cool again.

Vincent Jiang is a sophomore from Long Valley, N.J. concentrating in the School of Public and International Affairs. To deflect against accusations of hypocrisy, he promises that he is also working towards earning a certificate in East Asian Studies. He can be reached by email at vincentjiang@princeton.edu and on Twitter at @vincent_vjiang.

‘A very special time of year’: Lent, Ramadan, and Passover on campus

By Raphaela Gold Staff Features Writer

This past April was a month of festivities across campus with three major Abrahamic holidays briefly overlapping from April 5 to April 9. Muslim students celebrated their Ramadan fasts together in Murray-Dodge with large iftar meals. The Center for Jewish Life (CJL) hosted multiple Passover seders, where students enjoyed matzah (unleavened bread) and sang late into the night. As Lent came to a close, Christian groups on campus celebrated Easter with services, feasts, and Easter egg hunts scattered across campus.

Students balance academic and college life with their religious observations all year, which often intensify during holidays. The University offers support and resources like alternative dining options for those who fast or academic accommodations.

The Daily Princetonian spoke with observing students and religious leaders on campus, who reflected on their religious experiences and shared how they find balance during this busy holiday season.

Observing Lent in community

Over the course of the last week of Lent leading up to Easter, many Christian students attended daily prayer services. One such service, called Tenebrae, begins with 12 lit candles. As the service proceeds, a candle is blown out after each psalm is recited in unison, until only one candle remains. Then, a loud sound, from a chord played on the organ or a dropped book, rings out. Called the “great noise,” it symbolizes the moment Jesus died on the cross. The final candle is hidden from view until the end of the service, when it is brought back for concluding prayers.

A few days later, the Easter vigil begins in darkness. Students gathered at 5 a.m., lit small candles together, and processed into the chapel, where they listened to readings from the Bible as the sun rose. Only once the sun had fully risen could they officially celebrate Easter, blowing out the candles, singing hymns, and saying “Hallelujah” after not having been able to use that word over Lent.

Anna Ferris ’26, an Episcopal Church of Princeton (ECP) member who attends weekly services at the Chapel, shared her experiences of Lent and Easter. “It was so amazing watching the light start to pour in and symbolically bring us the light of Christ’s resurrection,” said Ferris.

Ferris is a contributing columnist for the ‘Prince.’

Ferris had a positive experience observing Lent on campus. “Catholics, Anglicans, and some other denominations of Christianity don’t eat meat on Fridays, and the dining halls are great. They always have meatless options,” noted Ferris.

Though Ferris had not been attending church consistently before Princeton, she explained, “When I came to Princeton, it was just something I wanted to try out. And I found it fit in seamlessly on Sunday nights.”

Ferris has found that smaller fellowships and prayer groups bolster her religious observance at Princeton. “It doesn’t have to feel like the biggest commitment you’re going to make in your day to be really important and impactful,” said Ferris.

Laura Robertson ’24 was once more involved in Christian communities on campus, but now expresses most of her religiosity through the Religious Life Council (RLC) within the Office of Religious Life (ORL). “I think the RLC is really valuable,” she said.

Robertson is an associate Audience editor for the ‘Prince.’ Robertson also values the flexibility of religious expression.

“People can be religiously observant in many different ways,” she said.

Though Robertson has become less observant over the course of her time at Princeton, she still fasts on Ash Wednesday and receives ash on her forehead. “Lent is a very special time of year for me,” Robertson said.

Father Allen Wakabayashi is the ECP chaplain. Over the 40 days of Lent, Father Allen supported students in balancing their opportunities for religious involvement with their academic responsibilities.

“Lent is a time to refocus, repent, and deal with anything that’s distracting us from our faith,” said Father Allen. Lent culminates in a week called Holy Week, during which ECP offers daily services and extra support for students leading up to Easter.

Father Daniel Skvir ’66 helped found the Orthodox Christian Fellowship on campus when he was a student in 1964 and has served as its chaplain since 1989. Since then, he has watched the community grow and seen religious expression at Princeton transform.

The Fellowship meets throughout the year, but also has increased opportunities for involvement during Lent. “It’s a period of fasting and of confession, self-appraisal,” explained Father Daniel.

He also described the busy schedule of Holy Week, including daily services and a midnight service between Saturday and Sunday morning from 11:30 p.m. – 3 a.m. “It’s a long series of services that ends up with the blessings of Easter and the breaking of the fast,” Father Daniel added. The Orthodox Fellowship also provides students with Easter baskets and ensures that they have access to traditional foods.

Muslim students celebrate Ramadan

Ameen Omar GS prays five times a day and is on campus for three of the five daily prayers. He often goes to the prayer space for Muslim students on the third floor of Murray-Dodge, but because of his heavy class load, he often finds himself short on time, having to “catch a prayer” in between classes.

Two of his classes have Omar running between McCosh Hall and Green Hall in a ten minute time frame, so he finds a secluded area outdoors, puts down a jacket or a few napkins, and performs the prayers as he usually would. Generally, prayers include a cleansing of the feet called ablution before praying, but without access to a sink, Omar wipes over his feet with a tissue or wipe, finishes his prayers, and races to his next class.

These are the practices that, according to Omar, “make religion much more conspicuous in my day, where it’s really affecting my time, and you can physically see something. But most of the time, it’s more spiritual.”

Balancing these religious commitments with academic obligations posed particular challenges during Ramadan.

Like Christian students, some Muslim students adjust their dietary habits during their religious observance of Ramadan. Ramadan began on March 22 and ended on April 20. During this period, many fasted from sunrise to sunset and attended Taraweeh (nightly prayers) in addition to their usual five prayers a day. The Muslim community hosted iftar dinners after sunset at least twice a week.

Omar has informed professors that he may need to be late due to prayers, especially during Ramadan. He said that professors have been very accommodating.

He’s also grateful for the support of the Muslim community at Princeton. “I was expecting to come and not find a big community, but I was sorely wrong, and I’m glad about that,” he said.

Yahya Habib ’26 also prays five times a day and is very active with-

in Princeton’s Muslim Students Association (MSA), participating in various religious circles. “You’ll see me a lot on the third floor of Murray-Dodge,” said Habib.

Habib also mentioned the challenge of fasting from sunrise until around 7 p.m. each evening, attending night prayers, and trying to stay awake and active in religious duties and spiritual commitments on top of academic obligations. “A lot of Muslim students end up feeling very tired … it’s a challenge, but you get over it in the first week, and it becomes the norm,” he said.

Habib has been turning to upperclassmen for support. “It’s great to have a community on campus and these pillars of support from the community,” he said.

As for the some of the challenges Ramadan poses, Omar noted, “Ramadan may come across as a strenuous thing, and it is, especially during the first few days, but afterwards … your body finds that balance.”

Ultimately, Habib’s Ramadan experience was an adjustment, but he was appreciative of the University’s accommodations. “I see great strides being made through the Princeton Ramadan Program and the halal food they provide through that,” Habib said.

Aisha Chebbi ’24 is the copresident of MSA. In an email to the ‘Prince,’ Chebbi described the Muslim community as a “diverse, vibrant, and joyful one.”

“Our community is growing with each class year, and it is a very exciting thing to be part of,” wrote Chebbi.

Chebbi views Ramadan as a time “of spiritual focus, community, and a renewed commitment to service.” She also mentioned the three-day celebration after Ramadan called Eid al-Fitr, the holiday of the breaking of the fast, marking the end of Ramadan.

Chebbi emphasized the importance of making Muslim students feel seen during this time. “Even wishing someone a Happy Ramadan or Happy Eid goes a very long way,” she said.

Assistant Dean for Muslim Life

Imam Khalil Abdullah also shared his excitement about Ramadan, explaining, “Ramadan helps us in many ways to grow in empathy for those who have less, and grow in gratitude for what we do have.”

Since arriving at Princeton two years ago, Imam Khalil has built relationships with the administration and advocated for Muslim students. “Not only myself, but also our students have taken the lead in expressing their religious needs to the University … and show tremendous leadership,” said Imam Khalil.

Imam Khalil characterized the main challenge of Ramadan as “food more than anything,” and he has appreciated how the University meets the dietary needs of Muslim students, echoing the sentiments of many students.

Imam Khalil also noted that it can be difficult for students to

decide how to spend their time on campus during Ramadan. “It all comes back to balance,” Imam Khalil advised, encouraging students to take naps and fuel themselves when possible.

Passover at the Center for Jewish Life

As Ramadan drew to a close, Jewish students observed Pesach (Passover) from April 5 to April 13. In observance of the holiday, many kept kosher for Passover by adopting more stringent rules around ‘kashrut’ (Jewish law surrounding food) and avoiding leavened products. The CJL also hosted multiple seders, ritual Passover feasts, providing students with a variety of options.

Jewish students, many of whom pray multiple times a day, reflected on aspects of Jewish life at Princeton, including Passover.

Davi Frank ’26, a member of Princeton’s Orthodox Jewish community, often prays three times a day and eats strictly kosher food.

Frank sometimes struggles with integrating Jewish studies into his daily life. “It’s complicated when it comes to balancing classes, extracurriculars, and everything else,” Frank explained. He added, “The schedule here isn’t meant for people to really live life Jewishly … which is hard because that’s a big value for me.”

For Frank, the religious transition to Princeton was not an easy one. He said, “I came from a place where religiosity was the main focus … At Princeton, it feels very isolating.” Frank also noted that as a visibly religious person who wears a ‘kippah’ (head covering) and ‘payot’ (curled sidelocks) on the sides of his head, “You just feel like you stick out. And you do.”

Theo Gross ’24, who identifies as a Conservative Jew, also follows the ‘halakha’ (Jewish law) as closely as possible, observing Shabbat each week without doing work or using electronic devices from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.

Gross has become more religiously involved since coming to Princeton and emphasized the strong culture of observing Shabbat within the Jewish community.

“Even people who don’t observe these holidays to the letter of the law are involved in that culture,” explained Gross.

On Passover, when these laws become a lot more stringent, Gross appreciates that the CJL meets his religious needs for the holiday. “[It makes] it much easier for students to observe Passover on campus,” he said.

In order to accomplish the conversion of its kitchen over to being kosher for Passover, the CJL dining hall used exclusively its dairy side for the week leading up to Passover. It performed a deep cleaning of its meat side in order to rid it of ‘chametz’ (leavened products). By the first day of Passover, the dining hall was stocked with new Passover foods, such as mat-

zah and coconut macaroons, and buzzing with excitement for the holiday.

That night, the CJL hosted three seders, all of which drew throngs of both Jewish and non-Jewish students and included a copious amount of plastic frogs, representing the second plague in Exodus.

Gross also reflected that the seders tended to be “very fun, because they’re all organized by students. So it’s a very familial setting.” Additionally, Gross said that he enjoys seeing new faces at the CJL over Passover, noting the presence of “people who you don’t necessarily see year-round but who eat at the CJL during Passover for kosher food.”

In addition to dietary adjustments, many Jewish students kept the first and last two days of Passover as special observances during which doing work, using electronics, and certain other activities were prohibited. This year, these days fell on weekdays, so students needed to advocate for themselves to attain excused absences and extensions.

Gross believes that the University could be doing more to foster the observance of holidays for Jewish students, as he wrote in a ‘Prince’ article in September. Gross pointed out that there are classes on Jewish holidays during which observant Jewish students are prohibited from writing and using technology.

Gross said that on Passover, “It’s stressful … cramming in work between the first two days and the last two days of the holiday.” He added that, for students who adhere to traditions other than Christianity, “it would be a nice gesture if we could be guaranteed not to have class on those holidays.”

Executive Director of the CJL Rabbi Gil Steinlauf ’91 supports Jewish students in many aspects of their campus lives. He helped to ensure that Passover at the CJL ran smoothly.

Rabbi Gil particularly appreciates that the CJL, “is open to everyone on campus. And kashrut is automatically halal, so I always love seeing Muslim students who keep halal here, who should also think of the CJL as a place for them.”

While Rabbi Gil recognizes that some people might be confused by these religious restrictions, especially on Passover, he likes to view the holiday as a “learning opportunity for non-Jewish students on campus.” He advised non-Jewish students, “Don’t be afraid to ask!” Now that Passover, Ramadan, and Lent have come to a close, students who observe these holidays have returned to their daily schedules on campus. Regardless of the time of year, however, religious students at Princeton will continue to share the experience of finding spaces at Princeton to pray, observe, and celebrate in community.

Raphaela Gold is a staff Features writer for the ‘Prince.’

LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

A century of mental health care at Princeton

By Keeren Setokusumo Staff Features Writer

The University began offering a form of mental health care for the first time in the early twentieth century. As Princeton’s counseling and psychological resources evolve The Daily Princetonian looked back on the evolution of mental health care at the University. For decades, mental health resources have been strained under increasing demand from students.

In the 1940s, just as the term mental ‘hygiene’ was being refined to mental ‘health,’ the University started including Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) in its healthcare services. This was largely driven by the heavy psychological impact of World War II and a growing need for such services for students, faculty, and veterans alike.

In the decades following the war, the discourse surrounding mental health began to encompass a more holistic definition — prioritizing prevention and early identification of mental health challenges. Universities increasingly relied on professionals, rather than teachers and clergymen, to provide mental health care for their students. While the University has a history of expanding its infrastructure to meet needs, students have called on the administration to do more.

Early pathbreaking

In 1910, the University was the first college to establish a “mental health-specific service” for students. The service provided treatment for when a student’s “socio-emotional struggles” were deemed sufficiently extreme. The program was initially created in response to the observation that many Princeton students were dropping out due to emotional and personality issues. The University’s service was soon emulated at other colleges and institutions.

Evolution after World War II

Ratified by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, the GI Bill gave veterans the opportunity to seek higher education,

and many took up the offer. An uptick in the demand for professionals and clinical psychologists at universities followed.

The University president at the time, Harold Dodds GS Class of 1914, created an advisory program for returning student veterans. Dodd’s team of researchers was tasked to study the effects of counseling on a handful of veterans employed across more than 60 industries.

The team found that the transition from active duty in wartime to manual occupations would require an “expedi[ted] adjustment” process, highlighting the importance of psychiatric and therapeutic support to quickly reintegrate veterans back into society. The study also concluded that new policies to assist trauma fostered an overall safer environment for both employees and employers. These policies included making employers more cognizant of a veteran’s sensitivity and triggers.

In light of this research, the Princeton Counseling Service expanded the number of facilities and full-time staff available. Of the students who enrolled in the services, 75 percent were student veterans.

Over time, University Health Services (UHS) expanded resources, creating student-led advisory boards in 1980, Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education (SHARE) in 1988, and occupational therapy for students and employees in an effort to destigmatize therapy and bolster well-being across campus.

Backlash as the University caps sessions

As more students sought out care from CPS in the 1980s, the University’s staff became strained. In 1989, during the tenure of Marvin Geller as director of CPS and under the direction of Vice President Thomas Wright ’62, a cap was placed on “the number of private counseling sessions” each student could obtain. Students who exceeded an eight-hour quota would be transferred to group therapy sessions or referred to counseling by an outside provider.

The cap became the source of

heavy backlash from students, who feared a reduction in care and the inability of those who ran out of free counseling hours to afford additional costs.

“Where is [the money for external therapy] going to come from?” asked University Student Council (USC) representative Jennifer Zoler ’90 at a Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) meeting.

At the same meeting, Wright predicted that the policy would be unsuccessful, saying that there would be “no degree of reduction in counseling.”

The next month, the University’s administrators considered expanding the student health plan to include mental health coverage to alleviate the financial burden on students. Geller and a team of advisors estimated that the costs would be substantial, but would help people “who want or need longer-term resources.” The expansion was finally approved in 1992.

Spikes in demand in recent years

In the decades since, the University has grappled multiple times with spikes in demand for counseling services on campus.

In 2000, Geller noticed an increase in the numbers and severity of cases. The spike in

cases, from 4,700 in 1995 to 5,500 in 2000, concerned him. Marianne Waterbury, an Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Student Admission at the time, attributed the increase to two possible reasons: “people [being] more open [about their disorders] or [that] there are more students in need.”

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students struggling with mental health issues was already increasing. In 2012 alone, the Committee on Background and Opportunity reported that one in two women and one in three men at Princeton reported feeling depressed “sometimes or often.”

In a 2014 op-ed in the ‘Prince,’ Kelly Hatfield ’17, a contributing opinion writer, ascribed this phenomenon to the University’s “high pressure, fast-paced environment.” Hatfield questioned why it was such a long, delayed, and “exhaustive” process for students to receive formal help.

The number of students seeking CPS services surged between 2015 and 2021, according to the current Director of CPS Calvin Chin.

At the beginning of the pandemic, 36 percent more students began seeking treatment from CPS. Chin said CPS increased the number of full-time counselors and staff. However, even

The Daily Struggle

By Asyu Turkay | Contributing Cartoonist

with the return to in-person instruction, the number of students requiring treatment continues to rise for each graduating class year. What does it mean to ‘reach out’ for help today?

Some students continue to express concerns with CPS.

“That [initial consultation] session was really rough,” says Aman Dutta ’27, who entered with the Class of 2026 and is currently on a gap year. “It was just … throwing a bunch of difficult-to-answer questions, [without] any consideration towards my feelings.”

Chin noted that CPS is seeking more full-time counselors. Additionally, a CPS Cares Line has been opened for telehealth communication.

Chin said the “many pressures on students to succeed and be perfect” are a barrier to creating a healthier campus. When students are “over-programmed” and in a high-intensity atmosphere, they might not prioritize their mental health, he said.

The evolution of mental health at the University is clearly not over.

Keeren Setokusumo is a Features staff writer for the ‘Prince.’

ANGEL KUO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN McCosh Health Center

This Week in Photos

Rest and relax: Where to take a break on campus

By Angel Kuo, Jean Shin and Aarushi Adlakha

There’s no doubt that being a student at Princeton is stressful, and whether it’s a few minutes of scrolling on social media, or some hours in the sun, the best practice to avoid being overwhelmed is to take a break from the work. We asked students what were their favorite spots to take that break, and here are some of their responses in a visual format.

the PROSPECT.

The Princeton University Orchestra sweeps the stage with powerful performance

grand piano became an essential part of the depth and creativity of the piece. Before beginning the final piece, Pratt stopped to thank the audience and discuss the growth of the orchestra over the past year. He then described the impact of the seniors on the orchestra and the loss that the ensemble would bear without them next year. Since I attended the Sunday concert, that afternoon’s performance was particularly special, as it was the very last time that the seniors would play for PUO. In the bittersweet moment that followed, PUO took time to honor the seniors by naming each of them and providing them with a rose. It was perhaps even more emotional than the music played that day — musicians embraced across instruments, tears were shed, and one person set off a small can of confetti onstage in celebration of the seniors. The intermission to honor the seniors was also a reminder that

the PUO is a student group. Even though the musicians sound professional, practice religiously, and perform in spectacular venues, they are still a campus organization and therefore a community. The quiet giggles between pieces and the heartfelt exchanges with seniors were a clear remind -

er of their close-knit group.

The PUO then reminded the audience of their extreme talent as an orchestra by launching into the final piece, a fivepart epic by Richard Strauss called “Ein Heldenleben,” or “A Hero’s Life.” This final piece was dynamic and dramatic. The percus -

sion evoked notions of battle scenes, with the trumpets heard offstage — at one point, three trumpet players discretely snuck off the stage into the hallway — further immersing the audience in the world of the piece. The musicians all played wonderfully, creating moments of quiet delicacy quickly

followed by the intensity of the orchestra. The performance, despite its delineation across five parts, was fluid, and I felt lost in the music, orchestra, and concert. In other words, I had no idea that over two hours had elapsed by the time the entire performance concluded.

The Princeton Uni-

versity Orchestra had an incredible weekend of performances, bringing a vivacious, emotive look into classical music.

I sabella Dail is a firstyear and an associate editor for The Prospect at the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at id7289@ princeton.edu.

The best of both worlds at Princeton

A group of 10 or so dancers — all clad in colorful costumes under violet lighting — twirled and jumped around the stage of Frist Theatre, moving in sync with South Asian dance music and the occasional flash of strobe lights.

Princeton Bhangra, Princeton’s South Asian cultural dance group, held its fourth annual performance on the nights of April 13 and 15. The 90-minutelong show, titled “Kitaab: Let the Stories Unfold,” featured six energetic dance numbers, complete with vivid costumes and props.

Bhangra, a folk dance originating from Punjab, Pakistan, is characterized by lively thrusts, jumps, and hops; dancers constantly bounce on the balls of their bare feet to the beat of fast-paced, rhythmic music. As a result, unlike other campus dance performances, which often switch between slow-paced and

fast-paced choreographies, every number in “Kitaab” was packed with energy. As I watched, I found myself marveling at how the dancers were able to sustain their stamina through six or seven minutes of frenetic, nonstop movement. (Indeed, the physical intensity of Bhangra means the dance doubles as a form of exercise.)

The performance was also filled with rich detail. The costumes — traditional Punjabi outfits called “vardi” — were gorgeously colorful, appearing in shades of pink, purple, green, and other vibrant colors. At times, the dancers twirled long staffs called “daang” and opened and closed accordion-like props called “saap” to produce snapping sounds to the beat of the music.

Speaking of the music: Princeton Bhangra’s soundtrack was another highlight of “Kitaab.” Al-

Bhangra

though the group performed to traditional Bhangra mixes, they also danced to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” (yes, the 2017 summer hit), Sheck Wes’s “Mo Bamba,” and Ayo and Teo’s “Rolex.” The modern touches sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t — the tempo of “Despacito” dragged a little too slow for the high-paced dance, but “Rolex” was a delightfully irreverent fit for the Bhangra treatment.

Indeed, because Bhangra is a relatively new art form — it only was invented in the early 1900s — the dance is still evolving rapidly, including in its music choices. “Bhangra lends itself well to more modern music because its entire dance style is meant to be energetic,” Princeton Bhangra member Abhi Vellore ’25 said.

I would also be remiss not to mention the intermission of “Kitaab.” To kick things off, the Tigerlilies, a female a cappella group, gave a show-stopping performance of Caroline Polachek’s “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings”; Head Prospect Editor Claire Shin ’25 anchored the rendition with a lovely solo.

Yet the real surprise of the evening came when Bhangra President Akash Kotian ’24 and Jairam Hathwar ’25 roused a good half of the audience to come onstage, where they received a quick lesson on how to dance a basic, 16-beat Bhangra choreography.

“During the intermission, we get to engage with the audience and teach them cool moves,” Hathwar said. “This type of intermission is something unique to Princeton Bhangra.”

As might be expected, some of the audience members couldn’t seem to move with the requisite amount of enthusiasm; other audience members had the right attitudes but perhaps not the right arm movements. After the halftime show, I gained a newfound appreciation for the skill required to pull off the dances I was watching.

But isn’t that the whole point? Bhangra is both an accessible exercise movement quickly spreading beyond South Asia and a cultural art form requiring precision, artistry, and athleticism to truly excel. At Princeton Bhangra’s “Kitaab,” I’m glad I was able to see the best of both worlds.

ISABELLA DAIL/THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN.

The Princeton University Orchestra performs at Richardson Auditorium.

The Prospect

Weekly Event Roundup

By Head Prospect Editor Claire Shin

Opus Presents: Reflections

1

OPUS

Lee Rehearsal Room, Lewis Arts Complex

Monday, May 1, 2023, 3 p.m.

2

LISTEN

Boasting an orchestra of piano, guitar, string, wind, and brass, Opus: “Reflections” is excited to perform both traditional and contemporary repertoire. According to the music department’s website, “Opus strives to broaden the public’s interest in chamber music” through performances by talented undergraduates. Tickets are $7 (student) or $10 (general), or free with Passport to the Arts. They can be purchased online through University ticketing.

Final Concert: MPP 216 – Techniques of Conducting

Princeton University Music Department

Lee Rehearsal Room, Lewis Arts Complex

Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

LISTEN

Students from the music department’s “Techniques of Conducting” (MPP216) class will showcase their newfound conducting skills in a final concert. This event is free and unticketed.

4 LISTEN

Certificate Recital: Jamie Feder, Voice

Princeton University Music Department

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

Thursday, May 4, 2023, 8:30 p.m.

Mezzo-soprano Jamie Feder ’23 will perform a wide array of contemporary, romantic, folk, and classical pieces in her a senior recital, featuring pianist Dr. Martin Néron. This event is free and unticketed.

7 LEARN

Musicology Colloquium. A talk by Caryl Flinn: Music, Camp, and the Case of The Carpenters

Princeton University Music Department

Woolworth 102

Friday, April 28th, 4:30 p.m.

As a part of the ongoing “Musicology Colloquium” series, University of Michigan professor and author Caryl Flinn explores the meaning and features of camp through film analysis. Flinn has written five books: “Strains of Utopia,” “The New German Cinema,” “Music and Cinema,” “Brass Diva,” “The Sound of Music,” and the forthcoming “Alan Rudolph’s Trouble in Mind.” During this colloquium, Flinn will discuss the appeal behind acts such as The Carpenters and the meaning of the word “camp” in music. This event is free and unticketed.

Jazz GroupsSmall 1 and X

Jazz at Princeton, Princeton University Music Department

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall

Tuesday, May 2, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

Students in Jazz at Princeton’s Small Groups present their spring concert. Small Group 1 and Small Group X are directed by Miles Okazaki and Matthew Parrish respectively, two players, composers, and instructors from the University music department. According to the music department’s website, both Small Groups will play “a mixture of classic jazz repertoire and contemporary compositions.” This event is free and unticketed.

5

Sinfonia Spring Concert

LISTEN

Princeton University Music Department

Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall

Friday, May 5, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

Sinfonia closes the semester with a final performance with “musical reflections of Irish culture and a fun nod to Cinco de Mayo.” This performance will feature Amy Beach’s Symphony in E minor and a piece by Princeton sophomore Toussaint Santicola Jones, “Naked, Upon the Road to Tara” — both of which were inspired by Irish art pieces. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Sinfonia will also perform the jazzy “Tango” and “Guaracha” from Morton Gould’s Latin-American Symphonette. Tickets are $5 (student) or $15 (general), or free with Passport to the Arts. They can be purchased online through University ticketing.

6 LEARN

Musicology

Colloquium. A talk by Caryl Flinn: Music, Camp, and the Case of The Carpenters

Princeton University Music Department Woolworth 102 Friday, April 28th, 4:30 p.m.

As a part of the ongoing “Musicology Colloquium” series, University of Michigan professor and author Caryl Flinn explores the meaning and features of camp through film analysis. Flinn has written five books: “Strains of Utopia,” “The New German Cinema,” “Music and Cinema,” “Brass Diva,” “The Sound of Music,” and the forthcoming “Alan Rudolph’s Trouble in Mind.” During this colloquium, Flinn will discuss the appeal behind acts such as The Carpenters and the meaning of the word “camp” in music. This event is free and unticketed.

Arts at Work: Creative Writing Alumni Day

Lewis Center for the Arts and the Center for Career Development Lewis Arts Complex W331 May 4, 2023, 4:30 p.m.

Targeted towards students considering a career in the arts, this Alumni Day features food and conversations with arts alumni, who will answer questions on their experiences with pursuing the arts professionally. This session, according to the Center for Career Development website, will feature “an alumni talk and Q&A, followed by an informal networking reception.” The event is free and open to all Princeton students.

“La Gran Cumbia Espectacular”

Created by Kaelani Burja ’23

Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex April 27th and 28th, 8 p.m.

Come to “La Gran Cumbia Espectacular” for an exciting night of theater, learning, fun, and community! According to the event description, cumbia is a dance form originating along Colombia’s Río Magdalena that “has since come to serve as a means of home-making through its ability to traverse music, memory, and migration across many Latin American countries and parts of the United States.” This show is interactive and will teach the audience cumbia in addition to educating the audience on the dance’s rich cultural value and history. This event is free and unticketed.

Senior Exhibition by Tan Vu ’23

Tan Vu the Hagan Gallery, 185 Nassau St. Opening Reception: April 28 at 6 p.m.

Visual arts senior Tan Vu presents an exhibition of new work. This exhibition is free and open to the public, and it will continue from April 24–May 5, 2023, during which the gallery will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

MEN’S WRESTLING

Carrying on his father’s legacy: Quincy Monday’s journey to the top

By Brian Mhando & Hayk Yengibaryan Associate & Assisstant Sports Editors

Three-time All-American. Two top-three NCAA finishes. Princeton’s first Black All-American wrestler. Three-time first-team All-Ivy. The list of accomplishments goes on and on.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Kenny Monday, who became U.S. wrestling’s first Black gold medalist in the 1988 Summer Olympics, senior Quincy Monday has carved his path to success on the mat.

“[My father has] been monumental in [his] impact on my wrestling,” Monday told The Daily Princetonian. “More [important] than technique and how to wrestle, he taught me the mentality you need for it. He instilled a belief system in me and stressed the importance of hard work.”

Monday’s family moved around a lot when he was a child, but one thing that always remained constant in his life was wrestling.

“Wrestling has always been a big part of my life,” Monday told the ‘Prince.’ “My dad ran a [wrestling] youth club in Texas where I grew up, and when I was six years old, I was there on the mats practicing.”

His high school career started at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, where he was a two-time state champion in his first two seasons. The two 6A titles were at 106 and 113 pounds, respectively.

In August 2016, Monday’s father was announced as the head coach of the University of North Carolina (UNC) wrestling program. This forced the family to move to North Carolina, where Monday continued his high school career at Carrboro High School.

During the same year, Monday’s older brother Kennedy, who had just finished his senior year at Martin High School, started his collegiate wrestling career at UNC with their father as the head coach. Kennedy would reach the Round of 12 at the 2018 NCAA Championship and qualify once more in 2021.

At Carrboro High School, meanwhile, Monday won two more state

titles, at 132 and 152 pounds. He was the team captain his senior year and posted a 158–9 record throughout his four years in high school.

At first, Monday just assumed he would go to UNC and join his brother and father. However, a call from Princeton associate head coach Joe Dubuque at the end of his junior year changed everything.

“Joey D. was kind of the guy who brought me in,” Monday explained.

“He’s been my guy from the start … especially mentally, teaching me how to compete at this level.”

“It just represented to me something that I had been chasing for a long time,” Monday added. “I always valued academics really highly, and I’ve always had a love for school and the high pursuit of knowledge.”

When he was a youth wrestler, he would read books in the bleachers between his matches and balanced both his wrestling and academic lives to become one of the nation’s top prospects in high school. Before coming to Princeton, Monday was ranked as the No. 40 recruit by FloWrestling and No. 57 by InterMat.

“It was definitely cool to get that call,” Monday added. “I just didn’t wanna regret not challenging myself to be the best of both worlds, both academically and athletically.”

Arriving in New Jersey, he immediately fell in love with the school and the community at Princeton.

“Everyone here [at Princeton] has a story and is really talented in their own way,” he said. “There’s so many amazing people to meet here.”

“We have Nobel Prize-winning professors, just the research going on here is amazing. And so everything is just happening at such a high level. I feel like we can take it for granted sometimes. This really is like the pinnacle of everything that’s going on right now,” Monday continued.

From the get-go, Monday and his first-year teammates took Tiger wrestling by storm, becoming three of only nine first-year students in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. With his help, Princeton’s wrestling program jumped up to fifth in the country, their highest-ever program ranking at the time.

“[The wrestling coaches] had big goals for us when I came in as a [firstyear],” Monday mentioned.

Although Monday had a fantastic first year, the success of his teammates, notably Patrick Glory, inspired him to work towards even bigger goals.

“Pat has been great for me and for the team,” Monday told the ‘Prince.’ “He was an All-American his [first] year, and I ended up going 0–2 at the [NCAA] tournament my [first] year, so just seeing his success from an early age … helped me realize the gaps are not that big to make that transition from high school to college.”

Monday entered his sophomore year ready to show the wrestling world his true talent. For most of the season, he was ranked fourth or fifth nationally, ending the year ranked seventh. With a 23–4 record, Monday managed to beat five of the top 10 wrestlers in his section, enough to earn him his first-ever All-American selection.

Originally, Monday came to Princeton with aspirations of becoming an All-American, but with his AllAmerican selection sophomore year, he set his sights on something greater: the NCAA championship.

“Just becoming an All-American was my big goal at the time [as a firstyear], just one time reaching that stage. And so, to have my goals shift from being an All-American to being a national champ … is pretty amazing,” he said.

During the COVID-canceled 2020–21 season, Monday took a gap year, but his work off the mat did not stop. Throughout this time, Monday and a few other Black athletes also started the Black Student-Athlete Collective, which provided a safe space for Black athletes at Princeton.

“It’s been great just seeing people that have similar experiences to me in the athletic department,” he said. “So just having that community for myself has been great.”

Monday explained that his advocacy work had been a crucial part of his career at Princeton.

“[Being an inspiration to others] means a lot,” he explained. “Some-

times you don’t even know it until you see the impact it has on other people. And so, [seeing] young Black kids coming up to me after matches, being inspired — that really means a lot.”

Monday’s junior season was especially impressive, as he and Glory managed to reach the NCAA finals in the same year. Continuing their historic success from their first season, they became the first Princeton duo to reach the NCAA final in the same year. Monday finished the season with a 24–4 record, earning his second All-American selection, before falling in the title match.

This year, Monday enjoyed his best season yet, finishing third in the NCAA championships with a 27–3 record. With this season, he cemented himself as one of the best wrestlers in program history, joining three other former Tigers to have two top-three NCAA finishes.

Now concluding his time at Princeton, Monday hopes to be a part of the wrestling community for a few years before he pursues his interests in sci-

ence and entertainment.

“I’ll probably coach and wrestle for another one or two years,” he said. “But then after that, I want to get out there in the world. I’m interested in a lot of things, and I’m so excited to figure out what I want to do.”

Whether he decides to coach his former team or help his father lead the next generation of Black wrestlers, Monday feels prepared to leave the Orange Bubble because of his time here at Princeton.

“Since coming to Princeton, I’ve grown to see the world so much more broadly, and through so many lenses,” he said. “I think that I’ve grown so much as a person and as a leader as well in my own right.”

Brian Mhando is an associate editor for the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’ Hayk Yengibaryan is an assistant editor for the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’

Big Ten bound: Senior guard Ryan Langborg announces transfer to Northwestern

By Hayk Yengibaryan & Diego

Men’s basketball star and March

Madness hero Ryan Langborg will be spending his final year of college eligibility playing for the Northwestern Wildcats, he announced on Instagram Sunday afternoon.

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins must have liked what he saw from Langborg at the Golden 1 Center in March. Following the upsets against Arizona and Missouri, Collins’ squad played against Boise State and UCLA in the same arena.

After visiting Northwestern’s campus this past weekend, Langborg’s mind was set. He knew he wanted to be a Wildcat.

“On the visit, I got to meet all the guys and talk to the whole staff and could feel how excited they are for next year,” Langborg wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “I was talking to a couple of other schools, but the visit absolutely sold me on my fit at Northwestern,” he added.

Langborg will be pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Administration during his time at Northwestern.

The Wildcats are coming off their best finish in the Big Ten Conference since the 1958–59 season. The team finished tied for second in the conference and beat Boise State in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to UCLA in the Round of 32. Despite a historic season for the

program, efficient scoring was a challenge for the Wildcats all year. They finished last in the Big Ten in fieldgoal percentage and 12th out of 14 teams in team points-per-game and three-point percentage.

The transfer of Langborg could aid these offensive woes, as he finished the season 12th in the Ivy League in both three-point percentage and points-per-game.

“They are a perfect fit for me in terms of the way they play offensively and defensively, and they are in a position to win,” Langborg wrote to the ‘Prince’ about his decision.

In addition to Langborg, Princeton fans can expect to see another former Tiger next season in the Big Ten, as former Princeton guard Jaelin Llewellyn ’22 transferred to Michigan last year. After an injury ended his season less than 10 games in, he plans to return for the 2023–24 season, where he’ll play against former teammate Langborg twice during the regular season.

“I’m super excited to be able to play against him,” Langborg added. “It will be a bit interesting and different, but always fun.”

Langborg himself has grown used to playing for a winning program and is “super pumped” to compete in one of the nation’s most competitive basketball conferences. As an upperclassman with the Tigers, he won back-to-back Ivy League regularseason titles and an Ivy Madness title as a senior.

The six-foot-four guard that calls

San Diego home led the Tigers in scoring during their Cinderella run to the Sweet 16, with an 18.7 points per game average. In the season-ending loss to the Creighton Bluejays, Langborg posted a career-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. His play on college basketball’s biggest stage undoubtedly made him a highly touted transfer.

Numerous schools were interested in Langborg’s services. The final five schools he was considering were all from Power-6 conferences (SEC, Pac12, Big Ten, Big East, ACC, and the Big 12). Those schools, according to Langborg, were Northwestern, Oregon, USC, Georgetown, and Minnesota. With the departure of Langborg, the Tigers will have a major hole to fill both offensively and defensively. The senior averaged 12.7 points per game his senior year and led the team in three-pointers per game (2.1). Perhaps an underrated part of his game was his on-ball defense, which often went unnoticed by the naked eye.

It will be interesting to see what head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 does next season after losing three of his starters (Langborg, Keeshawn Kellman, and Tosan Evbuomwan), who will not be easy to replace.

Langborg is the last of the Tigers’ three senior starters to make their decision for next year: Kellman will be playing at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Evbuomwan entered his name in the NBA draft.

Moving forward, the losses will undoubtedly leave an impact on the

COURTESY OF @QUINCYMONDAY/INSTAGRAM.

Quincy Monday at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

Tigers. On the other hand, the Wildcats will look to build upon their success from last season and get the most out of Langborg. Hayk Yengibaryan is an assistant editor for the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’ Diego Uribe is an assistant editor for Sports and contributor for News at the ‘Prince.’

Uribe Assisstant Sports Editors

WILSON CONN/THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Langborg led the Tigers in scoring during March Madness, averaging 18.7 points per game.

SOFTBALL

Softball cruises past Harvard and into the Ivy Championship

By Tony Owens Sports Contributor

This past weekend, Princeton softball (21–16 overall, 14–4 Ivy League) welcomed the Harvard Crimson (23–14–1, 13–5) to Strubing Field, in a matchup featuring the top teams in the conference. Earning the hardfought series win, the Tigers took the Friday opener before splitting the Saturday doubleheader. More importantly, the Tigers’ Friday win secured their spot in the Ivy League Championship.

Game one saw the Tigers’ ace, senior starting pitcher Alexis Laudenslager, matched up against Crimson first-year pitcher Riley Flynn. Coming out strong through the first three innings, Laudenslager held the Crimson hitless while Flynn had only allowed three hits.

With the game still scoreless in the fifth, the Tigers’ offense broke through in the bottom half of the inning. After a leadoff double from senior pinch hitter Lauren Murphy, senior left fielder Serena Starks advanced Murphy to third with a single. From there, junior shortstop Grace Jackson’s RBI groundout put the Tigers out in front 1–0.

Later on offense, the Tigers doubled their lead with a home run from first-year third baseman Julia Dumais. In the sixth, a double from junior Cate Bade and a walk from sophomore center fielder Lauren Sablone put two runners on base for Starks. With a single to left field, Starks extended the Tigers’ lead to 4–0.

In the top of the seventh, Laudenslager worked around a walk to close out the game for a solid Tigers’ win. The senior finished with nine strikeouts across a full seven innings of work.

This win was enough to punch the Tigers’ ticket to the Ivy League Championship, where they will look to repeat as Ivy League Champions.

The Saturday doubleheader took place on Senior Day, where the Tigers celebrated the Class of 2023.

“My fellow seniors and I started our college athletic careers two years later than expected,” Laudenslager told The

Daily Princetonian. “We have experienced some of the worst parts of our lives and lowest points in our athletic careers together. And yet, last season we managed to achieve some of the highest points in our athletic careers because of the team culture we’ve helped to build.”

“Senior Day was a tribute to all that we have been through — good, bad, and everything in between. I have loved my time playing for Princeton softball and feel proud of what my class was able to achieve here,” Laudenslager continued.

For the opener on Saturday, Laudenslager was back in the circle for the Tigers, this time matched up against Crimson sophomore Anna Reed.

Both teams got on the board in the first inning, courtesy of a Crimson sac fly and an RBI single from Princeton senior designated player Adrienne Chang.

After surrendering a run in the first, Laudenslager made quick work of the Crimson second, working a 1–2–3 inning to get the Tigers back on offense.

With two outs, senior catcher Ashley McDonald tripled to bring home Sablone in the bottom of the second. From there, Starks beat out an infield hit, which brought home McDonald. The rally gave the Tigers a 3–1 lead heading into the third.

In the home half of the third, sophomore first baseman Sofia Marsalo extended the lead to 4–1, singling home sophomore

second baseman Allison Ha.

Opening up the game for the Tigers in the fourth, Ha blooped a two-run single above the shortstop’s head with the bases loaded. Then, with two outs, Marsalo hit a ball just past the outstretched glove of the Crimson shortstop, which scored two runners and stretched the Tigers’ lead to 8–1.

The Crimson threatened to gain momentum in the fifth, but with a strikeout, Laudenslager limited a Crimson rally to just two runs in the inning.

With Harvard mounting a comeback in the sixth, junior Molly Chambers entered the game in relief for Laudenslager with the bases full. Chambers walked the first batter she faced, which cut the lead to 8–4 with no outs in the inning. However, from there, the junior buckled down and limited the damage to a sacrifice fly, maintaining the Tigers’ lead.

Chambers made quick work of the seventh inning, securing a series win for the Tigers.

“This weekend, my pitching goal was to throw a lot of strikes,” Laudenslager told the ‘Prince.’ “Doing this helped to keep my pitch count on Friday low despite throwing the full seven innings. Saturday, my arm didn’t feel as fresh and my movement wasn’t as sharp, but I knew that if I continued to throw strikes, my defense would make plays behind me.”

Eyeing a sweep, the Tigers

turned to first-year pitcher Brielle Wright, who matched up against sophomore Katie Arrambide for the Crimson.

The first inning spelled trouble from the get-go when the Crimson loaded the bases with no outs. From there, a hit by pitch and a walk saw the Crimson plate two runners before the Tigers had even recorded their first out. This prompted an early pitching change for the Tigers, as sophomore Meghan Harrington entered to try to escape the inning.

Harrington did well to record two outs with a sac fly and a groundout, but the Crimson managed a two-run single to extend their lead to 5–0 in the first inning. In the second, the Crimson added another run with an RBI single down the left-field line.

Down 6–0, the Tigers began to mount a comeback. A pair of RBI singles in the second cut the deficit to 6–2 in favor of the Crimson.

The third, fourth, and fifth saw each pitcher hold the opposition scoreless. In the top of the sixth, a lead-off walk led the Tigers to make their second pitching change, replacing Harrington with Chambers.

The junior was unfazed by the inherited runner, as she got out of the sixth without surrendering a run. When Chambers worked a scoreless seventh, the Tigers entered the last half-inning down four runs.

A Sablone lead-off single, as

well as Starks reaching base on an error, put two Tigers in scoring position. Then, junior Caitlin Bish reached base on another error by the Crimson, which cut the lead to three runs. After a Crimson pitching change, Ha reached on yet another run-scoring throwing error, as the Crimson’s defense left the door wide open for an improbable Tigers comeback.

The next batter was Adrienne Chang, who hit a sac fly to cut the deficit to one. The Tigers’ comeback effort came up just short after a fielder’s choice and a strikeout saw the Crimson narrowly escape game three with a 6–5 win. This win for the Crimson secured their spot in the Ivy League Championship. However, the Tigers control their destiny for winning the Ivy League, as they currently sit atop the conference standings with a 14–4 record, a loss, and a win ahead of second-place Harvard.

“Our team has big ambitions and a lot of them involve the postseason,” Laudenslager said. “Securing our spot in the conference tournament brings us one step closer to making it to Regionals and competing on the national stage.”

The Tigers next face the Villanova Wildcats (29–18 overall, 13–5 Big East) on April 25.

Tony Owens is a contributor to the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’

Baseball sweeps Cornell in three-game series, sets program record for most single-season home runs

By Sarina Sheth Sports Contributor

Princeton baseball (18–17 overall, 10–5 Ivy League) traveled to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend for a three-game series, sweeping Cornell (6–23, 5–10) for the first time since 2006. The Tigers had an explosive offensive display and elevated themselves to 44 home runs this season on Friday, breaking Princeton baseball’s previous record of 43 home runs in a season, set in 1996.

“From the very first weekend series of the year against Georgia, our players were confident in their offensive capabilities,“ head coach Scott Bradley wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “This confidence has continued throughout the season. The home runs are the result of a great deal of hard work over the past year.”

Princeton recorded six blasts in their 11–8 win on

Friday afternoon, marking the second-most home runs earned in a single game in program history. Junior outfielder Matt Scannell and senior shortstop Eric Marasheski opened the game with a bang, hitting back-to-back home runs to give Princeton a 2–0 lead. Junior first baseman Kyle Vinci and senior second baseman Noah Granet would each add their own two-run shots in the fourth inning to put Princeton up 6–4.

Cornell tied it up at 6–6 in the fifth, but Princeton would tack on another few runs with home runs from first-year catcher Jake Bold and Vinci along with an RBI single from Granet. Princeton ultimately came away with the victory, with senior first baseman Jackson Emus earning the victory on the mound.

The Tigers continued to capitalize on early-inning runs during Saturday’s dou-

bleheader. The top of the Tiger lineup made a statement once again during Saturday’s first game, with Scannell hitting a lead-off double and Marasheski driving him in with a home run in the first inning.

The Big Red would take a 3–2 lead in the second, but an RBI single by Vinci in the third tied the game up. The Tigers took the lead for the rest of the game, with a three-run rocket from junior third baseman Nick DiPietrantonio and a solo shot from senior centerfielder Brendan Cumming putting the Tigers up 7–5 by the fifth. Cornell gave up a bases-loaded walk to Cumming in the sixth inning to put the game away for good, 8–5. Sophomore Jacob Faulkner pitched the final four innings for the Tigers, throwing a nohitter until the final out in the ninth inning. He struck out six of the 14 batters he

faced to earn the victory. The Tigers kept the Big Red scoreless in the series finale on Saturday afternoon, thrashing the Big Red 11–0. A bases-loaded RBI single from Vinci, two RBI doubles from Marasheski, a sacrifice fly from senior catcher Carlos Abello, and a solo homerun from Granet gave the Tigers a 6–0 lead by the sixth inning. Junior pitcher Tom Chmielewski commanded the game on the mound, striking out nine and pitching all seven innings. The highlight of the game for Princeton was a grand slam from Vinci in the final inning, which gave him his 15th RBI of the weekend. His standout performance over this series elevated him to 47 total RBIs this season, which is tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Bradley noted that Vinci missed a good portion of last

season due to injury and said that he is excited to have Vinci back as a leading hitter for the team.

Princeton’s explosive offensive display this weekend against Cornell sets them on a five-game winning streak. Princeton is now third in the Ivy League conference, behind Columbia (22–13, 11–4) and Penn (23–12, 11–4). The Tigers will host NJIT (16–21, 6–6 America East) this Wednesday before a crucial three-game series at Yale next weekend.

“We are looking forward to this coming series with Yale,” Bradley said. “Our goal at the beginning of the season was to qualify for the four-team playoff, and we have worked our way into a good position with six games left to play.”

Sarina Sheth is a contributor to the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOPRINCETONTIGERS.COM/SIDELINE PHOTOS LLC. The Tigers’ pose for Senior Day celebrations.