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Monday April 12, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 34
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BEYOND THE BUBBLE
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Designed by Mark Dodici
Whig-Clio lets Cruz ’92 keep award Trustees reject undergraduate vote to remove JMA following Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol
By Aniket Mukherji and Kalena Blake staff writer and assistant news editor
Following discussion with their board of trustees, the American Whig-Cliosophic Society (Whig-Clio) decided not to rescind the James Madison Award for Distinguished Public Service (JMA) from Sen. Ted Cruz ’92 (R-Texas). Student members of WhigClio voted to rescind Cruz’s award on March 4, following a 90-minute assembly where speeches were given for and against this decision following Cruz’s involvement with the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6. Since 1960, Whig-Clio has awarded the JMA to an indi-
vidual “who has taken up the arduous but righteous cause of dedicating their life to the betterment of society.” Cruz received the award in 2016. In an email sent to WhigClio members Friday morning, Whig-Clio Vice President Grace Xu ’22 outlined the reasons for the decision not to rescind the award. “Under our Constitution, there is no basis for a new group of students to evaluate actions after the JMA is given and subsequently to revoke the award,” she explained. In an email to The Daily Princetonian, Whig-Clio President Julia Chaffers ’22 acknowledged that while constitutional amendments are pos-
sible, an amendment was not considered regarding the JMA. Chaffers is a senior columnist for the ‘Prince.’ After the Whig-Clio Board of Trustees decision, students voiced their support for and opposition to not rescinding the award from Cruz. “I believe the Whig Clio Trustees made the wrong decision. The students gave Sen. Cruz the honor, and we should be able to take it away in light of what he’s done, especially given we all gathered to make that decision,” said Brent Kibbey ’21, who launched the petition which called for Cruz’s JMA to be revoked. “The trustees meet twice for a catered dinner each year and
MICHAEL VADON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Sen. Ted Cruz ’92 has been accused of playing a role in inciting the violence in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
sign off on the budget. This is not up to them, and they must let our decision stand. Sadly, they and the administration wish to make this go away and not cause any trouble. However, this is good trouble, and
Major Venezuelan opposition leader gives campus talk By Caitlin Limestahl head news editor
AKANEH WANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Coupling up on campus
“Romantic partners” navigate a hybrid semester staff reporter
When campus matching algorithms such as the Marriage Pact and Datamatch sent out their surveys earlier in the semester, many jumped at the chance to sign up. Students looked for love, friendship, and even a bit of drama. One somewhat surprising group that joined in the excitement? Couples. “I think a lot of people use Marriage Pact and Datamatch just for fun,” commented Anna McGee ’22, who agreed to fill out the surveys with her boyfriend Benjamin Ball ’21. McGee is a Managing Editor
for the Daily Princetonian. Ball is former Managing Editor for the ‘Prince.’ “We did it, obviously. But sort of for shits and giggles,” said Sabina Jafri ’24 about her and her boyfriend Solomon Bergquist ’24. Bill Zhang, a senior at Harvard and one of the Datamatch “Supreme Cupids,” summarized: “We suspect that, no matter who you are, given the virtual and quarantine nature of this year, the reason users came to Datamatch is more centered around forming connections with other people than anything strictly, seriously romantic.” But this year has also looked
vastly different for those who are looking for the “seriously romantic.” In most cases, pandemic dating has meant taking relationships faster than expected and handling a good deal of compromise — but most importantly, finding moments of connection in an otherwise isolating campus experience. Jafri and Bergquist, who first met virtually in the fall, described their relationship as “still new, just a little baby relationship.” But they acknowledged that the pandemic forced them to take certain steps before they normally would have taken them.
On April 7, María Corina Machado, founder of Vente Venezuela, spoke with the Princeton community about the Venezuelan crisis and her journey to becoming one of Venezuela’s most vocal opposition leaders. Vente Venezuela is a prominent liberal party that is active in all states and municipalities of Venezuela and challenges the “omnipotent State.” Machado founded the party in 2013. “Venezuela is not only my country; Venezuela is my pas-
sion. I have been banned by the regime from leaving my country for almost eight years, so I have come to know the monster from within,” Machado said. Since the election of Hugo Chavez in 1999, Venezuela has been in the midst of an economic crisis that has increased socioeconomic inequalities and caused nearly all of its citizens to live in poverty. As a result, the country has seen a mass exodus of citizens to neighboring countries. “The situation in Venezuela represents a threat to all neighSee NEWS
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Women’s lacrosse stays motivated in spite of a canceled spring season
M U LT I M E D I A
By Julia Nguyen
contributing writer
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MARK DODICI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
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ON ZOOM
ON CAMPUS
By Sydney Eck
we have to do it,” he added. As co-president of Princeton College Democrats, Dylan Shapiro ’23 released a statement on behalf of the organization in which he shared his disap-
This Week in Photos
In the spring of 2020, Princeton women’s lacrosse team lost a game against sixthranked Stony Brook, 18–12. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this would be the last game they played for the rest of the athletic season and for long after. “That was the last game we played in 2020, and we were all super excited to make a comeback,” reflected junior Tara
Shecter, over a year after. “But we never had that opportunity, and it kind of left us feeling like there was something left to do and that there was something more that we could give.” Junior Lucie Gildehaus shared similar sentiments. “That sense of unfinished business has really motivated all of us ever since. We ended on sort of a tough loss; our season was cut short, and with that kind of ending note, I think it’s really shaped the See SPORTS
In Opinion
In Photos
In Cartoon
Guest Contributor Tom Taylor urges the University to be more transparent about its funding sources in order to prevent conflicts of interests in research and investment decisions.
This week, warmer weather drew students and visitors outside. Small critters were spotted and heard around campus. See a preview above.
What has two wings, a barbed tail, and a surprising propensity for motivational quotes? See the latest from Sydney Peng at www.dailyprincetonian.com.