April 12, 2019

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Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Friday April 12, 2019 vol. CXLIII no. 45

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U . A F FA I R S

Pre-read for Class of 2023 announced By Benjamin Ball Head News Editor

Danielle Alio / Office of Communications Cover design by Chris Ferrante STUDENT LIFE

The University has announced the Pre-read book selected for the Class of 2023: “Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy,” by James Williams. The book focuses on “the philosophy of attention and persuasion in technology design,” according to the Office of Communications. It raises ethical questions around the use of technology and attention. Williams worked as a technology and business strategist at Google for ten years and recently received his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford. In a video announcement, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 said he was

“thrilled to include this book in our Pre-read tradition.” “I’m excited about this book because it talks about some changes that have been happening in our lives in ways that we almost haven’t noticed,” Eisgruber said. “Over the past decade or so, we’ve all become dependent on this digital technology that’s all around us now.” According to Eisgruber, the book emphasizes that, along with the many benefits technology brings, technology also reduces “our ability to focus on the ends and goals that really matter to us.” Eisgruber said that in the political realm specifically, digital technology and the information economy are “heating up democracy” and “making conversation more volatile.” “James Williams, in

this remarkable, short book raises a series of questions that I think all of us need to be thinking about,” Eisgruber said in the video. The annual Pre-read selection began in 2013, when Eisgruber selected Kwame Anthony Appiah’s “The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen” as required reading for the Class of 2017. This year’s Pre-read will mark the seventh year of the tradition. Members of the Class of 2023 will be mailed the Pre-read novel this summer. According to Eisgruber, the book will also be distributed to all entering graduate students. Last year, the Class of 2022 Pre-read was “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech” by University politics professor Keith Whittington.

STUDENT LIFE

Grafitti criticizing Title Newly formed Letters to Strangers IX found in Prospect seeks to destigmatize mental illness Gardens during Preview Associate News Editors

On Tuesday, April 9, the first day of Princeton Preview 2019, graffiti was found in Prospect Gardens. Three individual pieces of graffiti — “Title IX protects rapists” in two places and “Fuck Title IX” in one — were written in dark red ink on the ground of the Class of 1975 Walk. As of Wednesday night, the University was aware of the incident and working to remove the marks. Although the messages were initially dark and distinct on three tiles on 1975 Walk, the ink had been mostly scrubbed away by Wednesday morning, leaving only a slightly pink trace of each message. The barely visible words “Fuck” and “rapists” were covered with duct tape until Thursday, when the messages were completely erased. “Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Department of Public Safety,” Deputy University Spokesperson Mike Hotchkiss said. “In addition to our concern

about this incident, we are also concerned that those involved have the appropriate support and resources.” This incident follows multiple incidents of vandalism on campus bathroom signs listing resources on campus for survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. After the bathroom vandalism incidents, 27 SHARE Peers submitted an editorial to The Daily Princetonian reaffirming their commitment to providing a confidential and nonjudgmental space for survivors. “We want you to know that we hear you and want to support you to the best of our ability. We believe that every person deserves to be safe, respected, and happy on this campus, and we are here to listen to you always,” they wrote. In an email to the ‘Prince,’ SHARE director Jackie DeitchStackhouse expressed concern that “the person writing these messages has experienced significant harm, either personally or indirectly on behalf of someone close to them,” and also exSee TITLE IX page 3

LINH NGUYEN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Graffiti stating “Title IX protects rapists” was written in red ink on Class of 1975 walk.

In Opinion

Contributing columnist Benjamin Gelman advises activits to expand their horizons beyond online callouts, while editorial assistant Arman Badrei criticizes Alex Jones’s rhetoric surrounding free speech. PAGE 4

DIANA CHAO ’21 FOR THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Club members write letters and organize events and initiatives.

By Naomi Hess staff writer

Diana Chao ’21 founded a global nonprofit called Letters to Strangers when she was just a sophomore in high school. Now, there are over 20 chapters of the organization in over 10 countries, with one here at the University. “We are a global, youthrun mental health non-profit seeking to destigmatize mental illness and increase access to affordable, quality treatment,” Chao said when describing the mission of Letters to Strangers. Chao was inspired by her own challenges with mental health, which began after her family moved to the United States from China when she was nine years old. “I was growing up in a town that was predominantly white and what that meant was the juxtaposition of both economically feeling like I couldn’t live up

to my peers, but also just questioning a lot about my own self-identity,” Chao explained. When she was 13, Chao experienced a wake-up call that made her realize the importance of advocating for mental health. “It was after a suicide attempt that I realized that I really needed to do something about it, but the stigma was so strong within in my family that I really had to figure out ways to deal with the situation on my own,” Chao said. “What I turned to was writing.” Letters to Strangers clubs around the world anonymously exchange letters, which are meant to improve the mental health of both writers and recipients. According to Chao, writing letters can have many positive effects. “When you have to write a letter to somebody else, especially when it’s handwritten, there is that whole pro-

Today on Campus 9:00 a.m.: Conference: Regimes of Visibility Burr Hall 219

cess of self-ref lection and vulnerability that you have to go through,” she said. Chao founded the University chapter of Letters to Strangers as a first-year student. Every month, the chapter exchanges letters with Anchor House, an agency devoted to helping youth aged 12–17 in Trenton. Anchor House runs various programs to assist youth who have experienced trauma. The organization’s mission, Executive Director of Anchor House Kim McNear explained, “is to provide a safe haven where abused, runaway, homeless, agingout, at-risk youth and their families are empowered to succeed and thrive.” “Through our programming, we are providing therapy and counseling services to all the young people who are interested in participating,” McNear added. “It was really a nice opportunity to do it in a different way See CHAO page 2

WEATHER

By Linh Nguyen and Claire Silberman

HIGH

73˚

LOW

59˚

Cloudy chance of rain:

20 percent


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