April 18, 2019 by The Daily Princetonian

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Thursday April 18, 2019 vol. CXLIII no. 49

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U . A F FA I R S

Campus roadway to be named after Rivers ’53

IN TOWN

Dinky scheduled to resume service May 12

By Benjamin Ball head news editor

By Rebecca Han staff writer

The University will name the roadway between Firestone Library and the Andlinger Center for the Humanities after alumnus and Princeton native Robert J. Rivers ’53, one of the first black undergraduates admitted to the University. The Council of the Princeton University Community’s (CPUC) Committee on Naming recommended the name “Rivers Way” to the Board of Trustees. In its recommendation, the committee said that the name had a double meaning, honoring Rivers while encouraging campus visitors to live their lives “River’s Way.” Rivers, a retired professor of clinical surgery and associate dean for minority affairs at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, studied biology as an undergraduate before attending Harvard Medical School and serving in the Navy. He became the University’s first black trustee in 1969 and received a “Doctor of Humanities” honorary degree from the University in 2016. “He is a true Princeton pioneer,” his honorary citation reads. “[H]e paved the way toward a University increasingly committed to diversity and inclusion, and he did it with dignity, grace, integrity and a lifelong devotion to this University’s highest values.” A longtime resident of Princeton, Rivers and his family also have close ties to the University and local community. See RIVERS page 5

ALBERT JIANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

The Dinky train sits in the Princeton station.

NJ Transit has announced that the Dinky will return to service on May 12. The Dinky’s return was formerly slated for May 24. This new date will allow students moving out of their dorms for the summer shortly after Dean’s Date on May 14 and during the spring term examination period to fully use Dinky services. According to a press release from NJ Transit, the organization has “accelerated the restoration of services.” They also noted that during the time before the Dinky’s return “test trains and rail equipment will begin to operate on the tracks.” The Dinky line was “temporarily discontinued” on Oct.

14. Its return was scheduled for January, and then rescheduled until an indefinite date in the second quarter of 2019. The reason NJ Transit initially gave for the Dinky’s suspension was to install Positive Train Control. Those changes were completed in December. In a meeting on Feb. 19, NJ Transit officials said the reason for the additional delay was a lack of engineers. The buses that have been shuttling between the University campus and Princeton Junction as a substitute for the Dinky have occasionally stirred up discontent. Common complaints voiced by the student body included discomfort and delays, both stemming directly from their reduced carrying capacity as compared to the train.

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

Ressa ’86, Mueller ’66, Obama ’85 make TIME 100 list

By Claire Silberman

associate news editor

Filipina journalist Maria Ressa ’86, Special Counsel Robert Mueller ’66, former first lady Michelle Obama ’85, Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell ’75, and activist Ezra Levin *13 were featured in the TIME 100, an annual list of the most influential people in the world. Time Magazine published its 16th list — which includes representatives from a wide variety of fields, from art to science to politics to entertainment — on Wednesday, April 17. Editor-in-Chief and CEO of TIME Edward Felsenthal described TIME 100 as “far more than a list. It is a community

of hundreds of global leaders, many of whom support and challenge one another. And at a time when so many of our problems require cross-disciplinary solutions, they are also uniquely positioned to effect change.” Ressa is the CEO of Philippine news network Rappler, an outlet which has openly criticized Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent drug war and exposed fake news in the country. Her work has made her a target of the Philippine government. She has posted bail 11 times in the past 14 months for charges ranging from tax evasion to cyber-libel. In a fiveweek period, she was arrested twice.

Ressa was named a Time Person of the Year in 2018 for her work covering the Duterte regime and defending freedom of the press. TIME commended Ressa as an icon. “A new generation of authoritarian leaders is leading a concerted and intentional assault on truth, with serious consequences for journalists,” wrote Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, who wrote about Ressa for TIME. She noted the importance of journalists such as Maria who are “committed to exposing corruption, documenting abuse and combating misinformation.” TIME classified Mueller in the “leader” category for his

firm sense of duty and his dedication to the Russia probe. In March, the former FBI director delivered a report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. During the two-year investigative process, Mueller “uttered not a single public word” according to Sally Yates, former Deputy Attorney General, who wrote Mueller’s mini-essay. “Distinctly apolitical, he confounds those who can’t comprehend a person driven by his all too uncommon values: honor, integrity, humility, service. He is the inverse image of the man he would ultimately come to investigate,” she wrote. “He called it as he saw it. He did his duty.” See TIME page 3

tors and signals establish a “tool box” of genes that govern proper development in Drosophila. Without them, the fly would not have the proper body segments and appendages, like wings and antennae. According to Wieschaus, similar mechanisms apply not just to flies, but humans and other multicellular organisms as well. “How can you use a laboratory animal, like a fly, to address basic questions?” Wieschaus asked. Wieschaus stated that his earlier contributions were able to help to improve the understanding of birth defects, which is why his work won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Although Wieschaus did not set out to research the question of what causes cancer, he found that embryonic development and tumorigenesis are connected. The same set of genes that controls the decision-making process of a developing embryo also governs decisions made throughout the life of an organism, Wieschaus said. When these genes are mutated in an adult, he added, they can lead to cancer. For example, the hedgehog and armadillo genes that Wieschaus discovered in the 1970s contribute to the development of skin and colon cancer. His current research focuses on describing the mechanics of embryonic development. Wieschaus seeks to answer the question of how cells or sheets of cells are able to form various movements and how the forces that drive that process are generated. Wieschaus remarked that the relationship between the generation of those cellular forces, the

mechanical properties of the cells, and the genetic activities that drive them poses an interesting and important question in biology. “They may in the long run have some significance for cancer,” Wieschaus said of his recent work. “You never really know when you’re doing science. Anything you do, to have any significance at all, other people have to build on it.” After graduating magna cum laude from University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in biology in 1969, Wieschaus earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1974 with the Swiss developmental biologist Walter Gehring as his doctoral advisor. After a series of academic appointments, Wieschaus joined the University as an assistant professor of biology in 1981, and became an associate professor of biology in 1983. Wieschaus was named as a full professor in the molecular biology department in 1987 and appointed Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology in 1993. Since 1997, Wieschaus has also been an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as an adjunct professor of biochemistry at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The AACR was founded in 1907 and is the world’s first professional organization dedicated to researching, preventing, and curing cancer. The AACR Academy recognizes scientists who have made significant contributions to this mission. This year, Wieschaus was one of 22 newly elected fellows inducted at the AACR annual meeting in Atlanta from March 29 to April 3.

MATTHIAS KUBISCH / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Eric F. Wieschaus was inducted last month as a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy.

Molecular biology professor Eric F. Wieschaus inducted into American Association for Cancer Research Academy By Katie Tam and Allen Shen senior writer and staff writer

Eric F. Wieschaus, Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology and Professor in the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, was inducted last month as a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy. The announcement states that the honor was awarded “for his

In Opinion

Nobel Prize winning identification of genes responsible for controlling embryonic development and their impact on tumorigenesis, and for conducting large-scale mutagenesis screens in Drosophila melanogaster, or the fruit fly, to identify genes responsible for embryonic patterning and development.” Wieschaus’ best-known work concerns the development of Dro-

Contributing columnist Katie Goldman advises prospective students on dealing with imposter syndrome at Princeton, and columnist Morgan Lucey encourages students to surround themselves with views that differ from their own. PAGE 6

sophila embryos. His research involves mutating the genes of flies and assessing them for developmental abnormalities on a large scale. The experiments reveal that the majority of mutations do not cause changes in the flies’ development; only around a hundred mutations result in defects in patterning and differentiation in the embryo. This set of maternal fac-

Today on Campus 4:30 p.m.: Samuel Kortum, Yale University: “In Search of Trade Frictions” Julis Romo Rabinowitz A17

WEATHER

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

HIGH

69˚

LOW

59˚

Cloudy chance of rain:

20 percent

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COURTESY OF PETE SOUZA / THE WHITE HOUSE AND JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Robert Mueller ’66, Maria Ressa ’86, and Michelle Obama ’85 were featured in the Time 100.

Albright: Journalists like Ressa are committed to exposing corruption TIME

Continued from page 1

.............

Beyoncé wrote remarks on behalf of Obama, who “shines as a beacon of hope who inspires all of us to do better.” “She would’ve been impactful simply by being in the White House, the first African-American First Lady. But she also used

her position of power to improve the world around her. Her initiative Reach Higher, for example, encourages young people to complete their education past high school. She empowers all of us to interrogate our fears and surpass greatness.” Additionally, the current Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell ’75, was listed in the titan category for “keep-

ing the economy healthy, with plentiful jobs and with inflation low and stable” and “wisely and capably lead[ing] a process in which monetary policy decisions are based on data and objective analysis,” according to his biography by Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve. Representative Ayanna Pressley recounted the story of Leah

Greenberg and Ezra Levin *13, whose online publication of a 23-page handbook, “Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda,” spawned a grassroots political movement. “They did not do this work alone, and perhaps most commendably they are quick to step back, create space and center those most impacted by issues. In times of division, they’ve

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been a constant force for good,“ Pressley wrote. According to TIME, the magazine will host a summit with a selection of some TIME 100 honorees on April 23, in order to “spotlight the outstanding progress these individuals are making and encourage crossdisciplinary collaboration toward a better world.”

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Rivers is a retired professor of clinical surgery and associate dean for minority affairs RIVERS

Continued from page 1

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According to his honorary citation, Rivers’ grandfather planted the first elms on Washington Road, his father worked at Tiger Inn as a dormitory janitor, and his mother cared for a professor’s family. His three sons also attended the University. This is the first time that the Committee has named a University structure after an alumnus, as previous namings have mainly honored faculty or individuals related to the University in other ways. Last year, the University named a garden for former slave Betsey Stockton, a founder of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and the first school in Princeton for children of color, and an arch for Jimmy Johnson, who worked as a janitor and vendor on campus, according to the University’s website.

Committee chair and History of Science professor Angela Creager said that the Committee sees Rivers as an exemplary model for students and for the community. “These are the kinds of people whose lives are worth following,” she said. “This is a source of inspiration for how we should be living, the sights that we should set on what we can achieve and who we can serve … he just seemed to us someone who embodied that notion of service.” Creager noted that people enter campus from the town of Princeton. “We kind of were having that in mind when we were looking at names … that it would be nice to get a name that would signify, once again, the connections between the community of Princeton and the University,” she said. “We always try to think about space, and what the possible names would bring to that space and the campus at

EMILY ARONSON / OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

large, and he just seemed like a really excellent [fit,]” Creager explained. Rivers will also be featured along with 10 other people in newly commissioned portraits of “alumni and former faculty

and administrators to reflect the diversity of the University community,” according to the University website. Other portrait subjects will include Toni Morrison, Sonia Sotomayor, and Alan Turing.

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This is the Committee’s final naming project of this year. They will be receiving naming requests this fall and will make naming recommendations next spring.

Opinion

Thursday April 18, 2019

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Prospective students: Don’t let imposter syndrome scare you away Katie Goldman

Contributing Columnist

o you ever feel imposter syndrome?” asked the prospective student that I was hosting for Princeton Preview. It saddened me that instead of celebrating her acceptance, she was thinking about how she may have been a fluke in the admissions system. I immediately thought about the weeks following my Princeton acceptance when I also felt inadequate and worried that admissions made a mistake by accepting me. Prospective students should be aware that imposter syndrome is a feeling that is experienced by many who are admitted to Princeton, and it should not impede anyone from attending the University. Although it is easy to compare oneself to their future classmates, everyone has had different opportunities; ultimately, Princeton admits students for their potential rather than past accomplishments. Imposter syndrome is the term given by psychologists to describe the phenomenon of high-achieving individuals doubting their own ac-

complishments and fearing exposure as frauds. Despite concrete evidence of success, individuals experiencing imposter syndrome feel as though their achievements are due to either luck or a facade of intelligence. After being admitted to Princeton, I definitely had a case of imposter syndrome. I remember feeling overwhelmed when my future classmates discussed the dozens of AP classes that they took in high school and the other Ivy League schools they were deciding between. It did not help that the “Official Class of 2022” Facebook group was blowing up with posts of people bragging about their many talents and accomplishments. It seemed like every admitted student had an interesting “thing” that got them into the school. Some had already coded dozens of phone apps, given TED Talks, or been published in national newspapers. How was I supposed to be proud of being on my high school Model United Nations team when one of my potential future classmates had worked with the actual United Nations? While it was difficult for me to not compare myself to the other prospective students, I

realized that doing so would be unreasonable. Every individual admitted to Princeton comes from a unique background. A variety of factors contributed to the successes each student has had in the past, from socioeconomic status to geographical location. It would be illogical to compare the accomplishments of admitted Princeton students as each prospective student is fundamentally different; they each come from distinct lives and have had diverse opportunities. Although past accomplishments should be celebrated and did contribute to acceptance to Princeton, what matters more than past is potential. Ultimately, Princeton admits students whom the University believes will use their education to better their lives and the lives of others. Past successes demonstrate potential as they show how individuals have utilized available resources; however, potential matters significantly more. The feeling of imposter syndrome will not magically disappear once enrolled in the University; in reality, many Princeton students still occasionally doubt themselves. Whether it is their first B on

a transcript, their first rejection from a club, or their first failed test, attending Princeton alongside hundreds of other high-achieving students can be difficult for individuals who were most likely the “star students” of their high schools. Although it is easy to be discouraged, students should try to remember that they were admitted to Princeton because the admissions office saw potential in them. For all the prospective Princeton students who are wondering if admissions mixed up their application and they were admitted by accident: you were not. Although some prospective students at Princeton Preview and in the Facebook group may try to seem more qualified than everyone else, it is likely that these individuals are just trying to cope with imposter syndrome as well. Do not be this person, and do not let these people scare you. The fear of inadequacy should not prevent you from enrolling in Princeton. You deserve to be here. Katie Goldman is a first-year from Western Springs, IL. She can be reached at kpg3@princeton. edu.

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Opinion

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To spark conversation, leave your comfort zone Morgan Lucey

Contributing Columnist

ecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, recently spoke at the University about her newly published memoir. I, along with hundreds of students and community members, jumped at the opportunity to listen to her speak. At the end of the question and answer portion of the event, a student in the first few rows of Friend 101 raised her hand and asked a question that was markedly different than the previous ones. Rather than asking about Richards’ experiences or recommendations for women going into activism, this student asked how Richards could reconcile Planned Parenthood’s work with the idea that life begins at conception.

The student asked this question eloquently and graciously, and Richards answered in the same way. Though that sort of question was unexpected at an event where the majority of the students in the first few rows wore bright pink Planned Parenthood gear, it sparked an interesting conversation about some of the scientific discourses surrounding Planned Parenthood’s work. Thus, I am calling for students to attend events that don’t exactly line up with our own ideas; by respectfully challenging the messages of these events, especially if they are in ideological minority, students can attain a greater understanding of the full range of ideas surrounding an issue. At Cecile Richards’ lecture, I was jarred by the fact that a student who was clearly prolife came to an event surrounding a woman who is so clearly pro-choice, and mentioned my discomfort to a friend as we were walking out of the lecture hall. The discomfort was espe-

cially striking when, at the end of the event, a large group of students gathered around the student who asked the question. It was not just the one student who had come to the event alone; a pro-life group presumably organized attendance in order to increase the chances that one could ask a similar question and challenge Richards’ beliefs. But this same friend made a really good point: it is common for pro-life supporters to attend this type of event and ask provocative questions, ones that improve the quality and depth of the conversations, even if their own beliefs are starkly out of line with the message of the events. I have never attended a pro-life event on campus, and I am not alone in that among people with similar value systems to myself. Though this may just seem like an avoidance of events centered around ideas that don’t agree with our own, it also causes us to miss out on sparking the same sort of provocative and

comprehensive conversation at Cecile Richards’ talk. Of course, it is important to spark these conversations in a respectful and appropriate manner. I am not advocating for any sort of disruption of these events, particularly given how much time and effort goes into organizing them. However, raising one’s hand during the regular question and answer portion cannot be considered a disruption. Similarly, questions surrounding difficult topics, those that might be considered “triggering” for the target demographic of the event, should not be asked in the public sphere; perhaps they can be discussed in a private conversation with the sponsoring faculty or host instead. It is easy to surround ourselves with people who have the exact same value systems and ideas; this is a comfortable way to avoid conflict. Furthermore, it makes sense that we would want to have friends who see the world in the same way we do. However, having

conversations with people who have different value systems is necessary and is even desirable for understanding both sides of an issue. Asking difficult but respectful questions, as well as listening to ideas different than our own, is an important skill to have. I will personally develop this skill by attending more prolife or other conservative lectures, even if my own value system falls decidedly in the pro-choice, liberal side. By just listening quietly in the back row or even asking questions of my peers about their stance on the issue at hand, I could gain a more comprehensive understanding of why they have that particular belief. Doing so is worth the slight discomfort of sitting in a room with people whose beliefs differ from my own. Morgan Lucey is a senior neuroscience major from Scottsdale, Ariz. She can be reached at mslucey@princeton.edu.

cancel culture nathan phan ’19

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Sports

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } ROWING

The Walk-On Contribution By Samantha Shapiro Head Features Editor

Princeton rowing’s four varsity rosters operate under a necessity that differs from all other varsity programs: a reliance on walk-on contributions. Walk-on statistics for Princeton’s four rowing teams are complete outliers. Recruits dominate the rosters of the other 33 varsity Princeton teams, which typically include one to two walk-ons. For rowing, walk-ons are necessary to field a complete roster. Between men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight, women’s open weight and women’s lightweight, walk-ons make up 28 percent, 45 percent, 33 percent and 69 percent of the 2019 rosters respectively. In total, men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight, women’s open weight, and women’s lightweight have 15, 20, 18 and 19 walk-ons. This may stem from rowing’s uniqueness as a walk-onfriendly sport. Compared to other sports, rowing’s learning curve is not as steep. Furthermore, many high schools do not have developed rowing programs, so many talented athletes have never had opportunities for exposure. Walk-ons comprise a high percentage of rosters for other top rowing programs, such as Columbia and Georgetown. Georgetown, able to provide athletic scholarships to its athletes, has even more walk-ons than Princeton across all four teams. Financially, adding walk-ons does not place a significant burden on programs. “The most we lose is some long sleeve t-shirts,” said women’s lightweight assistant coach Alex Morss ’13. “Consid-

ering what some of them contribute in the end, it’s totally worth it.” The statistical discrepancy in walk-on numbers between Princeton’s rowing teams is due to the number of recruiting spots given — women’s lightweight rowing is only allotted an average of three recruiting spots per year, while men’s heavyweight has eight to nine. But the difference in numbers for yearly recruits does not necessarily factor into team performance, given the high national finishes across each Princeton rowing team. In 2018, men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight, and women’s lightweight ended their seasons with fifth, second and third place finishes at Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in the 1v boat, respectively. Women’s open weight rowing (the only rowing team which is an NCAA sport and does not compete in IRAs) finished in fifth at the 2018 NCAA Championships. In Princeton’s most recent lineup of the 1v boat, between all four varsity rosters, each spot was held by a recruited athlete. The reputation of a varsity rowing program typically lies with the finish of its top boat — the 1v eight boat. Arguably, this is a credit to the outstanding caliber of Princeton recruits. Recruited athletes have won races at European Junior Championships, Canadian Henleys, Junior World Championships and more. After Princeton, top rowers frequently continue to compete at the highest level. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Princeton rowing flaunted six alumni — come 2018, nine Princeton alumni competed in the World

Championships. This adds a whole new dimension to the walk-on story: in Princeton’s boathouse, future Olympians practice alongside novice rowers. But walk-ons do not diminish the status of Princeton’s top-notch, nationally-ranked program. With hard work, athleticism and dedication, walkons can make their way to the top of the roster, and maybe even the world rowing stage, too. “Walk-ons consistently contribute to top boats,” said men’s lightweight assistant coach William Manning. In recent years, Emily Schneider ’18 was an experienced lightweight women’s walk-on, who became team captain by her senior season. Kanoe Shizuru ’17 was a novice walk-on on the cusp of lightweight and open weight, who worked her way onto the NCAA lineup for women’s open weight. And certain names are boathouse legends, such as Heidi Robbins ’13, originally a novice, who rowed in the US women’s eight that claimed the gold at the 2014 World Rowing Championships. This season, in the 2v boats for men’s lightweight and women’s lightweight, and in the 1v four for women’s lightweight, a few walk-ons are in the line-up. There are also walk-ons in the 3v for women’s open weight and men’s heavyweight. Walk-on coxswains play an integral role on every team and frequently are in top boats. Recruiting spots are limited for multiple coxswains, yet solid coxswains are essential to rowing — they steer the boats, motivate rowers, provide techni-

cal feedback and keep track of statistics. Additionally, the performance of all boats, outside the 1v, is not to be discounted. Come Eastern Sprints on May 5, Princeton has its eyes set on team cup, which factors in multiple varsity boats. Perhaps the most important walk-on contribution of all: walk-ons help to maintain a competitive environment that makes every boat better. They advance and augment team depth. “Walk-on contributions are massive. They push the people above them to get faster, they push the 3v, which pushes the 2v, which pushes the 1v,” said sophomore men’s heavyweight rower Tassilo von Mueller. “They do more than you think they do.” Recruiting the Walk-Ons: The Walk-On Process Rowing coaches and teammates alike see the necessity for walk-ons. But they also recognize that being a walk-on is far from a cakewalk; and, likewise, walk-ons have a high attrition rate. Consequently, there is a need for high numbers from the get-go. Perhaps oxymoronically, Princeton rowing coaches recruit their walk-ons. They stake out freshman orientation events, like the Pre-rade barbecue and activities fair. Team members take initiatives to encourage walking on, too. Current walk-ons were inspired to try crew at the urgings of Princeton Preview host, a fellow student who attended the same high school, and even a roommate. Take sophomore Kailey Dubinsky, who had never lifted an oar coming into Princeton. She had not foreseen her Princeton

experience being shaped by a fierce dedication to an unfamiliar sport: 6 a.m. practices followed by afternoon lifts, weekends dedicated to all-day regattas, the grueling practice of weight-cutting leading up to a race. But now, with upwards of three hours of rowing per day, Dubinsky’s collegiate life revolves around crew. During freshman orientation, Dubinsky was approached by Coach Manning, who asked her if she was an athlete. Dubinsky replied with a quick no, though she had been a competitive runner and hoped to pursue athletics as seriously as possible at Princeton. Coach Manning handed a flier to Dubinsky, encouraging her to attend an information session about walking onto the women’s rowing roster. Dubinsky attended a jampacked session with nearly 70 women considering crew. The following day, she attended a 6 a.m. practice alongside approximately 45 women who had never rowed before. For the next two weeks, Dubinsky learned basic rowing and ergometer techniques with all novice women. After these two weeks, lightweight novices were separated from open weight novices, but they continued to practice rowing on the water, separated from the recruited athletes. This weight-separation procedure is standard across the men’s rosters as well. However, the four teams differ slightly regarding how they handle “experienced walk-ons.” Every year, a few “experienced walk-ons” join each roster — these athletes learned to row in high school but decided to

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Stat of the Day

.318

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Senior baseball player Max West currently holds the highest batting percentage at .318

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Sports

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } join the college team after receiving admission. Depending on the number and skillset of these “experienced walk-ons,” they may or may not join the recruited athletes during practices in the fall. For example, senior William Hess, who walked onto men’s lightweight with experience, immediately joined the recruited athletes, while first-year Artemis Veizi stayed with the other novices on women’s lightweight. During this time, training the coxswains as quickly as possible is crucial: a coxswain is required to be an immediate leader, helping ensure that practices run smoothly. What’s more, the learning curve for coxing is known to be steeper than rowing, often requiring years of familiarity and mastery. “Arguably, it’s a lot harder to learn how to cox than to row,” noted Veizi. During the fall, depending on the year’s numbers, walkons may compete in their own boat at the fall regattas: the Head of the Charles, followed by the Princeton Chase. But after two months, the separation of walk-ons and recruits starts to become nonexistent. As Lake Carnegie freezes over, practices on the water will transition to brutal winter training on the ergometers. The process of integration commences as walk-ons are challenged to complete the same workouts as recruits. “We treat every athlete as an individual, but we don’t water down our team for those who merely wish to participate. This is not intramurals. We

cater to competitors,” noted Manning. At this point in the season, severe walk-on drop-off begins. In the 2018 season, by the end of the winter, Dubinsky was one of two novice rowers on women’s lightweight who had not quit. “I just kept showing up,” laughed Dubinsky. None of the teams cut walkons. If there are enough athletes to seat a boat of eight, that boat of eight will race. Nonetheless, walk-on attrition is extremely high. Walkons who quit during the winter often cite the brutal workouts — ergometer workouts with supplemental training — as the primary factor. “It’s fairly self-selective. People can figure out if they like working that hard,” said Coach Morss. “Winter training pushes your physical capacity,” said sophomore Isabelle Chandler, who was the only other women’s lightweight novice walk-on in 2018. “You know there’s the spring season coming, but it can be very hard to go down to the boathouse.” The time commitment is an issue, too. “There is certainly the Princeton mentality of ‘If I’m not at the top, I should do something else with my time,’” noted senior Emily Erdos, a coxswain for women’s open weight. Erdos is the former Head Opinion Editor for the Daily Princetonian. Over Intersession, walk-ons travel to Tampa, Florida and begin fully integrating in practices with the recruited athletes

in boats on the water. Come spring, practices resume on Lake Carnegie. At this point, walk-ons become full team members, no longer part of a separate novice squad. They get their lockers. They get their singlets. “Once they’re here, we don’t care how they got here or what they did previously, only how much they help the team,” said Coach Manning. Additionally, they begin infusing healthy competition into the team dynamic, as they start to compete for spots in top boats. Novices No More: Walk-On Integration Leads to Contribution In her freshman fall, Dubinsky did not anticipate her own hefty contribution to the varsity lightweight rowing program. But Dubinsky had been keeping up with her teammates, posting stellar pieces in ergometer workouts. Her coach decided to “seat-race” her against another athlete, to see if she was prepared for a more competitive boat. Seat-racing aims to compare two rowers by switching just one person out in a boat and comparing overall boat times. “When I started seat-racing to be in more competitive boats, I felt like I was fast enough to compete,” said Dubinsky. Over a year and a half later, Dubinsky is racing in the varsity four boat. Walk-on success comes with three main variables: technique, rowing-specific fitness, and work ethic. First, regardless of natural

athleticism, developing solid rowing technique is essential. In this respect, experienced walk-ons often have technical advantages over complete novices. “It [normally] takes at least a year and a half to get to the technical level of a recruit, from someone who has never touched a blade,” noted Hess. Next, rowing requires strength and cardio endurance. Developing a cardiovascular base for rowing can take several years; walk-ons with experience in swimming or running may have an easier transition. Last is a certain intangible quality that nearly every coach, recruit and walk-on interviewed referenced. The ability to push yourself to your physical limits underlies rowing success. Technique and athleticism may take time to develop, but work ethic is expected from the beginning. Regardless of 2k splits, a singular “work hard” mindset unifies the boathouse. Ensuring Walk-On Success: Fostering a Unified Team With 13 walk-ons joining the women’s lightweight program, this year has surpassed all other years in walk-on retention rate. Artemis Veizi attributes this largely to team dynamics: an immediate bond forged with the other walk-ons and a respect for the veteran rowers. Additionally, as one of three experienced walk-ons, Veizi was able to help bridge the gap between recruits and walk-ons. “We knew how to do the workouts, and we knew what we were getting ourselves into.

I was confident in my decision to walk on, which could have lent itself to making other walk-ons comfortable in their decision and could have contributed to the retention rate,” commented Veizi. In practices, this year’s walkons received the ergometer scores of Chandler and Dubinsky from the previous year, so that they could track their progress against Chandler and Dubinsky. “I was pretty conscious of being a walk-on, until this year,” noted Dubinsky. “But we’ve really wanted to integrate the walk-ons earlier — it’s been a huge focus.” Men’s lightweight is working to foster this culture, too. This year, captains began assigning each committed freshman to an upperclassmen “point person” as an athletic and academic mentor. Meal exchanges and team meals became a priority. All efforts for retention aside, each walk-on interviewed never considered quitting. All genuinely love the experience of collegiate rowing, including its challenges — the structure and routine it imposes, the deep friendships and sense of rowing community, the shared struggle yet a simultaneous enjoyment of the physical workout. In fact, Coach Morss, who currently oversees all the women’s lightweight walk-ons — was a novice rower herself. “Coming down to the boathouse means a lot. Now, it’s really fun to watch the walk-ons grow into that. The cycle will continue.”

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Thursday April 18, 2019

Sports

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MARK DODICI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

Ryan Smith pitching against Columbia.

Ryan Smith after giving up the game-winning 3-run home run against Columbia.

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Max West after striking out against Columbia.

Allie Rogers against Harvard.

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Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lacrosse celebrating after beating Harvard.

Kyla Sears against Harvard.

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Julia Haney against Harvard.

Allie Rogers against Harvard.