Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998
Friday April 2, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 29
Twitter: @princetonian Facebook: The Daily Princetonian YouTube: The Daily Princetonian Instagram: @dailyprincetonian
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
IN TOWN
Princeton residents circulate community center proposal
ON CAMPUS
Designed by: Isabel Kim
MARK DODICI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The Princeton School of Public Policy and International Affairs (SPIA).
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
By Page Cromley Contributor
Princeton residents have proposed the establishment of a new community center to provide services to “vulnerable Princetonians, whose ages span from infant to senior,” including grade school tutoring, a community garden, and emergency housing support services. A recently circulated letter proposing the creation of the Princeton Community Center (PCC) garnered over 200 signatures in less than 24 hours, including from many University students. The group suggests building the center on the location of the old Princeton Fire and Rescue Squad and two adjoining homes, according to the letter would “require very little repurposing of existing structures, allowing the center to start operating within a short period of time, until a more permanent and larger location is built.” “We have a lot of people who are struggling in our town,” said Veronica Olivares-Weber, Chair of the Human Services Commission, on behalf of herself and not the Commission. Olivares-Weber, a 14-year advocate for Princeton’s vul-
nerable population, sent the proposal to the Mayor and Council Members on March 22, requesting it be added to their meeting’s agenda. At that point, the proposal was signed by 173 individuals who identified themselves as “an interfaith coalition of Princeton residents who have long been involved in supporting vulnerable neighbors and frustrated by the patchwork of services that do not sufficiently address the real needs in our community.” The proposal also urged the Council to reserve the necessary properties for the Community Center. “This hub would become the home for Human Services and Health Departments, and Cornerhouse, with a dedicated staff, social workers and community educators, open during convenient hours, including evenings and weekends, and would be a welcoming, multicultural place for all Princeton residents,” the letter stated. A previous 1996 Princeton Community Master Plan had acknowledged that “a community center, in one or more facilities, for our senior citizens, young people and the community at large” was a See NEWS for more
Professor Rory Truex ’07 on America’s scientific exchange with China By Allan Shen Senior Writer
Rory Truex ’07 is an assistant professor of politics and public affairs at the University. His research specializes in Chinese politics and theories of authoritarian rule. In light of the charges that the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently made against MIT faculty member Gang Chen, Truex wrote in The Atlantic about the dangers of harming America’s open environment of scientific research in a crackdown on possible Chinese espionage. In a Zoom interview, The Daily Princetonian spoke with Truex about America’s scientific exchange with China, how to best combat malign actors who are taking advantage of this relationship, and the role of American universities, like Princeton, in this arena. The Daily Princetonian: How exactly would you characterize the extent of illicit activities that Chinese scientists or graduate students partake within the United States? And which ones should we really be the most concerned about? Rory Truex: We actually don’t know the extent of what’s going on. And I think for that reason, we need to
be particularly careful about government policy and the climate that we create at U.S. universities. My major concern is that a few cases are being used to justify a real change in approach of how U.S. universities interact with China, and I’m very concerned about an environment where people of Chinese ethnicity, either Chinese Americans or Chinese citizens, become stigmatized and viewed as agents of the Chinese government. But with that said, we also can’t be naive and pretend like nothing is wrong. We do know that the Chinese government is interested in getting access to American technologies and is engaging in espionage in the United States. So, the question is, well, how do we confront that challenge while also being true to our own values — particularly academic values — and creating an environment where Chinese scientists are welcomed, celebrated, and not stigmatized? DP: What exactly is the harm of collaborating with Chinese scientists if the results of their research will be published in open-access journals anyways? RT: There was a period of time when collaboration with China was viewed as a really
good thing for American universities. I think [the primary concern] is research with national security implications that somehow is stolen or leaked to the Chinese government in some shape or form at an early stage such that it actually reproduces a military or commercial advantage. We know that the Chinese Communist Party has party committees in every major Chinese university and also keeps very close tabs on researchers. So, in some sense, partnering with a Chinese university is partnering with the Chinese government, whereas working with Princeton doesn’t mean you’re partnering with the U.S. government. So, there’s an asymmetry that’s important, and I think it’s part of the reason why some of these relationships are being viewed as more fraught than they used to be. DP: There’s an argument that even if the results of research are not classified and will be shared with the wider scientific community anyways, the very collaboration itself can mean that we are improving the ability of Chinese researchers to compete with us. What is your assessment of that argument? See NEWS for more
PROSPECT
LCA professor Tracy K. Smith on race and American identity in poetry
By Aditi Desai and Sydney Eck
Senior Writer and Staff Writer
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, we wanted to highlight literature curated by some of the University’s incredible female faculty. So many women at the University are not only advancing breakthroughs in their respective fields, but also translating their lived experiences into words that inspire — that move, challenge, and encourage — others. Faculty members have been asked to navigate an unforeseen academic year in the midst of racial reckoning. Despite the challenges that came with shifting online, connecting with students, and confronting societal tensions, female faculty at the University have continued to channel passion into teaching and creating. To bring the celebration of women and their contributions to culture, history, and society to The Daily
In Opinion
Princetonian, we spoke to a few of the many inspiring female authors working at the University on what it means to be a professor, writer, and mentor during these turbulent times. While these authors work in fields as diverse as engineering, literature, and social policy, their experiences highlight elements of commonality that have shaped their personal perspectives. These women discussed the balance of work and motherhood, the traditional split between story-telling and academic writing, and their advice to the next generation of female authors. With words of encouragement and stories of perseverance and compassion, this impressive contingent of Princeton professors offered a poignant perspective on the rapidly evolving work of female academics. Watching the world unfold over the past year, Tracy K. Smith, professor and director of the Lewis Center for
SYDNEY PENG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
the Arts’ Program in creative writing, has considered the ways she can encourage open and honest conversation surrounding issues at the forefront of our communities. As an administrator and educator, Smith has thought about how she can best be present in the moment for her students — all of whom bring with them layered experiences of personhood, race, culture, and gender. The goal, as Smith notes, is to spark “dialogue and support students of color
Highlighting McKinsey & Company’s involvement in the opioid crisis, Guest Contributor Sean Crites ‘22 calls on students to hold companies with a history of unjust policies accountable in the recruiting process.
who have been asking for more from this institution.” As a writer, Smith has leaned on poetry for clarity as she grapples with the racial trauma that “[she] inherits as a member of the community of Blackness.” Much of Smith’s poetry delves into the crux of what it means to have inseparable layers of identity and how being Black and female in America drives many of her emotions and experiences. Smith recalls how, at the beginning of her career, much
In Opinion
of her literary work centered on anxieties that stemmed from America’s influence on other regions of the world and how such priorities inherently exclude others. In many ways, Smith notes, she was conducting a “direct examination of American history” and the unsettling — though not surprising — history of how women and people of color have been commodified throughout American history. Later, in the midst of her See PROSPECT for more
Columnist Brittani Telfair argues that the controversy generated from Lil Nas X’s recent music video is ill-foundeded, arguing that backlash from Christian conservatives like Governor Kristi Noem are rooted in white supremacist notions of Christianity.