April 22, 2015 by The Daily Princetonian

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Wednesday april 22, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 52

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U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S

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U. appoints Graduate dean of diversity

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In Opinion Professor Uwe Reinhardt offers one last perspective about the divestment debate and Lea Trusty criticizes recent trends in “poverty tourism.” PAGE 5

By Jessica Li staff writer

Today on Campus 4:30 p.m.: Historian Joan Scott will deliver the 2015 Meredith Miller Memorial Lecture, called “Fifty Years of Academic Feminism,” and sponsored by the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies. McCormick 101.

The Archives

April 22, 1969 Fistfights erupted on the steps of Clio Hall when members of Students for a Democratic Society clashed with campus conservatives in protesting military recruitment taking place at the University.

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News & Notes Animal rights advocates urge legal action against Harvard’s New England Primate Center

The advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office last week, urging it to pursue criminal charges against the Harvard researchers responsible for the care of primates that were allegedly mistreated, the Harvard Crimson reported on Monday. Harvard’s New England Primate Center is facing scrutiny after reports that several of its monkeys have died from inadequate care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched an investigation when six monkeys died soon after being transferred from the Harvard facility to the Oregon Zoo in May 2014. After an internal review of what it called “self-identified events” in 2011, Harvard restructured its leadership and implemented more rigorous standards for the Center’s practice and operations, the Crimson reported. The medical school has also said it remains committed to addressing any outstanding problems. The University has faced similar scrutiny recently over its care of its marmoset monkeys. Animal rights groups have alleged most recently that negligence at a University laboratory led to two marmoset monkeys’ injuries, according to an April 13 Daily Princetonian article.

NATALIA CHEN :: ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

An unknown group of students has placed hundreds of condoms on the student art project known as the Nest.

The University announced its appointment of Dale Trevino as the Graduate School’s associate dean for diversity and inclusion last Friday. Trevino will take office on July 1. According to University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua, Trevino currently serves as the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to taking office at Harvard, Trevino directed the Center for Multicultural Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder for eight years. Mbugua deferred further comment to the University’s press release. Trevino did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Angelina Sylvain GS, a member of the Women in STEM Leadership Council who participated in the student committee that met and interviewed the three final candidates, stated that although all candidates were very qualified, Trevino’s

extensive experience with inclusivity puts him in the best position to assume the office. “It was very clear that he was prepared for the job and could take student feedback seriously and actually fight for students,” Sylvain said. Sylvain noted that the University solicited input from students representing a wide array of cultures and backgrounds, including the Graduate Student Government, Black Graduate Caucus, Graduate Black Women Caucus, the Latin American Student Council and Women in STEM Leadership Council. Vladimir Medenica GS, another participant in the selection process and president of the Latino Graduate Student Association, said the appointment was a good one given the campus climate. “Princeton, as an institution, has a long way to go on these issues and the University seems to recognize that,” Medenica said. “I think that bringing somebody onboard who has spent their career working in this area is a smart decision.” See TREVINO page 2

U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S

Though search continues, Asian American Studies professorship still vacant

Associate dean of the college for programs of access and inclusion appointed by U.

By Christina Vosbikian staff writer

The University has been unsuccessful in hiring an Asian American Studies professor, though the search is continuing, professor of English and African American Studies Anne Cheng ’85 said. The search, which has spanned candidates in multiple disciplines, launched in November 2014. The Council of the Humanities is seeking candidates with a doctorate and excellence in a humanities or social science discipline, as well as a thematic focus on Asian American Studies. The selected person would hold the title of professor or associate professor in the department most aligned with his or her research and be affiliated with the Program in American Studies. The application deadline is listed as “Open Until Filled,” and evaluation of applicants began

on Nov. 15. Cheng, an advocate for Asian American Studies and one of two faculty currently teaching courses related to Asian American Studies, declined to comment further. Beth Lew-Williams, who was hired last year as the University’s first professor of AsianAmerican history, also declined to comment on the ongoing search. University spokesman Martin Mbugua deferred comment to the Program in American Studies. Former Asian American Students Association president Evan Kratzer ’16 said his student group believes there has been a problem in how the University has structured the search. He explained that the search for an Asian American Studies professor has been facilitated and coordinated by the Program in American Studies. See PROFESSOR page 4

By Melissa Curtis contributor

Khristina Gonzalez was appointed associate dean of the college for programs of access and inclusion last Thursday. The appointment comes at the same time as a similar appointment of an associate dean for diversity in the Graduate School. Gonzalez is the former associate director of the University’s Writing Center and oversees the Freshman Scholars Institute, among her various roles at the University. Before arriving on campus, Gonzalez served as an assistant director of the Writing Center at Brown University, where she earned a doctorate in English. Despite the new title within the Office of the Dean of

the College, Gonzalez’s job is not a completely new position and not a reaction to any specific events, said Claire Fowler, senior associate dean of the college who was a part of the hiring process for the position. Gonzalez will work on a number of different inclusivity and access programs, consult with students and help to make the campus aware of diversity and inclusivity efforts underway, Fowler said. Gonzalez’s warmth, enthusiasm and her great ideas about how to make Princeton a more inclusive place make her the best person for the job, Fowler said. Gonzalez said she is hopeful for the improvement of the University’s social environment. “[I want to] find ways to ensure that we make Princ-

eton a place that is welcoming and supportive to all of our students and a place that students feel that their voices are valued and heard,” Gonzalez said, adding that one of her primary goals is to help students take advantage of everything the University has to offer. “Some members of our community have felt marginalized on campus, and we want to change that.” Charles Argon ’17, a Writing Center fellow, said his interactions with Gonzalez had been nothing but positive. “She made the Writing Center a great place to work,” Argon said. “[She] actually listens to what’s going on among fellows and changes things based on that.” Other students interviewed said they realized See GONZALEZ page 2

LECTURE

Newly elected Greek governor lectures on democracy building, challenges as woman By Katherine Oh staff writer

The new administration of Attica, Greece, aims to establish a new plan to resolve the economic and political crisis faced by the region, Attica governor Rena Dourou said at a lecture on Tuesday. Attica is the largest region in Greece and includes the capital, Athens. The population of Attica is more than five million, and approximately 35 percent of Greece’s gross domestic product is generated in the region alone, according to Dourou. Dourou is a member of Greece’s leftist party, Syriza, and is the first leftist woman

to wield that level of administrative power in Greece. Dourou explained that the plan encompasses movements like “electricity for all” and the restoration of the credibility of politics. She added that her government is committed to achieving justice in Attica through “strict and severe” rules that apply to everyone. The promotion of investments in Greece, which is another element of the plan, will involve improving the democratic environment of the country, Dourou said, adding that no one wants to invest in a nation rife with social upheaval and unnecessary red tape.

While constructing such a plan will not be easy, Dourou said her government has “already started planting the seeds for political, economic [and] social renewal in Attica” and the “seeds of a new Greece.” Syriza’s agenda includes strengthening the democratic institution, Dourou said, as well as promoting the right of the Greek people to a decent future, which means protecting the values of freedom, democracy and social justice. “I make no concession in my beliefs,” Dourou said. Dourou explained that her May 2014 election campaign was successful despite See LECTURE page 3

YICHENG SUN :: PHOTO EDITOR

Rena Dourou, the newly elected governor of Attica, Greece, lectured on her plans for office on Tuesday in McCosh 46.

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a balance had to be struck between the extent of the University’s resources and helping to improve the experiences of students who have been the recipients of discriminatory remarks and behavior. Brett Ascher ’18 said she believed it was difficult for the University to handle the student’s displeasure with recent Yik Yak commentary and the controversy over the Urban Congo performance. “I think this situation was

somewhat mismanaged, but I don’t think there’s any way for the University to know the consequences that it was going to have,” she said. Rachel Lurie ’18 said she has noticed that some students do not feel entirely secure and welcome on campus, an issue that Gonzalez could help to address in her new role. “It does seem to me that there are students who feel uncomfortable, and so that would make me think that there are more steps that could be taken to reduce that and to make sure that everyone feel safe and included,” she said.

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Around 130 individuals applied for the position, Medenica added. The position of the associate dean for diversity and inclusion was re-established last November in response to complaints from students, faculty and trustees. Prior to the decision, University administrators were planning to divide up the responsibilities of the office to the associate deans of academic affairs and of student life in the Graduate School. An October guest column in The Daily Princetonian by three graduate students criticized the decision to eliminate the position. The re-established position is crucial to promoting diversity on campus and protecting the minority identities, Sylvain said. “I can imagine that working in this office is probably one of the hardest jobs an administrator can have because you are fighting for something that has yet to be achieved on campus: the inclusion of nonwhite, non-straight, non-males on campus,” Sylvain said. Eliminating the position would have been a step backward for the University, Medenica said. “[It would have been] an ac-

tion that threatened to significantly undermine the University’s purported commitment to diversity,” Medenica said. In anticipation of the beginning of Trevino’s term, Medenica expressed that the associate dean appointee should create more open lines of communication. In addition, he hopes to see more structural changes “that goes beyond the stale rhetoric and lack of substantive action.” “Students from marginalized backgrounds want to have a graduate experience that is equivalent to their peers, and most graduate students would like a better graduate experience,” Medenica said. Trevino must address issues of transparency and accountability during his term, Sylvain said, adding that she believed both of these qualities are minimally visible in the current administration. “My observation is that if there are clear climate problems in particular departments, nothing seems to get done about it,” Sylvain said. “There’s no training, no discussion. It is an extremely hostile environment for people who don’t conform.” The Women in STEM Leadership Council recently solicited comments from graduate women in STEM and plan to submit a report of findings to the Provost’s office, Sylvain said.

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Dourou won despite prejudice toward women, she says LECTURE Continued from page 1

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obstacles because her party “spoke the truth,” by not hiding the challenges that lie ahead while also emphasizing the need to speak less and act more. Syriza did not make any promises, according to Dourou, which set her campaign apart from other political campaigns in Greece during the past few decades. During the election season, the opponents of Syriza tried to exploit stereotypes to discount her platform, Dourou explained. In addition to misrepresenting Dourou’s agen-

da, those opponents presented Dourou as a young woman with limited experience in running local affairs, or as someone who did not want to be elected, she said. Dourou said that the criticism ultimately proved an advantage, since she won the election for governorship against all odds. It was a victory that very few opinion polls had predicted. “It was not a single political victory,” Dourou said. “It was a victory against prejudice toward women, against establishment … with male politicians monopolizing the power.” Explaining that her victory came from the people,

Dourou said that the fact that the majority of voters had rejected the stereotypes of her opponents indicated the beginning of a new era for Greece. In addressing the question of whether or not her victory could really make a difference or bring change to Greece, Dourou said she wanted to start by reformulating the terms of the question. “Do the forces which have supported my candidacy in the region of Attica represent the political and social renewal which is necessary in Greece?” Dourou said. Dourou described her current situation as a female governor by quoting Eleanor

Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until you put it in hot water.” “Right now I’m in the hot water of governing the most important region of the country, and this is a unique experience,” Dourou said. The lecture, called “A New Face for Greece: What Difference Can a Woman Make,” marked the last of Wilson College’s Signature Lecture Series for the academic year. The Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies and the Program in European Cultural Studies co-sponsored the event, which was held at 5 p.m. in McCosh 46.

ART IN MOTION

OSAMA HASSAN :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Princeton University Ballet rehearses for the spring production of Art in Motion, which will be performed this weekend.

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Deadline for professorship listed as ‘Open Until Filled’ PROFESSOR Continued from page 1

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“Even though American Studies is the one trying to build the program and would be the center for Asian American Studies, it does not have final say on the hiring,” he noted. Kratzer said the search is structured so that the Program in American Studies needs approval and coordination for final hiring from outside the department. “We aren’t necessarily entirely surprised that it failed, consider-

ing that the bureaucratic wrangling behind trying to hire this faculty member is unnecessarily complicated,” he said. Kratzer emphasized that the school has a need for an Asian American Studies professor. “At a very basic level, I think that an Asian American Studies professor is necessary at a university because it expands our view of race in America,” he said. The Asian-American narrative presents a much more complicated picture of race than that depicted in a strictly black-white narrative, Kratzer said.

As the University enters an increasingly globalized world, the establishment of an Asian American Studies program is especially important, Kratzer said. He added that the presence of a senior faculty member is essential to developing any kind of Asian American Studies program, given that no faculty members at the University primarily focus on Asian American Studies as their field. “If you want to ensure there’s a community focused on studying AAS at university, you need faculty members,” Kratzer said. “Having a senior professor not

only increases the number of faculty at the University, [but] it also increases stability and diversifies the community that exists here.” Andrew Hahm ’17, the former Asian American Studies chair of the Asian American Students Association, expressed dissatisfaction with the search process so far. “For us, I think it’s a little disappointing that it’s taking this long, especially for students who really want to see this program go up,” Hahm said. “Having these really long delays in hiring faculty … doesn’t seem to be the norm.”

BALLET

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Food security and poverty tourism Lea Trusty

columnist

cannot recall the last time I read a positive column about Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow’s greatest flaw in the public eye has been her inability to relate with others, more so than a typical Hollywood celebrity. Consequently, I was not surprised when I heard about what had recently put her in headlines. Last week, Paltrow accepted a challenge from the Food Bank of New York City by attempted to live on a one-week grocery budget of $29, the average amount families receive per person through SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). She took a picture of the food she had bought and posted it to her Twitter account, with a status saying, “This is what $29 gets you at the grocery store—what families on SNAP (i.e. food stamps) have to live on for a week.” I guessed that Paltrow had hoped to expose herself to the bleak realities of everyday lives for millions on Americans. What I wondered about most was how she would go about executing the challenge, and what effect, if any, she hoped to have after it. I am sure no matter how Paltrow performed the challenge, she would have received some criticism by virtue of her image as privileged and unaware. Still, even with this in mind, one cannot help understanding her critics when looking at the photo she tweeted. On a table laid a carton of one dozen eggs, brown rice, black beans, peas, tortillas and a colorful array of fresh vegetables, lime and cilantro. Although Paltrow may have intended to show just how difficult it is to maintain a healthy diet on the budget food stamps provides, she missed the mark in buying such a large amount of fresh food at all. Many families enrolled in SNAP live in food deserts, where fresh vegetables and fruit are not readily available in inner cities. Furthermore, several of these families do not have access to a vehicle to reach markets where food like this is sold, as they depend on public transportation. What’s worse, even Paltrow was only able to sustain her experiment for four days. Putting aside the issue of just how unrealistic her purchases were, there remains a slew of questions and concerns for challenges like these. What does embarking on a challenge like this achieve? I suppose one aim could be to better one’s public or personal image. Another motive could be to increase understanding of the impoverished lives many around us lead. However, if carelessly executed, this can quickly morph into poverty tourism, where outsiders can seek novelty in the harsh realities of hunger, homelessness and the aftermath of natural disaster while being able to escape at any given moment. Ever the optimist, I think most people enter with the intention of educating themselves on issues like food security that, while not directly affecting them, are pressing for millions of families around the world. Yet, is this reason enough? Satisfying one’s curiosity may be innocent enough, and an attempt to gain a new outlook is commendable. We don’t have to look as far as Hollywood to find people seeking an experience that will put their own lives in perspective. Only last week, the Center for Jewish Life, Pace Center for Civic Engagement and Oxfam America sponsored the Hunger Banquet, where participants received a ticket assigning them to an income bracket and life narrative, all based on current statistics on poverty. The bracket you were in determined what sort of meal you would receive. Guests heard from a graduate student and former Oxfam CHANGE fellow, and at dinner’s end, they were asked to share thoughts on the evening. Lastly, those participating were “invited…to take action to right the wrong of poverty.” The final sentence is critical, because frankly, I do not think wanting to learn is enough. Rather, I do not think wanting to learn about important social issues warrants entering a community where what was once a distant policy issue becomes someone’s everyday life. If you are going to adopt someone’s personal space and narrative momentarily so that you can leave more knowledgeable than when you entered, it is your responsibility to do something meaningful with what you have learned. I have no doubt that the controversy of the “SNAP challenge” will soon go away. Poverty is a well-hidden issue that most Americans do not encounter unless they directly experience it. When it gains the attention it deserves, the realization that solutions are complex and may come at a personal cost turns many newfound advocates away. Yet at the very least, we can commend Gwyneth Paltrow for using her fame to turn the spotlight on the issue. Perhaps before another issue takes its place, a bill or program can address the steady decline on resources used to fight poverty. Because of course, even the most well-intentioned people can escape the slum they visit or prematurely end their challenge like Paltrow did. Without comprehensive change, these “challenges” are never-ending realities for millions. Lea Trusty is a junior from Saint Rose, La. She can reached at ltrusty@princeton.edu.

Opinion

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Disinvestment is an empty moral gesture Uwe Reinhardt

guest contributor

t is always to be welcomed when students give written or spoken expression to their moral sentiments on issues outside the University’s comfortable cocoon and debate these sentiments in a manner that befits a great university. At the same time, it is less heartening when these expressions lead to facile and morally empty policy recommendations for the operation of the University at large. From the viewpoint of an economist, for example, having the University’s investment arm, PRINCO, rid itself of the stock certificates on a set of companies whose role in Israel and the West Bank is deplored by the advocates of disinvestment strikes me as such an empty gesture. One certainly can debate this issue from a strictly partisan basis, favoring one side or the other, as different factions on this campus have amply done. One can also debate whether it is reasonable to force upon the University community a general policy on which that community is as sharply divided as it is on this issue. The trustees of Stanford, for example, just decided to vote against disinvestment on this ground. Finally, one may forever debate the proper boundary for disinvestment in general. American corporations can become candidates for disinvestment for any number of reasons on which there are strong feelings by one group or another on this campus. Should PRINCO divest from any company that does business with countries that by our standards violate human rights — for example, say, those of women? Should PRINCO dump the stocks of the manufacturers of drones or guns? In this commentary I will not address any of these contentious points on which we all have strong views, no doubt, and instead ask what goals disinvestment actually is meant to achieve and whether it actually can achieve them.

The proponents of disinvestment seem to theorize that disinvestment would throw sand into the operation of the target companies and thus dissuade them from activities of which the protesters disapprove. Does that actually make economic sense in a fluid global capital market? Most, if not all, of the target companies’ shares of stock held in PRINCO’s portfolio were purchased by PRINCO in the market for stocks that had already been issued by the company years ago. One might call it the “preowned” or “second-hand” market for stocks. Does anyone sincerely believe that if a handful of American and European universities divested themselves of stock in a company, it would seriously hurt that company’s ability to raise equity capital from other investors in a global stock market, especially now, as global capital markets are awash in capital scouring the world for profitable investment opportunities? True, if all universities inclined to disinvest were to do so in concert at one time, there might be a very shortrun downward blip in the market price of the target company’s stock. But alert investors around the world — in the United States, in Europe, in Asia and in the Middle East — forever on the lookout for arbitrage opportunities would see in that downward blip a buying opportunity and instantly take advantage of it. The CFOs of the target companies might report to their boards of directors that a temporary blip in the company’s stock price had occurred and why it had occurred, but they would also quickly assure the board that soon the market price of the stock will trend up again toward the intrinsic value of the stock. The latter depends strictly on the cash inflow expected by investors from the stock and the discount rate at which future investors translate expected future cash flows into present values, which then become their bid prices for the stock. Fluctuations of stock prices about their intrinsic values are taken with equanimity in the real world. Given this likely scenario, what

would disinvestment actually achieve? The only way the market price of the company’s stock could be directly impacted for any length of time would be to target the firm’s income statement in a way that would depress earnings per share for some time and perhaps permanently. The disinvestment being proposed now does not do that. Therefore, I judge it to be an empty gesture. I also judge it a facile gesture. Moral statements have more force, more personal sacrifice behind them, thanks to their advocates. What sacrifice do the advocates of disinvestment actually personally bear for that advocacy? I am hard put to think of any. Even if the policy were to impose a permanent loss on PRINCO, that is, on the University at large, who actually would bear these economic consequences? Universities quite often serve as the wellspring for empty moral gestures. During the Vietnam War, for example, our students struck the academic process in a protest over that war. To give their moral outrage visible expression, they refused en masse to sit for final examinations. In principle, the refusal to sit for exams should have entailed that seniors would fail to graduate that year and that juniors would be forced to take an extra course the following year. That personal sacrifice might have caught the attention of the media. As it turned out, predictably, the Registrar’s Office, presumably with the blessing of Nassau Hall, fixed it somehow so that everyone got credit for his or her spring courses anyhow and every senior graduated on time. But, presumably, a moral statement had been made in academia. I invite the current proponents of disinvestment to explain in these pages where I err in my theory, if I do, and why their proposed policy is neither facile nor an empty gesture. Uwe Reinhardt is a professor of economics and public affairs at the University. He can be reached at reinhard@princeton.edu.

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Argumentum ad yikyakum Avaneesh Narla

contributing columnist

“

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” — Oscar

Wilde In high school, I was a big fan of anonymity. I felt that a fear of repercussions often hindered people’s willingness to be outspoken, even about issues that they might have been passionate about or when they could contribute significantly to the conversation. Anonymity offers a stage to a silenced argument: a way to project the oppressed idea. However, I have since become cautious regarding the benefits of anonymity. The recent dialogue on campus and the role of Yik Yak in it highlight why anonymity should be treated carefully. I assert that anonymous forums such as Yik Yak should not be considered forums for dialogue and that anonymous posts on these forums should not by themselves be considered prevailing opinions among the student population. Yik Yak is great as a forum for mildly clever statements and a vent for complaints — let’s leave it as such.

Anonymity offers those who have contemplated and developed thoughts about an issue a platform to present their arguments without the fear that their identities would be a detriment or expose them to ad hominem attacks. But for anonymity to be effective, it requires an especially well-reasoned argument. Arguments with names attached allow the authors to respond to criticism and develop their arguments; anonymous arguments cannot rely on the author’s input to better interpret and develop those ideas. Which begs the question: can Yik Yak serve as a forum for well-reasoned anonymous arguments? Yik Yak posters don’t have the opportunity to elaborate and explain in limited space, and it’s questionable whether they have taken the effort to present their arguments. Yik Yak is not a forum for dialogue or argumentation and should not be treated as such. But do anonymous sources offer a window into the thoughts of members of the student body — a student body that will soon become members of society at large and, if history is any indication, an influential part of it? I firmly don’t believe so. Many people who post on Yik Yak clearly confess that they are often either flat-out lying about their

true beliefs or posting liberal modifications of their thoughts in hopes of upvotes. I confess to having lied on most posts and have witnessed many friends post provocative arguments that they themselves don’t believe in, hoping to gain fake internet points. Yik Yak posters don’t post to present an idea that others would learn from, but post to present an idea that others would like and upvote. Strong provocative arguments are especially successful at doing that (like expressing anger at certain groups), even if they don’t represent the poster’s beliefs and aren’t well-reasoned. Thus, most posts may not indicate any prevailing mentality but are just attempts at fake internet popularity. But are upvotes an indication of student mentality? Probably not. Innumerable psychology studies confirm the dynamics of group mentalities; in the case that a post has more than a certain number of votes, one is instinctively likely to upvote it even if given time to consider it, they wouldn’t agree with it. Furthermore, I wonder what proportion of the student body is actually on Yik Yak, let alone posting on it. The so-called one percent rule of the Internet is well-documented and states

that only one percent of the members create new content on a website, while 99 percent just “lurk.” How much it is true for Yik Yak may be disputed, but it is probably still applicable. Should the voices of such a miniscule proportion of the student body be considered so strongly? Yik Yak posters are what anonymous internet forum commenters became long ago: a small group of people who present arguments without much reasoning and can get away with unreasoned statements. Yik Yak is great for crude jokes and complaints, but we shouldn’t use it as a forum for arguments/dialogue or consider it as indicative of campus mentality. I would urge everyone to reason and discuss (as Ryan Dukeman urged a few days ago in a column in The Daily Princetonian) rather than pay attention to unreasoned provocative posts on an anonymous forum. Relying on Yik Yak — whether it is to draw attention to campus issues or to martyrize someone for their cause — is not okay; no anonymous platform is appropriate for that type of dialogue. Avaneesh Narla is a sophomore from Calcutta, India. He can be reached at avaneesh.narla@princeton.edu.

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ON TAP

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my summers out by the beach. DP: How did you pick up sailing? AG: When I was nine years old, my parents thought it would be fun for me to take a safe boating course that featured a little bit of sailing. From there, I really loved it and kept going back and taking more sailing camp, and every summer getting more into it, a little bit of racing, a little bit of teaching, then came to Princeton, met some people on the team, thought it was a great fit for me, and that’s what brought me here. AS: Most of my experience with sailing has been from being on the team here, and that’s where I started learning from the different upperclassmen,

starting last year and continuing with that. DP: What was your first impression of meeting the other Andrew and vice-versa? AG: I was kind of annoyed there was another Andrew. We’ve always had a lot of Andrews on the team, and I was looking forward to finally being called Andrew. AS: One of the first times I joined the team and came to meet people, I thought you were the most super intimidating person — super intimidating and super serious. But we got to know each other, and that’s not the case at all. DP: What would you say each other’s spirit animal would be? AS: Grasso’s is obviously a TRex, because always, when he’s talking, he sticks his hands up like a T-Rex, and he never puts them down.

AG: Sunny is like a big golden retriever, with a nice thick coat, he’s just real soft and you can kinda grab him and hug him. DP: If you were a late meal item, which one would you be and why? AG: I’d definitely be the Philly Cheese steak, because not everyone knows I exist, but once you figure out that it’s there, you’re kind of hooked. AS: I’d totally be the late meal special at the grill because it’s always different, and people don’t’ realize how great of a deal it is until they actually get it. DP: If you had to take the other person on a date, what would you do? AG: I’d take him somewhere nice. We could go to a candlelit dinner at Mezzaluna with a nice bottle of wine.

AS: I’d probably go bowling. Then it’d be real competitive, and it’d really get the fire burning. DP: What are you going to miss about the other Andrew? AG: It’s been awesome having him as a friend for the last two years, and getting to see him grow into his role as commodore of the team, so I will miss his fearless leadership and steely resolve. I’ll be adrift without a lighthouse next year. AS: I’ll miss picking on him in my emails sometimes. But, having a person you can always count on on the team, Grasso’s always been there. If you need something done on the team, he’s always there to really lend out a hand, being one of the most dependable people. As a commodore, looking for advice for what to do, Grasso’s always there, helping me out.

Men’s volleyball lose to Penn State in four sets, but beat Saint Francis 3-2 in great five-set thriller M. V-BALL Continued from page 8

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led in the set as Penn State dominated play. Thanks to a strong service game and a weak Princeton service game, Penn State went on to win the set relatively easily by a score of 25-19. The Tigers looked to have recovered their rhythm early in the third set by jumping out and leading 3-0. The Tigers would lead the majority of the set, not giving up the lead until falling behind 19-18. The Tigers led as much as 15-11. A service error by Chris Kennedy allowed Penn State to then change the momentum at 19-19 and ultimately win the set 2521. Penn State dominated the fourth set thanks to strong

play upfront, allowing them to win the set handily 25-15. The loss to Penn State set up an important match against Saint Francis on Friday. The Tigers raced out to an early lead against Saint Francis in the first set with a tight 26-24 victory. The set was close the whole way through, with the biggest lead of the set coming when the Tigers led 8-4. The Tigers had a set point up 24-23 before Saint Francis had a kill to tie the score at 24 apiece. Sophomore middle blocker Junior Oboh had a kill to give the Tigers another match point before an attack error by Saint Francis gave Princeton a 1-0 lead. In the second set, Princeton stuck close with Saint Francis, essentially alternating points until 13-13. Saint Francis, however, pro-

ceeded to go on a 12-6 run to draw the match at a set each. The third set was similar to the first set, close the entire way through. The lead was never greater than one for either team, and the Tigers moved out to a 15-12 lead before dropping three points in a row to once again tie the set. Saint Francis led 2422 before Princeton fought off one set point thanks to a kill from Kessel. Saint Francis responded with a kill, however, to take a 2-1 set lead. In the fourth set, the Tigers generally maintained a slim lead throughout before Saint Francis tied the set at 23-23. Thanks to a kill by Oboh, the Tigers had their first set point at 24-23. The teams essentially traded kills until the set was tied at 26 points apiece. Kessel

had a kill to give the Tigers their fourth set point of the set. Saint Francis would not deny the Tigers for a fourth time, however, thanks to an attacking error that gave the Tigers a 28-26 victory. In the tie-breaking fifth set, the Tigers used the momentum from the fourth set to jump out to an early 7-3 lead with four of their seven points coming from Kessel kills. Saint Francis came roaring back, however, to tie the set at seven apiece. The teams alternated points until 12-12. Thanks to three kills from senior middle blocker Will Siroky, the Tigers won the last four points of the set and match to win 15-12. The Tigers have one remaining regular season match against George Mason this Friday before the EIVA playoffs begin April 29.

Men’s tennis defeats Cornell to finish with 19 wins, awaits NCAA decision M. TENNIS Continued from page 8

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victory. He was not able to maintain this momentum into the third set, however, dropping the match, with final scores of 6-3, 0-6, 6-4. Senior Dan Richardson and freshman Diego Vives both won their first sets before dropping their next two. Along with a loss from freshman Kial Kaiser, Columbia sealed a victory over the Tigers. A bright spot for the match, however, was at one singles. The last match off of the court, McCourt defeated the 18th-ranked player in the ITA, Winston Lin, 6-7, 7-6, 11-9. The Tigers once again fell behind early on Sunday in a must win match against the 48th-ranked Cornell Big

Red. The team dropped the matches at first and third doubles to fall behind 1-0 early. Colautti once again drew the Tigers even with a swift 6-2, 7-5 victory at second singles. McCourt gave the Tigers the first lead of the weekend after, with a decisive 6-2, 6-4 victory. Cornell drew even again with a victory at third singles, before Kaiser brought the Tigers in front again with a 6-2, 7-6 victory at the sixth spot. With the Tigers a point away from winning the match, Richardson took matters into his own hands at fourth singles. After winning the first set and getting crushed in the second set, Richardson rebounded strongly in the third set to win 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. Freshman Luke Gamble would lose at fifth singles as the last match off of the

court, but the Tigers had already clinched their 10th victory of the season over a ranked opponent. The Tigers posted 19 wins this season, the second most wins in the program’s history, behind the 20 matches the Tigers won in 1995, and on Monday newly released rankings placed the Tigers in 36th in the country. The decision for who will play in the NCAA tournament this season will be decided on Tuesday, April 28. Unlike the women’s team, the men did not receive an automatic bid, but things are looking good for the Tigers, as the highest-ranked team to not receive an at-large bid for the tournament last year was No. 42 Dartmouth, while the lowest-ranked team to receive an at-large bid was No. 43 Michigan.

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday april 22, 2015

page 7

Women’s rugby books Nationals spot, Tigers look to bounce back against men’s rugby claim Rickerson Cup Yale and Cornell in decisive games RUGBY

Continued from page 8

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the semi-finals before once again facing Brown in the final. In a tightly contested game, the Tigers raced out to an early lead and stifled the Brown offense until midway in the second half. At that stage, the Tigers were already up 22-0 and even though Brown closed out the game by scoring 15 straight points, the Tigers’ initial lead was too large. The game finished 22-15 and the Tigers lifted an ever-important trophy. With an impressive tournament, freshman Jessica Lu was named Player of the Tournament. The tournament bodes well for the Tigers’ future, as five of the starting seven players in the team are freshmen and only one is a senior. After the game, senior co-captain Stephanie Kim spoke about the developmental period for these freshman players. “We have a very young team this year and we spent the fall season developing the younger players’ skills because most of them had never played rugby before coming to Princeton. We tried to focus on making sure they understood the rules and, more importantly, how to be team players and what it means to play for PUWRFC,” she said. Senior co-captain Catherine Lambert echoed Kim’s sentiments. “After an unsatisfying end to our fall season, we set more ambitious goals for the spring, playing against a higher level of competition, particularly during our tour in Trinidad over spring break, where we played the national women’s select side both in 15s and 7s,” she said. In order to prepare for the upcoming tournament, Lam-

bert added, “In the coming weeks, we will focus on improving our fitness and defensive skills. 7s is an incredibly fast-paced and exciting game, but it’s also unforgiving — one missed tackle or pass can lead to an opposition try.” However, regardless of the results at Nationals, the women’s rugby team can look back proudly at a greatly successful season and look forward to the future with great hope. “They will carry on the tradition and team spirit we as seniors have worked hard to promote,” Kim said. Men’s Rugby After an unprecedented season last year where the team booked its place in the Nationals before losing out to West Virginia, the team entered the season confidently but was unable to repeat the successes of last season. The team was beaten in the Ivy League Championships by host Brown, who lost to eventual winner Yale. Although their Nationals hopes were dashed, the Tigers bounced back admirably in their two recent cup tournaments, the Koranda Cup and the Rickerson Cup. The Koranda Cup was created in the memory of Rob Koranda, who tragically died in a balcony collapse in Chicago in 2003 and features a winner-takes-all matchup against Ivy League Champions Yale. The Rickerson Cup, the New Jersey State Championships, has brought much success for the Tigers in the past few years, with the Tigers having won the trophy every year since 2009. The Tigers prepared for their spring season by going on tour to the sunny islands of the Bahamas. “Tour was great — a few of our rookies, Jake Levin and Mark Tamakloe in particular, immersed themselves in the local Bahamian grind

and reaped benefits on and off the field. [Senior] Will Hicks showed and embraced maturity beyond his years on tour and throughout the season,” said junior fly-half Michael Rice. The Tigers successfully de-

“[The women’s rugby freshman class] will carry on the tradition and team spirit we as seniors have worked hard to promote” Stephanie Kim

PUWRFC Co-Captain

fended the Koranda Cup by defeating Yale in New Haven, showing that the Tigers are still one of the best teams in the Ivy League before coming home and easily dispatching Seton Hall at the Rickerson Cup to the tune of a 80-5 thrashing. Rice said he was happy with the team’s efforts this season. “Overall the spring season was pretty successful for the club. We went down in a tough game to Brown in the Ivy playoffs but apart from that were undefeated. Credit must also go to our two Australian varsity recruits, [senior] Myles McGinley and [freshman] Ben Schafer, who have made a huge difference this semester,” he said. And although the team will be losing two vital players in seniors Will Hicks and Nick Martin, Rice added he is confident that the team is capable of continuing on next season. “The freshman class this year is particularly strong, and I think we could be building towards something big next year,” he said.

SOFTBALL Continued from page 8

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more catcher Haley Hineman to drive home a run on a failed fielder’s choice. The Tigers had eight hits, close to the nine Quaker hits during the game. Sunday saw the Tigers split the twin bill, falling in the first game before rallying to clinch a win in the second. The first game saw both teams get on the board with one run each in the first inning before the Tigers scored again in the top of the second. The first run came off of a home run from senior infielder Alyssa Schmidt before a single from Viggers followed by a sacrifice f ly from freshman

shortstop/second baseman Danielle Dockx gave the Tigers a second run. The Tigers held onto their lead until the sixth inning, when Penn rallied off of three walks, a hit batter and a two-run single to put the Quakers up 4-2 and win the game. Junior pitcher Shanna Christian retired 12 out of 13 batters between the second and fifth innings of the first game in an impressive showing but Borden allowed only one runner to reach second base in the last five innings of the game. The second game of the day saw the Tigers rally after a Viggers double that gave the Tigers an RBI and a Schmidt three-run home run put the score at 5-4 with the Quakers up by one after the fifth inning. The Tigers went

on to score two more runs in the top of the sixth after a dropped f ly ball gave the Tigers two more runs and Princeton furthered the lead in the seventh inning with another run off of a Viggers single. Viggers, Schmidt and junior catcher/first baseman Cara Worden each had three hits on Sunday, with Schmidt also recoding four RBIs and nine bases, eight of which came from home runs in both games. Despite falling into second place in the League, the Tigers are within reach of the top, only two games behind the Quakers. The Tigers will have opportunities to pull even in a home doubleheader against Yale on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and against Cornell next weekend in Ithaca.

Sports

Wednesday april 22, 2015

page 8

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } RUGBY

{

On Tap

}

Impressive weekend for both rugby teams

On Tap with Andrew Sun & Andrew Grasso

By Tom Pham

By Miles Hinson

associate sports editor

sports editor

This past weekend, the men’s and women’s rugby teams competed in the Ivy League Women’s Seven-a-Side Championship and the Rickerson Cup, respectively. Both teams have had extremely good seasons and were looking for a convincing and memorable end to the season as they headed into their respective competitions.

As waters around the east coast continue to warm up, the Princeton sailing team is in the midst of its spring season. We sat down with senior Andrew Grasso and junior Andrew Sun to talk about sailing first impressions and their late meals of choice.

Women’s Rugby In a culmination of continued success and effort, the women’s rugby team was awarded one of the 16 places at the USA Rugby Collegiate National Sevens Championship. The team will travel to Denver, Colo. to compete at the University of Denver over Memorial Day weekend and face off against the country’s finest rugby teams. Against more familiar foes in West Windsor this past weekend, the Tigers showed their domination over their Ivy League opponents. It is notable that the Tigers are a club team, whereas Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth are all varsity-level teams and funded by the universities themselves. Princeton easily cruised past Brown and Cornell in the group stages and then disposed of Harvard in See RUGBY page 7

The Daily Princetonian: Where are you from, and what’s your favorite part about

your home? Andrew Sun: I’m from Novi, Mich., it’s a little suburb from Detroit … I really don’t know, there’s not that much that happens in suburban Detroit. I guess being close to Detroit and Ann Arbor. Andrew Grasso: I’m from Old Greenwich, Conn., and the best part about where I’m from is that it’s a few hundred feet from the water, and that sort of got me into sailing, and I was also able to spend all of See ON TAP page 6

MILES HINSON :: SPORTS EDITOR

Sailing teammates Andrew Grasso and Andrew Sun speak about spirit animals, sailing and food.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Men’s volleyball secures place in EIVA playoffs By Chris Grubbs staff writer

The Princeton men’s volleyball team (11-11 overall, 6-5 EIVA) had a come-frombehind victory over Saint Francis University (6-19, 4-7) Friday night, securing a place in the EIVA playoffs. Despite falling to Penn State (17-9, 11-0) in four sets — 25-27, 25-19, 25-21 and 2515 — on Wednesday, the Tigers rebounded on Saturday to ensure that they will be

playing in the playoffs. The Tigers fell behind early in the match before storming back to win the final two sets for a 3-2 (26-24, 19-25, 2325, 28-26, 15-12) victory. Senior All-American outside hitter Cody Kessel led the charge with 17 kills and four aces against Penn State and 30 kills during the course of the Saint Francis match to clinch the playoff spot. Against Penn State, the Tigers came out cold and trailed for the majority of

the first set, falling behind as far as 19-14. Led by Kessel and attacking errors by Penn State, the Tigers roared back and fought off a Penn State set point to take the first set by a score of 27-25. This would be the most success the Tigers would have, however, as Penn State began to roll and never looked back. In the second set, Penn State won the first three points for an early lead. The Tigers never See M. V-BALL page 6

KIRA IVARSON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Men’s volleyball will be playing in the EIVA playoffs next week.

SOFTBALL

Softball fall to second in Ivy League South Division after three losses to Penn By Sydney Mandelbaum associate sports editor

Softball have disappointing weekend as they fell 1-3 against Penn to drop to two games behind Penn.

This weekend, the Princeton softball team dropped three of the four games played in two doubleheaders at Penn. The Tigers (15-22 overall, 7-7 Ivy League) are currently ranked second to Penn (19-17 overall, 10-6 Ivy League) in the Ivy League South Division. The two teams went into the weekend tied for first place.

MEN’S TENNIS

BASEBALL

NATALIA CHEN :: ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Saturday proved difficult for the Tigers. Penn opened the first game hot, scoring all four of its runs in its shutout of Princeton over the course of the first three innings. The Quakers held the Tigers to just three hits during the game in a strong showing from Penn pitcher Alexis Borden, who retired the first nine batters she faced before she gave up a single to senior infielder/ outfielder Rachel Rendina

in the fourth inning. In the second game, the Quakers again got on the board early and kept up their momentum, scoring one run in the first inning and two in both the third and fourth innings. The Tigers got on the board in the sixth inning after singles from junior first baseman Emily Viggers and sophomore outfielder Marissa Reynolds allowed sophoSee SOFTBALL page 7

Men’s tennis completes regular season Baseball swept by Penn, face Rider next By Chris Grubbs staff writer

Senior Dan Richardson played his last Ivy League match in the best way possible. He gave Princeton a shot at playing more tennis this season by clinching the win for Tigers in the final regular season match against Cornell. The No. 36 men’s tennis team (19-7 overall, 4-3 Ivy League) made the decision for the selection committee for the national tournament that much more difficult this weekend. After a 5-2 loss to Columbia (145, 7-0), Columbia defeated Penn to claim the outright Ivy League title and an at-

large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., after this loss to Columbia to play against Cornell (12-8, 4-3). The Tigers defeated Cornell 4-3. On Friday, Columbia traveled to Princeton to put its perfect Ivy League record on the line. The Lions had won their previous five matches and were the highest ranked Ivy League team at 23rd in the nation. Columbia took an early lead in the match by sweeping the doubles point 3-0. The third doubles tandem for Princeton dropped their match first by a score of 6-3, before the ITA No. 37 team of senior Zack McCourt and sophomore Tom Co-

lautti dropped their match to Columbia’s 56th ranked team. McCourt and Colauitti redeemed themselves in singles, however. Colautti was the first singles match off the court at second singles. He won his match 6-4, 6-3 to even the score of the match at one apiece, defeating No. 96-ranked Dragos Ignat. The remaining five singles matches would all go to three sets, one of the closest matches of the Tigers’ season thus far. Sophomore Alex Day was the second match off the court. After dropping the first set, he stormed back in the second to a 6-0 See M. TENNIS page 6

By Grant Keating staff writer

The Princeton baseball team has now lost eight straight games and stands dead last in the Ivy League after being swept by Penn in their back-to-back doubleheaders last weekend. The Tigers are now 3-13 in the Ivy League and 6-29 overall. They are now three games behind Cornell in the Lou Gehrig Division. It was a tough weekend for the Tigers as they lost the games by a combined score of 21-5 over four games. Penn (20-12 overall, 14-2 Ivy League) opened up every game except for the final by

taking a commanding lead and never looking back. In the first game, Penn exploded offensively with three runs in the first inning, and while the Tigers tied it up with three of their own runs, Penn scored the next six to take the first game 9-3. Sophomore pitcher Chad Powers took the loss in a tough outing that highlighted the struggles the pitching staff has had this season. The first game, while the worst game for the Tigers defensively, was also their best game offensively as they proceeded to score one run in the next two games and get shutout in the fi-

nal game of the series. The Tigers managed five hits in the game on 28 at bats compared to Penn’s six hits on 29 attempts, but could not convert any of their opportunities, stranding every base-runner they had. The sweep was indicative of the Tigers’ season as a whole, struggling to pull it together on both sides. Firmly out of contention for any league success, the Tigers will look for some out of league success Wednesday at Rider. Rider is 15-17 overall and 6-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Rider will play Lehigh on Tuesday before traveling to Princeton for the contest.

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