April 24, 2015 by The Daily Princetonian

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ACADEMICS

NEU majors optimistic, voice concerns

Sunshine with a few clouds. chance of rain: none

In Opinion The Editorial Board advocates for a more robust club sports program on campus, and Ryan Dukeman argues against opting to view admissions files. PAGE 6

By Zaynab Zaman staff writer

Today on Campus 8 p.m.: Student groups, including Triple 8, Nassouls and Fuzzy Dice, will perform at the University’s annual Night Market. East Pyne courtyard.

The Archives

April 24, 2001 Researchers at Princeton and Columbia University completed the first portion of a $17 million study titled “The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study.”

PRINCETON By the Numbers

93.9

The percentage of active students who have built a course plan on TigerHub.

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News & Notes Princeton High School students stage walkout to support teachers’ union

Hundreds of Princeton High School students supported teachers in a contract dispute by walking out of class on Thursday, according to the Times of Trenton. The contract dispute is between the local school board and the teachers’ union Princeton Regional Education Association. Andrea Spalla, the school board president, said that the issues in dispute could not be publicly talked about and that progress has been made to address them. On December 1, PREA members responded to the contract dispute by deciding to end voluntary participation in uncompensated extracurricular activities that extend beyond the school day. PHS student Harrison Bronfeld, who helped organize the walkout to support the teachers, said that the students desired a resolution to the issue. “Discourse and respect for a diversity of opinions is valued in the PHS community,” PHS principal Gary Snyder said regarding students’ decision to participate in the walkout. The PREA and the school board are scheduled to meet on May 4.

TOMI JOHNSON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

In the first year of the neuroscience concentration, 17 sophomores joined the department this week. STUDENT LIFE

TigerHub, ReCal aid course choices By Kristin Qian contributor

During the course selection period for fall classes, many University students have moved away from defunct course-scheduling applications like the Integrated Course Engine and easyPCE and have started using newer applications like TigerHub and ReCal instead. As of Thursday, Polly Griffin, the University registrar, said that 93.9 percent of active students had built a course plan on TigerHub, the University’s course-scheduling portal. She added that designing the application, which contains a calendar to arrange the cours-

es and the portal to add and drop courses, was a very large undertaking but that it has proved useful and easy to use. ReCal is a new course-scheduling tool that was launched on April 3 by Maxim Zaslavsky ’17, Dyland Xue ’16 and Naphat Sanguansin ’16. ReCal is different because it also consists of a mobile app component. Being able to select courses from a phone is important to them because it is “what we want as users,” Sanguansin said. In general, the whole system and user interface is faster, sleeker and more efficient than TigerHub, the creators explained. One third of University See COURSES page 4

ACADEMICS

Princeton Medical Institute conducts Alzheimer’s clinical trial By Nahrie Chung contributor

Researchers at the Princeton Medical Institute, as well as at other institutions, are investigating a novel drug to fight Alzheimer’s disease in a phase-II clinical trial called the NOBLE study. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative illness that affects more than five million adults in the United States. The last drug to have entered the market, memantine, was introduced more than a decade ago. The study explores the potential of T-817MA, a compound that may prevent neuron loss in the brain and even promote the regeneration of neurites. The study is ongoing

across 51 research sites in the United States and currently recruits qualifying patients with mild to moderate cases of Alzheimer’s. There are currently only four FDA-approved drugs for Alzheimer’s treatment, Jeffrey Apter, the principal investigator for the clinical site in Princeton, said. “There are drugs on the market currently for Alzheimer’s, but they don’t prevent progression of the disease — purely symptomatic,” Apter said. “We’re trying to determine how safe and efficient [T-817MA] is in delaying or altering the decline in memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.” See STUDY page 5

The curriculum for the new neuroscience major is noticeably different from the curriculum for the certificate, students interviewed said. Those interviewed said they were excited about having the option for a neuroscience concentration but noted that it has been difficult to prepare for the concentration since they have only known about its existence for less than a year. Seventeen members of the Class of 2017 have decided to major in neuroscience this year, according to Co-Director of the Program in Neuroscience Asif Ghazanfar. He said that students who may have signed into a wide range of departments in the natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and social sciences, as well as those who may have declared independent concentrations, instead chose neuroscience. The number of students concentrating in the department is high, considering that there was no option of majoring in neuroscience when these students entered the University, Ghazanfar said. The requirements for the

new major are heavy in the areas of physics and math, according to Emily Avery ’17, who declared the neuroscience concentration. Avery originally intended to have an independent concentration in neuroscience, rather than only getting a certificate in the subject. She said she is pursuing the pre-medical track and is looking to go further into the field of neuroscience after graduation, perhaps by going into neurology or neurosurgery. “I was super excited because I had wanted to do this originally, but it was going to have to be my own thing,” Avery said. “I was working on my proposal, and I heard that I didn’t have to anymore.” Lauren Berger ’17, a pre-med neuroscience concentrator, noted that the major is much more computational than the certificate. The certificate is targeted toward students who are interested in the biology or psychology side, while the major is far more comprehensive, Berger said. Avery noted that other students have done independent concentrations in neuroscience before, but that often they do interdisciplinary See NEUROSCIENCE page 4

DODGEBALL

TOMI JOHNSON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students groups competed for a $1000 prize at the annual Dodgeball Tournament on Thursday. LECTURE

McDermott discusses changing depictions of Hindu goddess Durga By Jacob Donnelly news editor

The changes in the face of the goddess Durga during the Bengali festival Durga Puja are reflective of changes in the broader face of Indian society, Rachel McDermott, professor of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures at Columbia, said at a lecture on Thursday. The Durga Puja is the Bengali version of Navratri, or the nine nights festival, in which the slaying of the demon Mahishasura by the goddess Durga is celebrated, McDermott explained. The festival is marked by building devotional shrines which typically depict a statue or other creative depiction of Durga spearing the animal form of Mahishasura. The depiction of Durga is

highly instructive, because it has changed dramatically over the centuries and continues to vary based on local custom and individual ingenuity, McDermott explained. Almost uniformly before the 1920s, the goddess’s eyes were elongated to her ears, her mouth was very small, her chin was square, her nose was hooked and her arms large, McDermott said. The ceremony was also different, with it being held in private residences for one’s family instead of in the streets for the general public. However, in the 1920s, Indian artists who traveled to Italy started to adopt more human-like forms of depiction of gods in the Mediterranean style, and Indian artists also learned a naturalistic perspective from

British colonialist artists in India, McDermott said. Although the ceremony had primarily been held in wealthy households since around the 16th century and wealthy families used it as a status competition, the decline of the fortunes of wealthy Indian landowners under colonial India led to the formation of popular Durga Puja associations, which brought the festival to the streets, McDermott added. As a result, the modern form of the depiction of Durga has evolved to be sexualized and attractive, McDermott said, adding that the changing role of women in Indian society has also shifted the depiction of the goddess away from an unrealistic depiction of the See LECTURE page 5

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study, such as focusing on neuroeconomics or computational neuroscience. Berger explained that she later became worried about making the choice, because neuroscience would require more departmental requirements than she had left to complete for molecular biology. “But I decided that I really love the subject, so I’m just going to go for it,” Berger explained. However, she also said that the transition between majors was difficult. She noted that she is currently enrolled in three labs this semester, due to how her pre-med and molecular biology course schedule worked out, in conjunction with the new neuroscience course requirements in which

she had to quickly enroll. Berger explained that several of her pre-med sophomore classmates are in the same situation, and all are experiencing some difficulty with it. “We would have planned our schedules better if we would have known,” Berger said. Berger said that she decided to concentrate in neuroscience almost immediately after learning about the new option. Berger was originally a molecular biology major and intends to become a dermatologist eventually. Berger’s academic adviser is one of the neuroscience departmental representatives and told Berger about the new major, Berger explained. Berger said that she was immediately interested in the idea. Natsuko Sato ’17 said that the course load did originally seem intimidating. “It seemed like a lot at first,

especially with the physics sequence and all the core requirements,” Sato said. “I hadn’t taken any of that yet, I’d only taken all the prerequisites, so I was a little overwhelmed at first, but it’s manageable.” Sato, who was originally a psychology major, noted she had been very excited to learn of the new neuroscience concentration. Sato had enjoyed the introductory neuroscience sequence and had intended to get a neuroscience certificate, she explained. “What I find so intriguing about neuroscience is that there’s so much undefined about it,” Berger said. “It’s a very new sector of science, whereas molecular biology is a very routine department. Neuroscience is a lot more creative, and there’s so much to explore about it. I think it’d be more exciting to write a senior thesis on that.”

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students currently use ReCal, Zaslavsky said. ReCal has over 10,000 total page views, and the average usage time is 5 minutes, Xue said. ReCal was a project that was conceived before TigerHub, Xue said, adding that the original team members met in COS 333: Advanced Programming Techniques last year. “We know how to make a good course selection tool,” Zaslavsky said. “[Compared to TigerHub], we think we do a better job there, because we’re actually students and we know what course selection requires, and we built a nicer version of it.” The main motivation behind ReCal was to make something that would benefit both the creators and the students on campus, Sanguansin explained. “We want to build something that we ourselves want to use,” Sanguansin said. “We’re probably the biggest users of ReCal.” ReCal has no plans to merge with the Undergraduate Student Government, Sanguansin said. “If we keep ReCal separate and grow it as a platform, then we can give a better experience to the students,” Sanguansin said. The three ReCal teammates are not concerned about keeping ReCal alive, and maintaining the domain is not a problem. “We want to add as much as we can in our time here, and

then we’ll think about how to make sure that this survives,” Zaslavsky said. The ReCal founders said they were disappointed that easyPCE had shut down, which was first launched in COS 333, as a project that John Whelchel ’15 began working on with Yacob Yonas ’15 and Matthew Haake ’15 during the spring of their sophomore year. “We looked at all these course reviews online and they were really hard to utilize,” Whelchel said. It was difficult to compare classes, semesters that classes were offered and who was teaching a class, he said. Although it was “fun to do” and great for students to pick classes, Whelchel and his team decided that it was not worth it to keep paying for it on their own anymore, he said. “We’re leaving and we’ve had enough frustrations already,” Whelchel said. “It remains to be seen [whether easyPCE will return.]” EasyPCE was complementary to Integrated Course Engine, also known as ICE, Whelchel added, as the website helps students select which courses to take, while ICE schedules it. Several crucial features of easyPCE include filtering by PDF or non-PDF courses, average ratings, top classes in a department, professors and distribution courses. The founders said they wanted easyPCE to be part of USG TigerApps from the beginning and had spoken to the USG in spring 2013. However, USG had already agreed to sponsor another group that was working

on a similar project, according to Whelchel. Whelchel and his team decided to launch easyPCE on their own, he said, and within a day it had gone public with over 1,000 netIDs using it. They continued to ask USG for support in their junior year. “Once again it doesn’t really come to much and we don’t really make any progress and by this point we’re kind of sick of it so we just don’t care anymore,” he said. USG president Ella Cheng ’16, said she has been in contact with easyPCE and ReCal in the last several weeks and she is looking to find a way to adopt their tools and “make sure they are institutionalized.” Cheng is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian. When student coders graduate, they do not have the same access to institutional information, such as up-to-date course reviews, and then the system cannot be maintained, Cheng explained, who said she is working with the IT committee on a protocol to decide which projects to adopt. She said she hopes to preserve the valuable student-created applications and she believes USG can help make these apps last beyond graduation. Recently, another TigerApp called Princeton Pounce has relaunched. The app allows students to receive texts or emails notifying them when courses have openings. TigerHub still has improvements coming and continues to receive feedback from students, Cheng added.

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New developing drug seeks to treat Alzheimer’s by inhibiting neural death STUDY

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If successful, T-817MA holds the potential to open up new avenues in Alzheimer’s treatment, Apter said. “It inhibits neuron cell death and promotes neurite outgrowth, so we call it the neurotrophic agent,” Apter said. “That’s different from anything else that is currently available for Alzheimer’s disease.” According to Dean Hartley, director of Science Initiatives at the national advocacy group Alzheimer’s Association, there are five other major studies beside the NOBLE study currently looking at the anti-amyloid hypothesis, which is the idea that drugs targeting beta-amyloid waste between brain cells may help delay the progression of Alzheimer’s. Hartley was not directly affiliated with the NOBLE study. While the field has been increasingly committed to the anti-amyloid approach, there are still issues, Stefano Sensi,

head of the Molecular Neurology Unit at the Center for Excellence on Aging at University G.d Annunzio, Italy, said. “Unfortunately, there is not a very strong correlation between the amount of amyloid in the brain and the level of cognitive deficit or disease,” Sensi said. “And more disturbing, 30 percent or so of cognitive-intact people have strong amyloid deposition, so that questions the causative role of amyloid in the disease.” Another type of naturally occurring proteins associated with Alzheimer’s is the tau proteins. Though the tau proteins are harder to access due to their location in the brain, rapid advancements in imaging technology are enabling researchers to study their relationship to Alzheimer’s development. Sensi’s own clinical model is looking into tau protein buildup in addition to amyloid deposition. “[Tau protein-related pathology] is probably more promising as a potential way to interpret the disease,” Sensi said. “This model is packing it all

together and seems a very comprehensive model for starving the disease.” However, studies involving the tau proteins are even newer than the investigations targeting amyloid, and their potential remains to be seen. According to Piero Antuono, professor of neurology and biophysics at the Medical College of Wisconsin, researchers are still trying to determine which target is critical and how exactly to approach it. “There is some skepticism that the anti-amyloid approach is the solution to the disease,” Antuono said. “Another target under study is called tau protein, [whose] presence in the brain is always associated with dementia … Maybe tau is the target that’s going to make a difference.” Nonetheless, matters remain more complicated than simply picking and choosing the correct target protein, Antuono said. “Generally the first change we see in people who have Alzheimer’s is this amyloid change,” Antuono explained.

“Chronologically, it’s the first thing we see. Then, eventually tau protein appears. At this point, I would say that the field is still open.” Antuono said that if the targeting of amyloid is the most promising way to proceed, the NOBLE Study’s T-817MA is truly a novel compound in light of other anti-amyloid studies. “This drug is different [from] the way that most anti-amyloid approaches, or neuroprotective approaches, are using antibodies against [amyloid],” Antuono said. “This medication is aiming to prevent the accumulation of the protein. In other words, rather than removing the protein which has accumulated in the brain, it aims to prevent the deposition of this protein in the part of the brain that regulates memory.” Researchers’ commitment to investigating causes of the disease has already brought about major accomplishments, Sanjay Asthana, director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, said. Asthana is also a principal investigator for the NOBLE Study, oversee-

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goddess. Nonetheless, some artists and people either find comfort in the old-fashioned depiction of Durga or think the modern depiction of her violates Hindu scripture, McDermott said, explaining that the modern scenes that are heavy on action and motion distract from the stillness of the old-fashioned form, which is supposed to inspire devotion. There are legitimate arguments on both sides, she said, but most

TOMI JOHNSON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Dodgeball tournament on Thursday evening featured small, medium, large and huge student groups.

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are staggering, Hartley said, adding that at present, the direct cost to the federal government is $226 billion. Compounded by the rise of an aging baby boomer generation, the population of Alzheimer’s patients in America is projected to reach nearly 14 million by 2050. “The fact that it’s such a costly disease, both to the U.S. government in terms of Medicaid and Medicare, as well as out-of-pocket expenses for family, [makes] this is a burden for generations to come,” Hartley said. Pursuits like the NOBLE study are the key to faster drug discovery, more effective patient care and the alleviation of an otherwise massive burden for families in America, Hartley said. Asthana said he hopes for positive results from the NOBLE study. “If that is the case, this will be a very important treatment for Alzheimer’s disease … for patients, scientists and, basically, the human race,” Asthana said.

McDermott says Durga depictions reflect change in roles of Indian women

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ing its clinical site in Madison. “The field of Alzheimer’s research has come very, very far in the last 25 years,” Asthana said. “We’ve really substantially improved our understanding of how the brain works and also how Alzheimer’s disease and its pathology works.” However, both Hartley and Asthana said there is a need for more government funding toward Alzheimer’s research. While Congress has directed its largest funding initiatives in the last few years to the frontlines of cardiovascular and cancer research, Alzheimer’s disease has received far less in comparison. “We are very underfunded — somewhere around $586 million in patient research [for Alzheimer’s] versus the $2 to 6 billion for cancer and heart disease,” Hartley said. “Funding is the most critical piece to moving this. It’s not a matter of if we find the treatment, it’s a matter of when, and that depends on resources.” The economic costs of Alzheimer’s and its overall burden on the healthcare system

people prefer the updated look. Bengali people also show extraordinary creativity and even sensitivity to current events with the makeshift temples that are built in the streets, McDermott said, even though the temples stand only for three days. The temples are not only sometimes massive and ornate, but have depicted Harvard, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and even an airplane in the wake of a Nepalese plane crash, McDermott said, explaining that the emphasis is on the presence of the goddess within the space and not on

the adherence of the building to some sort of religious building code. The festivals are massive community events with music and participants temple-hop to see the best depictions, McDermott said, adding that competitive prizes are awarded to the best shrines. The lecture, titled “Goddesses of Clay: Materiality & Iconic Forms in Hindu Worship,” took place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in Jones Hall 100 and was part of the Hindu Studies Lecture Series, sponsored by the Office of Religious Life.

Why I’m choosing never to see my admissions records Ryan Dukeman columnist

s was widely reported in January, students this year have for the first time figured out en masse how to view their supposedly-confidential admission records, thanks to a loophole in Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act discovered by several students at Stanford. Current students are now able to see “written assessments that admission officers gave of applicants, the numerical scores those officers assigned them on a range of factors,” and even sometimes notes from when their file was discussed the by admission committee. According to a report a few weeks ago by The Daily Princetonian, over 300 students have viewed their records at the University in the past few months, with many more scheduled to do so before year’s end. When doing so, students are allowed one hour with their records and are not allowed to bring a cell phone or a camera. Some universities, including Yale and Stanford, have begun to destroy admission records in response to this wave of requests by students to view them, an apparent attempt to preserve the secrecy of what was said about applicants and current students. While I’m not proposing that FERPA be changed to ban such requests, I am advocating that students at the University choose not to exercise this right. There is a value in not knowing why specifically we are here. As I wrote in one of my earlier columns last year, “In not knowing why I got accepted to Princeton, what specific accomplishment or impressive-sounding recommendation put me ‘over the edge’ in the admission committee meeting, I don’t feel defined by any single accomplishment … Not feeling like I have an easy answer to ‘Why are you here? ’ makes me instead feel that I don’t have a mantle to uphold in any specific area and can have some f lexibility in my choices.” Checking our admission records, we may find that the committee or our readers were incredibly impressed with a certain talent or interest we’ve since given up on or haven’t pursued while here — both of which are fine choices if our interests have changed. There is no need for students to open another opportunity for themselves to feel boxed in by previous accomplishments rather than current goals or interests. Second, the admission committee should be allowed to operate under a large amount of secrecy in order to evaluate applicants in the most frank and honest terms. While I doubt admission officers would change their recommendations solely for this reason, it’s entirely possible that they would marginally alter or soften the tone of their evaluation essay for a given applicant. Knowing that the record could later be subject to public scrutiny (while students can’t take pictures or make copies of the records, they can bring in a notebook with them, and thus quote the material if they so choose), an admission officer might be marginally less honest, open, or blunt in an evaluation of a candidate — especially a wellconnected one. Given that the University receives well over 26,000 applications per year, marginal differences do matter in this case, since they are carried out over such a large scale. No one would imagine the extreme example of this phenomenon holding (basically the plot of the movie “Admission”), but a small change in the degree of public scrutiny to which the admission committee operates could still nonetheless have an outsized impact on the process as a whole. Therefore, the committee should be given broad protection from such public scrutiny over the content of its evaluations — not by a change in the law banning review, but by students choosing not to exercise their right to see their admissions files. We do, apparently, have a right to know what was said and written about us when we applied to the University. But that doesn’t at all mean we have to exercise said right — especially not en masse, simply out of our own curiosity. By showing restraint and not looking inside their files, students can retain a larger degree of freedom for themselves and can avoid subjecting the admission committee to an unnecessary and counterproductive degree of scrutiny. Ryan Dukeman is a sophomore from Westwood, Mass. He can be reached at rdukeman@ princeton.edu.

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EDITORIAL

Campus Rec, step up to the plate

lub sports are an integral part of university life for many students. At the University, the more visible varsity sports teams, which accommodate only a small fraction of the student body, are complemented by the large number of club sports. According to the Campus Recreation website, the University has 37 different club sports, rangin from fencing to ultimate frisbee. Open to all University students, regardless of skill level, club sports contribute to the physical health and wellbeing of the students who participate, as they emphasize peer leadership and student development outside the classroom. Thus, the Editorial Board recommends that Campus Rec better support clubs with start-up funding and fundraising assistance. Club sports face specific challenges that don’t exist for Varsity sports. For clubs just starting up, Campus Rec requires that the officers submit paperwork and attend meetings and training sessions, but does not allocate funding for them from the budget that year, as the Sport Clubs Handbook says that

“new clubs are ineligible for financial support until the next budget cycle and full school year.” But for club sports still getting organized, unlike other established clubs, more start-up funds for expenses such as equipment may be necessary, not less. The Board recognizes that the University may want club founders to demonstrate that students are interested in participating in their sport before funding is guaranteed, but the Board believes more clubs are likely to suffer under the current policy than waste funds under a new policy. New clubs need money upfront, and the Board recommends that Campus Rec provide more assistance, whether in the form of actual financial resources or fundraising help, to alleviate this problem. Additionally, for club sports that have already been established, Campus Rec could provide greater help in fundraising throughout the school year. Currently, the club sports handbook lists fundraising options as “soliciting donations from friends, family, and alumni and working different events around campus.” However, “clubs are only allowed

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to actively solicit funds from parents and alumni during the Fall semester.” Even though the Office of Development helps teams send out solicitation letters, newsletters, email correspondence and telephone campaigns, some club sports find themselves without the funds necessary to compete. To facilitate more fundraising, Campus Rec could offer opportunities for club sports to form fundraising coalitions, and help them hold fundraising events where the proceeds would be awarded fairly, for example, based on the number of each club sport’s participants. Because club sports play an important role in the lives of University students, the Board recommends that Campus Rec provide more financial assistance to club sports teams. Implementing these measures into next year’s handbook policies would help Campus Rec cover all their bases. The Editorial Board is an independent body and decides its opinions separately from the regular staff and editors of the ‘Prince.’ The Board answers only to its Chair, the Opinion Editor and the Editor-In-Chief.

Anna Mazarakis ’16 editor-in-chief

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EDITORIAL BOARD chair Jeffrey Leibenhaut ’16 Allison Berger ’18 Elly Brown ’18 Thomas Clark ’18 Paul Draper ’18 Daniel Elkind ’17 Theodore Furchgott ’18 James Haynes ’18 Zach Horton ’15 Mitchell Johnston ’15 Wynne Kerridge ’16 Cydney Kim ’17 Daphna Le Gall ’15 Sergio Leos ’17 Carolyn Liziewski ’18 Sam Mathews ’17 Connor Pfeiffer ’18 Ashley Reed ’18 Aditya Trivedi ’16 Andrew Tsukamoto ’15 Jillian Wilkowski ’15 Kevin Wong ’17

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april showers

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senior copy editors Belinda Ji ’17 Do0Hyeong Myeong ’17 Grace Rehaut ‘18 news Zoe Toledo ’18 Linda Song ’18

Why body image campaigns get it wrong Colter Smith

contributing columnist

very once in a while, my Facebook feed becomes flooded with pictures of students holding up signs or changing their profile pictures as part of the newest campaign to encourage acceptance of one’s body. These photographs are usually captioned with some encouraging phrase, such as “Everyone is beautiful,” to inspire people to talk about their bodies and how they feel about them. No question, problems like anorexia, bulimia and general body image issues are very serious, and it’s important for the University to help students address them. Despite these good intentions, however, I believe that the central themes of these campaigns hurt, rather than help, the cause. There are two traits that must come together in order for people to have insecurities about their bodies. The first is that these people must feel that their bodies aren’t very beautiful or attractive. The second is that they must base a large amount of their self-worth on their attractiveness. Only when

people possess both traits can they really be hurt by their body image. It doesn’t hurt someone to be bad at something that they don’t really care about. For instance, I’m a terrible painter. Nonetheless, I don’t value myself based on my painting ability, and so this doesn’t hurt me. These campaigns always attack the first of these two issues. They try to make us believe that everyone’s paintings are fantastic, at least in some way. And while yes, there may be someone who would think my paintings are good, perhaps even amazing, I know that most people would not. Furthermore, almost everyone would agree that there exist many much better painters than me. After enough time, effort and USG campaigns, could I be convinced that my paintings are good? Perhaps. More likely I’d begin to believe that they have some unique and interesting quality about them, even if most people don’t consider them to be wonderful. Even that much is uncertain though. To me, this is exactly what these “love your body” campaigns achieve. They are never going to convince everybody at this school

that their body is wonderful and perfect. At the same time, they exacerbate the second problem I alluded to earlier, that of students correlating their self-worth with their attractiveness. For example, take the recent USG “As I Am” campaign, which collected pictures of students holding up signs with the question “What do you feel about your body and why?” along with their answers. Looking at picture after picture of students talking about their bodies and how they feel about them implies to me that my body is something I should be highly concerned with. These pictures tell me that the people around me consider their appearance very important to them and that perhaps I should, too. They make me focus on how I eat. They make me self-conscious about how my friends and peers perceive my beauty. They tell me that I live in a society that really cares about how I look. All of this contributes to a subconscious belief that I should base some of my self-worth on my body and my attractiveness. As I said earlier, without this belief, it’s very difficult for someone to have body image issues.

So, instead of running campaigns that focus on “being beautiful,” let’s instead try to explain why it shouldn’t matter. USG should be running campaigns that highlight the great qualities and abilities of the many talented students here independent of their appearances. A much better question for the “As I Am” campaign would have been “Why do you love yourself?” or “What do you believe makes you great?” Questions like these tell students that the society around them doesn’t judge them based on their body and encourages them to think about the things they do well. While I commend the tireless efforts of the many students and faculty who work to rid the plague of body image problems from this campus, we are looking for the solution in the wrong place. Our current approach not only fails to tackle the problem, but is actually detrimental. If we want a happier campus, we need to encourage students to focus on what causes them to “be” great, rather than what makes them “look” great. Colter Smith is a sophomore from Bronxville, N.Y. He can be reached at crsmith@princeton.edu.

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Stats show that Curry has been the superior player throughout the season GUEST

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feet in front to lure defenders into reaching in, only to f ling his off arm up and f lop at the slightest to draw a foul. On the topic of trips to the foul line, I also didn’t enjoy watching Harden’s first career 50-point game (versus the Denver Nuggets) be a result of inefficient 12/27 shooting from the field being made up for by 22/25 shooting at the line. It doesn’t seem right to vote for someone who plays offense like that. It also doesn’t seem fair to laud Harden’s improved defense when it was so appalling in the first place. Defensive statistics can easily be skewed when you have one of the most dominant shot-blockers of the late 2000s on the team and share the court with defensive specialists Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza. Both players are on the f loor for Houston primarily to alleviate defensive pressure on Harden, allowing Kevin McHale to “hide” Harden on the opponent’s weakest offensive wing player. Harden is still slow on rotations, helps on defense wrongly and rarely keeps track of his man. He’s an awful isolation defender, particularly on

dribble drive penetrations, according to the NBA. The average NBA player makes 3.0, 3.4 and 1.6 percentage points higher than usual through their shots from less than 10 feet, six feet and two pointers respectively when he is defending them. In other words, he gives up when players drive on him! I’m not done there. James Harden is not only an awful teammate on the f loor, but also off of it. In an interview this past summer, he said,“Dwight [Howard] and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets. The rest of the guys are role players that complete the team,” demonstrating how little he values the players on his team. In addition to alienating his teammates, he also has made multiple enemies in the NBA, such as LeBron James, the best player in the world, in a dirty play this season wherein he kicked LeBron in the groin as James was attempting a steal. The MVP has historically been recognized as the face of the NBA, as has been the case with James, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash recently. An MVP should not be an egotistical star who treats his teammates with disdain while taking cheap shots at opponents. Now, instead of continually writing about that

COURTESY OF ESPN

James Harden does not deserve the MVP, according to Zeluck.

scoundrel James Harden, let’s point out Stephen Curry’s achievements this year. Like Harden, Curry has been known to be a subpar defender at his position. Yet, unlike Harden, Curry’s improvement has been more evident, as he has played as the primary point guard defender on the best defensive team in the league-per-defensive rating. His two steals per game are also good for fourth in the league. Offensively, Steph leads the league in free throw percentage (91.4 percent) and is third in three-point percentage (44.3 percent). He is the leading scorer on the highest scoring team in the NBA. He even broke the record (his own, might I add) this season for the most three pointers

made in a season in NBA history with 286. Wow. When comparing statistics, analytics cite Harden’s significantly higher points-per-game average, 27.4 to 23.8, as evidence that Harden is the better scorer. However, Harden plays significantly more minutes per game, partly because Curry’s Warriors have had so many blowout victories that he has sat out fourth quarters. Adjusting statistics for a per-36 minute basis, Curry is only behind Harden in scoring by a margin of 26.2 to 26.8. He surpasses Harden in assists by 8.5 to 6.8, steals by 2.2 to 1.9 and turnovers by 3.4 to 3.9. He leads Harden in field goal percentages across the board, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and the afore-

mentioned 44.3 percent from three and 91.4 percent from the stripe, while Harden shoots meager percentages of 44.4 percent, 37.5 percent and 86.8 percent, respectively. Curry also posted a better player efficiency rating rating than Harden (28.0 to 26.7). Statistically speaking, Curry is having a superior season. Curry scored 51 against the Mavericks, 45 against the Blazers with 10 assists (17-23 shooting from the field) and 38 with 10 assists against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also posted 34 points, 27 points and 11 assists in two games against Harden’s Rockets. While some have praised Harden’s plethora of 40+ point games, only two of his 10 40-point games came against playoff teams. Meanwhile, in four games against the Warriors (Houston went 0-4), Harden only shot above 50 percent once and shot dismal percentages of 33.3 percent and 26.7 percent in two of those games. Harden’s “great” games are greatly overrated. Here’s the icing on the cake. Harden’s MVP case is often supported by the argument that he single-handedly led the injury-ravaged Houston Rockets to the second seed in the brutal Western Conference. This

somewhat ignores that the Rockets (56-26) were still 11 games behind first-seeded Golden State. Naysayers of Curry’s value also claim the Warriors would easily make the playoffs without him, therefore he is not as “valuable” as someone like Harden, who has carried the Rockets, especially on the offensive end. While the Warriors’ roster is stacked, and yes, they would have a shot at winning 50 games even if you took Curry off the roster, the argument that “Harden is more valuable to his team than is Curry because Curry has an elite supporting cast, while Harden carries a mediocre team” overlooks the fact that Golden State, despite their +10.1 point differential per game, gets outscored when Curry is off the court (they outscore opponents by +17.0 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court and are outscored by -0.1 points per 100 when he’s off). The difference on/off court (17.1 points per 100 possessions) dwarfs Harden’s 8.4 (+5.8 on court, -2.6 off court). All in all, it is safe to say, objectively (statistically) and subjectively (from a fan’s standpoint), that Stephen Curry should (and had better be) this season’s Most Valuable Player.

Men’s lacrosse need victory against Cornell to clinch home field advantage LAX

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Lauren Toy has been the top threat for Brown. Her 33 points (25 goals, 8 assists) are a team-high. However, this mark only ties for 13th in the conference tally. Senior goalkeeper Kellie Roddy has been solid between the pipes for Bruno with a save percentage of 47.4. Roddy will face her season’s toughest test in the

Tigers, whose offense combines experience, poise and plenty of talent. Offensive player of the week honors came for Princeton sophomore Olivia Hompe, the Tigers’ leading goalscorer, thanks to her four and three goal efforts against No. 11 Penn and Columbia. The emergent underclassman Hompe has complemented the dynamic senior duo of attack Erin McMunn and midfielder Erin Slifer. Slifer’s 52 points (33

goals, including three gamewinners, and 19 assists) lead all Tigers with her remarkably efficient approach. 75.4 percent of her shots are on target with 47.8 percent successfully converted. Class of 1952 Stadium will be the venue for Saturday’s contest, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. First-placed Tigers take on Big Red This weekend will feature

the 79th installment of the Ivy League’s marquee matchup. No. 14/14 Princeton (8-4 overall, 4-1 Ivy League) will look to avenge last season’s season-ending loss as they travel to face No. 12/12 Cornell (9-4, 3-2). The winner of Saturday’s tilt will earn home field advantage in the Ivy League’s sixth annual postseason tournament. First facing off against the Big Red in 1922, Princeton leads the series 39-36-2. No team has won multiple consecutive matchups since 2009-10 when Cornell built up a three-game streak against the Tigers. Since then, the sides have traded wins back and forth in this unpredictable rivalry. Two recently named Tewaaraton nominees sit at the top of Cornell’s scoring tally. Attackmen Mike Donovan and Connor Buczek have followed up their 2014 first-team all-Ivy seasons with stellar campaigns. Secondteamer Dan Lintner from the Class of 2014 has added 25 goals to round out the top three Big

Red goalscorers. Speaking of Tewaaraton nominations, Princeton’s senior attackman Mike MacDonald was wrongly overlooked in this writer’s opinion. His 5.50 points per game rank fourth in Division I. On Saturday, the lucky lefty will likely draw the attention of Cornell’s senior close defenseman Jordan Stevens. Should he get the better of the Ivy League’s top man-on defenseman, it will provide even further evidence of his underrating. Beyond the senior offensive trio of Donovan, Buczek and Lintner, Cornell’s roster boasts one of the most impactful players in the Ivy League: faceoff specialist Domenic Massimilian. The sophomore out of Dallas, Texas saw limited action in four games last season. In his second year, he has 64.9 percent of his battles at the faceoff ‘x.’ This mark places him first among specialists in the Ivy League and seventh in Division I. Princeton has struggled to

maintain consistent faceoff play after pre-season injuries sidelined senior Justin Murphy. Freshman specialist Sam Bonafede has won 48.2 percent of his matchups with sophomore midfielder Zach Currier having success on 46.8 percent of draws. Hailing from Peterborough, Ontario, Currier, the Canadian sensation, leads the Tigers with 59 ground balls. This mark, achieved through persistent tenacity on the ground, exceeds the team’s next highest total by 20. Speaking of underclassmen, Princeton’s goalkeeper Tyler Blaisdell took home Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for his 15-save winning effort against Harvard. The Massachusetts native validated the preseason hype with a truly clutch performance against a bitter rival. Ithaca’s Schoelkopff will be the venue, with action scheduled to start on Saturday at 1 p.m. Fox Sports will broadcast the matchup.

#BeAwesome

@Princetonian

The Daily Princetonian

Friday april 24, 2015

page 9

Tigers will play winner of Mercyhurst and George Washington matchup W. WOPO Continued from page 1

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postseason is a time to let go of the successes of the past and focus only on the games ahead. Senior utility Jessie Holechek, however, points out that the team’s success (and their few losses) may serve as a building block for its success going into its first game on Friday. “We are really excited about the success we have had during the regular season of play and can’t wait to take everything that we have learned from our losses into this weekend of play,” Holechek said when reached for comment. “We have been improving since the beginning of the year, and we hope to continue this trend this weekend.” The play of Holechek herself will prove critical if the Tigers want to make it out of the tournament on top. She was the second leading goal scorer for the Tigers this year, putting in 46 so far this season. Fellow senior utility Ashley Hatcher expressed a similar sentiment. While the postseason does demand that the team takes

each game one at a time, recent success not only boosts the team’s morale but also provides insight into how to best handle these same teams (Harvard and Brown) in the tournament. “We definitely have to take each day one at a team and treat each game as its own and respect every opponent, but I do think that the win over Harvard is really important because there’s a good chance we’ll face them in the semifinals,” Hatcher said. Princeton and No. 4-seeded Harvard would face each other in the semifinal round if each team wins their lone game on Friday (Harvard against No. 5 Hartwick College, Princeton against the winner of the game between No. 8 Mercyhurst University and No. 9 George Washington University). Given the margins of victory in the past two games, Hatcher feels that the team has every reason to use these games as fuel for Friday. “We have a good amount of confidence after the last game; we feel like we set the tone pretty well. If we can repeat, that it’ll make it that much easier for us.” Hatcher said. Opposing teams will be in

trouble if Hatcher can continue her fantastic play from last weekend. Leading the Tigers’ scoring on the season with 70 goals, she turned up the heat against Harvard and Brown, getting 7 goals on just 8 shots. However, Princeton’s strong performance last weekend does not mean it doesn’t lack areas for improvement. Both Harvard and Brown were neck-andneck with Princeton after the first period was over (Harvard was down just 3-2, Brown tied at 1-1). Hatcher confirmed that coming out of the gate strong and hitting teams hard early in the first round will be crucial if the Tigers are to conserve their strength as much as possible for the later rounds. “It’s really important and is something that a lot of teams struggle with. You can win a game, play a great game, but playing a great game from the very beginning is a hard thing to do,” Hatcher said. “That’s definitely going to be our focus for Saturday night. The better we play in the first quarter, the more everyone is going to play, and the more everyone is going to rest.” A rested team would cer-

tainly give the Tigers a leg up as they make their way through the tournament. Looking ahead toward potential matchups, should Princeton win their first two games, they could very well find themselves matched up with the Indiana Hoosiers in the final round. These two teams have no love lost – the Hoosiers defeated the Tigers in the final round of the CWPA championships, putting a premature end to the Tigers’ best season in program history. The loss was particularly painful given that the Tigers held a 10-9 lead midway through the fourth period, only to give up 2 goals in the last few minutes to fall 11-10. The close encounters did not stop there. Princeton has lost twice to Indiana this season, both times by just one goal. In their most recent game, April 10 at DeNunzio Pool, the Tigers lost in a double overtime heartbreaker. Hatcher, who scored four goals in that overtime game this season and two in the CWPA Championship final round last year, has last year’s loss fresh in her mind going into this weekend. “It really left a bitter taste in our mouths,” Hatcher

said. “I think it’s a really great way to fuel us for this weekend, because it makes us that much more meaningful if we do beat them at the

“We have a good amount of confidence after the last game; we feel like we set the tone pretty well.” Ashley Hatcher Senior Utility

end of this season.” Hatcher points out that the most recent loss to Indiana, while still painful, is inspiring because she believes the team was not at full form during the game. A Princeton team acting at full throttle could pose more problems than Indiana can handle. “We take some confidence from the last loss, because we know, coming out of that game and the game before, that we did not play our best game,” Hatcher said. “Knowing that we have played not

nearly at our best against them and we’ve played them to a one goal game in overtime says a lot to us. We know if we can come out fired up for that game if we do happen to play them, then we have the chance to beat them, by more than one goal, if we play our best.” While last year’s losses seem to be firing the Tigers up, for some of the players, the greatest fuel might be the knowledge that any game they play from now on could be their last. As seniors, Holechek and Hatcher are well aware of the now-ornever tone that the season has taken on. “It will be great to host our championship tournament knowing that this is the place where we have put in so much hard work,” Holechek said. “Each game will remind us of the hard work we have put in over the years, and we will use that to fuel us into the finals.” Hatcher feels the same kind of emotions over this weekend. She and the Tigers now hold their destiny in their own hands. “This is our last shot,” Hatcher said “It’s a big motivating factor for this weekend.”

Softball will need performances from Tigers look forward to postseason M. V-BALL star players in important games “Cody (Kessel) has Continued from page 1

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SOFTBALL

“In his final match in Dillon Gym, Cody Kessel was as impressive as ever,” remarked head coach Sam Shweisky. “If 30 kills while hitting .436 was what was needed to clinch a berth into the EIVA playoffs, then that is what Cody was going to produce. Cody has been a leader for this program since the day he stepped on campus. It was great to see his

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effort in Saturday’s matchup with the Lions. Meanwhile, pitcher Maddie Orcutt pitched in all four of last weekend’s games for the Big Red, going 2-2 with a 1.86 ERA while striking out 17 across 26.1 innings of work, recording three complete games that included one shutout. Orcutt’s stellar performances earned her the distinction of Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Though Cornell enters the weekend’s contests with some players in top form, the Big Red will also be playing with added fire. Head coach Dick Blood, Cornell’s winningest coach in any sport in the university’s storied history, will step down after a 20year span at the helm of the softball program. Though one Princeton or Columbia win would eliminate Cornell from playoff contention, the Big Red will have no shortage of emotional fuel for this weekend’s series. The visiting Tigers, under head coach Lisa Van Ackeren, enter the weekend series after some recent mixed play. Last weekend’s 1-3 performance against Penn delivered a blow to Princeton’s playoff hopes, but did not completely dash them. A late rally keyed by senior Alyssa Schmidt’s threerun blast helped the Tigers avoid a sweep last weekend and remain in the hunt with Penn. Before rain and wind suspended play on Wednesday, junior pitcher Shanna Christian dazzled on the hill. Only a bang-bang play at first base in what would have been the last out of the

NATALIE CHEN :: ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Softball will look to claim a postseason spot against Cornell.

game prevented the Parker, Colo., native from recording Princeton’s first no-hitter in 10 years. Christian scattered eight Ks and just the one hit in a complete game effort, and the Tigers beat Yale 2-0 to keep postseason aspirations intact. Princeton will need more of the same from Christian and Schmidt this weekend if it hopes to beat a motivated Cornell team. Princeton will look to other players for clutch performances in the series as well. Senior Rachel Rendina, who leads the team in hits (37) and stolen bases (6), will need to catalyze the offense as she has so often this year. The Ti-

gers will also rely on the rest of the pitching staff to step up in order to complement Schmidt. Freshman Ashley LaGuardia has led the rest of the unit in appearances (25) this spring, while posting a 3.29 ERA. Sophomore Claire Klausner, senior Meredith Brown and sophomore Erica Nori round out the rest of the Princeton hurlers that will be vital to their team’s success this weekend. With the season winding down, playoff hopes hanging in the balance and one eye on the events unfolding in New York between Penn and Columbia, it is shaping up to be an exciting weekend for the Princeton women’s softball.

Tigers win women’s doubles, women’s team events in successful weekend TABLE TENNIS Continued from page 1

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Ellan Hwang to clinch the Tiger’s victory. Moreover, Princeton’s success in doubles did not end there. Hsing and Wu were the clear favorites to win women’s doubles. Accordingly, Princeton proceeded to dominate Texas, Duke and Texas Wesleyan to claim the title for the first time in recent history. In the co-ed bracket, Princeton encountered a far steeper field of competition. Most notably, Texas

Wesleyan’s star team loomed at the No. 1 seed while the Tigers entered at the No. 5 seed. To start off, Princeton swept McGill University in three matches but then fell to No. 3 USC. In a match to determine Princeton’s final place, Berkeley swept the Tigers and brought them down to seventh place. Wu mentioned that the team aims to eventually medal in the co-ed event. To round off a busy tournament, Hsing, Fu and Wu all fought to defend the Tiger’s women’s singles title. Ranked at first, third, and fourth seed respectively,

the three powerhouses won their way to the semifinals. In a match between two Tigers, Hsing narrowly defeated teammate Fu. Unfortunately, Berkeley’s star player Zhang defeated Wu in the second of two semifinals and then upset Hsing in the finals. “I’m used to being in high level environments. For me, it’s just about knowing that I’ve done a lot of practice. I try to enjoy the competition and relax,” Wu, who has represented the United States at the national and Olympic levels since the age of 15, said.

final night in Dillon Gym be such a special finale to his illustrious career. I am so proud of what he has done here the last four years both on and off the court.” Although the Tigers have now earned a spot in the EIVA Championship, their final match against George Mason University is still crucial. A win this Friday would give the Tigers at least the third seed, which would put them on the opposite side of the draw from Penn State. But win or lose,

been a leader for this program since the day he stepped on campus.” Sam Shweisky Coach

expect big things from the Tigers in this year’s playoffs.

Sports

Friday april 24, 2015

page 10

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W O M E N ’ S W AT E R P O L O

Table tennis triumphs at Nationals once again

Water polo to play first round of CWPA

By David Liu

By Miles Hinson

staff writer

sports editor

From April 10-12, club table tennis made its 10th consecutive appearance at the National Collegiate Table Tennis Championships, hosted this year in Eau Claire, Wis. Princeton defended the women’s team championships while also winning the women’s doubles event and medaling in women’s singles. Representing Princeton at Nationals were sophomores Ariel Hsing, Robin Li and Shirley Fu, freshmen Zach Weingarten, Erica Wu, Justin Do and Avinash Nayak. Set out to defend last year’s women’s team title, Princeton entered the tournament this year at the No. 1 seed, armed with table tennis powerhouses Wu, Fu and Hsing. The Tigers defeated the University of South California and Cornell in preliminary matches, and in the championship bracket, Princeton swept the University of Texas in three singles matches and then outplayed No. 3 Texas Wesleyan University. To win the title, Princeton uprooted rival UC Berkeley in a tight best-of-three event that extended the full five matches. In a matchup of tournament titans, the Wu and Hsing narrowly escaped Berkeley’s Lily Zhang and

It’s showtime for the women’s water polo team. After a successful trip to Providence, R.I., they will begin the most intense part of their season on Friday afternoon, as they play their first game in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship tournament. Having solidified their position with wins over Brown and Harvard last weekend,

See TABLE TENNIS page 9

KIRA IVARRSON :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Women’s water polo will look to go one better from last season and triumph at CWPAs. GUEST COLUMN

By Cameron Zeluck guest contributor

If you’re a longtime LeBron James fan, you’ve probably come to realize something: you’re not scared of any opposing NBA team. Even after postseason losses to the Celtics, the Mavericks and the Spurs, every year you remain confident that LeBron and whichever team he’s on will be unstoppable. I’m scared of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry is not only the best player on the team that posted the best regular season performance since the ’06-’07 Mavericks, but

he also plays basketball the right way. This is particularly the case when compared to James Harden, who many reporters claim is the “real” MVP. Even though Harden and the Houston Rockets play efficient basketball, as an avid fan of the sport I can’t help but think that they play the ugliest basketball in all of the NBA — even after taking into account the Timberwolves and Knicks. General Manager Daryl Morey’s analytics-based strategy has the Rockets jacking up three-pointers and free throws, and that’s fine from a GM’s standpoint, because they win! From a basketball fan’s perspective,

staff writer

COURTESY OF GETTIY IMAGES

Will Steph Curry win the MVP? Zeluck definitely thinks he should.

though, it’s hard to feel satisfied watching a Rockets game. I don’t enjoy watching half of the Rockets’ offen-

sive plays result in Harden charging into the defense, dangling the ball three See GUEST page 8

Men’s volleyball face off against George Mason to prepare for the EIVA Championships By Mark Goldstein staff writer

Men’s volleyball delivered this past weekend, clinching a spot in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Championship for the fourth straight year. The Tigers began the weekend on Friday in Dillon Gymnasium facing seventh ranked Penn State, one of the hottest teams in the country at the moment. One year ago Princeton broke its 35-match losing streak to Penn State but was not as fortunate this time around, falling 25-27, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15. The Tigers committed 12 more service errors than Penn State and had two fewer service aces, which in the end proved to be

the deciding factor. The match was tied at one game apiece heading into the third set, where Princeton grabbed an early lead playing terrific defense but gave it back after 10 serving errors and a big service run by All-American Aaron Russell. Penn State carried the momentum into the fourth set where it was able to close out the Tigers early. Although they did not come away with the victory, Princeton showed moments of brilliance, and senior Cody Kessel once again proved himself a force to be reckoned with. Kessel, the third ranked hitter in the country, tallied 22 points, 17 kills, four service aces and seven digs, outdoing Russell, the second ranked hitter, who

recorded 20 points and 14 kills. Saturday’s match was a more joyous occasion for the Tigers, as they defeated Saint Francis University 26-24, 19-25, 23-25, 28-26, 15-12. It was a big win for the team, as it clinched their spot in the EIVA Championship, but was particularly memorable for the Princeton’s three seniors – Kessel, Tony Ensbury and Will Siroky. Saturday’s Senior Night win marks the last time the three, who have all started all four years at Princeton, will play in Dillon Gym. Kessel had a stand out 30kill performance, one shy of a career high, in the Tigers’ dazzling come from behind victory. See M. V-BALL page 9

LACROSSE

Men’s and women’s lacrosse teams face Ivy League opponents By Andrew Steele senior writer

Men’s and women’s lacrosse sit atop their respective conference standings with one week remaining in the regular season. The men travel to Ithaca, N.Y., for their finale and will face Cornell for the right to host the Ivy League tournament. Postseason home field advantage

already belongs to the lady Tigers. A home win over Brown would give the women their first perfect conference record since 2004, in which year they fell to Virginia 10-4 in the NCAA tournament final. Women’s lacrosse looks to avenge 2014 overtime loss The lowly Brown Bears had lost 23 consecutive contests to

their rivals from New Jersey coming into the 2014 matchup. The teams scored back and forth in Providence, R.I., little separating Princeton and Brown until a 6-0 Tiger run blew the game open and gave the visitors a halftime advantage of 11-7. However, Bruno would not be deterred, and the home side scored six unanswered of their own out of the intermission. Brown emerged

Softball to play Cornell in playoff decider By Mark Goldstein

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

JACK MAZZULO :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

See WOPO page 9

SOFTBALL

Why Steph Curry deserves the MVP

Men’s volleyball have already clinched a spot in the EIVA Championships last week, to play George Mason.

the Tigers (26-3 overall, 9-1 CWPA) have earned themselves the No. 1-seeded in the tournament, ensuring them a first round bye to start the tournament. They come into this weekend ready to avenge the painful loss from last season, when they lost in the final round of the tournament by a single goal, and thus saw their hope of an NCAA tournament bid slip away from their grasp. Many might say that the

victorious with a 14-13 overtime decision, adding some variety to what had been a distinctly onesided rivalry. Currently, No. 10/13 Princeton women’s lacrosse (12-7 overall, 6-0 Ivy League) is riding a threegame win streak while Brown (7-7, 1-5) shares last place in the conference table with Columbia. Despite the gritty home effort in 2014, Brown is unlikely to

pose a challenge for Princeton. Brown’s Bre Hudgins, scorer of the game-winning goal in last year’s matchup and a first-team all-Ivy attack, graduated with the class of 2014. Danielle Mastro, an all-Ivy second-team attack who assisted Hudgins on that goal, likewise moved on from her Rhode Island haunts. This season, junior attack See LAX page 8

With playoff hopes still alive, the Princeton softball team will travel north to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell (12-21, 6-10 Ivy League) this weekend for two sets of doubleheaders that will conclude the regular season. The Tigers (16-22, 8-7) trail Penn (19-17, 10-6) by 1.5 games entering the final weekend of play. If the Tigers win three or four more games than Penn does against Columbia (15-25, 6-10) in its fourgame series, Princeton will win the Ivy South division outright and advance to a best-of-three Ivy Championship series. If Princeton and Penn win the same amount of games, or Penn wins more, then the Tigers will be eliminated and Penn will advance. Matters become complicated should Princeton win one or two more games than Penn. In this case, the representative from the South division will come down to a strange ending. Yale (9-21, 3-12) and Princeton could not finish their final game of this week’s make-up series, and the game was suspended due to inclement weather in the fifth inning with Yale leading 5-0. If this game affects the Ivy South race, the two teams will pick up the game once again in Princeton, with postseason hopes hanging in the balance for the Tigers and the idle Quakers. In any case, this weekend’s matchup against Cornell will be a challenging way for the Tigers to end their grueling 43-game regular season. The Big Red took three out of four games in a series at Columbia last weekend, with two players earning leaguewide recognition for their performances. Shortstop Chloe Pendergast was the Ivy League Player of the Week, hitting safely in each of Cornell’s five games last week while compiling a .471 average. Her performance was highlighted by a 3 RBI, 4-7 See SOFTBALL page 9

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‘If you can dodge a wrench, you still can’t dodge Princeton varsity basketball #campusdodgeball.’

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