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Monday May 13, 2019 vol. cxliii no. 62
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U . A F FA I R S
U. announces external review of Title IX office By Benjamin Ball Head News Editor
The University’s Title IX office is set to undergo an external review, according to a University statement released on Friday afternoon. Provost Deborah Prentice will oversee the review. The statement comes after almost four days of the Title IX office sit-in outside of Nassau Hall in which students have demanded a list of eleven reforms. External review is the second demand in that list. In light of this activism, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter recently wrote to President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 to request that he authorize an external review of the University’s Title IX office. Eisgruber has since granted her request. “We appreciate, support, and join you in your efforts to make our campus safe for all who work or study on this campus, and to ensure that our procedures are fair and respectful to everyone,“ Eisgruber wrote. “We accordingly grant your request.” “We also appreciate your desire to seek continued improvement of our Title IX processes and to facilitate constructive
dialogue, through appropriate and inclusive processes, with our larger community,“ he added. This announcement comes two days after an initial University statement on the sit-in. In that statement, the University wrote that it is “committed to ensuring that all of its community members can learn, work and thrive in a safe, supportive and fair environment, free from sexual misconduct and all forms of discrimination.” The statement also noted that the University will refer the concerns raised by the student activists to the appropriate committees, such as the University Student Life Committee and the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct. The Title IX office protesters, however, were largely dissatisfied with this initial statement. According to a tweet that has accumulated 1,600 likes by the time of publication, Rebecca Sobel ’19, a participant in the protest, had edited the University statement as if it were an essay, giving the statement a failing grade. “We are really disappointed in this subpar work,” she wrote.
ON CAMPUS
ON CAMPUS
ZACHARY SHEVIN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Students protested throughout the weekend, as demonstrations continued into the sixth day.
PIXR protesters call for U. statement signed by Eisgruber By Zack Shevin Assistant News Editor
After over 100 hours of protest in front of Nassau Hall, Princeton Students for Title IX Reform (PIXR) updated their list of demands. Additionally, PIXR has called for a public statement from the University, signed by President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, “in order to demonstrate the University’s commitment to addressing students’ persistent suffering.” In their press release sent to The Daily Princetonian at 4:01 p.m., PIXR called for
Eisgruber’s signature on three actions: a “convening of a neutrally moderated town hall” with Eisgruber, Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun, and Provost Deborah A. Prentice present by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16; a series of five meetings from June 2 to Sept. 9 between PIXR representatives and Eisgruber, Calhoun, and Prentice; and a formal written report from the University with a detailed response to each of PIXR’s 11 demands by Sept. 23. “PIXR will continue gathering in community in front
of Nassau Hall until receiving this signature affirming the University’s commitment to fulfilling these three requests,” the statement concludes. At 4 p.m., protesters gathered in front of Nassau Hall to release their “final calls to action.” Eleven students read aloud each of the revised demands. After explaining a demand, each student placed an orange flower on the steps of Nassau Hall beside a copy of their call to action. For most of the revised demands, only slight changSee PROTEST page 3
ON CAMPUS
Free menstrual products to be placed in 56 bathrooms next fall
COURTESY OF BRAD SPICHER
U-Councilor Andres Larrieu ’22
USG discusses Project Board work, Room Draw error Contributor
The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) recapped Projects Board work, studentathlete student relations, and problems with room draw during its last weekly meeting of the academic year on Sunday, May 12. The Student Groups Recognition Committee (SGRC) announced it had approved two new clubs. The first discussed was B+ Princeton, an advocacy and service group that aims to aid awareness and support of children with pediatric cancer. The next was the Princeton European Union Forum, a group that seeks to promote knowledge of the EU on campus. The Projects Board then re-
capped the work completed in the past semester. Projects Board Co-Chair Rachel Hazan ’21 reported that they funded 77 groups and more than 100 events with $132,000 requested in total for events this semester and a median request of $1,863. Hazan is a former staff copy editor for The Daily Princetonian. Hazan noted that identity groups were the largest category of funded group this past semester. The chairs discussed their policy to inform USG of their practices which includes approving funding which includes approving only events that are enriching to students and not covering the costs of advertising or See USG page 3
By Yael Marans Staff Writer
Next fall, 56 bathrooms in seven different buildings on campus will feature free menstrual products. This marks the first stage implementation of the Menstrual Products Task Force’s longterm project to provide free products on campus. The bathrooms included in the first stage of the rollout will include women’s bathrooms, men’s bathrooms, and gender neutral bathrooms. The products will be in the Frist Campus Center, the Friend Center, Frick Chemistry Lab, Firestone, Lewis, Dillon, and the New Lewis Center.
The Menstrual Products Taskforce is a group of students led by Preeti Iyer ’20, Katherine Fleming ’19, Wendy Zhao ’19, and Sarah Pacilio ’19 that has been working for the past two years to make this rollout possible. Formerly under the leadership of USG Senator Cailin Hong ’17, the taskforce is technically under the umbrella of USG, but has operated fairly independently, working directly with Vice President for Student Life Rochelle Calhoun and various members of the maintenance staff, most recently Richard Brown. According to the task force’s official project proposal, their aim is to help students live a healthier,
In Opinion
Today on Campus
Columnist Ben Gelman calls for greater condemnation of white supremacy in the wake of the New Zealand and Poway shootings, while columnist Gabe Lipkowitz criticizes a recent McCosh redesign student survey. PAGE 4
12:00p.m.: Welcome Additions: Selected Acquisitions 2012-18; a retrospective of recent addition’s to Princeton University Library’s special collections. 216 Burr Hall
more dignified lifestyle and keep students from sacrificing other material needs, or missing class, to be able to obtain menstrual products. A number of students have supported the campaign with testimonials about struggling to afford these products or having unpleasant experiences in which they need them unexpectedly throughout the day. In the “Why This Would Benefit Princeton” section of the proposal, the taskforce also said that this effort fits into the University’s recent efforts to be more accessible and inclusive. The task force hopes that after the first stage impleSee PRODUCTS page 2
WEATHER
By Walker Stamps
COURTESY OF PREETI IYER ’20
From left to right, Mike Asparrin ’19, Katherine Fleming ’19, Preeti Iyer ’20, Wendy Zhao ’19, and Kevin Zheng ’21, members of the Menstrual Products Taskforce.
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