May 4, 2017

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Thursday May 4, 2017 vol. CXLI no. 57

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } U . A F FA I R S

When there’s no more room in the inn

University clarifies procedure for staff during weather emergencies

By Marcia Brown head news editor

MARCIA BROWN :: THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

A sign designates the women’s sleeping area in Frist Campus Center the night of Winter Storm Stella.

In March, when Winter Storm Stella was scheduled to disrupt the University community in the midst of midterms, the University had to shift into emergency gear. Closed to non-essential personnel, the University hunkered down for what turned out to be a milder storm than anticipated. Nonetheless, the preparations had been made.

University dining staff slept in the multipurpose room of Frist Campus Center and in the Graduate College in preparation of the University’s closure to all but essential personnel, the ‘Prince’ previously reported.

A recent protest led by the Young Democratic Socialists of Princeton inspired further debate on campus regarding the treatment of University staff during emergency situations. The protest was bolstered by a letter to the editor from campus dining staff wherein the authors claimed that, although it was helpful to have voluntary accommodations provided on campus, such accommodations were inadequate.

The letter from Campus Dining employees and shop stewards of Service Employees’ International Union Local 175, the union which represents University dining staff, noted that male and female workers were housed together overnight in one big room with-

out any dividers between cots. The letter’s authors, Christiana Augustine and Russell Weiss-Irwin, also argued that cots would keep workers from sleeping well. Moreover, because the University declared the storm over at 5 p.m. instead of when the storm actually ended, workers who had to commute through challenging conditions were paid as if they were on a regular shift, which the letter argues is “totally unfair.”

The University, on the other hand, refutes the charge that men and women slept in the same place, explaining that men and women slept in separate rooms.

On March 13, adminisSee UNION page 3

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

STUDENT LIFE

U. Professor Chiang named Purdue’s Dean of Engineering

Hindu Satsangam members analyze Hindu philosophy through American cinema

associate news editor

University Professor Mung Chiang has been named Purdue University’s next Dean of the College of Engineering, effective July 1.

Chiang, the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, was selected from three finalists to be the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. He will replace Leah Jamieson GS ’77, who will return to her position as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue.

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels ’71, a former Governor of Indiana, called Chiang “one of the genuine superstars of American engineering and higher education,” in a press release.

“Dr. Chiang’s personal research achievements, entrepreneurial success record, and international reputation, combined with our recent major investments in our College of Engineering, truly positions us for world leadership,” Daniels added.

Chiang received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics in 1999 and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2000 and 2003 from Stanford University. In 2004, Chiang joined the University as an assistant professor in electrical engineering and received tenure in 2008. In 2013, Chiang was named the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor.

Also in 2013, Chiang received the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, which is one of the highest honors for young scientists in the United States. He received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2014 in the category of Natural and Social Sciences, as well as the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In addition, Chiang received the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Distinguished Teaching Award in 2016, and was the inaugural chairman of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council.

On campus, Chiang conducts

research on communications, social, and economic networks.

In 2011, Chiang published a paper titled “An Axiomatic Theory of Fairness in Resource Allocation,” and in 2013 co-authored a textbook titled “Smart Data Pricing.” In 2016, he released a book titled “The Power of Networks: Six Principles That Connect Our Lives.”

He also conducts research on video streaming, content distribution, cloud and data center networks, and information theory. Chiang holds approximately 20 U.S. patents, and is the co-founder of DataMi, Zoomi, and Smartiply, which are startups focused on mobile data, big data, and fog networking respectively.

Chiang is a founding board member of the Open Fog Consortium, which is a consortium of nonprofits, companies, and academics that promote fog computing and fog networking technologies. Other members include Cisco, Dell and Microsoft.

“Purdue’s College of Engineering is one of the strongest and one of the largest in the country,” Chiang said in the press release. “Its recent growth is remarkable, and its future even brighter. I am humbled by the honor to serve this outstanding college, one that is

part of a public university under the visionary leadership of President Daniels.”

University professor of electrical engineering H. Vincent Poor GS ’77, who was the University’s previous Dean of the School of Engineering, said in the press release that Chiang “excels at all he does.”

“I am confident that his unique combination of skills, his clarity of vision and his ability to work with people from across the academic enterprise will make him an outstanding dean at Purdue,” Poor added.

Jamieson announced that she was stepping down as Purdue’s Dean of Engineering in October 2016, and the search committee to replace her was led by R. Byron Pipes GS ’69, the John L. Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering.

Chiang will become one of several former University professors and alumni named as a deans of engineering in the United States. Francis Doyle ’85, Lance Collins ’81, Alec Gallimore GS ’92, and former University Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering T. Kyle Vanderlick serve as the Deans of the School of Engineering at Harvard University, Cornell University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Yale University, respectively.

COURTESY OF PRINCETON.EDU

Mung Chiang, a Princeton electrical engineering professor, will become Purdue University’s next Dean of the Collegof Engineering.

By Mashad Arora staff writer

This past year, the Princeton Hindu Satsangam, a group that seeks to foster a Hindu community through social and education events, took a different approach to studying Hindu teachings. Rather than focusing on religious ceremonies or the study of Hindu texts like they had in the past, the group decided to analyze movies like “The Dark Knight” and “Silver Linings Playbook” to learn more about Hindu philosophy.

The group met every Friday during the academic year to discuss and analyze a movie.

Members of PHS and other interested students met in Murray Dodge Hall and watched 1520 minutes of the chosen film at each meeting. After that, the group discussed what happened and how aspects of the film, such as the plot and characters, might relate to Hindu teachings. In the fall, students watched “The Dark Knight,” while in the spring, students watched “Silver Linings Playbook,” over the course of each semester.

Arjun Venkataraman ’18, president of PHS, said that PHS sought a way to engage students so that discussions would be more than just another precept.

“We know that students have plenty of studying and reading texts that they do in class, so we wanted to think of an innovative way . . . where people could see the application of Hinduism not only to their lives but see how it’s applicable in a lot of situations,” he said.

Venkataraman heard some people mentioning how Hindu philosophy might apply to “Kung Fu Panda,” and the conversation inspired him.

He talked with Hindu chaplain Vineet Chander to further flesh out the idea of exploring Hinduism through cinema, and they decided to watch “The Dark Knight” for the fall semester.

“We really wanted to show people that Hinduism is not limited to Indian culture or

In Opinion

Today on Campus

Former Deputy Secretary of Labor and Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu ‘88 urges progressives to go into public service and Professor Bernard Chazelle argues against private prisons. PAGE 5

4:30 p.m.: Martti Koskenniemi, director of the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights, will present “Facebook, Global Community and the Law” at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 4, in McCormick Hall, Room 101.

any nationality . . . and it can be applied in ways we don’t really think of traditionally in our own lives,” Venkataraman said. He noted that choosing an English-language movie allowed for larger appeal.

“From the beginning, our approach to the program has been based on the idea that Hindu teachings help us to tap into universal, time-tested wisdom,” said Chander. “We truly believe that this wisdom transcends the particularity of time, place, or even genre of movie. The idea is that if we are open to recognizing them, we will find opportunities to engage with Hindu teachings wherever we look for them.”

Despite this, Venkataraman noted that it is sometimes hard to see the Hindu philosophy in movies like “The Dark Knight.”

“Part of the challenge with ‘The Dark Knight’ was taking these generally deep, often philosophical questions and […] finding the connections to the textual spots where these philosophical questions are discussed in the scripture,” he said.

He added that looking at Hinduism through this lens allowed the religion to give more day-to-day meaning for students.

“Hinduism isn’t just a group of rituals that you do every week or it isn’t just something you do on one day and then you’re fine for the rest of the week,” Venkataraman said. “It’s really about a way to live your life and a way that’ll provide you a framework that allows you to really overcome any challenges you have.”

Venkataraman noted that in “The Dark Knight,” Batman particularly struggles with isolation, and he felt this resonated particularly with University students, especially freshmen who may be coming from home to a new college environment.

Specifically, Venkataraman noted that in Hinduism, there are different gunas, which are generally considered “modes of thought.” According to him, there are three of them, which See PHS page 2

WEATHER

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The Daily Princetonian

Thursday May 4, 2017

Hindu group analyzes ‘The Dark Knight’ PHS

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can be loosely translated as “studious,” “action-oriented,” and “lazy.”

“Looking at the different characters [in “The Dark Knight”], we were able to use characters as a metaphor for each one of these gunas […] and it really allowed us to see how the different characters dealt with the same situation using different mindsets […] and how that would really lead to different outcomes, different levels of happiness within ourselves,” Venkataraman said.

He said for the spring semester a group of students helped to plan movie discussions in which everyone watched the film portion several times. The group then met in advance to discuss how to guide discussion at the overall Friday evening meeting.

Venkataraman noted that the film analysis has significantly improved member engagement in PHS. He said that in the past they often had issues with retention — a lot of people would come at the start of the year, but then stop coming later.

With the introduction of these discussions every Friday, he said, regular attendance numbers have doubled.

Chander noted that in the past, meetings to analyze texts were not as effective as this at engaging students.

“Even among those attending, only a few would speak

while others would stay quiet,” Chander said. “By contrast, this program allows us to create an interesting, dynamic environment in which everyone can watch something for 15-20 minutes and then have a meaningful discussion.”

He recalls a time when the group was analyzing “Silver Linings Playbook” when there was a discussion about admitting when we have problems and seeking help.

“The conversation became really energized and even a little heated,” said Chander.

“Many students, including students who tend to be more shy or hesitant to share their opinions in other contexts, were eagerly contributing thoughts and responding to one another respectfully but passionately.”

“I remember looking around the room and seeing everyone leaning forward and engaged in the discussion. It was a great feeling,” said Chander.

Satsangam member Rik Nag ’19 said that discussing Hinduism through the lens of American movies allowed him to see important concepts in action and better understand how to apply these concepts in his life.

Venkataraman added that the meetings helped create a greater sense of community for the Hindu Satsangam.

“People realize that a lot of people are struggling with the same issues, and that’s really helpful as a community [and] a lot of people have found a lot of really great friends through [PHS],” he said.

Thursday May 4, 2017

The Daily Princetonian

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Riddick: No repercussions for dining hall staff stuck at home due to emergency weather conditions UNION

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trators met to discuss the continual weather updates that the University has access to, Assistant Vice President for Communications Daniel Day said. By that afternoon, the University had published a notice on their website indicating that the University would advise on the weather emergency early Tuesday morning.

According to Executive Director of Campus Dining Smitha Haneef, University staff determined there were very few hotel rooms available in town — only a total of 11 on Monday. To accommodate essential personnel that would be needed to keep the University running during midterms, the University offered to house people on campus.

Those who could commute by themselves from Route 1 hotels stayed in hotel rooms — most were managers, sleeping two to a room — while those who stayed on campus were both lower-level employees and those unable to commute to campus. Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Romy Riddick explained that these workers could not rely on public transportation or University transportation from the hotel rooms based on weather reports.

A total of 39 workers were housed on campus, with 31 stayed in Frist and eight in graduate housing, where accommodations were one per room, according to Riddick. In total, 188 team members were on campus March 14.

Haneef explained that this is not the first time accommodations have been made for staff in anticipation of a weather emergency, but said that they had previously housed staff members in Dillon Gymnasium.

Day said that a 24-hour window in advance of weather forecasts is the optimum time for gauging how the University should respond to emergency situations.

“We had a big bust storm a year ago where the weather forecasters were completely wrong about it,” Day said. He explained that 24 hours in advance looking for hotels seemed about right.

The chain of command through which workers were informed began with an overall administrative University-wide decision to declare a weather emergency. This cascades through administrative and staff levels to inform personnel of their role either as essential or non-essential. Riddick explained that there are both operational and departmental level considerations and communications, and that it is “up to those departments to know their business.”

On Monday, when the University determined there were not enough hotel rooms in town, efforts were made to inform staff members of accommodation options and for the University to prepare enough rooms for staff members to stay overnight. Mid-morning on Monday, Campus Dining managers “held ‘huddles’ explaining the continuous operation plans to staff members they supervise at the dining halls, Frist Gallery, and the C-Store,” Haneef wrote in an email follow-up to an interview.

Supervisors gave the workers their accommodation options and also explained the “rates of pay that would be used according to the union contract: time and a half while sleeping, double time while working during the hours the University would be closed to non-essential staff,” Haneef continued.

In the original ‘Prince’ article, workers interviewed in Frist seemed confused about their payment for staying overnight, and even about whether staying overnight was necessary, but the University contends that this communication burden rests on both the union and the University staff.

“The union takes a lot of responsibility for communicating the information... as there’s a shared responsibility, and management will often inform and discuss in particular if it’s a weather emergency,” Riddick said.

Sleeping arrangements were finalized in Frist around 5 p.m., according to Haneef. She added that in a weather emergency, things change by the half-hour.

Riddick emphasized that if workers elected to return home the night before the storm and were unable to make their shift in the morning due to emergency weather conditions, there would be no repercussions even though accommodations were offered on campus “given that it is a weather emergency.”

“We ask people to call in and inform their supervisors and that kind of stuff, but really there are no repercussions,” Riddick said.

Day said that such working conditions are governed by the contract between the University and the union, in this case SEIU Local 175.

“Any discussions need to come through standard procedures between the union and the University at the bargaining table,” Day said. Riddick, Day, and Haneef emphasized that the University followed the agreed-upon contract exactly.

“I think it is important to note given the concern that’s been expressed, and I appreciate it, and I share it to a certain extent,” said Riddick. “The University has a vested interest that our staff members be paid well and treated properly which comes in the form of a really valid contract.”

Riddick explained that the University is “absolutely open to having negotiations at the bargaining table,” and that there are structures in place to have conversations with the union if staff members are going to the union with concerns instead of directly to the University. During these labor management meetings, Riddick said that members of the union and members of the management representing the union meet monthly to talk about concerns and address mistakes and grievances.

“We have formal channels and we’ll continue to, and that’s a very important thing for labor relations,” Riddick said.

Administrators emphasized that different emergency situations require different courses of action, but weather emergencies are especially unique, requiring real-time communication to ensure all staff members are informed.

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Opinion

Thursday May 4, 2017

page 4

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }

Letter to the Editor: The University’s majors need expansion Shannon Osaka

guest contributor

T

here are two academic systems at the University that remain stuck in the past. The first is our academic calendar, which I am thankful is on the path to change. The second, however, receives less attention: the limited options for concentrations. Sophomores, take note: The options that were offered to you this spring are not nearly as comprehensive as those offered at other Ivy League and top universities. If we hope to live up to our reputation and values as a liberal arts university, this must change.

The University’s system of majors is extremely narrow compared to its peers. Princeton offers 37 academic concentrations. Harvard offers 49; Stanford, 65; Yale, 75; Columbia, 80; Brown, 79; Cornell, 80; Dartmouth, 63; and the University of Pennsylvania, 64. Moreover, the paucity of major options cannot be explained away by our small graduate school: Our 2,500 graduate students are comparable in number to the postgraduate students at Dartmouth and Brown.

In fact, the only colleges even close to our number of majors are small liberal arts colleges like Williams and Amherst.

In my time at the University, I have learned the ins and outs of the academic system better than most. In February, I completed my term as the Undergraduate Student Government Academics Chair, and I am an independent major in the interdisciplinary field of environmental science and environmental studies. I have come to believe that there is no area in which University academics need more improvement than in the limited number of concentrations offered to our 5,400 undergraduates.

The additional majors offered by our peer institutions are far from secondary fields. For example, Harvard offers majors in statistics, environmental science and public policy, applied mathematics, and linguistics.

Other majors offered by our peer institutions include Latin American studies, cognitive science, biophysics, gender and sexuality studies, materials sci-

ence, and urban studies. These are established fields, and yet the University does not provide adequate pathways for students to explore them.

The University’s narrow tracks are not sufficiently alleviated by our 53 certificate programs. The capstone of the University experience, the senior thesis, must be advised and supported by the student’s home department.

Students seeking to do primary thesis research in an expansive, thoroughly researched field like environmental studies must instead shape their thesis work around the confines of departmental requirements.

Meanwhile, the University’s independent majors, once a form of relief for students seeking to explore the full opportunities of a “liberal arts” curriculum, have been narrowed in recent years.

New guidelines from the Office of the Dean of the College note that “Proposals that seek primarily to ‘major’ in a certificate ... are strongly discouraged.” The exception is linguistics, which has been “grandfathered” in based on a lengthy history of independent majors. The current sophomore class of independent majors is made up eight linguistics majors and one concentrator in complex adaptive systems.

My own independent concentration in environmental studies enabled me to do crucial independent work on the communication and modeling of climate change — work that would not have been possible within the confines of any other existing department. This research ultimately led me to become a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and now a Sachs Worcester Scholar headed to Oxford University.

But my concentration would likely not have been accepted under the new rules. The current policies catch students in a double bind: An independent major not supported by a certificate program will likely have too few course options to be accepted, while one that is — even if it is an accepted disciplinary field at almost all of our peer institutions — will not be accepted either.

The University’s most recently established departments — neuroscience and African American studies — grew out of certificate programs elevated by student

interest and demand. Neuroscience was once, like linguistics, a certificate program that attracted many independent majors. African American studies — long overdue for its own department, particularly given the University’s racial history — was made a department in May 2015, after protests by the Black Justice League raised awareness for the Black experience on campus.

Nevertheless, incredible obstacles remain for students simply trying to pursue their academic passions. A current junior was denied an independent concentration in Latinx studies last year, owing both to a lack of classes and the preexistence of Latin American studies as a certificate program.

I have been heartened by the University’s Strategic Planning Task Force’s call for a department in American Studies, which could eventually house student interest in Latinx, gender, and Asian American studies, as well as the possible expansion of the statistics and machine learning certificate into a department of its own.

But many fields, including my own, have been left behind: Despite the profusion of evidence that environmental issues are not only scientific, but also social, recommendations for environmental studies have been limited to expanded facilities and increased cross-disciplinary work in the humanities. The University is constructing a new environmental studies building, but there has been no substantive discussion of a major.

The University’s General Education Task Force rejected suggestions to allow double majors due to the University’s strict thesis requirements. That said, the task force did mention the possibility of mixed concentrations that would be housed in one department but involve cross-disciplinary work. While I applaud this recommendation, it leaves the onus for creating these mixed concentrations to the faculty of individual departments, and does not suggest a clear pathway to the creation of such concentrations.

The University’s current 37 undergraduate majors are highly insufficient for both the increasingly interdisciplinary academic world and the multitude of intel-

lectual and academic passions that students bring to this campus.

The University mission statement calls for “a program of liberal arts that simultaneously prepares students for meaningful lives and careers, broadens their outlooks, and helps form their characters and values.” Our admission pamphlets laud our academic flexibility. As an incoming student, I was not aware of our small number of majors, but high school seniors who have done their research may opt for a university that better supports academia’s growing interdisciplinary nature.

There is no one solution for the University’s limited departmental options. That said, I respectfully submit a few suggestions. First, future planning of University academic life should closely examine the small number of majors and its effects on student academic satisfaction, matriculation, and future opportunities.

Second, task forces should examine existing certificate programs that are accepted fields at other universities. These task forces can determine whether, and when, these programs could become departments of their own. The program in statistics and machine learning has already begun this process. The programs in linguistics and environmental studies should follow its lead.

Finally, highly-motivated and self-guided students should be encouraged, not dissuaded, to independently concentrate in certificate programs that are established disciplines. Independent concentrators have a history at the University of using their experience, enthusiasm, and proof of demand to push for the creation of much-needed departments. These new departments would expand academic opportunities for all.

We are a liberal arts institution seeking to expand the frontiers of knowledge. We must institutionally support the creation and exploration of emerging and established fields.

Shannon Osaka is an environmental science and environmental studies major from San Jose, Calif. She can be reached at sosaka@princeton.edu.

The gold standard of hip-hop Kaveh Badrei columnist

O

n April 11, 2017, Princeton Garden Theatre welcomed Darryl McDaniels as part of visiting associate professor Amy Herzog’s spring course on visual arts and music. McDaniels’s might not be a recognizable name, but he fundamentally shaped the sound of the late 20th century as one of the founding members of the superstar group Run-D.M.C., who opened the doors for the golden age of hiphop. At the lecture, McDaniels ended one of his responses by saying, “Art succeeds where politics and religion fail.” All forms of art carry a responsibility. Here at the University, we’re much removed from the South Bronx, but most of us are artists in some way or another. We don’t simply create art for the sake of art, but rather for the sake of something greater.

The art that we create sends a distinct message, whether we anticipate it or not. Implications and deeper ideas surround everything we do. Art is a powerful tool; it can make change and speak truth in a way that not much else can.

And yet, modern hip-hop

has lost the sense of authenticity and activism that propelled it to prominence and artistic importance at the end of the 20th century. Today’s rap music is devoid of the political involvement and social commentary that transformed hip-hop from simply another genre into a cultural movement of the people, by the people, and for the people.

While the early formative period in hip-hop’s history was defined by music that populated clubs in more of a disco sense, the golden age of hip-hop of the ’80s and ’90s was characterized by an imaginative diversity of sound, true dedication to the artistic endeavor of the genre, and the use of hip-hop to convey messages that were culturally, socially, and politically pressing.

Artists like Eric B. & Rakim and the Beastie Boys pushed the boundaries of what was previously defined as “hip-hop sound” and infused in their music a sense of political urgency and social protest that transformed the art form into an active form of engagement with society. There existed a deep relationship between hip-hop and the society that the genre inhabited — a sense of hip-hop’s duty to convey meaningful, subversive, and

deeply urgent messages that seems to be f leeting in the modern hip-hop culture of our time.

Today’s hip-hop is by no means devoid of creativity or innovation; such artistic projects still exist and bring about the same experimentation of sound and meaningful subject matter as the golden age. But the difference is that today’s landscape is saturated by other artists who don’t foster such an intense devotion to the craft. This new pattern of disengaged “mumble rap” substitutes intense rhyme, lyricism, and inf luential messages for club hits and party songs whose primary goal is commercial success.

It’s in part because of this new direction for hip-hop that society criticizes the genre for being a bad inf luence for younger generations. In large part, it has lost the sense of powerful and poignant societal and political grounding that old-school hip-hop had.

Art is beautiful, daring, and enjoyable, but creation should also spur activism, meaning, and change. Art should send a message to the masses — a concentrated push to stand up for the marginalized and give a voice to the voiceless.

It seems like — at least in the

context of today’s landscape of hip-hop — artists are putting out the torch of passion, activism, and societal truth at the moment it’s needed most.

Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 masterpiece “To Pimp A Butterf ly” and recent release “DAMN.” both show the power of the genre in the modern context.

Don’t fall into the pattern; ignite the f lame again. We’ve seen the sparks of this renaissance slowly happen. “To Pimp a Butterf ly,” a lyrical and artistic masterpiece, opened the door again for what hip-hop could and should be, reigniting the f lames of conscious music that confronts the evils of society, the struggles of the weak, and the shortcomings of humanity in the face of oppression. Lamar’s opus not only revolutionized today’s hip-hop landscape through its fusion of sound and production, but also reinstated the essential importance of lyrical storytelling and mindful subject matter. “To Pimp a Butterf ly” is simply one example of what hip-hop can aspire toward and of what art can actively achieve in the hearts and souls of those who consume it.

Kaveh Badrei is a freshman from Houston, Texas. He can be reached at kbadrei@princeton.edu.

vol. cxli

Sarah Sakha ’18

editor-in-chief

Matthew McKinlay ’18 business manager

BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Betsy L. Minkin ’77 treasurer Douglas J. Widmann ’90 William R. Elfers ’71 Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Joshua Katz Kathleen Crown Kathleen Kiely ’77 Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Alexia Quadrani Randall Rothenberg ’78 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 trustees emeriti Gregory L. Diskant ’70 Annalyn Swan ’73 Michael E. Seger ’71 Jerry Raymond ’73

141ST MANAGING BOARD managing editors Samuel Garfinkle ’19 Grace Rehaut ’18 Christina Vosbikian ’18 head news editor Marcia Brown ’19 associate news editors Abhiram Karuppur ’19 Claire Lee ‘19 head opinion editor Newby Parton ’18 associate opinion editors Samuel Parsons ’19 Nicholas Wu ’18 head sports editor David Xin ’19 associate sports editors Miranda Hasty ’19 Claire Coughlin ’19 head street editor Jianing Zhao ’20 associate street editors Andie Ayala ’19 Catherine Wang ’19 web editor Sarah Bowen ’20 head copy editors Isabel Hsu ’19 Omkar Shende ’18 associate copy editors Caroline Lippman ’19 Megan Laubach ’18 design editor Rachel Brill ’19 cartoons editor Tashi Treadway ’19

NIGHT STAFF copy Daphne Mandell ’19 Morgan Bell ’19 Jean Cho ’20

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The Daily Princetonian

Thursday May 4, 2017

page 5

Why public service still matters for progressives

Chris Lu ’88

guest contributor

T

hree years ago, as the Princeton baccalaureate speaker, I stood in the pulpit of the University Chapel and addressed the graduating Class of 2014. I talked about the sacrifices my parents made so I could attend college and my commitment to using my education to help future generations.

I encouraged the graduates to consider the path I had chosen: a career in public service.

Last week, I returned to a campus that felt very different from my earlier visit. I met with a range of student groups, and each conversation inevitably turned to our country’s new President, the harm caused by his policies, the disruption of established norms, and the growing political polarization in our country.

At the end of these conversations, the same question kept coming up: Does public service still matter?

For progressive students interested in working for the government, many now find their plans upended. They rightly question whether they can work under the leadership

of a President whose values and policies are so contrary to their views.

I share your disappointment, anger, and fear. But even in these troubling times, I haven’t lost my faith in the value of public service. Now more than ever, our government needs to continue attracting young people who understand the importance of facts, data, and science. However, for progressives interested in public service, the changed political landscape will require a broader search for ways to make a difference.

To those students who remain interested in federal service, I encourage you to pursue those opportunities. Much of what the federal government does is not affected by who occupies the White House. Civil servants implement and enforce the laws that keep our country stable and functioning. They manage critical programs that help millions of Americans.

Because of the dedication of federal employees, veterans receive high-quality health care, unemployed workers are trained for the jobs of the 21st century, and medical researchers are eradicating diseases.

That being said, it would be disingenuous for me to say that it doesn’t matter who captains the ship. In fact, it matters very much. Just over the past 100 days, climate change is being erased from the federal government’s agenda, a 70-year-old foreign policy consensus has been upended, and health care for millions is in danger of being stripped away.

If I were starting a career in government today, I would look instead to state and local government. Progressive leaders across the country are driving change that will create greater opportunity and fairness, and these local actions will eventually become the foundation for national policies.

When it comes to helping American workers, states like California, New York, and Connecticut are leading the way in raising the minimum wage, requiring paid leave, and protecting against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. When it comes to fighting climate change, cities like San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago are committed to taking meaningful action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

With the smaller size of state and local government, it’s also easier to make a difference earlier in your career. The impact of your work will be felt more quickly and acutely in the communities you serve, which, in turn, will result in a more gratifying professional experience. If you want to impact people’s lives every day — and get to know the people you’re serving — the rewards at the local level may ultimately be greater than chasing the shiny object of federal service.

However, public service isn’t limited to working in the government. Important policy changes can be driven through nonprofit organizations, foundations, and even the private sector.

I am a board member of the American Sustainable Business Council, which represents a quarter of a million companies around the country. These socially responsible companies support pro-environment and pro-labor policies because they know that profits can made without sacrificing people or the planet. These companies understand that the high road is the smart road.

In the end, public service

doesn’t take just one form. It’s a mindset. It’s a commitment to address the problems of our time and not simply pass those problems on to the next generation.

As former President Obama said shortly after leaving office, “Our democracy’s not the buildings, it’s not the monuments, it’s you being willing to work to make things better.”

I have spent two decades in public service, and I can’t imagine a more intellectually stimulating and professionally rewarding career. Our nation is going through one of the most challenging periods in its history, and many are disillusioned about what the future holds. Yet, even in times like this, I still believe in the power of ordinary citizens to create a more perfect union for future generations.

Chris Lu ’88 served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Secretary of Labor and White House Cabinet Secretary. He is a news editor emeritus for The Daily Princetonian. He is now a senior fellow at the University of Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs. You can contact him on Twitter @ChrisLu44.

Letter to the Editor: The case against private prisons

Bernard Chazelle

guest contributor

M

ass incarceration is one of the great moral challenges of our time. With merely 4.4 percent of the world’s population, the United States holds almost one quarter of the world’s prisoners, far more than any other country. Nearly nine times as high as Germany’s, our incarceration rate is the highest on the planet (save for that of tiny Seychelles). While the destructive impact of mass incarceration is being felt across all poor communities, the racial dimension stands out: one in three black men can expect to go to prison at some point in his life, a fact of devastating consequence for the AfricanAmerican family.

On the brighter side, overincarceration is now widely recognized as a major crisis.

From Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to Newt Gingrich and the Koch brothers, cries for change are being heard all across the political spectrum. Should Princeton lend its voice to the rising chorus of indignation? To be sure, the University should foster a climate of engagement, but

it is not its institutional mission to tackle social issues. It is its duty to honor its core values, however. For this reason, the University must send a clear message that investing in the incarceration industry is wrong. A pledge not to invest would resonate far and wide; as President Eisgruber ’83 recently indicated, it would also be costless. Columbia has taken such a pledge, and the University of California has proceeded to divest. More will follow. Princeton should lead by example and offer a proactive model of ethical conduct “in the nation’s service.”

If I am right that for-profit imprisonment is immoral, then the crisis of mass incarceration makes it a matter of utmost urgency. But am I right? Isn’t it merely an empirical question? Let the social scientists sort out the pros and cons of privatization so we can settle the issue rationally and be spared annoying opinion pieces such as this one. That was the Obama administration’s model when it announced the government’s plan to phase out its use of private prisons in light of their poor performance. Empirical evidence, of course, can be contested; and sure enough,

thirsty annie zou ’20

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

right on cue, Trump reversed Obama’s decision. It hurts for a computer scientist to say it but, in this case, fact-finding is, as it were, a laudable quest to find the right answer to the wrong question.

The case against private prisons is not instrumental, but rather categorical. Just as slavery would still be wrong if all masters were angels, private prisons would still be immoral if they delivered a superior product — as they might well do in some places such as Australia. Private prisons are immoral because they are premised on a violation of human dignity. This position formed the basis of the 2009 Israeli Supreme Court decision to ban the practice and has been argued at length by prominent scholars. It is, in my view, an indication of how assiduously we have learned to ignore the normative implications of liberal democracy that the case has seemed unable to speak for itself.

So let me speak for it. Liberal societies abide by the classic Weberian idea that the State should have the monopoly of force. We do not allow private judges or for-profit courts of law. Likewise, there is wide consensus that the deci-

sion to deprive someone of liberty is so grave and solemn that it should be the sole prerogative of entities institutionally representative of us, the People. Which is not to say that all prison business ought to be public. Some of it is outsourced out of necessity (e.g., electronic equipment); some of it for efficiency (e.g., dining, maintenance). But then, some will ask, why not go all the way and allow prisons to be administered for profit? If hospitals can be, why not penitentiaries? The answer rests on the unique moral status of criminal punishment in modern liberal democracies. Caring for people is categorically different from locking them up.

Public shaming is no longer part of the sentencing arsenal. At least in principle, statesanctioned punishment seeks to respect human dignity.

The reason is that a criminal sentence is not an act of vengeance but a leaf out of the social contract binding the individual and the State. To ascribe guilt is to acknowledge both the agency and the autonomy of the offender who, in return, recognizes the legitimacy of the State to inf lict punishment. The identity of the punisher is thus key to its legitimacy: to punish is the exclusive authority of the State and may not be delegated, for to do so would sever the moral cord between the offender and the community.

If that idea strikes you as a tad too subtle for its own good, ask yourself why impracticality is not the reason we deny victims the right to execute the court’s judgments. At least, one could argue, a victim has a participatory claim to see justice done. Yet to deny the victim that right seems to all of us (I hope) the proper thing to do. But then how can we turn around and grant that same right to a for-profit entity whose interests typically run counter to the public good? A private prison firm has a fiduciary duty to its shareholders but only contractual obligations to the State. Whereas society would love nothing more

than the end of crime, hence the emptying of all prisons, carceral corporations can only seek more crime, more prisoners, and longer sentences — not because they are bad but because they are loyal to their owners.

This is no idle speculation: The private incarceration industry has spent millions of dollars lobbying for stricter criminal laws. Try to read without cringing this passage from the 2005 Annual Report of CCA, the nation’s largest private-prison firm: “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws.”

Some will counter that the private sector faces similar misalignments of incentives (e.g., health providers, insurers, tobacco firms) but that there is no conf lict that the right mix of regulations and freemarket magic can’t put right.

The comparison is a category error (the philosophical term for “not even wrong”) because incarceration is sui generis.

The 13th Amendment reminds us that our society rejects slavery and involuntary servitude but does not put a blanket ban on them, reserving the right to use them as legal punishment. This is not to equate incarceration with slavery, but to suggest what Wittgenstein called a “family resemblance,” a troubling likeness that should inspire extreme caution. To imprison somebody is always to walk along the edge of a moral cliff.

As Abu Ghraib reminds us, a wrong step easily takes us into the abyss. To lobby for longer prison sentences just to make a buck is to dive headlong into that abyss. Princeton must take a public stand against such moral dreck.

Bernard Chazelle is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University.

He can be reached at chazelle@ cs.princeton.edu.

oh, crop.

Join the ‘Prince’ design team.

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Sports

Thursday May 4, 2017

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } W O M E N ’ S W AT E R P O L O

Women’s water polo falls to Michigan in finals

By Audrey Spensley staff writer

After wins over Bucknell and Hartwick, the Princeton women’s water polo team fell to the University of Michigan in the championship game of the Collegiate Water Polo Association Championships this weekend, April 28 to 30. The Tigers traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to compete at the CounsilmanBillingsley Aquatics Center.

The Tigers started the tournament off strong with a goal by junior Haley Wan 10 seconds into their opening game against Bucknell.

After only eight minutes, the Tigers had a five-point advantage with goals by five different players. Bucknell retaliated with a goal at the 11 minute mark, but Princeton responded with three more goals, making the score 9-2 at halftime. Both sides scored early after the pause, but the Tigers closed off strong and put the final score at a dominant 16-7.

The win qualified the Tigers for the semifinal match against No. 15 Hartwick.

Again, they opened the match with stellar momentum when senior Morgan Hallock scored with 1:31 on the clock. Two more goals for the Tigers and two returns by Hartwick put the first quarter score tied at 2-2.

After a hard-fought game, the Tigers fell to Michigan 5-4 on Sunday. Neither team attempted a goal until six minutes into the game, when Michigan’s Julia Sellers beat out senior Ashleigh Johnson for a loose ball.

While the Tigers started out relatively slow, they began the second half quickly with a goal from sophomore Eliza Britt just 44 seconds into the half. Princeton’s next goal in the half didn’t come until there were eight seconds left in the half, at which point the Wolverines had already snagged too far of a lead for the Tigers.

Ashleigh Johnson and junior Haley Wan were selected for the CWPA Championship All-Tournament First Term. Junior Chelsea Johnson and Sophomore Lindsey Kelleher earned second team honors. Michigan ended the weekend with an at-large bid for the Tournament and will continue their play.

After the Tigers achieved second at the Championships, Ashleigh Johnson was selected as the CWPA Defensive Player of the Week.

In her stellar collegiate career, she has received this honor 19 times. In just three games, she achieved 35 saves and 17 goals. The CWPA also released the national polls, placing the Tigers at No. 10 in the rankings.

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The Princeton women’s water polo team is now ranked tenth in the nation.

MEN’S LACROSSE

Cornell beats out Tigers by one goal

By David Xin head sports editor

In what would be a thrilling afternoon, the men’s lacrosse team fell just short as Cornell edged out the Princeton squad 18-17, despite a strong Princeton push late in the game. The Orange and Black will close the season tied with Brown for No. 2 in the Ivy League. The Tigers are scheduled to face Brown in the Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse Tournament this Friday, May 5.

The Princeton squad started the first quarter trading shot for shot as the game remained tied at 5-5. It was not until the third quarter that Big Red managed to build a definitive 15-9 lead. However, showing their resilience, the Princeton team managed to get crucial stops and get back in the game. The Tigers would tie the game at 16 apiece and then 17 apiece before Cornell’s Jack McCulloch scored his sixth goal of the day with over two minutes left. However, this would prove to be the winning goal as the Tigers failed to find the back of the net again.

The offense was led by freshman attack Michael Sowers, who recorded four goals and three assists. The performance put his season total at 77 points, just one point behind the all-time single season record.

The veterans of the team

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Men’s lacrosse looks to defeat Brown on Friday, May 5th, at New Haven in the Ivy League Men’s Lacrosse Tournament.

also put their stamp on the game. Senior co-captain Gavin McBride led all scorers with five goals, becoming the 12th player in Princeton history to reach 100 career goals. In the midfield, senior Zach Currier managed to force three turnovers and 12 ground balls while also adding a goal and two assists

Tweet of the Day “Sowers (Rookie of the Year ,1st team), Currier Leads 7 Tigers With Unanimous Ivy Honors” princeton lacrosse (@TigerLacrosse)

to the Princeton effort.

The Tigers, who were already locked into a playoff position heading into the game, will end the season with an overall record of 9-5 and a 4-2 Ivy League record.

The loss denied the Tigers an opportunity to share the Ivy League title with Yale, as the Bulldogs also lost their

last game of the season to Harvard. The Tigers will now face the Bears in the postseason.

When the two teams met earlier in the season, the Tigers dominated, beating their Ivy rivals 21-11. However, since then Brown has been on a recent winning streak, triumphing in their

Stat of the Day

296 strokes After a 296 first-round, the Princeton women’s golf team stands in first place at the Ivy League Championship.

last four games and winning five of their last six matches since their defeat to the Tigers.

Regardless, the Princeton squad will need to bring their best game as they approach the postseason. The Tigers will face Brown in New Haven on Friday, May 5.

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