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Friday May 10, 2019 vol. cxliii no. 61
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STUDENT LIFE
CLAIRE SILBERMAN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The protesters formed a circle around Nassau Hall after Calhoun and Eisgruber did not appear to meet them.
U. Title IX office protest continues into third day By Zachary Shevin, Claire Silberman, Ivy Truong and Benjamin Ball Assistant News Editor, Associate News Editor, and Head News Editors
Day 2 The University has responded to the demands of the Title IX office protesters engaging in a sit-in outside of Nassau Hall, saying that it will refer concerns to the appropriate University committees, but it will not consider the protesters’ “unfounded calls for the termination of University employees.” Unsatisfied with the response, the activists still plan to demonstrate hourly and to camp out in front of Nassau Hall overnight as of the time of this publication. In addition, they have drafted a letter
to President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun asking them to meet “outside” by 2 p.m. on Thursday. “While we appreciate your time, the response did not address our concerns. Ten out of eleven of our demands were entirely ignored,“ the protesters wrote. “Your letter communicated your belief that your current efforts are adequate. As we have noted, they are not.” At approximately 3:10 p.m., Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne handed multiple copies of a University response to the current situation to Aisha Tahir ’21, who distributed the copies to various protesters. The response begins by stating that the University “is com-
mitted 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.” It goes on to explain the University’s present sexual misconduct policies, resources, and the Title IX process. The statement says that the University appreciates student input on these important issues and says that the concerns raised will be referred to “the appropriate University committees.” “That said,“ the statement continues, “unfounded calls for the termination of University employees are inappropriate and will not be considered further.” The protestors met at 8 p.m.
to discuss the statement from the University and how to respond accordingly. They drafted a letter that was sent to Eisgruber, Calhoun, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne, and The Daily Princetonian. The protesters requested that Calhoun and Eisgruber meet “in front of our coalition” with “a delegation from our coalition.” “Students continue in pain from the broken Title IX system, and it is imperative that you take the time to speak and negotiate with us,“ they wrote. “We understand that these systems are deeply entrenched, but it is up to all those in our community to provide a safer and more just campus.” The protester’s demands originally included calls for ad-
ditional transparency and the dismissal of Title IX administrator Regan Crotty. The letter added that the protesters are “willing to amend our eleventh demand regarding the dismissal of Reagan Crotty to a call for the annual external review of the current and future holders of the Title IX Coordinator position.” In addition, the protesters have sent out a pledge for both current students and alumni to sign, promising to abstain from alumni giving until the protesters’ demands are met. As of the time of this publication, that pledge has received 513 signatures. The protesters plan to spend their second night outside of Nassau Hall. According to Tahir, the protesters were reSee TITLE IX page 5
IN TOWN
Princeton Town Council holds first ever meeting on U. campus Assistant News Editor
The Princeton Council held a meeting in the Whig Senate Chamber at 7 pm on May 8, the first town council meeting ever held on the University campus. Students and Council members discussed a number of issues facing the University and the town, as well as possibilities for collaboration between the two entities. All Princeton Council members were present, including Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert. The meeting continued until 9:04 p.m., but by 8:20 p.m. only six students were present, with the seven Town Council members outnumbering the audience. Earlier in the meeting, there were 16 people in the audience. Bradley Phelps ’22, a member of the Whig-Clio Community Outreach Committee who organized the event, said the Society could have advertised the event a little better, but also that the low attendance is somewhat reflective of a general apathy on campus in regards to political engagement. Councilwoman Eve Niedergang GS ’85, who originally moved to Princeton as a graduate student, said that the student population had very little to do with the town during her time on campus and that she is excited to see students interested in getting more
In Opinion
involved in the local community. “The relationship between the University and the town is kind of a marriage, and I think it could use a little TLC to kind of bring it to the next level,” she said. Bradley Phelps ’22, a member of the Whig-Clio Community Outreach Committee who organized the event, felt that attendance was low. He said the Society could have advertised the event a little better, but also that the low attendance is somewhat reflective of a general apathy on campus in regards to political engagement. “Everybody that was there was very engaged and insightful. I wish there were more people there, obviously, but I think that because the event was so small it was really convenient for us to have a dialogue,” he said. Lempert noted that, due to a “a lot of dysfunction” at the state and national level, she sees the present as a golden age in local government. “When you think about the national issues, a lot of those issues are things that we’re actually working on locally,” she said. “We actually feel like we’re a great ‘living laboratory’ for dealing with issues like sustainability, creating a police force that serves the community, and immigration.” The three central themes
The Princeton Graduate Students United voices support for the Title IX protestors, contributing columnist Braden Flax critiques the University’s response to the Title IX protesters, and contributing columnist Emma Treadway argues that scholarly research is all too often ignored in politics.PAGE 6
ZACHARY SHEVIN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The Princeton Council held a meeting in the Whig Senate Chamber on May 8.
of discussion, as laid out by Phelps at the start of the event, were “Affordability and diversity in the community and on campus, breaking out of the ‘Orange Bubble,’ and opportunities for collaboration moving forward.” On the topic of affordability, Councilwoman Leticia Fraga explained the idea of permitting students to use meal swipes at participating restaurants, which could benefit students who are unable to
afford to eat on Nassau Street. “For many, it’s a given that they can get to enjoy and experience the Princeton community outside of campus, but there are those that, because of their financial status, they don’t have the same opportunities,” she said. “So they don’t get to see and experience the entire community.” For students who cannot afford to go home during breaks when dining facilities are closed, Fraga said a mea-
Today on Campus 11:00p.m.: Quipfire presents improv comedy “Drop,” the final performance of the 2018-2019 school year. Whitman College Theater, Whitman College
sure like the one she described could be extremely helpful. Fraga noted that “other college campuses in University towns” have implemented similar measures and that she has talked to some local merchants who say they would be on board with the idea. “Everybody on the town side is very enthusiastic about it, but the University is not, in part because of the impact on Dining Services,” explained See COUNCIL page 4
WEATHER
By Zack Shevin
HIGH
77˚
LOW
53˚
Thunderstorms chance of rain:
60 percent
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The Daily Princetonian
CLAIRE SILBERMAN/ THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Friday May 10, 2019
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
CLAIRE SILBERMAN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Friday May 10, 2019
The Daily Princetonian
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The Programs in Theater and Music Theater present
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by Shariffa Ali, Avi Amon and Joanna Evans
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Co-sponsored by the Office of Sustainability
Development of this new music theater work was supported through the Lewis Center's Roger S. Berlind ’52 Playwrights-in-Residence Fund
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Friday May 10, 2019
Niedergang : We have to somehow improve our communications COUNCIL Continued from page 1
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Lempert. Niedergang said she was told by a University “community relations person” that the University sees the idea as potentially harmful to students on financial aid, an idea that Lempert said “made no sense at all.” In that same vein of affordability, students brought up a recent controversy surrounding University parking for faculty. Whig-Clio Vice President Chase Lovgren ’21 asked about a recent change in University policy that makes parking for employees more difficult “in the name of environmental sustainability,” something he said he worries may impose financial burdens on low-income University employees. “I think that the University’s policy is correct,” said Councilwoman Jenny Crumiller. “We are trying to address climate issues also, and one of the big parts of our climate action plan is to address the environmental cost of everyone driving … I think parking policy is a big part of doing something about carbon emissions.” Whig-Clio President Grace Collins ’21 said, though, that she feels the local government should be prioritizing lowincome workers over dealing with the national issue of climate change. “The person exacerbating climate change is not, you know, Judy the custodian on her way to work,” she said, laying the blame more so on large factories and systems not within the reach of the local government.
In relation to this issue, certain Town Council members also discussed the complexities of affordable housing and the idea of compelling the University to “hire local.” Councilman David Cohen said he is a strong advocate for the University building more workforce housing. “As an equity thing, I don’t see any reason why a professor should automatically get to live in Princeton, but a cafeteria worker or a groundskeeper should not at the same time,” he said. “They are all important to making the University work.” Niedergang noted that she understands how abandoning cars without “much of a public transit system here in Princeton” could be seen as problematic, but that she hopes we can pursue both climate action and expanding the public transportation system. She said efforts are being made to improve that system, and the Council will be meeting with the University next week to discuss the possibility of merging Tiger Transit and the FreeB Bus Service. Lempert said that, as opposed to states like California with much stronger regional governments, New Jersey has strong local control. “Things like transit are extremely difficult in terms of having an entity with authority to implement,” she said. Though she believes Princeton has a good internal public transportation system, she said that it is expensive to travel places beyond the town. In line with this concept of transportation, the Council also discussed the possibility of having electric scooters on campus. Lempert said she
brought up this matter with University administrators, who were not interested. Additionally, she entertained the possibility of bringing “the next hot thing,” electric bikes, to the town. “I see that as actually being something that the University is probably going to need to have as it expands across the lake,” Lempert said. “Because it’s really easy to ride down the hill, and you have to have legs of steel to make it back up.” Something else that came up was recycling both on campus and in the town. Niedergang said that recycling is somewhat of an illusion and that people should begin putting greater emphasis on reuse. Lempert noted a group in the community once encouraged a ban or fee on plastic bags, but there was pushback from the business community and somewhat of an equity issue, as a five-cent-per-bag fee would be substantially more significant to lower-income community members. In regards to recycling specifically, Niedergang said that “such a tremendous educational effort has to go out,” and floated the idea of the Council employing an intern to help address the matter, saying, “we could really use someone to think through and work with us on an educational policy.” Students also brought up the possibility of undergraduates engaging in internships in Princeton and asked the council how they could help get a program in place. Collins noted that the lack of opportunities to intern during the year is somewhat of “a hole in the Princeton experience.” This idea of “needing an
intern” came up again when discussing how to get undergraduates informed and excited about events on the other side of Nassau. One member of the community noted that “all the social media of the town is incredibly underused and underserviced in a lot of ways. Lovgren brought up the idea of the town paying to advertise to undergraduates via social media, but another community member suggested “the content would drive the subscribership,” and that the Town Council begin by populating their social media pages with content. It was noted that some sort of task force or the hiring of a social media intern could help with this problem. “We should definitely plan for a follow-up to talk about internships,” Lempert said near the conclusion of the meeting. Also present for a portion of the meeting were three students participating in the ongoing protest of the University’s Title IX Office outside of Nassau Hall. Aisha Tahir ’21 gave the Town Council background as to what has occurred over the past two days, from her perspective, and explained why the group is protesting. Lempert said that the town feels responsible for the safety of all of its community members, University students included, making assault on campus an important issue in her mind that “comes up every year when we speak to President [Christopher] Eisgruber [’83].” Rebecca Sobel ’19 added that “potentially, some sort of solidarity from the town could push the administration towards implementing really necessary changes.” Lempert said she would be
interesting in hearing what the leaders are hearing from other students on campus, what they would like to see happen, and what they feel the town could do to make the situation better. She promised to give the protesters her card and said she would be happy to meet with them about the matter. On the issue of Title IX, Lempert called it a “complex issue.” “It’s probably complex at every single college town. Is there anybody who does it well, or who does it better, and how do they do it, and can we learn from them?” she asked. In addition to suggesting the protesters attempt to engage the University as a partner on the matter, she also floated the idea of bringing in the police chief or distributing more “know your rights” information to provide education on the different ways to report sexual violence. “The stuff with what classes are offered, who gets tenure, that sort of thing, that’s a little harder for us to get involved with,” she said. “But certainly the public safety piece of this is something that I think we’re all really interested in making sure that people feel like they have an avenue where they’re getting justice.” Niedergang said that the issue of on-campus assault is “near and dear to [her] heart,” but that she still had no idea that protests were even occurring. “As much as maybe students don’t know what’s going on in town … I had no idea this was going on,” she said. “We have to somehow improve our communications.”
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Protesters: Your letter communicated your belief that your current efforts are adequate. As we have noted, they are not TITLE IX
Continued from page 1
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minded by Dunne and the administration that they are not allowed to sleep outside. Title IX reform protesters have participated in a sit-in in front of Nassau Hall for over 35 hours. The first day of the protest saw the crowdsourcing and discussion of 11 demands via Google Docs and Forms. Later in the evening, several activists braved a rain storm to keep up the momentum of the Title IX reform protests. This sit-in follows several months of protests and graffiti on campus that aim to demonstrate their misgivings against the Title IX process. Despite a promise by Calhoun for the administration to respond to the demands by 11 a.m., the University did not issue any statement until 3:19 p.m. Originally, the University delayed its response to “later” in the day, according to a message from the administration to the activists. Tahir read the message aloud to the rest of the protesters. “The University has received the students [sic] concerns, take them seriously, and will be making a public statement later today. We would like to reiterate what Vice President Calhoun stated earlier that we will not be responding directly to each of points [sic] raised yesterday,“ the statement read. Protesters noted that they felt the response was incomplete, and Rebecca Sobel ’19 said that she thought there would be more of an active dialogue and a more substantial response than “two grammatically incorrect sentences that sounded like they were kind of drafted as we were shouting ‘Response Now.’“ “We got a response at 11:28 a.m. today that was very opaque and left no information, and so we’re waiting,“ noted protester Nathan Poland ’20. The protesters remained on Nassau lawn, demonstrating on the hour. For every demonstration, the protesters
discussed one of their demands. “[Calhoun] explicitly said, ‘at 11 a.m. we will respond,’ and they didn’t even follow up on that,“ Sobel said. “I had really, really low expectations, and now I feel like I have no expectations. When describing the fifth demand, a demand for “a group of full time, professional social workers independent of the Title IX office, SHARE, and Counseling and Psychological services to help survivors navigate the Title IX system,” Sobel read aloud a statement from a University faculty member. “During such emotionally trying times, every student should have access to an advocate who can help them process information and find their voice, who can assist in asking questions and getting answers,“ the faculty member wrote. Tahir said the protesters plan to continue demonstrating and still plan to stay overnight. According to Tahir, the protesters are still waiting for the administration to come and speak to them and are trying their best to give them time to come. “Our plans have not changed yet,“ she said. “I think what we’re right now waiting for is for them to come and speak to us, and we’re willing to negotiate and talk.” Soon after the administrative statement, protesters began making posters both advertising the demonstration and listing seven ways students can help with the protest, which included staying in front of Nassau Hall, pledging to withhold donations to the University, getting support from faculty and administrators, and anonymously submitting stories of experiences involving Title IX. At 4:36 p.m., Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSS) Anne McClintock spoke in front of Nassau Hall in support of many of the protesters’ demands. By this point, the crowd of demonstrators had grown to around 100. She spoke to the protesters’ demand to deal with compounded violations with an intersectional framework. “What many people do not know is it was black women who called for Title IX in the first place,“ she said. “Black Lives Matter cannot be seen
separate from the sexual assault movement. They are deeply intersected … We cannot separate the systems of sexual and gender and racial violence.” McClintock went on to endorse the protesters’ demand for GSS departmentalization as well. Additionally, she spoke out against “the hype about alcohol” in relation to sexual violence, saying that alcohol is not the cause of sexual assault and that “if you are not a perpetrator … having a few drinks is not going to turn you into one.” She also went on to discuss an experience she had working at the University of Wisconsin attempting to help a student navigate the Title IX process. “We entered a labyrinth of lies,“ she said. “We then filed a Title IX complaint, and it was successful, and we brought 30 campuses in Wisconsin under federal investigation for violation of Title IX rights and changed the process at Wisconsin.” The system at Wisconsin, she said, is “very similar to the broken system that’s still in place at Princeton” because of a lack of transparency, and she endorsed the protesters’ demands for increased transparency. McClintock also said that “universities have a brand name to protect,“ and therefore incentives to under-investigate and under-report assault. Because of this, she said that there is a necessity to devise a third way between the carceral system and the in-house system to deal with accusations of sexual assault. Because of this, she also endorsed the protesters’ demand for the University to fund a group of full-time social workers independent of the University. At 5 p.m., Department of Sociology Professor Elizabeth M. Armstrong spoke on behalf of the GSS faculty in endorsing the demand to departmentalize GSS at the University, “to give it an intellectual platform to provide education students and the entire campus community on these critical issues.” Following words from Armstrong, demonstrators chanted “Education is preventative.” Protesters remained in front of Nassau Hall throughout the night. At 1:52 a.m., 10 students
remained, and at 4 a.m., six students were present. “It seems to be maintaining its influence in a really inspiring way,“ Bhavani Srinivas ’20 said at 5:33 a.m. Thursday morning. “I think there’s a lot of people across campus that are coming here, and a really dedicated core group of people aren’t backing down.” Day 3 In complete silence, students assembled around Nassau Hall, arm-in-arm, until they had entirely encircled in the building. On their mouths were black pieces of tape that read “Listen.” In front of them, at the entrance of the hall, sat two empty red chairs the protestors had set for President Chistopher Eisgruber ’83 and Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun, who were not in attendance. The assembly outside of Nassau Hall marks the third day of the student protest against the University Title IX office, as students have remained on the lawn overnight between demonstrations. Students have been on Nassau lawn since Monday at 10 a.m. Today, these students were waiting for Eisgruber and Calhoun to meet with them and discuss their demands. The protesters had written a letter to the administration late Wednesday evening, asking that the two meet with the delegation of students by 2 p.m., and when they did not make an appearance, the demonstration began. “Students continue in pain from the broken Title IX system, and it is imperative that you take the time to speak and negotiate with us,“ students wrote in the letter. “We understand that these systems are deeply entrenched, but it is up to all those in our community to provide a safer and more just campus.” Students assembled in front of the hall and, at 2:10 p.m., repeatedly chanted “Response now.” At 2:20 p.m., the students changed their chant to “We did the work — how about you?” Around 2:30 p.m., students applied the tape to their mouths and stood in silence outside of the hall. After five minutes of stand-
ing, the students began to circle the hall and link arms. They stood around the hall until 2:50, after which they reassembled at the front entrance and chanted “Time’s up.” Afterwards, the majority of the students dispersed, leaving a handful of students still on the lawn. On Monday, the students put together a list of eleven demands for the University. They have since said they are willing to amend the final demand, and call for the review instead of the dismissal of Title IX administrator Regan Crotty. The letter the protestors drafted was written in response to the University’s statement on the protest, which said that the University “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.” Students at the protest expressed clear dissatisfaction with the statement, immediately booing when the statement was read out loud around 4 p.m. “They are making us seem like we are not knowledgeable,” said Aisha Tahir ’21. “They are not responding to our demands.” University spokesperson Ben Chang wrote in an email to The Daily Princetonian that the University’s statement “still stands” and that the University “respect[s] and appreciate[s] student input into how these important issues are handled by the University.” “The two committees we referenced, the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee, will be convening in the near future,“ Chang wrote. “The students who raised the recent concerns around Title IX have been invited to participate. The specific details of the meetings are still being worked out.” In addition to the formal sitin, the protesters have sent out a pledge for both current students and alumni to sign, promising to abstain from alumni giving until the protesters’ demands are met. As of the time of this publication, that pledge has received 709 signatures.
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Graduate Students stand in solidarity with Title IX protesters Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) Guest contributors
W
e write amid the ongoing sit-in outside Nassau Hall, initiated by courageous and committed undergraduate students. As graduate student organizers at Princeton, their cause is one that we support unequivocally. Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) stands in solidarity with those taking action against the University’s negligence on matters of sexual abuse, lack of transparency in general, and surrounding Title IX proceedings specifically. We agree that the University protects those who commit sexual misconduct while punishing survivors for speaking out. Achieving change at Princeton requires, as those protesting Title IX have shown us in the past days, a dramatic
reframing of the way we talk about institutional resources and the creation of a culture of open, systematic critique and collective action. This is precisely why we have been intent on organizing a union of graduate workers. On Wednesday, the administration’s condescending, bureaucratic non-responses to students’ concerns made clear that “student input” is simply background noise to “how these important issues are handled by the University.” Students have spent days outside, protesting for a cause that directly impacts their lives. This dismissal reflects the administration’s imperious self-image. Let us un-warp their mirror: The “University” is not a taxadvantaged hedge fund with a side business in issuing diplomas and greening its lawns. It serves at the pleasure of its human base of students, teachers, researchers, or workers. The needs of this constituency are
its only imperatives. These students’ vital calls for reform point to a systemic, catastrophic failure of budgetary and ethical priority at this institution. Princeton spends lavishly on buildings and administrative compensation while profiting from the provision of basic student services, like dining and housing. For decades, Princeton’s endowment has grown fat while it aggressively hikes tuition at rates far outpacing inflation. Meanwhile, health services, financial aid, and other forms of support are inexplicably derelicted, as we recently protested against. Mental health resources, for instance, involve long wait times and often inaccessible co-pays for students dealing with trauma. In 2016, a multimillion dollar settlement providing support for low-income housing was disgorged from the University after the University was sued by local homeowners over its profiteering.
At the beginning of this year, Princeton’s administration spammed every campus mailbox with a self-published, hardcover diatribe about “free speech,” then turned around and fined a student nearly three thousand dollars this week for an act of written protest. Financial retribution against a sexual assault survivor is an insidious attack on student life. It flies in the face of the university’s false pieties about “free speech,” displaying its mercenary understanding of social and economic justice. Princeton’s systemic impunity, lack of transparency, and unaccountability to its students are not acceptable. We reiterate our full support of the students demanding Title IX reform and condemn administrative attempts to dismiss and silence them. In solidarity, Princeton Graduate Students United
Disrespect is not honor Braden Flax
Contributing Columnist
R
ecently, in the wake of three institutional embarrassments, the campus community has been unusually and excitingly responsive. Attempts to cover up and minimize scandals have blown up, from the non-randomness of room draw, the structural inequality in the form of introducing the criminal history checkbox on the graduate school application, to the ineffectiveness of the Title IX office. Activists have held their ground in calling for the reform of a dysfunctional Title IX system. Unfortunately, the administration has been utterly condescending to some of its most courageous community members. Most recently, Vice President W. Rochelle Calhoun remarked snidely that the administration was doing activists “the honor of taking them and their demands seriously.” In other words, activists should be grateful for whatever scraps they can obtain, and the institution should receive credit for its open-mindedness, once compromises have been fought for tooth and nail. According to this logic, maybe laborers should be grateful for the weekend, though they had to fight relentlessly for it. Similarly, I
suppose women in the early 20th century should have expressed more gratitude for the serious consideration of their demands to be extended the right to vote. In an academic setting where words are all the rage, Calhoun would be welladvised to choose hers with greater care, lest the word ‘honor’ lose what meaning it had prior to this administrative mangling. Calhoun’s statement implies that the default position of the University would have been to ignore and ride out the pressure of its students, many of whom deal with the myriad abuses that the University fails to curb. Furthermore, her words demonstrate that the administration only choses to listen because of magnitude of pressure the protests brought to bear. The first of these conclusions forces us to contend with the fact that the institution has expressed virtual indifference to the well-being of its student body, which is selfevidently grotesque. From the second conclusion, we realize that to the extent that students should be grateful, they should be so to themselves. They are responsible for producing whatever good comes of this confrontation. It is not my purpose here to litigate the particular demands of the Title IX protests, which have been only recently, albeit impressively, hammered out. Rather, I am concerned, first and foremost, with preserving the dignity of those who have chosen to pro-
test out of necessity, as a form of self-defense and solidarity. The reaction that greeted their efforts has been inexcusable and offensive, and reveals the priorities of the institution. There is more care put towards maintaining a selective aesthetic purity than towards the safety and comfort of those who study and work here. It should be said that the disrespect and rigidity of the University administration is common practice. For further description, one might consider the penalties faced by earlier Title IX protesters. An anonymous student was fined and received four years of probation and 50 hours of community service for graffiti including Title IX critiques on campus. The administration’s vindictive and punitive approach is reminiscent of an era preceding ours. Readers of my column will recall my long-standing opposition to hasty public judgement and the unthinking condemnation of the crowd. I was against the stigmatization of those who failed to support the Democrats in the midterms, the self-destructive focus on identity at the expense of otherwise relatable argumentative content, and the dismissal of people based on the intellectual sandbox in which we choose to immerse ourselves. But in this instance, shame is more than justified; it is a public need, and utterly consistent with the values that this university claims to espouse — namely, those of
inclusion and diversity. This time, the crowd is on the receiving end of the very dismissal I’ve accused it of imposing. If Calhoun’s detestable statement represented an isolated incident, then an apology might constitute a viable response, since her behavior is completely inappropriate to dealing with survivors and their allies. But the problem goes deeper than that; it seems that this administration is committed to the hamstringing of progressive movement on campus. So long as the fundamental governance structure of the University is not on the table, immediately continued pressure is the second-best remedy. When the crowd outside of Nassau Hall became aware of Calhoun’s dismissive statement, they became justifiably outraged. Her off-handed gestures of contempt were met with dedication to proceeding against the suffocating effects of administrative rebuke. Students, so far, have been regarded and treated as the adversary; now, we are finally responding in kind. May there not be, as Michaela Daniel ’21 says, “one more moment of peace” until these grievances are meaningfully redressed in a manner that treats students as the centrality of campus life, and expands justice outward from our university, constituting the “service of humanity.” Braden Flax is a sophomore from Merrick, N.Y. He can be reached at bf lax@princeton.edu.
vol. cxliii
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Chris Murphy ’20 business manager
Taylor Jean-Jacques’20 BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Betsy L. Minkin ’77 treasurer Douglas J. Widmann ’90 trustees Francesca Barber David Baumgarten ’06 Kathleen Crown Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 Michael Grabell ’03 John Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Kavita Saini ’09 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Abigail Williams ’14 trustees emeriti Gregory L. Diskant ’70 William R. Elfers ’71 Kathleen Kiely ’77 Jerry Raymond ’73 Michael E. Seger ’71 Annalyn Swan ’73 trustees ex officio Chris Murphy ’20 Taylor Jean-Jacques’20
143RD MANAGING BOARD managing editors Samuel Aftel ’20 Ariel Chen ’20 Jon Ort ’21 head news editors Benjamin Ball ’21 Ivy Truong ’21 associate news editors Linh Nguyen ’21 Claire Silberman ’22 Katja Stroke-Adolphe ’20 head opinion editor Cy Watsky ’21 associate opinion editors Rachel Kennedy ’21 Ethan Li ’22 head sports editor Jack Graham ’20 associate sports editors Tom Salotti ’21 Alissa Selover ’21 features editor Samantha Shapiro ’21 head prospect editor Dora Zhao ’21 associate prospect editor Noa Wollstein ’21 chief copy editors Lydia Choi ’21 Elizabeth Parker ’21 associate copy editors Jade Olurin ’21 Christian Flores ’21 head design editor Charlotte Adamo ’21 associate design editor Harsimran Makkad ’22 cartoon editors Zaza Asatiani ’21 Jonathan Zhi ’21 head video editor Sarah Warman Hirschfield ’20 associate video editor Mark Dodici ’22 digital operations manager Sarah Bowen ’20
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Scholarly work should be more relevant Emma Treadway
Contributing Columnist
E
very student on campus, whether it be in first-year writing seminar or during the senior thesis grind, has had experience with entering the “scholarly conversation.” Entire databases on the Princeton University Library website — not to mention the millions of physical books in the libraries themselves — are devoted to countless scholarly works. Most of these journal articles, books, and encyclopedias are the result of extended research and careful analysis from experts who have studied these various subjects for decades. Much of the existing scholarly work — as well as the millions of works both Princeton students and professors will continue to contribute — however, is unread, unused, and essentially useless. This is a bleak sentence for the prospects of academia and the wealth of information and possibility it holds. As I sat writing my D3, a pa-
per that holds fond memories for few students, I noticed a significant disconnect between what countless scholars were saying in their journal articles and books and what policy-makers and world-leaders were doing to solve world crises. My paper details the nature of the many individuals who are attracted to terrorist organizations like ISIS. Contrary to the common notion that these individuals join or are forced to join largely because of poverty and lack of education, most of the members who constitute these groups are relatively well-educated and are situated in higher socioeconomic strata. Countless political analysts and scholars and professors have shown this to be true — even Princeton professors like Claude Berrebi have discussed this reality. However, neither the statements of government leaders nor the policies put into effect reflect the work and research done by scholars. Government leaders around the world have denounced poverty as the reason for the growth and thriving of Islamic terrorism: President Bush, President Obama, British Prime Minister Tony Blair,
former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and many more have explicitly stated these sentiments. These statements have led to policy proposals from leaders; for example, the President of Serbia, in addition to many other leaders in a 2017 UN conference, proposed targeting poverty as a hotbed for terrorism. These policy recommendations conflict with the prevalent scholarly notion that targeting poverty can actually aid the growth of extremism instead of hindering it, even if it is admittedly crucial to settling some of the turmoil in the Middle East. Although such political statements are by no means always or even frequently representative of the policies actually put into place, their words are nevertheless misleading for the general populace because they spread inaccurate portraits of the reality of the situation and can spark public support for the wrong cause. Still, far too many enacted counterterrorism policies actually do reflect the misleading words of politicians and not the scholarly consensus. For example, according to the Department of Homeland Security, there have been several
anti-poverty initiatives to provide economic security that were based on the assumption that poverty breeds terrorism. Clearly, there is a serious disconnect between scholarly findings and the policy decisions — which have real and lasting consequences — that government leaders execute. Without the advice of experts and individuals who have studied these issues and their roots for decades, world leaders may end up making faulty or uneducated decisions when it comes to monumental issues like counterterrorism. One article notes this discrepancy, saying that “many of the world’s most talented thinkers may be university professors, but sadly most of them are not shaping today’s public debates or influencing policies.” One of the “highest impact” journals concerning water and the various crises surrounding its accessibility and cleanliness, contains scholarly pieces from people who have studied the issue extensively. India, whose water crisis has left over 163 million people without access to clean water, needs the help of experts desperately; yet, there are only four subscribers to this journal in the entire country. Further-
more, the water minister of India and many of the officials working under him were entirely unaware of the journal’s existence, yet were making policy decisions. Clearly, this is a problem. What is the use of spending years contributing to an evergrowing mountain of scholarly work if it will never be read or used in actual policy? Perhaps one step would be to include more experts in policy-making and in the decision-making of government officials. If officials are appointed or elected to a certain position, it ought to be mandatory that they, at the very least, be familiar with scholarly material commensurate with their office. This basic familiarity would hopefully pave the way for more informed decisions that would more effectively solve problems and provide tangible benefit — and perhaps it would reinvigorate the scholarly incentive of discouraged professors and academics who have contributed monumental research to no avail in the policy sphere. Emma Treadway is a first-year from Amelia, Ohio. She can be reached at emmalt@princeton. edu.
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Sports
Friday May 10, 2019
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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Men’s track and field clinches Ivy League title, second-straight triple crown By Jesse Brewer and Emily Philippides Contributors
Seven individual firstplace finishes, 13 All-Ivy League honorees, and a host of other medal performances secured defending champion men’s track and field the 2019 Ivy League Heptagonal Championship. The win, by a whopping 59 points, represented the program’s ninth triple crown and head coach Fred Samara’s 46th Ivy League title. Senior All-American Adam Kelly’s second-straight hammer throw title earned him the title of co-Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet. His mark of 71.15 meters (235-5) placed him at eighth in the nation. In the shot put, sophomore Kelton Chastulik also took home the win with a throw of 17.07 (56). He earned his first Ivy League title after finishing third indoors. The Princeton men mounted a strong performance in the jumps as well; the Tigers claimed the top two spots in high, long, and triple jumps. In the high jump, sophomore Jeff Hollis and senior Andrew Diehl placed first and second with strong performances. According to Hollis, competing at Heps was one of his “favorite meet experiences so far” because of all of the “support [they] got throughout
the competition.” Princeton boasted another one-two finish in the long jump. Junior Jesse Thibodeau placed first and freshman Aviram Shwarzbad finished .2 meters behind him for a second place finish. In the triple jump, Princeton secured 19 points for the team. Firstyear Dayo Abeeb took first, senior Stefan Amokwandoh took second, and first-year Austin Princewell took sixth. In the 110 meter hurdles, junior Joey Daniels also took first place with an impressive 13.80. He was the only hurdler to run sub-14 in the event. “The win means a lot,” says Daniels. “These guys on our team deserve it more than anyone, we’ve worked so hard and religiously all year. It’s just a great feeling to reward our great coaches with a triple crown, something they strive for each and every year.” In the distance arena, the Princeton men stepped up to solidify the win. Sophomore Ed Trippas decisively took home first place in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking a time of 8:58.22. After maintaining a second-place position through the first seven laps, Trippas came through with a blazing 59.41 split on his last lap to pass a competitor from Penn. “Getting the win in the steeple was super exciting in front of the home crowd,”
Trippas said. “It was one of the first events of the day so it meant a lot to be able to do my part for the team and set the tone for the rest of the day.” Tackling the daunting 5k10k duo, junior Conor Lundy grabbed second place in both events with times of 14:20.23 and 32:06.93, respectively. Starting off at a moderate pace in the 10,000 meters, the competitors turned on the jets for the last two laps. Lundy split a blazing 2:00.33 over 800 meters. He passed one runner on the bell lap but
narrowly missed the firstplace runner from Columbia by .26 seconds. Lundy came back the next day to negative-split in the 5000 meters and secure second place, yet again placing behind only Columbia. He was “happy to contribute to the men’s team win,” Lundy said. “It was great to have my teammates right there with me to put up a lot of points in the competition.” And while he would have “liked to have gotten a win,” he “couldn’t be happier to contribute to such a great
team.” But the season, which provided Princeton with its second consecutive Ivy League triple-crown, doesn’t end here. The Tigers will host the ECAC/IC4A Championships this weekend, and they also have their sights set on the NCAA East Regional meet. It will be held in Jacksonville, Fla., from May 23 to 24. After an outstanding season overall, the Tigers are hoping to qualify multiple athletes for the NCAA championships in early June.
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Senior All-American Adam Kelly’s second-straight hammer throw title earned him the title of co-Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet.
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Women’s track and field secures fourth place finish at Heps By Jesse Brewer and Emily Philippides Contributors
A solid showing at the Ivy League Heptagonal championships last weekend earned women’s track and field a fourth-place finish, one step up from its indoor fifth-place performance. Sophomore Obiageri Amaechi earned a title, broke her own all-time Ivy League record, and posted the sixth-best discus throw in the NCAA with a mark of 57.95 (190-1). It earned her the title of Most Outstanding
Field Performer of the meet, an award that recognizes the exceptional achievements of any female athlete competing in a non-running discipline. Also placing in the discus was sophomore Julia Harisay, who finished fifth, and first-year Jalah Morris in sixth. The javelin throwers similarly had a day to remember. Sophomore Princeton record-holder Rylie Pease won her first Heps title with a throw of 43.72 (143-5), surpassing the second-place finisher from Penn by over five feet. First-year Emily
Wilson placed third with a throw of 39.99 (131-2), moving into Princeton’s all-time top 10 list, while junior Reece Schachne finished fifth with a throw of 36.99 (121-4). “Winning Heps was something I had my mind on since last year’s Heps,” said Pease. “I was so excited to be able to win and stand on the podium with my two teammates. The weather was horrible, but the three of us managed to go out early on Sunday morning and score 18 points for the team. I hope I can defend my title the next two years and also add a team Ivy
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Sophomore Princeton record-holder Rylie Pease won her first Heps title with a throw of 43.72 (143-5).
League title as well.” Wilson echoed Pease. “It was super exciting,” she said. “I’ve never been a part of a team championship before, and getting to score points for Princeton and compete for my teammates was such a cool feeling. I ended up placing higher than was projected to in the meet, and that’s definitely because of all my teammates were there to cheer us all on — even though it was freezing and raining.” Junior Ellen Scott-Young grabbed second place in the hammer throw on her final attempt with a mark of 56.92 (186-9). Senior Kerri Davidson finished fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 12.40 (40-8.25), just off her personal best of 12.47 (4011), which ranks second on Princeton’s all-time performance list. In the pole vault, sophomore Alexandra Munson threw down a massive personal best to place second with 3.85 (12-7.5), after competing in only a few meets this season due to injury. First-year teammate Hanne Borstlap, who placed second at the indoor championships, came out in a tie for fourth with a jump of 3.70 (12-1.5). On the distance side, senior Allie Klimkiewicz competed in both the 3000 meter steeplechase and 5000 meters. Despite poor weather conditions, Klimkiewicz
kicked on the last lap of the steeplechase to pass one runner and clinch fifth place with a time of 10:25.33. In the 5000, Klimkiewicz grabbed fourth place with a time of 16:24.86, while sophomore Melia Chittenden joined her on the podium with a time of 16:35.33, placing sixth. In the hurdles, the Tigers saw spectacular performances from seniors Carly Bonnet and Ellie Randolph. Bonnet ended her career on a high note this championship meet after breaking the 60-second barrier and placing fourth in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 59.24, just off her personal best of 59.12 that she set in the prelims. Meanwhile, Randolph grabbed second in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 13.77, only a hundredth of a second behind her personal best that she also achieved in the prelims. “I’ve been working for four years to achieve something like this and I’m so happy to have been able to do it for my coach and the people whom I train with,” Randolph said. Finally, senior Frances Lodge and sophomore Lindsey Schmidt placed third and sixth in the heptathlon, respectively. Lodge scored 4,826 points, achieving her best marks in the 800, javelin, and long jump. Schmidt captured 4,456 points with best marks in the long jump, javelin, and 800.
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