April 4, 2018

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Wednesday April 4, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 36

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } ON CAMPUS

Firestone renovations to be done in 2018

By Joe Kawalec Contributor

COURTESY OF SORAYA MORALES MUÑEZ

This month the Cotsen Children Library is also planned to reopen after being closed for renovations at the end of spring 2017.

said. However, some students shared that the construction has not been an issue. Michelle Baird ’20 spends her time at Firestone working behind the circulation desk or studying. She said that the construction has not been an issue for her studying and that many of the new renovations are colorful and comfortable.

STUDENT LIFE

Clubs move to electronic meal exchange system

By Bill Huang Contributor

Meal exchanges between eating clubs are now fully electronic, and the days of carrying around those blue meal exchange slips are officially over.

Following the electronic meal exchange, the eating clubs will now be using the system for all exchanges. Specifically, all new inter-club meal exchanges must be made online, and the two halves of the exchange must be completed within 30 days of one another.

To complete a meal exchange, a student must first invite a friend on the meal exchange website. A barcode will then be sent via email to be scanned before eating at the club or in the dining halls.

For more details on meal exchanges, see here.

Hannah Paynter ’19, Interclub Council Chair and President of Cloister Inn, shares that the clubs are “excited to see the electronic system of interclub meal exchanges launch this semester.”

A fully electronic system brings several benefits over the old paper system. Paynter notes that “Princetonians will no longer have to worry about losing meal exchange cards and being billed.” Additionally, it is much easier for the eating clubs themselves to re-

In Opinion

liably keep track of exchanges and accurately impose fines.

The website, designed to be user-friendly and accessible via mobile, also allows people to invite friends to a meal anytime.

“I hope that the electronic system will encourage even more inter-club mingling and more exchanges between club members and those on residential college plans,” Paynter said.

Some other conveniences include a full 30 days to complete the exchange, whereas under the previous policy students were required to complete exchanges within the calendar month, and an environmentally friendly system.

The new platform has been well-received by students.

Fritz Hillegas ’19, a member of Cap & Gown Club, thinks “that the electronic system makes the process of coordinating and keeping track of meal exchanges so much easier.” David Fan ’19, a member of Tower Club, agrees that having a fully electronic system “makes meal exchanging more simple.”

There are still a few minor kinks in the system. Hillegas recalls that “when I used it to meal exchange with a friend at Colonial, in order to get the right barcode to check in I had to invite my friend to a meal which seemed counterintuiSee EXCHANGE page 3

Senior columnist Kaveh Badrei calls on students to embrace large-scale activism, while senior columnist Liam O’Connor responds to a fellow columnist’s piece about academic freedom.

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She added that the recent additions of the Scribner, Graham, and Dulles Reading Rooms on the first f loor are “pretty different from the rest of Firestone, and I think a lot of people like that.”

Paula Vedoveli GS, a Ph.D. student in the Department of History, works as an information assistant on the first f loor of Firestone. The

renovations are “absolutely fantastic,” she said.

“There is absolutely no other place like it,” Vedoveli said, referring to the plenitude of resources and help available from technology assistants, research advisors, and information assistants like herself.

“There were a few instances where I could hear

STUDENT LIFE

STUDENT LIFE

Theater: A wealth of opportunities on campus

By Hannah Wang Staff Writer

ZACH GOLDFARB :: PRINCETONIAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Amidst criticism the growing klub plans study breaks and events such as “kontests” to mimic the Kardashian lifestyle.

New Klub tries to live like the Kardashians

By Ivy Truong Assistant News Editor

When Kylie Jenner named her baby Stormi in Feb. 2018, Kristen Starkowski GS was adamant that no one make fun of the baby’s name. She suggested to Allegra Martschenko ’20 that the two start a club on campus to show their support for the Kardashians.

“I thought it was a joke, but then [Starkowski] started immediately researching everything, and I was like, ‘this is not a joke,’” said Martschenko,

who serves as “ko-president” of the club with Starkowski.

And it wasn’t a joke.

Within a few days, the group had an active membership. Within a week, it hosted its first event. And within a month, it was approved by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, becoming one of three new clubs on campus.

Starkowski explained that the club — which boasts 137 members in its GroupMe — is motivated by how the KarSee KLUB page 5

Today on Campus 7:30 p.m.: Lecturer in Visual Arts Tim Szetela introduces this touring festival of award-winning short animated films as part of the Prof Picks series.

Princeton Garden Theatre

Theater at the University is a sprawling institution that presents students with a multitude of unique opportunities to experiment and engage with the dramatic arts throughout the academic year.

“If you are interested in theater at all, I encourage you to get involved and go for everything and anything,” said Nico Krell ’18, who is pursuing certificates in theatre and musical theatre.

Krell has both directed and acted in shows with studentrun groups, but his primary work has been with the University’s theater department.

His most recent endeavor was directing his senior thesis show, the musical “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” which was performed at the Berlind Theatre in early March.

“It has only been fantastic,” said Krell of his experiences with the theatre department.

“We are very well-supported … we work with lots of renowned professionals, and as a result, the production value of shows is simply above and beyond.”

The “Picnic at Hanging See THEATER page 4

WEATHER

The 14-year endeavor to transform Firestone Library is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

The Firestone Planning Committee, founded by then-Provost Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 in 2006, has been overseeing the extensive renovations. Numerous study rooms and the Rare Books Collection on the C f loor have already been constructed.

According to Michael Denchak, the program manager at the Office of Design and Construction and an overseer of the project, the work that remains are some finishing touches on the B and C f loors, anticipated to be completed by Commencement, and final work on the first f loor, scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2018.

Changes to the first f loor will include new f looring and a permanent security desk. The Trustee Reading Room will be closed from the end of Commencement to the end of the calendar year, Denchak said.

“It’s been a long time and required a lot of creative planning,” Denchak added, admitting with a chuckle that “it would have been much easier if we emptied the building.”

The abatement of hazardous materials, demolition, and construction has been going on while students have been using the library on a relatively normal schedule.

“The process has been very, very difficult,” Denchak

hammering and noise while studying, but that was a small price to pay for the renovations,” Vedoveli added.

This month, the Cotsen Children Library is also planned to reopen after being closed for renovations at the end of spring 2017. The library is a place for people in the community to bring their children, with multiple read-along programs to engage kids in a fun environment.

“It is my favorite place in the library,” said Vedoveli.

“It’s a fun, colorful place with giant toys, and children love it.”

By the end of 2018, extensive f looring and renovation work will be completed on the first f loor. Currently, the north end of the first f loor that included the Dixon Reading Room, closest to Nassau Street, is in the beginning stages of renovation. This includes the removal of hazardous materials, then demolition, and finally construction. The library’s technical services department was located in this area of Firestone and moved to 693 Alexander Rd. as a swing space until the area could be ready to receive people again. There will likely be new furniture and collaborative areas, with a minimized reference section.

“There will be a new access room in the main lobby, along with two new toilet rooms,” added Denchak.

“Folks from the community that do not have a University ID can get a temporary ID from this room so that they can enter the library.”

HIGH

66˚

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70 percent

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The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday April 4, 2018

Krell: You make it happen in theater THEATER Continued from page 1

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Rock” production team was comprised of University students working in tandem with professionals to design and craft sets, costumes, props, sound, and lighting.

However, for all shows produced through the theater department, the emphasis remains on student collaboration and creation.

“You are ultimately going to be the one who makes it happen,” Krell explained, describing the process of putting a production together as “very hands-on.”

Katherine Giordano ’18, who is also completing theater and musical theater certificates, echoed Krell’s enthusiasm about the theater department at the University.

“I recommend getting involved in theater in any way, shape, or form,” said Giordano, adding that the department offers classes to take and shows to be a part of or just to see.

For her senior thesis project, Giordano co-proposed and co-starred in a production of the musical “Next to Normal,” which was led by professional directors and performed at the Wallace Theater in February. She also expressed appreciation for the department’s financial backing and production support.

Speaking to the impact of theater, Giordano said that she and her co-proposers were all interested in doing “Next to Normal” because they thought it could promote an important dialogue about mental health.

“Finally performing the show was so rewarding,” she said. “We really created a great piece of art and sparked a big conversation on campus.”

Both Krell and Giordano said the students and faculty of the department are a warm and friendly community and help mitigate the various hardships of doing theatre in an academic context.

One such hardship is the disappointing and unavoidable reality of rejection.

“Hearing ‘no’ is going to happen,” said Krell. “You have to be creative, flexible, and open to going down paths that are different than what you anticipated.”

Beyond the theater department are numerous student-run theater companies, bringing together individuals who are both passionate aficionados and curious newcomers outside of the classroom. Some of them are eminent, long-running establishments; Theatre Intime, for example, has been producing multiple shows every year at the HamiltonMurray Theater since 1921.

Another such group is the Triangle Club, a touring musical comedy troupe that puts on original shows and is the oldest one of its kind in the country.

For Joe Redmond ’18, Triangle was what he had been “obsessed” with from the day he was admitted to the University. After performing in “Little Shop of Horrors” with the Princeton University Players, another student-run company that specializes in musical theater, he was cast in a Triangle show during the spring of his freshman year and has been heavily involved ever since.

“Theater at the University takes a lot of time and commitment,” said Redmond.

“It is challenging to figure out how best to balance the expectations of high production values with school responsibilities, and leadership roles [within studentrun groups] are especially demanding.”

For those with more niche

theatrical interests, there are also a number of smaller student-run groups, such as the South Asian Theatrics and Chinese Theater companies.

Gayatri Ramesh ’19, current president of the Princeton Shakespeare Company, said that student theater is good for people who like acting or are interested in theater but do not have as much time to commit to it.

“You can get as much or as little out of the experience as you want and still feel involved,” explained Ramesh. “If you are not careful, it can be a huge time suck and go from zero to one hundred really quickly.” She added that she would encourage students to join theater groups, explaining that they are tight-knit communities.

The Princeton Shakespeare Company, which produces four to five classical plays every year, is part of the Performing Arts Council.

Ramesh described frequent frustrations regarding the way the Council allocates rehearsal times and spaces among its members, as well as what she perceived to be “an overall lack of generosity and f lexibility toward theater groups.”

Additionally, she cited the lack of available resources and manpower as a major issue that has beset the Company in recent months.

On the other hand, in spite of the myriad challenges involved in keeping smaller student-run theater institutions af loat, Ramesh says that there is still nothing more rewarding than “seeing a show successfully to performance and completion, especially when the directors are pleased with the outcome.”

Even with the wide breadth of options on campus for those who are interested in the dramatic arts, the ambitious and artistically enterprising will always be able to spot theatrical needs that have yet to be met.

One such student is Jonathan Alicea ’20, who independently put on an original play in the spring of his freshman year.

“It was a very surreal experience to make it happen,” recalls Alicea.

Producing his own play and seeing it received so well inspired Alicea to found the Playwright’s Guild earlier this year, a brand new theater company that is dedicated to putting original student work onto the stage.

The Guild is currently in the process of rehearsing its first show, “Zero Sum Game,” written by Nolan Liu ’19.

Liu is a former sports writer for The Daily Princetonian.

The initial feat of getting a new student-run group up off the ground “hasn’t been easy,” according to Alicea.

The Guild is currently in the process of expanding and forging connections with other theater groups, but in order to do so, it has to first make a name for itself in the Princeton community and promote its work.

The sheer fact of the Guild’s existence, however, is reward enough for Alicea.

“I didn’t know, freshman year, if this idea of mine could come to fruition … It is gratifying to see an entire team of my peers working together to act on our shared passion and encourage people to get involved with student theater.”

The head-spinning array of dramatic opportunities provided by the University has the ultimate goal of enabling students “to pick out what they love and run with it,” as Alicea put it. But for students who have only an inkling of theatrical interest and no isolated passions as of yet, there is certainly no shortage of things to try.

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday April 4, 2018

New website permits students to invite friends to meals at any time EXCHANGE Continued from page 1

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tive since we were eating at her club.” The system, as of Monday, stores both an eating club account and a Campus Dining account for those enrolled in a shared meal plan; it seems to automatically select the Campus Dining account when sending a request.

Fan also noted, “Sometimes the meal checker scans your barcode, but it’s not marked as complete on the dhall portal.”

While the system is not bug-

free yet, it is being worked on to be as easy to use as possible. Paynter explained, “Campus Dining and the ICC are equipped to make the transition as smoothly as possible, and each club president is working closely with the ICC advisor for training and troubleshooting.”

The shift to the electronic exchange system will be finalized by the fall. The new platform should make meal exchanging run significantly smoother and encourage interclub mingling.

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Opinion

Wednesday April 4, 2018

page 4

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We should be the change Kaveh Badrei

senior columnist

Too often, Princeton students remain silent on the most important issues affecting both our country and our world. We tend to shy away from activism of the most demanding kind; we tend to remain quiet on the issues that demand pressing reactions from us — the student body and the youth. Especially in this cultural era, students and young people are taking charge as the leaders of national movements for change. In this societal context, Princeton students must become more passionately positioned on the front lines.

On March 14, Princeton Advocates for Justice organized the massive student rally on campus in response to the Parkland school shooting and the inflamed outcry against gun violence championed by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who faced horrifying gun violence. The “We Call BS: Princeton Rally for Gun Reform” event brought over 350 students, faculty, townspeople, and even local government representatives to Frist Lawn in a show of strength and solidarity to further the cause for common sense gun regulation in the United States against the ravaging epidemic of gun violence.

The protest was far-reaching in its involvement, and protesters demanded their voices be heard.

How many other protest movements on campus have amassed similar support and turnout? How many other causes have we, as Princeton students, stood up for and championed? For many of us, this was the first campus protest of its scale that we had attended, and there are few similar movements that have rallied such passion from the student body.

Universal student activism needs to be reintroduced at Princeton because we have remained far too silent as a collective student body. This past protest was a monumental step in the direction of how campus activism at Princeton should progress. It was an issue and a deliberate cause toward which students — over 350 in full solidarity — put their full support.

We have to embrace the intrinsic notion that protest is as much about standing up and showing up as it is about discussing the issues. In order to truly make change, we must devote ourselves to the causes for which we care deeply.

What I am calling for are more massive student movements in response to the most pressing issues that affect our country and our world. As students, we should be organizing and marching for gun reform, police accountability, climate change, equality for all Americans under the law, refugee rights, and current immigration legislation in America, among other causes. We must make our voices heard and our bodies seen in response to incidents such as the shooting of Stephon Clark

by Sacramento police or the failure of President Trump to ensure the con-

tinuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Substantive action must follow such protest movements to ensure that tangible change takes hold, but I must emphasize the vast symbolic significance behind the act of protesting. To protest is to take the initial stand and to embark on the path of change most directly.

This type of universal direct activism can be hard to find at Princeton.

We can all understand the constant weight of courses, independent work, extracurricular activities, and the desire to also enjoy ourselves and relax. But I would add that while activism and protest might not always be convenient for our busy schedules, it demands a devotion and dedication above the stresses of our course load and daily agendas.

The Princeton gun reform rally was held on the Wednesday of midterm week, and despite this timing, the crowd was massive. Under one of the most strenuous times of Princeton’s schedule, students put activism over academics. The causes for which we must fight do not bend according to our schedules. They must be met at every hour, on every stage, despite the daily stresses of life. We must give our time — no matter what — to stand up for the change we wish to see.

I do not mean to neglect the work that numerous student groups on this campus do in order to effect change for the causes central to their group. Princeton Advocates for Justice (PAJ), for example, is an organization composed of 25 student groups

vol. cxlii

that foster diverse focuses to a spectrum of causes. Each of these groups represents an individual, deliberate step towards noticeable progress.

But the massive mobilization represented in an organization such as PAJ demonstrates a grand leap forward.

While PAJ has fallen under criticism by my fellow columnist Ryan Born for its inability “to reach the right people and so have the maximum possible effect,” its attempt to “address many liberal concerns” at once, and its failure to do “little more than react,” I would argue that this far-reaching, mobilizing step for student activism is exactly what the University needs. While PAJ amasses such criticisms, its fundamental embrace of activism fosters this sense of timely reaction much needed and much missed on this campus.

Born is a senior opinion columnist for The Daily Princetonian.

This sort of universal student activism is something quite powerful to absorb. Through such a massive move of participation, change is possible, and progress is reachable. We must come together more as a student body for the causes that afflict, touch, and inspire us to show our strength, make our voices heard, and take a direct and undeniable stand.

To be students in “the service of humanity,” we must act more boldly, more passionately, and more powerfully as advocates for the change that we wish to effect.

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

‘Academic freedom’ is freedom Liam O’Connor

Senior Columnist

In his annual State of the University letter, President Eisgruber discussed his choice of “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech” as the Class of 2022’s Pre-read book and criticized last year’s protest at Middlebury College, which prevented Charles Murray, a conservative sociologist, from speaking. Last week, in an article titled “What do you mean by ‘academic freedom?’”, columnist Cy Watsky chastised President Eisgruber’s allusion to this event, saying he has a “flawed perspective into what academic freedom really is.”

Watsky denounced Murray, compared his speech to the recent Open Air Outreach protest at Princeton, and concluded that neither should be protected in a university. But he left out critical details about Murray’s visit and reached a conclusion with grave repercussions. President Eisgruber was right to make this allusion because the Middlebury protest showed how academic freedom is under siege.

Watsky claims that Murray is a racist who “attributes black people’s mental inferiority to both environmental and genetic factors.” Despite lambasting Murray, Watsky never cited any of his works to support his claims. Such criticisms are usually derived from his writings in the book “The Bell Curve.”

Regardless of what one thinks of “The Bell Curve,” Murray wasn’t scheduled to discuss it at Middlebury.

The school’s chapter of the American Enterprise Institute invited him to talk about “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010,” a book that analyzes how white elites separated themselves from the white working class.

Unlike “The Bell Curve,” “Coming Apart” has received has received favorable reviews. After reading Watsky’s column, I watched several of Murray’s online lectures on the subjects that he was supposed to cover at Middlebury, and he primarily talks about the consequences of “large enclaves of really affluent people forming these large communities in which they live conspicuously different lifestyles than everybody else.”

Many in the Middlebury audience weren’t even familiar with his work.

Murray later said in an interview with Fox News, “Faculty members bragged about not reading my stuff.” Politico interviewed dozens of Middlebury students and faculty members. They found that in the time since Donald Trump’s election, Murray’s lectures had turned into “an exercise in absorbing the outrage of people who saw him as a convenient punching bag for a president they hated but couldn’t reach.”

Middlebury’s protest is worthy of condemnation. It showed the exact kind of groupthink that universities ought to discourage. Students should protest speakers because they’ve heard their ideas and find them revolting, not because someone told

them to do so. It was also wrong to direct outrage over President Trump at someone who isn’t even affiliated with him.

Watsky then compared Murray to the far-right Open Air Outreach protesters. But he misses a key difference.

Open Air Outreach’s protest borders fighting words— obscene speech that is uttered to incite disorderly conduct — with slurs and profanity. Murray doesn’t drive an audience to violence.

Watsky claims that neither should be afforded a venue to speak because they are not academic. But it isn’t his — or anyone else’s — job to judge what is sufficiently academic to have a venue at college. That’s left to each student.

Were Watsky’s standard applied to all guest speakers, students and faculty would disinvite or shout-down anyone with whom they disagreed for the purpose of keeping “our intellectual spaces open for debate.” Former Senator Rick Santorum spoke on campus last year. Watsky’s standard could have easily been used to keep Santorum away for being homophobic because of his opposition to gay marriage. But that would have denied other students the opportunity to learn about mainstream conservative ideology from a past presidential candidate. If Princeton started banning speakers like Murray and Santorum, it would be no better than the conservative colleges that limit iberal speech.

Watsky concludes that we need “to stay focused on the debates that matter. We cannot use our academic spaces for the meritless ideas of peo-

ple like Murray.” Individuals should decide which debates are worth having to prevent a blanket ideology from smothering inquiry. If students think there is a lecture on campus that has meritless ideas — whether it’s about the creation of a cognitive elite or the detection of weakly interacting massive particles — then they don’t need to attend it. But they shouldn’t be an impediment to those who do want to have such discussions and have paid for a speaker.

Even if students attend a lecture on the most controversial of topics, it doesn’t mean that they will automatically adopt the speaker’s beliefs.

Princeton students are capable of thinking for themselves. I trust that they’ll reject any bigoted ideas they encounter.

Our country is more politically polarized now than it has been in decades. Colleges can play a role in ending it by allowing to students to hear provocative ideas from across the political spectrum. President Eisgruber was right to rebuke the Middlebury protest for its ideological intolerance and assign a pre-read book on the freedom of speech in universities. To answer the title of Watsky’s article, “academic freedom” means the ability to communicate ideas without fear of suppression. Should someone disagree with this principle, speak freely against it.

Liam O’Connor is a sophomore from Wyoming, Del. He can be reached at lpo@ princeton.edu.

Don’t be afraid to cancel class Hunter Campbell Columnist

The University needs to be more willing to cancel classes in the event of inclement weather. Waiting until the weather is so bad that it is dangerous to navigate campus poses a great risk to the safety of students and faculty alike. The University’s Emergency Management website tells students to stay indoors during a winter storm, but we cannot do that if it means missing mandatory classes, nor should we need to choose between

attending non-mandatory lectures and our safety.

A nor’easter hit the University the morning of March 7, but early in the day it appeared as if the storm’s potential impact was overblown, as it was simply cold and rainy outside. Understandably, the University chose not to cancel classes for weather which posed no risk to students. However, by 12 p.m. it was snowing heavily, it was hard to walk because of the wind, and it was easy to slip and fall, but the University still did not cancel class. It was only at 5:42 p.m. that the University canceled evening classes due to the snow covering pathways and branches falling near students.

At this point, canceling evening classes was not helpful because

the weather already posed a serious risk to everyone on campus.

By not preemptively canceling class earlier in the day, students were forced to navigate through snow, ice, wind, and debris to get back to their dorms.

The campus is not built to be safe in such winter storms. Trees overhang plenty of the pathways on campus. Children from the local area might want to come to campus to play in the fresh snow, and they would be in much greater danger than adults if a branch were to fall upon them. There are lots of steps and staircases which quickly become icy during storms, putting students at risk of falling. This would be especially dangerous for anyone on campus who is elderly. Snow building up

on a roof or tree and then falling on someone walking underneath is also a scary commonality. There was so much debris falling that we are fortunate no one was seriously injured, though we may not be as fortunate next time.

Going forward, the University should cancel class whenever the weather is so hazardous that it could create dangerous conditions in the coming minutes or hours. On March 7, had class actually been canceled when it began snowing around noon, everyone could have gotten back to their dorms safely before tree branches started falling on pathways. To prevent this from happening again, the University should see how bad the conditions get within a given hour of the storm and then

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Thomas E. Weber ’89 vice president Craig Bloom ’88 secretary Betsy L. Minkin ’77 treasurer Douglas J. Widmann ’90 Kathleen Crown William R. Elfers ’71 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 John Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Kathleen Kiely ’77 Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Alexia Quadrani Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 Lisa Belkin ‘82 Francesca Barber trustees emeriti Gregory L. Diskant ’70 Jerry Raymond ’73 Michael E. Seger ’71 Annalyn Swan ’73

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make a prediction as to how much longer the storm would need to last at that strength to pose a risk to our safety. If it seems as if it is only a matter of time before the conditions will be too dangerous, the University should immediately cancel class to allow students to get to safer areas on campus. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.

Of course, the University should not simply cancel class every time it is about to snow.

The time professors spend in class is too valuable for classes to be frequently cancelled, but the importance of class should not take priority over the safety of our community.

Hunter Campbell is a sophomore from East Arlington, Vt. He can be reached at hunterc@princeton.edu.

The Daily Princetonian

Wednesday April 4, 2018

Starkowski: We’re not rich, but we can definitely model their lifestyle KLUB

Continued from page 1

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dashians live.

“We really appreciate the lifestyle the Kardashians live — how they live in the moment and all the fun things that they do — and I think there’s a lot to be said about how we can emulate those actions in everyday life,” she explained.

So Starkowski and Martschenko strive to plan “silly, fun activities” for the members.

“If you watch an episode, the Kardashians are always having a good time. They’re always appreciating life and everything around them,” said Starkowski. “Of course, they’re rich. We’re not rich, but we can definitely model that orientation towards life.”

The group recreates famous Kardashian photos and holds regular “kontests” in which members win Kardashianthemed prizes for the best Kardashian-themed meme or selfie (following Kim Kardashian’s selfie tips, of course).

Winners of the kontests are featured with a Kardashianthemed prize on the group’s Instagram.

Some of these kontests have included members submitting the best life advice that a Kardashian has given, taking a selfie — like Kendall Jenner did — in front of books, or recreating a photo of Kim Kardashian with noodles hanging out of her mouth.

“It can be hard to constantly think of original things to be doing, but that’s where we can find inspiration from the Kardashian lifestyle. They’ve been going on for 14 seasons, always doing something new,” Starkowski said.

For the first event as a club, they watched a new episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and ate burgers and fries in honor of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy cravings. For another study break, the group enjoyed ice cream while putting on face masks on Poe Field. Recently, the club held a study break where members colored in Kardashian-themed adult coloring books.

“Whenever we form for study breaks, I think it’s all of us all appreciating that we can take a break from our schoolwork to get together in a very low-stress environment,”

Martschenko said.

The pair originally found members by sending out emails to different residential college listservs, but, overall, they explained that their membership essentially created itself when people started including their friends.

Despite the large membership, the community is tightknit. Martschenko had messaged the GroupMe to try to find a roommate for room draw, and another member even asked about a roommate to live with in New York City next year.

“Any time I have nothing to do, I love scrolling through the GroupMe. It literally makes my day everytime, and I feel like there’s such a strong community among the members,” said Taylor Baur ’20, a member of the club. “We’re literally a squad.”

Starkowski attributed the sense of community to the active GroupMe and study breaks.

“You see each other over and over again at the study breaks, and you come to really get to know the people,” she said.

The ko-presidents noted that the club has faced some criticism and people making jokes out of it. But, just like the Kardashians, Starkowski explained that they don’t care too much about what other people think.

“We like what we’re doing, we’re having a fun time, and if people want to make fun of it, if that’s how they want to spend their time, then so be it,” continued Starkowski.

“Just like how the Kardashians don’t read their criticism on their Twitters and Instagrams, just be you, you know.”

Going forward, the kopresidents would like to keep the club’s momentum strong.

According to Starkowski, the club has been approached by students at other universities who are interested in starting similar groups.

But a main goal, at least for Starkowski and Martschenko, includes trying to attract the attention of the Kardashians.

They even made a Twitter, noting that the Kardashians seem more active on Twitter than other social media platforms.

Until that day comes, though, the group is just going to continue keeping up with the Kardashians.

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Wednesday April 4, 2018

Sports

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Men’s volleyball wins against Erskine

COURTESY OF ANNE SULLIVAN-CROWLEY

Head coach Sam Shweisky briefs the team in a timeout.

Outside hitter Greg Luck’20 makes a diving dig to keep the ball in play.

Middle blocker George Huhmann’20 prepares for a spike in men’s volleyball’s win against Erskine.

The back line prepares to return an Erskine spike.

Tweet of the Day “Why? #why” Josh Rosen (@josh3rosen)

Middle blocker Junior Oboh’18 goes up for a block.

Stat of the Day

0.363 Ivy League Rookie of the Week Jake Boone’s batting average in his last 22 at-bats.

Setter Joe Kelly’21 readies himself for a serve.

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