The Daily Princetonian: December 11, 2019

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Wednesday December 11, 2019 vol. CXLIII no. 120

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STUDENT LIFE

STUDENT LIFE

COURTESY OF SHAFFIN SIDDIQI

COURTESY OF SONYA ISENBERG

Shaffin Siddiqui ’22.

Members of the Trenton Youth Orchestra.

Shaffin Siddiqui ’22 disqualified Trenton Youth Orchestra, from USG race, Christian Potter Trenton Youth Singers perform holiday concert ’22 to assume Academics Chair

By Danielle Ranucci Contributor

Assistant News Editor/Contributor

Shaffin Siddiqui ’22 has been disqualified from the election for University Student Government (USG) Academics Chairperson due to campaign violations. After being issued a probation on campaigning for promoting his campaign on the USG-run Free Food listserv, Siddiqui was ultimately disqualified due to a FacebookMessenger-related technicality.

With Siddiqui disqualified, Christian Potter ’22 will assume the position. Students still have until noon on Dec. 11 to vote for USG President, Vice President, Undergraduate Life Chair, and first-year class senators.

“It’s kind of unfortunate that

he was disqualified, especially … after having put so much work into the campaign already, and already developing a platform,” current USG President Zarnab Virk ’20 noted. “It’s just unfortunate that it happened based on a technicality.”

On Dec. 8, the Muslim Students’ Association had $200 worth of Turkish food left over from an event, entitled Muslim Monologues. Siddiqui, the organization’s president, thought he would seize that opportunity to promote his campaign.

According to section 8.1 of the USG Elections Handbook, candidates are allowed an expenditure allowance of $50, and “[n]o candidate is permitted to spend in excess of the reimbursable allotment.”

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

Kyle Berlin ’18, Achille Tenkiang ’17 receive Mitchell Scholarship

By Anne Wen Contributor

Class of 2018 valedictorian Kyle Berlin ’18 and 2017 Young Alumni Trustee Achille Tenkiang ’17 have been named George J. Mitchell Scholars. The scholarship provides 12 recipients across the United States with a full year of graduate study in Ireland. Berlin will study culture and colonialism at the National University of Ireland, Galway, while Tenkiang will pursue race, migration, and decolonial studies at University College Dublin.

“I’ve been drawn to Ireland for a long time,” Berlin said.

“I first became obsessed with the style of Sean Nós, which is a traditional style of singing and dance that’s very responsive. I’m very interested in how it’s a real-time response to audiences or to other people in the room and how you may think of artistry as a sort of radical, responsive co-presence.”

As an A.B. candidate in the Spanish and Portuguese department, Berlin also received certificates in theatre and creative writing. He has volunteered with various migration non-profits, such as the New Sanctuary Coalition.

In Opinion

At the University Berlin studied colonialism in the Latin American context. Given Ireland’s unique position in relation to England, Berlin hopes to study colonialism through a European perspective, which will deepen his understanding of it as a scholar, writer, and artist.

Berlin said he is continuously inspired by a line from the poem “Peanut Butter” by poet Eileen Myles: “I have / no desire to know / where this, anything / is getting me.”

“I recognize that I have a tremendous amount of privilege, and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how I want to best use my energies and talents towards the direction of the good,” Berlin said. “Studying colonialism and culture in Ireland for a year and being immersed in the unique context there will deepen my understanding of the cultural discourses of how power functions in society and how the arts may thus intervene in those discourses.”

As a specialist in documentary theatre, Berlin anticipates investigating Ireland’s responses to recent increases in See MITCHELL page 2

Senior columnist Hunter Campbell advocates for improvements to the structure of precepts, while columnist Emma Treadway considers whether age should be considered in our election decisions.

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At 8:14 pm on Dec. 8, Siddiqui sent an email to the Free Food mailing list with the subject line, “FREE Delicious Turkish Food in Wilcox Commons.” The initial email contained a photo of upwards of ten large tins of food with a campaign flier held up in the foreground. Accompanying this photo, Siddiqui wrote, “VOTE SHAFFIN Siddiqui for USG Academic chair tomorrow!!! WITH SHAFFIN YOULL [sic] BE RELAXIN.’” Two-and-a-half hours later, he responded with another photo of the food and wrote, “There is plenty left!!! Seconds are welcome!!! Also, vote Shaffin for USG Academic Chair.”

Because the food was alSee DISQUALIFIED page 2

On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Trenton Youth Orchestra (TYO) and the Trenton Youth Singers (TYS) performed a concert in Rockefeller Common Room for about 100 people. During the concert, the TYO performed music from “The Incredibles” and “The Nutcracker,” while the TYS sang songs such as “Hallelujah” and “White Winter Hymnal.”

“I thought it was so much fun,” Kirsten Keels ’21, an attendee at the event, said. “It was so exciting to see not only the kids’ faces light up but also their parents’ faces light up, just singing and have such a good time. They all were looking like they had such a genuinely good time.”

See TRENTON ARTS page 3

STUDENT LIFE

Majority of USG candidates run unopposed

By Sam Kagan Contributor

Though the Undergraduate Student Government (USG)’s election handbook devotes 6,195 words to legislating contested elections and only 43 on uncontested ones, a majority of this year’s USG candidates are running unopposed.

Five of the nine positions up for election during the winter cycle feature a singular candidate. Treasurer, Campus and Community Affairs (CCA) Chair, Social Chair, and Class of 2022 Senator all stood uncontested from the campaign’s outset, while one of the two candidates for Academics Chair was disqualified during voting for campaign violations. This spread closely mirrors a pattern from last year’s winter elections, where six candidates ran without opposition.

Those running in uncontested races have no obligation to campaign or appeal for votes from the student body. Nevertheless, incoming Treasurerelect Rachel Hazan ’21 hopes to leverage her current position as Co-Chair of Projects Board — the USG committee that provides funding to student groups

COURTESY OF ISABEL TING / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

The office of the Undergraduate Student Government in Frist Campus center.

— to act as a diligent and judicious official.

“I have an understanding of how money works and is transferred; I know the financial processes behind the scenes,” Hazan said. “My experiences on Projects Board has given me an experience on how money is allocated within Student Government and around the University as a whole.”

Hazan isn’t alone in her previous experience with USG. Save for Christal Ng ’22, all the candidates have prior experience in USG. For example, Class of 2022 Senator-elect Turquoise Brewington ’22 is a member of the Student Groups Recognition Committee.

Social Chair-elect Sophie Tor-

Today on Campus 7:30 p.m.: The Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols presents a service of readings and music of the season featuring the Chapel Choir, Glee Club, and a cappella groups.

Chapel

res ’21 has served on the Social Committee since her first year, even completing graphic design work for the organization as a prefrosh. “[My platform is] just … that I have experience, pretty much,” Torres said. “Honestly, I didn’t flesh out my platform as much as I could have because I was running unopposed, which, to be honest, I was kind of surprised by.”

Brewington believes that the uncontested elections stem from the extent to which undergraduates are willing to engage with USG, though she does not see student apathy as in any way inSee UNOPPOSED page 2

WEATHER

By Zack Shevin and Sam Kagan

TAP began in 2016, when Lou Chen ’19 approached the Pace Center for Civic Engagement about a program to make a string orchestra, run by University students, for high school students in Trenton.

According to Chen, he grew up in a community that was demographically and economically similar to Trenton.

Because he was the child of two professors, he was able to afford private violin lessons, while the rest of his classmates had to practice on their own.

“Especially for string instruments, without a private instructor, you’re going to hit a barrier at some point because all the people you’ll be playing with have private teachers,” Chen said.

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The Daily Princetonian

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Wednesday December 11, 2019

Siddiqui disqualified after being put on probation for promoting campaign on USG-run Free Food listserv DISQUALIFIED Continued from page 1

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ready paid for, Siddiqui said he did not originally think it would qualify as a campaign expense. Though no expense was incurred on his part, Siddiqui noted that because the food “has an intrinsic monetary value” that he associated with his campaign, USG considered it a violation.

“In these campaigns, anything that has your name on it … counts as campaigning material,” Virk noted. “The fact that his picture was there, like he’s holding a poster next to the food, that kind of indicated that this $200 was part of his campaign.”

Recognizing that the infraction was unintentional, Virk said USG asked Siddiqui to send the Free food listserv an apol-

ogy. In a 11:58 p.m. email, Siddiqui wrote that, though still available for students to enjoy, “the leftover food depicted in the previous email is not affiliated with [his] campaign for USG Academic Chair.”

Additionally, because of this infraction, USG suspended Siddiqui’s online campaigning.

Siddiqui would still appear on the ballot, but he would no longer be allowed to campaign via social media.

Siddiqui told The Daily Princetonian that he intended to follow this rule, but that another technicality ultimately led to his disqualification.

Unable to post to listservs and social media, Siddiqui said he resorted to texting students he knew individually. With some students whose phone numbers he did not have, he reached out via the app Facebook Messenger. The Elections Handbook’s

T H E DA I LY

Violations and Penalties section specifies, however, that candidates who lose the ability to campaign online also lose the ability to campaign via “Facebook Messages.”

“I guess one of my personal contacts — God knows who — decided to report me for some reason,” Siddiqui said.

“For me, campaigning — or social media campaigning — was strictly limited to public Facebook announcements, or an Instagram story, etc.” he added. “But it didn’t occur to me that individually by texting other people, I am still within … the bounds of ‘social media campaigning’ … For me, using Messenger was essentially analogous to using WhatsApp to contact my friends from abroad.”

In addition to campaigning via Facebook Messenger, other students continued posting on

Siddiqui’s behalf. Though noting that controlling the posts of others can be difficult, Virk again pointed to the Handbook, which states that “[c]andidates are responsible for ensuring their supporters follow [the] rules.”

“I just wish that he had … taken the time to review in depth before beginning to campaign and before continuing to campaign,” Virk said.

In regards to his general feeling surrounding disqualification, Siddiqui said he is not “salty,” as some might be led to believe.

“No hard feelings,” Siddiqui reiterated. “USG was doing their job. I thought I was doing mine, but I guess I made a mistake.”

“The way I’ve been kind of dealing with this has been through, more or less, a religious undertone of, like, ‘God has a plan. I have a plan. Some-

times his overrides mine,’” he added. “His is the more prudent one, ultimately.”

Additionally, Siddiqui thinks the Academics Committee will be in good hands with Potter.

“Christian Potter is, I think, probably eminently more qualified than I am to be Academics Chair,” he said, “and quite frankly, I think it’s probably for the best that I didn’t get that position.”

In his campaigning platform, Potter wrote about his experience on the Academics Committee, his involvement with Honor Code reform efforts, and his role on the Committee on the Course of Study.

He also wrote that, if elected, he hopes to “fight for the implementation of a retroactive PDF option, joint concentrations, a more flexible add/drop period, and a review of the certificate programs.”

Berlin: One of the defining questions of our time is how we imagine our country

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COURTESY OF NICK BARBERIO / OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS (LEFT) AND ACHILLE TENKIANG (RIGHT)

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Kyle Berlin ’18 and Achille Tenkiang ’17.

MITCHELL Continued from page 1

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immigration. Since the country maintains stable economics and liberalized rapidly, Ireland is grappling with the challenges and opportunities of a greater influx of immigrants.

“One of the defining questions of our time is how we imagine our country, whatever that country may be, and who we can welcome and who we cannot,” Berlin said.

He discussed the role emotions can play in scholarship.

“One of my fundamental beliefs is that our feelings are very informative, and we have a tendency in intellectual circles to

discount feelings or push it to the side,” Berlin said. “But if we can mold our feelings, encounter, and experience them in responsible ways, I think that’s the path to a joyful existence.”

Tenkiang ’17 works as a legal assistant for White & Chase LLP in Paris, France, and was elected to the University Board of Trustees as a Young Alumni Trustee in 2017. He is currently serving the third year of his term.

While at the University, Tenkiang completed a degree with an independent concentration in African studies with certificates in urban studies and French. Additionally, he was a recipient of the PIIRS Undergraduate Fellowship in 2016 and

the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship in 2015.

On campus, Tenkiang served as co-president of the African Students Association, cofounder of the Black Leadership Coalition, and a member of the University’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

According to the statement by the Office of Communications, Tenkiang was also a Wilson College peer academic advisor and a member of the Umqombothi African Music Ensemble, Ellipses Slam Poetry Team, and the Dorobucci Dance Team.

Tenkiang did not respond to request for comment in time for the publication of this article.

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The Daily Princetonian

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Dudamel: TAP unites the young people of Princ- Hazan: Lack of candidates stems eton, Trenton, and the surrounding communities from nature of USG involvement TRENTON ARTS Continued from page 1

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During his orientation at the University, Chen said he saw a disparity between students on campus and the surrounding community, which inspired him to reach out to faculty at Trenton schools to see what services the University could provide. The teachers responded that they would like more reinforcement for string instruments.

Chen came up with the idea to have students from Trenton high schools form an orchestra led by University students. The high school students would have free, private instruction from the university students, who are called “Teaching Artists.”

“The biggest non-profits can’t do this because they can’t pay this many people to give private lessons and group instruction,” Chen said. “Princeton students are perfectly poised to be that resource.”

In the summer of 2016, the Pace Center approved his proposal. In October, Chen and his friends visited orchestra rehearsal at Trenton Central High School once a week to coach the violin students. In December, they hosted a workshop at Princeton, and the TYO was born.

At first, they rehearsed in a house on Greenwood Avenue, but then they moved to the Woolworth Center for Musical Studies in September 2018.

At that time, the program had only six high school students and four Teaching Artists. Now there are over 20 members.

Gustavo Dudamel was Princeton University Concerts’ Artist-in-Residence for the 2018– 2019 season, and his foundation supports TYO’s program.

“It was such an honor to be Princeton University Concerts’ inaugural Artist-in-Residence, and to have the opportunity to engage in so many ways with the committed, curious, and diverse community there,” Dudamel wrote in an email statement to The Daily Princetonian. “One of the many highlights was the time I spent with the brilliant young musicians of the Trenton Youth Orchestra and Trenton Music Makers.”

“Music has such a power to unite us during times of division, and programs like these make important connections between the young people of Princeton, Trenton and the surrounding communities,“ Dudamel added. “When I was there conducting those children, I saw myself there among them, and it instantly took me back to my roots in El Sistema and to the ideals that made me who I have become.”

Performance Faculty Sunghae Anna Lim also became a faculty Teaching Fellow. She teaches the University instructors string pedagogy to make them better teachers.

“I’m really grateful to the University that Lou started this program several years ago and over the years they have really gotten onboard,” Lim said.

Chen affirmed that TYO has achieved many of its goals.

“Everything I dreamed of we have now,” Chen said. “In the very beginning I dreamed of moving [the program] to Princeton and having busing.

We got that. I dreamed of moving to the [Lewis Center for the Arts] complex; we’re doing that next semester.”

In the fall of 2018, the Trenton Youth Singers group was created by Catherine Sweeney ’20 and James Brown-Kinsella ’19 for middle school students

in Trenton.

“When I came [to Princeton], I was really shocked that despite the fact that we have so many amazing singers and so many talented musicians in the choral department, we didn’t have any avenues for teaching or any avenues to share that talent and skill with younger communities,” Sweeney said.

Brown-Kinsella also contributed to the development of the program.

“When I heard about Lou’s TYO project in my junior spring … I asked him how I could help and he was really welcoming, allowing me to hop on board with his programs and inviting me to think about what space there might be for a choral branch of TYO,” Brown-Kinsella wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’

In 2018, TYS had their first concert with two students and four teaching artists. Today, there are 17 students in TYS. In addition to increasing publicity, Chen has plans for enhancing the group’s music repertoire. In April, he plans to conduct Dvorak’s entire New World Symphony.

“On April 2, Benjamin Beilman is going to be making his Princeton University Concert debut in Richardson, and we’ve been asked to open for him, which I’m very stressed about,” Chen said.

Students involved in the program said that TAP has had a big impact on them and their passion for music.

“If I didn’t join TYO, I don’t think I would have continued music, because TYO makes me really, really happy about music,” said Michael Martines, a high school senior and violinist. “I get to join with my friends and have a great time with them while we all experience the same music.”

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dicative of animosity.

“Personally … [with] my friend group of people who I talk to, it’s kind of just … ‘USG exists and that’s that,’” she said. “It’s not, like, ‘Oh, like I hate USG’ or something like that.”

The issue, according to Hazan, also partially stems from the inherent nature of getting involved in USG. “I think USG can be a very daunting thing to join, especially because … the positions that are up right now are executive positions,” she said. “I wish the student body was more engaged with USG, but I’ve also come to the understanding that … a lot of [USG work] isn’t forward facing, which is why people don’t really understand the community engagement that USG has with the University.”

In the eyes of Ng, CCA Chairelect, all that stands between USG and larger buy-in is spreading knowledge.

“I don’t think there’s … apathy … I feel like there definitely are some people who are not as involved but I think that if they actually … underst[ood] the inner workings of what is occurring around their campus … they’d be open to listening to it,” Ng said.

“I don’t think we should be that cynical.”

Discussing her plans for CCA with the ‘Prince,’ Ng largely focused on her desire to “work … on initiatives like asking local and regional vendors to secure discounts for Princeton students” and “help better the student life by focusing on towngown relations.” Both of Ng’s top-line promises closely mirror the wording of the job description provided for the Campus and Community Affairs Chair in the election handbook.

“The duty of the Campus and Community Affairs Chair is to improve student life at Princeton by focusing on ‘town and gown’ relations,” the document reads. “The CCA Chair works on initiatives such as asking local and regional vendors to secure discounts for Princeton students … ” “CCA gives me the opportunity to connect with the student body, faculty, and administrators, and through this connection, there is a mutual under-

standing from both parties and this is what makes for success,” Ng wrote in her platform. “To present to you what I have to offer will be meaningless unless and until I can prove it to you.”

During a conversation with The Daily Princetonian, Ng initially indicated that she “honestly ha[s] no idea” what she wants to accomplish beyond guaranteeing discounts. Later, the candidate said she also wanted to “connect students to more performances outside of campus … maybe even outside of the Princeton town,” referencing the possibility of more free trips to New York City.

In contrast with Ng’s outward-facing job, Brewington’s position necessitates looking inward. The Wilson School concentrator hopes to use her spot in the Senate to focus on matters of diversity and inclusion.

“A big part of my platform was creating intersectionality,” Brewington said. “I want to start implementing or suggesting diversity workshops … I want to be on the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group for the Senate, and do things like creating a faculty/student coalition to kind of help empower marginalized groups in different academic settings.”

Mirroring Brewington’s innovative spirit, Torres hopes to use her tenure to grow the purview of Social Committee. Currently, the group focuses heavily on planning Lawnparties. Torres hopes to change the student body’s image of the board’s work.

“I feel like the people who do think about Social Committee, they just think Lawnparties.

But I want to expand upon that [with] … fun events,” Torres said. “I think the way it was described a few years ago it was ‘focus on bringing various types of art’… to the Princeton community.”

Hazan maintains a number of plans to streamline budgeting processes and better enforce regulations. In considering her final year of work in USG, she hopes her tenure as Treasurer is looked upon with esteem.

“I want to be remembered as someone who is competent and on top of it. I don’t care about being the face of USG,” Hazan said.

“I’m very happy to be behind the scenes … as someone who knowledgeably and intentionally… did her job effectively.”

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Opinion

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Improving the precept structure Hunter Campbell

Contributing Columnist

The University promotes its precept system substantially in its marketing towards prospective students, noting on its admissions webpage that “the precept provides an open forum in which students are encouraged to voice their opinions and challenge those of their peers.”

However, there are two traps that can easily doom the experience of a precept. One of these is having an excessive number of students in the precept itself.

Another is a deviation from the aim most suitable for a precept in relation to the course’s content, a key example being a failure go beyond a review of readings and lectures.

There will naturally be differences in precept structure between departments and courses. Some precepts can af-

ford to be larger than others, just as some precepts need to be reviews of technical content.

Therefore, my critique shall be most applicable to certain disciplines within the social sciences and humanities. These fields will typically not require precepts to be what are essentially third lectures.

If a precept is to be a place where students can voice and challenge opinions, and if each student is to do this at least once in a session, then there must be an appropriate ratio of students to the amount of time a precept lasts. Imagine 15 students in a 50-minute precept. Even if the preceptor did not speak at all for the entire time, each student would only be able to speak for just over three minutes per session. To put this in perspective, if the precept meets a total of 12 times, each person would talk for just 40 minutes total.

Of course, because some classes only have precepts meet 11 times, and because preceptors will obviously need to talk as well, a section that has received

maximum capacity will not properly serve the function that it is intended to serve.

The University says that the goal of precepts is to create a space in which students can voice and challenge opinions.

Yet how can one engage in serious debate if precept is merely a review of that week’s lecture materials or that week’s readings? It is understandable that professors must ensure that students are not falling behind, but office hours exist for this purpose. If a true spirit of discourse is to emerge in a precept, then there must be time to move past review and into a discussion of these lectures and materials. Another concern for preceptors is making sure students have done the readings, but I would argue that the right place for this concern is in grading assignments, not in turning precepts into quiz sessions.

To reiterate, the purpose of a precept will change depending on the area of study. If the University is going to argue that precepts are places of debate,

it must live up to this claim through the courses which would fit this style of instruction. If not, then the University should consider changing the marketing on its admissions site to reflect its goal for students experiences during precepts.

However, under the current marketing the University should do its best to ensure that courses that are meant to include discussion-based precepts possess the resources to hold precepts that do not suffer from this overcrowding. This could be achieved through admitting additional graduate students or hiring more professors. Regardless of the path it chooses, our University community would benefit from a revitalization of the precept system that brings our day-to-day experience more in line with its portrayal on the admissions website.

Hunter Campbell is a senior politics major from Sunderland, Vt. He can be reached at hunterc@ princeton.edu.

Should age factor into our primary election decisions?

editor-in-chief

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

Emma Treadway

Contributing Columnist

Princeton students are young. Our leading presidential candidates are not. With that fact in mind, it is crucial that we examine who might best represent us on the national stage in 2020.

Media attention has largely circled around the top four candidates, who are polling fairly far ahead of the others: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg.

With the exception of Buttigieg, the leading candidates have something in common: they are all in their seventies.

In a Presidential race, how old is too old? Should we use age as a factor in casting our vote in the primaries? Though age alone does not determine fitness for office, I believe that we should assess candidates’ physical and mental abilities.

The leading candidates are aware of how their age may affect voter perceptions — and this is nothing new. In the 2016 Presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton suffered from a bout of pneumonia but did her best to keep it secret. And, during the subsequent debates, she made a pointed effort not to drink water for the entire 90 minutes for purposes of appearance.

During the current race, Sanders suffered a heart attack, thus prompting a recent debate question on age and how it could limit the candidates. The older candidates on stage went out of their way to emphasize their vigor and commitment, as if to compensate for their age.

More important than physical ability, however, is mental acuity. According to research, adults over 70 often suffer delays in executive function, visual perceptual ability, memory, and language recall. All these skills, especially executive function, which governs decision-making ability and responsiveness, are foundational to being an effective president

vol. cxliii

143RD MANAGING BOARD managing editors Samuel Aftel ’20 Ariel Chen ’20 Jon Ort ’21

COURTESY OF MARK NOZELL / FLICKR

A leading democratic candidate in the 2020 US presidential election, Joe Biden.

and ought to be a baseline necessity when we consider candidates. In terms of age, Sanders is 78 years old; Biden, 77; and Warren, 70. Sanders and Warren, however, are both distinguished by their energy and vociferous stage appearances, and neither has suffered any clear mental lapses in the public eye.

This is additionally remarkable considering the back-toback, cross-country campaigning both candidates undertake, not to mention the draining endurance challenges in which they participate, such as Elizabeth Warren’s selfie lines, which frequently last over four hours.

On the other hand, Biden has shown significant lapses during his campaign. A simple web search pulls up dozens of compilations of Joe Biden memes and mess-ups on stage and in various speeches. From confusing Iraq and Afghanistan to repeatedly saying that his administration would keep on “punching at it and punching” at the problem of domestic violence, Biden frequently and inadvertently calls into question his mental fortitude.

And, whether or not these gaffes are a definite corollary of his age, they mark him as possibly unfit to converse and negotiate effectively with world leaders. Furthermore, it isn’t really likely that Biden will im-

prove from this point but will rather deteriorate further.

Arguably, a leader of poor mental acuity is right before our eyes. Donald Trump figures as a flagrant instance of power mixed with senescence.

Many experts have suggested the possibility of dementia or other mental issues; not only would such a condition logically make Trump unfit for the job, but could constitute a Constitutional ground for removal via the 25th Amendment. Even to an unqualified observer, the President’s seemingly arbitrary and emotionally-motivated actions suggest something else could be going on.

Although Biden, Warren, and Sanders are unlikely to go down quite the same road as Trump, the issue of capacity and ability remains important. If any of them lose their grip, it could have serious implications for the country and its international relations.

Though I am a big fan of Warren, and sometimes of Sanders, I have begun looking more closely at younger candidates such as Pete Buttigieg. At 37 years old, he may bring a lot more energy and mental clarity to the table than some of his competitors, with the added benefit of being a bit more moderate. And, he may be more relatable to younger generations.

As Princeton students, we are

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from a very different generation than these three candidates or Trump. We should consider age because candidates should be relatable to the voters whose support they seek. With a 50year age gap, Biden in particular has shown himself to be outof-touch with younger voters.

These candidates are laying the groundwork for the future society in which our generation will be active members, and arguably, it is increasingly difficult for someone with such an age gap to align closely with our own goals and ideas.

Some have raised the possibility of imposing an age limit on the Presidency, but I think such a step may be unwise. Although, as discussed above, individuals past the age of 70 may experience cognitive decline, that does not mean every person over that age would be unfit for the role.

Perhaps Warren and Sanders do indeed have the vigor to successfully complete a term; it would be ageist to eliminate that opportunity for them.

Nevertheless, it is important to think more critically about the limits imposed by an aging mind on our future President’s capacities.

Emma Treadway is a sophomore from Cincinnati, Ohio. She can be reached at emmalt@princeton. edu.

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 editors Samantha Shapiro ’21 Jo de la Bruyere ’22 head prospect editor Dora Zhao ’21 associate prospect editor Noa Wollstein ’21 chief copy editors Lydia Choi ’21 Elizabeth Parker ’21 associate copy editors Sydney Peng ’22 Anna McGee ’22 head design editor Charlotte Adamo ’21 associate design editor Harsimran Makkad ’22 head video editor Sarah Warman Hirschfield ’20 associate video editor Mark Dodici ’22 digital operations manager Sarah Bowen ’20

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Women’s basketball cruises by Hartford

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

By Jack Graham Head Sports Editor

Senior forward and twotime Ivy League Player of the Year Bella Alarie has missed the entirety of four of Princeton women’s basketball’s first nine games due to injuries. The Tigers have won all of them.

Alarie has also missed part of two other games. Princeton (8–1) won both of those as well.

How have they done it?

The answer was on display in Princeton’s most recent win, a 73–42 drubbing of Hartford (0–10) in the third straight game Alarie has missed.

It started with a dominant effort on the defensive end, with Princeton forcing 23 turnovers and holding Hartford to 27.6 shooting from the field. Princeton has been stellar on defense in the first year of head coach Carla Berube’s tenure, holding opponents to 53 points per game.

“If we get stops on defense, everything else will come,” said first-year forward Ellie Mitchell, who had four of Princeton’s 13 steals.

Then on offense, the Tigers again benefited from a deep and balanced scoring attack.

Nine players scored for Princeton against Hartford, and four players — Mitchell, senior forward Taylor Baur, junior guard Carlie Littlefield, and sophomore guard Julia Cunningham — scored more than 10 points.

“People are really stepping

up,” Berube said. “Everybody’s got the green light, everybody should be feeling confident in their individual games. If we do a good job defensively, then things are going to open up on the offensive end, and if we execute well, then we’ll get those open looks.”

Even without Alarie, the outcome of the game between the one-loss Tigers and winless Hawks wasn’t in doubt for very long. Princeton started the game on a 12–4 run, and after Hartford bounced back with a run of its own, the Tigers scored the final seven points of the quarter to take a 20–11 lead after 10 minutes.

Neither team did much scoring in the second quarter, and the game went to halftime with Princeton leading 31–20.

In the third quarter, Princeton didn’t miss a shot until the 5:08 mark. The Tigers hit their first five field goals and a handful of free throws to take a commanding 20-point lead, and they coasted in the fourth quarter to the 31-point win.

“It took us a little bit to get going,” Berube said. “The first half was not our best, but coming out of halftime I thought we did a much better job. I thought we had great energy and really took control of the game.”

Alarie seemed to be moving well in warm-ups, and Berube indicated after the game that the star forward is on the verge of returning from an ankle injury suffered Nov. 24

JACK GRAHAM / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

First-year foward Ellie Mitchell filled the stat sheet against Hartford.

against Monmouth.

In the meantime, her replacements — including firstyear starters Mitchell and forward Maya McArthur — filled in more than capably. In addition to her 11 points and four steals, Mitchell contributed four assists and seven rebounds, and McArthur had

four blocks.

Baur, a senior regarded for her defense, scored 11 points in 20 minutes. She has struggled with injuries throughout her Princeton career but is Princeton’s fourth-leading scorer this season with eight points per game. “[Alarie’s absence] is get-

ting a lot of people a lot of touches and experience,” Baur said. “It’s definitely a different role than I’ve had in the past, and it’s a good challenge.”

Princeton will remain at Jadwin for a Dec. 14 game against Penn State before going on the road to face Missouri and St. Louis.

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Sports

Wednesday December 11, 2019

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } OPINION

European soccer has a conspicuous racism

By Matthew Fuller Sports Columnist

The illusion of social progress often attributed to Europe has been steadily challenged by a number of racist incidents in the arena of European soccer. Though this is not a new phenomenon (and is certainly not confined to Europe), a recent slew of fan abuse toward players of color will hopefully compel soccer institutions to get serious about the problem.

Last month in the Netherlands, a match had to be suspended for 10 minutes following verbal abuse directed toward Excelsior Rotterdam’s Ahmad Mendes Moreira by a section of Den Bosch fans.

Like elsewhere in Europe, such behavior is not new. In 2015, Dutch team Feyenoord was fined by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) when a large inflatable banana was thrown at an A.S. Roma player.

Over in Germany, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil, whose parents are Turkish, decided to retire from playing for Germany last year due to racist abuse from German fans. He describes hearing slurs after games, reading them online, and being shunned from the spotlight. “I am German when we win, but an immigrant when we lose,“ he said in a New York Times article. More recently, at the beginning of this season with Arsenal, he was the victim of a carjacking in London.

In the English Premier League, racist abuse was directed toward Manchester United players Jesse Lingard and Fred during their match over the weekend against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium. Fred, a Brazilian midfielder, says he has faced abuse before in England, as well as in Ukraine. Water bottles and lighters were thrown at the visitors, but the most reprehensible attack came from 41-year-old British army veteran Anthony Burke.

Burke is accused of directing monkey gestures and noises toward Fred. He later posted on Facebook, “Listen,

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

2018 World Cup Final.

I’m only racist c*** because I had a screenshot that made me look it. However I ain’t racist, watch the match half of it was me with me putting my hands in my pants.” However, video from the match supports evidence of racist gestures, as Burke’s hands found little success in reaching his pockets during his shouting.

As Özil observed, “Unfortunately, racism is no longer only a right-wing issue in the country. It has shifted into the middle of society.” Behavior that once would have been shunned or discouraged has been more than tolerated recently, and many in Europe no longer feel inhibited from spouting racist and ultraright-wing rhetoric. This is especially the case in Italy, where the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party enjoys increasing popularity.

Last Friday, Italian tabloid newspaper Corriere dello Sport published a controversial headline that read “Black Friday,” and featured two black soccer players from Italy’s upcoming Serie A match between Inter Milan and A.S. Roma.

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, one of the players, has already faced repeated instances of racist chants. Additionally, one TV commentator was dismissed for describing that the only way to stop Lukaku is to “give him 10 bananas to eat.”

Brescia striker Mario Balotelli has been a lightning rod for abhorrent racist abuse throughout his career. Last month, Balotelli threatened to walk off the pitch in a match against Hellas Verona after hearing racist chants comparing him to a monkey.

Balotelli was born to Ghanaian parents in Palermo, but was raised by a Jewish Italian family. Despite being an Italian citizen and recording 36 goals for the Italian national team, he faces abuse because he can “never be fully Italian,” according to the head of Verona’s “ultra” fan group.

Brescia president Massimo Cellino did not make matters better for his player when he shrugged, “What can I say?

That he’s black and he’s working to whiten himself but he has great difficulties in this.”

Balotelli sums up the is-

sue succinctly, saying, “I am not saying that I am different from the other players who receive the same abuse, the same monkey noises, but the problem is that I am Italian.”

In France, the issue of claiming black soccer stars is even more complicated, with 15 of the 23 players on France’s 2018 World Cup team tracing their heritage to Africa.

France, which famously touts itself as a color-blind society with egalitarian principles, does not record race, ethnicity, or religion in its census.

Yet, France faces high levels of discrimination, and the country’s alleged colorblindness covers up social issues, rather than eliminating them in the name of unity.

While names such as Pogba and Mbappe may be celebrated across France, many French citizens of color face abuse.

On amateur French teams, this is all too common. In May 2018, Kerfalla Sissoko and two teammates reported they had been physically beaten by another team during a match.

Though this blatant racism shows no signs of declining, some steps have been taken to

promote at least a semblance of accountability. In the Netherlands, all matches were paused for a minute a couple of weeks ago to show screens with the message, “Racism?

Then we won’t play.”

UEFA has unveiled public awareness programs, such as “No to Racism,” a campaign that began in 2016.

In Italy, Milan and Roma persuaded every Series A club to sign an open letter admitting that Italian soccer faces a significant issue with racism and calling for a comprehensive anti-racism policy.

“Italian football has been soft on racism for far too long and that is not something we are prepared to accept any more,” said Paul Rogers, chief strategy officer for Roma. “... In 2019 it shouldn’t need a football club to tell anyone that making monkey noises or racist comments to black players is unacceptable.”

This recognition is refreshing, but in order to reverse unfortunate societal trends, this accountability and call to action must extend far beyond Europe’s soccer stadiums.

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