March 16, 2018

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Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Friday March 16, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 28

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } S T U D E N T A F FA I R S

Hundreds of U. students participate in protest for increased gun control

By Rose Gilbert Staff Writer

On Wednesday at noon, several hundred students, professors, and Princeton residents gathered outside Frist Campus Center to call for increased gun control in the wake of the high school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14. Hosted by Princeton Advocates for Justice, the rally was named “We Call BS,” a call to action for gun control activists originating from a passionate speech by Emma González, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on Feb. 17. Students carried signs with slogans including “Thoughts and Prayers Don’t Save Lives!” and “Demilitarize Society.” They chanted “Enough is Enough!” and “We Call BS,” with featured speakers leading the crowd. Many, like Elijah Barnes ’21, had never attended a gun control rally before. “I came out here to support because no one seems to

be doing anything,” Barnes said. “We need change and policy makers need to see that.” Barnes added that he now plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the “March for Our Lives” on March 24 and to continue to call for change. Speakers included University students and Assemblyman Roy Freiman, who represents New Jersey’s 16th Legislative District. The town of Princeton is in the 16th District. They delivered speeches about gun violence and gun control reform. Many spoke of losing classmates and friends. Freiman reminded the crowd that student activism has helped shape the course of history, from the peace movement during the Vietnam War to divestment campaigns during South African apartheid. Freiman hopes that the recent outpouring of student activism will have a similarly transformative effect on gun control reform. “I came here to support the

S T U D E N T A F FA I R S

COURTESY OF PRINCETON ADVOCATES FOR JUSTICE

Students share personal stories relating to their experiences with gun violence.

students and to support the movement around sensible gun control and ending gun violence,” he said. Freiman said that while New Jersey has strong gun

control measures already, it should always look for continuous improvement. “How do you continually look at tragedies and ask yourself ‘what did we miss?’

How do you strike the balance between gun rights and making sure the wrong people don’t have access to guns?” Freiman asked. See PROTEST page 2

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

PFARS members speak Stephen Hawking, honorary about time with EMT U. degree recipient, dies at 76 squad, medical interests By Katja Stroke-Adolphe Contributor

Staff Writer

Almost 80 years old, the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad is an integral part of both the town and community it serves, responding to thousands of calls in the local Princeton area each year. According to its website, PFARS is an independent, non-profit emergency medical services organization heavily reliant on volunteers in the local area, many of whom are students at the University. The Daily Princetonian interviewed two of these student volunteers. Nicholas Archer ’19 Archer first learned about PFARS the summer before his first year at the University while he was “surfing” the website of the Health Professions Advising Office. “I came across the EMTs and thought it was really cool,” said Archer. “I went to an info session that they held on campus and I just applied freshman fall and started the EMT class freshman spring.” Archer noted that his monthly routine with PFARS includes a minimum of 32 hours of on-call duty, as well as mandatory drills and meetings. As the corresponding secretary of the PFARS Executive Board, which directs and governs the organization, Archer oversees the volunteer application process. He also works on interviews, orientation sessions, and information sessions, culminating in approximately 40 hours with PFARS per month. “When people first join, they really don’t know what to expect, and your experiences that you learn on duty are much different from what you learn in classes,” said Archer about his growth as an EMT. “You go from learning through asking questions to being more hands-on.”

A molecular biology concentrator from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Archer explained that his experience as an EMT “definitely validated and confirmed that medicine is what I want to do.” “I had never really considered emergency medicine before, but I love how unpredictable it is and how it’s always something different,” said Archer. “I don’t know what specialty I’ll go into, but it’s caused me to be more hesitant about less hands-on medical professions.” Although Archer has had an immensely positive experience with PFARS, he noted that he believes that emergency medicine is “not for everyone” and that not all pre-medical students may enjoy it equally. “It’s a huge time commitment,” said Archer. “On top of that you need to be able to handle pretty intense and serious situations where people are very sick. But it’s something that can be valuable as a pre-med if you fit the bill.” Overall, Archer believes that his “college career would have been 100 percent different” without PFARS. “It’s an experience that I know I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else,” said Archer. “I view myself as very lucky for having this and I’m so glad that I made that decision.” Aside from PFARS, Archer researches hepatitis E and tropism in a University lab under professor Alexander Ploss, serves on the Princeton Undergraduate Research Journal (PURJ) peer review board, and is a Tower Club member. In the past, he has also been a two-time Community Action leader and an Academic Success Today member through the Pace Center. Jonathan Yu ’18 Currently a senior at the University, Yu has been involved with See EMT page 5

On the morning of March 14, Stephen Hawking, a theoretical physicist and the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from the University in 1982, died. He was 76 years old. As a beloved figure in popular culture, Hawking was wellknown for studying the properties of black holes. He compiled some of his ideas into a popular-science book on cosmology, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. In 1974, Hawking discovered that black holes explode and disappear, releasing radiation and particles. This emission of radiation is now known as Hawking radiation and it revolutionized physicists’ understanding of black holes. In 2002, Hawking decided that the formula for Hawking radiation would appear on his tombstone. Additionally, Hawking’s book, The Nature of Space and Time, which he wrote with Roger Penrose, a former University of Oxford mathematics professor, was published by Princeton University Press in 1996. The book features debates regarding the geometry of the universe, asks whether the universe only experiences expansion or has a more cyclical existence,

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Stephen Hawking, the beloved physicist, died on March 14.

and queries whether information can escape from black holes. In 1963, while a graduate student at Oxford, Hawking found out he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which eventually made him unable to control his body beyond moving his eyes and flexing his fingers. Despite this, Hawking has managed to consistently look on the bright side. “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet,” said Hawking in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer in 2010. “Try to make sense of what you see and

wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” Hawking lived his life according to this principle: he once took a zero-gravity flight and he spent his 60th birthday in a hot-air balloon. His death has led to an outpouring of support, including a multitude of social media tributes, from the scientific and non-scientific community alike.

ON CAMPUS

Terrace ex-employee arrested By Ariel Chen Associate Science Editor

On March 14, Darnell Pygum, the former Terrace Club employee who recently made threats against the club manager, was placed under arrest by the Princeton Police Department, according to a statement from the PPD.

Pygum turned himself in and was processed on a warrant for arrest which showed charges of “making Terrorist Threats and Criminal Trespass at the Terrace Club” on March 6, according to the statement. According to an email from University Public Safety, Pygum entered the club around 11 a.m. on March 6.

In Opinion

Today on Campus

Columnist Rachel Kennedy explains the importance of occasionally disconnecting from technology in such a connected world, and Opinion Editors look for a regular graduate student columnist. PAGE 4

12 p.m.: Lewis Science Library presents “The 1918 Flu: A Conspiracy of Silence” and “The 1918 Flu: The Philadelphia Story,” taught by Professor Bruce Fleury of Tulane University. Lewis Library 225

Later that afternoon, according to an email distributed by Terrace president Elizabeth Yu ’19, he made threatening comments to the club’s house manager, whose job duties include coordinating with food services. Pygum had entered the premises intoxicated, according to the PPD press release, but was See TERRACE page 3

WEATHER

By Linh Nguyen

HIGH

38˚

LOW

25˚

Cloudy. chance of rain:

0 percent


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