The Daily Princetonian
Thursday february 18, 2016
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PAGES DESIGNED BY HARRISON BLACKMAN AND LIN KING:: STREET EDITORS
Black History Month at Princeton This week, Staff Writer ANDIE AYALA takes a look at current Black History Month events in conversation with the history of African-Americans at Princeton. From the first black student admitted and then turned away based on race to the progression of inclusion on campus, ‘Street’ remembers the past and looks to the future.
“
I have had very pleasant relations with your race, both in civilian life and in the army. I cannot conscientiously advise a colored student to apply for admission to Princeton simply because I do not think that he would be happy in this environment. There are no colored students in the University and a member of your race might feel very alone.” This is what was told to Bruce Wright, the first black man to be accepted to Princeton University, in 1939 in a letter from the Dean of Admissions, Radcliffe Heermance GS 1909, according to a post by the Mudd Manuscript Library Blog. After Wright had been awarded the scholarship to the University and had arrived on campus in the fall of 1939 ready to start college, he was forced to sit down outside of the admission office and wait for his father to drive back from New York and pick him up. Upon realizing that the person he had accepted to study in the University was, in fact, black, Heermance turned Wright away. On the margins of the letter detailing the University’s explanation for revoking his acceptance, Wright wrote, “Damn the pleasant relationships[;] want to go to college.” Stories such as this within the Princeton community and countless others outside of it are part of the fabric that has created the history of this university, a history which is being promoted by this year’s University-coordinated Black History Month events. “For me, the purpose of Black History Month broadly is to celebrate the experiences and triumphs of black individuals and communities throughout American history,” Myesha Jemison ’18, who is part of the Black History Month Committee, explained. “It opens up a platform to express an essential part of American history that often finds itself hidden between the lines of traditional history books.” Briana Payton ’17 added that during Black History Month it’s important to “look back where you came from and know where you’re going.” “There’s a tendency to erase the past, to deny it, to
act like it didn’t happen, or to act like it should be minimized, so we can move on. But so much of moving on and f lourishing as a community is about continuing to repair the damage that we’ve done,” Payton said. “Having said that, Black History Month is not just about damage repair. There are so many beautiful things that have emerged from the black freedom struggle and the historical arch of African-American history that shouldn’t be discounted in the name of moving on. I think that it should be remembered, their accomplishments should be honored.” One important aspect of remembering the past is recording historical events and archiving it, as demonstrated by Jarrett Drake, the digital archivist at the University who is starting a collection to document student activism on campus, inspired by the protest organized by the Black Justice League. “We realized that we were witnessing history right before [our] eyes,” he said. He explained that the vast notation of the protests was taken on digital devices such as iPhones and laptops, and said that the digital archivists wanted to capture that information as soon as they possibly could. Drake noted that, in some ways, the archives are a depiction of the history of the University, and it means something when out of the 434 archival collections in the University archives, only a few were created by and for black organizations. Including accounts of different student groups on campus is “something we need to do better in; by reaching out to people and letting them know that their experience at Princeton matters. And hopefully we can be one source where people can see a representation of themselves in the archives,” Drake said. Drake mentioned that he had also started archives on LatinX and SPEAR, and that this information was contained in archive-it.org under the Princeton University Archives, which is where the article about Bruce Wright was found. “Given everything that happened last year and this year, it is important to remember that none of our ex-
periences exist in a vacuum, but are part of a larger history,” Cameron Bell ’16 said, member of the BHMC. Bell explained that she thought that all members of campus should be a part of this event, and should make an effort to educate themselves on stories of black men and women in the Princeton community in various ways, such as watching the video collection ‘Looking Back: Ref lections of Black Alumni at Princeton.’ Additionally, Jemison noted, “a beautiful thing about the Black History Month Committee is that we see representation from various parts of the diaspora, including African and Caribbean students.” An example of this was a discussion on immigration the BHMC hosted on Wednesday February 17th, which was co-organized by a range of different black student communities on campus, including Princeton Caribbean Connection, Princeton African Students Association and Princeton Latinos y Amigos. On the topic of diversity within the black community itself, Payton commented, “We’re a conglomerate of individuals and not one homogeneous group, you’re going to have people that differ on different issues, you’re going to have people that disagree, that see things differently, and so it’s been for us a time of really learning what it means to be a community that doesn’t always agree on everything or sees things the same way, but that loves and supports each other.” Payton added that she wished more people took advantage of the amazing speakers and lectures that the student groups brought in, as she mentioned that last year Malcolm X’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, spoke, and the nationally renowned scholar Tim Wise visited the University. “Black and white people alike suffer a huge knowledge gap about black history,” Payton said. “I just think that calling the University’s attention to these events is really important.” The Black History Month events are coordinated by the Black History Month Planning Committee, in addition to the Fields Center and the schedule of events can be accessed on the African American Studies website.
MOMENTS IN BLACK HISTORY
JUNE 15, 1939
Dean of Admission Radcliffe Heermance writes a letter reneging admission to Bruce Wright, the first black student accepted to Princeton U. [Image Courtesy of Mudd Manuscript Library]
OCT. 14, 1942
A letter to the editor in 1942 supports the admission of African-Americans to the University. In 1945, the US Navy integrated Princeton University with the first black alumnus, John Howard, graduating in 1947. [Image Courtesy of Larry DuPraz ‘Prince’ archives.]
JULY 31, 1979
This article from 1979 discusses how black students at the time formed a tight-knit community among themselves, separate from the mainstream Princeton community. [Image Courtesy of Larry DuPraz ‘Prince’ archives.
FALL 1995
This photo shows two AfricanAmerican cheerleaders from 1995. By this time, blacks had become more integrated into the Princeton community, but recent events suggest that there is still more work to be done. [Image Courtesy of Mudd Manuscript Library]
The Daily Princetonian
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Thursday february 18, 2016
UNFAMILIAR STREET
Richter Farm Road, Germantown, Maryland CATHERINE WANG Staff Writer
“Unfamiliar Street” is a travel series in which we introduce you to streets from all around the world, far from the well-trod gravel of Prospect Avenue. or ten years after school ended, regardless of heat, rain or snow, I would make the same seven-minute walk home. There were days of racing home to find acceptance letters in my mailbox, days of walking at a snail-like pace to continue a debate with a friend who accompanied me home and days of silence only broken by the wind. But every day, without fail, I would walk down Richter Farm Road to the entrance of my idyllic suburban community. Toward the end of my senior year of high school, as the days of making this walk were winding down, the road itself became an inspiration for my art. I would paint that curved path in different seasons, tangled tree branches first bare, then blooming with flowers, then turning golden and brown. It was not until later that I recognized that I might have been reflecting on the passage of time for a reason. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to see compiled snapshots of me walking down that road every day for 10 years. At the beginning of the walk, I would be a tiny third grader with a disproportionately large backpack and a Harry
F
Potter book in hand, but as I progressed down the path, I’d grow older as the trees grew and changed colors. The only thing that wouldn’t change was my large backpack, which would only get heavier (although it did become slightly less disproportional as I grew taller). After 10 years, every inch of the path itself is paved with classic childhood memories and their corresponding emotions. There is joy from flying down the sloped hill on my bike in the cool evening air. There is apprehension of the large black dog who barks at me every time I was within a twenty-meter radius — her owners could tell me she was actually very friendly and just excited to see me. There is hunger from smelling the tantalizing wafts of stir-fry that my neighbors were cooking up. There is exhaustion from lugging home three textbooks on the second day of school in 90-degree heat. Those seven minutes seemed in-
significant on the days where I rushed home to start my homework, but they gave me a strange sense of ownership over the street. It was weird to go outside every weekend and see minivans from all over the state causing traffic as parents sent their kids to soccer games at the SoccerPlex, which I could hear from my house. Even weirder was the one evening a year when I’d see my usually empty sidewalk overcrowded with strangers pressing shoulder to shoulder as they made the annual trip to the park for the Fourth of July fireworks celebration. Unfamiliar kids would run down the street
without paying any attention to their surroundings, gleefully kicking soccer balls while their parents shouted at them not to go too far. The area was foreign to them because they only came here once a year and the road itself would probably be a distant memory obscured by the vivid memories of barbecues and colorful fireworks displays. For these people, this road was unfamiliar, a place where children could get lost in a crowd and not be able to find their way home. For me, walking that path feels like going home because that is what it has always meant for me. I could probably walk it
blindfolded and still find my way to my front door. I do now wonder if that will always be true. The longer I am away from home, the longer it takes to adjust back to certain habits, like remembering how many steps are on the staircase when I’m walking in the dark. When I went home over Intersession, I walked that exact path again, wondering if I would feel as though things had changed. I did not feel as though they had and found myself thinking that while I might forget small details and habits, it might be impossible for me to feel like a stranger walking on a street that leads me home.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Richter Farm Road in Germantown, Maryland, seen during the spring and winter, respectively.
Q&A AUTHOR, CREATIVE WRITING LECTURER IDRA NOVEY Interviewed by
VICTORIA SCOTT Senior Writer
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he connection between an author and translator is an unusual one; both seek to tell the same story through different languages. That relationship is explored in Idra Novey’s debut novel, “Ways to Disappear,” which takes place in both the United States and Brazil, concerning the travels of an American translator attempting to find the author she translates, who has gone missing. Novey, a lecturer in
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Creative Writing at the Lewis Center for the Arts, is also an accomplished poet, having published the award-winning collections “Exit, Civilian” and “The Next Country.” “Ways to Disappear” was published Feb. 9 and has garnered rave reviews from NPR, BBC and Buzzfeed. In this Q&A, Senior Writer Victoria Scott asked Professor Novey about her novel and her creative writing process through an email interview.
The Daily Princetonian: What or who inspired your novel? Idra Novey: Writer-translator Anne Carson’s innovative novel “Autobiography of Red” was a source of inspiration, and also the experience of translating the Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector. DP: How did you begin the process of writing “Ways to Disappear”? IN: It started with the image of a woman disappearing with a cigar and a suitcase into a tree. One day I had to be several places at once and it occurred to me that climbing into a tree instead might be the best solution. DP: What’s the most important aspect of the novel writing process? IN: I would say honesty. Honesty with oneself as a writer, honesty with one’s readers and emotional honesty as one moves from scene to scene. DP: How did your background in poetry play into your novel? IN: I deleted whole pages the way I would with a poem. If a scene didn’t surprise me and move the novel forward in an
unexpected, compelling way I’d erase the whole scene and try something else entirely as poets often do with poems, and the length of the scenes, how imagedriven they are, is probably also a result of coming to fiction from poetry. DP: How did you overcome writer’s block? (If you experienced it.) IN: Whenever I got stuck, I’d eat an entire bag of popcorn and then return to the last line I’d written that I felt good about and try to write from there. I often turn to popcorn when I have to figure something out. Maybe it’s the sound of it popping in the microwave, or the salty plea-
sure of eating it, but I find the whole ritual of popcorn makes many things feel easier to overcome.have been f leeting, perhaps, but it was nonetheless a shocker for the students from the sun belt.
WRITE FOR STREET features, theater, dance, essays, music, art, fashion, humor, health.
For more information, email us at: streeteditors@gmail.com
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Thursday february 18, 2016
JOY DARTEY
PUB UNITES WITH ELITE BALLET COMPANIES AT IVY BALLET EXCHANGE
Senior Writer
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his past weekend, the only student-run ballet companies in the Ivy League — Princeton University Ballet, Harvard Ballet Company and Columbia Ballet Collaborative — joined forces to produce performances that both showcased and celebrated the strengths of the dance groups. The Ivy Ballet Exchange was founded two years ago by the leaders of the ballet companies at Princeton, Harvard and Columbia with the intention of recognizing the works of student-run dance companies and emphasizing the fact that these diligent dancers could pursue their academic studies while remaining committed to ballet. “It was started as an idea for these really great ballet companies to come together and share what they had been working on, artistically,” Princeton University Ballet president Emily Avery ’17 said. The leaders of the dance companies began planning for this event over a year ago because the exchange required a lot of foresight and logistical planning. “Getting the logistics worked out was definitely a challenge. We had to make sure that all of our company dancers could travel to New York and arrive on time for their early morning classes,” Avery said. “We had to make sure we could get food throughout the day and organize this with the other company leaders as
well.” PUB’s former president, Marisa Remez ’16, agreed that there were challenges in planning the collaboration between the three dance groups. The leaders stayed in touch via email and video chats throughout the year it took to plan the event. The companies were able to perform a total of seven pieces. Columbia Ballet Collaborative performed two pieces, Harvard Ballet Company performed one piece and PUB performed four pieces. Three of PUB’s pieces were choreographed by company dancers Paige Shaw ’17, Marisa Remez ’16 and Julia Jansen ’19, and were originally performed in PUB’s most recent show, “Nutz.” Because PUB’s pieces were shorter, they performed more pieces than the Harvard and Columbia groups. The fourth piece that the company performed, “Spindle of Gestures,” was choreographed by Norbert de la Cruz III, a guest choreographer for PUB. Avery explained that the four pieces PUB took to the Ivy Ballet Exchange covered a range of styles as half of the pieces were en pointe, and the other half were more contemporary. “The pieces that we decided to choose were mostly just what we thought were the best representation of our best works,” Avery said. “They weren’t necessarily connected by a theme, but they were works that we were pretty proud of and wanted to show to other companies.” PUB took about 20 dancers to the daylong event at Colum-
bia, joining the Columbia and Harvard companies for a total 60 dancers performing in one of the university dance studios. Dancing in an unfamiliar space was not so challenging for PUB dancers because the company rehearses and performs on different stages with varying dimensions on campus. As a result, the company has learned to adjust to different spaces. The second Ivy Ballet Exchange encouraged mingling between the companies by allowing the dancers to participate in workshops and masterclasses led by professionals, including former New York City Ballet dancer Kaitlyn Gilliland and former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Ashley Tuttle. This opportunity to mingle between the three companies was difficult to incorporate in the first ballet exchange, as that was comprised only of the performances by the individual companies. “This year we decided it would work better as more of a collaborative event. So this Ivy Ballet Exchange was a day of workshops and masterclasses together. We all took a ballet
class together,” Avery said. “Last time it was like Princeton did a piece, Harvard did a piece, then Columbia did a piece. But, we didn’t get to have masterclasses together. So this was a really nice way to get to actually meet the company members this year.” The implementation of workshops and masterclasses is a testament to how the Ivy Ballet Exchange is growing to better connect the dancers from the different companies. PUB sees this evolving nature to be one that works to meet the overall mission of the event. “I definitely think that the format of IBE is something that is evolving, but I think it is really a great opportunity for the three ballet companies to interact,” Remez said, in an email state-
ment. PUB hopes the IBE can happen at Princeton at some point and involve a piece that has dancers from all three companies, even though this will be difficult to coordinate. There are a lot of benefits in celebrating and getting to interact with the other companies because the dancers all have different academic and professional backgrounds, so they can learn from each other. PUB found it rewarding that their efforts at collaborating with the Columbia Ballet Collaborative and the Harvard Ballet Company were successful. The weekend’s performances were memorable because they showed and celebrated the purpose of the Ivy Ballet Exchange.
COURTESY OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY BALLET
PSC’S ‘HAMLETMACHINE’ AS THE FUTURE OF PRINCETON THEATER CAROLYN BEARD Staff Writer
“N
o pain, no thoughts.” Ensemble members echo this haunting line in Princeton Shakespeare Company’s recent production of Heiner Müller’s “Hamletmachine.” A post-modern, one-act play based roughly on Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Hamletmachine” was written in 1977 Soviet-ruled East Berlin. The script is a mere eight pages long, giving the creative team the freedom to creatively expand on Müller’s written text. And yet, while the script’s brevity enables the production to take some liberties, we see that the text itself demands to be understood, both within its original political context and as a piece of timeless and stateless theater. In many ways, the play is inseparable from the systematic oppression of its original late-20th century sociopolitical context. Strong Nazi imagery runs throughout: actors goosestep and refer to concentration and extermination
camps. Politically charged references to communism and senseless oppression pervade the text. Actors proclaim that “something is rotten in this age of hope” – a twist on the famous line spoken in Hamlet. Similarly, actors call for the fall of “the joy of oppression,” a rather overt attack on the Soviet communist state of the period. Indeed, a ballet of “dead women,” with characters who are identified as Marx, Stalin and Lenin, serves not only to ridicule the historic figures, but also connects the text’s political message with its message on gender. This ballet, set to contemporary lyrical music, repeats the phrase, “Thank God I’m pretty.” The ballet features Kathy Zhao ’17 as a particularly strong performer and serves to challenge our understanding of gender roles and expectations. Interestingly, after the scene titled “Striptease of Ophelia,” featuring the fully masked Stefanie Webb ’17, Hamlet decides to become a woman. In challenging our understanding of masculinism and the ethics of war in “Pest in Buda: Battle of Greenland,” we encounter Hamlet as neither a lover nor a son, but instead as a soldier. As Hamlet urges his fellow ensemble
COURTESY OF PRINCETON SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
members and comrades to join arms in an absurdist rebellion, it becomes increasingly obvious how fruitless his belligerent words and actions are. Indeed, at the end of “Hamletmachine”, the text asks whether everyone might have “blood on their shoes.” In complementing its discourse on gender roles and expectations, “Hamletmachine” fixates on the human body as a sexual being. Claudius beds Gertrude in the coffin of her late husband and watches as Ophelia gives Hamlet a lap dance. In addition to necrophilic and voyeuristic themes, incest appears repeatedly in “Hamletmachine”. Actors suggest that Polonius wants to bed his daughter Ophelia and the line “The mother’s lap is no one-way street,” referring to Gertrude’s bedding of two brothers, haunts the play. The obsession with the corporal is not just limited to the sexual. Indeed, themes of cannibalism occur, too, such as when we see the body of the elder and late Hamlet dismembered and eaten. Most successfully and significantly, PSC’s “Hamletmachine” tackles mental health issues, such as depression and suicide. Astutely, in his Director’s Note, T.J. Smith ‘16 reflects on how, rather oddly, Hamlet’s “‘to be or not to be’ is accepted so blithely.” “Suicidal ideation,” Smith writes, “no matter how beautifully phrased, is not beautiful.” Smith challenges the audience to reconsider how we understand even the most “beautifully phrased” suicidal ideations. Instead of romanticizing Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts, we see him distancing himself from loved ones when he asks his mute friend Horatio, “If you know me, how can you be my friend?” Most poignantly, in a scene titled, “The Europe of the Woman,” we meet four women – “Woman on the Gallows,” “Woman with the Cut Arteries,” “Woman with the Overdose” and “Woman with the Head in the Gas Oven” – each of whom commits suicide. This performance of suicidal acts – hanging, cutting, stabbing and burning – is disturbingly beautiful, moments that force the audience to reconsider how we define and understand even the most “beautifully phrased” and seemingly artistic reflections of suicidal in-
clinations. Outside of its sociopolitical discourses, “Hamletmachine” features a number of outstanding performances. Sean Toland GS acts as a professor at the University of the Dead, spewing philosophy in English, German, Latin and Greek and throwing books at the young and distracted Hamlet. Webb takes unbelievable risks as Hamlet that are unprecedented in the Princeton University theater scene, including lap-dancing, stripping and full nudity, and is able to make her risks work successfully. Bar none, Fey Popoola ‘19 gives the most consistent and riveting performance. Her characterization of the cackling, incestuous Gertrude, whose wedding veil and mourning veil are one and the same, who consummates her second marriage when her first husband has not yet been interred
in the ground, is nothing short of marvelous. Most notably, Popoola’s characterization of “Woman on the Gallows” is remarkably genuine and her cackling echoes in the theater long after the lights have dimmed. The production is not without its flaws – emotion is at times artificial, blocking off-putting and soundtrack awkward. Yet, by maintaining historical context while focusing on larger themes such as gender and mental health, PSC’s “Hamletmachine” is an excellent rendition and expansion of theatrical post-modernism. It would behoove other student theater campuses to learn from “Hamletmachine,” a production that uses theater as a testament to historical movements, as a witness to current social issues and as a medium to promote strong performers.
Live. Laugh. Love. Layout. Join the ‘Prince’ design department. Email design@dailyprincetonian.com
The Daily Princetonian
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‘Elektra’: an electric, edgy meditation on mourning HARRISON BLACKMAN Street Editor
E
ven before ‘Elektra’ begins, you are meant to confront grief in unexpected, disturbing ways. Before you can find your seat, the Greek chorus, dressed as steampunk maids resembling characters from the video game “Bioshock,” demand that you cut off a lock of your hair to dedicate to the late King Agamemnon. The alternative is to write a message on a sticky note, which I think is what most people ended up doing. Entering Matthews Acting Studio, you are presented with a scene straight out of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, with dim lights and the drone of an emergency exit message muffled behind the sorrowful, nightclub voice of Clytemnestra (Michaela Milgrom ’16) singing Procul Harum’s 1967 classic rock song “A Whiter Shade of Pale” on the balcony. The title character, Elektra (Evelyn Giovine ’16) is bound and gagged, struggling against ropes, writhing as she observes Aegisthus (Matthew Barouch ’16) kissing and getting physical with her mother, Clytemnestra. The whole effect is jarring and fascinating, the looping of classic rock mesmerizing as you experience the haunting Lynch-like dream. A senior thesis performance with edge, this anachronistic, noir/horror-inspired take on Sophocles’ ‘Elektra’ is striking, espe-
COURTESY OF LEWIS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
cially in that it gives the revenge tragedy an entirely different lens with which to frame the story. The set design and stunts find innovative ways to express the moods of the characters. Giant roles of white paper cover the stage floor, the perfect canvas for Elektra’s charcoal-and-fury-filled meltdowns. Aegisthus drunkenly sings Queen’s “We Are the Champions” while sipping and spitting from a champagne bottle. More innovations delight — like Orestes (Robert Keown ‘17) emerging with his arms soaked in ‘blood’ and the presentation of Orestes’ fake ashes — in a coffee can. In the starring role, Giovine is fittingly electric. As Elektra, she channels madness and fury while simultaneously possessing the ability to unexpectedly shift into deadpan speech. There’s a moment, after one of her long temper tantrums, when Elektra says, “You’re out of control” to Clytemnestra and the ensuing dramatic irony caused several members of the audience to chuckle. Keown plays the hero Orestes with great resolve, the weight of his family on his shoulders. Portrayed as reluctant to enact revenge, he ultimately succumbs to his sister’s demands and lust, but not without retaining his ambivalence. As the ‘Old Man,’ Changshuo Liu ‘19 provides refreshing comic relief sporting a cane and mechanic’s jumpsuit. While Aegisthus is seen only briefly, Barouch effectively plays the role up to maximum chauvinist potential. When it comes to Milgrom’s Clytemnestra, her performance successfully adds weight and moral dimension to the character. Though Clytemnestra is initially framed as the evil murderess by Elektra, Milgrom effectively delivers Clytemnestra’s passionate speech explaining that she killed Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia, thus undermining
Elektra’s credibility and fully developing the moral gray area that makes this play so enduring. Chrysothemis (Alex Vogelsang ‘18) channels a Southern debutante affect that suits the character, serving as a foil for the demented Elektra while showing flashes of the same raw emotion. Moreover, in this modern take, the chorus players (Dylan Blau Edelstein ’17) and Kasia Kalinowska ’19) both participate in the scenes and strangely feel as if they are sometimes Elektra’s hallucinations, and the innovation admirably updates the ancient chorus for an audience experience with plot twists that reveal things are not always what they seem. ‘Elektra’ is not for everyone. It’s definitely a little bit more than R-rated, and its edgy take on incest, passion and grief is in line with the content of the play but may clash with more conservative sensibilities. Moreover, the performances’ emotions run high and extravagant; this is a fancy way of saying there’s a lot of shouting in this play, and I wonder what the production might have been like if the actors were directed to perform with more restraint. In terms of theme, the play concerns the mourning of Agamemnon, the mourning of Orestes, the mourning of Clytemnestra’s daughter Iphigenia, but the presence that overshadows this work is that of the late Program in Theater director Tim Vasen. Originally scheduled to direct this show, Vasen’s passing led to Alexandru Mihail taking over directing duties. One of Vasen’s many passions was Greek drama, and in some ways this play feels like a novel completed and published posthumously, a fitting tribute to Vasen’s theatrical acumen and genius. During one of her monologues, Clytemnestra says, “Perfect yourself before you blame others.” The idea of assigning blame permeates the play, a motif heightened through the dramatic three-minute long stare shared between Elektra and Orestes that closes the production. The play’s final moments bring it full circle — back to the cinematic, harrowing vision introduced in its haunting prelude.
ASK THE SEXPERT This week, we discuss “casual relationships.” Dear Sexpert,
I just joined an eating club, and I’m already excited about all the new friends I’m making! I’ve also started hooking up with someone I recently met in my club. Our relationship is pretty casual, and for the most part, physical. In fact, when we’re eating dinner in a group or hanging around the club during the day, I feel like I’m barely acknowledged. We are both enjoying the physical side of our relationship, but I also feel confused about having casual sex. What should I do?
— Confused Club Member
Dear Confused,
College relationships can sometimes be hard to navigate, especially when they take place in a relatively new and unfamiliar environment. Relationships come in all forms and levels of commitment, and there is nothing wrong with having a casual relationship if it is something you and your partner desire (and, of course, if you are practicing safe sex, but more on that later). Only you can decide if a purely physical relationship is something that you want for yourself. That said, as with any type of relationship, you want to make sure that you respect yourself and your partner, even if the
relationship is solely sexual. Similarly, it is important to feel respected by your partner. Try asking yourself these questions: Does your partner make you feel comfortable and respect your boundaries when you engage in sexual activity? Do they treat you with respect outside of the physical relationship, even if you aren’t necessarily friends or emotionally involved? If the answer to either of these questions is “no”, this dynamic could be contributing to your confusion. It is important that you and your partner are maintaining a good level of communication about your expectations for the relationship — and revisiting the conversation if either one of your feelings change. If one partner is viewing the relationship differently than the other, it might lead to even more confusion or hurt feelings, so it’s important that you and your partner are on the same page regarding the type of relationship that you are each interested in. It’s also important that you respect and communicate with your partner about physical concerns. You are already enjoying the sexual aspect — imagine how much better it could be without worrying about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or if appropriate, pregnancy! As with any sexual relationship, you should
communicate openly about using condoms, dental dams, or other forms of barrier protection, as well as about getting tested for STIs. You can get FREE external (male) condoms from your RCA, and external or internal (female) condoms from the LGBT Center, a Peer Health Adviser or at the front desk of McCosh Health Center (10 per day). There is also STI testing at the University Health Services’ Sexual Health and Wellness clinic; HIV testing is free and gonorrhea and chlamydia testing is $14. If you still feel confused about engaging in casual relationships, or if you just want to speak with someone about your concerns, you can make an appointment to speak with a clinician at Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) at McCosh. While the decisions to have casual sex and with whom to do so are ultimately yours to make, you deserve to feel respected and safe.
— The Sexpert
Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexpert is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with factchecking from University health professionals, help write these columns. Email sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com for more information and questions about sexual health.
HEADLINERS AND HEADSHAKERS headlines you didn’t read this week DAILY PRINCETONIAN STAFF
Potential NJ Transit strike to interf ere with Spring Break travel, not the firs t time NJ Transit has let us down
RISES AVERAGE SEMESTER GPA POLICY AFTER GRADE DEFLATION TO STAY REPEAL, INFLATION IS HERE
PPPL researchers receive grant to use supercomputer, don’t receive permission to make Skynet self-aware
Terrace most popular fourth year in a row; Quad is cool now, guys
Student-faculty relationships to be prohibited under new U. polic y — wait, they weren’t before?
ing COS 126 ratings improve after switch ays to online lectures because people alw check FB during lecture anyways
Thursday february 18, 2016
STREET’S
TOP TEN
1 3 5 7 9
Valentine’s Day Activities Eat all the chocolate your mom sent you.
2 4 6 8 10
Read a stupid E-card your great aunt sent you. Actually go on a date.
Don’t actually go on a date.
Celebrate the life of a martyred saint. Send pricey, superficial cards. Eat pink and red M&M’s.
Eat heart-shaped candies that no one ever eats normally. Gaze in to the cruel winter. Baby, it’s really cold outside.
CAMPUS PICKS EVENT THIS IS PRINCETON: 2016 Richardson Auditorium Friday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
Itching for a comprehensive performing arts event? You’re in luck! At “This is Princeton,” various performing arts groups will express both personal and community issues through a multitude of creative art forms. Performers include: Valley Academy, Princeton University Ballet, Triple 8, eXpressions, HighSteppers, Dancing to Christ’s Beat, Princeton University Gospel Ensemble, Matt Wie, Songline, Ellipses, BodyHype, BAC, diSiac and Princeton University Rock Ensemble. Tickets are free in Frist!
COMEDY FUZZY DICE PRESENTS CUPID’S SHOW Frist Theater Thursday, Feb. 17 at 11 p.m., and Friday, Feb. 18 at 11 p.m.
Valentine’s Day come and gone and you’re still looking for love? Watch Fuzzy Dice’s improv comedy show during this lovely postValentine’s Day weekend/season/overall state of being. Tickets cost $5, and you just might find love in the audience!libraries in the country.
THEATER MANUEL VS. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY READING Wilson Black Box Theater Saturday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. Hosted by Princeton Latinos y Amigos, this show concerns the topic of illegal immigration, and was written by Princeton alum Noemi de la Puente ’86 and David Davila. Inspired by the true story of an undocumented Princeton undergraduate, the concert reading will feature a new script, new music and will feature both student performers and performers from the original New York cast.
FILM 12 FILMS, 12 FILMMAKERS James M. Stewart ’32 Theater, 185 Nassau Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Taught by Princeton Arts Fellow, Pacho Velez, the spring 2016 course “World on a Wire: 12 Films, 12 Filmmakers” invites a new filmmaker every week to screen and discuss his or her newest film. On Feb. 25, Princeton alumna Josephine Decker ’03 will screen her “East of Eden”-inspired thriller, “Thou Wast Mild and Lovely” about the erotic relationship between a farmhand and the family that hires him.
DANCE DOROBUCCI PRESENTS: SAKATA AFRICAN DANCE COMPETITION Richardson Auditorium Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
Watch nine African dance groups from UMD, Towson, Yale, UPenn, Rutgers, Columbia, Albany and Syracuse compete for the ultimate prize: $500! Tickets are free with PUID, and $10 otherwise, not to mention that there will be an afterparty with African food at 10 p.m. in the Fields Center — more reason to join in the fun!