Thursday march 9, 2017
The Daily Princetonian
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PAGES DESIGNED BY ANDIE AYALA AND CATHERINE WANG :: STREET EDITORS
IN AND OUT (OF THE BUBBLE)
Led by Staff Writers Anna Wolcke ’20 and Lyric Perot ’20, with their photo essay on entrances and exits on Princeton’s campus, STREET explores what it means to be inside and outside, arriving and leaving, separating and belonging.
Outside of the Orange Bubble: Train station at Princeton Junction connects students to and from cities all over the East Coast.
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Entering spring in Prospect Garden, some flowers have bloomed in spite of the cold.
Students walk through Fitzrandolph Gate at the start of their Princeton experience.
View through some of the Gothic window panels in an East Pyne classroom.
Entering the courtyard of Holder Hall in Rocky College as the trees cast shadows on a sunny afternoon. Entering the courtyard of Holder Hall in Rockefeller
t Princeton, entrances and exits are perhaps the most frequently encountered yet overlooked elements in a student’s daily life on campus. At the start of our four-year journey, we walk in through FitzRandolph Gate, exhausted after a week of orientation activities and ready to get settled in our residential colleges. At graduation, we walk out of the gate, leaving our college experience behind as we embark on new journeys into the real world. FitzRandolph Gate is our first greeting and our last farewell, yet it is not the only gate to imprint on our time here. Blair Arch provides a welcome reprieve from the rain as we head to the U Store, and an ideal photo spot that our parents refuse to miss. 1879 Arch is a popular stop for many students heading to the Street on weekend nights, and a top choice for a capella groups’ arch sings. The grand entrance to Frist Campus Center, often overlooked by students hurrying down the steps to the main level in desperate search for coffee or late meal, stands over us as we hurry to class in the morning or drag ourselves to study in the evening. Walking through East Pyne Hall’s doublearched courtyard, which beckons us to Chancellor Green, transports us into a mystical world where we feel connected to ancient times and get inspired just by absorbing the ambience of the space around us. Every doorway might feel like just another See PHOTO ESSAY page S2
Entering East Pyne through the double archways.
The Daily Princetonian
Thursday march 9, 2017
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An example of making people feel “in”: Nassau Presbyterian Church.
In or out? When boundaries become penetrable: Snow falling at Icahn.
Feeling “in”, feeling welcome: A cute surprise awaits this freshman.
PHOTO ESSAY Continued from page S1
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Student skateboarding through the gate to Prospect Garden on the way to class.
doorway after too many days on campus, but your first dorm room always occupies a special place in your memory. The letters carved into the ground outside of Whitman forming a giant “YES!” will never cease to confuse you. That time you saw your crush walk through the doors into Wilcox Hall; that time you stared at the entrance to McCosh 50 before your first Econ lecture; and that time you slipped on the steps where Einstein walked every day and wondered how you, clumsy and disheveled, could share anything with someone like him, will always belong to you. We asked some students how it feels to be in or out of something when entering or exiting a place. “Being ‘in’ means feeling like my presence is valued. During hell week
A walk through the rain to Frist Campus Center for Late Meal.
for Sympoh, I had a sense of purpose that came from being invested in and being part of a larger project.” — Kenji Cataldo ’20 “When you live in Forbes you always feel ‘inn’.” — David Nie ’19 “Exclusion is temporary — find people who deserve you!” — Pranav Rekapalli ’20
“[I felt included] when I realised that I’d found a group of friends with whom I could relax, be completely myself, and who I feel bring out the best in me.” — Lisa Sheridan ’19 “I guess being in Princeton’s campus
and feeling the exclusion feels like your body is misplaced and invisible to yourself and others while your soul seems to reside far from your body thinking and living somewhere else unaffected by what happens around you physically.” — Achie Gebre ’20 “[I felt included when] I walked into the dining hall and two different tables called out to me to sit with them at once.” — Jonah Herzog-Arbeitman ’19 We have all had a moment in an arch, or a gate, or a doorway that we aren’t soon to forget. So keep second-guessing whether you are walking out the wrong gate when you leave for Starbucks in the morning, facing a twinge of doubt that you might not graduate — we have all been there. And that moment of hesitation you experience as the flash of memories from Orientation comes back to you when you see the crest on FitzRandolph hovering above Nassau Hall? I bet you remember that long after graduation.
Learning, in and out of the Bubble: Study Abroad Experiences NINA SHERIDAN Contributor ‘19
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aya Buensuceso ’17 traveled almost every weekend during her semester in Milan last year. “I went to Israel, Turkey, and Morocco. Then, of course, I went around Italy, and I went around Europe,” said Buensuceso, “I bought tickets to go to Brussels for $25 round trip. That’s cheaper than going to New York!” The University offers many ways for its students to study abroad, and those who have done it say that they’ve never regretted their time away. They cite opportunities to travel, getting out of the Orange Bubble, and exploring new cultures as the primary benefits. “My mentality was that I wouldn’t be able to live in a place like Europe for a prolonged period unless I studied there,” Buensuceso explained about her decision to study abroad. Audrey Ou ’19 spent last summer in Greece studying “Culture and Counterculture in Ancient Athens” through the University’s Global Seminars program. Ou always knew she wanted to study abroad, but didn’t want to give up a semester at Princeton. Yihemba Yikona ’17 chose to spend a semester in Chile. She explained, “Princeton is a great place. There’s a lot of opportunities here, but Princeton can’t give you every opportunity.” Will Hinthorn ’18, a computer science major, spent this fall at Qinghua University in Beijing. He had already completed three years of Chinese at the University and decided that he wanted to fully immerse himself in the country by taking all of his classes in the language. “It was definitely a firehose kind of way of learning Chinese,” Hinthorn said, “but I think it was extremely rewarding.” Yikona and Buensuceso both joined churches while abroad, which enabled them to meet locals outside of their programs. Yikona participated in a youth group and still talks to some of the friends she made there. Buensuceso, an international student from the Philippines, said she was surprised when she showed up at the church near her apartment and found that 80 percent of its members were of Filipino heritage. Although Ou’s program was comprised entirely of Princeton students,
Ou and her classmates still took full advantage of the opportunity to interact with others outside of their programs and live what they were learning. “We did trips practically every weekend,” said Ou, “I think there was only one weekend we were in Athens.” Hinthorn commented that her class on the Cultural Revolution gave him a new lens through which to view the movement. “The professor had lived through it,” said Hinthorn, “The first or second lecture, he stood up and said ‘I know a lot of you are in the Communist party in this room, and I want to tell you I’m not afraid of you.’” Yikona took advantage of the opportunity to live with two host families in Chile. She said that this part of the experience had its ups and downs, but allowed her to quickly improve her Spanish and gave her a support system when she first arrived in the country. There were no other Princeton students studying in Chile that semester. “It was nerve-wracking at first,” she said, “but ended up being a positive challenge. It was cool to be COURTESY OF RAYA BUENSUCESO forced to get to know other people.” During Raya Buensuceso’s semester studying abroad in Milan, she traveled to constantly, visiting Israel, Turkey, and Morocco. According to Ou, her time in Greece made her think about diversity at Princeton. She said, “There are a lot of little bubbles inside the Orange Bubble.” Her experience has inspired her to reach out more to her classmates, be more open minded in her interactions, and not get stuck on first impressions. “It made me realize how many smart people there are out there,” Buensuceso said, “The study abroad experience is so much more enriching than another semester at Princeton.” “It’s a very freeing time,” Ou said, “Everyone who can do it should do it.” Ou said that last year, she felt pressured to work towards a goal and have a set path she was following. Coming back, she said, “Grades don’t matter as much. It’s more about — am I enjoying this class? Is it challenging me? And is it different from anything else I’ve ever done?” “After going to Chile, I felt like I had gotten to a place with my Spanish ability where I felt like I had good command of the language, freeing me up to take other language classes I was interested in,” said Yikona. Most important, Yikona concluded, “When else can you move to a country just for four or five months, COURTESY OF AUDREY OU no strings attached?” Audrey Ou spent her summer studying in Greece, as part of the Global Seminar “Culture and Counterculture in Ancient Athens.”
The Daily Princetonian
Thursday march 9, 2017
UNFAMILIAR STREET
ASK THE SEXPERT
On the Shores of Lake Constance SANTIAGO AGUIRRE Contributor ‘18
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ou’ve spent all morning on the train. Watching as the landscape changes right outside your window, you wonder how much longer will it take to arrive. Finally, the train crosses a narrow bridge and arrives at a small train depot. Eager to stretch your legs and to take in the great summer weather you walk briskly towards the exit. About the same size as our campus, some people might not expect much from the small island town of Lindau, but the shores of lake Constance and old cobblestone lined streets give it a charm unlike any other town in Germany. You make your way down the street and come upon the town’s harbor sheltered by a wall and a light house. The streets are lined with small restaurants and bars selling local food while the music from street bands permeates the atmosphere. Before you continue your tour, you decide to sit down for a meal. In addition to the beautiful lake, the region is also famous for its whitefish which is only available in lake Constance for limited parts of the
year. Some nice whitefish cooked in a white wine sauce hits the spot as you sit on an outside table watching people go by and enjoying the wonderful sun. After wrapping up lunch, you decide to keep exploring the town. You come across a small park from where you can see the other side of the lake where the city of Bregenz, Austria is located. Following your tour of the old original town hall, you decide to head to the lighthouse. Sitting at 33m above water level, this is a great point from which to look over the whole island and glimpse into both Austria and Switzerland. As you head down from the lighthouse you decide to take advantage of Lindau’s location and take a short trip to Austria as well. You buy a ferry ticket and wait for it to arrive. A few minutes later, it arrives. A three decked, 20-meter-long ship ready to take you to the other side. The ride across is relaxing, you look backwards and watch the light house slowly shrink, the sound of the water giving way is drowned out by the constant humming of the engines. Finally, you get to the other side. As you step off the boat you think about how easily you have just entered another country. You decide
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to take a walk down the waterfront and explore the rest of the city. As you reach the end of the boardwalk you come across an interesting sight. The Bregenz water theater sits right on the shore of the lake. The seating forms an amphitheater where the stage sits right on top of the water. Every summer this theater is host to the Bregenzer Festspiele which features operas performed on the water stage. As a fun fact, a few scenes of James Bond’s Quantum of Solace were also filmed in this location. Making your way back to the port you come across a gazebo that sits on the water a few meters from the shore. With your curiosity sparked, you approach and realize this is a local bar and decide this is a perfect spot to sit for a while and watch the sunset on the lake. As the sun goes down you start to make your way back to the port. As the ferry makes its way across the lake you can see the lights of Lindau getting brighter. A few minutes later you are standing on the platform at the train station finally going back to Munich, amazed at how in the span of a day you can fully enjoy two different countries and still have time to spare.
CATHLEEN KONG:: CONTRIBUTOR
This week, we discuss safe sex. Dear Sexpert, My love life has been pretty slow for a while and I haven’t had much luck meeting people in person. I’ve thought about trying online dating, but I’m too embarrassed to actually go through with it. I’m also worried about safety and being catfished. Do you think it’s still worth a shot? ~ Digitally Apprehensive
Dear Digital ly Apprehensive, Search ing for a romantic relation sh ip can have a nu mber of chal lenges, including f inding new ways to meet people. Wh i le dating sites (e.g., eHarmony and OkCupid) and mobi le apps (e.g., Tinder, Grind r, and Bumble) certain ly make it easier to con nect w ith others, they do little to add ress any risks involved. As you mentioned, users can get “catf ished” or m isled by someone who has created a false prof i le. That being said, lots of people on these sites are genuine users who are look ing to f ind the right match. People have various reasons for wanting to ex plore on line dating and, like you mentioned, it prov ides an opportun it y to con nect w ith someone you m ight not meet other w ise. On line dating ser v ices not on ly prov ide access to thousands of people, but user prof i les also make it easier to ex plore potential matches w ithout needing to interact w ith ever y single one. A lthough there are sti l l skeptics of th is non-trad itiona l method, attit udes towards on l ine dating are gradual ly becom ing more positive. In fact, a 2013 st udy conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that one in 10 A mericans have used an on line dating site or a mobi le dating app, t wo th irds of these users have gone on a date w ith a person they met th rough a dating site, and 23 percent of these users have met a spouse or sign if icant other th rough a dating site. With that said, it’s important to keep in m ind that no matter how long you’ve been tal k ing to someone, they are sti l l a stranger
in some respects. If you are plann ing to meet you r match in person, f irst consider you r safet y and take precautions, like meeting in a public place (e.g., shopping mal l), where other people are arou nd in case someth ing goes w rong or you feel uncom fortable. It’s also a good idea to tel l someone close to you where you’re going and who you’re meeting. If th ings don’t go as plan ned, a friend can easi ly cal l you away for an “emergency ” and save you from a stick y or potential ly unsafe situation. Some people even bring a friend or t wo along and meet as a group for the f irst time. Wh i le on line dating has worked for some, it may not be the right approach for ever yone. Just like w ith f ind ing a date in person, these sites may require some time and patience. Sometimes, meeting someone in person can lead to disappointment, if they tu rn out to be not quite what you ex pected. Remember that if you change you r m ind about someone you’ve matched w ith, you’re not obligated to stay in touch. Additional ly, if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, you can report them to the managers of the site. In the end, on line dating comes dow n to what you’re com fortable w ith and being w i l l ing to put you rsel f out there. Even if you r love life continues to be “prett y slow,” k now that tak ing time to f ind what you’re look ing for can be worth the wait. ~ The Sex pert In for mation regard ing on l ine dating prov ided by Go Ask A lice and the Pew Research Center Sources Cdc.gov Bedsider.org healthline.com Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexper t is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with fact-checking from Universit y health professionals, help wr ite these columns. Email sexper t @ dailypr incetonian.com for more infor mation and questions about sexual health.
FOLLOW THE STREET SANTIAGO AGUIRRE:: CONTRIBUTOR
Aguirre takes the reader through a day of travel spanning the shores of Lake Constance between Germany and Austria.
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MEDITATION IN MOVEMENT Tai Chi at the Carl A. Fields Center ZACH BAMPTON Contributor ‘20
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very Sunday morning, in the quiet back room of the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, Wonchull Park teaches a community tai chi class. I arrived a couple minutes early, but about 15 older members were already there, conversing in the back of the room. Park allowed me to observe from the sideline and quietly take notes. Beginning with several minutes of seated meditation, the class focuses on breathing slowly and rubbing muscles gently to warm up. Eventually, Park stands up and starts leading the class through circular motions of his hands in coordination with his body. He then begins to speak. Park is a longtime physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laborator y and a longer-time practitioner of tai chi. Learning from masters of ancient lineage, Park’s pedigree contributes to his enduring relationships w ith his learners. Feng Chen, a professor at R ider University who learned tai chi when she was a college student in China, recognized Park’s style as one passed dow n from one generation to another. Park also teaches tai chi w ith a “unique approach,” Chen said. Park emphasizes com fort and the effects of relaxation while seeking to demystify the martial art. Approaching tai chi w ith his physics background, Park decouples the esoterica from the profoundly simple truths of tai chi.
To some, said his assistant, Mackenzie Hawkins ’15, this may be “a little too simple.” She humorously posed the question: “How far can you go w ith New ton’s three laws? ” But Park asserts that it really is that simple, and points to tai chi’s application in ever yday life. The effects of tai chi are noticeable and immediate, but can take a lifetime to perfect. During class, Park explained the concept of qigong, what he describes, in part, as “understanding the reality of now.” Hawkins helped unpack it for me: “In the narrow sense, qigong is a breathing-related exercise,” but in a “broad sense” it is “mind-body cu ltivation.” Understanding the natural cycles of breathing centers one’s emotions and attunes one’s conscious mind to the “whole positive feedback cycle” of being and perceiving. Fundamentally, “breathing is a movement,” according to Park, and like any motion, most of us should work on our form. Park pointed out that I held my breath as I ty ped and that I had several issues w ith my posture. These are details we are prone to ignore in daily life. Breathing sharpens the m ind, which is good for school work or advanced physics, Park noted. Hawkins attests to the recuperative powers of tai chi from her personal experience : As an undergraduate, she struggled w ith illness and found recover y in the practice of meditation. Hawkins and Park have begun working together to publish books and teach more classes to intro-
duce tai chi to a younger generation. Together they teach classes for kids at the Princeton YMCA, cal led “Super K id Tai Chi,” and their books in progress w ill demonstrate different benefits of tai chi in the modern life. On Saturdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Park teaches club tai chi in the studio of the New South Building, free to al l students and facu lty. In contrast to the Sunday classes, these offer smal ler, more direct learning w ith Park. In a moment of humor, Park encouraged all to take up this lifelong practice : “like the Nike commercial, just do it! ”
ZACH BAMPTON:: CONTRIBUTOR
Tai Chi lessons take place at the Carl A. Fields Center on every Sunday morning.
ZACH BAMPTON:: CONTRIBUTOR
Wonchull Park, who teaches the lessons, is a physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab and a seasoned practitioner of tai chi.
The Daily Princetonian
Thursday march 9, 2017
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Q&A Reaching Out to Communities: Students Volunteer At PACE Center MOFOPE OLARINMOYE
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Contributor ‘20
he PACE Center for Civic Engagement is the community service organization on Princeton campus that encourages students to connect with the communities around them, by combining the attitudes for service and learning. This week on the Street, going along with the theme of being in and out of Princeton, the Street decided to interview a few students, Simran Mathews ’18, Charlotte Reynders ’19, Kyle Lang ‘19 who serve as the coordinators of some of the community service projects at Princeton, to learn how they balance their life at Princeton with their engagement with outside communities. The Daily Princetonian: Could you briefly describe the PACE Center or the community service program that you serve with? Simran Mathews ‘18: I am involved in the College Counseling Project (CCP), and the program’s overall goal is to match mentors, who are Princeton freshmen, with mentees, who are high school students from around the New Jersey surrounding area. The mentees would either come to campus or we would go to their schools. The goal is to bridge the gap between where they are at now, and college. Often, these students are first-generation or low-income people, they don’t necessarily know a lot about the college application processes or understand why college could be beneficial to them. Being matched with a Princeton student is designed to help them become more informed so that they can make that [college] decision in a way that is more optimal. In addition, the program tries to ensure that they have someone to walk them through every step, whether it involves SAT prep, essay writing or even reaching out to their parents to ask about financial aid information. Charlotte Reynders ‘19: I am one of the project leaders of LEAP, which stands for Learning Enrichment in the Arts Program. The program is under the Student Volunteers Council (SVC), which is part of the overarching umbrella of the PACE Center. We volunteer in Trenton every Friday, at an after-school program, and lead an hour-long creative arts workshop. Kyle Lang ‘19: The Loaves and Fishes program is set up in a unique way because it is a restaurant style soup kitchen. So, we actually bring the plates up to the guests and serve them beverages. It allows us to have a more personal connection with them, which is very meaningful. The PACE Center tries to help students get involved in the broader community. I think service is something that every student should consider seriously. What am I going to do with the opportunities I have to give back to those who might not have the same opportunities that I do? DP: Why did you choose to get involved with community service, or the PACE Center? SM: I grew up in Columbia, South
MOFOPE OLARINMOYE CONTRIBUTOR
Students at Princeton participate in civic service through the PACE Center for Civic Engagement, which is a school-sponsored community service organization on campus.
Carolina, which is part of a larger city and I was exposed to people from different walks of life and ages. I thought, like any other college, Princeton narrows that experience and diversity. So I wanted an avenue to get out of this place [the Orange Bubble] and see what real life is like, but I also genuinely cared about high school children who didn’t grow up with the same resources that I did – such as a high school guidance counselor, or financial aid. All those reasons worked together, and I knew a couple of friends who were interested in applying to this program during its inaugural year, so I was basically roped into it. Yet, I’ve never looked back. CR: I have always been interested in the intersection between arts and service. I think the arts are a universal language that we can use to build some solutions on a global level but also within a community.So, I applied to volunteer with LEAP during the fall of my freshman year because the program aligned with my interests. KL: It was always a part of my high school experience and I knew that it was something I wanted to continue while in college. I’m part of the Aquinas Community, which is the Catholic community on campus. During the spring semester of last year, we got the opportunity to volunteer at Loaves and Fishes, which is a soup kitchen in Trenton. I signed up, and thought it was a good way to give back to those in need. Incidentally though, there was another group of Princeton students there: a group of seniors who needed underclassmen to take over the Loaves and Fishes project. So my first time volunteering at Loaves and Fish-
es was also when I got involved with heading it for the next year. DP: Did you engage with community service before getting to Princeton? CR: I did actually. When I was in high school, I volunteered in Lynn, Massachusetts doing arts and crafts with kids in grade school. It was a great way to get to know the kids and practice different skills like empathy and team-building. DP: Did anyone inspire you to want to help in this way? SM: My parents are immigrants so they didn’t know much about colleges in the U.S. So, it was really my math teacher who worked with me from one of the first few days of high school, and was always planning out the next couple steps. He was such an incredible resource because I would never have been that inspired and motivated on my own, since I didn’t know my capabilities. He, however, never had any doubts, and always encouraged me to reach milestones. DP: What comes to mind when you hear Princeton’s informal motto: “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity”? CR: When I was younger,I attended this arts camp called Interlocken. Their motto is dedicated to the promotion of world friendship through the universal language of the arts. I think that has helped me conceptualize Princeton’s mission when it comes to arts and service. I have realized that we can use art as a way to traverse different barriers, whether language or background. The arts help us build connections in unexpected ways and help promote risk-taking, empathy and mutual understanding. DP: How has the program shaped or affected your overall Princeton experience?
CR: Volunteering has really impacted my experience at Princeton and I think every student should get involved with service, in some capacity. I love the opportunity it offers to get off campus, because it causes a frame shift in terms of seeing the world from a different angle. People say that it’s like getting out the Orange Bubble, but I don’t think that’s the right explanation because service is more contiguous with my Princeton experience. It’s a way to extend the learning that I’ve already done on campus. Service also challenges me, as it requires a lot of empathy, problem solving and vulnerability. Vulnerability in the sense that service requires a lot of communication, especially for me because I work with little kids, so I have to be willing to show my vulnerable side, be real, take risks and let out my inner kid. It has helped me to grow as a student and person. KL: I think our unofficial motto is always something that we should keep at the back of our minds while going about our day, whether it’s actively volunteering, looking out for a friend on campus, or holding the door open for someone. For me, it’s been a good way to meet a lot of other Princeton students who want to be active in the community. We’re so blessed to be at Princeton, we pretty much have everything that we could want: meals on a daily basis and we have great professors. When you go out from the Princeton campus, and see people who don’t have all those necessities provided for them on a daily basis, it changes your perspective and makes you realize how fortunate you are, and want to give back. DP: Do you have a favourite memory from your volunteering experi-
ence? CR: What I love about LEAP is that you get to learn more about the same group of kids. You work with the same group of students throughout the year, and the program is for kids in kindergarten up till fifth grade, so if you volunteer with the program for multiple years, you get to see them grow over the years. I’ve loved seeing kids come out of their shells. I remember during one of the first days, there were two boys sitting in the corner, who had been signed up for LEAP as an extracurricular activity, but weren’t too excited about the idea of doing art. So they were pouting and seemed a bit upset. Ultimately though, we started working on a Halloween project with them, and they got really into it. They said that they were excited to return the next week. It was cool to see that kind of transformation. KL: Right before Thanksgiving Break, while volunteering at Loaves and Fishes, I met this gentleman who came up to me and started talking about his high school in South Carolina. Since it was football season, he was about to go to South Carolina to cheer the football team on. This past weekend, when I went down to volunteer, I saw him again and even though I hadn’t seen him in the last couple of months, we recognized each other. We had a conversation about how his team did (unfortunately they lost). Just these conversations that you can have with people on a weekly basis, and the chance to form a connection with them, that they might be unable to have during the week, is inspiring. During another day of volunteering, the same gentleman led all the volunteers in a large prayer, which was very cool.
Migrating in and out of nation-states: Seeking Refuge Conference at Princeton YANG SHAO
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Contributor ‘20
n March 3 and 4, “Seeking Refuge: Faith-Based Approaches to Forced Migration,” the second conference in the Poverty and Peacemaking series was hosted by the Office of Religious Life and the Community of Sant’Egidio. The opening and closing panels of the conference took place in McCosh Hall, while the panel discussions were held in Chancellor Green. Professors, politicians, UN representatives, NGO workers, and many other people from both the faith-based and the secular world came together during this weekend to confront and discuss issues of forced migration. “Seeking Refuge” provided a platform for engaged conversations, budding friendships, and an experience of solidarity at a time of crisis. In her opening remarks, the Rev. Alison Boden, dean of religious life and the chapel, said that the idea most central to the conference was friendship. “It sounds simple, but our goal is for everyone at the conference to make at least one new friend.” Throughout the conference, this idea was echoed in the sentiment that we ought to help forced immigrants as we would help a friend in need. Boden commended the passionate engagement of the 60 students who attended the conference, saying they were the “best advocates” for campuswide awareness of refugee-related is-
sues. She suggested that the University could further use its various cultural and linguistic resources for assisting refugee families and individuals. Stanley Katz, a professor at the Wilson School and a conference participant, expressed similar hopes and concerns. An advocate for the moral responsibility of university institutions and academic disciplines, Katz expressed gratitude at the work done by the Pace Center and the Office of Religious Life. At the same time, Professor Katz noted that the University is still not yet “well configured” enough with proactive social activities. This conference, he noted, is the first of its kind on campus in recent times, during which aiding refugees has become controversial, and it is “a good beginning.” Sohaib Sultan, the University coordinator for Muslim life and a speaker at the conference, said he believes in concern for the refugees’ wellbeing as an act of responsibility rather than merely humanitarian compassion. Having personally worked with Muslim leaders in America to combat anti-refugee sentiments and Islamophobia, he emphasized that the refugees are fleeing from radicalism rather than promoting it. According to Sultan, the refugee crisis “is the result of reckless American foreign policies in the past decade.” Consequently, he said that Princeton as a community, especially the American population, is responsible for addressing its problems. Sultan said he was happy that the conference allowed for conversations, collaboration, and
a renewed sense of purpose for this shared cause. Heba Gowayed, sociology Ph.D. candidate and a speaker at the conference, thought that the conference was important because it brought policy makers and researchers together to figure out the most practical and effective steps forward at this crucial political moment. As a researcher of Syrian resettlement in countries with different policy situations like the United States, Canada, and Italy, Gowayed views academic research as crucial to understanding what refugees’ lives would look like under different policies, and therefore, to designing the most optimal policies. Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a classics pro-
fessor, was one of the speakers in the opening panel of the conference. As a classicist, Peralta’s work focuses on what it means to be an immigrant and explores the subjectivity of a stranger in a foreign land. Peralta shared how the classics were actually inextricably linked with the topic of the conference. For example, Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid” is essentially about the immigrant experience — the movement, shock, and collision that arise upon a stranger’s arrival at a foreign land and founding of a new community. “Instead of teaching the texts in a traditional classroom setting,” Peralta said, “we could use other media — adaptations into play or short stories — to make them more accessible.” Maya Wahrman, a main organizer of the conference in the Office of Religious Life, commented that the planning of the conference began last August. She explained that in addition to obtaining visas for some international participants, she faced the challenge of bringing such diverse groups of participants together for the conference. However, according to Wahrman, while diversity in conversations and participants may not a guarantee a completely ‘comfortable’ experience, it allows everyone to be involved in the conference in very distinct ways. During the closing panel, which was titled “Once a Refuge, Always a Refuge?”, Tracy Smith, director and professor of creative writing, artistically tied up the conference by reading aloud quotes that she had collected over the course of the conference. She read:
“The toughest truth is that, to put the margins at the center, we with privilege need to give up far more than most are comfortable with. How does this truth change things? Imagine a circle of compassion. Imagine it growing until nobody is left out. What about the people who simply don’t care? Imagine a circle of compassion. Imagine it growing until nobody is left out. Who is a refugee? God’s first priority. God gives preference to the refugee. Who are we that ignore and persecute refugees? We are nothing if we are not helping. I am nothing if I am not asking: What would you like? What do you need?” It is in opening ourselves to others who have been wounded that we can awaken our own sense of having been broken, and our ability to offer and receive hospitality and friendship.” The conference ended with an interfaith ceremony, during which representatives of different faith groups read messages about “Seeking Refuge” from their respective faith groups. Finally, the student registration team read aloud names of people who had died in the process of migration while lighting candles in their honor. They explained that the names of these people had been written on the backs of each participant’s name tag, close to their hearts. Beyond the conference setting, the Office of Religious Life is also taking the opportunity to partner with these different organizations to seek constructive outcomes. More information about the conference and its participants can be found here.