Volume LXXI, Number 19 Local “Penny Poll” Shows Disconnect With Federal Spending. . . . . . . . . . . 5 Racist Incident Prompts Strong Response . . . . . 9 From Hell’s Traces to Kafka in Princeton. . . 16 Nassau Film Festival Comes to Princeton Garden Theatre. . . . . 19 PSO Closes Season With Metamorphosis. . . . . 20 PU Women’s Lax Wins Ivy Tourney, Will Host NCAA Contest. . . . . . . . . . . 28 Hun Boys’ Lacrosse Falls in Prep A Title Game. . . . 32
Marvin Rosen's 20 Years of “Classical Discoveries” on WPRB . . . . . . . . . 21 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads. . . . . . . . 37 Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Music/Theater . . . . . . . 19 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . 35 Police Blotter. . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . 37 Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Topics of the Town . . . . . 5 Town Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Faculty, Students Protest Sale of Choir College At Westminster Rally Faced with the prospect of Rider University’s sale of Westminster Choir College and other cost-cutting measures designed to offset a projected $13 million deficit, students, alumni, and faculty members held a rally Monday afternoon on the green at Westminster’s Walnut Lane campus. “We have a president and a board who have imagined they are running a corporation,” Rider Professor Art Taylor, president of the University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), told the gathering. “It’s happening [in colleges] all over America, and it’s chilling. It comes down to, what is it you value? I know what they value — It’s the land you’re standing on,” he said, referring to Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo and Board of Trustees President Julie Karns. Rider, which is in Lawrenceville, has owned Westminster since 1992. Rider’s mounting deficit and a decline in enrollment inspired the plan to sell off the Westminster campus. The AAUP chapter, which recently voted no confidence in the University’s leadership, is also opposed to proposals that would erase limits on class size, end support for faculty research, increase teaching load, and cut outside-ofclass contact with students. While Mr. Dell’Omo said efforts are being made to find a buyer that would keep Westminster in Princeton, Rider will sell to an institution that would relocate the school if the first option fails to pan out by 2018. It is also possible that a buyer would only be interested in the choir college, leaving Rider to sell the campus to a third party. Protestors say selling Westminster is a bad idea all around, and they want Rider to reconsider and rescind what Mr. Taylor called “a terrible, terrible fiscal decision.” The AAUP contract expires September 1 and negotiations between the union and Mr. Dell’Omo are scheduled for this summer. Speakers at the rally said that if the negotiations fail, an arbitrator would be brought in. Should no agreement be reached, the faculty could strike. Students at the rally were urged to sign a banner pledging they would join their teachers on the picket line if necessary. “If the faculty sees the students are organized, they’ll negotiate,” said Professor Joel Phillips. Continued on Page 12
TRUE COMMUNITY.
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Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Now’s the Time to Combat Emerald Ash Borer
The emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation continues to spread in the Princeton area, and time is running out for government officials and local residents to take action. First sighted here in August 2015, the invasive beetle is expected, within three to five years, to kill all of Princeton’s approximately 2,000 ash trees if untreated — almost 11 percent of the town’s tree population. “We are at a critical juncture in the infestation cycle,” said Princeton Shade Tree Commission (STC) Chair Sharon Ainsworth. “The time is now to decide which ash trees are candidates for treatment and to identify those that need removal this year or within the next few years.” Also sounding the alarm, town arborist Lorraine Konopka advised, “Make a game plan. If you have ash trees that are in decent condition, you need to figure out your five-year plan. Ascertain what trees to remove and what trees to treat.” Ms. Konopka, in conjunction with the STC, is actively engaged in identifying public trees to be treated and those to be removed. Public trees that are candidates for saving will be treated by direct injection
with insecticide in the base of the tree at the roots. “If removal is the best option,” Ms. Konopka continued, “It’s safer to remove now rather than later. The removal is more complicated and dangerous if the tree is dead.” The STC website (princetonshadetree. org) includes a guide to assist property owners in deciding which trees to remove and which to treat. It also provides a list of certified tree experts who can assist with the decision-making process, and a
guide for insecticide options. “Not making a decision is in itself a decision,” Ms. Ainsworth warned. “Untreated ash trees can be expected to die within the next few years.” Depending on Council action, dealing with the infestation will most likely be an ongoing process, as ashes continue to die and be replaced by trees that do not host EAB, but while the STC awaits funding determination from the town, they are Continued on Page 10
Route 518 Bridge Reopens in Rocky Hill Ending Nearly a Year of Frustration The Route 518 bridge over the D&R Canal finally reopened last Thursday night, easing traffic woes for commuters and safety concerns for residents of Rocky Hill. The project that was supposed to take four weeks extended to 10 months, frustrating motorists with backups and delays. Work to replace the bridge began last July. The span was closed less than a week later, when Gov. Chris Christie ordered work suspended on all “non-
essential” road projects because the transportation trust fund of the New Jersey Department of Transportation had run out of money. Efforts resumed once Gov. Christie signed a bill increasing the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon, and the re-funding issue was resolved. But after creosote was discovered near the project last February, the project was once again brought to a temporary halt. Route 518 is one of the busiest roads Continued on Page 12
MORVEN IN MAY: Although there was a chill in the air, last weekend’s Morven in May festival at the Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton proved once again to be one of New Jersey’s most popular spring rituals. The art, craft, and garden event featured contemporary, American-made fine art and craft items along with an heirloom plant sale including flowers, new varieties of annuals and perennials, and select plants propagated from Morven’s own garden. All proceeds from the event help fund the Museum’s exhibitions, historic gardens, and educational programs. (Photograph by Emily Reeves)
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