Volume LXX, Number 21
www.towntopics.com
Council Approves Ordinance For Sewer Main Project
Dogs’ Contributions to Quality of Life at Mercer County Park . . . . . . . 10 American Ballet Theatre School Awards Scholarship to West Windsor Teen . . . . . . . 18 Princeton Pro Musica Closes With Tribute to American Music . . . . . 19 Ronald C . Davidson, Princeton Professor Emeritus of Astrophysical Sciences, Dies . . . . . . 34 PU Softball Falls in NCAA Regional . . . . . . . . . . 25 Hun Baseball Rallies for Prep A Championship as Coach McQuade Ends 46Year Run in Glory . . . . 30
Remembering General Hugh Mercer and the Battle of Princeton . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 35 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music/Theater . . . . . . 18 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 33 Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 35 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Princeton Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a bond ordinance improving the sewer main along portions of Snowden Lane and Van Dyke Road. The measure appropriates $775,000 but requires residents to contribute $34,000 each. The issue had been previously brought before residents at a neighborhood meeting. One person spoke at the Monday meeting against the proposal, which he felt was asking too high a cost of homeowners. But others urged Council to approve the project, which they said was needed for sanitary and health reasons. The governing body also voted in favor of an ordinance to charge $750 for land use application fees. The measure will help cover the cost of engineering reviews and inspections for single family and two-family dwellings. Princeton’s Planning Board previously reviewed the proposed ordinance and found it was consistent with the town’s master plan. Kristin Appelget, Princeton University’s director of Community and Regional Affairs, reported on a project to replace the green roof on Firestone Library, a project that will take five to six months to finish. Work is scheduled to begin on or about June 2. The roof is on a building that was added to the library in 1988. Replacing it will involve removing vegetation and soils, Ms. Appelget said. A sculpture by Louise Nevelson that is near the building will be temporarily removed during the project. Vehicles will take the soil to a site in West Windsor, and then bring it back to the building once the roof is repaired. The hauling will only take place during the beginning and end of the project. Sidewalks will remain open. The replacement is part of an ongoing renovation of Firestone Library. Phase Two, if approved, will begin next summer and involve the green roof of a 1971 addition to the complex. “Firestone is the largest building on campus and an overall refurbishment has been going on for years,” said Ms. Appelget. “We want it to be more inviting and make it a welcoming area near Nassau Street.” Councilman Bernie Miller commented, “This might be a good time to remind people that what they can see of Firestone is really the tip of the iceberg.” Continued on Page 4
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University Promotes Diversity on Multiple Fronts
As Princeton University alumni return for Reunions this weekend, many will remember an institution very different from the Princeton of 2016. It was 1909 when Princeton President Woodrow Wilson wrote to an African American applicant that it would be “altogether inadvisable for a colored man to enter,” but more recently, alumni from 70 years ago will recall a college that would not graduate an African American student until 1948. And 60 years ago, the Princeton faculty included just one African American professor, appointed in 1955. Only 50 years ago, it was still an all-male undergraduate body. There was not a single tenured female faculty member until 1968, and not until 1969 were women admitted as undergraduates. Now, in 2016, “We have made important progress this year, but our work is ongoing,” stated vice provost for institutional equity and diversity Michelle Minter. “Ensuring an inclusive campus climate requires a sustained and long-term commitment. New activities and ideas will emerge, and we want to continue to engage students, faculty and staff in these efforts.” But has Princeton kept up with the rap-
idly changing times, in terms of diversity, inclusion, equity? Has it moved into the 21st century in reflecting the transforming spirit and complexion of our nation? Has it successfully cast off the image of elitism and exclusive privilege evoked by its often proud — sometimes not so proud — heritage? One year after a University task force presented their proposals to make the campus more inclusive, just six months after Black Justice League members occupied Nassau Hall to demand action to
improve campus climate and inclusion, and less than two months after the University trustees’ called for expanded commitment to diversity and inclusion in support of proposals from a special Woodrow Wilson Legacy Committee, Princeton University recently announced that it has made significant progress during the past year to foster a more inclusive campus climate, and continues to implement new programs and practices to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion. More and more widely accepted as Continued on Page 15
Turning Tides and Changing Paradigms; Public Schools’ Chief Looks to the Future As the 2015-16 school year winds down in Princeton Public Schools (PPS), many students and their teachers are working hard to keep their focus on the June 20 finish line, students’ last-day-of school and graduation day for Princeton High School seniors. But Superintendent Steve Cochrane has a vision of the future that might mean dramatic changes for PPS.
In his Superintendent’s Messages on the district website in recent months, Mr. Cochrane has called for nothing less than “turning the tide” (in transforming the college admissions process) and “shifting the paradigm” (in getting beyond debates about standardized testing to focusing instead on innovation). In his March column, Mr. Cochrane confronted the conflict of competitive Continued on Page 15
A CONCERT UNDER THE STARS AT UPDIKE FARMSTEAD: The Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) will host its fifth annual Concert Under the Stars fundraiser on Saturday, June 4 from 6:30 – 10 p .m . This year’s event will feature a 90-minute live performance by “reggae-influenced rock/pop” band, The Samples . Concert Committee Co-Chairs Tracy Sipprelle and Debora Haines describe the event as “a unique kick-off-to-summer party, with a casual blue jeans and boots flair .” Tickets are available online at www .princetonhistory .org, or by phone: (609) 921-6748 x 105 .
Jenny Crumiller s
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
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