2010 USG Annual Report by Adi Rajagopalan

2010 Annual Report Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS AT A GLANCE

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

TREASURER’S REPORT

FIGURE 1: USG BUDGET ALLOCATION OVER TIME FIGURE 2: FALL 2010 FISCAL BREAKDOWN TABLE 1: 2009-‐2010 USG OPERATING BUDGET

9 10 11

ACADEMICS COMMITTEE REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS CHANGE IN PAST COURSES’ ERESERVES AVAILABILITY ERESERVES LISTINGS ON PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY WEBSITE PUBLIC COURSE MATERIALS ON BLACKBOARD UPCOMING PROJECT: “I WISH I HAD KNOWN…”

12 12 12 12 12

UNDERGRADUATE LIFE COMMITTEE REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS USG-‐ULC FITNESS CLASSES OUTDOOR FURNITURE NEAR UPPERCLASS DORMS UPCOMING PROJECTS: PEQUODS, GENDER-‐NEUTRAL HOUSING, AND TRANSPORTATION 2010 ULC DISCUSSION TOPICS LOCKOUT POLICY ACC DISCUSSION FUNDING PORTAL PRESENTATION WORKING GROUP ON SOCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL LIFE SPRING 2010 ULC DISCUSSION TOPICS

13 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 14 14

SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS FALL 2010 LAWNPARTIES FROSTFEST FALL DEAN’S DATE EVENT ONGOING PROJECT: SPRING 2011 LAWNPARTIES TABLED PROJECT: BATTLE OF THE BANDS

15 15 15 16 16 16

2010 Annual Report Table of Contents

IT COMMITTEE REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS ACADEMICS AND EVENTS CALENDAR SENATE PLAYBOOK NEW EVENTS CALENDAR AND RE-‐LAUNCH OF TIGERFINDER ONGOING PROJECT: PRINTERS IN FRIST TABLED PROJECT: MOVING POINT TO TIGERAPPS TABLED PROJECT: RENTAL VIDEO CAMERAS

17 17 17 17 18 18 18

CPUC REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING CPUC MEETING AGENDAS

19 19 19

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY’S REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS SENATE MEETING SUMMARY USG OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS INTERNAL CHANGES SENATE SECRETARY UPCOMING PROJECT: MORE USG OFFICE CHANGES

21 21 21 22 22 22

STUDENT GROUP RECOGNITION COMMITTEE REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS LEADERSHIP SUMMIT NEW STUDENT GROUPS

23 23 23

PROJECTS BOARD REPORT

HIGHLIGHTS DISBURSED $150,000 TO STUDENT GROUPS STREAMLINING INTERNAL PROCESSES HELD PROJECTS BOARD OPEN HOUSE

24 24 24 24

FALL 2010 PROJECTS REFERENCE

ANNUAL REPORT ATHLETICS COMMITTEE PROMOTIONS BATTLE OF THE BANDS EXPANDING UFO MOVIES TO GARDEN THEATRE FROSTFEST

25 25 26 26 26

2010 Annual Report Table of Contents

GRADING POLICY RESEARCH GREEN-‐THEMED STUDY BREAKS LED LIGHT BULB EXCHANGE MEAL EXCHANGE REFORM NUTRITION FESTIVAL ONLINE COURSE MATERIALS PRINCETON ON A SHOESTRING PRINTERS IN FRIST SEXUAL HEALTH INITIATIVE SHAREPOINT SERVER FOR USG STUDENT GROUP CLEANUP THANKSGIVING BREAK/ACADEMIC CALENDAR REFORM TIGERAPPS: EVENTS CALENDAR, ICE, AND TIGERAPPS REDESIGN TIGERRIDES (USG BUSES) USG STUDY BREAKS

27 27 27 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 31 31 31 32 32

SPRING 2010 PROJECTS REFERENCE

APPEALS COMMITTEE FOR GRADES CAREER SERVICES DATABASE OF COMPANIES EASIER ACCESS TO SCORE COURSE REVIEWS END-‐OF-‐YEAR COLLECTION PROMOTION FEEDBACK LOOP FIRESTONE VIDEO CHATS IMPROVED TOILET PAPER LATE-‐NIGHT FOOD ON PROSPECT OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT 2014 & INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PRINCETON RETREAT IMPROVEMENTS SERVICE PROJECTS TRANSCRIPT LETTER ACCOMPANIMENT

33 33 33 33 34 34 34 34 35 35 35 36 36

APPENDIX A: UNDERSTANDING THE USG BUDGET

APPENDIX B: MEET THE OUTGOING USG

APPENDIX C: MEET THE INCOMING USG

APPENDIX D: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

2010 Annual Report At A Glance

AT A GLANCE A DI R AJAGOPALAN ‘13

PROJECTS WITH PROMISE

BIGGEST SUCCESSES •  Athle\cs Commiaee •  Calendar TigerApp

•  Buses for Club Sports

•  Fall Lawnpar\es with B.o.B •  Free Group Fitness Classes

•  Gender-‐Neutral Housing Expansion

•  FrostFest

•  LED Lightbulb Exchange

•  Garden Theatre Films

•  Meal Exchange Reform

•  Mid-‐year & Annual Reports

•  PawPoints at Wawa

•  Nutri\on Fes\val

•  Point/TigerApps Revamp

•  Princeton on a Shoestring

•  Student Group Cleanup

•  Sexual Health Ini\a\ve

•  Spring Lawnpar\es

•  TigerRides

2010 Annual Report President’s Letter

PRESIDENT’S LETTER M ICHAEL Y AROSHEFSKY ‘12 There are many interpretations of our mission as the USG, but none are as simple and accurate as “to make students happy.” This straightforward objective speaks to our ability to effect changes on campus with the administration, but also captures our simpler initiatives, such as free Garden Theater movies, or web applications like the Integrated Course Engine. In terms of this simple goal of increasing student happiness, the USG has had a successful 2010; however, we also have room to improve next year. On one hand, I am extremely proud of the breadth of our projects. We have undertaken projects to improve student health and well-‐being, increase school spirit during our athletic events, extend the reach of a modest student budget, and motivate late-‐evening study sessions with free cups of coffee. Simultaneously, we have retooled and revitalized the USG to be more internally collaborative, more responsive to student concerns, and better respected by the campus community. These changes have reaped immediate benefits to the student body, and have planted seeds that will continue to strengthen the USG and make our organization more effective in the immediate future. Additionally, I take pride in noting that many of our most successful projects were ones that required a considerable degree of collaboration with those beyond the USG: we snagged student discounts by working with local proprietors, hosted the FrostFest winter celebration with dozens of other student groups, and set up free fitness classes for the second half of the fall semester with Campus Recreation. These accomplishments required a great deal of work—sometimes nearly 7 months of work—but have been some of our greatest successes. Nonetheless, the USG has plenty of work yet to do. Most notably, we were weakest in the area that matters the most: academics. This should be addressed next semester.

2010 Annual Report President’s Letter

Unfortunately, the areas in which we can and did achieve the most are the areas where the benefit to students is the least impactful. Planning social events, making web applications, increasing school spirit are areas where we excelled, but these projects were not nearly as broadly influential as, for example, Pass/D/Fail policy change last year. We also chose not to attempt certain projects because the campus climate was not appropriate. It is much like surfing: when you see an even bigger wave approaching, you wait a little longer to ride that one. For us, a retiring administrator, an upcoming working group report, or a current project we have not yet finished might be reasons why the climate is not right to attempt a certain project. For example, when the University is considering laying off staff because of the poor economy, it’s probably not the best time to ask for two-‐ply toilet paper and expect to be taken seriously. Likewise, when the Dean of the College, who has previously been against late meal extensions, is about to retire, it makes sense to hold off until the new Dean takes office before pitching similar ideas. Therefore, I stand by our decisions on which projects we decided to pursue, but acknowledge that sometimes our long-‐term strategy might be disappointing for students who only have four years to reap the rewards. As we wrap up 2010 and set fresh eyes on 2011, I hope the USG Annual Report will allow you to draw your own conclusions on how successful we have been. Our goal with this report is to provide those reading at present a candid account of our year and to offer those reading in the future a historical perspective on our ups and downs. As far as we know, this is the first ever USG report of this kind, and we hope that compiling such a year-‐end summary will be a sustained practice for future administrations. Fortunately, the 2011 USG President is committed to these types of reports, too; I hear he is a swell guy.

Michael Yaroshefsky USG President

2010 Annual Report Vice President’s Report

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT S AM D ORISON ‘11 A major goal of this year’s USG was to engage the student body more effectively. Our belief—that engagement was more than just a buzzword and would yield real benefits—has proven true over the past twelve months. It is worth noting several of this year’s efforts to engage the student body. First, we implemented the USG Feedback Loop listserv. Every student group (both official and unofficial) was invited to sign up a group leader for the list. Approximately every week or so, President Yaroshefsky e-‐mailed the listserv asking for feedback and suggestions regarding USG projects. We hoped that by targeting a few individuals from each group, we could reach constituencies on the Princeton campus that did not typically work with the USG. Overall, this initiative has been incredibly successful, allowing a more diverse set of students to provide input, and providing the USG with perspectives we don’t typically register. Second, many of our projects required partnering with student groups. As President Yaroshefsky noted in his report, working collaboratively requires planning well in advance to help overcome coordination and logistic obstacles. With our new project proposal system (an internal system for planning our projects as specifically as possible), the USG rose to the challenge. To provide a few examples: • • •

In overseeing the USG Nutrition Event, Senator Derek Welski worked with Dining Services, ODUS, and various counseling groups. In organizing FrostFrest, social chair Jake Sally worked with international groups to help provide various international foods for the student body. Providing free fitness classes to students, Undergraduate Life Committee Chair Michael Weinberg worked with Dave Leach, Brian Monsen, and Susan Crane from Campus Recreation.

A second goal, particularly during the second half of our year, was to tackle additional, smaller projects besides our classic large-‐scale events such as Lawnparties and Dean’s Date. These included the projects listed above, but also included some noteworthy initiatives such as arranging busses before vacation (led by U-‐Councilor Tulio Burgos). Looking ahead, I have high hopes for the 2011-‐2012 USG and wish President Yaroshefsky and Vice President Catherine good luck. They have proposed an ambitious agenda, headlined by Project ALTA. I fully expect that the progress we have made this year—seeking the opinions of a wide range of students and partnering with student groups—will prove beneficial to all of the USG’s future undertakings. Finally, I would be remiss not to thank everyone who made this year’s USG so successful. This group includes members of the USG, administrators who worked closely with us, and students who voiced their opinion and provided valuable criticisms over the year.

2010 Annual Report Treasurer’s Report

TREASURER’S REPORT T REVOR M ARTIN ‘11 Although many valuable USG initiatives cost nothing, the budget in some ways indicates the priorities that the USG will have for the coming semester. Expenses are spread around a variety of USG services and initiatives, with every effort made to spend USG funds in the most impactful and student-‐focused manner possible (see Figure 1 for the budget allocations over time). An example breakdown of USG expenses for the past semester is shown in Figure 2. The most recent total USG operational budget was $166,172.50 (an increase of $10,672.50 over the budget of previous years, due to the increasing size of the undergraduate student body)—with the main expense categories consisting of the Social Budget, which includes the allocation for Lawnparties; the Projects Board budget, which provides funds to registered student groups by application; and the USG General Fund, which is used to fund committee work and new initiatives throughout the semester. If you have any questions regarding the USG budget, feel free to forward them to us.

FIGURE 1: USG BUDGET ALLOCATION OVER TIME 100% 90% CCA

80%

ULC 70%

Elec\ons Oﬃce

60%

Academics

50%

UFO Projects Board

40%

Social Staﬀ Salaries

30%

USG General

20% 10% 0% Fall '08

Spring '09

Fall '09

Spring '10

Fall '10

2010 Annual Report Treasurer’s Report

FIGURE 2: FALL 2010 FISCAL BREAKDOWN

2010 Annual Report Treasurer’s Report

TABLE 1: 2009-‐2010 USG OPERATING BUDGET Committee USG General Staff Salaries Social Projects Board UFO Academics Office/System Elections ULC CCA

Item

Fall '09

Ivy Council Expenses Senate Pilot Programs Senate Retreat Liz Duffy Fund Advertising Web Services Executive Secretary Webmasters Office Staff Concerts & Entertainment Student Group Events Film Series General Funds Phone Supplies Office Renovations Technology Maintenance Campaigning Expenses Meet the Candidates Activities Fair Communiversity Total

Spring '10

1,000.00 26,030.00 500.00 0.00 2,000.00 0.00

1,500.00 16,580.00 500.00 750.00 2,000.00 1,000.00

0.00 2,000.00 2,500.00

17,500.00

300.00 3,500.00 0.00 750.00

300.00 3,500.00 200.00 750.00

120.00 300.00

3,000.00

Note: See Appendix A for more information on the USG Budget.

120.00 300.00

500.00

500.00 155,500.00

300.00 3,500.00 0.00 750.00

500.00

17,500.00

500.00

35,000.00

17,500.00

500.00

60,000.00

35,000.00

0.00 0.00 2,500.00

70,000.00

35,000.00

0.00 38,702.50 500.00 0.00 2,000.00 1,000.00

0.00 0.00 2,500.00

60,000.00

Fall '10

3,000.00

2,000.00 155,500.00

500.00 166,172.50

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

ACADEMICS COMMITTEE REPORT B ECCA L EE ‘12

HIGHLIGHTS • • • •

Notified students of change in past courses’ eReserves availability Publicized availability of course eReserves on Library website Investigated bug in Blackboard, found a solution to access syllabi and other materials for courses in which students are not enrolled Upcoming project: “What I Wish I Had Known” project to help incoming freshmen choose classes

CHANGE IN PAST COURSES’ ERESERVES AVAILABILITY In discussions with the University’s Blackboard administrator, it came to the attention of the USG that eReserves from past courses would no longer be available beginning Spring 2011. EReserves availability is governed by copyright laws, which stipulate that the materials can only be available for the duration of the course. The fact that eReserves will only be available for the current semester’s courses marks a change in practice, not in policy. Upon receiving this information, the USG publicized the upcoming change in availability, allowing students to make necessary arrangements for readings from past courses that they hope to use again in the future. E RESERVES LISTINGS O N PRINCETON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY WEBSITE This semester, the USG’s academic focus was on improving the course selection process. One common complaint we heard from students was that they wanted to be able to view the eReserves and course readings prior to enrolling in the class. Although the actual material can only be accessed by enrolled students, the University Library maintains a database of all books from which selections are requested, sorted by course and professor. The USG publicized this service, and posted a link on Blackboard.

PUBLIC COURSE MATERIALS ON BLACKBOARD The Blackboard update in summer 2010 resulted in a bug that prevented students from accessing the public materials, including syllabi, of courses they had not yet enrolled in. The USG found a temporary solution to this problem: if students do not log in and access Blackboard as “guests,” they can still access the materials. The problem was also brought to the University’s attention, and Blackboard developers are working on a long-‐term fix.

UPCOMING PROJECT: “I WISH I HAD KNOWN…” The Academics Committee is looking to work with ODUS and the Office of the Dean of the College to build a web resource similar to Project 2014, but with the angle of giving students academic advice for particular majors, certificates, courses, etc. This project is still in its infancy, but promises to be extremely useful for students looking to navigate the array of opportunities and requirements available at Princeton.

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

UNDERGRADUATE LIFE COMMITTEE REPORT M ICHAEL W EINBERG ‘11

HIGHLIGHTS • • • •

Added outdoor furniture (benches, chairs, etc.) to several locations near upperclass dorms Helped sponsor free fitness classes to help promote campus fitness Held two fall and four spring ULC meetings with a number of discussion topics Upcoming Projects: Pequods, Gender-‐Neutral Housing, and Club Sports Transportation

USG-‐ULC FITNESS CLASSES After discussion with the Committee on Campus Recreation, the ULC recommended to use USG funds to sponsor free fitness classes in Dillon Gym. As such, we worked with Susan Crane, Dave Leach, and Brian Monsen to determine the classes that would achieve the biggest bang for students’ buck. The USG approved $2200 to sponsor a week of all free fitness classes, and then one free spinning class and one free fitness class each day, Monday through Thursday, for a half-‐semester. The results of this project were stunning. In the chart below, we document the average number of participants in eight fitness classes before the USG-‐ULC decided to sponsor those classes (specifically, before Fall Break), as well as the average number of participants after USG-‐ULC sponsorship. Note that capacity for all spinning classes is thirteen: Class Monday Body Attack Tuesday Body Pump Wednesday Body Attack Thursday Body Pump Monday Spinning Tuesday Spinning Wednesday Spinning Thursday Spinning

Pre-‐Fall Break 12 12 12 7 4 5 4 4

Post-‐Fall Break 44 26 46 25 12 11 10 13

OUTDOOR FURNITURE NEAR UPPERCLASS DORMS We installed furniture (including benches and tables with connected chairs) in several locations near upperclass dorms. We hope that these will create convenient spaces in upperclass dorms, which often lack the study spaces that characterize many of the four-‐year residential colleges.

UPCOMING PROJECTS: PEQUODS, GENDER-‐NEUTRAL HOUSING, AND TRANSPORTATION We have a number of agenda items planned for the year. Among these are the following:

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

• • •

Compiling a list of classes with large Pequods, as well as classes with large enrollments that use Pequods, and to reach out to the professors of those classes. Analyzing Gender-‐Neutral Housing data, with the hopes of exploring possible expansions. Working with Kim Jackson of Transportation and Parking Services to discuss the feasibility of a shuttle to West Windsor fields to make the trip easier for students on club sports teams.

2010 ULC DISCUSSION TOPICS LOCKOUT POLICY Housing has sought to change the school’s lockout policy in response to the 12,000 lockouts that take place each year, each of which takes 30 minutes of Public Safety time. Given this, and Housing’s intentions to begin its lockout policy in Spring 2011, the ULC recommended pushing back the start of new lockout policy to the beginning fall 2011 after a heavy advertising campaign. In our discussions, we also recommended a grace period during September. Finally, we noted that students often get locked out when taking a shower, so many students will not be able to physically retrieve their keys.

ACC DISCUSSION The full ULC met with the ACC, to discuss the ACC’s structure and definition of high-‐risk drinking. The ACC also presented the work of its 2010 working groups: Fall Workshop, Spring Symposium, and Data.

FUNDING PORTAL PRESENTATION Amy Campbell, Director of Campus Life Initiatives, and Diana Davies, Vice Provost for International Initiatives, presented regarding the Administration’s goal to create a one-‐stop location for students to request funding, and to level the playing field for students who don’t know how to request funding. The project is ongoing, and will hopefully increase transparency as to how money is allocated, while improving communication amongst the different funding sources at Princeton.

WORKING GROUP ON SOCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL LIFE The ULC acted as one of the focus groups for Vice President Cherrey’s Working Group on Social and Residential Life. The results of the Working Group’s research are forthcoming.

SPRING 2010 ULC DISCUSSION TOPICS The ULC engaged in a number of discussions in Spring 2010, including the following: • • • • • • •

Update from eating co-‐op presidents Mid-‐year update from the Steering Committee on Women’s Leadership Update on early arrival policy Report from peer mentoring programs (PUMP) Summary and discussion of results from Combo Survey Review and discussion of Princeton’s emergency response policies and of the school’s “blue light” communication poles Reports from Career Services, Dining, and Housing

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT J AKE S ALLY ‘12

HIGHLIGHTS • • • •

Hosted successful Fall Lawnparties concert with B.o.B and Super Mash Bros Ran first-‐ever FrostFest winter festival in Dillon Gym In Progress: Readying for Spring Lawnparties concert Tabled Project: Battle of the Bands

FALL 2010 LAWNPARTIES The 2010 Fall Lawnparties event was a great success. With sponsoring from Alcohol Initiative, the USG was able to provide a fantastic alcohol-‐free alternative to the eating clubs’ house parties. This year the USG was able to bring the mashup artists Super Mash Bros., a well-‐known DJ duo from Los Angeles, who got the event started by playing a combination of Top 40, house, and electronic music. By the time Super Mash Bros finished their set, everyone was dancing, energized, and ready for the main act. The headliner for the fall was the rising hip-‐hop star B.o.B, famous for “Airplanes,” and “Magic,” both Billboard Top 10 songs. In doing so, the USG delivered in full on its commitment to provide an awesome fall concert for the students.

FROSTFEST FrostFest was a winter festival held in Dillon gym designed to celebrate the chilly winter months that Princeton students know too well. Open to the entire undergraduate body, the event boasted an extensive array of activities holiday cheer: an international buffet (with each group providing food traditionally eaten during their cultures respective winter holidays), a capella caroling, an ice sculpture of a tiger, cookie decorating, a snowflake making station, hot chocolate, holiday music, gingerbread house building, DDR and Rock Band stations, and an ice cream sundae station. While overall a success— student turnout reached approximately 1000—the event did have hiccups, which resulted in some waste. The “one ton sundae” ended up as a sundae bar due to container issues, the a capella groups that came were great, but did not receive the full attention of the student crowd that we desired, we ran out of hot chocolate, frosting, and gingerbread houses early in the event, and there were a substantial number of cookies left over after the event. Additionally, we failed to contact some student

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

groups on campus that would’ve been interested in having food stations, and the decorations and the overall setup was not complete when the event officially started. Help came from a number of parties outside of the USG and the Social Committee: We worked with the Student Design Agency to produce colorful posters for the event. Working with both ISAP and the Davis International Center, we were able to bring together a large number of international and cultural groups for the food buffet. Finally, Dining Services provided all of the food for the event; the hot chocolate was an especially large hit.

FALL DEAN’S DATE EVENT The USG executed its semesterly Dean’s Date event with a few twists this year: first, a giant countdown clock was placed at the center of McCosh Courtyard. The clock turned out to be a surprisingly nice touch—as 5 pm approached, thousands of students counted down the last seconds remaining before Dean’s Date. The second twist was a bit costlier: for the USG gift, we provided black, custom-‐designed Princeton sweatpants. The sweatpants were a hit—no sweatpants remained minutes after 5:00; however, this left a number of students dissatisfied with the disappearance of the USG sweatpants. As such, future Social Committees ought consider benefit-‐per-‐student ratio of such gifts, and ought especially consider giving gifts that can fit in the USG budget, but benefit larger numbers of students.

ONGOING PROJECT: SPRING 2011 LAWNPARTIES Just like the Fall Lawnparties event, the Spring Lawnparties event will feature both an opening act—Big K.R.I.T—and a headliner musical act—Wiz Khalifa.

TABLED PROJECT: BATTLE OF THE BANDS Though Battle of the Bands has been tabled for this year, the event is still in the works for future years. The goal of B.o.t.B is to create a musical showcase in which student bands on campus will compete for a currently undesignated prize. This event will potentially take place during Princeton Preview, which would be a great event for admitted students to attend in order to see one aspect of Princeton life. In addition to the student bands, discussions with Vice President of Campus Life Cynthia Cherrey have opened up the possibility of expanding the Battle of the Ban ds to be a musical showcase for the entire Princeton community—possibly featuring performances by ensembles, singers, and dance groups. The current constraint for B.o.t.B is financial: the USG budget simply cannot accommodate an event of B.o.t.B’s size. As such, future Social Committee and USG administrations need to seek out alternative funding sources before pursuing this project again.

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

IT COMMITTEE REPORT R AFI S HAMIM ‘13

HIGHLIGHTS • • • • • • •

Created undergraduate academics and events calendar Developed project update form to be used on USG Senate Playbook website Launched events calendar TigerApps Re-‐launched TigerFinder In Progress: Installation of printers on the 100-‐Level of Frist Center Tabled Project: Porting Point to TigerApps to make features modular Tabled Project: Work with Media Services to see if USG can purchase video cameras that students can rent for a day.

ACADEMICS AND EVENTS CALENDAR The new academics and events calendars will serve as an easy-‐to-‐use tool for people to learn of important dates during the school year. Our aim with the calendar is to add events that will be of interest to a very large majority of students (at least 75%). We added undergraduate academic events from the official Registrar calendar to a subscription calendar hosted on Google, under the USG Senate Google Apps account. We are also adding important social events that would appeal to most of the student body as they are announced. This includes events such as Lawnparties, Pre-‐rade, Dean’s Date celebrations, and Frist-‐fest. These two calendars were then embedded on to the USG website, with instructions to subscribe to them.

SENATE PLAYBOOK The Senate Playbook is a site hosted on Google Apps, initially created by Michael Yaroshefsky. One of the features of the site is a way to keep track of progress of ongoing projects. This tool has seen considerable use during Fall 2010. To implement this tool, we designed a form connected to a spreadsheet using Google Docs.

NEW EVENTS CALENDAR AND RE-‐LAUNCH OF TIGERFINDER TigerApps, the collection of web applications maintained by the USG, has seen an important addition this year. In November, we launched the Princeton Events Calendar (cal.tigerapps.org), a website that allows students to create events, send invitations, browse upcoming events, and subscribe to calendars.

2010 Annual Report Core Committee Reports

Note that this application is not the same as the USG-‐maintained calendar described above. This tool was built by Ethan Goldstein ‘12, Samantha Hantman ‘12, Dana Hoffman ‘12, Adriana Susnea ‘12, and Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12. We also were in consistent contact with Michael Bachand '10 for the re-‐launch of TigerFinder, a tool for students locate their friends on campus. Finally, the TigerApps launch page underwent a redesign with new logos created by Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12.

ONGOING PROJECT: PRINTERS IN FRIST We are in the process of working with OIT and Frist to install printers on the 100-‐Level of the student center. Our goal is to put the printers in a location that is convenient and quick for students. We plan to move one of the printers from the upper levels of Frist, which see less use, to the accessible 100-‐Level. We also need to install a storage cabinet for paper and toner, which may be locked by a key held by OIT or by a prox-‐activated lock. OIT has specified that they will not pay for the printer or related equipment. Although we have encountered only positive feedback from students for this plan, it is moving more slowly than we would like. Some of the blocks are coordinating with OIT and Frist on how to lock the storage cabinet, whether the computers in Frist will be able to print, and whether they wish to work with the USG to move this project forward. As such, the future of this project is uncertain.

TABLED PROJECT: MOVING POINT TO TIGERAPPS After contacting Hao Lian '11 to determine the feasibility of moving Point modules to TigerApps, we have not moved forward with the project. Hao's estimate is that the project would take two months, but our committee did not have the resources to pursue the project further.

TABLED PROJECT: RENTAL VIDEO CAMERAS The idea to allow students to rent video cameras did not ever launch successfully. Our committee did not show sufficient interest to undertake this project. On a related note, the USG did purchase its own video camera, which it hopes to be able to use at events it sponsors.

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

CPUC REPORT M ERIK M ULCAHY ’13 & J OHN A LLEN Z UMPETTA ‘11

HIGHLIGHTS • •

Restructured relationship between USG and CPUC to provide smoother communication between both groups Held three CPUC meetings, with a number of presentation topics

INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING The charter of the USG U-‐Council prescribes that the body is to represent the interests and initiative of the general undergraduate population. An important aspect of this unique charter within the USG Senate is that U-‐Councilors act as a liaison between the USG and the Committee of the Princeton University Community (CPUC), which is chaired by President Shirley Tilghman. The CPUC is a monthly meeting of university leaders and community members to discuss updates from various departments of the campus community. This year the USG U-‐Council has worked to improve this liaison with a few concrete procedures: • •

Present the CPUC agenda to the USG senate and gather inputs relating to the agenda on behalf of USG project planners. Take our own minutes from the CPUC and present them to the USG senate so that administrative and community news and initiatives are communicated and all questions are answered.

The U-‐Council’s more active approach to its role in the CPUC has been part of an effort to incorporate the work of the many administrative departments into the planning process of USG projects. In the process, we have found many opportunities for collaboration with various campus policy makers and created a more effective USG agenda. As we continue to build the USG’s relationship with the CPUC, the USG U-‐Council is now exploring ways in which we might quickly and accurately aggregate student opinion in preparation for CPUC meeting agendas.

CPUC MEETING AGENDAS In the fall of 2010, the CPUC held three open meetings, spanning the following topics: December 13: • International programs and initiatives. Jacqueline Leighton, Director of the Davis International Center, Professor Jeremy Adelman, Director of the Council for International Teaching and Research. • Report on a survey of graduate students conducted in 2009-‐10. Jed Marsh, vice provost for institutional research, and members of the Graduate School.

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

November 15: • Update on the work of the Priorities Committee. Provost Eisgruber • Summary of early arrival process and move-‐in for undergraduates. Amy Campbell, Director, Campus Life Initiatives, and Chad Klaus, Assistant Vice President for Facilities • Update on Firestone Library renovations. Karin Trainer, University Librarian • Demonstrations of online campus events calendars. Michael Yaroshefsky '12, USG President; Emily Shandley, Associate Director, University Scheduling October 4: • Introduction of Vice President for Campus Life Cynthia Cherrey • Update on sustainability efforts. Shana Weber, Director of the Office of Sustainability • Update on the current financial state of the University. Provost Christopher Eisgruber • Update on implementation of the recommendations from the Eating Club Task Force and an introduction of the Working Group on Campus and Residential Life. Mr. Durkee, Vice President and Secretary, and Ms. Cherrey. Meetings from the minutes can be found at http://www.princeton.edu/vpsec/cpuc/minutes/.

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY’S REPORT H AE B IN K IM ‘13

HIGHLIGHTS • • • • •

Held 25 Senate meetings from February 2010 to January 2011 Improved the USG Office to make it more welcoming and usable Restructured Senate meeting format to improve efficiency Created the Senate Secretary position to assist with running USG meetings Upcoming Project: More USG office improvements

SENATE MEETING SUMMARY In President Michael Yaroshefsky’s administration from February 2010 to January 2011, a total of 25 senate meetings took place, and a total of 38 students served in the USG. Minutes from all 25 meetings are publicly available on the USG website.

USG OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS In an effort to make the USG office a more welcoming place for students, a few changes have been made in furniture, facilities and giveaways: • •

•

Two desktop computers have been installed for purposes of quick printing or email checks A new seating area is created with coaches and a coffee table. The welcome desk has been moved aside to the corner, so that the desk is less of a barrier to using the overall space Weekly magazines are delivered to the office A coffee bar has been created, stocked with free coffee and snacks The office is decorated in seasonal themes like Christmas and Valentine’s Day Lamps have been added to make the office brighter and more cheerful

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

INTERNAL CHANGES We worked on improving the efficiency of the senate by improving the logistics of the meeting: • • • • • •

All members presenting during senate are required to distribute handouts to facilitate the audience understanding of the material Every week, the Executive Secretary sends out the agenda and handouts two days prior to the meeting All senate agendas and minutes of senate meetings are made public on the USG website. Attendance is taken silently by the Executive Secretary during the meeting To save time, Senate members were asked to notify their absences 24 hours in advance, in order for the absence to be considered “excused” The attendance records of all senate members are updated on the USG website every week

SENATE SECRETARY The Senate Secretary position was created for the Fall Semester. Bruce Easop ’13 was appointed for the position, and worked closely with the Executive Secretary in managing the USG office, keeping attendance records, documenting the internal records of projects, and carrying out any other administrative duties for the day-‐to-‐day functioning of the USG. Given the increasing role of both secretaries in the USG, a new has been proposed for the Spring Semester: the secretary team now consists of a Senior Executive Secretary, an Executive Secretary, and an Office Manager.

UPCOMING PROJECT: MORE USG OFFICE CHANGES Two major changes are planned for the coming semester in the USG office. First, the DVD rental system is being upgraded with more recent and popular movies. The Office Manager, Blaire Bloxom, purchased new DVDs based on a school-‐wide survey. The new collection of DVDs will be available for students to rent towards the second half of the spring semester. At this point, the USG is working on developing a system that better keeps track of DVDs and ensures that they are returned on time. The second change relates to the ever-‐ popular coffee bar. As a result of its popularity, the coffee bar has frequently run out of cups. We are working on determining a streamlined way in which to keep an inventory of coffee supplies so that we can restock them on time and prevent cup shortages.

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

STUDENT GROUP RECOGNITION COMMITTEE REPORT J OHN M ONAGLE ‘12

HIGHLIGHTS   

Held successful Student Leadership Summit Approved over 30 new student groups at USG Senate Led and organized Activities Fair for Princeton Preview and Freshman Week

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT In February 2010, the SCRG organized a successful Student Leadership Summit for student group leaders. Over 100 student leaders showed up to learn how they might enhance their groups. Connor Diemand-‐Yauman ’10, former USG President, gave the keynote address of the event. We arranged for three sessions of workshops: Session 1: Funding 101, ODUS 101, Events 101 Session 2: Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Civic Engagement Session 3: Keeping it Going, Technology Future SCRG administrations would benefit from involving the USG Senate more when running the Student Leadership Summit. • • •

NEW STUDENT GROUPS The SCRG approved over thirty new groups at USG Senate meetings, thanks to the work of Jane Abbotsmith ’12, Niv Milbar ’13, Matt Karasz ’12, and Jack Ching ’13. The SCRG met twice every month, and approved groups ranging from Students for Education Reform to the History Society. Just as new groups are being introduced to Princeton on a biweekly basis, older groups are becoming defunct. As such, the SCRG and USG ought work on cleaning up defunct groups, either by re-‐invigorating dying groups, or simply delisting defunct organizations. A root cause of the existence of existence of defunct organizations is the student groups recognition process itself. Specifically, the USG and SCRG need to develop ways in which to prevent groups for which interest already exists from forming. Particularly concerning is the abundance of business-‐related clubs coming to SCRG, many of which seem to have similar missions, evidence of the lack of concrete resources with which students can find and distinguish existing (and defunct) groups.

2010 Annual Report Affiliate Reports

PROJECTS BOARD REPORT J OHN M ONAGLE ‘12

HIGHLIGHTS • • •

Disbursed approximately $150,000 after meeting with over 300 student groups Developed new internal systems to streamline Projects Board Processes. Held successful Projects Board Open House

DISBURSED $150,000 TO STUDENT GROUPS Thanks to the great work of co-‐chairs Shawn Kothari ’11, Kelley Taylor ’11, and John Monagle ’12, as well as Projects Board Members Amy Ridgeway ’12, Devany Schulz ’12, Julia Rees, ’12, Jack Ching ’13, and Deesha Sarma ’13, Projects Board successfully disbursed approximately $150,000 to student groups after meeting with 300 student groups at Princeton. Though the process works as it stands, the large number of groups coming to Projects Board on a weekly basis is a growing concern. As such, future Projects Board administrations ought consider developing a pre-‐application screening process to increase Projects Board efficiency, as well as improve student groups’ pitches to Projects Board.

STREAMLINING INTERNAL PROCESSES Thanks to the work of Julia Rees ’12, Projects Board developed a new database driven by Quickbase to help streamline Project Board processes. This, in addition to Projects Board’s new auditing system, should help to better track how student groups have used and are using funding. Projects board should keep moving to computerize the funding process; doing so will promote better accountability and consistency as to where Projects Board money goes, as well as how Projects Board money is used.

HELD PROJECTS BOARD OPEN HOUSE The Projects Board hosted an open house to address questions regarding the types of events that Projects Board can fund, in response to the controversy that resulted from the Let’s Talk Sex pornographic film screening. The event indicated an alarming trend: undergraduate awareness of Projects Board needs to increase. Projects Board has an enormous amount of funding resources—our mission in future years should be to make students aware that they can take advantage of these funds.

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

FALL 2010 PROJECTS REFERENCE A DI R AJAGOPALAN ’13 AND THE USG P ROJECT H EADS ANNUAL REPORT Status: Complete Members: Adi Rajagopalan*, USG Senate We’ve learned a number of lessons since writing the Mid-‐Year Report a semester ago. Some were simple: save document formatting until the very last step. Other lessons were bigger: keeping the document as frank and simple is critical to the transparency of the report, and can substantially improve communication lines between the USG and students, faculty, administrators, and future USG members. And some were just practical: it just makes more sense for project heads, instead the USG President and Projects Manager, to write about their own achievements. We’d like to think that this report is a far more polished document than the Mid-‐Year Report. We had a much better sense of what needed to happen to pull off this report, and had the help of collaborative tools such as SharePoint to help us through the process. It took a lot longer to produce this than we had hoped—this former Projects Manager got a bit preoccupied with being the new ULC Chair—but this slightly-‐delayed Annual Report still stands as a capstone to what has been a brilliant fall for the USG.

ATHLETICS COMMITTEE PROMOTIONS Status: Complete/Ongoing Members: Carter Greenbaum*, Katlin Palladian, Sarah Wiley The Athletics Committee was formed with the intention of promoting athletics events at Princeton. The Committee launched monthly events, including the following: A football tailgate for the season opener against Lehigh. During the tailgate, we gave away 500 shirts, 100 pizzas, and had a band. • Buses to the Harvard-‐Princeton game at Yale. • Promotional free/discounted tickets to the NCAA Fencing Tournament. • A T-‐shirt giveaway to go alongside with Athletics’ launch of Tiger Universe, a giveaway system to reward attendance at Princeton Varsity sports games (standings available online). Each event has raised significant interest in each targeted athletics event; as such, the USG hopes to continue the work of the Fall 2010 Athletics Committee in ongoing administrations. •

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

BATTLE OF THE BANDS Status: Tabled Members: Jake Sally*, Adi Rajagopalan, Carter Greenbaum We began this project with the vision that a Battle of the Bands would provide a great way for the many talented student bands on campus to showcase their work and ability. As the project developed, we decided that it would be a beneficial addition to the Princeton Preview program, since there had been discussion that the Preview program needed some improvement. Ideally, we wished to have two stages set up in front of the U-‐Store with bands alternating songs. After a few rounds “celebrity” judges, prominent figures on campus, would then select the finalists and the two bands would compete for an undetermined prize. As we solidified the details of the project, however, we realized that the Battle we wished to host would require a substantial budget, one that the USG would not be able to acquire in time. Unfortunately, we came to this conclusion too late in the process, and decided it would be best to table the event until next year. With the groundwork we’ve laid this year, we hope to be able to raise the necessary funds and ideally will be able to fully integrate it into the Preview program in time for next year’s Preview.

EXPANDING UFO MOVIES TO GARDEN THEATRE Status: Complete People Involved: Chris Dodds* and Michael Yaroshefsky* This year we expanded the offerings at the Garden Theatre by renting out both screens each night, as a result of the increased demand we saw with the theaters filling to capacity. For example, during our opening weekend in September 2010, three of the six showings sold out completely, as 869 tickets were given out to students. The funding for this came from a special source that Dean Dunne was able to secure; next year, we hope to set up the right funding to continue this.

FROSTFEST Status: Complete Members: Jake Sally*, Catherine Ettman, Anthony Pappenfus, Sarah Wiley, Dianne Spatafore, Nick Genta, Mary D’Onofrio, Luis Quintero Overall, FrostFest was a great success. We easily had over 1,000 students attend the event, and all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Because this was the first time that an event of this type has been held, there were some logistical hiccups—namely miscalculations in the quantities required for various aspects of the festival: for example, we had roughly 800 cookies left over, and ran out of frosting with an hour left. Students loved the hot chocolate, video games, international buffet and music we provided, especially the a capella performances. The decorations required more setup time than we anticipated, so we ended up finishing set up about 30 minutes into the event.

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

The biggest problem with the event was publicity. We were fortunate that we could use President Yaroshefsky’s email to the entire school to send a reminder last minute. However, now that the event has a history, we hope that it will be much easier to spread awareness and to increase excitement about the event. With FrostFest as an established event, we’re hoping to throw this event annually.

GRADING POLICY RESEARCH Status: In progress Members: Steven Lindsay*, Sam Dorison Though we did collect substantial levels of anecdotal evidence concerning the effects of the University’s grading policy on student employment opportunities, this project still needs substantial levels of work. As such, this project will be considered as part of the scope of future projects in Spring 2011.

GREEN-‐THEMED STUDY BREAKS Status: In progress Members: Flavia Brancusi*, Kristie Liao, Deesha Sarma, Megan Prier We plan to host study breaks featuring movies or short films with a sustainability/environmental focus, Jersey-‐fresh local food, and Nalgene water bottle giveaways. Along the same lines, we plan to collaborate with the Garden Project at Forbes student group to host free movie screenings at Garden Theater. We have partnered with the Office of Sustainability and are currently exploring additional funding sources. These events will bring students together and promote a healthy awareness of ways to increase sustainability in daily life.

LED LIGHT BULB EXCHANGE Status: In progress Members: Flavia Brancusi*, Kristie Liao, Deesha Sarma, Megan Prier In fall 2011, Princeton will lead the nation’s first multi-‐institutional LED bulb exchange program. In past years, the USG has organized CFL bulb exchanges, but newly-‐refined LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs are seen as the future of incandescent and CFL lighting technology. A standard 60W incandescent bulb has a life of 1,000 hours, while equivalent CFL and LED bulbs have average lifespans of 12,000 and 50,000 hours, respectively. LED bulbs lack environmentally hazardous chemicals, yet are ten times more cost and energy efficient than incandescent bulbs (by contrast, CFL bulbs are five times more cost and energy efficient).

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

Our goal is to provide students with long-‐lasting, high-‐quality LED light bulbs for use in their dorm rooms. The Office of Sustainability has generously agreed to sponsor this project, and we are currently seeking the partnership of other undergraduate student governments in implementing this program.

MEAL EXCHANGE REFORM Status: In progress Members: Sam Dorison*, Rafi Shamir, Derek Welski, John Allen Zumpetta, Adi Rajagopalan, Erik Anson, Martin Scheeler The USG is hoping to replace the inter-‐club meal exchange system with an electronic, prox-‐based system by Summer 2011. So far, the USG has done the following: obtained consensus amongst ICC members that this project is in theory a good idea, and that an electronic system would be far superior to the current paper system; procured web-‐based software for this end, thanks to Erik Anson’s COS 333 “Elijah” project; and found inexpensive USB scanners that can read basic information from proxes. The following things need to happen to complete this project: first, the Elijah system must be tailored work with a swipe cards. Second, we must consider whether it will be feasible to synchronize this system with the University’s in the long run. Finally, we need to obtain final gICC and ICC approval of this system. Accordingly, this project will be continued by Adi Rajagopalan, Rodrigo Menezes, and Rafi Shamim in the coming semester.

NUTRITION FESTIVAL Status: Complete Derek Welski*, Amy Ridgeway, John Allen Zumpetta, Stu Orefice On November 12th 2010, the USG sponsored the Health and Nutrition Festival that unveiled three initiatives to increase the awareness and affordability of nutritional eating on campus. The event included a demo by Kevin “The Food Dude” Roberts, where he cooked food, provided recipes, and spoke to the student body about nutrition. Seven nutrition-‐ and health-‐related University and student groups were, handing out free giveaways and information on healthy eating. Approximately 300 students were in attendance.

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

ONLINE COURSE MATERIALS Status: On hold Members: Alex Pretko*, Merik Mulcahy The original idea behind this project was to increase the number of course materials available for students online. For example, one possibility would be to have course notes and lecture videos posted online at the end of the semester to help students review for final exams. Another potential idea would be to allow students to shop their courses online, instead of forcing them to attend multiple courses for the first two weeks. In addition, students could watch the recorded videos for their own enrichment on their own time (e.g. over the summer). The administration expressed concern over some aspects of the project, such as cost of recording the lectures, and the fact that course materials may change drastically from one year to the next. Moreover, Dean Malkiel is currently in her final months at Princeton University, and it would not be feasible to begin a project such as given the difficulty of pursuing such a project while the dean is retiring. Consequently, we plan to place this project on hold for the time being.

PRINCETON ON A SHOESTRING Status: Complete Members: Alex Pretko*, Michael Weinberg, Haley White “Princeton on a Shoestring” is a guide to help students make the most of the Princeton experience without breaking the bank. This guide was designed to help alleviate the effect of varying financial backgrounds on students’ experiences. To keep this guide relevant for future students, we hope to update this guide annually; as such, we have planned a revision for the beginning of the 2011-‐2012 school year. The guide can be viewed at usg.princeton.edu/shoestring.

PRINTERS IN FRIST Status: In progress Members: Rafi Shamim*, Kees Thompson Last semester, we began working with OIT and Frist to install printers on the 100-‐Level of the student center. The project is still in progress, but is on track for completion by the end of the 2011 academic year. Our goal is to put the printers in a location that is convenient and quick for students. Assuming we get support from the necessary offices on campus, we plan to move one of the printers from the upper levels of Frist, which see less use, to the accessible 100-‐Level. We also need to install a storage cabinet for paper and toner, which may be locked by a key held by OIT or by a prox-‐activated lock. OIT has specified that they will not pay for the printer or related equipment. Although we have encountered only positive feedback from students for this plan, it is moving more slowly than we would like. Some of the blocks are from a lack of response from OIT and Frist on how to

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

store printing supplies, whether the computers in Frist will be able to print, and whether they wish to work with the USG to move this project forward.

SEXUAL HEALTH INITIATIVE Status: Complete Members: Andrew Blumenfeld*, Julie Chang* After many years of effort, University Health Services was finally able to add to their services a rapid HIV screening that was free to all students regardless of that student’s health insurance policy. This was in conjunction with a newly reduced-‐cost screening for select other sexually transmitted infections. The tests became available in early November of 2010, and the USG felt it was important to celebrate this advancement in student health services, as well as to encourage students to take advantage of them. To do so, the Sexual Health Initiative was launched with three main aims: (1) to advertise the screenings and to promote sexual health more broadly, (2) to make the rapid HIV test even more accessible by offering an opportunity to take the test away from UHS facilities and without an appointment, and (3) to erode the stigma that often surrounds conversations and services relating to sexual health, and those who participate in and take advantage of them. This took the form of a three hour event held in Frist during the Fall Reading Period, called “Safe is Sexy.” Our event offered an opportunity to be screened for HIV (in an adjacent, private space), as well as free condoms, and a table of Student Health Advisory Board members with information on sexual health. In order to make sure the event attracted a large audience-‐ especially due to the timing of the event-‐ there were massage therapists offering free, short massages, several tables with free food, and a raffle that offered a “night out for two” to the student that had the closest guess of how many condoms we had put in a big jar. The event was very successful, as we exhausted all of the services/offerings available (i.e., maximum amount of screenings given the personnel and time, steady stream of massages for duration of event, etc.). We also established a healthy relationship with UHS. Future versions of this event might manifest as an integrated component of the annual FluFest.

SHAREPOINT SERVER FOR USG Status: Complete People Involved: Adi Rajagopalan* With the increase in the number of reports being produced by the USG (MYR, AR, ALTA), collaborative tools are increasingly becoming necessary for us to be able to produce effective, group-‐written reports. With the advent of Office 2010 and Office 2011, these tools are available to us; as such, the USG worked with ODUS and OIT to obtain a SharePoint server for the USG (sp.princeton.edu/usg), and to install Office 2011 in the USG desktop PC.

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

The SharePoint server has been instrumental in writing the AR. We hope that SharePoint will be increasingly useful as adoption of Office 2010 and 2011 increases amongst USG members.

STUDENT GROUP CLEANUP Status: In progress Members: Brian Jeong*, John Monagle*, Amy Ridgeway, Rafi Shamim The goal of this project was to clean up the ODUS database of active student groups so that students can more accurately find groups that reflect their interests. After an initial meeting with Dean Dunne regarding this project, this project stalled; as such, this project is moving forward in 2011 as part of a broader student group reform initiative.

THANKSGIVING BREAK/ACADEMIC CALENDAR REFORM Status: Tabled People Involved: Becca Lee*, USG Academics Committee The USG has looked into pursuing eliminating classes the day before Thanksgiving, and potentially moving Fall Semester exams to December; however, with the change in the Dean of the College, the Academics Committee decided that it would be best to hold off pursuit of these projects until a future time. Nevertheless, this project will undoubtedly be a part of the 2011 USG agenda.

TIGERAPPS: EVENTS CALENDAR, ICE, AND TIGERAPPS REDESIGN Status: In progress Members: Rafi Shamim*, IT Committee TigerApps, the collection of web applications maintained by the USG, received an important addition this year. In November, we launched the Princeton Events Calendar (cal.tigerapps.org), a website that allows students to create events, send invitations, browse upcoming events, and subscribe to calendars. This tool was built by Ethan Goldstein ’12, Samantha Hantman ‘12, Dana Hoffman ‘12, Adriana Susnea ‘12, and Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12. In addition, the TigerApps launch page underwent a redesign with an added background and new logos. Also on our agenda for TigerApps is a plan to make the interface cleaner, and integrate the apps with Point, a popular online destination. After contacting Hao Lian '11 to determine the feasibility of moving Point modules to TigerApps, we have not moved forward with the project. Hao's estimate is that the

2010 Annual Report Fall Projects Reference

project would take two months, but our committee did not have the resources to pursue this aspect of the project further. With the arrival of the 2011 IT Committee, the plan to effectively integrate Point and TigerApps is back on track.

TIGERRIDES (USG BUSES) Status: Complete/Ongoing People Involved: Tulio Alvarez*, Thomas Dunne, Michelle Janos Last Fall, the USG and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) co-‐sponsored three buses: a round-‐trip bus during Thanksgiving Break to Washington, D.C. a one-‐way bus to Washington, DC during Christmas Break, and one to Boston, through Framingham, CT during Christmas Break. Originally, buses were planned for a South Route (Washington, D.C.), a North Route (Farmington, CT and Boston, MA) and a West Route (Pittsburgh, PA and Cleveland, OH) for both breaks. However after using TigerCal to gauge student interest, only the previously mentioned buses were sent (the Princeton Alumni Association of New England (PANE) had already ordered and sold tickets to their annual Thanksgiving bus). The USG conducted a survey in which 748 students indicated which buses they were interested in taking, and which breaks they were most likely to use the service for. These results will be used to set all of the 2011-‐2012 bus services schedules by the beginning of the academic year to give students ample time to arrange their travels.

USG STUDY BREAKS Status: Complete People Involved: Merik Mulcahy* and Catherine Ettman The USG strives to be sensitive and receptive to the opinions of its classmates. As such, in an effort to get to know the newest members of the student body and hear about their experiences in the first couple months at Princeton, the USG Senate hosted a reception in the USG office for freshman and various campus student leaders. In hosting the event, we developed new relationships with both freshmen and student leaders. Accordingly, we hope to develop the reception into annual event.

2010 Annual Report Spring Projects Reference

SPRING 2010 PROJECTS REFERENCE A DI R AJAGOPALAN ’13 AND M IKE Y AROSHEFSKY ‘12 APPEALS COMMITTEE FOR GRADES Status: Tabled People Involved: Becca Lee*, Julie Chang Becca Lee investigated what avenues are available to students who would like to contest a grade. She found that there exists an appeals committee already and that our best action will be to make its presence known. As such, the USG will send semesterly updates to remind students of the already-‐ existing appeals committee.

CAREER SERVICES DATABASE OF COMPANIES Status: Tabled People Involved: Adi Rajagopalan* In order to let students know of the companies that have received information about the grading policy, the USG hoped to create a database that would give students the ability to check whether an employer or school had formally received a copy of the Dean’s grading policy letter. Unfortunately, the dangers of publicly displaying our recruiting lists have inhibited the progress of this project.

EASIER ACCESS TO SCORE COURSE REVIEWS Status: In progress People Involved: Becca Lee*, Adi Rajagopalan, Julie Chang

This long-‐term project was an effort to make the mandatory course reviews submitted by students more easily and usefully accessible to students. Ultimately, we hoped to incorporate SCORE course reviews into the Student Course Guide and Integrated Course Engine; thus, this project is on the 2011 USG agenda.

END-‐OF-‐YEAR COLLECTION PROMOTION Status: Complete People Involved: Flavia Brancusi* To help promote more sustainable move-‐out practices, the USG promoted an initiative led by students to collect and donate items that would otherwise have been disposed of during move-‐out.

2010 Annual Report Spring Projects Reference

FEEDBACK LOOP Status: Complete People Involved: Michael Yaroshefsky*, Adi Rajagopalan*, Haebin Kim The USG Feedback Loop is an email list that contains the addresses of student leaders on campus, 100 in total, who receive privileged information about USG projects and provide direct feedback. From the list, we have obtained extremely valuable feedback on our projects, and as such have been able to give a number of our projects an initial test-‐run.

FIRESTONE VIDEO CHATS Status: Complete/Ongoing People Involved: Michael Yaroshefsky* During the first semester, the USG published the first Firestone video chat, a video update on progress of the USG. We hope to make the Firestone video chats a fixture of future USG administrations.

IMPROVED TOILET PAPER Status: Tabled People Involved: Michael Yaroshefsky* As students have voiced concerns regarding the thinness of toilet paper at Princeton, the USG does hope to consider this project in the future. Interestingly, preliminary research indicates that two-‐ply toilet paper is less costly than one might expect, and as such that two-‐ply paper might actually save the University money given the reduced consumption that results from thicker toilet paper. However, given the poor economic climate, and its effect on the University’s finances, it is unlikely this request will be taken seriously if made right now.

LATE-‐NIGHT FOOD ON PROSPECT Status: Tabled People Involved: Steven Rosen*, Carter Greenbaum, Anthony Pappenfus, John Wetenhall, Harry Schiff In this project, we hoped to provide free food on Prospect Avenue during high-‐traffic times; however, after months of USG members working on the project, but not being able to work out complicated

2010 Annual Report Spring Projects Reference logistics, we realized that this project may be more challenging than it is worth in the long run. Accordingly, we decided to divert our efforts to assisting the ACC with their programs to curb high-‐risk drinking at Princeton.

OFFICE IMPROVEMENTS Status: Complete People Involved: Haebin Kim*, Michael Yaroshefsky* In an effort to make the USG office a more welcoming place for students, a few changes have been made in USG office furniture, facilities, and giveaways: • • • • • •

PROJECT 2014 & INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PRINCETON Status: Complete People Involved: Andrew Blumenfeld*, Catherine Ettman*, Michael Yaroshefsky This wide-‐ranging project is an umbrella to all of our work welcoming members of the class of 2014 to Princeton. Working with Tiger Magazine, the USG published a welcome video to freshmen, and developed the all-‐new Insider’s Guide to Princeton. We aim to expand on this project next year with Project 2015, a similar umbrella effort geared at welcoming incoming freshmen.

RETREAT IMPROVEMENTS Status: Complete People Involved: Michael Yaroshefsky*, Sam Dorison* The 2010 USG planned the first-‐ever overnight USG retreat at the Princeton Blairstown Center. By holding the retreat overnight and off-‐campus, we were able to escape the distractions of campus in order to focus entirely on USG; likewise, by spending downtime together, we were able to form

2010 Annual Report Spring Projects Reference friendships that would allow us to work better together as an organization. Our agenda included a range of events, from presentations introducing new members of the USG to the organization’s structure, to team-‐building competitions, to developing a plan of attack for the upcoming semester.

SERVICE PROJECTS Status: Ongoing People Involved: Kevin Donahue*, Marlene Morgan*, Ogechi Oparah* Every month, the USG recognized and supported campus group dedicated to community service. In doing so, we hoped to both support these groups and give students with limited experience and time an opportunity to serve.

TRANSCRIPT LETTER ACCOMPANIMENT Status: On hold People Involved: Becca Lee*, Julie Chang In collaboration with Dean Malkiel, USG considered modifications to the grading policy letter that accompanies every Princeton transcript. However, we found out that the extent of our revisions was beyond what Dean Malkiel was able to consider at the time. As such, we hope to resume discussions about how this letter can be improved at a future date. .

2010 Annual Report Appendix A: Treasurer’s Reference

APPENDIX A: UNDERSTANDING THE USG BUDGET T REVOR M ARTIN ‘12 Activities Fair Pays for running the Activities Fair.

Advertising Creating awareness of senate initiatives including posters for Lawnparties or monthly service projects.

Campaigning Expenses Funds to reimburse candidates who run for USG or Class Government offices.

Communiversity Funds to help run Communiversity.

Concerts & Entertainment Fund goes towards both Lawnparties and other, smaller events.

Executive Secretary Formerly paid position within the USG (now unpaid).

Film Series Formerly funded movie nights in Frist, now goes towards renting out Garden Theater for free student movies.

General Funds Budget for general use by the academics committee.

Ivy Council Expenses Formerly-‐funded conference and trip expenses for this intra-‐ivy discussion group has now been discontinued.

Liz Duffy Fund The Liz Duffy ’88 Community Service Award was established by the Undergraduate Student Government and the Office of Religious Life in 1991. The fund provides small grants from $100 to $500 to currently enrolled undergraduates interested in pursuing domestic community service projects either during the summer or during a semester away from school.

2010 Annual Report Appendix A: Treasurer’s Reference

Meet the Candidates Funds for the elections season introduction meetings.

Office Renovations Funds for small USG office renovation items.

Office Staff Pay for students who staff the USG office during office hours.

Phone Maintains USG office phone service, a requirement to maintain our office space in Frist.

Senate Pilot Programs Funds used for projects and initiatives over the course of the semester.

Senate Retreat Meeting at the beginning of each semester where new members are introduced to the USG and where brainstorming and planning the upcoming semester’s initiatives take place.

Student Group Events Funds go to the Projects Board, which distributes these funds to student groups on campus.

Supplies Maintains USG office supplies such as printer color ink and paper, which is available for student group use.

Technology Maintenance Used to maintain USG software and hardware.

Webmaster Formerly paid position within the USG (now unpaid).

Web Services Maintaining USG websites and USG web services such as Point and the Princeton Textbook Exchange.

2010 Annual Report Appendix B: Meet the Outgoing USG

APPENDIX B: MEET THE OUTGOING USG A DI R AJAGOPALAN ‘13

Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12 President

Jake Sally ‘12 Social Chair

Anthony Pappenfus ‘13 Communications Director

Derek Welski ‘11 2011 Senator

Samuel Dorison ‘11 Vice President

Steven Rosen ‘13 Campus and Community Affairs Chair

Ogechi Oparah ’13 Community Service Co-‐Chair

Julie Chang ‘12 2012 Senator

Trevor Martin ‘11 Treasurer

Rafi Shamim ‘13 IT Committee Chair

Kevin Donahue ‘12 Community Service Co-‐Chair

Flavia Brancusi ‘12 2012 Senator

Becca Lee ‘12 Academics Chair

Haebin Kim ‘13 Executive Secretary

Michael Weinberg ‘11 Undergraduate Life Committee Chair

Bryan Dongre ’14 Webmaster

Andrew Blumenfeld ‘13 2013 Senator

Adi Rajagopalan ‘13 Projects Manager

Brian Jeong ‘11 2011 Senator

Catherine Ettman ‘13 2013 Senator

2010 Annual Report Appendix B: Meet the Outgoing USG

John Allen Zumpetta ‘11 U-‐Council Chair

Alex Pretko ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Merik Mulcahy ‘13 U-‐Council Executive Committee Rep.

Steven Lindsay ’12 U-‐Councilor

Tulio Burgos ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Katlin Poladian ‘11 U-‐Councilor

Bruce Easop ‘13 Senate Secretary

Sarah Cornfeld ’11 U-‐Councilor

Amy Ridgeway ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Carter Greenbaum ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Sarah Wiley ‘13 U-‐Councilor

2010 Annual Report Appendix C: Meet the Incoming USG

APPENDIX C: MEET THE INCOMING USG A DI R AJAGOPALAN ‘13

Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12 President

Catherine Ettman ‘13 Vice President

Jake Sally ‘12 Social Chair

Stephen Stolzenberg ‘13 Campus and Community Affairs Chair

Charissa Shen ‘14 Projects Manager

Shyam Modi ‘14 Executive Analyst

Flavia Brancusi ‘12 2012 Senator

Bruce Easop ‘13 2013 Senator

Lillie Cartwright ‘14 Treasurer

Steven Rosen ‘13 Academics Chair

Rodrigo Menezes ‘13 IT Committee Chair

Alex Gecker ‘13 Community Service Chair

John McNamara ‘14 Executive Secretary

Blaire Bloxom ‘14 Office Manager

Julie Chang ‘12 2012 Senator

Andrew Blumenfeld ‘13 2013 Senator

Dillon Sharp ‘14 2014 Senator

Dylan Ackerman ‘14 2014 Senator

Adi Rajagopalan ‘13 Undergraduate Life Committee Chair

Haebin Kim ‘13 Senior Executive Secretary

2010 Annual Report Appendix C: Meet the Incoming USG

John Allen Zumpetta ‘11 U-‐Council Chair

Alex Pretko ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Andy Martens ‘13 Communications Director

Merik Mulcahy ‘13 U-‐Council Executive Committee Rep.

Steven Lindsay ’12 U-‐Councilor

Rafi Shamim ‘13 Head Webmaster

Tulio Burgos ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Sarah Cornfeld ’11 U-‐Councilor

Katlin Poladian ‘11 U-‐Councilor

Bryan Dongre ‘14 Webmaster

Amy Ridgeway ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Erin Byrne ‘13 Chief Designer

Carter Greenbaum ‘12 U-‐Councilor

Sarah Wiley ‘13 U-‐Councilor

2010 Annual Report Appendix D: Acknowledgements

APPENDIX D: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Compilation, Concept, and Organization Adi Rajagopalan ‘13

Composition Adi Rajagopalan ‘13 Alex Pretko ‘12 Andrew Blumenfeld ‘13 Becca Lee ‘12 Brian Jeong ‘11 Carter Greenbaum ‘12 Derek Welski ‘11 Flavia Brancusi ‘12 Haebin Kim ‘13 Jake Sally ‘12 John Allen Zumpetta ‘11 John Monagle ‘12 Julie Chang ‘12 Merik Mulcahy ‘13 Mike Weinberg ‘11 Mike Yaroshefsky ‘12 Rafi Shamim ‘13 Sam Dorison ‘11 Steven Rosen ‘13 Trevor Martin ‘11 Tulio Alvarez Burgos ‘12

Design Adi Rajagopalan ‘13 Andy Martens ‘13 Paul Cohen

Editing Adi Rajagopalan ‘13 Andrew Blumenfeld ‘13 Andy Martens ‘13 Bruce Easop ‘13 Catherine Ettman ‘13 Charissa Shen ‘14 Dillon Sharp ‘14 Dylan Ackerman ‘14 Haebin Kim ‘13 John McNamara ‘14 Michael Yaroshefsky ‘12 Rafi Shamim ‘13 Stephen Stolzenberg ‘13 Steven Rosen ‘13

Compiled by Adi Rajagopalan ‘13