Van Gogh locale

A graphic sent by Housing and Real Estate Services urging students not to flush face masks down the toilet. Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss in a written statement to the ‘Prince.’

Hotchkiss also called on students to dispose of their masks properly: “We ask everyone to be respectful of our community and dispose of masks appropriately — in the trash, not the toilet.”

Several of the University’s residential colleges issued reminders to students to put used face masks in the trash — and not flush them — through weekly newsletters and social media pages.

First-year student Kyrah Potter ’25 was made aware of the issue from the Real Estate and Housing email.

“It was really funny ... I didn’t know or even think people were doing that,” she said.

Potter noted that she found the situation particularly unexpected because it seems so easily avoidable.

“I can’t think of a circumstance where you would need to get rid of our mask specifically in a stall and flush it that couldn’t wait to be thrown out in the bathroom trash can,” Potter said. “It’s not really comparable to something like menstrual products that make sense to be discarded before leaving the stall.”

Alan Gutiérrez ’25 echoed this sentiment.

“I think it’s so funny but at the same time it’s kinda like what the heck? Like I try to understand the flushing of masks by thinking maybe people think it’s like a hygiene product and should be flushed but even then,” he said. “[T]he trashcan is literally right there like it makes no sense to flush masks but it is funny in a like ‘who would really do that’ kind of way.”

Tess Weinreich is a news and features contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at tw7353@ princeton.edu or at @TessWeinreich on Twitter.

In-person festivities will be first since 2019

REUNIONS

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others across campus to ensure we are being responsive to campus, state, and national public health advisories. We hope to have details to share in early 2022.”

However, for alumni looking to return to campus for reunions, lodging arrangements may pose a challenge. According to its website, the Nassau Inn, located across from campus in Palmer Square, is completely booked for May 20 and 21, and is available for checkout only on May 19. For the same dates the Courtyard Marriott, the Hyatt Regency, and the Homewood Suites by Hilton, three of the closest hotels to Princeton’s campus, there are similarly no rooms available for a stay between May 19–22.

Bellin speculated that this phenomenon has happened so early in advance of Reunions itself because of people pushing reservations from prior years that they had made before they were cancelled.

She also expressed her excitement for the event overall, stating, “There were so many people in my class who I didn’t know when I was there, and being an elected official within my class, I get to know all those people throughout the year, and I get to see them at Reunions. But also, I’m really excited to see my friends in other classes.”

“I think the older you get, I’m discovering, the more fun it is to do the things that are not just year-related — like alumni-faculty forums are really cool,” she added.

Silberman echoed similar sentiments, writing, “I’m looking forward to all the alumni returning to campus after two years of virtual reunions. There’s going to be three times as many people trying to celebrate major reunions that they missed because of COVID, so I think there will be a lot of energy and excitement on campus.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Erika Knudson is a member of the Committee on Reunions. Knudson serves as the Executive Director for Advancement Communications, but is not a member of the Committee on Reunions.

Katherine Dailey is an assistant news editor who often covers University affairs and breaking news. She can be reached at kdailey@princeton.edu or on Twitter at @kmdailey7.

COURTESY OF MAE MILLER ’70

At the Class of 1970’s 45th Reunions, Princeton’s eight first surviving female graduates returned to Princeton for the first time since graduation and marched in the P-Rade. Left to right: Mary Yee, Agneta Riber, Lynn Nagasako, Mae Wong Miller, Priscilla Read, Susan Craig Scott, and Judith-Ann Corrente.

Truex: Relationships are viewed as a liability

CHINA

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ecutions are on account of other misconduct, like failure to disclose employee appointments or funding from other countries, which are not mentioned as the Initiative’s primary goals.

The letter describes a number of unsuccessfully litigated cases from the China Initiative that involved racial profiling, such as that of Anming Hu, a professor at University of Tennessee Knoxville, who was acquitted due to a lack of evidence tying him to the Chinese government.

The letter expressed that these unfounded accusations promote the singling out of Asian researchers, creating an academic environment rife with fear and mistrust. They assert prosecutions based on the China Initiative may damage researchers’ careers or personal lives.

The Department of Justice maintains that they are cognizant of these claims, and investigations are conducted on the basis of the individual’s actions, not their race or ethnicity, as explained on NPR in November 2021.

But Professor Yiguang Ju of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, another of the letter’s original drafters, expressed feeling monitored on the basis of his Chinese ethnicity. He said he received three calls from the University Office of the General Counsel (OGC) regarding alleged ties with the Chinese government.

“Personally I do not have any kind of position in China, I have been declined such things,” he said. “But even for me, the University OGC came to talk … with me to ask to look at my CV … because I came from China.”

The University claims it has never arranged a meeting with any faculty on the basis of their Chinese ethnicity.

“When OGC becomes involved in internal reviews concerning foreign funding and engagements, it is typically based on new information that a faculty member provides (e.g., in connection with the University’s conflict-of-interest disclosure process), an external complaint the University is obligated to investigate, or a government inquiry or subpoena,” University Spokesperson Ben Chang wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’

In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Ju also claimed that the OGC questioned the number of “Chinese names” listed as collaborators on his curriculum vitae.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I do have Chinese names and ... collaboration with others, because fundamental research is open science. It’s a tradition to collaborate with others.”

The University denied this assertion.

“No OGC attorney would ever ask a faculty member any question based on the apparent national or ethnic origin of the names of the authors on a paper,” Chang wrote.

He added, “The OGC has discussed the nature and scope of certain Chinese research collaborations with a number of faculty members; some of the professors have been Chinese or Chinese-American, and others have not.”

Ju is also a member of the Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE) board of directors. It aims to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and empower Asian-identifying scientists in the academic space.

Those faculty who signed the letter worry that discouragement from collaboration severely limits the capacity for research in the United States. Their biggest concern is that hostility or suspicion may deter “the best” Chinese students and postdocs from entering, and remaining in, the United States.

“Once upon a time, relationships with China were viewed as a good thing, because it was important for us to be learning from China and engaging with Chinese scientists,” Truex said. “Now all of a sudden, those relationships are viewed as a liability.”

The University faculty’s letter supports similar concerns posed by faculty at Stanford University, The University of California, Berkeley, and Temple University.

Borer: It’s a daunting task, but I think we’re up for it and excited

NET-ZERO

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sity’s Energy Plant manager Edward Borer, the University is currently in the process of implementing a district hot water system. They will put in place the TIGER-CUB (thermally-integrated geoexchange resource central utility building), which is a facility that will draw heat out of the ground and deliver it to a hot water system. Geoexchange is the process by which heat is extracted from buildings in the summer and stored in the ground to be used to reheat them in the winter.

In instances where renewable energy is insufficient for powering the campus, the University plans to purchase renewable energy from offshore wind power to be delivered through an electric grid. But barring extreme temperatures, the new system will provide enough energy for the entire campus.

“It’s a daunting task, but I think we’re up for it and excited about it,” Borer said.

Borer, who said he’s never experienced such an intense building construction program in his 27-year-long tenure, attributed the increased action to the efforts of President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 to construct the appropriate infrastructure plans to help the University reach its carbon goals.

According to Borer, while the up-front investment in the construction of these buildings is high, it will use less energy in its lifetime, reducing the cost of powering campus in the future.

For the University’s existing infrastructure, there is an effort to increase energy efficiency through the improvement of doors, windows, and additional insulation.

Borer noted the importance of preserving certain parts of the University’s campus.

“We’re not going to remove Nassau Hall just because it’s more efficient,” he said. “We want to ask window by window, facade by facade, how do we approach this in a way that maintains the integrity of the building while also making it more efficient?”

To support the growing energy infrastructure, there will also be new IT infrastructure, according to University Associate Chief Information Officer Donna Tatro.

“OIT [Office of Information Technology] is at work upgrading the campus network infrastructure to be highly secure, fast, and ready to support the increasing number of wireless devices on campus,” wrote Tatro in an email to The Daily Princetonian. “Facilities need this new network so they can manage the new campus geo-exchange heating, cooling, and power systems.”

Through the implementation of these systems of energy, administrators believe the University has become an industry leader when it comes to large-scale energy transitions.

“When you look at universities in the U.S., I see institutions like Princeton providing leadership and vision to a better environmental future,” said Robert Thornton, the president and CEO of the International District Energy Association (IDEA).

IDEA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit industry association with 2,500 members worldwide. They include institutions like Princeton, Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and Purdue that own and operate district energy systems. Members also include companies that design, manufacture, and distribute technologies.

“People really appreciate not only what Princeton’s doing but how they have been forthcoming about the analysis they did to arrive at the plan, their hypotheses, and what they’re experiencing,” Thornton said.

Borer also noted how the University’s plan constitutes a highly adaptable model. However, other institutions may choose to adopt only some aspects depending on their environmental contexts.

While the plan may not have an impact on daily student life, the implications of these energy systems are vast.

According to Borer, if the job is done correctly, students should not feel a direct impact from the changes. In fact, due to the University’s building standards, the campus will hopefully be more comfortable for students.

The University has historically attempted to involve more students in understanding their energy usage. One example is the Tiger Energy App, which allows students to see how much energy they’re using. Though it has existed for years, Borer noted how many students are not aware of this resource.

The local energy generation has implications not only for the University, but for the broader community as well.

Thornton noted how in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the resilience of the University’s microgrid enabled it to offer continuous energy to the greater Princeton community as well as members of the University.

“Local generation offers advantages that are important,” Thornton said. “As a society we’re encountering 500-year storms, extreme conditions, and weather aberrations. It’s useful for our members to be able to share how they’re managing, responding, and planning for a different climate future than what we’ve had.”

Thornton asked that critics of the University’s plan be patient given the requirements for reliability and the ongoing strains of the economy. While the transition to low-carbon infrastructure is measured in years, its value spans decades, according to Thornton.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now,” he said, referencing an old proverb. “I think Princeton is really trying to not just talk about, but actually deliver on, a low-carbon infrastructure, and they’re going to be commended.”