November 24, 2015

Page 1

Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Tuesday november 24, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 110

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } BEYOND THE BUBBLE

STUDENT LIFE

POCC opposes Alumni, faculty respond to BJL sit-in recent protests By Christina Vosbikian senior writer

By Annie Yang senior writer

The recent sit-in protest led by the Black Justice League has resulted in divided opinions among alumni and faculty, with some praising the efforts and others denouncing them. There has been opposition to the protest expressed not only in online social media forums, but also through a counter-petition with over 1,300 responses and an alumni petition with 35 supporters. There is still support for the protesters in the original petition with nearly 1,000 signatures. On Friday, professors in the program of African American Studies wrote a faculty letter supporting the protesters. As of Monday, the letter had 95 signatures from faculty in many departments across disciplines.

The 12 original signatories of the faculty letter either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment. However, Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences H. Vincent Poor GS ’77 said that not all departments were aware of or represented in the letter. He noted that he had not seen the petition, so it’s likely that other faculty members didn’t either. He said that a number of departments from which faculty haven’t signed include economics, math and physics. Many alumni also expressed mixed opinions on the goals and method of the protest. Briallen Hopper GS ’10 said she is inspired by student protesters who force students, alumni and faculty alike to reckon with past and persistent

racism on campus. “Whether or not his name is removed from its schools and buildings, Princeton needs to start being honest about how damaging Woodrow Wilson’s racial legacy has been,” she said. According to Hopper, the matter is not simply that Wilson had racist views, but that he pursued an openly racist agenda. He was adamant about maintaining segregation at the University and reinstated segregation in U.S. federal offices at a time of widespread racist violence and powerful anti-racist protest, not unlike our time, she said. “Unfortunately, most Princeton students don’t know that in living memory Princeton was a segregated university in a segregated town,” she added. The history of hate, isolation See PROTEST page 2

A new student group called the Princeton Open Campus Coalition delivered a letter opposing the methods and demands of the Black Justice League protests to University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 on Sunday night. The letter requested a meeting with Eisgruber in his office to present arguments regarding the events of the past week. “We are concerned mainly with the importance of preserving an intellectual culture in which all members of the Princeton community feel free to engage in civil discussion and to express their convictions without fear of being subjected to intimidation or abuse,” the students wrote. “Thanks to recent polls, surveys and petitions, we have reason to believe that our concerns are shared by

a majority of our fellow Princeton undergraduates.” The letter was signed by the 10 members of POCC’s Legislative Committee: Allie Burton ’17 , Evan Draim ’16, Josh Freeman ’18, Sofia Gallo ’17, Solveig Gold ’17, Andy Loo ’16, Sebastian Marotta ’16, Devon Naftzger ’16, Beni Snow ’19 and Josh Zuckerman ’16. Gold said that the group’s goal was to make sure that different viewpoints on the sit-in protest and protests in other universities were equally represented. The other signatories declined to comment. “This dialogue is necessary because many students have shared with us that they are afraid to state publicly their opinions on recent events for fear of being vilified, slandered and subjected to hatred, either by fellow students See POCC page 3

U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S

CPUC meeting details U. reaction to protests By Sarah Kim staff writer

The Council of the Princeton University Community discussed the recent sit-in protest and updates to strategic planning task forces at its monthly meeting on Monday. “The CPUC was created in the 1960s, obviously a time of tumult and argument on campus for the purpose of having a forum in which faculty administrators, alumni and staff can come together in civil and respectful discussion,” University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 said in light of the recent sit-in protest in his office in Nassau Hall. “I hope this forum will continue to be a place where that kind of conversa-

tion can occur.” The CPUC Resources Committee plans to look into suggestions and concerns brought to the University administration, Eisgruber explained. A subcommittee under the resources committee will allow people to submit their views and will collect scholarly opinion from those who can speak to the facts, especially with regard to the legacy of Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879. Members of this subcommittee will relay the progress and information to the University early in the spring semester. “I’ve been giving updates on the strategic planning process for over a year, and my reason for continually bringing it back to you See CPUC page 3

SAMUEL VILCHEZ :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students, faculty, administrators and community members attended the CPUC meeting on Monday.

ACADEMICS

STUDENT LIFE

Berdahl-Baldwin ’16, Hosie ’16, Low Latinx students create petition for support, representation ’16 awarded Marshall Scholarship Audrey Berdahl-Baldwin ’16, Duncan Hosie ’16 and Ryan Low ’16 have been awarded the Marshall Scholarship. The scholarship funds two years of graduate study in the United Kingdom for up to 40 American college students. Berdahl-Baldwin, a history major, said she is interested in public service.

“Long term, I hope to engage in prison reform,” she said. “I hope to work at a nonprofit that works inside prisons and eventually pursue a law degree to engage in policy work to affect change at a structural level.” Berdahl-Baldwin said her involvement with the PACE Center for Civic Engagement as a member of the center’s council for civic values allowed her to be interested in

the juvenile justice system, which has deepened her commitment to the issue. “One of the big experiences at Princeton for me was going on a Breakout trip as a freshman to look at juvenile justice in Texas, and that really deepened my commitment to engaging with the criminal justice system, both academically and professionally,” she said. See MARSHALL page 3

COURTESY OF AUDREY BERDAHL-BALDWIN

COURTESY OF DUNCAN HOSIE

COURTESY OF RYAN LOW

staff writer

Audrey Berdahl-Baldwin ’16, Duncan Hosie ’16 and Ryan Low ’16 were named Marshall Scholars on Monday.

By Marcia Brown staff writer

A group of Latinx students formed to improve the experience of Latinx students on campus released a petition on Friday to increase support for and representation of Latinx students. The petition has 517 signatures as of 7 p.m. on Monday. Latinx is a term used to be more gender-neutral and inclusive of all gender identities, and is also the name of the group of students that have composed the petition and report. Representatives from the group declined to comment. Along with the petition, the group also released a report on the needs of the University Latinx community, based on the discussions at a Nov. 18 Latinx Town Hall where Latinx students identified the major challenges they face on campus. “I think everything is important basically,” Mimi Orro

In Opinion

Today on Campus

Dean of the College Jill Dolan explains her views on the Black Justice League sit-in, columnist Nicholas Wu explains his feelings on people’s YikYak reactions, and several readers wrote letters to the editor about protests on campus. PAGE 4-5

3:15 p.m.: Julia Kalow ’13 of the MIT Swager Group delivers a lecture about molecular design and its applications for 3D spacial control in a variety of areas, including selective catalysis and materials science. Taylor Auditorium.

’18 said. “I mean not everything pertains to me per se, because I define myself as Latina but there are certain parts that have never personally affected me but you have to understand where they’re coming from and why it’s so important because this issue has never been addressed in the school’s history.” Moreover, there are systemic issues on campus and there has never been a movement contributed, Orro said. The report notes that the Hispanic/Latinx population in the student and faculty body, 9.2 percent and 2 percent respectively, is disproportionately low considering that Hispanic/Latinx population makes up for 17 percent of the U.S. population. The report calls for a retention plan for Hispanic/Latinx professors and to “emphasize the recruitment of senior faculty of color with tenure.” The group articulates a call for at Latinx Studies program See LATINX page 3

WEATHER

By Christopher Umanzor

HIGH

48˚

LOW

28˚

Morning clouds, sunny afternoon skies. chance of rain: none


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.