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Monday november 30, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 111
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STUDENT LIFE
Petition circulated to readmit student after jail sentence By Andie Ayala staff writer
A petition has been circulating through University email listservs asking students to support a student’s readmission into the University after his prison sentence as of last week. The University’s Department of Public Safety arrested Julian Edgren in January for drug possession and distribution, after he was found to have picked up a package from the campus mailroom that contained seven grams of ecstasy. He was charged with 13 counts of possession and intent to distribute controlled substances and prescription drugs. Edgren pleaded guilty to all of the charges in July and was sentenced to five years in jail in September. Lucia Perasso ’16, outgoing president of Terrace Club, began circulating the petition to the members of Terrace on Wednesday. Edgren had previously been a member of the club. Perasso declined to comment, saying that given the sensitivity of the issue and out of respect for Edgren’s family, she does not feel comfortable commenting. The petition noted that Edgren was a first-time, nonviolent offender with no previous criminal or disciplinary record. It asked for University students to sign it if they believe that Edgren does not endanger the campus population and that he has a right to finish his University education after the completion of his prison sentence. Students who have been distributing the petition to various listservs have de-
clined to comment. University Media Relations Specialist Min Pullan said that although she can’t comment on an individual’s case, the University adjudicates alleged violations in accordance with the policies and guidelines outlined in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities,” irrespective of what violations of the law might have occurred or the consequences that might follow from those violations. “Petitions from others are not a factor in determining findings of responsibilities or in assigning penalties for violations of University policy,” she said. The University Policy Concerning Use of Illegal Drugs as detailed in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities” states that penalties for these acts will be administered by the appropriate offices, which in the case of an undergraduate would fall on the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students. The policy does not specify that cases of arrest would lead to immediate expulsion, but notes that the penalty would range depending on the degree to which violation of the policy adversely affects the well-being of the community or the fulfillment of the University’s educational mission. Additionally, it states that the association of the University with the violator of the policy could be made contingent upon satisfactory participation in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program. Pullan added that Edgren is currently not enrolled in the University. See PETITION page 3
COURTESY OF ALEKSANDRA CZULAK AND SIMON WU
Aleksandra Czulak ‘17 and Simon Wu ‘17 will face off in a run-off election for USG president this week.
Czulak ’17, Wu ’17 to compete in run-off for USG president
By Caroline Lippman staff writer
A run-off election for the Undergraduate Student Government presidency will be held between Aleksandra Czulak ’17 and Simon Wu ’17, according to an email to the student body from outgoing USG president Ella Cheng ’16. Cheng is a former staff writer for the Daily Princetonian. Chief Elections Manager Sung Won Chang ’18 said the candidates will need to adhere to the same rules and regulations as in the primary election.
The candidates will have a few days to campaign before voting officially begins on Monday, Nov. 30. Polls will close on Wednesday, Dec. 2 and the winner will be announced on Friday, Dec. 4. Since the race will only include two candidates, whoever wins the majority of votes will become the next USG president. A total of 1,623 students cast votes for the three presidential candidates: Czulak, Wu and Grant Golub ’17. Wu received 730 votes, 45.0 percent of the total, and Czulak received 629 votes, 38.8 percent of the total. Golub received
264 votes, the remaining 16.3 percent. Golub is a former staff writer and staff copy editor for the ‘Prince.’ Wu received more votes than Czulak did from the Classes of 2019, 2018 and 2016, and Wu and Czulak tied in the Class of 2017. Wu, who has served as the chief designer and social chair of USG, said that his platform will continue to center on connection, explaining that the most important parts of his campaign are connecting to people, increasing resources See USG page 2
SUNSET
STUDENT LIFE
In survey, BJL sit-in sees negative reactions from majority of student body associate news editor
A survey on student opinion in the Black Justice League’s sit-in protest found that the majority of respondents had negative views on the impact of the protest, according to Daniel Wilson ’18, the survey’s creator. The survey, titled “What Princeton Thinks of the Black Justice League,” was open from 10 a.m. on Thursday to 1 a.m. on Saturday. The survey had 948 respondents, which is roughly 18 percent of the University’s undergraduate population, Wilson noted. Wilson said that one of the notable results is that regardless of race, the majority of respondents had a relatively negative opinion on how the walkout has impacted the campus. The average answer for the question was 3.91, with 20 percent of the respondents choosing 0, or “negatively,” on a scale of 0 to 10. “Pretty much everybody, black
respondents included, have decided that the walkout itself was either neutral or fairly negative in terms of overall [impact],” he said. He explained that the data shows the reaction to the walkout differs by race, explaining that while Asian respondents were relatively unsupportive of the walkout, Hispanic and White students were relatively supportive of the protest and the demands. He added that Black students in general had a positive view on the protest, but the responses from the Black students were fairly polarized. “There are a lot of Black/African American [students] in support of the issue … but interestingly, there’s also a lot of [Black] people fairly against it,” he said. Joshua Tam ’18, who analyzed the survey’s data, said that the respondents are, if not representative of the entire student population, at least reflective of the See SURVEY page 4
JAMES SUNG : CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
N.J. Supreme Court rejects appeal to halt Institute for Advanced Study construction By Annie Yang senior writer
The Institute for Advanced Study’s planned housing development on Maxwell Field was allowed to proceed after New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Lee Solomon declined to place the Princeton Battlefield Society’s motion for a stay of construction on an emergency basis on Nov. 13.
Solomon’s office did not respond to a request for comment. “The Institute for Advanced Study is very pleased with the recent decisions by the Appellate Division and the Supreme Court of New Jersey to deny the requested stay on the faculty housing project, and we look forward to moving ahead,” Senior Public Affairs Officer for the Institute for Advanced Study
In Opinion
Today on Campus
Columnist Colter Smith offers insight on how to stop ISIS and the Editorial Board encourages the University to keep Woodrow Wilson’s name on campus buildings. PAGE 6
Noon: The Translation Lunch Lecture Series holds an event called “Lines of Flight: Marcel Bois Translates Waciny Laredj Translates Tahar Ouettar.” Aaron Burr Hall 126.
Christine Ferrara said. She declined to comment further on projected construction start and completion dates, as well as questions regarding the Princeton Battlefield Society. The Institute had planned to build seven single-family homes and eight townhouses on a seven-acre piece of land, according to a recent See BATTLEFIELD page 5
WEATHER
By Do-Hyeong Myeong
HIGH
49˚
LOW
40˚
Cloudy in the afternoon with night showers. chance of rain: 50 percent