December 9, 2014

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Tuesday december 9, 2014 vol. cxxxviii no. 121

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

CPUC to issue advice U. trustee Jackson on U. diversity policy GS ’86 to give

By Anna Windemuth

In Opinion Students argue that the University should divest from environmentally irresponsible investments, and Marni Morse questions who should be responsible for activism. PAGE 4

Today on Campus 7 p.m.: Near Eastern Studies Professor Michael Barry will give a lecture on Sufi poems titled “Canticle of the Birds: Searching for Beauty in a Turbulent World” as a part of the Muslim Life Program Lecture. McCormick Hall 101.

The Archives

Dec. 9, 1988 USG election candidates engaged in heated debate over whether or not the USG had any power.

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News & Notes Yale College Council working to extend mixed-gender housing to sophomores The Yale College Council is making a renewed push to extend mixed-gender housing to sophomores, according to the Yale Daily News.

The option to have mixed-gender housing, which allows students of both sexes to live in the same suite — potentially also in the same room — was given to seniors at Yale in 2010 and to juniors in 2012.

Sophomores and freshmen are currently mandated to live in same-sex housing.

The 2013 Yale College Council report found that 90 percent of the current junior class supported extending mixed-gender housing to sophomores.

Potential benefits of such a measure, according to the report, include an improved sexual climate and respect for queer and gender-queer students. It also noted that some students may be more comfortable living with friends of the opposite sex.

If approved, the housing plan could go into effect for the 2015-16 school year.

Currently, five other Ivy League schools offer some kind of mixedgender housing to sophomores. At the University, residential colleges offer some gender-neutral housing for sophomores.

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

University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 charged the executive committee of the Council of the Princeton University Committee with developing recommendations to improve the University’s policies and practices regarding diversity, inclusion and equity on campus during a meeting on Monday afternoon.

The meeting took place in a packed McCosh 10, a larger venue than usual. Around 150 people attended, significantly more than the couple dozen attendees at most CPUC meetings in Betts Auditorium. The initial agenda for the meeting —

which included a discussion of the Princeton Perspective Project — was not followed in order to conduct an extended question and answer session.

Eisgruber said the committee would discuss initiating events to enhance public dialogue in the upcoming months, consider expanding its membership to include more student voices and try to render its processes more transparent.

“Recent events provide yet another painful reminder that, despite America’s foundational commitment to human equality and unalienable rights, racial injustice has stained our republic from the moment of its inception,” Eisgruber read from a prepared statement that

STUDENT LIFE

LOCAL NEWS

staff writer

is now published on the University’s website.

He added that the University community is encouraged to contribute to the national dialogue on racial violence following the widely reported killings of two unarmed African-Americans.

“The tragic deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., have again exposed the distressing gap that separates our aspirations from our achievements,” Eisgruber said, adding that protests across the country and on campus strongly testify to the severity of the issue.

Representatives from the Undergraduate Student GovSee CPUC page 3

Baccalaureate address in May

By Jacob Donnelly staff writer

Lisa Jackson GS ’86 will speak at this academic year’s Baccalaureate ceremony on May 31, the University announced in a press release on Monday.

Jackson is vice president of environmental initiatives at Apple and is a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the agency’s top job. She earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University and was appointed a trustee

of the University in June.

Jackson did not respond to a request for comment.

In a 2013 Q&A with The Daily Princetonian, Jackson identified her two biggest accomplishments with the EPA as their finding that “emissions of greenhouse gases are endangering public health and welfare,” which obligated the EPA to address greenhouse gases, and “expanding the conversation on the environment and working for environmental justice.”

At Apple, Jackson has adSee JACKSON page 3

USG talks Seminary students protest Brown, Garner deaths diversity on campus

By Katherine Oh contributor

The Undergraduate Student Government senate held an open meeting on Sunday to discuss a resolution on diversity and equity that was submitted by U-Councilor Sol Taubin ’16.

The resolution called for mandatory cultural competency training — which would include taking a class and demonstrating an understanding of cultural diversity — for all students, faculty and staff, as well as a transparent system of reporting cases of discriminatory speech or behavior on campus. USG resolutions don’t enact policy.

“The point of this part of the resolution is to create a safe space for students in the classroom,” Taubin said. “I would like to point out that a conservative argument is not the same as hateful speech, or racism, or sexism, or homophobia.”

USG vice president Molly Stoneman ’16 explained that the resolution would be a recommendation to University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and the Council of the Princeton University Community. While it would serve as a strong showing of See DIVERSITY page 2

ANNA MAZARAKIS :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Princeton Theological Seminary students and community members gathered on Nassau Street at 12:30 p.m. on Monday in protest of recent grand jury decisions against indicting police officers whose actions resulted in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

By Zaynab Zaman contributor

Approximately 400 community members and students from the Princeton Theological Seminary staged a walkout in protest of the re-

cent decisions against indictments in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at 12:30 p.m. on Monday on Nassau Street.

The protest, called “Thy Kingdom Come,” was organized by two student groups

from the Princeton Theological Seminary: the Association of Black Seminarians and the Community Action Network, according to Megan Corbi, a second-year student at the seminary and a co-administrator of the Community Ac-

EFFECTIVE JUSTICE

tion Network.

Chants at the protest included “black lives matter” and “we can’t breathe.”

The students and members of the seminary community congregated on the semiSee PROTEST page 2

STUDENT LIFE

USG talks eating club cost, dietary options

By De Vann Sago staff writer

GRACE JEON ::SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

James McGreevey, Gary Lanigan, Micheal Jacobson and Walter Fortson Jr. spoke at an event, “The Role of Civil Society in Creating a More Effective Criminal Justice System,” hosted by Students for Prison Education and Reform and the Office of Religious Life.

The accessibility of the University’s eating clubs, both financial and social, was discussed Sunday night at a town hall discussion hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government.

“Our project is centered around accessibility in eating clubs and assessing students’ opinions on accessibility both in and not in eating clubs,” said Nihar Madhavan ’15, one of the project leaders for this initiative.

He said one way USG has addressed eating club accessibility has been to gather student feedback through the use of a survey that USG president Shawon Jackson ’15 sent to students in an email.

According to Madhavan, the term “accessibility” is used to include eating options and dining accessibility, accessibility to social events for eating club members and non-members of the clubs and information about bicker and financial aid.

During the meeting, students in the audience expressed concerns with the eating clubs, including how difficult it can be for those with dietary restrictions to find satisfactory meal opSee CLUBS page 2

The Daily Princetonian

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Tuesday december 9, 2014

Seminary president joined Brown, Garner protest PROTEST Continued from page 1

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nary’s main quad at 12:30 p.m. and marched downtown to begin their protest.

The protest also included a four-and-a-half minute diein, representing the four and a half hours that Michael Brown’s body was left on the street.

Among the participants was Craig Barnes, the current president of the Princeton Theological Seminary.

“Today’s student-led protest gave voice to the deep pain, frustration and sorrow that so many on our campus and around the country are feeling,” Barnes said.

He added that he felt honored to stand beside the student leaders as they encouraged their peers to address the “systemic injustices” behind the “tragedies” in Ferguson and Staten Island.

Corbi noted the importance of student organization in the

protest, which was the group’s first protest around this issue. She explained that the students cared deeply about the recent cases, so the fact that the demonstrations were entirely student-run gave the students a chance to reflect that sentiment.

Community Action Network is a group on the seminary’s campus that is designed to create systemic change in the community by seeking to partner with local nonprofits in the area, according to Corbi.

Jacqueline Nelson, a secondyear seminary student and moderator of the Association of Black Seminarians, said the organizers did not expect the number of people that ultimately showed up to protest.

“As we were walking, we saw people joining in,” Nelson said. “When we got to Nassau Street, people came out of stores and came out of the University campus; they came out of their residences, and they joined us in the protest.”

The protest was planned

about a week ago, according to Nelson, when both the Association of Black Seminarians and the Community Action Network met to discuss the issues they wanted to address.

She added that a main focus was to include the entire seminary in the project.

Nelson explained that the goal of the demonstration was not just to protest the Brown and Garner cases but also to specifically respond as a church community. The students, according to Nelson, wanted to join in the efforts that are happening across the country and to stand in solidarity with communities around the world.

“The church also has a place in this movement, and the church has an obligation to respond not only in our prayers, not only in our quiet reflection and meditation but with our feet as well,” she said.

Many students from the seminary also participated in the walkout at the University last Thursday, Nelson said.

Corbi said the seminary students were in full support of the University’s demonstration, adding that many people felt that it was important to acknowledge that a second non-indictment decision had been announced.

Students at the University

[T]he church has an obligation to respond ... with our feet as well.

Jacqueline Nelson Seminary Student

staged a walkout last Thursday to protest the two cases in front of Frist Campus Center.

The protest also included four and a half minutes of silence and a 45-minute die-in.

USG: Students use loans for eating clubs CLUBS

Continued from page 1

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tions in the clubs. One student noted the importance of a variety of good quality options for students with dietary restrictions.

U-Councilor Mallory Banks ’16 proposed additional labels that can identify which ingredients are in the food to help guide students with dietary restrictions.

Another topic discussed was financial aid access for students who hope to join eating clubs.

Students on financial aid receive an extra allowance of $2,050, in addition to their regular allowance for a meal plan, which they can combine to defray eating club costs. However,

this amount usually falls short of the full cost of most eating clubs. The extra allowance has not changed since the University since instituted it.

“A lot of people do have to take out loans.”

Dallas Nan ’16 U-Councilor Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students Bryant Blount ’08 explained that junior and senior students can receive a certain amount of financial aid to help cover the costs of joining an eating club or a co-

op or if they decide to go independent.

“I’m curious if students are aware, however, some students do this, that the University offers extremely family-friendly loan options if there is still a gap remaining,” Blount said.

U-Councilor Dallas Nan ’16 said that he thought it was unfair of the University to advertise itself as a loan-free University when many students enter eating clubs in part because it is expected that upperclassmen join eating clubs.

“A lot of people do have to take loans,” he said. “I think we need to re-evaluate the idea … [of] constantly touting the University as no-loan especially when a good number of people do have to take out loans when it comes to upperclassman eating.”

News & Notes Harvard Crimson publishes open letter to Obama, Holder Nearly half of the Harvard Law school student body has signed an open letter to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the recent Michael Brown and Eric Garner decisions, according to The Harvard Crimson.

Within 24 hours, the letter had over 1,000 signatures from more than 800 law students, 39 student organizations, 30 faculty and staff members and nine full professors.

The letter, released by the Harvard Black Law Students Association, specifically protests the decision to not in-

dict the police officers for the deaths of two unarmed black men. It asks President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to begin requiring police to use body-worn cameras and to prosecute police officers who violate the “constitutional rights of black men and women.”

The letter states that the current justice system is “willfully blind to the injustices and inequalities that persist along racial and economic lines in this country.”

The letter also invites Obama and Holder to Harvard Law School to continue the discussion and to “restore our faith in American justice.”

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USG proposes diversity peer program DIVERSITY Continued from page 1

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support from USG, Stoneman added that the administration may or may not change its policies according to these suggestions.

The resolution also called for the establishment of African-American studies, Latino studies, Latin-American studies and gender and sexuality studies as concentrations, as well as establishing certificate programs in Asian-American studies and disabilities studies.

“I feel personally that these concentrations being incorporated into general concentrations at Princeton might take years and years, but the goal of this amendment is to get the administration speaking about this, at least who they’re going to hire in the next three to five years,” Campus and Community Affairs committee chair Paul Riley ’15 said.

A group of students present at the meeting had previously written a letter to the senate,

describing ways in which the University could facilitate a more accepting community.

Their recommendations covered three categories: transparency, awareness, support.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson and others in demanding an end to racial injustice. This national issue has illuminated campus problems of overt racism, micro-aggressions, stereotyping and exclusion that we aim to transform,” the students stated in their letter.

The senate meeting included an open forum to allow students to voice their concerns or suggestions before a vote to pass the resolution. Some of the recommendations that were passed during the meeting included developing of a diversity program during orientation for freshmen and hiring staff in Career Services to focus specifically on diversity outreach.

Another addition made to the resolution was to have diversity peers, who would be similar to SHARE peers, for students of different backgrounds.

“I think there should be some language, to be added to the resolution as it stands, about the creation of diversity peers, much like SHARE peers or LGBT peer educators.

My time as a SHARE peer has actually allowed me to learn a lot of information about sexual awareness on campus,” U-Councilor Mallory Banks ’16 said. “People’s day-to-day interactions are when I, personally, experience microagressions myself. I think this is probably one of the best ways to do it.”

U-Council chair Zhan Okuda-Lim ’15 noted that the problem of bias and discrimination was a pressing issue before the events that took place in Ferguson, Mo., were in the news, and that they will continue to be issues in the future.

“The reason why we need to have this conversation now is because it’s a critical time to get it on people’s minds and to make some positive changes happen,” Okuda-Lim said.

A CPUC meeting discussing the resolution will take place on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

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The Daily Princetonian

Tuesday december 9, 2014

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African American Studies major possible Morrison last female Bacc. speaker CPUC

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ernment said during the public comments section that USG had passed a senate resolution calling for the University to take action related to equity and diversity on campus.

The resolution asks University faculty to establish the Program in African American Studies as a formal undergraduate concentration; to require mandatory cultural competency training of all University faculty, staff and other community members; and to create a more transparent and accountable reporting mechanism for issues of discrimination, microaggression and bias, among other requests.

“I know we’re not doing as well as we should,” Eisgruber said of the University’s progress on diversity issues in response to a student’s comment during the meeting’s hour-long question and answer session.

“We’ve tried over decades to do better and better, but even as we do better, additional steps need to be taken.”

Several students said they were concerned that cultural competency training is not mandatory for faculty, staff and other University community members who interact regularly with students. Eisgruber responded that he cannot mandate training for faculty given contractual limitations but that his cabinet has decided to engage in training and that the administration continues to look into the most effective ways of administrating training.

Students also voiced concerns over the University’s alleged lack of immediate action regarding diversity issues, noting that extended conversations have not led to enough immediate changes.

“This is kind of overlooking the daily reality that students on this campus face,” a senior undergraduate said of ongoing conversations.

“We, in many different forms and for many different reasons, don’t all feel like we are comfortable [on campus].”

Eisgruber said the question of creating a concentration in African American Studies would depend on faculty commitment from the Center for African American Studies, as establishing a new major would cause significant changes to their commitments.

Students who recently met with Eisgruber to discuss these issues said they would like to see more transparency within the CPUC’s executive committee, noting that many students are unaware of its procedures.

Eisgruber responded that the committee’s procedures are outlined online and that CPUC meetings are advertised both online and in The Daily Princetonian but that he agrees that CPUC should continue to promote student interaction.

In response to complaints that a student was not featured on the University’s recent diversity panel, Eisgruber said the University has a range of panels with different representatives, some with students and others without students.

“I don’t think we can have … a rule of thumb or provisions about what kind of people have to sit

on a particular panel,” Eisgruber said. When students said they were concerned by the comments of panelist Russell Nieli GS ’79, a James Madison Program senior preceptor, Eisgruber said the University has very broad rules allowing for freedom of speech and noted that Nieli is not currently teaching at the University.

He added that students with concerns about statements made by professors and other authority figures should contact Vice Provost of Institutional Equity and Diversity Michele Minter.

A student also proposed including a distribution requirement for students for classes shaped toward learning about different identities, such as different races and sexual orientations. Eisgruber said a faculty committee was evaluating the current distribution requirements and that this kind of question would be addressed in the process.

Fliers outlining critical policy recommendations related to campus diversity and racism were passed out to audience members by University students before the meeting.

“This national issue has illuminated campus problems of overt racism, microaggression, stereotyping and exclusion that we aim to transform,” one of the document’s drafters, Cameron Maple ’15, read from the document during the meeting.

“I think this is the beginning of a conversation, which we hope will be ongoing,” Eisgruber said of the discussion, adding that student propositions are welcome and have provided the administration with a great set of starting points.

JACKSON Continued from page 1

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dressed allegations of unsafe working conditions at manufacturing plants in China regarding the use of toxic chemicals and has overseen a variety of energy efficiency initiatives across the company.

Jackson was rumored to be a candidate for University president when she stepped down from her post at the EPA in 2012. University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 was chosen as former University President Shirley Tilghman’s successor in April 2013.

Jackson was known to butt heads often with Republican politicians in Congress during her time at the helm of the EPA from 2009 to 2013. She was also under investigation for using a second email account for business matters that used a different alias.

Jackson also spoke at Alumni Day in 2012 when she was awarded the James Madison medal, the University’s top award for Graduate School alumni.

Eisgruber, who selected Jackson to be speaker, said in an interview that Jackson exemplifies the ideals of service that the University is looking for in a Baccalaureate speaker.

“She’s demonstrated those

ideals in a variety of different settings that matter to our students,” Eisgruber said. “I think she is both somebody who has lived the University’s motto of ‘in the nation’s service’ and she’s somebody who’s very dedicated to Princeton. That’s a rare and special combination.”

Eisgruber also said the Baccalaureate address has a unique role in the University’s graduation cer-

“She’s demonstrated those ideals in a variety of different settings that matter to our students.”

Christopher Eisgruber ’83 University President

emonies.

“Being a Baccalaureate speaker is different from being a Class Day speaker or different from being a commencement speaker at other universities,” he explained. “Baccalaureate really is a reflection on ideals of service and on ethics, so yes, I am very focused on selecting

people who … one way or another — and there are a lot of ways to do this — have given parts of their lives to service.”

Last year’s Baccalaureate speaker, Christopher Lu ’88, former Cabinet Secretary (an advisor responsible for coordinating policy across different departments) in the Obama administration and current Deputy Secretary of Labor, was the first Baccalaureate speaker to be chosen by Eisgruber, as it was Eisgruber’s first year as University president.

Both Baccalaureate speakers chosen by Eisgruber so far have held high-ranking positions in the Obama administration.

Previous Baccalaureate speakers have included former chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke in 2013, author Michael Lewis in 2012, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2011 and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2010.

The last female Baccalaureate speaker was Toni Morrison, a Pulitzer Prize winner and thencreative writing professor at the University, in 2005.

The Class of 2015 announced on Friday that director Christopher Nolan will speak at the Class Day ceremonies on June 1.

The Baccalaureate ceremony will take place in the University Chapel on May 31.

WARWICK ROWERS

KELSEY DENNISON :: SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Lisa Jackson GS ’86 is vice president for environmental initiatives at Apple after retiring from the EPA.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

KIRA IVARSSON:: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Princeton Athlete Ally and Sports Allies hosted the Warwick Rowers at Campus Club on Monday.

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Waging a new type of war: a media war Sarah Sakha

contributing columnist

I

f you’re anything like me, then you like to get your news from the ranks of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and “The Onion.”

But I’m not the only one. For myriad people under the age of 30, Jon Stewart’s reliability as a news source is comparable to CNN, Fox News and NPR, and sadly, this comes as no surprise in an age where disillusionment with the media has plagued our generation.

The recent barrage of reporting-gone-wrong has quite possibly marred the media’s credibility irrevocably. Media bias has become the norm with discernible bias in the entities interviewed, facts cited, headlines, scenes portrayed in photographs and trending hashtags.

For example, #iftheygunnedmedown — that is, the social media campaign that raises the question, “If they gunned me down, what picture of me would the media show to the public?” was spurred by perceived media bias in the portrayal of Michael Brown in the media. It became a subject of contention in that the media chose a photograph of him in which he’s throwing up a peace sign, but which many would inevitably perceive as a gang sign. He had a plethora of everyday pictures, yet the media made the conscious decision of posting that one. Incensed masses took to Twitter, tweeting normal, innocuous pictures of themselves juxtaposed with pictures that could be interpreted as questionable, similar to the one of Michael Brown, with the hashtag #iftheygunnedmedown.

Now compare the titles of different articles — CNN’s “Israel Shoots Palestinians” and the Associated Press’s “Palestinian kills baby at Jerusalem station.” The nuances of both titles present undeniable media bias toward either side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. While the U.S. media has historically cast greater credence to Israel, today the media has been casting greater credence to Palestine in the ongoing “media war,” according to Vox and as is evident by the recent allegations against AP of bias against Israel in its reporting.

Then there’s simply biased reporting.

As The Washington Post recounts, the writer of Rolling Stone’s piece about the alleged gang rape of a freshman specifically picked the University of Virginia and the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. Her rationale is entrenched in stereotype, purporting that the frat is “really emblematic in a lot of ways of sort of like elitist fraternity culture.

As writer Alexandra Petri pointed out in an article about the media’s newfound role in Ferguson, we need the media “to tell the story that does matter.” All of these stories undoubtedly matter, and the people behind these stories are fully cognizant of the impact and salience they carry, from institutionalized racism to a ceaseless, casualty-ridden conflict to sexual assault on college campuses. But often the media will disproportionately cover one event or news story more than other current events, inevitably grossly oversimplifying the story and allowing bias to permeate the reporting, as it did with both Ferguson and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ferguson certainly hasn’t been the only incident of arguably racial violence, and the atrocities committed by both Israel and Hamas aren’t singular incidents in the Middle East.

The media should be an impartial, didactic force that seeks to pursue the truth, not to engender a twisted sense of ignorance.

The media should more carefully scrutinize the picture of a victim that they are about to present. The media should be more judicious in titling articles. The media should realize that a certain degree of dubiety is necessary in trusting your sources and that corroborating your sources is crucial, even despite the interviewee’s will.

But then again, maybe the solution lies in where we seek our news in the first place.

Local investigative reporting is an underrated asset in news today. We should read from a wide array of news sources, both domestic and international. Nonetheless, while a third-party source may be ostensibly unbiased, such as the United States commenting on the Middle East, Western reporting has presented biases of its own.

That being said, news necessitates objective reporting. Commentary and personal analysis are also integral to good journalism; that’s what op-eds and columns are for.

Mainstream media, particularly Western media coverage of the news, needs greater accountability. The role of mainstream media should not be to change the way we think, but rather to give us the information we need so that we may choose how to think.

It should not be to compel us to adopt the source’s viewpoint, but rather to allow us to formulate our own stance on the issues.

The media is retrograding practically toward yellow journalism with sensationalist stories and unreasonably attention-grabbing headlines providing a biased, if not inaccurate, account. As the man infamously attributed to yellow journalism, William Randolph Hearst, said, “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” And that is exactly the trend in the status quo — the media is furnished with pictures and stories, and in turn, they furnish conflict.

Sarah Sakha is a freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz. She can be reached at ssakha@princeton.edu.

Opinion

Tuesday december 9, 2014

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Stop financing environmental destruction

T

he University prides itself on being a leader in sustainability and environmental responsibility.

From conducting groundbreaking green energy research to cutting waste in dining halls, the University has taken laudable steps toward a sustainable future. Despite these efforts, the University has failed to address a looming elephant in the room: our $21 billion endowment and the companies and practices that it funds. While the University does not disclose details about the composition of its investments, analysis of comparable endowments suggests that the University has around 4 percent of its investments in fossil fuels, not including companies responsible for other drivers of irreparable environmental harm. That is, the University provides an estimated one billion dollars in support of practices that counteract Princeton’s advances toward local and global sustainability.

As a step toward resolving this regrettable inconsistency, a group of undergraduate and graduate students has prepared a proposal to incorporate environmental responsibility into the University’s management of its endowment. We intend to present this proposal to the Resources Committee – which evaluates proposed changes to University investment policy – in the near future. The Princeton University Sustainable Investment Proposal calls for greater accountability and the adoption of environmental standards in the management of the endowment. It provides a flexible and realistic framework for the development of environmentally and financially tenable investment strategies.

The Sustainable Investment Proposal calls for the University to commit to the United Nations’ principles of sustainable investing, asks for an annual report documenting the environmental impacts of the University’s investments and outlines the steps by which Princeton can develop environmentally conscious investment

practices. The crux of the proposal is the creation of a committee to evaluate Princeton’s current investment strategies and generate recommendations for financially and environmentally sustainable management. This committee will consist of democratically elected contingents of students, faculty, staff, members of the administration and members of the Resources Committee and the Princeton Investment Company. It may choose to engage with or shift investments away from companies with damaging practices such as fossil fuel extraction, deforestation and the distribution of anti-scientific climate misinformation; it may also choose to devote a portion of our investments to industries working towards green alternatives and ecological restoration. The committee’s recommendations will be applied to a subset of the endowment for a one-year trial period, after which they may be revised. Once finalized, these guidelines must be adopted by all of the University’s asset managers.

Financing environmental destruction is an injustice that directly conflicts with the University’s stated core values. In its official Sustainability Plan, the University declares that it has an obligation to maintain environmental resources for both past and future generations, and investment in environmental degradation is a failure to adhere to this obligation. Moreover, it undermines Princeton’s standing as an institution committed to finding scientific and ethical solutions to pressing environmental concerns. The University has acted to align its investments with its values in the past: It officially ceased to invest in businesses involved in apartheid in South Africa and genocide in Darfur. In the current environmental crisis, it is both an unethical and a political act to continue to invest in the businesses whose practices are responsible for increasing food insecurity, water shortages, extreme weather events and ecological collapse. It is time that Princeton join the growing number of institutions, from Stanford University to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to the United Church of Christ, that have adopted

vol. cxxxviii

principles of sustainable investment.

The endowment is unlikely to be significantly affected by sustainable investment.

Any change to investment strategy carries risk, but a growing body of evidence suggests that over the long term – as more companies enter the green energy market and governments take action on climate change – sustainable investment practices will carry great benefits. We recognize that short-term risks exist and that such benefits are uncertain, but we also must recognize that as the wealthiest university per student in the country, the University is uniquely able and obligated to take a bold step forward on sustainability.

The University’s adoption of this proposal will have impacts that are both economic and symbolic. The growing student movement to address fossil fuel investments, most publicly in Stanford’s coal decision, has already turned heads.

NRG Chief Executive Officer David Crane cited college activism when announcing his power company’s pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent by 2050.

He told The New York Times, “I don’t relish the idea that year after year we’re going to be graduating a couple million kids from college, who are going to be American consumers for the next 60 or 70 years, that come out of college with a distaste or disdain for companies like mine.” Princeton can play a meaningful role in forcing a public shift towards sustainable solutions.

The University community has already shown its commitment to sustainability, from the continued on-campus initiatives of groups like SURGE and Greening Princeton to the hundreds of Princetonians who attended the People’s Climate March in New York this September. Sustainable investment will be the logical and long overdue extension of our on-campus endeavors to include the endowment.

Signed, Renata Diaz ’15 Dayton Martindale ’15 Matthew Romer ’18 Leigh Anne Schriever ’16

Marcelo Rochabrun ’15 editor-in-chief

Nicholas Hu ’15

business manager

BOARD OF TRUSTEES president Richard W. Thaler, Jr. ’73 vice presidents John G. Horan ’74 Thomas E. Weber ’89 secretary Kathleen Kiely ’77 treasurer Michael E. Seger ’71 Craig Bloom ’88 Gregory L. Diskant ’70 Richard P. Dzina, Jr. ’85 William R. Elfers ’71 Stephen Fuzesi ’00 Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05 John G. Horan ’74 Joshua Katz Rick Klein ’98 James T. MacGregor ’66 Betsy J. Minkin ’77 Alexia Quadrani Jerry Raymond ’73 Annalyn Swan ’73 Douglas Widmann ’90

138TH BUSINESS BOARD business manager Nicholas Hu ’15 head of advertising Zoe Zhang ’16 director of national advertising Kevin Tang ’16 director of recruitment advertising Justine Mauro ’17 director of local advertising Mark Zhang ’17 director of online advertising Matteo Kruijssen ’16 head of operations Daniel Kim ’17

How to deal with book haters

comptroller Eugene Cho ’17

terry o’shea ’16

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NIGHT STAFF 12.8.14 news Warren Crandall ’15 Zaynab Zaman ’18 senior copy editors Julie Aromi ’15 Summer Ramsay-Burrough ’17 staff copy editors Divya Krishnan ’16 Marylyse Vieira ’17 contributing copy editors Maya Wesby ’18 design Christine Kyauk ’16 Cailin Hong’ 17

Who’s to blame and why it matters Marni Morse columnist

W

hen I first read the Rolling Stone article about rape at the University of Virginia, I was shocked and outraged, as most other readers were. Nearly unanimous national horror erupted at how UVA, which unfortunately is not unique in this matter, has handled sexual assault on campus.

This outrage seemed to create enough pressure to finally spur significant changes. UVA temporarily closed fraternities as they pledged reform.

Analyzing all of this alone would be enough fodder for a column: why did it take a gang rape to prompt the impetus for change, what are the right changes to make in response — both on campus and in legal procedures, etc. But the issue of sexual assault on campuses was quickly derailed. It soon became known that there were inconsistencies in the rape case in the article; the Rolling Stone editors and writers failed to do their required due diligence as journalists and confirm their interviewee’s story. Once again, I was shocked and outraged — not at Jackie, the story’s subject, but at Rolling Stone.

Sexual assault is a major problem, especially on college campuses. Rolling Stone had the opportunity to draw attention to this and ignite some real change, but it squandered the chance.

By not checking the accuracy of the story, Rolling Stone left the door wideopen for criticism, not just for itself

but also for Jackie, all rape victims and all proponents for change.

Given that people already question sexual assault victims’ reliability and the seriousness of their allegations, it should have been evident to Rolling Stone that it was imperative to get this story right. Otherwise, the consequences are just too devastating. Now, even if most of her story is accurate, sexual assault victims will be even more discouraged from coming forward and seeking justice.

Even though the facts as they are now being presented appear to support that Jackie underwent some sort of sexual trauma, people will use the Rolling Stone article as fodder to discredit all sexual assault victims.

Furthermore, blaming Jackie is unjust for a variety of reasons. It is a journalist’s responsibility to check the facts — especially those of a traumatized college student. Rolling Stone failed Jackie and its readers by not doing so. The reporter, Erdely, should have been upfront and honest with Jackie from the outset about Erdely’s responsibility to be able to confirm the facts, and she should not have interviewed Jackie if Jackie didn’t agree. Protecting Jackie means Rolling Stone should have checked her story and if fallout happened, as it did, Rolling Stone would need to take responsibility. Though statements by editors show they accept responsibility, the original official apology statement unfortunately seems to blame Jackie for being unreliable. At least after receiving criticism, Rolling Stone has updated its apology statement to state explicitly, “These mis-

takes are on Rolling Stone, not on Jackie.”

As an advocate for sexual assault reform, I was devastated when I first read the Rolling Stone statement and all the news surrounding the inconsistencies. Based on what I’ve seen before, I figured this would most definitely set back the case for reform and return the discussion to victim-blaming. It’s been inspiring to see the overwhelming number of op-eds articulate why the blame falls on Rolling Stone and not on Jackie, arguing that we as a society should not let this unethical reporting stop the momentum for change. Even UVA has announced that despite the new revelations about the article, it will forge ahead with its planned reforms.

Hopefully, this attitude will prevail.

Nevertheless, the entire debate over who deserves the blame reminds me of recent conversations I’ve had on so many different issues. In the face of critics, whose responsibility is it to make a compelling case for social justice? These same questions arise in discussing issues such as divestment from Israel, women’s rights or affirmative action: To be an effective activist, do you have the right to be angry if you are wronged, or do you, despite this, have the onus to react calmly because that is probably more effective in persuading your opponents? Where you place either the blame or the onus and responsibility for change often seems to be at the heart of where people differ.

While this difference may appear like a small nuance, it has huge implications in how one approaches any reform.

Among the many instances where

this matters was during the diversity panel last week. There were several problems with the argument presented

by James Madison Program senior preceptor Russell Nieli GS ’79, including denying that racism still exists against all blacks, not just the poor. But one of the largest failings for me was his claim that because it’s possible that race-based affirmative action might lead to the affirmation of negative stereotypes, we shouldn’t practice it at all in admissions.

But the onus to prevent any possible affirmation of negative stereotypes, thereby creating a welcomed, supported and diverse student body, falls on the University here, not on those who are subjected to these stereotypes. The other three panelists somewhat acknowledged this, and the last questioner hit the nail on the head. The University must support all its students fully and help everyone acknowledge the privilege they have to attend Princeton, thereby preventing people from believing these gross stereotypes. Where you put the onus might seem like a small difference, but it is an issue of ethics that ultimately must determine what policy to pursue.

Be it affirmative action or sexual assault, I urge people to carefully consider who is to blame in all these various debates and what is the most effective strategy to achieve the ends you desire.

This framing certainly does make a difference in where we go from here.

Marni Morse is a sophomore from Washington, D.C. She can be reached at mlmorse@princeton. edu.

The Daily Princetonian

Tuesday december 9, 2014

page 5

Men first, women second vs. Ivy League opponents at Brown Invite

By Mark Goldstein contributor

Notes from Nationals While most of the men and women of Princeton Swimming and Diving were in Rhode Island for the three-day Brown Invitational last weekend, nine of their teammates competed at the USA Swimming AT&T Winter National Championships.

Senior Michael Strand; juniors Sandy Bole, Teo D’Alessandro, Byron Sanborn and Nikki Larson; sophomores Sam Smiddy and sophomore Olivia Chan; and freshmen Lindsay Temple and Elsa Welshofer traveled to Greensboro, N.C., to represent Princeton at Nationals.

The quartet of Chan, Larson, Temple and Welshofer impressed with a top-20 finish in the 400 medley relay, finishing No. 17 overall with a time of 3:44.56. Individually, the most remarkable effort for the Tigers was a No. 6 finish overall in the 200 IM “A” final for senior and defending Ivy champion D’Alessandro, who posted a 1:45.76 time.

Women take silver at Brown Invitational The women’s swimming and diving team finished No. 2 in the Brown Invitational last weekend, scoring 954.5 points to Yale’s 1,167.

Though they didn’t take home the title, the women remain undefeated in the Ivy League, as the competition served as the team’s dual-meet against Brown (751.5) and Dartmouth (503). Rider (193) and Columbia (46) also participated in the competition, finishing No. 5 and 6 respectively.

Friday, the first day of competition, ended with standings that would eventually match the final rankings. For the Tigers, notable first-day performances included a No. 2 finish in the 500 free in 4:50.11 by freshman Claire McIlmail and a No. 3 finish in the 200 free relay by freshman Madelyn Veith, sophomore Katie Diller,

junior Elizabeth McDonald and junior Morgan Karetnick, finishing in 1:33.72.

Saturday saw some Tiger victories, as McIlmail stayed hot, claiming the 200 free in 1:47.97.

Sophomore diver Caitlin Chambers remained undefeated on the season, winning the 1-meter board with 293.20 points. Senior Shirley Wang delivered another Princeton victory in the 100 back by sprinting to a 55.34 finish.

On Sunday, Chambers won the 3-meter board with 326.3 points.

The Seattle, Wash. native — now 6-0 this winter across three meets

While many swimmers and divers performed well at Brown, Okubo was the story of the weekend.

— took her impressive year to a new level, breaking Erin Lutz ’01’s 16-year-old school record by posting a 342.70 score in the preliminary round.

Men continue Ivy dominance at Brown The men’s team continued its strong season thus far, leading wire-to-wire in a convincing victory over the rest of the field at the Brown Invitational. Princeton finished with 1,030 points, ahead of Brown (807), Columbia (704), Dartmouth (666) and Rider (434).

Like the women, they are now 4-0 in the Ivy, with the competition serving as the team’s Brown and Dartmouth dual-meet.

The men impressed early, winning five of six events on Friday to race out to an early lead that proved insurmountable.

The quartets of seniors Harri-

son Wagner and Connor Maher, sophomore Julian Mackrel and freshman Alexander Lewis, and Maher, junior Jack Pohlmann, freshman Corey Okubo and junior Jeremy Wong won the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay respectively. Lewis (50 free), Okubo (200 IM) and senior Michael Manhard (1-meter) also tacked on individual victories for the Tigers.

Saturday also proved fruitful for the Tigers. Junior Andrew Helber, Pohlmann, Maher and Wagner won the 200 medley relay in 1:27.60, and freshman Zach Buerger, senior Michael Hauss, Okupo and senior David Paulk took home the 800 free relay in 6:40.14. Pohlman (100 breast), Okubo (400 IM) and Manhard (3-meter) all padded their resumes with individual wins to boot.

Unsurprisingly, there was no let-up from the Tigers on Sunday.

Princeton foursomes of freshman Ben Schafer, Lewis, Mackrel, and Wong (2:57.6) and Paulk, Maher, Hauss and Buerger (2:58.97) placed first and second in the 400 free relay. Elsewhere, Pohlmann added yet another victory by taking the 200 breast in 2:01.18.

While many swimmers and divers performed well at Brown, Okubo was the story of the weekend. The freshman phenom added two more victories to his collection on Sunday, winning the 200 fly in 1:46.44 and the 200 back in 1:45.01. Okupo, from Irvine, Calif., was the top recruit in what was a top-10 nationally ranked class last year and has wasted no time in asserting himself as one of the Ivy’s fastest swimmers.

Both sides have concluded their competitive schedules for 2014. On January 3, the men will inaugurate 2015 by welcoming the U.S. Naval Academy to DeNunzio Pool for a one-day meet before North Caroline State University rolls into town on January 9 to take on both the men and women.

THE PAPER CAMPUS WAKES UP TO

RUBY SHAO :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Princeton’s women swimmers took first in the 200 free, second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free relay. Yale edged out the Tigers by a score of 1167 to 954.5 to take first at the Brown Invitational.

Tuesday december 9, 2014

Sports

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }

PRINCETON 2, DARTMOUTH 4

KATHERINE TOBEASON AND OLIVIA ALLEN :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Top row: Sophomore Ben Foster took center position on the first line. His point total of five (two goals, three assists) ties him for first on the team; sophomore goalkeeper Colton Phinney deflects a Dartmouth shot. He managed 38 saves against 42 Dartmouth shots, having stopped 51 Harvard shots the night before.

Middle row: Junior winger Jonathan Liau takes a faceoff. The Burbank, Calif., native scored Princeton’s second goal on a power play; the Tigers, here attempting to advance the puck, have been outshot by an unsustainable margin of 479-299; senior center Aaron Kesselman tallied the Tigers’ first goal. He has a share of Princeton’s scoring lead with 5 points.

Bottom row: Liau takes it up the ice. The Princeton offense managed 31 shots on goal compared with Dartmouth’s 42; the Tigers celebrate after their first goal, which equalized the score at 1-1.

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