This Week in Street: Sept. 26

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday September 26, 2013

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the daily

PRINCETONIAN CHECK OUT OUR ARTS AND CULTURE BLOG, INTERSECTIONS.

COOLEST DORMS

Senior Writer Annie Tao brings you an insider’s peek at Princeton’s prime real estate, so you can figure out who you should be friends with this year.

“Best Retreat”

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PAGE DESIGN BY SENIOR WRITER LIN KING

Scully 116 Tiffany Cheung ’15

he first thing you see when you walk into Tiffany Cheung’s room is the window seat.

Airy and bright, the room’s naturally deep windowsill has been converted with cushions and blankets into a small but comfortable nook for lounging and reading. A makeshift canopy of white lace hanging from the ceiling above completes the whimsical space without detracting from the overall openness of the area.

Scully 116 is more of an apartment than a dorm room. An elegant white reading chair is tucked into a corner. Neutral cushions and a forest green throw add color, and a giant framed Buddha hangs just above. No tongue-in-cheek U-Store

posters are to be found in this upperclassman sanctuary; rather, the wall art – all large, bold pieces – has been carefully curated to match the color scheme of the room. A tasteful mahogany end table and matching lamp add to the effect, while a large and colorful Persian rug ties everything together.

Having had roommates in the past, Cheung was excited for an opportunity to finally decorate the space as she envisioned it. She chose a clean, minimalist design with fresh, light colors to amplify the existing brightness of the room.

Whites, with a few dashes of neutral shades in the form of pillows and throws, keep the look modern, sleek and cohesive. The overall effect is chic, dreamy and soothing.

“Coolest Concept”

MONICA CHON :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

M “Best Layout” MONICA CHON :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

B

est of both worlds is not a phrase typically associated with dorm living, but it actually applies perfectly to Buyers 22. With a common room on the first floor and two huge singles on the second, it’s enough to make anyone want to be an RCA. “Having three completely separate spaces means that there isn’t too much external noise. It’s great to get to have my own space, my own bedroom and a roommate,”

ichael yuan ’15 decided to take advantage of the light from his south-facing window by cultivating a veritable garden in his dorm room. Pointing out that Princeton often becomes rather dreary come winter, Yuan hoped to “bring a little bit of life into the room” with his plants. “I had a bunch of seeds at home, so I brought them to Princeton. When I got here, I planted them in the window boxes, not knowing if they would grow or not,” Yuan said.

Yuan’s spacious RCA quarters are now host to a large variety of thriving plants, including tomato, basil, corn and peas. A trellis leaning against the window and a plant growing out of an old shoe suggest that nothing in the room is safe from the

1927 Hall 134 Michael Yuan ’15

sprawl of greenery. In another pot, Yuan has planted a giant pumpkin that could grow to be up to 500 pounds. When asked about his favorites, Yuan comments, “I like my jasmine plant a lot because the flowers hang over my face while I sleep and release a sweet scent. I’m also excited for the giant pumpkin because it could grow really big.”

Is this the start of a new food movement at Princeton? Probably not. Yuan mentions that growing plants indoors can be pretty challenging, especially if they don’t get enough light. He takes them outside every now and then so they can get fresh air and sunlight. “Hopefully by the spring I can get some vegetables from these boxes,” Yuan said, “but I’m only cautiously optimistic.”

Buyers 22 Alex Kasdin ’14 and Cathy Chen ’14

Kasdin said. Upstairs, her queensized bed and walk-in closet make this the biggest understatement of the year. Though the slanted ceilings are somewhat challenging to work around, thoughtful placement of furniture minimizes the amount of wasted space. Sunlight spills generously through two large skylights, so the room remains bright despite the lower ceilings.

Chen’s room has a slightly different configuration, but she too has

found an optimal configuration, placing her bed under an alcove and her desk in the center of the room, where the ceiling is highest. A spare closet houses a bucket chair, creating more open floor space in a single that is already bigger than most doubles in the building.

Kasdin and Chen shared the vision for a shabby-chic style but focused on the practicalities when designing the room. “We needed to have a lot of seating to have people in

here comfortably,” Chen said. Kasdin added that they found many of their chairs, as well as some of the main decor elements, secondhand and at thrift shops.

One downside to the room? “You can’t hear anyone knocking,” Kasdin said. “If I were living alone, it wouldn’t matter so much, but as RCAs, it’s really important. We ended up having to buy a wireless doorbell.” Surely, a trade-off most of us would be willing to make.

MONICA CHON :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday September 26, 2013

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COOLEST DORMS CONT’D

“Best Use of Space”

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ntering room 120 is not unlike walking into a department store catalog, so expertly has each and every piece been selected and arranged.

Indeed, Macy Manning ’16 did have a bit of professional help from her mother, who happens to be an interior designer and jumped at the opportunity to help decorate. “We drew from Kate Spade accessories for their simplicity yet elegant touch,” Manning said.

The clear focal point of Manning’s room is her bed, artfully laid out in black and white. In orienting the bed diagonally to face the door rather than squeezing it straight into the corner, Man-

1939 Hall 120 Macy Manning ’16

ning created a space that is open, dynamic and inviting. A large black statement mirror rests securely on Manning’s desk, artificially enlarging the room while also drawing visitors in. A long bedskirt hides the storage space below the raised bed, adding to the polished, clean appeal of the room, and whimsical white polka dots on a black curtain allow for the perfect compromise between light and privacy. The strength of this design concept derives from Manning’s decision to work with the room rather than against it.

By accepting the room’s size, she was able to use it to her advantage and create an unconventional yet comfortable living space.

Though many students might

consider a tiny single in ’39 the height of housing misfortune, Manning’s room proves that limited space doesn’t need to detract in the slightest from aesthetics and comfort.

If you want to maximize the space in your room, Manning advises to start from the basics and keep everything unified by color.

“Space is usually the toughest thing to work around in a dorm.

The first things that we took into account were the locations of the door and windows. Then [we] placed the furniture jutting into the room - rather than all pushed against the walls - to make it more inviting. For colors, we used a black and white base with splashes of pink accents.”

MONICA CHON :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

“Best Suite”

W MERRILL FABRY :: PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

1927 Hall 132 Maranatha Teferi ’16

ith the door opening directly into a narrow hallway, at first this six-person suite does not appear all that different from the other large suites on campus. To the left and right are two spacious doubles, and directly in front, a small common room facing a large window. Further down the hallway are two bathrooms. What catches the eye, however, is the open staircase leading up to the second floor of this bi-level suite. A large, open mezzanine features a dual lounge and study space, complete with comfortable seating and mood lighting. Leading off the mezzanine is a room that puts all other rooms to shame.

With high, vaulted ceilings owing to its

luxurious penthouse location, Suite 132 enjoys a sense of unparalleled airiness as well as additional room for personalization. Maranatha Teferi ’16 has chosen an extensive collection of vinyl records to mount to the walls and ceilings. The room also boasts two huge closets, the ceiling height allowing for extra storage space above the hanging area.

Though one might imagine that Teferi and her draw group had the best draw time in the entirety of Wilson College, she states that this is in fact not the case. “Actually, we were somewhere near the middle. It just happens that there aren’t that many six-person draw groups, and we were the second of those.” The takeaway? Putting together a larger draw group may be the key to securing your side of Princeton paradise next year.

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday September 26, 2013

Ask the Sexpert

LOVE AND LUST IN THE BUBBLE

Bathing in the past

This week, she discusses unprotected sex. dear sexpert, I’ve been dating my boyfriend for a few months, and we just started having sex. I was a virgin when we started going out, but he is a lot more experienced. We used protection, but he only put the condom on at the end, after we already started having sex. Is that normal? In health class, they said that you can get pregnant from pre-cum, but he told me it’s actually a really small chance. He also said it feels better without a condom, which is why he didn’t want to put it on at the start. Are both of those things true? I wanted to make sure.

-Should I Be Concerned? dear should, Thanks for writing in! There are no stupid questions when it comes to sex, so it’s important not to discount your own knowledge. A lot of people who are less experienced than their partners tend to doubt themselves when it comes to sexual expertise, but try to trust your gut (and what you learned in health class!).

Anyhow, your boyfriend is sort of right and sort of wrong. Putting a condom on at the end is essentially equivalent to the withdrawal method, or the “pull-out” method.

According to Planned Parenthood, for couples who use the pull-out method perfectly every time over the course of a year, 4 percent of women will become pregnant. For couples who don’t always use it cor-

rectly, 27 percent will become pregnant. Although there is a chance that a small amount of sperm would be present in the pre-ejaculate (or precum) it’s unlikely to make you pregnant, especially if your partner urinates before having sex. However, even though you say your boyfriend is “a lot more experienced” than you are, you two probably don’t have enough experience

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Putting a condom on at the end is essentially equivalent to the withdrawal method, or the “pull-out” method.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: having sex with each other to use the method correctly every time — it can be pretty difficult to predict exactly when your partner is going to ejaculate.

You wrote in because of concern with pregnancy, but remember that there is a chance of STI infection unless you wear a condom the whole time. Last week’s column talked about STIs at Princeton — cases do exist on campus!

As far as sex feeling bet-

ter without a condom: Sadly, this may be true for your boyfriend. Every person is different, and some people feel more reduced pleasure than others.

If this is a problem for the two of you, you have a few options.

One would be to experiment with different brands and styles of condoms — there are so many varieties that there’s something out there for everyone! Another option, if you two are planning to be sexually exclusive, would be to use hormonal birth control.

You could both go to McCosh and get STI testing (it’s only $14 for a test for gonorrhea and chlamydia, so no need to worry about putting it on your parents’ insurance). There are also a lot of kinds of hormonal birth control out there, and the staff at Sexual Health and Wellness can talk to you about what the best option is for you.

And despite the rumors, you don’t have to get a pelvic exam before you can be prescribed birth control (although you can get one if you want!)

Good luck with everything, and remember to always communicate!

-The Sexpert Interested in Sexual Health? The Sexpert is always looking for members of the community to join the team of sexual health educators who, along with fact-checking from University health professionals, help write these columns.

Email sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com for more information and questions about sexual health.

Don’t be shy!

Breaking down the residential college giveaways Joan Thompson Senior Writer

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he time we lovingly call ‘Frosh Week’ is infamous not only for its bacchanalian festivities, but also for its free goodies. What’s most important aren’t the free Post-Its and pens from the activities fair (although swinging by events in Dillon Gymnasium will curtail your trips to the U-Store) or the obnoxiously orange, oversized T-shirts with the names of obscure organizations on them.

Princeton’s residential college giveaways blow all that free crap out of the water.

For freshmen, residential college gear is the earliest opportunity to leave those embarrassing high school sweats behind. (Judging from the looks of it, every high school student council still seems be printing the same slogans on the back of Custom Ink Sport-Tek quarter zips.) Giveaways are a way for freshmen to look like Princetonians — albeit clearly underclassmen — without looking like their parents bought them their entire college wardrobe at the U-Store. For sophomores who can’t claim an eating club pinnie or hoodie as their own, it’s our opportunity to represent, for possibly the last year, our residential colleges.

Here’s my take on this year’s most noteworthy gear: Forbes: If I’m giving full disclosure, my rave review for

Forbes might just be me rationalizing my draw pick into the Annex. Still, you know the gear’s good when groups of sophomores from other college wander over to our off-campus home for a sub-par weeknight dinner in hopes of snagging a few stray red crewnecks. While I don’t think I’ll walk into my econ midterm with a large red F plastered across me, Forbes’ unfortunate initial doesn’t detract too much from a style that’s classic, comfortable, and true to Forbes spirit. Side note: Last year’s “Forbes Marathon” tanks challenged Whitman’s “Party with Meg” gear in style points.

Whitman: Whitman strengthens its vibe of exclusivity with a cardigan giveaway that looks like it’s from the pages of a Brooks Brothers catalogue.

Its Facebook page celebrates the cardigan’s embodiment of “Ivy style,” as if trying to make Tommy Hilfiger sorry for shooting his fashion spread in up-campus territory last spring. While I love to hate Whitman for its hardwood floors, cute whale mascot and claim to late night dining hall snacks, I have to admit that this year’s giveaway is an adorable and creative departure from the overdone quarter zips which have become a dime a dozen on campus. Now that I’ve pretty much drooled all over Whitman, can I please get into College Night?

Wilson: If you’ve ever seen an episode of Fashion Police, you know where I’m going with this. As a different fashion icon

with the name Joan would say, “*i@$%, you stole my look!” I thought it impossible that Wilson’s sweatshirt could actually be that close to Whitman’s 2012 version, but when I asked a Wilson-ite during the first week of school, she proudly proclaimed that the font, style, colors and essentially the entire sweatshirt, were copied from Whitman’s design last year. Wilson, props for boldness, but the knockoff is never as good as the original — I’ll have to inflate the Whitman ego by wagging my finger at this style faux pas.

A few words on the others: Rocky/Mathey: Like Rocky/ Mathey itself, Rocky’s quarter zip is classic, and Mathey’s cute gray and purple hoodie fits in with its image as a little sister to Rocky. Timeless and safe picks.

Butler: A friend once told me of new residential college architecture, “Whitman’s trying to look like Rocky-Mathey. Butler’s ugly and we rock it.” Well, it seems that art mirrors art, as Butler’s hoodies might be a throwback to the early 2000s, just like its buildings. I’m guessing they don’t get much use anyways in that mystical temperature-controlled kingdom.

So, underclassmen, it’s time to set aside those Clash of the College T-shirts. But don’t even think about tossing free residential college giveaways into the back of the closet. I’ll let Joan Rivers decide which a cappella group has the best sweats this season.

LILLIA XIE :: ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

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Anonymous

W

hen I got sick that one time, you took care of me. I hadn’t even told anyone that I was sick — I never do — but you noticed.

I quickly moved my whole life around to love you.

My cycle of pathologically desperate hookups needed to stop so that I could be worthy of loving someone. I succeeded. I purified myself, and then you told me that you just wanted to be friends.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I quickly moved my whole life around to love you.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I stayed strong, and I stayed pure, like a Renaissance courtly lover. At a party, while drunkenly talking about you to a very hot guy who was clearly about to settle for leaving with me, I said, “You and I aren’t hooking up, by the way, in case that wasn’t clear.

I’m, like, in love.”

And then we finally kissed, and I called all my friends back home to tell them about you

and to send them pictures of you and to transcribe relevant text message conversations and basically just gush.

We hung out the next day, and then you didn’t respond to my text messages for a week, and I cried.

And then we started hanging out, and we would go into town together, and people assumed we were dating, a delusion from which I made no effort to dissuade them. Truth be told, I really enjoyed their confusion.

And then you kissed my cheek secretly in a dark theater, and we hooked up in your car, and that time I only called my best friend from back home, who was wearily confused, wondering if you were the same guy as before.

And then it was summer, and we talked every day, except when you would ignore me for weeks.

And then we got back to campus, and I took your virginity, and then you told me that you didn’t love me, and the next night I had one of the best hookups of my life, and then I yelled at you, and then somehow you told me that you loved me, and I must have told you that I loved you.

And then we were dating.

And then I started cheating on you.

And then I started hating you.

And now we don’t speak, and

looking at you makes my heart sink because you’re everything that I hate about myself. I can never apologize enough, and I can never get the apology that

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And then I started cheating on you.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I actually want. Because it’s not you, it’s me, but it’s also a little bit you, too.

But I don’t even think you care anymore. You got over it.

And I did, too. I’m with a new guy, and he’s uncomplicated and happy, and he texts me to see how my day is going, and he makes me smile constantly, and I’m so happy. Plus, he has a huge dick.

It’s just hard because I don’t know how I’m supposed to stop thinking about you when I listen to Adele.

I usually like bathing in the past. It’s like sifting through the results of my experiments.

I don’t want to throw out all my data because it didn’t fit my hypothesis. But it’s killing my graphs.

I also forgot to mention that I lost my best friends because of you, and that also really sucked.

In defense of: Frist mailbox locks Katie Bauman

Associate Editor for Street

Y

ou go to princeton, bitch. That means things are different here. You have left the real world and entered the Orange Bubble. You type “Frist” when you mean to type “first”. Your phone even autocorrects it! “The slums” refers to sprawling Gothic architecture looking out over sprawling green courtyards. There are free fresh-baked cookies available to you every single night. Throwing beer in mansions seems to be a social norm — the list goes on. Of these changes, one has stood out from the rest. It is the bane of students old and new alike — Frist’s mailbox locks.

Without fail, the onslaught of mailbox maladies at the start of each school year brings sheepish freshmen to the Frist Welcome Desk. With bowed heads, slightly colored cheeks and an internal monologue asserting that they are, in fact, the admissions office’s mistake, the students ask how to open their mailbox. The casual upperclassman observer smirks and struts to his mailbox, confident in his abilities as a well-adjusted and experienced Princetonian, and begins the intricate process of opening the lock.

It begins with a turn to the left. Go around … once? Twice?

Once, it’s once. Right? Yeah, yeah it is. Shoot, missed the tick mark. Does it count if I go back? Sure, I did it really fast.

I mean I barely missed the 17.

Last turn! Aaannd shit. Foiled again. Forget seniority, forget intellectual superiority — the Frist lock is the great equalizer.

No one is safe from its fickle nature. While the impossibility of opening your Frist mailbox may seem frustrating at first, this most taxing challenge is actually a necessary phenomenon.

Look at the mailboxes from a historical perspective. Frist’s locks protect the lasting legacy of the Pony Express. Hundreds of years ago, 80 riders and 450 horses took it upon themselves to bridge the continental divide between the East and West.

Though the Pony Express was a short-lived group, lasting just 19 months, only one mail delivery was ever lost in the perilous journey of almost 2,000 miles from St. Joseph, Mo. to Sacramento, Calif. The fastest delivery made in only seven days and 17 hours. I don’t even get my measly University paycheck in my mailbox seven days after it is released. These macho mailmen of the 19th century braved the Oregon Trail just to deliver the town gossip from Boston to the California gold mines. Frist mailboxes are simply the Pony Express’s modern manifestation. Their locks ensure that nearby riffraff cannot find their way to the top-secret information we elite Ivy Leaguers are privy to. Like the Clinique sale at the U-store or J.Crew’s fall catalog.

What’s more, the locks address one of the pitfalls that plague our generation — this instant gratification bullshit!

No little ding or simple click to read your email. No bubble popping up on your phone telling you your friend sent you a message. No endless wheel of people to whirl through and chat with when you feel lonely and bored.

No selfie that appears at the tap of a finger and times itself so you

don’t even have to close it. NO. For this you are going to turn, twist, jimmy, shimmy, bang and clang. You have to prove your mettle and then, just maybe, the iron gate will open and reveal your reward. At Princeton you have to earn your mail, just like the knights of old.

And if we want to think WAY out there (as if we haven’t been doing that already), perhaps the mailbox locks have played a critical role in the EEB department’s ongoing plot to create a meningitis B epidemic, research the disease and eventually create a vaccine. These locks have been gathering germs for years, collecting a wide array of bacteria. I’ve heard that late at night, EEB grad students sneak around Frist, exposing every lock to bacterial meningitis. (The gastro outbreaks these past two years were the unfortunate mistake of a young pre-med hopeful who now goes to DeVry University online.) When unsuspecting students grow frustrated with their impenetrable mailbox locks, falling to their knees to gnaw on the cold, unforgiving metal, the insidious strain enters their body. The opening credits of “House” may have been onto something...

Whatever the reason, experiencing Frist mailbox locks is a rite of passage. These locks remind you that life isn’t always fair. You can do everything right and sometimes things just don’t work out. But most of all, the locks teach you about the nature of perseverance and disappointment. Keep turning, keep trying and eventually you will prevail!

Except when you do, there won’t be anything in your mailbox but a Business Today from last year.

Locked, but not loaded.

COURTESY OF PRINCETON.EDU

The Daily Princetonian

Thursday September 26, 2013

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{ your guide to weekend arts & entertainment }

Q&A: Lobster Club

CAMPUS PICKS Theatre: “Fuddy Meers”

Missing your family? Feeling like a new person this year? Losing track of the past in the Orange Bubble? Then David Lindsay-Abaire’s touching family drama and comedy, which explores themes of forgiveness and reconnecting, might be the thing for you. “Fuddy Meers” tells the story of an amnesiac woman, Claire, who begins each day with no memories of the past. When she is abducted from her bedroom by a mysterious limping man, she must attempt to rediscover her life and identity.

Theatre Intime, Thursday–Saturday, 8 p.m.

Hamilton Murray Theatre, Oct. 3-5, 8 p.m., matinee performance at 2 p.m. on October 5

Richardson Auditorium Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Event: Chinese Moon Festival Celebration

Were you not invited to any parties this weekend? Do you not have friends to hang out with? Don’t worry. I’ve been there, and I’ve got you covered. Join the Chinese Students Association as they celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival, one of the most culturally significant holidays in China. They will be distributing delicious mooncakes throughout the evening and showcasing incredible performances featuring groups such as Taiko, BodyHype, Old Nassoul, Triple 8, Shere Khan, BAC, VTone and Sympoh.

It’s sure to be faCSAnating!

Lecture: The Origins of Irish Internationalism: Violence and Terror in Ireland, India and Jamaica, 1857-1870

Frist Campus Center, South Lawn Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Stewart Theater at 185 Nassau Street Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Love “The Lion King” but looking to express your enthusiasm in a more mature way? Attend the Kenya film screening, featuring films by fellow Princetonians. This past summer, 15 students participated in the six–week long summer course, “Documentary Filmmaking in Kenya: The Art of Science Storytelling.” The students worked in teams, with collaboration from students from Kenyan Universities and faculty filmmakers to write, direct and shoot on location and edit films. These films include “The Matriarch,” “Curse of the Gazelle King,” “Nature’s Nurturers,” “Realignments: A Zebra Story” and “The Lost Boys of Laikipia.” The screening will also include conversations with the filmmakers, a musical performance by a cappella group Umqombothi and a reception.

This lecture examines the Sepoy rebellion in India as well as the Morant Bay rebellion in Jamaica through Irish writings. Amy Martin is a professor of Victorian literature, Irish literature and post-colonialism, among other topics at Mount Holyoke College. This particular lecture uses material from her current project, a study of both Irish internationalism and nationalism in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Concert: Brentano String Quartet

Princeton’s Edward T. Cone PerformersIn-Residence will be music to your ears, literally, with their performance of Beethoven’s Quartet in D Major, Steven Mackey’s One Red Rose and Mendelssohn’s Quartet in D Major.

The Brentano String Quartet has traveled around the world and received critical acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The London Independent, which described their performance as “passionate, uninhibited and spellbinding.” Don’t miss the chance to hear the Brentano String Quartet make beautiful music.

Film Screening: Kenya Global Seminar

Aoi Senju Staff Writer

Street Staff Writer Aoi Senju schlepped himself into Frist Campus Center this Tuesday to meet Lobster Club founders, Nicky “Fapfap” Robinson and Preston “Public Kemeny” Kemeny, who got him better acquainted with “the funniest crustaceans under the sea.”

DP: What was the idea behind founding an audition-free comedy club?

NR: Most of our founding members were people who had originally auditioned for Fuzzy Dice and/or Quipfire, made callbacks and didn’t get in. At the callbacks, we were told, “We had 120 people trying out this year, and we could only take two to three people. There are a lot more people on campus that want to do improv than there is space. You guys should start your own improv club or something.”

They tell that to every group every year, but we’re the first group to actually take it to heart and make a new group.

PK: We founded the club originally just inviting friends and people we met through the audition process, but eventually, we saw that more and more people were interested in joining, so we decided to make our club audition-free.

DP: What do you think the advantages are of such a club?

NR: Being in an audition group of any kind takes a lot of time, and there are a lot of people who are really funny but can’t make the level of time commitment required. In Lobster Club, people can choose their own level of commitment, so that anyone can choose their own level of involvement.

PK: But while we are a non-audition group, we aren’t a no-commitment group.

If people actually want to perform with us, people have to come to our workshops every week, and they have to put time into the club. We just give people who’ve never done improv the opportunity to try it.

There’s an impression that Lobster Club just shows up spontaneously to events, but we’ve practiced every single game we perform for a long time and very extensively.

DP: Why does improv interest you?

PK: The thing about improv is that you can literally just show up and jump into it immediately. You’re simultaneously writing, directing and acting, you’re working with incredible people and anything can happen.

DP: Do you think you are setting a standard for future clubs at Princeton?

NR: There are a lot of audition clubs and non-audition clubs at Princeton, but it just so happens that a lot of performing arts clubs do auditions. But while there are a ton of dance groups and a cappella groups, improv’s always been in a position where a lot of people wanted to do it, but there was never enough space. There are also a lot of groups that audition frosh week and the week after, so for a lot of the people, the moment they walk onto campus, they’re sucked into a group, and that becomes their year, two years or their entire Princeton career. That’s probably the biggest problem: that audition groups restrict your ability to try something else.

PK: There’s a lot of talk about the nature of selectivity at Princeton, be it eating clubs or extracurricular activities or whatever, and I think it’s important that there’s an

DP: Are there any clubs you’d be interested in collaborating with?

PK: We’re very interested in working with other improv groups for performance reasons. I think there’s a lot other groups can teach us, and we’ve developed a lot of interesting games that they may be interested in playing. There’s a lot we could do if we worked together.

DP: Tell me about the name.

NR: When we started, we had a brainstorming session, and we came up with the name Shruggers. At one of the activities fairs, we decided we would attract attention by advertising ourselves as fake groups, so we held up different signs with group names like Students Against Drunk Skydiving, the Students for the Ancient Egyptian Freedom Movement and Lobster Club. Lobster Club ended up being really popular, and we thought, “What if we changed our name to Lobster Club?” We also have a huge lobster suit lying around.

DP: Any shows coming up that we should all look out for?

PK: We have a performance in the Whitman Class of 1970 Theater, November 2123rd, with an intermission by the Princeton Magic Club.

DP: Anything you want to say to interested freshmen or other potential members?

PK: Whitman Class of 1970 Theater, Monday nights, 10-11:30 p.m. We want you there. Anyone can do improv.

Street’s Top Ten

The Garden Theater Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Top Ten TV show casts we wish would reunite

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Campus picks compiled by Zoe Perot, Aoi Senju, Lin King and Amelia Warshaw.

HEADLINERS & HEADSHAKERS

1

ARTICLES YOU DIDN’T READ THIS WEEK

Breaking Bad, immediately following this Sunday’s series finale.

Abigail Williams

2

Street Editor

TRENDING NOW: Meningitis

Friends.

3 Scrubs.

NO L ONGE R T R E N D IN G: G a st ro

4 30 Rock.

Add/Drop Period Closes, Lecture Becomes Very Lonely Place

5 Grey’s Anatomy — oh wait, that’s still happening.

6

Dinky Awning Collapses — University replies: “You’re next, WaWa.”

Gossip Girl.

7 The O.C.

8

RETURN OF PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE; LACTOSE-INTOLERANTS MOVE UNDERGROUND

President Eisgruber competes w ith iOS 7 update for “Inst allation of the Week”

alternative to that, like non-bicker clubs or non-audition clubs. Performing arts don’t have to be selective. Anyone can sing, or dance, or improv.

Lizzie McGuire.

9 Hey Arnold.

10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

COURTESY OF PRESTON KEMENY

Above, the Lobster Club is all smiles. Below, Kemeny and Robinson show us their chops.