April 7, 2015

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Tuesday april 7, 2015 vol. cxxxix no. 41

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In Opinion Columnist Zeena Mubarak discusses what is wrong with Urban Congo and columnist Maxwell Grear takes a look at cultural appropriation. PAGE 3

Today on Campus 4:30 p.m.: Philosopher Slavoj Zizek will discuss the concept of the delineation between truth and falsity, as well as between materialism and idealism, in a lecture called “Figures of Negativity.” McCosh 46.

The Archives

April 7, 1978 Negotiating teams from the University and the library assistants’ union met in a second attempt at federal mediation at Prospect House.

PRINCETON By the Numbers

229

The number of valid signatures the Princeton Divests Coalition collected for its referendum petition.

got a tip?

Email it to: tips@dailyprincetonian.com

News & Notes Rutgers bans fraternity, sorority parties

Rutgers University has banned all fraternity and sorority houses from throwing parties for the rest of the semester, NJ Advance Media reported on Monday.

The Rutgers administration cited the unusually high number of alcohol-related incidents occurring at the houses this semester as its reasoning for the ban.

There are 86 fraternities and sororities at Rutgers.

The organizations, however, will be permitted to host their year-end formals at offcampus locations, but other spring events must be cancelled immediately.

Rutgers student Caitlyn Kovacs died in September of alcohol poisoning after attending a party at a fraternity, and five other unknown Rutgers fraternities are under investigation for alcohol-related incidents.

The ban follows a meeting between Rutgers officials and the leaders of all 86 Panhellenic societies over the weekend, in which negative publicity surrounding Greek life at Rutgers and around the country was discussed.

Erin Kearns, president of the Rutgers Panhellenic Association, told NJ Advance Media that the Greek leaders appeared to accept the ban.

Rutgers officials had reportedly said operating under the status quo for the rest of the semester was not worth the risk.

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

STUDENT LIFE

Divestment referendum will be put to student vote

By Christina Vosbikian staff writer

The Princeton Divests Coalition’s petition to run a referendum to divest from companies involved with Israel gained enough signatures to run the referendum before the undergraduate student body.

This referendum calls on the University to divest from companies that allegedly maintain the infrastructure of the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank; facilitate Israel’s and Egypt’s collective punishment of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and facilitate state repression against Palestinians by Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian Authority security forces.

Undergraduate Student Government president Ella Cheng ’16 said that USG chief elections manager Grant Golub ’17 verified on Monday that the petition to run the referendum had garnered 229 valid signatures.

The referendum needed 200 valid signatures to run, Golub said.

Golub is a former staff writer and former copy editor for The Daily Princetonian.

Referendum signatures must be verified

by USG before referenda are presented to the student body.

The group has stopped collecting signatures on the petition, as it already has enough, said Mohamed El-Dirany ’18, one of the students who worked on the referendum petition.

The group began its effort to collect signatures on March 25.

“If the referendum passes, it’s a stance that the undergraduate student body takes that See DIVEST page 2

COURTESY OF HUFFINGTON POST

Duncan Hosie ’16 and Rebecca Basaldua ’15 started a petiton urging USG to rescind its Lawnparties offer to Big Sean.

Choice of main act Big Sean concerns students

By Christina Vosbikian staff writer

Some students took to social media this weekend to express concern over the choice of Big Sean as the main act for Lawnparties after Duncan Hosie ’16 and Rebecca Basaldua ’15 started a petition urging the Undergraduate Student Government to rescind its offer to the rapper.

The petition alleges that Big Sean promotes rape culture and

misogyny in his lyrics.

Hosie said USG’s promotional video, which featured Big Sean repeating the phrase “stupid ass bitch,” spurred him to reach out to Basaldua, and to start the petition and open up dialogue about the selection of acts for Lawnparties.

“After I saw that video, I started researching Big Sean’s language and I found language that was both misogynistic and homophobic,” Hosie said. “We wrote

an op-ed piece that we published on Google Docs [on Sunday] and wanted to see the number of supporters. Right now, close to 500 people have signed.”

Hosie said that posters hung around campus containing sexually explicit Big Sean lyrics, intended to urge students to protest the selection of Big Sean, were not his or Basaldua’s doing.

Basaldua, who is an editor of the blog “Equal Writes,” said the See LAWNPARTIES page 2

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

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

Faculty discuss freedom Career Services institutes office hours for the arts at the Lewis Center of expression on campus

By Doug Wallack contributor

Late last month, Juli-anne Jensen of Career Services began holding weekly Tuesday office hours in the Lewis Center for the Arts for students interested in careers in the arts, non-profits or public service.

Career Services began offering the Lewis Center office hours in response to feedback they had received from students who were unsatisfied with the guidance Career Services provides for students interested in the arts or non-profits, Director of Career Services Pulin Sanghvi said.

“We want to meet student interests,” he said.

Jensen currently holds regular office hours at Career Services in addition to the newly initiated office hours at the Lewis Center.

She has also already hosted several industry information sessions in which she explains, for example, the process of how a film moves from writing to the screen.

Jensen has worked in film and theater, and now serves as associate director for arts, nonprofits and the public sector at Career Services.

“A lot of students are already familiar with the art itself,” she said, explaining

the industry around the art is where they can benefit most from guidance.

Dalma Foldesi ’15, an architecture major, said her interest in design and art museums has kept her away from Career Services, as she said she felt the organization lacked connections to relevant internships. However, she said the new Lewis Center office hours seemed like a step forward and said she was interested in attending them.

Neeta Patel ’16 said she wants to pursue her interest in graphic design but has not engaged with Career Services because she didn’t See CAREER page 2

THRIFTY

MELANIE HO :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Globe Med held a thrift shop on Monday to raise money for St. Jerome Health Clinic in Uganda.

By Kristin Qian contributor

The faculty discussed and passed a motion to publish a statement on freedom of expression on campus in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities” at the faculty meeting on Monday in Nassau Hall.

The motion was presented by mathematics professor Sergiu Klainerman.

Klainerman had originally sent an email to Dean of the Faculty Deborah Prentice, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and Provost David Lee GS ’99 advocating that the University adopt a commitment to academic freedom similar to one the University of Chicago had recently adopted.

The email attached the names of 60 other faculty members who had supported the idea of this motion.

The motion was to adopt the principles stated in the University of Chicago’s Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression, including that it should be for individuals and not for universities as institutions to decide, in general, when speech and ideas are inappropriate.

“Because the University is committed to free and open inquiry in all matters, it guarantees all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn,” the Chicago report reads in part.

The motion was seconded and then moved forward to further discussion and questions.

The faculty discussed and inquired about the reasoning, context and timing of this motion. Some faculty expressed curiosity as to

why the motion was being brought up now or if there was something that happened regarding the campus culture causing this matter to appear.

Klainerman said it was in response to a “general feeling” that is present across different academic institutions. “[The University of Chicago produced a] wonderful statement, which reaffirms the principles of academic freedom,” he said. “We thought — me and the 60 people who have signed — that this would be a good time to reaffirm this.”

Other professors were unsure about the definition of endorsement, including whether the faculty would be supporting the actions of the University of Chicago and commending them for making a strong and appropriate statement or whether the University would be adopting this philosophy as its own.

“We should develop that ourselves rather than adopt someone else’s language, however much we might admire [it],” William Gleason, chair of English department, said.

Eisgruber said his understanding was that the endorsement would provide interpretive guidance in situations in which the endorsement might be relevant.

The motion was passed after a vote, and it was decided that paragraphs five through nine of the University of Chicago’s report would be published by the Dean of the Faculty in “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities.”

Dean of the Graduate School Sanjeev Kulkarni See FACULTY page 2

The Daily Princetonian

page 2

Tuesday april 7, 2015

Expansion part of broader efforts to make Career Services more accessible CAREER

Continued from page 1

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have any expectations about what they would be able to do. She said that most of the opportunities in the field are easier to come by through advisers and people in her department than through the sort of internship offerings she had come to expect from Career Services.

Part of Career Services’ motivation in offering the Lewis Center office hours is to improve its advising for students who want to enter the fields in which personal relationships and connections count for more than formal application processes, Sanghvi said, adding

they are also part of a broader Career Services effort to expand its physical presence on campus.

Jensen is a fellow in Mathey College, where she eats meals with students and where in February she hosted an Oscars party. “[I hope] a much greater proportion of everything that Career Services does is outside of the walls of 36 University Place,” Sanghvi said, adding the idea is for Career Services to reach students where they normally are and in a less formal setting.

Last year, Kemy Lin ’15 cowrote a guest submission to The Daily Princetonian calling for Career Services to expand its offerings, and

said she appreciates the new office hours but expressed some concern that the office hours alone are not sufficient.

“If you want to work in the arts, you need to do a lot of internships … before you break in,” she said, explaining that, at New York University, many students are able to take internships for credit during the academic year.

Students interested in the arts at the University have no such option and are at a relative disadvantage, she said.

Jensen said her past two Tuesdays have been very full and she is looking forward to meeting more students.

“All the students here are so cool,” she said.

Two petitions against divestment signed by over 400 students this year DIVEST

Continued from page 1

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says, ‘We want the University to divest,’ ” he said.

Allegra Dobson ’18 said she didn’t see the value in the referendum.

“I feel like Princeton as an institution shouldn’t support companies either way but that individual students should be encouraged to express their opinions,” Dobson said.

However, divestment efforts are counterproductive to achieving a two-state solution, Hannelora Everett ’17, president of Tigers for Israel, said.

“Tigers for Israel firmly opposes divestment,” she said.

“Divestment is counterproductive, misleading and there is a better way forward to a two-state solution. … The so-

lution is building trust, not punitive measures.”

The notion that the University should be an apolitical actor in regard to the Israeli-

“The goal of the University is to educate students not just to be developed in their intellect but also in their hearts and in their morality.

Kelly Roache GS

Palestinian conflict is mistaken, Kelly Roache GS, a Wilson School graduate student who is involved in Princeton

Divests Coalition, said.

“People may say that it’s not the position of the University to be involved in political affairs and political activity,” she said. “I would disagree and say that the goal of the University is to educate students not just to be developed in their intellect but also in their hearts and in their morality.”

In the fall, over 300 students signed a counter-petition encouraging “investment in both Israeli and Palestinian society as the foundation for peace.”

A second counter-petition, spearheaded by the Center for Jewish Life, was published and signed by just over 100 individuals, most of whom were faculty members.

News editor Jacob Donnelly contributed reporting.

NATALIA CHEN :: ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Posters featuring Big Sean lyrics were found around campus on Monday encouraging students to sign a petition.

Protests against Big Sean could help to reform artist selection in the future LAWNPARTIES Continued from page 1

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protests over Big Sean’s lyrics have a precedent at Columbia University.

“I’m sure every singer has a questionable song, but there are a significant amount of his songs that deal with this and I think there are a lot of other artists in the same genre even that would have been a better choice,” she said.

The USG social committee generates a list of five to 10 names, which are then sent to an entertainment agent that connects USG with artists, USG social committee chair Simon Wu ’17 said.

“We send them to the agent and then the agent will get back to us with prices and availability, and this is a process that happens about six or seven times before we can find somebody that works,” Wu said.

Price and availability are key factors in deciding whether or not an act is fea-

sible for Lawnparties, he added.

“There are other people who are booking, and artists don’t want other people to know where they’re going before they want a press release,” Wu said. “Once we get an offer back from someone, we usually have to respond rather quickly because they’re also looking at booking at places other than us.”

Since USG’s officers are in transition during the selection of a spring Lawnparties artist, there is little time to reform the artist selection process when new officers take office, because USG would have to risk selecting nobody, Wu said.

“The contracts are signed and it’s unrealistic to stop this from happening,” Wu said. “The best way to move this in a productive way is to see how we can improve the selection process.”

Diego Negron-Reichard ’18 said the protests could help to reform the artist selection process.

“I think it’s ridiculous

to try to boycott Lawnparties at this stage, but [the petition] does open up the conversation for next year’s act and not bringing people that have a possibly harmful message,” Negron-Reichard said.

Olivia Fiechter ’18 said she was excited to have a bigname artist coming to Lawnparties.

“We, as students, have told them that we want big names,” Anna Walker ’17 said. “Now people are attacking them for something else.

It doesn’t really seem fair …

I have full faith that they’ve thought about the ramifications of what Big Sean means and the connotations that come with him, and I think that, in this case, they put people’s interest in wanting a big name first.”

Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne and Wu are going to meet with Hosie on Friday, Wu said, adding that a panel with the Women’s Center discussing misogyny and lyric culture may be organized.

Faculty adds new freedom of expression clause to “Rights, Rules, Responsibilities” FACULTY Continued from page 1

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also reported changes to the graduate school curriculum.

The Graduate School added courses to the de-

partments of economics, mathematics, philosophy and Slavic languages and literature. A large number of Graduate School courses were slated for removal under the guidelines of the curriculum subcommittee.

“Courses that have not been taught for 10 years or more should be deactivated to clean up the course catalog,” he said.

The meeting concluded with no unfinished or new business to address.

Rock bands and cultural appropriation Max Grear

columnist

L

ast month, one of my favorite new bands encountered a bit of a controversy in the college music circuit, a scene typically known for its support for independent artists. Ivan Krasnov, a promoter for the Oberlin College venue Dionysus Disco, canceled a show scheduled for March 14 by the band Viet Cong, claiming in an apology letter that the name was “grossly ignorant” and “deeply offensive.”

After reading this news, I first identified with what I saw as a serious artistic group bold enough to choose a subversive and attention-grabbing name. However, as I looked more into the band’s comments on the name and some responses, I realized that Krasnov was justified in criticizing a group with a truly insensitive and problematic name, as first generation Vietnamese-American Sang Nguyen powerfully argues. As it turns out, the name actually originates from an off-handed racist comment.

But beyond this insensitivity, Krasnov argues that the name is “blatantly appropriative.” “The fact that the band openly acknowledges their problematic name, yet fails to change it or do anything about it,” Krasnov writes, “highlights this blatantly appropriative move, reinforcing a tradition of American (and Western) orientalism and appropriation.”

To me, it seems like a stretch to connect an independent rock band with marginal name recognition in certain hipster circles to a narrative of Western orientalism — especially while hugely successful pop stars dress as geishas or don Hindu symbols. Or, for that matter, as Americans unthinkingly help themselves to Westernized yoga and “Chinese” food. While this band chose to appropriate an element of Far Eastern culture with a particular baggage of trauma, our society seems saturated with varying degrees of appropriation of elements from many historically marginalized cultures. And while some, like yoga, may be perfectly innocuous, other instances can be harmful in exoticizing or exploiting the identity of the cultural other.

The cancellation of this performance, from a group that falls far from the mainstream, may not represent much of a challenge to cultural imperialism (and were I an Oberlin student, I honestly would have liked to see the band). Still, the incident seems important to me as sign of a shift in conversation about the way we consider the cultural other. It seems fitting to me that Krasnov cites the Oberlin protests in his apology letter, because it signals what to me represents a more recent development; while political imperialism has been an inescapable subject of conversation at Oberlin since at least the days of their anti-Vietnam War protests, cultural imperialism is now becoming a common reference point on other campuses as well. Krasnov’s actions suggest a promising engagement with a hugely important issue.

Another recent and more visible controversy suggests the importance of symbolic imperialism: the University of California, Irvine student government’s vote to ban flags of any country in their office lobby. In this case, the actions of a few students have been hugely overblown in the public reaction, but it stills serves to highlight the question inherent to discussions about cultural appropriation: to what extent can symbols be normalizing or oppressive? Which symbols become problematic in certain contexts, whether from the mainstream (the U.S. flag) or from the marginalized (“Viet Cong”)?

The negotiation of cultural spaces and the distinction between exchange and appropriation are complex and ambiguous, but most importantly, necessary. Especially for all of us young college students with limited experience outside academic environments, especially those of us coming from places of privilege, these issues are important. How and when do we deal with the problematic aspects of another culture’s history or identity? When do we overstep into cultural appropriation as we use elements of the other’s history or identity as part of our own art or study?

Still, there are less ambiguous cases when students cross the line, such as the recent Urban Congo fiasco (which to me barely even qualifies as cultural appropriation — it’s more an issue of plain racial ignorance and insensitivity). And despite the gray area, I think that we can find some helpful examples of true cultural appropriation.

For that, we need look no further than Azalea, the biggest Australian rap star in entertainment.

As Brittney Cooper points out, “Iggy profits from the cultural performativity and forms of survival that Black women have perfected, without having to encounter and deal with the social problem that is the Black female body.”

Most importantly, we should be sensitive to the perspectives of those at the other end of exploitative appropriation. Since Krasnov acted on the advice of the Vietnamese Student Association at Oberlin, I’ll give him credit despite my fandom. So while the cancellation of a hipster band’s performance may not be the most productive response to cultural imperialism, it nevertheless represents a meaningful engagement with an important conversation. We could all stand to be more aware of the presence of cultural appropriation and, above all, to be wary of faux-Native American headresses and Iggy Azalea.

Max Grear is a freshman from Wakefield, R.I. He can be reached at mgrear@princeton.edu.

Opinion

Tuesday april 7, 2015

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{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }

What we can learn from Urban Congo Zeena Mubarak columnist

P

rinceton Urban Congo is a joke dance group made up of members from the Princeton Men’s Swim and Dive Team. Their most recent performance was at Saturday’s eXpressions show. A video of one of their performances can be viewed online. Everything about the group from their name to their costumes to the way they dance is offensive and perpetuates stereotypes of Africans.

After a strongly negative social media reaction to their performance at the eXpressions dance show, the president of Urban Congo, Michael Hauss ’16, apologized, saying, “Though we did not intend to denigrate other cultures, we realize that this fact does not absolve us in the least. We created something that was inexcusably offensive, and we appreciate all those who called attention to our mistake.”

The group also took down their Facebook page and videos.

Although I appreciate Hauss’ apology, I don’t think sweeping it under the rug is the right way forward. I believe that it is important to examine the reasons why the group was found to be so offensive and talk about and understand these reasons. Otherwise, we run the risk of repeating the mistake.

The name of the group is fundamentally offensive. First of all, by

naming itself “Congo” it is clearly referring to one of two African countries. This means that all the rest of the group’s actions must be put into that context. The group members have contextualized their dance pieces as being references to Africa and African cultures.

The second part of the name “Urban” is a little bit more subtle. But, as Republican strategist Lee Atwater is infamously known for saying, direct racism “backfires,” so people, especially politicians, use coded racial language instead, such as substituting “urban” for “black.” It is an easy way to make points and arguments that would be censored today for being racist. With this information in mind, it is clear that the group is openly referencing black people and Africans from the very start with that name.

Even if there were still doubts over the name of the group, its performance confirms the group’s racial mockery. Urban Congo members wear body paint and loincloths over their swim team speedos. These costumes are derived from Western stereotypes of indigenous African clothing. The members also dance in a way that is clearly supposed to represent those same Western stereotypes. Their dance also includes the picking up and placing of objects in a pantomime of indigenous peoples interacting with an altar.

The problem with Urban Congo is that they reduce an entire range

vol. cxxxix

of diverse cultures into a very basic, cartoonish, mocking facsimile of themselves. This in turn contributes to the larger issue of the lack of nuance in the way people regard African cultures.

The group’s intention in doing this was to go for cheap laughs. You only have to look at the reaction of the audience to understand that. First the group reduces a complex and beautiful range of cultures into one narrow idea, taken from wrongful Western stereotypes. Then it presents that culture to the audience to be laughed at.

When we look at this, especially in the context of the historical relationship between the West and Africa, it should not be difficult to see why this is so hurtful to African students. Personally, as an African student, I was not surprised to see this train wreck go down, because it is indicative of the larger disregard with which people treat African cultures. However, I was extremely hurt to see it happen here and to see Princeton students happily partaking in it.

Moving forward, I hope we can all try and think more about both the intentions of our actions and the effects they have on others. Let’s have more care in the way we depict cultures.

Let’s avoid reducing them to figures of ridicule just for a couple of giggles at a dance show.

Zeena Mubarak is a sophomore from Fairfax, Va. She can be reached at zmubarak@princeton.edu.

Princeton Easter Valerie Wilson ’18 ..................................................

Anna Mazarakis ’16 editor-in-chief

Matteo Kruijssen ’16 business manager

139th managing board news editor Jacob Donnelly ’17 opinion editor Benjamin Dinovelli ’16 sports editor Miles Hinson’17 street editor Lin King ’16 photography editor Yicheng Sun ’16 video editors Leora Haber ’16 chief copy editors Caroline Congdon ’17 Joyce Lee ’17 design editors Julia Johnstone’16 Austin Lee’16 web editor Clement Lee ’17 prox editor Rebekah Shoemake ’17 intersections editor Jarron McAllister ’16 associate news editors Ruby Shao ’17 Jasmine Wang ’17 associate opinion editors Jason Choe ’17 Shruthi Deivasigmani’16 associate sports editors Sydney Mandelbaum ’17 Tom Pham ’17 associate street editors Harrison Blackman ’17 Jennifer Shyue ’17 associate photography editors Natalia Chen ’16 Christopher Ferri ’18 Sewheat Haile ’17 associate chief copy editors Chamsi Hssaine ’16 Alexander Schindele-Murayama ’16 editorial board chair Jeffrey Leibenhaut ’16 Cartoons Editor Terry O’Shea ’16

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Avaneesh Narla

The Spelman Draw and more choices for Independents

contributing columnist

T

wo weeks ago, upperclassmen participated in the draw for housing in Spelman. Spelman apartments — which each have four singles, a common room, a bathroom and a kitchen — are one of the most popular housing options for upperclassmen who have decided to go Independent, as it gives them much-needed access to a place to privately prepare food.

For independent students, access to a kitchen is of utmost importance as it is often their primary source of food.

While independent-designated rooms in upperclass housing are supposed to have easy access to kitchens, they often do not and many students aren’t comfortable sharing a kitchen with other students due to dietary restrictions, concerns regarding cleanliness and security of food. Monica Wei ’17, who unsuccessfully drew for Spelman and will now be living in independent housing next year, said “Going independent outside Spelman can be very inconvenient, as our room next year isn’t on the same floor as the kitchen. I am also anxious about the idea of sharing a kitchen with people I don’t know.”

Thus, many independent students find that Spelman is the only conducive housing option. If it is any indication, more students drew for Spelman this year than for independent housing (both draws require at least half of the group to

pledge independent). In fact, many students opt not to go independent if they aren’t able to get a Spelman quad during room draw. Neeta Patel ’16, who was unsuccessful in Spelman draw, enrolled in a meal plan instead. She comments, “Going independent without a Spelman room is not really an option. None of the independent options are conducive to cooking. One has to look to alternate options.” Danny Waldroop ’17, who was also unsuccessful in Spelman draw and intends on joining an Eating Club next year comments, “I knew immediately after we found out that we weren’t getting a Spelman Room that I didn’t want to be independent next year. Not having the Spelman community or a personal kitchen made me decide so.”

The University should make more options available for independent housing, and more importantly, improve existing options so as to make going independent easier. Currently, many students are forced to adopt one of the more expensive dining options, usually an Eating Club or a residential college dining plan, due to the lack of suitable options.

Maya Rosen ’17, independent, said “The University should construct more apartment style housing.” Another alternative might be to adapt existing rooms to accommodate kitchens. Some of the larger quads, triples and even some doubles are big enough to house a small kitchen.

Independent students would appreciate the small kitchen over available common space.

Further, though Housing Services recognizes lack of independent housing

spaces and the importance of Spelman for independents and awards them priority in the Spelman draw, they don’t do enough. Because of an outstanding demand for Spelman rooms, many fully independent groups failed to get a room this year. In light of this, I propose that Housing Services should give more points to independent students so that they can secure a living space conducive to being independent for the entire year.

The Spelman draw is ranked based on the average number of points of the group drawing. An individual gets two additional points if they are independent, in addition to the two for rising juniors and three for rising seniors. In previous years, almost all groups with four or more points got a room; thus, a fully independent group almost always got a room. This year, however, not even one four point group full of independent juniors was able to get a Spelman room.

The rising number of applicants is indicative of the increasing demand for independent housing: according to the Housing Services website, 359 students drew Spelman this year for 52 available quads, compared to 308 last year, 256 in 2011 and 168 in 2006. In previous years, this meant that students were assured a Spelman quad if all students in the group were independent; this is no longer true.

On the other hand, due to the way the point system works, some groups with as many as three non-independent students (in a group of eight) were able to get Spelman quads, as they were all seniors. Gaining three, or even four, points instead of just two for pledging inde-

pendent would help fully independent groups get Spelman rooms over groups with non-independent students.

This disadvantage towards independents is bolstered by the ability to draw in groups larger than four. This enables seniors to leverage their points and enable non-independents to draw with them. Also, this means that juniors drawing with seniors have an advantage over other juniors, even if they have fewer independents. This holds even if the seniors don’t choose a room given the option to do so. This year, a group of seven mysteriously participated in the draw, and though they couldn’t have drawn two rooms, their large number of points due to seniors meant that some could draw into a quad. Restricting the size of groups to four would help ensure that Spelman rooms go to the independent students for whom they were designed.

The needs of independent students should be given preference over the fact that a draw group is composed of seniors. The administration has repeatedly made efforts to cater to the large proportion of independent students, and this would help in doing so. This has been made even more relevant as the number of independent students is rapidly increasing every year. Without some tangible change, choosing alternative eating options at Princeton will become harder than ever.

Avaneesh Narla is a sophomore from Calcutta, India. He can be reached at avaneesh.narla@princeton.edu.

The Daily Princetonian

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Tuesday april 7, 2015

Softball team loses all four matchups this weekend vs Harvard, Dartmouth SOFTBALL Continued from page 6

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four in the fourth inning, putting them up by eight and ending the game with the Run Rule in affect. The Tigers had four hits in each game, with senior infielder/outfielder Rachel Rendina the only player who had hits in both games, going 3 for 6 on the doubleheader.

The Tigers opened Saturday with a close loss to Harvard, beginning the game with a run in the top of the first inning off of a grounder from senior infielder Alyssa Schmidt. Runners were left in scoring position in three different innings, but the Crimson scored in the bottom of the

third and seventh innings to win the game. Junior pitcher Shanna Christian fended off Harvard after the third inning, leaving Harvard runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings and left the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore pitcher Erica Nori carried the Tigers successfully through the inning before a walk gave the Crimson a run on a two-out single and ended the game.

The second game of the day saw Harvard get on the board right away, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Crimson kept up the momentum, scoring again in the third and fourth innings, putting Harvard up 6-0 before

Princeton got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. Despite the final score, the Tigers played well in the second game, with five Tigers getting to scoring position, but unfortunately a strong Crimson showing saw Harvard play incredibly well, with six of the ten runners who reached second base reaching home. On Sunday, freshman shortstop/second baseman Danielle Dockx was the only Tiger to have hits in both game, yet again demonstrating what a big impact the Tiger rookies have been able to have this season.

The Tigers will return again to face off against Rutgers (189) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. As of Monday evening, Rutgers had won its last six games.

CLARIFICATION The April 6 article, “Urban Congo videos spark student outrage,” has been updated online to clarify that Urban Congo is recognized and sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, but has not received funding from ODUS. Additionally, the article has been updated to clarify that Urban Congo was approved by the Student Groups Committee and by the USG senate in May of 2013.

HEATHER GRACE :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The Tigers will host Columbia in a four game series in a bid to improve their 2-6 Ivy League record.

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Don’t be sad.

Be glad, and BUY AN AD! For more information, contact ‘Prince’ business.

Call (609)258-8110 or Email business@dailyprincetonian.

Tigers lose both games at Harvard, but split Dartmouth series BASEBALL Continued from page 6

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Harvard scored 11 runs from 17 hits and three walks. The Tigers had multi-hit days from Hoy, who went 2-4, junior third baseman Billy Arendt, who went 2-5, and sophomore left fielder Paul Tupper, who went 3-5 with 2 RBIs. The Tigers travelled to New Hampshire to play against Dartmouth the very next day.

The game featured a fantastic pitching duel between sophomore Keelan Smithers and Dartmouth’s Duncan Robinson. The Tigers’ man went six innings and allowed only

five hits and three runs. His counterpart went for seven innings, allowing six hits and a solitary unearned run. The Tigers offense was unable to beat the Dartmouth pitching, however, with freshman shortstop Asher Lee-Tyson going 2-2 on the day.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Tigers were finally able to get their second Ivy League win of the season in a dominant 4-0 shutout. Junior starter Luke Strieber pitched an absolute stunner, going 8.1 innings, allowing only four hits and striking out two batters before senior closer Nick Donatiello came in and closed out the game for his second

save of the season. The Tigers offense was also firing on all cylinders, recording ten hits and four runs on the day, with Arendt, Hoy, Lee-Tyson and Powers each recording two hits on the day.

The Tigers return to action Wednesday afternoon against Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey at 3 p.m. The team will play back-to-back doubleheaders at Clarke Field against Columbia (14-10 , 6-1) this upcoming weekend in a four game series.

Currently, the Tigers reside at the bottom of the Ivy League rankings, but they are tied with Yale with a 2-6 Ivy League record.

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The Daily Princetonian

Tuesday april 7, 2015

page 5

DANIELA COSIO :: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PICTURE TAKEN FROM THE JERSEY TRIBUTEHER

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams will play Dartmouth and Harvard in their upcoming games.

Another award for Coach Banghart Both teams currently 3-0 in games after unprecedented perfect season against Ivy League opponents Coach Banghart follows up her Ivy League Coach of the Year Award with a USBWA Coach of the Year Award.

W. BBALL Continued from page 6

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son she and the team have had.

“This whole season, especially what’s been happening in the postseason … it’s amazing.” Banghard said. She also maintained that the success also comes down to the kind of team she coaches, saying that “it’s the right group to coach.”

Clearly, Banghart has had amazing talent during her time as the head of Princeton women’s basketball. In particular, players like Niveen Rasheed ’13 and Blake Dietrick ’15 have been instrumental in the Tigers’ keeping their position at the top of the Ivy League.

Rasheed, a four-year starter, was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, and was a force in the league from the moment she got to campus.

Dietrick, for her part, was named Ivy League Player of the Year this past season. In the 2015 NCAA Tournament,

she scored 26 points against Maryalnd in her final game as a Tiger.

Great players aside, every fantastic team obviously needs a fantastic coach. One could imagine that this women’s team might face complacency. Their margins of victory, especially early in the season, were jaw-dropping.

On Dec. 19, they defeated the Portland State Vikings by 71 points.

Banghart, in few but strong words, described how the team kept itself moving during such times.

“We focused on ourselves.”

Banghart said. “Our goals were great success in March.

For us, it’s more about the process than the opponent.”

The process — growth through the season — is critical for any team with championship aspirations. As with any NCAA basketball team, conference play is all that matters.

Banghart’s ability to keep her players at full throttle may

in part come from her own success as a player. A standout at Dartmouth, she was named First Team All-Ivy her junior and senior years.

Combining this with her experience as an assistant coach, she seems to have a real “coaching pedigree,” the exact kind of experience one looks for in a head coach.

Banghart, however, said that her prior experience in basketball taught her less than having the job itself did.

“There’s a certain part of being a head coach you learn on the job,” Banghart explained.

Day in and day out, she’s focused on “bringing the best version of herself to Princeton.”

Banghart has brought little but success to Princeton since she has gotten here. In addition to this honor, she hopes to hear good news as the Naismith Coach of the Year, arguably the highest honor awarded to a college coach, is awarded on Tuesday evening.

Keep yourself informed on the go!

Follow us on Twitter:

@Princetonian

TENNIS

Continued from page 6

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against the visiting Bulldogs (7-8, 1-1). The performances in the singles and doubles were also quite similar to the previous day’s results.

They again won two doubles matches, and four in the singles. In singles, Graff, Muliawan and Steffensen would all garner victories once again. Grabbing the fourth would be senior Katie Goepel.

With these victories behind them, the men’s and

women’s teams will be switching places this weekend. The men will remain at Princeton, taking on the Dartmouth Big Green and Harvard Crimson at the Lenz Tennis Center. The women will hit the road to face the same two teams.

Sports

Tuesday april 7, 2015

page 6

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } BASEBALL

Tigers go 1-3 in Ivy League doubleheaders

By Tom Pham associate sports editor

HEATHER GRACE :: PRINCETONIAN CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The baseball team rode a gem of a start from junior starting pitcher Luke Strieber to their only win of the weekend against Dartmouth.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

After starting their Ivy League campaign 1-3 against Brown and Yale, the Princeton baseball team (5-20 overall, 2-6 Ivy League) followed that up with another 1-3 weekend against Harvard (14-13, 3-5) and Dartmouth (6-18, 4-4) at Cambridge, Mass. and Hanover, N.H., respectively.

In the first of two doubleheaders, the team faced off against Harvard at O’Donnell Field. Harvard had lost all four of their Ivy League matchups this season, but was poised to pick up two victories.

In the first game of the doubleheader, a dominant pitching performance from Nick Gruener allowed the Crimson to dominate the game. Gru-

ener pitched a complete game, going seven innings, allowing only four hits and one run, whilst striking out seven batters. The Crimson also capitalized on an off day from sophomore starter Chad Powers, who allowed twelve hits and eight runs in five innings.

The Tigers offense was stifled

by Gruener, only able to collect four hits, with sophomore second baseman Danny Hoy going 2-3 and scoring the Tigers’ only run via sophomore Nick Hernandez’s single.

The second game was a much better offensive performance from the Tigers, as they were able to plate eight runs, but they still disappointingly lost out 11-8 against Harvard.

Princeton combined for nine hits and nine walks, whilst See BASEBALL page 4

TENNIS

Courtney Banghart announced Women’s Coach of the Year

By Miles Hinson sports editor

It looks like Courtney Banghart has another accolade to add to what has already been a tremendous season.

Banghart, head coach of the most successful women’s basketball team in Princeton history, was on Sunday named Women’s Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association. She was named Ivy League Coach of the Year on March 13, and was named a finalist for the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year on March 20. In her tenure as head coach, she has led the Princeton women’s basketball team to a 169-67 record (71.8 percent).

Banghart was brought on as head coach in 2007 after working as an assistant coach for the Dartmouth Big Green.

Her path to coaching success

has not been filled solely with victories. In her first season (2007-2008), the Tigers went 7-23 and finished sixth in the Ivy League.

Of course, as time went on, Banghart’s gift for coaching would begin to shine through.

The very next season she would bring the team’s win count to 14. The rest is history. Banghart’s winning percentage has not dipped below 70 percent since that season.

Of course, one percentage sticks out above all the rest: 100 percent. No basketball team in the league’s history has achieved what Banghart has done this season. Not only did she take this team to the Big Dance, but she also led them to their first victory in it.

When reached for comment, Banghart expressed her amazement at the kind of seaSee W. BBALL page 5

SOFTBALL

Disappointing weekend of softball against rivals

By Sydney Mandelbaum associate sports editor

This weekend proved a disappointing one for the Tigers, as the Princeton Women’s Softball team dropped twinbills against Dartmouth and Harvard. The Tigers (10-17 overall, 2-4 Ivy League) are now ranked third in the Ivy South division, while Dartmouth and Harvard remain in first and second, respectively, in the Ivy North division. The Tigers played the Big Green on Saturday, falling 5-0 and 8-0, and went on to face off against the Crimson on Sunday, falling 2-1 and 6-1.

The Tigers fended off the Big Green in the first game of the

day for three innings, keeping the score tied at 0-0. Dartmouth scored two runs off of a home run in the bottom of the fourth before scoring another three runs off of five hits in the bottom of the fifth to bring the score to 5-0. The closest Princeton came to scoring was in the fifth inning with two runners in scoring position, as the Tigers trailed 2-0. The Big Green carried its momentum into the second game, scoring three runs on another five hits in the bottom of the first inning to give them an initial lead that carried through the game.

Dartmouth scored another run in the third inning and another See SOFTBALL page 4

DANIELA COSIO :: PRINCETONIAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The women’s tennis team defeated Brown and Yale in dominant fashion as they extend their Ivy League record to 3-0 this season.

Men’s and women’s tennis keep on improving with dominant wins

By Miles Hinson sports editor

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams really appear to have found their groove as league play has commenced. The men’s team had a dominant performance in their double-header this weekend, as they defeated Brown and Yale in a road trip through New England. The women’s team, remaining at home for the same time span, defeated the same two teams. With the victories, both teams remain perfect through league play.

The men’s team (18-4 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) took down its Ivy League rivals in dominating fashion, win-

Tweet of the day

“The weekend comes and goes so fast that I never get any work done.”

Dorian Williams, Sophomore Defensive Back

ning 6-1, the same score by which they defeated the Penn Quakers earlier in the season. The Brown Bears (15-3, 1-1) were successful in defeating the Tigers in doubles play. Freshman Ben Tso and sophomore Alex Day were the only pair to win as the Tigers lost the doubles 1-2.

However, the singles would be a master class for the Tigers as they swept Brown 6-0 in those matches. Particularly strong in their singles matches were sophomore Tom Colautti, senior Zach McCourt and freshman Diego Vives, all of whom would require just two sets to defeat their Brown counterparts.

The next day would start out similarly to the first.

The Bulldogs (11-7, 1-1) would be the first to draw blood, sweeping the Tigers in the doubles matches. However, the Tigers clearly found their groove in the second part of the day — another sweep in the singles matches ensued.

Vives and Colautti would come out strong again, both needing just two sets to defeat their Yale foes as they did against Brown.

The victories this weekend bring the win streak for the Tigers up to four, and are part of what has been a season of victory after victory.

The women’s team, however, has had a different tale.

Starting off this season slow against some tough opponents, they had trouble rack-

ing up the wins until lately.

After a strong performance over spring break, they appear in top form as the year begins to wind down.

The women’s team (9-7, 3-0) earned a commanding win over Brown to start the weekend, coming out on top in both doubles and singles.

The performance in the singles would be closer than in the men’s matches. Princeton won the singles 4-2, behind wins from senior Lindsay Graff, junior Amanda Muliawan, sophomore Dorothy Tang and freshman Katrine Steffensen.

With their 5-2 win behind them, the Tigers would go on to win by the same score See TENNIS page 5

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Women’s softball faces off against Harvard and Dartmouth in back-toback doubleheaders.

SPORTS PAGE 4

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