May 28, 2015

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WELCOME BACK TIGERS! Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Thursday may 28, 2015 vol. cxxxviii no. 65

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Announcement The annual Daily Princetonian alumni barbecue will be held this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the lawn behind 48 University Place. All alumni are invited to attend.

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ACADEMICS | APRIL 27

U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S | D E C 2 0 1 4

Semenov ’15 named Jackson GS ’86, valedictorian, Hannan Nolan to speak ’15 named salutatorian at graduation By Christina Vosbikian Misha Semenov ’15 was named the valedictorian of the Class of 2015 on April 27, and Neil Hannan ’15 was named the Latin salutatorian. The valedictorian and salutatorian were announced at the faculty meeting on Monday, when Dean of the College Valerie Smith announced that the Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing had recommended Semenov and Hannan for the respective honors.

Semenov, a native of San Francisco, is concentrating in architecture with certificates in urban studies and translation and intercultural communication. For his senior thesis, advised by Dean Stanley Allen of the architecture department and history professor Alison Isenberg, Semenov studied housing projects designed to accommodate residents’ expansion, and examined how more flexible, rule-based architecture can help fulfill larger social goals. “Professor Isenberg de-

U . A F FA I R S | M AY 1 6

HOLI

staff writer

scribes him as the most talented undergraduate she has encountered in 20 years of teaching,” Smith said. Hannan is a classics major pursuing a certificate in finance. For his senior thesis, advised by classics professor Dennis Feeney, Hannan studied a number of disabled or constrained literary characters in the early Roman Empire who held positions of authority. “Professor Feeney describes this work as one of the best theses he has seen in See GRADUATION page 4

By Jacob Donnelly & Grant Golub news editor & staff writer

Acclaimed British-American film director Christopher Nolan will be the Class Day speaker this year, the Class of 2015 Council announced on Dec. 5, and Lisa Jackson GS ’86 will speak at this academic year’s Baccalaureate ceremony on May 31, the University announced in a press release on Dec. 8. Jackson is vice president of environmental initiatives at Apple and is a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the agen-

cy’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 See SPEAKERS page 4

Class of 2019 yield 68.6 percent

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By Jessica Li

In News

The University adjusted its yield rate to 68.6 percent on May 15 after 14 admitted students deferred their admission to the Class of 2020, Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye said. The yield rate is no longer a record yield rate. The previously reported yield rate was 69.4 percent, compared to last year’s yield of 69.2 percent. Rapelye said she ultimately expects to admit 20 to 25 students from the wait list. These students will be notified before June 30. “Since students continue to ask to defer or withdraw throughout the next few weeks and months, the numbers in the class and the yield will change, as they always do during this period,” Rapelye said. Rapelye noted that the enrolling number for the incoming freshman class currently stands at 1,310, which is the University’s target enrollment number. The number for the incoming freshman class does not include the 35 students who will be participating in

Staff writer Annie Yang highlights the push for more focus on the program in Latino Studies, and Jessica Li reports on Urban Congo disbanding following student outrage. PAGES 1-7

In Opinion Editor-in-Chief Anna Mazarakis invites readers to give feedback through a reader survey, and Chelsea Jones discusses the people in her class she has not yet met. PAGES 8-9

In Street

staff writer

Today in Street, we take a look at the University’s undergraduate improv comedy groups and at momentous events throughout women’s history at the University.

STUDENT LIFE | APRIL 12

PAGES 10-11

Some students who gathered in the University Chapel on April 12 to address issues of racism and prejudice turned their backs on University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, and some walked out. The gathering followed controversy the week of April 5 concerning performances by student group Urban Congo that some said mocked African people and racist posts on the anonymous social media application Yik Yak. Alison Boden, Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel, introduced each speaker. The event was intended to “take steps toward a better place,” she said. As Eisgruber began to speak,

In Sports Sports Editor Miles Hinson covers the career and accomplishments of women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart, and Associate Sports Editor Tom Pham recaps the men’s swimming team’s amazing performance at Ivy League Championships. PAGES 13-16

LISA GONG :: SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The South Asian Students Association invited students to throw dry powder and colored water to celebrate the Hindu festival of colors.

the Bridge Year Program next year. The University has offered admission to 1,908 students of the 27,290 applicants for the Class of 2019, which is the most selective admission year the University has seen to date. The number of applicants

for this year was also the largest, breaking the record number of 27,189 set by the Class of 2015. According to Rapelye, 60 percent of the incoming class will receive financial aid. Forty-two percent of students self-identified as American

students of color, and 12.6 percent are children of Princeton graduates. Of the incoming class, 46.8 percent of the committed students are women, and 53.2 percent are men. Rapelye said final statistics will be released in a report in September.

Discontented students stage walkout at Chapel Gathering By Melissa Curtis staff writer

around 20 students stood and turned their backs to Eisgruber. The audience, filling about half the chapel, was silent. The students remained standing until Eisgruber finished speaking. Eisgruber addressed what he said were “eruptions of hostile and thoughtless comments” that had taken place on Yik Yak. “Anonymous cowards find no fertile ground here for their hatred or their ignorance,” Eisgruber said. “These hateful comments have no place at Princeton.” Eisgruber also said he recognized the discrimination minorities on campus have faced. “On our campus and in our society, members of minority groups too often find See CHAPEL page 3

U . A F FA I R S | A P R I L 1 3

Requests to view admission files surge By Ruby Shao assocaite news editor

TED HORODYNSKY :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Students protested University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83.

Over 300 students have filed requests to view their admission files under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act since Jan. 15, according to Senior Associate Dean of the College Claire Fowler. FERPA became a federal law in 1974 to guarantee students a right of access to their educational records and to protect those records from disclosure to third parties. The flood of requests began after an anonymous satirical newsletter at Stanford University called the Fountain Hopper publicized a process for requesting admission files under FERPA. Members of the Fountain Hopper did not respond to requests for comment. The number of students who followed through with viewing their files as of April 13 was 137, according to a WASS calendar maintained by the Office of the Dean of the See ADMISSION page 5


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