Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998
Monday May 9, 2016 vol. cxl no. 61
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U. responds to student parking permit concerns By Amber Park staff writer
Jessica Li news edior
Since hitting multiple listserv threads last Tuesday, a petition against the decision to limit undergraduate parking by the Department of Transportation and Public Services has gathered more than 1,200 signatures, spurred upwards of fifty concerned emails addressed to the Undergraduate Student Government, and fueled social media uproar about the lack of transparency. Under the new parking policy scheduled to go in effect next academic year, undergraduates will not be permitted to park on campus unless they receive an exemption for “compelling need.” According to University Assistant Vice President for Communications
Daniel Day, discussions around limiting undergraduate parking emerged in the last two years during the course of campus and strategic planning conversations. Kimberly Jackson, Director of Transportation & Parking Services, had communicated the decision to the University Student Life Committee during its monthly meeting in February and later at the USG Senate Meeting on Apr. 24, according to Day. The decision, however, was not communicated to the wider student body until a few students noticed policy changes on the Transportation Service’s website. Ben Falter ’17, an independent student, said that the lack of communication and transparency is deeply troubling. “I am incredibly shocked with how little has been done to communicate See PARKING page 3
The Department of Computer Science within the School of Engineering and Applied Science continues its reign as the department with the highest number of concentrators, as 103 B.S.E. students from the Class of 2019 have indicated COS as their major, according to Colleen Kenny-McGinley, undergraduate coordinator in the computer science department. Although the number is a decrease from last year’s reported 126 students, COS majors still make up 30 percent of the 2019 Engineering Class. Peter Bogucki, associate dean for Undergraduate Affairs for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, noted that 344 students from the Class of 2019 have declared B.S.E. This is a slight increase from the 349 students who declared B.S.E. in the Class of 2018. “Computer Science has again attracted a large group, while the other departments are all consistent with long-term historical patterns,” he added. Jennifer Rexford ’91, chair of the Department of Computer Science, attributed the COS department’s
U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S
Sprint Football alums dispute U. injury report conclusions
staff writer
COS attracts most number of BSE majors staff writer
RACHEL SPADY :: PHOTO EDITOR
Green ivy vines adorn Nassau Hall amidst a warm May afternoon.
By Kevin Agostinelli
ACADEMICS
By Catherine Wang
NASSAU HALL
strong numbers to not only the growing national interest in computer science, but also the department’s strong introductory curriculum. “COS 126 course, the most popular course at Princeton with nearly 700 students per year, is an outward-facing, interdisciplinary introduction to computer science. The students see all this — the intellectual excitement, the opportunity to effect change in the world, and the great professional opportunities — and are voting with their feet,” she said. Rexford also noted that the department sees a higher representation of women than the national average, with 35 percent of the COS majors in the sophomore and junior classes being women. According to the National Girls Collaborative, about 18 percent of computer science majors are women. According to Rexford, the increased representation of female COS majors is due to vibrant student groups, such as Princeton Women in Computer Science, which have fostered interest in technology. “Our great Princeton Women in Computer Science group See BSE page 3
Rachel Glenn staff writer
Former and current members of Princeton’s sprint football team have joined together in an effort to oppose President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83’s decision to discontinue the sprint football program on the grounds that the verdict was not representative of the report provided by the evaluation committee. According to the University’s press release, the committee – consisting of University administrators, athletic staff,
athletic medical directors and sprint football alumni – concluded, after a six-month-long review, to end the program. The release cited “unacceptably high risk of injury” as a main reason behind the decision. However, Joseph Salerno ’84 — a former sprint football player and an executive board member on the Friends of Princeton Sprint Football who participated in the committee — said that the press release is not an accurate reflection of the committee’s findings, particularly on the point of injury risks. Referring to Eisgruber’s ex-
STUDENT LIFE
STUDENT LIFE
Cannon, Cottage clubs USG temporarily closed discusses following graffiti cases referenda turnout
By Katherine Oh senior writer
DANDELION CHRISTINA VOSBIKIAN :: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
By Maya Wesby senior writer
RACHEL SPADY :: PHOTO EDITOR
In Opinion
The Editorial Board urges the University to reverse its new parking policy, senior columnist Samuel Parsons discusses USG referenda and voter apathy, guest contributor Arlene Gamio brings attention to the rejection of independent concentration in Latinx studies and an anonymous writer explains the need for gender-neutral housing to accommodate non-binary gender identities. PAGE 5-6
planation that he is canceling the program on grounds of “substantial risk of very serious injuries,” Salerno called the data, which the administration decided against releasing publicly, “misleading.” According to Salerno, who described the injury data as “troubling and inconsistent,” the report includes consistent per-season injury totals for other sports, but not for sprint football. Many per-season totals for sprint football were not reported, preventing the reader from seeing sprint’s relatively modest injury totals and from assessing statistical See SPRINT page 2
Following recent cases of graffiti markings, Cannon Club and Cottage Club have closed and are off-tap to nonmembers, but will reconsider re-opening in time for Dean’s Date, according to sources within the club. An unknown person or persons graffitied the cannon located on the front lawn of Cannon with the letters “UCC,” allegedly standing for “University Cottage Club.” The graffiti was easily cleaned off of the cannon with spray paint within a day of it being discovered. Keelan Smithers ’17, president of Cannon, did not respond to requests for comment. Robert Casey ’67, Graduate Board chair of Cannon, was unavailable for comment.
On Thursday, graffiti also appeared on the columns of Cottage’s pillars with the letters “CDE,” allegedly standing for Cannon’s formal name, “Cannon Dial Elm.” The damage done to the columns will be difficult to repair, as they are made of aged marble that is difficult to wash. Several hours had passed by the time the letters were found and the paint had already seeped into the marble. Danny Baer ’17, president of Cottage, did not respond to requests for comment. Carlos Ferrer ’76, Graduate Board chair of Cottage, did not respond to requests for comment. Cottage was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and it may take between $30,000 to $100,000 to repair the columns, according to sources within the club.
Today on Campus 4:30 p.m.: Panel discussion with Maurizio Viroli, author of “How to Choose a Leader: Machiavelli’s Advice to Citizens”. Lewis Library Bowl 120.
The Undergraduate Student Government Senate approved new appointments to the Honor Committee and Committee on Discipline and discussed referenda and sexual misconduct policies during its last meeting of the semester on Sunday. The Spring 2016 USG elections saw a relatively low turnout of only 28.5 percent of the student body, according to chief elections manager Sung Won Chang ’18. “There has been a constant downward trend [in turnout] since the Will Gansa campaign,” Chang said, adding that the seniors did not have the motivation to vote. While neither referendum met the third-of-the-student-body threshold, Chang said that the SPEAR referendum came close. About 90 percent of the voters were in favor, whereas a previous referendum on divestment from companies “that maintain the infrastructure of the Israeli occupation of the See USG page 4
WEATHER
U N I V E R S I T Y A F FA I R S
HIGH
71˚
LOW
46˚
Partly cloudy. chance of rain:
10 percent