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Friday September 17, 2021 vol. CXLV no. 50
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U. AFFAIRS
STUDENT LIFE
Class of 2025 discusses systemic racism during orientation By Ngan Chiem Staff Writer
MARK DODICI / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The Mathey College dining hall.
Dining halls face staff shortage with start of in-person semester By Sandeep Mangat Staff Writer
The Butler-First dining hall saw a staggering 1,500 students during lunch on Sept. 8. According to a staff member interviewed by The Daily Princetonian, there were only 20–25 staff members working that shift. “We’re trying our best to keep our composure,” said one staff member as the staff in the residential college dining halls, operating at full capacity this fall,
are bearing the brunt of the recent worker shortage. Several Campus Dining staff members were granted anonymity throughout this story. There was “not enough to keep up,” they said. “It does feel a lot busier for us here.” According to the interviewee, the Butler-First dining hall also lost several temporary workers in the week dating from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5. “It was just too much, it was too overwhelming, so they left and went some-
where else,” they said. In response to an inquiry from the ‘Prince,’ Ayana Okoya, the University’s Media Relations Specialist, wrote that Campus Dining is actively seeking to address staffing issues. “Like many employers, Campus Dining is dealing with staffing challenges as it ramps up service to normal levels for the first time since March 2020 due to COVID-19,” she wrote. “Campus Dining is actively recruiting professional staff and rebuild-
ing its student workforce, including partnering with Human Resources to host a job fair this week and recruiting student staff at the fall Activities Fair,” Okoya added. Twenty-four job openings within Campus Dining are presently listed on the University’s human resources website, and the job fair will be held on Sept. 22. The University is also attempting to minimize impacts on services by offering overtime to emSee DINING page 2
The Class of 2025 was the first to engage with a new orientation training module designed to facilitate discussions of the University’s racist history and the power of student activism. The module centered around the To Be Known and Heard virtual gallery, which depicts vignettes of “Princeton’s long and complex relationship with racism” starting from the 18th century to modern time, according to the site. During the training session, residential college advisers (RCAs) led their first-years through explorations of the virtual gallery and discussions on how to navigate conversations around race and identity. In companionship with the gallery, RCAs and their first-year mentees viewed a pre-recorded roundtable discussion between four Princeton faculty members, highlighting certain events found within the gallery. RCA for Butler College Patrice McGivney ’23 mentioned how the first-years in their group maintained an atmosphere of respect that allowed for honest conversations. “Several of my ’zees shared ... that Princeton was the most diverse place they’ve ever been ... They were glad for the video, they felt like they needed to learn more about how to be respectful See 2025 page 3
U. AFFAIRS
Name of Woodrow Wilson Honorary Debate Panel faces contention By Sam Kagan
News Editor Emeritus
MARK DODICI/ THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The Woodrow Wilson Honorary Debate Panel (WWHDP) has been the subject of contention and student activism of late, as the American WhigCliosophic Society (WhigClio) subsidiary reckons with the legacy of its namesake. Once a staple on campus, the name of former University President Woodrow Wilson Class of 1879 has been removed from a number of high-profile institutions — including the
now-renamed First College and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 explained the change in June 2020, writing, “The trustees concluded that Woodrow Wilson’s racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students, and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms.” Wilson served as President
of the United States after his tenure at the University. During this time, he resegregated parts of the federal government, verbally supported the Ku Klux Klan, and refused to admit Black students to the University. Despite the other renamings, the WWHDP retains the former president’s name — at least for now. According to the American Whig-Cliosophic Society website, the WWHDP “sponsors and promotes prize deSee PANEL page 3
BEYOND THE BUBBLE
Princeton ranked first by U.S. News, third by Forbes By Hadley Kim Staff Writer
For the 11th year in a row, Princeton University has ranked first place in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best National University Rankings. The University also ranked third on Forbes Magazine’s America’s Top Colleges list, an increase from its previous placement of fifth in 2019. Tied for second place are Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Massachu-
In This Issue
setts Institute of Technology, whose rankings were second, third, and fourth, respectively, in the 2021 rankings. For the other members of the Ivy League, Yale University follows close behind at fifth place, while the University of Pennsylvania stands at eighth, Dartmouth College at 13th, and Cornell University at 17th. Outside the Ivy League, Duke University’s position jumped significantly, securing a top 10 spot at ninth, while it ranked 12th in 2021. The University ranked first
in “Senior Capstone,” defined as a culminating project that students have to complete before graduation. It also ranked in the top 10 in five other categories — sixth in “Learning Communities,” fifth in “Undergraduate Research/ Creative Projects,” eighth in “Computer Science,” and third and fourth respectively in “Best Undergraduate Teaching” and “Best Value Schools.” “We are always grateful when the University is recognized for the steadfast pursuit See RANKING page 5
THE PROSPECT | PAGE 11
In observance of the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, The Prospect asked Princeton community members — students, faculty, staff, and alumni — to share brief personal reflections and anecdotes. Responses were lightly edited for concision and clarity.
OPINION | PAGE 8
JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
SPORTS | PAGE 14 The Tigers fell to Stanford 16–5 while defeating California Baptist 16–10, Johns Hopkins 20–12, Bucknell 18–10, and Fordham 13–6.
“Tenna’s perspective on the danger that large social events pose to high-risk students illuminates two substantial shortcomings in the way COVID-19 safety is typically discussed at Princeton.”