The Daily Princetonian: September 13, 2019

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Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Friday September 13, 2019 vol. cxliii no. 67

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STUDENT LIFE

Tigerbook removes information on students’ campus residence, hometown By Naomi Hess Staff Writer

The days of using Tigerbook to find a friend’s dorm room to drop off a surprise gift or to find out what city a fellow student in precept is from are over. University privacy restrictions now prohibit the display of dorm building, room number, roommates, hometown, state, and country on Tigerbook. The website removed this information on Sept. 6, 2019. In the past, Tigerbook showed every student’s name, picture, email, residential college, dorm building, room number, hometown, state, country, roommates, and major. Tigerbook is an online directory of Princeton undergraduates originally created by Hansen Qian ’16, Ivo Crnkovic-Rubsamen ’15, and Rohan Sharma ’14 for their capstone project for COS 333: Advanced Programming Techniques. Adam Libresco ’19 and Nick Schmeller ’21 have also contributed to the website in recent years. Students must log in with the University’s CAS authentication system in order to view the infor-

JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

In the past, Tigerbook showed every student’s name, picture, email, residential college, dorm building, room number, hometown, state, country, roommates, and major.

mation on Tigerbook. “We continually review how information is managed and shared at the University. To protect the privacy and security of our students, we have further restricted directory information about students that may have been available to University community

BEYOND THE BUBBLE

members,” Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss wrote in an email. Students interviewed by The Daily Princetonian seemed to be in agreement about the recent changes to information available on Tigerbook. They acknowledged reasons for the removal of information, but

still did not completely agree with the decision. “I understand why they did it for privacy and security reasons, but I also think [Tigerbook] kind of led to a sense of community and a way to contact people in different ways, especially friends who you might not know where they

U . A F FA I R S

live, not necessarily random people,” Sarah Yashar-Gershman ’22 said. Some interviewed students believe that only part of the restricted information should have been deleted from Tigerbook. “Part of me wonders why some of the information was removed from the website,” Mayowa Oke ’22 said. “I can understand some of the privacy concerns surrounding giving away your dorm location for any given student, but when it comes to something such as your hometown, the city you’re from, or the country you’re from, I think those are pieces of information that, when shared with the greater Princeton community, aren’t necessarily harmful and needed to be shielded away,” Oke continued. Students suggested alternatives to the change to Tigerbook. “I think it’ll help because there were cases of stalking, but I feel like maybe they could make it where someone is, like, ‘Oh, I accept that my location can be put up there,’” explained Vedrana Ivezic ’22. “I also don’t like it that I can’t see where people are from.”

U . A F FA I R S

U. appoints CBE professor U. names Rodney Priestley to new vice nine new dean of innovation position trustees Assistant News Editor

SAMEER A. KHAN / FOTOBUDDY

Nobel laureate, author, and professor Toni Morrison died on August 5, 2019.

Postscript: remembering Toni Morrison (1931–2019) By Katie Tam Senior Writer

Toni Morrison, Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities, Emerita, renowned author, and Nobel laureate, died on the evening of Aug. 5, 2019. She was 88 years old. “It is with profound sadness we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family and friends,” the Morrison family wrote in a statement released by her publisher. “She was an extremely devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt who reveled in being with her family and friends. The consummate writer who treasured the written word, whether her own, her students or others, she read voraciously and was most at home when writing. Although her passing represents a tremendous loss,

In Opinion

we are grateful she had a long, well lived life.” Morrison was the author of 11 novels, including “Song of Solomon,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977, and “Beloved,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She became the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her fiction told stories of African-American history, life, and culture in a way that blended personal journeys with the toils of centuries past. She combined magical, dreamlike scenes with real, vivid emotion to create her own form of myth, often exploring black female identity and black communities. The Swedish Academy cited her “novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import,” in which she “gives life to an essential aspect of American reality,” in awarding her the Nobel. See MORRISON page 2

Columnist Braden Flax considers why we listen to public speakers, and managing editor Samuel Aftel condemns the collective political inaction of Princetonians in this moment of national crisis.

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The Office of the Dean for Research has named professor of chemical and biological engineering (CBE) Rodney Priestley to the newly created position of Vice Dean for Innovation, effective Feb. 3. CBE professor and Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti said that, among the several candidates he interviewed for the position, Priestley’s status as a well-renowned researcher, combined with his past entrepreneurship experience, made him stand out. The University statement on Priestley’s appointment stated that the vice dean of innovation will help build on the “momentum” established by increased corporate funding for research, as well as by recent Universityindustry research collaborations, such as the Princeton Innovation Center BioLabs on the James Forrestal Campus, the Google artificial intelligence lab in Palmer Square, and the University’s microbiology research partnership with Microsoft. Debenedetti said that while Priestley will not be working directly with these ongoing projects, he will work closely with the Office of Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations to expand ties with industry, external entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, alumni, and other potential partners. Another key aspect of the Vice Dean for Innovation’s role, Debenedetti explained, is to work closely with the Office of Technology Licensing to enable on-campus research-

ers to translate their work into commercial or non-profit endeavors. These roles play into Priestley’s past experiences, as he is a co-inventor of four patent-pending technologies, according to the University statement. “He is a very well-known and well-respected researcher in the area of material science, and he has started companies based on his research at Princeton, so he has direct experience in this arena,” Debenedetti said. The Vice Dean for Innovation will also be responsible for “fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Debenedetti, through workshops, training, networking opportunities, and providing access to business and legal expertise. Debenedetti said that while the University already had a successful ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship, it previously lacked a single, visible point of entry for faculty and students to both engage with external industries and put their research into action. In his new role, Debenedetti said, Priestley will “serve faculty and other members of the Princeton research community by becoming the natural point of entry for innovation and entrepreneurship across campus.” “[Priestley is] very excited about the place we are but also has a very compelling vision about the place where he wants to take us,” Debenedetti added. Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Emily Carter noted in an email

Today on Campus 12:00 p.m.: Student Activities Fair Dillon Gym

See PRIESTLY page 3

By Rebecca Han Staff Writer

The University has named nine new members to the Board of Trustees, effective July 1, according to a statement on June 18. According to the statement, the new trustees are Heather Gerken ’91, Anthony H.P. Lee ’79, Brad Smith ’81, Sumir Chadha ’93, Bob Peck ’88, Anthony Yoseloff ’96, Amy Alving GS ’88, Terri Sewell ’86, and Sarah Varghese ’19. The trustees whose terms will be ending on June 30 are Tumi Akinlawon ’15, Lori Fouche ’91, Arminio Fraga GS ’85, Kathryn Hall ’80, Paul Maeder ’75, Anne Sherrerd GS ’87, and Doris Sohmen-Pao ’93. Charter trustees Gerken, Lee, and Smith will serve for eight years, and term trustees Chadha, Peck, and Yoseloff will serve for four years. Charter and term trustees are elected by the board. Alumni trustees Alving and Sewell were elected by alumni to serve four-year terms. Varghese, who graduated in June with a degree in computer science, was elected to the Young Alumni Trustee (YAT) position this spring. Each year, the junior, senior, and two youngest alumni classes elect one member of the senior class to serve as an alumni trustee. Varghese believes the position is important in many ways for representing student opinions. “I was happy, I was humbled, and excited to be able to bring student voices into these discussions,” Varghese said. Alving, a director at mortgage loan company Fannie See TRUSTEES page 3

WEATHER

By Zack Shevin

HIGH

70˚

LOW

57˚

Partly Cloudy chance of rain:

10 percent


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