Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998
Tuesday September 24, 2019 vol. CXLIII no. 74
Twitter: @princetonian Facebook: The Daily Princetonian YouTube: The Daily Princetonian Instagram: @dailyprincetonian
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
U . A F FA I R S
CPUC adds new requirement for questions to be submitted in advance By Zachary Shevin Assistant News Editor
At the first Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) meeting of the year, University Provost Deborah Prentice announced a change in CPUC procedure that will require students to submit questions for University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 in advance, rather than participate in the past “open question period” policy. The CPUC held the meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the Frist Multipurpose Room on Sept. 23. In addition to discussing this change, Prentice presented the new academic calendar for next year and shared details about the University Naming Committee. Karen Richardson ’93 introduced herself to the CPUC as the University’s new Dean of Admission. The meeting began with a reading and unanimous vote of approval of the CPUC’s “Order of Business” for the 2019-20 year. Prentice explained that, in previous years, several of the stipulations of the CPUC’s “Order of Business” had not been followed, especially in reference to the Question and Answer period. Section III of the Order of Busi-
ZACK SHEVIN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The first CPUC meeting of the year was held on Sept. 23.
ness had previously stated that the 15-minute Question and Answer period exists so that council members may formally ask one another questions. Prentice noted that this was “not the way we’ve been handing the question period in anybody’s living memory,” and that the CPUC has typically con-
ducted an open question period, allowing for both pre-submitted and on-the-spot questions from both Council members and members of the general community. “We’ve typically done just a sort of open question period,” Prentice said. “We’ve requested that questions be submitted in advance,
ON CAMPUS
CNN correspondent Jim Acosta talks journalism, Trump administration By Marie-Rose Sheinerman Assistant News Editor
On Sept. 23, CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta addressed a packed audience of young and old on campus. In a talk moderated by Julian Zelizer, the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, Acosta discussed the importance of journalism in the modern era and reflected on his experiences reporting on the Trump administration. Throughout the lecture, Acosta emphasized that the President’s statements have bred violence against journalists. He said he believes that Trump brought the “fake news shtick” to the office, but that since then, the rhetoric has spiraled out of control, and “they don’t know how to reel it back.” Acosta claimed that since the 2016 election, he has received at least one death threat every week, most notably in a tweet
that read “You’re next” and included an image of a decapitated goat. He can now only attend Trump rallies accompanied by bodyguards. He noted that CNN, along with other media outlets that Trump has often singled out for criticism, has received pipe bomb threats, and that a BBC cameraman was attacked at a Trump rally in El Paso last February. Acosta even expressed serious fear of the nation “getting through” the next election cycle without journalists being physically harmed. “The moment you have a journalist harmed in this country, or — God forbid — killed, we cease being the United States of America I grew up in,” he said. Despite the challenges, Acosta’s remarks suggested that he intends to continue his work. “They can tweet out doctored videos, they can try to attack us, intimidate us, send death threats, and so on,” Acosta said, eliciting the biggest applause
of the night. “We are not going to stop doing our job. It’s what people expect of us.” When asked during the following Q&A whether he has a “call to action” for students like those at the University, Acosta initially struggled to answer, before suggesting, “If you could subscribe to a newspaper, that would be great.” Encouraged by laughter from the crowd, he added, “Set aside a little beer money for that.” Acosta also warned against believing what he ironically dubbed “real fake news” online. He expects more and more socalled “deep fake” and altered videos to be utilized by campaigns during the upcoming election cycle, such as a recently circulated video in which Nancy Pelosi’s speech was artificially slowed, creating the impression she was intoxicated. Acosta himself was also targeted by a distorted video, See ACOSTA page 2
COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE / FLICKR
On Sept. 23, Acosta spoke in a talk moderated by Professor Julian Zelizer.
In Opinion
Columnist Julia Chaffers encourages Princeton students to look towards USWNT as a model of service and activism, and Guest Contributor Tyler Eddy examines the notion of a belief. PAGE 4
Hebrew professor Robert Alter discusses nuance in Biblical translation By Ezra Zimble News Writer
On Monday, Sept. 23, Robert Alter, an Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed his recently published and widely lauded translation of the Hebrew Bible, as well as his new book, “The Art of Bible Translation,” at a talk co-hosted by the Religion and Judaic Studies departments. Alter addressed a packed room, as attendees stood in the entryway and sat in the aisles. Leora Batnitzky, the Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Jewish Studies, Esther Schor, the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Professor of American Jewish Studies and Professor of English, and David Bellos, the Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French and Comparative Literature, responded to Alter’s presentation. Humanities Council chair and Professor of Religion Eric Gregory moderated the conversation, as well as questions from the audience. To begin the lecture, Alter posed the question of why he determined that the Bible, which has been translated into English many times, would benefit from another translation. Alter asserted, “the short answer is that none of the existing translations, with the only partial exception of the King James Version, do a great deal of justice to the literary shaping of the [Biblical] Hebrew.” Alter continued along this theme, bringing examples of how his translation pays careful attention to non-lexical aspects of the Biblical text, such as alliteration. In a particular example, Alter noted how in Psalm 30, Verse 11, the author employs alliteration in the Hebrew text to highlight extreme emotional transformation, from mourning to joy. Alter chose the word “dirge” to represent mourning, so as to maintain alliteration with the joyous “dance,” which he
Today on Campus 12:00 p.m.: Iranian Jews in the Twentieth-Century: Between Iranian Nationalism, Communism, and Zionism Burr 219
employed in the same verse. Alter also discussed how and why his translations of the Hebrew Bible, which were published incrementally over the past two decades, seek to present the Bible without the theological overtures introduced by many previous translators. To that end, Alter said he ultimately chose to remove “Christological references” that other translators have incorrectly incorporated into the Hebrew Bible. Alter highlighted an example from Psalm 23, in which many English translations employ the verb “anoint,” a choice that implicitly situates the passage within Christian theology. Alter instead translates the verb as “moisten,” evoking imagery of the Ancient Greeks, who would spread oil on themselves, symbolizing “the good life” of luxury. In this case, by changing one verb, Alter sought “[to] shift the emphasis from upward in the sky down to the concrete.” The respondents’ reflections on Alter’s presentation were largely positive, with Batnitzky noting how readers should see Alter in the context of great Jewish-American writers. In addition, Schor explained that she has used Alter’s Bible translations for teaching students since his first translation, of the Book of Genesis, was published in 1996. When only his Genesis translation was available, Schor “used to feel the wind go out the sails” as her class moved on to the work of another translator. Claire Lessler ’22, who attended the lecture, was particularly interested because she “had always analyzed the Bible from a traditional Orthodox Jewish perspective … and thought it was interesting that [Alter] chooses to read the Bible as a literary work you can criticize.” The talk took place at 4:30 p.m. in McCormick 101 and was open to the public.
WEATHER
ON CAMPUS
but we’ve taken questions that weren’t.” Going forward, in accordance with the new Order of Business unanimously approved during the meeting, questions from community members will need to be submitted in writing in advance of the meetings. For this meeting,
questions needed to have been submitted in writing to Secretary to the Council Christine Gage by Friday, Sept. 20, three days before the meeting. Prentice also noted that members of the community asking questions will be permitted to ask a supplementary follow-up question and Council members will be able to propose any follow-up questions. “We will allow questions from members of the community, but we will prioritize questions from the Council, and we will ask that the questions be submitted in advance, so we can make sure people are prepared to answer them,” Prentice said. The CPUC also put mechanisms in place to better distinguish Council members from non-Council members at meetings. Last year’s six CPUC meetings all took place in Betts Auditorium, where both Council members and community members sat in the same area. Instead, this meeting was held in the Frist Campus Center Multipurpose Room, with Council members seated at a U-shaped structure of tables and non-Council members in chairs off to the sides. On the agenda for the meetSee CPUC page 2
HIGH
77˚
LOW
52˚
Mostly Sunny chance of rain:
10 percent