Talk with Israeli ambassador met with protests and increased PSafe presence, but no disruptions inside
By Kian Petlin
Two weeks ago, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited campus to protests and a full lecture hall. His talk was interrupted several times, including by a walkout and a fire alarm — a remarkable spate of disruptions that prompted a University investigation, a public apology from University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, and even a stand-alone editorial in The Wall Street Journal.
On Tuesday, another prominent figure in Israeli politics — this time the Israeli ambassador to the United States — came to give a talk. This time, he was met by a scaled-down audience, a smaller protest, and no disruptions inside — as well as a small army of Public Safety (PSafe) officers, University security, and free speech coordinators to ensure nothing went awry.
Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, was hosted by B’Artzeinu Princ-
eton and sponsored by Chabad House, the Center for Jewish Life (CJL), and Princetonians for Free Speech. During the talk, titled “The Demonization of Israel and the Rise of Antisemitism,” Leiter discussed the death of his eldest son when serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza, the challenges of mitigating civilian casualties, and what he described as an existential crisis facing the State of Israel.
Princeton Students for Justice
Opinion
Princeton, stop using ChatGPT
By Ava Johnson Columnist
It’s always interesting to hear a professor’s policy or opinions on ChatGPT. Some strictly prohibit it, some allow it with proper disclosure, and some condemn its inability to be intelligent — or even accurate. I usually don’t pay much attention to these warnings, as myself and the people around me rarely use ChatGPT in lieu of making our own effort on schoolwork.
But research shows that Americans are increasing their use of generative AI software like ChatGPT, and college educated people use it at rates higher than any other educational demographic. One third of college-aged Americans use ChatGPT regularly for work, entertainment, and everyday search engine functions.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to talk to the AI chatbot and craft the occasional hilariously absurd image. But overusing ChatGPT regularly is bad for the environment, bad for our brains and educational enrichment, and generally unnecessary. Furthermore, as students who are at Princeton to learn, it is a shame to intentionally subvert the skills and
abilities Princeton seeks to instill in us. Therefore, we should all make efforts to limit the use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
Many uses of ChatGPT are worse versions of doing things that we’ve always done. Asking the AI language model for relationship advice certainly cannot be better than going to a good group of friends. Asking silly questions like, “Do fish have feelings?” can certainly be done with Google. And summarizing readings you forgot to do for class has been happening long before we had generative AI. AI is killing the age-old tradition of asking a friend for a 30-second summary on the walk to class.
I’ve seen people use ChatGPT for each of these purposes, and I’m sure there are countless examples of members of our community unnecessarily outsourcing their questions and problems to the model.
These kinds of socially negative uses for generative AI have also permeated Princeton specifically. One recently developed TigerApp, Tay, is an AI assistant that claims to know all “academic, eating club, and event information in real time.” But Tay is also advertised as providing
See CHATGPT page 11
Please send any corrections requests to corrections@dailyprincetonian.com.
Riding South Jersey’s little river line that could
By Suthi Navaratnam-Tomayko
Features Contributor
It was a chilly Wednesday afternoon in February, and the outdoor River Line platform at Trenton Transit Center was surprisingly full of passengers of all ages, clad in warm winter clothing. At 2:10 p.m., I boarded the Camden-bound River Line train.
At the time of its inception, many said the line was doomed to fail, born of political pressures which ignored public input and landed the train in an unlikely place: the edge of the Delaware River, where it raised housing prices in cities and lowered them elsewhere. But over 20 years later, the train is still chugging along.
As someone interested in transit — I can name most global transit systems by looking at their maps — I was curious to discover what this train was all
about. How better to learn than to take it myself?
Smaller than its more familiar compatriots, such as Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor Line, the NJ Transit River Line (stylized River LINE) is a two-car light rail. It begins at the Trenton Transit Center, running one hour seven minutes and 34 miles along the Delaware to the Camden Entertainment Center.
Using light rail for intercity travel is unique among global transit systems. Typically, light rail is used for much shorter trips on intra-urban systems, as fuel costs are lower, something that translates to cheaper tickets on the River Line.
And cheaper tickets is a good thing, considering that the River Line is a commuter route. Senior Public Information Officer for NJ Transit Kyalo Mulumba ex-
PRESIDENT PATTON’S TRIP
plained that the River Line is designed to connect people to work and other opportunities in Trenton, Camden, and Philadelphia.
“The goal of the River LINE is to provide mass transit options to municipalities along the Delaware River,” Mulumba said.
But the River Line was a long time coming. The line’s original route was meant to run across the street from State Senator C. William Haines’ house, through an area of New Jersey that was conflicted about its presence: Some counties supported it enthusiastically, while others strongly opposed the idea of having a new train line so close to their homes. The Senator later proposed a feasibility study to be conducted on the River LINE, advocating to have its northern leg run along the Delaware River, as opposed to central Burlington County.
“The Haines proposal marked
the first time a river route was considered — and ignored years of careful planning by transit consultants,” wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The line was eventually implemented along the Delaware River, opening in 2004, where it runs today. Light rail transit, as defined by the Transportation Research Board, is an electric railway system that operates smaller train cars with low floors. Unlike its peers, the River Line operates on diesel, commonly used in passenger rail.
New Jersey’s Delaware River municipalities are not unique in developing light rail over old freight infrastructure. In the UK, when cargo ships became too big to reach London via the Thames River, Transport for London used old cargo tracks in its Docklands area to develop the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The River
Line employed a similar strategy by using old freight tracks when it opened in 2004.
When the train departed at 2:27 p.m., I counted 18 passengers in my car, including a family with two children, a young man with a suitcase who I later discovered was en route to visit his girlfriend, a sleeping woman wearing AirPods, and two backpackcarrying teens.
Emily Cooper, a Palmyra resident and frequent River Line user, said she frequently uses the line to travel with her son. “It was really accessible, the platforms, [the] ticketing,” she said. “People are pretty respectful when you have a kid for the most part.” Cooper, who grew up in the area, also noted the line provided her freedom as a teenager. “It gave me access to a lot of cultural experiences that I didn’t have over
This Week In History
While Francis Patton may not be one of the most well-known Princeton presidents, his travels in the pursuit of Princeton’s interests exemplifies presidential advocacy at Princeton. This week in history, we reflect on President Patton’s tenday trip to Colorado in 1901 and President Eisgruber’s digital campaign in the face of ongoing funding disruptions.
KENZO SALAZAR / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Public Safety officers stand across from protestors.
Visas of one grad student, one post-doc revoked in early April
By Christopher Bao Head News Editor
One graduate student and one postdoctoral researcher at Princeton had their visas revoked in early April, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Daily Princetonian. This is the first known instance of visa revocations at the University.
University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill said the University would not comment on individual visa statuses. It is unclear if additional individuals have been impacted.
Princeton has largely remained silent on visa revocations for the past month as students at universities across the country have had their legal statuses changed by the State Department. According to Inside Higher Ed, as of April 21, over 1,600 international students and recent graduates at over 250 colleges have had their visas terminated.
Across the rest of the Ivy League, eight current students had their visas revoked at the University of Pennsylvania, four at Yale University, 12 at Harvard
University, 17 at Cornell University, two at Dartmouth University, seven at Columbia University, and at least one at Brown University. Princeton is the only Ivy that has not commented on the number of visa revocations via spokesperson or campus-wide emails.
This development marks the most significant impact on international campus community members to date. On April 7, Director of the Davis International Center (IC), Albert Rivera, wrote in an email to international scholars that the University was monitoring visa statuses. The email added that the University was monitoring the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database “daily,” and that the Davis IC would be reaching out to impacted students directly. At other schools, many revocations have been discovered by routine checks of the SEVIS database.
Christopher Bao is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
Fifteen Princeton faculty, arts fellows, and alumni awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
By Victoria Davies Head News Editor
Fifteen Princeton affiliates have received Guggenheim Fellowships, an award celebrating “scholars, scientists, and artists in over 50 different fields of study across the fine arts, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.”
A total of four faculty members, two arts fellows, and nine undergraduate and graduate alumni are being recognized for their work. Princeton affiliates received 11 Guggenheim Fellowships last year and eight in 2023.
The Guggenheim Fellowship began in 1925, with this year’s fellows marking the 100th class of the program. There are a total of 198 fellows this year.
Accra Shepp ’84 received the fellowship for his work in photography. He addressed the importance of awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship to the arts, especially compared to fields such as law, education and medicine where there are concrete titles and ranks that are shared across the field.
“In the fine arts, we have no such ranks or titles,” he explained. “The Guggenheim, over its 100 cycles of giving, has become one of the few markers of artistic success.”
Professor of East Asian Studies and History Thomas Conlan is “profoundly happy” to receive the fellowship.
“A Guggenheim Fellowship means so much to all recipients because it represents the cumulative recognition of a lifetime of scholarly work,” he wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
This sentiment was echoed by many of the other fellows.
“It’s really special to be a member of the 100th class of fellows,” wrote Kellen Funk GS ’18, professor of law at Columbia Law School.
“I’m really grateful to the individual people on the selection committees behind the fancy institutional names that saw promise in my path as a composer,” wrote Peter Shin, a
2025–26 Hodder Fellow in the Lewis Center for the Arts who was awarded the Guggenheim in the field of music composition.
While the fellows all expressed appreciation for the award, some addressed humanities and the arts within the current political climate.
Rhodri Lewis, a lecturer with the rank of professor in English, was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for his work in literary criticism.
“The recognition for literary criticism is just as important [as personal recognition], especially at a time when even its defenders seem more than a little confused about its merits and enduring value,” Lewis explained.
“I feel lucky to have won this award when I know that so many of my colleagues in Princeton and elsewhere are doing excellent and equally deserving work.”
Annette Yoshiko Reed GS ’02, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Harvard Divinity School, expressed that “it is a bit discombobulating to receive this fellowship at a time when academic knowledge in general and the Humanities in particular are under fire.”
In a statement to the ‘Prince,’ Reed wrote, “I am deeply grateful for the Guggenheim foundation for standing up for academic knowledge … [and] all the prouder to be an alum of Princeton, which continues to fight for academic freedom even in difficult times.”
Carolyn Rouse, the Ritter Professor of Anthropology, explained that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, “many social scientists treated American democracy and capitalism as the end point of human development.”
“What I hope people now realize is that our country was never singularly rational, logical, or compassionate,” she wrote. “American culture is just as strange and irrational as any other cultural system.”
With the award, Rouse aims to “return to the field” to finish her
book and film on low white life expectancies in rural California.
Katherine Jansen GS ’95 is using the financial award to research and write a new book. It will “take me full circle back to Rome and the Vatican Library where I did the research for my dissertation,” she explained. “I can’t wait to get my hands dirty in the libraries of Rome.”
Meanwhile, James Turner GS ’04 is working on a book telling some of the stories of a “post-combustion future” — focusing on places in the world that are ahead of the United States in transition away from fossil fuels.
Fellows also shared some words of advice for those pursuing the humanities and academia in general.
Laura Beers ’00 received the award for her work in intellectual and cultural history. “Be sure that you are committed to the journey as much as the destination,” she wrote. “If you do end up in academia, it’s a wonderful career, but it is such an uncertain process to land an academic job.”
“Now, I have no excuse not to knuckle down and write the book,” she wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Maria Chudnovsky GS ‘03, professor of mathematics, advised students to “take one step at a time, and don’t get discouraged if something does not work out right away.”
“I am grateful to my colleagues and collaborators, and especially to my graduate and undergraduate students, who have worked with me through the details of enumerable failed ideas,” she added.
“Art takes time and that’s OK, resting without guilt is productive, and rejecting a capitalist output mindset is delightful,” Shin wrote.
Angela Esterhammer GS ’90, Katie Kitamura ’99, Carla Williams ’86, and Princeton Arts Fellow yuniya edi kwon also received the Guggenheim Fellowship this year.
Victoria Davies is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Plymouth, England and typically covers University operations.
MC MCCOY / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Nassau Hall.
University websites updated to reflect commitments to diversity, non-discrimination
By Sena Chang Senior News Writer
Many University websites, including those affiliated with admissions, academic departments, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, have been updated to reflect Princeton’s ongoing commitment to diversity and nondiscrimination. On Jan. 20 and 21, Trump issued executive orders aimed at curbing DEI programs at universities and other “influential institutions,” effectively banning DEI programming in any initiative that receives federal funding. However, both the University and individual departments emphasized that these adjustments do not signal any changes in how they approach diversity-related communication or programming.
According to a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on Inclusive Princeton, the site for the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, “Diversity and inclusion are core values of the University and we will continue to express that in our communications. Princeton is making efforts to ensure its websites contain updated and accurate information related to ongoing diversity and inclusion programs and activities.” When asked about these changes, University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill referred The Daily Princetonian to the FAQ page.
“The University has added a footer to many websites providing a link to more information about
our commitments to diversity and nondiscrimination,” the site noted.
A new “Diversity and NonDiscrimination” statement that outlines Princeton’s principles now appears on numerous University pages. Among the sites updated are the Undergraduate Admissions website, the Graduate School’s “Access, Diversity, & Inclusion” homepage, and various departmental websites.
“All departments were asked to ensure that their websites were up to date and in conformity with the most recent university guidelines,” Professor Simon Gikandi, the Chair of the English Department, wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ “Minor changes were made to the website to (a) update the information if necessary and (b) to conform with common university practices.”
Compared to an archived version of the site, the English department’s website now features a hyperlink to the University’s diversity statement and includes a non-discrimination clause beneath its existing Statement on Anti-Racism.
Other departments have followed suit. The Near Eastern Studies department, the University Center for Human Values, and the economics department are among sites that have hyperlinked the “Diversity and Nondiscrimination” page at the bottom of their sites. Many departments did not respond to multiple requests for
comment.
“These changes do not signify any changes to the department’s programming or values; on the contrary, they reinforce the department’s core values by making sure that there are no ambiguities about our intellectual mission, especially our commitment to free speech and inquiry,” Gikandi wrote.
On March 7, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) asked student organization leaders to include a statement on their websites and social media pages affirming that events and programming are “open to all
Princeton University students regardless of identity, such as race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, or other protected characteristics.”
While Princeton has staunchly maintained, and even increased, public messaging on DEI, other institutions across the country have made noticeable changes. On Feb. 14, the University of Pennsylvania removed DEI-related language from the websites of all 16 of its undergraduate and graduate schools. In January, Stanford University took down multiple DEI-related resources, such as surveys, dashboards, and pages for its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in a
Learning Environment (IDEAL) and DiversityWorks websites.
“To maximize excellence, we seek talent from all segments of American society and the world, and we take steps to ensure everyone at Princeton can thrive while they are here,” part of Princeton’s Diversity and Non-Discrimination statement reads. “That is the sole rationale and purpose of our diversity and inclusion programs.”
Sena Chang is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She typically covers campus and community activism, the state of higher education, and alumni news.
‘Fit, community, and the overall campus’: decision making at Princeton Preview 2025
By Isaac Bernstein Staff News Writer
Hundreds of prospective students have descended upon Princeton’s campus over the last two weekends for Princeton Preview 2025. Distinguishable by their orange drawstring bags and name tags, many attendees had already committed to the Class of 2029, as indicated by a small paw print sticker on their name tags, while others arrived with their decisions still unmade.
Each year, recent admits are invited to the one-day event to “attend programs and discussions about studying at Princeton, meet current students and faculty members, and learn about [Princeton’s] close-knit residential community.”
Students are encouraged to bring a guest to participate in the Preview programming, and are served breakfast and lunch.
Uncommitted students shared the factors they are taking into consideration before making a decision. “I really value fit, community, and the overall campus,” said Sophie Sarazin, a prospective student from Pensacola, Fla.
Choosing a college can be difficult, and for Princeton admits, this was no exception, especially with uncertainty in the current state of higher education. Several students cited federal funding cuts and pauses as potential concerns about committing to Princeton.
“[Funding] definitely is a factor, considering that it is a research institution,” Sarazin said. “I do appreciate the University’s stance on accommodating the students.”
Other prospective students echoed similar concerns. Alisha Owaise, another uncommitted attendee, stated that she planned to “do a little bit more research before committing to see if [the federal funding cuts] will have a bigger impact” on her experiences at Princeton. Regardless, Owaise said that she was leaning toward Princeton based on her Preview experience.
However, the majority of interviewed students, both committed and uncommitted, shared that the funding reductions were not a significant factor in their decisionmaking processes.
Param Thakkar, an uncommitted attendee, described how he plans to focus on the “vibe and whether [he’ll] be able to thrive in the community” when making his decision. Furthermore, he plans on “taking a look at the opportunities for what will happen after [he] graduate[s].”
When asked about the extent to which federal funding issues are affecting his decision, he replied, “To be honest, not at all — just because it’s affecting every single institution the same.”
“In one of the [Preview] sessions that we had, the admissions staff were saying how they are really committed to undergrad financial aid and how this funding [pause] is mainly impacting graduate students,” said Betty Nguyen, another uncommitted student.
“As of now, it’s not really impacting undergraduate students, so it’s not really impacting my decision to choose Princeton,” she continued.
A University budget plan approved in early April projected a
small increase in the budgets for undergraduate financial aid, as well as graduate student support. University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 also recently joined over 250 college presidents in signing a letter against the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education.
Among the committed students, enthusiasm remained high and largely untouched by the funding conversation. “I committed right after I got in,” said committed student Mia Jackson ’29. “Princeton has always been my dream school,” Jackson added.
Other students discussed the attractiveness of Princeton’s specialized programs. “I was really drawn to all of the opportunities that are given to the School of Public and
International Affairs (SPIA) students,” commented Bella Raichelson ’29, who committed to Princeton during the Restrictive Early Action (REA) round.
Prospective students planning on majoring in STEM likewise shared their enthusiasm, especially regarding opportunities for simultaneously studying both engineering and the humanities. “[I] applied because of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree,” said Mira Schubert ’29, who is also planning on minoring in creative writing.
“What drew my eye to Princeton over other schools was the diversity of courses that I could take,” Christian Martinez ’29, another committed student, said. “I’m very interested in biology and conservation, and I like that I am able to take other cours-
es that I have a little interest in and spread out what I’m trying to learn.” Furthermore, committed students also identified Princeton’s generous financial aid as a strong factor in their decision-making process. “The financial aid here is amazing — they’ve really helped me through it [the commitment stage],” said John Boctor ’29, who committed to Princeton two weeks ago. Admitted students have until May 1 to notify Princeton about their decision to matriculate.
Isaac Bernstein is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ From Pittsburgh, Penn., he most commonly covers new academic departments and majors, progressions in faculty research and pursuits, and the most recent happenings of Princeton’s alumni.
MC MCCOY / THE DAILY
PRINCETONIAN East Pyne Hall.
Fire alarm at Firestone, in photos
By Charlie Roth, Calvin K. Grover, & MC McCoy Senior News Writer,
Around 3:22 p.m., the fire alarm in Firestone Library went off. Students were evacuated as three fire trucks arrived on the scene.
The cause of the alarm was a small mulch fire outside of the building, according to Princeton Fire Department Chief Adam Kooker. The smoke from the fire was sucked into the building, setting off the alarm.
“We got dispatched to a smoke condition at the Firestone library,” Kooker said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “The crews investigated it, and they found a small pile of mulch outside that had brought smoke into the building.” Kooker confirmed that there was no damage in the building nor any injuries. He said the cause of the mulch fire is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, crowds of students displaced from studying gathered outside, watching the scene.
Eyewitnesses told the ‘Prince’ they saw fire crews entering the Cotsen Children’s Library with hoses and axes.
“The fire alarm went off and everyone inside slowly came out because everyone
thought it was a drill,” Joe McLean ’27 told the ‘Prince.’ “Once we got out, everyone was right next to the entrance door … and then PSAFE and the fire department kept pushing us back, past the Chapel.”
“This is a pretty large building with a lot of occupancy, so there actually was more stuff coming,” Kooker said. “It’s a pretty significant number of trucks and people that we need to handle something like this to do it safely.”
The incident occured on the second day of Princeton Preview. Previewing students took interest but told the ‘Prince’ that it ultimately wouldn’t affect their decision.
Students were let back into the building around 3:52 p.m.
The University and PSAFE did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Charlie Roth is a senior News writer and editor emeritus focusing on local, state, and national politics.
Calvin Kenjiro Grover is a head Photo editor for the ‘Prince.’
MC McCoy is a staff photographer for the ‘Prince.’
Head Photo Editor, & Staff Photographer
CALVIN KENJIRO GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
CALVIN KENJIRO GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
CALVIN KENJIRO GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
CALVIN KENJIRO GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
CALVIN KENJIRO
‘Using ChatGPT all the time makes you look stupid, because it is stupid. We’re smarter than that.’
people are quick to turn to chatbots to think for them, they stop learning to think for themselves.
model wastes 10 times the amount of water that a simple Google search would.
insight into course recommendations and Princeton-specific practices like bicker — all things that you would be better off asking a friend in the know. One of the beautiful things about college is access to a huge social community, right outside your front door. Why outsource that to AI?
This is especially concerning, because AI might not be correct. A study last year found that 52 percent of answers provided by ChatGPT are false. Although new models have gotten up to 88 percent correct answers, a 12 percent fail rate is not nothing, especially for questions that are an easy Google away.
Not only does pursuing instant production of answers often direct us to incorrect information, it is also bad for our minds. While there are undoubtedly some situations in which use of AI chatbots is positive, research at the National Institute of Health has shown that over-reliance on the tool is becoming prevalent. And when young
When chatbot tools like ChatGPT are consistently used in place of basic critical thinking and simple mental tasks, we lose our ability to complete these tasks ourselves. Even Googling takes more effort than ChatGPT. Sifting through information and links for oneself, rather than relying on the bot to curate it for you, is a good mental exercise that likely produces better results. Reliance on these tools is damaging to our critical thinking — an especially dangerous side effect in a political climate filled with misleading or untrue information.
And not only is AI bad for our brains, it’s bad for our planet. The bulk of environmental impact comes from data centers which power the tool, both in training and everyday use by the public.
Training ChatGPT3 used 700,000 liters of fresh water: the daily usage of more than 2,000 people. Individual interactions with the chatbot also use significant amounts of water. Each query posed to the
And then there’s the power: NPR reports that “one query to ChatGPT uses approximately as much electricity as could light one light bulb for about 20 minutes.” Multiplied by the daily uses of the software, it adds up.
To sum it up, generative AI is bad for the environment, bad for our
brains, and often incorrect. These facts should be enough of a reason for anyone to try to limit their use of the tool, but they should especially compel Princeton students to do better.
We are privileged to get an incredible education from an amazing institution, we know how to use Google. This is not to say that it’s wrong or bad to ever use ChatGPT to create the occasional funny
image or to ask a last-minute question which Google can’t answer. But using ChatGPT all the time makes you look stupid, because it is stupid. We’re smarter than that.
Ava Johnson is a sophomore columnist and Politics major from Washington, D.C. Her column “The New Nassau” runs every three weeks on Thursdays. She can be reached by email at aj9432[at]princeton.edu.
Amplify the student voice in the Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline
Ava Chen Contributing opinion writer
Over the past few weeks, undergraduate students have been receiving email advertisements to apply to the Honor Committee and the Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline (COD), which are responsible for adjudicating violations of academic and community standards according to Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities. The Honor Committee is responsible for infractions regarding in-class exams, while the COD legislates academic cases outside the classroom as well as behavioral violations that could result in suspension, expulsion, or the withholding of degrees.
The Honor Committee and COD both play important roles in administering campus discipline. But there’s a crucial difference in the makeup of the two bodies — the Honor Committee is composed entirely of students, while the COD currently has more faculty than student members. While RRR stipulates that the COD must comprise at least seven faculty members and deans and eight students, its current majority is faculty members/deans, who number 13, compared to nine students. To ensure the student voice is duly represented, the COD should mandate a student majority at all times. Short of overhauling the COD to be student-run like the Honor Committee, this is arguably one of the most straightforward, equitable, and realistic ways to ensure both disciplinary committees progress towards the same high standard of respect and advocacy for the students they judge. Especially given the Honor Code’s documented devastating and lasting
consequences on students, exploring these reforms becomes especially critical.
The Honor Committee’s student makeup gives them a distinct understanding of empathy in what is often a stressful process. Nadia Makuc ’26, chair of the Honor Committee, told me in an interview that this student-run nature allows the committee to uniquely empathize with students under investigation. According to Makuc, one question asked during Honor Committee applicant interviews is “‘what’s the difference between you and a student in question,’ with the understatement that the answer is not that much.”
“The benefit of having a studentrun committee is that [we] very much can put ourselves in those students’ shoes,” said Makuc.
Student perspectives are not only important to effectively adjudicating student violations but also in championing improvements of academic life overall. Makuc recalled one example of when the Honor Committee informed deans from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) that students often did not have clocks in exam rooms, which, she said, was “jaw-dropping” to them — leading to a reform that ensured clocks in classrooms. The student voice understands nuances of the undergraduate experience that faculty or deans may not.
The COD also has an issue with its voting structure. The Honor Committee states that six out of seven members of the Honor Committee must agree to find a student responsible for a violation. The COD, in contrast, requires a more lenient majority vote to convict students, reflecting a comparatively insuffi-
cient rigor in determining student guilt. With its current makeup, the COD can find a student guilty without a single one of their undergraduate peers agreeing with the conviction. If the structure of the COD isn’t changed, increasing the required majority and/or weighting student votes more heavily would at least afford students more voting power.
In the vast majority of cases, students don’t cheat out of malicious intent. Rather, it’s out of factors like stress and pressure. Thus, having a student-centered disciplinary process that understands these root issues will allow for a more empathetic, fair adjudication of an inherently difficult process. An unnecessarily punitive model also increases the inherent stigma around University discipline, cyclically alienating the University’s disciplinary system from the students it’s supposed to bring justice to.
The jurisdiction of the COD makes these reforms especially
important. While it’s unclear how many cases COD adjudicates per year, especially compared to the Honor Committee, Makuc speculates that because many courses don’t incorporate in-class exams, “the role of the Committee has maybe especially been dwarfed by the COD.” Certainly, there are far more everyday assignments and problem sets than in-class exams. Whether a student violated an academic integrity clause while taking a midterm in Friend Center or working on a physics take-home in their dorm room should not alter the leniency, structure, and process by which their case is adjudicated. But this is the current reality. Amplifying the student voice in the COD would improve the consistency, integrity, and humaneness of the disciplinary system, not to mention the most important: the well-being of Princeton students.
Defending the importance of the student voice in disciplin-
ary processes becomes even more critical considering Trump’s attack on disciplinary due processes in higher education. Letters from the federal government to Harvard and Columbia demanded that they revise their disciplinary processes to more efficiently enforce severe punishments — i.e. expulsion and multi-year suspension — targeted towards student protestors. This entails curtailing jurisdiction from faculty and student bodies to the administrative, purportedly to uphold “consistency and impartiality.” But this destructive erasure of student perspectives would accomplish the opposite. True justice starts with ensuring student voices are equally heard on every disciplinary committee.
Ava Chen is a first-year contributing Opinion writer intending to study English or Computer Science. She is from Wellesley, Mass. and can be reached at ac5214[at]princeton.edu.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN ChatGPT is a part of the committee’s unauthorized use of materials category.
‘As someone interested in transit — I can name most global transit systems by looking at their maps — I was curious to discover what this train was all about.’
in Jersey,” she said.
Cooper also took the train to commute to her job. She noted when she used it to commute to Philadelphia, it was her “favorite commute ever” for work. The only downside was the timing of the connections when she attended Montclair State University, which required two transfers.
Still, the line has relatively light ridership, taking a dip after the pandemic. According to Mulumba, between July and September 2024, the line averaged just over 6,000 boardings per weekday or “roughly 69% of pre-COVID levels.” The line is not alone — transit networks across the country have struggled to recoup prepandemic ridership.
In comparison to the River Line, NJT’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail serves more than 48,000 daily riders. Despite the River Line’s low ridership, about half the seats in my car that Wednesday afternoon were taken: the train did not feel too big, and on my journey back, the train was packed.
Dr. Michael Lahr, a professor emeritus at Rutgers, used to commute on the River Line daily. In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ he highlighted its convenience due to its high service frequency, and said that he found it easier than driving.
Lahr explained that the inexpensive nature of light rail makes its implementation easier to justify.
“You don’t need the densities that you need on a heavy rail line like the Northeast Corridor,” he said. Lower population density generally corresponds to lower transit ridership in the area, meaning that a smaller and less expensive train is easier to justify as it will bring in less revenue from fewer riders.
According to Lahr, the River Line is also cost-effective. “It’s a much more efficient system,” he said, explaining that highways tend to be more expensive for the amount of passengers given accidents and pollution. “Not to mention the road itself, [and] not including the private costs of driving a car, which is insurance and your automobile,” he added.
Mulumba explained that the choice to use light rail was based on studies done at the time regarding ridership, as well as the operational and cost efficiency to which Lahr referred.
While the line and public transit in general have saved money for riders, commuters have noticed recent fare increases. New Jersey Transit recently hiked fares by 15 percent on July 1, 2024, and will increase fares three percent each subsequent year.
River Line riders have noticed. On my trip, I overheard one older
man say to another: “Why’d they up the prices so much on everything?”
“Because they had to!” the other replied.
According to NJ Transit, fares were increased due to inflation, which impacted fuel costs and materials, as well as an increase in operating costs and wages related to labor collective bargaining agreements. Overall, according to the American Public Transportation Association, a household saves over $13,000 per year by using public transportation and rather than one additional car.
At around 2:53 p.m., the train went through Burlington Towne Center, and I observed the largest exchange of passengers yet. At this point, the train’s demographic composition became noticeably more white. Burlington Township is over 43 percent white, compared to Trenton’s 19 percent.
Burlington Town Centre’s downtown, unlike other stops on the line, is filled with pedestrians, brightly colored houses, and small businesses — all walking distance from the train station. The site of one of NJ Transit’s “Transit Villages,” a program that incentivizes New Jersey municipalities to “redevelop or revitalize the areas around transit stations using design standards of transitoriented development (TOD).”
New Jersey defines TOD as development projects around transit that encourage people to use transit, walk, or bike. By reducing overall amounts of driving, TOD has been shown to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, make cities more resilient to climate change, and create cleaner air quality.
The proximity of the train to the township also leads to car accidents, because the train runs through the streets as opposed to on a separate track. The most recent such accident, in October, injured five people.
As the train hurtled towards Camden, park-and-ride stations — those surrounded by parking lots designed for commuters to drive to — became more frequent. Only two stations on the River Line are designated as transit villages: Burlington and Riverside. While other stations, particularly in Trenton and Camden, are surrounded by similar housing, commercial, and recreational development, this is less true for suburban communities.
As my train arrived to Camden, a billboard referencing the Port Authority Transit Cooperation of Philadelphia (PATCO) reads:
Why wait in traffic?
Easy come, easy go PATCO
Lahr cited avoiding traffic as part of the reason he commuted
on the River Line. “Sometimes my 45-minute commute could be an hour and a half or two hours on a Friday night,” he said, referring to when he would drive instead of taking the train.
Another impact of interurban light rail in New Jersey is on property values in the area. According to a study at Rutgers, properties in the area decreased in value after the line was first announced, presumably due to construction. However, after the line became operational, prices rose again, though not always enough to offset the negative impact of construction.
This impact differed based on area. Almost all properties within a mile of stations are within lowincome census tracts, and those properties experienced large increases in property values.
For those living in wealthier areas, however, the study found that although property values decreased after the River Line was announced and became operational, this effect was less pronounced at stations with surface parking lots, presumably due to the fact that wealthier residents are more likely to own cars and drive to the train.
In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ one of the study’s authors, Stephanie DiPetrillo, attested that this depressed economic impact could be fixable. While she explained that the idea of an enormous economic impact is “far-fetched” due to the nature of the line “connecting two weak economic markets,” she also said that towns along the line, as well as Trenton and Camden, could create more desirable developments around transit stations to heighten the line’s economic impact.
“If the area around the Trenton Transit Center … were [more developed], you would find people wanting to be on the River Line in order to be in close proximity to the Trenton Transit Center. And I think the same thing holds true for Camden,” she said.
Part of the problem, according to DiPetrillo, is resistance to development along the line itself in the way that the towns of Burlington or Riverside have developed. Some communities, she said, are uninterested in developing new housing or other projects.
“They’re not interested in people that they don’t think are already part of their communities being there, and they see the River Line as a way that people can come into their communities and be bad actors,” she said.
DiPetrillo noted that in focus groups, some residents said that the line “brings crime.” However, she explained that other residents found the line “incredibly useful” and appreciated their ability to drive less, and this rhetoric was split even amongst residents from similar backgrounds.
According to Cooper, “there’s been a lot of rhetoric around the train.”
“People will refer to people that come into town from outside of town as ‘the river line people.’ It kind of feels loaded, because when they talk about ‘river line people,’ they’re [talking about] the people from Camden and Trenton who are bringing drugs into our community,” she said. “It’s really gross, actually, the rhetoric that I see about the train.”
Still, Cooper recognizes that the train has had an important role in connecting New Jersey towns. “I think it’s pretty useful, and I appreciate that it’s here for me and for my community,” she said.
The train slowly snaked through Camden’s Walter Rand Transportation Center, RutgersCamden’s campus, past the aquarium, and eventually came to a stop at the Entertainment Center. Almost all the passengers disembarked at Walter Rand
or Rutgers, leaving me alone on the train — along with a couple violently making out. I felt very awkward. At the Entertainment Center, I got off the train and attempted to interview the train driver, who, as a government employee, declined to comment. After disembarking, I took a short walk in the surrounding area, which was mostly parking lots and a concrete riverside park. Contrasting with the lively scenes around Walter Rand and RutgersCamden, the streets at the very end of the line were deserted: Besides the idle activity at the station, not another person was in the vicinity of the Entertainment Center station other than a lone cop. The concrete riverside park provided a view of Philadelphia across the river, the train pulling its way back on its passage to Trenton.
Suthi Navaratnam-Tomayko is the accessibility director and a Features contributor for the ‘Prince.’
SUTHI NAVARATNAM-TOMAYKO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN The Trenton-Camden River Line.
SUTHI NAVARATNAM-TOMAYKO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Self-service payment kiosk at Trenton Transit Center.
SUTHI NAVARATNAM-TOMAYKO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN View of the Delaware River from the train.
the PROSPECT. ARTS & CULTURE
Minimalist atmosphere, beloved spot: an afternoon at Sakrid Coffee Roasters
By Meredith Sneed | Prospect Contributor
Which Princeton coffee shop would make a man in a suit sprint just to snag a seat?
Nestled between Nassau and Chambers Streets is a narrow, white-walled coffee shop named Sakrid Coffee Roasters. Despite its size, Sakrid is a favorite work and catch-up spot among students and townies, due to its minimalist interior and floor-to-ceiling views of Rockefeller College and Nassau Christian Center. Looking to better understand what makes this unassuming corner coffee shop such a bustling place, I stopped by for 42 minutes. This is what I saw.
1:22 p.m.
When I arrived on a partly sunny afternoon, 17 people were already in Sakrid. In front of me, three people sat on a long, low windowsill waiting for their drinks. The rest hunched over laptops at wooden high-top tables. Despite the number of people in the cafe, the room was hushed, interrupted only by the occasional low murmur. The rhythmic clacks of the customers’ computers carried me to the counter with two baristas. Honoring the incredibly rare warm and sunny day, I ordered an apricot lemonade and a cinnamon croissant donut.
1:23 p.m.
Waiting for my order, I took the time to survey the shop. While undoubtedly much smaller than Princeton’s other coffee staple, Small World, Sakrid’s tasteful design, highlighted by the amber afternoon light, was a sharp contrast to the often thunderous atmosphere of Small World.
1:24 p.m.
Receiving my drink and pastry almost instantly, I found a rare open spot in a low metal chair beside the door. Taking a sip, I found the apricot lemonade blissfully refreshing. A fair amount of pulp mitigated some of the sweetness, creating an aromatic balance.
1:26 p.m.
Enjoying the last few sips of my lemonade, a pair of friends sat at an empty table beside me. One friend said she would do her engineering homework while they talked. Turning back to my table, I tasted the cinnamon croissant donut. The donut itself was picture-perfect, with a heaping of cinnamon sugar dusted over the top. Yet it was a little chewier than expected and would most likely taste better warmed up. If only they’d offered.
1:29 p.m.
As I sat, I overheard another student order the cinnamon crois -
sant donut. I shook my head as the cronut fooled its next victim. In the background, a song from the French band La Femme played, filling the room with glittering synths and angular guitar.
1:30 p.m.
As I worked, French music pleasantly hummed in the background to match the aesthetic of the cafe and its patrons, who were fashionably dressed for the transition from winter to spring. While the cold weather hasn’t quite released its grip on New Jersey, on a clement day like today, the change in seasons was visible through the touch of spring in people’s outfits. Denim jackets, summer dresses with sweaters, colorful scarves, and vibrant colors abounded. Suddenly, one of the baristas loudly called out “Cold Brew!” breaking the cafe’s study-induced silence.
1:32 p.m.
Hearing the ring of the door opening, I turned to see a man enter the shop with only his laptop in tow. At this point, only two chairs were left in the packed cafe, and an unlucky line of two waited ahead of him. After ordering, the man took one final look around the cafe before leaving seatless.
1:33 p.m.
Sakrid’s perpetual cycle of customers continued as a mailman walked in with a bundle of letters, a Johns Hopkins magazine peeking out from under his arm. He delivered his letters to the counter before walking out in less than a minute, on his way to provide this treacherous mail to an anonymous person.
1:35 p.m.
The cafe’s silence was abruptly broken by two vaguely fratty male students, one dressed in a Princeton-themed rugby shirt and boots that thumped loudly on the wooden floor. I overheard one of the guys tell a female student, “The nepoing is going to go crazy.” He laughed before smirking. While I did not hear the beginning of the conversation, I could hear him say “nepo” again as he exited the cafe, leaving me to assume back-room deals were being made.
1:37 PM
As I took a minute to listen to some of the drink orders being announced, a young woman beside me whipped out her phone to take a picture of her bright green matcha. For contrast, I watched an older man carrying a large ceramic mug of coffee and a plate with a cronut sit at the last high-top seat facing the windows. He had no computer. Instead, he watched the street be -
low and the stone church across from the cafe.
1:47 p.m.
As I worked, a student sitting next to the older man left, creating a rare open seat. A middleaged lady with a stylish bob swiftly claimed the vacant seat. As soon as she settled, she began typing furiously on her phone.
1:54 p.m.
Curious if the cafe remained packed, I looked outside at the two wooden tables outside the store. Both were occupied by two friends who basked in the sun as they sipped espresso cups. Looking back towards the counter, I noticed a professional-looking, middleaged man armed with only a laptop sleeve, a to-go coffee in hand, and a fresh haircut. He looked intently across the small room. Unsurprisingly, there were no seats, leaving him to make his way out the front door.
1:57 p.m.
Less than five minutes later, I noticed a young man collect his computer and papers and leave the shop. In a flash, the professional man from before reappeared, hurrying back through the door to grab the seat. I don’t believe there is a better endorsement of Sakrid than what I saw: a grown man sprinting for a free seat in the shop.
2:02 p.m.
As I prepared to leave, the shop was relatively quiet. Beside me, an older couple talked at a counter as they looked out at the church next door. While students still crowded the narrow wooden tables lining the shop, the crowd now represented a much more diverse range of ages, with students stopping by after class, twenty-somethings taking a work break, friends chatting while pretending to work, and even professionals preparing for meetings.
While there were quieter moments, the crowd at Sakrid never noticeably thinned out, instead inundated by a revolving stream of people grabbing coffees, looking for seats, and settling down. Yet while Sakrid undoubtedly attracts fashionable people looking for an aesthetic spot to study that matches their meticulously curated outfit, it is also a perfect complement to the homey but often chaotic Small World. Instead of loudly chattering students and armies of children fueled by hot cocoa, Sakrid is much more laid back — a perfect place for someone who needs to get in that intense study sesh but wants to study in a coffee shop.
Meredith Sneed is a contributing writer for The Prospect from Savannah, Ga. She can be reached at ms1290[at] princeton.edu.
MEREDITH SNEED / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Sakrid Coffee Roasters.
The Prospect 11 Weekly Event Roundup
By Navya Kommu, Prospect Contributor
BodyHype Dance Company: Solstice
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Triangle Spring Show: Emilia Perez College
April 25 at 5 p.m., April 26 at 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Class of 1970 Theatre, Whitman College
Watch the nation’s oldest touring collegiate musical theater group put on an exciting show featuring original comedic songs and sketches by the newest class of the Triangle Writers Workshop. Tickets are $15 to the general public and $8 for students.
2 3 4
5
Arts Council of Princeton: Art
of Fasting
April 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Arts Council of Princeton
In partnership with the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, this event will host a range of religious and spiritual leaders who will discuss the tradition and benefits of fasting. There will also be plenty of tasty bites and local art vendors. Tickets are $75.
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April 25 at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., April 26 at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Hamilton Murray Theater (Murray Dodge Theater)
Watch Princeton’s premier contemporary and hip hop dance company put on their Spring show, where they invite viewers to see them at sunset. Tickets are $12 to the general public and $8 for students.
Arts Council of Princeton: Princeton Porchfest 2025
April 26 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit artscouncilofprinceton.org for an interactive map
Stroll around town to visit 15 porches that will host multiple sets of live music throughout the day. Enjoy live local talent, bites from small businesses, and community fun. New this year is a Spoken Word Stage on Hinds Plaza and a finale After Party at Palmer Square. University student performers will be at the USG- sponsored “porch” located on the front steps and lawn of Maclean House between 11:45 am and 5:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.
Princeton Chinese Theatre: The Three Body Problem
April 25 at 7:30 p.m., April 26 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Frist Theatre
Experience a mind-bending sci-fi drama put on by Echoes of the Red Coast, Princeton Chinese Theatre’s original Mandarin production, based on The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. This drama will delve into the life of Ye Wenjie, a brilliant and tragic physicist whose choices shape the fate of the universe, over the course of two hours and three backdrops. Tickets are $10 to the general public and $7 for students.
6
Princeton Friday Night Folk Dance
April 25 from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Suzanne Patterson Center
Enjoy a fun night of folk dancing to soulful music from a variety of ethnic groups. Evenings typically begin with 30 minutes of teaching. Most of the folk dances are line dances, so no need for a partner, but the more the merrier! First time is free. Regular admission is $10, students admission is $5.
Katrina’s Cabaret: A Blood Dazzler
Production
April 25 at 2 p.m.
Hearst Dance Theater, Lewis Arts Complex
On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, co-faculty in this spring Princeton Atelier course have led students to build a creative performance in remembrance and tribute to the spirit of the New Orleans community. The performance is inspired by Patricia Smith’s book of poetry, Blood Dazzler, and offers a blend of poetry, dance, music, and visual art. No tickets required.
Princeton University Wind Ensemble: Spring Concert
April 29 from 7:30 p.m to 9 p.m.
Princeton High School Performing Arts Center
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Arts Council of Princeton: Story and Verse Open Mic with Artist Roberto Lugo
April 26 at 3 p.m.
Hinds Plaza
Poets, storytellers, and fans of spoken word will enjoy the Arts Council of Princeton’s monthly open mic for self expression and audience engagement. This month features performer, poet, activist, and ceramic artist Roberto Lugo, whose works are currently on display in the exhibition Robert Lugo: Orange and Black at Art@Bainbridge.
Princeton University Afrobeat Ensemble: Spring Concert
April 26 from 8 p.m to 9 p.m.
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Enjoy a new repertoire of African music from the Princeton University Afrobeat Ensemble, including styles such as Afrobeat, Coupe-Decale, Desert nomad rock, and Sabar music. Tickets are $15 to the general public and $5 for students.
10 11
Join Princeton’s only concert band for their flagship spring performance. See PUWE perform premiere music by the group, and works by Gustav Holst, Shelley Hanson, Mark Ford, and Leroy Anderson. Listen to both classic works from the wind band canon and exciting new compositions. Tickets are $15 to the general public and $7 for students.
Unshattered Matter by Kate Stewart
April 25 at 5:30 p.m and April 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Donald G. Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts Complex
A new solo play by Kate Stewart ’25 that examines self reflection, redemption, and human capacity for growth amidst personal flaws and mistakes. Free tickets required.
