‘There is a lot of community fear, but I think there is also ... a lot of solidarity with each other’
Continued from page 1
tionwide. While Princeton is not a “sanctuary city,” it is recognized as a “welcoming city” — although town law enforcement cannot stop raids, town policies restrict their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The municipality also follows the state’s Immigration Trust Directive, “ensuring that individuals who are victims or witnesses to a crime can safely come forward to New Jersey law enforcement officials, regardless of their immigration status,” according to a statement from State Attorney General Matt Platkin to the ‘Prince.’ “It allows New Jersey law enforcement to properly focus on preventing violent crime,” the statement continues. “It is also settled law. The Trump Administration and local officials challenged it years ago, and their claims were thoroughly rejected, by judges across the ideological spectrum.” Molly Linhorst, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU NJ) emphasized that New Jersey’s immigration laws are legal and within the jurisdiction of local authorities. “These lawsuits and these memos that are essentially attacking sanctuary jurisdictions are really doing it to intimidate, pressure, and otherwise scare states and cities from engaging in policies that are perfectly legal,” Linhorst told the ‘Prince.’
Linhorst explained that, under the 10th Amendment, the federal government cannot compel state or local authorities to enforce federal regulations.
Fear of ICE raids are widespread following the Trump administration’s persistent rhetoric on immigration, but some community members are staying firm in their support.
Kristin Nagy ’27, an organizer with Students for Prison Education, Abolition, and Reform (SPEAR), emphasized that while immigration threats persist regardless of who holds office, concerns have intensified. SPEAR has been collaborating with local organizations such as Resistencia en Accion (REA NJ) to support undocumented residents. Their advocacy has also included running Know Your Rights sessions and helping activists advance the ICE Out of Princeton campaign.
“From what I’ve learned talking with Resistencia, there is a lot of community fear, but I think there is also — at least within [Resistencia] — a lot of solidarity with each other and hope and thinking that during this difficult time, our community can come together,” Nagy explained.
Several students volunteering for El Centro, an organization offering English classes to immigrants in Trenton, have also reported a significant drop in turnout over the past few weeks.
Jason Fuller ’26, a project leader at El Centro, said that the first classes of the semester are typically “packed,” but recently they have seen a quarter of the typical number.
“I speculate that the current political climate has something to do with this,” Fuller explained to the ‘Prince,’ though he pointed to other factors such as the cold weather, a lack of advertising, and confusion around the meeting time as other potential reasons for decreased turnout.
Despite observing fear and anxiety among program participants, Fuller said that “El Centro is staying strong. We’re going to continue to offer classes. We have numbers and we’re not afraid to show up.”
Last Friday, a search warrant issued as part of an investigation into internet crimes caused panic among residents who initially believed it was an ICE raid. The most recent ICE raid in Princeton was in July 2024, in which one person was arrested.
Beyond ICE raids, immigrants also face the looming threat of new and expanded detention facilities across New Jersey.
ICE may be planning to expand its presence in New Jersey, as indicated by filings to expand detention centers in the state.
The Elizabeth detention center, managed by the private contractor CoreCivic Inc., is currently the only immigration detention facility in the state. But documents obtained by the national chapter of the ACLU in late November of last year indicate that ICE is planning to expand the Elizabeth facility and establish a new detention center in Trenton at the former Bo Robinson Treatment Center. Court records also suggest that the private prison company, GEO Group, has shown interest in converting Delaney Hall in Newark into an additional detention facility.
Linhorst explained that while New Jersey has adopted an anti-detention law prohibiting new, expanded, or renewed contracts for detention facilities between public entities and ICE, as well as with private facilities, private contractors have challenged the law in court, and an injunction has temporarily blocked its enforcement.
“Unfortunately, it has created this window through which private prison compa-
nies are eyeing New Jersey and seeking to open more space,” Linhorst said. “ICE has also made clear that they want more bedspace in New Jersey, and so they’ve issued requests for information and requests for proposals.”
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) noted that she is not giving up her fight or support for the immigrant community.
“We’re not going to be scared,” she told the ‘Prince.’ “We’re going to fight back, and while they continue to do things to eliminate services and support and protection of everyday people, we recognize the dignity and humanity of people, including our immigrants.”
Sacks emphasized that the municipality is protected by the state, but is wary of the November 2025 gubernatorial election.
“For the time being we have a buffer at the local level due to New Jersey’s current Governor and Attorney General. There is an election in November that could drastically change this equation,” she wrote. “I urge residents who share our concerns to focus their attention on the upcoming gubernatorial race in New Jersey. It is critical that the next governor uphold policies and practices to protect the rights of immigrants and ensure that all are treated with dignity, fairness, and compassion.”
Charlie Roth is a senior News writer and editor emeritus focusing on local, state, and national politics.
Sena Chang is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Tokyo, Japan. She typically covers campus and community activism, the state of higher education, and alumni news.
Dean of Engineering Andrea Goldsmith named next president of Stony Brook
Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Andrea Goldsmith has been named the seventh president of Stony Brook University after the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees confirmed her appointment during a meeting earlier today. Goldsmith will take office Aug. 1, 2025.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to have a significant impact on education, on research, on articulating the value of higher education and research on the country and the world. I became captivated by Stony Brook’s mission and the opportunity to lead it to new heights of excellence and impact,” Goldsmith told The Daily Princetonian in an interview.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to have even more of an impact than I have had as Dean of Engineering at Princeton.”
Goldsmith’s path in engineering began at UC Berkeley, where her dad was a mechanical engineering professor.
“I didn’t think I wanted to be an engineer. My first year of college was really challenging, and most people in the School of Engineering at Berkeley didn’t think I belonged there, because I wasn’t doing that well,” she said.
Over time, she discovered a passion for communications technology and wireless connectivity’s potential to transform the world. After earning her degrees, she started her teaching career at Caltech before spending 21 years at Stanford, where she was the Stephen Harris Professor of Engineering. In 2020, Goldsmith left Stanford to take the Dean of Engineering position at Princeton.
“What attracted me to come to Princeton was to be able to join an exceptional University and be part of taking an organization and increasing its excellence and impact,” she said.
During her time at Princeton, Goldsmith looked to make an impact right away, even during the height of the pandemic. She told the ‘Prince’ that “[she] was able to meet all the faculty in the School of Engineering and some of the students and the leaders across the institution and really understand the culture of Princeton and the aspirations of the faculty and the students.”
Goldsmith led the School of Engineering through
significant growth. Faculty increased by 29 percent, Ph.D. enrollment by 31 percent, and annual research funding by 24 percent to $90 million. She launched major interdisciplinary initiatives, including the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, and expanded research in robotics, the blockchain, artificial intelligence, and wireless technologies.
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 praised Goldsmith in the University press release.
“Andrea Goldsmith is a bold, visionary, and entrepreneurial leader who is committed to academic excellence and to facilitating education and research that enhances people’s lives,” he wrote. “I am grateful to Andrea for her many achievements at Princeton, and I wish her every success as she takes the helm at another of America’s leading research universities.” Goldsmith will replace interim president Richard L. McCormick, who served during the 2024–25 academic year. McCormick assumed the position after former president Maurie McInnis left to become president of Yale University.
Stony Brook University is recognized for its research excellence and social mobility. Goldsmith will oversee Stony Brook Medicine, Long Island’s premier academic medical center, and its partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory. Stony Brook also serves as the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange.
“I’m looking forward to being the lead institution in the New York Climate Exchange, which is an opportunity to really impact the existential threat of climate change and find ways to partner to create solutions for the climate change that we’re experiencing,” Goldsmith said.
Provost Jennifer Rexford will lead the search to select Goldsmith’s successor, with the goal of having a new dean selected by the 2025–26 academic year.
“My favorite thing about being dean of Princeton is the people,” Goldsmith noted. “Princeton is a magical University, and what makes it so special is the people.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and Education Director for the ‘Prince.’
Meghana Veldhuis is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Bergen County, N.J. She typically covers graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and campus unions.
FACULTY
Changes to pre-draw process leave students with housing accommodations confused and concerned
By Vitus Larrieu Senior News Writer
When students with approved housing accommodations began the pre-draw process for housing in the 2025–26 academic year, they were met with a surprise change: They could no longer select a “drawmate,” another student allowed to draw into the same room or a room nearby their accommodation.
Students can receive housing accommodations for “diagnosed disabilities,” including physical and mental impairments that cause “a material functional deficit,” according to an Office of Disability Services (ODS) webpage. Receiving accommodations requires paperwork from a doctor proving that a student meets this criteria.
According to an archived version of an ODS webpage, in previous years, students with approved accommodations were permitted to have a pre-drawmate who would be placed in the same room or near the student with accommodations. The pre-drawmate did not need to have approved accommodations to pre-draw and was the only way for students with accommodations to indicate preferences for which people live around them.
This change was not announced prior to the beginning of the housing accommodations process on Dec. 15, 2024, although the change was mentioned in a FAQ on the ODS webpage. Students noticed the change when there was no longer an option to select a drawmate in the application for pre-draw.
“Whenever we all found out, obviously people were really upset,” August Roberts ’25, who has disability accommodations, said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.
“I didn’t even notice because I’m
a senior, so I heard [about this change] from other people … lo and behold, [the ability to select a pre-draw mate] wasn’t there,” they continued.
Roberts submitted a guest contribution to the ‘Prince’ about this change.
Trace Zhang ’26 was helping a friend navigate pre-draw when they realized that it was no longer possible to select a pre-draw mate. It took several steps to get clarity on the change.
“We were following up with whether or not the roommate situation would be respected,” Zhang said.
“And the answer was, we are not respecting roommate requests or people you’d be comfortable living with,” Zhang continued.
On Feb. 4, the Housing and Real Estate Services and ODS emailed a joint statement informing students with approved housing accommodations that they were no longer allowed to “bring a drawmate.” The email was followed by a webinar explaining the changes the next day.
In the email obtained by the ‘Prince,’ both departments informed students that the change was made due to a combination of factors, including an increase in the number of students participating in the pre-draw process and the fact that “most housing accommodations involve requests for single rooms with air conditioning, which are already in short supply.” As a result, the email claimed that the addition of drawmates made it “even more difficult to meet the needs of all students requiring housing accommodations.”
ODS referred to University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill when asked why the changes were made. “Without the implementation of the change the University runs the risk of being unable to meet the needs of students requir-
ing housing accommodations,” Morrill wrote.
The email sent to students also included a section which said that if they “require a caregiver’s presence” for aid in navigating their medical needs, they should contact ODS to request one rather than “relying on others within the residential community.” Jennifer provided a statement to the ‘Prince’ using the same language when asked about what students should do if they wanted a roommate.
Roberts took issue with this response to students with accommodations concerns.
“[The email was] basically saying that if you have a roommate that helps you out sometimes, you might as well have a full time
caregiver, which is unrealistic, not what we need, invasive, and expensive,” they said.
Other students were concerned about the possibility of being placed in a single room with a shared bathroom, or a “Jack and Jill,” to share with a stranger. The ODS webpage also states that predraw participants can be assigned rooms that are singles or doubles.
“It’s really just a black box of where they’re going to be putting people; who they’re going to be put with,” Zhang continued.
When asked about whether students with accommodations would be placed with random roommates, Morrill wrote that “the vast majority of ODS-issued accommodations approvals are for single sleeping spaces,” but
did not provide further clarity as to how students placed in Jack and Jills would be paired.
The University’s recommendation for students with disability housing accommodations hoping to live near their friends is to “encourage others to draw rooms that are near their accommodation housing assignment,” Morrill wrote.
Students who wish to pursue pre-draw have until Feb. 21 to finalize their applications, with contracts being offered on Feb. 27.
Vitus Larrieu is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Pensacola, Fla. and typically covers community activism, national higher education, and construction and architecture.
HESS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
exterior of the Office of Disability Services in Frist Campus Center.
Police activity at Witherspoon Street not related to immigration, despite reports
By Charlie Roth & Luke Grippo Senior News Writer & Staff News Writer
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, detectives were on Witherspoon Street early Friday morning, just north of the Princeton Cemetery, executing a search warrant related to an investigation into internet crimes.
This contradicts false reports spread through the Princeton community that the event was a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Oliver Diaz Pulex, 24, was charged with one count of second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and one count of third-degree possession of CSAM, according to a Saturday press release from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Multiple law enforcement teams were involved in Pulex’s arrest, including members of the prosecutor’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, the Special Victims Unit, the Economic Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Mercer County Tactical Response Team.
Photos apparently taken at the scene show at least half a dozen people wearing police vests, at least one of them with the abbreviation “HSI,” standing for Homeland Security Investigations, on the back.
IN TOWN
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda confirmed to the ‘Prince’ on Friday that ICE was not present at the arrest and that it did not have to do with immigration issues. This was corroborated by Saturday’s press release. The release notes that Pulex allegedly “knowingly distributed an item depicting or portraying a child in a sexually explicit manner while utilizing the internet or social media applications.”
Freda also noted that agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) generally assist the county in cybersecurity threats.
Resistencia en Acción New Jersey (REA NJ), an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of immigrants in New Jersey, released a statement the evening of Feb. 21 in response to a call they received on their rapid response hotline.
“Early this morning at approximately 6:30am, a call was placed,” the statement read. “It was confirmed that we had the presence of at least 20 agents wearing Police and Homeland Security vests and arrested one person in Princeton.”
“They entered the house by breaking down doors and handcuffed 6 individuals that were later released,” the statement continues. “Two of the people suffered injuries during the search and they are getting medical attention.”
Ana Pazmino, Executive Director of REA NJ, told the ‘Prince’ that she and REA NJ’s rapid response team arrived at the house after the officers had already left. One of the family members let them inside so Pazmino could give “Know Your Rights” information.
“We noticed that they had broken into the rooms. They broke the door frames. The front door was unlocked, so of course, they got in through the front door,” Pazmino added. “Two of the people who were handcuffed also received some injuries and were bleeding.”
The two injured individuals, according to Pazmino, are okay.
The statement also detailed that officers arrived in “unmarked cars” and a “tank truck identified as Sheriff on the side.”
Pazmino shared on Friday, prior to the statement from Mercer County, that Resistencia was working to find the detainee and assist with legal services and family support. The detainee’s whereabouts and his reason for arrest were unknown at the time.
“We are thinking we’ll be able to find his whereabouts in the next 48 hours, and then we will be releasing some update, probably either Monday or Tuesday,” Pazmino told the ‘Prince’ on Friday.
Resistencia urged community members to stay safe in consideration of what they thought at the
time was an ICE raid. According to the statement, that includes “exercis[ing] your right to keep your doors locked and closed and not answer any questions if you encounter ICE agents.”
Friday afternoon, Princeton’s mayor and Council released a statement, unrelated to the incident, writing in part, “The Mayor and Council are committed to ensuring that regardless of your age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or place of birth, you are welcome in Princeton.”
Fear of these raids comes after an increase in ICE raids in the state aimed at enforcing the arrest of undocumented immigrants. In July 2024, ICE arrested one unlawfully present noncitizen in Princeton.
Resistencia will be hosting a
“Know Your Rights” information session on March 17 at 7 p.m. Although the event was preplanned, Pazmino emphasized the importance of the event, stating “it’s in conjunction [with] what has happened.”
Editor’s note: This piece was updated on Feb. 24 to reflect new information and reporting.
Charlie Roth is a senior News writer and editor emeritus focusing on local, state, and national politics.
Luke Grippo is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey and usually covers administrative issues, including USG, the CPUC, and institutional legacy.
We asked seniors who they want their
Class
Day speaker to be. Here’s what they said.
By Sena Chang and Sarah Mashiat Senior News Writer & News Contributor
Jhonelle Moore ’25 never had the chance to walk across a stage for her high school graduation. An international student from Jamaica, Moore recalled how COVID-19 restrictions abruptly ended her final year. “We kind of just left school — there was no goodbye ceremony,” Moore told The Daily Princetonian. “We never got a chance to really experience that final year, so it’s going to be really exciting to have that type of experience at Princeton.”
For Moore and many members of the Class of 2025 who finished high school amid the pandemic, May’s commencement events will be their first fully in-person graduation.
Class Day is a key tradition that takes place before the ceremony, which features speeches from students and the University president, the presentation of awards for academic and athletic achievements of graduating students, and a guest speaker selected by the senior class. In past years, speakers have included Anthony Fauci (2022), Trevor Noah (2021), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) (2018).
The ‘Prince’ spoke to half a dozen seniors about their preferences for the Class Day speaker and what they hoped the speaker would bring. Some students cited prominent figures such as Michelle Obama ’85, Roger Federer, and Elena Kagan ’81. But above all, many expressed a desire for someone with a humorous and uplifting tone, given the current political
climate and the more formal nature of other graduation speeches.
“There’s one Princeton alum that I love so much,” Leena Memon ’25 told the ‘Prince.’ “Her name is Yasmin Elhady MPP ’15 — I think she’s hilarious.” Elhady, a graduate of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) Master’s in Public Policy, is a stand-up comedian and attorney with over 160,000 followers across social media platforms.
“She gives a really good perspective on not just political events, but social stigmas and different things that I think would fit very well,” Memon said. Memon also mentioned U.S. Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor ’76 and Kagan as possible choices.
Moore expressed that she “would like someone who is funny, because I love laughing — someone who knows how to crack a good joke, who has an unproblematic history.”
“It would be great to have a woman like Michelle Obama,” Moore said.
In the past decade, the highestrated Class Day speakers based on the Bosworth Prime Score have predominantly come from the arts and entertainment industry. The Bosworth Prime Score compares Google Trends search scores of a given individual to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Among them, only two — Trevor Noah in 2021 and Ellie Kemper ’02 in 2019 — have been comedians, though Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, and Chevy Chase delivered Class Day speeches in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively.
Brandon Cheng ’25 did not name a specific speaker, but pointed out
that Jerome Powell ’75, the current Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve and this year’s Baccalaureate speaker, will likely take a more serious tone — something he values and anticipates will be “very inspiring.”
For Class Day speaker, Cheng told the ‘Prince’ that he hopes to “have someone who’s able to speak more towards humor and the dayin and day-out aspects of life” to balance out the tone of Powell’s speech.
Other students are eager for the opportunity to hear from an internationally renowned speaker — someone widely known and recognizable across different audiences.
“I think perhaps an international or non-American speaker would be impactful,” Leena Bennetto ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ Bennetto also expressed hopes of an athlete being chosen as the speaker, describing sports as a common thread that unifies “American and international students alike.”
“I’m insanely jealous of Dartmouth getting Roger Federer last year,” Bennetto continued. In the 21st century, none of Princeton’s Class Day speakers have been athletes.
Last year’s speaker was Law and Order actor Sam Waterston.
“Many of my peers and I would just like to see a name that we recognize,” Jenna Elliott ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I hope that the Class Day speaker adopts a reflective and empowering tone. Their lecture is a wonderful opportunity to share guiding words and wisdom with the class that can serve as inspiration or reassurance for the coming post-graduation years,” she stated.
Meera Kochhar ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince’ that she would like the speaker to be in the field of mental health and wellbeing, which she feels “is very important given the rising mental health crisis in this country, especially amongst young people given the current political climate.”
Some students did not have a strong preference for the Class Day speaker. “Unfortunately, I haven’t really given it a single thought,” Simon Gotera ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “That said, I don’t think I’m representative of the community as a whole — I just tend to value more personal and concrete aspects of the University experience.”
The Class Day speaker, which has typically been revealed in late March, is determined by the Class
Day Committee, which is composed of members from the graduating class. Graduation events for the Class of 2025 begin with Baccalaureate service on Sunday, May 25, followed by the Class Day exercises on Monday, and Commencement on Tuesday.
“They definitely have a lot to choose from, especially given the political and global events that have taken place over the last year,” Memon said.
Sena Chang is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Tokyo, Japan. She typically covers campus and community activism, the state of higher education, and alumni news.
Sarah Mashiat is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Queens, New York.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN The sun sets on downtown Princeton, across from Nassau Hall.
“H idden TreaT s”
By Arnav Ratna
Run ___ of (conflict with)
Picture holder
Take advantage of
Enthusiastic
Continuously bother
“There’s no stopping me now!”
Lamented Princess of Wales 22 Cast a ballot 23 M, on a form
Outdoor grilling spot
Carries out 31 Stage a number, say
Anger
Atwood machine staple 36 Golfer Palmer, to fans
Special treats 40 One-in-a-million find 42 Arabic for God 43 Strives for 44 Hawaiian flower necklace
45 Like those left single on Princeton Marriage Pact, in a way 50 Canadian gas brand
52 Noes’ opposites
53 Promising notes?
54 Meme with lines in quadrants 56 Thins out
57 Exclusive lead on a story ... or a hint to the circled answers 63 Anti-traveling org.?
64 Car brand whose name is Latin for “I roll” 65 Purple “Inside Out 2” character
Part of LGBTQ+
Fixture in a fast-food restaurant
Pig’s sound
Common conjunctions
1 1983 hip-hop group from New York 2 Book before Jeremiah 3 Highly populated urban center 4 Actress Bhatt of “Gully Boy”
5 Relatives, informally
6 Yes, to Yves 7 Coffee holder
8 Baltic state
9 Sets of five in iambic pentameter 10 Demolished 11 In the past 12 “All ___ are created equal” 13 Before, to Shakespeare 19 Circular earring
The Minis
By Wade Bednar Head Puzzles editor
vol. cxlviii
editor-in-chief
Miriam Waldvogel ’26
business manager Jessica Funk ’26
149TH MANAGING BOARD
upper management
Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26
Isabella Dail ’26
director of outreach
Oliva Sanchez ’26
Accessibility
Bridget O’Neill ’26
Bryan Zhang ’26
creative director Malia Gaviola ’26
strategic initiative directors
Suthi Navaratnam-Tomayko ’26
editors at large Research
Andrew Bosworth ’26
Education Hayk Yengibaryan ’26
Sections listed in alphabetical order.
head archives editor
Ifeoluwa Aigbiniode ’27
Lianne Chapin ’26
associate archives editor
Jillian Ascher ’28
head audience editors
Paige Walworth ’26
Justus Wilhoit ’26 (Reels)
associate audience editors
Catherine Ross ’27
Amparo Sofia Sanchez ’27
associate reels editors
Natalia Diaz ’27
Loreta Quarmine ’27
head cartoon editor
Eliana Du ’28
head copy editors
Lindsay Pagaduan ’26
James Thompson ’27
associate head copy editors
Coco Xu ’27
Song Ting Tang ’27
head data editors
Vincent Etherton ’26
Alexa Wingate ’27
head features editors
Raphaela Gold ’26
Coco Gong ’27
associate features editors
Mira Eashwaran ’26
Valentina Moreno ’26
head humor editor
Sophia Varughese ’26
associate humor editors
Tarun Iyengar ’28
Francesca Volkema ’28
head news editors
Christopher Bao ’27
Victoria Davies ’27
associate news editors
Thomas Catalan0 ’27
Devon Rudolph ’28
Hayk Yengibaryan ’26
Chair
head newsletter editor
Caleb Bello ’27
associate newsletter editor
Corbin Mortimer ’27
head opinion editor
Frances Brogan ’27
community opinion editor Jerry Zhu ’27
associate opinion editors Preston Ferraiuolo ’26
Siyeon Lee ’27
head photo editors Calvin Grover ’27
Jean Shin ’26
head podcast editor Maya Mukherjee ’27
associate podcast editors Twyla Colburn ’27
Sheryl Xue ’28
head print design editors Kriste An ’28
Juan Fajardo ’28
head prospect editors Russell Fan ’26
Mackenzie Hollingsworth ’26
associate prospect editors Natalia Diaz ’27
Gavin McLoughlin ’28
head puzzles editors Wade Bednar ’26
Luke Schreiber ’28
associate puzzle editors Jasin Cekinmez ’27
Lindsay McBride ’27
Peter Stover ’28
head sports editors
Alex Beverton-Smith ’27
Harrison Blank ’26
associate sports editors
Lily Pampolina ’27
Doug Schwarz ’28
head web design and development editors
Lauren Pak ’27
Cole Ramer ’28
149TH EDITORIAL BOARD
Christofer Robles ’26
Members Isaac Barsoum ’28
Frances Brogan ’27
Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26
Preston Ferraiuolo ’26
Anna Ferris ’26
Ava Johnson ’27
Jorge Reyes ’28
Bryan Zhang ’26
149TH BUSINESS BOARD
assistant business manager
Alistair Wright ’27
directors Andrew He ’26
Tejas Iyer ’26
William Li ’27
Stephanie Ma ’27
Jordan Manela ’26
James Swinehart ’27
Adelle Xiao ’27
Chloe Zhu ’27
business manager emeritus Aidan Phillips ’25
149TH TECHNOLOGY BOARD
Angelina Ji ’27
chief technology officer
Yacoub Kahkajian ’26
software engineers
Abu Ahmed ’28
Jaehee Ashley ’25
Brian Chen ’26
Nipuna Ginige ’26
You (yes, you) are part of the
classics conversation
Lily Halbert-Alexander Assistant Opinion editor
Amid a national decline in study of the humanities, prestigious universities are cutting their entire classics departments. As a discipline, classics may seem to fly under the radar — classics majors comprised less than one percent of Princeton’s graduating Class of 2024. But over the last few years, classics has been the subject of charged conversations tying closely back to Princeton. This has sparked fundamental questions about what to do when books known as great and inspirational are called out for inspiring dangerous political movements.
Today’s scholars are conflicted about how to teach the books that are simultaneously elevated as pillars of intellectual thought and reviled as associated with white supremacy, enslavement, and oppression. Classicists on our campus are helping to shape this debate and the stakes are nothing less than how we understand issues of race, gender, democracy, and tyranny. It’s urgent that Princeton students collectively think more critically about the books we call great, both how we read them and how they have been subverted, to understand how this ongoing discourse grapples with power and privilege in the past and present.
Both within and outside the classics community, questions are being raised about whose voices must come to shape classics scholarship, how ancient texts should be taught to the modern reader, and even whether the study of classics should continue to exist. Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a professor of classics at Princeton, is a leader in key critical conversations about classics’ relationship with whiteness. Professor Padilla understands classics as “inseparable” from white supremacy and believes that to dismantle these structures of power, we need reforms that will “explode the canon.”
neo-Nazi and white supremacist, models his ideal “white ethno-state” as “a renewed Roman Empire.” Insurrectionists arrived at the White House in 2021 wearing Greek helmets. Anti-gun control advocates rally around the slogan “Molon Labe,” a Greek phrase attributed with King Leonidas of Sparta, translated as “Come and Take Them.”
But the potential for subversion of classics doesn’t mean we should scrap it as a discipline. Scholars like Mary Beard and Denis Feeney contend that total dismantling of classics would be problematic — Beard told the New York Times that “to ‘condemn’ classical culture would be as simplistic as to offer it unconditional admiration.” Feeney highlighted historical engagement with the classics as a bedrock for progress and resistance of systems that oppress marginalized groups. He cited African-American communities who found inspiration and resources for empowerment in ancient texts, as well as Simone de Beauvoir’s centering of figures like Euripides’ Medea in exploration of feminist theory.
Princeton has been involved in active discourse about access and inclusion in classics education, for students and faculty alike. In 2020, Padilla co-wrote an open letter to the University, signed by over 300 members of faculty, calling on Princeton to become, “for the first time in its history, an anti-racist institution.” Among many proposed reforms, the letter mentions Princeton Humanities’ position to influence and guide conversations about “race, anti-racism, and inclusion on campus and in public media.”
In 2021, the classics department eliminated the Greek/Latin language requirement with the goal of welcoming “new perspectives” to the field — a decision triggering the dismay of many critics, alumni, and otherwise. Regardless of where we stand on the language requirement, this decision indicates that Princeton is actively responding to the national discourse about the role of classics in contemporary politics.
as well as grossly manipulative and oppressive. Its ideas amplify and empower oppressed groups; they also embolden neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Whether or not we believe that this literature has a place in the curriculum, however we believe the classics should be taught, we have to understand that a conversation about classics is a conversation about us. If classic literature itself is an epic narrative of power, then talking about classic literature — understanding how this material has inspired both abhorrent and progressive cultural movements — directly concerns the empowerment of students.
We have not yet reached a definitive conclusion about what exactly the future of classics education is, at Princeton and in academia more broadly. What matters more at this stage, especially for students, is that we are involved in the conversation about what we read and how we read it.
We are all impacted by the instruction and, at times, weaponization of the classics, regardless of whether we like to read or even whether we have ever set foot in East Pyne. Literature is and always has been inextricably entwined with politics, meaning active awareness of how books are taught and understood is a concern of any student who is impacted by the society, the systems of power and justice in which they live — and that’s all of us.
We must understand that classics’ “crisis of identity” is also an American and intellectual crisis of identity. It’s part of a national reckoning with how we treat our history and how we read and interrogate our most influential literature, which is instrumental to the systems of authority we construct in the present.
Allen Liu ’27
Rodrigo Porto ’27
Stephanie Sugandi ’27
ui/ux engineer Joe Rupertus ’26
THIS PRINT ISSUE WAS DESIGNED BY
Kriste An ’28
Juan Fajardo ’28
Veronica Cope ’26
Marley Hartnett-Cody ’28 Jose Santacruz ’27 AND COPIED BY
Sarah Li ’28
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Suzanne Dance ’96
president Thomas E. Weber ’89
vice president David Baumgarten ’06
secretary Chanakya A. Sethi ’07
treasurer Douglas Widmann ’90
assistant treasurer Kavita Saini ’09
trustees Francesca Barber Kathleen Crown
Gabriel Debenedetti ’12 Stephen Fuzesi ’00
Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05
Michael Grabell ’03
Danielle Ivory ’05
Rick Klein ’98
James T. MacGregor ’66
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd
Abigail Williams ’14
Tyler Woulfe ’07
trustees ex officio
Miriam Waldvogel ’26 Jessica Funk ’26
In order to evaluate the ideal classics pedagogy, we must grapple with how its iconography has been embraced and distorted by radical, violent actors. A dive into America’s modern political landscape reveals an ugly weaponization of the classics. Richard Spencer, an outspoken
Princeton is influential to a conversation about a discipline that is both so seminal and so susceptible to subversion that it has become an inspiration for opposite ends of the political spectrum: both de Beauvoir and neo-Nazis. Classics rhetoric can be moving and enchanting
As members of one of America’s leading intellectual communities, facing a terrifying and uncertain reconstruction of power — of the relationship between government and citizen, government and student — to take ourselves out of the conversation about classics is to bury our heads in the sand.
Lily Halbert-Alexander is an assistant Opinion editor and prospective English major from San Francisco. She can be reached by email at lh1157@ princeton.edu.
JESSICA WANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN The archway of East Pyne.
How your Coffee Club order turns into compost
By Allison Jiang Contributing Features Writer
When you think of compost, the fragrance of fresh coffee may not be the first thing you imagine. However, coffee rests at the heart of a longstanding sustainability partnership at Princeton.
Since Coffee Club opened in 2019, the student-led coffee shop has donated discarded coffee grounds to the Sustainable Composting Research at Princeton (S.C.R.A.P.) lab for composting operations. “The founder of Coffee Club reached out to our office to see how we could partner,” said Gina Talt ’15, Food Systems Project Manager at the S.C.R.A.P. lab. With coffee grounds being a convenient and effective compost material, the partnership was set in motion.
When making a customer’s coffee order, Coffee Club baristas prepare a “puck of grounds” for espresso, an evenly spread layer of coffee grounds filled into a portafilter. The even distribution of grounds ensures uniform water flow and resistance, optimizing flavor extraction from the grounds. When water channels through the puck of grounds, the espresso shot is created.
Managing the hefty weight of the buckets of coffee grounds has become a student job position with the Office of Sustainability. Talt referred to the student workers endearingly as “compost concierges,” whose work collecting compost materials spans across Robertson Hall, the International Food Co-op, as well as the Coffee Club locations.
Cade Hemond ’28 is one such compost concierge. On a Monday afternoon, I tagged along on his shift, during which he grabbed the keys to the Office of Sustainability van and drove along a route of campus locations to pick up compost buckets.
“When I was in high school, I led some initiatives with composting locally,” said Hemond, about why he applied for the job. “They were looking for someone who had a [driver’s] license and could carry compost buckets.”
Hemond first drove to NCW Coffee Club, where we collected compost bins full of coffee grounds. Afterward, we loaded the buckets into the trunk.
The compost generated from Coffee Club and dining hall waste is handed off to the S.C.R.A.P. lab to be processed. Then, the campus grounds team handles sanitation and brings raw
materials in for compost.
Coffee grounds are especially useful in the composting process due to their fine structure, which can help aerate and improve compost drainage. Coffee grounds are also nitrogenrich with a good moisture content and particle size, according to Talt.
“It’s kind of like making a cake — any recipe where you need to balance ingredients to have a thriving microorganism population,” said Talt. “When you build a recipe for composting, you want proper carbon and nitrogen ratios.”
Compared with coffee grounds, food waste is higher in nitrogen content, which must be balanced out with a carbon-rich material. While inedibles such as coffee grounds, avocado pits, and prep trimmings can easily be taken into the system, fats, oils, and grease within cooked food in dining hall waste can present problems of odor and impact the moisture content.
“It is interesting thinking about the different types of waste that we produce and how we manage that,” said Hemond. “My job at S.C.R.A.P. lab is very much focused on carbondense food waste, like the coffee grounds, whereas the dining hall waste [has] all kinds of stuff in there. So, the processing can be quite different.”
The S.C.R.A.P. lab also has to contend with noncompostables being placed in compost bins, an issue that Talt said has been on the rise. In the Fall 2024 semester, the Frist Center compostables bin had an average nine percent contamination rate, according to data from the S.C.R.A.P. Lab sent to the ‘Prince’ by Talt. In early February of the Spring 2025 semester, that rate had risen to 13 percent.
Some of the compost then goes back to campus to be used for planting.
“We’ll take the compost for our soil-making yard, and we’ll utilize compost as part of our soil amendment to make all our planting soil,” said Robert Staudt, assistant director for Campus Grounds at Princeton University.
“I would think that maybe some students are like, ‘Is it really going someplace?’” said Staudt. “It’s hard to see, but that cup [of coffee] is now all of a sudden this nice, rich brown soil over here. You don’t necessarily equate the two, but it does happen over a couple weeks or months.”
Allison Jiang is a contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
ALLISON JIANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN A puck of coffee grounds at Coffee Club.
ALLISON JIANG / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
A sentimental concert with Becca Stevens and the Princeton Jazz Vocal Ensemble
On a day that started with freezing gusts of rain, I walked into a glowing Richardson Auditorium and was warmed by my first-ever jazz concert with the Princeton Jazz Vocal Ensemble and guest artist Becca Stevens, a twice Grammynominated jazz, pop, and indie singer/ songwriter.
Starting off with a timeless classic, the whole Jazz Vocal Ensemble, consisting of nine Princeton student singers accompanied by five instrumentalists, performed “What the World Needs Now” by Burt Bacharach in cheery harmonies and riffs. Then the group split up into solo performances of more love songs, including “I’ve Got a Crush On You” by George & Ida Gershwin; “But Beautiful” by Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke; “All of Time,” composed by Paolo Montoya ’25; and “Never Break,” composed by Michelle Lordi, the ensemble’s director.
Afterward, Lordi introduced Stevens to the stage. The lights dimmed to a reddish spotlight as Stevens began her song “Queen Mab.” The first line floated in a haunting melody and echoed across the vocal ensemble. The lyrics were borrowed from a scene in “Romeo and Juliet,” where Mercutio warns Romeo of a female figure of beauty and terror, Queen Mab, who delivers sleeping men dreams of their innermost wishes. As Stevens sang about the “cover of the wings of grasshoppers,” “traces of the smallest spider’s web,” and “collars of the moonshine’s watery beams,” the music swelled with a cacophony of vocals and synths, epitomizing the terrifying beauty of Queen Mab’s dreams in the song.
Stevens has a conservatory background, having studied at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and it was there that she met the musicians who would eventually become a part of her band. In her Facebook post accompanying the song’s release, Stevens calls “Queen Mab” her “twisted nightmare rock anthem.”
Despite the lyrics about Queen Mab’s size — “no bigger than an agate stone” — the music is filled with deep, dissonant synthesizers that gripped me as shivers ran down my spine. Throughout the song, the overlapping background vocals and faint counter-melodies create a disorienting effect, blurring the lines between dream and reality much like Shakespeare’s speech itself.
My favorite piece of the concert was “Regina,” a song Stevens described as a “journey of the self,” fittingly accompanied by a winding charango melody and riffs throughout. “Regina” was increasingly rhythmic, constantly flitting and floating ahead to meet the upcoming verse. Stevens has said that the song began as pulling meaning out of the word “queen” until the idea of Regina became “a writing partner, a voice in my own head that I would call upon for guidance, confidence, a clue from a muse.”
As the chorus progresses, the piece flows into a powerful current of chords and clapping, while the lyrics speak of a lost childhood self: beginning from “a girl that lived out loud (she was something, always laughing)” to “Regina, won’t you come back home?,” followed by reverberations of “what happened to you?” The melody keeps wandering upward, as if pondering an unanswerable question, and then fades away abruptly with the last note.
During her solo set from her most recent album “Maple to Paper,” Stevens continued to fill the stage with her rich vocals, lyricism, and presence. Her first piece, “Now Feels Bigger than the Past,” opened with a verse about artists being underappreciated
until their death, painting a vulnerable canvas of grief. Contrary to “Regina,” “Now Feels Bigger than the Past” has a bittersweet melody that swoops down into lower registers, with a more folk-like guitar wistfully strumming along. Stevens’ lyrics provide another poetic jab about how it’s easier to appreciate someone’s flaws after they’re gone; she softly sings “Imperfection is beautiful once the hands are gone / And the farther we are from failure, the more we see its charm.”
In “Wild Eyes Open,” Stevens dives into her mother’s death, which occurred only a month after the birth of her first daughter. The ballad’s intimate lyrics with poignant frames of her mother’s last moments with her granddaughter such as “She loved my baby girl / Just like the summer loves a storm” and “The best way to lose my hair, she said / Is watch it coming out in my granddaughter’s hands.” The ballad and intimate lyrics left a hushed silence in the auditorium, creating a feeling almost as if the audience was guilty of eavesdropping on Stevens’ private thoughts.
Immediately switching it up, Stevens then shared a completely opposite type of private thought. In “I’m Not Her,” Stevens introduces
two women: one who films in outdoor exotic locations and is “sexhibitionistic for the voyeuristic” and another model “sponsored by bikinis that pair with pink martinis.” The self-evident title explores Stevens’ dark insecurities triggered by the pretentiousness of social media. It is an unabashed poke at her scorn towards the curated influencer persona and simultaneously addictive hate-scrolling. The outlier of the program, the song demonstrated another aspect of Stevens’ often brutally honest songwriting filled with something so relatable yet too controversial to normally say out loud.
Finishing the concert, Stevens was rejoined by the Jazz Vocal Ensemble, with a reprise of “What the World Needs Now,” where the audience was invited to sing along. Unexpectedly, Stevens’ yearning harmonies and heartfelt lyrics were exactly what I needed. I was glad to have attended the concert: Brilliant, poetic music and poetry was a combination that I could not wait to have stuck in my head, even after the songs were long gone.
Chloe Lau is a member of the Class of 2027 and a staff writer for Features and The Prospect at the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at cl2454[at]princeton.edu.
2D co-op and abundance culture: ‘If you don’t have leftovers, it’s not enough food
Just off campus, in a slanted, unassuming house, a small but vibrant community of students comes together to cook and eat vegetarian meals. The walls are covered in an eclectic combination of art — a stop sign, photos of Civil Rights leaders, a 3D-printed Bulbasaur, and more. This is the 2 Dickinson Street Co-op (2D).
2D is one of four co-ops at Princeton. A popular option for upperclass students who go independent, the co-op accepts students through a lottery system. Each member is responsible for one cook shift, which usually takes about two hours, and one chore, which ranges anywhere from picking up produce orders to baking bread, per week. Unlike the other co-ops, which have a kitchen and dining area in a residential building, 2D has its own off-campus house. After visiting the Scully Co-op in the fall, I spent an evening at the 2D Co-op to see what sets it apart. Upon arriving, I stepped into a toasty coat room where I was greeted by a cat picture taped to the wall. It was clear from the start that while 2D is an upperclass student dining space like the eating clubs, the atmosphere of the house was entirely different — more student-run and intimate.
The dining area was small and cozy, almost like a summer camp, with mismatched chairs around picnic tables all crammed into one room. Rather than one main dish, there were various trays of entrées, all either vegan or vegetarian, including pinto bean stew, rice, mashed potatoes, baked tofu, cooked mushrooms, and a kale salad. Like the chairs, the plates, bowls, and flatware were a hodgepodge of sizes and colors.
At the meal, I sat down with Collin Guedel ’26, the club’s acting “Minister of Truth” (their term for president) to discuss the culture and community at 2D.
2D aims for about 50 members each semester, although the number usually decreases slightly after the first couple weeks
to somewhere in the 40s, with the co-op admitting most or all students on the waiting list. Despite serving exclusively vegetarian meals, Guedel estimates that only about half of the co-op is vegetarian or vegan.
“The eating clubs aren’t really known for having a lot of options [for vegetarians],” Guedel told me.
For many members, though, it was the bicker process that led them away from eating clubs, which can be daunting for sophomores as class size grows and eating club admission rates shrink. Others are drawn to the opportunity to learn to cook.
Some members are also uncomfortable with the cost of eating clubs, despite financial aid offered by the clubs. For comparison, one semester at 2D costs $750 and includes seven dinners and two brunches with no restrictions on guest meals, averaging under $5 a meal — not to mention the 24/7 access to leftovers, snacks, and kitchen use.
Sharing and abundance are central to the 2D culture. With everyone packed together in the dining area, it’s easy to make friends and connections in the group. Leftovers are central to the abundance culture. Guedel tells me that the club’s informal policy is that “if you don’t have leftovers, it’s not enough food.” As another symbol of the sharing culture, towards the end of the meal, if there isn’t enough of something to put it away in the fridge, one of the chefs brings it to the meal area and bangs on the side of the pot with a spatula to see if anyone will eat it in order to avoid food waste.
Rather than having a meal plan for the week, which might result in wasted money from buying niche ingredients only used in one recipe, chefs arrive for a cook shift and decide what to make based on what’s available in the fridge. The co-op stays stocked up on vegetarian staples like beans, tofu, and veggies.
Older members on a cook shift often help younger members figure out how to assemble meals from the available ingredients, as each cook is usually responsible for one entrée per meal.
The creative approach to meal planning reflects what it’s really like to cook in a home; oftentimes, you’re left to look through the fridge and figure out what goes together for a meal.
The most exciting moment of the meal was when spontaneous clapping broke out at one of the tables and spread to the whole room. Afterwards, Guedel explained to me that at each meal, someone starts a round of applause for the evening’s cooks as a thank you for the meal.
At the end of the meal, each member washes their own dishes and places them in a drying rack to distribute the workload evenly, while the meal’s chefs put away leftovers and wash pots and pans.
2D also has social events for its members, much like the eating clubs. They have a party each semester, one named “Broccoli Rave” (a play on broccoli rabe), and another called “Boiler Shroom” (a play on Boiler Room). Beyond that, they host game nights and other events for their members to solidify the bonds formed over shared meals.
As a whole, a meal at 2D is a community experience that emphasizes connection and camaraderie. In our discussion, Guedel admitted that members of 2D “like to joke that [they’re] an anarchy first and a dictatorship second.” And while that may show the playful, jokey energy of the co-op, I got the sense that the statement isn’t exactly accurate to the experience. Rather, 2D has an easy harmony with good food and good fun. For students looking for a cheaper alternative to eating clubs, with a designated space and a more hands-on approach to food, 2D might be the place for them.
Lulu Pettit is a member of the Class of 2027 and a senior writer for The Prospect from the suburbs of Philadelphia. She can be reached at lp3153[at]princeton.edu or her Instagram @itslulupettit.
By Lulu Pettit | Senior Prospect Writer
By Chloe Lau | Prospect & Features Staff Writer
CHLOE LAU / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Becca Stevens performs with the Princeton Jazz Vocal Ensemble.
Three-peat complete: Women’s swim and dive wins third consecutive Ivy championship
By Hayk Yengibaryan Senior Sports Writer
Women’s swimming and diving team secured their third consecutive Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championship, Princeton’s 26th overall, after multiple wins across the board this weekend.
The Tigers ended the four-day event with 1479 points, beating out Harvard (1,287.5) and Yale (1,090.5) to top the podium.
“This season has been really special and a lot of fun,” Head Coach Abby Brethauer wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
“I think this past weekend was a reflection of the work the women have put in all season, and it was truly a team effort. We knew that Harvard was going to put up a fight, and they certainly made us work for it, but our team knows how to step up when the pressure is on, and they rose to the occasion,” Brethauer added.
In addition to the team’s victory, sophomore Eleanor Sun earned the Co-High Point Swimmer of the Meet award, and junior Charlotte Martinkus earned the High Point Diver of the Meet award.
“Eleanor is one of those athletes that just likes to work — and is lucky to have a team around her that is willing to do the work with her,” Brethauer wrote.
Tigers jump out to early lead on day one
On Wednesday, both the swim and dive sections saw new pool records at Denunzio Pool.
The Harvard Crimson came out
on top in the first event, the 200-yard medley relay. Princeton’s quartet of junior Heidi Smithwick, junior Sabrina Johnston, senior Ela Noble, and senior Alexa Pappas touched the wall second after Harvard, with a time of 1:37.14.
Shortly after, Smithwick and Johnston were both back in the action in the 800-yard freestyle relay. This time, senior Jenna Walters and Sun joined the pair as the Tigers finished atop the podium with 7:03.47, beating out Brown and Penn and setting a pool record in the process.
The Crimson quartet — who touched the wall second behind Princeton — was notably disqualified in the 800-yard freestyle relay after officials deemed that Kaylee McDonald took off early. The disqualification cost the Crimson 56 points.
After the first day, the Tigers led the Ancient Eight with 120 points.
Tigers dominate on day two
After Harvard’s Alexandra Bastone won the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:38.75, it was all Princeton for the rest of the second day. The Orange and Black finished first in all four remaining events.
Sun won her first individual event of the week after finishing first in the 200 Individual Medley (IM) with a time of 1:55.50, a new pool record. Fellow Tigers — sophomore Dakota Tucker and junior Eliza Brown — finished right behind Sun as the Tigers went 1–2–3 for the event.
In 2024, Tucker won the 200 IM event.
“For us to go 1-2-3 in both the 200 and 400 IM certainly speaks to the work they all put in over the course of the season,” Brethauer wrote to the ‘Prince.’
“It’s a lot of fun on the days when the
girls are all in there together pushing each other and certainly having Eleanor and Dakota has helped raise the bar of that training group.”
Princeton’s success continued as Johnston (22.30) won the 50-yard freestyle for the second consecutive year, with Noble coming in second 0.13 seconds later.
“Having Ela [Noble] by my side was key to my race,” Johnston wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “She is such a fierce, reassuring force to have next to me, and that definitely got me in the right mindset heading into the race.”
On the diving platform, it was junior Charlotte Martinkus re-cementing herself as the face of Ivy League diving. After earning High Point Diver of the Meet in her rookie season, Martinkus missed the 2024 championships due to injury. Her return to the championships did not disappoint as she won the one meter diving with a score of 302.35.
The highlight of the night was the 200-yard freestyle relay. The quartet of Johnston, Noble, sophomore Veronique Rossouw, and Smithwick clocked in at 1:28.22, a school, pool, and meet record that also netted them a ticket to the NCAA championships.
“I think the key to our success was the fact that we were doing it for something bigger than ourselves,” Johnston explained to the ‘Prince.’ “Making an NCAA A-cut has been a longtime goal for the team, but what allowed us to achieve that and find success in the other relays was our trust in each other and love for the team.”
After Princeton’s dominant showing, they led the pack with 546.5 points, ahead of the Crimson, who had jumped to sec-
ond place (480) in the live standings.
Orange and Black maintain lead atop standings
Despite only one win on Saturday, the Tigers extended their lead on the back of several high finishes in the six Saturday events.
The lone Tiger win was a special one in the 400-yard individual medley. Sun touched the wall first at 4:06.22, just a night after winning the 200 IM. Tucker (4:07.83) and junior Meg Wheeler (4:12.97) rounded out the podium, with Wheeler tied for bronze with Brown’s Sumner Chmielewski.
The 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke were two of the Tigers’ weaker events, resulting in a lone bronze from Walters in the 200 freestyle. Following both events, Princeton’s lead on the Crimson was under 60 points, a lead that would’ve been in the single digits if the Crimson had not been disqualified on opening night.
Tigers regained a near three digit lead as Johnston, senior Isabella Korbly, and Pappas finished 3–4–5 in the 100-yard backstroke. After finishing behind Harvard in the 400-yard medley relay, the Tigers had 964 points heading into championship Saturday — 90.5 ahead of Harvard.
Three-peat complete on Championship Saturday
On championship Saturday, the Tigers won the final four events to win their 26th Ivy title.
After the Crimson dominated the 1650 freestyle and grabbed top two in the 200-yard backstroke, Princeton’s
lead shrunk to 57.5.
In the 100-yard freestyle, the Tigers got back on track. Penn’s Kayla Fu brought home gold for the Quakers, but Johnston, Rossouw, Noble, and Walters finished second, fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively. Six Tigers competed across the A, B, and C finals, scoring 131 total points for the Orange and Black to Harvard’s 31.
The Tigers were in strong control of the title heading into the final four events. Tucker won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:11.53, and Sun won her third individual event in the 200-yard butterfly, out-touching Smithwick at the wall.
In the three-meter diving finals, Martinkus put in yet another dominant showing to finish first, while the quartet of Johnston, Rossouw, Noble, and Sun capped off the four day event with a gold medal finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Their time of 3:14.84 was a pool record.
In total, the Tigers dominated the competition for the third consecutive year, winning 10 total events — five individual, three relays, and both diving events.
“I am so happy and incredibly proud of each girl on the team,” Noble said to the ‘Prince.’ “This conference win wouldn’t have been possible without everyone — it was a combined effort.”
The NCAA Championships will take place in Federal Way, Wash. from March 19–22.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and Education Director for the ‘Prince.’
Princeton women’s hockey downs RPI in first round of ECAC Playoffs
By Lily Pampolina Associate Sports Editor
Princeton women’s ice hockey (18–10–2 overall, 11–9–2 ECAC) defeated the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers (14–18–3, 7–13–2) in the first round of the ECAC playoffs 3–2 on Friday afternoon.
After falling to the Engineers just a week prior in regular season play, the Tigers found revenge.
“Losing to RPI in the last game of the regular season was definitely a wakeup call for us,” junior forward Emerson O’Leary told The Daily Princetonian. “It wasn’t the way we wanted to head into playoffs, but I think it fueled our motivation even more — there was a real sense of urgency and energy in the locker room to start playoffs on the right foot.”
“We know RPI out-worked us that game, and we were determined not to allow that to happen again,” Head Coach Cara Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “The loss certainly changed the players’ mindsets going into the playoff game.”
The Tigers began the first period with high energy, possessing the puck for the majority of the first few minutes and setting an intense tempo that would permeate the entire match. Over the course of the first 20 minutes of play, the Tigers outshot the Engineers 16–6.
Despite the Tigers’ spirited start, RPI found a way to strike first. Capitalizing on the last few seconds of a power play, the Engineers netted a shot into the top right corner of the goal off of a long, lateral pass from the opposite end of the ice. RPI led 1–0 with eight minutes left in the first.
From there, Princeton continued to dominate possession, win faceoffs, and keep the puck in their offensive zone. However, the Tigers had trouble finding shots on target.
Princeton’s first breakthrough came at the tail end of the first period. Following an intense RPI pursuit to goal, the Tigers flipped the possession and cruised down the ice. A quick face-off win and an inside pass from first-year defender Rosie Klein led to a nifty goal from fellow first-year forward Mackenzie Alexander, tying the game going into the first break.
“The first-years have been huge for us all season,” O’Leary told the ‘Prince.’ “They really showed up again on Friday.”
The second period mirrored the first, with Princeton dominating possession and outshooting the Engineers, though scoring was at a halt for nearly 15 minutes. The Tigers effectively killed an RPI power play, maintaining defensive composure and recapturing the momentum soon after.
With five minutes left in the period, Princeton capitalized on their offensive authority and netted their second goal off a forced turnover in the neutral zone courtesy of O’Leary. A pass from Alexander back to junior forward Issy Wunder split the Engineer defense and gave the Tigers their first lead of the game, 2–1.
Wunder’s goal was her 25th of the season, nearing her career-high of 27 that she set during her sophomore season.
“Issy has been a really important player for us this season both on and off the ice,” Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “She is a competitor and a leader and she has scored some important goals for us.”
The remainder of the second period proved to be a defensive stalemate, as did the first half of the third period. The Engineers opened the third period with their best showing of the game, keeping the Tigers on their toes and creating several scoring opportunities.
Ten minutes into the final period, the stalemate was broken and RPI tied the game. The goal was a classic, presenting itself off an Engineer face-off, followed by a quick pass to the slot and a sharp shot to the top corner.
Not long after, though, the Tigers
found a way to get back on top. Capitalizing on a power play, Princeton executed a quick passing sequence that allowed Klein to nail a long, unstoppable shot down the middle and into the back of the net, reclaiming the lead.
The Engineers would not back down and continued to pressure the Tiger defense in the final minutes of the game. Despite this, the Orange and Black held strong, going on to win with a final score of 3–2.
The Tigers will move on to the second round of the ECAC tournament next week and will face Colgate (27–7–0, 18–4–0) away in a
“We are going to prepare the same way we do every week,” Morey told the ‘Prince.’ “Consistency is key and we will focus on playing well within our systems.”
“This week is all about fine-tuning and making sure we’re locked in on every detail,” O’Leary told the ‘Prince.’ “We’ll be focusing on playing a full 60-minute game, staying disciplined and tightening up defensively.”
Lily Pampolina is an associate Sports editor for the
‘Prince.’
WOMEN’S SWIM AND DIVE
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Women’s basketball falls to Columbia for second time this season
By Emilia Reay Sports Contributor
The energy was palpable as the Princeton Tigers and Columbia Lions warmed up in the Jadwin Gymnasium. With the historic rivalry between the two Ivy League teams, this game was shaping up to be competitive. After 40 minutes of hard-fought basketball, the Lions wound up on top yet again.
For the second time this season, Princeton (18–6 overall, 9–2 Ivy League) fell to Columbia (19–5, 10–1) 64–60 this past Saturday on Princeton’s alumni day. Princeton held the active national record for the most consecutive games won on a home court — 30 games — until this contest.
The Lions started the quarter with a dominant offensive run, winning the tipoff and converting the possession to two quick points. Columbia sophomore guard Riley Weiss scored a pair of threes early on, creating an eight-point differential in only two and a half minutes. Almost immediately, the score was 10–2 Columbia.
Post-timeout, the Tigers got into their rhythm. Sophomore guard Fadima Tall hit a three, then sophomore guard Skye Belker fought through some contact to get two for the Tigers. Continuing their momentum, the Tigers found a way to claw back, trailing the Lions 15–13 at the end of the quarter.
“Having the people here was very encouraging,” Tall told The Daily Princetonian. “And then you have Ellie Mitchell ’24 and Julia Cunningham ’23 on the sidelines, it’s always nice to
have them here,” she added.
It was Tigers’ ball to start the second quarter, but Columbia quickly stole it back. The Lions were relentless, pursuing a full-court press the entire game. This defense translated to offense, helping them maintain momentum.
“When you turn the ball over, they’re going to execute down the other end, they’re going to make you pay for those turnovers or missed shots,”
Head Coach Carla Berube told the ‘Prince.’ “They got the ball to their best player, Weiss that is, and it is tough to stop her when she is hot,” Berube continued.
The Tigers were able to tie the game 17–17, and Tall gave them the lead around five minutes left in the half with another three, but Columbia always seemed to have an answer.
Weiss connected for two late in the half to take it back for Columbia. After some scrappy buckets from the Tigers, the deficit was cut to three, down 27–24 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Tigers commanded the floor. Sophomore guard Ashley Chea opened the period with a tough two-point bucket, then hit both her free throws off of a Columbia foul, letting the Tigers take the lead 28–27. Soon after, she nailed a three from behind the arc.
With five minutes left in the third, Columbia senior guard Cecelia Collins scored a threepointer, but Belker answered. The teams were feeding off of the energy in the building. By the end of the third quarter, Princeton accumulated a six
point lead, going into the final quarter ahead 44–38.
The Lions quickly tied the game, thanks to two quick threes in the opening minutes of the fourth. Columbia then continued this offensive run with a combination of free throws and Weiss’s strong offensive presence.
With 18 seconds remaining in the game, Columbia senior guard Kitty Henderson stepped up and drained a three, giving the Lions a five-point lead. The Tigers continued to fight, taking their final timeout with 18 seconds left to draw up their last play. Tall was able to give them a glimmer of hope when she drained a Hail Mary three
and was fouled.
“I heard my teammates and coaches on the sideline saying ‘miss it, miss it,’ but I’m thinking, well, I have never purposely missed something before,” Tall told the ‘Prince.’
She did purposely miss the free throw in hopes of a Princeton teammate rebound and putback, but the attempt was unsuccessful. With no other options to score, the Tigers fouled Weiss, who made both her free throws to end the game with a score of 64–60.
With their second loss to Columbia, the Tigers’ path to an at-large berth in March Madness for the Ivy League narrows considerably. With a
lack of wins against top-level teams, the Tigers were already on the bubble, considered one of the last teams with a shot at the tournament. Losing to Columbia for a second time likely puts their bubble chances to bed, meaning the Tigers will almost certainly need to win the Ivy League Tournament to qualify.
The Tigers look to bounce back and gain momentum for the upcoming tournament with a game on Friday against Harvard (20–3 overall, 9–2 Ivy League) to continue Ivy League regular-season play.
Emilia Reay is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
The path to a coeducational Cottage Club
By Kimberly Vasta Staff Archivist
In 1979, Sally Frank ’80 set out to bicker the three last clubs that still enforced male-ony policies : Cottage, Tiger Inn, and Ivy. Frank’s bids were denied, and she sued on grounds of sex discrimination. In 1986 — 39 years ago — she reached her first settlement with Cottage, in which the club agreed to consider women in the bicker process.
Frank faced considerable backlash during her attempt to integrate the clubs. After signing up under a fake name and attending a pre-bicker party, Frank was harassed,with Cottage members throwing beer at her and threatening to throw her in the fountain.
On Feb. 25, 1986, after Frank’s seven-year legal battle in the New Jersey Supreme Court, Cottage was the first of the remaining clubs to relent.
In a recent interview with The Daily Princetonian, Frank said of her victory, “it just came out of the
blue, but it felt like a huge success.”
While this settlement came as a surprise, Frank added that the members of the new Cottage Alumni Graduate Board seemed especially apologetic and progressive in comparison to years past. Two of the alumni took Frank to dinner to hear about her experience. Frank reflected, “For them to be willing to hear what I went through was important for me on an emotional side.”
She felt that the alumni had realized that they were on the wrong side of the issue and understood how unsustainable it would be to continue doling out large sums of money towards legal fees in the case against her.
In the settlement, Cottage accepted all of Frank’s terms besides granting her membership. Frank was awarded $8,000, and Cottage became a co-ed club. She donated $2,000 from her settlement as an endowment to the Women’s Center, now named the Gender + Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC), which
works to create a welcoming community for marginalized groups in Princeton.
“All women at Princeton have suffered, and the Women’s Center is symbolic of that,” Frank said. Even though Frank’s legal victory meant that the official maleonly status of the club was dismantled, the “male-only mindset” was still prominent. Michelle Mendez ’88, a former writer for the ‘Prince,’ wrote an article about her experience being one of the first women to bicker Cottage following the settlement in 1986. While the process ran pretty smoothly and most men in the club seemed ready to accept the co-ed ruling, there was still a sense of pressure and hostility, as the intentions of women joining the club continued to be scrutinized.
Ultimately, Frank had expected this: “The all-male [clubs] were a product of history. Princeton was all male, and they just hadn’t changed.”
Now, Frank looks back on the
progress made since her time at Princeton with a sense of pride in the legacy of her work:
“Women have been the president of different clubs and have come up to me at reunions, thanking me. I helped make this change and I feel good about it,” Frank explained.
A few months after the Cottage settlement, Frank reached another settlement with Princeton. The school would no longer outwardly support or recognize male-only eating clubs, as they did not represent Princeton’s values. The changing sentiment created a more welcoming university, with more female participation in the campus community.
Frank ended the interview with a brief message to those aspiring to make further changes on campus: “There’s always going to be work that still needs to be done. People should not be made to fear protest and expression.”
Kimberly Vasta is a staff Archivist for the ‘Prince.’
PHOTO COURTESY OF @PRINCETONWBB/X. Princeton women’s basketball fell to Columbia in just their second Ivy League loss of the season.
