‘We are reviewing the new registration process, and we hope that the government will clarify the details in the coming weeks.’
14 years or older to register their status with the government. According to USCIS, “Once an alien has registered and appeared for fingerprinting (unless waived), DHS will issue evidence of registration, which aliens over the age of 18 must carry and keep in their personal possession at all times.”
According to the email from the Davis IC, “it appears that students and scholars [on nonimmigrant visas] should already be considered ‘registered’ by virtue of admission to the U.S. and issuance of an I-94,” but the details of the registration process currently remain unclear.
“We are reviewing the new registration process, and we hope that the government will clarify the details in the coming weeks,” the email reads.
It is also unknown at this time if or how the registration requirement will affect green card holders.
This message is the first piece of concrete advice sent to all international members of the University community at Princeton, and comes as the Trump administration takes a hardline against immigration that has caused much fear and uncertainty on college campuses nationwide.
Earlier this week, a French scientist was detained upon entry to the U.S. after messages critical of the administration were found
in his phone. Additionally, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and greencard holder, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to being considered a threat to national security for his role in Columbia’s pro-Palestine protests.
At Cornell, a student from Gambia was asked by ICE to turn himself in for leading pro-Palestine protests.
On a global scale, countries are updating their travel advisories to reflect changes in U.S. policy.
Following the detention of several German nationals, German authorities updated its travel advisory to the United States. The United Kingdom has also revised its travel guidance in the past several weeks for any travelers planning to visit the U.S.
In January, as other schools advised students to return before Trump’s inauguration, the Davis IC issued no such warning. Davis IC Director Albert Rivera did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The email ended with notice of virtual attorney sessions, open to all, that the Davis IC is hosting on March 26. “Attorney Session: An Update on U.S. Immigration Issues” will be held at 12:30 p.m., and “Immigration Do’s and Don’ts & How to Prepare” at 8 p.m.
Christopher Bao is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
By Ishan Ghosh Contributing
Eisgruber condemns federal funding cuts at Columbia in The Atlantic op-ed
By Vitus Larrieu Senior News Writer
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 rebuked the Trump administration’s cancellation of $400 million of federal funding to Columbia University in an opinion piece published in The Atlantic on Wednesday morning.
“The attack on Columbia is a radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America’s leadership in research. Universities and their leaders should speak up and litigate forcefully to protect their rights,” Eisgruber wrote in the piece, a rare public move and his strongest statement against the administration to date.
Eisgruber opened the article by outlining the federal government’s close funding relationship with universities, arguing that it “facilitated the unfettered pursuit of knowledge” — so long as the government respected academic freedom.
His emphasis on the necessity of federal funding for research mirrors a recent focus of the University to highlight research enabled by federal funding. This includes a pinned Instagram post on Princeton’s official account that showcases health research funded by NIH grants from Princeton and its peer institutions, as well as Eisgruber making a commitment in his annual letter to the community to spend more time in Washington, D.C. lobbying for funding and preventing endowment tax increases.
Universities’ reliance on federal funding, however, has led to precarity as the Trump administration turns against institutions of higher education.
In the article, Eisgruber noted that if the government were to ignore the importance of aca -
demic freedom, “it could bully universities” by taking advantage of their dependence on federal funding. As evidence, he cited the Trump administration’s decision to revoke $400 million in funding from Columbia University over what the administration characterized as “persistent harassment of Jewish students” amidst campus protests.
Eisgruber provided a narrow defense of Columbia, recognizing “legitimate concerns” surrounding campus antisemitism that may warrant investigation.
“To the extent that the government has grounds to investigate, it should use the processes required by law to do so, and it should allow Columbia to defend itself,” he wrote. “Instead, the government is using grants that apply to Columbia science departments as a cudgel to force changes to a completely unrelated department that the government apparently regards as objectionable.”
In his defense of academic freedom, Eisgruber expressed support for a university model permissive of controversial speech and dissent, while restricting campus disruption and rule-breaking. This argument closely aligns with previous comments he made in an article for The Daily Princetonian.
Similar ideas are also present within section 1.1.3 of Princeton University’s Rights, Rules, Responsibilities regulations on freedom of expression, which dictate that speech and action are permissible so long as they do not constitute harassment, create an unsafe environment, impede the operation of the University, or “violate the law.”
On campus, protests in support of Palestine have largely conformed to these restrictions, sometimes referred to as “time,
place, and manner.”
Eisgruber concluded his oped with a warning that further encroachments into the academic freedom of universities could result in a reduction in innovation and set a precedent for more speech restrictions under future administrations— even liberal ones.
Notably, Eisgruber did not explicitly mention Princeton or his position as the University’s president in the article, though it is included in his byline.
In the early weeks of the Trump administration, Eisgruber attempted to project an air of calm, adopting the slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On.” In recent months, however, Eisgruber has increased his public presence. In October of last year, he became the chair of the Association of American Universities, a collection of 71 top research universities that lobbies for policy related to higher education.
He has also been more outspoken in recent months, writing in The Atlantic last February about the importance of diversity on college campuses. His most recent article is another step into the national conversation on the future of higher education.
The University is not immune from attacks from the federal government, though. Eisgruber’s piece came hours before Princeton announced a hiring freeze, citing uncertainty around federal funding, a potential increased endowment tax, and future actions by the administration.
Vitus Larrieu is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Pensacola, Fla. and typically covers community activism, the state of higher education, and construction and architecture.
Overhaul of nearly dormant Judicial Committee proposed at CPUC meeting
By
The University may be slowly moving towards overhauling an obscure and rarely used disciplinary body following a meeting of the Council of Princeton University Community (CPUC) on Monday.
The Judicial Committee, a group of faculty, staff, and students, is intended to oversee some of the most serious student disciplinary cases. It was one of the original committees established alongside the CPUC in 1969. The proposed changes would make the Judicial Committee an appeals body that may also play a small role in coordinating investigations.
Philosophy professor Jacob Nebel, Chair of the Rights and Rules Committee, said that at the beginning of the year, University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 had asked his committee to review the Judicial Committee. The Judicial Committee has only seen 10 cases in its 55-year history, and most cases took place between 1970 and 1978. An exchange between Dean of Undergraduate Students Regan Crotty and President Eisgruber seemed to indicate that only one case is currently in the committee.
According to the CPUC Charter, the Judicial Committee over-
sees cases that involve possible violations of conduct rules and regulations that apply “to all resident members of the University community” and to rules and regulations “whose violation constitutes a serious infringement of the recognized rights of members of the University community, a serious offense against the University’s mission, a threat to the ability of the University to carry on its essential operations, or a substantial impairment of the common and legitimate interests of the University community.”
In addition to hearing cases in their first instance, the committee can hear appeals by individuals who have been found guilty of violating rules and regulations and believe their trial processes were unfair.
The proposed changes will be voted on at the May meeting of the CPUC. They are potentially the first revisions — although likely minor ones, considering the committee’s lack of use — to the University’s disciplinary processes after they came under scrutiny during the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” last spring. At least 15 students underwent University discipline following their arrests at various points during the protests, though undergraduates’ cases were adjudicated by the Residential College Disciplinary Board (RCDB) and graduate stu -
dents’ cases by Heidi Freeman, an assistant dean in the graduate school.
Discipline processes at universities across the nation, usually quiet affairs, have been thrust into the spotlight as many pro-Palestine protestors from last spring have their cases reviewed. At Columbia University for instance, the Judicial Board, a five-member panel that handed out expulsions, temporary degree revocations, and suspensions for students involved in the takeover of Hamilton Hall, will now be overseen
by the school administration rather than the University Senate, in response to threats by the Trump administration to its federal funding.
Nebel said that the committee’s procedures unusually resemble criminal law, and that there were no similar bodies found at other colleges. However, Nebel said that he thinks the judicial system is effective at its appeals role. As such, he said that while his committee will make recommendations to remove adjudication of cases in the first instance from the body,
the committee recommends that it should be a mechanism for coordinating cases involving protests and demonstrations with many groups. At the CPUC meeting this May, the Rules Committee will present the proposed revisions to RRR as well as other policies.
Christopher Bao is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
Cynthia Torres and Nikki Han contributed reporting.
CPUC honors the honorable: 36 University Place to be renamed Sotomayor Hall
In a recent press release, the University announced its intention to rename 36 University Place in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ’76. Located at the northwest corner of Blair Courtyard, the building is best known among students as the site of the on-campus University Store.
“I’m curious to see why that building in particular was chosen,” Eleanor Hawkins ’28 said in an interview with the Daily Princetonian, reflecting current students’ association of 36 University Place with the U-Store, where students can purchase everyday items.
However, 36 University Place is also home to the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity, the Center for Career Development, and the Admission Information Center, where Orange Key Tours begin and information sessions are held. Due to this role, it is one of the University’s most public-facing buildings, and for many, marks the first space on Princeton’s campus that prospective students, their families, and other visitors see.
The March 11 press release notes the building’s diversity of roles as a “site of programs that support first-generation college, lower-income, transfer, and veteran students.” Sotomayor’s selection as an honoree was made with these programs, and their missions in mind, based on recommendations from the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) Committee on Naming.
University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 called Justice Sotomayor a “trailblazing student” and an “extraordinary jurist” in a University statement announcing the renaming. She has served as an Associate Justice since 2009 — the first justice of Hispanic heritage and the third woman in Supreme Court history. She is also a former University trustee. In her time as an undergraduate at Princeton, Justice Sotomayor was a co-chair of the student group Acción Puertorriqueña y Amigos, a member of the studentfaculty Committee on Discipline, and served on the governance board of the Third World Center.
According to their webpage, CPUC Committee on Naming provides “advice to the Board of Trustees with regard to the naming of programs, positions and spaces at Princeton.” Recent work from the committee includes the 2022 rededication of Marx Hall to honor Laura Wooten, who served in Campus Dining for more than 27 years and was recognized as the longest-serving poll worker in the US. The committee also recently studied the removal or relocation of the statue of John Witherspoon, although the Board of Trustees declined to alter the statue on the basis of Witherspoon’s views on slavery or ownership of enslaved people.
The building is currently undergoing minor changes. University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill said that new signage and a dedicatory plaque will be added to the building.
Additional changes include “improvements to the bluestone entry plaza and replacement of the canopy fascia,” Morrill wrote in a
statement to the ‘Prince.’ This work will be completed over the next few weeks. Currently, the campusfacing entrance to the University Store is closed, and the doors opening to University Place and the Admission Information Center are the only points of entry, meaning students must often walk around the building to purchase food, toiletries, and other products.
Diya Kraybill ’25, Editor-in-Chief of the Princeton Legal Journal, wrote to the ‘Prince’ about her excitement for the renaming of 36 University Place. “Justice Sotomayor is an incredible example to all Princeton students, but particularly students interested in pursu-
ing a legal career,” she wrote.
For other students, however, the specific choice of building was surprising.
“I think that she could probably get a better building,” Ella Anderton ’28 told the ‘Prince.’ “Of all the buildings, it is kind of strange they picked the U-Store.”
Beatrice Cassidy ’28 also acknowledged Sotomayor’s influence on American politics and felt that it was time for more buildings to be named after her. She described the selection of 36 University Place as “a bit random.”
Regardless, many students see Sotomayor’s name as a powerful reminder of Sotomayor’s success-
ful career after Princeton.
“I believe the naming of Sonia Sotomayor Hall will serve as a powerful reminder to students of Justice Sotomayor’s career as a truthseeker and advocate for justice, and the role that Princeton played in shaping her path to the highest court in the land,” Kraybill said.
Tess Weinreich is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Washington, D.C. She typically covers University operations. She was formerly a Managing Editor for the ‘Prince’.
Devon Rudolph is an associate News editor and staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
JEAN SHIN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN The Princeton University store will be renamed in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Christopher Bao Head News Editor
CALVIN K. GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
At the CPUC meeting on March 24, changes were proposed to the Judicial Committee an appeals body that may also play a small role in coordinating investigations.
“M ove the P eriod”
By Luke Schreiber
The Minis
By Ishan Ghosh Contributing ConstruCtor
‘The report is as opaque with its methodology as it is sweeping in the scope of its recommendations, the most extreme of which ... [would] require all students who reside on campus to purchase a campus dining meal plan.’
EATING CLUBS
Continued from page 1
ing hiring professional bouncers, running SHARE training for members, partnering with PSafe, and defining policies around after-dark events. The rich and longstanding history of the eating clubs also helps members feel a sense of investment in a beloved campus tradition. There’s a reason Princeton has the most loyal alumni in the Ivy League — long after graduation, students who were in eating clubs have a lifelong home on campus to come back to.
However, requiring all juniors and seniors to purchase a campus dining meal plan would threaten these benefits. Few Princetonians would be able to afford both their eating club fees and a campus meal plan, so requiring such a plan is tantamount to forcing most students to give up their eating club memberships. Notably, the Huron Report does not recommend that the University readjust their increased food budget for juniors and seniors to be higher, which could shield students on financial aid from the worst of the effects. With a decimated pool of potential members, most if not
all eating clubs would simply not be able to continue operation — especially in the face of sky-high property taxes, multiple forms of insurance, and rising inflation in the food industry.
The report is, at the moment, a recommendation. But the stakes are high. Every time in the past a club has closed on the Street has been a heartbreaking experience for its undergraduate and alumni members. In particular, stripping alumni of their “home away from home” at Princeton would lessen their connection to campus and the University. According to the Huron Report itself, “Alumni eating club members expressed a high degree of affinity for their club, describing it as a defining element of the residential experience. The eating clubs were cited as motivators for alumni to return to campus.” This is due in no small part to the fiercely proud and tight-knit communities we are able to form at the eating clubs, which remain near and dear to alumni hearts even decades after they graduate.
Furthermore, following the Huron Report’s recommendation would reverse decades of painstaking and fruitful progress on eating club diversity. The eating
clubs today are more diverse in terms of race, gender, and socioeconomic background than they have ever been before. But if all students were requisred to purchase a campus dining plan, only the most wealthy and privileged Princetonians would be able to afford an eating club membership on top of it. Instead of being able to serve large majorities of Princeton’s student population, the clubs would only be able to cater to the “one percent,” turning into regressive and anachronistic versions of themselves that nobody, especially the current and increasingly diverse membership of the clubs, wants them to be.
Lastly, requiring all juniors and seniors to purchase campus dining plans would negatively impact the general undergraduate dining experience, including first-years and sophomores, as well as the students who choose to remain on a dining hall plan in their upperclass years. The current dining hall options are already crowded, with long lines winding through the serveries and teeming with unfamiliar faces. Jamming several thousand additional juniors and seniors into an already overburdened and crowded campus dining system would exacerbate
these issues, no matter how many gleaming new dining halls rise at Hobson or other farther locations.
Both of us, the University and the eating clubs, ultimately share the same goal: making the undergraduate experience as enriching and rewarding as possible and fostering an enthusiastic and involved alumni community.
Adopting the Huron Report’s recommendation to force every student to purchase a campus dining meal plan, even if they have another full meal plan, would be counterproductive to that mutual goal. It would take away one of
the most beloved Princeton traditions, reversing decades of progress and worsening the Princeton experience for all students, regardless of whether they participate in an eating club. I am, respectfully, offering my advice to the University to reject this illconceived recommendation.
Vincent Jiang ’25 is the President Emeritus of the Interclub Council, the organization composed of the eleven undergraduate eating club presidents at Princeton University. He can be reached at vincentjiang[at]princeton. edu.
To stop intimidation, Eisgruber needs your help
Guest Contributors
The following is a guest contribution and reflects the authors’ views alone. For information on how to submit a piece to the Opinion section, click here.
Columbia University appears to have given in to the government’s anti-constitutional and autocratic attack on free speech and the rule of law. In the face of Project 2025-inspired demands from the Trump administration, Columbia expelled students and revoked degrees. On Friday, they announced further concessions, including, most concerningly to us, the removal of academic self-governance from the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies.
After all of this, the restoration of $400 million in research grants, including lifesaving clinical trials and training grants for postdocs and students, is still not guaranteed. And as President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 has aptly put it, “once you make concessions once, it’s hard not to make them again.”
It may be easy to label Columbia’s actions as capitulation. However, when the full force of the U.S. government is set against any single institution, resistance is difficult.
But it’s not just Columbia. Princeton, along with 59 others, is on a list of universities targeted by the administration. President Eisgruber has started the pushback, standing up on behalf of academic freedom and saying that the Trump administration is attacking higher education. Professors, students, other universities, and the public should join him: When targeting one institution is a bald attempt to divide and conquer, as is the case with Columbia, it is essential for a coalition or group of institutions and individuals to stand up together.
Threats to university research directly affect student opportunity. Here at Princeton, students can work with world-class scientists and scholars, opening gateways to medical and graduate schools. If labs close, that opportunity shrinks: Students will have fewer opportunities to do research and build their futures.
The recent hiring freeze here at Princeton and at peer institutions such as Harvard and Penn is an early warning sign. Elsewhere, graduate schools are rescinding offers to college seniors. The damage threatens to encompass all fields including social sciences, engineering, and humanities, devaluing the degrees all students are working toward.
Do not be fooled by those who wish to use impassioned debates within higher education as a means
of driving us apart. Last year Congressional Republicans used the war in Gaza and the ensuing student protests as a wedge. Now, inspired by strategists like Christopher Rufo, the administration is going after programs with words like “diversity.” They will continue to look for points of legitimate disagreement, then lean into those points to advance autocracy.
Some values transcend ideology or party. Colleges and universities have been a pillar of American strength throughout Democratic and Republican governments over the last hundred years. That pillar is now under threat as part of a broader attack on a law-based society, and as part of a larger assault on institutions, from Social Security to flight safety.
As Lee Bollinger, former president of Columbia and the University of Michigan, has put it, we are in the midst of an authoritarian takeover. In the midst of this, standing up for higher education is part of a larger defense of the whole nation’s well-being and the rules-based system that has allowed the nation to prosper.
Some may be apprehensive of speaking out in isolation. However, there is no reward for obeying in advance. A successful response requires action, together. In Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan’s work on nonviolent movements around the world, they found that if a movement spreads to even a few
percent of the population, success becomes more likely than not. Furthermore, there are network effects: 10 times as many people can potentially make 100 times the impact. Just like individuals, when colleges and universities work together, they will be stronger.
Indeed, for maximum effect, higher education will have to find as many allies as possible. We can enlist everyone who has benefited from publicly-funded research, including treatments for cancer and childhood illnesses, batteries, HDTV, the Internet, weather forecasting, and more. We must remind the public that the discoveries of research translate basic science to health, prosperity, and security, touching billions. Without protection from the public, this accumulated capacity for greatness won’t survive the illegal assaults on our education system.
President Eisgruber wrote that Princeton and other institutions should engage in “forceful litigation.” But he has institutional responsibilities, both at Princeton and his role at the Association of American Universities, that limit what he can say or do. That is where the rest of us come in.
We scholars cannot let the government hold our work hostage. Science funding is being withheld in retaliation for protected free speech. We are passionate about
science and its benefits to society, but we fear more what will happen if we do not help defend everyone’s fundamental rights. Freedom of expression and inquiry come first. If we lose these, we are at risk of losing not only science, but the entire educational enterprise — and broader freedoms in all society. In another sector, some big law firms are defending themselves. Like them, we must speak out for both ourselves and for society.
Finally: Students, we urge you to do your part. Use your critical thinking skills, and notice that institutions are letting us down. As faculty, our methods of communication involve paragraphs. Through new media like TikTok, you can craft compelling messages about science, learning, and freedom. Go in person to protest against the external threat. Use your freedom. Use your power. We must not shrink from this moment. We hope that President Eisgruber’s example is amplified by all of us, for the sake of Princeton, Columbia, and the nation.
Sam Wang is a professor of Neuroscience. He can be reached at sswang[at] princeton.edu.
Andrew Leifer is an associate professor of Neuroscience and Physics. Jonathan Pillow, David Tank, and Ilana Witten are professors of Neuroscience.
Sam Wang, Andrew Leifer, Jonathan Pillow, David Tank, & Ilana Witten
CANDACE DO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The façade of Terrace F. Club, one of 11 eating clubs at Princeton.
‘A visible and invisible figure on campus, Khan and his camera have shaped some of the most integral parts of Princeton life.’
this trend that now is prevalent in many a student and administrator portrait.
from Rutgers could no longer attend, they recommended Khan for the job.
“I show up,” said Khan. “[And] it’s Henry Kissinger.” Not what he expected, he noted.
The encounter was a turning point. Impressed by Khan’s work, SPIA invited him back. For the first few years with SPIA as his client, Khan photographed several of the department’s afternoon lectures.
“[I get] my first corporate client, and it’s Princeton University,” said Khan. “It was like [I had] bragging rights.”
In 2005, Khan convinced SPIA to let him photograph events for its 75th anniversary. “They could hire somebody local and take a chance, or spend a little bit more and hire me and get guaranteed results.”
In 2012, Khan started to photograph department and program events, but Princeton remained a small part of his business. However, in 2017, Khan got a chance to photograph an event hosted by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS), which would go on to become his biggest client at Princeton.
That was when Tom Dunne, former Deputy Dean for ODUS at Princeton and current Dean of Students at Harvard, caught wind of him.
“I remember distinctly looking at the images he delivered for that [ODUS] event, and he had some really amazing pictures in the balcony area of Richardson,” noted Dunne, a fellow photography enthusiast. “And I know how hard it is to shoot photos in that space.”
Once Dunne found out that Khan was a contracted photographer for the public policy school, and not part of the department, they began working together.
“Initially, it started out [that] we would conceptualize an event, and we’d have him come and cover it.” said Dunne. “But with his rapport and the way that he interacted with students, Sameer became a co-creator of some events.”
For example, the first day of classes photo with the “FDOC” banner was created with Khan’s contribution in mind. Today, it is a highly coveted photograph for a student at Princeton.
“He was more than just a contracted photographer,” said Dunne. “He, in many cases, became someone who was really closely working with our office and students in developing programs.”
Khan also became involved in the thesis photo, a longstanding Princeton tradition, helping to provide photos for students that may not have the funds to hire a photographer.
Khan has also influenced the very location of photos taken around campus. Today, many administrative portraits and student portraits are taken outside in the greenery of Princeton’s campus. Unbeknownst to many, it was Khan’s dislike of the “cold” studio setup that began
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, was a moment where Khan and Dunne’s collaborative efforts became concentrated on helping students connect to campus remotely.
Dunne and Khan worked together on the “Princeton is Wherever You Are” project, a collaboration between ODUS, the Class of 2021, and Khan.
“[The pandemic] was really challenging… especially at a place that I think has such a particular type of physical resonance,” said Dunne.
Khan had initially ideated the project, suggesting that he would photograph the students remotely, guiding their friends and roommates to take their photographs. After, the photo would be edited and placed somewhere in Princeton that was important to them.
Morgan Smith ’21 was one of the students who participated in the “Princeton is Wherever You Are” project.
“As someone who graduated in the Class of 2021, there’s often times where I feel like I was only at Princeton for three and a half years because of the COVID-2019 pandemic,” she noted.
“[Because of Khan’s work], I’m able to say four years, because it didn’t matter that we weren’t on campus anymore,” said Smith, recalling how Khan “coached” her sister to take Smith’s photo for the “Princeton is Wherever You Are” project.
“He really came through for us,” said Smith, “Especially when you think of photos as memorializing people in a place at a certain time. His ability to transcend that, I’ll always admire him for that.”
Khan’s impact on students reaches far and wide, and one of his favorite aspects of Princeton to photograph is student life.
“Everybody that goes through here is going to be something phe-
nomenal one day,” he said. “All of you are folks that will change the world, and that’s kind of cool to see you in your developing stages.”
“He’s … generous with his time,” said Stephen Padlo ’25, who currently serves as the Treasurer for the Class of 2025. Padlo noted, along with Khan’s sense of humor, how “he’ll work overtime just because he loves his job and loves us.”
“[Sameer] captures the smiles outside of the bad days,” said D’Schon Simmons ’27, who serves as the president of the Class of 2027. “He serves as somebody who captures the moments that we can sometimes take for granted.”
“He documents student life like no other person on this campus does,” added Padlo, referencing the ODUS SmugMug page, where photos from many ODUS events are posted.
Khan said he envisions his relationships with students at Princeton in a similar light to his bond with his daughter, who is about to leave for college: Although they graduate and leave campus, they’re not really gone.
“When these students leave after four years, I’m gonna see them at Reunions,” he said. “That’s my hope.”
Khan also refers to his honorary membership in the Class of 2021 as “one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me.”
“My dad always would instill [in me] … ‘listen, it doesn’t matter how much money somebody pays you, but if they give you that title, they value you, because then everybody knows what you’ve earned.’”
“I felt like this was one way of being recognized as part of the campus community,” he noted. “I hang that plaque with pride in my house right next to the most expensive painting we have. Because to me, that has more value.”
This show of acceptance and recognition from the Class of 2021
helped Khan realize his effect on the Princeton community.
Smith was also a co-chair of the Class of 2021’s Class Day. “When I think of who an honorary class member should be,” said Smith, “It should be someone like him who has been there every step of the way.”
Especially because Khan played such a large role in creating the 2021 virtual Class Day, “getting to honor the person who helped to make that all happen ... it just made so much sense,” Smith said.
“I’ve realized that I’ve actually had a positive impact on people,” said Khan, “I never thought that way, and I think most photographers don’t think that way because we’re never recognized.”
Through his photography, Khan has also had the chance to connect with high-level Princeton administrators, share his craft, and build relationships. Even in rooms with actors, administrators, professors, and students alike, Khan’s approach remains similar.
Khan recalled the way in which a dean at the University summed his approach to photography. “When you approach a subject, you approach them on a very personal level, so they’re comfortable with you.” According to Khan, that skill is his strength.
Khan recalls taking this approach during his first of many sessions photographing President Christopher Eisgruber ’83.
“I asked him to sit on my case, and he looked at me, and I said, ‘It’s okay. I’ve had presidents of countries sit on this case. I’ve photographed a lot of famous people, but I’ve never been this nervous for a photo shoot.’ And he just chuckled and that was it. He was warm,” Khan recalled.
Eisgruber commented in writing to the ‘Prince’ on his relationship with Khan. “I trust him,” he wrote, “and I’ve learned to do whatever
he says — whether he’s telling me to smile more, turn slightly to the right, or adjust my jacket pocket.”
“He is creative, he pays attention to every detail, and his sense of humor makes him a pleasure to work with,” Eisgruber wrote.
Having taken photos of presidents, world leaders, professors, students, and administration alike, Khan doesn’t usually get nervous.
“[But] when I don’t have my camera, I’m the complete opposite,” he noted. “If I have a camera, I’ll go up to anybody, and it doesn’t matter who you are: president, king, celebrity … When I don’t have a camera … I’m the guy standing by the punch bowl by myself,” he said.
But Khan, behind the camera, is everywhere at Princeton. “There’s so many great Princeton events where you look around, [you think], ‘I love this place,’” added Dunne. “And there’s Sameer in the corner photographing it.”
“One of the things that I’ve realized in the last few years is that … I’ve impacted the direction of photography at some of these places, on how photographs are valued,” said Khan. According to him, Nassau Hall only recently began hanging photographs in its hallways alongside the artwork.
Now, according to Khan, the second floor of Nassau Hall is filled with photos he has taken of conferences at Princeton.
“I think there’s a whole new level of appreciation for event photography and portrait photography, where it doesn’t have to be somebody famous, or taken by somebody famous, and I like that,” said Khan. “I like that direction.”
As a photographer who now passes by his work in the many hallowed halls at Princeton, Khan will always stop and say: “I took that photo.”
Mira Eashwaran is an associate Features editor for the ‘Prince.’
Fresh flavors meet Chinese food at new restaurant XiBei Cuisine
By Lulu Pettit | Senior Prospect Writer
A row of waving cats along the wall, the saltyumami smell of mushrooms and pork, and the clattering sounds of a busy kitchen — these are the greetings of Princeton’s newest restaurant on Witherspoon, XiBei Cuisine.
Offering Northwest Chinese dishes like roast lamb leg and mutton on the bone, as well as more familiar Chinese offerings like pork soup dumplings and mapo tofu, XiBei’s wide menu has something for everyone. To see if the food and atmosphere were worth a trip to Nassau, I stopped by for lunch last Thursday afternoon.
I was surprised that the restaurant was so busy on a weekday at lunchtime. I arrived around noon and was seated right away, but within 10 minutes, every table in the small space was taken. The entire space was themed red-and-gold, with about six or seven tables and a pick up desk. Despite the lunch rush demanding the attention of the wait staff, we received menus and lemon water upon sitting down. The tables have scan codes to order, so once we were ready, we didn’t have to wait for a waiter to be available to take our order.
I absolutely loved the Xian cold noodles. The sauce was super salty, a little nutty, and just oily enough that the noodles and veggies slid smoothly into my mouth when eating them. When I received the dish, most of the sauce was on the veggies, so I had to mix everything together thoroughly before eating. The chicken, although pre-cooked and chilled, was moist, and the noodles were the perfect chewy vessel for everything to come together.
However, after my entree arrived, there were some issues with the order of arrival. Less than 10 minutes after the cold noodles came, the dessert, Chinese rice pudding, and my drink, a canned sweetened milk drink, arrived, but the appetizer and the other entree were still missing. Another five minutes later, we finally received our appetizer: pork soup dumplings.
The soup dumplings arrived fresh and steaming hot. The filling was an unembellished combination of broth and seasoned pork. It was full of savory flavors that were enhanced even more when dipped in the sauce that accompanied the pork dumplings. The sauce, similar to a slightly sweeter soy sauce, added a saltiness and an umami taste. We had six soup dumplings total, perfect for splitting between two people as an appetizer. There was also a chili oil bottle available at the table for anyone looking to add an extra kick.
At last, 20 minutes after the first entree arrived, we received our second entree: beef noodle soup. For this dish, we ordered the pulled noodles to compare. They were definitely much thicker and denser than the regular noodles, a heartier option if you’re looking for a cozy meal. The flavor profile was simple but delicious: rich and meaty beef combined with the salty broth.
At the end of the meal, we tried the milk drink and rice pudding. Rather than creamy, the rice pudding was solidified into a cube and topped with pepitas, peanuts, dried fruit, and sesame seeds. If you have allergies, I would recommend asking if the dishes you order contain the allergens, as the ingredients list on the menu for the rice pudding did not mention the peanuts. The rice pudding was potentially my favorite dish of the meal. It was chewy in a way slightly similar to mochi, but with a more varied texture from the rice grains and the toppings. It contained a sweet but earthy red bean filling that tied all of the toppings together. The milk drink, which consisted of whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar, was extremely sweet. It was a bit too sweet for my palate to drink straight from the can, although a kid might enjoy it. However, adding a little to the rice pudding created a nice balance of flavors. At the end of the meal, we were given a small bowl of Chinese sesame cookies in small cone shapes. They tasted a lot like fortune cookies, but they had a chewier texture, making a nice surprise at the end of the meal.
Overall, despite still adjusting to a full restaurant of diners and the timing of dishes, I highly recommend trying out XiBei Cuisine. Just a block off Nassau on Witherspoon Street, XiBei is very accessible for students. While it offers many classic dishes, students can challenge themselves and go for one of the more unusual items on the menu to get a taste of Northwest China.
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.
LULU PETTIT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN A plate with Chinese rice pudding.
LULU PETTIT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN A bowl of Xian cold noodles.
The Prospect 11 Weekly Event Roundup
By Cynthia Lee, Contributing Writer
Arch Sing
Patternmaking workshop
March 28, 11:00 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Keller Center Makerspace H212 - E-Quad
Participate in a two hour workshop with guest artist Sarah Hussaini to learn more about the art of digital pattern creation. Learn how to use the programs Illustrator and Rhino to design various styles of patterns and explore how to bring your designs to life with Makerspace’s digital embroidery machines or vinyl and laser cutters. If you’re a designer, maker, or simply curious about digital creation, this hands-on workshop will help you explore your creative ideas. No prior experience is necessary, all you need is your ideas and eagerness to create. Registration is required, and lunch is provided.
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March 29, 9:00 - 11:00 p.m.
Blair Arch, Prospect Ave
Enjoy the nice spring weather and some great tunes from various Princeton a cappella groups! This arch sing will feature performances from Tigressions, Roaring 20, Katzenjammers, Nassoons, Footnotes, Wildcats, Tigerlilies, and Tigertones. As always, open to all — just show up.
TapCats presents: Once Upon a Tap
March 27, 28 & 29, 8:00 p.m.
Frist Theater 300 Level Washington Road Princeton University
Come watch TapCats, the first and only tap group at Princeton, for their annual spring show: Once Upon a Tap. Tickets for the general public are available for $10, while students can purchase tickets for $8 or for free with the Passport to the Arts.
Monster Mash is an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Caroline Weaver ’25, exploring digital aesthetics, nostalgic media, and horror’s preoccupation with the female body. Weaver describes her approach as a fusion of whimsy and unease, using playful yet nostalgic imagery to explore the tension between self-expression and external perception. She focuses on how femininity is constructed and performed across virtual spaces, media, and real life. This event is free, unticketed and
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PHS
Celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, with the South Asian Students Association (SASA) and the Princ- eton Hindu Satsangam (PHS). Music and light snacks will be provided. Everyone on campus is welcome, so bring your friends and enjoy a day of explosive and vibrant colors. Make sure to wear clothes and shoes you would not mind getting colorful. Registration is required.
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The Forest of the Witch: Anatolian Shadow Theatre Performance by U.S. Karagoz Theatre Company
April 3, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
East Pyne Building, 010 COR
Experience a traditional one-man, Anatolian shadow theatre performance of The Forest of the Witch, performed by Ayhan Hulagu. Adapted from the 19th-century text “Bloody Poplar,” the play centers on Karagöz, a man who discovers a magical tree. The show is free and open to the public.
When Pages Breathe: The Greatness of Gatsby panel
March 31, 6:30 p.m.
Chancellor Green Rotunda
Join a special celebration of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in honor of its 100th anniversary. This series of events explores the novel’s impact and its adaptations for stage and screen across many days. It includes a panel discussion, masterclass, film screening, and a performance by Literature to Life, a theatrical initiative that brings classic books to life through dynamic stage adaptations. The panel on March 31, where playwright Martyna Majok and Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. discuss Gatsby, and American Myth, a new musical with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett, moderated by theater scholar Stacy Wolf and featuring a performance by Sharon Washington, will require registration. However, some of the celebration’s on other events are open to the public. Admission is free.
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Princeton Livestock Exchange Concert
April 1, 7:00 p.m.
CoLab, Lewis Arts Complex
The Princeton Livestock Exchange Concerts are a long-standing semi-regular series of improvisatory performances. This April, the concert will feature Dan Trueman, Travis Lapante, and Gulli Björnsson, with special guests yaz lancaster and gg200bpm. Trueman, a Princeton professor, will blend traditional and electronic music, while Laplante, an avante-garde saxophonist, and Björnsson, a composer and guitarist, center around classical and experimental music. The concert will blend experimental compositions with electroacoustic instrumentation. This event is free and unticketed.
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Princeton University Chamber Choir
Spring Concert
March 29, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Directed by Gabriel Crouch and Mi- chael McCormick, the Princeton University Chamber Choir will present a night of choral music. Crouch is Director of Choral Activities at Princeton, a former member of The King’s Singers, and a leader of the British en- semble Gallicantus. Michael McCormick is Choral Specialist at Princeton. He is a conductor, organist, and choral singer with experience performing with major orchestras. He also directs Ars Musica Chorale and serves as Music Director at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. General admission is $15, while students pay $5 or get in free using the Passport to the Arts.
Seeing the Big Picture: An Experimental Film Series
March 31, 8:00 p.m.
James Stewart Film Theater
Experience a special 16mm film screening series showcasing the work of leading experimental filmmakers. Organized by Professor Christopher Harris, this series shows internationally acclaimed art- ists pushing the boundaries of film through handmade techniques and unconventional materials. The show on March 31 will revolve around the work of Rhayne Vermette, with the screening followed by a discussion with Vermette. The event is free, unticketed, and open to the public.
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2025 VIS Junior Show
April 2, Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Weekends 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (gallery hours)
Lucas Gallery
The 2025 VIS Junior show is an exhibition showcasing recent works by junior students minoring in the Program in Visual Arts and Practice of Art majors from the Department of Art and Archaeology, curated by Lecturer with the Rank of Professor in Visual Arts James Welling. The show is free, unticketed, and open to the public.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
After difficult season, two men’s basketball assistants asked not to return for the 2025–26 season
By Doug Schwartz Associatae Sports Editor
“Brett’s a head coach,” Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 said of Associate Head Coach Brett MacConnell two years ago in an interview at Jadwin Gym after the Tigers defeated No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 7 seed Missouri in the same weekend to reach the Sweet 16.
Just two years later, MacConnell and assistant coach Lawrence Rowley have been asked not to return to the Tiger bench following a tumultuous season that saw the Tigers eliminated in the Ivy Madness semifinals despite being picked as the overwhelming preseason favorite to play in the NCAA tournament. While the news has not been announced by the athletics department, The Daily Princetonian was able to independently verify the information from sources close to the team.
Associate Director of Athletics for Communications Chas Dorman would not comment specifically on personnel matters other than to confirm that currently all members of the men’s basketball coaching staff are employed by the University.
The ‘Prince’ independently verified that MacConnell’s contract is not expected to be renewed and Rowley is not expected to be retained for the 2025-2026 season.
MacConnell has served as the team’s recruiting coordinator since 2013, proving impactful in shaping the program’s identity and the team’s recent successes. Junior stars Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce as well Tosan Evbuomwan ’23, Jaelin Llewellyn ’22, Devin Cannady ’19, and Zach Martini ’24 all have something in common: getting recruited by MacConnell.
MacConnell flew out to Leicestershire, England to watch Evbuomwan, giving him an offer despite his team getting blown out. Princeton was the only Division I school
to respond to Evbuomwan, now the NBA’s only Ivy Leaguer.
He took a chance on Lee, an unheralded recruit in high school who has blossomed into an NBA prospect, and Martini, who received his first Division I offer from MacConnell.
MacConnell was also invited to Silver Waves Media’s Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch, an event that highlights potential future Division 1 head coaches at this year’s Final Four in San Antonio. Rowley, meanwhile has been with Princeton since the 2022 season. From 2018 to 2021, Rowley played Division III basketball at Emory University before his senior season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
After graduating in 2021, Rowley spent a year at The College of New Jersey as a graduate assistant coach. The Lions went 10–14 overall that season, and the next year Rowley joined the Tigers’ coaching staff.
Since 2022, Rowley has been an assistant coach for Princeton, helping develop stars like Lee and Pierce. He contributed to a threeyear stretch where the Tigers won 66 of 91 games and 30 of 42 in the Ivy League. The coaching changes raise questions about the future of the Princeton basketball program. With the transfer portal now open, concerns about roster changes are also likely to pop up. In the new era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in college sports, star players Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce are bound to be offered six-figure deals to leave Princeton. But NIL is not limited to these players, and others on the team may be tempted to consider the portal.
After a season marked by unmet expectations, these coaching changes add uncertainty to the offseason for Princeton basketball.
Doug Schwartz is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
“Grover Cleveland: A Princeton Alumnus in Spirit”
By Vincent Sanfedele Staff Archivist
Walking past the Graduate School, do you think about the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, Grover Cleveland? Reflecting on the 1907 celebration of Cleveland’s 70th birthday serves as a reminder that you should. Despite being one of the few presidents who did not attend college, Cleveland became deeply involved with the University community after serving his presidential terms. Cleveland first visited Princeton during his second term in October 1896, and upon retirement, purchased the residence at 15 Hodge Road located mere minutes northwest of Princeton’s campus. The residence, which housed Cleveland until his death, was named “Westland Mansion” after Cleveland’s friend, Princeton Latin Professor and Dean of the Graduate School Andrew Fleming West Class of 1874. Built in 1854 and last sold in 2015, Westland Mansion is currently for sale with an asking price of $5,750,000.
During his retirement, Cleveland served as a “life trustee,” providing counsel on “all matters of importance connected with Princeton,” a degree of service symbolized by his position leading the charge of Commencement’s annual academic procession. His reach into campus life extended to supervision over various campus meetings, including intercollegiate debates. Consequently, Cleveland’s 70th birthday on March 18, 1907, served as the undergraduate body’s opportunity to express “their love and affection for one who has been so closely and pleasantly associated with the University for years past.”
To commemorate the occasion, Princeton’s undergraduates presented Cleveland with an elaborate “silver loving cup,” a “slight token of the love and esteem” felt toward him by students. The loving cup currently resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Cleveland died in 1908, less than two years after the presentation of the Loving Cup, and was buried in Princeton cemetery. On the anniversary of what would
have been his 72nd birthday, a gathering was held in New York City. As reported by the ‘Prince,’ President William Taft described Cleveland as displaying “simplicity and directness of thought, sturdy honesty, [and] courage of his convictions” at the ceremony. President Theodore Roosevelt’s letter of adoration read at the ceremony expressed “great admiration for the life Grover Cleveland had lived in Princeton after retiring from the Presidency.” Cleveland’s contributions to Princeton were memorialized in 1913 when the Cleveland Tower of the Graduate College was erected, a monument that still stands today.
Cleveland’s legacy persists in the Stafford Little Lecture Series, initially founded in 1899 with a $10,000 gift from Henry Stafford Little Class of 1844. This public lectureship stipulated that “Cleveland should be its incumbent as long as he lived,” resulting in Cleveland lecturing “once or twice each year before capacity audiences in Alexander Hall” on various topics, such as “The Independence of the
Executive” and “The Venezuelan Boundary Controversy.”
In recent correspondence with The Daily Princetonian, Public Lectures Administrator Kathy A. E. Vik notes the Stafford Little Lecture Series as bringing “other eminent public intellectuals to the Princeton campus” following Cleveland’s death, namely Albert Einstein and Thurgood Marshall. The series continues to provide Princeton students the opportunity to hear from prominent voices like Angela Davis in October 2024. It will hold two sponsored talks in April 2025, one with Jodi Kantor and Patrick Radden Keefe and another with Michael Lewis ’82. In memory of Cleveland’s impact and legacy, public events like these continue to educate the Princeton community on critical contemporary issues, a reminder of Cleveland’s exceptional service and lasting contributions to Princeton as an alumnus in spirit.
Vincent Sanfedele is a staff Archivist for the ‘Prince.’
