SPIA strengthens its commitment to providing students with public service careers
By Eojin Park News Contributor
The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) hosted its second annual “Undergraduate Policy Day in Washington” trip to its Washington headquarters on Sept. 27 — the latest in an informal push against the Princeton-to-private-sector pipeline. Since the start of the semester, SPIA has held a series of events and programs promoting careers in public service.
Princeton, which boasts the informal motto of “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity,” has long emphasized public service in its mission. For example, SPIA was first established in 1930, and it has produced notable alumni in government and public service careers, such as Ted Cruz ’92 and Ralph Nader ’55. However, some in recent years have argued that the University has strayed from its aims. According to The Daily Princetonian 2024 Senior Survey, just a third of graduates agreed with the question: “Would you characterize your postgraduate plans as ‘in the nation’s service and the service of humanity?’”
“Broadly speaking, I would say there was a push for public service,” said Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26, one of the September trip attendees, in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ Student participants reported that alumni actively encouraged SPIA students to enter public service jobs and stressed the fulfilling nature of careers in the field.
“One of the speakers mentioned that the work they do in public service is much more fun than consulting,” she added.
However, Swamidurai described comments placing greater value in working for the public sector over private sector jobs as “highly individualized,” noting that they reflected personal opinions rather than a formal stance on the part of the SPIA department.
The SPIA Public Service Career Day, held on Oct. 25, also placed a strong emphasis on public service over careers in the private sector.
“You may wonder sometimes whether your work is actually having an impact on making the world better,” said New Jersey State Senator Raj Mukherji GS ’24, a keynote speaker for the Career Day event. “In public service, you won’t be on the sidelines. Your work, directly or indirectly, will be impactful on people’s daily lives.”
“There’s no greater calling than using your talents for the benefit of others,” continued Mukherji. “It will make up for better pay [available for] private sector jobs.”
Events such as the Washington trip and Public Service Career Day are not SPIA’s first effort to convince students to pursue public service. “SPIA in New Jersey” is another program designed to bolster student participation and present viable career paths in public service. The program focuses on community service, engagement, and public policy research in the state of New Jersey through partnering with faculty members, advocacy groups, and other local organizations.
“The ‘SPIA in New Jersey’ program is about a year and a half old … [and it was] launched in response to the en-
thusiasm expressed not only by graduate students, but also undergrads that wanted their public policy education to prepare them for public service and public engagement,” commented Professor Anastasia R. Mann, who serves as the founding director of the initiative. Mann stressed that its purpose is “to fulfill [Princeton’s] mission of service to the nation. Jersey is … our little slice of the nation.”
“In the aftermath of Jan. 6, many of us understood how fragile democracy is and how to have a better sense of what it takes to protect it,” she added. “In SPIA, a lot of people are excited about that work, and those are the people I work with, the students who take my classes.”
Mann added that consulting was still a viable career path that she does not discourage students from entering, saying, “Some of my best students have gone into consulting, but that doesn’t mean I love them any less for it.”
Professor Udi Ofer, founding director of the SPIA’s Policy Advocacy Clinic, expressed excitement over the department’s increased funding towards more programs oriented towards public service.
“I think it’s all about giving students choices. Our job is to make students informed … It’s my job to show students what a life could look like if they chose a similar career path as a lawyer or as a policy strategist,” he said.
However, the SPIA department emphasized that the purpose of programs like “SPIA in D.C.” and “SPIA in N.J.” is not to devalue consulting, but instead present more public service opportuni-
ties to SPIA students to provide a broader choice of careers.
“There is no attempt to guide students away from [consulting] jobs,” said Senior Associate Dean Paul Lipton. “Our objective as an undergraduate program is to give students a much broader sense of what is possible and ways to get there.”
“Anyone who believes that going into the private sector is a harm is misunderstanding and misrepresenting what those jobs do for anybody, whether students or the constituents they serve,” continued Lipton. “It is certainly not our perspective that these jobs are harmful or undesirable.”
According to Lipton, SPIA hopes to encourage students who are passionate about public policy and service, but either lack information or are considering more profit-oriented careers.
Lipton encouraged students in doubt to “come right to us … we have a wonderful and long list of alums who are more than willing and happy to discuss career opportunities in a variety of fields.”
“A lot of students come to SPIA because they want to save the world, and that is a great instinct to have, and we want to nurture that,” said Ofer.
“Different people have different life circumstances and they have to make tough decisions,” Ofer added. “It’s our job at SPIA to make sure they have all the information they need … and support them in whatever option they choose.”
Eojin Park is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese addresses Gaza, antisemitism allegations in SPIA talk
By Eojin Park News Contributor
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, spoke at a filled Robertson Auditorium as part of the Dean’s Leadership series organized by the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) on Oct. 29.
The conversation was facilitated by Professor of SPIA Razia Iqbal. Albanese began the talk by discussing a report she published in March, which labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.”
During the talk, she highlighted “the wholesale destruction of Gaza” and “the violence that Israel is unleashing against the Palestinians.”
“The Palestinians [have lived] for 57 years under military rule without civil rights,” Albanese said. “Who would like to live like that? The Palestinians have opposed this system, sometimes peacefully, sometimes violently.”
Albanese’s invitation to speak at the University drew criticism from some students and community members. Within the last week, calls began to build from pro-Israel groups to condemn Albanese, accusing her of antisemitism. On Monday, a member of Congress redacted her invitation to speak to a group of congressional staffers.
About two dozen people attended a protest organized by the student organization Tigers for Israel (TFI) at the foun-
tain outside of the SPIA building.
“We’re coming out here today to say clearly and without equivocation that Francesca Albanese is not welcome on our campus at Princeton,” Maximillian Meyer ’27, the president of TFI, said at the rally. “The double standard applied to the ancient bigotry of antisemitism is not lost on any of us, and so we must fight back.”
Meyer drew his allegations from recent reporting by pro-Israel groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, accusing Albanese of antisemitism.
Meyer also spearheaded a contentious exchange during the question and answer portion of the event. In his question, Meyer cited examples such as a tweet Albanese made comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler.
“How dare you compare Jews to our oppressors, dismiss the antisemitic hatred that fuels violence against us, and deny us, unlike any other oppressed group, the right to define the parameters of our own oppression?” he asked Albanese.
Albanese attempted to refute the reports before turning to the offensive. She pushed back by saying, “you have to stop living in the minds of the people, because the level of paranoia is unthinkable. Why are you speaking on behalf of all the Jews?” Her last remark prompted applause from the audience.
“[The Palestinians] have been kept in a
cage, in a ghetto, and many of them have had their homes destroyed and their families killed,” Albanese continued in response to Meyer. “The fact that you don’t want to see the pain of the other party, the trauma of the party, doesn’t speak to my alleged antisemitism.”
When asked by Iqbal on her thoughts on accusations that Albanese was being antisemitic, Albanese responded, “Israel has a track record as a serial violator of Israeli law. It has nothing to do with the Jewish people … [nor] the Israeli people.”
According to Albanese, the definition of antisemitism has shifted in recent years.
“Antisemitism is disgusting,” commented Albanese. “However, in recent years, antisemitism has been used as a weapon against any critical voice against Israeli practices.”
“Jewish people have profound love for Israel, and I respect it, but I do not respect governments who do not abide by international law,” Albanese continued. “No one here is calling for the destruction of the Israeli state. [I am] only asking for Israel to be aligned with international law and human rights and not practice apartheid.”
Notably, Albanese acknowledged the history of antisemitism and relationship to the creation of Israel, yet stressed the importance of the Israeli state discontinuing its war.
“Back then, colonialism was accepted. It was kosher, and so no one would re-
ally be uncomfortable with it,” Albanese said. “It is true that Jewish people were oppressed for centuries … no one can judge what was done in the last century, 80 years ago. [But] how can we correct injustice by making another injustice?”
The talk with Albanese was punctuated with several outbursts from members of the audience. A group of pro-Israel protesters exclaimed, “Don’t f---ng clap” in response to applause when Albanese characterized the Israeli state’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “acts of genocide.”
At one point, several protesters left the room, with one of them yelling, “You liar. You can’t listen to this crap. We’re leaving.” They were met with hushing from some students holding signs reading “#EndJewhatred” and saying Albanese supported “terrorism and genocide.”
The talk with Albanese concluded with a final question from Dean of SPIA Amaney Jamal, who is Palestinian and grew up in the West Bank.
“At the end of the day, the Israelis are going to have to contend with the Palestinians, and the Palestinians are going to have to contend with the Israelis if we’re going to talk about the two-state solution,” Jamal said. “How do we get there? How do we emerge from this moment where we can keep that as a goal?”
In response, Albanese said, “I don’t think that there will be any way to move forward without the Israelis coming to terms with that [they] cannot live while
mistreating Palestinians, that there is no way that the Palestinians will leave their land.”
Salam Fayyad, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and a SPIA professor, told The Daily Princetonian after the event, “I was really impressed by the fact that it went very well [and] peacefully, rarely without significant disruption.”
Udi Ofer, a professor of SPIA, wrote to the ‘Prince’ that he was “grateful for the ability to hear her views and especially appreciated those moments from her talk and afterwards when she engaged directly in dialogue with students and community members who disagreed with her.”
Fayyad declined to comment on the content of Albanese’s talk, but added that he was “focused on the fact that these conversations can take place and that more of them should take place on campus.”
“The more students are exposed to this, the more they practice actually being around when they hear things they like and when they hear things they don’t like,” Fayyad continued. “I think this really says a lot, and I’m very pleased with it.”
Eojin Park is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Ryland Graham / The Daily Princetonian SPIA Career Day in 2023.
‘I
don’t feel represented by Princeton’: Students react to reinstated fossil fuel research funding
By Michelle Miao & Miriam Waldvogel
Two years after announcing that it would cut financial ties with certain segments of the fossil fuel industry, the University re-opened the door to research funded by those companies in an Oct. 3 letter to the faculty.
“It’s not right for Princeton to promote sustainability initiatives when their research is being funded by the culprits [of the climate crisis],” said Raquel Rodriguez ’28, a member of Sunrise Princeton, at an Oct. 4 rally protesting the decision.
In 2022, the University announced it would dissociate from — meaning “refraining, to the greatest extent possible, from any relationships that involve a financial component” with — 90 fossil fuel companies. The companies, including ExxonMobil, all met a list of criteria that included involvement with highly-polluting segments of the industry.
The University also pledged to eliminate all endowment holdings in publicly traded fossil fuel companies and established a fund to support energy research that would be otherwise impacted by dissociation. The move was heralded as “historic” at the time and came after nearly a decade of student activism.
In its October announcement, however, the University wrote that dissociation “adversely and inequitably affected scholars whose research programs are addressing pressing environmental problems.” It claimed that schol-
ars had lost out on funding for “research to combat the harms of climate change,” as well as collaborative partnerships.
As a result, the University will now allow researchers to accept funding from companies otherwise meeting the dissociation criteria, with the caveat that researchers use the funds with the “aim to produce environmental benefits.”
While the Board of Trustees issued the 2022 decision to cut ties with some fossil fuel companies, University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill said in a statement to The Daily Princetonian that the most recent rollback was made by the University administration, “which has the responsibility for determining how to implement the Board of Trustees’ fossil fuel dissociation decision.”
Several students, including some involved in Sunrise, said the move undermined their trust in the University.
“Without dissociation, Princeton will continue to be implicated in the exploitative and racialized capitalist system that contributes to the climate crisis,” wrote Connie Gong ’25, vice president of the Princeton Conservation Society. “It erodes my (already limited) trust in the University administration’s ability to act on student calls for change.”
The Sunrise rally, planned weeks in advance, was originally intended to introduce Sunrise’s “Finish the Job” campaign to pressure the University to divest the rest of its endowment from fossil fuels and to implement other climate-friendly measures. However, it turned into a call for the Uni-
versity to “do the job” in the wake of the announcement. About 60 students attended the rally.
“Princeton dismantled dissociation and we demand that the University put the pieces back together,” said Alex Norbrook ’26 at the rally. “The University has taken over a decade of work from students, faculty, and staff, and they’ve shredded it all.”
Norbrook is an Opinion columnist for ‘Prince.’
Rally co-coordinator Mira Eashwaran ’26 noted that climate is a very personal issue for many students, noting that “just a week after Hurricane Helene, the University decided, ‘We’re going to work with the fossil fuels that have caused that climate disaster. We’re going to let them back into our community.’”
Eashwaran is a staff Features writer for the ‘Prince.’
Others questioned whether fossil fuel funding would influence the outcomes of research.
Cameron Farid ’26, president of the Princeton University Energy Association, said that he had “no evidence of funding from a fossil fuel company impacting the direction of research in any way,” citing his internship with the Andlinger Center for the Environment last summer.
James Daniels ’26, who criticized the 2022 dissociation decision as “ineffective” and harmful to the health of the endowment in an article in The Princeton Tory, welcomed the reversal but critiqued the abruptness of the move.
“The sudden reversal showcases the University’s lack of foresight and continued climate hys-
teria that paralyzes innovation to existing technologies,” Daniels wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Daniels also challenged the current University criteria for “purposely exclud[ing] projects that acknowledge the continued short-term importance of fossil fuels.”
In September — prior to the University’s policy announcement — Sunrise released a report arguing that Princeton continues to “to invest in, profit from, and produce research that serves the interests of fossil fuel companies.”
This included criticism of fossil fuel funding that the University receives for climate research, which allegedly allows companies to promote their image and protect their business models. One main focus was the BP-funded Carbon Mitigation Initiative, which Sunrise stated was used by BP to “advance its communications campaign to promote natural gas, boost its credibility as a supposed climate leader, and influence policy at the highest level.”
The report also criticized the University’s stakes in Petrotiger, an oil and gas company from which the University has reported earning nearly $140 million in investment income and direct financial contributions, or cash transactions, over the last 10 years.
Though Princeton’s current ownership stake in Petrotiger is unclear, Vice President for Finance Jim Matteo confirmed at the Sept. 30 Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) meeting that University investment in Petrotiger began in the 1980s.
“We believe research will have a
more significant positive impact than any choices the University makes about its investments or management of resources,” Morrill wrote to the ‘Prince.’ She argued that the recent change in dissociation was consistent with the University’s guidelines on divestment and dissociation, which encourage responses that “offer at least some possibility of constructive impact” and are “consistent with the fundamental character of the University as an academic institution.”
The guidelines also encourage the University to respond in ways that “can merit broad support through the University.”
Speaking to the ‘Prince’ after the rally, Sunrise co-coordinator Liz Kunz ’27 said, “It’s more important now than ever to reaffirm the importance of activism on the Princeton campus in demanding that the University listen to student voices.”
“We’re going to continue to raise awareness and build our movement so that Princeton takes us seriously and actually prioritizes their students’ future. Because right now, I don’t feel represented by Princeton,” said Sunrise co-coordinator Anna Buretta ’27.
Michelle Miao is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Oxford, Ohio.
Miriam Waldvogel is an associate News editor and the investigations editor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Stockton, Calif. and often covers campus activism and University accountability.
University endowment investment returns increase, value remains the same
By Victoria Davies Assistant News Edtior
Over the 2024 fiscal year (FY24), which ended June 30, Princeton’s endowment generated a 3.9 percent investment gain, according to an announcement released by the University on Oct. 24. This year’s investment gain, however, has not led to an increase in the size of the endowment overall, with the 2024 value matching that of 2023 — both $34.1 billion.
This is notably the first endowment gain reported by the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO), the University department that manages the endowment, in two years, with 1.5 and 1.7 percent losses in FY 2022 and 2023, respectively.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the endowment is not being managed by Andrew Golden, the former long-time president of PRINCO who retired in June. During his tenure the endowment grew almost tenfold, with only three negative investment gains in that time. The endowment’s success was often credited to Golden’s aggressive investment strategy, which targeted an annual return of 10 percent.
Vincent Tuohey, PRINCO’s new president, declined to comment on the endowment announcement.
Before the end of his tenure, Golden warned that Princeton’s endowment could suffer after fac-
ing what he described the “worst ever environment” for liquidity, in an April interview with the Financial Times. Despite Golden’s signaling, the 2024 returns mark the first time the endowment has had a positive investment gain since 2021, though much smaller than that year’s historic 46.9 percent investment gain. PRINCO and the University did not respond to repeated requests for comment on how the investment returns improved since Golden’s interview with the Financial Times.
Princeton maintains one of the largest endowments in the country, topped by Harvard University, whose endowment grew by 9.6 percent to $53.2 billion from July 2023 to June 2024, and Stanford University, with an endowment value of $37.6 billion as of Aug. 31. Yale University boasted an endowment value of $40.7 billion as of June 30, 2023. Details of Yale’s endowment for the financial year ended this June have not yet been announced.
Several peer institutions, including Harvard and Stanford, typically detail the amount of money disbursed into the operating expenses of the university. According to Princeton’s announcement, distributions from the endowment fund 70 percent of the undergraduate financial aid budget, as well as University research, service and social impact programs, campus construction, and outreach programs support-
ing first-generation low-income, veteran, and transfer students.
The announcement states that the distributions from the endowment towards the University’s operations were $1.7 billion for FY24. Harvard’s outgoings were $2.4 billion, while Yale’s for FY23 were $1.8 billion.
The Board of Trustees set an operating budget for the academic year 2023-24 of $2.92 billion, an increase from $2.66 billion the previous year.
The University reports that the endowment helps fund research, “including in the areas of quan-
tum computing, artificial intelligence, climate science, and insights on diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer.” On Oct. 3, the University announced that it would resume accepting research funding from fossil fuel companies that fail to meet its dissociation criteria, sparking backlash from various groups across campus.
The admission and financial aid website details that the average annual undergraduate aid package for Princeton students is $73,000 for those who receive aid, while the financial aid program
covers 100 percent of tuition, housing, food, books, and personal expenses “for most families” making up to $100,000 annually. The undergraduate financial aid budget was increased by 26.4 percent for the academic year 2023–24 to a total of $268 million, which accounted for more than nine percent of the University’s total operating budget of $2.92 billion.
Victoria Davies is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ who covers University operations.
“S ilhouette S ”
By Peter Stover Staff Constructor
Ellipse 16 River, south of the border
Plaything for a Greek god
Good date night movies
Utter 23 U.K. lexicon 24 Like charges faced by Trump and Young Thug
Indigenous Coloradans
Inconsiderable 34 Radio, newspaper, television, etc.
36 With 37-Across, a road to nowhere
37 See 36-Across 38 Helicopter-parented
“Minions” movie mastermind
45 Ship for Jason and company
46 Tiresias and Pythia, for two
50 Like Grant and Lincoln 54 Soothing gel
55 Broadway’s “Dear ___ Hansen”
Gossip 58 Formerly deflated Princeton no.
59 2016 Best Picture nominee ... or a hint to the circled letters
65 One way to see
To a greater extent
Mediterranian or Caspian
Separate from the pack
Wandered off
Toys for ___
Elegist's muse
What a pitcher might provide? 7 Labor 8 Stratford-upon-___ 9 Actor Malek 10 Serb or Bosnian 11 Ninety degrees, for one? 12 Perish 13 Emergency transmission 19 Famous Roman “fiddler” 21 Navy rank below capt.
25 Is able to 26 Aged 28 Bro’s sibling
30 Called to a purpose?
Grade to “get a degree”
___ and feather
Midmonth date, to 19-Down
Given a blue baby shower, say: Abbr
N.B.A.’s magic, on a scoreboard
Friday antecedent?
“Breaking Bad” org.
Ph.D. prereq
Gun, as an engine
Further along
By Isaac Bernstein Staff Constructor
Dashes with salt, say
Meter or liter 52 Gun regulation grp.
“Scarlet” and “Hot Pink” singer, to fans
Brontë’s Jane
Mountain range in Russia
Id's follower, in i.e.
“All in favor?” response
Doménikos Theotokópoulos's nickname 48 Convinces to come along
The Minis
By Jessica Wang Staff Prospect Writer
Princeton’s ‘no-loan’ policy doesn’t mean no debt
Eleanor Clemans-Cope Head Opinion Editor
In 2023, Princeton took a recent graduate to court over $7,000 in defaulted student loans. At the same time, the University had an endowment of $34 billion dollars, increasing at an average annual rate of 9.9% over most of its current students’ lifetimes and standing at 62% above its value ten years before. And that $7,000 case was not the only one of its kind: Princeton has launched multiple lawsuits against recent graduates over nonpayment of student debt.
For all the buzz about Princeton’s “no-loan” financial aid policy, a shocking share of Princeton students walk away with burdensome loans. Princeton claims to be no-loan because they eliminated the “student contribution,” which students were expected to pay. But the “family contribution,” assessed from one’s family income and wealth, is burdensome for many.
Princeton reported that 11 percent of this year’s recent seniors graduated with debt — and 17 percent of “recent seniors” last year did. And that only counts loans taken out by students themselves — not including loans covered by students’ families and guardians, which Princeton does not report. This is unacceptable: Princeton advertises a no-loan education, and they should make it true. This means rethinking the family contri-
bution to account for taxes and family situation, offering betterquality loans for students, and lowering, or potentially eliminating, tuition.
First, taking a hard look at how Princeton decides affordability is critical. Princeton’s family contribution is calculated as “25 percent of income over $100,000 and 5 percent of student and parent assets over $150,000.” Twentyfive percent of income — outside of essentials — seems reasonable to spend on one child of the average four-person household, right?
Not so fast. In my Class of 2026, 40 percent of us have more than one sibling, busting the onequarter of income, one-quarter of the family idea. But there’s another sneakier and more pervasive problem: Princeton contributions are assessed from pretax income.
Consider an example: a fourmember family with a household income of $200,000 in Trenton, N.J. As a solidly upper-middleclass family unit, Princeton expects them to pay $25,000 based on their pre-tax income. This is 12.5 percent of their total pre-tax income.
But here’s where it gets interesting: most American families pay around 25 percent of income to federal, state, and local taxes. This family has a tax rate of around 28.6 percent, so their after-tax income is about $143,000. So, Princeton is actually taking 58 percent of their after-tax income over $100,000.
With this case in mind, it’s easy to see how 10 to 20 percent of Princeton students end up with personal loans, with many more likely taken out by parents as well. And where does it leave
them? As recently as Sept. 17, Princeton reported that the average total student indebtedness at graduation was around $9,400.
Nine thousand four hundred dollars may not sound like a lot to students who do not have these loans. But with interest rates ranging up to 18 percent in 2023, the interest accrued exceeds the original loan over a 10year period. Although some families make the decision to take out loans in order to pay smaller installments over a longer period of time, it’s not only people who can strategically afford to take on these loans who are forced to, as is obvious from the story of one former student defaulting on just $7,000 and another prior to that with around $6,000 in loans.
To start alleviating this burden, Princeton could easily bring back loans with more favorable terms and better interest rates. In the past, the University offered a service called Princeton Subsidized Loans, which had a low 5 percent interest rate and did not accrue interest during college — essentially the best loan option for Princeton students.
But this year, they’ve restricted eligibility for this loan to only three situations: summer courses, educational technology, and the scholarship tax — which Princeton shamefully does not cover for low-income international students, although other schools do.
By restricting this program, Princeton has forced students to take out loans with worse terms. The second-best loans are federal subsidized loans, with rates around 6.5 percent and no interest until graduation. But these are capped at $3,500 for firstyears, ratcheting up to $5,500 for
seniors. And federal unsubsidized loans, which start accruing interest immediately, but have a more favorable interest rate than private loans, are capped at the same levels.
A first-year who needed to take out more than $7,000 or a senior who needed to take out more than $11,000 would need to turn to the private market. But private loans, as noted above, are far worse, and they are aggressively marketed to Princeton students. For all my time at Princeton, I’ve been getting emails like: “Do you need money to cover your expenses for Princeton?” advertising interest rates above 15 percent.
It’s absurd that Princeton allows students to be preyed on like this, especially those with worse credit who are stuck with the worst rates. Instead of eliminating subsidized loans, Princeton needs to expand its current options to keep students out of such predatory traps.
In order to truly commit to a no-loan approach, Princeton needs to work directly with students who would otherwise be forced to take out loans. Currently, the administration speaks about students “choosing” to take out loans. They need to drop that attitude and work genuinely to understand students’ financial situation. Few students want to take out loans. It’s more likely that Princeton simply does not understand their financial situation.
And even better than this, Princeton should become truly affordable. In recent years, Princeton has increased their cost far past the rate of inflation. Princeton’s full cost of attendance is $86,700, with tuition rising nearly twice as fast as inflation over
the last 30 years. But tuition does not need to be this high. Princeton does not even need to charge tuition: with the endowment’s growth rate, Princeton can afford canceling tuition. And the effect of dramatically reducing, or even eliminating, tuition would have a ripple effect beyond setting a new standard in higher education that could help end the tuition arms race among elite institutions.
This brings us to a fundamental question about the role of elite universities in American society. Is their primary purpose to maintain and grow their wealth or to serve as engines of economic mobility and human flourishing? Princeton’s failure to make their “no-loan” policy real suggests an institution caught between these competing imperatives.
Yes, Princeton has one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. But the question isn’t whether Princeton can afford to do better — they demonstrably can. The question is whether they can recognize that many students are still burdened under the “no loan” regime and work to improve further. Sometimes the hardest thing for wealthy institutions isn’t finding the money to solve a problem, it’s recognizing that they have the power to solve it.
Eleanor Clemans-Cope (she/her) is a junior from Rockville, Md. studying economics. She can be reached on Twitter at @eleanorjcc or by email at eleanor.cc[at]princeton.edu. Her column, “Eyes on the Tiger,” runs every two weeks on Wednesday.
Give students a break from nuisance fees
Thomas Buckley Associate Opinion Editor
Right when I was supposed to leave for break, it hit me. I rummaged through my left pocket, then my right, then my left again, until I was left with one inexorable conclusion: I had locked my wallet in my room.
I rushed to the Service Point to get my temporary prox and make it to my train on time. I was greeted by a friendly employee who informed me that while this first indiscretion was free of charge, the fourth time that I locked myself out of my room would come with a $30 charge for my carelessness. Princeton is full of fees like this, but as I rushed back to my dorm, my new card in hand, I couldn’t help but wonder: what point is there in charging for this service?
This charge is instead part of a genre of fees that are more of a nuisance than anything else. If
they are intended to be punitive, they are too small to be an effective deterrent. However, raising them would come across as excessively cruel. Instead, the fees exist only to squeeze as much money out of the students using these services as possible. These fees are not enough to engender real resentment, but just enough to elicit a groan from everyone forced to deal with them. While these fees might not seem like much, for low-income students, they can add up, creating unnecessary frustration and anxiety. By doing away with these fees, Princeton can give students something we all desperately need: a break.
It’s not like Princeton needs the money. A $30 fee pales in comparison to a $34 billion endowment, and if they did, they have plenty of other ways to get it. The Service Point already charges $75 for failing to return the temporary card within 24 hours.
Moreover, the fee does not meaningfully work as a deterrent to students. Chronically forgetful people — a group I count myself as a part of — don’t lose their possessions because the cost of find-
ing them is low, and raising the cost is not going to cause people to lose their things less. Absentmindedness is not the result of a cost-benefit analysis. If it was, one would think that the embarrassment and inconvenience of having to walk across campus was a sufficient deterrent to careless students.
All the fee incentivizes is for students to find other means of avoiding getting locked out, such as taping their doors, risking an even more substantial fine.
For low-income students, these fees can be more than a mere annoyance. While typically too small to trouble high-income students, these fees can be just large enough to cause an undue burden to those with less means to pay immediately.
One example is the $45 fee that Princeton imposes to drop classes after the add/drop deadline. Dropping a class is already a substantial decision that risks derailing a student’s academic career. Someone who is considering dropping a class is likely facing the real potential of failing the class and giving up on credit for weeks of
work. What good does punishing them do?
High-income students have the ability to pay the fee without a second thought. The fee only meaningfully impacts students for whom it might be a burden. Consequently, these students are denied access to — or have to make a more difficult decision to access — an option that wealthier students take advantage of without thinking.
Instead of trying to sway behavior, or subsidize a meaningful administrative cost, all these nuisance fees are doing is charging students because they can. It is nothing more than petty, useless profit-seeking behavior from one of the richest universities in the world — an entity that does not need to put its students in difficult, inconvenient financial positions for the sake of increasing its wealth. These nuisance fees only serve to increase Princeton’s bottom line while doing nothing to help the University community as a whole.
So, Princeton, give us students a break. We already pay for mistakes in lost items, wasted time,
and embarrassing phone calls to friends searching for our things. We pay in retaken classes, fivecourse semesters, and the threat of late graduation. Adding one, two, or even five more $30 charges is not going to meaningfully change rich students’ behavior. The charge affects low-income students and punishes them disproportionately and unfairly. Stop trying to incessantly nickel and dime the student body and instead just let it go. Students already pay through the teeth for textbooks, printing at Pequod, and everything else that goes into being a student. Being at Princeton can be demanding. Many of us are away from home for the first time, trying to figure our lives out in an increasingly stress-inducing environment. Just for once, let us off the hook.
Associate Opinion Editor Thomas Buckley is a junior from Colchester, Vt. majoring in Public Policy. He will try to check his email at thomas.buckley[at] princeton.edu, but he makes no promises. His column “This Side of Nassau” runs every three weeks on Thursday.
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Transgender athletes deserve better — at Princeton and beyond
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n Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Utah State women’s volleyball team forfeited a seemingly inconsequential match against the San José State University Spartans. This wasn’t new — Southern Utah University, University of Wyoming, and Boise State University had all done the same in the last month.
Why? While none of the teams have given any reasoning for their sudden forfeit, it’s easy enough to connect the dots: Blaire Fleming, senior right side hitter for the Spartans, was outed as transgender by a far-right anti-queer magazine and, later, by her team captain in legal filings.
But this isn’t just a Mountain Conference problem. According to The Daily Princetonian’s Frosh Survey, 43.4 percent of new Princetonians support bans on transgender women competing in women’s sports, and only 28 percent oppose them. This data reveals that Princeton students hold antitrans beliefs. We must admit this openly, interrogate why this is the case, and commit to ending pervasive transphobia in our own community.
Last month at a sportsfocused event with LGBTQ+ alumni, Director of Athletics John Mack ’00 said that trans participation in sports “is not a Princeton issue. This is not an NCAA issue.” Instead, Mack argued that “this is a global issue, and you have to enter into the conversation with that in the back of your mind, because expecting answers is just unrealistic.” But Mack’s answer avoids accountability because change on campus can concretely make life better for trans and queer students at the University, as well as allow Princeton to become a leader in just sports policy.
We must address this because Princeton particularly, it seems, takes issue with trans athletes. After national uproar erupted around Lia Thomas’s status as a transgender college swimmer, the ‘Prince’ reported on the inflamed tensions that plagued the University’s swim and dive community. Princeton even made it into the lede of a 2022 New York Times article regarding Thomas’s competition, which referenced a Princeton women’s swim team meeting with the executive director of the Ivy League athletic conference. Members of the team were reportedly frustrated, “edging into anger.”
The purpose of this article is not to deride Princeton athletics, nor do I bring any profound solutions to the table. As a matter of fact, I’m receptive to the way that Princeton
and the Ivy League conference have implemented the NCAA policy surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes. That’s because their interpretation of the NCAA rules stems from a baseline of inclusion, not exclusion. What both students and the administration must work to change, as pointed out again and again by former Princeton wrestler AJ Lonski ’23, is the culture.
Lonski and Griffin Maxwell Brooks ’23, both queer student athletes, have written and spoken extensively about the ostracization that queer and trans athletes can face on campus. Lonski left the men’s wrestling team after his mental health suffered because of the anti-queer environment that the team allowed to fester. Brooks, who is transgender and non-binary, left the men’s diving team after a series of TikToks where they argued that the University, and Princeton athletics, aren’t welcoming to transgender people.
Right now, rules barring trans women from sports are supported by an alarmingly high percentage of the class of 2028.
Rhetoric against trans athletes concerns everyone — trans and not trans, athlete and non-athlete — because it is a sign of the broader transphobic sentiment to come, which has already affected parts of our society and caused serious harm to the LGBTQ+ community.
Yes, oftentimes, those who make the argument that transgender women have “unfair biological advantages” or make sports “unsafe” for cis women are not trying to cause harm, and there are legitimate conversations to be had about who gets to compete in what category of sports at the highest level.
However, the debate over women’s sports is overwhelmingly pushed by demagogues in bad faith, to use trans participation in sports as a wedge issue to demonize transgender people.
As the political zeitgeist of the right has become more anti-transgender, Princetonians committed to inclusion should not let this cultural phenomenon affect our willingness to address this in a nuanced manner, informed by data and compassion.
Rules targeting trans people in sports affect incredibly small populations. In Utah, an ultra-conservative supermajority in the state legislature overrode their Republican governor’s veto to pass a law that barred a whopping singular transgender student from playing K-12 sports. Last year, fewer than 40 of the current 500,000 NCAA athletes were transgender. It’s absurd that the right has created a furor
this large out of a so-called “problem” this small. If trans women do have any athletic “advantage,” it isn’t decisive: the singular outtrans NCAA champion Lia Thomas was slower than the NCAA record in the 500 freestyle by over 9 seconds. Thomas doesn’t even scratch the top 10 fastest times in women’s NCAA history. Thomas was a good swimmer in the men’s category — but that doesn’t mean she had an unfair advantage.
Indeed, the academic “jury” is still out on whether transgender athletes have concrete biological advantages compared to their cisgender peers. A 2021 review from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport found that studies looking into the performance of trans people were often methodologically flawed. It also suggested that transgender women who undergo testosterone suppression have no statistically significant biological advantage over cis women. A 2024 article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine corroborated these findings, cautioning against the outright bans of transgender people playing in sports. After her transition, Thomas lost an inch of height and muscle mass. In her words, Thomas didn’t transition to win swimming competitions; she transitioned to “be true to [herself].”
It doesn’t serve the Princeton community well to ostracize trans people by supporting anti-trans rules. While not all minds will be changed immediately by action we take on campus, the University and the student body — by acknowledging the lived experience of queer student athletes — can become leaders on this issue. For starters, the University and its students should stop platforming bullies like Riley Gaines, who spoke on campus last November at the invitation of the Princeton Open Campus Coalition and used her voice to attack and intimidate transgender people, athletes or not.
Since attention surrounding Thomas brought tensions to the surface of Princeton’s athletic community, the University community has had to reckon with what it means to be inclusive. Until now, comments like Mack’s exemplify an avoidant attitude. Blaire Fleming, Lia Thomas, and all queer and transgender people in NCAA athletics deserve to have a place, and the Princeton community must do its best to support them.
Charlie Yale is a first-year from Omaha, Neb.
Charlie Yale Contributing Opinion Writer
the PROSPECT. ARTS, CULTURE & BRAINSSSS
Looking for a last-minute costume? Here’s what you’ll see on the street this Halloween
By Natalie Diaz | Staff Prospect Writer
Halloween is just around the corner. Like most years, the 31st of October is closer than it appears, and chances are you have procrastinated on costume planning as much as you have on studying. While there is little time left, here are my predictions for some of the most popular Halloween costumes this year — maybe you can get some ideas while scavenging your closet for a last-minute costume!
Sabrina Carpenter)
not be working, you will probably be up late … so why not be a singer?
lease of her album
this year and the success of her tour, Sabrina Carpenter’s signature “Short n’ Sweet” look — sparkly mini dresses, corsets with heart cut-outs, fluffy hair, and knee-high boots — will undoubtedly be one many are aiming to replicate this Halloween. I also predict seeing at least a few Chappell Roans roaming the street this Halloweekend due to the artist’s rise in exposure this year. Some may choose to replicate a not-so-casual “Casual” look or one of her recognizable concert outfits complete
land,” “Strawberry Shortcake,” and “Toy Story” are among those that I have noticed have rose in popularity through discussions with peers and across social media. Wonderland groups will likely include variations of the protagonist’s signature blue dress, top hats and mismatched clothing for the Mad Hatter, and stopwatches referencing the White Rabbit’s obsession with Strawberry Shortcake and her friends will likely be recognizable in striped tights, dessert iconography, and color-coded outfits. “Toy Story” characters can be spotted wearing cowboy hats, space ranger With the “Wicked” movie coming out this November, I expect particular popularity in “Wizard of Oz” costumes. Look out for Dorothy’s blue gingham dress and magi -
cal red shoes, Elphaba with her traditional witch attire, and Glinda with a puffy pink dress — likely shortened for convenience.
Inside Out
We may see lots of emotions out on the street this weekend, with some groups choosing to portray characters from this past summer’s wildly successful “Inside Out 2.” Costumes will likely vary. Some groups may stay true to each character’s movie outfit, but I expect the majority to opt for more conceptual costumes referencing a character’s signature color and donning a few key accessories — glasses for Sadness, a tie for Anger, or Anxiety’s unruly hair.
Olympians
The 2024 Olympics sparked a lot of conversation this summer. As always, the athletes were spectacular to watch and support, but this year’s Games also led to a rise in memes that made particular moments and athletes more memorable. Some notable athletes we may see this Halloween include Australian breakdancer Rachael
“Raygun” Gunn, with her unconventional yet unforgettable dance moves; Turkish sharpshooter Yusuf Dikeç, who many joked was a retired hitman; and U.S. gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, remembered as the “pommel horse guy.”
Tashi, Art, and Patrick (Challengers)
Other athletes we may see are the fictional Art, Tashi Donaldson, and Patrick Zweig from “Challengers.” Luca Guadagnino’s film was among the most popular this summer, and the characters — and their iconic love triangle — remain widely talked about. Some students may choose to sport one of Tashi’s signature blue mini dresses or Art and Patrick’s dressier attire, but I predict many will opt to wear some tennis gear for a more recognizable look. The athletic option should also be fairly easy to achieve as a last-minute idea.
Natalia Diaz is a member of the Class of 2027 and a staff writer for The Prospect at the ‘Prince.’
“Free Halloween pumpkin with candles inside at night photo”
Park: “I don’t really have a strong inspiration for our Halloween costume. It’s more so using the limit of resources that I have available to me at the moment.”
COSTUMES
Continued from page 1
to really complete the desired look.
“There’s still a need to procure props. So, it’s just evaluating what resources my friends have to potentially borrow as well as just checking availability of
stuff on Amazon,” he added.
To him and other students, Halloween costumes are a collaborative activity, with friends helping to complete each other’s costumes with articles of clothing they find in their closets. While one white shirt could be someone’s pirate costume, it could be another person’s mad scientist costume for the following year. Some groups of
friends take turns wearing entire costumes throughout the Halloweekend. Three nights of parties often means three different costumes, leading some students, such as Briana Vukel ’28, to rely on collaborating with friends.
“I mean, if we end up going to other Halloween parties, we’ll probably switch costumes, honestly,” she said.
Vukel has also held onto purchases from previous years for the sake of saving it for a future costume or a friend.
“I know that when I buy something, I always end up reusing it, so I might not be a bunny next year, but my sister might be or my friend, so I’ll always have it there in case somebody needs it,” she noted.
While some students have had their Amazon carts filled with corsets or ex tra props to complete their look, others attempt to obtain their dream costume by more creative means.
“I’m thinking of making a cane, but I’m just going to go in the woods and find a stick and sand it and maybe paint a golf ball on top of it,” Destiny Allen ’27 said. As she explained this, she started constructing her Dr. Fallicer hat out of leftover paper scraps and masking tape before me.
Her self-awareness of sustainable
practices directly stemmed from her time during COVID-19.
“I was a lot more concerned with sustainability, and also being able to make my own purchasing decisions, because before [COVID-19], my mom made the decisions. So, kind of after that, I was, like, I don’t wanna throw money at something that I’m only gonna use once. It doesn’t seem like a good investment,” she said.
Instead of investing her money in a hat or cane that gets used once and takes up her limited space, she invests her time and creative skills in her costume. And while her special props are handmade, her wardrobe is also sustainably sourced.
“I would estimate 85 percent of the costume is stuff that I already own and
A frightfully fun night at the Sinfonia Halloween Show
Sunday, Oct. 27, on a not-so-darkand-stormy-night, Sinfonia took to the Richardson Auditorium stage for their annual Halloween show.
The spooky spirit was palpable from the orchestra’s warm-up, as contrasting motifs filled the dark, almost ghostly, cavernous auditorium in prelude. Various players had costume pieces on, from witch hats to deer antlers to a full Scooby-Doo costume — one performer even had a Waldo costume on, easily spotted in a sea of black blouses and trousers. The stage itself was dressed up in purple and green lights, pumpkins grown from Dr. Ochs’s own family garden, and glittering candles. With nearly 600 people in attendance, the audience was extremely full and eager for the show.
After the entrance of concertmaster Gabriel Ascoli ’27 followed by Dr. Ochs in a pumpkin hat, the orchestra began Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in
orchestra by Kodai Speich ’25. The performance featured Talia Czuchlewski ’26 singing along to the orchestra’s slower, building music. “Ozymandias” utilized every section of the orchestra together, contrasting the deep horns with tinkling chimes.
As stated on the back of the program, “Ozymandias” is a “setting of the titular 1818 sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley.” The sonnet explores the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses the Great through a description of a large statue of Ramses and “a conflict between the sculptor and the pharaoh himself.”
In the orchestral arrangement, both characters have their own individual sounds and motifs, and the singer declares themself “Ozymandias, King of Kings.”
The stage was then reset for the Sinfonia Clarinet Ensemble, which consists of nine clarinet players and is directed by Jo-Ann Sternberg. Unlike the larger ensemble, the clarinet players did not have a conductor leading them, but rather stood in a semicircle at the edge of the stage and led more full and romantic music. One of latest show was an exciting night perfect to get anyone in the Halloween ful music combining classical pieces with more accessible and familiar pop culture pieces, making it an enjoyable
of the Class of 2027 and a staff writer for The Prospect
Lulu Pettit is a member
Sinfonia debuts “Ozymandias.”
By Lulu Pettit | Staff Prospect Writer
AMANDA HUGAS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Four Tigers prevail in Ivy League tennis individual championships
By Tate Hutchins Associate Sports Editor
Two Princeton tennis doubles pairs — senior Alan Kam with sophomore Evan Wen, and sophomore Bella Chhiv with first-year Pearlie Zhang — returned from West Philadelphia on Sunday as Ivy League Individual champions.
“I think [the win] helps set the tone going into the spring season. Everything we do in fall — the individual competitions, tournaments, and training — is to help us put our best foot forward by January,” Chhiv wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
As opposed to the usual team format of Ivy Championships, Individual Championships involve each school sending four players of each gender to compete in the singles draw. Those players then pair up and form two teams to compete in the doubles draw.
“Competing for the Princeton name and representing our team, despite it being an individual competition, is always in our mind,” Chhiv explained.
On the men’s side, Head Coach Billy Pate sent senior Alan Kam, sophomore Evan Wen, sophomore Aleksandar Mitric, and first-year Milan Markovits. Hot off of a weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals, a few top-seeded Tigers like sophomore Paul Inchauspe were absent from the draw. On the women’s side, sophomore Alice Ferlito, junior Eva Elbaz, sophomore Bella Chhiv, and first-year Pearlie Zhang entered the draw as a mix of singles and doubles specialists.
Though the autumn Ivy Individual Championships do not yield a team champion like the Ivy Team Championships held in the spring, the stakes remain high. Winners of each draw qualify for the ITA Conference Masters tournament, an opportunity to compete against the best of each conference and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Each singles and doubles draw is populated by up to four singles players and two doubles teams from each Ivy school, leading to traditional single-elimination brackets of 32 and 16 respectively. Singles are played in the traditional best-of-three sets format, but doubles are played in an eightgame pro set format until the finals.
On Friday, action began in the opening rounds of the men’s singles and doubles draws with some success for the Tigers. Markovits, Wen, and Kam all advanced out of the first round of singles. On the doubles court, Wen and Kam closed out their Brown opponents 8–7 in a tiebreak, foreshadowing their clutch success for the rest of the tournament.
“We kind of love the tiebreaks, the pressure is fun,” Wen said to the ‘Prince.’ “Alan just kept telling me, ‘We’re not losing this, we’re not losing this,’ and we always came back to figure it out.”
The momentum continued into Saturday when the women took the court. Ferlito was the only Tiger to escape the singles sets, though her success would end on the doubles side with Elbaz later that day in a fatigued third match of the day 8–6 against Cornell.
However, Chhiv and Zhang took revenge and a semifinal spot in the same scoreline against a different Big Red pair.
Back on the men’s side, Saturday only saw the pair of Wen and Kam take the court, closing out the Big Red 8–6.
“In the second round, we were down a break and it didn’t look good,” Wen continued. “But then we were able to turn it around.”
In the semifinals that afternoon, the Tigers had another tough matchup against Harvard’s Valdemar Pape and Mitchell Lee, but Wen and Kam had no problem breaking their serve and dispatching the Crimson 8–3 to clinch a finals berth.
On championship Sunday, Ferlito, Wen, and Kam all took the singles court in the semifinals looking for an ITA Masters berth. Ferlito fell 6–4, 6–4 to Yale’s Shyla Aggarwal, who had cruised through the draw until that point. Aggarwal would go on to win the championship in an all-Yale final.
On the men’s side, Wen and Kam were lined up on opposite sides of the semifinals with a potential Tiger on Tiger final in the works. However, Kam couldn’t get a foot in the door against Dartmouth’s Carlos Guerrero Alvarez in a 6–3, 6–2 loss, while Wen had a tough matchup against Cornell’s Felipe Pinzon, who was 13–1 in dual singles matches last year. Wen stole the second set, but it wasn’t quite enough. He conceded a 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 loss, ending the Princeton men’s singles hopes.
However, doubles were where Princeton would shine, sweeping both spots. On the men’s side,
Wen and Kam dropped the first set to the Yale pair of Vignesh Gogineni and Jason Shuler by a score of 6–3. The match almost seemed out of reach when they went down a break in the second.
“We got broken to go down 4–2, and then something clicked,” Wen said. “We just started playing so much better. I just decided to stop missing, and he played so much better, and everything just turned around.”
They rallied to force a tiebreak in the second set. Their clutch play from the weekend continued when they won the breaker 10–8. Tied at one set apiece, the pair headed to a match tiebreak. The pressure play from Wen and Kam took hold once again as a 10–5 tiebreak propelled the Tiger pair to win the men’s doubles draw for their first major tournament victory together.
Wen and Kam wrapped up a very successful weekend with the win, each going 5–1 at the tournament.
“I think after Regionals and the way we’ve been playing — because we played a bunch last year — I thought we were definitely a favorite going in. I thought I had a good shot at singles, too.” Wen said.
The Tigers’ doubles magic continued for Zhang and Chhiv as well. Playing a strong Yale pair that included Aggarwal, the pair dominated the first set 6–2 and closed out the match in a much tighter second-set tiebreak.
“I think our doubles match in the semifinal against Yale was a turning point for us. We won the first set and in the second set, our
opponents changed their game plan,” Chhiv said. “And with those changes, we had to make some adjustments ourselves … We learned a lot about ourselves as a doubles pair which gave us a lot of confidence going into the finals.”
Taking on a formidable Cornell pair in the final, Zhang and Chhiv came out incredibly strong, having their way in the opening set and taking it 6–0. They never let their opponents recover, closing out the second set 7–5 and completing the doubles sweep for Princeton.
Their win shows the success of a new pairing, as Chhiv played with Maia Sung ’24 last year and Zhang is playing collegiate doubles for the first time.
“Pearlie and I have very aggressive game styles and we complement each other really well. In doubles, it’s important to maintain an aggressive mindset and to be in control,” Chhiv continued.
“And with Pearlie being an aggressive player herself, it comes naturally for us to do so. We clicked fast, and it’s so fun being on court with her.”
Along with Wen and Kam, the pair will later be tested at the ITA Conference Masters, where a topthree finish would put either in the NCAA Championships — a huge accomplishment for any Princeton player.
“It doesn’t matter how we do it, we’re just trying to be one of those three teams that qualified.” Wen concluded.
Tate Hutchins is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
BY THE NUMBERS
By the numbers: Pool records broken and gridiron standouts
By Harrison Blank Assistant Sports Editor
Each week, Sports writers analyze recent athletic competitions to provide analysis and insight on the happenings of Princeton athletics and individual players across the 38 intercollegiate teams at Princeton. Whether they are recordbreaking or day-to-day, statistics deliver information in concise ways and help inform fans who might have missed the action.
Princeton Tigers: Oct. 11–Oct. 24
Fifty-three games and matches were played across 12 sports and nine U.S. states over the past two weeks. Of the 25 games where only one team came
out on top, the Tigers won 68 percent of matches — more than the 58 percent in last week’s games.
Multiple day meets and tournaments are counted individually for each day of the competition. Competitions with more than one event or individual results such as golf and cross country are not included in our win percentage analysis.
This week, the Tigers won more than two-thirds of their games. They greatly benefited from home field advantage this past week, taking six of eight back home in New Jersey. They persevered through travel to succeed on the road, winning 11 of their 17 games away from Old Nassau.
King is the queen of wins
Women’s volleyball head coach Sabrina King ’01 clinched her 200th career victory in a 3–0 win at Columbia last Friday. King brought the Tigers three Ivy League titles as a player before starting as an assistant coach in 2002. Now in their 12th season under King’s tutelage, the Tigers have taken home five Ivy titles, including three in a row from 2015 to 2017.
Phirst-year Phenom
First-year linebacker AJ Pigford has burst onto the Ivy League football scene, receiving the Ivy League Rookie of the Week award in two back-to-back weeks. Pigford recorded three tackles, one pass breakup, and a sack in Friday’s 29–17 home win over Brown after wreaking havoc on Mercer with three tackles for loss and a sack two weeks ago.
Californication
No. 6 men’s water polo defeated the defending champion No. 7 University of California Berkeley Bears this Sunday 11–9, for their first ever program victory over Cal, a perennial water polo powerhouse. Sophomore goalie Kristóf Kovács anchored the Tiger defense with a season-high-tying 16 saves to drown the Golden Bears.
Scarano Scaries
Junior linebacker Marco Scarano brought Halloween early to the Brown Bears last Friday night at Powers Field. The third-year backer swarmed the Bears the whole night, making 14 total tackles and one tackle for loss.
Scarano attributed the
defense’s success on Friday to preparation. He wrote to The Daily Princetonian, “On defense, we like to say, ‘it’s about us,’ meaning that we control the yards an offense gains on us. After Sunday’s film breakdown of Mercer, our focus flipped to Brown and it was all about coming out with energy and focus at practice every day.”
On his own individual numbers, Scarano was the quintessential teammate.
“The inside and back end guys did a great job, which pushed the ball outside on the perimeter to me,” he wrote to the ‘Prince.’
0 to 100, real quick Junior midfielder Beth Yeager reached 100 career points this past week with an overtime assist in field hockey’s 2–1 win over Harvard. Yeager, who represented the United States in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics, became the twelfth Tiger ever to accomplish this feat and will have the opportunity to break into the all-time top five for points in her senior season.
Lord of the goals
Senior utility Roko Pozaric swam his place into the Tiger water polo record books this past week, breaking the all-time goal record in a 12–11 win over Pepperdine this past week. Pozaric, hailing from Croatia, scored his 255th goal, surpassing the 19-year-old mark of 254 held by John Stover ’06. Pozaric is now sitting at 262 goals with five regular season games and the postseason left to continue his historic success.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Senior Will Huang led men’s golf to a tournament victory in the Georgetown Invitational this past week, overcoming an impressive first round team performance from Campbell University. Huang opened the tournament with a scorching six under par score of 65 — tied for the lowest round score in modern Tiger history — before overcoming bad weather to shoot back-to-back one-under 70s for an eight-under overall score.
“I actually got off to a pretty slow start in the first round. I missed my first four fairways and greens in a row and relied on my short game to get up and down for par,” Huang wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “It wasn’t until later in the round where I started to heat up and make some birdies.”
The blustering wind during the second and third rounds of the tournament threw off many golfers, but Huang adapted.
“The greens were really fast and pure so I knew if I just kept giving myself opportunities some putts would end up dropping,” he added.
All in all, the Tigers had a winning week, overcoming their victory percentage from last week. From women’s soccer to field hockey, the Tigers notched many successes on the field and look set to have a strong rest of the season in these sports. Check back next week to learn about all things Princeton Athletics — By The Numbers.
Harrison Blank is an assistant Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
MEN’S HOCKEY
After three consecutive losing seasons, can new coach Ben Syer turn the tide for men’s hockey?
By Cole Keller Head Sports Editor
As the curtain closed on the 2023–24 season for men’s ice hockey with consecutive losses in half-empty arenas, the need for a change on the ice was brought to a boil. The Tigers have qualified for the NCAA tournament just once since 2009 and haven’t boasted a winning record since the 2017–18 season. While the glory days have been few and far between throughout the program’s 130-year history, new head coach Ben Syer believes he can take the squad to new heights — and he has the track record to prove it.
Syer’s depth of knowledge about the game of hockey comes from his time as assistant coach at his two stops prior to coming to Princeton — Quinnipiac and Cornell. Those two programs, partly with the work of Syer, turned into perennial Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) powerhouses that are in contention for national titles on a yearly basis.
In just his second year on the Quinnipiac staff, Syer — who served as recruitment coordinator for the Bobcats — was tasked with building an entire Division I hockey program from the ground up, as the university entered Division I in the 1998–99 season.
“We were a Division I program just starting out, like, [playing on] a offcampus rink, people couldn’t say nor pronounce Quinnipiac,” Syer said of his first assistant coaching gig. “I’m sure there were many Division III programs at the time that were better funded than we were.”
Slowly over time, the Quinnipiac program evolved into one of the more formidable programs in college hockey, with Syer overseeing milestones for the program during his time on head coach Rand Pecknold’s staff. The program moved into the ECAC in 2005, and the program’s meteoric rise led to the opening of the on-campus TD Bank Sports Center in 2007. The program’s ascension culminated in Quinnipiac’s first National Championship in 2023, emblematic of the long process it takes
to build a program from scratch.
“Seeing things grow from the ground level and to be around Rand [Pecknold], where we’re recruiting, was so important in building a program from that level, and how much effort that went in to get the right players,” Syer said.
While with the Bobcats, Syer not only learned how to breed excellence on the ice, but also how to build a winning culture with the right people.
“I got told no a lot of times. But I also realized that we needed to get the right players and continue to push the envelope, move the needle, and that was really important in establishing a foundation of culture,” Syer said.
From there, Syer left the Bobcats in 2011 to take an assistant coach position at Cornell, a role he served in for 13 seasons. With the Big Red, Syer helped head coach Mike Schafer in guiding the team to six NCAA tournament appearances and two ECAC conference championships. Unlike Quinnipiac, the Big Red had a long history of success prior to Syer’s time in Ithaca, with two National Championships and eight Frozen Four appearances in the program’s trophy case.
“It had a history of some really good teams, and there’d be history of guys moving on to play in the National Hockey League and so forth,” Syer told The Daily Princetonian.
With the Big Red, Syer saw firsthand what lies at the core of a program with a winning tradition — something unfamiliar to Tigers men’s hockey fans.
“The thing that I probably took most from there was how important the culture is to a place, and the development of each individual person as it relates to enhancing the culture, and how important that is every day, in every situation.”
At Princeton, Syer will need to put his wealth of knowledge and experience towards reviving a Princeton program that finished ninth of 12 teams in the ECAC in 2023–24 under former head coach Ron Fogarty — though Syer believes he has the right athletes to be successful both on and off of the ice.
“I always look at it like, I chose them,”
By Vincent Sanfedele Contributing Archivist
Television, smartphones, and the Internet power our modern world and enable us to easily access all kinds of information in real time, but they were not always present in our lives. In 1908, when these technologies did not yet exist, it was difficult and potentially costly to access the latest updates on election night. In spite of this reality, The Daily Princetonian managed to bring real-time electoral information to campus for the first time 116 years ago.
On the night of Nov. 3, 1908, the ‘Prince’ provided “full and detailed reports of the Presidential election” live to its readers and members of the Princeton community with access to telephones. In the week preceding election night, the ‘Prince’ advertised this new service, explaining that it installed telephones in its office to meet demand
Syer told the ‘Prince.’ “They didn’t choose me, some of them I knew, others I didn’t. So maybe on paper, so to speak, they weren’t my recruits, but I chose them, and I know through doing my research the quality of kids that they are, and that’s what excited me.”
After an introductory press conference in late April, Syer has spent the summer and early parts of the fall semester getting acclimated to Princeton, the program, and building relationships with the players and staff that made up last year’s team. Syer is keenly aware, however, that there is work to be done.
“There’s certain things that make a quality hockey player that translate from junior hockey or prep school, to college hockey. I think it’s my job to be able to impart, you know, I’ll say wisdom [on the players] … We’re not looking for good kids, we’re looking for great kids. There’s a difference, and it’s fun to see when those kids get on campus, and really get to work,” Syer added.
If the Tigers hope to have any chance of having a winning record, they will need to make remarkable improvements on the defensive side of the puck in the coming season. Last season, the Tigers allowed an ECAC-high 90 goals, averaging 3.60 goals against per game.
That’s a formula that will lose a lot of hockey games, no matter how many goals of their own the Tigers are able to score.
Luckily for the Tigers, Syer focused largely on the defensive aspect of the game as associate coach at Cornell — and was quite successful. Just last year, the Big Red sported an average of 1.90 goals allowed — a substantial cut below Princeton’s average. Early on in Princeton’s training for the season, the defensive side of the game has been a primary focus for Syer’s staff.
“There’s been great buy-in to be able to compete defensively, and a lot of credit to the guys to do that. I think it’s to continue to work on that daily and in practice, and the finer points of playing good defense allows you to lead you to play good offense,” Syer said to the ‘Prince.’
“I also look at it in terms of football, we want to be able to manage the field and have the time of possession. I mean, it’s why punters make well over a million dollars a year, they can flip a field,” Syer quipped about turning defense into offense. “I want to be able to play in the offensive zone, but when we lose it, I want to make sure it doesn’t matter.”
On the other end of the ice, Princeton returns much of the same forward line-
up that averaged a more-than-solid 3.0 goals per game, and the nation’s No. 4 ranked power play from 2023–24. From junior forward Brendan Gorman to senior forward Jack Cronin, there is higher-end offensive talent to build with in the coming season, and Syer looks forward to watching these players grow.
“There’s a group of guys that have some great offensive instincts, and you know, it’s to be able to harness those and consistently use those offensive skills that they have to help break pucks out,” Syer said of his top forwards. “So, we’re looking forward to seeing those guys continue to evolve as we go.”
For Princeton hockey, the new era of the program truly begins on Nov. 8 against Harvard, where the Tigers will open the season at Hobey Baker Rink in Syer’s first conference game with the Orange and Black. Through his time at Quinnipiac and Cornell, Syer has been winning for 30 years and will be joining a program that has been losing for far longer.
The challenge could very well prove his toughest yet.
Cole Keller is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
per a special arrangement with the Bell Telephone Company. The ‘Prince’ received support from the Western Union Telegraph Company as well, furnishing election returns on a bulletin board in front of its office in Reunion Hall. Before its demolition in 1965, Reunion Hall was located between Stanhope and Morrison Hall.
This service was unique in its ability to respond to individual calls and requests for certain pieces of information, as it was typical for telephone companies during this age “to connect a large number of their subscribers with one operator, who repeated the [election] returns to all at the same time.” Using this system, the ‘Prince’ instructed prospective callers to “Be specific,” and refrain from asking general questions, such as “‘Who is elected?’ or ‘Who is ahead?’” Instead, callers were advised to request “definite information regarding definite states, cities, and precincts,” such as “What is
the latest news from Ohio?”
This novel service held the potential to end the campus custom of students and faculty spending “the Presidential election night in New York or other nearby cities, because of the difficulty in securing complete election returns in Princeton.” As such, the ‘Prince’ suggested not to skip town this year and instead “organize smokers or other informal gatherings” in one’s home or club.
While modern technology has rendered the ‘Prince’s system obsolete, the tradition of disseminating electoral information on campus persists through the events of the American WhigCliosophic Society, Princeton’s oldest student organization. In the leadup to the 2024 presidential election, WhigClio has hosted presidential and vicepresidential debate watch parties, and intends to host an election night watch party on Nov. 5, 2024. In an interview with the ‘Prince’,
Samuel Kligman ’26, the incumbent Whig-Clio secretary, said that WhigClio watch parties continue to serve an informational role on campus as “some students do not know which sources to trust to watch election results” nor “where to find centralized election results.”
Kligman noted, however, that this aspect of the watch parties has diminished over time and is “not as significant as it once was prior to social media.” Instead, Kligman explained that Whig-Clio watch parties are primarily about “promoting civic engagement on campus,” and serve as a place to “share the election night with other students.” Although the centralized telephone no longer plays a role in our election night tradition, Princetonians continue to help one another stay in the know on election night over a century later.
Vincent Sanfedele is a contributing Archivist for the ‘Prince.’
PHOTO COURTESY OF @PRINCETONHOCKEY/INSTAGRAM
Princeton men’s hockey new head coach Ben Syer has begin to make his mark on the Tiger’s program heading into his first season with the Orange and Black.
