Court case for Clio protesters inches towards trial, judge declines plea deal again
By Miriam Waldvogel, Annie Rupertus & Eojin Park Associate & Head News Editors, News Contributor
More than six months following the conclusion of Princeton’s “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” the 13 people arrested for occupying Clio Hall will have to wait at least another month for a trial date.
During a brief zoom hearing Tuesday morning, defense attorney Aymen Aboushi requested a re-evaluation of a plea deal that would have allowed six of the protesters to plead guilty to a municipal noise ordinance. Once again, Judge John McCarthy III ’69 rejected the proposal, but this time, he definitively closed the matter.
“I have given the matter a lot of thought, and I will not be changing my position,” McCarthy said at the opening of the hearing. He had previously declined to approve the plea deal at the earlier hearing for the protesters on Oct. 1, citing allegations that one of them had given staff in Clio Hall a countdown to leave the building.
“I don’t want to continue to go months and months and be asked to reconsider and reconsider and work on plea agreements and work on plea agreements,” he said. “Cases ought to be tried or otherwise resolved. Is that clear?”
The 12 students and one postdoctoral researcher are currently facing charges of defiant trespass, a low-level disorderly offense. All five undergraduates arrested graduated from the University in May.
McCarthy did agree to hold another pre-trial conference on Dec. 10 to set a trial date and consider any potential pre-trial motions.
Once the date is finalized, McCarthy will preside over the trial
as there are no juries in municipal courts in New Jersey. Municipal Prosecutor Christopher Koutsouris said he had witnesses lined up and ready to testify, including “alleged victims.”
At just 27 minutes, today’s proceedings were about three hours shorter than the last hearing in October.
McCarthy proposed setting a trial date today, but Aboushi noted he may need time to prepare any potential motions for the next hearing. “I do think there are some issues that need to be resolved in advance of the trial,” he said.
Nationwide, many of the charges for students arrested during pro-Palestine campus protests last spring were dropped over the summer, according to an analysis by the New York Times.
While some cases — as in Princeton — are still pending, others have been more recently resolved. The two graduate students arrested at the beginning of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” paid $33 each in fines at a hearing in October.
Last week, 27 Yale students who had been arrested for pro-Palestine protests in the spring agreed to a plea deal in New Haven, while 13 additional students are set to reappear in court on Dec. 4.
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.
Annie Rupertus is a head News editor for the ‘Prince’ from Philadelphia, Pa. who often covers activism and campus governance.
Eojin Park is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Seoul, South Korea.
By David Hovey Contributing Constructor
IN TOWN
Exit interviews show Princeton voters overwhelmingly favor Harris
By Sena Chang, Charlie Roth & Christopher Bao News Contributor, Senior & Assistant News Editor
Throughout Election Day, The Daily Princetonian conducted exit interviews from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. as voters, including students and community members, left the polling locations. Almost all told the ‘Prince’ they voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris won in N.J. by approximately five points over former President Donald Trump.
An overwhelming majority of voters expressed strong support for Kamala Harris in the presidential race, at 90.91 percent. 4.54 percent of voters expressed support for Trump and 4.54 percent of voters expressed support for Stein.
Voters cited women’s rights, the economy, and foreign policy as top concerns, at 36.36 percent, 27.27 percent, and 22.73 percent, respectively.
Reproductive rights
The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 made abortion rights a hotly contested issue throughout the nation.
Layton Lee ’28, who voted for Harris, said that the vote largely came down to human rights, especially in the context of women’s reproductive freedom.
“It doesn’t always have to be about economic reasons or other motives … if we don’t recognize everybody’s autonomy and everybody’s freedom to make their own decisions and just to exist in this world, then what are we doing?” Lee said.
Charan Bajwa, who is a mother to two daughters, also identified women’s rights to be a key issue on the ballot. A Harris voter, Bajwa noted the importance of putting “the nation in the right hands.”
“I hope that women won’t have to fear for their ability to have freedom over their body,” Irene Kim ’28 said. Kim cited “access to reproductive rights and freedom” as one of the most important issues on the ballot.
Other deciding issues
Several other voters discussed factors like the characters of the
candidates, the economy, and immigration.
For Francesco Agnello ’28, the characters of the individual candidates played a major role in his decision to vote for Harris.
“Just examining their conduct, their political careers, their policy,” he told the ‘Prince,’ “it’s pretty clear to see that Kamala is the candidate that shows that compassion and leads with a lot more love.”
Andreas Ghosh GS, a Harris voter, cited the economy as a top issue. Curbing inflation and lowering everyday costs have consistently been one of the most important voter issues and is a policy issue Harris has struggled to defend.
“I think most people know that prices have gone up over the past four years, but I think Vice President Harris has a plan to actually fix the increases in prices that we’ve been seeing, as opposed to some mindless tariffs that would cause trade wars,” he explained.
“I just felt like there were no other good votes,” Huws Landsberger GS, the sole Jill Stein voter the ‘Prince’ surveyed, said. Landsberger identified the climate, economy, and “overseas wars” for his Stein vote.
Carl J. Mayer ’81, who hails from a family of immigrants, expressed strong discontent with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. “It’s very important to come out — it’s not just about stopping the fascists. It’s about enhancing democracy and making our society more democratic,” Mayer said.
Meanwhile, Kevin Kwan ’26, who voted for Trump, hopes that a potential Trump administration would have a “strict and solid policy related to the border and immigration.”
War in Gaza
A few voters talked about the importance of the war in Gaza. The U.S. has been a steadfast ally of Israel even as many have protested against the war and the Biden administration’s providing aid.
Claire Fondrie-Teitler GS expressed that she would “love to see support for Palestine” from Harris. “But I don’t expect that, that would
be ideal,” Fondrie-Teitler said. “I think that Kamala would have a more nuanced approach to the situation,” Michael Burton GS said, who voted for Harris. “I feel like Trump and [Republicans] are more aligned with only supporting one side of the conflict, and I think that’s not the way that we should deal with regular conflict.”
The post-Biden era
Though many voters shared a strong preference for a Harris presidency, they were not overly enthusiastic about the prospect of a Democratic administration and expressed hopes for a peaceful transition of power.
Niko Menegas ’25, a Harris voter, shared that his “hopes aren’t astronomical” for a Democratic administration. “I think that there is good capability for a fair amount of it depend[ing] on what happens with the control of Congress,” he said.
“But it would certainly be a lot more positive than what might go on under a second Trump administration,” Menegas continued.
While Lindsay Smith does not know “what to expect” in the days following the election, she hopes that “everything is peaceful and calm. “But you never know, so that’s just what I’m hoping for,” she said.
“I hope that however this goes, the people find a way to talk to each other again, and I hope that the next president is able to facilitate getting away from this split that America has,” Brittany Roberts GS said. So far, a record 80 million Americans have voted early, with millions casting their ballots today. Experts predict that certified results may take a while to certify, especially in key battleground states.
Sena Chang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Charlie Roth is a senior News editor and assistant Data editor for the ‘Prince.’
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
ANNIE RUPERTUS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
A polling place in Princeton.
Nadarajah:
“I was a bit surprised that Texas was called as early as it was ...”
ALUMNI
Continued from page 1
tive election,” Santhosh Nadarajah ’25, Vice President of the College Republicans, told The Daily Princetonian in reference to the Texas Senate race.
Before ascending to his senate seat, Cruz was a debate champion for the American Whig-Cliosophic Society’s (Whig-Clio) Debate Panel and a member of Colonial Club. He graduated from what was then the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). He has held his seat in Texas since 2012 and ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, losing to prior President Donald Trump.
In recent years, Princetonians have grappled with Cruz’s association with the University. In 2021, Whig-Clio’s undergraduate members attempted to rescind an award the senator was ex-
tended in 2016 following the events of Jan. 6, but was prevented from doing so by the group’s Board of Trustees.
William Neumann ’27, the president of College Republicans, agreed with Nadarajah’s evaluation of the race.
“As of now, it’s showing a really strong race for Republicans — I think that they’ll win the Senate for sure,” he said. By early Wednesday morning, Republicans had indeed secured the Senate — by how much was not yet known.
Incumbent Krishnamoorthi won Illinois’ 8th district by a 12-point margin, defeating businessman Mark Rice. At Princeton, he majored in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), was a member of Tower Club, and graduated summa cum laude before earning his law degree at Harvard Law School. Having served four terms in Congress, Krishnamoorthi became
the first South Asian American to lead a congressional committee.
Ivey, an incumbent congressman in Maryland, won in a landslide, garnering over 88 percent of the vote in that state’s fourth district. A politics major, Ivey received his law degree from Harvard Law School following graduation. Before running for Congress, Ivey served as state’s attorney for Prince George’s County from 2002 to 2011.
Another alum landslide victory occurred in Alabama’s seventh district, where Sewell won by approximately a 30-point margin. Sewell, who majored in SPIA at Princeton, served as the vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and was a member of Cap and Gown Club. In 2010, Sewell became the first African American woman elected to Congress from Alabama.
Fong, an incumbent, won by over
30 points in California’s 20th district, defeating Republican Mike Boudreaux who halted his campaign for the seat over the summer. Before earning an M.P.A. from Princeton, Fong earned a B.A. in political science and government from UCLA. He gained incumbency in 2024 after winning a special election to replace former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Back home in New Jersey, Herb Conaway ’85 achieved a 10-point victory over Republican Rajesh Mohan, filling Senator-elect Andy Kim’s open seat in New Jersey’s 3rd district. After graduating from Princeton with an A.B. in Politics, Conaway received an M.D. at Thomas Jefferson University and was later awarded a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law.
Across the Garden State, Salerno challenged his South Jersey district’s incumbent to suffer a 58–41 loss. During his time at Princeton, Salerno was
an MAE major and was a member of Cottage Club. He was also a member of the now-abolished sprint football team. Following graduation, Salerno obtained his law degree from Rutgers University and later became an entrepreneur.
All newly elected members of Congress will be inaugurated on Jan. 3, 2025. Four of the eight Princeton alumni who served on the 118th Congress decided not to run for reelection.
As of publication, the race of Rep. George Whitesides ’96 (D-Calif.) has not yet been called in a dead heat race. None of the candidates responded to request for comment by the time of publication.
Sena Chang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Charlie Roth is a senior News editor and assistant Data editor for the ‘Prince.’
Alleged art smuggler Edoardo Almagià ’73 charged with conspiracy, fraud
By Miriam Waldvogel & Katelynn Lee Associate News Editor & News
Officials in the Manhattan District
Attorney’s office have obtained an arrest warrant for Edoardo Almagià ’73, an art dealer who has been off-and-on investigated for art smuggling over the past two decades. At least a dozen objects linked to Almagià have resided in the University’s Art Museum in recent years.
The warrant was obtained by prosecutors on Thursday and first reported by the New York Times. It charges Almagià with fraud, conspiracy, and criminal possession of stolen property.
“This is absolutely ridiculous. If they want to put me on trial, let them do it,” Almagià told The Daily
Princetonian in an interview. “We are getting to the point that whenever you touch an antiquity, you are a crook.”
Almagià is being investigated by the office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU), which alleges that he has trafficked more than 2,000 stolen antiquities valued at almost $6 million.
ATU’s investigation alleges that Almagià used tombaroli (tomb raiders) as a source to obtain stolen artifacts.
He then allegedly sold and loaned the artifacts to various museums and collectors, including the Princeton University Art Museum.
The warrant alleges that Almagià worked with alleged tomb raider Mauro Morani. Between 1984 and 2001, Almagià transferred 26 antiquities looted by Morani valued at more than $450,000 to the University Art Museum, selling 14, donating six, and
lending six.
Various Almagià-linked artifacts have been returned or seized from the University over the past decade and a half. In the spring of 2023, the District Attorney’s office seized ten artifacts connected to him from the art museum (four sold by him, four on loan from him, and two donated by other collectors, according to the warrant). Another two objects were returned from the museum over the summer.
In 2011, the University also returned 16 Almagià-linked antiquities to Italy.
As of late September, 16 artifacts linked to Almagià remain in the University Art Museum, although the museum has unsuccessfully attempted to return some of them.
The warrant also claims that Almagià worked with the “complicit assistance” of former Art Museum
curator J. Michael Padgett, who allegedly connected Almagià to other highprofile clients and curators in the art world, including former Art Museum director Allen Rosenbaum.
Padgett declined to comment to the ‘Prince,’ but wrote in a statement to the New York Times that he “was not criminally complicit with Edoardo Almagià or anyone else.” He retired from the Art Museum in 2021.
In 2000, Almagia was stopped at John F. Kennedy Airport with two stolen Italian frescoes in his suitcase, and law enforcement intercepted a shipment of five Italian antiquities to New Jersey that lacked documentation. In 2006, Italian officials also arrested him for receiving and illegally exporting stolen goods. Although the charges were later dropped due to the statute of limitations, an Italian court
still requested that his artifacts be confiscated.
Almagià expressed to the ‘Prince’ that his current prosecution was unfounded, and claimed he had previously tried to return artifacts to Italian police when he discovered they were stolen.
“At the end, what can I say? The whole thing is a joke,” he said.
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.
Katelynn Lee is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Princetonians pack Whig-Clio Election night watch party
By Devon Rudolph News Contributor
Nerves filled all four floors of Whig Hall as the results of the election were broadcast live to the room during the Whig-Clio’s election night watch party. The event, hosted by Whig-Clio and Vote 100, aimed to encourage an inclusive and bipartisan environment for students during a contentious time politically.
“We think it’s very important to have a place for all people to come together and to be able to watch the results together without being explicitly in favor of one candidate or the other,” Whig-Clio Society President Daniel Shaw ’25 told The Daily Princetonian. “At the end of the day, we are one country.”
The Senate Chamber of the Whig Hall watch party featured three main viewing screens, broadcasting MSNBC, PBS, and Fox News, alternating the audio feed between MSNBC and Fox News each hour. The basement lodge and third floor of Whig Hall served as a quieter viewing space, showing only MSNBC and Fox News respectively for attendees who preferred to watch the election results in a space with like-minded students. The Senate was filled with around 100 students, while both other floors held about 20.
“There are a lot of people who feel very strongly in their political beliefs,
and we fully support that … but we want to diverge from the trend overall in the nation,” Whig Party Chair Sophia Burnston ’27 told the ‘Prince.’ “We’ve been seeing a lot of polarization, and our small way of fighting [that is] to show that collaboration is key and that we can work together and provide events that all students feel comfortable attending.”
The event was kicked off by a performance by the Princeton University Band, followed by panels held throughout the night. Fuzzy Dice, one of Princeton’s improv groups, also performed at midnight. Event planners selected panelists and guest speakers from both liberal and conservative organizations to further promote a bipartisan experience.
Professor Sam Wang discussed the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, while Professor Ron Allen talked about journalistic integrity and Professor John Londregan presented on political and legal affairs. The Student Legal Panel, Student Journalism Panel, and Student Political Panel also presented, though the volume in the Senate due to incoming election results overtook the speakers after 9:15 p.m.
“It is chaotic. It is really energetic. People are definitely hyped up to see what the result is,” Sarina Hegli ’25, ambassador for Vote 100, told the ‘Prince.’ “I hope that we do get a result
tonight, but I’ve never been in a more excited Whig Senate chamber.”
Most seats in the Senate were filled at the start of the night, with students coming and going throughout the evening.
“I remember being here for the midterms race, and there were a lot more people sitting in the back doing work, but almost everyone here is talking or watching the news pretty intently,” Eleanor Monroe ’25 told the ‘Prince.’ “Everyone’s tuned in.”
“You only have one time to do it in college, so I came to the heart of politics,” attendee Joyce Yang ’27, explained.
While the Whig-Clio watch party was the largest election night gathering on campus, the College Republicans also hosted an event in Robertson 100. Their event was open to all Princeton students, regardless of political affiliation.
“I know [Whig] was very busy, we wanted to have a different space where people from all political backgrounds could come and enjoy a historic night in American history,” President of College Republicans William Neumann ’27 told the ‘Prince.’
At the event, the chalkboard read “College Republicans Election Night Watch Party (Democrats Welcome Too).” During this event, one attendee hung a Trump flag, however, the flag was soon taken down.
“I thought it would be fun to watch with people who probably voted the same way,” Anna Solzhenitsyn ’25 said. “I wanted to meet fellow Republicans; they’re hard to find here.” Princetonians await to hear the final results of this election, as of publication.
Devon Rudolph is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ Maya Mukherjee contributed reporting.
STUDENT LIFE
Princeton professors on why Trump won, and what comes next
By Sena Chang News Contributor
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Nov. 5, marking four years since he disputed his previous election loss in 2020. The victory represents a remarkable return for the former president, who has faced 34 felony convictions, two assassination attempts, two impeachments, and wide criticism for inciting violence during the Capitol insurrection.
In Princeton town, voters showed strong support for Harris, with an exit poll by The Daily Princetonian revealing that 90 percent cast their ballots in her favor. In interviews on election night, several University professors anticipated a victory for the vice president. Ultimately, Harris officially conceded the race in a speech Wednesday afternoon.
The day after the election, the ‘Prince’ interviewed Princeton professors who analyzed Trump’s victory and discussed what may come next.
Professors pointed to errors in polling that failed to forecast a red wave, the difficulties Harris faced in shedding the incumbent label, strategies to realign the Democratic Party, and what a Trump presidency might look like this time around.
“Once again, there was systematic polling error that understated the Trump vote,” Professor of Politics and Public Affairs Frances E. Lee wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “We saw that happen in 2016 and 2020,
and it reappeared again here in 2024,” she continued, explaining that Trump voters “seem to be harder for pollsters to reach.”
Visiting Lecturer for Politics Darren Geist ’05 highlighted the “disconnect” between “the sentiment in elite and academic institutions” and “much of America.”
“This is both in who elites and academics support and their ability to predict or capture in polls the feelings elsewhere,” Geist wrote.
Many professors noted that the election was ultimately cast as a referendum on the widely unpopular Biden administration, with Harris struggling to effectively separate herself from Biden.
“The Democratic Party has shown a remarkable lack of strategy by missing the chance to replace Biden with a new refreshing candidate, instead choosing to put forward Biden’s Vice President Harris,” Public and International Affairs Lecturer Sam van Noort wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Van Noort also observed that the Trump campaign’s linking of key issues such as the immigration crisis to Harris worked to the Democrats’ disadvantage.
“Putting forward ‘border czar’ Harris — who was easily framed as responsible for the illegal immigration issue — proved to be a remarkably naïve decision,” he explained.
A more effective strategy, Associate Professor of Politics and Public Affairs Hye Young You said, would have been a party convention. “The Democratic Party could have benefited a lot by actually hav-
ing a primary,” she said. “If there had been an opportunity to build momentum and refine policy through this primary, I think the Democrats might have anticipated a better result than they achieved yesterday.”
Democrats, according to professors, also failed to broaden their coalition of voters beyond traditionally blue blocs such as highly-educated liberals and minority voters. Professors saw the Trump victory as indicative of general discontent towards “elites.”
“I think that the election results tell us that a lot of voters have dissatisfaction with elites,” You said.
“A party based almost exclusively on college-educated liberals is a permanent minority party and cannot reliably win the White House and Senate,” Professor of Politics and Public Affairs Charles Cameron ’88 added. “The Democrats must find a way to get some blue-collar men and rural voters back into the party.”
Democrats also lost support among suburban voters, an area that Harris heavily focused on during her campaign. “This kind of suburban mobilization and success that the Democrats have had in suburban America declined a little bit — and that was clearly a major problem,” Professor of Politics and Public Affairs Nolan McCarty said.
Not only did Democrats lose support, but professors say that the party failed to expand their base of voters, particularly in crucial swing states.
For You, the Democratic Party “failed to broaden” support among diverse groups, while Trump expanded his coalition among Latino and Black voters. “For example, in the Bronx, Trump got 15 percent of the vote in 2020, but this time, he got 27 percent,” You added.
“Latino areas shifted pretty dramatically toward Trump, and that was obviously a factor in Arizona and Nevada,” McCarty noted. Trump won Arizona by a 3.5 percent margin and Nevada by five points — both key battleground states.
All eyes are now on how Trump may navigate his second and final term.
You predicted that the lack of reelection incentives could make him more erratic and extreme. “Political science research shows that [because of] electoral incentives, candidates and politicians actually move toward what the general public wants,” she explained. “Given that Trump doesn’t have any re-election incentives, he might actually implement more extreme policies that the public does not want.”
McCarty pointed to Project 2025, a 900page set of policy priorities published by the Heritage Foundation that recommends defunding the Department of Education and using federal law enforcement to crack down on journalists and protestors. On the campaign trail, Trump has disavowed Project 2025, even as over 100 former Trump staffers contributed to the agenda.
Despite Trump denouncing Project 2025, McCarty believes that it will “still be
a pretty good roadmap” as to the sorts of policies Trump will implement. “I expect that to be kind of a laundry list of things he will do unilaterally during the first part of the administration,” he continued. On matters of foreign policy, Cameron and his students discussed that Ukraine may be “finished” and “possibly NATO too.”
A set of post-election predictions generated by Cameron and his students reads: “Taiwan’s days are likely numbered. The right-wing in Israel has carte blanche. Iran will move expeditiously to acquire nukes.”
Other professors dismissed some of the promises made by the Trump campaign and believe that checks on the presidency will restrict his policy moves.
“Trump said that he will bring down inflation by increasing fossil fuel production, even though the U.S. is currently producing the most fossil fuel it has ever done and does not have the possibility to meaningfully expand production in the near term,” van Noort wrote. On day one of his administration, Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill” and “unleash” the domestic oil sector.
“There are still many checks on the presidency, such as the free press [and] the Supreme Court, which has not always ruled in his favor,” Geist wrote. “American institutions are much more durable than many people believe.”
Sena Chang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Franceschi, Santarpio, and Meisel declare victory in BOE race
By Christopher Bao
Assistant News Editor
Though not all votes in Mercer County have been counted, most ballots are in, and Mara Franceschi, Chris Santarpio, and Ari Meisel, candidates for the board of education (BOE) race, have all declared victory. This year, Princeton voters cast 11,999 ballots, down from 14,338 votes in the 2020 general election. The BOE race proved to be the only substantially competitive race on the Princeton ballot. Key issues that came up during interviews
with candidates throughout the race were the school curriculum, superintendent turnover, and budget constraints.
As of 1:30 a.m., Franceschi had by far the most votes at 5,441. Santarpio won 4,697 votes, and Meisel won 4,522. Erica Snyder is a close fourth at 4,388 votes, while Lisa Potter won 4,228 votes and Shenwei Zhao won 2,973. The three winning candidates will each serve threeyear terms.
Franceschi is the only incumbent. She has served on the Operations, Long Term Planning, and Policy committees and cochaired the Personnel committee while
on the board. “I am humbled and honored by the community’s support and am excited to build on the positive direction of the district on behalf of all our children,” she wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Santarpio, a parent-teacher organization (PTO) co-president at Community Park School, wrote to the ‘Prince,’ “I am honored to have been elected to serve on the PPS Board of Education. I would like to thank the entire Princeton community for their support and confidence in me. I plan to work on improving the culture within the District and also fostering
further collaboration with the Town and external organizations. I will serve all students in our District.”
Meisel, who is the VP for Spiritwear for Princeton Middle School’s PTO, told the ‘Prince,’ “I’m incredibly grateful for the support from our community and the opportunity to serve. This race was a testament to Princeton’s commitment to quality education and the strength of our collective vision for our schools. I’m looking forward to collaborating with fellow board members, educators, families, and students to ensure that every child in Princeton has the resources and support
they need to thrive.”
The 2023 BOE election was decided by just 78 votes, with Adam Bierman winning a spot over René Obregon. According to the county clerk website, certification of this year’s ballot will be complete “on/about November 20, 2024.”
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
News Contributor Sena Chang contributed reporting.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Whig Hall lit up on Election night.
This Week in Photos
By Daily Princetonian Staff
BRANDON LEE / THE DAILY
PRINCETONIAN
USG Campus and Community Affairs Chair Genevieve Shutt ’26, U-Councilor Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26, and Dean Ian Deas pose for photos at Vote100’s “Donuts and Democracy” event.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Fox News plays at the College Republicans election night watch party in Robertson Hall 100.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Students watch election night 2024 unfold in Whig-Clio’s Senate chamber during their late night watch party.
LOUISA GHEORGHITA / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Students watch election night 2024 unfold in Whig-Clio’s Senate chamber during their late night watch party.
VEENA KRISHNARAJ / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The American flag flies over Nassau Hall on Election Day morning. watch party.
BRANDON LEE / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Students grab donuts on McCosh walk on Election Day morning at Vote100’s “Donuts and Democracy” event.
ANNIE RUPERTUS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
“Vote Harris” poster at the kiosk on the corner of Nassau St. and Vandeventer Ave.
ANNIE RUPERTUS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The white board at the College Republicans watch party.
“P layground P olitics ”
By Charles Ambach Contributing Constructor
1 “Her name was ___, she was a showgirl”
Lion on a fantasy roster
Government tax IDs
Starter Minecraft ore
“____ were the days ...”
Breakfast chain est.
Stops suddenly
Next generation
Star catchers?
22 2020 Christopher Nolan time-bending film
23 You can’t see this John
Wear down
“Sorry, your name was ...” 30 Hide from
_____ Hansberry, first Black woman to have a Broadway show produced
Help 35 Speak in Spanish
37 HBO hit of eight seasons 38 Polite refusal 41 “___ up?” 43 Jealous hue 46 Skyrocketed
48 Type of catch in the NFL 49 Decorate
50 Play stations ... or what 20, 25, and 43-Across contain?
55 Most common number in a set
iMessage tapback for a laugh
Fix, as a previous statement
Reason to see a speech therapist
One in a pod
Encircle
Pepto-Bismol, e.g.
Close by
“Name that tune” app
Response to a funny meme, maybe
Dept. offering courses like “The Late Ottoman Empire”
that?”
Place to get steamy
The Minis
By David Hovey Contributing Constructor
Buckley:
“The Democratic party has become, for lack of a better term, the party of Princeton.”
REACTIONS
Continued from page 1
experience a disproportionate impact from the housing crisis. As a result, 68 percent of Californians feel as though housing prices are a “big problem” where they live.
In response to the housing crisis, Kamala Harris had plans to construct three million homes and expand the tax credit offered for low-income housing. Meanwhile, Trump’s plans are much more vague and aren’t as effective. Indeed, he seeks to open federal land, an idea which Harris admittedly shares. However, much of his overall plan relies upon deception and deflection: he exaggerated mortgage rates and used the housing crisis as an excuse to blame undocumented immigrants and justify deporting them, which economists have said would “increase home prices.” A Harris win would’ve been a win for Californians struggling to make ends meet.
Raf Basas is a first-year student from Elk Grove, Calif. intending to major in English.
‘Start Spreading the News’: Trump could help the Big Apple
By Preston Ferraiuolo Assistant Opinion Editor
The press has called New York for Kamala Harris. While expected, Republicans fulfilled their hopes of a red shift in the Empire State after Donald Trump took an unconventional step by campaigning in the South Bronx and hosting a rally in Madison Square Garden. Harris’s decision to skip NYC’s Al Smith Dinner likely bumped Trump in heavily Catholic New York. Since the 70s, Queens-born Trump has shaped the political landscape of the city. Trump’s first term was disastrous for New York: he eliminated the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which ultimately cost New Yorkers thousands more in taxes. Throughout this campaign, Trump has continually made the claim that big cities like New York are being “destroyed” — often blaming Democratic policies — and has indicated a desire to work with the Democratic governor and mayor to help improve the city that raised him.
As a New Yorker, I’m dismayed by the potential threats that Trump poses to our democracy and what his policies might mean for the 38 percent of New Yorkers who are immigrants. But in the case that he is elected, I’m hopeful that his ego will motivate him to provide greater funding to the city and state to address our homelessness and cost-of-living crises and help bring New York back to being the global leader that it is. Even if he says he loves Mar-a-Lago, his heart is in midtown Manhattan.
A second-term President Trump might prioritize making New York City “Great Again” just like he did back in the 70s.
Preston Ferraiuolo is a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y. He is an assistant Opin-
ion editor majoring in the School of Public and International Affairs.
There’s no ‘land of opportunity’ with a Trump Presidency
By Lillian Paterson Contributing Opinion Writer
In my home county, Montgomery County, Md., 35 percent of residents are immigrants who have come from all around the world in order to take advantage of our “land of opportunity.”
A Trump presidency would mean the devastation of immigrant communities all across the country. The mass deportation plans Trump has will be the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” His expansion of workplace raids will prey on industries with high percentages of undocumented employees. On top of that, Trump plans to completely end birthright citizenship — a constitutional right.
The disrespect Trump has for the immigrants of America isn’t just in his policies, it’s in his rhetoric. Trump says immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” when they are precisely the blood of our country — after all, America is a nation founded by immigrants. He says that they are “rough people” despite the fact that immigrants have lower crime rates compared to natural-born citizens.
Trump’s rhetoric completely disregards the philosophies which America was founded on. Without immigrants, America is not America. We aren’t a “melting pot,” we aren’t champions of social and economic mobility, and we are not “the land of the free.” With a Trump presidency, American identity — in my hometown, and in the rest of the nation — will cease to be.
Lillian Paterson is a first-year from Silver Spring, Md. She can be reached at lp3095@princeton.edu.
Trump will decimate trans rights in Texas
By Callisto Lim Contributing Opinion Writer
Back home, my trans friends are scared for their futures. I am scared for their futures. And I am scared for my future, too. I am scared for the summers when I may return to Houston, Texas, and I will have to place orders for gender-affirming medication through dodgy websites that only take Bitcoin as payment.
For transgender Texans, a Trump victory is our worst nightmare. Our state legislation already places incredible restrictions on trans healthcare. Just this June, the state Supreme Court upheld a state ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors, and Trump’s track record as well as his election policies mean his potential victory would spell certain disaster: if elected, trans Texans will lose Biden-instated federal Title IX protections against discrimination, including the prohibition of gender identity-based denial of medical care.
Trump’s day-one priorities also include “instructing every fed-
eral agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age,” pushing legislation that would limit genders recognized by the U.S. government to male and female as assigned at birth and “[promoting] positive education about the nuclear family.”
These regressive policies signal a perilous change for the safety of trans folk nationally, but most significantly to trans people in red states that lack state-level protections. Trump’s policies and actions reinforce anti-trans rhetoric, galvanize anti-trans violence, and cast a chilling shadow over all of our futures.
Callisto Lim is a first-year from Houston, Texas. She is anxiously trying to figure out if she can do three years of study abroad.
Miami has lost to conservative McCarthyism
By Juan Fajardo Contributing Opinion Writer
For the first time since 1988, Miami-Dade county voted for the Republican candidate. I wish that I was shocked, but as someone who has been watching this power shift happen across the state for the last eight years, I am painfully unsurprised.
In a calculated campaign of ideological misinformation, conservatives have capitalized on the Cuban and wider Latin American communities to convince them that anything other than Trump is a vehicle for Communist authoritarianism. For example, public figures like Alex Otaola have amassed hundreds of thousands of internet followers by repeating the myth that Miami is two liberal centrists away from the eradication of the market economy.
This Kennedy-era association of the Democratic Party with communism is a McCarthyite method of disputing progressive policy today. A direct impact of this is the misinformation that leads to the rejection of anything deemed left wing.
This misinformation threatens residents’ futures. In a county where 1 in 5 women live in poverty, Amendment 4, a constitutional protection of abortion, failed to-
day. Miamians wanted individual liberty, and instead women’s access to reproductive health will continue being restricted.
In the coming years, when our sea-level city still has no viable climate solution and the affordability crisis worsens, the compounding effects of this election’s misinformation will halt progress.
The impacts of a Trump presidency will reveal themselves to Miamians in the long-run. When those impacts begin to be felt, far too many of us will wish we had acted differently.
Juan Fajardo is a first-year contributing Opinion writer from Miami, Fla.
Rural Connecticut is growing more tolerant — but a Trump presidency could undo that progress
By Ryan Moores Contributing Opinion Writer
In my hometown — a small rural community in eastern Connecticut — a slight Republican leaning is essentially drowned out by the state’s overwhelmingly Democratic population concentrated in wealthy suburbs. Having become increasingly suburban in the past few decades, an equal balance of perspectives exists where I was raised. Acts of hate have always been present, but never completely tolerated. The Protestant church I attended as a child has been the target of anonymous hate and vandalism on multiple occasions since a new pastor declared it to be “open and affirming” to LGBTQ+ members. My small public high school made national headlines after parents yelled racial slurs at an opposing basketball team. But I don’t remember an established culture of hate. These events were always controversial and abnormal.
I see similar values reflected in Trump’s rallies and internet ramblings, and I fear that a Trump victory could mean a validation of these hateful tendencies, and the death of pockets of acceptance in rural towns. While we have the privilege of state-wide democratic policies, it hurts to imagine the youth of my hometown growing up in a world where hate is normalized — or even reinforced —
by our president.
Ryan Moores, a member of the Class of 2028, comes from Colchester, Conn. and plans to major in Neuroscience.
The ultimate victory over the establishment
By Thomas Buckley Associate Opinion Editor
Trump’s victory is the culmination of the anti-establishment movement that in many ways has its roots in a mayor of a town fifteen minutes south of my hometown of Colchester, Vt. The 2016 election unleashed a long-suppressed rage against the establishment that had belittled and talked down to American voters for decades. While some define the start of this era with Trump’s descent down that damn golden escalator, the image that remains clearest in my mind is Senator Bernie Sanders standing on the Burlington waterfront and launching a firebomb into the heart of the Democratic party.
While that election was in many ways the tale of two populists, the divergence of the two parties is striking. Trump has remade the Republican party in his image — the establishment has kowtowed to an unprecedented degree and is fully under his thumb. Today’s Republican politics is almost incomparable to the Republican politics of even a decade ago. Like it or not, the country-club Republican establishment is dead, and Trump killed it.
By contrast, the Democratic party has become, for lack of a better term, the party of Princeton, and the rest of the country knows it. The revolution that swept over the Republican party has yet to come for the Democratic establishment, and they have paid for it. The voters who swept an elderly Brooklyn independent to office in our state still offer a lesson for the Democratic establishment. Will they finally listen?
Thomas Buckley is a junior from Colchester, Vt. majoring in SPIA. He is an associate Opinion editor and his column “This Side of Nassau” runs every three weeks on Thursdays. He remains fundamentally faithful in the American experiment.
VEENA KRISHNARAJ / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN The American Flag flying on Election Day 2024.
editor-in-chief Eden Teshome ’25
president
business manager Aidan Phillips ’25
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Thomas E. Weber ’89
vice president
David Baumgarten ’06
secretary
Chanakya A. Sethi ’07
treasurer Douglas Widmann ’90
assistant treasurer
Kavita Saini ’09
trustees Francesca Barber
Kathleen Crown
Suzanne Dance ’96
Gabriel Debenedetti ’12
Stephen Fuzesi ’00
Zachary A. Goldfarb ’05
Michael Grabell ’03
Danielle Ivory ’05
Rick Klein ’98
James T. MacGregor ’66
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd Abigail Williams ’14
Tyler Woulfe ’07
trustees ex officio
Eden Teshome ’25 Aidan Phillips ’25
148TH MANAGING BOARD
Ryan Konarska ’25
Naisha Sylvestre ’25
director of outreach
Lia Opperman ’25
Accessibility
Christopher Bao ’27
Education
Charlie Roth ’25
Tess Weinreich ’25
Lucia Wetherill ’25
creative director Mary Ma ’26
Financial Stipend
Elaine Huang ’25
Sections listed in alphabetical order. public editor Abigail Rabieh ’25
head archives editor
Raphaela Gold ’26
Associate Archives editor
Elizabeth Clarke ’27
head audience editor
Paige Walworth ’26
associate audience editors
Amparo Sanchez ’27
head copy editors Nathan Beck ’25
Bryan Zhang ’26
associate head copy editors
Lindsay Padaguan ’26
Elizabeth Polubinski ’25
head data editors Andrew Bosworth ’26
Suthi Navaratnam-Tomayko ’26
head features editors
Sejal Goud ’25 Molly Taylor ’25
associate features editor
Raphaela Gold ’26
head graphics editors
Luiza Chevres ’26
Noreen Hosny ’25
head humor editors Spencer Bauman ’25
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associate humor editors
Sam McComb ’25
Mya Koffie ’27
head news editors
Bridget O’Neill ’26
Annie Rupertus ’25
associate news editors
Olivia Sanchez ’26
Miriam Waldvogel ’26 (Investigations)
head newsletter editor
Sunney Gao ’27
associate newsletter editor
Victoria Davies ’27
head opinion editor Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26
community opinion editor Christofer Robles ’25
associate opinion editors Thomas Buckley ’26 Wynne Conger ’27
head photo editors Louisa Gheorghita ’26 Jean Shin ’26
associate photo editor
Calvin Grover ’27
head podcast editor Vitus Larrieu ’26
associate podcast editors
Senna Aldoubosh ’25
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head print design editors Avi Chesler ’25
Malia Gaviola ’26
head prospect editor Isabella Dail ’26
associate prospect editors Russell Fan ’26
Regina Roberts ’26
head puzzles editors Sabrina Effron ’26
Joah Macosko ’25
associate puzzles editors Wade Bednar ’26
Lindsay McBride ’27
head sports editors Cole Keller ’26
Diego Uribe ’26
associate sports editors Tate Hutchins ’27
Hayk Yengibaryan ’26
head web design and development
editors
Yacoub Kahkajian ’26
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148TH BUSINESS BOARD
assistant business manager
Jessica Funk ’26
business directors
Gabriel Gullett ’25
Andrew He ’26
Tejas Iyer ’26
Jordan Manela ’26
chief technology officer
Trump’s anti-intellectualism is an attack against Princeton
Alexander Margulis Contributing Opinion Writer
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has never been particularly fond of Princeton. In 2020, after the University removed Woodrow Wilson’s name from its School of Public and International Affairs, Trump took to X to complain. The re-naming, he wrote, was an act of “incredible stupidity!”
During the second Trump administration, this nascent distaste would develop into an allout assault on Princeton — and the rest of our nation’s colleges and universities. The writing is on the wall: policy proposals from the CATO institute and the Heritage Foundation — organizations flushed with personnel from the first Trump administration — describe plans to dismantle the Department of Education, limit discussions about LGBT+ issues in the classroom, and use federal funding as a political tool. As members of a university community who benefit from our access to education and intellectual freedom, we have a responsibility to stop these plans by voting against Trump.
At first, it might not be entirely obvious as to why the right would want to target elite universities. After all, Trump himself is an Ivy League graduate, and historically, these colleges have nurtured right-wing thought. Princeton alone counts conservative figures such as Samuel Alito ’72, Ted Cruz ’92, and Larry Kudlow GS ’71 among its ranks of alumni.
But modern conservatism in America is less concerned with policy than it is with the “culture wars.” When it comes to the values of diversity and inclusion, it’s fair to say that most elite universities have chosen a side.
This is why Trump describes the shift many American colleges have made to tackle their historic racism — say, by removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from a public policy center due to his segregationist policies — as a product of “radical left indoctrination.”
Robert Mohan ’26 Kok Wei Pua ’25 My Ky Tran ’26
project managers
Jason Ding ’25
Kaustuv Mukherjee ’26
148TH TECHNOLOGY BOARD
Roma Bhattacharjee ’25
lead software engineer
Sanh Nguyen ’26
software engineers
Anika Agarwal ’25
Carter Costic ’26
Jessica Dong ’25
Vishva Ilavelan ’27
Austin Li ’26 Allen Liu ’27 Isabel Liu ’26
Joyce Liu ’27
Hang Pham ’26
Aidan Phillips ’25 Joe Rupertus ’26 Caitlin Wang ’26 Shannon Yeow ’26 (UI/UX) Brett Zeligson ’24
THIS PRINT ISSUE WAS DESIGNED BY
Avi Chesler ’25
Veronica Cope ’26
Malia Gaviola ’26
Gabriela Gutierrez ’28
AND COPIED BY
Bryan Zhang ’26
Marley Hartnett-Cody ’28 Jose Santacruz ’27
Evan Wilson ’27
According to Trump, when academics publish papers about America’s systemic inequality, they are spreading “hateful lies about [the] country.” When students are encouraged to interact with a diverse set of peers — when they hear about each other’s life experiences on an Outdoor Action trip, for example — they are being fed leftist “propaganda.”
This rhetoric is disconcerting. Our ability to encounter a diverse set of viewpoints and backgrounds on campus greatly enhances the quality of our Princeton education. By politicizing even student body diversity, Trump imperils valuable discussions about the legitimate structural and social challenges that marginalized Americans face.
The details of Trump’s schemes illustrate the urgency of this threat. As the former president said last year in a campaign video entitled “Protecting Students from the Radical Left and Marx-
ist Maniacs,” his administration would employ a “secret weapon” in its quest to disempower America’s universities: the college accreditation system.
Since the early 1900s, colleges have had to go through the accreditation process in order to qualify for federal funding — or, crucially, to admit students on federally subsidized loans such as work-study or Pell grants. Accreditors make sure that a college is, in fact, providing its students with a holistic and valuable education. The process is usually a rubber stamp, especially for a school like Princeton: a 2014 study found that over four and a half years, less than 1 percent of colleges had their accreditation terminated.
Trump has made it clear that he intends to bend this system to serve his partisan goals by cutting funding from schools who focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, firing any accreditor who stands in his way.
Even Princeton, a school with a healthy endowment — to say the least — would suffer from a sudden drop in government funding. The University takes in more than twice as much from government grants and contracts than it does in tuition: it received $406 million dollars from the United States government over the last fiscal year, as compared to $154 million in tuition payments.
That being said, Princeton will likely receive government funding during a second Trump administration. Trump, and his anti-intellectual ideologues, are prepared for this. His administration also wants to mire elite universities in a swamp of lawsuits and subpoenas. During Trump’s first term, for example, the Department of Education launched an investigation of Princeton after its president, Christopher Eisgruber, issued an open letter that promised “to combat systemic racism at Princeton and beyond.”
Trump has also, in a surreal set of speeches, called for the termination of the U.S. Department of Education.
Inarguably, Trump wants to see a drastic decrease in the freedom of students and faculty to discuss issues such as the massacre of the Palestinian people, racism on campus, or LGBT+ rights. He wants a decreased emphasis on
the diversity of student bodies. Ultimately, then, he threatens to spark an alarming decrease in the intellectual vibrancy of America’s higher education system as a whole.
When a party’s platform slouches towards anti-intellectualism — as Trump’s has done — that platform becomes not just disagreeable but also dangerous. America’s universities are key to its social reforms and its economic growth. They are the root of our public policy development — Princeton faculty, for example, design green tech policy, serve on nuclear disarmament boards, and chair the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors. When Princeton renamed its School of Public and International Affairs, it was signaling its commitment to the sort of policymaking that benefits all Americans — not just the Woodrow Wilson demographic. This is what Trump is reacting to. This is what we must fight for. Today, participating in that fight is simple enough: we must vote against Trump. Tomorrow, it gets tougher. Trump’s hostility towards higher education is ultimately a symptom of a broader anti-intellectual trend among conservative voters, who are becoming increasingly distrustful of American institutions. As members of one such institution, we must turn our attention after this election to building back trust among Trump supporters — no matter who wins. This is frustrating work. There is no easy answer to the kettle logic of anti-intellectualism. But rebuilding red America’s trust in Princeton is much more feasible in a world where our commander in chief isn’t constantly threatening us with a funding drought or a deluge of lawsuits. Despite what Trump’s legion of ideologues would like you to think, no American institution — least of all Princeton — is trying to “rig” the election against him. Our university — and every college in America — will be better off if he loses.
Alexander Margulis (he/him) is a first-year from Princeton, N.J. He’s interested in studying English or public policy. Accreditors should email amargulis@princeton.edu if they intend to cut his funding.
LOUISA
the PROSPECT. ARTS & CULTURE
Día de los Muertos at Princeton: A celebration of life, death, and community
By Annika Plunkett | Prospect Contributor
Complete with an ofrenda, dancing, poetry, songs, and prayers to honor the dead, Día de los Muertos at Princeton is a celebration full of community, respect, and love.
The lobby of East Pyne in the afternoon of Oct. 29 was already alive with ritual chanting and music, packed with people who had come to honor the life of their deceased loved ones. People who had celebrated Día de los Muertos all their lives and those celebrating it for the first time formed an arc around the altar as individuals brought forward food, flowers, photographs of those honored who have passed on, and other offerings to add to the ofrenda.
The ofrenda is a central component of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday traditionally celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 to honor deceased loved ones and celebrate the cycle of life and death. On these days, it is believed that the souls of the deceased cross back over into the land of the living to spend time with their families, who place their photographs, favorite foods and objects, candles, marigold flowers, and other special items on the ofrenda in preparation for their ar-
rival.
The ofrenda in East Pyne is made up of tables covered in colorful cloth, orange marigolds, bright tissue paper flowers, papel picado, and the beautiful butterflies and skull tapestry on the wall, acknowledging the vibrancy of life and lives lived. Yet, the photographs and candles ensure that even a casual passerby knows that this is a space of remembrance.
For those who did not have offerings but still wished to honor a deceased loved one, the hosts of the event passed around colorful paper butterflies. Attendees were encouraged to write down loved ones’ names on the butterflies, which were later added to the wall behind the ofrenda, allowing everyone to take part in the ceremony. Volunteers and members of the Atl Tlachinolli dance troupe helped those who brought offerings to cleanse them over ritual smoke before adding them to the altar.
After adding items to the altar, the group moved outside to watch the Atl Tlachinolli dance troupe perform traditional Aztec Meshika dances to honor the deceased. The chief dancer, who wore a brightly colored feathered headdress with the top of a skull attached on the front, explained that each dance itself was a prayer. Forming a ring
around the drummer, the ceremonially dressed dancers moved to the rhythm of the beat: in and out, now turning around, now kicking, and now stamping their feet. Sometimes, they would let out a yell or shake their own percussive instruments in time with the reverberating beat of the drum.
The group left candles burning outside by the window facing the ofrenda as the group trickled back inside again to hear from the poet Vania Luna Gutierrez, accompanied by guitarist Fabian Vergara and percussionist Diego Peñaloza Jiménez.
“We are much closer than you think,” said Gutierrez, referring to the deceased.
Gutierrez’s poetry spoke of loved ones lost, healing — an act “as constant as breath” — migrants, and those named and unnamed whose lives were lost to violence. Her subtly powerful oration combined with the musicians’ artistry moved everyone present.
Furthering the communal aspect, people were invited to come forward and offer their own prayers, songs, and thoughts to the group or the altar. You could feel the gratitude and love in the room as people spoke. The last song performed at the altar — a song for the deceased — was led by the
family members leading the ceremony, including the Atl Tlachinolli drummer and one of the dancers.
The group joined in a final dance to close the ceremony, turning in each direction to acknowledge the deceased. Then they migrated further into East Pyne to celebrate together over food, music, and fun activities.
Between the ofrenda and the rotunda located deeper in the hall, activities for kids were set up, including face painting and sugar skull painting. Kids with traditional calavera face paint dashed around in their Halloween costumes.
The event also offered various delicious foods, including chips, guacamole, carnitas, tamales, beans and rice, and hot chocolate.
An overpowering sense of love, community, and respect for the cycle of life filled East Pyne during the celebration of Día de los Muertos, where a community gathered to honor the beauty and fragility of life in a ritual of love and remembrance.
Annika Plunkett is a contributing writer for The Prospect and a member of the Newsletter team. She can be reached at ap3616@princeton. edu.
ANNIKA PLUNKETT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN An ofrenda inside of East Pyne.
Artist Q&A: Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon talks poetry, Paul McCartney, and spoken word music
By Isabella Dail | Head Editor for the Prospect
It’s a sunny morning on Witherspoon Street. A couple holding hands strolls down the sidewalk, the woman wearing a sunhat and the man donning a baseball cap. A truck blares as it reverses into a minute parking spot, while a dog barks in the distance. The tables outside of Mamoun’s Falafel are largely unoccupied.
Yet, in one of the cold metal chairs sits Paul Muldoon, clad in all-black, up to his sunglasses. Muldoon holds several positions at Princeton, including the Howard G.B. Clark ’21 University Professorship in the Humanities and a Professorship of Creative Writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts. Muldoon has authored fifteen fulllength poetry collections and served as The New Yorker’s poetry editor. He is highly decorated, having won a Pulitzer Prize and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. The Daily Princetonian sat down to talk about his spoken word music group, Rogue Oliphant.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.
The Daily Princetonian: Can you tell us a little bit about Rogue Oliphant? What kind of style or genre do you consider yourselves to be?
Paul Muldoon: I’m not sure if we fall into any genre. This is a culture now where everything is pigeonholed. I think new genres are quite important in music, as it is in a bookstore. If you go into a bookstore, you’re looking for young adult. It’s conceivable that our genre is old adult, but I’m just making that up.
We’ve also been playing with the idea of calling it “art-alt” or “alt-art.” It’s basically rock and roll, insofar as rock and roll is a viable entity. Some people say it’s not. Some people say it’s dead. One may more or less point to when it started with Little Richard and Chuck Berry. It was taken up by the Stones and the Beatles and various other bands. It’s quite diverse.
There are several composers within the band, and each of them has their own style. We try not to do the same thing twice. Depending on who’s writing the music for the song, some of it’s bar poppy, some of it is almost Americana, and in some of it, there’s a bit of spoken word with musical accompaniment.
I’d say the genre is not boring. That’s the hope. One wants to be doing something slightly different, even though most things fall into a pattern. We like to have fun.
DP: You’ve performed in some interesting venues. You’ll be at Joe’s Pub in November.
PM: November 26. We’ve played Joe’s a few times. Joe’s was a great venue. It’s named after Joseph Papp, who founded the Public Theater. He’s a guy I actually met many years ago. We love playing there. It’s the kind of venue with a varied diet of music and entertainment of various kinds.
DP: If you could bring the band to Princeton, what’s a dream campus venue?
PM: We have played, and apparently it sounded not too bad, in the forum of the Lewis Center. It’s a lot of hard surfaces there, and it’s somewhat cavernous, boomy, echoey, which often leads to acoustic problems. It sounded pretty good.
I’m a big fan of Richardson Auditorium, but it’s a venue that’s best suited to acoustic performances rather than amplified. Our instruments are electrified. Once you start upping the decibel level, projecting sound through speakers and amps, you set up a whole new set of problems. We played in Richardson along the way.
The theater in Frist [Campus] Center is quite nice. We played in the Berlind Theater over the years.
I actually would love to see the stadium
used more for rock concerts. I’ve said that for years, but I’m not sure if anyone’s paying any attention. It’d be great to have a few rock concerts in the stadium.
DP: If you could have any guest performer, who would it be?
PM: I do a show called Muldoon’s Picnic at the Irish Art Center, where we have many guests. We did one a couple of weeks ago where our guest was Paul Simon. We have loads of guests, some of whom play with us. Steve Earl was there. Many people over the years played with us.
One of my heroes, and someone from whom I’ve learned quite a lot, is no longer with us. A guy called Warren Zevon. He’s been dead for about 10 years, unfortunately. Nice to get him back in some way. I’m not sure if he’s going to make it.
Music does invite people in. It’s a truism; it’s a cliché. It is a universal language, and it’s lovely to see people popping along. So, we’d have any guests that would have us. There are always interesting student bands.
One of the things I taught over the years…you may or may not be aware of “How to Write a Song.” Did you ever take it?
DP: I didn’t. I remember the year that Paul McCartney dropped in.
PM: That’s correct. There were many downsides to the COVID era. Almost everything was a downside. But one of the upsides for us was Paul McCartney. To get him to come to campus would be a big deal. The fact that he was able to show up virtually was fabulous, and he was absolutely brilliant. He often says about himself that, had he not been a Beatle, he would have been an English teacher.
Let’s say we had 10 student songs. The class would break into groups of maybe four. They would write a song and then perform it, which was then critiqued in the class. He himself critiqued songs, which is pretty amazing.
DP: Was it scary for the students?
PM: Maybe. I don’t know. What an opportunity. When we’re working with students, it’s as likely that a student will write a really good song or a really good poem as anybody. In fact, it’s maybe even more likely. We try to treat everybody seriously. In my own case, I published my first book when I was a student; when I was 21. Sometimes some of the very best poems are written by much younger people again.
DP: You’re known here for poetry. Could you speak a little bit on the relationship between poetry and music?
PM: I’m not really a musician myself. I’m a person who has been in bands where it was okay to play three chords. I’m not sure if I ever knew which one I was supposed to be playing. This particular band, when the musicians are really quite very good, they don’t allow me to play with them. I write the words.
I’ve always been fascinated by trying to write songs. It’s terribly difficult. I think it’s actually harder to write a good song than it might be to write a poem. The distinction I make between the two of them is that there always has to be something missing in a song lyric, which the music will fill out. As one’s writing, one has to be conscious of an absence, which is a weird way to think. In poetry, what we’re always trying to do is have everything in the case of the poem. The poem brings its own score. It tells you what it wants to be. It’s hard to talk about in the abstract. The poem is a complete package. The song lyric is incomplete.
DP: Anything else you’d like to add?
PM: Try not to have me say anything daft. That’s my big request.
Isabella Dail is a staff News writer and head editor for The Prospect for the ‘Prince.’
The Prospect
Weekly Event Roundup
By Meredith Sneed, Contributing Writer for The Prospect
1
Princeton University
Ballet: chroma
Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Frist Theater
Go enjoy Princeton University Ballet’s fall show: “chroma.” The student-choreographed dances in “chroma” span many genres, from classical to contemporary. Tickets are $9 for both students and the public. However, tickets are free for students with Passport to the Arts.
2
3
4
5
Campus Collections
Outdoor Walking Tour: Residential Colleges
Neighborhood
Nov 9. at 2 p.m.
Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/ Zodiac Heads behind The Dinky Bar, 94 University Pl.
Join a Princeton University Art Museum Guide on a walking tour of modern and contemporary sculptures around the residential colleges. The walking tour is free, open to the public, and reservations are not required.
8
“A Life Worth Living,” a new musical by Jeffery Chen
Nov. 8, 14, 15 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 9 and Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.
Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex
“A Life Worth Living,” written by Jeffery Chen ’25 and directed by faculty member Chesney Snow, is a dramatic-comedy musical that follows a teenager sent to a mental health treatment facility. At the facility, he forges a relationship with other residents while trying to reconcile with his best friend and father. The musical features a mix of contemporary pop-rock, hip-hop, and jazz. The Nov. 9 show will be followed by a talk with Dr. Calvin R. Chin, director of Princeton’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS). The show is free and open to the public. Advance tickets are required.
Sauce for the Goose: Outdoor Art Market
Nov. 9, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Downtown Princeton
Browse ceramics, textiles, jewelry, decor, and more artisan works from the over 100 vendors at the 30th anniversary of Sauce for the Goose. There will be something to discover for everyone at this outdoor art market.
A Masterclass with Elaine Douvas, oboist
Nov. 10, 2–4 p.m.
Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
This masterclass workshop with renowned oboist Elaine Douvas provides students the opportunity to work one-on-one with an accomplished musician, as part of the Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass series. The workshop is open for public viewing. The event is free, and advance tickets are not required.
6
Campus Collections Outdoor Walking Tour: Main Campus Neighborhood
Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.
Nassau Hall
Follow a Princeton University Art Museum guide on a walking tour of modern and contemporary sculptures around the main campus. The walking tour is free, open to the public, and reservations are not required.
Guided tour of “Monsters and Machines: Caricature, Visual Satire, and the Twentieth-Century
Nov. 12, 12:30–1 p.m.
Meet in the lobby of Firestone Library
Bestiary”
Join a library guide on a 30-minute tour of “Monsters and Machines: Caricature, Visual Satire, and the Twentieth-Century Bestiary,” the latest exhibition in the Milberg Gallery in Firestone Library. The exhibition focuses on bestiary in visual satire during the time between World War I and the end of the Cold War. The tour is open to the public.
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Film Screening: “The Unburied Sounds of a Troubled Horizon”
Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
Betts Auditorium, School of Architecture
“The Unburied Sounds of a Troubled Horizon,” directed by Tu ấ n Andrew Nguyễn , follows an artist navigating the wartorn landscape of her home while she explores the effects of a munition-filled world on the lives of her family. The screening is free and open to the public.
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C.K. Williams
Reading with Torrey Peters
Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Labyrinth Books
In an event co-sponsored by the Lewis Center for the Arts and Laby- rinth Books, Torrey Peters, author of the bestselling novel “Detransition, Baby,” will be reading her work alongside selected creative writing seniors. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Film Screening: “Malês”
Nov. 13, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
219 Aaron Burr Hall
Join the Princeton Brazil LAB for a screening of “Malês.” “Malês,” directed by Antônio Pitanga, chronicles the challenging conditions of Black life in 19th-century Bahia and the Malês Revolt, which was the largest organized uprising by enslaved people in Brazil’s his- tory. On Nov. 14, there will be a conversation with director Antônio Pitanga and star of the movie Camila Pitanga at 12 p.m. in room 144 of the Louis A. Simpson International Building. The screening and conversation are open to the public.
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“Bamako” Film Screening
Nov. 14, 5–8 p.m.
A71 Louis A. Simpson International Building
Join the Program in African Studies for a screening of “Bamako.” “Bamako,” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The film follows a trial in the capital of Mali, showing a debate over whether the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are responsible for the poor financial state of some African countries. The screening is free and open to the public.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Women’s soccer clinches No. 1 seed in Ivy Tournament, beats Columbia 1-0
By Daniel Eafa Sports Contributor
The Tigers (12–4–0 overall, 6–1–0 Ivy League) defeated the Columbia Lions (7–4–4, 5–1–1) in a one goal nail-biter this weekend. In a critical matchup with the first-place in the Ivy League Lions, The Tigers came away with a season-defining 1–0 victory to clinch the Ivy League regular season championship. The entire match was tight, with the game being decided by just a freekick.
Off the opening draw, both teams started out cautious, with each team seemingly waiting for a mistake from the other by playing a controlled style of play relying on mostly short passes. The first big chance came from the Lions, playing a long ball to forward Nata Ramirez, who was tackled aggressively by the last defender from the Tigers. There was delight on one side of the crowd, but anger from the other as the Lions felt Ramirez had been tripped. This was the first of many physical tests throughout the match.
The Tigers were quick to respond, as just minutes later, senior defender Heather MacNab intercepted the ball and then found junior forward Pietra Tordin, who was able to take a shot from the edge of the box — warning the Columbia goalkeeper of her capabilities.
“I thought Columbia played better in possession, but we really made most of the defensive work and on the counter attacks,” head coach Sean Driscoll told The Daily Princetonian when asked about the match’s tempo.
From here, the next 20 minutes of the match was a pure back-and-forth, with both teams playing very physically to try to break through and get the first goal.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
There was passing, strong tackles, and good chances on both sides — a true battle between the conference’s best.
The first person to be carded in this physical match was surprisingly head coach Sean Driscoll, who received a yellow card for his complaints on the sideline. Soon after that, in the 34th minute, senior midfielder Lily Bryant was given a yellow card for a challenge she had on a Columbia defender.
In the 40th minute, Ramirez had another breakthrough on a counterattack, but senior defender Ryann Brown was able to make a strong interception and defensive stop. Ramirez and Brown had a strong battle throughout the entire match, as both of the experienced players played their role with tenacity.
From there, the half ended 0–0 with no other big chances from either team.
“The formation change helped a lot in the second half,” Tordin told the ‘Prince’ about the second half adjustments. “We switched to a 3-5-2 and from there we just had to keep reiterating and keeping up the energy.”
The match remained in a stalemate in the following minutes, but it all changed in the 63rd minute when Tordin took a strong shot that was brilliantly caught by the goalkeeper. Immediately after the save, controversy struck as the Columbia goalkeeper held the ball for a long period of time, leading to an indirect freekick call inside of Columbia’s box. With the entire Columbia defense being lined up on their goal line, Princeton spaced out around the box with Tordin in position to play the free kick with MacNab by her side.
As Tordin began her run up, MacNab tapped the ball to put the indirect free kick in play, and Tordin took the shot to score
into the bottom right corner, taking the 1–0 lead by scoring her seventh goal of the season.
“Of course it feels great to score, but true credit to the team as a whole. [MacNab] was the one who told me to believe in myself and take the shot,” Tordin said. “It truly comes from all of us.”
“We have a really good senior class that sets the standard and is desperate to win games. They never stop fighting, and when you have good leadership with good seniors you are bound to do well,” Driscoll said.
In the final ten minutes, Columbia was desperate to score, as the Lions relied on
long balls resulting in several different offsides. They were caught offside three times in the final minutes of the match before the referee blew the final whistle.
“Columbia has been in first place this whole time, and we have been chasing them this entire season, so this win is really huge,” Driscoll said. “The key to doing well at the Ivy League tournament this weekend is getting better, sustaining possession, and continuing to win the ball higher up the field in a composed manner.”
Next up, No. 1 seeded Princeton will set their sights on winning the Ivy League Tournament, hosting No. 4 seeded Harvard
on Friday at Roberts Stadium. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 and No. 3 seeded Columbia and Brown will play for a spot in the final.
When asked by the ‘Prince’ what she wanted to bring into the Ivy league tournament this weekend, Tordin said, “I think the number one thing is belief, our captains have also been saying [that]. We have players who are capable of getting the job done, and bringing that into next week is what we really need to do.”
Daniel Eafa is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Lee drops 27 as men’s basketball rallies to win season opener against Iona
Playing in their first game of the season, the Tigers (1–0 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) erased a 16-point deficit to defeat the Iona Gaels (0–1 overall, 0–0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference).
“I told most of their staff they were better than us,” head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “It was very much a learning experience.”
After a high-scoring and even first 12 minutes, Iona closed the half on a 25–12 run to take a 49–37 lead into the locker room. After being down by 16 points early in the second half, the Tigers flipped a switch, going on a 20–2 run to make it a new ball game with under 10 minutes remaining.
“We didn’t really come ready to play,” junior Caden Pierce noted. “I think we kind of expected to just walk out there and, you know, do our thing, and, you know, we got punched in the face, and I think we needed that.”
After a back-and-forth affair, two free throws from junior star guard Xaivian Lee sealed an 81–80 victory for the Tigers. Lee finished the game with 27 points, six assists, and four rebounds — which included 17 points in the final 12 minutes.
“Credit to Princeton,” Iona head coach Tobin Anderson told the ‘Prince’ post-
game. “I thought Xaivian Lee played tremendous. Lee made some great shots in the second half.”
Notably, Deven Austin was not to be seen for the Tigers. Postgame, Henderson confirmed that Austin took a leave of absence in late October due to personal reasons.
“Deven [Austin] has taken a leave of absence from school, so he won’t be with us,” Henderson said. “We wish him the best, about all I can say about it at the moment.”
The first five minutes saw both teams struggle to find their rhythm offensively. During the first media timeout, Princeton led 10–9. Down 13–11, Pierce and Peters hit back-to-back triples to take a 17–15 lead.
On the other side, guard and three-star recruit Adam Njie Jr. catalyzed the Iona offense with eight of their first 20 points. Game-planning for the Gaels was a challenge, as the team returned zero players from the 2023–24 season.
“We knew very little about how they were going to play,” Henderson noted. “We knew very little about the presses, the personnel, actions, calls, and it showed.”
First year forward Malik Abdullahi was quick to find a role, scoring four points in his first minute on the court. Iona’s defense demonstrated poise, as their fullcourt press and double coverage on Lee and Pierce gave Princeton trouble pushing the ball up the court.
Down 24–25, Iona went on an 11–2 run to
take an eight-point lead, with much more energy from the bench and on-court players.
“Credit to them, they played their butts off,” Pierce said. “They made it tough for us. They sped us up, especially in the first half.
A three from Davis brought the Tigers within a single possession, but the Gaels continued to cause problems for the Tigers on both ends of the court. A 14–5 run by Iona put them up 49–37 at the halftime break.
“I was worried at halftime, just because we weren’t competing honestly, myself included,” Lee added. “I literally told Cade [Pierce], Hicke, Huggins before the game: ‘we might get punched in the face, but we’re always gonna have a chance to win.’”
In the second half, the Gaels picked up right where they left off, pressing hard, pushing transition, and getting to the rim, leading to a Princeton turnover and open Gael three. With 16:35 left in the game, Iona had its largest lead of the game, up 58–42. The atmosphere inside Jadwin was dull.
Lack of communication plagued the Tigers on the floor. In the absence of a floor general like Matt Allocco ’24, the Tigers were quieter than usual, which led to consistent turnovers.
“We were lucky to have leaders like Zach and Mush [Allocco] and they made it easy on us,” Pierce said. “Now that those voices are gone, it’s up to me, Xaiv, and Blake step in and fill that role.”
Pierce continued, “I think in the first half, we didn’t do a good job of that. It’s a young season, and we’re figuring things out as well, but I know we’ll improve on that.”
Despite this, the Tigers slowly crawled back into the game. A triple by Peters and back-to-back buckets from Pierce cut the deficit to seven, 60–53.
The Tigers continued to find ways to get back in the game. Following a media timeout, a step-back three from Lee, a tough layup from Davis, and a fast-break dunk by Huggins highlighted a 7–0 run that turned into a larger 20–2 run.
“Once we got stops, I felt like all the momentum kept coming,” Lee said. “It’s a lot easier to play when they’re not scoring honestly.”
Tied at 66–66 later in the run, Lee had a highlight reel-worthy play with an anklebreaker step-back triple to bring Jadwin to its feet. A layup from Huggins put Princeton up 71–67 and in the driver’s seat.
However, the Gaels refused to roll over and a 10–4 run put them up 77–73. With 2:33 left in the game, Lee hit his third triple of the game to cut the deficit to one. After both teams failed to convert, Lee hit a jumper as the clock expired to give Princeton a 78–77 lead with under a minute remaining.
With Princeton up two, Iona converted an and-one to take a one-point lead with 18 seconds remaining. With 25 points on
the game, it was clear the ball would be in Lee’s hands. Lee did indeed take the ball and control, driving to the rim and earning two free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining.
Lee sank both free throws to seal the opening night win for the Tigers, 81–80 after a jumper from Iona did not find its way through the hoop.
Peters played 33 minutes off the bench for Princeton. Postgame, Henderson was pleased with the lineup that ended the game, hinting at a possible switch in the starting lineup for the second game.
“I think we feel pretty good about the group that was out there at the end, which of course, involves Blake [Peters],” Henderson noted.
Despite the win, it was evident that there were holes in the team that needed to be addressed. Size was a concern for the Tigers, who got out-rebounded 33–25. Furthermore, the Tigers struggled from the charity stripe, going 11-for-22, but made them when it mattered most.
Next up for the Tigers will be the second annual Jersey Jam against Duquesne (0–1, 0–0 Atlantic 10). Last year, the Tigers edged out a 70–67 win against the Dukes early in the season on the road.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ JP Ohl is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
PHOTO COURTESY OF GO PRINCETON TIGERS / SHELLEY M. SZWAST. Women’s soccer will first play Harvard in the Ivy League semifinals this weekend.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘A new identity’: Princeton men’s basketball set to tip off 2024–25 season
By Hayk Yengibaryan Associate Sports Editor
After their March Madness hopes were dashed in the Ivy League semifinal against Brown in March, men’s basketball entered an offseason fraught with uncertainty.
The Tigers’ breakout star junior guard Xaivian Lee declared for the NBA draft and it was unclear what junior forward Caden Pierce would do as fellow Ivy League titans entered the transfer portal. To make matters worse, Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 was rumored to be a final candidate for the Stanford head coaching position.
But none of these things happened. Lee and Pierce returned, and Henderson was adamant that Princeton was the place he wanted to be. With one of the best upperclass student duos in the country and a successful track record of player development that will help their underclass student rising stars, the Tigers look set for another season that will make national headlines.
The 2024–25 season will mark Henderson’s 13th season coaching Princeton.
“This has always been where I’d like to be and where I want to be,” Henderson told The Daily Princetonian. “What interests me is the four-year relationship with guys; that’s not really possible in a lot of other places.”
At the forefront of the Tiger squad will be Pierce, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, and Lee, who received an unanimous first team Ivy mention. The duo have chosen to remain at Princeton and have a close relationship with Henderson.
“[Pierce] influences an awful lot around here, including me,” Henderson said.
Pierce’s return to Old Nassau,
in particular, was unexpected. Out of the 22 conference players of the year from one-bid leagues, he was the only one who returned to his program.
“It’s a crazy time we live in nowadays,” Pierce said, referring to the new era of the transfer portal. “I feel like I would have been throwing something away that I didn’t want to throw away,” Pierce continued.
Pierce also has a close relationship with Lee, who declared for the NBA draft in April before withdrawing in May.
“We were texting back and forth, calling back and forth, nonstop from April to May,” Pierce noted. “I wasn’t trying to persuade him either way. I was just supporting him, and I wanted what was best for him.”
The connection between Lee and Pierce on the court stems from their friendship outside of Jadwin. The two are economics majors and do most of their dayto-day activities together.
“We take classes together, we live together, we eat together, we do everything together,” Pierce said. “I think that only helps our on-court play.”
On and off the court, the close bonds that the scoring leaders for the Tigers have will drive success for the Orange and Black this season. Despite their successes last year and decision to stay at Princeton, both players have room to grow and will have big shoes to fill.
The duo will have to replace since-graduated seniors Zach Martini ’24 and Matt Allocco ’24 on their roster, who used their final year of eligibility to transfer to Rutgers and Notre Dame respectively. Martini and Allocco were Princeton’s two captains in the 2023–24 season and started all 29 games for the Orange and Black.
“It definitely took some ad-
justing in the first few weeks without them here,” Pierce said. “Last year, we were so used to just hearing Mush [Allocco] and Zach’s voice the whole time.”
Lee and Pierce will have plenty of returning talent around them, including sophomore guards Dalen Davis and Jackson Hicke. Furthermore, senior guard Blake Peters will look to rebound after a disappointing 2023–24 season.
“The expectation here is that everybody would get a little bit better each year, and we’re pretty direct about it,” Henderson said.
Davis broke out at the end of the 2023–24 season, averaging over 10 points per game in the last nine games of the season. The Chicago native had his best game of the season in the loss to Brown, putting up 21 points with four triples.
“He saved us and put us on his back,” Henderson said of Davis after the Brown game in March. “As a freshman, he looked like a senior.”
Hicke is a wildcard on this year’s Princeton team. The Pennsylvania native played only 119 minutes during his rookie campaign, but Lee was confident that Hicke would have a “breakout year,” hinting at a possible inclusion in Henderson’s five.
Peters, the strongest senior on the Tiger squad, had a standout sophomore year, shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc and breaking out in the NCAA tournament second round against Missouri, scoring 17 points with five made triples. Unfortunately, his efficiency dropped with a larger role junior year. Despite starting all 29 games, Peters shot 33.3 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc.
One player that will not be seeing action for the Tigers this year is Jack Scott. After transferring to William & Mary, Scott later re-
versed his decision and rejoined the Tigers. However, reneging on this commitment makes him ineligible to play.
“He is ineligible,” Henderson confirmed to the ‘Prince,’ “I’m really glad he’s here, though. He’s a huge part of who we are. It’s good to have that veteran presence.”
Princeton will also welcome a strong Class of 2028 that includes five newcomers. Firstyear forward Malik Abdullahi, a three-star recruit from Florida, is the highlight of Henderson’s incoming class.
“I think Malik Abdullahi, he’s gonna make a significant impact,” Pierce said. “It’s obviously early, and so we don’t know what the rotation is like specifically, but I’ve seen a lot of really good signs from [the first-year players].”
Last year, the Tigers were mostly locked into a seven-man rotation. This time around, Henderson hopes to give minutes to more players.
“I see this as a much deeper group, and I’d like to have a bigger bench,” Henderson continued. “It’s good for everybody if you kind of get to March having a bit of a deeper bench where everybody’s comfortable and has played really significant minutes.”
The Tigers will commence non-conference play against Iona on Monday night. This will mark the first of 15 out-of-conference games before Ivy play begins in Boston against Harvard on Jan. 11.
The highlight of the non-conference schedule will be a nationally televised game against No. 25 Rutgers on Dec. 21 at the Prudential Center in Newark, where former Tiger Martini will be one of the captains for the Scarlet Knights.
“Playing Zach will feel kind of surreal,” Lee said. “That’s prob-
ably like the biggest game in our schedule in the biggest environment, so that’d be really fun.”
While league foes Yale and Brown have been able to schedule more marquee non-conference games, Princeton has not had as much luck. Brown will play college basketball bluebloods, Kansas and Kentucky, in December this season.
“We want to play the toughest schedule we possibly can in a national schedule,” Henderson said. “I wish I could make the decision on both ends of the phone, but I think it’s a testament to where we’ve been and where the program is, that we’ve been able to get some of those wins, and people don’t want to play us.”
In league play, the Tigers’ main rival will be the Yale Bulldogs. Yale will return reigning All-Ivy honorees Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas. Mbeng was the Ivy League defensive player of the year during the last two seasons, while Poulakidas was one of the best shooters in the country last year with 83 made triples. Princeton was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Ivy in a media poll, receiving all but one of the first-place votes. The first of the Tigers’ two matchups against Yale will be on Jan. 31 at Jadwin Gym, while the second will take place two weeks later on Feb. 15.
“The league is really good and really well coached,” Henderson noted. “We are hopeful, of course, to be right there at the top of the league again.”
“We’re a completely different team than we were last year,” Pierce said. “I think we’re gonna use the non-conference and the first couple of games to establish an identity.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Serving those in the nation’s service, at a cost
By Jillian Ascher Staff Archivist
When many students returned as veterans following the end of WWII, veterans associations sprung up after them — but a 1946 opinion piece thinks this was a mistake. The anonymous author argued that the organizations were too political, and had little to offer veterans that preexisting groups couldn’t provide.
In 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, better known as the G.I. Bill, which funded the college educations of World War II veterans. The G.I. Bill and Princeton’s guarantee to educate students who left school to fight led to more veterans on campus. This prompted the establishment of various veterans associations.
Despite the large number of veterans enrolled, the author notes that few undergraduates were members
of the associations. He points out the political agendas of the organizations, noting the appeal of the American Veterans Committee (AVC), with the motto “Citizens First, Veterans Second,” focused on “liberalism and its interest in political and social issues.” On the other hand, he described the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars as “wasteful pressure groups which exploit a congregate relationship for political ends.”
The author also criticizes some organizations as, “fronts behind which vicious national political forces seek to organize and channelize student opinion on important issues of public and international affairs.” To that end, the article dissuades participation in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, “which have concentrated on destructive criticism, the worst type of pressure-group dynamics, and drunken conventions.”
The 1946 author believed that “the average veteran would do well to steer clear of the groups in his concern for his duties of citizenship.”
But now, with around 90 undergraduate veteran transfer students, the President of the Princeton Undergraduate Veterans Association (PUVA), Richard Kertatos ’26 finds just the opposite.
As the transfer program was only reinstated in 2018, one of the PUVA’s main purposes is advocacy for the non-traditional student experience of veterans, unlike the veteran’s associations in the 40s, which acted as an outlet for political views. Kertatos explained, “[The PUVA] is apolitical. We have veterans in the organization across the political spectrum and our job is to support everybody in the organization that’s a member.”
As a non-partisan organization, the PUVA recently worked with administration to create a veteran’s lounge on campus. Located in the
McCosh Hall basement, Kertatos explained that “with many veterans living off campus, the lounge serves as a spot for veterans to socialize and call home on campus.”
Today, many campus organizations, like Sunrise Princeton, YDSA, and the James Madison Program, are chapters of nationwide political groups. Yet, there are no nationallyaffiliated veteran’s associations on campus. This may be explained by the far smaller presence of veterans on campus existing in a different political context, rather than the much larger post-WWII veteran population. Thus, the veteran’s association has shifted from the political presence of the AVC, American Legion, and VFS, to the PUVA, which simply advocates for veterans’ needs and supports their transition to college life.
Jillian Ascher is a staff Archivist for the ‘Prince.’
