At an April meeting with top administrators, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) representatives proposed substantial changes to the two meals per week program for upperclassmen. Instead of two meals expiring at the end of every week, upperclassmen would have access to 24 meals per semester usable during breaks and potentially even Late Meal. Over the summer, USG members attempted to meet with University Services to discuss their proposal as well as a major report by the Huron Consulting Group on the state of campus dining. In August, the University
abruptly cancelled.
Then, on Sept. 29, USG got its request — and much else they didn’t want. In a move that surprised virtually all undergraduates, the University announced that all students living on campus would be required to purchase a meal plan, effectively eliminating the independent dining option. The new options included a Block 32 plan for students in eating clubs and co-ops, with strikingly similar characteristics to USG’s proposal: consistent use throughout the semester, available during breaks, and usable at Late Meal.
The decision drew immediate backlash from a range of students and alumni. Independent students lambasted the decision, which also initially dis-
posed of a separate room draw process for Spelman Hall’s apartment-style dorms, for eliminating their ability to cook their own food. Meanwhile, the Graduate Interclub Council launched a “Don’t Harvard Our Princeton” campaign protesting the impacts on eating club and co-op plan holders, even flying a banner over the Oct. 25 homecoming football game.
At the USG meeting on Nov. 2, the University announced an adjustment to the policy: It would cover the cost of the Block 32 plan for all upperclassmen, with independent students still required to purchase at minimum a Block 128 plan starting in the 2026–27 academic year.
Opinion
The
University
is selling the dining changes as a win. Don’t fall for it.
By Raf Basas & Jerry Zhu Opinion Columnist & Guest Opinion Editor
In an unexpected move
Sunday, University administrators announced at a USG Senate meeting that all students would now receive the required Block 32 plan for free. This occurred after the Graduate Interclub Council (GICC), an alumni organization that advocates for the long-term interests of the eating clubs, organized a campaign against the newly required meal plan that included flying a plane with a banner over the Harvard-Princeton football game. But while this means that non-aid students can pay $900 less to the University than they would have under the initial plan, those who were most impacted by the new dining regime — independent students on aid — were left no better off.
The Block 32 plan, which will provide 32 meals per semester, is replacing the two
free dining hall meals per week that the University offers currently. Technically, with this new change, the University is making it free for all, and reducing the Block 160 plan requirement for independents to a new “Block 128.”
But in the original announcement of Block 32 in September, the University stated that all students on financial aid, regardless of the amount, would have the $900 covered. Therefore, making Block 32 “free” has changed nothing for students on any amount of financial aid. Getting $900 extra in aid and paying $900 back for the mandatory Block 32 is equivalent to receiving no extra money and getting the Block 32 for free. Students not on aid, meanwhile, now get 32 meals for free instead of beSee DINING page 10
Please send any corrections requests to corrections@dailyprincetonian.com.
Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey’s governor’s race, will join Board of Trustees in January
By Luke Grippo Assistant News Editor
Mikie Sherrill has won the 2025 race for governor of New Jersey, becoming the third Democratic winner in a string of nationally observed elections in Virginia and New York City that concluded Tuesday night.
The Associated Press called the race for Sherrill and her running mate, Dale Caldwell ’82, at 9:23 p.m. on Tuesday night. Their victory comes after a year of fierce battle with Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli, who was also the Republican nominee for governor in 2021.
When Sherrill officially
becomes governor in January, she will hold an ex officio position on the Princeton University Board of Trustees. In this position, she will have the same rights and responsibilities as the other board members, including her own vote in University decisions.
She will succeed eight-year Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who has enjoyed a close relationship with Princeton University, specifically with the development of the New Jersey AI Hub.
During a gubernatorial debate in September, Ciattarelli had made remarks criticizing the state’s relationship with Princeton, believing the University fund-
ing should be fed to public schools like Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Sherrill, on the other hand, responded favorably to continuing the state-University partnership.
The ‘Prince’ spoke with Caldwell, Sherrill’s running mate, on Monday, prior to the election, about the campaign. Caldwell attributes his political ideology and current political position to Princeton and was all-in on Sherrill’s campaign to fight for higher education federal funding back.
In the interview, Caldwell said that alumni and activist Lawrence Hamm ’78, who led protests against South
” MUSEUM EXHIBITS OCCULT ART “
This Week In History
As the new Princeton University Art Museum bustles with art enthusiasts in its first week open, The Daily Princetonian invites readers to reflect on the museum’s past. 50 years ago this week, the historic Art Museum unveiled a since-forgotten unconventional exhibition: occult art.
CALVIN KENJIRO GROVER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The University has announced many campus dining changes over the last few months.
VEENA KRISHNARAJ / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
The American flag flies over Nassau Hall on Election Day morning.
Krishnan:
‘In some of the conversations I’ve had with top administrators, I’ve told them the trust has been sort of broken.’
PROPOSAL
Continued from page 1
The original changes on Sept. 29, along with the modified policy announced Sunday, followed months of only sporadic conversations between University administrators and USG representatives that were characterized by a lack of transparent communication and genuine engagement on the part of administrators, student leaders in the room said in interviews.
“In some of the conversations I’ve had with top administrators, I’ve told them the trust has been sort of broken,” said University Student Life Committee Chair Anuj Krishnan ’27 in an interview with The Daily Princetonian prior to the Nov. 2 announcement.
That friction has remained even after Sunday’s announcement, which meant students not on financial aid will not have to pay for Block 32 out of pocket. The modified policy, however, does not have material impact for students on financial aid, who would have seen the cost of Block 32 covered under the University’s initial plan regardless.
“USG stands by its original assessment that current students were not meaningfully engaged in the rollout of these dining policies,” USG President Enzo Kho ’26, USG Vice President Aishwarya Swamidurai ’26, and Krishnan said in a statement.
University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill declined multiple requests for comment on the cancelled meeting be-
tween University Services and USG. The University has repeatedly pointed to surveys of undergraduates and alumni over 10 years, including a report released by the Huron Consulting Group in 2023, as evidence of genuine student engagement.
“We have very much appreciated the feedback and engagement from both this body as well as during our information sessions,” Vice President for University Services Chad L. Klaus said at Sunday’s USG meeting.
Even in trying to discuss the report and their proposed policy responses, USG felt stymied, students said.
USG engaged in three meetings with administrators about dining last spring. At an April 7 lunch meeting with University Services, USG presented the findings from a dining working group led by USG senators Samuel Kligman ’26 and Hriday Unadkat ’26. The working group’s survey of upperclassmen demonstrated strong student body support for the rollover of meal swipes, and led USG to compose its memorandum on dining changes.
Krishnan presented this memorandum at an April 21 meeting of the University Student Life Committee, with faculty representatives and Interclub Council members in attendance. The public release of data from the Huron Report was also discussed at this meeting.
USG followed up with University Services in May to discuss the memorandum and the University’s potential
ECE to discontinue Princeton-specific master’s program, reinstitute externally funded version
By Clara Docherty Staff news writer
An institutionally-funded master’s program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) designed specifically for Princeton students will be reverted to a master’s program open to any applicant with external funding.
“This program has run its course and won’t be offered in the future,” Claire Gmachl, ECE department chair, wrote in an email to ECE seniors last week.
The program began during the pandemic as a way to offer ECE seniors an institutionally funded extra opportunity for classes and research — a year-long program which would yield a Masters in Engineering degree on the University’s dime. The intention of the program was to give students an extra opportunity to take in-person classes in light of the pandemic’s virtual offerings, Gmachl said.
“The covid affected class-years have since graduated; hence the rationale for this model has disappeared and we have reverted to the previous model,” Gmachl said in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Before COVID-19, the ECE department offered a small, one-year Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program, typically pursued by mid-career individuals who wanted a master’s degree to continue their work. The student must have had external funding, and Princeton would not offer institutional support. Gmachl said that “[the pre-COVID-19 master’s program] is again available, and we expect it to remain small.”
The news has left some ECE students disappointed, with many now reconsider-
use of the Huron report, according to Krishnan.
Following the May meeting, University Services and USG mutually agreed to meet over the summer, according to Swamidurai. After USG reached out at the beginning of July to schedule a meeting, University Services agreed to a date in August. However, they abruptly canceled 24 hours beforehand, saying they were “unable to meet.”
“University Services was unable to meet with us due to the University ‘navigating a number of challenging issues’ and them requiring additional time prior to a meeting,” Kho, Swamidurai, and Krishnan said in a statement.
After that, University Services did not discuss the memorandum with USG or attempt to reschedule before the initial dining changes were released on Sept. 29, according to Krishnan.
“[The memorandum] just became dead in the water,” he told the ‘Prince’ prior to the Nov. 2 change.
In the wake of student controversy, however, Klaus suddenly praised the memorandum at Sunday’s USG meeting.
“We are grateful to USG for identifying this option in their memorandum and for articulating why it was important to students that the meals be available in block form,” he said.
The original dining changes would have required all students in eating clubs and co-ops not receiving financial aid to purchase a Block 32 plan at the cost of $900, citing budget con-
straints as the reason for the change.
“The two University-sponsored meals per week (commonly referred to as “free meals”) will be eliminated due to ongoing budget reduction measures,” read the Sept. 29 campus message.
“We did have a bit of a budget challenge that we were sorting through over the summer, and that’s how we ended up with the proposal that we did,” Klaus said at Sunday’s USG meeting.
University spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss provided a timeline of student engagement with dining changes to the ‘Prince’ after the Sept. 29 policy was first announced. Beginning in 2016 with student participation in a task force on the residential college model, the timeline cites the engagement of two undergraduate students in a Huron working group as another example.
“The absence of a required meal plan for residential students and an option to select independent status, unique among Princeton’s peers, has led to some students feeling isolated due to the inability to engage with others during shared meals,” reads one finding of the Huron report.
The effective end to independent status also left open the question of how housing in Spelman Hall would be incorporated into the new room draw process. The University has set a Thanksgiving break deadline to determine a solution, according to Klaus.
USG voiced concern over why the University had not considered Spelman
prior to the dining changes.
“This all came out of Huron, a bunch of external consultants who were pretty sure that they didn’t ask questions regarding Spelman in that way,” Swamidurai said prior to Nov. 2.
Hotchkiss also included the 2022 dining pilot program on the timeline of student engagement, commissioned in order to promote “fluidity through the dining system.” However, a USG poll of undergraduate students found that 74 percent of respondents held “mostly negative” views on the dining pilot. The dining pilot became public after it was leaked to the ‘Prince,’ and a group of students including USG President Mayu Takeuchi ’23 even offered an alternate proposal to the University on dining.
In USG’s written comment, they reiterated a commitment to advocacy on behalf of students while navigating University policy changes.
“We will continue to act in good faith and bring forward compelling perspectives and proposals that respond to the needs and priorities of students,” they wrote.
Kian Petlin is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from San Francisco, Calif. and typically covers campus events and student life.
Gray Collins is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Villanova, Penn. and can be reached at gc7410@princeton.edu.
ing their post-graduation options. Veronika Kitsul ’26 was planning on applying to the program as a stable back-up option when searching for post-grad opportunities — an opportunity that was a more “sure case” for ECE seniors because it was “only available to them,” she said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’
Joseph Foranzi ’26 was also considering applying to the program as an “economical fallback,” he told the ‘Prince.’ He was left “disappointed.”
Ximu Du ’26 was also considering applying to the program until he learned of its cancellation.
“Since then, I’ve been applying to a mix of graduate programs and jobs to keep my options open. UC Berkeley and CMU both have very strong programs in this field that I’m considering,” Du said in a statement to the ‘Prince.’
However, there is confusion among the campus regarding the actual identity of the program being cancelled.
Other than Gmachl’s email to ECE seniors, there have been no further announcements from the ECE department or graduate school regarding the M.Eng. program.
Currently, there are four M.Eng. programs being offered in Fall 2026: in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and ECE. Each program is currently accepting applications.
Clara Docherty is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Lafayette, N.J., and typically covers campus clubs and institutional legacy. She can be reached at clara.docherty[at] princeton.edu.
‘Caldwell
said that alumni and activist
Lawrence Hamm ’78, who led protests against South African apartheid, has been a source of inspiration for him regarding his and Sherrill’s work on being a voice for those communities without a voice.’
Continued from page 1
African apartheid, has been a source of inspiration for him regarding his and Sherrill’s work on being a voice for those communities without a voice.
As of Tuesday night, Sherrill has won with 56 percent of the vote statewide and 69.48 percent of the Mercer County vote, although further results will continue to be reported.
The Daily Princetonian has reached out to Sherrill’s press team and the University for comment.
Outside of New Jersey, Zohran Mamdani (D) has won the New York City may-
oral election, defeating former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. Democrat Abigail Spanberger has won the governor’s race for Virginia over Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, making Spanberger the first female governor for the state. This story is breaking and will be updated as more details become available.
Luke Grippo is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers University and town politics, on a national, regional, and local scale. He can be reached at lg5452[at]princeton.edu.
By Cami Cortes Marchant
County Clerk and Commissioners candidates gearing up for election next week
By Leela Hensler & Ambre Van de Velde Staff News Writer & Contributor
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, voters across Mercer County will cast ballots not only in New Jersey’s closely watched gubernatorial race, but also for two countywide offices: the county clerk and the Board of County commissioners. These offices have direct effects on everything from the distribution of mailin ballots to the maintenance of county roads and parks.
The Office of the County Clerk manages elections at the county level, including the printing of ballots, vote-bymail applications, drop-box operations, verification of candidate petitions, and certification of results. Voters will choose between the incumbent clerk, Democrat Paula Covello, and Republican small business owner Shaolin Brown at the polls on Tuesday.
Covello has been in office since 2006. “I feel like I’m able to provide services to so many residents in this position,” she said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “Serving the community and being able to meet new people. I mean, all of it is very rewarding.”
Over the past two decades, she has navigated five presidential elections, including ensuring that all registered voters were able to receive their mail ballots during Hurricane Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The governor required us to do an all vote-by-mail primary. We had to mail ballots to over 250,000 registered voters in our county, and we did it! Everyone was able to vote, and that was a very challenging election,” Covello said.
Covello said she wants to fight voting restrictions in her upcoming term. “I’m going to continue to fight and be an advocate for fair and free voting,” Covello told the ‘Prince.’ “I’m going to fight against any kind of limitation to our current voting laws that we have right now.”
Shaolin Brown did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
There are also two seats on the Board of County Commissioners which will be up for election. The Board acts as the county’s legislative body, and the commissioners set the county’s budgets and pass ordinances. The race is between incumbent Democrats Nina Melker and Cathleen Lewis and Republicans Daniel Hanley and Alexander “AJ” DiFalco.
Commissioner Nina Melker, who was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2018, said that she felt “hopeful and confident” about winning on Tuesday.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job in my role, [and] I think people have been pleased with the work that I’ve done,” Melker told the ‘Prince’ in an interview. “I am out there in the community, and I am available to my constituents.”
To take over the positions on the Board, Republicans Daniel Hanley and AJ DiFalco, are focused on “broad appeal,” with policies aimed toward preventing property tax increases and making the county more business-friendly, as stated in an interview with the ‘Prince.’
“We’ve seen lots of issues with county mismanagement,” DiFalco said. “Property taxes don’t have to go up every year by 10 or 20 percent, [and] we don’t have to have millions of dollars go missing. We have to have accountability.”
“We have a county commissioner board who will not fulfill the current roles of their government. They will not keep tax rates flat, they will not keep fiscal responsibility under control,” he continued. “They will not provide us, the county, with accountable government and checks and balances. So I say they are not fulfilling their role of government, [and] it’s time for me to step in.”
In response to concerns about tax increases and a lack of business development, Melker stated that during her tenure on the board, taxes have only been raised in the past two years.
“When you talk about us not being a friendly county to businesses, I would disagree with that one hundred percent,” she said. “I deal with businesses in this county every day, [and] we have amazing programs for the business community.”
Melker said that her work as a commissioner was informed by the 45 years she spent working as a banker in Hamilton and serving on a number of nonprofit boards in Mercer County. One of her proudest achievements on the board was being able to “put money back into the community” by overseeing the distribution of American Rescue Program (ARP) funds to both businesses and municipalities following the pandemic.
If re-elected, Melker said that her “number one issue” is supporting constituents who rely on federal benefits following cuts to SNAP. “People should be able to eat and have a home to live in, and all the basics that most of us just take for granted,” she said. “And with these benefit cuts, [people] lose the major things that you need to survive in life.”
When asked about the development of AI hubs, like the one recently constructed in Princeton, Hanley said that he supported them but was concerned
that Governor Phil Murphy’s clean energy policies would limit future construction.
“In the last eight years, Governor Murphy shut down eight power generation sources and five coal-fired power [sources]. We used to be a net exporter of energy up until 2017, 2018 and now, we have to get our energy from elsewhere,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful that we want AI data centers ... But you know, where are we going to get the power from?”
When asked about energy provision, Melker said that these issues are mainly decided on the national and state level and do not come in front of the commissioners. However, she also noted that the Board of Commissioners has been working to bring more clean energy technology, like electric vehicle chargers, to Princeton.
A financial planner, Hanley believes that his years of experience in the business world would help the Board of Commissioners implement policies to promote economic growth in a county known for having high taxes.
“You have the highest real estate taxes in the country, and in the state, you have the highest income taxes and the highest business taxes,” Hanley told the ‘Prince.’ “That doesn’t sound like a very friendly tax environment for any business that wants to come into New Jersey.”
DiFalco believes that, as a college student, he offers voters a fresh perspective on county issues despite his lack of political experience.
“My youth really helps our campaign’s message [that] we are the change — we are coming to reform Mercer County,” he said.
When asked what she hoped voters would remember on Election Day, Melker spoke about her experience: “I feel that I have been a dedicated public servant. I do my job, and I take it seriously because I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve my community. I hope that they will keep that in mind and remember that I have spent these years giving everything that I can.” Lewis did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The early voting window will last until Nov. 2. Election day will take place Nov. 4. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Berkeley, Calif. and can be reached at leela[at]princeton.edu.
Ambre Van de Velde is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Boston, Mass. and can be reached at av8447[at]princeton. edu.
Two Princeton alumni honored as 2025 MacArthur Fellows
By Daphne Lewis contributing news writer
Two Princeton alumni, Nabarun Dasgupta ’00 and Sébastien Philippe GS ’18, have been named 2025 MacArthur Fellows. Dasgupta’s fellowship has been awarded in the Health Policy and Public Health and Biomedical/Health Sciences areas of focus, while Philippe’s fellowship has been awarded in the Peace and International Security and Communications and Journalism areas of focus.
The MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant,” recognizes exceptional creativity and originality. This year, Dasgupta and Philippe join 20 other recipients nationwide who are each awarded $800,000 over five years to pursue their goals. Ranging from public health innovations to nuclear security advocacy, the fellowships reflect Dasgupta and Philippe’s dedication to social issues.
At Princeton, Dasgupta majored in molecular biology and was a photographer for The Daily Princetonian. In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Dasgupta described how he had a hard time managing the Princeton workload. He even left the University for a semester after failing some courses. Yet, he credited
these experiences for shaping his determination.
“Just because you fail at something doesn’t mean you are bad at it,” he said.
Princeton’s liberal arts environment, Dasgupta noted, helped him develop a multidisciplinary mindset essential for tackling real world problems.
“My Princeton education helped me not be intimidated by molecular biology,” he said.
Dasgupta, who took many philosophy classes during his time as an undergraduate, also emphasized the importance of integrating the humanities as a moral foundation for his scientific pursuits.
Today, Dasgupta is a senior scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His “Street Drug Analysis Lab,” which has tested over 15,000 samples of street drugs to date, analyzes the ingredients of street drugs, ranging from fentanyl to bath salts. His work aims to save lives by implementing harm reduction strategies. His lab’s motto is “science in service.”
Dasgupta said that this fellowship validated his harm reduction efforts, as opposed to what he called “repressive” national policy.
“We are at an inflection point in drug policy,” he explained,
noting a recent decline in fentanyl overdoses for the first time in generations. Dasgupta attributes this momentum to Gen Z’s changing drug preferences, and hopes that his work will help to equip younger generations with the tools to stay healthy amid rapidly evolving drug markets.
At Princeton, Dasgupta was a photographer for the ‘Prince,’ capturing moments such as President Bill Clinton’s visit to New Jersey to support Jim McGreevey’s gubernatorial campaign.
Meanwhile, Philippe’s affiliation with Princeton began when he was a graduate student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and later, as a research scholar in the Program on Science and Global Security (SGS). “At the time, Princeton had the only U.S. program that had scientists, physicists, and engineers working on nuclear arm control and it was extremely well regarded,” he said.
Mentored by esteemed scholars like then-Professor of Public and International Affairs Frank von Hippel and co-director of SGS Zia Mian, Philippe developed an understanding of how science intersects with public policy, and used his research to expose the environmental and humanitarian toll of nu -
clear tests. His work revealed the overlooked consequences of nuclear weapons, ranging from health impacts to environmental contamination.
Currently, Philippe is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work continues to bridge science and policy. Recently, he joined a UN scientific panel on nuclear war effects, helping to develop innovative techniques to monitor nuclear activities worldwide and influence international negotiations.
“This fellowship has no
strings attached. It is just encouragement to keep doing what I care about,” he said.
“It has been recognized more and more that there are key policy issues that require interdisciplinary approaches. No one discipline can actually solve those problems by themselves,” said Philippe.
Daphne Lewis is a News and Research contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Washington, D.C. and can be reached at dl1424[at]princeton.edu
Isam Mina ’26 awarded Rhodes Scholarship for Jordan
By Caitlyn Tablada assistant news editor
Princeton senior Isam Mina ’26 has been selected as a Rhodes Scholar and will pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford. He is one of two scholars chosen this year by the Rhodes program for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. Additional 2026 Rhodes Scholars, including those from the United States, will be announced at a later date. Mina, who grew up in Amman, Jordan, is a molecular biology major. He
is also pursuing minors in global health and health policy and quantitative and computational biology.
The Rhodes Scholarship is a prestigious international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford. Last year, there were no Rhodes Scholarship recipients from Princeton.
Mina is a member of Mathey College and Ivy Club, and serves as co-chair of the Compassionate Medicine Fellowship and co-director of Medical Education with Princeton Emergency
Medicine.
Most of his research has been focused on genetic underpinnings of skin and breast cancer. Last summer, Mina was a clinical research intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Breast Medicine Service in New York City.
For his thesis, he is examining the microbial contributors of cancer by studying associations between the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer.
At Oxford, he will pursue a Master of Science in Applied Cancer Science and another Master of Sci-
ence in Health Services Improvement and Evaluation. He will begin his studies there next October, and after completing his master’s, plans on attending medical school.
“I always wanted to take a gap year [before medical school], and I wanted to do something that I felt was really worthwhile,” Mina said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “The postgraduate fellowships gave me an opportunity to do that.”
Mina was notified on Sept. 27 that he was selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship among 10 other candidates. As a finalist, he engaged in a two-part process to win the scholarship.
“There’s two components to the interview process. The first is a social engagement event, which is essentially a dinner with the selection panelists, and it was hosted by HRH Princess Sumaya of Jordan,” Mina told the ‘Prince.’
“We all sit at these circular tables, and everyone converses with the other finalists and the panelists there. It was a great experience and really eased the pressures of the whole process, getting to know the people that were choosing us,” he added.
The second part of the selection process was an interview with the panelists, where finalists were asked a series of questions about their field of study and goals.
“They saw that I had taken the Children’s Literature course at Princeton, and asked me what children book best represented my
favorite concept in Molecular Biology,” Mina shared with the ‘Prince.’ “The questions were tough.”
That same day, the panelists let the winners know that they had been granted the Rhodes Scholarship.
“The panelists told me later that night that they had some follow up questions for me,” Mina said. “They started grilling me on different parts of my application … I was really stressed and wasn’t sure what to think. And for their final question, they asked: ‘Do you want to be a Rhodes Scholar?’ It was such a surreal moment.”
When asked about the response to his win, Mina described his gratitude for the support he has received.
“People have been so supportive, and there’s been just such an amazing outpour of love from everyone. Professors, students, my friends, my family,” he said. “I feel incredibly grateful.”
Mina advised any student thinking about applying for similar scholarships to “just go for it.”
“When I applied, I absolutely didn’t think that I would get [the Rhodes Scholarship]. I knew it was something that I would love to do, and you won’t know until you try. I encourage anyone who’s interested in something like this to just apply and see where that takes them.”
Caitlyn Tablada is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince.’ She is from New York, N.Y. and typically covers student life.
JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION — USED WITH PERMISSION.
Nabarun Dasgupta ’00 (left) and Sébastien Philippe GS ’18 (right).
PHOTO BY SCOTT GORBACH, COURTESY OF ISAM MINA. Isam Mina ’26.
Jhumpa Lahiri debuts new work at art museum opening
By Oliver Wu contributing news Writer
Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri debuted portions of her forthcoming translation of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Tuttle Lecture Hall at the new Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM). Her reading marked the 19th hour of the museum’s 24hour opening celebration.
“In honor of all things new, I’m going to read some new work — work in progress that was very much born here at the University,” said Lahiri, a professor in Princeton’s Program in Creative Writing until 2022. “I’m so honored to be part of this incredible celebration of a museum transformed.”
According to James Steward, PUAM’s director, the museum had already welcomed around 20,000 people by the time of Lahiri’s event.
Throughout her presentation, Lahiri read passages from two of her works: her novel “Whereabouts” and her translation of “Metamorphoses,” co-written with Princeton Classics professor Yelena Baraz. “Whereabouts” consists of 46 short chapters depicting the life of a single woman, which Lahiri described as about “isolation and how one interacts with one’s space.” She initially wrote it in Italian and then translated it into English herself. She told the audience the book was translated “exclusively in Firestone Library during COVID.”
Lahiri then read two passages from her and Baraz’s translation of “Metamorphoses.” The Latin epic, composed in the first century AD, spans over 250 myths and nearly 12,000 lines. Lahiri and Baraz have been working on their translation since the winter of 2021, and Lahiri hopes it will be completed “in a year.” The finished work will be published by Penguin Random House’s The Modern Library imprint.
“It has been the most transformative project of my life in every way,” Lahiri said. “I really feel profoundly changed by having lived in Ovid’s text in this way for all
these years.”
Lahiri first read the story of Baucis and Philemon, from Book 8, in which the gods save the couple from a flood and turn their cottage into a temple — a transformation Lahiri compared to the museum’s renovation. She also read a passage from Book 15 of the story of Aesculapius, who cures Rome of plague.
“One of the reasons it moves me so much,” she said of the second passage, “is that I live part of my life in Rome now, and where this Greek god ends up in Rome is the Isola Tiberina, which is something I see and interact with and am crossing all the time.”
Lahiri also discussed her translation’s distinctive visual form. She experimented with unconventional stanza shapes so some “look like wings … and some of them look kind of like arrows.”
“In general, they look like either waves or clouds to me,” Lahiri added. She described waves and clouds as “deeply Ovidian” because of their metamorphic quality.
“There was a certain point when I was reckoning with how the poem was reading,” she explained. “It wasn’t quite flowing in the way I wanted it to, and Ovid’s poem is so much about water … and so I started to play with the form of the poem, literally.”
The audience largely consisted of non-students, though several students attended as well.
Sydney Kang, a student at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, said she became interested in Lahiri’s work after reading her debut novel “The Namesake” in her journalism class.
“I felt like I could connect with it on a deeper level than a lot of other books because it really associates with the experience of living on a campus that’s so prestigious,” Kang said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.
“She’s also a fantastic writer,” continued Kang. “I thought [this] was a really awesome experience.”
Oliver Wu is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Stony Brook, N.Y. and can be reached at oliver. wu[at]princeton.edu.
Among 208 new courses this spring, seven involve the new art museum: four takeaways from course offerings
By Summer Bosch Contributing Data Writer
Add 208 new courses to your spring wishlist — including five offering international travel opportunities and another offering a look behind-the-scenes of the new Princeton University Art Museum.
The University released the course offerings for Spring 2026 on Thursday, Oct. 30. Here are four takeaways from the 1,428 classes that will be offered — a decrease of 27 courses compared with Spring 2025.
Distribution requirements
Across all Spring course offerings, the literature and the arts requirement is the most common distribution with 242 classes, five classes fewer than last semester. Similar to Spring 2025, social analysis was the second most popular distribution, with 163 courses fulfilling that requirement this upcoming semester.
New courses
The University also published 208 new courses, an increase of almost 30 courses compared to last spring’s new courses. The English department is offering the most new courses (19) followed by the art department (14), around a 72 percent and 133 percent increase, respectively, compared with last spring. Of these new art courses, five mention the new Princeton University Art Museum — either in the form of looking at the museum’s collections, or meeting there as part of class discussions. Two other courses in other departments mention the new art museum.
For example, in FRS 126: Behind the Scenes: Inside the Princeton University Art Museum, 15 first-years will have the opportunity to “delve deeply” into Princeton’s collections, focusing on discussions of “museum best practices and the role of the museum in the 21st century.” The course description mentions that some sessions will be led by curators, conservators, and the art museum’s director, James Steward.
The collaboration between the PUAM and the classroom allows students to “engag[e] with art from around the world — and across time — in meaningful ways,” Steward said in a press release accompanying the museum’s opening.
Offerings by Department
The economics department and the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) are offering the most courses next semester, at 61 each, followed by the math department at 54. This is roughly consistent with previous years.
The University enrolled 1,408 students entering the Class of 2029 this fall, the final year of the University’s four-year class expansion plan. However, the total number of course offerings this spring represents an almost 200-course decrease since Spring 2023.
Travel Courses
The five courses offering international travel this spring will take trips to Jordan, Panama, Cape Town, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Denmark. This is in line with last spring, when four courses offered international travel to Panama, Ecuador or Colombia, and France. For the courses in Spring 2026, these classes average about 13 students.
Seniors will select Spring 2026 courses on Tuesday, Dec. 2, followed by juniors on Dec. 3, sophomores on Dec. 4, and first-years on Dec. 5.
Summer Bosch is a contributing Data writer for the ‘Prince.’
“L ost s o L es ”
By Luke K. Schreiber HEAD PUZZLES EDITOR
20 Award given to “Shakespeare in Love” over “Saving Private Ryan” in 1998
Justice Samuel 25 Sign often found by a door
Valve between the left atrium and left ventricle 28 Org. with Wizards and Magic
Blacks out? 31 Try to achieve
Marry 36 ___-Hulk
37 Lou Gehrig’s disease, for short 38 Alias letters
39 The multiplicative identity, in mathematics
40 Pranks a house with rolls, informally 41 Animal in “The Departed” 42 400 meters, on a track 43 Like food at a kiddush
First woman, biblically
Code used for web browsers
Word with the most definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary 68 Largest continent
Goldman ___
1 Like an untied shoe
Mathematician/inventor from Syracuse
Former Chinese Chairman Zedong 4 Many an Omani 5 Extended analytical essays
Relatives of beans 7 Take in, as a stray dog
Keeper of the Constitution and other documents
The Minis
By Cami Cortes Marchant CONTRIBUTING CONSTRUCTOR
By Isaac Barsoum Opinion Columnist
From ChatGPT to hamburgers, reject climate individualism
I don’t eat hamburgers — but if I did, this newspaper would have me feeling very guilty about doing so recently.
On Oct. 29, Guest Contributor Jack Thompson wrote that “persuading a single friend to eat one fewer hamburger will do orders of magnitude more good than eliminating all their college AI use.” On the facts, Thompson is right: The emissions produced and water used by ChatGPT pale in comparison to the emissions produced by and water used by the American meat industry.
But what Thompson’s column misses is that we can’t solve climate change by individually cutting down on meat or asking ChatGPT one less question. Instead of concentrating on individual choices, we must focus on the collective: the activism, organizing, and policymaking that can actually make a difference on climate, both at Princeton and in the world beyond our gates.
Thompson — as well as Guest Contributor Gabby Styris, to whom he responds, and my colleague Josh Stiefel — all suggest different approaches to environmental action that, in reality, aren’t that different at all. Thompson, Styris, and Stiefel all have their facts straight (ChatGPT is bad for the environment, meat is worse) — but they share a misguided underlying assumption. Thompson asks us to persuade a
friend to choose a vegetarian meal over a hamburger. Styris advocates for “being mindful of AI’s environmental impact and resisting the temptation to overuse it.” Stiefel writes, “If the 5,800 Princeton undergraduates committed to a 10 percent reduction in consumption of animal products — around two meals a week — the cutback would be equivalent to 580 people newly committing to veganism.”
All of these ideas advocate an approach to environmental action that focuses on individual responsibility rather than collective action, and in doing so divert our attention and efforts away from meaningful climate solutions.
This individualistic approach to climate action is the result of decades of deceptive PR promulgated by fossil fuel companies like BP, the oil and gas giant. In the early 2000s, BP invented and popularized the idea of the “carbon footprint,” which shifted responsibility for climate change off the company and onto individuals. The carbon footprint concept is powerful: It imposes individual guilt for failing to address climate change and encourages self-satisfaction when you “do your part.”
And our society is infused with this attitude. From a New York Times quiz titled, “What’s the Best Way to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint?” to advertising campaigns declaring, “We can all do more to emit less,” the individualistic approach to climate action is everywhere. I’ve partaken in the mind-
set: I went pescatarian nearly seven years ago in large part because I felt a responsibility to reduce my environmental impact.
But on the grand scale of climate change, it’s almost impossible to meaningfully reduce your carbon footprint, no matter what lifestyle changes you make. That’s because our society is powered by fossil fuels, with 87 percent of annual U.S. emissions coming from industry, electricity generation, agriculture, and transportation, sectors that individual behavior has very little capacity to affect. As Benjamin Franta, then a Stanford graduate student, said, “Even a homeless person living in a fossil fuel powered society has an unsustainably high carbon footprint.”
Even in the categories of emissions where individual choices might have some hope of aggregating to a societal change, it’s a heavy lift: The United States as a whole, for example, consumes about 1.1 million times as much beef as does the Rocky/Mathey dining hall, according to the figures cited by Stiefel.
Nothing we can do as individuals — or even in aggregate as an entire campus community — can make a real dent in emissions or water usage beyond Princeton’s gates. But coming to understand individual responsibility for the climate crisis as a calculated distraction doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to do something. That’s not to say that there’s no value in making individual lifestyle choices:
It is commendable to practice what we preach, and in the long run a climate-friendly world will probably include many fewer burgers eaten. But we shouldn’t hold up our individual choices as an excuse to sit out of collective action.
Fossil fuel giants, industrial farms, gasoline-powered car companies, and the policies and politicians that enable them are more responsible than any individual for the climate crisis. That means it is up to us to hold our institutions accountable to climate action. And the Princeton community has a lot of power to do just that.
On climate research, for example, Princeton is hugely influential. Princeton climate researchers have developed world-class climate models, uncovered social vulnerabilities to flood risks, found that all-of-society climate actions carry substantial health benefits, and made inroads on better battery technology. But much of this research, which is a lifeline for both frontline communities facing the impacts of environmental injustice and coastal communities most vulnerable to hurricanes, is under threat from political headwinds, and it needs all of us to rise up in support of it.
Princeton students should also have access to an environmental studies major to propel them into environmental careers post-graduation and allow them to continue pushing for progress on climate change. But given institutional resistance to such a major offering,
it’s up to us to push for it.
The mechanism for our persuasion is clear. Campus activism, particularly when students have good ideas sustained over a multiyear period, can propel meaningful changes in University policy. Climate activists at Princeton, for example, have already won partial divestment and partial dissociation from the fossil fuel industry.
The key to winning climate progress is for students to buy in, and lots of them. The group I organize with, Sunrise Princeton, is fighting for meaningful climate action at Princeton, including funding defunded climate research and completing divestment from fossil fuels. We have a march happening this Friday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m., beginning in Firestone Plaza, to demand these changes from Princeton. If you care about making a real difference on climate, you can use ChatGPT to be more productive so you have an hour to spare on Friday, and even eat a hamburger beforehand to be energized if you really need to! But you shouldn’t skip our march as we fight for the future we all deserve — and leave the individualistic view of climate action in the past.
Isaac Barsoum ’28 is a prospective Politics major from Charlotte, N.C. who is a pescatarian but knows much more is needed to avert climate catastrophe. You can read his column here. You can reach him at itbarsoum[at]princeton. edu.
On exclusive clubs: compete to get in, not to participate
By Noah Gezahegn & Audrey Tan Contributing Opinion Writers
Imagine this: You, a brighteyed, bushy-tailed first-year, arrive on Princeton’s campus prepared to try new things, just like students at any other college across the country. But unlike most other colleges across the country, you aren’t actually able to try anything new, because the extracurricular activities you’re interested in only accept one applicant out of nearly 70. While the situation isn’t nearly that dire for most extracurriculars on this campus, many highly soughtafter clubs are still worryingly selective.
Given that Princeton already screens students through the admissions process, this unnecessarily competitive club application process only serves to induce stress and encourage Princeton students to perpetuate falsehoods about themselves in order to get into clubs. Instead of manufacturing arbitrary prestige, Princeton clubs should nurture the interests of a wider array of students by hosting workshops and other programming directed at non-members, thereby making the extracurricular process more accessible to all.
This issue is particularly prevalent among Princeton’s most competitive finance clubs. In our experience, overly competitive
application processes are ridden with disingenuous coffee chats and polite social events. Hundreds of students crowd around officers and make superficial small talk, shifting the focus of the process from genuine interest and curiosity to trying to make surface-level connections that can hopefully be used to gain access to these clubs, blurring the criteria for what exactly makes a good applicant. Simultaneously, this needlessly formal process pressures students to seem knowledgeable about or experienced in topics they may be trying for the first time, discouraging students from experimenting with activities and projects outside of their comfort zone. Ironically, many finance clubs purport to be educational in nature: “creating a venue for students to share ideas and learn through hands-on investing,” in the words of one club, or giving members the opportunity to “learn the foundations of investing, pitch long-short equities, and connect with peers and alumni at the world’s top finance firms”, according to another. Or these hyper-competitive clubs hypocritically advertise that no experience is required, when such a fraught recruitment process suggests otherwise. For example, Tiger Consulting advertises throughout information sessions that they do not require
experience in consulting, yet their application process culminates in breaking down a random consulting case and providing a recommendation.
A competitive application process detracts from their purpose: their focus shifting from educational and experiential value to the prestige students attain from being part of/a member in these clubs. The latter can in itself still be valuable. But if clubs are all about prestige, they should not put on the facade of educating students, as the current application process shifts their inherent value towards exclusivity.
Finance clubs may be competitive because they do not have the resources to accommodate every applicant that applies. While this is understandable, there are still steps clubs can take to provide greater support and opportunities for inexperienced students. For example, the Princeton Model United Nations (MUN) team also has a fairly competitive application process involving multiple rounds of applications, but they provide opportunities for students who weren’t given a spot on the team to help organize and staff their annual conference for high school students. Through this process, students gain continued exposure to the club and, if they choose to apply again, get priority during the tryout process at the start of every semes -
ter. This approach makes gaining admission to the club tangible and realistic, shifting the focus from false performance to genuine growth.
A few finance clubs have started to implement more support and learning opportunities. Tiger Investments, one of Princeton’s investment clubs, holds open workshops throughout the year on topics ranging from accounting to financial investing and securities. While they don’t guarantee anything in terms of boosting admission chances for those who attend, these workshops allow students to learn about topics of their interest in a low-stakes environment.
If a greater number of competitive clubs on campus — in finance or another field — held open educational workshops and opportunities for students to explore their interests and develop their skills, perhaps students would not feel so stressed about gaining admission from one of them. Still, not enough clubs have caught on to this trend, or if they have, they haven’t advertised these opportunities well, making it near impossible to find ways to interact with these competitive clubs if you’re not a member.
These clubs might be attractive because students perceive them as giving a leg up in competitive industries like finance and consulting. But every year, hundreds
of Princeton students still manage to enter these fields — 37 percent of the Class of 2024 who immediately entered the workforce went into business, for example. They cannot have all been a member of Tiger Capital Management or Tiger Consulting Group. More expansive programming and openness to non-members would help meet the demand for this broad-based campus interest and alleviate the pressure that students feel to perform for a spot in one of these clubs.
Princeton students have the drive, work ethic, and intelligence to be successful in any of their endeavors. Student clubs, therefore, should focus on cultivating and maximizing the potential of as many students to the greatest extent possible, rather than manufacturing prestige through an arbitrarily low admissions rate.
Noah Gezahegn ’29 is a contributing Opinion writer from Roxbury, N.J. He is a prospective Neuroscience major and can be reached at ng5372[at]princeton.edu.
Audrey Tan ’29 is a contributing Opinion writer from Pullman, Wash. She is a prospective Economics major and can be reached at at4887[at] princeton.edu.
vol. cxlviii
editor-in-chief
Miriam Waldvogel ’26
business manager Jessica Funk ’26
149TH MANAGING BOARD
upper management
Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26
Isabella Dail ’26
director of outreach
Oliva Sanchez ’26
Accessibility
Bridget O’Neill ’26
Bryan Zhang ’26
creative director Malia Gaviola ’26
strategic initiative directors
Suthi Navaratnam-Tomayko ’26
editors at large Research Andrew Bosworth ’26
Education Hayk Yengibaryan ’26
Sections listed in alphabetical order.
head archives editor
Lianne Chapin ’26
associate archives editor
Jillian Ascher ’28
head audience editors
Paige Walworth ’26
Justus Wilhoit ’26 (Reels)
associate audience editors
Catherine Ross ’27
associate reels editors
Natalia Diaz ’27
Loreta Quarmine ’27
head cartoon editor
Eliana Du ’28
head copy editors
Lindsay Pagaduan ’26
James Thompson ’27
associate head copy editors
Coco Xu ’27
Song Ting Tang ’27
head data editors
Vincent Etherton ’26
Alexa Wingate ’27
head features editors
Raphaela Gold ’26
Coco Gong ’27
associate features editors
Mira Eashwaran ’26
Valentina Moreno ’26
head humor editor
Sophia Varughese ’26
associate humor editors
Tarun Iyengar ’28
Francesca Volkema ’28
head news editors
Victoria Davies ’27
Hayk Yengibaryan ’26
associate news editors
Thomas Catalan0 ’27
Devon Rudolph ’28
Cynthia Torres ’27
head newsletter editor
Caleb Bello ’27
Chair
associate newsletter editor Corbin Mortimer ’27
head opinion editor Frances Brogan ’27
community opinion editor Jerry Zhu ’27
associate opinion editors Preston Ferraiuolo ’26
Siyeon Lee ’27
head photo editors Calvin Grover ’27 Jean Shin ’26
head podcast editor Maya Mukherjee ’27
associate podcast editors Twyla Colburn ’27
Sheryl Xue ’28
head print design editors Kriste An ’28
Juan Fajardo ’28
head prospect editors
Mackenzie Hollingsworth ’26 Gavin McLoughlin ’28
associate prospect editors Natalia Diaz ’27
Ysabella Olsen ’28
head puzzles editors Wade Bednar ’26 Luke Schreiber ’28
associate puzzle editors Jasin Cekinmez ’27
Lindsay McBride ’27
Peter Stover ’28
head sports editors Alex Beverton-Smith ’27
Harrison Blank ’26
associate sports editors Lily Pampolina ’27
Doug Schwarz ’28
head web design and development editors Cole Ramer ’28
149TH EDITORIAL BOARD
Christofer Robles ’26
Members Isaac Barsoum ’28
Frances Brogan ’27
Eleanor Clemans-Cope ’26
assistant business manager
Preston Ferraiuolo ’26
Anna Ferris ’26
Ava Johnson ’27
Raf Basas ’28
Bryan Zhang ’26
149TH BUSINESS BOARD
Alistair Wright ’27
directors
Andrew He ’26
Tejas Iyer ’26
William Li ’27
Stephanie Ma ’27
Jordan Manela ’26
James Swinehart ’27
Adelle Xiao ’27
Chloe Zhu ’27
business manager emeritus Aidan Phillips ’25
149TH TECHNOLOGY BOARD
chief technology officer
Yacoub Kahkajian ’26
software engineers
Abu Ahmed ’28
Sadat Ahmed ’28
Nicole Deng ’28
‘The revision serves as a distraction from the concerns of independents. Worse, it demonstrates that the University is content to ignore student voices.’
DINING
Continued from page 1
ing required to pay for it.
The University is selling these changes as a win for students — all students. But let’s call it like we see it: University administrators are effectively giving a $900 handout to rich students.
You don’t need to take our word for it. During the USG meeting, Vice President for University Services Chad Klaus agreed that a student on financial aid would see no benefit from this revised proposal. Only students not on aid benefit.
“Importantly, we want to note that USG was very critical in making this change,” said Klaus, citing a proposal brought up in the spring by University Student Life Committee Undergraduate Chair Anuj Krishnan ’27. But why would the University suddenly reconsider a spring term USG proposal? Princeton is attempting to portray this as a response to student input, but it’s clear that this is the University caving to pressure from the GICC, which also handed out shirts at homecoming and organized AI-generated emails to be sent to top administrators.
In an interview with The Daily Princetonian, USG leaders expressed a sense of hope towards the changes. As USG president Enzo Kho ’26 said, “the win here is not making this a static policy.” After weeks of advocacy, the University had finally modified its policies. Perhaps to USG, this is a light at the end of the tunnel, and an indication of willingness for further change.
Ziya Momin ’28 Kyaw Naing ’28
Minhaz Rajib ’28
Luke Sanborn ’28 Stephanie Sugandi ’27
THIS PRINT ISSUE WAS DESIGNED BY
Juan Fajardo ’28
Kriste An ’28 Marley Hartnett-Cody ’28 Jose Santacruz ’28 AND COPIED BY
Sarah Li ’28
Williams ’14
Tyler Woulfe ’07
trustees ex officio
Miriam Waldvogel ’26 Jessica Funk ’26
But if the University cared about the USG’s or students’ input, it would’ve addressed their greatest priority: the abolition of independent dining. It could’ve reduced the amount of required meals, or restored independent room draw for halls other than Spelman. But for the 75 percent of independent students on financial aid, according to the ‘Prince’ survey data, nothing has changed. While the GICC has succeeded in convincing the University to completely ameliorate its effects on eating club members, the University has not budged on the issue of independent dining.
The revision serves as a distraction from the concerns of independents. Worse, it demonstrates that the University is content to ignore student voices.
We are not as optimistic as USG. This is not a tangible step in the right direction because it has zero bearing on the material conditions of the 69 percent of Princeton students on financial aid. In fact, it is a step in the wrong direction. It allows Princeton to claim that it has made compromises on dining, and assuages alumni and donors enough for them to stop applying pressure.
The GICC has declared victory. We, the students, should not. This may be a “victory for Princeton,” as the GICC says, but it’s not a victory for the entire student body. It’s a victory for the GICC and eating club alumni donors, who have demonstrated that they can tell the University what to do, while we are ignored.
It’s possible that Princeton was motivated by fears that alumni would limit their donations, or from a genuine
change of heart about not wanting to harm the eating clubs. Eating clubs have alumni backing, while independent students do not. Princeton’s main source of funding, its endowment, originates from alumni donations, and it is therefore extremely important for Princeton to please its base of donors.
Of course, we may end up footing the bill anyway. It would be trivially easy for the University to just increase tuition next year by $900, a change that would not invite such protest.
To be fair, we cannot be sure about the University’s motivations: it’s entirely possible that alumni donations played zero role in their decision. Regardless, this demonstrates a discrepancy in how the University prioritizes students and alumni. When the GICC’s concerns are addressed, and independent students’ concerns are ignored, it sends a dangerous message.
“We heard you,” administrators claimed in its slide announcing the change. This is not true. They only seem to have heard the sound of cold, hard cash and power. Unfortunately, most students have neither. Mad at the University’s actions? You’ll need to buy a plane to change their minds.
Raf Basas (he/him/his) is a sophomore Opinion columnist from Elk Grove, Calif. who will withhold his future donations to the University unless they restore independent dining. Unfortunately, it won’t matter, because he intends to major in English. You can reach him at raf.basas[at] princeton.edu or @raf.basas on Instagram.
Built on top of Eno Hall, Frist Health Center ‘knows thyself’
By Lucia Zschoche contributing features writer
Within the walls of Frist Health Center, old and new vie for the visitors’ attention. Old is represented by the structure of Eno Hall, still standing with its dusty brick facade and Greek engravings. The new is evident in everything else, from the winter garden to expansive window views.
The new health center opened on Jan. 31 as part of a wave of construction that has transformed Princeton’s central campus. But unlike the more starkly modern art museum or Hobson College, where the original structure was torn down and is being completely rebuilt, Frist Health Center was constructed around the old Eno Hall’s skeleton. The similarity of the buildings’ purposes is apparent: where Eno Hall once housed one of America’s first scientific psychology departments, Frist Health Center has been positioned at the forefront of the University’s investments in student mental health services.
Prior to Eno Hall’s completion in November 1924, Princeton’s fledgling Department of Psychology was housed in cramped quarters in Nassau Hall. The new laboratory was designed in the collegiate gothic style by architectural firm Day & Klauder and was a rare jewel among universities, boasting state-of-the-art equipment like a “sound-proof chamber” and “rooms designed for the investigation of animal behavior.”
“The building whose cornerstone is about to be laid is the first laboratory in this country, if not in the world, dedicated solely to the teaching and investigation of scientific psychology,” proclaimed then-Head of the Psychology Department Howard C. Warren GS ’91 at a ceremony conducted that January.
Balancing historical styles
while embracing progress is familiar territory for University Architect Ron McCoy GS ’80, who has worked on Yeh and NCW Colleges and the new art museum.
“What we try to do is ensure that balance between a kind of memory and a vitality of new vision,” McCoy said, while also “respecting those things that are the most beautiful parts of the campus.”
Through student engagement meetings with undergraduate and graduate student governments, McCoy learned that students preferred the McCosh Health Center’s collegiate gothic design.
By integrating old and new, McCoy was able to “incorporate that [student] attachment to a piece of historic campus” within the health center’s plans. Today, the presence of Eno Hall within the health center stands as testament to this student desire. Visible still is the original engraving over Eno’s back door: ΓNΩ I ∑’AYTON, or “Know Thyself.”
Although the Department of Psychology has long since vacated Eno Hall, the building has found new life through its recent renovation. The architectural firm WRNS Studio was chosen to work on the project after an interview and committee process chaired by President Eisgruber ’83, according to McCoy. At 74,670 sq ft, their design more than doubles the space previously available at McCosh. According to their website, the project is meant to be a “welcoming campus amenity” that incorporates University Health Service’s (UHS) branches with health education.
“We wanted to avoid a clinical, sterile vibe that might be off-putting,” said Janet Finnie ’84, director of UHS.
Frist Health Center features large operable windows, adjustable ceiling fans, and natural colors in its design. It also uses a Dedicated Outdoor Air System
(DOAS) intended to improve both air quality and visitor experiences while maximizing efficiency. Many of these aspects were requested by attendees at student engagement meetings during the planning process, according to Director of Communications for Facilities Karen Fanning.
“Inside the building, you’re always aware of daylight, and daylight is so important in terms of health and wellness,” McCoy explained. “The large windows are just fantastic vistas out to that daylight.”
Some students agree that the health center’s eye-catching and “aesthetically pleasing” design
have improved the experience of receiving care.
“Especially in the waiting area, it wasn’t an anxious space,” Gwennie Nellis ’29 told The Daily Princetonian. “It felt like I was there to be helped and that it was going to be a positive experience because the environment already felt positive and welcoming.”
The Frist Health Center has particularly sought to improve Counseling and Psychological Services. As Finnie explained, offices for counselors at McCosh were limited, requiring awkward schedules and virtual sessions.
The new health center has enough offices for every counselor and more exam rooms to accommodate patients, many of which are within the old Eno Hall structure.
This new architecture speaks to the concerns of many students about accessing mental health care on campus.
“My hope is that the pleasantness of the space will encourage students who might be ambivalent about seeking services to reach out,” Executive Director of UHS John Kolligian Jr. said.
In addition to its health facilities, Frist Health Center boasts recreational and lounge space. The design is meant to invite students to “study, socialize, and recharge” while simultaneously “[destigmatizing] access to care,” according to WRNS Studio. A central fixture of the health center is its atrium, which is partially made of Eno Hall’s facade with the “Know Thyself” engraving.
“I cannot tell you how many times students enter the center, stand in the atrium, seem struck by the architecture and space, then slowly rotate 360 degrees as they take it all in,” Kolligian said.
“I usually don’t really like [modern architecture],” Nellis said. “But I think they did a good
job with it.”
Unlike its predecessor, much of Frist’s square footage is intentionally open and integrated into the outdoors. Whether through natural light or greenery, the health center’s “biophilic” design is seen inside and outside the building. McCoy explained that Frist will eventually be surrounded by gardens once the construction around it has finished. The large windows intentionally look out to the plant-filled Isabella McCosh Garden — a cloister garden — and, eventually, the new surrounding landscapes.
“The McCosh Infirmary had a beautiful courtyard garden, kind of quiet, kind of subtle, kind of private, and we wanted to respect that legacy and bring in a new cloister garden, but make it more accessible and a place to hang out,” McCoy said.
Lucia Greenhouse ’29 expressed her appreciation of the health center’s greenery. “I saw [the Isabella McCosh Garden] as I walked in, and you can see the plants from outside, too,” she said. “That made me happy.”
When McCoy guides architects on designing buildings for the University, he references three primary “salient beauties” of campus: the body moving through space, craft and materiality, and the landscape.
“If each generation pays attention to those respectfully,” McCoy said, “and [if] every generation has a good memory of the history of the campus, even though they’re adding something, they’re contributing something new to that history.”
Lucia Zschoche is a contributing writer for Features and Archives for the ‘Prince.’
DOUG SCHWARTZ / DAILY PRINCETONIAN The interior of the Frist Health Center.
THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Construction of Eno Hall begins in 1924.
Navigating the move from a small-town bubble to the orange one
By Synai Ferrell Staff features writer
At home, the job of Eleanor Wright ’28 was to feed the pigs.
Wright grew up on a farm on the edge of Bulloch County in Statesboro, Ga., where she woke up at 6 a.m. and drove over to the pig pen on her ATV.
“For many people here, if they grew up on a farm, it’s more like their parents’ passion project. For me, it was a livelihood,” she said.
For all the Princeton students that hail from New York City or central New Jersey, there are also students from smaller and more geographically isolated towns like Avella, Penn. and Bethel, Vt. In interviews with The Daily Princetonian, students from rural and small-town America described the process of adjusting to Princeton as difficult, but following a familiar arc: While a rural background might be initially isolating, students realize over time that digging into differences actually helps to create meaningful relationships.
Leyton Watts ’26 has called Charleston, W. Va. home his entire life and had never travelled internationally. Nor did he participate in many high school activities available to his peers, like lacrosse and Model UN. “To be fair, I’m not sure how much of the aforementioned experiences could be chalked up to me being a rural student, but my lack of access to things definitely made me feel different,” he said.
Based on Frosh Surveys for the Class of 2029, 2028, 2027, and 2026, less than 10 percent of students in each class year come from rural towns like Watts.
Josh Lanch ’28 is from Avella, a town in western Pennsylvania with a population of approximately 700. His high school of 40 students had limited course offerings, so he ended up graduating early because they “ran out of stuff to teach me,” he said.
Though his rural background created social barriers upon his arrival at Princeton, it also helped Watts be-
come more comfortable in forming relationships with people who share different experiences. “Ultimately, embracing my identity as a West Virginian helped me to stand out and individualize myself. I’ve come to value my difference in perspective because it’s made conversations more interesting once you actually start talking to people just beyond surface level,” he said.
Lanch also discovered that college was an opportune place to develop cultural literacy, a skill that was difficult to attain in Avella. “Names were hard for me at first because I had never encountered any ethnic names,” he said. “I think it’s fun whenever people have an ethnic name, but they choose to go by an American name. I usually ask them if they mind if I call them by their traditional name.”
“I think it’s cool to connect with other cultures. It feels like everyone here has a desire to understand other people as well,” Lanch added.
Wright said she wanted to attend Princeton so that she would be exposed to different beliefs and ideas outside of her homogenous community in Ga. “I grew up in a Christian school with very conservative circles,” she said. “I wanted to break out of the bubble.”
Despite opportunities to develop community on campus, Anita Miller ‘28, from Bethel, Vt., a town of approximately 1,900 people, believes that the University needs to better address a lack of rural representation in the student body.
“I think geographical diversity is a really overlooked aspect of admissions right now,” she said.
Multiple factors contribute to the lack of representation of rural students in higher education, including fewer course options in high school curriculums, geographic isolation, and economic disadvantages.
“I think that a rural student group could be a nice thing for Princeton to have. There are definitely unique experiences that come with being from a rural background,” Miller said.
Watts posited that a lack of college outreach in small towns is one of the main reasons that rural students are not well-represented in higher education. “I think that would have benefitted a lot of people back home,” he said.
On campus, the Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI) and Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP) offer affinity groups for first-generation, low-income students, some of whom are from rural areas. However, none of the students that were interviewed were aware of this initiative.
“I would have liked to see more programming dedicated to rural students, maybe more of an outreach effort on behalf of the University,” Watts said.
“We know that many students from rural communities associate with different aspects of the firstgeneration and/or lower-income (FLI)
identity, and benefit from participating in programs like the Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI), FSI Online, and the Scholars Institute Fellows Program (SIFP), which support Princeton students during the transition to and journey through the [U]niversity,” University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’
Being from a close-knit community, Wright expressed difficulty in adjusting to Princeton. “Even though it’s considered a small college, it’s a lot bigger than anything I’m used to,” she said. Having an association that reaches out to rural students would be really helpful.”
Other institutions have partnered with organizations that increase college outreach to rural students.
For instance, universities like Yale, Vanderbilt, and Stanford have collaborated with the Small Town and
Rural Students (STARS) College Network to improve pipeline programs and recruitment efforts for prospective students from these areas.
Watts is working to create a Rural Students Association that incorporates college outreach and community building for rural students and makes space for non-rural students to learn more about their peers.
Transitioning to an institution like Princeton can be tough for any student, but a rural upbringing provides students with niche perspectives in college. Even among rural students, there is a great diversity of life experiences which can make Princeton feel foreign.
“There is no one definition of ‘rural,’” said Watts. “It’s a lifestyle. Not often by choice.”
Synai Ferrell is a staff Features writer and staff Podcast writer
at the ‘Prince.’
CAROLINE NAUGHTON / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
the PROSPECT.
I tried these workout classes so you don’t have to
By Marley Hartnett-Cody | Contributing
In 2022, spin was king on campus. Instructor Caroline Kirby’s classes were turning people away at the door. Many members of the Class of 2026, who arrived that fall, have become instructors themselves. But there are a variety of classes offered at the Class of 1986 Fitness & Wellness Center, also known as Dillon Gym, from Barre to Zumba to BodyPump.
Composed of a wide range of faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students, the Campus Rec’s group fitness instructors provide a variety of free classes. Through this program, Campus Rec offers lots of opportunities for members of the University community to stay healthy and move their bodies.
But getting to the gym can be difficult during busy school weeks, so I’ve reviewed some classes for you. I took up this challenge to try out different classes during Midterms week — eek! — but I managed to get to five classes across four workout types during the week.
Spin
On Friday evening I attended the 5 p.m. spin class led by instructor Stefan. I was immediately greeted and offered assistance in setting up my stationary bike — in the front row, as all the others were filled. Stefan led us through an intense rotation between climbs and sprints, decreasing recovery time throughout the ride.
We also did tapbacks (controlled movements of hips over the saddle and back to the center of the bike), arm crunches, isolations (keeping the upper body still while cycling), and a weighted arms section, creating a full body workout that included curls and extensions that pushed me to my limits. The highenergy playlist and his enthusiastic attitude encour-
aged exercisers to push through. Jamming to Lorde hits like “Ribs” and “Buzzcut Season” were highlights of my ride. Stefan emphasized that we should push ourselves to whatever level we could, making the class accessible while still a workout.
The next morning I attended Mateo’s 11 a.m. spin class. Mateo also assisted the smaller population of zealous weekend bikers with setting up their equipment. This class had a greater emphasis on full body movement and choreography during the increased hills and sprints. Mateo incorporated tapbacks, rotated grips, and arm crunches while keeping up with the pace set.
Mateo curates specific themed playlists for each class — this one offered a 2000’s club vibe with songs like “Club Can’t Handle Me” and “Where Have You Been.” Mateo also emphasized the importance of recognizing personal limits, and acknowledging these through the intensity you hold yourself to during the class.
Admittedly, I am an avid TigerCycle groupie and have attended both of these instructors’ classes regularly — the highest testament to the enjoyability and intensity of these workouts. They offered a great start to my pre-midterms weekend, allowing me 20 miles under my belt and plenty of new songs for my personal playlists.
Barre
On Monday at 5 p.m., after finishing my first midterm of the week, I ventured to Studio B for my first Barre class. Advertised as a blend of ballet, pilates, and yoga, the class was a full body workout with sections dedicated to the core, flexibility, arms and shoulders, legs, and more.
There was a variety of provided, necessary equipment including a mat, foam block, light weights, and a chair in place of the usual ballet bar. The class was
packed, with limited space for everyone to lay out their equipment. The instructor, Madeleine, clearly had some dance training, which became obvious once we started some traditional ballet steps.
While the instructor offered a clear explanation of each movement, I had difficulty as a beginner and noticed similar struggles throughout the studio due to the difficult technique inherent to the workout. I also found the quick, small movements in position to be exhausting and painful for those without a dance background. I would recommend this class for former dancers looking for a vigorous workout.
Vinyasa Yoga
The Tuesday of midterms week I dragged myself out of bed for 8 a.m. Vinyasa Yoga. Vinyasa is characterized as a type of yoga focused on continuous flow or connection through movement and breath. While I admit it did cross my mind to skip the class and soak up some more sleep, in the end I was extremely grateful I got the workout in and the opportunity to stretch my body and joints. This was more intimate, with only myself, one other student, and the instructor, Zehma.
Some of the more intense movements were difficult to execute, but the instructor offered various modifications or alterations, making the class extremely accessible. While the workout left me with some strain in my palms and lower body, the class allowed me to reset my body for the rest of the week.
BodyPump
Upon my return to campus for the second half of the semester, my first workout class after break was a Tuesday 5 p.m. BodyPump class, which I had no previous experience in. The full equipment setup I was met with only intimidated me more, but the instructor, Fionnuala, was extremely welcoming and assisted me
in setting up my bench, barbells, and weights.
The class community was full with a crowd of regulars who seemed very familiar with the structure of the workout and equipment. The class focused on legs, chest, and abs with weighted squats, lunges, curls, and push-ups. We even completed a full overthe-head barbell lift, called a “clean and jerk lift,” which made me feel like a bodybuilder or an Olympic weightlifter. The next day, my body seemed to disapprove of this when sore muscles took over.
Marley Hartnett-Cody is a member of the Class of 2028 and a contributing writer for The Prospect and a print designer at the ‘Prince.’ She can be reached at mh8519[at] princeton.edu.
‘300 Paintings’ delivers an equally hilarious and human commentary on artistry, mental health, and self-acceptance
By Gavin McLoughlin | Head Prospect Editor
After battling my way through torrential rain and violent wind on Oct. 30, I entered McCarter Theater for its new show, “300 Paintings.” Premiering at McCarter after a highly successful off-Broadway run, “300 Paintings” follows Australian comic and artist Sam Kissajukian’s creative and personal journey over a tumultuous six-month period in which he, living in a converted cake factory, created 300 paintings. Still drenched from the rain, I entered the theater to a sea of senior audience members, most of whom were certainly regulars. Eventually, I found my seat beside a pair of sweetly bickering 60-year-old friends and a lovely couple in their 80s, sharing a bag of popcorn. Absorbing my surroundings, nothing stood out of the ordinary at first, with only the stage’s background projecting the show’s title in bold white lettering. But as the theater’s lights dimmed and a pre-recording of Kissajukian’s voice introduced himself, nothing could have prepared me for what came next.
For the first few minutes of the show, Kissajukian provided background for the forthcoming action-packed story the audience was about to experience. He shared how, in his mid-30s, after a life of pursuing stand-up comedy, he quit, feeling invisible and directionless. At one point, Kissajukian even expressed how he thought he had become a caricature of himself.
For Kissajukian, the loss of passion, coupled with witnessing his closest friends embark on new chapters of their lives through marriage and parenthood, triggered an identity crisis. Evicted from his apartment, Kissajukian then moved into an abandoned-cake-factory-turnedloft in Sydney, where, after serendipitously finding a beret in one of his moving boxes, he found inspiration to become an artist.
Starting seemingly as a gag and a way to spend time, Kissajukian began painting on cardboard boxes he found around the loft. Starting with comedic portraits of his friends, Kissajukian quickly began to
delve deeper into the life of an artist, researching renowned painters and experimenting with modernist and fragmented Picasso-esque styles.
After briefly taking advice from a friend in art school, Kissajukian then embarked on an isolated, uninhibited, and absurd yet highly inventive six-month period in which he experimented in an exorbitant variety of styles from abstractionism to “miniature paintings” enclosed in terrariums to digital playable museums, and individually painted priceless World War II pennies. In this time, he experienced a prolonged manic and depressive episode, which later led to a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
While Kissajukian’s performance at McCarter began slowly, filled with a few occasional chuckles, as its story progressed and unraveled with an almost unbelievable absurdity — much like a snowball rolling down a hill — it soon transformed into a captivating ride where you were hanging on every word, laughter growing louder and louder.
Although I initially felt unconvinced by Kissajukian’s limited stage presence and sardonic wit, with his performance feeling more like a TED Talk than a comedy show, I quickly changed my mind. As the show advanced, the balance between his dry, sarcastic delivery and sheer ridiculousness of his stories proved to be a perfect combination for his return to standup.
From the moment Kissajukian’s story begins, almost every part seemed made-up. Yet the truth is that over six months, under a manic episode, Kissajukian produced 300 intimate paintings, forcing himself into lucid dreaming through a sleep schedule alternating between sleeping at midnight and noon. He also invented a ludicrous business plan based on the saying “when you lose you win and when you win you lose” that both landed him a meeting with real Wall Street investors and a $10,000 dollar investment he instantly declined. He secured a
five-figure contract with one of America’s wealthiest businessmen — who remained unnamed — who financed him in a marketing pitch/ performance art piece based on doing everything a business shouldn’t do titled “Pisscaso.” He knocked himself out for nearly 20 minutes in a pool of paint, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder by psychiatrists, and in the end became a successful professional artist with multiple feature galleries throughout the world.
Despite this rollercoaster of a story, Kissajukian grounded his material in profound honesty and a visceral sense of intimacy he built with his audience throughout the show. While advertised by McCarter and others as a “wildly original show,” I found Kissajukian’s comedic brilliance and inventiveness not in the show’s unique structure that included an art exhibit of his paintings post-medical diagnosis, but instead in his exceptional ability to interweave sincerity, absurdity, self-deprecation, and the highly intimate journey of artistry in an accessible manner.
In this way, the strongest elements of “300 Paintings” were not its humor, but rather its visceral feeling of humanity. Just like real life, Kissajukian’s story is not a shallow body of quick jokes, but an equally flawed and inspirational personal journey filled with humor, fear, anxiety, happiness, and self-discovery. It is this combination of witty satire with emotional honesty, confronting and reflecting on the nuances of life’s darkest moments, that elevates Kissajukian’s show to the next level.
While Kissajukian’s “300 Paintings” certainly lands multiple punches with several perfectly executed jokes, impressions, and stories to the delight of the audience, it is the show’s foundation of earnestness, embrace of one’s flaws, and mature self-reflection that distinguishes it above other stand-up performances.
Gavin McLoughlin, a member of the Class of 2028, is a head editor for The Prospect. He can be reached at gm9041@princeton.edu.
MACKENZIE HOLLINGSWORTH / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN Facade of Class of 1986 Fitness and Wellness Center.
Prospect Writer
The Prospect 11 Weekly Event Roundup
By Zane Mills VanWicklen, Contributing Writer
Sauce for the Goose: Outdoor Art Market
1
Graveyard Shift by House of Bones Theater Company
Nov. 7, 8, 13, 14 & 15 at 8 p.m.
Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex
The Lewis Arts complex presents to you this “gothic horror tragicomedy” set in “a haunted graveyard-turned-luxury-apartment complex,” created by Ash Baudelaire ’26 and Matthew Cooperberg ’26. This play balances absurdist humor with difficult themes such as faith, grief, and survival. The play includes some strong language. The show is free for the public; tickets are required through the ticketing website.
2
3
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Emi Ferguson, Flute and Ruckus, Early Music Band (Princeton University Concerts)
Nov. 13 from 6 to 7 p.m. & 9 to 10 p.m.
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall
Flutist Emi Ferguson and the dynamic ensemble Ruckus reimagine Bach with flair and freedom, blending baroque brilliance with modern energy in a playful celebration of music, community, and joy. Tickets required and available on Princeton University Concerts website;
8
Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Downtown Princeton, NJ
Over 100 artisans will come together to share their ceramics, textiles, jewelry, printmaking, drawings, paintings, apparel, home decor, and other crafted items. This market is free and open to the public.
“Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky” from Princeton Symphony Orchestra
Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. & Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.
Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra presents a concert featuring 23-year-old pianist Maxim Lando, who will perform Tchaikovsky’s rarely-programmed Second Piano Concerto. The orchestra will also perform Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony. Tickets are available through the Princeton Symphony Orchestra web- site; ticket prices range from $10 to $124. Rush discount tickets may be offered onsite prior to the performance.
Jazmina Barrera In Conversation With Megan McDowell: “The Queen Of Swords: A Journey
Through The Princeton Archives Of Elena Garro”
Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ
Author Jazmina Barrera discusses her new book, “The Queen of Swords,” a genre-defying portrait of Mexican writer Elena Garro who was a founder of “magical realism.” The book was longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Translated Literature. The event is free and open to the public.
6
A Masterclass with Shai Wosner, piano
Nov. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall
Celebrate musical excellence at the Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass Series, featuring acclaimed pianist Shai Wosner in a public masterclass with Princeton student performers. This event is free and unticketed.
Jersey Art Meetup (JAM) with Princeton Comic Makers
Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon St., Princeton NJ
A casual community-gathering for illustrators, animators, writers, and sequential-art creatives to draw, share projects and network in a relaxed workshop format. Admission is free and unticketed.
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“A Moment of Silence” from the Lewis
Center
Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.; Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Wallace Theater, Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University
Iranian playwright Mohammad Yaghoubi’s poetic and surreal play “A Moment of Silence” explores memory, cen- sorship, and resilience through dark humor and striking visuals. Presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts, this special open-captioned performance invites audiences into a world where silence speaks volumes. Tickets are re- quired and available for purchase on the McCarter website. Tickets cost $20 for general admission and $10 for students.
Reading by Kaveh Akbar & Aracelis Girmay
Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.
Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ
Acclaimed poets and authors Kaveh Akbar and Aracelis Girmay present readings from their recent work as part of the Althea Ward Clark W’21 Reading Series. Admission is free and open to the public; no tickets required.
Book Talk: Unchanged Trebles
Nov. 11 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Louis A. Simpson International Building
10 11
Deputy Dean of the College Rebekah Peeples discusses her new book “Unchanged Trebles” in conversation with Brian E. Herrera, associate professor of theater and gender and sexuality studies. The book explores contemporary boy-choirs and the nuanced cultural questions they provoke. Peeples previously taught in the sociology department and Princeton’s writing program. Admission is free and open to the public.
Slow Looking Art Activity
Nov. 9 from 1 to 2 p.m.
Milberg Gallery, Firestone Library, Princeton University Library, Princeton, NJ
Take a guided, reflective tour of the “Forms & Function: The Splendors of Global Book Making” exhibition, learning how slow-looking techniques can deepen your appreciation of each work. Registration is required and is free; reserve your spot via the library’s events page.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Caden Pierce ’26 is now a NARP
By Hayk Yengibaryan Senior Sports Writer
When afternoon classes are let out, the men’s basketball team heads towards Jadwin Gymnasium and Caden Pierce — 2023–24 Ivy League Player of the Year — heads another way.
“At first, it felt really weird,” Pierce said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “I’m in classes with [my teammates]. Class would end and they would go to Jadwin, and I’d go back to my room to kind of get my afternoon started.”
Pierce isn’t injured or ineligible to play under NCAA regulations. Instead, he chose to step away from the Princeton team to finish his economics degree and preserve his final season of eligibility. This decision reflects a broader shift in college sports, where limited Name Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities in the Ivy League have pushed top players to pause and reassess their options.
“I wanted to finish what I started here,” Pierce said. “Academics is really important to myself and my family as well, and I’ve built really strong and genuine relationships here. I could have transferred for the immediate basketball impact, but I really wanted to graduate from Princeton.”
Pierce announced his decision in early July. It came after a tumultuous 2024–25 season for Princeton men’s basketball that ended with standout guard Xaivian Lee transferring to the University of Florida, fellow rising senior Jack Scott transferring to Duke, and two assistant coaches being asked to not return.
The decision to let go of former Associate Head Coach Brett MacConnell, who was responsible for recruiting both Lee and Pierce, shocked Pierce.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Pierce said, acknowledging that he isn’t aware of everything that hap-
pens behind the scenes. “Within the span of a few days, everything happened.”
Pierce was forced to weigh his options. “Wow, this is a much different program now than what it was three days ago,” he shared. “All of the departures were significant.”
Pierce and Lee had considered transferring during the 2023–24 season, but both decided to run it back at Old Nassau for one more season. Pierce said that he largely followed Lee’s decision: “I was non-stop texting him because I knew he was on the fence with it.”
“We thought we had all the tools needed to have a really successful junior year and things didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted,”
Pierce told the ‘Prince.’ Reflecting today, Pierce does not regret the decision to stay.
But this year’s season was different. “It didn’t feel like the right situation for me to use my last year of eligibility.”
“I’ve never taken a year off of basketball,” Pierce said. “It’s something that not many people have done, and so I was kind of wary of doing it.”
When the decision was made, he told Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 and his teammates one by one.
“It wouldn’t be fair to let it linger,” he said. The conversations were “super emotional.”
Henderson ’98 did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the ‘Prince’ regarding Pierce’s decision.
“This program has given me so much,” he said. “This decision was nothing against Princeton … It was definitely a really tough phone call.”
Pierce is now a student like anyone else. He doesn’t use the varsity facilities, and he structures his day around his academic schedule instead of an athletic one. He is what some on campus call a NARP — a non-athletic regular person.
“I assumed I was going to be completely shut off, which I fully understand and respect,” he said in reference to access to Jadwin Gym. “I did check in with [Coach Henderson] just to confirm that. And obviously that’s the case.”
He now wakes up before 7 a.m., lifting at the new Wilkinson Fitness Center in the Racquet & Recreation Fieldhouse before heading to morning classes.
“I go there because it’s really nice, it’s brand new,” Pierce said. “And there’s not that many people there, so I can kind of get away and do what I need to do over there.”
At first, the contrast with teammates was jarring. “It’s been an adjustment,” he said. “I’m incredibly thankful to them. They’ve accepted me, and they understand the decision I made, and they don’t hold anything against me … I can still be cool with them and not feel like a foreigner.”
Pierce said he is looking into joining local programs as a practice player to get organized practice opportunities. He noted that he is also trying to navigate NCAA eligibility rules.
Since the opening of the fall transfer portal on Oct. 1, Pierce has heard from over 20 schools.
“It’s been busy,” Pierce noted. “These are the schools you dream of going to when you’re in high school … Now that I’m having this experience, it’s a cool, full circle moment.”
While Pierce does not have a concrete timeline, he’s aiming at having a decision made by a soft deadline of the end of the calendar year.
For Pierce, the decision will be based on two primary factors: winning and development.
“I want to go to a program that’s going to continue to win a lot of games, potentially maybe win a national championship,” Pierce noted. “I [also] want to continue to go to a program that’s going to develop me and push me to be the
best player I can be, because I want to keep playing basketball as long as I can, ideally at the NBA level.”
He added that his older brother, Justin Pierce, played overseas for four years and loved it, a path Pierce would consider.
The Pierce family is no stranger to the transfer portal and chasing professional opportunities. Justin Pierce transferred as a graduate student after three years at William & Mary, ultimately choosing North Carolina. His middle brother, Alec Pierce, had a stellar football career at Cincinnati University and now suits up for the Indianapolis Colts. Both of his parents played Division I sports at Northwestern.
Pierce is also recovering from a grade three ankle sprain suffered in a December 2024 game against Akron, where Pierce tore both ligaments on the outside of his ankle and one on the inside of his ankle. At the time, he didn’t know how long the recovery would take.
“I later found out that it was a two to three month recovery,” he said. “I’m a competitor, there’s no way I was going to let myself sit on the bench for essentially the remainder of the season … I felt like if I didn’t play, I would be letting the team down.”
Following the ankle injury, Pierce’s production took a hit as he managed the injury and pushed himself through the pain.
Once the season ended in midMarch, he shut things down, avoiding any live basketball until the beginning of June. Pierce noted that his ankle is now “feeling a lot better.”
Pierce played 3x3 for USA Basketball in multiple events throughout July and August, culminating in the U23 3x3 FIBA World Cup in September, where he led the USA in scoring. He won’t play organized basketball for the coming months.
Now that Pierce’s day-to-day re-
volves around class and individual training, he’s reminded often that he’s no longer technically an athlete.
“It happens often,” he said. “I’m more than happy to kind of talk through the situation. I understand it’s a weird and unique one, so I get that people have questions, and so I’m always happy to answer those.”
After all, few players in modern college basketball willingly step away at their peak.
Pierce’s decision also reflects a larger reckoning for the Ivy League. In the past two years, Harvard’s Malik Mack went to Georgetown and Chisom Okpara to Stanford, Yale’s Danny Wolf to Michigan, and Penn’s Tyler Perkins to Villanova — decisions all motivated by NIL opportunities.
“After [freshman year], it wasn’t even a thought to anybody on the team to transfer,” Pierce said. “The money and the compensation out there after my sophomore year was still not what it is today … This past year, it seems like the numbers skyrocketed, and now it’s complete madness.”
When asked whether the Ivy League should change its NIL policy and adopt collectives, Pierce said it’s not an easy decision.
“The easy answer is to say the Ivy League needs to adopt collectives to remain competitive,” he said. “But then again, that goes against what the Ivy League has stood for hundreds of years … It’s a loaded question.” That paradox now defines the Ivy League.
“College athletics nowadays is just so different, and so it’s just the reality of the situation,” Pierce said.
Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton. edu.
Caden Pierce ’26, former Ivy League Player of the Year, is adapting to life away from basketball as he sits out his senior season.
MEN’S SOCCER
No. 5 men’s soccer clinches Ivy title with 1–0 win over Dartmouth
By Kai Kim Contributing Sports Writer
Princeton Men’s Soccer is the 2025 Regular Season Ivy League Champion.
The Tigers (12–1–2 overall, 6–0 Ivy League) secured a 1–0 victory over Dartmouth (3–7–3, 2–4) at home on Saturday to clinch the Ivy League No. 1 seed, earning hosting rights for the Ivy League Tournament in two weeks. The Orange and Black led through a strike from senior midfielder Sam Vigilante in the 36th minute and then rode a dominant second half to the finish.
With Cornell (11–2–2, 4–1–1) drawing against Harvard (5–5–5, 1–3–2) earlier in the day, the Tigers entered the match knowing that a win was all they needed to be able to lift the Ivy League regular season trophy.
Early on, the game looked like a classic Ivy brawl between two strong sides. The first 10 minutes were choppy and physical, with neither side managing to retain possession of the ball or create any meaningful chances.
Still, the Big Green looked more organized in transition. Their first big chance came in the 21st minute, when a Dartmouth forward went 1-on-1 with junior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels but skied his shot over the bar.
“All credit to Dartmouth, they’re a really good team, and they really came out flying at the start,” Vigilante told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “Every game in the Ivy League’s tough.”
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to answer, though. Just two minutes later, a Princeton corner found the head of junior midfielder Bardia Hormozi, whose shot skipped just wide of the net.
The game tilted when sophomore midfielder Kristian Kelley was subbed onto the pitch. In the 36th minute, coming off a counter attack, Kelley slipped a near-perfect through ball into Vigilante’s path. Vigilante took a clean first touch and buried his second career goal, giving the Tigers a 1–0 lead. The goal proved to be the championship clincher for the Tigers.
“It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now,” Vigilante said. “When Kristian got that ball, I knew it was coming to me. I was just thinking, make a shot on target and hope it goes in, and thank goodness it did.”
Two minutes later, senior forward
Daniel Ittycheria nearly doubled the lead, but his shot was just over the crossbar. Even so, the Tigers headed to halftime in high spirits.
Coming back onto the pitch, the Orange and Black were hungry to close out the win. Princeton established control immediately, pressing Dartmouth deep into their own half and rarely allowing the visitors to progress beyond the half line.
In the 55th minute, senior defender Jack Jasinski hammered a free kick from just outside the box that led to an opportunity off the foot of first-year midfielder Tyler Vilet, but the Dartmouth keeper swatted it away. Just 10 minutes later, Vilet was given another golden opportunity from a pass inside the box. His shot hit the side netting.
Ittycheria was everywhere on the field, managing the Tigers’ high press effectively, maneuvering the ball past defenders, and creating opportunity after opportunity. Twice, he flashed shots just inches high above the crossbar, and even hit the woodwork once on a tap-in opportunity.
“As a forward, I’m really biased, but I like to say offense is the best defense,” Ittycheria told the ‘Prince’ after the match. “A lot of the game, the ball was in our control and we were trying to score, and their offense didn’t really have any threats.
“In a more perfect game, I wish I would score, but that’s gonna wear off, especially seeing how far we’ve come,” he added.
It wasn’t just the players; the crowd was in full voice, too. With this game being the Tigers’ last home game of the regular season, the night doubled as Senior Day. Families of seniors packed the bleachers and stayed loud throughout, cheering on the Tigers for every ball won and hollering at the visiting
goalkeeper on each goal kick.
The Big Green’s only chance of the half came as a late scare with six minutes left on the clock, when a direct free kick hit the right post, although the Tigers managed to clear it away. Otherwise, the Orange and Black’s back line — with sophomore defender Roka Tsunehara aggressively stepping onto the midfield — kept the visitors quiet.
The numbers underlined the storyline. After a relatively even first half, Princeton out-shot Dartmouth 15–4 over the final 45 minutes and 6–0 in shots on target.
“This felt like a typical game of ours,” Vigilante said. “We get a goal and then our back line battens down the hatches. Of course we’d love an insurance goal, but a win’s a win.”
With the final whistle, Princeton players in the bleachers sprinted onto the field, ready to celebrate. Fans were clapping and cheering throughout the stadium. The players could be heard singing “Campeones, campeones, olé olé olé!”
This championship marks the Tigers’ first in four years. For Ittycheria, Vigilante, and a senior class 11 strong, the moment landed with extra weight.
“My first year, Penn won it on our field, and my sophomore year, we struggled,” Ittycheria said. “Now, seeing all 11 of us celebrating together, on our own pitch, it’s awesome. I love this team, and I’m so happy.”
Head Coach Jim Barlow ’91 praised his group after the match.
“I think they’re deserving champi-
Pamela Smith’s occult art unveiled
By Yi (Chris) Xin Contributing Archivist
In 1975, the old Princeton University Art Museum debuted an unusual exhibit from British artist Pamela Colman Smith that unearthed the pioneering occult artist out of obscurity.
Titled “To All Believers: The Art of Pamela Smith,” the exhibition opened on Nov. 4, 1975, in McCormick Hall, a wing of the old Art Museum building. Active in the early twentieth century, Smith is most famously known for the RiderWaite-Smith Deck — a tarot deck that she illustrated and developed jointly with the scholarly mystic A. E. Waite in 1909, and which has since become the most popular tarot deck in the world. Smith’s rich imagination was no less remarkable in other aspects of her career, where she viewed paintings as revelations
of spiritual visions.
Classical music inspired much of Smith’s art, as Laurie Kahn ’78 described in her report on the exhibition for The Daily Princetonian. Khan’s article covered one watercolor inspired by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 11 and another personifying rain, drawn from Debussy. To supplement her article, Khan included an untitled Smith painting of a billowy sea emerging as indigo mystical female figures with flowing hair, where another woman appears sitting amidst the foaming waves, her arms and transparent garment undulating under a deep blue starry sky. This exhibition was monumental for Smith’s posthumous reputation. She disappeared from the public eye after 1920 and was largely forgotten following her death in 1951. She was rediscovered in the early 1970s thanks to William Innes Homer ’51,
then a professor of Art History at the University of Delaware. Homer’s work on Smith captured the interest of his student, Melinda Boyd Parsons, who curated the first-ever posthumous exhibition of Smith for the Delaware Art Museum. Peter Bunnell, the director of Princeton’s art museum at the time, had done periodic research into Smith and brought the Parsons-curated exhibit to Princeton the same year.
The exhibition was exciting as “a wonderful example of the way in which entire areas of art are rediscovered and reappraised,” Kahn quoted Bunnell in her report.
Special exhibitions of this kind were not infrequent at the Art Museum during Kahn’s time at Princeton, as she recalled in a recent interview. However, Khan remembers Smith’s exhibit as a particularly trailblazing one. “Not only was it occult art, but it was also by a fe-
ons,” he said. “They worked really hard and played so consistently all year.”
With the win, Princeton will host the Ivy League Tournament at Roberts Stadium in two weeks. But before that, they have one final away game against Penn (8–3–4, 3–1–2) on Saturday.
“We’d love to finish the league unbeaten, and keep improving our résumé for the NCAA Tournament,” Barlow said. “It’s one game at a time — that’s how we’ve approached it all year, and I’m sure we’ll keep doing it that way.” It is now November. The Tigers will look to carry their stellar form and their home crowd’s energy into the postseason.
Kai Kim is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
male artist, which was rare at that time,” she noted.
Kahn added that many of the exhibitions were connected to Princeton, either because of the curator or the artist. This is also true at today’s new Art Museum. For instance, the American experimentalist ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu, whose works are featured in the exhibition “Toshiko Takaezu: Dialogues in Clay” that opened last week, was a professor in Princeton’s Program in Visual Arts from 1967 to 1992. Smith’s art is now part of other prominent museum collections. For those intrigued by her work, Special Collections at Firestone Library has a deck of her original tarot cards.
Yi (Chris) Xin is a contributing Archivist for the ‘Prince.’ Please send any corrections requests to corrections[at] dailyprincetonian.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF @PRINCETONMSOC/INSTAGRAM. Princeton men’s soccer hoists the Ivy League trophy for the first time in four years.
