Volume LXXI, Number 36
School Open House Pages 23-25 Olmsted and Trenton’s Cadwalader Heights . . . 5 Underground Railroad Talk at Trent House . . . 7 On the Road at 60, Kerouac at 95 . . . . . . 15 Arts Council of Princeton Celebrates 50 Years . . 19 Princeton Girlchoir to Start Boys’ Ensembles 27 PU Field Hockey Battles Hard in 2-0 Loss to No . 1 North Carolina . . . . . . 32 PHS Boys’ Soccer Primed for Successful Fall . . . 34
Madison Coyne Leading PDS Girls’ Soccer into 2017 Season . . . . . . . 37 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 31 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 41 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Music/Theater . . . . . . 27 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 16 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 41 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Princeton University’s Admission Stats Reveal Mixed Progress, Engineering Boom Princeton University has published historical admissions statistics for the past several years, reaching as far back as 1970 for some categories. Since then, Princeton has made progress over the past few decades in both its demographics and departments. However, digging into the data reveals that not every group is much closer to equitable representation. Princeton University has made clear strides for racial and ethnic diversity in some areas, while some have changed little since nearly half a century ago. The class of 1980 was over 80 percent white and 60 percent male, with 838 white students compared to 172 non-white students. At the time, that was close to representative of the national racial and ethnic demographics of the United States: 79.6 percent of America self-reported as non-Hispanic white in 1980’s census. Since then, the white proportion of Princeton’s students has nearly halved: 44 percent of the class of 2017 is white, and the class of 2021 is set to go as low as 41 percent. Asian Americans have largely filled the gap, going from 51 students in the class of 1980 to 284 in the class of 2017. That number is also evenly comprised of Asian American men and women, with only a 16-student gap between them. However, progress has been slower for others. Black and Hispanic Americans made up 18.1 percent of the 1980 U.S. population, but only 11 percent of the class of 1980 at a combined 115 students. In the class of 2017, 102 black students are graduating — only 21 more than 47 years ago, and almost making up 8 percent of the class. Hispanic students have seen more progress over time, with 113 Hispanic students graduating in 2017 compared to just 34 in 1980. The 152 graduating international students and 284 Asian Americans still dwarf both. The gender gap at Princeton in undergraduate degrees has largely narrowed, though the difference is not equally spread. Enrollment in the Artium Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Arts) program is the most female-dominated degree, with 519 women and 451 men in the class of 2017. Compared to 1970, it reflects both Continued on Page 17
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Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Town, University Respond to DACA Decision The Princeton immigrant community, in town and on campus, met with dismay U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s announcement yesterday that President Trump plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation. The announcement called for Congress to replace the policy before it fully expires in March 2018. Instituted by President Obama’s executive action in 2012, DACA protects about 800,000 “dreamers,” including many who have lived in the United States their whole lives. As early as March 5, they could face deportation to countries where they have never lived. “Ending DACA is a cruel decision that will tear apart families, undermine our economy, and betray our values,” said Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert. “DACA recipients are in school and college, holding jobs, paying taxes, and contributing to our local and national economies. Some have started families.” She continued, “Princeton continues to stand as a welcoming community that recognizes that all our residents, regardless of immigration status, make vital contributions to the success of our town. We urge Congress to act quickly to create
an immigration system that is fair, just, and moral. In our community we will work with our local residents to understand the impact of this decision and continue to support them.” Yesterday’s announcement follows through on Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to end Mr. Obama’s immigration policy, while shifting responsibility for resolving the immigration issue to Congress. Officials claimed that current beneficiaries
of the program will not be immediately affected by “an orderly wind down” of the previous administration’s policies. Mr. Sessions stated that the Obama policy was an unconstitutional use of executive authority, “implemented unilaterally, to great controversy and legal concern” and an “open-ended circumvention of immigration laws.”
It’s back to school this week for almost 4,000 Princeton Public Schools students and staff, and with the Westminster Choir College property no longer available, school leaders are considering options for handling increasing enrollments at all levels. Princeton High School (PHS) is already over capacity, and, according to Superintendent Steve Cochrane, in addition to expanding PHS, the district would like to find a space to accommodate a grades five-six middle school, and eventually, an additional elementary school. The new middle school would help to alleviate overcrowding at John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS), which is also
rapidly approaching capacity. “While the Westminster Choir College (WCC) campus was our first option to expand our facilities to meet the needs of our growing enrollment,” Mr. Cochrane said, “we have always been developing alternate plans.” Rider University, WCC owner, announced last month that it had chosen another buyer for the 23-acre WCC property. The Valley Road building, formerly a school, but currently housing the district’s central administration, “is one option that we are considering carefully,” Mr. Cochrane said.
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With Westminster Campus Off the Table, PPS Looks For Other Expansion Options
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NET GENERATION: Young players in the Princeton Tennis Program were invited by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to participate in a live demonstration this past Friday at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. They are pictured as they were about to enter Louis Armstrong Stadium to promote awareness of Net Generation, the USTA’s new youth program. (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
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