Professors Crack Down on Laptops in Class

Midway though my ENG205 lecture yesterday, Professor Arnold gave one student (among the dozens or so using laptops) a stern look and said, “can you please close your computer for me?” Perplexed, the student complied as the other laptop users tried to figure out if Arnold had x-ray vision that could detect an open facebook window, if the student’s vacant facial expression toward Edmund Spenser was a giveaway, or if that day's Prince article was starting, rather than reporting, this trend in laptop policing.

SJP

IN PRINT: Update - Fake rifle prompts campus alert at PU

A Princeton University student touched off a campus-wide security alert over the weekend by running across the campus carrying an “imitation” AK-4 assault rifle, police said.

Princeton Borough police confiscated the weapon and charged Steven Shonts, 18, of Eden Prairie, MN, with “possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose” and “possession of an imitation firearm on university grounds.” He was released on his own recognizance.

Another student, Erica Greil, said in an e-mail that she had contacted the university’s public safety department at 11:30 p.m. Friday after seeing a male running with a gun near University Place.

Read the full article at the Princeton Packet.

AW and SJP

IN PRINT: Gun Sighting Prompts Safety Alerts

Reports of a male student carrying a firearm prompted a campus security alert at Princeton University overnight, which ended after an investigation determined that the gun was "non-functional" and the student posed no threat to public safety.

University spokesperson Cass Cliatt said in an email Saturday that campus public safety officers and Princeton Borough police "were immediately on the scene interviewing witnesses and searching the area –within minutes.”

The first alert to the campus community went out at 12:42 a.m. via e-mail, text messages and voice mail.

"This is an actual emergency and not a test,” the alert said. Public Safety has recommended that all students remain inside until further notice. Do not go outside to travel to another building. Close and lock the doors and windows. Check e-mail and/or the University's home page at www.princeton.edu for further information and updates.”

Read complete article at the Princeton Packet here.

AW and SJP

Liveblogging the "Emergency"

Well, that was exciting... Now, we're going to sleep. Thanks for reading our beta blog!

2:55 am --Cliatt told the Prince that it took that period of time for an alert to be sent because investigators were interviewing witnesses to establish whether there was a “credible threat.”

2:42 am --Oh, and the University is offering counseling for "individuals stressed by the incident," the Prince says. We're curious as to how many postponed midterms this is going to lead to.

2:35 am-- The real story tonight: Why did it take 80 minutes for Public Safety to send out an alert? If this had been a real criminal with a real gun, it would have been bad news bears.

More...

2:15 am-- The Prince is reporting that some dude is under custody of Borough Police. He was carrying a "permanently disabled and nonfunctional firearm" that he was planning to show to a friend.

1:52 am-- "I was watching Milk in the Frist theater, where there was a bit of an uproar when everyone received the first message on their iPhones, and the 'all is clear' text actually happened as the end credits were rolling." - SJP

1:46 am-- Quote of the night: "So that's what it's like, going to Yale."

1:35 am-- Being bombarded with automated text messages, phone calls, emails to signal the "all clear." Apparently, "an individual is being detained."

From the Princeton home page:

Public Safety at 1:20 a.m. has confirmed that there is no threat. Public Safety has issued an all clear, and members of the campus community can resume their normal activities. An individual has been identified in relation to the previous unconfirmed report of a student-age male with a weapon. That individual is being detained.

1:32 am-- FALSE ALARM. Thanks for scaring the shit out of us, Princeton!

1:17 am -- "I see people walking around Spelman. I think it's all cleared up by now." -AG

1:15 am --Word is spreading that ROTC is having some kind of event tonight. Can anyone confirm this?

1:09 am --"I was walking back from the gym at 12:40... I didn't see anyone. And I've heard from a few of my friends that ROTC has been walking around with their fake AKs all day..." -WAS

1:05 am --From this reporter's room in Henry Hall tower, there is no visible activity around Spelman Hall. All is pretty quiet. Washington Road University Place, which borders Spelman, is pretty empty, too. No police or Public Safety cars are visible.

One Press Clubber who resides in Spelman is hunkered down in his room with roommates and friends with blinds drawn and lights dimmed.

12:58 am --The official Princeton website posted a news bulletin at 12:47. Someone in Holder Hall has come out of their room and is walking around the courtyard. Not a good time for a smoke break, we think.

12:57 am Triangle member sends out this email to the triangle listserve:
Subject: IMPORTANT FACTS in re security message

[We] were walking to the Wa around 11:30. We spotted an individual carrying a gun (looked like an AK-47) and couldn't tell if it was fake or not. So I called Public Safety and reported it and gave them a report, and Borough Police also talked to us. That was at 11:30 and we haven't heard anything else from them.

12:55 am --Students in Holder Hall are locking their doors and...pulling down their blinds? Lights go off around the courtyard.

12:53 am --Public Safety sends an email:

====Emergency Communication Message from PRINCETON UNIVERSITY====

Dear Member of PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Community,

You have been sent a new message through the Connect-ED system.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Message sent - 3/6/2009
PRINCETON ALERT - Remain inside

===================================
Message
===================================

This is an actual emergency and not a test. At 12:40 AM today, there is an unconfirmed report of a student-age mail carrying a weapon in the area of Spelman Hall. Stay inside . Public Safety has recommended that all students remain inside until further notice. Do not go outside to travel to another building. Close and lock the doors and windows. Check e-mail and/or the University's home page at www.princeton.edu for further information and updates.

12:50 am--We receive a recorded call from Public Safety saying that there is a "student-age mail [sic] carrying a weapon around Spelman Hall". Our roommate receives a text.

Who's Reading The Daily Prince? Um, Apparently Hardcore Professional Gamblers

It's a cold Friday night in the dead of winter, and none of the major basketball conferences have games. What's an addictive professional gambler to do? Well, according to this New York Times article, the answer can be found in a small cult of gamblers who bet on Ivy League basketball games religiously every Friday night (kind of like Shabbot, but with less Challah). And because of the lack of information available on Ivy League teams on traditional sports websites like ESPN.com, the gamblers often turn to the student newspapers. Finally, a niche for the Prince beyond lonely breakfasters!

On the subject of Princeton basketball, after a 2-8 start and an improbable late season run, the Tigers have a shot to at least tie Cornell as Ivy League Champions if they can win at Columbia, at Cornell, and at Penn. (Likely? No, not really. But hey, crazier things have happened...)

(image source: princetonbasketball.com)

SKG

Nothing ever happens in Princeton, or, the time the Prince covered suckling pigs

A short and sweet summary of one of today's Prince news articles, "Whitman celebrates College Night with suckling pigs":

Whitman's Tuesday night College Night dinners serve suckling pigs, sometimes with accessories.

Some people are offended.
Some people are not offended.

We appreciate the quotes though.

Offended!

Vegetarian Whitmanite Katie Rodriguez ’11 said she was “appalled” that the Whitman College Night dinners were “centered around an animal product.”

Not offended

Vegetarian Niklas Peters ’11, however, said the pig did not upset him. “The first time I saw it, I wasn’t shocked like I thought it was offensive. I was shocked like I thought, ‘That dead pig has glasses on,’ ” he explained. “It was a very surprising thing.”

Offended!

PAWS member Maya Goodwin ’12, however, said she was not amused by the dining staff’s decision to accessorize the pigs.

“I just don’t think that’s funny. I don’t know who thinks it’s funny. Do you think it’s funny?” she said of the pig sporting sunglasses.

Not offended

Roast suckling pig was already a familiar dish for Mark Lock ’11. “I’m Chinese, so that’s not something that’s foreign to me,” he said of the pig at Whitman. “I think it was cool.”

(image source: dailyprincetonian.com)

AW

IN PRINT: Princeton makes budget cuts while increasing workers' salaries

Princeton University has an $82 million budget-cutting plan set for the new fiscal year, Princeton administrators told members of the community during a town hall meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Princeton currently has an operating budget of $1.3 billion, 48 percent of which comes from investment income while 29 percent came from student fees, 16 percent from sponsored research and 9 percent from gifts, Vice President for Finance Caroline Ainslie said.

“Princeton is especially dependent on investment returns compared to other public institutions,” Ms. Ainslie said. Princeton averages a 15 percent return on the endowment. Last year, however, returns were only 5.6 percent and they are expected to fall 20 percent for the 2009 fiscal year, Ms. Ainslie added.

“This gives you a sense of why we’re not in the same good old days and why the times are not normal,” Ms. Ainslie said. The new budget will cut the amount that comes from endowment returns by 8 percent or $74 million, Provost Chris Eisgruber said. Princeton also borrowed $1 billion for operations in order to prevent increased endowment spending, Ms. Ainslie said.

Mr. Eisgruber said that these measures are only the beginning.

Read entire article in the Princeton Packet here.

SJP

OM NOM NOM: The Little Chef

Last week, a friend sent us this review of one of Princeton's many bakeries, The Little Chef, with the note, "??? How have you not been here?"

How, indeed.

This week, we've visited Pouchon and his macarons et croissants four times.

More...
Though Serious Eats' review leans toward the long side, and is chock full of personal anecdotes that we happily skipped, one look at the ham-and-Gruyère croissant is all you need.

The Little Chef is on 8 South Tulane Street, between Sotto and the Princeton Record Exchange. You've seen it --it's the hole in the wall bakery that always seems empty.

It's definitely not empty if you stop by early in the morning --the little chef himself says that croissants are typically gone by 9 or 10 am.

If you can't get up that early for croissants (or for that matter, class), we suggest stopping by for a macaron later in the day. We like the chocolate and pistachio ones. These meringue-like cookies filled with ganache are well worth the price. They're $2, but then...so is a Bent Spoon cupcake. Isn't it time to try something new?



(image sources: http://seriouseats.com, http://kitchenmusings.typepad.com)

AW

IN PRINT: At black symposium Princeton mayor says she may not run for reelection

Update 3/28: Here is the PAW article on the symposium.

[Full disclosure: This reporter was covering a symposium on the black experience at Princeton a couple weeks ago for the Princeton Alumni Weekly. It only occurred recently to this reporter that Princeton Borough mayor Mildred Trotman's comments may be news.]

Princeton Borough mayor Mildred Trotman, in office since 2005, said she will probably not run for reelection.

Speaking at a panel discussion with former New York City mayor David Dinkins and Trenton mayor Doug Palmer on February 21, Mildred talked about her emphasis on consensus and fairness when governing. She then admitted, "I don’t think I'm going to run again."

Trotman did not discuss further her comments, though Dinkins responded that one should "never say never."

"Mayor Trotman, you're going to run again, I bet you," Dinkins said.

Dinkins also addressed the upcoming New York City mayoral race and lamented mayor Mike Bloomberg's decision to run for reelection after overturning term limit laws.

"I like Mike, and I get along fine with him, but I would hope that he would not seek reelection," Dinkins said.

He offered praise for NYC comptroller Bill Thompson, who has said he will run for mayor.

"Billy Thompson is a good friend of mine, and I think he is eminently qualified to be mayor," Dinkins said.

However, he said it would be challenging for Thompson to run against Bloomberg because of his immense personal wealth.

"It’ll be very difficult for Billy or anybody to defeat [Bloomberg], and I think [Thompson] would have had a battle with [Rep. Anthony] Weiner, but I think he would have beat him," Dinkins said.

BKN

(image source: princetonboro.org)

Those Incestuous Ivies!

Today's New York Times ran an article heralding the new Dartmouth College president, Dr. Jim Yong Kim (full story here). What caught our attention, though, was the headline: “Dartmouth Selects Its New President from Harvard.” An Ivy League president with ties to (gasp!) a different Ivy?

There’s something unique about that Crimson, though, that makes the Times’ college-cum-university presidential supercenter inference especially apt. Kim’s hiring will make three out of the seven Ivy League presidents educated at some point at Harvard. For those of you at home keeping score, Penn’s Amy Gutmann got her B.A. from Radcliffe and her Ph.D. from Harvard and Brown’s Ruth Simmons received a Ph.D. from Harvard.

Granted, Dr. Kim is inextricably linked to Harvard: in addition to working as an official at Harvard Med School, he got his Ph.D. in Anthropology and his M.D. at Harvard. But the article buries that fact that Kim also went to Brown undergrad, in the same paragraph that mentions his football prowess at his Iowa high school (he was a quarterback).

What consolation is there for us at Princeton? Well, three out of the seven Ivy presidents have at some point taught here: Gutmann, Simmons, and of course Shirley. So we’ve got that going for us.

SKG