January 24, 2001: Letters

Palestinian vigil

Speak without hypocrisy

Speak without hypocrisy

Graduate concerns

Bypass misinformation

Berlin or Budapest

Hurrah for Nader

Women unite

It's an Irish Mail

For the Record

PAW Online survey


PAW welcomes letters. We may edit them for length, accuracy, clarity, and civility. Our address: Princeton Alumni Weekly, 194 Nassau St., Suite 38, Princeton, NJ 08542 (paw@princeton.edu).


Palestinian Vigil

The Snapshot photograph in the December 6 issue of the silent vigil against the victims of Israeli aggression distresses me as an Israeli citizen with a long history of active support for the peace movement and opposition to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

I am mainly distressed because publication of the picture implies agreement with the view expressed by the protesters, and this is a view which, despite my peace credentials and convictions, I cannot accept. The Palestinians who have been shot by Israeli soldiers in the past few months are not exactly victims of Israeli “aggression.”

The Palestinians chose to use violence to oppose continued Israeli presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and to reject a peace settlement that appeared to them (as it also appears to me) to be unfair and to offer far too little to the Palestinians. That decision may or may not have been a politically effective one. Time will tell. However, to call the Israeli response to Palestinian violence “aggression” is to deny that the Palestinians are active agents in this conflict. They have been rioting, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, and shooting, and the Israeli soldiers have been shooting back.

Not only was that to be expected, it was also exactly what the Palestinians wanted, in order to get publicity for their cause -- an extremely effective tactic, by the way. The Israeli army is better armed than the Palestinians, so of course more Palestinians have been killed than Israelis. Again, this was entirely to be expected and is one of the points that the Palestinians have been trying to prove.

It has long seemed to me that there are two major psychological obstacles to reaching a solution to this conflict with which both sides can live. One is the failure of Israelis to realize that Palestinians are human beings who respond to what Israel does.

Conversely, it seems to me that Palestinian self-portrayal as the perennial victims of Zionist/Colonialist/Racist/European aggression rather than as the weaker side in a struggle, but a side that still enjoys considerable freedom of action, initiative, and resources, is damaging to the Palestinian self-image and cause, and, is, indeed, untrue.

Jeffrey M. Green ’66
Jerusalem, Israel

 

The current situation in the Middle East is tragic for all involved. Violence serves the long-term interests of no one.

However, PAW’s coverage of a daily rally by Palestinian sympathizers includes contradictory messages. An organizer characterizes the rally as “apolitical” and “more in memory of those who died.” At the same time, participants carry a sign stating “In Memory of the Victims of Israeli Aggression.” An apolitical rally would acknowledge substantial losses on both sides, including numerous situations in which the Palestinians were the initial aggressor.

More important, the protesters might ask whether the violence could have been avoided if Yasir Arafat was willing to make meaningful compromises during the Camp David peace summit. During that conference, Israel offered the Palestinians statehood, control of over 90 percent of the land in the West Bank and Gaza, and sovereignty over parts of the Old City of Jerusalem.

After being blamed for the failure of the summit by President Clinton, the Palestinians have sent their children to the front lines to confront Israeli soldiers. This cowardly attempt at generating international sympathy cannot obscure the tragic reality -- the present, tragic circle of violence was avoidable.

Dror Futter ’86
Teaneck, N.J.

 

I would hope that “photojournalism” would be subject to the same standards of accuracy and fairness as other PAW articles. Unfortunately, “Middle East Message” fails this standard.

If the pictured demonstration is truly “not a political statement” (in the words of a Palestinian “sympathizer”), the vigil would be in memory of all victims of Middle Eastern violence, Israeli and Palestinian. Instead, PAW has permitted its pages to become propaganda, without the slightest acknowledgment of the acts of terrorism and violence committed by Palestinians and others against Israel every day or the stubborn refusal of the Palestinian Authority to participate in the peace process.

Marc Andrew Landis ’84
New York, N.Y.

 

I certainly understand that the PAW editorial staff is entitled to choose which of the many events that take place on campus should be featured in the magazine. I was, however, taken aback to see an entire page dedicated to a “silent vigil in memory of the victims of Israeli aggression.”

We all mourn the many victims of the tragic conflict in the Middle East, but referring to Palestinian victims as the “victims of Israeli aggression” is most definitely a political statement, and therefore the claim in the article by one of the protesters that “this is not a political statement” is absurd. I would hope that students at Princeton, as well as employees of PAW, would have a greater appreciation of the subtleties and complexities of the tragic conflict in the Middle East, where many people on each side seem to see the other as the aggressor.

Other campuses have had dialogues between Jewish and Palestinian students in order to attain a greater level of understanding -- I would be very sad to learn that meetings of this sort have not taken place at Princeton.

Faye I. Landes ’82
Teaneck, N.J.

 

The current conflict in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians is rooted in political, emotional, and religious foundations, which are impossible to summarize in a few words or pictures. Blood has been shed on both sides, with a resolution far from clear. Whereas we respect a publication’s right to use editorial judgment in choosing subject matter, we found the manner of presenting the opposing demonstrations on campus inappropriate and seemingly biased.

The Palestinian vigil commanded a full-page, color photo on the prime last page, and, although the demonstrators claimed to be apolitical, the banner which the students were holding was clearly not. Conversely, the Israeli demonstration received short notice in the middle of the issue in the Notebook section with a small black-and-white photo.

One of the greatest strengths of Princeton is its diverse cultural base -- even if those cultures are sometimes in conflict with one another. We applaud PAW for reporting to the alumni community when those conflicts arise, but we ask that the news be delivered fairly and with sensitivity to those on both sides.

Adam and Janet Lichtenstein ’95
New York, N.Y.

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Speak without hypocrisy

American universities, including Princeton, seem to be turning into cloud-cuckoo land. Ideologues push for speech codes that violate the First Amendment, but say that this is “not censorship”; those pushing for the admission of specific numbers of new students from various demographic groups describe this as “not quotas”; faculty members who change their course material in response to pressure from the People’s Republic of China seem to feel no conflict with academic freedom; professors refuse to write articles if another professor writes one on the other side, and apparently don’t perceive this as contrary to the academic ideal of open and vigorous debate. To top it off, students and staff members hold vigils “in memory of the victims of Israeli aggression,” and are quoted as saying that “this is not a political statement.” I’m all for people arguing in favor of whatever position they hold, no matter how bizarre; but it would be nice if they could do it without the hypocrisy.

Peter Suedfeld *63
Vancouver, B.C.

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Restrooms recalled

Like Gregory T. Greene ’75 and Patrick Swearingen ’84 (Letters, October 11) I, too, was saddened at the prospect of losing the museum in Guyot Hall. Guyot provided me with one of the quintessential experiences of freshman women in the fall of 1971: Although women undergraduates had by then been at the university for two years, I could not find a women’s restroom in Guyot Hall. After a moderately desperate but ultimately fruitless search, I asked a janitor to direct me to one, but he didn’t know where one was either. Finally he volunteered to stand outside the door of a men’s restroom while I used it. Later that fall I discovered that Guyot Hall did in fact have a women’s restroom, and I came to consider it the finest women’s restroom on campus. It was in a back corner of the museum, and, in keeping with the style and period of the museum, it had an anteroom with a fainting couch. (At that time many women’s restrooms had urinals, sometimes planted with flowers.)

I suppose the room could be better used as an office or a storage space, but, as Greene and Swearingen pointed out in their letters, the museum offers a place to study not only natural history, but the history of natural history. It is a serendipitously maintained example of the way science and scientists were, and as such I would like to see it preserved, bathroom and all.

Cate Huisman ’75
Sandpoint, Idaho

 

Lest Annie Ruderman '01 thinks her coed bathroom experience (On the Campus, November 8) is completely unprecedented at Princeton, let me relate an experience of mine. Back in the great old days of 1994Ñ95, I and 12 of my friends had the now unattainable honor of living on the top floor of Blair Tower. Thirteen guys and one tiny bathroom marked with the letter F. The men's bathroom was down a long, long staircase that seemed that much longer during the wee hours of Friday and Sunday mornings. We had an informal conversation with the six girls downstairs. They quickly understood our unfortunate predicament. Yes, they said, we'll be happy to share our bathroom. And share we did for the entire year Ñ men and women used the bathroom interchangeably and simultaneously. If there was any social psychology involved, it was just how normal it all became.

Damon E. Lee '97
New York, N.Y.

 

Annie Ruderman '01 better be educable to the variables of the toilet seat. If men leave the seat down, they are criticized for not putting it up. And if they leave it up, they are criticized for not putting it down. At the same time when it seems wrong to Ms. Ruderman not to always leave it down, she thinks it wrong that she should ever have to put it up. Alas, there are some things Princeton's teaching cannot solve.

James Neely '48
Napa, Calif.

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Graduate concerns

Princeton’s faculty certainly does value its graduate students as integral parts of the teaching and research environments, but what President Shapiro did not mention in his November 8 President’s Page is that Princeton’s reputation for taking care of its graduate students is less than spotless.

Long-standing issues of concern are the high cost of health care and the lack of benefits such as reduced-cost dental and optical plans. Princeton lags behind most Ivy League schools in this area, and while recently negotiating an optional dental plan for its employees, neglected to extend eligibility to graduate students. Hardest hit are graduate students with families, who are expected to pay $4,000 per year for Student Health Plan coverage, 20 percent of a typical student’s gross income.

Another pressing issue is housing. The size of the graduate school has grown in recent years without a corresponding increase in the housing provided to students. This housing is absolutely critical to the financial well-being of graduate students, given the minimal stipends paid and the high cost of living in the Princeton area. Graduate students forced to seek private housing are likely to pay around $1,000 per month, as opposed to $600 per month in the Butler apartments, for example. I say this from experience, as my wife and I lived in a private apartment several years ago. The only unit for under $1,000 we were able to find was 10 miles away from Princeton. This brings up another point: the lack of affordable housing in Princeton will force many graduate students to take on the additional expense of buying and maintaining a car, including the high cost of New Jersey insurance. Princeton does not have an extensive public transportation system allowing affordable access to low-rent neighborhoods, unlike schools such as Harvard and M.I.T., where proportionately less student housing is provided.

Brent Jones GS
Princeton, N.J.

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Bypass misinformation

The letter from Adam Bromwich ’96 (November 8) regarding the Millstone Bypass is a hodgepodge of misinformation and exaggeration typical of the efforts of some in Princeton to avoid what is probably inevitable.

This is a hot topic in Princeton these days, and the proposed alignment may still need refinement, but much of the opposition’s “party line” is unfounded. Without giving an exhaustive account of the subject, here are some examples as cited in Mr. Bromwich’s letter:

1. The road does not run “directly alongside the Millstone River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal.” It may look that way on a small map, but its closest -- and very brief -- approach to these waterways is more than 300 feet in the case of the river, and 450 feet in the case of the canal. Hardly “alongside.” In fact, because of elevation differences and intervening woodlands, the road will be invisible from these locations. It will have little if any visual or audible impact on either the canal towpath or Lake Carnegie.

2. The alignment “bisects” nothing. The historic districts in the area are affected in minor ways, if at all, and the archaeological sites near the river will be evaluated and steps taken to minimize effects due to the road. With respect to wetlands, the alignment’s total incursion is an insignificant one acre. The road will conform with all New Jersey environmental regulations, which -- believe it or not -- are among the toughest in the country.

3. The rows of elm trees along Washington Road between Route 1 and the canal will not be “lost.” (Some now refer to these trees as the “elm allée” -- for added cachet, I suppose.) A small number -- about six -- of the 74 remaining original elms will be removed for an intersection at the road’s Washington Road terminus. (Approximately half the original elms planted in the ’20s have already died. Some have been replaced with other species, and there are several stretches with no trees at all.) Southbound traffic on Route 1 will still enter or leave Princeton via Washington Road as it does now. Northbound traffic will use the bypass, about seven-tenths of a mile to the north, or Alexander Road as it does now. With reduced traffic on Washington Road the remaining elms will be better off.

4. The bypass will have no effect on “homogenizing Princeton into yet more New Jersey sprawl” since that has already occurred -- several decades ago.

5. Alternatives have been studied -- more than a dozen at last count -- including some in which the university has been a party to the planning. Some of these would result in the destruction of portions of nearby communities, including homes and businesses. Obviously the present alignment will have environmental effects, but so do all the alternatives. Some require construction of temporary roads, which in itself only compounds the environmental impact.

Unfortunately, many in Princeton who oppose the bypass resort to emotional arguments based on self-serving perceptions of environmental issues (not one inch of the road is even in Princeton), and give short shrift to the overriding regional economic and traffic safety concerns that brought the new Jersey Department of Transportation to propose the bypass in the first place. The Environmental Impact Statement that Governor Whitman recently ordered should be very enlightening.

Richard S. Snedeker ’51
West Windsor, N.J.

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Berlin or Budapest

Chuckle! Page 26 of the November 8 issue shows a Free University of Berlin student standing on the Fishermen’s Bastion in Buda Castle of Budapest, Hungary. In the background, across the Danube is the Hungarian parliament. Does Greg Mancini know about this? Do your readers know? They may get the wrong idea about the topography of Berlin.

Sandor Barcza ’60
Mountain Lakes, N.J.

Editor’s note: Greg Mancini ’01 was shown on a trip to Budapest. The caption placing him in Berlin was our error, not his.

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Hurrah for Nader

I nominate my classmate Ralph Nader ’55 for the next cover of PAW, and suggest the headline “In the Nation’s Service.” It was Ralph’s effective presidential campaign that changed the course of the election. He identified important issues, and mobilized a part of the electorate. Over 95,000 voters in Florida voted for Ralph, thus ensuring the end of the Clinton-Gore era. Ralph’s campaign was truly In the Nation’s Service.

John Grant ’55
Dallas, Tex.

Editor’s note: An extensive postelection interview with Nader is on PAW Online.

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Women unite

Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) is Princeton’s first student-run organization dedicated to providing a network of support for female students. We have more than 370 members and most meetings have overflow attendance. In October we had our first faculty luncheon, published our first newsletter, participated in the World March of Women in Washington, D.C., and sponsored a panel debate on Princeton’s status as a “male-friendly” university. If you would like to find out more or help OWL, please contact ippolito@princeton.edu, eculbert@princeton.edu or rhindery@princeton.edu.

Nancy Ippolito ’03
Erin Culbertson ’03
Robin Hindery ’03
Princeton, N.J.

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It's an Irish Mail

That contraption being rowed down Nassau Street is known as an Irish Mail (From the Archives, December 6). My dad had one, I had one, and now my grandchildren are straining to use mine up in the mountains of North Carolina. They were also known by other trademark names. Mine was a “something” velocipede -- the logo has long since worn off.

You steer it with your feet, and basically row it. It has a rod push/pulling a wheel (much like a steam locomotive driver). The power is then usually transferred to a rack-and-pinion gearing to the rear axle.

A healthy six-year-old can attain 10 m.p.h. or better on level ground, and a teenager, with some redesigned gearing, can almost outrun a dog.

It is a great body builder and exercise machine, and a lot more fun than jogging. They are still manufactured.

Wallace DuPre ’51
Columbus, N.C.

Editor’s note: We also heard from Gordon Daiger ’53, Roberta Lawrence s’38, Joseph Crossley ’45, Frank Gibson (Yale 1949), Al McCree ’44, Philip Murphy ’44, H. Dwight Neill ’54, Stuyvesant Pell ’53, Richard F. Furman ’38, Nicholas Wetzel ’42, Louise Ritenour h’30, Rocky King ’45, Bruce Handler ’58, James F. Lotspeich ’44, and Jack Raymond ’46. Several of our respondents told us they had had an Irish Mail as a child and loved it, attesting to the fun and fitness it provided.

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For the Record

In the request from University Archives regarding Elmer Adler (December 20), the incorrect date for his employment was given; the correct years are 1940–52.

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PAW Online survey

We encourage our readers to take part in an online survey we have posted on our Web site.

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