Letters - March 24, 1999
I was unfavorably struck by the February 24 Notebook article "Princeton is still a too-white campus." Particularly puzzling, disturbing, and even offensive was Associate Professor Miguel A. Centano's comment, "There is a very dominant culture [at Princeton] and it is not mine." If Professor Centano, who according to the article is Cuban, were to teach in Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow, Sydney, or New Delhi, would he expect to find there a culture that was "his"? And if he prefers to work in a culture that is "his" (I assume he means Cuban), should he not then teach in Cuba?
The joys I have found in studying, working, living, and traveling abroad include experiencing different cultures. I would never expect any of the countries I have known to adapt to my customs and practices in order to reflect my "American" culture -- which I happily return to at the end of my travels. The administration needs to encourage a "Princeton" culture to which undergraduates adapt, not vice versa.
David V. Acaster '45
Saddle River, N.J.
My 15th reunion is approaching, and even as my hair has thinned and my memories of college years have become selective, I have managed to avoid the hallmark of the aging alumnus: the curmudgeonly letter to paw. Until now. The article "Princeton is still a too-white campus" manages to be silly and offensive at once, and for this old Tiger it is a call to cranky arms.
What are we to make of statements like "There is a very dominant culture [at Princeton] and it is not mine" coming from the master of Wilson College? Is this supposed to be a complaint? What institution doesn't have a dominant culture? Given that the United States is a largely white, largely Anglophone nation, what dominant culture should Princeton have?
Similarly nonsensical is the platitudinous statement by another administrator, that "students are hungry" for histories and views not included in the curriculum. Are there now more than a handful of students taking courses in Near Eastern studies? None of my courses in that wonderful department ever had more than 20 students, while some numbered as few as half a dozen.
And finally, from a student: "It can be disheartening when the majority of my classes are taught by white males." Is the university supposed to hire faculty to: (a) maintain its preeminent standing as one of the world's finest research universities; or, (b) make sure that undergraduates don't get "disheartened" by the race and sex of their professors?
Alexander Polsky '84
Baltimore, Md.
It is with confusion and discouragement that I read the article about the university's new diversity initiative. I find it difficult to understand why professors and students would go to the enormous personal effort and sacrifice to associate with Princeton if only to change it.
If Princeton is so desirable a place, how then can it be so unsatisfactory? We can all be assured that the university is changing, and rightfully, in the ways its critics desire. The nation and the world are changing, and it is a characteristic of all great institutions to evolve. To do so by fiat, however, is dictatorial and destructive. Better that those associated with Princeton spend their great energies taking advantage of the enormous good it has to offer while giving back to it all the talents they have to offer. This will bring about the changes they seek. Slowly perhaps, but inexorably, rationally, and through inherent strengths.
Dick Warren '51
Sea Ranch, Calif.
Professor Centano seems not to know his own mind. The culture of Princeton I know is broad-minded and imaginative, treasures scholarship and good humor, and stands for freedom of the individual, side by side with a commitment to the service of humanity that is global in scope.
Under the leadership of President Shapiro and his predecessors, Princeton has become the most distinguished center of education, accomplishment, and public service there is -- against some very stiff and notable competition.
Crediting the wisdom and shared values of those who invited Professor Centano to join our distinguished faculty, I must believe that his cultural paint box holds much more orange and black than he realizes.
J. Michael Parish '65
New York, N.Y.
I was disturbed to read about instances of sexual harassment during the Nude Olympics (Notebook, February 10). It is imperative that the university take steps to prevent their recurrence. Toward that end, it would be a good idea for the office of Share (Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources and Education) to draft a manual entitled Orgy Etiquette. This booklet would help resolve certain delicate questions that inevitably arise, such as, "When one is writhing on the ground, naked and inebriated, in mixed company, and one is grabbed on the buttock, what is the appropriate response?" And, "At an orgy, should formal introductions be made before, or after, fornication?"
Thomas Doerflinger '74
Summit, N.J.
I confess that over the years I've not been a very loyal alumnus. After reading the account of the Nude Olympics, however, I feel better about not being associated too closely with an institution that would countenance the conjunction of young men and women, nudity, and alcohol, and then consider forming a committee to persuade students that such things should not be allowed to happen.
Charles L. Horn '49
Bloomington, Minn.
The proposal by the Faculty Study Group on Undergraduate Admissions (Notebook, November 18) and the letters reacting to it in the January 27 issue have a major omission in common. They do not look at the advantages and disadvantages of increasing the student body by 500 to 600 undergraduates in relation to Princeton's expanded mission to serve the world as well as the nation.
I believe any expansion of the student body should go toward educating more foreign students. At the same time, I am concerned about the disruption such an expansion would have on the character of Princeton as we know it. Other options need investigating -- for example, distance learning, already in use by other universities, which harnesses the telecommunications revolution to reach students anywhere in the world. The Internet can be used for live lectures, precepts, the submission of papers, and the taking of exams.
Also, what are the possibilities of establishing Princeton campuses in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, or South America? Could we pool resources and develop such efforts with other Ivy League institutions?
MacKnight Black '50
Oakton, Va.
I take issue with a statement by Stewart Harris '83 regarding Princeton architecture (Letters, January 27). Mr. Harris says that the new stadium would be more appropriate at a school like MIT, "if MIT had a football team." MIT, in fact, does have a football team. MIT football recently completed its 20th year of organized intercollegiate competition. In 1988, the year of my graduation from MIT, the program became a member of the NCAA at the Division III level. It is also a member of the New England Football Conference.
Princeton's athletic history may be more colorful and prestigious than MIT's, but I'd stake MIT's athleticism against Princeton's anytime. We'll talk more when the Tigers can stop the Yale-Harvard football game by inflating a weather balloon at Soldiers Field (as we did in 1983).
Also, we'll take your stadium if you don't want it.
D. Scott Kitchen
Bridgewater, N.J.
Please add my voice to Daniel Ungar '74's on the need for a family-lite plan for Reunions (Letters, February 24). I would very much like to attend my 35th this year, but the cost of taking my family of four is $925, plus transportation and accommodations. There has been many a year when the cost of a reunion dissuaded me from going, however much I wanted to see my classmates. I know that reunion organizers work hard and produce some wonderful events, but it would be nice to know the per-person cost of each event and be able to select and pay for them individually. Even if most classmates can afford the package price, it doesn't seem fair for those who cannot.
Stephen C. Martin '64
Amherst, Va.
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