Posts by The Princeton Tory
The Dialectic of Modernity: Fragments of a Post-Modern Vision
By David Pederson ’12 “Modern times.” – Once attributable to the birth pangs of a new epoch, or the sting of sunlight on the eyes of those who had known only darkness, the pain of modernity has shown itself to be not a mode, but the substance of modernity itself. Even its splendors, dancing through the…
Read MoreThe Egyptian Revolution: Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in Harm’s Way.
By Matt Sanyour ‘11 As the chaotic events in Cairo approach some semblance of resolution, with the military guaranteeing elections in six months, one may finally take a moment to look back a few short weeks to the origins of this movement that toppled President Hosni Mubarak after thirty years in power. While the successful…
Read MoreBeyond Nature and Nurture: Why the Origin of Homosexuality Makes No Difference to its Morality
by David Pederson Few subjects are as personal, political, and controversial as the morality of homosexuality. For these reasons, unsurprisingly, emotion and rhetoric often rush in where reason fears to tread. So pressing an issue, however, merits thoughtful consideration. In the dense skein of questions surrounding homosexuality, one question in particular appears in discussions again…
Read MoreThe Pace Center’s Dual Mandate
by Sam Norton In the spring of 2009, Princeton students voted in a referendum to donate roughly $90,000 to the Pace Center, a contribution that required foregoing the traditional Fall Lawnparties concert. In addition, the Center’s annual budget, which was then listed at over $1 million, is drawn largely from University sources, especially endowment income.…
Read MoreFree Trade with our Allies: Will Obama Bargain with Republicans?
by Matthew Sanyour As the scores of Republican lawmakers prepare to take office next January and American voters have signaled in poll after poll that they would like to see cooperation between the newly empowered GOP and an increasingly embattled Obama Administration, the few areas of agreement they already share should be fertile ground for…
Read MoreThe Modern Monarch
by Bobby Marsland On November 18, our campus was graced with a visit from His Serene Highness, Prince Hans-Adams II of Liechtenstein. The Prince traveled here to visit the Liechtenstein Institute for Self-Determination, which was founded in 2000 with his support, and to receive the American Whig-Cliosophic Society’s prestigious James Madison Award. Besides being one…
Read MoreThe RCA Program and the Shaping of the Freshmen Experience
by Geneva Wright On November 30, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students closed online applications for the position of Residential College Advisor (RCA). The post, which is open to juniors and seniors, is “an extremely important job,” according to current RCA Alex Craig, a junior. “You have a lot of responsibility over your…
Read MoreThe Hidden Story of Princeton’s Diversity Working Group
by Toni Alimi In 2004, President Shirley Tilghman appointed a Diversity Working Group led by former Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson, Executive Vice President Mark Burstein, and Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Terri Harris Reed.. According to its website, the group was “charged with identifying strategies and potential barriers that affect…
Read MorePublisher’s Letter: Unknown Truths and the Future of Journalism
Throughout the Tory’s history, we have been called reactionaries, antagonizers, and sometimes worse for presenting facts and views that many would rather not hear. From our 2007 coverage of McCosh Health Center’s failure to report sexually transmitted disease statistics to Toni Alimi’s report on the dubious mission of the University’s Diversity Working Group in this…
Read MorePublisher’s Letter: A Call for Real Tolerance
by Aaron Smargon ‘11 This Veteran’s Day, the Tory hosted a talk by Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser titled “Is Islam the Problem?” Unlike Nonie Darwish, our guest speaker last spring, Dr. Jasser was not here to shun his faith. It would be difficult for him, in fact, since he is a devout Muslim. While Dr.…
Read MoreThe Street View from Nassau Hall: Investigating the Eating Club Task Force
by Aaron Smargon ‘11 For nearly half its history, the University has intermittently issued policy recommendations regarding the independent eating clubs of Prospect Avenue (AKA “The Street”). Last school year’s Eating Club Task Force (ECTF) report is but one example. While part of the administration’s tactics this time around may have been unique, its motive…
Read MoreThe Aesthetics of Conservatism: Why Conservatives Need to Reclaim the Arts
by David Pederson ’12 The conservative movement today, it is not too much to say, has largely abandoned the arts. The whole enterprise of art, artistry, and aesthetics is all too commonly viewed by conservatives as much more “soft” or “subjective” than ethics or politics, and beauty is likewise taken to be a mere modality…
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