Litany of Bad News in June

Accustomed as I am to reading upbeat, inspiring stories in the PAW, I was taken aback by the litany of bad news in the June issue. It might as well as have had a solid black cover with the inscription, “The University has several memorials in this issue.”

Let me count the ways: 1.) President Eisgruber’s paean to the student-athlete ideal belied the reality that several top men’s basketball players have recently left for greener (more competitive) courts, resulting in the Tigers having one of the worst seasons in recent memory; 2.) the “pausing” of Trenton Arts at Princeton reveals how Trump administration hostility toward major private universities (especially to their DEI programs) is forcing a reduction in community outreach; 3.) continuing wars in the Middle East are making it more difficult for students from that troubled region to attend Princeton; 4.) “increased skepticism” about higher education is forcing the Graduate School to rethink how it structures its programs; 5.) extremely busy undergrads are increasing relying on dating apps to find someone “who is algorithmically the best person” for them; and 6.) and worst of all, the University has abandoned its sacrosanct, centuries-old Honor Code, introducing proctoring in light of the widespread view that “cheating on in-class exams has become widespread.”

I applaud this honesty — it may be the worst of times — but it does make one nostalgic.