The Daily Princetonian: March 4, 2020

Founded 1876 daily since 1892 online since 1998

Wednesday March 4, 2020 vol. CXLIV no. 23

Twitter: @princetonian Facebook: The Daily Princetonian YouTube: The Daily Princetonian Instagram: @dailyprincetonian

{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }

U . A F FA I R S

President Eisgruber releases letter on COVID-19’s spread By Albert Jiang Senior Writer

On Tuesday, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 wrote to the University community about the global spread of COVID-19, commonly referred to as coronavirus. At 11:32 a.m. on March 3, Eisgruber released a letter on preparing for and mitigating impacts of the global epidemic. Eisgruber encouraged members of the community to employ basic health practices, including washing hands often and thoroughly. He outlined three major steps in combating the crisis: taking care of oneself, planning ahead, and staying informed. The letter asked faculty and staff to stay home from work should they not feel well and asked students to contact McCosh Health Center if they need medical care. Eisgruber urged students who fall ill to forgo class and make alternate accommodations. “Many of us try to ‘power through’ a cold or a fever,” he wrote. “So, let me be perfectly clear — the best thing you can do for yourself, your friends and your colleagues is to take care of yourself if you aren’t feeling well.” Given that COVID-19’s impact on the University’s day-to-day operations continues to unfold, Eisgruber implored faculty

to “work with the Dean of Faculty’s office to identify strategies for continuing coursework under various scenarios” while administrative staff continue to refresh and review contingency plans. Reaffirming the University’s commitment to its community amid inconveniences and disruptions, Eisgruber noted, “We are fortunate to have an excellent staff of experienced professionals across campus planning for, and responding to, the problems posed by [COVID-19].” “Their job is not easy,” he added. “Our team is working tirelessly seven days a week to support the health and safety of our community in response to rapidly evolving circumstances and incomplete information. We are fortunate to have such outstanding and dedicated people working on our behalf.” Eisgruber acknowledged disruptions to study abroad programs and international travel plans. “I want to express my appreciation to those who have accommodated these changes or helped to support the people affected by them,” he wrote, adding, “we will all need to be ready to adapt our behavior and make some sacrifices in the months ahead.” Specifically, the virus’s

JON ORT / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN

University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83.

spread has disrupted the Novogratz Bridge Year China program, several placements in the International Internship Program (IIP), and study abroad programs in Italy, China, and South Korea, among other events and enterprises.

“So far, the impacts of [COVID-19] on Princeton have been limited, but even limited impacts can cause real disruptions and inconveniences,” Eisgruber wrote. “Working together, I am confident that we will be able to navigate whatever lies ahead

and support one another through this difficult and uncertain time.” The University website is updated with the latest relevant information and guidance. Additional information is available on the Emergency Management website.

U . A F FA I R S

OBITUARY

Physics professor emeritus Pierre After last year’s errors, U. promises to amend Adrien Piroué dies at age 88

Associate News Editor

Prominent experimental particle physicist and long-time University faculty member Pierre Adrien Piroué died on Feb. 12 at the age of 88. Piroué, the Henry DeWolf Smyth Professor of Physics, Emeritus, spent over six decades as a member of the physics department at the University and played a key role in many crucial experimental breakthroughs of high-energy physics throughout his career as a research physicist. Piroué

conducted experiments at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Berkeley Radiation Laboratory, Fermi National Laboratory, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Piroué died at Princeton Medical Center after a brief illness on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Piroué was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, just south of the SwissFrench border, on Sept. 18, 1931. According to Professor of Physics, Emeritus Kirk T. McDonald, Piroué once said that his father had emigrated to Switzerland from

COURTESY OF KIRK T. MCDONALD

Pierre Adrien Piroué, on the left, with his wife, Marianne.

neighboring France to escape the carnage of World War I and avoid becoming “cannon fodder.” After fulfilling his military service obligation and receiving undergraduate degrees in chemistry and physics from the University of Geneva, Piroué came to Princeton University for graduate studies in physics in 1956. To his surprise, Piroué remained subject to the U.S. military draft despite already being married, according to the obituary published by the Department of Physics. To help him avoid the draft, the University arranged for Piroué to continue his graduate studies here but technically remain enrolled at the University of Geneva. Piroué received his doctoral degree in physics from the University of Geneva in 1958 for the cosmic ray research he conducted under University physicist George T. Reynolds GS ’43, who was also responsible for recruiting numerous prominent physicists to the University, including Nobel laureates Riccardo Giacconi, James Cronin, and Val Fitch. After receiving his doctorate, Piroué spent two See PIROUÉ page 2

room draw process By Evelyn Doskoch Assistant News Editor

In the spring of 2019, randomization errors in the University room draw process sparked outrage across campus. A few students conducted ad hoc data analysis, revealing the scale of the flaw. Eventually, the University awarded 220 seniors $1,000 in compensation. Now, the University has promised it won’t happen again. According to Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss, a new system, to be put in place for 2020, will ensure proper randomization of draw times. This new system will ensure that larger groups have no advantage over smaller groups, and also eliminate similarities in draw times between 2018 and 2019, which were documented by Adam Chang ’20 and Yang Song ‘20 last year. “The code that will be used to randomly assign draw times has been extensively tested within Housing and its efficacy has been confirmed by campus information technology part-

In Opinion

Today on Campus

Brigitte Harbers encourages students not to worry if they don’t have an internship lined up for the summer, while Juan José López Haddad urges faithfuls to remain in the Catholic Church with the mission of pushing it forward socially. PAGE 5

1:30 p.m.: Hour of Power Worship Service for University students, faculty, and staff. Renew your mind, revive your spirit, and replenish your soul! A light lunch is provided. Murray-Dodge 104

ners,” Hotchkiss wrote in an email statement to The Daily Princetonian. In April 2019, the University acknowledged that there were unintentional “similarities between the selection orders of the 2018 and 2019 upperclass draws,” meaning that many seniors who drew in the same group both years received draw times in the same order as they did in 2018. As a result, approximately 220 were awarded $1,000 deductions to their housing bills. However, many students expressed other concerns about the draw. Chang and Song performed statistical analysis of the room draw times, and found that, in addition to the draw-time sequence concern, draw-group size also correlated with draw time. Larger groups, on average, received earlier draw times than smaller ones. This finding held true across all residential college draws, as well as the upperclass and independent draws. “We had a hunch that individual students were being drawn,” Chang and Song See ROOM DRAW page 3

WEATHER

By Allan Shen

HIGH

57˚

LOW

35˚

Rain chance of rain:

9 percent