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Friday December 2, 2022 vol. CXLVI no. 24
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ON CAMPUS
University community The PROSPECT mourns Xinjiang fire Hello my name is... victims, stands in solidarity with Chinese protestors By José Pablo Fernández García | Head Prospect Editor Princeton invests so much effort into welcoming its new students that I probably couldn’t list every activity or resource offered to a matriculating student, but I found that, despite all this effort, the school doesn’t bother to always get one’s name right — not even when giving someone their netID and other web accounts that will unlock the next four years. I’ve always had trouble with my name. Or really, others have had trouble with it. I mean, look at it: José Pablo Fernández García. It’s not exactly a friction-free name when growing up in southwest Ohio. It’s
long: two first names and two last names (though, at least, no middle name) with almost as many letters as the alphabet itself. The correct Spanish pronunciation is something I gave up on outside conversations with other native Spanish speakers a while ago. And then, there are the three pesky little accents. They are such a small part of my name, but they carry so much weight for me. It’s not me without them. However, much of the United States is clueless when it comes to diacritic marks. In fact, the country is a paperwork disaster for anyone who See NAME page 14
OBITUARY
CANDACE DO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
By Michelle Miao News Contributor
Content Warning: The following article contains mention of death, suicide, and violence. On Nov. 24, an apartment building fire killed 10 people in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang region. Due to China’s strict zero-COVID policies, the building was partially locked down, which led many to speculate that building exits had been locked from the outside and barriers such as fences and wires trapped residents inside the building and prevented firefighters from rescuing them. The incident has sparked an unprecedented wave of
Candles sit on the steps of Nassau Hall at a vigil for the victims of a fire in a building in the Xinjiang region of China. .
protests across China over the government’s restrictive COVID-19 policy. In the wake of these protests, student organizers at Princeton led a vigil in remembrance of those who lost their lives, both in the Urumqi fire and in other tragedies related to China’s COVID-19 protocols. The vigil, organized and attended by many Chinese international students, was intended as a show of solidarity with Chinese protesters. Due to fears of retaliation by the Chinese government for their participation, most asked to remain anonymous. Around 200 people gathered in front of Nassau Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 29, leaving f lowers and
paper cranes on the steps as symbols of their wishes and prayers. They sang Chinese protest songs like “The People Don’t Need Freedom” and left handwritten signs with slogans such as “Give me liberty or give me death.” “What happened in Urumqi was not an isolated event, but rather part of a series of tragedies in China in the past two years,” a co-organizer of the event said to the crowd. “On Sept. 18, a bus transporting residents to quarantine camps crashed and killed 27. Later, it was found that the government ran out of bus drivers and let them drive illegally. None of the passengers were even inSee VIGIL page 4
U. AFFAIRS
Visual arts students call on U. to re-open investigation into Prof. Scanlan’s use of the n-word By Paige Cromley Senior News Writer
On the evening of Nov. 15, juniors and seniors in the University’s Program in Visual Arts opened their studios for community members to observe the students’ art. Many of the student artists displayed posters, designed by juniors in the department, next to their studio spaces, according to multiple students in attendance. The posters had the words “Fire Joe Scanlan – VIS students” or “Fuck Joe Scanlan – VIS students” typed in boldface over a plain brown background. Joe Scanlan is a tenured professor in the visual arts department. He served as Director of the Visual Arts Program from 2009–2017. On Nov. 3, Scanlan used the nword in his VIS321: Words as Objects seminar. Scanlan said the word while discussing a poem by
Black poet Jonah Mixon-Webster, which caused several students to walk out. Many refused to return to class in the following weeks. After Scanlan’s use of the nword in the seminar, the Office of the Provost, at the request of Omar Farah ’23, conducted an initial assessment of the situation and found no violation of the University’s Policy on Discrimination and/or Harassment. Farah is a Managing Editor for The Daily Princetonian, who has recused themself from any coverage related to this incident. Following Scanlan’s use of the slur, Ari Riggins ’23 and Priyanka B. Aiyer ’23 co-wrote an open letter and shared it with other VIS students. The letter called on the University administration “to reopen their investigation and critically engage with the events which took place and their impact on students.” The letter also called
Y
See page 5 for This Week in Photos
on the Visual Arts department “to reconcile with the space they have held for racism and disrespect.” “The [U]niversity’s response is profoundly disappointing and shows a lack of regard for lived student experience, particularly the experience of BIPOC students,” the letter states. At the time of publication, 21 students — all juniors or seniors completing concentrations or certificates in the department — have signed onto the letter from Riggins and Aiyer. “There was more to be done on the University’s side to advocate for students,” said Julia Stahlman ’24, who is pursuing a VIS certificate and signed onto the letter. She said she thinks the initial assessment conducted by the Office of the Provost was not thorough enough, given that “there was evident harm done to students in the See SCANLAN page 2
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
‘The most humble person I’ve ever met’: Loved ones remember Misrach Ewunetie ’24 By Lia Opperman and Allan Shen Assistant News Editor & Senior News Writer
Misrach Ewunetie ’24, a junior in the Department of Sociology from Euclid, Ohio, died on Oct. 20 on Princeton University’s campus. Described by family and friends as a “precious, beautiful soul,” and a “role model, tutor, and best friend,” Ewunetie was remembered by those who knew her as a “great listener.” She was 20 years old. On Oct. 24, hundreds gathered on campus to mourn Ewunetie at two vigils, one organized by Princeton Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Association (PEESA) in the University Chapel and another by the Office of Religious Life in Murray-Dodge Hall. At the vigil, she was remembered by friends as “exceptionally kind” and “a really, really integral part of our community.” The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the results of an autopsy and the cause of the death has not yet been determined. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office stated there is “no evidence of any criminal activity associated with Ms. Ewunetie’s death.”
As of Dec. 1, a GoFundMe has raised over $153,000 for the Ewunetie family — funding that will assist “with the expenses associated with a funeral, an independent autopsy, and significant travel.” Ewunetie was born on Feb. 7, 2002, in Ethiopia. She immigrated to the United States in 2008 with her parents and older brothers, Universe and Jhonatan. Ewunetie was in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States shortly before her death. A close friend, Yzabella May Estacio, described Ewunetie to The Daily Princetonian as “the smartest person” she knows. “She’s really funny but funny in the way that you’re not trying to be funny,” she said in an interview. “She always takes other people into consideration and is so genuine and loving. She’s just a very kind soul. I’m so glad that she was a part of my life and that she decided to be friends with me.” Ewunetie attended Villa AngelaSt. Joseph Catholic high school in Cleveland, Ohio, where she graduated as class valedictorian in 2020. In high school, she was a part of Minds Matter Cleveland, a program for low-income, hard-workSee OBITUARY page 2
COURTESY OF YZABELLA MAY ESTACIO
Misrach Ewunetie ’24 and her friend Yzabella May Estacio
This Week on Campus
ARTS
| Advent Concert: Veni, Emmanuel — Sunday, Dec. 4, 2:30 p.m., University Chapel.
ON CAMPUS | Mantle of
Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy on College Campuses — Saturday, Dec. 3, 12 p.m., Carl A. Fields Center.
SPORTS | BIG AL INVITATIONAL FOR WOMENS SWIM/DIVE — Friday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. & Sunday, Dec. 4, 10 - 6 p.m., DeNunzio Pool.