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Friday February 10, 2023 vol. CXLVII no. 2
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U. AFFAIRS
U. unintentionally sends out information about over 200 students’ housing accommodations
The PROSPECT
For Valentine’s Day, six romance novels set in academia By Emily Miller | Staff Prospect Writer Content warning: The following piece includes reference to sexual assault.
NAOMI HESS / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
Butler College.
Julian Hartman-Sigall & Miriam Waldvogel Assistant News Editors
Students who requested housing accommodations for the 2023-24 academic year instead received a 134 page email with all 206 email drafts granting housing accommodations. Each email draft included the approved student’s first name and the type of room they were granted based on their accommodation request. Information in the emails sometimes included the age of the building assigned or specific features of the room, information that could possibly indicate a student’s disability status. The email was addressed from the Associate Director for Student Housing Occupancy Management and Systems Angie Rooney, who followed up with another message less than two hours later asking recipients to “disregard and delete the erroneous message.” This is the second major inadvertent exposure of pri-
vate data in recent years. In October 2021, a routine email asking students to submit COVID-19 tests after fall break accidentally included a spreadsheet with employment information about faculty, staff, and other members of the University community. Students who received accommodations expressed a range of reactions. “Somebody just f*cked up massively. And while it’s totally reasonable for people to be upset, at least it only provided first names and what types of accommodations students were giving,” one student told the ‘Prince.’ Another student, whose accommodations were disclosed in the email, described the University’s email as “unprofessional.” “It’s a bad look. I think whenever you have people’s health information, you need to be super careful about it,” they said in an interview. Both students were granted anonymity for privacy purposes. Julia Elman ’23, who currently has disability housing,
commented on the implications of the email. “It’s a violation of privacy. No matter how much information was withheld, there’s a certain amount of identifiable information that has been released,” she said. Students may request housing accommodations for disabilities or medical conditions, as well as private or single-occupancy bathrooms for a safety need or genderrelated reason. Decisions are made prior to Room Draw in March. When asked for comment, University spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss referred the ‘Prince’ to Rooney’s followup email in which she asked recipients to “disregard and delete” the email.
Julian Hartman-Sigall is an Assistant News Editor and Assistant Newsletter Editor for the ‘Prince.’ Miriam Waldvogel is an Assistant News Editor for the ‘Prince.’
The dining pilot, explained Laura Robertson
The University’s proposed upperclass dining pilot brought campus-wide controversy and discussions when it was announced this fall. With the pilot set to launch on Monday, Feb. 27, The Daily Princetonian answers questions about what we know and don’t know about the upcoming program. What is the dining pilot? The dining pilot will give randomly selected junior and senior students five swipes per week which they can use to eat at eating clubs, co-ops, dining halls, retail dining locations, and late meal. Unused swipes will not roll over to the next week.
The pilot was worked on by a working group including eating club and co-op presidents, and campus life, dining, and finance administrators. There was some controversy this fall when some eating club and co-op leaders claimed they had each been misled to believe that the other group had already agreed to the pilot. Which students and groups will be involved? Approximately 10 percent of the upper-class student body will be involved in the pilot program. Those selected to participate will get an email the week of Feb. 20, and the program will run through Apr. 30. The University last held a pilot for a dining plan when
See NOVELS page 10
Head Data Editor Charlie Roth contributed reporting.
A N A LY S I S
Associate Audience Editor
Sometimes, I take a break from journal articles and dusty, jackettless Firestone tomes and read fiction. However, as an occupational hazard of being a social scientist, I stumble upon my research — which is focused on the transition to adulthood, marriage — everywhere in fiction. As much as I find themes that relate to me, it’s surprising how often there are characters who live my lifestyle — graduate students. This Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to put down the dissertation, thesis, or pset and pick up one of these romance novels featuring an academic protagonist. My first foray into this micro-genre was “The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang. This novel follows Stella, who got her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago and finished her postdoc by the age of 25. She should be on the tenure track; instead, she is five years into a middle management role at a marketing firm, approach-
ing thirty with a mother who wants her to get married. It’s okay, Stella — I am also approaching thirty and live in a dorm. Stella, like many real-life PhD students, has invested in her education and delayed marriage. As a result, she is worried she is only good at one thing, research, and has fallen behind in other aspects of her life, like romance. So, she hires an escort, Michael, to help her gain confidence, and eventually the two fall in love. Stella and Michael remind us that it is never too late to branch out, that sometimes things do not go according to plan, and that love can come from unexpected places. Next up is “Take A Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia Hibbert. Dani, an English Ph.D. student, is devoting herself to her dream of being on the same panel as her academic inspiration. With her busy schedule, she just wants a friends-with-benefits situation. Zafir, an ex-rugby player who runs a non-profit to teach young men about the dangers of toxic masculin-
150 undergraduates tried out an early version of the Pay with Points program. For that pilot, participants filled out a survey and were then randomly selected. The Pay with Points pilot was primarily administered by Undergraduate Student Government. The University has not mentioned any application or survey before random selection for the upperclass dining pilot up to this point. Dining halls, eating clubs, and co-ops will be available to swipe in for meals, as will campus cafes, like the Frist Gallery and Café Vivian, and concession stands at athletic games. Students will not be charged to participate in the See DINING page 2
EMILY MILLER / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
A selection of some academia-themed romance novels. Librarians do not judge.
U. AFFAIRS
U. announces salary increase for most employees Sandeep Mangat
Head News Editor
Six months after inflation in the United States hit a fourdecade high, the University announced a 2.5 percent midyear salary increase for most faculty, academic professionals and staff on Jan. 31. The salary increase, effective Feb. 1, does not apply to unionized workers working in the dining halls. The raise, which applies to “eligible salaried and hourly University employees hired on or before Oct. 1, 2022,” comes in response to the inflation that “has affected the market competitiveness of some University salaries over the past
year,” according to a memo sent to employees by Dean of the Faculty Gene A. Jarrett ’97. Last June, inflation in the United States hit a high of 9.1 percent year-over-year, sending the prices of consumer goods soaring. Wages have not kept pace with inflation, growing 4.5 percent from May to November of last year, when inflation was at 7.1 percent. According to an FAQ attached in the University’s announcement of the pay hike, this salary increase will supplement an additional one exSee SALARY page 3
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The Valentine's Day Issue PROSPECT
FEATURES
Seeing like a student by Contributing Prospect Writer Kyung Eun Lee
Neurodiversity advocates push for greater recognition, inclusion by Assistant Features Editor Molly Taylor
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HUMOR
Need help confessing or just want to laugh? by Humor Staff Designed by Head Graphics Editor Katelyn Ryu BACK COVER