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Friday September 16, 2022 vol. CXLVI no. 16
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Some first-years, orientation Campus as a construction site leaders critique Community Action orientation program STUDENT LIFE
By Eden Teshome News Contributor
In a year with a particularly high number of Community Action participants, many students expressed concerns about the orientation program. For some, the purportedly service-focused opportunity fell short of its stated mission — and students said they left feeling unfulfilled. Community Action is one of three mandatory small-group
orientation experiences, organized by the John H. Pace, Jr. ’39 Center for Civic Engagement. With the Class of 2026 making up the largest firstyear class in the University’s history, CA experienced an uptick from around 500 firstyear participants last year to 698 this year. On Aug. 28, ten CA groups traveled to Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) as part of their orientation, focusing on the theme of education. But
the trip proved a far cry from what many in the group expected. The frustration came to a head during a group presentation among their peers at PBC, when some members of CA Group 18 voiced their concerns with the week’s programming. “The title of Community Action is just that — a title,” a student said in a speech co-written with other firstyears, according to a recordSee CA page 2
GUANYI CAO / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
See page 5 for
This Week in Photos
U. AFFAIRS
U. annual giving campaign raises $81.8M, breaks fundraising record By Kalena Blake
Associate News Editor
ZACHARY SHEVIN / THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN
A member of the Class of 2023 walks across a bridge at the Princeton-Blairstown Center as part of their Community Action trip. PREVIEW
The University’s 2021–2022 Annual Giving campaign raised $81.8 million from over 37,000 donors, setting a new record. The University continues to have the highest percentage of undergraduate participation in higher education. While alumni giving has steadily increased over the
past decade, the percentage of undergraduate alumni giving has decreased over the same period, according to Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW) archives. The University’s Annual Giving campaign raised $68.6 million in 2020–21. Despite the increase, the percentage of alumni participation decreased from 49.6 percent of See GIVING page 2
STUDENT LIFE
Class of 2026: Students, local By the numbers vendors react to By Daily Princetonian Staff
The Class of 2026 is the largest class in Princeton’s history, one that is arriving in a time of a great physical change to the campus. In The Daily Princetonian’s third annual Frosh Survey,
we emailed over 1500 students and received over 900 responses. We took the utmost care to keep the data anonymized and only a handful of our staff members had access to the raw numbers. You all came to this campus with differ-
ent experiences, perspectives, and identities. Our data chronicles your story — the unified story of the Great Class of 2026. While you keep a lookout for the release of the complete 2026 Frosh SurSee SURVEY page 4
early weeks of Pay with Points dining program
By Annie Rupertus and Madeleine LeBeau Staff News Writers
At the start of the semester, students welcomed the University’s new Pay with Points program, a campus dining initiative championed by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). With the new program, each student on the unlimited meal plan receives $150 each semester (in the form of Dining Points) to spend at specific local businesses in the Princeton area, as well as at on-campus dining locations. All first-years and sophomores are required to hold the unlimited meal plan. Students have generally responded positively to the program’s aims. “As a student on financial aid, I feel like [Pay with Points] was really helpful for me to go out on [Nas-
HEADLINE FROM HISTORY
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PEEYEW! SWARMS OF SMELLY SKUNKS STINK UP OLD NASSAU SEPTEMBER 16, 1992
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sau Street] with my friends without worrying about spending too much money,” Monica Jun ’26 wrote in a message to The Daily Princetonian, adding that she’s been using her points at The Bent Spoon and Jammin’ Crepes. U-Councilor Stephen Daniels ’24, who chairs the Community Dining Task Force, said that the purpose of this program is to create “an opportunity for all students to be able to engage with some of the food options in town and on campus that aren’t a part of the meal plan.” Daniels said he is optimistic that the program will also benefit the vendors. “It’s going to be a big thing for the local economy,” he said. “The vendors have been really excited about it, and I’m certain that there’s going to be a lot of appetite See POINTS page 3
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS SPORTS | Women’s Rugby vs. Brown — Saturday, Sept. 17 @ 11:00 a.m., West Windsor Field.
ARTS | Seuls en Scène — All weekend, Lewis Arts Complex.
ON CAMPUS | Lift As You Climb Conference — Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 @ 9:00 a.m., Friend Center.