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Tuesday February 13, 2018 vol. CXLII no. 7
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Course on hate speech canceled after controversy By Allie Spensley
Associate News Editor
Anthropology professor Lawrence Rosen sparked controversy on Feb. 6 when he used a racial slur during a lecture on oppressive symbolism, causing several students to walk out of the classroom. Rosen announced today in an email to his students that the course, ANT 212: Cultural Freedoms — Hate Speech, Blasphemy, and Pornography, will be canceled. “I have reluctantly decided to cancel this year’s offering of Anthropology 212,” Rosen wrote in an email obtained by the University Press Club. After Rosen used the word “n****r” three times in his lecture, three students walked out on the class; one student later returned to confront him about his use of the word, using an expletive himself. While these students found Rosen’s use of the word of-
fensive, Department of Anthropology Chair Carolyn Rouse wrote a Letter to the Editor defending Rosen on Feb. 8, stating that she felt bad for students who left the class without “trusting the process.” Others, including Princeton Writing Program lecturer Timothy Haupt and graphic design consultant Waqas Jawaid ’10, published letters defending the students who walked out. According to the University Press Club, acting University spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss stated that Rosen acted without pressure from the University. The controversy comes in the wake of President Eisgruber’s State of the University letter, in which he named free speech as a core value of the University’s mission but also a “difficult and demanding” one. This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Eisgruber talks Honor Code, Rosen at CPUC By Benjamin Ball Contributor
President Eisgruber addressed concerns about the recent controversy regarding anthropology professor Lawrence Rosen, Honor Code reform, and DACA students at a Feb. 12 meeting for the Council of the Princeton University Community. At the town hall, which took place in Friend Center 101, Eisgruber made a few opening remarks before introducing Carolyn Ainslie, Vice President for Finance and CPUC Priorities Committee Treasurer, to speak about the University’s budget. After Ainslie’s presentation, Eisgruber discussed the 2026 Campus Plan for campus development before opening a Q&A period. “Part of what we have the capacity to do at a place like Princeton and part of what we must do is continue to focus on our defining goals,” Eisgruber said. “That means producing teaching and research of unsurpassed quality that make a difference for the better and continuing to stress the importance both of free speech and of inclusivity on our campuses.” Eisgruber addressed questions raised from the audience about the recent controversy over Rosen’s use of the word “n****r” in his lecture, prompting several students to leave the classroom. Eisgruber said he respected Rosen’s decision to use the word, citing the
In Opinion
importance of having conversations where people feel “uncomfortable.” “I think it’s very important for our culture to have academic freedom that allows people to have pedagogical choices on how to teach difficult subjects,” Eisgruber said. “I respect Professor Rosen’s decision about how to teach the subject in the way that he did by being explicit and using very difficult words.” In his answers to audience questions, Eisgruber further emphasized the goal he had stated throughout the town hall: to show that free speech and inclusivity on campus are not exclusive and are, in fact, “mutually supportive” of one another. “You can certainly define them in ways that put them in conf lict with one another, but I think when we’re looking at free speech or inclusivity we have to think hard about what are the right ways to understand those values and how do those values matter to our community,” Eisgruber said. “I think the conf lict starts to arise if you believe that what inclusivity demands is some sort of censorship of things that cause people offense or that are important to difficult arguments that need to take place in classrooms. I don’t believe that’s the case.” Eisgruber referenced the Princeton and Slavery Project as an event on campus that both raised difficult questions and “affirmed See CPUC page 3
Columnist Leora Eisenberg revisits the topic of rejection, senior columnist Ryan Born kicks off his weekly column with commentary on Rosen’s actions, and lecturer Timothy Haupt supports the students who left Professor Rosen’s class after he said the N-word aloud. PAGE 4
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INFOGRAPHIC BY CHARLOTTE ADAMO
More allegations emerge about Verdú’s conduct with students By Allie Spensley Associate News Editor
On June 9, a Title IX investigation found professor Sergio Verdú responsible for violating the University’s policy on Sex Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct. In a memo describing the investigation obtained by The Daily Princetonian, the Title IX panel wrote that Verdú had exhibited “highly inappropriate and unprofessional” behavior: Inviting his graduate student Yeohee Im to watch a sexually explicit film, “The Handmaiden,” in his home, and allegedly touching her on the stomach and thigh during the encounter. Although Verdú was disciplined, the University can-
not state the details of the consequences due to the confidential nature of Title IX proceedings, and the decision did not result in Verdú’s termination. Since the Title IX office’s announcement of its decision not to terminate Verdú, two sources have alleged that, in the past 10 years, Verdú has had intimate relationships with two other graduate students in the electrical engineering department who were subject to his academic supervision and evaluation. According to former electrical engineering professor Paul Cuff and a confidential source, Verdú had intimate relationships with two students, and was seen romantically kissing one of
TOWN
these students at a conference. Cuff was an assistant professor in electrical engineering and a faculty member at the University from 2009 to 2017. In an email to the ‘Prince,’ Verdú denied allegations of having relationships with students. “I deny all of the allegations in the anonymous rumors that you have sent me. I am surprised that The Daily Princetonian is acting as an outlet for this evil whispering campaign. Publication of characterassassinating hearsay is irresponsible considering the severe damage it can do — and has done — to innocent individuals,” Verdú wrote. Both of the graduate stuSee VERDÚ page 2
BEYOND THE BUBBLE
Town hall discusses Bacow to be fire, police training Harvard’s By Neha Chauhan Contributor
Princeton residents raised concerns about emergency preparedness and environmental awareness, and Princeton Police Department discussed its racial profiling training at a town hall meeting on Monday, Feb. 12. After initial announcements by the town council, the meeting addressed non-agenda comments made by members of the public. Martha Friend discussed relief efforts for a Dec. 27 fire at the Griggs Farm apartments that rendered 35 people homeless and resulted in one death. Relief efforts continue today, Friend said. Friend thanked Princeton Public Schools and town businesses like Hoagie Haven for their responsiveness during the emergency. She emphasized that the situation demands continued efforts. Friend cited the experience of a woman who, like other Griggs Farm residents, was told to empty her apartment following the fire. Unable to afford a storage unit, she was compelled to discard nearly all of her belongings. Council member Lance Liverman thanked Friend for going “above and beyond” to aid those in need following the disaster. Another town resident suggested enhancing the town emergency response system
through a not-for-profit monetary fund designated for disaster relief and administered by the town health and housing departments. “Response would be coordinated . . . and guidelines for dealing with any disaster would already be in place,” the community member said. Sustainability issues also surfaced repeatedly during the town hall meeting. A community member from the Food & Water Watch, a New Jersey environmental group, suggested the town adopt a resolution to discourage fossil fuel usage. He said this resolution would “increase renewable portfolio standards” so that utilities would have to purchase 100 percent of their renewable energy by the year 2035. Council member Timothy Quinn encouraged the council to present this proposal to the Princeton Environmental Commission, which, he said, was already expecting to be addressed about such a resolution. Quinn predicted that the resolution would be established by the next month. He also expressed optimism about a future partnership with Sustainable Princeton and a shared commitment to implementing best practices for clean energy usage. Council members then passed See TOWN HALL page 3
Today on Campus 12 p.m.: Women’s Meditation, facilitated by Dean Alison Boden (ORL) and Nathalie Emond (UHS), is open to all Princeton University women, from students to faculty to staff. A healthy lunch will be provided. Murray-Dodge 104.
president By Benjamin Ball Contributor
Harvard University has selected Lawrence Bacow to be its 29th president. The presidential search committee consulted faculty, students, staff, and alumni before ultimately selecting Bacow from nearly 700 candidates. Bacow previously served as the 12th president of Tufts University, stepping down in 2011 after holding the office for a decade. Bacow is also a Harvard graduate, having earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and two public policy degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As an undergraduate, he studied economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a professor at MIT for 24 years, where he was appointed department chair and chancellor and was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Widely considered to be an expert on the resolution of environmental disputes, he See HARVARD page 3
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