Volume LXXVII, Number 35
New Exhibit Opens at Historic Thomas Clarke House . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Council Votes on Several Issues at Monday Meeting . . . . 8 Students Give Back to Schools, Community . . 9 Tordin Stars to Help PU Women’s Soccer Start 2023 Campaign With 2-0 Weekend . . . 21 QB Petrone Triggers Offense as PHS Football Defeats Lawrence 20-0 in Season Opener . . . . . 26
Mary Shelley’s Birthday Is Marked in This Week’s Book Review . . . . . . . 12 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .14, 19 Back to School . . . . 15-18 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 28 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 27 Performing Arts . . . . . 13 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 28 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Vegan Chef Challenge Coming to Princeton Eateries Starting Sept. 1 Two dedicated vegans intent on promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet have chosen Princeton as the inaugural location for a competition that involves local chefs and local diners. The Vegan Chef Challenge starts Saturday, September 1 and runs through the end of the month. During that time, chefs from more than 17 restaurants — including Mediterra, Nomad Pizza, Planted Plate, Tipple + Rose Tea Parlor, and Jammin’ Crepes — will vie for diners’ votes on favorite plant-based menu options created for the competition. The winners will be announced in October. In the process, organizers Steve Fenster and Cherise Daly hope, local diners might decide that veganism is the way to go. “We find a lot of college towns that have restaurants offering vegan, but Princeton is severely lacking,” said Daly, who lives in the Asbury Park area. “Some restaurants do offer vegan options, but Princeton only got the first [all-vegan] one a year or so ago — Planted Plate.” Daly and Fenster took their inspiration for the Vegan Challenge from the nonprofit Vegan Outreach, which has been promoting veganism since 1993. Vegan Challenge events are held in locations across the country. “Cherise and I both run local vegan organizations, and we decided to try it in New Jersey,” said Fenster, who lives in Pemberton. “We selected Princeton as the area for our first challenge because it is fairly centrally located. And there are several restaurants in Princeton, where we can hopefully encourage chefs to offer more vegan dishes.” Daly and Fenster have each followed vegan diets for years. “The biggest thing to me is eliminating the unnecessary horrors that face animals raised for food,” said Fenster. “The killing of animals is key. There is also environmental degradation, pollution, and health. It has become evident over the past number of decades that eating a plant-based diet is much healthier.” Along with the eateries named above, additional restaurants in Princeton, Lawrence, and Skillman are participating in the Vegan Challenge. As of this week, they include Lady and the Shallot, The Perch at the Peacock Inn, The Mint, Continued on Page 10
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Bomb Threat Displaces Rustin Center Event A bomb threat on Saturday morning, August 26, at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) on Stockton Street forced about 50 participants at the Drag Queen Story Hour gathering to evacuate the building. Police searched the building as event headliner Carrie Dragshaw (Dan Clay) moved down the street to a nearby stoop, and the performance and dialogue took place in shortened form with children and adults sitting and standing on the sidewalk and grass alongside Mercer Street. The Princeton Police Department (PPD) reported, “A canine sweep of the building and surrounding area was completed, and no explosive devices were found.” The Detective Bureau is conducting a follow-up investigation into the case. A PPD press release noted that at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday they received an email communication from an unknown author containing “derogatory remarks aimed at LGBTQIA members and those affiliated with the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice.” The email also stated that numerous explosive devices had been placed in and around the BRCSJ headquarters.
BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt SedaSchreiber expressed gratitude to the Princeton Police Department, “who were kind and considerate as they did their due diligence to keep us all safe.” He described the scene shortly before the 11 a.m. scheduled start of the event. “There was a bunch of families on the back porch and there were folks in the parking lot,” he said. “That’s when the police officer showed up. Dan [Carrie Dragshaw] was putting his wig on, and I was
making sure that everything was ready for this wonderful Drag Queen Story Hour. That’s when they said we have to leave. So we took a stroll down the street to a neighboring stoop — a fabulous field trip with kids, adults, and families that were with us.” He added, “We will never give in to any sort of threat from folks who want to try to not allow us to gather in our beloved community as we deserve, as we need to, as we always will. And whatever we need to do we will.” Continued on Page 8
Following Recent Supreme Court Ruling, PU is Considering Admissions Changes In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling two months ago that prohibited colleges from considering race, ethnicity, and national origin when considering candidates for admission, Princeton University has announced changes in its admissions procedure and has established an ad hoc committee to examine its admissions policies. The committee’s recommendations are expected by the end of the 2023-24 academic year, according to a University press release. In effect for the current 202324 admissions cycle will be new essay prompts in the undergraduate application
and new procedures to make the race, ethnicity, and national origin of the applicants unavailable to University personnel. “The University will be in full compliance with the Supreme Court ruling for the 2023-24 admissions cycle,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “But this ruling also comes after a global pandemic and amid a significant expansion of the undergraduate student body. It is a good time to take a broader look and ensure our admissions policies in general are optimally serving the University’s mission.” Continued on Page 10
WELCOME TO PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: A student is greeted at the check-in for Class of 2027 students at the Lewis Center for the Arts Forum on Friday. Fall term classes begin on September 5. Newcomers share what they look forward to studying in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Sarah Teo)
Creative. Compassionate. Courageous. Ensuring today's boys become the best version of tomorrow's men. www.princetonacademy.org
K-8, All-Boys, Sacred Heart #HeCanBe