Volume LXXVII, Number 32
Renovation of Historic Kingston Property Preserves Elements of Original Architecture . . 5 Jill Barry to Leave Morven Museum & Garden . . . 8 HomeFront Needs Help to Provide School Supplies For Kids . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Taking It to the Limit with David Lynch . . . . . . . 11 CP Bluefish Swimmers Overcome Adversity To Dominate PASDA Championship Meet . . 20 Jones Leads the Way as Princeton Supply Wins Men’s Summer Hoops Championship . . . . . . 22
PU Alum Tosan Evbuomwan Makes Impact for Detroit Pistons in NBA Summer League . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 24 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 2 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 23 Performing Arts . . . . . 12 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 24 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Summer Happenings . . 14-15 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Financial Situation at Rider University is “Dangerously Uncertain” Recently announced staff layoffs, cabinet restructuring, and possible faculty layoffs this fall have led Rider University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to once again urge the board of trustees to replace University President Gregory Dell’Omo. In a Zoom meeting for faculty and staff on July 27, Dell’Omo discussed his threeyear-plan, known as “The Path Forward,” to help return the financially distressed University to stability. Dell’Omo announced that eight staff members had been laid off, and more than 20 positions were being eliminated. Rider’s contribution to the retirements of non-union employees will go from 5 percent to 2.5 percent. “Our basic position is that the board of trustees needs to make a change at the very top,” said Jeffrey Halpern, a professor of social science and the AAUP chapter’s chief grievance officer and contract administrator. “The president keeps announcing new paths forward. At each iteration, our financial situation becomes worse and worse. He cannot keep denying some responsibility for this. The board needs to take action to rebuild every element of the institution, beginning with staff and faculty morale. His plans effectively are nothing but trying to cut, cut, cut, and we’ve seen the effect of that.” A recent article about the Zoom meeting in The Rider News quoted Dell’Omo as saying, “Rider’s financial position, which was challenging before the pandemic, has become dangerously uncertain. We must stabilize our finances.” He described the plan as an “aggressive, comprehensive approach to achieving deficit elimination,” with the goal of a positive operating balance by the 2026 fiscal year. Dell’Omo’s decisions have been controversial since Rider attempted unsuccessfully to sell Westminster Choir College in Princeton, with which it merged in 1991. Westminster — which offered specialized practice rooms, several pipe organs, and numerous pianos — was relocated to Rider’s Lawrence Township campus in 2020, where comparable facilities for the music students do not exist. The future of the 22-acre Westminster campus on Walnut Lane remains Continued on Page 7
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Wednesday, August 9, 2023
COVID Numbers Rise, But No Surges Expected COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations are up, and the new subvariant EG.5 now accounts for the largest proportion of COVID-19 cases in the country, but the experts are not expecting the kind of surges that Princeton and the rest of the world have experienced in recent years. “Living with COVID-19 means getting used to the highs and lows of its viral activity,” wrote Dr. Syra Madad, infectious disease epidemiologist in the New York City Hospital system and at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in an August 8 email. “While we are seeing an uptick in COVID activity detected in wastewater and people seeking care for COVID-19 at emergency rooms, numbers are still the lowest we’ve seen in the last three summers. It’s all about shifting baselines — meaning despite its relative perception of seeing a 10 percent increase in hospitalizations, which may seem like a lot, it’s still a small increase in numbers.” In Mercer County, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the last week of July saw seven new hospital admissions of confirmed COVID-19, a 75 percent increase, but still considered a “low” level of admissions. Nationwide the CDC reported a 12.5
percent increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions. An article in the August 8 Washington Post noted that EG.5, unofficially nicknamed “Eris,” is a bit more infectious than other Omicron variants but not more virulent. The article also stated that the response to EG.5 is the same as for other variants, and its impact on those infected is similar. Penn Medicine Princeton Health (PMPH) reported Monday that “the
number of COVID-related hospitalizations remains low” at PMPH, but went on to recommend vaccinations and testing. “Adhering to vaccination recommendations and getting tested following symptoms or exposures remain important strategies to help prevent spread of the virus in our communities,” according to the PMPH statement. “If you have COVID-19 symptoms — such as fever, congestion, sore throat, or a cough — please get tested. We also recommend testing if a member Continued on Page 9
Awards, Athletics, Forums, and Festivities As Joint Effort Heads into Final Weekend
Following up on an action-packed opening week of discussions, reflections, celebrations, and recognitions, Joint Effort Safe Streets will wrap up its 2023 program with an array of Jim Floyd and Romus Broadway Day events on Wednesday, August 9 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP); Paul Bustill Robeson Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with discussion of several hot topics and a candidate forum at the First Baptist Church of Princeton; a Community Block Festival at the YMCA Field on Saturday afternoon; and basketball for all ages on the Community Park basketball
courts, with a clinic on Saturday morning and games throughout the day on Pete Young Sr. Day on Sunday, August 13. “It’s been thought-provoking and inspiring, and the ancestors are telling me I’m moving in the right direction,” said Safe Streets Founder and Event Coordinator John Bailey as he reflected on the opening weekend and looked ahead to upcoming events. Expanding on the theme of “Reflections on Princeton’s Black Community — Growing Up in the Witherspoon-Jackson Community,” the August 9 evening gathering Continued on Page 7
ALL ABOUT BUTTERFLIES: A monarch butterfly rests on a bee balm plant at The Watershed Institute’s 23rd Annual Butterfly Festival on Saturday. Attendees share what they like best about butterflies in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Grace Roberts)
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