The Ink

On Princeton’s Next Top Model (Class): I think this class will be really interesting. I wish the Soc department...
On Wild Animus Hits Princeton!: Getting free copies at ANU Canberra Australia, the folks that set up in Union Square...
On Wild Animus Hits Princeton!: I got a free copy today. Im from New Zealand.

Ivy Inn is the 48th best college bar in the U.S. Must be good because we've no recollection of ever going there. http://bit.ly/bLHVwj 1 week ago
We're intrigued -- care to share? RT @brendandaley: Roomie just texted me a picture of the newly *REPAINTED* exterior of Hoagie Haven. 1 week ago
Jane Randall '12 to compete in next cycle of America's Next Top Model; further saturates reality TV with Princetonians http://bit.ly/btiO5V 2 weeks ago
TIME tweeter not over rejection yet RT @TIME: Take that, Princeton: Harvard gets top-college rank by itself this year http://su.pr/32FH4Q 2 weeks ago
Hopefully that means more Evan Thomas for us -- RT @katiemcconnolly: sad news for newsweek. evan is one of the best: http://yhoo.it/c7uiBx 3 weeks ago
More updates...

Posting tweet...

This is like OA for the real world. (via ew.com)

Remember when ex-Student Body President Connor Diemand-Yauman ‘10 got a special graduation ceremony and skipped the whole “walking across a stage” thing this past May? And then, remember when we told you CDY and best friend/Fantasticks star Jonathan Schwartz ‘10 had actually skipped graduation because they were starring on the upcoming 17th season of the CBS hit reality show The Amazing Race?

Well, that’s happening. Yes, ScwhartzDY™ (don’t try stealing that CBS) will be one of 11 teams throwing themselves into challenges around the world for the chance to win one million dollars. How’s that for your first paycheck outta college?

CBS today started promoting the event, and here are the guys introducing themselves on the Race website.

Look at that! Witty, tricky, and they got the whole “we’re best friends!” thing going on to boot. Everyone’s gonna be rooting for these tigers. (Not to mention “Relationship: Ivy League A Cappella Singers” — that’s one for the scrapbook.)

The two also answered some questions for CBS. Schwartz’s answers are particularly hilarious:

If I could switch places with someone: Yanni

Role model/hero: My parents, Mother Theresa and Kenny G (not necessarily in that order).

What are you passionate about? Tweezin’ the old unibrow

What would you do if you won the million dollars? If I were to win the million dollars I would buy a pony, but just one.

People would be surprised to learn: That my name, “Jonathan,” is translated to mean “gift from God.” Coincidence? I think not.

Sep 1, 2010

CDY and Schwartz ‘10: Amazin’, Racin’, and Takin’ Over the Industry

By Will Saborio

Posted in Alumni, Fun, Goings On Tagged CBS, CDY, Connor Diemand-Yauman, Jonathan Schwartz, post-graduation plans, reality tv, The Amazing Race, the job market, the real world Leave a comment

Michelle Obama '85 in her graduation photo. (via barack-obama-photos.com--this site exists?)

From the AP:

Michelle Obama told a group of curious kids visiting the White House Thursday about her daughter Malia’s most frequent question about Dad’s job: What’s he doing to help tigers?

Asked about her family’s favorite animal, the first lady said they talk about tigers at least once a week, because Malia, 11, is concerned about what President Barack Obama is doing to save the endangered animals.

“He tells her he’s working on it and there are a lot of people who are thinking about it,” she said. “But I think, the Obama household, we’re trying to save the tigers.”

OK, I’m not saying…I’m just saying. Malia. When it comes time, trust us, you’ll get in. Despite having a father who told the world you got a 73 on your science test.

(h/t Gawker, which is not the first site to tell us to how great the Obama girls are.)

Aug 31, 2010

The Obama household loves tigers

By Angela Wu

Posted in Alumni Tagged Michelle Obama, tigers Leave a comment

The Fitzrandolph Gates await, 2014ers! (Source: princetonphotographs.com).

As New Jersey gets attacked by the mother lode of all rain storms this week (oh hey, Tropical Depression Danielle!), the start of hurricane season prompts every good Princetonian to start his or her annual late-summer countdown till move-in. (19 days, folks!) At this point, of course, all of our friends at normal schools have already moved in and are partying up a storm–erm, are studying hard, as usual. But hey, we’re too cool to start classes in August. And so we wait.

And wait.

For all you 2014ers out there, have no fear! With any luck, this interim period will be your most hellish Princeton experience by far. In the meantime, here’s a lovely article courtesy of today’s New York Times about how schools are dealing with over-protective parents as freshman flock to campus.

At Princeton, parents are politely encouraged to vamoose by students-only events after 5:30pm on move-in day. Dean Dunne, our Associate Dean of Undergraduates, weighs in: “It’s easy for students to point to [the students-only events] and say, ‘Hey, Mom, I think you’re supposed to be gone now.’ It’s obviously a hard conversation for students to have with parents.”

Here’s hoping your parents know how to let go come September 4th for all you OA and CA folks! If need be, gently remind them that Parents’ Day is a scant month away…at which point, their pocketbooks and the prospect of dinner off-campus will earn them quite the hearty welcome.

Aug 23, 2010

Of Hurricanes and Hovercraft Parents

By Julia Bumke

Posted in Goings On, In the news Tagged Helicopter parents, Move-in, NYTimes One comment

This fall will be all about reality TV for Princeton students–before CDY and Jonathan Schwartz ‘10 even make their Amazing Race appearance (Sept. 26 on CBS).

Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model begins next month (Sept. 8 on the CW) with Jane Randall ‘12, who played lacrosse for the Tigers until this year. Check her out the show’s US Weekly spread (via Jezebel), and see her video on the ANTM website.

The winner of the cycle–whoever masters the art of smiling with her eyes–will be on the cover of Vogue Italia, not Seventeen, as usual. That’s thanks to judge Andre Leon Talley. From the LA Times:

“Tyra really wanted to take the series to sort of another level,” explained Dawn Ostroff, the CW’s president of entertainment, after announcing the change Thursday at the network’s upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden. “When Andre Leon Talley, who is editor at large at Vogue, came on board, she wanted to really make these models high-fashion models. And high fashion, if you are in the fashion business, is Italian Vogue. Anybody who is in Italian Vogue literally makes it in the fashion business, so this is a really big step for the show.”

We featured Jane in a Press Club Style Guide video last spring:

Update:

Here’s Jane’s video on the ANTM site (via BuddyTV):

Update II: Pictures and spoilers after the jump.

Aug 18, 2010

Jane Randall ‘12 on America’s Next Top Model

By Angela Wu

Posted in Alumni, Goings On Tagged America's Next Top Model, fashion, Jane Randall, lacrosse One comment

Judging your constitutions (via nytimes.com)

The Senate just voted 63 to 37 to confirm Elena Kagan ‘81 as the 67th Supreme Court Justice. The confirmation makes her the third consecutive Princetonian to be elected to the Supreme Court, along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor ‘76 and Samuel Alito ‘72. That also makes Princeton the most represented college on the Supreme Court.

For the full story, here’s the Times on the subject. Rigorous analysis and intrepid reportage forthcoming.

For our existing coverage on the Kagan nomination, confirmation battles, and her time at Princeton, check out our Elena Kagan tag.

Aug 5, 2010

Senate confirms Elena Kagan ‘81 for U.S. Supreme Court

By Will Saborio

Posted in Alumni, Goings On Tagged confirmation, Elena Kagan, Princeton, Senate, U.S. Supreme Court, world domination Leave a comment

Had enough of the clunky, buggy, bland webmail of old? There is hope yet. According to USG president Mike Yaroshefsky, OIT has a whole new site in the works — they’ve got a functional version up and they’re currently gathering feedback, says an anonymous tipster. The Ink took this new version for a little test drive, and I might actually be a webmail convert.

A godsend: the Reply function is now conveniently contained within the same window, so your screen isn’t constantly cluttered by pop-out windows. And although I don’t feel qualified to comment on any real technical improvements, there’s much to be said for aesthetics. Everything is a lot more readable, for one. Gone are the sterile whites and grays and blues, replaced by … markedly friendlier whites and grays and blues. (This theme is actually titled “Blue Steel.”) The spacing’s better; the font’s bigger. The trash bin is cuter. The buttons are nice and rounded in an endearingly pressable way.

Take a look for yourself after the jump:

Jul 29, 2010

Fwd: USG Unveils Shiny New Webmail!

By Giri Nathan

Posted in Goings On, The INKternet Tagged clay people, Michael Yaroshefsky, OIT, USG, webmail One comment

There’s something about college tours that has always made me feel a little weird. Maybe it’s because I know that those college legends aren’t true (like that one about the bulldog on the chapel–if you don’t know it, you should probably take an Orange Key Tour). Or maybe because I’ve always wished that tour guides would just come out and say it: To your left is a terrible dorm, a dorm that no one wants to live in, where the nearest bathroom is three stories away and, seriously, there are mice. But it’s probably how easily they walk backwards. How do they do it?

Training. At serious meetings in Nassau Hall. Meetings with a dress code. Meetings that are preceded by the haunting, ringing music that plays in movies when the protagonist is having some kind of uncomfortable flashback to a past trauma. What? Oh, here’s an instructional video for Orange Key tour guides, circa 1962.

Jul 28, 2010

Take a tour of Princeton, circa 1962

By Angela Wu

Posted in Nostalgia Tagged college tour, Orange Key Leave a comment

If you’ve found yourself losing sleep this summer, spending long, agonizing hours wondering what your beloved Princeton is doing with itself in your absence, read on.

Sherry Davis (left) and lab partner Gail Turner-Graham swab their cheek cells for analysis in Princeton's Schultz Lab.

Contrary to popular belief, Princeton doesn’t exist in a September-to-May time warp. Princeton lives on! In a big way. And no, I’m not just talking about the hordes of high school athletes that descend on campus. Or the tech camp attendees who get, ahem, air-conditioned housing.

In fact, for anyone who went to sleep-away camp and wondered why the lobsters and sushi and chocolate fondue fountains only got rolled out on visiting day, this will make sense: summertime is Princeton’s visiting day. (Minus the A/C for non-tech-camp individuals and the constant fire alarms triggered by “careless cooking”). Construction, summer theater, festivals and fairs in town, weddings…campus is definitely alive and well.

And the learning continues! Click here to read about a 2-week, hands-on molecular biology outreach program for secondary school science teachers from all over the world.

Jul 27, 2010

IN PRINT: ‘Cool Genes’ Program Draws HS Science Teachers to PU

By Abby Greene

Posted in Goings On, In Print Tagged air conditioning, cool genes, high school teachers, molecular biology, Princeton lives! One comment

Source: Teruyoshi Hayashida/PowerHouse Books, published at www.nytimes.com/style

As we dredge hopelessly through the dog days of summer, with New York experiencing one of its hottest July weekends on record, it makes sense that we’re all getting a little back-to-school-fever. Case in point: the front page of today’s New York Times Sunday Style section, which featured a story on the timelessness of Ivy League preppiness, complete with color picture of Princetonians in all their tiger-toned glory circa 1965.

Nassau Steet parties like it's 1965; a spread from the newly-reissued "Take Ivy." (Photo: www.jcrew.com)

The occasion? As we announced to you back in March, Teruyoshi Hayashida’s classic book, Take Ivy, is coming to a retail store near you (as in, a short jaunt down Nassau Street) in just a few weeks. The style classic, long worshipped by the powers-that-be at prepster labels like J.Press and Ralph Lauren, will be reissued by Powerhouse Books on August 23rd and sold by retailers like J.Crew. What better way to spark up your post-Reunions, pre-move-in enthusiasm for Sperry Top-Siders and popped collars than to snap up a copy? Until then, you can preview the preppiness at your leisure in this NYT slide show, or read your fill about how this All-American Ivy look has taken over international men’s fashion here. Doesn’t it make you long to dash past East Pyne in a pristine letter sweater on a crisp Fall day?

Jul 25, 2010

Timelessness of Tigertown’s Prepster Chic

By Julia Bumke

Posted in In the news, Style Tagged J.Crew, New York Times, Princeton prep, take ivy Leave a comment

Princeton no longer has a monopoly on campus lewdness. Yesterday an email alert went out to all members of the Cornell community with the subject heading “lewd exposure incidents reported on campus.” For the past two weeks, students have reported three separate instances of exhibitionism. The email explains:

The first incident took place July 3 at approximately 12:15 p.m. A female reported that she observed a man exposing himself in a lewd manner near the stone bridge on Beebe Lake. The suspect was described as a middle-aged, white male with a stocky build.

The second reported incident occurred July 9 at approximately 3:30 p.m. when a male subject in a car pulled up to a female who was walking on campus and exposed himself. The subject called the female over to the vehicle and exposed himself. The subject was described as a tall, dark-skinned, white male, in his 20s to 30s. The car was described as an older, four-door vehicle, light in color.

The most recent incident occurred Tuesday, July 13, at approximately 4 p.m. in the Beebe Lake area. A male subject was observed exposing himself and acting in a lewd manner. The subject was described as a dark-skinned, heavy-set Hispanic or black male in his 20s to early 30s.

Five days after Princeton’s last act of lewdness, it seems we have a new competitor. Unlike the Ivy League title, however, this is one ball game we’re willing to lose.

Image source: http://www.evenbetterbasketball.com/images/basketball.jpg

Jul 15, 2010

Campus Masturbator hits Cornell

By Samantha Pergadia

Posted in Goings On Tagged Cornell, Lewdness, the masturbator One comment

Top of the agenda this past week: a really, really smart person says gravity is an “illusion” and LeBron James’s Princeton grad dad emerges from the mist. Wait, what?

Renowned babies scholar

First off: we pay our respects to Norman Ryder, a revolutionary Princeton sociologist who passed away at the age of 86. Ryder pioneered the “cohort” approach to demographic study, which analyzes a group of people of the same age as they “go through life and share similar experiences,” sort of like that movie about babies.

Speaking of babies, Ryder did a lot of massively influential research on fertility. He and another Princeton professor, Charles Westoff, co-directed the National Fertility Studies in ‘65, ‘70, and ‘75, interviewing thousands of American women and eventually demonstrating, among other cool things, “that a drop in unplanned births accounted for nearly the entire decline in U.S. fertility following the post-World War II baby boom.”

And speaking of unplanned births …

This past week, LeBron James, one of the best humans to have ever touched a basketball, decided where he was going to bounce and shoot that basketball for the foreseeable future. For those who managed (somehow) to miss it, it was a big deal. The national media salivated, tongues lolling dumbly, as Mr. James managed to scientifically pinpoint himself as the center of the known universe (I don’t want to talk about it here it will get ugly I’m going to stop right now). It was a spectacle – and in the midst of it all a strange 55-year-old man decided to smack LeBron with a lawsuit, claiming to be his father and accusing his “son” of a fraudulent cover-up.

Is he really LeDaddy?

You may be wondering why I am talking about this. The fact is …

Jul 13, 2010

Week in Review: Babies and Gravity Edition (July 5 – July 12)

By Giri Nathan

Posted in Alumni, Faculty, Sports, Week in Review Tagged babies, Erik Verlande, fertility, gravity, LeBron James, Leicester Bryce Stovell, Norman Ryder, paternity, physics One comment

Even with the outcome potentially spoiled, CDY on the Amazing Race is just so fascinating to me.

In my pre-Princeton life I followed The Amazing Race as fanatically as some people follow football or baseball or the Academy Awards. I would flip out at the announcement of a new destination (“We’ve never been to Ethiopia before!” I’d exclaim, as if I were actually along for the ride instead of bouncing on a beanbag chair in my basement), bawl at the elimination of my favorite teams, and spend hours poring over game analysis on Reality TV message boards.

It was weird, I know. But when you’re a high schooler looking to use pop culture as the means of escape from your so-called teenage life, you really have to commit to your obsessions. Polite interest in a show or team or band doesn’t really get you anywhere – and me, I wanted to go everywhere, skip out of Delaware and cross the whole world three times over, preferably with a CBS camera crew in tow.

What I’m saying is, given this past obsession, the prospect of any old Princeton student on the show would be compelling to me. But what makes CDY on the Amazing Race especially compelling – like I said, out-and-out fascinating – is that CDY wasn’t just any old student during his time at Princeton. He was one of our private college’s public figures – politically, at least, our big man on campus.

Jul 10, 2010

Your Monthly Amazing Race Update, Part 1; Or, What We Talk About When We Talk About CDY

By David Walter

Posted in In the news, Musings Tagged Amazing Race, CDY, Jonathan Schwartz, mystique, Princeton, reality television, reality tv, tl;dr Leave a comment