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Author Archives: Vivienne Chen

Apparently tonight is a big night. Or something.

HEY TOWER BICKEREE! How do you feel the night before decisions?

Ambivalent.

Care to elaborate?

Sure.

…

…

HEY TWO GIRLS I MET GETTING SUSHI! Are you bickering?

Girl 1: We aren’t using the ‘b’ word tonight.

Are you two roommates?

Girl 1 and 2: Yup.

But you’re bickering separate clubs?

Girl 1: Cap.

Girl 2: Tower.

So, how are you feeling tonight?

Girl 1: We’re not talking about it.

Girl 2: Like I honestly want to vomit. You can quote me on that.

HEY SHIRTLESS GUY WHO’S BICKERING CAP! What are you planning to do tonight?

Oh you know, just hanging out with friends. Hey, would you like a mango bubble tea?

Sure! Thanks, man. Wait, what’s the stereotype about Cap?

Chill, you know, lots of broham…

Broham. Got it.

2 weeks ago

HEY PRINCETON: Bicker Decisions Eve Edition

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in The Street Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment

It may not rival the College Freshman or College Liberal memes, but Quickmeme’s new Princeton Problems speaks the truth:

More after the jump, but if you want the less safe for precept ones, click here.

Continue reading…

Princeton Meme: “I thought those were First World problems…”

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Internet Tagged , , , Leave a comment
Triangle sold out so fast when people thought this was a real Sondheim-adapted rap musical.

Triangle sold out so fast when people thought this was a real Sondheim-adapted rap musical.

Cornel West, African-American Studies/Religion professor and one of our many celebrity academics, recently announced that he will be leaving his Princeton post in 2012 to teach Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, the school where he first began his career in academia.

For his time at Princeton, West will be remembered for more than just his commitment to paideia (which I learned is not a Spanish rice dish), his multiple political arrests, and his theological bromance with fellow professor Robbie George.

Oh, and that time his cartoon self roundhouse kicked some R. Kelly supporter in the Boondocks.

Since he began teaching at Princeton in 2001, West’s radical liberal politics have made him a controversial figure. A smattering of editorials and always well-phrased comments in the Prince since his arrival highlight the various opinions on West: “Princeton’s foremost hire” to “clownish entertainer,” “hero” to “charlatan,” and “exemplary human being” to “media whore.” My crowd of friends isn’t a big fan of West either, and as one friend once put it: “Why is he in academics at all? Why does he matter?”

I’ll be honest. Despite his platitudes, gangster proclivities, and propensity for showmanship, I believe Professor West matters.

Continue reading…

Why Cornel West Matters: On His Leaving Princeton

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Faculty, In the news Tagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Amateur Paparazzi on the Nassau St. CVS

CVS on Nassau Street: Where civil rights figures get their cough drops.

Apparently, Dr. West is back in Princeton, after getting arrested on Sunday for protesting on the steps of the Supreme Court in DC as part of the Occupy movement.(Certainly, not the first time this G’s been behind bars). No charges were pressed, but I’m guessing he’s lying low in Princeton for the time being.

West, who’s been on leave from his teaching post at Princeton this semester, has been very vocal about his support for Occupy Wall Street.

Without getting into a whole kerfuffle about #Occupy and the 99%–for interested students, Princeton’s ACLU is holding an event: #OccupyWallStreet: An Examination next Tuesday, October 25, at 4:30pm. Location: TBA– I will ask this: Is it just me, or does Cornel West only own one type of suit? Maybe he didn’t have time to change since his arrest.

Oct 18, 2011

Cornel West: Out of Jail and in CVS

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Faculty Tagged , , , , , , Leave a comment
The squirrels got my key: how common is this?

The squirrel's got my key: how common is this?

It finally happened today — after almost half a semester of success with the old “trash-can-in-the-door” technique, I finally got locked out of my room. Considering my lock-out rate last year (thank you roommates), it’s pretty impressive I’ve made it this far. Drawing from my vast experience, I find the Top 3 most common lock-out scenarios are:

  • The BrB: the Bathroom Break. You don’t have your own private bathroom, and you really gotta pee, leaving your key. See also its more awkward cousin: the Shower Situation.
  • The Class Act: You pack your bags all ready for class in the morning. “Oh, I’m just gonna leave my stuff here and run down to get some breakfast.” You come back, and realize you did put everything in your bag — including your key. And now you’re gonna be late for class.
  • The NO-I-JUST-MISSED-IT: You walk out of the room, remember you forgot your key, turn around right as the door shuts (in Whitman, with a omnious “hisssss–chk.”)

While in the past, the punishment for lockouts was merely a slap on the wrist (or that awkward moment when you knock on every hall door in a towel looking for a phone), with the new Lock-Out Policy, calling Public Safety will cost you $30 each time. If you trek down to Housing more than 3 times, you will be charged and additional $30 and be sent to the dean for “further action.”

What is this ominously vague warning, “further action”? Angela Hodgeman of Undergraduate Housing explains:

Continue reading…

The Lowdown on Lock-Outs: Part 1

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Goings On Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment
If we were an iTunes single right now, we'd be "Moves Like Jagger."

If we were an iTunes single right now, we'd be "Moves Like Jagger."

Like a J-Lo summer pop single, Princeton has made a comeback, tying Harvard for #1 on the US News and World Report 2011-12 Ranking of the best undergraduate colleges in the United States.

After a year of being slighted by the Crimson menace, Princeton has returned to its former place on the leaderboard chart. One trivial beef I have: we always seem to inexplicably “tie” with Harvard and yet are listed after it– and don’t tell me it’s in alphabetical order.

I call shenanigans

I call shenanigans.

Changes from last year among the Ivies were sparse:

  • Dartmouth falls from #9 to #11
  • University of Pennsylvania is still tied in a pan-America five-way with CalTech, Stanford, MIT, and University of Chicago.
  • Columbia’s holding strong after a huge four-spot jump to #4 last year (mirroring their plummeting acceptance rates with the adoption of the Common App, or, as my theory goes, the result of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”. See also: Brown’s Emma Watson effect.)
  • Cornell: Still in Ithaca.

Other than that, rankings haven’t moved much. Methodology changes every year, and  people always debate the legitimacy of college rankings. Unfortunately, we can’t all be Sarah Lawrence.

Sep 14, 2011

We’re Back, Baby: Princeton ranked #1 National University

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in In the news Tagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

A major victory for Princeton couple Joshua Vandiver GS and his husband Henry Velandia: an immigration judge in Newark ruled yesterday that Venezuelan-born Velandia’s deportation would be halted until December in light of developing national policy on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Vandiver (left) and his husband Velandia (right) courtesy of NYT.

Vandiver (left) and his husband Velandia (right) courtesy of NYT.

The background: Vandiver met Velandia in 2006, and they legally married in Connecticut in August 2010. Currently, Vandiver is a residential grad student in Whitman, getting his PhD in politics. Velandia teaches salsa lessons in Whitman and also founded his own dance studio called HotSalsaHot.

The battle: According to DOMA, passed in 1996, the national government does not recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. Because couples married in states with same-sex marriage laws do not receive any federal rights, Velandia could not obtain a green card via his spouse, unlike most heterosexual bi-national couples. When Velandia’s visa expired and his request for a new one was denied, the couple launched a campaign to stop his deportation that has gained national attention from CNN, The Advocate, and the New York Times.

More details after the jump. Also, check out the video of Josh and Henry’s wedding from their Facebook page, ”Save Our Marriage”:

Continue reading…

Judge Halts Deportation of Henry Velandia

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in In the news, Politics Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment
Spotted: The next Christopher Walken look-alike lurker.

Spotted: The next Christopher Walken lookalike lurker.

Is it just me, or is Princeton the campus of choice for strange lurers and public wankers?

From today’s Campus Safety Alert:

A graduate student reported late last evening that a man exposed himself while she was running on the tow path between Harrison Street and Washington Road at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, 2011.

Maybe we’re the only school that takes public indecency as a serious campus-wide safety threat. But here’s something else I noticed about the “crime prevention tips” section of Public Safety’s emails (thanks LW ‘14):

  • When running in isolated areas, run with a friend.
  • Stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings. Be aware and prepared.
  • Stand tall and walk confidently; do not show fear.
  • Trust your instincts, and if you do not feel comfortable in a place or situation, leave.

Wait, are we dealing with flashers or mountain lions? (Seriously, compare the list of Mountain Lion Safety Tips to Public Safety’s. The resemblance is uncanny.)

Some additional safety tips substituting the word “cougar” with “creeper” after the jump.

Continue reading…

Campus Flashers … or Mountain Lions?

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Fun, Musings Tagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Wait, we have our own student-run radio station?”  Lindsey-Paige McCloy ‘12 gets that question a lot.

The answer? Actually, yeah, we do. Tune your radio dial (if you still own one) to WPRB (103.3 FM) and you may hear that guy in your precept reading the local headlines.

WPRB began broadcasting over 60 years ago from the radiator pipes in this guy’s dorm room in Holder. Now their multi-room station is located in the basement of Bloomberg, equipped with turntables, LP archives, and a broadcast center. This unique operation is completely student-run and not affiliated with the University, with McCloy as their station manager and James Corran ‘13 as the program director.

With music, news, sports, and DJs from on and off-campus, WPRB’s broadcasts can be heard from New York to Philadelphia.

Check out a UPC original behind-the-scenes look at their studio:

Read more about WPRB at AllPrinceton.com.

Apr 27, 2011

IN PRINT: Princeton on the Radio

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in In Print Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment

As a member of a guilty quad that has been graciously spared the wrath of Fire Safety fines three times this year, I really shouldn’t be poking fun at them.

More on this later.

More on this later.

But come on– tapestries? Princetonians, take note. Here are some Fire Safety notices about dorm room fixtures that, who would have thought, aren’t kosher (a shout out to my Passover Jews):

“UMBRELLA IN DOOR: $25.00″

“TAPESTRY – should be placed against wall: $0.00″

“REMOVE SHOES FROM HALLWAY/STAIRWELL: $25.00″

Additional student-submitted violations:

“$50 for a chin-up bar in a doorway (way above anyone’s head)”– DK

“Unsanitary and/or excessively disorderly conditions. Remove excess: clothing on floor. $0.00.”– AF

“We had an exit sign pointing at the door and they stole it and charged us for it. $25.” –JTG

“I got a warning for having a pillow fort in the hallway.” — NA

So, how does one get around these fines and regulations? In my case, have a violation so large that Fire Safety cannot do anything about it.

Continue reading…

Fire Safety’s Coming, Quick! Hide the Toaster!

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Goings On Tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

… and hide the pre-frosh, because this guy’s creeping on everybody out here.

courtesy of theridernews.com

courtesy of theridernews.com

According to Public Safety’s recent email, a 68-year-old man named Tony A. Kadyhrob is stalking New Jersey college campuses for young girls (ages 18-30) after recently being released on bail for attempting to grab a student at Rider University. He was then stopped at The College of New Jersey, and apparently told the cops that he’s been trolling NJ campuses for over a month, including Princeton University.

Oh. my. god. what.

In addition to looking like the love child of Christopher Walken and Adolf Hitler, here are a few things you need to know about Tony Kadyhrob:

While it’s easy to freak out over a face like that (the infamous campus masturbator has nothing on this guy), Princeton’s Public Safety has received no reports of Kadyhrob ever being spotted on campus. Still, if I hear any cowbell on my way to class, I am running away as fast as I can.

UPDATE 4/6/11: Princeton Borough Police detained and released Kadyhrob this morning on Wiggins Street. Anyone got a can of pepper spray I can borrow?

Apr 5, 2011

Campus Safety Alert: Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife…

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in In the news Tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey, future class of 2015:

Decision Date (March 30) for Princeton and other major universities is drawing ever closer.

So, how are you feeling? Maybe you think you’re already set thanks to a good legacy background or some killer athletic prowess. Or maybe you’ll be sitting at your computer in four days, nail-bitingly paranoid: what if my school tells me I’m accepted but then realizes they rejected me? You mean like University of Delaware’s computer glitch this year? Or the colossal mishap of University of California, San Diego that affected 29,000 applicants?

Oops, yeah, don’t think about that.

Maybe you found some spelling mistakes in your college apps (personal story). Maybe your parents are already suing your pre-school for ruining your chances of getting into an Ivy League school.

But I’m here to tell you that it’s going to be okay. Take a deep breath. Do yourself a favor and don’t log on to College Confidential forums for a while.

And if it helps, the Princeton Tiger knows how you feel:

Mar 26, 2011

2015 Admissions Decisions near: Did you check for typos?

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Musings Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment