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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.

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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
The Chosen One

He is The One.

Don’t scorch the skies yet — New Jersey Congressman (and former Assistant Director of Princeton’s Physics Lab) Rush Holt may just become this century’s Neo from the Matrix.

After IBM supercomputer Watson trounced all-time champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in a game of man vs. machine Jeopardy! a few weeks ago, it looked as if the world was doomed to artificial intelligence supremacy. (Especially after Jennings revealed himself to be a traitorous robot sympathizer, writing “I for one welcome our new computer overlords” on his Final Jeopardy answer.)

Benedict Arnold [Schwarzenegger]. (source: ABC)

pictured: Benedict Arnold (Schwarzenegger)

But hope is not lost. Yesterday, our 12th district representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) beat the supercomputer Watson 8,600 points to 6,200 in a “Congress vs. Computer” Jeopardy tournament on Capitol Hill.

Holt was a former nuclear physicist and five-time champion on Jeopardy! over 30 years ago, making him a seasoned contender against the supercomputer.

According to the L.A. Times, Holt kicked Watson’s hard drive in categories like “Presidential Rhyme Time” and “Also a Laundry Detergent.” (Whitman College residents who watched the fateful Jennings v. Watson episode in February noticed the computer isn’t very good at wordplay. Are puns the last refuge of humanity?)

Despite Holt’s redeeming victory, I still don’t trust robotic technology. It’s not too long before a couple of THESE buggers get a mind of their own and begin attacking us like a swarm of killer bees.

Mar 1, 2011

Rush Holt: humanity’s last hope against the machines

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Internet, Politics Tagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Following its appearance as an 8-bit video game, Princeton alum F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby is once again being adapted for the big screen – this time starring Leonardo Di Caprio as Gatsby. To make things better(?), director Baz Luhrmann (of flamboyant Moulin Rouge! and Australia fame) has decided that Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel could only be done justice in 3D, naturally.

via avclub.com

The film plans to shoot in Sydney, Australia (decidedly not New York) and the cast will include Spiderman star Tobey Maguire and actress Carey Mulligan, whom you might remember as the 2009 BAFTA Best Actress winner for her role in An Education.

That gives us… (Moulin Rouge director + Spiderman + Jack Dawson) * Avatar special effects + Great American Script = The Great American Movie.

I expect a spectacular signature Luhrmann Bollywood-inspired song-and-dance number. Please, don’t let me down.

Feb 22, 2011

The Great Gatsby: Now in 3D!

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

Taped to doors in Whitman. (Fire Safety violation detected!)

Taped to doors in Whitman. (Fire Safety violation?)

How are all the lonely hearts out there, Princeton? Hope you’re not avoiding any and all pink and red this February 14th, because campus is sure glowing with it this sunny afternoon.

Student Global AIDS Campaign’s Condomgrams are turning out to be a big hit in Frist mailboxes this year. And if you’re looking for last-minute gift ideas? You might be able to swing some chocolate truffles for your sweetheart on the first floor of Frist. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more divine, check out “Will You Be My Valentine? God, Dating, and Marriage” at 5:30pm tonight at Murray Dodge.

In other news, Valentine’s Day at Princeton is shaping up to be a box of (awkward) chocolates. I now give you some samplings of my V-Day campus reporting:

The Sweet (?):
Hey WOM professor! What’s the lesson plan for today? [She hands out chocolates like we were in grade school] I thought this might offset the topic of the today’s lecture: Contextualizing the Rape/Sexual Violence against Women in Colonial Spanish America.
I think I’m going to need more chocolate.

Continue reading…

Hey Princeton! Valentine’s Day Edition

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Fun, Goings On, HEY PRINCETON! Tagged , , Leave a comment

Another bicker season has come and gone, leaving a trail of PrincetonFMLs in its wake. But have you ever wondered: what were eating clubs like back in the day? Could you have joined Key and Seal Club? And where were all the chicks?

For our wistful alumni and amusement-seeking readers, look no further:

(all photos courtesy of  fineanddandyshop.com):

Members of Cannon Club (1949); sausagefest

Members of Cannon Club (1949), i.e. sausage-fest

Playing pool at Quad (1956) now features 3x more beer

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A History of Princeton Clubs (in photo)

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Alumni, Fun, Nostalgia Tagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

likealittle.com picRemember GoodCrush? Well, newcomer LikeALittle.com bears a striking resemblance to Princeton’s last “missed connections” website.

Started by students at Stanford and expanding to schools across the country, LikeALittle combines ease of use, anonymity, and mild stalker tendencies into one Internet platform, making compliments to that cute girl in Frist much easier to make. (We all know the community was sorely lacking an outlet for awkward anonymous flirting since GoodCrush was taken down.)

Presumably, LikeALittle could be used as a dating site: there’s a feature that lets you message the author of the flirt post if you think it’s about you. But in reality, this would only work if a substantial percentage of your school’s student body uses the site. Given the number of posts on the site, that’s not entirely true right now.

Continue reading…

Anonymous Internet flirting less awkward again

By Vivienne Chen
Posted in Fun, Internet Tagged , , , One comment