THE WEEKLY BLOG

Organic produce comes to Princeton

A John Deere tractor, an apple cider stand, and crates of lettuce and tomatoes are not usual attractions on the walkway outside Firestone Library, but because of the efforts of the Greening Princeton dining group and the Garden Project, every Tuesday this fall they will be.
“The food is fantastic - and the prices are good,” English professor Benjamin Widiss told the students in his 11 a.m. lecture Sept. 25, the opening day for Greening Princeton’s Farmers Market. “Don’t all jump up now,” Widiss added, “but after class, go out and get some food that’s not from the dining hall.”
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 23, seven local organic food vendors will be selling their goods to students and community members at the market in Firestone Plaza. The organizers, Kathryn Andersen ‘08 and Ruthie Schwab ‘09, hope that the market will appeal to independent students who cook on their own. The market also could help to build the community’s relationship with organic farmers.
“From what I saw, the market was a resounding success,” Schwab said. “I couldn’t have dreamed that the first market would go any smoother than it did.”
Schwab said that the responses from the vendors were all very positive. In fact, many were excited to see their products selling out way ahead of schedule and plan on bringing much more of the popular items to future markets, she said.
University Dining Services, which is collaborating with Greening Princeton on the project, will host a chef at the market each week to demonstrate cooking tips for products sold by the farmers. Also, University representatives from the Office of Sustainability will be on hand to answer questions and discuss projects dealing with campus environmental issues.
Offerings at the market stands range from organic cheeses from Valley Shepherd Creamery to bacon, beef, and eggs from Cherry Grove Farm. Vendors familiar to students, like Small World Coffee, the Bent Spoon, and the Witherspoon Bread Company, have sold treats as well. By Julia Osellame ‘09
Photos by Julia Osellame ‘09

Alumni in the arts

Singer/songwriter Tina deVaron ‘78 will share her mix of jazz, blues, and pop tunes in a show called “Moms and Dads Night Out,” Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Yardley Community Center in Yardley, Pa. The show will include selections from deVaron’s upcoming musical, Mom is Not My Real Name. … Los Angeles-based poet and actor Joe Hernandez-Kolski ‘96 will perform his show, “Refried Latino Pride,” at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., Oct. 11 at 12:30 p.m. In the production, Hernandez-Kolski combines comedy, spoken-word poetry, and dance to explore his mixed Polish and Mexican heritage. … The Rockae, a new musical from composer and lyricist Peter Mills ‘95 and director Cara Reichel ‘96 based on Euripides’ The Bacchae, will run through Oct. 14 at the Hudson Guild Theatre in New York.

Cutting the ribbon

Meg Whitman ‘77, CEO of eBay, was on hand Sept. 27 when the University dedicated Whitman College, Princeton’s newest residential college. Whitman was the lead donor for the Demetri Porphyrios *80-designed dormitory complex, which President Tilghman called a “seamless integration of residential, academic, and social life.” Whitman and college master Harvey Rosen cut an orange ribbon at the ceremony, but the college actually opened its doors to students in early September.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

History in the making

In its 138 seasons, the Princeton football team has done just about everything, winning national championships, completing undefeated seasons, and facing off against more than 70 different opponents. But the Tigers’ Oct. 6 game against Hampton Oct. 6 will be something new: the first time that Princeton will play against a historically black college. The University is marking the occasion with several alumni events, including a lecture by English and African American studies professor Daphne Brooks at 11 a.m. in McCormick Hall, an open house at the Center for African American Studies, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the annual Association of Black Princeton Alumni tailgate, near the observatory, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The game, which starts at 3:30 p.m., has attracted local interest as well. Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, a 1973 Hampton alumnus, taped an advertisement for the Princeton athletics Web site, promising a “battle of the titans” between the Pirates, last year’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions, and the Tigers, 2006 Ivy League co-champions. Hampton (3-1) suffered its first loss, to Delaware State, last week, while Princeton (2-1) is coming off a 42-32 win over Columbia.

A Weekly Blog photo quiz

How well do you know the Princeton campus? Test your knowledge by naming the locations of these atypical views, and e-mail your responses to The Weekly Blog. One lucky winner will receive a vintage Princeton Alumni Weekly poster. Answers will be revealed in the Oct. 17 blog post.

Questions and answers with a Jeopardy! champ

The clue: A $75,000 winner on the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament last year, he walked through FitzRandolph Gate at this year’s annual Pre-Rade. The answer: Who is David Walter ’11? Walter, a Wilmington, Del., native, earned teen champion honors on the popular game show last spring. On campus, he is a member of Mock Trial and hopes to write for The Daily Princetonian this year. In September, he spoke with The Weekly Blog’s Julia Osellame ’09.

How did you become a Jeopardy! contestant?
First, I took an online test and then I got an e-mail from the show saying that I was invited to New York for the next round. There, they had us play a fake game and then interviewed all of us. A month after that, in December, I was on a school trip and when I came back, my dad told me I made it. They taped 10 shows over two days. I was on four … . They had us change clothes for each episode to make it look like it was a different day.
What was your winning question?
The category was Greek mythology and the question was, “Fittingly, the name of this Titan may be derived from the Ancient Greek meaning to bear or to support.” The answer was, “Who is Atlas.” I wagered $5,300 and beat the other contestant by $100.
Do you keep in touch with the other contestants?
Yes, we’ve all been keeping in touch through e-mail and Facebook. Even though we were thrown together randomly to be on the show, they had us together a lot so we bonded pretty fast.
What did you gain from being on the game show that you think might help you at Princeton?
First, confidence in handling myself under pressure. I was able to still function and think and speak really well in a situation that I had never faced before. Also, I hadn’t slept at all during the whole time that I was in L.A. If I can win Jeopardy! with no sleep I think that bodes well for any other situations that I might encounter while studying at Princeton.
What made you more nervous - waiting to find out the Final Jeopardy answer or waiting for your Princeton acceptance letter?
The Princeton acceptance letter for sure. I’ve actually discussed this with my family before and they’ve asked me if I could only have one, winning Jeopardy! or getting into Princeton, which would it be? It would definitely be Princeton.
Photo courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions Inc.

A new home in old Stanhope

Valerie Smith, middle, the director of the Center for African American Studies, joins students, faculty, and staff at the Oct. 2 dedication of the center’s new home at the refurbished Stanhope Hall. Smith said she hopes that the center will be a “gathering space for intellectual exchange” about issues of race in America.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Tigers in October

For Princeton’s major-league pitchers, Chris Young ’02 and Ross Ohlendorf ’05, the postseason was short-lived. Young’s San Diego Padres lost a one-game playoff for the National League’s wild-card berth, and Ohlendorf’s New York Yankees were sent home by the Cleveland Indians in the American League Divisional Series. But two Princeton alumni will continue to play a role in baseball’s playoffs: Indians general manager Mark Shapiro ’89 and Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino ’67. Their teams will face off in the American League Championship Series, starting Oct. 12.
In 2004, Lucchino helped the Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years, and Shapiro is hoping to end another long streak of futility. Cleveland has not won baseball’s top prize since 1948 and likely will be the underdog against Boston, but Shapiro has confidence in his young team. “We’re going to put up a fight,” he told MLB.com. “You can bet on that.”

Sheinkman ’85’s latest, in New York

“Concourse” (96 by 175 inches; oil, alkyd, and graphite on linen), pictured above, is one of several new works that artist Mark Sheinkman ’85 will be exhibiting at the Von Lintel Gallery in New York (555 West 25th St.) from Oct. 11 through Nov. 24. Earlier this year, when the Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed a previous show, critic Edith Newhall wrote that the smoke-like lines in Sheinkman’s recent pieces have “an appealingly mysterious character.” The new exhibition is Sheinkman’s 10th solo show in New York.
Photo courtesy of Chris Burke.

More at PAW Online

Rally ’Round the Cannon - In his Princeton history column, Gregg Lange ’70 tells how University visitors can journey back into China’s past.

On the Campus - For some grad students, a home in the residential colleges; for others a “boot camp” in math.

Madden ’03 takes a hike

In September, hiker David Madden ’03 strapped on his backpack in New Brunswick, Canada, and began what he hopes will be a 3,000-mile trek, ending in the Florida Keys sometime in February. Madden, who passed through Princeton Oct. 13, said that his plans have elicited one of two responses from the people he’s met on the trails and roadways he’s traveled: “Wow, that’s terrific,” or “You’ve got to be out of your mind.”
Madden, for the record, places himself in the first camp. Since graduation, he has won hundreds of thousands of dollars on Jeopardy!, earned a master’s degree in international relations, compiled a catalogue of works by artist Richard Anuszkiewicz, and eluded the Monday-through-Friday work week. That likely will change next year - Madden plans to become a teacher - so he decided to use this year to pursue a dream he’s had since he first set foot on the Appalachian Trail as an 8-year-old.
In northern Maine, near the start of his journey, Madden hiked mostly on the Appalachian Trail, but after walking about 98 miles of a 100-mile stretch in complete solitude, he decided to give roadside hiking a try. The move helped him meet people throughout New England and make progress toward the hike’s other goal, raising money for Fisher House, a charity that builds and manages temporary residences near military hospitals for the families of wounded veterans. The group’s mission resonated with Madden, whose former roommate, Army 1st Lt. Alex Wilson ’03, was wounded in Iraq earlier this year. So far, Madden has raised about $3,000 dollars. He’s hoping to reach $20,000.
On country roads, or even on city streets, Madden’s hike tends to be a lonely journey, so he has been listening to CD-based courses on headphones, covering the Civil War, Bach, and philosophers. His overnight accommodations range from tents to guestrooms and sofas offered by relatives and complete strangers who post offers on the Web site couchsurfing.com. (“I admit it does sound a little sketchy when you put it like that,” Madden said, “but it’s been good so far.”)
For friends and family members tracking his trip, Madden has been keeping a blog at usahiker.blogspot.com, updating his progress and posting photos. In Princeton, roughly a third of the way to Florida, Madden remained energetic and excited about the road ahead. “It’s good exercise, it’s a great way to see the country, see old friends, meet new friends,” he said. “And there’s definitely a goal to this - it’s not aimless wandering.”
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski.

We have a winner

Ross Liemer ’08 correctly identified all four photos in the Oct. 10 blog quiz and earned a vintage PAW poster. The answers, for those of you keeping score at home:
1. Princeton Stadium; 2. Chancellor Green; 3. Bloomberg Hall; and 4. McCosh 50.

The house that Princeton built

For about 20 students at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, Calif., Princeton already is part of their daily lives. The students live in Princeton House, one of the eight wings of a new dormitory that opened this fall. Each wing will be named after a college and funded by alumni from the school.
Eastside provides housing and a rigorous college-prep curriculum to children from low-income or minority backgrounds. Princeton alumna Jennifer Wythes Vettel ’86, a former teacher who earned her master’s degree with Eastside principal and founder Chris Bishchof, led the fundraising campaign for Princeton House, and last spring, President Tilghman spoke at the dormitory’s dedication. Tilghman is pictured at right with, from left, Wythes Vettel, Paul Wythes ’55, Bishchof, Linda Knoll, and Marcia Wythes.
Photo courtesy of Liz Gaither.

Bhangra boogie

Students from the Princeton Bhangra dance troupe perform at the Mela festival outside Robertson Hall Oct. 13. The festival, sponsored by the South Asian Students Association, celebrated South Asian culture and cuisine with live music, dance performances, henna artists, and a fashion show.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski.

Tigers look for double repeat at Heps

Last fall, the men’s and women’s cross country teams completed a rare double at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships when both Tiger squads won team titles. On Oct. 26, Princeton will look to duplicate that feat and become just the second school to record back-to-back sweeps (Dartmouth did it in 1994 and 1995).
The Princeton women are clear favorites in their race. Ranked fourth in the national coaches’ poll, the Tigers have won every meet they’ve entered this season with a lineup that includes remarkable depth: At the Pre-Nationals Invitational Oct. 13, all seven of Princeton’s entrants finished in the top quarter of their race. Sophomores Liz Costello and Christy Johnson are the Tigers’ most likely contenders for the individual Heps crown.
Princeton’s men also have a pair of runners who hope to lead the Heps pack - Frank Tinney ’08 and Michael Maag ’09 - as well as David Nightingale ’08, the No. 3 runner at Heps last year, who recently returned from an injury. Cornell, which placed three spots behind Princeton at the Pre-Nationals, could be the Tigers’ top challenger.
Check the Oct. 31 post for a full recap.

Novelist examines Mexican history

In a wide-ranging lecture delivered Oct. 18, the novelist and Mexican diplomat Carlos Fuentes brought the history of Mexico alive, spanning from creation myths to the present day in one hour.
Fuentes grappled with difficult issues of religion, identity, and revolution while bringing his McCosh Hall audience from colonialism into the 21st century. The Mexican Revolution of 1910, he noted, “was a real revolution as deep and decisive for my country as was the French, Chinese, or American for theirs.” “A revolution is like an annunciation,” he said. “It is equally as important for what it achieves as what it promises.”
Fuentes’ comments included moments of levity (“Our Lady of Guadeloupe has become a symbol for Mexico, where even agnostics are Catholic.”), as well as an examination of contemporary issues. In response to an audience member’s question, Fuentes advocated the respect of immigrants in America as well as the greater responsibility of Mexico to provide for its people. He also told of the intellectual’s duty, as “a thermometer of the society,” to speak up in the face of injustice. “It is incumbent upon the intellectual to speak out for those that don’t have a voice,” he said.
The speech, which was part of the Spencer Trask public lecture series, marked a homecoming of sorts for Fuentes, who taught comparative literature at Princeton from 1997 to 1999. His best-known novels include The Old Gringo, The Eagle’s Throne, and Aura, a book studied in undergraduate Spanish classes at the University. And Fuentes journals, letters, drafts, and even some elementary school writings have found a home in Firestone Library as The Carlos Fuentes Papers. By Julia Osellame ’09

New books: Tough break

Breaking up is never easy, but Emma Taylor ’05 and co-author Lorelei Sharkey hope to dull the pain with their therapeutic new book, Buh-Bye: The Ultimate Guide to Dumping and Getting Dumped (Chronicle Books). The authors, better known as Em and Lo, have penned five other amusing but profane relationship guides. In Buh-Bye, they have created a cross-referenced A-to-Z glossary, covering break-up etiquette (“the face-to-face imperative” - after more than a few weeks of dating, you must call it off in person); pitfalls (the “groundhog dump,” in which a breakup stretches over several days, making each day seem dreadfully similar to the one before); logistics (how to split up things “acquired” during the relationship, like new friends or a favorite restaurant); and recovery (from “retail therapy” to the break-up makeover, or “breakover”).
For information about other books by alumni and faculty, visit New Books at PAW online.

Good grief; campaign chatter

Schulz and Peanuts, David Michaelis ’79’s new biography of cartoonist Charles Schulz, has been called one of the fall’s “must-reads” by the Houston Chronicle. But for those who might not have the time to pore over the book’s 655 pages, there is an alternative. PBS’ American Masters series will focus on Schulz Oct. 29. The 90-minute program will include home movies and photos of Schulz as well as interviews with family members, fellow cartoonists, and Michaelis.
Marty Moss-Coane, host of Radio Times (WHYY-FM 90.9, Philadelphia), will be on campus Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. to record a conversation about early trends in the 2008 presidential race. Princeton professors Julian E. Zelizer and Brandice Canes-Wrone are slated to join Rutgers professor Cliff Zukin in a panel discussion that will be taped and re-played on Moss-Coane’s show, which airs in the Philadelphia area and online weekday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon.

More at PAW Online

Rally ’Round the Cannon - Gregg Lange ’70 surveys the list of professional sports champions from Princeton.
Cardboard - It was easy to be angry at the tall man she saw begging near her home, Barbara Risk de Boinville ’74 writes. Then she got to know him.
On the Campus - Jocelyn Hanamirian ’08 takes a closer look at Princeton’s “other” club.

Questions and answers with political blogger (and engineering grad student) Juan Melli

Juan Melli knows all about feedback. “If I write something that a politician doesn’t like, I’ll hear about it,” says Melli, the founder of BlueJersey.com, a blog devoted to discussing and debating New Jersey politics. Since the Princeton mechanical engineering graduate student from Washington Township, N.J., launched the blog in September 2005, traffic has grown to an average of 1,500 hits per day, and the site has been featured in The New York Times and on ABC News. With New Jersey’s legislative elections just a few days away, Melli sat down with The Weekly Blog’s Julia Osellame ’09 to discuss blogging and politics.

Where do you find time to keep up with graduate school and the blog?
I read the news all day - in the morning, at night, at lunch. I make the time. But writing the blog is usually something fast. I don’t spend hours writing a draft and revising. It may have delayed my graduation a bit, but I don’t regret it. It’s something I enjoy.
What should voters be looking for in the November election?
This year is legislative, next year presidential. What most students at Princeton don’t know is that in New Jersey, every year there are elections; in other states this isn’t the case. Usually, turnout is low and we get a lot of the status quo on the ballot sheets. But if all the students in the University voted, they could easily swing [a local] election.
What do you think is the most important political issue in New Jersey right now?
It’s not the issue I care the most about, but property taxes are politically significant each year in New Jersey. It’s not a hot button issue [for students], but it’s always there and never addressed appropriately. Personally, I think the most important issues are ethics and campaign finance reform. When people run for office and they are beholden to someone, policies coming from that arrangement tend to be bad. These aren’t really sexy issues, but they affect everything.
What’s your take on student involvement in politics on campus?
I was involved three years ago with the Filibuster campaign [at Frist Campus Center]. When that happened, it showed that students did care and participation on campus was huge. Princeton students can and will participate if there is an issue that appeals to them. Overall though, political participation is lackluster. It is disappointing because students should care about their government regardless. Part of this apathy could be because people, the legislative officials or the activists that care about the issue, aren’t doing enough to make issues appealing to students.

Culbreath ’10, Princeton outrun Cornell

Football coach Roger Hughes admits that for Princeton’s running backs, breakaway speed has been conspicuously absent in the last few seasons. Before the Tigers’ Oct. 26 game against Cornell, only quarterback Bill Foran ’08 had made a run of more than 50 yards, and a season and a half had passed since any Tiger had rushed for 100 yards in one game.
Against the Big Red, backup tailback Jordan Culbreath ’10 ended both droughts in the fourth quarter, busting through the defense for a 58-yard touchdown run. The play pushed him over the 100-yard mark (he would finish with 145) and put Princeton ahead for good in a 34-31 victory.
Culbreath had more carries against Cornell (11) than he had in the previous six games combined, and Hughes expects to continue putting the ball in his hands in the remaining three games. “He’s certainly earned it,” he said.
Until the day before the Cornell game, Culbreath was the third tailback on Princeton’s depth chart, but when a foot injury sidelined Kenny Gunter ’10, he moved into the backup role. Culbreath seemed prepared for the opportunity: On his first carry, early in the second quarter, he shrugged off two tacklers and sprinted down the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown run.
“He had a great fall camp - he came into the season prepared,” senior quarterback Greg Mroz said of Culbreath after the game. “The audience may be surprised, but the players and coaches know what he’s capable of, once he gets his chance to shine.”
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Cross country leads the pack at Ivy meet

At the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships Oct. 26, the runners on Princeton’s men’s cross country team could not help being distracted from their stretching routine when the Princeton women began crossing the finish line. “We all were kind of craning our necks, just to see how dominant their performance was going to be,” said Michael Maag ’09, one of the top runners on the men’s team.
The women, ranked No. 4 nationally, entered the race as the clear favorites and did not disappoint. Liz Costello ’10 won the individual championship, running the 5-kilometer women’s course in 17:14.4. Christy Johnson ’10 placed second, and three more teammates finished in the top nine - Megan Brandeland ’09 (fifth), Jolee Vanleuven ’09 (eighth), and Ashley Higginson ’11 (ninth).
Princeton’s winning total of 25 points was the fourth-lowest in meet history, and the spread between Costello and Princeton’s ninth runner, Caitlin McTague ’ 08, was just one minute. “We’re that close on our times, which helps us train and helps us stay focused, individually and as a team,” Costello said.
In the men’s race, Maag was the star, becoming the first Tiger to win the Heps title since 1999, but teammates Ben Sitler ’10 (third) and Dave Nightingale ’08 (sixth) were not far behind. Nightingale was running his second race of the year after an injury kept him off the course in the first half of the season. Princeton’s other two scoring runners, Frank Tinney ’08 and James O’Toole ’08, finished 11th and 17th, respectively.
“What I was most excited about was how well everybody, top to bottom, ran,” Maag said. “There’s still room for improvement, but I feel like people were generally proud of how we performed.”
Both Princeton teams will run at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, Nov. 10 in Bethlehem, Pa. The top two women’s and men’s teams at the regional meet earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.

New books: Back story

For people with back pain, exploring treatment options can be overwhelming, according to Dr. Nathaniel Tindel ’85, and many patients lack the information to ask the right questions. Tindel, a surgeon and an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has tried to remedy that problem with his new book, I’ve Got Your Back (New American Library), written with health writer Tamar Haspel. Tindel addresses the basics, including how the spine functions and why back pain is so common, as well as specific treatment options and their risks. In a large majority of cases, he writes, there are alternatives to surgery. Exercise and stress reduction are among the simplest ways to quell back pain, but less intuitive lifestyle changes like quitting smoking can help as well.
For information about other books by alumni and faculty, visit New Books at PAW online.

Princetonians in the news

Emeritus professor and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley ’65, and the late publisher Malcolm Forbes ’41 will join Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, and 10 other notable New Jersey residents in the inaugural class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame next May. Gov. Jon Corzine announced the list of 15 inductees Oct. 25. … University of Chicago economics professor Gary Becker ’51 will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom Nov. 5, the Chicago Tribune reported. Becker, a Nobel Prize winner in 1992, has written extensively on the economics of human capital and discrimination, among other topics. … No Country for Old Men, a new film from Ethan Coen ’79 and his brother, Joel, headlined the New York Film Festival Oct. 6. New York Magazine profiled the filmmakers in October.