THE WEEKLY BLOG

Jordan’s Abdullah II addresses chances for Middle East peace

A shiny, dark Town Car with tinted windows and diplomat license plates parallel parked on Nassau Street. The four dark-suited men inside disembarked to grab their morning coffee at a local restaurant. A helicopter circled above Alexander Hall, where police and Public Safety officers kept a close watch of students, faculty, and other guests who entered the building.
Feb. 29 was not a typical morning at Princeton, as the campus prepared for a visit from King Abdullah II of Jordan. Abdullah drew four standing ovations in a nearly full Richardson Auditorium during an appearance that lasted just over a half hour. In his remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he stressed the need for an urgent resolution, saying that in 2008, the parties are better positioned for peace than they have been in the last 60 years. Abdullah also pressed for leadership from the United States.
“America’s involvement is a critical success factor of [a long-term peace] strategy,” he said. “We need a strong authority that can act and act swiftly.”
Abdullah described the Middle East as a region with many challenges, from creating jobs to improving education, but addressing those issues will be difficult without settling the region’s “core problem,” the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. He advocated a two-state solution and widespread recognition of Israel, saying that “real security for Israel will occur when it is a neighbor among neighbors.”
After his talk, Abdullah fielded three questions from the audience, met with students, and departed for Washington, where he met with President Bush March 3.

Passing through

A lone figure walks along the south end of Princeton Stadium on the morning of March 1. The stadium plaza has become a popular thoroughfare for students, faculty, and staff navigating around the construction site for the new chemistry building.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

PAW Web Exclusive: Gregg Lange ’70’s “Rally ’Round the Cannon”

Capturing the essence of Princeton

Like any vibrant educational enterprise, Princeton is more of a buffet than an entrée. The many elements that contribute range from the Nassoons to the WMAP satellite to Pulitzer prizes to Dante, and it’s very tough to combine them in a single occasion. Reunions are too frivolous, the 250th Convocation too formal, the Princetonian too, uh, Prince-y. I have progressed to the point, however, that I’m happy to defend two events of my experience, in combination, as a fair representation of Old Nassau.
The first is the magnificent closing pyrotechnic lecture of Professor Hubert Alyea ‘24 *28. Known ex post facto as “Dr. Boom” - I don’t recall anyone ever using the term while he was still actively giving the lecture - his hour of chemistry and sophistry was a primer in educational theory, beauty, humor, doggerel, and constant bedazzlement at the world around us, a paean to the joy of learning. His thesis was there’s something new around every corner, that serendipity is the great spice of life, and that you’d be well advised to know it when you see it. … Click here to read more

Names in the news

WNYC interviewed singer and songwriter Ruth Gerson ’92, who has tapped a new stream of revenue by agreeing to have Pepsi sponsor a series of her concerts, performed in the living rooms of private homes. … Former Senator Bill Bradley ’65 and Woodrow Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80 gave their opinions on what the next president should do in office in a blog post from New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice. … Two alumni were spotlighted in a Smithsonian Magazine story about young innovators in the arts and sciences: historian Daniela Bleichmar *05, whose work crosses disciplinary boundaries, and mathematician Terrance Tao *96, a winner of the Fields Medal. Historian Kevin Kruse, an associate professor at Princeton, joined Bleichmar and Tao on the list of 37 innovators under age 36.

Great eight

Four winter sports teams have wrapped up Ivy League championships in the last four weeks, bringing Princeton’s total for 2007-08 to eight. Last weekend, the women’s swimming and diving team had a dominant performance at the Ivy meet, winning its third straight league title, and women’s track and field edged Brown and Cornell at the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonals. The teams join men’s hockey, men’s squash, women’s volleyball, field hockey, men’s cross country, and women’s cross country on the list of Tiger title-winners.
Men’s swimming is the next Princeton team that will vie for an Ivy championship. The men travel to Cambridge, Mass., for the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships March 6-8. The top Ivy team at the EISL meet - a vestige of pre-Ivy days that also includes Navy - is named the Ivy champion.

Kennedy ’77 examines ‘the politics of racial betrayal’

Even his name has become equated with disloyalty: To “pull a Clarence Thomas” is to sell out. But Randall Kennedy ’77, a Harvard law professor, Princeton trustee, and author of the new book Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal (Princeton University Press), told an audience at Princeton Thursday, March 6, that the charge is unfair. Kennedy had harsh criticism of Thomas’ judicial rulings, but he disagrees with critics who believe - largely because of Clarence’s opposition to affirmative action - that the justice has betrayed his race.
“Attacking Thomas’ view because he himself was a beneficiary [of affirmative action] is not a good argument,” Kennedy told about 40 people at a short lecture and book-signing at Chancellor Green. “Why should he be disabled from attacking it because he’s a beneficiary? What does that have to do with the merits of the policy? I criticize Clarence Thomas because he’s wrong.”
All groups have anxiety about disloyalty and betrayal, Kennedy says, though he focused on African-Americans in his book and Princeton appearance. W.E.B. DuBois was called the “black Benedict Arnold” in 1917 for suggesting that black Americans should subordinate to the war effort their protest against white supremacy; Barack Obama’s campaign has been dogged by the suspicion “in some parts of the black community that he must be a sellout - or what else explains his white support?” Golfer Tiger Woods, tennis star Arthur Ashe, superlawyer Vernon Jordan - at one point or another, Kennedy says, all have been accused of selling out.
To Kennedy, none of these people are sellouts - he reserves the term for someone who intentionally seeks to harm his or her group, or pursues a course of conduct that is inimical able to that group.
And group coercion to prevent selling out isn’t always bad, Kennedy argues - the Montgomery bus boycott succeeded in part because even when some black residents grew tired and wanted to ride the buses again, pointed persuasion made them think twice. Nonetheless, fear of the “sellout” label means that important viewpoints are never placed on the table, and policymaking suffers as a result.
Kennedy should know. He’s been called a sellout, too. By Marilyn Marks *86

Orange and black in Iraq

When television host and producer Aaron Harber ’75 traveled to Iraq in February, he was able to take part in a unique reunion of Princeton alumni, including the very familiar face at the center. From left, the alumni pictured are Harber, Lt. Greg Cullison *99, Ylber Bajraktari *06, Capt. Jeanne Hull *07, Gen. David Petraeus *87, Andrea McFeely *07, Nick Holt *06, Pei Tsai *06, and Sean Kane *05.
Cullison is a reservist with the Office of Naval Intelligence, and Hull is assigned to the Army’s Intelligence Transition Teams. McFeely, Holt, and Tsai work as foreign service officers at the U.S. embassy in Iraq, while Kane is a political affairs officer with the United Nations. Bajraktari is a presidential management fellow for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Journal entries from Harber’s trip are available at his Web site.

Football’s Ancient Eight

For Love & Honor Productions recently announced the completion of “Eight: Ivy League Football and America,” an original feature-length documentary film that will premiere with a screening, hosted by the Ivy Football Association, at the Yale Club in New York City April 24.
“Eight,” produced by Erik Greenberg Anjou and Mark F. Bernstein ’83, senior writer for PAW, tells the history of Ivy League football from its earliest days to the present. It is narrated by two-time Tony Award-winning actor Brian Dennehy (Columbia ’60) and features interviews with Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier ’52, former Secretary of State George Shultz ’42, Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones (Harvard ’69), Penn State coach Joe Paterno (Brown ’50), Pro Football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik (Penn ’49), actor and Heisman Trophy runner-up Ed Marinaro (Cornell ’72), and others.
The film was directed by Anjou and edited by Karlyn Michelson. It features an original score by Grammy-nominated guitarist Gary Lucas. Additional details are available at the production’s Web site.

Names in the news

Economics professor Burton Malkiel *64 fielded questions about investing in China from readers of the Financial Times Feb. 29. … Peter Kaminsky ’69 wrote about one of his favorite fishing holes, a water hazard on a Florida golf course, in a March 3 New York Times story. … In an interview for Time magazine’s March 10 issue (also available as a podcast), author Jodi Picoult ’87 said that while she may write about dark subjects, she had “absolutely no trauma” in her childhood. “If anyone ever assumed that my books were autobiographical, they’d be sorely disappointed,” Picoult said.

Questions and answers with actress Molly Ephraim ’08

What do a religion major from New Hope, Pa., and Donny Osmond have in common? They are related. On screen, that is. In the recently released Walt Disney movie College Road Trip, Molly Ephraim ’08 plays Osmond’s daughter, Wendy. Throughout the movie, the duo terrorizes co-stars Raven Simone and Martin Lawrence with annoyingly cheerful show tunes. Ephraim, in addition to making her big-screen debut, played a murder victim in a recent episode of Law and Order. When not acting off-campus or with the Princeton Triangle Club and University Players, she tries to find time to work on her thesis, an investigation of female figures in Hindu and Buddhist religions. Ephraim recently spoke with The Weekly Blog’s Julia Osellame ’09.

When did you start acting?
My first passion was dancing, which I started when I was really young, 3 or 4. I started acting when I was 8 or 9, but my first professional show when I was 13. My parents always joke that I was asking for an agent for my birthday when I was 10. Most kids that age are asking for a pony. Coming to Princeton after I had done two Broadway shows, I was pretty certain of what I wanted to do with my life, but I wanted to keep my options open.
What was most difficult about your movie debut?
When you’re used doing theater you know the lingo, but when you do a movie, nobody sits you down and says, “Here’s the vocabulary list you need to know.” The first day on set, Donny Osmond was five feet ahead of me and was rehearsing the scene really quietly. I thought he was on vocal rest, something done to save your voice for theater shows. Of course, I couldn’t realize why I was so much louder than everyone. I had forgotten that the microphones pick up your voice, so you don’t need to project as much as you do on stage. The director said I was speaking six decibels higher than everyone else, but that it was great for keeping in Wendy’s character.
Did filming College Road Trip interrupt your summer?
Filming was only four days at the end of the summer. It was a great summer job! I went from working in the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in Chelsea to doing a Disney movie.
What is being on a movie set like?
I was just really happy to be there more than anything else. There isn’t the instant gratification of doing something in front of an audience, but working on a movie is much less stressful than being on Broadway. With all the little perks, it was like I was a kid in a candy store, literally. I’d stash Starbursts in a little purse that I carried. And I was so happy to have my makeup done by somebody else, but the makeup artist could always tell that I was snacking, because my lipstick would come off.
Any upcoming plans?
My next project is my thesis and then after that, I don’t know. I’ve been taking things as they come, which has been great. I’ve been really lucky and one project has been rolling into the next. But I do look forward to auditioning again. A Broadway actor’s schedule isn’t much different than a college student’s ― go to bed after a show at 1 a.m. and wake up at noon. I like being a night owl.

Skating to the semis

The Tiger mascot glided around Baker Rink between periods during the opener of the men’s hockey team’s ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series against Yale March 14. Princeton won the first and third games of the best-of-three series, with help from two shutouts by goalie Zane Kalemba ’10, to advance to the league semifinals for the first time in a decade. Princeton faces Colgate at 4 p.m. March 21 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
The NHL Network and Time Warner Sports will broadcast the Princeton-Colgate game live, while SportsNet New York will show the game on tape-delay March 22 at 1 p.m. Three regional networks ― Time Warner Sports, SportsNet New York, and Comcast’s CN8 ― will show the ECAC Hockey championship game live, March 22 at 7 p.m.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

Names in the news, March madness edition

ESPN ranked Bill Bradley ’65 No. 7 on its list of the 25 Greatest Players in College Basketball. … Longtime Princeton coach Pete Carril was included on USA Today’s list of the five best college coaches who never reached the NCAA Final Four. … John Thompson III ’88 is back in the NCAA Tournament with his Georgetown team, seeded No. 2 in the Midwest Region. … Former Princeton hoops star Will Venable ’06 is turning heads in baseball’s spring training as a top prospect for the San Diego Padres. … Sports marketing executive Rick Giles ’83 launched a third postseason tournament, the 16-team College Basketball Invitational, with a field that included two teams coached by Princeton alumni. Chris Mooney ’94’s Richmond squad fell two points short in its upset bit at Virginia March 18, while Brown, led by coach Craig Robinson ’83, lost a close opening-round contest against Ohio University.

More at PAW Online

PAW’s Web Exclusives for the March 19 issue include:
Gregg Lange ’70’s Rally ’Round the Cannon column, which highlights the contributions of the late Hugh de Neufville Wynne ’39 *40, a Princetonian with a “big grin and a nose for quality orange and black junk.” Click here to read more
An essay by Richard M. Waugaman ’70, who dissects the idea that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of William Shakespeare’s works. The “smoking gun”? De Vere’s bible, which highlights many of the passages to which Shakespeare alludes. Click here to read more
A profile of Sarah E. Walzer ’82, executive director of the Parent-Child Home Program. The program aims to “bridge the achievement gap for low-income families by empowering parents to see themselves as their children’s first and foremost teachers,” she says. Click here to read more

Alumnus’ documentary tells the story of leprosy’s cure

Director John Wilhelm ’59 recounts the story of a little-known community of leprosy patients and its role in curing the disease in his latest documentary, “Triumph at Carville,” written and produced with wife Sally Squires. The film, which premieres March 28 at 10:00 p.m. on PBS, documents the triumph over mankind’s most feared disease and tells a tale of bravery, perseverance and compassion that flourished within the Louisiana leprosarium known as Carville.
Wilhelm, who began his career writing for Time magazine, has enjoyed award-winning success as a filmmaker, with acclaimed works that include the four-part PBS series The Health Century and the Emmy-nominated PBS science special Comet Halley.
Wilhelm’s latest film captures the history of Carville from its beginning in an abandoned, antebellum sugar plantation 25 miles south of Baton Rouge. Conditions there were horrific, and it took decades for the hauntingly beautiful grounds to become a refuge for leprosy patients from all over the world.
In time, greater understanding about this mysterious ailment emerged from the extensive research conducted at Carville. (Leprosy today is known as Hansen’s disease, named for Gerhard Hansen, the Norwegian discoverer of the bacteria that cause it.) The facility gradually evolved into a more hospital-like environment and later into something that resembled a gated community, complete with golf course, athletic fields, dances and an annual Mardi Gras with hand-me-down costumes from the New Orleans celebration. And out of this unique community came a gift for the entire world: a multi-drug therapy that today is considered a cure.
Patients in the United States no longer are quarantined. With early diagnosis and treatment, they can lead entirely normal lives. In 1999, the U.S. Public Health Service transferred Carville back to the state of Louisiana. Some 5,000 patients had passed through its gates.
Crafted from contemporary interviews, as well as old radio shows, movie news accounts and other archival materials — including an exclusive trove of photographs taken by a longtime patient — “Triumph at Carville” takes viewers inside Carville and introduces them to patients, Daughters of Charity nuns, doctors and staff who lived and worked there.
Photo: Graveyard at Carville, courtesy of Allen Moore/The Wilhelm Group, Inc.

Hockey champions move on to NCAAs

Goalie Zane Kalemba ’10 notched his third shutout of the postseason in Princeton’s 3-0 ECAC Hockey semifinal win over Colgate March 21, and the Tigers continued their hot streak with a 4-1 victory against Harvard in the championship game March 22. Kalemba, who made 35 saves against the Crimson, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
With the ECAC Hockey title in hand, Princeton will move on to face North Dakota in the NCAA Championships March 29 at 3 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Check goprincetontigers.com for information about tickets and regional television coverage of Princeton’s NCAA games.

Perusing PRISM posters

Jacob Tarver, a graduate student in chemical engineering, reads about Princeton research in the Friend Center during the PRISM University-Industry Symposium March 18. The two-day program covered topics in “Materials for Energy” and “Photonics, Sensors, and Networks.”
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski