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Our annual look at the year at Princeton begins with highlights from PAW Online, including stories that sparked the most conversation, features that drew the most readers, and videos that attracted the most viewers.
 
Top five most-commented stories of 2011
 
Every story, letter, and blog post offers the chance to comment. These five stories were the most popular discussion points for our readers in 2011.
 
Gregg Lange ’70’s countdown of campus pranks inspired alumni to reminisce about their own shenanigans.
 
Graduate alumni shared their experiences and tips in letters and comments about the University’s goal of better engagement.
 
3. West *80’s views on Obama stir black-community debate
Valid points or personal gripes? Readers took both sides when examining Cornel West *80’s take on the Obama presidency.
 
Essays on women at Princeton by Christine Stansell ’71 and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux ’11 drew responses from alumni whose class years spanned six decades.
 
E.B. Boyd ’89 traveled to Afghanistan to report on Marine 1st Lt. Zoe Bedell ’07 and her work with local women. Readers were touched – or in some cases, angered – by the project.
 
Top five feature stories of 2011
Cover stories and other feature pieces are among our PAW’s top draws online. These five stood out in 2011.
 
Chords don’t just have sound – they have shape, according to the research of Princeton professor Dmitri Tymoczko.
 
Catherine Rampell ’07 looks at changes on campus, through the eyes of alumnae mothers and daughters.
 
On a campus full of larger personalities, “Master Jeff” Nunokawa has one of the largest.
 
Wet weather dampened this year’s Outdoor Action trips, but student backpacking groups made the best of their situation.
 
Princeton decided it couldn’t stand alone after Harvard and the University of Virginia brought back early admission.
 
Top PAW videos of 2011
Three selections led the list of PAW videos. To watch more, visit our YouTube channel.
 
In our Dec. 14 issue, Lisa Belkin ’82 wrote about how hard it is to let your kids go off to college. We asked Princeton students at the Frist Campus Center for their side of the story. (Interviews by Angela Wu ’12.)
 
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUXzsrdVXyg&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
 
 
Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo ’04, scheduled to make his Metropolitan Opera debut in December, visited Princeton in September 2011 to share advice with six talented students from the Princeton Opera Company.
 
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHtAAsE9Y4&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
 
 
A look back at Princeton’s Class of 2011 graduation events including Senior Step Sing, the senior victory lap, Class Day, and Commencement. Video by Chris Dodds ’13, with additional photography by Daniel Rattner ’13.
 
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnBTfSc3qRE&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]