Category Archives: Features

‘You can’t tell whose parents have money’: the story of first-generation students

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By Angela Loyola
Stony Point, NY

There’s a minority group at Princeton that isn’t constrained to one gender, race or religion. They walk around campus unseen. The university claims their well-being is a significant priority—but some students say the school isn’t doing enough.

Low-income and first-generation students don’t fit the traditional definition of a minority, but many of these students still feel stigmatized on campus.

“When you walk around campus…you can’t tell whose parents have money,” said Melana Hammel, rising sophomore. Hammel is the co-chair and treasurer of the Princeton Hidden Minority Council, which aims to give this invisible minority a voice. Continue reading →

Don’t let it bug you! A review of worm-covered ice cream

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By Xuan Truong, Ashley Standafer and Tommie Robinson
Springfield, MA; Hyden, KY; Jonesboro, GA

On a recent Wednesday, a lone ice cream truck was parked in front of a side exit at New York’s bustling Chelsea Market. This wasn’t a typical Mister Softee truck playing jolly tunes and selling soft serve. There were no nuts or sprinkles—here, the topping options included grasshoppers, mealworms and other insects.

The local Van Leeuwen ice cream shop created the treats as part of a partnership with The Economist and distributed them for free to anyone brave enough to try them. At first, we thought the idea was crazy—and disgusting. What normal person would eat bugs? After speaking with the truck’s employees, however, we learned that these critters are a healthy source of protein.  Continue reading →

A look inside Mudd Library, home of Princeton senior theses

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By Amanda Koym
Madisonville, TX

Slightly brittle and yellowing with age, the pages of the 1916 edition of the Nassau Herald crinkle as they move. Within the century-old pages is a short blurb, six paragraphs long, and a photo of one of the Great American Authors, his face blank. It is F. Scott Fitzgerald, age 19.

The yearbook is stored in the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, a division of Princeton’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Built in 1976, the library houses Princeton University’s 1748 charter, as well as the senior theses of politicians such as Ted Cruz and actors such as David Duchovny.  If you want to look at the files inside, however, there are some rules. Continue reading →

Discussion of police relations with Princeton residents reveals racial divide

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By Maria Gonzalez
Mattawa, WA

In Princeton, N.J., the conversation on police brutality falls along the same racial divides as the national one: White residents have more positive views of police, while for the most part, black residents say they have been unfairly targeted.

The uptick of attention to police brutality around the country concerns Princeton residents. In recent interviews, some said they’ve never had a run-in with police, while others claimed that cops are surveilling neighborhoods with more diverse populations. Continue reading →