CAPS IN THE AIR: Princeton University graduates celebrated on Tuesday in Princeton Stadium, as thousands of family members and friends cheered them on and Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber urged them to “show up in person, fully and humanly” in their lives beyond Princeton. (Princeton University; Office of Communications; Charles Sykes; Associated Press Images, 2024)

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber urged the 1,297 undergraduate degree recipients, 206 earning masters’ degrees, and 403 Ph.D, recipients to “lean into life after Princeton … with the same dazzling energy and imagination you showed while you were here,” as thousands of family members, friends, and guests seated in Princeton Stadium at Tuesday morning’s commencement ceremony cheered them on.

As the berobed procession of graduates, professors, and other academic officials entered the stadium and took their seats on the stage and across the length of the field, the crowd was in a festive mood, the weather was sunny and breezy, and discord that had troubled the Princeton University campus during the past month was mostly not in evidence.

Describing commencement addresses as ”a curious genre of public speaking,” as well as “a vexed genre” in the current polarized political climate, Eisgruber lamented the impossible demands of coming up with an original, profound, wise, and memorable speech.  more

By Donald Gilpin

Launching its celebration of diversity, inclusion, and community, Princeton will be hosting a flag-raising, a Pride Picnic, and a Pride Dance Party this Friday on the eve of Pride Month.

Following the annual Pride flag-raising at noon on May 31 at Monument Hall, the fourth annual Princeton Community Pride Picnic will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hinds Plaza on Witherspoon Street outside the Princeton Public Library (PPL).

The picnic promises “a family-friendly event,” with “something for everyone,” and “an array of entertainment and activities,” featuring performances by the Princeton School of Rock and drag performers Lady Celestina and Victoria Courtez, music with DJ Dana K of WPRB 103.3 FM, an interactive art project led by Liz Massa, giveaways, crafts, games, a Makers and Zine Alley, and more. If it rains, the picnic will move inside the library. more

By Donald Gilpin

Christopher Sheridan

Christopher Sheridan, currently assistant principal at Delran Intermediate School in Delran, N.J., will be the next principal at Johnson Park Elementary School (JP), succeeding Angela Siso Stentz, who will take on her new role this summer as assistant superintendent for human resources for Princeton Public Schools (PPS).

Sheridan, who has 17 years of experience in education, pointed out his focus as an elementary school administrator and as a teacher of kindergarten and fifth grade. “Some of the most rewarding and impactful experiences during these times have been the six years as a kindergarten teacher and the five-and-a-half years spent as a fifth grade teacher,” he wrote in an email. “Understanding the continuum of these students’ learning and development on the opposite ends in the primary and elementary grade spectrum has prepared me to lead JP.” more

By Donald Gilpin

After a continuous sit-in of nearly three weeks — first in the McCosh courtyard then on Cannon Green behind Nassau Hall — Princeton University’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment dispersed on the evening of May 15 following a final rally.

In a statement issued on the last day, the demonstrators declared, ”Our fight for divestment and Palestinian liberation continues undeterred.”

Described by The Daily Princetonian student newspaper as “both a protest and a community space,” the Gaza Encampment from April 25 to May 15 was a place for speeches and rallies, singing and chanting and poetry reading, town hall gatherings, conversations, meeting and eating together, and sometimes quietly reading or studying. Through rain and shine, cold and hot weather, the numbers of demonstrators fluctuated widely. The University administration did not allow tents or sleeping.

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber sent a message to the University community on May 13 warning that the protesters must leave Cannon Green. Signs and barriers were put in place around the green stating, “This space is closed in preparation for University events,” and Eisgruber noted, “To continue the sit-in would involve significant and impermissible disruption of University activities. The protesters are of course free to express their views in many other permissible, non-disruptive ways.” more

By Donald Gilpin

As Princeton voters go to the polls for the 2024 primary elections — in only one week for the first day of early voting on May 29 (through June 2), and in less than two weeks for Election Day voting on Tuesday, June 4 — Democrats and Republicans will vote for candidates to represent their parties in the November election for president, as well as candidates for U.S Senate and for the House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 12th District. They will also select candidates in races for three Mercer County Commissioners, Princeton mayor and two Council members, and two County Committee members.

The two spotlighted races include the competition for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Robert Menendez, who is not running, with Andy Kim, Lawrence Hamm, and Patricia Campos-Medina on the Democratic ballot and Curtis Bashaw, James Murphy, Albert Harshaw, and Christine Serrano Glassner on the Republican ballot; and the race for a seat in the U.S. Congress, with Princeton resident Daniel Dart challenging incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman for the Democratic nomination, and Republicans Theodore E. Jones Jr. and Darius Mayfield competing for their party’s nomination. more

By Donald Gilpin

In two days of elections held last week, May 13 and 14, Princeton University graduate students voted against joining the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) by 652 votes to 391, a 63-37 percent split with more than 73 percent of the 1,523 eligible voters turning out. The previous week the University’s postdoctoral researchers voted by a margin of 484 to 89 to join a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW).

On April 12 Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU), looking “to improve working conditions for everyone,” filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Established in 2016, PGSU claimed to have widespread support and a “strong majority” of graduate students who had signed union cards. more

By Donald Gilpin

Nineteen days after its start on April 25, the Princeton University Gaza Solidarity Encampment appeared to be preparing to leave Cannon Green on Tuesday, May 14 following a warning sent by Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber the previous evening.

About 40 demonstrators continued to occupy the space in the early afternoon on Tuesday, but signs of decamping included piled up blankets, tarps, and other supplies, as well as barriers surrounding the green with signs stating: “This space is closed in preparation for University events.” About a dozen public safety officials were present around the perimeter of the green, and a number of University facilities workers were hanging electrical cords and lights in the trees.

It is not clear how and when the withdrawal from Cannon Green will be completed. A mid-day Instagram notice from the protesters stated that Eisgruber “failed to let us know how, when, or on what timeline the camp would be cleared,” and the “urgent update” concluded, “Administration and public safety are currently encircling the camp as we deliberate our next steps.”  more

ONE THOUSAND TREES: The Watershed Institute and its partners embarked last week on a tree planting project in Cadwalader Park that aims to increase Trenton’s tree canopy and combat climate change while adding 1,000 trees throughout the city in the next three years. (Photo courtesy of the Watershed Institute)

By Donald Gilpin

With a plan to plant 1,000 trees in Trenton in the next three years, the Watershed Institute, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), and other partners began planting trees last week in Cadwalader Park to improve climate resiliency and enhance the environment.

“At the Watershed we really believe that trees are such an important component of the green infrastructure that protects our waterways and so important as we enter this year of climate change,” said Watershed Chief of Operations Sophie Glovier. more

By Donald Gilpin

At its meeting on Tuesday night, April 30, which took place after press time, the Princeton Board of Education (BOE) was expected to approve a proposal for a $85 to $89.5 million facilities referendum, planned for December 2024 or January 2025, and also a 2024-25 budget of $119.2 million.

The referendum proposal, for new construction and renovation at Community Park Elementary (CP), Littlebrook Elementary (LB), Princeton Middle School (PMS), and Princeton High School (PHS), is anticipated to be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). The specific dollar amount, which could be smaller with the inclusion of potential state aid, and the final form of the referendum questions will be determined after the NJDOE reviews the application and advises which portion of the costs is eligible for state funding. more

GAZA SOLIDARITY ENCAMPMENT: Pro-Palestine demonstrators at Princeton University moved into the sixth day of their “encampment” on Tuesday, moving the demonstration from McCosh Courtyard to Cannon Green between Nassau Hall and the Whig and Clio halls. Thirteen protesters were arrested on Monday evening during a takeover and sit-in in the Clio administration building.

By Donald Gilpin

The Gaza Solidarity Encampment pro-Palestine demonstration at Princeton University entered its sixth day on Tuesday, April 30 after a tense Monday evening during which protesters marched from their previous base in McCosh Courtyard and occupied Clio Hall for several hours before settling on Cannon Green, directly behind Nassau Hall.

In an email sent to the Princeton University Community at 10:30 p.m. Monday, following the arrest of 13 people, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber noted that all 13, including five undergraduates, six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and one person not affiliated with the University, received summonses for trespassing and have been barred from campus. Two other demonstrators, both graduate students, were arrested at the start of the demonstrations on April 25.

“The students will also face University discipline,” he added, “which may extend to suspension or expulsion.” There were no injuries reported during the incident. more

INNOVATION CENTER: The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony on May 9 for its new $109.7 million Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC), as Fusion Energy Week features a number of engaging activities, in-person and virtual, for the general public. The above rendering of the PPIC building, scheduled for completion by 2027, shows the three-story North Wing with the roof garden to the left, and the South Wing laboratory building. (Rendering courtesy of SmithGroup)

By Donald Gilpin

The first-ever Fusion Energy Week, a worldwide initiative to inform and engage the pubic with the world of fusion energy, is coming up, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) will be kicking off activities on May 4 with a pop-up Science on Saturday presentation on the quest for fusion energy at the PPPL since 1951.

PPPL Science Education Department Head Arturo Dominguez, who is one of three leaders of the U.S. Fusion Outreach Team and one of three organizers of the week’s activities, noted that there are events scheduled in person and virtually all over the world, with information and registration available at usfusionenergy.org. more