Princeton’s Brats Need a Vegas Makeover

Princeton’s Brats Need a Vegas Makeover
The candid opinion that the Prince didn’t want you to see
Photo Credit to Wild Nature Images.

Growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada forces you to watch your back and take nothing for granted.  Sin City has every kind of scam-artist, criminal, and trouble-maker imaginable – all mingling in a city that is open 24-hours, 365-days-per-year.  Throw in access to legal gambling in supermarkets and gas stations, free alcohol in every casino, easy access to fake IDs, illegal narcotics, and even legal prostitutes (just outside the city limits), and it should come as no surprise that the city’s official motto is “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.”

Sometimes I wonder how I survived growing up there, let alone managed to stay focused enough in high school to get accepted by MIT, Stanford, and yes, even Princeton.  But when I reflect on the support structure I had, I can see why it all worked out.  Not only was my family behind my efforts, but so were all my friends in school. My high-school classmates and I not only helped one another out with school projects and extra-curricular stuff, we went out of our way to offer a kind word and a hug to one another whenever someone was feeling a little down, out of sorts, or just overwhelmed.  Maybe the fact that all of us personally knew at least one victim of violent crime and we even had a classmate who was “dancing” at a local “gentlemen’s club” somehow bonded us.  We knew we needed to stick together if we did not want to end up dealing blackjack in our mid-fifties to tourists in a smoke-filled room downtown.      

So now all of a sudden, Princeton is no longer a dream.  Wow, I am actually here! Amazing…Well, sort of.  Obviously, the academic environment is as exciting and challenging as I expected, and I am learning a lot, but something is a little off.  I have made good friends here, and I am enjoying their company, but I still feel a little let down by the Princeton social environment.  Do you sometimes feel a little out of place, a bit neglected, even hurt as you pass your days in Princetonville?  Me too.  Let’s see, what could it be?  I know it is not Vegas, but…Oh, hold on, I think I know what it is…just a few too many too-cool-for-school, don’t-have-time-for-anyone-who-can’t-help-me-get-an-investment-banking-internship, out-of-my-face, no-sense-of-fellowship brats running around campus and making everyone around them feel just a little less proud to be at Princeton.

Think about it – even in a little Orange Bubble there should be enough air to share a kind word or gesture with nearly anyone we encounter on campus. Those who cannot find the time or energy to be civil with fellow Princetonians are really bringing down the quality of campus life for everyone.  Let’s look at some examples from my “non-random” sample of experiences.

On move-in day as a freshman, I am at the check-in table. The student working the table rudely glares at me as she tosses me my welcome packet.  Tosses it!  I ask her for directions to one of the dorms, and she shrugs without saying a word, then turns her back to me and starts talking to some guy who was lingering behind her. It is fairly clear that she is telling me to get lost and stop wasting her time. I get it, she is practicing for Bicker, but aren’t I a new freshman?  How does this benefit Princeton as an institution or her as a person to alienate every other new freshman on the first day?  Yes, I stood back and watched – she did it to three others while I was standing there.

Another time, I am at the Friend Center (go ahead and re-read the name, it is not a misprint) looking for help on a programming assignment. The TA makes snide remarks while looking at my code. She then comments, “Well, let’s see…You start by adding a header, but I guess Physics is obviously not your thing, now is it?” I have no programming experience and do not want to major in physics, so I mean, obviously she is correct.  But how is the climate at the “Friend” Center improved by that kind of attitude.  And no, I did not do anything to instigate that behavior.  I don’t go around looking for trouble.  I learned that in Vegas.  Out there, speak up to the wrong person at the wrong time and you can end up with more than your feelings hurt.

How about this one: on my first day of cheerleading practice, I introduce myself to a fellow teammate.  “So, which residential college are you in?” I ask.  How bold of me. She states the name – nothing else – in a snarky manner, then immediately turns away and starts fumbling with her outfit. Isn’t cheerleading supposed to be the fun, upbeat rabble-rousers that pump up school spirit and make people smile?  Why is she even on the team?  My follow up question, “How are you enjoying being on the team?” is her signal to walk away in silence. 

I could go on, pulling examples from places like my Asian student organization, where a fellow Asian makes a loud comment to a bunch of us Asians that she “hates Asians”.  Or I could keep you away from tonight’s homework boring you with tales of bratty behavior in the cafeteria, like people not willing to move over two seats so a small group can sit together at the dining table.  But, look, by now you either hear what I am saying or you are too busy crossing names off your list of  Bicker candidates (while downing your tenth beer) to finish this article.  Just kidding.  I have no issue with Bicker.  I have not participated yet, but that kind of stuff at least has a bit of tradition and spirited-if-a-bit-dated camaraderie associated with it.  The bratty behavior I am addressing is gratuitous and really adds no intrigue or benefit to anyone at Princeton.

Here is a wake-up call Princeton: we only have four years together, and then it is off into the wild-non-orange yonder!  Wouldn’t it be great if we all left here (yes, I said “all” of us, not just your six friends from the pencil-sharpening club) with a love of the school, a respect and admiration for our peers, and a desire to donate a combined-use library/friend-center–building…anonymously!  Why not find a way to get along with everyone.  I am not saying you should come sit by me in the dining hall and stick a second straw in my smoothie without introducing yourself.  But at least make eye contact and say hello as you pass by on the way to class.  I promise to do the same.

We ought to embrace our common identity as Princetonians. And really, if we can’t make a difference in the cultural climate of this little orange campus, how are we going to shape the big flat world out there?  Much of the value of going to Princeton comes from the relationships that we form during our undergraduate years. These relationships extend to a strong alumni network and a pride in belonging to the “Princeton” club. Let’s get rid of our conceits, insecurities, and hang-ups, and let’s get to know each other.

Princeton is not going to ever blow your hair back like your best night in Vegas, but what happens in Princeton doesn’t stay in Princeton. Our experiences and our relationships here follow us when we leave Orange Land, and that is pretty neat.  Let’s celebrate that and each other!  And please, if you must be a brat, be one responsibly.

Jessie Ye can be reached at junzhiye@princeton.edu