Commentary: Make Princeton a sanctuary for federal researchers

December 11, 2024 1 min read

1 Comment

Alex Norbrook
Daily Princetonian

Excerpt: A broad swath of researchers employed by the federal government are set to be forced out of their jobs — and Princeton can do something about it.

Across the board, President-elect Donald Trump plans to bring a hatchet to the federal civil service. He has spoken about slashing positions from key government departments, scattering federal agency headquarters across the country to trigger resignations, and potentially driving more federal employees out by weaponizing government institutions for his benefit. As these actors begin to dismantle public research infrastructure, Princeton must position itself as a sanctuary institution for displaced researchers.

Click here for link to full article

1 Response

Kenneth McCarthy
Kenneth McCarthy

December 13, 2024

Absolutely not. The federal civil service needs a hatchet taken to it. Also, this particular statement, while protected free speech, is patently partisan bullshit. “Potentially driving more federal employees out by weaponizing government institutions for his benefit”

Let’s focus our efforts on protecting free speech and not on not-so-subtly advancing ideological agendas.

Leave a comment


Also in Princeton Free Speech News & Commentary

Why Political Life at Princeton is Relatively Placid

January 02, 2025 3 min read

Khoa Sands ‘26


Elite academia has been dominated by the question of free speech and free expression over the past year. 2024 has seen the explosion of pro-Palestine campus protests, throwing institutions into disarray. At Harvard, UCLA, Columbia, and other universities, administrators struggled to respond as activists occupied campus and harassed other students. Scenes of chaotic fighting at UCLA were played on televisions across the country. 

Read More
Commentary: Go Woke, or Go Volk: The Difference Between Liberal and Democratic Consciousness

December 21, 2024 1 min read

Khoa Sands
Princeton Tory

Excerpt: While democracy emphasizes a particularized government consciousness that reflects the collective awareness and identity of a specific demos, liberalism prioritizes the universality of individual rights and freedoms shaped by historical consciousness. The tension between these forms of consciousness underlies key debates in contemporary political philosophy regarding which political regime is most preferable.

Read More
Commentary: Princeton, why don’t you care about the working class?

December 20, 2024 1 min read

Raf Basas
Daily Princetonian 

Excerpt: For centuries, Princeton has been the political and economic elite that America hates. Princetonians dominate Wall Street, with alumni earning some of Wall Street’s highest salaries. Princeton is far overrepresented in the top 1 percent, where 23 percent of Princeton students end up at the age of 34. Princeton is overrepresented in Congress, too. It’s difficult to name a set of “elites,” and not find a Princeton graduate among them. 

This is concerning, because exit polls from the November election demonstrate that Princeton students prioritize neither the working class nor economic issues — we are not just elites, but elitists.

Read More