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As a member of Princeton's Faculty for almost 30 years, I have long admired the Daily Princetonian and cherished the many staff members who took my economics courses.
But Thursday the paper reached a low point of journalism I never expected at Princeton. Your attack of Professor Joshua Katz is nothing but an unprecedented hit job.
The strongest accusation is about an alleged relationship with a woman who would neither give her name nor say anything critical about Professor Katz.
The best you could find of a first-hand complaint is that Professor Katz took a student to dinner once. If she didn’t want to have dinner with him, was she too weak to decline the offer? Faculty having dinner with students is one of the finest of Princeton traditions. I have had dinner with hundreds of students in the dorms, in the clubs, and yes often at Mediterra. (And I always paid the bill.) I have wonderful memories from discussions outside of classes with thousands of students. I hope your vicious attack on Professor Katz doesn't stop the wonderful student/faculty closeness I experienced at Princeton and still do with emails from alumni.
Professor Katz is a brilliant classics scholar who loves to get people excited about his field. He has won the highest teaching awards at Princeton. But because he doesn’t share the Prince’s opinion on how to achieve a just society you attack him. You don't even seem to care about all the work he has quietly done behind the scenes to promote minority students. I thought Universities were established for open debate, not attempted character assassination.
You owe Professor Katz and all independent thinkers an apology.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Bogan, Department of Economics, 1992-June 2020
