Donate $3.21* to Princeton in support of a
Common Sense Platform
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Adopt a policy or statement of institutional neutrality.
“[E]nsure that the University remains an impartial forum for vigorous, high-quality discussion, debate, scholarship, and teaching.” Princeton’s Tradition of Institutional Restraint by Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83
Institutional neutrality preserves campus freedom of expression and intellectual diversity. American Council of Trustees and Alumni
"The instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic. … [T]here emerges…a heavy presumption against the university taking collective action or expressing opinions on the political and social issues of the day, or modifying its corporate activities to foster social or political values, however compelling and appealing they may be." The Kalven Report
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Increase the Number of Students. Commit to increase the student body size by an additional 100 students/class within a reasonable timeframe (beyond the currently committed expansion of 500 students/class).
Direct a Larger Percentage of the Budget to Educational Expenses.
Reduce general administration and institutional support to less than 13% of expenses (currently 15% of expenses in FY2023; up from 11% in FY2017).
Reduce administrative services from 12% to 10% of expenditures (as reported in the Princeton University Profile brochure for FY2023).
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Make Free Speech a permanent part of Freshman orientation. Already adopted for recent school years.
Train the Public Safety Officers to better understand the enforcement of content-neutral time, place and manner restrictions, and make such training available to students.
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Require general standardized testing for all admission applications (SAT, ACT). (MIT brings back a test that, despite its reputation, helps low-income students in an inequitable society.)
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Allow all donors—not just large donors—the option to direct their annual giving contributions to specific departments or programs.
Participation rates continue to drop. Alumni should have basic control and flexibility to direct their donation to areas of personal significance.
Clicking the button will take you to @Princeton.edu website in a new tab.
* $3.21 can be added to other donations (e.g., instead of donating $500, donate $503.21).
Big Impact with a Signal Donation
The $3.21 Platform is a strategy to voice concerns and support common sense policy changes at Princeton University.
By donating $3.21 to the Annual Giving Campaign, we can send a strong collective signal to the administration and Board of Trustees, and urge meaningful change.
FAQs
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Absolutely. A $3.21 donation will be registered by the Princeton administration and will send a clear message.
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The platform is a collection of common sense proposals for Princeton and other institutions. If you have thoughts about the platform (including applying it to other schools) we’d love to hear from you - reach out using the form below.
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We are not megadonors. Further, some of us are reluctant to completely sever donative ties. Withholding hundreds or even thousands of dollars only registers on the administration’s radar as among the ~50% of alumni who don’t participate in annual giving. Letters are helpful (and encouraged), but require administrative discretion in categorizing and tracking the exact issues raised.
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Your donations are your choice. If you choose to make subsequent donations, please consider adding $3.21 until the platform has been met. If you are done, your final $3.21 donation will help the administration understand why.
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The platform was created with an eye towards easily measured metrics. We will announce when the $3.21 Platform has been met, though you will always control your own decisions to donate or not.
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No; all $3.21 donations will signal the importance and universality of the platform.