The American Spectator

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Princeton Settles the Lawsuit

By J. Peter Freire on 12.11.08 @ 12:37PM

As Neal Freeman puts it in today's column, Princeton blinked. You should read the column (here) which explains how it came to be that Princeton and its largest benefactors became embroiled in a lawsuit. But you should also think about how universities are so monolithic and bloated now that they can do this to their alums. Not just any alums either -- alums who donate a significant portion of cash to their alma mater.

Now think of this another way: If the university administration isn't accountable to the people who contribute to it out of a sense of kindness, what on earth would make the university administration accountable to its students? In other words, let's say you're paying your way through college and they're screwing things up for you. How on earth do you crack the whip?

One thing is for sure: Donors who might give to Princeton are going to have to think twice about what they're giving, and pay attention to the specifics.