Page 5 - Aruba Today
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Tuesday 5 April 2016
Princeton to keep Wilson’s name despite his racist views
ERRIN WHACK Princeton University students walk through an exhibit titled, “In the Nation’s Service? Woodrow Wil- art.Wilson was president
Associated Press son Revisited” at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in Princeton, N.J. of Princeton from 1902 to
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — 1910, and the country’s
Woodrow Wilson’s name (AP Photo/Mel Evans) 28th president from 1913
will remain on Princeton until 1921. The Democrat is
University’s public policy changed the way people oring people, we would his faults also are candidly credited with creating the
school, despite calls to will talk about and remem- honor nobody. The right at- recognized. Princeton also Federal Reserve system,
remove it because the ber Wilson,” said Eisgruber, titude is to honor people, pledged to adopt other led the U.S. into World War
former U.S. president was a 1983 Princeton alumnus. but be honest about their changes, including estab- I and tried to preserve a
a segregationist, the Ivy “All the people whom we failings.” lishing a pipeline program lasting peace afterward.
League university an- honor in history are going to University leaders conclud- to encourage more minor- He won the Nobel Peace
nounced Monday. be people with flaws and ed that Wilson’s accom- ity students to pursue doc- Prize in 1919 for being the
Princeton was challenged deficiencies. If we made plishments merited com- toral degrees and diversi- architect of the League of
to take a deeper look into that argument for not hon- memoration, so long as fying campus symbols and Nations. But he also sup-
Wilson’s life in the fall, when ported segregation — in-
a group of students raised cluding in the federal gov-
questions about his rac- ernment — rolling back
ist views. The Black Justice progress for the emerg-
League held a 32-hour sit-in ing black middle class in
inside Princeton President the nation’s capital at the
Christopher Eisgruber’s of- turn of the 20th century. As
fice, demanding Wilson’s president of Princeton, he
name be removed from also prevented the enroll-
programs and buildings, in- ment of black students.
cluding the Woodrow Wil- The debate over Wilson’s
son School of Public Policy name was part of a wave
and International Affairs, of racially motivated activ-
and for other changes to ism on college campuses
make the university more across the country this
diverse and inclusive. school year that began
Eisgruber said the process with protests at the Univer-
helped him learn more sity of Missouri. There, black
about one of Princeton’s students — including mem-
most celebrated alumni bers of the school’s foot-
and presidents. ball team — successfully
“The students should rec- protested for the ouster of
ognize they have really Missouri’s president.
U.S. judge OKs $20B settlement
from disastrous 2010 BP oil spill
KEVIN McGILL with a single entity.
Associated Press U.S District Judge Carl Bar-
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A bier, who approved the
federal judge in New Or- settlement, had set the
leans granted final approv- stage with an earlier ruling
al Monday to an estimated that BP had been “grossly
$20 billion settlement over negligent” in the offshore
the 2010 BP oil spill in the rig explosion that killed
Gulf of Mexico, resolving 11 workers and caused a
years of litigation over the 134-million-gallon spill.
worst offshore spill in the In 2012, BP reached a simi-
nation’s history. lar settlement agreement
The settlement, first an- with private attorneys for
nounced in July, includes businesses and residents
$5.5 billion in civil Clean who claim the spill cost
Water Act penalties and them money. That deal,
billions more to cover en- which didn’t have a cap,
vironmental damage and led to a protracted court
other claims by the five battle over subsequent
Gulf states and local gov- payouts to businesses. A
ernments. The money is to court-supervised claims
be paid out over a 16-year administrator is still process-
period. The U.S. Justice De- ing many of these claims.
partment has estimated BP has estimated its costs
that the settlement will related to the spill, includ-
cost the oil giant as much ing its initial cleanup work
as $20.8 billion, the largest and the various settlements
environmental settlement and criminal and civil pen-
in U.S. history as well as the alties, will exceed $53 bil-
largest-ever civil settlement lion.
