A CHECK AND SWEAT EQUITY: Among those present for Princeton University’s presentation of $50,000 toward the construction of a Habitat for Humanity duplex in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood were Princeton Councilwoman Leticia Fraga, front row, left; Mayor Liz Lempert, third from left; University President Christopher L. Eisgruber, rear row center; and University Community and Regional Affairs Director Kristin Appelget, rear row, right. (Photo by Mark Czajkowski)

By Anne Levin

When Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber met with Princeton Council last February for what has become an annual gathering, members of the governing body took turns telling Eisgruber their most pressing concerns and priorities.

Councilwoman Leticia Fraga thanked Eisgruber for contributions by University students and staff on local projects such as Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) and the Latin American Defense and Education Fund’s (LALDEF) community ID program. She suggested that the University might want to continue that support by helping with Habitat for Humanity’s construction of a new home in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood.

The announcement last Thursday that the University is contributing $50,000 and some “sweat equity” to Habitat for Humanity toward construction of two homes came as welcome, and surprising news. “That was the only time I mentioned that to them,” said Fraga. “So when months later, the announcement was made, I was very heartened to hear it.”

The University’s Student Volunteer Council within The Pace Center for Civic Engagement has worked with Habitat for Humanity since 2016, but student involvement with the organization actually stretches back further, particularly to an international “blitz build” in Mexico where 300 homes were built in one week, said Kristin Appelget, the University’s director of community and regional affairs. “This allows students to continue this long-standing involvement within walking distance of campus. Members of faculty and staff are also going to be involved.”

Appelget said that the Princeton Varsity Club, a group of student athletes who help with service work, is also getting involved in the project. “They have a program called Weapons of Mass Construction, and the current assistant director of the group was a Princeton student herself and was a student athlete,” she said. “She actually participated in a Habitat build, so now she’ll be working on a project right in town.”

Fraga, who is involved in LALDEF, said Pace Center students were the first to volunteer when the organization first started issuing community ID cards and needed help.

The students also helped out with SHUPP’s efforts to fight food insecurity. She is hopeful that the University will step up for another issue that has been a concern for years.

“There is a need for another laundromat near the Witherspoon-Jackson side of town,” she said. “The only one currently is at the Princeton Shopping Center, and it is hard to get to for people who don’t drive. I have seen mothers pushing strollers with laundry piled on top, walking to the shopping center, and it’s really heartbreaking to see, especially in the winter. I don’t know what the solution is, whether it’s too expensive to put another one in. But it’s something we need help with.”

The announcement by the University “is really motivating for me,” Fraga added. “But we can’t just rely on them or on individuals for help. We have to work with more community partners to address needs that are out there. We have to do more of that.”