21 Questions With ... Randy Khalil '13

RANDY KHALIL '13, WHO HOPES TO RESURRECT AN ACLU CHAPTER ON CAMPUS, REFLECTS ON PARENTHOOD, ABUSIVE KITTIES, AND THE VIOLATION OF SOCIAL NORMSName: Randy KhalilAge: 19Major: Near Eastern Studies, with a Linguistics certificateHometown: Berkeley, CAEating club/residential college/affiliation: Terrace/Whitman What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?I go straight to the bathroom.What's the best meal you've eaten at Princeton?The special holiday meal during freshman year right before Christmas was amazing. The Cornish hens were delicious.When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter and why?I pulled an all-nighter last Thursday night into Friday to finish an ORF 245 problem set. I also finished a few summer internship applications ... and procrastinated on Facebook ... and listened to Radiohead's newly-released album.Which words or phrases do you most overuse?I am told that I say the word "actually" too much. I don't actually know if that's true though.What projects are you hoping to tackle with the Princeton ACLU chapter, at least in the near future?We hope to bring in speakers to discuss student rights. We plan on addressing the following topics: Congress' attempts to de-fund Planned Parenthood, the new TSA security protocols, Internet freedom and government attempts at restriction and control over it, interpretation of the First Amendment, why REAL ID and the PATRIOT Act are unconstitutional, and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and other discriminatory policies.Where do you go for news?A variety of sources: NY Times, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Haaretz, NPR, and for local news The Berkeley Daily Planet.What is the background on your computer?An orange cat pushing a grey cat's head into a bowl of cat food.When is bedtime?It depends. I try to be in bed by 1, but sometimes as late as 4.What's the most interesting thing you've learned at Princeton?F does not quite equal m*a.What are the first five words that come to mind when you hear the word "freedom"?"America!" Also, "Constitution," "fundamental rights," and "justice."What is your greatest guilty pleasure?I love cheese. I've been known to pull out several chunks of cheese, a plate, and a knife while studying at Firestone.What is your motto?Break stereotypes and violate social norms as much as possible.What's the most dangerous thing you've done in the past year?I once walked around the Haight in San Francisco at 1 a.m. on a Friday night without any money. Either that or Terrace initiations.What’s the last student performance you saw?The last student performance I saw was BAC: Power. I just realized that "saw" and "was" are backward spellings of each other.At age 6, what was your dream job?My dream job at age six was to become an ophthalmologist. I had a plan written out and everything.What's the next not-class-assigned book on your reading list?"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides.When was the last time you were in a car?It was earlier this semester when Public Safety had to drive me to McCosh when I had a really bad cough and fever and could barely walk.Who is your mortal enemy?I try not to have any "mortal" enemies.What do you love most about Princeton?I love the huge variety of people you meet here. After two years here, I still continue to be amazed by how interesting people are.What do you hate about Princeton?There is no decent Mexican food available around here. It's one of the things I look forward to most whenever I go back home.What makes someone a Princetonian?A true Princetonian is someone who is crazy smart and passionate about something they love, very interesting, and probably a little bit quirky in some way.