Princeton|News|
Why Family Dinners Matter
An op ed piece by Elizabeth M. Casparian, the executive director of HiTOPS Adolescent Health and Education Center in Princeton.

Email: greta.cuyler@patch.com
Phone: (609) 865-9690
Hometown: Dennis, Mass.
Birthday: February 24
Bio: : I grew up in Massachusetts and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. Later, I earned a master's in business from Simmons School of Management in Boston.
In college, I was on track for a career in journalism- as news editor of my college paper, interning for weekly and daily newspapers and being published in The Boston Globe.
Then I found out how much reporters earned and took an immediate career detour. I spent eight years working in corporate banking before a corporate layoff convinced me to return to my first love- journalism.
Over the past six years, I have been a reporter at newspapers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
As a reporter at the New Hampshire Union Leader, I broke two national stories. The first was the story of four municipal employees fired for gossiping about their boss. The other was about a 17-year-old boy who had sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend but was prosecuted for sexual assault. My reporting led to coverage in the Boston Globe, New York Times, "Good Morning America" and "20/20."
When I heard about Patch, I jumped at the chance to be part of this online, interactive venture. I consider it the future of journalism.
I have always considered Princeton my second home. My grandparents used to live on Wiggins Street and my grandmother later moved to an apartment on Nassau Street. I spent nearly every major holiday in Princeton as a child and remember shopping at Clayton's in Palmer Square and at Woolworth's and the Hobby Shop on Nassau Street.
Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
Politics: I have voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates, but generally consider myself a Democrat. What worries me most about politics is the move towards more partisan and often hostile debate, instead of working towards compromise for the good of the country.
Religion: I was raised in the Episcopal Church, but I don't consider myself particularly religious. Local Hot-Button Issues: Consolidation is the biggest issue facing Princeton Township and Princeton Borough. Should the two municipalities collaborate between similar functions or pursue all-out consolidation?
Other issues include the future of the Dinky train station when Princeton University builds its new arts center and electing a new borough mayor when longtime incumbent Mildred Trotman leaves at the end of 2011.
An op ed piece by Elizabeth M. Casparian, the executive director of HiTOPS Adolescent Health and Education Center in Princeton.

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