The recommendations of the Eating Club Task Force do not go far enough. The entire bicker process is indefensible and a blot on Princeton’s reputation. As a longtime Schools Committee chairperson, I have met many high school students who would not even consider applying to Princeton, as well as many admitted candidates who choose to go to college elsewhere, because they are turned off by the notion of selective clubs. When one asks students in selective clubs what the criteria for selection are, one hears terms like “fitting in,” which are often code words for class bias that one would hope a great university would strive to break down rather than reinforce. The defense that “life is selective” is particularly disturbing, as I hope that in “life” one is not “selected” based on where your family goes on vacation, apparently a common question during bicker.
In Response to: New selection process proposed for clubs