Charter, Colonial full after first-round sign-ins end

With the first round of sign-ins complete, both Colonial Club and Charter Club have filled their membership for the coming year, though neither the Inter-Club Council nor the clubs released the exact number of members accepted.

The council decided to withhold the numbers to avoid stigmatizing the clubs for the second round of sign-ins which will take place Thursday, one day earlier than in years past and before Bicker bids are handed out, ICC Advisor Tim Szostek '02 said.

Approximately 350 sophomores went to the Frist Campus Center to sign into their clubs of choice, up from 335 last year. Terrace, Quad, Cloister, and Charter clubs will participate in the second round of sign-ins; however, Charter has already filled its active membership, and will only be accepting applicants to its wait list.

According to an unconfirmed report, 180 students — about 50 percent of the total number who participated in this year's sign-in process — selected Colonial as their first choice.

This is the latest of four years of growth for Colonial and Charter that began in 1999. In that year, they received only 24 and 25 applicants respectively in the first round of sign-ins.

While not all of the students were accepted to their first choice clubs, all were offered membership by at least one, Szostek said.

All of the sign-in clubs received a solid turnout, and those that had not seen a particularly good turnout in the past saw improvements this year, Szostek said. While Terrace Club did not fill to capacity in the first round, club president Jacob Shapiro '03 was satisfied with the turnout.

The ICC moved up the date of the second round of sign-ins to increase participation in the club system, Szostek said. In the past, many students have decided to go independent after being denied a bid by a Bicker club.

"A lot of people get disenfranchised when they don't get a bid," Szostek said. "Hopefully [this year] we will have better turn out for the second round."

Students who are not accepted to their first choice sign-in club will not be allowed to bicker starting today, Szostek said.

Bicker begins

Yesterday also marked the beginning of this year's Bicker process. Despite the cold temperatures, current members stood on the front lawns of their respective clubs shouting at the bickerees as they made the their way down The Street.

After the Bicker session ended most seemed in good spirits, smiling as they walked back to their dorms. However, some were cleaner than others: most of those leaving Tiger Inn were covered in what looked like mustard, construction paper, and everything in between. Despite his stained clothes, sophomore Chay Dildy said he had had a "lot of fun" so far at TI.

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"It's painless," said one sophomore of Tower's bicker system.

One student, on his way back from Ivy Club, said it is "exciting to meet new people in a friendly environment."

While many preferred the security offered by signing in, this particular student said he was looking forward to, "throwing my name into the hat and seeing what happens." Others, however, were more wary of the risks involved in bickering. One girl who was bickering Tower said she was "a bit nervous" about her chances.