Alcohol is not the only ticket to a good time on the Street lately, as eating clubs have launched efforts to incorporate more alcohol-free events into their weekend calendars.
This semester, Quadrangle Club has organized three dry events, all of which have been well-received, said president Corey Sanders '04.
These alcohol-free events include a spring party co-organized with the International Students at Princeton and a party featuring Jin, a well-known Asian rapper who has appeared on MTV. The latter event is cosponsored by KASA, the Korean American Students Association.
"These events are still fun," Sanders said. "Not everyone needs to be drinking to have fun."
Similarly, Tower Club has hosted a dry Persian New Year party and an Alcohol Initiative event, a campus battle-of-the bands, president Cullen Newton '04 said.
Over the last five weeks, Quad has run an experiment in order to determine how easier access to soda affects consumption of beer on an average party night on the Street, Sanders said. Kathleen Deignan, Dean of Undergraduate Life, was informed of the experiment prior to its execution.
"A lot of social pressures on the Street tend to push people to consume alcohol on the Street, even if they don't want to," Sanders said.
On two "control" nights, Quad offered only beer to guests. On these nights, an average of 599 cups of beer were consumed in three hours. The club then hosted three three-hour party nights in which they offered both beer and soda. An overt offering of soda reduced total average beer consumption to 307 cups, Sanders said, and an average of 149.33 cups of soda were consumed on those nights.
Sanders said he believes the results mean students are more likely to drink soda instead of beer if they feel it is socially acceptable, and he wrote up the results of the experiment in a report entitled "The Social Drinking Climate on Prospect Street."
Furthermore, Sanders believes students desiring such beverages may hesitate to order them because of a feeling that "drinking alternative beverages is not acceptable."
In an attempt to boost students' confidence when ordering nonalcoholic beverages, Quad has installed a visible soda machine in the taproom, as has Cloister.
Tower made the move to install its own soda machine after a meeting last December with University president Shirley Tilghman, said former club president Jon Sprouse '03. When Tilghman mentioned the possibility of University-subsidized soda cans, Tower decided to install its own fountain, which has been a big success, according to Newton.
All of the clubs — excepting those that already have fountains — have accepted the University's offer to provide cans of soda on Thursday and Saturday nights, said William Robinson '04, undergraduate life chair of the USG.
"We worked with the ICC to convince all of the clubs to provide free soda on Thursday and Saturday nights," he said. "A lot of students are expressing satisfaction at the ability to have a nonalcoholic drink."
Robinson said that he hopes the success of the program will convince clubs to install their own soda fountains, which he said could be easily obtained through the University's connection with the Coca-Cola corporation.
Sanders said Quad's biggest alcohol-free event is yet to come. The University has pledged $15,000 toward's the club's dry lawnparties event next Sunday, and Quad is spending an additional $15,000 to $20,000 to land a desirable band.
Sanders said the decision to go dry more often resulted in part from the demographics of Quad's new membership.
"We definitely have a lot of persons in the club that don't drink or drink minimally," Sanders said.
Read More
Lawsuits filed against University after cybersecurity incidents
Shaun KaraniMultiple lawsuits have been filed against Princeton in the wake of a widespread cybersecurity breach.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Princeton in the wake of a widespread cybersecurity breach.
Israeli consulate visits Princeton to discuss experience of Jewish students, follows Tsurkov release
Luke GrippoFor the first time since the 2024 “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Princeton, Yuval Donio Gideon, head of the Public Policy Department of the Consulate General of Israel in New York, met with University administrators and campus rabbis to discuss the experience of Israeli and Jewish students on campus.
For the first time since the 2024 “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Princeton, Yuval Donio Gideon, head of the Public Policy Department of the Consulate General of Israel in New York, met with University administrators and campus rabbis to discuss the experience of Israeli and Jewish students on campus.
Trump administration announces new travel, visa restrictions in last days of semester
Luke GrippoNew travel restrictions announced by the Trump administration could impact international students returning to campus after break.
New travel restrictions announced by the Trump administration could impact international students returning to campus after break.