Of course the Street isn't like Wheaton College

Regarding 'Let's really be honest about the Street' (Jonathan C. Eastvold, March 29):

When the Princeton Review examined Wheaton College, Eastvold's alma matter in 2002 they insisted that "Wheaton students are too worried about academics to have a healthy social life. In their attempt to pursue Godly male-female relationships, they have become sexually and socially repressed." It would seem that while Mr. Eastvold came here to earn a Ph.D. in politics he also hoped to bring Wheaton's "unique" environment with him.

While he is quite right in questioning Cullen Newton's claim (Let's be honest, March 26) that "there is no safer college party environment in the United States than Prospect Avenue" coming from Wheaton, Princeton's liberal environment encourages fun, social drinking in a safe atmosphere as well as safe environment for the sexes to interact — even if that occasionally means they grind on each other. Liquor is not offered except to club members on special occasions and it is served in an environment monitored by club officers whose lives literally depend on the health and safety of their members and guests. It is for this very reason that there has never been a death.

His claim of alcohol-fueled misogyny seems laughable when compared to a recent visit to the D-Bar. (There's a reason why they call it the debasement bar.) Eastvold's uninformed letter proves little other than the necessity to "crack down — hard —" on the sketchy grad students sneaking into our eating clubs.

And finally, Eastvold, could you tell me where these pornographic magazines that you speak of are available? Just for my own, uh, journalistic integrity. Adam Kopald '05

This grad student sure does know his stuff

Regarding 'Let's really be honest about the Street' (Jonathan C. Eastvold, March 29):

Eastvold is a stranger to the truth on eating clubs and should hesitate before lecturing others on them. Firstly, the letter is clearly based on anecdotal evidence and innuendoes. Where has Eastvold encountered the various phenomena he purports to have witnessed at Eating Clubs? Where has he seen this "hard liquor" or these "pornographic magazines?"

How much time has Eastvold spent at Prospect Avenue to know ambulances are commonplace? Has he compiled copious notes on ambulance deployment in the Borough?

Or perhaps his comments come from how frequently he visits the clubs? Being as familiar with the undergraduate social scene as he is, Eastvold should recall that, in most cases, admittance to the eating clubs requires an undergraduate PUID — not a graduate student one. It is unlikely that Eastvold has been to many of the clubs, certainly not enough times to be considered an authority on their practices.

Numerous articles have been written by people more qualified than Eastvold and me, such as Newton's, that effectively demonstrate that the alternative to the eating clubs is an atmosphere of actual danger to the students, as opposed to the atmosphere of minimal danger that we see at no other school. As a politics student, Eastvold should appreciate the lesser-of-several-evils argument, and that our concern is maximizing protection.

Eastvold's vision of Prospect Avenue seems to reside exclusively in his head, where it should remain, along with his future letters to the editor impugning those who are familiar with their subject matter. Zachary Goldstein '05