Clubs' selectivity varies in fall Bicker session

Cap and Gown and Ivy Clubs concluded a highly selective fall Bicker last week, with more than 40 bickerees apiece and far fewer acceptances, according to club members.

Of the 45 students who bickered Ivy, just eight were accepted, members said.

Further down Prospect Avenue, at Cap and Gown, 13 of 42 bicker candidates won a spot in the club.

Ivy and Cap each drew about 140 bickerees in the spring.

Tower, which boasted the largest Bicker class in the spring, remained a popular 'Street' option. It welcomed 20 of 34 Bicker candidates into the club, members said.

Campus Club accepted both of its bickerees as members.

Members of Cottage, which held fall Bicker for the first time in several years, accepted 17 of 20 students, according to club members.

Tiger Inn is the only bicker club that did not hold fall Bicker this year.

Support nonprofit student journalism. Donate to the ‘Prince’. Donate now »

Because the Inter-Club Council (ICC) declined to release official fall Bicker numbers, The Daily Princetonian confidentially interviewed club members to obtain the data.

"We feel that releasing numbers, in general, is not a good policy," ICC president J.W. Victor '05 said in a statement via email. "It can compound the hardship of an already difficult time for those who were not offered membership by their first choice club."

One Cap member said more students might have bickered if preexisting friendships with members did not play such a decisive role in the process.

"A lot of people didn't do it because they got discouraged," the member said. "You knew who was going to get in: people who knew every member, practically."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Tower, which accepted roughly half of its 150 Bicker candidates in the spring, welcomed a similar proportion into the club this fall.

Club graduate boards and general managers generally meet to decide on the number of spots the clubs will offer to fall bickerees before Bicker begins, and the number of spots available remains confidential until the end of the process.

"We had expected a large turnout this fall, and our expectations were soundly met," Tower president Eric Czervionke '05 said. "This year's class was exceptionally strong, and as a result, we were able to grant membership offers up to the maximum capacity permitted by our Board of Trustees."

A Tower member speaking on condition of anonymity said that "Bicker was low-key this year. The people we took were people who are around the club all the time, anyway."

Victor said that students who did not make it into their first-choice club should take comfort in the fact that the 'Street' has a place for them.

"It is always very difficult when students have to deny membership in any organization to friends and fellow students," he said. But, he added, "between the eleven clubs, the ICC can accommodate every student who seeks membership in one of Princeton's eating clubs."