As sophomores pondered their future social options yesterday over Frist chicken fingers and looming homework assignments, most applauded the University's recent expansion of financial aid as a much-needed effort to make eating clubs more accessible to all students.
"There were some friends of mine who weren't even considering eating clubs because of the financial issues," Laurissa Yee '09 said. "They're now considering it as an option."
The sophomores — who will decide in the spring whether they wish to enter a four-year residential college next fall, join a club or become independent — were skeptical, though, about whether increased club accessibility would integrate the campus social scene.
The University's new policy, unveiled yesterday, will eliminate nearly all financial barriers to joining a club by increasing aid grants for all upperclassman receiving financial assistance. It will also offer a number of shared meal plans — the total number determined by individual clubs — that will allow students to split their meals between the clubs and four-year colleges.
"It's a needed change," Katie Cheng '09 said of the plan. "It opens [eating clubs] up to more people ... It's a really useful thing for me."
While sophomores expressed support for the shared meal plan effort — "It sounds feasible and interesting," Matt Rich '09 said — none of the students interviewed planned to take advantage of the option.
"[The system] may not work out ... unless they seriously improve the dining halls," Yee said. "It will need some convincing."
Administrators and eating club representatives have trumpeted the plan as a catalyst for increasing socioeconomic integration. The grants will provide an "opportunity for greater diversity," Tower Club graduate board chair Greg Berzolla '87 told The Daily Princetonian yesterday.
Sophomores, though, questioned how much of an impact the new policy will have on the over 100-year-old institution of Prospect Avenue. While the plan will help economically disadvantaged students afford eating club dues, perceptions of the clubs aren't likely to change, they said.
"At Princeton, the eating clubs themselves have traditions and reputations associated with them," Cheng said. "While they can change ... that reputation does have an effect on those looking to join an eating club."
"I don't think you'll see a big growth of socioeconomic diversity in Ivy Club," Theo Beers '09 said, adding that the view of the bicker clubs as elitist is not due solely to membership costs. "Engineers will still join Charter," he said.
"I think [the plan] will mostly increase accessibility," Yee said. "As long as the stereotypes exist, it's hard to say how much more diverse [the clubs] will be."
Despite the general popularity of the University's decision, students said that so far, the new policy hasn't changed their plans for next year.
Many sophomores have already made their decisions, Cheng said. "I think [the question of eating clubs and housing] pervades the sophomore consciousness at this point in time."
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