The University's latest financial aid announcement took the student population by storm. The funny thing is that the night before the announcement, as a continuation of my griping about the University's stinging indifference towards the plight of low-income students, I held my roommate hostage by complaining how certain clubs are less financially accessible than others. Considering that he is premed, my roommate must be near his limit for tolerating my neurotic behavior. But now that the financial aid drama has been extinguished for good, my problems should be over, right? Not really. With new dining options, especially bicker options, a new wave of paranoia has refueled my neuroticism.
I used to scoff at my peers that aggressively searched out ways to get into the clubs at any cost. But when the bicker clubs became an option for me, suddenly their antics did not seem so foolish after all. These individuals know far more about the process than I do (though that may not be saying much), and many previously uninterested students like me are now playing catch up. With only two months to make a formal decision, it's possible to feel that there may not be enough time to get caught up with the pack.
This new financial aid policy, a pimp slap in the face of those looking for an excuse to go independent, was the University's answer to the numerous critics of the administration's hostility towards Prospect Avenue over the years. Many students may continue to find the character of Prospect Avenue a sufficient incentive to maintain their distance, but as my friend told me a few weeks ago, that's nothing more than a cop out. I think of the most socially inept, unsettling individual — the one you see only in the shadows of Firestone Library — when I say there truly is a club for everyone. There is a club for those too lazy to walk beyond Washington Road, clubs for those who want to get trashed, clubs for those who possess what they consider more refined tastes and yes, a club for those that care little about the social aspect of the Street and just want a scrumptious meal.
A minority of students, including, unfortunately, some of my close friends, seem bent on going independent at any cost. Maybe they believe they will be slaves to their junior papers or to some clingy girlfriend or boyfriend. Your guess is as good as mine. Some clubs have also privately voiced concern about the use of the $2,000 windfall the University is offering to prospective independents, but if the clubs make a concerted effort to display the breadth of opportunities (social, food or otherwise) that independents will be passing up should they go along that dark path, there should be no momentous shift in students' tastes.
Lacking any statistical evidence, I boldly predict that the University may even find it a struggle to fill their precious four-year colleges with eager, alienated upperclassmen. My limitless optimism is probably beginning to disgust you at this point, but again, this is what an infusion of cash can do for a man's confidence.
I am aware that the multitude of options made available to sophomores quite possibly makes it futile to make such daring predictions, but whatever the decision will be, one thing is certain: There is less time remaining than we think. Winter break, a time for catching up with friends and watching paternity test results on the "Maury Povich Show," will roll through our lives just as quickly as the frantic weeks of our 2006 academic calendar. Dean's Date already weighs heavily on the minds of many after receiving their essay assignments or take-home exams in lecture this week. By the time anyone has a moment to breathe and relax, we'll be well into 2007.
Time is in short supply, so for those twiddling their thumbs waiting for that dinner invite (as I probably have done every day for my entire Princeton career until last week), maybe it's about time to hit up Facebook and email that guy from precept you only know on a "hello and goodbye" basis. If club members are just as enthusiastic about the potential for new blood as the sophomore class seems to be, they probably won't mind that much. So what are you waiting for? Log on, get that contact information and try to salvage all that wasted time. David Smart is a sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif. He can be reached at dsmart@princeton.edu.
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