Feb. 4, 1980: Bicker: A damaging tradition

The following is an unsigned editorial published by The Daily Princetonian on Feb. 4, 1980, during the tenure of Elena Kagan ’81 as editorial chairman.

Throughout the coming week, Princeton’s most lingering tradition — Bicker — will once again make its presence felt throughout the university community. This year, 551 sophomores registered to bicker, approximately 45 percent more than did last February. We find this increase extremely dismaying.

Sophomores may perceive several reasons to bicker. The five selective eating clubs are among Prospect Avenue’s larger and more luxurious facilities. Many sophomores may have friends who are members of selective clubs. Undoubtedly, then, some students view the process by which selective clubs choose their members as no more than the necessary means to achieve a desired result.

Unfortunately, despite the assurance of some selective club members that “our club runs a relaxed Bicker,” Bicker remains an inherently discriminatory process that screens out those who fail to meet certain arbitrary criteria for club membership. By its nature, Bicker is superficial; club members must often judge those bickering on the basis of impressions gleaned from short, often shallow conversations. Ultimately, sophomores who receive no bid, or even the “wrong” bid, suffer severe hurt and frustration.

One might argue that Bicker is voluntary and that those who choose to bicker must be prepared to accept rejection. The consequences of Bicker, however, are not confined to its participants. Rather, Bicker has a fragmenting effect on the entire university community.

Each year the Office of Admission attempts to select a diverse freshman class representing a wide variety of backgrounds and interests. But, each year, by bickering, many sophomores participate in a process which limits their ability to take advantage of this much prized diversity.

Some degree of social fragmentation is inevitable at Princeton. Students, whether they eat in residential colleges, open clubs, or selective clubs, tend to socialize with those who share similar interests or come from similar backgrounds, to the exclusion of others. Yet, only in the selective club is this tendency institutionalized — in the form of Bicker.

Bicker should not be seen as “a necessary evil” for either selective club members or sophomores wishing to gain membership to a particular club. Bicker may be a Princeton tradition, but it is a tradition whose time should have long since expired.