Letter to the Editor: May 14, 2010

Response to the findings of the eating club task force

This letter is written on behalf of the graduate board of Cap & Gown Club in response to the Task Force on Relationships between the University and the Eating Clubs. We would like to commend Bob Durkee ’69 and the members of the task force for the excellent work they did to provide a balanced and constructive report.

We are strongly supportive of the report and the general thrust of the recommendations. We are delighted by the clear recognition that the clubs are, and should continue to be, a key part of the life of Princeton University. Neither our alumni nor our board would be spending time or providing financial support to Cap unless we were firmly convinced that a strong Cap & Gown is in the best interest of Princeton University.

Cap & Gown has since its inception been a selective club and expects to remain a selective club. However, we are ready to engage in a discussion to determine whether there is a system that works better for all undergraduates aspiring to join a club. The recommendations of the task force are a useful starting point for this effort.

We believe that the undergraduate membership and leadership of Cap mirrors the diversity of the Princeton student body, though, admittedly we have never kept statistics in this regard. Cap’s members are active in all aspects of campus life, including student activities, athletics, leadership and Greek organizations. While we also do not track the number of students on scholarship, we do know that a very substantial proportion of our undergraduate members benefit from the University’s generous financial aid policies. The recent changes in financial aid policy with respect to the clubs have been helpful to bring the Cap & Gown experience to more people. We believe, as the report suggests, that there is room for continued improvement with respect to the clubs and financial aid.

We appreciate that the report outlines concrete ways that the University and the clubs can support each other. We believe that better communication between the University and prospective students, between the University and the Graduate Interclub Council, and between clubs within the GICC can only lead to better informed choices by prospective students, more productive policies, better operating efficiencies and lower costs for students. Cap is supportive of continued and increased academic usage of the club as well as an expanded and more coordinated approach to community service projects at the club and in conjunction with other clubs. We also believe that Princeton will be stronger with diverse social options and encourage developments of the ideas suggested in the report, such as the reestablishment of a campus pub.

The members of Cap & Gown Club select the next class by answering the question, “With whom do I want to eat my meals for the next two years?” Cap’s members certainly take a prospective member’s affiliations into consideration, much as any job applicant’s resume may be scrutinized for extracurricular activities. However, we recognize a fundamental difference between membership in a Greek organization and participation in student activities or athletic teams. It is the understanding of the board that membership in a Greek organization is not, and has not historically been, a primary or critical element in the membership selection process.

Finally, we strongly believe that alcohol consumption at both the University and in Cap & Gown Club must be done in a responsible and a legal manner. We also believe that having the University act as first responder to alcohol-related incidents as suggested in the report would be a great step in the right direction. It would help encourage students in such situations to consider the safety of the student above all other things, rather than the potential legal liability for that individual or those assisting them.

In conclusion, while there are many details to work out, we stand ready to work together with the University and other eating clubs to further improve the experience of students at Princeton.

Thomas Fleming Jr. ’69

Chairman of the Graduate Board of Trustees of Cap & Gown Club