Sign-in clubs see large increase in overall numbers

Although exact numbers for Quad remain unknown because officers refused to disclose membership numbers publicly, it appears that after second-round sign-ins the clubs have returned to robust and healthy levels. Every club except for Quad reported filling to desired levels, and two — Charter Club and Cloister Inn — had to turn away interested students.

In December, University Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee ’69 said the level of interest in joining eating clubs was high enough to support only nine and a half clubs.

He said he believed that the proposal last May from the Task Force on Relationships between the University and the Eating Clubs would help promote and sustain interest in the five sign-in clubs.

This plan would inform rejected bickerees of their sign-in placement at the same time that they learned of their rejection from their first-choice club.

By far the largest shift that helped solidify the collective success of the sign-in clubs this spring came from the membership levels of Colonial. After taking 84 students in the first round — up from just 13 at the same stage in the process last year — president Susan Zhang ’12 said in an e-mail that she was aiming to accept 120 to 130 sophomores overall, although the club had room for as many as 70 second-round sign-ins.

After taking into account first-round sign-ins who changed their minds and decided to go independent as well as students who requested to join after the second round had closed, Zhang said that Colonial’s sign-in class consisted of 125 students.

“[This is] smack dab in the middle of what I had hoped for us to have,” Zhang said.

“We were able to accept everyone who wanted to join and will continue to do so until the end of next week, as people are all starting to settle into the new semester,” Zhang noted on Saturday.

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Cloister, which like Colonial received significantly more first-round sign-ins this spring than last, also filled to capacity and is currently using a waitlist.

After accepting 77 new members in the first round — up from 58 in spring 2010 — the club filled the remaining 36 spots it had available for new members during second round sign-ins.

“As a whole, I am very satisfied with our sign-in season,” said president Jake Sally ’12, who added that the club is “continuing to gain membership outside of the traditional groups associated with Cloister.”

Terrace Club also filled to capacity in the second round with 53 new members signing in, according to president Ricardo Lopez ’12.

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Terrace received 88 new members in the first round. Its total new membership is 141 students, which represents the largest new class of any eating club.

Charter, which filled to capacity at 95 members in the first round and kept a waitlist of 10 prospective members, was not able to accommodate any hopeful members in the second round.

“We were unable to add to our waitlist in the second round,” president Daniel Fletcher ’12 said. “There were people who expressed interest in Charter, but we did not have space to add them.”

The Daily Princetonian estimated last week that Quad had around 50 first-round sign ins. President Julia Blount ’12 said that the club did not fill to capacity during the second round. Nevertheless, she did not seem concerned with the level of membership.

“We love all our new members and are excited by all the great things they are going to bring to the club,” Blount said.