Princeton discourages freshman from joining fraternities and sororities

[33girl]

Same poo, different day.

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ight=princeton

[madmax]

Bicker is like rush.

At Princeton the greeks are pretty much invisible. The eating clubs are a combo fraternity/sorority, dorm, dining hall. The clubs look like small dorms and they are coed.

[Low C Sharp]

I don't think that academic support is really an issue at Princeton.
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Blondibondar

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Shellfish

The eating clubs seem similar to Greek local groups anyway, but I guess they're exempt from criticism because they're traditional. Insert rolleyes emoticon here.

(There's a useful article about them in Wikipedia.)

Perhaps Princeton, like many many other institutions, does not want to alienate wealthy alumni. Since virtually everyone at Princeton joins an eating club, that's potentially a lot of donated money that could be lost by heavily sanctioning/getting rid of the eating clubs. Princeton, despite having a cost of attendance that rivals the median household income in this country, guarantees that students don't have to take out a single loan while they're enrolled. Where do you think that money comes from? Monopoly?

Again, I don't see why this bothers so many people. There are still NPC/NIC greeks, they're just not recognized by the University. If you want to join, you still can!

[I.C. a Pi Phi]

Sororities at Princeton can't be too underground. Cate Edwards (Johns Edwards' daughter) and Moira Forbes (Steve Forbes' daughter) were Pi Phis at Princeton.

[AXiDTrish]

The funny thing, how many people didn't know there was Greek life at Princeton before they got the letter? If it were me, that would prompt me to research it and then go Greek in the end anyway.

[twinkle555]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Perhaps Princeton, like many many other institutions, does not want to alienate wealthy alumni. Since virtually everyone at Princeton joins an eating club, that's potentially a lot of donated money that could be lost by heavily sanctioning/getting rid of the eating clubs. Princeton, despite having a cost of attendance that rivals the median household income in this country, guarantees that students don't have to take out a single loan while they're enrolled. Where do you think that money comes from? Monopoly?

Again, I don't see why this bothers so many people. There are still NPC/NIC greeks, they're just not recognized by the University. If you want to join, you still can!

I think if my ex read this he would laugh...although he had scholarships, he still had to take out loans, last he told me he was in debt by six digits, hopefully he was exaggerating! But why cant they just have the eating clubs and greek life live in peace and harmony? Why shun one and not the other? Im pretty sure greek life does more good than those clubs..

[rufio]

ah, they're just jealous.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by amanda6035

nice. Lets join a fraternity that's "not" a fraternity. I just read the article on wikipedia.

looks like a duck, quacks like a duck....

You mean the eating clubs, some of which are older than many fraternities?

Welcome to the Ivy League, where they like to be a bit more like Oxford or Cambridge.

[amanda6035]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

You mean the eating clubs, some of which are older than many fraternities?

Welcome to the Ivy League, where they like to be a bit more like Oxford or Cambridge.

I understand that they may be older - but the article talks trash about fraternities and sororities.... when it's essentially the same thing. Of course, this is the only school with these clubs (that I'm aware of, correct me if I'm wrong), they are essentially like a local organization, so the benefit of an alumni association wherever you go is not always there, and some people have never even heard of them. I know I sure hadn't not until it was posted on this thread yesterday.

There are benefits to being greek, and I just think it's really snooty of the article to bash greek life, when, as someone else already said, it's very similar. Seriously whats the difference? other than being co-ed....

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by amanda6035

I understand that they may be older - but the article talks trash about fraternities and sororities.... when it's essentially the same thing. Of course, this is the only school with these clubs (that I'm aware of, correct me if I'm wrong), they are essentially like a local organization, so the benefit of an alumni association wherever you go is not always there, and some people have never even heard of them. I know I sure hadn't not until it was posted on this thread yesterday.

There are benefits to being greek, and I just think it's really snooty of the article to bash greek life, when, as someone else already said, it's very similar. Seriously whats the difference? other than being co-ed....

Some other schools have something like them -- Harvard's finals clubs, for example. It's an Ivy League, Ivy-like sort of thing.

I see what you're saying, but I think it shows some lack of understanding about these schools. Sure they are like local organizations, so there isn't the benefit of a national alumni association.

But this is Princeton we're talking about -- we're talking about a school ethos that doesn't really want national organizations or care about what anyone else has. Nothing beats the Princeton connection, in that view. (If you need confirmation of that, ask any Princeton grad. ) Why have Greek networking-ability when you'll have the Princeton network? Why go for the experience you can have at any (good) State University when you can have the experience unique to Princeton? It's just another way of setting Princeton up as different and, in the view of many Princetonians, better, more like the "gold standards" of Oxford and Cambridge.
In other words, the difference is that these are Princeton clubs (in the most gentlemanly sense of the word), not organizations that you and a student at East Podunk can both join. So everyone hasn't heard of them -- the people that matter have.

I completely agree with your view of the value of Greek orgs in general and national Greek orgs in particular. And I hate to see any school shut out Greek life of any kind. But I can also respect the other institutions that may be deeply woven into a schools life without calling it a "fraternity that's 'not' a fraternity."

ETA: This post may not come across quite as tounge-in-check as I intended. In my more serious moments, I can say that the eating clubs are venerable institutions with colorful histories, and that it is a mistake to infer that they are simply fraternity-wannabes without the Greek letters.

In my less serious moments, I am bemused that anyone would be in the least bit surprised to see this "we're different from everyone else and our own institutions are more than sufficient, if not better" attitude coming from Princeton. That's just seems like being surprised at seeing a peacock preen.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by I.C. a Pi Phi

Sororities at Princeton can't be too underground. Cate Edwards (Johns Edwards' daughter) and Moira Forbes (Steve Forbes' daughter) were Pi Phis at Princeton.

They're not underground. They are unrecognized by the school. Two very different things. "Underground" implies they are hiding their existence from the school and/or not in good standing with their national HQ, neither of which is the case at Princeton.

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by amanda6035

Of course, this is the only school with these clubs (that I'm aware of, correct me if I'm wrong)

In addition to some of the Ivy League Schools, Rice University in Houston has groups that are similar to these Supper Clubs. While there is nothing comparable to recruitment/bickering (students are assigned to one of the "colleges") the rest of their existence is the same. There is housing, meal service, and all university competitions is based upon the college that you are in. Each college has its own colors, symbols, cheer, etc. In addition, the question at Rice is not "What is your major?" Instead it is "What college are you in?"

At present there are no fraternities or sororities at Rice, and there does not seem to be much interest for such. My husband, who is an alumni of Rice, does not understand my sorority experience. I don't understand his "college" experience. However, we both respect that each system worked for each of us and that is enough.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by kellyg29

Yes, and we wonder how impotent at times the School Admimistration members are our not tuned in about GLOs and what they/we do?

Whether we as GLOs act as stupid people, I also wonder what we do for betterment? From what I have seen a tremendous amount of things.

Seriously, mods, isn't it time for another exorcism?

[Low C Sharp]

Harvard's final clubs are often mentioned as a comparator to Princeton's eating clubs, but the clubs at Princeton are the center of undergrad life rather than a niche. In some ways the eating clubs are more like the Harvard Houses, which is where all the upperclassmen eat and have their social lives.
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Sweet_Pupsik Cam