Clubs opt to go dry for bicker process

Sophomores participating in Bicker hit a dry spell yesterday as the University Cottage Club, Ivy Club, Cap and Gown Club and Tiger Inn decided not to serve alcohol. The sign-in clubs, however, remained on tap.

"T.I. is dry tonight. All the bicker clubs are dry tonight," Tiger Inn president Jason Brasno '98 said last night. He would not discuss plans for the rest of the week.

Tower Club president Mark Basile '98 said early last night that "Tower will probably go dry if the rest of the clubs do." He was unavailable for comment later to confirm or deny a dry bicker.

Ivy president Temp Keller '98 said the club would be dry for the evening but did not explain why the clubs had decided to suspend their alcohol-related bicker activities.

Cap and Gown held a mandatory meeting for its members yesterday afternoon to discuss the dry bicker. Member Summer Riley '99 said that the graduate board and club members thought a dry bicker would be safer and "in the best interest of the bickerers."

'Binge Drinking'

Yesterday's decision was the result of discussion among the officers of each club. The ban on drinking – a traditional feature of bicker week and club initiations – came as a surprise to Inter-club Council and Charter president Jim White '98. White said the ICC had not mandated the dry bicker period.

"The clubs want to prevent binge drinking," said Interclub Adviser Mike Jackman '92. Jackman did not say why the clubs decided to host a dry bicker session last night, but cited an overall trend toward a "safer environment" on the 'Street.'

Jackman added that "today versus a few years ago there is a marked difference in the availability of alcohol." He attributed the difference to a stricter enforcement of the University alcohol policy in recent years. Despite what Jackman described as "a greater effort on the part of the clubs to deal with situations involving drinking," he added that "access may be too easy to alcohol."

Jackman noted that the relationship between the graduate boards of the eating clubs and the undergraduate officers is often a cooperative one. "Usually any decision between the graduate board and the undergraduate officers is in the best interest of everyone involved."

Riley also noted that the clubs were "concerned with the amount of alcohol consumption" during bicker week.

Sophomores who were bickering at Cottage and Cap and Gown, as well as club members, received voicemails yesterday to notify them of the change in the bicker alcohol policy.

The continuation of the bicker club drought remains in question, as do its implications for future bicker procedures.