Campus Club to return to sign-in

Many of sophomore Stephanie Jacobs's upperclass friends belong to Campus Club, but dissatisfaction with the club's Bicker process made her wary of joining.

But the club's recent announcement that it would switch to a sign-in selection process changed Jacobs's mind — she said she now plans to join Campus in February.

"I think the change was a good one," she said. "And for me, it was the decision-maker."

Campus has had trouble attracting members for several years and has changed its selection process almost annually.

Campus used Bicker to select members in the spring and fall of 2004 to accommodate what Lou Emanuel '51, chairman of the club's board of trustees, viewed as an increasing number of students preferring to join Bicker clubs.

Nevertheless, the club's spring 2004 Bicker proved unselective, garnering 25 bickerees for the club, all of whom were accepted. In the fall round of Bicker, both students who bickered Campus were accepted.

The change to Bicker came on the heels of the club's fall 2002 to spring 2003 selection process, during which most students who showed interest in the club were accepted at any point during the year.

Before that change, Campus had struggled with few students choosing to sign in. In 2001, 27 students signed in at the club, and the number fell to 20 during the spring of 2002.

But Campus members said they hope the return to sign-in will make the club more popular.

Though Laura Collins '06 joined the club during last year's Bicker process, she said she is "very happy to no longer be in a selective club because it allows for a more open and welcoming atmosphere at the club."

"It seemed as though being a Bicker club took Campus away from [the] roots that many of us juniors knew as freshmen," she added.

Despite the enthusiasm of prospective members like Jacobs and current members like Collins, Campus's board declined to comment on the reasons for the switch.

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But Inter-Club Council (ICC) President J.W. Victor '05 said the switch to sign-in was driven by the club's members. "It is my understanding that the reason for the switch was the membership wishing to be non-selective," he said.

Victor said the rumors that Campus had not been forthcoming in informing the ICC of its plans to switch to sign-in were "ambiguous."

"I had talked with several of the club members, officers old and new, throughout the semester and they had informed me they were considering the switch back to sign-in," Victor said.

He added that Campus will be included on the ICC's first-round sign-in ballots despite the short notice the club gave to the ICC about the change.

To generate more sign-ins, the club's website encourages prospective members to sign-in before the end of the semester to take advantage of the $100 early membership dues discount and to "get full meals at Campus until the end of ICC sign-in/bicker week."