Charter’s new selection process enables it to allocate its limited number of spots by picking those students who seem most committed to the club. As Charter president Justin Knutson ’11 told the ‘Prince’ recently, the new policy encourages prospective members to attend social events at the club, something not currently incentivized under the randomized sign-in process.
Some may fear that Charter’s new policy violates the collective ethos of sign-in clubs by imposing standards of selectivity on prospective members, akin to Bicker. The form of selectivity that will be introduced under Charter’s new policy, however, is substantially different. While no longer completely random, Charter’s sign-in process will now select members based on the sophomore’s interest in the club, whereas bicker clubs select new members based on the club’s interest in the sophomore. Unlike Bicker, which is based on subjective decisions, Charter’s new membership policy is objective, giving each prospective member equal opportunity to gain a place on the list.
Charter’s new selection process solves, in fact, a problem experienced by clubs that have filled to capacity in the first round of sign-ins. Such clubs, which have included Charter, Colonial Club and Terrace Club in recent years, often resort to waitlists to fill spots that may open up later in the spring. Unlike the initial round of sign-ins, decisions on these waitlists are not governed by a randomized lottery system, but rather by internal — and most likely subjective — decisions. In the event that Charter again fills to capacity and keeps a waitlist, its weighted selection system will be fairer than in years past.
Despite these advantages, the new system has its own risks. Whereas under the former system the first-round selection process was randomized by a computer, the new system will place students based on attendance as recorded by club officers. This creates the possibility of tampering or placing some students higher on the list than they belong. Charter should ensure that this list is sufficiently transparent and should notify students of their official attendance numbers.
Knutson also noted that the range of social events at which attendance is taken will stretch beyond sophomore dinners and Charter Fridays, including afternoon events that will be publicized. The Editorial Board hopes that Charter follows through with these promises. Taking attendance only at events where alcohol is present could select for a particular type of member. In addition, it could send a detrimental message about the openness of the sign-in clubs and the Princeton social scene more generally.
Assuming that Charter implements the new selection system smoothly, it is only natural to wonder whether other sign-in clubs would consider following its lead and how this might affect Princeton social life as a whole. A virtue of the sign-in system is that it guarantees all upperclassmen, even those who decide to join a club at the last minute, a spot in at least one club. Given that the number of available spots in sign-in clubs currently exceeds demand, and probably will for the foreseeable future, the board does not expect this policy to affect the openness of the Street, even if all sign-in clubs were to follow Charter’s lead. Princeton’s social scene has long benefited from the current sign-in system, but that should not prevent sign-in clubs from modifying their selection procedures to strengthen their membership. The board is optimistic that Charter has found a happy medium between selectivity and openness, preserving its sign-in ethos while promising to strengthen its membership and club identity.
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