Editorial: Abandon pickups

First, the clubs should let students choose how to be informed of the results of Bicker in the event that they are hosed. It is understandable that many would prefer to be told by a friend, and the clubs should be commended for the effort they already make toward this end. At the same time, some bickerees would prefer a more impersonal process. The clubs, therefore, should ask potential members whether they would rather be notified in person or by phone or e-mail. There is a concern that using e-mail might leave clubs uncertain as to whether bickerees actually received the club’s decision. This concern could easily be addressed by requiring that those who are hosed to confirm receipt of the e-mail. This proposal would be simple to implement and could help make a difficult period easier for many students.

Second, and more significantly, the clubs should abandon on-campus pickups. Instead of going around campus to the rooms of accepted students, clubs should simply direct them to meet at the club at a particular time. While previous Editorial Boards have supported pickups, we no longer believe that this tradition serves the larger interests of the student body. Currently, students who have been hosed by the clubs they bickered must watch loud groups of accepted bickerees traverse the campus in celebration, aggravating the feelings of the rejected and impeding their process of moving on. In some cases, members of a club will arrive at a hosed student’s room only hours after the decision has been received in order to pick up a roommate, creating a particularly awkward and unpleasant encounter. Moreover, pickups are messy and eliminating them would reduce the burden on the University custodial staff.

We do not deny that pickups are a memorable and fun experience for those students who take part. Nevertheless, we do not believe that their elimination would be a great loss. Much of the experience of pickups — the shaving cream, paint and whatnot — could easily be carried out on Prospect Avenue instead of in students’ rooms; furthermore, in most cases, students will also be welcomed into their new clubs the next day during initiations. It seems wildly implausible that new members require a crowd of people at their door to drum up excitement — new members have, after all, been accepted into the club of their choice. While it is true that students who bicker eating clubs know they risk suffering the consequences of rejection, that does not mean the clubs should not do their best to reduce the pain of being hosed as much as possible. Weighing the costs and benefits, we believe that pickups are not in the best interest of the University community as a whole.