Terrace takes 13 students in second-round sign-ins

Terrace Club accepted 13 new members during second-round sign-ins, club president Christopher St John '15 wrote in a statement.

While Terrace took members in the second round of sign-ins, it did not offer membership to everyone who listed it as a second-round choice, The Daily Princetonian independently confirmed. The club offered membership to at least 12 new sophomore members, according to a review of membership lists obtained by the 'Prince.

Terrace accepted 130 students in the first round. In total, Terrace took at least 143 new members this year, a number lower than the 176 new members who signed up last spring.

Despite the club’s popularity, St John said earlier this month that Terrace would still be open for second round sign-ins after the first round of sign-ins. He could not be reached for comment after the second round of sign-ins closed, despite multiple attempts, to confirm how many new members had been accepted in the second round.

St John declined to be interviewed for this article.

A student, who was granted anonymity to freely discuss the situation, said that he was not admitted to Terrace during the second round. He said he was denied admission intoCap & Gown Club and marked Terrace as a second choice from the beginning.

“There wasn’t too much transparency around the process. I thought putting Terrace as my second would automatically put me on the priority list,” the student said.

But Akash Jain ’16, who also unsuccessfully bickered a club and marked Terrace as his second choice, did get into the club.

“I didn’t think I had a big chance, but my roommates were both in Terrace and they insisted I put it down,” Jain said of signing in to the club. “You kind of pre-commit to it.”

Jain added it was likely that he got in by marking it as his backup at the beginning of Bicker.

Quentin Dumont ‘16, who was one of the 13 second-round sign-in members, said he found the second-round sign-in process to be straightforward and simple.

Dumont, an exchange student, tried to join Terrace first semester, but then-president Neal Donnelly ’14 told him it was full, he said. Although he was late to join during the first round this semester, he said he sent an email to St John and received a confirmation email soon after. He explained this easy process was really the reason he wanted to join Terrace.

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Although the first-round might have been more of a first-come, first-served system, the second round was more likely “open to bargaining,” Dumont said, noting he had sent multiple emails the previous semester asking to join Terrace.

“I’m an exchange student. I don’t give a fuck about Bicker, to put it plainly,” Dumont said. “I like the idea that you can just show up and just sign-in and it’s a little more welcoming … provided you’ve got the financial backing behind you.”

Dumont said he didn’t think Terrace would become a bicker club despite its growing popularity but rather that the selection process would become more random or based on networking.