Eating Club officers boast extensive financial aid, process to expand continues

Editor’s Note: Since the time of publication, the University has updated the language on its financial aid website to clarify that students on full aid get $10,034, not $9670. The piece has been updated to reflect that change.

As the spring 2023 Bicker season comes to a close, and with financial aid set to substantially increase in the new year, The Daily Princetonian examines how eating clubs have worked to expand financial accessibility.

This fall, Princeton announced that starting fall 2023, it will cover the full cost of attendance for students from families making up to $100,000. In the same year, Street Week saw its largest Bicker class size since 2001.

For many financial aid recipients, affordability plays a crucial factor in bicker decisions. In a message to the ‘Prince,’ Yonatan Ambrosio ’24, a member of Cap and Gown Club, said that as a full-aid student, the affordability of eating clubs was “a driving force” in his decision to bicker.

University aid does not necessarily cover the full cost of an eating club membership. First-years and sophomores on full financial aid receive a fully subsidized, unlimited campus dining plan, valued at $7,670. The financial aid plan grants $10,034 to juniors and seniors to provide more flexibility in dining options. As the University’s financial aid website explains, “The amount of aid you receive as a junior or senior does not change, whether you choose to join an eating club, purchase a University meal plan, or eat independently.”

The fees paid to eating clubs, according to board members at a number of clubs, cover food, social events, bands, sound equipment, staff wages, and general house upkeep.

In regards to communication between eating clubs and the University, Charter Club President Mia Beams ’24, told the Prince that “transparency around University financial aid has been low which has caused some difficulties, but no concerns have been voiced to club leadership.”

Beams told the ‘Prince’ that “Charter has consistently charged less than [the University’s board] amount so that students on full aid have no out-of-pocket costs for Charter.”

Additionally, Beams shared, any students who still face financial difficulty can apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,500. Historically, every applicant has received a grant of some amount.

Kate Liu ’23, former president of Cap, told the ‘Prince’ that the club “guarantees that no member on full financial aid pays any out-of-pocket costs for club membership.”

Cap’s website explains that “each year, Cap members who receive any financial aid from Princeton University will receive a grant from the Cap and Gown Financial Aid Fund that covers the difference between the Princeton board rate (inclusive of the additional grant provided by Princeton Financial Aid for upperclass student board) and Cap and Gown member house and board rates.”

Ambrosio, a member of Cap, told the ‘Prince’ in a message that he is “extremely satisfied” with Cap’s financial aid. He bickered Cap because he “found from talking to others that Cap was one of the best options financially on the Street.”

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“Financial aid, as it pertains to Cap membership, has never been a factor in the relationship I have with others in the club,” he said. He attributes this to Cap officers recognizing that there are members who receive aid and thus trying to create inclusive events.

Hannah Faughnan ’23, a member of Quadrangle Club, reported a similar experience. “All members receive equal privileges and treatment,” she said. “There aren’t really expectations to make expensive commitments once inside the club, and it is always communicated that any fees are negotiable.”

Faughnan noted that, in her experience, being in an eating club is just as affordable as being on the dining plan, since “the majority of [her] leftover aid is spent on school-related expenses.” However, she feels that she “would have a lot more money if [she] were independent or in a co-op.”

While no Quad board member responded to the ‘Prince’’s request for comment, Faughnan told the ‘Prince’ that “Quad has set their dues so that if a student is on full financial aid, their dues are automatically covered. For example, if full aid students receive $11k a year, quad dues may be $10k,” clarifying that these numbers were ballpark estimates for the purposes of the example.

“However, for middle-income students or students with outstanding circumstances, Quad’s financial aid is on a case-by-case basis,” Faughnan added.

Faughnan also noted that she qualified for reduced dues for accessibility reasons, not financial ones.

“Quad does not have an elevator and I am disabled, so roughly two-thirds of the clubhouse is inaccessible to me on the regular,” she said in an email to the ‘Prince’. “I requested a reduction in dues and negotiated reduced fees that waived my house and social dues.”

“It is really important for students to know that these types of negotiations, especially in light of accessibility, ARE possible,” she added.

Leila Grant ’24, president of Terrace Club, stated that Terrace gives a total of $80,000 in grants to members every year with an additional $20,000 to student employees of the club, referring to meal checkers and other positions. Grant said this leads to no-cost options for students on zero financial aid. Grant was not sure where the money for the financial aid policy came from.

Tower Club began its own aid plan this year. Joe Becker ’23, the outgoing treasurer who built the plan, explained that “financial accessibility is one of the issues that members talk about most — every year, cost of membership in the club comes up among board discussions.”

When the inaugural financial aid policy debuted, the response was very positive, according to Becker. He noted that most of the financial aid money comes from alumni donations. Tower offers a grant of $200 a year toward eating club fees for all members qualifying for financial aid. Tower’s dues are $10,017. Multiple Tower members also noted a $140 charge, known as “Milk Money,” required for access to Tower nighttime events.

A statement by the Ivy Board of Governors sent to the ‘Prince’ by Ivy Club president Sophie Singletary ’23 explained that the club subsidizes the total cost of Ivy for students on financial aid. With the total cost at $11,800, the Ivy 1879 Foundation provides a scholarship of $1,766 for students who apply.

“Thanks to these scholarships, the family of a student on full financial aid would not have any out-of-pocket obligation to the Club,” the statement reads. “The same grant is provided to each member who receives financial aid, regardless of the percentage of the total cost of Princeton covered by the University’s aid package.”

In an email to the ‘Prince,’ Hap Cooper ’82, chair of Tiger Inn’s Board of Governors, said that this academic year, every student on financial aid who applied was awarded $1,000. He wrote that Tiger Inn is now undergoing a capital campaign to establish an endowment for financial aid and club maintenance.

Despite these financial aid policies, some students may still feel the eating clubs are not a cost effective option. Ambrosio noted that that he knows some students “stick to the dining hall or go independent because the eating clubs they want to join will be more expensive or put an additional financial burden on them.”

Cannon Club, Cloister Club, Colonial Club, and Cottage Club did not respond to the ‘Prince’s request for comment in time for publication.

Abby Leibowitz is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’

Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Correction: This piece has been updated to clarify instructions about financial aid at Tower Club. There was also a typo in a paraphrase of a statement by Ivy Club. The ‘Prince’ regrets these errors.