<p>Hunt</p>
<p>Here is some snippets from an opinion piece recently written by a Princeton freshman that I think gives you an idea of why most students and parents are very comfortable with Eating Clubs and view them as relatively open, non-exclusive and safe (and my apologies if this has been posted before):</p>
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As a prefrosh, I remember feeling skeptical of the eating club system, believing it was a weird and elitist artifact of the Universitys historical difficulty with inclusion.</p>
<p>Yet anyone who decides not to attend Princeton because of the exclusivity of the eating club system will be making one the poorest decisions of their life.</p>
<p>Because Princeton is not near many cities or other universities, almost everyone ends up at the Street. Upperclassmen and underclassmen go to the same parties; go to any club and you will meet acquaintances from classes and activities in a more social context. Because attendance and beer are always free, no one is kept away from the Street because of socioeconomic status. </p>
<p>The 10 eating clubs offer undergraduates far more choices in their socializing than do other comparable social organizations. At Princeton, because only approximately 8 percent of undergraduates join a Greek organization, there is no pressure to do so. A male freshman friend at Harvard told me he felt pressured to join a fraternity because, otherwise, he simply would not have anywhere to go on weekends. Schools such as Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth whose party scenes revolve around Greek organizations force undergraduates to choose between attending events at and affiliating with these organizations, or not going out at all.</p>
<p>Despite their history, eating clubs today have incredibly diverse membership and leadership. The establishment and visibility of the clubs is what makes them both better and more open to criticism than analogous underground organizations at other colleges. As eating club membership is public knowledge, clubs cannot get away with discrimination on the basis of race or gender. Additionally, though students can opt to socialize with others of their gender in Greek organizations, Princetons primary social organizations are all thoroughly co-ed a claim most colleges cannot make.
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<p>[In</a> defense of the Street - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/04/15/28267/]In ”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2011/04/15/28267/ )</p>
<p>And I would certainly welcome your daughter at Princeton, should she be admitted and choose to come.</p>