...Clouds without shift the shade of the light as it filters majestically down through the great blue stained-glass windows. (Twenty-three sophomores still without a club, 15 of these Jewish, 5 Merit Scholars.)

"The unfortunate allegations of religious discrimination...obscure the plain facts that there are today members of the three major faiths in this country in each of the seventeen eating clubs and that every one of the sophomores who has not joined a club in 1958 was offered club membership."--Robert F. Goheen, president, Princeton University--"It is fair to say that the seriousness of these allegations has been exaggerated by several individuals who sought to impose their wishes on the clubs...."

The voice of the organ echoes down the mighty Gothic nave as the congregation rises to sing the Doxology--

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow..."

"The ICC recognizes the right of every club to be selective. Selectivity implies the right of a club to impose a religious quota, if it so desires,"--text of a statement released by the Interclub Committee, Princeton University, February 10, 1958--"The ICC does not approve of religious and racial discrimination, but has no power to control the Bicker policy of individual clubs. Ultimate responsibility for religious and racial discrimination rests with individual members of individual clubs."

And on the edge of the minister's solemn dark surplice as he sweeps up into the pulpit and the choir and organ thunder the last amen can be seen the orange and black seal of the university, and below it Princeton's motto:

(According to all present indications, Bicker will be back next year.)

"Dei Sub Numine Viget."

Although in recent years there has been much talk of phasing out Princeton's eating club system, "the quest" has persisted, albeit markedly different from the 1958 process. The university's admission of women and increases in the number of applicants have affected the eating-club system more than any other factors. Jim Buck, Bicker chairman at Ivy, says.

Of the 13 clubs on Prospect St., only five--Ivy, Tiger Inn, Cap and Gown, Cottage and Tower--remain "selective," still using Bicker to choose their new members; the other eight use a lottery system to determine club membership. And although Ivy, Tiger Inn and Cottage insist on retaining their all-male exclusiveness, the other clubs now accept women.

But although the system has evolved, one important aspect has not changed: Eating clubs still dominate the social life at Princeton. "Since the clubs are all together on Prospect St., that is pretty much the center of activity, especially since we don't have much of a city," Cathy Chute, Bicker chairman at Cap and Gown says. While freshmen and sophomores must eat at a facility resembling Harvard's freshman union, about 60 per cent of juniors and seniors belong to clubs. And most of those in the minority are "independents" who use the cooking facilities provided in many of the dorms. "Many choose to go independent after having tried a club." Buck says, "but they're handicapped by being secluded a bit."

Upperclassmen interested in Bickering for the selective clubs--about 400 this year (out of about 2300 juniors and seniors)--sign up to receive a schedule of interview appointments at the clubs. Buck is quick to point out that although Bicker retains some elite vestiges, the process is not discriminatory: Even without an affirmative action policy. Ivy has about the same percentage of minority students as Princeton itself does. Buck defends his club's all-male status, saying. "It's one of the few places left for all-male camaraderie. We pride ourselves on a certain gentility: but, more importantly, we have a respect for the women in the university."

Although in general the clubs are not discriminatory. Finnie admits that achieving racial integration is a problem. The clubs "represent a tradition that is WASP and elite, which most Blacks are averse to." Finnie says, adding that many Blacks feel pressure from other Blacks not to join clubs. Anti-Semitism in the Bicker system seems, however to have disappeared, Finnie says.

Like Harvard's Houses, the clubs have distinct "personalities" that vary slightly from year to year. Ivy is the most elite. Cap is the most preppy. Tiger is home for the jocks and Cottage attracts "gentlemen athletes."

Students decide among the nonselective clubs using many of the same criteria Harvard students use to choose a House: the club's reputation, its membership, and the friends' choices. Each of the clubs has a waiting list system, so if someone wants to be in a particular club badly enough, it's usually only a matter of time.

For the selective clubs, something akin to the "100-per-cent rule" of 1958 still exists. If, during Bicker week, a male student completes all his interviews, at all the clubs, he is assured a "hat bid"--one of the clubs must offer him membership. But this rule does not apply to women, who are eligible for only two of the selective clubs.

In the past few years, Princeton officials have toyed with the idea of phasing out the eating clubs. Proposals for establishing a room-and-board system akin to Harvard's Houses or Yale's colleges have been and will continue to be discussed. But, at least for the time being, the basis of Princeton's social system intact. A voice from the past. Buck should have the final word. "Bicker," he says of Ivy. "is almost the life's blood of the place."