At Princeton, 39 undergraduates were treated for alcohol poisoning the night of the initiation parties for the eating clubs. As a result, all of the 13 clubs have taken measures to control drinking at the clubs, ranging from alcohol education programs to stricter carding policies.

Alcohol related problems recently resulted in the first dry rush at UPenn, where the administration decided to take a more active role in fraternity and sorority affairs following problems with alcohol abuse incidents at annual rushes.

"Because of liability and insurance problems, the administration is cutting down a little on drinking," says Fleischer. "The university has been pretty laid back so far."

But Fleischer says that UPenn's non-alcohol approach has its advantages. "Now that it's dry, it's better for meeting people. You can't get to know somebody in four or five weeks if they're always drunk."

Frankly, Stew

The controversy at Princeton has been fueled by more than just alcohol. In the past, the eating clubs have been targeted for student protest because of the selective process through which some clubs choose members and because two of the clubs remain all-male.

Christopher Orr, president of the non-selective Terrace Club, says," personally, I think it's about time they got rid of the all-male clubs. They're about as progressive as stone tools."

It was this type of sentiment that inspired Princeton student Sally Frank to file a sex discrimination suit against the all-male Cottage Club last spring. The decision, which is now being appealed, said that the club could not discriminate on the basis of sex because of the "symbiotic" relationship it had with the University.

But Stechschulte, whose Ivy Club is still all-male, defends the clubs' right to choose their members, explaining "it enables us to select members who we feel will contribute to the club."

The controversy created by the Frank case has not, Orr says, made most students into anti-club advocates.

"Most people at Princeton like the eating clubs," Orr says. "The bottom line is that now there are so few options, people think they are a good thing."

Cochrane says that eventually the decision could force the university into a more direct relationship with the clubs.

"The connection is actually one which is still being ajudicated in the courts," Cochrane says. "The courts have shown that there is a symbiotic relationship between the university and the dining clubs. But that decision is being appealed. Socially and educationally, the university feels a responsibility for all parts of the community, but the legal implications are unclear."

Just as the Frank case brought its share of controversy to Princeton, the exposure of Georgetown University's all-male secret society brought turmoil to campus.

Last April, Voice, a student newspaper at Georgetown, disclosed that 12 undergraduates, including many student leaders, were members of a group called the Stewarts.