No Place on the Street: The Estranged History of Black Students in Princeton Eating Clubs

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the barriers (social, economic, and cultural), which dissuade the majority of black Princeton students from participating in Eating Clubs, Princeton’s main social scene. This pattern of exclusion is not a recent development but it highlights the restrictiveness in eating club membership through the bicker system. The study was conducted through a historical analysis of Daily Princetonian documents, which reveals the longstanding history of stratification of minority students by eating club culture. In addition, interviews were conducted with current Princeton black students to that explain why the patterns of low involvement still exist today. This results from their lack of social capital and differing cultural boundaries that exclude them from eating club membership. The recommendations that conclude this study will hopefully spark the interest of administrators and aid the creation of a more diversified Eating Club community.