Princeton University - Bric A Brac Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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( ffcrf iiL; rudifio i l ' iiiu;cti)ii . . . the luimc conjures u ) tlic iiii- a v i)f ivy-c-.ovonul walls, century-old rivalri(!s- Iho rowdy c.ompotition between the Bij Three Harvard. Princeton and Yale is nationally la- moiis-football games, reunions, orange and black banntM ' s waving from every precipic( , anil bonfires burning on Clannon Cireen. The lair of the tiger bears an aura of tradition, a heritage centuries-old. an image cherished in tht; hearts of alums of the past seventy-five years. However, in recent years the face of Prince- ton has changed drastically with the heart of this change assumi-d to be the introduction of women into the student body. Cries of sacrilege from alums far and n( ar have poured into the ivy-covered walls of Nassau Hall, for the deci- sion to go coed has provoked more controversy than perhaps any other decision in Princeton ' s two hundred-year history. To the alums the ninv feminine aspect of Princeton has signalled the end of a glorious past, the ignominious demise of that revered institution. Princeton tradition. Has Princeton tradition suffered a severe blow with the changing times? It ' s true that many of the old traditions have faded. For ex- ample, the old Princeton that so many re- member has effectively ceased to exist. No longer does the interclass rivalry exist to the de- gree of seniors alone sitting on the sundial, of certain paths reserved for upperclassmen. and of certain types of dress for each particular class-cherished memories of old timers. And even more recently, the very atmosphere of dat- ing on campus has been completely altered. No longer are women, upon pain of expulsion, for- bidden in the dorms after 7:00 p.m.; no longer must the number of party weekends be limited to five per year; no longer must parties end by 1:00 a.m.: no longer must parties be chaperoned by a married couple at least five years beyond college-age; no longer does one escort a lovely young import down to Lake Carnegie to watch the submarine races at night-all charac- teristics of Princetonian life in the early fifties. Times have definitely changed. However, these changes are only minor ones in the all-encompassing scope of Princeton tra- dition, heralded by the change in the tim(!s. Such metamorphoses are inevitable with or without the presence of females on campus, and tho.se persons who attribute the passing of such traditions to feminine influence are refusing to bow to the world of the seventies. On the c;on- trary, the females on campus have added a new dimension to Princeton tradition. For example, there now exist both a tiger and a tigerette, a female tiger who parades with coeducation: ' 69- ' 74 the male to cinder PrinciMon ' s tii.inis on to vic- tory. And many of these teams are f(!male. In- deed. th(; women ' s tennis, crew, squash, and swimming teams are nationally recognized. Wom(!n have adapfcul th(!ms(dv(!S to every as- pect of Princeton tradition and hav(! in many cases revitalized dying inslilulions. Th(!y, as nuich as [hv. mem, care for Princeton and arc; as ready and as willing as any male undergraduate; to salute; Princeton ' s glorious past, although n(;ver forgetting that ahead of lh(;m lies a glori- ous future. In many cases n(;vv traditions have; (;volved. For example, one; of the most commonly occur- ring f(;minine (;xp(;riences revolv(;s around the (;ver-present debate over the merits of coeds v(;rsus imports. How discouraging the freshman girl finds being informed of the male opinion of her class ' s female segment, as a consequence of the males ' scanning of the Freshman Herald: in- deed, out of three hundr(;d girls, less than fif- t(;en might be considered acceptable; ; for to be;gin with, only twenty-five are even passably good looking , of whom at least five will be so bookwormish they ' ll never be seen, plus at least another five will have no personality; leaving at most fifteen adequate coeds. She sub- sequently learns that coed is a dirty four-let- ter word like Yale. Of course, the coeds counter with the merits of the female population and the disadvantages of the old cattle drives. and fight back admirably with lines such as. Im- ports is a seven-letter dirty word like Har- vard. Such rivalries have become a part of the Princeton tradition. Lastly, one of the; most vehement of alumni complaints has been that females will erode; the sense of male camaraderie that formed so much a part of the old Princeton. However, this fear has not as of yet been realized, at least not no- ticeably. Athletic teams and many activities are still segregated coeducationally; for instance, the singing groups and three eating clubs-Cot- tage most notably by a ve)te- e)f over one- hundred to three-have maintained their all-male status. All-male nude Olympics still delight Holder courtyarel audiences, foexl-fights still abound in Commons, people continue to swim in the Woodrow Wilson School Fountain. Male fel- lowship has not died; it has simply been e-n- rie;heel by a new dimension. This then, is coeducatie)n ' s eff(;ct on tradi- tie)n-a new dimension has been added, a e:hoice. an enrichening. The- most important as- pect e)f Princeton traditions still exists in the he-arts of oil Princetonians-the magical Princeton spirit. Prince te)n still has the same glow, the same unquenchable drive that it has always hael-nothing c:an change that. missv mcneil