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

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(miucik itimi; (i ninlc itiHinr Crew cuts and lo.ifrrs. b.inny p.inis .ind iiullovcr svvciit- ers-the Princcloii |)ri ' ppir im.inr li.is infillriilcd nil rr- gions of Ihf country from the Appalaclii.in Mountains to the casinos of Las Vi ' as. High school ffmalos. comparing the merits of Princeton with the qualities of various other U.S. colleges, conjure up romantic ideals of Ivy League sophistication, class and gallantry. Kven Princetonian males dream of their own superiority and elevation above the ordinary as they feed upon the malnutrienis ol the traditional boasts of alums. So we are left with the one stereotyp ' of an intellectual he-man gifted with all the talents and physical attributes ever bestowed upon mankind. Rather a dull place, that Princeton-if all the males really live up to those reports, if all the males truly exist to represent one character, one ideal, one cate- gorical sub-type of personality. Strangely enough, my personal experiences indicate a little more variety and. indeed, a little more depth among the Princeton men. I have not, in fact, found even two that I would class under the same heading in any com- prehensive human analysis. Their qualities range through an infinite spectrum in all aspects, and yet 1 could make some very general comments with regard to the charac- teristics 1 have found most in evidence. After two years of my coeducational ' Princeton expe- rience, I retain principally a favorable impression of the male segment of the population. 1 have found an in- tellectual depth and particularly a concern for issues and values and persons beyond that apparent in many of my off-campus acquaintances. Princetonian men indicate a notable openness, a willingness to take the first step to- ward building a friendship. More important, they make an effort to foster relationships-true relationships basiid on the interactions between people, relationships that can develop in all directions according lo .my defiiiilioii applicable lo life, Princeton males are uncommon in that each individual exhibits. some very special quality, one parlicul.ir charac- teristic that sets him apart from the masses and demands respect. Presumably, every human being possesses some trait that should serve as motivation for further (explora- tion of his character through acquaintance. Yet, a Prince- tonian seems mor(! capable of communicating his thoughts and more confident of portraying his unique identity in the society of others. This ability lo adjust to strange or unknown situations without needing to mask his soul len ls the Princetonian his aura of distinctness, of standing apart from hc. commtm hord(!. On the other hand, perhaps a degree less confidence would promote more mutually satisfying relationships, particularly between the Princeton man and the Princt;- ton woman. With his accustomed success in self-ex- pression among new ac:quaintances, the Princetonian male arrives on campus displaying a cocky assurance that he will sweep off their feet all females in his path. When his first telephone call lo that fawning coed en- counters only a busy signal, he indignantly withdraws to assert that she is being ov(!rwhelm(!d by the advances of the other three thousand Princeton men. He effectively places her out of reach as regards dating or even commu- nication. Perhaps a less expansive initial confidence would induce a greater perseverance and an awareness of the coed ' s dilemmas resulting from the three: one ratio. Nevertheless, I find that the Princeton male image most generally supported by Princeton women is of an individ- ual to be respected for what he offers of himself, and to be est(!emed for his contributions to a relationship of any depth. The image also involves the male ' s uncommonly broad range of experiences in life and consequent gains in self-knowledge, lending a confidence and tendencies toward self-assertion. The Princeton man stands erect as an individual of merit and as a person cognizant of that fact-thus according to the Princeton woman. candv con way

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breeding, u fcmuUi imci ' c There seem to be two distinct currents of opinion among Princeton men concerning Princeton women. The first is well-stated by the observation of a short, rather homely freshman: They ' re a bunch of stuck-up snobs. Most of them are dogs. And the few good-looking ones won ' t even talk to you. The other perspective is summa- rized by the comment of a tall, good-natured senior: They ' re pretty much like normal girls. Some of them are really good people. Some aren ' t. Some are beautiful. Some aren ' t. The latter statement is probably closer to the senti- ments of the majority. It is echoed by most up- perclassmen— except some hard-core eating-club men- as well as by a good number of freshmen and soph- omores, particularly the ones who appear to have ad- justed well to college life. The freshman ' s view of Princeton women is shared by many of his classmates. His thoughts are understandable. Social life can be pretty rough for the less resourceful fn!shman males. There is a consequent tendency to put the blame on the Princeton girls and to compare them un- favorably to high school girls, who are remembered as universally charming, beautiful, and promiscuous. The relationships between Princeton men and women are further characterized by many Princeton men in the following way: Most relationships are more of a friend- ship type. The girls are close friends, people you can rely on. You look elsewhere for sex. Thus, those Princeton men who seek something more than a platonic relation- ship with the girl-next-door often meet with frustration. As one junior put it, There are a hell of a lot of teasers. In general, the majority of Princetonian males would agree that this statement, made by a perceptive soph- omore, summarizes their own feelings pretty well, The average girl here isn ' t that much different than the aver- age girl on the street. Of course, the Princeton girls are a lot more intelligent, but that ' s no big deal. Princeton girls have too much of a tendency to play games with boys, but what can you expect with a three-to-one ratio? andy oser

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in coexistence witi: importation The sun is just sinking behind Ihc (iorinitnrics alonj University Place. The whistle blows— two, Ihiec, lour times. And the trusty PJ B rolls into the depot. Waiting anxiously are fifty hearty Princeton men. waiting for their Vassar girls, their Ciiffies, their hometown girls, their IMPORTS. Of course, they were never called imports in those days. They were just the girls coming for the big week- end. And indeed those weekends were big. Football games-with winning teams— dances, big club dinners, at- tempts to circumvent parietals. Parietals?-what are they? Oh, Princeton used to have visitation hours and rules. In true Ivy tradition, they called them parietals. How those girls loved Princeton men! But then if I had been a girl in that period. I wouldn ' t have minded some crew-cut preppie blowing his life ' s savings on me. I wouldn ' t have complained about those barbaric pariet- als— actually I would have preferred staying at the Inn to sleeping in the dorm. And how Princeton men loved those girls! Any guy ap- preciat(!s a girl who is obviously impressed with his school, his club, his room, his Lester Lanin albums . . . And these females were so much fun, all laughter and games. Not to say they were mindless or anything like that. They just liked good times. The nicest part of these weekend adventures was that they were just that-weekends. Sunday morning the Princeton man could count on walking his date back down to the station and seeing her off until the arrival of another scintillating Tiger weekend. Nothing to worry about during the week. No bother at all. Import, export. Yet, the same process is still being enacted today-ev- ery weekend. Not with the nearly mass appeal it had even six or seven years ago, but still in the capacity of one booming business. Yes, indeed, the IMPORT system is alive and well at Ol ' Nassau. I myself would be hard put to explain fully why guys here still go through the old routine. At any rate, shipping in a date for the weekend still has enormous appeal. Few Princeton coeds can know the relief of saying good-bye to a date at the end of a weekend. The act is nothing cruel and heartless-merely a relief. Indescribably delicious. A number of other rea- sons provide further explanation for the ongoing impor- tation of foreign women: that hometown charm, lust for the unknown, frequent losses on the home field, and so forth. Despite these excuses, I believe there exists within the male supporters of Princeton importation a common paradox, exemplifed by myself. ' Witness the practicing, confessed importer who, nevertheless, would not have com(! to an all-male Princeton. So, you ask, what am I doing to show my appreciation of Princeton coeds? Why aren ' t I dating them more? Why must I import girls? I don ' t have to answer those questions. Neithin- doi s any man at Princeton. Neither does any woman here who brings in a dale.