October 16 Will Be Initial Date For Club Pledging of Sophomores

The regulations governing activities of clubs this fall in regard to canvassing Freshmen and pledging Sophomores were announced recently by the Graduate Advisory Council.

Since 1914 the undergraduate clubs have agreed that their members will not canvass members of the Freshman class and that they will not elect any undergraduate before the fourth Monday after the opening of College in his Sophomore year, and that no pledge or promise from any Sophomore shall be accepted before the Friday following the fourth Monday.

The Graduate Advisory Committee has fixed October 16 as the fourth Monday after the beginning of the College year for the purposes of the agreement.

Attention is called to the following votes heretofore adopted by the Advisory Committee:

"Whereas under the Club Agreement, among the practices prohibited under the head of 'canvassing' is that of notifying any undergraduate 'indirectly' that he is, or is not, under consideration as a future member of any club.

"And whereas, it is desirable in the opinion of the Committee to define the meaning of this restriction more definitely,

"Now, therefore, voted: It is the sense of this committee that the restriction will be violated, if a club member, or members cultivate the acquaintance of any undergraduate before the opening of his Sophomore year with such persistence as to indicate to him that he is under consideration as a future member of the club to which said club member, or member, belong.

"Voted--That unclassified students and dropped Freshmen should be regarded as Sophomores under the agreement."

The following is the full text of the agreement:

Canvassing

1. Canvassing is here defined as "reading" or speaking or making to any undergraduate any statement or presentation about any club, or notifying him directly or indirectly that he is or is not under consideration as a future member of any club.

2. Each club shall prohibit its undergraduate members and its members-elect, meaning thereby persons notified of their election but not yet initiated, from canvassing any undergraduate before the opening of College in his Sophomore year.

3. Each club shall request its graduate members to consider it a point of honor not to canvass any undergraduate in any way before the opening of College in his Sophomore year.

Pledging

4. No pledge or promise shall be accepted or taken from any undergraduate before the Friday following the fourth Monday after the opening of College in his Sophomore year by a club or by any member thereof to the effect that he will join any club or that he will not join any other club, and any such pledge or promise, whether originating in misunderstanding or otherwise, shall not be binding upon such undergraduates or upon any of the said clubs agreeing thereto, but shall be regarded by everybody as null and void and contrary to the spirit of this agreement.

Date of Election

5. No club shall elect as a member any undergraduate before the fourth Monday after the opening of College in his Sophomore year, or before that time pledge or promise elections, even by implication, to such undergraduate.

Date of Notice of Elections

6. No club shall give notice to any undergraduate of his election earlier than Tuesday following the fourth Monday after the opening of College in his Sophomore year.

Clubs Concerned

7. No club shall take as a member any graduate from the class of 1918 or subsequent classes who has accepted election before the Friday following the fourth Monday after the opening of College in his Sophomore year to any other social club or society which takes in less than 100 members from a college class. The Advisory Committee shall have the power to determine what organizations come within the meaning of this rule.

8. The clubs shall urge their members to change the elections to the Institute of 1770 so that the membership therein shall be increased to at least 150 men from each class, and that they shall be initiated therein at the rate of at least 15 men a week, beginning as early as possible in the Sophomore year.

Advisory Committee

9. Each club shall, annually before Commencement Day, appoint a graduate representative to serve throughout the following year on an Advisory Committee, which committee shall elect its own chairman, who need not be a representative appointed by a club, and shall consider matters arising under this agreement and such a modification thereof as may seem desirable. The powers of this committee shall be advisory only, except that it shall be the duty of this committee to take suitable steps to make this agreement known to all person concerned.

When in Effect

10. This agreement shall be effective with relation to the members of the class of 1918 and subsequent classes.

Duration

11. This agreement shall continue without limitation, except that any clubs may withdraw after giving one year's written notice to the parties hereto.

Publicity

12. That all parties affected by this agreement may be fully cognizant of its contents, it is hereby provided that:

(a) The provisions of this agreement affecting candidates shall be made public in such manner as the Advisory Committee shall determine.

(b) The agreement shall be read at the first meeting of each club held after the opening of College;

(c) The agreement shall thereafter remain posted in some conspicuous place in each club house.

Enforcement

13. Inasmuch as the successful working of this agreement depends upon the strict observance of all rules herein contained, each club member shall consider it a matter of honor to maintain such rules.

For the furtherance of these it is hereby provided that:

(a) At stated intervals during the year the presidents of all clubs that are parties to the agreement shall meet to discuss any question which may have arisen as to the working or infringement of the rules;

(b) Any complaint shall be at that time reported;

(c) Any disputes arising between any of the parties shall be submitted to arbitration in such form as the Advisory Committee shall determine. Clubs Affected by Rules Governing New Membership A. D. Club  Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Alpha Tau Sigma Club  Owl Club Argo Club  Phoenix S. K. Club Delphic Club  Pi Eta Society Digamma Club  Porcellian Club D. U. Fraternity  S. A. E. Fraternity D. U. Club  Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity Fly Club  Spee Club Fox Club  Styx Club Iroquois Club  Tau Delta Phi Fraternity Kappa Sigma Fraternity  Zeta Beta Tau