Word: porcellians
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...indeed from the final club in most eras. It was in the '90s that nation-wide fraternities were losing their grip on College chapters. The local groups wanted more independence; the national organization, more control. Throughout the 1890s' clubs were detaching themselves from the fraternity system. Porcellian and A.D., which had broken off from the Harvard chapter of Alpha Delta Phi, were joined by other final clubs. Another fraternity effort to refound Alpha Delta Phi terminated in the Phli and finally the Fly club...
...cannot belong to more than one final club, there is competition every year among the clubs for some candidates. For this reason, the sophomore often hears of how the clubs rank within the system. Any list of the "best" clubs, of course, varies with who is doing the rating. Porcellian, A.D. and Fly are frequently ranked together by members of all clubs as the most desirable three. Though other clubs will usually go along with this appraisal, they then rank their own club as fourth. Financial considerations as well as traditions play a part in these rankings. The A.D., with...
...times have radically changed from the beginning of the century when Porcellian could turn down Franklin Roosevelt for having an unbecomingly wide acquaintanceship, there are two causes. The first, President Lowell's House system was the most serious set-back; the second world war was the second. President Lowell, himself an honorary member of Fly, had long considered the club system undemocratic. "A club is useless," he once wrote, "unless you can keep somebody out." With the Harkness millions, Lowell saw a way to fill in the social chasm between the Gold Coast of Mt. Auburn street and the less...
...members gather at the club to discuss all the candidates who have survived the punching. Since there are no quotas, the clubs invite as many or as few as they wish. The average is about 15 invitations in those clubs which get a majority of the sophomores they invite. Porcellian, however, will sometimes take only four or five in what members call a "lean" social year. Clubs not so well-endowed financially must send out greater numbers of invitations and must invite more members throughout the year since dues are essential for club up-keep...
While there has been occasional friction between members and non-members in recent years, the incidents have not been serious ones. At worst, some clubs have been targets for snowballs, and a few broken windows have resulted. More often, any resentment takes a quiet, sardonic tone, as when Porcellian was plastered with signs by non-members during a convention: "American Legion Welcome--Free Beer Upstairs...