Since its founding in 1901, Charter has been a club full of tradition. Located at the end of the street at 79 Prospect, our current clubhouse was designed by Arthur I. Meigs, Charter section of 1903, and built in 1913. “The Indestructible,” as the club is commonly referred to, is today most known for its tight-knit community, elegant clubhouse, and fantastic food. Charter’s social calendar features many noteworthy events including monthly semi-formals, live bands, and weekly parties. Our food, including our twice-a-week pub nights, is consistently ranked some of the best on the street.

We greatly encourage any and all sophomores to come to our sophomore meals and recruitment events. Whether you’ve never set foot in the club before, you’ve only been here on Charter Friday and didn’t know the Great Room has furniture, or you’re here all the time with upperclassmen members, we’re sure you’ll enjoy getting to know our members and other prospective sophomores. Whether you come alone or with friends, you’ll always be welcome at Charter events.

Once you are a Charter member, you are a member forever. Every year we see flocks of alumni, clothed in Charter’s maroon and gold, return to the Indestructible to meet old friends, reminisce on their good times at Princeton, and enjoy themselves. The friendships in our club span many generations and last a lifetime.

Clubhouse

Charter’s clubhouse is equipped with everything you will need if you want to study, play games, or just hang out. Our Great Room on the first floor is a popular place to relax between meals and classes, and features couches and chairs perfect for doing work in comfort — or sneaking a quick nap! Popular studying spots around the club include the Stewart room (a favorite place for interviews and meetings), the upstairs dining room (a great place to eat and do work), and our beautiful library (a perfect spot to grind for that problem set due tomorrow).

In terms of recreational spaces, the club has a TV room with stadium seating and a big screen TV with surround sound, plus a computer cluster with six desktop computer stations, each of which has tons of games already downloaded. Charter has a number of gaming consoles like a Nintendo Switch, an Xbox One, and a WiiU, and you can often find members devoting themselves to the church of Super Smash Bros in the TV room or playing PC games in the cluster.

One of the best-kept secrets about Charter is its expansive backyard, complete with sand volleyball court, a basketball net, and a hammock for lazing. During the fall and spring, the porch and balcony (connected to the library) are popular spots to get some work done, eat a meal, or just enjoy the nice weather.

Want to get work done late at night, or super early in the morning? Members also have access to the clubhouse 24/7.

Food

Charter is a club known for its food. Our kitchen is run by two graduates of the Culinary Institute of America who ensure that our food is always top quality. Our food service is sometimes a buffet, and sometimes a served dinner with waiters throughout the week.

A full breakfast is available each weekday morning, with brunch being served over the weekend.

Lunches have a full hot buffet, as well as an open grill with daily specials. Each Friday is Crepe Day on the grill, a Charter exclusive.

Dinners at Charter are some of the best on the street, with high quality and variety. On Monday nights, we cycle between Build Your Own Burrito Night, Artisan Taco Mondays, and Pasta Night. Two special Pub Nights each week are on Tuesday and Thursday which feature printed “restaurant style” menus and food served by club servers. Thursday Pub Nights always have special drinks. Some of our past pub nights include Sushi Night, Jersey Shore Night, and Oktoberfest. Wednesday dinner is always an International Buffet, allowing our members to experience different foods from all over the world, as well as comfort food buffets.

Feel free to check out what we have on the daily here.

Financial Aid

Charter and Financial Aid:
Charter is committed to making sure that cost is not a barrier to an eating club experience. We understand that despite the university’s generous financial aid, there are often unexpected costs to joining an eating club. To that end, Charter is proud to have a Membership Assistance Fund, which offers financial aid on an application basis to junior and senior members of the club.

The Process:
Each summer, we invite all members to complete an application form for financial aid from Charter for the upcoming year. The questions are designed to help the graduate board get to know you and your needs better, and all applications are processed after the due date by the graduate board’s finance committee. Awards will depend on the size of the Membership Assistance Fund as well as the number of applicants, but in recent years the typical grant has been between $500 and $1,500.

Numbers:
Average grant (2019-20): $720
Percentage of applicants receiving grant (2019-20): 100%
Percentage of members receiving grant (2019-20): 34%

For more information or questions, contact Jazmine Smith, the undergraduate treasurer, at jazmines@princeton.edu.

Notable Alumni

• • David Adler, 1904; Architect
  • Jose Ferrer, 1933; Actor and Film Director (best known for Cyrano de Bergerac)
  • Jimmy Stewart, 1932; Actor (best known for It’s a Wonderful Life)
  • Bowie Kuhn, 1948; MLB Commissioner
  • Charles Fried, 1956; Solicitor General
  • Joel Rosenman, 1963; Co-creator of the Woodstock Festival
  • Mitch Daniels, 1971; Governor of Indiana, President of Purdue University
  • F. Thomson Leighton, 1978; CEO of Akamai Technologies
  • David Duchovny, 1982; Actor (best known for The X-Files)
  • Mark Shapiro, 1989; MLB executive, CEO of Toronto Blue Jays

Vera P. Young
Bookkeeper
Ms. Young has worked at Charter for over 10 years. She was previously the Associate Director of Financial Aid at The College of NJ for over 30 years.

Vera is in charge of all invoicing to the members, as well as paying all our vendors. She is always happy to discuss the fees charged by the Club with members and their parents.

Due to her vast experience with financial aid, she can assist our members and parents in navigating the process with the university.

She can also help you set up membership payment plans.