Going to party and saying something, you have to be careful in that sort of situation," says Sucharita Mulpuru '95, a Crimson editor and a newly elected member of the student advisory committee at the Institute of Politics.

"I think maybe now after Clarence Thomas and Bill Clinton, people will be more careful what they say and do in social situations," Mulpuru says.

Some students say they watch not only what they say but also where they say it.

They are taking heed of the flack which has trailed President Bush, who has been sharply criticized for joining Yale's then all-male Skull and Bones club during his undergraduate days.

At the time, membership in the club was considered a political asset, not a liability. But Bush's opponents have lambasted his youthful club ties as a symbol of his attachment to elitist, uppercrust society.

"I've been a lot more sensitive with regard to joining organizations that might be considered offensive in the future," says Aronberg.

And he adds, "I've been adverse to joining a final club--[the new rules are] part of my decision not to join."

But not all students say their political prospects influence which groups they join.

"A lot of people wouldn't want people to know they're in a final club or a frat," says Taxin, a fraternity member.

I might have joined a final club if I had gotten into any."

Student politicians are almost universally silent on question of illicit romances and finances. Many say they have not much time to accumulate much of either.

"I haven't had the opportunity to meet any Donna Rices yet," says Aronberg.

But while they like to keep their private lives private, student politicians don't seem to mind criticizing each other.

"A lot of the amateur politicians on this campus try to appease people," says Taxin. "I don't want to be a politician... I've lost several elections in the [Undergraduate Council]--I'm a terrible ass-kisser."

"There's a conscious decision to keep up appearances on the part of some [student politicians]," Taxin adds.