Are Final Clubs Too Exclusive for Harvard? It was a spring night at the Phoenix S.K. “There is a lot of value in targeting some of the exclusionary aspects of the final clubs, and making sure we are working toward the same goals collectively,” said Rebecca Ramos, a rising senior and president of the Delta Gamma chapter, one of the Greek organizations that took root here in the early ’90s. He understood that conundrum: “We recognize that as an all-male club, and particularly as the oldest all-male club, even if you take the time to learn about our traditions, our quirky weird traditions, we are just not a sympathetic figure and never will be in the public eye.”. “People are really concerned about losing that on campus. As students swayed to a live band, a young man picked up a microphone. This was the headquarters of the Fly, an exclusive men’s fellowship known here as a final club. The Fly is one of six remaining all-male final clubs. That's had pros and cons. 246 members in the ImABlue community. Founded in 1791, it is the oldest and most prestigious club, counting among members Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Theodore Roosevelt and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Olympic rowing twins of social network fame. But this year’s iteration of the battle, led by Rakesh Khurana, dean of the college, carries a particularly big stick: Starting with the class of 2021, members will be barred from leadership roles in Harvard-sanctioned clubs and athletics and from receiving recommendations from the dean for top scholarships like the Rhodes and Fulbright. Some of the most famous people ever to attend Harvard University have also been members of exclusive clubs near the school. At its side door stood a silver-haired man in tuxedo, checking names against a list of the lucky invited. But whether abolishing male organizations improves the environment for women remains to be seen. After graduation, dinners are held monthly, worldwide, allowing far-flung alumni to retain those friendships. Yet the clubs are stymied by both their image problem and closelipped policies. The elaborate courtship of the desirable can begin with an engraved invitation slipped under a dorm room door to “punch” — a selection process that continues with a series of outings and culminates in a black-tie dinner feting the few who make it through. Shortly after the announcement of sanctions, a protest called Hear Her Harvard coalesced about eliminating the women’s “safe spaces.” An estimated 250 participants marched from Massachusetts Hall, past the bronze statue of John Harvard, and through Harvard Yard to decry the inclusion of all-female groups in the new rules, but the conversation swelled to encompass the everyday experience of being a woman at Harvard. Many want final clubs to change but believe that by including other groups the university painted with too broad a brush. Harvard’s exclusive single-sex social clubs, known as “final clubs,” have reached a major decision point. Ana Andrade, a freshman folded into a chair in the center of Harvard Yard between final exams, felt emboldened enough to comment on the clubs’ social impact. Every so often they cast an awkward glance at the young woman. Harvard has had a complicated history with women, and has long grappled with gender discrimination. One midnight near semester’s end on the skirts of Harvard Yard, music thumped and laughs rang out from a colonnaded, Greek-revival mansion, the sort usually seen in Hollywood fantasies about fraternal campus life. Ana Andrade, a freshman folded into a chair in the center of Harvard Yard between final exams, felt emboldened enough to comment on the clubs’ social impact. Press J to jump to the feed. “I know that I would never have an issue with what the final clubs are accused of,” he said. The Final Clubs — invited column for Harvard Independent by Harry R. 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