Pi Eta Speakers Club

To the Editors of the Crimson:

After sitting back for a week and observing this whole issue about the Pi Eta Speaker's Club newsletter get blown totally out of proportion, we finally could no longer ignore the ridiculous accusations made by the Radcliffe Union of Students, the Crimson, the Undergraduate Council and other individuals Therefore at the risk of provoking even more commentary on an already overdebated issue, we are writing in defense of the Pi.

First of all, a major consideration has been overlooked the fact that the men and women who go to the Pi choose to go there. Feminists have been arguing for years that women should have freedom of choice Therefore, they should be able to go or not to go the Pi this is their right The depiction of the Pi as some awful, terrifying lion's den where innocent lambs are lured to be slaughtered is ludicrous. No one is forced to go to the Pi--no one is forced to stay.

The issue here is whether the female guests are aware that they are referred to as "slobbering bovines" or "grateful heifers" by their hosts after they leave In other words, are they shocked by the contents of the now famous newsletter' After reading the newsletter, which was so generously distributed by the picketers Saturday night, some women chose not to attend the Hawaiian party. However we witnessed and were among a large number of women who crossed the picked line This proves that many other women realize the newsletter was a) not intended to be taken seriously, and b) does not represent the attitude of most of the members of the club.

We are not condoning the newsletter which was admittedly crass and tasteless But we found it no more insulting than articles written in the Harvard Lampoon, which is delivered at regular intervals to our door. The Pi newsletter was intended for Pi members It was delivered by hand, stapled shut, and addressed to a Pi member Why a Kirkland House woman opened a letter that was clearly not intended for her a is beyond us Holly Idelson's reference to a private newsletter as an official publication of an established club" which "implies an endorsement of like-minded thinking" is twisting the whole issue around to suit her purpose (How did she get hold of the letter anyway?)

The letter by Christine Hayes, entitled "Rape Mentality" which appeared in the April 6 issued of the Crimson is even more off-base Drawing a parallel between the men of the Pi Eta and the beasts that cheered on the rapists at Big Dan's is incredibly absurd. If Ms. Hayes, or any of the other protesters who have so vehemently attacked the Pi Eta had even set foot in 45 Mount Auburn Street, they would realize how misguided they are. They would meet some of the most courteous and considerate men at Harvard Just as the stereotype of the protesters as "lesbians and homos" is probably unfounded, the stereotype of the men in the Pi Eta as misogynists is also misguided. As guests of the Pi Eta, we have never been treated with anything less than respect. Marianne Romak '85   Cara Jo Swirbalus '86   Nancy Labouisse '86   Lori A. Ribeiro '85   Frances S. Hochschild '84   Alice P. Neuhauser '84   Rochelle Lipovsky '84   Theresa M. Moore '86   Grace de Fries '84   Pamela Stedman '84   Donna Marin '85   Liahann Bannerman '85