Club Boycott About Equal Access, Not Elitism

For a newspaper passionately opposed to the final club system. The Crimson has been quick to dismiss the goals and motivations of the women who have decided to boycott final clubs this year. You have neatly packaged us as a homogeneous group of athletes hoping to gain access to a system of privilege and elitism, and you have glibly called us "hollow feminists".

As an active supporter of Women Appealing for Change (WAC), I agree with you that a co-ed goal will not entirely eliminate the elitist nature of these clubs; however, it is an important step in the right direction. Co-ed membership will eliminate discrimination based on gender. That is a worthwhile goal in itself and like all reform, opens up the possibility for more changes in the future.

For too long we have debated the problems with the final club system. Every campus newspaper is peppered with condemnations of these bastions of elitism. Campus groups have campaigned against the clubs, and some have advocated their complete abolition. Despite these efforts, clubs exist much the same as they always have.

Admittedly, the goal of WAC is more incremental, but in terms of bringing about real change, we believe it is also more realistic. The cry of many for the abolition of nine entrenched private institutions is wishful thinking; instead we should look for reform and change where it can possibly happen.

The boycott organized by WAC has gained support from a variety of women. Whereas real change depends on the goodwill of the final club members and their grad boards, the boycott has contributed to the reconsideration of the men-only policy at a number of clubs.

Feminists do not believe, as one of your editorial writers suggested, that women should be able to waltz into an editorial position on the Crimson simply so that there will be "more women." Membership on The Crimson is open to women; the final clubs are not. Therein lies the difference.

It's time to eliminate this campus's last vestige of exclusion based on gender. It's time that women stop supporting that do not respect them. And while the final club scene involves only a portion of this campus, the symbolism of exclusion casts a shadow relevant to all of us.

Many women as well as men at Harvard would choose to avoid the final clubs altogether. That's their decision. The feminist movement is not about judging the merits of an institution before deciding whether it should be open to women. It's about opportunity and availability--equal access.

Since final clubs will continue to be a part of the social life at Harvard, we want them to be available to all of us. That's a simple concept, surely one The Crimson can grasp. Sarah Abigail Bianchi '95