RUS Denies Male Suffrage

Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) members voted decisively last night not to make males voung members of the group, but officers said a campus-wide referendum would be held on the issue soon.

In what RUS Co-President Megan E. Lewis '95 called a "preliminary vote," the proposal to admit men failed 16 votes to seven.

But RUS president Anne Guiney '95 said the issue is far from decided. RUS has held a series of meeting and debates devoted to the issue in recent weeks.

"We're going to go ahead and offer a Radcliffe-wide vote," Guiney said.

"We haven't decided on the exact procedure yet. We're looking for the most efficient, most fair way to do it."

Robert W. Yalen '95, former director of the Civil Liberties Union of Harvard, which has been pushing for male suffrage, said he was not surprised by last nights vote.

"The women of RUS have self-selected themselves," Yalen said. "I expect that [the vote] will be much more in favor of our position when it goes to all women on campus."

And E. Michelle Drake '97, CLUH associate director for student affairs, said CLUH maintains that men have just as much right to vote as women.

"I just don't see why men can't be passionate about women's issues," Drake said.

But Guiney said she believes RUS would be "more effective" as a forum exclusively for women.

Still, Guiney acknowledged that the voting members of RUS are "not necessarily a representatives group of Radcliffe women, but a small section," and that a referendum would measure a decidedly different group of students.

Separate Institutions

Ashwini Sukthankar '95, an RUS member and founder of new women's group Seventh Sense, said Radcliffe's existence as a separate institution in the University structure supports an RUS decision not to offer men voting rights.

"As far as I know, Harvard and Radcliffe are still separate institutions," Sukthankar said.

"It's basically ridiculous for CLUH to ask for voting rights. It's like [my] going to Wellesley and asking them for voting rights."

"Men should be allowed to participate in setting the agenda for RUS, but it's important for women to have a place where they can ultimately decide on issues," Sukthankar said.