RUS: STILL RELEVANT?

Like Radcliffe itself, some might say the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) has an image problem.

Once the student government for female undergraduates, many Harvard women say RUS no longer represents them--an assessments RUS leaders do not contest. And RUS members say they do not strive to be a voice for women on campus.

But the women closely involved with the small, tight-knit organization say it touches the lives of many more women than its voting membership through its sponsorship of other organizations and events.

More importantly for them, RUS leaders say the organization creates a community of women which would not otherwise be available at Harvard.

And even as Radcliffe reconsiders its status as a college, RUS maintains that the organization will remain relevant for women on campus.

Making a Role

Founded in 1968 by a referendum of Radcliffe women, RUS replaced Radcliffe's former student government, the Radcliffe Government Association--a body students complained failed to provide them with a voice in college affairs.

According to former RUS Board member Adina H. Rosenbaum '98, who has conducted research on RUS history, RUS spent its early years facing down Radcliffe administrators on issues ranging from the right of Radcliffe women to hold protests to the removal of grades from Radcliffe report cards.

But with the 1977 merger of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, RUS's role as a student government disappeared. The organization's membership technically still includes all undergraduate women, but this year only 60 of those women attended the two meetings required to obtain voting rights.

Leaders of the organization say it is now designed to be a "foundation" organization, which supports other student groups addressing women's issues. They say RUS's primary impact comes through the grant money it distributes each year--ranging from $7,500 to $10,000 a year.

In addition, the group helps organize large-scale women's events each year, including Take Back the Night week and Women's Expo.

"Anyone who's participated in any event that has to do with women has benefited from RUS," says RUS Co-President Mia Bagneris '99. "If RUS didn't exist, a lot of things that go on on this campus wouldn't go on."

Yet, as Harvard increases its own efforts to reach out to women students, not everyone agrees that RUS is still relevent on campus, especially because it duplicates the grant-giving responsibilities of the Undergraduate Council.

"A while ago, Harvard needed someone over our shoulder on women's issues, which I don't think is necessary anymore," says Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III.

"The ideal thing would be for RUS to merge with the U.C. into one student government," he says.

But RUS leaders claim the money they give fills a niche left empty by other student organizations like the council.

"RUS is one of the few organizations on campus that consistently funds activism," says RUS Co-President Stacy M. Abder '99.

Abder says the flexibility and speed of money available through RUS makes it unique.

"We can sponsor something overnight," she says. "We can look at an issue and take action the next day, which is something a lot of student organizations can't do."

Abder cites the organization of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Violence, formed in February shortly after the arrest of Joshua M. Elster '00 on rape charges, as an example of RUS's ability to fund causes quickly.

Some council members say they do not believe the two organizations overlap. Instead, they say the alternative source of grant money available through RUS further helps student groups.

"The U.C. can compliment an RUS grant, and RUS can compliment a U.C. grant," says long-time council member Sarah K. Hurwitz '99.

A Community of Women?

Student leaders of RUS say that despite recentimprovements in Harvard's treatment of women, astudent organization like RUS, devoted to women'srights, is still very much in need.

According to Bagneris, recent changes for womenat Harvard have been cosmetic, leaving the coreundergraduate experience untouched.

"I think the pomp and circumstance about the 25years of women at Harvard has been a tremendouscover-up for what Harvard doesn't do for women,"she says.

Last October marked 25 years of co-residency inHarvard Yard. Harvard College celebrated with aweekend of festivities, culminating in thededication of a gate in the Yard.

"Women don't need a gate," Bagneris says. "Weneed a substantive change in the administrativefocus."

Bagneris and other RUS leaders specificallycomplain that Harvard leaders fail to place enoughemphasis on issues they consider of particularimportance to women, such as sexual violence andpregnancy.

"We still have a system where the punishmentfor rape on campus is that you take a couple ofsemesters off," Abder says.

Women involved in RUS say that theorganization's greatest impact on campus may comethrough its creation of tightknit bonds betweenwomen interested in gender issues--bonds whichthey say simply aren't available at Harvard.

"When I came to Harvard, I came expecting thereto be some sort of women's community," Bagnerissays. "I found zip. When you don't find that atHarvard, you immediately look to Radcliffe."

Bagneris and others say RUS has succeeded increating just such an environment--at least forthose women who choose to participate.

"If women need or want to get connected to thewomen's community on campus, RUS is probably thebest place to get started," says Co-PublicityChair Larissa T. Jester '00.

RUS members say there still exists a distinctlymale atmosphere on campus that taints women'sexperiences.

"This university has an undeniable history ofbeing a male institution," Abder says. "That isquite a burden when you come here as a woman."

Sounding the Bullhorn

Abder admits that despite the wide role shesees for RUS on campus, the group can no longerattempt to be a representative organization.

"None of our representatives are truly voted inby the entire student body, which would be thereal way to legitimize the organization," shesays. "The people who come to RUS are the peoplewho are interested and need the services."

"We don't try to be the people who go to thedeans and say, `This is what the women on campusare thinking,'" Abder says.

And College administrators recognize that RUS'svoice doesn't represent a wide base of women'sopinions.

"I'm not sure how much they're really reachingother women students," says Karen E. Avery '87,assistant dean of Harvard College forco-education. "I think it's fine to have a women'sorganization on campus to advocate for women, butI'm not sure they're it."

Other campus leaders say RUS should not shyaway from a role as a voice for woman on campus.

"There aren't that many representative femalevoices on campus," council member Kamil E. Redmond'00 says. "If RUS is going to survive and thrive,they're going to have to start being a voice forwomen." Redmond says the key to strengtheningRUS's power on campus is advertising both theorganization and the importance of Radcliffe as aninstitution.

"A lot women want to integrate with the Harvardcommunity, and they see Radcliffe as very marginalto their experience," Redmond says. "Either[women] don't know of RUS or they're scared off.It's sort of the same reason why they don't liketo be identified with feminism."

As it is, some campus women say the communitycreated by RUS appeals to only a small segment ofthe women on campus.

"To tell you the truth, I don't think I evenknew what RUS was until the end of my freshmanyear," says council President Beth A. Stewart '00."I would say personally, and perhaps to my flaw,I've always been uncomfortable with the idea ofbeing a `woman leader.'"

Stewart told The Crimson in March that RUS'smission is not one which affects her personally.

"Maybe it's because I've never experiencedin-your-face discrimination, but I've never feltthe need to have any special discussions," Stewartsaid. "I'm Southern, I'm very traditional and RUSis about breaking free from the world of men.That's not something I've ever felt the need todo."

RUS leaders acknowledge that many campus womenshare Stewart's view, yet they maintain that oneof RUS's goals is to help educate women about whatstill needs to be done for campus women.

"I think there are a lot of women who don't seethe need for it," Abder says. "I'm glad thatthey've had a lifetime of experience in which theyhaven't had to see the need for it, but that'srelatively new."

The Future

RUS leaders say they are wary of what thedisappearance of Radcliffe's role as a collegecould do, but say they are confident that RUS willsurvive the current negotiations.

"If Harvard and Radcliffe were to split in someway, I feel really confident that RUS willcontinue in some capacity," Bagneris says. "Itsurvived the Harvard and Radcliffe merger, it cansurvive redefinition."

RUS leaders have been given no official role inthe negotiations. But the students, some ofRadcliffe's strongest supporters on campus, sayRadcliffe administrators have convinced them thattheir needs are being addressed in thenegotiations.

"I've been repeatedly reassured that theadministration is not interested in crippling anyof the students or student organizations who havesupported it for so long," Abder says.

What form the student organization could takeif Radcliffe's status changes is unclear. Oneoption would be for the group to lose itsconnection to Radcliffe and become a Harvardorganization.

"If it were going to disappear as a Radcliffeorganization, the best possible choice would befor it to join Harvard," Rosenbaum says. "It wouldmake me very sad to see RUS disappear. Workingwith RUS has been one of my most importantexperiences here.