Spee Final Club Decides to Close Its Doors to Non-Members

The Spee final club has decided to bar all non-members from entering the club, no exceptions, effective last Thursday.

Spee President Paul M. Goldschimid '00 said no visitors are allowed in the club for now, but the "no guest" policy is meant to be temporary.

Goldschmid said the change was made after undergraduate members met with the graduate board over dinner and discussed what they thought would be the best option for the club.

"The students agreed that [no guests] would be the best idea until we come up with a new plan," Goldschmid said.

Goldschmid declined to comment on what exactly precipitated the change.

"The one thing I would say is that it is obvious in the current environment the clubs have to make some changes," he said.

While other clubs have attributed their guest policy changes to liability concerns that accompany rowdy guests, Goldschmid said the Spee is not worried about such issues.

"I have total faith in our club to deal with issues of liability and damage," he said.

Goldschmid said the other clubs' changes over the past few months have not affected the Spee's decision to restrict access to the club.

"I like to think of the Spee's as independent," Goldschmid said.

Former Spee Trustee John W. Sears '52 said the graduates were the driving force behind reevaluating the policy.

"I was very much in favor of cleaning up the arrangements so the University would respect us and young people would not spoil their chance with a bad party policy," Sears said.

"We did not want to throw away 150 years of special experiences with foolish partying," he said.

The graduates were unanimous in their decision to take action, Sears said.

Although the graduates were dominant in the final decision, Sears said the undergraduate members of the Spee are extensively involved in governance.

"I don't think it was easy for the young people, but they were grown up enough to understand in," Sears said.

"Let's go down to the old 76 [Mt. Auburn St.] and trash the place," he said. "That just doesn't cut it any more."

Sears added that he spoke with two men who have worked at the club for 30 years, and they agreed the decision was in the club's best interest.

The club will be convening over the next week to talk about creating a new policy in the place of the current abso- lute restriction, Goldschmid said. However, headded, this policy would probably not be set instone either.

"I'd like to have that plan done in the nextweek or so," Goldschmid said. "That would be ourguest policy until the end of the year."

He said he sees other clubs' changes astemporary as well.

Discussing the A.D. and Owl clubs, Goldschmidsaid. "I wouldn't doubt that they'll be open againnext year."

The Spee decision comes one month after theflood of final club guest policy changes appearedto be slowing, according to Rev. Douglas W. Sears'69, President of Inter-Club Council (ICC), thegoverning board of the final clubs.

After a quarterly meeting of the ICC held Feb.18, Rev. Sears said graduate representativesseemed less agitated about the current state offinal clubs and their role in the social scene.

Rev. Sears said these policy changes the clubshave been making would be unnecessary if clubs hadfollowed the guest guidelines the ICC recommendedin 1996.

"People say we need to clamp down. But if theyjust looked at what we agreed to, there wouldn'tbe a problem," Rev Sears said.

As for the future of the other clubs Rev. Searssaid they will make changes if they feel they arenecessary.

"The Fly [club] is the one everyone isinterested in seeing taking a stand," Sears said.

Because the Fly boasts the largest guestroom ofany of the clubs, Rev. Sears said people areawaiting its members' moves.

Spee Graduate President Frederick C. Childs '79could not be reached for comment

"I'd like to have that plan done in the nextweek or so," Goldschmid said. "That would be ourguest policy until the end of the year."

He said he sees other clubs' changes astemporary as well.

Discussing the A.D. and Owl clubs, Goldschmidsaid. "I wouldn't doubt that they'll be open againnext year."

The Spee decision comes one month after theflood of final club guest policy changes appearedto be slowing, according to Rev. Douglas W. Sears'69, President of Inter-Club Council (ICC), thegoverning board of the final clubs.

After a quarterly meeting of the ICC held Feb.18, Rev. Sears said graduate representativesseemed less agitated about the current state offinal clubs and their role in the social scene.

Rev. Sears said these policy changes the clubshave been making would be unnecessary if clubs hadfollowed the guest guidelines the ICC recommendedin 1996.

"People say we need to clamp down. But if theyjust looked at what we agreed to, there wouldn'tbe a problem," Rev Sears said.

As for the future of the other clubs Rev. Searssaid they will make changes if they feel they arenecessary.

"The Fly [club] is the one everyone isinterested in seeing taking a stand," Sears said.

Because the Fly boasts the largest guestroom ofany of the clubs, Rev. Sears said people areawaiting its members' moves.

Spee Graduate President Frederick C. Childs '79could not be reached for comment