Let us tell you a story. Once upon a time, Harvard University decided nearly all the property in Harvard Square should be used for administrative offices and Professor residences. This approach led to a crisis-level lack of space for students and the lucky few that already owned houses became the center of social life at Harvard; unsurprisingly and unfortunately, these clubs came from an age when women weren’t part of the College. Remaining organic social spaces were vaporized when the housing lottery was randomized. That’s the story of how the final clubs became so perniciously exclusive. The end.
Many seem to forget that buildings on and around our campus - the Barker Centre, the Office for Career Services, the Office for the Arts, to name just a few - used to be social spaces for students. The Barker Centre once housed the popular Student Union, with 18 billiards tables in the basement, a grand hall for dining and events, and student organization offices housed in the upper floors. It was known as a club for those not in a final club. Now it’s used for offices and classrooms. Don’t be fooled: the Administration shaped this situation, not us.
If you think final clubs are a problem, we agree. But the problem is that they are in such short supply. The idea of a final club is fundamentally appealing. A space to make friends, to host gatherings away from the prying eyes of our parents administrators, to maintain traditions, to be comfortable; these are all good things that we need more of. And it would have happened a long time ago if Harvard hadn’t cornered the property market while doing nothing to address the social impact.
Instead of looking to solutions that square with what students want, Rakesh et al. have sought to continue Harvard’s history of demolishing social space. In the true spirit of bureaucrats, it seems Harvard looks to solve the problem by getting rid of social life altogether instead of doing the work to fix it.
The first step is to vociferously advocate against the current (and potentially harsher) sanctions. To us, the longer-term solution seems obvious: create more of a good thing, and don’t destroy what we already have.
We want to help new institutions get off the ground and acquire space. We don’t have to look far to see how well this model has worked. Yale’s secret societies, until a few years ago, suffered from the same exclusive dynamic -- but after a 2015 Yale College Council initiative to independently solicit alumni donations and fund the founding of new societies, the environment has become far more inclusive. Princeton, similarly, has avoided Harvard’s problems with Eating clubs in vastly greater supply.
The crux of the issue is this. OSL or UC (a.k.a. OSL) designed Halloween parties will never work for students. The College would have us believe that administrators can remake social life in their own image, and that we’ll be better for it. We all know this is fantasy. We need more independence, not less. We need more space, not less. Harvard can do it, and we’ll make it happen.