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May 6,2016

Dear President Faust,

I write today to convey the College’s recommendations or addressing

the !ro"lems created or our community "y the discriminatorymem"ershi! !olicies o undergraduate unrecogni#ed single$gendersocial organi#ations, including Final Clu"s%

&arvard has a long and com!le' history o gra!!ling with genderdiscrimination, dating "ac( to "eore )adcli*e was chartered "y theCommonwealth o Massachusetts in 1+- and stretching into the!resent, when &arvard has resolutely ta(en ste!s to remove theanti.uated "arriers to women’s ull !artici!ation in the /niversity’sacademic and e'tracurricular o!!ortunities% In every era, change hascome slowly and oten with erce o!!osition% ven in recent decades,

as our community has undergone a dramatic and !ositivetransormation, the unrecogni#ed single$gender social organi#ationshave lagged "ehind in ways that are untena"le in the 21st century% t atime when &arvard is !re!aring citi#ens and citi#en$leaders to "ring!eo!le together and em"race an increasingly diverse andinterconnected world, these organi#ations contri"ute to a social lieand a student culture that or many on our cam!us is disem!oweringand e'clusionary%

In the 130s, as &arvard o!ened many o!!ortunities to women,&arvard College o"4ected to the discriminatory !ractices o the

undergraduate male Final Clu"s on the "asis that gender$"asede'clusion would undermine the intellectual and social environment othe College% In 1+-, the male Final Clu"s chose to maintain theirdiscriminatory !ractices, which led to the College’s decision to nolonger recogni#e them as !art o &arvard’s community% t that time,the College ho!ed that cutting ties with these organi#ations wouldeither lead them to "ecome gender inclusive or stem their im!act onthe student culture and social lie at the College% Instead, in what has"een descri"ed as an e*ort to counter the male dominated dynamicso &arvard’s social scene, more unrecogni#ed single$gender socialorgani#ations have emerged% /ltimately, all o these unrecogni#ed

single$gender social organi#ations are at odds with &arvard College’seducational !hiloso!hy and its commitment to a diverse living andlearning e'!erience%

Discrimination is !ernicious% 5tereoty!es and "ias ta(e hold,normali#ing in a community "ehavior, which should "e unacce!ta"le%In this case, the discriminatory mem"ershi! !olicies o theseorgani#ations have led to the !er!etuation o s!aces that are rie with

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!ower im"alances% he most entrenched o these s!aces send anunam"iguous message that they are the e'clusive !reserves o men% Intheir recruitment !ractices and through their e'tensive resources andaccess to networ(s o !ower, these organi#ations !ro!agatee'clusionary values that undermine those o the larger &arvard College

community% nd while the history o these organi#ations is similar tothose at some o our !eer institutions, organi#ations on all o thosecam!uses "egan to admit women decades ago, rendering the situationat &arvard not 4ust untena"le, "ut also uni.uely anachronistic%

lthough they are !rivate organi#ations, these unrecogni#ed single$gender social organi#ations are com!rised !rinci!ally, i note'clusively, o &arvard College students and undermine &arvard’scam!us culture% t the same time, their undamental !rinci!les areantithetical to our institutional values% &arvard has the o"ligation toesta"lish the general regulations and standards governing &arvard

students, aculty, and sta* that are consistent with our educational!hiloso!hy% s im!ortantly, the College must ensure that when it!ermits its resources to "e e'!ended, when it allows its name to "eused, and when it endorses the actions o its students, it does so in away that is consonant with its core value o non$discrimination and oostering a diverse community where students are educated throughe'!eriences with individuals o di*erent genders, gender identity,se'ual orientation, and racial and ethnic "ac(ground, among otherattri"utes%

7ith these actors in mind, the College res!ectully su"mits the

ollowing recommendations8

1% For students matriculating in the all o 2013 and thereater8 anysuch students who "ecome mem"ers o unrecogni#ed single$gender social organi#ations will not "e eligi"le to hold leadershi!!ositions in recogni#ed student organi#ations or athletic teams%Currently enrolled students and those who are matriculating inthe all o 2016 will "e e'em!t rom these new !olicies%

2% For students matriculating in the all o 2013 and thereater8 anysuch students who "ecome mem"ers o unrecogni#ed single$gender social organi#ations will not "e eligi"le to receive the

Dean’s endorsement letters or those ellowshi!s that re.uiresuch endorsements% Currently enrolled students and thosematriculating in the all o 2016 will "e e'em!t rom these new!olicies%

9% Procedures or im!lementing these new !olicies will "edevelo!ed "y an advisory grou! com!rised o aculty, students,and administrators at the College%

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-% he College will wor( with those currently unrecogni#ed single$gender social organi#ations transitioning to gender inclusive ando!en mem"ershi! to identiy o!!ortunities to engage andsu!!ort their !ositive unctions o !roviding more inclusive socialevents, student leadershi! e'!eriences and !roessional

mentoring o!!ortunities or their mem"ers% In all these cases,su!!ort may include access to and use o certain &arvardacilities, among other !ossi"ilities to "e determined "y theadvisory grou!% he College will also continue to create andinvest in !rograms to su!!ort gender e.uity on cam!us throughe'isting organi#ations and centers%

:% he College will continue to invest in social alternatives andincrease its social !rogramming "udgets or the FreshmanDean’s ;

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ssault, 201:A )e!ort o the Committee on 5ocial Clu"s, 2003A heFinal Clu"s, 1+A )e!ort on the Final Clu"s, 13%

In ma(ing these recommendations, the College recogni#es that ormany sta(eholders B current clu" mem"ers, clu" alumni, students in

unrecogni#ed raternities and sororities, and the /niversity communitymore "roadly B these organi#ations have !rovided a !lace o comortand identity% 7e have heard heart$elt statements rom students a"outthe "enets they have e'!erienced "y "elonging to a Final Clu",raternity or sorority, and we are not .uestioning their e'!eriences% utwe do e'!ect leaders o our athletic teams, our recogni#ed studentgrou!s, and those see(ing a Dean’s endorsement to share in theCollege’s res!onsi"ility o ostering a non$discriminatory culture at&arvard%

Moments o institutional change are sometimes accom!anied "y a

sense o loss and ear, "ut they are also crucial turning !oints orgrowth and renewal% &arvard aced criticism when )adcli*e Collegewas created, when &arvard College rst awarded degrees to women,and when the two Colleges were merged% et ew current mem"ers othe &arvard community would choose to return to the !olicies and!ractices in !lace !rior to those reorms% oday, we have reachedanother crossroads, and it is time to move &arvard College orward "yostering a cam!us culture that res!ects the dignity and rights o allour students% Previous generations o &arvard students have risen toovercome the challenges !osed "y e'clusionary !ractices to create a"etter &arvard or our current students% I am condent that our current

students will use this moment to do the same or the College’s uturegenerations%

)es!ectully su"mitted,

)a(esh Ehurana

Dano* Dean o &arvard College