Final club
Encyclopedia
A final club is an undergraduate social club at Harvard College
.
, and seniors
, with students of different years being in different clubs, and the "final clubs" were so named because they were the last social club a person could join before graduation
.
All were established a century or more ago. There are other private male social clubs at Harvard that own property and participate in similar functions as the final clubs.
Five all-female social clubs have been founded recently and are called the Bee, the Isis, the Pleiades, the Sabliere Society, and La Vie. Another women's organization, the Seneca distinguishes itself as a "501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization that is often misidentified as a final club." Several other clubs are also 501(c)(3) organizations and engage in some community service. The Bee was founded in 1991; The Seneca in 1999; Isis in 2000; Pleiades in 2002; Sabliere in 2002; and La Vie in 2008.
(The co-ed Signet Society
, Alpha Delta Phi Society, Harvard Crimson, Harvard Advocate and Harvard Lampoon also have selective membership, but their charters define them as something other than social organizations, based on their literary or artistic characteristics.)
All of the male clubs own clubhouses that they have occupied for many decades. Clubhouses usually include dining halls, libraries
, and game rooms. Most are staffed with chef
s, stewards, and other paid personnel. Most serve luncheon
and dinner meals at regular schedules. The Delphic Club boasts a regulation-size squash court.
The Bee Club rents space from the Fly Club at 45 Dunster Street in a building that was previously the D.U. (the "Duck") before that club was merged with The Fly. La Vie Club rents a colonial style house on Garden Street. The Isis rents a portion of The Owl's premises. The Sabliere Society recently obtained property in the Square
. The Pleiades Society recently obtained an apartment on Waterhouse Street.
None of the final clubs provide housing to undergraduate members, nor are they currently affiliated with national organizations. The Spee began as Zeta Psi
, the Delphic began as Delta Phi, and the Fly began as Alpha Delta Phi
.
In 1984, Harvard required that the final clubs either go co-educational or cease any connection with the College, as required by Title IX legislation. The clubs opted to become fully independent, and since then have maintained themselves beyond university regulation. The clubs own property in Cambridge
, collectively assessed at over $17 million as of 2006.
Historically, there was more differentiation among the clubs. Years ago Harvard College freshmen could join a freshman club, then a "waiting club," and finally a "final club." Of the final clubs still in existence, only the P.C. was initially founded as a final club. The Phoenix SK is the amalgam of three separate clubs: the Phoenix, the Sphinx, and the Kalumet. The Iroquois Club built the edifice now owned by the Office for the Arts at Harvard, at 74 Mount Auburn Street. Their dance studio is the former Iroquois dining hall. The original Pi Eta Club built the structure now occupied by Upstairs On The Square, and Grendel's Den.
Each fall the clubs hold "punch season" which is similar to the rush period for fraternities
. Sophomores and juniors are invited to a series of social events. After each event, more likely prospective members, or "punches", are invited back. After the last event, called a "final dinner", each club elects 10–30 new members who then choose among the clubs they have been asked to join. Being "punched" refers to receiving an invitation to the first punch event. Once the punch process has begun, the verb "to punch" can also refer to a prospective member's attending the clubs' events, e.g. "Is José really punching both the Delphic and A.D.?"
The clubs have an undergraduate membership of around forty apiece, amounting to over 10% of the eligible male undergraduates, and 5% of eligible female undergraduates. The clubs have varying entrance restrictions for guests. Some final clubs often hold parties and open their doors to women guests and male guests of members. Others, like the A.D., have only in recent history opened their doors to female guests of members and still do not allow male guests. Others rarely welcome non-members. The Porcellian does not allow non-members past "the bicycle room" in the building's foyer; the Delphic permits its guests access only to its basement or courtyard through separate entrances; the Fox has a basement room with a separate entrance for guests.
In recent years, many of the clubs have grown increasingly diverse to include men of other races. Nevertheless, controversy continues with protests, boycotts and perennial debate in the student newspaper
, The Harvard Crimson
, usually around punch season, similar in nature and tone to editorial
s in the Yale Daily News
during mid-April-tap season and in the Daily Princetonian during bicker
.
Since they are private organizations, neither student opinion nor Harvard's anti-discrimination policies have material impact, and the promise of social rank and professional connections continue to lure prospective members.
The issue of sexual assault at final clubs has also been a source of concern on campus
. The Harvard "Dis-orientation Guide", a non-administration publication from Harvard's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society
, contends that male-only clubs inherently create a "hetero-normative and male-dominated" atmosphere that, in turn, may give rise to sexism
and homophobia
while increasing the likelihood of sexual assault. In 2002 Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 told female first-years to be aware of "potential dangers that have been reported in regard to final clubs". Two Harvard students started Students Against Super Sexist Institutions - We Oppose Oppressive Finals Clubs (SASSI-WOOFCLUBS) in September 2004, in opposition to the influence of final clubs on Harvard's campus. Following numerous campaigns for a student center or other social spaces, a renewed campaign was launched in 2010-2011 to challenge the final clubs and the college administration's ambiguous position on them. The campaign won the support of many students, including the college student government, the Undergraduate Council
.
One result of the continuing controversy has been an increase in fraternity and sorority presence at Harvard. Five female final clubs (The Bee, The Isis, The Sablière, The Pleiades, and La Vie), three fraternities (Sigma Chi
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
and Alpha Epsilon Pi
), three sororities (Kappa Kappa Gamma
, Delta Gamma
, and Kappa Alpha Theta
), and one additional all-female organization (The Seneca) have greatly expanded the presence of formal social organizations at the College. Harvard University has not yet officially recognized these organizations.
. Alito came under criticism as a result of his membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton
, a conservative group that opposed affirmative action
and the admission of women into Princeton
. One of the leading Democrats
highlighting this charge was Massachusetts
Senator
Ted Kennedy
. Conservatives, however, responded by pointing out Kennedy's membership in the Owl Club of Harvard. As a result of the political fallout, Senator Kennedy left the club.
In August of that same year, Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial candidate (and now Governor) Deval Patrick
came under fire for his membership in the Fly Club
. Critics viewed Patrick's membership in the club as contradictory to his image as a champion of civil rights
. Patrick countered that he had left the club in the early 1980s when he realized that it contradicted his values, although the club itself had Patrick's name on its roster as late as 2006.
were both featured in the movie The Social Network
.
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
.
Origins
The historical basis for the name final clubs is that Harvard used to have a variety of clubs for freshmen, sophomores, juniorsJunior (education)
"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
, and seniors
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
, with students of different years being in different clubs, and the "final clubs" were so named because they were the last social club a person could join before graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
.
The clubs
There are currently eight all-male clubs at Harvard:- A.D.A.D. ClubThe A.D. Club is a final club established at Harvard University in 1836, the continuation of a chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity existing as an honorary chapter until 1846, and then as a regular chapter until the late 1850s...
(1 Plympton St.) - OwlOwl Club (Harvard)The Owl Club is a men's only final club at Harvard College, founded in 1896. Its clubhouse is located at 30 Holyoke Street in Cambridge, in close proximity to Lowell House.-The Owl Club:...
(30 Holyoke St.); - Delphic (9 Linden St.);
- FlyFly ClubThe Fly Club is a male-only final club at Harvard University, founded in 1836.Both the Fly and A.D. Club, another Harvard final club, trace their beginnings to the Harvard chapters of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. The A.D. surrendered its chapter credentials in 1865 and broke off from the national...
(2 Holyoke Pl.); - FoxFox Club (Harvard)The Fox Club is a Final Club at Harvard University. The Club was founded in 1898 as the Digamma Club, by a group of six undergraduates. The name "Fox" and the club’s symbol, a rampant fox carrying the letter "F" grew from the similarity between the Greek character for Digamma, HJH, and the letter...
(44 John F. Kennedy St.); - Phoenix-SK (72 Mt Auburn St.);
- PorcellianPorcellian ClubThe Porcellian Club is a men's-only final club at Harvard University, sometimes called the Porc or the P.C. The year of founding is usually given as 1791, when a group began meeting under the name "the Argonauts," or as 1794, the year of the roast pig dinner at which the club, known first as "the...
– sometimes called the "Porc" or the "P.C." (1324 Mass Ave.); - Spee (76 Mt Auburn St).
All were established a century or more ago. There are other private male social clubs at Harvard that own property and participate in similar functions as the final clubs.
Five all-female social clubs have been founded recently and are called the Bee, the Isis, the Pleiades, the Sabliere Society, and La Vie. Another women's organization, the Seneca distinguishes itself as a "501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization that is often misidentified as a final club." Several other clubs are also 501(c)(3) organizations and engage in some community service. The Bee was founded in 1991; The Seneca in 1999; Isis in 2000; Pleiades in 2002; Sabliere in 2002; and La Vie in 2008.
(The co-ed Signet Society
Signet society
The Signet Society of Harvard University was founded in 1870 by members of the class of 1871. The first president was Charles Joseph Bonaparte. It was, at first, dedicated to the production of literary work only, going so far as to exclude debate and even theatrical productions. According to The...
, Alpha Delta Phi Society, Harvard Crimson, Harvard Advocate and Harvard Lampoon also have selective membership, but their charters define them as something other than social organizations, based on their literary or artistic characteristics.)
All of the male clubs own clubhouses that they have occupied for many decades. Clubhouses usually include dining halls, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, and game rooms. Most are staffed with chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
s, stewards, and other paid personnel. Most serve luncheon
Luncheon
Luncheon, commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a mid-day meal, and is smaller than dinner.In English-speaking countries during the eighteenth century, lunch was originally called "dinner"— a word still used regularly to mean a noontime meal in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and some parts of England,...
and dinner meals at regular schedules. The Delphic Club boasts a regulation-size squash court.
The Bee Club rents space from the Fly Club at 45 Dunster Street in a building that was previously the D.U. (the "Duck") before that club was merged with The Fly. La Vie Club rents a colonial style house on Garden Street. The Isis rents a portion of The Owl's premises. The Sabliere Society recently obtained property in the Square
Harvard Square
Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It is the historic center of Cambridge...
. The Pleiades Society recently obtained an apartment on Waterhouse Street.
None of the final clubs provide housing to undergraduate members, nor are they currently affiliated with national organizations. The Spee began as Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
, the Delphic began as Delta Phi, and the Fly began as Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....
.
In 1984, Harvard required that the final clubs either go co-educational or cease any connection with the College, as required by Title IX legislation. The clubs opted to become fully independent, and since then have maintained themselves beyond university regulation. The clubs own property in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, collectively assessed at over $17 million as of 2006.
Historically, there was more differentiation among the clubs. Years ago Harvard College freshmen could join a freshman club, then a "waiting club," and finally a "final club." Of the final clubs still in existence, only the P.C. was initially founded as a final club. The Phoenix SK is the amalgam of three separate clubs: the Phoenix, the Sphinx, and the Kalumet. The Iroquois Club built the edifice now owned by the Office for the Arts at Harvard, at 74 Mount Auburn Street. Their dance studio is the former Iroquois dining hall. The original Pi Eta Club built the structure now occupied by Upstairs On The Square, and Grendel's Den.
Each fall the clubs hold "punch season" which is similar to the rush period for fraternities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. Sophomores and juniors are invited to a series of social events. After each event, more likely prospective members, or "punches", are invited back. After the last event, called a "final dinner", each club elects 10–30 new members who then choose among the clubs they have been asked to join. Being "punched" refers to receiving an invitation to the first punch event. Once the punch process has begun, the verb "to punch" can also refer to a prospective member's attending the clubs' events, e.g. "Is José really punching both the Delphic and A.D.?"
The clubs have an undergraduate membership of around forty apiece, amounting to over 10% of the eligible male undergraduates, and 5% of eligible female undergraduates. The clubs have varying entrance restrictions for guests. Some final clubs often hold parties and open their doors to women guests and male guests of members. Others, like the A.D., have only in recent history opened their doors to female guests of members and still do not allow male guests. Others rarely welcome non-members. The Porcellian does not allow non-members past "the bicycle room" in the building's foyer; the Delphic permits its guests access only to its basement or courtyard through separate entrances; the Fox has a basement room with a separate entrance for guests.
Controversy
Male final clubs have long been a point of controversy at Harvard because of their exclusionary nature. Such clubs do not allow women to become members, and some clubs have historical traditions that classify them as more of a reflection of Harvard's predominantly white, trust-fund wealthy, Protestant past than its more diverse present.In recent years, many of the clubs have grown increasingly diverse to include men of other races. Nevertheless, controversy continues with protests, boycotts and perennial debate in the student newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, usually around punch season, similar in nature and tone to editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s in the Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
during mid-April-tap season and in the Daily Princetonian during bicker
Bicker
Bicker may refer to*Bicker, Lincolnshire*Bicker, a practice in the eating clubs at Princeton University and Mount Olive College*Bicker , a Dutch Golden Age family, headed by Andries Bicker...
.
Since they are private organizations, neither student opinion nor Harvard's anti-discrimination policies have material impact, and the promise of social rank and professional connections continue to lure prospective members.
The issue of sexual assault at final clubs has also been a source of concern on campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. The Harvard "Dis-orientation Guide", a non-administration publication from Harvard's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
, contends that male-only clubs inherently create a "hetero-normative and male-dominated" atmosphere that, in turn, may give rise to sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
while increasing the likelihood of sexual assault. In 2002 Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 told female first-years to be aware of "potential dangers that have been reported in regard to final clubs". Two Harvard students started Students Against Super Sexist Institutions - We Oppose Oppressive Finals Clubs (SASSI-WOOFCLUBS) in September 2004, in opposition to the influence of final clubs on Harvard's campus. Following numerous campaigns for a student center or other social spaces, a renewed campaign was launched in 2010-2011 to challenge the final clubs and the college administration's ambiguous position on them. The campaign won the support of many students, including the college student government, the Undergraduate Council
Harvard Undergraduate Council
The Harvard Undergraduate Council, colloquially known as "the UC", is the representative student government of Harvard College. The Council was established in 1982 by a vote of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences and student referendum...
.
One result of the continuing controversy has been an increase in fraternity and sorority presence at Harvard. Five female final clubs (The Bee, The Isis, The Sablière, The Pleiades, and La Vie), three fraternities (Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
and Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi , the Global Jewish college fraternity, has 155 active chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel with a membership of over 9,000 undergraduates...
), three sororities (Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...
, Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma
Delta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
, and Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
), and one additional all-female organization (The Seneca) have greatly expanded the presence of formal social organizations at the College. Harvard University has not yet officially recognized these organizations.
Political backlash
In January 2006 national attention focused on the Harvard final club system as a result of the confirmation hearings of Samuel AlitoSamuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
. Alito came under criticism as a result of his membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton
Concerned Alumni of Princeton
The Concerned Alumni of Princeton was a group of politically conservative former Princeton University students that existed between 1972 and 1986. CAP was born in 1972 from the ashes of the Alumni Committee to Involve Itself Now , which was founded in opposition to the college going coed in 1969...
, a conservative group that opposed affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
and the admission of women into Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. One of the leading Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
highlighting this charge was Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
. Conservatives, however, responded by pointing out Kennedy's membership in the Owl Club of Harvard. As a result of the political fallout, Senator Kennedy left the club.
In August of that same year, Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial candidate (and now Governor) Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
came under fire for his membership in the Fly Club
Fly Club
The Fly Club is a male-only final club at Harvard University, founded in 1836.Both the Fly and A.D. Club, another Harvard final club, trace their beginnings to the Harvard chapters of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. The A.D. surrendered its chapter credentials in 1865 and broke off from the national...
. Critics viewed Patrick's membership in the club as contradictory to his image as a champion of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. Patrick countered that he had left the club in the early 1980s when he realized that it contradicted his values, although the club itself had Patrick's name on its roster as late as 2006.
The Social Network
The Phoenix – S K Club and Porcellian ClubPorcellian Club
The Porcellian Club is a men's-only final club at Harvard University, sometimes called the Porc or the P.C. The year of founding is usually given as 1791, when a group began meeting under the name "the Argonauts," or as 1794, the year of the roast pig dinner at which the club, known first as "the...
were both featured in the movie The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
.
Further reading
- Harrington, Rebecca M., "How the Final Clubbers Fool You - The Trend is Nigh", The Harvard Crimson, Thursday, March 2, 2006
- Hemel, Daniel J., "E-mails Offer Glimpse of Club: Isis e-mail archives reveal details of 'punch' process, relationship with Bee Club", The Harvard Crimson, Monday, October 24, 2005
- Phillips, Frank, "Patrick says he quit The Fly Club in 1983: Nine exclusive clubs at Harvard limit membership to men. A gubernatorial candidate's link to one renews debate on elitism", The Boston Globe, August 3, 2006
- "Kennedy Ends His Final Club Ties: Senator withdraws from Owl Club after conservatives criticized his membership", The Harvard Crimson, Tuesday, January 17, 2006
- Sachs, Stephen E., "What's Wrong With Final Clubs: The Public Interest", The Harvard Crimson, Tuesday, October 23, 2001