Harvard May Blacklist Students For Joining 'Unrecognized Single-Gender Social Organizations'
ByHarvard University has been slammed for planning to blacklist students for joining some social clubs. The school's faculty has taken a stand against the school's plan.
The College Fix reported that the school's faculty is considering a motion "arguing that Harvard should not penalize students for their involvement in Greek life or final clubs." Apparently, Harvard is planning to render said students ineligible for fellowships and leadership positions.
According to The Harvard Crimson, both college administrators and Professor Harry R. Lewis have passed documents to lobby faculty members with their respective arguments about the institution's plan to blacklist students who are part of single-gender social organizations. The "Frequently Asked Questions" documents focused on questions about the place of final clubs, sororities and fraternities at Harvard as well as the role of faculty members in the social lives of undergraduates.
Harvard administrators announced last May that members of unrecognized single-gender social organizations are barred from becoming captains of varsity teams, holding leadership positions in recognized student groups or even from receiving College-endorsement for top fellowships. The ban will begin with the class of 2021.
In response, Lewis, along with 11 other professors, created the motion. The aim is that "Harvard College shall not discriminate against students on the basis of organizations they join."
On the other hand, college administrators focus on the issues of exclusivity, discrimination and sexual assault that are associated with the unrecognized social groups. The document they circulated also includes a list of existing groups, their locations and how many members they have.
It was estimated that 25 to 30 percent of students belong to single-sex final clubs or Greek organizations. Authors of the administration's document have not been identified.
"While the College's concerns have 'historically been about the behavior and practices of male clubs,'" the document read, "both male and female organizations 'exclude on the basis of gender' and are inconsistent 'with the Faculty's long-held view that the College should not become a Greek school.'"
