Harvard Update
 

Just announced for those interested.

https://standuptoharvard.org

Yay!

I signed the petition.

Wow. Well done.

Hope it manages to bring back the organizations.

I actually just stopped into Greekchat to post this: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...x-rule-n942961

I'm happy to see these students aren't taking this lying down.

Chi Omega has published a message of support for the Stand Up to Harvard movement on its official Facebook page.

Signed and shared on Facebook, as have many of my sisters.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2...-back-lawsuit/

Looks like the Alpha Phi chapter has reopened.

Kappa Alpha Theta has also joined the lawsuit against Harvard.

Harvard single gender lawsuit

Theta, KKG, Sigma Chi and SAE joined as plaintiffs in a federal suit, while Alpha Phi (both the nationals and the local chapter) and Delta Gamma's Fraternity Management Corporation are the plaintiffs in the state court case. Smart move to split up and pursue separate suits under Title IX and under Massachusetts civil rights laws.

So did Kappa Delta!

DaffyKD

I signed the petition too!

I signed and shared!

I signed!

Same with Alpha Gamma Delta!

Gamma Phi Beta is in solidarity, too!

ASA posted on our FB page as well.

I know AST is putting together a statement now.

Signed the petition!

Signed

My AXO friend on Facebook has a special temporary profile pic frame that says "Stand Up To Harvard" from the IFC. I thought that was pretty cool!

I'm all for single sex organizations. This is unbelievable!

Alpha Omicron Pi sent out an email encouraging all of us to visit the site and sign the petition.

ZTA too.

There's a frame available per the Stand Up To Harvard website (almost halfway down this page):
https://www.standuptoharvard.org/take-action/

Statement from Sigma Phi Epsilon:

Statement from Phi Kappa Tau:

Quote:
WE STAND UP: Harvard has imposed a policy that punishes students for simply belonging to a private, single-sex organization like Phi Kappa Tau. Students have the right to shape their own futures—it’s time to stand up to Harvard! Today, Phi Tau stands in support of the group of sororities, fraternities and students who filed lawsuits today challenging Harvard. Take a stand with us at www.standuptoharvard.org #StandUptoHarvard

Aside from a few press releases, and some online petition, what is actually being done about this? Anything? Does anyone think Harvard didn't fully consider the hypocritical aspects of their plans?

Kevin, did you not read that lawsuits are being/have been filed in both Federal and State courts?

"On December 3rd, sororities, fraternities and students filed a pair of lawsuits challenging the Harvard's sanctions policy that punishes students who join off-campus, single-sex social organizations. The federal and state lawsuits describe how Harvard used a campaign of threats and intimidation to scare students into abandoning their fundamental rights to free association and to live free of sex discrimination."

In case anyone's interested, here are links to some pdfs I found for copies of the two lawsuits filed, which provide detail about the factual basis and legal principles upon which they are based - more so than the various news articles out there. Also without the adware that comes with news posting sites.

The federal suit:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vBL...Y3oYGSe4m/view

The state suit:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ao...h8_AUW1Ec/view

Alpha Xi Delta is on board with this and I signed the petition.

Signed.
About time.
I figured the Greeks were crafting some kind of action to counter this.

Thanks for these PhilTau! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

Reality check
 

Harvard is a private institution ,what is going to stop Harvard if they decide to ban fraternity life or final clubs as a matter of educational policy?
There is no constitutional right to free association when you attend a private school (although I suppose you could condition federal funding on a college/university granting such a right, boy the Universities would fight that requirement tooth and nail).
If Harvard loses expect a complete ban like Williams, Amherst , Bowdoin and Colby have instituted.
Real open mindedness at those bastions of learning and enlightenment.

I would actually have a little more respect for them if they did ban them outright. With the way it's set up now, they can say "oh, we didn't ban them, student interest decreased" (conveniently not saying why it decreased). There is way way way WAY more $$$ and old boys behind the Harvard final clubs than there was behind, say, Zeta Psi at Bowdoin.

Also, apparently at Williams, the students were the ones behind the decision to get rid of fraternities, not the administration.

https://specialcollections.williams....ng-of-the-end/

If students want fraternities - or things that are like them - they will continue to exist. This does, however, include keeping your mouth shut and photos off the internet, a task which seems as out of reach for this generation as walking on the surface of Saturn.

Some interesting points:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/edit...208-story.html

They already did. Harvard's new policy goes much farther and sanctions a student who joins a single-sex social group, even if the group has no affiliation with or recognition of Harvard.

The federal suit basically alleges Title 9 violations - including, that Harvard's policy punishes/discriminates against a person on the basis of the sex of those with whom a person associates. It also alleges violation of Massachusetts Civil Rights Act which incorporates and applies federal constitutional and statutory rights and does not require a plaintiff to show government action.

The federal complaint is very well written and goes into a lot of detail about Harvard's social history. Arnold & Porter did a good job writing this up. Worth reading.

That Williams story is not quite accurate by a long shot. There were a few members who were unhappy with the situation but the vast majority were not opposed to fraternities on campus. The unhappies gave the administration just what it was waiting for and they pounced immediately claiming they were only doing what the students wanted. It was not coed at the time but my daughter attended Williams a couple days later and the "evils of fraternities" still exist. Students still drink too much (surprise!) and by human nature students seek out others just like themselves (discrimination?) with which to associate. The most amusing anecdote, upon leaving a freshman orientation meeting about the importance acceptance of others like ourselves she spotted two notices on a campus kiosk. One for a blacks only party and another for a gays only party. Go figure!

she attended two decades, not days, later. sorry

Thanks for your input. That story seemed a little one sided (not to mention self congratulatory) to me.