Word: club
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Earlier this month, several dozen students gathered in Harvard Hall for a debate on the matter, sponsored by the Committee to Evaluate Social Space at Harvard and the Harvard Speech and Parliamentary Debate Society. The debate was dubbed “The First Word on Final Clubs,” posing the question: “Should a newly punched student ever consider joining a final club...
...Debating on behalf of the anti-final club position, Juliet S. Samuel ’09, who is also a Crimson editorial executive, outlined reasons final clubs belong in the lowest circle of the inferno. Her three major ones: final clubs institutionalize gender differences, punching is damaging to an individual, and clubs institutionalize privilege...
...second objection—that punching a final club is emotionally taxing to the individual—is a silly one. Harvard students are highly capable of taking care of themselves, having learned to effectively manage hectic course loads and extracurricular schedules. Samuel and company should not delude themselves into believing that these students are too delicate to handle punch season...
...Samuel’s third objection, it is true that a great number of final club members do hail from wealthy backgrounds and private schooling. Yet, there are also many members who fall into socioeconomic brackets closer to the middle. Many final clubs provide financial aid for members who qualify. Furthermore, it is hasty to write off all club members as spoiled boys—many of them are as down-to-earth as their non-club counterparts. One final club president told me recently that he plans for his club to undertake community service projects this year...
...being candid, what this really boils down to are the problems in Harvard’s overall social scene. When I arrived at Harvard, I remember having the feeling that I’d reverted to middle school. The place struck me as overwhelmingly cliquey, and final club types were hardly the worst of this—cliques seemed to exist according to race, party affiliation, and a laundry list of other characteristics...