Word: membership
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Crimson article showed that the Harvard College Democrats blatantly discriminate in their membership. The Crimson quoted last year’s HCD President Marcie B. Bianco ’02 as saying, “You must be a Democrat—a dues-paying one—to vote.” Her successor Sonia H. Kastner ’03, agrees: “Non-Democrats are not free to join the club.” In these strong and sober statements, they seem to take themselves a bit too seriously, as if membership in their campus club...
Most Harvard clubs, by contrast, have no political litmus test or affirmation of any creed, but invite all Harvard students to become participating members. These other clubs are admirable for their non-discriminatory membership policy...
...students as members. It would be ridiculous for Harvard to force HCD to allow communists and anarchists to run for office in their club. In this sense, discrimination can be good, and even necessary for the survival of a political association. We should allow campus groups to selectively deny membership or voting status to some students in order to maintain the group’s unity and mission—for example, if an anti-Semite applied for a leadership position at Hillel, or if an Aryan Nations supporter tried to gain office in the Black Students Association...
...course it’s true that Harvard, as a private association, can write its own rules as it pleases, but these rules would do best to acknowledge the importance of each group unabashedly asserting a mission, even if that mission might preclude some students from membership. If the stated mission of the Black Men’s Forum excludes racist white women from joining, then so be it. Student groups, and civil associations in general, should have a freedom of association. This is as important here on our college campus as it is in broader society...
...liberties as human beings and as Americans include the freedom of association. This is what allows us to band together and accomplish common goals in civil society. Sometimes affiliations we dislike limit membership and advocate causes we disagree with, but we must defend that as their right. Just rules and laws cannot selectively favor causes we like and attempt to constrain those we do not. Our rights must be grounded in a firm foundation of justice, and not upon the changing winds of arbitrary legislation...