Harvard Bars Single-Gender Club Members From Leadership Spots

Harvard University announced Friday it would bar members of single-gender social organizations—including the school’s exclusive “final clubs”—from holding leadership spots on athletic teams or student groups, starting with the Class of 2021. The members will also be prohibited for receiving official endorsement for fellowships like the Marshall and Rhodes scholarships. University President Drew G. Faust announced the decision in an email to students. She wrote, “Although the fraternities, sororities, and final clubs are not formally recognized by the college, they play an unmistakable and growing role in student life, in many cases enacting forms of privilege and exclusion at odds with our deepest values. The college cannot ignore these organizations if it is to advance our shared commitment to broadening opportunity and making Harvard a campus for all of its students.” School officials have called male final clubs “rife with power imbalances” based on their membership selection protocols.