Have you ever wondered exactly what the OK society is?

Well, don't worry. You're in good company. Although the OK society is one of the approximately 200 student groups listed on the roster of officially recognized student organizations, even those in the OK Society don't know what it is.

"To the best of our knowledge, it doesn't even exist," says John S. Weissman '88, roommate of Daniel Wright '88, who is listed as the contact person for the club. Weissman says that although the club has gotten Wright invited to a number of Undergraduate Council parties, neither he nor Wright knows quite what the club is supposed to be or how it came to be included--with Wright's name--on the official list of student groups.

But with the plethora of clubs on the list, surely a little confusion is to be expected. A student interested in the Caribbean, computers or Classics can join an organization specifically tailored to suit his needs, and if not, he can begin one. In the last 15 years, the number of clubs on campus has nearly tripled and many esoteric groups have sprung up where none had existed before.

"We're a nation of joiners," says Dean of Students Archie C. Epps, who attributes the increasing number and diversity of Clubs on campus to a variety of causes.

According to Epps, when he first came to the college in 1971, there were only approximately 70 student organizations on campus. Today the number has reached 190, not counting approximately 100 house organizations.

"One thing I find here is that students can find what's suited to their interests because there are so many different groups," Says Jack W. Tsao '87, Former president of Model Congress.

Epps says he feels this dramatic increase in student groups was brought on partially by the radical movements of the 1960s and early 1970s. "In the 1960s and 1970s, undergraduate energies went into a limited number of activities--mainly political activities and organizations," he says.

But now, following a decrease in political activism, an environment has been created "in which students are pursuing a wider range of activities," Epps says. Previous to the 1960s activism, Epps says, most students either participated in "traditional organizations, or were basically observers."

David Riesman '31, professor of sociology emeritus, says the 1960s brought on a counter-culture movement, offering special interest groups the "freedom to begin expressing" themselves. According to the official list of student organizations, ethnic and special interest groups comprise approximately a third--67 out of 184--of student groups.

David Michael '87, the former chairman of the Student Advisory Committee at the Institute of Politics agrees with Riesman, saying that "the activism of the 1960s and 1970s set a precedent" for increased student involvement in special interest groups.

Others say they think society is more apt to listen to these groups today. "I think that young people today feel as if they can make a difference. We're in a position where society takes us seriously," says Zoher Ghogawala '87, president of the Cynthia Stanton Memorial Cancer Council.

In fact, Riesman says, students may join a special interest group precisely because they know they will be taken seriously. He says, "Students may be more active now in an effort to reject an image of themselves as only being interested in themselves."

The emeritus professor adds, however, that he is not denying that some students join groups for altruistic motives and because "they want to stretch beyond themselves and help other people." Currently, more than 15 groups on campus focus on serving the community, from the century-old Phillips Brooks House--which now has almost 900 members and 25 sub-committees-- to groups focusing no specific community issues.

The Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) was founded about seven years ago to provide a liaison between University Health Services (UHS) and educate Harvard undergraduates about health issues. A similar group, the Cynthia Stanton Memorial Cancer Council, founded two years ago, aims to increase "awareness on campus of health issues," says Ghogawala. The group works closely with the American Cancer Society, bringing health--education to nearby residential areas, he says.