After Harvard severed its ties to the nine all-male final clubs in 1984, punching season returned, the parties continued, and for the most part the debate over the clubs seemed to have reached a settlement. Until Lisa J. Schkolnick '88 came on the scene.

A Harvard senior, Schkolnick filed a complaint in December against the Fly Club with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), charging that the clubs' admissions policies constitute discrimination against women.

In order for the MCAD to be able to rule in the case, the quasi-governmental body must establish that it has jurisdiction, which is dependent on the clubs being found to be a significant part of Harvard life. After the formal break from the clubs, the University cut off their Centrex service, steam heat, police service, and most recently, made the Harvard-owned portion of the Fly Club Garden more accessible to non-club members. With the formal ties nearly all severed, Schkolnick's case may prove difficult.

In her original complaint to MCAD, Schkolnick writes, "The clubs, though not actually affiliated with Harvard, sometimes hold functions on Harvard property and significantly (and adversily[sic]) affect Harvard undergraduate life." Between 10 and 12 percent of all Harvard undergraduates are members, and many more, both male and female, attend club parties.

Among the major points of contention are that the clubs provide opportunities for making professional contacts and have libraries which women cannot take advantage of. Consequently, Schkolnick argues, the clubs are both integral to undergraduate life and discriminatory.

More Controversy

Regardless of the outcome of Scholnick's complaint, her action has renewed campus-wide debate on the clubs, bringing to the surface what seemed to be a dormant issue. Already a student group called Stop Witholding Access Today (SWAT) has been formally approved, pledging to support Schkolnick's case and to make students think before they join the clubs. And last night, the Undergraduate Council debated resolutions to provide funding for Schkolnick and to give her moral support.

"The attitude is already changing," says SWAT member Chrystia A. Freeland '90, adding that people are now much more willing to take a stand on the issue than they were two months ago.

But club members say that many of the complaints of detractors are unfounded or unfair.

"It's just a place to hang out," says Peter Y. Lee '88, a member of the Delphic. He says the clubs serve the same role at Harvard as fraternities do at other schools.

And Class Marshal Tab T. Stewart '88 says, "It's purely a social situation." He says his club is a place to watch television or study and sponsors few community activities each year, such as painting houses.

Club members say rumors of what students in and out of the clubs term "bimbo" parties--attended by large numbers of women from Harvard and neighboring schools--are unfounded.

But Michael A. Zubrensky, a former member of the Delphic, says some clubs do in fact have "bimbo" parties. "Some clubs invite just the freshman women of neighboring colleges," he says.

Zubrensky says many of the clubs have guest rooms for one night stands and, if the bedrooms are not available, "pool tables are used for that purpose." He says that if women were given membership in the clubs their presence would "create an environment where men think twice."

Club members steadfastly deny that their buildings have any such facilities, or that their parties differ significantly from what goes on in the houses.