In their heyday, fraternities exercised major presence in Harvard's social life as progenitors to today's final clubs. A century before Lisa J. Schkolnick '88 filed her complaint against the Fly Club, that club was an affiliate of the national Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, which also spawned the A.D. Club.

But times have changed, and the ties that bound have come unraveled. The Harvard chapters broke away from the national organizations in the early part of this century--1907 in the case of the Fly--and some formed their own clubs.

Now, several of those fraternities are making a comeback, saying they want to reestablish a presence in Harvard's social life. But this time that presence will be without any links to the clubs. Encouraged by charges that the clubs are exclusive and detrimental to mainstream social life, the fraternities are seeking to sell themselves as friendly alternatives.

Since Schkolnick's complaint against the Fly Club was filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in December, the nine clubs have become the focus of a debate over the role of single-sex institutions at Harvard. Schkolnick's case has made prominent the defects in Harvard social life, many students say. They say that the houses do not provide enough activities to satisfy them, and they need to seek an alternative. Until now, the primary alternative has been the final clubs.

Another alternative is the fraternities. These organizations--which include Zeta Psi and Alpha Delta Phi--portray themselves as small, quiet fraternities with deep historic roots. All say they are not drinking clubs or business networks--descriptions often used to characterize the final clubs. "Their exclusive activities are what we don't want," says Zeta Psi pledge Daniel Ramos '91 of the clubs. "Our activities will be open to everyone."

The clubs differ, however, on the critical issue of whom they plan to admit. Zeta Psi is all male, while Alpha Delta Phi pledges to allow both men and women to join as members. Two freshman females are also trying to start a sorority.

But whatever they do, fraternities and sororities are not likely to receive much support from the University's administration. In addition to prohibiting any campus group from discriminating on the basis of sex, the University bars official student groups from being affiliated with a national organization, says Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III.

"The success of our extracurricular life is that undergraduates run their own life," Epps says, adding, "that's also why we have the rule that graduate students cannot be officers of undergraduate organizations."

Calling the rules "extremely important to the vitality of life at Harvard," Epps says they give students an opportunity to learn for themselves how to run organizations.

But Assistant Dean for the House System Thomas A. Dingman '67, who was contacted by both the Brown chapter of A.D. Phi and the school's director of residential life, says he would be willing to work with fraternity groups, provided they do not interfere with the house system. "I would love to cooperate," says Dingman, who says he is not sure what the University rules on fraternities are.

But Dingman says he is skeptical of a fraternity that would be a residential unit--a dimension none of the fraternities say they are contemplating. Saying that the house system is successful, Dingman adds that it is "hard to be enthusiastic about [the prospect of] residential fraternities coming in." He says he goes to many meetings at other colleges, and "often times what I hear is 'you're so lucky you don't have fraternities.'"

Harvard's fears come in the wake of increasing drinking-related fatalities at fraternity houses nationwide. Last year Zeta Psi's Stanford chapter voluntarily disbanded when a member of the fraternity died after a rush event, says Joseph M. Pisano, an assistant dean of student affairs and the fraternal affairs advisor at the Palo Alto school. In the 1970s, Pisano says, the chapter had lost recognition from the university because of hazing practices but regained official status several years ago.

M. Lauck Walton, executive director of Zeta Psi's international headquarters, says Zeta Psi hopes to return to Stanford after the students who were involved in the event graduate. "The idea is that a whole group of Stanford students go through Stanford without knowing anything about Zeta Psi. We want to start with a positive image."

"I don't think Zeta Psi's national organization has any responsibility at all," he says, adding, "it is extremely rare to have to reprimand a chapter."

Even if Harvard's administration continues to be wary of the groups, many say they do not believe a lack of recognition is likely to hurt their organizations.