But advocates of male membership protested thatit is contradictory for a group which advocatesthe end of discrimination against women to haveitself a discriminatory membership policy.

"Feminism is based on equality and exclusion inthe name of working for equality is ideologicallyhypocritical," Drake said.

"You don't gain strength by oppressing otherpeople," Claudia M. Mastroianni '91-'94 added.

Director of the Civil Liberties Union ofHarvard Eric D. Miller '96 said admitting menwould strengthen RUS, not weaken its role as asupport for women.

"Other minority organizations are strongerbecause they are inclusive, and admit everyone whoshares a common goal," Miller said. "We need tolook not at the physical qualities of a person,but their common goal."

"What is there about the RUS function thatwould be done worse if men were there?" Yalen, theformer civil liberties union president, added."Not many men would devote one hour a week to comehere, and miss 'The Simpsons.' If they did it, itwould be because they really cared."

Yalen said the current membership policyviolates the founding principles of Americansociety.

"This country was founded on individualrights," Yalen said. "People are valued for thecontent of their character, not for the color oftheir skin and not for their genitalia."

But RUS members said they believeddiscrimination in favor of women is necessarybecause discrimination against women still existsin society.

"RUS was formed to facilitate the integrationof Radcliffe students into Harvard," Guiney said."RUS is anomalous because Radcliffe is anomalous.There are other institutions that are stillanomalous on the other side of the ledger, likethe final clubs.