"CLUH listens in a quiet way and then responds to students in a quiet and diplomatic way. We are not looking for the limelight. We are looking for work to get done," McLachlan says.
Leadership
CLUH has also been affected by the constant turnover in its leadership and the graduation of some of the most active and committed members of the organization.
"We had really strong leaders who graduated the year before," Drake says.
"In the past, the leaders also devoted a lot more time to the organization and there was a lot more energy coming from one or two people," Drake says.
"We have people this year who are involved who are also involved in many other activities," adds the former CLUH director.
Club members cite Silversmith as one of those activists whose graduation was a great loss for the organization.
"It is sort of important to find the right people with the right ideas who can find the issues that need to be worked on," Silversmith says.
"It is a hard task to run a group where you don't have an easy-to-define focus," Silversmith says. "It is important to have dynamic leadership."
Changing Environment
Finally, many CLUH members say their role has been affected by the changing nature of civil rights issues on campus.
"Harvard has become a more friendly environment for civil liberties concerns," Drake says.
Drake and other officers also say that the organization has resolved many of the larger issues it has been tackling in the past.
"This is also an era where campus activism is not what it once was," Silversmith says. "The administration has become more responsive and there are fewer issues that drive a wedge between students and administrators."
Some administrators agree that the gap in viewpoints between students and administrators has been bridged for most civil rights issues.
"I think the Harvard campus is in relatively good shape with respect to civil liberties issues," Lewis says.
CLUH officers such as McLachlan believe that the nature of the issues tackled by civil liberties organizations often curtails the number of students who decide to get actively involved in the issues.
"People are more motivated by issues in politics than by a more detached, rational view of the constitution and civil rights," McLachlan says. "There is nothing sexy about civil rights."