Co-presidents of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) told alums at Friday's "Celebrate Radcliffe '98" that neither Harvard nor Radcliffe is actively advocating for the needs of female undergraduates.

Part of a discussion addressing the creation of a "strong women's movement at Harvard-Radcliffe," the four undergraduate panelists told about 25 alums in the Lyman Common Room (LCR) that female students are still not treated equally by Harvard.

"Harvard has a responsibility to undergraduate women that it's not living up to," Bagneris said.

The panel members, RUS members from the sophomore, junior and senior classes, particularly cited their experiences of being ignored or even dismissed by teaching fellows in sections as an indication that playing field is not yet equal.

"[This is] not something Harvard is ready to admit or deal with," said panel member Rosslyn Wuchinich '99. "We have much, much farther to go."

And, panelists said gender discrimination still dominates outside the classroom.

"Everyone has those nasty experiences," said Brina Milikowsky '00. "This is not the stranger on the street--it's at parties with Harvard men."

The panelists also critiqued Radcliffe for failing to fill the gaps in women's experiences Harvard.

"Radcliffe had done a lot to disown itself from undergraduates," said RUS Co-President Mia Bagneris '99.

And Alexis B. Karteron '01 said she "think[s] Radcliffe could take a more active role in terms of their advocacy."

Panel members agreed that success as a woman at Harvard is harder to achieve than as a man, in part because, they said, women have been socialized to be less assertive and forward with their views from birth.

"This is not a place for the type of person who is in need of constant encouragement. It's antifeminist," Bagneris said.

Alums responded that Harvard's problem is not only an anti-feminist attitude, but also one that is "anti-undergraduate" and "anti-human".

Bagneris said what female undergraduates need is "not special treatment but treatment that responds to our needs."

Among these needs, panel members said, are mandatory sexual harassment and rape education for first-year students, a woman's center, better support for the program on women's studies and an administration with a pro-active attitude towards women's issues.