"Harvard's campus needs more spots like the Beebecause it's a small club and it has to be limitedin its membership," Lipson says.

Outside the Colony

The club's efforts to be inclusive fail toconvince everyone.

One sophomore--who says she believes she waspunched only because she went to boardingschool--was unhappy with the tone of punch events.

"Everyone was so competitive about getting in,"the sophomore says.

Redmond says she had reservations about the Beebefore she attended the event but went to become"educated."

"There was a lot of schmoozing, and it wasvery superficial. It just wasn't my kind ofscene," Redmond says.

Women who chose not to join the club alsocriticize other aspects of punch process.

"The fact that they punch so many people andlet it be known that only a few get in--they'retrying to make it elite," says the sophomore whoasked not to be named. She attended two punchevents before deciding she did not want to be inthe club.

But Bee members say those women who only cometo one punch event have not really given theorganization a chance to prove itself fully.

Stewart points out that several people chose todrop out of the club midway through the punch,which she says helps to explain the small numberof individuals who were initiated last month.

"It's not a selective, she-doesn'tfit-our-image type of punch," Stewart says, notingthat she herself went to a public high school inColumbus, Ga.

"I have absolutely no connections," she says.

Hoermann says club members are encouraged topunch women they know in several differentcapacities.

"There are people who will punch people fromtheir high school, but then there are also peoplewho will punch from the women they know throughthe [Institute of Politics] or their classes," shesays. "Obviously, people will punch who they know,but the punch tries to be as broad as possible."