Like Radcliffe itself, some might say the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) has an image problem.

Once the student government for female undergraduates, many Harvard women say RUS no longer represents them--an assessments RUS leaders do not contest. And RUS members say they do not strive to be a voice for women on campus.

But the women closely involved with the small, tight-knit organization say it touches the lives of many more women than its voting membership through its sponsorship of other organizations and events.

More importantly for them, RUS leaders say the organization creates a community of women which would not otherwise be available at Harvard.

And even as Radcliffe reconsiders its status as a college, RUS maintains that the organization will remain relevant for women on campus.

Making a Role

Founded in 1968 by a referendum of Radcliffe women, RUS replaced Radcliffe's former student government, the Radcliffe Government Association--a body students complained failed to provide them with a voice in college affairs.

According to former RUS Board member Adina H. Rosenbaum '98, who has conducted research on RUS history, RUS spent its early years facing down Radcliffe administrators on issues ranging from the right of Radcliffe women to hold protests to the removal of grades from Radcliffe report cards.

But with the 1977 merger of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, RUS's role as a student government disappeared. The organization's membership technically still includes all undergraduate women, but this year only 60 of those women attended the two meetings required to obtain voting rights.

Leaders of the organization say it is now designed to be a "foundation" organization, which supports other student groups addressing women's issues. They say RUS's primary impact comes through the grant money it distributes each year--ranging from $7,500 to $10,000 a year.

In addition, the group helps organize large-scale women's events each year, including Take Back the Night week and Women's Expo.

"Anyone who's participated in any event that has to do with women has benefited from RUS," says RUS Co-President Mia Bagneris '99. "If RUS didn't exist, a lot of things that go on on this campus wouldn't go on."

Yet, as Harvard increases its own efforts to reach out to women students, not everyone agrees that RUS is still relevent on campus, especially because it duplicates the grant-giving responsibilities of the Undergraduate Council.

"A while ago, Harvard needed someone over our shoulder on women's issues, which I don't think is necessary anymore," says Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III.

"The ideal thing would be for RUS to merge with the U.C. into one student government," he says.