As it is, some campus women say the communitycreated by RUS appeals to only a small segment ofthe women on campus.
"To tell you the truth, I don't think I evenknew what RUS was until the end of my freshmanyear," says council President Beth A. Stewart '00."I would say personally, and perhaps to my flaw,I've always been uncomfortable with the idea ofbeing a `woman leader.'"
Stewart told The Crimson in March that RUS'smission is not one which affects her personally.
"Maybe it's because I've never experiencedin-your-face discrimination, but I've never feltthe need to have any special discussions," Stewartsaid. "I'm Southern, I'm very traditional and RUSis about breaking free from the world of men.That's not something I've ever felt the need todo."
RUS leaders acknowledge that many campus womenshare Stewart's view, yet they maintain that oneof RUS's goals is to help educate women about whatstill needs to be done for campus women.
"I think there are a lot of women who don't seethe need for it," Abder says. "I'm glad thatthey've had a lifetime of experience in which theyhaven't had to see the need for it, but that'srelatively new."
The Future
RUS leaders say they are wary of what thedisappearance of Radcliffe's role as a collegecould do, but say they are confident that RUS willsurvive the current negotiations.
"If Harvard and Radcliffe were to split in someway, I feel really confident that RUS willcontinue in some capacity," Bagneris says. "Itsurvived the Harvard and Radcliffe merger, it cansurvive redefinition."
RUS leaders have been given no official role inthe negotiations. But the students, some ofRadcliffe's strongest supporters on campus, sayRadcliffe administrators have convinced them thattheir needs are being addressed in thenegotiations.
"I've been repeatedly reassured that theadministration is not interested in crippling anyof the students or student organizations who havesupported it for so long," Abder says.
What form the student organization could takeif Radcliffe's status changes is unclear. Oneoption would be for the group to lose itsconnection to Radcliffe and become a Harvardorganization.
"If it were going to disappear as a Radcliffeorganization, the best possible choice would befor it to join Harvard," Rosenbaum says. "It wouldmake me very sad to see RUS disappear. Workingwith RUS has been one of my most importantexperiences here.