Final Clubs Provide Humor For Campus

To the editors:

I was shocked and dismayed this morning when I opened my copy of The Crimson and didn't find a front-page expos on the Owl Club Holiday Dinner and Cruise (Editorial, Dec. 1). I was offended that none of our roommates or girlfriends were asked for comment, nor were any members called to express their opinion of the night's events. But then I came to my senses and asked myself, "Where is the news in the story of 100 people having a fun, safe time at Harvard?" The answer probably has something to do with why there was no story about how the Fly Club raised money and toys for a local charity at their party earlier this month. It is just more fun to engage in mindless gossip about chickens and closings then it is to provide any accurate representation of the truth.

Sean M. Mason '00

Dec. 16, 1999

Fairness to Final Clubs

To the editors:

If it's December, The Crimson must be bad-mouthing final clubs. It seems that every year about this time, someone on the innovative Crimson staff decides to trot out the stock arguments against final clubs. I suppose this is better than when they put articles on the front page telling us that a particular club is closed, although the reporter doesn't know why, or for how long. Maybe there is just a lack of news or nothing better to opine about. Silly me, I thought there was a presidential campaign going on.

As for your comment that the "hapless initiates" were seen "butchering that modern-day ballad by the Backstreet Boys," I can only assume that you did not see the performance. Those boys were in tune, and they made those outfits work! Did you notice that there were almost 200 Harvard students watching this performance, and laughing hysterically? I don't know when the last time you saw that large a group of students laughing together was, but it doesn't happen often enough.

And while a class or two may have been interrupted, 15 minutes is a huge exaggeration. I saw a number of professors laughing and smiling as the song was taking place. If you don't know how they felt about it, you shouldn't just guess.

Final clubs play no role in the lives of the majority of students and are just not newsworthy. If The Crimson aspires to be anything more than the tabloid it has become, start talking about things that matter.

Ryan G. Schaffer '00

Dec. 16, 1999