Even if Faculty members or students found the clubs' behavior disruptive or offensive in recent weeks, few chose to object. And with no complaints, police do not react.

Riley reported only one complaint from a student, on Dec. 7, about a final club representative impersonating a security guard checking for IDs at Johnston Gate. The complaint could not be verified. Riley says that had HUPD received additional complaints, police would have responded.

"We're not ignoring it," says Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68. "I have not gotten a single e-mail, phone call or complaint this fall about the activities."

"We don't want to be policing these types of things," Lewis adds. "I'm not going to hire another five people to pounce on two or three clowns doing something stupid in front of the Science Center. So I guess we take a sort of laissez-faire approach to it."

For their part, final club leaders refuse to say much. The presidents of the Phoenix, the Spee and the Fox would not comment on their initiations.

C.J. Kelly '01, the president of the Owl, said that while other clubs' initiations are amusing, final clubs are about more than hijinks.

"Publicly, we chose not to present ourselves in that light," Kelly says. "We're heading in the direction of a more positive outreach group. We're awfully upset that final clubs have this nasty reputation on campus, and we hope for our members to be outstanding members of the community."

Most students say they are amused by the proceedings, and only a few feel put off by the events.