As the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) loses the clout it once had, the Seneca has emerged as a new forum for women activists on campus.

But with its active membership of 43--a mix of self-proclaimed feminists, final club devotees and women who would call themselves both--the Seneca fuses two seemingly opposite agendas.

The group provides social opportunities for its members while also raising awareness about women's issues on campus. And the Seneca women say they have finally found a group of "girls" who want to address sexism and also have fun.

The Seneca, an all female social organization, was founded last spring by 19 women who said they were unhappy with social life at Harvard.

They said they wanted to form a group that would give women more non-academic opportunities on campus.

But the Seneca was really a fusion of two groups--two factions of women who didn't know each other well and had very different visions of what a potential club could be.

Butler says she was frustrated by the dearth of social venues for women at Harvard. In her eyes, before the Seneca there were two options: parties at male-led final clubs or "super-competitive" extracurriculars that made it hard to meet new people.

Butler says she and a handful of friends explored the possibility of creating a type of sister organization to the Delphic, a final club.