Final clubs remain quiet about almost everything that goes on behind their locked wooden doors and high brick walls. Members refuse to go on the record or state their club names, fearing that exposure of underage drinking could prompt a club shut-down.

The graduate boards of the clubs are wary of litigation, "lest any of those alumni officers lose every penny they have," says Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, who has spoken out harshly against the clubs.

But Lewis does not think that the threat of litigation actually curbs drinking in the clubs.

"Like everything you do with the final clubs, it has an effect for some number of months and then people seem to forget, and you start hearing about problems again," he says.

The Rev. Douglas W. Sears '69, president of Inter-Club Council, the body responsible for overseeing Harvard's final clubs, says he thinks all clubs operate according to a 1984 agreement compelling clubs to obey all Massachusetts state laws regarding alcohol use and requiring that safe, sober transportation must always be provided for students at off-campus events where alcohol is served.

"With a club, you're invested in the real estate. You want to take care of the place and yourself in that place," he says. "Clubs are concerned with the safety of students and they discourage all students who are not old enough to drink from drinking whether they be members or guests."

More than a quarter of final club members say they drink 10 to 19 times per week, compared to a little more than a tenth of the general population.

"It's just that there are more occasions to drink. You go down to the club and can grab a beer between classes," says another sophomore club members. "You don't have to go to a store and it's not a hassle. Drinking is just convenient and not a big deal."