“The likelihood seems low that an officer would be elected who had articulated his or her opposition to the organization’s basic purposes,” he wrote.

Morton wrote on behalf of the HRCF executive board that, to her knowledge, “no one actually seeking leadership has expressed concern with the policy.”

“We do not believe our constitution is in violation of University policy at this time,” Morton added.

Committee on College Life member Jennifer S. Axsom ’04 said that though the official FAS rules governing student groups do not explicitly deal with selection of organizations’ leadership, the committee’s recent discussion has focused on whether to include explicit mention of the matter.

“It will be a while before there will be a change,” she said. “They are seeking a wide range of opinions.”

Though HRCF leadership indicated that the administration might force changes to its constitution—Morton wrote on behalf of the group’s executive board that the administration has “not yet” forced the change—it called the administration’s dealings fair and positive.

Illingworth wrote that “the College will not take any action until the HRCF has an opportunity to consider all of this and decide among themselves the best course to follow.”

In the meantime, HRCF finds itself without its major source of funding, which will likely increase the costs of retreats for its members, according to Morton wrote.

“We were very surprised,” she wrote. “HRCF makes every effort to be a diverse and welcoming group.”

—Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu.