“It gives them practice, and it gives people a real ownership of the program,” Hyde says.

And Illingworth notes that some groups fade from the campus scene not because their founders graduate, but because their causes become outdated or unnecessary.

For instance, Illingworth points to the Harvard Coalition for Drug Policy Reform, approved by CCL last spring.

“If marijuana were legalized, they probably wouldn’t exist anymore,” he says.

And while Illingworth says “it’s hard to tell” whether many groups disappear after their founders graduate, he maintains, like Smith, that the benefits of Harvard’s 250 student groups outweigh the costs.

“CCL is very receptive to new groups. We don’t want to be overly regulatory,” he says. “It’s much better to be less regulatory and not stifle the spirit that’s out there.”

But he recognizes the risks.

“Even in this community, talent can get spread thin,” Illingworth says.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.

—Anne K. Kofol contributed to the reporting of this story.