Jason E. Bressner ’99, who helped start Alumni for Harvard, another alumni group in support of Summers, reported that his group’s online petition had collected 151 signatures as of 7 p.m. yesterday.

The current criticism of the president, Bressner said, “demonstrates a disturbing lack of objectivity, a myopia that’s unacceptable and unwelcome in institutions of higher learning.”

Another recent graduate, Amee Chew ’04, is helping to organize the Coalition for an Anti-Sexist Harvard rally this afternoon. She said the demonstration, which will feature speakers from student organizations including the Radcliffe Union of Students and Harvard Socialist Alternative, will tie criticism of Summers’ remarks on women to wider issues affecting women at Harvard such as providing childcare for all Harvard employees and dismantling final clubs.

“We can’t have good faith in the University to speak to all of these problems if our own president doesn’t think it’s a big deal how much discrimination affects women in academia,” she said.

—Liz C. Goodwin contributed to the reporting of this article.

—Staff writer Anton S. Troianovski can be reached at atroian@fas.harvard.edu.