tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post1201861181385574462..comments2024-03-12T14:31:50.264-07:00Comments on Bits and Pieces: The Lifecycle of a Moral PanicHarry Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17088418333536732728noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-24780474181302969282016-10-20T21:48:08.155-07:002016-10-20T21:48:08.155-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06897978299222258552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-7354604996620553392016-09-29T17:54:50.654-07:002016-09-29T17:54:50.654-07:00Yes, I was talking to some friends earlier this mo...Yes, I was talking to some friends earlier this month and there seems to be this notion that fraternities and sororities got painted by the same brush because it's probably harder to create policies against just the final clubs. So the administration went ahead and created a policy against all single-gender clubs. <br /><br />However, single gender sports teams don't suffer the same treatment even though there are enough examples of [set of N members] being part of [some sports team] AND [some single-gender club], at which point one might point to the latter as an extension of the former in some cases. <br />Rhodes applications favor those who are a part of a sports team but not those who are part of a single-gender club.<br /><br />Even setting aside the "freedom of association" argument, selectively targeting just the clubs seems to overlook such nuances. rishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889839506219936702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-79195177485575213952016-09-29T17:39:07.209-07:002016-09-29T17:39:07.209-07:00Extrapolation from conversations with students I k...Extrapolation from conversations with students I know and what they tell me. Not a good data set of course. At least I acknowledge that I am guessing! I have heard many statements in recent weeks stereotyping final club members in ways that are unsupported by any data that I know of, but are asserted with full confidence nonetheless as things "everybody knows." And then followed by the completely unwarranted suggestion that killing off the sororities and fraternities would therefore improve inclusivity and break down hereditary privilege here.<br />Harry Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17088418333536732728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-20999087841126236932016-09-29T17:26:41.828-07:002016-09-29T17:26:41.828-07:00Sound article, also provides a good critical readi...Sound article, also provides a good critical reading of President Faust's recent op-ed in the Crimson.<br /><br />However, for this statement: "In fact, my guess is that the members of those organizations, which never used to exist at Harvard, are disproportionally the students who might have attended their state universities had they not come to Harvard. " <br /><br />^ What leads to this guess?rishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889839506219936702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-16053574645084198252016-09-29T17:25:52.638-07:002016-09-29T17:25:52.638-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.rishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10889839506219936702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-30419149248893673102016-09-26T16:11:00.565-07:002016-09-26T16:11:00.565-07:00The law of unintended consequence is about to have...The law of unintended consequence is about to have one of its finer days. What then is the final result in its full entitlement of this new policy? Will the Final Clubs fold up their tents/sell their buildings, admit their shame and perfidy and cease to exist? Will 150+ years of The Porcellian end with them saying, "Gosh, gee, golly Mr. Khurana, you're right, we're wrong, let's just end a club older than any of the river houses and cease a tradition that pre-dates the Civil War....boy are we ashamed of ourselves." I would suggest not.<br /><br />Rather, if Mr. Khurana and Dean Faust had exactly the outcome they have repeatedly stated is their goal this is what actually, in actual reality will and must happen - the only actual, in actual reality outcome.<br /><br />First, the Final Clubs will not cease, they will admit women. Some willingly and enthusiastically, some reluctantly and maybe one or two will remain single sex and suffer the consequence. But let's assume a best case - they will all go co-ed. What then is the result? The buildings are not any larger, the dining rooms are not any more spacious. They CANNOT double in size. No...they will admit somewhat more total people and over time the gender split will be fifty-fifty. Let's say they go from an average of 45 members to 60. Instead of 45 men being admitted to this exclusive, elitist institution, there will be 30. The clubs will have become MORE exclusive and elitist, not less. Yes, they will be admitting 30 women each, who will join their snobbish male bretheren and the clubs will have become more elitist, more exclusionary with fewer men admitted.<br /><br />The Bee Club, the only female Final Club, may also go co-ed, resulting in the emergence of one MORE Final Club. So, less male members, more exclusionary and one more Final Club - a net increase in exclusiveness and elitism - hardly the unstated goal of the policy which is for them to just die, dry up and blow away.<br /><br />But that's what will actually, in actual reality happen. <br /><br />At the same time, the sororities which have over 1,000 female members and are the single most popular social group for women, will cease to exist. They are chapters of national organizations and CANNOT admit men. They literally have no choice but to shut down. Sororities are NOT exclusionary - they are committed to having an offer to every applicant who wishes to join. Sororities do NOT have alcohol issues - alcohol is NOT permitted on the premises. Sororities do NOT throw parties, there is no party issue. They are not sex orientation discriminatory - the chapter president of at least one sorority is a Lesbian leader of her class. The new policy is inherently sexist as it is intended primarily to disadvantage women - the only conclusion that can be drawn from a policy that if it succeeds ends up only affecting women.<br /><br />A more elitist and exclusionary club system, a gigantic reduction in social opportunities for women, the growth of the club system for the first time in 100 years....congratulations Deans, you are officially idiots.Louishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10454785761332463797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116442395849122822.post-61741099498627551562016-09-23T08:42:35.471-07:002016-09-23T08:42:35.471-07:00Kudos to Harry Lewis for providing a more complete...Kudos to Harry Lewis for providing a more complete analysis of the single gender problem from his many years of active involvement on the faculty. <br /><br />It is time for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to regain control of the rules for student conduct on a fair and equitable solution which applies to all organization including fraternities and sororities.Conal C. Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17892195415909581639noreply@blogger.com