Seneca Club Recruits Despite Restrictions

As the recruiting season begins for the the Seneca, an all-female club founded three years ago, members must look for creative ways to advertise.

The Seneca, started by 19 then sophomore women, is an organization that strives to “make the Harvard experience more rewarding for undergraduate women.”

Because Harvard does not recognize the Seneca as a student group, the organization cannot poster on University property.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences Student Handbook, states that an officially recognized student organization “shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, or physical disability.”

“The Seneca is not a recognized student organization and thus is not allowed to have meetings and poster on campus,” Dean of the College David P. Illingworth ’71 of Harvard College wrote in an e-mail.

Last year, the Seneca was unaware of the official rules governing its ability to poster on campus.

However, cognizant that other nonUniversity affiliated groups had not been allowed to poster on campus, the Seneca chose not poster on campus last year.

According to Allison E. Fisher ’02, president of the women’s organization, the Seneca became more conscious of the College’s rules last spring when the group was forced to leave an event they had co-sponsored in Adams House.

“As the Seneca gained more of a presence and came to the attention of the administration, it became difficult for the University to go farther without telling us the rules,” Fisher said.

The Seneca’s inability to poster on campus has forced it to resort to word-of-mouth, e-mail lists, a website and announcements in classes.

“It’s been very frustrating to us,” Fisher said. “We have to think of ways to creatively reach out to students. It makes it difficult to be as open as we’d like to be.”

Because it cannot advertise on Harvard property, some fear that the Seneca will not adequately attract members or become a strong force on campus.

Natalia A. J. Truszkowska ’04, president of Radcliffe Union of Students, noted that Finals Clubs are not recognized by the College, though they greatly affect both males and females. She said is concerned that students won’t hear about the Seneca, and discuss its impacts on the campus.

“The Seneca,” said Truszkowska, “is at a major disadvantage because they don’t have a building or these rights [to poster.]”

However, Truszkowska said she feels that student groups should not be able to discriminate based on gender.

Seneca members say despite their limited advertising means, they remain optimistic.

Says Fisher, “We’ve been able to overcome [our inability to poster]...you would think we’d have more trouble,” Fisher said.

But, Fisher stressed, they’re “not there yet.”