What do you think about The Fox going co-ed?
‘I mean, we’re in the 21st Century’
In response to the Fox Club’s recent decision to go co-ed, The Tab went out to find a sense of student opinion surrounding the issue.
After The Spee voted to go co-ed earlier this fall, The Fox became the second traditionally all-male final club at Harvard to admit women. In the wake of recent discussion surrounding Final Clubs, many students, including members of The Fox, declined to share their views.
Those who did, though, offered some interesting perspectives. Their opinions ranged from critical and apprehensive to welcoming of change.
Sam Acker, 2019
“I don’t know if it’ll solve all of the problems of the Final Clubs — I think they have a long way to go — but it’s a good start.”
Allison Torsiglieri, 2016
“I have some questions about how this is being done. If it’s thoughtful, appropriate, and the interests of both the male and female members are taken into account, then it sounds good.”
Kylie Hong, 2018
“I think it’s really cool. I mean, we’re in the 21st Century right now and we should not be seeing gender segregation.”
Andrew Chang, 2018
“I mean, it’s a nice change, right? I just feel like there’s so much tradition — there are so many constraints in terms of the level of structure that’s imposed on students within Harvard…that I feel like any change like this or any boundaries that are crossed is very engaging and very cool.”
Ginny Miller, 2019
“I think that it’s vital for [The Fox] if it wants the Final Clubs to still be a social presence on campus, because even if we say that they’re a separate entity, there’s no way you can separate them from Harvard with the history.
“With all of the importance we’re putting on ending rape culture at universities, if anything bad happens at the Final Clubs, the university is going to be blamed, so that’s why I feel like the University is putting so much pressure on them.
“And I don’t find the final clubs entirely bad in themselves, so I think it’s good for them to adapt to what the university wants them to do.”
Ailie Kerr, 2018
“I think it’s way too little, too late to save an environment where men have traditionally held a position of privilege over women”
Anonymous, 2019
“The female clubs have worked hard in the past fifteen years to develop a presence and now the male clubs, by going co-ed, are sort of taking away from that and taking away from that community, so an alternate solution could be to have more female clubs and give them a space and the opportunity to become equivalent to the male clubs in terms of their status and presence on campus.
“Also, are the rules which apply to freshman guys now going to apply to freshman girls? In that sense, [girls] won’t have as many options for parties during their freshman year…or, on the flip side, whatever rules apply to freshman girls right now need to extend to guys if the clubs are going co-ed.”