Harvard Club of N.Y. to Vote On Membership for Women

The Harvard Club of New York will reconsider admitting women in a special vote next month.

Most of the Harvard Club members voted last May to admit women, but the tally fell 18 votes short of the required two-thirds majority. Chase N. Peterson '52, vice president for Alumni Affairs and Development, said yesterday that the new vote has been scheduled for several months.

"We have been pushing for this for a long time, and I hope it passes this vote," Peterson said. The New York Club's Board of Managers "strongly recommended" the admission of women to the Club.

Susan Stork '52, president of the Radcliffe Club of New York, said yesterday that she thought lawsuits brought against the Harvard Club, combined with "negative vibes from Cambridge" prompted a new vote.

She explained that women have "signing privileges" which cover all Harvard clubhouse facilities except the squash courts, the library and the main dining hall. "Most of the women pushing for combination of the two clubs want to use the athletic facilities," she said.

She added that the two clubs are at present entirely separate. "The only people I know in the Harvard Club were classmates," she said. A joint meeting for the two clubs is scheduled for January 3.

Stork said that many Radcliffe Club members are hesitant about joining the Harvard Club because of financial considerations. "Most of the club members I have talked to, even those who want to become part of the Harvard Club, are reluctant to pay the extra dues," she said. Annual dues for the Radcliffe Club are $50, while those for the Harvard Club are $250. The Radcliffe Club has a $1800 budget which is subsidized by the Harvard organization. This budget would be eliminated if the clubs were merged.

While the Harvard Club is primarily a "private club," Stork said, the Radcliffe group concerns itself mainly with alumnae activities, and holds interviews for prospective applicants unable to come to Cambridge and introductory meetings for incoming freshmen. The club also provides scholarship money for Radcliffe students.