Activities That Are Beyond Recognition

While more than 125 student organizations enjoy the priviledge of official college recognition, some groups' activities are so radical that they dare not ask the University for recognition.

But even without College sancity, many of these unofficial groups hold meetings with more regularity and attract more participation than most official organizations. In addition, the generally self-funded clubs are usually focused around one overly social activity or individual.

The five-year-old GPA Society of Dunster House and the new League of Experienced Women Drinkers (LEWD) are both representative of the kind of behavior which takes place in these unofficial House-based organizations. The self-proclaimed "exist and elitist" GPA Society meets once a month in Dunster's Junior Common Room where an all-male membership of 12--which includes juniors, seniors, and tutors from Dunster--sit at a table, and drink from a keg. Dressed in coats and ties, the men usually listen to a guest speaker who addresses issues vaguely centering on the general "welfare of man," club members say.

The GPA Society, whose name does not necessarily reflect a boastful grade point average (GPA) from its members, was founded by a "bunch of jucks who wanted to point fun at Dunster's nerdy reputation," says Billy Mallard '83. "The GPA Society doesn't fulfill any useful purpose, except to have fun," the club veteran adds.

The newer female counterpart group, made up of women from Kirkland and Eliot Houses, was founded to have "a women's club so that we can sit around and drink like men," says Kirsten Shirley '85, a charter member and original founder of LEWD.

Membership in the club, which meets once a week on Saturdays is open to all Harvard women who want to join, or who are able to define themselves in anyway as "experienced." While the club does not host speakers, there is an official LEWD photograph and theme song. Sometimes, the "experienced" in the club's name changes to a different adjective to "match the mood of the week," Shirley explains. The group has, on occasion, been the "exotic" and "exciting" women drinkers as well.

One club not only admits that it has no purpose, but bases its existence on that very fact. Maya Williams '84 established the Fluff Club "for people who just want to stuff their resumes." The only requirement for admission in the Fluff Club is to think of a high-sounding title for yourself; Williams--the Grand Poobah of the Fluff Club--must approve the titles. Williams admits that it "probably won't get people far. Once you tell people your title, they begin to doubt it."

So far the Grand Poobah has accepted about 10 other certified fluff cases into her club, including The Wise and Far Seeing Vizier, and The Most High Mufti.

The problem with being unofficial and unrecognized is that some clubs, such as the Quincy Space Table and the Dunster Pinball Table, wane in popularity and sometimes never recover. The Space Table was comprised of 20 Quincy House members who enjoyed partaking in marijuana before a meal once a week in one of the common rooms. After a five year life span as the Space Table, the club was disbanded when the new master David A. Aloian expressed disapproval of the radical behavior. Earlier this year, the group tried to re-form under a new name, The Split Infinitives, based on the popular Star Trek Motto, "To boldly go..." However, this strategy too failed and the group of students eventually found the room locked during meals, one close to the club said.

The Dunster Pinball Table faced a demise of a different kind this year. After an extremely active year in '81-'82, the group ended up meeting only twice this year. The club was comprised of Dunster House Pinball players who gathered weekly to discuss different pinball topics such as "The Perfect Machine" and various strategies of play.

One featured guest at the table last year was a pinball repairman who explained which machines gave him the most trouble and told a number of entertaining repair anecdotes.

At its peak the club boasted a 12-man team who played the game each night. But, according to veteran member Larry Penn '83, the club began to succumb when people took a liking to football.

Earlier this year, the Quincy House Space Table tried to re-form under a new name, "The Split Infinitives", based on the popular Star Trek motto, "To boldly go..."