Isis Club Leases Harvard Square Apartment

The three-month old female social organization Isis held an inaugural meeting in its newly rented Square apartment last night—making the Isis the first female social organization on campus with its own headquarters.

Isis co-founder Anne M. Fernandez ’03 declined to comment on the exact location of the apartment, but said it was only a two-minute long walk from the Square.

She said the organization’s apartment, which has one bedroom and has yet to be furnished, will be funded by member dues.

“We think this was an exceptionally good deal,” Fernandez said. “We’re using it mostly as a meeting space and as a place for members to study, meet and relax.”

All eight male final clubs have owned Square hangouts for years.

But female organizations such as the Bee and the Seneca and sororities Delta Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta have traditionally been forced to rent out space in final clubs and local venues for their social functions.

Theta members said they rent space from the Owl Club to hold meetings, while the Isis paid for space in the Fox Club to hold its inaugural punch event last October. The Seneca ihas rented out clubs in Boston for its social events.

Seneca President Allison E. Fisher `02 said that although her group has long been scouting local real estate, she was pleased to learn of the newly-rented Isis apartment.

Fisher said Isis members were lucky to have located an affordable apartment in the Square, an area known for its high property value.

“We do have a development group [in Seneca] devoted to finding money for that purpose,” Fisher said. “[But] Harvard Square real estate is really expensive and it’s difficult to raise money.”

The male final clubs have owned their buildings for decades and have established wealthy alumni graduate boards, but newer female clubs face a pricey real estate market with fewer alumni resources.

Fisher said she sees the rented apartment as a significant step for all-female groups, as the Isis now has a space where members can congregate.

The Isis was founded by a core 16-member group last spring. Founders said their goal was to close the gender gap in the campus social scene. The organization planned to host social events such as campus-wide parties as well as members-only get-togethers.

“I think it’s great that any women’s group has a space on campus,” Fisher said. “Space is very limited for women’s groups.”

Natalia A. Truszkowska `04, president of the Radcliffe Union of Students, said she hopes that less exclusive female groups can also find social space nearby.

A punch process that began in early October determined Isis membership.

“I’m very impressed by their efforts, although I am a little bit sad that the one women’s space we can have on campus is one that’s for a selective group of women,” Truszkowska said.