Harvard Is Sued by Greek Houses Over Single-Sex Penalties
- Greek organizations challenge college’s restrictions as biased
- Harvard bars members of single-gender clubs from leading teams
A sculler rows on the Charles River past the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
Harvard College’s sanctions against exclusive all-male "final" and other single-sex social clubs are "punishing" the school’s Greek organizations, especially the women’s, a group of sororities and fraternities alleged in two lawsuits.
The suits, filed Monday in federal and state courts in Massachusetts, claim "Harvard has engaged in an aggressive campaign of intimidation, threats and coercion against all students who join single-sex organizations and advocate for their continued existence," even suggesting that a student who joins such a group could be expelled. The college has singled out students who join the clubs for "scathing criticism," according to the plaintiffs.