THE ELIZABETHAN CLUB

February 21, 1969

To the members of the Elizabethan Club:

Now that the advent of women undergraduates is imminent the question of admitting women to regular categories of membership in the Club has arisen and should probably be settled before next fall since half the ladies will be sophomores and juniors and hence, as the constitution now reads, technically eligible.

There are, as one might expect, two diametrically opposed schools of thought as well as, one supposes, a variety of intermediate views. One camp holds that the Club was established primarily for literarily and aesthetically inclined Yale undergraduates and if the undergraduate body is to include women so should the Club.

The other camp holds that the founders really envisioned a male membership and, in any event, a haven should be maintained where men of the sort the club seeks as members can meet to enjoy their conversations free from the distractions they fear women will introduce.

Since you are a member, it is unnecessary laboriously to detail the various points of view even if this could be done. You have your own opinion and can easily imagine those of others. The purpose of the enclosed poll is not only to obtain your stand *pro* or *con* but also to solicit your views and arguments.

As you will see from the pertinent sections of the Constitution which are reproduced below, women in the upper three undergraduate classes would be eligible. Only men, however, are specified as eligible for graduate or associate membership. Honorary membership is open to men and women and a number of women have been appointed in this category.

Thus a number of questions arise which can only be settled at a regularly called meeting of the Club (see excerpts from the Constitution below). They are:

1. Should the wording of the Constitution be amended to exclude women undergraduate members?

2. Should the wording be changed to permit the election of alumnae of Yale College?

3. Should the Constitution be changed to permit the election of women as associate members?

Our present plan is to analyze the results of the enclosed poll, which is an expression of opinion not a binding vote, so that they can be taken into account at a regularly called meeting of the club.

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We also expect to hold at least one committee hearing sometime in April at which members may express their views in person. The date or dates will be posted in the Club House.

Finally the Board of Governors will call a special meeting of the Club on Monday, May 5, at 8 p.m. to vote upon these matters.

The pertinent sections of the Constitution are --

### Article XII - Meetings and Elections - Section 3

Special meetings of the Club may be called at any time by the Board of Governors, and shall be called by them upon the written request of twenty members specifying the object of such meeting. A notice of each meeting, stating the object for which it is called, shall be posted in the Club House.

### Article XII - Section 4

Twenty members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Club.

### Article XIII - Members - Section 1

The membership of the Club shall be divided into Undergraduate, Graduate, and Associate members, all possessing equal rights of voting, and Honorary members possessing no voting or nominating power, and ineligible for office, except as provided below.

### Article XIII - Section 2 - Graduate Members

Any man who is a graduate of an undergraduate department of Yale University shall be eligible for election as a Graduate member of this Club, whether or not he be connected with the Faculty of Yale University.

### Article XIII - Section 3 - Undergraduate Members

Any person in the Senior, Junior, or Sophomore class of an undergraduate school shall be eligible for election as an Undergraduate member of this Club, provided, however, that there shall never be more than forty-five Undergraduate members from any single class at any one time. Not more than ten members shall be chosen from any single class before May of Sophomore year, and not more than fifteen more before May of Junior year. Upon the graduation of Undergraduate members, or upon their leaving the University, they shall forthwith become Graduate members.

THE ELIZABETHAN CLUB

April 7, 1969

To the Members of the Elizabethan Club:

Since the recent survey of members' opinions about admitting women to membership in the Club was intended to serve as a basis for discussion at the special meeting to vote on this subject, it seems proper that a digest of the principal arguments presented should be sent to members before the meeting. To do this seems important because evidently a large number will vote by proxy and also because it may obviate some of the discussion at what promises to be an exciting meeting.

It is a pity that we cannot reproduce and circulate all the comments or at least those which did more than underline the writer's feelings. Since, however, nearly 700 questionnaires were returned and at least half of them included comments, this would be quite impossible. Fortunately most of the arguments were repeated, so a digest is possible even though it must omit many delightfully and forcibly expressed paragraphs.

Three points, we think, merit particular attention:

1. The straw vote clearly indicates that a large majority favors admitting women to every category of membership (Undergraduate, graduates of Yale College and Associates).¹ But it is also fairly clear that the majority falls short of the three quarters needed to amend the constitution. Hence an anomalous and possibly unpleasant situation may arise. Undergraduates will almost certainly become eligible, since it would require a three-quarters vote to exclude them, and our legal advisers say that the word "person" cannot be construed to mean "man". They will then, upon graduation, become graduate members, the lawyers say, but their classmates, no matter how desirable as members they may become, will be ineligible for election unless a three-quarters vote decides in their favor. Finally, excluding otherwise well qualified women faculty members and other women in the Yale Community from a Club whose membership would include women also creates a peculiar situation.

2. The suggestion from several members that women transfer students be regarded as freshmen now are and be required to wait a year before election. This rule is intended to permit members to know candidates well enough to assess their qualifications, and it is normally applied to associate members as well as freshmen.

**Footnote 1. The Associate category includes faculty, graduate students, and others who are not graduates of Yale College.

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Recently Yale College has adopted a policy of admitting more transfer students than it used to, and we believe that, regardless of sex, they should be subject to a waiting period of one year. This, incidentally, will not automatically exclude anyone, since two years at Yale are required for a degree and no transfers are admitted to the senior class.

The Governing Board, therefore, is proposing an amendment to require that all undergraduate transfers must wait a year before they may be nominated for membership.

3. Several members suggested that the decision should be left in the hands of the people who use the Club frequently, or in the hands of the undergraduate members, or in the hands of undergraduates and recent graduates. Indeed some disqualified themselves and refrained from voting on this account. As the tally below indicates undergraduates favor the ladies by more than a 75% majority. And, if the votes of the Class of 1968 represent the views of recent graduates, they are even more heavily in favor. We have not attempted to set up a category of those who use the Club frequently. Records are not kept that way, and we are too cowardly to make a judgment.

RECOMMENDATION: Because a large majority of members evidently favors eligibility of women in all categories and in order to avoid the anomalous situation described in the paragraph numbered "1." above, the Board of Governors has decided, by a vote of seven to two, to favor making women eligible in all categories. Thus we recommend a vote against Amendment C and votes in favor of B and D.

In any event, as a matter of clarification, if you are against women members, you should vote against Amendments B and D and in favor of C.

If you are in favor of women members and/or want to avoid the problems described above, you should vote against Amendment C and in favor of B and D.

It is, of course, possible for you to split your vote.

THE ELIZABETHAN CLUB

PROXY -- SPECIAL MEETING MAY 5, 1969

The undersigned hereby appoints Frederick A. Pottle, Eugene Waith, and Brooks Shepard, Jr., or any one of them, proxies with power to vote on behalf of the undersigned at a special meeting to be held on Monday, May 5, 1969 at 8:00 P.M. and at any adjournment thereof

A. FOR ☐

AGAINST ☐

the amendment of Article XIII, Section 3 by inserting the following sentence after the first sentence of the Section:

"Transfer students shall not be eligible for election to membership until after they have been at Yale for one academic year."

B. FOR ☐

AGAINST ☐

the amendment of Article XIII, Section 2, by striking the word "man" therefrom and inserting in its place the word "person" and by inserting the words "or she" after the word "he."

(This amendment would make both male and female graduates of Yale College eligible for election to membership.)

C. FOR ☐

AGAINST ☐

the amendment of Article XIII, Section 3 by striking the word "person" and inserting in its place the word "man."

(This amendment would make undergraduate women, who are now eligible, ineligible for election to membership.)

D. FOR ☐

AGAINST ☐

the amendment of Article XIII, Section 5 by striking the word "man" wherever it appears, and inserting in its place the word "person" and by inserting the words "or her" after the word "his."

(This would make women, including faculty members, graduate and professional students, and others who were not graduates of Yale College eligible for election to membership.)

Date

Signature

Proxies will be voted only as directed above. If you plan to attend the meeting, please do not use this proxy.