FILE - In this June 30, 2009, file photo, Harvard University President Drew Faust, the university's first female president, poses for a photograph on the university's campus in Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University is upholding a 2016 policy that pressures secretive all-male social clubs to accept students of any gender, its top leadership announced on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Faust said the overall impact of gender-exclusive groups has been negative. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Latest on Harvard University's decision to uphold a rule barring students in single-gender clubs from holding campus leadership positions (all times local):

6:35 p.m.

A lawyer representing an all-male social club at Harvard University says his group is deciding whether to take legal action against the university after it upheld a rule forbidding students in single-gender social clubs from taking campus leadership roles.

Harvey Silverglate says the Fly Club is weighing its legal options after the university's governing board announced Tuesday it approved a rule saying students who join gender-exclusive clubs can't lead campus groups or sports teams.

He says the decision "shows remarkable disdain" for student autonomy and the administration is "treating Harvard students like little children."

Some Harvard faculty members and alumni say the policy limits students' freedom of association and speech, but Harvard administrators say it will improve campus culture.

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6:10 p.m.

A group representing three fraternities that include Harvard University students is condemning the university's decision to uphold a rule forbidding students in single-gender social clubs from taking campus leadership roles.

The North-American Interfraternity Conference says Harvard's decision is an "infringement on a citizen's basic rights" and "must be challenged."

Spokeswoman Heather Kirk says it's "ironic that one of the most exclusive institutions in the world is limiting what organizations students can join."

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, university's governing board announced Tuesday it approved a rule saying students who join gender-exclusive clubs can't lead campus groups or sports teams.

Some Harvard faculty members and alumni say the policy limits students' freedom of association and speech, but Harvard administrators say it will improve campus culture.

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4:30 p.m.

Harvard University says it's upholding a 2016 policy that bans students who join single-gender social clubs from taking leadership roles on campus.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts, university's governing board announced Tuesday it approved a rule saying students who join gender-exclusive clubs can't lead campus groups or sports teams.

Harvard implemented the rule in May 2016 amid a crackdown on male-only social clubs that have been accused of problems with alcohol abuse and sexual assault. The rule took effect for current freshmen.

Some of the all-male clubs date to the 18th century and have included famous figures. The rule also applies to local fraternities and sororities Harvard doesn't officially recognize.

The policy was opposed by some faculty members and alumni, who say it limits students' freedom of association and speech. Harvard administrators say it will improve campus culture.

News from © The Associated Press, 2017