The Harvard Libertarian Forum was established as an officially-recognized student group in November 2005. It began six months earlier as a project of Alex Harris, Matt Valente, and Andy Livingston. The three founders wanted to create a club for libertarians at Harvard, which at the time had no libertarian student organization. The organization has grown substantially since then, to a current size of 90 members.
HLF performs several roles:
- Engaging in political activism on campus
- Participating in debates with other political groups
- Providing its members with support, in several forms:
- Information about new essay contests, scholarships, and internship opportunities for libertarians
- Parties, dinners, and social events
- A forum for discussing libertarian issues
- Enhancing recognition of libertarians at Harvard University and beyond.
- Given out the World's Smallest Political Quiz to over 100 Harvard community members, informing them about libertarianism (and causing some to realize that they are libertarians) in the process
- Written several op-eds
- Debated the Harvard Republican Club and the Salient, in an IOP-sponsored event about drug legalization
- Brought libertarian documentary filmmakers to Harvard to screen their film for undergraduates
- Establishing a new Harvard Libertarian Review, which will be an online review of libertarian perspectives, including contribution from the fields of economics, politics, and philosophy
- Coordinating with the IOP to bring a major speaker to campus to have dinner with us
- Tabling outside the Science Center, passing out brochures, and answering questions about libertarianism