Escort Agency Courts 'Cliffe Students

Last week the head resident of a Radcliffe dormitory tore open a plain envelope, addressed simply to "Bertram Hall." There was no explanatory letter inside, only a half dozen business cards labelled "Male Escort Bureau... escorts for all legitimate occasions." The card promised "confidential service" for a minimum of $10.

Cliffies reacted quickly. "Students didn't take the scheme as a personal insult since the whole idea is so ridiculous, especially the idea of Radcliffe girls having to pay for a date," Mrs. Margaret Sangree, Bertram Hall head resident, explained.

"At this place everyone has more escorts than they know what to do with," one girl comented. Assuming an air of intellectual assurance, another 'Cliffie added, "I don't think anyone here would be stupid enough to pay $10."

When one girl dared to dissent, pointing to an alleged "one-half the dormitory" which stayed home on Saturday nights, she was promptly silenced. "If a girl wants a date for Saturday night she can have one by Saturday afternoon," her more confident colleagues asserted.

Another subject for conjecture was the definition of a "legitimate occasion." The clause was meant to eliminate any "skullduggery" or "gags" a man at the agency explained. He would not give his name.

When asked how the agency intended to distinguish jokers from legitimate customers, he explained, "We'll have to rely on what the girl tells us, just as she'll have to rely on us for a man of reasonably good character. There's an element of risk involved for both of us."

This element of risk was too much for one Radcliffe student, who pointed to a story in yesterday's This Week magazine concerning a male escort service which served as the. "front" for a blackmail racket.

The agency admitted they had received no reaction to their advertising from Radcliffe students, although they had received about six calls from people looking for "older men" than they could offer. "We have a number of B.U. and Emerson boys. Some of them are rather mature, as you well know," he asserted.

But the professional socialites are not discouraged. "We're a new venture, only organized in the last ten days. We've only sent cards to Bertram Hall at Radcliffe so far," the spokesman said.