Alumnae Charge Eviction Unlawful

Two Harvard graduates alleged last week that a Rhode Island doctor is evicting them from their rented Cambridge house in order to make it available to a College fraternity.

The graduates, Kincade J. Dunn '89 and Doina I. Contescu '89, charge that the doctor's move to evict them is illegal since he is doing so on grounds of intended personal occupancy.

Dr. Daniel Harrop of Providence, a graduate member of the Brown University chapter of Sigma Chi who sits on the fraternity's national board of trustees, stated in a rent control board hearing last April that he intends to make the house at 14 Mt. Auburn St. his primary residence.

Harrop, who testified at the same hearing thathis work as a psychiatrist would continue tocenter in the Pawtucket, Rhode Island area, wasgranted a certificate of eviction at a finalhearing November 18, Dunn said.

But Contescu said she sought to block Harrop'spetition for eviction after learning from a friendin Eliot House that three College seniors, allmembers of the Harvard chapter of Sigma Chi,intended to rent the two-bedroom house fromHarrop.

"I think Harrop's intentions are to continueliving and working in Providence, which he hasdone since graduating from college. The onlyreason for his wanting to purchase 14 Mt. AuburnSt. is because of his outside interest with thefraternity," said Contescu, reached by telephonein Romania yesterday.

Records of last spring's hearing cite Harrop asstating that he originally contemplated rentingthe unit from February until June 1992, when heplanned to move into the house.

According to Geoffrey D. Carter, a programdirector at the fraternity's national base inEvanston, Illinois, the Board of Grand Trustees onwhich Harrop serves has as its mandate to "lookout for the housing issues of the fraternity."

"It is a volunteer board which providesassistance for local chapters in finding a house,"Carter said.

Repeated attempts to reach Harrop for commentlast week were unsuccessful.

Richard T. Antonino '92, one of the Sigma Chimembers who hoped to move into the house lastspring, said that "there was never any intentionof using it as a fraternity house."

Admissions officer and Canaday proctor Keith W.Light--who advises Sigma Chi at Harvard "as acivilian" and is an acquaintance of Harrop's--saidearlier that his connection to the fraternity andto Harrop was merely "coincidental" and that thedoctor planned to make "personal use" of thehouse.

Light, who belonged to Sigma Chi while atStanford University, acknowledged that he foundand looked at the house for Harrop, who testifiedin last spring's hearing that he brought the housesight unseen.

"It's not unusual for people to make purchaseswithout personal inspection," said Light. "We'reold friends and I made inquiries on his behalf."

But Light said yesterday that "Dan has made itclear that at his convenience he'd be willing toopen his place for meetings of thefraternity...There's no intention of making this afraternity house in the traditional sense."

Sigma Chi, which currently has around 40members, is not officially recognized by theCollege due to University regulations prohibitingstudent organizations from discriminating on thebasis of sex. But Light emphasized that theCollege's refusal to recognize fraternities in noway implies that they are forbidden.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said lastnight that according to College policy,fraternities, sororities and final clubs may notuse Harvard's name or its facilities. But headded, "Frats are like any other voluntaryorganization, such as the churches or civil rightsor political organizations, in that we should notforbid students from being members of them'

Light said he believes that a disagreementbetween the occupants and the previous owner ofthe home is the reason for their questioning ofHarrop's motives.

"They're using Dr. Harrop as a means to win adispute with the previous owner. They just don'twant to leave until that previous dispute issettled," Light said.

According to Contescu, Maria Colarusso, theprevious owner, overcharged her and her formerroommates $30,000 in rent over a period of two anda half years. Colarusso charged $1,400 a monthinstead of $221, as the rent should have beenunder rent control, Contescu said.

Contescu said that although the house had beenrenovated in order to exclude it from rent controlrestrictions, its foundations had not been torndown, thus subjecting the house to continuedrestrictions.

"The only way for me to get the money back isto stay in the house and not pay rent," Contescuadded.

A person answering the phone at Colarusso'sresidence yesterday said she was deceased. Thatinformation could not be confirmed last night.

Maggie S. Tucker and Anna D. Wildecontributed to the reporting of this story.

Harrop, who testified at the same hearing thathis work as a psychiatrist would continue tocenter in the Pawtucket, Rhode Island area, wasgranted a certificate of eviction at a finalhearing November 18, Dunn said.

But Contescu said she sought to block Harrop'spetition for eviction after learning from a friendin Eliot House that three College seniors, allmembers of the Harvard chapter of Sigma Chi,intended to rent the two-bedroom house fromHarrop.

"I think Harrop's intentions are to continueliving and working in Providence, which he hasdone since graduating from college. The onlyreason for his wanting to purchase 14 Mt. AuburnSt. is because of his outside interest with thefraternity," said Contescu, reached by telephonein Romania yesterday.

Records of last spring's hearing cite Harrop asstating that he originally contemplated rentingthe unit from February until June 1992, when heplanned to move into the house.

According to Geoffrey D. Carter, a programdirector at the fraternity's national base inEvanston, Illinois, the Board of Grand Trustees onwhich Harrop serves has as its mandate to "lookout for the housing issues of the fraternity."

"It is a volunteer board which providesassistance for local chapters in finding a house,"Carter said.

Repeated attempts to reach Harrop for commentlast week were unsuccessful.

Richard T. Antonino '92, one of the Sigma Chimembers who hoped to move into the house lastspring, said that "there was never any intentionof using it as a fraternity house."

Admissions officer and Canaday proctor Keith W.Light--who advises Sigma Chi at Harvard "as acivilian" and is an acquaintance of Harrop's--saidearlier that his connection to the fraternity andto Harrop was merely "coincidental" and that thedoctor planned to make "personal use" of thehouse.

Light, who belonged to Sigma Chi while atStanford University, acknowledged that he foundand looked at the house for Harrop, who testifiedin last spring's hearing that he brought the housesight unseen.

"It's not unusual for people to make purchaseswithout personal inspection," said Light. "We'reold friends and I made inquiries on his behalf."

But Light said yesterday that "Dan has made itclear that at his convenience he'd be willing toopen his place for meetings of thefraternity...There's no intention of making this afraternity house in the traditional sense."

Sigma Chi, which currently has around 40members, is not officially recognized by theCollege due to University regulations prohibitingstudent organizations from discriminating on thebasis of sex. But Light emphasized that theCollege's refusal to recognize fraternities in noway implies that they are forbidden.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said lastnight that according to College policy,fraternities, sororities and final clubs may notuse Harvard's name or its facilities. But headded, "Frats are like any other voluntaryorganization, such as the churches or civil rightsor political organizations, in that we should notforbid students from being members of them'

Light said he believes that a disagreementbetween the occupants and the previous owner ofthe home is the reason for their questioning ofHarrop's motives.

"They're using Dr. Harrop as a means to win adispute with the previous owner. They just don'twant to leave until that previous dispute issettled," Light said.

According to Contescu, Maria Colarusso, theprevious owner, overcharged her and her formerroommates $30,000 in rent over a period of two anda half years. Colarusso charged $1,400 a monthinstead of $221, as the rent should have beenunder rent control, Contescu said.

Contescu said that although the house had beenrenovated in order to exclude it from rent controlrestrictions, its foundations had not been torndown, thus subjecting the house to continuedrestrictions.

"The only way for me to get the money back isto stay in the house and not pay rent," Contescuadded.

A person answering the phone at Colarusso'sresidence yesterday said she was deceased. Thatinformation could not be confirmed last night.

Maggie S. Tucker and Anna D. Wildecontributed to the reporting of this story.