Pre-Trial Date Set in Beating

A pre-trial date has been set for two Cornell University lacrosse players who allegedly assaulted a Harvard student two weeks ago.

The student, Bruce C. Hilton '94, said yesterday that he will not drop the assault and battery charges against Cornell students Edward Berkery and John Busse.

The two Cornell students must enter a plea of guilty or not-guilty on April 13 here at the Middlesex Superior Courthouse in East Cambridge.

According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell administrators have not taken disciplinary action against the students.

The Cornell lacrosse coach is aware of the situation but has decided against taking action because the students were not with the team at the time, the paper said.

The alleged fight took place on Dunster Street on March 15. Hilton said that early that morning of March 15 he was confronted by the two Cornell students and asked if he was a Harvard student.

According to Hilton, he replied that he was a Harvard student and began to walk away but the two Cornell students stopped him and began to beat him.

"They definitely appeared drunk or in some state other than sobriety," Hilton said.

Hilton said he was able to get away from the students by running into Kirkland House.

The Cornell students called Hilton the next day and apologized, saying it was "a case of mistaken identity," and asked him to drop the charges, he said.

According to Hilton one of the students told him that "it will be a real pain for me to go back and forth from Cornell to Boston," for the court proceedings.

"I definitely won't drop the charges," Hilton said. "Especially when it was just such blatant violence."