Credit Card Company Obtains Student Lists

After weeks of persistent phone solicitations for credit cards from MBNA Corporation that have angered students campus-wide, Harvard officials still cannot explain how the company obtained the University's directory information.

Some students have received the calls as early as 9 a.m. In some cases, entire suites have been targets of the marketing blitz.

The large volume of calls to Harvard students has many convinced that MBNA obtained their information from University databases or the student telephone directory.

Acting Registrar Thurston A. Smith said, however, that the University has a "simple" policy about disseminating student information.

"We do not give out lists of students' names, phone numbers, addresses or anything else to anyone outside official functions of the University," he said.

However, Smith acknowledged that there are probably lists of Harvard student information outside the University.

"I don't know how they get them," he said. "For one thing, with scanners these days, it's not hard to take the student phone book and scan that data into a database."

"I don't think it would be too hard to find [a phone book], or to buy one from anyone--from a student or from anyone else," he added.

Henry G. Wei '98 said he and two of his roommates have received calls from MBNA.

"I was curious because I usually don't get that kind of phone solicitation," Wei said.

Wei, a Crimson editor, said he asked the marketer how MBNA had received his name and phone number.

"The solicitor told me that they obtained the information from a credit bureau," he said.

Micah S. Myers '00, who also received a call from MBNA, said the telemarketer on the other end of the line told him the company had purchased information from a credit reporting agency.

MBNA Marketing Director Peter Frank refused to explain where the company obtains information to make solicitations.

"We don't discuss specific marketing strategies or sources," Frank said. "It's confidential information."

Frank also denied that the company's telemarketers are instructed to give a standard response when asked where the company obtains its information.

The Coop once had a partnership with MBNA, but terminated its relationship over a year ago, said Coop President Jeremiah P. Murphy Jr. '73.

The Coop and MBNA jointly issued Mastercards and Visas.

Murphy said that the Coop terminated its relationship with MBNA because the "financial returns or satisfaction were not enough to warrant a contract renewal."

Murphy also said that MBNA asked the Coop to share its information about Harvard students.

"We were very restrictive and would not let them use our membership database," Murphy said. The Coop does not sell information from its database to anyone, he added.

Daniel K. Hamalainen '98, who worked for MBNA bank two summers ago, said that the bank is "really intensive on phone use."

"They're never completely honest on the phone," he said. "But they're not a sleazy company.

"We were very restrictive and would not let them use our membership database," Murphy said. The Coop does not sell information from its database to anyone, he added.

Daniel K. Hamalainen '98, who worked for MBNA bank two summers ago, said that the bank is "really intensive on phone use."

"They're never completely honest on the phone," he said. "But they're not a sleazy company.