Police Disperse Crowds at Three Private Parties

In a quick sweep that surprised early-morning revelers, Harvard and Cambridge city police officers shut down social parties at Winthrop, Leverett and Adams houses in the wee hours after midnight on Sunday.

University police responded to noise complaints in breaking up the social gatherings. But students at the parties complained that Saturday night was their sole opportunity for fun prior to yesterday's start of classes.

Some said that the police were unnecessarily harsh in closing down the parties.

"They weren't too pleasant about it, considering that no one had any academic work to do," said Paul R. Mrockowski '00, a Crimson editor.

In addition, students who attended all three parties reported that Cambridge police aided Harvard officers in shutting down the parties.

And students at the Winthrop party complained that an officer swore at them while ending the affair.

According to the Harvard police log, a security guard reported a party in Winthrop House shortly after midnight Sunday. A Harvard police officer promptly arrived and shut down the party.

But at 12:41 a.m., according to police records, a second complaint arrived, this one from the Winthrop House senior tutor.

Sarolta Takacs, the new Winthrop House senior tutor and assistant professor of the classics, declined to discuss the incident.

Students at the Winthrop party said nearly 100 students continued to gather on Mill Street even after the party's close.

The police remained in the vicinity, they said. According to Budget J. Frey '99, the officers "seemed to the following people to other parties."

According to witnesses, a police cruiser at the scene drove close to the crowd.

Frey said that as soon as one officer got out of the cruiser, he swore at them, threatening to handcuff them unless they left the street immediately.

Witnesses said that although the street was very crowded, the students were not blocking traffic.

"It was unnecessary to use profanity because there was no trouble," Frey said. "People were just having fun before classes started."

Other students, however, noted that the crowd was unusually large and that police commented on its size while dispersing the gathering.

Harvard Police Lt. John F. Rooney said the police department does not tolerate the use of obscenities. Rooney said the case would be investigated if students were to lodge a complaint.

"I wasn't there. Maybe that officer was taking lip from one or two individuals," Rooney said. "We try to maintain a professional atmosphere. Profanity is generally unacceptable."

The police also cleared a party at Leverett House at 12:32 a.m. The stu- dents hosting the party had registered in advance and cleared the event with their entryway tutor, according to Seth D. Hanlon '98, who said he had organized the party with his roommates.

"When you have a big party like that and there's a tutor supervising it, there's less likely to be an incident than if parties are broken up and people go around drinking on their own," Hanlon said.

He added that although he and his roommates were restricting who entered the party, other students gathered in the stairwell and in the Leverett courtyard.

The third party to be dispersed by police was at Adams House, where the Harvard police responded at 1:07 a.m. to noise complaints, according to the police log. Some students then converged on Linden Street, but were sent "on the way," the log reported.

Cambridge police will give aid to Harvard police if requested, according to city police spokesperson Frank T. Pasquarello.

However, the Cambridge police log had no record of any action on Sunday morning.

"We probably went there but if we didn't make any arrests, we don't make any reports," Pasquarello said.

Students complained yesterday that the police action was excessive.

"I think that school policy is that [parties] have to end by one. It seems that during the year that would make sense," said Mrockowski. "But nobody had anything to do the next day.

"When you have a big party like that and there's a tutor supervising it, there's less likely to be an incident than if parties are broken up and people go around drinking on their own," Hanlon said.

He added that although he and his roommates were restricting who entered the party, other students gathered in the stairwell and in the Leverett courtyard.

The third party to be dispersed by police was at Adams House, where the Harvard police responded at 1:07 a.m. to noise complaints, according to the police log. Some students then converged on Linden Street, but were sent "on the way," the log reported.

Cambridge police will give aid to Harvard police if requested, according to city police spokesperson Frank T. Pasquarello.

However, the Cambridge police log had no record of any action on Sunday morning.

"We probably went there but if we didn't make any arrests, we don't make any reports," Pasquarello said.

Students complained yesterday that the police action was excessive.

"I think that school policy is that [parties] have to end by one. It seems that during the year that would make sense," said Mrockowski. "But nobody had anything to do the next day.