Who You Gonna Call?

What's something that costs 75 cents, is usually consumed at night, and can be delivered to your door within 30 minutes through a new service being started up by six freshmen?

Hint: No, it's not a slice of pizza.

Calling themselves Sperm Busters, the Thayer South residents yesterday established a "condom courier service."

With complete confidentiality, needy students can call the group's room number anytime from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and request a condom, selecting either the regular rate (75 cents and delivered within thirty minutes) or the "God I Need It Now" rate ($1.50 and delivered within three minutes).

"It's really more of a service than a business," said Guiseppe Labianca, one of the up-and-coming entrepreneurs who conceived of the project.

"We decided it was important. We don't want unwanted pregnancies at Harvard, and we thought, why shouldn't students have condoms delivered to them. It's sort of like a pizza service, only we wouldn't have different flavors," Labianca said.

But they may have already hit a barrier. Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III denounced the service when he learned of it yesterday, calling it a "violation of University regulation" and a "project that is irresponsible and in poor taste."

Epps said he won't let the plan slip through because rules forbid students from conducting business through university rooms.

Shooting for Success

At the head of the comprehensive "Sperm Busters" publicity campaign is the motto: "Guaranteed to come before you do."

But the students say they're entirely sincere. "At first glance, most people start laughing at the posters," said Labianca, "but it's no joke. We think that as time goes on and people see we're serious they'll take it seriously."

The six students who organized the business are: Labianca, J.B. Backstrom, Reed Maltzman, Andy Osborn, Michael Whitmire, and Darius Zoroufy.

The last time condoms were introduced on campus was during the early 1970's, when the devices were sold at the candy store of the Freshman Union, according to Andrea Silbert, director of Harvard Student Agencies.

While the ads for Sperm Busters make mention of the CVS pharmacy being closed for the night, it is actually not the only external source of contraceptive devices in the area. Store 24 up the street stays open almost all night selling condoms for $1.75.

Labianca stresses the confidentiality of the service. "We don't know who we're delivering it to," he says. "We'll just charge for it and drop it off--the person doesn't even have to see us. Nobody but us will ever know.