Stripper Hirers Questioned

University Police and an official of the Freshman Dean's Office questioned seven first-year students last Monday about hiring a "strip-o-gram" as a birthday surprise for a fellow student in Wigglesworth Hall.

Two of the students were read their legal rights before being questioned, according to one of the students involved, who declined to be identified. This occurred on the same night first-years at Pennypacker Hall hired an underaged stripper for a party.

According to senior advisor for the Union dorms Michael Middleton, who questioned the Wigglesworth residents, the College is not pursuing any further disciplinary action against the students. He refused to comment on any police investigation of the students or the company.

Middleton and a police officer had told the Wigglesworth students that the firm they hired, Entertainment, Inc., was under criminal investigation, according to the student involved.

But a company employee reached yesterday denied any investigation and said the firm had had no contact with Harvard officials.

"We have been serving customers at Harvard University for many years," said the Entertainment, Inc. employee, who also declined to be identified. "They have always proved to be very reliable. I find this [incident] very strange."

The Wigglesworth first-year said she and five other students pooled their money to pay the $120 hiring fee to Entertainment, Inc., a local stripper-for-hire business. The stripper was expected to arrive with her "strip-o-gram" at 9 p.m., the student said.

The stripper never arrived, but at approximately 9:30 p.m., Middleton and a police officer, arrived at the dorm and went to the room where the stripper was expected to be, she said.

After reading the resident of the room his legal rights, Middleton and the police officer interrogated the resident about the hiring. Since it was meant to be a birthday surprise, the student "had no clue," and referred the men to the source's room, she said.

Middleton and the police officer questioned her and the other students who did the hiring, according to the source, after first reading the girl who actually phoned to hire the stripper her legal rights.

She said that she was told there would be no further disciplinary action againsteither herself or the others who hired thestripper. She said she did not know how officialsmight have heard about the stripper.

Harvard Police authorities were unavailable forcomment. Middleton would not explain how theCollege heard about the Wigglesworth stripper.

That same night, Pennypacker students weretaken to the police department for questioningafter an underage stripper from Tele-Tease wasfound in their room. In Massachusetts, it isillegal to hire a stripper who is a minor