Perspective Alleges Dean Made Threats

A Harvard junior has charged Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III with threatening students who wanted to form a new business club.

Kaleil D. Isaza '94-95 wrote in an article which appeared in Perspective on Monday that Epps threatened to "write on [the students'] records, call invited speakers, cancel events at local hotels, and even 'tell the Harvard Business School' about their illicit activities should they ever apply."

The students, led by Daniel W. Hart '95, said they wanted to form the Harvard Enterprise Society because the Business Club's outgoing director was allegedly intent upon selecting this year's officers without holding an election.

Epps defended himself from Isaza's article in an interview with The Crimson on Tuesday.

"That piece is such a biased piece," Epps said. "I wasn't interviewed for the piece. I wouldn't want to comment."

Epps said that Isaza, as a member of the Business Club, had "a conflict of interest" in writing the piece.

But Isaza said yesterday that he did interview Epps and that he is not a member of the Business Club.

Isaza said his only connection to the BusinessClub is that he attended two meetings of studentsinterested in business clubs last fall. "Himsaying I have conflict of interest is like Clintontelling the Republicans they have conflict ofinterest on Whitewater," Isaza said.

Isaza said he intends to meet with Epps duringoffice hours today to complain about "thefallacies Epps told about me."

"If he feels like the series of articles have`slammed' him in way that makes him feel bad ordisturbed, in a sense the man had it coming. Ofthe interviews I did, I saw the man frequentlyengaged in slamming students'" Isaza said.

Isaza, who says he personally dislikes Epps, iswriting a three-part series on the dean forPerspective. Isaza said the dean has repeatedlycalled him Mexican although he has made it clearthat he is Colombian.

Isaza said the idea for the subject of thesecond article in the series came in part from hisattendance of the meetings of students interestedin business clubs.

Michelle Hewitt, assistant to Epps, criticizedIsaza's first article last night, which appearedin December. "It was scathing and poorlyresearched."

Hewitt said Epps had read it and discussed itscontent, which discussed Epps' handling of racerelations on campus, with people quoted in it. "Wefound that many of them felt they had beenmisquoted," she said.

Hewitt declined to comment about the secondarticle.

Isaza said Hewitt told Joshua A. Feltman '95,president of Perspective, that Isaza's firstarticle on Epps was libelous.

But Hewitt said she never called it libelous,and Feltman refused to comment on his discussionwith her.

Feltman said Isaza had "some valid criticism inhis articles." He said that all articles inPerspective are editorials and do not representPerspective's opinion.

Former members of the Business Club said theywere upset with Epps because he allegedlyappointed Henrietta O. Shields '95 president ofthe Business Club without the students' consent.

Reed Johnstone '95, a former officer of theBusiness Club, is critical of Epps.

"Dean Epps formed all these ideas about mebefore I ever met him, and when I was himface-to-face he wasn't interested in me asperson," he said. "He went along with what healready had heard about me. Even though I hadcompletely withdrawn from the club, I wasblacklisted."

But Shields said two weeks ago that Eppsmanaged the club's breakup successfully

Isaza said his only connection to the BusinessClub is that he attended two meetings of studentsinterested in business clubs last fall. "Himsaying I have conflict of interest is like Clintontelling the Republicans they have conflict ofinterest on Whitewater," Isaza said.

Isaza said he intends to meet with Epps duringoffice hours today to complain about "thefallacies Epps told about me."

"If he feels like the series of articles have`slammed' him in way that makes him feel bad ordisturbed, in a sense the man had it coming. Ofthe interviews I did, I saw the man frequentlyengaged in slamming students'" Isaza said.

Isaza, who says he personally dislikes Epps, iswriting a three-part series on the dean forPerspective. Isaza said the dean has repeatedlycalled him Mexican although he has made it clearthat he is Colombian.

Isaza said the idea for the subject of thesecond article in the series came in part from hisattendance of the meetings of students interestedin business clubs.

Michelle Hewitt, assistant to Epps, criticizedIsaza's first article last night, which appearedin December. "It was scathing and poorlyresearched."

Hewitt said Epps had read it and discussed itscontent, which discussed Epps' handling of racerelations on campus, with people quoted in it. "Wefound that many of them felt they had beenmisquoted," she said.

Hewitt declined to comment about the secondarticle.

Isaza said Hewitt told Joshua A. Feltman '95,president of Perspective, that Isaza's firstarticle on Epps was libelous.

But Hewitt said she never called it libelous,and Feltman refused to comment on his discussionwith her.

Feltman said Isaza had "some valid criticism inhis articles." He said that all articles inPerspective are editorials and do not representPerspective's opinion.

Former members of the Business Club said theywere upset with Epps because he allegedlyappointed Henrietta O. Shields '95 president ofthe Business Club without the students' consent.

Reed Johnstone '95, a former officer of theBusiness Club, is critical of Epps.

"Dean Epps formed all these ideas about mebefore I ever met him, and when I was himface-to-face he wasn't interested in me asperson," he said. "He went along with what healready had heard about me. Even though I hadcompletely withdrawn from the club, I wasblacklisted."

But Shields said two weeks ago that Eppsmanaged the club's breakup successfully