Students Befriend A Fraud

For the past two weeks, a women going by the name of Janice George has been posing as a member of Harvard's Class of 2000, claiming to live in Garys Hall and take advanced science courses.

According to several first-years in Wigglesworth G, George would meet them every morning to walk to classes.

"This girl had it down," said Chukwuemeka C. Nwanze '00, who lives in G-entry. "She was seen attending classes and even taking the chemistry placement test."

Edidiong N. Ikpe '00 said George came to her suite frequently and wanted to leave her belongings there.

"She always wanted to be here, leave her things here," Ikpe said. The residents of Wiggleworth G-21 became friendly with George, Ikpe added, and spent a lot of time with her.

George also told the students that she had graduated from Columbia Preparatory in New York City and was taking Chemistry 30: "Orgainc Chemistry of Life," and Mathematics 25a: "Honors Advanced Calculus and Linear Algebra."

The students said George did not have a Harvard identification card but was allowed into dormitories by other students. She was not, however, seen eating in Annenberg Hall, students said.

George also gave out only a celluar phone number, saying she hid not want to share a phone with her roommates, students said. George told another student she carried a cellular phone so that she could stay in touch with her father at all times.

Late last week, Nwanse pressed George for her room number, he said, and she gave him the fictitious address of Grays 210.

When he discovered that Grays 210 does not exist, Nwanze approached George's other acquaintances in Wigglesworth G to question George's identity.

Late Friday night, Christia E. Donaldson '00 and Ikpe, roommates in Wigglesworth G-21, alerted their proctor, Ronna Parekh, and called the Harvard University Police Department HUPD, who came to the entry that night and filed a report based on the students' statements.

The Wigglesworth students describe George as about 5'2," medium build, dark-skinned and with brown hair in short braids.

According to Peggy McNamara, spokesperson for HUPD, the students' description has been forwarded to the officers patrolling the Yard.

Daivd Fithian, an Assistant Dean of First Year Students, said the Freshman Dean's Office is aware of the incident and referred questions to the police.

The Wigglesworth students were shocked by the revelation that their friend was not actually a student. Ikpe said it is possible George was mentally unstable.

The students have not seen the woman since Friday. The Crimson was not able to reach George at her cellular phone number

The students have not seen the woman since Friday. The Crimson was not able to reach George at her cellular phone number