Julian Sarkar '13 and approximately 20 other students filed a breach of contract notice with the Office of Residential Life on Thursday, Sarkar said in an interview with The Dartmouth. The students, who met in the basement of North Massachusetts Residence at noon on Thursday, allege that the College violated the legal rights of undergraduates who signed a housing contract this past spring by "secretly" changing the terms of the contract during the summer, Sarkar said. While the original contract stipulated that students living in College housing purchase at least the $1,225 Mini Green plan, the modified contract replaced that option with three more expensive SmartChoice meal options starting at $1,440 per term, Sarkar said. The breach of contract notification is an attempt to halt the administration's "exploitation" of students, Sarkar said. Sarkar who said that living on campus became financially impossible due to the altered terms of the contract plans to file a class action lawsuit if the College fails to respond. Dartmouth's legal counsel is currently reviewing the matter, according to Director of Media Relations for the College Justin Anderson, who declined to comment further. Sarkar is a member of The Dartmouth Opinion Staff.
Bruce McAllister '54 Tu'58, Alpha Theta House Corporation's former treasurer who also previously served as the College's financial auditor, pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of wire fraud on Wednesday, the Burlington Free Press reported. The prosecution alleges that from 1985 to 2010 McAllister embezzled money for personal use from several not-for-profit organizations in Vermont and New Hampshire, including over $360,000 from Alpha Theta co-ed fraternity and a Vermont-based trout-fishing organization called the Meccawe Club. Federal Magistrate Judge John Conroy who presided over the hearing at a U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt. agreed to release McAllister, age 78, due to medical conditions not disclosed in court, according to the Burlington Free Press. If McAllister is convicted, he could face up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Harvard University police officers closed off Harvard Yard Wednesday evening due to a campus protest involving more than 350 participants in support of the Occupy Harvard movement, The Harvard Crimson reported. Harvard students, staff members, faculty members and other local community residents protested Harvard's alleged role in increasing nationwide income inequality. The police block prevented individuals not affiliated with the university from entering the Yard during the protest. In response to the police presence, protestors briefly relocated to the Harvard Law School campus before attempting to re-enter the Yard. Dean of Student Life Suzy Nelson agreed to allow students to erect a tent city outside University Hall and requested a follow-up meeting with protestors on Thursday, The Crimson reported.
