'Complaints'

Minority student leaders also professed a concern for the relationship between Square merchants and Harvard minorities.

"I have heard complaints from several minority students that merchants in the Square have discriminated against them," said Kecia N. Boulware '96, co-chair of the Minority Students Alliance.

The discrimination is a concern of the alliance, but the group focuses more on campus issues, Boulware said.

With the attention given to the Cole incident, several other stories of discrimination in the Square have emerged.

Wendell K. Banks '96, who is half Black and half Native American, recalled an incident similar to Cole's that occurred a year ago at Nini's.

Banks said an employee of Nini's picked him out from among several other customers and asked him to leave.

"I was in there looking at Dupont Registry and the guy told me to get out," Banks said.

Banks believed his color may have had something to do with it.

"I look different because I have long hair, and I'm half African American and half Native American," Banks said.

The student said the Cole case gave him the courage to speak out about the incident.

"I wanted to do something this time because I didn't do anything last time," Banks said.

'Better Informed Merchants'

Epps said he will take steps to prevent a repeat of the Cole incident.

"A better informed group of merchants would be an asset for us and the kind of qualitative experience that we want our students to have at Harvard," Epps said.