One attendant, who spoke on condition ofanonymity, says the security force is frequentlyaddressed as though its members were the crew of aship. One staff list, in fact, refers toattendants being "on board."

"Michele thinks she's on a missile base," saysthe attendant.

Bill Sage, who recently quit as a union stewardfor the attendants, also says Trifiro uses herbackground in the armed forces to intimidate themuseum attendants.

"She's trying to run this place like a militarycamp," Sage says, "We're human beings, not in themilitary. She threatens every one, 'I'm going tofire you.'"

Trifiro rewards those who share her outlook,attendants say. Eric Hupp, a 22-year-old monitorat the Fogg's central station who began working atthe museum in 1992, also uses military terminologyin managing employees, attendants say.

Like Trifiro, Hupp has a military background.He worked in Germany translating Morse code. Huppsays his top-secret military clearance isimportant to his job at the Fogg.

"I have this top-secret clearance," Hupp says."When it comes to guarding a couple billiondollars of art, honesty and integrity are keypoints."

Hupp says the time he has spent around art hasinfluenced him. He has started taking creativewriting classes at the Extension School and isworking on the screenplay for a romantic comedy.

Still, Hupp says his job definitely comesbefore his artistic passion. During a recentsnowstorm he says he walked three miles to work inthe snow to replace attendants who could not makethe trip.

"You depend on each other," Hupps says. "It's asmall tight-fit organization."

But some attendants say the only people on theforce who are tight are favorites of Trifiro.

Hupp shot from being an attendant to asupervisor in just two months. In contrast, oneattendant says he was twice passed up foradvancement despite Trifiro's assurances that hewas doing his job well and despite a unioncontract requiring seniority preference inpromotions.

Agree to Disagree

Other attendants say they object to Trifiro'sinvolvement in union business. She has created anew staff of museum attendants who are not coveredunder the attendants' union agreement, sourcessay.

After taking over Fogg security, Trifiroabolished the longstanding practice of usingHarvard security guards to protect the Fogg andbegan hiring her own attendant staff.