Vogt said Fly Club members were informed of the possible merger last December and called their reaction "positive."

On the other hand, D.U. Vice President David M. Sprinkle '96 said he is angered by the actions of the D.U.'s graduate board over the past year, although he called the merger "the best of a bad situation."

"We pretty much got screwed this year, but this is better then nothing," Sprinkle said.

Most club members agree that a February 1995 brawl at the D.U. between D.U. club member Sean M. Hansen '95 and John Burnham, a star high school quarterback from Washington D.C., marked the beginning of the end for the club.

Burnham needed surgery to mend the blow-out fracture in his left eye that resulted from the fight.

The D.U.'s problems were compounded by financial woes which had burdened the club since it restored its Dunster St. house in 1994.

Members were also upset by graduate board attempts to impose new rules and increase dues on its undergraduate membership early this school year. Members balked at the proposal, and the graduate board refused to re-open the house.

Sprinkle said the graduate board "didn't want to stand behind [its membership]."

"They are typical alumni, just worried about the bottom-line either for their pocketbook or what the public has to say," he said.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said in an e-mail message yesterday that despite the club's problems over the past year Harvard officials have not placed any pressure on D.U. graduates to close the house.

The D.U. alumni letter said the clubs merged mainly to help create a financially sound club.

Similarly, the Fly "has been crafting a design for the next century of the club...for its long-term economic success," Vogt said.

The Fly Club will house memorabilia that had been previously stored at the D.U. and is "interested in providing a vibrant club environment for a distinguished graduate community," Vogt said.

Louis I. Kane '53, the chair of the D.U.'s graduate board, was unavailable for comment