The College will continue to allow student organizations to control their own finances despite concerns raised by a series of embezzlement scandals involving undergraduates, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said yesterday.

The issue of students being responsible for handling large amounts of money was raised most recently in the case of Natalie J. Szekeres '97, who has been accused of stealing $7,550 from the Currier House Committee over a six-month period in 1995.

"We're not planning to change our policy if we can possibly avoid it," Lewis said. "I do think the autonomy of the student organizations can be maintained."

According to Lewis, the Dean of Students' Office is developing a pilot program to help educate student organizations on how to manage their finances.

Lewis said that there are other "fairly standard practices" that may help protect against embezzlement, such as double signing checks or increasing the number of audits of organizations' finances.

Currently, organizations are required to file an annual financial report in October. But the report does not have to include official bank statements.

Lewis called the scandal surrounding Szekeres "unfortunate and regrettable."

But the dean said that there is "no present plan" to change the policy.

"I just want to ensure that students take responsibility for fiscal concerns," Lewis said. "I hope the individual involved will pay the money back."

The Currier House theft is only the latest in a string of student embezzlements.

In the past three years, Charles K. Lee '93 and David G. Sword '93 were convicted of taking $160,000 from the Evening With Champions accounts, the general manager of the Krokodiloes was forced to resign for taking $3,000 and the president and business manager of the Yearbook were forced to step down because of spending abuses.

In response to those incidents, then-Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 said last year that his office would offer optional business seminars to financial leaders of student groups