University officials would not comment on whether they plan to take disciplinary action against Szekeres.

Recent Financial Scandals

Several scandals have recently ensnared student groups in the past few years, prompting administrators and students to ask if Harvard students can be entrusted with their group's money.

In 1993, the student organizers of Eliot House's charity gala, An Evening With Champions, embezzled money from its funds.

Co-chair Charles K. Lee '93 confessed he stole $120,000 and co-chair David G. Sword '93 admitted to taking $7,000. Lee served one year in prison.

At the time, Lee said the organization kept its receipts in milk cartons and that its accounting books were probably lost. And since An Evening With Champions was not incorporated in Masachussetts as a non-profit corporation, it did not have to file an annual tax return or keep records consistently.

In 1994, the general manager of the Krokodiloes resigned after he was accused of swindling the group out of $3,000 and spending the money on personal items such as clothing from the Gap.

And last year the president and business manager of the Yearbook were forced to step down because of allegations that they embezzled thousands of dollars and mismanaged the organization, according to a source at the Yearbook.

Little Oversight

Administrators and students have said in the past the University does not adequately monitor organizations' finances, making it easy for students to embezzle.

Although the Currier House Committee was actually missing approximately $15,000, Szekeres was accused of taking only half of that, according to Maloney.

The committee's records--often hand-written, photocopied or simply check-marked to signify that an amount had been paid--would not hold up as evidence in court, officials said.

For the past six years, student groups have had to submit financial reports to the University annually--but not official bank statements.

Many students, including Joshua A. Feltman '95, former president of Perspective, described the annual reports as "kind of a joke."

House committee chairs previously interviewed by The Crimson said because they were not audited by the University or house masters, they in effect had free reign over spending.