Several drunk students from Harvard Medical School (HMS) acted inappropriately at the Fogg Art Museum during the school's winter formal, prompting a backlash from Fogg administrators.

"Someone got sick in the bathroom. Someone kissed a statue," said Nancy E. Oriol, dean of students at HMS. "Someone spilled wine on a statue."

In response to the students' drunken conduct, the museum decided not to host future medical student formals, according to a letter circulated to medical and dental students by the Student Council officers of HMS and the Harvard Dental School (HDS), which also sponsored the formal.

"Consequently, the Fogg has banned Harvard Medical and Dental Schools from holding future events at the Museum," the letter said. "And they are reconsidering their policy of allowing any student events to be held there."

Corinne P. Tran, a Student Council officer for HMS, said, "We did lose our privilege for using the Fogg as a place to hold functions."

Fogg administrator Ann Starnbach, however, denied the museum has banned the schools from holding future parties in the Fogg.

"We rent to the general public," she said. But she said that contracts for student groups differ from those that the Fogg signs with the general public.

Fogg administrators refused to comment further on the incident.

Chelsea H. Foxwell `99, chair of the Steering Committee for the Student Friends of the Harvard University Art Museums (HUAM), said she does not think guests have ever defaced works of art in the past.

"Once a year we hold a formal for the Student Friends of HUAM in the Fogg," Foxwell said. "We're really making it a museum event. The Fogg is being appreciated as the very special institution of world art which it is."

Foxwell compared the educational function ofthe formal sponsored by the Student Friends of theHUAM with the wild party atmosphere of the HMSformal, the "Snowflake Soiree."

"The Student Friends of the HUAM aims to hold aformal which increases students' respect andunderstanding of art," she said.

Oriol said that, shortly after the event,officials at the Fogg called to inform her thatstudents had behaved discourteously. She said sheasked the Fogg to formalize its complaint inwriting.

"In order to record what happened, we wanted toput it on paper and let people discuss it," Oriolsaid.

She said that, while the students' behavior wasunprofessional, the students did not get out ofhand.

"It wasn't like the Fogg was horrified," shesaid. "It was not a wild, drunken brawl."