Grendel's Den is currently under investigation by the Cambridge Licensing Commission after 11 students from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE) signed and sent a letter of complaint to the restaurant, charging the establishment with racial discrimination.

According to the letter, a group of 12 GSE students who went to Grendel's on Jan. 30 were served by a waiter who verbally attacked one of the black men, Marlon L. Davis, in the party.

The group of GSE students was comprised of four black women, three black men, one white man, one white woman, one Asian man, and three Latinas, the letter says.

"The African-American man in our party was accused of being a trouble maker from the previous week, though he had been out of the town for two weeks," the letter reads. "An apology was requested from a man who was identified as the manager. We received no apology. This is not an acceptable response."

Two weeks later, George A. Smith, another black student from the GSE, went to Grendel's with two friends. Neither Smith nor the two women he was with had gone to Grendel's on Jan. 30. They had learned of the incident concerning Davis through mutual friends.

When Smith entered the restaurant, the letter recounts, he was told to leave Grendel's by the same waiter who verbally attacked Davis. When he tried to explain to the waiter and subsequently to another employee that this was a case of mistaken identity, the employees both insisted that he was not welcome there because of the previous event.

"Unfortunately, it seems that a common denominator of these incidents was the case of mistaken identity based on race," the letter submitted by the GSE students reads. "This letter is a formal request of your ownership, management, and wait staff to offer a response."

The letter requests that Grendel's respond to the students through the GSE's Office of Student Affairs.

The group has requested a hearing before the Cambridge License Commission which has the power to revoke the restaurant's common victualer, entertainment and liquor license, according to Richard V. Scali, the Commission's executive director.

"The Commission here doesn't have a lot of jurisdiction over discrimination," Scali said. "We have no powers to grant any monetary rewards to the complainants."

An investigator with the Commission is currently handling the case, interviewing both Grendel's employees and the graduate students. The investigator's report is expected to be made public on April14.

The hearing will most likely take place onApril 28, and a decision should be made on April30, Scali said.

According to Scali, Grendel's has not facedsimilar charges before.

Although the GSE students have thus far onlyappealed to the Licensing Commission, other legalavenues remain open to them. The case could bepresented before the Massachusetts CommissionAgainst Discrimination (MCAD) as well as federaland superior courts, Scali said.

Makeeba McCreary, one of the GSE students whosigned the letter, said the group has notdiscussed whether they will take their complaintto the MCAD if the License Commission dismissestheir allegations. Practical considerations,McCreary said, will probably prevent this fromhappening; the GSE students will graduate in Juneand the waiting list to appear before the MCAD iscurrently at least one year long.

"It's a privilege to hold a liquor license.It's a privilege to serve the Cambridgecommunity," McCreary said. "We just want Grendel'sto realize that they cannot abuse this privilege.