The heads of the LGC are Edward M. Tate '99, Laura B. Zukerman '99, and Stephanie C. Field '99. Their connections to old money could be strong: Tate is a past president of the Porcellian club, and Field is a descendant of retail giant and Harvard alumnus Marshall Field.

Mitchell B. Weiss '99, who was approached for an LGC gift by Locker himself, says the solicitation was couched as a personal plea from a friend.

"If someone had approached me and asked for just an average gift, I might not have given it a second thought," Weiss says.

He did not end up giving the full $250 gift.

The main reward offered for a $250 gift is a cocktail party in New York City, at which the large-money donors are able to partake in schmoozing and imbibing.

"Would that be a motivating factor?" Weiss asks, noting that it did not influence his decision. "I don't think [it would be] for anyone."

Leadership givers also have a bookplate in Harvard's library system given in their honor. Those seniors who gave more than $250 without LGC prompting were also rewarded with these perks.

Not Widely Known

Though Charno says the LGC is not a mystery, several rank-and-file SGC members say they have never been officially told about the committee or from whom it solicits money.

"We had senior gift training but there was never anything said about it in any of the official senior gift events by any of the people in charge," says Quincy House solicitor Daniel J. Epstein '99.

Still, solicitors say, the committee's tactics are not far out of the ordinary--the entire gift relies on seniors convincing their friends and peers to give as much as they are able.

"I hadn't heard about it, but I'm not surprised," says Michael K. Titelbaum '99, who was not on the SGC.

SGC solicitors say they had heard rumors about how LGC agents were chosen and told to operate.

"What I have heard is that they recruited heavily from people in final clubs and legacy people and people who had more money," Epstein says. "That they recruited heavily from groups like [those] in order to get to those social groups of students better."

But Locker maintains that the LGC members are not making a list of wealthy seniors.