Rooker said his office will only investigateHarvard further if there is reason to believe thatthe Admissions Office is destroying documentsafter students request to see them.

He added that in his view, there is no evidencethat Harvard is violating the Department ofEducation order.

"They did exactly what they were required to dounder FERPA," he said. "We've had no complaintssince then, and we have no reason to question thatthere may be."

But Gerstein said yesterday that he issuspicious of the Admissions Office'sannouncement.

"It seems they've not only misled the publicabout their policy but they've also misled thegovernment about their policy and that's a prettyserious matter," Gerstein said. "There's somethingfishy going on here."

Gerstein said he may pursue further actionagainst Harvard.

"Certainly if the Admissions Office is givingout misleading information about the status ofrecords in an effort to discourage people fromrequesting records they're entitled to, then theremay be some action taken against them," he said.

Several students who received the letter saidthat they found the Admissions Office's actionsquestionable.

"It sounds like they're trying to hidesomething," said Tessa J. Schwartz '91-92