The largest sperm bank in the United States has opened up shop in Cambridge, and it's looking for a few good sperm.

California Cryobank opened a branch office on Mass. Ave. between Harvard and MIT on Sept. 13. Since then, they've been announcing their intention to find "high quality sperm for artificial insemination," in newspaper advertisements on local college campuses including Tufts, Boston University, MIT and Harvard.

Most of the perspective donors so far, according to Karen Fox, the lab manager of the Cambridge sperm bank, are college men, with average ages of 21-23. College students, she said, "seem to have the time to be in the program and fill out the forms."

But becoming a donor involves more than just signing up. When asked what information Cryobank requires from potential donors, Fox responded, "Everything."

Fox pointed out that the sperm recipients want to know everything about their child's future father. "Some [clients] want someone who looks just like their husband," said Fox, while others just look for more general characteristics.

To facilitate the process, prospective clients are provided with a catalog of donors listing basic information, such as ethnicity, height and education. Once clients have narrowed down their choices, they can request more information.

The Cambridge facility does not perform the inseminations, according to Fox. "I have a lot of people call, but all of the distribution is handled through our headquarters in Los Angeles."

All of Cryobank's clients are under the care of fertility doctors. Most of the clients are heterosexual couples who for one reason or another cannot conceive children by natural methods. "Only a small percent are single women," Fox said.

Harvard Students Skeptical

Harvard students interviewed yesterday had mixed emotions about the value of the service and the practice of recruiting for donors in the college press.

"Yeah, I've seen [the ad]. It's funny. You look at it and you wonder why us?" said Benson Chang '97. "Most people look at [the ad] and see it as kind of a joke."

But Holly C. Lynch '97 had no objections to recruiting college students as donors.

"I guess the [Catholic] Church is against [artificial insemination], but I'm not," Lynch said. "If somebody can provide what another guy can't, it's really something important."

The financial aspect of the arrangement, which could earn qualifying donors just more than $100 a week, certainly didn't elude the thoughts of students.

"Yes, it's okay. It's a business," said Franklin Miller '94, saying he thought it made sense for the sperm bank to solicit in college newspapers.