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Father to Follow Ocon's Return to Cambridge

By Elizabeth S. Zuckerman

After a lengthy custody battle in which Gina M. Ocon '98 won the right to return to Cambridge with her baby daughter, Bailey, her ex-boyfriend announced that he will also make the trans-continental move.

Tommasso Maggiorre's decision, which came just three days before the parties were scheduled to return to court to establish the details of visitation, left Ocon with "mixed feelings."

"It's wonderful for Bailey, but I just found out this week," she said. "We've been fighting for nine months, and I just found out that he's willing to move."

Ocon's attorney, Gloria Allred said she shared Ocon's ambivalence.

"It would have saved a lot of time and expense and avoided a custody battle if he had agreed that she could move to Harvard with the baby and he would move also," she said.

While Allred said she approved of Maggiorre's effort to be a part of his daughter's life, she was somewhat hesitant about his decision.

"I think it's positive that he wants to continue to be involved in the child's life, but I say that with caution," she said. "If it's to be involved in the baby's life, that's good. If it's to control [Ocon's] life, then we'll see."

Ocon said she hopes that his presence on the East coast "doesn't become an emotional drain." However, she said she looks forward to having Maggiore "as a resource" to help care for Bailey.

Ocon said she is particularly concerned with how Maggiore will handle the relocation.

"For him it will be a major transition because he's never lived there before," she said.

Initially she expects that "he's going to rely on me for some support which will put an added burden on me."

Ocon said that she and Maggiore will be flying out together with Bailey this summer to spend a week continuing her apartment hunt as well as looking for housing and employment for him.

Ocon said she intends to help Maggiore get established because he is unfamiliar with the area.

She and Maggiore also plan to take a joint-parenting class.

Maggiore has managerial experience from his work at his parents' Long Beach, Calif. restaurant and plans to use this to secure similar employment in the Cambridge-Boston area, Ocon said.

"He knows the ins and outs of the restaurant business," she said. "He's even looking into taking some classes at a junior college."

Although Ocon said she is still adjusting to the news that Maggiore will relocate, she is proceeding with arrangements for the future. The child support and visitation arrangements are being settled out of court.

The tentative visitation and child support agreement provides for Maggiore to spend 16 hours with his daughter spread out Monday through Friday and to have an overnight visit each weekend except for the third weekend in each month, according to Ocon.

"We haven't signed the agreement yet but it is pretty much finalized," she said.

"In the past week we've talked more than the last nine months," she said. "We're at a point where we both want this to work out."

Ocon and Maggiore plan to relocate with Bailey in late July or early August.

Ocon said she will be living off-campus and that Harvard has said it will pay for Bailey's health care which is her "biggest expense."

According to Associate Dean for Human Resources Thomas A. Dingman, Ocon's financial aid package will take into account her housing expenses. Such provisions are not unusual for a college to make.

Senior Associate Director of Student Awards at Stanford University K. Sue Wood said that an undergraduate mother at the university would most likely live on-campus in one of the available apartments. She said she did not know if a financial aid package would cover off-campus housing but said that the child of an undergraduate would receive health insurance and the university would pay a maximum of $3750 per year towards child-care expenses.

Maggiore's attorney declined to comment until the details of the agreement were finalized. Maggiore did not return messages left at his workplace and with his attorney

Ocon said she hopes that his presence on the East coast "doesn't become an emotional drain." However, she said she looks forward to having Maggiore "as a resource" to help care for Bailey.

Ocon said she is particularly concerned with how Maggiore will handle the relocation.

"For him it will be a major transition because he's never lived there before," she said.

Initially she expects that "he's going to rely on me for some support which will put an added burden on me."

Ocon said that she and Maggiore will be flying out together with Bailey this summer to spend a week continuing her apartment hunt as well as looking for housing and employment for him.

Ocon said she intends to help Maggiore get established because he is unfamiliar with the area.

She and Maggiore also plan to take a joint-parenting class.

Maggiore has managerial experience from his work at his parents' Long Beach, Calif. restaurant and plans to use this to secure similar employment in the Cambridge-Boston area, Ocon said.

"He knows the ins and outs of the restaurant business," she said. "He's even looking into taking some classes at a junior college."

Although Ocon said she is still adjusting to the news that Maggiore will relocate, she is proceeding with arrangements for the future. The child support and visitation arrangements are being settled out of court.

The tentative visitation and child support agreement provides for Maggiore to spend 16 hours with his daughter spread out Monday through Friday and to have an overnight visit each weekend except for the third weekend in each month, according to Ocon.

"We haven't signed the agreement yet but it is pretty much finalized," she said.

"In the past week we've talked more than the last nine months," she said. "We're at a point where we both want this to work out."

Ocon and Maggiore plan to relocate with Bailey in late July or early August.

Ocon said she will be living off-campus and that Harvard has said it will pay for Bailey's health care which is her "biggest expense."

According to Associate Dean for Human Resources Thomas A. Dingman, Ocon's financial aid package will take into account her housing expenses. Such provisions are not unusual for a college to make.

Senior Associate Director of Student Awards at Stanford University K. Sue Wood said that an undergraduate mother at the university would most likely live on-campus in one of the available apartments. She said she did not know if a financial aid package would cover off-campus housing but said that the child of an undergraduate would receive health insurance and the university would pay a maximum of $3750 per year towards child-care expenses.

Maggiore's attorney declined to comment until the details of the agreement were finalized. Maggiore did not return messages left at his workplace and with his attorney

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