Tutors Cautiously Play Two Roles: Parent and Friend

From its earliest designs, Harvard's residential Houses were meant to integrate learning and living.

But when House residents err--whether it be for underage drinking or plagiarism--House administrators must walk a fine line to discipline appropriately.

After all, says Dunster House Master Karel F. Liem, Houses are "educational insitutions and not houses of correction."

And according to many, finding the right balance of punishment and lenience in discipline cases is one of the hardest jobs for House leaders--particularly Alston Burr Senior Tutors.

"We're all teachers," says Lowell House Senior Tutor Eugene C. McAfee. "What we want is for our students to see for themselves what's wrong and to see why the right behavior is so important."

But with access to student's confidential files and a seat on Harvard's disciplinary body--the Administrative Board--senior tutors have the power to inflict a broad spectrum of punishments on students.

Many admit, however, thar finding the right punishment is a mix of judgement and experience.

"The tricky part from the perspective of students is that they often feel patronized by a sense that we have this attitude, that we're treating them like children," McAfee says.

On the Record

Although House masters and resident tutors help foster House community and enforce rules, they do not do the actual disciplining.

That job is reserved for the senior tutor.

Senior tutors say they treat incidents on a case to case basis--they might write a letter of warning from the House which goes in the student's file, or arrange an off-the-record discussion.

"Part of the job is talking to a student that's in trouble and not judging them" says Dunster House Senior Tutor John T. O'Keefe.

Harvard University Police officers and House security guards, while having a large presence in the House, serve to provide information and keep the students safe.

The tutors say the officers play no role in discipline.

"The police are only concerned with safety," McAfee says. "Once they've made sure everything is safe, they turn it over to the senior tutor and College, and only supply information.

Police reports can end up in student files if they constitute part of the correspondence in an ad board proceeding, the tutors say.

Still, in responding to a violation of College rules, senior tutors stress that they take many different components into account, including mitigating circumstances and previous behavior.

"I think we consider precedent when we consider how to respond, but we take each case on its own merits," says Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman '67, who is also senior tutor of Dudley House.

Although senior tutors can be flexible in their treatment of a case, certain punishments require documentation in a student's private record.

If a student is admonished by the ad board for a minor offense, a record of the admonition is placed in an unsealed in his or her file.

But if the student is put on probation or forced to withdraw for a year, the record of ad board proceedings and related materials is placed in a sealed envelope, which only the senior tutor can see.

"If you apply to law school, someone from the House would see the file but not the contents of the envelope, but would probably ask the senior tutor about the envelope," says Dingman.

"It's kind of an interesting issue," says Susan C. Frauenhoffer '03. "If you were in disciplinary trouble, presumably you'd want [the senior tutors] to have access. If they're supposed to give you advice, I guess they'd need to see it."

Robert S. Lim '02 says he hopes tutors take into account the circumstances surrounding the infraction, and not just the sealed envelope.

"People at Harvard are worried about every little bit of their past, and their resumes, and don't have to be," he says. "This isn't the same level as a criminal record."

Judgment call

McAfee admits that because it is difficult to navigate the line between being a friendly face and an authority figure, tutors have to work hard not to slide to an extreme side.

"I think that [the view of the senior tutor] really varies from House to House," says Nick C. Petri '02, who transferred Houses this year and who frequently dines with friends in a third house.

In the end, punishment is not part of the large picture, says Dingman.

"This is not about punishment. It's about growing up and your development as a person. The consequences in the real world are much more serious."