"It's possible that students with psychologicalproblems can fall through the cracks," he says."We ask the entry tutors to keep their eyes open."
He says "teamwork" among the various housetutors is extremely important. "The bit ofinformation they pass on may be the small piece ofa puzzle that completes the picture and tells usthere is something wrong."
Patterson says it is difficult to identifytroubled students who do not seek help withoutinfringing on their privacy.
"I can't keep track every day of all 45students [in my entryway]," she says. "I can't doa whole lot if the student doesn't tell me thereis a problem and you don't want to be Big Brotherhanging over everybody's shoulder."
Power says the main problem is that studentshave no mandatory interaction withnon-concentration advisers since departmentaladvisers sign study cards. "It is completelyvoluntary, which can work well or terribly," shesays.
But she adds that she does not think a troubledstudent could pass unnoticed in the house. "Peopleare watching students from so many angles. It isdifficult to wander through Dunster depressed andhave nobody notice."
Leverett Senior Tutor Gordon C. Harvey says hethinks the dearth of mandatory advising sessionsin the houses can lead to students having lesscontact with advisers.
"With independence comes the risk of growingout of touch with the advisors," he says.
Power says that although there is no formalprogram to continue the sophomore yearadvisor-advisee relationship, she hopes therelationship will continue. But she acknowledgesthat this could be a problem if the student isnever contacted by their sophomore advisor.
Improving the System
Many of the houses have been trying to adapttheir advising systems to meet student needs andconcerns.
Epps says he would like to see changes definingthe role of the house tutors.
He says there is a need to emphasize theteaching role of the house tutors throughmandatory conversations between tutors andstudents. "They should meet with students severaltimes a year--academically and socially--to helpthem in making decisions about Harvard."
McCavana says he does not know how the "shock"of entering the house system could be minimized.
"I don't know if there is any way ofalleviating the problem," he says, "consideringhow Harvard is structured with all the[first-years] in the Yard; whatever we do, it willbe a jump."
Power says Dunster has attempted each year todo non-concentration sophomore advising in a newway, because "each year it is revealed to me andthe tutors that it does not work."
I Adams House, tutors have attempted to make iteasier for sophomores to make initial contact withtheir advisers through dinners held with themasters and senior tutor in the beginning of theyear.
"In the past they've had a problem facilitatingthe initial meeting with the sophomore advisee."says Carla J. Mazzio, sophomore advisingcoordinator in Adams House. Now at least 95percent of all sophomores have met their advisersat least once through the dinner series program,she says. Special attention is given to those whohave trouble meeting their advisers.
"I tried to schedule them in on another date,so there's no escape," she says.
Next year Mazzio hopes to improve the systemfurther. The advising program may become voluntaryfor the tutors, to make sure that those who doadvise are willing to make the necessary timecommitment.