But at the same time, says Drummond, 26, "There's a huge difference between someone who's a senior and someone who's a year out," at least in terms of how students perceive the ages of others.

The prefect program-which assigns upperclass students to each entryway-gives students the access to peers that might otherwise be lacking, administrators say.

But some Harvard students, particularly those who didn't come to college knowing how to swan dive, express an interest in having older peers more available in a residential capacity.

They say a proctor's age and relationship with the University can make talking about problems and seeking advice a little more intimidating, and that proctors spend insufficient time in the dorms to serve as advisors.

Charles "Chuck" Truesdell'99 said he found Harvard overwhelming when he arrived. In addition to facing challenges in his academic and extracurricular life, Truesdell came out during the fall of his first year, much to the chagrin of his conservative family.

His year was a descent into depression which concluded in a failed suicide attempt the night before his last final exam in June.

To him, the age of his proctor had a definite effect on his comfort level with her.

"There were a couple of times I thought of going to see [my proctor] or my advisor, but they're so much older, so far removed from the college scene," he says. "I didn't think they could relate. "

He hazards a guess that his proctor, who could not be reached for comment, was near 30 at the time.

"[Prefects] were a good thing, but they were living in [other] houses. Perhaps if we had a junior or senior living there, things would have been different. I would have been more inclined to go and whine and complain," he says.

Michael B. Allan is a sophomore and resident counselor (RC) at Brown University.

As his title implies, Allan's job centers on peer counseling, not discipline. He is joined in each "unit", or hall, by a women's peer counselor (WPC) and a minority peer counselor (MPC).

As a team, the trio leads discussion groups on sensitive topics such as racism, sexism and classism. As individuals, they exist to provide an ear and a shoulder to first-years struggling with personal problems.

To Allan, the fact that he's a peer is critical to his role.

"The fundamental difference [between a proctor and me] is one of perception by the students in the dorm," he says. "By having counselors of the same age as the student, it enables the student to feel more comfortable and [makes] the counselor more accessible.