"There's a sense of everything being larger and older [at the university]. The counselor is supposed to bridge the bureaucracy, " he continues.
Even Drummond, who directs the prefect program, agrees that closer access to upperclass students would be advantageous.
"I would love it if prefects lived in the dorm, if money were not an issue, " she says.
To Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, the experience of a proctor that comes with age is more of an asset than a liability.
"The people who can be most helpful to students are those who have had some training, who have had more experience, who have completed their college experience," he says.
"If [age is] a deficiency, " he continues, "there are lots of other ways to take that into account, " referring to the prefect program and peer counseling groups throughout the College.
In a statement released by the three assistant deans of freshmen, the FDO notes that in their role as officers, proctors can safely be allowed to access privileged information such as test scores and teacher recommendations that could not be provided to peers.
"[They] are privy to information about students that is sometimes critical in helping them to adjust to college life or to cope with a difficult family or personal circumstance, " the statement reads.
While most students expressed satisfaction with the proctor system, at least with respect to age, the desire for contact with older students as advisors is present among a significant number of students, particularly those who, because of different backgrounds like home schooling and rural environments, find the coldness of Harvard's water a bit more shocking than others.
Training
Given all of the tightropes proctors are expected to walk-personally, socially and academically-their training could prove critical. And while proctors agree that common sense and enthusiasm are the most important elements in being a good proctor, they generally give high marks to the "inundation" they receive the week prior to first-year registration.
Other schools have, however, chosen to be even more aggressive in their training.
For instance, while RAs at Cornell are undergraduates, each hall of about 400 residents is supervised by an adult hall director, who typically has a masters degree in counseling, student development, higher education or a related field.
New York University uses undergraduates to acclimate its students but takes selecting and training them to an extreme.
Residential advisors at NYU undergo a 10-day training course before beginning their duties and then take a semester-