Scared of the consequences that might come when an alcohol-related incident is brought to the attention of a University officer or UHS, Harvard students say they end up weighing the risk of severe disciplinary action with the risk of losing a friend.

Close Calls

"Every single school has a near-miss every weekend," says David S. Rosenthal '59, the director of UHS. "There could be a Scott Krueger every weekend, but for the sake of a caring community."

The College's policy on sick students seeking treatment for alcohol is, at first glance, quite clear. If a student's condition requires that they be checked into UHS, their name--but not the reason for their treatment--will be released to their senior tutor or assistant dean of freshman.

But it isn't clear how far this protection extends.

"While medical records at UHS are strictly confidential, that does not mean that the experience of going there is necessarily totally 'anonymous,'" wrote Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 in an e-mail message. "We are a small community, actually, and if you walk into UHS, someone you know might just happen to be going in at the same time for some reason."

Therefore, while UHS will not notify the administration of an alcohol-related offense, the administration could still learn of the incident.

For example, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) is often called to transport a sick student to UHS. But they are under no requirements to respect a student's confidentiality.