Absolute Enforcement
It's a policy that seems unique to Harvard. The residential advisers at Princeton and first-year counselors at Yale are under no such obligation to report their students.
"RAs cannot be expected to be both monitors and confidants," wrote Wechsler in his binge drinking study.
And it seems that Harvard has chosen that they be the former--agents of the University, required to report any offense that comes to their attention.
"Your proctors are specifically reminded that they cannot promise you confidentiality," says Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans.
But in requiring proctors to report their students, Harvard first-years lose someone they can confide in--a factor that Wechsler describes as crucial for a student first tasting independence.
"It's extemely important to have someone to talk to, whether it's an older peer or a faculty member," Wechsler says.
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