Nathans agrees that students should have some sort of confidant in the administration but disagrees that proctors properly fill this role--the United Ministry, she suggests, is a more appropriate confidential resource.

But unlike proctors, the United Ministry's staff members do not live in a first-year's entryway.

"[The proctor's] proximity to the student, that closeness, their ability to know someone on a daily basis, would make them better equipped to deal with issues when they come up," says Jonathan L. Lee '02.

Stephen T. Miller, a former proctor, says the requirement to refer any alcohol incident to the FDO "does make [a relationship of trust] more difficult to establish."

Another former proctor, who asked that he not to be identified, says he always felt it was inconsistent with the role of a proctor to refuse his first-years any discretion about what they report to the FDO.

"I don't think that any proctor that I've ever worked with sees themselves as a disciplinarian," he says.

Nathans says the reason for this policy is to ensure that College alcohol regulations are applied fairly and across the board. One group of first-years should not be immune from censure because they have a relaxed (though well-meaning) proctor, she says, just as another group should not be punished overzealously.