It's better, she says, if things are standardized. After all, the dean can exercise the same discretion that the proctors would have about what should and should not warrant administrative action.

This explanation, though, does not satisfy all students.

"The proctor has a close relationship with the student, understands the intricacies of his or her situation and can deal more level-headedly with any situation that arises," Lee says.

Indeed, the fact that proctors are not allowed to hold their student's secrets in confidence prompts some to raise serious question about whether students will turn to their proctors in cases when the wrong decision may lead to tragic and lasting consequences.

"It's a poor and short-sighted institutional choice," says Lars Noah '86, an associate professor at the University of Florida professor, who is an expert in tort law and food and drug law. "As a result, the information [the deans] get from their proctors may dry up."

Picking Their Battles

Princeton administrators prove much more open about their distaste for the drinking age and admit that their alcohol policy requires only the most basic compliance with state law.

Princeton students are still forbidden from serving alcohol to other students who are underage, but because of a loophole in New Jersey law, underage students are allowed to drink, provided the activity is contained to their own rooms.