"If one of the staff members looks familiar, [the visitor] can ask to speak to the other gender," she says.

The staff of 27 undergraduates rotates days, spending the night about once every two weeks in a varying pattern.

Each night can be a feast or a famine, Markssays.

"We usually see between two and two-and-a-halfcalls or drop-ins per night on average," Markssays, adding that that number does not includepeople dropping by for condoms.

The flow of visitors does fluctuate. Glass hasobserved that publicity efforts--such aspostering--bring an increase in visitors. Campusevents have also brought fluctuations in Room 13'sregular flow. One recent example was last year,when Joshua M. Elster, Class of 2000, was accusedof raping another student.

"Things like that can inspire people to callus," Glass says. "There is also a time whenblocking comes up more often."

When someone drops in for a visit to Room 13,one of the counselors will go into a room andlisten to the person's situation and problem.

One thing Room 13 staffers are trained not todo is concern themselves with the visitor's House,year, concentration or sexuality. Ideally, theyshould be non-judgmental listeners.

Staffers also are supposed refrain fromoffering themselves as an example.

"We try not to involve our own experiences,"Marks says. "Everybody has their own counselingskills. In general, we don't really bring in ourown lives."

The counselors' training teaches them toconceal any personal emotions or experiencessimilar to the problem. But despite thisimpersonal demeanor, Marks says the job can betrying.

"It is an intense thing so if you're doing it,you're doing it because it's important to you,"Marks says. "For a majority of staff, this istheir most important extracurricular."

Marks declined to specify any attrition rate,saying the number of counselors does fluctuate."Because it can require emotional energy...ifpeople are feeling overloaded, they take time offfrom doing the room."

She says, though, that the pressure-cookeratmosphere is important to the staff experience.

There is "something about being downstairs andbeing in Room 13," Marks says. "There's prettyintense bonding. Because we have experiences butdo remain confidential, there's experiences wedeal with only with each other."

Glass feels much the same way.