House Communities Benefit From Resident Tutors

To the editors:

Benjamin Heller '94 suggests in his letter to the editor (March 23, 1999) that it's an open question whether students would benefit more from the the presence of resident tutors or from the space tutors occupy. As I teach the students in my economics sophomore tutorial, if it is an open question, we should do a little cost-benefit analysis.

First what's the benefit if a tutor gave up his or her room? At most, 2 students would benefit directly, as well as up to 8 students who may have one less roommate in their suites.

What would be the cost? First the House would miss out on the artistic, musical, public service and professional experiences and activities that the tutor would've shared with the House. But perhaps Heller and others who share his opinion do not feel that they benefit from this.

But I think those whose interaction with tutors was or is minimal should not be too hasty to make this decision for others. In my short and limited experience as a tutor, I've had conversations with several students who needed someone besides their friends or parents to talk to. I am not a trained psychiatrist nor an OCS counselor who necessarily knows the right things to say, but I hope that my presence, as someone a little older, more familiar and willing to listen, contributed to the student's Harvard experience. For those who have never had a meaningful conversation with a tutor, perhaps the benefits of having us around may be like that of a fire extinguisher that you never use. Just because you don't use it doesn't mean that there isn't a cost if you were to get rid of it.

In the end, because the purpose of a residential tutorial staff is to contribute to undergraduate student life, the value of a tutor should be judged accordingly. I cannot judge my own contribution to the House, but I believe all of the fellow tutors I know would pass this test with flying colors.

This is not to say that something should not be done about overcrowding. As if undergrads need another source of stress, overcrowding takes away what little personal space students have in their dorm rooms. Instead of declaring that there is nothing the administration can do, perhaps a little innovative thinking is in order.

For example, why couldn't they convert some of the Harvard-owned apartment rooms into off-campus housing for seniors, or even into a new satellite housing unit?

But as I also teach in my tutorial, when the cost of a policy is borne by those who hold no decision-making power, and they can't credibly threaten to exit (transferring to Yale), the policy usually goes uncorrected. I'm afraid this may be the case here.