All mediation sessions involve two student mediators, she said.

Travis F. Batty '02, the CRC's treasurer, said the group's mission is to fill a student-led mediation vacuum on the Harvard campus.

"So much of the Harvard experience is based on interpersonal relationships," Batty said. "There are lots of peer counseling groups, but there weren't any mediation groups."

Tippett and Coquillon conceived of the CRC in January 2000 during a statistics project while conducting a random survey of 50 students.

"The majority said they had had roommate conflict, and 40 percent of those said they would use student conflict mediation if it was available," Tippett said.

The staff, initially recruited through the annual fall activities fair and an application process, has undergone what Tippett calls "intensive and extensive" training since September. The Harvard Negotiation Project, a Harvard Law School (HLS) teaching and research center, and the Harvard Medication Program, an HLS student organization where students are trained to mediate in small claims court, provided training workshops.

BSC provided training on psychological and emotional issues that may arise during CRC mediation sessions.