Many of the proctors The Crimson spoke with saw the survey as a direct challenge to the FDO, although the survey's authors say that was not their intention.

"It's coming from someone outside the administration. I don't know what that means, but it's not something that the FDO asked for," said one proctor.

In the fall, several current and former college administrators told The Crimson that the FDO has a history of strained relations with freshmen proctors.

Nathans restructured the FDO in the early '90s, replacing informal "senior advisors" with three assistant deans, and firmly centralizing authority on matters such as discipline and advising within the FDO.

Nathans told The Crimson last fall that the change was meant to ensure consistency in matters of discipline across the Yard, but some administrators say the role of freshmen proctors has suffered as a result.

They say Nathans' policies have left proctors with their hands tied, unable to function as confidential resources for their students and unable to exercise judgment about when a problem should be reported to an assistant dean.

Nathans said that, so far, she has received only a single completed survey--although several proctors told The Crimson they planned to fill out the survey in the coming weeks.

--Daniel K. Rosenheck contributed to the reporting of this article.