During exam period in the fall of 2012, Kate went to UHS to seek help because she was cutting herself. She was soon voluntarily admitted into McLean Hospital, where she stayed for five days. Her stay at McLean forced her to miss two exams, which her resident dean said she could make up when she returned in the spring. So Kate went home, scheduled meetings with a psychologist, and booked flights back to Cambridge, happy to be back home, but also eager to finish her freshman year.

In January 2013, just days before she was to return to school, she received an email from her resident dean informing her that the Ad Board had already reviewed her case. They had decided she was not fit to come back to Cambridge for the spring. Kate appealed the decision twice and was denied both times.

When asked about Kate’s case, Ellison defended the policy, saying it was designed with students’ best interests in mind.

“We don’t just say, you can’t come back because you’ve got two make-up exams,” Ellison said, adding that he was not commenting on this case specifically. “We say, based on the information that we’ve got from medical professionals who know about the situation, what the concerns are, we don’t think you’re ready to come back.”

And although Kate was placed on leave against her wishes, she sounded a note of optimism about going home.

“I do think that taking time off has been a growing experience, has been a teaching experience,” Kate said. “I’m going to return to Harvard with a newfound appreciation."

—Staff writer Steven S. Lee can be reached at steven.lee@thecrimson.edu. Follow him on Twitter @StevenSJLee.

—Staff writer Dev A. Patel can be reached at dev.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @dev_a_patel.