Word: first-years
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...most important and most revolutionary step Harvard could take towards this end would be to replace many of the proctors in first-year dormitories with upperclass Residential Assistants (R.A.’s). This system is the norm at many other universities, in the Ivy League and beyond. There would be several immediate benefits to this system. First-years would immediately meet upperclass students on an intimate basis; there is no better way to get to know people than to live with them on the same floor or entryway. Moreover, by being in constant contact with first-years, R.A.s would...
While prefects provide too little presence in first-year dormitories to be sufficient advisors, proctors are forced to do too much—by taking on the role of both advisor and disciplinarian. The proctor-student relationship has been compromised because of proctors’ responsibility to be both authority figures and friends. Because proctors are not a confidential resource, students often find it awkward to talk to them about sensitive subjects...
While R.A.’s would take the place of most proctors in first-year dorms, proctors should not be eliminated entirely. It is necessary for some authority figures to keep order in the Yard. And because R.A.s cannot have access to other undergraduates’ academic records, they cannot be responsible for the formal academic advising proctors provide. However, with R.A.’s present, it would only be necessary to have one or two proctors in every first-year dormitory. In this case proctors would be unable, because of sheer volume, to assume responsibility...
Moreover, because it is in the first few months of school that communities are established, the first-year experience is vital to community building. To that end, we will propose a new system of first-year advising—a system that has already reached most colleges around the country...
Anat Maytal is a first-year in Thayer Hall...