Word: prefectly
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...three-year-old prefect program, in which upperclassmen are assigned to visit freshmen entryways, represents one attempt Harvard has made to ease the transition for newcomers into College life. The prefect program, however, is beset with problems. A battery of new reforms will make things a bit better for the Class of '91 than they used to be, but the reforms don't address the program's essential flaw...
Proctors are responsible for providing freshmen with academic and personal advice. And the upperclass prefect's primary charge is not to interfere. They, it is made abundantly clear, are not to discuss academics. Yet prefects have working knowledge of the academic scene, and many proctors have no direct experience with undergraduate courses...
...program is thus very young, only one full year of operation under its belt--and it does have real faults. For instance, Masters' criticism that prefects met their freshmen too late this year (after classes had started) is well taken. But that decision was based on widespread complaint that prefect arrival on the first day of Freshman Week last year was too early: prefects twiddled their thumbs while freshmen took placement tests. Next year the program will be able to take both experience into account in striking a balance, perhaps at the weekend before classes start, so that prefects...
...training program will continue to be evaluated and improved, based on evaluations from current prefects. However, in improving training it is important to remember that one of the programs greatest strengths is its flexibility in drawing on the talents of a diverse group of prefects and proctors. As we learn more about how the program works, the message seems to be that we can't expect a "dinner once in a while" to work; activities have to take place within the context of a genuine mutual interest in each other's experiences which can be developed with time and energy...
There can be occasional frustrating moments for prefects, but these can be minimized by a large investment of time and creativity at the beginning of the school year. A good prefect is nevertheless able to make the houses more accessible, to reassure people about finals, to talk about concentrations, to let freshmen know about events tucked away in the Harvard information barrage, or to be there to listen. Juniors and seniors, who did not have prefects for their full freshman year, may remember how upperclass student's often seemed alien, the houses remote, Harvard bewildering. On a campus where...