More Than 100 Prefects Selected For Next Year

In preparation for a second full year of operation, the organizers of the freshman prefect program have selected nearly twice as many upperclassmen to advise proctor groups as this year, the Freshman Dean's Office announced last week.

The program accepted 116 of the undergraduate applicants, an increase of 50 prefects from this year.

Despite a more rigorous selection process, almost all of the applicants were accepted, said Brian C. Offutt '87, chairman of the Undergraduate Council and one of the founders of the program.

"We had a good yield and only nixed people that we ascertained from the applications would have been inappropriate for the job," he said.

"The increase [in the number of prefects] appears to be due to a large growth in the number of students applying for the prefect job," said Dean of Freshmen Henry C. Moses.

Prefects, usually assigned to a freshman entryway, share their experience and knowledge of Harvard with their Yardlings. "Prefects help freshmen in acclimating to Harvard," prefect Joel A. Getz '86 said.

The need for peer advice arose because many proctors were "either out of touch with freshman problems or too busy with their own work," Offutt said. "For a variety of reasons, good advice was not available."

After a trial period last spring, the prefect program was fully implemented for the first time this year. The program's high visibility, increased by the media attention it has received, may be partially responsible for the large number of applicants to the peer advisory job for next year, Offutt said.

The disclosure that two prefects had become romantically involved with freshmen under their charge focused campus attention on the program in November. As a result of the incidents, one prefect resigned and the other was reassigned.

To prevent such involvement from developing in the future, Offutt said, the Freshman Dean's Office will "make it very clear" in orientation sessions that such relationships are inappropriate. The first orientation meeting will be held in May, Moses said.

Freshman proctors interviewed expressed enthusiasm for the prefect program, and added that the romantic entanglements of the fall had not reduced their support for the program.

"I don't think romance has anything to do with it," said senior adviser Caroline Q. Stubbs, who serves as a proctor in Weld Hall.

"There is general enthusiasm for the program among proctors as they talk to others and hear about the positive experiences," Stubbs said, adding, "I have not heard any [proctors] say anything negative."