FDO Ends Peer-Counseling Outreach Efforts

After decreasing in number each of the past four years, peer counseling outreaches to first-year students have been completely eliminated by the Freshman Dean’s Office (FDO).

The FDO attributed the change—which was met with only muted criticism form the affected groups—to increased efforts by University officials to publicize available counseling resources.

As first-years, Class of 2004 proctor groups listened to outreaches from eight groups, but just two years later the Class of 2006 only had one such outreach.

The outreaches had received lack-luster reviews from students and frequently suffered from poor attendance.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans said that much of the information formerly distributed by the peer group is now provided by the Bureau of Study Counsel (BSC) and University Health Services (UHS) and through the FDO’s “Safe Community” programs at the start of the year.

“UHS is now far more pro-actively involved in addressing the issues around which the peer groups originally formed, and the College attempts to make students aware of the variety of resources now available and to encourage students to judge themselves which is most appropriate,” Nathans wrote in an e-mail.

Kristina N. Vetter ’04, co-director of peer counseling group ECHO, said the outreaches were often repetitive and had been revamped several times as a result of “dismal” reviews from first-years.

However, Vetter said she still believes the outreaches could have had some value.

“It was redundant because we just gave out our contact info, but I don’t like the fact that [the FDO] got rid of them,” Vetter said. “I would have changed it and made it more interesting [rather than eliminating it].”

According to Nathans, information about the various peer counseling groups now reach students via a number of different avenues—including informational websites, FDO publications, proctor meetings and safety-kits distributed during orientation.

“UHS and the BSC have worked with the groups to ensure that programs are among the offerings to the Houses as well as the Yard,” Nathans said. “The attempt now is no longer to reach everyone through a single-shot approach, but to ensure that information and programming both remain available when students most need it, and across the whole College, rather than simply for first-years.”

Kathleen M. Johnston ’07 said that even without specific first-year peer counseling outreaches this year, she is aware of the different counseling groups.

“I was able to find out they exist,” she said. “There should be some awareness, but we don’t need meetings for each individual group.”

Vetter said ECHO is currently trying to reach first-years independently of the FDO, especially working with Community Health Initiative representatives in each proctor group.

Nathans said that in addition to the current changes, the FDO is working on long-term projects aimed at improving students access and knowledge of student counseling groups as well—such as a video presentation to be used next year within proctor groups as well as Houses.

“The residential education program for first-year students has evolved over the past several years and continues to do so,” she said. “The [planned] presentation will highlight available resources in a way that will remain accessible so that someone in April isn’t trying to remember what they heard back in September.”

—Staff writer Monica M. Clark can be reached at mclark@fas.harvard.edu.