Word: proctore
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Many of the males interviewed who had male proctors ended up with polarized pairs--proctors whose incompatibility kept the dorm constantly entertained. A freshman who lived in Matthews when it was still an all-male dorm had such a duo. One proctor was third in his class at Harvard Law and didn't know when to stop. He was so competitive that even a waterfight became a contest. If he lost he'd be upset for days, and he'd sneak up on people hours later with buckets full of water to drench them in revenge. The other...
Most of the women interviewed never got along with their proctors. One characterized hers as "totally unhelpful--he was always telling the girls to lose weight. He basically ignored us unless we were exceptionally good-looking. You have enough problems freshman year without that." A freshwoman who lived in a mixed entry conceded that her proctor had been a nice guy, but a complete loser when it came to dealing with eighteen-year-old women. "He was very popular with the guys in the dorm--mainly, I think, because they were flattered to drink beer and play touch football with...
...Female proctors for some reason got more favorable reviews. Freshmen women appreciated them because they knew how to relate to other women as friends, and because their presence as role models ("successful women") was often comforting. One proctor was a transactional analyst, another was breezing through Harvard Business School, another was at the Law School and loving it. Their proctees liked the maternal warmth and easygoing support. One freshwoman from Canaday said, "My proctor had just graduated from Radcliffe two years before, and she was very cynical about Harvard men. When we felt rejected and lonely she'd cheer...
Another said her proctor had given copies of Fear of Flying to everyone in the entry. "She handled roommate problems better than anyone I'd ever seen." Many male freshmen said they found female proctors to be less uptight than the men. Some freshmen had male proctors who tried to compete with their students socially and athletically, and found female proctors' non-competitiveness a relief. Said one, "You have a hard time competing with your peers. It's an unfair disadvantage, and a very demoralizing one, to have to measure up to some stud proctor who's getting...
There are other stories. One resourceful proctor managed to transfer a non-athletic freshman out of the then jocky, preppy Greenough to the coveted sanctuary of a single room in Hurlbut. "I'll never forget him for that," the freshman vows fervently. Another proctor who had some sort of clout with the administration kept several kids miraculously off academic probation for the entire year. "I don't know how he did it," one of them marvels. "It was a beautiful sleight-of-hand...