Tutor Meal Rules Formalized

Students may be running into their tutors in their own dining halls more often in the future.

Due to house masters' recent for-malization of what many already considered an unofficial policy, tutors and proctors are now generally prohibited from interhouse dining.

"The gist of the policy is to get the tutors to eat in their own houses. Eating meals in the dining halls provides an opportunity for tutors to get to know students," said Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 in a telephone interview last night.

While the new policy will certainly be enforced, administrators say, it is more flexible than it sounds.

"If an anthropology tutor wants to eat an another house to participate in an anthropology table being held that night, then that's fine," said Pforzheimer House Co-Master Hanna Hastings.

And Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans said there wouldn't be a problem if proctors wanted to accompany first-years to brunch at other houses or visit old proctees, but emphasized that the policy was to be taken seriously.

"The expectation that proctors were to eat in the freshman dining hall was expressed in the contract letter," said Nathans.

The impetus for the policy stemmed from a number of sources, according to Jewett. Probably the most obvious is the ID-card swipe system.

"One of the things that key cards made us aware of is who is eating where, and the uses of meal allotments," said Nathans.

House officials said the cards provided a catalyst for ongoing discussion of the subject in masters' meetings.

Encouraging relationships between tutors and students was the main reason cited for the restriction. Economics played another role.

"As a part of their job, proctors receive meals at the convenience of the employer. In other words, there is a mealallowance specified in the contract 250 meals perterm and in order for us to provide meals withouthaving to declare texable income, they must be jobconnected," Nathans said.

Tutors say the new policy won't really affectthem.

"They've always encourage tutors to eat attheir own houses, and I guess they've just decidedto formalize that policy," Leverett House tutorKathryn J. Welter said. "It's never been an issuefrom what I can tell.

Tutors say the new policy won't really affectthem.

"They've always encourage tutors to eat attheir own houses, and I guess they've just decidedto formalize that policy," Leverett House tutorKathryn J. Welter said. "It's never been an issuefrom what I can tell.