By Any Other Name: The Title May Change, but Will the Job Get Done?

When Archie C. Epps III retires on July 1, Harvard will say good-bye to more than the longest serving dean of students in the College's history. The University will also say good-bye to the administrative position.

Earlier this month, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 announced that instead of replacing Epps, the responsibilities of his office would be divided among three associate deans of the College. Thomas A. Dingman '67, currently the associate dean of the House system, will take on responsibilities for University Health Services, the department of athletics and advising. Georgene B. Herschbach, associate dean for finance and administration, will continue to focus on technology projects and classroom space.

And the search is on for a new associate dean who will take on the bulk of much of what Epps focused on during the last years of his term--extracurricular activities.

Still, many say that the loss of a dean of students does not mean that students have lost their advocate in the administration. Instead, administrators at the College, and those contacted at other schools, argue that students' needs will continue to be represented through Lewis and his team of associate deans as well as senior tutors in the Houses. Losing a "dean of students," they argue, was merely losing a title.

What's in a Name

"I don't think they're removing the dean of students position," says Sarah Flatley, former assistant dean of students. "I think they're just changing the title."

Flatley speaks from experience. When she left the College more than two years ago, she was replaced with Susan T. Cooke, who was given a position called coordinator of student activities. Flatley says that she and Cooke still have the same responsibilities.

"Nothing has really changed. They just chose a new title," she explains.

Dingman agrees, arguing that Epps' primary responsibility has long been extracurricular activities, with undergraduates turning to assistant deans of freshmen and senior tutors with their academic and disciplinary concerns--the more traditional responsibilities of a dean of students.

"The dean of students has primary responsibility for extracurriculars, and the new associate dean will be responsible for that," Dingman says.

According to a report on the structure of the College co-authored by Lewis in 1994, the first responsibility of senior tutors is "advice, assistance and monitoring of the academic programs and progress towards degrees of the students in the Houses." Lewis goes on to say that senior tutors are "in fact deans for the students in their Houses."

The same report compares the dean of freshmen with senior tutors and House masters, arguing that they not only have "the huge responsibility...of running the freshman residential system but of ensuring that freshmen receive academic advice both in specific disciplines and in connection with non-concentration requirements."

Epps' responsibilities have largely consisted of administering extracurricular activities, recognition of student groups and distribution of grant money. Come July, Epps says he will stay on as what he calls "an ombudsman," with a special emphasis on diversity, the senior class, and publishing the Harvard College Journal.

Margaret Bruzelius, Eliot House's senior tutor, says while Epps' former role made him responsible for many things that did not fall into her realm, she too was a student advocate. Eugene C. McAfee, Lowell House senior tutor, says his former masters, Mary and William Bossert '59, would introduce him to new residents as a dean of students for the House.

"Certainly Dean Epps did a lot of things I didn't do. But insofar as people are suggesting that he's an advocate for students and no one else is, that's what we do as senior tutors," Bruzelius says. "A lot of what I do is to help people get what they want with the Harvard bureaucracy."

A Dean Like No Other

And while Harvard students had grown accustomed to turning to the man with a bow-tie and a flower in his lapel to address their concerns, Lewis and several administrators at other colleges argue that one does not need to be called a "dean of students" to be a dean of students. At other schools, they argue, administrators who hold titles akin to those of Dingman and Herschbach, or even Lewis often fulfill Epps' responsibilities.

"The oddity of Harvard's structure is Dean Epps' title hasn't really fit for a very long time," says Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans. "At any other college, Dean Lewis would be called dean of students. In a very real sense, Harvard has had two deans of students for a very long time."

At Stanford University, Dean of Students Marc Wais says the administrative structure there consists of eight assistant deans each with different responsibilities. Each assistant dean reports directly to Wais, who then reports to the university's vice provost, who serves as the chief student affairs officer.

Within each dormitory, Wais says "resident fellows" function very much like Harvard's House masters and "head advising associates" serve in positions similar to senior tutors. In addition, four or five "resident deans" are divided among the different dormitories, to provide additional support for the students.

A structure similar to the administration Lewis wants to create has been already been in operation in New Haven, according to Betty Trachtenberg, Yale's dean of student affairs. Five associate deans, including Trachtenberg, oversee specific parts of the college such as academic affairs, academic resources, administrative policy and undergraduate education.

"Students go to the specific dean responsible for their area of concern," Trachtenberg says, "or they can go to the senior tutor of their residential college."

Both Wais and Trachtenberg say student concerns have been adequately addressed under each of their administrative structures. Wais argues that universities should take the opportunity to evaluate their administrative structure when a key figure retires or resigns.

"We always look to see if administrative changes can improve things for students," Wais says. "It's appropriate and fair to periodically look at the system and see if this is the best way to use our limited resources."

Still, several administrators argue that a new structure cannot be judged until the position is filled. Before then, the benefits of a new office and the elimination of an old one cannot be predicted.

"I think over time the position they're looking for now will evolve," Nathans says. "The position will be shaped by the personality of the person who comes in. I see the [job] description as just a beginning spot."

Bruzelius says the unique way with which Epps filled his role might be one reason the College has been forced to revamp the structure of University Hall.

"Dean Epps has certainly been an incredible asset, and it's possibly in despair over being able to replace him that the administration went to his new structure," she says.