A Note to Our Readers

The following text ran with Parker R. Conrad's story, "Nathans' FDO: High Turnover and a Heavy Hand":

For this article, The Crimson spoke with nine of the 10 former assistant deans who worked under Nathans, as well as one of the two current assistant deans who have worked under Nathans for at least one semester. The others could not be reached or declined to comment.

The Crimson also interviewed two other former FDO administrators and three other College administrators that have worked closely with the FDO, as well as some proctors and others who have worked with Nathans.

Nathans declined to be interviewed in person or by telephone for this article, but answered some questions via e-mail.

In this article, the term 'FDO administrators' refers to assistant deans and those who have worked at the FDO in other administrative posts.

Six of the 11 former FDO administrators interviewed say they believe Nathans is too harsh with students in disciplinary trouble.

Four former FDO administrators say they felt Nathans undercut her staff by supporting stricter punishments for students than her staff members recommended at College Administrative Board proceedings.

Five of the nine former assistant deans interviewed say that under Nathans, at FDO meetings administrators discussed intimate details of students' lives that those assistant deans felt were inappropriate.

Six of the 11 former FDO administrators say that they believe Nathans' changes to the role of the proctor have damaged the post.

Current FDO administrators interviewed, however, offered a different perspective. When interviewed last spring, the three then-current FDO administrators who spoke with The Crimson—Philip A. Bean, current assistant dean, Sarah B. Drummond, who has since left her post as assistant dean, and D.E. Lorraine Sterritt, who has left her job as associate dean—said they saw no basis for these allegations. They praised Nathans' FDO tenure—citing her work on first-year advising and her devotion to the FDO.