As part of its response to attacks on higher-education by the Trump administration, Harvard University recently halted its policy of dedicated, residential support for LGBTQ and first-generation or low-income students, folding it into a new “Culture and Community” approach.
Reports The Harvard Crimson:
The change, which was announced in a Monday email to residential life staff from Associate Dean of Students Lauren E. Brandt, is the latest in a series of moves by the College to scale back its programs dedicated to students of specific identities.
The newly designated Culture and Community proctors and tutors will work to “foster cultivation of bonds and bridges to enable all members of our community to grow with and learn from each other,” according to a document Brandt disseminated in her Monday email.
“The goal is to support event planning, amplify outreach, and increase student-driven programming,” it states.
The document does not acknowledge the positions previously held by BGLTQ or FGLI tutors, and its description of the responsibilities of Culture and Community tutors does not mention providing support to students with specific backgrounds or identities. Several House websites still reference certain tutors as BGLTQ or FGLI tutors and include statements affirming the importance of those identities. The Dean of Students Office website also still lists BGLTQ and FGLI proctors for freshmen living in Harvard Yard.
Proctors and tutors live in freshman dorms and upperclassman Houses, where they act as advisers and plan activities for Harvard College students. The College also has specialty roles for Consent Advocates & Relationship Educators, or CARE tutors; public service tutors; and wellness tutors. Other tutors advise students on research, fellowships, and pre-professional pathways.
In July, the College quietly scrubbed the websites for its three major diversity offices — the Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations — before announcing it would consolidate those programs into a singular “Harvard Foundation” later that month.