Harvard removes dedicated tutor support for LGBTQ+ students
As part of a wider rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI), the Ivy League university will no longer designate residential proctors or tutors specifically for LGBTQ+ or first-generation/low-income undergraduates, according to the college newspaper, The Harvard Crimson.
The tutors and proctors will have their tasks folded into “specialty” roles. The change was reportedly announced last week in an email from associate dean of students Lauren Brandt.
Proctors and tutors are live-in advisers who support and help plan activities for students in their first year at Harvard.
A document included with Brandt’s email informed students that “Culture and Community” proctors and tutors would now work to “foster cultivation of bonds and bridges to enable all members of our community to grow with and learn from each other”, The Crimson reported.
“The description of the responsibilities of the… tutors does not mention providing support to students with specific backgrounds or identities,” the report went on to say.
In July, the university replaced three dedicated diversity offices in a “DEI purge”, redirecting students to the Office of Culture and Community.
Although Harvard initially resisted president Trump’s attacks on DEI policies, it changed its position after the Department of Education froze billions of dollars in federal funding. The college later sued the administration, questioning the legality of the move, but has continued to roll back equality programmes.
