Stephen Kargère
Dear all,
There are widespread misconceptions about the role of the Allston Burr Resident Dean (Senior Tutor). Let me try to clarify things. My overall responsibility as Resident Dean is the academic and general well-being of the undergraduate members of the House. So, I'm not here to police you, but to help you. If you get sick and need accommodation from your professors, if you have questions about changing your concentration, or if you run into any problems affecting your academic performance or general well-being, email me or drop by. If you have a serious problem, of whatever kind, I'm the person to talk to. All discussions are confidential.
As Resident Dean, I am your primary academic advisor in the House, although you can also rely on the House's resident and non-resident tutors to advise you on matters ranging from class choice to post-graduate plans and opportunities. Since you are all sophomores or beyond, most of you are already members of an undergraduate concentration, where you should be able to get most of your academic advising. The Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) or Head Tutors in your concentration is responsible for all matters relating to the various requirements that your concentration sets for receiving your degree (either honors or non-honors). In addition to your concentration requirements, there are certain College requirements you must meet to graduate, including the Core, Expos, Language requirement, and what's called "progress toward the degree." As your Resident Dean, I'm here to advise you on issues outside of concentration requirements and help you to navigate the sometimes complicated rules that both enable and constrain your life as a Harvard student.
My office maintains your academic records, letters of recommendation, College application, and other materials that are available to you as an undergraduate and as an alum. As Resident Dean, I head-up the House's various advising committees, namely the pre-law committee, chaired by Ryan Taylor; the pre-med committee, chaired by Andrew Levin; fellowships committee, chaired by Lucas Nivon; and the Advising committee, chaired by Bev Foulks. All these committees work to help you plan your future beyond the College, although the fellowships committee may also aid in guiding you through the grants processes relevant to your undergraduate careers as well. In addition, I serve as your liaison to the Administrative Board, which considers petitions for exceptions to academic rules and extensions of deadlines, reviews student academic records at the end of each term, and takes disciplinary action in response to violations of student behavioral standards. If you want to cross-register a course with any other Harvard school or MIT, please make sure not to miss the deadline! The registrars of the other Faculties are far more rigid than ours! Click here for the cross registration calendar.
In Cabot House, the Resident Dean's offices are on the second floor of Entry A, (the "Grand Entry"), across from the Hilles Library entrance. My Assistant is Susan Bourneuf / sbourn@fas.harvard.edu and she can help you when I'm either at Ad Board (on Tuesdays) or teaching (on Thursdays). During regular business hours, you can pick up many of the forms you may need to get through your Harvard years: drop/add petitions, letter of recommendation waivers, change of concentration forms, and so on. Or just drop in to chat. I'm typically around all the time, except on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings, but you can check in with Susan if you'd prefer to make an appointment.
Sincerely,
Stephen Kargère
Cabot House Resident Dean
