"I know almost no grad student who hasn't frequently considered dropping out of Harvard or experienced period of extreme depression -- crying jags, loss of motivation, eating and sleeping disorders, etc. Friends of mine have dropped out, taken time off for depression or secretly felt desperate for years."

"I have long believed that much grad student stress, isolation and alienation could be eliminated through concrete measures on the University level."

"Provide more affordable, decent grad student housing near the Yard."

"Graduate housing is a sobering contrast to the well-appointed undergrad Houses. Physical isolation breeds spiritual isolation; it gives a message to grad students that they are, literally, 'outsiders' to the Harvard community."

"End the tradition of 'separate but equal' activities, which have the effect of divorcing grad students from Harvard as a whole."

"It may seem that grad student integration policies could not be implemented because of prejudice against grad student participation -- but in fact some prejudice, if it exists, might stem from the university's failure to encourage integration across the community."

"It would be good to feel one had access to more of what Harvard has to offer, instead of being relegated entirely to Lehman Hall, which is a great place, but can feel a bit island-like in the middle of Harvard-at-large."

"Most department deals with grad students in a fairly ad-hoc manner, with little regulation in terms of advising, etc., by the graduate school; rarely are issues of student well-being addressed within departments."

"Grad students in trouble are often unwilling to seek help for fear of exposure, and prefer to pretend all's well when it isn't, sometimes for years at a time."

"Sometimes the volume of all of [students'] separate requirements put together can be overwhelming."

"Let grad students that other people in their program are also feeling stressed out."

"I definitely know of two instances...where advisors refused to read the dissertations of their advisees. This is obviously a big problem because one depends on feedback from one's advisor - that is supposed to be the advisor's main role."

"There is no recourse for a grad student in these circumstances. In the cases about which I know, it was impossible for the students to do more than grumble to their peers. Quite reasonably, they told me that if they made a complaint, it could impair the ability to get a good recommendation from their advisor, making them academically unemployable."

"A process focused on excellence in one given field (rather than modelled on the proverbial 'well-rounded' student) tends to produce a student body with a disproportionate amount of emphasis in academic success compared with other student bodies out there."

"The tendency to invest an unusual amount of time and energy worrying about academics and the lack of much inclination to get involved in arenas other than academics...combined with the culture of pressure and addiction to success which I think are endemic to Harvard, is a dangerous situation which can and has had tragic consequences."

"A good first step, though, would be to acknowledge that there is a problem and get people talking about it openly."

"My advisor expects me to spend over 80 hours a week in lab and never do anything outside of the lab. I feel like I'm never allowed to have any fun."

"I want to be a tutor in an undergraduate House, but I don't think my advisor will let me."

"Several people in my department have been effectively kicked out of graduate school because they got RSI (probably from their work) or some other illness. How come graduate students don't get any protection?"

"I feel strongly that we should scrutinize institutions developed to 'help' international students, including the Harvard International Office, since I think one way to help international students feel more comfortable is to provide them with plenty of information about activities involving other international students here. The HIO is probably overworked, which explains the hospital-room-like atmosphere there (you're in, five seconds later, see you next time)."

"GSAS alumni are by the far the most rude and hostile alumni [Phonathon volunteers] have called. One need not wonder why."

"I ask that my name not be used in connection with these stories."

"I'd like to think that this sort of tragedy would provoke some institutional soul-searching, but I think that the alleged existence of a damage control team [for responding to suicides] and a perceived lack of institutional soul-searching can easily be interpreted as acceptance by the administration of acceptable losses -- i.e., an expectation that they'll lose one or two of us a year."

"I'd certainly be happier if I got more of a sense that student well-being was more of a priority than not looking bad in the press."

"I was shocked that there is nothing distributed to faculty regarding appropriate behavior, and I think it is a good idea to change that."

"I want to speak for students who felt silenced and frustrated about their dissertation experience during their time at Harvard. I think their stories deserve to be heard although I also believe the problem is insoluble."

"Knowing University Hall, the only response to GSC complaints will be new regulations that are either ignored or counterproductive. Despite problems with the existsing system, I am certain that the GSAS administration is capable of making it much worse."