Police reports can end up in student files if they constitute part of the correspondence in an ad board proceeding, the tutors say.

Still, in responding to a violation of College rules, senior tutors stress that they take many different components into account, including mitigating circumstances and previous behavior.

"I think we consider precedent when we consider how to respond, but we take each case on its own merits," says Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman '67, who is also senior tutor of Dudley House.

Although senior tutors can be flexible in their treatment of a case, certain punishments require documentation in a student's private record.

If a student is admonished by the ad board for a minor offense, a record of the admonition is placed in an unsealed in his or her file.

But if the student is put on probation or forced to withdraw for a year, the record of ad board proceedings and related materials is placed in a sealed envelope, which only the senior tutor can see.

"If you apply to law school, someone from the House would see the file but not the contents of the envelope, but would probably ask the senior tutor about the envelope," says Dingman.