<p>From The Crimson:</p>
<p>Second</a> Rape in Five Days Reported at Harvard | News | The Harvard Crimson</p>
<p>One of the incidents was right in Harvard Yard; not the most comforting news for incoming freshmen and their parents -</p>
<p>You expected Harvard to be immune from urban problems? A few years ago a non-student was shot to death in Lowell House by a rival drug dealer. He was delivering drugs to a Harvard student.</p>
<p>Normal urban precautions and common sense have to be used.</p>
<p>You have to realize there are crimes committed at every college, including Ivy League colleges. Some of these crimes are not reported. </p>
<p>Sent from my myTouch<em>4G</em>Slide using CC</p>
<p>“on Harvard Campus”</p>
<p>Well, half true…</p>
<p>That shooting in 2009 was actually in Kirkland House, not Lowell. Not that it really matters, of course.</p>
<p>I wonder why the Yard cannot be closed during the evening/night hours? There is no reason why Harvardians have to deal with non-university folks during the Yard. Yes, I recognize that it presents a bit of a hassle to drunken freshmen who would have to enter into just a few gates (and have to fish around for IDs) and will cost more to have guards around but after two rapes in as many weeks, don’t such banal considerations begin to pale?</p>
<p>Many of the gates to the Yard (all but 2 or 3) are already closed at night. The others aren’t manned by security personel, so obviously that doesn’t stop people determined to get into the Yard. </p>
<p>Harvard doesn’t want to close off the Yard except in extreme circumstances (like Occupy… not that I agree with this per se, but yeah) because it wants the Yard to be a part of the Cambridge community. I think that if there were clearly serial rape aimed at Harvard students/affiliates going on, or maybe even if there were compelling evidence that these two incidents were connected, they would consider locking down the Yard. But students really hated that when it happened last year during Occupy, so they’re probably hesitant. </p>
<p>I dunno. These incidents are very alarming, especially considering that the Yard is about to be populated by new freshmen. But keep in mind that the second rape happened while no students were actually living in the Yard. That doesn’t excuse Harvard’s apparent lack of security, but I do think things will become more secure once Harvard is incentivized with the safety of its freshman class. </p>
<p>Just my two cents. I’ve been living on campus while this has been happening, and I have definitely been more concerned and gotten people to walk me back at night…</p>
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<p>Sadly enough this is probably the issue.</p>
<p>Plus you could close off the Yard but at the end of the day it only houses less than 25% of the undergrads. Most of the robberies and assaults happen outside the Yard.</p>
<p>Having the Yard open during the day is demonstration enough, wouldn’t one think, about being open to the Cambridge community? Allowing non Harvard folks to walk around at 2 am is a bit to "neighborly. I agree that securing the Yard will not protect all of the students but the other building are on lit streets and thee are vans and buses that can be used-- that can’t be used intra-Yard.</p>
<p>Yes, it was a hassle, although my son who lived on a first floor room enjoyed being able not to shutter his windows from peering tourists as he studied or hung out-- he kinda missed Occupy for that reason.</p>
<p>Just talking to my daughter about this as we are weeding our garden and she prepares to head back on saturday…she was quite curious that we parents have not been notified about this.</p>
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<p>I’m torn over this question. The tourists are annoying and the crimes are terrible. But there is something so sad about a university locking itself down. I’d hate to see Seamus Heaney’s wonderful poem written for Harvard’s 350th anniversary become literally untrue.</p>
<p>Villanelle for an Anniversary</p>
<p>by Seamus Heaney</p>
<p>A spirit moved. John Harvard walked the yard,
The atom lay unsplit, the west unwon,
The books stood open and the gates unbarred.</p>
<p>The maps dreamt on like moondust. Nothing stirred.
The future was a verb in hibernation.
A spirit moved, John Harvard walked the yard.</p>
<p>Before the classic style, before the clapboard,
All through the small hours of an origin,
The books stood open and the gate unbarred.</p>
<p>Night passage of a migratory bird.
Wingflap. Gownflap. Like a homing pigeon
A spirit moved, John Harvard walked the yard.</p>
<p>Was that his soul (look) sped to its reward
By grace or works? A shooting star? An omen?
The books stood open and the gate unbarred.</p>
<p>Begin again where frosts and tests were hard.
Find yourself or founder. Here, imagine
A spirit moves, John Harvard walks the yard,
The books stand open and the gates unbarred.</p>