<p>changes to shuttle service</p>
<p>I wonder what liability the Harvard administration will
have when* a student gets attacked while walking back from
the libraries because they cut the late night service to the quad
in the '09 academic year?</p>
<ul>
<li>Given the frequency of recent violent incidents I am not
sure if in Fall '09 the operative word is "If" or "When"</li>
</ul>
<p>Afterthought: Guess someone is going to get rich selling "Not on
the head" T-shirts ;)</p>
<p>Cambridge is bucolic. What are you worrying about?</p>
<p>? Bucolic? Um…not. Cambridge is a very mixed population city, next to a large and very mixed population city. Anyone can walk onto the campus at any time. That being said, as long as one is moderately careful, things should be fine.</p>
<p>That is a risk you run on any major college campus. At the UW in Seattle, there has always been a high crime rate in the University District, robbery, assault, rape, it is just the ways it is and I imagine it is like that for all college campuses. </p>
<p>The police here usually suggest that people don’t walk alone at night, and that is what I suggest. Another thing that I have done since high school (in a bad neighborhood) is carry some decoy cash to give to them to leave you alone. Another thing you can do is carry pepper spray.</p>
<p>But on the whole you can’t let the fear of something happening to you get in the way of where you go to school, or how you live your life, good luck.</p>
<p>The issue that the OP cited is the proposed cutting back of late-night shuttle service between the Quad and the rest of campus, one week after the school announced that due to budget cutbacks they were closing the Quad library. Now, if this proposal is adopted, the shuttles that a quarter of Harvard students need to reach any other library will shut down two and a half hours earlier, leaving Quad residents to walk nearly a mile back to their Houses through a low-lit city park and neighborhood, with spotty cell phone coverage that’s not serviced by University Police.</p>
<p>There have been so many attacks on or near campus this year, I can’t believe the administration is reducing the safety net of the Quad shuttles! </p>
<p>Surely they can siphon off some money from glossy pre-frosh packets, the Faculty Club linen, or travel abroad programs to protect the students on campus. </p>
<p>Thanks for the email to contact Dean Hammonds.</p>
<p>nemom, I keeed, I KEEEEED!!</p>
<p>I dismissed the first few iPod snatch and runs as students not being
careful and one mugging as just a late night drunk getting his dues
at 3AM. The incidents and related violence have been increasing
this semester :(</p>
<p>The pipe incident on the Science overpass was definitely not something avoidable;
to me this incident was particularly worrisome given that my schedules are
similar. </p>
<p>Gadad is right- this is about safety; incidents that involved grabbing someone’s iPod
have now escalated to a pipe and gun wielding wacko. The security between the
main campus and the quad is a significant issue. Getting rid of warm breakfast,
the library in the quad etc do not directly impact safety; reducing shuttles at
night does. If the ‘Evening Transport’ were reliable there would be an alternative.
This is currently not the case.</p>
<p>The administration must have felt really bad doing this. However I would
rather take a cut somewhere else than in safety given the late hours
students keep at the library and at activities.</p>
<p>Prefrosh will not face this issue when they move in; given their blocking groups
could randomly be assigned to the quad they should start worrying about it.</p>
<p>Thoughtful e-mail from Dean Hammond around 4:50 PM stating that the
Shuttle hour changes will be reconsidered.</p>
<p>2 major crimes in a single day!</p>
<p>Armed Robbery</p>
<p>Plympton Street Cambridge</p>
<p>On Monday, May 18, 2009, a male undergraduate student reported to the
Harvard University Police Department that he was the victim of an armed
robbery at approximately 11:45 PM. The victim stated that while walking
on Plympton Street (which runs between Massachusetts Avenue and Mt. Auburn
Street), an unknown male with a bandana covering his face approached him,
displayed a knife, and demanded his property. The victim handed over
his money and an iPod. The suspect then fled the area. The victim was
not injured in the robbery.</p>
<p>The victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the suspect.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much… it’s the same whereever you go… unless you plan on going to your local community college in an armed convoy.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>umm Gryffon 
…you know Yalies do not have to travel hidden
in armed convoys just because you got beat in the game
…hmmm ;)</p>
<p>Harvard tries very hard to keep you safe, but at the end of the day, you’re living in a metropolitan area, albeit in a relatively affluent part. There’s an average of 2 incidents every month where a Harvard affiliate is victim to some mugging or violence, mostly at night but sometimes during the day. It’ll probably get worse with the worsening economy.</p>