posterX

What a horrible attack.

The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Student Attacked Outside Lamont

h-bomber

This is really freaking everyone out (especially the girls). Lamont is the 24 hour library most students study at during reading period, so this attack makes a lot of people feel very vulnerable. The good news is that the response was pretty quick. HUPD sent out the alert the next day (May 6) and has stepped up patrols. The students, especially groups like Take Back the Night and some of the sororities have been organizing themselves and forming groups to walk home until the police figured out what he heck happened.

In general Harvard is an extremely safe place. It is located in a city, however, so there is always a chance that you might be the victim of a crime, albeit a very small chance. We can be thankful that events like these are extremely rare, and more thankful that the victim was strong and clear-headed enough to escape.

fauve

Hopefully, the college will consider improving the lighting near Lamont, Pusey, and the Yard in general. The eery darkness of the Yard may be a comfort and invitation for attackers. The victim stated she could not really see her attacker's face; with better illumination muggers might hesitate before trolling the Yard.

mom2319

Do libraries open 24 hrs? If a student, especially a female student needs to walk home alone at night or early in the morning, can she call campus security to escort her? I remember hearing about this service at a campus tour, but don't remember which school.

I heard college kids go to bed really late. Will the dorms at H be locked after certain time?

fauve

The dorms are always locked, a swipe card is needed to enter every time. Only when a student lets someone in who is walking behind him/her (piggybacking) is security breached. The dorms are very safe, and if your child also is sure to keep their room door shut (they lock automatically as they close) there will be no problem.

Lamont Library, the undergrad library normally used for studying, is open 24 hours except Saturday night when it closes by 10:00p.m. Not sure if they have the walking-escort option like Brown does.

munchkin3590

Actually, as scary as this was it made me feel MORE secure about going to Harvard this fall, because of the way the police responded. All the students received emails about it within hours, saying what happened, giving info on how to get picked up by security if its late and you're alone, etc...
This is a horrible attack, but it's nice to know that it is avoidable if you play it safe, and HUPD seems to be pretty on top of things.

h-bomber

Yes, you can call for an escort if you'd like (but no one really does because it's considered so safe and there's blue light phones everywhere). Maybe more people will use that option now.

mom2319

thanks fauve and h-bomber.
I too hope this incidence will warn people not to stay too late in the library or seek company when walking on the campus.

chronicidal

You mean "It will warn people to seek company when walking on the campus late at night."

T26E4

I'm a Yale grad. My Junior year, a friend was attacked outside Freshman Commons in Beinecke Plaza (which is the main thoroughfare on Y's central campus). It was right after dinner and there was many people lingering about. Some mentally disturbed person had been hiding in the bushes w/a metal rod. He attacked her, striking her 2-3 times. There were enough bystanders who quickly subdued him. She suffered a skull fracture, withdrew that term, came back 1.5 years later, eventually graduating.

I write this to say that random, absolutely bizarre, yet horrific things can happen. I don't want to diminish either event -- this recent incident or the one when I was at Yale. However, we should try to put our energies in the right perspective. I'm a dad with two girls too.

My thoughts are with the young woman.

guitars101

Thanks T26E4. I'm a parent of a new incoming freshman male and I'm still concerned for him. I think if a person is disturbed an attack can happen to either a boy or girl. Any suggestions to my son from a man's perspective?

T26E4

I dunno. I think the most common area of danger for a male college student (my opinion only) is doing dumb stuff while inebriated. Is his group of buddies going to have enough sense that, when coming home from having a "good time" they aren't gonna trash something, steal something, get into a fight, do something stupid w/a woman? Basically act like the drunken fool I was sometimes? To this day, I consider it pure luck that I didnt get arrested one night when I was relieving myself outside the President's office. I looked up and a campus policeman was 10' away, on the front steps.

Also, stress keeping things secure. Thievery happens -- fellow students nabbing things isn't out of the question.

nceph

In addition to T26E4's advice, I'd recommend your son not walk alone late at night either. It just increases the risk of something happening, whether he's been drinking or not. I'd also recommend not walking with an ipod, if he thinks it might interfere with being aware of his surroundings. Last year there were a couple of incidents around the Yard (I think) with students being mugged while they were walking along listening to music. In general, I'd just recommend basic city smarts.

guitars101

Thanks! very much apprecitated