Campus Safety Isn’t Optional

Following the tragic shooting at Brown University, Harvard committed to heightened security measures for the new term. Two weeks in, that promise remains unfulfilled.

In late January, Harvard extended a standard winter break policy through the spring semester: a Harvard ID would be required for entry to all Faculty of Arts and Sciences buildings. This emphasis on campus security was promising — but, in practice, fell far short of its goal. If Harvard wants to prioritize student safety, it must move to increase security personnel on campus.

Announced just over a month after the tragic shooting at Brown University, Harvard’s promise of security via swipe-only access to academic buildings has gone largely unenforced. Yet rather than correct the poorly executed rollout of this policy, the University doubled down. In a statement last week, FAS spokesperson James M. Chisholm wrote that it is “not feasible to lock the main entrances of our most heavily trafficked buildings during peak hours,” a notable walkback of the University’s alleged commitment to security.

Heavy foot traffic during peak hours is hardly unexpected. The University’s failure to implement any other solution, then, points to a frustrating lack of foresight. If the administration cannot enforce HUID-only access to academic buildings, it must at least increase security personnel at their entrances. So far, Harvard has fallen short of the bare minimum.

Failure to follow through on the promise of security has already eroded student trust. Students have expressed concerns about the lack of swipe access enforcement, especially in academic buildings like the Science Center. One student directly attributed their concern to the shooting at Brown, which highlighted how vulnerable students are on college campuses.

What’s especially upsetting about this superficial attempt at bolstering security is that we’ve seen Harvard get it right before — and recently. In the immediate wake of the Brown shooting, the Harvard University Police Department increased patrols, and Harvard implemented its winter break HUID policy early. In such a sensitive time, the University stepped up security out of an abundance of caution, despite claiming there was no credible threat to Harvard’s campus.

The need for security doesn’t dwindle over time. Harvard rallied after the tragedy at Brown, but it shouldn’t take a drastic shock to the system for safety to be taken seriously. We don’t want to consider a reality where Harvard is put through such a crisis — but if FAS is advertising heightened security, then we do ourselves a disservice by not holding it to its word.

Of course, there are genuine obstacles to the level of security we’d like to see. Not all FAS buildings, such as Sever and Boylston Hall, have the infrastructure to scan student IDs at their front doors. Some that do — like the Science Center — are among the most frequented buildings on campus, making foot traffic incredibly hard to regulate with swipe access alone.

The feasibility of certain safety measures is a definite obstacle, but not a big enough hurdle to justify the University’s sidestepping of security. Though mandated swipe access was apparently deemed too challenging, this doesn’t mean that all strategies are equally impractical. HUID-only building access may not have been the solution we hoped for — but the need for student safety remains pressing.

After the Brown shooting, Harvard increased Securitas presence on campus as well — the University should follow that blueprint for its future security protocols. Increasing security personnel at building entrances, especially during class hours, would remove the need for the University to meticulously regulate large crowds of people. This measure would add an extra layer of protection against intruders while eliminating the hassle of mandated swipe access for students.

Beyond academics, Harvard is a home for its students. Members of our community deserve to feel comfortable and secure, regardless of whether or not there’s a timely threat or a tragic national headline. Campus safety isn’t always easy to secure, but it is necessary. Increased and consistent security presence around academic buildings is the first step.

Harvard students have enough things to worry about — safety shouldn’t be one of them.

Salma Abu-Elnaj ’28, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Psychology concentrator in Mather House. Thomas C. Walder ’29, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Wigglesworth Hall