Watch Your Back

It’s 10 p.m.: Do you know where your roommates are? The recent string of muggings and robberies in Harvard Square has left many students reevaluating their opinions of campus safety, and not without warrant. The frequency with which these crimes have been committed since school commenced three weeks ago is alarming, and undoubtedly a cause for concern. As students look for a reason behind this plethora of crime, many are pointing fingers at the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD), claiming that their leadership is not doing enough to protect students on campus. These accusations are both unfounded and shortsighted. Rather than blame others, students should instead reexamine their own decisions when it comes to safety on campus.

Harvard students have increasingly taken for granted the relative security of Harvard’s urban campus, leaving dorm room doors unlocked and walking around campus alone at all hours of the night. These activities only serve to increase students’ chances of becoming victims of crime, and students themselves should be taking further precautions to prevent that from happening. The university has worked to accommodate our 24-hour lifestyles, constructing a system of blue light alarm systems and instituting programs such as the Harvard shuttle service and the Harvard University Campus Escort Program (HUCEP). Yet even in the face of the recent increase in crime, many of these services continue to be underutilized by students, who instead continue to put themselves unnecessarily at risk.

Obviously, being a target of a crime has some degree of randomness to it, and no one deserves to be a victim. At the same time, however, students should exercise some street smarts and avoid being sitting ducks.

Beyond using the services provided to students by Harvard, there are a number of personal precautions students should take to keep themselves safe. HUPD advises that students avoid talking on cell phones and listening to music when they’re walking alone at night. Despite this precaution, the sight of a Harvard student trolling the Square’s nighttime streets with headphones tucked into their ears is not uncommon. Students also need to take greater responsibility for their room keys and the security of their dorm rooms. Rather than leaving windows open and spare keys “hidden” near their doors, students should lock up and stop thieves before they have the chance to steal.

It falls to students to take actions to prevent future crimes Both HUPD has taken steps to secure Harvard’s campus, but we live in an urban environment and safety can’t always be taken for granted. By taking personal precautions to make themselves less attractive victims for criminals—and by making better use of services provided to them by Harvard—students can help to make the campus as secure as possible.