Quad Safety Under Scrutiny

For the freshmen who will wake up to a horde of drunken Cabot, Currier, or Pforzheimer House residents outside their dorm rooms tomorrow morning, the simple realization of being quaded may not be the sole reason for their angst.

According to George J.J. Hayward ’11, a Currier House resident and member of the Undergraduate Council, several security issues have recently been raised by Quad residents, including inconsistent cellphone reception that poses a potential safety hazard for students.

The sophomore—whose cellphone reception was cut off twice during the course of this interview—said that emergency calls could be compromised if cellphone reception is very poor or non-existent.

“If you’re running in the Currier House cardio room, and go into cardiac arrest, like what unfortunately happened to a student earlier this year on the River Run, there would be no way to call an ambulance,” said Hayward, who is also a current Crimson editorial editor. “It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Such concerns have been voiced before. A former Cabot House resident, Allegra J.S. Lichauco ’08, pushed for Cingular Wireless to improve cell phone service in the fall of 2005. More recently, Hayward said he spearheaded a move to install a small cellphone tower in the quad, which would enhance the quality of reception for students with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon phones.

He added that installing transmitters, wireless boosters, and fire-optic cables would also improve cellphone reception, supplementing more short-term, inexpensive options that the University is exploring.

But Hayward said University Hall is still grappling with how to fund the $1.2 million proposed plan—especially in the current economic downturn.

“Harvard must act this year,” Hayward added. “These aren’t questions to ask after someone’s been hurt.”

Pfoho resident dean Lisa Boes said that the issue of shoddy reception was brought to the fore at the beginning of this academic year, in light of last semester’s muggings in Cambridge Common—crimes that prompted the Harvard University Police Department to assign several additional officers to the Quad.

COMING CHANGES

What quadlings may receive are ATMs conveniently located in close proximity to residential Houses.

Currently, Quad residents have to walk to either Porter or Harvard Squares to withdraw money—which becomes a problem when students need fast cash at night, when regular shuttle service is not available.

HUPD has agreed to complete an audit to assess the potential safety hazards that might arise from installing an ATM in a residential area—such as piggybacking and muggings, according to a HUPD representative at last month’s Committee on House Life meeting.

The audit is slated to be finished by Commencement, said Associate Dean of Residential Life Suzy M. Nelson.

“We have to continually remind students about the elementary levels of safety,” Nelson said, adding above all, to “use common sense.”

—Staff writer Bita M. Assad can be reached at bassad@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Ahmed N. Mabruk can be reached at amabruk@fas.harvard.edu.