Updates on the Situation at Harvard During the Manhunt in Greater Boston

UPDATED: April 20, 2013, at 4:38 a.m.

In this space, The Crimson will provide updates on the situation at Harvard as the manhunt in the greater Boston metropolitan area progresses. To share information, please email news@thecrimson.com.

4:38 a.m., 4/20/13 The Crimson has captured video from the Boston Common, where local residents gathered to celebrate the capture of Boston marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev.

3:46 a.m. 4/20/13 The manhunt for Cambridge resident Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev left the greater Boston area in a state of lockdown and spanned about a seven-mile area from Cambridge to Watertown. The Crimson has compiled an interactive map outlining important locations from the chase.

12:29 a.m., 4/20/13 The Boston area and state officials celebrated following the arrest of a suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon Bombings. Crimson photographers were on the scene taking photographs around Boston.

10:05 p.m., 4/19/13 Our photographs from throughout the day: The Scene in Harvard Square Friday Morning; Student Life at Harvard Continues with Greater Boston Area on Lockdown; Rush Hour in Harvard Square on Friday; and Students Follow the Breaking News. Photos from Watertown to come later.

9:57 p.m., 4/19/13 Harvard Square is quiet after the conclusion of the manhunt that paralyzed the greater Boston area throughout the day on Friday. Our reporters on the scene say that foot and vehicular traffic has picked up and stores have reopened. At least for now, there are no organized celebrations outside.

9:39 p.m., 4/19/13 Our reporters are on the scene at the Arsenal Mall press conference. Follow @npfandos for live coverage.

9:37 p.m., 4/19/13 Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds sent an email to the College around 9:20 p.m., acknowledging that the previous day's manhunt that ended in the apprehension of a Boston Marathon bombings suspect had "been a long and difficult ordeal for our community."

In the email, she listed the various mental health services available on campus, encouraging students to reach out to their House administrators and utilize the resources at Harvard University Health Services in the coming days.

9:17 p.m., 4/19/13 University President Drew G. Faust and Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds stopped into Annenberg Hall during Friday's dinner hour to talk with undergraduates who had been kept inside most of the day because of an active manhunt for a suspected Boston marathon bomber. Provost Alan M. Garber '76 stopped by each of the Quad houses, as well, talking with students there.

9:05 p.m., 4/19/13 Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67 told The Crimson Friday night that officials are considering the possibility of granting an extension for accepted students to accept or decline their offers of admission to the College. Admitted students currently have until May 1 to reply.

Fitzsimmons said the Admissions Office will "monitor the situation as we go along," adding that there may be "some specific situations where students will need more information from either students or faculty as we go along."

Fitzsimmons also said "it's absolutely impossible to know" if the cancellation of Visitas, the annual admitted students visiting weekend, will have an impact on the Class of 2017's yield. "This is an unprecedented event," Fitzsimmons said, "and it's very difficult to know how it might go."

7:43 p.m., 4/19/13 As reports come in from Watertown, Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds sent an email to students at approximately 7:30 p.m.  urging them to remain vigilant.

"While you should feel free to resume your normal movements around campus we would still recommend curtailing off-campus activities for tonight," Hammonds wrote.

In her message, Hammonds also provided updates on campus services, saying that FAS buildings would immediately return to normal operations, shuttle service would resume as of 7:30 p.m., and HUDS would resume regular operations on Saturday.

7:17 p.m., 4/19/13 Harvard MessageMe alert issued at 7:09 p.m. reports gunfire in Watertown and urges students to stay away from the area.

6:47 p.m., 4/19/13 Harvard Shuttle service will resume as the state of Massachusetts drops its stay indoors order, a Harvard alert timestamped 6:35 p.m. reads. The alert also urges Harvard community members to remain vigilant as the University’s Cambridge campus remains under heightened security.

6:45 p.m., 4/19/13 In an email sent at roughly 6:30 p.m., Undergraduate Council President Tara Raghuveer '14 told Harvard deans that students "are looking for instruction" on how to proceed following the lift on the lockdown. The email was sent to Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde, Associate Dean of Student Life Kimberly A. Pacelli, and John “Jay” L. Ellison, who manages campus security in his capacity as associate dean of the College. The UC general list was also copied on Raghuveer's message. In her email, Raghuveer called on administrators to give students answers to the questions: "Is Harvard still locked down? Where should we stay? What is the most reliable source information right now?"

6:18 p.m., 4/19/13 MBTA is now open in Boston, Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 says during press conference. Patrick says order for Boston residents to stay inside is lifted, but encourages everyone to stay vigilant.

5:28 p.m., 4/19/13 After initially criticizing the frequency of Harvard's communications to students regarding public safety in the Cambridge area, Undergraduate Council President Tara Raghuveer '14 said on Friday that updates from the administration have “drastically improved since last night.”

She said emails from Harvard administrators have become “more substantive and more frank” as the manhunt in greater Boston that began Thursday night drags on into Friday evening.

“Students are happy to see that,” Raghuveer told The Crimson.

4:59 p.m., 4/19/13 Following Friday morning's news that Harvard had cancelled Visitas weekend programming, current students have begun reaching out to and answering questions from prospective students through Twitter #VirtualVisitas.

4:40 p.m., 4/19/13 All 12 House dining halls and Annenberg Hall will all be open for dinner, Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds wrote in an email to students shortly after 4 p.m. Friday. Grill service will not be available.

Harvard Hillel, Cronkhite Dining Hall, and the Dudley House dining hall will all be serving dinner as well, Hammonds wrote.

She also added that breakfast service for Saturday morning is planned as usual.

“We are grateful for your patience, your help, and your understanding as we manage services in this quickly changing environment,” Hammonds wrote. “The experience of today, though difficult, has demonstrated the kind and compassionate nature of our community. Please stay safe and support one another. We will continue to share information as it becomes available.”

4:32 p.m., 4/19/13 In an email to the Harvard community sent around 4 p.m., Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp urged students to remain inside as law enforcement continues its active manhunt for a suspected Boston Marathon bomber.

She wrote that police intend to conduct controlled explosions sometime this afternoon at the suspect’s Norfolk Street home in central Cambridge. When those explosions might occur is unknown, she added, so law enforcement have reiterated the importance for Cambridge residents to stay inside.

“We recognize it may be difficult to continue to stay indoors right now and some may be thinking about going outside after what has been a very difficult and challenging few days,” Lapp wrote. “But the events of recent days also remind us that authorities are working around the clock to find this suspect and protect public safety, and I urge you to please follow their guidance to remain inside as this manhunt continues.”

Lapp also wrote the HUPD remains on "Significantly heightened security presence.”

3:53 p.m., 4/19/13 Though Cambridge is still officially on lockdown and most area businesses remain closed at the request of Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78, foot traffic in the Harvard Square area has picked up significantly as the afternoon has worn on.

Most remain inside, but small groups of Cambridge residents and Harvard affiliates are now venturing across campus and through the area. Most outside police presence has been limited to Watertown, where the at-large gunman is thought to be in hiding. The suspect’s home in central Cambridge remains under close surveillance by local, state, and federal law enforcement.

2:48 p.m., 4/19/13 Our reporters are on the scene at Norfolk Street in Cambridge, where police are investigating the home where the Boston Marathon bombing suspects recently lived. Follow @syweinstock and @JustinWorland for updates.

2:29 p.m., 4/19/13 John “Jay” L. Ellison, who manages campus security in his capacity as associate dean of the College, has sent an email to undergraduates announcing that "Harvard College has cancelled Visitas programming this weekend and organizers are working with impacted students and their families." Read the full story here.

1:40 p.m., 4/19/13 Freshmen in Annenberg dining hall offer a standing ovation to Harvard University Dining Services workers, who came to work despite the ongoing lockdown in the greater Boston area. Watch the video on The Harvard Crimson's YouTube channel.

12:33 p.m., 4/19/13 Crimson reporters are continuing to monitor the developing situation in the greater Boston area through Twitter. Follow @MattClarida, @MadelineRConway, @npfandos, @jared_lucky, @dev_a_patel, @syweinstock, and @thecrimson for updates.

11:49 a.m., 4/19/13 A Harvard official confirmed that Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, a resident of Cambridge, worked at Harvard as a lifeguard as recently as the summer of 2012. Tsarnaev did not have access to Harvard facilities through an ID while working as a temporary employee, according to the official. The University has shared all information it has with law enforcement officials, the official said.

10:52 a.m., 4/19/13 Harvard Law School's Spring Reunion weekend has been cancelled, according to Law School Spokesperson Robb London. A decision on whether the Law School will cancel its admitted students weekend is expected around 12 p.m.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: April 23, 2013

An earlier version of this article misquoted Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67 as saying prospective freshmen may need more information "from either students and faculty" in the coming days. In fact, Fitzsimmons said these admitted students could need more information "from either students or faculty."