The guards themselves were not as circumspect. But even with a University promise that they won't lose their jobs without just cause, all those interviewed asked not to be identified.

Changing of the Guards

Harvard's dwindling in-house guard force now works side-by-side with guards from the Malden-based Security Systems Incorporated (SSI), the grey uniforms with the flashy Harvard patch differing from the dark blues worn by the SSI guards.

SSI's employment in the Houses represents a victory for budget of the University and for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)--the new guards are cheaper and on average have undergone a more comprehensive training regimen than Harvard's proprietary force.

Outsourcing the guards has been on the minds of University and FAS officials for several years now. But they deny a concerted effort to replace the proprietary force with a contract agency.

"I don't think we've been pushing, [but] we've certainly been concerned with the performance of the guard service," said Michael N. Lichten, director of physical resources for FAS.

Lichten, who is responsible for ensuring that FAS facilities have adequate security, said he first employed SSI guards in the Harvard Biomedical Research Laboratories after learning from his counterparts at the other Harvard schools of the company's impressive track record.

"Before we engaged them there, we did look very closely at their performance at the medical school, and [medical school officials] were very happy," he says.