Burmann, who leads tent city’s town meetings, has no official connection to the University, but he has a good friend who sat inside Mass Hall and he said he has a strong belief in the protester’s cause.

By and large, Burmann says the system he implemented—including nightly check-ins and check-outs and security patrols-has been successful.

Aside from a brief episode of drunken rowdiness last weekend, the camp has been peaceful. And with trashcans lining the Yard’s pathways, the area has remained comparatively clean.

“One thing I’m proud of...is the place has been impeccably clean and impeccably organized for this many people in one place,” he says.

About half of the tents are occupied by their owners, Burmann estimates. The rest are donated and occupied by other protesters who, in return for living in the tent city, help the living wage campaign occasionally by drawing posters or running errands.

The residents of the tent city have developed their own security procedures. After one tent was stolen last weekend, some of the occupants fixed their canopies to the ground with special corkscrew stakes. They have fire-extinguishing equipment and maintain regular security shifts that patrol the area with flashlights.

The residents have also drawn up a list of “tent city rules,” prohibiting alcohol and weapons and warning occupants not to light candles in their tents.