But he said he expects that students will be eager to take advantage of SafetyWalk’s successor.

“I think this new escort service will fill a big gap,” he said.

In his e-mail, Gross also reminded students to use the Shuttle Bus Service, which runs 24-hours during reading and exam period.

He noted that the administration is “reviewing concerns about Shuttle Bus Schedules and the Evening Van Service” in the wake of reports of the shuttle service being late or stranding students in the middle of the night.

Gross also emphasized using the four HUPD “designated pathways” when walking on campus.

But Gross acknowledged that there have been reported assaults in the past on or near these designated pathways.

“There’s no place one can point to in Cambridge and say, ‘This is an absolutely safe place to stand,’” Gross said, adding that it’s impossible for there to be a patrol “at every place and every time.”

Student Concerns

Undergraduate Council President Rohit Chopra ’04 said that though the College is acting to address safety concerns, more can be done.

“I don’t think this is any fault of the police but I think it reminds us that we need to devote more resources to just keeping the campus safer,” he said. “Also, better communication about what’s going on is pretty easily achieved—just regularizing how the advisories are sent out and making sure they are sent out in a timely way.”

In light of the recent assaults, some students have criticized the dissemination of these “Community Advisories,” noting that each House uses a different system.

Students in Mather House first saw the advisory when it was sent to the House’s open-list on Wednesday night by undergraduate council representative Oulu Wang ’06.

In her e-mail to the House, Wang expressed concern for Mather’s delay in sending out recent advisories.

“I find the delay unacceptable and irresponsible on the part of the Mather House administration, especially since other houses have disseminated timely information on the attacks,” Wang said.

According to the e-mail, Mather House received an advisory on Wednesday about last Saturday’s assault in the Yard, four days after it had occurred.