While the most recent statistical data made available by HUPD is from 2008, anecdotal evidence does not suggest that there has been a tangible change in drug use over the past year.

A survey of the class of 2010 conducted by The Crimson found that 34 percent of seniors self-reported using marijuana at least a few times a year or more.

Elizabeth Tang ’11 says that on April 20—a day when cannabis users often gather to smoke marijuana—she saw “a ton of people” in an entryway smoking.

Another individual, who is not enrolled at Harvard but says he sells to undergraduates, says he has always avoided selling inside of Harvard dormitories.

“I don’t go near the dorms. I don’t go near any of the Houses,” he says. “I don’t hang around with kids at the College or the University.”

“That’s just asking for trouble,” he adds.

A MUTED RESPONSE

Aquino, Copney, and Jiggetts were about to engage in what prosecutors called a “drug rip.” Jiggetts, the district attorney’s office says, pulled out a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and handed it to Copney. Copney put his finger on the trigger.

At 4:48 p.m., HUPD received word of shots fired in Kirkland House, according to prosecutors. Residents in J-entryway said they heard three sounds akin to gunshots.

Cosby, with a bullet in his abdomen, stumbled out of Kirkland, bleeding as he made his way toward Mt. Auburn St.

E-mail lists were aflame. At about 5:45 p.m., roughly one hour after the first reports of the shooting, Harvard affiliates received a truncated text message via “Message Me,” the University’s emergency notification system. Due to the character limit of the system, the message cut off the second sentence at “Police ask people to remain indoors and avoi—” and did not reach two percent of the system’s 14,000 subscribers.

When asked about what improvements to security were made in response to the Kirkland incident, University spokesman Kevin Galvin wrote in an e-mail, “We don’t discuss the details of security measures.”

Public relations specialists and legal experts are divided on Harvard’s tight-lipped stance on discussing any subject related to the Kirkland incident.

Clarke L. Caywood, a professor at Northwestern University who specializes in crisis communications, sharply criticizes Harvard’s unwillingness to answer questions regarding any possible security reforms following the Kirkland incident.

“That’s unacceptable in a day of transparency, openness, and a need for confidence in the institution,” he says.