‘NO ENTRY’ ALLOWED

Many tourists still expectantly march to the gates of Harvard—only to find them locked to outside visitors. These tourists often have not heard of the Occupy Harvard movement and are confused when HUPD officers turn them away.

Samiah Hassan, a tourist, says that she was surprised by the security in place.

“Not everyone is a threat or a menace,” Hassan says.

Hassan added that she would prefer if the University only restricted smaller areas in the yard.

She is only one of many tourists. According to University spokesperson Lauren M. Marshall, an average of 30,000 visitors participate in Harvard’s official tours each year. Currently, the University has stopped all tours.

“Given security precautions the University has put in place, the Harvard Information Office has suspended daily public tours,” Marshall wrote in an emailed statement. “However, a few previously scheduled groups are being accommodated with an abbreviated tour that does not require access to Harvard Yard.”

Since tours are no longer allowed into the yard, high school students like Gomez and his classmates from Texas cannot see the complete picture of what life might be like for them as freshmen at Harvard.

“I enjoyed [my visit], but I would be satisfied if we could enter,” Gomez says. “I don’t believe [the increased security is] not fair because they need to be cautious, but we all really wanted to enter.”

‘AS MANY YEARS AS NECESSARY’

Current students, while enjoying the freer Yard, do sympathize with the turned-away tourists.

“They travelled a long way to get here, and they didn’t have advanced notice the yard would be shut down,” Margaret L. Flatt ’12 says.

The University remains vague on its long-term plans with respect to the protestors, and some students have begun discussing when the occupiers will desert the Yard.

Neither Dywer nor Stevens is certain how long the protests will continue.

According to Dwyer, protestors might stay in the Yard to show support for the Occupy Boston movement, even if the demands of the Occupy Harvard movement are met. The movement’s demands range from bridging the alleged 180:1 income ratio gap between Harvard Management Company executives and custodial staff to stopping the University’s investments in what the protestors see as irresponsible funds that are allegedly funding land grabbing in Africa.

The occupiers, Dwyer says, are committed to continuing the protests for “as many years as necessary.”