January 3, 2007

Dear students,

In the past few weeks, there have been a handful of incidents that involved tampering with fire-safety equipment. This is a criminal offense, which may result in required withdrawal from the College. What is more important is that these malicious acts undermine the safety measures put in place to protect House residents in the event of a fire. As prank alarms persist, the urgency to evacuate may fade and student safety is jeopardized. Few enjoy leaving a building in the middle of the night because someone has pulled a false alarm.

In the chaos and panic of a real fire, fire fighters are called to help. When the Cambridge Fire Department responds to a false alarm at Harvard, the fire fighters are pulled from responding to a real emergency and their resources are depleted.

Harvard College has long enjoyed a community that is dedicated to the health and safety of our residents. Our students are respectful of their peers and of the Cambridge fire fighters who serve us every day. In recent years, we have embarked on a fire safety upgrade in the Houses that includes installing new fire detection and alarm systems. For these to be completely effective they must be operated properly.

I call on all of you to help in cultivating a House-wide regard for fire safety.

Benedict H. Gross Leverett Professor of Mathematics Dean of Harvard College