Harvard To Install 3-Foot Barriers During Freshmen Move Out as Yard Remains Occupied

Harvard Campus Services will install three-foot orange barriers in certain locations around the pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard as part of a plan to ensure safety during freshmen move out.

The University’s current plan, which also includes placing signage to direct vehicular traffic around the Yard, comes as protesters continue to occupy a large portion of the grass between the John Harvard statue and Massachusetts Hall.

The three-foot barriers will remain in place until May 15, according to University spokesperson Jason A. Newton. The barriers will be placed between Massachusetts Hall and Harvard Hall, between Matthews Hall and Hollis Hall, and next to University Hall. These locations all border the encampment.

The barriers will be located in “positions of heavy traffic” in the Old Yard, but “will not encircle the entire Yard,” according to Newton.

While the parents and guardians of freshmen students are typically granted access to the Yard at the end of the academic year to help with move out, the ongoing encampment has forced the University to get creative as it seeks to prevent the disruption of its normal operations while ensuring the safety of the pro-Palestine protesters.

The move out plan is the latest in a series of steps Harvard has taken to prevent the encampment from disrupting its normal operations. Access to the Yard is currently restricted to Harvard affiliates and several gates that are usually open during the day are now closed.

The University has also been forced to move final exams from Harvard Hall to other locations outside of the Yard and relocated several events that were scheduled to take place in buildings like University Hall.

“For the safety of all pedestrians in the Yard, we strongly recommend pedestrians keep a safe distance from vehicles,” Newton wrote in a statement. “Egress passageways are required to be clear at all times.”

—Staff writer Madeleine A. Hung can be reached at madeleine.hung@thecrimson.com.