A quiet day of final exams turned tumultuous at Harvard University Monday. This morning the University Police Department received a report of explosives in four buildings, and authorities up to the federal level spent most of the day evacuating and investigating.
No one was injured, and no explosives were found on Harvard’s campus, but it was a scare that reached the White House. It all started just before 9 a.m., when students were sitting down to take exams all over campus.
“We got into the Science Center, sat down, sort of got ready," said Ciaran Foley, a Harvard junior. "They handed out a little bit of the materials and then the fire alarms went off. I guess authorities set it off in order to evacuate us.”
Instead of taking the exam, Foley and classmate Molly Roberts joined others in Memorial Hall.
“Everybody looked kind of exasperated and laughed a little," Roberts said. "As we were leaving, people were saying to each other, 'Was it you? Was it you?' Then we went outside and there were a bunch of policemen standing there and they said 'Go somewhere warm, you’re not getting back in any time soon. It’s a public safety threat.'"
It was the question of the day — had someone called in or emailed a bomb scare in order to get out of taking an exam? The Science Center, and Thayer, Sever and Emerson halls were evacuated. Then state and even federal officials arrived. Bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in. One Harvard employee, Travis Lovett, echoed something many were saying — alarms are often pulled during finals week.
“It’s happened, but I can’t remember anything to this extent,” Lovett said.
Harvard Yard remained closed to all but students with IDs. Helicopters hovered overhead. And many commented that it was a strange reminder of April’s Boston Marathon bombing and aftermath. The buildings were declared clear and reopened throughout the afternoon. Last was the Science Center just after 2:30.
And as students find out whether they’ll have to take the exams they missed, Harvard administration announced it’s still working with state and federal agencies to determine who is responsible.
