Security Becomes An Issue

Students and administrators voiced a greater demand for campus security last week, following the rape of two students in the Leverett Towers two weeks ago.

The Leverett House Committee held an emergency meeting on Wednesday night and recommended that a 24-hour guard be posted in the tower area. In the wake of the meeting, Kenneth R. Andrews, master of Leverett, arranged for the police department to station an additional student security guard near the tower.

The Leverett committee urged the University to adopt a number of other safety measures at Leverett and throughout the College, including the forming of a student escort service making scheduled runs between various areas of the campus.

Arthur Fitzhugh, an agent in the University police's crime prevention unit, said yesterday that the police and Archie C. Epps III, dean of students, are considering the proposals, but have not yet decided whether to implement them.

The attack on the two Leverett students, which occurred early in the evening when the doors to the Towers were locked, also caused the Quincy House Committee to vote last week to ask for more police protection in the Quincy area.

But at the same meeting, the Quincy committee voted not to lock the House entryway doors during the day, when they are now open. Several students said last week they believe people would still let strangers into the building.

Laurence F. Letteri, president of the union that represents Harvard police officers, called Thursday for the police administration to hire more officers to patrol high crime areas.

William A. Lee, acting chief of University police, said last week the department will only hire more officers if "an overall pattern of increasing crime" develops.