City and campus police keep visitors about 3 feet back from the red-brick administration building, erected in 1720 at the nation's oldest university. Only boxes of food, medical supplies and essentials such as toothpaste and deodorant are allowed in. Any protester who leaves cannot reenter, and the group inside has shrunk from more than 50 students to its present size. Directly in front of Massachusetts Hall, a tent city has sprung up in Harvard Yard. Sign-up sheets invite students to commit to periods when they will sleep in the tents.
Salsa music blasts from huge speakers, making for a festive atmosphere.
Protesters and university officials alike say they are surprised the demonstration has gone on so long. Harvard spokesman Joe Wrinn said springtime protests are common on campus but that this one is unusual because students have taken over a building for so long. But momentum appears to be growing. The Web site of the Progressive Student Labor Movement is updated to show the days, hours and minutes of occupation, and lists daily activities associated with the protest. For more than a year, a committee appointed by Rudenstine looked into the matter.