By Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department ordered border agents ‘‘effective immediately’’ to verify that every international student who arrives in the U.S. has a valid student visa, according to an internal memorandum obtained Friday by The Associated Press. The new procedure is the government’s first security change directly related to the Boston bombings.

The order from a senior official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, David J. Murphy, was circulated Thursday and came one day after the Obama administration acknowledged that a student from Kazakhstan accused of hiding evidence for one of the Boston bombing suspects was allowed to return to the U.S. in January without a valid student visa.

The student visa for Azamat Tazhayakov had been terminated when he arrived in New York on Jan. 20. But the border agent in the airport did not have access to the information in the Homeland Security Department’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, called SEVIS.

Tazhayakov was a friend and classmate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Tazhayakov left the U.S. in December and returned Jan. 20. But in early January, his student-visa status was terminated because he was academically dismissed from the university.

Tazhayakov and a second Kazakh student were arrested this week on federal charges of obstruction of justice. They were accused of helping to get rid of a backpack containing fireworks linked to Tsarnaev. A third student was also arrested and accused of lying to authorities.

A spokesman for the department, Peter Boogaard, said earlier this week that the government was working to fix the problem, which allowed Tazhayakov to be admitted into the country when he returned to the U.S.

Under existing procedures, border agents could verify a student’s status in SEVIS only when the person was referred to a second officer for additional inspection or questioning. Tazhayakov was not sent to a second officer when he arrived, because, Boogaard said, there was no information to indicate Tazhayakov was a national security threat. Under the new procedures, all border agents were expected to be able to access SEVIS by next week.

The government for years has recognized as a problem the inability of border agents at primary inspection stations to directly review student-visa information. The Homeland Security Department was working before the bombings to resolve the problem, but the new memo outlined interim procedures until the situation was corrected.

Under the new procedures, border agents will verify a student’s visa status before the person arrives in the U.S. using information provided in flight manifests. If that information is unavailable, border agents will check the visa status manually with the agency’s national targeting data center.

It is unclear what impact the new procedure will have on wait times at airports and borders. Customs officials will be required to report any effect, including increased wait times, on a daily basis.

The Obama administration announced an internal review earlier this week of how U.S. intelligence agencies shared sensitive information before the bombings and whether the government could have prevented the attack. Republicans in Congress have promised oversight hearings, which begin Thursday.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday for details from the student-visa applications of Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, the Kazakhstan students implicated in helping Tsarnaev after the bombings, including information about how Tazhayakov re-entered the United States.

Lawmakers and others have long been concerned about terrorists exploiting the student visa system to travel to the United States. A 20-year-old college student from Saudi Arabia was arrested in Texas in 2011 on federal charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Authorities accused him of plotting to blow up dams, nuclear plants or the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush. He was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

With the aftermath of marathon bombings still hanging over Boston, Northeastern University began the city’s commencement season Friday to recognize its students’ achievements and the work of region’s first responders.

More than 20,000 students, family members, friends, faculty, and staff gathered in TD Garden Friday morning to cheer and celebrate the graduating class, but the joyous day was not without solemn reflection on recent events.

“While we have much to celebrate we are joined in the shadow of tragedy. Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun said in his opening remarks. “We are feeling a conflicting mix of emotions: joy and pain, triumph and loss. Fortunately we also draw strength from one another.”

(Check out our live blog here.)

Aoun recognized the first responders, law enforcement officials, and ordinary citizens who helped at the finish line after the bombings, including Northeastern students in the Bouve College of Health Sciences originally there to offer first aid and routine assistance to marathon runners.

"But when disaster struck there was nothing routine about their response. They immediately put their education to use and when confronted with the worst they brought out their best," he said, asking the students and advisors to stand for a round of applause.

Northeastern also gave every person in attendance a blue and yellow bracelet with ‘Boston Strong’ and ‘#NU2013’ written on it.

To a long, roaring applause and standing ovation, first responders went onto the stage Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis accepted an honorary doctorate in public service on behalf of the first responders and law enforcement officials who sprung into action to help others in the wake of the bombings.

Governor Deval Patrick, presenting the honorary degree, said “During the traumatic attack on our city and in the hours and days that followed, you ran toward danger to care for the injured, comfort the bereaved, and keep our citizens safe from further harm."

Nikesh Arora, senior vice president and chief business officer at Google; Jack D. Bryant, president of engineering firm Bryant Associates and a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II; and Barbara Lynch, CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo were also awarded honorary degrees.

In his commencement address World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, encouraged students to use the tools and skills they have developed to successfully face a future that was uncertain, but full of possibilities.

"My challenge to you is this: set bold goals, deliberately and consciously build your willpower, and use your time well,” he said

E-mail Kaiser at Johanna.yourtown@gmail.com. For more news about your city, town, neighborhood, or campus, visit boston.com’s Your Town homepage.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Boston College will partner with six other universities this fall to offer for-credit classes as part of an on-line initiative, BC officials announced today.

In addition to BC, “Semester Online” will feature courses from Brandeis University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, and Emory University.

These courses, in conjunction with the on-line educator provider 2U, will cover a range of topics from accounting to film, BC said in a statement.

“It is an exciting opportunity to explore this consortial approach to online undergraduate education and share our teaching excellence with a wider audience in partnership with peer schools and the nation’s leader in online education,” said BC Provost and Dean of Faculties Cutberto Garza.

The statement said the courses will be available to “academically qualified students” who are attending the universities in the consortium and other schools in the United States. To apply for a class, students must be in good academic standing and enrolled in a four-year, regionally accredited school.

Students attending universities in the consortium will pay standard tuition rates, and students from outside colleges will pay per class, the statement said. According to Jack Dunn, a spokesman for BC, the cost will be $4,200 for one course.

Unlike Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, these classes will be capped at approximately 20 students.

Brandeis announced its involvement with the initiative in November.

“This consortium will expand opportunities for students everywhere and will help us all gain experience and understanding of the broad potential of distance learning," Brandeis Provost Steve A.N. Goldstein said in a statement. "We're looking forward to this exploration of the on-line world."

BC will offer two courses this fall: “How to Rule the World,” taught by political science professor Robert Bartlett, and “Vietnam: America’s War at Home and Abroad” instructed by associate professor of history Seth Jacobs.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Following the April 15 attacks on the Boston marathon, local colleges and universities have decided to step up security at commencement ceremonies in the upcoming weeks.

Northeastern University spokesman Michael Armini said there will be increased police presence at the morning exercises at the TD Garden and the afternoon exercises at the school’s Matthews Arena, both scheduled for Friday.

“The stepped up presence will include both Northeastern and Boston police working in coordination,” he said in an e-mailed statement. “We cannot provide details for obvious reasons.”

Simmons College issued a statement saying that Simmons personnel, state and local police and other security staff will be at the Bank of America Pavilion commencement on May 10, inspecting bags and packages at every entrance. In the statement, the college asked attendees to refrain from bringing large bags and not to leave any belongings unattended during the ceremony.

“As a result of the tragic events at the Boston Marathon we have increased security personnel for this year’s Commencement ceremony,” the college said in the statement. “Public venues throughout the country are increasing security in light of these events; this should not be viewed as an indication of any increased threat to the Boston area.”

Berklee College of Music spokesman Allen Bush also said that the school plans to add security personnel at its commencement May 11 at the Agganis Arena. He did not have any further details.

School officials at Boston University and Harvard University said they could not disclose particulars about security, but that there would be “appropriate” measures taken for commencement ceremonies.

Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president for communications at Brandeis University, said in a phone interview that the university plans to be vigilant and increase police presence at its May 19, ceremony at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on the Brandeis campus.

“I think in the current environment it’s in everyone’s best interest to be careful,” she said.

Tufts University spokeswoman Kim Thurler said in an e-mailed statement that the school is still in the planning process for its commencement on May 19, but Tufts officials are giving extra attention to emergency preparedness.

"We are considering an increased uniformed police presence and additional steps to ensure security," she said in the statement. "Our incident command center will include public safety representatives from our host cities as well as Tufts personnel."

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Northeastern University will present Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis with a honorary degree at the school's commencement ceremony, on behalf of the first responders and law enforcement who served in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Governor Deval Patrick will help present the degree, a doctorate in public service, and police bagpipers will play during the ceremony on Friday, school officials said in a statement.

Approximately 22,000 people are expected to attend Northeastern's 111th commencement, which will be held at the TD Garden, the statement said.

In addition to Davis, the following people will receive honorary degrees: Nikesh Arora, senior vice president and chief business officer at Google; Jack D. Bryant, president of Bryant Associates; and Barbara Lynch, CEO of Barbara Lynch Gruppo.

Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, will deliver the commencement address, the statement said.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

Meg Heckman, a journalism graduate student at Northeastern University, created a short video on the school's slacklining club. Slacklining is similar to tightrope walking, with participants trying to walk across a stretchy rope.

(Rahul Desai)

On April 17, 2013, Michael Dukakis took part in a panel discussion titled “Journalism & Juvenile Justice: How Your Sentences Affect Theirs” at Northeastern University. Participants included, from left to right, moderator Dan Kennedy, panelists Joshua Dohan, James Alan Fox, Leslie E. Harris, and Sarah J. Jackson.

By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff

Should a 14-year-old convicted of murder automatically be put behind bars for the rest of his or her life, without any chance of parole….ever?

The Supreme Court doesn’t think so. Last June, in a 5-4 decision, the highest court in the land ruled that mandatory life-without-parole sentences are unconstitutional for juvenile offenders.

Although nearly a year has passed since the court issued that opinion, Massachusetts law hasn't changed. Under current state law, teens as young as 14 who are charged with murder in the Bay State bypass juvenile court so they can be tried as adults; if they are convicted of first-degree murder, they face a mandatory term of life imprisonment without any chance of parole. Advocacy groups like the Massachusetts Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth point to the Supreme Court decision and say that state law is now illegal and needs to change.

In an effort to raise awareness of this issue, a group of Northeastern University students held an event on April 17 titled “Journalism & Juvenile Justice: How Your Sentences Affect Theirs,” a panel discussion that explored the role the media plays in juvenile sentencing reform. It featured several prominent speakers, including former governor Michael Dukakis; crime professor James Alan Fox; communications professor Sarah J. Jackson; Gail Garinger, the child advocate for the state of Massachusetts; juvenile court judge Leslie E. Harris; and Joshua Dohan, director of the youth advocacy division of the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services.

The students responsible for organizing the event were Nicholas Fei, Kaitlyn Rhodes, Paula Christovich, Chris Corey, Hilary Gabso, and Kristin Minish. Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy moderated the discussion.

(Disclosure: The event was co-sponsored by the New England chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and I am currently president of the chapter).

A number of high-profile criminal cases were referenced during the wide-ranging discussion, from the 1997 murder trial of Eddie O’Brien to the more recent conviction of Nathaniel Fujita.

Dohan said there are 63 people in Massachusetts prisons serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes they committed before they were 18.

Fox, a noted crime expert who writes for the “Crime & Punishment” blog on Boston.com, told the panel that Massachusetts ranks third in the country for its percentage of prisoners who are serving life without parole sentences, which is four times the national average. “We have an incredibly rigid system,” said Fox.

Fox spoke about the furor that sparked when he wrote this blog post about Fujita, in which he questioned whether mandatory life-without-parole sentences are appropriate for all murder cases. It generated quite a debate online, and received over 300 comments.

Harris brought his perspective from his experience in Suffolk County Juvenile Court, where he’s been an associate justice since 1994. He said he doesn’t believe children should be tried and sentenced as adults.

“These are not short adults, these are children,” said Harris. “Juvenile cases should be in juvenile court, regardless of the charge.”

Many of the panelists’ concerns about media coverage were echoed by Cara Lisa Berg Powers, co-director at Press Pass TV, a nonprofit media organization based in Boston. She appeared before the panel and spoke about her organization’s “Respect in Reporting” campaign, which promotes “reporting that is compassionate, ethical and solution-oriented.” The initiative provides a set of guidelines that were adapted from the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics and recommendations by families who have lost children to murder. The guidelines can be viewed at http://respectinreporting.presspasstv.org.

The student organizers of “Journalism & Juvenile Justice: How Your Sentences Affect Theirs” said they’ve received positive feedback from those who attended the April 17 panel discussion. They were even asked by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, a program based at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, to take the panel “on the road” and hold a similar event in Atlanta.

“To me, personally, the panel was a success,” said Fei, a senior communication studies student who co-chaired the organizing committee. “We were able to get some key players on board and engaged. Great points were raised. I was very happy with how it turned out.”

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

(Rahul Desai)

Michael Dukakis at the panel discussion.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Wafae Belatreche, then a 5th grader, didn’t feel safe. Belatreche was clearly Muslim -- she wore a hijab, or headscarf. When she walked on the street, she says, drivers would slow down and yell out the window. “Go home!” “Towelhead!” “Terrorist!”

But in the days following the Boston Marathon bombings, which were allegedly set off by two young men motivated by extremist Islamist beliefs, Belatreche and other Muslim students in the Boston area say they have felt much more comfortable than the climate they faced after 9-11.

“Everyone at school has been supportive of us, chancellors, professors, chaplains, the entire community,” said Belatreche, now a junior at UMass Boston.

After the attacks last week, Muslim college students say they have found solace on their campuses. University administrators are making the students a priority -- holding forums, prayer services, dinners, and offering messages of support.

Victor Kazanjian, dean of intercultural education and religious and spiritual life at Wellesley College, said that following the marathon bombings, the school has held several gatherings specifically for Muslim students.

On Saturday, a day after reports surfaced that the suspects were motivated by extreme Islamic beliefs, the college organized a dinner for Muslim students as well as local members of the Islamic community. Approximately 150 students, or 7 percent of the Wellesley College student body, identify as Muslim.

“Over the past four days there really has been an outpouring of support [for Muslim students] from student groups as well as faculty and staff,” Kazanjian said.

He also said that Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, African-American, Latina, LGBTQ, and other student groups have voiced their support for Muslim students, in person and by issuing formal statements.

Chowdhury Shamsh, a Muslim student at Tufts University, said the Muslim Student Association has held additional gatherings this past week to pray for the victims in the Marathon attacks.

“Tufts is a very welcome space and we haven’t been treated differently than any other group,” he said.

Melinda Holmes, 29, who is studying international affairs at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy, echoed a similar sentiment. Holmes recently converted to Islam, and said that when she heard the suspects were Muslim extremists, she became afraid for her safety.

“On almost all levels my expectations have been generally exceeded in terms of the positive, warm outpouring of support to make sure the Muslim community has been okay,” she said.

Kim Thurler, a spokeswoman for the university, said in a statement that in reaching out to all students, Tufts has also focused on its Muslim students.

“Our Muslim chaplain made herself available to Muslim students on the phone and in person following the Monday events and the university chaplain and her colleagues also expressed their support and availability for our Muslim students,” Thurler wrote in the statement.

Patrick Day, the vice chancellor for student affairs at UMass Boston, said that he has checked in with the school’s Muslim and Sikh students, with whom he already has a close relationship.

“Being such a diverse campus in the city of Boston, we feel confident that our students do feel supported, and we really spend a lot of time deliberately creating that community and culture of respect.”

Omar Ismail, a senior at UMass Boston, said after the news came out that the suspects allegedly bombed the marathon in the name of Islam. But he was confident that his classmates and other members of the Boston community would not discriminate against the religion as a whole.

“I think more people are aware that 99 percent of Muslims are like any other Americans, and the 0.1 percent are the extreme,” he said.

Belatreche said that during the 2:50 p.m. moment of silence on Monday, members of the UMass Boston community from all faiths and backgrounds held hands to show unity.

“No matter what religion we come from we are all Bostonians, we are all one,” she said.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

A number of Boston-area colleges canceled events for prospective students on Friday and Saturday, leaving some high schoolers temporarily stranded, and school officials scrambling to reschedule open houses before the looming May 1st decision deadline.

According to the Boston University admissions website, the open house programs scheduled for April 19th and 20th were canceled. The university will hold makeup sessions on April 26th and 27th.
Admissions officers fielded questions on the BU Class of 2017 Facebook page.

Northeastern University rescheduled its Saturday events for prospective students to Sunday April 21st and Berklee College of Music canceled its Saturday open house.

Mark Campbell, vice president for enrollment at Berklee, said the open house was expected to draw a few hundred potential students. Although the events were canceled, college officials met with about 30 students, many of whom had traveled from as far as Mexico and Canada.

"They were very appreciative of our effort," Campbell said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

Campbell said he is hopeful that the marathon bombings will not drastically hurt the college's yield rate.

"It would be collectively naive [for Boston colleges] to feel as though it would have no impact," he said."On the other hand we are seeing an incredible outpouring of support for Boston and for Berklee," later adding, "we're hoping that in the end they will decide to see this through and enroll."

Nearly 1,400 students who had been accepted to Harvard College, some international, were en route to Cambridge on Friday for an annual three-day event called Visitas, the college said in a statement. By noon, the university had officially canceled Visitas.

But hundreds of students, many with their parents, had already landed at Logan Airport Friday morning, the statement said. College officials ordered pizza for approximately 85 students and nearly 20 parents, helped reschedule flights home, and booked hotel rooms.

Members of the Harvard community improvised by using the hashtag #virtualvisitas on Twitter to answer questions from prospective students.

William R. Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard College, said in the statement that Harvard is not rescheduling the event, but the college may extend the acceptance deadline beyond May 1 for students who had planned to attend Visitas.

“We will do whatever we can to help them in making their decision,” Fitzsimmons said in the statement.

On Sunday, Harvard President Drew Faust sent a message to the prospective students, in which she encouraged them to choose Harvard.

“Whether you are an aspiring artist or scientist, whether you are from Minneapolis or Mumbai,” wrote Faust, “whether your passions find you on the playing field or in the orchestra pit, whether you draw your intellectual energy from parsing texts or debating policy issues or writing code, I hope we will have the privilege of your joining the Harvard community.”

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Thousands of local college students are huddling in their dorms and apartments today, listening to scanners, texting parents, and swapping stories, as police and FBI agents are on an all-out manhunt for the marathon bomber.

Ritchie Chen, a Phd student at MIT, said that he was in the library at the time of the campus shooting last night, feet away from where the police officer was shot and killed.

He did not hear the shots being fired. Minutes after the shootout, someone pulled the fire alarm. Chen said he didn’t think much of it. But when he was back inside, his friend learned of the shooting through social media.

“My friend said someone was shot, a police officer was shot,” Chen said. “I told him, it’s not April 1st anymore. You’ve got to be joking.”

Chen said he was sequestered in the library until 2 a.m. Students were mostly silent, and listening to the police scanners.

“Social media was the easiest way to keep updated,” he said. “Twitter or Facebook – that was how we found out an officer was shot, that he was hurt in the hand and belly. It was right there, like a couple feet from the library.”

Chen said he biked home, right past the crime scene. He didn’t stop to look.

Universities including MIT, Harvard, Brandeis, BU, BC, Boston Conservatory, Bentley, Suffolk, Northeastern, Simmons, Berklee, Wheelock, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Tufts, Emmanuel, and Emerson have canceled classes today.

Roger Brown, president of Berklee College of Music, issued a statement urging students to stay in their dorm rooms or apartment and said that college personnel are “doing everything in our power to keep our students, faculty, and staff safe.”

“I am very proud of and confident in our security team, and we have been in continued contact through the night and morning,” he said in the statement. “I know we all look forward to being able to put this behind us, but for now, the key is to allow law enforcement personnel to do their jobs.”

At Northeastern University, final exams that were scheduled for today have been pushed back.

"We are working closely with the deans and the faculty to develop alternative arrangements so students can complete all of their work in the coming days," the university said in an e-mail to students. "We will continue to provide updates as new schedules are being developed."

At Emerson College, officials are coming up with creative ways to help students finish the semester after the unexpected shortened work week. Dean of Students Ron Ludman wrote in a message to the community that "as soon as it is reasonably possible, each faculty member will communicate with the students in his or her class a flexible plan to complete successfully spring semester course work."

In the message, a few solutions were proposed, including, "Allow each student to receive a grade for the term based on evaluations done to date; Allow students to complete the semester by sending completed projects to one’s faculty at a later date certain, providing an Incomplete for this semester with a grade registered after evaluation of the paper or project; and Allow students to develop individual agreements for academic situations that do not fall into the above categories."

Mary Kate Hennelly, a sophomore at Boston College said that she has been awake with eight of her friends since 10 p.m. thursday night, following the man-hunt as its unfolding.

"We’ve been on a combination of police scanners, t.v., and twitter," she said.

Hennelly said the group is exhausted and very concerned.

"I think right now we are just all pretty tired," she said. "Tiredness punctuated with tension."

Although Hennelly said the week has felt tumulteous, she and her friends have been touched by the outpouring support from friends and family.

"That's the beautiful thing," she said.

Molly Flynn, a junior Simmons College, said she stayed awake all night listening to the police chase and shootout on the scanners.

“I’ve been awake since 9:30 a.m. yesterday,” Flynn said. “Once [the shootout] happened, it’s just adrenaline.”

Flynn, who is at her apartment in the Back Bay, said she always has considered Boston to be a very safe city. After witnessing the bombings on Monday, she has cried every day.

“I’ve been crying a little bit in the morning, and I never cry,” she said. “It’s really an uncontrollable thing.”

Sarah Campbell, a student at Boston University, said she and her dorm mates feel that although staying indoors is tiring, it's an important safety measure.

"It's not getting any worse for [the suspect] the longer he stays out there," she said. "It could get worse for us" if we were outside.

Campbell, 19, said she was at the finish line at the time of the explosions. She was hit with a large piece of debris, but was left uninjured.

"It instantly turned to total chaos," she said of Monday's bombings.

As the week went on, Campbell said she started to process what had happened. But today has set her back.

"Waking up, hearing that the two guys are the same ones that carried out the bombings, it just sent me into another whirlwind."

She said that when she learned one suspect had died, she felt very conflicted.

"My emotions were haywire, because I definitely think he deserved [to die] but there should have been some justice," Campbell said.

Chen said this week has left him shaken, he said, particularly since he saw Monday’s bombings.

“It’s extremely traumatizing because I was on the Harvard Bridge running,” he said. You see this smoke and your skin is crawling.”

Chen said he is trying to follow his normal routine, but it has been difficult.

“It feels like the world around you is going into anarchy,” he said.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.