By Jessica Leach
BU News Service

Emerson College was closed on Tuesday following explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line, resulting in 3 deaths and 144 injuries, 7 of them Emerson students.

The school closed in a decision made late last night following a barrage of social media commentary from students and parents asking administrators to reconsider their original decision to stay open.

“I think opening the school after today’s events is completely ridiculous,” Kelly Payton, a senior, wrote in a comment on the school’s Facebook page. “Don’t you understand that students are shaken up, and most do not want to use public transportation?”

Another student, Jenni Leahy, shared an email she sent to administration on the comment thread.

“Emerson does not have a defined campus, in fact what I heard during my first tour of the school was ‘Boston is our campus,’” she wrote. “Well today our campus was violated.”

Most of the students’ concerns were about using public transportation, as the campus stretches around Boston’s downtown area, as well as resuming classes not even 24 hours after yesterday’s tragedy.

Two hours after the school had posted that they would stay open, they posted on their Facebook page, “President Pelton has announced that the College will be closed tomorrow to provide ‘a day of healing and reflection.’”

Payton wrote soon after: “Thank you, Emerson, for coming to your senses.”

Parents, who were concerned about their shaken children, shared their thanks on the school’s post. Many were thankful to get a day to talk to their children, after telecommunication yesterday was jammed.

Berklee College also closed their campus following the bombings in Copley Square.