In an unpublished editorial for the FlyerNews, the student newspaper at the University of Dayton. This is in response to a recent shooting incident on campus that occured in the student neighborhood, known as the Ghetto. Read more about this incident here.

When people think of college, they tend to have bubbly visions of stately brick buildings, well manicured lawns, students in the library and of course mobs of people gathered around cases of certain canned beverages. Perhaps it’s because of our age and the feeling of invulnerability, or maybe it’s from the general upbringing of a majority of this campus in well off, suburban families, but a “cult of UD” certainly exists. And for those who believe in it, campus should be a place of perpetual safety, where nothing can go wrong. Is it possible that a reality exists outside of games of beer pong, video games and air conditioning (well at least for some)?

Recent violence in both student neighborhoods has served as an unfortunate reminder to some that we do indeed, live in a city (of which our institution borrows its name not vice versa like some might believe). Unfortunately in cities violence occurs, it’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, but it is a reality. We should not be sitting trembling in our houses, or preparing to run for the hills. Instead we must remember the basics of city living, such as never walking alone, and always locking our doors. Students must realize we are not being preyed upon, rather, we live in a diverse community, that happens to reside in an even more diverse community.

The “cult of UD” stands between students and an education in the daily lives of urban dwellers. This is not to say that all urbanites hold people at gunpoint regularly, instead is meant as a check of our own reality. We should strive to serve and better understand our community, rather than be afraid of what we don’t understand.