The death of University of Vermont (UVM) senior Michelle Gardner-Quinn is an important reminder of the potential dangers to which students across the country are unfortunately never invincible.
In fact, the events surrounding the apparent homicide of Gardner-Quinn recall earlier incidents in which college-aged women were abducted and killed by older men.
In 2004, University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin was abducted by Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., a 50-year old registered level-III sex offender, in the parking lot of a mall in Grand Folks, N.D. Her body was later found just west of Crookston, Minn., and her death was determined a homicide.
Both women were walking alone when they were allegedly abducted by older men; Sjodin was leaving her job while Gardner-Quinn was returning home from a night out in downtown Burlington, Vt.
According to reports, Gardner-Quinn asked Brian Rooney, 36, if she could use his cell phone upon realizing that her phone's battery had run out. Rooney is now in custody and is considered a suspect in the case.
Unfortunately, these tragic events are only the latest in similar incidences involving young college-aged women.
Just as the death of Sjodin unquestionably affected the way in which women across the country assessed their own personal safety, the murder of Gardner-Quinn invokes similar concerns for young female students today.
Even Tufts students are susceptible to such incomprehensible threats.
On the night of Feb. 4, 2005, two men armed with pellet-style guns and knives robbed two female students on Talbot Avenue. Fortunately, officers from the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) were in the vicinity, and the suspects were successfully apprehended.
It is regrettable that female students must think twice before walking alone at night, whether they are walking the city streets or within the confines of their college campus. Unfortunately, however, this is the current reality, and female students must therefore remain alert to such dangers.
Tufts students must not trick themselves into believing that they are immune to the tragic incidents which claimed the lives of Gardner-Quinn and Sjodin. These warnings extend to nights out both in Boston or on Professor's Row.
This message is continually echoed by members of the TUPD, who make both the on-campus and off-campus safety of students and faculty paramount concerns every day.
Members of the Tufts community run the risk of overlooking such dangers on a campus that prides itself for its safety and security.
Tufts students, male and female alike, must remain alert to their surroundings, especially in the late hours of the night. Students who find themselves walking alone can be considered targets for crimes which, although rare, could jeopardize one's safety.
For this reason, students - female in particular - should walk in groups at night.
If a student cannot be accompanied by others, he or she should feel free to call the TUPD in order to be safely escorted back to his or her residence.
While members of the TUPD do their best to create a safe and secure environment for the Tufts community, individuals must rely on their intuition and make wise decisions which ensure their well-being.
