The attack on a student on William Street last Saturday is yet another in the string of assaults dating back to last fall. But what is even more unsettling about this particular attack is that it took place at 3 p.m., in broad daylight. When a student’s personal safety is threatened so bluntly, the entire campus has reason to be concerned. It also becomes more important than ever to practice common sense safety measures and to take greater precautions to ensure that this sort of attack stops.
What is also important, however, is to avoid creating scapegoats and mistrust. Students and administrators are constantly talking about improving the University’s relationship with Middletown, but when that relationship encounters violence such as this, isolationism is often the University’s first resort. Wesleyan’s campus is more integrated with the surrounding town than many of its peer institutions. In this way, the University has maintained a positive attitude toward and an open relationship with local residents for decades. It is vital to both communities to have it remain that way, but with the new dorms being constructed on Fauver Field, the restructuring of senior houses and the elimination of off-campus housing, the University appears to be moving toward a more unified and enclosed campus. While it may not be the University’s goal to insulate Wesleyan from Middletown, this will inevitably be the result. The campus will be restricted even more to the top of the hill and it will likely seem isolated and elitist to Middletown residents.
While some may consider a more enclosed campus to be safer, this would not be the case. Even if it were possible, students would still venture to Main Street, regardless of where they live on campus.
Thefts and assaults have occurred on Foss Hill, on College Row and at locations nowhere near downtown; running away from Middletown will solve nothing. Given the existing gap between campus and town, any isolationist tendencies will only exacerbate the problem. Students must simply be aware of their surroundings at all times and in all locations. With the combined effort of Public Safety, we can create a safer atmosphere on campus and within Middletown, without a border between the two.
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