Sad Day at Yale

It was announced today that the body found in an on-campus research building was that of Annie Le, a student at Yale's medical school. Tonight, there's going to be a candle-lit vigil at Cross Campus, a large outdoor meeting space near the center of campus. Of course, additional counseling staff have been brought on board, and a lot of extra security has been put in place around the medical institutions, which are generally on the south side of the Yale complex and about a 15-20 minute walk from the Law School.

Although it's believed that the crime was not a random act, lots of people are quite shaken that something so horrific could happen here, so close to where we live and study. [I walk by the Amistad building from time to time, usually on my way to the train station from the medical campus.] Perhaps rightly so, the Law School is doing its best to put forth a supportive but reserved face - reminding students that we do live in an urban area where crime does occur, circulating phone numbers and security shuttle schedules, and emphasizing the need for everyone to speak up if someone or something seems out of place.

Neither Cat nor I are strangers to living in cities that are stereotyped as dangerous and/or crime-ridden, and I don't pretend to be invincible...though I do walk home alone in the dark probably more often than would be advisable. Still, I think what's particularly troubling about this case is the reminder that threatening activity can happen even inside the confines of a building you think to be safe simply because it has the University name stamped on the outside. Sadly, that heuristic isn't always accurate.

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