Editor’s Note: This letter was written in response to President Keenum’s remarks on the campus shooting of John Sanderson, published in the March 27 edition of The Reflector.

Boasting of our campus’ security measures blatantly ignores (with obvious intent) a school year in which MSU grounds have experienced rape, assault and murder.  Enrollment and population are growing each year and we are still attempting to disperse  student housing on far-reaching corners of a huge campus. Finding ways to grow as a university while integrating with the surrounding city and neighborhoods is crucial for increasing safety on campus. Our campus is a dead-zone at night.  Little vehicular or pedestrian traffic passes through campus after daylight hours.
Statistically, we are very safe.  It is highly unlikely that a student will be harmed on campus during his/her time at MSU.  However, even our primary community warning system, Maroon Alert exposes how segregated we really are. We need our warnings announced in text messages and emails, not word of mouth. Then, the security risk becomes a media event, a social phenomenon, increasing paranoia and our perception of insecurity, in my opinion.  Increased fear will only further isolate us, and keep us in our homes and rooms (away from other people).
People keep people safe.  The safest place to be is always wherever people are gathered. We need to think about making places that allow people to gather and keep people around each other. Such measures are proven to improve quality of life, of which safety is no small part.