Response to danger

WE SAY  On-campus shooting should elicit greater student concern.

Gunshots were fired early Sunday morning in the Indiana Memorial Union parking lot. Seven bullet casings were left behind. No weapons were recovered. No property was damaged and thankfully, no one was injured. However, almost five days later, the shooter has not been identified.

This shooting occurred following a dance at the IMU, which was shut down because of a fight that broke out. Following the fight, there were several reports of an individual showing a weapon.

Why is it that this story has generated so little buzz on campus? While there is no need for panic seeing as how this appears to be an isolated incident, it is surprising that the student body hasn’t raised more concern.

Moreover, it’s disappointing that there have been no reports of anyone coming forward to identify the shooter or contribute any further information to the investigation. Gun violence is a serious issue and should be dealt with accordingly.

Perhaps because no one was injured, this story has spawned little discussion on campus and has been largely ignored. Even this publication swept the story into a small corner of Monday’s front page.

It is our sincere hope that gun violence does not increase on our campus. Further, it is our hope that the perceived indifference on campus does not persist, but rather that this incident acts as a catalyst for renewed interest in campus safety.

As students, we are each charged with individually contributing to a healthy and safe campus environment. By ignoring this incident, not reporting violence or threats and not acting in the interests of our community we are contributing to a community culture of negligence.

Let this incident not pass us by without thought. We urge you to be vigilant and to respond with intensity to any attempt at violence.