Shaken

By: fn editorial

In times of trouble, we turn to our flyer family

Many University of Dayton students joke about living in an invisible “bubble” that encompasses the property on which our campus lies. The so-called “bubble” that we all live in is what we have chosen to call home, and our neighbors are our family.

As we mourn the loss of another member of the Flyer family, students are forced to face a tragedy occurring inside of our “bubble.”

On every UD tour, prospective students continually hear the word “community.” After only a few steps on campus, potential Flyers might struggle to see the immediate strength and importance of a tight-knit community. You can only really understand the community atmosphere and what it truly means by attending this university.

There is the feeling that everyone knows everyone, with roughly 7,500 undergraduate students on campus. It is safe to say that we are a small campus compared to The Ohio State University’s 43,000 undergraduate students or Miami University’s 15,000 undergraduate students.

Because of this, at UD we’re lucky enough to become connected to many people on campus. Whether it’s the organizations we are involved in or the places we work on campus, we see many of the same people and share many of the same experiences.

When we lose a member of our community, the loss is felt by everyone.

It’s hard to accept tragic events, especially the death of a student. Mostly, it’s hard to process the idea that this person may have recently crossed our path while walking down College Park, or sat at the table next to us at KU. These shared experiences bind us as a family, but they also amplify the grief.

We share in our sorrow, we share in our loss and we find comfort in our community.