LETTER: Make safety a personal concern

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To the editor:

I am writing in response to the article in last week's Thresher entitled "Night assaults shock campus."

Specifically, I would like to address the comment, "It doesn't really affect me that much because I'm just not scared."

Obviously, I wasn't scared either, or I wouldn't have been out alone on Dec. 19.

These things can happen when you least expect it.

Even if it doesn't happen to you, this type of crime affects everyone near the victim, family and friends.

It affects the entire Rice community. We cannot afford to simply write this off as someone else's problem.

I am not advocating panic, and I'm not asking for sympathy; I am only advocating awareness.

Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and also one of the most dangerous.

The hedges provide a symbolic barrier between Rice and the outside world, but they are just bushes. They are in no way impenetrable. Rice does not have to be a fortress, nor do we have to act like prisoners of war, but it is important that we recognize the risks.

Please don't go out alone and don't be deceived into thinking that we are always safe here.

Be aware of your surroundings, and don't be afraid to report anything out of the ordinary.

We have been lucky to have a fairly safe campus, but unfortunately we have to live in an unsafe world.

If we are all aware and careful, we can prevent this from happening again.

Name withheld by request

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the January 26, 1996 issue.

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