“In wake of the recent tragedy at Trinity College, I am thoroughly impressed by my fellow students’ strength and perseverance to direct the administration’s attention to the serious safety problem that is getting exponentially worse with each passing semester. I have often heard Trinity students described as “apathetic” which has always angered me. The outburst of response is not only inspiring but necessary. Set against the backdrop of the ‘social revolution’ taking place this semester at Trinity, it is our job as students to urge the administration to redirect their attention away from Trinity’s social climate and instead towards keeping the campus safe. Calling to mind other events that did not elicit as much attention from students but are still equally as important, the young female who was robbed at 2:30 P.M. in broad daylight walking to her house on Allen Place a few months ago only reaffirms my thoughts that the new social policy is not what is going to keep us safer, as the administration has argued in the past. In fact, this past instance in particular highlights that the social policy and campus safety are two completely distinct issues, and I think it has become quite obvious which one needs more attention.
That being said, it is also our responsibility as students to react appropriately in the upcoming weeks, as we are expecting and demanding respect from the administration. The emails, blog posts, and social forums that have surfaced since Saturday have been eloquent, strong, to the point, and respectful, and they have certainly not gone unheard. I sincerely hope that we as students can continue to have intelligent and useful conversations about our concerns to insight constructive change on this campus. We all have to come to terms with the reality of where Trinity is located and how all of us play a pivotal role in our safety. Being attacked is never the victim’s fault, but the sad truth is we will not always have the hallowed halls of Trinity to protect us. My jazz dance technique teacher, also a blackbelt, postponed class on Tuesday to teach us self-defense tips and maneuvers. I believe that positive forums like these are necessary to engage students and faculty in a collective effort to enhance safety on this campus. It saddens me that it took a horrific event like this to begin this important movement towards change. My thoughts and prayers go out to Chris Kenny and his family.” Julia Grasso ‘12
[pagebreak]
“Having attended the Rally for Chris Kenny, I can confidently say I am proud to be a member of Trinity College. I was impressed with the speeches given by my fellow peers, and the high attendance proved the importance of this prevalent issue in our community, since so many students took time out of their busy schedules to show their support. All the speakers spoke eloquently and made sure not to bash our school, but to raise awareness of the issue at hand–our lack of safety. For me, the most touching speaker was Maria Young, a sophomore and the victim of an attack before Chris. She was able to convey exactly how many of us feel, that campus safety is simply not doing enough to keep us safe and that change needs to happen now.
This past year my sense of security on this campus has completely disappeared, day or night I feel uncomfortable and scared to walk around campus on my own. I am upset that it took a near death experience for our school to realize how serious a problem this truly is. I must confess that when I first read the email of this assault I didn’t linger on it having become immune to these messages, I figured a student had been robbed and walked away with minor injuries. If it were not for the following emails I doubt I would have ever learned of the true story. It is wrong that this is the reality of our campus that we no longer react when we learn of an assault and have little faith in our campus security. Trinity is our home and a place where we should always feel safe and secure. After this rally, I hope that our voices of concern will make an impact on our administration and drastic changes will take place. I fear that if our college does not react immediately it could have a harmful impact on our school, effecting not only current students but especially our incoming class, given that very soon many accepted students will be trying to decide if Trinity is the place they want to call home for the next four years.
That being said, the sense of family on this campus has been overwhelming and I have been moved by the outpour of support given to Chris and his family during this time. Although not everyone knows Chris personally, all were greatly affected by this tragedy and our love goes out to him during his recovery.” Amanda Keyko ’14
[pagebreak]
“As a transfer sophomore, my exposure to Trinity’s prominent safety issues has been limited to the last two semesters. That being said, it is clear that the severity of the matter has been perpetuated by a lack of response on behalf of the entire administration. The resentment and frustration expressed by the student body does not and should not come as a surprise, nor should these feelings be disregarded.
This week, members of the Trinity faculty were overheard discussing the horrifying attack that took place early Sunday morning. Their conclusion was that students who venture off campus, especially late at night, are knowingly putting themselves at risk. Beyond question, the neighborhood surrounding Trinity is dangerous, and the risks involved with living in an urban environment will extend far beyond our years spent within Trinity’s gates. Every member of the Trinity community understood and indirectly agreed to take these risks upon enrolling. However, we as students, in reaction to this attack and countless others, are not asking to be victimized. Instead, we are demanding that the administration take a more active role in making Trinity’s campus safe, angered primarily by the fact that it took such a terrifying incident to elicit a response to the greater issue.
Having transferred from Tulane University in New Orleans, a city with one of the highest crime rates in the country, it is especially clear to me that it is possible to create a system that successfully prevents crime against students. While clearly no organization has the ability to eliminate crime, properly placed lighting, fewer points of access to campus, and young, alert, and intimidating officers on duty would certainly reduce the frequency of attacks and robberies. We as students also have the responsibility, to each other and to ourselves, to increase awareness and participate in forums in order to offer our ideas and perspectives.
The recent student uprising is not about race. It is not about closing Trinity off from Hartford, physically or otherwise. It is not about whether students made poor choices about walking on their own campus, either at night or during the day. It is certainly not about the new social policy. We turn our attention first and foremost to Chris Kenny and his recovery, and then to finding an immediate and effective way to ensure that another member of the Trinity community will never be the victim of such a senseless, vicious crime.” Allie Marchese ‘14
[pagebreak]
“Over the past week, the students at Trinity have decided that the administration is not doing enough to protect their students. Chris Kenny was not the first person to be attacked, but it was the attack that gave the student body ammunition to show the faculty and staff that our protection is lacking.
We are not looking to have a barrier put in to isolate the Trinity campus more than it already is, rather the student body is looking for recognition from the board that they are not doing all that they can. The new social policy did not make this happen, nor did Chris Kenny. No one deserves to be beaten because they are walking home. Trinity is a place that strives to make everyone feel safe and comfortable, and these attacks are making us feel the opposite. We are vulnerable on this campus, and everyone knows it. We can take all the personal precautions in the world, but if campus safety is not around to protect us from outside attacks, who will?
My good thoughts and prayers go out to Chris Kenny and his family, and I truly hope that no one else has to be hurt before Trinity can realize that things need to change.” Samantha Rhodes ‘14
[pagebreak]
“Since the Her Campus team has covered the emotional feelings we all have been experiencing this past week and our shared sorrow and support for the Kenny family, I’ve decided to go in a different direction. Campus has been in hysteria this past week, and while these emotions are warranted, I have heard some uninformed and unthoughtful harsh responses to this event.
I understand that people feel unsafe and that they are hurt by the way the school initially dealt with the situation; there is no excuse for the incident itself or the actions that took place afterwards. However, I think it is most important that we all put our energy into focusing on the progress and improvement of the future. Over the course of the past few days, I’ve heard numerous concerns and disputes over what should be done. Clearly there needs to be some serious upgrades in the Campus Safety department–that’s obvious–and as long as the school actually does this, then I won’t fight the steps they take to do so.
Many faculty members are concerned for the relationship with the Hartford community, and I agree. Putting up a wall is only going to create more hostility. I love seeing our communities integrate, but this needs to be promoted on both ends. If people are afraid of the community, then we need to learn more about it and make ourselves comfortable. If every freshman year seminar had a community learning component it would allow each student here to go into Hartford, learn about the community, and make relationships. This could inspire students to take similar proactive steps in the future. If every freshman is exposed to this, it will create a trend for years to come. There are many projects and programs throughout the city that Trinity could team up with.
If students feel a concern or hostility toward campus safety officers, then we need to build relationships with them as well. There could be a student team that could help with the department either in the office, or out on campus. If we as students truly care about our safety and for each other, then let’s get involved. Clearly we need honest and clear communication with the administration, given we’ve had problems with this in the recent past and pretty much throughout all the years I’ve been here. If we as students can trust the school, then perhaps we will be able to reach out more and speak up without the fear of getting in trouble. Since we as a community have come together in support of Chris Kenny and our right to safety, we need to work together for the future. It is going to a process that will hopefully keep improving, but things are not going to change with the snap of your fingers. This is something that as a Trinity community we need to work together on, not against.” Ylan Nguyen ‘12
[pagebreak]
“Improving campus security at Trinity is a multi-faceted and complex issue that can’t be over-simplified. After Chris Kenny’s brutal and senseless attack, we were all regrettably reminded (once again) that we’re not immune to the threat of violence as members of this college community. This particular incident sparked a debate that seems to have more or less has boiled down to a matter of fence vs. no fence. I think the issue is one that is far-reaching and therefore much more complicated than this summary of the argument would suggest. I fully support extra safety measures imposed by the college, with the faith that they have the resources and foresight in sync with our best interests. To be frank, however, the time has passed where as students we can sit twiddling their thumbs waiting for a moment when we can all suddenly feel safe. I think that as students and members of the community, we have some capacity and therefore the responsibility to take certain aspects of our personal safety into our own hands. Regardless of the campus safety measures implemented in the coming weeks, the likelihood of another tragic incident might be depleted but the threat is not eradicated. We need to look out for each other. This past week has been a milestone for our college community in terms of coming together and supporting the welfare of every student. Let’s keep this going! I was walking back from a review session for an exam last week at night and a stranger from class made sure I made it back to Hansen before going his separate way. I was so thankful and yet so surprised by his kindness. This kind of behavior shouldn’t be uncommon–it should be the norm. We don’t have the same capacity to implement large-scale strategic efforts like the Board of Trustees and the administration. We DO have the power to look out for each other and if one less incident occurs because one student had another’s back, we’ve done something.” Sarah Gardiner ‘13