Stand up before hate makes a home here

Back in October, the Elmhurst College campus experienced a myriad of hate crimes involving racial and homophobic slurs and shooting threats written in various places on campus. Students felt unsafe at an institution where they pay to feel safe. Unfortunately, nothing is easing our discomfort.

Four months have fleeted by and while some of us may have forgotten, the fear experienced in October lingers behind. As we enter into the new year and new semester, we were all reminded by an email sent by the administration.

The administration has provided us with some crucial updates throughout the process, including word that there would not be an arrest made at this time and that the case is virtually closed unless new information comes up.

While there is comfort in the presence of news, there is nothing more frustrating than hearing the case is closed.

Bringing justice to the person that terrorized our campus would essentially bring the most healing and comfort. The campus is left discouraged and still scared from the pain that the hate caused. What if this person is still lurking around our community?

The resources and precautions that administration has put into place are much appreciated and may better prepare for if these kinds of incidents happen again, but it cannot erase what previously happened.

Bringing a clinical psychologist onto campus for two days is not going to fix everything. It is a start, but our mental health is going to take more than two days to fix, and some of us cannot hold onto the months long waitlist at the Wellness Center.

Nonetheless, it does not give the proper closure that is necessary for anybody to properly move on. We are humans, not robots who can reset after having two days off due to a campus shut down.

It is unfortunate that we cannot seek an expulsion, arrest, or any reprimandation because of the lack of evidence due to not having sufficient resources like cameras or regular dorm hall patrolling. While this incident served as an opportunity for campus security to see their faults and improve upon them, as a student it hurts to see the school giving up on something that caused the campus so much distress.

While the school ended up closing the case per recommendation of the Elmhurst Police Department, there is still the opportunity for justice because campus security will be taking any new information that could help lead them in the direction of finding a suspect. If you know any information, speak up. Let the campus receive the justice we deserve.

Back in October, the Elmhurst College campus experienced a myriad of hate crimes involving racial and homophobic slurs and shooting threats written in various places on campus. Now four months later, administration has provided us with some crucial updates. While the execution may not have been perfect and the investigation may not have wielded the results we were hoping for, appreciation is in order for what did get done.

Campus security and the Elmhurst Police Department did their best to keep the campus community safe. No new incidents have occurred since then, and a stronger presence of security is part of the reason why. Increasing and updating security cameras also assists in better ensuring campus safety and will hopefully aid in catching future suspects if some should arise.

Administration has also admitted to and have been actively trying to fix the mistakes they made in the execution of dealing with the hate incidents. If something like this were to happen again, people will ideally be notified in a more efficient manner. No more professors coming to class wondering why half of their class is gone if something like this were to occur again.

Additional engagement with faculty has also been put into motion to improve protocol and make certain that everyone has the resources they need to cope. While no amount of support may fix what happened, it nonetheless allows for the necessary healing to happen.