<p>@absentions: There are no guarantees anywhere in life. All you can hope for you, your friends and your family is to be aware, be smart, watch out for one another. Whether it be walking across Dartmouth’s or Wellesley’s campus, whether it be the job interview and the uncomfortable invitation for drinks afterward, whether it be the ex-boy/girlfriend who just can’t let you go and begins stalkerish behaviors, or the guys at the job whose off-color jokes aren’t frowned upon by HR or your corporate culture – all manner of things may creep into your space you one day. I’m trying to teach my daughters to recognize what’s appropriate, what social scenarios are risky and to be confident in their strengths and to recognize their weaknesses. But I know I have no guarantees either.</p>
<p>An anecdote of the randomness of danger: When I was a Junior at my HYP college, my friend’s roommate was leaving the main dining commons after dinner and traversing THE central plaza of campus. There must have been 50-60 people walking around. A deranged guy jumped out of some nearby bushes, randomly chose her, attacked her with a metal pipe. He was quickly tackled and police got there in no more than 30 seconds. The student’s skull was fractured and arm was broken. She withdrew and later returned 1.5 years later to complete her studies. * She was just freaking walking home from dinner at one of the most busy areas of campus!* What does this say? It was horrible. But we can’t live in fear. We can arm ourselves with knowledge and wisdom and trustworthy friends to minimize tragedy but randomness occurs to all of us. Good luck w/your decisions.</p>