2008 Woodie Awards
Has Burlington's Bubble Burst?
In the Trenches
Sarah Posillico Cynic Correspondent
Issue date: 11/6/06 Section: Features
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But the protective bubble of safetey often thought to surround this quaint townmight not be as secure as many students believe.
Considering the unprecedented campus crimes of the last two months - the tragic abduction and murder of Michelle Gardner-Quinn and Colby Eck's assaults on Harris residents - it's no wonder that students, especially women, are changing the way they think about their daily activities.
"It's definitely made me think twice about walking downtown by myself … I'm more cautious now," 18-year-old UVM freshman Cindy Conquest said. "If I can avoid walking alone, I will. It's our time to be independent, but then people are saying 'don't go anywhere alone.'"
For other women, the mental and psychological impacts from the crimes loom larger than daily life.
"My daily activities haven't changed that much; it's in what I'm thinking," said 17-year-old psychology major Emily Crofton.
"I second guess things now. I'm more alert than before."
Julie Camuso, a UVM freshman from Hamilton-Wenham, Mass. agrees.
"I'm less outgoing with people I've never met before; now I hold back a lot … and now people that were typically not sketchy before are sketchy now," Camuso said.
Indeed, Burlington's bubble has, in the past, sheltered its inhabitants from violent crimes like those that have occurred in the past months. This town is thought of as a secure haven for many students who fall into routines where safety and alertness tend to drift to the back of the mind.
"I was shocked [after the crimes], because in my experience, Burlington is typically really safe; nothing bad ever really happens," Lucas Faryniarz, Resident Advisor of Millis 4 High said. "These events were so out of place, and both events happened so close together."
Many students feel that because there is so little violent crime in Burlington, the impact, when it does occur, is compounded.
"It's not like it's completely unexpected at college. I think it's a problem most other colleges have because you can't avoid things like that," Conquest said.
There is a kind of invincibility that traditionally comes with being a young, newly independent college student and recent events have shaken that notion.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Tom Kingston
posted 11/08/06 @ 11:07 PM EST
The question is: Has Burlington's Bubble Burst?
I would say not. The Vermont homicide frequency has been somewhat stable at twelve per year for the past three and a half decades (with a low of 6 in 1994 and a high of 26 in 1776). (Continued…)
jpenny
JP
posted 11/12/06 @ 4:30 AM EST
Not much has changed since Michelle G-Q's murder. Burlington has always had a relatively steady homocide rate. the only difference now is that everyone in the UVM community (especially young women who had never had such a morbid reality check) has become paranoid and hyper aware because their idea of Burlington as this ultra safe cocoon came tragically crashing down. (Continued…)
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