Four days after the shooting death of sophomore Karl Harford, Ball State students said they still feel safe, as long as they're on campus.
Both the death of Harford and the November police-action shooting of Michael McKinney occurred in off-campus neighborhoods.
These incidents serve as another reminder that students need to be cautious, Nick Zuniga, Lambda Chi Alpha president, said.
"When students are off campus, they need to realize they're not in a bubble anymore," he said.
Even though Harford was not a fraternity brother, Zuniga said his house has felt the loss because Harford's younger brother, Brian, is a member of Lambda Chi Alpha.
"It's hit our house pretty hard," he said.
Douglas McConkey, vice president of student affairs, said the past few months have been a difficult period for students with the deaths of two Ball State students.
"It's been a tough year," McConkey said. "It's been a sad time and it takes a while for that sadness to lessen."
Visiting parents and students to Ball State this week have had questions relating to safety on campus, McConkey said. However, he said questions about safety are not unusual from parents.
To prepare for more questions and to help incoming freshmen become more aware, McConkey said the university is adding a presentation about public safety during summer orientation.
At student orientation, University Police Chief Gene Burton will discuss safety with students and answer any questions.
Junior Sarah Bradbury said the university is doing what it can to help students become aware of possible dangers.
"There's not a whole lot Ball State can do to keep students on campus," Bradbury said. "You're always going to have students who want to go off campus."
Bradbury said she isn't scared to be in Muncie or the Whitely neighborhood, where Harford was shot Sunday. Bradbury said she tutors Whitley neighborhood children for Motivate Our Minds.
"Many students were apprehensive about going there at first," she said. "I never noticed it as unsafe. I was surprised when I heard about what happened last weekend."
The Whitely community is not as dangerous as students think, editor of the Muncie Times, and Whitely resident Bea Foster said at a Tuesday press conference.
"The Whitely community is not a dangerous community," Foster said. "I'm afraid of my shadow. There's no way I would live in a community that was dangerous."
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