Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

When tragedy strikes, we may never have answers, but we have each other

The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

When the Miami community heard the news on Sunday morning, something shifted. Gunshot wounds. Two dead. One Miami student. Female.

As we poured coffee, checked our phones and started our homework, the tragic words found a way to us in one way or another. The words stopped us, they shook us.

From first-year dorms to Uptown apartments, the spaces around us grew a little dimmer, a little quieter. From study rooms to breakfast tables, there were moments of pause and statements of shock.

Our knee-jerk reaction to what happened at Level 27 this weekend might be to ask questions and keep refreshing pages for more information. But this isn't a time to pass judgment or get caught up in the whys and hows.

As much as we want answers, as much as we crave details and pieces of closure, we need to look beyond that.

Instead, we need to tap into another set of instincts, the instinct to be human, to be sad, to be moved by a tragic event that happened in our own community.

As students, we need to be prepared to not have an answer and we need to do little things to take this tragedy in. Nothing like this has happened since we've been here and it's okay to be jolted by that. No matter the differences that usually shape our friend groups and divide us, we need to come together on this. We're all feeling the heaviness of this, of loss, of unknowns. We all feel it.

Something we can do is realize the impact this has on all of us. Sometimes all you can do is cling to the tie we all share, which is being a part of Miami.

President David Hodge responded this weekend, saying just about the only words that are approprate for this event.

"This is a terrible tragedy," he said. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends. It is an incredibly painful and sad time for Miami."

The feeling reminds us that we all go to the same place, we all call each other classmates, peers, friends, roommates, housemates, sisters, brothers, teammates.

It reminds us to speak a little sweeter, hold tight to those around us, send out prayers, be kinder and more gentle to people who cross our path.

We need to mourn for the families who lost a daughter and a son. We also need to accept that there isn't much else we can do.

As the Oxford Police Department continues to investigate, The Miami Student will seek more information. We will keep you updated as we know more.

Of course, we will move on from those shifting, shocking, sad moments. We will go to class, make jokes and talk about Super Bowl commercials. We will keep walking Uptown, searching for last-minute parking spots and chanting at hockey games. And after awhile, it will seem like nothing has changed. It won't be forgotten, but the initial shock will fade, in waves. Before that happens, take moments, here and there, to feel the shift and the shock, and come together with others around you and in the Miami community.

Know that when something like this happens, there are resources. There's the student counseling center and support from Miami as listed below, but there is also the tangible resource of the person next to you. Let's not overlook that. We can't overlook that.