College students throughout America anxiously wait for a night off from working to get off campus and go out to have a good time. Quinnipiac students are no exception. Every Thursday night you can be sure to find dozens of people waiting in line for a shuttle going into New Haven. Girls will be laughing and taking pictures of their friends while guys eagerly cluster around them. No one has a care in the world except being the first to get on the shuttle and having to wait in line to get into a club. No one wants to think that there is anything else to worry about.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. Although Quinnipiac University is a safe, non-violent place for students to reside, New Haven is a completely different story. New Haven has everything, including restaurants, shopping, clubs, and sadly, violence. This violence exists at night even when carefree college students are strolling around looking for the best clubs.
It was reported in The New Haven Register that on Sunday Sept. 21 there was a “fatal shootout which stemmed from a dispute in a nightclub” right near the Dunkin Donuts that we all pass by on our way to the clubs. Not only this, but in that same article it describes another horrifying scene, “A day earlier at Hammer Jacks nightclub, 201 Crown St., three people, two of them 20 and the other 21, were stabbed during a large fight at the bar.” This violence is real. It doesn’t acknowledge whether innocent students are around; it explodes whenever it wants.

This is why it is important to consider safety issues when you are out having fun with your friends. If you see a fight getting out of control, get away from the scene. Even if it’s a Thursday night, it isn’t always just a bunch of college students in the club. It is too big of a risk to be unaware of the violence -especially when we are so used to the secure Quinnipiac bubble. It may seem redundant to reiterate the same things we were taught when we were younger, but it is important. Don’t talk to people you aren’t sure of. Don’t go home with strangers. Don’t get involved with altercations. It may seem obvious, but plenty of good college kids can get carried away after a few drinks in a chaotic atmosphere. So do yourselves a favor when you go out from now on, when you are out in New Haven, stay safe.