THE VOICE

What are we to do when tragedy strikes? The explosion on a sidewalk in Manhattan. The pipe bombs in Seaside Park and Elizabeth, N.J. The anniversary and memories of September 11. All of these events call our immediate communities into question: are we living in a safe space? The knowledge that these events have occurred, and seemingly continue to occur, makes it difficult to live a carefree, everyday life. While it’s important to our health and well-being to take preventive measures to protect our safety, we shouldn’t live in fear all the time. There’s no algorithm to track when or where tragedy will strike next. The Seton Hall community offers a variety of methods to create a safe space for students and faculty and keep them out of harm’s way, though. The Department of Public Safety and Security offers transportation to the SHU community with the SHUfly and SafeRide services. Safety alerts and devices are also available at your fingertips with the emergency notification system PirateAlert, and the free safety mobile app Pirate Guardian. It’s up to the SHU community to use these resources to take steps to protect ourselves. Once we take these preventive measures, it becomes easier to enjoy becoming involved with our community. The Seton Hall and South Orange community has much to offer. Seton Hall weekend is this weekend from Sept. 23 to 25. The third annual Seton Village Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival also takes place on Sept 23. It’s up to us to enjoy life and what’s readily available around us, and to not live in fear. This week’s issue of The Setonian covers everything from new apps released by Public Safety to events occurring in South Orange. We promise to cover breaking news to keep our community informed, but it’s ultimately the responsibility of all of us to take protective measures to stay safe. The Voice is intended to best represent the collective opinion of The Setonian’s editorial board. It is written by The Setonian’s Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor.