Recently, all U of R students were sent an email about the totally out-of-place incident that happened on campus earlier this year, resulting in the death of Jeffrey Bordeaux Jr. I got the impression from many incoming students that they were unaware about the details of this event, or unaware of the event at all. I personally feel like every campus has its happenings that are scary, shocking, and unexpected, but the University of Rochester never has occurrences like this. This shocked the whole city. It was all over the news, and anyone who was interviewed was in awe. The parents were taken aback; they could not imagine this from their children. However, the students who got in the brawl were at a party and were drinking, and strong emotions came into play. There is no justification for what happened, but I just think it is important for incoming students to know everything.
This story made an appearance on the news once again as the student who killed Jeffrey was determined to be not guilty of murder; he was acting in self defense. Yes, they both were fighting; it is just unfortunate that a knife had to be called into play. Anyway, it was said that the two were friends, and like I said before, emotions got the best of them. I feel sympathetic for both students and their families. They were both so inspired and driven; just the fact that they were students at the University of Rochester shows that. In a sense, both families lost their sons. It was a sad time for the campus and the students’ friends, and I saw it in the city and its surrounding towns as well. I live in Greece, and even my school made it a point to talk about the incident.
In the end, I just feel like it should be known that the University of Rochester is one of the safest places in the city. Between security officers, the Blue Light system on campus, and the general character of the students, there are not many problems, and never in this degree of severity. It is true that Rochester has its bad parts, but they are not near the campus, and they are not unique to Rochester; every city has them.
Another subject that this brings up is the parties on campus. This incident should not scare students away from them. The parties at the University are safe, fun, and adventurous. There are always security officers around the campus, even the frat quad. And speaking of frats, they are the nicest and friendliest groups I have met. I hear bad stories about frats from college friends who go to different schools, about how they are strict, mean, and very selective in their parties. Well, at the University of Rochester, from my experiences, they are welcoming, caring, and tons of fun. They want you to be interested and have fun with them, so they do not shut you out. Also, these frats are about community service and helping out the city and the campus, not just partying. You don’t find many ill-driven students there, or anything of the like. Basically, I feel like students should not cut out parties from their adventures in college because of the past, stories, or fears. At the same time, of course, do not force yourself to get into it if you are not comfortable. But as for the rest of the social butterflies out there like me, get ready to attend and have many great times!
While we can’t let the rare unfortunate events prevent us from experiencing college life to the fullest, Jeffrey’s story is, of course, an important lesson learned, and we cannot forget it. Both boys will be in our thoughts.