This week, the Hoosier family carries a heavy heart from the tragic loss of one of our own, Hannah Wilson. Hannah was a senior, only two weeks away from graduation, and had her whole life ahead of her. During the peak of Little 500 weekend, the busiest weekend in Bloomington of the entire year, Hannah went missing after leaving a bar alone early Friday morning. Less than 24 hours later, her body was found abandoned in Brown County after enduring blunt force trauma to the head, according to the coroner. The suspect, 49-year-old Daniel Messel, is in custody on the preliminary charge of murder.

My deepest condolences go out to Hannah's family, friends, and sorority sisters in Gamma Phi Beta during this sad time. The Indiana University community's heart is broken over the death of such a beloved student.

As an attempt to bring a small amount of light to an unspeakable situation, Wilson's tragedy serves as an important reminder to the IU community, and all college campuses, regarding safety.

While we can only hope that Hannah's case is one in a million, the reality is, it could have happened to anyone. It is in human nature to think that we are invincible. We hear about horror stories, like Wilson's, on the news headlines, but we think to ourselves, "that won't ever happen to me." It is in times like these that we realize that we, in fact, are not so untouchable after all.

We as a community must work together to protect one another from tragedies such as this. Indiana University and surrounding police departments everywhere have the best interest of the students and our safety at heart, but they cannot prevent everything. It is on us to ensure the safety of one another. Remember:

• Use the buddy system. Never go anywhere alone, especially at night time, and don't let your friends do so either.
• If you do find yourself alone at night time, utilize your campuses Safety Escort. Save the number in your phone and call it if you feel unsafe; they will come and pick you up.
• Never leave your drink unattended.
• If you are being stalked or do not feel safe on campus, locate the blue towers across campus and press the alert button on them as you pass by. This will notify the police and will track your location.
• Don't be afraid to cut your friends off from drinking if they have had too much.
• Utilize the self defense courses that your university offers; you never know when they may come in handy.
• Do not, under any circumstance, get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. If you are going somewhere where driving is inevitable, assign a designated driver.
• When you are walking alone at night time, carry pepper spray or stay on the phone with someone you trust until you get to a safe place.
• Always keep your doors and windows locked, even if you are home or if it is during the day time.

There are many other points that could be made about general safety for students, but the bottom line is this: use your common sense. If something feels off to you, take action. Even a small preventative action, like walking an intoxicated friend home from a party, may be preventing a situation like what happened to Hannah from occurring. We as a community must remember to have the courage to care and look out for one another in all situations.

As the Indiana University campus continues to mourn the loss of Hannah, we must also take her story as a harsh reminder and reality check that horrible things do happen in this world. That is why taking safety precautions is so important.

As an IU student, I can tell you that I, personally, have always felt that administration and Bloomington law enforcement have done their best to make us feel safe in the community. Unfortunately, though, the unthinkable is still always a risk, as it is on any college campus or in any town. It is on all of us to take preventative action against tragedy.

To a beautiful soul who is gone far too soon due to the reckless actions of another individual, our hearts are outpouring. Rest easy, Hannah. The Indiana University community will be keeping a culture of care for you.

Please take a moment and donate to the Hannah Wilson Memorial Fund.