I distinctly remember walking back to my dorm on Sunday, March 5 around midnight. Apart from the crunch of my shoes in the newly fallen snow and the passing of Campus Safety vehicles, the college streets were perfectly silent. An eerie orange glow reminiscent of ‘50s horror movies reflected off the buildings and snow banks. I tried to keep in the open, well-lit parts of the road, nervously looking for movement around me. For the first time since school has started, I felt utterly alone.

To put this scene in context, the Gustavus student body had been alerted three hours previously of an assault committed right outside Nobel Hall. This event would have been terrifying in and of itself, but it was compounded by the fact that it was the second assault to occur within 48 hours. Suddenly, in one weekend, our entire conception of ”campus safety” was cast into doubt.

Among my friends and acquaintances, the initial reaction included confusion, indignation and, above all, fear. On Facebook, I received a flood of status updates from students scared to leave their dorms, questioning whether Campus Safety personnel had enough presence to deter this kind of random violence. Others voiced anger at the idea that a fellow human being could commit such an inexcusable act so close to home, and that our society as a whole allowed it to happen.

Between the worry and blame, a sense of paranoia set in. The college atmosphere in the following days reminded me of the classic Twilight Zone episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” in which  small town citizens become suspicious and eventually hostile toward each other as result of a power outage (caused by aliens, of course). The screenwriter, Rod Serling’s point, I think, was to demonstrate how easy it is to become incapacitated by fear. At Gustavus, real fear is a foreign concept to us because we live in an almost utopian bubble. Our typical anxieties relate to our grade on that test we barely studied for or the number of texts remaining on our monthly cell phone plan. So when two women are physically attacked in plain sight, it’s understandable that we collectively go into shock.

In response to the atrocities, both staff and students have attempted to manage this newfound dread. Campus Safety has ramped up security precautions and offered crime-prevention information. The college administration kept the community informed about the nature of the crimes. Even students have banded together using the buddy system to escort each other across the now-threatening grounds.

While all of these measures are positive solutions, there is no simple fix to erase the apprehension and pain in the wake of the assaults. And, obviously, nothing I say in this column will magically cure your fear or the situation as a whole. But I think there are some basic things we can do to aid in healing from this tragedy.

The first step is recognition, recognizing the reality of the past events along with the potential that they could happen again. Unfortunately, I do not possess keys to a DeLorean that could transport me back in time to ward off the attacker. The past (as of now) is unchangeable. In addition, Gustavus, like anywhere else, will never be completely free of violent and predatory behaviors. It’s a sad fact, but it must be accepted to move on.

The next trait we need is clarity. This means having the discernment to be aware of our surroundings and to make sound judgments. Increasing our level of awareness is integral to preventing future crimes on campus. Little tips like staying off the cell phone or iPod while walking at night can make a big difference. Clarity is also important when decision-making, such as safely attending and exiting parties. Finally, a clear mind is useful for tackling emotional situations and responding effectively to tough events.

The third quality necessary for healing is unity. I know this goes without saying, as our college has already done a great job of this. But because the two offenses were attempted sexual assaults, I’ve noticed a slight polarization between men and women. The rhetoric around sexual assault usually ends up this way since males are often the offenders and females are often the victims. The truth is that these crimes, whether sexual or not, affect us all to the same extent. Therefore, we must address this crisis as one community.

Lastly, we must regain a spirit of optimism. I realize this word has appeared in The Weekly a lot lately, but I think it is fundamental to overcoming fear. What happened here is tragic, yes, but hopefully our school will become safer as a result. Optimism essentially means having confidence in a positive future —believing that things can get better. In this way, we can begin to control our fears, so that they may no longer control us.