We knew this day would come, but it seems to have snuck up on us nonetheless — this is the last issue of Red Letter Daze to hit newsstands in 2009. For the last issue of the fall semester, we decided to address an issue that is very prominent in the Ivy League right now: murder and violent assaults on the campuses of the Ancient Eight.

Safety concerns among the members of the Ivy League caught the eye of the national press this term with the puzzling murder of Yale grad student Annie Le, which was on the tails of a similarly bizarre murder over the summer here in Ithaca.

In recent weeks, Cornell students have become more and more jumpy, as each week seems to bring news of another attempt at violence. I think twice before walking home alone on Dryden at night, as I’m sure many of you also do.

While Cornell and the rest of the Ivy League have a long and tangled history when it comes to murder and other assaults, the school has been charged with the responsibility of protecting us, leading to extra patrols and crime alerts. However, this is also an opportunity for all campus residents to educate themselves about the less-explored, more dangerous side of these Ivy-covered halls.

Thanks so much for a great semester, and I wish you all good luck on finals (not so fun) and a happy holiday season (very fun). Expect engaging, new content in the pages of Red Letter Daze as soon as we all descend on Cornell’s safe, snowy campus in January. Don’t worry — we won’t be gone for too many Thursdays.

As always, send all questions, comments and suggestions to daze-editor@cornellsun.com, and follow Red Letter Daze on Facebook and / or Twitter. Though you won’t be able to read the section on paper until the new semester, look for some fascinating stories that will appear periodically over the break on cornellsun.com/redletterdaze.

Stay safe,

Allie Perez